Jay Gaulard Blog

Second Life - JR Ulderport at Your Service

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

I have been introduced to Second Life. I would like to say thank you very much. I can feel an addiction coming on.

A few day ago, my Uncle Bob suggested that I give Second Life a try. We could hang out and have a few drinks. It took me a few days to give it a whirl because I was in the middle of so many things. By the way, whenever I don’t write a blog post, it means I am busy. I usually have no trouble coming up with stimulating content. Anyway, I did manage to get online the other night to sign up for a free account. Basically, you go to the website and fill in the usual information. After that, you are brought to a page that asks for you to make up a name. They supply a list of last names, but you have to come up with the first. At first, I tried to use “Jay,” but that was taken already…with every last name they offered. Then, I tried a few more and they were all taken too. I decided to go with my initials. Every last name wasn’t taken and I was offered a list of available last names to go with the first. I decided to go with that last name, “Ulderport.” So, my Second Life name is JR Ulderport, just in case you want to stop by and visit.

After that, they sent out a verification email. Once I received the email and clicked the verification link, I was brought to a web page that had a download link. I had to download the Second Life program for my PC. Then, I had to install it and log in.

I really have to say that I am quite impressed. I didn’t know what all the buzz was about, but after logging in, I soon learned exactly why people were raving. It’s sort of like a video game that connects to the internet. From what I gather, once you are a member, you can buy land and assets…anything you want. You are able to chat with other people that are currently logged into Second Life and you can even voice chat. You are able to do so many things…it’s virtually a “Second Life.” I guess that is why they call it a virtual world.

One thing that you have to remember is that it isn’t a game. People use real money to buy things (converted into Linden Dollars). You can build assets and join groups. There are several high profile companies that have properties in Second Life.

I enjoyed my first visit into the virtual realm very much and plan to return soon. There is a lot to learn.

Simon Loves It, I Swear

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

He really does. Whenever we dress him up, he starts purring a very strange purr. He stands there and gets a little freaky.

If you have ever dressed a cat up, you would’ve noticed that when they have clothes on, they don’t move. When you put them on the floor, they just stand there. It’s pretty funny.

Ok, I think this will be my last “Simon Dress Up” post for a while. I can’t imagine finding anything better than a little Green Bay Packers sweater. He just loved it and I mean that.

Total Lunar Eclipse Photos

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Since there was a total lunar eclipse tonight, along with a very clear sky, Laura and I decided to venture out to the front sidewalk to have a look. We went out there and then bolted back inside to grab our cameras.

We were just in time…I think it was 9:52PM. the moon looked like it was almost fully in the Earth’s shadow. The orange color was really neat. We took sixteen photos between the two of us. When we got back inside to look at what we took, we were quite proud of ourselves. Then, I opened them on the computer and we were less proud. Since not one of them stood out to be the best, I decided to put them all together in one photo. We did manage to get some pretty neat effects though.

Here, have a look…

PS - Please feel free to Digg this.

Coopers Stout Beer Kit Has Arrived

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

The UPS guy came today and dropped off my Coopers Stout beer kit this afternoon. Now, if you remember, I was forced to get the regular Stout, instead of the Irish Stout because the company was out of the Irish Stout. The guy said something about St. Patty’s Day coming up or something like that. I guess that means people are out there brewing Irish Stout without me. I feel kind of lonely.

Anyway, I figured the next best thing would be the regular Stout. Now, just for your information, I will compare regular Stout with Irish Stout. Regular Stout is like drinking from a garden hose and Irish Stout is like swimming naked in a hot spring in Iceland. Needless to say, Irish Stout is much better. In order for the regular stout to be good, I am going to have to mix it up with some other stuff. Since this is only my second batch of home brew, I will make this one the regular way. After this and then the Irish Stout, I am going to get a little crazy.

Here is what I got today. The yeast is under the cap on the can.

Also, I am going to need those bottle…FAST.

Nothing Worse Than Another Cat Post

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Have you ever noticed the complete disinterest that people have when being forced to listing to pet stories? They go something like this…”Yeah, my cat is really something else.” “No, mine is crazy and wild. I really think that my cat does the nuttiest stuff.” “Dude, trust me, just the other day…” Get the picture? People argue and argue about who has the funniest animals with real “personalities.” The truth of the matter is that no one really cares about other people’s pets. If they listen, they listen out of politeness. I am fully aware of this.

With that said, here is another picture of Simon. I thought this picture of him wearing my hat was pretty funny. Right?

If you take a close look, you can see my chest hair overflowing past my shirt.

Google Android, Do Not Call, Useful Websites and Machine Intelligence

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Latest Google Android SDK: Solid Improvement!

Google has announced another prerelease version of the Android SDK. We took a close look at how it performs and found that Google is listening to feedback—the new SDK is a solid improvement over its predecessor.

Do Not Call Registry saved from mandatory reset

When the Do Not Call Registry launched in 2003, it had but one major flaw. Thanks to some rare Washington harmony, our DNCR registrations are safe for life (or until you move).

9 Useful Websites You Should Know About, But Probably Don’t

The following is Nine Websites You Should Know About, But Probably Don’t. There were still some extremely useful websites that were left out, so I’m writing a continuation article to cover these sites.

Ray Kurzweil: Machines Will Match Human Intelligence By 2029

“I’ve made the case that we will have both the hardware and the software to achieve human level artificial intelligence with the broad suppleness of human intelligence including our emotional intelligence by 2029,” he said.

An Internet Marketers Guide To Leveraging Your Way To Massive Online Success

The term leverage is used often in internet marketing circles, and simply means the power to act effectively, using existing knowledge, money or something else in a manner that results in a chain reaction of greater success.

My Beer is Clear - Australian Lager

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

I picked up a bottle of my home brew this morning to notice that it was clear. I mean, it may have some color to it…I wouldn’t know, the bottle is brown. What I am saying is that the cloudiness has disappeared. Actually, I think it all settled to the bottom.

The bottles seem to be fully carbonated at this point because they all feel hard. I can squeeze them just with my fingertips. This Tuesday will be one full week since I bottled them. Next Tuesday will be the full two weeks I need to let them ferment before I am allowed to crack one open to try. I really can’t wait.

So far, I only have about ten glass bottles saved up. I need about thirty more before I can make my next batch of beer…the Stout. I have the capper and the caps, so all I need is the actual beer ingredients and the bottles.

Super Agata Bench Capper and Beer Bottle Caps

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

I told you I ordered a bunch of stuff this week.

A few days ago, my new Super Agata Bench Capper arrived. Along with it was my 288 beer bottle caps. Well, I guess you can use them for any kind of capping, but I am going to use them for beer. I considered getting the hand capper, but for some reason, I got this one. I am not sure why. I think the hand cappers are good too.

Here is a photo of the Super Agata Bench Capper…

It looks like a car jack, doesn’t it? I tried it already on one of my seven saved bottles. It did a nice job. We’ll see how it does on a bottle full of my home brew.

Here are the caps…

Nothing special there. They also sold caps that absorb the oxygen. I decided against them for some reason or another. All I was looking for was regular bottle caps that would hold my freshly brewed stout in the bottle.

As I just mentioned, I only have seven glass bottles so far. When I finish the beer in the fridge, I think I will have twelve. Good thing Laura’s friend at work just bought her a six-pack of Guinness in bottles. Now, I will have eighteen. That’s not nearly enough, but it is a good start, considering I just started collecting the bottles last week.

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 Webcam

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

This morning, the nice UPS man dropped off a little package for me at the door. This has been a busy week for him, because I ordered four things. It’s not my fault, I just keep coming up with these great ideas.

In case you were curious, he dropped off the webcam I told you about in my last post. I was fairly excited to hook it up, but since the whole webcam thing happened yesterday, I already knew what to expect. The webcam I ordered was the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. Here are the features as per the Logitech website:

* Carl Zeiss® optics: Get more detail and clarity from Carl Zeiss® optics. Logitech’s glass lens designed in collaboration with Carl Zeiss®, the global leader in camera optics.
* Premium autofocus: Your images stay razor-sharp, even in close-ups.
* HD video: Video calling and sharing has never looked so real at 960 by 720 pixels.
* Higher megapixel performance: A true two-megapixel sensor. Up to eight-megapixel* photos (enhanced).
* RightLight™2 Technology: Adjusts intelligently to produce the best possible images in dimly lighted or poorly backlighted settings.
* Integrated microphone with RightSound™ Technology: Enjoy crystal clear conversations, free from echo** and annoying background noise.
* Ultra-wide field of view and intelligent face tracking: Keeps you right in the middle of the action.

I installed the software and hooked it up. I went through all the setting and then plugged in the USB cord (of which ports I have run out of). Then, I saw myself…about 20X more clear than yesterday. Wow. The lighting is really good as compared to the lighting yesterday. The clouds may have caused that. This one is two megapixels and has a nice microphone. It was built just for the purpose I am going to use it for…talking to James.

Now, I am just waiting for Stephanie to call me so I can try it out live.

We’re On Skype

Friday, February 15th, 2008

This is pretty neat. The other day, I was fooling around with my laptop. I noticed that it had a built in webcam, but had no idea how to use it. There didn’t seem to be any program associated with it.

I emailed my sister, Stephanie, and asked her to look into this because she has a very similar laptop. We got them at about the same time (I am actually writing a post from it for the first time). A few days later, she told me she figured out how to use the webcam. She said any program that needed it would automatically use it. Cool, I thought.

Around the same time I was fooling around with the webcam, I downloaded and installed Skype. I told Stephanie about it and she downloaded it as well. Basically, (if you aren’t familiar with what Skype is), Skype is a program that allows you to talk to a computer from your own computer. It also allows for video communication. I wasn’t having much luck trying to call Stephanie through Skype because she wasn’t logged in.

Today, I was just sitting there doing some work on my computer, when I heard this weird noise coming from my computer. It was sort of like a phone ringing. Then, I saw this box in the middle of my screen…it told me that Stephanie was trying to call. I clicked the green button to allow her to connect. I faintly heard Stephanie trying to talk, when I saw this little box pop up. It was a video of her and my nephew, James, sitting at the table looking at her laptop. They were waving and saying something I couldn’t hear. I starting laughing with such joy. I know that sounds lame, but it was really exciting. I started yelling at my computer, “Hey, can you hear me…CAN YOU HEAR ME???” She couldn’t hear anything, or see anything for that matter, so she ended the call. I didn’t have a webcam or a microphone on that computer. I instantly picked up the phone and called her. She answered and I started yelling, “I saw you. I saw you and James!!!” She was pretty damn excited. I got on my laptop and asked her to call back.

To make a long story short, we “video talked” about four times today. I got to see Steve, Steph, Storm, James, Matthew, my mother and my father. That was a thrill. I carried my laptop around the house and showed them all my stuff. All for free. Skype doesn’t charge for computer to computer calls. I think this is very cool.

Anticipating this, I already ordered a nice video webcam from Circuit City a few days ago. I am going to hook that one up to my desktop. I have to get a headset for that computer as well. I think this is going to come in handy when I have to talk to people from now on.