999

08.13.2008

I'm 1 DVD away from 1000.

That's kind of an arbitrary "1000" though. Depending on how you look at it, I could be way past 1000 or nowhere near 1000.

I have 999 titles listed, regardless of whether they're on DVD, Blu-Ray, or BetaHD-DVD. Within those titles I have seasons of TV shows. Take Star Treks, for example. I list each season of each series separately, so those end up being counted as 30 or so titles. For the X-Files series I entered all 9 seasons at once, thus counting them as 1 title instead of 9. What happened to consistency?

I don't have 999 discs. Those seasons of TV shows can have anywhere from 2 to 7 discs per season. I'd hate to have the free time to go back and count discs. I've thought about it, though. Then I thought it'd be interesting to see what the total running time of all my discs is - kind of like how iTunes displays it at the bottom.

Regardless of the minute details, I'll end up getting my 1000th DVD next Tuesday. My first DVD was the original Starship Troopers back in 1998 (I think). It was the movie I wanted on DVD to see in Widescreen and for the special features I thought it would have. 2 weeks ago I got Starship Troopers 3, not a movie I would want for any special reason, although it was amazing how Casper Van Dien doesn't age. Hopefully the 1000th will end up being something special and/or memorable. I wonder if there'll be a party?

Permalink movies/tv/dvd

The Rhythm. It's Gonna Get You If You're Not Careful.

08.09.2008

I'm somewhat grateful the information superweb wasn't easily accessible when I was young and goofy.

Being old and goofy, that's a completely different story though.

Totally unrelated, but I think the following snippet of a Ne-Yo video syncs up with almost every pop/dance song ever made.

I've been watching it while flipping through my iTunes library on random and laughing at how well it matches most of my songs. Of course, what does that say about the music I listen to?

Permalink random

17.8 LBS of Change

08.05.2008

A little over 2 years ago I made a trek to a Coinstar kiosk and cashed in a cup full of change for what would turn into $48.78 worth of Amazon credit. Today I took a box full of change that I weighed out to be 17.8 lbs. I wasn't sure how much that would actually be worth, but I was curious.

My trip 2 years ago to the Coinstar kiosk was to mainly get rid of pennies. Lots and lots of pennies. This trip I wasn't limiting myself to pennies. At the end of each day I empty my pockets of change and dump it into a box in my bedroom. I don't raid the change box as much as I used to, mainly by trying to give up trips to vending machines. So besides pennies, I had loads of silver change to cash in. Once it was over, I was amazed at the totals:

Pennies	801
Nickels	276
Dimes	515
Quarters	591
Dollars	1
Grand Total	$222.06

About 20 pounds of change and I get 200 bucks. Not freakin' bad! My next few StoopWatches from Amazon will be sponsored by Coinstar. Add in the $100 of Amazon credit I'm getting from credit card points, and I'm going to enjoy myself with my weekly Amazon orders for a little while.

I think this makes my next Coinstar visit scheduled for around November 2010. I'll have to pencil that in.

Permalink random

Cable Modem Fun. Again.

08.04.2008

A few years ago I went from renting my cable modem to purchasing a cable modem, mainly because my rented modem broke. I popped into Best Buy, purchased a modem, then called the Charter IT Help Desk to register the cable modem MAC address and all was spiffy with the internet.

In early July I upgraded parts of my cable service, which included more bandwidth, but I could use my same modem. The installation guy - lord help me but it was some idiot from Georgia who didn't know where my garage was (he parked right in front of it!) - tested my connection speed and thought it was too low. After some fiddling, he determined the surge protector was slowing things down. He even showed me some type of analytical web page that backed him up. As such, he circumvented the surge protector taking the cable right from the wall into the modem.

This past Wednesday there was a storm. Thunder. Lightning. Blinkage of power.

You see where this is going, don't you?

After the power came back on, and the tv cable came back on, and the cable phone came back on, the modem just sat there with a power light on. Yes, the modem, the one thing of importance not hooked into a surge protector, got zapped.

After cursing the installation idiot from Georgia, I went to Circuit City to purchase a modem - Best Buy was out of stock. I dislike both stores equally, so having to go to both to try and make my purchase was not a fun trip. I tracked down the modem, bought it, took it home, and plugged that puppy in. Next I had to call Charter IT Help and get them to register the MAC address.

Charter help starts out with a recorded message that takes you down a choose-your-own-adventure path of trying to fix things yourself. As best I could figure, there's no way to jump out of this path if you actually know what you need to do. As such, I picked "Problem with Modem" and answered "No" for 10 minutes until getting connected to one of their perky helpful IT chicks in Kentucky. I know she was in Kentucky because I asked. Here was the extent of my call after wading through 10 minutes of automated help suggestions:

Perky IT Chick: Thank you for calling Charter, can I help you?
Me: Hi, I just got a new cable modem, and if it's like last time I need to give you the MAC address.
Perky IT Chick: Yes. Sorry about your old modem. Hold on one second while I pull up your account.
Me: Ok. You're really throwing me off by not having an Indian accent. 3:00 on a Sunday, I was sure I was going to get somebody in New Delhi.
Perky IT Chick: *giggles*
Me, becoming smitten with Perky IT Chick: Last time I did this I talked to somebody in Louisville. You're not in Louisville are you?
Perky IT Chick:Actually, yeah, I am. Ok, I need to get the MAC address from your modem.
Me: Okee doke. *reads off MAC address*
Perky IT Chick: Alright, good. Now I need you to turn off the power to the modem, and if you have a router, do you have a router?
Me: Yes, a Linksys something or other.
Perky IT Chick: Ok, I need to to power it off too.
Me: * Turns power off modem * Ok.
Perky IT Chick: Good. Now wait a second and go ahead and turn the modem on first.
Me * Turns modem back on, opens up browser and goes to Google* Cool, it's working. I can see the interweb!
Perky IT Chick: You're able to bring a web page in a browser?
Me: Yup. Looks like everything works. I can get to Google and everything.
Perky IT Chick: Ok then.
The rest was lots of thank you/goodbye/would you like to upgrade your cable service.

So, my 10 minutes of trying to get a person led to 3 minutes of a person actually helping me. But now I can get to Google. And everything.

Permalink random

Eleven Million five Hundred Thousand Dollars

07.31.2008

Do you ever get these emails?

 

From: Malik Walker Chambers Subject: Notification of Bequest
To: 
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008, 2:32 AM
Notification of Bequest

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the Estate of
Late Andreas
Schranner, I hereby attempt to reach you again.

I wish to notify you that late Andreas Schranner made you a
beneficiary to his will.He left the sum of Eleven Million
five
Hundred Thousand Dollars.($11,500,000.00 ) to you  in the
codicil and
last testament this will.

This may sound strange and unbelievable to you,but it is
real and
true.Late Andreas Schranner until his death was a very
dedicated
Christian who  loved to give out.

His great philanthropy earned him numerous awards during 
his life
time, Late Andreas Schranner died at the age of 71
years.According to
him this money is to support your activities and to help
the poor and
the needy.

Please You should fill the information below for more
directives and
informations and send it to the email address below,
maliklawchambers_solicitorsltd@hotmail.com

1.Full Name
2.Telephone number,
3.Age
4.contact address/Country
5.occupation

Yours In Service,
Barr. Malik Walker (Esq)

Do you ever send a response?

Dear Barr. Malik Walker (Esq),

Upon most glorious receipt of your email communication, I am humbled in response to your having a most pleasantness of days. I am saddened to hear of the passing of the Late Andreas Schranner. Unfortunately, my activities were not in research of helping the poor and the needy, but rather in how many licks it takes one to reach the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop.

This has been a question long left unanswered in my country of birth for many generations. Millions have sought the answer but none have gleaned the truth from investigations upon their independent behalves. Although my research is not that in which you have had it listed within, it was important research upon which I was charged with investigating on the behalf of the Late Andreas Schranner and hope that with your help in the much needed funding I may continue.

I would enjoy contacting you in person for more details via the telephone if it would be more easier than the electronic email. I do not have a phone, as I am against federal regulation fees imposed on the customer, but I am able to barter for the use of my neighbor's phone for 15 minutes on weekdays. If you have a telephone number and time in which it would be convenient to gain contact, please let me know with utmost hastings.

Joining you in mourning, [Some Name I Made Up]

I wonder when I'll get my eleven mil?

Permalink random