Category: Personal

It’s 3 a.m. and I should not be awake. Unfortunately this January “heat wave” has the house too hot to sleep in.

HP Software sucks.

Sucks Sucks Sucks!

I spent several hours today attempting to set up my new printer. The first fifteen minutes went by with a breeze, unplugging the old printer, plugging in the new, and testing out the nifty copy feature.

Then came the dreaded HP Software install. I dropped in the CD and let the process begin.

First I was presented with a choice of an extremely bloated install (~400 mb of data) or a wildly ridiculously bloated install (1.2 gb! Seriously, wtf?!). I opted for the smaller install, which then kicked off the installation of a crapload of useless, buggy HP software, all completely unrelated to actually configuring the printer.

Finally as the install nears completion, the installer decides the computer needs to be rebooted. I go for it, figuring what else is new? The computer reboots, I log on, and the software picks up.

The Windows gives me a great message saying that it has detected some unauthorized activity. On top of installing more crappy, buggy software than even moderately necessary, the fundamental software required to make the whole shebang work actually accesses Windows in an authorized fashion? What kind of crappy programmers work at this company?

Having demonstrated that before the software was released no one at HP actually attempted to install it on a Windows XP computer, I step through a few more screens of the install wizard, give up on the harrassment for my registration info, and attempt to use the printer.

Whoops, the printer is now permanently stuck at offline. That big, fat HP software can scan (nifty), but as a printer it’s a total failure. Go freakin’ figure.

I poke about, trying to reinstall the key software or to re-add the printer. Nothing doing.

I read the HP website, and their great advice is to uninstall and then re-install the whole software package. Great, that’s how I want to spend another hour. And why the hell would it work the second time if it didn’t work the first?

I downloaded the corporate drivers, installed those, and success! I can print.

So I try launching one of those bloatware programs that are supposed to control the printer. It does some “re-configuring”, insists on rebooting, and then doesn’t find the printer nor can I print anymore. Totally useless.

Now I’ve removed all the bloatware (except HP Image Zone Express, which refuses to provide any method to uninstall). I’ve removed and reinstalled the corporate versions of the drivers. The printer works again.

Now to see if it will still work after a reboot.

Nice work, HP programmers. You get a C for Craptastic.

Update: I did get the corporate edition drivers to work, but I had to manually configure some steps after I rebooted the machine. And there’s still no way to remove Image Zone Express. Seriously, HP, you clearly haven’t laid off the right people.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ?kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter?s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ?ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Merry Christmas everyone!

I’ve been wondering for some time when the movie press would realize that the true measure of the success of a movie has very little to do with the box office receipts and everything to do with the actual DVD sales. I have no idea if Snakes on a Plane will or won’t be a success based on the DVD sales, but Time is certainly wrong to indict it at this point without using the overall gross of the movie (including early DVD sales) in its picture of health.

There was a time when the box office take made up a significant part of the overall return of a movie. Now it’s meaningless for the most part. Blame the new media landscape and the accessibility provided in the long tail, but personally, I happen to like it this way.

I have no idea if it’s true or not, but I finally have some idea of what the payouts are for the Amazing Race.

Well, now I’m all caught up with the Losties, waiting until February for the show to come back on the air.

So far this morning, I can only think of several questions I’m curious to find the answers on. Not that the show doesn’t leave you asking more than you can remember, after all.

1. What happened to Michael and Walt?
2. What’s going on “outside” the Island?
3. Who is the guy with the eyepatch that John, Sayid, and the other two saw in the Pearl? Where is he?
4. Are Jack, Kate, and Sawyer really on a separate island from the island where their plane crashed? Or is this just another neat trick of this place? (This show brings out my inner skeptic, what can I say.)
5. What is the black smoke and groaning noise, referred to as “The Monster”, really?
6. What happened to the people kidnapped by the Others, especially the children? We’ve seen a very limited view of the camp where at least some of them are, but there are a whole other set that haven’t appeared in that camp.
7. Related to number 6, what’s the location that Ben and Juliet referred to regarding the girl’s (Alex?) home?

Well, those are just the immediate questions I’m sure I won’t get any resolution to over the next few months. I can’t wait to see what questions I end up having by the end of the season overall.

Firefly is reincarnated in to a multiplayer online game. Sounds interesting, no?

I stumbled on Tym’s blog a few months back via Metblogs, and have since subscribed to the RSS feed. She posted this meme that I’ll carry along.

Instructions: Below is a Science Fiction Book Club list of the most significant SF novels between 1953-2006. The meme part of this works like so: Bold the ones you have read, strike through the ones you read and hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put a star* next to the ones you love.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien *
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov (I think I read this)
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card *
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling *
27. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams *
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson *
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

One thing I’ll say. With the exception of Foucault’s Pendulum, I finished every book I started.

The sportswriters @ CNNSI start making the same point I’m frightened by – that it is entirely possible for Rutgers to head in to its December 2nd game against West Virginia 11-0.

Update: Ok, now I’ve seen everything. FoxSports has Rutgers matching up against Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

Overheard in NY is always good for a giggle.

Guy: So, are you becoming a nun or a ninja?
Girl: I’m becoming a nun… ja.

–Chinatown

Overheard by: Carene