Pull Up from The Myopic Grindstone

This a a nerd post. I'm venting. Okay, here it is the situation. I'm helping a friend install her old software to her new computer. I have my doubt about Norton Internet Security. The prior week it would not allow her to go enter certain web sites.

Couldn't see where to dial down the firewall. I looked every. I say frack it, next week I'm bringing AVG and be done with it. Backed up her system (it took a long time, old XP trooper that it was).

Finally got the stuff over. This week things are working, able to go to websites and get online mail.

Matilda* wants to re-install Eudora. I should mention that Qualcomm stopped developing and supporting Eudora. You can get the software from the site and the help info but there has been no work done on it since.

I wanted her to go to Thunderbird. On-going development. Spam protection. Better search. She was going for it until what ever blocked everything else last week blocked both Eudora and Thunderbird.

Today, Eudora is working. Thunderbird is not. 

No, I had nothing to do with it.

So, Matilda asked if she could import her contacts in Eudora. I had exported them out as a CSV file. The programs files were also backed up.

I was of a mind to grab a hunk of the old files and overwrite the new installation. Check with a few tech sites that gave the thumbs up. Checked with a few more that said don't do that, Windows 7 is less forgiving about allowing files to overwrite an existing installation.

If it isn't coming from a manufacture installation Windows 7 isn't that tolerant of being goosed.

Ok. Plan B - look for a CSV to LDIF converter.

There are some. Shareware for $49. Not doing that. There are some free ones, if you know a programing language or two.

There was one that might have worked, was free and gave it all. But Windows 7 is 64Bit OS and the software was old school 32Bit.

I even tried to download that 13 year old version Netscape Communicator because I think it had multiple export options. Not happening on Windows 7.


Ok Plan C - look for a PST to LDIF converter.

PST is the old Outlook mail file format. Eudora can read that file. If I could find a CSV to PST converter that might work.  My search ended. Nada.

What Is True Here?

I need to convert the CVS file to LDIF in order for Eudora to import it. Could Thunderbird do it? I know it can import CVS. Can it export LDIF?

Why yes. Yes it can.

I cleaned up the CSV file in Excel and then imported it. Three frigging minutes later I had that pesky file. Two minutes later I e-mail the time sucker file to Matilda.

Victory. Of sorts.

On the one hand, I spent three hours chasing down programs that don't exist or find vendors willing to provide a solution for a good chunk of change. Not saying the software wasn't worth it. I'm saying that there isn't a true repository you can go to find out your software options.

You have to find your person or beacon of information. Not a lot of modern folks writing about converting Address Book files.

The answer was in my face. I couldn't see it for hunting down the "software" I believed existed.

Once I let go of that search the answer came to me. Being methodical is one thing. A great thing. Being pig-headed about were the answer should be is truly putting your nose to the grindstone. It will hurt sooner or later.

Pull up, breath and let it come to you.

The techies will say I should have followed a specific process for file transfers. They are right.

The safety folks will say why did you allow her to download a obsolete program? It wasn't obsolete when she first started using it seven years ago. I installed maleware and system protection. I warned her of the risks. I can do no more than that.

The Thunderbird folks will say why didn't you call her ISP and ask for help.  I'm not in front of her computer. And that is something I did suggest. Or contact Norton.

I hope this is the end of it. I know it is not. I just have to hang on to hope.


*No, that isn't her name.  I'm not that sure she know what a blog is. She does go to parent sites, some of which are blogs. It is still a web site to her.  Let's just say I don't have coupons.

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Let Your Freak Flag Fly on the Finally Friday Freakout

Yes, let your freak flag fly high on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, or any dang day of the week. Shake it to the left, shake to the right, shake it all around, that what's it all about!

Take off that vestige of conformity; you are off the clock. If you have teenagers who have friends in the house your should especially fly your freak flag and embarrass your offspring.

Ok, maybe just have them groan in utmost shame or something.

To help you get in the mood this is the Laura Love Band plucking away on Let Your Freak Flag Fly.




Now if you observe the video as you are dancing you will notice that folks are a little old to normally be associated with freaking and making with the thumpety-thump.

This is a good thing. Defy expectations at all cost. Speaking of defying expectations, I got an e-mail from the South Coast Repertory Company of Costa Mesa, CA.

There is a theatrical play called "In The Next Room or the vibrator play" by Sarah Rule that is going to be in performance from September 26th to October 17th.

I'll let Jessica Neil take it from here:

It’s a dramatic comedy set in the Victorian era, just after the invention of an electric medical device for the treatment of “female hysteria.” The play focuses on Catherine Givings, the wife of a doctor who’s using the device on his patients in his office, located just off the family parlor. Catherine has just had her first child and is unable to breastfeed. She feels like a bad mother, and she feels distant from her husband. Intrigued by the noises she hears coming from the next room, she befriends her husband’s patients and begins investigating the device, with comical results.

That right. It about the humma humma buzz, buzz! Back in the days when doctors transition from manual manipulations to technological digitization. And I don't mean one and zeros either.

And people think history is dull. As if! If you would like more info about the play visit the South Coast Repertory Theater site.

Now sure there is more to life than the boogie boogie. I'll get back to you on what that is as soon as I remember. I have to find my glasses first.



In the meantime, here is a bit more or Laura Love doing her rendition of Come As You Are.

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A Moment In Time - I'm Older Than I Think

I was researching the new Apple Nano Video camera feature. I click on a video at YouTube where this young man was trying to explain new features in iTunes, iTouch and the Nano. He is doing a screencast of the Apple page.

God bless him. iPhoneHelper786 is unintentionally cracking me up. I'm not making fun of him. He is trying to communicate to his community about what is happening with the new products. I'm not hating on him.

There is a new feature in iTunes called iTunes LP. Spirit did not know what an LP was. He thinks it is a new menu system where you can get info about the artist, song lyrics, notes and other stuff.

He is right, it is a menu system. I never thought about it that way.

When I studied LP album covers as a kid I was moving through a menu system. It was a static one but yes, sometimes there were photos, notes and song lyrics. He also makes the distinction between legal and cracked music.

Those of us that created our own cassette tapes from our or other acquired albums need to hush up and render no judgment.

Then it hit me - dang, I've seen items this person has never witness. His parents may have only seen music CDs. His experience base is totally different from the one that I had.

Whoa. I forget that I'm not who I use to be. This is not a bad thing.

But still, dang.

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