Idiologic.com weblog

PC Problems, Opera and 1 Month Countdown

2010-03-08T15:50:53Z

Good day to everybody. Or whatever, pick a time of day. I thought I'd write a little bit of something while I had a little free time today.

You know, it's hard to believe that there is less than a month before I head off to Australia. Wow. With the recent destructive weather in Melbourne (see link below), my mom was hoping that the city sunk or something so I wouldn't have to go back. Or wouldn't BE ABLE TO go back. It's funny in a way, but in another way I want her to get used to having time to herself. Since my father passed away, I've been at her house almost every day. It's been several months now and originally I had hoped to be out on my own by November or December at the latest. I think when something like that happens, a person tends to treat the surviving parent like a child... a 5 year old. Really, my mom's not that old. My parents were both in their early 50s. One thing that I have learned is that I need to watch what I eat (and I say this after eating a Whopper and double cheeseburger from Burger King yesterday). So really I feel like it's overdue. I don't know whether guilt will force me to move back to the USA. That tends to happen. I think that if I could go back in time, I would have never bothered moving to Australia so I wouldn't know how much I love the country. But I am happy to be there. And sometimes Texas can be nerve-racking.

A few other things that have been happening:

TROUBLE: This weekend turned out to be absolute hell for my mom. The computer totally stopped working. It was about 6 years old but incredibly, it was a great computer up until the day that it stopped working. It was running Windows XP and up to that point, Windows XP was my favorite version of Windows. (Have I mentioned that I am mostly a Mac guy?) So, after playing with the insides of the old tower I realized that the cooling fans were completely broken and the DVD player on it had crapped out, I called Brandi and we decided the best thing to do is to replace the whole thing. I went shopping with my mom and picked up a PC for about $700 with a new monitor, 6 GB of memory and a decent sized hard drive. (My mom isn't a game player so the smaller 500 GB hard drive is OK.) It came with Windows 7 and I have to say that I am really liking it. It runs really nicely and I've only installed 2 of my usual programs on it: Opera 10.50 and Trillian. I won't add any more than I have to because I'm leaving soon and it's my mom's computer really.

Not only did the computer not work, the riding lawnmower's battery crapped out and the TV is having some issues. There are blue pixels and yellow splotches all over the screen. You can see through it the splotches... it's like someone peed on the screen. It started while I was playing LittleBigPlanet. Everything that I touched over the weekend started breaking... sad really.

OPERA 10.50 ON WINDOWS 7: Opera 10.50 on Windows 7 rocks. I love it. It's pretty. It's snappy. It's absolutely wonderful. I can't stress this enough: if you haven't tried Opera ever or in a very long time, now is the time to try it. It's the default browser now on this computer/account (PC) and on my Mac. So much has been improved from previous versions that it would be impossible for me to list them all here. One of my favorite features is Opera Sync. No matter where you are or what browser you use, your Speed Dial and links are available. You're more than welcome to go and download, install and try it for yourself. http://www.opera.com/browser/

IDIOLOGIC REDESIGN: To update you, it's getting done. Slowly. So far it's about a week late. You should expect me to be late with everything now.

idioPod 109: Being Social is Overrated

2010-03-03T18:36:58Z

Social networking sites are so overrated that it's not even funny

This episode is about 1.5 weeks early, wow! I had time to record while driving so that's what I did. In this episode, I talk about my irks of social networking sites, why I keep my personal website AND personal Facebook account, and an easy way to get rid of them if you find yourself spending way too much time playing stupid Facebook games. I may have mentioned a website at a wrong domain, it's suicidemachine.org.

Note: Have you checked out the preview of the new Idiologic? If you haven't, feel free to go here and listen to the latest episode. (Plus it will help me iron out the issues... find the link on the left side of the page called "Listen Now".)

Stay updated with upcoming podcasts by checking out the idioPod Event Calendar! (It has been recently changed - now showing local time in the USA.)

Download: Right-click or listen on your iPhone/iPod Touch
Subscribe: Subscribe here
Length: 14 minutes 40 seconds
File Size: 6.7 MB

Happy Holi!

2010-03-01T17:25:44Z

Image via Wikipedia

Well okay I'm not Indian or close to it, but I received a message in my My Opera inbox from someone who told me about it. Back when I was doing a cultural awareness course, I learned a little about it.

Here, in SE Texas, we have a good amount of Indians who come here for their studies. I was driving past the university one day and saw a group of people with some kind of paint all over them and I thought "Oh, strange. But I admit that it looks like a lot of fun." That's when I wish that we Americans had festivals like that. Sure, we have chili cook-offs and rice festivals (your guess is about as good as mine), but when do WE get to throw brightly colored paint all over each other and have a great time doing it? We don't, unless we're drunk... but paint and drunkedness just don't mix very well.

Holi, is also known as the Festival of Colors (or colours if you're in a country that spells it that way). It's celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and other cultures around the globe. I can't really give you any insight on it REALLY is so that's why I included the link at the beginning of this paragraph.

As many of you are aware, I also live in Melbourne, Australia and the press has been reporting a lot about Indian students getting robbed and beat up. Some of those crimes are racially motivated, unfortunately. But I have also noticed that people in Australia are a lot more unnecessarily rude to Indians in general. I think that sometimes people have a downright fear of people who are different: different cultures and different religions tend to scare some people. And out of observation as an American, we are kinder to Indians than Australians are. It's a shame that they're not closer because it's much cheaper to fly to Australia than to USA and that's why (in my opinion) Indians go to Australia instead.

I can not stress enough that if you do not know enough about a group of people, don't generalize. Don't listen to the stereotypes. Don't listen to the negativity people spread because it will only breed more intolerance and hatred.

I'm happy to have my friends of many ethnic backgrounds. I learn from them and they learn from me. When I don't understand something fully, I ask and I expect the same.

And if you stumble upon this and you're an Indian in Australia who has been wronged in any way, I know it's not my place to apologize but I am truly sorry. I too know how hard it is to go to another country to try to make a life when the culture is different. (Yes, things do differ between Australia and the USA). And there ARE nice people in Australia who would love to be your friend, even if they're not originally from Australia themselves! :)

To all my friends who celebrate it, I hope you have a great Holi and wish you the absolute best! (And absolutely NOTHING against Australians, I love you too or I wouldn't make that country my home.)

My Childhood Nerdiness is Back

2010-02-28T20:19:11Z

Nerds like me have been around forever. I started playing Final Fantasy when my uncle bought it and fell in love with the series. The good news now is that the first Final Fantasy for the Nintendo Entertainment System (the 8-bit one) has come to the iPhone.

Not only is Final Fantasy for iPhone very fun but it's much like the original. The graphics, music and gameplay have all been improved. The sound effects like choosing options are way too loud... much louder than the background music and there's no way to change it. It definitely brings back a lot of memories.

Is it worth the $8.99? Absolutely. It's probably the best purchase I've made from the iTunes App Store other than Bejeweled 2 and Trillian.

I just thought some of you RPG fans who grew up playing games like this would want to know. :)

Housekeeping?

2010-02-26T17:29:13Z

I meant to post this a long time ago but this same kind of thing happened to me when Gilbert and I were staying at a hotel in New York. The maid just barged in while we were sleeping with each other... naked. It was kind of funny in a way and no, the maid wasn't asking to sleep with us... we were both seriously shocked though. (The quality of the video isn't great, but it was the best I could find.)

Fun times, fun times.

idioPod 108: Hypertensive

2010-02-23T21:39:32Z

Waiting to make a change, but why not now?

This podcast episode is a little late out the door and was recorded a week apart, so some things may or may not apply anymore (especially parts where I say that I'll post it on a Friday). I apologize for not being able to get these things ready when promised lately.

In this episode, I talk about these things:

Updates on my weight and why I think I gained that weight
More on my accent
More on what's going on in my personal relationship and moving

In the second part, I talk about (after 13:38):

An Australian citizenship test I took... dot-dot-dot
My plans until I leave
Even more about the relationship I hold near and dear to me
My weight progress, diet changes and being more health-conscious for the best
New layout to idiologic.com coming, check the homepage for details and please take the survey which is supposed to close at the end of the month.

Survey: Until the end of February, I want to know what you think about idioPod. It shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes to do and your name or email address is not required.

Stay updated with upcoming podcasts by checking out the idioPod Event Calendar! (It has been recently changed - now showing local time in the USA.)

Download: Right-click or listen on your iPhone/iPod Touch
Subscribe: Subscribe here
Length: 27 minutes 58 seconds
File Size: 12.8 MB

My Solution to My Weighty Problem

2010-02-19T02:16:08Z

Wow, I didn't realize that it's been forever since I've updated my weblog! So hello there, folks. There IS a new podcast episode coming tomorrow but I know there are some of you [increasingly] who don't listen to that so I'll update you a bit of what's going on.

As of late, it seems that I am not feeling entirely well. I have been quite moody and irritable. I am having a few problems with my stomach and I thought that it's possibly due to me not eating until I'm super full anymore. I don't sit around and snack all day and night. I've lost a little bit of weight (since it's my goal to lose some before I am off to one of my favorite places in less than two months).

So yes, I have joined a website that tracks my progress and unfortunately, I haven't kept up with it the way that I should but I have to admit that it's very interesting to have a place where there are tons of people to offer support. And there's a ton more, but Family Guy is on and I can't concentrate for the life of me! Basically, I signed up at SparkPeople.com because I saw my sister use it and she's lost a bit of weight from it.

So if you've stuck to your New Year's resolution to lose weight and want to join me, just click that pretty little button and sign up! And plus, you'll be my friend and we can encourage and motivate each other.

I really have about 8 more pounds to go before I meet my goal. I have 6 weeks to do it. I am sure I can do it! :)

It arrived and so far, so good!

2010-02-13T04:39:19Z

I mentioned yesterday that I bought a magicJack and was expecting it soon. But I was really shocked when it came in today! It was supposed to arrive on the 19th. Good job USPS.

Anyway, first impressions about the magicJack...

I haven't done much with it but I did set up a Galveston, TX number (because it's the best I could get). I made a few calls with it from the computer and have to admit that the call quality is really, really good. Sure, the software is a bit ugly but it gets the job done. And I love the color it glows when it's plugged in. I was afraid I'd have to go grab a USB cord extension but hey, there was one in the box! (I don't really care for things jutting out of my laptop like that.)

I haven't made any calls with a phone plugged in out of pure laziness but I'll have to repeat myself that I think any American living or traveling extensively should get one. I guess a little corded phone wouldn't hurt either.

So, for $12.99, I'd say it's a wonderful deal (but remember that I had $25 in Amazon gift cards to use). At $37.99, it's still a great deal because it comes with a year of local and long distance phone calls. And calling Australia landlines costs $0.027 per minute with Australian mobiles costing $0.20 per minute. You pretty much have to buy prepaid minutes with those but still that's not bad.

With that said, if you have an opportunity to use one, I'm sure you'll like it. :)

Will My MagicJack be Magic?

2010-02-11T20:48:31Z

Finally something a little bit different! No website or podcast updates in this one.

I had about $25 of Amazon gift certificates laying around and though I would have loved to get a carrying bag for my Nintendo DSi (or my other small gadgets), I decided to get a magicJack to use in Australia.

What is a MagicJack you may ask? It's basically a USB device that you plug in to your computer and you can plug in a regular telephone into it to make calls. It works over a high-speed internet connection. You buy that USB device for $20 (USD) and a year of calls for $19.95, so you end up paying $39.95 usually. You CAN find them cheaper. I spent about $12.99 for the bunch (thanks to the gift certificates).

The good thing about the magicJack is that I will have a local number for my family to call and it will ring in Australia. Unfortunately, my computer has to be turned on to make or receive calls. I figured that would be okay since I can turn it off at night because, sadly, people like to call me around 1 to 3 am. I can barely remember the time difference myself.

I've read reviews of it and most of it is positive. There are some reviews that weren't so pleasant but it's mostly about the customer service. From that alone, I am hoping that the setup goes well. I'm not expecting exceptional call quality and I'm not going to be making 4 hour phone calls... I just like options. We all know that.

I have a few friends who have one and they said that it works out pretty well.

I suggest, even with the negative reviews, that Americans living or traveling extensively overseas grab one, just in case.

But have said that, I have not received mine yet. And when I do set it up and use it, I'll make another post. I'm hoping it will be good news.

Release Schedule Changes for idioPod

2010-02-10T19:24:03Z

I've modified my podcast release schedule until my one to two week break so I can attempt to spend more time with my family and friends. Below you can find a simple calendar of when I expect to post new podcast episodes:

So this means that between some podcast updates I'll have 10 days instead of 7 which is great for me. The podcast episodes posted on Tuesdays will most likely be very short ones. And of course, the calendar above is just an indication. Dates may move around so make sure you take a look at the event calendar often.

Also having said that, podcast episode #115 is tentatively scheduled on April 9 but I am hoping to pre-record it weeks in advance.

Reminder: Episode #115 will be an introduction to who I am for new listeners, so if there are things that you think I should come right out to say to new listeners... make sure I get a message of your idea, okay? It will REALLY help things out.

idioPod 107: A Weighty Wait

2010-02-10T00:53:35Z

Yes, it's been a long weight...

IThis podcast episode took me forever to get done because of pure, raw laziness. And yes, I'm being serious. I didn't have one topic to talk about so my topics are all over the place but I can tell you I hit on a few of these things:

My moodiness
My weight
Missing people
My crappy Chinese food
My early sex life (or lack thereof)

Survey: Until the end of February, I want to know what you think about idioPod. It shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes to do and your name or email address is not required.

Stay updated with upcoming podcasts by checking out the idioPod Event Calendar! (It has been recently changed - now showing local time in the USA.)

Download: Right-click or listen on your iPhone/iPod Touch
Subscribe: Subscribe here
Length: 26 minutes 31 seconds
File Size: 12.1 MB

idioPod Staggers

2010-02-08T19:54:18Z

You might be wondering where the next episode of idioPod is. And I will most likely give you an answer that isn't what you want to hear.

I've been hard at work trying to get the new layout of Idiologic.com going and so far, so good. There are a few issues but I am hoping to get them all fixed and get that thing done in two weeks. Of course, when I work on new layouts for websites, I tend to forget to show my podcast any love.

So because I have strayed too far away from the release plan, that means I most likely won't post up to #115 before I leave for Australia. But what I will aim for is to get it recorded before I head off and then have it posted during my break in early April.

So this is what I need from you: I need to reintroduce myself. So if you never met me before, what are the things you would definitely want to know before you listen to anything I have to say? Please, please let me know so I can get 'er done.

Right now I am planning to set a staggered release schedule for new podcasts which will give me a little more thinking time. This week I will post on Tuesday (#107) and next Friday I will post the next podcast (#108) and it will cycle with that. Of course #109 will come a few days after. I have updated the calendar with the new dates but at this second the dates haven't updated.

So within the next few days, look for a sneak peek of what I'm working on. Sorry for all the website- and podcast-central posts in my weblog lately. I'll get more personal things going soon... especially after I get back to Australia.

idioPod 107 is later than never

2010-02-07T04:55:05Z

Unfortunately I did not get the new episode up. I will definitely edit and post it tomorrow (on a Sunday which is not something I willingly do).

This one will require editing. I just hope Garageband can handle it. If not, I'll go with Soundtrack.

I'll definitely need some feedback regarding the new layout. I've heard "it's too green" already. I have a preview available but not out in the public yet.

Oh, and when I die, everybody be a fan of mine on Facebook, will you? ;) Not that it's going to happen soon but if I'm a computer literate ghost, I want to feel the love.

Why am I craving peach cobbler? Now...?

Why is Idiologic.com so Green?

2010-02-04T05:28:15Z

If you've viewed idiologic.com lately, you might have noticed a big change.

Color theme switching is not available right now and I don't expect it to come back for a week or two. Why? Because I am changing layouts. Fortunately, I will be reusing a lot of the same code so it shouldn't take too terribly wrong.

Why a complete layout change right now? When I started the current layout, a lot of the code I put in there was meant to be temporary and I ended up leaving them there. There is a lot of code sitting there that does absolutely nothing. I need to change all of that so that idiologic and idioPod are quicker to load (because they're on slow servers to begin with).

When I am ready to post the new layout, you'll notice that both of my sites will go to my weblog (which will not be part of the layout change). You might want to delete the 'mysheet' cookie from Idiologic if you're seeing anything else but the new green color.

So that is what I'm working on and I'm giving you all a head's up. And of course, here's a little teaser what I'm working with.

Being Quiet for AUDIO

2010-02-02T05:56:33Z

Lately, I've been playing around with a few website-related things so I've been relatively quiet. And the last podcast mess really made me mad, so, yeah, but now I'm here and well I thought I'd let you know what I'm working on.

I've really wanted to implement audio on my site (mainly for idioPod) and wanted to use the tag to do it.

But unfortunately, with most upcoming technologies, things aren't all the way put together.

To make it work with the newest Mozilla-based browsers (Firefox), I'd have to encode every MP3 file as an OGG file which I have noticed is very time consuming AND tedious. MP3 is a much more universal format, so I am sticking with it. I'm all for open sourced solutions, but this one doesn't suit me. So right now, the newest Mozilla-based browsers will show an X and the audio will not play. Additionally, I do not have anything to fall back on if I didn't also show the Flash player.

Because Internet Explorer (Trident-based browsers) and Opera (Presto-based browsers) do not support the AUDIO tag, a player is shown that will use Quicktime, Windows Media Player or even the VLC browser plug-in. It works, and it works quite well as far as I know.

For anybody who uses a Webkit-based browser (such as Safari, Chrome and such), it will work perfectly... the way I envisioned it would work.

With all this said, you're more than welcome to try out the new player. It will only play the latest episode of idioPod. You can keep it open and listen or you can just see if it works.

Note: You will see two players. The first is the Flash player (currently found on the weblog entries for podcast episodes). The second will either be the Quicktime/WMP/VLC plug-in or the AUDIO tag stuff. In Firefox 3.5+, the second player WILL NOT WORK.

Oh and if this weblog was a little too nerdy for you, I apologize. :)