Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring...

BANANAPHONE!

I know this has been on the net for a while, but I just heard it and I LOVE it. If you want to just hear the song without the video antics, go to my MySpace page using the link on the right.

I don't know why it's so catchy, despite being a children's song by an artist named Raffi.

Click here for an even sillier flash movie using this song. Warning: badger badger badger fans may like this one better.

EDIT (7/1/06): OK, got a little sick of hearing "Bananphone" on my MySpace page. If you still want to hear the song, go to Raffi's MySpace.

Put those idle CPU cycles to work, boy!

In case anyone wants a neat little program to eat up those spare CPU cycles, go to the Folding@Home Project homepage. This program runs in the background of your computer and takes up CPU cycles that would normally be wasted by the System Idle Process and put them to better use: namely, performing protein folding operations with the hope the data gathered will assist researchers with finding cures for sundry medical ailments (cancer and Alzheimer's Disease to name a couple).

If you are interested in finding out more about Folding@Home or installing the software, go the above link and click on the FAQ and Download links on the left sidebar. I'm a member of the Maximum PC Folding@Home Team, which is team #11108 (the software will give you an opportunity to choose a Username and, optionally, a team number upon execution or installation). Check out my current folding stats and ranking here.

Perspective

This quote is especially appropriate in light of the recent Memorial Day weekend. I know I'll probably catch flak from any liberals, Bush-haters, or anti-military readers, but I'm posting it anyway. Next time you feel the urge to heckle an elected official (or anyone with a non-leftist worldview), throw a pie in their face, curse at them on national TV, or burn our precious flag, keep this in mind:

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.”
-- Father Denis Edward O’Brien, USMC

Bleh

I'm not feeling particularly inspired, but I should post something as I am absolutely horrible about keeping my blog up to date.

For starters, my friends have gotten me to get on the MySpace bandwagon, as the link to the right will show. If you're lazy, you can just click here. I've also added a new webcomic link to User-Friendly, a webcomic geared toward humor of the open-source/Linux/tech support variety.

The wedding date creeps inexorably closer. Less than 6 weeks away, now. Emily is stressing out about it, as I'm sure most girls do with their respective impending weddings. As with other big occasions in my life, I don't think I'll become anxious until the evening before.

In Tim's Good News, I finally got an Internet connection at the house--yay for 3 Megabit/second ADSL. Emily and I also just bought a mattress for our master bedroom (I've been sleeping on my old full-sized bed in the other bedroom, if, for some unfathomable reason, you're curious). We purchased it at the Original Mattress Company in Pineville, NC. This particular store has one of their regional factories attached, and the salesman showed us how they make the mattresses. In short, I highly recommend them for any mattress needs you may have.

Unfortunately, the air conditioning unit in my car failed again. This time, it was a roughly $310 repair, with a damaged high-pressure line being the culprit. This, combined with the last failure (a bent condenser assembly), puts my A/C repair costs for my car at around $1,000. Otherwise, it's been a great car, but A/C is must-have with the muggy summers we get down here in the Carolinas.

One of the more surreal moments I've had recently was Emily and myself purchasing our wedding bands. It really brought into focus the gravity of what we're entering into with this covenant of marriage. I keep screwing up and failing to be the best husband-to-be for her, yet she is sticking with me. Let me say this: if you find a woman who loves you that much, hold onto her with all your strength; those good ones don't come around often.

A good laugh

Sometimes, you get spam that is so horribly written, it makes you double over in laughter when trying to read it aloud:

Dea q r Home Ow e ne h r ,

Your c f redi w t doesn't matter to us !
If you O s WN real e y st s at d e and want I c MMED n IAT o E
c l ash to s t pen q d ANY way you like,
or simply wish to LO s WER your monthly pa c ymen j ts
by a third or more, here are the d o eals
we have T b OD x AY :

$ 48 s 8 , 000 - 3 , r 67% fi w xed - ra a te
$ 3 j 72 , 000 - 3 , y 90% v s ari t able - rat q e
$ 49 n 2 , 000 - 3 , q 21% in y teres x t - only
$ 2 g 48 , 000 - 3 , z 36% fi u xed - ra n te
$ 19 yz 8 , 000 - 3 , 5 y 5% variabl r e - rat r e

Hurr d y, when these d b eal r s are gone, they are gone !

Don't worry about a h ppr t ova v l,
your c q re b dit will not di g sq u ualif i y you !

Crunch Time

Things are piling up fast for the wedding. My dad and stepmom are booking a local country-cookin' restaurant to cater the rehearsal dinner. I'm in the process of finalizing my half of the guest list, and I just booked the honeymoon as well.

The more pressing matter, of course, is our purchase of a new house in the Dallas, NC, area. We got a call last night indicating that we are closing on the house next Monday. While this is exciting, it also means we have to get cracking with painting, moving my stuff in (and some of Emily's stuff), and buying furniture. And lemme tell you, furniture is expensive. I mean come on...$300 for a freaking Ottoman?! It's a stool with a fabric-covered cushion, for crying out loud. So, once again, I'm draining the savings account, except this time it's for furniture and appliances, not tuition and textbooks.

My Friday nights won't be as interesting and fun-filled, as Battlestar Galactica just finished its third season. So, no more new episodes of BSG until the fall. Guess I'll have to go out and buy the second season on DVD to give me my BSG fix until then. I already have the first season, and I watched pretty much every episode of the third, but I didn't actually start watching BSG until some time during the second season.

Then again, I should probably put off such purchases and save toward a lawnmover or larger television or something else we'll want or need for the new house.

I feel like a n00b again.

I am in the process of being promoted to the Microsoft server engineer/administrator position at work, now that the higher-ups have gotten word of my newly acquired MCSE and MCSA certifications. This means I won't in the NOC anymore, but it means a great deal more responsibility and stress, as I jump right into the role of server admin for our customers' Windows servers (as well as our own, but we mostly use Linux servers at work).

Of course, this also means that I am the in-house Windows support guy. And, most of the non-technical people at work run Windows--again, I have my work cut out for me.

But, if I can hack it, this is a good thing, as it means I go to a Mon-Fri schedule with 1st shift hours (though I will be the on-call engineer occasionally). It also means a pay increase (good for the upcoming marriage) and free broadband, as I need a high speed tunnel to work to be able to be on-call and do work from home.

In other news, Emily and I are buying a house in the Dallas, NC, area, just north of Gastonia. This is a good location for both of us, as we each are looking at less than 30-minute or less commutes to and from work. We close on the house in about 3-4 weeks, and I can't wait to furnish it and move in. Of course, I REALLY can't wait to have my future wife move in with me after the honeymoon ;-). July 15th is coming soon...

Uproot, prune, or use herbicide?

I was posting some comments over at the Winthrop University RUF blog recently, and their campus minister's response to one of them prompted this post. You may read the comments to the post on your own, but in summary, he likens West Virginia's usage of DDR in their phys ed program to our treatment of sin. That is to say, how we tend to address the symptoms, not the condition itself.

Yet, upon further consideration of the matter, can we truly address the root cause of our sin? John Calvin would argue an emphatic "No!" and I tend to agree. The Sunday School answer at this point is to say "Well, Tim, that's what Christ is for--He regenerates us and empowers us to overcome by grace." Yet people--good, decent, redeemed people--still sin. Why is that? Is God a liar when He says His grace is sufficient? Is He impotent? Of course not, else we should toss our collective Bibles out and plunge headlong into the logical end result [secular hedonism, or as Francis Schaeffer put it, the endless pursuit of "personal peace and affluence."

So what is the answer, then? Are we doomed and helpless? According to God's word, no, we aren't by His grace. Yet people still sin. Again, the Sunday School answer here is sanctification vs. justification. I.e., we are forgiven, but being made like Christ is an ongoing work-in-progress for each of us. But why would God simply not take away the root cause of the sin--the sin nature inherent to all humans? That is for Him to answer, not I, but I believe it has to do with relying on him and working out our faith from day to day.

I write all this to make this point. I don't believe that it's lack of effort that causes Christians to waver and falter. On the contrary, the apostle Paul himself dealt incessantly with a "thorn in his side." The issue at hand isn't lack of willingness to address the root causes of our vices. Rather, it's a question of motive. Why do we want to get rid of sin in our lives? To make us feel better? To be righteous in comparison to "them heathens"? Because it's just right? If the reason isn't chiefly the glorification of God, then our efforts are all for naught.

But can our motives ever be pure? I know mine aren't. Can I ever be motivated in anything in my life for solely the glory of God--soli deo gloria? I doubt so, more and more as I go on in my constant battle with pornography. Yeah, I deleted it all and have an accountability partner, but this is all too familiar. How many times have I "amputated" that part of my to only have it grow back in a matter of weeks or days, as if it were the limb or some twisted cruel starfish of a joke? I keep praying and begging for purification of heart and motive, but I fear sometimes I may be too far gone. Only God knows, and He's awful quiet lately. IF only my life were indeed sola fide, sola scriptura, soli deo gloria.

Challenging the education monopoly

Below is an interesting email I received from Palmetto Family Council, a pro-family group. Watch the ABC program if you can--and if you don't mind your views on education being rattled a bit.

Are kids in the United States stupid, or are they being cheated out of a quality education?

In a special report airing Friday night on ABC's "20/20", John Stossel reveals the surprising truth.

American high school students flunk international comparisons, placing well behind other countries, even poorer countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and South Korea. American kids do pretty well when they enter public school (with or without pre-Kindergarten programs), but as time goes on, they fall behind. Why?

School officials complain that they need more money, but as Stossel reports, most of the countries that outperform us spend less per student than we do. There are many factors that contribute to failure in school, like family breakdown, but the worst institutional problem is the government's monopoly over the school system. With a monopoly, most parents don't get to choose their child's school. In other countries, choice fosters competition, and competition improves performance.

In an extended report, Stossel questions government officials, union leaders, parents and students. He also examines how the educational system can be improved and reports on innovative programs across the country.

"Stupid In America: How We Are Cheating Our Kids" with John Stossel, airs Friday, January 13 (10 to 11 p.m. ET) on ABC.

Note: There is a South Carolina hook to "Stupid in America." Stossel visits the Palmetto State, where an important education reform measure, Put Parents in Charge, was narrowly defeated last year.

Dusting off the old blog

Man, I haven't updated this thing in ages. Well, let's see what's new with me. I finally finished school at York Tech and am awaiting graduation in May with an Associate in Computer Technology (computer networking emphasis) degree. I'm getting married in about 6 months, and am completely stressed because Emily and I are at an impasse in regards to where we're going to live. We want a decent house, but nothing we can't afford. We can't seem to decide whether to get a modular or go with an already-built house.

In Tim's Geek News, I broke down and bought an iPod. A friend of mine from high school thinks I bought it just because it's popular. Well, firstly, the thing is a marvel of engineering. Just use the Click Wheel for a few minutes and you'll know what I'm talking about. Plus, a 30 GB capacity and the ability to view photos, play video, and listen to music is not bad for a $300 device in my book. Take what he says with a grain of salt; he says this is the same reason I like Battlestar Galactica. And as we all know, Battlestar Galactica rocks...period.

Man, night shift sucks. 10pm-8am by yourself gets old...fast.

w00t!

I have finally obtained the 2 big Microsoft certifications I was going for: MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) and MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). Both are for Windows Server 2000 (I started the program at York Tech before they migrated their Microsoft track to Server 2003, so I'll take the upgrade exams).

Now to get married. :-)

Something to think about

"The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power."

- William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Doom 3 Review

[NOTE: I am still playing through Quake 4, and it's going slowly due to school, work, and the necessity of getting some sleep between the two. So, I'm going ahead with my review of Doom 3]

Many people remember Id Software's early works, such as Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3-D. And their more recent hit, Quake 3, not only was a hugely popular game in it's own right, but it's graphics engine was the basis of numerous others, such as Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. Yet the game that really took Id Software into the wild blue yonder and helped define the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre was Doom, the story of a lone Marine's battle with the legions of Hell. Id Software made a few sequels and expansions to the original game, but they all used the original Doom engine and would be better described as expansion packs, as the gameplay mechanic remained relatively unchanged.

Id Software took this franchise to a new level with Doom 3, which was one of the most highly anticipated games of 2004. While it is true to the frenetic, run-and-gun roots of the original, and it is a beautiful game, Doom 3 goes to prove that beauty is only skin deep.

Let's start with the positive. Graphically, Doom 3 is gorgeous. The textures and lighting are just mind-boggling--in fact, they're some of the best I've ever seen, particularly with respect to the metallic and organic surfaces replete through the game. The way the player's flashlight shines looks quite a real one would being shined into a muggy, dimly-lit room. Doom 3 has other bells and whistles that are quite nice, such as per-pixel hit detection. Basically, if you shoot a rocket at a monster's legs, it may very well fly right between them. Hit detection is no longer based on a "box" around a given character or monster model.

The sound really puts the player in the mood in this game. From the muted shuffling and gurgling of zombies, to the sudden and seemingly random ceiling panel crashing to the floor, you could swear it sounds like you're being stalked by Hell's army in a science station, which is the whole point. This game is best played with the lights off and a pair of headphones. I have a pair of Zalman 6.1-channel surround headphones, and those enhanced the sound experience further. Just be careful about the volume, as certain monsters have ear-splitting screams (such as the Imp), but others have a hushed skitter.

Storywise, it isn't too deep. The plot is elaborated upon by way of computer screens and people's PDAs you acquire along the way, but one can play through the game fine and enjoy it for what it is: a feral action game, not an interactive movie with interwoven plots and layered sub-context. Here's the gist: you're a Marine on Mars guarding a research facility when all Hell breaks loose during an experiment...literally.

My biggest beef with this game, however, is with what is the most important aspect of a game: the gameplay. I mean, you are playing the game, not just watching it. Pretty graphics, whiz-bang touches, and nice sounds are good things to have, but they are icing on the cake. Playing a pretty game lacking gameplay is like eating a hollow cake with buttercream icing--tasty, but unsatisfying. To be fair, the game does get off to a great start, with moments where I jumped and nearly screamed (don't want to describe any in detail, as that would spoil the surprise). But after the first level or two, it gets to be formulaic. Step one, enter room. Step two, see teleportation animation. Step three, pretend to be surprised. Step four, shoot [insert monster here] in the [insert weak point here] with [ insert favorite weapon here]. Rinse and repeat. I mean, I enjoyed the game for what it is, a sci-fi action shooter, but I didn't come away with the sense of awe and wonder as I did after playing through Half-Life 2. Also, there isn't much replay value other than trying it on harder difficulty levels. In other words, if you've seen an Imp jump out a closet once at you, you've seen 'em all.

All in all, it's a decent shooter, and I highly recommend it (the PC version can be had cheap in the pre-owned section of your local video game store). Just don't expect to be blown away (no pun intended) by a shooter that redefines the genre. If you like plot and puzzles, then you'll come away wanting. If you loved the mindless action of the original Doom, you'll feel right at home. Feel free to post constructive criticism in the comments area, as this is my first attempt at a written video game review.

Tirades and trinkets

For anyone who goes to McDonald's and just throws away those game pieces, don't. I'm collecting them. Seriously, I'm one stamp away from a Dodge Viper. :-P

Also, I've picked up a few PC and console games recently and thought I might try my hand at reviewing them upon completion, as well as other games I've already completed. Who knows? Maybe I can get a job at a game magazine playing games then talking/writing about them, which would incorporate two of my favorite pastimes: writing and playing video games. I'll try to stick with the more recent ones, as I doubt there is a great amount of interest in a review of Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Contra, etc.

I'm getting close to the end of Quake 4, so I'll probably do a combo review of that along with Doom 3, since the former uses the latter's graphics engine and arguably borrows heavily from that game.

Off the market, ladies.

Tonight, my girlfriend of 4+ years had made me one of the happiest men on the planet. She said yes when I asked her to be my wife.

And that was the easy part. Now I have to get addresses, make phone calls, look for a house for us, plan the honeymoon, etc. But being busy for this is a good kind of busy.

A Better Way, Indeed

Yes, I am for the Fair Tax. Just imagine a future without income taxes, the IRS, etc. I don't see why people have a problem with it. The site answers most of the commonly asked questions, and has a good deal of the research behind the idea there as well. The site does a much better job of explaining it than I ever could.

So, check it out. Who knows? You may just learn a thing or two.

A change for the better

Well, only 5 more days left at tech support until I start my new job at Global Linking Solutions in Charlotte, NC. I'll be a Network Operations Center (NOC) technician. Most of what I'll be doing is monitoring people's networks and responding as needed to site events. In short, I'll e making almost 40% more money, and will actually be getting networkign experience, as well as the opportunity to move on upward into network engineering or administration.

Also, my classes started today for my last semester at York Tech. By the end of the year, I should have my degree and my CCNA and MCSE certifications. Yes, this is definitely a positive turn of events.

Dregs of Society

I swear, I really have to agree with the sentiment of Hyldain's latest post. As you may or may not know, I work with him at tech support for a regional ISP/call-center. These two doozies really set me off, however. Foul language and lengthy diatribe to follow, so consider yourself warned.

1) Crazy Army Wife Bitch:

Ok, so this woman calls in and I begin troubleshooting. Basically, lightning hit her part of the barracks at an army base in Georgia and knocked out her Ethernet card, since the DSL signal indicator light was still lit. This apparently occurred while she was instant messaging her husband in Iraq. Let me first say that Mr. Army Husband, I duly appreciate your service and sacrifice and dedication to our great nation. Thank you, sir. Your wife on the other hand, is an incredibly stupid, hyper-emotional, irrational, tyrannical cretin who should promptly burn in hell. When I tried to explain she'd need another Ethernet cable, she went absolutely irate on me. She began a 20+ minute rant (during which I couldn't get a single word in edgewise) about how it would be on my head if her husband died before she or her children could speak to her again. She then proceeded to personally insult my intelligence when I told her that the lightning probably knocked out her Ethernet cable or the Ethernet card. Nevermind the fact that she called in seven hours later, connected with USB (an alternative to Ethernet as an interface on her DSL modem) and was getting online fine. Because, her husband is in a combat zone with nothing better to do than chat with him over DesertBand Wi-Fi (patent pending).

2) Complete Lying Cornhole Man:

Then I get this dude today. He refused to troubleshoot with the first level tech, and demanded to speak with second level, where I'm working today. Basically, he didn't release his IP address before switching computers, and the first level tech [correctly] told him he'd need to wait four hours for the lease to expire. Oh, HELL NO, that was unacceptable, so he went irate and I got him transferred to me (since I have absolutely NO fucking access to the DHCP server and can't do anything about it). But, since he was telling me this was a business situation, I offered to walk him through a procedure where we could hook the old PC up to the modem, release the IP, then switch back to the new PC and get him online. But NOOO, that couldn't happen, since he insisted that we fried his Ethernet card when our crews "cut some wires" [laws of physics be damned!]. Also, he was threatening to cancel his service because it was down for 36 hours and he claimed he pays $3,000 (yes, three thousand) a month for his DSL connection. I had to call Bullshit (trademark of Penn and Teller's Bullshit!) on that one, since you can get a damn dedicated gigabit fiber optic line for less than that. So, I transferred him to line repair, since he was demanding a tech out there immediately. Then, line repair proceeded to give me hell, as if I was the one refusing to troubleshoot.


Please, don't be mislead. We at Tech Support know you all out there aren't experts. Hell, we don't expect or demand anyone to be one. HOWEVER, we do expect you to listen to us, to follow directions, and to treat us like human beings. Believe it or not, we're trying to help you, it's what we do. If we sound irritable, it's because of individuals like Mr. and Mrs. Fucktard above.

Independence Day 2005

July 4th has come and gone, and I reflect upon the holiday with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I continue to be moved by thoughts of what exactly the founders of this great nation were placing at stake when they signed the Declaration of Independence way back in 1776. On the other hand, though, I am saddened by lack of dedication of that caliber, myself included, in the present day. This is especially poignant when I think about how little is apparently being done about that horrible Supreme Court legislation edict decree decision regarding eminent domain as it relates to private parties [see the previous post for the story].

It is my fervent hope and prayer that we never have to get to the point of armed rebellion in this land. I wish nothing more than to be able to reach a peaceful resolution to this. However, when you have judicial tyranny of this sort, you begin to wonder about the futility of it all. Yet even as those thoughts creep in, I can almost hear the voices of Jefferson, Paine, Henry, Franklin, et al., and their condemnation of my weak resolve. These men and countless others put it all on the line to escape tyranny and put in place this Grand Experiment in Democracy known as the United States of America.

So, even as my heart is broken by the apathy apparent in myself and my fellow countrymen, it is also comforted by the fact that we as Americans have come through bad times, even bloody times, and have become a stronger Union for it. Even more important, I can rest in the knowledge that God is ultimately in control. As the old hymn goes, "whate'er my God ordains is right."

Now if I could only begin to live my life as if I truly and believed what I just wrote...

"Land of the Free"?

Apparently not, according to this latest U.S. Supreme Court ruling. So much for private property rights, huh?

You know, this fiasco is precisely why we need to end this business of filibustering every judicial nominee that President Bush puts forth to the Senate.

The story speaks pretty much for itself. I just can't believe that 5 "judges" can trounce all over the 5th Amendment, which reads as follows:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation [emphasis added].

Good thing there is still a 2nd Amendment...and I'm not joking.