Firefox find Mar 9, 2006
One of my favorite things about Firefox is its find function.  All you have to do is press Ctrl+F and start typing, and Firefox finds things as you type.  Or you can just start typing (without first pressing Ctrl+F), but that doesn't always work.  It works a lot better than the Internet Explorer find function, which requires you to type in what you're trying to find, press enter, and then wait for it to tell you it couldn't find anything.  Firefox is a little more intuitive in that way. #technology
Faster computers (2) Mar 9, 2006
Something I've been noticing lately is that computers aren't getting any better.  Well, maybe they are getting better; it's the programs that aren't.  I have one of the most powerful computers in the world (slight overstatement) at work.  It's got a Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM.  Nothing can stop this thing.  Except big, stupid, obnoxious programs like SolidWorks, a 3D modeling program.  Or even AutoCAD, a 2D lines-and-circles modeling program.  Why is it that software writers can't make their programs run faster?  I don't think they've made any major improvements in quality over the past several years.  The programs I used to use on Windows 2000 are pretty much the same as the ones I currently use on Windows XP, except everything ends in a slightly larger number, indicating a later version.  So why is everything so slow on my super-fast computer?  And why is everything so unfathomably big?  I had to install a 3 GB program that performed the same functions as it's 500 MB previous version. 

Answer these questions and I'll give you a cookie. #technology
Paper towel dispenser Mar 9, 2006
Back when our cats used to be little kittens, they used to unroll the entire roll of toilet paper for fun.  They'd stand up on their back legs and use their dagger-like claws to pull at the piece that was hanging over.  One thing led to another, and the whole entire roll would be on the floor.  Bless their little hearts. 

Wendy seems to have a similar problem with paper towels.  I'll walk into the kitchen and notice that the paper towel roll is slightly (or mostly) unrolled, almost like a cat was having some fun.  So I'll roll it back up because I'm anal like that.  Then I'll come back 5 minutes later and notice the same thing.  And then I watch Wendy try to get a paper towel.  She unrolls a little, then yanks as hard as she can.  Then she gets mad. 

The solution to all this is the Point and Cut No-Touch Paper Towel Dispenser and Cutter.  For the low-low price of $299 (plus $37.90 for shipping), you can get a state-of-the-art, automated paper towel dispenser.  It works by putting your hand over an infrared sensor to the right of the machine, moving your hand towards the left in a "cutting" motion, then taking your customized length of paper towel.  It's kind of like those automatic paper towel dispensers in nice bathrooms, except cripplingly expensive. 

(via Strange New Products) #technology
Proven Mar 9, 2006
"Proven" is actually a real word.  It's the past tense of the word "prove".  For some reason, Mr. Google Toolbar doesn't think it is.  Every time I spell check one of my posts, it reminds me of this.  But Mr. Free Dictionary says it's a word.  It sounds right in my head, so I'm gonna continue using it. #language