Special Note: my 30 seconds of fame!

If forgot to say...I got on episode 514 of Buzz Out Loud, Cnet.com's Podcast of Indeterminant Length! I have been listening to this tech podcast for years and I got on for what I believe is the second time the other day. They read my email about Flock. They also mentioned my voicemail two episodes previous as a side note, but it wasn't until my correction that I got true identifiable fame. I go by "Jimmy from VA" to be consistent. Here's what they read:

Flock follow-up
Oh, just to follow up on the Flock stuff, Flock 0.9 just went gold the
other day, and anybody can get it, not just a closed group. Just go to
Flock.com and check it out for yourself (I wish us Flockstars got us much
face time as those fancy Opera people).

Keep on keepin' on,
Jimmy from VA

Maybe it's silly to you, but these guys get like 40 emails a day from fans wanting to get on the show, so it's kind of an honor if you get on the show (unless you're one of the awesome regular caller/writers who have developed a kind of time-shifted dialogue with the hosts).

Also on a sad note, this was also the episode where Veronica announced her official departure from Cnet and Buzz Out Loud....we'll all miss her...:(

Back to your regularly scheduled internet.

Blog Friction

It looks like I've been neglecting the Slinky for a while.  That's mainly because I've been working on Mason Tech Beat more than this one.  After I write one of those posts I get kind of blogged out.  It's fun having a blog that actually gets traffic from somewhere, but the multiple formatting steps make it long sometimes.  The new Flock makes it easier though...their blogging component is much better that it used to be.  Less buggy if anything. 

Kate is, of course, still in China, and right now she's visiting a different region where they don't have intarweb tubes :(
This means I don't get any Kate-via-Skype for another day or so.  I really don't see people up here very often, because most of my friends are away and those that are here are generally wrapped up in their own affairs.  It is good that the guys in my dorm started a weekly poker meet-up to pass an evening here and there.  I won the first one and got 10 bucks, but I've lost the last two, bringing my winnings down to a mere 2 dollars.  I'm still having fun with it though...now we just need to get some new people in here.  3 guys is not really enough to play regular poker games with.

I finally set up my room and it actually looks kinda nice.  I'd post pictures, but my camera is broken and I have to call SONY to get it fixed (Sony is in CAPS to stress aggravation at having to talk to them). Hopefully they won't install a root-kit on my camera....it's not even a Sony camera, it's Konica Minolta, but they stopped making cameras and ported their repairs to Sony!  Gah!

I went bike riding today at Burke Lake Park...that was pretty fun.  They have a 5 mile trail that is in condition for cyclists and walkers alike.  It's a huge lake so their is room around it for a campground, a marina, an ice cream parlor, a tiny railroad for kids, mini golf, and it's even connected to an executive Par-3 golf course and driving range.  It was good to get back on my bike again after about 2 years of dust collecting.  It's a fun way for me to get exercise....going to the gym feels so masturbatory for me.  And yes you can quote me on that. :P

Tomorrow, I'm doing...nothing....blah....

Monday, it's work again, hopefully getting my new desktop fan, then helping out at an APO kiosk.

Finally...I cancelled my WoW subscription...
I'm just not playing enough to justify it and my computer just can't handle the graphics.  It crashes every 30 minutes and I have to quit, sleep, wake up, and restart the client.  Not fun, not worth the money and guilt for not playing.

See ya round!

iPhone aftermath and other stuff

The iPhone is very impressive.  I won't be getting one anytime soon though.  There's a few reasons for this....headphone jack issues, syncing issues, instability issues.  I went to a store a few days after launch and tried one out and even took a class about it.  I got all my questions answered and that has helped me decide not to get one quite yet.  I still want one and I really liked playing with it, but, for me, it's not quite there yet.  *sad*

In other news (now there is actually other news again), I'm glad to see Kate's blog is finally taking off from its humble page to the feature spot on Broadside Online.  She publishes really neat articles about her trip to China and stuff.  I think is kind of funny that she and I are the only two bloggers for Broadside....(we are dating, for those new to the Four Toned Slinky).


I've been watching the office and it's really awesome.  It's this cool show about what goes on in an office, and if you can stand Steve Carell for the first few episodes (i think he starts out ruining the show), he and the rest of the show get a lot funnier.  And I too hope Pam and Jim do eventually get together.  I'm just about to start watching the 3rd season as soon as it um....comes off of the internet.  Actually I've been watching the 1st and 2nd seasons from Netflix because my parents have an account that lets you watch a number of hours of free, high quality shows on their player.  I know, a plug, but the player is so nice that it makes it enjoyable to use.  Also, it is IE only, so suck it up non-IE users, get the IE Tab extension and chrome it!

Lastly, happy Independence Day to all my US readers (sorry Kate, expatriots get no love....jk).  I really have nothing to do today and I'm hoping something will come up other than me just going to the fireworks alone :( .

I'll blog more often now, as my schedule seems to have less in it.