Tools Tools Tools

So, I just got a new computer, and trying to remember all of the software that I use on a regular basis (mostly free, open-sourced packages) was daunting. Then I remembered that I have created my own personal software installer over at Ninite.com.

Here's the link. (It should ask you to download the file.)

I went to their site, selected all of the freeware I use from their lists, then they assembled the file linked above. That file opens an installer which determines the best version of each software package for your particular operating system.

My file contains the stuff I use regularly:

7zip (zip utility)
Audacity (WAV recorder/editor)
Auslogics (better defragger)
Avast (excellent antivirus)
Ccleaner (cleans browser cache, registry, startup processes, etc.)
CDBurnerXP (burns audio, data, ISO, DVD, etc.)
Chrome (quick browser)
Dropbox (file sync tool)
Filezilla (FTP client)
Firefox (complete browser)
Foxit (PDF reader)
GIMP (image editor)
Irfanview (image converter)
MediaMonkey (media player)
OpenOffice (MS Office replacement - saves as PDF!)
Picasa (photo organizer, basic editor)
Skype (video calling)
Steam (game aggregator/ gaming friend tracker)
Thunderbird (email client)
uTorrent (torrent client)

Notable omission is an instant messaging client. I use Meebo inside of Firefox because it runs over HTTP, which means the IM traffic looks like normal web traffic to my corporate firewall. It also allows me to be online in my Yahoo, Gtalk, jabber, facebook, and other clients at the same time. I'm pretty surprised Meebo hasn't either gotten super popular or killed, since that's what happens to the stuff I love.

The Plan is in Effect

So far this morning, I have eaten 1 banana and twelve almonds. I have a piece of mahi mahi that's the size of a deck of cards, a container of greek yogurt, and a bunch of mini carrots for later.

I started out by doing a mile and a half on the treadmill. It was harder than it has been before and I'm a little embarrassed. I need to take some before pictures this evening to mark the worst shape I've been in for the past 40 years. I'm hoping to see some tangible results by Christmas.

To reiterate, the plan is to lose 40 lbs. this year. Doesn't have to happen right away, and I want to do it so that it stays off, not just to say I did it. So, I'm going to start out by kind of shocking my system with a lean, healthy diet and more exercise each day.

If you see me in a dark alley with a box of day-old donuts - stop me!

Read This Tomorrow

This article in the New Yorker actually describes the feeling I've had for most of my life. I've often wondered if I have ADHD (ADD) but never pressed it with a doctor for a diagnosis. I have put off assignments or work until the last minute for as long as I can remember. Trying to do stuff ahead of the deadline is like trying to push my car up a hill - it's just not possible.

Maybe it's not such abnormal behavior after all. On the other hand, maybe science is an enabler. If I choose the articles properly, I'm healthy being fat, I'm a genius because I keep piles of stuff everywhere, and now I'm learning that procrastinating has been a "live for today" response to stuff I don't want to do.

Go science!

On Being a Father

It's a little surreal. I have always had it in mind that I'd like to have a child at some point, but that's been a little thought in the back of my mind. Now he's here. Even after we knew he was a boy and we'd seen a few ultrasound images of him, I never had an idea in my mind of what he'd look like. Now I can look at him.


Sometimes when I do look at him I just don't believe it. There he is. 20 years of adulthood (give or take) and 10+ years of marriage to his mother, a bit of difficulty, and then nine months of preparing, and there he is, sleeping.

Things more experienced folks would tell me about fatherhood have, mostly, come true - but not exactly as expected. The lack of sleep everyone talks about - it's real, but it's not that big of a deal. I was concerned that I'd turn into a zombie by the second week, but instead, we got into a bit of a rhythm. People said my life would no longer be my own - it would be all about the boy. That's also mostly true, but it's not this wrestling match to get my old life back. We make small adjustments and we can do pretty much exactly what we had always been doing.



The biggest thing I learned when we got Nina (our dog) was that it wasn't all about training her; the best success came when I figured out how to adjust my way of thinking a bit, too. Now if I could just understand why she thinks dirty diapers are delicious...

Elias John

First, a picture:


This was taken last week as he was speeding toward a recovery from jaundice. Higher bilirubin levels in newborns are pretty common but it's still disconcerting when you've fought for nine months (or more) to bring this baby into the world and it's not 100% text book. That hose connected to a flat fiber optic light "jacket" that wrapped around his torso and delivered a wavelength of light that assists in the dispersion of bilirubin. Irony is that I write about fiber optic equipment every day.

This kid showed up two weeks ahead of his due date and was still 8 pounds, 11 ounces at 21 inches. Not bad. In the following two weeks, he's clearly found his lungs and a taste for milk (or formula - he's not that picky). He clearly is more easily comforted by his mom than by me, but that's fine.

Either way, we hoped and prayed for a healthy baby, and as of today, that's just what we got.