Braindumps

Satisfaction

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:11:29 GMT

I can't say, right now, if there is anything more satisfying than seeing something you worked hard on actually coming to fruition. I have worked for months now on getting this interconnect board to do what I want it to do, and now it does. It's not pretty, it's not elegant, and I can't get it to be all too reliable at the speeds I want it to finally work at, but it's working at speeds we can live with. In the next two weeks, a lot of my hard work will, hopefully, be ooing and ahhing current and potential customers at shows in Las Vegas and the Netherlands.

Some things I've learned:

Always compile with an assembly map as part of your output: It can help you find where you added, or can shave, some assembly instructions. Critical when you're trying to do 35 us of work in 34. . .
It's never too late to re-design a critical function, especially when you finally find someone who's not only done it, but shares his code on the internet.
Never forget the value of a good oscilloscope, if you can't find a logic analyzer. . .

Edit: This next show is in Orlando, not Vegas. Apparently it switches from year to year.

"iPod" meme

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:59:44 GMT

Now that I actually have one, I felt I should finally do this. . . :-)

You know how this works, right?
Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both artist and track correctly.
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!
Step 5: If you like the game post your own.

1. ~~Come on, baby, let's get out of this town.~~ ("You Can Sleep While I Drive," Melissa Etheridge, nukekitty)
2. Some people think I'm crazy
3. Well I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true
4. ~~I like your pants around your feet~~ ("Figured You Out," Nickelback, kengi01)
5. ~~All the fear has left me now~~ ("Fumbling Towards Ecstacy," Sarah McLachlan, servergirl )
6. ~~I can the feel the magic flowing in the air~~ ("Breathe," Faith Hill, servergirl )
7. We'll do it all
8. ~~I need love, love~~ ("You Can't Hurry Love," Phil Collins, ctrlalttabby)
9. ~~I feel you creepin', I can see you from my shadow.~~ ("Smack That," Akon, kengi01)
10. If you feel that it's real I'm on trial
11. ~~Dead I am the one, exterminating son~~ ("Dragula," Rob Zombie, kengi01)
12. It ticks just like a Timex
13. No matter what you say about love
14. Drowning deep in my sea of loathing
15. Open up the book you beat me with again.
16. ~~Gonna kick off my shoes and run in bare feet~~ ("Where the Blacktop Ends," Keith Urban, kengi01)
17. ~~Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?~~ ("One," U2, spoondave)
18. ~~Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog~~ ("Round Here," Counting Crows, keithdb )
19. ~~We are young, heartache to heartache we stand~~ ("Love Is A Battlefield," Pat Benetar, spoondave )
20. I saw fireworks from the freeway
21. ~~I want to run, I want to hide~~ ("Where the Streets Have No Name," U2, servergirl )
22. It's about as bad as it could be
23. We're both looking for something we've been afraid to find
24. ~~It doesn't mean much, it doesn't mean anything at all~~ ("Sweet Surrender," Sarah McLachlan,servergirl )
25. All this feels strange and untrue

Shocking!

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:58:02 GMT

Roger Clemens was using steroids?! Josh Bolton and Karl Rove are in contempt of Congress?! These things are, to say the very least, the most shocking things I've ever heard! Next you're going to tell me that Jesus was a Jew!

Okay, so the news is full of obvious today, but they're acting like it's all very controversial, exciting and shocking. I guess that's how you get people to listen. . .

Memishness: Whoa. . .

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:03:20 GMT

Am-I-Dumb.com - Intelligence Test

WTF?

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:38:06 GMT

http://www.hallmarkapts.com/policies.html

Look at the pictures. Now, look to the left, under the address/directions. Huh?

Ouch!

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:18:55 GMT

I got bit by one of these (Katie, Darlene, do not click unless you really wanna) this morning. While I was in the shower. On the 4th toe on my right foot, underside. The water from the shower stunned it and it stayed docile, partially wrapped in wet toilet paper until I got a good look at it. After I'd gotten a good enough look at it, the thing dried off enough to try moving about (it wasn't in the best of shape, probably the water was too hot) and, of course, have its life ended swiftly, the fucker. . .

A belated happy birthday. . .

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:32:34 GMT

. . .to servergirl. Who's still older than me. Once again, you'll have to give me any crib notes you have on life at 37 in a month and a half.

Greetings. . .

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:00:55 GMT

In general, I post mostly friends locked post. Comment to this message to tell me who you are and that you'd like to be an LJ friend. Also, I do have a few "public" filters, so if you'd be interested in getting into one of those, there's this handy poll. Enjoy:

View Poll: pleasantlyevil filters

Hmmm. . .

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:22:13 GMT

Not sure what the other options were, but somehow I thought I might have been an ellipsis. . .

Your Score: hyphen

You scored 46% Sociability and 58% Sophistication!

You are comfortable around others. While you don't have to go out every night, yet you take pride in being easy to get along with. This should not, however, be misconstrued as believing (as many do) that you are without subtlety. In fact, you have the power to inform the anal retentive that, indeed, they are discussing an anal-retentive issue. Who else can do that? Quotation marks intimidate you a little bit.

Link: The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Color me suprised. . .

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 03:40:54 GMT

What American accent do you have?
Created by Xavier on Memegen.net

Mid-Atlantic. This is what everyone calls a Philadelphia accent although it's also the accent of south Jersey, Baltimore, and Wilmington. Well, everyone that lives near there, that is. Outsiders can tell you talk differently from them even though they can't tell what your accent is.

Take this quiz now - it's easy!

I'm at Erik's

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:51:02 GMT

I arrived at Erik's around midnight last night. His apartment is nice and he's set it up well. It was nice being with him but I don't want to leave.

I'm about to head off to my parents'. Hopefully things will go well this evening. Our family (and extended family) could use positive thoughts and prayers! *hugs*

Thanks all!

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:56:28 GMT

I just got home. No, I didn't go somewhere else in between. I was going to go shopping so I could buy corn starch so I could make turkey gravy and heat up sliced turkey in the gravy and pour it all over mashed potatoes, but all I want to do now is crawl up into a ball and go to sleep. But I can't. I have to get dressed into "street" clothes and go pick up the girls for dinner. And drink lots and lots of water. Y'all know I can talk, but this goes beyond that. Oy. . .

On the plus side, after lunch (yes, they bought me lunch!), I spoke with the actual manager and he made it clear he thought, based on prelim stuff, that he wanted me to meet with the rest of the team. I really thought he was joking when he told the guy who was coordinating the whole thing, "So, you have Erik booked for the whole afternoon, right? Erik, I hope you like talking about yourself."

At any rate, this job looks interesting, an entry point into cell phones without having to come in at the entry level, and Agere wasn't the worst place to work for in the past, and if I get an offer, I won't be the first new old guy on the team who's never done anything they're going to be doing. 3 of the people I interviewed with started within the last month and their backgrounds had nothing to do with cell phones, the processor that Agere is using in their chipsets, or necessarily DSP programming. One guy was 5 years (!) out of the work force after getting laid off and becoming a stay-at-home dad. So far, my best prospect yet! Fingers are crossed, people. . . ;-)

Interviewing. . .

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:13:14 GMT

. . .with Agere Systems this morning. Wish me luck!

I'm lovin' it. . .

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:25:05 GMT

No, not McDonald's, but this phrase from one of the cover stories from the New York Times web page:

A pivotal group of Christian conservatives is dissatisfied with the Republican presidential field and uncertain where to turn.

I'm sure I'm not the only person in this country tired of a single vocal minority like the religious "right" having significant influence over our social and personal lives and I'm actually happy to see a more moderate selection of Republicans making their faces even more public for the Presidential race. I'm a little disappointed in John McCain and Mitt Romney, in their efforts to double back on their records in trying to woo the religious conservative groups, leaving Rudy Giuliani the only Repub hopeful who's standing his ground at the moment, but he's still not someone I'd want running my country. Until 9/11, Giuliani appeared to be a doing a fairly poor job as mayor of New York. I know things looked better than they had under the likes of Dinkins, but things were sliding backwards again. As such, I've yet to see one that I would want running my country, and therefore would make me change my vote right at the moment. I'm still thinking Barack Obama is the Dems best shot at the White House. I mean, Hillary Clinton brings Bill with her and is, in my opinion, the stronger candidate, and not just for having an ex-President as a husband, but she inspires so much hatred in conservatives that they would be out in force to vote her down, even if the opposing choice was a dead fish in a dry bucket. Am I concerned that a black candidate might cause the same ruckus? Maybe, but I think there are more rational conservatives out there who won't judge by race and might not come out in the droves that Hillary would generate.

So, it's a toss up right now, I'm going to vote in the primaries for sure this year, if they happen to matter. I'm not sure what else might be on the ballot, but I'll keep an eye on it, that's for certain.

Sunfighter meme

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:32:49 GMT

Yeah, why not. . .

The meme:

1. grab the nearest book.
2. open the book to page 23.
3. find the fifth sentence.
4. post the text of the next three sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! i know you were thinking about it! just pick up whatever is closest.

The result:

As each new piece was revealed, exclamations of admiration followed. Eragon guessed that more than a few purses would soon be depleted. Merlock seemed to flourish and grow every time his wares were complimented.

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:48:29 GMT

It is not cold at all in Boston. Not at all. It's just a bit brisk, that's all. Seriously.

(Read: OMG, it's so f-ing cold! How do people live up here?!)

Of course, it was actually colder in Allentown, by temp this morning, but the wind chill factor is the killer.

Doctor Who. . .

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:45:23 GMT

So, as a Netflix member, I get access now to a fair number of movies and TV shows online. They have a number of classic Doctor Who series and I've been watching the 1978-9 season, with the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker. The entire season is one big arc, but is broken down into six serials (five are four-part, the final is 6 parts), one of which was written by Douglas Adams.

At any rate, I'm finding these stories interesting, but not truly as compelling as the new series. I am, however, seeing some interesting parallels between the personalities of the 4th, 9th (Chris Eccleston, now on Heroes) an 10th (David Tennant, whom I've really enjoyed during the second season of the new series), so I'm wondering if I'll see those same behaviors in some of the Doctors in between.

Oy. . .

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:17:28 GMT

Hmmmmm. So, I wake up this morning, earlier than I wanted to. I go online, kick off Firefox, and only 3 of 4 opening tabs actually get to a web page. Quickly, I find that when I click on a link on tab #2, that goes nowhere and won't even find it's way home. So, I try to log on to my router. Nothing. It's there, but it won't accept my password. This means I have to reset it (read, pull the plug cuz I can't seem to ever get the little reset button to work). This means the TiVo needs to be restarted or it will never connect properly to the wireless and then I won't get programming updates. So, I unplug router, tell TiVo to restart and then plug in the router. Nothing is working past the router, but I can now log on to it and do some poking. Everything looks fine, but I know that's not always the case, so I release from the cable modem, reset the cable modem, and reattach to the DHCP server. Yay, that part works. Still, nothing works right, so I'm left to the final realization that RCN has, yet again, had another problem with its network. I'm not sure what the problem is, but they occasionally get these holes in their coverage. It's not like I'm completely off the 'Net, it's more like I'm offered a slice of Swiss cheese (kinda like Alpine Lace) instead of a nice brick of cheddar. . .

I'm sorry. . . There's not much going on these days and I've just spent 45 minutes troubleshooting a problem beyond my control, and I really liked that cheese simile and wanted to share. My apologies to the lactose intolerant. . .

Interview. . .

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 05:28:44 GMT

So, I had an interview this morning. In Bethlehem. First interview I've had close to "home" in a while. I say "home" because home as a concept is starting to have a different meaning again. More on that in another post, if I feel up to it.

Suffice it to say, I'm starting to get a little bit desperate. This job has a max salary cap of about 9-10% less than I was making at my base salary at K&S. I actually lied on my application and lowered my final salary by about $6K. And, the final sign of desperation: I dyed my hair, at the suggestion of my mother and the counsel (and aid) of others, all of whom agree that I probably need to look a little bit younger at the moment. deceptiverose helped me pick out a color and did the dyeing part. Most of the grey either took the dye or now looks like light brown highlights. I really have to keep up on the shaving now, as there's a huge patch of grey and white in my facial hair and it doesn't match my head. I don't recognize myself half the time, though I think most people who know me don't notice. deceptiverose's mother didn't notice right away. The girls surely haven't noticed, or said anything. And the ex, is either completely clueless or hasn't said a thing. Since she likes to subtly mock me to my face and try to embarrass me publicly when we're around each other, I'm thinking she hasn't noticed.

Date plus awake plus job stuff. . .

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:54:37 GMT

deceptiverose and I had a date tonight (last night, technically, since it's past midnight now). Hot red dress, expensive (moderately) dinner, fun time had by all: Yeah, that's a date. It was fun! We went to the Melting Pot in King of Prussia. We ate lots of good food that we had to cook for ourselves and came back and snuggled in front of the TV for a bit and then moved onto advanced snuggling once some food setting occurred.

Now, like it seems every night, I get ready for bed, I snuggle with deceptiverose until she falls asleep, and just before I can fall asleep, I wake up and then I'm up 'til 2. It's a pattern I can live with now cuz I don't have to be anywhere in the morning. I hope this is mostly a side-effect of stressing over the fact that I take Katie back to Boston on Sunday and my job situation.

I'm not exactly finding the greatest luck in my job search. I did apply for a job in Harrisburg that turns out to actually be in Bethlehem. I'm still waiting to hear back from the recruiting service who's the go-between. The hiring company wanted to talk to me, phone or face-to-face, and I said face-to-face would be perfect and that I could speak with them when I got back from Boston (Tuesday). Still no word. Dunno, really, but maybe they weren't ready to see me face-to-face so soon and haven't set things up. Well, starting Wednesday, I could be there almost as soon as they ask me to drop in. Give me 30 minutes to wash my hair and suit up and 10 or so to drive over and I'm all set! lol

So, here's hoping something comes through sooner than later. . . :-)

[mib] Oy!!!

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 05:16:33 GMT

What the hell is wrong with some people?

On the SJG forums:

My friends and I cannot decide when you play Room cards (found in our Star Munchkin deck). There is no listing...anywhere, on any of the rule books we have that even mention the Room type cards.

This moron threw out the rules that came with Clown Wars. He then posts this in his defense:

I mean, who thinks that a small deck of cards that is supposed to supplement the main game would have it's own set of rules?

I mean, am I wrong in thinking that the majority of games that have expansions usually have rules changes with the expansions when new game elements are introduced? Beyond that, the bastard skipped several sticky posts in the forum that say, "READ ME NOW/FIRST," which might have hinted to him that there might be rules for Clown Wars, like the link that, in essence, says, "Clown Wars rules right here." In the last 3 days, this is guy number 3 that's made me want to reach into my computer, snake my arms through the Internet and strangle someone in the hopes of preventing them from reproducing. . .

It's people like that make me think I need a new hobby. . .

A happy birthday. . .

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:40:51 GMT

. . . to heldincontempt, who can actually eat her birthday cake now. . .

Foosball. . .

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:26:43 GMT

Dallas is going all the way! Home, that is. . . This, is of course, as long as they don't give Romo the keys to the plane and stand him near a storm drain. . . ;-)

Sorry, had to get that out, not matter how bad it is. . . :-)

So: Go Eagles!

Feeling villainous. . .

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:17:45 GMT

Your results:
You are Apocalypse

Apocalypse		73%
Magneto		70%
Dr. Doom		70%
Lex Luthor		65%
The Joker		62%
Green Goblin		56%
Mr. Freeze		54%
Kingpin		51%
Poison Ivy		50%
Juggernaut		48%
Riddler		43%
Dark Phoenix		43%
Catwoman		43%
Two-Face		36%
Venom		33%
Mystique		32%

You believe in survival of the fittest and you believe that you are the fittest.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test

A new year is coming. . .

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 03:34:25 GMT

It's been a whole year and I'm not entirely sure how that happened. It's been filled with great moments, and not-so-great moments, and just lots of regular everyday moments. If you've been a part of the great moments and even the regular every-day moments, I thank you for that. If you've been a part of the not-so-great moments and you were trying to help, I also thank you. If you were the perpetrator of any of the not-so-great moments, I have a special place for us to get together and talk. Why, no, that's not a baseball bat behind my back. . .

At any rate, I'm actually looking forward to the next year. Things are terribly up in the air and messed up in some respects, going great in others, but I'm guessing it can only get better, no matter what.