I found a great new way to make working at the computer a little better. I now listen to Sirius through the computer. Since we have a subscription for Sirius in one of the cars, we get online listening included.

I like listening to the 80s channel -”Classic Rewind, ‘70S & ‘80S Classic Rock.” I also like drinking beer when I work. It makes things just a bit better. I have to admit, there is something to be said for listening to 80s music. It never disappoints. What’s even nicer, is when I talk to someone of my generation about 80s music, we both appreciate what we are talking about. The beer doesn’t help me write blog posts though.

80s music seems to be a little deeper than the music of today. It isn’t necessarily deeper in a thoughtful way, it just seems that the artists of yester-year weren’t in it for the money as much as artists are today. It seems like they were more into their music because it was a way of life for them. Just my opinion, of course.

Seriously, find me one song that comes close to “Mr. Roboto” by the band, “Styx.” If you are wondering what I am talking about, just say the following very quielty to yourself…”Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.”

I remember sitting on the school bus in 3rd grade listening to “Eye of the Tiger” by “Survivor.” Now, that’s a classic. Mr. Roboto and Eye of the Tiger are two of my more memorable songs of the 80s, followed closely by “You Might Think” by “The Cars.” I remember watching The Cars on Friday Night Videos with my brother. One time, we tried to stay up all night. It didn’t work. We thought that Friday Night Videos would help pass the time, but I was asleep less than a half-hour after the end of the show.

Ok, that’s it. Good bye.

Related posts

• Coopers Stout Beer Kit Has Arrived (3)
• DNA, Black Holes, GNU, Mozilla and Google Chrome (0)
• Iron Maiden Troubles (2)
• The Pirates of Penzance at SUNY New Paltz (0)
• Windows Vista 64-Bit Operating System - Freezing Up (1)

Yesterday, on our way to Costco up in Enfield, we stopped at Circuit City to pick up a Sony SA-W2500 Performance Line Subwoofer for downstairs. We already have four speakers hooked up and thought some nice bass would add to our experience.

Now, I am not an electronics guy. I really don’t know what 99.9% of the features mean on my Pioneer Receiver. I kind of plug it in and go.

When I was hooking up the subwoofer, I thought I had it. I heard bass and was happy. It wasn’t until later that I realized the rear surround speakers weren’t on. I fiddled with the receiver settings and realized that I had it set on the “7.1″ channel setting. I changed it to the “5.1″ channel setting and they all worked. I am not sure what all those channel settings mean. I tried to read the manual and gave up. Really, I think they can do a better job at writing. It was almost as bad as trying to read how to set your VCR.

From what I can gather (or assume), the 5.1 channel setting is for five speakers and a center speaker. As it stands right now, I can’t even tell the difference if the rear speakers are on at all…who in the world needs a center speaker?

Oh well. The system is done now and sounds good. We are most likely going to watch Star Wars tonight, so the bass will be put to good use.

Related posts

• APC Back-UPS XS 1500 (2)
• My New Sony Hanycam (0)
• Sony Handycam DCR-SR42 Hard Disk Camcorder (2)
• My New Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 13.6-Megapixel Digital Camera (0)
• Linksys Wireless PCI Adapter and Router (2)

My favorites in the reality sector are “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “America’s Next Top Model” to name a few. Laura is all about the last one, not me…suuuure.

Last night was the season finale for Rock of Love. I was so damn excited all day I could hardly stand it. Now, the show is so stupid and I know that. Bret Michaels from Poison is looking for love. That’s understandable. There were some decent looking girls to choose from and there were some busted up looking freaks. Why they let them through the door, I will never know.

The two finalists were Amber and Daisy. Daisy is a nice rocker girl and 25 years old. She had some issues, but I was still on her side 100%. Amber is 37 and has some control problems. It’s like she was everyone on the show’s guardian. She was always having to control everything and was always yelling at everyone. She really pissed me off.

Have I ever told you I never get my way when it comes to stuff like this? I told Laura that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep if he picks Amber. The final moment came and he picked…Amber. Wouldn’t you know it. Is he on crack? I am so upset. I am just wondering what was going through Bret’s head. Bret, if you are reading this, please post a comment.

Next week is the reunion. Daisy gets in a fist fight Springer style. Life is too short to miss stuff like this.

Yup, college educated Jay Gaulard signing off.

Related posts

• Sealing The Driveway (1)
• Blue Screen After Sleep Mode - Windows Vista (1)
• I Finished Sealing The Driveway (0)
• The Day After Moving Day (0)
• The First Night On the New Mattress (0)

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.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Anyway, Steve had great luck with his first batch and is now going to dive into a batch of Stout. Now, that’s what I am talking about. That’s what stout’s about, no doubt. HAHAHAHHAHA.

The home brew kit I am getting makes six gallon batches. That should be good for a while to see if I like doing this kind of stuff. Then, as soon as summer rolls around and we open the new porch back up, we can rock out to Crosby, Stills & Nash and drink beer out of the bucket all day, every day.

Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ bout.

Related posts

• Somerset Square in Glastonbury, CT (2)
• Coopers Stout Was Bottled (1)
• Samuel Adams Double Bock (10)
• A Little Beer Overflow (1)
• My First Batch of Home Brew is Underway (4)

A new UK report on the habits of the “Google Generation” finds that kids born since 1993 aren’t quite the Internet super-sleuths they’re sometimes made out to be. For instance, are teens better with technology than older adults? Perhaps, but they also “tend to use much simpler applications and fewer facilities than many imagine.”

Nobel Winner Speech Canceled Over Global Warming Controversy

A climate scientist’s speech to high school students was canceled because members of the rural community were concerned the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s message on climate change would be “anti-agriculture,” the superintendent said Thursday.

Adobe Flash Tutorials - Best of

This article provides hand-picked professional Flash tutorials which can enrich your design skills and improve the quality of your works. Most sources can serve as the entry point for further tutorials.

Colbert Portrait Hanging in the National Portrait Gallery

Video and still photo of Stephen Colbert’s portrait hanging above the 2nd floor bathroom in the National Portrait Galley in Washington, D.C.

Texas Is Biggest Carbon Polluter in United States

Everything’s bigger in Texas — Big pickup trucks, Big SUVs, Big carbon footprint. Texans’ fondness for large, manly vehicles (plus 19 coal-burning power plants) has helped make the Lone Star State the biggest carbon polluter in the nation.

Related posts

• Solar, Prius, Hybrid Panels, The Economy And Satellites (2)
• Mayflower Inn, Washington, CT (0)
• Where are the YouTube Videos - Google Ads? (2)
• Google Buys FeedBurner? (1)
• DNA, Black Holes, GNU, Mozilla and Google Chrome (0)

There are a bunch of other shows on throughout the day that I am not all that interested in. They are usually cutesy little shows with people playing with doyleys and things like that. I am not into painting little pictures and putting them into the house. I like construction.

You may have heard me rant about all the stupid words the HGTVers have made up through the years. Some of these words include, “space” instead of room, “organic” for anything earth tone, “craftsman style” for anything that exists outside of California and now “drama” for a point of interest. Let’s add some “drama” to that corner.

I really hate these words. I feel like the people on these shows are trying way too hard to push some sort of language on us normal people. Maybe it’s not even so much the words they use, but the fact that they use them all of the sudden. One week we’ll be fine and the next week we’ll have two dozen weirdos saying, “Boy, this space has really been enhanced by the craftsman style and organic flavors. I still think we need to add some draaaaama to that wonderful little snicker of cuteness.”

Man oh man.

Related posts

• The Traveller by John Twelve Hawks (0)
• Hunter Mountain International Celtic Festival (0)
• All-Beethoven Weekend at Tanglewood (0)
• The Pirates of Penzance at SUNY New Paltz (0)
• Wandering Home - By Bill McKibben (0)

Since we liked that game so much, I decided to get her Unreal 2. The reviews of this game weren’t nearly as good as the original, but we aren’t freaky game junkies or anything. Some people get way too far into these things. Some of the complaints were that this version only has nine boards and the gameplay isn’t as good as the first one. I will admit there is a lot of fluff at the beginning, with the “setting the stage” so to speak.

Just last night, I got to the part where the beasts start killing me off. I already was taken care of a few times and can’t seem to get past one spot. Laura hasn’t started playing it yet, because she is still playing “Planet of the Apes.”

Related posts

• A New Computer - What Should I Get? (4)
• Sam’s Point in the Hamlet of Cragsmoor (0)
• Sam’s Point Preserve - A Christmas Hike (3)
• Windy Hill Farm & The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA (2)
• Our Very First Christmas Tree (0)

I rarely get excited about entertainment stuff like this, but when something with this type of nostalgia comes along, I crawl out of my shell.

Here is the trailer for Price Caspian. You be the judge if it looks good or not…

Related posts

• We Watched Red Dawn Last Night (2)
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (0)
• St. Elmo’s Fire & The Brat Pack (1)

Here is a short description…

“One of the great tragedies of the ancient Greek theatre, “Antigone” is the story of a young girl with the will to rise up alone against the forces of government, culture, and family to live and die for her beliefs.”

It was a good show. I think the students, as usual, did a great job. I did have a little problem this time. We didn’t sit in the front row, like we did last time, so there was no place for me to stretch my legs. I kept having to move around the whole time, because I have trouble sitting still. I think this stems from my childhood, when I was a bad boy.

Oh well. I think we are going to wait until the Spring semester to go up for the next show.

Related posts

• Driving Up The Shawangunk Ridge - New Paltz, NY (0)
• The New House (0)
• Hiking at Minnewaska State Park (2)
• Thanksgiving at the Red Lion Inn (0)
• The Pirates of Penzance at SUNY New Paltz (0)