Xbox Project

Published
by
Nicole
on 6/26/2008
in Journal
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Between yesterday evening and this morning, I finally enacted a plan that’s been niggling at me for months and months now - namely I modded my old Xbox to run XBMC. I did so on the cheap, using a refurbished Linksys gaming adapter ($40) to hook the console up to my wireless network, hacking together an Action Replay device from a female USB dongle ($6) and an Xbox breakaway cable ($3), and buying a used copy of a game I needed ($2). I had a few hiccups along the way, but, all in all, things went smoothly and I felt damn geeky when I got it all up and running. Nothing like starting with a razor blade, wire cutters, and a soldering iron and ending up with a powerful media center set-up.

I haven’t had a chance to play very much with XBMC, but my plans include setting up streaming from my external drives upstairs and perhaps even installing a wake-on-LAN script that will turn on the computer attached to the drives without me having to climb upstairs to do so. The upshot of all this is that I should soon be able to watch any of my videos (including digital media and Region 1 and 2 DVDs) or listen to any of my music from the ease and comfort of my couch. Win.

And We’re Back!

Published
by
Nicole
on 6/17/2008
in Journal
. 2 Comments

Finally, I’ve managed to take care of the domain hack that kept things silent here for a couple weeks. It’s good to be back.

In the meantime, things have been frustrating in the real world and I’ve been back and forth and traveling and moving equipment at work and all such things. Currently trying to get my experiments running in a new location and I’ve been thwarted at nearly every turn.

Steph and I have plans to run away to NYC this weekend to see Jonathan Coulton in concert, and we are, of course, looking forward to this.

In other news, my little sister has graduated from high school! Many happy and belated congratulations are due to her for this accomplishment. I have a few pictures, just not with me now, unfortunately.

And, lastly, I’ve started Plurking (sort of like Twittering), so if anyone cares to join in, you now know where to find me.

Monetarily Speaking

Published
by
Nicole
on 5/8/2008
in Journal
. 2 Comments

My bank account tells me that the government just gave me $600. Do I go spend that toward the $1100 plane ticket to Dublin in July for mebeli????????Oxegen with B and L, or do I save that money for more surprise medical bills like the $330 one I got last week? Hello, economic downturn, expensive fuel and food prices, and poor medical coverage. You make me sad.

Dammit. The Oxegen website now says that Bell X1 and dEUS are playing, too. Not fair.

Well Behind

Published
by
Nicole
on 5/7/2008
in Journal
. 3 Comments

I think I’m now approaching the milestone of being two whole months behind on blog updates for important (to me, anyway) events like trips, concerts, and fun events. There really aren’t any good excuses to offer for this except that these last couple months have been rough for me. Getting through each day is filled with challenges enough that, by the end, all I want to do is curl up in a little ball.

I’ve still managed to find the energy to consume some media here and there, naturally. After I asked for Sandman suggestions, I went ahead and used a 25% off coupon to order Absolute Sandman Vol. 1 from B&N. I might have stretched it out over five days? Joe’s had to put up with me raving about it, and I’ve gone and gotten Stephanie into it, too. Am currently avoiding ordering Vol. 2 thanks to recent medical expenses, which leaves me waiting desperately for the fiend who checked out “Season of Mists” from the public library to return it. The book was due May 2nd. Are we at the removal-of-body-parts penalty stage yet?

For reasons that still baffle and confuse me, I didn’t hook my Nintendo Wii back up to my television after returning from Cleveland. (Wait. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this here since I’m so far behind: I bought a Wii in New York City. No, I don’t regret it.) Part of it was knowing that I’d have to take it apart again in mid-May when my landlord kicks me out for two weekends and lets strangers live with my stuff. Knowing this, I have instead relocated the Wii to Joe’s apartment, and, at Steph’s urging, started playing Twilight Princess there. I’ve never played a Zelda game before, but I’m enjoying myself so far. I’m always a fan of waving my Wii remote like a sword. (Really. I’m a child, and I know it.)

Classes have wrapped up here, and we’ve transitioned into finals. For the first time in, oh, I don’t know when, I have no finals, no projects, nothing. Except a very large pile of grading that will come my way, oh, next Monday. Luckily, I’ve become rather efficient at grading quickly.

That’s probably enough large blocks of text for you all to stare at for the moment. Suffice it to say that, regardless of what’s going on, I’m still alive.

The Sandman

Published
by
Nicole
on 4/21/2008
in Journal
. 6 Comments

Last weekend while I was in Cleveland, Mark gave me Volume One of The Sandman, which, as I probably could have guessed, I loved. I’ve never been much of a comic book person, but I have a proven track record of loving Neil Gaiman’s work, so none of this comes as a surprise.

Having finished Preludes and Nocturnes (and already loaned it to a friend), I have to decide whether to continue getting the paperbacks, or whether I should bite the bullet and order Absolute Sandman Vol. 1. I know some of my friends are (already) Sandman lovers. Are there any recommendations out there?

Recent Images

Published
by
Nicole
on 4/15/2008
in Journal
. 6 Comments

Tonight was one of those nights where I furiously uploaded photos taken in the past several weeks. The big additions are three new albums: spring flowers, my sister and I on the playground, and this weekend’s trip to Cleveland. I highlight a few of my favorites from each behind the cut. Continue reading ‘Recent Images’

Battlestar Galactica

Published
by
Nicole
on 4/7/2008
in Asides
. 2 Comments

This is a general public announcement that I am now completely caught up on Battlestar Galactica, having watched seasons 1-3, Razor, and the season 4 premiere. Discussions of who’s a Cylon and what’s going to happen next may now be conducted in my presence.

It Makes Me Feel Better

Published
by
Nicole
on 4/4/2008
in Asides
. 4 Comments

I’ve been amusing myself the past couple days at work by perusing the archives of Passive Aggressive Notes and Pictures of Walls. It’s fun to see the ridiculous dramas and little observations of life one can collect.

Downs And Ups

Published
by
Nicole
on 4/3/2008
in Journal
. 0 Comments

I had an absolutely horrible day at work today–the sort that ended with me lying on the floor laughing the desperate and hopeless laugh of one who’s doing her best not to break into tears. This state was vastly improved when my sister, Stephanie, Joe, and I got some sushi at Miyake and then walked to Madeline’s for drinks and dessert. (Madeline’s Peach Mixed Berry Crisp is so, so amazing–as are pretty much all of the desserts there.) We followed it up with a trip to Steph’s place for some Smash Brothers Brawl and Mario Party 4 on her Wii. There’s nothing like socializing with friends to improve an awful day.

And, to top it all off, I got home to my midterm TA evaluations, which indicate that my students are pleased with me. They rated me between good and excellent on all counts! It’s good to know that someone thinks I’m doing my job well.

Tomorrow’s forecast: more unpleasantries followed by dressing up and dancing the night away at Grad Ball.

Upgraded

Published
by
Nicole
on 3/30/2008
in Asides
. 0 Comments

Managed to upgrade to WordPress 2.5 without any major hiccups. There were some inevitable bumps along the way with K2 and WordPress as far as widgets vs. sidebar goes, but thanks to a helpful post on the support forums all appears to be running as it should here.

My other web achievement this weekend was porting whisperback over to a WordPress-powered blog, which will hopefully allow my friends to update their story more easily.