Caught me off guard. The online course, I mean. Unlike the last few assignments, this time I had to write a short biographical profile of a famous composer. Rather grade school. Took me all of fifteen minutes to get my head around the who, what, when, where and why. I thank those compulsory book reports I had to produce, in real grade school.
posted in Wx | Comments Off on Too warm to blow snow | 285 words
Today brought some gear changes around the house. Son #3 has managed to snag a “gamer” machine, and in the current vision of things, SSD rules. I ordered a drive yesterday and received it today; excellent service from the folks at NCIX. The machine is busily installing (software updates) and by tomorrow should be ready to do something virtually important. I did have to go out for a SATA cable, and the local stores are not friends of mine. A single cable at $22 (Future Shop) compares poorly with a dealer in Toronto who will sell me one for $2. With free shipping, to sweeten the deal.
posted in technology, Wx | Comments Off on Gear changes | 265 words
The special forces of air conditioning came today. With their skills and boxes of new gear, they banished the noise.
posted in photography, Wx | Comments Off on Hope for more than pence on the pound | 252 words
Not the intention, but the local evening news seems doomed to be a day late (and a dollar short). This evening, we learned that it rained over the weekend. Why, yes it did! Heard it on the roof. Heard it on the windows and doors. Saw the pool peak sometime before midnight.
posted in Wx | Comments Off on Delayed news about the rain | 262 words
“Missed us by THAT much!” Maxwell Smart said it, but we live it. Another close encounter with an asteroid, this afternoon. No dinosaurs were driven to extinction, but we may not have to worry about mundane things like peak oil, or storm surge; the next time a big old rock zips by, the zip might be zap.
posted in photography, Wx | Comments Off on Lots of flash around here | 271 words
Some things take longer. Things like booting an older Mac, when one (OK, me) has to burn an image file of an older version of software, after finding a suitable DVD (dual layer) and a DVD burner (ditto on the dual). Let that run while I cooked supper (USB 2.0 is slow). Then, I had to figure out what the correct response might be when the installer wanted me to go with GUID. Huh? That choice was buried in a sub-submenu, but now the machine is formatting and installing. Slowly. Based on observations to this point, I’m not dealing with a “speedy package” here.
posted in computing, Wx | Comments Off on Cue silence | 277 words
An interesting law has been proposed, south of here. The intent is to allow consumers to choose the channel mix they want in their cable package. No more A+B+C if you want D. The chance of this passing the corporate gauntlet is similar to snowballs in a mythical hot place. Still, some of us would love new jurisprudence, in our own quest for enlightenment. Also in the law, an end to game blackouts in team towns. Don’t laugh. TV doesn’t have to be bad and unfair (just expensive).
posted in Wx | Comments Off on Awaiting a surge | 275 words
Springtime is a synonym for confusion. In what other season do you forego the winter coat and find the temperature back down to -17C? Or spot the first robin of the season, in a sunny snow squall. If the bird seemed bewildered, he (by his size and coloration) had every right. Are frozen worms difficult to extract from the frozen ground? I dream, short term, of changing out the winter tires. I don’t.
posted in Wx | Comments Off on Confused seasons | 257 words
The good little elves over at Dell came through. A new machine, ordered on Tuesday and sitting on my table by Friday; good service, and I didn’t have to smile at anyone. The next few days will be busy ones, as I try to recreate my profile on the new hardware, but I know the drill. As a plus, I can decide to leave off a whole set of software that I don’t use.
posted in computing, Wx | Comments Off on Don’t touch that upgrade | 251 words
Finally. Cold enough to change from my standard GORE-TEX to a full size parka. As they say in the commercials, “Now, that’s cold!”. The bus line decided to test my decision by sending the 255 along with a fifteen minute delay, and I hardly noticed. Except for my cheeks, but that’s not covered by the parka, in design or description.
posted in Wx | Comments Off on Drops keep falling on my head | 267 words
