Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tales

I've found the only way I can enjoy watching SHIELD. I watch it like I used to "watch" TV: as background noise. Don't really listen to it, don't look at the TV.

Now and then I did pay more attention, and things were so unrealistic. Example: Annoying what's her face hacker was giving a briefing on whatever, sharing all the info she googled. She whined about her security cuff, left. One character said they were being really hard on her. Other responded that she lost their trust. First one: Well with this [briefing] she's come a long way towards earning it back.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over. She did ONE JOB, one basic task that is part of the job they hired her for, and that makes her even an inch more trustworthy? NO. NO IT DOES NOT.

All the dialogue was just so unbelievable too. What's his face, leading man McFighting Fighter said outright he wished the enemy was something he could fight instead of something he didn't understand -- so cliche! The more I listened to it, the more I heard how badly written it was.

I won't even comment on how unrealistic the episode's final action scene was. Gods above, how stupid and unrealistic.

So, I think I've finally given up on this show. I may continue to "watch" it, but I won't watch it.

The Walking Dead. I'd be so done with this show if I thought the change that happened this week was permanent. ( Cut for spoilers for this week's ep. )

I feel very disgruntled with TV at the moment.

Kindle: I've been going back and forth on getting one for years. I have an iPad that I do all my reading on, but it's very big. Taking it when I have to go somewhere is a pain -- it doesn't fit in my purse at all.

Someone who is no longer on my friends list (for unrelated reasons) told me a Kindle was basically no different than an iPad when it came to ebooks. I used that information as part of my decision-making for buying it. Unfortunately it was very, very wrong. I assume that former friend had no idea what an iPad was or what it does.

Kindles do not have a touchscreen*. iPads do. That's a massive difference. The Kindle controls are so clunky that I feel like I've gone back 20 years tech-wise. I know I shouldn't be surprised, since the Kindle cost about $90 and my iPad over $900**, but I wish I hadn't gone into it with the expectation that they were anything alike. (*You can buy a Kindle/touchpad hybrid, but the default Kindle does not. **First gen iPad. They're a lot cheaper now.)

It is a lot smaller though, which was one of the reasons I bought it. It's about the third of the size of my iPad, and could easily fit in a purse:

(Forgive the glare. Also, I have no idea what that line is on the iPad screen, but it's not a crack.)

So, I think I'm going to keep using my iPad for reading at home. It's just too nice and easy to use. But, when I have to take my reading with me, I'll grab the Kindle.

I should say, if one doesn't compare it to an iPad, it's a nice little device. It feels great to hold, it's tiny (yet a good size for reading from). I keep coming back to the limitations though. I could read from my iPad in the dark, but the Kindle has no backlighting. That same ex-friend said the Kindle is easier to read from (text clarity), but I find that's not at all the case. ...I keep trying to write about the positives of it, yet I keep coming back to the negatives.

Let's leave it at this: If you're trying to decide between an iPad and a Kindle, and money isn't an issue, get the iPad. If you want an ereader you don't have to pay hundreds for, get the Kindle (or some other dedicated ereader). If you're deciding based on features, the iPad. Ease of carrying around, the Kindle.

Edit: Fixed, YAY! tersa is the bestest!

Neverending computer problems, I tell you. So the wireless keyboard and mouse came today. Keyboard is spiffy, but I need to get used to the mouse still (buttons are different and I keep right clicking everything when I don't intend to). The problem is the monitor/display! For nearly three hours now I've been trying to make this work, and all I have is a headache.

On my laptop, everything looks fine. Looks great, even. On the monitor, everything looks wrong. Pixelated, the size seems slightly off somehow. Text is slightly blurry (enough to drive my eyes crazy, but I'm having a hard time seeing how it's off).

I noticed the laptop is using only about three-fourths of the screen to display things (there's black on the left and right that even the task bar doesn't use, dead screen). On my monitor, it uses the whole thing from end to end. So I assume the image is being stretched, which is causing all my issues?

So that should be resolution, yes? But I've tried every one and none of them work right. I'm using the closest one now.

On my previous machine, I'm nearly certain I didn't have to set up a custom resolution, I picked one of the available ones.

Google is no help, or I'm not using good search terms. Arg, I want to do things tonight!

Sometimes I have to use an uncreative title like that, because I'm not sure if it's a YAY or a BOO post.

The repair shop was supposed to update me last night, by noon today at the latest.

If I wanted to get a new laptop overnighted through Amazon to arrive on Friday, the order had to be placed by 11:45.

At 11 I called and talked to the tech. He's waiting to get a new power supply to plug into my machine and see what starts and what doesn't. (He said my graphics card still looked good, for what that's worth.) He said he might know by 1.

While last night was sort of relaxing and I got a ton of housecleaning done, I cannot continue on without a computer. (Picture me with the back of my hand dramatically placed to my forehead.)

So I ordered a new laptop, this one. It should arrive tomorrow, hopefully early. HOPEFULLY EARLY, hear that, world? I have to go to the dentist in the afternoon, if I miss the delivery I may have to scream.

Worse comes to worst (best comes to best?) if the desktop can be repaired cheaply, I would like a backup machine anyway. This "having no computer because one died" thing sucks, and it's not the first time I've gone through it. However, the more I think about it, the less I have any confidence it can be repaired at all, let alone cheaply. If it's just the power supply and that costs only a couple hundred, then maybe I'll go for it (I have a $100 or so credit at the place anyway). But I don't want to sit here with no machine hoping for that.

Reinstalling everything is going to be such a pain, and there's going to be data loss as well. I wish I remembered how long ago my last backup was, I want to say less than two weeks ago, but it's not exactly something that sticks out in my memory.

At least reinstalling and updating WoW is faster than FFXI. (Sorry, veloxe!)

I love Amazon Prime. Any item overnighted for $3.99. Such a win.

It's times like this I wish I knew more about computers. I picked this one based on reviews (both "professional" reviews and ones like users on Amazon). This will be my first laptop (I know, I live in the stone age), but I'm looking forward to it being smaller than a desktop machine.

I just wish I wouldn't have to reinstall everything. Sigh! I know for months I'll be running into missing programs and trying to find old things I used to like. But on the other hand, yay that I'm in a situation where I'm able to buy a new one and not sit around without one forever.

Anyone who uses Netflix, be sure to read any email/mail you get from them. If you have both DVD and streaming access, your membership cost will now nearly double.

Your current $9.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:

Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $7.99 a month

Your price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). You don't need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs.

I've been forcing myself to watch a movie a week for so long to make the $10/month worth it (which even for one movie totally isn't), and so this gives me a darned good excuse to finally quit. I really don't know why I was forcing myself to stay.

Bye bye, movie of the week!

Years back, I got a gift card to Borders. Even back then it wasn't a great gift for me; though I was still reading the dead tree version of books at the time, I was buying them all through Amazon. As I didn't much care about the card, I didn't keep track of where it was, and eventually lost it.

Fast-forward to a few months ago and news that Borders was going out of business. Well, I supposed I better find that card! Eventually I did. So, with it in hand, I stepped foot in a bookstore for the first time in ages.

Thankfully the store had non-book items, but nothing I wanted. There was a nice backpack, but I already have one I like and I rarely need to use it. I could get something as a gift, but I do all my gift shopping online so I don't have to deal with shipping. I considered some manga (there was a big section of it), but after I read it once I'd be stuck with the physical object.

I spent a good deal of time in the toy section, but even there was nothing I wanted. I was getting grumpy and annoyed, I just wanted to go. I tried to figure out if maybe I could just donate the card, but I had no way to get online and check (the one time I wanted a smart phone!). I almost gave it to a mother with three young boys, but I was afraid it would make me look like some kind of child predator or something.

Eventually I picked out a Lego toy (this one) because it came with a spiffy undead horse thingie (Edit: Which looks nothing like it does on the box. D: ). I ended up having to pay $2.30 in tax, which was really more than I would have paid for the set if I had thought about it, but I just wanted to be rid of the darned gift card.

I should clear off a spot on my desk so I can check the set out.