Paul's Journal

02/21/2011 23:54 #53680

Gingerbread is Pretty Fun
Category: mobile

I couldn't wait any longer for the Nexus One to get gingerbread. For like a year I used Cyanoygen mod 6 on my nexus one but then I unrooted and reverted everything back to the standard android ROM around thanksgiving 2010 in anticipation of gingerbread coming out. Needless to say, it never came.

Tonight, I moved on to cyanogen 7 with gingerbread. I have no idea what standard gingerbread has because the cyanogen mods always have so much more. However, one thing I think is in both is the cursor when typing. This is great. It was one thing the android OS was really missing. Especially in devices like my Nook where I didn't have a trackball.

Another interesting thing is that it enabled the fabled FM radio chip in the phone making it possible to once again listen to FM radio on the go. I like this feature and missed it since giving up my nokia devices which had it. I don't understand why google didn't enable this by default if the chip was in there the whole time.

I am sure there are a bunch of other changes that I haven't discovered yet.

tinypliny - 03/03/11 03:51
Mine automagically updated to Gingerbread today. I guess they took one week to iron out those gallery glitches I was having earlier (or maybe the glitches are still there and I am going to have to roll back once more... who knows).

KeithT - 02/22/11 11:20
Ive heard sooo many awesome things about rooting phones but im terrified of turning mine into a paper weight. Would you mind showing me that this is an irrational fear and how easy it is? Maybe after yoga tomorrow?

02/21/2011 19:00 #53676

National Holidays and the end of the civil war
Category: holidays

In reference to the holiday comments on (e:heidi,53668).

My union celebrates the following holidays.

1. New Year's Day
2. Lincoln's Birthday
3. Washington's Birthday
4. Memorial Day
5. Independence Day
6. Labor Day
7. Columbus Day
8. Veterans' Day
9. Thanksgiving Day
10. Christmas Day
11. Election Day
12. Martin Luther King Day

I know, why do we still celebrate both Lincoln and Washingston's birthday in the same month when everyone else had moved onto Presidents day, if that. I really wish they would drop Christmas and replace it with a non-religious holiday. Its not like there are not float holidays, personal days and vacation time people could use to cover there religious holidays. Then the union would not look biased toward christians.

I guess this was the first time I really considered, "What is a national holiday?" One thing that seems to be a glaring oversight is the lack of an end of the civil war/ US reunification day to celebrate the end of the civil war.

According to wikipedia, the last shot was fired April 9th, 1865. Maybe this year I will use one of my float holidays and celebrate that instead. I also read the president of the confederacy was captured May 10, 1865. You think I would know seeing as I did a whole 4th grade presentation on Jefferson Davis, lol. Man that was so long ago.

Speaking of so long ago, I realized the other day that it has been more time since I was 17, than the time from birth to 17.

metalpeter - 02/22/11 19:39
Where I work there is no union... Each year we have a set number of holiday days..... Of course what days you get off changes based on when the holiday falls.... Yes there have been years when we worked New Years eve..... It works out to the same amount of days each year... This year we got MLK off but not because it was MLK we get Presidents day off but do to a shut down they moved that day to MLK......

libertad - 02/21/11 20:46
Christmas is hard to say is completely religious for me in the context of our culture. Even the anti-Christmas, Jews, can admit that it is hard to escape. I hope that doesn't sound anti-semitic cause it wasn't the way I intended it to sound. I enjoy having Christmas as a paid holiday. I was raised with it and it is nice that it is one of the few holidays that I am actually given the day off. I think that it is also nice for people who don't celebrate it to have a day of peace and quiet as well. I totally don't mind random days off. It just sort of makes sense that so many people in our culture want this day off, why not give it to them?

Days off at universities can be even more complicated. Could you imagine if Christmas was an actual day that people needed to report to class? The absenteeism would be so high it would be ridiculous. I think it is easier for everyone for it to be a planned day instead of one where everyone pretends that they are ill or have to prove or feign some type of religious attachment to the day.

As far as the other holidays, they could cut 2 and 3 in my opinion, I definitely let the union know that I didn't think we should have any more days off. From what I have been told, you should voice your complaints with the union otherwise they will not know what you want.

OMG, I almost forgot, I think Columbus day is so idiotic. That should be the first to go. You should also be aware that you could work those days if you wanted to and they would give you holiday pay I believe. At least in my union/department you can and are expected to work most of them. I opt to take a day off at my choosing.

In general, I think people need more days off. Not necessarily us, but just people in general. If state/federal/unionized workers lost their days off, it would only lower the bar for most everyone else.

tinypliny - 02/21/11 20:11
"National Holiday" encompasses a ton of concepts in India. We have a scarce set of days that mark when India became independent, became a Republic, Gandhi's birthday etc. And then we have a HUGE set of religious holidays that are actually decided by prominent religious representatives because they have no standard days and the ancient Indian calendar varies so much from the Anglican calendar. According to the Indian constitution India is first and foremost secular - which means we place as much or even more importance on respecting our diversity. In fact, it is only during the "religious" holidays that attendances suffer the most, not the government-related holidays.

heidi - 02/21/11 19:40
me, too, (e:flacidness).

According to this federal site, :::link::: :

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places. The flying of the American flag is widespread.

flacidness - 02/21/11 19:27
I'm glad they recognize MLK day :)

02/21/2011 16:36 #53672

Church of the Asenscion Plow Damage
Category: church of the ascension

Now that the snow is melting and the giant pickup truck is still plowing the freakin sidewalk - it is a disaster.

Is the convenience of not shoveling worth dealing with the amount of damage they will need to repair in the spring.

They already barely had any grass from the tracker/rider lawnmower tear up and their inability to rake leaves.

The ruts and piles are like a foot deep.

02/21/2011 13:53 #53671

Illegally dancing in Utah
Category: rave

I know this was quite a few years back but I seriously can't believe this scenario. Kids having a rave in Utah. In comes 90 army men in helicopters with dogs, tear gas and machine guns.

If this is the kind of response for an "illegal" dance party, imagine how they would react to actual protest against the government.

I wonder if the response would be any different now that everything is so recorded and insta-published to the web. Seriously, just imagine the cost of having 90 army men, helicopters, firearms, tear gas and dogs. I bet it cost tens of thousdands of dollars.

metalpeter - 02/22/11 19:08
I watched the first two videos but not the last one or 3rd.... That is crazy... There is no reason to do that.... The Reason they did do it I'm sure is because of "Club Drugs" oh yeah and it is Utah.... I won't even get into my take on this joke war on drugs and how some of the drugs that are illegal where once legal and some of them are brought here with help of the CIA........

flacidness - 02/21/11 14:45
There's bars in NYC where its illegal to dance in if they don't have a license for it. They would just get a fine they wouldn't go to that extent. Lol that's crazy!!!

KeithT - 02/21/11 14:42
I was watching a program on tv that said it costs like $800 an hour just in fuel alone to fly a black hawk helicopter. Welcome to 'merica!!

02/20/2011 23:16 #53664

Things I want
Category: wants

Notice there is no computer technology on here. I am so super satisfied with my computing and mobile phone environment right now.

~~The generation 2 living color bulb from phillips~~ . Too bad they are so freakin expensive. Lumens.com is such a fuckin scam. I have been watching the price of this product like a hawk. Stores seem to charge between $150-$190 dollars for it. They now have this presidents day sale with 50% on Philips lighting in which they jacked the price up to $417 and then took 50% bringing it to $208 - more that the price of it anywhere else.

~~Tickets to WEMF.~~ Aug 12, 13, 14th - Andy C will be there and so will Keith, Terry and I!! The full lineup is here

A vacation somewhere warm. I was kind of thinking New Orleans for Mardi Gras but I am not sure I can handle it. I think I might rather want a relaxing vacation in Florida.
A Bicycle - a functional strong one with back pedal ability

paul - 03/01/11 09:44
A seller on Amazon.

tinypliny - 03/01/11 01:45
Whoa. Where did you get that price?!

paul - 02/28/11 23:14
Ordered the gen 2 livingcolors light!! A supposedly new one just not in the box for $109.00.

heidi - 02/21/11 12:07
Isn't there someone living somewhere warm you'd like to visit? You don't have to go for two weeks, you could spend one at home noodling and nerding and one out having relaxing fun.

(Really, I'm just jealous that you have time off. I'm really looking forward to July 28.)

tinypliny - 02/21/11 01:33
+1000. Live on a beach in florida for a fortnight and never go inside. Think of all the coconut water you can have in the sun!! :-)

flacidness - 02/21/11 01:00
Haha don't waste a vacation, you definetly need one
If you just wanna relax then I wouldn't suggest new orleans fort mardi gras because its gonna be fast paced but ALOT of fun. If you just want to lay back in the sun with some peace then go to the beach in florida. :)

paul - 02/21/11 00:32
I am going nuts trying to decide between stressful but exciting vacation in new orleans for mardi gras and relax on the beach in florida dull. In reality I will probably just end up sitting at home.

flacidness - 02/21/11 00:15
I wanna go so bad Ajay tells me about them all the time. I wanna go with you guys I'm gonna nab a ticket in a couple days.

paul - 02/21/11 00:13
2008 was the last year for it. (e:terry) and I went but then they brought it back now in 2011. Tickets started at $150 :::link::: but they already bumped up to $175. They eventually go up to $250.

tinypliny - 02/21/11 00:10
That freak of a lamp has been on my wishlist for the past couple years now and the lowest I have seen the 2nd gen light was some days back when Amazon "reduced" it to 149.99. The sales are a joke. I almost bought it several times. The actually ordered it and then canceled the order the next day before it went to the shipping phase... SO TEMPTING! One of these days, I will just get it and feel awfully foolish at having spent a fortune on it.

flacidness - 02/20/11 23:49
That thing if really pretty. Whatever it does. August 14th is my birthday I wanna go to WEMF, isn't it the last year for it? Are tickets on sale yet?