baker7

Contributor
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    875

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by baker7

  1. First Road Trip To Burlington

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    Hello Everyone:

    Well, Jeff took a vacation with Mandy, so I decided about 3 weeks ago that I would take a "Vacation" for a couple days away from the ratrace and everything I do around here. To do this, I have to take a bus from Barre to Burlington. The 2 Companies run busses from Montpelier to Burlington Monday to Friday, so I just have to make sure I board my City Bus to get to Montpelier, then board the Link Express to Burlington. I planned this trip for Tuesday and Wednesday

    I had to leave my house about 5:40 am, and I got the bus in Montpelier about 6:30, and was in Burlinton at 7:45am. I had my friend Bill meet me at the terminal and run me down to his house, and then later, met my girlfiiend at the mall and had fun, then retuened to my friends house later that afternoon. Later that night, I talked to some friends by phone, and watched some DVD's.

    Yesterday, I had my friend take me to Burlington Square Mall on Church Street, and then I came back to my friend's house, then met my girlfriend aain and talked for about 1/2 hour, then she went to work, and I hung out waiting for the Link Express bus to Montpelier.

    I got home at about 6:45-7:00 PM, and I was tired, hot, and happy. This is the first time that I had taken a ride on The Link Express, on one of thier new 400 Series busses, with ramps built into the floor, and the Wheelchairs ride in the front left and right side positions. The bus ride was uneventful both ways, and the bus was FULL of commuters going both ways. I am happy, because I now can make the transitions from Washington County (Montpelier VT) to Chittenden County (Burlington VT) quite easily, and now I can visit friends in Burlington with ease!!

    This trip is the first time I had been in Burlinton alone since 1991-1992. I rreally wanted to show that I could do it, and I did - I didn't have to ask anyone to take me there, and I could GO anywhere I wanted. My friend Bill assisted both myself and my girlfriend (we both use wheelchairs) with doors, and other assistance tasks as necessary, and it was really nice to just GO and not worry about phone calls, or what was going on in Barre for a while. When I was in College, there were tons of places to go, things to do, and I do have family close by, but this makes me so happy that I almost cried as I made the Burlington CCTA Terminal - WHAT a BLAST. My Girlfriend told me that she would love to see me again, and I think that after this experience I will do it again :)

    I am glad to be home, but it is always good to get away - Best $8.00 I EVER Spent - It feels so GOOD to do this :D

    Brian

  2. Graduated.

    in Open Chat

    Posted · Edited by baker7

    Congrats Matt: I can tell you that I was a tad sad when I graduated, and after my Project Grad Party, at 10AM, sitting at home the next day, I was thinking that I had done it all, then thought I would not see many of my friends again. This changed after about 15 Minutes when I realized that I had 4 years more of homework and classes and friends and such.

    The biggest thrill for me was being able to stand and walk the line with my classmates. As an A.S. Candidate, I had to wait for about 40 minutes to get my degree. As a B.S. Candidate, in Professional Studies, I got to dawn a green hood, symbolic of a Business Division Graduate. You get these hoods for 4 year degrees. Most of my professors were wearing the colors of the specialties, and of course, PH.D's had Royal Blue hoods and closed sleeves.

    Enjoy this, because you have embarked, as my professors would say, "on a journey that begins today, and will be the first day of the rest of your life" :)

    Way To GO Man ;)

    Brian

  4. Happy Birthday Baker7

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    ALL RIGHT BRIAN!!!!!

    Sounds good!

    Have fun with that new camera!

    Don't forget to post some pics here at BT.

    Joe

    Joe:

    Thats the Plan - I just have to make sure I don't post pics that are great big huge - I have my resolution set for 7MP's, so I have to edit the pictures to be 640x480.

    Brian

  6. More People?

    in Comments & Suggestions

    Posted · Edited by baker7

    I must agree with everyone posting here: BT's may be small, but the people here are incredible, they are professional, they are committed and they are like family. I came here shortly after the G4 Debackle about Tech Support supposedly "leaving" I am glad that I can share my experiences and a small part of myself with such good people.

    Forum size does in some way, make the userbase larger. However, with a larger userbase, you usually have to deal with more headaches. At Besttechie, we have good Staffers, Managers, Moderators and Admins, who have proven themselves worthy. I am sure that there are things Jeff does behind the scenes that we will NEVER see him and others do to make this place better. Users looking for help will search the net, find a forum, and usually post there. With BT's it is more then just logging on and posting - It is like coming to Jeff's "cyberhouse" and talking to friends - I am proud of what Jeff has accomplished - and he will go far :D

    Post Counts, as has been stated is only a marker. If you make meaningful, intelligent useful and thought provoking posts, you will earn respect and people get to know your style. If you post junk, you will be known as something less desirable, and people will notice this as well. This is based on what I have learned in my years of posting on Internet Forums.

    To get "more people" as you state, you would have to assume that people know of Besttechie.net - If you have been in the tech field as long as some of us have, you know that it is ONE of MANY resources out there. Users have choices, and make them based on many factors, which I will not go into, but just to say this: People who surf the web looking for help, listen to BT's streaming Podcasts or Webcasts, or use WyldRyde IRC Network will find Us - Many of us are on other tech sites, and I am currently training as a Malware Removal Specialist - I have learned alot by being here, talking to others, and watching what happens. Remember, that one of the best ways to get people over here would be to share your experiences with BT's, and tell them by word of mouth of how you were helpful to someone or how someone helped YOU - THINK of how that will drive traffic ;)

    Oh - almost forgot - If it were NOT for Jeff's show "call for help", I would not have done THIS

    Welcome to BT's - It is a pleasure to have you!!

    Brian

  7. Rock N' Review

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    Not only do I want to expose people to new music I want to make it interesting. The radio today is a poor example of the music available today and I want to change that.

    Jeff:

    You hit this right on the NOSE - Radio today is full of music that is totally alien to the music our parents listened to, and I can tell that there has been a marked change in the music from say 1990 to 2008. I like some of the new artists, but I'm finding myself going back to music of the 70's, 80's and some 90's. Not only that, but I'm starting to like the older country tunes as well - I don't know what type of music they call "Top 40" in this decade, but I respectfully say that music today has changed so much that I do not recognize it.

    Can you believe that I took Music Appreciation in College??

    Good Luck with this, and I will be listening :)

    Brian

  8. Gas Price Talk Radio

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    I saw gas here in Barre VT at $3.77 for Regular Unleaded and $3.87 for the Super Unleaded. I WISH Bush would release a whole 70 Million Barrels a day from now til the end of the summer, and that way, gas would NOT be so high, because oil, last time I checked was about $123.00 a barrel, and it is expected to hit $200 a barrel soon.

    Politics is what is keeping gas so high IMO, because if we did release reserves, the oil would not be so high, and gas would be back to $1.99 a gallon - we use so much foreign oil that it is rediculous - WE NEED to start finding ways to drop dependance on foreign oil, or we will be making OPEC rich as hell.

    If we were to do this, the cost of food would drop too, which would help OUR economy, instead of the economy of the Middle East - Bush just doesn't want to do this

    My .02

    Brian

  10. Happy Birthday Baker7

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    Hello Everyone:

    First, I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful Birthday wishes! They are greatly appreciated, and I had a blast on my birthday.

    I ended up going to my moms, and she made me some chicken pesto, and a double chocolate layer cake with sour cream frosting and M&M's. I had a glass of White Zinfindel as well. I got a bunch of new shirts and a couple pairs of shorts and my borther Mike gave me a book on the old Batman series of the 1960's. My brother James and sister in law Ashly gave me a pair of Boston Celtics socks, and a 24-pack of Canada Dry Gingerale - pretty awesome ;)

    For myself, I splurged and bought myself a birthday present, which I show below :)

    camerabox.jpg

    My new Sony Cybershot Camera

    cameracase1.jpg

    The above picture shows the Camera's Case

    cameracase2.jpg

    The above picture is my Tamrac Case, which all of my equipment can be carried

    The Thread below is the one I made to discuss my new Camera

    Discussing my New Camera

    I really had a blast on my birthday, but will celebrate with my Dad, Carolyn, James, and my brother Nate, and my nephews on May 24 - it is always fun to get together like this :)

    Brian

  14. Sultan

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    Thank you very much, my friends.

    Your kind thoughts and words have helped with the healing process.

    I would also like to add my sincere condolences - your sister sounds like a really cool person, who fought really hard, and also helped others in need - I can only say that she may be gone, but her spirit lives on, and as long as there are people like her in the world, her mission of helping others and doing the Lord's work will continue

    Stay strong my friend, because we are a family, and we take care of our own :)

    Brian

  16. Funny Characters In My Blog (Â's)

    in BT Blogs

    Posted

    Jeff:

    Seems as if my older blog posts are getting hit with this issue:

    The following is a snippit from a blog post

    Next, I have to email my family and friends about the move and alert them to the move.ÂÂ

    Been working  on sending mail to "undisclosed recipients" for this purpose, as I don't wanna advertise who gets the mail message ;)

     I have one minor problem with server "relay.verizon.net" blocking or interfereing

    Is there a way to go through my blog and eliminate these characters? I would then have to delete the whole blog to get rid of this since it seems my older posts are getting these strange characters.........Is there a program that can be used to seek these out and delete them??

    Brian

  17. Thanks For The Advice

    in The BestTechie UStream/Radio

    Posted

    Hey I just noticed you're in Vermont too? I'm in Burlington. Are you stationed at Station Burlington?

    Steve:

    My brother Daniel is a BM2, USCGR - Stationed at Station Burlington. When Dan became Active Duty CG, I wanted to show support to him and others that protect us from the bad dudes that lurk around the US and abroad. Dan has served in the Coast Guard for 8+ years, and the CG Avatar and the "Semper Paratus" are my way of showing that support. I am proud of him, and others that do this important, and sometimes dangerous job. I got a hat and a Rate pin from the CGC Tahoma, which is the last boat he had active duty aboard, and it is the Boatwains Mate Rate Pin (Crossed anchors) - Tahoma is also in my Sig Below, and she is in front of Lady Liberty :)

    I live in Barre, 7 exits from you. I attended Champlain College, so I am familiar with the area, and my late grandparents lived in Wiliston, so I have traveled to Burlington many times.

    Take Care Steve :)

    Brian

  18. Thanks For The Advice

    in The BestTechie UStream/Radio

    Posted

    Worthwhile tripods don't come cheap but they're well worth the investment as cheaper ones simply don't last. If you buy a cheap one you'll end up rebuying and only spending more money in the long run. I've seen it time and time again.

    Acceptable full size tripods start around $100. Look for ones that have no more than 4 leg sections. Bogen-Manfrotto is a very good brand and I highly recommend their tripods as they use quality materials and are designed well.

    Avoid the Velbon, Sakar, SunPak, Opteka, Vanguard, and Quantaray brands! They're very cheaply made and tend to break after only a few uses, no matter how careful you are at handling them.

    I have a selection of tripods that I recommend on my web site at: My Recommended Tripods

    All the best,

    Town and Country Photographer

    Steve Mermelstein

    Steve:

    Thank you for your advice regarding tripods. I am looking for one primarily because the Sony Cybershot is a small camera, and I want to be able to take professional-looking photos at family getherings and be proud of the fact that I took them. 99% of the time, when on crutches, it is hard to be stable when you have to hold the camera still: I basically am standing on twp metal poles myself, so standing and taking pictures and also holding the camera makes me lean forward a little too much - A Tripod would allow me to have the stability that my crutches would not when taking pictures.

    If you want a small table top tripod or that can even attach to trees, railings and other objects, check out the Joby Gorillapod Flexible Tripods. Very neat, work well, and while cheap, they last.

    I will check out the Joby Gorillapod Flexible tripods and see what this brings. When my Stepdad had a full Camera Rig, he had a Yashica Camera, Flash, Bag and the Lenses and this tripod that looked like a big long black tube. While his rig was more extensive then mine, and his bag was longer (and heavier then mine) He had everything available to him. His old Tripod was a special one, because it could extend to about 5' tall, and could be physically screwed into the ground. He could also mount the camera to the tripod and carry it around in his hand when indoors, so he would not have to hold the camera body.

    This Cybershot camera is the second camera I have purchased. I have owned a Kodak 110 Camera, a Kodak VR35 (35MM) and a Nikon film Camera. (The First one I ever purchased myself) I have also owned a Finepix 1300 Digital, an Olympus Camedia D-340R, and an Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom Digital Camera.

    SLR cameras are something that I would have to study, and maybe I will learn something from watching my mom do what she does. Her Powershot Pro 1 is a REALLY SLICK camera, but I would be nervous about playing with the settings, but over the last 5-10 years I have learned one thing about cameras: You get what you pay for, and if you take could care of it, it will take good care of you!!

    To that end, I have 2 cases. One fits the Camera and the Memory Stick Pro Duo Card and case, and the other holds the AV and USB cables and the Cybershot case. Both cases allow me to bring the rig anywhere, and to connect to family computers or whatever I need to do. The only downside is that I am not sure if the DSC-S730 has a Charger like the DSC-W80 - I was told to go Li-Ion for the camera, which takes AA Batteries - That will be something I investigate.

    Thanks again steve :)

    Brian

  19. Thanks For The Advice

    in The BestTechie UStream/Radio

    Posted

    Hello Everyone:

    I know that there is another thread in this forum that is talking about Camera Advice, but I did NOT want to hijack the thread, because I wanted to make my own :)

    I had listened to the Call for Help show that Jeff did with Usrbingeek (Steve) and took alot away from that show. The information provided about the differences in SLR and Non-SLR cameras was invaluable - I had been considering the purchase of a new camera since my old Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom (5MP) Camera died, and could not be repaired - I think the flash died, and since this camera had no flash, I had really terrible pictures, that were all DARK and not useful.

    In December of 2007, my mom had decided to get a new digital camera as well. What happened was that she had a Cannon PowerShot Pro 1 SLR Digital Camera, that was like 9-10 MP's and while she likes that camera, she bought the new one because she does not want to carry a big camera if she wants to take pictures on vacation somewhere, or if she simply doesn't want to take her Cannon.

    She bought the Sony Cybershot DSC-W80. My brother was getting married on December 15, so my mom let be borrow her Sony Camera so I could take pictures at the wedding. I liked that camera, and wanted one of my own. Thursday, I went to Walmart and while looking around I found the DSC-S730, and the camera that was one better then that. Mine was about $129. The next one up was about $239. I decided to get the DSC-S730.

    She is a 7.2 MP Camera with a 3X Optical Zoom High Sensitivity ISO 1250 with a 2.4" LCD Screen.

    My Rig is as follows:

    Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-S730 Digital Still Camera

    Case: Sony Cybershot LCS-CSQ Soft Carrying Case

    Mem Stick:Lexar Memory Stick Pro Duo 2Gig Capacity

    Cables: 1 USB 2.0 Connection Cable

    1 AV cable

    To carry all this stuff, I have a larger Tamrac Camera Case that the Cybershot and its case can fit into, and on the outside of this case is a pocket big enough to place the cables into. The Camera comes with the Picture Motion Browser which is slicker then ice, and is pretty awesome, and on that CD is a couple guides to get started.

    I want to get a tripod so that I can take better pictures. The idea here is that this camera will replace all others I have owned to date, and If I take good care of her, she will take good care of me. I don't know if my camera can do rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries, but she takes 2 AA Batteries, so I will look into this.

    Does anyone have any ideas on what sizes of tripods are available? Just curious

    Brian

  23. Machine Rebuild In Progress.......

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    How's that compare to my system?

    System: Monorail 750Mhz Pentium III

    Memory: slot 1 64Meg, slot 2 64Meg Total Ram: 128Meg

    HDD: Fujitsu 8Gig

    Other drives: A couple of 1G thumbdrives stuck in the back, non-working Zip 100 drive, non-working 3.5 floppy drive, non-working DVD-ROM

    OS: Windows 98SE

    MS Apps: The accessories that come with Windows 98SE

    Machine Name: This is a family board so I can't go there. ;)

    Is it time for me to upgrade yet?

    Yes JDOORS, I would think that it would be time for you to do that hehehe :)

    Brian

  25. Machine Rebuild In Progress.......

    in Open Chat

    Posted

    UPDATE: Madison online at 12AM EDT and fully operational

    System: Systemax 1.2 GHTZ AMD Athlon Processor

    Memory: 1 256 Meg Stick Ram, 2 128 Meg stick Ram (PC133 Ram) Total Ram: 512 Megs

    HDD: 60 Gig WD Drive (Primary)

    60 Gig Maxtor Drive (Secondary - transplanted from Emmanuel)

    Hitachi DVD-Rom GD7500 (DVD Drive - Transplanted from Emmanuel)

    Mitsumi CR48X5TE (CD Writer Drive - Transplanted from Emmanuel)

    OS: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2

    MS Applications: Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007

    Microsoft Visio 2007

    Machine Name: MADISON

    Brian