Oh the woes of an Internet-addicted computer-phile. At the same time I’m contemplating shifting my blog to a new database system, which involves either getting my own domain and hosting or transferring my current hosting from a Windows server to a Unix server, my computer is flipping out on me, making me think three years might be the life span of a modern computer and I should just give in and drop kick it out the window. So much to think about. Where do I start?
How about urls? If I do decide to get my own hosting I’ll need to come up with my own snazzy url. I’m not sure where to go on this one. My first choice was hendricks.com, because my e-mail address would be kevin@hendricks.com, and I could offer such simple and easy e-mail addresses to all my family. My web site could be kevin.hendricks.com. How cool would that be? But no, a man named Gay Hendricks started the Hendricks Institute and got the domain first. What really freaks me out about a man named Gay is that the background on his web site very closely resembles the shape of a prominent female body part.
Next up was hendricks.org, but apparently that’s a hospital in Indiana. Then I tried hendricks.net, which belongs to one of those e-mail providers that wants to sell me the privilege of using kevin@hendricks.net for $25 a year. No thanks.
So now I have to come up with something else that’s both efficient and multipurpose. I noticed that hendricks.biz is available, and my favorite domain provider, NameBoy recommended hendricksforce.com, which I think is pretty catchy. Let me know if you have any bright ideas.
And what’s this crap about my computer dying? Yeah, it’s been cranky lately. Programs keep crashing left and right. I think tomorrow I may need to try reinstalling Windows. Sigh. Why can’t computers just work the way they’re supposed to? And before all you Mac people start snickering and saying I told you so, don’t give me that. Macs have the same problem PCs do: they crash. I’ve known many Mac users who’ve had just as many problems with their computers as I’ve had with PCs. They’re not the simple solution everyone makes them out to be. And if you’re so sure they are, why don’t you buy me one and I’ll see for myself?
The truly frightening thing about computers is the way computers and home entertainment are merging. While some companies envision the TV as the center of the new digital home, Dell thinks the computer will be the center. I’m guessing they’re right, I just hate the thought of my TV crashing the way my computer does. How ludicrous is that?
To top matters off today, the daycare center where my wife works was broken into again last night, the second time in a month (make that three if you count the trespassing and vandalism incident). The perpetrators would have been caught, but the VCR to the security system they stole the last time hadn’t been replaced yet. I know my wife works in the ghetto and crime happens more often there, but that doesn’t mean it has to be standard procedure. The building doesn’t even have an alarm system. The price of broken windows alone would have paid for that.
Apparently the Salvation Army and Bethel College have more important things to do. I, however, am unemployed, so I don’t have more important things to do. Tomorrow I’ll be drafting a letter of complaint to Bethel about the unsafe conditions my wife works in, a crowd of kids endure, their families pay for, and college students face (two of the three break-ins were first found by college students trying to set up for class). If that’s not enough, I think I’ll start contacting the media. It’s sad, but public embarrassment seems to be quite a motivater for non-profits.
On an unrelated note, if you’re looking for somewhere to pick up cheap electronics, third-hand office equipment, and overly used children’s books and videos, I know just the place. There is a risk of cutting yourself on the glass you had to break to get in, but that’s about the only theft-deterrent.