Something Random

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,747
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Yay, my projector ceiling mount has arrived! Now I get to violate larger parts of my rental agreement.

And it looks like I need a 15-20' VGA cable (my projector doesn't do DVI). Considering it runs at 1024x768, is image bluryness going to be an issue?
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,747
Location
Horsens, Denmark
I just had a meeting where I seriously discussed selling my gaming center with an interested buyer. It's been 3 years, a lot of fun, and a good learning experience; but I need to stop trying to make things I enjoy into profitable businesses. As soon as I try to make money off something, I lose some of the enjoyment. As soon as I get used to making money from something, I stop enjoying it at all. I want to have fun playing games again.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
22,303
Location
I am omnipresent
I just got in a shipment of new Logitech keyboards and mice. Sixty of them, for my classrooms.

These keyboards say "Compatible with Windows Vista" on their boxes in very large letters.

Some of my students saw the boxes, and they asked me about Vista keyboard compatibility.

... so I just convinced a room full of people that they're going to need new keyboards for Windows Vista.

:D
 

Tannin

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 15, 2002
Messages
4,448
Location
Huon Valley, Tasmania
Website
www.redhill.net.au
I need to stop trying to make things I enjoy into profitable businesses. As soon as I try to make money off something, I lose some of the enjoyment. As soon as I get used to making money from something, I stop enjoying it at all. I want to have fun playing games again.

Yeah. Exactly. It's like that for me too. At least a lot of the time, and with most things. It was especially like that with music. I played for close to 20 years, then started making enough money from it to get throuh my final years at uni (that was in my late 20s - I started uni late) and ..... bleep bleep TILT - I stopped enjoying it. Practically never play at all now.

Computers? Well, I like computers still, but not in the ghee-whiz let's go faster sense. I'm not interested in the machines themselves these days, just in what I can do with them. I.e., I don't care about photo-processing software - hate the damn stuff most of the time - just want great-looking pictures. And I like getting stuff organised.

Professionally, there are really two, maybe three things I like about my job. One, perhaps the main one, is meeting people and figuring out what it is they really need. It's always different and you have to balance so many different things: budget, attitudes, requirements, longer-term issues, it all has to fit together into the right strategy (build a new one? upgrade? wait? wait how long?) It's fun. Also, oddly enough, I love removing spyware and viruses. That is a regular challenge, with ground-rules that change from time to time to keep things interesting, and I'm good at it. Mostly we enjoy stuff we are good at. The rest of it is a bit ho-hum, but OK. Except for taxation paperwork. That I hate with a passion so black you couldn't bottle it. It's not the money - I'd gladly pay double income tax if all I had to do was sign a cheque and post it, it's the time, the endless time it takes, and always, no matter how much of it you do, you have to do more of it next quarter.
 

Clocker

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 14, 2002
Messages
3,554
Location
USA
We have to keep the alarm clock in our bedroom 1:10 fast because that's the way my wife has done it ever since she was a teen. So when I get up at 7:10 it's actually 6:00.
 

Tea

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 15, 2002
Messages
3,749
Location
27a No Fixed Address, Oz.
Website
www.redhill.net.au
I keep the living room clock about 10 minutes fast, give or take a bit. It might be 8 minutes, might be 15 - because I am not sure exactly how fast it is, I have to leave a bit earlier just to make sure.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,747
Location
Horsens, Denmark
My GF kept the bedroom clock 13 minutes fast and I made her fix it. A clock that does not tell correct time is broken. Hell, I have broken clocks that are accurate at least twice a day more often then hers!
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,497
Location
USA
I just got in a shipment of new Logitech keyboards and mice. Sixty of them, for my classrooms.

These keyboards say "Compatible with Windows Vista" on their boxes in very large letters.

Some of my students saw the boxes, and they asked me about Vista keyboard compatibility.

... so I just convinced a room full of people that they're going to need new keyboards for Windows Vista.

:D

Why does Vista need additional keys - some special features?
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,497
Location
USA
I keep all the clocks as accuracte as practicable. Three are nuclear/radio controlled which helps. I also use the Chronos 4.0 to keep the computers correct. Calibrating cameras can be important too. I sometimes shoot with 2-3 bodies. They should be accurate to a few seconds so that all of the files are in proper order prior to renaming the sequence. Clocks on the microwaves and other ovens are not worth setting; they lose time settings at every 500msec. power glitch. :(
 

Pradeep

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
3,845
Location
Runny glass
So I stopped at the local store on my way home from work today, came out and started heading home, house on fire very close to mine. Had to go around the long way, got home, wife and kids were OK. House on the corner (prob 60-70 metres away) was up in flames. Looks like a 17 year old kid died, he was the only one home. A friend of my eldest kid used to live there, they moved recently and I think it was being rented/renovated. At least one of the doors was nailed shut, one fire crew was trying to get in that way but they couldn't kick the door down. The best we could do was give the family blankets (20 degrees outside).

All the houses on our street are close to or over 100 years old, once a flame starts you don't have much time to get out. Just reminds you how fragile life is.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
17,497
Location
USA
Sorry to hear that. I wonder if it was a drug/substance-related incident or just smoking or cooking, etc.?

Unfortunately most people don't retrofit older homes with sprinkler systems. They don't always help enough anyway.
 

Pradeep

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
3,845
Location
Runny glass
Apparently the fire started in the porch. We live out in the 'burbs so it's not exactly a hotbed of criminal activity. People still leave their cars unlocked etc. Maybe a kerosene heater or something like that tipped over. Didn't hear any smoke detectors going off.
 

sechs

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
4,709
Location
Left Coast
I have invites for AussieTorrents.com. I know that there are folks here who might be interested; and, if I don't use them, they'll just take them away.

Drop me a private message with your e-mail address. I'll send them out until they're gone.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,747
Location
Horsens, Denmark
For my GF's B-Day weekend I took her to Big Sur. We stayed at the River Inn and ate at all the nice restaurants. Drove the pretty section of Hwy 1 both ways (Hearst Castle to Carmel ~100mi) and hiked quite a bit; down to the beach in at least a dozen places, sometimes involving cliffs and breaking waves.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,931
Location
USA
Pradeep, I'm also very sorry to hear about your neighbors also. That's very unfortunate.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,747
Location
Horsens, Denmark
One of my best friends mother just died of Cancer at age 52 within 2 weeks of diagnosis. She is younger than me, and her parents are younger than mine. This sucks.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
22,303
Location
I am omnipresent
Anyone else a Netflix subscriber?

Login. Go to the Your Account page.
In the middle-right part of the screen, there will be a link that says "How can I watch movies instantly on my PC."
This will add a tab to the top toolbar on the page that says "watch movies", which will in turn open a page with many available streaming titles.

Spiffy.
 
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