by Matt | Mar 19, 2003 | Imported Entry
Yes… it’s 3:30am. I’m still awake. I’m quickly copying files from my computer which is on its death bed. It’s gone from “crashing randomly” to “blue screen of death on every boot.” It’s pretty ugly. Chip and I have been looking up the “Stop: Error” numbers that it’s been giving us and all of them make reference to horrific driver problems. Unfortunatly none of them mention which drivers or even what type of drivers might be to blame. We’ve uninstalled and reinstalled everything we can think of and nothing has helped. At the moment I’m blaming Age of Mythology. Ever since I installed it I’ve been having problems and if I remember correctly, it required a reboot when it was installed, indicating to me that it installed some sort of driver. A driver which more than likely has been left in the system folder after I uninstalled the game. I can’t think of anything else I’ve installed in the past 3 days that even remotely used or changed drivers. So… it leaves me with only one option: reinstalling EVERYTHING. This doesn’t exactly come at the best time. At the height of spring break gaming goodness my computer decides to pull this shit. I’m not very pleased. I’m backing up everything I can but memory dumps and bluescreens are popping up every few minutes. I’ve also transfered things over to my older system, mostly my mp3 collection. Tomorrow I’ll wipe the drive and then reinstall. I suppose I should get some sleep now. It is 3:30am… and I’m very tired… of all this.
by Matt | Mar 18, 2003 | Imported Entry
A most interesting day around the ranch. We started with a little cold leftover pizza and some video games. Followed up by a “tour” of downtown. I’m not very good at giving tours and I don’t know much about the historic parts of Savannah so I’m sure it was pretty boring for Chip. Most of the tour consisted of “this is that place that I did that thing that time.” Oh well. Afterwords we wondered over to B&N so I could pick up the new PDN and see if there was a new book to catch my fancy. I’ve been looking for something new to read for quite some time. I picked up “The Summer of ’49” which retells the tale of the 1949 baseball season which was essentially the Yanks vs. the Sox. After that we went over to Best Buy so that I could get one of those wrist support things since I’ve been developing carpal tunnel (sp?). From there we came back to the apartment and tried to diagnose some serious problems with my computer. It’s been locking up and restarting without warning since yesterday. We’ve calmed it down with a few (bios, MB, video card and windows) updates. I’ve also unplugged a few USB devices because one of the alleged fixes (as mentioned in the Microsoft knowledge base) could be that there isn’t enough USB bandwidth and devices need to be removed. I’m down to the keyboard, mouse and printer and things seem to be going ok.
After all that, things got a little interesting. I heard a kid crying outside and went to investigate and found a little kid cowering on Jason’s car afraid to get down. I got Jason and we went outside to see what was going on. The child was apparently afraid of a puppy. Yes, a puppy. It was wondering around down by Lauren’s apartment and was just sitting there minding it’s own business. Jason took hold of the puppy so that the kid could run away in safety. So, now we were holding onto a puppy. We decided we’d go to the rental office to see if it was anyone’s because it was neutered and looked well kept and well behaved but had no collar on it. The rental office had no idea who’s dog it was and suggested we visit Animal Control and the Humane Society. So, that’s where we went. The entire time the puppy didn’t make a sound and was generally pleasant and playful. It’s a shame I’m allergic to dogs, otherwise this would have made the perfect pet. We got to the animal shelter around 5:30 and found out it had closed at 4:30. Luckily the humane society next door was open until 6. Problem is that they don’t take stays. The Animal shelter takes them, checks them out and then turns them over for adoption. So we’re stuck with this dog for the moment. Jason called Melissa when we got back and she’s going to take it for the night so that’s good. They’re actually at the store right now buying it food or something. I feel really bad for the dog, it’s far to well behaved not to be someone’s pet and if I wasn’t allergic to it I’d almost suggest that it be our pet, but that’s couldn’t happen. We did manage to take some pictures however. These are a few from Chip’s camera and I’ll get Jason’s off his camera later. I’m sure Chip has posted about this as well. He suggested that I use “trackback” to link to him but I prefer the old fashion way myself.
That’s about it for excitement around here. Computers crashing and being fixed, new books and stray puppies. What more could you ask for in an afternoon?
Matt out.
by Matt | Mar 17, 2003 | Imported Entry
Well, not so much a “lounge” per-say since that would involve a smoking section and a liquor license, but we certainly are sitting around playing video games. We’ve decided to try a little bit of everything and see what catches our fancy. So far Freelancer has been a big hit with Chip, leaving him addicted until 8am the other day. As a group, Guilty Gear X (for the PC) also seems to be holding our attention. Need for Speed also got a little play. Both Age of Mythology (while enjoyable as a single player experience) and IceWin Dale failed to cut it. IWD is quite possibly one of the worst games I’ve seen in a while. If you know anyone who was “addicted” to that… hit them with a stick and tell them “no, bad gamer.” We’ve still got a few left to try but I feel like taking a bit of a gaming break today to work on either some wallpaper or a new website design. Both would have similar inspiration. I think a wallpaper might be the answer since it brings a bit more instant gratification to the table. I’m also going to create a new mix for Chip for his drive home. He said he listened to my old mixes on the way down.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, today is St. Patrick’s Day and here in Savannah, the capital of St.Patrick’s stupidity, it’s raining. When I woke up this morning I did a little happy dance because I know that all of the drinkers will have to be wet and miserable and it’s their own damn fault. I’m not exactly a fan of this holiday. While it’s fine for average joe-frat-boy, the art community as well as the local people seem to dislike green beer as much as I do. There are of course a few cross-over groups. The art school athletic teams I would assume would be partaking in the festivities, the stupid people would be there as well, the freshmen since they don’t know any better, groups like that. Don’t get me wrong, I like drinking, but only in complete control and moderation. If I go out for Mexican I might have a margarita. If I go out for “drinks” I’d have a Jack & Coke and that would be it. I don’t see the need to go out, get drunk, puke and fall asleep naked on a park bench. While this seems to be a regular occurrence (not sure about that park bench) in college, I’ve some how avoided the bug. I thought for a long time that it was maturity based but I could never be sure. It’s the weirdest feeling to be playing a video game, acting like a 12 year old, only to start thinking about what it was like “back in the day” and how you’re getting old. It messes with your mind… and requires another Mt.Dew.
Anyway, that’s about it. Chip and Jason are still asleep so I think I’ll tinker with Photoshop for a while. Later.
by Matt | Mar 16, 2003 | Imported Entry
Upgraded to MT 2.63 last night and decided to try out a new jive plugin or two.
This is all just random text… pay no attention to it…
Add/Remove Programs won’t work after XP SP 1 – Click HERE for Original Thread
DemiUrge
Hi,
I did a fresh install of Windows XP before installing the new service pack, and everything went smoothly until i ran the new shortcut that lets you edit whether you want to use IE or not, etc. (Sorry for the vagueness, I can’t completely remember what it was called.)
The shortcut didn’t work, saying something about a parser error message. Now when I try to open Add/Remove Programs, I get this:
quote:
——————————————————————————–
Parser Message
Value creation failed “” at line 472
——————————————————————————–
I’m not dying to reinstall XP again (i JUST got everything back to normal =), so I was wondering if anyone could give any advice.
Thanks in advance.
(Edited for spelling)
Phantasm66
Hey! Its your lucky day! (Or at least I hope it is, anyway….)
quote:
——————————————————————————–
1.) Go to your /WINDOWS/Resources/Themes directory, or wherever you may have your themes located.
2.) Go into the directory of the theme your currently using.
Example: Using ‘Semplice’ by KoL? Navigate to /WINDOWS/Resources/Themes/Semplice
3.) Go into the folder called ‘Shell” within the previous directory.
4.) Inside you’ll find a folder with a file called ‘shellstyle.dll’ inside. Now remember the name of the theme your using? (Example: Semplice). You need to rename this folder from Shell to the name of the theme your currently using. If you don’t know the exact name, go to Display Properties, and try to Display/Show the theme, the name you see in Display Properties is the name you need to change the ‘Shell’ folder to.
Example: Using Semplice as an example, the Shell folder for that theme is called ‘Shell’, in this situation you’ll need to rename the folder to ‘Semplice’. Easy enough, right?
Note that for multi-part themes, aka themes with more than one variation or color, you’ll need to rename each corresponding ‘Shell’ folder to what is displayed in Display Properties when you try to apply the theme.
5.) Now that you’ve changed the ‘Shell’ folder name to correspond with the visual styles name, reapply the theme.
6.) Go to Add/Remove Programs, and voila! “
by Matt | Mar 15, 2003 | Imported Entry
I usually refrain from directly quoting web sites but in this case Tycho of Penny Arcade fame expresses his feelings in a much more eloquent way than I could possibly hope to. The comments are directed toward an article (here) which describes the Deputy Attorney General’s opinions about file sharing and what was discussed at a congressional subcommittee meeting. Now I will quote. Pay attention kids, this is how to write effectively.
I won’t afflict you with the entire litany because I don’t think that’s why people read the things I write, to be exposed to surreal political views which are completely unmoored from reality. I would, however, draw your attention to the following article, which details a congressional hearing on the links between terrorism and, um… peer-to-peer file sharing.
John G. Malcolm, deputy assistant attorney general in the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice, did say there seems to be some connection between illegal copying and organized crime, in that many of the groups profiting from illegal copies are highly organized and can have international distribution networks. Organized crime often supports terrorism, he suggested.
“These groups will not hesitate to threaten or injure those who tend to interfere with their operations,” Malcolm said.
…
Statements of this kind gnaw at the sensible mind, they chew on it and try to eat it. I won’t even gauge the clumsiness with which these two incongruous concepts are lashed together. If you want to see triple-x, explicit evidence of corporations with their hands up your government’s ass, working the their jaws like some malevolent Howdy Doody with chilling ramifications for personal liberty, well, there you go. Peer-to-peer file sharing and Terror? Terror? Do they not have dictionaries there? There’s another T word you cocks might like, too – give it a try: it’s called “Tenuous.” The only people terrorized by peer-to-peer file sharing are vastly potent multinational businesses, gripped by the realization that they sell carriages in a world of bullet trains.
Now I have to add a few comments of my own. These require reading of the article because I’m going to be quoting (again).
“Organized crime, in my mind, includes well organized groups of people trying to control the cash flow of a given commodity or within a given region”
Ok… so that makes the RIAA and the MPAA “organized crime” as well? I would think so. They been price fixing Cd’s since 1985 and started out price fixing DVDs just a few years ago. The actual production cost of a CD is $1.50. Even with 100% profit going to the record label and 200% going to the artist, that still means that the CD should be under $10. Are they? Nope. You have the balls to suggest that cutting into your 1500% profit is horrific? Go fuck yourselves.
“If more American parents understood the connection between the pirating of intellectual property and organized crime, I think then there’d be a much more effective public relations response in our own country to better appreciate the disastrous ramifications.”
Or, how about, if more American parents found out what you were really doing they’d shut you down. The only reason you see file-sharing as a problem is because the number of people who “get it” are eventually going to outnumber the people who have no clue. Generation X parents are fully aware of price fixing, they lived through the 80’s. So did I. If CD’s still cost $20 when I have a kid and they want to download them instead of buying them I’m going to praise the kid for being sensible with his money.
People ask me all the time if I think stealing is wrong. I say “yes”. Then they try to give me some long involved argument about how file sharing is stealing and that if I think stealing is wrong I’m being hypocritical. Then I asked them how much they paid for their CD or their software. Then I ask how much they think it cost to produce. When I tell most people about the insane level of profit the recording industry is making off each CD usually they get more mad than anything else. Perhaps that’s just because I go to art school and these kids are more liberal minded. Yes, I think stealing is wrong. I wouldn’t walk into a store and steal something and here’s why. Because that is stealing, not from the company that produced that CD, but from the store you’re stealing it from. Retail works by a company or store BUYING a large number of (we’ll keep using our metaphor) CD’s from the record company. They in turn, mark it up a little and resell it to make their profit. If you steal from them you’re denying the store its profit, not the record label. They already made their money. I say that it IS wrong to steal, it’s wrong to steal 1500% profit when you don’t have to. The record stores have little to no control over the price of their CD’s. The get them for $15 and resell them for $18. When the record company makes then for $1 and resells them for $15, thats highway robbery. “But that’s just good business practices” someone might say. So is my downloading the CD instead of buying it. I’m not going to support an industry that does that to consumers. They want to sell me a CD? Then they can lower the price to less than $10. I want a brand new, top of the charts, Grammy Award winning CD for $7.99. That’s what I want. It’s never going to happen. Until that day comes I’m going to download my music. If you still think that makes me hypocritical, so be it.
“Representative John Carter, (R-Texas), suggested that college students would stop downloading if some were prosecuted and received sentences of 33 months or longer, like the defendants in the DOJ’s Operation Buccaneer. “I think it’d be a good idea to go out and actually bust a couple of these college kids,” Carter said. “If you want to see college kids duck and run, you let them read the papers and somebody’s got a 33-month sentence in the federal penitentiary for downloading copyrighted materials.”
Hi, I’m an asshole. What would posses someone to make a blatantly bias statement like that. We’re college students, we’re supposed to be subversive. We write ‘zines and politically charged school news papers. We go to rallies and demonstrations. We’re the ones chanting “peace not bombs” at the moment. The sick and sad part is that you did this during Viet Nam. If you didn’t then you’re kids did. We’re college students. We feel (whether we’re right or not) that we’re smarter than you. We fell that your system isn’t working and that these laws are just dogmatic bullshit that you think will be good for business. Of course we’re going to subvert the system. Of course we’re going to download music. You dumb fuck. Here’s a quote you can take to the bank: If you want to see asshole congressmen duck and run, let a few thousand college students protest outside his office for a few weeks. Fucko.
*steps off his soap box for the day*
Sorry, if you don’t agree with any of that, it’s fine, but when I see an article written so obviously with opinions from only one side it kind of pisses me off. Then to have two figures from our government basically call all college students terrorists and thieves makes me madder than hell.
Alright. I’m off to listen to my downloaded, terrorist supporting music. Later.
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