Ramblings from a Techie!

It's Been A While

2007-05-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

Well it has been about 8 months since I posted. I'm sure my blog will never forgive me for the neglect but I am going to make an attempt at reconciliation.

Lets see. Since the first of the year I have started my EMT classes, taken a trip to Korea, turned 31(my aching bones), finished my EMT classes, and am getting ready to start my Fire Standards.

Whew! Been a busy year so far.

(not an actual picture of me)

I started my classes in January. Last week I passed my Skills Tests and Final Exam. Now on to the State/National Exam. Just have to take one test in FL. Instead of taking a State and National, they have made them the same. Class was interesting and learned alot. Now we will soon see if it was enough to pass the National.

Spent the middle part of March in Seoul, Korea. Went for a family medical emergency and spent the first 8 or 9 days at the hospital. Things are a little different than hospitals are here. They are physically the same but the operations are different. The hospital we were at was huge. It was the biggest and best the country had.

The last couple of days we were there we got to get out and see the city. It was amazing. I would love to go back under different circumstances. Everywhere we went the people were the nicest I ever met. Even thought they didn't understand what we were saying half the time they always tried to help. Every street we went down was like a party. The streets were full of people, vendors, and food. Never thought food off the street would be so good. The city was alive with alot of energy.

Of course as soon as we land in Atlanta we ran into the rudest bunch of people I had seen in weeks. They worked at the airport. People wonder why parts of the world don't like Americans. We were coming in through the international wing and all I could think was how the first thing the people coming into our country were going to see was these assholes at the International wing of Hartsfield international airport.

Oh well. My Fire Standards start on the 29th. Then onto the next job. I have a couple of job ideas but will keep that for another time.

Talk to you soon blog.

Just To Get It Off My Chest

2006-08-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Something that has bothering me lately is what to do with myself. Career wise. I can't decide what I want to do and how to go about doing it.

--I always thought I would eventually get a career in Law Enforcement. I went through the Academy and received my State of Florida Law Enforcement Standards, and have applied numerous times to various agencies. But as time goes by, it increasingly becomes more difficult.
Maybe some other public service position. Maybe an EMT or Paramedic. I always wanted to do something where I could help other people. I guess it could be called a Hero Complex. I never thought I had a Hero Complex but reading the definition on Wikipedia it says:

"The Hero Complex is an inherent desire for the need to help others. It is a compellation to help make their world right....
Those who suffer from it tend to feel like they do not understand
what is wrong with them, or feel that the current life they live is
insufficient. For most, the need will ebb and flow.
Many believe that they could do more, .... They also often ask
the question 'Is this really enough?' or something similar. Those with
this condition make excellent leaders, and often give good advice. They
are very loyal and dependable, and when given a challenge will almost
always find a way to complete it; if they see it as a fun challenge.
(Will often become hostile about 'drudgery work' -- i.e. cleaning
toilets unless it is presented as something challenging.)"

We all know that Wikipedia is not the most reliable source, but this really hits home. I feel this way all the time. Like what I'm doing is not enough and that what I'm doing doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. I want to make a positive impact and do something important. Every job I have ever had, I felt that if I didn't show up the next day then it wouldn't really matter. But if a police officer, fire fighter, or paramedic doesn't show up then it could be a life and death difference.

I do internet sales and some amatuer web design now. I also do computer repair in my spare time. None of this matters. The world will not end and noone will live a better life because of something I am doing now.

--I have also thought about a career in technology. But what area of
technology? How about communications? But where do you get started with
communications? Web design? Product review? IT? Networking? etc....
But I don't feel that any of these will fix the problem, feeling that I am making a difference.

Everyone tells me that I don't want to be a cop or an emt because they don't make any money. I just tell them that it is not something you do for money. I'm doing a job just for money now and I'm not happy doing it. I think people should work to strive to make themselves and their community better, not to make money.

--It's not about Quantity, It's about Quality.

Mark Cuban needs help.

2006-07-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Mark Cuban has a post on his blog where he is asking for help with movie marketing. He is offering a job to whoever can come up with an excellent, new idea for getting people out of the house to see a movie. So far all the comments on his blog are about the same thing. Make better movies and offer free stuff. One of the things he wants is an idea that will not cost millions. Surely someone out there has a good idea that Mark can help put into practice. Check it out.

Blog Maverick - www.blogmaverick.com _

It's been a while.

2006-07-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I wrote anything in my blog. I can't think of anything to write about.
It's not that nothing has been going on. There is always something going on. I just try to think of something to write about and nothing seems blog worthy. Maybe that is the problem, I'm thinking too much about it.

I am behind on listening to my regular podcasts. I usually listen to TWiT, Geek News Central, and Cranky Geeks. There are a few more that I listen to occasionally but those are the 3 I listen to on a regular basis. I am listening to TWiT from 7/16. Only a week behind so it is only one episode for TWiT. I am 3 eps behind on Geek News Central. 2 episodes a week is alot to keep up with for me. I usually listen in my Jeep on the way to work. But there have been vehicle problems and I haven't been driving. I had to put a rear end in my Jeep only to find out after doing all the work that Reverse is gone in my Transmission. It's a long story.....

But anyways... I still read Wil Wheaton's blog but lately it has been alot of poker stuff so I haven't been that into it. I have been reading Chris Pirillo's also and it is pretty good. He rants and raves about whatever pops into his head. Leo has a good blog also. He updates almost daily. In Leo's blog, he talks about a TechTV reunion. I would love to see it. I used to keep at least one TV in the house on TechTV all the time. I would definately watch. I don't think there is a geek or techie that would not watch.

The only ones I would like to keep up with that I don't are the video ones. I got into digg when it first came out but quickly tired of it. There is just too much to keep up with and you always feel like you are missing something. I like dl.tv with Patrick and Robert but can't watch video in the car in my free time. I recently bought a PSP so I guess I could put them on that. Or I could put them on the TiVo and watch them on the TV. That sounds like alot of work though. I guess since I am not driving to work I could be watching them on the ride. Nah!! I will just have to figure out something else.

Access Anywhere

2006-07-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have noticed more and more lately that companies are coming up with even more ways for users to access their information from anywhere. From the U3 flash drives to online file storage it is becoming easier to have everything you need at any PC. I am a bit leary about the online storeage, but love my u3 flash drive.

I recently got my 1Gb flash drive with U3. I love it. I still carry a regular 1Gb around just incase I need more space. With the U3 I have, of course, installed Firefox. This means I can have my favorites with me at any PC. That is a big deal to me because I find things at work that I would like to look at again later at home(or vice versa) and now I can. Plus my extensions are also installed. Like Performancing, which I am using to write my blog entries. I also carry U3 Antivirus, Hijack-This, and DVD Shrink on my U3. There is also a program called Migo but I haven't used it. I have all this installed and still have over 860mb free. That is alot of free space and there are alot of programs you can put on it. There is a site called Portable Freeware that has a lot of games and apps for the U3 drive. They also have instruction on how to install them.

Now, for online storage. It seems everyone is trying to get in on this game. You have sites like Flickr and YouTube that will basically store your pics and video and you can choose whether to share them with everyone or not. But they are limited to video and pictures. If you do a Google search for "online file storage" it only brings up about 121 million results. You should be able to find some storage with all those.

Two that I have been hearing alot about lately are Geek Squad's Online Data Backup and, the yet to be seen, Google GDrive.

The Geek Squad Online Data Backup offers several levels of backup. If you click on the Geek Squad logo it will take you to their page with information about their Online Data Backup. From there you can click on the Free 30-Day Trial and see what plans they offer. They have 3, 5, and 10Gb plans for $4.99, $9.99, and $19.99 respectively. That doesn't seem like a bad deal if you have that much information you need access to.

The next one everyone seems to be talking about is the, yet to be released, Google GDrive. There is a blog post about the long awaited GDrive here by Garret Rogers of ZDNet. So far not many details about this one are known, but if it like anything else Google has done, it will turn to Gold and make them a few more million. This is all a big part of Google's Plan for World Domination. Oh well, someone is going to do it eventually.

The only thing I don't understand about these online storage services is, wouldn't it be better to get an external drive and carry it with you. I have a 20Gb Firefly. This thing is tiny. It is about the size of a deck of cards but only about half as thick. The benefit to this is that I can retrieve what is on it without having an internet connection. Which is kind of important if you use one of the online storage services. What if you cannot get online? Maybe you are on the road and you need a file that is in your online storage. That is where you will wish you had that external drive. What if the server goes down? What if the security of the server is compromised? There are a bunch of reasons not to use online storage. But that would be the best way to transfer files to someone else across the country. That may be the next big thing in P2P File Sharing. Who knows?

"Click" was Great

2006-07-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

We went to see the movie Click last night. It is the new one with Adam
Sandler, where he gets a remote control that will control the universe. I am a Sandler fan and he was great in this role. It also stars Kate Beckinsale and Christopher Walken. Walken is always funny. Henry Winkler plays Sandlers dad and Sean Astin is also in it.

The movie is way funny but turned out to be more than just a comedy. It was well done and the story was great. This is a good one for everyone to see. I will definately be getting this one on DVD.

Click here to see when and where it is playing in your area.

Disney IS the Happiest Place on Earth!!

2006-07-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Been in the Orlando area since Thursday. Saw some family and, of course, went to Disney. We got there at 8:30 in the morning. We were in for a long day. We saw some of Epcot then went to the Magic Kingdom and saw a few things there. There is no way you could see everything in a week, much less a day.

Everywhere we went I saw something I couldn't believe.....Everyone was happy. All the employees I saw were polite and courteous. Even in the 95 degree heat. Everyone talked and asked how we were doing. And they all did it with a smile. Disney really is the "Happiest Place on Earth".

We walked around the park for 13 hours. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. We drank plenty of water and stayed hydrated. It was a blast and we plan on going back soon.

All of the trip was not that good though.

A word about AVIS!!

We rented a car at the Panama City airport from AVIS. About half way to Orlando the car started making a funny noise when we started it. Then the "Passenger Airbag Off" light started going on and off. There is a sensor in the seat that detects weight. This is designed to sense if a full grown person is in the seat, or a car seat with a baby in it. My wife was in the seat and the airbag kept turning itself off.

So Saturday morning we called the nearest AVIS, which was 40 min. away in Kissimmee, and explained what was going on. They told us we could trade the car in but we would have to come to them. So away we went to trade the car in. Never minding the fact that we could have been in an accident on the way and needed the airbags.

So we get to Kissimmee and it turns out they don't have any cars for us. We are driving a full size and all they have is 4 compacts. We were told they only had the 4 and that they were all reserved. The lady at the counter politely told us we would have to go to the airport to trade it in. The airport was about an hour away. To get to the airport we had to go through 3 toll booths. That cost us about $5. No big deal but frustrating as hell.

So we get an upgraded to a small SUV and have to go back through the tolls and find our way back to Clermont, where we were staying.

So at this point my wife is pissed, I am pissed and we still are not back. It cost about $10 in tolls and half a day of our vacation to exchange this car. And even though we did get an upgraded car, it had not been cleaned and the tank was not full. I returned ours with almost a full tank. Plus they should have come and picked up the car and brought us another.

I don't think we will be using Avis again.

Easy Way to Convert Video for TiVo!

2006-06-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love my TiVos. I have 2 and don't know how we ever watched TV without them. Especially with the TiVoToGo options. With the TiVoToGo you can transfer video from your tivo to your PC and from your PC back to the TiVo. This is awesome if you want to watch something on your TV that is stored on your hard drive.

I did alot of research on how to do this. First the video has to be in the correct format. This is the biggest problem. I have used several methods to achieve this. I used programs like TMPGEnc, WinAVI, D.I.K.O., AVI2DVD etc..... If you are going to be doing any video converting at all the best site I have found for tutorials and guides is VideoHelp.com. .......Anyways, after trying every option I could find, I finally found the perfect solution. A program called Videora TiVo Converter.

It does everything for me. I put in the source video and click convert. You can load up several videos at one time and it will take care of everything. The best part is that it is free. If you are going to use it, it wouldn't hurt to donate some money on their website.

Videora TiVo Converter

Taking Pictures on the 4th

2006-06-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article on photographing fireworks. Should come in handy for the upcoming holiday.

How to Photograph Fireworks

Microsoft killing Windows? Murderers!!!

2006-06-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have 9 computers under my control between work and home, and I have not installed the Windows Genuine Advantage Update on any of them....And I will not. I have read about all of the problems that people have had with this update and cannot afford for any of these PCs to be down because of a Microsoft update that causes problems. Especially not the units at the office.

Now it looks like Microsoft could make it mandatory to have the update this fall. If this is true, this is outrageous. I am going to look through the EULA and see if it says anywhere that users must take every update that Microsoft offers. If it doesn't then I don't see how they could shut our systems down. If they do this I smell a big lawsuit.

Another problem with the update is that it calls home constantly. If you have dial up then this could be an inconvenience. Even if you don't have dial up, I wouldn't want my computer calling home without my permission. I paid for my PCs and if I don't want to install an update that may harm it, then I'm not going to. Microsoft has not fixed any of the problems with this update yet. If you read the article you can see that there are people out there having serious issues with this.

Get it together Microsoft!!!

» Is Microsoft about to release a Windows "kill switch"? | Ed Bott's Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com

New Bluetooth Headset. Go Motorola!

2006-06-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am a cell phone junkie. I want the coolest phone and gadget all the time. The coolest thing I've seen (today at least) is the Motorola H5 MINIBLUE.

Motorola has got the coolest new Bluetooth headset measuring only 33x41mm. It fits inside your ear so it can go undetected. So now it will really look like you are talking to yourself. It boasts 7.5 hours of talk time which is way longer than the battery on any cell phone I have ever seen will last.

You can talk in noisy situations with this because it picks up on vibrations in your ear canal when you talk. And it will work up to 30 feet away. This is very cool. I never wanted one of those ear pieces that looks like a Borg implant on the side of your head. This one might be a "must buy". Looks like I need to make sure I have a phone with Bluetooth.

According to Motorola's web site, the H5 MINIBLUE will be available in the first half of 2006. However, if you do a search on Google or Froogle you will find that they have been delayed. Spit it out Motorola. Supposedly they are pushing it back to work on the comfort and volume issues. I guess I can wait til they get it right.

Motorola Motorola H5 MINIBLUE

Best Buy Coupon

2006-06-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is a good deal.

These coupons will give you an additional 15% off Open Box items. Those items are already marked 10-15% off. Maybe its time for some new toys.

Open Box Coupon

Alot of Good Info

2006-06-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of the best sites I have seen in a long time. It has a ton of personal development information.

There are a bunch of articles and blog entries on a variety of self help subjects. If you look through the "Best of ..." Section on the left you can see some of the topics. The ones I have read all have good information.

Everyone should be able to find something useful here.

I am going to write more about this site as I read through his articles.

Personal Development for Smart People

Give Me a Break!!

2006-06-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

The case of the 14 year old suing MySpace for not protecting her, goes on the list of the stupidest lawsuits ever. Right up there with suing McDonalds because you are to stupid to realize that coffee is hot or that fries make you fat. If she had met him at Wal-Mart and slept with him would she be suing Wal-Mart?

Anyways, to make things even dumber. The guy that suppossedly assaulted her says he will also sue if the court finds that it is MySpace's fault. I feel like the level of intelligence in this country dropped a few points just having this in the news.

I don't understand why noone can take responsibility for their actions. Everyone wants to blame someone else, and it is usually whoever has the deepest pockets.

Hopefully there is a judge out there with enough sense to through this out and fine these people for being idiots. Please fine the attorneys also that put it in these peoples heads that they could get some money for this.

Shouldn't they be suing Dell or HP for making the computer that got them into this to begin with?

Mirra, Mirra, On the Shelf.

2006-06-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

We recently bought a Mirra Personal Web Server for the Office. This thing is awesome. It plugs into our router and all the boxes in the office backup to it. You can create shared folders so that when you add anything to the folder from any PC it is shared among the others. Very cool.

There is also a way to access the shared files on the Mirra from anywhere with an internet connection. So I can get files I need that are at the office from home. This was a big plus when we were deciding which backup device to buy. Anyone looking for a good backup device should pick up one of these.

Conventions and Trade Shows

2006-06-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

I am always reading about different conventions around the country. Gnomedex, CES, LinuxWorld, MacWorld, DEF CON, COMDEX..etc.. Even Star Trek Conventions all over the place.

WE HAVE NOTHING HERE!! We are in a technology void! I remember in the fall of 1994 or 1995 there was a Star Trek convention at our Marina Civic Center. That was the only time I ever saw anything like that here. Granted the West Coast is the hub of technology in this country. But we have convention centers here and the Civic Center. Plus we are on the beach. If there is any one that a geek needs, it is sun!! A tan. Hell even a burn would improve the pigment of the pasty faced geeks that these conventions have been know to be packed full of.

I think that the people that arrange these things would love the opportunity to come to the beach and have their conventions here. Other than the heat(which is sometimes unbearable), this is a great place.

--pcbguy

Where No Man Has Gone Before!!

2006-06-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

As a Techie, I am also a Trekkie. I love to watch Trek and am fascinated by space. On July 1, I will have the opportunity view a shuttle launch while on vacation in the Orlando area. We are going to spend that day at Cape Canaveral. I can't wait. Seeing a shuttle launch is on the list of things to see before I die, so I can cross off at least one. I am dragging my wife and step-daughter to see it as well. Even though I don't think they will enjoy it the way I will, they are going just to satisfy my interest. To me, this is one of the most exciting things I think I have ever seen. I eagerly await the trip so I can see the shuttle in person and visit the Kennedy Space Center.

I was just visiting NASA.gov and see that they are talking about the second female mission commander ever. Air Force Col. Pamela A. Melroy will be the mission commander of STS-120. One of the reasons I was excited about seeing a shuttle launch is that I thought they had decommissioned the shuttle fleet. But now they are saying that Col. Melroy's mission will be aboard the shuttle Atlantis. Maybe they haven't decommissioned the fleet yet.

Now if I could just get to the Space Station.......

--pcbguy

Sue this Sue that!

2006-06-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Lawsuit, lawsuit, lawsuit. That is all anyone wants to do anymore. You are not cool until you have sued someone. I guess I'm not cool.

Every news site I go to now is nothing but lawsuits. Remember the saying "If it weren't for lawyers, we wouldn't need lawyers."
It makes me wonder if these companies are aware of how many lawsuits they have out at any one time. I know that their lawyers know.

One of the most ridiculous lawsuits to surface, just this week, is the 14 yr old girl and her mother that are suing MySpace and News Corp. for $30 million. They claim that MySpace did not protect here from being sexually assaulted by a 19 yr old. This is ridiculous. Everyone knows that News Corp. has deep pockets but this is BS. Isn't it her parents job to protect her. They should know what she is doing and where she is. Not only that but by age 14 they should have taught her about the dangers of the net. She should know better than to meet someone that she met online. How stupid is this girl? If she is that clueless at 14 then she should be locked in her room.

The more I read through the story the more ridiculous it became. This guy picked her up from school took her out to eat then back to his place where he sexually assaulted. Lets see how many things are wrong with this........ A Bunch!!

Bottom line is: this is her parents fault. Don't get me wrong. There is no excuse for what he did. If he assaulted her then he should pay for what he has done. However, they should know what she is up to and should have raised her to be smarter than to meet someone that she met online. Parents are always blaming someone else for what they should be doing. Teach your kids. Don't blame someone else when your child does not know something. That is your job to teach them.

The sad part is that they will probably get some money for this girl being assaulted. If they are going to sue someone then they should sue the 19 yr old. But that won't happen. They have to get some money for what she has been through. People think money will make them feel better. Personally if I went through something that traumatic, I think I would not want to have to relive it over again in court and read about it in the news. I would just want it to go away. ......Maybe money makes things better!

The Time?

2006-06-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Where in the world do people find the time to keep a blog? Of course I am doing it now but I should be doing other things. I guess you have to make a decision to do it. I wish I could do it like Wil Wheaton or Todd at GNC. Those are 2 I read on a regular basis. I suppose if I have time to read one then I have time to write one.

I'm going to try it for a bit. Just keep writing down whatever is on my mind and see where it goes.

Am I a Blogger?

2006-06-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first blog entry. Not sure if I am suppossed to say something profound or extremely intelligent. I'm pretty sure I won't say either. As this is my first post, and I am curious to see what it looks like when I post something, I am going to keep this short. I just wanted to say hello to anyone that might read this. Which brings up another question, will anyone read this? Oh well that is a conundrum for another day.

from PCB--