Updating the Craigslist Laptop Gets a Rave

I have just ordered a new Seagate 500Gb hard drive for less than $50. Happy Birthday to me next week. It should arrive just in time.

So after this upgrade I will have a total of $159 into the laptop. Rave for the free items on Craigslist and to those who give away perfectly good laptops because they can't fix them. :)


Update: Cloned original while the new one was encased in an external USB enclosure. Used Clonzilla and was running in no time. I left the main partitions as they were and created new ones in the empty space. It is really cool to have the extra space now.

Rave Time For Gary's Automotive

We love our cars and we hate car repairs. But the two will always be together. Cars are mechanical and no matter what type or how much it cost, maintaining it is a fact we have to own.

Last week our Elantra's radiator blew a nice eight inch split on the top. This is the second one we have replaced it and each one was about the same milage. At just over 100,000 and just barely over the warranty the first one went out. This time it was about an extra 1000 miles.
 
We had it towed into Gary's Automotive in Chandler Az. We have done business with him a few times now and each time we are treated with courtesy and respect. I have not had this good of a feeling with an automotive repair facility or person in a long time. I feel he really does care about his customers instead of the big guys who just say they do.

The radiator is fixed and we are on the road again. Life is going to be back to normal once more. Thank you Gary for the fine service we have recieved.

Rave For Literature

I was reading a post from a friend's site and it got me thinking. What are my favorite books that were written at least before the turn of the 21st century? But before I reveal my list, follow the link and read the article. Then come back and read my choices. I am going to limit the list to ten of my favorites and would certainly love to read about yours. Maybe I've read a few and maybe I will read some of them? I think this will be fun so click here if you have not yet and come back after reading the short article. I promise this will be one post you will enjoy if you have a love for books.

Since I am borrowing an image to illustrate my point and create space between my post and my list, I should give the credit where it came from.

My List in no particular order:

1. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy 1877
2. Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.1973
3. On the Road - Jack Kerouac 1951
4. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck 1931
5. Hawaii - James Michner 1959
6. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (trilogy) 1979
7. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 1866
8. Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse 1927 German 1929 English
9. Willard and His Bowling Trophies: A Preverse Mystery - Richard Brautigan 1975
10. Sick Puppy - Carl Hiaasen 2000 (I know it is technically just outside the 21st century depending on how you count. But this one sparked my interest in all of Hiaasen's works.)

This is my list of ten now let's see yours. The links are all from WIKIPEDIA since they have done such a marvelous job at describing each of these titles. Enjoy.

The Blog of Helios: Konnect a Kid This August

The Blog of Helios: Konnect a Kid This August

Community is one of the biggest draws for myself to Linux. I follow a blog, The Blog of Helios, which is about a project in the Austin Texas area. Their mission is to bring technology to those in need. Mainly households with children and teens in school. I have been following this project for about two years and it never ceases to amaze me the trials Ken and his small staff go through yet they continue on.
I personally am not in a position to help The Helios Project right now. I wish I were because I believe in what they are doing. But perhaps a few of my readers, friends and friends of friends can help. The word needs to go out to as many as possible to help this project meet the goals of bringing access to the Internet to these households. It is not enough to bring in a computer to a home without giving some access to the Internet. Society does not look at computers as merely number crunchers and word processors. If it isn't connected to most people it isn't useful.

If you can help monetarily that would be fantastic. If not keep spreading the word since somewhere someone can. One last thing to remember, this really doesn't ever end. August is really just another chapter for the Helios Project.

I can't say enaough about the work done here. Raves all around for Helios Project and the work they do.

Give Warren Buffet Some Rave Points

He speaks the truth in this article to the NY Times. I have watched my income decline as it goes up for the last several years. I have less and less each year and I pay more in taxes every year. State income tax and federal income tax rates keep us paying every year. I delay it until April 15th each year. I should be in a bracket where we have some deductions, like a mortgage, but without that I can't itemize a dime. The standard deductions barely covered us last year leaving me owing about $176. It wasn't always this way and we need to stand up as Americans and stop voting for those without our interests.

Okay Warren you have spoken, now use some of that business muscle and help us get this country back on track. You know more than anyone that it is middle America that keeps this country moving.

Behind the Development Banks: Washington Politics, World Poverty, and the Wealth of Nations

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor