http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php en-us http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P168 My wife wondered what I would look like with a beard. So I grew one. Then everyone who saw me called me the evil John A. Vink. Apparently there was some Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk grew a beard and then became evil. I'm not really a science fiction fan, so I'm not sure I ever saw that episode. Turns out my wife didn't like it, so it's gone now. http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P167 In case you missed it, I was on TV. To clear up a few things: I am not a bachelor, even though I am labelled Geeky Bachelor #5. I'm just hanging out with my bachelor friends. Also, I do not live in an apartment with my mom. I own my own house and live with my wife. http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P166 I got a very surprising phone call today. The producers of Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List telephoned me to tell me that I will be appearing on the show that airs next Thursday, August 7. I was surprised for several reasons. First I was surprised that they would call everyone who was to appear on the show to tell them that they were going to appear on TV. Next, I was surprised that I was appearing on the TV show. Sure, I was around when the crew was filming an episode, and... http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P165 I joined Apple way back in June 1996. Apple wasn't doing very well, and was posting regular losses. We had a new CEO Gil Amelio who was trying to turn things around. To make people believe he was doing a good job, he cooked the books and made a fake quarterly profit of $25 million. He made a bunch of cheap hats and bumper stickers and handed them out at a company-wide meeting on July 22, 1996. They said, "I was there when the comeback began! July 22, 1996" In... http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P164 When I got my HD TV, I had to upgrade my DirecTV service to HD. This means I had to get rid of my DirecTivo, and get the DirecTV HR-20. I was a bit weary since Tivo has the reputation for having the best user interface, and all other DVRs are amazingly bad. My experience with the HR-20 started out OK. Almost every feature in the HR-20 is not as good as the Tivo equivalent, but nothing was horrible enough to get my knickers in a bunch. Then, the other day, I tried setting up a... http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P163 As I was placing the latest state quarter in my state quarter cabinet, I noticed that 2008 is the last year for state quarters. I reminisced about when the state quarters first came out. I collected the quarters and didn't spend any of them. I bought one of those electronic component drawer cabinets with over 50 drawers, and labelled each drawer with the state and year that the state quarter would be released. The bottom of the cabinet started at 1999, and they went all the way... http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P162 Last Thursday was Free Tacos at Jack in the Box if you brought in a receipt for gasoline. I thought it was a great deal, and I like tacos, so I made an effort to go to my local Jack in the Box. I have never had tacos at Jack in the Box. I was expecting the kind of taco that I get at a place like Del Taco. But no, the tacos were crappy. Very bad. It's weird - they do something like deep fry the entire taco. Very greasy. http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P161 I saw George Michael perform in San Jose last week, and the show was great. I especially enjoyed the part where George said, "Thanks for sticking by me for the last 25 years. I know it's not easy being a George Michael fan." http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P160 I've had my eye on getting a new HD TV for a while, and I finally got one last week. It's a huge 52" LCD. I got a deal on it through an employee discount at work, although to be honest, I'm not sure if I really got a good deal or not. When I got it, I had to pull it out of the box sideways and attach the stand to it. When I finished and lifted it up, I stood back to admire the greatness of it. My wife was observing me, and inquired if I could feel my manhood enlarging. I... http://javworld.com/JAVBlog/weblog.php?id=P159 Today is March 14, which is known to geeks everywhere as Pie Day. That's because the first few digits of pi is 3.14. So I went to Baker's Square yesterday to buy some pies. I asked the cashier lady if she knew it was Pie Day tomorrow. I fully expected her to not have heard of it, and when I told her about it, she would think I was some kind of geek/nerd/loser. But the cashier had already heard about Pie Day since some other guy was in that day getting pies for his math class....