Well, things are a little, well... offline, until I can figure out the MAC filtering and the WEP 128-bit security features of the router. Stay tuned.

In the mean time, feel free to spy on me at work.

Well, the computer upgrades are still underway (and going slowly, I might add). We've just added a wireless network at home, so both computers can share the DSL connection and the laser printer. The whole RASPPPoE experiment, while it went well, turned out to be unnecessary because the new wireless router we got supports PPPoE, so no software is needed at all. Much better.   =)

Sorry about the webcam going down again, my old Matrox Mystique G200 video card finally died on me, so I had to get a replacement. We'll both be back up and online in the next few days with new photos, news, and the like.

Using Win9x, has anyone noticed the display differences when viewing the directory "c:\windows\history" in different programs, such as DOS, Graphic Workshop Professional, WS-FTP, and Windows Explorer? Take a look at these screenshots for yourself: DOS | GWP | FTP | Explorer | Dialog Box. You'll notice that a DOS listing doesn't show the right directory names. The GWP and FTP examples show a slightly better reflection of what's in there. The dialog box example shows that sometimes the whole directory disappears. Only in Windows Explorer can you see what's fully inside. Does anyone know why this is so?

Also, I'm happy to report that we've successfully dumped Nevada Bell's DSL software (EnterNet 300), in favor of the much better RASPPPoE software. No longer do we suffer the pauses and DHCP lookup waits associated with their standard PPPoE software. Also, it's a known fact that their software slows down your computer and increases the time required upon booting. No more! RASPPPoE (see also Carrick Solutions), I highly recommend it.   =)

On Saturday we went out to "Fern-tucky" (Fernley, NV) to look at some houses. Tried a new chocolate soymilk that was actually better than the two I've previously tried. It's called "8th Continent".

Do you know your beast of burden terminology? I didn't, so I'm posting the following definitions that I have found (please note that various sources disagree with one another on certain animals, so don't blame me if you don't think something is quite right):

Equine

Equine:

of, relating to, or resembling a horse or the horse family

Equus:

a genus of mammals, including the horse, ass, etc.

Foal:

a horse of either sex, up to six months of age (a baby horse)

Weanling:

a horse of either sex, between six months and one year

Yearling:

a horse of either sex, between one and two years of age

Colt:

a male ungelded horse ages 2-4 years old

Filly:

a female horse ages 2-4 years old

Mare:

a mature female horse, four years or older

Stallion:

a mature ungelded male horse, four years or older

Gelding:

a castrated male horse

Pony:

a horse not exceeding 14.2 hands high (roughly 4 feet, 9 inches)

Brood Mare (or broodmare):

a mare used exclusively for breeding/foaling purposes

Dam:

a mother horse

Stud:

a stallion kept for breeding

Mustang:

a wild horse of the American West

Sire:

a father horse

Pinto:

a horse with large patches of white and another color

Purebred:

A horse whose recent ancestors are of the same breed; not to be confused with Thoroughbred, which is a breed

Feral:

Domesticated animal that went back to a wild state

Bronc (or bronco):

originally applied to an unbroken feral horse; the term now is used to describe horses used in rodeo events

Steed:

A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. 'A knight upon his noble steed.'

Looking for breeds? Go to

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/5545/breeds/Breeds_Index.html

Equus asinus

Ass:

any of several hardy gregarious African or Asian perissodactyl mammals (genus Equus) smaller than the horse and having long ears; especially : an African mammal (E. asinus) that is the ancestor of the donkey

Jack (or jackass):

a male donkey

Donkey:

another name for the domestic ass

Jennet (or jenny):

a female donkey

John:

a castrated male donkey or mule

Molly:

a female mule. Note: The vast majority of mules can not have foals!

Mule:

a hybrid offspring resulting from the breeding of a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare). Nearly all mules are sterile (with a few RARE exceptions)

Hinny (or hinney):

the hybrid sterile offspring resulting from the breeding of a female donkey (jennet) and a male horse (stallion)

Bovine

Bovine:

any of a subfamily (Bovinae) of bovids including oxen, bison, buffalo, and their close relatives

Bovid:

any of a family (Bovidae) of ruminants that have hollow unbranched permanently attached horns present in both sexes and that include antelopes, oxen, sheep, and goats

Cattle:

bovine animals on a farm or ranch

Calf:

a sexually immature young cow

Cow:

a mature female with at least one calf

Heifer:

a young female cow, especially one that has never had a calf

Muley:

a hornless cow

Ox:

a domestic bovine mammal (Bos taurus); broadly : a bovine mammal, or an adult castrated male domestic ox

Oxen:

working cattle, male or female; plurel of ox

Weanling:

a weaned calf

Bull:

an uncastrated male

Dogie:

a motherless calf

Cattle:

cows, oxen

Zebu:

any of various breeds of domestic oxen developed in India that are often considered conspecific with the common ox (Bos taurus) or sometimes as a separate species (B. indicus) and are characterized by a large fleshy hump over the shoulders, a dewlap, pendulous ears, and marked resistance to the injurious effects of heat and insect attack

Looking for breeds? Go to

http://www.crazyforcows.com/fow/breed_list.shtml

We're officially unpacked now and enjoying the new apartment. The only thing that sucks is the second-hand smoke from downstairs. There are also more stairs to climb now than at our previous abode. At our new place, there are 17 steps, at the old: only 14. Oh well, a little exercise never hurt, I guess. (Exercise, what's that?)

Both Misti and I are in the middle of computer upgrades. I'm scoring a new 19" monitor, some extra RAM, and a replacement video card cooling fan, while she's getting a new motherboard, RAM, and CPU. Both computers are getting wireless networking and we're sharing an ADSL connection. The best part is that work is paying for half of it!   =)