What’s the deal with Bluetooth drivers? Several of the laptops around here have adaptors, either built-in or dongles. Oddly enough, drivers seem to expire after a certain number of weeks.
posted in computing | Comments Off on Hardware that wants software monies as ransom | 351 words
Another new version of Linux Mint is up and running at my house. Helena (or version 8 for those who count) is a worthy upgrade to earlier interations, and the installation process is as painless as any I’ve found, even with the special needs of a laptop.
posted in computing, sports | Comments Off on Linux Mint 8 is now in the house | 266 words
Familiarity breeds contempt. It also fosters the myth that your personal computer is really slow. In fact, given the number of complaints that I receive in any given day, there are nothing but well-known computers trying to turn back time.
posted in computing | Comments Off on Cleaning up the mud | 327 words
Recent updates around here left me in a quandary. What to do with computers that can no longer print, due to the particular constraints of my print server. Here’s the list.
posted in computing | Comments Off on Just point to the right queue | 365 words
I tried a bit of new software today. Nothing out of the ordinary in that, I get paid to play the game, but this particular package might have a useful future.
posted in computing | Comments Off on Moblin works, if you are ready for the plunge | 301 words
As the past chapter president of the local Cheap Thrills Association, or CTA as my friends call it, I take advantage of the insignificant details. No moment is too mundane, no event too routine. After all, the alternative would be too sad; letting life go by, waiting for the one big surprise.
posted in computing | Comments Off on Another day in the life of a Cheap Thrills aficionado | 254 words
Go ahead; try to get by without the necessary tools for the task at hand. Forget your ingenuity; I’m not suggesting that you should drive screws with a handsaw. Once a need has been recognized, the correct solution may involved spending more than planned. Sometimes, ou have to invest in the toolkit to keep the jobsite active.
posted in computing | Comments Off on When your laptop gains a fractal image, permanently | 310 words
There’s a seedy side to retail, and I’m not referring to the grain business. Somewhere along the road, the idea of the customer as prey became a rule of thumb. Let me illustrate.
posted in computing, economy | Comments Off on Without that wire, you are just a button pusher | 381 words
Caveat emptor, or in the vernacular, “You pays your money and you takes your chances”. This time around, things are on my side. Back in June, I placed an advance order for Windows 7, at 50% off. Yesterday, my box with the fancy (single) rounded corner arrived, and the game began.
posted in computing | Comments Off on The slow climb to a new OS | 325 words
If only someone would drive a virtual wooden stake through the heart of the hateful IE vampire and put it to rest! I view my world via Firefox, without reserve. I came to this point by right of passage, using a long line of browsers that weren’t spawned in a basement in Redmond. Lynx, Mosaic, Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox. Fifteen years of HTML decoded with grace and speed. Still, there are those who can’t seem to get the idea straight.
posted in computing | Comments Off on Browser confusion | 301 words
