Saturday, February 23, 2008

Victoria's Window


Victoria's Window, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

Today's horrorscope reads:

Joe,
Positive but unexpected changes in your finances could come through job offers or promotions soon. You may get some extra money that will allow you to buy some pricey technological toy as a gift for your significant other, perhaps a new cell phone so you can keep in touch better?


This is one of those times when I'm hoping it's right on the money.

Rain in Union Square


Rain in Union Square, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

Dusk on Market Street


Dusk on Market Street, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

Never tastes as good as they look

Friday, February 22, 2008

Fact: James Earl Jones was the second African-American male performer following Sidney Poitier to receive an Oscar nomination.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Rounding the corner


Rounding the corner, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I dont even remember what I had


I dont even remember what I had, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

Monday, February 18, 2008

I need a Mac vaccine

My linux laptop is allergic to Macs

It didnt dawn on me until the hipsters with their snow white Macbooks got up and left the coffee shop. All of a sudden, my wifi connection that could not stay connected to the wifi access for more than 30 seconds started running fast free and reliable. No dropped packets, no time outs.

It stayed that way until 15 minutes later when another hipster came in and opened up his MacBook.

Gah.

I got up and moved as far away from him as possible, but somehow my laptop couldnt stay connected for more than 5 minutes this time. It was then I realized any public wifi access became unreliable when a Mac is in the area. Essentially, my connection is dropped at the router for sdome reason.

This sucks. Primarily because you cant swing a taco in San Francisco without hitting someone using a Mac.

Why this is I dont know, although the fault seems to lie primarily in the wireless apps linux uses. Still, it seems that there issomething with the Macs that is poisoning the air...

------
Ive actually pissed people off stating that I am done using Macs and OSX.

The realization actually came to me at the last job, when I traced my frustration level in trying to get things done was directly proportional to the proprietory nature of Mac OSX. Ironically, the Mac OS is built upon open source software and yet is a very closed system. That brought back the nightmares of having to do things the Microsoft Way and one of the reasons why I got burned out on IT.

Even more ironically, to get anything useful done beyond the glossy interface, you HAVE to know Unix quite well.

Well shit, if I have to know Unix - why am I then ferking with OSX?

This is why Im starting fresh with Linux. It isnt a process for the faint hearted as it requires a willingness to go to the command line and get friendly with arcane commands. Im using Ubuntu because the package is fairly user friendly, but only goes so far.

Same thing with Apple's OSX, but they hide it well.

Unfortunately, it is showing again.

Now I need to find an allergy fix.
------------
And just when I started thinking I was being overly paranoid.. the guy with the mac logged off and walked out.

Lo, the connection is crispy again. Im surfing normally.

Definitely not a coincidence.

Night Duty


Night Duty, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

Today's horrorscope

It sez:

When a goal is too easy to attain, it is not as fulfilling as a hard-won victory can be. So take the more difficult route today and don't be too rigid about what you are willing or not willing to do. The biggest challenges come when you open up your mind and tell the universe that you are up for anything! Look for something that puts you outside of your comfort zone and intimidates you just a bit. This task will reward you with great pride that will feed your ego in a powerful way


Hah. Im definitely doing things the hard way. Don't I always?

Although there are times when I know I should be more proactive to make my life easier, I find I tend to hate my life when I do. I remember when friend, using her high level contacts, referred me to a job with Morgan Stanley. The money was very good ($110k BBB), but after the interview I found myself having panic attacks. Yes, it was far more money than I'd ever made but to this day Im convinced it was because I would have to wear a suit every day. The prospect of That Life gnawed at my gut. It doesnt happen often, but I now know this strong reaction is usually an indication it is a path I dont want to go down (getting married was another time...).


Still for some reason, I keep having this foolish, yet euporic feeling that the path Im taking now is a happier one...


Sunday, February 17, 2008

Coffee and Internet


Coffee and Internet, originally uploaded by Itinerant.

The home phone is off, hence no DSL. So, when I feel like it, I lug the laptop to the coffee shop and keep up on my internet life. Paradoxically, a real time saver.

It brought home just how much time I waste on the internet. If it werent for photography, Id almost never leave the house.I dont get much mail and the only people I chat to regularly are a few friends. Since they know how I am, they wont take offense to me being offline, knowing I'll respond to missives asking how I am.

However, I reserve the right to crack a WPA key or two. :)