Sunday, August 26, 2007

The Bionic Woman is Coming Back!

The Bionic Woman is being remade by NBC. It will premier at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26.

http://www.nbc.com/Bionic_Woman/

Let's hope they don't screw this up!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Fantasy Football Sucks

There's nothing better than drafting Donald Driver as your #2 WR with a fourth round pick, only to watch him being taken from the field in a cart literally moments later. God, this game sucks.

I thought I was pretty solid to that point... Two decent RB's (I consider them both to be #1 quality) and two decent WR's (again, both #1's I think)...

RB Willie Parker PIT
RB Travis Henry DEN (I'm hoping for a lot of potential here... No RB committees please, Mr. Shanahan)
WR Chad Johnson CIN
WR Donald Driver GB


This draft is being held by email, so it's going slow. I'll keep my blog updated if anyone cares about the progress.

(Who am I kidding, no one even reads this but me)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Outlook Auto-Fill, and transfering between computers

Time for another boring tech entry...

Recently I replaced an older Gateway with a newer (but not brand new) Dell for one of my computer users. After going through the painful process of loading all of the required programs, transferring all of the local files, tweaking all of the settings, and configuring email, I figured I had the new computer working pretty closely to how the old computer was set up. Both computers have Windows XP Pro, Microsoft Office Pro 2003, and the same versions of the other programs needed by this user. I figured there would be no down time or learning curve involved, since everything should be the same, just on a faster and more powerful computer.

Well, this morning I was greeted with the ever popular, "Hey, what did you do to my computer? All of my email addresses are gone."

This wasn't actually the case... all of her emails and contacts were there and working fine. The real problem was with the Auto-Fill feature in Outlook 2003.


The names have been blurred to protect the innocent

As you send emails, Outlook remembers the addresses you used, and then tries to automatically fill in the address for you the next time when it thinks it has a match. It's a very convenient feature that a lot of people rely on, and I can understand how frustrating something small like this can be to users who were used to it, and then lost it because of a new computer change.

On a side note, this feature can be pretty dangerous as well. It's very easy to accidentally auto-fill the wrong name if you aren't careful... and send the wrong person the cute office joke of the day... so be careful. And of course when that does happen, just blame the computer guy for not setting up your computer correctly, or causing Outlook to act weird, because we all know it wouldn't be your fault.

So anyways, I set off on a mission to figure out how to transfer this setting between computers. As it turns out, there is only one file that holds this information, and it is easily transferred between computers.

Start by making sure you can see all files and folders... In Internet Explorer, go to the "Tools" pull down, then choose "Folder Options..."



Next Choose the "View" tab in the new window, and select the dot next to "Show hidden files and folders"

You will also want to make sure the check mark is removed next to the option for "Hide extensions for known file types"



Then go to the following folder..

C:\Documents and Settings\{User Name}\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

My user name is steve, so my path is

C:\Documents and Settings\steve\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook



Copy the file with the NK2 extension... In my case it it called Outlook.NK2

On the new computer, go to the same folder. Rename the existing NK2 file so you save it as a backup. Then copy or paste the old NK2 file into the folder. If the original has a different file name, make sure to rename the new file so it matches exactly. Your Auto-Fill should now work on the new computer, and you will be the hero for the day. No, wait... that means people will just find other things to complain about instead...

Nothin'

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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

What Happened to TV Theme Songs?

Ok, I've already complained about the fact that there aren't any good (or even cheezy) heroes on TV anymore... I got that out of my system. But as I was thinking about it, it occurred to me, there's something else that's missing from today's TV shows... good theme songs. What happened to the days when you could sing along to the opening song to your favorite show, and it would even get stuck in your head and drive you crazy. There were some shows that I'd even watch just to hear the opening song, then change the channel to something else. I can't think of any shows on today with memorable songs. So, in keeping with the top 10 theme, I've put together my top 10 list (Actually top 21 this time) of the best TV theme shows. Each of these is linked to an audio sample from Amazon's website (Thanks Amazon), but be careful, it could get addictive. Also, it appears that these samples are all Windows Media Player format, so Firefox users may have a little trouble if you don't have a plug-in (Oh how I hate that... sorry. If you need to use Internet Explorer to listen, be sure to switch right back to Firefox afterwards. I don't want to encourage anyone to use IE on a regular basis).

So, anyways... Here's the story...

of a man named Brady...

Oops, getting a little ahead of myself... but I think I heard you starting to sing already.

21. Good Times

20. Cheers ('Where Everybody Knows Your Name')

19. The Facts Of Life

18. M-A-S-H (Suicide Is Painless)

17. All In The Family ('Those Were The Days')

16. Laverne And Shirley ('Making Our Dreams Come True')

15. Taxi ('Angela')

14. The Muppet Show

13. One Day At A Time

12. The Odd Couple

11. Happy Days

10. The Jeffersons ('Movin' On Up')

9. WKRP In Cincinnati

8. Gilligan's Island

7. Sanford & Son ('The Streetbeater')

6. Mary Tyler Moore

5. Barney Miller

4. The Brady Bunch

3. The Rockford Files

2. The Greatest American Hero ('Believe It Or Not')

1. Welcome Back, Kotter ('Welcome Back')


Welcome Back by John Sebastian reached number one on the charts in 1976 and was the second largest selling single for the year.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Should we cut * a little slack?

So Barry Bonds has tied Hank Aaron's all time home run record, and within the next few days will have the record all to himself. It's obvious that Barry isn't popular with everyone at the moment, but let's take his personality and demeanor out of the equation and look at the underlying issue. The real question is "Does he deserve an asterisk next to his record?" And what about the other players from this era? How exactly should they be considered in the historical perspective of the game?

After the complete disaster of the strike in 1994, baseball was in trouble. They needed to find a way to increase fan interest in the game, and revive the national pastime. Otherwise, the game was quickly on its way to being past its time. In addition to the complete devastation of the strike, and the loss of a World Series, there were other factors going against baseball as well. Baseball was losing its popularity... The new generation of kids had other interests... video games, skateboards, other extra-curricular activities, and even just plain old slacking in general. The new generation of parents did not have the time or patience to teach their kids the game, instead pushing them into soccer where it was easy to put them on the field and let them run. The skill and practice involved in learning how to hit, learning how to field a grounder, and learning how to throw a curveball were all gone. The intricacies of the game within the game were lost, replaced with the mentality of "kick the ball and chase it". In addition, no longer was there only three television channels, and everyone would talk about the game because that was the only thing that was on the T.V. Times were changing, and baseball needed to find a way to save its sport.

All of these factors lead baseball to turn a blind eye toward performance enhancers. It may not even have been intentional. They may not have considered how serious this topic could become in the future. But they did know that bigger, stronger players... and more home runs... would generate interest in the game. Barry is a product of the system, as are a good numbers of players from this era. These men are at the very top of one of the most competitive sports in the world. Their whole life they've been programmed to do what ever it takes to win, and that is what has driven them to be able to compete at this level. Now this is not an excuse to say that what they did was right, it is just an observation of why and how it happened. And since the powers controlling baseball did not explicitly make clear that performance enhancing drugs would be a major violation, there were no real repercussions to stop this from happening. Until congress became involved and forced baseball to review the drug policy, players had little to worry about. With the rules that were in place, performance enhancement drugs probably weren't considered much different than corking a bat, or throwing a spitball. Sure it was illegal, but it was considered more gamesmanship than cheating. Even when Mark McGwire was on his record setting pace, a bottle of Andro was found in his locker. There was nothing that could be done about it, because it wasn't illegal or against baseball's rules at the time. Can we apply rules retroactively, even in the court of public opinion? Do we convict all of these players because we suspect that they were cheating? Do we really put that much stock in Jose Canseco's book? And is that really the way anyone should be judged, on hearsay? Even now, is it fair to single out individual players without concrete proof? Is American justice based on that philosophy? Just because Sammy Sosa grew much bigger physically during his career, how is it fair that we label him a cheater without proof, or suggest he was cheating if he was only using supplements that were actually within the rules at the time? How can we just randomly assume people like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens or Ichiro have not used enhancements simply because that is what we want to believe? There is absolutely no proof that any of these players have used any type of performance enhancers, but the same can also be said for many of the players who currently have that cloud hanging over their head.

For better or worse, all of these accomplishments were performed on the field, within the confines of the game, and were allowed to take place by the governing body of baseball. I understand that this can set a bad example for our children, but perhaps it can be an opportunity to actually discuss with them right and wrong, and the fact that people aren't perfect, just human. The real example can be set by baseball from this point onward and the way they fix the problem moving forward, not how they dwell on the errors of the past. Unfortunately in reality, sometimes cheaters do prosper. But if that means that we protect the rights of the innocent in the process, it is a trade off I can tolerate.

Congratulations Barry, but I would still rather share a cold one with Hank Aaron any day of the week.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Top 10 (or so) TV Action Heroes From The Good Old Days

My last rave about The Six Million Dollar Man on DVD got me thinking... What's happened to TV? We only had three channels to choose from when I was growing up, and that was if we could get the rabbit ears adjusted correctly. A lot of the shows we watched may have been corny, but they were fun. Who wants reality?... I have to deal with reality all day long.

So, since everyone seems to like a good top 10 list, I'll throw out one of my own. Hey programming exec's, take note... we could use a few heroes like these every once in a while...

Top 10 (or so) TV Action Heroes From The Good Old Days

15. Ralph Hinkley, The Greatest American Hero (William Katt)
A school teacher turned super hero with the help of a magical suit given to him by aliens. Clumsy and quirky, but still kinda cool. The best part of the show is actually the theme song by Joey Scarbury. I can still hear George Costanza singing it on his answering machine.

14. Colt Seavers, The Fall Guy (Lee Majors)
Who wouldn't want to be a stunt man and bounty hunter... come on.

13. B.J. McKay, B.J. and the Bear (Greg Evigan)
What a cool role model... a trucker with a monkey. I had my sights set high back then.

12. Captain Caveman, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (Voiced by Mel Blanc)
A super crime fighter with a cool, ass-kickin', high flyin' club, and just about anything you could ever want hidden in his hair. And besides, he had his own little band of hotties... this guy was a stud.

11. B.A. Baracus, The A-Team (Mr. T)
"Sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit"... Good life lesson here kids, the system doesn't work, so always take matters into your own hands. Sure, B.A. wouldn't fly, and Murdock drove him crazy... but so what? The guy knew how to take care of business. By the way, Mr. T got his break in 1982 in what now would be considered a reality show ..."The World's Toughest Bouncer". Anyone remember that one? Not a bad career for Clubber Lang.

10. Apollo, Battlestar Galactica (Richard Hatch)
Killing Cylons and searching for earth with the "rag-tag fugitive fleet". This guy was the responsible, level headed Viper starfighter pilot... the one all of the kids were supposed to look up to (Don't worry, we'll get to the fun one later). Was this a rip off of Star Wars? Of course, but who cared? The best ideas are always the ones stolen from someone else anyways, right Mr. Gates? Besides, the Cylons were sweet with that scanning light for an eye.

9. Hong Kong Phooey, Hong Kong Phooey (Voiced by Scatman Crothers)
This guy was a bumbling fool yet always thought he had everything completely under control. Thanks to his cat Spot he always got the job done. If only we could all live in that happy little world, while our friends continually bailed us out of trouble. Hey, wait.... I know a few people like that.

8. Jaime Sommers, The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man (Lindsey Wagner)
Sweet, wholesome, charming...... and she could KICK YOUR ASS! Hmmm....I think I need to go buy a Select Comfort Bed.

7. Hannibal Smith, The A-Team (George Peppard)
So what if I have two members of the A-Team on the list? I should have all four here. The show was a classic. I have never seen so many gunshots and explosions without anyone ever getting hurt. Hannibal was smooth, and was there ever any doubt that his plans would always come together?

6. Starbuck, Battlestar Galactica (Dirk Benedict)
Starbuck was the smoking, drinking, gambling, partying, fun loving pilot that knew how to live. Pretty smooth with the ladies, too. Dirk also gets bonus points for being the Faceman on the A-Team. Shout out to Murdock... You should be on the list too, but I'm too lazy to make it any bigger.

5. Bo & Luke Duke, The Dukes of Hazzard (John Schneider and Tom Wopat)
Isn't it great when the cops are the bad guys, while the local unemployed farm boys took care of the whole county. Cooter must have been one hell of a mechanic (Did they really call him Cooter???), or else that was one tough Charger. It's estimated that they used 309 General Lee's during the run of the show. By the way, why didn't someone explain to all of those 10 year old kids back then that they were taking racist lunch boxes to school every day?

4. Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman (Lyndia Carter)
Welcome to puberty. What, did she...um...catch bad guys or something? I really didn't notice.

3. Batman, Batman (Adam West)
Batman went off the air before I was even born, but thankfully the reruns stayed on long enough for me to become addicted. He had all the cool toys... The mansion, the Batmobile, the Bat Boat, the Bat Copter... And what I wouldn't give even today to have my own Bat Cave.

2. Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman (Lee Majors)
I had all action figures. Steve had a magnifying glass for an eye. Oscar Goldman had an exploding briefcase. Bigfoot's chest plate would pop off when he was punched. When these guys combined forces with G.I. Joe, Action Jackson, and the Johnny West gang they were unstoppable. My sister's Ken dolls got their asses kicked so often they were afraid to leave their Dreamhouse.

1. Arthur Fonzarelli, Happy Days (Henry Winkler)
I know, Happy Days wasn't an action show. The Fonz transcends all boundaries, though. Come on, haven't you ever smacked the wall just to see if you could get the light to turn on?

Even today the Fonz is the defining standard for coolness...
"Good Lord, I'm getting a reading of over forty Megafonzies!"... Professor Farnsworth


Man I miss these shows.... We have 2000 channels to pick from today, and almost all of it is a bunch of crap. What time does Riptide come on, anyways?