Exercising On a Nice Day

I had no planned route for my Saturday morning bike ride, so I started off heading north. I detoured up a street in the Scripts Ranch business park to check out some new buildings being build. There wasn't much up there to see, but as I circled around the road I found a sidewalk that led me the the Scripts Ranch library. Since that is so near Miramar Lake, I rode up to the lake and followed the six mile path around it. It was quite busy with people walking, rollerblading, biking and running. From there continued riding through the neighborhood, which is quite hilly. I ended up by the new fire station, where I took this photograph of the valley below. As you can see, it was very sunny and clear. Not a cloud in the sky. After this short break, I completed the circle to Pomerado Road and made it back home feeling tired but good. Now I'm catching up on blogging and Facebooking (is this now a verb?) .

Impromptu Dinner at Karl Strauss

My attempt to look different in a beer photo is kind of silly, but hey, the beer, food and service were great last night at Karl Strauss in Carlsbad. Judging by how crowded it was, the slow-down in the economy hasn't affected the Friday night business at quality restaurants. It was just my sister and I, and we had tasty appetizers, which the waitress gave us free, small glasses of Red Trolley Ale, which was the beer-paring for the appetizer. Both our meals were spicy, but only mine was supposed to be, since I got the spicy jambalaya. So we both go another small, free sample of the Stargazer Ale, which helped cool the spiciness. I was too full for a dessert. Afterwords I hung at at my sister's and watched two more episodes of The Prisoner.

I finally met my next-door neighbor

After six months, I finally met the woman who lives next to me. It was kind of strange living next to someone who you share a wall with and do not know. I had only seen her once or twice briefly since she moved it. She is a very nice, older lady, who speaks with a heavy accent. I also found out from her that the woman living next to her is now living in an assisted-living home. That would explain why I hadn't see her for some time. I guess when you are in your 90s and still chain smoke you can't expect to live on your own forever. Now her condo and the one next to it, both owned by her son, are empty and used only for storage. He should rent them out and make more money, but I guess he's rich and doesn't need the income.

Another weekend gone by

Well, next week I have Friday off, and Sunday is Superbowl, so I should have more fun stuff to do. I spent most of this weekend inside relaxing and learning Facebook, which would explain my lack of blog postings, plus I bought nothing this weekend to review or write about.

I'm almost dreading another week at work knowing that the project I'm working on is coming to an end for me. The work will continue, just not here in San Diego, and I'm not willing to move to Key West. So by the end of summer, we will be shipping all the computer hardware, software and documents to Key West. However, there is still lots of work for me to do, so I constantly need "motivational" speeches by my co-workers to stay focused on the job. It is affecting everyone and moral is low. I'm not too worried, something else will come along, hopefully with the same company. I don't want to have to start over with zero hours of vacation, as I am planning another two week road trip this Summer.

Facebook, Fraud and Hackers

Thanks to my sister, I have discovered Facebook. Apparently, I got this web site mixed up with "My Space". Facebook is actually quite fun - and addicting! It is a good complement to blogging and a good way to re-establish connections to old friends. Just today I got a "friend" request from another Keith, a friend of mine from high school that I haven't seen since my 10 year reunion - over ten years ago!

I have now been informed that Belkin, the manufacturer of my new wireless modem, has been caught red-handed paying people to post good reviews of its products on sites like Amazon. However, 65 cents doesn't buy you much these days.

Speaking of routers, my new Belkin router has a log, that lists "attacks" on my computer. Judging by the log, there is always some computer somewhere in the world that is constantly attempting to hack into my network. Hopefully between my router's firewall and my computer's firewalls, my computers will not be venerable to hacking.

They Might Be Giants "Really Happy Child Bundle!"

This was a Christmas gift to myself that came late due to the man in charge of shipping being sick. Now why, you ask, would a grown man buy a gift set meant for a happy child? First, I'm huge fan of They Might Be Giants and I have all Their albums and then some. With the addition of these three CDs, I now have 33 TMBG CDs! Even their albums geared toward children have good songs that are listenable by people of all ages. In fact, lots of their songs from previous albums are "kid friendly".

The gift pack I bought included a T-shirt, XL of course, the CDs "Here Come the 123s" (with a bonus DVD) and "No!". Now, I already have "No!", so someone can have this CD. It is more than a CD, because if you play it on your computer, most of the songs have an interactive game you can play while the song is playing. The bundle also included a DVD of more songs, a children's book with a CD with four new songs, and finally some TMBG stickers. Not a bad deal. I have yet to listen to any of the CDs or watch the DVD, but I'm downloading the CDs to iTunes as I write this blog.

D-Link DAP-1522 Wireless Bridge

I finally got this wireless bridge working tonight. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly what I did right tonight that I didn't do the last two nights. I think it was enabling SSID broadcast on my wireless router, disconnecting the bridge from the router (via the LAN connection), manually switching the bridge to "bridge" mode and then connecting them using the automatic Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) feature that requires nothing but a button push on the router and then the bridge. I tested the bridge by connecting it directly to my laptop and suddenly it had Internet access.

Yesterday when I tried this, I kept getting pop-up error messages on my Apple saying that the IP address was already in use. Then my netcam stopped working. Then my PC indicated a duplicate IP address conflict. I think there was some conflict between the router and bridge, like both were trying to act as routers and both assigning IP address. Last night was a bad night for wireless and wired connections in my house.

So the next step was to take the bridge into my living room and connect it to my Blu Ray player and see if it could get to the Internet - and it did! I tested this first by checking for firmware updates. Yesterday when I tried this the player indicated it failed. Today it said no new updates available, so that indicates it was able to check on the Internet.

So then I loaded the new X-Files movie, I Want to Believe, and during the very slow load process, it displayed a screen asking me if I wanted to update the BD Live feature. So I clicked "Yes" and it downloaded 2 MB of data to by 2 GB SD card. After another few minutes, I got to the main menu and navigated to the special BD Live feature that I'm still not clear what it does. Something about some agents files where you can create your own profile, or something. At this point I was happy enough and turned the player off.

My next step, tomorrow, is to see if the bridge still works after I disable the router's broadcast of the SSID. I don't like having the broadcast on, because then anyone nearby can see I have a wireless router, and even though it is protected with wireless security, they might still try to hack in.

Overall, I'd say the process of getting the D-Link bridge working was very difficult. I used a combination of the manual for my router and the manual for the bridge, plus many searches on the Internet looking for help. I found many other people trying to do what I was attempting, some with success, some not. Hopefully both the router and bridge will continue to work without any more help by me.

Added 01/23/09: I forgot to mention that the new wireless router I connected the D-Link to is a Belkin N+ which I reviewed here.

Belkin N+ Wireless Router

As I posted yesterday, I finally bought a new wireless router after giving up on my D-Link WBR-2310. I spent many hours researching wireless routers on various sites like Cnet, Amazon, Fry's and Best Buy. Looking at the rating of each router was not enough. I found that some routers rated 4 1/2 stars out of five also had what I thought were too many one star reviews. If these one-start reviews all had something in common, such as ".... this router is worthless, stopped working after 10 days and I returned it..." then I decided not to buy it. The router I bought was highly rated by cnet.com, and overall the user's reviews were good. The going price was $119, but Fry's had it for $89 - not bad.

Belkin calls this router a "N+", which really does not mean much. The "N" routers out now are all pre-N, since the "N" standard has not been finalize (the current standard is "G", as is 802.11g) . The salesman at Fry's ensured me that when the "N" is standardized, this wireless router, and all others, can be updated to the new standard with just a firmware update. I check and I have the latest firmware version.

This is my second wireless router and third router overall, each built by a different company. I decided to configure this router using the "wizard" setup, which I knew was a mistake. I dislike "wizards" because they try to make it easy for anyone to configure a device but usually don't work too well. One of the first choices is your ISP name. So I entered Time Warner. Then it asked me for my login. I knew this was incorrect because TW does not have a login. So I just entered my e-mail login and continued the setup. Eventually I was told that the router could not connect to the Internet, so that's when I started the manual configuration. In the "Internet WAN" menu, I just selected "Dynamic", which means that my IP address is assigned by the ISP. Once I did this, I was connected to the Internet no problem. So I then set my SSID, encryption, password and so on. The router required a restart, after which my wired connection to my computer worked fine.

Then I needed to make sure all other devices worked. I tested the wireless connection with my MacBook Pro and that worked fine. Then I attempted to access my Panasonic network camera. This failed. The problem was that my netcam was set to an IP of 192.168.0.X, and Belkin uses 192.168.2.X. So I had to run the camera's setup disk and after some trial and error I finally got access to the camera where I could change its setting so it was compatible with the router. Then I attempted to access the camera over the Internet and that failed. I had to re-register the camera with the website that allows Internet control of the camera.

So the final test was the printer, which I have connected via LAN. The test print failed! Again, after fumbling around, I found the printer's settings needed to be updated with the new IP address scheme. After making this change, the printer worked.

I then pushed my luck and tried to get my new wireless router working. After over an hour of trying, I gave up. I tried again today and still no luck. More research required.

Overall, I like the Belkin router. It offers two features my last router didn't. Four gigabit Ethernet ports (instead of just 10/100 baseT), and a USB port for connecting to an external backup hard drive, which I will buy someday. After only one day I can't say weather or not this router is better than the D-Link. I'll keep on eye on lost wired and wireless connections (hopfully there will be none) over the next few weeks and then update this review with my findings. I'll also let you know if and when I get my bridge working.


Added 01/23/09: So for so good. The router is working fine. On my post about my netcam, someone posted some links to sites saying Belkin is paying people to write good reviews. This may be true, but they have not paid me once cent - yet.

MLK Day

These holidays that not everyone gets off are kind of wired. I feel like I'm home sick from work. However, based on the busy parking lots at the local malls, it looks like many people have today off work and school. I ventured to the nearest Circuit City, in Carmel Mountain Ranch, to check out the liquidation sale. So far it is only 10% off regular price, which isn't bad, but eventually they'll have to up that to 50%, but buy then there will be nothing good left to buy. My goal today was to buy a new wireless router and bridge. I ended up getting those items at Fry's Electronics. I bought a Belkin N+ wireless router, which was rated good on cnet.com, and a D-Link wireless bridge to be used to connect my Blu Ray player to the Internet. I will have full reviews of my purchases soon.

As a bonus, when I got home there was a package for me on my doorstep. Apparently UPS does not have the day off. It is the "Really Happy Child Gift Pack" form They Might Be Giants. It includes a T-shirt, two CDs and a DVD, plus a book of some kind. These are all "children's" gifts, but some of Their children's albums are there best ones.

Now I'll spend some time setting up my new computer equipment and then go for a bike ride to get some exercise and enjoy the warm January day.

Beer and Food at Stone

For no particular reason I had dinner with my family last night at Stone Bistro and Gardens in San Marcus. The staff seemed to be in a confused state, as we waited in a crowded lobby for a few minutes even though we had reservations. Once inside, there were plenty of tables, but after sitting for 10 minutes wondering who our waiter was, a slightly drunk (or high?) man finally took our drink orders. I ordered the Beer Mac & Cheese, which tastes much better than it sounds because it has slices of sausages mixed in. It ended up being a nice, casual dinning experience, especially since I had no other plans this weekend other than watch football today and maybe hike tomorrow.

Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Sound Card

No, I did not make a mistake and upload the wrong photo. After I installed my new sound card, I went for a ride up to and around Lake Miramar, where I saw these large geese, the kind you do not want flying into your jet's engine.

Earlier in the day I made a trip to Fry's Electronics to buy a new sound card for my computer. After much research, I decided on the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium. It is a bit of an overkill for me, as it is intended for gaming and intense multi-media applications. However, it had everything I wanted, including a 5.1 digital optical output. More importantly, I no longer have that high-pitched sound emanating from all my speakers (now if only I can fix the constant ringing in my ears!). I made sure I installed the card in a slot away from my graphics card. The hardware installation was straight forward, except I had to remove a large air-duct system to get at the motherboard inside my computer. Once the hardware was installed, I installed the software from the CD. That installation was also simple, however, after rebooting my computer the new software checked for updates and proceeded to download 133MB of data. Then I had to update about five programs, one at a time, constantly checking "Next" and "OK".

Finally, after rebooting again, I was able to test the new sound card. Other than the lack of background noise, I really can't hear any difference. I moved my subwoofer farther away from my desk so it wouldn't cause it to vibrate. This card also has an optical input, so I bought another optical cable so I could connect my MacBook using a 3.5MM to TOSlink adapter that connects to the headphone output. Now the audio from my Apple sounded much better being piped through my PC's sound card and out to my new speakers.

I just saw on the news that Circuit City is most likely going to liquidate all its inventory, so that sounds like a good opportunity to buy new home stereo speakers soon.

Good Weekend Except the Chargers Lost

Well, they had a good run, but the season is over for the Chargers. Now everybody in San Diego will be taking those Chargers bolt stickers and flags off their cars - so sad. I actually had two friends over to watch the game with me, but have no photos to prove it. It has been some time since I've had guests over. I'm glad I vacuumed my carpets this weekend for a reason!

Saturday Morning Bike Ride

I woke up nice and early this morning anticipating a warm, sunny day, and I was not disappointed. After breakfast, I suited-up for a bike ride. Even though it was in the high 60s when I left my house, I had forgotten I was headed to Poway, where the temperatures are usually 10 degrees warmer - and they were. I am proud to say, however, that I made it up this long hill (pictured above) without shifting into my bike's easiest gear. The whole ride took 75 minutes and now I feel like I can sit and watch football the rest of the day. At one point on the ride, I passed an automated radar sign, which showed my speed at 12 mph. Back in my prime, I averaged 14.5 mph on my bike rides, so I have motivation to ride more.

I just got through connecting my new computer speakers, the Logitech Z-5500, which includes five speakers and a 10 inch subwoofer! However, even though my computer's built-in sound card can output 5.1 on an optical connection, I'm still getting a constant "whining" in every speaker. This started happening, I believe, after I installed a new graphics card last year. There must be some interference inside my computer case. So I think I'll buy a PCI (express) sound card and see if that fixes this annoying problem.

Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu Ray Player - Part II

The second time is the charm. I just bought the Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu Ray Player again from Costco, but for $50 less! This time it works. No "marco-blocking" problems as I reported in my previous post. I only watched the first minute of the Blu Ray DVD, but that was enough to show that the player worked fine. I updated the firmware and inserted a 2 GB SD card so can use the BD Live feature when I get the player connected to the Internet and play a DVD with BD Live content. So now I'm happy with my purchase.

Last of My Photos From Car Show

Lighting was good for photographing this Mustang. The red really stands out.

I tried my best to advoid getting other people in the pictures, but that was not always easy. There were three men in this picture. I cropped one out, erased the other and had to leave the third one in, since he is behind the car.

I purposely kept the audience for this robot in the photo so you can see how amusing he was. He drew the biggest crowd of any "speaker". We didn't stand around long enough to find out what his purpose was.

I returned my Panasonic Blu Ray player today, so now I'm back in the market for one. What a hassle.

More Photos From 2009 Car Show

I guess every so many years Nissan finds it necessary to add numbers to their cars. The 350Z is being replaced with this 370Z. I was not able to sit in one, but I know I don't fit in the 350Z.

On display only, surrounded by ropes, the famous new Camaro was a popular attraction.

It is kind of hard to tell what this is a photo of, but it is the passenger side of a pimped-out car. The seats look very uncomfortable and impractical. But at least it is colorful and sparkly.

Happy 2009! (and Car Show)

Happy new year! I must be getting old. I fell asleep last night at 10:30. I celebrated the Time Square countdown on CNN, so I didn't feel the need to stay up until midnight. My plan today was to go to the 2009 international San Diego car show with my brother. We got there a little after 10 AM and proceeded to wander the floor, looking at all types of vehicles. The highlight was the 2010 Ford Mustang. The car shown above was the best looking, sitting below bright lights. They had one you could get into, unfortunately, the power seats were not adjusted back far enough, so leg room was tight. As you can see, there are minor differences in the Mustang. I took photos from other angles, which I might post later.

I don't plan on buying a new car anytime soon, but it is still fun to see what the new cars look like. Plus, I see how well I fit in them. I still like the Mini Cooper. It is small and has lots of leg room.

Most of the cars on display I would never buy. We skipped the Audi, BMW, Volkswagen and Kia sections. Upstairs they had the custom car section, which was much smaller that last year, as it was in Ballroom 20 instead of the Sail Pavilion.

You would be happy to know that yesterday Time Warner Cable and Viacom came to an agreement that keeps Viacom's channels on TWC.

I guess tomorrow I'll return my Panasonic Blu Ray player to Costco, and then decide to buy one on discount or just get the Sony.