inessential by Brent Simmons

2/12/2000

Sheila posted lots of pictures taken with her digital video camera she got for Christmas.

The Manila RPC spec was updated today to support custody and saving window information. See Manila RPC Update 02/12/00.

Manila and Custody. This important new feature means that only one person can edit a message at a time.

Q: Manila and #objectNotFoundHandler. Fact you may not know: the #objectNotFoundHandler, a mainResponder feature, was developed while developing Manila, originally to enable Manila's site structure feature. The #objectNotFoundHandler allows for lots more than just that one feature, and appears to be one of the most useful mainResponder features new in 6.1.

Howard's Musings: Installing Linux 2. "Talk about annoying! They give you every piece of information imagineable, save the basics of how to use something."

A present from Sheila!

***The Money Truck

Dave writes today about the money truck. So I spent a minute thinking about all the reasons why, if the money truck stopped at my house, I would handle it pretty well. But then I thought -- I'm bargaining with the universe here. As if I were trying to make my case to some omniscient power, who would then deem me worthy.

But that shouldn't mean don't think about it -- I also think about what I would do were I suddenly poor again.

A mature approach is difficult. I respect the money truck's ability to cloud men's minds.

***Random universes

What's the difference between Monty Python and Douglas Adams? The similarity is evident: British comedy that presents a seemingly bizarre and random universe. But Douglas Adams books always have an explanation, however strange, for all the randomness. Monty Python: no explanation, the universe is completely random all the way through.

Though not a comedy -- a novel about bizarre parallel universes -- The Man in the High Castle also lacks an explanation. When I first read it as a teenager I was disappointed by the ending. Now I know, having re-read the book several times, the ending is perfect. This is one of my favorite books; I feel like it's a part of me at the cellular level. A similar contrast can be made with Eugene Barnes' Finities, a recent novel about alternate realities. This one ends with an explanation. Though a fun read, the satisfying ending is somehow less satisfying. I guess I prefer books that don't end when they're done; I like books that create more mysteries than they solve.

***Windows 2000 Upgrade

I upgraded to Windows 2000 from Windows 98. So far so good. My system seems healthier. The browser doesn't crash when I close a window -- that's progress. The View Source command works again. I can save pictures as GIFs and JPEGs.

I turned off that weird fade effect with menus. It was too slow.

Unfortunately, I've lost my network connections to other computers on my LAN. I'm not sure how to restore them. I'll figure it out. Update 9:20 a.m.: I've got one of them restored -- I can get by with that, at least for a day or two.

I noticed that Windows 2000 has even more My Whatever stuff. My Network Places, Computers Near Me, My Pictures, My Download Files, My Music. Does anyone else find this incredibly condescending? Perhaps creepy is the better word.