Gravatars
Gravatars are back on this site. I figured since they were acquired by AutoMattic I would give them another shot.
Carpentology
Because having children means I get to act line one.
How not to Change a Starter
The starter in my truck has been going for a while. I mean a year. So it really should not have been a shock to me that it finally reached a point where it was no longer reliable. (By that I mean I could still clutch start it, but there is not always a downhill grade nearby.)
Fast forward two months. (Yes, I let it sit that long. Good thing I work from home a lot.)
I was intent upon fixing it myself. Changing a starter is not really that technical, and it would save me a couple hundred dollars. That is until I got started. I decided I was not adept enough to handle this on my own and enlisted the help of a friend. About a half hour into the project we decided that we were really not sure that we could get the new starter on.
I ended up taking it to the dealer as they gave me the best estimate (shocking, I know.) I pulled into the garage at the dealership and they asked to turn off the truck. I asked the guy if he was sure about that and he said, “Oh, you’re the guy with the starter.”
I LOL’d.
I really hate paying someone else to do these types of things. I hate it even more when I have to pay them for reasons other than the fact that I am too busy.
Upgrades all around
I have a basement full of computers. Not nearly as full as it once was, but full none the less. For the first time in a year, I am off for a whole week. Since my wife watches kids during the week, construction projects are out. You can guess where this is going.
Almost two years ago my wife’s computer went down with a bad hard drive. I set her up with one of the “spares” and she has been using that ever since. Her box was the first to go under the knife. I installed two Hitachi 160G SATA drives. It took me a couple of attempts to get everything right, but when I did it worked out great. I did a full install of XP Pro in 8 minutes on an AMD 2400 (2.0 Ghz) with 512M RAM. I bumped up the RAM to 2G and everything is hunky dory.
Next up is the ridiculously expensive laptop I bought that fried itself in under two years. Wish me luck on that one.
Happy Birthday Marines
On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines (United States Marine Corps) was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date, many thousand men have borne the name Marine. In memory of them, it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the Birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.
The record of our Corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of it’s existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the nations foes. From the battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home. Generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in was in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our Corps Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term Marine has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the Corps. With it we also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps.
