insomnia haiku

Guess what? Now there's another blog that I'll never update

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Yes, as you may have noticed, the blog looks different. I got tired of the old design, so I went with a new one and moved some things around. Many people spent their Labor Day weekends traveling, getting outside and being productive. I spent mine messing around with web stuff. Anyway, let me know what you think.

I also, in a fit of boredom on Saturday (ah, boredom! such a rare and wonderful thing!), created a Tumblr blog. I don't really know why, except that lots of times I don't have time to write anything here, but a passing thought will come to me and it'll seem too short to post; or I'll take a picture or get obsessed with a video or a song and don't have that much to say about it, so I won't put it here. Maybe this is what a world of Facebook and Twitter have wrought, for better or worse (probably worse).

In any case, Tumblr's better for that sort of thing, so I thought I'd try it. So ladies and gents, please welcome my new blog to the world: Farewell, Tatar Woman (I told you I was going to use it for something). Don't worry, it's not replacing Insomnia Haiku; I will still be ranting on here as always. Just think of it as the short-attention-span companion to IH. I put a link to it in the right rail and also added an RSS feed of the latest posts; and I won't be offended if no one reads it, as I almost feel that I'm posting there more for myself than for anyone else. The pictures look really pretty, for one thing.

And on that note, it's nearly 1 pm and I'd probably better start my day. On the agenda for today: hanging a picture, cleaning my apartment, getting some kind of exercise, reading, cooking, bracing myself for Tuesday. Ciao, bella gente.

Free at last, free at last

For years, I've grumbled about the Microsoft monopoly. I am a Mac person, after all; and "think globally, act locally," and all that. Monopolies are bad, mmkay? Now, while there's nothing I can do about Microsoft Word, I did try to take a stand against Internet Explorer in the browser wars. I was forced to give up on Netscape long ago, though, and Safari just doesn't fulfill certain functions for me—like when I try to check my RewardTV e-mail via the Outlook webmail page, the browser completely freaks out and goes into a perpetual error loop because the page isn't secure enough. So I'd swallowed my bile and set IE as my default browser. And... I got used to it. I felt like a total hypocrite, but I kept on using it, because it was easy and familiar and everybody else was doing it, and isn't that how people become crack addicts and Nazis?

But now, all that has changed. I am free. The shackles of Internet Explorer no longer bind me. As you probably know, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (known as US-CERT, and what I want to know is, are people who work there required to have fresh breath?) has warned that IE is particularly susceptible to hackers, and has recommended that people switch browsers to avoid serious security breaches. Thanks to this CERT-alert, alternate browsers have been getting a lot of press recently (including an article from The Times, which I can't link to because you'd have to pay for it now). It was that Times article that finally spurred me to take the plunge. And I now write this post from the blissful, Microsoft-free shores of Mozilla's Firefox.

I did have some exasperating issues with installing the browser, which initially rendered my computer unable to restart or shut down; but a very helpful person on a message board solved my problem, and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Switching from Explorer to Mozilla has proved surprisingly easy. I was able to transfer my bookmarks in about thirty seconds. Almost all of the commands are exactly the same. Plus the new features are swoon-worthy: tabbed browsing is such a brilliant idea I can't believe it's taken this long to get a foothold, and the pop-up blocker... oh, the pop-up blocker. I think I'm in love. Look, Ma, no more ads for Phoenix University! No pitches from Netflix! No more polls! No more subscription offers! I tell you, it's a whole new world.

Anyway, I will conclude my little lovefest now. (This post has not been paid for by Mozilla or its affiliates.) But if you've been thinking of leaving IE behind, I'm here to tell you, come on in. The water's fine.