blog
Warning: long post
6/24/2008
Things around here have actually been pretty busy lately. Now that work has started I don't have all day to sit around so the weeks have been going by a little faster. I haven't posted in a while though so I'll here are a few things that I've been up to.
I have been looking at purchasing a road bike since last year and I finally broke down and got a new Trek road bike last week. I was planning on saving the purchase for later in the summer but after riding with Mike, a friend from work, I saw that road bikes were obviously superior for the long distance rides that I do. I took the bike out for the first rides this past Saturday and Sunday and I am amazed how different this bike is compared to my Trek hybrid. The bike is much lighter and much smoother while riding, as long as you don't hit bumps. I should get a lot of use out of this bike for many years to come.
Both of my bikes have cyclo-computers which track my speed, mileage, and cadence. I really enjoy using them because it helps me get a feel for if I'm improving my time or cadence over separate bike rides. In order to better track everything, I made a page on my site to log each 'real' bike ride that I go on. I put a bunch of information in for each ride and the page will also calculate averages and totals for all the rides. If you want to take a look you can find it under stuff or you can click here to visit.
Justin and I have been playing a lot of Lego Indiana Jones for a few weeks now. We both really enjoyed the Lego Star Wars game so the Indiana Jones version was an obvious choice for some multiplayer action. So far we've found it to be a little glitchy at times (somehow we got 4 billion studs, which is the game's currency) but very fun. We're attempting to get 100% in the game which will probably take a few more weeks.
Shortly after moving I purchased an entertainment center cabinet to store my electronics in. I believe I may have mentioned this earlier, but my living room has a built in hole for a TV which has little/none space for other things like DVD players and my Xbox 360. After putting some wiring in the walls, thanks to my Dad, and picking up my cabinet I have found out that the cabinet is really not designed very well... at least for someone who loves TV/electronics as much as I do. The doors on the front close very tightly and there are only small ventilation holes in the back which are all full of wires now. I became concerned that my things would be ruined if I ran them too long in this setup. In fact, I ran some tests on my media computer and it got to about around 60 degrees Celsius which is much too hot for a computer. My Dad found some vents online that are made for media cabinets so I purchased some of those and plan to put them in the cabinet to hopefully fix this problem. Of course I first need to buy a drill, which I have been putting off for a while now since I don't feel like driving to Lowes which is on the opposite side of town.
Along with the cabinet, I also purchased some end tables for my couch and chair. They look really good with the colors of my furniture so I'm really happy with them. Eventually I'll get around to posting some pictures of everything setup once I finish hiding speaker wire.
Speaking of the speaker wire, speakers were also a problem once I setup my new receiver. Apparently the receiver I purchased does not output analog audio through its digital audio out port which is what I was relying on it doing. This meant I would have to buy digital cables and hope that worked but then the Wii would have no sound at all unless I found a digital audio adapter for that. The easier fix was to buy new speakers, which ended up being a nice option. The result is now 5.1 surround sound in my living room compared to the virtual 6.1 (I think?) speakers I was previously using. Now my problem is trying to hide the speaker wires for the back speakers, which I will also have to deal with shortly.
I think that's all for now. I'll be pretty impressed if you actually made it through the whole post.
I have been looking at purchasing a road bike since last year and I finally broke down and got a new Trek road bike last week. I was planning on saving the purchase for later in the summer but after riding with Mike, a friend from work, I saw that road bikes were obviously superior for the long distance rides that I do. I took the bike out for the first rides this past Saturday and Sunday and I am amazed how different this bike is compared to my Trek hybrid. The bike is much lighter and much smoother while riding, as long as you don't hit bumps. I should get a lot of use out of this bike for many years to come.
Both of my bikes have cyclo-computers which track my speed, mileage, and cadence. I really enjoy using them because it helps me get a feel for if I'm improving my time or cadence over separate bike rides. In order to better track everything, I made a page on my site to log each 'real' bike ride that I go on. I put a bunch of information in for each ride and the page will also calculate averages and totals for all the rides. If you want to take a look you can find it under stuff or you can click here to visit.
Justin and I have been playing a lot of Lego Indiana Jones for a few weeks now. We both really enjoyed the Lego Star Wars game so the Indiana Jones version was an obvious choice for some multiplayer action. So far we've found it to be a little glitchy at times (somehow we got 4 billion studs, which is the game's currency) but very fun. We're attempting to get 100% in the game which will probably take a few more weeks.
Shortly after moving I purchased an entertainment center cabinet to store my electronics in. I believe I may have mentioned this earlier, but my living room has a built in hole for a TV which has little/none space for other things like DVD players and my Xbox 360. After putting some wiring in the walls, thanks to my Dad, and picking up my cabinet I have found out that the cabinet is really not designed very well... at least for someone who loves TV/electronics as much as I do. The doors on the front close very tightly and there are only small ventilation holes in the back which are all full of wires now. I became concerned that my things would be ruined if I ran them too long in this setup. In fact, I ran some tests on my media computer and it got to about around 60 degrees Celsius which is much too hot for a computer. My Dad found some vents online that are made for media cabinets so I purchased some of those and plan to put them in the cabinet to hopefully fix this problem. Of course I first need to buy a drill, which I have been putting off for a while now since I don't feel like driving to Lowes which is on the opposite side of town.
Along with the cabinet, I also purchased some end tables for my couch and chair. They look really good with the colors of my furniture so I'm really happy with them. Eventually I'll get around to posting some pictures of everything setup once I finish hiding speaker wire.
Speaking of the speaker wire, speakers were also a problem once I setup my new receiver. Apparently the receiver I purchased does not output analog audio through its digital audio out port which is what I was relying on it doing. This meant I would have to buy digital cables and hope that worked but then the Wii would have no sound at all unless I found a digital audio adapter for that. The easier fix was to buy new speakers, which ended up being a nice option. The result is now 5.1 surround sound in my living room compared to the virtual 6.1 (I think?) speakers I was previously using. Now my problem is trying to hide the speaker wires for the back speakers, which I will also have to deal with shortly.
I think that's all for now. I'll be pretty impressed if you actually made it through the whole post.
Labels: bike log, biking, home theater, xbox 360
Contactless
5/26/2008
I never realized how weird I feel if I go out without my glasses until this past weekend. I went the weekend without wearing them because I've been experiencing discomfort in my left eye. When I went out to Best Buy on Saturday it definitely felt like I was missing something. It's odd how those things matter so much when you don't have them.
I will be starting work this week, so that should be exciting. It will be good to start again because I'm starting to get a little bored just sitting around the house doing random tasks.
As promised, here are some pictures of the view from my place. Click the picture to make it bigger.
The webcam also points in a different direction than both of these new pictures, so take a look there too to see that view.
I will be starting work this week, so that should be exciting. It will be good to start again because I'm starting to get a little bored just sitting around the house doing random tasks.
As promised, here are some pictures of the view from my place. Click the picture to make it bigger.
The webcam also points in a different direction than both of these new pictures, so take a look there too to see that view.
Webcam back up
5/22/2008
After some careful window shade engineering I think I have the webcam back up. The picture is looking out my office window down a road that goes by my place and over a farm next to me. Click here to go view the webcam.
If you see any interesting pictures while viewing the webcam, please "right click -> save as" the picture and send it to me so I can share it with everyone.
If you see any interesting pictures while viewing the webcam, please "right click -> save as" the picture and send it to me so I can share it with everyone.
Labels: davecam
New home
5/21/2008
As many of you know, I've been moving to Rochester, Minnesota over the past week for my new job. I've come to despise moving after doing it so many times over my college career for co-ops and internships in Minnesota. Thankfully, this should be the last move for a while... at least I hope so!
My townhouse is pretty cool and I'm convinced I probably got the unit with the best view. It's a corner unit (8 in each building) so I have windows facing two directions. One direction looks off into darkness where Rochester basically ends. The other direction looks out over some rolling hills of a farm. Each unit also has a small patio area outside which allows you to look out over the city. I'll have to post pictures of the views when I find all of my camera stuff in all my junk. The only downside to these views is having some pretty strong winds all the time since I'm on a hill. Since Rochester is windy all the time I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.
I'm pretty much done unpacking now and it comes at a good time since I start my job next week. I fly to New York for a few days for some orientation stuff and then come back to work in town. I don't know exactly what kind of stuff I'll be working on but judging from the previous times I've worked here I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Normally when I move I only bring my LCD monitor which I got when I first started college, but since I was moving almost all my stuff this time I decided to bring my old CRT monitor along too. I have them setup as dual monitors right now and I think I'll really enjoy it. I don't really know what to put on the other monitor though. So far I just have my buddy list over there and if anyone messages me I'm sure I'd put that over on the second monitor as well. Two monitors almost seems unnecessary to me at home but it's funny how I can't live without two screens at work.
The way my living room is built, there is a hole cutout in the wall above the fireplace which is made for a TV. The hole is reasonably large so you can fit a decent size TV in it, but they really didn't design it for doing things other than watching TV. There is a small shelf at the top of the hole for things like cable boxes or small DVD players, but game consoles or speaker equipment just won't fit at all. I have been thinking about the situation for a long time and decided I'd try and get one HDMI cable to go through the wall in the hole down to the floor outside the wall and plug all my stuff into a receiver there. My dad is a pretty handy guy so I suggested that we try the project ourselves. I'm sure a professional could have come in with his/her fancy tools and done the job in 10 minutes but I really didn't want to pay or setup the appointment. My dad and I ended up getting the job done, but it took several days since we weren't really sure where in the hole to make the hole. It's going to look very nice once I get my receiver (this Friday) and the cabinet I ordered to put the electronic equipment in. However, currently it looks weird since there are a ton of wires coming out of the wall and they don't plug into anything.
My dad has always enjoyed using X10 stuff in our homes to automate lights so that they go on and off at certain times during the day. Now that I have my own place I think I might try and do the same sort of stuff. I'd love to replace all the light switches in the house with X10 (or Insteon, I guess it's newer?) switches so I can put things on timers. Since my place is obviously not as big as a house I really don't have that many things to automate though. I think the thing that really matters the most would be the outside lights. I never remember to turn it on so having it on a timer would be nice.
The webcam will be back eventually. I just setup the computer that it normally plugs into about an hour ago and I still need to figure out how to get the camera pointing out the window. The shades I have are sort of heavy and may be provide a challenge while trying to put the webcam in front of them. The webcam I currently have really works pretty poorly anyway, so maybe if I can think of a better solution using a new camera I'll try that. Stay tuned.
My townhouse is pretty cool and I'm convinced I probably got the unit with the best view. It's a corner unit (8 in each building) so I have windows facing two directions. One direction looks off into darkness where Rochester basically ends. The other direction looks out over some rolling hills of a farm. Each unit also has a small patio area outside which allows you to look out over the city. I'll have to post pictures of the views when I find all of my camera stuff in all my junk. The only downside to these views is having some pretty strong winds all the time since I'm on a hill. Since Rochester is windy all the time I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.
I'm pretty much done unpacking now and it comes at a good time since I start my job next week. I fly to New York for a few days for some orientation stuff and then come back to work in town. I don't know exactly what kind of stuff I'll be working on but judging from the previous times I've worked here I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Normally when I move I only bring my LCD monitor which I got when I first started college, but since I was moving almost all my stuff this time I decided to bring my old CRT monitor along too. I have them setup as dual monitors right now and I think I'll really enjoy it. I don't really know what to put on the other monitor though. So far I just have my buddy list over there and if anyone messages me I'm sure I'd put that over on the second monitor as well. Two monitors almost seems unnecessary to me at home but it's funny how I can't live without two screens at work.
The way my living room is built, there is a hole cutout in the wall above the fireplace which is made for a TV. The hole is reasonably large so you can fit a decent size TV in it, but they really didn't design it for doing things other than watching TV. There is a small shelf at the top of the hole for things like cable boxes or small DVD players, but game consoles or speaker equipment just won't fit at all. I have been thinking about the situation for a long time and decided I'd try and get one HDMI cable to go through the wall in the hole down to the floor outside the wall and plug all my stuff into a receiver there. My dad is a pretty handy guy so I suggested that we try the project ourselves. I'm sure a professional could have come in with his/her fancy tools and done the job in 10 minutes but I really didn't want to pay or setup the appointment. My dad and I ended up getting the job done, but it took several days since we weren't really sure where in the hole to make the hole. It's going to look very nice once I get my receiver (this Friday) and the cabinet I ordered to put the electronic equipment in. However, currently it looks weird since there are a ton of wires coming out of the wall and they don't plug into anything.
My dad has always enjoyed using X10 stuff in our homes to automate lights so that they go on and off at certain times during the day. Now that I have my own place I think I might try and do the same sort of stuff. I'd love to replace all the light switches in the house with X10 (or Insteon, I guess it's newer?) switches so I can put things on timers. Since my place is obviously not as big as a house I really don't have that many things to automate though. I think the thing that really matters the most would be the outside lights. I never remember to turn it on so having it on a timer would be nice.
The webcam will be back eventually. I just setup the computer that it normally plugs into about an hour ago and I still need to figure out how to get the camera pointing out the window. The shades I have are sort of heavy and may be provide a challenge while trying to put the webcam in front of them. The webcam I currently have really works pretty poorly anyway, so maybe if I can think of a better solution using a new camera I'll try that. Stay tuned.
Labels: computers, davecam, home theater, house, insteon, job, rochester
From beneath you it devours
4/27/2008
Boredom yesterday made me finish off the end of Buffy season 7. It got to be so good that I just couldn't stop watching it. For those of you who don't know, the title of this post is from season 7. I don't want to post any spoilers on the end of the series, but it was definitely interesting. Unfortunately I spoiled a major part of the ending for myself by glancing over the overview for the season 8 comics. So Jackie, if you are reading this DO NOT read anything about season 8. Now that I'm done watching them all I kind of wish there was more. I guess I still have to finish Angel.
I guess the most important thing that's happened recently is the last class of my college career. It's a nice feeling being completely done with everything, although I still have one final and some research to do. I'm definitely going to be bored for the next week while I wait for graduation though.
I guess the most important thing that's happened recently is the last class of my college career. It's a nice feeling being completely done with everything, although I still have one final and some research to do. I'm definitely going to be bored for the next week while I wait for graduation though.
Webcam offline
4/20/2008
The time has come to take the webcam offline for the move out of Hancock. The webcam will be offline until mid-May when I finish my move to my new place in Rochester. The view should be pretty good in Rochester. I will post about it again when the webcam is back up.
Labels: davecam
Chat with me
4/18/2008
I added a new "chat with me" feature to the side bar. There was a link to chat with me which was previously there but if you ever clicked on it you would see that it never worked. You can thank AIM for that. This new chat uses Google Talk, but you don't need to have a Google ID or anything. Just click the chat icon and say something and it will load up a chat window with me. If I'm available, I will come and chat with you.