The internet has been buzzing with announcements of Apple holding a little media get together for the iPhone SDK on March 6th, and others have been asking “What about the Time Capsule?” For some reason all those Apple and Tech sites out there haven’t even touched on the pre-orders are now getting reading for shipping.
Thanks to Delivery Status (a Mac OS X Dashboard widget), I was notified today that our Time Capsule is actually being prepared to ship. So, I just either have missed everyone jumping on the fact that their new toys are getting ready to join their electronic family, or everyone is just crazy over the iPhone SDK.
Anywho, I am super excited to get this. So Apple, please hurry and send out my baby!
Our Apple TV arrived today! In fact it wasn’t due to arrive until tomorrow, so it was a nice little surprise to get a knock on the door this morning by the FedEx guy with our shiny new toy.
The actual setup of the Apple TV is super easy. You can have it sync with your iTunes library or keep it as a stand alone device in your living room. PolyVector is actually in the middle of modding it as I write this. Since I am getting over a sort of nasty cold I slept most of the day while he prepared the USB drive needed to boot the Apple TV in order to get Perian running. I am hoping to put together a small article on modding the Apple TV once we have had complete success.
I hope you guys enjoy the slideshow of the unboxing and final resting place for the Apple TV. We are getting our living room prepared for the arrival of our Time Capsule as well, thus the huge gap in our console. More will come on that when we get our Time Capsule.
On a sort of related note, if anyone would like to recommend a nice stereo setup we would be most happy if you’d share. While the PC speakers might look unique up there, the sound really isn’t incredibly nice and we have been searching everywhere for something that might suit us. Huge note on that subwoofers are not a plus…Thanks guys!
I am trying to get back into my blogging groove since we moved back so Southern California. I haven’t had much time in customizing my desktop, but that doesn’t leave me without posting up my desktop picture for the month.
OS: Mac OS X 10.5.2 “Leopard”
Wallpaper: Quiet Room by Venom339
Menu Bar Items: iScrobbler, iChat, Airport, Time, Spotlight
Dock Items: Finder, Dashboard, Apple Mail, Safari, Yummy FTP, SubEthaEdit, iChat, ecto, iTunes, iPhoto, VoodooPad, Trash
Widgets: iState Pro, Calculator, Delivery Status, Calendar, MacAdsensePlus, Weather, Sticky
I know quite a few of my last desktop posts have had Apple related wallpapers. I just can’t help myself lately. I know it is very fangirlish of me, but what can I say. I have been extremely happy with the various Apple hardware we have purchased.
And yes, that is two order statuses covering a Time Capsule and an Apple TV. And I can’ wait for either to arrive. There will of course be pictures and setup run throughs. I am happy to also take requests either via comments or through the contact page.
It feels like it is taking us forever to get completely settled in to our new place. For some reason it just isn’t feeling like our home just yet. The majority of our things are set up and the place is actually pretty comfortable. It might just be that we have been constantly busy. Always having to drive some place and get other things in order.
While we were waiting for the cable guy to arrive and replace our wonky HD box PolyVector took some shots of our place.
These are just a general overview, you can take a peek at more pics on our Picasa Web Album.
Not many people know where PolyVector and I stand on religion. It’s not that it’s any secret we are atheists, just the topic of religion is usually avoided during conversations we do happen to get in online or when first meeting people. Religion is a tough thing to talk about and if you know PolyVector and I, we are rabid when it comes to a religious discussion. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself here. The real reason for this article is to talk about The OUT Campaign.
The OUT Campaign is all about atheists showing they exist. While yes religions do dominate this world, there are for more of us that believe in rational thinking and scientific reason than one might believe. Richard Dawkins started up the campaign (along with others) to let those show their atheism to others, so those who might feel alone in their non-beliefs know there are more of us out there. You can read more about the campaign itself in Dawkins’ introduction.
So let me just say we are shouting our atheism loud and proud!
The New York Times reported Friday that Congress did not pass a bill to extend the Telcom companies immunity and warentless wiretapping.
The House broke for a week’s recess Thursday without renewing terrorist surveillance authority demanded by President Bush, leading him to warn of risky intelligence gaps while Democrats accused him of reckless fear mongering.
The refusal of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, to schedule a vote on a surveillance measure approved Tuesday by the Senate touched off an intense partisan conflict over the national security questions that have colored federal elections since 2002 and are likely to play a significant role again in November. […]
The main sticking point is a provision in the Senate bill that provides legal immunity for telecommunications companies that, at the Bush administration’s request, cooperated in providing private data after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Many House Democrats oppose that immunity.
Surveillance efforts will not cease when the law lapses. Administration intelligence officials said agencies would be able to continue eavesdropping on targets that have already been approved for a year after the initial authorization. But they said any new targets would have to go through the more burdensome standards in place before last August, which would require that they establish probable cause that an international target is connected to a terrorist group.
Intelligence officials also told reporters Thursday that they were worried that telecommunications companies would be less willing to cooperate in future wiretapping unless they were given immunity.
[From House Leaves Surveillance Law to Expire]
This is just one very small step for the US to get back some of it’s constitutional rights. I was so excited by the article I just had to share it with everyone. Of course I am a bit late on giving my opinion, but better late than never! Who knows, maybe we will get net neutrality.
It’s amazing how much people panic. Today was an amazingly busy and social day for PolyVector and I. My sister had asked us to go to the Apple store with her this morning to get a MacBook. She was worried she would kind of get roped into buying something she didn’t need since she wasn’t sure exactly what computer suited her best. No problem, we all go out and she purchases her first Mac. All seemed well and she was very excited to get it home. My other sister was meeting me for dinner so I wasn’t able to go help setup the Mac. In the middle of dinner my sister calls me (who just purchased the Mac) complaining that her new computer couldn’t do anything that she wanted. Of course being a Mac owner myself (have had two Mac minis, two iMacs and a MacBook) think to myself this is absurd and something must be going wrong. I know that when I am very frustrated I tend to miss things that might be right in front of my face. And thanks to Mac OS X Leopard and the amazingly useful “Share My Screen” feature I was able to walk her through with any problems the few things she was unable to figure out right away.
It just reminded me how fickle people are in general about computers and will completely turn on their purchases before giving them a fighting chance.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, she is extremely happy with her Mac purchase now.
Yesterday was Prancer’s big day at the vet. He had some dental surgery and a slew of test results came back after Monday’s appointment. In case you didn’t know, that stunning beast portrayed in the image above is Prancer PolyVector and my 14 (15 in November) year old Chihuahua.
The tests we had done were part of a “Senior Profile” our local vet does. It was an amazing thorough appointment. Nothing like the vet experience we had back in Flagstaff. In fact, I would even go as far as saying Willow, if you are reading this, I think it might be a good idea to give another vet a try. Anywho, Prancer had blood taken, a fecal and urine analysis as well as a Thyroid test. Everything came back normal except for a few things that were directly related to his dental disease. Prancer’s vision is going, but he is by no means blind, and his ears look good except for some small wax build up.
Now for the big stuff, the dental surgery. yesterday Prancer went under anesthesia to get a teeth clean/polishing and two extractions. I have also been giving him antibiotics twice a day and now a pain medication as needed since the surgery. The picture above was taken this morning, so as you might notice he is doing very well. Last night he was a little whiney and groggy, but that has all worn off by this evening.
Some little updates on his seizures since some of you might be wondering if you follow up on Atomac. He hasn’t had a single one since moving back to Southern California. So that means he has been completely seizure free for a little over two weeks. We are monitoring him closely and keeping him on his regular diet. So far so good!
Now some apartment news. PolyVector’s Mom was amazingly fast with the couch cover and that has been finished and placed on our couch as of Wednesday (which was also my birthday). Everything is coming along very slowly, but we found a “desk” for PolyVector and our last little obstacle (besides putting the office together) is fixing our internet. But that is another story all together. So everyone look out, we are bound to get things back to normal soon.
It has been a mad house around here with very little time to call our own. I am sure those of you who regularly chat with me online have noticed my absence. We have been swamped with applications for various DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) licensing and registrations, to getting addresses and phone numbers updated with various advertisers, billing, and of course Prancer’s vet visit.
Today is the day we finally got Prancer in to the local vet. Our appointment is at 4:15pm. I am a little nervous. I have not been able to get any solid information on local clinics down here in Ramona. We are going to be taking Prancer to the newest clinic (Adobe Animal Hospital) and see how it goes. Today he is getting a checkup and a nail clipping. We are going to be bringing up seizures and diet along with an eye examination (I wanna make sure Prancer doesn’t have Glaucoma or any other eye problem that could possibly be fixed if caught early on). I’ll give a quick review of the clinic when we get back this evening. I have to say they worked us in quickly. I called this morning and we had the choice of going in right away or waiting for the afternoon. The receptionist on the phone was nice. So I am hopeful.
A sort of fun thing we have been doing around here is furniture shopping. My desk was broken during the move cause of a stupid suggestion I made during packing. All is not a loss I was actually in the middle of deciding on doing a floor setup like PolyVector had in Flagstaff. We finally found something to his and my liking and are in the process of rearranging our office. Another purchase we were thinking about was a couch. Our current couch is from Ikea and the very tailored cover for it has ripped. We have tried patching it and special ordering from Ikea to replace it, but alas, no one has anything. We were just about to make a purchase on a new couch when PolyVector’s mom was kind enough to come over and get measurements. She is going to fabricate us a new cover made out of any material we would like. With the couch currently being a cream or off white a nice dark brown or charcoal is going to be a welcome change. I don’t think we can thank her enough for the hard work she is putting into our silly couch cover.
I know I keep promising pictures, and I think I am going to wait until the apartment is in order before I get anything up. it has just been too crazy around here and I honestly just keep forgetting. once things are in order and we actually have time to kick back some more I’ll have some more freedom on taking shots and not hiding all the havoc.
This has been a huge concern of mine in the current primaries and eventually the presidential election. There are so many issues directly related to the internet, gaming, and DMCA fair use that older generations might not be thinking about. We are a word connected through the internet and there si always one company or another trying to control the information or use of it. With each candidate possibly having their own agenda or affiliation.
I was reading GamePolitics (they are the best source for all around politics related to video games) and saw a post about a Cnet article breaking down each candidate’s position in each party. I snagged their little break down for you:
Of course all rights go to Cnet and Declan McCullagh. The image links to the article, so please go check that out. I assume if you are reading this blog than you enjoy the use of your computer and other such tech related goodies. We are winding down on the primaries and this might sway a few minds on who they want to be their party’s nominee.
I have to give credit to Obama for answering all the questions presented to him by Cnet and I agree with his answers the most. I must say though I am a little disappointed on the Real ID Act. I actually am in support of a nation wide ID card. Though the Real ID Act has some down falls, I think this is something that could be improved with the right person in office. I suppose that is for a another article. I hope you guys enjoyed this little glimpse of what is to come regarding the ‘08 Election and my own thoughts.
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