Yet to Come Part 2

Anyone can make predictions. The internet is informative and that's with a huge wow factor. But beware, not all info is correct. That said, let's look at some of the hubbub around the web;

TABLETS
Tablets are here to stay. For a while. The variety grows, hence competition boosts the quality and power factors through the roof.

No doubt Apple led the the way with the iPad. I own one. It was a gift last Christmas that rarely leaves my eyesight. Kudos to Apple marketing and their manufacturers. Nice delivery on the retail side and an excellent product. At Christmas Flash based media was a slight problem with Apple. Today, a shift has occurred and playing media problems are virtually history.

Apple has a few minor drawbacks. Why won't they let us replace the batteries? Price is somewhat a factor. Their proprietary interface cable could use some upgrading, like maybe a standard USB 3.0 which blows everything, including Firewire, away. I do like the current trend that the orchard seems to be moving away from Big Brother type control. A few days ago Apple made Chrome available for iPad. Haven't used Safari since, lol.

Android based tablets are on fire. A huge part of the cause is the Kindle Fire. This is a great tablet. At 200 bucks it's a steal. They will offer some new models before year's end hopefully reflecting their decent price marketing strategy. I know several techies that use the Toshiba tablets and hear nothing but praises of these devices. And Windows is busy taking things off the back burner of their tablet stove. Just wait, they won't be left out of this market.

SSDs

Solid State Drive. Say it with me and remember it, "Solid State Drive." They are not coming...they are here. There are two in this laptop. More about that later. One advantage to these drives really stands out. Can we say, "Screaming yellow zonkers fast?"

The next evolution in hard drive technology has many positive features. They have no moving parts so the heat factor is all but negated. You don't defragment SSDs. Very quiet devices that take up minimal space in a case. The market has grown competitive so prices are becoming more realistic. Many more features exist. Here is an idea of size difference.

That's a standard hard drive on the left and the SSD on the right. Quite a difference, huh? Also, the SSDs will fit most laptops that use SATA interfaces.

Why 2 SSDs in my laptop? One is a boot drive that runs Windows 7 Pro and essential software. The other is for downloads and MMO files. Also there is a 500GB 7200rpm external drive for data. The primary drive is a Plextor 128gb. The secondary is an Intel 120gb. The Intel drive was a gift several years ago and has performed perfectly. But, the Plextor was brought online a few months ago. Wow, fast? Please click on the Plextor link above.

The software that cloned the drive (Acronis) was easy to use and transferred everything is less than 15 minutes. That's right in 15 minutes, operating system and data! After fine tuning a few days, this laptop actually booted in 7-9 seconds! Since then I've changed the MBR and it boots in 20 seconds. Hey, toys? lol.

Just look at the specs in the two above links and it will help clear up doubts about speed and reliability. Here are some more links concerning SSDs:

Oops. No care about a deep gash in my leg? Oh well, more links tomorrow, stay casual. (Am I milking this or what?) Comments please.

Looked at Your Desktop Lately?

Owning a computer has many benefits. It helps you organize. It informs you. It creates structure that helps accomplish goals. It remembers things. This list can continue extensively. Healthy computers do a better job. Got your attention? Okay, huge secret about to be revealed -> Healthy computing is mandatory. Yes mandatory. Nothing about this is optional.

You are using your computer to help organize vital work. Don't do it sloppily. Put things in order. A cluttered desktop is chaotic and somewhat disturbing. Well, to me, anyway. Don't put executable (.exe) files on your desktop. Instead make a shortcut to the file and let it do its job from the "home" file.

Don't save to the desktop. Let me repeat. Don't save to the desktop. Create a download file or shortcut to the resident Windows download file and save downloaded stuff there. If working on a project create a work folder and then put a shortcut on the desktop, NOT the folder.

Using massive amounts of documents? Save them in your documents folder. I will include a documents folder inside a project sometimes. A name like 'Mike's PDF' helps me remember where info is stored. This not only unclutters a desktop, but prevents accidental deletions.

Try the Quick Launch taskbar for standard functions used often like web browsers, VOIP, web cams, etc. The included screen shot is my Qosmio laptop. This machine is a constant companion and must stay organized. Many times network problems need quick resolution. Can't afford time to sit and wonder, "Where did I put that voodoo network thangy I downloaded?" I know where it is located.

Even though multitasking is entirely possible I try to keep the amount of Windows opened at one time to a minimum. If you want to check email often use a gadget that tells you when you have mail. Don't leave the Window open. It's eating resources. Memory is tasked and this slows down a machine in a huge way. So get in the habit of opening and closing items as you need them. Trust me, this will make you and your computer happy.

Desktops have been touched briefly here today. It's your machine. If you choose to live in a chaotic world so be it. Just remember that with the advent of Vista and Windows 7 computer problems have been easier to control and not that prevalent anymore. Yes, I know there are times when you want to pull your hair out and blame the machine or Windows. Calm down, look at your desktop chaos storm and remember you are in charge. The machine has no AI capability...yet. Oh yes, please restart your machine at least once a day. More on that later.

This is so brief and barely skims the surface. If anyone has input please click on the word comments below and let us know. This is what works for me and many people I know. You may have another way or a better way to organize a desktop. Inquiring minds n all that!

"Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts."
~Baruch

iPad 2 Update

Apple iPad 2 is a favorite trade item online. Seems everyone is getting ready for the iPad 3 release next week. Not me. Sticking with the iPad 2 at the beach house. Received this nice tablet for Christmas and have spent two months exploring the world of computer tablets.

This is a wonderful device. It has many apps and more become available daily. I can monitor networks, make free phone calls, surf the web, watch videos, securely store passwords, listen to music, check GMail, even post here. This list goes on and on. There's even a dB meter that will test the surrounding noise levels. The reminder app has helped me regain a hold on tasks and accomplishments.

It feels good in your hands. It's light, thin and proving to be durable. After learning the basics of iPad usage the navigation is a snap. The virtual keyboard is still a slight problem, but it's apparent my clumsiness has a chance of disappearing. Besides, it's much larger than any cell phone keyboard.

Once again all my PC friends can make 'fanboy' jokes. Let me be the first to say that having a tablet of any kind is a bonus. Folks that use Kindle and Android report positive experiences. Thank goodness my friends chose to bless me with an iPad 2. I've learned more than how to use a tablet.

"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything."
~Wyatt Earp

Bug Squashing

SuperAntiSpyware has been running on the beach house laptop for several weeks. Manual settings are in use so a closer eye can be kept on updates, scans, results, healing, etc. So far it's all good. It is finding some tracking infections that Malwarebytes and SpyBot S&D either missed or chose to ignore.

During the rebuild of the desktop Microsoft Security Essentials will be used. Lot of chatter around the net about this protection suite. Most of it is positive. Windows Defender will be used as well and a report at a later date will show up. Opinions? If you like or dislike this software please clue me in by clicking on comments below. Need your input.

"A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved."
~Dorothea Brande

Super Chrome Extension + Green Pig Nemesis

For the past two weeks I've used a utility (extension) that stops sites from tracking and gleaning personal info. This is a non obtrusive utility that sits in the top right corner of Chrome, the preferred browser of the beach house. It keeps track of who and what is invading privacy. At this moment it has liberated me from 1,902 attempts to track. Easy to use, informative tool. It is Do Not Track Plus. There are also versions for Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.

Please beware that you download at your own risk. Take care and make sure you READ and follow directions. Always read the privacy terms. Also, there is a free Chrome extension for Angry Birds. Have fun bombing green pigs (very addictive game). Love the sound.

"Did St Francis preach to the birds? Whatever for? If he really liked birds he would have done better to preach to the cats."
~Rebecca West

Apps to PC, Over?

Ever wanted to run Android apps on your PC? PCWorld tells you about a new program that makes this possible. The software can be downloaded at the parent website which is BlueStacks. Simple, straightforward and is getting rave reviews. There is a huge caution. This program may still be in Alpha testing mode. There's some fog there. The Beta will be released soon. So download at your own risk. Works fine at the beach house.

EDIT: Dad gum it all. When this article was first drafted the Alpha was available. It's not now. While visiting the BlueStreak site it might behoove you to sign up for the Beta, especially if you are an avid Android user. Decided to leave this post up due to the interest in running Android apps on PCs.

Alas, there is no equal software for the iApple family of devices; iPhone, iPad, iPod, iDog, iCat, iBall, iHop (Wait, does this one belong in the list?), etc. Hey, this is meant with good humor. The beach house is very proud to own an uber iPad2. Yes, there is some good natured ribbing and teasing from my fellow PC users. Super Christmas gift and now a part of my daily life. Shucks, there has been a Mac running OSX on my network for almost 6 years. Loving some iPad!

Actually the iApple apps can be run on a PC using PieceableViewer. IMHO, it's too expensive and the web page is a bit confusing to me. Creating a virtual machine inside Windows 7 has possibilities using iOS, but the beach house is emulating a laid back status and such an effort might bruise the calm.

If you can add info or insight please feel free to post comments. Just click on the word comments below and speak your piece. This is Dock the pseudo fanboy signing out. Hope this helps!

"Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest."
-Isaac Asimov

WiFi

Everyone is doing wifi nowadays. With the proliferation of laptops, tablets, smart phones and other wireless devices, the need for a good signal is important. There is an abundance of great routers out there. If your budget can handle it the Cisco E4200 is a really slick piece of equipment. Have one on the bench testing it and like this machine. The N300 and N450 Belkin units are by far the easiest to install and great buys with bargain prices.

The offerings are vast and prices vary. A very informative article can be found at PCMag. This is a top 10 wireless router picks post. While I don't agree with a few of their choices, this is an excellent place to start research on your wifi purchase. Hope this helps.

"During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them have done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think."
~Bernard M. Baruch (1870 - 1965

Pirillo the Thrillo

One of my favorite sites is Lockergnome. It has been around for a long, long time. This is an in depth, informative, easy to navigate page. It is Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, etc., friendly. This awesome site is a brainchild of Mr. Chris Pirillo. Chris was the host of Tech TV's Call for Help for a while. He's a wild man. Dude has an enormous amount of energy. Search you tube for videos and find out why I mention this fact.

He has a gadget for iGoogle and probably many other web portals. This site is an every day stop. Lockergnome is legend. Massive amount of data concerning an eclectic feast of things techno. Recently he posted a very good article about backing up your data. It's a what, where and why type of post. Check it out at Lockergnome back up article. Or check out another great article -> Teamspeak 3 Tips.

"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man."
~Elbert Hubbard, The Roycroft Dictionary and Book of Epigrams, 1923

Great Alternative PDF Program

This day and time greed permeates this planet and internet sculptors are badly smitten. Take Adobe. Please. Their free version of Adobe Acrobat changed to Adobe Reader. Of late when they update Reader it seems to lose a little more functionality. It's my opinion that they are leveraging to force people to spend hundreds of dollars on the full version. Well...don't. Instead download NitroPDF free. This is a great program that's easier to use, has many more options and runs rings around the greedmeisters at Adobe. They also offer a Pro version at a very decent price. Bet if you download, you'll keep using it.

DO remember it's your download so if it gets outta' whack don't blame the beach house.

"When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart."
~John Wesley

TS Update

No doubt the Teamspeak server experienced heavy power surge trauma, UPS included. Diagnosis? Deader than a hammer. Fortunately we have a backup unit which should be online in the next few days. This is thanks to Ashy for donating an Alienware unit. TYVM, TYVM. Parts are ordered to finish. It will be dual core, have 4 gigs of RAM. ASUS mainboard, so on and so forth. Anybody have a spare UPS? Even one with a bad battery.

"And computers are getting smarter all the time: scientists tell us that soon they will be able to talk to us. (By they I mean computers: I doubt scientists will ever be able to talk to us.)"
~Dave Barry




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Interesting iPad Info

The beach house is presently all about learning to use Tablets and iPads. Don't believe the hype that all iPad apps cost mega bucks. Not true. Most are free. Another falsehood - You must have FLASH to enjoy movies or even surf the net. This has been a very minor problem. If you enjoy TV via internet there is even a free app for huluPlus! Caught up on Craig Ferguson antics last night via iPad.

If you are a new user downloading the manual from Apple might be advantageous. It's a .pdf file and has really helped. Several good articles are out there to get a noob started. Google search for iPad user, iPad noob, free iPad apps, etc. Tremendous devices.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled."
~Richard Feynman

SOPA Sucks - Act II

Somebody needs to beat the hell out of Lamar Smith! C'mon Texans. Get rid of this jerk!

EDIT: Apologies to my Texas friends. Seems I should quit pointing fingers and look in my own back yard! Sen. Thad Cochran (R, MS) was a co-sponsor. Oh yes, he will get an email or two...



What is this Satan sponsored bill?



Bravo Master of Many Things!!



"In a political sense, there is one problem that currently underlies all of the others. That problem is making Government sufficiently responsive to the people. If we dont make government responsive to the people, we dont make it believable. And we must make government believable if we are to have a functioning democracy."
~Gerald R. Ford

New TS Addy

New Teamspeak addy is

207.68.230.194

Use existing values for ports, etc.

Metrocast is busy upgrading in order to double our speed. If you have a brief interruption, just stay calm and reboot the service. Instead of growling, think about how tremendous they have been in the past. We can certainly bear with a few days transition to go from 10 down - 1 up to 25 down - 2 up. Besides, you have to talk to Ashy or me (Server Admins) and how many times has fussing or whining ever caused us to change? LOL!

Hope this helps!

Go Daddy No Longer Endorses the Dark Side of the Force

The dazed and confused finally became lucid after the money chain was jerked. You can read their announcement HERE. Thanks out to Richi Jennings on Google+ for posting the info. Go Daddy bears watching though. They may do something else stupid like support Nobama. And yes, I agree with the quote.

"Too little, too late for Gone Daddy!"
~Richard Arnold (comment on Richi Jennings' Google+ post)

Low Daddy

What is Go Daddy, besides evil?

Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 45 million domain names under management.[2][3] Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is four times the size of its closest competitor.
~Wikipedia

If you are using these jerks please stop. You are doing business with a company that supports the IP Protect Act/SOPA. When confronted with a boycott that is underway Go Daddy basically told everyone, "Kiss my ass." Please people, the IP Protect Act/SOPA will force us to eventually stop using the internet. Read more at ArsTechnica; GoDaddy Faces boycott over SOPA support. This type legislation is a major threat to our privacy and rights as individuals. And please please please vote Obama out of the White House next November. Our country is in a mess and getting worse while he is in office.

Pertinent Cybersouth FTSBH (from the saltillo beach house) reading can be found in posts made on December 14th and 20th. Go to the BLOG ARCHIVE on the right hand side of this page and click on the appropriate date. Here you can also find any post made at Cybersouth FTSBH since April 2003.

"All things may corrupt when minds are prone to evil."
~Ovid

IP Protect Act, Downright Evil!

Creep of the Year, Harry Reid

People never cease to amaze me. For instance, who is the madman that put the lala virus in all of Nevada's water supplies? Oh yes, it has happened. I have it on good advice from my space alien friends. You may be asking yourself, "Now why is Dock trying to PO a whole state?" Here's why - they need to stop re-electing that village idiot Harry Reid!! God help the poor conservatives in Nevada. Folks you can sit on those fat asses and not pay attention to what this evil agent of Satan is serving up in Congress if you like. I won't. He is trying to destroy our rights as free people by butchering the internet. This plus the SOPA baboons mixes for a nightmare straight out of hell. Here's what Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) had to say about S.968, aka the IP Protect Act:

"The primary architects of the Internet and our leading cyber-security experts have made it clear that this legislation will undermine the key technologies that prevent fraud and protect consumers on the Internet. Our nation's leading first amendment scholars have made it clear that this bill poses a serious threat to speech and civil liberties for all who use the Internet. And our nation's leading technology employers warn that this bill presents a clear and present danger to innovation and job growth in an area that is going to be a major source of new jobs for this century."

Always good to know that conservative Democrats exist. Restores my faith in humanity. They are rare this day and time. For further reading please check out ArsTechnica. There are several links in the article that will inform you about these outrageous attempts at squashing freedom. Please let your Congress People know your concerns and if you see Harry Reid throw dog poop on him then tell the goon I said, "Hi."

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."
~Thomas Jefferson

Today's Link Is In The Third Paragraph

My desktop is out of commission. Several motherboard capacitors went Mt. Vesuvius on me this past weekend. My time spent building and repairing computers is quickly coming to an end. Therefore, some still useful hints and tips will be passed on from time to time about various areas of repair. If you have the money don't experiment. Let a pro take care of the problems. A good tech will have the necessary tools, software, and knowledge to repair devices. In the long run this is probably the best bang for your buck.

Whew! Just finished a motherboard repair and had to rest for a while. Max stress job. For me anyway. When there's no coinage for a replacement, you try to utilize what is available or go without. Going without a desktop at the beach house is the same as taking a hammer away from a carpenter or hiding the Bible from the preacher. Burned a Hiren's Boot Disk from an .iso file. Will probably wait until tomorrow to use it.

What or who is Hiren? Go find out. Click on Hiren. Back now? Can we say AWESOME? I certainly can. If you are not well experienced nor have some Windows technical training you need to stay away from this fantastic download. Let me reiterate: If you don't know how to create a disk from an .iso file, please pass on this one. It is a BOOT disk and starts in DOS mode or faux DOS mode if you please. Danger! Will Robinson! Danger! This is a wonderful repair tool for many things, but in the wrong hands it can wreak havoc on a machine. Use at your own risk.

Hope this helps!

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
~Hubbard

GTK

Are you a Googleite? I am. They are miles ahead any other web portal. I really like the iGoogle home page. It's easily customized and the navigation is downright simple. Google offers many services, like Google mail (aka GMail), Picasa (we don't need no stinkin' Photoshop!), Google Maps (where u want to go today or any other time) Chrome Browser (surf the net at the speed o' light), Google Earth, Google Calendar, Google Translate, Google Docs, Google Talk etc. You can download these and more at Google Products. Not just great stuff, but also free! They now have another great service -> Good To Know. You don't really have to be Google crazy to see the value in this newer offering. Just click on the link and take a look. Bet you learn something.

Hope this helps!

"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."
~William Goldman, The Princess Bride

Testing Internet Speed

Two good sites that measure speed:

Metrocast of Mississippi Speed Test

Ookla Speedtest.net

Metrocast's test is straightforward and a one button click produces results. Obviously, it's tuned towards the locale. Yes Comcast people, it works fine with your ISP. Ookla Speedtest.net is about as good as it gets. You can customize it to fit most any area. I highly recommend running a traceroute or contacting your ISP to find your real server info and using it. For instance, even though I live less than 100 miles from Memphis, TN most of my internet traffic is routed through Atlanta, GA. So using the Atlanta Speedtest server performs better and this will mean more accurate results. Make an account and save your info. This site has depth. Please be careful. Watch out for embedded ads that try to mimic the style of the site and look like they are part of Speedtest.net.

Use these links with caution. Cybersouth is not responsible for any problems you create. Hope this helps.

"But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope."
~George Eliot

SOPA Sucks

Okay, our country is run by mad, rabid lunatics whose heads stay where the sun doesn't shine. If you are not familiar with SOPA you might want to check it out. A good place to start is User Talk: Jim Wales. Among other things, Mr. Wales is the founder of Wikipedia. Be sure and check out some of the comments. It came to mind that President Reagan saw the end of communism when he said, "Tear down that wall Mr. Gorbachev." Are the government goobers testing to see if this oppressive way of life can be implemented on many levels once again?!?!?

How did this slip by all of us? You can bet I will ask Senator Wicker! Everyone should contact their elected officials and protest mightily. With SOPA "protecting" we certainly don't have to worry about 'keeping our enemies close' since they will be right in the middle of our business. Thanks out to Slashdot for a very important link.

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
~Will Rogers