The Scrolls

Posts Tagged ‘computers’

Tech Lust: Alienware Laptops

Alienware, a division of Dell, has long been known for making gaming computers but one thing they have also been consistent with is producing computers which are visually appealing. When it comes to awesome aesthetics, I am so there! Which is why all of Alienware laptops are equally awesome; there’s 2 right now: m15x and m17x. They’re capable machines with attractive styles and backlit keyboards which make me say “Ooh.” (It’s also great for typing on those dark and stormy nights). If that doesn’t catch your eye, then perhaps the webcam, facial recognition software or engraved nameplate on the bottom (just to name a few things) will. They’re not so friendly to the pocketbook, of course, which is why I lust over them instead of buy them.

Leave Me Alone

Despite my isolation from friends and family, I am inundated with requests and queries and messages. My inbox, answering machine and mailbox never stay empty. If anything, I have developed a very clear stance on spam: I hate it.

I have resorted to letting the machine pick up every call and I’m sure Ryan doesn’t appreciate it but I am sick of taking calls that want something (I tell you, you donate once and they won’t leave you alone. They’re like stray cats!) or for people who don’t live here, never have and no, I don’t know them, thank you very much. I am not Nadia, Melissa or Erica and the Ryan you want is not my husband so stop calling! These people must be going through the phone book and calling everyone with the same last name as we have which is ridiculous. I mean, our last name is in the top 20 in the entire country so that tactic is absurd to begin with. For reference, there are over 10 pages of Martinezes in the phone book.

Car insurance companies down here are also really good at making their ads seem like real mail. They’re vague enough that you have to open them, just in case it’s something you’ll regret tossing. I get those kind of letters at least once a week. Think of the trees, people!

In fact the calls and mail make me happy Thunderbird does so well with fielding spam and that my computer doesn’t “ring” every time I get a knew message. I’d have to kill myself then. I already hate the sound of our phone which also has an insanely loud ringer even on low. I’d hate to hate my computer.

In summary: gtfo spammers.

Tech Lust: Red Laptops

I don’t really need a laptop. I plan on using my computer for a while, yet, and memory will extend its life without being as costly as a laptop. Still, I can drool over pretty electronics, can’t I? And the laptops that are the most droolworthy are red! Initially, I was going to blog about HP’s new ProBooks which are targeted for small businesses and super sleek but HP’s site says nothing about red ones. Luckily, I found a site which blogs only about red laptops. Pretty cool? So, feast your eyes on the beauties on the Red Laptop blog – I want them all.

The Things You Love to Hate

In my case it’s technology and, sometimes, my kitty Phantom.

Not too long ago I asked for ideas for keeping him out of places and one response was to use double sided tape. Apparently cats don’t like the feeling of it on their paws and if you put it over the entrance to a place you want to keep them out of, it should help. Well, I went to the extreme when I used some double sided tape; I put a grid of the tape over our entire fireplace.

It didn’t work.

That’s right. When faced with this barrier, Phantom simply chewed through it and made a hole big enough for himself. Since then, we have resorted to zip tying the chain link metal “curtain” over the fireplace. This seems to have worked. But, it renders the fireplace completely useless. Pah!

I also needed suggestions for how to get the kitty to stop going places we don’t want him, like near the computer, behind the TV and on counters, tables and dressers. Ashe suggested I get a can of compressed air and this has actually worked really well. I’ve only had the air a few days and Phantom already knows not to fuck with me. If I even grab the can, he scrambles.

Still, if the cat can’t be kind of naughty, he tries to be really naughty. He is now spending time on top of the fridge. He originally went up there because he could smell a ziploc bag of treats I had. He proceeded to chew open the bag. Now, I tihnk he just likes being up that high and he reaches down to play with the magnets and papers on the freezer door. This is especially problematic because I can’t spray him very well up there and we moved everything to the freezer door because he was jumping to get everything on the bottom door from the floor. I guess no magnet is safe.

When it comes to technology, I really like my computer and my MP3 player and the internet but when it goes wrong, it’s so costly. I caught a trojan (W32.Renos) the other day which was redirecting my search results and slowed down my internet as well as blocking potentially helpful sites and webpages. It took over 2 days to finally find a trojan scanner which fixed it. I am very grateful to Dez for finding, downloading and sending me the program since I couldn’t fully utilize my internet.

A lot of people had the same trouble with Renos and similar trojans which fall into the family of Smitfraud. I downloaded/used at least a dozen programs and only 1 of them detected it. I even used tools specifically for these type of infections like SmitFraudFix which did not help. The program which finally did the trick is Simply Super Software’s Trojan Remover and I highly recommend it to anyone with Renos or a similar invasion.

I hope that anyone with this problem stumbles across my site and finds a solution that works for them.

There you have it, the things I love to hate.

Transformers Wallpapers

After switching between several desktop themes, I decided I wanted to go with one from Transformers. Of course, finding one which had Bumblebee was more difficult than it should have been. Luckily, other people are even more enthralled with it and have made some. My new desktop theme is awesome!

Technology

I suspect – I’m not sure but I strongly suspect - that this may ring true with others. I am more comfortable with technology, like computers, than my mother. She tries her best, but we often have conversations like this.

Me: Mom, did you get my e-mail I send you?
Her: Yes, and I replied.
Me: Are you sure? That was like 2 weeks ago. Did you hit the right button? Do you know the right address?
Mom: Yes I replied I sent it to [email address which doesn't even exist]
Me: -sigh- Well, I didn’t get it. I’m going to e-mail you again, make sure to reply. I never get them.

I have no good theory for this. There may be electrical gremlins somewhere along the line between her internet and mine. Rian may have it out for her and delete every email she sends before I get it – I don’t know. Perhaps, every time she e-mails me, Thunderbird has a hiccup.

But it certainly isn’t her fault.

Crappy computer

my computer is seriously fucked. -sl-

last night it froze and i had to shut it down manually. then it told me that the date thing was missing. so i got pissed and shut it down again. when it restarted it reset back to 1990. woops. so i fixed the date and time,. and all the programs/files are okay.
it freezes a lot though. its crazy. it freezes just turning it on.

anyway i was trying to print this paper for yasha class that i finally finished. it printed off the cover page and then stopped telling me the printer was not connected. wtf. I’ve been trying to get this done for a freaking month and a half and now it shits out on me.

so i cant print it, and when i tried to reinstall the printer the disk froze.

i cant even get the stupid shit to restart correctly.
-growls-
if you’re wondering, I’m not at home.