It just keeps getting geekier!

I recieved a Fry's credit card in the mail yesterday, so I headed over there this morning to buy a webcam. Since it's going to be outside, I tried to find the cheapest one possible. They had one for $16, and it was pretty small, so I grabbed it along with a 16 foot USB booster extention cable.

I got up to the checkout, and it turns out that camera was on sale for just $8! Woohoo!

I ran the cable out the front window, and adjusted the weather station software.

So now http://wx.captainpackrat.com/ not only has live weather data, but a snapshot of the sky outside as well. :)

Super tasty, super easy!

"Loaded" Baked Potato Soup!

http://www.captainpackrat.com/cooking/loaded_potato_soup.htm


Incredibly easy to make, fairly inexpensive, quite filling, and delicious!

Cable outages

Apparently the Cox(suckers) were working on the cable lines this evening. My cable TV, telephone, and Internet access kept dropping out for about 2-1/2 hours. It looks like the problems been fixed.

If you'd tried to access my website (to get that super tasty soup recipe), it might have been down. Everything should be back to normal now.

So go make soup! ;)

Nickeled and Dimed to Death

Latest SDG&E bill:

Electric Energy: $39.55
DWR Bond Charge: 3.36
Transmission: 5.01
Distribution: 46.51
Public Purpose Programs: 4.59
Nuclear Decommissioning: .41
Trust Transfer Amount: 5.99
Competition Transition Charge: 5.95
Reliability Services: 7.99

Total Electric Costs: $119.36

WTF??? $40 worth of electricity, and $79 worth of fees? What the hell?

(And that's not counting "franchise fees" and taxes.)