Annoying PeoplePC, science, projects, furnishings, centaur, tmnt

I just recently finished an angry email to PeoplePC because their Contact Center has telemarketted me 3 times in the last two weeks. It is obviously an offshore Indian call center (which generally I don't have issues with; just when they are really bad like this one), though they all gave "American" names. I don't like it when they do this. It is belittling to them by having to use a fake name (especially when sometimes they have trouble pronouncing it) and everyone knows that they are lying. The first agent kept up even though I said "no" seven or eight times. I try to be respectful, so I took the time to explain why my 5MB cable model is better than the dial-up he was offering. He was not understanding me and trying to stick to the script, so he responded with "So is your main concern about tying up your phone line?".
The next call was after 8PM on a Sunday (not against the law to my knowledge, but I thought general courtesy of telemarketers is to avoid this time). I told the agent I already had a call and was not interested. She proceeded to tell me I was hasty in declining and was argumentative.
The third call was relatively straightforward; the agent said OK and goodbye after I said this was the third call.
I don't see how any company expects to do business like this, but it is getting more and more common.
Anyway, here are some unrelated links for me to browse while waiting for the inevitable fourth call:

• Could you pass 8th Grade Science? online quiz. I was a bit disappointed in how easy it was.
• Tired of paying Coca-Cola for their drink? Make your own Coca-Cola.
• Bleach Spritz Clothing looks to be an easy craft project for decorating old shirts. I may give this a try.
• I think of parabolic dishes for signal reception, but not as a parabolic lamp. This is an interesting idea.
• Redoing that living room? You might want the sensor embedded carpet that can guess shoe size, age, gender, and other characteristics of the person walking on it.
• Think the two wheeled Segway is not for you? You may like the 4 wheeled Segway Centaur concept.
• What you've been waiting for: trailer for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles move. Wait... they're making a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles move?
  

Back from vacation in Branson

Well, I'm back! I visited fabulous Branson, MO, with a stop in Kansas City on the way. Today's links will be for some of the spectacular vacation fare that I experienced:

• Kansas City Zoo - Nice zoo, but not as fun when it is 105 degrees out.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - Very good museum. Got kicked out because they were closing.
• Silver Dollar City - Fun theme park. Not huge, but good variety. (On most of the rides: you will get wet!)
• Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum - full of great oddities.
• Titanic Museum - I thought it was a bit out of place in Branson, but it was very well done.
• Grand Country Square - Didn't stay at the hotel, but ate at the buffet and played the mini golf course.
• 57 Heaven (in Dick Clark's American Bandstand complex) - awesome collection of 1957 cars.
• Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede - horse show and singing, and a four course meal with no silverware.
• Hollywood Wax Museum - just creepy enough.
• The Track - go-karts and other rides.
  

Vacation

Well, I'll be heading out on a mini-vacation here soon, so no updates for a while.
See you in a bit!

Dancing around the world, open mic, clean bills, generous corps, cap magnets

So, what's new? Looks like I'm past the blistering heat here for the moment (over 100 degrees this weekend...fahrenheit, that is). Here are some links for you to read as you sit in your nice air conditioned space:

• If you haven't seen Matt Harding's Dancing Around The World videos, you really should. They are a little goofy, but also kind of touching. What a fun project to do!
• President Bush really needs to learn to be careful around open mics. Candid with some language.
• Two robbers misunderstand money laundering. I hope they used the right detergent.
• The nation's most generous corporations by charitable givings. Wal-Mart is number one? I thought they were supposed to be evil!
• Here's a simple craft project that's kind of neat: turn bottlecaps into magnets or thumbtacks.
  

Whitmarshall new look (and other stuff)

Sorry for the long stretch between updates. I've been working on a new design for the site (as you can see by now), but it took longer than I planned (and was difficult to find the time to work on it. There are still a few rough edges (like the alignment around the top), but I wanted to get it out there. I welcome any feedback on it!
In other news:

• Rare, mutant two-toned lobster caught. He's been immediately signed to be in "X-Men 4".
• RIAA loses a file sharing case. If only they would have downloaded a better legal argument.
  
• Google sends blogger aspirin after he writes a post entitled "Dear Google, You're Giving Me A Headache." Funny, but does this mean Google is reading everything on the web?
  
• This hilarious Darth Vader video on YouTube is one of the funniest things I've seen lately. The video author took Star Wars footage and dubbed in James Earl Jones lines from other movies. Genius.

And that is all the news there is for the day...err, except all that Israel/Hamas/Palestine/Lebanon/Hezbollah/Syria/Iran/North Korea/etc. stuff...

Censor, executive gift, payment pals, marios, msPod, KFed's good joke

Hello, here's some new links:

• Need to stay incognito? You need the Black bar 'censor' sunglasses.
• Nintendo sends Bush a birthday gift of a DS Lite and "Brain Age". Finally, a gift he can use. (By the way I have "Brain Age", and my brain age is currently 22!)
• eBay banning users from using Google Checkout as a form of payment. No self interest there.
• Very sweet animated gif of infinite Super Marios.
• Some new details of Microsoft's iPod killer have been released. Blue screen of death not listed.
  
• Kevin Federline insists his first song release was actually a joke all along. Yeah, we all believe that.
  

The Star Mangled Banner, annihilation, genuine spying

Hope you have a fun and safe Independence Day tomorrow. But before then, here are some links:

• With Independence Day comes the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner". Are you one of the two thirds of Americans that don't know all the lyrics to our National Anthem? I think the might change that just to Anthem. By the way, the last words are not "play ball" or "gentlemen, start your engines".
• And we can celebrate our Independence thinking about North Korea's threat of an 'annihilating strike' and 'nuclear war' in case they are pre-emptively attacked. Of course, I suppose that is only if we don't pre-emptively attack the couple nuclear bombs they have.
• I mentioned it last time, but here is another article about Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage spying on you.

New China, Genuine spyware, internets, struggling penny

Boy, it's been a while. I had much trouble at work this week, with some late nights working on issues. The last few days I've just been catching up on home stuff and trying to not do too much computery stuff. I saw Superman Returns the other day, and generally liked it. I thought it was a bit too long. This new guy does a lot in his performance that really makes you think of Christopher Reeve, and didn't really seem unnatural in any way. (Maybe I'll post a longer review later.)
In other news:

• More evidence that China discovered America. And this would be before Columbus... or it wouldn't be much of a story.
• Lawsuit says Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy software is spyware. I've noticed this thing (firewall catches it) trying to dial home several times a day. It is a bit annoying, and I've wondered exactly what it is trying to send.
• Senator Ted Stevens delivers brilliantly insane speech on why he voted as he did on the net neutrality subject.
• The penny may be on the way out due to it now costing 1.2 cents to make the 1 cent coin.
  

Long life (until the asteroid), ignoring the law, maglev frame, grill pizza, Digg

Here's some links for the day:

• We may one day live to be 1000. I don't know if I'll keep my blog up that whole time though.
• Half mile wide asteroid to pass by Earth on July 3. Bruce Willis readying his spaceship now.
• President Bush adds 'signing statements' to laws he signs to say that he can ignore them if he wants for national security purposes. Must have missed that whole "checks and balances" part in American History class.
• This magnetic levitation picture frame is pretty cool, but the $150 is a bit steep (cost when you add in the magnetic display unit).
• And this is a nifty tool: grill top pizza stone.
• I've mentioned it before, but Digg is a great social news site (the best, I think), and they've just gone live with version 3. Check it out for a good place to get top submitted stories.
  

Wireless troubles, future of Futurama, animations, the birds

I'm going to suggest avoiding D-Link routers. My Linksys burned out a few weeks back, so I went and bought a new wireless router and wireless adapter for my PC (I got the WBR-2310 router and the PCI adapter recommended to go with it. They have Rangebooster! and are supposed to get me up to 108 Mbps rates.) I'm having trouble with it.

• Firstly, my PC that is directly hooked to the router occasionally just loses internet access. A reset of the router or sometimes unplugging it or rebooting the PC is required to fix it.
  
• Secondly, my other PC (which is downstairs, probably about 30 - 40 ft away) gets a weak signal and will also lose the network.
  
• Thirdly, today some of my router settings were wiped out (including network name) so my other PC and XBox couldn't connect at all (this was possibly due to the router reseting and unplugging I've needed?).
  
• Lastly, and not really a product problem, I found out after the fact, that this router is not "certified" for the XBox 360, but I've generally been able to get it working so that may not be a big deal.

I called D-Link support today and after giving a ton of information, the guy had me make some router config changes to try and address the first issue. He didn't seem to even want to address the second and third (and I hadn't realized the settings were wiped out at the time of the call), saying we should try and fix one first. He gave me a case number and said I'll have to return the router to the place of purchase if the dropped connection issue continues (which is conveniently about 2 hrs away). I was not impressed with their tech support at all. If anyone reading has any ideas, please let me know.

In other news:

• Futurama returns! with all new episodes for Comedy Central.
• Visit this fun and clever animation of animator versus animation.
• Some other good animated shorts at Alan the Box. I haven't spent much time here yet, but found it from the "B & W Drama Theater 13" which I thought was funny.
• And while you're watching stuff, check out this amazing video of a flock of starlings crushing a tree.
  

Average cable and internet service, quote quiz, Holy Trinity renamed

Hello, all! A few links:

• Comcast service person falls asleep on customer's couch after spending an hour on hold with home office and missing three scheduled appointments. Customer videotapes this.
• AOL wants to make sure your dead loved ones have their service.
• Test your quote knowledge with the Ann Coulter or Adolf Hitler Quote Quiz.
• Some Presbyterian Churches considering renaming the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to gender inclusive options like "Mother, Child, and Womb", "Rock, Redeemer, Friend", or others. Oh, Rock, why have you forsaken me?
  

Cars, routers, web dislikes, msPod, config.shirt

Hello! How are you? I had a decent Saturday, and saw the movie "Cars", which i thought was excellent (like all Pixar movies). There's not a single human or animal in the movie (technically), yet it still conveyed a lot of emotion. Plus, it contains probably the only "Larry the Cable Guy" performance that I even found to be tolerable, which is a tremendous feat.
Today, I've been struggling with my new wireless router and PCI card for my home network (my previous router blinked its last light a week or so ago). I got this new one set up relatively easily, but I'm having problems with it dropping the network or dropping my Internet connection until I reboot. So, if you are shopping for a router, I may have a suggestion about one to avoid.
But in other news, here are some links:

• What people hate about web sites. Are your pet peeves on the list?
• Is Microsoft developing a rival to the iPod? But with...er, more reboots?
• For the customizer: a configurable t-shirt, but a rather low-tech one.
  

Dozens, vanity surprise, smart states, liquid armor, Gates steps down, light faucet

Looking for some links? Here are some:

• Theives steal 279 copies of "Cheaper By The Dozen" on DVD. Apparently it's a lot cheaper by the 3,348.
• Maybe not the 'value-add' service they were expecting, but several customers found drug 'bricks' in their Home Depot bathroom vanities.
• How does your state rank on the list of most educated states?
• Another step towards Terminator 2... liquid body armor could help protect our troops.
• Bill Gates to step down from day-to-day duties in 2008. I hope he's saving up a nice nest egg before leaving the job.
• Tired of not knowing the temperature of your water? You need the Equa Light Delight faucet that changes color with temps.
  

Rove safe, bogus assistance, interrogation methods, music sharing contained, iSweatshop

How do I pass on great stuff to you? Through links:

• Karl Rove will not be indicted in leak case. Boy, that guy must have some friends in high places.
• The GAO finds up to $1.4 Billion in bogus assistance given out for Katrina and Rita. This news is causing me mental anguish, such that perhaps some government restitution is in order.
• The Pentagon won't hide some interrogation techniques in a classified section of their manual. Or, are they just going to classify the existence of that section of the manual? Think about it.
• RIAA chief says music piracy is "contained". Whew! I have noticed the increase in quality of life already!
• Is Apple producing their iPods in overseas sweatshops? Employees working 15 hr days for $50/month... but at least they get to listen to sweet tunes while they work.
  

Symphony, body claim, fake ID, Transformers, ring stock

After a cool weekend, it is back to much warmer days again. Saturday night, the Minnesota's Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra gave a performance at our new high school's arts center. This is the first time I've been there, and I've got to say the accoustics are terrific there. The theater is very nice (maybe a bit much for a high school, but it will get a lot of community use). The performance was excellent as well.
Anyway, here are a few links for today:

• Don't want to pay for that funeral? Just don't claim the body of that family member. Sheesh.
• Your tax dollars at work: man gets into Homeland Security HQ with obviously fake ID.
• Keep an eye out for your favorite consumer electronics devices in the upcoming Transformers movie.
• Wrestling stock soars, then turns on crowd and becomes a heel, then later redeems self by surprise turn in cage match.
  

Terror leader killed, castle illusion, panel interference, magnet-sense

Who's in the mood for some Internet links? Well, here are some for you:

• Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi killed, but then if you haven't heard this already, you're probably living in a cave in Tora Bora... oh, wait, you'd probably have heard this there by now.
• Big Spanish Castle optical illusion is pretty cool.
• Sen. Specter asks Cheney to quit interfering with NSA panel. Cheney responds by inviting Specter to go quail hunting.
• Tired of plain old sight, smell, taste, etc? Get electromagnetic sense by implanting magnets in your fingers.

Vintage vandals, cave art, web 2.0, classic shed

Hello, here are some links for the day:

• The Wurst Gallery "Vintage Vandals". I thought this was a neat idea and could be a good craft project. Taking art found at a thrift store and modifying it.
• 27,000 year old cave face is oldest portrait on record, and it is a portrait of, you guessed it, Joan Rivers.
• So what is Web 2.0? Oh, it's just all that stuff.
• Need some more style for your backyard? How about a Roman garden shed?

Getaway genius, private email?, photo mosaic, free ebooks, red cells from space, more

I was holding out on filling my gas tank as prices were going down for a while here, but apparently whatever random reason for raising prices has occurred. I ended up filling up today at a higher cost than had I done it a couple days ago. Oh well, I guess constantly changing prices adds that element of risk and suspense, like playing the lotto or betting on a horse race.
Some good bets for you:

• If you are going to rob the grocery store you work for, don't return for your shift driving the same car you used for getaway.
• A third of companies read their employees' outbound email. (44% for companies over 20,000 employees.) So at least someone will read that dumb joke you forwarded to everyone you know.
• I thought this was a pretty cool time-waster: Photo mosaic that you can infinitely drill into.
• Keep your eye open for free eBooks in July, from both Project Gutenberg and World eBook Library.
• Mysterious red cells might be aliens. They are currently gathering Reese's pieces, satellite dishes and Speak N Spells in order to "phone home".
• Good article about 20 things you won't like about Windows Vista.
  
• Being challenged to consume Mentos and Diet Coke together? You might want to watch this experiment first.
  

Irancentives, hilt-hop album, ipod info, rear view, holy grilled cheese, poopsicle

Howdy all! Wow, the weather is nice now (cooled down a little bit). I am stubbornly trying to avoid using the A/C (air conditioner, not alternating current), but have turned it on a couple times since last weekend. I'm also not ready to water the lawn (in fact, without mowing, I don't need to mow as often), but have put the hose on the garden a couple times.
Anyway, here is a variety of stories for you:

• Countries putting together an incentive package for Iran to give up their nuclear ambitions. Yet if I try to build my own nuclear reactor, they send the police.
• In more disturbing news, Paris Hilton plans Reggae, Hip-Hop album. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
• Need a lot of free iPod and iTunes info? The Free iPod Book 2.0 is available (for free)!
• Tired of people sneaking up on you while deep in word processing thought? Get a Computer Rear View Mirror.
• Can't afford those mysterious holy images on food from eBay? Make your own with the Jesus Pan.
• Ever see the movie "Envy" where one guy gets rich after inventing "Va-poo-rize"? We are getting close to that in real life, with Poop-Freeze.
  

Squaremelon, money folding, justice spat, secret wars, phone phollies

Hope you are having a great Memorial Day weekend! Here's a few things to keep you busy:

• What makes those summer holidays better? Why, square watermelon, of course.
• Got so much money you don't know what to do with it? Try some money origami.
• Dept of Justice and FBI officials threatening to resign if they don't get their way in the Jefferson raid. Ministry of Love unavailable to comment.
• I ran across this video for the Secret Wars Re-Enactment Society, a spoof of war re-enacters acting out Marvel Comic's Secret Wars series. I thought it was funny, but posting it here just reinforces that I like some geeky stuff.
• A few inappropriate cell phone ringing stories. I think people should use a little more common sense with their phones; I hate it when one goes off during a movie or event. Toward the end of this article, a professor comments on the pointless conversations he hears immediately before and after classes. I couldn't agree more. I don't understand the inane calls, or why people feel they need to be in constant communication and be always connected.