Usually an attempt to get a new piece of network hardware working involves many hours, numerous words of profanity, and a couple of times where one desires to pull one’s hair out. Amazingly, I didn’t go through any of that trying to get the print server set up tonight. Since it was a D-Link and the majority of our network is Linksys there was a small IP address issue I had to work around, but aside from that everything went extremely smooth. Now, will it keep working? That’s the big question, but so far color me very impressed.
My new keyboard and mouse are nice (along with my $5 mousepad), so I’m pretty content in the tech world currently. As planned, I went to get all of this after the baseball games (we won both, 7-4 and 11-10). It was way colder than it needed to be, although I blame the wind more for that than the temperature.
Personal - Dallas
I brought my main desktop home for Spring Break because there were two big downloads I needed to make, and the issue going on with my Shuttle made me not want to use it and risk corruption one or both of them (both over 1 GB). The first was the Command & Conquer 3 demo which I ended up getting off a torrent site rather than using a direct download link, and I averaged in the 400 kbps range for downloading it. 1.17 GB file in under 2 hours; I think I’ll keep our fiber connection :). After that I had the Windows Home Server Beta 2 to download, and it was one that I really wasn’t looking forward to downloading. The downloader Microsoft used for Vista Beta 2 was horrendous; I ended up getting the ISO for it off a torrent site also, but I knew with this one I probably wouldn’t be as lucky. I was happy to see that they were using a new download client now, so I went ahead and let it start downloading. I didn’t stay at my computer the whole time, but I saw speeds in excess of 600 kbps and downloaded 1.7 GB in under an hour. Once you go fiber, I’m not sure if it is even possible to go back to large downloads over DSL/cable.
UTD won the game today 16-4 (9Â innings, felt like forever but was really just the typical 3 hours), and the doubleheader tomorrow starts at 12. Once that is over, I have a shopping list for a couple of tech related items. For me I’m going to be getting a wireless keyboard/mouse for here at my house and two mousepads to replace the current ones in use both here and at my apartment. Then, my dad wants the server setup down in his office to change, so I’m getting a wireless print server for his printer and removing the old computer I have performing that duty right now. It also is the current file server, so it needs to be relocated temporarily (I’m thinking upstairs in the 2nd guest bedroom that my mom does her jewelry work in). Depending on my experience with WHS, I may want to move to that completely once products based on it start to be released later this year. If it wasn’t already obvious, technology is always in flux at my house.
Personal - Dallas
UTD games tomorrow and Saturday, then HP games Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of next week. Ok, so it’s actually a week plus one or two more days, but accurate enough. After all, it’s not like anyone uses this blog to stalk me. *nervous smile*
Today marked when reservations opened up for December at the hotel we’re staying at in Vegas. I did some quick math earlier, and apparently I’ve been to Vegas 8 times in my life already. Aside from Hot Springs where my grandparents live, that wins the award for most frequented vacation destination by me (the next one being Hawaii at 2 trips). Yeah, I love Vegas, but this is the first time I’ll actually be able to gamble. That’s a nice addition, but it’s (obviously) not the primary reason I like going; Vegas is just so unique with all the different hotels and themes that it’s fun for me to just go and wander around the strip.
Personal - Dallas