July 11, 2007

Digital Picture Frames

rmiles7721July 11, 20072Technology

One thing that I think is really cool that I have not had the opportunity to purchase is a digital picture frame like the ones over at Digital Framez. I toyed with the idea awhile back of making one myself using a linux based PC and a touch screen but it is pretty cost prohibitive just for a few photos. I did use my 3Com Audrey for the same thing for awhile, but it certainly doesn’t even look like a picture in a frame. Some of the digital photo frames over there are just really sharp.

Check this one out for instance,

469140-6.jpg

it’s a ten inch frame with remote and includes a 256 meg SD card to put your photos on. It includes a 5 in 1 card reader in case you have a different photo card you want to use, a USB post, infrared remote, stereo audio output for earphones or speakers, a built-in speaker and will play back jpegs as well as mpeg movies. There are a few different styles to choose from. This thing is pretty cool for just under $200. I might be able to put something together for $200 but it certainly wouldn’t have as many features or look nearly as nice. The next time you are looking for digital frames then one place you might want to shop is Digital Framez.

New Take on Spam

rmiles7721July 11, 20074Uncategorized

Just got this one via email. Same old schtick with a new twist:


Dear Friend,

I am John England, an Army contractor attached to the US Army corps of engineers in Iraq. The reason why I’m explaining my findings to you are to seek for your assistance to enable you contributes immensely to the actualization of my dream.

On the 30th day of June 2007, I and my group of men under my supervision were alerted on the need of some urgent reconstruction works in Haifa Street, a long thoroughfare of high-rise buildings built and occupied by Saddam Hussein when he was alive here in Baghdad. Immediately we proceeded to the site and as we commence work to our utmost surprise we discovered a huge underground bunker in one of the buildings.

Upon investigation of the bunker to our surprise we discovered one very lager box safely hidden and sealed together with numerous other boxes filled with different item, However I was attracted to the large box which was the only sealed box of them all, I told my men to open the box in order to find out the contents and when they were opened to our amazement the boxes contained US Dollars which amounted to $46M after time was taken to count them in bundles and rolls.

I however instructed them to keep this in high secrecy so that we can have the money to our selves, they all agreed to the plan, I wisely took the decision for us to share the money between our selves right there in the room to avoid suspicion in moving the very large box and that led me to having US$10.2 Million (US$10,200,000) as my own share of the money after which I concealed it in one box and decided to get the money out of the country but first I hid the money in a safe and untraceable location.

I am now in desperate need of a “Reliable and Trustworthy” person like you who would receive, secure and protect these boxes containing the US Dollars for me up on till my assignment elapses here. I cannot leave the boxes here in Iraq like most of my men have foolishly done due to many reasons one of which is because Iraq is getting unsafe and dangerous everyday and a full blown civil war among Shiites and Sunni Iraqis may start any moment. I assure and promise to give you 14% of this fund,

however feel free to negotiate what you wish to have as your percentage in this deal.

Please assure me of your keeping this topmost secret within you so that my job would not be jeopardized. Kindly get back to me through my personal e-mail: johnnniengland@yahoo.co.uk

My Sincere regards,

John England

Asshats

Around 200 Emails Later…

rmiles7721July 11, 2007Travel

Damn. Although I have kept up somewhat, answered a few comments and emails for the most part I have spent the week ignoring them and enjoying myself. I’ve just gone through the list of emails, spam track-backs, comments, etc…What a job. Now I can get some stuff taken care of.

Have to go out shortly and return the rental car as well. The wife ran to Carrollton for awhile and is supposed to call me later and let me know when to meet.

Hopefully my car will be out of the shop today or tomorrow as well. It did end up being the starter, but I also asked him to go ahead and give me an oil change and tune-up as well. Now I just need to get the air fixed. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I can get that done. Riding in a car with no air sucks.

Vacation Time…

rmiles7721July 11, 2007Parenting/Family

One of the things that I have really learned to appreciate over the last few years at my job is the limited time that I get with my family. During the normal course of the year my days off rotate so that one week I have two and the next week I get one day off. Since they normally fall during the middle of the week that still doesn’t give me much time to spend with the rest of them except during summer break. It makes me really appreciate the time that I do get to spend with my wife and kids on vacations and those rare weekends off that much more.

One of the things that we really used to enjoy doing was to get together with another teacher friend of my wife’s and her husband and children. We would go over to their house and cook out and then shoot pool for a couple of hours. We had a pool table in the house when I was a child and I always loved getting together as a family and relaxing together over the pool table.

We haven’t completely finished our basement yet, but depending on if I get promoted again this year and move or not, I am considering getting a pool table. My sponsor of this post, Boston Tables, has a really nice selection of pool tables shown at their web site like the one pictured below.

What is really funny is that as soon as I started browsing through the page the wife got up and came over and wanted to know how much they were. She enjoys shooting a game of billiards as much as I do. As a matter of fact in college we were both considered non-traditional students but even being older than other students doesn’t exempt you from the physical education requirements, so she took stuff like Pool and Billiards and I took a Camping class. At least it was stuff we enjoyed. Could have been underwater basket weaving 101.

Anyhow, the prices over at Boston Tables are pretty competitive and they also carry other stuff too, like Poker Tables, Bar Stools, and one of my favorites, Home Theater seating. I really need to take a look at their stuff and do a write-up on it for my tech blog. Anyone that’s hung out her longer than a year or two knows I am very much into HTPC setups and home-brew Tivos, so setting up a home theater in the back room of my basement would be really cool.

Now that I have wandered completely off the subject of Pool Tables it’s about time to stop while I am ahead. There is one over there that I have my eye one though, an 8′ Nantucket Walnut Pool Table for just under $1600. It’s pretty sharp and would fit nicely in my basement.

Starting Out On a Good Foot?

rmiles7721July 11, 2007Site News

These people should take a lesson or two from Shadowscope & his lovely bride. They have been happily married for quite some time now and are just the sweetest couple. This bride is already on depressants on the wedding day and attacking her husband with a shoe?

“While the guests were enjoying the wedding reception downstairs, the newlyweds engaged in a fight-like situation in their hotel room that later ended in bride striking her new groom with heel of her stiletto shoe. Police arrested 33-year-old Teresa Brown in the couple’s hotel room for attacking his 40-year-old groom Mark Allerton. According to her attorney, Brown had been on antidepressants and drinking at the time of the incident. “

Come on girl, give him at least a one month grace period. Then you can start to beat his ass.