Category Archives: Techy Stuff

Changing the look…. AGAIN

Techy Stuff, ,

I updated the look of my blog this afternoon.

I’m now using the WordPress Twenty Thirteen theme that is still under development.  I’m really liking the fun new features WordPress will be introducing in its upcoming 3.6 release, like the different post formats for images, video, audio, etc.

I also disabled the mobile plugin I was using for you iPhone and iPod readers, so you can see my new look  :-)

The header is a lot larger, so I’m working on redoing my images for the random header.

Do you like the new look?

 

What happened to retail sales people?

Techy Stuff, ,

Remember the day when the salesmen knew their products?

I’m researching a new (or refurbished) printer.

A young man working at Staples approached me to assist.  He knew nothing about printers. But worse yet, rather than admitting it, he made it all up.  I asked him to explain the difference between a Laser and LaserJet and he said they are called LaserJets because they are so fast.

I asked him about the information I read that said a colour laser can’t do the photo quality of ink and if I was looking for photo quality I should not go for the colour laser. He said no, colour laser is best, hands down, go for the colour laser.

I asked him about the Brother line of printers. He said, who doesn’t need a brother? Everyone needs another brother.

Every question I had, he deflected with a joke, made up an answer, or worked on reinforcing the difference between ink and toner.

How could you not spend a bit of time LEARNING the products you are trying to sell?  Is it any wonder why people are buying more items online? At least that way we can make informed decisions (reading reviews, comparing products, learning about the features).

I just looked up the review of one of the printers they had on the shelf on their website.  I think the price is a little ridiculous for a LaserJet if you ask me, although the salesman did say they were fast, like a jet.

Staples Printer

Lesson: Stop relying on Google

Techy Stuff, ,

200px-Google_Reader_logoGoogle announced yesterday that they are shutting down Google Reader.

Devastating!!

I use Google Reader as a one stop place to monitor:

  • new blog posts from friends and family
  • to monitor dozens of news sites for forestry news for ForestTalk.com
  • updates from tech and business blogs
  • new post feeds from forums – both my own, forums I visit regularly, and forums I visit only if I see a good topic come up in Google Reader

This is symptom of a growing problem – relying on external services.

RSS feeds aren’t used by the majority of web users, and the number is decreasing, so Google is dropping the service. Unfortunately this is happening after Google obliterated the competition.  There is no other comparable service left in existence.

So many people are using magazine style readers, that organize the feeds you subscribe to into a magazine with blocky layouts, photos, with social sharing built in, including the feature to receive the news based on what other people are reading.  These look pretty on an iPad, but are the symptom of a large problem.

The dumbing down of the world.

I don’t give a hoot what other people are reading.  I want my feeds, I want them in text, and I organized in folders I specify. I want to be able to quickly scan headlines, delete what I’m not interested in, read what looks interesting, and save items for later if they need more attention or follow up.

So I’m done with relying on other companies.

I just downloaded the open source Tiny Tiny RSS software and installed it on my server.  Now I have my own feed reader and I am in control.  I’m only an hour in, but this looks like a solid Google Reader replacement.

With such a growing reliance on external services, people are going to be left high and dry without their data.  I use my own blog to record my life digitally. It is mine, I control the data and how I want it displayed. Everyone who uses Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Instagram to store/share their life updates are going to be left without a legacy.  Mine is in my blog, on my server – I can print it, publish it as a book, store text copies, manage my photos, etc.

And while I’m on a rant roll, and thinking of the dumbing down of the world, how will we ensure our future has any coders?  You don’t have to code anything anymore.  How will these open source projects like Tiny Tiny RSS grow and expand when no one learns how to code anymore?

I use WordPress and Drupal. These tools make it so easy to have a nice website because you don’t have to code. So people don’t. Now you have can a full web empire and never even learn how to edit HTML or CSS.

Scary.

People are so quick to settle on what is available, or what everyone else is using. If I don’t like what I’m dealt, I’m going to find a way to re-code an open source tool, or I’m going to program my own.

I was taught coding starting in grade 7, all the way through high school, and into University.  We started with programming a little toy robot on the classroom floor, teaching it how to get from point A to point B.  I progressed through Basic and Pascal and into complex decision making logic in University. I taught myself more programming languages to do new things, including Perl, PHP, and Javascript. Learning how to code taught me how to problem solve, how to troubleshoot, and how to think!

Here is the best video of the year so far from Code.org:

There is one other Google tool, other than GMail, that I’m overly reliant on, and that is Google News Alerts. I use it to notify me whenever there is news post anywhere on keywords and phrases I choose.  Any ideas for replacement? Because I don’t trust Google to keep this service alive.

Learning more about my genetics and my ancestors

Techy Stuff, , ,


Discover yourself at 23andMeI’ve wanted to do this for years, weighed the pros and cons, and I decided to go for it.

I’m going to have my DNA tested.

Cons

  • finding out I’m more susceptible to specific diseases or ailments – kinda ruins the surprise
  • the conspiracy theory of giving up a sample of my DNA, and tying it to all my person information although if someone wanted it, they could get it in many other ways. 

Pros

  • finding out I’m more susceptible to specific disease or ailments so I can monitor my health or find out if I’m a carrier for 48 different inherited conditions that are currently being tracked if I was ever going to reproduce
  • finding out interesting facts about my ancestors.  I’ll find out how much African, Asian, and European ancestry I have.  I’m guessing I’m 100% European, but will I find out a surprise?
  • After my results are done, I can find relatives who share DNA and ancestors who have also been tested
  • Find out my genetic chance of developing conditions like Type II Diabetes or Alzheimers or having age related macular degeneration
  • Some medications can cause different responses based on DNA variations. Maybe I need to know this

How this works

23andMe sends me a saliva test kit and I will spit a few millilitres into it.  I mail it back to their lab and in 2-3 weeks I receive my results online through my 23andMe online account.

Ongoing research

I can choose to continue to fill in surveys to allow researchers to compare my responses to my genetic data. These are anonymous and optional.

I’ve already started participating in some of the surveys. After I submit a survey, it compares my answers to everyone else who has taken the survey. It is remarkable how many people are on prescription medications or have been treated for depression or are in chronic pain (not me). Other than being overweight, I seem incredibly healthy compared to the rest of the population (so far).

Join Me

Want to join me in this DNA journey?  Right now the service from 23andMe is on sale for a limited time for just $99.
Grow your family tree like never before with 23andMe.com


Find out where your family came from. Which might explain why you are the way you are.

iTunes 11 still not compatible with Windows 8

Techy Stuff, , , ,

I have not been able to open iTunes since I upgraded to Windows 8.

I thought the newly released iTunes 11 would solve the problem, but the result is the same.

I tried some tricks and tips I found online. Still won’t run.  I deleted iTunes, the Control Panel, and even Quicktime and reinstalled iTunes 11.  Still nothing.

Windows 8 betas have been out for months. Why hasn’t Apple tweaked iTunes so it will run on Windows 8?  On purpose? Did Windows 8 tweak its operating systems so iTunes can’t run?

 

My Windows 8 Review

Techy Stuff, ,

Upgrading to Windows 8 took about 90 minutes.

I had read an online review that you get more install choices if you burn the install .iso to a DVD and install from there, so I did.

Everything went smoothly. Nothing lost.

In fact, if you don’t look at the new Windows 8 desktop (the bright colourful blocks on the screen you see in Windows 8 ads) it looks exactly like Windows 7 (minus the Windows start button).

Two things I will miss:

  • I loved the search box in Windows 7 where I could easily find files and programs by typing their name.  Windows said no one used it, so they got rid of it.  Searching is drastically different in Windows 8.  You can search your “Apps” (all your program), your files, or your settings, not all at the same time.
  • Freecell.  Windows 8 killed off all the Microsoft solitaire games. Now I have to go find a free Freecell game in the Windows store. I play Freecell everytime I’m sitting on my computer on the phone. I can’t just sit here.

Once it installed, it was ready to go, but there was no tutorial to tell me exactly what is new.  I stumbled around trying to figure out how to do things.

On this new Windows 8 desktop, there are lots of colourful boxes, some preconfigured for you, some are your own programs, and a bunch are Windows things I’m never going to use.

I don’t need to use their boxes for Mail, Contacts, Chat, People, etc. because I have everything I need in my Google Chrome browser.  The first box I clicked was the weather box, and I had to Google to figure out how to change it to Celcius, it just wasn’t obvious.

Everything is a mixture of right clicks, and placing your mouse in one of the corners of the monitors to bring up the Search, Share, Start, Devices, Tools buttons (apparently called the Charms bar, although I read that elsewhere), and blind luck.

I can see how this is designed for a touch screen. I’ll have to get used to moving my mouse to a screen corner to bring up those buttons.

To get the new Windows 8 desktop back (it doesn’t show all the time), I click the key on my keyboard with the Windows symbol.

These boxes/short cuts on the Windows 8 desktop remind me of Vista with the Google gadgets that were cool at first, but then you realize you don’t need or use or want any of them.

For example, there is a CTV News app from the Windows store.  It uses a screen and has a pretty display with all the headlines.  So would I ever use that? Or just go to CTV in my browser?  If I was on a tablet I’d use it, but I’m on a desktop.  It’s a weird mixture.

In the Windows Store, you can easily access TV shows and movies and purchase them. But it is a little confusing that it brings the word xbox into everything and it isn’t clear to newbies why that is.

Problems I foresee

This is just not an intuitive operating system.  The ultimate gauge of an intuitive system – if I installed this on my mother’s computer, she would be completely lost. So much of the functionality is found by placing your mouse in a specific blind corner. Remember the first time you used iOS on an iPad or iPhone?  You didn’t have to read websites to learn how to use it. You just used it.

Do I regret upgrading?

No. All of my programs work the same way. Wait, it appears my archaic Jasc Paint Shop Pro is not functioning.  That is not good news. I will try to reinstall from disk.

It is just odd to have all the apps here as if I was running this on a tablet instead of a desktop.  I understand that is Windows move to operate on both, but my initial reaction is why would I use any of these apps from the Windows store.  Maybe that will soon change. I’ll let you know.

I’m not convinced I’ve gained anything by upgrading.  That seems to be a problem, doesn’t it?

Future of the Windows Operating System

I’m less and less dependent on Windows. I have never used the Mac OSX either, so I can’t compare. I would like a desktop that syncs with my iPhone and iPad, and Windows 8 doesn’t at all (of course).  I have a big new desktop computer so I am sort of stuck with Windows so I can still operate programs like ArcGIS, and also have multiple drives and multiple monitors and have the ability to upgrade my hardware myself.

Best resources:

Maximize your first 30 minutes with Windows 8 (PC World)
Windows short cut keystrokes (PC World)

Update:

Paint Shop Pro works fine now. Just needed to insert the install disk the first time it ran.

iTunes does NOT run on Windows 8.  This is a problem.

 

Am I about to have many sleepless nights because of this decision?

Techy Stuff, , , ,

I was/am/was 100% against the idea of Windows 8.

But it is Saturday. And it’s rainy. And I needed a new toy to play with.

And I hate taking the word of others. I always like to make up my own mind before I have an opinion. So after reading a few reviews and doing the compatibility check, I just bought Windows 8 Pro for $40 (plus tax) and it is currently downloading.

With our pokey slow internet, and with the file size being 2GB, it might be next week before I can try to install it.

I have zero complaints with Windows 7, but I do love change.

I’m sure, as always, something will go wrong, and I’ll be up all night trying to restore my desktop.

But all my files are safe and secure with Carbonite, so what do I have to lose?

Desperately need new Twitter client – Seesmic is letting me down.

Techy Stuff

I’m a HUGE fan of Seesmic Desktop (version 1).

Unfortunately it was shelved by Seesmic years ago, but the software still worked, until this month with the lastest update of Adobe Air.

I’ve been testing and trying Seesmic Web, Hootsuite, and Tweetdeck, but none of them replace the core functionality I need.

I have 4 twitter accounts.  I need a HOME stream that combines the incoming tweets from all of these account into one stream,

AND

the biggest AND,

I need to have all of my search results delivered to that stream.

Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, and Seesmic Web will only let me start a new column/tab/stream for each search phrase/keyword/hashtag.  This is not workable.  For ForestTalk especially, I need to monitor when anyone tweets about certain places/mills/people/companies.  It isn’t feasible to watch so much screen space, which is why the original Seesmic desktop is so great because I can merge everything I’m monitoring and just have one column to bounce my eye to every couple of minutes.

I don’t know how anyone could be a current events blogger or journalist without this ability. Am I missing something??

If you know of a twitter client with this capability, even if it is a paid solution, please let me know!

My latest web project

Techy Stuff, ,

So what do I do when I’m learning about something new?

I research it like mad and start a new website to share that information with others.

I have a long history with this coping strategy.  That is how Canadian Goldens was created back in 1999.  I knew nothing about dogs and suddenly had a 4 year old Golden Retriever.  I needed one central place to gather information, ask for advice, and lend my support. I quickly found myself in charge of a popular message board where Canadian Golden Retriever owners gather to share their experiences and turn to others for advice.

When Winger was diagnosed with mast cell cancer, I knew I had to put his experience online and gather information about Mast Cell Cancer for others to find and help. I even shared the photos of the large incision he had on his head after he had a surgery to remove a mast cell tumor, and shared the timeline from his first symptoms until his last breath.

I did it again when Surf died and blastomycosis was the suspected cause.  I built the Blastomycosis website and it’s message forum is used regularly by people and pet owners who are facing a new diagnosis of blastomycosis and don’t know where to turn.

That is why ForestTalk exists too.  I found a niche I was fascinated by, so I decided to share the things I learned with others.

I thought for a few weeks on whether I was going to build a site about uterine fibroids.  I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to think about uteruses or fibroids, or why I have this long abdominal scar.

But I caved.

There is just no great website that has all the information about fibroids in one place.

So I’m building it.

Introducing Fibroid Talk – Let’s Talk about our Uterine Fibroids

Between naps this week, I’ve been busy setting it up, configuring it, making it look nice… And now I’m neck deep in research so I can add some solid informative articles before the people come.

And it is changing my life.

Today I’ve learned all about estrogen, the liver, and all the extra estrogen our bodies are bombarded with, and how increasing estrogen levels promote the growth of uterine fibroids.

I studied how to regulate estrogen levels, how to treat my liver right (where estrogen is metabolized), and learned that practically everything on the list of foods to avoid in order to balance estrogen levels are food items that I consume regularly.

Could making this new website be a life saver?

We’ll see.

Until then I’ll keep researching and building this site.  Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be ready to release it to the world and attract visitors and potential message board members. I hope it will be as helpful to others as my other website communities have been.

Feel free to take a sneak peak.

I did it!! I installed a new power supply!

Techy Stuff, ,

I’m on top of the world right now.

I disconnected the power supply in my desktop and installed my new one!

My new power supply is the Corsair Professional HX850W 850W. Luckily I went with a big case when I put this system together last year so I had lots of room for maneuvering.

So first, I got Jeff to carry my computer out to the dining table so I had lots of room to work. (Confession: The case is too heavy for me to safely walk across the house.)

Then I labelled every internal power cable with masking tape as I unplugged them, just in case I had any problems later.

Corsair really does a nice job packing up their power supplies.  This new one has some permanent connections, and then the rest are modular, which is soooo nice. The modular cords came in a nice velcro black bag, and the power supply box with attached cords were in a black velvet, Crown Royal type of bag.  Really classy.

So I looked over the old power supply and cords and figured out what I would need from the modular cords, then I installed the power supply and ran the cords out the back hole.  The new power supply came with new zip ties, so I very neatly ran all the cords and secured them with zip ties.  Everything went smoothly.

I had to research one connection.  My video card, a GeForce GTX 580, requires an 6+2 pin PCI-E connection, and a 6 pin PCI-E connection. Both of the PCI-E cables from the new hard drive are 6+2, so I didn’t need the extra +2.  According to hardware websites I could find, it is safe to leave the +2 dangling.  I carefully pulled it back and zip tied it against the cable so it wouldn’t move around or make any connection anywhere.

The first time I fired it up, there was an awful rubbing noise.  Turns out I had one cable a little loose at the top and it was rubbing on the fan on the top/back, so I just had to move a bit and I’m back in action!

I’m so relieved to have my computer back up and running. I missed these beautiful monitors.