So my next few posts will be somewhat long-winded and about subjects that tend to get emotions stirred up in lots of people.  Stay tuned.

Manifesto is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

That is the main question, right?  Why install Windows 98, which is, at the time of this post, a 15-year-old OS.  The simplest answer I can come up with is, “because I can”.

I’ve had my old Windows 98 computer under my desk for several years with no hard drive in it.  Hence, no OS either.  But I’ve always told myself that some day I would reinstall the old box, with Windows 98 as it once ran, and use it again.  I finally started to put this together last week.

The hardware all works fine, so far.  I am running a FIC motherboard with a AMD K62 500MHz CPU and 384MB of RAM.  The hard drive is an old Maxtor 2.1GB.  The unit also has a 3.5″ floppy drive and a 12x CD burner.

So far the hardest thing with the install has been to find the proper drivers for the motherboard, NIC and video card.  I found a motherboard CD on ebay for $8 and bought that, and it installed some bus drivers, etc…but it didn’t help with the (external to the motherboard) NIC or video card.  The video is stuck at 640×480 on the screen because the card drivers aren’t detected or installed by the OS, and it also doesn’t recognize the NIC, so I can’t get the box online.

I found some programs that might help me learn the specs of the system so that I can find the right drivers.  I am not 100% of the brand of the video card or the NIC, and usually running a program like Speccy can tell you detailed information about the hardware in a Windows OS, but the latest version of Speccy doesn’t work with Windows 98, of course.  I found this article which states that the beta version of Speccy in the review should work with Windows 98, so I am about to go try that.  If that doesn’t work, I’ll try another program I just now found called Belarc which I found reviewed at this page.

More to come later with updates to this project.

Installing Windows 98 is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

This is my current routine, which I do every-other day, so basically Mon,Wed, and Fri.

• Bench Press
• Military press (shoulder press with a barbell over-head)
• Barbell Curls
• Skullcrushers
• Barbell Wrist Curl
• Squats
• Leg Curls
• Standing Calf Raises
• Sit-Ups

The Wrist Curls, Calf Raises and Sit-Ups are deep muscles, and can technically be worked every day.  The rest of the workouts use muscles that should be rested 48 hours in between routines.  Some people say 72 hours and others say 48 hours for this rest period.  I’ve read both on the internet.  But according to Arnold, 48 hours is needed.  And Arnold certainly knows what he is talking about when is comes to body-building, so I am going with this plan for now.  After 3 months I will re-evaluate and decided either to keep going for another couple of months with this routine, or update to the 5-day per week routine.

Workout Routine is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

In all, I completed 24 books this year. I had 2 that I started and then put down because I didn’t like them, then another 1 or 2 that I’m still reading and only pickup every once in a while. I don’t remember exactly how many I read towards the beginning of the year, and I didn’t start tracking my completed reads until around March, so it could be more than 24, but I’m happy with that number. My ultimate goal would be to read 1 book a week for an entire year, so 52 in all, but sometimes I can’t keep up with that schedule.

For 2013, I think I’ll set my goal at 40. Anything over 24 will be a step up. 2012 was also when I started my Star Wars book project. My goal is to read ALL of the books in the Star Wars universe, mostly in chronological order. This would mean reading them in order of story progression, not by publication date.  I keep track of those reads and the reviews that I write for each book at my blog www.readingrookie.com

2012 Book List is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

At the very least, I’ll post a lot this week when I make my trip to Ohio to pickup my new truck. I also plan to put up some video posts of my trip back. It’ll be fun to see Ohio this time of year with all the snow, and fun to hang with The Cloak in Joplin, MO on Friday night.

Happy New Year 2013 is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

Yep, I got the new truck that I mentioned a couple of days ago in this post.  Actually I haven’t bought it yet, but they are holding it for me in Columbiana, OH.  Some people have asked why I bought it from there and the easiest answer is that I searched autotrader.com for a specific truck, including the features I wanted, and this is the one I chose.  It wasn’t my first choice because it wasn’t the first one I found, but it is the first one that wasn’t sold or crashed (I called on one truck and the dealer told me he let a customer test-drive it overnight, and the customer totaled it.  What an insurance nightmare…)

The specifics of the truck I was looking for were:

• F250 or F350 Super Duty
• Crew Cab
• 4×4
• Bench Seat in front, rather than buckets
• I wanted running lights across the top of the cab, but this truck didn’t have those.
• Preferably a standard transmission

Apparently a standard transmission is quite rare in a gasoline powered truck.  They are much more common in diesel powered trucks.  For a long time, I did want a diesel, but I decided that with the price of fuel and maintenance on a diesel, plus the extra weight of the engine and truck itself, didn’t make it feasible.  I rarely pull anything larger than a popup trailer or a small boat, but I would use the 4×4 feature quite a lot on my deer lease.  Because of the fact that a diesel 4×4 is heavier than a gasoline powered one, I decided this was a better option for me.  I will miss the loud diesel sound, though.

On Thursday, January 2, I will fly to the Pittsburgh, PA airport and the dealer will pick me up there.  Columbiana, OH is about 45-60 minutes West of Pittsburgh, and the closest airport.  Once we get to the dealership, I’ll inspect the truck and take it for a test drive, then pay for it and drive it back home, assuming all is well.

The dealership name is Dlux Motors and their website is www.dluxmotors.com The owner was nice enough to make a video of the truck for me, and post it to youtube.  Here is a link to that video:  http://youtu.be/gka72PI_aaQ

The drive back from OH should be quite fun.  I plan to stay around Indianapolis on Thursday night, and with a friend in Joplin, MO on Friday night.  I will take my camera for picture-taking during the trip, and plan to make some videos with my phone also.  I will post as much as I can to this site while on the road or staying in different areas.

More to come later…..

2004 Ford F250 4X4 is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

I’m finally going to actually buy a new truck. This week I’ve been looking at trucks on Ebay and Autotrader.com. I’m looking for a specific model, which is a 2004 -2009 F250 or F350 Crew Cab 4×4. For a long time I wanted a Powerstroke Diesel but I’ve changed my mind about that. Diesels are more expensive and usually require more maintenance, although they usually last longer too. But with my current budget, I’m forgoing the diesel and opting for a regular gas engine.

The photo above is one of the trucks I’m looking at, not sure yet if it’ll be the one I buy. This one is a manual transmission, which, as I’ve found, is quite rare in a gasoline truck. They are much more common in diesels. I guess the idea is that a manual transmission is more useful for towing, but I still want one either way.

I’ll post more about the truck over the next few days. My plan is to find one on Autotrader.com, fly to wherever it is, then drive it home. I’m looking forward to the drive itself too, not only because I’ll enjoy driving the new truck but also because I have some time off right now and can make the road trip.

New Truck is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

Of course I’m thinking of posting more since its nearly year-end.  I’ll update the blog with a category for 2013 Daily Posts and set out for a goal of daily posts for this year.  I’d love some interaction with comments from some people too.  Thanks to those of you who’ve commented in the past.

I’m looking forward to a great 2013.

Merry Christmas 2012 is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

I just returned from L. A.  this evening after traveling with David to visit our friend Daniel.  That was a fun trip. We’ll probably do it again soon,  the next time David goes out there for work. The best part of the trip was visiting the Battleship Iowa. The photo above is from there.

Like I usually say, I’m going to try and post more.

12/12/12 is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis

Its been a while since I posted here, over a month, it seems.  So much for daily posts   But I’ve installed WordPress to my new Android phone, and its nice that most social media apps on Android (Foursquare, Facebook, Google+, WordPress, etc) will share with each other. Its almost overkill, you can share so many times, its easy to overlap. But just pay attention and its real easy.

Yes, I said Android phone. I, along with all the employees in my building, were all laid off on November 7 from RIM in Irving. 1 day after Obama is re-elected.  Coincidence?  Maybe or maybe not, I honestly don’t know. Its been headed this way for a while though, but the timing seems suspicious.

Anyway, on to bigger and better things.  I’m looking forward to working for a company who can actually make a profit.  It’ll be a nice environment change.

Right now I’m posting from the Las Vegas Mccarren Airport, waiting to fly home.  We spent 4 days here, it was fun. Check my Twitter feed for more details.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012 is a post from: Liberate Te Ex Inferis