Strange geek

Comic books? check
Sci Fi? check
Science? check
Computers? check
Odd musical interests? check
Role Playing Games? check
Occasional kilt? check
Video games?.... uh, well, check

I have held out on purchasing a gaming system for a while. And by "for a while," I mean 23 years. My last video game system was a used Nintendo, bought from my friend Jube, just as the Nintendo was being phased out. Prior to that, my Atari 2600 was hooked up to the old Zenith. Yar's Revenge.

Nor had I purchased a video game. Not only did I stick with the systems I had, I never bought new games. I only played what came with the used Nintendo and the original games my parents bought for the 2600. When they got boring, I quit playing. And despite the fact that I have owned computers non-stop for 14 years, I never bought a PC game.

Video games serve one purpose: entertainment. And they cost money. I don't allow myself this type of extravagance. Never have. It was drilled into me early that this sort of thing was immature, impractical, and bound to destroy my value to the rest of the world. If I was playing games, I was wasting valuable time that others needed from me. Why would I play a game when I could be studying/cleaning/working/other responsible thing? What would happen if someone needed me to save the earth and I said, "wait a sec, I need to level up first..."?

But yesterday, I bought a Wii.
Irresponsible? check
Expensive? check
Indulgent? check
Will I go to hell for this? check

But in trying to find ways to not go insane, and to find activities that the whole family can play with, this option popped up. So we took the plunge. There were a few obstacles, such as finding one in a store. But with diligence and google maps, anything can be found.

Step one: Dr. Wife. It really was her idea. She was interested in me adding some fun into my life, and in entertaining my brother during his visit. She was also slightly intrigued, though she is pictured next to the word "responsible" in the dictionary and would never admit to something as frivolous as gaming. She seems to enjoy it so far, even going so far as to play a few games last night. Laughter was observed. Mii was made. Good sign...

Step two: Four-year-old. The truth is, I don't need hobbies that take me away from parenting. So this had to be something she could do. She helped make her mii. And then she bowled.

Step three: Rationing. As with any new technology, I have a slight habit of letting it devour my attention, taking away my desire for food, sleep, and human contact. Am I capable of doing this "just a little?" I hope. A good sign is that I did, indeed, sleep last night. And other than this blog, I have not stopped the job hunt or house work today. That's right: I haven't touched my Wii today.

Will I? Probably. I mean, what man left alone all day wouldn't touch his Wii? I know that many of you would play with my Wii if you were here right now. A little bit seems ok. I just can't let myself get obsessed with my little Mii when the big Me needs a job.

Kill it kill it!

I am trying to help a friend in Lawrence, and needed to use the good ol' intertubes. Here is my setup (warning, geekspeak follows. Real words found after geekspeak.):

• Cable Modem (decent enough, supplied by giant cable conglomerate that didn't want to use mine).
• New Wireless Router (less than 3 months old, 802.11 g/b broadcast so the older lappy can use it).
• Desktop in bedroom (using a wireless connection, because there's no cable in the master bedroom, wtf).
• Laptop in dining room (about 6 meters from the wireless router).

The computer in the bedroom has no trouble browsing the interwebs, and is connecting with excellent signal strength. However, it cannot access the router using its address and a browser. Curious.

The laptop cannot do a damn thing. No IP address can be obtained, though signal strength is excellent.

After the proper hip gyrations, troubleshooting, chicken sacrifices, go-spurs-go chanting, and restarting, no success. At this point, I decided to go for the repair method that is recommended by every tech person on the planet. Unplug the router, wait 10.234 seconds, then plug it back in. Restart the lappy and try again. It works.

Here is why I am pissed off. I KNOW NOTHING!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM, OR HOW IT WAS CURED!!! To me, this method of repair is like going to the doctor, and having her stop your heart, slap on the paddles, and rid you of the flu by reincarnation. It's the Dr. House method of IT work.

Who is the bitch who designed this "feature" into wireless routers? Why do they all do this? Show me his face and I will shake it off his head.

Do you want to know the right way to fix a computer? Ask Dr. Wife. The laptop had a problem: the power supply jack had broken free of the motherboard, to the point where no amount of wiggling would allow it to take a charge, rendering it ultimately useless. Her solution was to dismantle it, find the broken part, order a replacement, remove the old piece and its solder, solder on the new piece, and put it all back together. That's how you fix a computer. You blindly rip out its guts, trust your instincts, and use molten metal to rebuild it better, faster, stronger. We have the technology...