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Monthly Archives: March 2010

Cheap Stuff

Buying the cheapest does not work for me. I have tried, so many times, to get the least expensive version of something, but I end up disappointed. I end up spending more time trying to fix or exchange the item than actually using it. Here are my personal examples:

  • My first computer, a Cyrix (remember them?) based computer. A 200Mhz Pentium clone. It was slow, and if you ever tried to do anything with the onboard, software based modem, it lagged and dogged like no one’s business. Why did I buy it? It was the cheapest Microcenter had at the time. I learned my lesson, build your own, or buy a nice, mid level computer instead. Since then, I have always built my own, since then I know what parts are inside, or, purchased a mid tier laptop.
  • Shoes. I don’t know how many pairs of shoes I have gone through. Every time I think I am getting a deal, I get a shoe that lasts a year and hurts my feet at the same time. Some people can get away with inexpensive shoes, I can’t. I won’t even mention how much I paid for my last pair of shoes, but it was worth it. Almost no foot pain and a pair of shoes that should last 10 years, easily, and I can get it resoled from the manufacturer for $65.
  • Watches. I have gone through my fair share of Timex, store brands, etc. Most only last a few years, and when you change the battery, it costs a good percentage of the watch price. Give me a good watch any day from Seiko or Orient. They will last decades and are worth the little extra money.
  • Furniture. How many of us have owned a futon? How many are still in working order? My guess is not many. I have tried to go cheap, but the stuff just does not last as well. Get a good Flexsteel or name brand, made in USA couch and it will look out of style before it wears out. Same thing goes for mattresses. Coffee tables and book cases you can go cheap, but nothing you can sit or sleep on.
  • Electronics of many sorts. DVD players, wireless routers, USB card readers, etc. I have bought the cheapest of all of them and had to return or replace just about all of them. I should of just bought the better model to begin with.
  • Cookware. A cheap pan works like a cheap pan. A cheap knife cuts like a cheap knife.  Cheap spoons bend in ice cream that is not soft serve and I really don’t want a piece of mystery metal in my mouth when using a fork or spoon otherwise.

So much time and money wasted, when I could of just bought the better version of something. That is not to say sometimes the cheapest version will not work just fine. If it does for you, more power to you. Some things don’t really seem to be much different quality, no matter the price, like blank DVD’s, most clothes and toiletries. It all depends how you use an item, I guess. I try not abuse anything that I own, but I expect it to at least meet some minimum standards. However, I am opposed to ‘buying the best’ since ‘the best’ is usually 10 times more expensive and works 5% better than the mid tier version of something. A little more money spent up front more than makes up for the lack of heartache later.

 

Posted by on March 12, 2010 in Computers, Hardware

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New Battery

Probably the only problem I had with our netbook was the battery life. The keyboard, screen, storage, expandability, aesthetics, and speed were just fine. Luckily, unlike some fruit named manufacturers, Lenovo allows you to swap out the battery easily. So, out with the 3 cell and in with a 6 cell battery. 9 cells are available, but they add just too much bulk, and I really don’t need 8 to 10 hours of battery life. That’s a long time to stare at a 10” TFT screen. The results:

Old battery life, with WiFi on, less than 2 hours.

New battery life, with WiFi on, more than 4 hours.

Old battery life, WiFi off, 2 hours, 15 minutes.

New battery life, WiFi off, Over 5 hours.

It only adds 150 grams to the mass of the netbook and it raises up the back about a quarter of an inch. You end up with a little better typing angle, so that’s a plus in my book. It also still fits in the neoprene sleeve that I use to carry the netbook. With a rather reasonable investment, it turned a pretty good netbook into a great netbook.

What I love about the S10 is that it does not look or act like a netbook. It looks like a notebook, it feels like a notebook, especially with Ubuntu on here. Since Lenovo came out with netbooks after nearly everyone else, they learned from the mistakes of others and produced a refined, easy to use product that does not look or feel cheap or compromised and it is a rare netbook with an express card expansion slot.

As a side note, now I am on my second day without recharging the battery. I used it about two hours yesterday, and today it is still showing 3 hours remaining. I think I will keep using it until I get down to less than 5%.

 

Posted by on March 10, 2010 in Computers

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Happy Birthday Wifey

Happy Birthday my dear Tiffany!

You have brightened my life is so many ways and brought a beautiful boy into the world.

Enjoy your birthday will all of our love.

Daddy and Glenn.

 

Posted by on March 9, 2010 in Family

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Couple of neat Linux applications

I have been trying to expand my software toolbox and I came across 2 really useful applications.

First up is k9copy, which is available for KDE 3 and 4.  It is a simple, easy to use DVD backup solution.  Basically put a DVD in, and it will ask you if you want to keep all the original menus, titles, etc. and even automatically recommend compression factors for the video information.  It makes backing up 8.5 gig to 4.7 gig DVD’s a breeze.  No obtuse command lines or hand calculating things.  It even shows a preview window as it works, so you can see where you are at visually.  Really, a nice, stand out program.

The second is a web browser, Midori available for Linux and possibly Windows, but I have not tried the Windows version.  It is based on GTK2 and the webkit redering engine (Like Safari, Konqueror, et al.)  It is a nice cross between Firefox and Opera, complete with the speed dial and add ons.  It is not perfect, but it is pretty quick and easy to use.  Flash rendering seems better and the memory footprint is about 90% smaller than Firefox running all the bells and whistles.

So if you are Linux and KDE user. give them a try.  Both programs are available for Mandriva and Ubuntu, so your distro should have an up to date version as well.

 

Posted by on March 5, 2010 in Linux

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Number 6

My wireless router died and I had to replace it (No wired or wireless connections were working.)  I purchased a standard ‘g’ router and got everything up and running, or so I thought.  It was pretty laggy and just did not have the same speed as the last one.  I fired up my netbook and ran Wifi Radar to see what other networks were out there, and what channel they were on.  Turns out, almost the whole block is running channel number 6! I found out this is the default for wireless ‘g’ routers.  Changed the channel to channel 3 and instantly my laginess went away and my speed more than doubled.  So, the lesson learned is when setting up a new router, check to see what the neighbors are running and pick something at least 2 away from theirs.  Sadly there are only 11 channels, so in a busy apartment building, this may just be a case of trying all the channels until one works for you.

 

Posted by on March 5, 2010 in Computers

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