Well I’ve gotten a copy of the 3.1 beta I mentioned in the previous post and I’m going to be doing a review of it for the Web Tech SIG sometime within the next couple of months. My initial impressions of the program are very good. The user interface is really well done. I’m going to start putting it through the heavy paces later tonight. My approach to reviewing this product is going to be to just throw my self into it, so I’m associating it with all the files it can possibly edit, I’ve edited the registry to make it the default source view for Internet Explorer, and I’m going to be using it for all the coding I’m going to be doing. I’ve found in the past that this is the best way to really get to know a product and its quirks. Wish me luck :).

There’s a new feature on the scripts section of the site where if you’re using a particular script or code snippet you can post your site. It’s stark empty now, so please try it out! It’s called “Celebrity Endorsements” :).

I just found a list that summarizes everything I possibly wanted circa 1997.

• U2 CDs
• 64 megs of memory
• Awe 64 Sound card or USB speakers
• Mark 6 alto saxophone
• Stereo:
  • Radio turner and mixer
  • CD Changer
  • Turntable with stereo output
  • Double tape deck
• Books: anything by Isaac Asimov
• Cool mousepad
• Flatbed color scanner
• 3D video card
• Computer games
  • Quake II
  • Starcraft
  • Command and Conquer II: Red Alert
• Fast CD-ROM with digital support
• Cool speakers for Dolby 4-channel surround sound
• Big Monitor
• Caller ID
• USB Port

By the metric of this list, I’ve achieved almost 100% success. It’s remarkable how the material things we want can change so much over the years, and how material things in and of themselves can become so much less important. I wonder if I made a list now, how would I look at it in five years?

I’m cleaning up my room, as I always do when the weather starts to get cold, and going through a drawer I found the most remarkable piece of paper. Apparently I had made a bet with my friend Lucas that George W. Bush was going to run for President. For posterity, here’s the entire text of the letter:

On 11-20-98 [we weren’t Y2K compatible] in World Geography with Mista [sic] Molloy, Lucas and Matthew made a $2 bet that George Bush Jr. will run for president.

[signature] Matthew Mullenweg | [signature] Lucas Spath

Matthew says he will
Lucas says he won’t

The person who is right gets the two dollars ($2)

We must have been quite bored to make the language that specific, but I guess next time I see Lucas I should hit him up for the money. I need to make more bets . . .

Just got back from Cue and Cushion, a nice pool hall on Shepard. Tonight was especially nice because I actually won. The music was good, thanks to Jaime, and everything was fun. Alex was making some really nice shots, but luck seemed to turn in my favor towards the end of every game. I’ve put some cool pictures from the pool hall, as well as a frog that lives at my house that I see sometimes. I’ve always heard stories about how my grandfather was very good at billiards and played it all throughout college, and part of me wants to emulate him and get really good at it. This night was definitely a big improvement, but I haven’t quite nailed down what I was doing different. Oh well, practice makes perfect.

A lady was filling her tank at a gas station, smoking a cigarette, even though all the signs say not to. The fumes that came out of the gas tank ignited, severely burning her hands, and the fire
crawled up her arm. Instead of rolling on the ground to put it out, she panicked and took off
running down the street! A police car was at the intersection where it happened and he tried to stop
her to put out her arm, but she just kept running and screaming. So the officer shot her. This took everyone by surprise. The officer ran over to her and put the fire out, then called for an ambulance. When questioned about his course of action to stop her the officer said, “My only thought was for everyone’s safety. After all, she was waving a fire-arm.”