Memory Reaper

So a few weeks ago, ok, March, my friend says to me "Dr. Dan, can you fix a broken USB stick?" ,  as he shows me the pieces. "Well, I can try to get the data" I skeptically reply.   First, I had to identify what was broken. At first glance it looks like a mess to the naked eye, but under a microscope it was much worse. There's actually a component or two missing, this lowered my hopes of being able to recover the data. At any rate, I was determined to at least give it the college try as they say. First, we had to identify the connections that would be necessary to fix. It was actualy pretty straightforward. On a USB connector, the outside contacts are the power, and the inside two are the com lines. The power connections were easy to spot on the board, but there were traces missing for the comm lines. Soldering straight to the  micro was the only hope of success.

My thumb isn't that big...

Next we soldered a couple more #30 wires to the power connections...

Power connections, easy.

Finally, we were ready for a try at getting the data off of it.. 

Hacked up an old USB cable I had laying around and just twisted the wires onto the flying leads from the USB stick. After plugging it in to my old computer(just in case something bad happened) it popped right up and I was able to get the data from it.

Disguises

Skewers undercover.

Stawblems

I drew this today.

Ban Everything

The tragedy that happened last Friday is difficult to ignore. My feelings go out to the families that lost loved ones. It is an incident that never should have happened.
Here's some things that really, really irk me about the whole thing though. Why does the government have to go after the things that happen the least? Is it somehow acceptable that it's OK to lose human life to other reasons than guns? I mean come on people, if the intent is really to preserve human life, lets not let the facts get in the way.
According the NVSS Volume 61, Number 6, we could have prevented 19,766 suicides committed by firearms if we banned all firearms. Also this would have prevented 11,101 deaths by assault with firearms. Now let me ask, maybe what we should ban is diabetes? with it's 73,282 lives taken in 2011. Or if you really want to do some saving, ban heart disease and you could save 596,339 lives. Hell, what we should do is start off small and get rid of alcohol, it created death-causing liver disease in 16,634 people last year. Alcohol is a bad start, lets really get to the root of the problem, people falling down and getting hurt; where 26,631 people accidentally fell and succumbed to injuries from hitting the ground. Fuck, lets ban gravity, then those people wouldn't have fallen down...

Pounds of Coins

So here is the deal. I was thinking of bringing my Guinness piggybank to the bank tomorrow. Where the bank will use an automated machine to count the change. I wondered if there was some way I could estimate how much money was in it, without actually counting all of it. I figured maybe weight would work, hoping that the distribution of coins would be the same in different sample sizes, giving me a linear relationship. Obviously more coins would have to be worth more, is a pound of pennies worth more than a pound of quarters.. hmm.. good next experiment.
I digress. Three samples 24.9 oz, 14.7 oz, and 7.8 oz. Valuing at 21.31, 12.78, and 7.06 respectively. I plotted these out, amazingly you get a linear relationship. So I predict that since my fully piggy bank weighs 151.5 oz, I should have about $126 in it. I"ll find out tomorrow.

Fantasy shmantasy!

I made this after I saw the ad for fantasy forecasting. It's actually an app on facebook.







http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=169005803125260.

Check it out. Actually don't. Cause if you do, you're an even bigger loser than all those people that play all the other fantasy sports/hobbies. What happened to D&D? At least I can understand that. Just watch the game for what it is.

Slow, slow, and slower

Charter, you suck. How is that I can correlate the time of football game by the speed of my internet connection?
You guys charge enough, buy some more equipment. And all you people playing fantasy football, I'm trying to do sometime legit, like homework. So bite me.

Where in Boston is this? Please tell me! Did they super duper clean the water in Boston Harbor?

Volkswagon has ummm ruined it

What is with these new Volkswagon commercials? The add starts off with a V-wagon of some sort driving past at least two people and one of the people spots the V-wagon first, prompting them to immediately strike in the arm, the person they are standing next to. I don't know if this a culture thing, but when I was growing up, you could only do this if it was a Volkswagon Beatle, and then you had to yell the color of it. Does the marketing department at V-wagon think otherwise? Maybe they thought Americans did that whenever they saw ANY Volkswagon? Or is this just lack of imagination where reviving an old game can be used as advertising to a market of people who are not old enough to know about "Punch Buggy"?
I can see the Dunkin' Donuts advertisements now " Hey man, do you want a Hertz Donut? ".

Random Text Messages I receive

Random Text : "Hey. when did you leave. I don't even remember going to bed. sorry. typical...."

My comment :Too lazy to use "?" instead of "." When did you leave? I wish you would leave, leave me alone.


Random Text :"I'm off thurs an fri want collin 2 stay wed nite"

My comment: ????

If your compass stops working...

If you have a Subaru with the fancy rear view mirror, with the built in compass and the auto-tint, and one those functions stops working.. Pop'r open and re-flow the solder joints on the big square things with numbers written on them..
As you can see from pic, the solder joint is broken, re-flow and re-compass yourself!

I couldn't resist. On the side of my my hotmail account, there's an add for Windows 7. So I just have to click. This brought me to a page of the top-ten reasons to "upgrade" to 7.. (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/top-ten-reasons.aspx) . #10 Manage devices more easily.



I hope Microsoft doesn't try to sue me..... My devices rule. They even look like 'the' devices.

Darwin Warning

If you need this warning, I'm sure that Darwin will take care of you.

Red Light Green Light

I've decided. A red light means "stop". A green light means " the light just isn't red". Amen.

Mac vs PC(Windows)

What is the deal with these ridiculous commercials for Mac and PC(or is it Windows)? I'm a Mac, I'm a PC. Well, actually, that's incorrect. I will concede, the guy saying "I'm a Mac" is correct. If you consider that Mac makes the computer and the , very important part here, the OS. So when the dumbass is saying " I"m a pc" , he's only half right. Because a PC is a just that, a PC. It has nothing to do with the operating system. It would be more correct to say " I'm Windows". Last time I checked PC meant Personal Computer. It has no correlation to the operating system. Granted that probably only 3% of the computers worldwide use alternative operating systems, this logic is still flawed. I thought these companies were smarter than that.

This message brought to you from my PC, running Ubuntu 8.04 with Firefox 3.0.3. Is it still a PC now bitch?

Point at people you don't like?

As seen on a seltzer water bottle.

Happy Saco!!!

This weekend was the annual Saco River Canoe Trip. This takes place in Brownfield Main, on the Saco River, and consists of camping, canoeing , and as you might have guessed excessive amounts of drinking. This was my first time going on this trip. Justin and Tracy invited Jay, Jocelyn, Josh, and myself.
It all started on Friday afternoon, after all the packing, and running around was completed we hit the road. Shortly after checking in at the office, we were at the campsite, with the first beer of the trip open (Even though the "first" beer was actually drank at my place).
That night we drank, ate, and played frizbee. We crashed probably around 10 or so , most likely later. Waking up at 0500 was almost refreshing. Something about sleeping out in the woods, it has that affect on me. For some reason, eggs and bacon taste way better cooked outside on a portable grill ( Along with a beer) .
We packed up everything, and by now the vans had showed up. Somehow the bag with my tent in it got misplaced. Bummer, I never found it, and no one ever saw it. Anywho Josh and I shared a canoe. I hadn't been in a canoe in forever. I used to go with my Dad all the time, and it slowly came back to me.
There's nothing quite like seeing people on every beach, camping, partying and yelling "Happy Saco!" on every turn. Greetings were usually exchanged when passing most were friendly.
We beached after several hours of rowing and set up camp. Which was weird, because I didn't have a tent, I ended up bunking with Jay and Joc. I guess at this point it didn't matter anyway... haha..
By sunday I was beat, and out of beer. I think we were all feeling it. IT seemed as though we went less than half way on saturday, and saved the brunt of the paddling for sunday. I guess in a way that was better maybe, work off the booze and be kinda normal for the drive back home.
To make a long story short, it was a great weekend, and I"m glad I had some great friends to share it with. I'm already planning for next year!

Dan

PS. Quote of the weekend "You're doing it wrong...."

Bean a Long Thyme

Yes, the title it suppose to titlate you into loud outburst of laughter and joy. I halve a spell checker two. So don't criticize me. Things have been going good. I applied for that position at work that I had mentioned when I first started working there. I haven't heard back yet on it. I do know that they are still interviewing people for it. I have a feeling I won't get it. THe interview was wierd, didnt' ask any technical questions, we just kinda shot-the-shit, for like 45 minutes. Plus it is different to get an internal interview. I mean, the interviewer doesnt' have to go over benefits, what it's like to work there.. etc..
I've been taking swimming lessons at the Y. A guy I work with is a life guard there and has been awesome at teaching me. My whole life I could barely swim, only if I absolutely had to, and now I've almost got it figured out to where you could throw me off the side of a boat and I wouldn't care. It's an awesome workout. Do like 1000 yards or so.... just when you think you're in shape. haha.
I've been laying of the drinking the past week. I feel a ton better. Have more energy, and more motivated to do stuff. Go to bed early, wake up early, get shit accomplished. I love it.
I took a trials motorcycle for a rip today. That's a blast. It was actually so fuckin' cool, that I would sell my dirtbike and get one of those.... It's more my style. I dont' know if anyone has seen the stuff I do on my mountain bike, but just picture me doing that on a bike that resembles a dirtbike more than a bicycle. I stil want something to ride on the road though. That's where it's at right now. I have a good lead from someone at work. Jeeze I have to write in here more often this thing is way too long.

Moved and Living

So , the move went smooth. It's been a blast so far. Closer to work, and everything else. Like if you go shopping and forget to get something.. it's no big deal, cause there's a store right up the street. I've been cooking, ALOT. We already had a waffle party, wich seemed to go over pretty good. Its sooo nice to not have the parents around. I finally got rid of all my boxes, so I"m moved in. I've also been the handyman around the place, I"ve figure that the land lord is going to owe me money by the end of the month.. hah.. jk. Just have to grab some more furniture , and we'll be all set.

Alive and just moving...

Lots of changes in my life lately. The new job has been going well, and I"m already in line for a new job, at the same place I work. Apparently my name is first on the list for an engineering technician opening. I haven't been officially asked yet, but it's coming soon. It wouldnt' be a lateral move in the career sense, so if the money stayed the same, I think I might do it. The job is more up my alley, not that the one I have now isn't, but it would be more of what I know and like to do. More engineering stuff, but with the practical hands on part. I like to work with people who are smarter than me, so I can learn.
ANd moving in the other sense. Jay is going to have a new roomate. Its all going down this Friday. I had to do it, Jay just woudln't stop bugging me... haha... and it is like a 15 min ride to work. Can't complain.

PS.. I have a girly friend I kinda fancy, but more on that later :-P