Sunday, March 30, 2008

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Installing Windows Vista Business SP1 on a MacBook Pro
First dilemma - how the hell do you open the Windows Vista box ?
It looks like a book and has a curved front along the left side of the box. But it doesn't open along the left side.
After breaking the box into pieces & still not being able to access the disk, I look online for Windows support and find out the box opens along the Z axis from down on the lower right.
This is going to go well.
I begin to partition my HD with Boot Camp Assistant. A few minutes into this and the computer crashes. oboy.
Fortunately, the partial partitioning somehow ate up a bunch of diskspace that I do not know how to clear, but now I do not have enough room to install Vista or do much else on the Mac side, either, for that matter. So it's time to wipe & reinstall Mac & lose my purloined Acrobat & InDesign.
No rest for the wicked.....
Re-installed Mac
Ran updates
Everything looks ok
Start up Bootcamp, partition works ok - start Windows installation.....
yeesh
This thing starts and stops so many times I don't know what the hell is going on.
Looked like everything was done, so I inserted the Mac installer disk to load Apple specific drivers & tried to run the installer but I kept getting a message saying I could not install because I had a "pending restart".
Sorta weird as I never saw a dialogue box saying I needed to restart and that I could do it now or later. So I restarted, and then I was able to install the drivers & Bootcamp control panel. It is just like the typical Mac startup disk control panel for anybody who remembers or still boots into OS9.
So, 4.5 hrs after I started I was booting back & forth between OSs.
Now I just have to install plug ins, applications on the Mac side, set up email and Airport....
ugh
Do that tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Well, according to this article in the Fishwrap, CityLink will be putting a stop to West End redevelopment and will probably throw a wet blanket on OTR and The Brewery District's plans to improve their neighborhoods as the suburban non-denominational "churches" will suck the poor and their problems from the surrounding tri-state area and concentrate them in barracks in an old factory in the West End.
Congratulations. A delicate area that offered some hope is probably now doomed to be crowded with wandering, derelict drug addicts looking to score and to support their habits by preying on anybody who will still live in the area.
Triumph of the Ignoroids.
Streetcar arguments that make me laugh.

Criminals will wait at stops to make their getaway from crime scenes on a streetcar (that will probably have internal cameras) along a fixed route at 25mph (tops) while making frequent stops.(Criminals are more likely run down a maze of alleyways and backyards or use an old junk car (likely stolen) that is easily discarded.)

Dope dealers and hookers will hang out on streetcars and sell their goods and services. (These people need some privacy to do their work which is why they use fairly deserted neighborhoods to ply their trade.)

People will be shot at like targets in a shooting gallery while riding streetcars because that is what inner city people do. (Disgruntled suburbanites are more likely to fire from wooded hillsides at passing motorists on the highway. People engaged in the black market (that our vice laws provide them) are more concerned with enforcing their illegal deals than in murdering prospective customers.)

Streetcars will be subsidized. (As opposed to a subsidized road/highway system, trash pickup, police service, fire departments, public schools.....)

People don't use a goofy looking bus that is supposed to look like a 19th century trolley car, so nobody will use a modern streetcar (Which has much better entry and exit and actually goes places people want to go all day instead of for a few hours on Fridays.)

It doesn't go anywhere. (As opposed to a system of cul-de-sacs? Points of interest along the proposed streetcar route include Great American Ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium, Music Hall, The Aronoff, Findlay Market, The Contemporary Art Center... no, no Applebee's along the way.)

It only serves a small segment of the population. (As opposed to YOUR neighborhood?)

It's too expensive. (The estimated ROI is greater than 2:1 and de-blighting a central neighborhood and subsequently reducing the blight of the surrounding neighborhoods is priceless. It is an investment to provide opportunities for current and new residents.)

It will be full of bums. (These guys save every penny for dope/booze. They would rather walk 5 miles for a fix than spend a dime on transit.)

We need to eliminate crime before we invest in anything new. (A lot of the crime in the downtown area exists elsewhere but is not out in the open. Anyway, we haven't solved crime in about 6000 years of human history, so whatchagonnado ?)

It doesn't serve enough people. (It is an investment in growth. Ridership will likely be lower in the beginning than later as more housing and business come online.)

The streetcar is a step backwards. (Right. It is, but it's an old neighborhood we are talking about. We are in a position of having a basketful of lemons & we should commence to making some goddamned lemonade NOW. The downtown area was designed prior to the automobile and, to make this old area work, we need to use the transit method that worked before. Communities need to work and compete on their unique strengths and qualities. Streetcars in downtown Cincinnati make sense - streetcars in Springdale make no sense.)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008


Some real helpful management tips (that might land you in the hospital)


Tuesday, March 18, 2008

I don't understand the media's amazement that a black guy could become governor of New York. Do they think black guys are dumb ? Do they think that the Klan and racists in NY are so prominent that they would have the ability to keep a black guy out of office ?
Paterson's dad was a successful politician in NY. As I look at elected officials across the country, I see plenty of black men and women holding office. Heck, Rapid City, SD, with maybe a 1% black population has/had a black mayor.
What I don't see out there are many handicapped politicians. Why isn't this a bigger deal than the color of this guy's skin ?
Paterson has to be a seriously smart and brave man to take on such a post with his handicap. A politician needs to be able to "get around". Even being in a wheelchair would make it hard to do one's job as an elected official. Not being able to read, to be able to take notes that can be easily found is a tremendous handicap for a person who has to assess problems and then find ways to deal with them.
Dealing with people face to face is also a problem for blind and visually impaired people as they cannot make out people's facial expressions or body language.
By all accounts, David Paterson has dealt with all these adversities admirably. I hope he succeeds for himself & for New York.
I just don't understand why the media is so fixated on race over handicap. Black people run the gamut, nowadays, from the boardroom to the homeless shelter. Black people are successful all the time, folks. This one goes to the gimps.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

Robert's on Miami
I have had 2 occasion's to eat at Robert's on Miami in downtown Urbana, Ohio. Neither occasion was terribly celebratory (funerals) but the quirky atmosphere, great service and excellent food helped make for delightful events.
Seriously, my dining there has led me to recommend a friggin' restaurant in Urbana, Ohio !
Located at 116 Miami Street, just west of the square, it is easy to find & has a handy parking lot right next door.
they offer a decent wine list and a menu loaded with pasta, seafood & desserts.
Don't let the hideous website and photography fool you !
(their area code is 937)

Friday, March 07, 2008

Springfield, Ohio's People's Choice Awards
Supporting local businesses isn't a priority, unfortunately.
Anyway, be sure to check this out before making your vacation plans.

Restaurant
1. Texas Roadhouse
2. Red Lobster
3. Casey's

Family restaurant
1. Joe's U.S. 40 Grille
2. Collier's
3. Bob Evans

Pizza
1. Hickory Inn
2. Donatos
3. Cassano's

Barbecue
1. Rudy's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
2. Riddle's Ribs
3. Texas Roadhouse

Sub sandwich
1. Our Hero
2. Subway
3. Penn Station

Breakfast
1. Bob Evans
2. Perkins
3. Cracker Barrel

Burger
1. Wendy's
2. Groeber's Lounge
3. Burger King

Steakhouse
1. Texas Roadhouse
2. Lone Star
3. Casey's

Mexican restaurant
1. Los Mariachis
2. El Toro
3. Mi Jalapeno

Asian restaurant
1. Golden Bowl
2. Hung Lung
3. Golden Chopsticks

Buffet
1. Golden Corral
2. Ryan's (sorry, now out of business)
3. Golden Bowl

Best place to play darts
1. Savoy Lounge (tie)
1. Buffalo Wild Wings (tie)
2. Murphy's Irish Pub

Romantic dinner
1. Casey's
2. Mela Urban Bistro
3. Cecil & Lime Cafe

Best place to shoot pool
1. Backstreet Billiards
2. Forest Lake (tie)
2. Savoy Lounge (tie)

Doughnuts
1. Schuler's
2. Krispy Kreme
3. Tim Hortons

Ice cream
1. Young's Jersey Dairy
2. Hershey's at Smith's Market
3. Dairy Queen

Cup of coffee
1. Tim Hortons
2. Speedway
3. Un Mundo Cafe

Bar
1. Savoy Lounge
2. G.Z. Pete's
3. Blackhorse Tavern

Drive-through carryout
1. Ooh Ooh
2. Wendy's
3. Valero

Best place to skateboard
1. Mitchell Boulevard skate park
2. Enon Park (tie)
2. Yellow Springs Bike Path (tie)

Bowling alley
1. Northridge Lanes
2. Victory Lanes
3. Shamrock

Golf course
1. Reid Park
2. Snyder Park
3. Windy Knoll

Karaoke
1. Murphy's Irish Pub
2. Hero's
3. Savoy Lounge

Festival
1. South Vienna Corn Festival
2. Fair at New Boston
3. Summer Arts Festival

Local band
1. Callahan
2. Cosmos
3. Override

High school marching band
1. Kenton Ridge
2. Shawnee
3. South (tie)
3. Graham (tie)

Teen hangout
1. Upper Valley Mall
2. The After Studio
3. Applebee's

Best place to ride a bike
1. Springfield to Yellow Springs
2. Buck Creek State Park
3. Simon Kenton Bike Path

Best place to stargaze
1. Buck Creek State Park
2. Your backyard
3. George Rogers Clark Park

Best place for kids to play
1. Chuck E. Cheese's
2. Snyder Park
3. Veterans Park

Best place to avoid kids
1. Your home (no, seriously)
2. Rosy's Press Box
3. Savoy Lounge

Best place to people watch
1. Upper Valley Mall
2. Fair at New Boston
3. Dayton International Airport (tie)
3. Yellow Springs (tie)

Hair salon
1. Great Clips
2. The Styling Gallery
3. Oasis

Spa
1. Oasis
2. Reflections
3. Mallia

Best one-tank weekend getaway
1. Cincinnati
2. Hocking Hills
3. Columbus

Thrift store
1. Goodwill
2. St. Vincent De Paul
3. Animal Welfare League

Jeweler
1. David Garrett
2. Kay
3. Ridgewood

Pawn shop
1. Max's
2. Rose City
3. Rich's

Best place to get a tattoo
1. Thin Lizzy's
2. Dream Merchant
3. Gailz Tattooz

Car repair
1. Rogers' Garage
2. Sexton's Shop
3. Bill Marine Auto Center

Book shop
1. Logos Christian Bookstore
2. Barnes & Noble
3. Waldenbooks

Clothing store
1. Kohls
2. Macy's
3. J.C. Penney

Sporting goods store
1. Dick's
2. Meek's
3. Reco
I sure as hell didn't expect to see this while I was flipping past GAC.
The Velvet Underground sure made some good music 40 years ago !
Now, if Brian Paisley would cover Train Comin' Round the Bend.....