Cloud, Development, DevOps, Technology on Lee Madajczyk

Musings

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Woof, it’s been over two years since I last sat down to write something. That’s not too great. I’ve got a few items in the hopper that I’ve thought to capture, but I just haven’t done it. It’s easy to get in a rut, yet far harder to escape it.

I’m definitely ready for the seasons to change. I don’t necessarily have an issue with winter, and the image I selected to include with this post is a gorgeous one. It’s not as if this winter has been longer than previous ones, either. I didn’t go on vacation anywhere warmer to break up the monotony, so that might be part of it. I’m ready for the time change in two weeks, too. I still don’t care for the change itself, but it definitely impacts me a little bit when sunset is at 4:30 in the afternoon during the depths of winter.

Enjoying Typescript

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I realized that I have had a rocky relationship with scripting languages used on websites and such.

VBScript was.. fine. I was able to get a lot of stuff done with it, especially since it was the successor to QBasic. The fact that it was baked in to Internet Explorer, and nothing else from a browser perspective, was a key indicator. Yeah it still lives on in Office products and such, but at this point if you’re dropping down to the script editor, there’s a good chance you’ve already lost the battle. Being able to use the same language in multiple places was nice, but pretty quickly it was easy to realize that you were getting locked in. Sadly, I ended up writing a fair amount of this code. Sorry for anybody who finds themselves stuck supporting that legacy unpleasantness.

Yet Another Refresh

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Ah, excellent.

For the last two months, I’ve been working on migrating the tech stack for this site from Jekyll over to Hugo. I had been considering making this move for quite a while, and even talked about it a bit at the start of the year. After procrastinating for a while, I decided at the end of August to tackle it.

First, Jekyll was a good publishing system, but over time I found it to be finicky. Since it’s Ruby based, I kept running into all kinds of dependency issues, especially when I was still running Windows. Figuring out how to keep it running felt like it was a constant battle, especially since I was only publishing infrequently. When the urge to write something actually did strike, it became an impediment when it would take an hour of fiddling around before I could even get it running to see it locally. Switching over to VS Code Remote Containers helped to clean a lot of that up. At first. But lately, GitHub Depandbot started reporting more and more security vulnerabilities in the various NPM dependencies. Tech debt was building up, and it was really getting annoying.

Quicksand

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Every once in a while, I sit down to make updates to this site. But, before I can make much progress, I send myself down a rabbit hole. Instead of just punching out an article, I start thinking about making pretty big updates to the site.

I have two things in mind. One is to swap out the system under the hood that runs this site. I’ve been contemplating this for about a year now, although it became slightly less of a burning issue have I figured out how to run things in VS Code remote containers as captured in this post.

Ally Mortgage Review

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As I captured on deciding which company to use for a mortgage, I elected to go with Ally. They don’t offer mortgages directly, but instead partner with better.com to drive the process. They provide an incentive to existing customers to select their option. In my case, it ended up with no lender fees as well as a $500 credit towards closing costs. Win!

They use a three phase process to handle all of the tasks. As you move through the various phases, you get handed off to specialists who collect the information they need to get the phase wrapped up.

Mortgage Decision Path

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

History

There so many potential options now for getting a mortgage. Plenty of guides are out there that can help break down the choices, but I thought I’d capture my thoughts on what I experienced and how it shaped my thinking.

I worked through two different mortgage brokers previously, and there are definitely pros and cons. Their whole job is basically to get you a mortgage however they can in order to get paid. There’s nothing wrong with at a high level, at least at first glance. History has shown that they aren’t always working in your best interest and will happily put an unwary customer into a product that they shouldn’t be in. That hadn’t been my experience, but knowing it happens does kind of leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Groundhog Day in Present Day

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Toliver had me watch a YouTube video today that demonstrated how carburetors work through the construction of a transparent one. It was really good, but then another video of a deleted scene from the movie Groundhog Day was recommended that got me thinking.

If you haven’t seen the movie, you absolutely should. It holds up, although I admit that it’s been a little while since I last saw it. Bill Murray does an excellent job of playing a weatherman who ends up reliving the same day over and over again. (I bet the day is an easy guess). After enjoying the concept at first, he runs out of things to do fairly quickly. The deleted scene video plays it out fairly well, showing that he’s basically memorized all the things he could.

Ford Maverick

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Ford released the details on their new Maverick compact pickup truck today. Honestly, I barely remembered they were even working on it, honestly. I basically dismissed it after being a little disappointed with the way the reintroduced Ranger came about.

This was a huge mistake on my part.

40 mpg with the hybrid engine, under $20,000 starting price. Using the Ford vehicle builder, I spec’d out a fairly well outfitted Lariat trim and only hit about $33,000. Truck utility, sedan comfort and features. Having the ability to haul things every once in a while, but still having most of the properties of a sedan or crossover is going to make a huge dent. Ford has done a pretty good job of hitting the greatest common denominator of the options most would need.

Using MoCA to Extend Ethernet Networks

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve made some pretty significant upgrades to my home network in the past few years. As the homelab bug started to bite again, I’ve begun transitioning back to using hard-wired connections where possible. I swapped out my older wireless equipment with UniFi equipment for better control, and started running cabling where I could.

My current living situation prevents me from making major modifications. I either had to configure the UniFi system to use wireless mesh and backhaul the traffic, or run cables all over the place somehow. Yuck.

Jekyll and VS Code Remote Containers

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I really, really enjoy using static web site generation systems like Jekyll.

However, I generally hate getting them running after I pave over my desktop machine.

I started out with Jekyll back when GitHub first introduced GitHub Pages. It was great, but I was using Windows at the time and there were a lot of hoops to jump through. Even after moving to Linux, I found that Jekyll requires installation of things I only use for the websites (e.g.: I generally don’t do much Ruby development). When I regularly pave over my desktop, it makes it a bit of a hurdle to add new content to the site. A side effect of this was that it basically afforded me a great excuse to not add content.

Paving Over Computers

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I rebuild my various computers regularly, possibly even far too often. It’s actually pretty rare nowadays that I have a daily driver machine whose operating system was installed more than 6 months prior.

A decent portion of this comes from using Windows for so long. Although things appear to be getting better, it still seems things get bogged down after you’ve gone through a few of the bigger OS updates. I do want things to updated, but I always find it annoying when the resulting system seems to be slower than ever. Not to mention that the updates always manage to come at the most inopportune times, because of course they do.

My Technology Interests

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I started out with a Commodore VIC-20 when I was really young (8 or 9, maybe?), and I was hooked. I transcribed a kaleidoscope program from a “Learning to Program” book. It was awesome, but there was a fatal flaw. Once it started, I couldn’t figure out how to stop it. I hadn’t saved it to the attached cassette tape drive (and I can’t even remember if it was an option, actually). I remember leaving the computer running for as long as I possibly could, until my parents finally told me to shut it off. I was sad and happy at the same time; sad I lost the program (that I typed, didn’t create), but able to start working on new stuff. Eventually as I got older, we moved up to the 64, and even got to work on other friends’ 128 systems. We ended up getting a modem, and I subscribed to services like Q-Link and Prodigy over time. Q-Link eventually became AOL, but that wasn’t my fault.

About

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Just another rando guy who does various things. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

More details available on my GitHub profile. The repo for this site is available there as well.

I also have a LinkedIn profile, if you prefer. Smash that like button!

Modern Society, Old Tech

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Society Depends on Old Tech

So much of the technology infrastructure that modern society today currently depends on was created long before security was even being considered as a primary concern. In many cases, how technology is being used now use is far different from what was originally envisioned or designed. While this is great for today’s users, many of the things we have come to depend on have vital flaws that can be exploited. What’s worse, we know that these exploits exist, but only limited progress has been made against the work required to protect these critical systems that we have come to depend on.

Doubling Down

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Simply by adding an article now, I’ve created double of what I’ve posted to this site last year.

I’ve been writing so many papers for school that I sometimes find it difficult to sit down and construct posts for this site. I’ve been able to square that by considering that nobody really reads this drivel anyway.

Based on what I’m currently thinking, the next year might very well get interesting. I’ve gone back to my interests in cloud computing and other nerdy things, and I’m trying to push through to finish earning my bachelors degree 15+ years too late. What for? Is it simply to check something off of a list? Or am I trying to make a statement? I’m honestly unsure.

Amazon and AWS

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

There have been a lot of rumblings over the past year or two suggesting that Amazon needs to spin off Amazon Web Services (AWS). These rumblings have waxed and waned as various pundits attempt to prognosticate on what Amazon is going to do next.

I find it increasingly difficult to parse the suggestions given in articles when trying to match it to the reality of the world at this time.

Amazon will decide to split off AWS, because it makes a lot of sense and market forces will dictate it.

Ponzi Schemes Need Docs Too

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Documentation in code is extremely important, even if developers hate doing it. We’ve all been there, stuck debugging some confusing code that has zero code comments. It made sense to the dev at the time, but they’ve long since moved on and you’re stuck supporting that bad boy.

GitHub recently released the results of their Open Source Survey, which polled active users to better understand how they were using the software. One of the primary insights they learned?

Personal Retrospective

Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

As part of Agile development, one of the many important processes is the Retrospective. This is a meeting held by the team at the end of a sprint or a release or some such other important milestone. The intent is to allow the persons involved the ability to comment on what went well, what went poorly, and offer suggestions on what could be done to improve things in the future.

Standing Desk

Fri, 13 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

As I stated in an earlier post, I’ve been struggling with back pain for quite a long time. Last year, I purchased a new mattress from Verlo, and that definitely helped. But I knew I could do more. I decided that I needed to figure out a way to try the option of working at a standing desk to see if that helped.

From what I can gather, standing desks are by no means a new idea. They’ve been utilized off and on for at least a few hundred years, but I couldn’t find any citations to confirm that. Supposedly, it is a healthy way to work compared to sitting at a desk all day, but that seems to be more supposition than confirmed fact. Personally, I’ve seen a few of these in use, and even had a few coworkers who had one. But, since I had never had a chance to use one myself, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to like it or not. So I knew going in that I needed to have a way to convert back and forth, and I also wanted to keep an eye on the budget.

Back Pain

Wed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I have struggled with various levels of back pain for years. Sometimes there’s none at all. Other times, it’s been so bad that I can’t even get out of bed. Granted, usually that seems to happen after I’ve done something pretty stupid, but that’s besides the point.

A few years ago, I discovered heat. Putting heat on my back seems to help reduce the number of occurances. Since that discovery, I have been know to do such crazy things as use the seat heater in my car on its highest setting during the summertime. Some would scoff, and I would definitely have the air conditioning on or windows down, but I’d push as much heat as possible to my back in an attempt to forestall whatever pain might have been coming.

Nutrition Guidelines

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

According to a just published Washington Post article, it appears that the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is the primary panel tasked with providing nutrition advisories on behalf of the United States government, is on the cusp of reversing a long standing policy regarding cholesterol. (This policy was introduced in response to a paper published in 1961 in conjunction with the American Heart Association).

In layman’s (egg joke?) terms, the policies break down as follows:

Solo Haiku

Tue, 22 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I, myself, am here

Out on my own, all alone

Feeling quite lonesome.

Unexpected Memories

Sat, 19 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Everything in my mind appears to reminds me of something else as of late. Birthdays. Independance Day. Green Bay Restaurant Week. Nurses. Rock USA. Fireworks.

Being aware that there might be better things in the world than what I’ve experienced. Some of those things are BECAUSE of my past life. Others are IN SPITE of it. Unfortunately… I just can’t seem to shut these down. I try to, but it doesn’t always work. Some days are worse than others.

Crossroads

Sat, 08 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I feel as if I have arrived at a crossroads. There appears to be multiple paths, and each leads off in a different direction. Everything past the crossroads is foggy and cannot be seen. Cryptic signs appear next to each of the paths, but not enough information is provided to help with the decision process.

I remember well the path from which I came, but I know that if I spend too much time dwelling on how I got here, I will be paralyzed and unable to proceed. Absence of progress does not progress make, so I know I must push on. It’s difficult to make a decision, but I know I have to make a choice.

Stomach Recollections

Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The following represents thoughts of the past based upon the remembrances of my stomach. This doesn’t mean that it was the best, but personal recollections might very well override the otherwise shitty presentation of the sustenance. Perhaps.

Long John Silvers

Those fscking hushpuppies. Fsck you you flattering sons-a-bitches. I thought I loved you. A local branch opened up within the last few years… either the recipe changed, or you always tasted like ass. Either way, I just don’t see a future for us. But I used to love that place when I was a kid.

Reading Addiction

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

For as long as I can remember, I have been addicted to reading. I mean, it’s not like I was born with a book in my hand. That would be gross.

I distinctly remember reading Tom Clancy books for Mrs. DuPree’s sixth grade class. The Hunt for the Red October got me started, but I ended up reading all of his books even though I only needed one for a book report. Tom Clancy doesn’t write simple little 100 page books, either. The man can spent an entire twenty page chapter describing, in intricate detail, the step-by-step process undertaken when a nuclear bomb is detonated. I’m pretty surethe teacher thought I was full of shit when I told her I read them. Most people in class were reading “age-appropriate” books, whatever the hell that means. And I read them a number of times. Sometimes in a single weekend. I probably should have undergone an intervention at that point, but that wasn’t really fashionable then. Or maybe it was, how the hell would I know? I was like 12.

Microwave Popcorn

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

As time goes on, I remember less and less about the details, but I remember the general idea.

I remember that it was January. Probably 2007, which would have made Toliver 3 years old, and would have put Carter in kindergarten at Cormier School.

Toliver wasn’t feeling well at all, so I had to pick him up from daycare. Unfortunately, I still had a number of things to get done for work, so I was dividing my time between him and my work duties. He had a fever of 101, which is why I got called in the first place. I picked him up from daycare and brought him home to my duplex, and asked him what he wanted to do. He asked if he could do a puzzle, so I set him up with one right next to me. I could hear him humming as he worked on it. I only had a few more things to take care of, and then I could focus on my blue-eyed bundle of joy.

Green Screen My Ass

Sat, 04 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Why is it that I can always pick up when things are superimposed? For example, see this snapshot from Amazon.com’s Alpha House:

WTF? Green Screen at its worst.

Adam Sandler’s The Goat said it best: “They fucking superimposed me!!” Seriously. I like this show, and I know that Netflix doesn’t have the powers that other studios have.

The fact that the bookworm girl in the front looks like she has been Photoshopped into the frame isn’t good. Is it really that hard to film this scene in an actual office? Stop cutting corners. I pay $79 per year for this shit AND FREE SHIPPING, and I don’t like it when you try to screw me over. That’s right, Jeff Bezos. I’m watching you.

The First Day

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I begin walking towards the building filled with a mixture of fear and self-doubt. This is my first time, and there is nobody here to help me. I am completely on my own, and the outcome of this visit is entirely in my own hands. The backpack that I carry seems oddly out of place, but nobody seems to pay much attention. Can they see the trepidation on my face? Are they ignoring me out of pity or indifference?

Resume from Hibernation

Thu, 02 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

After an entire year of slacking, it’s time I get this site spun back up.

I’ve moved away from running a Wordpress site. I really enjoyed the continuous integration setup I had in place for automatically publishing code file changes from BitBucket to Windows Azure. But then I stopped messing with it.

Looking back, a number of things happened personally that made it hard to keep up with this site. Instead of writing about them via a public website, I started keeping tracking of them with the excellent Momento application. Things happen in life, and it’s how we deal with them that defines us as people.

Asus Zenbook UX31A Review

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I’d like to start by stating that the Asus Zenbook UX31A is a spectacular machine. Although I’ve only owned it for about a week, I wanted to detail some thoughts about this Ultrabook in case anybody is considering it and would like some hands-on information about the overall experience.

In my previous article, I spent some time detailing my search for new a new laptop. That was a fairly comprehensive accounting of what ended up being important to me. I’ll touch on many of those features here also, but to really understand my mindset when I made the purchase, please refer back to that article.

Ultrabook Purchase: A Process of Elimination

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

As forecast by my previous article, I’ve purchased a new ultrabook. Or as I’ve heard they say in England, I’ve purchased a new piece of kit.

I spent a lot of time evaluating my options. There is a bunch of cool stuff out there that I didn’t expect to see. I’ve been running on the Windows platform forever, but I didn’t want past history to lock me in. I also didn’t want to purchase something that I would feel like I had to replace in six months…. whatever I purchased needed to have the ability to last, although I might still swap it out soon. Who knows.

Changes in My Technology Purchase Habits

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve had a serious problem that I’ve been able to repress for quite a long time. I’m a technology junkie. I used to make purchases all the time. I’ve been able to keep that at bay for quite a while, but the urge is coming back.

Over the years, I’ve made a lot of technology purchases. Desktops, servers, laptops… I’ve picked up my fair share. Initially I bought a few machines from retailers, and then I decided I could build it cheaper. That trend lasted for about ten years. A few years ago, I realized that I was spending a lot of money trying to build the ultimate machine, when I really didn’t need an ultimate machine.

Changes in 2004

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Well, another year, another re-design. I’ve just about finished everything up in regards to the site, and I’m working on a bunch of content to get posted up here. I’m in the middle of revamping the Picture Gallery, and you’ll already see some of the improvements. I’m working on adding in comments, and I’m also considering a picture submission section so that other people can upload their pictures (that’s you, Schuelke!)

Persona Platform

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

After a multi-year hiatus, I’ve decided it’s time to begin rebuilding my online persona again.

Site Capture from 2009 through 2012

I started posting content my first website in 1998. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with online publishing ever since. Some people do a great job of creating fresh content and posting new information on a regular basis. I, on the other hand, have been somewhat hit or miss.

Control Z

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

So, remember a few weeks ago when I posted that I was taking a new job?

Oops. Things didn’t work out.

As of Friday, I’ve gone back to Associated Bank and have been able to resume my previous position with the Online Banking team, and I’m definitely looking forward to the challenges that 2009 will bring. So, it feels like I did a Control+Z and did an Undo of most of December.

Painful Season

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

It has been horribly difficult to watch the Packers play this year. They looked okay at first, although Ryan Grant’s running game was a little off at first. They they had a few losses, and then a huge win against the Colts. Going into the bye week, it looked like there were finally coming together.

Oops.

Since the bye week, they’ve lost 6 of their last 7 games. Too many of those have been close games that have been lost in the last few minutes. Unfortunately though, it just doesn’t matter how well you play for the first 55 minutes when you lose it in the last 5.

Daycare Parking

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Okay, rant time.

In front of my daycare, there are four handicapped parking spaces, with two on either side of the main entrance. Now that it’s getting colder, every day, almost without fail, at least one of those spots is filled by a empty, running car. Somebody who’s dropping off their kids.

Now, I’ve been going to this place for over a year.. you get to know people. I know who drives the car, and I know they’re not disabled. Maybe the daycare shouldn’t have quite as many disabled parking spaces, but that doesn’t make those spaces become disabled and 5-minute loading/unloading, either.

Changing Jobs

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

After five and a half years working for Associated Bank, it feels like it is time for a change. I have decided to take a position with Tushaus Computer Services, working as a consultant geared primarily towards enterprise design and engineer services.

It’s always hard to leave an employer, especially after being there for so long. There are many, many great people who work there, and after you leave a place, it never quite feels the same. There have been lots of great changes at the bank, and a few not-so-great changes, but all in all it was a good place to work. The friendships alone that I take away with me are more than worth it.

Stupid Wasps

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000

So I brought the boys home this evening and noticed a dark spot on the mini-blinds. A closer inspection revealed it was a wasp, although a fairly tranquil one.

I went to get a flyswatter to take care of the intruder, but when I returned, I saw two dark spots. Bugger. Before I could act, the second dark spot hid behind the blinds.

So I smacked the first one, and when he hit the floor, I saw another one buzzing around under the end table. So I killed that one too, then finished off the first one I smacked. Then I decided to go after the second one I saw on the mini-blinds. I opened the blinds and smacked that one, which totaled three.

Croup

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Around 3:30 this morning, Toliver woke up barking like a seal… the sure sign of croup.

Poor Toli has suffered from respiratory ailments since he was born, basically. When he was little, he had two trips to the hospital for RSV, one only two months after he was born, and then again in August 2005.

Ever since then, he gets croup at least once or twice a year. Usually it’s at night, which always makes for a fun evening. Unfortunately, it also is “provoked or worsened by agitation or crying”, which pretty much describes a pissed off kid at 3 in the morning who can’t breathe.

First Thoughts on Google Chrome

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

In a word: responsive.

Google Chrome is pretty slick. Built on top of WebKit with independent processes, it seems to be pretty reliable. I’ve run it pretty hard over the last day and a half in an attempt to break it, taking it to sites that have caused me issues in the past. Nary a problem.

The Chrome Task Manager is a good idea that’s long overdue. Being able to determine how much memory each web application takes up is extremely handy information. Some have suggested that from a developer angle, the best bet is to utilize WebKit. While that’s not a bad idea, testing in the application that end users are likely to use just makes sense.

Foo Fighters and Three Days Grace

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

On Friday, August 29th, a bunch of us headed down to Milwaukee to see Foo Fighters and Three Days Grace play. It was an awesome concert.

Parking was a small nightmare. Thankfully Proton had the GPS unit (that I won and he stole from me) installed so we were able to navigate around. We found some parking and walked through the park, down a steep hill, and then headed to the concert site.

Three Credits Down

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

About damn time.

I completed my last test today, so I have earned three credits from Fort Hays State University. I enrolled in April in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree, although I am currently undecided as to my major. While this may not be a big deal to you, it is to me.

Back in 1996 when I decided not to attend college and just go with it, I made a promise to myself that I’d be back in school within ten years.

Movies and Such

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve managed to see two movies in the theatre in the past few months, which is amazing because I hardly go out to movies anymore thanks to Netflix… there just isn’t a need anymore.

But, I ended up making an exception for two movies. I went to see Hancock about a week ago. Although it wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be, it was all right. Will Smith did a pretty good job of playing a jackass.

Woodgrain Just Sucks

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Am I the only one in the world who hates vehicles with woodgrain interiors??

I’ve been doing a bit of research on cars and I just can’t stand seeing that stupid woodgrain accent trim go around the cabin. Or worse… some vehicles are put it on the steering wheels or gearshift!!

I just can’t see what the point is. It’s supposed to add an air of luxury, but that’s just pompous posturing. We all know it’s fake, so what’s the damn point?

Naming Rights?

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Seriously, this may be one of the most stupid things I’ve heard in a while.

David Partin of Orlando offered the right to name his unborn son to a local radio station that offered $100 worth of free gas to the listener with the most interesting item to trade. Radio hosts Richard Dixon and J. Willoughby took Partin’s deal. When the baby is born this winter, he will be named Dixon and Willoughby Partin, with the “and” included.

Resurrection

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Wow, it’s been almost a year since I posted last. Shut up, I’ve been busy.

Here’s a list of crap that has changed or happened in the past 9 months:

Toliver turned 4 in November, Carter turned 7 in April. I turned 30 a few weeks ago.

I’ve started dating again, believe it or not.

I took a new position at my full-time company.

I got to see a Google StreetView car up close.

Philanthropy by Wristband

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Okay, seriously. The wristband fad is over.

Firstly, I’m tired of trying to figure out what the different colors mean. Secondly, yeah sure, it’s nice that you support a cause or a charity or something else that helps people out. That makes you feel good. It eases your conscience, makes you feel about yourself, and an angel may even get its wings.

But just because you’re wearing a wristband doesn’t mean I have to care. Nor does it make you a better person for advertising your philanthropy.

A Collective WTF

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I was at today’s spectacular Green Bay Packers game (thanks Brian!) against the San Diego Chargers and watched the two teams battle it out. I expect that there are three things I will remember from this game for quite a while:

The fact that the Packers have started out 3-0 when nobody seems to have expected it.
The two Chargers fans who also happened to be beautiful blonde twins.
The sound the stadium made when the 4th down pass was incomplete.

Hearing 70,000 fans essentially say “What the fuck was THAT?” all at the same time was pretty impressive, even if the reason for it was not. Even though the Chargers lost, they’ve still got the Charger Girls. And those twins.

Passive FTP and Firewalls

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

For the last few months, I’ve been receiving complaints from some of my customers that they were having trouble with the FTP services being offered through Cartoli. Problems included being immediately disconnect from the server upon connection, fast timeouts, occasional problems with file transfers, etc. In other words, the transfer portion of File Transfer Protocol wasn’t working so hot.

The one thing that remained constant is that I could get transfers to work when the firewall was shut down. Obviously not a permanent solution, it at least allowed the FTP services to be useful again. As always, it’s the firewall that’s causing the damn problem.

Up Up Down Down

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I find myself wishing I could use the Contra Code in real life..

Up up down down left right left right A B select start.

Damn, didn’t work. Stupid thing.

Phoenix of Jericho

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000

On May 16th, CBS cancelled Jericho, which I really liked, but wasn’t sure was going to make it through the first season.

Beginning almost immediately thereafter, in a tie-in to the season finale, over 20 tons of nuts were shipped to CBS in protest of the cancellation.

On June 6th, CBS announced via their fan forum that due to unexpected fan response they would be ordering an additional seven episodes for next year. They also expressed that to continue production of the series the fans will need to grow the number of viewers for the show.

Viral Algorithm

Sat, 05 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000

THE ALGORITHM CONSTANTLY FINDS JESUS

THE ALGORITHM KILLED JEEVES

THE ALGORITHM IS BANNED IN CHINA

THE ALGORITHM IS FROM JERSEY

You gotta love xkcd. Brilliant. Any way to capitalize on viral marketing is good with me. See here for more detail.

Good Intentions

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Stupid blog.

Stupid life.

Broadband Sewer

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Google has announced that they are offering free broadband service called TiSP. The delivery system is extremely forward thinking… forget electricity… instead, use the local sewer system. Installation is accomplished via their GFlush system and fiber-optic cabling. The best part is in their FAQ:

Why is TiSP in beta?

When things go wrong with TiSP, they go very, very wrong. Let’s leave it at that.

Disconcerting Laziness

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Ashwaubenon schools are closed for spring break next week. This means that Carter and Toliver are staying at their Mom’s house at her request.

I haven’t decided how I feel about this yet. It’s great that they can spend some good quality time with their mother, and I know that I can use the break, but it just seems weird when they’re not here. My place is obviously designed for a family, and it’s disconcerting when the majority of the family isn’t around.

Daylight Savings Boomerang

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

So, since it’s been a bit since I’ve put anything up here, I should point out that spring is on the way, even the though the last time I made a post it was still last year. Stupid daylight savings time changes.

A lot of things have happened in the last few months, although nothing was really noteworthy. I managed to break my garage door somehow, got a new PC, had my stupid Christmas tree boomerang back to me, gone out for drinks with friends and coworkers, and otherwise have generally made a nuisance of myself. I was really good at keeping up with the last one.

Christmas Is Here

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been accused recently of being a bit morose. True enough, but things have been a bit… hectic, lately.

Bastards. Leave me along, I know the last few posts were shitty. Grr.

At least Christmas is here. The boys are back, fresh from a four-day run at their mothers apartment. They’re both excited for Santa to show up… took until almost 11pm to get them to sleep.

But now they’re snoring, so I did my fatherly duty and put all of the presents out for them to devour in the morning. Stockings are stuffed, the tree is both trimmed and properly gifted, and all that remains is the boys waking up and tearing the wrapping paper from the presents. Then the trek to my parents’ house for more gift opening and fun.

July 11th, 2005

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

It was a day that I intend to forget, but I doubt I’ll be able to. I just came across the photos that I took the night my ex moved out without warning. The events of the past 18 months or so haunt me from time to time. Especially the weekends she takes the boys.

I had just returned from Minneapolis, and it was getting pretty late. As I pulled into the driveway of the duplex, I noticed it looked different, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

The Elmo Experience

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I made a decision that I felt may have been hazardous to my health. I opted to purchase tickets for the boys and I to Sesame Street Live - Elmo Makes Music. I knew that no good could come from it, but I decided to press forward. For the boys, I say!

To start things off right, we got a late start and ran into a ton of traffic generated by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, whose first show started one hour later than Sesame Street. To be honest, I wasn’t aware that they were playing, and I was even more surprised when I learned how many people were there. In my way.

Doughnut Showers

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

On Friday, the boys and I decided to treat ourselves to a weekend of decidedly unhealthy breakfasts in the form of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Sometimes as I need to rely on incentive to positively reinforce behaviors. Yeah, that’s gotta be it – definitely not because I have a sweet tooth too.

When we arrived, the boys begged and pleaded to go inside rather than go through the drive-through. I relented because I decided to get some of that “My Dad is the Greatest! (TM)” feeling going on. Oh yeah, and even dictators listen to suggestions from the subjugated from time to time.

Toliver's Birthday

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Toliver had a great 3rd birthday today, although I definitely found myself a bit frustrated. Of course, it was completely my fault.

First, I slacked off when it came to wrapping the presents. I actually did great (by my standards anyway) and purchased just about everything almost two weeks ago. Since I’m a guy, that’s almost unheard of. Turns out I guessed right; I’ve only had about an hour or so to myself where I could go shopping.

Spooky G

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Today the boys and I found ourselves down at Lambeau Field for their Spooktacular event. The event itself was OK but nothing great. Howard and his 2-year-old son Sam were also in attendance.

At one point we found some staff who were handing out stickers with the Packers G logo on it. Howard’s son insisted on wearing the logo immediately, so Howard put it on his shirt.

The funny thing is that Sam was wearing a Halloween shirt that said ‘Spooky U’ on it, and when Howard put the sticker on Sam he covered the U portion almost completely.

70 Days

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Procrastination is king. It’s been over two months now since I’ve moved in to my house, which came complete with pool table. The number of pool tournaments held? Zip. Zilch.

When I was first checking this place out, some of the big selling points were that it was close to work and had a pool table. Bingo! Entirely possible to stop by and shoot pool for close to an hour before having to go back. Plus I could theoretically have a party on a weekend or something and enjoy the company of friends. And alcohol. Musn’t forget the liquor.

Spoonman

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The first time I got a ticket was just over 10 years ago.

I was on 54, on the way back from work in Waupaca. It was just before prom, and I had just found out that the woman I had been intending to take to prom was planning on meeting some other guy there. I got a little pissed and that was the end of that.

So here it was, almost prom time, and I was without a date. I was pissed and was taking it out on the car in the form of speeding. Then I saw the State Trooper. Whoops. There went $150.

Freight Trains

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Ever feel like you got hit by a freight train? Or maybe even a few of them?

I got to work this morning feeling fine. Within half an hour it all went downhill and I haven’t felt OK since.

It’s two in the damn morning and I can’t fall asleep… not because I’m not tired, but because I feel horrible as soon as I lay down. I just sent my boss an e-mail letting him know I won’t be in tomorrow. There’s just no way I can do it.

Am I... Becoming Normal?

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

It suddenly hit me over the weekend. I think I’m on my way to becoming normal. Which is odd, because, well, I never used to be normal. I thought I was normal, but everybody thought different. Here are a few examples:

I’m not working on my business as much as I used to (and not nearly as much as I should be, come to think of it).
I’m watching football. I’m going to tailgate parties.
I mow my lawn on a regular basis.
I’ve just about stopped drinking caffeine. (dammit, I was good for a week and then Fred guilted me into having some)
I’m playing pool a lot now (granted: I have a table in my basement now)

Not that these are bad things; they aren’t. But combined they make for a pretty scary realization… I’m not the oddest one in the room anymore. Probably not even close.

Extra Help with Moving

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

So the President is making a stop in Green Bay on Thursday. He’s giving a speech at a local firm and then going to a fundraiser. The company he’s giving a speech at is about a block from my new duplex. I was planning on starting to move right about the same time.

I’ve been telling people he’s really coming to Green Bay just to give me a hand. Is that wrong? I think he’s bringing a bunch of guys with him to help out.

Moving in, moving up...

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

What the hell do I know about furniture?

I decided that even though I’m a bachelor now, the boys and I should step it up a bit. Since the ex moved out, I haven’t had much in the way of furniture for the living room. Down to the bare essentials, really. Couch? Check. TV? Check. Badass AV setup? Check, although I never installed it at the apartment.

What more could a guy need?

Miniskirts Sell

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Knock knock.

The tiniest of sounds on the door to my apartment. I didn’t even hear it, but one of the boys did. I didn’t buzz anybody in, so I was a bit nervous. I don’t want to buy anything right now.

I opened the door to see a young woman selling magazines. You know the kind, they’re selling ’em to make money, or earn points, or some such thing. Hmmm, that miniskirt isn’t covering that much, but it’s hot out today.

Management Creedo and Ear-splitting Muzak

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Nobody reads this crap. That’s the mantra I’ll take whenever I decide to post on here from now on.

Anyway, I should get some good text up here for those who DO read this site, either for their job (Hello, FBI Criminal Investigations), or because they absolutely have no choice (Hey there, Googlebot! How’s that site crawling thing working out for ya?).

I got home from work on Monday after bugging Mike at the liquor store, where he works to support his crack habit. I opened my car door only to hear a horrendous noise coming from the parking lot next door, which is home to the Oneida Family Fitness and Recreation center.

Hollywood Annoys

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Time to get a post up here; it’s been a few days since I’ve posted.

In all reality I’m just postponing working. I’ve got a ton of DBG projects to work on, and a huge project or two at my full-time job too. Instead of working on them, I’ve been watching ER reruns and movies and such. Whoops.

I recently watched Crash, and was surprised to find it in the Top 100 movie list. It was interesting, but I didn’t think it was all that great of a movie. It was one of those movies that I find myself unable to stop watching, but not because it’s great. Actually, it’s more because if I stop watching a movie because I don’t like it, about 6 months later I end up renting the damn thing again in case I was simply having a bad day. Then I waste 2 MORE hours watching the same stupid ass flick, albeit all the way through. Damn, that’s annoying.

Foreign Objects

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This just happened a minute ago. I decided to watch a movie, specifically Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels tonight once I had the boys down.

I set the disc in my recently purchased Samsung DVD player and close the drawer. Then I ran to the fridge to get a drink. When I returned, I saw the drawer was still open.

Curious. So I pushed it closed again, and about 2 seconds later it opened up again. No errors, no warnings, but there it was, sticking it’s mechanically operated tongue out at me. Sonuva….

Changes

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Made some design changes to the blog yesterday and today. I’ll probably make a few more changes, but since I’m not quite sure what look I’m going for yet, I don’t know when I’ll get it changed.

I had intended on doing a lot of work on the dbgDNS and dbgWHOIS sites this weekend, but just didn’t seem to get to them. Perhaps I’ll take some vacation time soon.

My search for new housing continues. Granted, I’ve moved a lot over the past 10 years, but this time I actually have a good reason: I want to get Carter (and Toliver eventually) into a different school district, preferably one that his daycare will work with. My lease isn’t up until the end of August so I’ve got some time, but I’ll probably be moving at the beginning of August to get everything situated.

State-sponsored Pilgrimage

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Every 8 years in Wisconsin, most adults make a pilgrimage.

Not to vote… the interval is different for that. Some vote more than that, others vote less.

Not to the bar. I said every 8 years, not every night.

No, this is the pilgrimage to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew the drivers license. Granted, every driver in every state needs to go down there on a regular basis, but I live in Wisconsin (dammit).

For The Record

Wed, 31 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I’m getting tired of having to put things back together in my life. In the past year, much of my life has been uprooted, and I’ve been the one who has held it all together. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve had support from friends and family, and I’m very grateful for it, but the final determination of sink or swim would be on how well I managed to keep on with life.

Carter is 5

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since Carter entered my life. So many things have changed. He’s grown so much, and learned so much. I’ve relocated a few times, lost a fiancee, gained a good job, built a company…

I’m looking forward to the next few years, although it just gets harder from here: kindergarten, girls… there’s so much for him to learn and experience. Nothing beats watching a child learn and grow each day.

Green Bay Landing

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Get the hell out of my way, Oliver Stone.

I uploaded a video to Google Video of a landing that Howard made into Austin Straubel on March 26th. The vid was pretty good quality to start with, and I’m actually impressed with how good it transferred over. Make sure you’re ready to crank the volume at the end… in some ways, Howard’s comments are the best part. They’re not exactly the kind of words designed to make a passenger feel better.

OMG!!1! Ponies!

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Ah, yes, it’s that time of year again. I always look forward to April 1st to see who has the most fun.

Slashdot goes pink

So does airliners.net (word is, Howard prefers the new look)

Cute Overload reacts to Slashdot

Select images from Google Earth reveal the truth about Area 51… it’s all about the BBQ

[Wireless Extension Cords](http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/wec.shtml introduced (anybody got an action shot?)

Google Romance introduced

WebHostingTalk becomes WebHarryPotterTalk and has some interesting announcements about their admins

Optical Zoom

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The optical zoom on today’s digital cameras is just friggin’ phenomenal.

I purchased a Canon S2 IS over the weekend with a 1 GB memory card. Of the many features it offers, one includes a 12x optical zoom lens.

12x!!!!

The so-called “super-zoom” cameras are amazing. From time to time they have a bit of trouble focusing at the outside range of the 12x zoom, but for the most part they seem to be just fine.

The Perplexity of Being Single

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

So, here is the general cluster I am pondering right now.

First off, being single pretty much sucks. On a daily basis most people run into a number of single, eligible members of the opposite sex. That’s great, but you never know what they’re thinking.

For example, consider the young lady working at the counter of the hotel I’m staying at. She’s attractive and nice, and seemed friendly. Could be single, could be attached. Most likely just being nice because I’m a customer. Should I check and see if she’s interested or just leave well enough alone? Being the shy bugger that I am, I choose to leave it alone (not to mention that I live 4 hours away).

Winter Can End Now

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Okay. Enough is enough. It’s the middle of March. Go away, winter!

I’m in Minneapolis right now for my day job, and it’s snowing like hell outside. I know that I should be used to it since I live in Green Bay, but I’m not. The sad part is that the forecast for Green Bay doesn’t have near the amount of predicted snowfall as Minneapolis.

Snow sucks.

Version 5

Sun, 05 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Note: the links to the different versions have been removed, because I’ve imported them all. That’s right, you suckers didn’t even know I did that, did you??

Woo hoo! The latest version of madajczyk.com is here!

Okay, so it’s missing a few things. To make up for it, I recovered a bunch of older posts from the older madajczyk.com sites and even the czyk.org site.

Version 4 of madajczyk.com [2005 - 2006] Version 3 of madajczyk.com [2000 - 2005]

Conversion

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I am busy working on converting this site over shortly… my tenure with Squarespace, although a pleasant one, is no longer required since I’ve kicked dbgHosting into high gear. Who am I to sell products if I don’t even use my own resources??

I’ll be working to move everything over to my servers… with luck, I’ll have this completed by the end of the month.

The Game

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I am taffy stuck, tongue tied Stuttered shook and uptight Pull me out from inside I am ready I am ready I am ready I am… fine.

The Govekian

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I recently set up a website / blog on behalf of my friend Mike Govek.

I’ll be damned if his traffic hasn’t exceeded all of the hits I get on all of my websites combined.

Anyway, go visit The Govekian’s website. It’s quite entertaining, if nothing else because I still haven’t given him access to it yet.

Update: this site has been shut down for a long time. I never did end up giving him access.

Booted from Tripsense

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been kicked from the Progressive TripSense research program.

It appears that my car, a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix, is no longer considered compatible with the TripSense program. I received this e-mail over the weekend:

Dear TripSense Research Participant:

Thank you again for signing up for the data gathering research program that uses the TripSensorTM to gather information about how you drive.

You may recall when signing up for the program that some vehicles are ineligible for participation because the TripSensor is not compatible with certain vehicle makes and models.

There can be only one.

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

So my kids came back to my house yesterday and informed me that they have two Dads.

Bullshit.

I’ve earned the title of Dad. I’ve been there for both of those boys since birth. I’ve put everything forward in their best interest and I’ve been the one to take care of them.

I don’t care what anybody says. If two people have a child together and later go their own ways, there’s only one Mom and only one Dad. The only possible exception to that rule is if one or the other stops taking an active role in the kids’ lives… at which point it’s still a gamble if you want to do that.

Send 2005 to Hell

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

So, does anybody care that it’s the end of 2005?

I know I sure as hell don’t. This year just plain sucked. So many events kicked me in the a$$ that I don’t even want to think about it. I can hardly wait until I can close the door on this piece of shit year and move on with my life.

The first half of 2005 definitely sucked because I was working too much, and when I finally got through that, I had the rug pulled out from under me when my ex-fiancée moved out without warning. Then I had to spend a lot of time without the kids until we finally reached an agreement that allowed me to see them most of the time (over 80% actually). That was the one good thing that happened; without access to my kids, I don’t know where I would be right now. Love you, boys!

Merry Christmas

Sun, 25 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

“Ho ho ho, you sniveling little… I mean, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

— overheard yesterday evening in my living room as Santa delivered presents

Dell 30 monitor

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Mother of God.

Just when I thought I was done… Dell is introducing a 30" widescreen flat panel. This is the kind of forced upgrade that just drives a computer geek like me nuts. Or it would if I cared. 6" more doesn’t do a whole lot for me at this point since I already own a 2405FPW… but if I was still on a 17" or 19", this would be the one I’d want.

Google + AOL = Nightmare

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Everything AOL touches turns to crap.

I think that the idea behind AOL is simple: make things easy to use and available to everybody. That’s not a bad thought in general, but AOL manages to do it in a way that ticks me off… every time.

So now that Google and AOL are moving past first base, some of the ugly details are starting to come out. For example, this post on Slashdot that suggests that they will be adding logos and graphics to a lot of the advertising that is shown on the Google sites.

Endings and Beginnings

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

So I’m still somewhat dealing with the fact that my last relationship is over. I really wish for the kid’s sake that it wasn’t, but she decided by her actions and words that we’re far in past.

I was in court on Thursday to answer to the child support question, and for once, the system worked as it should. I’ve had the kids upwards of 75% of the time, but I was still being asked to make a payment as if I wasn’t in their life at all. We mutally decided that we could take care of things outside of the court and would only involve them if required.

You could have it all

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

These lyrics are definitely speaking to me right now…

i hurt myself today to see if I still feel

i focus on the pain the only thing that’s real

the needle tears a hole the old familiar sting

try to kill it all away but i remember everything

what have i become my sweetest friend

everyone i know goes away in the end

Reconnecting

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

So, one bad thing that came out of my past relationship ending is that I lost contact with a bunch of good friends. I’m sure this is something that happens normally, and there definitely is no blame on either side for it… it just happened.

Anyway, I’ve been doing my best to hook back up with some of them and see how life is treating them. Tonight I found Jeromy, Chris, and Carrie… in the past month, I’ve also talked to a bunch of other people who I lost contact with. It’s good knowing that people you know and care about are out there, even if you do lose track of them.

Progressive Tripsense

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

So, my insurance company, Progressive Insurance, sent an e-mail to me a week or so ago offering me the chance to participate in a research program they’re offering called TripSense. Essentially they have you attach a small device to the On Board Diagnostic port (ODBII)that is installed in most cars 1994 and newer. Then you drive around like normal while this little bad boy records various bits about your driving habits. After 6 months, they ask you to upload the data to their site and they use it for supposedly anonymous research.

Haven't posted in a while...

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

I haven’t posted in a while due to some things happening in my personal life, but I suppose it’s time to move on with life. Lots of cool things happening with my company, and I hope to get the update out there soon.

Office 12 UI

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Bink.nu has an entry with screenshots of the new user interface for Office 12. Very interesting ideas… I like what they did with the Save dialog, both the current and proposed.

Anybody remember Q-Link?

Mon, 16 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Okay, this is really sad, but I found myself thinking about Q-Link this evening. What is Q-Link? Well, take AOL, subtract about 20 years, and there you have it. Q-Link was the place to go if you had a modem with your Commodore 64. I remember thinking how cool it would be to get connected, and then how disappointed I was when I hooked up with my 300 baud modem due to the length of time it took to get a page downloaded.

Goodbye Lingo, Hello Vonage!

Fri, 13 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Awww, the hell with it.

I’m fed up. I’ve had Lingo’s VoIP service since September 2004. For $19.95 a month with unlimited calling, it was a pretty good deal, especially when you stack it up against the offerings from SBC and other providers. It was actually working pretty well…

…until the end of March. I was in Minneapolis on a business trip, and every time I tried calling home I was connected directly to voice mail. Odd, but I thought perhaps the power was out or something.

Firefox passes 25 million downloads

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Pretty cool news indeed. Seems that Firefox just exceed the 25 million download mark recently. Slashdot is also reporting in this article that an interview of Bill Gates by Peter Jennings indicates that he views Firefox to be competition and that he’s ensuring that Internet Explorer will continue to be the best available browser, which is why Microsoft has committed to releasing Internet Explorer 7.0.

Of course. That’s why it’s been 2 or 3 years since your last major release… Since I’m sure Microsoft isn’t planning on doing much work on the underlying rendering engine, I’m sure we’ll have to continue to code around all of the infamous CSS rendering problems.

I must have one of these.

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Dell should be introducing their new monitor, the 2405FPW, on or around March 1st. This bad boy is 24” with a widesreen aspect, has 4 USB ports and a 9-in-1 card reader, tons of inputs, and lots of other cool features. You have the option to do either Picture-in-picture of any two of the inputs, or you can split screen two inputs.

The best quote from Extremetech was this: “A 24-inch-diagonal, 1920x1200 display could replace two 19-inch displays while consuming less desk space.”

Robbed... again?

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

You know it’s time to sell a branch when it keeps getting robbed… even when the customers can’t go inside!

A bank that has been robbed so many times it bans customers from coming inside was held up again anyway on Friday.

Anyone using the Bank of America branch on Silver Hill Rd. has been forced to go to the drive-up or the ATM for the last few months, after managers got fed up with the repeated heists. But when one of the tellers went out for a break, a robber saw a window of opportunity.

Iowa Wireless Internet

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

It was one of the most unexpected things for me to see on my trip to Kansas City. Iowa rest stops have wireless internet access available!

The service is provided by I Spot Access, and apparently has been available since June 2004. Anybody who signs up for an account with the provider has the ability to surf free of charge for 30 minutes. Now that’s a good way to market your product.

Balance

Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

So, I queued up my MP3 player (a SanDisk 512mb model) and selected one of the albums. It was Ten from Pearl Jam.

For just a minute or two, I had a flashback thing going on. Funny some of the things that music can do; sometimes it seems that it can act like a drug that can change how you feel, or even how you see the world. I was maybe 15 and back in Kansas City.

New Blog

Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A friend from work recently set up a technology blog… promises to be a lot of good information.

A Film by Carter Madajczyk

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

At my fiancée’s request, I yanked all of the pictures from my digital camera off because the CF card was full. I wasn’t really sure why, but I’m not one to argue (too much).

While I was transferring the pics, I noticed that there seemed to be a few movies on there. No, not live shots of Paris Hilton… but it wasn’t anything I had taken either.

Closer inspection found that on Sunday, Carter had stolen the camera while I was sleeping, taken about 10 pictures, and replaced it. On Monday, just after I got home, he was playing with the camera again. Little did I know, he had it set to capture movies.

Dr. Strangelove is a Documentary?

Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

There is an article at the New York Times that states that the the movie Dr. Strangelove was probably based on more fact than originally believed… an interesting read for those who liked the movie!

Photos Section Finally Working

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Well, I finally got off of my lazy ass and I got the Photos section working. I’ve only been talking about doing that for a month or two.

You’ll notice, of course, that there really aren’t many photos out there. Bite me! It’s one in the morning… perhaps I’ll post some more in the next few days. Getting that section really kicked the crap out of me.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, but at least I’m making progress!

Cool Firefox Finds

Fri, 24 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been using Mozilla Firefox for over a year now. I’ve seen a lot of feature enhancements, product name changes, and cool new features. I wanted to post some of the interesting things I’ve found, both for my own archive and also for the enjoyment of others.

Firstly, for anybody who doesn’t know it, Firefox allows you to download extensions, or plug-ins, to make the browser do all kinds of cool things. I would love to produce a plug-in, but honestly, everytime I have an idea, I’m able to find a plug-in that’s already available and mature…. it’s simply amazing!

SBC and Early Termination Fees

Sun, 05 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

sigh

Yet another FUBAR company to deal with. Yuk. I currently have SBC DSL service, from which I pull 1.3mb down, 70k up. Not awesome, but acceptable at $27 a month.

The contract ends on October 2nd. Cancellation before then results in a $200 early termination fee. Ouch. My plan is to have a cable modem installed in a few weeks, and leave the DSL dormant for a week or so until I cancel it. No big deal, right?

BlogShares

Thu, 02 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Interesting. I did a search today through Google to see how well madajczyk.com was indexed since I switched to Movable Type. Not many hits, but I did see that I got listed on BlogShares on August 27th. That’s kind of cool. Here’s a direct link.

Standard AT&T Wireless Bullshit

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Yep.

Just what I thought. Leave it to AT&T Wireless to really figure out how to stick it to their exiting customers.

My wireless service contract concluded at the end of July. I decided to cancel my service on August 2nd, mainly since I really wasn’t using the phone. After I finished the call, I noticed that my cell phone was indeed cancelled, effective immediately. AT&T Wireless later processed the cancellation on August 4th, according to their own records.

Drunk Mofo

Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Driving 31mph + 2 cases of beer = 1 bad night. [Edit: He wanted to make sure that I include the words “circumstantial evidence” when describing his evening. I have no idea why.]

This was recently experienced by a close friend of mine.

Oh well, he needs the exercise I guess. I mean, now he’s walking and all since he can’t find his license. Oh wait, that’s right, it’s now in the officer’s pocket…

Reducing RSS Bandwidth

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

RSS is a cool bit of technology, there’s no doubt about it. But larger sites definitely run into issues when it comes to lots of people consistently polling the RSS data feed to find updates.

What can possibly be done?

I have a tool that I developed internally a while back to automatically update DNS entries on dynamic DNS sites. To determine what the IP address is for remote sites that may not be able to determine their own IP address, I run a simple IP address site. If you browse to ip.deepbluegroup.com, you’ll see it simply returns your current IP address.

Site Changes

Sun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve finished migrating madajczyk.com over to MovableType. I was previously using DasBlog, but I felt a bit limited by it. I couldn’t find time to contribute to the project workspace over at GotDotNet, and I needed a way to update content quickly and painlessly.

There are actually two blogs, the standard type blog at madajczyk.com/blog, and another that I hacked together to allow me to serve the rest of the standard content at madajczyk.com.

Visual Studio 2005 Express

Fri, 02 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Microsoft recently released the Visual Studio 2005 Express tools (currently in Beta). This is really a good idea… provide entry-level coding tools to developers who don’t need all of the frills and features. More important is the cost, which is free. The biggest question is… how long will that last? It’s important to provide the tools to get more developers to try them, which allows more exposure to the newest technologies.

DomainKeys and SPF

Wed, 19 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Yahoo! just released a draft specification for domain-based e-mail authentication. Essentially, each e-mail has a header with an encrypted hash of the text. In DNS, a special TXT entry with the public key information is stored. The receiving mail servers can use the public key to ensure that the message was generated by the authorized server.

Not a bad idea in concept. I’m still reading the draft, but I’m intrigued by the possibilities.

Dumpster Diver

Tue, 18 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000

When I arrived home this evening, I noticed that my neighbors across the street had put out a large amount of garbage for pickup. Trash day isn’t until Thursday, but it’s not the first time they were early.

In the past 90 minutes, a minimum of 4 people have stopped to pick through the pile of debris. Now, Packerland Drive isn’t exactly a quiet street, but isn’t that a bit much? And it’s not like I was staring out the window the whole time, either.

Dearborn Assembly Plant

Mon, 10 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The last Ford Mustang rolled off of the assembly line today at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in Dearborn, MI. It will be shut down shortly, although plans are being made to convert part of it into a museum. Henry Ford himself assisted in the design of the initial buildings.

I remember driving past the plant with my Dad from time to time when we still lived in Detroit. Lots of history built up in the Mustang, and at DAP.

Database Nation

Tue, 04 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000

I was listening to National Public Radio this afternoon during my lunch break when I heard an interesting story come over the air.

Reason magazine, whom I had not heard of before, is publishing their June 2004 issue with customized covers on the front. Apparently, each of their 40,000 subscribers will receive a copy of the magazine with their name on it in large font, the words “They know where you are…”, and an aerial photo of the address to which the magazine is addressed.

Combatting Sasser

Mon, 03 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000

An elegant way to protect against the Sasser worm:

Using IPSec Policies to Block SASSER Infection

Pocket PCs

Sun, 02 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000

My fiancée just purchased a new Pocket PC thanks to a few awesome deals we came across. It’s an HP iPaq 1945 with Bluetooth, very nice. The was a $20 instant rebate, and a $100 mail-in rebate. Plus, we found that HP is offering a trade-in program for older PDAs and whatnot… she was able to get 50 bucks back from HP by trading in her older PalmPilot. Essentially she got a brand new PocketPC for under $150.

PDF995 - Replacement PDF Generator

Thu, 29 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Jeremy Surma just sent me this link: http://www.pdf995.com.

Available on this site are three tools to create PDF documents for free or very low price (to remove advertisements). There’s also instructions on how to share the PDF generator across a network… took me about two minutes to do. Very nice.

There’s other tools available from their corporate site; I haven’t had much time to check them out, but I plan to soon.

Acquisition

Wed, 28 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Looks like everyone at my employer is going to be busy for a while…

Associated Banc-Corp to acquire First Federal Capital Corp

I happen to think that it’s a good selection, and hopefully one that will be profitable to the employees and shareholders both.

Icon Remembrance

Tue, 27 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000

This is pretty slick. It’s a matrix of most of the icons used by the various OS versions over the years… Interesting to see the comparison side-by-side. Included in the list are the Lisa Office System, GEOS for the C64 (remember that??), and BeOS.

http://www.aci.com.pl/mwichary/guidebook/icons/components

Windows Installer... doesn't.

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000

So, a few weeks ago I installed the beta version of Windows Update on my laptop to check out the new features. No big deal. I downloaded a few of the updates, but didn’t really notice anything out of the ordinary.

Over the weekend, I was trying to install a few different pieces of software. No matter what I did, the installation was failing. After a bit of investigation I realized that I had installed Windows Installer v3.0 beta. Apparently this beta broke all of the install packages I was attempting to run.

Spirit Rover Reboots

Fri, 06 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000

From what I just read in an article, the Spirit Rover needs to reboot more that Windows NT 4.0 in order to allow it to function correctly.

Apparently, much of the problem with the Spirit Rover was due to the fact that the onboard flash memory filled up. When it was out of space, the system would reboot. It took until just recently to get the data cleared out to repair the problem.

Linksys DVD Player

Wed, 07 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Provided by a co-worker:

Linksys Unveils New DVD Player/Digital Media Adapter

Holy hell, does this thing look cool or what? Depending on pricing, this should go over pretty well. I know I’m already interested in it. Of course, Linksys and the rest of the industry are calling 802.11g “Wireless-G” now. Sounds a little goofy, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it.

Moose Porn

Sat, 20 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Typical Moose Candle:

Moose Candle

Moose Porn?

Moose Porn

Exchange Server 2003 Goes RTM

Thu, 03 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000

With working the new job and all, I’ve hardly had a chance to see what’s new in the world. One thing that I wasn’t expecting was this: Microsoft has announced that Exchange Server 2003 has been Released to Manufacturing (RTM). Coolness! If you haven’t checked it out, you really should. I thought that the jump from 5.5 to 2000 was worthwhile, but the changes in OWA alone make 2003 required.

Windows 2000 SP4 Released

Tue, 24 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

According to a post on Neowin, Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 has been officially released today, although it appears that Microsoft is still updating their web site.

Daycare

Mon, 23 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

I really don’t like my mornings anymore. It’s not that they’re bad in general, it’s just one small portion that I don’t care for.

I drop Carter off at his daycare. The problem is, he’s figured out exactly what this means. When Dad comes in and wakes him up, he’s extremely happy. He loves to run around and play, even while Dad is changing him. Then… it happens.

He suddenly realizes that he has to go do daycare today. It happens at different times. Sometimes it’s when I’m putting his shoes on, other times it’s right before I drop him off with Julie in the room. No matter what, though, it never fails. His eyes well up with tears, he starts to cuddle. He may be thinking “What did I do wrong? Am I in trouble? Why is he leaving me here?”

Twenty Years of DNS

Sun, 22 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

According to this article on Wired, DNS was first successfully tested 20 years ago today. Pretty impressive, considering that with all of the changes we’ve seen on the Internet, it continues to be a reliable, if not completely secure, way of mapping domain names to IP addresses.

Hmm. I was 5 years old at the time.

Changing Jobs

Wed, 18 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Well, I’ve made the decision to change jobs again. Those of you who know me are free to ask for more details, but there’s nothing to tell. I’ve decided to take a position of which I’m probably more qualified for.

This is not brought to you by the letter P

Thu, 22 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Sesame Street be damned.

On Tuesday, I was called out to a client’s site to assist with an e-mail problem. Apparently, their Exchange server got hungry and began eating incoming e-mails. Even worse, messages and contacts were also disappearing at an alarming rate.

Turns out, Trend Micro released a buggy anti-spam rule set that immediately decided that any message with a lower-case letter P in it was spam. Not like that’s a common occurance or anything, to use the letter P in an e-mail. Anyway, within a few hours, the glitch was discovered and fixed.

Isn't that interesting?

Wed, 21 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

One of the domain names I used to hold, czyk.org, has been puchased recently by a company named CZYK Enterprises. I would have never guessed that anybody was actually interested in that domain name.

Ah, wait, I see. A quick check of the WHOIS information reveals that the domain owner has a -czyk last name also.

Microsoft's Additional License Program

Sat, 17 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

I stumbled across this during my journeys through Microsoft’s web site. It allows existing owners of Windows XP (both Home and Pro versions) to purchase additional copies of Windows XP at a 15% discount. It’s all automated online, and you receive the licenses immediately. Check it out here:

Windows XP at shop.microsoft.com

Not Dead Yet

Fri, 02 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Wow, it got really quiet around here again. I’m not sure where the time went. Maybe I’ll return soon. Good new last week though, Brad is coming home from the Gulf. He’ll be back at Camp Pendleton, CA for a few months, and then he is off to Okinawa. Lucky him.

Microsoft .NET Framework v1.1 Final

Wed, 09 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000

No surprises here. In time with the forthcoming release of Visual Studio.NET 2003, the final version of the .NET Framework v1.1 has been released on MDSN. Here’s some of the highlights, paraphrased from Microsoft’s propaganda:

Support for IPv6 Mobile Web Applications Support Side-by-Side Execution of .NET itself, or programs built on the framework

Ice Storm

Fri, 04 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Big ice storm rolled into town today, leaving roads slippery, and power lines down. Our power was out for about five hours… I had a bunch of development work planned, but nature had other ideas.

Instead, we played with Carter. We’re teaching him “Old McDonald Had A Farm”. He really likes the chorus. He also is quite familiar with the word hot, as he kept wanting to touch the candles. A lot.

RSS Aggregators

Thu, 03 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000

RSS is all the rage now. I’ve been playing with a few different aggregators, which will collect multiple feeds and format them for proper reading.

The latest entry into the foray is SharpReader, a three-pane aggregator, built on the .NET platform. It minimizes to the system tray (Yes!!), supports drag and drop, and a bunch of other awesome features. There are a ton of people talking about it in their weblogs, and it sounds like it’s just going to get better and better.

The Line has been Crossed

Wed, 19 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000

CNN is reporting that I Marine Expeditionary Force is moving into Iraq.

That includes my brother. Shit.

Stay safe, Brad. That goes for everyone else in the area, civilians included.

Make a comment, get published.

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

I made a comment regarding a post I saw on Kiruba Shankar’s web site. The next thing I know, I’m reading an article about a blog meet in India, and in the article is a paraphrase of my comment. Small world.

As a sidenote, I’d like to say hi to everybody dropping in from Kiruba’s site. Lots of extra traffic generated in the last few days since I posted that comment. I haven’t gotten around to building a comment system yet, but you can drop me an e-mail using Lee Madajczyk(at)madajczyk(dot).com. Maybe this will force me into finishing up my .NET blogging system, complete with comments?

Party at the VFW

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been over 6 months since I left my position at my last company. In style with the times, they have begun to liquidate positions. One of my very dear friends was let go two weeks ago, so a going away party was thrown. Additionally it was my best friend’s birthday recently, so that got lumped in to the party. I managed to stay sober and enjoy the fun, but being sober and unable to dance does make for a slighly less enjoyable time. Regardless, I had a great time seing everybody I used to work with. Why is it you never recall the place you worked, so much as the people?

So Much for Work

Wed, 12 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Just when I was getting a lot of work done, a new version of one of my all-time favorite games has been released!

Command and Conquer: Generals

You can find more details on the official web site. See you in July!

Shuttle Columbia Lost

Fri, 31 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000

My thoughts and prayers with the families of crew members of the shuttle.

A post on Overflow, run by a man who was working in Mission Control during the disaster, relays the sadness of the event.

Class Reunion

Fri, 24 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000

I heard from an old friend today. We’re not as close as we used to be, but with him living in Texas, and me in Wisconsin, that will happen. Hopefully we’ll find a chance to catch up again.

Parasite Detection

Fri, 24 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000

I ran across a site today that will allow you to detect if software has been installed on your computer that you never asked for. It’s generally the source of frustation for a lot of people. If you’re running Internet Explorer on Windows, stop by to see if you have any of these nasties installed on your machine.

Site Update

Sun, 29 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000

I’m finally getting the site updated. Switched the content over to the new design today. I have to import the existing information still, and I also need to build a CSS file to handle your printer. If you’re checking this site out in Internet Explorer 5.5+ it should look fine. If it doesn’t, and you can somehow read this message, please let me know.

Elections

Fri, 17 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

The crap going on with the elections in our beloved country, the United States, is bullshit.

The French are laughing their asses off at us right now.

Hackland

Mon, 23 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000

It seems that a hacker has been dropping notes on the desktops of people who have broadband Internet access, telling them that their machine is unsecure. Imagine that! The note apparently directed people to grc.com, which is a site that deals with Internet security. So the FBI asked Steve Gibson if he had anything to do with it! Hmm, even if he did, I would have said no, too! Read the full article here.

Windows 2000 Pro MCSE Test

Fri, 20 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000

I passed my first Win2K MCSE test today. First MS test I’ve taken in a year. Happy as hell. One test down, six more to go.

How to REALLY use the LI element

Wed, 27 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Submitted by Jeremy Surma

The best thing about doing a resume in HTML is the li element. I finally figured out what it means. But there is one question….. why don’t they just let you spell the word lie out all the way?

For Example:

<ul>
<li>I can understand all that shit on the screen when an NT Server Blue Screens and can fix it so it never happens again.</li>
<li>I can make your network run perfectly... forever... in five minutes.... with my eyes closed....</li>
<li>I build IBM Mainframes by hand with just a soldering iron and a bunch of wire in my spare time.</li>
<li>I have been running Cat5 and Fiber cables for 150 years, people just started listening to me yesterday. That's why you've never heard of me.</li>
<li>I would prefer not to get paid.</li>
<li>I made the Internet.</li>
<li>I know how to write HTML code.</li>
</ul>

Face For Radio

Sun, 10 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Unfortunately, my friend Jaz knew what he was talking about when he said that radio personalities who sound hot usually are not. I made the mistake of going to the website of the local rock station to see what someone looked like. Ten minutes later, after I came out the bathroom, still very pale and retching, I realized that I should not have done that. Yuck! That was horrible. Oh well. Why can’t people ever look like they sound? I want to click on a radio personality and suddenly see someone like this…

Ballad of Moving

Mon, 21 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Down goes the developmental web server. Down goes the Internet connection. Items are sold to the highest bidder. The phone line gets disconnected next. At some point, electricity will be cut.

Sound like a sob story from insert-your-favorite.com here? Could be. But I was referring to my upcoming move. That’s right, 2 hours away from one godforsaken place in Wisconsin to some other godforsaken place in Wisconsin. At least it’s worth more money to me. But that’s small consolation, considering that I’m almost 2 hours away from Madison, which is the closest major city.

I Hate Moving

Mon, 21 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000

I really hate moving. I can’t stand having to pack up all of my stuff and throw it into another place. It really sucks, especially considering I just finished rewiring my computer room the way I wanted it. Oh well, what do you do…?

I have accepted a Network Administrator position in Wausau working side by side with my good friend Ryan. The best thing about this arrangement is that Ryan has only been with the company for two or three months, and he’s there because I sent him a copy of the job posting. Damn glad I did, too, because a hefty raise for both of us is the down and dirty result.

Move Complete

Mon, 21 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Well, the move is complete. For the people that I haven’t sent my address to, send me a reminder e-mail and I’ll get it out to you. DSL is supposedly coming in 2 - 3 weeks. I’ll believe that when I see it. I remember the problems that I had with TDS the first time I tried to get DSL. Oh well, hopefully DataWave has their $h1t in one bag.

Overheard

Fri, 18 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Person 1: I’m so bored I’m playing with my sugar.

Person 2: Just as long as you don’t playing with something else, especially not in front of me.

…lengthy pause…

Person 1: But I wouldn’t make you touch it.

Site Design Update

Thu, 06 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Just a quick update to let you know what’s up. Currently, I have a completely redesigned HTML version of the site, which I can hopefully launch in the next week or two. There’s a bunch of work, so please bear with me. I am going to work on a Flash version as well, but I need to get a few more things figured out first.

Special thanks to Brando, who will be the first contributing author to the new site. Hopefully I can add some more people so that I’m not boring you all the time! Anybody interested in posting on a semi-regular basis, please drop me a line.

Need Fireworks

Tue, 04 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

I need some fireworks. Fire! Work continues on madajczyk.com, but will most likely take a few more days. I’m going to be working with some truly cool stuff, like XML. I also plan on hooking up to a SQL 7 database for parts of the website. In addition, I’ve got a web application I want to build, mainly ‘cause I’ve had the tools to build it for the last year and I never put them to use… Oh well. Enjoy the holiday!

Late Night Missteps

Mon, 03 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Suggestion: If you plan on rebuilding your computer system, try not to do it at 12:45 a.m. Wow. I decided to rebuild my workstation and put Windows 2000 Professional on, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for about a week. To make a long story short, I managed to leave a floppy disk in the drive and then I couldn’t figure out what I was getting a Non-system disk or disk error message. Damn, I’ve been seeing those kind of messages since I was twelve years old, and I didn’t even think of checking the floppy drive. I actually went to support.microsoft.com to figure out how to build a bootable NTFS floppy. Oops. Sleep is key.

Referrer Etiquette

Sun, 02 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Wow. A follow-up to yesterday’s post. I had just finshed watching a wacky ass movie, Eye of the Beholder, when I decided to check in on all things Net. Lo and behold, a quick note from Robin Jean, who thanked me for the link in yesterday’s posts. I was suitably impressed. It’s not often that you find a beautiful woman who not only checks her referrer logs, but sends a thank you e-mail as well.

Search Angst

Sat, 01 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

It was too good to be true. I know that I had read in the past that Yahoo was going to be using the Google search engine, but I was hoping that the format would stay the same. If you take a look at Yahoo now and compare it to Google, you’ll see some remarkable similarities. Like the fact that the only difference is that the Yahoo search displays the results in a UL bullet listing.

Wasting Time

Sat, 01 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

I just blew off most of the morning hopping around the web doing various things. For example, I spent hours at John Halycon’s site, laughing my ass off. I was here once before a while ago, but didn’t have time to check it out. It was worth it. I also stumbled across Robin Jean’s site… and now I have some new wallpaper for my desktop. Sometimes I wonder why I have an interest in blondes.. and then I see one or two (most certainly including my girlfriend in this statement) and then I remember why. I hate to be one to discriminate, but there’s something about the color yellow. And long hair…!

Clinton Passes E-Signature Bill

Fri, 30 Jun 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Apparently President Clinton used an electronic signature to sign a bill allowing digital signatures to be considered legal in a court of law. I only have one question… Anyone seen my copy of Paint Shop Pro? heh heh heh…

Tech Support Funny

Wed, 28 Jun 2000 00:00:00 +0000

When I was at work yesterday, I ran across this paragraph in a technical support knowledgebase:

“ProductName” has no recommended settings for DCOM properties. Any reasonable computer professional, however, should be able to determine whether or not specific settings within these screens are causing the errors launching applications that are noted.

Translation:

“We don’t want to get into trouble, so we’re going to let you figure it out on your own. Let us know when you’ve got it all figured out, okay?”

Three Truthful Words

Wed, 28 Jun 2000 00:00:00 +0000

GAS PRICES SUCK!

Hectic Schedule

Tue, 30 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Hello… welcome to yet another busy damn year in my life. I picked up a job with an MIS department at a local telemarketing company about a week ago, so I am now back to working full time. Plus, FedEx fnally put me on their staff from 5:30pm until about 9pm almost every weekday. That should give me about 60 hours a week. Oh yeah, plus I am working with another local business to computerize their inventory. That will have to wait until the weekend. I’m still not sure when I’m going to sleep….

Good Intentions

Wed, 24 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Right above this post, I mention that I will be updating this site each and every day. Whoops. Apparently my resolve wasn’t exactly what I thought it was. I’ve been busy with a new job and with trying to get madajczyk.com operational. Oh well. Maybe I’ll do another update before the end of June.

Oh yeah, piss off, Surma. ;)

Random Anger

Tue, 16 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Nothing pisses me off more that something done for a stupid reason. I recently checked a website that I did while I was at my previous job. One quick look told me that it had been ripped apart by somebody else who had inserted code. I understand the reasons, but I can’t understand the purpose. Thanks to that, I now need to re-engineer my resume. I no longer want to list the websites that I have worked on. Why not? Because those sites are no longer quality work. They aren’t held together by a common bond anymore. There are now two different themes in place, which I just can’t stand. This has now renewed my resolve to make this a better website. Screw ’em.

Latest Updates

Wed, 10 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone. Thanks again for checking out this page. I’m working on adding a few more features as I think of them, mainly because I don’t want this site to be like 10,000 other web pages.

Since this page is a mix of business and personal information, I am constantly looking to expand the site both laterally and vertically. I have recently been rebuked by my good buddy Jeromy, who’s over in England with the USAF, that the site isn’t interesting anymore. I intend to change that as soon as possible. Expect to see some pictures popping up pretty soon, ranging from bland introduction pictures to the truly bizarre.