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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Lily - 5.5.08
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I'll be posting a few photos from the most recent photo shoot of the girls. Usually I just post the ones I end up picking to have prints made of. This time I decided I'd post some of the ones that are not those as well.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Netflix 1 Month Free Trial
I've been enjoying Netflix for a couple months and they sent me some coupons for friends. Normally, you can get a 2 week free trial from Netflix, but with this coupon you can get a full month free! If you do the free trial, I get one extra rental...pretty cool. I've been very happy with Netflix. The turnaround time is great, I send a movie back and they receive it the next day and mail my next one out the same day the receive it. Nine times out of ten I get that movie the very next day.
Well, that was even more of a commercial than my last post. I gotta change gears. Hehehehe.
Anyway, if you are interested in a 1 month free trial of Netflix, just send me an e-mail and I'll send you the code. I only have 4 codes, so it'll be first come, first serve.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Google 411 / Google SMS
Okay, this post is for those of you who haven't heard about Google 411 and Google SMS. This is MUST KNOW information for every person with a phone. I am continually surprised how many people do not know about it, so I'm posting here to make sure I do my part to spread the information.Google 411 is a free service by Google to help you find a business you are looking for. It is very much like the information service you can call and, for a fee, have a business phone number looked up and connected to you. The difference? It's free! Just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) and you're all set!
Google SMS is even better than Google 411. Google SMS is another FREE service by Google. Essentially bringing the power of Google Search to your cell phone using text messaging. To use it, simply send a search query in a text message to '466453' (GOOGLE on most phones) and Google will respond back in a text message with the results. It is incredible. You can get local business listings, weather, dictionary definitions, sports scores, movie times, directions, and more. For example, if you were looking for a comic shop in Salem, you could send this to 'GOOGLE': "comics 97301". Seconds later you would receive 1 to 3 text messages with business listings as you would find in the phone book...delivered to your cell phone...free (text messages may have fees associated depending on your cell plan)! Want to know the weather report for Olympia? Simply text this to Google: "weather olympia". Don't know what 'bamboozled' means? Simply text this to Google: "define bamboozled".
Wow...that sounded way more like a commercial than I would have liked. Sorry ;o) I use this service all the time. It is really great and very convenient. Try it out!
Google 411 information
Google SMS information
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Free Comic Book Day update
We took the kids to Tony's Kingdom of Comics to have pictures taken with the Dark Side Troopers. They had a lot of fun. Jason Martin did a sketch of Spider-Man for Mikayla too!More photos on my flickr page!
It's Free Comic Book Day!!!!!!
Today is Free Comic Book Day! Head out to your local comic shop for some great freebies! I highly recommend All-Star Superman #1. It's free at your local comic book shop TODAY!
I'll be at Tony's Kingdom of Comics today. He's open from 11am to 5pm. Bring a donation of canned food and you can have an Iron Man print and have it signed by the artist who drew it right there. Should be fun. I'll be taking my kids to have their pictures taken with the Dark Side Troopers, a group of fun people who dress up in Star Wars costumes and let you have your picture taken with them. Maybe I'll see you there!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Connected
Okay, I admit it, I have a connection problem. Going without the Internet is something I just don't do (or at least cope with well). I have access to the Internet at home, at work, on my Blackberry, and with a cellular wireless card on my laptop anywhere I have cell signal. If someone wants to get ahold of me, there are usually at least four methods of communication that would work at any time. I have a problem, yes, but I know it and admit it. Isn't that half the battle? ;)
Anyway, if you don't already have the links, here are some ways I'm staying connected right now:
E-mail: englishw@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/billenglish/
MSN: englishw@msn.com
Google Talk: englishw@gmail.com
AOL: englishw@gmail.com
Monday, April 28, 2008
Why I Use a Mac
I recently got an Apple MacBook Pro and people have been asking me why. "Why did you choose a mac?" "What's wrong with a PC?" "Why buy something so over-priced?" I decided I would blog about it so I could just have people read this. lol
First, a little about my history with a PC. I have been using a PC ever since I knew what a computer was. Nearly all of that experience has been in Microsoft Windows. I remember my dad being excited about being the first person on our block with a "Start" button when we upgraded to Windows 95. I have installed Windows 98 and 98SE more times than I care to remember (Bob, how many times did I install 98 in just that one night in college?). I beta tested Windows XP and loved the improvements from day one. Vista was a huge disappointment and I even ended up uninstalling it and reinstalling XP after a test drive of it.
Ever since college and the Windows 98 days, I have had a box running Linux also. The flavor of Linux has changed over the years and Linux has evolved a lot in the last 10 years, but I'm not at a point where it fits me for a desktop OS. I have a server at work I run Linux on and I have it on a box at home as well. I love it, but not as my primary machine.
I'll say right now that I have gotten bored with Windows. I've gotten sick of driver problems. I've gotten sick of programs crashing. I've been ready to move on to something new and different for a long time if for no other reason than it is different. I happen to think that OS X on an Apple computer is not only a refreshingly different experience, but I also think it is a superior OS.
So here I go with reasons in no particular order:
- Hardware bundled with software. I like the fact that OS X is not sold as a stand-alone operating system. It is amazing that Windows runs as well as it does given the infinite possibilities of combinations of hardware that it runs on. The few hardware errors or driver issues that come up are a testament to how good Windows is. Apple has it easy. They have a very limited hardware set to code around. It's easy to make a stable OS when you control not only the software, but the hardware. This is a negative thing for some people, but I'll take the stability that comes with it over more variety in my hardware any day of the week. This is the "it just works" cheesy saying you hear mac people talking about.
- Software. Now, I don't play many games. If you are a gamer, OS X is not the platform for you. Not only are the games not available for OS X, but even if you run them on Windows on a mac, you will be disappointed at some point with the hardware. Gamers upgrade their systems (mainly video cards) frequently to keep up with the latest technology. I'm not a gamer though, so that doesn't bother me. What I do like about software is I can run anything on my mac. I can run all native mac OS applications as well as Windows and Linux applications. Apple's BootCamp lets me dual boot Windows XP and OS X. Parallels lets me run Windows and OS X at the SAME TIME. Using virtualization, I can run OS X applications right next to native Windows applications with an unnoticeable performance hit. I can also run X11 Linux programs along side those applications. It's really amazing.
- Quicksilver. In short, Quicksilver is an application launcher, but it is much more than that. Instead of me try to explain something that can really only be explained visually, I'll link to a video. This is really worth watching. Quicksilver is simply amazing. Crazy good. I use it all the time now.
QuickSilver Demo Video (you have to download it to watch it, but it is well worth it!)
- The MacBook Pro. I love the size of the 15" MacBook Pro. It's has a beautiful 15" widescreen display that doesn't feel any smaller than my old 17" Acer Ferrari notebook. It's sleek, slim, and very lightweight. The battery life is incredible. The webcam is fun. The hot-keys are brilliant. The touchpad blew my mind. Every computer should have a touchpad like this one. One finger acts like any touchpad, but there's so much more. Tapping with two fingers does a 'right-click' action. Taking two fingers and moving them up or down scrolls up and down or left and right in a window. Three fingers left and right act as 'back' and 'forward' buttons in a web browser.
- Simplicity. Like I mentioned before, nearly all my computer experience has been on a PC. I have taught several people how to use a computer or do tasks on a computer. As I have been learning the mac OS, everything I have needed to do has been easy to find or figure out. It is very intuitive. Things are logically where you would expect them to be even not being familiar with the OS.
- Network. Wow. Where do I even start here? My MacBook Pro was authenticated on my domain at work much faster than a PC could ever be. Why? It didn't require a reboot. Almost nothing on a Mac requires a reboot. Wireless and wired network connections are simple. Here is an example: At work I am on a domain using a wired network connection and a static IP/DNS. At home I am on a workgroup using a wireless connection and a dynamic IP/DNS. On my Windows XP notebook, when I would go between networks I had to go into 'Network Connections' in the Control Panel and disable one network and enable the other and then 'repair' the connection for it to work. It was annoying and time consuming and initially it was a pain in the rear to figure out and setup/configure. With my Mac, setup was a piece of cake and now I don't even think about it. When I get to work, my network just works. When I get home, my network just works. No manually doing anything. It doesn't even alert me it's doing anything, it just does it and it works.
I'm sure I'll post more about the Mac in a later post, but this at least got some of the thoughts out of my head and a beginning to my reasons for using a Mac.
Do you use a Mac? Tell me why in the comments or send me an e-mail.
~ Bill
First, a little about my history with a PC. I have been using a PC ever since I knew what a computer was. Nearly all of that experience has been in Microsoft Windows. I remember my dad being excited about being the first person on our block with a "Start" button when we upgraded to Windows 95. I have installed Windows 98 and 98SE more times than I care to remember (Bob, how many times did I install 98 in just that one night in college?). I beta tested Windows XP and loved the improvements from day one. Vista was a huge disappointment and I even ended up uninstalling it and reinstalling XP after a test drive of it.
Ever since college and the Windows 98 days, I have had a box running Linux also. The flavor of Linux has changed over the years and Linux has evolved a lot in the last 10 years, but I'm not at a point where it fits me for a desktop OS. I have a server at work I run Linux on and I have it on a box at home as well. I love it, but not as my primary machine.
I'll say right now that I have gotten bored with Windows. I've gotten sick of driver problems. I've gotten sick of programs crashing. I've been ready to move on to something new and different for a long time if for no other reason than it is different. I happen to think that OS X on an Apple computer is not only a refreshingly different experience, but I also think it is a superior OS.
So here I go with reasons in no particular order:
- Hardware bundled with software. I like the fact that OS X is not sold as a stand-alone operating system. It is amazing that Windows runs as well as it does given the infinite possibilities of combinations of hardware that it runs on. The few hardware errors or driver issues that come up are a testament to how good Windows is. Apple has it easy. They have a very limited hardware set to code around. It's easy to make a stable OS when you control not only the software, but the hardware. This is a negative thing for some people, but I'll take the stability that comes with it over more variety in my hardware any day of the week. This is the "it just works" cheesy saying you hear mac people talking about.
- Software. Now, I don't play many games. If you are a gamer, OS X is not the platform for you. Not only are the games not available for OS X, but even if you run them on Windows on a mac, you will be disappointed at some point with the hardware. Gamers upgrade their systems (mainly video cards) frequently to keep up with the latest technology. I'm not a gamer though, so that doesn't bother me. What I do like about software is I can run anything on my mac. I can run all native mac OS applications as well as Windows and Linux applications. Apple's BootCamp lets me dual boot Windows XP and OS X. Parallels lets me run Windows and OS X at the SAME TIME. Using virtualization, I can run OS X applications right next to native Windows applications with an unnoticeable performance hit. I can also run X11 Linux programs along side those applications. It's really amazing.
- Quicksilver. In short, Quicksilver is an application launcher, but it is much more than that. Instead of me try to explain something that can really only be explained visually, I'll link to a video. This is really worth watching. Quicksilver is simply amazing. Crazy good. I use it all the time now.
QuickSilver Demo Video (you have to download it to watch it, but it is well worth it!)
- The MacBook Pro. I love the size of the 15" MacBook Pro. It's has a beautiful 15" widescreen display that doesn't feel any smaller than my old 17" Acer Ferrari notebook. It's sleek, slim, and very lightweight. The battery life is incredible. The webcam is fun. The hot-keys are brilliant. The touchpad blew my mind. Every computer should have a touchpad like this one. One finger acts like any touchpad, but there's so much more. Tapping with two fingers does a 'right-click' action. Taking two fingers and moving them up or down scrolls up and down or left and right in a window. Three fingers left and right act as 'back' and 'forward' buttons in a web browser.
- Simplicity. Like I mentioned before, nearly all my computer experience has been on a PC. I have taught several people how to use a computer or do tasks on a computer. As I have been learning the mac OS, everything I have needed to do has been easy to find or figure out. It is very intuitive. Things are logically where you would expect them to be even not being familiar with the OS.
- Network. Wow. Where do I even start here? My MacBook Pro was authenticated on my domain at work much faster than a PC could ever be. Why? It didn't require a reboot. Almost nothing on a Mac requires a reboot. Wireless and wired network connections are simple. Here is an example: At work I am on a domain using a wired network connection and a static IP/DNS. At home I am on a workgroup using a wireless connection and a dynamic IP/DNS. On my Windows XP notebook, when I would go between networks I had to go into 'Network Connections' in the Control Panel and disable one network and enable the other and then 'repair' the connection for it to work. It was annoying and time consuming and initially it was a pain in the rear to figure out and setup/configure. With my Mac, setup was a piece of cake and now I don't even think about it. When I get to work, my network just works. When I get home, my network just works. No manually doing anything. It doesn't even alert me it's doing anything, it just does it and it works.
I'm sure I'll post more about the Mac in a later post, but this at least got some of the thoughts out of my head and a beginning to my reasons for using a Mac.
Do you use a Mac? Tell me why in the comments or send me an e-mail.
~ Bill
Friday, April 18, 2008
The plunge
Well, it finally happened. I am writing this to you on a MacBook Pro. My laptop at work died and terrible flaming death and I got approval to get a new notebook. I chose to go for the 15" MacBook Pro. So far, I am absolutely loving it. I feel liberated. OS X is so...smooth...light...fresh...simple... I have a long history of trying to escape Microsoft, so this is a long awaited victory. And, after using OS X for just 2 days, I have decided that I'm not going to be upgrading my home computer. I'm going to wait for the right time and then replace it with a mac as well. I'm a full convert now.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Dancing
I took a few videos of the girls dancing...I have no idea where they get these moves, but it's hilarious. Enjoy =o)
Italian Chinese Dancing Duck:
Italian Chinese Dancing Duck (part 2):
Crazy Dancing Kids:
Italian Chinese Dancing Duck:
Italian Chinese Dancing Duck (part 2):
Crazy Dancing Kids:
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