Microsoft: Building “Windows 8”–Video #1

Major changes in the “Windows 8” user interface.

I am not a fan of the user interface on Windows Phone but it looks amazing when adapted for larger screens.

Welcome to Our World

For years, Mac fanatics (or iFans) have acted all high and mighty, chiding me and my fellow Windows users for all the malware that we had to be on guard for and defend against at all times.

Well, this is in no way a good thing, but it still made my day when I first heard about it last week: Mac Defender.

What is Mac Defender? It’s the same problem Windows users have been dealing with for years called rogue security software that tricks people into giving up financial information by offering services to “remove malware” on a system. In fact, rogue security software, or scareware, just pretends to find infections, steals your information and often opens the door for a real malware infection.

Of course, it’s only one piece of malware causing serious problems on the great and all-powerful Mac OS but you can be sure that this is only the beginning.

Apple has released “Security Update 2011-003” to deal with the issue, and less than eight hours later, Mac Defender was updated to bypass it. Let the game begin.

You’ve got the user base so now you’re a target. Welcome to our world, bitches.

What To Blog About?

Really? I have no idea but I want to start blogging more. So, instead of picking one topic to be the focal point of my blog, I’m just going to start spewing out whatever is in my mind at the moment. Expect more activity in the future!

Yes, I know I’ve said this all before. Will I say it again? Going by my track record, the answer to that question is “probably.” Haha. Hey, at least I’m trying!

So Much for the Photo Blog

I was really looking forward to getting out and taking new pictures everyday but, as you can see by the few posts I made, I immediately began posting only older photos because I simply don’t have the time. I would love to revive this in the future, probably over at my DailyBooth page. I’ll definitely update here if/when I do that.

In other “What I’ve Been Up To” news, I’ve been uploading more older photos to my Flickr page. Go check it out! I will be quite active over there, uploading new stuff whenever I can find the time to get out and take some photos. Enjoy!

Photoblog Day 4: "Under Delicate Arch"

"Under Delicate Arch" by Rafe Langston

Legal Crap: This image may be shared freely, so long as it is linked to the original Flickr page and not modified or used for commercial purposes without my permission. I'm very generous about this stuff so don't be afraid to ask! Just send me an email and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. :)

Photoblog Day 3: "Mountain Sunrise"

"Mountain Sunrise" by Rafe Langston

Took this one last September while visiting the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve.

Legal Crap: This image may be shared freely, so long as it is linked to the original Flickr page and not modified or used for commercial purposes without my permission. I'm very generous about this stuff so don't be afraid to ask! Just send me an email and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. :)

Photoblog Day 2: "Not Just Another Face In the Crowd"

"Not Just Another Face In the Crowd" by Rafe Langston

Legal Crap: This image may be shared freely, so long as it is linked to the original Flickr page and not modified or used for commercial purposes without my permission. I'm very generous about this stuff so don't be afraid to ask! Just send me an email and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. :)

Photoblog Day 1: "Rear View"

Went out for a short drive after school and snapped this one of the mountains in my mirror.

Legal Crap: This image may be shared freely, so long as it is linked to the original Flickr page and not modified or used for commercial purposes without my permission. I'm very generous about this stuff so don't be afraid to ask! Just send me an email and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. :)

New Project: Photos by Me!

In order to get this blog back to being updated in semi-regular intervals, I’m going to start trying to upload photos more-or-less everyday. I might as well – I have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi just lying around collecting dust, not to mention I’m always snapping photos with my little crappy camera phone.

So, here’s photo #1: Meerchi, my wife’s cat. Don’t worry, though, these won’t be just a bunch of cat pictures bragging about how adorable they are (not that they aren’t ;P). It’s to get my lazy rear out of the house and doing things.

Legal Crap: This image may be shared freely, so long as it is linked to the original Flickr page and not modified or used for commercial purposes without my permission. I'm very generous about this stuff so don't be afraid to ask! Just send me an email and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. :)

Red Dwarf Returns!

After more than a decade of unanswered questions, one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time will return.

According to this article, Craig Charles has confirmed that all-new episodes of Red Dwarf will begin filming this November (2011) and can be expected to be on-air sometime in 2012 – at least in the UK. So when will we Americans get our chance to see the return of Mr. Lister & crew? No idea. Hopefully, not long after the UK.

What is Red Dwarf, you may ask? Only the greatest sci-fi comedy of all time and, if you don’t agree with me, you have no smegging idea what you’re talking about!

If you haven’t seen this awesome show of amazingness, the entire series, including 2009’s 3-episode special “Back To Earth”, is available for streaming via Netflix. Go. Now. Watch.

Earwigs are Awesome

Maybe I’m strange, but I actually like these ugly little critters. Sure, they can be quite the pest, especially in large numbers since they can cause considerable damage to plants (they also eat other insects that cause damage), and their pincers can hurt a bit if you manage to piss one off.

An average earwig’s expected life span is about a year and, contrary to the commonly held belief, they very rarely crawl into a person’s ear since earwigs prefer cooler, dark, and damp places (ie. under a rock or in a basement). A little known fact, though, is that earwigs are actually capable of flight, though it is something that they don’t normally do.

Earwigs are not known to carry any diseases that are harmful to humans or other animals but what I find to be their most endearing trait is that female earwigs are known to raise their young from their time in the egg up through their second molt – a rare trait in the insect world. Little baby earwigs are kind of cute, too.

Wikipedia Article on Earwigs

Job-Hunting Sucks

I’ve been unemployed and job-hunting for 2-1/2 months and am basically a househusband who’s slowly losing hope. I am attending school, studying for the CompTIA A+ certification exam to get into the IT industry but, if that doesn’t work, what is my “Plan B”?

“Plan B” is to join the Navy. I’m definitely not military material but I know very well that I could use the discipline that military service brings with it, not to mention that they’re always hiring and my family could really use the benefits. However, I have health concerns that could very likely disqualify me from service.

So, do I have a “Plan C”? Not really – all I know is that I don’t want to work in construction, regular retail and/or warehousing ever again, and would really prefer not to go into foodservice – ever. The best I can hope for, in this case, is a job selling computers since that is what I love.

Another New Year

With the exceptions of becoming a father for the first time and going back to school, 2010 was a total bust for me. I went from living on my own, albeit with roommates, and working a decent-paying job to living back with my dad and being unemployed. I neglected my personal projects, gave up on my goals and just drifted through the year.

Not this year. I have goals and I intend to stick to them. Not the stereotypical “lose weight / get in shape” goals that are popular. I don’t give a rat’s stinky behind if I gain or lose weight, though one of my goals are to take care of myself. Of course, I plan to spend more time with friends & family, especially my biological family whom I have been in contact with going on 5 years and barely know.

As for my resolutions for my online life, I only have two:

1. Write and publish at least one blog post per week.
2. Edit and upload at least two videos to YouTube per month.

Other goals include getting my A+ certification and a good job, preferably something computer-related. But I wouldn’t say “no” to astronaut, deep-sea diver, and/or a massive donation / winning the lottery that would make sure that my family and I are set for life. :D