JPEG lossless rotation Aug 11, 2006
Windows XP lets you rotate pictures by either right-clicking on them and clicking "Rotate Clockwise" or "Rotate Counter Clockwise" or by opening them in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer and pressing the corresponding button on the toolbar at the bottom.  However, when rotating certain pictures, a warning message pops up that says,
"Because of the dimensions of this picture, rotating it might permanently reduce its quality.  Rotating a picture automatically saves it using the original name.  To save a backup copy first, see 'Copy an image' in help." 
The first time I saw this was when I got a new, more powerful camera, so I thought it was a result of the image size (5.0 megapixels vs. 2.0 megapixels).  So I lowered the image quality on my camera from "large" to "medium". 

But today I found out that the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer can only losslessly rotate pictures if the horizontal and vertical pixel values are divisible by 16.  This worked for my old 1280 x 960 pictures (divided by 16 is 80 & 60) but not for my newer 2592 x 1944 pictures (divided by 16 is 162 & 121.5).  The solution to this is to download something like the JPEG Lossless Rotator, a freeware utility that "performs a special lossless block transformation" which produces a rotated image with the same quality as the original.  When I used it, it produced a smaller file size, but apparently this is ok (I don't know everything when it comes to digital images). #entertainment
Punctual (1) Aug 11, 2006
Punctuality is something I value very highly.  I think it has something to do with how I was raised.  My mom was always on time when she drove us places, so it just became the norm.  I developed this idea in my head that said there's basically no other option than to be on time.  Why use a time-keeping device if you don't intend to abide by it?  This has definitely followed through to today, where I make a big point of being on time to things.  If I say I'll be at a certain place by a certain time, I intend to do exactly that, and I'll treat it as a major shortcoming if I don't succeed.  It's not that my whole entire life is scheduled into very specific time intervals, and one can't run over into another.  It's just that I place a high value on reliability, and reliability often shows itself as punctuality. 

This was very evident when I mentioned my coworker who almost made us late to a meeting.  When I agree to meet a person at a certain time (not "around 7 or 7:30", but "at 7"), I uphold my end of the bargain.  Even in the event of a major catastrophe or the apocalypse, I would still show up on time.  And if I was gonna be late, I'd call to let them know.  So when people don't uphold their end of the bargain, it gets me really mad.  I realize this is partially my fault for having unrealistic hopes for a person's reliability, but is it really so much to ask?  Is it that difficult to show up on time?  And if you can't be on time, is it that difficult to call and tell me?  And what gets me even madder is when the "offender" doesn't even acknowledge their offense.  My coworker who was 10 or 15 minutes late didn't even mention it.  Sure 10-15 minutes is a small amount of time.  But would you be mad if McDonald's took 10-15 longer than usual?  Would you be ok with a 10-15 minute longer commute?  Probably not.  Another more recent offender was a friend who was supposed to meet me at my house before going on a hiking trip.  He was supposed to be there at 8am.  At 8:05, I stopped watching the window.  At 8:10, I turned on the TV.  At 8:15, I told myself I'd give him a few more minutes before I called.  At 8:20, I called him and he said he just left his house (25 minutes away).  When he arrived, he didn't even mention the fact that he was 45 minutes late.  He didn't even acknowledge that anything was wrong.  I felt compelled to slit his throat. 

Wendy went to Kenya a few years ago for a missions trip.  She said the people there have an interesting method of dealing with time:  They completely ignore it.  They go to school and work like most of the rest of the world does, and they even have social events that start and end at certain times.  But when they say they'll meet you at 3pm, they may choose to show up 2 hours late.  Why?  Who knows?  And when they finally show up, they treat it as if nothing happened.  There's no "Sorry I'm late, I was killing a zebra" or "Sorry I'm late, I got attacked by the Maasai".  They're just 2 hours late.  I wouldn't be able to survive in that country.  My blood pressure would get so high, my head would pop. #psychology
Line of cars Aug 11, 2006
To that guy who caused the line of cars to form behind him yesterday as I was driving home from work:  "Thanks a lot, jerk.  It's super cool to go 25 in a 35.  In the event that you learn you're not the only person on earth who drives on roads, I would recommend looking into your rearview mirror.  Yeah.  See those 11 cars behind you?  I'm the last one.  Get off the road.  Stop driving.  Sell your car.  Self-revoke your license.  Move to Florida.  Get a motorized wheelchair.  Use it on the sidewalk.  Anyone who lets a line of cars form behind them probably shouldn't be driving." #travel
Performance underwear (1) Aug 11, 2006
Last week, I learned of an important product called performance underwear.  Made out of material similar to that of Under Armour products, performance underwear is meant to dry quickly and ... well, that's really it.  They probably claim to "wick moisture away from the body", but I'm not sure I believe that.  I wore them while hiking some trails around Mount Saint Helens, but I can't really say I noticed a difference in "performance".  I still huffed and puffed while walking up steep hills, and I still sweat like a pig (do pigs even sweat?).  All in all, I wasn't too impressed with this idea of "performance" underwear, but I do like the idea that they're quick drying.  That way, when I'm hiking through the woods on a 90-degree day and I'm covered head-to-toe with sweat, at least my underwear will be dry. #sports
WordPress 2.0.4 Aug 10, 2006
I upgraded to WordPress 2.0.4, which I'm told is "highly recommended for all users" and a "mandatory upgrade". #technology
WordPress feed favicon (1) Aug 10, 2006
I'm great at finding obscure issues with WordPress.  One such issue is the absence of a favicon in RSS feeds.  I use Bloglines as my feed reader, and I like how almost every subscription has that site's favicon.  Well, except my site (yes, I subscribe to myself ... it's always nice to read what I've been up to).  I'm not really sure what the problem is, but I considered editing some core WordPress files to enable this functionality.  But this should always be a last resort.  Enter the Favicon Manager plugin.  It adds a few lines of code to the RSS 2.0 and Atom feeds (as well as the main site header, though I already had that) and lets you specify your favicon in one of the WordPress options panels.  Bloglines Publisher Tools said the favicon is updated weekly, so I'll see if it works in a few days. #technology
Cell phone cameras Aug 10, 2006
I wish I could broadcast the following message to cell phone makers:  "Stop putting cameras in cell phones."  Why? 
  1. Technology.  These low-resolution cameras are at least 5 years behind regular digital cameras in terms of technology.
  2. Cost.  They probably add a considerable amount of cost to the phone, not only in terms of parts but also in terms of hardware and software development.
  3. Weight.  They add some amount of weight, with the camera assembly itself and also with its interfacing components (cables, resistors, etc.).
  4. Security.  Any workplace that values security doesn't allow cameras.  So camera phones are illegal or at least highly discouraged.
Until a cell phone has a 3-5 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and external storage (or significant internal storage), I won't even think about getting a camera phone.  The only reason I currently have one is because the phone I wanted (a Treo 650) didn't have a "no camera" option.  Of course there's a way to remove it, but that misses half the point. #technology
Don't touch my screen Aug 10, 2006
One of my coworkers always touches computer screens.  The monitor at his desk is so covered with fingerprints, you can hardly see what's behind them.  And every computer he's near magically attracts his not-abnormally-greasy fingerprints.  To that, I say "Do what you want.  If you want to touch your computer screen and make it all gross, go ahead."  But what really gets to me is that he sometimes comes to my cubicle and invariably ends up touching my computer screen.  He just came by to show me something and I didn't even realize he touched my screen until after he left.  Some people might say that I'm unnaturally obsessive compulsive.  I don't think it's unnatural at all.  Just don't touch my computer screen. #technology
End of the day Aug 10, 2006
For some strange reason, things often go wrong at the end of my work day.  Not at the beginning or in the middle.  Only at the end of the day. 

A few weeks ago, I had to leave work by a certain time to make it to a dinner at someone's house.  I was running a little late as it was, so I was rushing to finish up a few small things and shut off my computer.  Just as I walked out of my cubicle and was about to leave, a guy stopped me and asked me to do some stupid security thing.  It wouldn't have been a problem on any other day, but I happened to be running late and I needed to be somewhere.  And of course everyone else had gone home already, so I was the only one who could complete this mindless task.  Needless to say, I did it and was only a little late for my dinner thing. 

Just last week, I was trying to leave at the end of the day on a Friday.  My computer started to act a little weird, so I tried shutting it down.  The clock struck 5pm.  In a rare moment of instability, Windows XP became stupid.  It wouldn't respond to anything I was trying to do, and I couldn't even CTRL-ALT-DEL or end any processes.  After about 10 minutes, I was finally able to restart.  But as the computer started back up, it began the process all over again and went stupid again.  By the time I finally fixed the problem and successfully shut down my computer, it was 5:20pm, a whole 20 minutes later than I wanted to leave on a Friday. 

If this stuff happened at any other time during the day, it wouldn't be a big deal at all.  But instead it happens when I'm trying to leave on a Friday or when I have to be somewhere at a certain time.  Why does this stuff happen at the end of the day?  Because there's some sort of cosmic force working against me that wants to waste my time and make me late for things. #business
Machismo Aug 9, 2006
Sometimes I have surprisingly macho ideas and desires.  I wouldn't call myself a "typical male", so these things don't seem to fit in with the rest of my life.  I don't have a subscription to Maxim magazine.  I don't like sports cars.  I don't pride myself on drinking dark beers. 

But I sometimes have a strong desire to get a motorcycle.  All my logic and conservatism says this is a bad idea, but I can't deny that the desire is there.  I wouldn't want to get a stupid little racing bike.  And I wouldn't want to get a loud Harley.  I would just want a simple motorcycle that would get me from point A to point B while making me feel like I'm a dog sticking my head out the window.  I think it's less about the object and more about the idea:  For years, motorcycles have been a symbol of rebellion and "badness" (can't think of a better word).  Despite wearing khaki pants and a collared shirt, I sometimes want to strap on some leather (ok, not really) and ride across the country with nothing but a knife and a change of underwear. 

I also have the occasional urge to get a tattoo.  I'm not sure why.  I've been opposed to them in the past, but I can't deny that a permanent marking on my pale flesh has a certain amount of appeal.  Again, I think it's more about the idea:  Tattoos traditionally signify independence, strength, devotion, or some other sort of cool thing.  (These days, most tattoos are the result of drinking or a fleeting interest.)  But to permanently let people know that I'm a fan of dragons that breathe fire out of their mouths and have spikes on their tails, just sounds awesome. 

And like I mentioned before, I like watching people beat each other unconscious.  I think it's because I'd sort of like to learn Brazilian JuJitsu and know how to hyper-extend a person's elbow and knee.  I would imagine that it's quite liberating to have that kind of knowledge.  And I think it's sort of like what Tyler Durden said in Fight Club:  "How much can you know about yourself, you've never been in a fight?"  Few things have existed since the beginning of time, but violence is one of them.  And it's not that I'm a violent person or have a desire to hurt or kill other people.  It's just that I'd sometimes like to test myself as a human being through "feats of strength" like hand-to-hand combat.  But then other times, I just want to sit around and write about it on my website.  Geeks 'R' Us!  #psychology