Wednesday extender.

I had Wednesday off last week and completely failed to sort out any of the computer issues which were more pressing than learning to video blog. Security issues, poor connectivity and real world errands all came together to confound my plan. However I sacrificed most of my weekend and made up for it.

My security software is satisfied that my laptop is secure; which is nice. I even managed to navigate the on-line help to successfully install a fix when my subscription spontaneously deactivated. There was one impossible instruction, but I managed to circumvent that route. Of course, it would have been better if I didn’t have too fix it in the first place; but it’s nice to know it can work.

World of Warcraft patch 3.0.2 is installed (as are 3.0.1 and 3.0) on the desktop at the expense of iTunes. That has moved onto the laptop now and anyway it played merry hell with my podcast schedule when it was on both machines. I haven’t actually entered Azaroth since the patching finished on Sunday afternoon, but there was server maintenance at one point and I had other priorities anyway. Fortunately iTunes didn’t give me any grief and I have my podcasts for this week downloaded without incident.

I did my tax. Thanks to the ATO’s e-tax automatic information rollover from last year I sought out a box of paperwork which had not yet surfaced after moving house in June. With a few more electronic prompts (from charities to union fees) I managed to deduct about three times as much as I might have if I had been doing it by hand. Particularly as my health insurance listed publicly during the year and... anyway, it was a damn sight easier than maybe.

131 sleeps until vacation.

Now I have my rather terrific birthday present up to date I can start booking and banking and more recreational exercises like Skype, Flickr, Google Maps and the original motivation: video blogging. I paid for a couple of hotels and a rail pass this morning. As soon as I know when I’m needed to port luggage and drive my mother and my sister around Scotland and Italy I’ll be able to book myself into Cardiff and Exeter.  ¶ 15:44 2 comments

  Why don't people back up their computer?

One of the features offered by the security software I have a subscription to is automatic backup to secure online storage. Important information about this feature includes:

• No other programs should be running while the back up is happening.
• The back up will pause if the computer sleeps or hibernates.
• The back up will stop if the internet connection is lost.
• Approximate time to back up 1% = ½ hour*.

Essentially you need to spend fifty hours at the computer, without any other programs running, and tap the spacebar every fifteen minutes if you want the back up to finish. (Unfortunately real word drinking bird ornaments do not work the way they do on The Simpsons.) It is recommended you back up weekly.

Fortunately my laptop has a DVD burner so I could use that option. Meanwhile the desktop PC which shares the subscription and doesn't have a DVD burner has never been successfully backed up.

*36±2 minutes in 3 trials totalling 142% over the weekend.
  ¶ 17:51 3 comments

  Happy birthday, Ma.

It's my ma's birthday today.  ¶ 18:46 0 comments