Randomness

domesticelefant · 29 Dec 09 :: 17:35

I'm a nervous wreck ... I messed up Cooper again, but the support people were able to help me without having to send him back. How the hell can I know that I have to remove that crappy anti-virus software in the SAFE MODE before installing the new one? Nobody ever told me!!! But okay, they told me what to do and that means to safe all my files again and then reinstall him completely. Oh dear. Maybe I'm not made for the use of technical maschines.

TeeJay · 29 Dec 09 :: 22:19

Samsy wrote:

How the hell can I know that I have to remove that crappy anti-virus software in the SAFE MODE before installing the new one?

That's because that sounds like BS. Why should you only be able to uninstall software in safe mode? But I see your point, anti virus software can be tricky when you wanna install or remove it. I had a similar problem with my desktop computer just two days ago and it kept crashing until I fixed my anti virus software installation. Hope you get it all fixed up!

-TeeJay

TeeJay · 30 Dec 09 :: 01:46

Oh boy, I decided to throw an impromptu New Year's party this year when it became obvious that the party I thought I was attending wasn't happening. Well, it's more gonna be an evening with friends and board games than a party, which suits me just fine. So my mission for tomorrow is: grocery shopping. Great. I hate grocery shopping, especially right before a long weekend where shops are gonna be closed for three and a half days. But there's no way around it if we wanna have food and drink on New Year's.

On top of that, I now also have to clean the bathroom and give the apartment a thorough makeover with the vacuum cleaner. Both chores that are waaaay down on my list too.

So, tell me, WHY exactly did I decide to invite people to my place? Oh, right, because celebrating New Year's alone kinda sucks. Okay then...

Btw, I saw Avatar for the fifth time today. Definitely a record for me, I've never seen a movie this often in the theater, especially in such a short time. Even though it was in 3D and English, I couldn't really savor it because all the kids (and a large portion of the grown-ups) in the theater were very noisy and restless and distracting. I guess when it comes to the theater-going experience, I'm very anti-social. I'd rather have the whole room to myself than share it with 200 people.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 30 Dec 09 :: 03:38

Bodhi finally went home just now. All in all, once we figured out how to work around his skittishness and wanting to stay outside and run wild, it was enjoyable for me. I don't want to do it again anytime soon, but I do want to do it again someday. And my payment for it was getting back the TV Casey and I used to share, which is a big, nice Panasonic. TeeJay will remember it. I've had no TV in the living room for a couple of years now. And a funny tee-shirt and a beautiful box of assorted Cuban pastries direct from Miami.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 30 Dec 09 :: 07:58

I hope you get your computer fixed again soon, Anne.

TeeJay · 30 Dec 09 :: 16:08

Okay, this is seriously weird. My phone just rang (unknown number) and I thought it was Lars, so I answered it. There's a guy at the other end, asking for Petra. I told him there is no Petra here. He repeated the number he had and it was mine. He said he got it from a Petra who he met on "Dateline" (probably some online dating service because I don't think we have a TV show in Germany that's called that), so someone was either pulling his leg or he wrote down a wrong number.

So far, so good. Then he asked me if I was on Dateline, and I told him no. And then he asked if I was looking for people to date. I figured, hey, why lie, so I said, yeah, sure, I'm single and I'm looking, but not through dating services. We exchanged a few pleasantries, but he mentioned he was probably too old for me (49). He did ask me to describe myself, and he seemed very interested, but, sorry, I'm not too keen on dating a 49-year-old guy I've only just "met" by chance on the phone. That may be awfully prejudiced, but this was just a little too random for my taste. Oh well, I hope he finds his Petra...

-TeeJay

EOcean214 · 30 Dec 09 :: 16:11

That's craziness TeeJay! I'm suprised you actually staid on the phone to talk to him!

TeeJay · 30 Dec 09 :: 16:12

Well, you know, I figured: What's the harm in engaging this guy in a little talk to find out more about him? Might have been a wasted a opportunity and he did sound genuine enough. Still, as soon as he said he's 49, I knew I didn't wanna go any further than this phone call.

Now, am I being paranoid if I'm now having thoughts of a) this guy digging up my address online (because, yes, I'm listed in the phone book) and turning up at my door and b) this being a prank call made by someone whose voice I don't know, which was initiated by someone I know? Not that I can think of anyone who'd have any animosities against me to go route b), but you never know who you might have pissed off in your life without really noticing it.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 30 Dec 09 :: 16:29

Could be worse. I had this very creepy phone message left or me once. It was just a very specfic snippet of Silence Of The Lambs --- the part where Lecter is sizing up Clarice and it gets a little nasty. It's the same snippet they slightly misquoted in Infestation, which I will tell you kind of wigged me out a little the first time I saw it. At first, I thought it was my friend Jud screwing around, but he swore it wasn't him. I finally concluded, right or wrong, that it was probably this older guy, Francis who was a customer at The Movie Store when I was managing it. We used to chat a lot when he would come in and I always thought he was gay. He asked me out for dinner and I went because I thought it was just a friendly thing. Apparently, he was really straight and really liked me. Like your phone guy, he was about 20 years older than me and I was not interested in him that way at all. I never went out with him again, and that little message was payback, I think. Him trying to cut me down to size and tell me I was not hightone enough for him anyway.

People are nutz! Hope your guy just goes away quietly.

TeeJay · 30 Dec 09 :: 16:53

Well, at any rate, I just called the Telekom and had my details removed from the phone book. I've been meaning to do it for a while because I don't really see the point in modern times of cell phones and e-mail. All it does is open doors for spam calls of people trying to sell me a new, better DSL service or tell me I've won a great prize in a lottery I never entered.

This guy didn't seem like the creepy kind, though of course you never know. I don't think he's gonna call again.

I also had another weird chance encounter the other day. I'm not sure I mentioned this before, but at FANTASYDAYS, there was this guy, Werner, who hit on me, but in a very clumsy way. At first I was flattered, but when I heard that he had tried this gig on a whole lot of other girls, it didn't feel quite so complimentary anymore. In retrospect, I also realized he was a little drunk that evening. He did give me his phone number and address, which has since ended up in the trash. He wasn't unattractive, but also at least ten years older than me, and there was just something there I can't put my finger on that I felt uncongenial about.

You always meet people twice in life, isn't that what they're saying? The second time I "met" him, I didn't really meet him. It was the November Trekdinner, and just from the corner of my eye, I saw him leaving the restaurant/pub we always meet at. I don't think he saw me, but all I could think is: Shit, this guy seems to hang out in the same places you do.

However, that's not where the story ends. The week before Christmas, I was awaiting a package that hadn't arrived, even though amazon.de said they sent it and DHL tracking said it had arrived. So I went to the Monheim post office to ask where it might be. While I'm standing there in line to wait for my turn, I look up --- and who's working there behind the counter? Bingo. Werner. There were three other tellers, and guess who served me. Bingo again. So now he knows where I live. And he wasn't able to help me find the package either (which has, by now, thankfully turned up with the help of amazon.de customer service). Talk about creepy. Lately I seem to be a true nerd magnet. Gah!

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 30 Dec 09 :: 17:16

That's kinda like how I keep running into my childhood friend, Gary all over the place. We really have NOTHING in common anymore. He's kinda scary these days. Way into guns, etc. I suspect he'd hate me if he really knew me. Bottom line is I really don't want anything to do with him anymore, but he seems to be everywhere...

TheCentralScrutinizer · 30 Dec 09 :: 17:21

Yeah, because Albany, OR is such a huge terrorist target. God, people are stupid!

http://www.accessatlanta.com/celebritie … z_hm&imw=Y

TheCentralScrutinizer · 30 Dec 09 :: 17:26

Too bizarre. Talk about chance encounters:

http://www.ajc.com/lifestyle/a-moo-ving … ntlid=sldr

See? You never know...

TheCentralScrutinizer · 30 Dec 09 :: 17:34

Hilariously WEIRD Japanese toys...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/3 … &&&&&&&&&&

Yeah, it's dead around here. Just me and one tech. Everyone else is still on holiday.

domesticelefant · 30 Dec 09 :: 23:40

TeeJay wrote:

Samsy wrote:
How the hell can I know that I have to remove that crappy anti-virus software in the SAFE MODE before installing the new one?
That's because that sounds like BS. Why should you only be able to uninstall software in safe mode? But I see your point, anti virus software can be tricky when you wanna install or remove it. I had a similar problem with my desktop computer just two days ago and it kept crashing until I fixed my anti virus software installation. Hope you get it all fixed up!
-TeeJay

I managed! Finally! Had some problems to start the computer with their Application/Support CD, but I called the support guys again and they helped me. So I uninstalled the anti-virus software that was originally on Cooper. Tomorrow I'll install Antivir again. Question is, should I install it in the safe mode or can I do it in the normal mode? I just want to do it before I'll go online with him again, of course.
Dude ... I am still a bag of nerves here ... I mean, I love working with computers but not in that way.

TeeJay · 31 Dec 09 :: 00:16

I have never installed a program in safe mode, not even anti virus software. I have installed Antivir on three computers recently (Win XP and Win 7) and it's all worked fine in normal Windows mode. It might even be unadvisable to install in safe mode because not all the Windows background processes work in safe mode and some of them might be needed for insalling Antivir. However, that's just a guess. But, hey, if it doesn't work, at least you'll know now how restore Cooper, right?

I'll cross my fingers that it'll work. I'm sure you'll manage. Live and learn, right?

Btw, I'm using the latest free version of ZoneAlarm together with Antivir on my new laptop now and it's working just fine. I've heard recently that only using the Windows firewall isn't particularly safe and is asking for trouble.

-TeeJay

domesticelefant · 31 Dec 09 :: 01:46

TeeJay wrote:

I have never installed a program in safe mode, not even anti virus software. I have installed Antivir on three computers recently (Win XP and Win 7) and it's all worked fine in normal Windows mode. It might even be unadvisable to install in safe mode because not all the Windows background processes work in safe mode and some of them might be needed for insalling Antivir. However, that's just a guess. But, hey, if it doesn't work, at least you'll know now how restore Cooper, right?

Oh yeah, that I definitely do know now. LOL

TeeJay wrote:

Btw, I'm using the latest free version of ZoneAlarm together with Antivir on my new laptop now and it's working just fine. I've heard recently that only using the Windows firewall isn't particularly safe and is asking for trouble.

Really? I was using only the Windows firewall and I never had any problems. But I'll look into some other firewalls. I don't want Cooper to catch any bugs. (LOL!)

TeeJay · 31 Dec 09 :: 01:58

Samsy wrote:

Really? I was using only the Windows firewall and I never had any problems. But I'll look into some other firewalls. I don't want Cooper to catch any bugs. (LOL!)

It's not only about catching bugs, it's about people being able to hack into your computer and possibly using your data for malicious purposes. Do you do online banking with your computer? You also might not notice when you're being hacked (which is the point of hacking, I guess), so saying you've never noticed any problems doesn't really mean much. Of course the Windows firewall is better than nothing, but it's not the safest firewall out there.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Dec 09 :: 02:39

You don't wanna get hacked, Anne. I was hacked in 2004 and $1200 was stolen from my bank account. They also crashed my computer.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 31 Dec 09 :: 08:53

I hope that strange guy goes away, TJ. He sounds creepy. You should block his number.

domesticelefant · 31 Dec 09 :: 11:44

TeeJay wrote:

Samsy wrote:
Really? I was using only the Windows firewall and I never had any problems. But I'll look into some other firewalls. I don't want Cooper to catch any bugs. (LOL!)
It's not only about catching bugs, it's about people being able to hack into your computer and possibly using your data for malicious purposes. Do you do online banking with your computer? You also might not notice when you're being hacked (which is the point of hacking, I guess), so saying you've never noticed any problems doesn't really mean much. Of course the Windows firewall is better than nothing, but it's not the safest firewall out there.
-TeeJay

I do online banking, but I don't have any of the data saved on this computer. So, which Firewall should I install to be safe? Is Zonealarm free? A few years ago a guy told me that Zonealarm isn't that good, but well ... ask different people and you get different opinions. If Zonealarm works with the normal Windows firewall, I'll happily try it.
I have reinstalled antivir, but nothing of the other software yet. Strangely, Cooper currently doesn't feel like Cooper anymore ... but I'm afraid of transferring all my data back. What if the blue screen still returns?

TeeJay · 31 Dec 09 :: 12:42

Anne: I looked at some online software tests recently and one from May 2009 said ZoneAlarm free is one of the best free firewalls out there. There's another one called Comodo Personal Firewall that's also supposed to be good, but it's not so easy to set up and handle. If you decide to use ZoneAlarm, I recommend to switch the Windows firewall off completely.

No idea what to do if the bluescreen returns. It's so hard to figure out why they happen and the most radical thing to get rid of them is to reinstall the whole operating system from scratch. Which is what you've just done. This is a science in and of itself. You could try to remove different softwares one by one and see if the bluescreens still shows up.

Mel: I can't block his number because a) my telecom provider doesn't offer that kind of service (at least I don't think they do, not unless you have a good reason, like a harrassment complaint filed with the police) and b) I don't have this guy's number because he didn't transmit his number when he called.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Dec 09 :: 17:20

OK, don't start doing that @ thing here. It just looks silly.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 31 Dec 09 :: 18:26

Sick freak. If he tried that with my dog, I'd be the one to lose it. And he'd be the one getting his head pounded into the asphalt...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/3 … 07855.html

Editsound · 01 Jan 10 :: 02:04

As my daughter described it, "God is trying to add as much suckiness in at the end of the year" A couple of months ago, we teamed up with my in-laws to buy my son a car for his 18th birthday. It was used, and we had looked for months for the right combination of car and price and had finally found the perfect one. Well, I got a letter today from the DMV (department of motor vehicles for those of you out of the country), saying we couldn't register the car. Well, several phone calls later, I learn that the car dealership had sold a car which couldn't be legally registered in California. It is long and complicated but it involves the emissions requirements in California and the actions of the previous owner, but the result is we can't keep the car. The dealership is part of a large company, and they are saying they are going to make it right, but....My son is still going to lose his first car,

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