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New Computer Ordered

The last time that I bought a new computer, was back in late 2003, just before my daughter was born.

I remember say to my wife at the time, I had to purchase the computer because there was no telling the next time that I would be able to purchase a new one.

This time, instead of paying extra for a mainstream computer, I decided to go to a local computer builder, and have a custom unit built for me.

I ended up with a Pentium 4 on an Intel motherboard, 4GBs RAM and a 100GB HD for around $1000.

At the time, it was a very speedy machine, but after many years of service, and countless upgrades, the machine started to show its age when trying to run Windows XP, Office 2007 and Photoshop CS3.

So the hunt started for an upgrade, and I was able to finally scavenge a base Intel Core 2 6400 box, which I am still using to write this entry.

My biggest issue with this current machine, is that I am running into some compatibility issues with Camera Raw 7 after upgrading to Lightroom 5 and trying to move files into Photoshop CS5.

There is also the occasion, when working on larger 1+GB TIFF/PSD files, I simply run out of memory.

Then, about 2 weeks ago, after a tough budget negotiation, I was given the green light for a new machine!

Yeah!

Now the question was what to get!

I knew what I wanted a machine that could run Photoshop & Lightroom as the main applications, which meant as much CPU and RAM that I could get!

Like any computer geek, I fantasy configured systems on the major computer websites, and knew that they were way overpriced for what I wanted.

I wanted a custom-built machine, but how? Another Local vendor? or via the Internet…

Or myself, which I had never done before, even though I have fixed hundred of computers over the years!

I started to look at several ‘You Built It’ websites to get a very rough idea of price and configuration, and was quickly overwhelmed with the various configuration options!

It was time for a spreadsheet.

I listed the major components I wanted, and then I started to visited 5 different sites (ComputerLX.com, Magicmicro.com, NewEgg.com, TigerDirect.com, Amazon.com), collecting prices and reviews.

Even for a seasoned computer person, the various chip sets and sockets available made my head spin! I spent countless hours reading the forums on Tom’s Hardware so that I could make as intelligent decisions as possible!

At some point, I came to the realization, that I was going to be building this machine myself, and I started to venture into YouTube land to learn more about the basics of my new DYI project.

Finally, after many hours of research and internal debate, I finally placed my order:

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Stuff starts to arrive Wednesday!

I can’t wait!

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Blogging Games Information Online Life Website

Winning Giveaways – SnapKnot

Contests & Giveaways - atldealfinder.netHey, I am just like another human who buys lottery tickets… Someone has to win!

When I was a kid, getting the Publishers Clearing House envelope was allot of fun.

It contained a large sheet of magazine stamps, that you had to disassemble, then lick the back and paste it to the choice cards.

See the problem yet?

Now in the digital age, with social media, we can enter contests and giveaways all day long, by clicking a few buttons, and exposing our personal data, all for the sake of a new ‘toy’.

Pavlov would be so proud of us…

With that being said, and the reason for this post, is to try and ‘earn’ 25 Bonus Entries for a new camera, and all I have to do is place the following in my blog –

Big thanks to the SnapKnot wedding photography directory for offering this great camera giveaway!

and now I have to reply to the email, along with the URL of this post, and within the “next 24 hours and we’ll award you 25 bonus entries. If you need more than 24 hours, no worries we’ll still provide you with 20 bonus entries.”

I can’t lose, especially, if I tell my friends and visitors that I have special links just for them, so they can also enter! [Contest  April 12-Jul-15, 2013 – 11:59PM PST]

So please sign-up and have a great day!

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Blogging Chester County Downingtown Equipment eWaste Google Maps Hardware Information Recycle Reference

eWaste Recycling in Downingtown area

Like many folks, I want to do my part in trying to save the planet by recycling the various things that I use, and over the years, I have collected a few things…

Recycling 2005
Recycling 2011

Sometimes it is not easy to know what to do with a collection, and things like eBay, are not the best or easiest solution, so…

So I have put together a Post on where to Recycle eWaste in the Downingtown, Chester County PA area, for those that might be experiencing a similar situation.

If know of any other ways to locally recycle eWaste, please let me know!

Borough of Downingtown

The Borough of Downingtown also maintains a website for Recycling, which include such things as:

  • Trash & Recycling on Tuesdays
  • Bulk Trash on the LAST Tuesday of the Month
  • Tree Limb Chipping on the 2nd Monday of the Month (Appointment Only)

For more information, please check the website, or their Facebook page.

Chester County Solid Waste Authority

Bet you have never heard of these folks, but they help run many of the local recycling efforts, and should be first on your list of places to check.

The map below show what is going on currently in the Chester County area:


View 2013 Regional Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection Program in a larger map

Additional Links can be found at their main website, chestercountyswa.org.

There is also a Facebook page, where you can also “Like” them!

RecyclingCenters.org

Doing a quick search on recyclingcenters.org, can also be helpful if you have something more unique.

Best Buy

This was another national company that I found that has an eWaste program, and has a local drop-off policy.

I called the store in Downingtown, and spoke with someone in the Geek Squad about what to do when you bring in your 3 items per day limit.

You do not need to call ahead, but you are asked to bring items to the Customer Service people at Geek Squad desk, at the right when you walk in.

If you have more than one item or need help, it is requested that you contact the Security for further assistance.

§ § § § §

Hopefully, this information will help someone else in the area!

I do plan to up-date the page as needed, so please, if you find something, please let me know!

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Astronomy, Photography & Marsh Creek SP

During the past several CCPaPhoto meetups, one of the more common questions has been –

Where is it legal for Astronomy and Photography types allowed to group during the night?

I finally sent an email to “PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources” asking…

A couple of days later, I got the following back –

“The park manager said that basically any approved parking lot can be used at night – the Dorlan Mill lot, the west side lot, or the Chalfant Rd. lot. Just make sure that no one is parking on the grass, or blocking a gate!”

which is great news, especially with the Summer months coming up!

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Information Online Life Tech Talk Website WordPress.com

Corrupt Header Image Issue – SOLVED

WordPress.org logo

I’m having one of those smack my head moments right now…

Seems that when I transferred hosting companies, not all my root level path names transferred cleanly, and it has caused little issues over time, and finally today, I solved a long-standing issue with Corrupt Header Image!

Normally, one can customize their WordPress Header by using Appearance > Header to add an image or several, and then have the Header area display Random images.

This can be a very cool idea, but what if you wanted to Delete one of those images?

In my case, one of my Random images had become corrupt, or should I say, the link had been broken…

When a web page displayed, and the Random feature was turned “On“, you had a 1 in 5 chance of seeing a Large Default Broken Link Icon, which is very ugly to first time visitors, so I had to resort back to a Single image for my Header.

In my basic research into this, several Posts suggested that I should check my

wp-content/themes/twentyeleven.child/images

for the images (Note – this is a Child theme).

In my case, none of the Five header images where there.

Where to look next…

Finally having some time to dig into the code, the Images in the Custom Header section can be found by when the images were Posted!

wp-content/uploads   <- Year/Month

Which makes sense, but there is not direct link in Appearance > Header, or ‘float over’ info on the source/pathname of the Images.

In Media manager, a Header image is shown in Bold, “– Header Image“, but there is no filter to find them all at once.

To find my Image in question, I used the Appearance > Header page, and then using the Show Code feature, I was able to trace back to the correct uploads folder.

Unfortunately, once at the correct image, Edit Media, there is no way to Edit the base filename path to fix the broken Link, so I had to Delete the entire image.

Broken - ecbiz135.inmotionhosting.com/~aseymo5/
Correct - www.aseymour.com/

Once done, and a quick Refresh, the Appearance > Header page displays the rest of the Header images correctly, and you are now able to use the Random button without a Visitor Display issue!

Hope this helps another Admin/User!

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