please update

One of the fun things about my friends at squarespace is the amount and kinds of statistics I can pour through concerning my readers. All 4 of you. But seriously, data is fascinating, it doesn't matter what it's about. It can, however, also be scary... worrisome... perhaps horrifying is the correct word. Let me tell you why. Squarespace (and frankly any semi-sophisticated web site) knows what your IP address is, it knows what browser you are using and it knows what operating system you are using. Ipso facto, I know what your IP address is, I know what browser you are using and I know what operating system you are using. So, as a matter of pride and personal responsibility I feel I need to provide this PSA to my readers out there who need to hit the Windows Update site, of which there are FAR TOO MANY. I think perhaps a list of what I'm seeing followed by its remedy and how-to would be the best procedure here, so let us begin. 

Prologue: I should start this by saying Apple users need not read below; you already drank the kool-aid, Apple wipes your ass for you then helps you pull up your pants (to maintain their tight control over you) and you don't need me to do it. Bye now.

Browsers: I'm making browsers big because they're your intertubes experience. However, experience is not everything, security is super important. 

Internet Explorer 6 - If you are still using Internet Explorer 6 (and I know at least one person is) you need to print this out, close your browser and update immediately. I'm not joking. ie6 is so chocked full of holes that someone has probably already taken over your computer. Go here and download ie8 NOW!! 

Internet Explorer 7 - Same as above, except not AS dire, but seriously, get with the program. 

Internet Explorer 8 - I still use ie8 for a lot of things, watching hulu, anytime I want to use Silverlight, checking my work email (exchange), simply because it feels better at it. I do like it, it feels reliable, albeit slow. However I am using it less. Why? Because it has 70 some odd percent marketshare and it gets attacked by every 30 year old hacker still living in mom's basement. It's a huge target, it's perfectly good for everything you want to do, but most exploits hit it first and I'd rather not take chances. 

Mozilla Firefox 3.6 - Firefox is great. I've used Firefox for years, since before ie could do tabs, and I love me lots of tabs. It's pretty reliable, very safe and saves your passwords (which you can actually find later {cough, internet explorer}). 

Safari 4.0 - Safari is pretty, I'll give them that. I've used it occasionally and I liked the "ease" of use, but it felt and looked too much like iTunes...which I hate. Yes, hate is a strong word and I hate iTunes. I haven't tried Safari on Win7 so I don't know what the experience is like. But knowing Apple, when they update Safari, they'll try to get you to install iTunes, Quicktime and possibly even Aperture and Numbers or something with it, beware.

Chrome 4.0 - Chrome is fast. Damn fast. I'm trying to not drink the Google juice, but it smells so good. I'm not exactly thrilled about Google having my data and using it to give me ads suited to my needs, which is why my yahoo mail is still my main personal email account. Zeus knows what ad-sense would think about that. Regardless, I've been running Chrome for a few weeks now and am quite happy with it. For one thing I really hate all of the tab bars, search bars, address bars, bookmarks bars, bars bars bars every other browser seems to have. I want that valuable screen real estate to go to what I'm browsing, not my browser itself. Chrome has none of that. Address and tabs. Period. I like it. 

OSes:

WinXP - If you're at work, you have no control over your OS, but, why are you reading this? I know most offices are probably sticking with XP for a little while longer because every piece of software they have works on it. It's stable, reliable and pretty safe. They've been using it for a decade now and they know how it reacts. Plus business don't like spending $200 a pop on OS upgrades. If you're using it at home it is time to move on and I have three potential avenues to rectify this situation:

1. Buy a new computer, PC. There's a thing called Windows 7 out (that's 2 versions past what you are using now). It is awesome. And your computer is old.
2. Buy a new computer, Mac. See Prologue above.
3. Buy Windows 7. I don't recommend this for most of the people I know, especially since I don't want to be your IT department when you're installing it. 

Win Vista - See WinXP above. 

Linux - I have nothing bad to say to you, except you rock my world. I cried a little when I saw a fellow Linux adept browsing little old me. Who are you? I love you, will you marry me? 

Miscellaneous:

While we're at it, let's do a little maintenance. Go to Windows Update. Update everything. Microsoft releases updates and patches on the second Tuesday of every month, get into the habit. Go get Microsoft Security Essentials, it is a free anti-virus/malware/spam. Uninstall Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro, all of that other BS. Seriously, it's not as wonderful as they say it is. Stop paying for it. Back up your data. Go out and buy an external hard drive, or use an online back up service like Carbonite. Get your pictures, documents, movies, songs, emails, et cetera backed up somewhere. I don't care where, just do it. You don't want to lose the first 2 years of your child's life because the pictures you took are gone. 

Happy Computing. Cheers.

space is cool.

Endeavour docks with ISS

blue aliens

Now I don't know about you, but I was pretty proud of myself in Mass Effect 1 when I was able to utilize my mad skillz at picking up chicks to encourage Liara to fall for my female version of Shephard and engage in some hot alien-human lesbian "interaction". Jane Shephard is hot, make no mistake. And let me tell you, it was totally worth all of the effort of grinding (no pun intended) through hours upon hours, lines upon lines of goody-goody dialog to make it happen. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a girl-girl counterpart in Mass Effect 2, I ended up bedding the Turian in order to get the achievement... lame; unfortunately Kelly wasn't having any of it either. 

What I learned in the end is that female blue alien chicks dig female humans. Period. I bet my mom is proud. Cheers.

Fallout: New Vegas

I'm a new Fallout follower, but I'm already excited about this game. I mean, who doesn't love a game that requires it's own Wiki? Cheers.

$7,000?? SOLD!!!

I love geeks. Their ingenuity, their creativity, their imagination and their creepy desperation never fails to impress. 

And now that has been taken to the next level. Companionship without another person. Sure, for some of us life really isn't worth living without the inclusion of another PERSON to share it with, but we all have to admit that other people aren't the answer for some people. I might even include myself in that depending upon the circumstances. That's irrelevant really, and even the use of this robot isn't really relevant. What is relevant, however, is the fact that computer programmers and hardware manufacturers can put their heads together and create a device that can interact with a real person. We've all had conversations with the computer phone operators who ask us to repeat "One" twelve times before it hears us. You're currently staring at a computer that I'm sure you've cussed out a time or two because when you went to click send or print all it did was stare back at you blankly and refuse. Put aside the fact that this is a sex toy and imagine where this could lead. There are countless books and films re: the affect/impact upon humanity of robots who interact with humans; AI, Bicentennial Man, I, Robot, Terminator, etc. Are we really technologically advanced enough to begin the journey down that path?

The news and talk shows and society have laughed at the inventors and potential users of this device. Society never accepts something it doesn't understand. Forget social acceptance. Who gives a shit about a society that doesn't accept homosexuality, that watches reality tv, that drowns their sorrows in gallons of alcohol, that needs to fill their time surrounded by people almost as obnoxious as themselves and that obsesses about Tiger Woods' sex life like it's any of their fucking business. I say carry on man. If society doesn't accept your choices about companions, then maybe it is time for us to begin the evolution of a new society. I'll take two, it's cheaper than getting married.

All hail our Machine Overlords!! Though I do wish they would make her a little cuter.

Cheers

Inventor Douglas Hines with Roxxxy, his computerized sex robot that can carry on a conversation and have a simulated orgasm.