My archive CDroms...

Both of my archive CDroms underwent some revisions lately. Since finding
out Google was giving away Picasa 2 software, I grabbed it for my mom's
system and installed it. It works nice for some features, but it's habit
of how it handles edited pics annoys me.

Say I copy a bunch of pics onto the HD. Run Picasa 2, it finds them and
sorts according to the date stamp on the files, and then according to
subdirectory name. Go through the "folders" of pics, view and edit them
one by one. If you crop or make changes you want in the final pic, you
have to "Hold" them in the picture tray. Go through and edit and hold
them, then Export the pictures to a folder. Even if you select the
original folder, Picasa 2 creates a Picasa.ini file you have to delete,
as well as a new subdirectory for the exports... I had to move the
exports (the resulting edits I wanted) back up to where I wanted them.
Then as I was done with each folder of pics, I removed them from Picasa.
It's set up to never overwrite your original pics, but that's what I
want...!!

So a lot of cropping and other adjustments were done. Really smooth
editing. It doesn't let you draw or create pics (which it should do),
and I find its editing features like compositing a bit odd and not
working the way I expect it. But it does nicely, and the pics I wanted
to crop are done. (At least until I add more..)

I did a first count of floppies I went through for my archives. It's not
complete yet. I counted 376 720K discs, and 235 1.44MB disks, 125 unused
(736 total so far) and I still have more to count...! You gotta realize
lots of those disks were not completely filled, and I had numerous
copies of the same files. I had to weed out a lot of duplicate data.

I also finally checked out 3VR's "3D Adventures of Sailor Moon" which
never ran on the laptop because it didn't have video support the
software needed. It ran on mom's XP desktop with practically no
installation - it had the DirectX components already, far much removed
with newer versions since the CDrom was made!

It's somewhat nice and all. I mean, for kids, it's OK I guess. The
interesting thing is to go through and copy off the pics for the cube
puzzles. There's a couple in that directory not even used in the
program!! I extracted all the BitMap pics that looked OK on their own
and converted them to JPG. Pulled off the Midi files, and the video AVIs
which can be played in Media Player without the 3VR software. The video
in those files mostly looks like a bad capture of lousy videotape...!!

The most annoying thing is that when you try to visit the various areas
looking for the 5 pens, the software more often than not exited. Some
interesting bits:

- in the Fashion Salon bit, Mars has one selection of clothing that
includes 3 china dresses!

- Also, Venus has some black clothing that makes her look evil. I
composited the gloves that you couldn't mix with another outfit and
might send that to a friend to send to a serious Venus fan - for that
matter they both might enjoy it, because they're both serious Sailor
Venus fans!

- After examining the graphics, it shows the fashion salon thingies with
4 snapshots instead of the 3 you get right off. Chibi-Usa even gets her
own fashion salon thingy.

- There's at least 2 graphic images in one directory you don't see used
in the software itself. If you were to make a copy onto your HD, you
could change the horrible WAV audio files to sound better with other
voices, and possibly edit or change the texture mapped BitMaP pics for
various things. ^_- 3VR didn't use any of the DiC dub voices, and the
recordings they did use are kinda lame.

And finally, long time host of the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson, passed
away recently. He got to enjoy only 13 years of retirement. I can't
believe he's gone.

Unbelievably excellent moment

I haven't had much of these lately, but today was one that was
"Priceless."

Anywho, I had to go grocery shopping on my day off. So I have a few
stops to make, and to spend the time doing it (and kindly driving me
around) was my friend.

Big Lots had media cases I needed (got 2 of them), a couple thingies of
super adhesive stuff (might put that truck rear view mirror back up),
and something else.

Go to Aldi's and do most of the shopping.

Went to Marc's and got some stuff (forgot the spaghetti sauce and had to
go back in...).

But we walked over to where I used to work in that same plaza (Westwood
Square) so I could fulfill one promise to one lady I used to work with.
She had given me a couple of photos of 2 cats she used to have, both of
which have sadly passed away. I promised I would give her a floppy with
those scans on it so she could see them on her family's computer. I hope
she still has it. But what I ended up doing was making a wallpaper
graphic JPG, and sharing a "PG" edition of my Anime Archive CDrom with
some movie files and somesuch.

So we approach one door, and I see duct tape over the handle on the
inside, which by placing it where it is, keeps the latch thingy on the
inside pushed into the door handle and it can be unlocked. I laugh at
this because it seems either it has broken or no one remembers how to
make the mechanism work right anymore. (heh!)

Anywho, as I walk in, my former manager comes out of the restroom and so
he's like RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I stop immediately, because he's not
seen me yet. My friend observes he picks up a tray, gets a glimpse of me
at the one corner you turn to go towards the back, then books it to the
back. (^.^)

Anywho, one lady I worked with that I don't really have an overabundance
of negative feelings towards tells me that the lady I want to give the
CDrom to isn't there today. I ask her to give it to her next time she's
in. We talk a bit then I find out Randy, one co-worker I enjoyed working
with, returned because his other job screwed him over. I encourage him
to get a job in a union shop, because you won't get abused there. I
suffered so much abuse I'm actually glad to be where I am now. (I say
this aloud and there's some customers in the store! Heh!) My friend
spews out where we work now (I didn't want to let them know) but now I
feel it's not like they can do anything, and it's not like the UFCW will
even listen to people from non-union shops anyway.

So anywho we leave. My friend observes "Your former manager disappeared
quicker than a magician!" I observe later that he never even bothered to
greet me or anything. Of course, I didn't come to say hello or to talk
to him. My purpose was to deliver that CDrom.

I've been laughing about this since that moment. Unbelievable priceless.
Made waiting 3 months before I showed my face in there again well worh
it. I hope they notice that I didn't ask for a drink or anything. I'll
have nothing to do with YUM! brands foods ever again.

For the first time ever, I feel things will be alright once the midnight
shift job falls into my hands. If we can just hold out until that
happens...!

harumph

I go to work, drive home and get all the way here only to back up and
get stuck on the railroad timbers my grandfather had put there years ago
so people wouldn't back off the edge of the cement driveway.