Monday, August 18, 2014
Negative Resolution
Two of the bands I grew up listening to - Ratt and Queensryche - have now ended any hope I have ever had of seeing the bands in concert. It seems like every time either band would come to Cedar Rapids, there was a reason I couldn't attend. Back in April 2014, Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy left the band and more recently, Geoff Tate has ended a dispute with his former bandmates.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Planet of the Apes Sequel Soon
On Tuesday night, Alex and I watched the 2011 movie about the planet of the apes with the idea being to go see the sequel at the Elkader theater today. It's nearly 11 AM and Alex is just now arising from slumber.
I think I will be seeing the movie alone.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Too Good For Their Own Bad
Came across this the other day in the RoboHelp 11 User Guide. I nearly burst my gut from laughter.
So then, I searched for "RoboHelp 11" in the user guide:
So then, I searched for "RoboHelp 11" in the user guide:
Happy Friday
The old school mentality is that technical writing is not about being friendly. Instead, the focus was always about facts and how those facts were able to used to accomplish something in either hardware (like instructions for putting together a bookcase) or software (like instructions in the online Help for Microsoft Word. That premise seems to be an afterthought in this job advertisement:
An online school for web developers is searching for a person to fill their position for a Work at Home Technical Writer.
Candidates will be responsible for the following:
An online school for web developers is searching for a person to fill their position for a Work at Home Technical Writer.
Candidates will be responsible for the following:
- Writing teaching materials that cover technical topics
- Create work geared toward beginning and intermediate audiences
- Knowledge of, or excitement to learn, many of the topics like AngularJS, Rails, Python / Django, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Node
- Experience writing technical content, such as user guides, marketing materials or even corporate non-technical audiences
- Ability to translate complex lessons into short, clear and friendly tutorials and simpler lessons
- Engaging writing style, in a friendly and accessible voice that beginners will trust
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Final Post for the Night
One final thought for the night... I was in to work today very early today. I think I will have a busy day tomorrow. Thus, I think I am going to bed. Farewell.
Spider-Man 3
Again and again, I think my favorite thing to do is to watch a show, a movie or even a pro wrestling match that I have seen previously. "The Middle" or "Spider-Man 3" or the Hardy Boys v the Dudley Boys, a match made for greatness - channeling my inner Yoda - matter not that previously I have seen.
I still don't understand why the common thread among opinions about the Spider-Man trilogy is that it isn't as good as the other two. Over on IMDB, the "thecowardlylorin" opens his review here with these words, "My feelings after watching the third film are somewhere in the neighborhood of satisfied, but that feeling is fairly disappointing. Satisfied more or less means adequate and to follow a sequel that I consider excellent with a film that's only adequate is a certainly a step down." Finish reading the review, though.
I like it.
I still don't understand why the common thread among opinions about the Spider-Man trilogy is that it isn't as good as the other two. Over on IMDB, the "thecowardlylorin" opens his review here with these words, "My feelings after watching the third film are somewhere in the neighborhood of satisfied, but that feeling is fairly disappointing. Satisfied more or less means adequate and to follow a sequel that I consider excellent with a film that's only adequate is a certainly a step down." Finish reading the review, though.
I like it.
There's An App for That
I'm waiting for a cake. I just realized that I can use a blogger app. This is my first post with it.
Work Out a Deal to Retain Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio Deserves Release from His WWE Contract to Allow Return to Mexico | Bleacher Report (via http://ble.ac/teamstream-) http://teamstre.am/1AiiIEb
Agree with this article or not, Mysterio has quite the legacy.
Agree with this article or not, Mysterio has quite the legacy.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Not Today
As the impact of Robin Williams taking his own life through suicide ripple through the people that knew and loved him and admired his comedic genius, another article worth reading has surfaced. Ben Stein is quoted as saying this:
I carry with me a gift from a friend who said it had saved his life many a time. It is a simple piece of paper that reads, “NOT TODAY.” It has brought me peace and salvation many a time. Anyone can get through just one more day and by tomorrow you might feel completely different.
What a simple phrase with such a powerful meaning!
I carry with me a gift from a friend who said it had saved his life many a time. It is a simple piece of paper that reads, “NOT TODAY.” It has brought me peace and salvation many a time. Anyone can get through just one more day and by tomorrow you might feel completely different.
What a simple phrase with such a powerful meaning!
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Sequels
Here's an article about movie sequels that makes a lot of good points regarding actors returning to what are perceived as successful franchises. I found the article only because I was interested in reading more about a "Mrs. Doubtfire" sequel.
Out of It
I just got an email that advertises a concert this weekend and, wow, I have never heard a single one of the bands that are headlining this festival! Am I that far out of the mainstream music loop or the underground music loop seems to be the question I cannot answer.
Echo Park Rising 2014 is THIS WEEKEND friends!
Our headliners include Allah-Las, De Lux, Cherry Glazerr, GoldLink, Matthewdavid, Woods, Peanut Butter Wolf, Doja Cat, Mexico 68, Myron & E, Together PANGEA, Very Be Careful, Fresh & Onlys, The Far West, Subseulo DJs, Buttertones, and Burger Vs. Lolipop! Check out the poster below for the master list.
Echo Park Rising 2014 is THIS WEEKEND friends!
Our headliners include Allah-Las, De Lux, Cherry Glazerr, GoldLink, Matthewdavid, Woods, Peanut Butter Wolf, Doja Cat, Mexico 68, Myron & E, Together PANGEA, Very Be Careful, Fresh & Onlys, The Far West, Subseulo DJs, Buttertones, and Burger Vs. Lolipop! Check out the poster below for the master list.
Sorrow and Grief
We start this Tuesday with an article about Robin Williams, who is dead. BREAKING: Actor and comedian Robin Williams found dead at 63 screams the headline in my email inbox. It was the first of many articles that will be published about his life. In this first article, I found this part of the article to be relevant to me.
"In his 1986 one-man show at New York's Metropolitan Opera, Williams revealed that he'd managed to get clean. But it was a crushing realization that the change wasn't a miraculous one. "I realized when I became a former alcoholic, I was the same a**hole," he said."
This is the second article about his death and this is the third article.
Before being sucked into a long list of links to articles about a deceased comedian, I wanted to capture what happened to me this morning at my 7 AM dentist appointment today. When I arrived shortly before 7, there was a woman / fellow patient waiting outside. The door, apparently, was locked, but, as I walked up to the door, the receptionist unlocked the door. After we both went through the door and checked ourselves in at the receptionist desk and, as I sat down on a couch in the waiting area, I felt the urge to talk about Robin Williams with someone. I said to this stranger I had never seen before, "I think Robin Williams would find it funny that we were waiting in line to get into the dentist office." She chuckled and that led into a really nice chat while we waited. When I get some more free time, a summary of our conversation could end up on this blog.
For the moment, though, I wish Robin Williams wouldn't have taken his own life. Does it mean he went out on his own terms? I would accept that statement. He didn't end up being a forgotten doddering old man at a nursing home who slowly deteriorates in front of the staff's eyes. He didn't die by a car accident on a random trip to the grocery store. The aforementioned woman said that she thought there were discussions about a "Mrs. Doubtfire" sequel and that he had several projects in the works. I'm not sure how the premise of a sequel to "Mrs. Doubtfire" would pan out, but who knows what the script would be like. A quick check through Google confirms her statement about a sequel.
I along with everyone else that is alive today will never know what great ideas were simmering in Williams' mind because, bluntly, those ideas were all silenced the moment Williams' heart ceased to pump blood.
"In his 1986 one-man show at New York's Metropolitan Opera, Williams revealed that he'd managed to get clean. But it was a crushing realization that the change wasn't a miraculous one. "I realized when I became a former alcoholic, I was the same a**hole," he said."
This is the second article about his death and this is the third article.
Before being sucked into a long list of links to articles about a deceased comedian, I wanted to capture what happened to me this morning at my 7 AM dentist appointment today. When I arrived shortly before 7, there was a woman / fellow patient waiting outside. The door, apparently, was locked, but, as I walked up to the door, the receptionist unlocked the door. After we both went through the door and checked ourselves in at the receptionist desk and, as I sat down on a couch in the waiting area, I felt the urge to talk about Robin Williams with someone. I said to this stranger I had never seen before, "I think Robin Williams would find it funny that we were waiting in line to get into the dentist office." She chuckled and that led into a really nice chat while we waited. When I get some more free time, a summary of our conversation could end up on this blog.
For the moment, though, I wish Robin Williams wouldn't have taken his own life. Does it mean he went out on his own terms? I would accept that statement. He didn't end up being a forgotten doddering old man at a nursing home who slowly deteriorates in front of the staff's eyes. He didn't die by a car accident on a random trip to the grocery store. The aforementioned woman said that she thought there were discussions about a "Mrs. Doubtfire" sequel and that he had several projects in the works. I'm not sure how the premise of a sequel to "Mrs. Doubtfire" would pan out, but who knows what the script would be like. A quick check through Google confirms her statement about a sequel.
I along with everyone else that is alive today will never know what great ideas were simmering in Williams' mind because, bluntly, those ideas were all silenced the moment Williams' heart ceased to pump blood.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Done! Well, Kind of, Sort Of....
We got home from Elkader and as soon as we did, Alex and I mowed and got the Ford unloaded. While there remains additional tasks to complete prior to being able to prepare for Uncle Rico rehearsal tomorrow night, at 6:42 PM, it feels good to know that those tasks are done.
Fare Thee Well
Leaving Elkader now for home today and when I get back home today, I will needing to get the Yamaha electronic drums ready for tomorrow night's Uncle Rico rehearsal. I also need to actually practice as well. But....
I will need to mow the lawn first. I will likely listen to music while I am mowing. But.....
I will need to unload the truck before I can mow.
I will need to mow the lawn first. I will likely listen to music while I am mowing. But.....
I will need to unload the truck before I can mow.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Alberto Del Rio is Gone from WWE!
Big news in the wacky world of WWE is that Alberto Del Rio is no longer with WWE!
Home For the Moment
I just got my laptop back with a clean install of Windows 7. I am now trying to rebuild all the favorites for the sites I use on a regular basis to my browser(s) as I use Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. I have to do this because, for example, Fatwire works well in Chrome, but not IE and TeamTrack works well in IE, but not in Firefox, and Firefox has the awesome add-on for viewing and editing HTML code that is on a web page and seeing the results of those edits in real-time.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Ebola
I agree with this analysis of Ann Coulter's opinion about the Ebola virus and the doctor that came back to the United States from Africa with this disease. Could he not have done work in the United States?
Darth Vader for President
Keep the mask on Darth and you could win the presidency of the United States!
Yes, I know Darth Vader is a fictional character. Sheesh!
Yes, I know Darth Vader is a fictional character. Sheesh!
His Holiness and the Internet
The Pope of the Catholic church came out against teenagers using the Internet and my fear is that Catholics will read the words of His Holiness and declare the Internet off-limits. That would be unfortunate.
Tick Tick Tick
This week has been a blur - it seems like the hours melt from one to the next.
Today is our wedding anniversary - 21 years as a husband. I don't write about our relationship very much as I consider it outside the scope of this blog.
Today is our wedding anniversary - 21 years as a husband. I don't write about our relationship very much as I consider it outside the scope of this blog.
Loaner
My primary work laptop has been in tech support all week. I checked out a loaner laptop on Monday. I had to check that one back in to get the loaner laptop I'm using now because the first loaner laptop didn't have Microsoft Office installed and today, Sonia and I are going to be combing through a user guide that is maintained in Microsoft Word.
Regarding my primary laptop, the technical support contact with whom I am working emailed me yesterday. She had a question regarding Dreamweaver CS5. I had the stand-alone version installed, but it is no longer available as a stand-alone. The question was, "Do you still use [Dreamweaver]?"
I have always liked Dreamweaver. I remember a decade ago writing up a short justification for why Dreamweaver should be purchased. I was at a different company then and I was using RoboHelp to write online Help. At the time, the built-in HTML editor for RoboHelp added proprietary HTML code. At the time, the thought was that if the online Help were ever moved to a different tool, having RoboHelp-specific code would result in extra work to move to the new tool. Since that time, apparently, the built-in HTML editor has removed the functionality that inserts that extra proprietary HTML code. I haven't touched RoboHelp for a few years now so I don't really know more about RoboHelp in its current state.
Over the years, my use of Dreamweaver has decreased. We are using Confluence more and more. In fact, some of the HTML pages I used to work on are now being converted to Confluence. I think the need for using Dreamweaver will continue to decline but I also think it's a great tool to have installed. I honestly don't know when the need to code HTML will arise but I like knowing that I have Dreamweaver installed to use for when that situation would come up. My manager agreed.
All that is background for the email I got from the technical support contact that was sent last night:
Excellent, then I will work to get you an upgrade to the suite then. My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, but I had something come up yesterday that took me away from the office all day today. I am online at home answering some emails. I will be in touch tomorrow with your laptop in hand. Thank you for being so patient.
Regarding my primary laptop, the technical support contact with whom I am working emailed me yesterday. She had a question regarding Dreamweaver CS5. I had the stand-alone version installed, but it is no longer available as a stand-alone. The question was, "Do you still use [Dreamweaver]?"
I have always liked Dreamweaver. I remember a decade ago writing up a short justification for why Dreamweaver should be purchased. I was at a different company then and I was using RoboHelp to write online Help. At the time, the built-in HTML editor for RoboHelp added proprietary HTML code. At the time, the thought was that if the online Help were ever moved to a different tool, having RoboHelp-specific code would result in extra work to move to the new tool. Since that time, apparently, the built-in HTML editor has removed the functionality that inserts that extra proprietary HTML code. I haven't touched RoboHelp for a few years now so I don't really know more about RoboHelp in its current state.
Over the years, my use of Dreamweaver has decreased. We are using Confluence more and more. In fact, some of the HTML pages I used to work on are now being converted to Confluence. I think the need for using Dreamweaver will continue to decline but I also think it's a great tool to have installed. I honestly don't know when the need to code HTML will arise but I like knowing that I have Dreamweaver installed to use for when that situation would come up. My manager agreed.
All that is background for the email I got from the technical support contact that was sent last night:
Excellent, then I will work to get you an upgrade to the suite then. My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, but I had something come up yesterday that took me away from the office all day today. I am online at home answering some emails. I will be in touch tomorrow with your laptop in hand. Thank you for being so patient.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Drummer with an Opinion about Bassists
I am a drummer, not a bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, or vocalist. I drum. Therefore, I have no idea if naming Duran Duran's John Taylor as "the best bassist" is right or wrong. Yet, while I have no experience with the instrument, that result is the discussed in this article.
It's also a terrible idea to name one person as "better" than another. It's a slippery slope. Considering drummers, I cannot say who the best drummer is. I like heavy metal / hard rock and, because of that, I consider Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich, and Tommy Aldridge to all be fantastic. That's because of the music I listen to on a regular basis. But that's metal / rock. How likely would my favorite drummers be mentioned by fans of jazz or country or funk or blues or any other genre? It all comes down to personal preference.
That's why the Modern Drummer magazine annual reader's poll always split drummers up by genre.
Always.
It's also a terrible idea to name one person as "better" than another. It's a slippery slope. Considering drummers, I cannot say who the best drummer is. I like heavy metal / hard rock and, because of that, I consider Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich, and Tommy Aldridge to all be fantastic. That's because of the music I listen to on a regular basis. But that's metal / rock. How likely would my favorite drummers be mentioned by fans of jazz or country or funk or blues or any other genre? It all comes down to personal preference.
That's why the Modern Drummer magazine annual reader's poll always split drummers up by genre.
Always.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Technology's Wretched Stench
Nope, it doesn't look good for my laptop. I took it down to the technical support area and I could see in the eyes of my co-worker that she didn't think there was much of a chance to recover my laptop. Maybe it's for the better. Sometimes, it's easier to rebuild from scratch (or from memory). I am pretty sure that the laptop was creating unnecessary AppData subfolders on my PC that were chewing up a lot of room on the hard drive.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Over
Today is the day that we have been counting down to as we're leaving Elkader at the conclusion of vacation. We're going to Dubuque for the birthday party and then onward to North Liberty to get ready for tomorrow morning which is when we get back into the routine.
I didn't get a chance to work on the laptop yesterday so I hope that I can spend a little time tonight. I think my primary concern is to get the files I don't want to lose off the hard drive and onto my external hard drive. I think the primary file that I need is an Excel spreadsheet with the logon / password credentials for the different environments I use at work. I hope I can get into the C drive by using Hiren's utilities. Unfortunately, I think it's going to be 8 tonight before I can sit down in the den and try.
I think it's going to be a hectic week. There's something planned each day outside of work as the summer schedule turns into the kids' school schedule. Alex and Megan both have a week to cram in as much summer as they can. Alex has a week to prepare for golf tryout on Monday, August 11th. Megan has trips to Adventureland on Tuesday and to Lost Island on Thursday and works the other days in the week.
I think work will be busy for me. I also need to get the Yamaha electronic drums ready for the gig. I think I need to practice each day to be ready for rehearsal on August 11th. I want to get myself into gig shape in addition to figuring out how to program the sets so I can have a stick click on some songs and tambourine on others.
And if all of the things above were not enough, I need to get back to the conversion project and resume ripping CDs. I think I have under 2000 to go, but that may be overestimated. I simply cannot afford to not work on the project if I am going to meet my goal of being done by December 1, 2014.
The next project that I will start working on is not going to be the 1000 cassette tapes. I have to get started on scanning the volumes of photos. I can't remember how many albums we have in the basement, but I will ballpark the number at, oh, 5000 pictures. I have not counted. The cool thing is that I got a scanner from the Elkader library for free. I am anxious to get it down in the den and try it out. I bought a $36 cord at Radio Shack in LaCrosse, WI, but with the laptop issues, I couldn't even find out if it works. It's a leap of faith that it will work!
It's 8:33 so I ought to move along.
I didn't get a chance to work on the laptop yesterday so I hope that I can spend a little time tonight. I think my primary concern is to get the files I don't want to lose off the hard drive and onto my external hard drive. I think the primary file that I need is an Excel spreadsheet with the logon / password credentials for the different environments I use at work. I hope I can get into the C drive by using Hiren's utilities. Unfortunately, I think it's going to be 8 tonight before I can sit down in the den and try.
I think it's going to be a hectic week. There's something planned each day outside of work as the summer schedule turns into the kids' school schedule. Alex and Megan both have a week to cram in as much summer as they can. Alex has a week to prepare for golf tryout on Monday, August 11th. Megan has trips to Adventureland on Tuesday and to Lost Island on Thursday and works the other days in the week.
I think work will be busy for me. I also need to get the Yamaha electronic drums ready for the gig. I think I need to practice each day to be ready for rehearsal on August 11th. I want to get myself into gig shape in addition to figuring out how to program the sets so I can have a stick click on some songs and tambourine on others.
And if all of the things above were not enough, I need to get back to the conversion project and resume ripping CDs. I think I have under 2000 to go, but that may be overestimated. I simply cannot afford to not work on the project if I am going to meet my goal of being done by December 1, 2014.
The next project that I will start working on is not going to be the 1000 cassette tapes. I have to get started on scanning the volumes of photos. I can't remember how many albums we have in the basement, but I will ballpark the number at, oh, 5000 pictures. I have not counted. The cool thing is that I got a scanner from the Elkader library for free. I am anxious to get it down in the den and try it out. I bought a $36 cord at Radio Shack in LaCrosse, WI, but with the laptop issues, I couldn't even find out if it works. It's a leap of faith that it will work!
It's 8:33 so I ought to move along.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Missing Operating System
When I fix my work laptop so I don't see this error message, I will be very happy. I think it's such a waste of my efforts to be always trying to fix my technology devices. There's the Elkader PCs, the external hard drive crash that I dealt with that caused the reconversion project and others. I go from issue to issue and I can never really predict what will come up next. This laptop has been a challenge for me. A while back, I had the issue with not being able to connect to the network at work. I had the issue with not being able to connect to my network at home. Now this.
The worst part? I am, essentially, offline and trying to get it fixed. I have almost reached my data limit on my phone with 2 more days to go. I don't have any time to go to the campground office, which is where I can connect to WiFi, today. We're going to play miniature golf in Prairie Du Chien, WI, today. In fact, I think we are leaving Elkader in about one hour.
I'm not sure when I will be able to update the statistics for the conversion of my CDs. I think I will be up late Sunday night in an effort to get the work laptop to work.
The worst part? I am, essentially, offline and trying to get it fixed. I have almost reached my data limit on my phone with 2 more days to go. I don't have any time to go to the campground office, which is where I can connect to WiFi, today. We're going to play miniature golf in Prairie Du Chien, WI, today. In fact, I think we are leaving Elkader in about one hour.
I'm not sure when I will be able to update the statistics for the conversion of my CDs. I think I will be up late Sunday night in an effort to get the work laptop to work.
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