I know its been a while since the last post but I've been busy with life, also my router exploded. My classic Linksys WRT54G had been on the fritz requiring constant factory resets and settings tweaks. A power outage sealed its fate last week and with much trial and error I could not get the machine to make a network connection of any kind.
I made a trip to Staples to find a last minute replacement. I was pleased to find they had a nice selection of routers starting around $30 and going upwards of $120. I would have liked to find a Linksys replacement around $30; no such luck. I didn't want to trust my network to a Netgear or Belkin. I came home with the Linksys E1200 (on sale for $50).
The box art claims easy setup and that may be true for some, but not for me. After much fiddling, setting, resetting, trial & error, research, and twitter suggesting (shout out: @MikeeTeevee) I finally got it up and running. At first I had it set to N-only and having no tech items that work with wireless N networking... FAIL. After adjusting for that, some items could see the network but either couldn't connect or would not work well once connected. After a little bit more fiddling I required a modem reset from Comcast. One annoying Comcast tech support phone call later and the internet works great now. The Roku, Xbox, and wifi in general work well now.
In my most recent tech endeavors, I've learned that Staples may be my new favorite tech store. They may not be as big as Walmart or BestBuy but what they lack in size they make up for in customer service (and not forcing me to roam the store in search of items). I knew what I was looking for when I went in there, it was just a matter of making a choice based on what they had in stock vs what I wanted to pay. The rep was very helpful and also gave me some insight on wireless printers. My next endeavor is replacing this sad Lexmark printer that hates Linux and loves to suck down expensive ink. I was checking out their selection and I think I will have to make a return trip if I cant find a comparable compatible alternative online.
I did a little bit of research and found the Open Printing database to be most helpful in finding stats on compatible printers. It seems HP is the way to go for compatible Linux printing. I'd like to get something that works on a wireless network, works with Linix and Windows, and isn't going to break the bank upfront and with those inevitable ink refills.
This time I'm trying something new, im attempting to update this blogger site by exporting from an editor that is a bit more robust. I signed up to Zoho and am hoping that their included exporter is worthwhile (fingers crossed). I plan to look into LibreOffice and Google Docs for similar functionality, but at first glance google docs doesn't seem to do this. LibreOffice is my primary editor for offline use, it would be nice if i could post more easily (and consistently).
So anyway... that's about it for this update. As always, you can find me on the twitters and the gameenthus podcast.
Maybe next time:
- Linux video editing.
- Skype with Linux: the pros and cons vs Windows.
- Laptop living- Natty Narwhal vs Google's Cr-48
Music:
- Sorry, no specific music post this time... you'll have to follow me on twitter for my #musicmonday posts.
- Jamendo is still my first stop for new and interesting indie artists and good (free) music.