Tuesday
This has been a mixed day.
The early part of the day was good.
The later part… not as good.

The day started with meeting Perry for coffee. We went to Bad Ass Coffee Company. I’ve been in SLC for six years, I even lived about four blocks from the place, but this was my first time going there. Not bad. I picked up a business card for the local business webpage that and I are putting together.

As we were finishing up our caffeinated gifts from God, I got a call from Bill. He was in the area and wanted to grab some lunch. So we did. I’ve eaten at Chili’s restaurants for years and this was the first time that I’d actually had a burger there. If you’re in the mood for something different, try their “Build a Burger” option. They even have non-meat options available.

I came home and wrestled with the printer installation. For a device that is supposed to be pretty much a “Plug and Play” device, it seems more like a “Plug and Pray” one. No, that’s not entirely true… For it to be “Plug and Pray,” I would have needed to get to the “plug in the printer” stage. For some reason, the installer keeps stalling before I get anywhere close to that point. So I tried… and I tried… and I tried…. and I tried… But I can’t get no… Satisfaction…. Hey-hey-hey! Hear what I say! So, I tried HP’s “Real-Time Chat.” Twice. And even called their tech support line. (Just once, but a long once.) I am not 100% positive, but I’m at least Ivory Soap sure that the CSRs in the chats, “Laurie” and “Johnny,” were not in the U.S. There were minor things in the ways that they formed their sentences that lead me to believe this. The gentleman on the phone was most definitely not in the U.S.

NOTE: I know that many people have problems with outsourcing. While I understand their issues with it, I also see the cost benefits for companies to do so. Let me go on the record and say that “Laurie” and the gentleman on the phone were both great; no problems whatsoever. “Johnny,” however, left me wanting to “reach out and touch someone.” In a pain-inducing way.

On a lark, I decided to try and install the printer software on Defiant, my laptop. My old, slow, memory-deficient laptop. And, with one exception, it took the software without missing a beat. So, I now get to fiddle around with settings and see if I can deduce the reason that ‘Nine doesn’t like the installer. (Read: “There’s a BIOS upgrade in this little PC’s future.”) Hopefully, that will solve it – as much as I’d love to get a new ‘board and processor, it’s not in the financial cards at this time.

News
Morning Edition: New York Mulls Kendra’s Law Extension
Morning Edition: Yahoo Baby Story Too Good to Be True
Talk of the Nation: NOVA Science Now
Talk of the Nation: Preserving History When Survivors Are No More
All Things Considered: Guarding Parking Spots with Furniture in Boston
All Things Considered: Five Milwaukee Democrats Accused of Slashing Republican Vehicles’ Tires

New York Times: Your Call (and Rants on Hold) Will Be Monitored

MediasharX: Minnie Driver Interview

Stray Toasters

  • I am Jack’s raging bile duct.
  • Radio Diaries
  • Movies and You (pssst! , you’ll want to click this.)
  • From Comic Book Resources: Battlefront: Taking a Look at Battle Hymn – “What would the government have done if super-heroes really existed during World War II?”
  • Movie buffs might not want to skip the Super Bowl. Why not? Movie trailers will be shown during the commercial breaks. Among the trailers you’ll be able to catch: Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Series, War of the Worlds and The Longest Yard.
  • And speaking of “The Bat,” Clayface makes his debut on The Batman this weekend.
  • The Age of Apocalypse is back for a one-shot, available this March.
  • Many of you will remember Vin Diesel as Xander Cage in xXx. Well, they’re doing a sequel. Of sorts. xXx: State of the Union will be out this year. But, while one Mr. Samuel L. Jackson will be in it, Mr. Diesel will not. This time around, Ice Cube will be taking the lead role.
  • Matt Groening Apple Ad
    Yes, that Matt Groening.
    Yes, that Apple.

  • “Look who I found wandering in the park. He’s an EA employee, I call him ‘Doormat.’ Can I keep him?”

  • “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to kill we go…”

Namaste.