Lawrence "The Dreamer" Chen's Blog

Yay

I am now have a callsign of W0LKC. In retrospect, I probably would've liked to have gotten N0LKC....but when I was checking the vanity callsign database, W0LKC was shows as a 1x3 callsign that was immediately available. There were no 2x3 in "Immediately Available".

Later I looked under the "Date Controlled" area....and saw that N0LKC was available, and indicated as "Immediately Available". I updated my application for vanity callsign to include this option, and then later found out that it resets the 18 day clock on the processing...and that the W0LKC request had already been approved, but the grant was waiting for the 18 day clock. Plus I just added it to the list of requested callsigns, I didn't make it the more desirable one. And, I choose not to fiddle with the application again to further delay things.

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Well, there were 3 boxes from Amazon.com.

I started out thinking there were things I needed, or wanted to stock up on, or have in preparation for other acquisitions. But, then I trimmed it back to keep under budget...and I'm not sure I ended up with stuff I really needed.

First, the mouse on this computer is not moving around as well as it could. Not sure if the mousepad is getting gummed up (its a 3M Precise Mousing Surface pad, so maybe....) or the mouse bottom is getting gummed up, especially since the teflon pads have migrated around the bottom...so maybe that adhesive is what is gumming things up. So, I bought a new mouse and a new 3M Precise Mousing Surface pad.

Next, I was thinking of getting the Netflix Roku player. I doesn't come with an HDMI to DVI cable....and I would need one to connect it to my system. So, I got out of these. Of course, now I don't think I'll get the Netflix Roku. Because based on reviews...its not quite DVD quality, which since I do DVDs in an upconversion player...would likely be quite a step back. It also doesn't do 5.1, which I figured I could live with since my initial interest is watching old TV shows (namely old Doctor Who shows). So, there's probably no immersive sound field to get into....though I'm the guy that watches all his DVDs with subtitles, because I don't hear dialog all that well.

But, a review I watched recently, says the Netflix Roku player doesn't do subtitles either. So, that has pretty much shelved my interest to get one for the time being.

Third, or rather, in the box with the mouse and in the box that had the HDMI cable (the 3M mousing surface came in a 2nd day air envelope)....was a roll of duct tape. The one roll of duct tape that I could find the last time I needed to do a patch....disappeared. The building people had been in doing some other work, and I suspect they packed it off along with theirs when they left. But, I wasn't home when they came to do the work, etc. So, I don't know what really happened to it...except that it was on my dryer, which they moved and rearranged stuff around to do their work....and now I can't find it anywhere. One is regular duct tape of the same kind that had gone missing. And, another roll was acquired only because it said it was purple. Of course, its not the purple I was thinking it would be. Oh well.

The other two boxes from UPS?

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I bought a new air cleaner.....

The Kenmore EnviroSense™ True HEPA Air Cleaner - Model 85500

I had been researching getting a new air cleaner, though I probably still pulled the trigger on this too soon. It looked similar to what I was looking for....though it doesn't have all the features that I was looking for.

But, there has been a odor problem in my condo...smells from the condo below getting into mine. So, I've been looking at units suggested as capable of helping with this issue.

Before this, I had 3 air purifiers....two Oreck XL Professionals (refurbs, one from Oreck.com and the other from Woot.com) and a Brookstone Pure-Ion (the older, small grill, big tower one). The Orecks have been working good at dust and such, but not sure about odor control. But, I've had one in the bedroom and one in the 'computer' room. Though the 'computer' room is the quieter one...the bedroom has a bit of a rattle somewhere. I've been thinking of switching the two.

The Brookstone Pure-Ion seems to have been a waste of money. The clean filter light comes on way to often, and nothing washes off of the filters. Also sometime ago the oscillate feature had become an issue....sometimes it won't move, other times it'll go all the way around instead of back and forth. Though other times it'll start working again. I seldom use that feature anymore.

So, the shuffle...has moved the Oreck air purifier from the 'computer' room out into the living room (where I have replaced its carbon filter with a 3-in-1 Odor Absorber.) Moved the bedroom Oreck to the 'computer room'....putting in a new carbon filter (when I use up my supply, I may look into getting a 3-in-1 Odor Absorber for this one as well).

That puts the new air cleaner in my bedroom.

It seems to do its job...though the lighted display is way too bright and annoying, and I seemed to recall reading that a different model had a light sensor to dim the display in a dark room (also make it automatically switch to quieter operation). So, I may yet seek out this one.

It'll still work, later I can move the Kenmore to the other bedroom (which is storage now, but some day I plan to clear out enough to make it usable space. Thinking I might set up the 'shack' in this room.)

In the meantime, I'm looking for somewhere to put it where it'll function...but shine away from my bed and against light absorbing surface (or not against a light intensifying surface), but still be workable by its remote. Or perhaps some duct tape or something may come into play.

Link: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Jumper/70083113?trkid=226870

I rated this 4 stars

Link: http://www.arrl.org/fieldday

I don't know if I'll get to go on the air during it....but if I do, and I get to use my callsign...I'll have to follow it with Authorized General, because I just checked the ULS and my license doesn't yet show that I passed my General on June 22nd.

Wonder what are the odds of having a QSO with anybody that I know from VE6 land....

Some time ago, I noticed that I wasn't getting weather alerts from my weather radio in the living room. It was annoying, but I could still hear the one by the bedroom. But, that one was getting touchy/scratchy as well.

But, then with the recent bad weather, especially the tornado...which fortunately hit while I was out of town and missed me. 'cause I'm not sure what I would do if I were home. I should try to remember to ask if there's some place near by that I can go seek shelter for tornadoes.

Since all the weather radios that I've had have been all the same brand.... Oregon Scientific. And, I've had a few over the years stop working....I've contacted them on it, but they said because I've had it over a year and they had discontinued it...I was SOL.

So, I been meaning to replace them with ones made by another manufacturer...but as long as they are still working....

Well, last night another killer thunderstorm...and neither weather radio made any noise. I decided that maybe it was time to see what's up. Though just as I was about to order....the living room one started to do a Flash Flood alert but cut out mid-alert.

I knew that ambient RF noise in my living room was pretty high, I haven't determined if its the stuff in the room or something external....I suspect its both. Since some of the noisier parts aren't near any of my electronics. Though it there's enough stuff that there might just be lobes and stuff.

I decided to try find another place in the living room for my weather radio to see if that would make a difference. I couldn't find any spot that was near an outlet and a flat surface to set it down on that would work. As I was about to conclude that it just wasn't as sensitive at it used to be, etc. I remembered reading somewhere that the area is covered by 3 different overlapping NOAA stations....and no one station specifically associated with the area.

So, I tried checking the other channels....because maybe the coverage pattern off the stations has changed.

Well, I found that one of the other channels was stronger....enough that I got a full flash-flood alert (though those are the ones I don't really care for....I'm not in a flash flood area, and waking me up through the night just annoys me even more. Wish there was some further selectivity. I seem to think that newer units do have this capability...so perhaps I'll check some other day).

It is still kind of scratchy....and other receivers don't get the channel at all (or not any better than the other.) So, maybe there's just no good weather alert radio coverage for here.

Meanwhile...I just got an email from Ginger People that bulk sizes are available [again] finally. But, no email from Thinkgeek on the [new] item that I've been waiting for, but want to use my coupon that expires on June 30th.....

That's my Satellite 5105-S701, which has the host name 'sidrat'.

The machine is like 6 years old...there was a plan to upgrade in 3, and then 4...and then 5....and perhaps someday I will upgrade. Though what I've been thinking of getting...I'm not sure it would be called an upgrade. Been looking at Netbooks (don't know if I'll get one with XP or not, more interested in the idea of running Linux....but might get the XP so I can dual boot....or because the Windows version is the more powerful unit)

IE: HP MiniNote 2133 is either a 1.0 or 1.2GHz with Linux....but with Vista it comes as 1.2GHz or 1.6GHz. Guess they hate Linux users. Though I'll likely get something Atom based.

Anyways. The old laptop pretty much has been tethered to its powercord for some time. Not sure if I can get batteries for it. Though battery life was pretty poor new, now almost non-existent. But, a while back....while my brother, and his wife, were in Ghana....getting knocked down with Malaria. I had the laptop running 24x7 doing BOINC....malariacontrol.net

Over the last few days...I would come often find the laptop hung. I'd reboot it and forget about it.

Well, it was that way just a moment ago....I rebooted it, and almost immediately it hung again. It is summer now....and I can't remember when I started doing the full-time BOINC'ng...but it would've been late fall last year. So, I suppose it might not be happy about the warmer temps. Though I may have cooked it to death.

But, this wake time...and evening....so it is a cool time in my condo. And, if it is finding that too warm to stay up. There's probably something else wrong. Perhaps the CPU fan has stopped working. Since it was over $100 for a RFE fan for the desktop, I'm sure it would be pretty hefty to get parts for the laptop and probably not an easy self-repair project.

Guess its time to write off the old laptop.... Only problem is...I think its too late to buy a laptop with Windows XP now.

Hmmm...

That's right, I just passed my General.

Went a lot better now that I had studied the material.

I was asked if I wanted to write the Extra, but not having looked at the material yet....I decided that I wouldn't bother. But, now I might see about getting the study material and seeing if I can get it.

There are certain sites that I use, where I use the dangerous feature of having Firefox remember my password....even though the site has disabled autocomplete as part of its security measures.

I did this by using a bookmarklet that hacked the currently loaded page, etc.

When I upgraded to Firefox 3, those sites stopped working. It would fill in the form when the remembered password, and using the bookmarklet broken the page (the login would fail).

While looking to see where I originally found the bookmarklet, and to see if it had been updated....I came across this:

Always remember password hack for Firefox 3

If you’re on Firefox 3 you can just edit your Firefox installation to get the “Always remember password feature” without having to run some JavaScript code on every page load:

• Shutdown Firefox
• Backup the file PATH_TO_YOUR_FIREFOX_INSTALLATION/components/nsLoginManager.js.

• Edit PATH_TO_YOUR_FIREFOX_INSTALLATION/components/nsLoginManager.js with your favorite text editor and find the following lines:

                if (element && element.hasAttribute("autocomplete") &&
                    element.getAttribute("autocomplete").toLowerCase() == "off")
                    return true;
  

  On the GNU/Linux version of Firefox 3 Beta 5 this code is inside the private method _isAutocompleteDisabled, on the Windows version of Firefox 3 Beta 5 this code can be found inside the local helper function autocompleteDisabled which is part of the private method _onFormSubmit.

  To let Firefox password manager always remember passwords those “autocompleteDisabled”-methods have to always return the value false.

  All you have to do to achieve this is remove the lines above or comment them out like this:

  //          if (element && element.hasAttribute("autocomplete") &&
  //              element.getAttribute("autocomplete").toLowerCase() == "off")
  //              return true;
  

• Save your changes and close the editor.
• Restart Firefox - Firefox password manager should now always remember passwords ignoring the autocomplete=”off” attribute.

Now the dangerous thing I've been doing is working again.....

userChrome.css

/* Multi-row bookmarks toolbar */
#bookmarksBarContent {display:block !important;}
.places-toolbar-items {display:block !important; height: 48px !important; overflow-y:auto!important;}
#bookmarksBarContent toolbarseparator {display:inline !important;}
#bookmarksBarContent .bookmark-item {visibility: visible !important;}
.chevron {height: 0px !important;}

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