./janella.com

Ok, so I’m invited to the world of Vox!  I’ll need to see how this goes.  I do have a one blog I maintain at Janella.com (a mirror of which is at my LiveJournal page)  The mirroring part came when my hosting provider - a long ditched hosting provider - crashed and had zero backups available.  Serves me right, right?

Well, I’m going to see how life on Vox is before I fully commit.  At the least this will be a forum to contain thoughts that aren’t necessarily for Janella.com.  But who know?  Perhaps I’ll bring Janella.com to Vox.

• Take It Easy (Radio Edit) - Fugees
  
• Buttons - The Pussycat Dolls
• Single ('06 Mix) - Natasha Bedingfield
• Stars Are Blind - Paris Hilton
• Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
• London Bridge - Fergie
• Maneater - Nelly Furtado
• Deja Vu - Beyonce featuring Jay-Z
• Call On Me -  Janet Jackson & Nelly
• Insensible - Mandalay
• Waiting On the World to Change - John Mayer
• High - James Blunt
• Leave the Pieces - The Wreckers
• Speeding Cars - Imogen Heap

Sony PSP white is coming originally uploaded by puckman

So this was a controversial ad for the new Sony PSP white?  When looking at the series of ads, it doesn’t seem too provacative.  (Click on the photo to see more from “puckman’s” Flickr page.) CNET Story

I’m sitting in a new Starbucks on Shoreline and Pear Ave in Mountain View.  I just finished eating a late lunch at //Maruichi.  I tried the Tempura Soba, but really was there for the chicken karaage.  The restaurant was unusually crowded for a Sunday late afternoon.  Actually, I should take that back.  I don’t know what the normal amount of people are during that time of day.  Let me just say it seemed unusual.

It’s been a really lazy day for me.  I’m not sure what to do.  I popped in a DVD, watched part of it, then promptly switched it off to watch the nothingness that was on television.  Even though it’s a four day weekend, I still need to work half-days this Monday and Tuesday.  At least I get to work from home.

I saw Superman Returns (*** out of 5)  this past Wednesday.  In general I thought it was a good movie, but lacked some extra energy to push it over the edge.  It was stronger in the character development area then X3 (** out of 5), but on par with X3 in the story logic area.  Brandon Routh makes a fine successor to Christopher Reeves as Superman, sounding like Reeves at times. Kate Bosworth wasn’t as sparky as Margot Kidder, which is disappointing.  Kevin Spacey is more menacing then Gene Hackman in the Lex Luthor role.  I believe Spacey’s Luthor would kill billions of people.  I just don’t think Spacey’s Luthor is as smart as Hackman’s though.

I’m a little disappointed this Starbucks doesn’t have Internet connections.  It probably is due to the fact it is so close to the Google campus that they are waiting for Google to offer their free WiFi in the area.  So when I post this entry I will most likely be at home.

This Starbuck’s has a lot of outdoor seating, having about 6-8 tables.  The inside thas at least 10-12 tables.  They have a bench like structure placed in the center that can hold about six people (uncomfortably) on either side.  The bench has power outlets underneath to allow you to hook up our laptop or other device.  (Note: I just found out they are planning to have WiFi in about a month).

The installer for Comcast, Jose, finally arrived at 6:10pm.  The installed took over an hour, as Jose needed to drill a hole and do the cabling under the house.  He then configured the router, which I noticed the setup is a little different than doing DSL.

The first speed test Jose did got the following results:  5670 Kbps down / 700 Kbps up

Pretty good compared to my DSL speed of: 639 Kbps down / 316 Kpbs up

Jose was finishing configuring my computer when he next launched Firefox.  Firefox’s home page is set to Janella.com, which has the previous two posts listed for Jose to read.  He laughed, uncomfortably, and continued on with the job.  Well, it becomes even more uncomfortable.

He had me fill out a survey in front of him.  The first item on the survey: “The technician arrived on time.” Answers: Extremely Satisfied, Satisfied, and Dissatisfied.  I had to choose Disasatisfied. I did soften the blow in the comments, but only a little, by saying “Tech did call to say they are running late.”

Jose was having a bad day, so he says.  Too many jobs and not enough time to do them in.  To be honest, I’m a little more upset at the two people who I talked to on the phone.  They weren’t exactly empathetic with my situation.

Anyway, last speed test: 9172 Kbps down / 698 Kbps up.

Looking good.

My install time for cable Internet: between 3:00pm to 5:00pm.  Current time: 5:13pm.  A not so quick call to Comcast, and they tell me the installer will be here by 5:30pm.  They’ve given me a $20 credit for my troubles.

We shall see what happens at 5:30pm.

5:40pm.  Still no installer.  I’m on the phone with Alan from Comcast.  Hmmm, is this worth it?

I thought I’d just write about how this switch to cable Internet will go.  Hopefully there won’t be many bumps (I would prefer none), but I’m sure there will be something.

I’ve been doing research for about two weeks, most of it done on DSLreports.com, checking the forums for users' feedback.  After looking online, I determine it was cheaper to order the service online then it was to call in.  But I did call in and ask some basic questions that were quickly answered.  Good so far.

I placed my order online.  At the end of the order you are placed in a web chat queue so a representative can confirm the order.  Well, this didn’t go too well.  The confirmation took about 20 minutes, with most of the time spend on hold as the representative tried to look up the proper ‘coupon’ codes to I would get the Internet discount.  In the end all he could say/type was “if you don’t get charged the right amount, call our billing department”.  Hmmm…confidence is waning.

I’ve been a Pacbell / SBC / AT&T (or whatever the heck they are called now) DSL customer for a long time.  According to their records I’ve been their customer since 1998.  But unfortunately, I live too far away from the CO to garner any incredible speeds.  But seeing my sister’s connection in Santa Cruz has left me wanting more from my Internet connection.

At best I’ve been lucky to get 700 kbps upload / 300 Kbps download.  I compare this to Farrah’s parents and Lotte and Fina’s connection in San Jose, which is about 1200 kbps / 300 kbps.  They even have an option to upgrade to as much as a minimum of 3Mbps to 6 Mbps (which translates, I believe to 3000 kpbs / 6000 kpbs).  But for poor little old me, I don’t have the option to upgrade.  So I’ve succumbed to the Comcast advertisements.

I’ve ordered Comcast HSI (High Speed Internet) access for Monday installation.  I’ve asked for the 8 Mbps (8000 kbps) package, with the hopes of at least getting 6000 kbps.  But looking at the numbers, anything above 1000 kbps would be a good increase.

I wish uploading was faster, since that would help with posting photos and videos online. An increase, in that aspect, would help a lot.

If you want to test your speed, go to DSLReports.com then click on Tools then toward the bottom of the page, choose Speed Tests.  Find a server near you and click Start (you may need to download Java in order to run the test.)  Post your results here when you get a chance.  You can show off how much faster you are then my connection (he says sadly).

For some reason I can’t get the following lyrics out of my head after hearing them at the Banana Republic in Gilroy this past weekend:

I'm a slow motion accident
Lost in coffee rings and fingerprints
I don't wanna feel anything but I do
And it all comes back to you

It’s from Frou Frou’s Hear Me Out. Thankfully Farrah figured out what song it was in, otherwise I’d be going even more crazy right now.

I meant to post this awhile ago, but lately I haven’t had much free time during the weekdays.  This is a good thing since it means the new job is keeping me busy.  I haven’t been in the writing mood as of late either, but with my return to the workforce I’ve managed to jog a few thoughts that have been slow in being posted to the blog.

First off, belated happy birthdays to Scott and Nana.  Scott’s birthday was in the first week of May.  I’m hoping he celebrated by watching the Giants even though they didn’t fare too well that first weekend. Nana’s birthday was celebrated the same weekend in Santa Cruz.  Photos and a video is available on the //Smugmug page, with photos later avaiable on //Flickr.  We also celebrated Mother’s Day with brunch in Santa Cruz.  I’ll need to post those photos when I get a chance.

If you are visiting //Janella.com, then you will have noticed the format of the site has changed once again.  I made these changes earlier in the month, but didn’t push them to the site until recently.  I’m using the K2 theme which I think is easier to navigate then the previous theme.  The rotating header bit is back.  Refresh to the page to see other header photos or flip through some pages and it should change.  Or you can check it out on your next visit.  I’ll update the header rotation when possible.

This layout does not look right with Internet Explorer, but if you know me I would say to you “You shouldn’t be using Internet Explorer to surf the Internet”.  What should you be using?  Either use //Firefox or //Opera.  Both are much better and safer browsers to use then Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.  The page looks and functions as it should using Firefox and Opera.

Anyway, time to go enjoy the weekend.

At Home With Evel Knievel Originally uploaded by cheesebikini

I saw this link on the CNN front page.  It goes to a story about a childhood hero I had by the name of Evel Knievel.  Now frequent readers may or may not know about Evel, but the story talks about how Evel is doing now and what a toll his stunts took.

I remember watching Evel on television and on film.  I think he was on ABC’s Wide World of Sports at times, and maybe even had some prime time specials.  I’m sure he was the inspiration for the Fonz (from Happy Days) jumping over garbage cans and a shark in separate episodes. I remember Evel with his motorcycle jumping over buses and the Snake River Canyon.  I think, if I recall correctly, watching films of him at my elementary school during the summer.  (But my favorite film during that time in my life was The Doberman Gang.  I wonder if it’s on DVD?)

Anyway, it’s tough to read about a guy - a daredevil - like this being in so much pain.  But he seems to be hanging in there:

"No king or prince has lived a better life," he says. "You're looking at a guy who's really done it all. And there are things I wish I had done better, not only for me but for the ones I loved."

I have an observation that seems to rarely fail me: action movies that are around ninety minutes in length rarely work.  The problem I have with this timeframe, in this genre, is the fact that there is usually more action then story development.  I like to be entertained as much as the next guy, but at least put a coherent story together, ok?

The only movie that comes to mind that works within this criteria is Under Siege. Yes, this film does star Steven Segal, but he is only on screen for half of the movie.  The other half is taken up by Tommy Lee Jones, who eats up each scene he is in.  There is also Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russell.  Big Trouble’s major problem for me was too much story in 99 minutes, but it was an entertaining film.

But now on to Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux.

The Netflix summary:

In the 25th century, a rampaging virus has forced the remnants of humanity into the seclusion of a last redoubt. But political conflict swirls within, and the climate is ripe for revolution. Aiming to hasten an uprising, the leader of the underground rebellion (Frances McDormand) dispatches acrobatic assassin Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) to eliminate the government's top leader in this futuristic thriller based on the popular animated MTV show.

What I liked about the movie: The sci-fi / future slant.  I probably only watched one episode of the MTV cartoon, so I am by no means a Aeon Flux expert.  But I found the setting, and the sparse sets, to be beneficial to the movie’s flow.  Oh, it also doesn’t hurt the film seeing Charlize Theron in several tight-fitting costumes.

What I didn’t like about the movie: Very predictable.  After the first 15 minutes you are able to tell where certain characters are going to end up, and of course, what the eventual outcome will be.

Aeon Flux: ** out of 5

Today is a traveling day for me.  I’m running errands enjoying one of the last few weekdays I will have off.  I’m still waiting for my background check to clear before I can start the new gig.  Anyway, I’m at Valley Fair Mall returning an item I picked up in the City.  I’m waiting for Macy’s to open, which it will in about 8 minutes.  So I decided to take out the laptop to see if there is a WiFi connection.

BAM!  I’m hit with three possible connections.  One is TMobile.  The other one I don’t recognize (2WIRE937) and the third is WESTFIELD.  Yeah, Valley Fair is wired for WiFi.  Funny thing is Valley Fair used to offer free WiFi, but now they are charging, which is a shame.

The WiFi connection they offer is a 256K connection according to their FAQ.  Decent but not all that great.  I"m sure not going to pay $$ to connect.  I’d log onto the TMobile account to kill time, but Macy’s opens up in 4 minutes and I need to finish this errand.  I’m tired, having only slept for 3 1/2 hours last night.  Don’t ask my why.  I’m trying to change my sleep habit back to that of a working stiff.  This weekend was filled with failed attempts in accomplishing this task.

Perhaps I’ll have better luck tonight.  I better hit Macy’s now before I fall asleep.