Clearing the brain so it keeps working
Science/Technology
So very confused….
Mar 3rd
When I went to work this morning, I just logged off of a working internet connection. When I got home this evening, the connection no longer worked. After spending quite a bit of time on the phone with my provider, the only solution was to re-install the software. It worked (as you may be able to tell), but I really don’t know why it worked. I really don’t know why the connection failed in the first place.
It is a Cell Modem. Open it up, dial the number — Name and password are automatic. I can’t see what went wrong. Neither could the tech person. I think the software reload was grasping at straws. Anyway, I’ve updated to the latest version, so I hope it will be good for a few months.
Oh well, I still got my laundry done today.. I just wish I had self cleaning clothes. And of course permanent press that was actually permanent. Buttons that stayed on new shirts! I wonder why my dark pants (black and blue) seem to shrink more than the browns, tans and beiges. They all started out the same brand and size. For some reason they all seem to shrink in the length.
Random thoughts for today
Feb 23rd
I was strolling around the internet (I don’t surf, that just goes too fast), and I found a few interesting things.
On this site, I found two t-shirts I liked. The first was with Bela Lugosi as Dracula holding the head of a more recent movie vampire (yes, just the head). The saying was “Dracula never sparkled.” Struck my sense of humor today. The other shirt on the same site was “Meat is Murder. Quick eat the evidence.” So today, I guess my humor is heading toward the violent stage. “Here’s Johnny.” 
Ok, I knew somebody had the list of what emoticons actually works here. Ok, I found them, thanks again Derek!! Why can’t all of the various chat area, blog sites, bulletin boards, social networks, ect. use the same symbols. Why do they work sometimes and not others. Even being a technical person by trade, I get sick of technology… 
Are we headed for a new form of the WWW? Kind of discussed this last night with a friend or few. Mostly about if Facebook would start charging for use. Currently that is just a malicious rumor floating around, but as was said in the conversation, Facebook and other sites like that need some cash to exist. Now this article is more about premium content, but I wonder what premium content is. I already pay for my web access, about as much as I would pay for Cable/Satellite TV, Cell Phone usage ect., so I wonder how much more this would eventually cost. Like most people in the middle class, my budget is strained from all angles. I don’t have pay TV for a number of reason, but one is I really don’t want to pay for TV.
If it ever comes to the point that I have to pay for TV, I’ll stop watching. I’ve said before there isn’t much I want to watch, so it doesn’t make any difference to me. I have internet access to keep up with friends, family, work and news of the day. I pay for that access to offset other areas I no longer use or pay for. If the outlets I use start charging me, on top of my access charge, I may stop using them. Unless I become independently wealthy. I can always go to the library to pick up newspapers and magazines. My taxes go to keep those organizations functioning, so I will use them. I can use other means to contact friends and family. But then as I said earlier, sometimes the technology bugs me….
In what may be a good use for Ebooks, I found this article. Textbooks that can be modified or commented on by the professors/teachers. Cool stuff. I remember in school carting around a lot of books. And then in college pay tons of money for lots of books. Of course the teachers would always comment or add to the material present in the book. This forced the student to carry even more. I like the idea of getting this all on an E-book level and allow the students to carry around less material. Save trees and backaches. Now if they would only come up with a way to make that stupid textbook cheaper.
One final note. I went to the oriental restaurant on Sunday with my daughter. My taste buds were so messed up, I left the fortune cookies in the truck. Since my taste returned today I ate the cookies. The first fortune I had was “Everything will now come your way.” The lucky numbers on this fortune just happened to be the birthdays (day of the month) of my four daughters, myself and my late wife. That is six numbers. The estimated jackpot for the Mega Millions jackpot is now 83 million for tonight’s drawing. I met my late wife in 1983… Is that a sign? I’m not sure I believe in stuff like that, but I bought the ticket anyway. I used my late wife’s birthday as the powerball and put the rest of the days in the regular numbers. One final little note: that combination of numbers never won the jackpot….
All about the Yaawwwn
Feb 10th
Is yawning contagious? Why is yawning contagious? Well, that subject was brought up as a comment in my last post. So I wondered if it would be a good topic to write about. As it turns out, I’m not really sure it is.
There are almost as many answers to the above question as there are scientists studying the phenomenon. And to put it quite bluntly, the studies were boring and made me yawn. But yes, it seems that for most people yawns are contagious. You can have a yearning to yawn by seeing someone yawn, hearing someone yawn and even reading about yawning. So if you feel like yawning while reading this post, it is because the word yawn is used a lot.
Some fun/interesting things I found out while looking up data on yawning:
1 ) Dogs yawn, dogs will yawn when they see people yawn.
2 ) Chimpanzees yawn.
3 ) It seems that most mammals yawn occasionally, but not all of them will yawn when they see other animals yawn.
4 ) Some birds yawn.
5 ) Snakes yawn after eating to get their jaws back in the right spot.
6 ) Contagious yawning may be linked to the flocking instinct of birds.
7 ) Too much yawning could indicate health problems.
8 ) Most people will yawn if tired.
9 ) Some people yawn if they are too hot.
10 ) Some athletes will yawn just before they need to exert themselves.
Now I think I’m done talking about yawning. I’ve yawned 4 times in the writing of this post. How many times did you yawn while reading it?
Now, I’m going to see if I can make my dog yawn.
My computer died….
Jan 11th
It came quickly, but my laptop screen died. I wasn’t sure exactly what happened but there was a quick blackout of the screen.
I now have my laptop attached to an external screen. After doing a quick search, I think what the problem is. Either the backlight or the inverter are going bad. They might be fixable, but it isn’t an easy fix for me. I have the knowledge but not the ability. Fixing these problems requires fine motor skills. I’m much better at gross motor skills.
This would require soldering small wires, careful handing of a delicate bulb with mercury on the inside. Replacement of another delicate part. My fumble fingers and weak eyes just aren’t up to that. Tomorrow, I will check to see how much it will cost to replace the parts. If too much, I may end up getting a new laptop. This laptop still works, but I will probably use it as another desktop at home. It can replace the older computer my youngest uses at home. Then she will be able to play some of the games that no longer work for her.
Just a bit of bad luck for the New Year.
When did it get so late?
Sep 22nd
I was checking out ThinkGeek and was surprised to see that the time just flew by. I thought for sure it was only 11:00, and it is really 12:30. I guess I found a few things I liked.
USB turntable for old vinyl records
thinking putty (silly putty with an attitude)
USB cell phone booster (oops out of stock)
Crayola Pen (looks like a crayon but is a pen)
R2D2 USB hub (I have a daughter who would like that)
USB rocket launcher
RC cars
RC helecopters
RC robots
Laser Pointers
and Astronaut Ice Cream!
And the list goes on and on. How much of this do I need? Not much. The most useful item seemed to be the USB cell phone booster. That may be nice for out in the country, but $100 nice? I’m not sure.
Oh well it is past 12:30 now, and I should get some sleep…
