Bit-Shift.Net

Microsoft recently released Windows Vista for public consumption. Over the past few months there has been a log of hub bub over whether you should upgrade to Vista and if so, which version do you choose. Unlike when Windows XP was released the choice was simple. But Vista is a serious commitment. Using Vista to it's fullest potential often requires purchasing new hardware as well as a complicated licensing scheme (it's rumored if you upgrade from XP to vista you forfeit your XP license). Not to mention expensive (Vista Ultimate, the OS of choice for enthusiasts, is likely to cost $300 for a single license).

Recently I stumbled upon this simple flow chart that will let you know definitively whether or not you should upgrade to Windows Vista. Just start at the top of the chart, answering yes or no to the questions asked and you will arrive at whether you should upgrade to Vista or stay with your current OS. Choices, choices... Is Vista in your future?

Recently I've been having some trouble sleeping. Mostly it's waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. Occasionally it's not being able to get to sleep as my mind races a mile a minute. I attribute it to various stresses like work and things going on in my personal life (I'm getting ready to buy a house for example, which is a BIG stress right now). To be honest, on weekends I don't mind a little insomnia. I usually get up, play some video games or read and go back to sleep. But during the week it really sucks.

I'm not a big fan of using chemicals to fix what ails me such as sleeping aids or even aspirin (unless I'm really miserable). Today I stumbled upon an article listing the top 10 sleep inducing foods. Some of the items listed are pretty obvious (like Turkey, according to the article it works differently than most people expect). The nice thing about this list is it's so simple, there is even a recipe for some sleep inducing muffins.

Some of my favoriate items from the article:

Bananas. They're practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Honey. Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that's linked to alertness.

So the next time you have trouble sleeping go fix yourself a midnight snack and avoid the sleeping pills.

Read the article here.

Where I work, especially around deadlines, there is a lot of profanity thrown around. For what ever reason people get frustrated and then swear. Whether it is because a co-worker drops an unexpected task, or their computer simple will not cooperate with them, all those naughty words you were taught never to say flow freely like champagne on New Years.

My friend Brent and I, after realizing that we might have a problem with profanity, decided to hold ourselves accountable for every word we uttered in the form of a check marks on a white board worth twenty five cents. That lasted a few weeks and things did get better, but as with all schemes of that nature, we got busy again and started swearing again and said f**k it to the check marks.

Well, since going cold turkey isn't the way to change anything I've stumbled across a game that could help alleviate your potty mouth while still giving you that feeling of satisfaction you get when you vent (and it could help your typing skills too). The object is to type in as many swear words as you can think of in the allotted time period and the game awards you points.

Next time you feel like launching a verbal assault on your cellphone for dropping a call with your signifcant other, give this game a try instead and maybe your co-workers won't look at you funny anymore. (Unless you're a bad typer, in which case this will just make you more pissed off and start swearing at my blog. Please don't swear at my blog.)

I think the image speaks for itself.

After almost 16 months I got my first Google Adsense deposit today. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but it still feels good to see that some people actually do read this thing.

Thanks to all my readers.

When I opened my email this afternoon I noticed an email entitled "RED FRIDAY". I get a lot of chain letters in my email, most of them I read and a few I forward on. After reading this particular message I wanted to forward it on to everyone I knew, but thought it more reach more readers if I posted it here.

The message was written by an airline passenger. On this flight he noticed a US Marine carrying a folded flag. The man inquired of the soldier if he was heading home or if he was heading out. The Marine replied that he was escorting a soldier home. "Going to pick him up?" asked the passenger. The Marine responded "No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family."

When they landed, the pilot stopped just short of the gate and asked that all passengers remain seated while Sergent Steeley of the US Marines deplane and receive his fellow soldier. The passengers watched silently as the casket of the fallen soldier was unloaded from the plane, draped in the colors of the nation he gave his life serving.

I'm not a supporter of the war in Iraq, but I am a supporter of the men and women serving our nation overseas. The brave souls who risk their lives everyday so that we can continue to enjoy the freedoms we've grown accustom to.

Join me in showing your support for our nations troops by wearing red this and every Friday until each one of our service men and women is back with their families.

I'm bound my honor (and being an honorable person) to post 5 things you don't know about me. I was tagged by Greg to undertake this task. And now for the good stuff:

1. In 4th grade, I helped my grade school run enough miles to equal a trip around the planet. The PE teacher had this great idea to promote physical fitness where each kid would run so many laps at recess and record how many miles they equaled. This led to a broken foot, which despite my constant complaining, my mother did nothing about for almost 2 weeks.
2. I hate milk. I will have it on cereal, I will drink chocolate milk but I will not drink milk straight. Had powdered milk once when I was about 4 and have not touched the stuff since (much to the detriment of my bones - see #1)
3. I've seen the movie Hackers over 60 times (40 or so of the viewings were in the first 2 weeks of owning the film).
4. When I have dental work done, I refuse any anesthetic. Partly because I REALLY hate that topical stuff they use before they stick the needle in and partly because I really hate drooling all over myself for 3 hours after my cavity is fixed.
5. I'm a hopeless romantic. I love long conversations that go no where, surprising my significant other at work with flowers, leaving to be found and finding notes when I get home, I could go on and on....

Well now you have it. Unfortunetly I don't know any other bloggers that haven't already be "tagged" so.. Aaron & Scoble You're It!