Everything works better and start up and shut down is fantastically fast. However, from mid March until today I have NOT BEEN ON THE INTERNET. So, I can’t wait to see how long my updates take and how many of them there are. I can confirm that Win 10 (another upgrade from Win 7) went as smoothly, though they were struck with a bad virus in the early days of working on it and we had to work to get the virus off. Hours and hours of AVAST repair. It is working, though we discovered old hard disk with errors and I have this feeling that this is a common occurrence. I recommend copy all of your most precious data files (movies, photos and books), to an external hard drive (we use passport) so if the worst happens (tornado, flood, etc.) you can carry them in your bug out bag.
Category: Tech Head
2015-12-23 Fitness Bracelet Battles?
What does the war between Garmin’s Vivosmart HR and Fitbit Charge HR have to do with HR? Nothing, except it came up in my search for the latest HR news, oops. Therefore, I categorized this under Health AND Human Resources. Part of the function of the Human Resources HR is to work on the wellness of the employees. I am personally interested, though I do not need another device, I think it is cool and would like to ‘challenge’ my family and coworkers. I am ‘guessimating’ my exercise now. I like the idea of people challenging themselves to better health.
Updated 06/11/2016: This last March I ended up purchasing the UnderArmour Wristband for tracking my exercise, sleep, heart rate and activity. I am really glad I did, because I am much better at getting up off my feet and staying healthier because I “keep moving”. [The message appears and the wrist band vibrates whenever I remain still for 60 minutes. How cool is that?!]
https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/ua-band
2015-11-10 Chromebook for Christmas
I got a great deal on a Samsung Chromebook (through Amazon). Merry Christmas to me.
Updated 2015-12-23
I got a new chromebook with my christmas money and I love it. The battery last longer, the usb ports are easier to get to and it is a little faster. All the settings/apps and everything from my old chromebook (google+) account is exactly the same. I set up another account on the old one and voila I am in business again with out a hiccup. The problem is that everyone else I know is so used to windows world, where they sit and wait and wait and wait, that they do not want to use the old one. Well, there is a bit of a learning curve. It’s so great to be able to turn it on and seconds later be on the internet and not have to worry about security and updates so much. Don’t get me wrong, updates do happen but they are so not intrusive, I barely even notice. All my ‘data’ is on the cloud or on flash drives that I swap in and out. I am planning to update my Win7 desktop early next year, to Win 10. I am enjoying the peace of having a nice holiday with out UPDATE headaches.
2015-08-08 Win 10 Update
I had a conversation with Lenovo today and I will get Windows 10 for my “desktop” machine soon! Finally found a way to get an answer quickly, without having to search around the manufacturer’s website. Bravo, Lenovo!
”
*** D: Thank you for choosing Lenovo Chat.
*** D: Good morning, ***!
****D: How are you today?
*****H: You’re welcome. I have Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p with Win 7 downgraded from Win 8.1. I want to run Win 10? Will I be able to?
**** D: yes
*****H: Ok! Should I wait for notification from Lenovo or check with Microsoft?
*** D: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
****H: Thanks for your help. I love my machine.
2015-03-09 eBook Basics
I am working on ‘beta’ test of ebook using html5 and converting to epub format using Calibre. Sound easy? Yesterday I spent around 5 hours working on Chapter graphics using InspirARTion to make “sign” [symbols] for words in international sign language, that I placed on the “eye” of an animal for the character. Sounds strange, I realize, but if you are looking for unique representations, hey, I got that! Today I am adding links to the text for single rope techniques and rescue litters for the story. I hope to finish early next month so I can get my editors (family members) to review the text. The application will build a baseline for epublication of ‘our’ writings. It is fun, entertaining and hopefully profitable at some point. Ironically, I am going to need a little income if I am to pay for health care coverage in my old age. This life is not anywhere near what I thought it would be like. I was hoping for less complicated when I got older. Alas, it is not to be. Still, it is healthier to have goals and keep working towards them. Is the kindle format of ‘epub’ the most popular of the ebook formats? I do not know, but I like the HTML editor in Calibre. As soon as I get some $, I will make a donation to them. Calibre is a good ebook management system. P.S. I also used google slides to put together images with drawings and create my book *.png(s). It was fun once I got the hang of it. Check out this example.
2015-01-20 New Year Updates
Good news! I have finished backups, then successfully installed QB 2015 desktop version and ArtRage 4.5 for Win7. (Win 8 downgraded.) All updates and backups (after) and tested software and we are good to go. However, upgrading network put us back a bit. The network connection goes up and down (between 3 and 4 or 4 and 5 bars) and is getting stuck. I believe we are going to have to optimize the channels again. This is goofy to continue to have to do this, but our neighborhood is crowded. And since we have repeaters (boosters) we have to set all devices on one channel to get it the LAN to perform consistently instead of allowing auto channel selection based on performance. I do not know what channel the technician actually set it too, but I do remember having this issue last time. Mmmmh, well, you would think that I would get better at this, but, no. Fortunately, I do take notes. Maybe I will get to it tomorrow. I will stay in the now for a while and be glad that at least we are still connected! I am looking forward to new QB which looks really different. As for ArtRage, it seems to be more responsive, but virtually the same. I start working (drawing) in other words playing and I will be there for hours, ha!
2014-09-02 Cloud Printer
I have the software loaded on my PC and my Win7 PC scans and prints okay, but when I went to use the Cloud Print feature for my (our) devices: “Oh, my …” There are many security issues to deal with, especially dealing with photos and I do not want to “share” my pics, though we are all fully clothed. I am studying the instructions carefully. Didn’t it used to be simpler? Does anyone really understand how to use the cloud? Time for another adventure, lol.
[Question: Why take the time when you can make do without? Will the convenience be worth the risk in the long run? Still working on the answers. In the meantime, copy to flash drive and voila – printing without risks.]
2014-07-31 Remotely Access Computer
I have made good progress. My tiny desktop (downgraded Win7 from Win8) is set up and all needed software put on – easy and fast to use. I have a wireless keyboard, but have yet to install wireless monitor (received a few days ago) to the system. I went through all the howtos for remotely accessing my computer using my chromebook and did not get any to work. Here’s the conceptual problem, the more you disable security (e.g. open ports, etc.) the more vulnerable you are and the less the more likely you are to be unsuccessful. Most of what I want is to be able to sign on and use the database/HD storage from another room. It is quiet enough to keep running all the time for a server and use to record/develop ideas, plans, writing and drawing as it happens, but the more I use the machine, the more time I have to diagnose problems and download updates, etc. I do not even know if I want to set up as LAN or put on internet for access from anywhere, yet. I need a plan. Time to study the details. I am just about to get focused on the problem. Target mid August for resolution(s). Here are links with best information, so far.
https://www.howtogeek.com/142146/how-to-use-google-chrome-to-remotely-access-your-computer/
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375210,00.asp
https://philliprearick.hubpages.com/hub/Chrome-Remote-Desktop-Tutorial
2014-06-03 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tiny Desktop
You should check this out. Mounts to the wall – add wireless keyboard mouse and wireless monitor(?) and I am ready to rock and roll in new world. This item which is at the top of my shopping list:
Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tiny Desktop.
2014-06-03 Water Conservation
Did I tell you about how I almost spent my summer? :
“…. While purpose of the study is to provide more water for the trees, I hope to answer other questions. Do plants in similar environments develop better root systems alone or in competition? Do the recommended soil amendments vary across the back of the yard? Measuring and meeting the watering needs of similar plants in similar soils should provide results indicating the benefits of shade and the range of water usage. I hope that the benefits of knowing which plants grow best in different locations using the least amount of water should prove valuable information. In addition, I hope to optimize soil nutrient and utilize water more efficiently in the future. ”
On a study designed to measure water usage in the back yard.
“…. the wireless monitoring device [Koubachi K002 Outdoor Wi-Fi Plant Sensor] will be tested, materials ordered, and seedlings gathered. I propose to provide one wireless monitoring device in each of the experimental plant pots to maximize the information obtained from this study. This wireless device will allow much faster and improved data collection for each individual plant, including light, temperature and water. “