golbssenssateews

New General Authority...

2007-10-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

When I heard the announcement of the new member of the quorum of the 12 in the LDS church, I first thought... Quentin L. Cook? Who woulda thunk? Then I thought a bit more about it, and I realized... it's about time! Finally, we can expect a few remixes of some of the more bland hymns. That, I call inspiration! Praise to the Slim!

Another Sony Blunder...

2007-04-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

When it rains it pours... Sony just doesn't seem to learn anything from their mistakes. This time, the included DRM on some (very popular) DVDs which didn't play on some players. Read more here

Another reason why Sony sucks...

2006-12-03T21:13:00.000-06:00

I keeping with the real reason that I set up this blog, I would like to vent my hatred of a company. Guess which one (hint, it is mentioned in the Title...)

In case there was any doubt left in anybody's mind as to how awesome Sony is, I have a another tidbit to add. After purchasing a camcorder a few years ago, I started having trouble with it. Namely, the screen was black. Which is fine for most of the things I wanted to record, like the inside of a dark box, and the back of the lens cap. However, there were a few other uses that required color and light. So, I went about the process of determining if the camera could be repaired. I was told by Sony, that for the low low price of $279 (plus shipping) I could have it repaired!

The camera had cost $400 the year before, what savings! Anywho, it turns out I didn't want to pay as much as it would cost to get a new camera, to get the old one fixed. And fortunately, I was able to copy previously recorded tapes onto my computer, so no big deal. I bought a new camcorder (not a Sony). Fast-forward 2 months from that time, and Sony (only due to a class action lawsuit) admits that there was a manufacturing problem with these cameras (and about 1,000,000 other models) and (as in all class action settlements) admitted no fault, but agreed to repair those cameras that already had the "symptoms" of a black screen, free of charge! Well great, except 2 months too late! Anywho, I sent it in to get fixed, even though I had a new camcorder (I should have put feces or anthrax or something in it to tell Sony how I felt about their business practices, but I didn't). So, when I got the camera back, it worked fine, except outdoors. No matter how dark I turn down the brightness, everything is washed out. At least it worked in situations with some light and color though.

Unfortunately, I used it more, and recorded some more "precious moments" to "cherish" using that camera. Big mistake. About a month ago, the camcorder started giving me an error whenever I put a tape in. This was the obvious C:31:22 error. It meant "Error". Not only did it not work this time, but since I couldn't get it to read a tape, it meant everything I had on tape, was basically garbage. I would either have to buy another camera to read them, or just suck it up and move on. I checked the manual... it said "remove the battery" and "turn the camera on and off". Now, do you really think I hadn't thought to try that at this point? Well, I had, and it did nothing. So, I checked google to see if there was any insight... I didn't find anything too helpful, so I turned to my last resort... Sony customer service. I learned previously that this would be a nightmarish bit of time spent to wait on hold listening to yanni for 2 hours in order to have some teenage phone center kid tell me to do what it said in the manual, and walk me through each step of pressing a button. But I did it anyway... after the wait, and the condescension, I was told, send it in for repair... only $279! I told him that I could buy a new better camera for that money, and he politely said, "yeah, you should probably do that... your camera is old. Sony has some nice new cameras here: ". (The sony webpage doesn't work if you use Safari on a mac btw). Great, thanks for the advice! You earn your $6.45 an hour!

Well, this last weekend, I decided to buy a new camera from Sony, use it to get my memories off the tapes, and then return it for a full refund. When determining if it would cost a fortune to return it (or a restocking fee, etc.) I decided it would be worth it to do regardless, to stick it to the man. However, this time when I tried googling the error code, I found an interesting page. As it turns out, this page had advice on my error, and a number of similar errors, on the same line of camcorders made by Sony. Well, it started as a comment of someone asking for advice about an error. One of the first responses said "just hit it on the side, and it will start working again". Hmm I thought, well, the camera is worthless anyway, might as well try. Well, what I (and hundreds of others that had found and posted about it on this site) discovered was that, indeed, giving it the smack down, made the error go away (at least temporarily). So, if in less than 2 years, a page can accumulate probably over 300 posts about people with the same problem, most of which can be solved by smacking the beast, do you want to trust a company that charges $279 for that fix???

Oh, I forgot to mention that Sony also:
Violates Copyright licenses
Installs root-kits on your computer
Steals ideas that make them a fortune (ever heard of the Walkman?)
Make crappy stuff
Had millions of laptop batteries recalled because they can explode and start fires.
Had to recall millions of adapters, because they could start fires.

Even maddox agrees...

Thanks for your time.

World Cup Stream for 3rd and 4th place.

2006-07-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

The loser's game, Germany Vs. Portugal... in about 40 minutes...
The streams are here:

mms://live.espnevent.espn.com.edgestreams.net/reflector:50369
or
mms://live.espnevent.espn.com.edgestreams.net/reflector:53757

instructions below...
Enjoy!

URL for espn360 live stream for the Portugal vs France semifinal world cup game...

2006-07-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

Enjoy! Live coverage starts at 2:55 p.m. ET.

mms://live.espnevent.espn.com.edgestreams.net/reflector:48870

See instructions in my previous post for help.

Que ganhe Portugal!!!

Watching the World Cup live for free in the US online using a Mac

2006-06-30T11:45:00.000-05:00

Updated! Italy vs. Germany in Semi-finals!

Okay, I know it is already the quarterfinals, but I finally figured out how to watch the world cup for free, on the internet, using a mac. Thanks for the stream from espn360.com but no thanks to their moronic tech people for not supporting mac's in the first place.

Here is what you need:

get flip4mac installed (it is free, and better than the microsoft alternative (that is why M$ gave up on supporting mac's and just paid flip4mac to provide their plugin for free). Download the free version here.

Now, open quicktime, go to file->open url, and paste either
mms://live.espnevent.espn.com.edgestreams.net/reflector:58589
or
mms://live.espnevent.espn.com.edgestreams.net/reflector:59916

into the window. Hit ok.

Then, press the play button, wait for it to buffer, and enjoy!

As an added bonus, you can watch it in full screen if you want, which you can't do from the espn site.

Enjoy!

P.S. If the url's don't work, give me some time... they change for each game.

P.P.S. Unfortunately, they didn't show a couple of the recent games on ESPN360.com, so I was unable to get the link for that. I can't get the url for the stream, until (and unless) they play them on ESPN360.com. If there is a new game link up on there for the semi-finals game, let me know and I will get it and post it here. I am not sure how far in advance of the game it goes up.

Sooooo....

2006-03-29T19:27:00.000-06:00

I am sure you all are wondering where I've been the past few weeks (months?), right? Cough Cough...

Well, irregardless (yeah, it turns out it IS a word, though a sucky one), I am going to tell you. I spend all my free time on a new website. It is called lala.com.
If you:
a) like music
b) hate the RIAA
c) are not rich
d) are not homosexual (this is optional, sloyd)

You might like it too.

Your erotic lover,
woo

P.S.
Oh, and good luck getting an invite to join.

Just a placeholder, nothing to see here...

2006-02-01T23:35:00.000-06:00

This blog is just a placeholder/notice to a certain person, who had better be preparing a blog relating to this. I haven't had a good senseless argument in weeks now, and it is killing me! (as are the apolitical, doldrums of blogs that have been surfacing of late...)

P.S. This site is pretty sweet... it keeps track of what you listen to most or what your music library consists of.

Your tax dollars? My entertainment.

2006-01-19T21:39:00.000-06:00

What happens when nerds waste government funds on pointless things? Among other things, this is what can happen:

I took the liberty of creating some domains for a few select individuals...

sweetassness.be
ihaveachub.be
gayascan.be
iamazoo.be
sweetru.be
woowoowoo.be
suckyascan.be
0110001001101111011011110110001001110011.be

Enjoy!
woo

Brats, and how awesome they are...

2006-01-11T23:18:00.000-06:00

After talking with a thriftstore exemplar about some of his recent purchases... I finally decided I needed to give the St. Louis Goodwill(s) another chance. Apparently, Target stores donate returned and slightly damaged goods to Goodwill. This is a good thing. After my first few trips to the Goodwills here, I was totally convinced that they had a strict enforcement of "anything from the 90's only" for accepting and selling merchandise... A thoroughly disappointing selection of clothing, etc. However, having the Christmas spirit, I thought, what the hay! (I doubt that my mind really used that phrase, but then again, it just did there, so who knows?) I stopped by the stores on my ride home... My treasure will go down as my best post-Christmas present ever! Okay, it wasn't that awesome... but I did find a Tiger digital video camera for kids. I figured, if it works, it is worth 5 bucks... maybe my wife and I can finally put up that webcam we have spent so many hours rehearsing for? Well, the purchase was made, and when I got home, not only did it work, but it had a surprise work of art: The first and only video it had recorded. After consulting with my lawyers*, I deemed it necessary to post it in its entirety. (okay, it is only like 30 seconds)

I call it "drunk dad demos sucky toy camera to spoiled brat kid on christmas morning". Enjoy!

Feel free to post your commentary on this short film.

* I may or may not have actually consulted said people

Na na-na na-na na.

2005-12-15T01:55:00.000-06:00

This is just a reminder that I have a pinball machine, and you don't. Thanks for your time.
Woo

I have a problem.

2005-12-06T23:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, several. But I am going to talk about one specific problem. (at a time). You are perhaps hoping that I am going to talk about my nerd problem. Well, the thought crossed my mind, but I think there will be a time for that later. For now, I choose to talk about my favorite problem. One that I admit to having, but am unlikely to overcome anytime soon. Maybe we should play 20 questions?

Is your problem an addiction?
Yes.
Is your addiction manifest on this very blog?
Yes.
Okay, this is too easy.

My problem is buying things at thrift stores. I can't stop doing it! I don't want to stop doing it!
Most thrifty people (I don't think anyone would deny that I am one) seek to minimize their unneeded expenses. I am always searching to save a buck or two. Every bit helps, especially when you are a graduate student, with a wife and 1.5 kids. But even if I was rich, I would be pinching pennies. Unfortunately, the way things are heading, I am going to need to be rich, just for storage fees, let alone up front costs.

So what, you might wonder is the root of my problem? Am I too thrifty? I don't think that is the problem. I spent over $100 at thrift stores over Thanksgiving break... yet, I won't turn the heat up another 2 degrees, since I am saving money?

Well, I'll cut to the chase (I don't have much time, as I need to get ready to argue with Bohn on his next blog post).

What is the root of my problem? Why do spend $1000 a year on 2nd-hand clothes? Do I grow out of them? Do I soil them? (don't answer that).

Maybe before I answer that, I will give a few of my justifications. Everyone with a favorite addiction/sin has at least one really good justification... (He said that before he was the prophet... I have already paid for so much music, and the artist don't get their cut anyway... I will pay it all back and more when I get a high paying job and pay my taxes... The movie rating system isn't reliable anyway... gambling is just a form of entertainment, like paying $10 to see a movie... If God didn't want me to be homosexual, why did he make me that way? (I put that one in for you Sloyd, and so somebody wouldn't claim that I was just quoting him (or her...).

Okay, so here are my justifications:

We need a years supply of food, why not a years supply of clothing? You never know if we will have laundry detergent, in the case of a disaster.

How about: I am keeping it out of a landfill. Look at me saving the environment. Come hug a tree with me, and pet a koala.

Or this: It is really an investment, I am sure I could turn around and sell them all for twice what I paid... if I wanted.

Or: I am still saving money over those high priced department store goods.

Feel free to bear your testimony to me about why those are or are not valid justifications...

Anywho, none of those is the real reason I have a problem saying no at thrift stores. The problem is, when I find something totally awesome, whether I need it or not, I think to myself: "If I don't buy it someone else will."

That is why I have a reel-to-reel tape player, a briefcase slideshow presentation system, a projection screen, 3000 or so records and a whole bunch of 8-tracks.

That is why my closet looks like this:

(admittedly, the top left corner is cheltz' stuff)
And this:

And this:

Oh, and two laundry baskets full... and the dresser, coat rack, and hat rack. (but I am typing this naked so don't worry missing anything there)

And that is why my blog exists. So, if you find yourself envious of some of my highlighted finds (cough cough... tumble-weed blow-by from right) just remember, ssenssateews comes at a cost.

Oh, and the nerd problem? I don't think it exists.

Rubes...

2005-12-06T21:25:00.000-06:00

I put up some new pictures of Rubes, if you want to check those out.

Mary Ann Evans

2005-11-21T22:45:00.000-06:00

The only country music I like is Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.

That is what you could have heard me say around the turn of the century. The funny thing about that, is that I didn't actually know who Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard were. So, how did I know that they were good country music? Plagiarism. I had heard someone whose opinion I apparently valued somewhat say something to that effect, and I thusly took it on as my own country music creed. I don't really know why... to prove how eclectic and awesome I was... to show that I had something in common (potentially) with a large number of Americans... to demonstrate my "openness" to outside ideas... to show how knowledgeable I was... etc. These are all possible, and I wish I knew why I did it, but in any case, I did.

Have you ever said something that you heard from a credible source, and just repeated it verbatim as your own opinion? What brought this to my attention was something I did this last Saturday.

I was conversating about music with some folks on our Ultimate Frisbee team. Somehow we ended up talking about Funk, which I am partial to. In an attempt to demonstrate my vast knowledge of Funk, I cited some of my "favorites". Along the way, I mentioned "Miles Davis in his more funky years". The conversation continued, moving to concerts and then probably to sex, as that is the way conversations all go...

Anywho, later that evening, I broke out laughing... why?

Where the devil did that come from? Miles Davis' more funky years? Don't get me wrong, I know who Miles Davis is (or was rather). I even own a bit of his music. However, I have no clue what was meant by "Miles Davis in his more funky years". Thinking back to when I had heard that bit of info, I remembered a previous conversation with someone about Funk. He asked me, upon learning I had a good-sized record collection and liked Funk, if I liked "Miles Davis' funky stuff". So, rather than be the ignorant fool, who says, "uh, which stuff is that?", I just said "yeah, that stuff is ssenssateews" or something along those lines. Apparently, I convinced myself then and there, 'cause here I was telling people how much I liked it.

So, what are the drawbacks of being a spineless, yellow-bellied lemming like myself?

Perhaps another story will illustrate...
My last semester at BYU, I was attending a meeting for the lab I worked in. I was shootin' the breeze about Computational Biology with a new CS professor who had done his graduate work at M.I.T. He was eager to apply his expertise in Dynamic and Intelligent Systems to interesting biological problems.... I told him pretty much all I knew about an emerging field called Systems Biology, and he asked if I knew of some articles or people working in that area. I told him "Bernhard Palsson is a leader in the field and is one of the few people doing real Systems Biology, and not just talking about it." Wow, that must have made me sound way smart... if I were this M.I.T. graduate, I would probably listen to what this genius had to say! Hot damn, he must really know the field! What followed was almost as awesome. Instead, he replied: "What does that mean?"

The problem was, I was pretty much directly quoting a line from an email I had received shortly before that from one of the true masterminds in Computational Biology, Dr. Sean Eddy (this I know firsthand, I swear!). Unfortunately, I hadn't yet had the time, nor did I have the background knowledge to know what the crap that really meant. I sort of stumbled and said "he is just actually doing systems biology, not just talking about it." At the end of an awkward silence, I for some reason suppressed that memory... until last Saturday.

Will I learn my lesson? Maybe. But if not, as I've always said: "O may I join the choir invisible of those immortal dead who live again in minds made better by their presence; live in pulses stirred to generosity, in deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn for miserable aims that end with self, in thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, and with their mild persistence urge men's search to vaster issues."

Price? More like Priceless...

2005-11-17T19:31:00.000-06:00

Due to overwhelming demand (as judged by the most comments I have ever received on a single post...beating the previous record of 2, thanks in part to certain obsessive-compulsive blog-reader-commenters), I have decided to continue with my montage of thrift store finds. Today I bring you this leisurely ensemble:

A few things of note:
1) Those are Levi's. Now there is a company that used to make some fantastic pants... I guess you would expect that from a company that pretty much invented pants. Before them, I guess everyone wore mumu's or nothing at all? From some forward thinking designer at Levi's (possibly the same who came up with a zippered fly, or as some people purportedly call them, fornication pants), came this work of art. This time, they made a defensive move to help protect their more wealthy customers... an anti-theft measure. You know you are in constant risk of losing your belongings to sneaky pick-pocketers don't you? Well, what better way to protect yourself from such scum than by sealing up those bad boys? Shear brilliance! Do they have a nobel prize for pants designers? They should.

There is however a minor drawback to this stroke of genius. Namely, the pants are so darn tight that even an "Authorized User" is not likely to be able to retrieve his own "goods" in under a minute, without the help of some scissors. The existence of this issue leads me to reject the "function" hypothesis in favor of the "form" theory of design... for who can deny that zippered pockets are chic?

2) The shirt is indeed a find. One good indicator of the level of awesomeness of a button up shirt is the lack of a top button, by design. Those who know awesomeness, know that awesomeness should rarely be coupled with discomfort. This shirt wasn't made for Sunday worship, unless you worship at the shrine of John Travolta, circa 1977. A style connoisseur can guess this shirt's brand. Joel it is. Cal-made it isn't. Or is it? One tag states Cal-made, and who would doubt that a fine shirt like this had its genesis in the golden state? But alas, another smaller tag states "Made in Hong Kong". Maybe just that tag was made in Hong Kong? Irregardless (my favorite (ex)non-word, which has apparently been made a word by common usage), this shirt defines ssenssateews! One day I hope to have the honor of thanking in person the man who must have died, leaving a closet full of polyester shirts to the Price, UT Deseret Industries thrift store. I wear a part of him nearly everywhere I go. I also want to thank him for maintaining a physique capable of scaffolding the same clothing that I personally sport.

3) Finally, at the request of one of my multitudinous (roughly 3) readers, I give you this:

Ask, and ye shall receive, brother. And if your lucky, it will be out of focus.

Blodder

2005-11-13T21:58:00.000-06:00

I have it, I now know my raison d'blog. I have my blog fodder. I can finally seek the reinforcement that my wife has long struggled to impart. I will make a public display of the ssenssateews finds from the world of thrift. While I will forever be minion to thriftmaster k$, and many others, I feel I have found some good goods. And this will be my showcase.

I start with my latest find, and a question of much import. How can a company that once made shoes of such awesomeness, and thick catalogs that entertained many a curious adolescent boy, wither away into nothingness? No one really knows. But while they lived, Sears did indeed make a fine shoe.

That may have set me back $4.59, but perhaps you didn't see the traction on those babys:
Perhaps, again, you were unable to see the superb traction on these shoes, due in part to my utter incompetence in the layout of pictures on this page... suffice it to say that the traction is more than adequate, and that shoe to surface adhesion is out of sight!

And if you (like I) wonder what one could possibly wear with such a fine piece of footwear, without demeaning their very existence, I would respond with:

That's right, JC Penny slacks (and clip on tie mind you) and a tapered, Now Breed by Campus 100% Arnel© Triacetate shirt. You may inquire "must I iron that shirt?" Not according to the NEVER IRON tag. Match that (or don't) with a Texas made Nocona Belt Co. cincture and a state of the art (circa 1983) Lasercraft laser etched wood tennis player belt buckle and those treads will feel right at home.
Total estimated cost $15. Actual retail value? Priceless*

*actual retail value of aforeblogged goods may or may not be at or significantly below the price quoted above.

Stuff

2005-11-10T21:24:00.000-06:00

My favorite quote from stake conference last weekend:
"My Junior year, it was pretty cool being a mormon. Everyone asked questions about mormons, like 'why don't you curse?', and 'why do you dress the way you do?', and 'why are you republican?'"

I would like to answer (or at least comment on) those questions, in no particular order:

I buy my clothes at the BYU Bookstore, or the mormon shorts company.
Why are you so nosy, &!^¢#? (admit it, all mormons swear, as of two weeks ago when the sole mormon non-swearer began swearing)
Because there are 3 letters in the acronym GOP... If you switch 'em around and change them ever so slightly, you get CTR... look familiar? The three letters that tell mormons how to act in every way, especially at the ballot box.

QED