"That's my Apple"
So here I am writing yet another entry. I have a "study session" today it seems. A "study session" at the local Apple computer facility. Why do I even want to work for Apple? I don't have a Mac, want a Mac or have any plans to be a big "Mac guy" in the future. So I thought I would try expressing myself by writing out my thoughts and anxieties before I go.
Also I have noticed via my counter I may have one or two regular visitors. My counter is called NedStat and takes the form of a blue icon with a red line (like a line graph) going through it. This counter gives me "anonymous usage statistics". Things like OS, OS version, browser type, browser version, screen bit depth, screen resolution and what plug-ins are installed. And also the ISP or DNS signature of the last ten visitors. What caught my eye is the same Genuity/ BBN Technologies, United States reported every few days over the past couple weeks. So it's possible more than one person on the same DNS visited my site, or it could be the same person returning to see if I've updated. I really have no way to tell who this person is, how long he stayed, how he found my site and what if anything he likes about this blog. But if I do have even one fan I think that's really quite a good thing.
But where was I? Ah yes Apple. I have heard such great things about the working environment there. And how superior their technical support really is. I mean even if I didn't continue I would get 4 weeks worth of paid training at the world-class customer service company. Normally I'd be willing to pay for that. I'm still trying to figure out this "study session" thing. I mean what does this mean? Am I close to being hired? Do they just want to get the feel for some of the prospects? Is this some sort of psychological test? Am I reading too much into it? I guess I'll find out.
Of course there's also a possibility I could start working at a small local ISP. Not "the one" from before of course, a different one. This one looks like a half sanitary environment with running water and everything! Only it would be only part time. And most likely not pay as much as Apple. But at this ISP I would be one of the first people hired as tech support and so presumably be the first one to move up to full time and possibly even move over to installing networks on-site and stuff like that. Also I would be working with PCs, what I know and love the most.
There are downsides to this ISP however. For instance suppose it's purchased by a larger ISP or some other company. Suppose it goes under. Suppose they change their mind and go back to an out-sourced solution for the tech support. Then I'd be screwed.
And what about Apple? I mean big company, world-class training for world-class quality tech support I could use forever, not likely to go anywhere any time soon. I mean if their hiring lots of people they're likely not going to be cutting back soon. Although I would be the first to go if they did. And I wouldn't likely ever be working with PCs either. But it's a job! Who cares if I don't work with PCs? Macs are computers too; at least I'd be working with computers. Beats working at Blockbuster!
Here I am sounding like I could get either job, or I already have either job. Hah! I could end up with neither by this time next week. And be working at Blockbuster. But I think I should operate on the assumption I could have a choice between the two.
Somewhat paradoxically either company is the about the same amount of time drive-wise in opposite directions from my house. The ISP is towards my old house in the small town I grew up in, Apple the same distance in the opposite direction. It's like symbolism in some weird movie. Have I completed my transition from a rural-minded country person to an a-typical big-city type if I take the Apple job? Am I holding on to my origins too tightly if I take the ISP one? Does any of this make any sense what so ever to anyone?! Bah!
By the way, "Genuity/ BBN Technologies, United States" if you're out there, feel free to drop me a note. The addy is at the left albeit not in the convenient clickable link form everybody's accustomed to. I'd love to hear from you, no matter what you have to say. ANYTHING. Seriously.
I guess I have written out enough. So I'll move to anything else I've been doing. Namely I took out and re-tried a game I've had for quite a while now called Uplink: Hacker Elite. No relation to Half-life: Uplink. I've made a whole bunch of attempts at this game but keep getting caught. There's supposed to be a plot somewhere mixed in but I have yet to get that far. Yeah, it's not very easy. Basically it's a sci-fi game set in the year 2010. You as the main character get this simulated desktop and sign up with this mysterious Uplink Corp. to take random hacking jobs. Whether it's breaking into a computer to copy a file and email it to an employer, break in to delete a particular file, break in to delete all files, or maybe breaking into any number databases to alter a record in some fashion. For instance I've broken into the "Global Criminal Database" and added a crime to a persons records. Then i go back in and delete all the logs so my fingerprints aren't on it. There's also the "Global Social Security Database" and the Global Academic Database". Then there's the "go into this guys bank account and trace a transaction" missions. So I go into this fictional bank account, look at the records to see where he deposited a large sum of money. I then write down the IP and account number of the bank and connect to it. Break into that account, get the name and send an email. I've been doing missions like these for what seems like a really long time now, getting money and upgrading my software and hardware parts. But I keep getting caught. Some how the people with the computer I'm trying to break into have a tracer. My software includes a "trace tracker" which keeps track of the trace's progress by percentage, beeping faster and louder the closer the trace gets.
So I'm on about my 5th or 6th attempt at this game. And let me emphasize again, this is a game. I know there maybe someone who was searching for the real thing and came across this. I'm talking about a *game* here, nothing more. All IP addresses, for instance, are invalid. Containing numbers like 406 or 983 in one of the octets. See? It couldn't be real even if it wanted to be. The only "real" address used is 127.0.0.1, which...well go ahead and try to break into that (and have fun ;-).
I think I'm about as far as I have ever been into the game right now. I don't have that much money and there's a lot of software I need but can't afford, but at least I haven't been shut out yet. Oh and there's no Save As in the game. Once you're "disavowed" you're out, and it's game over. Must start again from scratch! The only solution might be to zip up either the game directory or just the folder with the name of my player and save that some place then when I get game over just go back and extract the zip file, over-writing what's there and theoretically putting me back where I was. Seems like cheating to me. And not even the cool kind of cheating.
I think this entry is pretty boring. I might be putting my self to sleep really.
Ok I guess one more thing. According to this story John Kerry once said the following:
I'm an internationalist. I'd like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations.
I suppose no one is really worried about this? Should we be? Aren't you hippie left-wing types against that sort of thing? Or are you all really secretly trying to work that direction incrementally while talking a good game otherwise?
I'm sure I'm the only one to think this but John Kerry really doesn't seem like a real candidate. I mean post convention people seemed genuinely enthused about Al Gore for his ridiculous populist ideals and even worse environmental and economic statements. But what does John Kerry stand for? Accusing the president of being AWOL? Using "Vietnam" as the end-all excuse for every gaff he has and will commit? Can he never be guilty of single thing forever based solely on being a war hero (which he is)? It just feels like a symbolic put-a-guy-up-there because they feel obligated to but don't really expect to be successful. Does he even want to win?
Well probably he wants to win. But knows he won't. If you watch cable news you'd notice the same phrases perhaps slightly altered over and over again from the Kerry people/anti-Bush people. Obviously they found some best-bet, focus-group tested phrases to use on these shows to try and sway the general public. Just seems so fake to me.
The annoying thing is the Dems could actually win, if they were smart. But they're not. Bush's base of conservatives are really *not* happy about the domestic side things right now. But the Dems continue to say "Bush is radical right wing" over and over. Is that damaging his conservative base that knows otherwise? I doubt it. Would the fence sitters be convinced by such a statement? Probably not. So why keep using it? Well it's not like "Bush is as liberal as any Democrat" would do much good. Nor would cozying up to Bush to turn off the republican base, that would only make him look more appealing to the more centrist democrats I guess. So in the I guess this will all cancel itself out. Based on no one else to vote for conservatives will hold their nose and vote Bush, the small core democrats and anti-war types will vote Democrat, everybody else based on no-one-else and foreign policy issues will pick Bush. So Bush will win. I won't be voting for him. Not unless something changes significantly in the next 9 or 10 months. I'll just leave that part of the ballot blank. What do I care anyway? They're all the same. Kerry will raise taxes significantly however. And suck up to the wussie panzies in Europe. Who will still hate us anyway. But like I said, it matters not. I have no candidate. No one represents me. Conservatives are partyless and totally without representation in government. And I have a feeling there's a lot of people who feel the same way. Too bad Democrats won't figure out a way to exploit this. Too bad for them.
The title from the last entry was from Whose line. The line was "Things that will make this audience go crazy". To that Ryan says, "in 10 minutes we bring out the liquor!" to which the audience went crazy. So Wayne says "I'm the liquor" although clear by his context that should be "licker". Slightly R-rated I guess. Still a good line though. The studio audience liked it too.
