http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:thejimmyjames&section=today deviantART RSS for by:thejimmyjames en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:40:09 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/28092715/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/28092715/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:19:09 PST
You can find my new account at that name, just go to and check it out. That's where the stories will be. Lots of you have said that you like the stories so I hope to see you gimme just as much love on my own!

Plllleeeease?

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/28087384/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/28087384/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:55:20 PST
Yes, I will add my stories, and will be writing new ones simply for the purposes of having them at dA. Expect lots of good stuff!

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/27636348/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/27636348/ Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:04:22 PDT
For that reason, I'd like to share my own unique, very different view of Greatest Tech through history. You'll be surprised, I think, to learn what a real geek thinks and likes. It'll be hard to find the latest things, and I'll explain why as we go through the list.

I'll be doing this in several installments over the coming weeks as I'm able to find and review different classes of software. The unfortunate truth is that many applications, games, computers, and peripherals simply either aren't available to me, or no longer exist at all. If there's anything that you remember from the good old days, please, leave a comment and tell me about it. I'll do my best to look it up and find out as much as possible about it!

The bulk of my information comes from years of geekery and love of retrocomputing. The rest comes from Wikipedia and Nathan Lineback's Toasty Technology Page ( [link] )

Are we ready? Let's go!

Greatest Desktop Operating System: Mac OS 8.5 - 9.2.2 (1998-2001)

Yep. I'm naming the final revisions of the classic Macintosh System Software as the greatest desktop OS ever. You'll never run FarCry on it. It can't play Adobe Flash. iTunes Music Store is a pipe dream. So, why in the world do I still use this dinosaur of a system as my main and preferred OS?

It's fast. It's sleek. It gets out of my way. Most of all... no Internet crap.

Ten years ago, the Internet was great. It was a tool for finding information, communicating with your friends, and overall, a great addition to a personal computer. Now the thing is the absolute worst example of bloat on Earth. Social media, cloud apps, Flash, video sites. Augh! Please, let it all crash! I've had it up to my eyeballs with social networking, that much I can certainly tell you. I think the next time I hear about Facebook as though it matters as much as say... General Motors... I'm going to puke. General Motors was worth saving. They employ easily a million people, and produce a billion dollars worth of product a year.

Facebook exists because of gullible venture capitalists who like to shove cash into a money pit. Same goes for Twitter. These wastes of time clog bandwidth and mindshare for what to do on the Web. Now it's hard to find telephones that don't have Myspace or some other junk built in. Why exactly do I need to update my Facebook status when all I want to do is call Jack?

Well, suffice to say that in 1998 when Mac OS 8.5 was released, there was no such thing as the social web. No Google Apps. None of it! You ran programs on a computer to make things. Maybe you use Word 5.1 for your word processing, Aldus Pagemaker for desktop publishing, and Corel Draw! for your graphics. Maybe you're a WordPerfect devotee? Who knows? All those things and more were what you used a computer for back then. Mac OS 8.5 was your go-to guy to run software.

Never as finnicky as Windows 98, the 8.x series of Mac OS brought modern features to the platform, giving stability and speed to the beautiful foundation of System 7. When the software was incremented to OS 8.5, it became a masterpiece. Right-click menus, memory protection, performance increases. Most of all, usability.

Mac OS 8.5 went the opposite direction from Windows 98 in usability. Wheras Windows offered detailed, well-thought-out methods of organizing your programs and documents, OS 8.5 continued the time-honored Macintosh way: The Spacial Desktop.

In the Macintosh Finder, every object goes exactly where you put it. Sure you can turn on a grid or auto-arrange, but then who knows what'll happen? Change the items in a window and they'll move. With a spacial model, they never do. They go where you tell them to go and never move. The interface didn't give you a Start Menu. Instead, you had any number of options to run things. Drop aliases in the Apple Menu, or on the desktop. You could leave programs in their folders and just navigate to them to run them. Whatever. Do it your way!

For simplicity, stability, speed, and lack of Internetcentricy, I throw my lot in with the final major iteration of the classic Mac OS. Releases 8.5 through 9.2.2. The ultimate desktop OS.

1st Runner Up: Windows 98
2nd Runner Up: Be OS
3rd Runner Up: IBM OS/2 3.0

Greatest Desktop Computer: Commodore Amiga (1985-1994)

When talking about the heyday of desktop computing, one name appears early and stays through th... ]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/27042991/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/27042991/ Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:39:37 PDT
It's kinda funny how getting in touch with a repressed girly side will make you realize you don't enjoy things you should. It's crazy how being unabashedly feminine will really cause you to want to be normal.

I'm going to be doing something I've never done in my entire life, and it's something that sounds so backwards. You'd think that going girly would make one like football less, but it's not true. Watching people play a game sounds incredibly enjoyable. Watching it with my girlfriend sounds even better

I want to have more fun, just let go and do things that will make me smile, but it wasn't always like this. For a about a year leading up to my epiphany (when I let myself admit that I'm an emotional, feminine, temperamental girly guy) I turned to the bottle too much. Never the constantly-drunk alcoholic thing... just an inability to meter myself. I'd never get "feeling good." I'd go past it and stay juiced longer than my g/f. The really annoying part is that I'd be consistently drinking half a fifth of drink at once! Yikes!

Well, that set a really annoying precedent, understandably. Now I'd much rather find a way to make myself meter myself. I want to do it on my own, rather than making her treat me like a child

So, this is a question for all of you who like your drinks, and revel in the pleasure of moderation! What are your tricks for getting enough, getting tipsy and chatty, without getting DRUNK? I'd really like to know so that I can enjoy drinking with my g/f again.

Heads up, though: "Just stop drinking completely" type comments are unwelcome.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/26111026/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/26111026/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:00:18 PDT
I saw this at Toys 'R' Us today and now I feel like crying. Is Captain Kirk suddenly Captain Kiroku? Who knows. I didn't feel like finding out. Personally, this feels dirty to me. Star Trek has a very strong American cultural identity, and has a connection to the old epics of Northern Europe in its storytelling. There are many, many parallels between it and European mythology in some places, and then the main bulk of it comes from "Horatio Hornblower".

Add to that, Star Trek was meant to be positive, optimistic. It's about overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of all people, not just some over-powered hero character.

But most of all it feels dirty because... it does. That's really the only reason I need to not like this. The truth is I don't have to explain it to you, you don't deserve an explanation. If you're able to pick a reason out of all this, then good.

If not... too bad.

So, that said...

The artwork in it I guess isn't bad. The Enterprise is well-drawn. The equipment is well-done. The people leave quite a bit to be desired. The cover art is lovely, honestly. Very well-done caricatures of the actors. Inside is a different story. The characters lack detail, or even cues that set them apart. Bones looked like Captain Kirk. And since nobody bothered to color it, a lot is lost. 1960s Star Trek and color are inseparable. Trying to render TOS in nothing more than pencil feels like a hollow attempt. Uhura looked like she was 12, the Klingons looked like mustachioed women, and I swear that the Admiral in it was just some generic background character from like... Tenchi Muyo!

It looks like storyboards, really.

Some things that did look really nice... The Klingon bridge reminded me of the USS Kelvin in the new movie. Rugged and strong without simply being a re-use of the 1990s TNG sets. Thank you guys at least for not making it be more of that blandness.

The titles... okay, they actually annoy me. When I think of Star Trek titles I think of things like, "The Doomsday Machine", "City on the Edge of Forever" and "The Wrath of Khan". But "Kakan ni Shinkou" is in a different language.

I could go on all day about how annoying it is that when our entertainment goes to Japan it'll be translated to Japanese, but when their stuff gets brought over here it'll be left in their tongue. I could go on all day, but I won't. I'll simply say that peeves me.

So, the titles... because they're left needlessly in a different language, I have no idea what the story is, or even any clues at all as to what the devil this is. Why couldn't the title get translated? Laziness?

Who knows.

Anyway... I know that you want me to give it a chance, try it out, but I won't. Why should I bother when there's already so many more interesting things? IDW Publishing has been running excellent Trek comics for several years. They have things I like... such as color, recognizable characters, and titles I can read.

Star Trek manga?

Please go away.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/25738378/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/25738378/ Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:00:37 PDT most generic PCs built in the last five years, a legal copy of Mac OS X that you purchased in the store, and a few resources gathered from about the interwebs... put them together.

And you have your very own fake Macintosh computer. A Hackintosh if you will. I had an unloved PC lying around, a Compaq Presario SR1222NX which I'd dubbed "Gift Horse". It's a pretty decent box, really. 2.8GHz Pentium 4 515 (Prescott), SATA hard drive, a DVD reader and CD burner... but its video is reaaally sad. Intel GMA915. Oh... and it has 512MB of RAM. Sucky.

I had been running Windows 7 RC on it, but that was kinda crappy

Not that 7 isn't okay, it is. But that's it. It's only okay. Not good enough to make me ditch Vista.

Anyway!!

Using steps and resources that you can find on the webs for free, you can take the Mac OS X that you own and turn it into a CD that'll install on your PC. It's best to use the 10.5.x versions, called "Leopard", since they're designed to run on the new Mac computers with Intel processors.

You can use a 10.4 "Tiger" CD if it's an Intel install... but I don't think Apple sold retail copies of it for Intel.

Just go take a gander at the stuff. If you think you've got the guts... try it!!

Please remember though, to back up all of your data!! If you don't, you'll lose it all since Mac OS X will have to format your hard drive.

And there's no guarantee it'll work. Please be careful if you try it.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/22971288/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/22971288/ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:51:30 PST AHH
AHHHH
AHHH
AHHHH
AHH
AHHHHH
AHHH
AHHHH

Yes, I sighed a whole lot.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/22303902/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/22303902/ Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:01:29 PST
As part of Christmas this year, I received a computer. A rather unremarkable Compaq Presario SR1222NX from 2004. It sports a 2.93GHz Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) on an ASUS mobo. It's equipped with a shitty-ass 512MB of DDR 333 (PC2700) RAM, Intel 915 Express integrated graphics, and an 80GB Western Digital SATA hard drive. It had an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 card installed, but I yanked that shit out because I effing hate Nshittia and their crap-ass drivers.

This is NOT impressive. But it was free, so what the fuck. I decided to make it into a cheap media center. I plugged in an extra Westinghouse 19" wide LCD display. Next I added my old Logitech TrackMan Wheel trackball (greatest trackball ever, fools) and a crap Microsoft media keyboard so that I'd have some media control buttons like play/pause, stop, forward, back. All that mess.

Yeah. So I need an OS, right? Well, with those low specs you'd think that all I can run is XP? Wrong, you uneducated cretin. I just happen to have an unused copy of Windows Vista Home Ultimate lying around. Yes. Windows Vista, that Windows version that an Apple-loving tech press decided to dump on because it... >gasp< wasn't perfect when it was first released. Besides, you can't get Windows XP with Windows Media Center from a retail box. Hell, you can't even get XP in a retail box anymore.

It's the small miracles I thank God for, friends.

Now, people say that Vista is slow. People say it's buggy. People say it's resource-hungry. I say that these problems are illusions, fabricated by their simple minds because they simply aren't savvy enough to know how to actually use a computer. Listen to me and you will be educated.

Windows Vista was installed, patched up to Service Pack 1, then every other patch for it was installed so that I had a fully patched system. Then, I followed these steps...

1) I used ReadyBoost. I plugged a 1GB Flash drive into one of the front-panel USB ports and set this drive to use ReadyBoost. ReadyBoost is a feature built into Vista that lets it use dirt-cheap flash drives as extra memory. Yeah, you won't hear about that in any of those article that insult Vista.

2) I deactivated a lot of fluff. Extraneous window animations were one thing (The graphics chipset doesn't support Aero, so I didn't have to turn it off.) Wireless networking was turned off, along with System Restore and Remote Desktop support. Even though Home Premium doesn't include the ability to remote in, the service still runs. Windows Search was also turned off, since I'll do all my file-management manually and search for stuff with Windows Media Center.

3) I didn't expect to have a supercomputer. I had realistic expectations of what this box could do. I didn't go into this thinking that I would magically get the speed of a brand new custom built quad-core 64-bit box with 8GB of RAM. Instead, I knew that some bits would be sluggish. These same things would be sluggish with XP, too.

Now, guess what? I can listen to music, play DVDs, search through my picture collection, and do ALL that shit without having to task my main computer with it all. Oh wow. What a frakkin' concept! I will next explain some really great stuff I do to make things really cool.

I use Microsoft Live Mesh to synchronize my documents and images, meaning that whenever I save nudie pics and porno on my main box, it appears on the media center and I can look at naked elves and gypsies and stuff while listening to Guns N' Roses. Why would I do that? It's because I rule just that damn much.

Next, I use an external hard drive of 128GB in size to do really kickass shit like move giant files around such as CINEMA. Yes. CINEMA. That's a $10 word for flick.

No, it doesn't play games, but then the only games I play are WoW, Mahjohngg Titans, and that addictive little robot game that comes with Windows Vista Ultimate. If I wanna do more than that, Sam got a Nintendo Revolution (suck on that) for Christmas.

To polish it all off, I attatched the satellite speakers to the top of the screen with double-sided tape. Finally, I put a model of the USS Enterprise from the 1964 Star Trek pilot episode starring Jeff Hunter on top of it to fully claim my geek cred.

By now, you're sitting there, scratching your head and wondering just how exactly all this makes me a jerk. Well, it's simple. After doing this, I'm going around and telling all the people I know who dump on Vista just how badass it is that I have a full on media center that I spent $38 on (the cost of the 3-piece speaker set.)

God...

I fuckin' rock.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/20000897/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/20000897/ Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:49:14 PDT [link]

That's where you'll be able to find my work from here out. I've had enough of this place, from the shitty software, to the constant horror stories of people having their work removed without explanation, to the awful categories, to the miraculous ability of dA to magically be "down for maintenance" whenever you want to post to your journal.

The only things I'll post here from now on are collabs with :iconNinjaSammi (I hope I did that right).

To anybody who's watching me, I hope you follow me and ditch this place, too.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/19885145/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/19885145/ Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:37:24 PDT
Firefox on Mac OS X 10.4.11 is far from an uncommon platform. Even if that were the issue, it was happening on Windows Vista sometimes even before this last big screw-up... I mean update to dA.

This place is of less and less use to me every time they "improve" it.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/19171178/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/19171178/ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:25:16 PDT
But you don't get to read it. Thank DA for sucking dick.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/19171116/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/19171116/ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:21:33 PDT
Between the recent "upgrades" to the site, which I ABSOLUTELY HATE, to losing a journal post just now due to "system maintenance", I can honestly say...

This place sucks balls.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18602549/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18602549/ Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:44:23 PDT
To quote Johnny 5... I AM IMPRESSED!

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18544540/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18544540/ Wed, 28 May 2008 13:55:28 PDT
It's been noted as a critical error, and soon I may be back in action with the new builds.

Until then, I'm still liking IE8. I can't wait for the next release of it this fall!

Let's all pray for Firefox!!

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18513829/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18513829/ Mon, 26 May 2008 15:59:12 PDT
That means it doesn't run at all. I can't use software that doesn't run. I've been completely unable to find any sort of information on this problem on the internet.

Before someone tries to be witty and googles it, I've already tried it. I found something similiar from 2004 regarding FF2, but that doesn't work. So ya know what?

Fuck Firefox. I've submitted God knows how many error reports every time the thing crashes, but still every release does the same thing. I even tried it one more time today, same error.

Oh well. I'm liking Internet Explorer 8 Community Technology Preview release quite a bit. There's still a few kinks in the new standards-based rendering mode, but I can run it in IE7 mode and it's perfect. They added the links bar back, and I rather like that. It doesn't ruin IE7's sleek lines too much. I just wish that it could be hidden and brought back at will.

So, for all of you out there who don't have problems running FF3, how is it? I've heard that it's pretty fast, if kinda odd in the UI department. Let me know!!

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18282779/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/18282779/ Mon, 12 May 2008 01:18:53 PDT
OBVIOUSLY NOT.

So, now I'm going to speak to you, on your level, so to speak.

For the last month or so, I've been working evenings. Yes. Weird, huh? NO!

I've had to once again tell off a bunch of people regarding Windows Vista. I do kinda wish I'd gotten to experience a bad install, so I could have some inkling of what these folks are on about.

I DON'T HAVE PROBLEMS WITH IT AND NEITHER DOES ANYBODY ELSE I KNOW!

Goddamn.

It's like Steve Jobs of Apple and David Alan Grier of Google paid everybody off to hate on Vista.

They can all blow me. Really.

I haven't liked Windows this much since Windows NT4.

SHUT UP, I HEARD THAT!!

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/17451676/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/17451676/ Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:40:47 PDT
So to improve it, I went and spent like... HOLY BALLS EIGHTY DOLLARS on this stupid nvidia GeForce 6600 POS video card.

IT SUCKED TOTAL ASS.

The drivers were shit. The performance was like sucking on the cocks of fat bald men who eat way too many pork rinds and think they'd kick ass driving NASCAR cars.

Guess what?

I'll never buy another nvidia turdburglar product again. Fuck their garbage. I finally took the card out and threw it in the trash. I took an $80 thing and just put it in the dustbin.

I SAID DUSTBIN YOU JERK.

Fuck you.

So, fuck nvidia and fuck GeForce crap. Fuck shitty drivers.

Fuck OEMs that don't support Vista.

Fuck Iraq War.

I'm drunk but I destroyed that video card when I was sober.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/17276748/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/17276748/ Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:41:55 PDT
See, now I gotta descend the marble handladder into Hell(TM) by Focus On The Family. 24/7 "Bullshit Sessions" and the Book Club is constantly going through the "Left Behind" series.

This is what people in our world today believe. They think that because you participate in a shared storytelling session about the victory of good over evil...

Then you bad.

Bad is good. Good is bad. All is DUMB.

I don't know where these people get off deciding what's right and wrong for others. I think that these right wing hatemongers would be better served selling mud. Nobody likes mud, and nobody likes them. Perfect. Worthless mud sold by worthless assholes.

And I'll call them all

FRANCOIS

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/16725690/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/16725690/ Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:33:17 PST
What the F is wrong with the world today when a drum machine and 50 people going "OHhhhhhHHHHhhHHH uh uh uh OOHhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh" is music? Why does every song have to be yet another identical gangsta rapper saying the same three things over and over?

Why does music suck so hard? What happened to melody, harmony, and just musicianship in general? That's why metal is about the only worthwhile thing left. There are a few groups who keep it true out there, but not many... People like The Killers, Scissor Sisters, Jonathan Coulton, they're keeping good music alive.

Here in 2008, I do see good things happening. Melodic metal is starting to cram the west coast nu-metal sound out as groups like Dream Evil, Dragonforce, and Iron Savior prove that you can in fact still play good metal. I want to see rock and roll return and destroy all these other things. Rap? See ya. Hip-hop, take a long walk of a short pier, you rap clone.

Here's what you have to do...'

#1) Stop listening to the radio. That's where they get the numbers to say that this bullshit is popular.

#2) Stop buying CDs that aren't rock and roll. I don't give two shits if you like that one worthless rap song, DON'T BUY IT. Only buy good music.

#3) Stop buying these damnable rap ringtones. Not only will it help kill rap, but it'll also save the world from further noise pollution. If you need a good phone ring, how about trying one that sounds like a damn telephone?

#4) Campaign against the RIAA. This is the organization responsible for awarding silver/gold/platinum records and for suing innocent grandmas. The old men who run it have decided that we aren't intelligent enough to decide for ourselves what music is good and how we want to buy and listen to it. Send them a big middle finger by writing your Congressman, asking him to back legislation to ban the RIAA. They stifle freedom and creativity and need to disappear.

#5) Buy rock and roll. Go to rock concerts. Buy their merchandise. Learn how to play guitar, bass, drums, keys. LIVE THE ROCK AND ROLL LIFE! It's way better than the gangsta life because you get to have fun, party all the time, and you don't get shot for the color of shirt you wear.

#6) Insult rap music. All the time. To everybody you know. If someone you know starts playing rap music, tell them to shut it off. I've really gotten to the point where I'm perfectly okay with never hearing "good" rap again if it means the whole genre will just fuck off.

There's lots more you can and should do, too. Pretty much, do anything and everything you can to bring screaming giant guitars, huge synthesizers, tenor rock singers, and all other badassery back.

A vote for rock is not a wasted vote, but a vote for hip-hop is a vote for filth. Thank you.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/12595166/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/12595166/ Sat, 14 Apr 2007 16:43:09 PDT
Let me address some of these issues.

Regarding older versions of software. The publisher of your software has by now, no doubt released some kind of half-assed press release about Vista compatibility, and your 3 year old version of Photoshop CS isn't on the list, in fact, in this example, Adobe says that Photoshop "doesn't support" Vista since it, by their words "wasn't designed for it". Well, I'd just like to point out that when a new OS release appears, there's no telling what will break, but since Windows Vista still fully supports the Win32 API in its entirety, guess what? Photoshop CS will work perfectly. There are no "major issues". Everything functions as expected.

These "notices" are just another form of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) used by publishers to make you think you need to update your very expensive software. Don't sweat it. Install your stuff... if it doesn't work, then look at yout options, but don't take your publisher's word for it, since they're probably lying.

Next, I want to harp on how long it's taking people to get Vista-specific versions of their software out the door. The first beta of Windows Vista arrived in the middle of 2005. That's nearly two years ago. Microsoft has been talking about Longhorn, and showing off all the new features and changes since 2003. Why is it that the apps weren't ready to go the day it was publicly released?

Well, here's how I think it'll go... MS spent five years working on this bad boy... rethinking how everything works, refining, and doing a LOT of actual improving this time... but the 3rd party vendors are going to drag their feet, and eventually drop the ball. They'll release another warmed-over version of the identical software, but up the version number. If I have an app that doesn't upgrade to a version that actually takes advantage of Vista's new capabilities... I'll drop it.

Now, onto hardware drivers. What a fucking joke. OEMs are dropping support for hardware sold just a year or two ago, but then, that's not uncommon when a new Windows release shows up. It's kinda sad just how many PC hardware makers are total pussies, but driver issues are where you can see it. It's SO HARD to find quality drivers and support software. Most times, they can't just give you a driver and use the functionality that the OS provides. Time and again, I see drivers that include stupid, useless software that poorly recreates the function of a pre-existing OS function. Oh yeah, and the programs that are made to do this ALWAYS SUCK HARD.

Last but not least, I want to say a few words about users and pundits. I'm getting really, really tired of all the misinformation that's being thrown around. People who are acting like this is a buggy release, or whatever. I'm really getting annoyed by people throwing the term "bloat" around.

BUT JIIMEY TEH VISTA NEEDS TEH JIGGLEBITE OF RAMM AND TEH GAJILLION TRIKCELBITE OF LARD DRIVEES OMG OMG OMG TEH BLOTE!!!1

Get out of my face. The box-listed minimum requirements are 512MB RAM, 800MHz proc, 10GB HD. I've installed Home Basic on a Celeron 633 with 512MB and guess what... it's great. No issues, save for the crappy old network card not being recognized.

Another whiny complaint I hear from people is that the "graphic card requirements" are, well, you guessed it... "bloated". They're not. Know what it requires? A video card. That's it. Windows Aero Glass requires a DirectX 9 supported card with 64MB+ of VRAM and pixel shading. Did you know that nearly every video card sold in the last two years meets those requirements? Oops.

But it doesn't matter anyway, since Aero Glass isn't core functionality. It's an advanced feature which isn't required for the operation of the system. Sure, it's nice, but you don't NEED Aero Glass to use your computer. Even without Aero Glass, the rest of the system is still greatly enhanced over Windows XP. Enhancements that deliver real improvements.

Sorry, but I don't understand what all the fuss is. Remember, I've been through a major OS transition before. I was a Mac user in 2001, during the transition to Mac OS X, and that was WAY more extreme of a change than XP to Vista, and guess what? Many software publishers dragged their feet. Hardware OEMs sucked it up on getting drivers out. Users complained about how it's "not as good" as the obviously technologically inferior system it replaced.

Now Mac OS X is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If that experience has taught me anything, it... ]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/11399917/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/11399917/ Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:14:24 PST
[link]

First off, is it just me or are these fanatical neo-Christians sounding more and more absurd all the time? Here's one empty headed moron's droolings...

"The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

Baby Jesus is crying over your stupidity. I mean, come on, man... who cares what you think? I don't. You might say that you're smart, but that perspective isn't in this blog post.

Oh, because you're not.

Neither is our next contestant...

"From what I've seen (of the movie) and what my husband has expressed to me, if (the movie) is going to take the approach of 'bad America, bad America,' I don't think it should be shown at all," Gayle Hardison said. "If you're going to come in and just say America is creating the rotten ruin of the world, I don't think the video should be shown."

Yeah, you're a real patriot, sticking up for the USA. I suppose that it's better to destroy the world than say something bad about America. Fucking fag. Sorry, I care more about saving my own skin and preserving my fucking race than about some 2-bit government that takes my money and then takes again without ever giving back. I guess you're just SCARED that people will see this and want to take your Ford Excursion away so you won't be able to drive badly on the highway while running your mouth on a cell phone talking about insipid, stupid, trite crap.

So, to our lesson.

If you, my reader, ever find yourself feeling like these people... that is, feeling you need to open your mouth and whine that your destructive lifestyle shouldn't be threatened just to protect the entire human race... here's what you need to do.

Turn around and walk away.

Once you've done this, and gotten a safe distance away, follow these simple steps.

If you are male, slam your member in a car door. If you're female, crush your breasts underneath a 100lb box of frozen fish. Once this step is complete, go to the store and tell the pharmacist you need some sort of pain reliever and what you did. Let them laugh at you for being a moron. After they give you the pain reliever, then you must go and purchase a bottle of Johnson and Johnson's "No More Tears" baby shampoo to help with your whiny, crying, bitching, moaning, pity-party life.

Then find a cheap prostitute and go all damn night.

That's "getting fucked".

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/11100314/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/11100314/ Sun, 17 Dec 2006 23:39:30 PST
So... here's my predicament. I'm not experienced enough really to attract anyone who would want to work with me, based on the merit of my work, alone. On the other hand, I don't quite have the financial resources to hire outright a professional model.

Here's my proposal, to those within the sound of my voice who want to try this...

If you're interested in modeling, and don't mind doing TFP (Time For Prints), and are comfortable with outdoor nudity (not public), and you're within reasonable driving distance of Northwest Arkansas, and have a really good, unique look... freaking EMAIL ME!!! We need to talk!

Oh yeah, normal rules (aka the law) apply. 18+, with ID and all that jive. Don't get into this if you think you might not like it, or be uncomfortable, or otherwise flake out.

Please... I've been seriously wanting to try this kind of work for years, and I finally feel ready. Cheers, all!

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10802543/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10802543/ Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:50:15 PST
SQUIER FUCKING ROCKS!

I don't care if you say "BUT JIIMEY!!!11 IT DOESNT COST A THAWSUN DALLURS AND WAS MADE BY RON GIBBSIN IN KALLIMUZEW TEJAS!!!111OMG7STRING"

I can get a 22-fret humbucker-equipped Strat for TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS.

Alder body.

Same neck as a Mexican Strat. The bridge design is nearly as good as the American Standard (not quite, since this is a floating bridge which I HATE... only thing I don't like). New pickups which sound really good. They're a little more trebly and not as strong as the Fender Standard pups, but I still like the sound. The tuners are nice. It has the big 70s head up there with the cool CBS logo. Nice finishes and options like tortoise pickguard on sunburst finish, black plastic on some finishes, and parchment (cream) plastic on other finishes. They exude an attention to detail you don't find on other $200 guitars. There's a lot of people who say things like "Epiphone is the lowest price guitar I'd consider owning"... but Squiers now are easily as good as Epis... why do they cost less? Why does a Strat cost less than an SG? It's easier to make!!

But yeah... if you want a good Strat or Tele or Fender bass, and aren't willing to spend the $$ for the American Series, just get a fucking Squier you pussy. People don't listen to the sticker on the headstock, they listen to the sound that comes out.

You're going to love playing it, you fool.

Just make sure you block the trem on their Strats.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10585545/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10585545/ Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:05:48 PST
Groping
Old
Pigs

Send a message this November. Vote the GOP out.

Cast your ballot for candidates who support real issues that pertain to actual reality, not the make-believe world of George W. Bush and the Religious Right.

Cast your ballot for progress. And education system that works like Germany's. A health system that works like England's. The end of the oil obsession. Electric car mandates, anti-oil laws... equal rights for ALL AMERICANS be they white, black, old, young, rich, poor, straight, gay, man, woman, or whatever. NO FACTOR WILL MATTER. Rights. The same rights for all Humans. In a word... PROGRESS.

Cast your ballot for people who don't believe in corporate rights. If you ever find someone who believes that corporations should be pushed back down into their place, as servants of the people... DO ANYTHING YOU CAN TO HELP THEM!

Cast your ballot for people of integrity. Why does the Religious Right Wing claim that they're against gay rights, or whatever wedge issue they whine about because "it's for children"? Why do they lie? That's all it is... a lie. Remember... the Religious Right is made up of liars. They tell that lie over and over again. How do we know it's a lie? Well, if they gave a damn about kids, they'd spend all their hard-stolen cash to help protect the Earth... for the children!

LOL!

Religious Right-Wingers crack me up. For the kids. Tell me another one, Jerry Fallwell.

So, send a clear message this year...

FUCK OFF, GOP.
FUCK OFF, IRAQ.
FUCK OFF, BUSH.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10546927/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10546927/ Sun, 29 Oct 2006 09:49:51 PST
Saturday Night.

People.

DDR.

Guitar Heroes.

I was a real guitar hero.

Schoolgirls.

Other stuff.

Liquors.

Yeah.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10457925/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10457925/ Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:35:16 PDT
I hope that it's all over. I hope that this partisan, ignorance-based Religious Right BULLSHIT is going to end soon. I'm ready to see these FUCKERS get theirs and get flushed.

BTW, did you know that GOP means Groping Old Pigs? Funny how these assholes whine their Emo songs about how bad Gay Rights, or free healthcare, or intelligence are... but they're all ignorant, overweight/unhealthy fags.

I wasn't able to get reg'd to vote this time around (WAAAAAAAHHHH!) but I want all of you to do the right thing.

GO VOTE AND VOTE AGAINST THE FUCKING GOP.

]]> ~thejimmyjames http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10436723/ http://thejimmyjames.deviantart.com/journal/10436723/ Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:01:02 PDT
See? I can walk the walk.

From old structures, to trains, to objects, to cute models... I want to do it all. All of it. I want to try working with everything at least once.

In the case of cute models, I'd prefer multiple times.

]]> ~thejimmyjames