USB PORTS on the motherboard WORST INVENTION EVER.

Actually that would not be a bad test bed type setup

No, Skybuck kills motherboards and EVERYTHING he touches. He has a decent Antec 1200 case and even then, he doesnt treat the compnents right.

I use a Netgear WNDR-4500 which has two USB 3.0 ports and allows external storage to be plugged in. It also can be configured to allow FTP access to that device :) It is also dual band wireless.

My NAS (used only for backup) is in a cabinet at my front door, since its smaller than a shoebox you wouldnt even know its there.

If you need more processing power why not build a new setup. Buy an intel board with an LGA1155 socket and add an i5/i7 CPU. Two boards I use are the DH61BE (Micro-ATX) & the DH77KC (ATX), both under £100. I have yet to max out my i7-2600, and in truth I don't remember seeing it above 50%.

The current Intel boards have on-board tech which support RAID so you can have a nice RAID array utilising a number of smaller drives you have by putting them in a RAID0 or JBOD configuration. I personally recommend using a RAID controller as it keeps the CPU free from having to manage the drives (4-port ones can be bought for as little as £10!)

Pete

I think we've found your (real) problem. Use a socket with those grounding brackets, not one for electric shavers/hairdryers. The buzz you hear from your soundcard is the line frequency(50 Hz). The case is a big capacitor and may charge up to line voltage. You cannot expect the thing to suffer repeated discharges(when you touch it) and continue working.

so at the time you had a steam powered keyboard?

--
?? 100% natural 

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

Most definitely a certain idiot at the helm caused damage.

My NAS isn't wireless. I only use wireless for portable devices, I'm much to impatient to use wireless for data transfer.

I haven't bought into the 'cloud' thinking, I like to have all my data on a physical drive I own so I can be responsible for backups. (I have on-site backup for all my data/media & off-site backup for documents and photos)

The Dl> My thoughts on wireless network attached storage devices:

How do you figure that? If they're not physically in the country then no foreign laws should apply to them (especially state laws). The government(s) can go to the trouble of seizing the paid-for eyeglasses at the border if they're so interested in protecting "patients".

I'm sure the optician cartels have complained bitterly, but the gov't has to weigh potential anger against themselves from consumers against the protectionist lobbyists, plus as a state-regulated service, they'd have to involve the feds. It's a lot easier to quietly shut down a local business with massive administrative fines. I'm sure they've actively searched for even a single case of someone who claimed injury (from a bad prescription? Most of us have old glasses that are way out of prescription as spares, or have gotten prescriptions that are a bit off, but it didn't really cause any lasting harm, just inconvenience).

The optometrist I go to gives me PD numbers for close/far with only a bit of griping (he also sells glasses). I think it's currently around $80 for an exam (will go soon). A good pair with mid-range frames locally costs $400 or more (no tax) and with similar generic frames about $40-50 from Zenni. I see no difference in the lenses.

Modern stuff doesn't stack nearly as well. This is a problem.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward" 
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com 
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

I don't know what you mean by "no rectangle", but I have a couple older (P4) Asus boards and it's almost impossible to insert the plugs in backwards. .

Unfortunately, these older boards have another USB problem. The USB board connectors are mounted only by the soldered trace to the connector. There is no supplemental supporting mount device, at all. So, after trying to incorrectly push that USB plug backwards into the socket for the hundreth time, or kicking the cord with your foot for the dozenth time cuz the yer box is on the floor by your feet, the trace finally weakens to the point where the board socket jes tears the traces and the socket rips loose from the board. This on the front panel mounts. I hadda plug a 5 plug hub into the 2 remaining back USB ports as both front ports are long ago hosed. Fortunately, Linux didn't blink an eye with the addition of the USB powered hub and all is well, again. ;)

nb

--
Definition of objectivism: 
"Eff you!  I got mine." 
http://www.nongmoproject.org/

They don't even attempt to stop "prescription" drugs at the border, unless they're narcotics. These are far more dangerous than eye glasses.

States have also forced opticians to give the customer the prescription so they can shop elsewhere. My OD has always given me the prescription but there is no inter pupil distance on it, since the optician measures it when fitting glasses.

I've bought replacement lenses at cut-rate storefronts with it but I need that number for Zenni. Though, as I've mentioned before, Zenni doesn't carry glasses as large as I'm accustom to, they'd work for a third set (I keep old frames and replace the lenses). My insurance pays for lenses every year and frames every two, so they don't cost anywhere close to what others here have indicated (about $90/yr, including the visit to the OD).

I'll probably have to get a distance pair when I go to the OD the next time and one of my frames is about dead (I didn't replace them the last few times because I didn't like what they had), so I'll probably try Zenni for my backup pair soon.

It's the law in most states. Again, I pay around $90/year and that includes the lenses every year and frames every two. The lenses and frames are pretty basic and you can spend that sort of money on "designer" frames and coatings.

I find laptops stack pretty well. ;-) I just added another to the pile (new one on order). I've fallen back to my NetBook now (*sucks*).

Their offices are in California: They are a registered California corporation. Type in "Zenni Optical" into the search box at:

True. However in todays declining economy, governments are searching for any and all sources for additional revenue. Fines for violating victimless "injuries" are popular, especially when paid by businesses, which tend to have more money available. Should the business find it awkward to pay, a similar amount of money directed towards political contributions will sometimes reduce their exposure. In general, enforcement against China based companies has been somewhere between lax and non-existent. My guess(tm) is that's due to large amount of dollars that China is sitting on.

Also, we have the bad habit of providing consumer protection laws for which no corresponding injuries could be found. The requirement to purchase glasses and hearing aids through a state licensed business is more about controlling competition than about protecting the consumer. When pressed for an explanation for the demonsratable lack of victims, the usual excuse is that the law is there in the event a victim somehow magically appears. When pressed further, they will claim that since there are no victims, the law must be working. By that logic, we should make everything illegal.

Incidentally, the monopoly on prescription glasses does not protect the consumer against vendor screwups. In about 1978, I obtained my first pair of eyeglasses from Kaiser. It took 3 tries to get it right. The first order was botched when someone didn't correctly copy the prescription to the order form. The 2nd was botched when a different technician managed to transpose my left and right eyes. They also tried to bill me twice (not 3 times) for the same pair of glasses. There was almost a repetition of this exercise in 1981, which I caught by personally checking the paperwork.

These days the optometrist will hand you the prescription. In theory, you can use it to go anywhere to purchase eyeglasses. That was not always the case as I had difficulties obtaining a copy until about 10 years ago. However, the prescription is usually written in an unreadable scrawl. I needed assistance in decoding the handwriting on all my recent prescriptions. The prescription is also missing the pupilary distances. These are someone the responsibility of the eyeglasses vendor, not the optometrist. That works if you purchase retail eyeglasses, but becomes an obstacle for mail order. Costco would do it for free without an order until about a year ago, when the policy changed.

Zenni doesn't carry the really high index of refraction lenses, or thick lenses, needed for radical corrections. They also doesn't sell glass lenses, if you want long lasting glasses. I'm not sure if they will sell replacement lenses for an existing frame in case the old lenses become gouged. They don't do repairs but will supply parts and pieces.

That's intentional. Stacking can block air flow, causing the lower equipment to overheat. The weight can also crush equipment on the bottom of the pile, especially with plastic cases. I've seen both happen. So, to protect themselves, manufacturers have resorted to unstackable cases which require buyers to put the box on top of the pile. That works well, until everyone does the same thing, as is happening with consumer wireless routers, DSL/cable modems, ethernet switches, etc.

My usual solution is to use a relay rack and shelves for the rounded top boxes. However, I was sufficiently irritated by the problem to make a cardboard mold of the offending package (Netopia something router), apply a sheet of 2 mil plastic for protection, and fill the box with expanding urethane foam used in shock proofing shipping boxes. I flattened the top with a pocket knife, gouged out some holes for ventilation, and piled additional equipment on top (to hide my messy solution). It was ugly, but it worked. I briefly considered selling such "stacking adapters" on eBay, but decided that there was no market.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

They don't offer the pupillary distance here (that's the optician's job), but the guy I go to measures it for me and writes it on the scrip. If he refused, I would go elsewhere. In HK they have machines that automate the whole thing (have had for at least 10 or 15 years). German made, IIRC.

If you're ordering online, note that the PD is a bit different for computer glasses vs. distance glasses since your eyeballs are angled inward (toward each other) a bit for the former, so the PD is less, maybe by enough to give you a headache.

Yep. They're making a comeback:

-- Jeff Liebermann snipped-for-privacy@cruzio.com

150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060 Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

I've always wondered why you killed so many computers. The only time I saw this happen on a wide scale is for ungrounded equipment. The engineers loved to disable earth connections thinking that earthing equipment was evil. They had a huge box of dead computer parts and test equipment. The chassis ends up at around half the mains voltage, depending on the RFI circuitry. Plugging in equipment with different chassis potentials will start blowing ports. Get a bloody earth connection to your computer gear! This ain't rocket science. And yes, earthing equipment is a world government conspiracy against humanity, but it does keep things happier.

It's called a pupilometer. They're $50 and up on eBay: I'm tempted to buy one and setup a carnival kiosk offering to measure and record the distances.

They're more than a little different. You need more than one number as the PD is different when you're looking near or far. A fairly complete set (in order of decreasing distance) would be: Left and Right PD for viewing at infinity. Left and Right PD for viewing a television. Left and Right PD for viewing the automobile dashboard. Left and Right PD for viewing a computah monitor. Left and Right PD for reading Left and Right PD for close inspection. The left and right values are useful for ruining someone day by demonstrating that their face is slightly asymmetrical. For ordering glasses, the sum of the right and left PD is used.

If you have values for the PD at infinity, and the PD for close inspection, one would suspect that it would be possible to calculate the intermediate values by simple geometry. Nope. That would work if you knew the eyeball diameter and if the eye muscles were perfectly centered as in a world globe. Do the measurements and be sure.

The PD for single vision glasses are quite simple. Measure the viewing distance and use the corresponding PD.

The PD for bifocals involves some guesswork. If you're trying to contrive bifocals for viewing at infinity, that are also suitable for reading, one would assume that you would need two PD values. Nope. The factory uses the PD for the distance viewing, and makes a good guess at what the PD would need to be for reading. This estimate works because the major factor in calculating the PD is the size and shape of the face, and to a lesser degree, the diameter of the eyeball, and not the mechanics of eyeball movement. Of course, if you want single vision glasses for reading, you use the PD for reading.

The PD is more critical as the power of the lenses increase. I can be very sloppy with ordering my +1.0 diopter reading glasses. However, it took me 3 tries to get my +3.5 diopter close inspection glasses correct. The problem turned out to be a bad PD measurement. The good news is for adults, the PD doesn't change. Get it right the first time.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

A friend of mine was seeing random problems in booting up his PC. We tested his power supply and it seemed to be working fine. Eventually it turned out that a powered USB hub that he had plugged into one USB port was causing the problem. How did we know? Everything worked fine when we removed the power from the USB hub and let it run unpowered.

Yousuf Khan

I'll do that next time. It should be in the next couple of weeks.

Good information. My glasses must all be set that way because they're for close-up only. I can still see better with them up to about

15'-20' (somewhere in there out_of_focus > astigmatism_correction) but they're set for 12" (lowers) and 24"(uppers).

I only need it once. $50 seems steep. ;-)

They've only measured one number for me. Perhaps the places I've gone aren't any better than mail-order.

Seems even ODs don't care that much.

The plan is to charge my friends and associates one dollar per eye for the test. After 25 such exams, I break even. I've done roughly the same thing with loaning everything from garden machinery to computers. Oddly, the $1 charge has dramatically improved my rate for returning borrowed items over when I was doing it for free.

The PD numbers vary depending on who's doing the testing and what device was used. In my case, I had it done 3 times at Costco and twice at two different retail stores trying to sell me their overpriced glasses. The basic instrument resolution and accuracy is

+/-0.5mm. I had PD totals varying over a 1.0mm range for distance, and 1.5mm for reading. In one case, I had to explain to the lady at Costco how to correctly operate the instrument. After buying the close work glasses that didn't work, I went back to what I considered to be the most competent retail store and essentially bribed them into letting me use the pupilometer and extract my own numbers. That's when I discovered that the sliders had some backlash. I ended up generating two sets of numbers, coming from both directions, and averaging the results. The store was very interested in what I was doing and was quite happy to NOT sell me a pair of glasses as they correctly assumed I would be an overly demanding customer.

I think they care as nobody appeared to be negligent or intentionally sloppy, just clueless. My guess(tm) is that they don't realize how important the PD numbers are for high power glasses. They probably dispense thousands of low power glasses that are deemed acceptable by the customer. With higher power glasses, the customer probably doesn't realize that their prescription could be improved by using a proper PD. Since returning adult customers are probably not retested on the pupilometer, once the wrong numbers are inscribed in the files, they tend to be permanent, leaving the customer with no standards for comparison.

What made me realize that things could be better was borrowing a trial frame and lens kit for a week: After some tinkering, I noticed that these glasses worked better than my regular prescription glasses. I eventually determined that the shopping mall optometrist, who decided that my eyes had changed over the years from the original Kaiser exam and "adjusted" my prescription, didn't do a very good job. I went to Costco for an eye exam, and they compounded the error by analyzing my existing prescription on a lensometer, and using that as a starting point. That's standard practice and saves considerable time. The result was very much like the "adjusted" prescription, which was wrong. I eventually convinced Costco to do a retest, this time starting from scratch, which resulted in a prescription that was much closer to the

20 year old original, and my tinkering with the trial lens kit.

If you want it done right, either watch the experts carefully, or do as much as possible thyself. Either way, take some time to understand how it all works and the processes that are involved.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558