vicarz: (Default)
vicarz ([personal profile] vicarz) wrote2004-12-04 09:15 am

(no subject)

Downloaded and am using Firefox.

In other news, my mom sent me the old christmas lights! I'm honestly thinking of getting a tree. You see, my favorite memories from christmas - and probably why I experimented with drugs, involved the smell of the pine tree and the twinkle bulbs. "GE merry twinkle" lights were placed thoughout the branches of the tree, both inside and outside. These are some bright friggin lights, each which has an expanding circuit breaker built in. As the light heats the breaker, it loses contact. The effect is that the light flashes at a slow rate, heating up, turning off, cooling down and lighting again. Each light is manufactured to inexact standards, so that each light is blinking at it's own variable rate. What you get is a randomized series of flashes, each of which puts a shadow of the tree from the light's angle on the ceiling. Each shadow is different, and there are multiple colors. The overall effect is of a kaleidoscope of treeism on the ceiling.

Hey it's pretty trippy to a 9-year-old.

Speaking of anal-retentive by birth, the things are still in their original packaging. I could probably make a mint off them on eBay, but needless to say these puppies are mine for life. I just can't believe they still exist complete with the original packaging. They've been sitting in my mom's shed for years (you can tell by the dead bugs and poop).

I found you can pay a fortune for replacements lights on ebay like http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33842&item=2289951913&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW, or you can just get cheap knock-offs at places like http://www.lightingco.com/catalog/product_17690_Christmas_C7_Twinkle_Bulbs_Multi_Colors.html. I'm just not sure if the c-7 or c-9 style lights match up to the package's request for "GE D 26 twinkle bulbs."

Well this seals it - I think I'll run off and make babies. I'm not sure what to do with them outside the holidays, but now they'd give me an excuse to have a tree with lights. Yeah.

[identity profile] eac.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
It's pretty much the best thing ever...

[identity profile] vicar.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
So far I'm not noticing a difference. I guess that's good, but with zonealarm firewall, adaware, and spybot I've not suffered problems with IE.

[identity profile] eac.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
I'm pretty water tight on the adware even without Firefox, but I have a significant packet-dropping problem with my wireless, and Firefox just puts up a tiny dialog box that says it can't find my website rather than spending an inordinate amount of time loading a full error page. Saves me a lot of time.

Yup.

[identity profile] loachie.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 07:59 am (UTC)(link)
I'm doing the whole tree-with-lights thing for the first time this year since being a kid, thanks to the young 'un. I loved loved loved the lit up Christmas tree when I was a little kid. I used to crawl underneath it and watch the lights for hours, and it was my favorite reading spot.

[identity profile] grymnir.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 08:51 am (UTC)(link)
Firefox...gooooood. Fire....goooood.
Actually, Firefox handles a lot of stuff behind-the-scenes that I like AND, so far, when they've had a new release it has been a quick-download-and-play on both PC and Mac. As a designer, I love the fact that what I see "in" Firefox is the same on every computer, so far.

As for your twinkle bulbs. Well...the professor and I have the debate about a real or artifical tree. I hate the monotheistic holidays, but I like the concept of a Yule Tree (given its tradition does come from pagan roots). Personally, I'm one for silver tinsel to look like ice and white lights, or blue lights, not a range of blinking and twinkling because they make the tree look like its breathing. If the tree is breathing, then the Old Ones (tm) must be unhhappy; if they are unhappy thhe tree will eat me.

Can't sleep...the elves will eat me.

[identity profile] grymnir.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 09:04 am (UTC)(link)
Well this seals it - I think I'll run off and make babies.

Hmm...don't you need a partner, victim, employee, or student to do this with? Or...perhaps...you're going hermaphrodite for the holidays and the great Klaus is going to give you the right internal plumbing? Hmm...what if he mixes you and Scarecrow up?

[identity profile] vicar.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 10:46 am (UTC)(link)
Well I could just go through the motions...

[identity profile] grymnir.livejournal.com 2004-12-04 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
and this is different than your current endeavors in what way?
Wait -- that's it -- you'll get her/him to wrap in lights and tinsel first. Watch the plug...