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Buh Bye Norton...
11.28.2003 - 10:28 PM | permalink

Norton pissed me off for the last time. Bought the upgrade to Norton Internet Security 2004 which was free after rebate at staples. Installed. Well, here are some things of note... 1) they now require you to activate the product 2) it comes with a ton of crap you don't need or want 3) you can't just install antivirus alone as you used to... you have to install the whole internet security panel... even if you check only to install NAV. 4) Even if you choose NOT to use spam filtering, it places a bulky toolbar in Outlook that YOU CANNOT REMOVE. Try as I might, it wouldn't go away. I was quite happy with Outlook 2003's spam filtering and didn't feel as if I needed this additional layer. 5) The firewall is turned on by default even if you tell the program you only want to install NAV.

So, I uninstalled Norton Internet Security 2004 and kissed it's crappy ass goodbye. Norton has really been going down hill in my eyes in the last few years and this is the final straw. I have installed the free version of AVG anti virus and found it's as full featured as I need. Auto updates, scheduled scanning, email incoming and outgoing scanning... did I mention it was free?
 
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Is This What It's Come To?
11.26.2003 - 10:43 AM | permalink

Ugh. Getting older. Why oh why do we have to get older. Until recently, I thought the idea of the Sharper Image's nose and ear hair trimmer was repulsive. I am now considering ordering one. This is partly due to my Italian heritage. That mixed with the Polish, Pennsylvania Dutch and few other things thrown in for good measure makes me a fairly hairy guy. No, I don't have back hair (ewwww) but I do seem to be getting it in places where I would rather not. For example... it could just be me but my eyebrows seem to be growing at an exponential speed. Maybe the propecia I am taking is sending the signals there instead of my head. What is up with that? How come my eyebrows can grow so rapidly, yet I am headed down the Phil Collins road in the cranium department. Frustrating is all I can tell you. The second you have to actually trim your eyebrows with a beard trimmer, you too can feel depressed like me.

By the way, the Yaglenski Christmas Lights Spectacular is now underway. I have done all the trees and am now working on outlining the house and planning the lawn features. If you have any cool ideas, send them to me at [email protected]. I just might use them.
 
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The Solid Time Of Change
11.18.2003 - 10:07 AM | permalink

The more things change, the more they stay the same. A few days ago I dusted off the Yes CD "Close to the Edge". I can vividly remember my excitement when I first heard this album in junior high. A kid down the street was a member of a record club and they apparently sent him a double shipment of the cassette. Originally I thought to myself "cool, a tape I can use to record over". Then something magical happened. I popped it in my player, donned my bulky radio shack headphones (with thick black spiral cord) and I was sent on a musical journey that would set the tone for my musical leanings for decades to come. This album is incredible on so many levels. The intricacy of the lyrics intertwined with a musical group at the top of their game... All brought together on an album that took chances and sounded like few other had before it. Rick Wakemans cathedral organ solo still blows my socks off. 3 songs, just under 38 minutes of musical perfection. If you haven't ever listened to Close to the Edge before, you owe it to yourself to do so... And what better time than now as yes has remastered the LP and included a disc of additional tracks.
 
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Turkey & Gravy Flavored Beverage
11.17.2003 - 3:20 PM | permalink

So, I am thinking to myself today, what could be better than a turkey and gravy flavored Thanksgiving beverage? A BACON flavored beverage would be the way I would go. Somebody get Don on the phone.
 
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ESPN - Lunardi Takes Jab at Purnell
11.11.2003 - 3:13 PM | permalink

Joe Lunardi has his pre-season NCAA Basketball Brackets on the ESPN site. Basically, he tried to pick who is going to make the NCAA Tourney at the end of the year. It's a crapshoot at best and he has Dayton pegged at #32 which is a fine place to start even though we probably should be higher. That in itself isn't much reason to mention the brackets, but his comments that go along with the predictions amused me. It pretty much summed up how Flyers fans felt about their former coach Oliver Purnell and how glad we were to welcome new coach, Brian Gregory...

"Were the Flyers over-seeded last year? Tulsa certainly made it look that way. It says here that UD will be just fine without Oliver Purnell, who always seemed better at getting a new contract than winning in March. Brian Gregory is a fine choice."
 
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The Rumours Are True
11.10.2003 - 12:57 PM | permalink

The black and white sidekick can use the color sidekick camera, which means, I can actually shoot photos that look like something instead of the semi-blurry mess that the old camera used to take. For examples, check out my hipalbum.com link in the right hand side toolbar. It had been rumoured by TMOB that you couldn't do this and that the camera wouldn't work, but that appears to have been just a marketing ploy. Sweet.
 
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New Feature
11.08.2003 - 9:49 AM | permalink

HipAlbum.com has this new feature where you can send photos from your T-Mobile Sidekick to their site where they will then create an album for you. In itself, there is nothing gee-whiz about that, until you realize they have this cool thing that automatically generates an avatar for you to use on the fly from your photo gallery! Very slick stuff. Of course, figuring out just what the puny picture is can be quite a challenge sometimes...
 
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Have You Found Nemo
11.06.2003 - 10:38 AM | permalink

Don't know why but I'm not wrapped up in the hype of this movie. Heard this morning that it was the fastest selling dvd of all time now, in addition to being the all time king of the box office in the animated world. I saw the movie in the theaters. It's a good flick and was entertaining... But the best selling and biggest box office draw of all time.? Puh-lea-se. I just don't get it. The Toy Story movies (both of them) were far better and funnier. Heck, even Monsters Inc. was a more entertaining movie. So, maybe I havn't found Nemo yet. I guess I will when I head to Target this weekend and pick the dvd up. That is IF I can find it...

On the Christmas home decorating front (which is rapidly approaching), if anyone sees interesting rope light lawn figures, let me know. I am looking for: penguins, an igloo, anything skating and a north pole sign but I'm open to just about anything interesting.

OTA - still waiting for my tmobile sidekick over the air update, though after talking to Gary O who already got it, my enthusiasm has waned. All I want at this point is syncing with outlook. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently it is, as I have been waiting more than a year for it to show up. In fact, I have put off buying a color sidekick to protest the fact that it still hasn't been released. Come on Danger. For more info, see http://www.danger.com .
 
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Monday, Monday... Ba, ba, bah, ba da ba
11.03.2003 - 10:14 AM | permalink

Ah, another Monday. How I dread you so. It's especially tough going back to work when you have such a nice weekend (other than the Redskins loosing yet again). I know it sounds mundane, but I was pleased with myself for completing the "garage project" which entailed putting up cabinets, a work area and wire shelves for storage. For the record, clutter drives me nuts, so it's nice to see our garage take a closer step toward sanity. Of course, the basement still has a long way to go... But you fight one battle at a time.

The hot tub I bought months ago may finally see the light of day. After Frederick county held up the permit for almost 4 weeks, I called and found out zoning really didn't need to review the plan and should have never received it. To quote "uh, that shouldn't have been in my pile".

Now, to get my electrician and landscaping guy to come back and finish the patio that the tub will sit on. That may prove as big a challenge as getting the permit approved.

Other big things in the works... My wife Stacey decided about a month ago that she wanted to move forward with plans to expand her embroidery business and get serious about it earning income. This means we will need to spend roughly $20k on a commercial embroidery machine and digitizing software. Seeing as how I don't have cash like that lying around, I called the bank and we're going to get a loan. It's a little scary, but I believe in her and in the business so we'll give it a go.

Wish us luck.

IAAPA is coming. In a few weeks, I will be off to what is quite possibly the greatest convention known to man, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions annual gathering in Orlando. 3 straight days of rides, attractions, food and fun all wrapped up in a neat package. I'm sure I will be posting from there so, stay tuned.

Ok, enough stuff for today, my train is near its stop and I see a vente decaf iced caramel machiatto in my future.
 
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Football in November
11.01.2003 - 1:57 PM | permalink

Could you ask for anything more? It's November 1 as the family and I sit and watch Maryland vs. North Carolina at Bryd Stadium under clear skies and a temperature that feels like 80 degrees in the sunshine. Life is good.

Better yet, as the season slowly draws to a close, reminders come that college basketball season is not far away. Single game tickets to Dayton Flyer basketball go on sale Tuesday. Can you feel the excitement already?
 
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