Tent camping in the rain. Tips and Tricks.

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Camping
• Date: May 14,2008

Tomorrow my girlfriend Marina and I are going tent camping in Oka for a few days. It’s mid-May and the mornings and nights still get cold, so it means we’re bringing LOTS of warm blankets and sleeping bags. There’s also pretty high chances that it will be raining for 2 out of the 4 days we’ll be there, so this involves some extra planning. When you’re properly equipped, camping in the rain can be VERY fun. It’s wonderful to spend all this time outside, while it’s raining, being close to nature and all the things that come out in the rain. It’s wonderful as long as you’re not getting soaked, cold, or bored that is ; but those are all things we can prepare for!

Things to bring and DO when camping in the rain :

• TARPS are your friends when you go camping and are expecting rain. I bring 1 ground tarp, 1 HUGE tarp that goes above the tent and into the cooking area. (So it makes us a roof outside the tent) I’ve also got 1 more emergency tarp that will be used to make a single side-wall on the outside of the tent to prevent horizontal rain from soaking us if it’s really raining hard. (I use rope thrown up into high branches to pull up my tarp)
• Bring lots of Games ! I always suggest bringing games when camping, but when you’re expecting rain, pack a few more in there. You never know how long you’ll be in the tent or under your shelter watching and listening to the rain fall, and it’s always nice to have things to do. Bring whatever games you and your camping companions like to play. I’m bringing a deck of cards, scrabble, Blokus, Guesswho, and Connect 4.

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Firefox. It’s time for all you internet explorer users to discover it.

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 14,2008

Considering this site is mostly for Techie’s, there’s an abnormal amount of visits from people still using Microsoft Internet Explorer. I’m not sure where to begin with this, other than saying if you’re using explorer you have computer issues. (It’s not your fault, you just don’t know better) I should also mention that this is NOT a sponsored post, and this is what I truly believe.

Explorer is made by Microsoft. Microsoft has bugs and problems : always. Lets just say Microsoft is actually a good company, the fact of the matter is Microsoft Explorer is what lots of virus’s and ad-ware attack. You shouldn’t be using it. There is a better option and it works BETTER. You are not giving anything up for switching. It’s free. It’s developed by the internet community.

Firefox is the answer to all your web problems. I have been using firefox for over 3 years now. Every once in a while on someone else’s computer I use Explorer and am reminded of why I love firefox so much. Firefox is great at stopping pop-ups and virus’s from infecting your computer. It’s a very noticeable change when you switch to firefox.

Mozilla, the makers of firefox, also made a great email application called Mozilla Thunderbird which I have also been using for years and replaced Outlook with it. To be honest, they’re both very good email applications. I just prefer to support Mozilla over Microsoft when it comes to equal products.

The Power Techie’s have to help the world go Green.

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 11,2008

Techie’s have an enormous burden and responsibility that most don’t even realize they bear. Most technological things use power and contain harmful chemicals. When business’s decide to buy new technology, it’s the techie that shops for it and makes the recommendations. We (The Techie’s) need to start taking into considering the ecological factor of the products we recommend.

Things techie’s need to take into account :

- CRT monitors draw more than twice the power of LCD monitors the same size. Don’t let a cheap employer fill up an office with CRT monitors just to save some money in the short term. Don’t tell them it’s an option, only suggest LCD monitors.

- Data centers take a LOT of power. Lots take more than they really need because of how they’re set up. Did you know there are lots of GREEN webhosting companies that either power almost everything with wind / solar power or off-set their emissions with Renewable Energy Credits ? Help save the environment by hosting your website with someone who is doing the same.

- Computer Power Supplies draw a lot of power. Now days, with the high end computers that are available at affordable prices, you often don’t need to have all your servers in separate boxes. Put your mail server, web server, SQL server, whatever you can really, into ONE REALLY GOOD server computer. You can install VMWARE to keep it as if they were all seperate computers. You’ll help a lot by having only a fraction of the servers you would in the past in your server room.

- RECYCLE TECHNOLOGY PROPERLY ! Don’t let your customers or people who depend on you throw out their towers, monitors, cell phones, batteries, etc into the regular garbage. A lot of these things contain harmful and dangerous chemicals and need to be disposed of properly. Don’t get me wrong, your 1 AA battery in the garbage won’t blow up your street, but what happens once it’s in the landfill and there are LOTS AND LOTS of batteries in there slowly starting to leek their dangerous chemicals. Staples has started a recycling program for technology.

- Make sure the computers you setup are configured to go to sleep after a few hours of inactivity.

The bottom line is, think about the environment before making decisions. People listen to you and take you seriously. I’m not asking you (or me) to give up on technology, but if there’s a greener way to get the same thing you should go that route even if it’s a little more expensive.

Please take the time to read how to be green at the office, and how to be green at home !

Real Hackers are invisible - a confession.

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 11,2008

I came across this interesting text written by Gregory Rodgers that reminds me of the classic Hacker’s Manifesto that was written back in 1986 by “The Mentor”. It’s very well written and I can’t help but relate to this guy in a way. Also, I’d like to point out that REAL hackers are not bad people. They are people with extreme curiosity who just want to know how things work. Techie’s and Hackers are the same breed of people.

Here is his confession :

I acutely became aware of small beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I took another pull from the half empty can of RedBull on my desk, where two empties were already sitting. Drowning Pool poured out of my speakers, but at a hushed volume - my wife was sleeping peacefully downstairs. I should have been beside of her, but instead I was parked in front of a 17” monitor, my cramping hands flying over a clicking keyboard with ease. To my right, an IBM laptop sat glowing in the near darkness, its screen giving me updates on the progress of my port scanning scripts.

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Dilbert Cartoon - “The Knack”

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Techie Cartoons
• Date: May 8,2008

This is a classic Dilbert cartoon, if you’re a techie or an engineer, you NEED to see this atleast once.

10 Things your computer would say if it could talk

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 8,2008

Have you ever wondered what your computer would say if it had the ability to talk to you? Here are 10 things that I feel my computer has been trying to tell me recently, although I rarely listen.

1. “I’ve been working 24 hours a day for months on end. Please, please, PLEASE shut me down. My CPU is overheating and my fans are squeaking. Don’t I deserve a vacation or at least a week-end off ? I’m so tired ….”
2. “My files are showing! It’s really embarrassing that I have system files all over the place and backups on the floor of the root folder. Haven’t you ever heard of file management?”

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Comparing an operating system to beer (Beer for Geeks)

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 7,2008

I came across this great post here that describes different computer operating systems as though they were beer. It’s very funny and really deserves to go around.

Beers For Geeks

DOS Beer:
Requires you to use your own can opener, and requires you to read the directions carefully before opening the can. Originally only came in an 8-oz can, but now comes in a 16-oz can. However, the can is divided into 8 compartments of 2-oz each, which have to be accessed separately. Soon to be discontinued, although a lot of people are going to keep drinking it after it’s no longer available.

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Professional Computer Support for your business - It’s not always this easy.

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 7,2008

As a phone technician who works on the road and has lots of computer knowledge, I’ve been approached by all kinds of business’s that need help with their computers and networks. There’s a big difference however having someone who’s hobby is fixing computers help you and having a REAL professional who does this all day long come and do it for you.

I’ve learned over the years to leave these things to the professionals. It helps me from regretting getting involved in something that may be over my head, and it helps the customer because it forces them to get a pro and the work gets done a lot faster than if I did it.

Customers like to save money which is why they often try and get me to help. I have the solution for all of you now. Fast-Teks Computer Repair. They are certified, trained professionals in IT. Best of all, they’re affordable !

Fast-Teks Computer repair will come to your home or business and will do whatever it takes to resolve your problem. They offer same day service, and even have teams working on evenings and weekends. This is not a common thing for a computer service company !

Here’s a quick list of things they can do for you :

• Managed Services
• Data Backup and Recovery
• Website Design and Hosting
• Technology Consulting
• Troubleshoot and Repair
• Software Training
• Remote Managed Services
• Network Monitoring and Management
• Remote Data Backup
• Computer and Network Security
• Shared Internet Office Solutions
• Email Server and Mobile Device Support
• Office Relocation and Setup
• QuickBooks Training

The next time you have an issue with your network or a specific computer, make sure you call Fast-Teks business computer repair . They’ll be there before you know it fixing all your problems leaving your wondering how you managed without them in the past !

This Post Sponsored by Fast-Teks Computer Repair

How to be Green at the office / Work

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Uncategorized
• Date: May 3,2008

This article contains tips on how to be green at the office / the workplace. I wrote about being green at home and I hope you’re all trying, now it’s time to do the same while at work. Although it may seem like a lot of effort to be green, when you do it long enough it will simply become a way of life. This shouldn’t be a matter of if you do it or not, it’s a matter of when, and the answer should be now.

You obviously can’t force your employers to be green if they don’t want to, but there are a few things that you can do on your own that will help!

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Travel Bugs, Geocoins, and other geocaching trackable items.

• Author: DigitalMind
• Filed under: Techie Toys'n'Games
• Date: May 1,2008

Geocaching is a great hobby for Techie’s, Families, animals … I guess what i’m saying, is that it’s a game that everyone can enjoy for one reason or another. Travelbugs and geocoins are items that are trackable via the geocaching.com website and add an interesting twist to the game. If you have no clue what geocaching is, read this article.

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