Surreality TV

Moving a Dell monitor from its default base to a dock integrated monitor stand is a thirty second operation, if you're moving slowly. It involves pushing a button to unlock it, removing the monitor from the base, putting it on the dock stand and making sure the button popped (indicating it locked in place properly).

Moving an HP monitor from the stand it shipped with to an integrated dock/monitor stand? It seems I'll need tools to remove the monitor, attach it to the arm on the dock stand and then attach the arm to the base. This involves using multiple sized allen wrenches and hex screws/nuts.

Why? Why does HP insist on making its hardware difficult, non standard, and just generally annoying to deal with? Compaq lives on in HP's gutters, it seems.

You know, for all that I sometimes have days that suck, it occurs to me that I really do LIKE what I do. Yeah, systems administration definitely has days where you just want to nuke the world and cleanse the stupidity, but for the most part I get to do cool stuff. I get paid to play with computers and networks. Over the course of my career I've worked in academia, industry, telecom, and govt. I've worked with everything from a the lowly dumb term to systems that had dedicated buildings. I've built standalone systems, corporate networks, and everything in between. And you know what? It's mostly been a hell of a lot of fun.

I'll be in L.A. for a few days in the middle of May for work, and likely most of June will be spent Somewhere Else. It's going to suck in a lot of ways (14 - 20 hour days, 6 days a week), but the stuff I'll be playing with is cool. If I don't spend the Seventh Day dead, I'll even be in a nice place and I'll put up pics when I get back.

You know, for all that I sometimes have days that suck, it occurs to me that I really do LIKE what I do. Yeah, systems administration definitely has days where you just want to nuke the world and cleanse the stupidity, but for the most part I get to do cool stuff. I get paid to play with computers and networks. Over the course of my career I've worked in academia, industry, telecom, and govt. I've worked with everything from a the lowly dumb term to systems that had dedicated buildings. I've built standalone systems, corporate networks, and everything in between. And you know what? It's mostly been a hell of a lot of fun.

I'll be in L.A. for a few days in the middle of May for work, and likely most of June will be spent Somewhere Else. It's going to suck in a lot of ways (14 - 20 hour days, 6 days a week), but the stuff I'll be playing with is cool. If I don't spend the Seventh Day dead, I'll even be in a nice place and I'll put up pics when I get back.

I'm so glad I'm getting on a plane to Florida in about 43 hours. I drove home with the top down yesterday and it was awesome. In fact, I've driven home with the top down every day so far this week save for one. Today? It's supposed to be snowing by this afternoon. No accumulation, mind you, but none the less, the white stuff will be falling from the sky. No top down today.

A coworker and I were talking about software switches vs. hard switches. Another coworker walking by asks what a hard switch is. Said questioner knew the difference, but was being a smart ass, so I returned in kind. My response? Switching from coffee to tea.

And Fridays are supposed to be cool and all that, but my hip joints are screaming and now my head feels like it's being stabbed.

There's nothing for it but to wait for the ibuprofen to kick in.

Oh, and it's cold again. On the first day of Spring no less.

I don't have time for this. I have things to do and I have the pre test for second degree tomorrow afternoon.

Oh, and I'm tired. Daylight Saving Time can kiss my ass.

And Fridays are supposed to be cool and all that, but my hip joints are screaming and now my head feels like it's being stabbed.

There's nothing for it but to wait for the ibuprofen to kick in.

Oh, and it's cold again. On the first day of Spring no less.

I don't have time for this. I have things to do and I have the pre test for second degree tomorrow afternoon.

Oh, and I'm tired. Daylight Saving Time can kiss my ass.

The more I drink Earl Grey, the less I like it. And yet, I seem to be unable to not drink the vile stuff.

My branezez, they are teh b0rked.

What's the fascination with Earl Grey tea?

I've always thought anything can be made palatable with enough sugar, but you know what, I'm pretty sure that this stuff is never going to be good. It may eventually may be sweet enough that even a child would spit it out, but it'll still be vile undrinkable shit.

Unfortunately, all the Lemon Zinger is gone and the rest of the herbal stuff we have here in the office is even worse.

Man, I don't know whose idea it was to write Picard as a huge Earl Grey fan, but that writer has NO FUCKING TASTE.

What's the fascination with Earl Grey tea?

I've always thought anything can be made palatable with enough sugar, but you know what, I'm pretty sure that this stuff is never going to be good. It may eventually may be sweet enough that even a child would spit it out, but it'll still be vile undrinkable shit.

Unfortunately, all the Lemon Zinger is gone and the rest of the herbal stuff we have here in the office is even worse.

Man, I don't know whose idea it was to write Picard as a huge Earl Grey fan, but that writer has NO FUCKING TASTE.

Since we have MSDN subs here, we have the Windows 7 Beta (which you can DL from MS if you like, but it's almost a 3GB ISO, so don't try this on a modem, kids!).

I did a quick install in a VM for a quick peek. So far it is to Vista what XP was to Windows 2000, it's an interface update with some minor tweaks.

The beta is the full on Ultimate version, and I suspect that the final release will have the same break down as Vista for available versions (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate), but I think MS would be doing themselves a favor by just going with three: the equivalents of Home Premium, Enterprise, and Ultimate.

I need to install it on some real hardware so I can play with some of the advanced desktop features that the VM install won't run since it's only emulating a ten year graphics chip with a meager eight megs of VRAM.

I get to spend this afternoon doing drudge work in classified areas. Yay.