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General
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Sunday, 02 August 2009 |
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The guy camping next to me is John! John and his family are from Pittsburg, experiencing his 2nd ever vacation in Myrtle Beach. He has worked as an aircraft Mechanic, in the Steel Mills, and is currently a Locomotive Mechanic. I got to know John through a rather unpleasant circumstance. I have a toggle switch on my Malibu. It is designed to cut off electricity to the battery so that when it is towed behind the motorhome, it can be hooked up for the lights to work, etc. When I was leaving to go on vacation and went to hook it up, I couldn't get it to work! It would not turn the power off. No biggie, I thought, and grabbed a wrench and started to remove the positive terminal on the car's battery. So when I arrived, I again grabbed the wrench and was back in Business. Last night, we decided to head out to eat and the car was dead. I could tell that this wasn't a battery problem, but a connection problem. It turns out that bad switch was the culprit and this switch CANNOT be by-passed. After spending an hour trying to put together a switch that had failed, John sticks his head out the door of his camper, and says, "Car Trouble?" I explain that I need a Chinese toggle switch that probably doesn't cost $2.00. He says, "Jump in my truck, there is home depot about 5 minutes away up 544". So we run and grab the switch, back at the camper, and 5 minutes later, I am back in Business! This is why I love camping! Not to say you can't meet nice people staying in condos and hotels, you can! But it seems that camping just lends itself to meeting people and those people always seem like kind, caring folks!
I asked John what kind of beer he liked, and he said "Cold". I am going to make sure that I pick him the coldest beer in the store later today, and will try to grab a picture of him and his family! Below is a short video taken from the flip Mino. I love that little movie camera!
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General
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Saturday, 01 August 2009 |
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Well, we are on vacation! I got up at 4:00AM, and we were on the road by 4:25. The drive down was pretty uneventful. Traffic was pretty heavy around Columbia, but other than that, it was a safe, smooth trip down. This year, we are in Lakewood Camping resort. We haven't been here since the kids were small. Last year, we stayed next door at Pirate Land. It's hard to say which one we like better. I like the covered hutches at Pirate Land, but check in here is much easier. The site that we are on is right on an inland Lake and we are about 300 yards from the ocean. This site is shaded and roomy. Much larger than the typical spot at Pirate Land. Day one Pictures and videos:
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High End Netbook Vs. Low End Laptop |
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Technology
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Sunday, 26 July 2009 |
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You know, the industry has kind of built a typical standard for the netbook. Only slight variations, but for the most part, you expect an Atom 270 processor, Windows XP, 160 gig hard drives, 10.x screens and NO Optical drives. Asus pretty much invented this category of Personal computer. The most appealing feature? The price! Consumers can pretty much expect to pick up one of these very compact, basic systems for less than $400!   Some time back, I read where Asus was going to introduce a netbook with an optical drive. As soon as I read this, I pondered if this Asus Netbook was really still a netbook? I mean, what does this netbook offer that other computers don't? What do other computers offer that the netbook doesn't? Asus has now released this computer dubbed the 1004DN in Taiwan for around $610 US Dollars. In addition to the Optical Drive, this is the only netbook to use the Intel GN40 Chipset. And for added security, a fingerprint reader. Beyond these items, here are the industry standard Netbook stats: - 1 gig of Ram
- A 4200 rpm 120 gig hard drive.
- 802.11b/g/n WiFi
- Bludtooth 2.1
- 1.3 meg web cam
- Card reader
- 10.2" display 1024X600
- 6 Cell battery rated for almost 6 hours.
Now compare this high end "Netbook" with your standard configuration low end laptop. From Office Depot:
Toshiba Satellite® L505-S5966 15.6" Widescreen  Features: - 320GB hard drive stores thousands of songs, photos and documents.
- Large 3GB memory lets you run demanding programs.
- Built-in wireless for cable-free networking. Lets you access wireless networks to share files, surf the Web and exchange email. Compatible with 802.11b/g networks. Wired networking is supported, too.
- 15.6" diagonal widescreen TruBrite® LCD.
- Play and burn CDs and DVDs.
- Built-in webcam and microphone let you keep in touch with others via video and voice messaging. Includes face-recognition software, for hassle-free logins without typing passwords.
- Memory card reader for fast, easy photo transfers. Transfer your digital photos, music and other files from 7 types of memory cards.
- Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1.
Priced at only $549. Again, that is $60 cheaper than the Asus 1004DN. I could go on, but if you are reading this, then I am guessing you are doing research and I am sure you don't want me doing all your research for you. Take a quick look at Best Buy, Circuit City (They are back as web shipper only) Amazon, and others. Check all the brands, then ask yourself what you need in a computer! This is not a rant against the netbook. I own an Asus Netbook and LOVE it! It is my travel computer. Quite simply, it rocks! It has awesome battery life, works perfectly for staying in touch and sharing pics, etc with family and friends. But I challenge you to look hard at configurations. If you need CD/DVD read/write, then you probably wouldn't consider a netbook anyway. But if you think buying a netbook that includes optical options is for you, then you have blurred the line between low end laptop and high priced netbook. And looking at the market, low end laptop currently gives you much more bang for the buck!
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General
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Sunday, 19 July 2009 |
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It is unseasonalbly cool for mid-July. But not so cool that Kayaking can't be accomplished! We had a large crew and a great time! Of course, anytime I am out enjoying God's creations, it's a good time! Pics and a Video:
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Taking in Louisville Kentucky |
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General
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Saturday, 11 July 2009 |
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Up visiting family here in Kentucky. no pics or movies yet, but stay tuned! The drive up was uneventful except for the fact that I have a kidney infection. Thank God for a GPS because I found a Dr. about a mile from the Hotel, and they honored my insurance. And I was lucky too in the fact that a CVS Pharmacy was right beside the Dr. I am feeling better today as I think the meds are starting to kick in. Look for updates soon.
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An afternoon on the lake with my Adventure 139 XL |
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General
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Tuesday, 07 July 2009 |
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I enjoy getting out and paddling! In the case of the video below, this is Patrick Henry Dam. This is a small lake formed out of the southern fork of the Holston River. I live about 2 miles from it, and it makes for the perfect getaway after a hard day at work. I got to thinking a few weeks ago on how I could video what I experienced with the world and came up with a pretty neat way to mount a Flip Mino video recorder to the front of the Kayak. If you have caught the other two videos I have made, you know I pick some music to accompany the video. But for today I thought it best that you hear what I hear. It's part of the experience after all.
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