ArchiveMay 2013

What drives me nuts: Windows installers putting shortcuts on the desktop

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Nothing screams the 1990’s like every time you install a piece of software that it puts an icon with a shortcut on your desktop. I know that most software asks you if you want one placed on the desktop, and I ALWAYS uncheck that box. But all too often, the software installs it anyway, or it doesn’t ask and just drops one there. I know this is a minor rant, and I also know people (more...

Curse Survey Monkey…

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I have been using Survey Monkey for a few years.  Great product, and for simple surveys, it really can’t be beat. But I stopped using it at my last job (we had a high buck license of Eloqua which pretty much kicks all asses). Flash forward to today.  The non-profit that I work with (Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption) needs to replace a couple of board members who decided to resign...

The good and the bad about Netflix streaming

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I will come out and say it, I love Netflix streaming video. I like being able to watch what I want, without having to fiddle with the queue to get the right disk sent next. I have really enjoyed watching some of the series I used to watch while growing up, and that is where the “bad” comes in. Of course, I remember Knight Rider being pretty awesome. But it is completely...

Google’s “All Access” vs. Spotify Round 1

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I have written in the past about the music “locker” services. I have been a user of Amazon, Google’s Play, and Apple’s iTunes Match. But I have actually gone to using Spotify pretty much across the board. They have a great library, very deep, and lots of great genre’s to experiment with and explore. Since my work laptop has limited free space, I have pretty much...

My ride – 2002 Lemond Buenos Aires

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Since I regaled people with the drama about failing wheels, and buying a new wheelset, I thought I would spend a little time talking about my current road bike. It is a 2002 vintage Lemond Buenos Aires. Made by Trek, is is a steel tube framed bike with a carbon fork. I bought it in 2002 for ~ $1200 new (I don’t recall the actual price). It was the most expensive road bike I have ever owned...

My first encounter with a Retina MacBook Pro

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The other night, after quaffing a couple fine Czech style pilsners at Gordon Birsch (highly recommended, I might add), I wandered the 100 or so feet to the Gilbert Apple Store.  I am usually cautious at an apple store, because sometimes reason evades me and I find myself whipping out my plastic to upgrade to a new computer. I have studiously avoided getting up close and personal with a retina...

An expensive day – Bicycling Woes

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Lately, I have been pretty jazzed that my feet have allowed me to begin bicycling again. For the longest time, my plantar fasciitis pretty much put the kabosh on cycling. But about a month ago I gave it another whirl, and it was not painful. Woo hoo, I love to cycle, and it would be great to get back on the saddle regularly again. Tucson had better riding, lots of hills, and good routes to ride...

Making things too difficult – RasPi WiFi setup

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Well, sometimes I am an idiot.  I jumped through major league hoops that were totally unnecessary in getting my WiFi dongle to connect with my Wireless router. I looked for help on the web, Found a lot of guidelines that were a bit involved, but not atrocious. So I started doing what they asked. Got my system plugged into the router via ethernet cable.  Update the Raspbian install, check for...

Next up on the Raspberry Pi

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Last week, I wrote about how I on a lark bought one of the raspberry pi single board computers. The first round of goodies for it was a SD card (to write the OS to and boot from), and a HDMI cable to connect it to my Samsung monitor.  Got it fired up and all was cool.  Of course, it sitting naked on my CSS reference book was a bit clunky, so back to Amazon I go. Now it is in a clear plastic case...

Weight loss update – My quest to not be a person of Walmart

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Another boring post, but hey, it helps me keep track. In 3 & 1/2 weeks, I have lost 13+ pounds.  The ‘+’ means that I am oh so close to breaking through a plateau that I can hardly wait. Plateaus are something that just happen, and anyone who has done serious dieting knows that they really suck. But today, I was flirting with 218#’s.  Woot! The added bonus is that clothes...

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