Dedicated Reader

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Sure....
You couldn't tell this from my posts and from my sidebar.
Right?

Dedicated Reader

New Windows Stuff Rocks!!!1!!!!

At least, according Bill Gates it does.
An article at Dailytech discusses Bill Gates' reaction to his users, and to the Apple advertisements.

"Internet Explorer 7, which is offered to all Windows XP users as an
optional update. According to Gates, less than a third of Windows XP users
downloaded the new browser, and even less take advantage of less advertised new
additions. So how many people have upgraded to IE7? “I would say it's less
than 30 percent,” Gates replied. “We’ve had this incredible desktop search
[available for download] that won every review, and I’ll bet that less than
10 percent of Windows users went and got that..."

I actually agree with this. The reason so few people actually upgraded to IE7 is because it is cumbersome to use, isn't as intuitive with the tabbed browsing as Firefox or even Opera, and they changed the UI around just because they could - moving (removing) frequently used buttons and menus from one location in IE6 to a completely different location in IE7. Some of the elements can be put back (the menus), but other buttons have been moved in the "upgrade" and you can't hack them back into place. The only option is to revert back to IE6.
Or switch to Firefox or Opera.

And that Desktop Search mentioned above? Why do I need that? I have 160GB HD and all my files are organized into directories and subdirectories. If I need a file, I either know exactly where it's at because I put it there, or I have a really good idea of where it will be and can find it in a matter of minutes. The only value I could see to a massive local search engine would be in a networked environment where you might have files spread across several different PCs and servers too. However, most home users don't have anything that complicated.

“And I don't know why [Apple is] acting like it’s superior. I don't even
get it. What are they trying to say?” Gates continues to express his disgust
with the Apple ads...

I'm a die hard Windows user. And I firmly believe the Mac OS is a better operating system. Windows is, always has been, and always will be bloatware. A massive amount of code to do simple things. From what I've heard and read and seen, the Mac OS is more streamlined, the code itself is revised instead of just added onto, and installing it doesn't slow down your computer. An operating system should make your computer use it's resources in the most efficient method possible. Windows does not.
Windows is relatively easy to use, because, for the most part, it hasn't really changed any in 15+ years. The multitudes of PC buyers are familiar with it and have gotten used to it, and don't want to try to something different.

“I don't think the over 90 percent of the [population] who use Windows PCs think
of themselves as dullards, or the kind of klutzes that somebody is trying to say
they are,”

Mr. Gates is right. We, the Windows users of the world, do not consider ourselves dullards. We're not. We're just afraid of change and risk.

At home, I could back up all of my files to DVD, wipe my hard drives, and install Linux on my PCs and then spend some time learning the ins and outs of that OS, and teaching it to my family. At work, our massive IT department could spend millions of dollars backing up every computer and server on their networks, wipe all the computers and install Linux.

It wouldn't cost be anything to do this at home, besides time and effort. Linux is free.
But as I mentioned, it would probably cost millions for my place of work to switch from a Windows OS to anything else. Time, manpower, training on the new OS. It all adds up to a hefty price tag.

For the time being, I'll stick with Windows. If I get a new computer while my kids PC still works, I might use the kids PC to tinker with a Linux installation and use that to learn on.

But I wouldn't just make the switch without a fallback.

New Windows Stuff Rocks!!!1!!!!

Happy New Year

So I'm 20 minutes late.

It's busy here. I swear everyone knows what a gunshot sounds like - especially when it's really fireworks.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

New Years Meme

This New Year:

1) Big Party or stay at home alone? Work 12 hours overnight, from 7pm-7am, and back to work 8 hours later.

2) Stay up to watch the ball drop? It might be on the TV at work, but I'm sure I'll be taking calls of drunk drivers and gunshots rather than watching the ball drop.

3) Will you make any resolutions? Nope. Never have, never will.

4) Is Dick Clark a good host for New Year's Eve? Sure, why not. He's like a tradition. And definitely better than Regis and Plastic Ripa or Ryan Seacrest .

5) Do you know the words to Auld Lang Syne? Does anyone? (without Googling it)

How about you?

New Years Meme

Christmas Recap

Many other bloggers are posting what gifts they got for Christmas, a few are also posting gifts they gave. I guess I'll give it a go too.

My sister-in-law is a big Mt. Dew drinker - she lives on the stuff 24/7. Awhile back I had myself a 20oz Mt. Dew and the cap had Buy One Get One free inside it. I saved that cap for her and included it with the rest of her gift. She loved it.

My father-in-law bought a DVD-camcorder late last year and gave me all the DVDs he’s taken so far (each less than 20 minutes). I ripped them all and made them into a single DVD for his viewing, and made a copy for my parents too since they don’t get to spend as much time with my kids as my in-laws do. Those DVDs were part of their gifts.

Earlier this year, my co-workers all submitted recipes to me and I compiled them into a small recipe book for everyone I work with. I gave copies of this recipe book to some of my family members as part of their gifts.

I filled out a survey for a work-related magazine earlier this year and recieved a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate for doing so. I used the gift certificate to order three books for Rubi, ostensibly for Christmas gifts, but we agreed not to exchange gifts this year (we bought ourselves a digital camera on Black Friday - that was our Christmas Gift to each other) - so she got the books a couple of weeks before Christmas.

At church, my kids get “Bible bucks” for memorizing their Bible verse, bringing their Bible with them to church, being there, brining a friend, and so forth. The kids get to spend these bucks on things like pencils, small Christian themed toys, larger items like Bibles and Bible covers, etc. My oldest daughter saved hers up and bought my wife one of those little blue and white plastic snow globes with a snow man scene inside for her Christmas gift.

At our small group a few weeks ago, I noticed that our hosts had several ornaments on their tree their kids had made out of CDs (like AOL CDs) and thought they were really neat. My oldest daughter made me one in her art class and gave it to me for Christmas.

And… my in-laws gave Rubi and I a new dishwasher, among other great gifts, and my father-in-law helped me install it yesterday! Our old dishwasher quit working probably over a year ago and I've been hand-washing them since. This will definitely free up some time during my day!

That's not the complete giving and receiving list - just some of the highlights.

I had to work 3rd shift Christmas Eve and Christmas, I went in a couple of hours on Christmas Eve so the supervisor working (my regular) 2nd shift could get to her grandkids house and help wrap gifts. On Christmas morning, my relief came in 30 minutes early so I could get home and spend Christmas morning with my kids. Aparently, my kids got up around 3:30am and pretty much stayed up waiting for me for three and half hours!
After about 20 minutes with my family on Christmas morning that included me reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 and the family singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, I went to bed. Rubi and the the kids got cleanup and went to her parents house for the day. A few hours later, I got up around noon and joined them about an hour after. We spent most of the day snacking on delicious food Rubi's mom had prepared, until Rubi's sister and that sister's boyfriend arrived. Then we did the presents. Around 5 we had dinner, then sat around watching the kids play with all their new toys.
We got home around 8:30 that night, and I went in to work around 11 and then had to double back and work 2nd shift on the 26th.

Yesterday, my first day off, we got our dishwasher installed and ran a few errands. Today, my second day off, we'll probably run a few errands but that will be it and I won't be doing much of anything constructive (as witnessed by this post).

Back to work tomorrow, for a week that includes more crazy scheduling over New Years. It can't be helped though - I work in a 24/7 environment where someone has to be there, otherwise people could die.

Happy Holidays (post-Christmas, pre-New Years)!

Christmas Recap

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all.

And Happy Birthday to Jesus!


I'm at work now (yes, it's just after 1 am here). When I get home around 7 am I'll do my "family Christmas" with Rubi and the kiddos. I'll try to remember to read Luke 2, and maybe sing Happy Birthday to Jesus (we've done that in years past). Reading Luke 2 at the start of our family time is a tradition I like to try to keep.

After the kids open their gifts, I'm off to bed for a few hours. Then I'll get up around lunch time and meet Rubi and the kids at her parents house for the extended family Christmas.

Then back to work tonight again on third shift.

Merry Christmas