Don't BE Bitten By A Dust Mite, Bunny or BADGER

Mark The Fall & Spring Holidays With A Good PC and Laptop Cleaning!


EVERYONE knows to change the batteries in their smoke and radon detectors On Memorial Day and Labor Day. Don't count on those alkaline batteries that have been near that ceiling for six months to save your life - just in case.
You could also choose to change out smoke detectors every five years and upgrade to a smoke and CO (Carbon MONOXIDE) detector combination. Dying in your sleep is just no fun at all and robs family and friends of the chance of lying about how "natural" you look.
Having done that very essential chore, move on to your PC and laptop.
I just recently did some upgrades for a couple of really good friends. These folk keep clean houses and their PCs were not resting on the floor. However, when I opened the case, i did not find dust bunnies - I was violently assaulted with dust BADGERS.
The power supplies, the ram and each of the fans was almost stalled with fibrous dust. The Dust Mite Programmers Chorale was singing background for Kanye West and it wasn't pretty this time either.
This kind of situation leads to poor air circulation inside the unit and the heat build-up can lead to unit failure and worse - FIRE!
I have written recent posts encouraging you to back up your precious files. I am not kidding or writing just to use up electrons. Your hard drives are going to fail you and so is your ram and motherboard. This advice will not let you down.
Back up your backups!
Develop the attitude and practice of protecting your data. Even if you are saving regularly to an external drive, regularly save to some DVDs. That way the badgers can't bite YOU.
Back to the cleaning.
You might want to wear a dust mask.
If you haven't cleaned in a while, disconnect all your cords and cables and place your PC in the middle of some paper in the middle of the floor. Open the non-motherboard side of the case and set the panel aside. If your muffin fans are really dirty, pop them out and clean them separately. Ack. Have a very long, soft bristle brush (preferably anti-static) nearby and tip your open PC toward the floor. Brush everything you can see OUT and DOWN and AWAY from your machine. Approach it from a different angle and repeat the action. Now, lay the machine down and carefully vacuum out all the motors, pieces and parts, being careful not to touch or dislodge any component. Brush again and make sure that even the tiniest, dust BB is gone. Vac from the inside and out and then vac the panels and the switches, drive openings (USB and Firewire ports too!) and then put everything back together.
The putting back together means making sure the cards and chips are seated properly and that all the screws are tight.
Then, reconnect your cables, reboot and look for the extra, "AH" & "Thank you", from your PC as it goes about its regular boot-up.
Your LAPTOP
Most laptops don't have fans that pull air into the machine - but there are vents and that means dust does enter. Pulling it out using the vac nozzle is OK. 
The very most abused part of the laptop is the connector to the external power supply. 
The second most used and abused part of the laptop is the keyboard.
It is open to the world, especially if your laptop is your communications, work and entertainment center.
Keyboards don't like liquids. AMP may make you alert - but it will fry your keys.
Keyboards don't like food. It may be nourishment for you, but food will junk up and french fry your precious 102s+.
MOST laptop screens don't like being touched. They certainly don't like sharp objects and pens, pencils and pointed fingernails are sharp objects with a lacquer coating. Just NO.
Many people have hardened laptops - that is fine. Most people don't. Laptoppers still need to back up data to an external drive and to DVDs.
Keep the laptops and netbooks out of the heat. Bad.
You wouldn't want to murder ALL of the little dust fairies living on the electrons, now would you?
By the way, replace your surge protectors every 3-5 years - they lose their power to protect your equipment over time.
Take care of your pennies and they will grow into piles of pennies.
Take care of your dust bunnies will keep them from turning into badgers. © tim   www.timjohnsonphoto.com

G3 M I S E R Y - Phonee Baloney

High Tech Heck


Bitten By The Blue-Tooth


Technology Escalation Aggravation


All these were contenders for the title of this post. The REASON for the post is unfortunate. On a perfect Saturday evening with a perfect bridal couple in a perfect setting the weak and failing link was the amplified sound system.
The DJ was absolutely expert and professional. The problem was not essentially of his making. He was a victim. So was I.
I was officiating the ceremony with a carefully crafted, unique ceremony. It had the structure and flavor of the traditional Book Of Common Prayer ceremony, but softened for the modern ear. It also had a couple of additions that personalized it for the couple.
I had rehearsed the words out loud and balanced the rhythm and even allowed for the fraction of a second of delay that you have from the microphone through the speakers.
Hey, I AM the old A/V guy from high school. I made the projectors, slide machines, amps and speakers work and can set up an auditorium and even a Moog and soundboard. If you are not afraid, ask me about the reasons to choose high and low impedance mikes and input devices. Go ahead, make my month.
Mixing is no big deal - but YESTERDAY. ACK!
The wedding guests and wedding party fell out of the pages of Vanity Fair and GQ. The entire procession was flawless and sweet.
The bride was presented and the bride and groom took their places in front of me and locked eyes, hands and hearts. All the audience was focused.
Then the speakers lost volume, I spoke louder ... then they boomed. I softened my voice. The speakers cut out. I looked toward the DJ. He was being professional and looked helplessly at his state-of-the-art blue-tooth equipment and offered prayers to the gods & demons of electronics for mercy.
They kind of answered the prayer with understanding if not immediate relief. 
Popping up in the audience were OTHER blue-tooth devices, some taking pictures and others recording movie clips.
When these cellular devices and cameras were ON, the signal between my mike and the amp were slain.
What to do?
The task at hand was simple. Ignore the distraction and focus only on the bride and groom.
The ceremony continued, people heard what they could and the marriage was solemnized.
The lesson?
Maybe the latest high-tech is not the BEST tech. And, if it going to be used, it has to be protected by warning people with potentially conflicting devices to keep them OFF. If pleading does not work - THREATEN and maybe let the ushers explain what an egression is after a transgression is committed.
You see, when BIG JOHN is the DJ he is working in OLD TECH and he and I can just whup up on any and all distractions that may arise.
The couple was still married, people understood and we all learned something.
Next time we will KNOW and on the couple's 75th wedding anniversary, they can talk about the good old days when blue-tooth was low tech. © Tim  www.timjohnsonphoto.com