Unbeatable Banzuke

A great new show on G4 that aired over the past weekend. It's like Jack Ass but their skits are done in a infomercial style comedy. It is definitely a show to look forward to seeing. I'm glad that G4 is becoming entertaining again.

Travel Time

Well tomorrow is the day we fly back to New York for a long, long, long (did I mention long) week - visiting family and such. I always regret sleeping in a strange bed, waking/sleeping at strange hours, eating nothing but sheet pizza, and trying to wash my hair in a shower that seemed to be built for people shorter then 4 feet. (TMI ?)

This will be my first real vacation since last Christmas, just a little burned out. I skipped the company holiday party, so that I can finish up on my projects before leaving.

I'm bringing my laptop, hoping to get some game programming experience done (XNA) during the long travel time. We leave for the airport at 11:00AM MST and don't arrive in New York until 10:30PM EST. in which, we have to fight our way through the "longest security wait time" at DIA, long lay overs, and eat awful, over priced airport food.

I'll try and take some pictures, for once in my life and post them.

Have a Happy Holiday.

Roger A. Trevanti Explains The AMPTP's New Proposal

"This is the video the WGA doesn't want you to see! Studio Head and AMPTP Member, Roger A. Trevanti explains the AMPTP's groundbreaking deal in a way writers can understand!"

 

 

A fun little poke at the ignorance of the fat cats at the AMPTP.

Disable those system beeps

Anytime I'm given a new laptop or install a new OS, one of the first things I do is disable all sounds. The only thing left is the annoying beeps, especially when listening to music with my head phones on. So thanks to Andrew Connell, he gives a solution.

 

Open a command prompt and enter the following to stop the system beep:

C:\net stop beep

While this works, the beep will be re-enabled the next time the machine is rebooted. So what you want to do is configure it to never start back up:

C:\sc config beep start= disabled

Be sure to leave a space between the equals (=) sign and the word “disabled”.

 

- http://andrewconnell.com/blog/archive/2006/05/26/3153.aspx

Yet another Denver band.

The Flobots - Handlebars

http://www.flobots.com/

Lyrics:

I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
Look at me, look at me
hands in the air like it's good to be
ALIVE
and I'm a famous rapper
even when the paths're all crookedy
I can show you how to do-si-do
I can show you how to scratch a record
I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to "De Colores"
And "I'm Proud to be an American"
Me and my friend saw a platypus
Me and my friend made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want cuz, look:
I can keep rhythm with no metronome
No metronome
No metronome
I can see your face on the telephone
On the telephone
On the telephone
Look at me
Look at me
Just called to say that it's good to be
ALIVE
In such a small world
All curled up with a book to read
I can raise funds open up a thrift store
I can make a living off a magazine
I can design an engine sixty four
Miles to a gallon of gasoline
I can make new antibiotics
I can make computers survive aquatic conditions
I know how to run a business
And I can make you wanna buy a product
Movers shakers and producers
Me and my friends understand the future
I see the strings that control the systems
I can do anything with no assistance
I can change the nation with a microphone
With a microphone
With a microphone
I can split the atoms of a molecule
Of a molecule
Of a molecule
Look at me
Look at me
Driving and I won't stop
And it feels so good to be
Alive and on top
My reach is global
My tower secure
My cause is noble
My power is pure
I can hand out a million vaccinations
Or let'em all die in exasperation
Have'em all grilled leavin lacerations
Have'em all killed by assassination
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don't like'em and
I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command
I can guide a missile by satellite
By satellite
By satellite
and I can hit a target through a telescope
Through a telescope
Through a telescope
and I can end the planet in a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handle bars
No handlebars
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars

A blog posting with Windows Live Writer

Ignore this if you want, just me testing this thing out.

A Map Insert:

Place where I'm staying during Christmas Vacation.

 

Picture Insert:

Hyperlink Insert:

http://www.andrusdevelopment.blogspot.com/

 

Tag Inserts:

Technorati Tags: Live Writer,William Andrus,Blog

 

All brought to you by Window's Live Writer

New sport: Nerd Sniping

Just to show you how easy it is to distract a genius.


- http://www.xkcd.com/356/

I Am Legend

I went and saw "I Am Legend" today. A great movie, this thriller has it's scary and funny moments. My only complaint is that I wish they would have shown more. I hope the DVD will be an extended version.

Jackass 2.5

Jackass is coming out with some additional footage available for online viewing on February 9th, 2008. It will be the first broadband movie backed by movie studios (MTV, Paramount).

Just got elfed by Karthik Rajaraman

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1287553570

Here Comes Another Bubble - The Richter Scales

Which 2008 Presidential Candidate Agrees With You?

http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

Here is what I decided on:

Abortion Rights - (High) Yes
Death Penalty - (Medium) No
No Child Left
Behind - (Medium) No
Federal Embryonic Stem Cell Research - (Low) Yes
ANWR Drilling - (Medium) No
Kyoto Protocol - (Low) Yes
Assault
Weapons Ban - (Low) Yes
Gun Background Checks - (High) Yes
Patriot Act -
(High) No
Guantanamo Detention Camp - (Low) No
Waterboarding Detainees -
(Medium) No
Citizen Path for Illegal Immigrants - (Low) Yes
Border Fence
- (High) No
Internet Neutrality - (High) Yes
U.S. Sanctions Against Iran
- (Medium) No
Military Action Against Iran - (High) No
Support Iraq War
- (Low) No
Increase Minimum Wage - (Medium) Yes
Same-Sex Marriage -
(Low) Yes
Universal Health Care - (Low) Yes
Free Trade - (High) Yes
School Vouchers - (Medium) No
Privatizing Social Security - (High) No
FairTax - (High) No

Interesting... I agree with Dennis Kucinich the most. (82.76% match)

Other Top Matches:
Bill Richardson - 75%
Mike Gravel - 68.10%
Barack Obama - 66.38%

Middle Matches:
Joseph Biden - 62.07%
Hillary Clinton - 60.34%
Chirstopher Dodd - 60.34%
John Edwards - 59.48%
Ron Paul - 49.14% --First Republican on the list
Rudy Guiliani - 33.62%
Mike Huckabee - 31.90%
Sam Brownback - 25.86%
John Cox - 23.28%
Tom Tancredo - 20.69%

Low Matches:
John McCain - 18.97%
Mitt Romney - 18.97%
Fred Thompson - 12.07%
Duncan Hunter - .86% -Wow, I must hate this guy and didn't even know it. <^_^>

Customers who bought "Fresh Whole Rabbit" also bought ... uh what?!?!

Interesting...
http://www.amazon.com/Cloverdale-Fresh-Whole-Rabbit/dp/B00012182G/ref=pd_sbs_misc_img_4

What is your neighborhood's "Walk Score"?

I live on the outskirts of Greeley, CO which doesn't have as much commercial atmosphere as any inner city might have, but I still get a score of 28 out of 100.

"We help homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find houses and apartments in great neighborhoods. Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment."

http://www.walkscore.com/get-score.php?street=1740+70th+Ave%2C+Greeley%2C+CO

So what is your "Walk Score"?

Some other locations of mine:

State University of New York - Institute of Technology gets a 9/100
Home in Elmira, NY: 48/100
Work in Fort Collins, CO: 88/100

Funny: Stay At Home Servers

http://www.stayathomeserver.com/default.aspx?vid=0

A Stephen Cobert fake like news story on Microsoft's Home Server.

The cost is about $600 - $800 for one of these, and it works with the Xbox 360.

More info: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx

TiVo sidebar for Vista

A nice "How To" for a TiVo sidebar for Vista from Mike Swanson's Blog.



From: http://blogs.msdn.com/mswanson/archive/2007/12/02/tivo-gadget-for-vista.aspx

Humor: Change "OK" buttons with a more appropriate saying

Futurama's direct to DVD

Good news for fans of Futurama. Fox decided, instead of renewing the show on-air, they green light new shows via DVD. This also means, no censorship. <^_^>

“Bender’s Big Score,” the first of four direct-to-DVD feature-length “Futurama” movies, is released today.

http://www.amazon.com/Futurama-Benders-Score-John-DiMaggio/dp/B000UZDO62

Laptop Covers

This is cool, just like those old days of wrapping your school books in designer covers, but with laptops and cellphones. The default covers are about £14.99 (~$30) but you can also customize with your own digital pictures for £28.99 (~$58).

http://www.lapjacks.com/

I wonder if there is an American company that is doing this?.

Black Friday

So, on Friday I finally bought a XBox 360 for myself. I also bought 2 games: Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed. That means, the past weekend I did a lot of killing and maiming. I think I'm almost done with Halo 3 on Normal level and pretty far into Assassin's Creed.

Commercial Songs

If you wondering what the new iPhone song: "Music is my boyfriend, Music is my girlfriend, ..."
it is by
Artist: CSS
Song: "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex"
Album: Cansei de Ser Sexy

The dentine ice commercial "So kiss me again. Cause only you can stop this stut-stut-stut-stuttering. Kiss me again. And ease my su-su su-su su-su s-su-s-suffering"
Artist: Bens Brother
Song: Stuttering

Make 5 Wishes

Went to Avril Lavigne's Myspace website and saw this action comic book with music in the background. http://creative.myspace.com/groups/_rr/clients/avril/11-15/gallery7.html Check it out if you like comic books or anime.

P.S. It has a sad ending. (ToT)

My name in Arabic

وليام [أندروس]

Translates to William [['andrws]] (also remember it is written right to left). وليام looks easy enough to remember: p shape then trident then bacwards lower case g.

Dilbert comic

This reminds me of Unix/Linux fanboys:

http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2007113333116.gif


It is always fun going to message boards seeing all the Microsoft (M$) bashing that is being done by people who have no clue what they are talking about.

Microsoft's Surface

I love the idea of Microsoft's new invention that will be coming out soon to Restaurants, Hotels, Retail Locations and Casino Resorts. Think of "Surface" as an touchscreen device like an iPhone, but applied to a kiosk with powerful features. Check it out: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Lets imagine this in a restaurant for a sec. You sit down to a table with a glass surface and touch your fingers to the surface. A menu of the resturant is then displayed, but lets say you want more information on the items on the menu. Just click on the title of the food to get a more in-detail pictures of the food item along with some links to people who had reviewed the same item from newspapers and actual customers.

You order the food, but you have some young children with you. You simply open up an drawing application that allows them to select, with their fingers, what colors they want to use and draw on the table. Meanwhile, you can decide to go on the internet, but instead you open up solitare to waste some time. You are moving cards around with the touch and tap of your fingers.

The waitress comes with your food and the family starts eating, but wait! she forget the ketchup for the kid's fries. You open the app to request, selecting the ketchup from a list of several images. Then the waitress comes right out with the selected item.

After you are done, but still waiting for the children -- you decide to write a review on the food and service of the resturant for others future participants to view when they come in. Then you decide to open up the "request" again and ask to pay for the bill after viewing the check on the display.

Goating

Geek Dictionary:
Goating - When a user doesn't lock his computer before walking away, and allowing for others to pull pranks on him.

Some cool/classic pranks:
1) Replacing the desktop with a screenshot of the desktop, and hiding all the visible items on it.
2) Switching the mouse from right to left handed.
3) Using the video driver settings to rotate the display left, right, or upside down.
4) Switching the keyboard layout from QWERTY to Dvorak (or vice-versa).
5) Installing the bluescreen of death screensaver.
6) Installing a fake clippy that randomly pops up and says something annoying or insulting. http://www.rjlsoftware.com/software/entertainment/clippy/default.shtml or other software from http://www.rjlsoftware.com/software/entertainment/

Also something fun to do when bored working.

Japanese emoticons

I really like the Japanese emoticons over some of the American version, they are just more humorous IMO. Here are the more popular ones:

（＾_＾） Laughing
(>_<)> Troubled
(^_^;) Troubled
(ToT) Crying
m(_ _)m Apologising
(^^ゞ or (^^;) Shy
（￣ー￣） Grinning
(≧∇≦)/ Joyful
（￣□￣；）Surprised
(#^.^#) Shy
（*´▽｀*） Infatuation
(ーー;) Worried
(*^▽^*) Joyful
＿￣○ Depressed
(＾▽＾) Laughing
(´･ω･`) Snubbed
（　ﾟ Дﾟ） Shocked
（・∀・） Laughing
(Ｔ▽Ｔ) Crying
(*￣m￣) Dissatisfied
（　´∀｀）Laughing
（⌒▽⌒）Laughing
（＾ｖ＾) Laughing
ヽ（´ー｀）┌ Mellow
（’-’*) Laughing
(’A`) Snubbed
（゜◇゜）Surprised
(*°∀°)=3 Infatuation
∩( ・ω・)∩ or ( ・ω・) Joyful

Recycle/Reuse those old computers

A great site where you can send your old computer(s) to be recycled or reused to under served communities around the world.

http://www.interconnection.org/index.php?pagina=inicio

An interesting fact:

Reusing just one computer with a CRT monitor saves
30 lbs of hazardous waste
77 lbs of solid waste
147 lbs (17.5 gallons) of water from being
polluted
32 tons of air from being polluted
1,333 lbs of CO2 from being
emitted
7,719 kilowatts of energy

- Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A double benefit by helping others and saving the environment. You can ship your computer for just $12 if you don't live in Washington state.

When I was an resident advisor at SUNY-IT, I tried to do this as one of my programs but didn't have much luck finding a place that I could send these computers to. m( _ _ )m

20% off coupon for anything at K-Mart

A nice 20% off coupon for K-Mart.

http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kmartaz9.jpg

Might go and see if there is anything of interest to buy.

Upcoming work and short deadlines

Here is what is coming up on my plate for the next month.

There are two companies, that do something similar to timeshares, but for the rich and corporations -- only. Each has their own rules and benefit for making reservations.

My job is to merge these business rules, of making reservations, from the newly acquired company into the current application of the precedent company in which we develop for.

I have until the end of the year (80 hours) to get this done.

My experience so far has been to get up to speed and develop quickly before the deadline, because this is a last minute request.

Some examples of my recent past projects:
2 months to implement a huge list of enhancements in VB.Net 1.1,
2 months to rewrite 1,700 store procedures from dynamic to a quicker static version,
1 week to implement a parser and a new store procedure to increase input,
and now this.

Wii address

So, if anybody out there has a Wii, my Wii email address is: w6962755006365192@wii.com

So, if you want to exchange Mii(s) or play online games like:

Battalion War 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battalion_Wars_2)
or
Hooked (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooked!_Real_Motion_Fishing)

My Speeding Ticket Story

OK, I'm just blogging about this now, but this happen back in August.

I was driving on route 34 westbound in the right lane (2 lane highway) going 70 in a 65 mph zone. Now, everybody who drives knows that it is safe to drive +5mph over the speed limit and not get hassled for speeding.

I started approaching a set of cars, which one of them was a cop. I was in the right still going 70 and then slowed down to 65. After getting impatient of the vehicle ahead of me going slower then 65. I then went into the right lane to pass the car, by going 68 (a very slow passing). I then moved into the right lane and notice everybody pulling over. I knew I was in trouble now, and started pulling over.

Here is where the fun begins, the Mad Police Officer portion of the story.

He first states, with infuriated anger, that I was going 75, and I was failing to yield to a police vehicle.[1]

I give him my New York driver licence, but couldn't find an updated car insurance policy. I remember putting an updated policy slip in the car, since July was my renewed month. He then gets really angry and starts threatening to impound my vehicle, because the lack of proof of insurance. This is a little strange to me, since in New York, the state police are nice enough to take the old insurance form and do a request to see if there still exist insurance on the vehicle, but here in Colorado forget that .

He was really pissed off at the idea that I had a California licence on the vehicle and a New York driver licence. [2] So, he goes back to his flashing lights cop car and does a background check on me.

After a few minutes, he then comes back, with more anger, stating that there is a California warrant out for my arrest. This of course is shocking to me, since I'm a very law abiding person. Only illegal thing I do, is go 5-10 over the speed limit. I don't smoke pot, and hardly ever drink alcohol -- that is how much of a stiff I am.

Then he ask for my Social Security card, which is just a very weird request in my opinion. I had no problem giving, if it will help clear things up and prevent me from going to jail.

He then goes back to clarify things and to do a background check on me in New York.
I'm stuck in the car getting nervous, especially since there aren't that many "Andrus" in California.

He comes back and gives New York State a back-handed compliment stating that "they aren't usually that quick over there in New York", and that I came up clean there. The officer is now showing signs of cooling down, goes back to his vehicle and waits to here from California for another 5 minutes.

He comes back and states that the warrant was not for me, but then he ask if I had any other family in California with the same name, I of course said "No". Currently, I have no family left there, but doubt I would give them up if I did.

I then notice that on the background check he was doing on me, according to the paper, was with the wrong name. He had "James William Andrus", instead of "William James Andrus". So, I had to sit through that agony because he didn't see a coma! (James, William Andrus).

After all that, he takes my New York driver license and gives me a temporary license for 10 days, while still stating that he could impound my car still. This guy really likes threatening people, but I will play it cool as long as he doesn't.

So my ticket ended up being

• 80 (not 75 as previously stated) in a 65 ---- bullshit, since I was going under 70


• Failing to yield to an emergency vehicle ---- bullshit, since I pulled over as soon as possible


• Failing to transfer my vehicle information and licence over to Colorado within 30 days ---- a bullshit law, just like getting ticketed for jay-walking.


• No insurance -- If only they would be nice enough to do a check.

My whole day is now going to be ruined, it will be spent in the DMV, which we know is never quick.

So begins my DMV portion of the story:

So, from experience I know to bring my birth certificate and social security card since this is what was needed in New York when I was 16. Oh! how times have changed since then.

I get there with the temporary 10 day licence and my other paper work and wait for my number to be called. Fortunately it was still early, and not a lot of people were there yet. (About 30 minute wait)

I then get stuck with someone who has never done anything with the temporary licence before. After some discussion from her supervisor on how to enter the information, then she finally states that I will also need to get my NYS DMV record. Not them, but I would have to. So, they give me the number to call and their fax number. I'm also told that I will also have to go to a car dealer or police station to get a VIN Verification done on my vehicle and take that to the other DMV office. [3]

I go home, very stressed, and try calling NYS DMV which is very busy. I wait on the phone for 5 minutes before human contact. After a quick discussion, everything was set. That portion was quick and easy.

I then go to a BMW dealer, and request for the VIN Verification. She comes out with a piece of paper and writes down the VIN number from my vehicle. Voila![4]

I then go back to the original DMV and try to get a Colorado Driver licence before registering my car. This time, the place was packed -- on a Wednesday!!! Damn, don't people have something better to do.

After an hour of waiting, finally I get to talk to someone. He then states that he can't give me a licence because of a new law in Colorado. I must have 3 proof of ID, not 2 but 3, he states that it could be an old licence (don't have one, plus the officer took that) or something like a passport (which I don't have).

After some more explanation, that the officer took my licence and all he gave me was this temporary one the dmv guy went to check if that would be acceptable as a third identification. The thing is, his supervisor didn't know if it was and would have to check with her supervisor. The supervisor's supervisor was out in some out-of-state conference in all-day meetings. I then sat around for another 1-2 hours waiting before finally getting approval. Finally after all that I got my Colorado licence.

I then went to register my vehicle, which was quick and painless.

3 months later

I finally got to go to court to defend myself. She, the very young and attractive district attorney, basically just laughed away the 'failure to yield' and dismissed the 30 day failure to transfer to Colorado without hesitation. After some more discussion, she then lowered the ticket to be just 3-5 over the speed limit. So after all that, I finally get a ticket I was guilty of, (3-5 over the speed limit).

Total points: 1
Fine: $35
Court Cost: $48

Total Cost: $83 + what ever increase to my insurance might bring for the next 3 years + a couple hundred dollars to register in Colorado.




1 A little side note: it is no surprise to people here, Colorado natives hate Californians. Heck, they even have bumper stickers here stating stupid things like: "Colorado Native" and "Born in Colorado". Even the bank commercials here state things like: "A bank you can trust to stay around", like a bank from other states just leave for no reason or something.

2 Maybe New York State is the number two on the hate list?

3 Yeah there are two(2) DMV offices, about 5 miles apart. I guess it was too convenient for people to get things done in one location.

4 What a waste of people's time and money!

Messenger on the web page

Very cool, a Messenger IM inline on the webpage.

How to:
Turn on Web: http://settings.messenger.live.com/applications/WebSettings.aspx

Then copy HTML:



-OR-

Wakoopa : Software usage tracking

Wakoopa not just another social network with web 2.0, but different in a unique way. It tracks what software you have been using and how long. You can write reviews and join groups and all that other stuff.

I just joined a few minutes ago. http://wakoopa.com/andrusw

Super Mario Bro theme song using Tesla coil

Source: http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/11/tesla_coil_super_mario_du.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1O2jcfOylU

Tesla coil super mario duet

Bought some HD DVDs on Saturday

I bought a Toshibia HD player at Walmart for $98 (early black Friday special) and 3 DVDs (Batman Begins, Transformers, and 300)

The quality on Transformers was not that hot. The HD player only came with component cables, so I went back to Walmart and bought a HDMI for the TV quality and a Optical cable for the surround sound.

I watched Batman Begins with the new setup. The video and sound quality was better if not the same as the movie quality.

I did watch the movie 300, I wish the quality of this was better. I guess not all movies are made in HD, but would figured that this should have been. I know in the movie theater this wasn't as great either, but I figured then it was the movie screen and projector.

I should compare the new setup to the Transformers movie later to see how much of an improvement there was.

Now, there is some good reason why I went with HD-DVD vs Blue Ray, but first my rant on SONY:

<rant>I hate SONY with their proprietary standards, they tried the same thing with their memory stick vs SD cards. BTW, PlayStation (1,2,3) consoles are usually a pile of cheap flimsy hardware that easily fails and over heats. </rant>

Places like K-Mart are getting rid of their Blue-Ray, since sales are low. Meanwhile, at Walmart you can buy a cheap HD player under $100. Just spend another $50 on the cables and you have one really nice kick ass system.

The majority of the movie industry is going to back HD, except for SONY. The quaility of the games of XBox 360 vs. PS3 has already been debated and won by Microsoft's XBox 360. The games just suck on the PS3.

Get 5 free DVDs when you buy Xbox HD DVD player.

http://assets.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/hddvd/Xbox360_HDDVDOffer.pdf

Buy a HD-DVD for XBox 360 or any Toshiba HD-DVD player and get 5 free dvds.

A cool offer I might want to take up. The DVDs aren't bad, they are decent and with 5 DVDs ~ $20 each = $100 compared to the $180 to buy a XBox 360 HD Player.

"Astoria", Silverlight & AJAX

Well, yesterday I and a few of my co-workers went to the MSDN Live Event in Fort Collins, CO. The topics covered ranged from Visual Studio 2008 "Astoria", to Silverlight and AJAX.

The Microsoft presenter, "Rob Bagby", showed off some cool new features that make developing faster and easier.

What was presented was the powerful Lambda called LINQ, that allows for a "safe" dynamic sql, with little/some overhead of performance speed. It was really nice to see a sql-like structure with intellisense inside the code.

Also, the use of Expression Blend, Silverlight, and AJAX was used to make a image on a website fade into another image, allowing it to display several wine labels.

This event is a good display of what is to come in the .Net environment.

18 ways to supercharge your boring workout

Some helpful hints to keep things challenging.

http://ririanproject.com/2007/10/31/18-ways-to-supercharge-a-boring-gym-session/

My favorite suggestions were:
8. Stretch between sets.
10. Kick it old school.
13. Stop and go.
17. Run the rack.


Some additional ideas:

• Remember to change your workout at least once a month to stimulate growth. I might do 3 sets of 10 for 1 month, then do 4 sets of 15 in the next month.
• Push yourself if nothing is happening. I sometimes find myself still struggling with the same weight for a long period of time. I have noticed that sometimes if I go to the next weight interval, I achieve the same results. This sometimes even gives my muscles a bigger boost and find myself moving onward after a couple of weeks.

It's always fun watching Linux + Apache / OSX users jump to conclusions

Kim Cameron (MS Privacy Guru) talks about a posting that said his Blog was hacked.

http://www.identityblog.com/?p=890

What is funny is the *nix and Apple fanboys jump to conclusion that he was running his blog on Microsoft's Server (IIS).

Silverlight gadget to watch Xbox Friends

A silverlight sidebar gadget for Vista, that can be used to watch your Xbox friends.



Source: http://adamkinney.com/blog/272/default.aspx

Weird: Walkstation

More info: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exercise/hands-and-feet-on-the-steelcase-walkstation-video-315082.php?autoplay=true

New wireless protocol, 100 times faster then WiFi

Hopefully, in 3 years -- this device will enable wireless transfer more then 100 times faster then wifi.

This technology will allow you to transfer files at around 2.5 gigabits per second. That would be a 10 gigabyte file, through wireless, in five seconds.

--Source: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9800868-1.html

Windows Live and Popfly

So I downloaded Windows Live, and can't wait to try out the panoramic view with some photos (once I make some that can be pieced together) :) http://get.live.com/wl/all

I've also started looking into Popfly, which is now in beta format. Looks cool, just have to see what I can do with it. http://www.popfly.ms/Home.aspx

http://www.popfly.ms/users/andrusw

House Searching with Windows Live

Group Inc, has developed a windows live search for houses in the northern colorado area. http://www.thegroupinc.com/map_search/

It is interesting to see the price and cost of the houses in the local area.

Funny: Trainer Bingo

Source: http://bingo.tepmis.com/

A bingo card of different type of student persona's, when you find one -- mark it off.

I think there should be a teacher/presenter version of this, for students to play.
I can't come up with catchy phrases, but here are some of my teachers of the past:

GOD: This professor has probably taught this class for 10+ years and knows every question and it's answer to the question.

Sponge: This professor believes all questions he/she asked should be easily answered in 3 seconds or less. If not, they get very upset.

Sleepy: During major test, this professor will fall asleep or leave to their office to fall asleep and tell you to leave your exam on the desk when done.

By the book: This professor will teach word for word from the text book, copy exam questions and quizzes from them as well. If there is a teacher edition, they basically have no work to do at all.

Comedian: This professor will end up making jokes through-out the semester trying to be a comedian. He/she may be funny or not.

Clueless: This professor should not be teaching, or at least this subject. They are clueless in this subject and are often giving wrong information.

Shy: This rare professor, will not look in to any of the students eyes, and avoids direct contact at all cost. This professor is sometimes, the first to leave the room, before any of the students, when the class is done.

Spaghetti Teach: This professor is all over the place and tough to follow. They will end up giving a few questions from random chapters through-out the semester.

Stalker: This professor will end up stalking you in email or outside of class to make sure you are up to date and everything is going alright.

Mono-tone: The professor will sound like Ben Stein (the teacher in Ferris Bueller). No emotion or excitement in speech.

Fun less: This professor will end up taking a class which should be fun, and remove all or most traces of it.

Buddy: This professor will be seen often with his/her students in public. Often seen in areas like the cafeteria, special student events, etc..

Dinosaur: Some how this professor is teaching a course that is now consider useless in the real world. The latest update on this subject/programming language is more then 5 years ago and hard to find information on the Internet.

End Surprise: This professor seems all nice throughout the year, but once you get your grade for the class it ends up being a major disappointment.

Lazy: This professor will end up half the time not teaching the class. You will probably end up in groups doing projects, going to lab, reading handouts, etc...

Man hater: This professor (usually women) hate men, and it obviously shows. They will ridicule their work through out the year, while ignoring the women.

Hotty: Anything this professor says doesn't really matter, because the opposite sex will be drooling or hitting on them half the time.

Perfection: This professor will try to be perfect in all aspects. They might end up misspelling something on the chalk board; which in turn, they will halt the class until they end up spelling it right wasting 1-3 minutes.

Equal Opp: This professor will go through the seating chart, or student's names alphabetically asking questions making sure not to miss a student.

Timeless: This professor always ends up showing up to class late. Most of the time, the students end up talking about the 15 minute rule and weather there is extra time based on the expertise of the professor. Majority of the time, the professor shows up 14 minutes 59 seconds later.

Prisoner: This professor got stuck teaching a class which is usually a requirement for the students, and hates every minute of it.

Absent Nazi: This professor will keep close attention to who is and isn't coming to class. These professors might even mark you absent, even if your are a few minutes late.

Stinky: These professors usually smell of coffee and cigarette smoke, if unlucky something else.

Career Changer: These professors at one time where in another field before selecting this one. The worst are usually ex-English teachers, who expect you to have perfect grammar and English on test and exam.

Foreigner: This professor is from another country and is very hard to understand. Their broken English make learning very tough.

Talkers: This professor will end up talking about his/her students to others. You might end hearing back from someone else what your professor has said about you.

Story teller: This professor will often interrupt the lesson to go off on some tangent telling a story. This story may or may not have anything to do with the subject at hand.

Step by step: This professor will end up going through every step in some procedure. Usually these procedures are very long and become obvious to every student after 1-3 repetitions.

Goofy: This professor will act or look goofy. Probably has at one time cracked under the pressure, and now is wearing some moose hat to class.

First timer: The first class he/she ever taught. Will either be very cool and understanding, or very tough and expecting too much.

Look-alike: This professor will end up looking like someone famous. Most common: Einstein.

Fading star: This professor at one time was an elite, but now isn't. They seem to either give up, or life past by to quickly.

Headstart: This professor will some how get the students to start early, before the first day of class. They might leave a note at the book store or email you to read a couple of chapters in the textbook.

Young-one: This professor is just a few year older then you are. They probably got their PHD when they were 24.

Funny: SQL Injection humor

http://xkcd.com/327/

Ribbon Add-In to keep track of the baseball game.

Source: http://wmorein.com/baseball/

Interesting concept. A simple add-in that uses the MSN sport service to get updates on the game and display it in your Word ribbon.

30 Year Battery Life

http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html

Think of it as a solor panel, but instead of sunlight it uses electrons that are flying through the air. This sounds really cool, I wonder if and how this could be used on solor cars. Instead of having to worry about sunlight, this could be used instead? Think of this use on laptops, and other devices would be nice too, I'm sick of the 3 hour battery life.

Expect to see these in 2-3 years.

If developers ruled the world

Some interesting movie & tv show concepts if developers ruled the world:

http://franksworld.com/blog/archive/2007/09/26/4884.aspx and http://franksworld.com/blog/archive/2007/09/26/4882.aspx

Lego RoboFlush

Interesting concept of taking the lego mindstorm and making a automatic toilet flusher.

http://www.battlebricks.com/roboflush/index.html

Time watching movies

So, I have rated over 2528 movies on netflix so far. That is bascially 220 days of movie watching.

Interesting hack to help speed up Window Apps

A way to increase the GDI memory:

http://www.windows-now.com/blogs/kmkenney/archive/2007/08/29/increasing-gdi-and-user-handle-limits-in-windows.aspx

Cool website: Check out the chating

http://www.ff0000.com/

Google Maps: Street View

Here are some places from Street View:

City and County of Denver - one of the places that I have consulted.

CCD Building

Old location where Midtech Partner's building was located.
Old Midtech Partner's location

Interesting: Flickr vision

http://flickrvision.com/

You can see in real-time what pictures people are adding to flickr.

Funny: Mess with people who are using your Internet access.

http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pete/upside-down-ternet.html

This guy basically makes all internet pictures either upside down, or fuzzy looking when viewing. Too bad it's with a linux box, would love to have a simple app that I could run to do this though.

Interesting: Origin of state names.

http://www.neatorama.com/2007/06/04/the-origins-of-state-names/

So, the states I have lived in:

CALIFORNIA. According to one theory, Spanish settlers names it after a utopian society described in a popular 16th-century novel called Serged de Esplandian.



NEW YORK. Named after the Duke of York and Albany.



COLORADO. Means "red" in Spanish. The name was originally applied to the Colorado River, whose waters are reddish with canyon clay.

Surprising, I haven't lived in a state with a Native American name yet.

Funny: WoW Chuck Norris

Happy Birthday to me, who???, ME

I'm old.

5 Common Mistakes Made by Startups

OK, so I have been layed off twice by start up companies. One when it was only 1 year old and the other when it was about 3-4 years old.

The first one was obvious to me, they spent too much money way to quickly. They basically didn't save money for a rainy day. I can't believe the president didn't know that not every year of incoming money was going to be the same. They basically tried to grow way to fast, in a short amount of time. Heck, they had private stock options within 3 months of starting up. This was a small business trying to act big before their time.

The second business basically stayed to small for too long. They are spread out across America mostly on the west coast and mountain areas. They also took up business that they should of just declined on. They basically ended up in a situation of having doing business with companies that just took up too much of their time for not much money, or any at all.

So here are the top 5 mistakes of start ups from http://startupspark.com/the-5-most-common-mistakes-made-by-startups/

1. Staying in Stealth Mode Too Long. New start ups seem quite fond of stealth mode
   (or its newer cousin “ninja mode”), when they’re hiding under the radar but
   still hyping just enough to try and pique interest. But stay in stealth mode too
   long and you run the risk of disappearing off the radar. Never mind the fact
   that you can’t sell your new product or service while in stealth mode and therefore can’t generate any revenue. There are plenty of reasons why start ups launch too
   slowly; really you need to force yourself to launch and get past all the
   excuses.
2. Not Focusing on the User.
   Who are you building your new product for? Who is the precise target? Many start ups can give a generic answer to that question, but very few of them are really honed in on the specific wants of their “perfect user.” This is a combination of too little research and too much enthusiasm for what they think is “the next killer idea.” This mistake is compounded if you’re building something that you wouldn’t use yourself. Building something you would use makes things easier - you’re the target user. Otherwise you need to take a much more pragmatic approach. As well, many start ups take the approach of “being everything to everyone.” That strategy never works. You end up being nothing to anyone.
   
3. Trying To Do Everything.
   If a task isn’t core to your business try and outsource it. Entrepreneurs are extremely fond of saying they wear many hats (which is true!) but there’s a limit to what’s reasonable in the hat-wearing department. Lots of things can be outsourced, and although you’ll be paying someone else to do the work, you’ll be freeing up precious time of your own. That time will be infinitely more valuable than the money you spend.
   
4. Not Having Enough
   Infrastructure. Many start ups don’t have the proper tools in place to start
   their business. Primarily, money and time. It’s getting cheaper and cheaper to
   start companies nowadays but it’s never free. Lots of people start companies
   without realizing how much money it’s actually going to take. When they clue in,
   and decide they don’t have the money to invest (or they’re not willing to part
   with it), they’re in trouble. Start ups face similar challenges with time.
   People often start companies while working full-time jobs. It’s doable but damn
   hard. And as soon as the start up gets a bit rocky or other interests come into
   play, the start up company gets shelved or delayed. Paul Graham comments on this
   beautifully in The 18 Mistakes That Kill Start ups. His theory is that people get into start ups half-heartily and that’s what kills them. I think that’s part of the answer.
   The other side of that coin is that people truly do care and believe in what
   they’re doing, but they don’t have the infrastructure and bandwidth in place to
   make it happen. Infrastructure issues are also related to a start up’s lack of
   connections and resources to find good vendors, good hires, mentors and people
   to rely on. A couple guys in a garage may have a great idea and tons of talent
   but when they need help securing a loan or handling a business-related task they
   may not have the network or foundation in place to support them.
   
5. Forgetting About Branding, Marketing and Sales. I know there are examples of companies succeeding with a “build it and they will come” approach. Some people argue if you build something people want they’ll find it and plunk down their hard-earned money. It happens. But more often than not you need to develop real, actionable and savvy branding, marketing and sales strategies. You might have a great product and the wrong message. Or a killer software application that no one
   knows about. It’s rare to have a start up where the founders (or one of them) has
   real experience in branding, marketing and sales. The result is either all the
   founders do it (and often poorly) or they all pass the buck.
   You can take a “build it and they will come” approach and hope for the world to pick up your scent and fall in love with you, or you can figure out how you’ll get the
   message out, what that message will be and how you’ll generate leads. Go with
   the latter.

So company 1's mistakes: 3 and 4
Company 2's mistakes: 1, 2, and 3

Even though company 2 had more mistakes, I felt they had a better chance of success.

Hack: Wii Backups

http://wii.ps2-scene.org/

So you can back up your wii games now, but it takes 50+ hours to do so. LOL

Funny: Verizon Check