CCSSite:Opinions

11/9/2009

So, I've upgraded to the new SeaMoneky 2.0. It certainly has a lot of new features and offers compatibility on par with Firefox. It seems really great. But I have just a few gripes…

Issue number 1. The back, Forward, Reload and Stop buttons all have text labels now. I don't really like seeing them right next to my favorites bar with link text in a size larger than the button labels. Of course, if I show the buttons without text, then Mail & Newsgroups loses the text labels below its buttons (which have a much nicer divider between button and label text.

Issue number 2. My new mail count badge on the dock icon shows I have over 2,000 unread messages. This goes back over several years and I have no intention of going back to read them all. Now the only way to know if I have new messages, is if I catch the growl notification. Meh. This one really kinda bugs me.

10/4/2009

Okay. I saw it. It took me a while to recognize what it was. If you're a geek/nerd, you probably have seen it too.

Where in the world did this "Siffy" come from? As I was scanning cable TV lineup, I'm like, what is this "Siffy"? Doesn't look or sound familiar? That's because it's spelled S-y-F-y and pronounced like the shortened form of Science Fiction. Formerly known as SciFi. What the …?

I think it's silly. I pronounced it "Siffy" and that's sticking. It's been a while since I've watched the SciFi channel, so I had no idea they'd gone and done this.

If you know any former Skiffy haters, well, maybe they'll be happy now.

10/3/2009

Do you have a PO Box? Tired of driving (or walking) all the way to the post office only to find it empty? Well, here's an idea. I think it would be very beneficial (for those who don't get mail regularly, at least), to have an email alert system, letting the user of the PO box know when new mail has arrived. This would save time and fuel (if applicable) for the user, and would also reduce traffic from folks who check their box more often than they need to (only to find an empty box).

But it doesn't stop there! For every drive to check on an empty box, consider the carbon released into the atmosphere. Everyone could save from this feature. What could be required to implement this feature? Here is where we run into reality. Would it result in an increase in postage? (Good grief! Let's hope not!)

10/2/2009

Update! New (old) hard drive in iBook crashed — hard. Remember to backup your data, folks!

9/12/2009

So the hard drive in my Late 2001 12" iBook was finally biting the dust. It lasted about a good 8 years. It got a lot more use as a server than was intended, most likely, but it really gave it's all.

I'm noticing that the newer drive is whisper quiet — you can hardly tell it's on!

Everything's all peachy now, but it wasn't just a few hours ago. Do you have any idea how much time it takes to get to the hard drive of an iBook? At least half an hour with dozens of screws, tabs, tape and adhesive. My older 12" wasn't as bad as the newer 14" iBook I used for parts, however. This is interesting considering how simplified Apple is taking their products. All these lovely unibody designs.

I'm really appreciating the MacBooks with easy access to the hard drive (without having to take the machine apart to get to it). I've never taken apart a Dell or Lenovo laptop, so I don't know the difficulty there, but from what I've heard, you don't have to be a computer technician to replace these basic parts.

I hope the "new" (by only about two years) drive lasts for several years. I may yet move on to more professional offerings yet.

5/30/2009

It's rather amazing what getting outside, going out to a busy area to eat or just hang out can do to someone. I was out with a friend eating at a buffet. It was alive with people! At first, I was apprehensive. Who wants to eat at a crowded restaurant? But then, after being seated and beginning to eat, something kinda cool happened.

I started noticing all the families. The kids. The lovers. All these lives coming together in this place, each with their own story. I don't really have an "opinion" on this, but it made me feel really nice. A few random folks chatted me up a bit. It felt very—well—nice! I'm not sure how else to explain it. It did a lot to buoy my spirits.

Then, while driving through town, I noticed people taking advantage of public structures. Taking in the view, or just spending time with a friend—the world seemed so alive and full of wonder. These are the special times. Take note of them. Enjoy them. Remember them.

4/13/2009

Some people get no pleasure except from harassing others. It's sad. Are they helping others? Themselves? No. They are merely hurting the world that we all live in. It is not constructive.

In the short term, it will hurt some, and might make the attacker feel good, but how will people around this person respond to them in the future? How will they see her now? What of the one directly hurt by these events? Is any thought given to the repercussions of these actions? No. And it's sad.

4/1/2009

Friendship is hard. Who expects it to be easy? But when is friendship not worth the effort?

I'm facing this decision right now. I want to be a friend, but I'm not feeling it in return. Just expectations of entertainment or requests for soothing feelings or reassurance. It's taking a toll on me. I'm unhappy, stressed, frustrated and am emotionally spent. I have no patience left.

But yet?I keep holding out hope that things will be different. Sometimes I want to feel vulnerable, but only when I know I have someone to turn to, or that it serves a purpose. I feel like I've been turning the proverbial cheek for months now. Yes, I fought back some, but did it do any good? It only made things worse.

Solution? There are some folks who just don't know how to have friends. At least not close friends. I think for these folks, it's best to keep one's distance and not get too close.

3/12/2009

Remember when I exclaimed the virtues of OkCupid? Well…

OkCupid is now filled with Flash ads. Flash ads really slow down my system. Big fat ones. Ugh! It's so frustrating. It's almost as scary as going to someone's MySpace profile. The site has also been redesigned. It's a lot more confusing to use now. This makes me sad.

Oh. I also haven't found any cool people there in a while.