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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-21

  • @ellism Um, just right click the drive you want to bitlock and click Turn On BitLocker… in reply to ellism #
  • decided I give contacts a try this time. They feel weird, not uncomfortable, just weird. Plus my eyes are more watery causing blurry vision. #
  • @ellism I didn't know they were forcing bitlocker. Several of my computers don't have TPM compatible hardware for bitlocker to work. in reply to ellism #
  • @ryandjohnson Most clients don't purge old tweets. If I delete a tweet via the web after Echofon's downloaded it, it remains. in reply to ryandjohnson #
  • determined that even a $0.10 price difference in gas prices (between stations) only amounts to ~$30 in savings / year. #
  • I made my eye doctor's appointment last Thursday (12th), but interestingly they still sent me a postcard (mailed on 14th) #
  • Aww. The Radeon HD 4670 (57) I got for my desktop is too big to fit w/ my RAID controller. Had to swap it with my HTPC's Radeon HD 4650 (51) #
  • @hjo3 They are indeed a great bang for the buck right now 🙂 in reply to hjo3 #
  • Laptop Steering Wheel Desk: http://bit.ly/30ci8c – Check out the customer images! #
  • Ooooh! You can middle click on the Win7 taskbar (creates a new instance of that app) #
  • No more mexi-coke at Costco? http://bit.ly/4EqeWK #
  • @ryandjohnson Streaming? Delivery? Financially? in reply to ryandjohnson #
  • @angelgrrl813 Oh yah. I noticed they don't carry those anymore too. I also noticed they stopped carrying Roombas. in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @hungtruong Haha. I was so expecting you to say maybe it's time for you to have one of your own ;p in reply to hungtruong #
  • So it turns out I hurt my scapular area (should bone) and muscles are tensing up. Doctor suggested physical therapy. #
  • @ActuallyNPH There's still 2 characters till 140 in this message. in reply to ActuallyNPH #
  • @angelgrrl813 Does Twitter remove the double spacing? If I copy & paste the text directly from Twitter.com, I don't see the double spacing in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @bartonjs You're right, it was indeed eaten up by Firefox. in reply to bartonjs #
  • @angelgrrl813 Teachers want to sleep in too! ;p in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @angelgrrl813 The new RT feature is neat! Though I do wish @echofon would add support to it soon. 🙂 in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @ellism What happened to the other one? in reply to ellism #
  • There was just an update for @echofon. Was hoping the new RT feature was added, but nope. #
  • Haha. They changed the voice actor for Mouri Kogoro (Detective Conan). Knew his voice sounded weird in episode 553. #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-14

  • Is it possible to hypnotize someone and make them believe they're dead and not wake up? #
  • w00t! My Zune HD arrived! Can't wait to play with it when I get home tonight. #
  • The 405/520 conjunction is a clusterf*ck at 10:30am in the morning. Then I remembered the meeting I had to attend was at 2pm, not 11am. #
  • Traveling this holiday season? Free Wi-Fi from Google at SEA and 46 other airports: http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/ #
  • @rothgar Better than my friend who pre-order Dragon Age from Best Buy and still has yet to receive it. in reply to rothgar #
  • @krunk4ever Forgot to mention Wi-Fi is free on any Virgin America flight too. Speaking of which, I still have $50 credit with them. in reply to krunk4ever #
  • Ooooh, 5 Eddie Izzard films are now available for streaming on @netflix. #
  • @rothgar The iPod Touch is a bit too big. Zune HD is still a bit big, but looks sleek and has a bunch of cool features. in reply to rothgar #
  • Remember to sign up for Discover Double Cashback Bonus: http://bit.ly/j2Q2u (includes online shopping) #
  • Does anyone know how to sync/migrate song ratings from iTunes to Zune? #
  • Amazing Horse drawn by @TikiJ's boss: http://bit.ly/1OkyNg Reference: http://bit.ly/Yv1NC #
  • Installing Win7 on my main computer after upgrading my 250GB hdd to 2x500GB RAID 0. So exciting! 😀 #
  • @bartonjs Considered that, but I already do daily backups so my main computer is meant for pure speed 🙂 in reply to bartonjs #
  • Should I stick with Avast or try out MSE as my anti-virus software? #
  • found out that Sync Toy had created 26GB of data in my Documents folder… #
  • Anyone know why Win7 says I only have 2.87GB of usable RAM (out of 4GB) even on 64bit? http://i38.tinypic.com/iqm161.jpg #
  • Sigh… My smart card is blocked. Looks like I need to go into the office. #
  • Saw this in a Jimmy John's restroom: http://twitpic.com/plaos Too bad they didn't have a chair. #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-07

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-01

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-25

  • Grrr. I have to get to the bus station by 7:15am tomorrow to get a bus into Seattle for jury duty. That means waking up at like 6:30am. #
  • @krunk4ever Good thing I looked up Sound Transit. There's no parking at Bellevue Transit Center. Looks like Overlake Transit center it is. in reply to krunk4ever #
  • riding on a public bus for the 1st time in Seattle. It even has free wifi. Can't believe how early kids wake up for school! #
  • w00t! There's free wifi in the courthouse too! #
  • Free Snuggie? http://bit.ly/LNyAg #
  • Apparently 2nd day of jury duty starts at 8:50am = 50 more mins of sleep 🙂 #
  • @ellism There should be a way to bypass Adobe's download manager. in reply to ellism #
  • Do I want to spend 1280pts on the Queen Rock Band Pack? #
  • @krunk4ever It looks like I'm only familiar with 3 of the songs: Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Under Pressure in reply to krunk4ever #
  • Do you ever fear that people will find out the real you? #
  • Got excused from jury duty. A bit sad. Funny how I arrive at work earlier than on my regular days. #
  • @0xFCAF I'd suggest electrifying your car's wires, but rat poison would do just fine. 😀 in reply to 0xFCAF #
  • @angelgrrl813 I picked up some peppermint bark from their bakery. It is yummy! 😀 in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @angelgrrl813 It was next to their cookies/pie area. http://twitpic.com/mfyrw in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @angelgrrl813 I first heard of peppermint bark a few weeks ago via @bartonjs, so Kirkland Signature is the 1st ones I've tried. in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • @angelgrrl813 Booo. Tabbing in @Echofon for Firefox while your typing closes the window. ;p in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • This is the kind of Windows 7 promotion I can get behind! http://bit.ly/3MS7qr (via @jscott) I wonder if I can fit that in my mouth. #
  • @angelgrrl813 It'll be like the Netflix instant watch model. Good thing @hulu is only a backup to my DVR. in reply to angelgrrl813 #
  • is surprised that Win7 is running smoothly on his old IBM Thinkpad X31 (from college days) #
  • is surprised that Win7 is running smoothly on his old IBM Thinkpad X31 (from college days – PM Centrino 1.3GHz + 512MB RAM) #
  • It's so cool that ancient Chinese people had 2 names (i.e. Zhuge Liang = Kong Ming). Apparently it's known as 字 (courtesy name). #
  • @aChrisSmith I always wondered the same thing about Craigslist. in reply to aChrisSmith #
  • CheapyD & CampingKev vs. Burger King's Windows 7 Whopper: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/?f=1558 #
  • @hjo3 They are when you refer to the group and not an individual (e.g. The Tibetans are peaceful people) in reply to hjo3 #
  • @ryandjohnson Can't you use that logic against any iPhone apps over 10MB? Things is after you download it once, you can use it wherever. in reply to ryandjohnson #
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Initial Thoughts on FlashForward

So I finished watching Baccano! and started watching FlashForward on Hulu. I’ll probably have a review on Baccano! later. FlashForward looks like a pretty good TV series so far.

FlashForward Banner

Here’s a quick description of the premise:

On this particular day at the exact same time, everyone (global) has a blackout for 2 mins 17 secs. During this time, they have a flashforward (contrary to a flashback) of some time 6 months into the future. The funny thing is everyone has a flashforward for that exact same moment in the future. The TV show revolves on figuring out what happened.

Note: Since flashback is 1-word, I’m keeping flashforward as 1-word in my posts also.

Here’s my thoughts so far:

<SPOILERS>

My initial thoughts on why Agent Demetri Noh (John Cho) didn’t have a blackout, even before they had explained, was that he’s probably dead by the flashforward date. However, as I continued watching the first episode, it got me thinking maybe he has a reason for not revealing his flashforward. I think he’s one of the bad guys who didn’t have a blackout, but just claims to be so he doesn’t stick out. He’s the rat/the mole to delay the FBI’s investigation or whatever his purpose is.

That would explain several other key points I picked up in the 1st episode. Agent Noh was gone and nowhere near when Agent Benford woke up from the blackout. I was also surprised that given Agent Noh had waken up before Agent Benford, Agent Noh didn’t try to wake up Agent Benford or even pull him out of the car wreck.

There were also supposed to be 3 people in the car they were chasing. When they came around, the driver was dead, the woman was apprehended, and we’re still missing one person. My guess was Agent Noh was hiding him somewhere in that time.

</SPOILERS>

That’s all for now. I’m just starting to watch episode 2 and if they’ve already revealed something that contradicts my predictions, then oh well.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-18

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Rock Band Drum Pedal Starting to Crack

So yesterday while playing Beatles Rock Band with friends, I noticed stepping on the drum pedal felt a bit weird. Upon closer inspection after our gaming session, it looked like the drum pedal was beginning to crack about 1-2″ above the bottom hinge. If I recall correctly, Harmonix was replacing them even out of warranty. So I began the hardware warranty process (page which for some reason doesn’t render under Firefox 3.5; had to switch to IE).

I was reading the requirements of the RMA, even though I mentioned I had a Rock Band [1] drum pedal, it mentioned that in the RMA I needed to include a proof-of-purchase within 60 days:

STEP 3: Providing Proof of Purchase
Because our Limited 60-day Hardware Warranty requires that you are within the first 60 days after purchase, we will need a legible copy of your original sales receipt to determine eligibility. The sales receipt must clearly show the following information:

  1. Item Description
  2. Purchase Amount
  3. Date of Purchase
  4. Point of Purchase

They didn’t mention any specific exception for the Rock Band pedal. So I decided to contact their support:

Hi, I purchased the full Rock Band kit back in Feb. 2008 and my friends and I play about twice a month. Recently my pedal began cracking, about 1-2″ from the bottom hinge.

I recall that Rock Band was replacing pedals even beyond the 60 day warranty period for defective pedals and was wondering how I can start that process.

Thank you.

In the meantime, I found a small flat piece of metal (wrench that came a the toolkit used for building some furniture) and duct taped it to the cracking area, hopefully to prevent further cracking until I can get it replaced.

Got a reply this afternoon:

Thank you for contacting Rock Band Warranty Support!

I apologize about the trouble you are having with your drum pedal. We will certainly be happy to get you a replacement.
To start the process we have two different shipping methods for you to choose from:

With an express order you will receive the new item within five to seven business days, but we do require a $125 pre-authorization hold on a credit card. This is not a charge, simply a hold to ensure that we are going to get the broken item back. When you receive the new item, it will come with a pre-paid shipping label for you to send back the broken item. As long as we get the broken item back within 28 days, we will release the hold from your credit card and you will not be charged.

If you would prefer not to use a credit card, the second shipping option that we have is the standard shipment. With this option we will send you an empty box with a prepaid shipping label that you use to send us your broken item. Once we get this and scan in the label, we will send you your new item

If you would like to do an express order, please give us a call at (650) 628-1001 as we cannot take credit card information over email. Otherwise all we need is your shipping information. We look forward to assisting you!

Please let me know if there is anything else we can assist you with! Additional support can be found on our help site located at http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/rockband.php or if you would like to speak to a live agent, please call (650) 628-1001.

Thank you,
Teddy
Rock Band Warranty Support
Electronic Arts

Looks like I’ll have to call in to start the RMA process, which I can then confirm that 60-day proof of purchase is not a requirement to get my drum pedal replaced. w00t!

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-11

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Can Carol Be A Male Name?

So as I was watching the new Where The Wild Things Are HD clips, I noticed the main monster was named Carol. I’m pretty sure the monster’s a guy, so that prompted me to wonder if Carol can be a guy’s name also. When I was playing Tales of Vesperia, the little brat was named Karol, which also got me wondering.

After discussing with Ungsunghero, I arrived at this Wikipedia page: Carl (name). Apparently there’s a whole slew of names that derive off of Carl (i.e. Charles). Apparently Carol is a male name in Romanian and a female name in English. Karol is a male name in Polish/Slovak.

Ungsunghero then brought up the question why Peg is short for Margaret. This was the first time I heard of that and asked if Peg Bundy’s real name is Margaret. Apparently her mom calls her Margaret. I countered with if it’s really that much off compared to Dick == Richard. Looking up in Wikipedia, there’s a whole slew of diminutive form for Margaret (i.e. Maggie, Madge, Marge, Meg, Megan, Rita, Daisy, Greta, Gretchen, Magee, Marg, Meggie and Peggy).

When I showed this to Ungsunghero, Daisy being in that list blew his mind. After searching a bit, I found this page: Why is Peggy the nickname for Margaret? In it, it explains how Daisy came about:

Regarding the question about how Peggy derived from Margaret, you showed some astonishment that Daisy derived from Margaret. It is, in fact, the origin of the name. La marguerite is French for daisy. Daisy historically (until this century) has been a common diminutive of Margaret, and in the fifteenth century Marguerite d’Anjou, wife of England’s Henry VI, used the daisy as her personal symbol.

Following how names come about is always fun and interesting.