lovely day to go pick up a UPS power supply. Yes, I know that is technically the wrong term but so is “cable modem” and I hook them up all the time. Comcast has moved the goalposts again but they have made things easier by being able to provision their modems from the office. I must learn this technology. I rode my bike all the way to Oakland Park and back. It is clear that I just plain like to ride that thing.
Cowboy Mike was in today. Of all things, our Mike may have messed up a set of backup copies. I tried a three-stage software recovery with no luck. I have always mistrusted those backup programs that promise, in the event of files too large for a single disk, to split them automatically across two disks. Now I won’t touch them. The sad part is that they act as if they are doing the right thing, including showing a directory listing of the saved files. Except, they aren’t there.
I had to advise Marti that her son, Daniel, is just a little too young for intense computer training. He needs time to be a kid. Soon I think that one lesson a week over the long term will serve everyone better. The projects that are left require longer attention spans and have no entertainment value whatsoever.
Something unusual happened today. We received a letter from MS spelling out exactly what our obligations were concerning Windows products. According to Fred they have the right to enter our premises without a warrant and check for pirated copies. It is hard not to take that the wrong way. Anyone who deals with used computers runs into, over or through all kinds of used software and I know I don’t always check. I would make nothing if I stopped to determine the ownership of every item.
As I see it, it is not my business to police other people’s software because I am not paid by MS to undertake that activity. The letter makes it clear they feel otherwise. However, that is not the problem. The problem is how in Sam Hill does MS even know we have a shop? I don’t recall sending them an invitation to my grand opening, know what I mean? Therefore I smell that metaphorical rat and it is named MS.
I ran in the computer lines and highspeed Internet for Al later in the day. This took several hours but it is not like I bust my chops on it. Nobody ever is, but they were not prepared for the number of cables needed to set the thing up. His mom works hard to keep the place spotless and must have been rather horrified for a while. Both were amazed by the technical skills required to accomplish the entire task start to finish from memory.
You’ve been good so here is another picture from the bicycle, a typical Florida river. For some reason, they dredge these rivers straight and mainly parallel. They look okay from ground level.
