reesesWeb

Sometimes I have nutty high expectations of technical things, and I get absurdly frustrated when they don't work as I'd like. Development tools are a very notable example of this. I have tried using Eclipse several times in the past, to get away from IntelliJ/IDEA for some stupid reason, and the bodged-together monstrosity that doesn't even have real JSP support just infuriated me. Emacs has pissed me off on more than a bajillion occasions, especially with threading (Hi, Scott) issues (or rather, the lack of threads), and Linux has always pissed me off, ever since I started using it as my exclusive desktop in 1992.*

As a result, I often have low expectations of technical things that do something new. It keeps me from being an early adopter, which is why I don't have a PDA, my cell phone is pretty minimal, I haven't bought a plasma (although, that's changing when we move in a week or two), and I don't use microwave ovens.

However, we're moving, to a building with three bonded T1s, and ether in every room. It's included in the (exhorbitant, SF-like) rent, as are all utilities except phone and cable. I have to wait on cable, because I need an HD feed to go with the new plasma, but, thanks to the wonders of technology, I can get the phone now, complete with new number, and use the line now to transition over.

Yes, I'm going VoIP. I went with Vonage, and the interface box met me when I came in the door this evening. I thought,"ah, here's a weekend project," because there's no way I'd believe it would take any less time. I plugged it into the router, plugged it into the wall, and went to annoy Kat. After she kicked me out, I came back, took the phone off the kitchen wall, plugged it into the box...

Dialtone. I didn't really believe it. I didn't need to punch holes in my firewall? I didn't need to attach a computer to the NAT port on the phone box and configure anything?

I didn't really believe it. I had to make some calls. I annoyed Kat with a call, because that's what wives are for. I talked to her. It sounded like a phone call. She talked to me, and it sounded like a phone call.

Outgoing is easy, of course. It's much easier to make client connections than it is to make server connections, as any technical person could tell you.

I went into the bedroom, took the other phone, and dialed the new number.

Honestly, I was surprised to hear it ring in the living room. Which it did.

I love technology. I think I'm going to go buy a PDA tomorrow. I need to restore my youthful cynicism.

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*See, I did that last bit to show you how hardcore I am. I was using Linux every day, more than five years before you ever heard of it, except that, if you're reading this, it's probably because I met you around that time, and hey, you were using Linux too, so let's just use this opportunity to feel superior to all those sad nosepickers who neither get to read this wonderful blog, nor remember the fun of building their own Linux installation using H J Lu's boot/root combo. Except Liem, who was a wuss and had to use MCC.