Category: General

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Wow, I remember when this was fast

imagesNot this particular computer but the speed of the processor. I suppose it’s all relative. Back when this speed processor was “Fast” we weren’t running Windows 7.

Yep I’m doing  a little maintenance on the Netbook and I’m paying or have paid, the price for not running this machine more often.  Wow, the endless updates are really a pain in the ass. I think the machine has caught up so Windows, Java, Adobe, and all kinds of other applications are current now.

This poor little processor has been running it’s heart out. I give it credit for hanging in there. I also did some housekeeping and deleted all the absolute crap, that Samsung had loaded on the machine.

They’d loaded all kinds of games (in addition to the games Windows loaded) and then there are the endless and to some extent pointless helper applications included “For the customers convenience.”

While I was at it I also transferred this Windows 7 image to a Virtual Machine on my Mac. To some extent this is a response to Windows XP no longer being supported, but the bottom line was that I wanted to see if I could do it. (Surprise! I could).

Take that, you HR weasels who say my skills are stale!

The Virtualization process ran while I was on the phone with my Mom who I’d swear is trying to drive me somewhat crazier than I already am. Apparently I’ve become tech support for the whole family. Unfortunately, I have to gently remind the family that I only need the basic facts and ask them to restrain from clicking randomly on any sparkly icon they happen to see.

It makes it so difficult to figure out what is going on when you have various applications opening and the person needing the help is reading fragments of information to you over the phone from the windows opening on top of what you were trying to get them to read in the first place.

Hey, it’s all computer gobility goop anyways isn’t it and it doesn’t matter what screen you read it from, Right?

Sheesh! Nothing like a 10 minute fix taking 4 hours because you’re getting bad data!

Ah well, I’m going to go walk the dogs, the remainder of my Sunday, AKA the sunset will be nice.

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Home again

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I’ve been away too long.

According to the computer I’ve been away 40 days, considering the movie Noah is in theaters I think the coincidence is ironic.

My Time Capsule backup drives are really pissed off! After my computer making many apologies and spitting 80 or so gigabytes of changed data at them they’ve quieted down and all is happy in the land of my home network.

During the backup process I noticed that it’s getting to be about time to add some additional network attached storage. Planning ahead, the question is what kind of NAS do I want to do? Also on my wish list is a new 16 port gigabit switch. 

While this may sound like overkill I suspect it’s going to be necessary especially since I think we’re leaning toward killing the cable TV altogether. If we go down that path I foresee that we’ll be streaming a lot more video from our local storage devices to our Apple TV.

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For several years now I’ve been tinkering with the possibility of purchasing something like a Mac Mini to use as a server or simply a media server. Perhaps now is the time to do that, but before I go down that road I really want to investigate some of the simpler options.

For now it’s off to breakfast and then the hardware store. Got me some ants to kill and a magnifying glass is just too damn slow!

 

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On the Road

Sitting in a Starbucks whose WiFi credentials are questionable so I have no idea when this is likely to be posted. I’ve turned off my WiFI but it might be too late if the router is being run by a bad guy.

Sadly, there is no LTE cellular connection either.

I’m in Pensacola after a rough nights sleep.

The room I got was a disaster, it smelled like an ashtray mixed with harsh chemicals. One of the beds hadn’t been changed and whew when I pulled the sheets back, there was a powerful stench. Thank goodness there was another bed that had been changed.

Ah, the little surprises of traveling.

I was too tired to fight about the room last night. I’d planned to stay in Tallahassee but refused to pay 139.00 or more a night for a hotel room. I checked with several hotels outside the Tallahassee city limits. Apparently the Florida senate is in session and all the hotels were full of lobbyists. “Your tax dollars at work” are being bought and paid for by entities outside your government.

I’ve been noticing folks having bible meetings in public places like restaurants, and this Starbucks in fact. That’s strange to me but what the hell, as long as the Christians and Satanists don’t try to have meetings in the same place at the same time I guess it’s going to be cool.

Of course God help them both if the Atheists, (who’ve made atheism a religion in and of itself) should happen to show up. I’d be outside selling tickets and taking bets. In this area I don’t know if I’d bet on the Atheists or the Christians, both are probably packing heat!

I will say there are a lot of damn cute and generally fit men in a lot of the places in FL I’ve been. Even the guys discussing religion are damn fine! LOL I suppose I could convert them. Uh Oh, they’re quoting from Luke and talking about forbidden things… I suspect the next topic will involve the abomination of homosexuality!

Oh give me a few hours… I haven’t converted anyone in a long time! I’d love to give Torquemada a run for his money.

What would Jesus think about the horrific expense of a cup of Starbucks coffee? Wouldn’t that $4 be better spent feeding the poor? If I was a real bastard, I’d point that little hypocrisy out to them… After all there’s a dunkin doughnuts across the street.

Nah… Not worth the time, but amusing to think about.

I’m taking the trip back to CA more slowly. I’m actually not sure that I want to go back to that way of life. Perhaps by the time I get home, I’ll have a better idea for the next direction my life will take.

I hope you’re enjoying your day as much as I am.

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Ding, Dong, Fred Phelps is dead!

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I thought I’d feel happy about it.

I don’t.

I’d planned a pilgrimage to his grave site so that I could piss on his grave, I find myself not wanting to waste the gas or time.  It would be relatively easy and not that far out of my way, since I’m driving back home soon.

It’s not worth it, I’m just not that much into the symbolism and all I feel, is that a very sick, very sad caricature of a religious man is dead. He’ll never learn anything about the consequences of his hate, or how to let that hate go.

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Perhaps he has taught me something though, holding on to hate, anger, and sadness, prevent you from seeing that there is more in the world.

Oh, I’m nowhere near being enlightened! 

I’ve spent years trying to connect the dots about anger and hate. Maybe another 30 or 40 years and I’ll get it right. Hey, I have issues, so sue me! Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning to understand why you’re so knotted up.

Just going back to your beginning isn’t going to help unless you’re in a place where you can understand objectively what you’re seeing and not get caught up in the minutiae. You kinda have to take the wide angle view and see your place in the interactions and you gotta accept your part in the mess. Yeah, you’re not a victim, even though you might want to think of yourself as one, you’re more often an active participant.

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I’m sure there will be plenty of people that will want to cause the Phelps family as much grief and pain as the Phelps family has caused. And they will… For my part, I think stopping the cycle of pain, anger, and grief is a better choice.

Fred Phelps deserves nothing but my pity. His legacy will be a footnote in history as a person that was misguided and who used religion to cause others pain.

Moving on…

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Beautiful Sunday

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Got laundry going, had my morning coffee outside listening to the birds and critters in the trees.

I was reading the paper on my iPad and generally at peace.

I made a new friend while I was sitting there.

A little treefrog decided he wanted some company or that I needed company, and jumped on my leg.

He sat there for a long time looking around then hopped down to go on about his business. 

This morning is was lightly breezy, as the afternoon has progressed it’s clouding up. There’s a storm coming later tonight, it will probably hang around all day tomorrow. This is FL so its “normal” and I admit that I do like regular rain.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to see some sites as I exit FL. I’m collecting my energy for the drive home and checking out different routes. I want to see places I haven’t’ seen before, so I’m actually looking forward to the long drive home.

I hightailed it to get here, but going home I’m going to take a little time to test the hayfever meds!.

Hope you all had a great Sunday.