Category: Online Life

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Audible.com + Chrome + AdBlock Pro (64-bit)

Rodin - "The Thinker"
Rodin – “The Thinker”

Updates – Sometime it nice to NOT be alone! – “Frames failing to load add a bogus history entry“

Back in early August, I ordered a new computer for myself, and like any personal item, it takes some time to figure out all the new nuances…

When I first started using Loong, everything was so new, that when I ran into a minor issue, I took a quick look, and moved on to the bigger on configuration issues.

One of the really cool things about the ASUS installation disk, is that it comes with Google Chrome as an option when installing the various motherboard drivers, and being a long time user, this was great!

I was able to complete my base OS install without having to launch IE once!

Fast forward a couple of days…

With the basics of installation over and done with, and really beginning to use the computer in a ‘normal’ fashion, I noticed that one day, when I tried to check my Audible.com account for a new book, I was unable to do ANYTHING once I got to the site.

I could see an image of the website, and I could refresh the site and images changed, but no matter where I clicked, nothing would happen, even in the bare-bones links in the footer!

This had never happened to me in my 32-bit environment, running the same software configuration, and why on only one website?

Immediately, added Audible.com to the Cookie Exceptions in Chrome, and still nothing…

This is very strange…

Okay, time to read the Forums, but wait, I can’t get in via Chrome…

Thankfully, I got in without issue with Firefox, and started to poke around to see if anyone else had a similar issue… Nothing…

I Google-d the internet, still nothing…

Oh well… on to the next thing, I had a workaround.

Fast forward some more, a new school year has started, and I have new credits in my Audible account. Time for a new book.

I’m already in Chrome, and after I type in the address, I am reminded of the issue from a couple of weeks ago, that I had fluffed off because I had already found a workaround.

More searching… Nothing…

I finally typed up an email report, and sent it to the Audible Help Desk.

I received a standard “Thank you for your report” email, followed by another note suggesting that I do a un-install and re-install of Chrome.

Yeah, but… all this for one site?

Earlier, during my morning constitutional, it occurred to me to take a look at my AdBlock Plus settings, and once I white-listed Audible.com, I was in!

Yeah! – I’m a happy camper now!

Needless to say, this is very strange…

What is so different between a 32 vs 64 bit environment to cause only one site to behave this way?

What are your thoughts on this?

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Tech Talk

Configuration

  • Windows 7 (64-bit)
  • Chrome 29.0.1547.66 m (at the time of this post)
  • Adblock Plus 1.5.5
  • Audible.com

I never had to add Exceptions or White-list a site in my 32-bit environment.

Updates

I LOVE the power of the internet!! – Thanks Friends!

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Adobe Facebook Photo Restoration

Yesterday’s gone by

An old school friend of mine, recently updated his Facebook profile picture, and me being the OCD possessed person that I am, asked if he had the original scan of the image, so that I might be able to clean it up a little.

Unfortunately, the file was not available, and I was left with just a jpeg file that he had posted.

Thomas (Before & After)
Thomas (Before & After)

So, what do you think of our young man now?

If you have images that you need to be touched-up or restored, please contact me for a free estimate!

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Adobe CCPaPhoto Chester County Chester County Balloon Festival Events Facebook Flickr HDR Long Exposure Nik Software Photo Essay Photo Journal Photography Sunsets Tone Mapping

2013 Chester County Balloon Festival

The last time I went to the Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival was back in 2011, when it was held at the Embreeville Athletic Fields along Telegraph Road (Rt 162).

Back then, I remember that at the gates closest to the balloons, were packed with people and one could hardly move!

This year, the festival was held at Plantation Field Horse Trials just outside of Unionville, and the venue change alone was awesome! Chester County at it’s finest!

That being said, be prepared to walk, up and down the long public slope that features live music, arts & crafts and food booths.

In the small valley, the balloons were unfurled and prepared for flight.

The extremely long fence line offered great close-up views for hundreds at a time, which was a welcomed change!

Sunset w/Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Detail Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Sunset at the Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Moon w/Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.
Detail Patriot – Space Shuttle – Chester County Hot Air Balloon Festival at Plantation Field, Unionville PA.

Earlier in the year, I contacted the festival organizers about getting some Passes for the Chester County Photography Groups (Facebook, Flickr, Google+ and Twitter) and they provided me with 5 All Access Passes!

I posted that I had the Passes to the groups, and with an hour, they were spoken for.

After several round-robin emails and phone calls, I was able to give John Griggs and Michael Weinstein their tickets for the event.

To say that we were not excited would be a gross understatement.

With the passes, we were able to walk freely in the Launch area, as the hot air was being blown into the balloons as they slowly rose into the sky!

Just before sunset, after most of the balloons had launched, the Shaped balloons began their rise, and a featured balloon was the Patriot – The Space Shuttle.

It is HUGE!

It is 190 feet Tall, 115 feet Wide and weighs 992 pounds! [usflagballoon.com]

It is something that really needs to be seen live!

Some of the earlier launched balloons returned, and set up to do some night time glows for the large audience that was still there.

As 9:30 rolled around, there was a general slow exodus from the grounds.

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Adobe Announcements Chester County Downingtown Gadgets Online Life Outages Pennsylvania Personal Photo Journal Photography Rants

A Time I Logged Off the Internet 001

I wish to dispel a myth…

For years, folks have accused me of NEVER logging off the internet…

I DO!

At LEAST once a week, during the spring, summer and fall!

You want Proof?

A Time I Logged Off the Internet 001
A Time I Logged Off the Internet 001

How is that?

I setup my camera in the far corner of my yard, and used my iPod Touch and TriggerTrap to record the “session”…

Then in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.1, I combined over 30 individual images into a composite, which you see above.

This was very painful, and required a lot of RAM and numerous files… and ‘Yes”, I’m still 32-bit…

But the end result, I have ‘proof’ that I have done ‘work’ outside of the internet!

I am still working on a proposal to ‘off shore’ this task to non-terrestrials…

Details to follow…

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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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