Front pages

Sometimes I like to take advantage of my triple-monitor computer setup in order to get a big-picture view of things – helps me put things in perpective:

(click to enlarge)

‘Nuff said… :-)

A lesson for Abraham

In Genesis, chapter 22, God tells Abraham:

“…Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about…” - (verse 2, NIV)

This, of course, is the classic story of Abraham’s obedience to what would seem to be the most extreme of heavenly requests.  Abraham was asked to kill the very child that God had miraculously blessed him with.  At the end of the story, however, God provides a ram instead of Isaac for the sacrifice.  We discussed these verses last week in my bible study group.

I’ve heard it said that this story makes God seem like “a big bully”.  Why would God demand something that seems so terrible, only to say “psych!” at the end?  When we read this story as children, I think it’s very easy to have this type of view.  I think I had this view myself reading this story as a young man.  But recently a friend of mine pointed out that, as we get a little more mature in Christ, it becomes a little easier to see it differently.

I think for the most part this story was much bigger than Abraham.  In one sense, God was foreshadowing the atoning death of Christ thru the imagery of a father sacrificing his son.  In another sense, it’s a story that shows us the result of faith in God, as Abraham from this point went on to be richly blessed and to father many nations.

But the part I like to focus on is the effect of this moment on Abraham as a brother trying to walk his own spiritual journey.  I believe that God was just as concerned with Abraham’s spiritual development as he was with the example this story would give to the ages.  I believe that God knew that he was going to need to ask Abraham to call on some big-time faith in the years to come, and that in order for Abraham to be ready for that, he had to go thru some big-time training!

I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to believe that Abraham loved the heck out of his son Isaac.  Perhaps a little too much?  Perhaps God knew that Abraham needed a very strong lesson on the fact that, even in the case of this thing that He blessed him with, nothing can come between the relationship between God and Abraham.  Certainly, Abraham was a man of God and certainly knew that this type of thing has always been commanded by God.  But in this scenario, the wise words of Morpheus seem to resonate from out of the Matrix – “…there’s a difference between knowing the path…and walking the path…”  :)

I also think verse 14 is significant:

“So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide…”

If Ricardo had been on that mountain, not being quite as wise and faithful as Abraham was, I might have called it “The LORD didn’t take my stuff away from me”.  If I did, it would be clear that I missed the whole point.  It was significant that Abraham named that place the way he did.  It shows to me that he recognized that at the end of the day, what was most important about that moment was not the fact that he got to keep his son, but rather that the sacrifice that the Lord requires and deserves was fulfilled.  It’s not about him – it’s about Him.

So what’s the personal application?  Fortunately, I don’t think God will call many of us to literally sacrifice the lives of our children for His purpose.  However, he will probably call on us to sacrifice something that we ‘love’ – something that’s really important to us in our lives.  Maybe it’s a career we’ve worked hard to achieve; a relationship we’ve spent a long time developing; maybe some possessions we’ve worked years to acquire.  The bottom line – none of those things - even those things that are good in His sight and that we even give Him the credit for – none of those things can get in the way of our relationship with Him, and His purpose for our lives.

Kwali & the MacBook

After a cautious first few minutes, Kwali finally warmed up to a friend of mine that visited:

But of course, being a Wilkins dog, he had to ask the question, “sir, why do you have a Mac here in this household?" 

LOL   I’m a PC!!!

When to speak, when to be quiet

I kinda see what they’re trying to do – folks like Rev. Wright, and now Rep. John Lewis, want to kind of speak up on behalf of Obama.  But sometimes, it backfires, and ends up just looking bad for Obama.  In the case of John Lewis, I think it kind of looks bad, but at the same time it seems like it worked – McCain’s acting a little nicer lately…

I don’t know – I’m rambling…  i’ll just be glad when this daggone election is over.. :)

Hooray for Presley!

Boxers Ruuuule!!!!!!!!


Presley & Travis won the Greatest American Dog show! I've been cheering for them the whole time.



Presley did such a good job! I know how high-energy Boxers can be. (as of this moment, I just finished trying to drain some of Kwali's energy with one of our tug-of-war games) He really did well to be only 16 months old. And I think it's fitting that a puppy would win the challenge - cuz really, don't all our dogs show their puppy moments all throughout their lives?



One of the best moments, I think, is when Presley did like a 17 minute stay! I was so glad for Travis when I he decided to release Presley from the stay, even though it meant losing that particular event.



And one of the most heart-warming moments was this one (left), where Presley buries his head in Travis chest while the judges talk about his lack of focus. As if to say, "I'm sorry, Dad... I tried.... I really tried...." awwwwww....



Okay, I know y'all are out there laughing at me, but so what - Boxers rule!!!!!

Hooray for Kwali!

This morning was a big morning for Kwali. These days whenever both my wife and I are out of the house, Kwali gets put in his crate until we return, to avoid him destroying the house the way dogs sometimes do. But, he's almost 2.5 years old now, so I figured it was time to start experimenting with new levels of responsibility. This morning when my wife and I went to breakfast, we let Kwali stay out of the crate, confined only to the lower floor of the house. We were gone for about 1.5 hours...

gulp.....

this was big test, but.... Kwali passed! We got back and started looking around to see what he had destroyed - nothing! We were so proud - gave him 2 treats for that one! Hooray for Kwali!

Can't wait!

I can't wait to see the new Batman movie - I know it's gon' be sweeet, I just know it!

Something for your DVR

Interesting info that I got in an email - I will be checking it out:

Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 4:21 PM
Subject: FW: CNN - July 23 & 24... Mark your Calendar

Did you know that companies in the US have said they would hire awhite man with a felony record and no high school education BEFORE theywould hire a black man with NO criminal record and a 4-year degree?

On July 23 at 9pm and July 24 at 9pm ET, CNN will premier a series, 'Blackin America with Soledad O'Br ien' and I personally challenge you towatch it WITH your children, especially your sons, if you have any,uninterrupted. The aforemention statistic and many others will be revealed during theseries.

I had the privilege of meeting with Soledad O'Brien and actually SEEINGthis premier on Monday, and what I saw brought tears to my eyes andanguish, frustration, and a sense of helplessness to my soul.

On Monday the series will focus on Women and Families and Tuesday is dedicated entirely to the plight of the Black Man in America..

I beg and plead with you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch and internalizewhat you see and hear; no matter HOW disturbing the informationrevealed...you can (and will) thank me later.Feel free to pass this email on or go here for more information: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/

Rockwell...

I always feel like
Somebody's watching me......

Dinner in my backyard??

A month or so ago, I had this big plant growning in my backyard. Looked like a weed to me. When the guys that cut my grass came by, I told them to be sure to yank out that big weed in the backyard. One of them asked, "Are you sure? You don't want to eat that?"





What???!!! Ricardo does not eat anything growing in his backyard! That includes the grapes that grow from the vines on my pergola. Although I suppose they're all edible, I'm just not that type of person. That just ain't me... :)



Anyway, he went on to explain that what was apparently growing wild in my backyard was a plant called "poke" that some folks eat like greens! He yanked it out and said he was considering taking it to his uncle to have him boil it. I thought that was pretty weird, but I just now looked it up, and wouldn't you know he was right! :)

I still ain't eating it, tho..... :)

Landscape lighting

Tried to take some shots of my landscape lighting at night with the digital SLR and the tripod. The shots below were taken with no flash.

Man, I wish I knew how to do this photography stuff! I'm sure a professional photographer could've gotten a much nicer-looking shot than what I did. This one seems too dark in the dark spots and too bright in the bright spots:

On this one, the camera somehow found way more light than was even there in real life! Amazing! And yet, not the look I was going for:

I thought maybe Photoshop could help me tweak them to make them look more like real life, but alas I don't really know what I'm doing in that realm either. :)

The real issues...

from www.blacknews.com

I just had to post this...

Just saw this quote, and i had to post it...

"The war on drugs targets poor people experimenting with street level drugs,but is funded by rich people addicted to pharmaceuticals..."

-anonymous ?

Dim light shots

Well, I got myself a tripod so I could test out some of the non-flash or low-light capabilities of my camera. And Kwali as always was ready to help out. He’s such a good model! :-) He sat almost perfectly still while I took a no-flash shot with the lights on:

As well as one with the lights off:

I think the lights-off one looks a little more artistic with the light coming in from the other room. Way to go Kwali! :-)

btw – I also took an outdoor shot. Every year I have this one rose bush that blooms, but usually only stays alive for about a week before falling over dead (is that my fault???) So I try to take pictures of it before that dreadful day:

Here’s the same pic, zoomed in – I love megapixels! :-)

New camera

A co-worker convinced me to buy a new camera. Now that I’ve got it, I guess digital photography will be my new hobby. In particular, I’m developing a weird obsession for taking extremely close-up pictures (I think they call this macro photography):

And of course Kwali has graciously volunteered to model for me. I’ve already taken about 200 useless pictures of him just this weekend alone! As you can see he’s very patient with me. :-)

Gas prices 2008

It's funny - it's been almost three years since I last felt the urge to post something about the high gas prices. In my old post I put a funny picture that told the story pretty well, too - but this one really speaks the truth...

New local magazine

Hey, my homie and fellow DJ has just started a new local magazine call "The Taste of Mt. Vernon". He's got a website, too. Be sure to subscribe!

10 years and counting

May 2008 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Afrikan Student Union sit-in at The Ohio StateUniversity, protesting changes to the Office of Minority Affairs. At that time, it was called the longest-running sit-in in OSU history - perhaps it still holds that record.

Anyway, I was a part of that effort. Now that the 10-year anniversary is here, I feel like we should do something to commemorate it. However, I'm busy, and everyone else I know who was involved is also busy. Being a grownup sucks. :)

Well, at least I mentioned it here. If I'm lucky, I'll find the time to blog on the experience sometime this month. Stay tuned.

King Kwali

When i'm walking Kwali thru the neighborhood, we always inevitably pass a house or yard with another dog in it. Whenever we pass by, those dogs always bark at Kwali. But every time, Kwali just quietly looks at them like they're crazy, or sometimes ignores them completely!

The other day, for example, I walk him down one of the neighborhood streets where there happens to be like 3 or 4 dogs all near each other. All of them saw Kwali, and all of them start barking. What does Kwali do? Head up, face forward. Keeps walking like he don't hear nuthin.

Then it dawns on me - Kwali must be the King Canine in the neighborhood! Those aren't barks of anger or intimidation from the other dogs - those dogs are calling out 'Big Ups!' and giving a respectful shout-out to the baddest mofo low down around this town - Kwali!

Could it be??? :)

--sent from mobile phone--

Still funny?

I just re-read the post i did about Jerry Seinfeld - his comment doesn't seem as funny to me now as it did then. Hmmm - go figure.

chillin

Kwali definitely knows how to chill. I was sitting on the couch talking on the phone and he just cozied up with me. He's probably wondering why i'm sitting on 'his' couch. :)

--sent from mobile phone--

Not funny

things that make you go hmmmm.....

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Always funny

If you don't already know, I looooove the show "Seinfeld", and I think Jerry Seinfeld is hilarious.

So it was no surprise when he still made me laugh even during an article about a car accident he was recently in, in which the brakes on one of his vintage cars went out. He says,

“Because I know there are kids out there, I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do,...”

LOL!

Chocolate Chip Wifey?

Had lunch with my wife today. Max & Erma's. Yes, we bought the cookies fa sho. Yes, we had some left over - boxed them bad boys up for later.

We walked back to the car holding hands. I then made a statement that made us both bust out laughing:

"...yep, that's all I need - my wife & my cookies!...."

we ain't got no sense....

Separate But Equal

Okay, I've not created two new blogs. I've decided that there are parts of Ricardo that need to have their own space - namely, DJ Ric' and Computer Geek Ric'. :)

For the most part, this is a professional move. I'm hoping the DJ Ric' site (djric.blogspot.com & djric.net) will help drum up business and get the DJ Ric' name out there a little more. And the geek site (rixbits.blogspot.com) allows me to share my technical thoughts with colleagues without having them see all my personal stuff as well.

So, all my Mac/Vista posts, for instance, will now start happening on the Bits sites. And anytime I have a thought related to music, it'll be over on DJ site. I've put links to both sites over on the right side of this page, in the Links section.

I hope this works out. :)

Kwali Videos

The latest youtube videos for that puppy we've all come to know and love:


Kwali Off Leash



Kwali and the Blizzard of 2008

Kwali in March

I had a custom calendar made for 2008 - I used pictures of my dog Kwali for every month. Here's the March photo. This is back when Kwali was a baby - the dog he's laying on is his play cousin Cassius.

--sent from mobile phone--

A bored boxer

I've been working at my computer all morning. Kwali has already twice this morning walked up to me and plopped his head on my arm as if to say, "I am so bored...". The 2nd time I was able to snap a pic of him with my phone. Poor puppy... :)

--sent from mobile phone--

Soulja vs Scott

I was in my office when my wife called me and said to come in the living room. I walked in, and she told me to turn my attention to the new video playing on BET. I looked, and there was the new ridiculous song from Soulja Boy. Can't remember the hook - it was something ignorant with some yelling involved or something.

I just shook my head, like she knew I would. She laughed. This was her little joke because she knows that I'm not fond of the little kids' music that I'm forced to play when I DJ the middle-school parties. How ironic - being a DJ and not liking the music that you play. (that's why my most favorite gigs are the 30-something crowds)

Anyway, I shook my head, went back into my office, and continued listening to Jill Scott's Live in Paris album.

Grown folks music.

Ain't gon' hurt nobody...We're just dancin' baby!

Hey! I didn't know Kid 'N Play had their own little 9-issue comic book series! Awww, ain't that cute. Makes me think about one of my all time favorite movies... House Party! (We gon' get what? Get funky!) I think I got every line in that movie memorized.

"Oooh! You're wrinkling my school clothes! Oooooh!" HAHAHAHA

RSS feed for Rix Matrix

In case you didn't know, on the right-hand side of this webpage, a little ways down, there's a link that says Subscribe to Posts. That will allow you to read my blog via your favorite RSS reader, and that way you'll always have the latest and greatest Rix Matrix updates. And ain't that what it's all about anyway? :- )

My new mug

I went to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center this weekend in Cincy. Got me a souvenir. Ain't it nice? :)

--sent from mobile phone--

Mac needs "stability fixes"????????

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

Well, there certainly are a whoooole lot of tweaks and fixes included in the latest Leopard OS update. I even see a few STABILITY fixes in there.

Now that I'm a Mac owner, I'm privy to these updates and what-not. Prior to, I never would have known that Mac's required software updates. In fact, it seems like everytime I turn on this Mini in the couple of months that I've had it, seems like I always see that little Update icon bouncing around. When I go see what the big to-do is, I see a list of some hefty-sized updates it wants me to download.

Hmmm - they're certainly not putting THAT little factoid in the commercials... :- )

Macbook air hands-on

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

Got a hands-on introduction to the Air laptop today. It felt a lot more sturdy than I thought it would be for its size. Also seemed like it was handling heat dissipation pretty well. If it wasn't for the outrageous price it might make for a pretty good compliment to a moofing lifestyle.

--sent from mobile phone--

Vista ain't so bad

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

I read an interesting article talking about the upcoming service pack for Vista and XP. Some of the folks commenting on the article started the standard debate among Windows OS users about how XP is better than Vista (aka "Vista sucks").

I actually upgraded to Vista on my main machine a few months ago. I did it for a few reasons. One, I was doing my personal bi-annual "build myown monster machine" routine, and so I figured I might as well put the latest and greatest on this new machine, especially since I knew my hardware was beefy enough to handle it. Also, I know that Vista will ultimately become the OS of choice, despite what the critics say, and I made the decision that I was ready to deal with the standard headaches of the early-adopter until Vista got nice & stable & popular.

Anyway, I thought some of the comments in the article were both quite ignorant and quite eloquent. Check it out:

• "if XP can perform 5% better than Vista...it means Vista is crap..."
  - I would say it a different way - "Vista has a ton of new features, has a fully-overhauled and visually pleasing graphic interface, and with all that it only performs 5% slower than XP..."
  
• "XP can perform better on older computers and Vista requires some pretty heavy hardware to be useful..."
  - I think it's funny how people still want to be able to use their grandmother's hand-me-down computer for the next 20 years, and if something new comes out that doesn't work well with their hamster-driven machine, they have a problem. Nevertheless, as someone pointed out, if you actually go price a new machine these days, you'll see that you can buy a new machine that is fully Vista-capable, plus some extra memory, for as little as $400 if you shop right. If your money is too funny for that expense right now, then sure, stick with your Hyundai without making fun of our Escalade.
  
• "Notice how few folks are around saying that XP's an abortion and Microsoft should have stopped with Windows 98? The trend is already starting to turn around in exactly that way for Vista versus XP..."
  - Amen, brother.

It's true that we as consumers basically tell folks like Microsoft, thru our behavior, that we want NEW NEW NEW and we want it NOW NOW NOW. So when they speed-push the new stuff to market, it's funny how we then complain when a few bugs got thru in that hurried process. Oh well, I guess we'll all have to wait and see how this new generation of OS's turns out. Tho I have a suspicion that I already know..... ;- )

Say what??

How many sayings do I have that could pretty much be considered Ohio ebonics? Does anybody else talk like this?:

I was driving down the street and noticed a lady waiting to pull out into traffic. In my opinion there was plenty of time to pull out and merge, but she kept waiting.

I turned to my wife and said, "You see her? She coulda been done gone!"

..."coulda been done" ??? Am I the only one who says that??

--sent from mobile phone--

Read a Book - classic

This was worth posting. I hope this can make a change in the life of some wayward youth. :)

I won

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

I went to a microsoft event tonite (yes, that's how I spend my evenings) and won this tshirt in the door prize giveaway. Had to take a picture to capture the unique packaging - figured that posting it here was the best way to document it. :) in case you're wondering that symbol is for Visual Studio, a Microsoft product.

--sent from mobile phone--

One Device to Rule Them All...

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

I think I've found a good analogy that describes my experience thus far with the Mac:


Let's say this remote is my Mac. Obviously, very simple. Some might say even stylish in it's simplicity. This remote probably has about 10 features, and each one of those features it probably does flawlessly. Everything's laid out intuitively and you never have to worry about getting lost. You don't have to worry about it accidentally turning on/off any of your other devices, because it only works specifically with the TV that it came with. It's not a universal remote - you can't put codes in it to operate your other entertainment systems. And not much thought is required about "how" to use it - you use it the way it's designed. If you had some other ideas about how a remote should work, you should forget them.

Now, in my house, I own a universal remote called the MX-500. It's a fully-programmable universal remote. You can map actions to the hardware buttons. You can program macros commands (I have a macro that turns on/off the tv, cable, audio receiver, and DVD with one button. I have macros that change the tv and audio receiver configurations for, say, DVD-viewing vs. VCR-viewing, etc.) The buttons illuminate. The remote can "clone" another remote by pointing the IR sensors together. It can even be programmed to remote control light dimmers should I be adventurous enough to install them.


Nevertheless, as a result of all these features, I will admit that this remote is not very "friendly" to the casual user, including my wife. (over the years, she has grown to live with it and learn just enough of its features to get by) You would not be able to just look at this remote and figure out how to use it the way I do. (You wouldn't know to press "Main", then hold down one of the panel buttons to run a macro). And if you pressed the wrong sequences of buttons, you might find yourself stuck in some state that you would not easily be able to recover from, thus making the remote useless [for you] until I came over and helped you out.


But - and ay, here's the rub - I wouldn't trade this 1 remote for any of the 6 stylish and simple remotes that it replaced in my house. I gladly give up simplicity and even stability for the God-like power to control and interface with any and everything, and to do things with this remote that perhaps the manufacturer hadn't even thought about. Many times, I do experience limitations. It happens when my TV's manufacturer, for instance, doesn't give my remote the proper access or code authorization to access all of it's features. So, every now and then there's some sublte, hidden feature of my DVD, for example, that I can only access by getting up off the couch and doing by hand, or (heaven forbid) grabbing that DVD player's remote to access the feature.


But do I fault my remote control for this? No, I give it a pat on the back for doing a 85% good job of interfacing and playing nicely with all these other components. My remote has made a decision to bravely enter and play in the world of other electronics. It has not required me to make my home on an island called Basic Remote - an island with one TV, and one set of rules, and one way of thinking.


Rather than being the ruler of that island, a small kingdom though tightly controlled, I'd rather rule the world. Yes, I may have only loose control: a few riots every now and then, a recession or two, a stock market crash maybe, a war here and there. But still - I rule. Ask your boy GW Bush - he'll tell you the same... :)

Deceptive (aka bold-face lie) commercials

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

I was reflecting on Apple's commercial where they were making fun of Vista for its new security feature, which asks for your permission everytime it wants to do something that could be potentially dangerous.

Well here I am on my MacMini, and lo and behold they have the same thing - every now and then when I try to do something, the Mac confirms that I want to do it. To do that, it asks for my user password (on Vista, you can just hit Continue). I found this very interesting.

Well, let me get back to troubleshooting my printer installation - the very process that one of my friends went on and on about in terms of simplicity. Perhaps I'll blog later on the details of my printer woes, but the short story is that I installed from disk the drivers to a Mac-compatible Canon printer, but yet now I find it hard to find anything related to the printer driver i just installed. Perhaps the Mac is hiding the details of the installation from me in an attempt to "keep things simple". Yeah, that's working out real well...

Memoirs of a DJ

I got this list from a friend of mine - he and his crew regularly put out this newsletter related to their DJ exploits and upcoming events. This list is right on the money, and I can say that as a DJ, I have literally heard every one of the comments below except #6 (what kind of clubs is my friend playing in???), and I agree with all the responses:

-----

Rules of The Game
To all my deejays out there that spin in the clubs this is for you. I got this from J Rawls who got it from DJ Center who found it on a blog(shout out to DJ Supreme)...Can I get a "check 1-2" from all the deejays that are feeling this??
To all my patrons/party goers please read, pay attention and enjoy your party experience!!

Attention party people. Before requesting songs, making comments or asking questions of the DJ, please read this:

1. "Will you play something good. Something WE CAN DANCE TO" ?!
As a dj I have to play to an entire club of people not just YOU or ONE person. So what YOU may HATE may be someone else's favorite joint.
Not only that but EVERYTHING I play can be danced to in one way or another.

2. "Would you play something with a BEAT" ?!
Are you serious? I know of NO songs I play in night clubs that do not have some sort of a beat.

3. "I don't know who sings it or the name of it"
Well that's not much to go by. So please don't sing it for me. I put up with high dangerous decibal levels all night long. Please do me a huge favor and keep the rendetion of your favoite song toyourself.

4. "EVERYBODY wants to hear it"!
Oh ok, you went through the entire club and took a poll and have been appointed the spokesperson to tell me this?!


5. "EVERYBODY will dance if you play it"!
I'm not going to so, I guess that blows a hole in your theory.

6. "I can get laid if you play it"
Why settle for one night? Buy the cd and get some for a month!

7. "I want to hear it NEXT"
The ONLY person who can get away with that statement is the one that signs my paycheck.

8. "I don't know what I want, what do you have"?
It's way easier for you to go have a few drinks and figure out something you
would like then for me to recite the 10,000 songs I come with.

9. "Hey man, what's up? NOBODY can dance to this"!
It's not really advisable to say when the dancefloor is jam packed (But a lot of you do anyway). However, even if there is only one person on the floor it contradicts your statement.

Here are some assorted things NOT to say:
If you request a song and I say "I just played that". Don't say "Well I just got here". That does not make an ounce of difference. Don't ask me "Is this the only kind of music you play"? When you go to eat Chinese food do you ask for mexican? Rock clubs play rock. New Wave clubs play new wave. Disco clubs play disco! 80's night plays 80's etc. etc. Plus I like to mix it up and play to the diverse crowds that attend my events. I'm not there strictly for YOU only.

When requesting a song please be SPECIFIC. Don't say"I want to hear something, ANYTHING but this"! You can't complain if you can't be specific.
However, if you are specific and I tell you I don'thave it - don't say "What"?! What do you mean youdon't have it? What kind of DJ are you? Why don'tyou work fast food ? You obviously don't know whatyour doing".
At that point I might KILL you!

Special Notes:
Club DJs are expected to play EVERYTHING forEVERYBODY. It is impossible to satisfy all of thepeople all of the time, yet i'm expected to do just that. If a radio station plays a song over and overand over and tells you that it's good the majority ofpeople believe it. However 95% of the time I wasdropping that song in the clubs months before it hitthe airwaves and radio has discovered it. So give theDJ a break! Next time you wish to request a songTHINK before you speak.

And last but not least and above all.......... If Ihave one hand on the mixer, one hand on a turntableand my headphone to my ear........ DO NOT BUG ME.
I'm working....................

My friend is taking a trip...

Well, it's been a sad couple of weeks in the household. Ever since my xbox died. Lets take a moment of silence....

As u can see, i've prepared the coffin... I mean the return box that will be shipped back to microsoft. Now we must wait and see just how long this whole repair process takes. Safe travels, my friend!

--sent from mobile phone--

Moofing

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

I just learned a new word that describes my lifestyle pretty well - moofing. Mobile out of office. Describes 'where you are/ what you're doing when you're not at your desk or office but yet fully contactable and able to work as normal'. If you arm me with my trusty tablet pc and my pocket pc cell phone (which doubles as a wireless modem), then a moofer is what I become!

Unfortunately my mac mini has yet to prove itself as an ally in my moofistic lifestyle. Being that it is morally opposed to my windows mobile device, and thus refuses to sync nicely with my calendar items, puts yet another barrier between it and my coveted primary workstation area. :)

--sent from mobile phone--

iChat, You Chat, til our connection goes to crap...

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}


So, I hooked up with some of my Mac buddies - two in Cali, one in Ohio - and got a 4-person video chat going. As you can see from the snapshot, it's got a pretty impressive interface. What was also impressive was the file/photo sharing. I was able to stream a Billy Ocean music video ("Caribbean Queen", of course) and an Al Green mp3 to the other 3 people, pretty seamlessly. Nice.

The only downside is that I was the only one in the bunch without a native Mac-friendly web cam. Mine is more of a Vista-certified Logitech USB camera. I had to install 3 different pieces of software on the Mac to get it to work, and even then, I was the one that kept getting dropped out of the chat, or my mike would stop working.

I guess the question is, do I ding Mac for making me install 3 pieces of 3rd-party software in order to use a name-brand web cam? Or do I ding myself for not following the Mac motto: use our stuff, and only our stuff, til death do us part?

I know that the major instant messenger folks on Windows also have video chat capability (I chat with my wife via MSN Messenger video all the time, cuz I'm too lazy to walk up the stairs to her office). Never tried 4 people on video chat, tho. And, although I'm sure both Win & Mac can do basic video chats, I'm pretty sure the iChat interface is a lot better than the others.

On a side note, this is the first blog post I've composed while on the Mac. it's also the first blog post to give me formatting errors that made me have to look at the HTML to figure out what was going on. I don't know if this is just coincidence, but I HAD to mention it (hehehe...)

Hmmmm, on we go....

Force Quit... Already???

{this post moved to http://rixbits.blogspot.com}

So, I'm like just a couple weeks into my Mac ownership, and already i'm using the 'task manager' to kill rogue processes? In this case, one of the disc mounting processes was running in the background and keeping me from ejecting [another] disc. Hmmm...seems like i'm using all the same troubleshooting skills I learned in the Windows world. I didn't think I was gonna need those bag of tricks in Steve's world. :)

I also tried to do a screenshot of my error message using the Grab service. Thought I could capture the image and paste it into an email message. Does that sound too much like right? Wouldn't let me do it.

I also realized that I never liked the menu bar for the apps always being context-sensitive and sitting at the very top of my screen. "Attention managment" is important to me - seems inconvenient to have to take my eyes all the way up to the top of the screen to do something with a window I'm using near the bottom of my screen. And that's if the menu updates to the new context fast enough, and is not still showing the menu for the last window I clicked on. (hmm, maybe that's a Mini thing)

To top it all off, I love the message Mac gave me about my problem from their Help files:

"If this happens, WAIT A FEW MOMENTS and try again..."

Who is this message written for? Are there computer users out there in 2008 that actually DON'T wait a few moments prior to being frustrated enough to check the Help files??? And apparently, in this case a 'moment' was like 10 minutes before I started having to search for a process to kill.

So far, I feel right at home in my Mac world - my woes thus far are very familiar..... ;- )