Chatty Kathy's

Thanks Blondin... I've been using ClearType for a couple years now.

I'll take a look at the other utility when I get a chance.

I just received delivery of a brand new purchase today: a nice and shiny laptop! (Dell Inspiron 6400, Core2 Duo @ 2GHz, 2GB 667MHz DDR2, 15.4" screen, Radeon x1400...).

With all the new Vista features (and unfamiliar hardware specific apps) I'm having a hard time identifying what is bloatware and what's useful... There's a dozen items running in the system tray alone! :wacko:

If it is a oem system, ie Dell, HP, or such it is pretty much all bloatware. I suppose on laptops you cant really build one as easy as you can with desktop systems but it would be nice if you could so the os is the only thing there, and M$ os's come with enough of their own bloat no need for the system builder's crap as well. If they give you the actual os disc I would do a fresh new install so it only has what you want on it to start with.

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I certainly would wipe everything clean with a desktop PC... but this is my first laptop ever and it has some nifty partitioning for a MediaDirect feature (quick boot to a non-Vista environment for playing music, DVD's... via it's own HW button) that I don't want to mess with. There is some potentially useful stuff too (like optimizing software for the touchpad, hardware manuals...). I really need to dig in and see what stuff I want to keep.

The only SW I know for sure I want to remove is MS Works (completely useless junk) and the free Norton Security 30 day trial package (which I'll only keep until I decide what AV and firewall I want to use). Then there's all the Media Center crap that comes with Vista Home Premuim I won't be using... (cause this won't be a home entertainment hub). Hopefully some of that can be stripped out. Also, I'm running with the Areo interface now just to check it out, but I'll probably be dumping that (for performance reasons) after not too long as well.

If I find much more that needs to be removed I just might do a re-install of Windows after finding out what I like and exactly how things are configured on the four partitions (only two of which are NTFS, plus a 2GB piece and another tiny 47MB piece). There's a full return-to-factory-state restore (not the Windows buggy restore thing) that I don't want to wipe out too (yet?)... which is probably on the second NTFS partition (with it's 4GB of data).

Ack, it's going to take me days to get through all this stuff (digging / reading / playing with settings), and only then can I start loading on all the software I want installed. Groan.

Oh well, I think that I got my money's worth in the purchase, and the learning / tweaking time will be time well spent I'm sure. Now for the important stuff: off to see what games come with Vista.
^^

I'm happy to report that the new machine runs DS2 quite well. ^^

I haven't installed the DS2TK (yet?), nor BW, but I'm quite impressed with the performance. I was expecting to be disappointed considering the integrated sound, and mobility graphics but the game looks better on the laptop, with less lag, when compared to my PC. Must be the dual-core CPU, more RAM and faster system bus.

Sounds like ya got yourself a good deal All the technical lingo is beyond my limited knowledge. (But I'm learning)

Somebody tell Rog to stop working on database. His maintenance is interfering with my daily DS Fix.

"Rog"? Don't you mean Dulacs? :P

Isn't Rog the guy with the glasses from What's Happening!? ^^

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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette

Wow, I am so very annoyed. We were discussing a stereotype in a thread (at another forum, of course) and I made reference to something another person had posted. I said "so and so posted they thought most women were blah blah" and she came on and said:

so I responded to her that I never told her to shutup, and that my remark was not a slam against her. And then I went to edit my remark to state that yes, I had made a mistake by not quoting her directly, but a mistake shouldn't be construed in any way shape or form to be to tell someone they shouldn't voice their opinion. I would never do that, it is so rude and dehumanizing.

So then....I find out I can't edit my remark because the &&%$$ thread has been locked! Simply because people disagreed...because I suppose we are children. That is the one thing I don't understand. I can see locking threads if they get out of hand, or if there is so much content to be edited the whole thing ceases to make sense. Otherwise, it is sort of understood that people are going to disagree and let's try to handle it. I don't know...it really rubbed me the wrong way. I understand the importance of rules and keeping the boards friendly for everybody but sheesh....

I won't sit here and say I never get upset or over-react because ha ha...you all would laugh and call me a liar. Still, I got upset because I don't think I deserved this sort of guilt trip laid on me. I try very hard to be courteous and friendly and to respect people...because that is how I like to be treated. Not perfect, no far from it. Who is perfect?

Bleh, well I've rambled on and on. Best to learn to keep MY mouth shut.

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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette

...all you want there Kathy. We all know who the "Chatty" one is around here. ^^

:girlwerewolf: :catch: :bat:

I might be chatty, but at least I don't carry on conversations with donkeys....

What's that three letter word that also means donkey? A, er something? ^^

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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette

That was a joke previously by the way....I tried to make an animation of Stonebridge lady talking to her donkey, but it came out too small to see anything.

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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette

Lady in Stonebridge =

You never know... that donkey might talk back (a la Shrek's companion).

As for running away, my name isn't Sir Robin. :P

Well, yea... because then your name would be Brave Sir Sharkull. "he bravely turned his fin and fled". ^^ Re: the donkey, it really did seem as if it was talking as well. As you can see from the screenie, they are facing each other and while she's flapping her hands around, Donkey is flapping his tail and wiggling his ears. Must have been a deep convo.

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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette

I, for one, miss the "Chatty one". The "off topic" conversations help us all to realize that there is a life beyond Dungeon Siege. Come back and share your world with us.

yes, I agree - a total absence of Miss Kathy renders life impossible..

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..never mind the weather, just as long as we're together!

Hey all:

Thanks for your kind thoughts. I am going through a pretty dark time right now, but I do check in still, even if I don't post. I uh, just really like deleting the spam when I can find it.... ^^

Hope everybody is enjoying what is left of the summer, I know I for one am looking forward to seeing some pretty fall colors around my area soon.

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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette

I am looking forward to some relief from this heat index in my area right now.

I can take some of that heat.. it is 15 Celcius here right now. Granted it is night but still..

It's kind of warm and humid today (with some rain), but over the past week the weather here has been great (low to mid-20's C). Perfect for outdoor activities (like building a shed type thing for keeping firewood dry at the family cottage).

In unrelated news, I have a new gaming addiction: Civilization 3 Complete (a sweet CostCo find @ $16). I don't know how long it's going to last, but my free time is seriously being dominated by Civ3 right now... and I'm still learning how to play (there's sooooooo much to learn :? ). Each game takes so long, I can easily sit down to play, and the next thing I know the sun is coming up the next morning... ...and the game isn't over yet! Ugh!

My phone line (and therefore DSL internet connection too) was torn down two nights ago (probably by a passing truck, or wind on the maple tree in the front yard), and the phone company tech just finished stringing a new line.

I certainly don't like being cut off like that. I'm really glad I have a cell phone, otherwise I don't know how I'd call for service...

Being cut off like that is a horrible experience. I always feel like I have been impaired somehow when I go without an internet connection in my home. ^^

Glad you are back!

Last night while watching the television, I saw a new advert for Geico, which featured some old black-and-white advert of the "real" Chatty Cathy doll, exploited to promote Geico insurance, of course. That was the first time I can recall seeing this toy apart from Siege the Day.

Speaking of the chatty one, has anyone heard from her? Hoping all is well.

Yes, what ever happened to Kathy?