Attack of the Co-Worker, Part II

So now the co-worker calls me again.

She needs me to put a modem in her computer, so she can use it with her local ISP.

Toward this end, I have to drive across town tomorrow to her apartment. She gave me...15 minutes of directions, which I could have given in just two.

All this for what should be a five-minute operation--taking the case off the computer and plugging a modem in.

The really amusing thing is that she wondered if it was something that could just be done anywhere--if she could put it in her car and meet me in the parking lot of a restaurant or something. Which brings to mind images of a furtive back-alley deal, with money changing hands and one person watching for the cops while the other hastily went to work with a screwdriver and toolkit, racing against time and dealing with hands shaking from the questionable substances in his bloodstream...heh.

Annoying to have to take the time. But at least I'm going to be paid for it.

(P.S. I know what you're going to say, zamiel, so just don't, okay? :)

They call DVDs "software" for a reason . . .

A bit of oddness from the Digital Bits today:

Here's a wacky first for DVD - it seems that you might want to think twice before you pop Warner's new Powerpuff Girls: Meet the Beat-Alls DVD into your PC DVD-ROM drive. The discs are all infected with the W32.FunLove.4099 virus. No kidding - I've scanned it myself with Norton AntiVirus and it's definitely there. Warner is aware of the problem and is repressing the discs. There will likely be a recall, and some way for people to exchange their infected copies, although the studio is still working out exactly how this will happen. In the meantime, DO NOT insert the disc in your DVD-ROM drive. If you have already, you should immediately scan your computer for viruses. And if you've got a copy of the disc, we recommend that you return it as defective to the retailer where you purchased it right away.

Well, that's certainly interesting. Someone must really not have been on the ball at the pressing plant.

Halloween note, LJ thoughts...

Argh! I had a big long entry typed, then I logged out to reupdate my settings, and...I lost it! Darn, I should have copied it to the clipboard first.

No trick or treaters tonight. Same as usual. This isn't really a good neighborhood anyway...I haven't had any problems, but I've heard some horror stories about it from a friend who used to live nearby. Maybe next year I should leave a trail of breadcrumbs, or something...but with any luck, next year I'll be in a different, better neighborhood.

I went ahead and shelled out $5 to upgrade my Livejournal account to paid for two months, just because it's all working out so well, and I wanted a couple more account creation codes just in case I wanted to get someone else started, or create an Interest Group. I'd already used my one "freebie" code for my father, marktime, and set up his account for him in the hope that he would soon start writing here. He's a marvelous writer, is my father; he's spun some of the most amusing tales, such as the Great Ammonia Trailer Short-Cut Caper, the World's Greatest Mug Thief, and "Eggs Aren't for Chickens," the story of a prank he and seven other people pulled on their square dance caller, involving eight egg costumes, exactly alike. I'm going to pester him to start posting...stay tuned to that link.

Also, since I've paid to subscribe, they've given me a new, shorter URL, http://robotech_master.livejournal.com, as well as an LJ-specific email address. And I get to log in through the faster servers, too--whee!

If anyone out there is reading this who hasn't considered starting a journal, my advice is...do it! It's great fun, and LJ makes it easy! If you can find someone with a freebie code--or, if not, shell out $5--that's less than you'll pay for dinner most places, these days, and even if you don't re-up at the end, you'll still have the freebie version afterward without having to pester someone for a code. I think daily writing in this thing is going to help me stay primed for other sorts of writing. Stay tuned!

Cuteness Overdose

The picture's one of my favorites, from an art gallery I maintain for a netfriend, and clicking on it will take you to the gallery itself. I was a little gratified lately to notice that when I asked Jeeves where I could find unicorn drawings, that page popped up as one of the first few links.