Rocking Out Behind The Keyboard

I've mentioned my history with music before this on the show as well as in print but sometimes your past comes back to bite you in the butt.  Ok, maybe...flick you on the ear.  These were good times.  I was a member of, Fak-Shen, a local band with a few songs on rotation locally and we had a nice following.  Someone out there probably even has a rare cassette from us.  Brian, Mike and myself had known each other as friends for years prior and were pre-AOL technophiles that would get together weekly.

Performing and setup can be a great test for an electronically structured group.  We had our mishaps like most bands.  Then there was a multimedia showcase called Mr. Bondi's Soundhouse held at Fremont Street Reggae & Blues that we were part of on Feb. 21, 1995.  The idea was that we'd play about 3 songs or so and they would film it.  So, what you see is a part of one of our songs with some playful editing by visual artist Anthony Bondi.  Definitely dark video for a not-so-upbeat song but understandably a reason for them to play with video effects.

I remember us getting a single copy of it later but have no idea who ended up with it or where it wound up.  So it was a welcome treat to see Mike send this to me this morning.  We can trick ourselves as we get older.  When you list your accomplishments, you may omit some things or embellish others.  Yet, sometimes it's just nice to have proof of your past.

No, Really, I Don't Need An iPhone

If you've read anything posted in this blog or know me well, you'd wonder why I haven't embraced the iPhone yet.  I think about it here and there but I can say that the biggest reason is that I really like the coverage and service I get with Sprint.  I hardly get a dropped call and I have little trouble talking with customer support when an issue arises.  Another reason may be that I don't want a cellphone bill that rivals a car payment.  We have our 3 lines and of those mine gets a hefty amount of usage (and is the only one connected to the Internet.)  If I keep it minimal, it means that it becomes a tool more than a diversion.  (I've seen you Angry Birds addicts.)  A third reason would be that I have my 160GB iPod and don't want to choose what music I need to not put on an iPhone to make it fit.  I like keeping my music collection separate.   There are even more reasons but they aren't as important.

Anyhow, for the last... 5 years or so, I've been using a Sanyo Katana.  (Pictured above.)  Kind of Star Trek-ish in the flip-phone/clam shell style but it's been perfect for my needs for at least the last 4 years.  It was actually pretty funny that Kerry would purchase the Katana II (in pink) when it came out and she's still using it.  That leads us up to yesterday.  You see, for almost a year, the bar that wiggles to create the vibrate mode on the Katana II came loose and since has made a sound like two vinyl albums rubbing vigorously together when set to vibrate.  Can't just have someone crack it open and fix it.  Mine has been good but I do need to send more email while away from the home and office.  A sudden problem with the phone and its Internet settings finally got me to look into a different phone.

Still, I wanted to avoid a data plan, expand my ability to type on the go, broaden my ability to search for things, keep things minimal and stay with the same service.  -- Another thing really should be said here.  After 5 years, how much bacteria do you think can get deep down into the microphone area that you breathe into?  I mean, you can wipe the area but can't really get in there... just sayin'. --  After checking all our criteria, it led us to one device... the Samsung Seek.

The addition of a touch screen allows us to step tenuously into the future.  The slide-out QWERTY keyboard will allow me more versatility with my writing.  Oh, and no charge for the upgrade.  (That helps quite a bit.)  I got one just like the above picture and Kerry went with pink.  No costs, no service changes and no hassle.  The real test will be when they are in our hands in the next few days.  So, for a little longer... no iPhone for me.  And I'm pretty darn content with that.

Hennessy West Coast Tour 2010

As most of you know, I don't travel often. I think it's because I like not being on a schedule for all things. I break out of the box today as we head out for Coos Bay, Oregon, to get our son from his grandparents. We'll stay there a few days and then head north to Bremerton, Washington, to his other grandparents' house for 3 days. Then back down to Coos Bay for 3 days (and where I'll be able to record one of the episodes of Talking 80s Music live.) After that, we head to Sacramento to see my a bunch of family on my side. (My sister and I were born there before relocating to Vegas when I was 2.) Then to Reno to see my friend Tracy. After that maybe we'll have time to putter through Carson City and Virginia City before returning to Las Vegas.

Yes, it sounds kinda harried, but we will get a lot in and I figure that it will be a great way to show David two state capitols in one trip. We also have an odd plan for music in the car. We each have our iPods and whenever we stop somewhere we will switch iPods but only play songs on the Top Rated list. Should be fun and educating (well... maybe more so for David as he hears a lot of songs he wouldn't otherwise.)

Tons of technology coming with us on the trip. (It'll be a test of the GPS.) Maybe a few videos will be filmed while there. We will also be taking the dogs (as it would be like making a mortgage payment if we left them somewhere.) Should be quite an amazing journey and I can't wait. Still got the a little jitters about walking away from the known around me for so long.

P.S. - The exact points on the map may not be factually correct as it was rushed and I've never been to either state.

New Media Expo 2008 Wrap-Up

Do you remember, many many posts back, my rant about the shabby treatment given to my tech guru Leo Laporte by G4 or even his return? His shows Call For Help and The Screen Savers were my introduction into most of the technological leaps I took in the PC world. I can cite specifics all day but, notably, the icon you see on the site came from a suggestion co-host Amber gave me as a way to inexpensively add graphics to 80sMusicCentral.com. That same $25 that I paid for that picture by Jose Ramos has been used on there, here, Talking80sMusic.com, the podcast and as profile photos.

Anyhow, I go to New Media Expo on Thursday (yesterday) and I first caught an inspiring keynote address by Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. Very likely that I will go check his shows out later. Then I wandered around and talked to Zune, Blubrry, Podtrac, RawVoice and a few other vendors. That's when I turned down an aisle and saw TWiT Live. You see, the show (This Week in Tech) is Laporte's shows that he does as a video podcast. This one was using a technology called Stickam -- a video version of the technology that I use at Talkshoe allowing a chat room as you record your live show. So I sat there for awhile and found out that they were taking guests... Needless to say, I appeared on the show with Leo and Amber and talked about Talking 80s Music, their influence on me and spoke in defense of 80s music. Very very cool.

Anyhow, I had a great time and took home some goodies and a lot of knowledge on what I should have been focused on and where I'm heading next. I don't think video is coming too soon but we will see. I mean, it was Leo and Amber doing a test podcast called Net @ Nite on Talkshoe that led me there in the first place. I'm holding off on attending tomorrow to focus on the show but think that I found a spark for the gasoline Gary V. threw down in the keynote speech.

A Summer Camp For Pod People

A very quick post, as I gotta get some business cards printed up before work. I took a few days off to attend the New Media Expo (think of it as a podcasters convention.) Some great conference sessions are planned and I have to wiggle room in so I can still attend while doing the newsletter Friday and show on Saturday (the expo runs Thurs. to Sat.) They even have a hands-on audio editing conference that I'm going to that uses the same software (Audacity) that I use for the show. But, hands-on means: bring your laptop. I don't have one, nor really like them. But thankfully, Kerry came up with a good idea of having me borrow one from someone for the day. I have to seriously thank them as well as Kerry's twin sister Kelly (yes, in Japan their names would sound alike) for watching David during Thursday and Friday. Anyhow... off to get business cards made... my printer is ticking me off. More about my issues with them in the future.

The Extended Weekend

No, the bed doesn't mean that I have been sleeping away the last week. It has been rather active. I'll explain the bed as we go.

Yes, on Saturday we recorded the show and celebrated my birthday. It went a lot better than I thought it would. I have to say that I hadn't been as nervous about an episode of the show since we launched it in December 2006. We got a call early on from a new listener and then it seems Kerry worked out a plan to have her mother, sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece call in during the show. Very cool and humbling. Later we went to dinner with Lloyd and Teri at Maggiano's had a freakin' amazing dinner. (We need to go back there again.) We also tried to coax Teri into a little karaoke after a little wine... I still think she sang along a little.

On Sunday, we went to dinner with my side of the family at my mother's house. Steak, chicken, potatoes, pumpkin pie... gotta love that. My nieces, nephew and cousins sang a few songs and "Happy Birthday" on a make-shift stage and it was all really sweet.

Kerry and I went to Best Buy on Monday to pick up a 160GB iPod. She now has the 60GB and David has his Nano. One per person, per computer... it's kinda like a technological addiction but everyone is covered. We then went to dinner at Fiamma Trattoria at the MGM Grand Hotel. Again, an amazing dinner and I fell in love with the seafood risotto (lobster, scallops and shrimp.)

Tuesday, Kerry and I went to see The Dark Knight, hung out at the house and then went to Boulder City to stay at Milo's Inn. We stayed in the Beaujolais room which was incredible (in the photo above.) We took a nap, walked down to Toto's Mexican Restaurant and back. Picked up two bottles of wine at Milo's Cellar. We spent the rest of the night finishing off those bottles and soaking in the hot tub. We are thinking of going back each year to celebrate our honeymoon. (Well worth clicking on their link attached to the photo as well as the one with the photos in this paragraph.)

The following morning, we had breakfast, lounged in bed and then checked out of the room. We returned to town (after a brief stop at my grandmother and grandfather's house to look at their computer) and relaxed the rest of the day until Kerry went back to karate.

Anyhow... I'm off to the shower before heading to work and wanted to just say that I had an amazing week and hope that you get a chance to step back and pamper yourself for a change. And I can't thank my wife enough for all that went into this extended weekend.

We Wii

As many people may know, I have been avoiding console games for most of my life. (Dating back to the Atari 2600 and 800.) There is just something wrong with having an entire box become obsolete. I say this because I was big into the online role-playing games for awhile. I would leave work early just to come home and play Dark Age Of Camelot. Most of the weekend would disappear as well. Anyhow, I have always welcomed a game onto my computer more than buying 'the latest' system.

I do have to put a little of the blame on Lloyd and Teri for letting us play with their Wii one night when we were over for our purchase. Kerry absolutely loved the games and interaction. Wouldn't you know that when all our wedding gifts were added up that we had $250 in Best Buy gift cards (enough to get the Wii.) She was hopping around the house singing/chanting: "We're getting a Wii! We're getting a Wii!" So, it is done.

I've decided that I'll be canceling my gym membership and putting the money aside from that towards some of the interactive games they have. It is the first system that I've seen where you can get an aerobic workout in by playing some of the games or taking some of their physical tests. With that in mind, we pre-ordered Wii Fit (I'm putting the YouTube video of the commercial below). I think there is a better chance that I will go to the living room than to the gym. It also looks fun. A little expensive at around $90 but if it keeps the family entertained and slightly more active... it's a winner.

Living On Video

I have been thinking that with all the gadgets that I own, I don't have one of these. I don't think that I was ever really interested in making films previously. Sure, I would be the one to hold the family's camcorder during Christmas to record their reactions when opening gifts. But, I can't say that I was directing anything... if anything, I felt it was easier being behind the camera than in front of it. So, I guess that is why I find it funny that I'm considering one of these in the near future.

Why would I do that? Well, I started thinking (which is where a majority of bad ideas start), I'm writing and doing podcasts... what about video blogging. The whole thought revolved around, one of my favorite hobbies, browsing the CD racks for new and old releases. I wondered, what would it be like to take people along with me. Maybe work a deal with Best Buy to allow me to film as I shop (might mean specific time of day) or talk to used CD stores.

Anyhow, it's a work in progress (at least mentally before financially.) I've been doing some research on camcorders at cnet.com and consumerreports.org. The variety (Mini-DV, disc-based, hard-drive-based, flash memory-based and "hybrids"... which I guess save electricity, are light and don't accelerate well -- like the cars) and quality levels just leave me shaking my head. Should be interesting which way I go with it. I'd also like to get some video of David as he grows up. I think it would be great to remind him that he currently runs around the house making dolphin and motor noises 10 to 20 years from now when he has someone special in his life.

Premium Blend

I think that I've told you about my father being a health nut. Well, several years ago, when we lived together, he would make protein shakes/smoothies about 3 times a day. (Talk about a liquid diet.) The problem we had was that his constant use of the product burned the motor out within the year. A burned motor smells similar to burnt hair with burnt plastic mixed in. I can still remember the smell as it seems he went through about 3 of them before we re-thought our process. We both go to Costco and the last one of those we decided to get there because they have a great return policy. During the return, they had someone in the store showing off the Vita-mix and it was a no-brainer purchase.



Sure it is a bit more costly. Feel free to go to the above link to see the video samples they have up there. Essentially, it's industrial grade as it is used in TCBYs, Dairy Queens, Applebees... actually there is a long list but I don't remember them all. The 2 HP motor creates enough friction to pulverize almost anything that gets put in there (and has a variable rate for chopping, shredding, etc.) as well as boil water. (really) Ever had something in the blender sticking to the sides and you couldn't push some of the stuff toward the blades? I tried to fix that with a spoon or two and regretted every attempt. The tamper they give you reaches close to the blades but not far enough to interfere allowing you to push ice and other solids toward the bottom to be mixed when necessary. You could even purchase an add-on to allow you to make bread dough (from whole grain.) Dad got pretty creative with his concoctions as he would put his protein powder, juice, peanut butter, berries, flax seed oil and many other things in. And they didn't taste bad at all. So I vowed to purchase one for myself when I got my own house.



Those blenders have been on my mind for years now. They tend to be cheaper during these sales events at the store ($350 as opposed to $449 on the site) so I've been on the lookout for the last few years. Heck, I think I even stared at one that Teri and Lloyd had. I told my friend T.J. that if he saw one on sale when he goes to Costco to call me and let me know. So last week, I had to run to the store with Kerry and after turning the corner from frozen foods... there they were. David drank one sample there quickly and we both wound up having one of the berry ice cream samples (cabbage and carrots were hidden in the mix but tasted great.) I looked at this as a sign that this was the time to purchase it (as a pre-wedding gift to ourselves.) It is sitting at Kerry's house right now and has been through one experiment already. Frozen strawberries, a banana and broccoli (which was David's idea). From the first test, a whole banana is too much. I expect we will have a lot of time to create a favorite or two. Thankfully it comes with some starter recipes.

Tech Mumblings

I decided to leave that post up there for a bit to savor the moment. Now back to your regularly scheduled babbling. If anything, you know that I've had my issues with software running on my new system. The early adoption idea may have bitten me in the butt here and there but I am finding some work-arounds.

Although, iTunes does not support the 64-bit version of Vista, I wound up connecting two dots. The issues that I had with trying to burn discs seems to have surfaced in iTunes. The main error message that I was getting talked about problems with burning discs and importing music. During a bit of searching, I discovered a driver that some people were using as an alternative. No more errors.

Things were looking great. But we all know that when things are going well... hide the cutlery. I believe it was an update to FireFox that caused the new issues. What issues? When using the browser (which is what I use for 98% of my work) the bookmarks are missing. If you have the program running right now, feel free to click on your bookmarks tab and see what it shows. The only options shown are manage and organize bookmarks. The bookmarks come back once I click on one of the two options but only for that session. Next problem is also with the bookmarks as once they show up, you can't click on one to open it. Which makes them useless. Then, after closing the browser, it remains running in the processes not allowing it to be reopened. Lastly the bottom of the browser (maybe about an inch and a half) is grey and just takes up space. My solution... I just stopped using it and imported those bookmarks to Internet Explorer. Takes some getting used to again but it'll work until I discover a fix (as reinstalls didn't help and going back to an earlier version might create problems with other saved files.)

Of course, for those of you that haven't looked into Vista, there is something called User Accounts. They are pretty interesting as a level of protection similar to a firewall but they could be too good. You see, Microsoft doesn't give all the information on the new operating system to people writing software to be used by it. One program (which allows me to start Talkshoe where I record the podcast) will not get necessary updates if the User Account is turned on. So, I must turn it off to start the show. I don't know how many other programs have this issue but it's a pain. But, no major technical issues with the show in the last couple months.

Lastly, in a non-computer tech issue, my stand-alone Cyberhome DVD burner went kaput. I discovered that as there were a ton of fuzzy lines on my screen during Sunday football. The only fix was unplugging it. It's not like I don't have another burner and now the player on the computer works.

Open House Preparations

Ok, lots to do and very little time. On Sunday, an open house is planned. This means, I have to get my butt busy cleaning. Well, I would have started sooner but it's Murphy's Law that my ceiling fan in the bedroom would break an internal switch (which I couldn't purchase a replacement for.) Sure, the house could be shown without any light in the bedroom but... if you see something wrong somewhere, you are sure to look for a follow-up. The new ceiling fan goes up tomorrow. Then, I need to replace a brick in the wall, replace a dead bush, use the blower on the front and back yards, clean off the patio furniture, remove all the solar screens (no need for them now and they don't impress), prune burned bushes, prune backyard bushes, clean bathroom floors/ceilings, vacuum and remove any stains that will stand out. Rearranging some things is in the works too. Been spending too much time watching reruns of Sell This House.

Of course, there is other stuff in the way. I also need to finish the updates to the Web site, do podcast prep, work and email two companies that want to advertise on the site. I might just be able to do all of it. It also means that I have to be away from the house between 10am and 3pm. This is going to be tough. My team plays at 1:15pm. I can do one of a two things. I can do some prep-work for the newsletter (which I usually do while watching football here) at Kerry's house. Or, I can drive around and stop in and visit friends and family. I'm leaning towards the last one. Meaning that I'll need to bust my butt to make it all work. Oh, I also need to clean off this freakin' desk. Not cool to have it the only disorganized area in the house. This is because too many projects that got by-passed but optimistically sit there in my face, are well... just sitting there in my face. Several are albums that were to be reviewed and others are discs that were supposed to be added to my iTunes account.

Why haven't the others been added to iTunes? There's a pretty easy answer to that... Apple sucks my left $&#@! Ok, I got that off my chest. You see, the new computer system that I had built for me has a few drawbacks... well ok, Microsoft sucks too. I'm currently using Windows Vista Ultimate x64. What that means is that it allows programs can run a lot faster (64-bit speed) as long as they are written to support it. Most of the 32-bit programs (which are pretty standard) can run on the system when installed, just not as fast. Yet, iTunes was working great when I set everything up. But, an update that came to help support the iPhone screwed that up. So it's on my computer but warns me not to import music or try to burn it to a disc. The official Web site states that it just won't work for x64. My issue is that it did work, probably could but likely isn't a high priority for Apple. Such is life.

Anyhow, thought I'd take a moment, breathe and get a post off before I get insanely busy. Well, first I'll go to sleep. I'll sort the rest out in the morning.

Sign In, Check, Sign Out And Repeat

During the last week or so, I've become enamored with the program Trillian. There aren't many that I get excited about but right now, this is it. I have about 6 different email accounts that I keep track of (one for the talkcast, one for the website, one for my bills, one for junk mail, one for an AOL account I don't use anymore and another junkmail account.) Usually, when I check my email (usually 4 different times a day), I am jumping in and out of accounts just to see if anything new is in there. Keeping track of passwords is a pain.

Almost all of those email accounts have messenger programs (Yahoo and AOL) which I use very very sparingly. The reason for that is that whenever I seem to get talking with someone, I feel like I have all the time in the world to chat... I know that I don't. I haven't been doing half of the things here at that house that I should. Yes, I love talking to people but I keep thinking that I could spend 5 minutes on the phone for every 15 typing.

Anyhow, a while ago, I heard about Trillian. It sounds like a perfect program as it allows you to juggle multiple instant messaging accounts. It was after I started looking at it seriously that I remembered that I didn't want to be tied to my computer with IMs. So, I bypassed it. Until recently. You see, it also juggles your email accounts. So, here I am looking at my email addresses and when an email arrives, I'm notified as to what account it's at and can double-click the account to open it to check the mail. Yes, it's the free basic version and I'm sure the pro version probably has a lot more options but I'm just delighted with the functionality of the program. I am still not going to be going IM crazy but I may be enticed to type out a quick hi here or there.

Selling The Drama

Craigslist.org is a very interesting place. I like to think of it as 'local eBay without paying fees and the ability to see the product before paying.' I've picked up a lot of different things there and sold several. Heck, I got rid of all my sod after converting the lawn with a post minutes after the work was done. Anyhow, I'll be using it for something new this week... a garage sale.

I've never been big on placing ads in the newspaper. I think it comes down to paying someone to list something that may or may not be seen by anyone that day. This will be my first garage sale and of course I'll be placing signs from the major streets heading to my house (don't need too many thankfully) as well as a notice on Craigslist. Nice to be able to put photos up there so someone can see if it is worthwhile to even drive by. Should be holding it on Saturday morning until I start the podcast. If I have a lot left over, Sunday also. This is going to help thin out things here at the house for my next major project which I'll bring up when things fall into place. I took Friday off to go through the house looking for useless stuff to get rid of (including: dining room table, entertainment center, Marantz stereo equipment, bunk bed, computer parts/software and many other things that I haven't even considered yet.)

Anyhow, this should explain a bit of the rushed feeling that I've been experiencing lately. The move to the new computer has gone great. That has been a chore (it took 8 dual layer DVDs to back up my iTunes files and move them to the new computer) and most of it is set up the way that I want to. Small problem with copying photo files from one window to the other but it could be a corrupt file or something. Skype worked well although there was some static at first but that could be because (although they work) there aren't any drivers for my headset (or printer) as of yet. Now I just need to pare down my iTunes tracks so I can update the iPod.

Digital Transfer

It's very easy to say that I've been busy. I've got a lot of projects going on and some just about to start. Today, I decided to talk about one of them -- the computer. I had a lot of issues recently when recording my podcasts. I can't say that technical support has been effective at all. So, I had to step back and think around the issue. This culminated in the purchase of a new computer from Apex Computers.

Before you say "Who?", it might bear explaining that I think that most computers you purchase at the store have too much junk on them. One that has you register separate parts with the company, a program or two that boot up that you know you don't want, e-mails from the company telling you that your trial-software should be upgraded for $29.95... Anyhow, have avoided that for over a decade now by going to the same little store (in Las Vegas) where my friend Tracy used to work. Good people that haven't done me wrong.

So, yesterday before work, I picked up my new monster. Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 processor, 2GB memory, two 320GB Western Digital hard drives, a DVD drive, a DVD burner, an Nvidia 8500 video card, card reader, sleek black case and... Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit. That latter part is rather interesting as you will want the more processor-heavy programs to take full advantage of the faster bus speed but some of those programs are only 32-Bit. I'm sure they'll get with the program sooner or later though. I was up until 10am installing software. I'm impressed so far but then again, new computers always run really fast for a month or two.

Should be interesting to see how recording the show works this week. But for now, I'll be going between my computers with a 4GB USB card moving files over. I have a ton of media files on the other hard drives (150GB and 250GB.) My external 250GB hard drive has issues also as it hasn't been working for the last few weeks. It'd be a lot easier just using that as a medium. (Which reminds me that the previous computer is having issues with burning DVDs as I need 14 to back up my iTunes.) This will be a headache but I can see a lot of good in the future. I've already had my first errors as I move files from the card to the new drives. It pretty much fails here and there putting files across mentioning an error code that the Vista website doesn't recognize. Brilliant. It's just going to take adjustment. My fingers are crossed though.

I also have a few other projects in the works. I need to hold a garage sale next weekend (30th/1st). No computers are going but I need to run around the house and really unclutter some things. Charity already got the shirts from RockStar. Other projects include 'the wall' which I'll explain in detail soon and storing some of the household items that I don't use to unclutter the house.

Fighting The Useless Fight

I've come to the decision that there really isn't an easy way for me to become great at Web design and graphic creation for my sites and even this drab little blog. Yes, I would love to have some of those skills implanted kind of like a compact flash card to be removed when not needed. But that isn't going to happen. After all, I'm a content creator not a designer. It seems as we get older we discover all the other skills we wish we had time to invest in and gain but know that it isn't a reality. (For some reason this reminds me of an RPG game where you have to saw wood to gain points in woodworking mastery.) So, I'm probably going to have to hire out at some point to clean things up around here and I don't feel too bad about it. I'm a creative creature at times but I'll always be limited in my capacity for growth if I hope for a compact flash upgrade. I see hiring someone to redesign some of my work as getting a maid. Sure I can clean my house but a maid will do it faster, more effectively and in a little outfit that reveals more than it should (if you pay them enough.) Then again, as much as I'd love to hire out... that streak in me that says "I can find a way around that" steps in. Is the 'Never Give Up' attitude just delusion or just another control issue?

A Very Tired Marten's Breast Babbling

So, I went out late last night to help out my aunt and uncle (it's hard to call them that knowing they are my age) by doing some repair and maintainence on their home computer. (Yes, on top of my obsession with 80's music, I also try to learn everything I can about personal computers and pro football.) Got there a little before 9pm and the computer needed severe CPR. Norton Anti-Virus 2005 missed about 22 contaminated trojan horse files that were having fun with the machine which was slow to reboot after every change. I put AVG Anti-Virus on, installed Mozilla Firefox, added Spyware Blaster 3.2 and did a major clean-up of spyware, viruses and other hidden goodies with my eyes closing on my at 2:30am. I dashed home and moved as far away from my alarm clock so that I could get maybe 2 hours of sleep before it went off (still had to work). Was amazed that I woke up on time, got to work and didn't pass out. Left work a little early, headed home, layed down for an hour and watched the Chargers lose in overtime. Typed this up and am heading to bed. I can actually say that I'm going to dream about sleeping.

Before I went off on that tangent, I planned to talk about the female anatomy a bit. It was funny to see that I had the topic in mind when I went off to visit a mystery blog and ranted on there for a bit. But, I'm outing myself as a breast fetishist. No, it doesn't mean that I dream areolas and cleavage or have them on my walls. It does mean that I'm not staring at your butt or legs as you walk by... it means "I'm waiting for you to finally turn around." Knowing this, my friend Dion sent me this nice little link that brings me back to gradeschool and a song all of us know and love: http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=721 Anyhow, I'm happy to out myself and get that off my chest.

The New Frontier

Ok, well... I'm going to be testing a few things so I thought I'd warn you ahead of time. There is a new revolution for people with I-Pod's called pod casting. Essentially, people are downloading broadcasts for later use whether it is a sports, music or news program. The 80's Nuts Update is going to test this medium and to do so will be sending them out via this blog (it has something to do with the RSS available.) So I'm giving a slight warning ahead of time just to let you know. Cross your fingers!

Fixing What Works

I get a lot of people asking me to help them with their computers. I've even been asked where I learned everything. I started using computers in the mid-80's and was an early BBS user (think AOL before AOL.) But I got most of my information from a man and a channel or two.

Leo Laporte changed the way I see my computer. His shows (Call For Help and The Screensavers) gave courage to the person who is afraid to open their computer and take a look. Call For Help went through the rudimentary information (daily it mentioned that there are no stupid computer questions) while The Screensavers covered the advanced side with news and information about modifying your system. The shows were carried by ZDTV before the network became TechTV and recently was bought by Comcast to merge with their struggling G4 channel. Although a name change didn't hurt either show, by the time of the latest merger things changed immensely. They cut Laporte to only Call For Help. Then after pleas from fans of the show he came back in pre-taped info segments on Screensavers as Call For Help was axed. He is no longer there now. And the information for novices and advanced computers alike has been replaced with show topics including collectible toys, actor interviews, SeaScooters and movie trailers. What does this mean? Well... if you need to get your channel out to more people, you buy an existing one with a good market share and replace their programming with your own.

Fixing a squeaky hinge or dripping faucet is one thing but fixing something that works or replacing a good product with your own half-hearted generic is offensive. I can only hope that there is a day when someone says, "Hey, let's create a television show that will help people use their computers for more than email!" Not only will I tune in but I'll send people there to watch.