Monday, January 31, 2011
Plan for the day
Need to run a few quick errands and get ready for the next two days storms. Have to admit I'm not looking forward to another foot or two of snow. This is the wettest winter in the last 15 years or so.
xxx
Dinner with John and Marie
John and Marie were over for dinner last night. I made scallops marinated in honey and lime, sweet potato rounds in maple syrup and orange zest, and asparagus with white sauce. With some homemade sweet rolls all very nice with a semi sweet Rhine wine. Desert was vanilla ice cream with sauted apples in a sauce of maple syrup, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. I think everyone overate a bit but we did enjoy the evening.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Symphony Pro Musica
BB and I went out last night to Symphony Pro Musica. Alan Schneider, HB's husband, was performing and since the performance was in Hudson, the next town over, it was easy to get to. The first half of the performance was Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde ("The Song of the Earth") with Alan and Gale Fuller performing. Mahler isn't my composer nor is German opera but the performance was good and the orchestra outstanding. The second half was Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4 in G Major, Op. 58 played by George Li. You'll want to remember that name as this 15 year old prodigy is remarkable. I'm not sure when I've enjoyed a piano piece so much.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
On cold
Cold and people's reaction to it are interesting. I've lived in upstate NY where there are occasional cold days and lots of snow and in Minnesota where there are four to six weeks of serious cold but not much snow. For the most part neither cold or snow bothers me over much. That said, this mourning it was around 10 below in Sudbury. That's starting to be cold.
As a general rule, me feeling is that at 10 degrees above it's really not all that cold. A reasonable coat, gloves, and hat makes it comfortable to be outside for extended time as long as you are moving a bit as in skiing or hiking. From 10 below to 10 above it's time to get better dressed with thermal under cloths, better gloves with liners, and a face shield of some sort. It's still possible to be out and active but you need to be dressed for it. Now when it gets colder than 10 below it's time to get serious about clothing and really decide if you need, as opposed to want, to be outside. A serious winter coat that covers the hips and upper legs and has a proper hood, and good over pants are essential to remain safe. At around 30 below and colder, I've seen 45 below, it's really cold and while it is possible to dress for it it's time for serious arctic wear and a through reassessment of why you need to be outside.
I mention all this as I've noticed that New Englanders, at least those in Eastern Massachusetts are really weather wimps. Today's cold seems to have most people in something of a state about being outside or driving. I suppose that most people get like that when they experience the extremes of what they've seen previously. Perhaps it's a survival mechanism, nature's way of telling us that we really need to watch out since we've not been here before.
All that said, I think I'll go skiing today.
As a general rule, me feeling is that at 10 degrees above it's really not all that cold. A reasonable coat, gloves, and hat makes it comfortable to be outside for extended time as long as you are moving a bit as in skiing or hiking. From 10 below to 10 above it's time to get better dressed with thermal under cloths, better gloves with liners, and a face shield of some sort. It's still possible to be out and active but you need to be dressed for it. Now when it gets colder than 10 below it's time to get serious about clothing and really decide if you need, as opposed to want, to be outside. A serious winter coat that covers the hips and upper legs and has a proper hood, and good over pants are essential to remain safe. At around 30 below and colder, I've seen 45 below, it's really cold and while it is possible to dress for it it's time for serious arctic wear and a through reassessment of why you need to be outside.
I mention all this as I've noticed that New Englanders, at least those in Eastern Massachusetts are really weather wimps. Today's cold seems to have most people in something of a state about being outside or driving. I suppose that most people get like that when they experience the extremes of what they've seen previously. Perhaps it's a survival mechanism, nature's way of telling us that we really need to watch out since we've not been here before.
All that said, I think I'll go skiing today.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Another 8" of snow
Well, it's getting to be a bit much with the snow. Last night and this mourning we got another 8" of snow. Nice dry fluffy snow that's left a lovely winter landscape. That said we've now had something on the order of 5' or 6' in the last month and there is now no place to put it conveniently.
Heard from HB last night. Her grandfather Niel has been hospitalized and she's concerned that he's dieing. They are close and she's struggling with his possible death. We spoke for some time and hopefully I helped.
Heard from HB last night. Her grandfather Niel has been hospitalized and she's concerned that he's dieing. They are close and she's struggling with his possible death. We spoke for some time and hopefully I helped.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Getting ready for the next snow
Tomorrow will bring yet another snow storm! Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy the snow, but we've had close to 5' in the last 4 weeks! It's getting a bit over much. My poor small Toro snow blower continues to help but the snow banks are tall enough now that it doesn't throw the snow over them. I'm reluctant to buy another larger blower since it's seldom really needed and will hope for the best with sir Toro and our plow guy.
Dinner tonight is stuffed chicken. Most excellent. I'll make some couscous and salad with fresh homemade Italian bread and a bottle of white whine.
Time to go out and put a post by the Comcast box in hopes that the plow will not break it again. I'll also treat the driveway with salt and sand to minimize icing for this storm. Then off to run a few errands including groceries and the library.
Dinner tonight is stuffed chicken. Most excellent. I'll make some couscous and salad with fresh homemade Italian bread and a bottle of white whine.
Time to go out and put a post by the Comcast box in hopes that the plow will not break it again. I'll also treat the driveway with salt and sand to minimize icing for this storm. Then off to run a few errands including groceries and the library.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It's a snowy winter
This winter has seen a lot of snow and with yesterday's storm rain and ice. I rather enjoy the snow but rain and ice not so much. Mike's been helping with the drive and deck. That makes it a bit easier to deal with things. Unfortunately, the rain today is making a mess of things. I've chipped the ice off the steps and deck but I'm not sure what to do about the drive. Hopefully there'll be enough rain to clear it. We'll see.
Had a bit of adventure last night. One of the plows managed to break Comcast's cable so no TV or internet. John and Marie also lost their CC phone. There were trucks here until 11Pm but the plow had buried the CC box under about 5' of snow and ice. We tried to help the tech find it and dig it clear but no luck. It's back online now.
Today was a dentist day so I drove to Chelmsford to have my teeth cleaned. Nothing of consequence, just a cleaning. On the way home I tried to stop by the Asian grocer that used to be in Acton to pick up some soba noodles. The key thing here is "used to be." I'm a bit surprised that we're having trouble finding soba noodles in the local grocer, but they don't seem to be stocked. I suppose I'll have to order them online.
With the rain it's a good day to read and generally stay in and relax.
Had a bit of adventure last night. One of the plows managed to break Comcast's cable so no TV or internet. John and Marie also lost their CC phone. There were trucks here until 11Pm but the plow had buried the CC box under about 5' of snow and ice. We tried to help the tech find it and dig it clear but no luck. It's back online now.
Today was a dentist day so I drove to Chelmsford to have my teeth cleaned. Nothing of consequence, just a cleaning. On the way home I tried to stop by the Asian grocer that used to be in Acton to pick up some soba noodles. The key thing here is "used to be." I'm a bit surprised that we're having trouble finding soba noodles in the local grocer, but they don't seem to be stocked. I suppose I'll have to order them online.
With the rain it's a good day to read and generally stay in and relax.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Bike project 1: Design continues
I've continued to work on the design. After some false starts I've done a redesign based on the Robinson 2x4 design. I bought the plans a few weeks ago and decided to derive off of the 26" design. There are a couple of errors in his measurements but some work with sketchup sorted those out and I've now got a reasonable next cut at the design.
Here you can see the Robinson design in the background. Notwithstanding Robinson's notes the actual wheelbase is around 52" not 48". This moves the front fork assembly forward and reduces the angle from the rear axle to the base of the headset improving the overall design. I've also adopted his seat profile. In this design iteration I've moved it back 6" or so and lowered it to make mounting and stopping easier. I'm still experimenting with frame profiles but the general idea is shown here.
Here you can see the Robinson design in the background. Notwithstanding Robinson's notes the actual wheelbase is around 52" not 48". This moves the front fork assembly forward and reduces the angle from the rear axle to the base of the headset improving the overall design. I've also adopted his seat profile. In this design iteration I've moved it back 6" or so and lowered it to make mounting and stopping easier. I'm still experimenting with frame profiles but the general idea is shown here.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas blizzard 2010
Had over a foot of snow in the Christmas 2010 blizzard -27th & 28th December. Chris, our plow guy came so we had no issues with getting around. Our old reliable Toro snow blower worked like a champ but even so there was considerable shoveling with the decks and steps. All and all though a nice white Christmas holiday.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Bike project 1: Still working on the seat
It seems like the seat should be a relatively simple thing. Not so. As the design has progressed the seat issue has become rather central. First, a bit of measuring of several other recumbents based photos shows that the seat height should be somewhere in the 20" range to allow a seated rider to reach the ground. It turns out that this has a significant impact on the overall design including the wheelbase.
While working on the seat issue I've encountered some considerable difficulty with the front wheel assembly. It turns out that my initial sketchup model has an error so that the component center line was not aligned with either the wheel or the steering head. Not good. So I've had to go and redo the front wheel assembly. Here's what it looks like now:
In the process I've become rather better at placing components in sketchup. It's really an interesting and useful 3D surface modeling system.
In the process of working on the seat I ran into some difficulty with curves. Sketchup's standard curve tools are a bit limited. A bit of searching, however, lead to SketchUcation. This is a great sketchup site with, among other things, a package of Bezier extensions for sketchup. You need to join to access them but it's free and the site really seems to have much to offer including many advanced training videos.
At any event here's the new seat:
With both the revised front wheel and seat in hand I can return to the frame.
While working on the seat issue I've encountered some considerable difficulty with the front wheel assembly. It turns out that my initial sketchup model has an error so that the component center line was not aligned with either the wheel or the steering head. Not good. So I've had to go and redo the front wheel assembly. Here's what it looks like now:
In the process I've become rather better at placing components in sketchup. It's really an interesting and useful 3D surface modeling system.
In the process of working on the seat I ran into some difficulty with curves. Sketchup's standard curve tools are a bit limited. A bit of searching, however, lead to SketchUcation. This is a great sketchup site with, among other things, a package of Bezier extensions for sketchup. You need to join to access them but it's free and the site really seems to have much to offer including many advanced training videos.
At any event here's the new seat:
White Christmas
We've had a couple of snows this week so we'll definitely have a white Christmas. Of course I've had to do a bit of shoveling and the like but it is just lovely. Click on videos to play.
Of course the pugs are doing the pug thing.
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| From 2010-12-23 christmas |
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| From 2010-12-23 christmas |
Of course the pugs are doing the pug thing.
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| From 2010-12-23 christmas |
Friday, December 17, 2010
Great sketchup video series
Happened on this sketchup video series. VERY useful. Also available on youtube under "sketchup show" search. Note that not all the series seems to be available on youtube. Here's the first one I watched which helped a lot.
One of the training videos led me to this ruby plugin page. There are many plugins several of which might be useful in my design work.
One of the training videos led me to this ruby plugin page. There are many plugins several of which might be useful in my design work.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Bike project 1: Finished overview design
I've finished the overview design.
Generally the overall design looks good. The rider can reach the ground reasonably easily while seated using 26" wheels. However, the frame width is an issue as the crank assembly interferes.
Likewise there are issues with the chain interfering with the front wheel, seat, and rear dropout.
Clearly, the frame needs to be redesigned.
The issue with the chain routing will require an idler in line with the front steering tube. It will also likely be necessary to reduce the wheelbase to ease chain routing.
Generally the overall design looks good. The rider can reach the ground reasonably easily while seated using 26" wheels. However, the frame width is an issue as the crank assembly interferes.
The issue with the chain routing will require an idler in line with the front steering tube. It will also likely be necessary to reduce the wheelbase to ease chain routing.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bike project 1: Continue documenting bike dimensions and work on design
I've been working on the design using Google Sketchup. It's an interesting 3D design package. While a bit quirky in places it seems to be enough to work through the design. So far I've got good dimensioned Sketchup designs for the front and rear wheels, and the front fork.
Along the way I've had to make additional measurements to get good drawings. I've updated those in the previous blog entry.
Along the way I've had to make additional measurements to get good drawings. I've updated those in the previous blog entry.
Boston Globe - YOU'RE FIRED
Sometimes I wonder, I really really wonder about companies and what they might be thinking when it comes to dealing with customers. Herein a true account of the Boston Globe and why I finally broke down and fired them today.
First a bit of prologue. I've been reading the paper since I was 9 or 10 years old. I'm now 66. It's fair to say it's a lifetime habit. BB and I enjoy getting up a bit late on Sunday and sitting in the living room in front of the fire reading the paper. Summers we go out on the deck. It's all a bit of a ritual. Very relaxing and very enjoyable.
Of course, it all depends on their being a paper. If the paper doesn't come then we have to go to the hassle of calling and getting one sent. That's not, of course, relaxing and it rather spoils the experience.
So here's what happened.
It all started about a month or so ago though I didn't know it at the time. It seems that the Boston Globe in what is certainly in my case a completely misguided effort to save money has decided to include their bill in the paper. I can't imagine that this works especially well as who knows where in the paper it might be found of if the subscriber actually happens on it. But hey, the Globe saves postage, the cost of an envelope, and the cost of stuffing the bill. I'm not entirely sure how much it amounts to but something around $0.50 or so would be about right.
So anyway the Globe puts the bill in the paper. I, of course, don't get it. Not surprising since I'm not looking for it.
Move to Sunday Dec 5th. No paper. Call the Globe. They send one out with a courtesy copy of the Metro West Sunday paper. All is marginally ok. I did at least get the paper even if it was several hours late and our Sunday mourning ritual was disrupted. Rough cost of redelivery of the paper something on the order of $4 or $5. Globe is now behind $3.50 against cost of mailing the bill.
Now move to Friday Dec 10th. I get an automated call saying there is an issue with the account. Call offers to let me speak to a representative. No problem lets talk. Globe agent says bill sent with paper and $31.50 will make the account current through Dec 16th. The agent emails me a copy of the bill. Not a problem I like the paper and will gladly pay. Rough cost of automated call and conversation with agent something like $8. Globe now behind $11.50 against cost of mailing bill.
Like about 35% of US banking customers I pay my bills online. So I go online and issue a payment to Glove for $63 to bring the account current and pay for another 4 months or so. Turns out the Globe doesn't accept EFT transfers so bank has to cut check and mail it. Bank says payment will arrive Monday the 13th. Now I'm concerned about getting my Sunday paper on the 12th.
In an effort to avoid another disruption of the Sunday ritual I call the Globe again. Explain situation to agent. Agent is clearly NOT a native English speaker. It takes a long time to sort through the matter but in the end the agent assures me not to worry the paper will come on the 12th. Rough cost of long call with agent who's English is doubtful something like $12. Globe now behind roughly $23.50 against cost of mailing bill.
Sunday the 12th comes. No paper. Call Globe again. Deal with busy signal since the weather is a bit bad and lots of papers are late. Six or so attempts later finally get through to automated system. Ask for paper. Ten AM comes still no paper. This is the second week in a row and now I'm unhappy with the Globe. Call again. Speak to agent. Explain using simple words involving no more that four syllables that they have a choice; a) get my paper in the next 40 minutes or so, or b) cancel subscription. Agent apologizes, don't they always, and reassures me that paper will be sent over by cab. Rough cost of another lengthy call $12. Globe now behind roughly $25 against cost of mailing bill. Customer now pissed.
Paper never shows.
Monday mourning the 13th the paper arrives! Now I'm really hashed. It's tantamount to adding insult to injury and since it's no longer Sunday it doesn't even matter. Mind you, I'm really ambivalent about canceling since the payment has now been issued and BB and I both enjoy reading the Sunday paper but the Globe is now rather more trouble than they are worth.
Call Globe to cancel. Takes 4 attempts to get through. Wade through automated system to get to an agent. Explain in very simple and direct words that I want two things: 1) cancel the subscription, and 2) refund for unused portion. Agent really really really doesn't want to loose customer and insist on knowing why. I'm not interested in discussing the situation and explain that in very direct language. Agent insist. I ask to speak to supervisor. Am put on hold. Agent returns. No supervisor present. Now I'm really getting angry since I've seen this game played before. Explain to agent that I want the subscription canceled. Agent offers to explain advantages of Globe subscription. I insist that all I want is to fire Globe's sorry ass. Agent suggest I call another number to deal with issue. I insist that all I want is to fire Globe and get my money back and suggest that agent's options are now to either cancel and refund or I'll file complaints with Better Business Bureau and State AG's Office, then drive down to Framingham district court and file small claim to recover my money. Agent finally agrees to cancel and refund. At this point I wouldn't deal with the Globe if it was free.
Rough cost of this call is something around $20. Globe now well underwater to to tune of $45 or so with no hope of ever recovering since the last agent has managed to irritate me to the point of distraction.
One can only wonder why the Globe thinks this is OK. I know that the Globe, like most large newspapers is in financial trouble. But really it doesn't make sense to spend $45 to save $0.50, never mind loosing yet another customer?
So no more Sunday paper at our house. We'll read and not have to deal with the Globe's nonsense. I'll miss the funny papers, book section, and front page but I'll learn to cope. Even so, I'm saddened to see the Globe act in such an irresponsible way and hasten their own demise.
First a bit of prologue. I've been reading the paper since I was 9 or 10 years old. I'm now 66. It's fair to say it's a lifetime habit. BB and I enjoy getting up a bit late on Sunday and sitting in the living room in front of the fire reading the paper. Summers we go out on the deck. It's all a bit of a ritual. Very relaxing and very enjoyable.
Of course, it all depends on their being a paper. If the paper doesn't come then we have to go to the hassle of calling and getting one sent. That's not, of course, relaxing and it rather spoils the experience.
So here's what happened.
It all started about a month or so ago though I didn't know it at the time. It seems that the Boston Globe in what is certainly in my case a completely misguided effort to save money has decided to include their bill in the paper. I can't imagine that this works especially well as who knows where in the paper it might be found of if the subscriber actually happens on it. But hey, the Globe saves postage, the cost of an envelope, and the cost of stuffing the bill. I'm not entirely sure how much it amounts to but something around $0.50 or so would be about right.
So anyway the Globe puts the bill in the paper. I, of course, don't get it. Not surprising since I'm not looking for it.
Move to Sunday Dec 5th. No paper. Call the Globe. They send one out with a courtesy copy of the Metro West Sunday paper. All is marginally ok. I did at least get the paper even if it was several hours late and our Sunday mourning ritual was disrupted. Rough cost of redelivery of the paper something on the order of $4 or $5. Globe is now behind $3.50 against cost of mailing the bill.
Now move to Friday Dec 10th. I get an automated call saying there is an issue with the account. Call offers to let me speak to a representative. No problem lets talk. Globe agent says bill sent with paper and $31.50 will make the account current through Dec 16th. The agent emails me a copy of the bill. Not a problem I like the paper and will gladly pay. Rough cost of automated call and conversation with agent something like $8. Globe now behind $11.50 against cost of mailing bill.
Like about 35% of US banking customers I pay my bills online. So I go online and issue a payment to Glove for $63 to bring the account current and pay for another 4 months or so. Turns out the Globe doesn't accept EFT transfers so bank has to cut check and mail it. Bank says payment will arrive Monday the 13th. Now I'm concerned about getting my Sunday paper on the 12th.
In an effort to avoid another disruption of the Sunday ritual I call the Globe again. Explain situation to agent. Agent is clearly NOT a native English speaker. It takes a long time to sort through the matter but in the end the agent assures me not to worry the paper will come on the 12th. Rough cost of long call with agent who's English is doubtful something like $12. Globe now behind roughly $23.50 against cost of mailing bill.
Sunday the 12th comes. No paper. Call Globe again. Deal with busy signal since the weather is a bit bad and lots of papers are late. Six or so attempts later finally get through to automated system. Ask for paper. Ten AM comes still no paper. This is the second week in a row and now I'm unhappy with the Globe. Call again. Speak to agent. Explain using simple words involving no more that four syllables that they have a choice; a) get my paper in the next 40 minutes or so, or b) cancel subscription. Agent apologizes, don't they always, and reassures me that paper will be sent over by cab. Rough cost of another lengthy call $12. Globe now behind roughly $25 against cost of mailing bill. Customer now pissed.
Paper never shows.
Monday mourning the 13th the paper arrives! Now I'm really hashed. It's tantamount to adding insult to injury and since it's no longer Sunday it doesn't even matter. Mind you, I'm really ambivalent about canceling since the payment has now been issued and BB and I both enjoy reading the Sunday paper but the Globe is now rather more trouble than they are worth.
Call Globe to cancel. Takes 4 attempts to get through. Wade through automated system to get to an agent. Explain in very simple and direct words that I want two things: 1) cancel the subscription, and 2) refund for unused portion. Agent really really really doesn't want to loose customer and insist on knowing why. I'm not interested in discussing the situation and explain that in very direct language. Agent insist. I ask to speak to supervisor. Am put on hold. Agent returns. No supervisor present. Now I'm really getting angry since I've seen this game played before. Explain to agent that I want the subscription canceled. Agent offers to explain advantages of Globe subscription. I insist that all I want is to fire Globe's sorry ass. Agent suggest I call another number to deal with issue. I insist that all I want is to fire Globe and get my money back and suggest that agent's options are now to either cancel and refund or I'll file complaints with Better Business Bureau and State AG's Office, then drive down to Framingham district court and file small claim to recover my money. Agent finally agrees to cancel and refund. At this point I wouldn't deal with the Globe if it was free.
Rough cost of this call is something around $20. Globe now well underwater to to tune of $45 or so with no hope of ever recovering since the last agent has managed to irritate me to the point of distraction.
One can only wonder why the Globe thinks this is OK. I know that the Globe, like most large newspapers is in financial trouble. But really it doesn't make sense to spend $45 to save $0.50, never mind loosing yet another customer?
So no more Sunday paper at our house. We'll read and not have to deal with the Globe's nonsense. I'll miss the funny papers, book section, and front page but I'll learn to cope. Even so, I'm saddened to see the Globe act in such an irresponsible way and hasten their own demise.
Max and HB here for a visit
HB and Maxwell were here this weekend for a visit. Good time. Max loves the pool table though he prefers Calvin Ball. What's really funny is that he doesn't understand that it's a joke. Good fun with a six year old. We went out geocaching at Wayside Inn Saturday and had a nice time. Stopped in the inn for a hot cider. Here are some of the photos.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Technology exorcism
Another $100 and the technology evil demon exorcism is completed! Bought a commercial grade 24 port switch after deciding that cheap isn't worth the pain of failed gear. It went in easily but sadly did not fit my rack as the switch was over deep for the shallow rack! So it sits but it WORKS and the network is once again well behaved.
While I was moving things about I brought a printer down stairs and installed it in one of the unused bedrooms. It's much more convenient and saves wear and tear on my old knees.
So for this round I've two failed switches/hubs and one failed cable modem all within about a week. Wonder why it is so? Sadly it seems so.
While I was moving things about I brought a printer down stairs and installed it in one of the unused bedrooms. It's much more convenient and saves wear and tear on my old knees.
So for this round I've two failed switches/hubs and one failed cable modem all within about a week. Wonder why it is so? Sadly it seems so.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Technology is evil
For the most part technology around here runs just fine. It's there, we use it, we benefit by it, and all is well except, of course, when it isn't. Then technology is evil, very, very evil. Today was one of those evil days.
It started with an inability to access the printer. A bit of investigation showed that the printer definitely worked at least in so far as it printed just fine. Unfortunately, it couldn't be seen on the network and thus couldn't be used. In the process of diagnosing that issue internet connectivity dropped. A good deal of investigation and over an hour on the phone with Comcast (don't you just love dealing with technical support with English as a second or perhaps third language talking to you over a net connection with clipping and dropouts) revealed that the cable modem had died. Off to Staples to get new modem.
New modem seems like it shouldn't be much of a chore. It's one of the new autoconfiguration modems. Things start well then go really really sour. Trouble starts when Comcast wants my account number. Unfortunately, directions for entry are not clear (shouldn't enter spaces) and site doesn't provide way to reenter account number. Not to worry, it downloads some software and proceeds to muck about with internet settings before deciding that I need to log into my Comcast account. Sadly, Comcast and I don't agree on my user name or password.
Now things get worse. Call Comcast customer support. First call is dropped by Comcast for reason's unknown. Second call is eventually answered but sadly tech can not hear me. Third call is dropped by my cell phone with a dead battery. Fetch charger and call again. Get nice lady who's English is marginally better than original call. She says I should have called to register the mac address. Seems uninterested that their site doesn't tell me to do so, but what the hey, I'm only the customer. Registers the mac address. When I suggest that she file a problem report with respect to the Comcast auto configuration screen she seems both uninterested and somewhat offended. Unfortunately, by now the evil Comcast configuration software had configured proxies for my connections. Not to worry, just follow the directions in your browser to put it right. Sadly there are directions for IE 6 and 7 but not the current version 8. Likewise older versions of Firefox. Not even a hint for Google Chrome. Wade through that and finally reestablish internet connectivity.
Good news new cable modem is noticeably faster than old one.
Bad news, printer still off line.
Further printer investigation reveals a bad hub. Can't really complain as it's about 15 years old and was salvaged from an old network. So tomorrow it's back to Staples for a hub/switch.
Don't you just love technology on evil days.
It started with an inability to access the printer. A bit of investigation showed that the printer definitely worked at least in so far as it printed just fine. Unfortunately, it couldn't be seen on the network and thus couldn't be used. In the process of diagnosing that issue internet connectivity dropped. A good deal of investigation and over an hour on the phone with Comcast (don't you just love dealing with technical support with English as a second or perhaps third language talking to you over a net connection with clipping and dropouts) revealed that the cable modem had died. Off to Staples to get new modem.
New modem seems like it shouldn't be much of a chore. It's one of the new autoconfiguration modems. Things start well then go really really sour. Trouble starts when Comcast wants my account number. Unfortunately, directions for entry are not clear (shouldn't enter spaces) and site doesn't provide way to reenter account number. Not to worry, it downloads some software and proceeds to muck about with internet settings before deciding that I need to log into my Comcast account. Sadly, Comcast and I don't agree on my user name or password.
Now things get worse. Call Comcast customer support. First call is dropped by Comcast for reason's unknown. Second call is eventually answered but sadly tech can not hear me. Third call is dropped by my cell phone with a dead battery. Fetch charger and call again. Get nice lady who's English is marginally better than original call. She says I should have called to register the mac address. Seems uninterested that their site doesn't tell me to do so, but what the hey, I'm only the customer. Registers the mac address. When I suggest that she file a problem report with respect to the Comcast auto configuration screen she seems both uninterested and somewhat offended. Unfortunately, by now the evil Comcast configuration software had configured proxies for my connections. Not to worry, just follow the directions in your browser to put it right. Sadly there are directions for IE 6 and 7 but not the current version 8. Likewise older versions of Firefox. Not even a hint for Google Chrome. Wade through that and finally reestablish internet connectivity.
Good news new cable modem is noticeably faster than old one.
Bad news, printer still off line.
Further printer investigation reveals a bad hub. Can't really complain as it's about 15 years old and was salvaged from an old network. So tomorrow it's back to Staples for a hub/switch.
Don't you just love technology on evil days.
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