Hey folks… it’s me. I’ve been slacking off again on this site. Again, not that anyone really noticed, but I try to be consistent. I just usually try to write about things I think other people would be interested in, so it’s been quiet lately and I haven’t had much to say.

Anyhoo, I thought I’d pass along a quick tip regarding Google. Did you know that the basic Google search box can do more than just search for websites? You can use it to quickly see the weather, get a definition, calculate something, convert ounces to pounds, etc. It’s pretty awesome and convenient once you learn the rules (which are quite simple). And this becomes even more convenient if you set Google as your default search site in IE7. Check out Google Features for more information!

In 1986, my middle-school computer teacher described me in my yearbook as a “computer fiend”. I don’t recall much, other than writing some BASIC programs on an Apple IIe. But I do recall it seemed fun at the time. Then, my family moved to a nearby town where my school did not really have student computers, and I did nothing more than “word processing” until college.

As a college sophomore in 1992, I was still typing my papers, despite the fact I had a computer lab with word processing programs available to me (via the VAX system). Of course, back then it seemed that every time I was in the lab for checking my campus “email”, one of the nodes on the system would crash and multiple people in the lab would lose hours of work. I typed out of fear. Finally, around 1993/94, I was convinced by one of my English professors to use the Daedalus Write (aka QUICKSTART) program. The entire Quickstart program AND multiple papers fit on one floppy disk, and I could use it on any Windows 3.1 system. It was designed to teach computer-assisted writing, and not word processing. For that, I enjoyed it’s simplicity and security. I did not trust the campus systems to protect my work, and liked having my (now editable) papers in my possession. I also did not have to tolerate the needless “bells and whistles” of Microsoft Works.

During that same time, I also came around to using and spending a lot of time on Bitnet Relay (the predecessor to IRC and the WWW). This was really my first introduction into the vast world of networked computing. At times, I recall dialing into “Unix” at school on my roomate’s computer, and spending hours chatting with people from other schools around the nation.

In 1995, I graduated and accepted a teaching position. We began in-service in early August. At that time, I was provided a computer which was attached to the “Worldwide Web“, and email. Although I encountered Mosiac, the first “web browser” I recall using was Netscape Navigator 1.22.

From there, the rest is history. I became more interested in the web, and started designing web pages. I had my first web page in late 1995 on “GeoCities“, and recall making my first purchase from Amazon.com in mid-1997. I helped a college buddy get his web design and hosting business off the ground, then moved into the IT field in 1998.

The point? This August will mark 12 years since I joined the “world” on the “web”. I think it’s pretty cool, and I like to think I was an “early adopter”, despite my one-time resistance to technology. In fact, I wish I had a dollar for every web site I’ve visited in these 12 years! I also find it amazing how much things have changed, from a technology perspective. It makes me wonder where we’ll be in 12 more years!

Right now, I’m having some problems with the site (mainly just the gallery). This issue relates to the host (not Nick, but his hosting company) updating the server to use PHPSUEXEC. In laymans terms, it’s a way to make the server more secure. Of course, the side effect is that it broke a lot of stuff and instead of backing it out, they want everyone to change their programs or reinstall stuff. Nice.

BUT… considering I’m being hosted for free (thanks to Nick!), I can’t complain. I thought I had it fixed last night, actually, but apparently that was only temporary. Hopefully we can get it resolved over the weekend.

Have a good weekend!

UPDATE: This has been fixed (again) as of 07/25! Thanks, Nick!!

I nearly flipped out this morning. After a long day working outside Sunday, I stuck my iPod in the dock and went to bed. My plan was to grab it in the morning before I left for work. But when I went to do so, I had a screen full of errors and could not disconnect it properly. I tried ejecting manually, rebooting, etc. Finally I gave in and pulled it from the dock. I reset, and in return, was given the “sad iPod of death”.

I’ve heard of this little bugger, but always thought “it won’t happen to me… I take care of my stuff!”. Wrong. There it was, with it’s little frowny face, staring back at me like an iPod with x’s for eyes will do. My first thought, of course, was “AFTER ONLY 3 YEARS, MY $350 IPOD IS DEAD!!”

I could’ve screamed. Every account I’ve ever read of this has translated into serious $$ for repairs or a new iPod. Of course, I had to get to work, so I sat it aside for tonight. I finally got to look at it around 11pm. I went through all the Apple troubleshooting tips and advice, to no avail. The final recommendation was “take it in for service”. Yeah, right. So I can pay $200 to fix it? There MUST be something else I can try, I thought. I Googled, and most links took me back to the Apple site or regurgitated the same advice as if it were new content.

That is, until I found THIS SITE. Folks there were advising I drop my iPod on purpose! I was skeptical, since that’s the very thing I’ve worked hard to avoid doing for 3 years. Finally, I decided I had nothing to lose. A nice “slap” on the back might suffice. Tried it once… nothing. Twice… and… my iPod spun back to life and was working again!! I can’t believe it. My thanks to the guy named “Remy” for his advice, whomever he is. I wonder how many people have paid Apple hundreds to fix this problem?!

That aside, it’s time for another Song of the Week. This week, I dug through the archives in search of something “patriotic” for the holiday. It was a close draw, but Ray Charles won out with his version of “America the Beautiful with the Voices of Jubilation Choir”. It’s classic… enjoy, and though he’s gone now, be sure to pay Ray’s website a visit! And now, you can listen to previous SOTWs for at least a few weeks after the current song finishes playing! It just keeps getting better… =)

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Note: In celebration of Independence Day, we’re going “red” this week! Happy 4th!
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I have long despised the concept of DRM (digitial rights management) tagged music. For those not familiar with it, DRM generally locks the music that you have purchased online (such as via iTunes) to a particular player or device and/or limits the number of computers that can play the tracks. Once you’ve exceeded the quota on devices, etc., you’re out of luck. The thing is, you can purchase a CD from the store today, rip it, and have DRM-free music AND a hard-copy. That is why I rarely (if ever) buy full albums online. Not to mention the low bit rates (sound quality) of the tracks, which are usually slightly lower than CD quality. If I can buy a DRM-free CD at Target and rip it at any bit rate I want, why can’t I purchase my music online in the same format?!

Well… now we can! I just read an article that Apple has started selling DRM-free music on iTunes! Woohoo!  Additionally, the new non-DRM tunes are encoded at 256Kbps, which is twice the usual 128kbps bit rate. The only difference is the DRM-free tunes are priced at $1.29 each, which is 30¢ more than usual. You can still buy the cheaper tunes with DRM, but why? Additionally, there is no difference on album prices between DRM-free and with-DRM music. You can also upgrade your existing music inventory to DRM-free versions for 30¢, or $3 per album. I don’t see myself doing that too often, however, as it would get a little pricey. Also note you need iTunes v7.2 for this.

Regardless, this is a GREAT move by Apple! For once they’ve done something I really admire. While they will certainly make more money from it, the fact that consumers once again have control of the music they purchase is awesome. Props to them for taking the first step in the right direction!

Well, I’ve had some time to play around and use Office 2007. Thus far I like it. Microsoft has really made it more friendly and logical for the “every day” user, although it has taken time to adjust to where they’ve moved things.

In fact, I only have two complaints thus far. First, Microsoft Access was NOT backwards compatible for an Access 2003 database I use at home! This was very frustrating. I tried several variations and attempts to upgrade my database, but it acted as if it could not read the data. Additionally, it did not want to run the VBScript that I’ve used for certain elements. This resulted in me re-installing Access 2003. Of course, the upgrade process had hosed the data. Luckily I had a backup. Thank goodness for backups!

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It’s 1:00am, and I am freezing. I’m not freezing by choice, mind you… I am working. I’d much rather be in my warm bed right now and not my cold basement (it’s 16° outside right now, so lord only knows what it is down here). It’s always the “quick jobs” that should only take a half hour or so that end up taking four times that because some stupid system refuses to cooperate. This is driving me so nuts right now, if I were near a squirrel I’d be in danger. Grrr. On call can be soo much fun sometimes.

On the plus side, I’m downloading my FREE copy of Microsoft Office Professional 2007 and Microsoft Office Groove 2007 in the background while I work! That’s right… I said “FREE“. Microsoft is holding launch events all across the US to show off their new products and let IT professionals experience how Microsoft Vista and the Office 2007 applications will empower people. So for a few hours of my time the other morning, I scored a complimentary copy of these programs, currently priced at $438 and $210 on Amazon.com! How sweet is that? Apparently it was a pretty hot ticket to come by. In fact, there were numerous disappointed-looking people on standby or being turned away for being late. It was pretty much standing room only. My only complaint? Would it have killed MS to just give us the CD? The download takes forever.

By the way, my throat is feeling considerably better, but my posterior is still sore. At least my scratchy throat will be gone in time for Superbowl wings and chips. lol! Now… where’s my blanket? =)