Archive for the ‘ 2004 ’ Category

I didn’t know the buisiness section was for comics…

Author: JoshMiller

Dec 23

From an article on today’s SJ-J re: the Microsoft anti-trust lawsuit in Europe:

[RealNetworks Inc.]‘s deputy general councel, Dave Stewart, said his company can no compete “based on the merits of products and services rather than the power of Microsoft’s Monopoly.”

What a laugh riot. Apparently RealNetwork’s doesn’t realize that people don’t not use RealPlayer (etc) because of Windows Media player. They don’t use it because it’s a bloated piece of garbage that plays he shittiest video format known to man.

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Filed under: 2004, Politics | Tagged as: , ,

Disk Space…

Author: JoshMiller

Oct 12

This says things better than I ever could. Probably. Anyway I’ve been vaguely looking at a new Hard drive lately but I’m a bit short on cash. I could easily clean up a LOT o crap off of the drives I have now (total ~110 Gig) instead for nothing of course.

C: has 2.65 gig free out of 16.3 on the partition. I have no idea where all of that space goes. I keep barely anything on C: other than the OS and programs such as Office and Photoshop. IE Real applications and programs that I didn’t just get of John Q’s website somewhere on the internet.

D: has 14 gig out of 74 gig free. This one fluctuates the most and I beleive I’ve had it as low as 5 gig free before. Essentially anything that is a generic file drops here. Music, movies my personal files, text files, useful webpages I’ve archived etc. I also have several games (about 26 looks like) installed here. No matter how hard I try I can never seem to push it back. I’ll go through and archive off a dozen CDs of music and another dozen of movie files and junk but still I get nowhere. I suppose I really ought to uninstall some of those games. I barely play any of them but then there is the idea of “What if I feel like it one day?”

E: has 1 gig of 2.5 gig free. This one shifts a lot in use. Originally I was going to put Linux on it. Now it has become a catcher drive as I download new files. When it fills up I dump shit onto D:.

F: is down to 1.7 gig out of about 10 gig. I’m not really sure what the point of this drive was when i originally created it. Currently it houses Stepmania, Morrowind, Dance EJay 5, Matlab and a small cache of emulators and other small applications. I’ve put these programs here becasue they tend to be large in size with generally fluctuating content. At least that’s my excuse for Stepmania and Morrowind, SM has new songs, Morrowind has MODs out the wazoo.

I also have half a dozen CD wallets full of archived garbage. And that’s what most of it is, straight up garbage.

On one final note related to the original link, the drive names are
C: = RANDS
D: = DEUCE
E: = SPIGOT
F: = PANTS

They’ve been like that for a few years now.

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Filed under: 2004, Hardware & Devices | Tagged as: , ,

The Illusion of Security…

Author: JoshMiller

Sep 25

Security has been a “hot issue” for a while now what with terrorists running absolutely RAMPANT EVERYWHERE. At least we’ve gotten over the idea that every crazy Arab in the world is focused only on dropping a plane or a nuke on every podunk worthless town and Wal-Mart in the world.

Anyway (a term I’ve noticed I use way too much), you might have heard about the recent shooting of a security guard at the capitol of Illinois. For the ill informed, there was a shooting of a security guard at the capitol in Springfield, Illinois. (all different links BTW)

As someone who works downtown and travels to various state buildings (see, one of my jobs is as a runner for a law office), I havn’t actually noticed TOO much change so far due to this event, but I imagine changes are just around the corner. I did discover however that in order to enter the Driver’s Services facility, the one that’s not even downtown but way out on Dirkson Parkway, you have to sign in AND sign out now. I guess the idea is that there might be some OTHER crazy shooter out there and that having to sign his real name in a book will prevent any fatalities. Nevermind that it’s an inconvenience for every customer that comes in there and an inconvenience to the poor woman at the desk who has to remind everyone to sign the book. It’s not like they checked your ID or anything to make sure you signed the proper name, I’m thinking I’ll start signing superhero names or something each visit (I go there a lot due to work).

The other downtown Secretary of State building also makes you sign in and show ID. They have real guards too, well at least as real as the one shot at the capitol; in the sense that there are guys with badges but no guns or body armor. It’s not like a fake ID is hard to come by or anything. Several other state buildings have metal detectors. I swear no matter how many times I walk through the one in the county building with my sunglasss, they will still ask me for them if they see them in my pocket. Hey, they are shinny silver but they are probably 99% plastic. Not to mention I don’t think my keys or my cell phone set the thing off much less my sunglasses. I do believe the county building has real cops guarding it’s entrance though.

Friday they also had bags over ALL the meters downtown but I am pretty sure (and really hope) that it was due to the Route 66 Classic car festival going on and NOT due to the shooting. However when the country is put on Yellow to Red alert and those crazy ship’s klaxons start sounding, they put these same meter bags out. I guess the idea behind this is that a suicide bomber with a car bomb won’t destroy any state buildings if he can’t pay the meter. He might get a ticket or even towed. Forget that if he’s a suicide bomber he is going to be dead anyway or that if it’s a regular car bomb he’ll have more than enough time to leave the vehicle and get a hundred miles away by the time a tow truck shows up.

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Filed under: 2004, Politics | Tagged as: , , , ,

Don’t go to college (revisited)

Author: JoshMiller

Sep 13

I know I’ve (more or less) made this post once already, but it bears repeating.

I had a job interview last (last) Friday, and then a second interview last Friday. Now it’s possible I’m jumping the gun a a bit here, maybe they will call me back this afternoon with great news. I’m not holding my breath. I might go ahead and call THEM instead though. The point I’m tying to make here is that I don’t think I will get the job.

I’ve had three job interviews since I graduated last December. I’ve submitted maybe 50 resumes though, I lost count somewhere along the line. The first interview was with a company up in Peoria, Illinois, they were a parts supplier for Mitsubishi. Given that Mitsubishi seems to be on the verge of going belly up, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t get that job. Anyway, it wasn’t “real Mechanical engineering” work, mostly just sales, and I imagine my degree was a hindrance in getting the position.

The second job I interviewed for was with a civil engineering group (of sorts). Basically going to work sites and testing rock or something. It seemed like it might be pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the man in charge had convinced himself that I would leave within a week of being hired, what with being over-qualified and all and being ‘educated’.

This last interview is Deja Vu from the second one. Once again, this is an Environmental Engineering group, they do soil samples and install hazardous waste lines and tanks. It’s not actually related to ME work and doesn’t require a degree or anything. And once again, I could tell during the interview that the man in charge had decided I would be unhappy and quit after a year.

On the other end of the spectrum, the other 47 or so applications, I’m apparently under-qualified. So I have a piece of paper that says I’m over-qualified for any basic entry level engineering type positions. At the same time it says I’m under-qualified for any real ME positions. I suppose part of the problem is that companies like GM and Boeing don’t want to pay to train anyone anymore so even the most basic job requires 1-3 years experience.

[Rant about hating Corporate money mongers removed for being 'off topic']

Meanwhile I’m still stuck counting shit and hating it more and more every day. Maybe next time I apply for a job I’ll leave out the part where I went to SIU. Perhaps I can get a job on my Engineering Associate’s degree instead.

(I should maybe also note that I probably don’t make a particularly good interviewee since It goes against my principles to try to bull shit people to get what I want.)

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Filed under: 2004, Politics | Tagged as: , ,

The Self Checkout Line…

Author: JoshMiller

Sep 7

Self Checkout Lines seems to be a dying fad. A lot of stores in the area have gotten them only to eventually remove them. I personally, love them. I don’t have to wait on some slow cashier for anything, everyone is intimidated by them so there is never a line, I can stuff everything into one bag if I want.

So, moving on a bit, I’m at the Wal-Mart, which has just recently gotten 4 self checkout lines. Usually there is not a line but today all four of them were occupied. Three of the four had flashing lights waiting for assistance, the remaining one (which I chose) was in the process of receiving assistance from the monitoring employee. For whatever reason the lady in front of me was voiding things and it looked like she was having the employee change prices on some things like they had been mis-marked or maybe she had coupons. After she finished up (after like five minutes*) She vaguely turns to me and says “These things are too difficult”.

Yeah, difficult.

Or maybe you’re just a bit slow on the draw here.

More or less the instant she moved her cart to the side (to arrange her stuff or coddle her baby or whatever), I began my transaction. “Please sca…” *beep* *beep* *bag* *bag* (I’m already pulling out my wallet with my other hand) *Press Finish and Pay* (I’ve already pulled out my twenty) “Thank you, be sure to take your change under the card reader and receipt at the end of the lane” (Thanks, I’ve already got it and I’m gone).

Yeah, like she said, difficult. It took me all of twenty seconds to complete the entire process. Granted I had less items than she had, but I’ve purchased more before and I never have trouble with it. Let’s face it, checking items isn’t a real daunting task. Scan the bar-code, drop it in the bag, pay the machine.

I certainly hope the gradual disappearance of these machines is due to theft or something instead of due to inept people complaining.

* NOTE: Though it took a bit of wait, it was still a shorter line than any other line in the place.

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