72 posts tagged “qotd”
When was the last time you drove out of town?
Depends on what you mean by "out of town." Merely leaving the city limits of Cincinnati is no great feat: I probably left the city limits twice yesterday (Mason and Anderson Township).
If you mean "leave the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area," it would be the weekend before last (drove to Indianapolis to see my in-laws).
Today marks the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST). It marks the start of SpringSummerFall, my favorite time of year--even if today, with eleven inches of snow and an unplowed street, it doesn't really seem like it.
It means that, today, the sun sets at 7:39 instead of 6:39 like it did yesterday. In July, we'll have light past nine (get a full table of rise/set times). Long bike rides after work are possible.
Get out there! Enjoy the sun! Be ready for cold snowy days like, well, today.
How did you create your username for VOX? What influenced your decision?
Submitted by Strive2Be.
A phone number I got many years ago, the numbers spelled it out (if you squinted, did a slight rearrangement, interpreted numbers a bit differently, etc.). I thought it was cool, and it grew from there.
Which technology company are you most loyal to?
It's a "for what" sort of proposition:
- For most consumer electronics, I go with Sony.
- An exception, for speakers and perhaps other audio, I go with Bose
- For computer kit, I've become an Apple fanboy for the most part, though I dig Linksys products.
Describe your worst technological failure.
There are too many to count.
One example: back when I was a SysAdmin, I was working in a rack, and needed to turn off a server. These were older servers. A contemporary server, when you just hit the button, will cause the OS to pop up an "are you sure" message. To turn off a computer hard, you have to hold in the button.
On these older boxes, the button was a hard cut to the power, as soon as you release the button.
The problem was, I had pushed the button in on the server above the one I meant to. I realize the mistake just as the button was pushed in. As soon as I moved my hand, the server would be turned off. So, in an imitation of the little Dutch boy with a finger in the dam, I kept my finger on the button.
I flagged down the operator, who called the project, explaining the situation. They turned off monitoring to the box (so it wouldn't alert out), and shut down the applications. I shutdown the operating system, then released the button.
Then started the computer back up again.
If you could add one feature - ANY feature - to your cell phone, what would it be?
I have an iPhone. The one feature I would add would probably be an SDK. :)
What I feel I miss the most would be a native (rather than browser based) IM client. We use IM a lot at work, and it would be nice to be able to have that mobile.
Which web browser do you use? What would you change about it, if anything?
Firefox.
I find version 2 a bit crashy, so more stability would be nice.
My real "what would I cahnge" would be less about browsers but the web. In an ideal world, I would make all sites compatible with all browsers, in so much as possible (i.e. there would be no sites to be "Internet Explore" specific). Obviously, there would be some limitations based on your choice (some phone browsers couldn't do everything, and you can't expect to use Lynx at Flickr). But, SharePoint should work with FireFox on a desktop.
Do you own a webcam? If so, what do you use it for?
Submitted by Strive2Be.
I have a webcam in my MacBook. Though it is underutilized, it is nice to have.
The primary use for it is videoconferencing with my family in Louisiana via Skype. I wish they could do multi-party video conferencing. Skype is nice because it has a fairly straight-forward interface, and is multiplatform.
It gets used here and there when I need to take a quick picture. A few of my pictures here were taken on it. It also proved useful for eBay items. Boring use, I know, but it is handy. The Photo Booth program in Leopard is fun, as it has neat effects. It's a great way to amuse a three-year-old.
I did get on the Seesmic alpha. It was a bit odd. It reminded me of forums, but just with video. With everyone responding to everyone else in video, but not in real time, it felt disjointed. Quite frankly, I think I get a better sense of people from the writing then the thirty-to-sixty seconds of video. It is also a bit more time-demanding that Twitter, Vox, or a forum. You have to watch the videos (you can't skim the text to decide if the thread is still interesting), and have a quasi-quiet place to record responses. I haven't totally given up on it, though.
What's your morning beverage of choice? Coffee, tea, juice? Homemade or store-bought?
I am a coffee drinker. On weekends, I grind beans I purchased (and were roasted) at Lookout Joe's, and brew my own.
During the week....well, I tend to go to Starbucks in my building. I do have a press pot here (for brewing my own, but I haven't used it in a while (and it's kinda scary inside).
2008 is the Year of the Rat. Which animal year were you born in?
It would seem that 1971 is the Year of the Boar. No comments from the studio audience, please.
