Internet Explorer 8 SUCKS February 10, 2009
Posted by Joe in : Technobabble , add a comment
I’m usually a big fan of IE, and I refuse to use Firefox - but downloading the IE8 beta - which is now updated to a RELEASE CANDIDATE - was a horrible idea.
Sure, its quick, its got some nifty new features (better tabbing, privacy mode, improved protected mode), but it breaks a LOT of shit. Apparently, for no reason.
For instance:
1) If I log into a Google service, like Adsense, and press log-out, Google tells me I’m signed out. But if I go back to the login back, I’m magically signed in still. The same goes for many other login-required sites.
2) One example of lost web functionality: In Wordpress, I lose everything I had before when creating a post, like adding italics, bolding text, adding images, etc… All I can see is a Title box, Post box, Tags box, and basic buttonsl like Save and Publish.
3) The “compatibility” mode is nice, as it lets you view a site in, I guess, IE7-like mode. But its broken as hell. Some things revert back to IE7-like quite well, like a site using all CSS and DIVs may display differently, but Wordpress still looks the same. Missing a ton of crap.
Fact of the matter is, it makes a lot of websites unsuable unless I use compatibility mode, which doesn’t always fix anything.
So that’s my rant on IE8. Advice? Don’t bother - yet.
Treating Rosacea, but not quite a Cure
Posted by Joe in : Health and Fitness , add a commentSo recently (few months ago) I went to the doctor because of a nasty face rash I got under my cheeks. This is my general practitioner we’re talking about now.
He decided the rash - which was extremely red, had a hot sensation, and was drying out my skin - was “contact dermatitis,” which is the general term for “any and all bacterial infections of the skin.” Not very helpful, but he gave me a steroid cream to clear it up.
Well, the cream didn’t help to say the least. Instead, it created a bright white “outline” around the rash. Didn’t bother the rash itself of course.
I went back and he recommended I see a dermatologist, so that’s what I did. At this point, I still didn’t even know what rosacea was, but she was convinced I had it.
So started the roscea treatment regime…
I was prescribed Metrogel and Finacea Gel, which is an azelaic acid. The Finacea burned like hell - which is a common side effect of usage. But, the rosacea had gotten worse in the meantime.
It now literally burned and felt like my cheeks were on fire. It slowly spread across the bridge of my nose. I developed acne-like pustules that just came went as they pleased, bringing with them intense itching and burning. The azelaic acid compounded this feeling - twice a day. The Metrogel didn’t seem to do much.
I went back to the dermatologist. She saw it had worsened, but explained it does take several weeks for the gels to start doing anything (it had been about two weeks). She prescribed me a sulfuric face wash - thick yellow goop - that you were to massage onto the whole face for 30 seconds, twice a day. Again, more burning.
One good thing started to occur: I no longer had ANY acne. Between the Finacea and sulfuric wash (stopped using Metrogel), I no longer had any noticeable acne on my face!
Unfortunately, the rosacea persisted and continued to worsen.
I lost faith in the dermatologist after 6 weeks went by and no improvement. I searched and searched online, trying all sorts of herbal and over-the-counter remedies.
It wasn’t until I read about the FaceDoctor line of products that I found something that actually seems to work!
They’ve got a couple different soaps (all available on Amazon) that go about $20 a piece. Not cheap - and they’re bar soap, so you need to lather it up in your hands then apply to the face for 30 seconds twice a day.
I tried the standard FaceDoctor soap for a while and seemed to help, until I got new pustules that just wouldn’t get better. I then bought another product by FaceDoctor - FaceSurgeon (sounds intense) - which is used directly after the FaceDoctor soap (again, 30 seconds on your face, twice a day).
Since I’ve been using Finacea, the sulfuric face wash, FaceDoctor, and FaceSurgeon, I’d say my symptoms have decreased 80-90%, and the overall “redness” has gone away about 95% of the time. I still get pusky pustules here and there, but its usually due to drinking alcohol or some other trigger (direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, etc.).
But I’d have to say, I’m quite satisified with this new treatment regime, and I’m going to continue using these products until either the rosacea goes away or they find a damn cure!
As a side note, I also take 500mg of Zinc every day, along with 1g (time-release) of vitamin B-5 (panthoetic acid).
I had read some comments online that acne suffers used these to get rid of acne, and I had started this regime alongside my rosacea treatments. I believe this also helped remove my acne.
Zinc is supposed to help metabolize the oil in your skin faster, while B-5 helps reduce overall oil production. I have an especially oily skin, and since supplementing these two vitamins, my skin is dry most of the day, I require less and less lotion (even with all those rosacea treatments), and I get acne breakouts when I miss the B-5 and Zinc dose for the day. So, there you go - two great tips worth trying out!
Sign up and comment to discuss if you’d like. I’d be happy to answer any questions!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull May 24, 2008
Posted by Joe in : Entertainment , add a commentI figured I’d finally get around to updating NJTechie with a review of Indiana Jones 4.
In his latest adventure, Indy is caught up chasing a mysterious crystal skull that our old friend Ox (Professor Oxley) managed to stumble upon. Shortly after, Ox goes crazy, tries returning the skull to a mythological city made completely out of gold, and is later captured by the KGB.
The movie is very Indy-esque; equipped with WAM BAM sound effects for kicks and punches and the same general theme/color of the original films. The movie really holds true to the originals, for the most part.
As an aging actor, Harrison Ford surprisngly looks very similar to the earlier iterations of Indiana Jones. He has a lot of great action sequences and does take jabs at his age (as do the other cast members).
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say this movie is about an 8. The actors were fantastic, the movie had great sound and visuals, and the story is about the only thing preventing it from getting a perfect 10 from me.
I won’t give anything away about the story, other than the fact that this mysterious crystal skull is oh so much more than a crystal skull. A twist you wouldn’t have expected from an Indiana Jones movie, for sure.
After seeing the movie, I’m not so sure that the plan to create more sequels starring Shia LeBeouf is such a good idea, but only time will tell. Without Harrison driving the film, it just won’t be Indiana Jones anymore, or, well, it will be, but… yeah, you’ll just have to see the film to understand that.
How to Hook up A Receiver January 5, 2008
Posted by Joe in : Technobabble , add a commentIn shameless self promotion, I direct your attention to my new website HowToHookItUp.
This particular How-To gives you the low down on hooking up a home theatre receiver. It goes in depth describing each type of input, laying out your setup, and connecting the cables. Check out How to Hook up a Receiver today!
Warner Brothers Drops Support of HD DVD January 4, 2008
Posted by Joe in : Technobabble , add a commentIts unfortunate, but this may just be the end of HD DVD.
Today, Warner Brothers announced it will discontinue support for HD DVD after May of this year. From then on out, Warner will only put out Blu-Ray and regular DVD movies.
You can read more about it from the Warner Brothers press release indicating the move to Blu-Ray exclusively.
HD DVD still has Paramount and Universal, two huge players, but they support both HD DVD and Blu-Ray. I was really hoping HD DVD would pull through, but it doesn’t look good.
Rudy Guiliani: New Host of “Fear Factor” in Near Future
Posted by Joe in : Political Circus , add a commentThat is, of course, after he loses the 2008 Presidential Election.
If you’ve seen some of Rudy’s election ads on TV, you might have seen the ones that insinuate America will be under attack by terrorists in the near future, and that Rudy is ready to kick some ass.
Read on to see one of these ads and find out why Rudy should never be your president.
BSN Syntha-6 Review January 3, 2008
Posted by Joe in : Health and Fitness , add a commentAs the only supplement I’m still taking as part of my workout regime, Syntha-6 is an essential component to body building. Its protein, people!
Two scoops of Syntha-6 gives you approximately 44 grams of protein. More than enough for one workout. Ideally, you should have 2-3 of these shakes every day and especially three on workout days. Your body needs anywhere from 80 to 180 grams of protein per day to build new muscle. Don’t starve it!
Review continued after the jump below.
TomTom One XL is Garbage December 31, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Technobabble , add a commentSomeone I know recently bought themselves a TomTom One XL GPS. I’ve never owned a TomTom device, so I went about researching them online.
The One XL unit in particular seemed to receive your typical reviews with some ups and downs. Overall, it looked like a solid unit, and at a price of $200, I figured it was a good buy.
Oops.
The Quality of Modern Music December 29, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Entertainment , add a commentDepending on how long you’ve been around (remember records…?), you might have witnessed a decay in audio quality over the years. Ask a teenager if CD quality audio is as good as it gets, and they wouldn’t know any better. Someone who has grown up with other audio formats, however, can tell a different story: today’s music is loud and bland, unlike music that used to come on records and 8-tracks.
Why is this? For lack of better words, ignorance. Rolling Stone has an article all about why our audio quality has slowly degraded over the years and tells us what we’re missing out on.
Click on that Rolling Stone link to read about the decline in audio fidelty. Then get angry!
Aliens Versus Predator: Requiem (Reviewed!) December 27, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Entertainment , add a commentIf you are a fan of the Aliens franchise, Predator franchise, or, like me, both, than you were probably falling out of your chair when you first heard they were making an Aliens vs Predator movie. Yeah, me too. Too bad it wasn’t so great, right? Cheap and limited story, terrible actors, and not enough, well, Aliens versus Predator! Not to mention, everyone really, really wanted Aliens and Predators running rampant through the streets; not hidden away in a pyramid thousands of feet beneath the surface in the North Pole. Boring!
