Windows Vista 2.0... Er, I mean Windows 7...

Cas Had A Bad Day, Cas Had A Good Day? 2 Responses »
Oct 292009

I’m not one to adopt new technologies early. I waited a year after Vista’s release before buying it, just to put things in perspective (and not that I regret it, BUT).

So I freaked out a couple of people when I bought Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit) on Monday, three days after it got released as retail. I finally installed it last night, and I’m ready to give my initial impressions.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored blog, no one’s paying me to say this stuff, etc. etc.

First, my computer specs:

  • Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8400 3.00GHz w/ 6MB Cache

  • Asus P5E Motherboard (the original one)
  • 4 GB G.Skill DDR2 PC-6400 RAM
  • GeForce 9800 GTS w/1 GB RAM
  • Asus Xonar DX sound card

So I used a program called Macrium Reflect Free to make images of my two system drives in case I hated Windows 7 and wanted to go back to XP right away (and God, I love that program, it’s so easy), then I popped my 7 DVD in and restarted.

The Install:

  • Installer looks almost exactly like Vista’s, which is good.

  • There is barely any user interaction in the entire install except to enter your name/product key and pick your language.
  • They are being SUCH show-offs with the boot screen, but it’s pretty.
  • The entire install took about 20-25 minutes. Tne system rebooted 3-4 times.
  • There are vendor-supported Windows 7 64-Bit drivers for all my devices except my printer, but Microsoft made a basic driver for that. The front buttons for direct printing don’t work, but I’ve never used them anyways.
  • Only piece of hardware that was completely undetected (“Multimedia Audio Controller”) was my sound card. It saw my scanner as a Canoscan, but it didn’t have drivers for it.
  • I pretty much guarantee that the first impression you’ll get when you get to your desktop will be, “Oo, pretty”.

The Configuration

  • Ladies and gentlemen, if you hated the way that Vista held your hand for everything, then you’ll loathe the default config for Windows 7 until you turn everything off.

  • That said, if you’re going from Vista -> 7, the interface won’t be too much of a shock for you. XP-> 7, on the other hand…
  • I’m out to lunch on the new taskbar, and this is mostly because MSN (yes, the offical Windows Live Messenger client) does not play nice with the new taskbar’s grouping. I went back to the way I had it in XP, but this may change when they fix it.
  • The theme switcher is pretty, but some of the default backdrops are weird.
  • I got FFXI working the way I want it to, albeit with the default Microsoft drivers which are a piece of crap. The game stutters a little even with QoS disabled. I made an image of C and D again, and I’ll try to install the official NVidia drivers tonight.
  • The Control Panel is incredibly awesome once you change it out of Category mode. Seriously, everything is there.
  • Oddly, I didn’t have to call to activate Office 2007 even though I used all three licenses inside of two weeks.
  • My start menu’s already organized. IT’S ALREADY ORGANIZED.

The Issues:

  • Had trouble installing stuff because I disabled User Account Control, but that fixed itself when I restarted.

  • Had tons of trouble installing iTunes — install it on its own if you like installing 5-7 programs at the same time.

Those were the only OS-related issues. I’m serious.

What I Still Need To Do:

  • Install my scanner

  • Try the 191.04 NVidia drivers (now that I have a backup)
  • Try Adobe Photoshop Elements; if I like it, I’m buying it (time: 5 minutes, I’m just looking for one setting)
  • Re-enter all my info for my POP mail accounts (*sob*). I might not actually do this and install At Mail on alcedea.net again, finally (time: 30 minutes)
  • Wipe my phone. Because iTunes sees this as a BRAND NEW COMPUTER (time: 30 minutes)
  • Redo the SUPA RANDOM HUGE HUGE PLAYLIST and/or see if I can import my library before Sunday… or I’ll end up spending Sunday picking music instead of writing (time: 30 second if I can use old playlist, 2 hours if not)
  • “Reinstall” (read: copy/paste) Liquid Story Binder XE (time: 15 seconds)

Total time spent installing/configuring…

… 4 hours, not including installing FFXI.

That’s it. Yeah, I’m pretty happy so far. (XP takes me about that long just to make it tolerable.)

So, let’s see how this goes, shall we?

Current Mood:Okay emoticon Okay

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Done.

A Day In The Life..., Video Games No Responses »
Oct 262009

I didn’t mention it here (mostly on Twitter), but I’m dressing up as a Scholar in Argute attire.

Yes, I’m a nerd.

Anyways, with the help of my dear mother‘s overlock machine, I managed just that.

sch_af2_v1

Missing are the epaulet/épaulette/whatever you want to spell it and the matching one in the back, since I can’t find anything appropriate at the moment. Also, the metal detail isn’t exactly like in the original, but… I mean, c’mon.

For reference, here’s what the original looks like.

adelheid_in_af2

I do have the socks (albeit without the big poofy tops), the skirt (yes, it’s short) and I have shoes that look pretty much the same except for the brown flanges (they’re black on mine). I also need a brooch or something for the cravat, but I’m picking that up mid-week.

So yeah. I’m nuts. But I’m kinda proud of myself.

Current Mood:Sick emoticon Sick

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Where Cas Get Reminded That She’s Lactose Intolerant

Cas Had A Bad Day, Health and Exercise 2 Responses »
Oct 262009

So I think I mentioned a few times that I’m lactose intolerant. Well, due to me not realizing that what I had for supper contained about four times the amount of milk products I usually consume in a day, I got really fricking sick.

By really fricking sick, I mean worse than my initial reaction when I was 12.

See, when I was 12, my initial reaction happened when I was studying for my Latin final while eating a poutine, a cheese dog alomg with a glass of milk. After suddenly getting sick, my parents told me that I was lactose intolerant when I was a baby. (Nice to know.) I’ve lived with it ever since.

But no, I was sick worse than that last night. When I’m usually sick like that, it happens and that’s that. This time, I was sick, then I was sick again, then I was sick again after that. I was so sick that I instantly became severely dehydrated, and I started shaking uncontrollably because I was absolutely frozen (even though it was warm in the house).

My stomach’s still making weird noises and I’m still shaking a bit (I’m drinking lots of fluids), but I don’t feel any urge to be sick… I’d stay home today, but, well, y’know.

Current Mood:Sick emoticon Sick

I see...

Health and Exercise, Video Games 2 Responses »
Oct 212009

I had my yearly optometrist exam on Monday. It’s really hard to see this guy because he’s got a three-month waiting list with zero cancellations, but he’s completely worth it. He’s not one of those optometrists that gives you a quick exam and automatically says you need glasses — the “short” exam is 45 minutes long and he’ll tell you frankly whether you need something or not.

Anyways. Bottom line is that after two years, I need new glasses.

I like my frames a lot, but they’re currently being held with screw glue because the fram is badly made. I’d like to get new frames, but the current trend is oval frames or out-of-this-world rectangular frames that don’t suit me at all.

Case in point: I went to Hakim Optical yesterday. Huge store, about 500 women’s frames… and I didn’t find a single one that I liked.

I’m going to pop by LensCrafters tonight to see what they have. They’re not my first choice because I was kinda hoping to take advantage of Hakim’s 2 for 1 deal, and they have some confusing sales that don’t allow me to claim on my insurance. Third choice is Family Vision, then fourth is Iris (and that’s a distant fourth since their frames are CRAZY expensive). I could also try the REALLY HUGE Hakim in Sherwood Park sometime this weekend.

I wasn’t really noticing the lack of vision until he pointed it out, and after trying some temporary lenses with the right prescription, the difference is incredible. I’d like to get this over with before NaNoWriMo hits, but I’m not so sure I’ll be so lucky…

Current Mood:Sleepy emoticon Sleepy

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MP Woes

Cas Is Thinking Too Hard, Video Games 3 Responses »
Oct 202009

This is a FFXI post, but this is more math-related than anything, and I can really use the input.

There are two rings I use in both my White Mage and Scholar MP sets called a “Serket Ring” and an “Ether Ring”. The Serket Ring converts 50 HP into 50 MP, and the Ether Ring converts 30 HP into 30 MP.

The “Convert” terminology in FFXI is simple: if you convert 50 HP into 50 MP, it’ll be as if you never had that 50 HP and suddenly had 50 more BASE MP.

For example, say I have 1000/1000 HP and 1000/1000 MP. (Don’t I wish.) If I put on my Serket Ring, I have 950/950 HP and 1000/1050 MP. Equipping the ring won’t magically give me 50 MP, it just gives me a bigger MP pool.

If I remove the ring, I’ll have 950/1000 HP and 1000/1000 MP. So by that logic, the rings are useless once I burn off their collective 90 MP.

So knowing that, here’s how I’m set up.

  • My base set is my MP set, so I cure up to full and have, say, 1090/1090 MP.

  • However, the second I cast an enfeebling spell, my macro automatically switches to rings appropriate to the spell. (+MND for Paralyze and Slow, +INT for Blind, etc.)
  • Enfeebling spells are the first things I cast, so I IMMEDIATELY lose the 90 MP and whatever the MP costs for the spell I’m casting because of the ring swaps.

“So,” you ask with a puzzled frown on your face, “why bother with the Serket and Ether Rings?” I’m asking myself the same question.

Permanently ditching my MP set seems like a no-brainer to me. That’s not why I’m hemming and hawing. It’s that I’m actually considering selling these rings.

See, I’m NEVER at full MP.

As White Mage, I usually only heal to full right before I enter Dynamis, and then afterwards I’m lucky if I can stay over 400 MP. I have Sublimation (a slow conversion of HP to MP) and Auto-Refresh from my Noble’s Tunic.

As Scholar, I NEVER rest unless there’s an emergency (if I’m synced below level 68, I can’t rest at all); because I now have the Argute Gown, my Sublimation is crazy fast and I’m constantly juggling between my HP and my MP, and I don’t ever need to be at full MP to function.

If I sell these, I’ll make 600,000 gil for the Serket and 20,000 gil for the Ether. (If you’re wondering, I can’t equip two Ether Rings — the game won’t let you.) This would let me buy one more HQ staff which would be much more useful than constantly losing 90 MP.

I also have no other jobs that can benefit from these rings.

What should I do? I’m leaning towards selling, myself…

Current Mood:Sleepy emoticon Sleepy

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