Great Laptop For Sale

This is just getting old.



I was consolidating files over the network today and just had to take this screenshot. Vista has its drawbacks, but this is crazy. So...

I have a perfectly good Gateway MT6451 notebook computer for sale. $500 takes it. I'm switching to Mac as soon as possible, because I'm simply tired of waiting for things to happen and downloading hacks to make things work. I just want a computer that works as advertised and has more built in that I can use.

I don't mind Apple's non-compatibility with older systems. They did it that way because no one uses them anymore, so why bog the systems down? It's what many people do - like outgrowing clothes. You don't have the same shirts in the closet that you had when you were five, do you? And if so, do you wear them? Exactly.

And the price: the MacBook and iMac will last much longer than the average PC in terms of hardware and software usability, so I don't mind the $2K price tag. I want three new Apple computers: two MacBook Pro laptops, and one new iMac. I could easily squeeze $6K into a powerful new Windows desktop and new monitors, but I'd rather have three working computers for that price. Plus, they run Windows too. It's a no-brainer.

Why I don't have an iPhone

I want a device running Android.

Good Quote

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." -Mohandas Ghandi

It's not something I live by; I just read it this morning when it displayed on Gmail.

And It's Our Fault

Iraqi fisherman nets shark 160 miles from sea | Oddly Enough | Reuters.com

The story was pretty interesting until I got toward the end. Then it got funny. From the article:

"Tahseen Ali, a teacher, said there was a '75 percent chance' Americans had put the shark in the water."

I'm not sure what the hell they're teaching at West Point, but I have an inclination to believe sharks aren't mentioned, even in psychological warfare. I find it interesting that in even such an odd occurrence, the Iraqis believe it's our fault. They blame everything bad on Americans.

If you were religious (not saying you aren't, but play along please), and in the same position (foreigners having invaded your country and blown up half of it, let's just say) wouldn't you be quite angry? It's a stretch to blame a shark's presence in the Euphrates on the United States, but I can begin to see where they're coming from.

This is the Coolest Thing About the Internet

It's not that the latest technology can bring us all together, communicate with each other instantly around the world, or provide opportunity where there was once none. It's that in 2007 I can let my daughter learn a little bit in the same method I did.

It's like a friggin' time capsule.

I Don't Want to Speak Too Soon, But...

It looks like I'm back. I went running again today and finished without pain. I ran on a level quarter-mile track to work on my running mechanics and it looks like I've found a good stride. There aren't any marathons in the near future, but at least I can sweat a little more these days.

I've applied for a job far away. That's all I'm going to say at this point. The day after I sent my resume, another possibility popped up out of nowhere. They say "when it rains, it pours," but I'm not one to believe that. Nothing is pouring yet, and it is unclear when anything will happen if it does at all. I should know something more in two weeks.

Aside from that, there's not really anything to report. I haven't been in deep thought until a few days ago when I was contemplating the possibly drastic life changes that are imminent and how to plan for that. I've just been trying to get motivated in to doing my schoolwork and it's not working. The last two Friday nights found me experiencing crunch time and almost missing deadlines because I just don't want to do the work. Two classes: one is boring and one is difficult. "Professional Communication" is boring and "Discrete Mathematics" is proving to be a challenge.

In a classroom setting, this would be a breeze even at this pace (5-1/2 weeks), but online work is different from that. There are no tests or quizzes. There are live online presentations, and two assignments due each week for each class. One must stay in a constant state of concentration (or at least have it in the back of the mind) to keep up with it while avoiding crunch time on Friday night. My problem is that the classwork doesn't concern my everyday tasks or interests, and so I don't care.

One must then decide whether it's better to just do the work on time and keep up with the class and instructor or to crunch and still get A's. I'm still in debate. Until then,

Back for a Minute

So as I said earlier, I've been a bit busy. The month of September kept me away from home for three weeks, one in Atlanta, one in Savannah, and a final resting place for my birthday in Helen, Georgia. Helen is a nice place, if not a bit overrated. The pseudo-Germans were cool, I guess, but pretty much everyone who was not in my group (of coworkers) was either old, rich, or both. There were either groups of the elderly who arrived on a bus of some sort, or a group of motorcyclists on BMWs. It would have been a great ride, but Beth and I weren't ready for a trip that long on two wheels. 300 miles in one day would have been too long of a first ride. Maybe next time.

I finished my first quarter at Colorado Technical University Online, and I have to say I hate it. But I need the degree, and that's the fastest way to get one.

My fresh new Gateway laptop went for repair not long ago, and it turns out that my memory upgrade went to shit. Oh, well. Back down to 1GB for a while. I guess I'll manage.

My job is getting easier, even though I'm responsible for a bit more. I'm covering as our division's webmaster until we find a replacement, and it seems they want more than they originally asked of me. I don't mind it, but it would be nice to see a little bit of that two-step pay grade advance, too.

I started geocaching and recommend it for anyone who wants something purely extracurricular. Finding something in the woods with your daughter is a great way to bond. We had a great time today stepping through spider webs and briar patches to find an old ammo can hidden in the forest. Beth was a good sport.

I just discovered that the little running gadget on this page doesn't display correctly in IE7. I'm not fixing it - you'll just have to use Firefox.

The Blog as a Tool

I've been busy. Will explain later.

Here is the link to the Rehberg Technology Logo.

Update:
The title The Blog as a Tool came about when I was putting an ad for Rehberg Technology in the paper. I didn't have a disposable flash drive, couldn't count on the folks having a floppy disk drive, and didn't want to waste a 9¢ CD-R on the image, so I put it there and linked to it from here. That way the designer could go to the blog and easily get the image. This ended up not happening, though, as I wrote down the direct link to the image for them since I didn't actually speak with or even see the person who designed the ad.

I thought this was a small town.

I Swear I Ran

I went for a run yesterday, but it wasn't counted by my iPod. It froze just as soon as I started running, and I couldn't stop because I was chasing Beth.

We've been having problems with the nano. My mother has had problems, and Beth's has been nutting up too. We don't know why this happens. Our usual route includes about 0.66mi of walking to the start of the course we've picked out, and 0.66mi walking to the house after the run. I decided to get my iPod ready to start the workout when we left the house, and during the walk it went to power-save mode. When we reached the start point, though, I woke up the iPod and began the workout. It froze before the lady finished telling me the workout had started. Almost immediately, it was catatonic. The backlight stayed on and it didn't respond to any input. I've discovered that the only way out of this state is to let the battery die and try it again the next day.

To make a long story short, I ran 2.23 miles and it wasn't counted. Beth is now winning the challenge we've made. I guess this kinda makes it even since she lost a run a few days ago in this same fashion. Hers didn't freeze immediately, but took a dive when she tried to change music tracks during a workout.

I don't know what's going on with these things, but if it wasn't so absolutely cool when it works, I'd have taken it back yesterday. We'll get it worked out soon. We've got a 5K Fun Run coming up Saturday, and we've committed to running our 3.8 mile course this evening. If I feel like it, I'll report as to the success or failure of the iPod/Nike+ Sport Kit usage tonight.

...and I'm spent.

I just finished my first two classes of an online undergraduate program. I also just realized I forgot to cite my references on that last post to the discussion board, but I quit giving a shit about five minutes ago and will not worry. I have a week off until "Introduction to Computer System Security" and "Systems Administration" begin. What ever will I do with my time? I could:

• Sell some computers
• Who wants a laptop for $549?
• Or a desktop for $499?
  
• Write a new program (I've got some ideas)
• A program that shuts your computer down if you miss a payment on it
• Some other thing a relative came up with
  
• Stay out of Atlanta for a change
• I've been here at least once a week for about six weeks now
• It's 200 miles from home
• Read my new books and create a cool Web application
• nah, I'm trying to get away from caffeine
• Rest these poor fingers of mine
• what - like I'm doing now?
• Paint my shed
• Hang out with the Fam
• Maybe, just maybe, go to my office.
• Keep running (notice the new tracker in the sidebar?)
  

And I'm spent. That should take the eight days I have until the next session starts.

These classes are (so far) scenario-based and are not very hands-on in a technical sense. Maybe that's why I can't get a better job: I don't like the analog work so much. I like to have my hands dirty and lunch on my tie. I like screaming at users for clogging the network with MSN Radio. I like hanging out in a server room and making the systems work. Because then I don't have to. My job is done until the next virus/attack/upgrade/management failure. A manager's job is never done. Way too involved and emotional. That command line always is non-biased and factual; a manager has ups and downs. Should I leave this topic?

I've finally started...

I have been meaning to get around to building an Ajax application so I can say I did, and I finally sat down to do it last night. In fact, I'm just now getting ready to go to bed.

However, I never actually reached the Ajax level, but I tried. I did actually get something working - a tool I've wanted to say I built for a long time. Too bad the logic isn't mine.

If you need an MD5 or SHA1 hash of a string under 50 characters, try my night's work.

Verizon and Voicemail

I've been dealing with having to call my cellphone from another telephone to check my voicemail.  This is because I screwed something up and somehow forwarded my voicemail shortcut to another number.  I am writing here because tonight I solved my problem.

I forward several numbers.  My personal cell phone is currently forwarded to my personal business line, and my work mobile was forwarded to a Blackberry device I'm testing.  I know it's retarded, but it beats carrying four phones now, doesn't it?

Before I got the forwarding figured out, I pressed the wrong sequence to initiate the forward.  Instead of * 7 2 and the number, I pressed * 7 1 and the number.  This made it so when I called my voicemail, it simply called that number.  I was on the phone with Verizon for 30 minutes that night.

And then I did it again.  And Verizon was no help, especially because I did it on my work mobile, for which I do not have the account number or any other credentials.

And my boss left me a voicemail tonight and I finally got fed up with it.  I hacked it until I got something changed, and it only took two tries (which probably does not constitute hacking).

The screwup was * 71,
To forward is * 72,
To cancel forwarding is * 73,
So the next logical step is to ask what does * 74 do?

That fixed it.  So if you screw up your voicemail access with * 71, * 74 fixes it.  In case anyone asks.  

And because I didn't find the solution with Google.

                

I Did It

After seven years of putting it off, I finished both 90-minute exams in under an hour. I had a feeling that the study material was going to be harder than the exam, but I didn't trust myself.

But I was right.

The Time is Now...

Studying for an IT industry certification is not as fun as it may seem.  Many of my friends have certifications (and some don't but should) and they always talk about it like it was cake.

I picked up my first certification manual for CompTIA A+ in 2000.  I will take the tests for this certification next Monday, about 7 years after I began studying.  Since the beginning of this journey, CompTIA has changed the objectives twice.  Once in 2003, and last year.  It's time I bit the bullet and got certified, don't you think?

That's the reason I haven't been blogging lately.  I scheduled these exams last Friday and put my brain to work in a 600-page book that covers the following exam objectives:

A+ Essentials (Exam 640-201):

1. Personal Computer Components
   
2. Laptops and Portable Devices
3. Operating Systems
4. Printers and Scanners
5. Networks
6. Security
7. Safety and Environmental Issues
8. Professionalism and Communication

A+ IT Technician (Exam 640-202):

1. Personal Computer Components
   
2. Laptops and Portable Devices
3. Operating Systems
4. Printers and Scanners
5. Networks
6. Security
7. Safety and Environmental Issues
8. Professionalism and Communication

The overall objectives of both exams are the same, but I'm sure the IT Technician exam is a bit more technically in-depth and focused on actual field support than the Essentials exam.  For instance, the IT Technician exam objectives include performing preventive maintenance on printers and scanners while the Essentials exam stops short of that.

After one certification with CompTIA (they have many, including Network+, Security+, Linux+ and more) I can use the CompTIA logo on my business card and resume.  In college I learned that it sometimes helps to just put a logo on there.  Same for Microsoft, Cisco, and Novell certifications.  Catches their eye.  Although now most large corporations run your resume through a computer to find matches.  Logos don't help when you're being selected by an Intel Processor and a Perl script.

I'll be busy until Monday afternoon.


                

Quality

Harbor Freight Tools is an awesome place if you need tools that don't require precision. However, I must change my mind about a wooden-handled hammer I bought several years ago there:
I can't really say much since it has been a long time since I bought the hammer. I can complain, though, about the situation I'm in today. I do not have another hammer, and will be gone all week. I need to finish my project. I'm sure you care. In the near future I will acquire something like this. Good day.

Educate Yourself (and stop clutching your purse!)

Okay, if you've kept up with the topic with some devoted interest, and don't watch the news (that's me) you should know that the word 'hacker' does not mean anything negative. However, the media like to say "hackers broke in to..." and "...was brought down by a hacker group...," scaring you into thinking that anyone who calls himself/herself a hacker is immediately deemed evil.

Frankly, that's un-American. You shouldn't assume. If one would look into the word a bit more, they would find that hackers are absolutely everywhere. I hack computers. That doesn't mean I can get into your bank account if you visit my blog; it only means that I pound away at the keyboard in search of knowledge. I want to know so much more about computer systems and how networks work, so I just hack away at it.

I also hack construction. I'm currently finishing up my shed project, my first experience with wood foundations, framing, windows, trusses, and roofing, without the use of a book. With my "well, it makes sense" approach to building, coupled with my father's experience, we hacked out a pretty good storage building/workshop that should add a good bit of value to my home.

How does a lumberjack cut through a tree with an axe? He just hacks away at it until the job is done. Mind you, it's not as pretty as if it were done with a chainsaw, but the mission was accomplished with the tools at hand. That's what hacking is about.

I've got to go to work now, but I encourage you all to re-think your terminology for malicious computer criminals and virus writers. I'm not one of them.

My New Thing: The Rehberg Polytechnic Institute

Oh, never mind.  I shouldn't be blogging - I need to study.  Bye.

                

Nobody Cares, That's Why.

I've read Dvorak on and off for years now. I'm still not sure if I like him, but I read an article today about the media dumbing stuff down for its readers. I get his point, and I readily agree, but there is something missing: reader interest.

John fusses about a New York Times article dumbing down the term "hexadecimal" and continues to talk about how people might should be bombarded with computer related terms and acronyms. He says that if they want to know, they'll summon a dictionary or Google for a bit of learning. He asks

I just wonder when exactly The Times stopped calling automobiles horseless carriages. And when did it stop using velocipede for bicycle? The Times story reflects a much larger issue: Exactly how much jargon should be incorporated into the general lexicon? We're not in 1850 anymore.

I must submit my own two cents: Sure, we now call the horseless carriage an automobile, but the average driver does not know what the EGR valve is or does. I doubt they care. My father just had his EGR valve replaced for around $400, and still has no idea what it is. All he knows is that his truck runs smoother now. Stay with me - there is a point.

In the same light, everybody knows, generally, what a computer is. They just don't know everything about it. Or how it works. Nor do they care, just as long as it keeps working. My mother doesn't care one bit about the fact that I run Fedora Core 5 in runlevel 3 and with that machine I am able to keep up with my home IP address via a Google Gadget. It also runs home automation tasks with some open soure software called Heyu. As long as my mother can play solitare just as she has for the past ten years, she can't give a hoot about how much RAM she has, or that it's DDR. I might note that she is not mechanically enclined, either.

There is nothing wrong with that. I can understand operating systems and set up networks, but I can't read music or sell insurance. I don't know what an F-stop is or how to use it (adjust it?). I can change my own oil and manage my finances, but I don't know that I could provide in-home care for the elderly or disabled. We all have our specialties and don't have the time or interest to learn others, John C. Dvorak included.

Um, You Forgot Something

I am just about this (||) close to trashing Vista now. One more feature I need tonight was standard in XP but is now only included in Vista Business and Ultimate. I need to talk to the government, and damn me if I don't have to fax something. I don't (like many others) have a facsimile at home. Why would I ever need one if I have a computer, right? Ha! If I had one it would be out in the shed, and I'd have to go dig it out about once every two years. I found my workaround in XP when I started using the Windows Fax Wizard. Why wouldn't it be in Vista?

I guess it's in the Business and Ultimate editions because those folks, after buying their new software licenses, can't afford a damn fax machine anymore. The fortunate kids who saved a couple of hundred on a good cheap laptop with Home Premium will have to forgo the fax and buy another clunky piece of junk to use once per American marriage.

I'm now going to use CutePDF to get a portable document and e-mail those deprecated people at the State Department of Revenue.

Surface Computing

I'd heard of Microsoft Surface computing just a few weeks ago, but thought it was in more of a development phase. Turns out it's not. Watch this video and see if you can find some uses for this platform. Kinda reminds one of Minority Report, doesn't it?