Dusting My Brain: April 2006 Archives

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April 28, 2006

WHY Would You Want This?

The Beerbelly: A removable spare tire that serves a stealth beverage.

ew.

Cindycator

I know Mike Macgirvin from way back when I was an awe-inspiring, full of myself web goddess. (chuckle) (See my blog post about reconnecting with him here.) Mike informs me (and anyone else who reads the comments here at DMB) that he's been working on his own syndicator. Amusingly, Mike refers to his syndicator as the "Cindycator" -- my blog is News Channel 1. Check out his syndicator in progress here.

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (1)

April 27, 2006

Class

Class has a sense of humor. It knows that a good laugh is the best lubricant for oiling the machinery of human relations.
Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.
Class bespeaks an aristocracy unrelated to ancestors or money. Some extremely wealthy people have no class at all, while others who are struggling to make ends meet are loaded with it.
Class is real. You can't fake it.
Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down.
Class is already up and need not attempt to look better by making others look worse.
Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because he is comfortable with himself.
If you have class, you've got it made.
If you don't have class, no matter what else you have, it won't make up for it.
- Ann Landers

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (2)

April 26, 2006

I'm "Stunningly Famous!"

I could have titled this post "general malarkey" but that doesn't inflate my ego as much as "stunningly famous" manages to do. Yes, yes, that's it, I feel full of myself already! Insert ear-to-ear *GRIN* here.

Who knew? I certainly didn't, (my 15 seconds of web fame have long been MIA, here today and gone to Maui,) but I'll crawl out from under my rock for this latest bit of sunshine. Greg at Reject Reality (Adelaide, Australia) wrote up a blog post about yours truly that I somehow missed (head buried in paperwork) but found recently. Since I trashed the trackback functionality a while ago, if someone writes about or links to moi, I'll never know unless I trip on it. Anyhoo, here's part of what Greg had to say about me; note that I snipped some parts out because, quite frankly, it IS about me you know. (wink)

[snip]... the stunningly famous Cindy the Squipper... For those that do not know Cindy, she ... [snip] is responsible for the general malarkey that is Dusting My Brain.

Incidentally, she is also pretty damn good behind a lens. If only she considered selling some prints (I’ll admit that last one was a tad ugly, but I know someone that has a soft spot for those things :)

I've no clue which photograph Greg thought was 'a tad ugly' but hell, it could be any of them. The fact that he wrote up such a nice blog post is quite flattering (flattery might have earned him a free print of the camels at the Bronx Zoo!) Selling prints of my photos might not be a bad idea. I suppose if there's enough interest I'd do it. Hmm... ponders pricing... If you're interested, take a look at the Photo Gallery and if you see a photo you want, and more importantly would pay for it, let me know. Meanwhile, thanks Greg for your nice words, but you forgot to mention the graphic of your SysAdmin to the Stars Award. - Grasshopper :-)

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (6)

April 25, 2006

A Roadie's Point of View

My good friend and all-around great guy Aron from Parking in Bitterman Circle is currently on tour with born in the USA Bruce. For a behind-the-scenes look from a roadie's point of view, be sure to check out his blog. It's well worth the read.

Speaking of Springsteen, I see the NYC show is scheduled for June 22 at a very small venue: Madison Square Garden. ;-) Last time I went to a Springsteen concert was, I think, at Giants Stadium a gazillion years ago, in the days when I was drooling over Bruce's butt. Yes I'm long over it. I've since moved on to beefy calves. :-)

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (1)

April 24, 2006

It's a Goner

edited -- my bad, reference fixed now. Thanks Dwight!

A recent post at Dwight Silverman's Tech Blog had me strolling down the horror highway: How to Kill Your PC. Reading through some of the ways geek types fried their PCs (Dwight points to PC Stats as the source of these sorry tales) did nothing to diminish the tune playing through my head: memories, light the corners of my mind, misty water-colored memories, of the way we were... ;-)

I considered leaving my own sorry story in Dwight's comments section but instead chose to put it here. Here's my own tale, posted in '03, of how I killed my laptop.

December 22, 2003 - I Think my Titanium is a Goner

My Titanium laptop took a sip of tea last night. Yes, really. Laptop + liquid = fried.

I'll just assume that it's a goner, since the on/off button is ... permanently off. Now I know why I dreamt of Steve Jobs the night before. (It was funny in an ironic sort of way because I was working for him, and all excited and happy about my new job.) I'm digressing (yes, because I want to weep bucketloads but what good will that do?)

What makes this even worse is that the G3 clamshell, which I am using to type this, is not set up for broadband - only dial-up. Dial-up being what it is means that I can't always access MT to post on my blog for whatever funky reason the IP address doesn't resolve. So I sit here and ponder.

Do I ... take the Titanium to the Apple Store and see if they can fix it? Do I ... take the Titanium to TechServ and see if they can fix it? What are the chances that I'd get a tech person from my cable company here to set up the broadband connection? It's a holiday week. So is next week. I want to cry. I really do. I know it's stupid and all, but it was a freak accident. An expensive one.

Someone tell me what to do here. I'm lost.

P.S. If for some reason there are no other posts here for the rest of the week, you'll know why. I'm wishing you all a happy holiday NOW because I may not be able to later on.

December 24, 2003 - TiBook Status

After hours of drying out, I couldn't resist the temptation to see if the machine would boot up. The good news is that the machine boots up now. The not-so-nifty news is that there seems to be a diagnostic problem with the rear end. I'll explain. When the machine booted up, I plugged in the power cord. The laptop didn't care for this and shut down immediately. I unplugged it again, waited a while and then turned the machine on. It booted successfully. I decided to try the Net connection, and plugged in the broadband box. Though the cable box reflects both a PC link as well as cable, the software for email and the Web browser did not respond. My guess is that the back-end of the laptop could be fried. Since I'm not a technician, I could be wrong (and that would be terrific) but as I wrote earlier, I'll wait until the new year before taking it wherever I need to take it.

And, to add a bit of humor to an otherwise unfortunate situation, my friend Marcus came up with a beauty. He wrote in the comments regarding my post, I Think my Titanium is a Goner:

I never thought I would write or say
"give your computer a blow job,"
but that is what it really needs.

Drying Out

I've taken everyone's good advice and stripped open the laptop. The battery is out as well as the keyboard, and I'll see if that helps any. The good news is the broadband is miraculously in sync now with the iBook, (I ended up being the tech person,) so that's helpful. However, though I've snapped out of my hysterics (well, not hysterics really, but I was a bit miffed at the stupidity of it all) I am indeed concerned about the Titanium. I was working on a few things simultaneously and wasn't at the backup point just yet when disaster struck. If it ends up that the machine still won't boot up, I'll wait until the new year before taking it to be repaired.

That's just the way it is ... for now. Plan for the worst but hope for the best. :-)

Thanks to all for the helpful hints!

January 12, 2004 - Titanium Update

For those who are curious about what happened to the laptop after I spilled tea on it ...

Last week I took the laptop to the Apple Store only to find the Genius Bar closed for 4 hours thanks to Steve Job's keynote at MacWorld. No offense to Steve worshipers out there but this infuriated me. It made no sense whatsoever to have all the technically elite just standing there watching the big screen -- I'd think one could listen to the speech while working, yes? grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Anyway, the machine powers up but all external devices do not work. This includes everything -- the power cord, the CD slot, etc. Anything that plugs in no longer works. Okay, that's one problem identified. The good news is that when it boots up, all my files are still there ... so I'm hopeful. I plan a return visit to the Apple Store sometime this week.

A Moment of Silence

Let Us Pray ...

It is with a heavy heart that I report the untimely death of my Titanium. The coroner's report (aka the genius at the Apple Store's Genius Bar) attributed the unfortunate demise to death by drowning (due to carelessness.) All lifesaving methods had been deployed and there was little hope in saving the files that existed on the hard drive (now known as the 'soft' drive.) The coroner (aka the genius) suggested an (Apple) autopsy -- leave the laptop there and gamble with $150 to see whether or not files could be recovered. Unable to bear further pain, the widow declined, thinking of those she knew who were technically adept, and thought perhaps it would be better to pay them to try it instead.

Survivors include the laptop's sister, the G3 clamshell along with the grieving widow, who requests kind words, virtual hugs and almost anything else one would like to contribute in lieu of flowers. The widow held a private service this afternoon, and placed a bowl of red apples and a framed photograph of Steve Jobs next to the gravesite.

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (8)

April 21, 2006

Some quotes...

"I've heard that crow tastes just like a baloney sandwich." - Jim Thompson
(from the comments in Dwight Silverman's Tech Blog post: "Follow Up: Giving in to Mac")

"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all." - Samuel Butler

"A psychiatrist is a fellow who asks you a lot of expensive questions your wife asks for nothing." - Joey Adams

"My doctor gave me two weeks to live. I hope they're in August." - Ronnie Shakes

"A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people." - Peter McArthur

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (1)

Bodacious Bits

My brain's been buried beneath a boulder but before I breakdance back to my bat cave, here are some recent blatherings from the blogosphere (the letter "B" is somehow stuck in my craw today.) I found some of these headlines chuckleworthy. (new word.)

Driving While Stupid Ups Risk - Wired News
This is Your Brain on Jugs - What sexy women do to men's thinking skills - Slate
Delta, Signalling Impending Doom, Asks Workers to Volunteer to Clean Aircraft - Consumerist
Mickey D's Unveils New, Healthy, Pile of BS - Consumerist

Posted by me, of course!

April 15, 2006

Knock Knock Knock

Last month I posted some photos of the Pileated Woodpecker I spotted one morning. A week or so after, I encountered the PW again, only this time it was in the middle of excavation.

Hmm... so far so good!

The photograph below is my favorite. It's as if there's an entire crew in the hole moving furniture around. I imagine the woodpecker telling the crew, "now move the sofa over to the left side...." :-)

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (7)

April 14, 2006

My Frappr Map How-To

For those of you who have encountered some hiccups when trying to add yourself to the map, I hope these instructions will help. The link to the map I've included in the instructions below should open up a new window, this way you can read the instructions with the map alongside.

1. go to http://www.frappr.com/dustingmybrain
2. look at right side of the map where you'll find an ADD YOURSELF button. Click on that button.
(Alternatively, you'll also find, in the column on the right, an "ADD TO MAP" link.)
3. select "ADD YOURSELF"
4. type in your name, email, and zip code. if you're not in the U.S., click on "NOT IN THE US?" It will change the text to "WORLD CITY" type in yours.
5. Select a marker (GUYS or GALS)
6. Add a love note to moi if you so desire
7. Add your photo if you so desire
8. Finish by clicking the button "ADD ME!"

That's it. Do let me know how it turns out. Thanks!

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (3)

April 13, 2006

Fragebögen

Friend Holger, who blogs at Next Big Thing in Everything tapped me a while ago to do this questionnaire thingie. Here are my responses.

Which is your one favourite weblog and why?

My current favorite is The Consumerist. I love the way they write (a recent post is titled, Companies ask you to do their advertising for their lazy asses.) I also like the free crap roundup.

Your two preferred philosophies for life ("worldly wisdom")'?

Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
Nothing is impossible.

Three songs you like to listen to. what do you like about 'em?

Lookin' Out My Back Door - Creedance Clearwater Revival
- it reminds me of being a kid and vacationing with my family.

And When I Die - Blood, Sweat & Tears
- I honestly don't know, but I do like the tune.

Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress - The Hollies
- I just do. :-)

Four foodstuffs or meals you hate. and why?

I do not eat lamb. I.don't.like.it.
I do not eat pesto. I tried it once but hated it.
I do not eat pancakes. The result of childhood trauma.
I do not eat liver. Reason? Same as above.

Five movies you would like to watch in 2006

Anything that does not have Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes or any other overhyped actor in it, period!

Six words that come to your mind spontaneously. in which context?

Here's 9 in Dutch, then translated to english:
"Je hebt het niveau van een poffertje"
(You're equipped with the intellect of a little pancake.) :-)

Who would you like to answer this stupid questionnaire next?

Tazzy and Piggy, Ron at Hotel Waikiki, Mike at Diary and Other Rantings (Life in Silicon Valley) and Susan at Spinning.

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (13)

Apple Corps to make Beatles Catalog Available Online

The Beatles are preparing to sell their songs online after years of refusing to take part in the Internet music boom, according to testimony given by the head of their record company. Neil Aspinall, a former Beatles road manager and managing director of Apple Corps said that the company was digitally remastering the entire Beatles catalog, which would pave the way for selling the songs online.

"I think it would be wrong to offer downloads of the old masters when I am making new masters," he said in a written statement submitted to the High Court in London earlier this month. "It would be better to wait and try to do them both simultaneously so that you then get the publicity of the new masters and the downloading, rather than just doing it ad hoc."

A spokesperson for Apple Corps said that the company is preparing to make the Beatles catalog available through online music services. "There's no firm date on any of this at the moment. There are a lot of projects that Apple are working on at the moment," the spokesperson said. - Reuters

Posted by me, of course!

April 10, 2006

Quote of the Day

From Greg at Reject Reality:

"The brain doesn't kick over until around two coffees past ten."

April 7, 2006

Frappr Map

My Frappr Map has grown a bit but I know there are more of you who aren't there. Please stop by the map and deposit your fabulous selves on it. You don't really want me to look THAT pathetic in public, do you? ;-)

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (3)

Stripper Poles in Oregon and Other Nonsense

Google searches that end up at this blog can sometimes be highly amusing. Some of these search results make sense, like if you're googling squip or dusting my brain. Others are the result of the content in this blog, either from a post I wrote or from a comment someone left here. Here are some current searches that ended up here.

what is dusting?
picture of my brain
dusting
my brain
Why did the Central Park coyote die? (answer: most likely it was the stress of being caged after capture.)
hotlinking photo blog (BAD! BAD! BAD! NOOOOOOOOOO HOTLINKING TO PHOTOS!)
delete order history from amazon.com
where to buy stripper poles in Oregon

The searches above are fairly mild considering some of the ones I've noted in the past. It must be frustrating for those who continually search for answers about how to distress jeans and end up here instead.

I went through the previous searches and pulled out some questions to answer. Here we go:

Why do the pockets on my flat front khakis stick out?
Try taking your hands out of the pockets.

mad tv dubya cleaning out my closet
When he's finished with your closet, please send him here to clean out mine.

Groaning noises during sex lovemaking - is it necessary?
Hmm... sounds like a veiled complaint that isn't necessary.

Do you wear socks with boat shoes?
No, I don't. And I don't wear socks with clogs either, unless it's winter time. I suggest that you NOT wear socks with your boat shoes unless you want to look like a dork.

Can I erase a memory?
Didn't you get the big eraser in the packet of goodies that came with you when you were born? No? Well sorry then. You're stuck.

Should men wear thongs?
If you're a guy and you wear a thong, please refrain from modeling it for me.

How to distress t-shirt, how to distress jeans
Throw them in the washing machine with stones you collected on your last hiking trip. Otherwise, go directly to Levi's and ask them.

People who have sex with animals
They do? Oh my.

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (4)

April 5, 2006

Fun at the OK Corral

I was on dialup for a bit so that's why there hasn't been a peep or two found 'round these parts. Dialup seems to zap whatever energy I might have for writing. It takes so damn long to post the littlest thing, so I waited until broadband was once again under my fingertips. Oh what a feeling!

A lot of things went on since we left off. I took off the afternoon of my BD and attended a gala that evening in my honor. I think it fell under the auspices of "Greatest Web Goddess Alive" or some such nonsense like that. Contrary to what some folks (ahem!) thought, I did not "only recently crawl out of my champagne glass" for two very good reasons. One, because I do not drink champagne, I don't care WHOSE wedding it is and two, I was the designated driver. So there. Couldn't you just scream! Just call me Ms. Excitement with a capital "E."

ION (in other news) ...

Zoe at My Boyfriend is a Twat, who has racked up quite a few well-deserved Web awards, rang me up from Belgium and sang "Happy Birthday" ala Marilyn Monroe (now an annual event I suppose because I find it so hysterically funny.) She also sent me truckloads of traffic to my blog, which is always a nice touch coming from someone of her Web stature. AND, in addition to that, one of her readers, a lovely woman named Elena, sent me an ego-inflating missive about the photos in my Photo Gallery.

Tazzy and Piggy in jolly old England sent me some snail mail birthday cards, which were really funny and awful at the same time. Wishing me a happy 83rd birthday, ??????? Speak for yourself! Happy Birthday today to YOU, John! :-)

There were other cards both snail and electronic and all very thoughtful and kind and wonderful to receive, so thanks to those of you who blew your sunshine my way - I really needed it and it was a great feeling to know so many nice people. Really. I'm weepy now. Sniffle. Thanks! Now that's quite enough of the birthday crapola, so I'll move on to other bits I've wanted to mention here.

For those of you who've been playing along here for at least the past couple of years, you know that I have a deep respect and somewhat twisted affection for that snarky upstater Al (formerly of Fulton Chain, now of Rapid Adjustment.) In other words, we are good buddies. Not buddies in the sense that we hang out, we don't, simply because he's upstate and I'm down state and hey, there's the bit that we've never even met, but we're pals. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I read this post over on his site:

I care what [snip] Cindy and [snip] think. They are the people who influence me. Despite never having met any of them, they are people who I respect and check in on every day. This is the marvel of self-publishing. Forget community, forget the trendy paradigm shifting flavor of the week and try your best to ignore the echoing racket of nine thousand silly babbling pundits.

Though Al was writing about a recent story in the New York Times, I found myself staring at his words. *I* influence YOU? Wonders never cease, do they. I was touched he felt that way. Wow.

The next surprise came from Dwight Silverman, the esteemed author of The Houston Chronicle's Techblog. Dwight and I have known each other since, oh, '95 or '96. I've written about him since those days when we first met. He is mentioned throughout my '95-2001 archives (one day I'll slap those archives up here) and hey, he knew me when I was a Web star. Right Dwight? Anyway, he sent me an email on April Fool's Day which I originally thought was nothing more than a goofy joke. Since I wasn't sure about the tone of the email, I decided to ask him if it was a joke or not. It wasn't a joke, he was serious. Here's what he wrote:

Just read your "I used to be cool" piece. Honey, you're still cool, mmmm-kay?

Now that I have official validation of my coolness, consider yourselves duly informed. I am STILL cool, so THERE! (wink.) :-)

And that concludes this edition of brain dust. More tk.

Posted by me, of course! | Comments (4)