Archive for the ‘Computers’ Category
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
Since I got this new business class broadband connection (about an hour now), I have noticed a nice increase in internet speed. By the way, I figured out how to set up my static IP address. It really wasn’t hard. Sorry Hannigan, no call today.
Anyway, since I am blazing fast now, I decided to check out my actual upload and download speed. How did I do this? Well, I hopped over to SpeedTest.net and did my thing. You can visit them and follow the very simple instructions to check your own broadband speed. Here, take a look at my results…
I think that’s pretty good, but I don’t have anything to compare it to. I’ve never done this with any of my earlier connections. Now I wish I had. Boy, there’s got to be someone out there who can tell me if thi is fast or not…
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Thursday, May 1st, 2008
I am not sure if I previously mentioned this or not, but I am now in need of business class internet service, because I now require a static IP address.
The guys from Comcast just left. They switched our services from residential TV, cable and internet to just residential TV and cable and now business internet. They did a bunch of stuff, but the main thing was to set up another modem downstairs, alongside the old one and the router.
I already see a speed increase with downloading my files. I just happen to be in the middle of a big download, and strangely enough, the connection didn’t break…it just got faster. I have yet to set up the router to work with the static IP, but have found the support page that tells me how to do it. We are going out for a little while and I’ll give it a shot when we get back.
One thing I am going to do is the create a screen capture of the original settings, just in case I screw up. I am also going to have Hannigan’s number on hand. Hopefully he is familiar with Linksys routers.
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Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Well, I hate to say it, but we may have a picture”less” blog here. I have been having trouble uploading photos into this version of Wordpress (2.5 and 2.5.1).
Before we moved, everything was fine. After we moved, I remember starting up the computer and Firefox wanted me to install the recently downloaded upgrade, so I did. Since then, I haven’t been able to upload any photos into Wordpress. When I try, either it continues to say, “crunching” or I get an error that says, “HTTP error.”
Just to see what would happen, I tried to upload photos by using Internet Explorer (IE) on my laptop. Everything worked fine. This leads me to believe it’s an issue between Firefox and Wordpress 2.5.
Any suggestions are welcome.
By the way, I just upgraded to the latest version of Wordpress and the problem persists.
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Friday, April 25th, 2008
Back in the old house, we had DSL for about 2 1/2 years. It worked well with only a few minor issues. Towards the end, I did begin inquiring about more upload and download speed. I called Frontier and they said I was maxed out…that’s all they had. The reason I needed more speed is because I have a few weekly chores I need to do which required downloading about a gig’s worth of files. It has gotten pretty nonsensical.
Yesterday, we had the guy from Comcast cable come over to hook up the TV, phone and internet package. After a while, he got it all hooked up. I did some work last night and then some again this morning, but didn’t notice all that much more speed. I think the DSL we had before had a download speed of 1.5 Mbps (short for megabits per second). I am not sure what we have now, but I do know that a file that used to take about 10 minutes to download now takes about 3. That makes my life doing chores a heck of a lot faster. I think I heard something about 6 Mbps, but I’m not sure.
Come to find out, after talking to my hosting company today, I need a static IP address, not a dynamic one. This is for one reason or another. I called Comcast regarding this and was connected to the business area. I may have to get my package split up…the internet under a business account and the TV and phone under a residential account. They are going to call me on Monday.
What’s the point of this post? I think cable is faster than DSL.
Ok, bye.
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Thursday, April 17th, 2008
Boy, what a past couple of days. I have been getting some additional hardware installed on my servers and it has been keeping me very busy with support tickets and phone calls. Let’s just say that once you make the jump to the real deal, things require more attention. There are some clear benefits that I am going to have to implement soon, such as server clustering. I am just laying the groundwork for them now. Let’s just say it’s been a learning experience.
That’s not what this post is about though…that’s just what keeps me up at night. This post is about the 2GB of Kingston RAM I purchased the other day for my desktop.
I have been doing some reading on Windows Vista lately and the common thread is that you need a mainframe to run it. Not really, but you get the picture. The good ol’ days of thinking you were king with 2GB of RAM are over. Now, 4GB is more like the norm.
Since my machine came with 2GB already installed and 4 slots to put RAM in, I decided to get 2 more. I got them from Circuit City and popped them in. I started the computer up and really didn’t notice all that much of a difference. Some things are faster and some things (like Outlook) were much faster. Outlook now flies for some reason. The RAM I got is the Kingston 1GB, DDR2, PC2-5300, 667MHz. This RAM is backwards compatible with the 533MHz already installed. After I restarted the computer again, things seemed to pick up some so now the computer runs more like my old XP machine did.
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Saturday, April 12th, 2008
I ran out to Circuit City this morning to pick up a new router and wireless card for my desktop computer. We already had a wireless router, but I am afraid that one won’t go the distance in a larger house. Also, I wanted to make my computer wireless like Laura’s and the laptop.
When I got to the store, I browsed through the equipment. I had some stuff in my hand, but then started really looking through everything else. As I understand it, there are a few different speeds and ranges that routers and cards offer. There is the “b” speed that came out first. Then, there is the “g” speed that is now a few years old and a lot faster than the “b.” I thought that was as fast as things got, so that is what I was looking for. After reading boxes for a bit, I realized there is now a “n” speed. This offers 4X the range and 12X the speed of “g.” That’s what I’m talkin’ bout.
I bought the WMP300N Wireless-N PCI Adapter here…
…that came with this massive antenna…
Now, that’s no wimpy little antenna that sticks out of the back of my computer. That sucker sits on top.
The recommended product to go with this card is the WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router, which I got too. Now, remember, this router offers 4X the range and 12X the speed of its predecessor. It will also wash your hair in the morning. Here’s a pic…
I hooked everything up and it works well. I like the fact that there is a security feature that stops my neighbors from using my far reaching bandwidth. If you want to connect to my network, you need a long password key. I already set all the computers up with it. I don’t notice any extra speed with my current DSL because I was hardwired into my old router, but once we make the switch to cable, we should see a big jump.
Please write your opinions on this topic, I will try not to argue.
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Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Top 15 Unexpected Uses For Biodiesel
While virtually everyone is familiar with the use of biodiesel as a substitute for diesel fuel, there are a few novel uses that may not have crossed your radar. Biodiesel can produce hydrogen, clean up oil spills, degrease your tools, heat your home, and more.
Does the Human Brain Possess Potential Super-Powers?
Some of the most incredible minds on Earth lack the ability to filter irrelevant facts and can retain information at incredible rates. Somehow their brains are able to store & access incredible loads of info, even perceiving & relating to this info in an entirely different way. Some scientists even believe that our brains could possess super-power.
Top 10 2008 Hybrids
Hybrid rankings have often been simplistic: Most are little more than lists of the highest-mileage models on the market. Here, we ranked hybrids based on how much fuel savings they get when compared to their non-hybrid version, as well as how much all that saved gas is going to cost you.
Vista SP1: Threat or Menace?
But given how customers who have upgraded from XP have struggled with driver and application incompatibilities, it’s no surprise that many are gun-shy of the latest update.
Paint on Solar Power!
The idea is to coat every piece of steel cladding with a solar cell paint. As steel is passed through the rollers multiple coatings of of the solar cell system are applied to it. Based on the preliminary research, the materials that are being applied are suited to capturing low level solar radiation, which means that they should work just as well.
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Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
As I mentioned somewhere along the way, I ran out of USB ports on my computer a while back. Now that I have the web cam, camera, backup drive and USB backup drive, I am really running out of them. I am also getting a little tired of getting up to switch out USB cables…so, I did something about it.
Today, I recieved my new Nexxtech USB 2.0 7-Port USB Desktop Hub. Ya like that? This USB hub has seven ports on it. That is really good. I am currently using only two of them, but I am sure that will grow. The reviews on this item were good, with only one area that people didn’t like. As you will see in the photo below, there are some pretty bright lights on it. Some people say these lights keep them up at night. Some other people say they use these lights as a night light. Either way, we keep our computers out of the bedroom, so I don’t think there will be a problem.
There are four ports in the back of this unit and three on the top. I guess people plug the more permanent things in the back and use the top three for the swappable devices. I am not too sure. All I know is that seven ports should be good for me.
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Saturday, February 16th, 2008
This morning, the nice UPS man dropped off a little package for me at the door. This has been a busy week for him, because I ordered four things. It’s not my fault, I just keep coming up with these great ideas.
In case you were curious, he dropped off the webcam I told you about in my last post. I was fairly excited to hook it up, but since the whole webcam thing happened yesterday, I already knew what to expect. The webcam I ordered was the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. Here are the features as per the Logitech website:
* Carl Zeiss® optics: Get more detail and clarity from Carl Zeiss® optics. Logitech’s glass lens designed in collaboration with Carl Zeiss®, the global leader in camera optics.
* Premium autofocus: Your images stay razor-sharp, even in close-ups.
* HD video: Video calling and sharing has never looked so real at 960 by 720 pixels.
* Higher megapixel performance: A true two-megapixel sensor. Up to eight-megapixel* photos (enhanced).
* RightLightâ„¢2 Technology: Adjusts intelligently to produce the best possible images in dimly lighted or poorly backlighted settings.
* Integrated microphone with RightSoundâ„¢ Technology: Enjoy crystal clear conversations, free from echo** and annoying background noise.
* Ultra-wide field of view and intelligent face tracking: Keeps you right in the middle of the action.
I installed the software and hooked it up. I went through all the setting and then plugged in the USB cord (of which ports I have run out of). Then, I saw myself…about 20X more clear than yesterday. Wow. The lighting is really good as compared to the lighting yesterday. The clouds may have caused that. This one is two megapixels and has a nice microphone. It was built just for the purpose I am going to use it for…talking to James.
Now, I am just waiting for Stephanie to call me so I can try it out live.
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Friday, February 15th, 2008
This is pretty neat. The other day, I was fooling around with my laptop. I noticed that it had a built in webcam, but had no idea how to use it. There didn’t seem to be any program associated with it.
I emailed my sister, Stephanie, and asked her to look into this because she has a very similar laptop. We got them at about the same time (I am actually writing a post from it for the first time). A few days later, she told me she figured out how to use the webcam. She said any program that needed it would automatically use it. Cool, I thought.
Around the same time I was fooling around with the webcam, I downloaded and installed Skype. I told Stephanie about it and she downloaded it as well. Basically, (if you aren’t familiar with what Skype is), Skype is a program that allows you to talk to a computer from your own computer. It also allows for video communication. I wasn’t having much luck trying to call Stephanie through Skype because she wasn’t logged in.
Today, I was just sitting there doing some work on my computer, when I heard this weird noise coming from my computer. It was sort of like a phone ringing. Then, I saw this box in the middle of my screen…it told me that Stephanie was trying to call. I clicked the green button to allow her to connect. I faintly heard Stephanie trying to talk, when I saw this little box pop up. It was a video of her and my nephew, James, sitting at the table looking at her laptop. They were waving and saying something I couldn’t hear. I starting laughing with such joy. I know that sounds lame, but it was really exciting. I started yelling at my computer, “Hey, can you hear me…CAN YOU HEAR ME???” She couldn’t hear anything, or see anything for that matter, so she ended the call. I didn’t have a webcam or a microphone on that computer. I instantly picked up the phone and called her. She answered and I started yelling, “I saw you. I saw you and James!!!” She was pretty damn excited. I got on my laptop and asked her to call back.
To make a long story short, we “video talked” about four times today. I got to see Steve, Steph, Storm, James, Matthew, my mother and my father. That was a thrill. I carried my laptop around the house and showed them all my stuff. All for free. Skype doesn’t charge for computer to computer calls. I think this is very cool.
Anticipating this, I already ordered a nice video webcam from Circuit City a few days ago. I am going to hook that one up to my desktop. I have to get a headset for that computer as well. I think this is going to come in handy when I have to talk to people from now on.
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