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WOOHOO!

I’m posting this entry from the living room couch using my brand new Apple iBook 14″. I’m just getting the hang of it right now, so no earth-shattering revelations. However, I can say that I really love the aesthetics and usability so far.

Oh… and the new wireless network kicks some serious butt. The AirPort card in the iBook and the ORiNOCO gateway are happily talking to each other with 128-bit encryption (and with a MAC address restriction on the gateway that only allows the computers I specify to connect).

The only pieces left are the extra RAM (to bring the iBook up to 640MB) and the carrying case, which had to be ordered by a friend (thanks, Misty!).

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Why I Still Use Windows

The short of it: before GNU/Linux can become anything close to dominant on the desktop, those who develop it must figure out how to satisfy people like this guy[link defunct]. I identify with him. I saw this page on Slashdot today, and I must say that it comes pretty danged close to most of the reasons why I don’t run Linux on the desktop.

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Beetles, Joyrides, and Fried Chicken

Anyone who has read my first post here is aware that I associate certain music very strongly with events or periods in my life. From time to time, I’m going to drop in a nugget here and there. Tonight’s selection concerns a set of pop music that I’ve come to call “Com-Pak music.”

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Ego Search

We’ve all done it. From time to time, I like to go to Google and see what the Jeff McClures of the world have been up to. Actually, it’s pretty amusing to see the obscure corners of the Internet that my words are still left in. Admittedly, most of the hits are for other people (especially since there’s apparently a NASCAR driver with my name), but check this one out. (archived copy on archive.org) Look for my name on the page. The post itself isn’t exactly exciting, but that bit is the last one that I expected to see 4 years later.

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Autumn Leaves

Last week, I got an opportunity to participate in a recruiting trip to my undergraduate alma mater. It’s been over three years since I walked across the stage in my cap and gown, eager to get to the next chapter in my life. Since then, I’ve visited campus a few times. Every time I go, things reach out and catch on my memory rather like leaves catching on my clothing as I walk through a forest. This post is about those leaves and how some of them can be so unexpected.

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Actors are People, Too

Well, here it is: my second will-be post. You might have noticed that the first post has had a bit of time to age. It was actually posted on domesticat.net to begin with, but since it’s the most coherent and expressive piece of writing I’ve done lately, I decided that it would make a good first post. With that taken care of, now I’m working on clearing my head of all the writing ideas I’ve had over the last month or so. My first one has been rolling around in my head for a while, and it’s actually rather the flip-side of Learning to Be a Fan.

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Learning to be a Fan

Welcome to Sliding Constant. This post deserves a bit of a preface. I wrote this little essay in November of 2000… before I ever knew that there was going to be a “Sliding Constant”. I held onto this knowing that it would be the first post of any web log I started. As it turns out, the post ended up partially inspiring the whole concept for the site. I hope you enjoy.

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