I created a new Windows 2003 VM server this afternoon to use as a development box. Loading up Visual Studio 2008 I couldn’t help but notice that the install splash screen cycled the same three faces over the entire length of the install:
Each photograph cycled in every 90 seconds, so that meant that over the course of an hour I saw each face forty times. And the longer I stared at these photos, the eerier they became. Come on, Microsoft. Can’t you mix things up a bit more? I’m sure you can afford to include more than three stock photographs in your insanely expensive software. After an hour I was getting a bit creeped out by Mr. Beady Eyes, Mrs. Neck Tendons, and Mr. “Mommy Made Me Wear This Sweater”.
I felt like gouging out my own eyes with the dull corner of my Post It Notes cube after an hour of watching these pictures scroll past over and over again. Can you please do something about this? I know that in the greater scheme of things this doesn’t really mean much, but if you’d mix in a few more graphics you’d set my mind a bit more at ease. At least replace Hipster Sweater Man and “OMG, I forgot that my badge was on. LOLcopters!” with something a bit less parodiable and disturbing.
It appears that the unfortunate plane crash in Palo Alto yesterday afternoon managed to not only cut the power to several sections of the city, but also affected the offices of Facebook and VMware (among others).
This is a huge deal to virtual companies which rely on such services. I find it interesting because the company I work for uses VMware (on our own intranet only). It’s a great product, but I’d hate to be in the shoes of the companies that are reliant on the Palo Alto location for their online presence. By some accounts up to 240 startups are affected by this plane crash.
PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said the plane crash affected three transmission lines that serve Palo Alto. Power is expected to be restored between 4:30 and 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, downtown Palo Alto is pretty much closed down.
As Palo Alto transformed into a modern day ghost town, some startups set up camp in local coffee houses that offered free wi-fi and (more importantly) electrical outlets. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. Heaven forbid I couldn’t order my swanky new hipster t-shirt just because three people died in a tragic plane crash.
…sorry about that last sentence. For some reason I’m feeling a bit smarmy today.
Q: What happens what a rat gnaws through the wires leading to a live circuit breaker?
A: You get one very dead rat, and one very dark data center.
Categories: Books, Computer, holiday, Movies, Music, Politics, Random Tags: Books, Computer, Movies, Politics, Random
I was researching an apparent coolant leak on my car this afternoon when this autofill return from Google caught my eye:
Am I to believe that enough people googled “why does my boyfriend want me to pee on him” that it’s become a default autofill? What’s with this apparent rash of strange urinary practices, and why does this not fill me with confidence and hope for the future?
I am most certainly not one to judge others, nor am I a prude, but come on people…why would anybody want to relieve themselves on somebody else? IMHO, the very desire to want to do such a blatantly foul act on another human being smacks of a serious mental disorder. Ladies, if your man expresses a need to pee on you (or vica versa), take my (obvious and sane) advice and leave him. Wishing to do something so patently foul to another human being is a sure sign of a mental disorder, and it requires immediate professional psychiatric help.
