Insomniac's Dream Sequence

History made

peroty — 2008-11-04T23:12:41-06:00

I voted for Barack Obama today.

I did not think I could help Virginia turn blue.

I hoped to, but was not sure I could.

But I did.

I don’t have the words tonight.

I am watching Barack Obama speak to the nation with tears in my eyes.

Can we, Virginia? Can we, America?

Yes, We Can.

Moving into a PC

peroty — 2008-10-14T15:39:57-05:00

While discussing old software with a friend who has foreseen the Retro PC Movement of 2010.

Chris : I wonder when people will start the retro OS movement.

Chris : it happened with 8-bit video games, I’m just waiting for t-shirts that say Win3.1 or the happy Mac icon

Chris : MINESWEEPER, BRAH

Chris : that will be in hot topic stores on stickers and shirts by 2010, mark my words.

I got to thinking about my solitary reason for moving from Windows 2000 Pro to XP Pro.
It was 100% shallow and totally not function related.
It was themes.
I could make my Windows install look (and function) like a Mac far easier and with less hacking than I could under Windows 2000.
That’s the only reason.

This got me thinking about how I move into a PC. In my last couple jobs I have moved the taskbar to the top of the screen. I install little apps like Multimon Taskbar (gives my second monitor a taskbar) and a little app to convert image formats in the contextual menu when the image is clicked. These little things help my work flow and aid my productivity.

For the first time, I was looking at my PC at work today… My dual monitor setup with it’s stock gray XP theme. Taskbars at the bottom. Short of a NIN wallpaper, I’ve left it untouched.

I never really moved in. Never made it mine. This was always a borrowed PC. Not something for the long haul. And now, as my 7 month reign of support ends, I see it. I never moved in. I never got comfortable enough to kick my feet off.

The most I did was install Google Chrome. (A joy to use.)

I should have known this was going to end soon. I never made it my own. Never took off my shoes and kicked the tires. Much like a college dorm, I was a nomad, just passing through.

How To Cheer Yourself Up

peroty — 2008-10-13T12:59:44-05:00

Open Photobooth.
Open this link
Try to copy the frown the man is making.
Take photo.

You will end up laughing at yourself.

I would post one but I have not been successful yet.

Certifications

peroty — 2008-09-02T14:52:45-05:00

I work in desktop support / help desk. I love helping people with technology and solving problems.

My co-worker has talked our boss’ ear off about certifications. So today I got an email from our staffing firm about a list of e-learning classes we could take.

I’ve never put much stock in certifications. I’m 100% self-taught. That being said, am I hampering myself by not being certified in this or that?

My question to the blogosphere is, is it worth it?

Ticket to Ride

peroty — 2008-08-07T10:38:21-05:00

Ticket to Ride is a game where you try to connect different cities using colored railroad cars. The board game, also has an online version (free trial, $18/year) or an Xbox Live Arcade version (800 points) and is addictively fun!

Annie introduced it to me not too long ago since her college roommate had the board game and since it was a game that worked on our MacBooks we started playing. A lot.

I saw there was downloadable content available for the Xbox360 so the game must be there. So immediately we bought it, went through the tutorial (5 points!) and began playing.

First, I recommend reading the rules to get the hang of it. It’s not a complex game but there are some nuances you’ll enjoy knowing. Such as the game ends when you run out of cars. You can only play a set number of train cars and the first player to use all their cars triggers the final turn.

The game is additively fun and friendly for everyone and has become a current addiction! We plowed through most of the achievements last night but still enjoy playing even on the Mac.

I love this game because it helps me wind down after a long day, or in the case of last night, 2 solid hours of undefeated Call of Duty 4 playing. The biggest added benefit of playing Ticket to Ride online is the private chat feature so we can talk to each other and yell at each other as we wreck each other’s routes.

I recommend this game highly to anyone who enjoys simple puzzle games or has small children since it’s easy to pick up and can be easily grasped after a round or two.

Annie has ordered the board game and I can’t wait to sit down with our little train tiles and claim some routes!