Category Archives: computers

Apps To Never Update

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It really bugs me when updates to your favorite app ruins it. On my device(s), I have a “Never Update” list, because the update ruins the app.

On top there is ES File Explorer. It’s similar to “My Computer” on Windows. But it has/had other features. Like the ability to back up an app and save it as an APK file on your drive. This feature is the main reason the apps ruined by updates aren’t uninstalled. If I hate the update, I can install the old version from my backup.
The  latest version of ES File Explorer take this feature out of the app. Degraded the app considerably.

Spite and Malice is a card game I really enjoy, the newer version, year or two ago, added all these fancy graphics and perfume and glitter that I didn’t like. This was before ES backup was available, so I emailed the Spite and Malice developer complaining and was emailed the old version. That was very nice. I am a truly loyal fan because of that.

UC Browser  isn’t that great. Memory warnings come up when you use it for a while, Their newest update wants to add “identity” to the permissions, that seems to be the purpose of the update.. My answer is “Why?” UC Browser was on my boycott list for years after an update put what I thought was spyware links on my machine. I was using Dolphin Browser for a long time. I’m thinking about switching back.

That’s about it for today. It’s already Friday in New Zealand!

Cheering Up

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A week or so ago, someone left me a comment telling me to cheer up! So I’ve been looking at the past several posts and indeed, I’ve been sounding pretty lugubrious lately. So I’m here to tell you that things aren’t so bad.
Work is my problem, like a large percentage of people.
But comparatively, my life is still great! I still go to the beach almost every day, I live in the greatest place on Earth, I have a perfect wife and all is fantastic.

My problem I think mainly is lack of content, ideas for posts. When I sit down in the morning and can’t think of a topic, I dredge up something from my  brain and it doesn’t come out too well. Another problem is organization. I take photos, put them on my computer (the only thing I use the computer for is to transfer photos from my camera to my hard drive, where they usually never see the light of day again.) I need a system to get them available to me here, on my android.  I’ve got two good photos of a lobster from last week that I’ve been wanting to post, but they’re on the hard drive, far far away. I need  to sync everything to “The Cloud”, so that I can access it from anywhere.

Anyway, don’t worry  about me, I’m doing great!

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Have a happy hump day!

Experiment results

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With the exception of last Tuesday, when my tablet totally died, My solar panel was able to maintain a usable charge on my Nexus 7.

My next experiment is to compare the time it takes my solar panel to charge 4  AA batteries compared to the time it takes the wall charger to  charge 4 AA batteries.

Today is a holiday  here, our first since July. It’s good to have an extra day off. It’s Remebrance Day. A day to remember our Veterans

I got a part time job as a real estate agent. Now I have to pass the test and get my license.

Have a good week!

Goal Zero – Nexus 7 Solar Experiment

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I have a Goal Zero Nomad 20 watt solar panel and two of the Guide 10 power packs.

My experiment is: Can I go a week without plugging my Nexus 7 tablet into AC power and only use the solar charger?

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I haven’t had the tablet plugged into the wall since Saturday night / Sunday morning. Yesterday was cloudy and I didn’t get a good charge on the power pack, therefore I didn’t get a good charge on the tablet. (I charge the power packs with the solar panels and charge the tablet with the power packs.) I can also plug the tablet directly into the solar panel, but don’t usually.

So it’s looking like this experiment is going to  fail. I’m down to 11% power on my tablet as I type this.

Hope for a sunny day today!

Not Too Thrilled

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Camera 14MP-9PCAbout going into work this morning. First day after vacation.

I was going to post pictures from the vacation, but looking through my collection, you’ve seen most of them already.Above is the in laws kayaking.

This is the first post I’ve posted from my computer in a long time, months.

I have a lot of blog reading and commenting to catch up on in the next couple of days. It will take me a while to get back in the work groove.

Anyway, have a good week, I’ll be back!

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Going Microsoft Free

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I am toying with the idea of eliminating Windows and Microsoft from my daily life.  I think t can do it too.
I have the new Android tablet and have been not using my laptop much at all since I got it.
It’s really no big deal, Mac users are around that probably seldom or never use Microsoft or Windows.
Microsoft has gotten a lot of money from me over the years. I have registered versions of Windows 3.1, ’98, 2000, XP, ME, and Vista. Not to mention the versions of Microsoft office. They keep making new versions, not compatible with the previous versions. Which sucks for the user, but made Bill Gates the richest dude o the planet.
The only problem is downloading the pics off my camera, which I’m working around.
Anyway, I’m running late today and gotta git goin’!

Thursday Thoughts

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Yesterday I got my Nexus 7. I’m typing this on that.So far, I like it, but I’ve barely started using it after charging the battery.
Yesterday I also got an email from Trip Advisor, asking me to remove my link to their site from my November 10th, 2010 post. First I said no, but The Wife said “why not?” so I said “why not?” too and took it off. The post was a good review of Tim Buk Tuu restaurant here in West Bay, Grand Cayman. The email said that my link was reducing traffic to their link. I doubt it.
I’m glad the weekend is almost here, and glad today is payday.

That Didn’t Work Too Well…

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Posting in the evenings didn’t work too well for me yesterday, we started watching a ‘Arry Podder’ movie and I never made it to the computer at all.

Speaking of new computers, I’ve been saying I needed one. I’ve been thinking I could replace my laptop with a tablet. Above is a Nexus 7 and a bluetooth keyboard built for it. For under $325, it would do everything I need a computer for, except for when I want to take pictures off my camera. There’s no card reader. Plus, at 7 inches, this thing is tiny. I could type on it, I’m sure better than the durn virtual keyboard that covers half the screen. There’s lots of videos about it here on YouTube.

Alternatively, I’m thinking about an ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity. At more than double the cost.

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But it has a SD Card Reader, bigger display and keyboard, quad processor and is more like a laptop. What I don’t like about the Transformer Pad is the touchpad on the keyboard. Why do I need a touchpad if I have a touch screen? I always disable the touchpad on my laptops because I’ll be typing, accidentally touch the touchpad and move the cursor, then I’m suddenly typing somewhere else and I have a mess to fix. I never liked touchpads.

Neither has a hard drive, they have Solid State Drives of 16, 32 0r 64 Gigabytes, so all my files would be stored on Dropbox and Skydrive.

So that’s where I’m at today. What do you think? Do you have one of these tablets?

Friday Flashback

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I was stoked to post  my Flashback Friday this morning. But my computer screen went dead again for the first time since the other day.
That’s my flashback, my screen going dead the other day…. and today. Wow, far out! Trippy man!
Have a good weekend! Still raining here!

Below: hole in the neighbors yard, AKA why nothing will grow in our yard…
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Chalkdirt.

Computer Died

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Yesterday I replaced the hard drive on my computer, installed the OS and had it going, looking good.
This morning I started ‘er up to post my post and the display went dead. Seems to be fukt.
But I’m not going to mess with it now.
I’ve needed a new laptop for a long time, so has The Wife.
Looks like we might get some rain today.

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Friday!