A kick in the pants March 25, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in computers.Tags: computer, computers, software
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Why is it whenever I need to do something of any significance that involves my computer, I have to upgrade about 10 things, one of which is always the OS? I know I’m a slow adapter, but this is getting ridiculous. I think the developers are out to get me…or at least, my paycheck.
My babies, furry and otherwise December 8, 2011
Posted by mareserinitatis in computers, engineerblogs.org, family, pets, photography, younger son.Tags: belly rubs, computers, Gigadog, Mike, pictures, video, younger son
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I have a couple posts to write, but as today was my last day of classes after an extremely late night/early morning grading frenzy, I am too fried to put down anything coherent. You’ll have to make do with some pictures.
First, this is what greats me after I do a run on the treadmill, which is in the basement:
However, lest you think she’s not getting any love, you need to see this video:
And finally, a rare picture of the younger son. I have an old (as in 10 year old) iBook that the younger son was using, but the keyboard doesn’t seem to be functioning. We’re not sure if we can fix it, but Mike decided to order another iBook that we can use to scavenge for parts. Not only is it cheaper than buying a new computer, it will provide both of them with hours of entertainment, especially since the iBook we ordered has an Air Port.
I fear this means I’m losing the war, however. Mike and I have been arguing about whether he’s going to be a physicist or an electrical engineer. Engineer is looking likely at this point. I can handle it if he goes into electrical engineering…but certainly not something lesser like mechanical. ;-)
I also blog at Engineer Blogs, home away from home to some of the best engineering blogs.
Maybe we should name it 127.0.0.1? December 28, 2010
Posted by mareserinitatis in computers, societal commentary.Tags: computers, names
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People love to give inanimate objects nicknames. Mostly it seems like fun (calling your truck, or your gun, or both, Betsy). However, in the case of computers, it’s often practical so you can keep it straight when working on something beyond your own computer.
The naming conventions for computers are very random. I think that most people view computers with neutrality, so computers can take on whatever personality or trait someone wants to impose using a name.
My personal preference has been to name my computers after Greek goddesses that I liked. Given the number of computers I’ve gone through, I may have to shift mythological settings when I complete my next upgrade.
When I was at Caltech, my house had a vote on whether to call the computers something along the lines of the ‘food groups’ (caffeine, chocolate, sugar, fat and alcohol) or practical items (duct tape, towels, etc.). I can’t remember exactly how it came out, but I seem to recall the resolution being a mixture of the two (mostly practical items with caffeine thrown in).
My favorite naming scheme was the use of natural disasters: tsunami, earthquake, hurricane, etc. It would have been very appropriate if the computers were being used by my geology colleagues, but they were actually being used by a bunch of electrical and mechanic engineers.
On the other hand, our simulation computers at work have very boring names: T7400 and T7500. I lobbied extensively to name one of them ‘Computerzilla’, but it never seemed to catch on. It might be a little more fun if we at least called it something like THX1138.