:: A Running Log Of Why I Am Always Right ::

:: Sunday, August 03, 2003 ::

{ My playlist }

Updated Winamp playlist; It's not totally inclusive of everything on my computer but it's pretty close.
My playlist ?

[::..Megatimes..::] 9:17:00 PM [+] ::
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{ Stop Windows from "previewing" your Mp3s in your music folder }

If you're the kind of person that keeps all or most of your Mp3s in the same folder, then you probably know the rage that Windows can bring on when you open your Mp3 folder and select one or more songs to open with a 3rd party Mp3 player like Winamp. † Side note: if you're a Windows user and you're not running Winamp then you should be. Pretty much everything else out there is too big, too intrusive, and too cheesy. This most certainly includes Windows Media Player, Sonique, and ESPECIALLY MusicMatch Jukebox which is a complete piece of garbage unless you like spyware. So I'm taking a moment to selflessly and fully endorse Winamp. If you don't have it, visit their website and pick up the older version: 2.91. (The beauty was in its simplicity). Well, with that being said, does this look familiar to anyone?

	Yup, it's that obnoxious little media bar that just waits there hiding in the wings of the screen until you highlight an Mp3 and then WHAM!-- broadsides you by making you wait for the right click menu to appear so you can open it with a decent application.

(This is especially true if you're a fan of adding songs to your playlist with "Enqueue in Winamp"). Luckily, because Windows structures the viewing pane of folders basically as if they were a webpage, (using Java and HTML to direct their look and feel), not only can its aesthetics be manipulated rather easily, but its behavior as well. So, here's how to make the little bastard it go away. * This is written for Windows 2000 but the idea should be the same for all versions of Windows thereafter.

#1. Open your music folder and select "View => Customize this folder". This brings up a "Customize this folder Wizard" which will ask you which of the following you would like to do: Choose an HTML Template, Modify the background picture, or Add a folder comment. Select the first option to "Choose an HTML Template for the folder and press "Next".
#2 Now, instead of just settling for the normal template options they give you, highlight the "Standard" template field and check the box at the bottom of the window that says "I want to edit this template". Press the "Next" button. This will open a Notepad file.
OK, if you've never made a webpage or played with HTML (or Java in this case) then don't freak out because you only need to change one little thing and I promise you it's really really easy.
#3 Maximize the Notepad file, go to the "Edit" menu at the top of the page, select "Find", and then search for "mp3". When you see "mp3" highlighted in the file, delete both it and the comma that comes before it. The code should be changed from:

?
? function IsSoundFile(ext) {
var types = ",aif,aiff,au,mid,midi,rmi,snd,wav,mp3,m3u,wma,";
?
?
? to
?
?
? function IsSoundFile(ext) {
var types = ",aif,aiff,au,mid,midi,rmi,snd,wav,m3u,wma,";

When you close the file, you'll be asked if you want to save the changes. Select "Yes" and press the "Finish" button. No more bullshit preview bar. This will also work for any of the file types (.wav, .mpg, etc) that are listed in the code if you don't like the generated previews Windows brings up, too.

But if you're not sure that you really want to mess HTML you can download a copy of the file from this website instead. If that sounds more like your style then simply follow steps 1-2 and instead of altering the code yourself, just close the Notepad file and click the Finish button at the end. When you re-open the folder that you are customizing you will see a new folder called "Folder Settings" (provided that you have Windows set to view hidden files and folders. If you don't, go to "Tools => Folder Options => View" and select the 5th option in the list to "Show hidden files and folders" and hit "Apply".) Go into the "Folder Settings" folder and replace the files called "Folder.htt" and "wvleft.bmp" with these newer versions: Folder.htt | wvleft.bmp (for 1024 x 768) And in case you're wondering (which you very well should be), the vwleft.bmp file is just a picture with some radness in it that I made to replace the dull white column that sits on the left side of the folder. And no, it's not porn. Refresh the page and that should do it. You are now cooler than everyone you know--except me....unless you don't know me. In which case you are, in fact, the coolest. ?

[::..Megatimes..::] 5:05:00 AM [+] ::
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{ Why is everything a trilogy all of a sudden? }

[::..Megatimes..::] 5:36:38 AM [+] ::
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{ Grandma's house @ 4 am and strung out on dial-up }

"Women are like elevator ettiquette: you should always let them get off first"
-- Harlen Smith, a guy I've met only twice but was funny both times.

[::..Megatimes..::] 3:49:51 AM [+] ::
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{ WHY THE 80's MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS COOL AS YOU REMEMBER }

Can we please all just take a moment to sit down, take a deep breath, look at each other in the eye and say "Yeah, OK. The joke is over. The 80's really weren't that cool and the only reason that anyone still pretends to be into "80's night" is because they think that doing so gives them some malformed sense of coolness by liking something "old school."?
The following is a run down of the 80's for you in case you weren't around yet. Or if you were around but your older sibling(s) told you how rad it was, or in case you were there and thought it was "the time of your life". Each item will receive a rating of 1 -5 that will determine its "totally bodacious" index.

The ballad. Now exist almost solely over the P.A. at crappy frat bars; terrible. But, on the other hand, I don't go there anyways so, whatever. ((( 3 )))

The Enviornment.

We cleared up all that buisness that was going on with pollution, didn't we? God, everyday we had to hear about "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" as if it was really impornant to save the Earth or something. Oh well, everything goes out of style eventually--including being Earth conscious.(((2)))

American cars.

Have you seen the cars that the US put out in the 80's? It's almost as if they were TRYING to make the ugliest concepts that they could. A good reference point is the TV show, "Hunter" starring Fred Dryer--find it, watch it, and FEEL the sunday-ass-american-car-death. (((4)))

The "socks pulled up all the way to my knees"

If you were a kid in the 80's then you know the socks I'm talking about. Tall white socks with 2 or 3 colored stripes at the top that ALWAYS got jacked up your leg b/c it was cool that way. If you ever wore your socks like this you won't be able to run for public office at any time in your life. (((1)))

The "Rat Tail".

Just kidding. My rat tail, as I remember it, ruled the 80's. If you didn't have a rat tail back then, then you were, (and still are), unworthy. (((-5)))

[::..Megatimes..::] 7:39:00 PM [+] ::
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{ Fuck Cursive }

I read this article this morning on CNN.com:
Keyboards killing cursive?
In short, educators are beginning to worry about the future of students' cursive handwriting. Now, in case you haven't been pondering the impact that typing is having on kids growing up today, here's the correct opinion that everyone should adopt: So what if nobody learns cursive anymore?
Cursive was stupid when we learned it growing up and it's even more ridiculous to keep pushing it today. If you're between the ages of 13 and 30 then you remember (just as I do) sitting in class wondering how you could possibly get a sub-perfect grade in "handwriting" when you knew perfectly well that NOBODY uses anything other than print after leaving grade shcool. And this is beside the fact that being able to use typewriters and PCs was very clearly becoming (or already was) more valuable than being able to swirl "What I did this summer" on that gray recycled paper with a pink dotted guide marching through every 2 inch vertically spaced line.
Cursive: inefficient, wasteful, and gay. Let it go.
I don't hear anyone calling for the continued use of the abacus or the slide rule while we have calculators and computers. I can't remember the last time that I made a mixed tape from songs that I pulled off the radio. And I sure as fuck wouldn't want to wade through someone's 10 page letter they wrote me in overly elaborate 18th century cursive just because they thought that "The way you wrote something was considered part of your inner being, your core, your worth. ... "
Our society has found a way to put what is effectively the sum of human knowledge at virtually anyone's fingertips and all these people can say is that they're worried about how it damages our inner self and worth. Well, I'll tell you what: how about I come over to your house and etch "Eat it" on the hood of your car in beautiful cursive and we can examine its effects on both your inner and financial net equity.
But you know what? I'm a flexible guy. I'm willing to make a compromise. When our teachers can finally get the message across that:

The arbitrary American system of measurement : The metric system :: Cursive : Print and text

they'll have my full support in their quest for sentimental, "Class, this week we'll be working on connecting our v's and a's" inefficiency. At least then I could sleep better at night knowing that my kids will be able to multiply by 10. But until then...(<--- click this) ?

[::..Megatimes..::] 7:42:00 AM [+] ::
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{ On being secure with your nerdom }

Dear me, I love geeks. As I peruse the visitor stats, I get to see the names of the servers that give access to the hosting account. Now, usually it’s something like ns1.xyz.com and ns2.xyz.com, where the ns stands for name server, but every once in a while you see who really runs the place. To wit: Earthlink’s name servers are itchy.mindspring.net and scratchy.mindspring.net.

[::..Megatimes..::] 1:36:14 PM [+] ::
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{ Another quote from my econ professor today in class regarding the difficulty in changing your profession later in life: }

"I've known people that went into law and 20 years later said "Man, the law really sucks". I mean, can you imagine? But, trust me, it's not as bad as for those who say the same thing about accounting--especially if they're in jail."

[::..Megatimes..::] 3:51:32 PM [+] ::
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{ As an economics major, I thought this quote from my econ professor today in class was pretty pertinent: }

"I think that many economists have the opinion that historians take a too open-ended approach to their field of study that isn't disciplined enough. There are many things in the field of economics that virtually ALL economists agree on such as the inefficency of international tariffs or quotas. Historians just disagree with each other more than economists do. But, I think that economists are just more disagreeable than historians.

He's so right, too. My own personal hell would be playing Monopoly with 3 other econ majors.

[::..Megatimes..::] 3:46:07 PM [+] ::
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{ Family keeps pet eel in bath, for 33 years }

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- A German family has kept a live eel in its bathtub for the last 33 years and even trained it to swim into a bucket when someone needs to wash.
"He's part of our family," said Hannelore Richter of Bochum in western Germany, whose husband Paul caught the eel on a fishing trip in 1969 and took it home for supper.
His children fell in love with the eel, refusing to let him kill and cook it, and since then it has lived in the bath, shared it with the children when they were small -- and has even moved house with the family, German newspapers reported.
"It's a weird situation," zoologist Walter Gettmann told Reuters. "He has certainly lost the skills needed to survive in the wild. But if he is fed properly, he can survive in a tub."
Tuesday, January 7, 2003 Posted: 12:13 PM EST (1713 GMT) from CNN.com

[::..Megatimes..::] 7:16:35 AM [+] ::
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{ Mitch Hedberb }

I saw Mitch Hedberg tonight at the Punchline in Atlanta. Sometimes it's really nice to turn your brain off for 45 minutes and listen to one-liners.

[::..Megatimes..::] 12:40:58 AM [+] ::
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{ Buying electronics with pocket change }

Please don't ever buy this camera. It was $47 at Wal-Mart so I figured it wouldn't be really great but the fucker broke within 10 hours of bringing it home. What a complete piece of shit.

[::..Megatimes..::] 6:41:47 PM [+] ::
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{ Thanking John Asalone }

I'd like to publicly announce my highest level of praise and admiration for John Asalone for generously paying me the $40 last night that he owed me from SOPHMORE YEAR. My hat goes off to you, John. It seems that the shame of owing JONATHAN BROCKMAN money finally caught up to you the moment you realized that you owed something to a person whom, despite sitting in a notoriously dark and smoky hippie bar, visibly needed a shower and a shave. Thank you, John Asalone. Thank you.

[::..Megatimes..::] 4:16:06 PM [+] ::
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{ Chaos Quote }

Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought.
Chaos always defeats order because it is better organized.
- Terry Pratchet (attributed by Tom Nagel) -

[::..Megatimes..::] 3:42:19 PM [+] ::
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{ Santa applies for unemployment }

As I was walking out of the Athens mall yesterday I noticed that there were more little kids standing in line to jump on these trampolines while being suspended by elastic ropes so they can do backflips or whatever than there were in line to see Santa Clause. God, America's great. Our youth know that they're going to get pretty much whatever they want for Christmas regardless if they sit on some wino's lap or not for 2 minutes while he ho ho hos about what a joke the job's background check is.

[::..Megatimes..::] 10:07:03 PM [+] ::
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