http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/ Tech Support Forum is a free computer support center for everyone. From Microsoft to Linux we support it all. en Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:57:09 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.techsupportforum.com/cwd/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/ http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/80-how-times-flies.html Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:49:07 GMT ... Even when you aren't having fun. School is out for the summer, and I'm back at work full time. Which is a good thing being I need some money. So little money, but so much to spend it on. Sure, not all of it is a need, but you have to have some fun, but the need things are a biggie. I just got two 500 Gig hard drives in my main computer, my desktop Mac, and did a striped raid. So I now have a 1 Tb drive. the 300 Gig wasn't cutting it. But what a pain it is to start over, doing all the updates and things, and it just told me that the main OS update, all 527Mb of it couldn't be saved because the key didn't match, but it still wants to restart. Grr, it took it almost an hour to download too, now I have to do it over again. And I haven't even transfered over the 250 Gig worth of stuff from the drive I replaced. Sigh. It'll be a long night tonight. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/80-how-times-flies.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/66-does-anyone-really-read.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:53:16 GMT Because I'd like to know. If I knew I had readers, I'd put more of an effort to post. Well, when last I posted, my son had learned first hand the effects of gravity. He has since had the staples removed, and is doing just fine. There is still a slight lump there, but hopefully it'll go in time. The rest of that week wasn't much better. My dear friend texted me a couple days later saying she was on her way to urgent care. She had been rear ended at full speed, by a teen without insurance or license. Her poor little Saturn did it's best to protect her, but she still got whiplash bad, and now has some major back pain. The good news is that she is getting better, howbeit very slowly, which isn't the speed at which she likes to move. Anywho, it's late, and I should be going to bed, as I have school tomorrow, and I need all the rest I can get so as to refresh my mind. This physics class is just killing my brain. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/66-does-anyone-really-read.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/62-garfield-right.html Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:02:54 GMT Mondays are not a day to reckon with. It seemed to start out any other day, even like most mondays of the past. It was rainy, I got up early so that I could drop my son off at his mother's and then make it to my 1st class on time. I even ended up being a little early and got to watch some Cardcaptor Sakura on my iPod and chatted with my close friend for a few minuets. Then I ran through my 4 classes, and home for lunch, than off to work. Well, I wasn't even there of an hour when I get a call from the ex-wife, and she start talking about my son and hitting his head, and paramedics......PARAMEDICS!!! So I go running off to get him, and when I see him, he's covered with dry blood. So off to urgent care. To make a long story short, after a couple of hours and several phone calls later, we make it home, and he has 3 staples in the back of his head. My understanding is that he was in the playland of a local fastfood joint, where one's shoes must be off, and while his mother was trying to get them back on, he didn't want them, so he pushed against her, thus sliding his hinny off the seat, allowing gravity to do it's favorite thing of bringing things down, upon which the back of his head met the bench behind him. And to add the cherry on top of the day, it was rainy the whole day, my treasured umbrella broke, and my car started making a funny noise. * sigh * Well, the little guy is sleeping soundly, and should be fine, as long as we make sure to clean his dressings a couple times a day. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/62-garfield-right.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/58-other-rant.html Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:52:38 GMT ...I have is about O-gauge model trains. Once upon a time, they were simple things. Turn the power on, they'd go forward, and you turn the power off and back on, and next they'd go backward. Forward and backward, that's it. As I have said, I had one of those, and I gave my son one too. But in the process of getting his ready, I realized how much I missed playing with these things. They are nice and big, go round and round, and are loud AC motors. I do have a bunch of HO and N scale trains, but they are small and fragile. They have to be set up on the table, and aren't becoming to setup and tear downs. Well, I wanted a big one too. I dug out my old locomotive, and it still didn't want to go much. So what do I do, I goto ebay, and start looking at some. There are lots of old ones, but they look, well, like old ones. And the nice ones cost way too much, so I start looking at newer ones. And would you know it, I find one I like. I bid, and win. Now what? Only then do I start researching these things. And what do I learn? It's a computer dressed up like a locomotive! (Now at this point, it seems to me that I have told all about this before, so if I have, please forgive me, I'm sure over the course of my blog I'll repeat myself many a time.) Argh! Now I have to buy a special transformer to even get the locomotive to run right. So another ebay purchase. The locomotive came thursday, and the transformer came today. This thing literally has all the bells and whistles, and it smokes, goes chuff-chuff, and makes station announcements! Luckily it does have a volume knob, and a smoke off switch. And I can program it to just go forward. Only one problem, it has an internal rechargeable battery that is needed to keep and even adjust settings, and this thing is close to 10 years old, so it is dead. Now I have this locomotive sitting here next to my computer on my desk charging, just so that I can use it. *sigh* Looking at the bright side, now that I've got one, any more that I'll buy I'll already know what I'm getting into. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/58-other-rant.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/57-qwest-broke.html Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:37:00 GMT ...And I was able to do more to fix the issues they introduced than all of their tech support. This is a rant, so be warned! To cut to the chase, we were having problems with our phone service, can during one of many calls, they told us that we could upgrade to faster internet for less, and they... ...And I was able to do more to fix the issues they introduced than all of their tech support. This is a rant, so be warned! To cut to the chase, we were having problems with our phone service, can during one of many calls, they told us that we could upgrade to faster internet for less, and they gave us a number to call to get it. We called and were told that it wasn't available in our area. On another call on account of our phone, we were again told that we could get faster for less. We told them what had happened when we called, and he said if we'd wait, he'd check again to make sure. He came back, said it was available, and if we wanted it, he'd put the order in himself. We asked if it'd work with our router, and he said it would, so we did it, and he told us that a new modem would be on the way, and not to plug it in until thursday after 5pm. Well, wednesday at about 11pm, our current internet quit working. So at a little after 5, we plugged in the new modem, and it wouldn't connect. After some almost an hour with tech support, they said we needed to connect the modem directly to the computer, and not the router, and to run the software that came with the modem. That then got the modem to connect, and after plugging the router back in, we had some internet, but email didn't work. Another call and they told us that they hadn't used the type of email we were using in a long time, but until wednesday night, we had been using it just fine!. To shorten this rant, most of our computers would not connect to the internet, unless they were given a manual ip address. A week later, after many calls to Qwest, with no help, I was poking around in the modem configs, I figured out why, the modem was a router too, and it was trying to assign ip addresses too, in the same range our router was. So after reconfiguring the modem and router to different ranges, wham, supper fast internet! But the email still didn't work, and neither did anything they told us to do. My dad figured out that it didn't work with Outlook, any version we had, on his desktop, or laptop. But he had linux on his laptop too, and with Eclipse in linux, it worked fine!?! So we know its some Windows issue of some kind. Well, he has a gmail account, and I asked if Outlook would get his gmail, and he said he hadn't tried it yet. So I showed him how to get it, and there have been no problems getting and sending gmail. So we set gmail up to get mail from his old email, and then we get it from gmail, and all is well. In time he'll just quit checking his old email from Qwest and be on our way. With all the lame customer service we've had with Qwest, and other stories I've heard, I'm surprised that they are still a main player in services. Rant over, and by the way, welcome to 2008! ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/57-qwest-broke.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/51-last-post.html Tue, 01 Jan 2008 05:57:51 GMT Of this year! Ya, I know I haven't been doing all that great this year, more likely last month and a half anyway. And I don't promise that next year will be any better, as I know it won't be. But hey, I'm here, and if you really go out of your way to check on me, then let me know (or get a real life). I do have some rants in the works, one is mostly over, and I'll post it in the next week or so. The other is still on going, but you'll hear about it I'm sure. And I have school coming up that'll take most of my time, so next year is really going to be an adventure. But then, if life isn't then you need a new life. Enjoy this last night, and may next year bring you happiness. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/51-last-post.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/48-im-done.html Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:45:46 GMT Well, I got my son's train all ready for Christmas now. Everything is set for that morning. I have wrapped some of the cars and got them under the tree, and the rest are hiding till Christmas Eve night for me to set up so that in the morning I can plug it in and turn it on. He loves cars too, so I was able to get a grade crossing for him, now as his train is going round and round, cars can cross the track. I can see him now, sitting in the middle of the track oval with the train going, and his cars that he gets from Grandma and Grandpa making a mad dash over the tracks just being missed by the speeding train. And then him getting upset and wanting me to fix the train every time the car is too slow and the train hits it and derails. The worries of youth, if only mine were so simple and as easy to fix... ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/48-im-done.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/46-time-marches.html Wed, 19 Dec 2007 04:58:36 GMT There is a neat place around town that I have spent many a hour at. It is a railroad park. My grandfather was one of the original men that got the place started and running for the city. And as I grew up, our family spent many Saturdays there. I love trains, so it was great. There were things... There is a neat place around town that I have spent many a hour at. It is a railroad park. My grandfather was one of the original men that got the place started and running for the city. And as I grew up, our family spent many Saturdays there. I love trains, so it was great. There were things that we could do that nobody else could because of my grandpa. I even got to ride in the cab of one of the locomotives. It was so cool. But after his passing, our family never went back. But once I was older, and doing things on my own, I have wondered back a few times. Let me say it's really annoying to have to pay to ride the train, which we never had to do before. They have really made some big changes out there. But at the same time, I could see that time and neglect has taken its toll. My grandpa knew most of the rolling stock, and the three steamers, like the back of his hand, and always loving worked on them. It wasn't a job for him, it was a joy, and it showed in how he cared for everything. But in the years since his passing, I could tell from looking at what they were running for the Christmas light rides tonight that they haven't that same loving touch as they once did. Things did not sparkle as they once had. And it was a sad reminder that things never stay the same. Everything changes. Some for better, some for worse. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/46-time-marches.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/44-come-christmas.html Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:53:28 GMT There was a time as a child that I couldn't wait for Christmas to come. It seemed to take forever. And lets not even talk about Christmas Eve night! But then as I got older, it wasn't nearly as big a deal, and it even became just another day. But then I became a father. And I started to enjoy the day watching my son open presents and seeing his face light up as he sees the new toys. But this year is different. This year I'm getting him a train. And as I have said in the past, it has taken some work to get it just right for him. I now have the last pieces, and will have everything ready by the end of the week. And for the first time in a long time, I can't wait for Christmas morning because I want to see the look on his face when he sees the train for the first time and realizes that it is in fact his. I still remember when I got my first train. My dad and I sat there and played with it for hours on end. So much that all the couplers broke, and my dad had to jury rig them with twine and paper clips so that I still could have a train. And even after that didn't keep it all together anymore, I still ran the locomotive round and round until it just wouldn't go anymore. In fact, I pulled it out this weekend (yes, I still have it and what's left of the rest of the train) and cleaned it up a little and tried to run it. It would light up, and hum, maybe making a short burst of movement, but it still doesn't go. But I still love it, it was mine. And this other train will be my son's, and I know that we'll end up doing the same thing, he'll run it and it'll start falling apart. I'll have to think of ways to keep it all together, but in time he'll just have the locomotive, and he'll run it till it will not go, only sitting there humming with a light on. Now that is something worth being inpatient for. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/44-come-christmas.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/43-my-lust.html Sat, 15 Dec 2007 05:49:44 GMT ...is this! It is a thing of great beauty. My most favorite locomotive of all time too. Ever since I started working on my son's Christmas present, I've been bitten by the train bug again. I got this old, old O-gauge Marx train set from a Goodwill in the spring, and hid it in the closet. I figured that someday I'd clean it up and give it to my son as a gift. Well, now its Christmas time, and I have him this year, so he'll be getting it. I went to buy new track, as the stuff that came with the train was all junk, and say this stuff Lionel has called FasTrack. It cost a lot more, but they told me that it was great stuff, and really tuff too. So I got some. Brought it home, cleaned the locomotive up (a Santa Fe F-body) and it ran like a champ. I've never seen a old locomotive run that good. Up to that point, I've been a N-gauge guy, and have quite a bit, but no place to put it up. But with this FasTrack stuff, I can set it up on the floor, play, and put it away. It's amazing! Now I've found myself looking and wanting this bigger stuff for myself too. But it's so expensive. *sigh* I feel sorry for who ever ends up being my next wife, as my son and I will end up turning the house into a big train yard from time to time... ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/43-my-lust.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/42-more-things-change-more-they-stay-same.html Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:42:41 GMT Here I am done with the semester, and now I go back to work full time. Today was the first day back. And at the end of it all, things were no different then they were before I started the semester. Well, it was colder, but that was about it. It's really amazing if you stop to think (be sure to remember to start again though) about it. We all get in our own little niche, and life can pass us by. We have no concept of what is really going on. Going back to school has brought me out of my niche, and I start to see the many changes around that I would have never noticed otherwise. But I do have to be careful, because going to school can put me into another niche and blind me again. Just remember to watch the sun rise, hear the birds sing, and see the mountains in the distance... ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/42-more-things-change-more-they-stay-same.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/40-have-you-made-someone-smile-today.html Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:59:44 GMT I did. A close friend of mine is going through some rough times, and is sick on top of it. So I went over to talk and left with a smile on her face. Its really a great feeling to make other smile and laugh. It gives purpose to life. And they say its healthy for you. I also found out that my... I did. A close friend of mine is going through some rough times, and is sick on top of it. So I went over to talk and left with a smile on her face. Its really a great feeling to make other smile and laugh. It gives purpose to life. And they say its healthy for you. I also found out that my sister-in-law is now a published med-student. It reads nice. She is so smart. And it looks like I'll be passing all my classes. I have a general idea on my grades, but hopefully in a couple days I'll know for sure. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/40-have-you-made-someone-smile-today.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/39-tisk-tisk.html Sun, 09 Dec 2007 06:17:59 GMT I have not been doing really well in keeping up, have I. And what's worse is that I can't remember anything from the last two days either. Boy, my mind is going. At least I can remember today, for now. I had my calculus one final this morning bright and early. I suppose I could of studied more for it, but too late now. Besides, I'm not worried, I feel that I did well. I know which problems I totally missed, but there weren't enough of them to ruin my grade. Now monday and tuesday on the other hand... ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/39-tisk-tisk.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/37-fun-sun.html Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:15:18 GMT The day is done. What a nice day it was, slow paced, relaxed, and fun filled. No school, and no work. I did goto a review session for my math class for a bit, but it was no biggy. I got to sleep in a little, have a nice breakfast, and do some easy extra credit work for one class. Then I went... The day is done. What a nice day it was, slow paced, relaxed, and fun filled. No school, and no work. I did goto a review session for my math class for a bit, but it was no biggy. I got to sleep in a little, have a nice breakfast, and do some easy extra credit work for one class. Then I went to the review session and came home for lunch. I really like Burger King's Rodeo Cheeseburger. It's basically a cheeseburger with bar-b-q sauce and onion rings on it. Well, I had one of those frozen heat and serve cheeseburgers in the freezer, and as I was getting it out, I saw that there were onion rings too, so i cooked some up and put them on the burger with some bar-b-q sauce. Boy it was good. I have to remember that the next time we cookout some burgers her at home too. Anywho, I then played a HL2 mod and finished it right before my son got home. Once he was here, we jumped into the car and headed to a park, and then spent the next hour running around having a great time. Some guys showed up with remote controlled airplanes, and he "chased" those around while the guys flew them high in the sky over his head. We then came home and went in the back yard to play even more. After a while I dragged him in to get cleaned up for dinner. We finished before dinner was ready, so we sat down and watched the news. Needless to say, it didn't take him long before he fell asleep. So all in all, it was a good day. Tomorrow I have to go back to work, and I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but I do need the money, I am just a broke college student after all. ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/37-fun-sun.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/36-lonely-so-lonely.html Wed, 05 Dec 2007 06:32:06 GMT I just saw the end of a very sad anime today. A real tear jerker. Air tv. I guess it's a reflection of how much sadness there is in the world, and how we should be grateful and happy for what we have. There are others that have it worse than us.
On a happier note, today was the last day of classes. Now all I have left is finals starting on saturday. Then I'll be free to work full time for 3 or 4 weeks before school starts again, and it'll be harder. I have some major classes in the spring term. Its the price to pay to get a job that pays. *sigh* ]]> sinclair_tm http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/53577-sinclair_tm/36-lonely-so-lonely.html