computer

Dawin Lives To Compute Again

 

Now I just need to work on cable management a bit.   The new power supply I purchased was a total dud. It started making funny noises yesterday morning so I removed it and took it back to the store.  I spent yesterday morning researching power supplies. I decided to go with a NZXT HALE80 850-M – I know TMI.

I picked up a new rear fan while I was at the store. The one that was in the case when I got it really was loud and a silly speed switch on it. Running the fan speed control from the MB it is silly to have manual control because you need to leave it on high and sometimes the board can not control the speed of the fan correctly.  Now I have good positive air flow and the ambient case temps are way down – yeah.

One of these days I should probably remove the CPU heat sink and fan and turn it around the correct direction.  I just really dislike applying thermal paste.

What I have learned about power supplies:

Don’t assume the one installed originally is the correct size

Don’t be a tight wade and buy the the bare minimum required watt PS as I did last year.

Don’t ever ever buy a crap Raidmax 1000 gold cert because well talk about a fast death (four days) and after reading test results done by those who do such things…. mistake trying to save some bucks.

It takes ~ 5 mins to remove a power supply and  a few hours to install a new one – go figure?

Always have spare’s for the teenie tiny screws otherwise I spend 20 mins hunting through the carpet – twice.

Sort of, Kind of, Maybe?

f/6.3, 1/800 sec, at 300mm, 450 ISO, on a NIKON D7000

f/6.3, 1/800 sec, at 300mm, 450 ISO, on a NIKON D7000Well I am almost afraid to say that I think I have finally gotten all the computers back up.  The my pal Darwin (i7 machine) has been hanging in there and passed all the stress tests I can throw at it.  The Scout build finally received the attention long over due, and the old XP machine is still plugging along. After much brain drain they are now communicating with each other again. I am not sure if it was something I did or if they just decided they wanted to chatter away in bits and bytes.

The semester started so I am back to going to PE each morning.  Tuesday we just filled out the usual legal forms etc..  There is all sorts of construction on the campus going on and it makes parking an adventure that pegs my frustration meter into the red.  It was nice to see some of the folks that are regulars there – guess I am one now too.

It is raining tonight after a long dry spell I am enjoying the first rain smell. Catfish is cuddled up next to me waiting for the chow call.  Annie dog – and yes I know this sounds so – so well anyway she ate our lotto ticket LOL. KRP bought one yesterday. It is a good thing none of the numbers came up. First time I was glad the ticket was a loser.

 

 

 

Update for Now

f/7.1, 1/1250 sec, at 260mm, 140 ISO, on a NIKON D7000

f/7.1, 1/1250 sec, at 260mm, 140 ISO, on a NIKON D7000Many things have been keeping me from posting. The first – crazy computer problems.

The computer my friend gave me last year had a slight break in a seem of the case. It apparently ripped further from the weight of the top graphic card.  The card shorted out I think? Any way I removed the card and am running off the other one. When I removed the card I pulled the power and ugh oh my bad the cmos battery was dead so . … nuff said about computer one.

I have not turned on computer two for over a month maybe longer. When it booted up the virus program refused to run or reinstall. I finally gave up on messing with it and did restore of the computer. Ha ha the virus program still will not install. So next thing on the list is to contact the vendor – oh happy joy joy :(.

I am thinking I need to save up and buy a new case, get the first graphic card tested, etc.

We have made a couple of trips since I last posted. One to the Vic Fazio Wildlife refuge with my friend Mikey and another to the San Pablo refuge area with KRP.

If I ever get my computers up and running properly I will post some pics. I just spent the last few days backing up everything since my last back up. It took 39 DVD’s for the pics from 2011 and four for what I have for 2012. I so need to remember to backup the photos when I get them off the camera. Procrastination bit me in the arse so maybe I will remember to do it!

I have been experimenting with different ways to feed the little birds outside my front window. I can not put up a bird feeder – one it against the association rules – two the kids just tear them down.  I made some little seed things using dried bagels. I coated them with peanut butter and then rolled them in seeds.  The birds loved them but the kids pulled them down. When I put a pan out with seed the gardeners removed the pan and tossed it. If I remember to bring it in every Tuesday morning it might work?  The man who was feeding the birds and squirrels died last month so I have been trying to take over as they are used to having some extra food provided.

Catfish has been doing good lately. He has taken to sitting on the bed and watching out the window. He barks at other four legged creatures and people as they walk by. He still comes into the room here and sleeps at my feet. The good thing is that he has been eating better and not getting sick – yeah!  Annie is her usual self – all lab LOL.

Hope to post more later. Take care.

Plugs and Plus

cable mess

cable messKilling time seems to be what each day has been about lately.  The Adaptive PE class starts again on the 22nd.  I will miss not having to watch the clock or tossing and turning in bed worried that I need to get some rest. Not having somewhere I am suppose to be means I can just read and eventually I will get some sleep. Having to get up and ready and head out for class kind of takes that freedom away.  On the other side having somewhere to go provides a routine –  some normalcy and socialization.

I have made some progress figuring out my smart phone.  All the little apps, how it hooks up to the internet, etc. just amazes me.  Turning on the television and having it communicate with my computer and in turn the home phone . …  this stuff should be easy but things that I think should be can turn my mind to mush nowadays. There is so much technology out there that has the potential to help but it seems the folks that “get it” do not get that while my mind takes longer to connect it does not mean I am stupid.  I know what needs to be done, I might even know how to do it, I just can not quite get there sometimes

The new G+ social network is pulling me in. What I like about it is first off and foremost is that it is NOT Facebook! I do not have spend time blocking stupid game announcements (those of  you who love the games please do not take offense) I do not give a rats arse that you scored and if I wanted to play I would be playing.  While I appreciate that someone I have never met or conversed with considers me worthy of a beating heart I do not want to allow access to my info and send back a heart so it beats faster.  I grew tired of the spam generated every time I logged in.

I like that I can carry on a conversation without the 140 character limit that twitter has.  I liked twitter until it was inundated with businesses mining for potential clients. I finally set my account to private so I did not have to block all the folks wanting to follow to gain info on me and in turn spam me.

Right now G+ requires you use your real name and a gmail account when you sign up. So using a nickname is out. Some major players have had their accounts deleted because they signed up using their nicknames.  Right or wrong the banter seems to be more civil. It took me a bit to figure out how to message to one person, how to control who sees what, but control I have! I see G+ as having a great potential for group sharing and perhaps not as much one for individual sharing.  Firing up the web cam in a hangout and joining in can be fun.

I hope the G+ people keep out the business accounts and the political organizations too. Less noise.  I have seen a few of you there and maybe more of you will give it a go. If you are just creating the account to promote your site/blog  and do not participate in the conversations you will find your icon dragged out of my active circles and into a holding one.  If you are using G+ and I have not found you let me know.  Need an invite? Same deal let me know I have a few left. I really think the potential here to create a game, heart, site promoting, wall free community can happen here. Then again it is in beta stage so who knows they might just go and change it all up to appease the big business.

I have been plugging along slowly trying to get some cable management happening here before I trip on or hook one and all the stuff goes flying. It is taking some time numb hands and all.  I tell you I should have recorded some of this as I would have some great fall boom shots along with many WTF looks on my face.

Till the next time.