Saturday, July 27, 2013

Updates and What and Why

I pity the regular person who is not computer literate. We get these updates on a regular basis. By default most just download and install by themselves and nobody is the wiser. Except the illiterate computer uses that are frustrated because their computers have become slow or unresponsive. First thing that comes to people's minds is, 'I must have a virus'. Maybe but what does one do. Over the years I have learned that it is better to pay for a complete antivirus suite that help protect me. Many will argue over which product is better. You can either listen to someone else or try different ones until you find one you like. But, there is what this post is all about. TIME. So much time is devoted to our computer either in use or upkeep. If you are lucky enough to not have filled your hard drive with rarely used programs you might not have much trouble. But, the more you have loaded the more resources the computer has to use to keep up with it all. I have worked hard for years to keep the background resource usage to a minimum. To save the computer for me when I want to use it. I have turned off automatic updates on everything. Starting off with Windows Update. With Windows 7 you only get one update a month which is a blessing. Then there is Adobe Flash Player. Today I restarted the computer and first thing I see when logging on is an Adobe Updata for version 11.8.800.94 at 16.3mb of data. I don't know how much I really use Flash. I believe it is only for advertising and maybe some news articles I sometimes view. I have not put that much time into studying that but I'd rather update to keep the malware and Flash player attacks away. I have my antivirus set to update every four hours. It's quick and not that big a deal. It won't slow your computer down like an Adobe Flash update will. So, here's to those that like to know what's going on under the hood and are trying to stay on top of things. Good luck to you!

Google+ and Google Circles and less Facebook

I don't know about you but I have been giving less and less time to Facebook and more to Google+ and Google Circles. A new routine is embarked upon now. Boredom and letdowns is what always eventually turn me onto another path. Change is good for sure. As I am constantly on the lookout for the next new and great thing, I hope to post more on my blog here for anyone that may be interested in my findings. Lately though world events have cluttered my mind and it is hard to keep from noticing with all the push from the media. Rarely do I turn the television on anymore as there is just too much advertising and it gets old real fast. I use the fast advance on the DVR with the remote always nearby when a commercial is about to cut in. To hell with all of that I say. If I am going to buy something I will go looking on the web for it, not the tube. My television is like a plain old monitor to me. I only use it when I want to use the DVR appliance attached. So, here goes another day, hoping the rainy season goes away quickly. The lawn is waterlogged and it was a mess to cut yesterday. I had to change the blade to the regular one instead of the mulching one. The mulching blade was just leaving too much fine cuttings in clumps on the lawn and I have already had to deal with one outbreak of chinch bugs now. I'm sure there will be more to come. How I hate a lawn anymore. I will leave you with a thought today. Get more sleep and eat less. Don't forget to try and get some regular exercise. It just feels better if you do.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

U.S.P.S lost my mail again. Am I the only one this happens too?

I know times are tough and budgets are being cut but this has been happening long before now. I bought something on eBay last week and the carrier left one of those slips telling me they missed me or something of the matter and that I could pick up my parcel the next day at 10:00 AM. I drove there and went to the window and the lady was a long time in the back looking and I knew I was cursed again. Sure enough, she tells me it isn't on the shelf where it is supposed to be. I gripe a little but am told I could talk to the manager. Oh, talk to the manager again. A lot of good this will do I thought as it has done nothing in the past. So, I walk over the side door and press the buzzer. I wait about five minutes and a guy comes to the door and I tell him my problem and he takes my slip and goes wandering away to the back somewhere. I wait another five or more minutes and he returns to tell me the bad news again. Okay, so now what I ask. He says the guy that had my parcel should be in about 10:30 AM and he could call me. No, no, no! I am not driving back here when this is not my fault. He explains it's a new guy on the route and that they are trying to split this alternate route into two or something like that. I really didn't get what he was telling me and not that it matters to me anyway and why is my subdivision an alternate route. Just get me MY mail to MY mailbox, please? Is that so hard? So, I tell him I'll wait in a chair over there on the side and be patient. I sit around for ten or fifteen minutes. I left my phone in the car and there are no clocks anywhere to be found in this post office. The manager comes out and tells me the package is not on his truck and begins telling me something else, I didn't pay much attention. He went on to say that he would find the parcel and have it delivered to me, today, I hope but I didn't get any promise either. He took my phone number and he had me sign the slip. As I'm signing I'm thinking what in the hell am I doing. I haven't received anything and he's having me sign this slip now? I know this is going to get deeper and I'll be back here to let you know how I'll soon be asking for another parcel to be sent and the postal service can reimburse the seller on eBay for the loss. Or, some such thing or another. I've been cursed all my life with stuff like this and I feel like I am the only one this happens to. I have just become used to it now and accept that nothing will ever go right in anything that I try to do that involves another human being. And then I just have to spend more time to work through to find a solution. As I age now I find time is more valuable and getting to be more valuable as time goes by. I never thought about it when I was a kid or when I was a lot younger. Time just seemed to never move then. Life sure is strange but then I can't say that anymore as I find I am understanding it a lot more now. That is another deeper subject I hesitate to go into here as it would bore the hell out of everyone reading this if you kept with me this far. So, till another day...! Update - Saturday night - No package, no phone call from the branch manager, nothing. As I expected. Now, wait till Monday. I know that day will pass too and nothing will happen. It will be up to me to have to call and try to get the manager on the phone and ask him if he even remembers me and what the status is of my parcel. I can barely keep my anger contained with this fucking bullshit!!! Late Update 7/27/2013- The mail person delivered my parcel the next day. I had sat in a chair in the garage for a while waiting, thinking it would arrive this way. But, I soon gave up and realized I am agonizing over this way too much. Needless to say, it was delivered of which I am thankful that I will not have to put in any more time on this.