appalachian_fox

You could always just get an RF repeater for your IR remote/remotes. You can probably get an nice IR Universal as well and still come out ahead. The 890 isn't that expensive from Amazon, though, so maybe it's not worth it to you. Depending on where you hide the components, you can get IR guides, too. Totally eliminate RF from the equation. Again, that depends on where you are hiding them. FWIW, I like the Harmony series of remotes, but they're all that I am familiar with. I want that Harmony 1000 now that I have seen it. *drools* Programming them can be a pain, because the device information is all retrieved from the Internet, but it's not that big a hassle and that allows it to support pretty much everything you could reasonably want to control that has an IR remote, and if they don't have it every Harmony remote I've used will allow you to "learn" from the device's remote. If you have an XBox 360, they even have a special Harmony remote for that with the four buttons (X, Y, A, which are nice general-purpose buttons for other things like DVRs. Hope some of that was helpful.

A former neighbor of mine went to play with some symphony orchestra in Japan and they are being put up in an apartment somewhere in Downtown Tokyo which is on the order of $40,000 month US? Hope you find a roomie, Playaa, it sounds like your rent is really competitive for a lot of people. Too bad their commute would be killer.

Cool, as long as you aren't switching too often it's not like it's that big a deal, and it's certainly a neat, inexpensive and low-effort way of solving the problem. I looked in to the HD switches and while they are very easy to operate they also cost a good bit of money, so I cheerfully withdraw that solution.

That's a quick way to turn that power supply into a brick if it isn't already one. Power supplies are regulated by the motherboard, and in addition most of those computer power supplies need a decent-sized load, say 5-10% of their total rating, to maintain regulation. If the motherboard is not hooked up and you don't have an appreciable load across it, you're risking serious damage to the PSU. An alternative, if you are savvy with electronics, is to look for Wake on LAN power. If you have power there, it won't tell you that it's working for sure, but if you DON'T have power there that's a sure dead sign. A quick Googling shows that you should read 5 V on pin 9: link And this site gives you a bit more detail about testing the PSU in a system, so that may be worth reading up on. Good luck.

You could always pick up one of those hard drive switches. The Romtec Trios is the most famous but I don't think they make an SATA version. However, there's plenty of articles peppered over the Internet about how to make your own hard drive switch. Google can turn something up for you. The advantage here is both hard drives will be switched on the primary channel, so you can put a third HD on the secondary channel for media you want to share, etc. Of course, that's an extra hard drive to buy. And, of course, there's something to be said for an appropriately-configured boot loader. GRUB works very well for this sort of thing, it's well-documented and there's plenty of knowledgeable people out there who are willing to help you.

At least we can still put PAPER dollars into our wallets! I was under the impression the US one dollar bill is printed at a loss to the mint... I don't think that's right. $(Paper) < $(metal), usually. I do recall hearing that coins are cheaper in the long run, because they don't wear out nearly as quickly, though. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that in 1990 it cost 2.6 cents per bill. A brief perusal of the Federal Reserve site did not turn up any information on notes (it was pretty brief) but... The US Mint has the following table for production cost of coins in their 2004 annual report: Golden Dollar Half Dollar Quarter Dime Nickel Penny 21.14 cents 16.97 cents 7.33 cents 3.14 cents 4.56 cents .93 cents And expounds on penny costs: --edit-- Hey, here's the budget for the Federal Reserve Bank for the year. It has the number of notes to print for 2005 (8,631,606) and the printing costs ($509,974). That works out to roughly 5.9 cents per note. The budget also includes costs such as currency transportation, too, if you're interested. There may be a more up-to-date budget, but I'm stopping my search here.

Wow, the Canadian dollar is close to parity with the U.S. dollar? *wait for it..* Isn't that a little...Loonie? Thanks, I'll be here all week. Whether you like it or not.

Well, I can't be much help seeing as I want to not work. Career-wise, I don't know what I want to do either, but I have a job doing something I'm good at, working with/for people who are really cool, and the "what" was never that important to me. Maybe that helps?

Happy Birthday!

Wait, when did they become free again?

I think I'd refuse mine. It's a nice gesture, but if it was a done deal and I had resigned myself to it I think I'd just request that they move it up and get it over with. I can't imagine really enjoying that meal knowing what will come after it. Besides, there are witnesses...I wouldn't want to look bloated. Though I think a bunch of Gatorade would be in order -- Make the job easier.

Can you play Bioshock on Noobuntu?

Seeing as how your supposed BAC of .29 is between 3 and 4 times the legal limit, I would think you should be curled up on the floor somewhere sleeping for a day or so. Methinks that survey is a little off when it comes to seasoned drinking vets in college... the legal limit of .08 is like 2-3 beers depending on your size. Assuming it's 16 oz and 5% alcohol. You just got to college a week ago, you've been drinking for four days straight, and you honestly think that your BAC is still at .29? Haven't classes started by now? Is this something you are honestly proud of? I like drinking myself, but if this is all true, that's just sad.

Perhaps, but apparently there's going to be a Harry Potter section of Universal Studios in Orlando.

I know you're not seriously suggesting we expose suggestible young children to bare ankles. Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?

Hey, he DOES have a point a fair amount of the time. Nobody ever said it was a GOOD point. That wasn't my vote, though.

If I were in the market for such a thing, I think $150 for a Zune is a pretty good price.

Give up another game. In fact, send some of the less-loved games to me, and I'll finish them for you. Super Paper Mario is a whole butt-tonne of fun.

That's actually kind of an intriguing idea. I don't know why, but it is...

I highly recommend water. If caffeine / sugar isn't doing it for you, a glass or two of water will probably pep you right up. Besides, if you drink enough water you'll have to go to the bathroom all day, and that will keep you on your toes.

Silly idea. If you want to go barefoot, go barefoot. If you need protection for your feet, get protection. I can't imagine you have enough freedom of movement with that sole to allow you actually get much of a benefit from your toes anyway, though since I haven't actually worn one I can't really tell. The pictures make it look more cosmetic than utilitarian, though. Unless they were some kind of fourteen-foot tall atomic Kevlar socks with lasers for eyes! (in a poor Professor Farnsworth voice)

Yeah, that just happens to be the natural progression of life for many of us. It's a bit weird to get used to, but it shouldn't cause you too much distress.

Woohoo! No penalties for dying! People like me can play this game without fear of our own gaming incompetence!

Snape...Snape...Severus Snape....

Ich's got a good point with the weights, so if there's some money to invest that would be a good basic buy allowing you to do a wide variety of resistance training. Something I might suggest, though, is to hold off a bit to see if you really stick with a training program. If you're by yourself, not going to a gym, not running with people, etc., motivation will probably be your biggest enemy. Also, since you're starting off slow, this will give you a chance to get used to exercising, stretching*, and how your body responds to exercise. That's a big plus, since you don't seem to indicate much familiarity with exercise. As with any other exercise, if you go this route (I'd suggest it, if it's an option) make sure you know how to perform the routines properly to avoid injury. Another option is to look in the want ads. You never know what you will find, and weight sets are uncommon. You may (probably will) walk in to weight sets with screws or other odd fastening devices, which can be a pain, so buyer beware, but it's a good way to save some bank, especially if the weights are a standard size -- Then you can just replace the bar / fastening devices. It occurred to me that you mentioned being flat-footed as well. I suppose this means you don't like to run. I don't blame you, but you should throw a good aerobic workout into the mix as well. Check online for ideas of where your heart rate should be based on age and desired result (weight loss, etc.). Running works well, but also consider anything you have around - ride a bike, calisthenics (jumping jacks and those bend-and-thrusts are great) and boxing are all great and keep you moving. Don't forget footwork, though again, being flatfooted might make that more trouble than it's worth. Also, look around for other activities. Near me, for example, there's a place that lets you rent a kayak to go down a local river. Paddling upstream is a great exercise, no running involved. Variety is great, because it works muscles differently and it keeps motivation up. Plus, who wants to go for a boring run when they can go over a waterfall and claim it as exercise? Good luck, and remember, motivation. * Always stretch. I don't think I even mentioned that earlier. Very important to stretch before and after, especially if you're just starting out, to avoid injury. Nothing kills motivation like overworking a joint and having a sore whatever for a few days, plus it puts you at a bigger risk for injury.