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New Years Resolutions

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Written by: Rod Boyle

Category: Miscellany

Published: 02 January 2009

Hits: 2249

So a very busy Christmas and New Years, with the last minute deadlines, visits to family, social commitments, etc. But I found time to make a list of New Years Resolutions. Actually, not really make a list, rather update the same list that's been kicking around for the past 20 odd years....

Pretty much the same, only I've scratched out lots of the places where it used to say "more", now it looks something like this:

Exercise More.

Eat More.

Make More Money.

Have more sex.

I've also added the Blog More to the list this year, a tack on as it's something new....

It looks like this:

Blog More

I didn't scratch the More off because I've never blogged before. 

And so hopefully I'll find time over the next few days to catch up on this blog. Mostly rants and such, a few ideas, lots of dreams (sadly none recorded...). This in-between the despairing assessment of last years finances and achieved goals....

There's of course the standard list of things to give up, as there are every New Years. Like smoking, fast food, housekeeping. I always throw the last one on so I don't feel like a complete failure....

Anyways, a Happy New Years to all and hopefully you have better luck with your resolutions than I have....

Ron Paul on an Airplane

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Written by: Rod Boyle

Category: Dreams

Published: 06 December 2008

Hits: 1786

A jumble of dreams, this one just before 4:00 AM.

I'm on a full airbus, near the back - behind me and across the aisle is Ron Paul.

I recognize him, say hi, the airbus is very full, there are even passengers standing in the aisles, holding straps like passengers do on commuter trains. He's happy I've recognized him, he's leaning forward, he want to talk to me, but the people standing in the aisle are in the way. 

I have a feeling that he's not recognized too often.

At the back of a plane is a couple - a yankee guy and a girl. I say yankee because the guy has a thick southern accent, I can't always decipher what he's saying. The girl is mostly quiet.

He's telling me, or trying to tell me, that I have a very strong accent that makes me tough to understand.

I want to laugh but I don't and just humour him.

***

The plane lands someplace in Montana, near a famous dinosaur digging site, there's a thrift shop just outside the airport, I pride myself in being able to find them anywhere, the boy has flown on ahead of me, has found a pair of rollerskates he wants, everyone is wearing these Jurrassic Park style T-shirts with silhouettes of dinosaurs on them....

Blue Screen of Death

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Written by: Rod Boyle

Category: Miscellany

Published: 04 December 2008

Hits: 2304

Running Windows XP, service pack 2, this morning, in the midst of work I decide to power down the computer.

I haven't powered it down for a few days, choosing to hibernate instead, I've been busy with projects and like to keep the folders, files and websites I'm working on up when I log in. But the computer has gotten slow, IE has begun to freeze and crash, and so I think it's time for a reboot.

And when the screen reappears I'm confronted with the "Blue Screen of Death."

Windows can't find an essential file in Windows\System32\Config\System folder. "The file .... is missing or corrupt".

This is not good news.

And I frantically try and remember when I last did a full backup of the computer. Not so long ago, but I'm working every day and the thought of losing even a days work is frightening.

Terrifying, in fact.

My passwords are on the computer. All 129 of them, every one different, randomly generated alpha-numeric and ascii. Email, websites, administration.

And so I attempt to repair it, it asks me for some "Windows backup recovery floppy disk" - in large DOS type characters somewhat centered in the middle of a blue screen, only somewhat centered, oddly enough every other line seems to be a few characters off center to the left or right.

I don't have a floppy drive.

I don't have the required disk, either, and I have every DVD that came with the bloody computer. One of the few times I've every run a legitimate version of windows and the supplied inventory of disks aren't doing the job. Drivers on one disk, windows on another, trying disk after disk, each one rejected by the blue screen of death.

I remember when I did technical support, the blue screen to the computer was the end of the road. If there were no disks in the drives only the onsite people could fix it. And reviewing the case notes, most of the time they didn't.

SO I try the backup computer, a garage sale find for $2.00, but it won't recognize the network connection, and I can't get online to troubleshoot the network connection. Maybe it's the computer. Or maybe it needs a Shaw high speed installation disk. Can't be too fussy for a toonie.

I'm going from terrified to pissed off. Mentally I'm wondering who to blame for this catastrophe, I've decided it will be my brother. He got me started on this whole computer thing, he can suffer my wrath. And he worked for Dell, which makes him a co-conspirator. If he doesn't own up to it I'll blame his wife. But it's important I blame someone.

I'd call him, but his number's on the computer.

I'd email him, but....

And so I repeat the steps over and over again, inserting various disks, trying to get the PC to boot off one of the dozens of drivers, utilities and windows disks I have laying around. I have to be careful I don't reinstall the operating system, as this would be bad. Very bad.

Eventually I eject the disks finally and do a reboot without; the computer comes back, working again. "For how long...." I wonder.

And after this close call there are the inevitable hours spent backing up all my information from the disk. All of it. Every last bit. Well, not ALL of it, but everything I'd miss.

Then it's back to work.