Lots of Monkeys

In the interest of “taking one for the team,” I’ve installed a service pack against my (and others’s) better judgment. I’ve decided to install on my primary work machine. This is so that I’ll have a vested interest in fixing anything I find broken.

So, I’ve installed the MS XP SP 2 RC 2, and so far, other than getting a slight rash from acronym overexposure, the machine appears to be doing okay. Nothing’s broken yet.

Installation was pretty easy, and before you can hit ctrl+alt+del to log in, it asks you if you want to run the new firewall. I, of course, said “Yes.”

It’s like XP has a bit of ZoneAlarm integrated into the OS, and it asks for permission when a program attempts to access the internet. Those of us who have been running ZoneAlarm for years will find this action familiar, although from first glance it’s not as robust as Zone Labs’s product.

You’ll have a few hiccups when you try to use aim, or update your antivirus software, but otherwise, so far, it’s been a fairly transparent experience. Basically, a popup window will come up and ask you to block or unblock programs that attempt any sort of communication outside your computer. You can say, “block,” “unblock,” or the ever popular, “Ask me later.”

In the control panel, there are a few bits where you can tweak the firewall. You can add programs that are exempt from the firewall’s tender iron grip, (Hello, WarCraft III) allowing them to accept incoming connections. You can also have windows create a log file for troubleshooting, although how useful that will be has yet to be seen.

What’s missing is a “lockdown” button. I, for one, would like the option to block all incoming and outgoing traffic.

I don’t know what I would do with such a button, but I would probably hotwire it to a large red button. And then I’d put a plastic cover on it with a hinge to prevent accidentally tripping it. Then I’d probably want a siren attached to the hinge that blares the “red alert” noise from Star Trek when I open it.

Also missing are any options to “Set phasers to stun,” and “Perform Picard maneuver.”

There’s an answer to that one Star Wars question that’s been bothering me for a while. Remember how Han boasts about the “Kessel Run” in under “12 parsecs?”

Parsecs are distance, not time, why this makes sense is explained here.

So I can no longer just chalk this up to poor fact checking.

There are no “takebacks” when you communicate.

Whether it’s Interpersonal or Mass Communication, once a message is sent out, you can’t edit it.

Two people are having a conversation. One says, “I don’t love you anymore.” That person cannot retract that statement without negatively impacting future messages that they may want to send. The person who was told, “I don’t love you anymore.” cannot simply forget that the statement was ever uttered. It’s impossible. Human beings don’t work this way.

A person makes a movie for mass consumption. People watch it. He has communicated a story to a mass audience. In it, there is a scene where one person shoots another. The person that made the movie cannot alter this scene without negatively impacting those that have already watched the movie.

In short, Han Solo shoots first. Han Solo is a murderer. I don’t care what George Lucas does. Besides, Greedo shooting first is ridiculous. I don’t care how dark the cantina is, he probably wouldn’t have missed from 3 feet away.

I’ve got a bunch of little upgrades for the technical aspect of my life. All waiting in the wings.

First off, my gaming rig. DooM3 is right around the corner, come August 3rd. Half Life 2 is coming. . . uh, this year. As I am a fan of the first person shooter, I will have to upgrade my once glorious 1Ghz pentium and GeForce 2 Ultra for something a little less lethargic. The “old and busted” will have to serve some other, less taxing purpose, like 2D games.

The “new hotness” will be more “new” and less “hotness.” I’m building a machine to play this year’s games, and not the games that will be available 3 years from now. While I admit this may alienate me from those who possess cores that are not soft, I believe that only spending $400 for a machine will be good enough. Thanks to Ars Technica and their buyer’s guide, I won’t have to do too much shopping for my budget box. I also read AnandTech for the second opinion.

Shouldn’t be too harrowing, wallet wise. My monitor accepts two inputs, and I’ve got a few components just hanging around. I’m even reusing a video card.

Secondly, my wireless network.

The Aiport Express is out, and Ars Technica has given it their once over. The stores should be getting them in next week. This week was for all the people that preordered it, and the people that waited in line to get the ones that weren’t preordered.

I should have preordered.

This just in: The groom now husband, has lost his wallet.

They have managed to get everything cancelled, except for the one item that they called me for.

I have now called his mother, and informed her of the lost home depot gift card, in the hopes that they can get it reissued.

There were even more little tidbits I just found out from the mother. The first place they were going to stay cancelled on them. The second place was rendered uninhabitable by a fire. The third went bankrupt.

Inconceivable. And then, to add insult to injury, just as she was about to leave the carnival, her flight home got canceled.

Two words: Disaster. Prone.