2012 Home Renovations – Part 04 – Initial scratch and demolition

Probably this will have been the most dramatic day for us change-wise. You know how, when it rains, you’ll do nearly anything to avoid getting wet. But there eventually comes a time when you just have to surrender to it. Recognize that there is nothing to be done except either embrace your reality or drive … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 04 – Initial scratch and demolition

2012 Home Renovations – Part 03 – Clearing the Trees

We had a total of 8 trees cleared by Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts. Despite a high wind advisory – we seldom have even a breeze here – and at or below freezing temperatures, the guys soldiered through the process and you can see that the back yard is now a much more open space. We … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 03 – Clearing the Trees

2012 Home Renovations – Part 02 The Before pictures

Critical to any project is knowing where you started. I’ve chosen 9 vantage points from which to check out progress. Beginning by looking out of the back of the house, you can see the view from our current patio sliding door.    Then, stepping out onto the driveway we can see the view through the … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 02 The Before pictures

2012 Home Renovations – Part 01 The Project – Pool, Lanai, Driveway, Retaining walls

A few months ago, while visiting relatives in Florida, Michelle went out to take in the neighborhood. She came back from this not just a little excited and told me that they’d found a house that was in foreclosure and that I should come and take a look-see. The house was nicely appointed (what we … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 01 The Project – Pool, Lanai, Driveway, Retaining walls

Resolution to iTunes excessive CPU consumption issue on Alienware Area 51 Computer

Finally resolved this issue (hopefully permanently). I wrote earlier about this issue where running iTunes consumed an inordinate amount of CPU cycles on my system. This issue pre-dated the iTunes 10.5 release but was certainly exacerbated by it. Now I have resolved the issue and have iTunes running without my computer cooling fans going crazy. … Continue reading Resolution to iTunes excessive CPU consumption issue on Alienware Area 51 Computer

The Magic Smoke Left my HR23-700 DVR today

I’m glad I was home when it happened. I was watching TV with my wife (Netflix – trying to figure out if we liked “Mad Men” or not) when we started smelling something electrical burning. A quick survey of the house found that the smell was strongest in the TV room and then I noticed … Continue reading The Magic Smoke Left my HR23-700 DVR today

Apple iTunes – AppleMovileDeviceService.exe – excessive CPU consumption

*Updated 2011.11.19* I have posted a resolution to this issue here. *End Update* *Updated 2011.09.05* I accepted the updater’s offer to upgrade iTunes to 10.4.1.10 and the problem recurred. This time I followed the protocol from this KB article from Apple ( http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1923 ) and quelled the issue again. Next time I’ll do more experimentation … Continue reading Apple iTunes – AppleMovileDeviceService.exe – excessive CPU consumption

When is the last time you read the Georgia Driver’s License Manual?

Of course, in my opinion, we should have in place a system where folks are re-tested every few years. The laws are *always* changing – those legislators have to justify their existence somehow – and are you really sure you know what the current thinking is on the correct way to handle a driving situation? … Continue reading When is the last time you read the Georgia Driver’s License Manual?

Syba SY-KVM20054 1920 x 1200 DVI Video 2-port USB KVM Switch with Wired Remote Port Selector Review

I purchased this KVM after my TRENDnet TK-207K bit the dust after only 6 months of use. I have to admit that I’m now happy for being forced to change. The TRENDnet was only about $23 from Amazon where this Syba weighed in at closer to $60. This is still a very good price for … Continue reading Syba SY-KVM20054 1920 x 1200 DVI Video 2-port USB KVM Switch with Wired Remote Port Selector Review