Family was in town this weekend. Didn't see them much as I worked 13 hour days each day they were here. I didn't dare complain as my sister in law is a nurse and brother in law a cop. Thirteen hour shifts are a cake walk.
Baby shower was Saturday. Also was our 8 year anniversary of us starting to date. I spent the day flying to Cleveland, Ohio and back. Just as good. Didn't really want to be in a house full of women. We got some good stuff. Kelli says there is $800 more to buy! Ouch.
I was home after the party. Eric, Angela and Marin came over. Marin had a great time playing with my niece Haley.
Kelli and I swapped cars while the family was here. I increased her gas mileage by .3 MPG. She dropped mine by a full 4 MPG. Seeesh.
I'm off for 4 consecutive days this week. Payback for working 6 days in a row last week.
Almost missed my second allergy shot of the week last week. Going to be a slight challenge getting there twice a week....even though it's 2 miles away. I have to go twice at least two days apart. Closed Sunday and Saturdays after 12PM.
Kindle App for Android is out. Free. Bought my first book Samantha Bee I Know I am, But Who Are You ? . Very legible even on the small screen. I can read the book on my phone, computer or Kelli's Kindle.
Fixed my Zune broken glass this morning. Broke the LCD.
Looking forward to a day off that line's up with Kelli being off. Should happen on July 10th.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Screw you AT&T!
Family in town. I picked up my sister in law and her girlfriend along with my niece last night. I stood in baggage claim for the first time in years. They only brought one huge bag. Less than they brought for the cruise. I still think they could have gotten by with carry on. Time will tell how Kelli and I will do.
Along with them is my mother in law and another sister in law. Six people means Kelli's Prius is inadequate. Gave her my car for the day. I'm a little worried. Hopefully she parks way far out in parking lots.
AT&T UVerse support can kiss my shiney brown but. Horrible. Service went down yesterday. No biggie. It happens. I tether'ed my phone to my phone and looked up the support number. When I called I dealt with a new automated system. Not only does it take your information....It tried to troubleshoot the damn issue. After 5 steps it passed me to a human.
I used to work in high speed internet support. I know a few things. The problem was the router/modem was not getting an IP address from AT&T. Tried to reboot it. Nothing.
The first human was nice and I let them know what I had done. She had me do the same things again. I complied. She then wanted me to default the Uverse router. I asked why this was needed if the service stopped working after months of being fine. She insisted . After letting her know I was certain it would not fix the issue I again complied. Service still down. Then the phone call ended. Nice.
I called back. Automated system again. New tech. More troubleshooting. Finally agreed the problem WASN'T with the router and they would have to send out a tech. Ugh.
Appointment made from 4-9. I gave them two phone numbers to call prior.
Kelli and I had an appointment at 3PM two miles from our house. Dr. was running late. I called AT&T at 3:45PM to check on our status. I figured it would be quick so I stepped into the lobby. Turns out they had our home number on file to call not the two numbers I gave them. Fifteen minutes later they have the correct numbers and stated they would call prior to coming. I walk back in and Kelli is walking out. I missed everything.
We get home at 4:30PM. The Internet and TV started working again. At 5:10PM the phone rings the guy is on his way. Two minutes later he is at our door. Thanks for the heads up. Worthless. The problem was NOT at our house.
Because I defaulted the system my network is all screwy. I could and maybe should, use another router for my network have connect it to the Uverse router to avoid this issue. Eh. Annoyed.
Along with them is my mother in law and another sister in law. Six people means Kelli's Prius is inadequate. Gave her my car for the day. I'm a little worried. Hopefully she parks way far out in parking lots.
AT&T UVerse support can kiss my shiney brown but. Horrible. Service went down yesterday. No biggie. It happens. I tether'ed my phone to my phone and looked up the support number. When I called I dealt with a new automated system. Not only does it take your information....It tried to troubleshoot the damn issue. After 5 steps it passed me to a human.
I used to work in high speed internet support. I know a few things. The problem was the router/modem was not getting an IP address from AT&T. Tried to reboot it. Nothing.
The first human was nice and I let them know what I had done. She had me do the same things again. I complied. She then wanted me to default the Uverse router. I asked why this was needed if the service stopped working after months of being fine. She insisted . After letting her know I was certain it would not fix the issue I again complied. Service still down. Then the phone call ended. Nice.
I called back. Automated system again. New tech. More troubleshooting. Finally agreed the problem WASN'T with the router and they would have to send out a tech. Ugh.
Appointment made from 4-9. I gave them two phone numbers to call prior.
Kelli and I had an appointment at 3PM two miles from our house. Dr. was running late. I called AT&T at 3:45PM to check on our status. I figured it would be quick so I stepped into the lobby. Turns out they had our home number on file to call not the two numbers I gave them. Fifteen minutes later they have the correct numbers and stated they would call prior to coming. I walk back in and Kelli is walking out. I missed everything.
We get home at 4:30PM. The Internet and TV started working again. At 5:10PM the phone rings the guy is on his way. Two minutes later he is at our door. Thanks for the heads up. Worthless. The problem was NOT at our house.
Because I defaulted the system my network is all screwy. I could and maybe should, use another router for my network have connect it to the Uverse router to avoid this issue. Eh. Annoyed.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Fixing it myself
I like to fix things myself. Sometimes I screw up....sometimes I get it just right.
Owning a house means I have attempted quite a few repairs/upgrades on my own. Before the Internet people would buy a book and figure things out. Nowadays instructions are a Youtube search away.
I've watched videos on how to install floors, replace lighting, install home networking, install a car stereo and more. There are several great guides on gadget repair over at IFixit.com. I used that site to replace the hard drive in my Macbook Pro and more. Love it.
Yesterday my Zune HD had a glass shattering fall yesterday. I was trying to carry too many things at one time. Ouch. It had fallen a few times before. Always survived. I was worried it would be an expensive tumble. Nope....$25 for the part and about an hour of my time.
Family coming in town tonight. I might be in Cleveland. Eh.
I was up in the attic this week working on a project. After just 4 minutes I was drenched in sweat. Rethinking installing new cameras this summer. I'm a house geek not a field geek.
Owning a house means I have attempted quite a few repairs/upgrades on my own. Before the Internet people would buy a book and figure things out. Nowadays instructions are a Youtube search away.
I've watched videos on how to install floors, replace lighting, install home networking, install a car stereo and more. There are several great guides on gadget repair over at IFixit.com. I used that site to replace the hard drive in my Macbook Pro and more. Love it.
Yesterday my Zune HD had a glass shattering fall yesterday. I was trying to carry too many things at one time. Ouch. It had fallen a few times before. Always survived. I was worried it would be an expensive tumble. Nope....$25 for the part and about an hour of my time.
Family coming in town tonight. I might be in Cleveland. Eh.
I was up in the attic this week working on a project. After just 4 minutes I was drenched in sweat. Rethinking installing new cameras this summer. I'm a house geek not a field geek.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
My father in law is a…….geek?
My father in law owns his own business up in Oregon. He repairs and occassionally designs industrial machines. Lots of welding and metal work. Rough job. He knows it well.
While waiting to get one of my twice a week injections of concentrated itch he called me. One of his computers was down.
After a minute of troubleshooting I concluded it was likely a bad power supply. I told him how to take the old one out and what kind of power supply to buy to replace it. I then stated if it was a truly dead computer it wasn't hard to pull the data off the old hard drive. He then came back with, "Oh I'm not worried about the data, I have Carbonite." I was silent. He just shocked me. "Wow, you're all set then."
I just started using Carbonite a few months ago. Carbonite is an off site backup service with unlimited data storage. Very easy to use. It's currently backing up over 90 gigs of photos and files for our house. It's dead easy to use. Simply tell it which folders to monitor....that's it. Recovery is very easy as well.
Turns out it was just a power supply. He swapped it with another computer. I'm still amazed that he KNEW about Carbonite. I am curious if he has it installed on more than one or two computers as it can get expensive at roughly $55 per computer per year. There is a new Carbonite Pro designed for business. It's cheaper if more than 3 computers are signed up for the service.
Think I'm going to get an Nook. Makes the MOST sense with a baby on the way.
Cell phones are amazing. I'm still in awe. In my hand I hold a device that can connect to a tower MILES away to then connect to the Internet to do any number of things. And the damn thing makes phone calls!!!!!
While waiting to get one of my twice a week injections of concentrated itch he called me. One of his computers was down.
After a minute of troubleshooting I concluded it was likely a bad power supply. I told him how to take the old one out and what kind of power supply to buy to replace it. I then stated if it was a truly dead computer it wasn't hard to pull the data off the old hard drive. He then came back with, "Oh I'm not worried about the data, I have Carbonite." I was silent. He just shocked me. "Wow, you're all set then."
I just started using Carbonite a few months ago. Carbonite is an off site backup service with unlimited data storage. Very easy to use. It's currently backing up over 90 gigs of photos and files for our house. It's dead easy to use. Simply tell it which folders to monitor....that's it. Recovery is very easy as well.
Turns out it was just a power supply. He swapped it with another computer. I'm still amazed that he KNEW about Carbonite. I am curious if he has it installed on more than one or two computers as it can get expensive at roughly $55 per computer per year. There is a new Carbonite Pro designed for business. It's cheaper if more than 3 computers are signed up for the service.
Think I'm going to get an Nook. Makes the MOST sense with a baby on the way.
Cell phones are amazing. I'm still in awe. In my hand I hold a device that can connect to a tower MILES away to then connect to the Internet to do any number of things. And the damn thing makes phone calls!!!!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Let me inject you with everything you're allergic too
Allergy shots make me laugh in an evil way.
"Hey we're going to take all the stuff you're allergic too and inject it into your arm. You cool with that?"
Yeah. Itchy. Over time though....should feel better.
Amazing world we live in. In response to Barnes and Noble dropping the price of the Nook to $149 for Wifi and $199 for 3G, Amazon dropped the Kindle (which is 3G only) to $189. That's $70 off the price on Sunday and $210 off since the original debut in 2007. True over 3 years the price to produce the Kindle has gone down. Still at under $200....both ereaders provide a great reading experience. My nod goes to the Nook though....more advanced and less proprietary.
I have had a few bites on my Macbook Pro. It's up on Craigslist for $950. I paid $1700 for it 2 years ago. If I can sell it for $950 I will be happy. Apple computers have the same crazy high resale values that Lexus and BMWs enjoy. By comparison a 2 year old ultra premium ($1500+) HP or Dell computer barely holds 1/4th the value and has a much smaller market.
Almost traded my netbook for an Ipad yesterday. Guy on craigslist wanted a netbook. Over a few emails I thought we had agreed on trading my HP 5101 for his 16GB Ipad. I would include $250 cash. Then he stared wanting more cash since my HP only has a license for Windows XP Home and not Pro. I backed out. My 5101 is much nicer than the average netbook. He wanted to meet and check it out. In order to do that I would have to wipe my 5101 and put XP back on it. That's about an hour or so of my time for something that may not happen. No thanks. I'll keep my netbook.
Stopped by a day care yesterday. Not trolling for kids. Looking for some place to watch Avantika. It was a franchise from La Petite Academy. It was okay. I didn't get a good vibe. We will visit more. They charge $227 a week. Only half if we are on vacation. In the future we would be able to save money if I can move my schedule around to be off one full week a month. Very possible.
"Hey we're going to take all the stuff you're allergic too and inject it into your arm. You cool with that?"
Yeah. Itchy. Over time though....should feel better.
Amazing world we live in. In response to Barnes and Noble dropping the price of the Nook to $149 for Wifi and $199 for 3G, Amazon dropped the Kindle (which is 3G only) to $189. That's $70 off the price on Sunday and $210 off since the original debut in 2007. True over 3 years the price to produce the Kindle has gone down. Still at under $200....both ereaders provide a great reading experience. My nod goes to the Nook though....more advanced and less proprietary.
I have had a few bites on my Macbook Pro. It's up on Craigslist for $950. I paid $1700 for it 2 years ago. If I can sell it for $950 I will be happy. Apple computers have the same crazy high resale values that Lexus and BMWs enjoy. By comparison a 2 year old ultra premium ($1500+) HP or Dell computer barely holds 1/4th the value and has a much smaller market.
Almost traded my netbook for an Ipad yesterday. Guy on craigslist wanted a netbook. Over a few emails I thought we had agreed on trading my HP 5101 for his 16GB Ipad. I would include $250 cash. Then he stared wanting more cash since my HP only has a license for Windows XP Home and not Pro. I backed out. My 5101 is much nicer than the average netbook. He wanted to meet and check it out. In order to do that I would have to wipe my 5101 and put XP back on it. That's about an hour or so of my time for something that may not happen. No thanks. I'll keep my netbook.
Stopped by a day care yesterday. Not trolling for kids. Looking for some place to watch Avantika. It was a franchise from La Petite Academy. It was okay. I didn't get a good vibe. We will visit more. They charge $227 a week. Only half if we are on vacation. In the future we would be able to save money if I can move my schedule around to be off one full week a month. Very possible.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Man cave
Our house is roughly 2000 square feet (1960 to be exact). Off that 2000 square feet I have 110 square feet as my "Man Cave". It's full of computer parts and stuff. My stuff. Kelli is fine with whatever I do in there. She never has to go in there. As long as my stuff fits in my man cave....and the door can close....all is good.
At first my stuff occupied space in every closet in this house plus two rooms. Getting down to just one room is quite a feat. My room. Kelli has never attempted to clean or organize my room. All is good.
My room. Less than 5% of the house. My room. Man cave. No one else is welcome in there. No one. My room.
The Barnes and Noble nook WILL be $149 this Wednesday at Best Buy and Barnes and Noble. The catch? WiFi only. The 3G/Wifi model will be $199. Interesting. I don't think 3G is REALLY needed. Useful yes...but wifi is everywhere. I want an ereader, but I resist because it's ANOTHER device to carry.
Right now I carry a laptop (Macbook Pro most of the time), Zune HD, Digital Camera and my Nexus One. Increasingly I am leaving my Zune HD behind as my Nexus One can play music and downloads all my audio podcast without issue. I watch my video podcast on my laptop.
If I bought an ereader it wouldn't replace anything. A tablet PC could replace the laptop and Zune HD. Thus I would be carrying 3 things at most. Which tablet PC though?
I've been an Android champion from day 1. I ordered The T-Mobile G1 sight unseen the first day it was available for order. Android tablets are supposed to be on the horizon. My employer has an Iphone app that allows me to connect to the software I use for work. Currently I have to use a "real" computer to access the software. No app is in production for Android. Soo....Ipad?
I poo poo'd the Ipad back in March. I want one. Can almost justify it. My attempts at tricking Kelli into buying me one failed.
Over the weekend I kept thanking her for buying me an Ipad and posted that she bought me one for Juneteenth. I was hoping a Jedi Mind Trick would result in her thinking, "I guess this pregnancy is messing with my head because I bought Darren an Ipad." Didn't work. Hmmm.
With the application for accessing software for work coming out I could travel 3-4 days with just an Ipad. Hmmm.
At first my stuff occupied space in every closet in this house plus two rooms. Getting down to just one room is quite a feat. My room. Kelli has never attempted to clean or organize my room. All is good.
My room. Less than 5% of the house. My room. Man cave. No one else is welcome in there. No one. My room.
The Barnes and Noble nook WILL be $149 this Wednesday at Best Buy and Barnes and Noble. The catch? WiFi only. The 3G/Wifi model will be $199. Interesting. I don't think 3G is REALLY needed. Useful yes...but wifi is everywhere. I want an ereader, but I resist because it's ANOTHER device to carry.
Right now I carry a laptop (Macbook Pro most of the time), Zune HD, Digital Camera and my Nexus One. Increasingly I am leaving my Zune HD behind as my Nexus One can play music and downloads all my audio podcast without issue. I watch my video podcast on my laptop.
If I bought an ereader it wouldn't replace anything. A tablet PC could replace the laptop and Zune HD. Thus I would be carrying 3 things at most. Which tablet PC though?
I've been an Android champion from day 1. I ordered The T-Mobile G1 sight unseen the first day it was available for order. Android tablets are supposed to be on the horizon. My employer has an Iphone app that allows me to connect to the software I use for work. Currently I have to use a "real" computer to access the software. No app is in production for Android. Soo....Ipad?
I poo poo'd the Ipad back in March. I want one. Can almost justify it. My attempts at tricking Kelli into buying me one failed.
Over the weekend I kept thanking her for buying me an Ipad and posted that she bought me one for Juneteenth. I was hoping a Jedi Mind Trick would result in her thinking, "I guess this pregnancy is messing with my head because I bought Darren an Ipad." Didn't work. Hmmm.
With the application for accessing software for work coming out I could travel 3-4 days with just an Ipad. Hmmm.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Shootin' Up
Got my first allergy shot today. Arm started to fell itchy...then I remembered....I am being injected with stuff I am allergic to!
T-Mobile unleashed the HSPA+ network. What does this mean? Our cellphones have nearly as fast download speeds as our home AT&T Uverse. I love the world I live in.
The Captain I sit airport standby with bought a fancy new Macbook Pro Core I5 yesterday. Spent the morning helping him set up Windows 7 and just getting around Mac. Damn sexy machine. Thinner than mine. I had Mac envy.
Hung up the curtains in the baby room. Still pondering where to put "A Princess Lives Here" sign I bought.
Years ago Kelli and I flew to Sacramento as "real paying passengers". Round trip from Dallas it was $290 a person. From Austin it was $160 person...and we flew through Dallas. Back then we bought one way tickets to Austin, ate breakfast, hopped back on a plane, flew to Dallas changed planes and flew to Sacramento. On the way back we got off in Dallas and went home. We saved over $260. I say that to say the following.
A ticket round trip to Portland from Dallas is $540. From Austin....going through Dallas....$260. Why am I looking at airfare? Well Kelli might need a "real" ticket to fly with the rib kicker as standby can be rough. I do get 10% off the lowest fare I can find. Eh.
One of Kellis dogs is over 7 years old. That got met thinking....Kelli and I have had a social agreement going on 8 years...as of next week. Eight years. Over 2900 DAYS.....wow.
T-Mobile unleashed the HSPA+ network. What does this mean? Our cellphones have nearly as fast download speeds as our home AT&T Uverse. I love the world I live in.
The Captain I sit airport standby with bought a fancy new Macbook Pro Core I5 yesterday. Spent the morning helping him set up Windows 7 and just getting around Mac. Damn sexy machine. Thinner than mine. I had Mac envy.
Hung up the curtains in the baby room. Still pondering where to put "A Princess Lives Here" sign I bought.
Years ago Kelli and I flew to Sacramento as "real paying passengers". Round trip from Dallas it was $290 a person. From Austin it was $160 person...and we flew through Dallas. Back then we bought one way tickets to Austin, ate breakfast, hopped back on a plane, flew to Dallas changed planes and flew to Sacramento. On the way back we got off in Dallas and went home. We saved over $260. I say that to say the following.
A ticket round trip to Portland from Dallas is $540. From Austin....going through Dallas....$260. Why am I looking at airfare? Well Kelli might need a "real" ticket to fly with the rib kicker as standby can be rough. I do get 10% off the lowest fare I can find. Eh.
One of Kellis dogs is over 7 years old. That got met thinking....Kelli and I have had a social agreement going on 8 years...as of next week. Eight years. Over 2900 DAYS.....wow.
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