At the top of CNN's web page are banner adds. Just below that is an area that CNN sometimes puts breaking news with a red background and white writing. The other day, I noticed I completely missed the breaking news at the top of the page because all the advertisements at the top of the page also use red backgrounds and white writing. It was only the fact that the ad seemed to be the same on every page that I noticed it. So, I can expect to miss warning signs in the future. Great. Who do I sue for that?

Robin's Computer Trouble
Robin's computer was one of the ones I worked on this past weekend. There really wasn't much wrong with the computer. The main trouble is the number of programs installed on the machine that probably should not be installed. Most "normal users" don't think twice before installing software. Ask some questions before you just say "yes" to the messages.
* Do I need this?
* What is this supposed to do?
* What else is getting installed?
* Who wants this on my machine?
* Can I get this functionality somewhere else for less cost in time and additional unneeded functionality?
Run SpyBot or Ad Aware for God's sake. Run them all the time.
She wants me to fix a relative's computer. It is an old win 9x box with some kind of video driver problem. I hate to tell her, but you probably can't find those drivers any more. I'm not sure I can help there there.

My Parents Network
The other system I worked on this weekend was my parent's. My mom bought a new notebook and I went to set up the wireless network. I turned on WEP and put the key on her machine. My father will have to do the same on his laptop. That sounds simple enough, but it took for ever. This is because of the hidden duties. These are the duties that people don't tell you about when you show up to fix one thing. For example, email address book transport, setting up her Gmail on her new notebook, Sharing the printer on her desktop to the network. A couple of other little tings.

Cynthia's Question
Sunday afternoon I get a call from Cynthia. She wanted to know my opinion on GUIs for Linux. She gave me her Criteria (which one is prettier?) and I gave it to her (Gnome). I also informed her she can install two and go back and forth, but you will have to maintain them separately. I like these kinds of questions. I don't have to sit down and fix anything.
I'm proud of any one who give Linux a try. Cynthia had a machine die and she is trying to get another computer up and running so she doesn't have to buy another copy of MS-Crap OS.

Taxes
I was supposed to do my taxes weekend before last. I suddenly got a bunch of things to do. I was supposed to do them last week. I got sick. I was kind of supposed to do them this last weekend, but a bunch of crap got in the way. I have to do them pretty soon. I plan on trying TaxAct.com this time. Wish me luck.