Albert's Place

Son is Officially "XBoxed"...

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:12:22 GMT

Went ahead and let Andrew unbox his Xbox 360 Elite just now. Probably won't see him for two days! With the laptop for his birthday earlier this month, his PS3 from a couple of years ago, and the Xbox, he's pretty much covered for most any game he'd be interested in. He still hasn't expressed any interest whatsoever in the Wii.

Officially "Dead Internets" Days have begun...

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:01:05 GMT

Every year around this time, it seems the internet gets "abandoned"... hardly anyone online! Few folks LiveJournaling, Twittering, Facebooking, IM'ing... it's like a ghost town. Fully expect tumbleweeds to start rolling by!

Also, have you ever noticed that you never seem to get laid on Xmas Eve/Xmas Day?

WHY do I find this amusing?!?

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:10:48 GMT

Just "wasted" $6...

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:45:55 GMT

Noticed the Powerball was over $100 million again... just returned from the store with some tickets for tonights drawing.

Uncle Update

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:35:31 GMT

Mom went to Jackson, Mississippi with my two other uncles to visit Uncle Bill yesterday, who is in the hospital there. He has been having trouble breathing, and they have him on oxygen. He is, however, coherent. They may let him come home either today or tomorrow, but he'll have to stay on the oxygen. Also, the doctors are giving him a few days to live now, instead of the earlier mentioned months.

R.I.P. Again...

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:26:24 GMT

Arnold Stang

1918 - 2009

Argh...

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:53:36 GMT

"WebcamMax" had an update. I installed it. It wouldn't cooperate with "Webcam32". Uninstalled it, reverted back to the older version. Had to reboot twice in the process.

Mom just called...

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:59:08 GMT

My mom just called, said Uncle Barrett just got a tearful call from my cousin (Uncle Bill's daughter). You may remember this post from December 1st, where I mentioned they found a large tumor in Uncle Bill's lung. Well, my mom, Uncle Barrett, and Uncle Floyd are heading to Jackson, Mississippi in the morning. According to my cousin, Uncle Bill is in the hospital, having trouble breathing. Doctors said that, because of the cancer, and how bad it is, he would mostly likely die of suffocation. Unfortunately, that seems to be what is now occuring. Being he has refused any treatment, this isn't looking good. :-(

Random Thought

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:56:04 GMT

I really wish AT&T would get something better than 6Mbps DSL out here in the boonies where I live. Andrew just went online on his PS3 with one of his online friends, and as soon as he did, the live "This Week in Tech" video stream on my computer started sputtering like Porky Pig! Might need to shut something down temporarily I guess. What is running currently:

1. This Week in Tech video stream
2. Five webcams, one screen cap software, all uploading every 20 seconds or so, one streaming
3. Andrew's PS3 game
4. Andrew's laptop computer, with who knows WHAT running on it
5. XChat IRC (for the This Week in Tech chat)
6. Trillian Astra chat client

This house probably uses more bandwidth in one day than the rest of the houses on this road use combined in one WEEK(lots of non-techy rednecks in this area)! AT&T probably hates me as a result...

R.I.P.

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:15:12 GMT

Connie Hines

1930 - 2009

Yes, I'm not normal...

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:12:59 GMT

Okay, call me demented... tell me I have no scruples... but when I heard that televangelist Oral Roberts died, the first thing that came to my mind was this old "Bloom County" strip...

Random Thoughts and Questions... At Random...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:18:09 GMT

Those missing people trying to climb that snowy mountain... fark 'em! If they are stupid enough to do something like that, don't risk more lives looking for them! Wait till the spring thaw, retrieve what you can of them. Weeding out the morons is how the herd is thinned out!

Anyone living in a house on stilts hanging over a river is a moron also!

Why do studios tease us so?? STILL waiting on DVDs of season 3 of "Petticoat Junction", season 4 of "Green Acres", season 7 of "All in the Family", season 2 of "Perfect Strangers", season 2 of "Love, American Style"...

Bourbon is the drink of **hiccup**...

My dad liked hunting, fishing, football... I like none of those... was my "real dad" the milkman??

Why does my Sony Bravia pop up the program guide for the local channels automatically a few seconds after turning it on, no matter what other video source is currently on the screen?

Is it normal to have crushes on online acquaintances, even though you'll never actually meet them in real life?

Why do "Nathan's" brand hot dogs make me produce more green house gasses than other brands... is it just because they taste better?

A confession... I've been checking Facebook and Twitter before accessing my LiveJournal Friends page lately.

My son doesn't understand why I like to watch a lot of old silent movies from time to time.

My son doesn't understand why I like to listen to a lot of old-time radio shows from time to time.

I don't like those LiveJournal posts that are just cumlative Twitter Updates... yet this post LOOKS like one!

I REALLY need to get back to digitizing all those old cassettes my friends and I recorded in the 80's/early 90's, before they turn to dust!

Fark those newest Beatles reissue CDs, the ones I bought in '86 are good enough... already had 'em on LP before then, not buying a third time!

You've never really seen Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" until you've seen it in high-def on a Blu-ray disc!

I'm not wearing pants... film at 11!

I just don't know...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:44:19 GMT

Got a call from Andrew's first period school teacher a while ago. He hasn't gotten into any trouble (thank goodness), but he's refusing to do any work in her class. Might explain his grades since starting at the new school. If he doesn't start straightening up by after the Xmas holidays, both my mom and I are going to remove the PS3 and laptop computer from him until the end of the school year... they'll be kept at her place.

Both my mom and I have done everything in our power to try to get him straightened out, to make sure he makes it through school, but at the rate he's going, looks like he may completely flunk out, not getting a diploma or GED of any kind. IF he does that, I'm letting him know, in no uncertain terms, that once he turns 18, he's not going to stay around here leeching off me indefinitely. He'll have to find somewhere else to live... maybe go back to his mom.

With this high blood pressure... I don't need the extra freggin' stress!

Always Overspending...

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:49:28 GMT

When I went out grocery shopping this morning, I whizzed by "Best Buy" and picked up one of these...

I now have all 5 seasons that have been released so far. Bought the newest release even though there are a couple of "Douchebags" on the box! ;-)

/might be too obscure a reference to some...

Random Question #5789643

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Okay, it's a Sunday... I'm not currently working... so why the hell am I up before 6:00AM?!?

Geesh you two... would you STOP already?!?

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:48:59 GMT

Looks like the "clown car" has ejected number 19....

Is there some way we can forcibly sterilize those people?!?

Validated... again...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:25:32 GMT

Another update of a previous update...

The older computer I formatted with a retail version of Vista Home Premium last Saturday, and said DURING installation it "validated" using the key off the sticker on the side of the PC cabinet, popped up a dialog today, nearly a week later, and AFTER it had no problems downloading all the updates and Microsoft Security Essentials, saying that the copy of Windows was "invalid"!

So, after my initial "WTF?!?" moment, I call the toll free number in the "Validation" box. The automated system had me read off a set of numbers in the validation box, then gave me a new set of numbers to key in. As of now, it says Windows is "Validated" once again. At least I haven't had to resort to the HP "recovery discs"... yet anyway... trying hard to avoid all that HP "crapware"!

Another Wal-Mart Employee Gone...A Rant!

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:53:27 GMT

Even though I refuse to ever set foot in another Wal-Mart again because of their sick leave policies (which lead to my dismissal), my mom still refuses to STOP shopping there, because she says, "Well, they're the CHEAPEST on everything!". She was there Wednesday to get her prescriptions refilled, and said there was yet another, what I call a "Memorial Table", at the entrance, with a picture of another employee that had passed away. According to mom, the employee was only in her late 40's.

There were several employee deaths during the time I worked there, most under age 60, and most were long-time workers. I definitely blame Wal-Mart's sick leave policies for those deaths. The employees are afraid to take over 6 days off in a 6 month period, for fear of termination. I took off as long as the doctor told me to when I had the flu, because I consider my health more important than ANY job. When I returned to work, they were NOT interested in my excuse from the hospital emergency room, which is why they let me go.

Don't be fooled when you hear Wal-Mart say they care about their employees. They DON'T! They try to weed out the longer term employees in order to hire new people in their place for the lowest wage, and when they hire new people, they work them 40 hours a week, yet still classify them as "part time" employees, in order to not give them full health and vacation benefits. From my observation, their two main ways of weeding out older employees are terminating them for a minor mistake, or "killing them off"!

Tuesday Randomness

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:52:45 GMT

Andrew told me the other day that his laptop makes his lap a bit "too hot", and wants a small table to set beside the bed to put it on, soo...maybe tomorrow, if it isn't raining cats and dogs like it is today, I'll run over to Target and see about getting him one of those folding TV trays to put it on. My Uncle Barrett uses one to set his on, so it should be fine. After he got home from school yesterday afternoon, I took him to "Fred's", "Dollar General", and "Family Dollar" (all nearby stores), but none of them had any TV trays.

Update on the "Snow what?" post from Dec.4th... we did get a bit of snow, but it was so light falling, it didn't show up much on the cam pointed out the window. The image below was from when it was falling the heaviest, and you still can't hardly see it...

Mom hasn't been feeling well again. Her stomach has been paining a bit, she's been running a bit of fever... but she said she is some better this morning, so she is putting off going to the doctor a little longer. Brought her mail over to her house earlier, she was taking a nap, so I let myself in and sat the mail on her kitchen table, then went outside and put her garbage on the "curb" (no real "curbs" out here, so the cans just go on this side of the ditch by the road), so she wouldn't have to get out on this cold, rainy day to do it.

Just downloaded another batch of "old radio shows" to listen to from RUSC. I've been a fan of old radio since my early teens, when I first stumbled across it, checking cassettes out of the local library, then later ordering several on LPs from a now defunct company called "Radio Yesteryear". A lot of those shows are more entertaining than anything on the television today.

Tracking Kitty....

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:52:04 GMT

All footprints on a freshly made bed lead to Eastwood....

Uncle Update

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:49:02 GMT

Update from my post on December 1st. Mom just said the tumor they found in my Uncle Bill is more serious than anyone thought. The cancer has already spread into his lymph nodes and bones. They are giving him between 6-18 months to live. Mom said he is refusing treatment, because he figures he'll live longer without it.

Random Update to "Random Technical Question"

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:28:30 GMT

Just a quick update to the random "technical" question I posted the other day. After my son got all the files off the old computer he had in his room, I proceeded with formatting the hard drive. Figured, for the heck of it, I'd try using my full retail version of Vista for the install, and just type in the product key on the sticker on the side of the old computer, to avoid installing all of HP's crapware on the restore discs. Well, it worked fine. Install continued, and Windows also validated fine. After the install, I downloaded and installed Microsoft Security Essentials and the 103 updates that have accumulated since the first Vista release, all with no problems.

Bit of a "quirk" with my webcam uploading software though. When I start "Webcam32", I get a splash screen saying something about "10 day trial", but I go to "About Webcam32" under "Help", it says it is "Registered"... which it is... or was... the company that made it dropped it from their product lineup in 2006, but has been working fine all these years. Guess I'll know more in 10 days.

Snow what?

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:25:44 GMT

The weather forecasters are predicting that we might see a few snowflakes later today here in northeast Louisiana... with the emphasis on the word might. ANY kind of snowfall is a bit of a rarity in this area. Been over three years since a snowflake has been spotted near here.

IF we do see a bit of the white stuff, not much of a chance of it "sticking", since, during most of the timeline of the predictions, the temps will be above freezing. If you're either bored or curious, you can check out the "Living Room Window Cam" from time to time, to see what the weather is like today. A new image uploads every 20 seconds.

Random Update

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:19:19 GMT

Well, my son is the proud owner of a new laptop computer. That laptop has a few more "features" than my desktop does! First thing I did, to ensure safety, was to install Microsoft Security Essentials. Then ran Windows Update. Finally, made a set of recovery discs, before letting him just jump into the thing.

He hasn't backed up the stuff on the old desktop yet... he said he was going to do that this evening. So, sometime tomorrow, I'll do the reformat of the hard drive. I'm going to just TRY using the full Vista disc first, to see if the key on the sticker on the computer case will stick, as suggested by kuzanagi_. If it doesn't, then I'll just use the recovery discs I made when I originally got the computer.

Also yesterday, I picked up the complete series set of "It's Garry Shandling's Show". Used to watch it regularly back in the 80's on Showtime... but you don't see it repeated much on TV anymore for some reason.

In other news... wondering what has become of one of my other LJ friends, indigomittens. She hasn't posted anything since early November, hasn't been on messenger, and even her other friends on Facebook are wondering why she has been so quiet. Hope she is okay.

I've been rather "lazy" today, need to wash some clothes and dishes, but may put those chores off till tomorrow. Heck, been so lazy, it's almost 1:30 in the afternoon, I haven't even gotten dressed yet!

Random "technical" question...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:18:53 GMT

Okay, ever since first getting into computers, I've always relied on the factory "restore discs" when reformatting a computer. When I bought this computer early last year, I went ahead and bought a full version of Vista Home Premium to install over the version pre-loaded on it, to eliminate all the HP "crapware", using the product key on the Vista install disc.

My son is getting a laptop for his birthday today, and he's giving the "hand-me-down" computer I gave him last year back to me, which was also pre-loaded and reformatted with "restore discs" when I gave it to him, also running Vista Home Premium.

Thinking of reformatting it again, using it in the living room for webcam uploading, possibly watching some video on the big screen from time to time... to milk as much life out of the thing as I can.

My question, for my fellow "geeks" out there... can I use my existing full version of Vista Home Premium to format that older computer (to avoid the crapware HP puts on those restore discs), and just put in the product key that is on the sticker on the side of the computer case?? Bueller?? Bueller??