A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I really did wear out my PC. The other day, my desktop computer stopped working due to a malfunctioning motherboard. I knew by the way it was acting, and the fact I put in a new power supply, that there was something seriously the matter.

On Thursday, I carried the box down to the truck which is no small feat in itself. After, I drove up Kingsway to my computer store in Burnaby near Metrotown.

That business takes on interested high school students doing their required business training project. This means there are always lots of young, techie guys hanging about. Had there been personal computers in the 1970's, I would've been in a similar place. The real technician, had my computer in and out in a bit more than an hour. Thankfully, he wasn't doing much and was able to devote complete attention in taking out my ASUS P4P and putting in a new cheap motherboard.

I could go one of two ways:

Get things back running as quickly and cheaply as possible, or

Upgrade to the point of nearly building a new computer.

I chose the former this time around. I always buy in to computer technology at a fairly advanced level in order to maximize the years I can get out of a PC. I was really not prepared to jump up to state-of-the art again. It makes more sense to wait for autumn when all the new technology is being pushed for the back-to-school season.



A major problem was the innards of my box were new back when this blog was. I have DDR1 RAM rather than DDR2. I bought an AGP video card recently so I'll have a video card that can run the new interface on Windows Visa. My CPU was only a 2.4 non-duel core So, for around $100 bucks I had a new cheap motherboard installed. It isn't even as good as the old ASUS. It can only hold two sticks of memory, so I had to throw away 512 megabytes of RAM. It only has three IDE slots, so I had to make a decision about what card not to install. It cannot be overclocked in the BIOS setup so my old Intel chip runs at the stated 2.4 rather than its previous 2.8 Mhz.

When Windows woke up inside the new configuration, it made me authenticate it again. I have to admit, it was fantastic to simply get access to my life again. It is a clear lesson to me that it's really what's on the hard drive that makes the computer.

Labels: computers, Hardware

It's been a bit tough deciding whether to fly back to New Hampshire to visit my father right now. He is still in Dartmouth Hospital after his recent stroke. At least, after some initial trouble, my sister got out there. She is able to stay with him during hospital hours and we frequently talk. I'm also getting better at text messaging! She is wonderfully motherly when the need arises.

I figure that my father's recovery is going to be very long and probably not very complete. They haven't moved him to a rehab facility as it's proving a bit tough getting his blood pressure under control. Yet, rather than running there right now, I assume it would be better if I go in about a month. That will give him something to which to look forward. The way I presently contract my teaching duties means that I will have off the week from February 10 to 17. I hope that timing works out to be perfect.

Labels: New Hampshire, travel planning

My desktop PC is not working. Yesterday, I shook the mouse in anticipation of waking up the monitor. Nothing happened. I noted the drive light was on. The machine wouldn't switch off. I uplugged it and it remained the same.

I had power supply trouble in the past because of buying cheap, Chinese ones. As there was no monitor output, I thought that although the main power was working to the motherboard maybe something was up there.

I went to my computer shop, brought back a power supply, and put it in. Still nothing.

At least I can check my mail on the notebook. Combined with the other events at present, all's so out whack that I could either scream or cry.

Labels: Hardware

Last spring in this blog, I made comments as to why the television program, Star Trek: Enterprise, had failed so quickly.

Recently, I came across chatter on the Internet about the original series. Since last fall, newly remastered episodes are being released more or less week by week. I have found them in high-definition on the ABC network and now my PVR records them. They rather quietly show up on the schedules on Sunday evenings after midnight!


The Original Series - Star Trek's Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
She was a black woman in a position of authority. This may not
sound like much in today's world, but seeing her as a female
commissioned officer and part of the international cast on
1960's TV was extremely important for my generation.

Supposedly most of the space shots have been replaced with CGI. There's talk that even some live-action backgrounds have been changed with actors removed and replaced. The changes are not too invasive though as I haven't noticed a single one.

What I have noticed is how much better the close-ups are. Nowadays, Canadian William Shatner is a bit of a media whore and I devotedly watch him on every new Boston Public. He was, of course, physically more impressive but much less expansive 40 years ago. The colours and scenes are very detailed and bright. The backgrounds were never really the important part of the episodes anyway. The original series was successful because, however corny, each show left one with something to think about.

I've only caught two of the remastered episodes but have been left with real questions. Is it possible to have life based on silicon rather than carbon? Could Spock (with a beard) in an existing, alternate universe affect changes that would made that universe more human before he returned to his own? The only thing I considered about after Star Trek: Enterprise was how much power their phasers must have used.

Labels: sci-fi, television

My sister lives in Iowa. We've spent more time on the phone over the last 48 hours than in the previous four years. Our father's stroke came as a surprise as I suppose they always do. His wife has been good in letting me know what is happening. I called the hospital in New Hampshire yesterday and spoke with him. His speech and right side have been affected. He's doing better though and will most probably be moved from the hospital at Dartmouth to a rehab hospital in Concord today.

Both my sister and I feel a bit out of the loop and she really wanted to see about things. She's presently a student nurse and much more capable than I in figuring out the medical implications. She got one week of leave this morning. We were on the phone and simultaneously on the Net at 6:30 this morning. We made arrangements for the plane tickets, car rental, and Western Union cash. She's leaving this afternoon. I trust that she'll be able to sort through things. She'll let me know if she thinks I should go out there immediately, or if I should wait to spend a vacation week I have coming in the middle of February.

One has so many emotions during a period such as this. I seem keenly aware of this perhaps because I generally have zero stress in my daily life.

Labels: New Hampshire

We're in the midst of being hit by a pineapple express. The warm air accompanying the storm is even dumping rain high on the local ski hills. It's too wet to go out if not necessary. Since I have no class until next Monday, I'm sitting in by the gas fireplace today. Earlier, a sudden down-draft even blew it out once.

Anyway, it was a great morning to pull down the string of Christmas lights and pack the few ornaments away. I don't like seeing strings of coloured lights burning through the end of this month. To me, some things are only special when they are of a short duration.

Labels: weather

When I was small even the new millennium sounded so distant. I wondered if by now we'd be flying into Times Square with Jetson-type saucers.

On the SkyTrain last night, I realized those on the train who were twenty were barely teenagers in the year 2000. Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining at all! The more New Years we see, the better! We did go downtown last night just for a glass of midnight champagne at the Duff before it becomes all upscale this year.

Actually, the Waterford-crystal ball is dropping in NYC right now. That's only thanks to the hard disk in the satellite receiver. It's the first time we've seen it in high-definition, so I suppose even if I don't have a flying saucer parked downstairs ...

Labels: New York City, sci-fi

One cannot help but take stock of things on the last day of December. We know that this calendar switch it is just an accounting procedure due to timekeeping. One cannot, however, help but do a bit of reflection before the advent of a new year. I've contemplated just what sort of things should go into a publicly-available blog. I have decided that I can sometimes write entries just for myself. Today's is one such time.

I am being even more reflective right now, as I received news yesterday that my father has had a stroke. Before making any decision about what steps I might take, I'm waiting to hear from his wife in New Hampshire as she will call with an update later today. This has, of course, reminded me that he has now lived for 25 years after my mother's death.

These are the type of things which we can witness everyday and know they are inevitable. We know they will eventually happen to us. Rather than making me sad though; this is making me feel quite indebted and thankful about my situation and opportunity to experience life. Our time here is precious. I'll think of that when putting up a new calendar.

Labels: New Hampshire