Steve Draft-Peppin

Problems with Windows account and Media Center extender

2010-09-06T13:04:00.002-04:00

I had been having a problem with my Windows Media Center Extender only working shortly after the associated PC had been booted. Any other time, it would get stuck at Starting Up. I noticed in the event viewer on the PC that there were issues with the account getting locked, and issues with the registry being in use. I finally decided to try creating a different account in Windows to see if that would get locked out too. It turned out to have a problem as well. When logging in after having booted a few hours before and having already been logged in as my main profile, the new profile would say "Preparing your desktop", which happens when the actual profile can't be loaded. With some help from the message boards at this link, I discovered the problem was Google Updater. First time I've been upset with Google, I think.

Spore

2008-07-18T23:03:00.000-04:00

New Sim-type game. I really shouldn't buy this. I'll stay up all night playing it.

Guy doing wheelchair backflips

2008-02-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

This guy does backflips in his wheelchair. Cool video.

Zuber's Photo Wonders

2008-01-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

Check out some of the awesome photos Zuber took outdoors. Pretty creative for a former nerd!

Why Geeks and Nerds Are Worth It...

2006-08-30T19:15:00.000-04:00

I'll let this one speak for itself.

Kyle's Running for County Commissioner

2006-08-21T18:27:00.000-04:00

Hey, if you live in the southern part of Muskegon County, check out this site. My friend Kyle Olson is running for the county commission. He's the type of person that can do some good things to help the Muskegon area reach its potential.

Sprint to build network using WiMax technology.

2006-08-08T19:23:00.000-04:00

"Sprint Nextel plans to spend $3 billion over the next two years to build a fourth-generation wireless network using WiMax technology."

This should really be incredible. Finally, high speed wireless Internet almost as widespread as cell phone service. Not only will you be able to access email and information from anywhere using a portable web-enabled device, but other devices and appliances will be able to be network-enabled. Off the top of my head, I would think that now it would be possible for your car's GPS system to connect over the WiMax network to download real-time traffic and construction data and merge that information with the information already on the GPS device. It will also allow more reliable tv/video feeds straight to PDAs and cell phones.

Roundtrip to Mars in One Day

2006-01-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of advanced physics, but this just seemed really cool to me. The article indicates that a couple of scientists think they can create a system that can get humans to travel places faster than light. This would allow travel to a star 11 light years away in 80 days or so. Hmmmm..... I thought Zefram Cochrane wasn't supposed to invent warp drive until 2063...

World's next fuel source could be designer organisms

2005-11-23T18:51:00.000-05:00

The initial focus will be on creating "biofactories" for hydrogen and ethanol, two fuels seen as playing an increasing role in powering cars in the future. Hydrogen also holds promise for heating homes and putting juice into electronic devices.

Private Sector, Low-Cost Lunar Plan

2005-11-21T20:25:00.000-05:00

"A newly released study has focused on how best to return people to the Moon, reporting that future lunar missions can be done for under $10 billion - far less than a NASA price tag."
"In outlining their study findings, SpaceDev has blueprinted a conceptual mission architecture and design for a human servicing mission to the lunar south pole - targeted for the period between 2010 and 2015."
"The SpaceDev study underscores a key finding: A combination of technology already under development by companies could be combined to create a growing and lasting presence at the Moon at costs significantly lower than those proposed by other organizations."

Google Maps for a Palm Treo

2005-11-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well, this has turned out to be a great week for me in the world of free applications and sites for my Treo 650. I recently mentioned Wapedia. Now comes KMaps , a neat little Java application that allows handheld users to view Google Maps as well as the locations of friends, traffic info, and local info such as bars and restaurants. I just love this program. It's so much better than trying to get the traditional mapping sites to work on the Blazer browser.

Consumers Energy Green Generation Program

2005-11-05T12:56:00.000-05:00

I recently went over to the Consumers Energy Web Site and signed up for the Green Generation Program. It's a way each of us can pay a little premium to have some of our electricity produced by clean methods such as wind power. I think we all know that we aren't going to kick the fossil fuel habit without shelling out a little bit of money first to get cleaner technologies developed, so it makes sense to have programs like these to get the ball rolling.

Mice Regrow Vital Organs--Humans Next?

2005-11-02T21:27:00.000-05:00

Mice discovered accidentally at the Wistar Institute in Pennsylvania have the seemingly miraculous ability to regenerate like a salamander, and even regrow vital organs.

The results stunned scientists because if such regeneration is possible in this mammal, it might also be possible in humans.

There could soon be a day when humans can regrow damaged or missing limbs and organs, just like a salamander.

Wapedia - Wikipedia for your PDA

2005-11-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

My biggest complaint about my Treo 650 PDA and my biggest complaint about Wikipedia have both been the same for some time. Wikipedia just does not look good on a PDA, or at least on the Treo 650's Blazer 4.0 browser. Enter Wapedia. I have no idea who is behind this, but when you go to the site and look up a topic, the articles are identical to the ones on Wikipedia. This site goes to the top of my bookmarks on the Treo for sure.

It's not TV, it's Yahoo

2005-09-25T14:16:00.000-04:00

Yahoo is working on ways to produce its own video programming. Basically, the idea is to have its own home-grown video news and entertainment, rather than linking to content produced by other organizations.

Some of the proposed content is live coverage of news events, archived video segments of stories not covered by traditional video news outlets, and a wider selection of entertainment than the (relatively speaking) handfull of sitcoms and dramas on traditional television.

It's not TV, it's Yahoo | CNET News.com

Windows Vista to boot in 2-3 seconds.

2005-09-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

Well, this is interesting. The next version of Windows, called "Vista" is supposed to boot up and shut down in 2 to 3 seconds. That would be a huge step forward in computers.

I just hope this isn't Microsoft's way of saying that 2 to 3 seconds after booting up, we'll have a fatal error that will force us to shut down. Oh, wait, that was Windows ME's claim to fame. (A little Microsoft humor there.)
Windows Vista to boot in 2-3 seconds.

Westerners Seek Cheap Medical Care in Asia

2005-09-25T13:55:00.000-04:00

I saw a piece on CBS's 60 Minutes a few months ago about Westerners travelling to places like India for affordable medical treatment. With all due respect to American physicians and hospitals such as my dear employer, health care is extremely expensive here. We all know that. So, if quality healthcare can be found overseas at a fraction of the price through foreign physicians who study in Western universities, perhaps that is a reasonable alternative to high out-of-pocket expenses and skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Here's an article from Yahoo! News that says basically the same thing as the 60 Minutes piece.
Westerners Seek Cheap Medical Care in Asia - Yahoo! News

An interesting suggestion in the article from one of the American patients who had surgery overseas was to anchor a cruise ship in international waters off Los Angeles — "One deck for orthopedic surgery, one deck for cardiology. We need a change in America, we need cheaper medical treatment. We need a big hospital ship from India."

Bill Gates - Coke Commercial

2005-09-25T13:46:00.000-04:00

I just thought this was pretty funny. Can you lend Bill Gates some money for a Coke? I think he can afford to pay you back with interest.
Bill Gates - Coke Commercial (Coca-Cola) - Google Video

Space Elevator Contest to Begin

2005-09-25T12:23:00.000-04:00

The news keeps getting better by the day for those of us with an interest in space exploration and commercialization. I just told you about America's Space Prize, a contest which will give $50 million to the first non-government-funded group to reach Earth orbit. Of course, that follows Burt Rutan's recent accomplishment of building the first private vehicle to leave Earth's atmosphere (note the difference.)

Now, yet another contest is about to begin. According to the British paper The Telegraph, Elevator 2010 is a contest to see who can first design a system of satellites, tethers, and elevators (or "climbers") to lift people and payloads into Earth orbit.

If successful, payloads could be delivered into orbit for a mere 2% of current costs, since the incredible amount of fuel needed to propel rockets would no longer be needed and, consequently, space vehicles would not have to reserve over 3/4 of their mass for fuel.

This has long been an idea of sci-fi writers, but has only become a possibility in real science recently with the development of carbon nanotubes, which will provide the strength and endurance needed to create the type of tether necessary to carry out such a project.

Insiders believe such a system could be built in the next 15 years.

Cell Phones Go Beyond Just Saying Hello

2005-09-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

Here's an article about an upcoming conference for wireless telecom industry delegates. They'll be discussing the latest features such as phone-based streaming video.

"You're seeing a lot of phones becoming more and more like PCs, home entertainment systems and video game players," said Bryan Biniak, senior vice president of AG Interactive

Seems to go along with the same line of thought as the comments of Jonathan Schwartz, president of server and software maker Sun Microsystems, discussed in a previous post on this blog.

Sun President Says PCs Are Relics

2005-09-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Interesting blurb on Slashdot with a link to a more complete article. Sun Microsystems seems to think that PCs and the traditional software that has been loaded on them will not be a very large part of the tech market in the near future. The trend will be toward web services, rather than software on our hard drives and those services will be accessed via our cell phones rather than a notebook or desktop PC. Makes sense to me.

Zuber, his alarm clock, and the old guard

2005-09-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

Trying to find something suitable from IBTY.net to post on here. This one, while old, really seems to be the best for giving the full flavor of what goes on in Zuber's mind and how this old group of men....no...boys....um.....people......um.....carbon-based life forms.....from Mona Shores interact with each other. For the record, I don't know anything about the dress, and I don't think I want to. IBTY.net :: View topic - Poor little clock...

Leo Laporte and Call For Help back on TV!

2005-09-24T02:49:00.000-04:00

Leo is back! After a period of time off the air following the foolish merger of G4 and TechTV, Leo is back on TV giving PC tips and answering questions on the G4 network. Given that G4 before the merger with TechTV was basically a place to watch others play video games (um, ok, that's so fun.....I'd rather play my own, thanks) and how G4 dumped all former TechTV content, I wouldn't be surprised if this causes G4's audience to triple. Leo's the best, and everyone knows it. Why did they get rid of him in the first place? Executives are so clueless.
Call For Help is Back

Olive Garden-Mmmmm

2005-09-24T01:02:00.000-04:00

I'm just sitting here thinking about how much I love Olive Garden

As part of my vacation this week, I went to Olive Garden with Casey and Sara. I need to go there more often. Anyone care to go with me?

Don't forget to check out Casey's West Michigan photo site. Really cool pictures.

Carl Sagan's ‘Cosmos’ Returning to TV

2005-09-23T22:59:00.000-04:00

‘Cosmos’ reborn after 25 years - Cosmic Log - MSNBC.com
I've heard about Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' series many times, but I don't believe I ever had the opportunity to see it. When I saw it listed on my digital cable box's schedule, my jaw dropped. Yep, that's definately going on the DVR's recording schedule.

They're saying the graphics have been enhanced since the origial airing in the 1980's.

If you read the bottom of the article, you'll see that Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan, says there could be an accouncement in the next couple months on a follow-up to the failed Cosmos 1 Solar Sail!

Deals to Result in 1,000 MW of Clean, Cheap Power

2005-09-23T22:39:00.000-04:00

Stirling Energy Systems has signed deals with two different California utilities to produce 1,000 megawatts of electricity using the sun's energy. This will use Stirling engines, a centuries-old technology, rather than the more commonly-known photovoltaic solar power panels.

Most coal-fired plans we are used to in Michigan put out about 500 megawatts, so you can see that this is not a small development.

Stirling Energy Systems - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article from Inc. Magazine indicates that the cost of the energy produced will actually be able to compete with electricity produced from natural gas, which means renewable energy is finally starting to become competitive.

German Election (Bush/Gore/Florida Part Zwei)

2005-09-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

It's good to see the Germans can't run elections much better than we can. I mean, I realize this won't get thrown into their courts, but it will be settled based on which party can make the most deals and form the best coalition. It won't necessarily result in a government that best represents the will of the people. Hopefully they'll do a little better than they did in the 1930's.

Tied German rivals try to forge coalitions - World - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

SpaceX Could Beat NASA to the Moon

2005-09-23T22:16:00.000-04:00

“Getting to the moon in 10 years is definitely doable,” says SpaceX vice president Chris Thompson.

That would be about 2015, which would beat NASA's goal of 2018. And it would be for a fraction of NASA's costs.

SpaceX was founded by dotcom millionaire Elon Musk. The company is focused on finding ways of significantly lowering the costs of sending payloads into space. They have now begun prototyping and selling payload space for a larger rocket and hope to eventually offer both manned and unmanned vehicles for one-tenth the current standard price.

America's Space Prize-For Private Orbital Flight

2005-09-23T22:03:00.000-04:00

Remember the X-Prize, the $10 million prize that was awarded to Burt Rutan for his SpaceShipOne? Well, that was very successful in spurring research and effort into suborbital space flights. Now, Bigelow Aerospace is offering $50 million to the first American that can launch people into orbit (a much more difficult task than simple suborbital space flight) without taking goverment funds. You can see some of the rules here. Bigelow Aerospace, Inc. - America's Space Prize

I will undoubtedly be posting more on this in the near future. Some contestants believe they will have developed enough technology in the next decade that they will be able to beat NASA back to the moon!

SETI's "Are We Alone" Program

2005-09-23T21:27:00.000-04:00

I just started listening to the podcasts of SETI's "Are We Alone?" program. It's on the radio or you can download ITunes or another podcast application and get several months worth of archives. Lots of interesting stuff. It's not just alien hunting either. It covers a range of scientific topics.

Andrew's getting married in one week

2005-09-23T21:24:00.000-04:00

Good old Andrew. I've probably known this guy as long as anyone. The guy's getting married. Check out him and the Mrs.

Annelise

2005-09-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Well, this is something very important. It's the blog for my cousin's new baby. It's also on the same blog service I use. Those two facts influenced my decision to make this my second posting.

Annelise

Here we go

2005-09-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been meaning to start a blog but never really got the inspiration to write anything interesting while in front of my computer. I have finally decided to set this up so that when I do feel inspired, it will be easy for me to go ahead and post links and my thoughts of the moment.

Begin captain's log, Stardate.......well, nevermind, the date is already posted on here.