The GEEK Wannabe...

The Coolest thing since sliced bread!

2011-06-12T12:48:00.002-04:00

Do you like to take a lot of pictures with your digital camera, or phone? Do you really, really, hate to delete ANY of them? Me too!

Do you ever make videos and upload them to Facebook or YouTube? You do keep copies don't you? Me too!

Are you running out of space to store all these pictures and videos? What about all that music you have accumulated, and movies... It tends to grow and grow, right?

There is a solution! You could start buying external hard drives, but when you fill one up you have to go buy another. And if you need to find a particular picture, or song, you'd have to go through all your external drives looking ... What you really need is a Drobo!

Using a Drobo, you can just keep growing your storage capabilities as your needs grow.

Go the their website, here, and check out all the varieties of Drobo that they offer.

Carl Sagan's Cosmos - Star Stuff

2011-03-06T09:52:00.000-05:00

What I've been up to...

2011-02-16T18:23:00.008-05:00

I've been enjoying my Geek Wannabeness lately! I recently acquired two Dell Latitude D610 laptops. I installed Windows 7 Ultimate on both of them and installed Skype on them both. The plan is to give one to my son Justin and his family and keep the other as my easy chair computer.

I also recently built a new desktop P.C. so I temporarily retired

my old Dell GX620 desktop. It's retirement was short lived.

I installed Windows Home Server on the old Dell and brought it back from retirement. Windows Home Server allows me to back up all my connected computers every night, and I can share files from all my computers.

Microsoft is in the process of introducing a new version of WHS called, Windows Home Server 2011. However, I'm afraid that then newer version is going to be to WHS what Vista was to Windows. Already many WHS users have said that they were going to skip this version and wait until Microsoft fixes the problems.

I hope to eventually have WHS set up so that I can stream music and video to any device in the house. Plus it has the ability to be a web server also... So, I can share anything that I want to with other folks. Plus I can get to any of my data from anywhere there is an internet connection.

I have really enjoyed playing with all the networking stuff. Learning and learning ...

Windows Weekly

2010-10-24T19:59:00.001-04:00

I watch Windows Weekly every week to get my geek on… Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott talk about what’s new with Windows, Windows Phone, and all things Microsoft! A great way to keep up with what’s here and what’s on the way.

A Microsoft junkie's dream come true...

2010-10-13T09:06:00.002-04:00

You know that I'm an admitted "Wannabe"... And I'm embarrassed that I'm just now becoming aware of TechNet. A few years ago, I dabbled around with TechNet , as in signing up and got a logon. But, I never subscribed. I really didn't understand what TechNet was all about, I guess. I still don't understand everything about TechNet, but I understand enough to know that I should have subscribed long ago!

In a nutshell, a subscription to TechNet allows you to down load and install ANY Microsoft software that you would like to try. Now, these downloads aren't "trial" versions of the software. They are full blown, legitimate versions that you can use as long as you'd like. In fact you can install a single download on up to two machines. Legal installations of ANY Microsoft program, for one subscription price!

Who qualifies, you ask? Any IT Professional. Who decides who is an IT Professional? You decide if you qualify. Do you enjoy evaluating different software? Do you enjoy, downloading, installing, tweaking, and fiddling with programs? Do you love to have the latest and greatest? Do you like installing software just to see how it works? Do friends and family come to you for assistance with their computer issues? Hmmm, sounds like you are an IT Professional to me.

Check out the TechNet Subscription page for more information.

By the way, a standard subscription is $200 per year... but, you can subscribe for one year and then bail. All the software that you have downloaded and installed is yours!!!!!

I wish I had known... Now YOU do know. Check it out.

2010-09-22T13:31:00.004-04:00

When I grow up... If I ever do, I want to be just like Paul Thurrott!!! He has a cool job as a computer journalist... He get's to play with all the cool toys that computer geeks love... And he is just a cool guy.

He has a really cool website listed here...

Savannah School One of 1st in Nation to Get iPads | WSAV TV

2010-08-23T13:29:00.002-04:00

Savannah School One of 1st in Nation to Get iPads | WSAV TV

I live near Savannah, Georgia and it makes me proud to know that even down here in the "Sleepy Southern Town" of Savannah they are taking advantage of technology in a big way...

Speccy - System Information - Free Download

2010-08-12T08:20:00.000-04:00

Speccy - System Information - Free Download

This is a handy utility that I use every so often... Give it a try.

10 Reasons Why I Love My iPhone 4 | Jim Lynch: Tech Analyst and Community Manager

2010-07-16T15:14:00.000-04:00

10 Reasons Why I Love My iPhone 4 | Jim Lynch: Tech Analyst and Community Manager

Apple Offers Free Cases to Address iPhone Issue - NYTimes.com

2010-07-16T15:03:00.000-04:00

Apple Offers Free Cases to Address iPhone Issue - NYTimes.com

Apple iPhone 4

2010-06-08T15:04:00.003-04:00

For the last year or so, I've owned a refurbished iPhone 3g. Beth got her iPhone 3g about six months ago. We both enjoy the iPhones very much and I especially have gotten addicted to the apps on mine.

Beth is more of the, a phone is a phone is a phone kind of person. But, then she discovered the Facebook app and the iPhone become more than a phone even to her.

I can't wait to get a pair of iPhone 4s so we can play "video call" with each other. It's still not really ready for prime time, in my estimation. (you can only video call from a WiFi hotspot) But, it is getting there.

With all the sensors built into the phone (three axis gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, and proximity) I'm sure new and cool apps will start to pop up overnight.

Just the HD video recording and editing is enough for me to want this thing NOW!!! LOL

Actually Using Technology…

2010-04-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

It looks like the Savannah WLS YouTube/FaceBook Meet and Greet is going to actually happen this week end. Beth and I (mostly Beth) have been planning this thing for a long time and it is finally starting tomorrow evening, ready or not!

One of the unique things about Meet and Greets like this is the fact that everybody there will have at least some computer expertise. They all have to be at least able to log on to FaceBook or YouTube to participate in the discussions and friendships that bring them to Savannah in the first place. Many of them are quite accomplished as video bloggers, and do some pretty slick video editing. I watch videos on YouTube as much for the style as for the content!!! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the content and getting a peek into peoples weight loss journey, but it is also cool to watch videos that have a little artistic flare!

So starting at Noon tomorrow, folks will start coming in to Savannah… Everybody will have, at the very least, their digital cameras. Many will have video equipment and a good number will have their laptops. I’m sure that we will have pictures and video from the event hitting FaceBook and YouTube starting late Thursday afternoon all the way through Sunday evening. How cool is that? Friends, family, and members of the weight loss community that couldn’t make the trip this week-end will still be able to enjoy the festivities from all the digital content that will be streaming from the event. Technology is a wonderful thing.

Speaking of streaming, there will even be a live stream video from the event! I’m not sure exactly how it is going to work, but there will be an address that folks can go to and there they will be able to watch LIVE video from the Meet and Greet. I’ve been told that all the video that is streamed will also be recorded and can be viewed later if someone missed it live!!! Technology is a wonderful thing!

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a Geek Meet and Greet. This is a group of people who have a common experience, in this case Weight Loss Surgery, brought together by modern technology. Normal folks brought together by technology used as it supposed to be. Technology is a wonderful thing.

Oh, and let me get my plug in here for the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America. WLSFA is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that is just getting off the ground. It’s founder Antonia Namnath will be a special guest at the Meet and Greet this weekend. She will be doing a talk on the Foundation and her vison of where it will go. Her husband Jim will be streaming the whole day Saturday live to the internet.

www.wlsfa.org

www.youtube.com/wlsfa

Leo Laporte is da MAN!

2010-03-15T10:18:00.000-04:00

O.K. I’ll admit it, I’ve got a man crush on Leo. I’m sure that he puts his pants on the same way I do every morning and he is just a regular guy, but…

He is a geeks GEEK!!!

This week-end he was down in Austin, Texas at an event called South by Southwest (SxSW). “The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. ...” Emphasis on the “emerging technologies” part.

All my online heros were there…

and of course Leo Laporte.

If you click on each of their links you’ll find that they all have at least one thing in common, TECHNOLOGY!!! (Oh! And they all like girls…)

Leo walked around Austin with a 20 lb. back pack strapped on loaded with gear for streaming audio and video live over the internet. He could walk in and out of parties and panel discussions, interview people, and chat with geeks on the street all while broadcasting live to geeks across the globe!

Kevin and Alex do an internet show on the Revision3 network called Diggnation. They took their show on the road this weekend, and it was great. Leo shows up with his livecast rig, and ends up “crowd surfing” live on the internet with a bunch of Leo lovers passing him over the crowd while Kevin and Alex egged them on…

What does a guy have to do to get a job that allows you to play with the coolest geek stuff and be required to show up at SXSW every year? That is the JOB for me.

Typical Stuff you get in your email… But, interesting anyway!!!

2010-03-11T13:14:00.001-05:00

VERY INTERESTING STUFF

In the 1400's, a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb; hence, we have 'the rule of thumb.'

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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only ... Ladies Forbidden'... and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language.

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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.
Treasury.

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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

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Coca-Cola was originally green.

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It is impossible to lick your elbow.

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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:

Alaska

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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness:

28% (now get this ...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness:

38%.

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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:

$ 16,400

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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:

61,000

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Intelligent people
have more zinc and copper in their hair.. .
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.

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The San Francisco Cable Cars are the only mobile National
Monuments.

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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -
Alexander, the Great
Diamonds – Julius Caesar

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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace

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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

A. Obsession

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Q.. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?

A. One thousand

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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?

A. All were invented by women.

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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey

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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A.. Father's Day

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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase ...'Goodnight , sleep tight.'

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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts ... so in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.'

It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's.'

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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.

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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their
elbow!

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Don't delete this just because it looks weird Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
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YOU
KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2009 when...

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6.. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in
the morning and go on line before getting your
coffee

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12 You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list .

~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Go on, forward this to your friends.. You know you want to! Go lick your elbow.

Technology in my Piper Cherokee…

2010-03-09T16:46:00.001-05:00

Technorati Tags: sky geek,piper cherokee 140,flying geek,geek,GPS

Geekness can extend far from computers. Sometimes I geek out over other cool technology too. This week it was the new GPS that we bought to put in our Cherokee 140.

(I am not speaking in the third person, I really mean “We”, since Beth and I co-own this cute little airplane…)

Anyway, the Garmin 196 GPS came via FedEx yesterday, and even though it is two or three generations behind the top of the line stuff that Garmin is selling now, it still has some pretty good “Wowzer!” stuff.

I also bought a cool “dock” for the GPS which allows it to be mounted flush in the panel. It will look pretty cool once it is all finished.

Figuring out all the cool thing this little hand help piece of technology can do is mind boggeling. It keeps track of ground speed, altitude, Estimated Time of Arrival, take offs and landings since last reset. It even keeps a pilots log.

Beth had to drive me to work this morning, so I could geek-out with the GPS on the road…(it’s no fun if you aren’t moving!!! ) LOL

Where I get my GEEK fix...

2010-02-25T09:16:00.009-05:00

Just a quick post to let you know where I get my GEEK fix almost everyday.

A few years ago, I was introduced to a cable channel called Tech TV. It was the coolest place for computer enthusiasts. There were shows about computers, and the internet 24/7/365. What could be better. (I'll tell you what is better in a minute...) Alas, Tech TV was sold to a larger cable company who didn't see the need for so much geekness and the computer shows went away, along with the hosts of the shows that I had come to love.

Fast forward a few years, and lo and behold I find that the hosts of all those shows are still around in an even better format.

So if you want to see where Larry the GEEK Wannabe gets his GEEK fix here is a list:

Leo Laporte at TWiT.TV

Patrick Norton at Revision3 Tekzilla

Chris Pirillo at Chris.Pirillo.com (Chris can get on your nerves after a while, so take him in small doses... LOL You'll see what I mean.)

And last but not least Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht at Diggnation

I love em all, but my favorite that I check everyday, and listen to on the way to and from work is.......

TWiT.TV they have a ton of shows, podcasts (audio), and netcasts (video) about EVERYTHING computer related. Mac, PC, Linux, Computer Security, silly stuff and serious stuff. News, rumors, and real journalism.

Give all these folks a look, but if you can only check out one, check out Leo Laporte and the guys and girls at TWiT.TV

I WANT Google Goggles...

2010-02-24T12:30:00.006-05:00

There are a very few things that I think will ever be able to pry my iPhone from my cold dead hands... However, one thing that just might lure me to part with my iPhone would be the Android App called Google Goggles.

Have you heard of this? As we already know, at some point in the not to distant future, Google, Inc. is going to rule the world. Applications like Goggles is what is driving this.

Let me tell you how this thing works.

On my iPhone I have an app called "Red Laser" that is used for scanning bar codes. It is just cool as heck, and works MOST of the time. I just take a picture of the bar code from inside the app, and the program decodes it and then looks the item up in a database and returns information about it such as price and where it can be purchased.

Google Goggles works in a similar fashion, however, it goes two or three steps further! Yes, you can take a picture of the bar code and get the same info that Red Laser gave you... But, you can also just take a picture of the box or can or container and Goggles will go out and find that product and give you the info on it. Did you get that? Just take a picture of the front of a box of Ritz crackers and Google Goggles knows what it is, where you can get it, and how much it costs.

Now that is pretty cool, but there is more, as Billy Mays used to say! Since phones nowadays have GPS built in, it knows where on Earth you are. So, let's say you were on River Street in Savannah, Georgia and you took a picture of the suspension bridge spanning the Savannah River. Google Goggles would tell you all about the bridge, what it's name is, when it was built, etc. etc. etc. Now turn around and take a picture of one of the stores selling stuff to tourists, Google Goggles identifies the store, gives you it's name, and any other information available for that store on the internet.

Say you are strolling downtown some Sunday evening and you see a beautiful piece of art work in a store window. Take a picture of it and Google Goggles will search the internet and return any info about the piece and the artist.

There are somethings that Google Goggles doesn't work so well on, yet... Faces, vegetables, furniture... But, you can bet they are working on it. Just imagine some point in the future, you are at a party and someone comes in that you know you should know. You sneak a picture using Google Goggles and within seconds you know the persons name, phone number, and using Google Maps where he or she lives.

All of that and it isn't available for the iPhone. I feel my grip getting weaker.

iPhone App that I think is way cool...

2010-02-24T08:02:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you about a pretty cool iPhone application I found recently. It's called Qik... What is Qik, you ask?

Qik is a mobile phone app that allows you to stream video directly from your mobile device to the internet!!! That's right, directly from your phone to YouTube, or Facebook, or a host of other places... Along with notifications on Twitter and other sites that you have made a new video and folks better go check it out!

Here is an example of a video that was shot from my iPhone and streamed to Qik. Qik keeps a copy of the video that can be shared. It also geotags the video, if you choose, so that you and others can see where in the world you were when the video was made.

A word of caution... When you set up your account you can designate what services receive the feed from your mobile device... And it can be set to go directly to Facebook for example as soon as you stop videoing.

I was so excited about playing with this app that I was showing the girl that cleans my office how it works... Showing her that she was a star on the internet, etc... Shortly thereafter my wife, Beth, called me and asked,"Who is that woman in your office?" LOL I had shared my video on Facebook and published it... I knew it when I set it up, but I forgot when I was making the video. I was perfectly innocent, but I can imagine there will be times when people video things that they don't necessarily want the whole world to see.

Go get Qik! Use it, enjoy it, but be aware of what you are putting where! *wink*

Computers... I love em...

2010-02-08T09:24:00.000-05:00

You know... I don't know why I enjoy computers and technology so much. In my case it isn't a "productivity" issue. In fact if the truth actually be known, computers have caused me to be less productive in some aspects.

I'm that guy who can sit with my MacBook Pro and spend the whole day surfing the web and not realize that hours and hours have passed.

I have to try every new app I find on my iPhone...

I download and install software on my laptops or desktop then uninstall it the same day. It isn't so much what the software can do for me that I find fascinating, it is just that the way it works is cool. Once I've seen it, unless it is a gotta have application, I'm done.

Beth came by me one day and looked over my shoulder while I was working away on the desktop computer. I told her that I was installing different distos of Linux on virtual machines. She didn't get it. Not the virtual machine part, the part about why I'd want to do it in the first place. I don't know the answer to that one. I think it has something to do with innate geekness!

If you haven't tried it yet, it is way cool. Go download and install VirtualBox from Sun. Then install a bunch of virtual machines running whatever operating systems you can find. It's fun AND educational... That's the ticket! The educational angle...

Flying Fun (From Savannah to Tybee Island and back again...)

2008-09-30T19:17:00.000-04:00

This summer my daughter Jodi and my Granddaughter Savannah came to see us from Lebanon, Missouri. They brought along some friends of theirs... The Muskrat family, that's right, Mandy Muskrat, Julianna Muskrat and Josiah Muskrat!!! Great folks. We loved having the whole crew here with us for a few days.

While they were here I took them all flying. In the video below Julianna is flying in the right seat and Jodi and Savannah are in the back. I let Julianna do some of the flying and she seems to be a natural. Savannah was snoozing in the back until we started doing some "Zero-G" didos!!!

Check out the smooth landing at the end...

Some flying video...

2008-09-30T09:48:00.000-04:00

Beth and I flew our plane (N1537J) up to Charleston, South Caroline for lunch on my birthday in 2007. Beth was capturing the action on a little Kodak digital camera, and I think she did an exceptional job. This video is the flight home to Savannah, Georgia, late in the afternoon, as you will be able to tell by the glare of the sun!

Oh, by the way, the music is Delbert McClinton singing "Everytime I roll the dice..."