RhymePhile's Rat Race

A painting by the artist Lucian Freud (grandson to the famous psychiatrist) was purchased at Christie's this week for an astounding $33 million (£17 million pounds) dollars, the highest amount ever paid for a piece of work by a living artist.

The best part about this artsy-fartsy news?

It's a portrait of Sue Tilly, a benefits supervisor in London (link Not Safe For Work), sprawled on a couch, naked. That might not seem like news, but Ms. Tilly is a rather large woman.

Fat chicks rule!!! WHOO!

A larger image of the portrait is here at Gawker, and the image is completely Not Safe For Work. She's naked, duh

Well, my wireless router is, anyway!

I wanted to secure my wireless router a few months ago and did the research on it, but I never got around to doing it. If you're not following me, by securing I mean setting a password for my network at home, so that no one in my apartment complex can steal my innernetz via the juicy wireless waves. I pay $43 a month to Comcast for the ability to get online quickly, and I don't want anyone yoinking the precious, precious download speeds.

I didn't catch anyone doing it (there's a freeware program called AirSnare that allows you to see if anyone is trying to get into your network to steal free internet), but I wanted to be safe.

A lot of people advocate running an open network and allowing whomever to access the wireless waves whenever they want. Me, I don't like people stealing my shit. And I don't want to run the risk of someone using my connection to download bad stuff.

I was reading Lifehacker.com yesterday, and they had yet another post about securing your network, and I decided I needed to do it.

I have a Linksys gateway, which is a modem and router combined. After reading all about it online, I shut off my Windows firewall and virus software, reset the router (because the default password wouldn't work), and tried to access it. It didn't work, so I had to call my brother the computer guru to help me.

Me: Stsve, I need help with this. I shut off the firewall, reset the router, but it still won't let me access the default IP address to get into the router's setup menu to change the password...

Steve: (yelling in the background) Why are you out of bed?

Harmony: I wanna glass of water. I'm hot.

Steve: You're hot because you have too many covers on. You already had water before you want to bed.

Harmony: But I neeeeeed it. Who you talkin' to?

Steve: Chuchi [an Americanized variation of the word "aunt" or "auntie" in Polish, ciocia, a word our family always used in our mixed Ukrainian/Polish/Slovak heritage]

Harmony: I wanna say hi to Chuchi...

Steve: Go back to bed!

Harmony: But...

Steve: Harmony Grace!


LOL. I had to wait a while for the computer guru to help. I got it figured out following Steve's instructions, which was basically flushing the DNS and doing a release and renew via the command menu. It sounds complicated but it really wasn't. That got me the right IP address of my router, and I was able to go into it and change the name of my network to a super sekkrit one.

For more information, check out Lifehacker's post about securing your home wi-fi network.

I was up too late last night to write about Comic Con here in NY, so now that I'm more awake here's the full report.

( Geek overload )

With this stretch of pleasant weather we've been having here in the New York area (clear blue skies, 50s), I've walked to the office yesterday and today. It takes me exactly half an hour to get from 42nd Street down to 16th, walking along 9th Avenue. Walking along other routes gets me agitated because the sidewalks are so crowded. This is my preferred stretch of pavement.

Along with not tripping over my feet, there are two very important things to consider when walking in New York City. One, pay attention to the walk signals. People are in a hurry in the morning and have no problems running you down. And two, try not to step in anything.

With those two caveats in mind, I try to take in as much of my surroundings as possible. I'm never in a hurry because I get into the office at 8:30, an entire hour before my boss gets in.

I saw some interesting things this morning.

+ There was Nathan Lane grinning at me from a poster, which seemed to be advertising an upcoming movie or play or something. I was crossing the street when I saw it and couldn't stop. I thought of colleendetroit when I saw him, though.

+ An ad for the Gay Men's Health Crisis on the side of a phone booth, with an image of an African-American man kissing a Latino one, and the caption "I love you, boo." It's meant to draw attention to the large gay minority population that should come in for HIV tests.

+ A woman walking a rather large pit bull, where the dog was carrying her purse in its mouth. I'm not kidding. That's one way to discourage a mugger.

+ Finally, a mounted cop whose horse trotted all the way down 9th Avenue from about 25th Street. It was such a unique sight in Chelsea (as the mounteds tend to patrol the heavily trafficked touristy areas) that the cop was waving to kids going to school, and dogs -- most of which had never seen such another huge dog before (LOL) -- were barking and pulling on their leashes for a closer look.

When he stopped for a light I actually pulled out my camera (my handy dandy Sony Cybershot that hangs from a chain inside my messenger bag) for a picture, and also got a photo of a curious dog looking at the giant horse. I'll try to upload those tonight as I don't have my Sony camera cable with me in work (I need to buy a second one for just this reason). Uploaded!




Mounted cop on 9th Avenue




Hmm, I've never seen a dog that big before! The dog's owner is laughing in this shot. I like this shot so much I uploaded it to Flickr, in the hopes that Gothamist might use it.

And if that nice walk in this morning wasn't enough, my boss is working from home today. Whoo!

Reality TV? I don't care for it. BUT...this is what reality TV should be made of. I dare you not to cry when he sings. It's beautiful. This is 13-year-old Andrew Johnston from Carlisle on Britain's Got Talent. Now I'm going to have to follow him on YouTube.



PS...linked from Towleroad

The journal layout that I chose, "Bryant" is created by Bloggish, which has an LJ to help you customize stuff (thanks for the link siberian_skys). They have tutorials and the like, which is good, because I want to:

1. Change the header to something more suitably Rhyme-esque
2. Change the width of the layout, because as I went back to look, all my photos are cropped because the page style is too small

This means I have to figure out this here new-fangled CSS stuff, which I'm sure I'll get the hang of, but for right now it feels daunting. This, of course, was the primary reason I never changed my layout before now.

With that in mind (and no doubt a hundred screw-ups until I figure it out) I created a new free account that I can bungle in any way I'd like. This way I can code stuff and when and if it gets messed up I don't have to worry about my regular journal hanging off the side of the Innernetz or something.

Any CSS tutorials out there would be helpful if anyone knows of any. I'd like to design a new header for myself in Photoshop this weekend and make things look purty.

This afternoon I bought tickets to the New York Comic Con, for Friday, April 18. Last year it was held at a different venue and apparently they didn't anticipate the amount of geekiness in NYC, so it sold out and I missed it. Of course, the con itself is a three-day thing with the most stuff happening on Saturday, but dude, I have tickets to go see Kids in the Hall on Saturday night. 'Tis a hard decision for the geek in me, but since they're only doing limited performances, KitH win out.

BUT! Friday at the Comic Con is the X-Files movie panel with Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (if the schedule is to be believed), and I don't see that panel anywhere else. ALSO! An early screening of that night's Battlestar Galactica. So say we all!

You know I'm whippin' out my oldskool XF T-shirt that has "I Want to Believe" on it. It's a T of the original poster in Mulder's office that I bought back in 1995. It's not one of those CafePress abominations; I got this back when Creation Entertainment was still doing the cons. I tend to wear it to all the cons I go to, because you never see that shirt on anyone.

And on a final, related funny note: As I was checking out, you could order official Comic Con T-shirts. Despite being a gal of large persuasion, I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that all of the 3XL T-shirts are sold out. Next year they need to remember the majority of geeks are 3XL.

This morning the Lifehacker blog offered up great tips on how to protect yourself while downloading using a torrent client. Evil Big Brother is out there and logging your IP address when you do bad things like downloading copyrighted movies, y'know. So read this article and learn how to protect yourself.

PerrGuardian2 sounds like a good idea.

Linked shamelessly from Boing Boing:



My favorite is Animal's rendition.

Éirinn Go Brách! (And my icon is green!)

As usual, I came across this at Boing Boing.net this afternoon.

It's a video of a talk given at TED 2008 (Technology, Entertainment, Design; an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration) by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor.

Taylor suffered a stroke one morning in 1996, and in her talk she describes in clear, moving, and emotional detail what it actually felt like from the perspective of a brain researcher. It took her eight years to recover; I can almost guarantee you will be moved to tears by her amazing account.

Pay attention to the first six minutes, in which she explains the remarkable differences between the two hemispheres of our brains. The left side of our brains are our sense of self, our individuality, our personal connection to the world. The right side of our brains encompasses the "limitless" self -- the expansiveness of our being, our deep circuitry of the past; our quintessential human connection to the world.

The video is amazing and beautiful.

Jill Bolte Taylor speaks at TED 2008

Is the time change still kicking everyone's asses? It is me. Getting up at 5:30 was no picnic before, and now it's like a hundred time worse.

Onto the link...via Boing Boing comes this heartwarming story about a dolphin in New Zealand who helped lead two beached whales off a sand bar and to safety. It's pretty touching.

Dolphin rescues stranded whales

Heh, did everyone hear about this? Apparently in the newest issue (#12) of the Buffy Season Eight comic book series, the ol' Slayer sleeps with a girl.

Not as groundbreaking as if they had done it on the show (although I guess you can only have so many sapphic characters at one time, e.g. Willow. And Tara. Tara! Oh, how I cried. And then I never liked Willow's new girlfriend, one of the chosen Slayers, whose name I can't remember right now, as they had no chemistry. But Tara! That was one of the reasons I started watching Buffy, after previously disregarding it due to its high schooleryness. Anyway. I'm rambling), but I guess it's interesting to read. The link leads you to an interview with Joss Whedon.

Hmm, now I miss everybody. Spike! Giles! OMG FAITH! Faith, one of the best female characters on TV yes even though she was slighty crazy and screwed up, she came through in the end

Siiiiiiiiiigh. I miss that show. I shall have to use a Jayne icon to keep it within the Jossverse.

This weekend I finally hooked up the TV the way it needed to be in order to get full digital surround sound (fyi: HDMI trumps everything else).

I also hooked up my Playstation 2 and began playing God of War, which is pretty freaking amazing. Yes, I know God of War III will be coming out for the Playstation 3 soon. I'm late to the party.

God of War is a combination of action and puzzle solving. Of course, I'm playing on easy, because otherwise I have a tendency to get frustrated with games and chuck them across the room. I'm not a gamer by any means. This time I'm impressing myself by figuring out how to do stuff.

In that vein (and thanks to reading io9 this morning), I present you with Samorost.

It's this beautiful hand-drawn puzzle/adventure Flash game you play for free online. On each screen you will notice your mouse turns into a hand, allowing you to perform some action in order to continue. You have to do things in a specific sequence to move on as well.

I got through to the third stage, where I am in this cavern of bugs, but I haven't been able to figure out the sequence/puzzle yet. Someone get there and give me a hint!

I have a feeling I'm going to be switching screens a lot today to make it look like I'm working.

The winner of the free movie tickets to see Semi-Pro is: tye_dyed_daisy!!!

My girlfriend drew your name out of the hat. Congratulations!!

Please e-mail me at rhymephile (at) hotmail (dot) com with your address, and I will put them in the mail on Monday.

I haven't been able to keep up with LJ this week, so I hope everyone is doing okay. The main reason? The Oscars are on Sunday (I'll be here, in New York City, in work, covering them and updating the Big Dot Com's website as the winners are announced) and I've been super busy.

You wouldn't think it should be such a stressful time; last year went off without a hitch and ran smoothly. Maybe this year I'm a bit stressed because MY BOSS DECIDED NOW WAS A GOOD TIME TO GO ON VACATION. Gah!

Within the next week he's off there's the Oscars, a huge sale, and now I have the responsibility to look after all of DVD, on top of completing my own pages (which I haven't even started yet). And since he won't be here I can't take Monday off. I'm going to be up until 1 a.m.-ish...I wanted a comp day.

I did stop and buy myself some Entenmann's chocolate frosted donuts last night. I soothe stress with fattening products. Mmmmmmmm.

*deep sigh*

Oh, quick note about the season finale of Nip/Tuck, which I watched last night: It's like stawberry-flavored blow. It's so wrong, yet so tasty. Also? "I can't believe I have to say this, but stop sleeping with your sister!" BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!! Christian gets all the best lines, fo realz.

Anyway, I'm also reminding everyone who didn't hear about it to check out my Free Movie Ticket Giveaway Drawing that's occurring tomorrow. You get two free tickets to the new Will Ferrell comedy Semi-Pro. Details and such are available by clicking the link.

My girlfriend and I spent the entire weekend setting up my new TV. Friday I cleaned; Saturday she built the TV stand and component stands while I unhooked the old stuff; I needed to move my 27-inch TV from the bedroom into the living room while getting rid of the ancient 19-inch I had in there already; we had to move a giant bookcase, VCR cabinet and fish tank; she put the books back while I hooked up the new stuff; I was going crazy trying to hook up the receiver and speakers until she figured it out; Sunday we had to disassemble my old heavy wooden entertainment center; and this morning we both had to work even though it's a FEDERAL HOLIDAY. Sheeeeeeet.

Anyway.

To celebrate my beautiful new TV (which, by extension, means celebrating the fact that I have a job and the ability to even purchase said TV), I will be giving away two (2) free movie tickets to the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy Semi-Pro!!! YAY!!!

Now, the fine print:

1) You must go to http://www.hollywoodmoviemoney.com and plug in your ZIP code to see if there's a theatre near you that accepts the Hollywood Movie Money tickets. Not all do, so please visit the website first.

2) You must comment here for the tickets, and I will put names in a hat and draw on Friday, February 22. You don't have to be on my Flist, but you do need an LJ account (to make it fair). Oh, and in the comments, say something like "Please add my name to the drawing" or something like that so I know.

3) You must use the tickets before they expire on March 30.

4) Each ticket is good for up to a $10.50 movie ticket (which means even in NYC you're covered)

5) The movie comes out February 29, and although it's not yet rated, chances are it's going to be an R. Keep that in mind.

The 8-year-old in me is grinning, and the current-age-I-am is SQUEEING with both excitement and nostalgia. Oh, pleasepleaseplease don't suck. Please

Image from Oprah.com

Got this from Consumerist.com. Oprah's website is giving away free pdf copies of Suze Orman's (the financial planner you've seen everywhere from cable to PBS) great book Women & Money. But you have to do it before 9 p.m. Eastern TONIGHT!!!

If you never thought you could get a handle on finances before, you should really look into Suze's book. It's not a cure-all, but Suze has a very straight-forward and insightful approach to money matters. She gives you no-nonsense steps you should take to address money woes, and does so by focusing on the complete woman -- from family, to working life, to love, to relationships.

I bought her Young, Fabulous & Broke book a few years ago, and it really helped me.

Even if you think she's annoying, it's still worth it for a free download!

It's an anti-homophobic bullying campaign being instituted in British schools, and John Barrowman is a spokesman. For more information about the UK equality group Stonewall click on Mr. Barrowman's handsome mug below, and read more about the Education For All campaign here.

A...large TV. It's a 40-inch Samsung LCD, in true HD at 1080p. It's basically TV porn.

Come see my new baby. Cigars for all! I shall name him Sammy.

Of course, I also had to buy a new stand for it, which was a lot harder than one might imagine. I'm setting it up in my bedroom, and since my bed is high I needed a stand that's much taller than the standard 21-inch stands out there. Those are nice if you're sitting on a low couch in the living room, but not good for the bedroom.

After looking for a while I found a nice stand that was 31 inches high. I can live with it. It's a little smaller than I wanted, which meant I also bought a component stand as well, since I have the cable box, a DVD player, a DVD recorder, the PS2, and a receiver and subwoofer.

Speaking of receivers, I had to buy a new one in order to have the HDMI inputs to use with the TV. I could have used my old receiver, but the quality is much higher with HDMI. The new receiver is the Sony STR-DG910, with upscaling for HDMI. That means I have one cable from the receiver to the TV, and everything else that I plug into the receiver, no matter what the type of input (composite or component) will be upscaled to go through the high-quality HDMI cable. My old Sony receiver still works wonderfully, and I stuck with the brand. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the old one.

Next, I'll go to MonoPrice.com to get the cables. There's no reason to spend $50 or more on cables, especially since HDMI is digital. I'm also going to get a VGA cable so I can use the new TV as a computer monitor, so I can watch my downloaded Boy Kissing Show Torchwoods in giant format.

Next on the list is some sort of upscaling DVD player, then Blu-ray (since HD-DVD is on its way out). Ooh, ooh, and then! A Wii! And maybe a PS3. But all that's later.

I can't wait for Battlestar Galactica in April. Oh, the fangirl in me is shivering in anticipation.

Whoo, I'm so excited and also in debt liek whoa!!