Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Noah! How long can you tread water?
What a difference a few hours makes! Yesterday started out with crystal clear blue skies, so I decided to go on a bit of a photo shoot expedition later in the day ... retrace the steps of my past and try to rediscover places I once haunted in my younger days that I recalled to be photogenic. Places like Spechts Store ... way out there in the country.
Well, everything went pear shaped, as the rains came again.....in buckets!! It wasn't a total loss though....I got a few 'disaster' shots!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Houston....We Have A Problem!
Dead in the water!
As far as I can tell, it's getting power, but it won't power up!
*scratches head* .... I'm clueless!
As far as I can tell, it's getting power, but it won't power up!
*scratches head* .... I'm clueless!
It's Done!
the "re-build" of the desktop is, for all practical purposes, complete ....sans a few minor adjustments and the RAM upgrade, which will take place as soon as I can find a good deal on the web.
problem is, I'm afraid to turn on the ignition switch! (was that 4 cans of oil? or 5?)
new cables (mostly). $16.00
new rear fan. $10.00
new slot fan. $10.00
new video card (wound up going with a PNY Technologies Verto NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS, AGP 8X, 512MB DDR2) $100.00
new 'Ultra' power supply (upgraded from 250w to 500w) $75.00
new Seagate FreeAgent 250GB external hard drive. $80.00
added an 80GB Seagate internal IDE hard drive that was the old external drive. might as well put it to use as a swap drive; can't hurt.
I'm guessing the RAM sticks shouldn't be more than $150.00, ballpark figure.
problem is, I'm afraid to turn on the ignition switch! (was that 4 cans of oil? or 5?)
new cables (mostly). $16.00
new rear fan. $10.00
new slot fan. $10.00
new video card (wound up going with a PNY Technologies Verto NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS, AGP 8X, 512MB DDR2) $100.00
new 'Ultra' power supply (upgraded from 250w to 500w) $75.00
new Seagate FreeAgent 250GB external hard drive. $80.00
added an 80GB Seagate internal IDE hard drive that was the old external drive. might as well put it to use as a swap drive; can't hurt.
I'm guessing the RAM sticks shouldn't be more than $150.00, ballpark figure.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Well Ollie, You've Gone and Done It NOW!!!
Sub-titled... This Is Another Fine Mess I've Gotten Myself Into!
okayyyyyy....
...so the upgrade on the desktop didn't go quite as planned. first of all, the new Ultra power supply doesn't quite fit, and is secured by .... one screw. but it is in place, and not moving about. there sure are a lot of cables to it though. I'm sure I'll figure out where they all go .... eventually. so far, I've got the motherboard cables placed correctly.
secondly. that fancy video card I got? wrong Bus Interface. it's PCI Express. I need an AGP interface. not entirely my fault though... I was misinformed. I'm just hoping BestBuy will take a return on an open box peripheral, otherwise I'm almost broke (figureatively speaking of course). I found a 'correct' interface video card at CompUSA. I'll find out about the return to BestBuy....tomorrow.
thirdly. that Dynex card reader? too small. I need one that will fit a 5.25" bay. I didn't open that package so a return won't be a problem.
fourthly. I didn't upgrade the RAM, ...yet.
on a positive note, the inside of the box got a thorough cleaning. I stripped it down to the bare minimum and went nuts on a cleaning frenzy, which included the room the desktop is in. no more dust bunnies! anywhere! for now. and that dodgy rear fan has been replaced.
I have also come to the conclusion that....building ones own system is not that difficult, providing you have the information and knowledge, not to mention the funds, to get the right parts for it. the only thing that ticks me off about that is, ...everything seems to be based on what is new and shiney. I'm not of the school of thought that everything is disposable, especially if it works just fine!
I took some photos of the work on the desktop. I might post some here.
laterz,
R
okayyyyyy....
...so the upgrade on the desktop didn't go quite as planned. first of all, the new Ultra power supply doesn't quite fit, and is secured by .... one screw. but it is in place, and not moving about. there sure are a lot of cables to it though. I'm sure I'll figure out where they all go .... eventually. so far, I've got the motherboard cables placed correctly.
secondly. that fancy video card I got? wrong Bus Interface. it's PCI Express. I need an AGP interface. not entirely my fault though... I was misinformed. I'm just hoping BestBuy will take a return on an open box peripheral, otherwise I'm almost broke (figureatively speaking of course). I found a 'correct' interface video card at CompUSA. I'll find out about the return to BestBuy....tomorrow.
thirdly. that Dynex card reader? too small. I need one that will fit a 5.25" bay. I didn't open that package so a return won't be a problem.
fourthly. I didn't upgrade the RAM, ...yet.
on a positive note, the inside of the box got a thorough cleaning. I stripped it down to the bare minimum and went nuts on a cleaning frenzy, which included the room the desktop is in. no more dust bunnies! anywhere! for now. and that dodgy rear fan has been replaced.
I have also come to the conclusion that....building ones own system is not that difficult, providing you have the information and knowledge, not to mention the funds, to get the right parts for it. the only thing that ticks me off about that is, ...everything seems to be based on what is new and shiney. I'm not of the school of thought that everything is disposable, especially if it works just fine!
I took some photos of the work on the desktop. I might post some here.
laterz,
R
Upgrading the compy box!
alo....
... from my crappy, 'not so mach schnell', Dell laptop .... which I am writing this from ... because......I'm in the process of upgrading my somewhat ancient desktop workstation at the mo', which is laying in pieces on my bed right now. I have been wanting to 'optimise' it for CS2, and a possible upgrade to Vista Ultimate, or at the least the 64 bit version of XP Pro, if it can still be found (it's running the standard 32 bit version now).
gratuities wise, I had a rare, excellent weekend, ...especially Friday (thanks, Louis!). my sales that day were $25,744.00 and over $24,000 in cashed winnings, so I should have had a grand day!!
I was going to get a new lens, but decided I wanted it for all the wrong reasons (a rebate), and already have lenses that cover that range anyway, so what's the point?! the old desktop has been needing some work done on it for awhile now, so that is money better spent, and still cheaper than buying a new desktop. I couldn't get a desktop nowadays as powerful as the one I've had for almost 5 years now for less than $2000.00, so an upgrade is much more practical. I could build a better one myself, and for much less, than what is out there today!!!
getting....new memory (upgrading from 1GB to 2GB of RAM). Got, a new PNY Technologies nVIDIA Verto GeForce 8500 GT 512mb video card (on sale...woohooo), but for which I had to also do an 'unplanned' upgrade on the power supply, NOT on sale, upgrading from 250w to the Ultra brand 500w), a new Seagate FreeAgent 250GB external hard drive (also on sale...woohooo), a Belkin high-speed USB 2.0 7 port hub, and a Dynex internal media card reader to replace that floppy drive that has never been used.
it had been quite some time since I had to get into the guts of the desktop. when I first pulled the side cover off yesterday .... EGADS!!!! dust bunnies everywhere!!! now I have to take it to get it 'blown out'. I also discovered the rear exhaust fan is about to go tits up, so will have to make another trip to AlTex Electronics, or CompUSA ...which, actually I don't mind all that much (I'm a techie geek/nerd...lol...just of a different, passable knowledge sort maybe). Last night at AlTex I was walking thru the aisles ooo'ing and awww'ing at all the 'shiney' bits I'd like to get to build my own system!!
well ...gotta get back to work on the desktop now. just thought I'd take a break and post this... FWIW.
Regards,
Randy
... from my crappy, 'not so mach schnell', Dell laptop .... which I am writing this from ... because......I'm in the process of upgrading my somewhat ancient desktop workstation at the mo', which is laying in pieces on my bed right now. I have been wanting to 'optimise' it for CS2, and a possible upgrade to Vista Ultimate, or at the least the 64 bit version of XP Pro, if it can still be found (it's running the standard 32 bit version now).
gratuities wise, I had a rare, excellent weekend, ...especially Friday (thanks, Louis!). my sales that day were $25,744.00 and over $24,000 in cashed winnings, so I should have had a grand day!!
I was going to get a new lens, but decided I wanted it for all the wrong reasons (a rebate), and already have lenses that cover that range anyway, so what's the point?! the old desktop has been needing some work done on it for awhile now, so that is money better spent, and still cheaper than buying a new desktop. I couldn't get a desktop nowadays as powerful as the one I've had for almost 5 years now for less than $2000.00, so an upgrade is much more practical. I could build a better one myself, and for much less, than what is out there today!!!
getting....new memory (upgrading from 1GB to 2GB of RAM). Got, a new PNY Technologies nVIDIA Verto GeForce 8500 GT 512mb video card (on sale...woohooo), but for which I had to also do an 'unplanned' upgrade on the power supply, NOT on sale, upgrading from 250w to the Ultra brand 500w), a new Seagate FreeAgent 250GB external hard drive (also on sale...woohooo), a Belkin high-speed USB 2.0 7 port hub, and a Dynex internal media card reader to replace that floppy drive that has never been used.
it had been quite some time since I had to get into the guts of the desktop. when I first pulled the side cover off yesterday .... EGADS!!!! dust bunnies everywhere!!! now I have to take it to get it 'blown out'. I also discovered the rear exhaust fan is about to go tits up, so will have to make another trip to AlTex Electronics, or CompUSA ...which, actually I don't mind all that much (I'm a techie geek/nerd...lol...just of a different, passable knowledge sort maybe). Last night at AlTex I was walking thru the aisles ooo'ing and awww'ing at all the 'shiney' bits I'd like to get to build my own system!!
well ...gotta get back to work on the desktop now. just thought I'd take a break and post this... FWIW.
Regards,
Randy
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Photoshop CS (v8)
Folks-es,
I need to do some late Spring cleaning on my external storage drive, and I've discovered there are loads of PDF's on Photoshop CS (version 8) that I no longer need. Entire books I say to you!! If I look even harder I wouldn't be surprised if I found even older versions there. (I've got 'a few' on CS2 as well).
SO .... I say unto you ... I don't mind sharing, and I hate wasting things. So rather than just send them all to the trash bin, if you would like these PDF's and you have a way to contact me ... they are yours!!
nuff said!
I need to do some late Spring cleaning on my external storage drive, and I've discovered there are loads of PDF's on Photoshop CS (version 8) that I no longer need. Entire books I say to you!! If I look even harder I wouldn't be surprised if I found even older versions there. (I've got 'a few' on CS2 as well).
SO .... I say unto you ... I don't mind sharing, and I hate wasting things. So rather than just send them all to the trash bin, if you would like these PDF's and you have a way to contact me ... they are yours!!
nuff said!
Monday, July 9, 2007
My eyes do the wierdest thing sometimes!
It's happening right now....
It starts out as a small horizontal oval, the outside of it looks like what I can only describe as a kaleidoscope, and that part is 'in colour'. The inside is clear, but sometimes blurry. Makes it hard to see, and write...like right now. It just gets larger and larger, until it just disappears.
WTF is that??
It starts out as a small horizontal oval, the outside of it looks like what I can only describe as a kaleidoscope, and that part is 'in colour'. The inside is clear, but sometimes blurry. Makes it hard to see, and write...like right now. It just gets larger and larger, until it just disappears.
WTF is that??
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Random thoughts on a rainy Saturday morning....
awake and up at 6am...
.... let Moose out, .... it's raining ...again. Not that I mind. I love the rain (it cuts through my insomnia...helps me sleep). It's just that I need it to dry out long enough to get the lawns cut and sprayed (for "bugs", and weeds) again. The grass is approaching 5-6" in height. Not good for keeping the 'skeeters' down. Shouldn't worry about it 'till after Sunday though...when I have days off. Can't do anything about it today anyway...gotta go to work!
.... my back is 'killing' me this morning, for some reason. (old horseback riding injury that comes back to haunt me from time to time). I'm thinking it's the bar stools at work that they have for us to sit in that do it. seems like I spend a lot of time in a bar stool these days. with that thought, perhaps a change is in order.
.... troll through the various forums, message boards, etc. that I'm on. nothing new, really. one of my fave Flickr posters has been idle for a bit now. I hope all is well with her.
.... mailing off a final payment today. one less bill to pay. YaY!!!
.... I'm hoping for a good weekend at work. things have been skint lately.
"Crazy Bitch" ... if I hear that overplayed piece of garbage one more time I'm gonna scream!!! what a shit song! why do peeps like this song so much?
.... let Moose out, .... it's raining ...again. Not that I mind. I love the rain (it cuts through my insomnia...helps me sleep). It's just that I need it to dry out long enough to get the lawns cut and sprayed (for "bugs", and weeds) again. The grass is approaching 5-6" in height. Not good for keeping the 'skeeters' down. Shouldn't worry about it 'till after Sunday though...when I have days off. Can't do anything about it today anyway...gotta go to work!
.... my back is 'killing' me this morning, for some reason. (old horseback riding injury that comes back to haunt me from time to time). I'm thinking it's the bar stools at work that they have for us to sit in that do it. seems like I spend a lot of time in a bar stool these days. with that thought, perhaps a change is in order.
.... troll through the various forums, message boards, etc. that I'm on. nothing new, really. one of my fave Flickr posters has been idle for a bit now. I hope all is well with her.
.... mailing off a final payment today. one less bill to pay. YaY!!!
.... I'm hoping for a good weekend at work. things have been skint lately.
"Crazy Bitch" ... if I hear that overplayed piece of garbage one more time I'm gonna scream!!! what a shit song! why do peeps like this song so much?
Friday, July 6, 2007
40 Days
Just brought the paper in, and on the front page... "Enough Is Enough: Texas Has Seen 40 Days Of Rain" (I am assuming they mean 40 straight days...which I can believe). Yes, there have been some lives lost from flooding, and some devastation, but I say...stop complaining! We complained last year when the drought killed our yards, despite the high water bills from us desperately trying to save them, as we blindly followed the watering restrictions (whilst commercial establishments had lush lawns from their automatic systems), and stood out in our yards with a garden hose each night, braving the heat. And now that we have so much rain we could probably put huge barrels out and collect it, we (well they are, not me) are complaining about...too much!!??
C'mon folks! Stop complaining! We all know it's either feast or famine in Texas!
Despite the bugs and humidity, I for one am lovin' it! Bring it on!
C'mon folks! Stop complaining! We all know it's either feast or famine in Texas!
Despite the bugs and humidity, I for one am lovin' it! Bring it on!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Photoshop Phobia
Why do I have this block ... phobia ... over Photoshop? (I should be getting ready for work instead of writing this rubbish, but AA inspires me so. She's just ... so damm good!).
I have books! I have CS2!! I have no clue!!!
Classes? Online classes? Nope...already looked into it. They don't jive with the odd hours and days I work. I think I might need more structure than what online courses have to offer anyway. I need to be able to communicate with an instructor. And, I'm more of a "show me" type. I start to read the books....and I fall asleep!
Anyway....I've been registered here since the 1st of the year, so I figured I should write something. I don't know if I'll be able to edit this later or not....I'm all new to this whole blogging thing (Great!! One more thing to keep me glued to a compy box....when I'm trying to tell myself to ... look outside of the box!).
Laterz
I have books! I have CS2!! I have no clue!!!
Classes? Online classes? Nope...already looked into it. They don't jive with the odd hours and days I work. I think I might need more structure than what online courses have to offer anyway. I need to be able to communicate with an instructor. And, I'm more of a "show me" type. I start to read the books....and I fall asleep!
Anyway....I've been registered here since the 1st of the year, so I figured I should write something. I don't know if I'll be able to edit this later or not....I'm all new to this whole blogging thing (Great!! One more thing to keep me glued to a compy box....when I'm trying to tell myself to ... look outside of the box!).
Laterz
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