Unutterably Silly The completely useless but massively epic milestones thread

[Katsunami]

Bought a new computer after using your old one for 15 years?
Did you read The Hobbit from the beginning, and then back(ward) again?
You've finally figured out how to redefine mathematics, so Pi is now exacty 3?

Post your useless, but no doubt epic achievements here

I'll start...

Today, my main library reached 300 books that are fixed and tagged as best as humanly possible This means that the calibre editor does not point out any errors in the EPUB, all the metadata is as I want it, the cover file is at least 1000 pixels on the long side (if I was able to find one), and any layout issues are fixed.

I still have 437 books to go though

[eschwartz]

Do note that Bergholt Stuttley Johnson has already solved for PI == 3.

The results were... typical, for him. I wouldn't recommend it at all.

[Katsunami]

Mail-sorting engine, the Post Office, Ankh-Morpork. Originally designed as yet another organ (musical instrument). Acquired by Postmaster General Cowerby. In the centre of this machine is one wheel that Johnson, for the sake of tidiness, had designed to have a pi (circumference to diameter ratio) of exactly 3, not 3.14-mumble-mumble-and-a-bit. In order for pi to be exactly 3, the universe has been changed. The machine therefore taps through many layers of the space-time continuum. Mail came out of the sorting machine that wasn't put into it by the human hands of the postal workers. Mail from next week, mail from 50 years in the future, mail that could have been, mail from alternative universes, mail that people swore they posted but really hadn't, mountains of such mail. Finally, Chief Postal Inspector Rumbelow beat up the machine so that it stopped whirring. No longer sorting any mail, the machine still sports an annoying blue glow, and is capable of Considerably Dis-Organizing objects placed above its centre. This makes one of the rooms in the cellars, originally the mail-sorting room, a dangerous place to be. A banshee assassin exploded when he touched the core of the device.

I should have known.

Maybe I should finally start to read Pratchett...

[poohbear_nc]

After actually reading the directions -- enclosed on 4 different inserts -- all claiming "easy installation" -- I finally got the Time Warner Digital Adaptor box attached to our 'dumb' TV -- and after several unpleasant hours -- finally working -- to bring digital channels to a non-digital TV ....

The missing key you ask?

Well, it was discovering that the 'optional' RF set-up MUST be done before the adapter would finally complete the channel scan ... and recognize the remote.

P.S. These 'optional' instructions were on the very last page of the 'easy' set-up brochure ....

Why don't I feel more triumphant?

[cromag]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Bought a new computer after using your old one for 15 years?
...

Well, as a matter of fact, I did just buy a new computer for internet surfing, ebook downloading, etc. But my old computer is only 12 years old, TYVM. (I'll get the new one set up any day now!)



My current triumph probably means very little to anyone else, but it's a big deal to me.

For many (many) reasons, I like dedicated MP3 players for my music. I've always been a Creative fanboy, but they can be very finicky about what operating system they take orders from. I'm going to keep them (a 32GB Zen and a 32GB Zen Vision:M) going but I wanted to get my hands on something that I could really make mine. So, I spent about $30 on a used Iriver H320. It came with a 20GB hard drive, and well respected hardware, but the user interface got no love from reviewers.

I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. It looked brand new. I connected it to the computer and there were only 40 songs on the hard drive, all loaded in 2004 and definitely not my style. And I quickly saw why reviewers panned the user interface -- it was kind of ugly and hard to figure out.

The H320 uses a semi-proprietary wall charger, but it can be made to charge via the USB through a menu selection. I checked and it was already set up for USB charging, so I connected it to the computer to charge it up.

I loaded Rockbox onto it, solving the user interface problem and really expanding its usefulness. Then I opened it up, removed the hard drive and replaced it with an IDE-CF adapter and a Compact Flash card (it didn't like two of my cards, but it worked with a Kingston brand card). Before I closed it up I installed a new, higher capacity battery.

When it was done I had a 32GB solid state player. Rockbox was set up the way I liked it, and it reported that the new battery should give me more than 24 hours of use between charges. Nice!

Then I connected it back to the computer ... and ... nothing. The computer showed it as a "read-only" file system. I couldn't put any music onto it. I tried every trick I could think of, but no good. My media software wouldn't make it work, and the disk utility on my netbook would not allow me to write to it. Period.

Well, this wasn't a total loss. I took the card back out, connected it directly to the computer, and loaded about 5GB of music onto it. Plugged it back into the player and it would play the music, but still refused to allow me to load any more through the USB. Just to be sure I reconfigured it to not allow charging through the USB. No luck.

I figured it must have a defective USB port. That would explain why there were so few songs on it and why it appeared to be nearly unused. I bought it "as is" so I was stuck with it, but it had been cheap and a good learning experience.

So, not a total loss. I could load 30GB of favorites onto the CF card manually, install it in the player, and keep it as a back-up player and for vacations.

I found another $30 H320 online, ordered it and a wall charger.


When the second player arrived I checked and the USB worked fine -- when it was plugged into the wall. The battery was completely, hopelessly dead. I ordered another new battery for it (it should arrive next Tuesday).



Then, I plugged the defective H320 into the wall charger and topped it off. When it was charged up again, just for fun, I tried connecting it back up to the computer. And, for some unknown reason, it worked! I deleted the music from it, sync'ed 12GB of music to it, swapped out Rockbox themes ... it worked fine. And has continued to work fine.

I guess it must have a firmware problem, but if I stick to the wall charger and never use the USB charging option again, I should be okay!

Meanwhie, I'll convert the second player this week. I have a 64GB card waiting for that one!

[Katsunami]

IDE to CF... Good old Microdrives

I repaired a few navigation systems that way, back in the day, after the manufacturers told me it would be very expensive or even couldn't be done because the systems needed 'special parts that were very hard to get".

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I should have known.

Maybe I should finally start to read Pratchett...

Bugerit!

[eschwartz]

I believe you will find it is "buggrit".

[wodin]

unless F. O. Ron says it, then it's "bugerit". Only Ron knows what it means!

[cromag]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

IDE to CF... Good old Microdrives

I repaired a few navigation systems that way, back in the day, after the manufacturers told me it would be very expensive or even couldn't be done because the systems needed 'special parts that were very hard to get".

What's that old saying?

The "impossible" we do today; the "very expensive" takes a little longer.

[kindlekitten]

I'd really like to like Pratchett, unfortunately I think (RIP) he's pretty much over rated

accomplishment? law suit I've been working on for almost 10 years is finally coming to life. I already won once, let's see whaat happens this time. assholes

[HomeInMyShoes]

I have now walked 2^18 steps since May 3rd.

[kindlekitten]

Huh??

[HomeInMyShoes]

I am on a walking challenge over the late spring and summer with some colleagues. The usual goal is 10,000 steps a day. I've been keeping track and on day number 17 of the challenge (122 days in total) I am just passed 262,144 steps (2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2). That puts me about 95,000 steps ahead of the pace. I won't keep it up, but getting out to walk a couple of times a day is certainly a good goal in itself.

This thread does say completely useless...

[Sirtel]

I recently managed to give deworming pills to 9 cats in less than an hour.
Wait, that's not really an useless achievement, I think... (though they'll get worms again soon enough, no doubt), but it certainly felt epic to me.