The Besttechie Cafe'

[blim]

Hi Sidekickcat,

The kids on board can probably give you better advice, but Daughter bought a "new to her" car which didn't have a CD player. She went to Circuit City and had a CD/tape player installed. They were running a free installation sale at the time, so when you do take the plunge, watch those ads. Best Buy runs free installation sometimes, too (and sooo much better than giving that task to Hubby, right?). One thing I can say with Circuit City, even though I have had horrible luck with buying their specials (they were always out of stock) she had wonderful results with their service. After a couple of weeks, her player didn't work right and they replaced it on the spot, no questions asked.

And we just got a DVD player last Christmas--our non cable ready tv (it works great, why replace it?) needed an adapter to use it, though! And I have yet to use the thing. Ahhh, what we do for our kids!

Shadow Thomas--they are recordings, aren't they??? Soooo, Records they are!

Liz

[robroy]

I'm in both centuries because I have cd's and tapes and vynil records, about 300 of them and still have a working deck to play them on. The problem is that it is getting harder to find the right styli and at $25 apiece don't want to buy too many at a time

[rv56]

Hmmm......so I guess I don't have to be to bad....lol

Most of the record collection is gone(worn out)....but the turntable is still hooked up on my stereo......

A few tapes still kicking around....tape deck is also still hooked up....

Some of my 70's CD's....are missing(me thinks the girls have them....they sort of been disappearing slowly this past couple years).....

[macmarauder]

well i've been locked away for a few days. have you guys behaved?

everything looks Ok. well i guess i'd better go into the kitchen and whip up a fresh batch of of crawlers.

(walks back into the kitchen) AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! who put this here?

[blim]

(walks back into the kitchen) AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! how put this here?

Oops, that was my fault. The kitchen looked lonely so I was inspired to make a batch of Beef Stew....by the way, can you use a dinner cook?

And welcome back, glad you picked the lock!! Liz

[robroy]

welcome home Mac, I wondered where you were. So they finally caught up with you eh?

Glad you got away again

[macmarauder]

blim: that was some good Beff Stew, your welcome to cook here anytime.

man i'm gone a few days and you guys change the locks already.

(shakes head side to side)

BTW: why do we have someone living out of the extra closet?

[robroy]

We didn't change any locks, you were using the wrong key, or trying to put it in upside down, we would have locked you in to keep the joker here.

I vote for Liz to be named chief Cook

[blim]

Thank You! *blushes* Although anyone can help cook. Tonights Special is Sloppy Joes, made with ground turkey (its so much better for you) on whole wheat buns with tomato soup!

Hey Macmarauder, did you get the blizzard in your area? I felt very sorry for "Coloradoans" when I heard about that.

Liz

[macmarauder]

yeah we got it alright. as usual Denver got the brunt of it and we just caught some of it but that was enough. i want to know what OS Mother Nature is running cause she must have the ultimate undo button. i don't think that she could make up her mind or something. one day it was nice and warn then the next. BAM! six inches of snow, that lasted for two days then the next day it was all warm again. the snow melted away in a day. ever since i moved to here the weather has sure been weird. the locals tell that that's normal for Colorado Springs but i don't know. they keep telling me that if i don't like the weather to just wait five minutes and it'll probably change anyways.

[blim]

Sure sounds like Michigan (although no snow this April...yet ) I came up with my own little theory (all on my own, mind you!) --any month with an "R" in it will be cold, starting with Septembrrrr thru Aprrrril. Then there's May, which means it May Rain, it May Snow, it May Sizzle, it May Blow Us All Away....who knows?

Friday Night---Pizza Buffet (move the doughnuts over, Macmarauder!)

Thinking of warmer weather, what do all of you like to do in Summer? I Beach, the best part of living in MI--I'm 5 minutes away from Lake Michigan. Liz

[rv56]

Sure like the dinner menu here blim.....excellent job you'er doing!!

Good choice Mac for hiring a good cook....

Cool,wet(some snow flurries) and very windy here today....Friday pizza sounds great..

What do you like to do in summer? Well I'm 20 min. from a lake...so beach is great.

BBQ with friends is always a hoot....at home or cottage.

[JSKY]

Hi all, I'll take a big cup of java.

Wow. Have I been overdoing it.

Sorry I haven't been around much. I think I got in over my head on a few projects.

First my nighttime fun. My CD-Rom bit the big one, so I got a fancy DVD that does everything. Then to learn I need to get all sorts of programs to use it. Such as DVD Decipher, And WinDVD. just to name a few. Allot of learning going on with the new toy.... LOL

And now the really big project.

The city put the Basketball court next to me up for auction. And we picked it up for Three Grand. It makes a great addition to our yard. The wife and I have been spending alot of time redoing everything. Have been removing all the old fenching and refenching to the property lines. The old fench was 15 foot tall. Allot of cutting and removing.

Between the two properties is a 20 foot tall by 80 foot long chainlink that has over 20 years of vines growing in it. (and if you ever tried to mess with vines and fench, you know the headaches). LOL

We decided to leave the vines and cut arches in it for access to the new yard. (Not as easy as it sounded). LOL

Have all sorts of work to do to it yet. The wife is talking waterfalls on the upperhill leading into it. So looking at major dirtwork.

We do now have it fenched off and opened the two yards into one. But for everything we get done. just opens up other possibilites.

We have taken down the basketball hoops. Figure it'll make a nice big patio.

I still try to make it here to BTs at night to read what's been going on. To add a word or two. And have a glass of refreashment to wind down from all the work.

Just wanted to let everyone know whats been going on with me as of late. WAY TO MUCH WORK!!!! LOL

[blim]

Hi JSKY,

I love projects, Hubby hates 'em, so I usually end up doing them by myself until I need his muscles--luckily, when I'm making a construction mess, he willingly cooks and does laundry! So it's a nice change of pace for me. Besides, I'm picky and he has a "good enough" attitude so we don't work well together! Oh, I get him so mad every time I ask "is it level?"

Your project does sound like a big one!! And vines ARE a pain in the patoot, aren't they? I have English Ivy but its so pretty I won't give it up--and its supposed to be nearly impossible to kill. The arches sound beautiful!! And a waterfall? I love the sound of water as long as its supposed to be there and not a leak! Sounds like pretty soon your yard is going to look like a photo in a magazine. Just remember it has to look ugly before it looks gorgeous

Post some photos when you get the time. Liz

[thesidekickcat]

Hello folks, I think I will have a huge mug of coffee, while I chat with you.

JSKY, what a huge project, wow! But it will be worth it in the long run.

1st benefit I see is you are now free of the sound of bouncing basketballs (and noisy players) at all hours of day and night. And 2nd, you are adding to the value of your property in getting rid of the next door ball court, and in all the improvements you are planning to do to it. 3rd, of course is all the exercise. 4th, that good ole quality time of working together with your spouse as Liz mentioned. HaHaHa. Though you might be luckier with your wife, than she and I are when we work with our hubbies on projects.

Liz, I sure understand the "is it level?" question, or how about my favorite " did you double (or more) check the measurements?".

Remodeling can sure drive a marriage to the brink of disaster. Or over the edge even at times.

That's why we got the motorhome years ago, to get away from the constant work to fix this place up. Turned out the motorhome was a lemon, so the next years were spent fixing it after company went bankrupt. Also that is how we got injured in car accident, at the dealers place. So there's a long long long story with all that. sigh. We have worked on house since then of course, though not as physically able to do the work since accident. So will it be done in our lifetime, or will we win the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, and buy a finished nice place? You can probably guess which we want. Ha!

Guess what happened to me last night?

Got slammed with two trojans (ByteVerify). Norton quarantined them and blocked anymore, though why it didn't block the originals I don't know. Sure spooked me.

Scans now show I am ok, but was it from a favorites link I had just opened and on my computer all along ???, or ??? First time I have ever had something hit me. There have been attempts before, but this got through somehow. So am kind of in a funk over it all. Norton says it's ok though now. I sure hope so!!! I am so mad at the garbage scumbags that do these things to us. Grrrr!!!

I think I need another mug of hot coffee to calm me back down.

God bless everyone.

[macmarauder]

hands thesidekickcat a great big mug of coffee and backs away slowly.

[blim]

Hi Sidekickcat,

Ewww, trojans, they're the really nasty ones aren't they? The first time we ran a spyware scanner, it came up with WildTangent (which may...or may not....be bad--folks disagree on that one) Well, the next time we scanned, it came up with W.T again. I said out loud, "what the heck, we just got rid of this one!?!" Son came in to see what I was bellyaching about and guess what??? He was playing a game on Nickelodeon which required installation of Wild Tangent to play!!! Well, needless to say he doesn't play there anymore. The sad part, Nickelodeon is supposed to be for kids and the kids are installing this suspicious stuff--thinking if it came from Nickelodeon, it surely must be safe. *thinks Mac oughta hand me a mug and back away slowly, too*

Tonight's Special, Barbequed Chicken, Baked Potatoes and Green Beans!

Liz

[robroy]

great supper Liz, getting me a plate right now

[thesidekickcat]

Gee that sounds better than our leftovers from last night. (beef roast with noodles/onions).

I fixed breaded chicken legs in my Flavor Wave machine the other day, and also made a nice potato salad for the first time in months. More soup like chilly weather though than potato salad time. Oh well, there was a sale on eggs and hubby got way to many so I needed to use some up, and it was either make egg salad or use in my potato salad.

For an update on my trojans/scans/cookie deletion etc. go over to Liz's thread about Spyware Blaster. I am almost to tired from stress to repeat much of it.

I will tell you that the Trend Micro Housecall scan came up clean..yippppe!!!! and the cookie deletion solved the week of Leoville login problems, without causing to much trouble redoing them elsewhere.

Plus quarantining the trojans and getting rid of the cookies seems to have speeded up my computer. Great side benefit.

So it has been a good day. Especially the part spent over here with you all.

It's ok now Mac, I am now calm.....I think!!!...even smiling nicely!!!

See now that's my usual one.

And Thanks for the coffee erlieree...now that must just be from cafffffeinee nervessssssssssss!!!

No neeed to wrroory at all. Itts alll ounder cointrol.

Except...the uncontrolled laughterr, no probllems here... at alll.

God bless everyone.

[macmarauder]

i wish i could join in and spew out my list of trojan problems but i've only ever had one. i have however had way more than my fair share of blaster, blocker, and tracer attacks though. i really shouldn't say fair since i deserved most of them.

i cooked turkey today to break in my new stove. when i decided to cook turkey i didn't realize that the only one had left in the freezer was 25lb. man that's a lot of left overs for just one guy. i wish i had some of you here to help me eat it. i guess it'll be turkey sandwiches for a few weeks for me.

[blim]

Hi Macmarauder,

I probably should post this somewhere else, but I have no idea where---what in the world are blaster, blocker and tracer attacks??? They sound like something that come out of a bomber airplane.

And even though you own control of lightning bolts, they couldn't possibly be your fault--I know you're harmless (oops gave away your secret...sorry!) Liz

[macmarauder]

a blaster is a line of code sent to your computer with the purpose of disconnecting you and sometimes meant to do so by crashing your system. mostly used in hacker duels or by system administration when they catch you in the act. blockers are just code placed on individual files or ports and such meant to temporarily lock direct access, even to the administrator sometimes. they hate it when your using their own password to get in. a tracer is well a tracer code. it runs down your connection. but that stuff nothing like todays stuff. with todays fast computer and way too fast connections. there are even programs that do most of the hacking for you. i'm like the old ex champion that hasn't fought for years. before there were steroids.

hacker tip of the day: never ever ever ever try to hack someone through your home connection and always bounce your signal as many times as possible.

(done with old man voice)

and now it's time for a oldie time hacker story: i remember the days when you had to wait 10 minutes to boot your computer and heaver interrupted it..........ZZZZZZZZ UH! Oh. you'd crash the computer and have to start all over again. kids these days have it way too easy. back in my time we had to hack 6 miles in the snow up hill barefoot. ZZZZZZZZ

[TheTerrorist_75]

You youngsters had it easy. In the real old days we had to hammer or hacksaw our way in. One brutal cold day standing in snow upto my armpits I met my first Master Lock. That 4 lbs. Ball Peen and 14tpi hacksaw were repeatedly refused access.

[blim]

a blaster is a line of code sent to your computer with the purpose of disconnecting you and sometimes meant to do so by crashing your system. mostly used in hacker duels or by system administration when they catch you in the act. blockers are just code placed on individual files or ports and such meant to temporarily lock direct access, even to the administrator sometimes. they hate it when your using their own password to get in. a tracer is well a tracer code. it runs down your connection.

People can DO that???? Wow!! *jaw drops, eyes bulge and shakes head* Makes spyware and viruses sound almost harmless. When Son plays "dirty" on online games, I always tell him to play nice because he may be playing against a hacker--and he laughs at me--I'll have to show him this thread!

Which reminds me, Son has an indoor soccer game tonight, so menu's out early--Macmarauder's Leftover Turkey with Gravy served on a thick slice of Whole Wheat Bread (glad Mac's such a good baker) and Carrots.

Well I know its spring--the ladybug invasion has started. Someone imported Asian Ladybugs to our area. Guess they eridicate the bugs as well as ordinary ladybugs but they can't take our winter so find nooks and crannies inside to hibernate and they love my back porch--got a few now but there will be hundreds in a few days. Propped a screen loose so they can get out, which will make Hubby bellyache about houseflies getting inside.... but men love flyswatting so he'll have an activity!

On a bright note, the hyacinths are blooming nicer than they ever have before, and they smell so good. Makes up for the stunted crocuses

[macmarauder]

yeah they can. but what i love is how they make hacking in the movie look so cool. graphics like flying through a digital circuitboard city inside your computer and such. i wished it like that in real life. i never got any fancy graphics like that.

the worst code that i ever saw was a code that would figure out what computer the other guy had and what firmware and then based on that it would tell the computer to shut the cooling fan off.