This bothers me WAY more than it shuold

http://xkcd.com/859/

 
...you know, given that I'm not that good a programmer, really...

MovieBob and Magneto

"Magneto was right"




I really liked the character of Magneto in X-Men 1 and 2. The character had a point and a purpose and an inner consistency. He wasn't "evil" any more than most of us are, he simply framed things differently than Xavier and acted based on his own values.

It's like this: The power goes out in my neighborhood and some people think "candle light block party" while others lock the doors in case there's looting and riots. Neither option is totally far out, it just depends on how you see the world.

Coming back to Bob. I got picked on in school. Most of the people I associated with got picked on too. Depending on the day and context, it was because I was a band geek, or a theater dweeb, or a fashion train wreck, or socially inept, or somehow being "an easy target".

At least, that's what I've always assumed. I since it was me getting picked on and not me picking on them, I assumed there was a flaw in me that invited the abuse.

But I think MovieBob is truly onto something, and not just because he's using comic book characters as his foil.

My favorite point:
Bullies pick on us NOT because "we're different" (MovieBob says "I can attest that they came in all shapes and sizes. A veritable rainbow coalition of torment.").

NO, the thing we all suspect deep down is that it's not that we're different, we're BETTER.

Bob uses images from Revenge of the Nerds in his discussion, and that might be the most accurate. The narrative of the geeks realizing their own self worth and playing to their strengths may be a fantasy, but it's definitely a satisfying one as well as one that is actually playing out in reality with more and more frequency.

(REPOST) If Programming Languages Were Religions

This is an oldie (from 2008) but remains near the top of my list in that so-accurate-it's-funny kind of way.

If Programming Languages Were Religions
"If programming languages were religions"
(Inspired by "If programming languages were cars")

C would be Judaism - it's old and restrictive, but most of the world is familiar with its laws and respects them. The catch is, you can't convert into it - you're either into it from the start, or you will think that it's insanity. Also, when things go wrong, many people are willing to blame the problems of the world on it.

Java would be Fundamentalist Christianity - it's theoretically based on C, but it voids so many of the old laws that it doesn't feel like the original at all. Instead, it adds its own set of rigid rules, which its followers believe to be far superior to the original. Not only are they certain that it's the best language in the world, but they're willing to burn those who disagree at the stake.

PHP would be Cafeteria Christianity - Fights with Java for the web market. It draws a few concepts from C and Java, but only those that it really likes. Maybe it's not as coherent as other languages, but at least it leaves you with much more freedom and ostensibly keeps the core idea of the whole thing. Also, the whole concept of "goto hell" was abandoned.

C++ would be Islam - It takes C and not only keeps all its laws, but adds a very complex new set of laws on top of it. It's so versatile that it can be used to be the foundation of anything, from great atrocities to beautiful works of art. Its followers are convinced that it is the ultimate universal language, and may be angered by those who disagree. Also, if you insult it or its founder, you'll probably be threatened with death by more radical followers.

---

Read the rest here, including a follow-up to this article, regarding the overwhelming reaction that it received.

The Internet Facts of Life (as explained by a 12 year old to her Mother)

BY Julia Young AND Zachary Smilovitz

 Originally posted on McSweeneys

Mom, it's gonna be a long ride to Grandma's, and while we have some time alone together, I think it'd be good for us to talk about some things. I'm getting older, and I'm not always gonna be around the house to explain stuff to you. I know you have a lot of questions, and I want us to be open with each other. So, I think it's time you learned where blogs and tweets come from.

I don't know what kind of stories you've heard from your friends or the ladies in your book club. Sometimes, old people will spread around what they've heard from other old people. This can make things even more confusing and scary. That's why it's important you get the straight facts from me.

The Internet is a very beautiful thing if used properly.

When a person loves a funny video very much, he or she may want to share it with someone special to them. This is called linking and if done properly, it can bring people together in a very special union of love: usually the love of sneezing animals, or bed intruders, or Bill O'Reilly having a temper tantrum. But it's important to be sparing when you send your links. You don't want to become the neighborhood outbox, constantly forwarding yourself around. Nobody wants that kind of reputation. Trust me, you do not want to be known as a "spammer."

Now when someone has a lot of things they want to say, they may want to try blogging. Blogging is a kind of social intercourse, and should only be tried after years of experience with the Internet. Think of a blog as a newspaper that people actually read. It's a very personal thing, and you need healthy boundaries. For example, you can't go around blogging about the time I peed my pants when we went to see Ice Age like you told that woman in line at TJ Maxx yesterday. You need to be cautious before you move on to something more serious, like a tweet.

A tweet is a powerful yet brief experience that you share with thousands of people, sometimes even famous ones. Don't feel bad if you don't tweet! A lot people never tweet, and they live perfectly happy lives. Yes, you'll read a lot of bad tweets before you find the right ones. But once you do find that perfect feed, you'll spend the whole day wanting to refresh on it. And whatever you do, don't follow @aplusk.

You should try Facebook, though. Everyone tries Facebook at least once in their life. It usually starts in college. It may seem like harmless fun at first, but I know a lot of people who once they started Facebooking, couldn't stop. They'd waste their whole day updating their status, commenting on colleagues' vacation photos, and, tragically, poking almost complete strangers. It can become very unhealthy, so I want you to be careful. And listen; I don't want you ever writing on my Wall; even if it's my birthday. That's just not appropriate for a mother and daughter.

I hope this wasn't too embarrassing for you. We'll talk about what a meme is when we get to Grandma's. I don't want to have to explain it twice.

Could I Work For You On the Cheap?

If you are wondering if I could do some work for you at a rate less than the ones I've posted, please refer to this chart.

I'm blowing this up and posting it in my office, and also having it printed on the backs of my business cards. As a small reminder to myself.

Jessica Hische, you are my muse.

(Originally posted here. )

Easily Impressed

Am I the only one who is blown away by the ability of the Google Goggles app (on Verizon Droid) to solve sudoku puzzles?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, check this out:

I continue to be impressed with everything my Droid is doing for me - from the "I expected that" kind of stuff (GPS, texting) to "I never knew I would want that" (Google Translate).

Speaking of Google Translate, this video shows a new feature: real-time audible (rather than text on the screen) translation. The demo uses German, but the current beta will only allow Spanish. Regardless, I think it's incredibly cool:

Gonna try chrome again, but only because of this

Google Chrome and my computer (specifically, chrome and my computer(s) running Ubuntu) don't get along so well.

But based on this video, I'm going to try again. Because that's just sick!

Jon Stewart on Apple vs Gizmodo

Pure comedic brilliance.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-apple-2010-4

Watch it before Apple demands it is taken off the internets.

I am Geek, hear me RAR (or tar, or gz, but (sigh) rarely unzip)

with all credit to www.userfriendly.org.

Virus Removal

Again, a question from a friend caused me to write this up. And since I give out this information relatively frequently, I thought I would just post it here for all to see.

As with any of my stuff, Caveate Emptor, YMMV, Objects may be closer than they appear, draco nuncum titilandus.

***************

The overall theme to this process is "wash, rinse, repeat". Because viruses and spyware programs tend to have lots of little pieces which "hide" the other pieces from the operating system, your process to remove them is to get rid of the piece that is visible, then reboot, then get rid of the next piece, etc.

I have 3 tools that I use for this:

• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org/index.php)
• Spybot Search and Destroy ()
• Grisoft's AVG ()

Things to consider:
1) If you already have an anti-virus program, you don't need AVG. That having been said, I'm not a big fan of Symantec or McAffee. I have used them for years but find that recently their software has become bloated, convoluted, unresponsive and even difficult to remove. If you have one of them and you aren't impressed, I would suggest removing them in favor of the 3 programs above.

2) The same can be said for Spybot. If you already have an anti-spyware program, then you can skip this. If you DON'T have one, please make sure you install Spybot.

Step 1: download and install the software

• Download Malwarebytes from here:
  http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam-download.php
  Download Spybot from here:
  http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
  Download the FREE version of AVG from here:
  http://free.avg.com/us-en/download?prd=afg
  (you click the left side of the screen where it says "FREE", which takes you to a C-Net download.)

Step 2: Install Malwarebytes
For immediate virus/spyware removal, you only need Malwarebytes. But don't forget that you need an anti-virus program AND an anti-spyware program!

Step 3: Run Malwarebytes
Once you have installed it, running it should be fairly easy to figure out.

After it has run, you will see a message about infected files. Make sure you choose to "remove selected" files rather than just closing out of the program.

Step 4: Reboot

Step 5: Run Malwarebytes again
Really. It sounds dumb, but just run it again anyway. Remember to remove any infected files you find.

Step 6: Reboot into safe mode
While the computer is coming up (immediately after restartng, before the Windows logo shows up) hit the F8 key on your keyboard. You will see a black screen with white letters, and the top option will be "Safe Mode". Use the up- arrow key to get to that choice, and then hit ENTER to select it.

Once you are into windows (the screen will look way funky. Just stay calm), start Malwarebytes again.)

If you have problems with Safe mode, check this out for screen shots and more information: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsafe.htm

Step 6: Reboot normally (no safe mode)

Step 7: Run Malwarebytes again
At this point, you need to pay attention to the errors and such. If you are STILL getting messages about infected files, keep this process up. I would drop back to Safe Mode and keep running/rebooting until you can a clean run (ie: no infected files). THEN I would reboot into regular mode and run one more time for safe measure.

Step 8: Install antivirus and antispyware
Remember, if you don't have an antivirus program, or if you have one that isn't working for you, I would remove what you have, and then install AVG and Spybot.

All roads lead to...

Your web site.

FWIW, IMHO, Caveate Emptor, YMMV, Objects may be closer than they appear, etc etc etc.

I've been building web sites as an amature for over 14 years now. Being a new member here, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and observations about blogs and websites in general . Based on what I've been doing and building lately, here are some (semi organized) thoughts:

First and foremost, think "channels", not "flyers". Web-based communication is not like publishing a flyer or newsletter. Or even like a daily newspaper. It's more like being your own media conglomerate. The idea is to leverage as many different channels of communication and let the consumer decide which works best. Some of my readers like to receive twitter updates to their "dumb" phone. Others prefer facebook messages on their smartphone. Still others want new posts to appear in their RSS feedreader. Many will want an email in their inbox. The point is that none of these methods are wrong, and you CAN manage all of them without losing yourself into a digital circle of hell. As long as you have a plan.

That having been said:

1. Everything you do should lead back to your web site - that one place on the internet that contains the heart of what you are doing. If you are a consultant, it's the place where people get your service listing and rates. If you are a writer, it's where people can get your resume and samples. You get the point.
2. (Almost) Everything you do should not only LEAD back there, but it should be created IN ORDER TO bring the reader there. If you are writing a guest column, make sure you at least get a mention of your site, if not direct links back to it. Don't post main articles or content anywhere else. Post it on your site and then link from other places back there. Etc.
3. If you publish a newsletter (whether physical or electronic), consider publishing only PART of the article, with a "click here to read more".
4. Cross-post! Very few people are going to read your archives list (you DO have a link to your archives, don't you?!?!). More people will look at your "top xx posts" list (and I'm SURE you have that on your sidebar, RIGHT?!?!). But if you reference your other posts within the post they are reading, those links are just screaming to be read.
5. Cross-post (the sequel): Write guest bits for other bloggers. They will appreciate the additional content as much as you would, and you get an entirely new set of readers to see your stuff. I've found that even offering a repost of things that appear on my site is often deeply appreciated.
6. Finally, whenever you create a link - whether it is to someone else's site or your own internal stuff, use the _blank tag. This will open a new window or tab, which means your reader can get back to YOUR page without hitting the back button (which they never do). To use this, the format of the html looks like this:
   a href="www.newsite.com" target="_blank"

But the most important thing I've learned:
Create in one place, let tools disseminate. Nobody wants to have to remember to post to the blog, then create a twitter post about the blog post, and then create a similar post on Facebook. Then Stumble it. Or whatever.

This takes a bit of work, but you will be happy you did. A lot of these tricks rely on Feedburner. It's not the only way, but recently feedburner added several features that make it VERY easy to do this stuff. Once again, caveate emptor.

1. Make sure people can sign up for your blog via email. (in feedburner, you set this up under the "publicize" tab, then pick "email subscriptions")
2. As Heidi Cool writes about here, don't hide your RSS feed.
3. Equally true, don't hide your Facebook account, Twitter link, LinkedIn profile, etc. Make sure that people who LIKE that stuff can connect to you via THEIR CHANNEL of choice.
4. Make sure your blog automatically alerts Twitter about new posts (again in feedburner, you would look under the "publicize" tab. There is a "socialize" item that will let you add your Twitter account.)
5. Set up Facebook to automatically pull in your Twitter updates. You can do that two ways:
   • if you ONLY use Twitter to promote your website, you can use this application.
   • if you post other things to twitter that you DON'T want to appear on Facebook, you can use the Selective Tweets Facebook app. Then the only things that go to Facebook are the ones you post with a #fb hashtag. Which Feedburner lets you add from it's automatic repost to Twitter, by the way.
6. Stumble is your friend. I'm not a big user of Stumble Upon (http://www.stumbleupon.com) but over half my hits now come from people finding my site. To add a "Stumble This" link using Feedburner, go to the Optimize Tab, "FeedFlare" option.

Hopefully this gives everyone something to chew on. To see some of these tricks at work, check out my blog (you KNEW I was going to add that somewhere, didn't you?): http://www.edibletorah.com/.

iPad Quasi-Comparison

Over at my alter ego, I just posted a comparison of Apple's new tablet computer to that OTHER famous set of tablets. I'm reposting it here because it's technical. Sort of. And funny. At least I hope.

---

Earlier this week I posted a comment about how Steve Jobs was showing off his “Tablet” just a week before we read the Torah portion Yitro, where the Israelites experienced the Revelation, receiving the 10 Commandments directly from the mouth of God, and the 2 Tablets of the Law (hereafter using the Hebrew name: “Luchos”) soon after.
My good friend and blogger Phil Setnik pointed out that, given yesterday’s revelation in San Francisco, it would be a useful service to readers everywhere to contrast and compare both the Luchos and the iPad keep the two straight. Along with running an awesome blog on his Jewish general musings, Phil has been a mentor and resource to me in my Jewish journey for years. So it’s really wonderful to work on this list together.
Here’s what we came up with:
How they are alike

• Both were revealed to the masses of faithful in a single moment of excitement
• Standing ovation for Steve Jobs. Many congregations stand when 10 commandments are read in synagogue.
• Both have a an elegantly simple and concise layout and design
• Infinitely adaptable. iPad has the AppStore to provide variety. 10 Commandments have thousands of years of commentary and interpretation, with no end in sight.
• Both speak to coveting. Although the Luchos state you SHOULDN’T, while iPad subtly implies you SHOULD.
• Both heavily leverage the letter “i”. iPad and “I am THE LORD”
• Both come at an acceptable price-point. Fully loaded iPad: ~$800. Luchos: commitment to teach it to our children for all generations.
• Both require additional parts for greater functionality – dongles for the iPad, the Oral Law for the Luchos.
• Both are breakable: Luchos broken by Moshe, iPad will probably fall victim to the “Will it Blend?” guy.

How they are NOT the same

• Luchos were universally accepted (Naaseh v’nishma). iPad, not so much.
• Luchos contain 10 applications that are to be run simultaneously. iPad only runs one at a time.
• iPad has no camera. Luchos come with the implication that Hashem is always watching
• iPad runs 10 hours on a single charge. Luchos are clocking in at ~3300 years and counting since its original “charge”
• iPad is 7.5×9.5 and 1.5 lbs. Chances are Luchos were a bit larger and heavier than that (although Rabbis say the words were so holy the Luchos has no weight at all!)
• Luchos didn’t display YouTube videos. This is a GOOD thing.
• Much harder to work the Luchos into a joke about feminine hygiene products.
• iWork not compatible with other document formats. Luchos readable in all 70 languages of humanity.
• iPad OS is based on Unix. Luchos don’t really put much store in eunuchs.
• iPad made in China of glass and aluminum. Luchos made in Heaven of pieces of Sapphire carved from the heavenly throne. Jobs wanted this, but balked at the price.
• iPad target audience is uncertain; Luchos target audience is potentially everyone.
• iPad has open source underpinnings with a proprietary interface. Luchos have a proprietary kernel with open source overlays.
• iPad has an oleophobic coating to help avoid fingerprints. Luchos: What, a little chicken fat? Couldn’t hurt.

All roads lead to...

I just joined a local bloggers collective called The Lake Erie Moose Society (don't ask about the name) and posted some of my thoughts and experiences about setting up a website/blog and promoting it. My post is entitled "All roads lead to your web site".

You can read the whole article on the Lake Erie site, but I've excerpted just a bit for you here:

---

I've been building web sites as an amature for over 14 years now. Being a new member here, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and observations about blogs and websites in general . Based on what I've been doing and building lately, here are some (semi organized) thoughts:

First and foremost, think "channels", not "flyers". Web-based communication is not like publishing a flyer or newsletter. Or even like a daily newspaper. It's more like being your own media conglomerate. The idea is to leverage as many different channels of communication and let the consumer decide which works best. Some of my readers like to receive twitter updates to their "dumb" phone. Others prefer facebook messages on their smartphone. Still others want new posts to appear in their RSS feedreader. Many will want an email in their inbox. The point is that none of these methods are wrong, and you CAN manage all of them without losing yourself into a digital circle of hell. As long as you have a plan.

That having been said:

1. Everything you do should lead back to your web site - that one place on the internet that contains the heart of what you are doing. If you are a consultant, it's the place where people get your service listing and rates. If you are a writer, it's where people can get your resume and samples. You get the point.
2. (Almost) Everything you do should not only LEAD back there, but it should be created IN ORDER TO bring the reader there. If you are writing a guest column, make sure you at least get a mention of your site, if not direct links back to it. Don't post main articles or content anywhere else. Post it on your site and then link from other places back there. Etc.
3. If you publish a newsletter (whether physical or electronic), consider publishing only PART of the article, with a "click here to read more".
4. Cross-post! Very few people are going to read your archives list (you DO have a link to your archives, don't you?!?!). More people will look at your "top xx posts" list (and I'm SURE you have that on your sidebar, RIGHT?!?!). But if you reference your other posts within the post they are reading, those links are just screaming to be read.
5. Cross-post (the sequel): Write guest bits for other bloggers. They will appreciate the additional content as much as you would, and you get an entirely new set of readers to see your stuff. I've found that even offering a repost of things that appear on my site is often deeply appreciated.
6. Finally, whenever you create a link - whether it is to someone else's site or your own internal stuff, use the _blank tag. This will open a new window or tab, which means your reader can get back to YOUR page without hitting the back button (which they never do). To use this, the format of the html looks like this:
   a href="www.newsite.com" target="_blank"

Binary Theology

Over at my alter ego on The Edible Torah, I posted an essay about the intersection between binary, Jewish numerology (sort of, it's called "Gematria"), and the theological "meaning" of words and numbers.

You can read it here.

Sadly, I have had this conversation.

I have indeed had this conversation. More than once. Almost down to the punchline.

Brought to us from our friends at Userfriendly.org:

Ubuntu withdraws Gimp-y love

An article over on Lockergnome clued me in to the news that Ubuntu is considering not installing Gimp by default. While Gnomie Matt Hartley is expressing his disagreement here, I'm not surprised.

I have to disagree. What people want - even among Linux users - is the equivalent of Paint. Gimp is not Paint.

Gimp is not hard either. Especially if all you want to do is crop an image. But then you could use Phatch (which is also not so simple, but still).

Why is Gimp not Paint? Because it is (rightfully so) closer to Photoshop. At the heart of the problem are basic premises. Things like drawing a simple square. It is simply counter-intuitive to select a blank region and then choose "stroke selection".

I love Gimp and will happily install it from repo in future versions of Ubuntu because, like K3b and BlueFish, it's on my "pull" list when I build a new machine.

But it doesn't surprise me A BIT that Ubuntu is opting not to install it by default.

How is this not a hacking tool?!?

OK, so someone explain to me how this isn't totally a Microsoft invention to make Windows more easily hacked? "I'm sorry Bill, but I can't allow you to do that. Here's a convenient list of accounts you can try to impersonate so that you CAN do that though".
- Leon

PS: Comic is courtesy of XKCD.com, and was featured in the post from Gizmodo. And I really like it. So I kept it in.
**********************

Microsoft's Pseudo Sudo Patent [Patents]

By John Herrman on Unix

So, how exactly did Microsoft—those bastards!—end up patenting Sudo, a years-old Linux command line tool, without someone stepping in to stop them? Easy! They didn't.

The story inspired widespread hyperventilation last week, most of which revolved around a few impassioned quotes:

Here it is, patent number7617530. Thanks, USPTO, for giving Microsoft, which is already a monopoly, a monopoly on something that's been in use since 1980 and wasn't invented by Microsoft. Here's Wikipedia's description of sudo, which you can meaningfully compare to Microsoft's description of its "invention".

This from Groklaw, a site that specializes in free and open source software legal affairs, i.e. exactly this kind of thing. But for whatever reason—zeal? clicks?—their reading of the patent, which we picked up, turn out to overblown. Says Sudo maintainer Todd Miller, via Ars:

I've already received a number of questions about US patent 7,617,530 that some people seem to believe might cover sudo. I don't think that is the case," he wrote. "Sudo simply doesn't work this way. When a command is run via sudo the user is actively running the command as a different user. What is described in the patent is a mechanism whereby an application or the operating system detects that an action needs to be run with increased privileges and automatically prompts the user with a list of potential users that have the appropriate privilege level to perform the task.

So, if not this, then what does the Microsoft patent cover? Back to Ars:

Specifically, it describes a user interface which displays accounts that have the necessary rights to perform an action when the user is blocked from performing an action that requires higher access privileges.

These are similar, but not patent similar.

Turns out, though, that there is a Linux tool called PolicyKit just like what Microsoft patented, which prompts users to switch to a higher-level user account when they hit against a permissions barrier. It was created after the patent was filed, but before it was made public. So, Microsoft, on all counts: not guilty. [ArsTechnica]

But... it's still just a phone!

(with all credit and thanks to XKCD.COM)

This really is about how I feel:


Do I lose geek cred for having a phone that I use JUST as a phone? I mean, I WANT a Droid. I really do. I went to the Verizon store a couple of days ago and lovingly fondl... I mean worked with it for about 20 minutes.

But at the end of the day it's still just a phone, and I still just make calls and occasionally text my wife. If I'm anywhere, it is with a laptop and internet connection.

Now maybe someday I'll find myself in that weird situation where I *need* to answer email but either can't get to it because the firewall blocks it or there's no wifi signal. but it hasn't happened yet.

So my Droid lust is just that - lust. Physical desire without any emotional relevance or connection to a relationship beyond it's own gratification.

HOW TO: Copy/Burn YouTube videos to DVD

A friend just asked me this, so I figured I would post it here for anyone else's amusement/information/disgust.

1) google (yes, it *is* a verb, dammit!) ' "how to" burn youtube video to dvd'
2) pick the second link cause it looks close and isn't a video and I am waaaaaaay too ADHD to sit through a video
http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/62762/how-download-and-burn-youtube-video-dvd
3) read the instructions
4) re-word the instructions because I truly do believe the world gave me a red pen with which I have the divine right to edit anything I feel is substandard. Ah, the joy of ego.
5) Decide that those instructions won't work
6) Modify instructions
7) stir and add salt to tas... wait a minute.

OK, here you go:

1) Check if your DVD burning software can burn AVI files to DVD.
2) If you know it CAN'T, go here: http://www.dvdflick.net/ and download (and install) the (free) software. This *will* burn an AVI video file to DVD. And it's free. Did I mention it's free?

3) go to YouTube and go to the video you want to burn to DVD
In the upper right corner of the screen, there is the URL link. Make sure you have that link (copy/paste, whatever). It's going to look sort of like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs

3) Go to http://vixy.net/

4) on the main page, in the BIIIIG box marked "URL", put the youtube address you grabbed in step 3. The first step 3. Oh, you weren't paying attention?
5) Choose the AVI format
6) click Start
7) go get a cup of coffee. A reeeeaaaalllly big cup of coffee

8)nowthatyougotareallybigcupofcoffeeyoucanreadtextlikethisanditwilltotally
makesensebecauseyouareprobablywireduponcaffeenlikethatsquirrelfromthe
movieoverthehedgesoyoushouldgogetsomeotherthingsdonelikecurecancerand
brokerpeaceinthemiddleeastbecasuebythetimeyouaredonewiththatthevideocopy
willbedoneandyourcaffienwillhaverunout

9) take a deep breath. use the defibrilator if you need it.

10) On the Vixy.net screen you should see a link at the top that says "Download the converted video". Click it.

11) Don't worry about the "Bad Request" page you see in your browser. You should ALSO see a download box. Download the video to your computer. Don't forget to make a note of where you put it. Just like your keys, glasses, youthful enthusiasm, socks, virginity and the dog.

12) Now you should go to your DVD burning program OR the DVDFlick software. I don't know anything about either so you are more or less on your own, but it should be pretty straightforward - grab the AVI video and burn it to DVD.

Simple, right?

So accurate it's uncanny

I know this isn't ACTUAL content, but sometimes you find something that is so close to real life that it stops (or starts) being funny. In today's case, I found two things:

http://xkcd.com/627/

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DilbertDailyStrip/~3/8VwQEqvYVME/

Enjoy the humor. Or just shake your head in exhasperation.