untitled work in progress

Windows 7 - Reimage AGAIN!

2009-07-08T20:22:00.004-05:00

I was running fine, happy, content with RC1. Until, for no apparent reason, I ended up with a new BSOD: bad pool header

I let the physical image dump take place and then started the reboot process. But alas, I was presented with some pretty interesting error messages.

First things first: the BSOD. Here's the google search: LINK

Not the end of the world... but the crap storm after the reboot was... um... interesting. I was not able to WRITE to any partitions or drives on my computer. This includes USB external and being able to burn a CD/DVD. Yeah - when I tried to access the CD/DVD to burn an ISO image, I was informed, via dialog box, that I would need to contact the "system administrator" as this functionality is not available.

My dilemma was getting my saved files to a USB drive in order to wipe the laptop drive... if I had to go that far. See, I formatted two partitions on the laptop drive as exFAT... which meant that my dumb butt made 1/2 a 160 GB drive unavailable to other OSes. Bummer. Prior to remembering the exFAT piece, I went after some Ubuntu bits...

After installing Ubuntu 9.1 Alpha 2 64b on the laptop and then remembering the exFAT issue, I am back to W7RC1.

I'm glad I didn't put anything down on the W7 upgrade early edition....

Swapping to my own service/blog

2009-06-29T19:01:00.001-05:00

I have wanted to get into Wordpress and set up a site of my own for awhile. I have used Google/Open services for years... but finally decided to move stuff over.

New posts will go here:
http://blog.bigjwalk.com

Enjoy! Or don't... it's my little piece of the Intertubes. I pay the rent and there's no HOA. :)

Latest "Klavan on the Culture"

2009-06-27T18:38:00.001-05:00

His videos are great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_oPtH_Hgzg

My own new mantra

2009-06-26T22:53:00.002-05:00

"I'd rather fail trying than succeed on other's efforts" - me

Google Voice SMS

2009-06-22T20:00:00.001-05:00

My new favorite tool from the Google Suite of Tools is the Google Voice SMS application.

Combine this with the HTC Dream/G1 application called GV, and you can make use of Google Voice's SMS functionality to reduce the SMS messaging costs associated with your respective carrier's plan.

Now I just wish Google Voice would open up invitations so I can shoot them out...

ABCNEWS - Nightly news will be anchored from White House

2009-06-16T11:53:00.003-05:00

I am not so much shocked at the decision as I am that it doesn't include a full on advertising campaign of larger portions.

LINK

ABCNEWS might as well start selling space on their "news" desk and get it over with.

Is ABC the "A Barack Channel" now?

Windows 7 Debacle

2009-06-15T09:06:00.001-05:00

I have been pushing through the issues I have had recently with Windows 7 ... nothing major, just pains.

Four days ago, Windows 7 decides to just start randomly locking up... no mention in the Event Log, no errors on the screen, no "Windows did not shutdown correctly..." after a hard shutdown. And occasionally, USB Plug-n-Play would just stop working leaving me with media on an external drive but unable to load any of it. So much for the usage of Windows Media Center.

Now, I know this is an RC so I am not complaining as much as commenting.

We'll try re-image number 3 today to see how long I can go again...

Car Repair Estimator

2009-06-10T18:13:00.002-05:00

Found this website from Money501 on twitter

Repairpal.com

Free (so far)... I didn't check for any "beta" type information.

I recently had some work done on my truck... the actual repair prices were very comparable to what the repairpal.com website suggested.

Man-Eating Seals of Antiquity

2009-06-10T09:52:00.002-05:00

Nose picker moment...

LINK

I can't wait for distros to start integrating this...

The Meaning Of The Flag Draped Coffin

2009-06-06T10:56:00.002-05:00

From an email...

http://soldiersmind.com/2007/02/04/the-meaning-of-the-flag-draped-coffin/

HTC G1 - Protective Covers

2009-06-06T10:18:00.003-05:00

I have been looking for a new protective cover for my G1 that is slimmer than the current case I have. After some searching on the InterTubes, I fell upon this

I found an installation video on YT as well as some reviews. Search for "invisibleshield".

2009-06-05T22:43:00.001-05:00

The Soup Nazi is NOT at ABs tonight... that is a good thing

Windows 7 - Day (whatever)

2009-06-05T20:59:00.002-05:00

I had to reimage...

Three things that killed it for me:

a) the Windows key just... didn't... work. Nothing. Nada. Zip. WTF?

b) the key would start RANDOM applications. Random. Like one time it started Windows Media Center. Then it was Chrome. Then note-freakin-pad.

And the best for last:

Everytime I would start up a Linux virtual guest through the "Virtual Machines" application (OpenSolaris, Ubuntu, Suse, Centos), my host (Windows 7) would either: blue screen or freeze all other applications.

I think this is starting over however I'm not counting the days any longer. If I fall into any of the issues above again, back to Linux I go...

I don't think she is buying what he is selling

2009-06-05T19:12:00.002-05:00

Enjoy...

http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/c/dd/cdd90de8b4f307a25e340c70af804ff6.jpeg?x=426&y=199&xc=1&yc=1&wc=426&hc=199&q=85&sig=TVOdm8rJyGBN3tO4FlrFHA--

Mint.com is a great way to view your financial aspects and views

2009-06-05T06:34:00.001-05:00

I have been using mint.com for awhile now... and with the exception of two accounts not being able to import details, my wife and I are able to coordinate our income and expenses.

The reports and graphs deliver on what we are spending where and allow us to create a budget with multiple categories for food, entertainment, etc.

http://www.mint.com/

Great video on YouTube - Klavan on Culture

2009-05-29T18:53:00.001-05:00

This is a great video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC6MnwknfmU

Enjoy!

Windows 7 - Day 25

2009-05-29T16:36:00.003-05:00

Updating the "Send To:" options in the context menu.

To update your "Send To:", run through the following steps:

Open Windows Explorer either with or hit type "Windows Explorer" and hit
Do the step above again to open a second Windows Explorer window
Drill into the folder you want to create as a short cut for the "Send To:" menu in the first Windows Explorer window
In the second Windows Explorer window, click in the address bar and type: "shell:sendto"
Press
With the mouse "Right click and drag" the destination folder from the first Windows Explorer window into second Windows Explorer window
Release the mouse button in the second window
When the context menu opens where you released the mouse, select "Create Shortcut Here"

Repeat the steps above to create more "Send to:" options.

I ran through this in order to update and move some music files I had spread across my computer. These were music files that I wanted to correlate by a high-level genre identifier folders (Hip-Hop, Rock, Soft, R&B, etc.). Going through the steps above allowed me to copy the files into the higher level folders through the "Send To:" option.

Hope this helps someone out there....

Oil prices and speculation

2009-05-27T19:05:00.002-05:00

I am not a big fan of 60 Minutes, but this is a great report:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/08/60minutes/main4707770.shtml

The "article" is a transcript of the video/story.

The people that set the price for gas and promote the fluxuation of prices need to be hung by their toenails.

My experience of gas prices over the last few weeks:

- 4 weeks ago, gas was at 1.88/gallon
- 3 weeks ago, gas hit 1.97/gallon
- 2 weeks ago, gas jumped over 2.20/gallon
- 1 week ago, 2.39/gallon
- Today, 2.59/gallon

What happens is that the gas price jumps up $0.20 for a few days then drops $0.12 or so. A few days later, gas jumps again $0.20 but then comes down $0.10-$0.15 cents. Over time, this results in gas prices being higher with no real reason outside of …. I guess demand increases during the summer months. But production of gas is controlled by those who define the supply. They generate the need of demand by stimulating stories of demand increasing.

And let’s not get started on “oil swaps”…

----------------------------------------

Related items

Here's a graphicaly breakdown of the energy commodities (from: http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/cfutures.html)

Here's the today's crude futures:

http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/energyprices.html

Windows 7 - Day 23

2009-05-27T17:07:00.003-05:00

Day 23 of my experience with Windows 7...

Quick observations:

Search functionality is really working out well. I have been searching through on how to find all files in a directory. In an effort to figure out some complex searches, I found this article on the Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) from Microsoft: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa965711.aspx

Now, I realize this dates back to Windows Search 2 or 3, so the functionality exists within Windows Desktop Search(es) and Vista. However, other issues on Vista and being an avid Linux user, the advanced syntax commands didn't really interest me. Now that I am on my 4th week of Win7, getting deeper into the framework, constructs, and designs of Windows desktop software interests me more.

My use case around this is determining a decent way to find non-music files in a directory to clear out old JPG, M3U, etc., files to keep the data clean. By following the instructions on the webpage, I came up with this search in Windows Explorer:

NOT *.mp3 kind:NOT folders

I'll have to be selective on the deletes (lucky for the Recycle Bin), but this at least separates the MP3 files from other file types as well as removes "folders" from the output.

More to come... back to house cleaning on my drives.

WTF moment on the web

2009-05-24T09:42:00.002-05:00

I frequent newegg.com for various computer parts and bits. I have been looking for a new powered USB hub and jumped over to newegg for a quick stroll.

I found this little guy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817165029

I looked at the description and specification page to make sure the USB hub was 1.0-2.0 compatible. Now for the WTF moment... from the spec page:

Features

Origin Country: China
Accord with USB 2.0 specification , and downward inclusive USB 1.1/1.0 of the standard specifications
Having supported the voltage and electric current in the twinkling of an eye to protect the function in year, the load of the electric current protects and prevents the electricity from stopping causing and damaging.
Is it insert with and hot to insert and draw the function promptly at the same time to support.
Light small and exquisite help the commercial affair hand-carry while going on business.
USB concentrator in a four ports can fetch the electricity to use from the computer independently. (Mini USB concentrator lets you increase the peripheral equipment on the note type computer whenever and wherever possible. )
Can USB join port supply power directly , exempt using the voltage transformer.
Can another outer DC power transformer of 5V too.
Use the voltage: 5 volts.
Power consumptive power: 2.5 amperes.

Systematic demand: Inclusive operating system: WindowME,2000, XP, Mac OS8.6, 9XX, the edition after Mac OS X 10.1.3

This must be from a bad translation.

Windows 7 - Day (I think) 16

2009-05-22T23:23:00.003-05:00

From my last post: http://sloppyganger.blogspot.com/2009/05/windows-7-day-4-er-day-5.html

Things are still going VERY well with W7. The PC froze once... but I was doing a ton of stuff...

- disk defrag

- Windows Defender checking

- Virtualization (on the disk I was defragging)

- and downloading some Android software

I have tried to replicate the same steps, scenario, and options... but it has not happened again.

As far as any new features, etc., I have not hit anything new. The snip tool (http://sloppyganger.blogspot.com/2009/05/windows-7-snip-tool-just-might-push-me.html) was really the last thing...

Cupcake - G1 Day, well, after one day

2009-05-22T23:20:00.002-05:00

So far... I have only ONCE had to fully reboot (power off, power on) the 1.5 cupcake OS (?) since updating the phone.

The restart was more to do with me shutting down a ton of applications through 'Advanced Task Manager lite'. The 'End All' option... should be used only (ONLY!) when you are ready for some instability.

That makes sense to me...so, be careful when just forcing applications to shutdown.

"Cupcake" is tasty!

2009-05-20T20:06:00.003-05:00

The Android 1.5 update is now loaded on my G1 HTC Dream phone... and man, this is sweet!

So far:

Application to application movement and switching is more swift and fluid
The on-screen keyboard is very handy. Unfortunately, I can only use it with some degree of accuracy in landscape orientation. Portrait just doesn't work for my thick digits.
The system buttons have a better look... more polished. This includes the notification icons, etc.
Flip orientation... this is what I was waiting for and a big winner in my book. The application changing orientation based on what I am doing with the phone. Yes... thank you!

For this update... items I will be tracking:

Battery life - in 1.0 and 1.1, this SUCKED! Anyone with a G1 knows what I am talking about.
Lack of default T-Mobile applications - will there be any issues with some default TMO applications not present?

The next big winner for me will be WPA Enterprise.

This is why I'm fine with the Friday purge

2009-05-13T19:38:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure who thought it would be a good idea to MOVE THE FRIDGE full of food to a conference room... and then clean it out with multiple products. I'm guessing two high-level managers couldn't agree and sent it to committee.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_fe_st/odd_rotten_office_food

This may be a new reason to call in ill... "Yeah, boss. Sorry about this but the smell from my co-workers lunch is, well, just too much."

Perhaps this is a call for Paul Blart...

G1 - Cupcake Update

2009-05-11T18:37:00.001-05:00

Google Android

I am awaiting - with grand anticipation - the Android 1.5 firmware update.

I have had the G1 for about 3 months now and love it. Friends have given it the nickname of "precious". It fits.

Windows 7 - Snip Tool just might push me over the EDGE

2009-05-11T18:22:00.003-05:00

The snipping tool (found in Vista and XP Tablet edition) is probably the one tool that might be the show-stoppa when it comes to Windows usage. If this sucker was in XP Pro, I would have more interest in staying with that OS.

Keep in mind, I use the OneNote screen-clip function a TON. But the basic ability to launch this quick little tool and save JPEGs - natively, quickly, built-in - is fantastical!

I thoroughly enjoy this little sucka!

Windows 7 - Day 4. Er, Day 5

2009-05-11T18:00:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day was yesterday and I promised myself between doting over my wife and the all day marathon of House, MD., on USA, I was not going to spend time on the computer. So, no day 4.

Onward and upward... Day 5...

Interesting little tidbit with Gmail and IE8. If I change the theme (from anything to anything), then the Inbox works just fine. Otherwise, my stuff's broke and I default back over to FF. Here are some screen shots of my ordeal.

First:

Just straight up annoying... and non-functioning. Here is a snip of the bottom Inbox section:

After I change the theme (from Settings-> Themes) from the Gmail UI:

But this ONLY works during my session. Once I restart IE8, my issue returns:

It doesn't matter which theme I use and only happens in IE8. Also, this only appears to happen in the IE8 on Windows 7 as my XP IE8 installation is not behaving in this manner. A big difference in the two OSes is W7 is x86_64 and WinXP is x86.

I am not sure that blame belongs with Windows 7, yet. It could certainly be contained within:

how Gmail is presenting information to the IE8 code base on Windows 7 x86_64
IE8's rendering in the x86_64 build
an RC issue within Windows 7 that doesn't handle certain AJAX/Web 2.0/new fangled widget

I haven't gone through to turn on/off new features and functionality within Gmail - I like to turn on the toys. But that seems hardly the solution - turn off the new features and enhancements that make the software more useful (IMO) so that the solution actually works as intended... since this behavior is limited to IE8 on W7 and no other browser - I also confirmed Google Chrome is happy - I am not going to go through the trouble of attempting to determine root cause. I simply don't care if this site doesn't work in IE8 on x86_64 W7. <<>>

Heck, I use FF w/ IE Tab more than anything else anyway...

Looking forward to Day 6...

Windows 7 - Day 3

2009-05-09T13:33:00.002-05:00

I may have finally found the "break" in this OS... but I will need to check in IE 8 on my XP box first.

The issue is Gmail. The drop down menus are rendered in the wrong spots and my email is not updating in IE 8. I have downloaded Chrome and Firefox to see if the issue persists. Also, dslreports.com speed tests show my upload speed @ an amazing, blazing 43Mbps.

I don't think this is possible from a (my) consumer cable line.. but you never know. Maybe Comcast is being more giving these days.

More tests to follow.

White House town hall meetings for credit cards... ?

2009-05-08T22:28:00.002-05:00

From the article

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters on Friday that Obama will focus on legislation and urge lawmakers to "get something done on an issue of tremendous importance to middle class families.

"For many people credit cards provide an opportunity to finance purchases," Gibbs said. "But we think there's a more equitable way to do that and I think that those reforms are on their way through Congress."

The "equitable way" is to SAVE FOR YOUR PURCHASES! Don't ring up debt you CAN'T pay for and then use money that's borrowed.

Meeting adjourned...

Windows 7 - Day 2

2009-05-08T22:16:00.004-05:00

So far, so good.

Pinned Applications
Ok - the pinned application section in the task bar... is... freakin'... cool!

Not only is it at the window level, but for Internet Explorer, the tabs are displayed individually.

Search Apps
And one thing that my boy Donn brought up starting back in Vista was the "Start and Type" search functionality. I use Launchy in my XP machines for the same features/functions. In Windows 7, the search results are expanded. The term "virtual" gives me options from Internet Explorer, the Virtualbox application, and the Virtual machines within Windows 7 - such as the "free" Windows XP machine.

Wallpapers
The extra wallpapers are really nice.

Themes
It's about time more (free) themes are readily available for Windows 7 directly from MS.

I'll keep trying... but I will keep seeking the fault. It ain't wrong.

Windows 7 - Day 1

2009-05-07T00:06:00.003-05:00

After downloading and burning the x64 edition of Windows 7, I believe, more and more, that the UI is influenced - if not derived - from KDE.

Thus far, I am really enjoying the task bar pinned applications.

Tomorrow, I am going to get the Live adapter setup to share my media - specifically my music.

A daily touchpoint may be in order...

Free Mac OS X

2009-05-07T00:00:00.003-05:00

In light of the Windows 7 + Free XP Virtual Machine, perhaps a decent approach for Mac OS X would be to offer up a 90 day virtual machine of the operating system. Perhaps, limited to Virtualbox as a single image download.

I bring this up as the opportunity to "test drive" Mac OS X for a specific period of time AND have the full functionality of that operating system during the specified time period would allow those, like myself, the chance to go further than the local Mac store for interacting with the OS.

Basically, hook me with the freebie... otherwise, will I ever REALLY know what I am missing but not having Mac OS X?

Free sh-it edition

2009-05-06T22:34:00.005-05:00

Some of my favorite and commonly used software that

A) Works
B) Is free

There are plenty more... and some will follow.

System Utilities

Anti-virus (free edition)
http://www.avast.com/

Disk Defrag

http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag

CD/DVD Burning
http://infrarecorder.org/

Zip/Archive Utility
http://www.7-zip.org/

Entertainment

Media Player
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Graphics
I am torn between

Paint.net
http://www.getpaint.net/

and

GIMP
http://www.gimp.org/

Virtualization
VirtualBox
http://www.virtualbox.org/

Who's moving the line?

2009-05-06T21:49:00.002-05:00

As I get older, I find myself wondering if I moved or did the line move?

I ask this as I feel as though someone, somewhere is moving the line moreso than I am shifting my views around the world and the US in general.

Wow... This theme SUCKS!

2009-05-06T21:42:00.001-05:00

.... at handling text and word-wrap.

FTW or WTF?

And I did so much enjoy the color spread.

In today's episode: I want one of two things...

2009-05-06T21:38:00.002-05:00

I want one of two things... my own Capital One "image card" or... Zach Braff money. Now Zach probably doesn't make crazy-dope kinda "dolla-dolla-bill-y'all" money, but it may be enough to keep certain government officials from pointing their greedy finger(s) at me... whilst, at the same time, being able to front like "I got the money, if you got the time".

Why did we decide to put these fools in charge?

2009-04-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

It is interesting times we live in when a local auto dealer's radio commercial uses the Presidents name and the US Government to guarantee the auto warranty. Did anyone ever think it would come to this?

Look, I will concede to Bush haters that he did some funny stuff and made some mistakes. Nobody is perfect, we all do that. But to have a President's name invoked in an auto dealer commercial almost seems a bit comical and below the Office of the Presidency. I know it isn't Obama doing it but it is his decisions that feed the idea for the commercial.

And that is the most important thing. President Obama's decisions since he has taken office have been dreadful. Look at all the bad appointments and waffling decisions. Here is a quick list:

Appointing numerous tax cheats
Floating the idea of having war vet's personal insurance pay their medical for war related injuries
Releasing the so-called "torture" memos
Shaking hands with Hugo Chavez
Telling Turkey we are not a christian nation
Bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Napolitano calling vets possible terrorists
Hillary's reset button
Saying that the US invented the automobile

The list could go on and on but I think I made my point. Why have as a nation decided to put these folks in charge? Seriously, this is getting embarrassing to watch. And what is even worse is how the media pushes how good of a job Obama is doing. I will just start calling him bumbling Obama.

Here is a funny video I found. I personally think it would be worse than this if the government was running the auto warranty department.

Call to websites: Favorite stock market website

2009-04-17T15:31:00.001-05:00

Post in the comments your favorite on-line website to watch the stock market...

Call to apps: RSS Reader - cross-platform

2009-04-06T17:36:00.001-05:00

What is your favorite CROSS-PLATFORM RSS reader?

Update in the comments...

thanks

People who know, know I am a Bears fan

2009-04-03T02:09:00.002-05:00

After the announcement of the Bears trading some draft picks and Orton to Denver for Cutler, I have finally ready a post from a source showing that, for the long haul, this deal is NOT A BAD ONE for the Bears.

Cutler, age 25, is a Pro Bowler... a statistical accomplishment that Orton would not make in Chicago... and can be again... and again... and again. For the NFC.

Let's look at what the NFC posted for Pro Bowl QBs in 2008 -

Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner - ok. I think I would be in contention with the receiver corp to work with in AZ.
Drew Brees - yeah, the number of yards, etc., WTF?
Eli - I am a little sick and tired of hearing how "golden boy" this cat is in the grand scheme.

Now, the Bears NEED a receiver... a real number one... to provide Cutler with that specific threat to make sure that point are on the board. This will allow the defense to get aggressive and go for the extra interception or sack.

As a Bears fan, the next great thing would be to pull a trade for a Fitzgerald caliber receiver. That would be the end all of the be all to the greatest offensive season in recent (read 40+ years) of Bears history.

What are your thoughts on the trade? Next steps for the Bears?

Reid: Obama casino rule "nonsensical"

2009-03-20T20:56:00.004-05:00

Snip of a letter from Sen. Harry Reid to President Obama
"A couple of specific examples are illustrative of the problems caused by the overly broad language. The Department of Justice-Office on Violence Against Women's Transition Housing Assistance Program offers funding to provide victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking supportive services such as short-term housing assistance. In many Nevada rural communities the only hotel rooms available are in casinos. The overly broad restriction deprives victims of a safe place away from their attackers."

Nevada rural communities is not specifically defined to a location, but the following maps.google.com search shows 4 pages of searches with "+hotels -casinos Las Vegas NV".

Link to Map

Why not have the funds go towards establishing better shelters - or new shelters - if there is THAT much of a need to support various activities that normally are only designated as "casino" activities.

Another snip...
"...which has created a unique environment in which hotel/casino complexes are often the most appropriate venue for certain activities, particularly holding public events such as community outreach events, Parent Teacher Association meetings, domestic violence trainings, and other workshops."

Can't these meetings be held in schools, churches, and the like.

Another search for "+meeting -casinos las vegas nv" (LINK) shows 5,000+ locations.

There are so many other options that don't require the involvement or intervention of the casinos. What would the supposed people he is looking after have done without this stimulus money? Keep the money that can be used for casino based meetings and subsidize additional meetings in non-casino venues.

Done. Everyone is happy.

Next topic.

Now I know what these guys feel like

Firefighters

PCLinuxOS 2009.1 - A Taste of an Old Friend

2009-03-20T17:49:00.002-05:00

Much time has past since I ventured away from the *buntu namespace for my home Linux adventures. I converted to Linux from Windows XP/Vista/whatever about a year ago. The main stay for me moving to Ubuntu 8.10 was the inclusion of and easy configuration of:

Wireless for more than WEP, specifically WPA Enterprise
Dual-monitor support
DVD/CD burning software that REALLY worked for my two different types of burners
External media
Better USB support - this is specifically for my cell phones. I really (REALLY) require my computer to be able to natively charge my cell phone through my USB cable
Printing support - I love the fact that I connect my HP to Linux and the printer fully detects not only the printer, but the scanner as well

I have used, in the past, Kubuntu and Xubuntu. I have always fallen back to Ubuntu because the Gnome interface just makes more "sense" to me. The layout is, well, more intuitive and enjoyable (IMO). Although, I am not the biggest fan of the default panels at the bottom and top.

After checking out the details on the latest build of PCLinuxOS, I decided to play with the LiveCD of PCLinuxOS 2009.1. My goal was to check on what was new in this distro but not necessarily to fully replace my installation of Ubuntu 8.10.

Here is the link to the distro site:
http://www.pclinuxos.com/

After about 10 minutes in 2009.1, I could not double click the "Install" icon on the desktop fast enough.

Some key items that pushed me over:

I decided KDE may be ok to "push" through... force myself
Dual-monitor support was EASIER than Ubuntu
Wireless was EASIER to get setup than Ubuntu
Software packages were more up-to-date. An example is Open Office - 3.0 instead of 2.4
Flash was all set
Java as well
Wallpaper - I dig being able to select different wallpaper for each of my monitors... that adds to the cool factor
Konqueror - I am liking Konqueror more and more (I wish I could get this up and running on Windows)

I'll continue to post information about the distro and my experiences. Such as "this doesn't work" or "that". Things I find cool... whatever.

Save the newspapers?

2009-03-16T21:20:00.002-05:00

I was reading through the following article and found myself curious about the intent and breadth of the nationalization of every industry unable to shift with the economic times and wondered, yet again, "Where's my bail-out?"

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/16/MNIA16GCBO.DTL

I started with the understanding of how my wife and I started in our holy matrimony and what steps have resulted in a vast change to the way we use the newspaper.

WAAAYYY back in the day, my wife would buy multiple newspapers, specifically Wednesday and Sunday, in order to accumulate multiple coupon offerings.

As we moved forward with technology, we were no longer burdened with requiring an actual coupon to save $.25 on a box of mac-n-cheese. The grocery stores were able to move their sales to a key fob type setup where either through the off-shoot coupon or the key chain store card, we were able to save a bunch on the "sale" items.

Technology plays an important piece in the newspaper landscape. The main intent, from my understanding, is to provide the news in written form and report on events from the last 24 hours. The hard copy newspaper is simply outdated and archaic.

Until recently, I was limited to only MY COMPUTER to be able to log into any newspaper website and peruse the articles and see information about what is going on in that entities community - regardless of size. This can include national newspapers - like U.S. Today or the local scribe, the Star Tribune. All of that being said, even for the bus, I haven't bought a newspaper in over five years.

Why?

One reason is that cellular companies have migrated the need for paper news to bits and bytes. Also, the same stories on on the digital version of many newspapers and magazines. I now get PC World via a link from my email. I no longer receive a hard copy version... I am fine with that. It saves me cleaning the old copies off of the back of the toilet.

Speaking of bathroom reading: Now that I have swung over to the G1 from T-Mobile (friends say I am ADDICTED!!), what is the point of a printed newspaper. Worse yet... NAY, a better question... WHY attempt to save the newspaper if that newspaper is not able to create a 21st century business model that keeps them equitable and contemporary? What is the intent behind Pelosi's drive?

Oh wait - it's left wing... correct? And in her district?

2009 Newspapers Filing Bankruptcy

Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/business/media/23philly.html

Star Tribune (in Minneapolis)
http://www.startribune.com/business/37685134.html

Now, the article starts "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, worried about the fate of The Chronicle and other financially struggling newspapers...", but never discusses what other entities SHE is worried about.

Can someone... anyone... provide what SHE is attempting to do for the greater good and position herself as a respected Speaker of the House? Outside of picking and choosing what hometown businesses to attempt to save by making use of her title and influence. I thought the left saved that for right wingers.

And yeah, I take my G1 to the shitter. Never know when you are going to be in there longer than the norm and need a little brick-breaker to pass the time. Go F^&$# yourself...

:)

The Promise Audit - National Journal

2009-01-31T19:40:00.000-06:00

The promise of Change. The grass is greener.

[snip]
The Promise Audit - National Journal: "As memories of the campaign trail fade, it’s easy to forget some of the more than 200 promises made by Barack Obama."

http://promises.nationaljournal.com/

I think the betterment of the country is at stake. We should all keep an eye on the ways of government.

The immortal words of Ronald Reagan, "Trust, but verify"

XBMC and Hulu

2009-01-31T18:48:00.001-06:00

I am a huge fan of Arrested Development. And Hulu.

This Lifehacker.com post made me happy.

http://lifehacker.com/5134070/simple-plug+in-brings-hulu-to-your-xbmc

Unfortunately, none of the actual shows are playing through the XBMC. Just another soul crush... :)

More to follow once I figure it out...

Linksys WRT54G - Wireless Failing Some Times

2009-01-31T18:41:00.002-06:00

I am searching for a solution to an issue I occasionally experience. This includes my Linksys WRT54G router will just stop working for wireless clients.

Wired connections work just fine and have no issues. The wireless... no so good.

I am able to quickly power cycling the router without a problem. The wireless then just starts working once the router comes up.

This happens with the Linksys firmware or the DD-WRT firmware I am running now.

BTW - if you have a Linksys router (or any other supported hardware) and are not running DD-WRT, you need to (HAVE TO) check out the DD-WRT project for your basic home router software needs.

Windows 7 - More Aesthetics

2009-01-31T15:50:00.002-06:00

I have been using Windows 7, off and on, since the download was made available earlier this month. The new bells and features seem to make the operating system show some new prowess. However, any of the issues I had before with Vista drivers, I am now having issues in Windows 7.

Amazingly, my cell phone actually charges when plugged into Windows XP SP2 after installing the Sprint software. (The same cell phone has always worked just fine on any Linux distribution)
So:

Windows XP - works after install

Vista - not so much.

Windows 7 - even worse.

I will say that the attempts to update Notepad and Paint are, well, ok. Some of the features are actually pretty nice. The docking taskbar, with links for Internet Explorer, WMP, and Windows Explorer, is a nice improvement. Also, User Account Control (UAC) is less intrusive and objectionable (to me, at least).

The upside -
All of my laptop drivers were detected and installed without an issue. (This is another wonderful piece of Linux, :). Also, the new KDE feel of the default UI is pleasing to me. I wonder if Gnome-like desktop is an option...?

No plans to reimage the laptop for now...

Adding a second monitor

2008-10-21T17:51:00.003-05:00

My tech-savvy sis sent me a picture the other day of a computer where she wants to add a second monitor. Being 1,600 miles away, this requires some asynchronous communication and a bit of thought to make sure the proper advise is out there. So, I decide to post here and send her the link.

Firstly, the PC:

Alright, so this 'puter has only one video connection. A presumable AGP VGA card.

To add a second (or more) monitor, you would have to:

Add a second card to one of the PCI slots.

Good ratings, for the most part, for this guy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133233

You could actually run three monitors if you had this card with the dual VGA connectors

Replace the card you have with a new dual-head video card. There are some considerations here:

Is you current card card PCI-X (don't confuse this with regular PCI) or AGP
Does the video card require a separate power connection inside the case. Some video cards require more power than just the slot and use the same power connector - usually - as a hard drive (the white 4-pin MOLEX). Can your power supply take care of the extra load?
Does the video card monitor connectors match the current monitor cable?

There are two types of video connectors for PCS - VGA and DVI
A decent card with DVI connectors will have at least one adapter
DVI is digital and a better signal, but your monitor must support the digital signal (sort of like having HD cable. If you do not have an HD TV, what's the point?)
VGA is the analog equivalent and supported by 99% of the monitors out there made after 2000.

USB to VGA adapter

http://sewelldirect.com/usb2tosvga.asp?adpath=/Google/Other%20Products/USB%20to%20SVGA%20Adapter&keywords=usb%202.0%20vga%20adapter&match=2&search=search&gclid=CObVqaGzuZYCFRJdxwodQkUBLg
http://www.iogear.com/product/GUC2015V/
Or go nuckin' futs: http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/25/iogears-wireless-usb-to-vga-kit-extends-your-monitor-sans-wires/
I have not looked into this option much but you may find something out there that you willing to try.

From the perspective of "I might buy a laptop to replace my desktop", the USB adapter isn't a bad investment right now. The hardware is transferable as opposed to a hardware card that can only be moved from one PC to another.Of course, if you do go the laptop route soon, you will be able to have dual monitors pretty much right away. Unless you don't purchase a laptop with an external monitor connection. I don't think I have ever seen a laptop without one... but you never know.

Comment back on any other options out there to extend monitor quantity.

DD-WRT

2008-10-03T23:29:00.004-05:00

With the fairly (no pun intended AT ALL) recent details about Comcast's latest endeavor to tighten the screws a little more against the consumers, I was curious about monitors or meters for those consumers to view the amount of usage.

There have been two lines of thought...and I can't confirm, completely, either but either:

Comcast will shut you down after 250GB/month for total bandwidth consumption
Or, you will be penalized for overages

Thinking to myself, "what can I do?", I decided to go after a way to monitor my own bandwidth.

Now, I have a couple of PCs running at the same time and do not want to get into a distributed solution. I need something as a hub for all of my PCs to consolidate to from a usage perspective.

Two options came to mind for me:

Set up a Linux box to use as a concentrator, if you will, for all of the network connections and sit between my wireless router (for the lappy worqs) and the cable modem
Or, figure out a solution on the router itself

I am a little Geek!y when it comes to Linux so that would not have been too big a deal - little iptables, ip forwarding, dual NICs, blah blah blah

But the really cool thing was... DD-WRT.

Here it the link to the main site:
Link

Hardware compatibility list:
Link

Lifehacker.com has a great write up on the install here:
Link

Example graphing for usage:

Luckily, I have the Linksys WRT-54 so I was good to go.

Now, I am able to track my usage - at least to the point that I trust the DD-WRT tools as opposed to the monitoring tools provided by the same provider as the consumable good...can you smell the conflict with that latter statement?

Enjoy

Mapping Management Consoles to Descriptions

2008-09-24T12:16:00.002-05:00

As I was going through looking for a specific MSC file (Microsoft Manament Console Snap-In), I was having a rough time discerning one file from another and what the MSC snap-in actually was used for.

For example, Active Directory Users and Computers is named dsa.msc (well, of course). There would be too much confusion to call it something descriptive and intuitive
- like ADUsersAndComputers.msc.

I mean, NTFS can't handle larger than 8.3 file names, can ... it... I digress.

I Googled for a few minutes to find a listing of the various MSC snap-ins and found this list.

Link

Not sure how dated it is or what is missing or how accurate the listing may be. However, for my immediate need, it worked out quite well.

Adjusting Vista's System Restore Disk Space

2008-09-20T08:47:00.008-05:00

My 80 GB hard disk was getting low on free space...about 20% left. From a fragmentation perspective, you need +15% to run a defrag correctly. I needed to clear up some space...but how and from where?

So, in order to clear up some space, I:

cleared the Recycle Bin
scanned for junk files using the Disk Cleanup within Windows
scanned using WinDirStat (link)(scre enshot) for any other large files that I might be able to get rid of
checked my pagefile.sys (virtual memory) to make sure Windows was locked into a specific size and/or not trying to create to large of a file. Note: I have 4GB of RAM, so the usage of a pagefile is probably not too extensive.
looked into System Restore settings to see how much disk space is being used

After realizing that System Restore on my Vista x86_64 lappy was using approx. 15% of my 80 GB hard disk, I decided this was an area I could investigate and make some adjustments.

Oh - wait. In Windows XP, the System Restore settings are somewhat trivial to find and adjust.

Right click on 'My Computer' and choose the 'System Restore' tab

On this tab, you can turn System Restore on or off and adjust the total size used. Depending on your application, adjusting these settings can be good...but potentially disastrous!

Make changes at your own risk!
Changes to System Restore and alter your PCs ability to provide to you the functionality of going back in time if something bad happens... Also, if you turn OFF System Restore, your old restore points go bu-bye. Now, I always turn off System Restore in my virtual machines and rely on snapshots to "go back".

Back to Vista...

I right click on "My Computer" and select 'Advanced system settings'. The applet windows that opens has a tab called 'System Protection'. I click on that tab and...wait. Where's my slider bar? Oh, there's a 'System Restore' button. Let's check that out. No...that just let's me select a restore point to go to or to create a new restore point.

Hmmm... Seems like some changes have taken place.

I poked around a bit on the InterTubes and discovered the System Restore policies are shadowstorage. An elevated command prompt and some commands are going to be required to adjust the System Restore settings.

I fired up a command prompt with Administrator privileges by typing "cmd" in the Run dialog.

I then

typed 'vssadmin list' to display the available options

typed 'vssadmin list shadowstorage' to see how much space was allocated and how much was in use.

I decided to cut 60% of this down - going from 14.1 GB to 5GB for System Restore. I am not using any particular calculation for this... More of a SWAG.

typed 'vssadmin resize shadowstorage' to get the syntax for the command

typed 'vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=c: /on=c: /MaxSize=5GB' to trim down the System Restore size

The vssadmin command returns successful

ran the 'vssadmin list shadowstorage' command again to validate the setting

Active Hard Disk Monitor

2008-09-19T10:54:00.007-05:00

Active Hard Disk Monitor (http://www.ntfs.com/disk-monitor.htm) allows you access to view your hard drive information, scan for issues, and provides in-depth information about the health of the device.

Some screen shots:

About window

Various Tabs

Drive Gauge

Basic Icons

Test Results

Drive Information

The "scan disk" feature reads disk block information to analyze good/bad blocks. While the tools doesn't appear to have proactive monitoring capabilities in the freeware version, the monitoring available does provide a reactive tool that would provide some details as to what is going on "under the hood".

Personal Responsibility

2008-09-07T18:48:00.001-05:00

A great post to read, ponder, absorb, and finally act on:

http://www.schaefersblog.com/what-ever-happened-to-personal-responsibility-a-rant/

Set user account logon credentials in Windows virtual guest

2008-08-30T10:34:00.005-05:00

I use virtualized guests to test out different applications, updates, or trying some new "hack". For one of my guests, I needed to set the account credentials to automatically log in with the appropriate credentials. Below are the steps I used to set this up.

Note - please don't use these steps on your physical host. These steps allow access to the computer (virtual or physical) just by turning on the PC.

Uncheck the "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer"

Click 'Apply'

You will be prompted for a user account name and password. Enter in the ID you want to use for future sessions.

When you restart the OS, the user account you selected will be the account used when the OS restarts.

Teracopy - Making file copy movement easier

2008-08-30T10:12:00.004-05:00

I recently downloaded the Teracopy application and have found this little utility to be a great add-on to the Windows Explorer shell. The context menus aid in copying or moving files from one location to another. May not sound like a big deal outside of what Windows Explorer is already able to perform, but the additional functionality of pausing the file movement is a great bonus.

As shown in the image above, the ability to 'skip' or 'pause' file movement comes in very handy.

Teracopy webpage LINK

Compacting Virtual PC 2007 Disk

2008-08-29T17:34:00.023-05:00

I have been using Virtual PC off and on since the 2004 iteration. One area that I have come across is shrinking the disk. I started to read through the manual/help file provided and found this:

(Search 'Using Virtual Disk Precompactor' in the help file for the textual version).

Let's get started and see what happens:

Things needed:

Time and patience
Make sure you have the Virtual Disk Precompactor.iso for Windows guests. (Linux guest compacting will be posted later).

Some quick tidbits and begin:

My virtual disk is set to 64GB logical partition within the guest.
My host system shows the "vhd" at 21GB right now.
Empty 'Recycle Bin'.
Run disk clean up on my logical drive.
Run your favorite defrag utility on the drive within the guest.
Capture the Virtual Disk Precompactor.iso file from PC\\Program Files\Microsoft VirtualVirtual Machine Additions\ (your installation directory will vary)
When the CD mounts, you will be prompted if you want to automatically start the program.
If you have more than one disk in the guest, choose no so you can select the disk to precompact. This is done with the '-setdisks' command option. If you don't do this AND you have multiple disks, running the program will compact ALL of the disks.
Go get some coffee, a beer, soda, can of tuna...this may take awhile. I timed my run:

Start time: 5:42 PM
4 bars o' progress: 5:53 PM
End time: 6:19 PM

Back to bullets...

Shut down the guest
Go through the Virtual Disk Manager in the Virtual PC 2007 Console

Start time: 6:19 PM
4 bars o' progress: 6:28 PM
10 bars o' progress: 6:38 PM

At this point, I realized that running the compact and having the disk retain the same name is going to create a bottleneck. So I changed the destination to another drive - completely separate from the source drive where the original VHD lives.

I canceled and then restarted the compact. Note, you are going to need a ton of extra disk space on the destination drive if you use this method.

Start time: 6:41 PM
Progress:
5 bars: 6:50 PM
10 bars: 6:55 PM
15 bars: 7:02 PM
20 bars: 7:11 PM
End time: 7:26 PM

Without the information on my computer, applications or services I have running, and the hardware from one disk to another, the times mentioned above are only to illustrate how long these steps may take.

The destination disk, for me, ended at 11.8GB. That's a 43% reduction in the disk sized used.

From a virtual machine perspective, a couple of items I usually will run with:

Turn off 'System Restore'. I see no real need for this in a virtual machine
Turn off 'Virtual Memory'. Swapping to a virtual disk causes a waste of IO between the host and guest.
Turn off 'Automatic Updates'. I run manual updates and select only those I want/need.

Obviously, if you use these functions specifically in your virtualization purposes, use them.

Good luck.

Using Virtual Disk Precompactor

Smoking ban - what's next?

2008-06-13T17:55:00.000-05:00

I have been tobacco free for 14 months now so I get the "we don't want smoking" blah blah blah. I enjoy going out to the bars with no smoking - no complaints from me. I DO NOT agree with the government edict making smoking in public places illegal. I am a free market kind of guy and feel commerce exchange will take care of pretty much everything in the public space where supply and demand come into play. I have always believed that government getting involved in such things would evolve (or it is devolve???) on a slippery slope and make cause for pundits in the anti-smoking establishment to take hold of any thing they can control.

Here is the next step:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=prnw.20080611.AQW030&show_article=1

I wish these folks would spend time on important things...like plastic that will actual breakdown in landfills or cat litter that actually absorbs the stink from my cats' butts.

Art of Manliness - Quit Coddling Your Kids

2008-06-04T20:39:00.001-05:00

This is a great blog post at ArtofManliness - Quit Coddling Your Kids.

Recommended reading

Comcast...(not) again

2008-06-04T19:46:00.003-05:00

I have been working on a video of my daughter's graduation. Zipping the file and breaking it into smaller chunks helps in getting it up to my server - all 400 MB.

The upload process has been taking forever - cruising a slow and steady pace of 44KB/s. My upload is rated higher according to Comcast, so I jumped over to dslreport's speed test to see what the various speed test engine's would report. My upload of ZIPped, binary data, to MY website hosting server ... is being compressed.

I have heard of such things in for torrents, but this is MY data, going to MY webhost server, and within the boundaries of MY upload rating (as presented by Comcast). My claim of upload rating is based on the following text: "Maximum upload speeds range between 384 Kbps and 2 Mbps depending on the service tier selected and can be even faster with PowerBoost®." taken from here at the very bottom of the page.

I use 15% of my rated upload bandwidth and I get compressed. Great timing for the Qwest packages that have been released. Faster download, upload, plus a free modem. I think I need to ponder if a contract is that big of a deal...

Glassbooth.org - survey to see how your beliefs align...

2008-05-27T15:29:00.003-05:00

I started a Google search for "best presidential candidate" and found a couple of interesting links.

The first link is an article on ideamarketers.com and revolves around how the author suggests a way to determine your presidential selection: read AND understand the Constitution of the United States.

This is a great idea! From the article, "Read the rule book".

The second link provides some clarity around hot topics and how your selections match against the voting records and rhetoric of the candidates:

Check out the links and pages to see where you thoughts are leading you.

Now is the time to ask

2008-05-17T01:03:00.002-05:00

Now is the time to ask does our government have our best interest at hand? Does our government actually represent the people of this great nation? I say no. I say this for numerous reasons and most of those reasons are quite obvious. We do not see our government moving to a position of oil independence. We do not see our government confronting nations that act in an irrational manner. We do not see our government actively finding ways to protect it's citizens.

So now is the time to question those that lead us. Now is the time to realize that many of our representatives are only it in for the money. Now is the time to hold people responsible for the their decisions.

We need to start demanding term limits. We need to make sure our judges understand that they are not in a position to legislate from the bench but to interpret law. We need to raise up and say, "We are the government of the people and the decisions that the government makes will be based on the will of the people and not for political expediency." That argument starts here and with the people.

My latest ordeal with Comcast - Video on Demand

2008-05-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

Ugh...

So I had to call and speak to a person on the other end of the vast Comcast sponge of love they call "tech support". Don't get me wrong - the people themselves are usually decent enough. But I had to throw this out there...

I was having problems (errors) when attempting to access Video On Demand. This is the service provided with the Digital Cable packages through Comcast. My box could not access the service. Repeated attempts to reset the box through the automated service did not actually reset the box. Unplugging the box for 30 seconds was not hard resetting the box either. I finally decided to make the plunge and wait for an actual person. Wonderful...

After explaining my issue, the steps I had attempted, and the lack of positive results, I was told that the neighborhood is taking too much VOD bandwidth. That is why I was not able to connect to the service. The proposed recovery steps included an attempt to reset the box to ... ahem.... put me at the TOP OF THE VOD QUEUE! Since the reset to the box required a complete download of VOD and the channel guide, I would go to the top of the queue for all of that information and stay up high in order to connect to the VOD service.

I was then informed that the existing service is overburdened and out of date. Comcast is apparently looking into a new service (or maybe just building the service to match the VOD demand).

if this is the case, shouldn't there be some sort of prorate on the cable cost? If I am spending $70 (or whateve) for a service with the expectation of that service being there when I traverse one area over another, when the service fails me should I demand something back? If I don't use VOD AND the service is not available because the systems are overburdened, I want to opt out of that portion and save a buck or two!

I'm sure this is a horse is beaten to death (too soon?) but I like stirring the pot.

Fuji FinePix S700

2008-05-09T17:36:00.001-05:00

I am not a big fan of spending money on technology - at full retail. I just can't do it. The last camera purchase I made (this Fuji) was at a local discount retail outlet with a 'bullseye' for a logo. Between a couple of discount coupons, clearance pricing, and open-box-this-is-the-last-one pricing, I was able to pick this guy up for under 90.00 USD. i am still seeing this thing around for ~$200 USD.

I have purchased 2 digital cameras in my life - a Canon something-or-other point and shoot and this Fuji FinePix.

Now, the two cameras are not comparable. The Canon was a couple of years old but for the time, was full featured for a mid-to-low end point and shoot. But wow, this FinePix is extremely nice. More features than I thought I would really deal with - perhaps too many...?

Anyway, I recommend this camera if you are looking for something a little more than a basic point and shoot but not ready for the (D)SLR jump.

Pros:

Fast shutter speed (for me)
Auto mode takes care of you (for the most part)
Ease of use with one hand (for me, again)
LCD or eye view for display

Cons:

Flash is built in
USB connection is not USB "B"...yet another USB cable to worry about
I have to show all files (including system files) in order to see the media when connected to my Windows XP - I will be trying this on my Ubuntu machine later

64 bit Heron

2008-04-27T20:18:00.000-05:00

I think Canonical is just about there...

http://www.ubuntu.com

I have been running 64 bit Heron for 2 days and have been able to successfully able to overcome the past issues.

Dual monitor support
Wireless
Codecs and multimedia

Now, not everything is on Ubuntu. The maturity of open-source software is astounding to me. In short periods of time (beyond even parallels of Moore's Law), technology can drive innovation to great levels.

Dual Monitor Support
Some quick searches got me to xrandr and the appropriate settings to actually satisfy my basic needs. Since I am on the Intel chipset, no fancy desktop settings for me. The cube effects are not available.

Wireless
The Broadcom and any other wireless chipsets I have tried out with Heron have been pretty good. Personal WEP and WPA have been stable. Enterprise WPA is, well, still in the need as far as I am concerned. The complexity around my work's Enterprise WPA is a pain. I can connect...and then...nothing...and then...connected. Whateve...

Codecs
Codecs in Ubuntu have been pretty good...always have. The advances around such players as VLC and Totem make the distro a good player in the multimedia field. MP3s, AVIs, and Quicktime work out of the box, with quick downloads and configs of course.