Are You being “xserved”?

Well, what am I talking about hear?  I may not know myself.  Ha ha…  xserve …. is Apple Computer’s server platform.  You rarely know what server hardware or Server OS you are connecting to … unless some web site tells you…. “Running on XXXYYYZZZ hardware or Server OS”.  Does it matter?  Not really… as long as the server does its job and you get the information you want in the time period you want it.

I decided to be a bit ambitious… I picked up an older G4 PowerPC based xserve server… running Mac OS X tiger (10.4.11).  I have it in my possession… but it is not installed… YET!  LOL.  I will beging the daunting task of setting it up… and that goes with it… when I am on my christmas break.  BTW… the picture of the xserve that I have… is the slot loading DVD one…

I have been reading a copy of Schoun Regan’s “Visual Quickpro Guide – MAC OS SERVER 10.4 TIGER” book.  Pretty good.  I have already bought my new domain… http://www.TheMactrix.info domain… which is currently being parked on www.Godaddy.com (Go Daddy, Go!).

Ok… so this blog entry is not hard hitting….  it is not complaining (there might be hope for me yet, right?), or attempting to whip you up in a frenzy… it is just more of me… geeking out.

At any rate… when I get the domain turned over…  I will let you all know so you can check it out…

“Tutti Frutti on Zeituni (Onyango)” … or “Life Ain’t Too Sweet When You Got The IMMIGRATION BLUES”

I cannot start of this blog entry by singing “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!”… but I can start it off by giving you this link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091201/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_aunt .

Funny…  Auntie Zeituni… is feeling the pain/anxiety of separation from her nephew… seems that her immigration troubles (i.e. being in the country illegally) have prevented her from spending time with the only family she has in the United States of America!  The bright side is… she is understanding in not wanting to cause him political problems…. and the President is understanding… by not seeing her at all.  My main concern is… we have civil service in the US… to make sure that issues like these don’t get out of hand… as in …. somebody in a position of power in the Government… cannot influence issues where they have a vested interest.  It seems that dear Auntie is quick to say that she has not received any special favors or status because her nephew is the President… but with all the press about her since Obama appeared on the scene… why hasn’t her situation been resolved (either way…according to the law).  Gosh, with my luck… if I were here illegally…. I would be trounced out quicker than anything… and I would be “A man without a country”.

At any rate… blood is blood…  and I can understand that Zeituni Onyango is sad.  Who would not be?  Much like starving in the midst of plenty.  I don’t feel sorry for her about her immigration woes… and the fact that she is here… living in public houseing subsidized by the Government that her nephew heads… BUT… I do feel sorry for her that her nephew can turn his back on her.  Gosh… with the money he made off his book… he could siphon a small amount from that… and get her a cell phone or something… so that they can talk to each other at least.  I feel much the same way as I do about his half-brother… living on pennies… 50$ would be a small fortune for a man who lives on pennies.  That might make his life…living in a shack… that much more comfortable.

Thank God for not being in a situation where I would have to deny my family.  With God’s blessing, may I never have to….

One more thing to dread this Holiday season… office Christmas parties

Ok, let me yield up front…  LOL.  As I get older… I can honestly say that my tendency is to become more cynical.  I don’t like it… but it is happening.  I am no longer the little boy being driven to my grandparents house for Christmas Eve.  My brother is not sitting next to me… just as excited as I am… and my parents are not there in the front seat driving us there.  I still remember those Christmases past.  My brother and I, as my Dad’s parents only grandchildren, were spoiled this time of year.  I have always stated that Ghengis Khan never saw such a “golden hoard”.  In my family, I was always the first one who wanted to put up the Christmas tree (much to my brother’s embarrassment)  and I was always glued to the TV set to watch Rudolph, Frosty, and whatever other Christmas show was on.  If all this is true…. then why am I warning you off of office Christmas parties?

Well, first… let me remind you of the Seven Deadly Sins.  Do you remember them?  Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony are they.  Well, just because Jesus came over 2000 years ago to save us from Sin… does not mean that these Cardinal Sins / Capital Vices have gone away.  If you don’t believe me… go to your office holiday party!

Over the last few years… I have seen many horrible things go on at office holiday parties.  After seeing it all do down, as it were, I realize that these parties more closely favor “Festival”… from the Star Trek Original Series episode entitled “Return of the Archons”, than a true Christmas holiday party.  In case you missed the Star Trek reference… these modern parties more resemble orgiastic revelry than a celebration of Christmas.  I know that a lot of that has to do with the presence of sweet treats… and the whole secularization of the feast of Christ Mass….  but I wonder if a few Christmas carols wouldn’t be all that bad.

I submit to you…. that there is no place more favored for an office bully to manifest themselves… than at the office holiday party.  Why?  Because, they see this as a prime opportunity to seize control of the plans and make their co-workers pay dearly.  Kind of sad… but often seems true.  They can rule the holiday committee with an iron fist…. telling the rest of the poor mortals what to do, how to do it, and when it must be done.  Add to the party… the much maligned “chinese gift exchange”… and you have a control freak’s dream… and the average quiet person’s worst nightmare!

I got a notice today about my office party… and I just deleted it as soon as it came.  I got another e-mail asking about my preferences on another holiday party… I just deleted that too.  Not very into seeing the 7 Capital Vices appear before me in the flesh!  Greed, Envy, Lust, gluttony, and envy didn’t have anything on that party last year.  even though there was a $15 limit on gift to be exchanged via the Chinese gift exchange, people went all out!  [PRIDE].  They bought multi-bottle alcohol gift sets… which got stolen, restolen, and stolen again!  [GREED, ENVY, LUST].  Everybody was so wrapped up in the food and the sport of the gift exchange [GLUTTONY] that things got out of hand.  Comments were said… and in spite of the laughter… I am sure that feelings were hurt.

I choose to see Jesus Christ in the season that carries his name… and to remember “The Reason for the Season”.  I don’t want to focus on the base emotions that ‘orginal sin’ fans the flames of our destruction.  Instead… I want to concentrate on “the Light of the World” coming to us… illuminating our path to salvation!

A subset of the holiday party… is the Thanksgiving pot-luck lunch.  that is where you bring in a part of the meal to contribute to a bounty… where we should be thankful for all that we have.  we all sit around… have a serving of what everybody has prepared… and appreciate out coworkers, and the many blessings that we enjoy.  unfortunately, these parties have a dark side as well.  I experienced a dark side of this phenomenon.  I brought food in to a holiday party…. and people made rude comments about what I brought in.  (In this case, pumpkin bread)  Instead of passing it over, many people present had to tell everybody and carry on how they were sure it was ‘nasty’.  It must be I guess, because a loser like me made it!  LOL.  Anyway… when they were packing up the food to put in the office refrigerator so that they could have it in the next days that followed, I marveled at how delicious it looked, how wonderful it smelled, and lamented that I was the only one who ate any.  Oh well, I just picked the plate up… and went to the garbage can and dumped the plate clean.  After I accomplished the “necessary” deed,  people started chastising me (as people are prone to do).  They demanded to know what I was doing… throwing away food?  I told them that all of you were telling me how gross the pumpkin bread was… and how you would not touch it, let alone consume any…. so I thought I was doing a favor for my coworkers… by throwing it out”.

Many stood there looking at me…. mouths gaping wide open and eyes startled.  I just simply took my plate, and left.  Ever since that moment… I have been more critical of these types of events… and the overall pettiness of the people who attend them.  I am saddened by the lack of manners that people show these days.  It is tough enough in this world to keep a positive outlook in this world… without actively seeking out situations where this task is made even harder.

So, be warned… of the evil that lurks in the hearts of those blinded by greed (and the chinese gift exchange).  In the immortal words of Scrooge… “You keep Christmas in your own way, and I will keep it in mine!”.   Joy to the World, the Lord has come!

[Dedicated to V]

“Hello, I want to talk with Raimundo Andrade!” …

Ok, here I go again.  Those of you who know me… know that i hate it when people call me… pretending to know who I am…  assume that I speak Spanish… and start chattering off in a language other than English.  This is an extension of that fact… and it really got my goat.  Last night… my roommate Dave was telling me how he hates people calling up… trying to track down deadbeats.  For Instance… John Doe… owes $18,000  in unsecured credit card debt to a Visa company…. the department of the company…. who is charged with getting the Dead Beat John Doe to cough up the money…. says “Well, John Doe” is off the radar… he has gone to ground.  If he lost his house and stuff…. he is probably living with relatives in Orlando, FL.  There are 500 Doe families in Orlando (made up number) so let’s call all 500 of them… and catch them off guard… and tell them that John Doe needs to pay.  We will track him down somehow… no matter the cost!”

Pretty crappy huh?  No sooner had Dave and I finished discussing this… the phone rang.  Guess what?  Yup…. “Hello, I want to talk to Raimundo Andrade!”.  I thought for a split second…and then responded “what makes you think that a Raimundo Andrade is associated with this phone number?”  He answered “Well, they told me to call this number because Raimundo Andrade is living there.”  I countered “Who are ‘they’ and why are they telling you to bother me…. there is no Raimundo Andrade here.  I do not know a Raimundo Andrade!”

The guy says that he knows that Raimundo Andrade is in my house and he demands to talk to him.  I was getting mad… I told him “Look… You are pronouncing Andrade like a spaniard would pronounce it… my family does not say our name that way… as we are not Spanish/latino.”

I told him “Look, I know the game you are playing… or the game that your company is playing.  they are throwing the net wide… trying to get a lead on Raimundo Andrade… and they don’t care how much of my time they waste… because if Raimundo Andrade owes you 18K… and you can collect even part of it…. the company will give you 75% of it… and take 25% of whatever you recover.  Got it.  That being said…. I don’t live with Raimundo Andrade, I don’t know a Raimundo Andrade… nor, in the near or distant future do I even remotely think I will meet a Raimundo Andrade.  Please dude… help me out here.  I am hereby requesting that you remove my name, my address, and my phone number…. from your records… as I am in no way associated with Raimundo Andrade!”

The guy had to laugh… after I was done… he said “you are a sharp guy dude… I will remove your contact information from this account.”  I thanked him and recognized that he needed to work for a living too…. and thanked him for his help.  Also I wished him a good evenening.

It just kills me with this type of crap.  Guilty until proven innocent.  You are assumed to be harboring a Dead Beat… until you prove you are not.  I cannot tell you how many times I get harassed looking for Sheniqua Jones,  among a host of others!  This type of action should be illegal!  Anyway… for the record…. I do not know anybody by the name of Raimundo Andrade!

Why Did The Windows 7 Beta Work Fine On My Desktop, Pass The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, but FAIL TO RUN When I Installed It On The Same Hardware?

Ok, back in January I installed the Windows 7 Beta Release… Did I have some problems… yes.

First off, I had difficulty with the Network driver… found a driver that would work… (yes, an old 3-com DOS driver) and it worked fine.  No problems with lack of support for my mother board’s chip sets, or sound card, or Kodak All-In-One Printer.  I was working with the beta… and even was using the PC to run WoW WOTLK (Wrath of the Lich King).  Had good performance too.

The question remains… when Microsoft put together the final release package… why did they strip out all the “good” stuff that allowed my computer to run Windows 7?  First off, my roommate burned me back to the Stone Age… he told me that since I was being kind enough to beta test Microsoft’s new OS FOR FREE (!!!!) they wanted the biggest installed user base to participate in the beta.  They enabled all the older PCs…. to be able to run.  Why?  because we were helping them perfect their system.

I asked my roommate… why if Microsoft “giveth”… why did they also “taketh away”?  He told me that even though Microsoft does not make hardware (they are not called the WINTEL Monopoly for nothing) they have a stake in making sure that the PC platform continues on.  By continuing on, my roommate explained that this really means… sells more new computers.  So, basically, even though my machine passed the Windows 7 upgrade advisor…. and was running the beta with no problems… Microsoft had to ensure that my older machine would not work…  to make sure that I would eventually…. feel left out…. and by a new computer…. running Windows 7.

For all those people out there… who bought Windows 7… because the upgrade advisor said they were ok to do so…. they had a big surprise.  they paid money for something that they cannot use!  I have made the switch…. so my old XP machine is being used until it dies.  I am going to use the copy of Windows 7 to virtualize on my 24 inch iMac.  Other’s will not be so lucky!  Microsoft screws the public again!

Also, let me tell you that so many people… after the launching smoke has cleared… are asking one question?  What happened to Outlook Express?  Oh… don’t worry about that…. buy Microsoft Outlook 2007 for $350 and you get the “real” version of outlook.

Apple has three new commercials making fun of the fact that when you upgrade to Windows 7 from XP… you have to move all your data…. and install Windows 7 as a new installation.  Apple says… rightly so…. that if you have to move your data anyway… why not upgrade from a PC to a Mac?  (Great thinking if you ask me!)

Anyway… just when you think it is safe to go back into the Microsoft water… Steve Ballmer and crew open up Microsoft’s Jaws of Death on your butt.  Fool me once Microsoft… shame on you… fool me 3,453 times… shame on me!  Is it any wonder i made the switch to Apple?

[Comments ?]

Disappointed In The Way The I Got Hoodwinked By Microsoft Yet Again? – Not In The Least. (All My Computer Eggs Are Not In The Microsoft Basket)

Nah, it does not bother me at all.  It might bother others…. who shelled out the big bucks for the home version of Windows 7… but I have made the switch to Apple…. and their Mac computers…. and am very happy with Snow Leopard!  Plus… the $49.99 cost for Windows 7… was cheaper than the $119.99 that everybody else is spending.  Also, I will virtualize it on my Mac anyway.  Don’t plan on any more problems with that… LOL.

As I type this…I am installing XP on the PC.  The only think I don’t know is if I will be able to kick off the SP2 install… before I go out to PetSmart for Catfood, Litter, and other miscellaneous goods before I can install it.   I will be contemplating that as I sit down having my Sierra Turkey Sandwich at Panera.  LOL

Will keep you abreast of how it works out.  I do feel sorry for people who have an older machine… and believed the results of the Windows 7 Upgrade advisor… and it said all is fine.  Not everybody can drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new computer… and some people thought that they were getting a bargain basement upgrade for $119.99 LOL.

Read This Blog Entry Before Upgrading XP to Windows 7… Don’t Be A Jamoke Like I Was!!!

Hey Gang:

Just went and spent time…reinstalling XP on my PC…before installing Windows 7.  Guess what… don’t bother! LOL.  See, Windows 7 will validate that you have an existing windows…then blow it away.  That is why you need to back up your DATA first.  I don’t know now… if I want to install Windows 7…. I have a nice SP3 “NEW” installation now… and why do it?  I might as well save my Windows 7 license to virtualize on my iMac… Like I planned… Ha ha ha ha.  Maybe I should have read the article below before reinstalling XP… my defective, crappy, slow, corrupt XP install …would have sufficed to validate Windows 7.  The article is:

Five Things You Should Know About Upgrading From XP to Windows 7

Oh, and here is the upgrade advisor.  It will evaluate your hardware and crap… and tell you if you have any potential problems…and how they can be remediated… if indeed they can be remediated.  (Of course… Microsoft’s idea of remediation usually involves you buying a new computer… or a new HP printer, or a …. well, you get the idea…. Ugh!

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Tune in for more details on what I actually decided to do … ha ha ha ha

UPDATE:  My PC… is about 6 or 7 years old… and as things have “burned out”… I have replaced them.  Since the components have such a mixed bag of parts now… Windows 7 did not recognize a bunch of motherboard and associated chipset controllers.  Add to it…that it would not recognize my fairly new Kodak All-in-One printer… and that I did not have sound.  Ok… Am back to installing a pristine copy of XP on the PC.  The performance seemed to be ok… but things would not update properly…. and the printer did not work… and other “under the hood things” would probably screw me in the end. Therefore…Windows 7… is a bust…and the PC …shall stay XP… until it drops dead.  Funny… I ran the upgrade advisor… and it did not find any of this stuff…. so… maybe the upgrade advisor sucks!  (Ya thinkg? !!!)

Anyway… I guess I get to virtualize the OS… Now… on my iMac with VirtualBox.

I am not sure…but I think I might have just wasted $49.99!  Ugh.

Barack Obama Sees Worst Poll Rating Drop In 50 Years !!!

The decline in Barack Obama’s popularity since July has been the steepest of any president at the same stage of his first term for more than 50 years.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/6409721/Barack-Obama-sees-worst-poll-rating-drop-in-50-years.html

Wow… never thought that I would see the day.  Personally, I can attribute this to the fact that he is actively trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people… in terms of what is in the legislation that he and his “LIBOCRATS” are preparing and trying to jam it down our throats!

I guess this proves that the American people are paying attention after all!  I urge everybody to go to www.gradegov.com now and vote on their Senators and Representatives!

[Comments ?]

“Ya There? Ya There? Ya There Now? Ya There?” Or “How To Annoy The Blazes Out Of Somebody By Nagging Them Via Text Message, E-Mail, Twitter, Yahoo, Voicemail, and Phone Calls”

Well, let me admit something to those reading my blog…. I just don’t get it.  Why is it that people are “so desperate” to get a hold of you… that they rapid fire all kinds of thinks to get a hold of you…. within seconds after trying one method… they don’t wait for an answer…they just move on to the next method.

You are probably confused…. how about this scenario.  I am at work… I go to get a cup of coffee… from when I stand up…. my phone starts ringing/chirping/chiming/vibrating … one different sound after the other.  I get a text message…. it says….”You there?”  Then I get another message…repeating “You There?”, Then I get another message “You There Now?”.  While I am trying to figure out what is going on… my Yahoo Messenger starts chiming…. “You there?”.  I look at my e-mail account… I have new e-mails… I open up an e-mail and all I see is…. “You There?”.  Before I close up shop on the mail…another one comes in…. “You There?”.  As my coffee is growing cold… my boss is behind me…. laughing his butt off… because to him… my phone is going wild!

Now… I ask you…. is there any reason…. why somebody…. is so desperate to get in touch with me… that they rapid fire try all these methods….and don’t wait for me to respond to a single one?  After things like this happen…. I feel like taking my iPhone…and pegging it against the wall…with the goal of shattering it into a billion small pieces!  I guess that during a work day… or when I get home at night trying to take a moment out to pet my kitties…. and the phone launches into a cacophony of digital burps… it is enough to enrage me!

As long as I am complaining… I have another admission… it really has started to anger me…. when people…. who need my help for something… call me up…. and “ATTEMPT” to make me responsible for helping them with something.  Remember the AGE OLD PROTOCOL when somebody needs help.  If I need help… like I did when my irrigation system had a leak…. I asked my buddy Tony.  I had a few false starts… but here is the deal.  Tony was helping me as a friend.  He had the expertise that I did not have.  I was lucky that he helped me.  I appreciated his help too.  I did not say “Tony, get your butt over here ASAP … 5 minutes ago…. and drop your wife, your kids, and your job…. to help me!  I needed help… so…as the one NEEDING the help… I totally put myself at his disposal…. if he could squeeze me in…. I would be soooo grateful.  The problem is… when people need something…. from me at least… they freak out.  They start with the old “Drop everything right away”… “Your life…such as it is…is insignificant with how busy I am… and what I need!”  An attitude like this…. to me… is just plain ludicrous.

Life is stressful enough… and when somebody pulls a maneuver like this…. it just torques me off big time!  I know that I am not married….I know that I don’t have a kazillion kids…. I know that I am not a busy executive… but it does not mean that my time is any less dear to me…than your time is to you.  I think I need to take a massive CHILL PILL…. and I am doing what I can… to not get myself obligated with crazy people.  I kind of did this stuff… when Microsoft came out with Windows Vista.  I was switching to Macs… so there was no way that I was getting involved with that crazy Vista.  Neighbors and all kinds of people… told me that they were making me responsible for their computers being upgraded to Vista… and for their personal happiness as well!  I told them that it was not going to happen.  I held firm…. and guess what?  People who were obnoxious about Vista… found somebody else to bully for their computer support.  (Hey, Windows 7 comes out this Friday… maybe I should do the same thing…. LOL.)

At any rate… I don’t mean for my blog readers to be afraid to ask me for help… because… I like to help people.  I just don’t need the baggage and harassment that some people… ill mannered people I might add… dish out to those they need help from.

[Comments ?]

Does Anybody Other Than Rush, Glenn, and I Realize That The Libs Are Burying All Kinds Of Damaging Crap Into Legislation That Nobody Is Reading… That Will Hurt This Country?

I am so sick and tired….  provisions in Obama care to make owning a hand gun a deal breaker for getting insured.  Hiding this “label” crap… a certification that your house meets, will meet, and forever will meet ever escalating energy efficiency standards is plain EVIL.

This is why that in order to be free…. the working man…. has to be forever vigilant.  People that are angry at Glenn Beck think that he is a nut case.  I just read his book ARGUING WITH IDIOTS and I have never had more respect for him than I do now!  He was on the radio the other day…. and told us that the Obama REGIME…. is busy burying all these small parts of their whole, larger agenda…. into various bills… so the tools for their plan will be in place… and all they have to do is pull the trigger… to take total control of our lives.

Freedom of speech is under attack…. as well as Fox News…. It would not surprise me if the Govt. tries to shut down Fox News under some other technicality…. and ends up putting Rupert Murdoch in jail!

Laugh and scoff while ye may… but it won’t be over until the Fat Lady sings…. and neither her, nor me (I exercise my 2nd amendment rights) will be able to get health insurance!