Carbonite Update

I just realized I never posted the resolution to my Carbonite issue. I recall the service being down for about a week but it has been fine since then. Carbonite is just one piece of my OCD backup plan, so I will be OK. I wish they had handled the communication better, but oh well. The service is cheap enough and it works.

I do also backup to an external drive at home and I have an external drive that I keep offsite too. I update them about once per week (not my entire computer, just pictures/documents/etc.). I really don't want to lose all my family pictures.

Carbonite

I've been using Carbonite for 2 or 3 months. It had been going well, but on Friday November 18 the service became unavailable. A few hours later I got an email from Carbonite explaining the outage. Since then, nothing. I am now a very disappointed customer. It was nice that they notified me of a problem, but now 3 days with no update? What if my computer crashed and I needed a critical file? What if a new file became corrupted before it was backed up? I'm certainly not getting the service I paid for.

Here's the email they sent Friday, 11/18 6:20 PM:
Dear Thomas,

During a routine maintenance check today, Carbonite identified a technical issue that required us to temporarily take a small number of our customers’ backups offline. Please be aware that while we troubleshoot this, you will not be able to access, add new or update existing files to your backup. Your backup is safe and will be accessible again shortly.

We will send you another email to let you know this issue is resolved.

Thanks for your patience.

The Carbonite Team

I have been busier than ever...

As my kids get older and my responsibilities at work grow I have been busier than ever. I did manage to update my personal website a bit today (TomMister.com). I've long dreamed of taking the time to make it a nicer site with more content but I just have not made the time to do it. Maybe next year when I get to build my Jeep Wrangler a bit more I will document my work on my website.

As the holidays approach, please click through this link for any purchase you are making at Amazon:
Amazon.com

Mozilla Plugin Check

I have been meaning to post about this for a while. This is a great site - Mozilla Plugin Check. It's a one stop place to make sure all of your browser plugins are up to date. You don't even need to use FireFox, it works with Internet Explorer and Chrome too.

Out of date plugins pose a security rick to your computer. Many of the old versions of Flash, Acrobat Reader, Java, QuickTime etc. have security holes that are being exploited on the Internet.

Do yourself a favor, bookmark the Mozilla Plugin Check page and be sure to visit it regularly. Plugins are updated on a regular basis.

No more slow NAS

I've been complaining for a while that my NAS was running slow. I now know why it seemed that way - it had to do with Windows 7 Homegroups. Check out this article from Windows Secrets - http://windowssecrets.com/2010/10/14/01-Simple-change-in-settings-pumps-up-Win7-networks

Now my NAS (a Maxtor CentralAxis) is still not a super performer, but at least it's response time is much better now from my Windows 7 desktop.

First post in 2010...in July...so sad

I just realized I have not posted anything in 2010. Am I really that boring? Do I have nothing to say? Usually I can talk about cars but there has not been much action in that area lately. I did sell the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I bought last year, and have picked up a 2010 Toyota Corolla S. 0% financing and free maintenance were too tempting to the chronic car buyer in me (evidence here).

We just set a record for the most days over 100 degrees for the year, and July is not over yet. It was a cold snowy winter and now it has been a hot dry summer here in Mechanicsville, VA.

Maybe I will have something interesting to post soon.

Nostalgia

I was missing the 70's the other day. I don't remember much of them since I was born in the early 70's but I guess what I really miss are simpler times. As a child I really enjoyed the Great Brainbooks by John D. Fitzgerald(he grew up in the late 1800's in Utah).

Anyway, when I was searching to feed my 70's fix I fould this site --> http://wesclark.com/am/. It's a great story about growing up in Burbank, California in the 60's and 70's by Wes Clark. Maybe it will inspire me to write about my childhood?

Land's End order tracking does not work in Firefox

It is so irritating when companies don't test their websites/don't care if they do not work. I get emails from Land's End when an order has shipped. They have links to a page where you enter your order number and click track, which directs you to a UPS webpage. In Firefox I always get an error "UPS could not locate the shipment details". For kicks I tried it in IE 8 tonight and it works! How annoying.

Amazon.com Black Friday deals

Don't forget to check out the black Friday specials at Amazon.com

iTunes Javascripts

Oh boy, I am excited about this! I found some JavaScript files to help cleanup iTunes mess since Apple refuses to help. I used two of the scripts to find songs without artwork and also to find my missing songs. Check it out here --> http://ottodestruct.com/blog/2005/itunes-javascripts/

Hot off the press from Amazon.com - Jeans

I just got this notice from Amazon:
We've just launched a new Denim Shop with free shipping and free returns on jeans. You can find an impressive lineup of premium denim brands such as 7 for All Mankind, Lucky Brand, Joe's Jeans, plus all-American classics such as Levi's. It's everything you love about jeans, now right here at Amazon.com.

Halloween time at Amazon.com

Amazon Wish Lists

Hot off the press from Amazon.com: Amazon Wish Lists just turned 10, and we're celebrating with 10 weeks of sweepstakes with prizes we think you'll love. Just create, add to, or share a Wish List, and you'll be invited to enter! Click here for more details.

Good Chinese Food

I recently had really good Chinese food on the west end of Richmond and wanted to write about it here so that others would know and so that I don't forget.

Chung Hing
3053 Lauderdale Dr (near Short Pump Mall)
Richmond, VA
phone 804-360-2708

I had a lunch special. They give a lot of food for $4.99. I had soup, my entree (beef with broccoli) and fried rice. The lunch special have many options. If you are in the area and hungry give Chung Hing a try!

C# 2008 for Programmers

I recently checked out this book from my local library: C# 2008 for Programmers (3rd Edition)

It is written by by Paul J. Deitel and Harvey M. Deitel. I found it to be very useful as a reference guide. I had some tasks that I wanted to try in C# and this book helped me figure out how to do them. It covers the latest topics (as of .NET 3.5) and all of the standard .NET stuff as well.

The College Solution

I heard an interview with the author of this book on the radio today --> The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price

I have not read the book but the author (Lynn O'Shaughnessy) had some good points about helping your child pick a college. There was also some interesting information about comparing the costs of different schools. So far it has good reviews at Amazon.com.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

I was sad to hear that Busch Gardens is closing the Big Bad Wolf. It is a great ride, a classic 80's roller coaster. Growing up in the Williamsburg area I got to ride it a lot in my teen years.

Since I still live reasonably close, I bought annual passes for my family so that two of my kids can enjoy "traveling at the speed of fright." My youngest is still too young. We were there yesterday and had a blast despite the blazing heat. Even without the Big Bad Wolf it is a great park.
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From the Busch Gardens website:
On July 24, Busch Gardens announced that after 25 years traveling at the speed of fright, The Big Bad Wolf will take its last trip through Busch Gardens’ Bavarian village Sept. 7. http://www.buschgardens.com/bgw2/Explore/Rides.aspx?id=489

Mac OS X Snow Leopard available at Amazon

Starting now, Mac OS X Snow Leopard is available for preorder exclusively at Amazon.com. Current Mac OS 10.5 Leopard users are eligible to upgrade to Snow Leopard at the very low price of $29.

Snow Leopard is a truly exciting addition to the Mac OS X line, with half the footprint of previous versions, great new features in Expose & Stacks, quicker Time Machine backup, and faster wireless network interaction. It’s the world’s most advanced operating system, finely tuned. Mac OS X Snow Leopard is releasing in September 2009.

Windows 7

Be sure to visit the Windows 7 resource center at amazon.com. If you preorder Windows 7 you get 50% off. This is a limited time offer from Microsoft through select resellers. Click here now.

New Jeep!

I bought a new to me Jeep this week, mainly to use for commuting but Jeeps are always fun to work on too. It is a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo V8 4x4. The color is Taupe. It's in good condition as far as I can tell. Here is a picture: