Monday, February 27, 2006

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Something strange in the logs...

I use Webalizer to kinda keep an eye on my logs, and while it's neat to see the non-US sources in the logs, it just re-enforces the fact that the Internet is truly global. However, every once in awhile, something in the logs still surprises me. For instance, when I got my first hits from .gov and .mil sources. Imagine when I checked the report and saw "Old style Arpanet (arpa)." That's gotta be the most unusual event for my blog yet.

Friday, February 24, 2006

USPS

I ordered an item from someone's Amazon store, and they promptly shipped it via US Mail, providing me with a tracking number. It took two days to get halfway across the country into Ohio, and has been hung up for a week within the same state. So, I did what anyone would do, and used the email form on the USPS website to inquire why the package was shown as leaving Cincinnati last Friday evening, but hasn't been scanned anywhere since. Their response? They updated the status of the package. It now shows as having left Cincinnati last Friday, and a second time yesterday. What did they do, put it on a truck to the wrong location, which simply sent it back without scanning it? So I wrote again, this time specifically asking for a reply (because they did not reply to my first email other than the strange status update on their website) to explain how it has left the same place twice, and where in the world it is and when I can expect to receive it. I'd go to my local post office and inquire instead of using email, but it is staffed by a bunch of asses. Complaining to them would probably result in "accidental" damage to the package.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Go Go Gadget, Flashdrive.

I'm starting to feel a bit like Inspector Gadget. My wife recently picked up a flash wristband for me. It's gotta be one of the best flash drive ideas ever. I was constantly either forgetting or fidgeting with my swivel flash drive (which is also a great drive) when it was on its lanyard. I'm not sure which was worse: forgetting it defeated the purpose of having one, and fidgeting placed undue wear on it. This wrist one solves both problems. At 256MB, it's not huge. But it is extremely convenient, and big enough for a few portable apps along with some important data that I'd rather not be without, should I need it. It also solves the problem of where to keep my PGP keyrings because I use so many different computers throughout any given day. The only problem I can find with the drive is that I now try to answer my shoe whenever I hear a phone ring ;)