• Lost, and found.

    On Thursday my boss called me, during my morning commute, and asked me to come directly to his office. I agreed, keeping in mind "Hope for the best, expect the worst." Hopefully, this was an announcement of my big bonus, since I'd finally cracked the "tough nut" and we'd seen stellar performance during our big validation event. At worst, he'd want to know what I'd been doing lately. So I started enumerating my latest bug fixes and development on my way up to his office.

    What I got was, "I've been told that you have honorably completed your task." I gave a cheer, thinking this meant the big bonus was on its way. Then he said, "I'm glad to see you're excited. I've already been talking to other program managers to find you a new position."

    I had to sit down from the shock.

    Continue reading "Employment Lost"

    (2 comments)

  • Melissa asked me for her own account on my computer a few days ago. This is significant to a geek such as myself, because I run an almost-exclusively Linux box. I asked her why, and she said she likes some of the programs on my computer, and she wants her own account.

    When I asked why the family-access account wasn't good enough, she said that Tatiana has her own account, and she'd like to be able to have her own stuff, just like Tatiana. I interpreted this to mean not just desktop preferences, but also private content. This led to a discussion of computer privacy, and therefore directly to passwords.

    Continue reading "Better Passwords for My Kids"

  • For my second attempt at voice acting, I landed the part of a "Wizard Drill Instructor" for a video game. Well, it's not really a video game, as it has no video whatsoever. It's really a proof-of-concept for using mouse gestures to control an audio-only game.

    You can download it at the link above, or download a copy here.

  • Yes, it still works
    (2160 x 1440)

    I warned you before, I'm the Alpha Geek. Here's more evidence.

    When my kids' computer's power supply failed (again), we were reminded once again why we don't buy non-standard equipment. (I firmly believe the same should be applied to software.) Rather than ordering the custom power supply, waiting more than a month for it to be delivered, and hooking everything back up, I did what any self-respecting geek would do: I ventured into the world of case mods.

    Continue reading "Catching Up: More Geek Evidence"

  • Still another gallon left
    One Tank

    I filled up on Friday. 533.3 miles on this tank, using the hypermiler's "Pulse & Glide" technique. The tank wasn't even empty!

    10.02 gallons. That's 53.3 MPG! Better than a Prius. My wife is impressed (and after all, I only do it to get chicks). My dad wasn't so impressed.

    Continue reading "Hatchback Mileage part 2"