Concerning all the Anna Nicole-Smith coverage:
Stop. Thanks.
Category Archives: geek
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Six Degrees of Music Identification
I need your help identifying a gorgeous piece of music that I have been trying to track down for months. I intend to purchase the album it came on but I cannot identify the artist(s). I first came across the music watching content on the website of Bodyworlds creator Gunther van Hagens.So without further delay here is the link to the audio file. Please leave me a message if you know the title and/or author(s) of this track.Vielen Dank,kenfager.com staff
Pirate Plunder 110%
For the past two months I have been working third shift at Festival Foods here in Oshkosh. Last Thursday I turned in my two-week notice to allow adequate time for the final preparations for Operation Übertaco. Working third shift can be slow and monotonous and gives a man a lot of time to think. In the middle of aisle 13 at 4 a.m., the waning hour of the soul, silence was shattered as I broke out into maniacal laughter. An idea most nefarious in nature sprung into my mind. Quitting my employment at Festival would be too easy. Rather than merely punch out after my tenure I plan on doing something much more fun. On my last day I plan on executing the following plan, which I will dub “Pirate Plunder 110%!”
Around midnight the third shift stockers take a 15-minute break. Rather than punch back in after this break I will forget to do so. This way I am off the clock when I make my exit. Shortly before 12:30 a.m. a shopper will make their way down the aisle I am working in. The presence of the shopper will alert me that the plan is about to commence. When the shopper passes I will cough to give the okay to go ahead or a hello to wait a few minutes. The shopper will exit the building and purchase a small item on the way out. The shopper will inform the team of at least three more people waiting outside of my location. The shopper will return with at least three other shoppers. The group of shoppers will separate into adjacent aisles and put on their pirate regalia (now known as “pirates”). Half will go the far end and the other two will wait at the front end of the aisle where I am located. The pirates will approach me quickly, grab me by the shoulders and begin to drag me out of the store. One of the pirates will be charged with handing a “ransom” note to one of my coworkers. The note will contain an explanation of what just happened for those without a sense of humor.
Let me know if you want in. Details will be hashed out.
The Talking Computron
EDITOR’S NOTE – MARCH 24, 2009 – I get a lot of traffic to this story, a few e-mails asking questions, and great comments left for this blog entry. I’m really curious how you readers are finding this bit of text. Please leave a comment telling me how!
Behold, puny mortals, my latest thrift store acquisition! St. Vincent De Paul got the shaft as I saved 50% off this $1 piece of raw computational power. The 1986 Talking Computron by VTel features a membrane keyboard, eight-character red LED alpha-numeric display, 20 built-in programs, cartridge slot, and even a real electronic voice! It is powered by 6 C batteries or a 9v 300mA adapter. On the top of the unit written on tape it says verbatim “WURKS NEEDS BATTERYS.” Because I do not have C batteries available to power the unit I am left to wildly speculate as to the true capabilities of this device. To put this all into perspective I will compare and contrast with another deus ex machina, the Sony PlayStation 3.
- The Talking Computron has a built-in keyboard whereas the PS3 only has USB ports to plug one in. Advantage Computron.
- Both systems have fonts on the side of the machine that demand your focused attention. Advantage none.
- “Talking Computron” is 16 characters long while “PLAYSTATION 3” is only 11. Advantage Computron. Plus one for correct spacing for Computron. Minus one for PS3 for using CAPS LOCK.
- Both systems produce an image that hurts to look at in low definition. Advantage none.
- Talking Computron came with twenty built-in games plus a cartridge called “Dress Up and Theatre” while PS3 came with the Cross Media Bar. Advantage Computron.
- PS3 collects dust superbly on its shiny black surface. Talking Computron collects dust in impossible to clean edges. Advantage none.
- PS3 can interface with the PlayStation Portable. The Talking Computron has unknown interface capabilities. Which is scarier? The known or the unknown? Talking Computron plus one.
- I am drinking a tasty beverage responsibly whilst writing this. Plus one to me for responsible drinking and plus another for usage of “whilst.” Minus one for drinking it alone.
- Talking Computron features built in math software while the PS3 does not. Obviously people who blew $600 do not know the value of money. Advantage Talking Computron.
- The PS3 and Talking Computron both lack rumble functionality. Advantage none.
According to my rudimentary and lackluster American public education math skills the final totals come to Talking Computron with 6, PS3 with -1, and myself with a point. Not bad for a $0.50 investment.
September 3, 2009 Update: The Talking Computron sold for $23 on eBay sometime last month. I had no clue that it would fetch so much, let alone sell at all.
Monitor For Sale
One G70 IBM CRT monitor plus power cord for sale. No screen burn-in. Max resolution is 1600×1200. Great monitor for web design work or extra desktop space. CRTs offer better color results than flat panels. I used this as a secondary monitor to my iMac. I never ran out of desktop real estate with this thing. Will sell and maybe deliver to you (Oshkosh only) for the going rate of BEST OFFER. Get it now before I put it up at Craigslist.
Rockboxing the iPod
After much trial and error I have gotten iPod to run new system software. I stumbled across Rockbox a few months back, but was turned off by the prospect of installing new software. I installed iPod Linux on my 4G iPod when it was unsupported and ended up bricking the thing. I took the warranty voiding plunge this weekend and was able to get Rockbox up and running alongside the iPod software.
But why use Rockbox when Apple’s software works fantastically? As with most open source software the answer is customization. Everything from scroll speed, display info, and themes are completely configurable. There are also formats not officially supported by Apple that can be played with Rockbox. Plus it makes people do a double take when they see your iPod running something different. If I need to I can switch back to the original iPod OS by holding down Menu + Select with the iPL Loader 2.4 bootloader package.
Installation is not for the faint of heart. It does require some work with Terminal line commands. The installation instructions leave something to be desired. It took some forum research and ingenuity to get it to work. I found it best to install Rockbox first and then skip the Rockbox bootloader installation which loads it by default. iPL Loader 2.4 is a seamless loader for the two firmwares.
Coming soon… Doom on iPod.
Merry Holiday to You Too
If you are reading this you are most likely seeking temporary asylum from your family on the internet. Know that I too share your holiday cheer.
The Great Purge
The great purge has begun. I will have more items after the Christmas break. Friends of mine who win the auctions will not have to pay S&H.
Valleyschwag #5 is Out!
My favorite little web 2.0 startup RubyRed Labs has released a limited holiday edition of Valleyschwag #5.
I have been getting VS since reading about the novelty of issue #1. I immediately signed up and wallowed in pure ecstasy when issue #2 unexpectedly showed up at my door. The same went for the two following issues. But after #4 RubyRed Labs changed their distribution model. No longer is the schwagbag a subscription service. You have to order them individually. This takes all the fun out of the model.
I’ve plopped down my money for issue #5 already. It will most likely sell out fairly quick. Flickr photos are guaranteed to be coming soon. I still love Valleyschwag. Maybe I’ll buy another one of their cool “fresh” shirts for a friend.
Let’s Dig for Treasure
On the way home from Thanksgiving Kaela spotted an abandoned property along WI 151. We decided to pull in to the cemetary adjacent to the abandoned farm and take a look around. Amazingly, the previous occupant of the house was a teacher at Green Bay West High School in 1965. I graduated from there in 2002! I took a good number of photos of the excursion. Take a look!