A while back I ruffled some feathers when I said that Rocky Top Burger Shoppe sucked. I was hoping that the new burger joint would have been a lot more like the awesome place it replaced, Gridiron Burgers. It didn’t and I wasn’t happy. In fact, I didn’t expect the new place to last longer than the summer.
Months came and went, and RTBS was still open. I don’t know how well it did, as it never looked too busy when I drove past, but then I also only gave it notice about half the time. Over the weekend I happened to give it notice, and I saw the lights were out and something was taped to the doors. Is RTBS dead?
If it is dead, I cannot say that I didn’t see this coming… though gotta give the place credit for hanging in there much longer than I expected. Hopefully a new, better tasting burger place will rise from the grill.
If you haven’t gotten yourself entered in OCC’s 2009 Christmas Contest, you still have a few days left. The contest will officially end sometime on the evening of 12/24. Follow the instructions on the link above, and you’ll be entered. Those of you who are signed up for the OCC Newsletter or are fans of OCC on Facebook will get an additional entry for a total of three chances to win.
In addition to a kick ass gaming rig, you can also win a ton of stuff from Mushkin, ThermalTake, CoolerMaster, Sapphire, Asus, OCZ, VisionTek, Antec, and others. There is currently a total of 65 prizes available to win, and we may get some more added before the contest comes to an end. You never know.
So, here I am with my new Apple Magic Mouse, which replaced my wired Mighty Mouse (now just called Apple Mouse). It’s certainly different, especially if you consider my pre-Apple time was usually spent with a Razer Diamondback mouse that had 7 buttons. As with any product I’ve ever used, there are things I like and things I don’t like.
I had already been planning on picking up a new mouse when the Magic Mouse was announced. With no way to clean the Apple Mouse, specifically the little scroll ball, it was constantly aggravating me. I’d say it was the worst Apple designed product, but then Apple has never had much luck with their mice. The Magic Mouse is heavier than my Apple Mouse, though that’s mainly due to the two AA batteries that power it. The scrolling is very nice and very responsive.
I’ll miss the mouse-expose feature, which occurred when you squeezed the sides of the Apple Mouse. That was something I used often, and unless an update is released that adds some kind of expose gesture, I’ll have to get use to activating it via the keyboard. Speaking of gestures, that’s something that so far I’ve found highly misrepresented with the Magic Mouse. I have yet to successfully trigger the double finger swipe navigation in Safari or in iPhoto, and that’s really the only gesture offered.
Hopefully it’ll offer more function later via a software update, but right now I’m thrilled to have a scrollable mouse.
On Sunday night, I passed my 2nd Apple Certified Associate certification test. This one was for iWork 09. A few weeks ago, I passed the test for iLife 09.
While these certs aren’t a big deal, they did allow me to learn more about the Apple software, and I gained much bigger appreciation for iWork, which I had not used until I began studying for the test. iLife is a good suite as well, but I don’t see myself really using anything more than iPhoto and iMovie. (more…)
I’ve been in the IT world long enough to see some stupid stuff. A lot of really stupid stuff. I’ve done phone support, database administration, desktop support, and a bit of programming. IT really isn’t that hard, and some common since will go a long way. So now, I’m going to rant. (more…)
If you’ve spent any time reading through my blog or profiles at Twitter or Facebook, you’ll know that I’ve become quite fond of my Mac and OS X. On September 27, 2008 one day before OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” was released, and less than one year from when I first started using a Mac I obtained a Apple Certification. That’s right, I am now an Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) 10.5. I’m also looking at becoming an Apple Certified Associate for both iLife ‘09 and iWork ‘09, as well as following up my ACSP 10.5 with the 10.6 which should be available in a few months.
Where to after that? I’m planning on obtaining the CompTIA Linux+ and Network+, and at least one of the Microsoft SQL Server certifications. Obtaining all three of those will help save me about $6,000 if I go back to school, which is something I am looking into for next year. I am already a Microsoft Certified Professional for Windows 2000 Pro as well as a A+ Certified Technician. I would also like to continue my Apple certifications with the Apple Certified Coordinator, Apple Certified Technical Specialist, and Apple Certified Systems Administrator.
What does this mean for me? No, I don’t get any kind of discounts at the Apple Store (I wish!!). It just shows that I know a bit about OS X. It’ll help me should I apply for a job with Apple or at a company that uses Apple products. I learned quite a bit while studying, and will hopefully be able to help support someone. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll see OverclockersClub.com open a Apple related website.
It’s funny, I use to be a “PC Guy” and hated console gaming and Mac. Now if you asked me, I’d consider myself a “Mac Guy” and 99% of the gaming I do is on a console. My, how times have changed.
A year ago next month, will be when I purchased my first Mac. It was intended as an experiment, me and some friends had delusions of grandeur and planned on making some iPhone apps. That hasn’t happened, not to say it will never, as there are a couple of apps that I’d like to see, but I’m not there yet.
Over the past year, my Windows rig (Vista, C2D @ 2.53 GHz, 2 GB RAM, ATI HD 4870 512) has been neglected, only turned on to run Quicken when I’m balancing the checkbook. Even that came to an end as I found something that fills my needs on the Mac. So, what software do I use? What Mac software replaced my Windows software? Let’s take a look. (more…)
Sometime between 11 pm on July 23 and 6 am on July 24, Farrah and I became grandparents. Vienna had three puppies, which she delivered all by her self. I’m sitting in the living room watching TV and I hear squeaking coming from the dogs area in the dining room. A quick investigation, and I find three puppy girls. Very cute!
Here are some videos I’ve taken of them so far. They are just under two weeks old now and their eyes/ears still haven’t opened yet but they are doing good and getting fat. Looks like all three are going to be long haired like the father (Oskar).
Back at the end of April, I wrote that I was upset to see Gridiron Burgers had closed its doors. It was bitter sweet, as a Red Robbin had just opened up down the street from one of the former Gridiron locations. While Red Robin is good, it was my opinion that Gridiron had a superior burger.
I was thrilled when a guest by the name of ‘rockytop’ posted about Rockey Top Burger Shoppe opening in a former Gridiron location, offering a similar menu, with some of the same staff. My hopes were high, and finally after eating there yesterday afternoon, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed. Rocky Top Burger Shop doesn’t hold a candle to what Gridiron Burgers was.
While the burger was good and a bit larger, the onion rings, sauce, and everything else has changed. Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be visiting again. To be honest, I’ll be really surprised if the place last more than a couple more months. R.I.P. Gridiron
Today was the release of the iPhone 3G S. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I stood in line for a good while out at the Apple Store in West Town Mall. While standing around and tweeting, I got a message from Victor @ TUAW. He just happened to standing in line right in front of me. I didn’t talk with him too much, but there were several other people that did, including a reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Here are some pics I snapped on my iPhone (1st gen):
TUAW has some more pics of the iPhone 3G S launch day, including coverage of Knoxville. Yeah, I wish they had put all the iPhone 3G S stuff in one post today. Oh well. I feel bad for not representing OverclockersClub.com at the event. I had just gotten out of bed 10 minuets before my friend picked me up, and I really wasn’t expecting there to be a big line. Yeah, I should have known better.
Also stood in line today at HHGregg. They had a 19″ LCD HDTV for $148. Sure the TV was a Curtis, a brand I had never heard of, but it is still a pretty sweet deal. Sadly, this is also the first LCD/HD TV that I have purchased. I’m still eyeing that 50 inch LED HDTV sitting at Best Buy.
Who knows, maybe one day you’ll see OverclockersClub.com open a Apple related website.
