Computer Problems

My computer up to yesterday was free of any virus and spyware. Using Mozilla Firefox, Spybot and Ad-aware made sure of that. Yesterday though, I tried to get a new icon for my AIM profile, and I dowloaded this application from this good looking website.
I was a little wary of an application being downloaded when all I had wanted was an icon but I ran it anyway. It installed a lot of junk on my computer, including DVMlite which doesn't want to go away, as well as CoolWWWsomething, which i can't get rid off either.
I try to run some diagnostic software that I found on a trustworthy site, and now I can't use Windows Explorer anymore. Windows Explorer is the interaction interface of XP, and so my computer is disabled.
Pity because the sun is out, temperatures have risen and I wanted to go take some nice photos of the outside world. I won't be able to post them until my computer is fixed. And there is always the likelihood that I will lose everything.

Any ideas from the IT experts would be welcome.

PS: If I have sent you anything with attachments in the last couple of days, do not open them.

The Memorial Union: one of the center points of the campus. In summer, this was full of people.

The campus bought this in the 60s from London.

A bleak winter road on campus

A fat squirrel

Two poker friends; the left one is Swedish and the right one is from the Netherlands.

America is all about size. This huge margarita is being drank through heating pipes. By mechanical engineers, of course.

The view of Lake Tahoe from the top of Sierra, the resort to which I go the most.

The camera didn't capture the purple in the sky, but still...

Beautiful, isn't it?

Oh, and some of the tracks are mine

my roommate when he's spent too much time with me

My roommate showing off

LAX greets the weary traveler with four hours of line and loses my luggage. Avoid it if you can -- worse than French airports.

Taipei International -- an airport that through someone's genious was made perfectly symmetrical. The shops are mirrored on both wings -- a great idea for the weary traveler looking for a way to kill six hours...

Back In Davis

Hello all,

I have been back in Davis for a couple of weeks now. And this is my first post for some time. I have recently acquired a camera, and I am looking for a way to upload some of the great pictures I have taken onto this blog. Anyone knows how?
Davis is cold; in the mornings, I am greeted by a fog, that on good days briefly lifts for the afternoon, and brings back its gloom at night. We oscillate around freezing, but there is no snow. When it rains, the clouds insulate the place, and the temperatures are too high. Two hours away from here, in Lake Tahoe, where all the ski resorts are, the temperatures are just right, and snow falls in bucket loads. I have been three times since I have come back. I have pictures; I will put them up if I can.

Classes -- no complaints. I am taking five:
Communication seminar -- just a fun way to get a credit point, learning little communication techniques, specifically tailored for the engineer.
Professional Responsibilities of the Engineer -- A class that looks at the legal aspects of engineering and also explores the ethical side. It is taught by a lawyer, who defends the State. His approach to teaching is very formal, and because of his great experience, it is very interesting.
Earthquake Loads -- California has earthquakes. We don't really design for them in Australia, but here, that bad seismic wave is often the most important factor in design. A practicing engineer comes at eight on Tuesday's and Thursday's and teaches us how to do what he does for a living.
Engineering Economics -- engineering firm economics. This class looks at the very specific of monetary decisions. The man teaching it is a grave buffoon.
Personal Finance -- Taught by my marketing teacher from last quarter, this is a very interesting class. I learn about living together, marriage and divorce, as well as about more mundane financial events, such as investments, loans, savings, taxes, etc. I won't be able to apply most of what I learn here unless I live in California, but at least, I will know what to look for.

Things are otherwise going rather well. Today, I got a free couch from my friends Thomas and Jimmy. They are leaving for Australia and they are getting rid of a lot of stuff. It has coloured thin stripes on a cream background, and suddenly the living room has become bearable. It breaks the monotony of white and grey the University Regents imposed on its tenants.

I am looking forward to going to Washington DC. I have found out that most civil engineering companies are on the same side of town as me. And these companies have 15,000+ employees worldwide. DC is on the East Coast; Californians have often slipped when hearing me speak about this upcoming trip, and have referred to DC as abroad. The East Coast and West Coast is more than a groundless rivalry. The coasts represent two different lifestyles. The busy self-important New Yorker, vs. the relaxed smugly content Californian.

Enough for now,

Albert