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Saturday, July 30, 2005
Quarterly Blogger's Statement At this point, I am legally obligated to inform
you that I am awesome.
Thursday, July 28, 2005 July 28th Happy birthday, Lauren.
Sign outside of The Computer Forum "Beat the heat with a cool new Mac"
Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Google Maps + Cell Towers = Worth Linking To Find the cell phone towers near you, and use the
map to plan your route accordingly for a multi-bar
commute.
Cell Phone Tower Search Griffin SmartDeck close to shipping? I checked the Griffin
SmartDeck page today (I'm still waiting
for my pre-order), and noticed that the top of the page had changed. The
SmartDeck used to be completely white, but now it has a metallic-looking surface
in the middle. In addition, the "Cassette Adapter with a Brain" text (well,
image of text) has been changed to "No
Brainer."
I've already driven to the shore and to Baltimore (ugh) this month without it, so I'm hoping by my next long drive I will have the adapter in my car. Here comes the obligatory Amazon link: Why not order one for yourself? Wow, I even said the same thing this time. I'm awesome. Monday, July 25, 2005 Apple's insightful update A bit late,
but they finally
responded:
The .Mac exclusive widgets that were announced on our site with the launch of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) have not yet been released. Please keep watching the .Mac Member Central page for more information about these and all other site updates as they become available. Sunday, July 24, 2005 Popside - The Internet's Next Pwned Michael Wyszomierski:
i think i'm going to celebrate my not working
for ga and go eat a
popsicle
preppypunkster: wats a popside preppypunkster: is that like what they call popsicals or w/e in new hope John Young: popside? Michael Wyszomierski: you are the second person to ask that Michael Wyszomierski: it is POPSICLE Michael Wyszomierski: look closely Michael Wyszomierski: increase your font size John Young: no, you are messing with me John Young: huh, thats weird John Young: enjoy your popside I enjoy sending people long emails explaining why I am awesome ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael
Wyszomierski"
To: "Brendan Houle" Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 3:19 AM Subject: X&Y Color I hope you don't mind, but I have changed the background color of the generator to more closely match that of the X&Y cover. The new value is #000033. Let me know if this is a problem. http://flickr.com/photos/vasta/27432752/ - Wysz ------------------------------------------------- On Jul 24, 2005, at 7:05 PM, Brendan Houle wrote: what did you use to get the new color? i took the original colors from the coldplay website when the front page was the album cover (unfortunately I can't find a similar page on their site anymore), but it's possible their website colors didn't match up exactly to the album colors. i don't have the album with me anymore to see which color matches better on my monitor. anyway, if flickr allows you to upload gifs, you'll get better results compressing screenshots with gif compression instead of jpegs. graphics with solid colors do better with gif. -brendan ------------------------------------------------- From: Michael Wyszomierski Subject: Re: X&Y Color Date: July 24, 2005 10:47:45 PM EDT To: Brendan Houle I got the new color by sampling it from the iTunes album art. I also double-checked it against the album cover on Amazon.com. I then set it to the closest web-safe color, which is #000033. The color should really be RGB 1, 0, 58, but 000033 is RGB 1, 0, 51, so it's just a tad darker. The old value you had is #102438, the background color of Coldplay's website, but not the same color as X&Y's cover. To see the difference, go to Coldplay's website, and visit their online store, which clearly shows the X&Y cover against the lighter website background. Flickr allows uploads of JPEGs, GIFs and PNGs, and will also convert other formats such as TIFF. Unfortunately, it displays every image on the main photo page as a JPEG. If you view my picture full size on Flickr, you will see that I did in fact upload a PNG, not a JPEG. I prefer PNG over GIF because it doesn't limit the image to 256 colors, plus it's not proprietary to CompuServe. In summary, shame on you for: A) Questioning my source of background color. B) Doubting my knowledge of image compression technology. C) Doubting my knowledge of image compression technology and not checking my website first to see if I had made any posts regarding this issue. - Wysz Thursday, July 21, 2005 .Mac support It's been over
72 hours, and I have not received any updates.
Email from Brendan, who created the X&Y thingy With your 3GB limit, you should be able to
accommodate 247096 X&Y Generator page views (assuming nobody visits any
other part of your site). The graphics are all built dynamically using CSS, so
that avoids the bandwidth issues we would have if I were to have made an image
for each letter and then had the code download the image
files.
Let me know how today's numbers turn out. -B Wednesday, July 20, 2005 Sign that I need sleep I kicked my cabinet door open, and then jolted to
catch it from falling. It wasn't falling— it's a door! It was swinging.
Also, I originally posted and published this in the "Complaint" category. But
I'm not complaining.
I'm swingin' awesome, kids. One day later Yesterday, I posted a note on one of my
pages thanking Apple for not limiting bandwidth for its .Mac service.
Tonight, I came home to find that Apple had in fact just set a limit of
3 GB per month. When I go into my account settings, I can find a way
to buy more bandwidth, but there is no indication of how much bandwidth I am
using. Do I just have to wait until it is shut
down?
I should also note that Apple has not yet directly informed me of the change; I can only find it by going to my account settings. And, speaking of not informing me, Apple responded to my inquiry about the exclusive widgets by saying that they had escalated my report to .Mac support engineering, and I can expect a response within 72 hours (of two days ago.) Even before this, people questioned the value of .Mac considering its dinky 250 MB of storage space, and mostly unused software discounts, not to mention the fact that iTools was originally free. Now it is getting to be ridiculous. I just renewed a month ago, so hopefully by next year they will have changed things. In the meantime, I can start giving out my Gmail address. Anyone want to buy an account? Update: According to Macworld UK, .Mac has been limited to 3 GB per month in the past. I thought I read (a while ago) that there was no official limit, and extreme bandwidth usage was dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Anyone have all the facts? Google Moon Bill Speier:
did you see
moon.google.com?
Michael Wyszomierski: wow Michael Wyszomierski: cool Bill Speier: zoom all the way in Michael Wyszomierski: yeah it is the anniversary right Bill Speier: yes Michael Wyszomierski: cheese Bill Speier: you should follow the link to the faq Michael Wyszomierski: how would you like to be the command module pilot Michael Wyszomierski: go all that way Michael Wyszomierski: and just sit in the car Bill Speier: The Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.) is a fully integrated research, development and technology facility at which Google will be conducting experiments in entropized information filtering, high-density high-delivery hosting (HiDeHiDeHo) and de-oxygenated cubicle dwelling. This center will provide a unique platform from which Google will leapfrog current terrestrial-based technologies and bring information access to new heights of utility. 10:30 PM Michael Wyszomierski: yes that is old Michael Wyszomierski: that was last year or april fool's or something Bill Speier: really? Michael Wyszomierski: yes Bill Speier: sorry Michael Wyszomierski: only moon.google.com is new Michael Wyszomierski: i am so much better than you Bill Speier: well, I am in Baltimore Michael Wyszomierski: sorry Remember back in the day when my blog had many long and unedited quotes? Bill Speier:
I liked the soya bean
review
Michael Wyszomierski: haha Michael Wyszomierski: then you might like one in german... link Michael Wyszomierski: (coldplay x&y album kind generator) Michael Wyszomierski: The Coldplay X&Y album kind generator is already somewhat strange, but the fans will surely know which her thereby to make. Bill Speier: is there some sort of pattern, or did Brendan just make up patterns for each character? Michael Wyszomierski: read "about" Michael Wyszomierski: http://homepage.mac.com/wysz/xy/about.html 11:00 PM Bill Speier: they had three of the images on their cover and they went through the trouble to make an entire alphabet in the liner notes? Michael Wyszomierski: yes Michael Wyszomierski: i think there might be more of the images on the back cover or something Michael Wyszomierski: yeah there is Michael Wyszomierski: an image Michael Wyszomierski: not there is images Michael Wyszomierski: or are images Michael Wyszomierski: is an image Michael Wyszomierski: singular Michael Wyszomierski: i'm awesome Tuesday, July 19, 2005 I'm so awesome and increasingly arrogant. If a reporter ever asks me if I consider myself a
hero, I'm going to say, "Yes, because you're asking a BS reporter question and
I'm giving you a hard time about it to teach you a lesson. I am your hero and
your audience will love me."
Sunday, July 17, 2005 Another glowing review of HOTW Tonight's googling brought
me to another page
(look at the entry from August 6th) that links to Home of the Wysz. Like the
last
one, it is mostly in Spanish (actually this one seems to be all
Spanish), and notes the bad design before admitting that it's worth a visit.
Based on the other links nearby, either this author found my page on tochtli.net, or
tochtli found it here. In any case, the author of Soya Bean is a repeat visitor, as
Brendan's X&Y
Album Art Generator appears on the front page (entry dated July 6th,
2005).
I'm sure all of this started with a simple search for Homestarrunner.com-related material. I've been one of the top results for "strong bad buddy icons" literally for years now, even though I've never had any on my site. I just did a search, and I'm #1 on Google! The Internet is an awesome and scary place. Saturday, July 16, 2005 Broken Promise I checked the .Mac Member Central page today, and
the note about exclusive widgets has been removed completely. I guess they
realized that since nobody is selling widgets, it would be hard to get an
exclusive deal on one. They could make a .Mac-driven widget that does something
like display the amount of iDisk space available or checks for email, but I
can't think of anything useful. I'll check with Apple and see what's
up.
Friday, July 15, 2005 Harry Potter SPOILER: The first word is "it." Tonight, I went to the Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince release thingy at the Doylestown Bookshop with
some of my family. I haven't read any of the books, but I have seen one of the
movies, and I figured that with my previous Apple Store
and Star
Wars experience, waiting in line for the midnight release of a fantasy
book is something I could handle.
There was a pretty large crowd inside the store, so I'm sure they did a lot of good business. I think they had 400 pre-orders. When we got to the register at 12:19 AM, I realized that since I had not pre-ordered a book, I would be walking away empty-handed. I saw the clerk empty one of the many boxes, and asked him for it. This of course started a trend, as the people behind us started doing the same thing. This is because I'm awesome and imitate-able. Thursday, July 14, 2005 DA WYSZ The RSS description of this CARS
article read:
"Apple trying to decide what you'll be forced to buy next." I thought that it said something about Apple deciding what it was going to buy next. My first thought was a company, because I had just seen a headline speculating that Apple may buy Creative Technology. And I laughed at that, because it sounded ridiculous. Then I thought, CARS is supposed to be ridiculous, so it would make sense for them to write an article in which Apple would choose to buy rather than innovate. And when I started writing this, I found the headline again, and learned that it was Microsoft who was supposed to buy Creative, to compete with the iPod. ANYWAY, Just as I clicked on the headline, I thought that it was going to be about Apple deciding what next big thing to buy, because they have so much money. They would consider buying a bunch of really cool expensive stuff for themselves. Not for business opportunity. That would be funny. I have to go to dinner. Later, kids. Good Stuff on J-Stream Watch:
This is Tommy Nakanishi, Isaac Urwin's Lost & Found Film piece. I liked his first edit better, as it was really funny, and even included clips for Ferris Bueller's Day Off ("He's just going to keep calling me...") but the version that's online is good too. Check it out. Blackmail, an animation project by Isaac, Joe Del Senno, and Elsa Romeo. My kind of humor. Re: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Body Workout Michael Wyszomierski:
so are you working out to arnold talking over
80s rock
John Young: um nooo Michael Wyszomierski: me neither Michael Wyszomierski: i was just testing you John Young: I didn't buy it or anything John Young: and its not in my car right now or anything Michael Wyszomierski: haha John Young: i'm shocked i haven't heard about it already Michael Wyszomierski: yeah i just came across it accidently Michael Wyszomierski: it is a hidden gem Michael Wyszomierski: forgotten by history John Young: yeah it is John Young: arnold has probably had all physical copies destroyed Michael Wyszomierski: yeah, he probably went door to door ransacking homes, and eating the cds/cassettes John Young: haha, shooting people 7:40 PM Michael Wyszomierski: so i just opened it again in itunes... his shorts are uncomfortably short John Young: yeah, i mean, he's doing aerobics, so he has to have a free range of motion Michael Wyszomierski: haha John Young: too much fabric will contstrict that No, the song I'm thinking of is not "Jessica" Bill Speier:
I would have suggested jessica then, but
they always play ramblin man after it, so I thought they were the same
song
Re: This. Tuesday, July 12, 2005 .Mac Vaporware Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" was released on April 29th.
At the same time, the .Mac
homepage announced that .Mac exclusive widgets were "Coming Soon!"
That was over two months ago. We're now at 10.4.2 "Tigerrr" and the "Member
Central" page (which believes it is June) still claims, "Exclusive widgets
coming soon!"
I'm waiting... You know you're song's bad when I hear it on the radio and think that it's just a
really long commercial jingle.
I need your help There is this instrumental classic rock song that
I like, but I don't know the name of it or the artist. I can't Google it because
there are no lyrics. I think it's pretty popular though, and I've heard it on
97.5 The Hawk. Email me the
names of popular classic rock instrumentals, and I'll appreciate it. Direct
links to iTunes Music Store tracks preferred.
Monday, July 11, 2005 No eggs. Complaint Milestone "Petition
Milestone" was my 100th entry in the "Complaint"
category of Wysz's Thoughts v.Awesome. Thanks for watching!
Petition Milestone My petition
regarding the inverter board flaw in
Apple's 17-inch LCD Studio Display now has 601
signatures. Over a year after talking with Apple and starting the
petition, I'm still waiting for Apple to come up with a fair
repair/replacement/refund policy. My display is sitting in its box for now, but
I think I will soon give up and sell it as a broken display on
eBay.
This link is being posted entirely for the benefit of John Young, who will undoubtedly enjoy it thoroughly Friday, July 08, 2005 Andy Signore's "The Janitor" on DVD Andy Signore's horror-comedy film, The Janitor, is being released
on DVD on September 6th, 2005 by Elite
Entertainment. It is currently available for pre-order
on Amazon.com for $10.49.
"The Janitor," which judging by the trailers is completely inappropriate for anyone, stars Andy as a custodian named Lionel. Lionel, whose ultimate goal is to be the custodian of a sorority house, deals with the pain of daily disrespect from his coworkers by killing them. That's pretty much all I know about the movie, but if an early review by Tom Willett on IMDB is accurate, we also know that "The Janitor" is actually a remake of "The Sound of Music," and the opening titles are spelled correctly. Andy's previous films include ARA, The O.J. Interview, Zima, Dick Dewey, and Omnibus. I got to miss a few minutes of art class for Omnibus. And yes, this is the same Andy Signore who went to GA, notorious for his hilarious video parodies and for dressing as a ballerina on Halloween. And by "on Halloween," I mean "every Thursday." Don't forget to order your copy of The Janitor today! Name Changing Tonight I suggested to my sisters that we begin a
new tradition of changing the names of our cats annually. They didn't think it
was a good idea, so I suggested that we could each change our own names on our
birthdays. They didn't like that either.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005 Resemblance If I were to tell you that you look like Kevin Spacey, would you
be offended? I already warmed up by telling someone I don't
know that he resembles Tom
Hanks.
Who do I look like? Slick Griffin Technology announced their SmartDeck
cassette adapter in January of this year, and said that it will ship in the
second quarter of the year. I preordered one in April, and when I clicked on the
preorder link I was warned that it is not yet shipping, but it will in the
second quarter. On May 18th, I asked Griffin for an update on the shipping date,
and I was again told that it
would ship in the second quarter. When I got back from vacation
yesterday, July 4th, four days past the deadline, I still had not received a
shipping notice. I went to Griffin's site again, and found that the preorder
page now says that the SmartDeck "will begin shipping in the third quarter of
the year." They never notified me of this change, and I'm getting tired of
waiting.
Fortunately, I just got off the phone with Griffin, and they said that the SmartDeck will ship by the end of this month, and they think they'll be able to get it out by the middle of the month. It has some cool features, so why not order one for yourself? |