Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Last Night on Earth...
Sorry, couldn't help throwing a vague U2 reference in there... (Strange, but I've actually softened to Pop over the years...)
And, of course, a very bad reference to the "2012 Phenomenon", as it's come to be known. This round of wackiness just floors me. You wonder how anyone with even the slightest scintillation of brain function could believe this hokum... But, then again, look at the education system in this country...
Anyway, I've been a bit reticent to post much... Just didn't seem to be the time for prattling on about computers, pens, and other silliness...
But, as it's the end of the world (OK, I'll stop), I thought I'd drop off a few notes...
Guess I should note that I picked up (and somewhat assembled) a new computer. (yeah, yeah...) Again, another bit of a collector's item, this one being an HP TC1100 tablet hybrid. This was a rather cool little notebook/tablet computer system made c.2005-2006. Apparently, HP took the design from a Compaq model they got after acquiring Compaq. They seem to have fixed many of the problems with the earlier system, and made a handy little road warrior system out of it.
The TC1100 comes with a detachable keyboard (which can also be folded up under the screen for tablet use). When it's set up for standard keyboard use, it sort of looks like a miniature desktop system. Rather cool. My only major complaint is that you can only use the tablet with a special stylus (which I had to track down separately.) It uses a special version WinXP, which doesn't thrill me in the least. But it's a cool, and capable little computer. Mine came with OpenOffice on it, which isn't really useful for the stylus stuff, but it works. It may get dragged into courthouses with me, next year. (I hope...)
I'd throw up some photos of the little HP, but they're on my MBP, and I'm using my Powerbook G4 right now. The reason for that is I was trying to get an old version of Macromedia Director set up to run under Classic. Alas, the version I recently grabbed from Macintosh Garden was archived oddly, and you require an alternate unarchiving package. After fighting with this for a while, I put the project on hold. (I did find/grab the proper software package, but I'd lost my enthusiasm by then...)
I have so many things I really need to do...
Funny, how all those things get put off...
Especially right at the end of the world...
And, of course, a very bad reference to the "2012 Phenomenon", as it's come to be known. This round of wackiness just floors me. You wonder how anyone with even the slightest scintillation of brain function could believe this hokum... But, then again, look at the education system in this country...
Anyway, I've been a bit reticent to post much... Just didn't seem to be the time for prattling on about computers, pens, and other silliness...
But, as it's the end of the world (OK, I'll stop), I thought I'd drop off a few notes...
Guess I should note that I picked up (and somewhat assembled) a new computer. (yeah, yeah...) Again, another bit of a collector's item, this one being an HP TC1100 tablet hybrid. This was a rather cool little notebook/tablet computer system made c.2005-2006. Apparently, HP took the design from a Compaq model they got after acquiring Compaq. They seem to have fixed many of the problems with the earlier system, and made a handy little road warrior system out of it.
The TC1100 comes with a detachable keyboard (which can also be folded up under the screen for tablet use). When it's set up for standard keyboard use, it sort of looks like a miniature desktop system. Rather cool. My only major complaint is that you can only use the tablet with a special stylus (which I had to track down separately.) It uses a special version WinXP, which doesn't thrill me in the least. But it's a cool, and capable little computer. Mine came with OpenOffice on it, which isn't really useful for the stylus stuff, but it works. It may get dragged into courthouses with me, next year. (I hope...)
I'd throw up some photos of the little HP, but they're on my MBP, and I'm using my Powerbook G4 right now. The reason for that is I was trying to get an old version of Macromedia Director set up to run under Classic. Alas, the version I recently grabbed from Macintosh Garden was archived oddly, and you require an alternate unarchiving package. After fighting with this for a while, I put the project on hold. (I did find/grab the proper software package, but I'd lost my enthusiasm by then...)
I have so many things I really need to do...
Funny, how all those things get put off...
Especially right at the end of the world...
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A quick follow-up...
It woke up.
But in its own style.
I put it in Standby, let it stand for a few minutes while I puttered about. The nifty little blinkenlichten showed me it was in Standby mode. When I opened the screen up, the blinker (OK, the power indicator...) stopped blinking and stayed on.
And the screen stayed black. And no hard drive activity. Though the Media Package indicator came on.
And I stared at the black screen for about a minute and a half before I tentatively tapped a button on the keyboard. Nothing. Tapped the "Enter" key. Nothing. Tap the touchpad button. Nothing.
I was just starting to consider holding down the Power switch when... Whizzz! Whirrrr! The hard drive indicator flickered up. The screen came on with a cranky beep...
I think I'm going to shut everything down, and retire to my room to stare mindlessly at the 'tube... I just for some reason don't want to play anymore...................
But in its own style.
I put it in Standby, let it stand for a few minutes while I puttered about. The nifty little blinkenlichten showed me it was in Standby mode. When I opened the screen up, the blinker (OK, the power indicator...) stopped blinking and stayed on.
And the screen stayed black. And no hard drive activity. Though the Media Package indicator came on.
And I stared at the black screen for about a minute and a half before I tentatively tapped a button on the keyboard. Nothing. Tapped the "Enter" key. Nothing. Tap the touchpad button. Nothing.
I was just starting to consider holding down the Power switch when... Whizzz! Whirrrr! The hard drive indicator flickered up. The screen came on with a cranky beep...
I think I'm going to shut everything down, and retire to my room to stare mindlessly at the 'tube... I just for some reason don't want to play anymore...................
Penny Headaches...
Well, still too much tech stuff, but...
This is actually a bit different. I'm not on the Macs right now, but on the Panasonic Toughbook CF-29, which has been giving me fits as of late. It takes forever get past the Panasonic "splash screen" before booting up WinXP. (Tells you how old this thing is, doesn't it?) And putting it into Standby mode is a one-way ticket to complete narcolepsy. It simply won't wake up.
The only thing I can say is that I was having no problems prior to testing the DVD drive on battery a bit back. The battery, of course, drained almost instantly, so I shut down DVD player software, ejected the disk, shut the system down, and hooked up the power cord. Since then, the Media Package power indicator has stayed on, and I started having "the troubles."
Nice searches via Google give me nothing, beyond vague references to "resetting the system parameters." So, I booted the thing up, hit F2, then did F9, and let it reboot. The progress bar at the Panasonic screen went a bit further than it has been going, then sat again for about a minute, before jumping into booting the OS. I've run DSKCHK just for the Hades of it, and found nothing. I'm just about the check the narcolepsy, but I don't hold out hope...
I am reminded, once again, (just as I was a while back when Norton Internet Security annihilated itself during an "upgrade" on my Toshiba) why I switched to Mac. I generally don't have these problems on those systems. I just have problems like "the Cube doesn't like the KVM switch", or somesuch. IF you have a real problem with a Mac, it's generally nuclear, and and that system isn't coming back any time soon. (I, thankfully, haven't had one of those. Yet.)
If these nagging, just on the cusp of unusable, problems continue with this system. I may be testing just how rugged an old Toughbook really is... It may go nuclear...
This is actually a bit different. I'm not on the Macs right now, but on the Panasonic Toughbook CF-29, which has been giving me fits as of late. It takes forever get past the Panasonic "splash screen" before booting up WinXP. (Tells you how old this thing is, doesn't it?) And putting it into Standby mode is a one-way ticket to complete narcolepsy. It simply won't wake up.
The only thing I can say is that I was having no problems prior to testing the DVD drive on battery a bit back. The battery, of course, drained almost instantly, so I shut down DVD player software, ejected the disk, shut the system down, and hooked up the power cord. Since then, the Media Package power indicator has stayed on, and I started having "the troubles."
Nice searches via Google give me nothing, beyond vague references to "resetting the system parameters." So, I booted the thing up, hit F2, then did F9, and let it reboot. The progress bar at the Panasonic screen went a bit further than it has been going, then sat again for about a minute, before jumping into booting the OS. I've run DSKCHK just for the Hades of it, and found nothing. I'm just about the check the narcolepsy, but I don't hold out hope...
I am reminded, once again, (just as I was a while back when Norton Internet Security annihilated itself during an "upgrade" on my Toshiba) why I switched to Mac. I generally don't have these problems on those systems. I just have problems like "the Cube doesn't like the KVM switch", or somesuch. IF you have a real problem with a Mac, it's generally nuclear, and and that system isn't coming back any time soon. (I, thankfully, haven't had one of those. Yet.)
If these nagging, just on the cusp of unusable, problems continue with this system. I may be testing just how rugged an old Toughbook really is... It may go nuclear...
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Important Point
Definite important point: READ THE DOCUMENTATION!
I worry about myself sometimes.........
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