P l a n e t  C h a i r

 

thoughts from the throne

previous decrees

propaganda

outside guidance

sit with me

 

endure. in enduring grow strong.
May 23, 2001 10:21 pm

Shyeah, so I haven't been updating much. Intermittent access to the internet has been killing me, but I've still been working on the diary, here and there. I changed the color scheme, so email me to say whether or not its worth keeping and implementing into the rest of the site. Internet access is still gonna be intermittent, but I'll be writing entries anyway, so keep checking the archives for past rants if you're inclined to do so.

I've been using Netscape Communicator 4.x to edit these pages because I'm a goddamn lazy WYSIWYG, but ever since I formatted my computer, I've lost that editor forever because my dad (predictably) lost most of his CDs, so I downloaded Netscape 6, which turns out to have been released waaaay before it was ready. It doesn't support the use of Flash or Shockwave, meaning some of the more arte websites are totally unusable with it. I try to use Internet Explorer as little as I can, but this is making it so difficult.

I swear to God, this deal with my dad and CDs is really pissing me off. My dad is a voracious consumer of computer software CDs so his room is filled with practically all kinds of shit, porn, games, office tools, publishing tools, image editors, of different versions and since they're mostly pirated like 80% of the software in this country, they're of different levels of functionality. Figuring out which software in the house can be used for any particular purpose is a royal pain. He also gets very possessive about them.

Any CD I happen to be borrowing from him at the moment is literally on a rental scheme; meaning that I must return it to him within 3 days or he'll personally come and collect it. Thing is, I'd really prefer to keep some of the software personally important to me in my room, because they're organized and I know I won't lose em, which is what he does. I'm rambling, but right now I can't find any of the recent Norton Utilities, Windows 98, Netscape 4.x, all of which I really need.

Just looking for Windows 98 entails looking through hordes of CDs that are poorly labeled by the pirates as "Professional Edition", "Final Release", "Gold Master Copy!!! The Finale Edittion!!! (sic)" or "'ver 4.05554.210" or whatever, and anyone who's gone out to buy non-game software knows that looking for what you want is about as pleasant as having a weasel slide up your rectum (ugly metaphor, I know).

The worst part of all this? After having carefully labeled within my mind's cache which CDs contain the proper versions of software I need, my Dad conveniently loses these CDs. I am certain that we have at least eight CDs that have stable versions of Netscape and all I can find are those old Netscape Navigator's and the new Netscape 6 that run about as quickly as Jabba the Hutt on a full stomach.

I'm tempted to go and buy my own software, but a) I have no money, b) I'd rather not add to the clutter in my house and c) I'd rather not risk my Dad coming in and stealing my CDs.

Yeah, my Dad recently came to stealing CDs. He's been waltzing into my brother's room stealing my brother's MP3 CDs claiming they're "his". They both seem to be in a "possession war" over clothes, pens, paper, watches and CDs.

Clothes and watches that my father gives away to my brother are conveniently "forgotten" about until my Dad waltzes in and says "What're you doing wearing my shirt?!?!?!" or "Who gave you that watch?!". I don't really take sides in this debate since my brother does indeed steal clothes from my Dad. But in his defense, my Dad does actually give him clothes, but all this confusion between them is really annoying, so they'd better start filling out release forms for clothes and stuff so they can get it all straight or I will put poison in their food.

Anyway, my Dad seems to have this delusion that any CDs which aren't computer games or overtly modern music are "his". Which means my brother is getting sucked dry of MP3 CDs of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Stephen Bishop, as well as utilities for PalmPilots, cellphone software.

Fortunately, nothing I wear could ever fit my Dad, nor do I enjoy fancy watches. I only own 1 MP3 CD, I never tinker with cellphones and  I don't own a Palm, so I never have to suffer that shit. Still, it's god damn annoying as hell.

Okay, I started writing this entry with something else in mind, and now I've written something completely different from whatever it was supposed to be. Oh well. Hmmm...Did I really have to make this an entry?


FILMED:  Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine (prod. by Yoko Ono Lennon)
ANIMATED:
Pokemon 2000.
WRITTEN:  Unthinking Eurocentrism by Ella Shohat and Robert Stam   
CODED: Black Isle Studios' Planescape: Torment, Dreamforge's Sanitarium, Bioware's Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and General Coffee Company's/Kent Tessman's Guilty Bastards!