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Emotionally, I’m about as drained as one can be, without simply keeling over dead. Spending day after day after day just being little more than alive, constantly searching for a solution that cost more than my heart can afford, is like a desiccant for my... me. I have these little fires in me somewhere, but I can never quite track them down. I know they’re burning and sometimes, on good days, I can even see a wisp or two of smoke, but then it’s gone. If I could just find one, I’d stoke the flames as high as I could.

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Yet, I know what that means. 

If I cannot handle the flames, then I will be consumed by the conflagration. …

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This isn't going to be a long read. The simple answer, and this is a guess, is that HP sees three things. 

1. Windows 10 development is reportedly significantly easier than for 8/8.1. That should induce some developers to prep versions that run on all Windows 10 systems.
2. Microsoft may have dumped Project Astoria, a dev kit to help Android app devs port to Windows 10, but Project Islandwood, a similar dev kit for iOS apps, is still on the workbench, and the iOS app ecosystem is significantly more cultured than Google's.
3. HP has a very old relationship with corporate culture. HP can see the writing on the wall, and it's screaming CONVERGENCE = LOWER COSTS. 

It should come as any surprise that companies would prefer to adopt …

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NOTE: The original title to this piece was "If you feel like someone's out to get you, they probably are". I decided to change it because I had just written down what popped into my head and it's a little "out there", if you know what I mean. Nobody is out to get me. When I spent some time thinking about it, a visual metaphor came to mind. Hence, the new title. The cape is a beautiful distraction. Inside, my soul is broken and the laughing, jovial, juvenile, and kind imbecile I project is just a shadow of who I am. Look inside the cape, and the elegance fades quickly away. And yet, I remain optimistic, hoping that one day I achieve something, even something small and insignificant. Or, something big, like saving my …

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In all honesty, I used to love HP, but not for the reasons you might think. Their enterprise and server gear has long been solid, including their desktop and laptop products. I have much experience with many years of such equipment. That changed for me a few years ago when I purchased a brand new HP ProBook 4540s. Aside from the display being of lower resolution than I wanted, the machine was a 15.6" mid-range powerhouse. It has a 2.5GHz 3rd-gen Core i5, 8GBs of RAM, 750GB drive, all of the expected widgets for connectivity, and hybrid graphics featuring Intel HD 4000 for mundane stuff and an AMD Radeon HD 7650M with 1GB of RAM. That last item would be perfect for my gaming needs, which aren't cutting edge, but can tax …

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Water is the single most important component for life on Earth. 70% of the human body is made of water. If you place your ear against a person who is jumping up and down, you might even be able to hear some of that water sloshing about. Isn't science fascinating? In order to live, a human must drink at least two gallons of what every day. Fortunately, American scientists armed with this knowledge were able to invent one of the most important devices we have in today's society. 

The water fountain. 

Imagine, if you will, being able to walk up to a box, push a button, and receive a refreshing, life giving stream of clean, clear water directly into your mouth! I know it seems insane, but I can assure you that the water …

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Congratulations! You've discovered vertical transportation through the miracle of the Elevator!! Elevators carry 3.82 billion people over 82.3 quadrillion vertical miles every single day. Elevators are one of the single most popular modes of transportation on the planet. Now that it's the first time you've been in a elevator, you should take a moment to savor that landmark you have achieved. 

After some self-congratulatory back patting, however, it's time to understand your role in the Elevator. The following are some tips that will help you become acclimated to life in Elevators. Pay close attention to prevent anyone from becoming injured, or even killed. Who knows... The life you save may be your own. 

Please memorize …

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It's amazing the number of things that are yellow in color that are unappealing. Lemonade is pretty great, but I wouldn't say it's a best thing in life. It's not even that yellow and it's liquid, so there's no chance of it looking like a banana. There might be a banana-shaped drink pitcher or beer mug, though. Closely related to lemonade, but produced in a completely different manner and lacking lemonade's appeal, is urine. Sure, you can pee into your radiator or write your name (poor penmanship included) in snow or even drink it if you are lost in a desert, but it's not considered a good drink. I doubt chilling it or adding sugar would improve the taste. Then again, some people go gaga over coffee beans that a cat shit …

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The area around me is dark, but there is enough ambient light to see that there is nothing around me. When I breath out, I can see the vapor. It's cold, but I can't feel it. I touch my left forefinger to my right arm and I can feel the hairs rise to meet the fingertip. I think that means there's a slight static charge in the atmosphere. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that it can be cold enough to see my breath, but not cold enough to discomfort me. 

"Hello," I call out in a normal, conversational tone. 

There is no echo, but my voice isn't tight and small. I'm in a large, open space. How large is anyone's guess. Well, my guess, at least. Nobody answers. I opt not to try louder for fear... of. I'm not sure. I dwell …

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Science fiction has been on a downturn over the last decade. Sure, we get event movies a few times a year, but a lot of that audience has been taken over by tales of comic book heroes. Marvel is a hugely dominating force in film these days, but the real core audience for science fiction used to be found on the small screen. Science fiction fans demand longer, more complex stories, deeper character development, and to have their thoughts poked. Star Trek is most commonly trotted out as prime exemplar. 

Aside from the original series which was ended prematurely, there have been five other series, the animated one most people don't recall, three huge series with seven year runs, and one aborted attempt at going back in time …

" “>

I've been struggling against the Right for months now, and I'm already feeling burnt out by all the hate and subterfuge. While it would be enormously fulfilling to me to find my words having an affect on a single, solitary conservative, I am convinced that day will not come. If I might use a regional metaphor, we are the coast of Southern California fighting against The Wedge of the Right Wing. The Pacific may be vast, but those who spend their entire days railing against positive human progress are the most entrenched of radicals. They will never be turned, but... you might find this amazing, they don't need to turn.

We simply need to vote.

It doesn't matter what the issues are, who the candidates are, which side you're …

" “>

Don't troll me, bro. I'm no Linux hater. I used Linux for years. I started with Caldera back when we didn't know that SCO was evil. Despite lacking coding skills of any kind, I hand-crafted my system from the ground up. At that time I was so tired of Windows that I ran Windows apps from a server to my desktop machine just so I could use Linux as my daily driver. 

Linux is a fantastic OS. It's powerful, capable, efficient, and dynamic. You can make it do anything you want, as long you A) have the nerd chops and B) you don't work a job which requires mainstream applications. There are the standard arguments, though. Linux has plenty of apps that are like Photoshop/Microsoft Word/whatever. Linux has peerless security. Linux …

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I don't know why, but it always seems like when I'm confronted with the need to develop an idea for a post, I think about blogging. 

Weird. 

When I write, especially here, I am blogging, so what's the point of writing about blogging as I write on a blog? Not sure, really, but it seems like the thing to do. So, here's some writing about blogging. First, though, an image for no real reason.

For some reason, I collect images like these. I like them. When …

" “>Binge TV. yay. Thanks Netflix. Yesterday, nothing better to do, I fired up the first episode of Netflix’s Making A Murderer documini-series.