Have you seemingly bricked your nook? Is it (mostly) unresponsive and seemingly useless and dead? Don’t throw out your beloved e-reader just yet.

No, *I* haven’t had any nook-bricking experience (yet), but my dear boyfriend Jake has, and he kindly asked me to share his experience (as well as the solution) with you good people. Jake writes:

So, I recently found out that rooting a nook no longer required you to brutally rip it open and physically void the warranty, possibly destroying your nook in the process. And, thanks to the people at www.nookdevs.com I successfully “soft rooted” my nook with a hacked version of B&N’s 1.4 version software. A few days of troubleshooting and a couple youtube vids later [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UF5w1dKe2U ] , I was able to connect through ADB using windows CLI and install the apps that are currently available from their site. The rooted version had, what I feel to be, a cleaner looking GUI, and alternatives to the majority of B&N’s OEM apps, as well as customizability I doubt B&N will ever adopt. The alternative apps had improvements, and served me well for several weeks. Well, one of the apps available is a version of the Market to easily download other apps available and update the ones you have so you don’t have to go through ADB, and I recently updated one of the critical components of the OS which, for whatever reason, BRICKED it.

It would start like normal, but as soon as it got to the home screen, I was faced with a black unusable screen on both the eInk and touchscreen portion, (although the bar at the top was still active and the touch screen was responsive, so it wasn’t totally locked up). Also, it would refuse to connect to my PC properly. My PC would recognize that it was plugged in, but the two microSD cards inside where unavailable.

In my attempts to troubleshoot, I downloaded B&N’s original v1.4 firmware, loaded the update to MY “external” microSD card (it is normally supposed to be in the nook’s internal microSD card, but that was unavailable to me). I attempted to update using methods I read on nookdevs site, But, as it turned out, due to the nature of the problem, updating in the conventional manor would NOT be possible.

Several days later I succumbed to calling B&N’s nook tech support center. Much sooner than I expected, I was put on the phone with a technician who, also to my surprise, spoke ENGLISH, clearly! So after telling him my email address associated with my B&N account, I explained the problem and he explained the solution. Just like that. It was one of the most pleasant calls to a tech support ive experienced so kudos on them.

The solution was a button pressing combo to wipe the internal microSD card, and install a fresh, albeit outdated, nook OS. I had assumed there was something like this possible, but despite all my googling I hadn’t found this technique, so that is why I am sharing it with you good people.

To perform this:

1. Turn your nook all the way off, both screens should be totally blank

2. Press and HOLD the power button until the screen flashes twice, then CONTINUE to hold it down for 15 seconds

3. Release the power button

4. Repeat this 5 more times

5. Power on like normal (single press)

The nook should power on and the LCD screen should go black, and read off that it is “preparing partitions” and eventually instal a completely new kernel.

It will restart on its own, and hopefully will start again with a fresh, factory install nook in front of you. It will install its updates automatically, but it can take some time so if you don’t want to wait, go to B&N’s site [ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/support/ ] and download the newest version update, throw it onto the internal “nook” drive, disconnect, and it should update automatically.

Hope this is helpful to someone!

Well, I’ve been back home from Alaska for about a week now. Arizona is hot. Definitely missing Alaska weather.

As always, here are my photos.

Never thought I’d say, on the subject of Alaska, that I had a fantastic, amazing time. I do hope I get to go back up there again soon, *before* it hits -40 degrees.

So despite Sarah Palin and her existence there, I recommend it. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and that combined with seeing tons of moose, all in all I say it’s worth it just to go at least once.

Here are some more photos of my time in Alaska. Keep checking this album for more photos, I’ll be uploading them periodically as I take more. (Click here for a direct link to the album.)

Enjoy!

So, I’ve made it to ‘The Last Frontier’. I arrived on the 25th, I’m here till the 11th of July.

I’m staying in Fairbanks/Ft. Wainwright, and I’ve gotta say it’s pretty nice, especially this time of year. Right now it’s about 1:30 AM and, yes, the sun is still out. I’m kinda digging it, it’s probably fucking the shit out of my circadian rhythm, but I like the feeling of more energy and alertness regardless of the time of day or night. I’ve never been too fond of sleeping anyway. :p

It’s really beautiful out here, so since I’m sure you’d rather not look at a wall of text (this is 2010, people! Attention spans are nonexistent!), here are some pretty pictures.

There are a few more in my Facebook album, just click any of the photos to get there.

More updates to come soon, hopefully!

Well, I’ve graduated high school. With a perfect 4.0, at that.

From Misc Photography

I’m the one on the far right, the short little shit.

Anyway, needless to say, I’m pretty proud of myself. I don’t really think of high school graduation as all that much of a big deal, really, but I still feel good about it.

I got a new camera as a graduation present. It’s a Canon Powershot SX20IS, and so far I really like it. With good lighting and a steady hand (as with all cameras, and unfortunately my hand steadiness is comparable to that of someone with a parkinsonian disorder…) the pictures are incredibly sharp, and even with not-so-steady hands such as mine, the photo quality ranges from good to excellent. Much better than my last camera. You could always check out some of my photos taken with it; I have a gallery of The Vader Project.

Darth Vader Masks/The Vader Project

I’m going to Alaska in ten days. Yeah, I know, I know, but if I bump into Sarah Palin I’ll be sure to tell you about it. (Gosh oh golly!) Hopefully I can get some good photos (not just of Sarah Palin mind you :p). I’ll be in Fairbanks, so if you know absolutely ANYTHING I should do while I’m there, please let me know, because I know nothing about Alaska.

The constant sunlight should be fun!

The shittiest part about life is that as you grow older, everybody else around you grows older as well. Things change, people change, the world changes. There’s not much we can do to stop it.

If you didn’t get the gist of it by now, yes, there’s been some changing of variables in my life. Various variables. Various varying variables. But let’s not get into V is for Vendetta mode just yet. I wont get specific, as it would be boring and probably seem attention-whorish (and really, I don’t want attention for crap like that, I want attention for other things), but I’ve realized that a number of things have changed in my life. Some expected, some not, but all in all, I think it’s for the best. I’ll just take it as it comes, and see where it gets me.

Enough with the cypticness. Onward!

I graduate this month. That means college is up ahead. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare me at least a little bit. I’m hoping to do a cognitive or neuroscience major; the brain is a fascinating phenomenon, and to be perfectly honest, I just want to become as self-aware as I possibly can. What better way than to study what creates consciousness?

The past month has been pretty fantastic, overall. Eventful? Not entirely. But it’s been good. I had the opportunity to go to Lake Havasu City for a weekend, in 98-degree weather, which was a paradise compared to the storms northern Arizona had been getting around the time I went. Good times were had by all.

4/30 rolls around, and Jake and I go see Conan O’Brien live in Phoenix. I’m rather proud of myself for scoring the tickets, as it was, like his other shows, completely sold out. The seats were expensive and so-so, but well worth it. Conan was hilarious, as he usually is. He was also uncensored, as he usually isn’t. It was great to finally see him live, when he got vetoed from the Tonight Show I feared I’d never see him live. Opening for him was Reggie Watts, who was a lot funnier than I expected (what can I say, opening acts usually kinda suck).

5/1 rolls around. We get back from Phoenix at some ungodly hour, and turns out I’ve got a fever nearing 105 degrees (it was 104.7 to be exact, though the other ear was .6). So, if this post seems a bit bland, or lacking my usual flair with words (if I have any), that is why. Apparently, I’m sick. I’m not exactly sure with what, all I knew then was I was cold, tired and my stomach felt weird. Not sick weird, just weird. Tolerable. Ignorable. Anyway, I took a cold, miserable shower and went to bed fearing I’d wake up with a hard-boiled brain. I didn’t. I’m convinced it’s some sort of influenza, as I’m vaccinated (H1N1 and the non-fear-mongered one), but the symptoms are completely flulike albeit mild. It’s pretty bearable, actually. Today’s been fine other than it feels as if every single muscle in my body is sore, and like my head’s about to fall off. Rather that than puking my guts out!

I haven’t blogged like this in awhile. I suppose I just felt like talking to a wall of whitespace tonight, no matter how utterly boring our conversations may be.

I feel like I should attach a picture, if only to grab your attention. Hrrrm.

LOL FOREVER.

Also, I had a dream about a zombie velociraptor apocalypse last night. How fucking badass is that? Apparently, I had the infection, which attracted raptors to you as well as over time turning you into a zombie. But they had the cure, so they gave me this weird ventilator mask and injected this shit into it. Turns out the guy did it wrong, and it was damaging my respiratory tract, but it was all okay, I would be cured anyway. Watching the raptors eat the infected (and non-infected) was pretty gruesome. Good shit.

Let us praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus F. Christ, for this fine holiday.

Thank you, Jesus, for without your fine holiday my mother would not have taken the time out to cook a turkey dinner.

Amen!

(Btw, happy Easter, or whatever it is you’re celebrating today!)

Yesterday was my eighteenth birthday. Now, as a legal adult, I have the right to vote, gamble in some states, have consensual sex on or off camera, buy tobacco and porn, pay taxes, and of course the right to be responsible for my actions (damn!).

That also means that 2010 is here. A decade passed already. Much has happened, both good and bad, but I’d rather not dwell on such and instead just focus on the now. I’m just happy that the bittersweet year of 2009 is finally over.

Back to the subject of my freshly acquired adulthood, naturally, I exercised my right to purchase tobacco (that I will not smoke) yesterday. After being denied the first time due to me not knowing anything about what I was talking about and consequently convincing the cashier I was buying for someone underage (and she even had the nerve to deny selling me porn!), I went to the Mobil gas station-slash-convenience store. I asked for a pack of Djarum Blacks, as a friend of mine frequently bought them there (which is how I knew what they were and where to get them), and of course: the dude didn’t even card me. Le sigh.

I registered to vote today. Democrat, of course. Not that I agree with the party 100%, it’s just that I’d like to have the privilege of voting in the presidential primary elections. I’d like my vote to count. As much as I love Ralph Nader and all that jazz, I’m going with the party who has a chance. (Not that I’d choose Green. Independent is more my style.)

That’s all for today, folks. Just thought I’d keep you updated with my ever-so-enthralling life!

I’m just wishing everybody a merry Christmas! (Or whatever else you’re celebrating.)

Hope you all have happy holidays.

The time has come once again, that is, the time for me to get a new PC.

This long, sad tale of PC replacement involves my previous computer slowly committing suicide. In short, I buy a fancy new monitor, and the video card blows up. Lucky me.

My dear father had been offering to buy me a new PC for quite some time now, so I decided it was time to take him up on the offer, especially seeing as my replacement videocard only lasted as long as Windows did – unexplainable BSODs upon boot are not fun. (And as far as Linux goes, my wireless adapter never fails to make it kernel panic.)

So I did some googling and searching around. I had a hard time deciding whether to A: Buy only the the parts necessary to revamp the computer, essentially rebuilding it; or B: Just buy a new damn computer.

I eventually went with B, and I must say that I am extremely satisfied with iBuypower.

I’m also extremely satisfied with Windows 7. Microsoft did a really, really good job with this one. Kudos to them. Big kudos. I’m really loving it so far.

Since I know you’re curious, I’ll give you the general specs: Intel i5 @ 2.67 Ghz (quad-core, mind you), 4GB RAM, 1TB HD, two GeForce 9500 GTs SLI’d, El Generico DVD burner among things nobody particularly cares to know about, and lots and lots of blue lights.

Happy Cat is Happy.

Semi-related: Anyone else hyped about Avatar?