Tag Archives: computers

A is for Alienware

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IMG 0147 A is for Alienware

This almost looks like it’s a photoshopped or computer-generated image to me. But it’s not. It’s a picture of my laptop. Geeky, I know.

The light is coming from my desk lamp–maybe a little too bright? I couldn’t get the white balance to work with the blue in the letters. They’re all wacky, even compared to the blue from the alien head.

Anyways, this is the first image in a project I’m calling Project A-Z where I’m forcing myself to take a picture first using A then with all the subsequent letters in the alphabet.

Move Window Buttons Back to the Right: Ubuntu 10.04

Geek,

This is mainly for my own documentation. I’ve already had to do this twice when I was playing around with different themes. Standard Ubuntu 10.04 has the window buttons on the left (like on a MAC), but I think I still prefer to have them on the right.

Open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and paste the following command:

gconftool -s /apps/metacity/general/button_layout -t string menu:minimize,maximize,close

Magically the window buttons will be back in the “right” place.

Tech Support

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With no training in computers, I’ve come to be “IT Support” for a lot of people.  Don’t get me wrong, I love helping out, but sometimes, it just takes a little patience to figure out what’s wrong.

Not sure why I like this one so much.  I think I’m going to print this out.

helpdeskwarning Tech Support

Original File: http://www.virtualwolf.org/images/ars/helpdeskwarning.png

This one pretty much describes all the troubleshooting that I do.

500x tech support cheat sheet Tech Support

Not too passive-aggressive, is it?

Dark XP and Gmail

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For everyone who has followed me on the internet all these years, they know that I have a dark side. I absolutely LOVE dark-themed websites, for some reason. All my websites have been dark, save my very first Blogger template. I even wrote about the switch from light to dark back in 2002. Too bad I didn’t post a screenshot. I use dark desktop/wallpapers on all my computers, even the one at work. For my personal computers, I’ve been using a dark theme called Royale Noir. It looks exactly like Royale, the blue default XP theme, only it’s, uh, dark.

royalenoir Dark XP and Gmail

Download Royale Noir Windows XP theme:

Instructions:

  1. Extract files to “C:\windows\resources\themes\royale noir”
  2. Double click on “luna.msstyles”
  3. Select “Noir” from “Color Scheme”

Because this theme has been code-signed by Microsoft, No UXTheme.dll hack required.

More recently, I’ve been testing out a darkened version of Gmail. It requires the Stylish Firefox extension and the Gmail Redesigned user style by UneasySilence. Cool interface, eh? Has Gmail ever changed it’s look since it was launched?

darkgmaill Dark XP and Gmail

Oh, and I’m also trying out the dark Google web search. I wonder how many people out there are into dark skins/themes.

Are girls supposed to be this geeky?

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My brother got me another stick of ram for pennies, er, just about. I’ve been complaining that my computer has been running slower and he said it’s from all the junk that I run. Hey now. Anyways, the deal master came through and here it is, next to the old RAM that’s covered with a soft layer of dust. And yes, I put it in myself. It’s not that hard, but I just don’t like working with hardware. Messes up your skin and nails. Hehe.
1gbram Are girls supposed to be this geeky?

Hsin already gave me slack for taking pictures of my computer. What’s wrong with that? He takes pictures of engines and cars and I just take pictures of…whatever.  I wonder how many ladies are out there who work with computers, whether it be hardware or software, web stuff, internet, or design.  Seems like the percentage is quite low compared to men.

The Day the Earth Shook

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Today is the 100th anniversary of the great quake (check out the old-fashioned design on that site).

The earthquake hit San Francisco at 5:12:05 a.m. There were two shocks. The second one was stronger. It lasted 40 seconds, but in those seconds, energy equivalent to several nuclear bombs was released.

Some scientists say that the quake was about 30 times the energy released in the Loma Prieta quake of 1989.  Wow.  And I remember that one.

I keep saying I need to get my emergency kit together.  If a quake happened and phones and computers were down.  I wonder how I would get a hold of my family.  I wonder where we would meet.  At church?  Our church building has gone through seismic retrofitting, so the 4 stories should still be standing, right?  I hope it won’t end up as a pile of rubble on top of the social hall. 

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If anyone happens to be shopping at the Embarcadero Center , check out the Peet’s Coffee there.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to leave my mark.  If for some sad, unfortunate reason you don’t live in this great city, here are some pictures: 

The Day the Earth Shook 

A close up… 

The Day the Earth Shook 

Yeah, I’m a coffee-lover. 

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On a more healthy note, I was able to play some tennis today.  No, I didn’t see my buddy Peter out there today.  Maybe he just plays on the weekends.  The sun was out and the weather was warm enough for shorts.  Too bad my legs were as white as the snow I was sliding on last weekend.  Hey now, they’re coming out of hibernation so gimme a break.  My new favorite line: Love means nothing to me.  I’m a tennis player.  Ha!  Someone should make a sticker with that. 

Bad guy at Best Buy

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I just got back from Best Buy. I bought a dvd player a while ago, cuz mine started to die on me, but Chris and Mimi bought the same one (since it was really cheap) and it gave them some problems. So I wanted to return it. I had already passed the return date, so they told me I could just exchange it for something else. So I wandered around store looking for something to buy. I didn’t really need anything, but there were a few things I knew I wanted. I was in the computer section when this older guy with some sort of European accent asked if I needed some help. I told him I was just looking around. Continue reading →

For Microsoft haters

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For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon”.

In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

Continue reading →

Computer news and Easter breakfast

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Since I posted about my current desktop. Now I’m going to post about my new Matrix screensaver!

matrix screensaver Computer news and Easter breakfast

With all the random scrolling characters, it looks just like the movie. No more Taylor screensaver because that one took a while to “wake up.” Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything of substance. Recently, I’ve just been a little lazy. I don’t want to think too much, let alone type it out. At church last week for Easter, we had the youth cook breakfast before service. They made waffles, eggs, and sausages to raise money for the summer retreat. It was quite a production, since we couldn’t use 2 outlets at the same time or else the fuse would blow. So we had waffle makers spread throughout the room, plugged in at different areas. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from this. I didn’t know if the youth would enjoy doing this or not. Many complained and griped beforehand. But as we were cooking, the kids were really willing to help. One kept on asking if we wanted her to help with anything. After cleaning up (which was a total pain to clean the waffle makers after the batter was caked on), one kid came up to me and said, “Boy, that was fun.” Another one messaged me on the computer the next day saying that we should do this more often. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what it’s all about. I’m glad the kids had fun. We don’t do these activities that often, and I’m trying to change that.

Our church softball team record

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Our church softball team record this season is 2-1 right now. Not too shabby. We get better and better every time we play, probably because the only time we practice is when we’re playing! It’s neat to play in a league where you play against other churches. Sports ministries are pretty cool because it allows people (mostly guys, I think…haha) to come together and fellowship. I’m always sore after playing a full game, because there aren’t that many girls for us to have subs (well, it’s either that or the fact that I’m a little out of shape…nah).

Same snack, different worlds.
After the game, we went to get some eggettes. Mmm…I haven’t had those since I was in HK. The place we went to also sold boba. They called themselves an internet cafe since they had 3 computers (with mighty fast connections, might I add). These eggettes were a bit different, maybe because of the atmosphere and the environment. In HK, eggettes are mainly sold from street vendors and you can smell them from blocks away when you’re battling through crowds when you’re shopping in the street markets. Although there is little distinction in the taste of the eggettes themselves, I think the whole experience that comes along with these little Chinese snacks are very markedly different in the US and HK.

Interview about Blogging Andrew, from

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Interview about Blogging
Andrew, from bloggedy blog, has emailed me and asked me to do an online interview about blogging. I thought they were interesting questions, some of which never occurred to me. Here it goes:

1. Your name and age (or date of birth might be better, since story might not run for a few months):

See sidebar. College friends call me Beej. Originally it was Baby Jen cuz I was really young for my class. Then it evolved to BJ, then Beej. I’m in my MID-20′s, although some people may have different ideas on what ages MID includes.

2. City and state where you live:

Sunny California (although it’s cloudy right now). San Francisco Bay Area to be more specific.

3. Occupation (including name of company or school, unless including this information would jeopardize your academic standing or employment).

See sidebar.

4. How long have you been blogging, and why did you decide to start blogging?

I’ve been writing since November of last year. Why did I start blogging? See question 5.

5. When/where/how did you first hear about blogging and weblogs? Please expound a bit, if you would.

My friend CC sent me a link to her friend enscriptchun’s page. I thought it was really neat to be able to have your own personal space on the vast frontier of the internet. I didn’t know much about computers or html (and I still don’t), but I just wanted to see what I could do with it.

6. How does writing a weblog serve to bring a sense of community between you and other bloggers?

It’s funny because you start getting to know people by what they write, even though you don’t REALLY know them. If you look at people’s links, you start seeing the same blogs here and there. You become familiar with certain people and their blogs.

7. Have you ever met (offline) any of the people youve met online through blogging? If so, please tell me a little bit about how that came about, and what happened.

People have offered to get together and hang out, but I still enjoy the anonymity behind the computer.

8. Do you think of blogging as a type of “spiritual discipline” (perhaps similar to journaling)? Why or why not? In what way might it help you spiritually?

This is the question I was most intrigued with, because I hadn’t really thought of blogging as journaling. I guess it could be considered journaling if you use it to chronicle your walk or write about how He’s working in your life. I don’t usually journal (in the traditional sense) because I hate writing. I type much faster than I write. I also enjoy reading other Christian blogs, especially when people write about spiritual struggles or triumphs that they’ve had. It makes me think of things apart what I’m going through. I love seeing other people’s perspectives on things. It’s also a good way of sharing with other people. I get a chance to keep up with what’s going on in the lives of friends I don’t normally see.

My answers are brief, for I am still swamped with school work. Bottom line: If you don’t have a blog, I recommend starting one.

I can see comments again!

Personal

I can see comments again!
Woohoo! I got my computer somewhat fixed. Now I can read the comments on this page again. For the past couple of days, when I click on the comments, all I get is this blank screen. I hate computers….hate them…hate them! Yes, strong words to describe strong feelings! But I fixed it…we’ll see what else will go wrong next. Wait, I still don’t have sound. Blast!

Woohoo! Everything is up and

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Woohoo! Everything is up and running again (except sound) thanks to the computer wizardry of my friend Gordon. I was telling him it’s amazing that I got this page running since I’m so computer illiterate. I hate computers and and it seems like computers hate me. I continue to marvel at the wonders of technology. It never ceases to amaze me how people are gifted with different talents. For myself, working with computers is not one of mine. I think Gordon was quite right in saying that when it comes to computers, I have the touch of death.

Where in the world is

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Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden?

onion news563 jpg 600x1000 q85 Where in the world is
I can’t wait until I’m finished with the papers. Mucho thanks to Raymond for attempting to solve my cgi problems and trying to get the comments to work, even though the solution has yet to be discovered. I spent way too much time on that when I should have been doing my work! I admire his patience when it comes to technical problems. I can be patient with my kids, but my fuse is much shorter when it comes to dealing with computers. It’s so funny when you think about how different people have strengths for completely different things. Many people tell me that my job must be difficult. They question how I work with that population. “It must be frustrating, demanding, draining…” Yes, and I agree, not many people can work with the type of kids I work with and do what I do. By the same token, I don’t think I can help people find solutions to their computer problems, because I would get all riled up at the sight of “http error 404.” Every job is honorable if the person behind it is, right?