Grrrrrr, Part Three

iPad just-slightly insufficiently futurey

I got an iPad a few weeks ago, and it’s really pretty amazing.

This is a big reversal, since I scoffed at those things when they came out. “Why would I want an iPhone that’s too big to put in my pocket?” I thought they were useless and stupid, until I used one, and now I’m totally sold. It’s an instant-on appliance with a real web browser and real mail reader on a real screen.

I will never use a laptop again.

Grrrrrr, Part Two

So I broke down. After returning an iPad I ordered when they first came out, after seeing some app demos, I got a new one today. I know.Thu Sep 02 23:56:44 via TweetDeckDon Linn
DonLinn

Don is one of the people I Follow who had an iPad very early on.

Frankly, I was shocked that he returned it. I can’t find his original tweet about it (you disappoint me, Topsy!), but I think he mumbled something about it not being a solution to any problem he had. He then threatened to cut with a knife said the subject was closed and he wouldn’t discuss it.

Now this!

Grrrrrr

Twitter for iPad is freaking me out. I’m wondering if iPad will become my main PC after Apple releases iOS 4.2 in November.Thu Sep 02 15:41:23 via Tweetie for MacJoe Wilcox
joewilcox

And I was thinking just last night, if I had decided to go for the WiFi-only iPad, I would have had it and the kittens would not have prevented its purchase. Timing is everything, dammit.

Hmmmm….

Either something went wrong with WordPress or I wasn’t paying proper attention.

I might have accidentally deleted the latest post that was here.

And I no longer recall what it was.

Anyway, no conspiracy. You’re not seeing things.

Purely stupid accident — if one did get deleted.

New Blog

Mike Cane’s xBlog

Generally non-iPad stuff.

Until the kittens finally let me get an iPad and I can do this and finally finish it.

Blog Notes: WordPress Disaster!

I came to this blog yesterday to look up something and noticed the look was all changed.

OK. This happened once before when WordPress had a problem with CSS.

I figured this was the case again and I’d give them time to sort it out.

Today I looked at this blog and it’s still not right.

I go to Support and I find out the bottom line is this: Unilaterally and without notifying anyone, WordPress swapped out the Cutline theme I was using with something called Coraline.

They did this to everyone using the Cutline theme.

How disgusting, unprofessional, and smug is that?

There was absolutely no reason for this change that I can see.

Cutline was free, Coraline is free.

They should have told those of us using Cutline that Coraline existed and that we had the option to switch to it for the extra features it allegedly offers.

But no. Instead we’ve had our blogs ripped apart and gutted without any advanced warning!

I will have to do a lot of work to bring things back to right here.

And at this point, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

I’m having more fun over at Tumblr and have to consider switching all of this over to there. The result of that would be no Comments. Tumblr uses DISQUS as an option and I’m throroughly DISQUSted by that crappy system that has lost my Comments, lost my passwords, and done other abominable things.

So all past Comments here as well as the 466 (and counting!) that are backed-up for moderation would just be dumped if I move it all to Tumblr.

So, standby.

When, In The Course Of Human Events …

Our Declaration of Independence:

Click = HUGE

Source: American Memory, Library of Congress

No blogging here yet. Assorted off-topic notes over at the Tumblr.

Enjoy our liberty.

Thank you to everyone who lived, worked, fought, and died for this country and its ideals.

Blog Notes: Ads By WordPress, Not Me

This is a portion of a screensnap just sent to me by @doctorlaura:

Click = big

I do not pay to use WordPress. So they make their money by sometimes inserting ads into blogs. She just caught one of the times this has happened.

I never see any ads on my end nor am I ever told if any have been or will be inserted.

And I don’t make a cent off them. Not that I’d want to: I hate intrusive ads! And really, given some of the things I write, I think most advertisers would rather not be here. OK, make that all advertisers.

Blog Status Report

The blog is not dead. I am very busy with something that will take up to two more weeks.

In the meantime, I just pop in when I want to, in order to drop in what I think is an important post or two.

Comments are not even being looked at. They’re all stacked up in a queue that seems to be at least 75 long (there are probably pingbacks and spam in that number too). I will get to them when I can concentrate on the blog again.

The kittens turned seven weeks old yesterday. No new picture — because I am busy. Besides, I don’t want them to think they’re celebrities and start making demands. They’re already choosy about the solid food they’ll eat, dammit.

I am way behind in my reading on the Net and I’ve been missing a lot of important stuff. The Most Important Stuff that I trip over in my very brief periods online have all been bookmarked. That will eventually be a Links post that will put me on life support afterwards.

One note: I have no desire for an iPhone 4 since I learned its metal sides are actually its antenna. I wouldn’t hold any cellphone by its damned antenna and I’m not going to make an exception for Apple, so they won’t be getting a sale from me on this one. They’d better not screw up the next iteration of the iPod Touch like that or it will be another No Sale.

Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Death By Microsoft Windows XP

After enjoying a malware-free day or two, BAM! I got hit again last night!

And it’s a nasty nasty nasty one: AV Security Suite (AVSecuritySuite) Virus Removal Guide

And that got in while I had resident Avast! 5 anti-virus running!

Penetrated that shield like a slow knife in Dune.

And it brought along some friends too, namely SmitFraud, which I battled for nearly a week about three years ago!

So dig it. The malware was killing access to all my programs. Months ago, I downloaded Process Explorer and that saved my ass. It allowed me to kill the processes and begin to gain the upper hand.

A Quick Scan by Malwarebytes came up with four infections. An overnight Full Scan revealed one more.

But wait! This is Microsoft’s OS. You think that would be the end of it? [Insert Bitter Laugh]

I then did a Full Scan with Avast! 5 and it came up with three more infections!

So, another eighteen hours of my life wasted thanks to the shoddy workmanship of Microsoft.

Oh, don’t tell me upgrade to Windows 7. You miss the point: they should have gotten it all right back in the days of XP. It’s inexcusable.

All of you thinking of buying an iPad: Do it! It’s the only way to guarantee you’ll enjoy the Internet — and just the Internet, not its buggering.