Another sweet haul on Tuesday night, not from my local library but from my neighbors curb!   I occasionally (OK, frequently) go on walks around the neighborhood to get my blood pumping, and sometimes I go out on trash day.   I still can't believe that I found not one, but two perfectly good PCs (monitors and all) out on someone's curb.   They're both three-year-old Dells with no defects.   After running my tests and cleaning them out, I've decided that one will become the "bench computer" I've been thinking about getting (which I will use to test programs like Wake Up! Pro, KeyPrint, Buxx, etc. and to do hazardous-to-your-data experiments, he he he), and that I'll clean out the other to give to my sister for Christmas.   Looks like I started my Christmas shopping, and I haven't spent a dime!

"EG1000", by the way, will be the name that distinguishes this computer from my others.   "EG" stands for "EGRABOW" (duh), while the number is the processor speed in MHz.   The other computers are...
   EG133 (Generic): This is my alarm clock computer, mentioned in the Wake Up! Pro manual.   Used as my main computer 1999-2002.
   EG750 (DELL): The laptop, I use it for all kinds of junk.
   EG1000 (DELL): You just read about it!
   EG1400 (Generic): My big system, as seen on this website's About Page.   Just got a new 19" DELL monitor, compliments of my neighbors' curb.

More has been added to the RND Page about EG2005.

After receiving the Supra in June (formally on my birthday in July), this car is finally on the road.   Stay tuned for more info on this page (and two upcoming episodes of Video Stuff.   For those interested, here's a rundown of what happened when:

I have a potential buyer, we'll see how that goes.
Video Stuff coming soon!

I'm as shocked to type it as you probably are to read it.

As I continue to organize what free time I have (it is increasing, tho), I have to cut some things out that I don't need done.   Unfortunately, I've decided that Buxx, CipherDin, MileMark, PlayEmit, and the whole EdGyWare thing are not viable projects right now.   It took five months to create KeyPrint, and I'm itching to crank out Wake Up! Pro 1.5.   If it takes so long to write new software, It'll take forever just to revise the existing stuff.

This hurricane dominated the headlines for a few days.   Port Charlotte, FL is a second home to me... and I was there on vacation only days before the storm suddenly hit and reduced much of it to rubble!   My family is okay, but now the town's messed up.   It's a good thing my vacation ended when it did, especially since the hurricane wasn't expected to hit so close until it was almost there (it took a last minute turn north).   My prayers rest with my family and their neighbors, as well as those in Florida's other devastated communities.   It's one thing to hear about some coastal town in North Carolina you're not familiar with... quite another when it's a town you know so well and know people in.

For a while, I thought CipherDin would be program number 3 (after Wake Up! Pro and KeyPrint), because I don't think it will take long to code.   But as they say... necessity is the mother of invention.   I have decided to make Buxx a priority, Buxx being my upcoming money management program.   Not some overly complicated program that downloads conversion rates and tracks 401Ks, but a simple thing for people (hi!) who just want to track the money they actually have!!!  

I recently saw an ad in PC Magazine for cheap .US domain name registration, I thought I'd give it a shot.   Now, this isn't about the service... I never started using it.   What I'm venting about is the name RGN-dot-whatever.   As I've mentioned before, RGN.COM is a name I've tried for as it goes well with "Ryan Grabow Network", and is also a lot shorter than egrabow.com (of course I like the name I have, but I wouldn't mind having more).

RGN.xxx is a very prestigious spot on the information superhighway, simply because the name is so short and is cohesive (unlike, say, jwv.com - which I just checked and of course is taken).  It's only natural that people would go and buy "rgn.com" before they settled for "rgn4257209857.info", and I don't mind that rgn.com, rgn.net, rgn.info, and rgn.us are all taken... what I mind is that THIS REALLY GREAT NAME IS BEING WASTED!!

Hmmm, let's see here... when I first checked rgn.com years ago, the name was taken by a company called eurocall, the site was a duplicate of "eurocall.com" and for the life of me I can't figure out what "Eurocall" has to do with anything called "RGN".   Forget about rgn.net, it instantly redirects you to rgn.com, which is no longer eurocall.com's evil twin... but a dot.   YEAH, A STINKIN' DOT!!!   White page... black dot... rigggggghhhhhhhttttttttttt

Perhaps you got the impression from the whole "Graduation 2004" section up above this, but my life is about to change a lot.   I've been sitting in classrooms for 17 years, and its going to feel strange not sitting in one.   Over the past few months, changes have been slowly taking place on this website.   My graduation is the first event to receive so much attention on egrabow.com, and I'm going to keep putting new stuff from my graduation/ graduation party up in this section.   The Ryan Grabow Network section will also receive special attention, as that section will be used to provide better demo material for my job search.   I gotta batten down the hatches and ride this wave!

While I certainly couldn't join dozens of clubs and student organizations while at school, I did enjoy those I could be a part of.   I was president of the Commuter Student Association for a year and a half, which didn't get the troubled club very far (mainly a time thing, again), but which I did use to have fun with the title "president" and to attend various meetings around the campus (faculty-slash-student meetings).

Post Television/ Channel 73 (abbreviated PTV) was a major reason for choosing C.W. Post and the first club I joined.   In my freshman and sophomore years, I hung around the station a lot.   My junior year saw a massive drain of my free time and I was never there, unfortunately.   In my last semester, I had the time again and helped out with the production of "Sportsweek Live" on Wednesday nights.   "Sportsweek Live" was the show I helped on more than any other, I was also around early on for "Talk Live," and my project on Speed Bumps and Stop Signs on Campus was used for PTV news.

Last but certainly most would be WCWP, my greatest reason for choosing Post.   From the second half of my freshman year 'till the end, I was an active member of the station.   For seven semesters I held two or three hour shifts (actually, my first one was only 90 minutes) on Webradio WCWP and would have had a better shot at FM if Steinberg hadn't robbed us of half our student on-air hours.   Most of my friends were made at the station, and the faculty was great at giving me advice... I came okay and left great.

My last live "Prison Break Radio" program was done on Thursday, April 29th from 7pm-10pm on Webradio WCWP, and a pre-recorded one was aired on May 6th.   On Wednesday, May 5th, my friend Mike Chimeri finished his long running Jazz program, and I was there as a guest for most of the show.   Jay, who's a disco nut and plays 70's music on his show, also dropped in.   Mike recorded his last show on two camcorders and an MD, definitely preserving the historic moment!   Even Dan Cox, WCWP's General Manager, dropped in.   Oh yeah, and Alexis also came by (since she was sitting in the next room and had time to kill).   The first picture is me, the last one is Mike, and you can see Jay in the middle one.

I am now officially on the market.   See the Ryan Grabow Network section for details.

Today, after I finished lunch, I headed to the campus library to relax (as I usually do).   When I got there I noticed a sign outside: "Book Sale."   After I had found an interesting book, I asked a librarian how much these we're going for.   Her response... their FREE!!!

Now I could have got technical and discussed how "sales" mean people get charged for things, but certain things happen when I get near books.   More things happen when I feel like buying books... and I just had to find out what would happen when the books were free.   The result?   21 books and two trips to the car (my poor backpack).   Here is a list of the books I snatched up and their various topics (anything I found even remotely interesting or useful):

From left to right, top to bottom: (image originally here not available)
Sociology: The Science of Society
People and Productivity ^{[Note 1]}
Talking to Yourself: Learning the Language of Self-Affirmation
Peak-Performance Living
The Fulfillment and Collapse of the Old Regime: 1650-1815
The Making of the Modern World: 1815-1914
The Runner's Handbook
Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony
A Concise History of Australia
Poverty in Affluence: The Social, Political, and Economic...(etc.)
America, Inc.: Who owns and operates the United States
Webster's Dictionary ^{[Note 2]}
Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World ^{[Note 3]}
Fail-Safe
In Brief: Berlin
Science Fiction Hall of Fame
Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume II A
The Other Side of the Clock
Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume II B
The City of Joy ^{[Note 4]}
Media Wars: News at a Time of Terror ^{[Note 5]}

Notes:
1: Love the retro cover
2: I don't remember why I got this, I already have a dictionary
3: No, I'm not converting
4: About Mother Teresa
5: This was a shocker, only a year old!

I've done it!   Well, sorta.   After I created the Wake Up! Pro program, I put it on my computer and set it up to wake me in the morning.   While the computer itself could not be turned off, the speakers could.   Hmmm, obviously I need to put everything in some kind of enclosure.  (for more information, refer to the WUP Manual)

In my search for some kind of lockable cabinet, I hit one speed bump after another.   The goal was to take my CPU, the timer, and the speakers and to lock them away where my cranky morning self couldn't get to it easily.   The monitor, mouse, and keyboard would be exposed.   In the end, the alarm would sound, would keep sounding, and I would have no practical way to cheat the alarm (or doze off again).

I came up with eight ways to accomplish my goal:

Idea 1: Put the existing CPU, speakers, and timer in the existing furniture.
Problem 1: The very large CPU case would not fit in the top drawer of my bureau or the bottom of my TV stand.

Idea 2: Buy or build new furniture for the existing CPU, speakers, and timer.
Problem(s) 2: No cabinets sold (for less than 7 grand!) are deep enough, and I don't have time for carpentry, and IBM wouldn't sell me the only cabinet I found that would be perfect!

Idea 3: Buy a new case and swap internal parts.
Problem 3: The existing motherboard is a Baby ATX, and most of what I can find is still not small enough.

Idea 4: Buy a new CPU that will fit in existing furniture.
Problem 4: $$$$

Idea 5: Stop caring about the external speakers and use the internal speaker (which cannot be accessed w/out opening the case).
Problem 5: The internal speaker doesn't work very well and it'd be a pain to remove.

Idea 6: Re-position existing furniture in some cockamamie fashion, then mount the CPU/timer/speakers so that they're blocked by the furniture.
Problem 6: If it's even possible to, moving my furniture like that might make my room unlivable.

Idea 7: Mount the case vertically.
Problem 7: Still couldn't get the dimensions to work.

Idea 8: Cram the CPU/Timer/Speakers deep in my closet.

The equipment exposed	The equipment obstructed
Interface

You may have been wondering where I've been for the last week.   Well, I've decided to not visit my own site during the week of March 14 so I could get an accurate (if not vague) reading of how many hits egrabow.com receives.   You wanna know too?   Well... take a look below.

# of visits (March 14-20, 2004)
 

Section by Section (March 1-21, 2004)
 

Section Entry URL % of visits (none) egrabow.com 48.7 DX/Radio egrabow.com/dx/ 9.1 Ryan Grabow Network egrabow.com/rgn/ 5.0 Stuff egrabow.com/stuff/ 2.5 About egrabow.com/about/ 1.5 EXIT 9 egrabow.com/exit9/ 1.3

Feature Section Entry URL % of visits Audio/Video Component Archive* within "Stuff" egrabow.com/archive/ 23.8 Logo Gallery within "DX/Radio" egrabow.com/gallery/ 6.4 * = "in hibernation" (not being maintained at this time)

Most of EGs traffic comes from the Audio/Video Component Archive (part of this section - "STUFF"), which is for now "in hibernation" since I don't have nearly enough time to maintain it.   All in all, EG got 3,590 visits, or an average of one visit every 2.8 minutes. (Hey, I'll take that.)

Yep, it's not easy being a full-time college student and a full-time employee.   Sleep? What's that???   As you can see by the "Free Time O'Meter" to your right, time is a major subject on this page.   By the way, anything less than 30 hours per week of "free" time I consider cramped (I'm right on the border!), anything over 90 probably means I don't have a job or a life (we don't really have to worry about that red area), and, for those who didn't know, there are 168 hours in a week, hence where the gauge ends (now, to be there I'd have to be a super-insomniac without a job or a life or even showers).   Please note than I am writing this at 2:18 am and this is probably not a good sign.

In spite of my free time issue, I continue to utilize my "always-on" cable hookup and do a lot of surfing, as well as maintenance of egrabow.com.   I am actively working on KeyPrint, my phone number evaluating program and what will be the second program posted on this website.   As for Wake Up! Pro, I have done, like, two minutes of work on it since I released 1.1, so don't hold your breath for 1.5.   (By the way, here's a link to my Wake Up! Pro page)

I am already planning EG 2005, which is wayyyy in the future but really exciting, because it will turn EG into the site that I always (or recently, just now) wanted it to be.   This of course will be another 300 hours of work in Photoshop and Frontpage.   Want more info?   Here's another link... Your Welcome.

Lastly but not leastly on the subject, I have got a ***bunch*** of newly (and not so newly) found sites that I wanna link to on EXIT 9, and I might do that soon or sometime in 2056.   Again, it's a free time thing.   Wha?   You wanna go to EXIT 9 now?   What am I made of links?!  Just click the nav-button I put above this page and enjoy.