RAID!

Every now and then, a computer moment arrives which sends a shock through your system, as you are reminded that these devices aren't immortal, and that ignoring data backups is like trusting the chamber to be empty when you put a gun to your head. For the first time, my RAID array rebuilt itself tonight. I have no idea what caused the rebuild, but suddenly, I'm more happy than ever that there are mirrored drives humming away in my case. If I only had a single drive, I have no idea what shape I'd be in right now. Three cheers for redundancy!

Duck Herding

The family went geocaching yesterday. The first stop on our list was a very old country church, which took some time to find. Sure, the GPS unit told us exactly where it was as the crow flies, but crows don't follow roads. Two dirt ones later, we finally found the church, at the corner of nowhere and nothing. Next to the church was a small house. The geocache itself was in an ingenious location, but it was a scruffy little dog that made our day. He patrolled both the house and church yards while we were there, running back and forth. There were also a few ducks hanging around. Each time a particular duck would wander around the far side of the house, or down toward the road, the dog would trot over, take the duck by the neck, and carry/drag it back up to the church. And each time, the duck had no complaints, sitting next to the dog for a while before slowly wandering off again, starting the process over again. And again. And again. You don't see that every day.

Recording... Now?

So far, I've recorded two podcasts with child #1. The most surprising part of this process for me is the amount of anticipation I feel each week for our recording time. She's having fun, no doubt, but I'm obsessive. I've spent hours composing and recording musical intros, bumpers, and outros, as well as voice clips from various Z-grade science fiction films. At this point, I have enough material to prop up a hundred shows, and we've yet to record our third! I'm sure it will all wear off eventually, but for the moment, it's a fun ride.

Testing the Waters...

I'm testing out Ping, a service that allows me to update both my blogs (and more) at the same time, making it much easier to share information that won't be read! Seriously, how many people are reading this?

I Want To Believe Again

Our family has been making its way through the various seasons of The X-Files on DVD, and it's fun to watch my old obsession become my daughters' new one. I've seen most the episodes several times, but suddenly, it seems new again. Yet, for some reason, none of us are excited to see the new movie at the theaters. We can wait. I'd like to believe again, but am more than happy to do so on DVD.

Maybe It's the Tea

I've been listening to a movie review podcast featuring five chatting Brits, and once again, I'm struck by the thought that everything is better with an English (or Welsh, or Scottish...) accent. Jokes are better, and everyone sounds like they're brilliant. I'd line up to be harangued by a Brit, because even their tirades sound awesome. Check out Movies You Should See.

And My Feet Aren't Tired

Google Earth is nothing new at this point, but I’m certainly having fun with it lately. For those who haven’t experienced this application, it functions as a worldwide map, composed of satellite images. The interface is a globe, which you are able to spin and zoom, from space to your backyard. Typing addresses or landmarks into the search field will send your view flying around the globe to the proper location, then zooming in to the coordinates. You can even stick a virtual pin on the location, give it a name, and add it to a personal favorites list. Then, once you have several such places set up, send yourself or others on a virtual tour of them (which in my case is ancient temples and architecture).

There’s much more, including raised terrain that conforms to topographical data, and 3D models of famous buildings in the cities, making it possible to take a virtual walk through the streets to get a sense of the layout. Amazing stuff, and right up my alley!

Pod Fishing

I’m fishing for new podcasts to enjoy. My weekly dose of Extra Life Radio and Jawbone Radio just aren’t enough. Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas don’t update nearly enough, and the guys at GameZone Radio slam each other like children, to the point of distraction. So, it’s on to GFW Podcast, and Filmspotting. GFW is a PC gaming discussion by the writers of Games For Windows (thus the catchy title), and Filmspotting is a two-man movie review and discussion podcast. I’ll give them a listen for a while, and see if I’m hooked.