Publius & Co.

An error message I can live with.

Via Gir and SBD. Create your own error message here.

The GF's new machine!

The gf got a new computer. It's a nice, nice box, and I confess I'm jealous. It's a Gateway 825GM Media Center PC, and you can read the specs here. But in case you're lazy, here are the highlights:

• BTX System Board w/ PCI Express
  
• 1 Gigabyte RAM
  
• 250 Gigabyte SATA drive
  
• Dual DVD drives--one burner
  
• 8-in-1 media reader
  

Stuff like this makes geeks all excited and tingly and stuff. Be glad you're not here. Of course, I took pictures when I had to install the wireless card, and they're all in the extended entry for the broadband challenged.

The first thing you'll notice is it opens from the wrong side.

The interior shot. The power supply is in the upper right-hand corner; the dual optical drives are in the upper left-hand corner. The CPU (a 3.2 GHz P-4) is underneath the blue-green shroud, and the SATA drive is below the shroud, on the right side.

The CPU is beneath the big copper heatsink. About the only thing that's a better conductor of heat is silver--too expensive and too soft for electrical use. There are two 120mm fans cooling the CPU: One is at the shroud entrance to the left, blowing air across the heatsink, and one is on the back of the case forcing the hot air out--you can see it in the interior photo above. To move a given volume of air you can have some small fans spinning really fast (and therefore, making a lot of noise) or you can have large fans spinning relatively slowly. Gateway opted for large fans spinning slowly. When this system unit is powered on, you really can't hear anything.

The PCI slots. The video card is in a PCI Express X16 slot on top, then there are three standard PCI slots (one empty, one with a TV tuner card, and the modem). The little teeny-tiny black slot at the bottom? That's a PCI Express X1 slot.

The SATA drive. I remember back when a 10 megabyte drive was a full height (two DVD drives stacked on top of one another), 5 1/4 inch drive. I still have the first computer I built, with a 386 CPU and a CORE controller and 300 mbyte MFM drive, 5 1/4 inch full-height, and I thought I'd never fill that up.

The tooless expansion thingys. Tooless freaks me out--you don't know how to use a screwdriver? More important, I think the fact tools are not needed makes the average Joe think he can build or work on his computer, and as Mr. Company Computer Guy, I've seen what fumble-fingered lusers can do to a computer, and it's not a pretty sight.

Friday Rat Roundup

Kanga would like to say, "Hi!"

Midnight, May 28, 1927

It was on that date, at that time, the citizens of Fresno could use their nice, shiny, new-fangled...rotary telephones. Of course, first they had to be taught how to use them, because it wasn't as obvious as you might think.

You see, I tend to head over to the Moving Images Archive during lunch, because I can eat and entertain myself at the same time by watching old public-domain movies. The title How to Use the Dial Phone caught my eye because I know, from experience, no one instinctively knows how to use a dial telephone, despite what an illiterate pinhead going by the name Archiveman says.

Anyhoo. It's a silent movie that teaches you how to recognize a dial tone, a busy signal, and what a ringing phone sounds like. Very cleverly done, and I enjoyed it a lot. If you have an extra seven or so minutes, take a look.

BTW...I said earlier, "...I know, from experience, no one instinctively knows how to use a dial telephone," and here's how I know it: When I bought my condo, one of the items that conveyed was the old wall-mounted, rotary-dial kitchen telephone. I loved it...thought it was great...

The gf and I used to take my old roommate's son to hockey games. He was a great kid, very bright, loved hockey. One day he was visiting me, and he had to call his mother to pick him up or something, so I took him to the phone in the kitchen. He grabbed the receiver, then looked at the phone like it was something he didn't know how to operate, probably because he didn't. He knew how to use a cell phone, though.

So, yeah, I had a great laugh at a seven-year old's expense. I think I dialed the number for him.

Pixy asks...

When they make MuNu: The Movie, who will play you?

Isn't it obvious? Joe Don Baker, only younger and with a beard.

Pixy also invites us to, "...feel free to make nominations for the other Munus." So, I nominate Parker Posey to play the gf because she was funnier than cat piss in those movies she made with Christopher Guest.

And for other Munuvians, I second Jennifer's nomination of John Goodman to play Ted.

Friday Rat Roundup

I had yesterday off, due to the Inauguration. I found out what the rats do when we're not home:

Pizza and beer.

Truth be told, this is an old picture. Four of the rats in this picture have passed away, which makes it one of my favorite pictures.

Where's Victor?

Both of you may be wondering, "Where's Victor been lately?"

Click here. Click on "View Missing" (the winner--work safe, requires sound) and substitute "Victor" for "Doug." That's pretty much been my life for the last several weeks.

The gf gave it to me for Christmas, and she's probaby regretting it right about now.

Friday Rat Blogging

First of all, I'd like to welcome fellow Munuvian Mama Montezz and her little Progeny to the Rat Person fold. I'm sure she'll post pictures of Dumpling and Cecily soon. Today's picture was actually taken last October:

Click for bigger!

From left to right, they are Leather, our oldest (born September 11, 2002), the late Olie (September 20, 2002 to November 2, 2004), and Olie's sister Schwartz is the pillow. Olie died in his sleep, two days after this picture was taken.

Friday Night Ratblogging

Hey, if people can post pictures of their furschluginner cats (or whatever), why not some rats? The girls must've heard me open a candy bar or something...

Jim Treacher is...um...I dunno...

As the Official Mununuvian representative to The Cult of Joe Don, I'm not sure if I should be flattered or declaring a fat-wah against Jim Treacher.

quick break post

I was taking a quick break, so I headed over to The Quotable Heinlein, where the random quote for the day was one I had never heard before. From Heinlein's Guest of Honor Speech at the XIXth World Science Fiction Convention, Seattle, 1961:

I also think there are prices too high to pay to save the United States. Conscription is one of them. Conscription is slavery, and I don't think that any people or nation has a right to save itself at the price of slavery for anyone, no matter what name it is called. We have had the draft for twenty years now; I think this is shameful. If a country can't save itself through the volunteer service of its own free people, then I say: Let the damned thing go down the drain!