tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339340632024-02-20T22:09:19.744-05:00One Man's Ramblings, v.2There's a saying - "It is better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." Regrettably, I've never been able to keep my mouth shut. I've just got to voice my opinion, and now, for those formerly fortunate enough to be out of earshot, my thoughts can travel through the ether to display screens far and wide.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-12667838863774982492018-02-18T18:30:00.000-05:002018-02-18T18:33:05.948-05:00VOTE. NOVEMBER 6, 2018I'm posting this page to hopefully help United States' citizens vote.<br />
<br />
Midterm Elections for Congress are coming up on November 6, 2018 for most of the United States.<br />
<br />
From Wikipedia:
<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_elections,_2018" target="_blank">The <b>2018 United States elections</b> will be held (in most places) on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.</a></em><br />
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>SO, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE, <span style="color: lime; text-decoration: underline;"><em>NOVEMBER 6, 2018</em></span>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tu3n8c7y6qrvv7g/AADk5sbmyRdK3QvE4hr5bJMea?dl=0" target="_blank">Link to Outlook calendar item</a><br />
You can download an .olm file by clicking the above link. The .olm file contains a single Outlook (Mac) calendar entry, to add the Midterms election to your calendar.
The above will also provide an .ics file if you prefer. The .ics file can be used to add the calendar entry to Outlook (PC or Mac), or Google or Apple calendars as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote" target="_blank">REGISTER TO VOTE</a><br />
The Register To Vote link will take you to an official United States government webpage that provides information about registering to vote, registration deadlines, and lets you confirm your voter registration.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
</h2>
<a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members" rel="noopener" target="_blank">WHO ARE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES?</a><br />
The above link will take you to a website published by the United States Congress. The site will let you enter your home address and will tell you who your Senators and Representative are. It will also show an analysis of the Congress-person's voting record and their full voting record itself.
<br />
<h2>
</h2>
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-69149792711970116092013-09-19T09:36:00.000-05:002013-09-19T09:36:17.484-05:00Assign a Move-To-Archive tag to a specific mailbox folder in Exchange Online/Office 365<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have an Exchange Online environment, and want to apply a move-to-archive tag to a specific folder in some user mailboxes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">GIVENS:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- Retention Policy tags do not allow a Move To Archive action. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- Default Policy tags apply to an entire mailbox.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- Personal tags are not administratively set or enforced.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">SCENARIO:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- A client of mine required that all items in a specific folder be moved to the archive after a specifc time period, and there should be no other automatic archive or retention actions for any other folder. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- The users at this client are unlikely to ever reconfigure or explore their archive settings and cannot be asked to apply any personal tags themselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- There are too many users to expect that an IT person would manually apply the personal tag for each user.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- It is OK that the users have the option to change the archive settings on their mailbox; given the above there is no worry that they will do so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I found and reviewed two very helpful pages that almost solved this for me, but didn't quite bring the runner all the way home. (I can't emphasize enough though, there is no way I could have done this without them.)</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/akashb/archive/2011/08/11/stamping-retention-policy-tag-using-ews-managed-api-1-1-from-powershell-exchange-2010.aspx">http://blogs.msdn.com/b/akashb/archive/2011/08/11/stamping-retention-policy-tag-using-ews-managed-api-1-1-from-powershell-exchange-2010.aspx</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/akashb/archive/2012/12/07/stamping-archive-policy-tag-using-ews-managed-api-from-powershell-exchange-2010.aspx">http://blogs.msdn.com/b/akashb/archive/2012/12/07/stamping-archive-policy-tag-using-ews-managed-api-from-powershell-exchange-2010.aspx</a></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My script, with the required changes -</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Connect to Exchange Online for Remote PowerShell<br />$cred = Get-Credential</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">$Office365 = @{<br />configurationName = "Microsoft.Exchange"<br />connectionUri = "</span><a href="https://ps.outlook.com/powershell"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">https://ps.outlook.com/powershell</span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"<br />credential = $cred<br />Authentication = "Basic"<br />AllowRedirection = $true<br />}</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">$s = new-pssession @Office365<br />Import-PSSession $s</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">##########################################################################################################################################################################################################################################</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"># The script requires the EWS managed API, which can be downloaded here:<br /># </span><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=c3342fb3-fbcc-4127-becf-872c746840e1"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=c3342fb3-fbcc-4127-becf-872c746840e1</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"># This also requires PowerShell 2.0<br /># Make sure the Import-Module command below matches the DLL location of the API.<br /># This path must match the install location of the EWS managed API. Change it if needed.<br />[string]$info = "White" # Color for informational messages<br />[string]$warning = "Yellow" # Color for warning messages<br />[string]$error = "Red" # Color for error messages<br />[string]$LogFile = "C:\Temp\Log.txt" # Path of the Log File</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">function StampPolicyOnFolder($MailboxName)<br />{<br />Write-host "Stamping Policy on folder for Mailbox Name:" $MailboxName -foregroundcolor $info<br />Add-Content $LogFile ("Stamping Policy on folder for Mailbox Name:" + $MailboxName)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Change the user to Impersonate<br />$service.ImpersonatedUserId = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ImpersonatedUserId([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ConnectingIdType]::SmtpAddress,$MailboxName);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Search for the folder you want to stamp the property on<br />$oFolderView = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FolderView(1)<br />$oSearchFilter = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.SearchFilter+IsEqualTo([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FolderSchema]::DisplayName,$FolderName)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">$oFindFolderResults = $service.FindFolders([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.WellKnownFolderName]::MsgFolderRoot,$oSearchFilter,$oFolderView)</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">if ($oFindFolderResults.TotalCount -eq 0)<br />{<br />Write-host "Folder does not exist in Mailbox:" $MailboxName -foregroundcolor $warning<br />Add-Content $LogFile ("Folder does not exist in Mailbox:" + $MailboxName)<br />}<br />else<br />{<br />Write-host "Folder found in Mailbox:" $MailboxName -foregroundcolor $info<br />Add-Content $LogFile ("Folder found in Mailbox: " + $MailboxName)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#PR_ARCHIVE_TAG 0x3018 - We use the PR_ARCHIVE_TAG instead of the PR_POLICY_TAG<br />$ArchiveTag = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExtendedPropertyDefinition(0x3018, Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MapiPropertyType]::Binary);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#PR_RETENTION_FLAGS 0x301D<br />$RetentionFlags = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExtendedPropertyDefinition(0x301D,[Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MapiPropertyType]::Integer);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#PR_ARCHIVE_PERIOD 0x301E - We use the PR_ARCHIVE_PERIOD instead of the PR_RETENTION_PERIOD<br />$ArchivePeriod = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExtendedPropertyDefinition(0x301E,[Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MapiPropertyType]::Integer);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Change the GUID based on your policy tag<br /># The Guid of our 9-month Move To Archive retention tag (in our O365 tenant) is xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx<br />$ArchiveTagGUID = new-Object Guid("{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}");</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Bind to the folder found<br />$oFolder = [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.Folder]::Bind($service,$oFindFolderResults.Folders[0].Id)<br />$oFolder.SetExtendedProperty($ArchiveTag, $ArchiveTagGUID.ToByteArray())</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Same as that on the policy - 16 specifies that this is a ExplictArchiveTag<br />$oFolder.SetExtendedProperty($RetentionFlags, 16)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Specify the days until the tag's action occurs (i.e., the retention period before the items are moved to the archive)<br />$oFolder.SetExtendedProperty($ArchivePeriod, 275)<br />$oFolder.Update()</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Write-host "Retention policy stamped!" -foregroundcolor $info<br />Add-Content $LogFile ("Retention policy stamped!")<br />}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Start-ManagedFolderAssistant -Identity $WindowsEmailAddress</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">$service.ImpersonatedUserId = $null<br />}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Change the name of the folder. This is the folder the properties will be stamped on.<br />$FolderName = "Deleted Items"</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Import-Module -Name "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange\Web Services\2.0\Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll"</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">$service = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeVersion]::Exchange2013)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"># Set the Credentials<br />#$service.Credentials = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.WebCredentials("UserName","Password","Domain")<br />$service.Credentials = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.WebCredentials($cred)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"># Change the URL to point to your cas server<br />#$service.Url= new-object Uri(</span><a href="http://your-cas-server/EWS/Exchange.asmx"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">http://YOUR-CAS-SERVER/EWS/Exchange.asmx</span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">) -- presumably this line works for On-Prem Exchange, but we're using Exchange Online/O365</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">$service.Url= new-object Uri("</span><a href="https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx</span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">")</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"># Set $UseAutoDiscover to $true if you want to use AutoDiscover else it will use the URL set above<br />$UseAutoDiscover = $false</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#Read data from the UserAccounts.txt.<br />#This file must exist in the same location as the script.<br />import-csv UserAccounts.txt | foreach-object {<br />$WindowsEmailAddress = $_.WindowsEmailAddress.ToString()<br />if ($UseAutoDiscover -eq $true) {</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Write-host "Autodiscovering.." -foregroundcolor $info<br />$UseAutoDiscover = $false<br />$service.AutodiscoverUrl($WindowsEmailAddress)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Write-host "Autodiscovering Done!" -foregroundcolor $info<br />Write-host "EWS URL set to :" $service.Url -foregroundcolor $info<br />}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">#To catch the Exceptions generated<br />trap [System.Exception]<br />{<br />Write-host ("Error: " + $_.Exception.Message) -foregroundcolor $error;<br />Add-Content $LogFile ("Error: " + $_.Exception.Message);<br />continue;<br />}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">StampPolicyOnFolder($WindowsEmailAddress)<br />}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br /></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Remove-Pssession $s</span></blockquote>
<br />
NOTE: The 'Start-ManagedFolderAssistant' function will force the MFA service on the server to run immediately against the specified mailbox, in order to apply the changes immediately, instead of whenever the service would get around to that mailbox through the course of its routine operation. <br />
<br />
When I tested my code that line threw an error that it was not recognized as a valid commandlet. I believe that was due to the context I was running the script in, and I either need to run the script from my MSOL PS prompt, or relocate the command elsewhere in the script above. <br />
<br />
When I ran the script above though, and then connected to Exchange Online in an MSOL PS cmd window and ran the Start-ManagedFolderAssistant command there, afterward I closed & restarted Outlook and the changes to my mailbox WERE evident.<br />
<br />
<br />
PS: Sorry for the poor formatting, I'm having ridiculous trouble trying to clean the results up from pasting the code.<br />
<br />
PPS: Holy Cow - I knew it had been a long time, but 2 YEARS since I updated this blog? Wow, Facebook really is wiping out the rest of the web, starting with me....<br />
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-91143163975197242052012-07-10T23:50:00.000-05:002012-07-10T23:50:09.780-05:00Frustration and the Gym<br />
<em>The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.</em><br />
<em><br /></em><br />
<em>Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?</em><br />
<br />
Leaving the gym tonight I was reminded of the above two quotes, and I’ll explain here how they tie together.<br />
<br />
Three or four years ago I decided to begin going to the gym, to try and improve both my health and my physique. I went somewhat regularly – usually 2 or 3 days/week – until last August. Last August I became very busy and stopped finding time for the gym. <br />
<br />
Last week I resumed my workouts, and since Wednesday I’ve gone to the gym 5 out of 7 days. According to my log at the Nike.com website (iPod tracks my workouts and uploads them automatically), I’ve run about 13.8 miles since Wednesday. Untracked by the iPod are the weight machines, that I also use each visit.<br />
<br />
Even after I’d been going to the gym pretty regularly for two years I didn’t *look* any more fit or trim than I did before I’d started. And after hitting the weight machines and then running 3 miles tonight, I looked down at my pathetically sweaty and panting self, and I saw the same Homer Simpson physique that I’ve had for my entire adult life.<br />
<br />
Working out doesn’t make me trimmer; it simply increases my appetite, cancelling out any slimming effects the additional exercise might have bestowed upon me.<br />
<br />
But, thanks probably to cultural conditioning I still believe there must be some health benefits to the exercise regimen, despite my visibly unchanging fat torso. (“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”)<br />
<br />
And I keep returning to the gym, plugging away, and don’t intend to stop. (“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”)<br />
<br />
I believe the only way I’ll ever slim down would be to eat more foods I don’t really like, and less foods I do like. Fifteen years ago I dramatically reduced my fast food and soft drink intake – that resulted in a one-time weight loss. I still prefer carbohydrates over other foods, and have no desire or intention of diving into veggies or salads. Thinking I’ll do that is unrealistic. When I’ve tried to eat healthier the effort usually fails within 3 meals. It’s simply not sustainable.<br />
<br />
So it looks like the exercise alone is never going to make me slim, and yet I’ll keep doing it. I guess that makes me insane, at least on some level.<br />
<br />
:-(<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-14682039294833244322012-06-11T10:14:00.000-05:002012-06-11T10:14:27.456-05:00A very funny snippet from one of my current favorite TV shows<strong>Sheldon:</strong> All right, I’ve taken the liberty of drafting these workflow charts which outline our various duties and the path we will follow as we develop our ground-breaking new app.<br />
<br />
<strong>Raj:</strong> Hey, why am I in charge of phone support? Seems a bit racist.<br />
<br />
<strong>Sheldon:</strong> A customer service representative with an Indian accent will create the impression we’re a vast enterprise that uses overseas call centres.<br />
<br />
<strong>Raj:</strong> Oh. Very clever. But still racist.<br />
<br />
<strong>Sheldon:</strong> Duly noted, Steve from Wichita.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-24922667587715147282012-06-05T18:01:00.000-05:002012-06-05T18:01:02.371-05:00I am victorious, againLately our house has bred friction due to Nate, Maren, and Jess all wanting to use the computer at the same time. Yeah, I know, we should all suffer such tragedies...
Nate decided he wanted to use his accumulated allowance money to buy himself a laptop.<br />
<br />
Instead, on May 5<sup>th</sup> I went to Microcenter and bought components to build a modern desktop PC to keep in the den for Nate & Maren to share, and something to keep them off of Jess' laptop.<br />
<br />
Parts list:<br />
<ul>
<li>Gigabyte Z77M-D3H motherboard</li>
<li>Seagate ST310005N1A1AS HDD - 1Tb, 7200rp</li>
<li>Corsair 8Gb DDR3 RAM</li>
<li>Intel Core i5-3570k CPU, retail box</li>
<li>Sony bulk DVD-RW</li>
<li>CoolerMaster 500w PSU</li>
</ul>
<br />
I assembled the components, re-using an old case and power supply (PSU), but otherwise using all new parts. (Planned to return the PSU if I could use the old.) The system frequently locked up, with no rhyme or reason.<br />
<br />
Over the last month I didn't have time to focus on the problem, but occasionally tried to figure it out.<br />
<br />
I tested the RAM for 7 hours, no errors. I ran a disk utility from the hdd manufacturer, found no errors there. I booted off of Live CDs, the system still locked up sometimes.<br />
<br />
Over the weekend I returned to Microcenter and discussed the problem with one of their system builders. After describing everything I'd done so far, he concluded that given everything I'd tried so far, maybe the motherboard itself was bad, and suggested I bring it back for an exchange.<br />
<br />
I returned the next day and exchanged the motherboard. Microcenter was great about the whole process.<br />
<br />
After swapping the motherboard the system still locked up inexplicably. I then swapped the PSU with a brand-new PSU. That didn't help either.<br />
<br />
I flashed the BIOS to the latest BIOS revision. Still no help.<br />
<br />
I finally found the solution on Sunday night, buried deep in a British forum focused on Gigabyte motherboards.<br />
-<a href="http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18396884&page=11" target="_blank"> http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18396884&page=11</a><br />
<br />
Sunday night I raised the BCLK setting in the BIOS from the default 100.00 to 100.10, and the machine has been on since then, and hasn't locked up yet.<br />
<br />
:-) <br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-73378997600062634872012-06-01T14:59:00.005-05:002012-06-01T14:59:48.502-05:00I AM VICTORIOUS<br />
Two or three years ago I became the thrilled owner of a brand-new Hewlett-Packard (HP) Photosmart Premium Wireless All-in-One printer. I loved this printer - inexpensive ink, wireless-N, built-in quick-forms, touch-screen, scan-to-web-page interface, and on and on.<br />
<br />
My only criticism was that the platen was not legal-size, but that only matters very infrequently.<br />
<br />
Then last fall the computer wouldn't connect to the printer. So, as I've done many times before I uninstalled the printer software, planning to reinstall and proceed as normal.<br />
<br />
The reinstallation error'ed out.<br />
<br />
I battle with mal-adjusted, malcontent, socially deviant computers and assorted technologies for a living, and I certainly wasn't going to just sit there and take any disrespect from that piece of plastic and silicon. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the printer was winning for several months. Every so often I'd take another crack at installing the printer software, and I never succeeded. Each attempt would last several hours - the best I ever managed was to get basic printing working, but no scanning functionality was present.<br />
<br />
Finally, today, after another prolonged battle lasting most of the day, I've defeated the programmers at HP, Intel, & Microsoft. They put up a good effort, but in the end I was able to get the printer software installed on my computer once again, with full functionality. The guys and gals that worked on the installation software will now just have to go find somebody else to push around!<br />
<br />
And now, in case another soul comes across this post, the gory details:<br />
Printer: HP c309g-m<br />
OS: Windows 7 64-bit<br />
Computer: Lenovo T420 laptop<br />
<br />
Problem:<br />
HP AIO installer would not run successfully. Depending on what I tried, sometimes the installer would simply begin running and then simply abort. The install program would just disappear. Other times, I'd see error messages like<br />
<br />
"X:\hpzprl40.exe not found"<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJmsb7nGJ2Enc0O0n5V0Wu3auvS-rL_fJipRPxN_s0rF2TXza4k8ivnITjgQk3L3S3BR7LqWuCyJsrbCkHeRQGFmsyj0QHybFUWT7q6cCUAds1IWFBMiszvlqtQO6sHkP_yAU2Q/s1600/hp+error.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJmsb7nGJ2Enc0O0n5V0Wu3auvS-rL_fJipRPxN_s0rF2TXza4k8ivnITjgQk3L3S3BR7LqWuCyJsrbCkHeRQGFmsyj0QHybFUWT7q6cCUAds1IWFBMiszvlqtQO6sHkP_yAU2Q/s320/hp+error.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
"Fatal Error"<br />
<br />
etc....<br />
<br />
Searching Bing or Google with combinations of terms such as <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">HP Printer can't install fatal error c309 temp not found</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">will result in numerous results. I spent many hours, on many days, over many months poring through the results with no success.</span><br />
<br />
I tried uninstalling and re-installing various bits & pieces (anything HP-related, Adobe Flash, .NET). I tried running the installer as Administrator. I tried running the installer on 2 different graphics cards (my laptop has an NVIDIA Optimus hybrid graphics system). I tried disabling the HP Updates. I tried disabling my firewall.I tried capturing the extracted install files before the installer failed, and then running setup directly from those files instead of letting the installer extract them and then run the temp files.<br />
<br />
Nothing helped.<br />
<br />
Finally, today I found a post on the Microsoft Answers message board with the answer. ( <a href="http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/hp-photosmart-printer-software-installation/8681fee2-296b-4927-bc88-eeb15ade0416">http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/hp-photosmart-printer-software-installation/8681fee2-296b-4927-bc88-eeb15ade0416</a> )<br />
<br />
I updated the Intel wireless driver for my laptop, and afterward was able to install the HP printer software successfully. Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
(I still haven't re-installed Flash, but I don't think that has anything to do with the problem.)<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-10079872690948919722012-05-30T16:01:00.000-05:002012-05-30T16:01:38.379-05:00FantasizingMy latest fantasy:<br />
1) Win a life-changing lottery pool.<br />
2) Hire gardener/landscaper/yardguy.<br />
3) Quit job.<br />
4) Start a Computer Geek/Fix-it service providing services to the public, according to the following:<br />
---- Unprofitably low rates - maybe $25 flat-rate or something like that.<br />
---- Rather than accepting payments, have a computer set-up on the desk that 'customers' use to make online donations to a charity they choose from a list of charities I've selected.<br />
--- Once the person needing assistance makes the donation, I fix their computer.<br />
<br />
Keeps me feeling productive, improves the world, and hopefully is more relaxing for me than actually working for a business that must turn a profit.<br />
<br />
And of course there's always my fallback-fantasy - retire, move to the Caribbean, and take a job as a taxicab driver for cruise-ship passengers, ferrying the tourists between the dock and the various on-shore attractions.<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-62379777795533227212012-04-19T10:55:00.000-05:002012-04-19T10:55:11.270-05:00Back from the grave.Keeping this short and sweet:<br />
<br />
- a coworker needed my help to access Google Analytics. That reminded me of this blog's existence, and I realized I've neglected the page for almost a year. So I'm back.<br />
<br />
- recently decided to learn guitar. Bought a used Yamaha. Have spent some time over the last two nights beginning to teach myself how to play. After about an hour last night, I noticed the tips of some of the fingers on my left hand were sore and beginning to be calloused. I felt pride in that! :-)<br />
<br />
- I saw an old post on this blog about an Asus laptop I bought from Woot, that was being sent back for repair. I never updated that post. End result - Asus hardware is awesome. Asus service and support is every bit as BAD as their products are good. We ended up returning the laptop to Woot for a full refund, less my shipping costs to Asus for unsuccessful repairs.<br />
<br />
I still love Woot, but have less respect for Asus than I had previously.<br />
<br />
- There was also an old post about Bioshock on the PS3. I still haven't made time to continue playing much, but before I stopped playing I found an effective solution for the motion-sickness problem: <a href="http://www.sea-band.com/" target="_blank">Sea-Bands</a>. I can't explain why they work, and if the relief is psycho-somatic I don't care. They DO relieve the problem, at least for me. While I don't understand accupressure I'm happy to benefit from it.<br />
<br />
-- Lastly - today is Maren's Birthday! Happy Birthday Maren!!!!!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-21411690345397809772011-08-02T19:35:00.001-05:002011-08-02T19:40:18.865-05:00Loads to catch up on.A lot has happened during July.<br />
<br />
I spent a week in New Orleans, visiting my Dad and helping my Mom with stereo and computer issues.<br />
<br />
Once I returned to NJ, my friend Jed flew up here and visited for a week.<br />
<br />
During that week we took Nate & Maren to the annual West Orange family fun night at the town pool, we took the whole family to the beach at Point Pleasant, and the two of us spent a day in NYC.<br />
<br />
Additionally Jed & I got to spend some time playing Magic:The Gathering, videogames, talking sci-fi, TV, and politics, and Jed taught Nate how to play Magic as well.<br />
<br />
We baked an apple pie and chocolate chip cookies, and I sent Jed home with about 30Gb worth of music.<br />
<br />
I took Jed & the kids to the monthly NAVA meet, and we just about identified every dinner establishment in the tri-state area that closes on Mondays.<br />
All in all, a fun, exhausting week. <a href="http://flic.kr/ps/Wf63y">Photos at Flickr.</a><br />
<br />
Tomorrow, back to work.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-26914313131798796912011-07-03T12:13:00.000-05:002011-07-03T12:13:37.371-05:00Learn something new dept., July 2011Began building an Exchange 2010 server several months ago. Was sidetracked and never finished up.<br />
<br />
When I returned to the project on Friday I found that the Information Store service refused to start. The Event Viewer showed:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Event ID: 301</blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Failed to mount database 'Mailbox Database 0696636359' on Exch2010.jacobshome.local (Duration=00:00:00.3719227, ErrorMessage=An Active Manager operation failed with a transient error. Please retry the operation. Error: A transient error occurred during discovery of the database availability group topology. Error: Database action failed with transient error. Error: A transient error occurred during a database operation. Error: MapiExceptionNetworkError: Unable to make admin interface connection to server. (hr=0x80040115, ec=-2147221227)</span></span></span></div></blockquote>During the original work on the machine, I'd installed an eval of Forefront Server Protection. That eval is long-since expired.<br />
<br />
I uninstalled the Forefront Protection (no reboot was necessary), and the IS service started right up, no muss, no fuss.<br />
<br />
Hope this helps somebody.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-19361259758494551132011-03-23T23:40:00.000-05:002011-03-23T23:40:35.755-05:00The Joy of nice machinery, the Agony of defective nice machineryA bit bummed. Saturday afternoon a really nice Asus laptop was put up for sale, for a very low price, over at Woot. It was priced about half of the normal price, but was a refurb, with only a 90-day warranty. Jess' laptop was near-death, so we ordered the Asus. Surprisingly and impressively, it arrived today. Unfortunately, the wireless card on the machine doesn't work at all. The hardware and software behave as though the card isn't even physically present.<br />
I've just submitted the necessary docs to Asus Customer Care, and assuming the docs pass muster Asus will let me ship the laptop to them for warranty repair. The machine is gorgeous though, and assuming it's repaired I'll still be thrilled with it; just disappointed I need to wait a few more weeks before we can enjoy it.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-5320635243358913502011-02-09T01:40:00.003-05:002011-02-09T01:46:08.642-05:00Getting Better<span xmlns=""></span><br />
Once upon a time, our den looked like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluLFBZ7CWEnxVk3Oo2DOXa67e_3uct-5OoSti7RAvnyqhGbzRq-1ToucHdRsQ8_6Me0ZHSyf9KDh6Xyl5YIX7RGLVYeWplBcq6B3OaDpYQgrtNmvEprqiYtNL5eIJkv1lVmmUDA/s1600/2008.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluLFBZ7CWEnxVk3Oo2DOXa67e_3uct-5OoSti7RAvnyqhGbzRq-1ToucHdRsQ8_6Me0ZHSyf9KDh6Xyl5YIX7RGLVYeWplBcq6B3OaDpYQgrtNmvEprqiYtNL5eIJkv1lVmmUDA/s320/2008.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
A couple of months ago our trusty old TV decided it was time to shuffle off into the light. Soon after, our den evolved, to look like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8evdKRIsBwFrgbyaQHwl-47pDMTymsJsDbfC16RTUxc60s-sNJpuo9DC5KljgrNUO83g7cjFuebNnncLT1tZdR2K4G73yl7rm4rJQO_ekDl0J0MFIj-L3kDSviR5MelLFnbyjTg/s1600/100_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8evdKRIsBwFrgbyaQHwl-47pDMTymsJsDbfC16RTUxc60s-sNJpuo9DC5KljgrNUO83g7cjFuebNnncLT1tZdR2K4G73yl7rm4rJQO_ekDl0J0MFIj-L3kDSviR5MelLFnbyjTg/s320/100_0764.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Even before purchasing the new TV the plan was to route the wires behind the wall. So, as soon as scheduling permitted, my father-in-law and I cut holes in the wall, installed junction boxes and wall plates for the various AV jacks, and the den looked like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklNXv0Moe0d9YPGs5uEzHShCmYgKaZAa-UmGHASEbbZg9FdnJ9YOnihTktpLnw6dpJNgbl8ibpyiKwpUKCTbZqmUB-iZ_VQemMQaFwketnU_4SnAde3WzLmrndoy6YbtW0qdR1Q/s1600/100_0770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklNXv0Moe0d9YPGs5uEzHShCmYgKaZAa-UmGHASEbbZg9FdnJ9YOnihTktpLnw6dpJNgbl8ibpyiKwpUKCTbZqmUB-iZ_VQemMQaFwketnU_4SnAde3WzLmrndoy6YbtW0qdR1Q/s320/100_0770.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Still, something was wrong with the picture. Obviously some improvement was still necessary, but what ever could it be ? Hmmmm….<br />
<br />
How about…. <br />
Some new furniture, more suited to the situation? <em>Maybe.</em><br />
Cleaning the room, and discarding a lot of junk? <em>That's a promising thought too.</em><br />
<br />
How about BOTH? <em>Eureka!!!!</em><br />
I present, the den, take 2:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjU7ln2ZEmkkYGMCk-92KhWqMUAP6xG2mt-6oyAddHieO4k2aAyqadCX9nrHmZ4ORNEnPsVO-C2Y44IjRuqO9Y9BtYK3gKxC3zaOmCkg1mQFNaGuBjS3knsMUyKjDXgOMQ_GIGg/s1600/100_0812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjU7ln2ZEmkkYGMCk-92KhWqMUAP6xG2mt-6oyAddHieO4k2aAyqadCX9nrHmZ4ORNEnPsVO-C2Y44IjRuqO9Y9BtYK3gKxC3zaOmCkg1mQFNaGuBjS3knsMUyKjDXgOMQ_GIGg/s320/100_0812.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BdFJE5hcur9oK14zkP0AFBp2DtzoBtP5KxkUiKixY2p3cRsHB5NW3Y6VgeVkOK6CLL93rNyqi7bo4VCw7_aGDma1NlSTO-lenqeJVdM_u8T-qfKDPbHOdDm9tafERnnaf-FOug/s1600/100_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BdFJE5hcur9oK14zkP0AFBp2DtzoBtP5KxkUiKixY2p3cRsHB5NW3Y6VgeVkOK6CLL93rNyqi7bo4VCw7_aGDma1NlSTO-lenqeJVdM_u8T-qfKDPbHOdDm9tafERnnaf-FOug/s320/100_0811.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Still not perfect, but much improved.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-89371210252397790632010-12-11T00:07:00.001-05:002010-12-11T00:10:28.572-05:00Karmic payback can be a bitch.Over the last couple of months I've spent a lot more than usual. There were some unplanned home repairs, but some of the expenses were nothing but indulgence, and could easily be considered unwise.<br />
<br />
I think God, Karma, or whatever is making sure I know that nothing comes without a catch.<br />
<br />
Our old TV was showing definite signs that it was about to die. The cumulative wisdom I found online seemed to suggest the best deals on TVs occurred just before Black Friday, so I went ahead and got myself a new 50" TV just before Thanksgiving.<br />
<br />
High on electronics shopping, judgement obviously taking a vacation, I then ordered a new Playstation 3 on Black Friday. While waiting for the system to arrive I went to a friend's videogame store and bought a copy of <a href="http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/enter.html">Bioshock</a>.<br />
<br />
Why is any of this bad? Why am I complaining about getting all of these neat toys?<br />
<br />
The PS3 arrived 2 days ago. I began playing Bioshock last night, and played some more tonight. Bioshock looks like a neat game, and so far I'm liking it a lot, and would like to keep playing it.<br />
<br />
BUT IT'S MAKING ME SICK. After about 30 minutes of gameplay, I am suffering major motion sickness, and have to stop, or I'm afraid I'll vomit. When this occurred last night I figured I'm overdue for a bout with the flu, and I was very tired, so maybe I was getting sick. But I woke up this morning feeling fine. Then after playing for another 35 or 40 minutes tonight I again felt very queasy. It's now been about an hour since I stopped playing and I'm still feeling sick.<br />
<br />
I've never had any problem with motion sickness, so this is a new and seriously unpleasant and disheartening thing for me.<br />
<br />
I read a post online about this, and a suggestion was to play for short lengths of time, and gradually build up a tolerance, essentially teaching my brain to handle this better.<br />
<br />
All I can say is ARGHHH!!!<br />
<br />
Funny PS: I'm not making this up, but about 30 seconds after I posted this, Reese Witherspoon used the phrase "karmic payback" on David Letterman.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-21184476407133004522010-11-25T15:25:00.000-05:002010-11-25T15:25:54.056-05:00Things I'm grateful for.Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated this for three months.<br />
<br />
I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Listed here, in no particular order, are things I'm thankful for:<br />
<br />
Cliched as it is, I'm thankful for my family.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful thagt after the last two years of struggling to make ends meet, I'm now earning a living and capable of paying my bills.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for Abbey Road.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for Alice's Restaurant Masacree. I discovered this song about 20 years ago at Michael Cohen's house on Thanksgiving Day, and have ritually listened to it every single Thanksgiving day since then. It doesn't grow old.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful that tending to the leaves in my yard during the fall, and tending to the snow in my yard during the winter doesn't debilitate me as much as it did when I first started tackling those things 12 years ago. Practice and almost-regular visits to the gym have noticeably increased my stamina.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for generous relatives.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for The Princess Bride.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for the luxury of getting to drive anywhere I want, whenever I want. On the horizon, our krewe will be heading to Metairie,LA, for example.<br />
<br />
That's all. And remember, you can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant (excepting Alice).Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-63010142428251164752010-08-31T08:15:00.001-05:002010-08-31T08:15:51.999-05:00Seen this morning on HuffPo<blockquote>That's the drag about being on the Left. You have less power than a gnat with a bad leg, but everybody accuses you of running the world. </blockquote> -- ZogimperatorStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-30516669884841763292010-08-18T22:38:00.000-05:002010-08-18T22:38:33.160-05:00Goodnight Iraq.I turned on the boob tube tonight and learned that the last US Comabt Troops are exiting Iraq now, as I type this.<br />
<br />
Yes, 50,000+ US Troops will remain in Iraq. And yes, our government and politicians still do things I disagree with.<br />
<br />
But seeing our combat presence in Iraq finally leave evokes in me feelings of relief, happiness, and pride in our country.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img217.imageshack.us/i/usaca.gif/" target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting"><img border="0" src="http://a.imageshack.us/img217/6355/usaca.gif" /></a></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-65755105532356322072010-08-18T01:36:00.000-05:002010-08-18T01:36:10.038-05:00Trouble syncing Windows phone to PC? Me too.....Yesterday I discovered Microsoft OneNote, and almost immediately decided this was a really, really neat program. I wish I'd investigated it when I first encountered it a few years ago.<br />
<br />
OneNote can sync with my Windows Mobile phone, but that wasn't happening. Eventually I discovered my phone hadn't sync'ed at all with my laptop since mid-July. (My email/contacts/calendar items sync wirelessly via T-Mobile, so I very rarely try to sync the phone with the PC.)<br />
<br />
I spent a lot of time yesterday, and a few more hours tonight trying to resolve the problem. The computer runs Windows 7, so I've got Windows Mobile Device Center v6.1 installed. The phone is a T-Mobile Touch Pro 2, running Windows Mobile 6.5.<br />
<br />
I tried every solution I found online (via Bing, Google, T-Mobile, Microsoft, and HTC). No luck.<br />
<br />
I found and unpackaged the USB cable originally provided with the phone and tried it. No luck.<br />
<br />
After a few repairs and reinstalls of Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC), several reboots of the PC and/or the phone, a system restore, and restarting services on the PC, all to no avail, I was beginning to lose hope.<br />
<br />
Finally I set ActiveSync on the phone and WMDC to sync via Bluetooth. The sync started successfully and is still going. Hopefully it will eventually complete, and hopefully afterward the phone will sync via the USB cable as well. Here's hoping....<br />
<br />
......<br />
<br />
.......<br />
<br />
.....<br />
<br />
Another reboot later, and I can report that I still cannot sync via USB cable. Bummer.<br />
<br />
I guess I just need to sync via Bluetooth when I need to sync.<br />
<br />
Now I need to get to sleep.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-38660624778351734122010-07-27T19:47:00.000-05:002010-07-27T19:47:31.029-05:00A similar letter to Best BuyEarlier this evening I read about Best Buy's donation to Minnesota Forward. I am writing this email to you to express my enormous disappointment with this decision.<br />
<br />
Since Best Buy opened their first store in Louisiana several years ago I've liked shopping at Best Buy for electronics. I've taken my parents there when they wanted new AV equipment or computers, bought countless printer cartridges there, and have bought videogames and music CDs at Best Buy for as long as I can remember. <br />
<br />
I am now seriously considering a personal boycott of Best Buy stores. Don't think I'm singling Best Buy out. I read that other corporations including Target also donated to MN Forward and I've sent a similar letter to them.<br />
<br />
I am vehemently opposed to Rep. Emmer's immoral stands and offensive, un-American statements on many topics. Even if I agreed with him however, I think it is improper for a corporation to donate corporate funds to a political campaign, even if the donation happens to be legal.<br />
<br />
I don't see any way for Best Buy to somehow 'ungive' the donation already given, and that would be dishonorable even if it could be done. While you cannot undo what has already been done, I'd very much like to see Best Buy donate an equal amount of money to an organization supporting Mr. Emmer's opponent, to try to mitigate the MN Forward donation.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your time, and I sincerely hope I can continue shopping at Best Buy in the future.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-80406944665626563352010-07-27T19:26:00.000-05:002010-07-27T19:26:39.297-05:00My letter to Target CEO Gregg SteinhafelEarlier this evening I read about Target's donation to Minnesota Forward. I am writing this email to you to express my enormous disappointment with this decision.<br />
<br />
Since discovering Target stores in the late-1990s I've liked shopping at Target and turn to Target first for almost every type of product I shop for. I go to Target for housewares, clothing, electronics, music CDs, small furniture, toys and pet food.<br />
<br />
I am now seriously considering a personal boycott of Target stores. Don't think I'm singling Target out. I read that other corporations including Best Buy also donated to MN Forward. I intend to send a similar letter to them.<br />
<br />
I am vehemently opposed to Rep. Emmer's immoral stands and offensive, un-American statements on many topics. Even if I agreed with him however, I think it is improper for a corporation to donate corporate funds to a political campaign, even if the donation happens to be legal.<br />
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I don't see any way for Target to somehow 'ungive' the donation already given, and that would be dishonorable even if it could be done. While you cannot undo what has already been done, I'd very much like to see Target donate an equal amount of money to an organization supporting Mr. Emmer's opponent, to try to mitigate the MN Forward donation.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your time, and I sincerely hope I can continue shopping at Target in the future.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-9283651062422433072010-07-16T08:21:00.000-05:002010-07-16T08:21:12.918-05:00Letter to Newsweek - regarding the common opinion about upcoming November electionsLately I seem to frequently read or hear in Newsweek and elsewhere about low poll numbers for President Obama and Democrats in Congress. The low poll numbers seem to me to be in response to imprecise questions such as “Are you happy with President Obama’s performance on the economy?”, or “Are you happy with his handling of the BP Oil Spill?”.<br />
<br />
The poll results published for mainstream consumption never seem to mention any follow-up questions, such as WHY the respondent feels the way he/she feels. Yet the results are routinely presented to suggest the country is likely to vote out a substantial number of Democratic candidates this November, and the presumption is that those seats will be taken by Republican candidates.<br />
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I haven’t seen any mention of another possibility though. What if a sizeable portion of voters feel as I do? I am unhappy with President Obama’s performance on nearly every issue, and far more unhappy with most Democrats in Congress, but will most likely vote for them all again. As opposed to the very vocal right-wing speakers on political television programs I feel that President Obama and Congress have consistently not gone far enough with their actions. If my choice is between somebody that will do something absolutely opposite to what I desire, or somebody that will take a baby-step towards what I desire, the choice is clear. It is not at all a wonderful choice, but there’s not a lot there to struggle with.<br />
<br />
If a polled voter is unhappy with a particular officeholder’s performance, that doesn’t necessarily mean the voter will vote for the challenger. Assuming that is a mistake.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-10644819335715180342010-07-09T20:12:00.000-05:002010-07-09T20:12:00.660-05:00Shopped for a clock radio lately?A few years ago I decided my very old AM/FM clock radio had served an honorable term of duty and should be put out of it's misery. I replaced it with a fancy clock radio with CD player that I purchased from Linens and Things as they went out of business. The fancy model was an Emerson, but it seemed like a decent unit and I bought it against my better judgement.<br />
<br />
The clock-radio never worked right, and I finally decided recently to just junk it and get something that works properly. (If anybody reading this is researching an Emerson model CKD5811, DON'T BUY IT. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS DEFECTIVE, POORLY ASSEMBLED PIECE OF MEDIOCRITY.)<br />
<br />
I spent some time today researching online, and then driving around shopping for a CD/AM/FM clock radio. (I never even looked for AM, truth be told.)<br />
<br />
iPod docks have just about eliminated CD clock radios. There are very low-quality cheap clock radios with CD functionality, and there are $250+ clock radios with CD players from the likes of Bose and Cambridge Soundworks. Other than one less-than-impressive $40 Sony there are no other CD-clock-radios available.<br />
<br />
Rather than spending a ridicuolous amount or buying another cheap piece of junk I'm skipping the whole thing. <br />
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Listen up any potential decision makers at Panasonic, Pioneer, Sharp or Aiwa: If you produce a decent-sounding, decent-quality, stereo clock radio, with CD-player, for under $100 I'll buy it. And I'll bet I'm not the only one. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://jacobshome.blogspot.com/2008/01/electronics-developers-are-you.html">When I asked for a TV-remote/cellphone combo unit</a> you ignored me. I'm giving you another chance here! :)Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-90893416573149968492010-07-08T20:30:00.001-05:002010-07-08T20:30:26.794-05:00Lebron James announcement<SPAN style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-WEIGHT:Normal;'>I'm not at all interested in pro basketball. Currently with a group of guys watching the Lebron James announcement on ESPN. Tonight's the first time I've ever seen Lebron.<br><br>He looks like a black Kelsey Grammar.<br><br></SPAN>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-38038272021311309882010-07-06T13:33:00.000-05:002010-07-06T14:33:43.149-05:00Is it wrong to like blue?<div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal>So the Uruguay v. Netherlands soccer match just began. All I know about either team is how to spell the country’s names. Is it wrong to root for Uruguay, solely because I like the sky-blue jerseys more than the orange jerseys worn by the Netherlands players?<o:p></o:p></p> </div> Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-26340701886919069082010-07-06T11:11:00.003-05:002010-07-06T11:15:04.448-05:00A Very Brief Comment on NJ Governor Chris ChristieFor whatever it's worth:<br />
<br />
On April 3, 2010 I sent a very short email to the NJ Star-Ledger and cc'd Governor Christie's office. (I realize I usually write a lot. To prove the letter is short, I've pasted it to the bottom of this post.)<br />
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Today, July 6, 2010, I've received a brief, canned response from the Governor Christie administration, and nothing in the response suggests my letter was ever even read. Not much of a surprise, but still disappointing.<br />
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I'm not writing about my own opinions concerning Gov. Christie in this post. I might do that some other time.<br />
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------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
My message to them:<br />
<blockquote>For as long as I can recall there has been discussion and hand-wringing about our state's financial situation. Perennially there are excessive expenses, and insufficient revenue.<br />
<br />
A couple of years ago I heard a news story regarding a plan in Utah that had the state operate with a 4-day workweek. (<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-30-four-day_N.htm">http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-30-four-day_N.htm</a>)<br />
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State workers would work an extra 2 hours each of the 4 days, and then have an extra day off, resulting in no total reduction of hours worked.<br />
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I think this is very much worth exploring, and has the potential to save significant money, as well as reduce environmental impact, wear and tear on our highways, etc...<br />
Thanks for your time.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
Their response:<br />
<blockquote><br />
Dear Mr. .....:<br />
<br />
Thank you for your views and suggestions regarding the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget. I appreciate hearing your ideas to help restore fiscal sanity to our State.<br />
<br />
Given these tough economic times, we had some very tough decisions to make in this year's Budget. We had to balance the need to get our State's economy back on track by not raising taxes and making sure we only spend money we have. At the same time, we must never forget our obligation to protect the most vulnerable of our State. That is why the Budget that I signed on June 29 reduces spending by nearly 9 percent, demands a higher level of efficiency and accountability across state government and maintains funding for critical programs.<br />
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I believe that while the choices we made in this year's Budget were tough, they were necessary. Today's sacrifices in which we are all sharing have put our State back on a path to lower taxes, more jobs and a place where we can all afford to live.<br />
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Again, thank you for writing. Best wishes.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
Chris Christie<br />
Governor</blockquote>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33934063.post-53688713304788028592010-07-06T00:26:00.000-05:002010-07-06T00:27:00.691-05:00July 4th musings<SPAN style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-WEIGHT:Normal;'>Between viewings of various fireworks displays this weekend I spent a little time thinking about the state of the country, and my feelings about things.<br><br>As is obvious to anybody that knows me, I was truly distressed during most of this past decade. I felt (and still believe) that our country was hijacked by truly evil and villainous people determined to destroy everything America stood for, and I felt powerless to do anything about the situation.<br><br>When I learned of President Obama's election and then again as I heard his inauguration speech last January I felt enormously happy, relieved, and joyful. I can't really describe just how optimistic I felt.<br><br>Since then I've been consistently disappointed, watching as President Obama and his Administration compromise on issue after issue. Many times I've felt that the left-leaning members of our country have been betrayed.<br><br>But at the same time I've always wanted to give Obama the benefit of the doubt, and I've tried to find ways to do so.<br><br>This weekend I think I came to a mature conclusion. Or else I'm just a naive sap. In the interest of happiness I choose to believe the former.<br><br>I concluded that while a lot of issues haven't gone the way I'd like, and while I think Obama and the Dems in Congress have given up a lot more than I think they should have, a lot of good stuff HAS been accomplished in a relatively short time.<br><br>So while things haven't gone as far as I'd like, things are definitely moving in the right direction, and I hope to see more positive progress.<br><br>Possibly coloring my perception is that I'm personally having a pretty good year. Answering Reagan's soundbite, I AM better off than I've been in many years.<br><br>After nearly a decade of honestly worrying that I was witnessing the end of our country, I am sincerely happy and relieved to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!<br><br>And now I need to go to sleep. Work resumes in about 7 hours.<br><br>:)</SPAN>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317958623395464576noreply@blogger.com0