Picture = 1K Words

You all deserve to see the rat's nest of wiring I created in trying to resolve my cable modem problem. So that is why I am using this picture. The old modem is the Motorola and the new one is the Linksys. I also have a Linksys Wireless Router to use with my notebook computer. I will probably try tomorrow to see if my ISP can use the MAC address for my new modem so I can hook up to the Internet. Right now I am using the old Motorola. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. That's why I am tentative about the change out.

Cable Modem Problems

I have been chasing cable modem problems for the past week or so. (I have high speed cable modem access to the Internet.) I kept getting dropped out of the online game I was playing. At first I believed that it was the game server getting overloaded. And that probably happened some of the time. But not many times. The rest of the time I figured it had something to do with the cable modem hook up. I have had this modem working for several years now, so the connections are well established.

I called my cable company's tech support. You know, the kind where you get this call center and you don't really know what country they are in. The first time I talked with tech support, we did the normal things. Uplugged the modem. Power off, Ethernet out, cable coax disconnect. He thought it might be the power strip, so I replaced the strip with another. Plugged everything back in again. The cable modem did not work. Still no indication of a constant cable connection.

Last night, I went to a local computer store and bought two new ethernet cables and a new cable modem. This morning I replaced the ethernet cables and tried the old cable modem again. Things worked fine. For a couple of hours. Then I lost the link again. The cable modem dropped the link.

So I replaced my old Motorola modem with the new Linksys that I bought last night. Never could get that to work. Called the cable company's tech support again. He had me unplug the modem and then plug it in again. I replaced the cable coax with a new coax, and totally bypassed the power strip by plugging the power into the wall socket direct. Nah. That did not work either. I took the Wireless router out of the link, and that did not work either. Still no line activity to the internet.

I took a break for dinner. Went back to the computer, and hooked up my old Motorola modem. Of course, it works. I have been on the internet for a while now, using the old modem. It did drop out once. I powered it off and recycled it. It reacquired.

I will keep with the old modem until things go bad again. Then I will try another call to tech support. The saga is, no doubt, ongoing..........

118 Degrees

Couple of days ago we set a new record high for this date of 118 degrees in Phoenix. The day after it cooled down to a balmy 116 deg. Just kidding. This is the hot time of the year, where we have normal highs of around 105 to 108 deg. Tomorrow it is suppose to get down to normal. That will be a nice break. Tonight, as I enter this, it is raining. Thunder and lightning. Part of our monsoon season.

Today was my wife's birthday. She got the normal birthday calls, and I was able to surprise her with my gift. I cooked steak on the grill tonight. I waited until it was a cool 108 deg before I started. I don't like to cook when it is too hot. ;)

Wacom Game Tablet

Most Wacom tablets are bought for use with drawing programs, like Photoshop. That's why I bought mine. I have one of the higher level tablets, with all the buttons for control of the drawing features. Some people never use theirs. But I have discovered that they also make the greatest game boards.
I have mapped the Ctrl, Shift, F1 and F2 keys to the controls on the left side of my tablet. Now I can use them specifically for game maneuvering. I am playing Conquer, an online RPG, and the game lets you map game functions onto keyboard keys. So I am working with two mappings, and it really does a good job. Now I can avoid the problems that can develop from repetitive mouse use over time. At least this way I can switch back and forth to minimize the strain. Oh, and by the way - the game is fun.

Illness Update

Good news. My wife is a little better today. The antibiotics seem to be working and she does not seem to be getting worse. Hopefully today will be a day of rest, and her body can begin to heal itself from the pneumonia. Wow, what a long haul for her. Almost a week now, and it really takes it's toll. At least (knock on wood) she has remained outside the hospital this time.

Pneumonia

Well, it is official now. My wife has pneumonia. She came down with an upper respiratory problem five days ago. Four days ago we saw a PA, who put her on a general antibiotic. She got worse over the weekend, so we saw her doctor yesterday. He gave her a breathing treatment and a shot of antibiotics. Changed her to a more powerful antibiotic, and a medrol pack. Today we got her in for an x-ray, and sure enough it has crept into one of her lungs. Now officially pneumonia. Back home now. Humidifier, expectorant, continuing the medrol pack and the strong antibiotic. Hope that keeps it at bay. She could end up in the hospital if it gets worse. Although all they can do in the hospital is put her on a drip system with the antiobiotic and fluids. We will see what happens.

Cleaning the Water Feature

I finished my morning coffee, dressed up in my sun protection clothes, put on my mask, kneepads, gloves and large brimmed hat and cleaned up our water feature this morning. Our water feature is an 8 ft long waterfall followed by a 28 ft run under a crossover bridge. I had drained it last week and it was totally dry today. I swept up the sand, dirt, and plant material that had accumulated in the bottom over the last year or so. Then I hosed it down again to wash off the remaining dirt. I have a guy coming out next week to fix my water leveler and I don't want him to go into a long lecture on how to keep my pool clean. Ugh. I don't need the critique. Besides, I cleaned out the filter when I drained the pool, so this was the finishing touch.

I did get it done before the temperature reached 100 deg. Today we are suppose to hit 115 deg. But tomorrow we should experience a cooling trend. It will only get to 110 deg. lol Then we go back down on Monday to our normal daytime highs of 105 deg. Compared to today that will almost be chilly.

Getting Warmer

Here in Phoenix, it is all about survival during the summer. We do minimal landscaping and have everything on a drip system to conserve water. We grow more rocks than plants. Most people have rocks in their yards and no grass. The temperatures here are climbing, with a forecasted high today of 115 degrees. It is getting so hot here that the weather bureau is forecasting a record overnight low high of 98 degrees. Some people will say that the high temps in Phoenix are ok, since it is a dry heat. Well that might work up to 105 deg, but by the time it hits 115 deg, it is downright HOT. Try breathing the air after getting into your car that has stood outside on a blacktop parking lot for an hour or more and you will understand what 115 deg really means.

But Phoenix relies on the tourist trade, so the local stations tend to play down the weather. For example, the local NBC station was showing its five day forecast the other day, and under the days when the temperature was forecasted to be over 110 deg, they showed the word WARM. They don't want to scare anyone away by saying the weather is actually hot. But we locals know differently. Other stations showed the same days in their forecasts as HOT.

Conquer Online Gaming`

I have been playing an online game that my son introduced me to a few days ago. The game is named Conquer and it is a free RPG. It is played in real time, and the graphics are very good. You can find more info about it at http://www.conqueronline.com/ . They have links to download the program. I recommend downloading from the Site 2 (FTP) server, rather than the Site 1 server. The Site 1 server used BitComet which speeds the download and is probably necessary if you are on dial-up. But BitComet uses a PTP protocol which gives others access to your computer so they in turn can speed their download. But with the all the concern about PTP sharing, I just used the FTP link and it went fast enough (I have a cable modem) .

It is easy to play, and addictive. You can team with other players to take on the bad guys, and the winnings are shared among the teammates. I teamed with my son last night, and we played for an hour and a half. The great part is that he was on a business trip on South Carolina playing on his laptop at the hotel, and I was in Phoenix. But we played real time, and had a lot of fun.

I think I have found the youth of America. They are online playing games like this. Yesterday I teamed with a couple of players who said they were 14 years old. When asked how old I was, I replied "over 30". I figured that would be ancient enough to them, so I sluffed a few years off my real age. And that figure is still private. :)

Animation Day

Today is animation day. I just made this gif file for one of Janee's classes. Let's see if it works. If it is like Janee's example, you will probably have to click on the first image to get it to animate.

The Devil Wears Prada

Well, today is the day we march off to the local movie theater complex and join the mad weekend rush to see The Devil Wears Prada. My wife is just dying to see this movie, and has been working hard on her diet for a couple of months. So this is a reward for all that hard time that she has put into her effort. She loves clothes, so this is the movie for her. She and Coldwater Creek have bonded, and her closet proves it. I don't know about the movie today. Perhaps I will wear my hearing aids and just leave them turned off. They do help to deaden the audio onslaught somewhat. We will see how it goes. See you all later.