Paw Detected!

Sometimes when Bunky is using her cordless keyboard in front of the TV, Sydney likes to come over and sit on the keyboard. We joke that he is going to make corrections on her redline, or bill the client for his time. However, I recently saw this set of devices to stop cats from hijacking your computer:

1. Pawsense: I think the best part about this software is the screen that pops up and tells you CAT-LIKE TYPING DETECTED. I don’t know how this complex program is able to differentiate between human and cat typing; probably magic. It also offers “sonic training” i.e. it makes an annoying noise so your cat will stop trying to haxxor into your account to shard your purples. Sadly, Pawsense is not available for Vista or Macs yet.
2. Kitty Keyboard Kover: I don’t think this stops your cat from sleeping in front of your computer, but at least you can still type while it’s happening!

BTW, check these out:

Q: My cat is deaf. Can you help me?

A: PawSense detects the paws of even deaf cats. Even if a cat is deaf, PawSense blocks cat typing once detected. This makes it harder for the cat to mess up your programs, data files, and operating system.

However, PawSense does not include a miracle cure for deafness.

If you have some strange application or game that requires you to hold down bizarre catlike key combinations like CONTROL-SHIFT-1-Q-TAB, you can configure PawSense to consistently ignore such combinations on particular keys.

WTFLOL?!

Juicing Up

I finally went and had a checkup, and it went pretty well. It was only a $5 copay, and I scored two shots for free. I couldn’t remember when the last time I had had a Tetanus shot was, so I picked up one of those. Also, for the last few months (possibly longer), I’ve had a small red bump on my chest. It was originally an ingrown hair, and I had picked at it a lot. Still, I wanted to get it checked out.

The doctor determined that it was a hypertrophic scar:

Hypertrophic scars are similar to keloid scars, however, their growth is confined within the boundaries of the original skin defect. These scars may also appear red, and are usually thick and elevated. Hypertrophic scars usually start to develop within weeks after the injury to the skin. Hypertrophic scars may improve naturally, although this process may take up to a year or more.

He also called in another doctor just to double-check and they were both convinced that it was a hypertrophic scar, as opposed to a keloid or tumor. They described the scar as “classic.” So that was good news. Also, apparently these types of scars can be reduced a bit:

In treating hypertrophic scars, steroids may be the first line of therapy with this type of scar, although there is not one simple cure. Steroids may be given as an injection or by direct application. These scars may also be removed surgically. Often, steroid injections are used along with the surgery and may continue up to two years after the surgery to help maximize healing and decrease the chance of the scar returning.

Steroids can help flatten and reduce the redness of hypertrophic and keloid scars. Steroids are applied or injected into the scar to break down the skin’s collagen. This is especially effective on hypertrophic and keloid scars, both of which continue to form collagen after the wound has healed. These injections can also help reduce the itching and/or pain associated with these scars.

The bump itself is pretty small, so any surgery would likely result in a larger scar. The scar doesn’t itch or hurt or anything, but it does look kinda bad, since it is very red. I was encouraged to hear that the shots might help to decrease the size and color of the scar, but I will have to go for monthly shots. The practice is close to my home, and the shot is relatively painless, so the monthly procedure shouldn’t be too bad.

As an aside, I searched for Himura Kenshin Hypertrophic Scar, but Google did not return any meaningful results.

More or Less Embarrassing?

Because Bunky is concerned for her own safety (what with riding the bus so late at night), she recently purchased some Mace. She was even kind enough to get two, one for each of us.

I was actually kinda pleased to get a little container of Mace. First off, there is nothing girly about having Mace. I’ve certainly done enough training at my Karate class to know that fighting an armed assailant (especially one that has the drop on you) sucks. Bunky and I went out on the balcony to test the spray. I didn’t know the range of the spray, so when I shot out a stream it actually went over the railing. Fortunately, nobody was on their deck below us XD.

Afterwards, I had some dinner, and watched some TV with Bunky. At one point during Grey’s Anatomy, I rubbed my eyes a little bit. I was suddenly struck with intense burning pain in my eyeballs, as my eyes got all teary and puffy. I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and I quickly rewashed my hands and washed my eyes out with water. During the time, I had two immediate thoughts:

1. I now understand how those eye washers in labs can be useful.
2. I remember reading that Capsaicin is a non-polar molecule and does not dissolve in water. However, I was not yet willing to wash my eyes out with milk.

Thankfully, after about 10 minutes the intense burning subsided, and my eyes just felt slightly warm then. I wondered how I could have possibly Maced myself, since the spray did not seem to leak on my hands. Also the trigger is fairly safe, since it is under a spring-held flap; you have to lift and hold the flap open before you can press the big red button.

Eventually, I remembered that I had prepared fresh hot peppers for my dinner (spicy chicken thighs, yum), and I must have had a little residue on my hands. I had washed my hands of course, but I must have missed a tiny spot (or it did not dissolve in the water). So basically instead of Macing myself, I pepper sprayed myself.

That’s What Matters

The new headphones arrived yesterday.

The Bad

The headphones look and feel sooooo cheap. The ear cups are only made out of foam, and they are actually smaller than the Logitech’s ear cups. The foam also hold heat in a little too well. My previous headset had ear cups large enough to fit around the ears. The big block near the USB plug is even bigger than I anticipated, but it just sits on the ground so it really isn’t in the way. Also the microphone only comes down one way, so you cannot reverse the headset. The range of motion on the microphone is rather limited.

The Good

In spite of all that, the headphones are quite comfortable. It’s a very light headset, and it is wide enough to avoid pinching your ears (the major problem with the Logitech set, aside from completely insufficient padding). The ear cups dont’ seem that sturdy, but they do swivel a bit. All in all, it feels pretty good on my head and ears. Also the sound quality is good, and according to Velius, the microphone sounds just fine. So I guess the headset is good in the important areas; I’m just not so sure I can say it is a really good value.

Remembering Williamsburg

I was surprised to see a reference to the Green Leaf in TMZ.

After a gig at the nearby College of William and Mary on April 28, the bands stopped for a bite at Glenn Gormley’s Green Leafe Cafe. Shortly afterwards, the musicians (and other patrons) got sick, which forced MCR [My Chemical Romance] and Muse to cancel several dates on their tour.

Good times. Bunky’s law school friends used to like to go to that dive.

Updating Life Info

I’m so lazy about updating personal information. Every so often, however, I have a burst of motivation and get down to it. This week I…

1. Renewed my AAA membership: 4 months late… At least I got the $10 registration fee waived.
2. Got a Primary Care Physician: I haven’t had a real doctor’s checkup in probably 7 years. I am wasting my benefits!!! I made an appointment for Monday, and am hoping they won’t tell me I have some horrible disease that could have been treated 7 years ago.
3. Signed up for Alumni stuff: Hahaha, I guess I just threw out the alumni info card on graduation day. Whoops! I had to email the alumni staff to request my registration number, but it was pretty easy. Can’t believe the 5 year reunion is next year! Most of the contact information I looked at was really old/incomplete, bah.

I still need to find a dentist nearby. I haven’t had a cleaning since moving here =(. I’m good about keeping appointments, but it’s never fun finding a new doctor or dentist.