"Murphy was an optimist!"
Let’s track a typical day June 8, 2006 8:39 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 1 comment so far5:30-8:30pm: Finished installed windows2000professional on the client computer, installed all OS updates, installed motherboard updates including a bios flash, installed NextPOS version 2.8. Created several invoices. All went well. Now its off to the client’s location to deliver computer.
1 comment so farLet’s track a typical day June 8, 2006 6:43 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 1 comment so far4:30-5pm: Work on client’s Windows 2000 computer.
5-5:30pm: Pick Noah up from karate.
1 comment so farReasons to hate Windows June 8, 2006 5:45 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Software, Technology , 3commentsI run a legal copy of Windows XP and still use service pack 1. I like service pack 2 and put it on all new machines but this machine is a little too critical to my life to risk going to through the nightmares I heard that can happen when installing service pack 2. Granted, nothing bad should happen, however, if it can go bad with me it probably will at the absolute worst moment.
What’s this got to do with hating Windows? Today I accepted an update from Microsoft and since then every two hours I’ve had a window popup to notify me that on Oct 10, 2006 support for service pack 1 will end. Does this mean that every two hours between now and October 10th I’m going to have to deal with this message?! Not a smart way to do business. If I don’t want to secure my machine and if I want to deal with not being supported I should have that option without the nuisance!
A linux development environment sounds awfully nice right now.
3commentsMichael Berg…man of principle! June 8, 2006 4:52 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Politics, Touchy Subjects, World Politics , 1 comment so farBERG: Well, you know, I’m not saying Saddam Hussein was a good man, but he’s no worse than George Bush. Saddam Hussein didn’t pull the trigger, didn’t commit the rapes. Neither did George Bush. But both men are responsible for them under their reigns of terror.
I don’t buy that. Iraq did not have al Qaeda in it. Al Qaeda supposedly killed my son.
Under Saddam Hussein, no al Qaeda. Under George Bush, al Qaeda.
Under Saddam Hussein, relative stability. Under George Bush, instability.
Under Saddam Hussein, about 30,000 deaths a year. Under George Bush, about 60,000 deaths a year. I don’t get it. Why is it better to have George Bush the king of Iraq rather than Saddam Hussein?
[Source]
1 comment so farLet’s track a typical day June 8, 2006 4:46 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 1 comment so far2:00-3:45pm: Trying to get drivers to work on the client computer. All working except the most crucial…the network card.
3:45-4:30pm: Noah to karate and family affairs.
Continuing with NIC troubleshooting…
1 comment so farThe Realtek 8201CL does not require a driver! June 8, 2006 3:40 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Hardware, Technology , 2commentsIf you are using a motherboard with a built-in network adapter (like the Realtek 8201CL found on the MSI PM8M-V which is a Via P4M800) you don’t need to be looking for a driver for the 8201CL. Instead you need to look for the driver for the MAC chip embedded in the chipset. Ie. See your motherboard manufacturer specs and download area.
The Ethernet hardware consists of two parts: a PHY chip, and a MAC chip. It’s the MAC chip that requires the drivers. RTL8201x is a PHY only chip which does NOT need any driver at all. If you have RTL8201x in your computer system, there must be another MAC chip in the system too. Most likely, the MAC chip is embedded in the chipset. Please contact the board or computer provider to find out which MAC chip is in your system and how to get the drivers for it.
In my case the drivers needed to be for Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC.
2commentsThat’ll make you famous June 8, 2006 2:15 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Humor, Philosophy , 1 comment so farI wish I had drank less alcohol in college. I bet she does too.
1 comment so farLet’s track a typical day June 8, 2006 2:01 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 1 comment so far10am-2pm: Some blogging and time wasting in here. A bunch of time was spent trying to get the drivers for the Windows 2000 professional client machine working. The networking driver and vga driver are still not working. Had some lunch. Visited briefly with the kids to straight and focus them on making dominoe races.
Need to get focused again…
1 comment so farNear miss causes much Internet chatter June 8, 2006 1:47 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest , add a commentA soldier in his apartment near his station was nearly shot by another soldier in the ajoining apartment. He was saved only by a little press board deflecting the bullet. He took pictures. Told his story. And received enough Internet fame to raise his blood pressure.
add a commentTwo party system dying? June 8, 2006 1:14 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Politics, Touchy Subjects, United States , 1 comment so farOh yes. We hear it daily. Left! Right! No left! Way right! The words lip off people’s tongues like insults, "Democrat!" and repulsions, "Republican!" Some people do not totally agree with either party but choose one as the lessor evil. Will anything break the two party system? The Pirate Party thinks they will break the two party system! (or maybe it will be Neoroots.)
America’s two political parties may not realise it yet, but in their current form they are nearing obsolescence. As technological advancements continue to bring more and better tools for communication, citizens are increasingly empowered to come together in common purpose and reject the current political system that seems designed by the two parties to keep us apart.
[Source] (see also) (and democracy isn’t dying, democrats are)
Note: To read The Pirate Party, you will have to hold down your mouse and highlight the white box.
1 comment so farSync your browser settings June 8, 2006 12:29 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest, Software, Technology , 2commentsDo you leap between computers? A bookmark in Firefox one day at work and a bookmark the next day on the wife’s computer? Remember being at a website but don’t know which computer you were using? Google introduces another tool. Google’s Browser Sync ends your frustrations by keeping all browser information between multiple computers the same. It even claims to remember your open tabs!
Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions.
Give into Google. Resistence is futile!
Messing with your eyes June 8, 2006 10:52 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cool Sites, Of Interest , add a commentTake a look at this picture. Stare at the dot for 30 seconds then put your mouse over the picture. Is the picture in color or black and white?
add a commentLet’s track a typical day. June 8, 2006 10:07 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 3comments9am-10am: More changes to client’s web application. Syncing updates from my dev server to client’s dev server for client review. Much more to be done but significant milestone achieved.
Next: Identify motherboard on client computer and locate drivers for video, netcard and two others.
3commentsLet’s track a typical day. June 8, 2006 9:05 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 2comments8am-9am: Overextended "me time" and created a blog for Tommy. Unlike Asperger Teen which is done by the parents, Tommy’s blog will be his own writing. Some of this time was spent trying to get the clients’ Windows 2000 box working correctly. The network card driver, video card driver and two others aren’t working.
Now we return to our regularly scheduled programming…
2commentsThe monkey on my back June 8, 2006 8:13 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cool Sites, Of Interest , add a commentIf I worked in an office, I think I’d have to wear this Yoda backpack. Thanks to Single Dads for the link!
I can see an office dialog going like this: "Him? You aren’t really seeing him. He’s a figment of my imagination."
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