Not real mice, computer mice. I had three mice stop working in one week. They were all old, but it's still weird that they all stopped working at the same time. One just had a bad button, but the other two all out quit. Anyway, that gave me a good enough excuse to buy a new keyboard and mouse set. My keyboard has been sticking keys lately so although it's still usable, it was time to ditch that too.
Here's what I wanted: a keyboard with a scroll wheel on the left side so I can eat breakfast with my right hand and scroll through the news with my left. My old keyboard, a Logitech MX3000, has one. That's the only non-typical keyboard option I wanted. The mouse should have a couple of extra option buttons too.
I've used about a dozen Logitech and Microsoft keyboards and mice over the years. The MS ones went bad in no time, and the Logitech mice never seem to work right - they'll keep stopping and startingery sluggish. End point, I didn't want something from Logitech or Microsoft. Go to any tech/office supply store and 9 out of ten keybords and mice will be one of those two brands.
After much research on websites I found a Kensington set that met my needs. No scroll wheel on the left, but in its place is a four-way scroll button. Good enough, and the mouse has a few extra custom buttons as well. Best of all, it's only $50.00.
I rushed out to BestBuy and picked one up. I hooked it up, installed the software, and it acted exactly like the other mice - sluggish and intermittent. Even the keyboard was cutting out and skipping keys as I typed. Someone on line with the same model mentioned that, despite the package proudly boasting that it has a range of ten meters, the range is realistically only about 12". I put the transmitter on a USB extension cable so it was on my desk, and everything worked great. Except I found that even when the keyboard is working properly, I still missed keys because they need direct pressure or they don't go down far enough to connect. It's a shame because the mouse worked really well. I could live with the transmitter on my desk, but not with that keyboard.
This is getting old. Saturday after work I got my hair cut. While I was in that end of town I hit Staples, Office Depot, and Circuit City. I settled on a set from Office Depot (a Logitech set). It worked OK, but again, I didn't like the keyboard. The keys were too small, and kept sticking if I didn't hit them straight down.
Sunday afternoon I returned the set from Best Buy and went to Staples across the street (a different one than on Saturday's trip). After about 10 minutes of trying them all, I settled on a Logitech S520. The keyboard is awesome. The keys are low-profile type like on a laptop, but it's still a full keyboard. The mouse is just a plain 2-button mouse, and it still cuts out sometimes, but if I move the remote to a different position it will work again. Someone said it's because my cordless phone is on the same frequency (2.4 GHz). Maybe so, I don't know.
So today I returned the last keyboard at Office Depot. I saw a laptop mouse in the clearance bin, and I could use a cordless one for that. At $22.00 (½-price) I figured I'd grab that.
I got it home, hooked it up, and you guessed it - it won't even power up.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Vote for Change
I went in to work at 3:00a.m. so I could leave early. At 7:00 I bought a bag of donuts and a bottle of water and headed to Ed Smith Stadium. The event wasn't scheduled to begin until 11:00 but there were already several thousand people waiting in line (some said they had been there since 3:00). The temperature was in the low 60's, the sky was clear, and the sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon. Magic was in the air, charged with the electricity of optimism and eager anticipation. All the makings of an awesome day.
A little after 9:00 our end of the line began moving, and by 10:00 I was in my seat, in a vantage point I chose specifically for optimum video coverage. My video camera in hand, I knew this would be an historic event, and that I would want to have some memento of having attended.
By now the mid-morning sun was warming the crowd, although my seat was still shaded by the overhang above. The stadium is directly under a flight path, so no one paid attention to the jets that flew overhead until a 747 with the Obama logo emblazoned across the tail brought the crowd to a roar.
At 11:00 the usual opening procedures began: local politicians and city leaders lending their support and name-dropping to benefit their own future careers.
When Obama was introduced at 11:25 he didn't walk from behind a curtain onto the stage. He ran to it from across the field, flanked by several S.S. men. Hearing his speech itself was no unique experience. It was the same one he had been delivering for weeks, with a few changes made to accommodate the location. But I didn't go to hear the words. I already knew what would be said. I went there to see him in person, to be part of history, or at least to see it in the making.
A little after 9:00 our end of the line began moving, and by 10:00 I was in my seat, in a vantage point I chose specifically for optimum video coverage. My video camera in hand, I knew this would be an historic event, and that I would want to have some memento of having attended.
By now the mid-morning sun was warming the crowd, although my seat was still shaded by the overhang above. The stadium is directly under a flight path, so no one paid attention to the jets that flew overhead until a 747 with the Obama logo emblazoned across the tail brought the crowd to a roar.
At 11:00 the usual opening procedures began: local politicians and city leaders lending their support and name-dropping to benefit their own future careers.
When Obama was introduced at 11:25 he didn't walk from behind a curtain onto the stage. He ran to it from across the field, flanked by several S.S. men. Hearing his speech itself was no unique experience. It was the same one he had been delivering for weeks, with a few changes made to accommodate the location. But I didn't go to hear the words. I already knew what would be said. I went there to see him in person, to be part of history, or at least to see it in the making.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Early voting rules.
Obama in '08
John McCain was in town to beg for votes last week. I went there with my video camera and talked to people outside the event. You can see the videos here:
In this one, some McCain fans were seen talking to Obama supporters and both groups were ejected from the arena. I interviewed both groups.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XF14rvQOug
This is just an assortment of the people that were there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7KyBC1Zyj8
Friday, October 24, 2008
I hope she has health insurance.
http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html
http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Police sources tell KDKA that a campaign worker has now confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter “B” in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker.
Ashley Todd, 20, of Texas, initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect became enraged and started beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car.
Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.
Authorities, however, declined to release the results of that test.
Investigators did say that they received photos from the ATM machine and “the photographs were verified as not being the victim making the transaction.”
This afternoon, a Pittsburgh police commander told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that Todd confessed to making up the story.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
2nd Presidential Debate
In case you missed the presidential debate this week, here's a recap:
"You're a liar."And it was pretty much 90 minutes of that. Sad... Really sad.
"No, you're a liar."
"Nu-uh.'
"Yuh huh."
"Nu-UHH!"
"Yuh-HUHH!!"
"You're a dumb-dumb!"
No I'm not, YOU"RE a dumb-dumb!"
Friday, October 3, 2008
After watching the debate, I'd say Sarah Palin is much better...
... better at filibustering.
... better at avoiding the question.
... better at changing the subject to a question she can actually answer.
... better at terrifying me that she could be the next U.S. president.
She's better at all of the above, but I'm still not falling for her B.S.
She's a fake that compensates for her shortcomings by mixing aggression, an air of self-confidence, and tired platitudes about small-town life. She's an insult to the women's movement, not an example. She didn't break the glass ceiling, John McCain opened it for her and she's clearly struggling to keep from falling back through. If I were a woman fighting for equal rights I wouldn't want the icon of my purpose to be an unqualified hack that tries to squirm out of tough situations by changing the subject and acting cute (I wouldn't want her as my running mate, either). When she uses her breathy, soothing voice, peppered with neighborly colloquialisms I don't feel a connection to her, I feel patronized. She is hand-picked windowdressing, chosen soley for P.R. purposes.
I'm not saying she's a bad politician. I'm saying that she's misjudged the way that politics works in the big league. Being a woman, she'll have a hard enough time earning the respect of many foreign leaders that see women as second-class citizens in their own countries. No hardened politician (U.S. or otherwise) sitting at the bargaining table wants to hear small-town catch phrases and soccer mom metaphors. And substituting "yes, that's correct" with "you betcha" won't score any points either. This isn't a Robin Williams movie where the oddball teacher comes in and turns everyone around with a new and exciting approach to life. Maverick or not, a single rookie in D.C. isn't going to change the political zeitgeist overnight.
Some Palin highlights...
Her statement to the moderator of last night's debate:
On her gaffes during Katey Couric's interviews:
I'm not saying she'll never be ready for the White House. She just isn't ready right now, and she would make a horrible vice-president if put into that office today. She said during the debate, "...and how long have I been at this, like five weeks?." Like, yeah. Totally like five weeks, girlfriend. Instead of hindering her credibility by cramming for her potential role in office and relying on gimmicks, she should spend the next four years planning for the 2012 election. She just might have a shot.
... better at avoiding the question.
... better at changing the subject to a question she can actually answer.
... better at terrifying me that she could be the next U.S. president.
She's better at all of the above, but I'm still not falling for her B.S.
She's a fake that compensates for her shortcomings by mixing aggression, an air of self-confidence, and tired platitudes about small-town life. She's an insult to the women's movement, not an example. She didn't break the glass ceiling, John McCain opened it for her and she's clearly struggling to keep from falling back through. If I were a woman fighting for equal rights I wouldn't want the icon of my purpose to be an unqualified hack that tries to squirm out of tough situations by changing the subject and acting cute (I wouldn't want her as my running mate, either). When she uses her breathy, soothing voice, peppered with neighborly colloquialisms I don't feel a connection to her, I feel patronized. She is hand-picked windowdressing, chosen soley for P.R. purposes.
I'm not saying she's a bad politician. I'm saying that she's misjudged the way that politics works in the big league. Being a woman, she'll have a hard enough time earning the respect of many foreign leaders that see women as second-class citizens in their own countries. No hardened politician (U.S. or otherwise) sitting at the bargaining table wants to hear small-town catch phrases and soccer mom metaphors. And substituting "yes, that's correct" with "you betcha" won't score any points either. This isn't a Robin Williams movie where the oddball teacher comes in and turns everyone around with a new and exciting approach to life. Maverick or not, a single rookie in D.C. isn't going to change the political zeitgeist overnight.
Some Palin highlights...
Her statement to the moderator of last night's debate:
"I may not answer the question the way you want to hear, but I'll talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record."That's not being a maverick, that's being uncooperative, and selfishly abusing the debate forum .
On her gaffes during Katey Couric's interviews:
"I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed, but that’s also an indication about being outside that Washington elite, outside that media elite also, and just wanting to talk to Americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for."Welcome to the jungle, Sarah.
"Man, no matter what you say you are gonna get clobbered," Palin told Fox about her heavily-scrutinized performance. "You choose to answer you are going to get clobbered on the answer. If you choose to pivot and try to go onto another subject that you believe Americans want to hear about, you get clobbered for that too."
I'm not saying she'll never be ready for the White House. She just isn't ready right now, and she would make a horrible vice-president if put into that office today. She said during the debate, "...and how long have I been at this, like five weeks?." Like, yeah. Totally like five weeks, girlfriend. Instead of hindering her credibility by cramming for her potential role in office and relying on gimmicks, she should spend the next four years planning for the 2012 election. She just might have a shot.
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