Ed Icionsub

August is already half over and school has started, but there is still time for the beach this summer. I was thinking that my summer is over, but the truth is that there are still 4-6 weeks of warm weather left and the beach is just a half day’s drive from here. So I think I’ll check the http://www.horizonmyrtlebeach.com web site and see if there are any late summer golf packages still available.

For the past several years I have used the internet to find the right Myrtle Beach hotel and golf package. I can find the package prices and check availability, then book my stay without having to call a long distance number and press 1 for this and press 2 for that and then be put on hold for 10 minutes waiting for a real person to write down what I want.

I have my favorites, but if those aren’t available when I want to go to the beach, then I can find the Myrtle Beach best hotels online really fast and get it done. And, to be honest, if I can save $30 – $50 by staying at a different but comparable hotel, then why not give it a try?

Next week my niece goes back to college as a sophomore. Considering how many kids only go for one year and then drop out, we are all very happy that she is sticking to it and returning for her second year.

This year she will be taking a college level algebra course. Do you remember working with an Acute triangle? Could you explain the formula and the process to a student in today’s college courses?

Reading through the new textbook for her class, I looked up the Indices chapter and the Line segment chapter. A rush of memories came back into my mind. Formulas, equations, checking your work. All the disciplines that I learned from math when I was in school.

But that is almost ancient history. Today’s kids need more help than a geezer trying to rely on flashbacks from 30 years ago. So, I’ve promised my brother to help underwrite the cost on an online tutor so that she can get all the Algebra help that she needs. It is not very expensive and it is truly an investment in her education and her future.

My kids thought it would be a good idea to buy me a lap desk. I’m not sure why they decided I need one, but with great fanfare last night I was presented with a lap desk that they bought for me.

The desk has a pillow encased under a flat surface with a little strip of molded plastic on the edge to prevent a laptop from slipping down off the flat surface. It also has a little gooseneck lamp that uses a series of LED bulbs to light up the laptop keyboard in the dark. That is cool, but the placement of the gooseneck base is wrong – it interferes with my laptop power cord. I could be wrong, but I believe it is an industry standard to have the power cord situated on the left side of every laptop computer.  So why would they place the base of the lamp there?

Anyway, it was was nice gesture but I don’t really like this laptop desk. It is too small to accommodate a mouse and the pillow makes the whole thing very unstable. It needs to be a larger work surface, and they should use beans instead of a pillow.

The wife agreed to discretely take the thing back to the store and get the money back for the kids. It was a sweet gesture and all, but I don’t really like this model and if I find something better then they can spend their money on a better product.

Came across the handwritten list of songs that Levon Helm used for his concert here in April. I would love to buy this list as a souvenir. I hope someone puts it up on Ebay or auctions it off. I’ll be watching.

All day long I have been dealing with computer problems.

I used to say that I have no problems – only opportunities. But today I have problems.

There’s nothing consistent in the types of problems. Some are browser issues, some are Windows issues, and some are user errors.

One more computer bites the dust and I’m shopping for a new one. Part of my wants to get a new, upgraded desktop model from Howard custom computers. I used to go to one of the big box stores and shop from a limited selection of expensive name brand computers. But then I discovered what a huge difference there can be with custom computers for about the same amount of money. With a custom desktop, I can get just the capabilities and features that I want and need, and pay for only those. With the pcs off the shelf, I am paying for a lot of things that I don’t need or want.

My burning question now is: should I get another desktop or should I get a custom laptop? I wonder if there is any advantage in the desktops anymore? At least with the laptop I can easily take it with me wherever I need to go. The desktop stays tethered to the home office. But it should be more reliable and probably more powerful. So I’m thinking hard on the two options and have to figure it out tonight. I need a computer at home by the weekend.

I’m under the impression that anyone reading my blog knows that I am using WordPress for the blogging software. I discovered WordPress about 4 years ago. It has been a blessing for people who want an easy and free way to get their “stuff” on the internet.

this past year there were a lot of new versions released. They had some trouble with hackers and some new features that they wanted to get out there. So now we have version 3.0 – that’s notable.

Thank you to all the volunteers who work so hard to make WordPress as great as it is!

Is it the IT department or the Purchasing Department? We have a case of trespassing  at the office. We are moving to a new space and in the process of build out. So when it comes to deciding on which dedicated server hosting we should use, the IT guys and the Purchasing guys are in a territorial dispute.

The IT techs want to bid out for new managed hosting solutions since we are moving and considering new equipment. But the Purchasing Department says that the servers and hosting aren’t going to change just because of the move. They are pretty swamped with other moving details and evidently don’t want to take on any more projects.

That’s why I say to let the IT guys do some preliminary shopping and configuring. If they find a good deal or a better way to go, then they can give the Purchasing Department the contact information and all the proposals. If they can’t find anything better than what we’ve got, then it doesn’t require Purchasing’s attention.

As long as they include colocation services, I’m not too worried about which way it goes. I don’t have a dog in this fight unless the system goes down, and then we’ll all be screaming for SOMEBODY’s head on a platter.

Great song and a group of some of the most talented guitar players in history. Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall. Wowza!