Wii

So I bought a Wii and Super Mario Brothers Wii. It was a good price with a 40 dollar credit for my next purchase. And with the credit a bought a second controller/nunchuck combo. Then I bought Madworld and a workout game. Still in my bargain sweet spot.

But I wanted rockband or guitar hero. I did a little research and found out the the controllers are not compatible so it was one or the other. Guitar Hero World Tour has 3 Tool songs so that settled that. But try to find a world tour set for under 170, no thanks. Even walmart lists it for 150 but no stock. And the new guitar hero band set is 170 new too most places, plus I still have to buy the world tour disk. So I'm looking at 200 bucks, screw that.

So I hit ebay and craigs list. I found a guitar hero band set (drums, guitar, mic and game) for 80, sold. Then I find someone local selling another guitar plus world tour and aerosmith for 40, sold.

But now I'm trapped in used wii gear land. Two more controllers for under 20, well sure I want everyone to be able to play. Classic controller for 5 bucks, I'm going to need that for something right? A Black and Pink wii wheel set for mario kart for 4 bucks, hell yeah..... (I still can't find the mario kart game for less than 30)

So 400 or so later I've got like 9 different packages coming to my house. UPS will be bringing me used wii gear for the next few weeks. But I think I've got everything I really want on the way (except Mario Kart!@#$).

I guess once I get the rest of the stuff I need to start inviting people over. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Pirates are cool, I saw that movie with Depp so it must be true. So I'm not sure if if the lack of Pirates is inversely causing global warming or if global warming killing off our cold blooded pirates. But either way there is a graph (stolen from gawker.com) and that clearly means one is causing the other.

This RX 7 is to manly for you.

RX 7 for sale on KSL.com

Copied from the link incase they remove the content:

OK, let me start off by saying this Montego Blue RX-7 is only available for purchase by the manliest of men (or women). My friend, if it were possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this Mazda would look like Vin Diesel. It is just that manly.

This third generation RX-7 was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you have your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Linens & Things. No, that is what your Prius is for. If that is the kind of car you are looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. I mean it. Just stop.

This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy-boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or OnStar (real men don't even know what the hell OnStar is). Your amenities are POWER. Power windows, power steering, power locks, twin turbo power under the hood. The sunroof, original alloy rims, wood trim and spoiler are just icing on a delicious cake.

No, this sexy brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It has a 255 HP rotary engine to outrun the cops. It has special blood / gore resistant tan leather upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you are operating on yourself.

With minor modifications this beauty can easily pump up HP to 300 and with less than 2800# weight it is blazing fast. Scary fast. Crisp handling and suspension. This RX-7 has a manual transmission so you can shift into first gear, slam on the 4-wheel disc brakes and spin around the corner while the terrorists fall off the cliff. The brand new Bridgestone tires will keep you on the road. It has saved my bacon more than once.

My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $14,000, but I will entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $5,000 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphincter-kick with a follow up three fingered eye-jab. Let's just say you won't be the prettiest guy at the Coldplay concert anymore.

There are less than 110,000 miles on this four-wheeled hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me, it will outlive you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo. It has been meticulously maintained by the men in lab coats, garaged deep underground in a secret cave. It only has 20,000 miles on the new Mazda factory engine to replace the one that got shot out by The Man. It has never been wrecked because I'm a better driver than the bad guys.

Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it is a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho James Bond stunt double, then contact me. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my ladies, but I will get back to you.

In the immotal words of the wise inner city poet Easy "mother fuck'n" E - Fuck the police!

So U of U cops arrested a kid last night for underage drinking. Fine, it sounds like he was being an idiot and we've got laws. But then he escaped. So the cops tased him. And of course they defended this action as these things are always defended, atleast we didn't shoot him.

So the only tools cops have left is the taser and the bullet? No other possible outcome of a situation? If the cop didn't have a taser in this situation he would have shot him? I don't buy that for a second.

I've had it with the taser culture. I'd like to see cops have to take a taser shot for everyone they dish out. At the end of your shift you have to balance the tally sheet.

Next time you see a cop taser someone and laugh, go look up Oscar Grant on YouTube. Try and laugh at that.

It's not a right.

I am pro healthcare. I work in healthcare IT. I wish everyone could get the best care possible all the time. But I don't think it's a right. And if it's not a right then why are we paying for others rewards?

Life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. Those are our inalienable rights. Nothing more. We are not entitled to things, but to the freedom to act. I have the right to work to feed myself and my loved ones. Clothe us, shelter us. I don't have the right to food, cloths and shelter.

If something is a right it is someone else's obligation to provide. If you have the right to food, I have the obligation to feed you. If it's a right you don't need to work for it. Isn't that in it's simplest form slavery? That I should be forced to feed you? No need to be grateful, it is your right to be fed. No need to ask for help, no need for the generous, caring and helpful. You have rights!


*I'm deleting the rest of what I wrote because it muddies the real point I want to make. No one has the right to things. If you work and achieve wealth and wish to share it by all means do. It's what a kind person does. But you cannot be kind if your wealth is taken from you because someone else has a right to it. That's just not kindness.

In a place without rain the Umbrella is of no use.

A friend of mine and I where talking about God today and this was my bit of wisdom. If I can call it that.

I find that I meet alot of people who think that God did something to them, or that God let something happen to them or those people You know you've heard it, or even said it, before. The idea is that if there was a God, or is he really loved us, life would be easier.

I think life is hard because he loves us. I believe that this life is the dress rehearsal. And if the director makes it easy on you how will you be prepared for the live show?

The title itself really encapsulates my thoughts quite well. If life is easy you don't need God's love and protection. God wants you to need him, to come to him with your woes, to seek his forgiveness. If this life where perfect you wouldn't need to be saved for the perfect life that is coming.

This world and this life are designed to be hard and ugly and unforgiving (in my opinion). If things aren't hard there is no need to make a choice. If there isn't a wrong choice to make then there is no choice at all. Without sin there is no forgiveness.

Life isn't easier for the saved and forgiven. They jsut know that it's temporary, and so it's harder to take seriously. To quote Maynard "We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion".

Just one fat guys thoughts on why life is hard.

Going Green

Are you green? Is that green? It says green on the bottle, it must be good, they can't lie about that.

Thank you Al Gore for the buzz word of a generation. So I just got an email explaining the new "greener" process for our company Christmas gifts. Well before I go off the deep end, read it.

In support of the hospital's goal to be green, the greeting card and envelope are made from recycled paper and the gift selection card is embedded with flower seeds and can be planted and watered to grow flowers after the card has been redeemed.

I'm sure if we plant these the flower will grow new gift cards that can be replanted, and so on and so forth saving the world from the evil of human kind. Only isn't burying garbage in your yard illegal? Don't land fills need a federal permit to do just that? But this time it's ok, because well it is stamped as a green product. And that's clearly a regulated term that can't just be stamped on anything right? No one would ever lie about that? And everyone has agreed what makes something "green" right? Yeah all of this has been worked out and we the consumer bear no responsibility anymore once we buy something that's green.

Why "green" by the way? Are the only living things that are good green? Should we destroy any plant or animal that does not have some green? Fungi are mostly evil by this narrow focus term. Only there is this really smart guy who thinks that he can save the world with Fungi. Check this out. Paul Staments on 6 ways Fungi can save the world.

I ramble more when I don't feel good. You're welcome!

I win the internet, again

http://superobamaworld.com/

You can make this kind of thing up...

but if you pick your friends correctly you don't have to. I have two friend in particular you wish you'll wish you knew after reading this. Or you won't. Whatever. I don't need you to approve my friends.

Anyway Don is a bit of a prankster from time to time, and doesn't always have the best gauge of what is appropriate work friendly material. Danny is keenly aware of who Don is.

So Don sends out an email with this video and the title "Pretty Amazing".



Danny replies:
"wow, I don’t think I've ever seen one that big disintegrate so quickly! I am definitely going to make sure I wear a rain coat next time I go to the Grand Canyon!"


Don replies:
"OH COME ON!!! That was at least kick ass!"

Danny replies:
"Yeah, but that guy totally would have been fine if he hadn't tried to go back for his hat."

I reply:
"I think the point Danny is trying to make here is that he's not going to open a video Don sends while at work. Spot on Danny. I failed this test and watched the vid. That is pretty impressive."

This leads to an IM conversation between Danny and I. *(I cut out the part of the conversation about tools drummer and how he reads music rectally. It was funny, but probably only to Danny and I.)
Danny:
heh
so what is the video?
James :
a guy with no arms playing "let it be" with his feet
Danny:
lol
wait, am I allowed to laugh?
James:
totally
Danny:
or am I violating that guy's civil rights since he can't just cover his ears?
James:
the guy can play gitar better than you, he doesn't qualify as ahndicapped anymore
I on the other hand do based on my total inability to type
Danny:
besides, his hands have already been "capped"
James:
and the vid said he was born without them. so he's not "missing" his arms
he evolved
Danny:
he's turning into a missile?
James:
next gen stealth, it lulls you into a false sense of security with beatles music
he's in the next xmen movie
he's toad's arch enemy


I'm James Snyder and I approved this blog post.

Fear and empty shoes in Utah.

I'm into month two of the Pharmacy job. I'm hearing good things about my performance, but I'm not letting any of that go to my head. I think I'm best served with a low personal opinion of my abilities for a while. The guy I am trying to replace knows more about the app's that I support than the vendor.

My feet are big, but the shoes I have before me are friggen huge.

Adding a StrikeThrough Icon and/or shortcut to Word

Stolen from Dreamboat at Ozgrid. Check this site out if you want to learn more about Excel/MS Office.

I don't know of one and wasn't able to find one. But you can do this:

Open Word to a blank doc.
Hit Alt+F11 or Tools-Macro-Visual Basic Editor.
On the left in the VBE, choose Normal.dot.
Hit Insert-Module.
In the code window at right, paste this:


Sub LuckyStrike()

Selection.Font.StrikeThrough = True

End Sub


Hit the SAVE diskette. Close the VBE with the X.
Go to Tools-Customize. Choose the commands tab.
On the left, scroll down to Macros.
On the right, click on your macro.
Drag it up to the toolbar if you want a toolbar button.
Click "keyboard" at the bottom.
Type the shortcut Ctrl+5
Ok.
Ok.
Ok.
Ok.
or however many times you need to hit ok.

Maintaining a high rate of mobility like a cranially deficient flightless foul.

Still trying to learn my new job. And do my old job. And deal with the city about the greenness of my lawn. And....

Lets just say I feel like I could use a clone.

Now accepting donations

So I want to build a personal Beowulf cluster. What is a Beowulf cluster you ask? It's a high performance cluster of inexpensive personal computers. In in very simplistic way it's going from one horse pulling your cart to a team of horses doing it. The work load is spread to all the computers in the cluster, creating one single super computer.

Why you ask? Why not I answer. No I do not have a practical application of this in mind. I want to try to build it because I think I can. My inspiration is Professer Joel Adams at Calvin College. His Microwulf cost 2500 dollars in January of 2007 and was capable of 26 Gflops. One Giga flops is 10 to the ninth floating point operations per second. The first Cray-1 Supercomputer was sold to the Los Alamos National Laboratory for $8.86 million (US) and was only capable of about 160 Mega flops.

The system I want to build will run about 1300 dollars, and I expect 40 to 50 Gflops. However my performance estimates could be way off. I've never built a cluster before. But then that's why I want to do this. Some people want to run a marathon, I want to build a supercomputer.

Now the question is how to come up with 1300 dollars...

iPhone, lawl.

How to ruin the hype you built up with the iPod.

Step 1: Believe your own hype.
Step 2: Release the phone on a single network.
Step 3: Install a kill switch to feed your ego and piss customers off.
Step 4: Re-release the phone because you left out features that should have been there in the first place.
Step 5: Block app's that compete with your own and steal there feature sets.
Step 6: Ignore your app dev's and watch them run to another competing open source project.
Step 7:...
Step 8: Profit(?)

Promotion

So I recently accepted a new position with the U (University of Utah). Starting October 1st I'm the Pharmacy Systems Analyst. I'll basically support the live pharmacy software. Big changes and lots to learn for me. But I'll still be working for the same people so atleast there isn't the added social aspect to adjust too.

I know I've told most people about this already, but I figure this is the kind of thing a blog is for. So there you go, I hope you're happy.

QFT

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
- Augusten Burroughs

LHC

So the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) went live this week. If you're out of the loop it's a proton accelerator. It will fire protons at each other so that they explode and the results can be measured. The data will be used to further understand matter, dark matter, etc.

Some groups feared that this process would form tiny black holes that would then detroy the earth. Clearly this hasn't happened. Anyway I've added a link to the web cam, check it out.

LHC Live Web Cam

So there I was...

So I've got this web space and sometimes I have things to say. I've been saying them in the past on MySpace. But MySpace.com does not reflect the space I am in almost ever. So welcome to a space that is mine, without being MySpace. I may import a couple of my MySpace blog entries here, because I think I'm pretty clever.

Not sure how I'm going to squeeze in another MySpace at this point, kind of running out of idea's on how to beat MySpace into the ground. I know I'll include a link to my MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/neonghost

MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace.

*This post is probably a bad idea, I'll end up on google for the top 3 links to MySpace (hah did it again, and you thought it was over).