Friday, August 31, 2012

Windows 8 Release Preview

I decided yesterday to install the Windows 8 Release Preview on my main pc.  I had it installed in a separate partition, so all my applications were not installed when I booted in W8.  Well, it turns out that W8 is much faster than W7 - at least I think so.  So, I thought, why not just install the Release Preview on the W7 partition?  That way I could use my existing applications AND get the increased speed.

Don't do it!  Not unless you want to have a big administrative problem.  It seems that Microsoft has not provided an upgrade to W8 if you have installed a pre-release version.  You have to install all your applications again!  However, if you do not install a pre-release version, than an upgrade to W8 is available. Go figure.

Anyway, I'm continuing to test W8 on my laptop and will keep my main pc as a W7 machine for the time being.  I'm discovering more shortcuts in W8 and folk have written some code to get some of the start screen functionality into W8 that we've become accustomed to in W7.  And with W8 booting a lot faster than W7, I think I've changed my mind about 8.  Do expect a pretty good learning curve, though.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Windows 8 Once Again

Just read an interesting article today - http://goo.gl/9hyrI - so, with new-found enthusiasm, I'm trying W8 again.  Someday you'll have to use W8 - read this article in preparation.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

North Rim Visit

About 10 days ago we visited the North Rim with David and JoAnne.  Here's a pretty good picture of us during the visit.  Nice job, Dave (or JoAnne).

















I took some pictures, too.  This is one of David and JoAnne learning about their camera.  I guess the training worked; the picture of us is great!


Sunday, August 12, 2012

Grand Canyon

Just returned home from a weekend trip to the Grand Canyon.  Sometimes it rains; not much sun for this one.


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Another Hack Link

Additional information on THE HACK can be found here.  This guy's problems are getting a lot of press.  Amazon has changed how it handles credit cards and I suppose Apple has made some changes, too.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Hack Update

Here's an update to the hacked story - http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/08/apple-amazon-mat-honan-hacking/all/. Take heed.

Being Hacked is Not Fun

A few days ago, a techie's iCloud account was compromised. His blog describes everything that happened and how he's trying to fix it.  You should be concerned about security, and if you do nothing else, you must have difficult passwords, difficult security questions with unusual answers, and you MUST backup.  And, maybe the backup should not be in the cloud.  It appears, in this case, that Apple employees were very instrumental in allowing this to happen.

Those of you with Apple products on iCloud should carefully read Mat's posting.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Friends

Took this photo a few days back and forgot to post it.  It's a fine example on how bird-be-gone devices really work.


Rain, Batteries, & Downspouts. Oh My!

Every year during the monsoons, I vow to fix the gutters.  Every year I procrastinate.  We happened to be home during one of the recent rain storms, and noted, once again, the patio gutter cannot handle the volume of water dropping from the sky.  The gutter overflows onto the deck - big mess.  There seems to be a slight dip in the gutter about in the middle - water quickly pools there and then overflows.  Today we installed an additional downspout at that spot.  I'm sure this will fix all those soaked deck problems!!??

The monsoons have also exacerbated the golf cart battery acid leaking problem.  These batteries are at least four years old (really don't know how old they are, I bought the cart used) and the summer heat is not kind to them.  Some of the batteries boil over when charging, and the rain washes the acid onto the driveway.  We have a beautiful, multi-colored driveway now. It appeared that some cells leaked; the levels dropped so quickly.  All of this is the result of my lackadaisical battery maintenance routine.  I promise to do better - all six of these deep-cycle batteries have been replaced with new ones from Costco.  This is not a trivial expenditure; I must be more diligent in maintaining them.   Oh, and I have ordered a more sophisticated charger.  One that should be a little kinder to the batteries, AND keep them charged at all times.

I've posted some pictures of our Idaho trip on SmugMug.  Go to my photo site at www.thedustycamera.com, and click on one the trip pictures shown there.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Trip Photos Uploaded

All the Idaho trip photos have been uploaded.  Click on this picture to see the whole album.

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug