We’re making silly little changes again

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

..changes that may cause downtime, and temporarily broken links. This message will go away when we are done.

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August Site Updates

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

The Monthly Update. Information that is only useful to some, but an easy post to make for me. (It’s true, at least I didn’t lie.)

Top Pages

  1. Accordion Fingering Chart (bass) | ZylstraBlog
  2. GTA: San Andreas on Linux | ZylstraBlog
  3. Accordion Fingering Chart (bass) | ZylstraBlog
  4. ZylstraBlog | Anything. Everything.
  5. Beethoven 9th Symphony Stretched for 24 Hours | ZylstraBlog
  6. Synchronization Software: SyncBackSE
  7. Advantages of Linux over Windows to the average user
Top Referrers

  1. ask.com
  2. zylstrablog.co.nr (our old domain)
  3. j-dude.com
  4. computerhope.com
  5. 66.172.101.250 (Our IP Address)
 Top Searches

  1. piano accordion finger chart
  2. playonlinux no dvd crack
  3. playonlinux installing game from file
  4. accordion bass chart
  5. accordion bass button chart

Goings On at Server Headquarters:
On July 2nd and 3rd, we had a few bumps in server availability. Apache became unresponsive, even after a restart. Memory resources were becoming depleted, and was spilling over to the pagefile. Lots of starting and stopping Apache got it working again. I also pruned the enabled mods in Apache to increase security and reduce load.

July 11th, Google Ads just wasn’t pulling through what we expected, and we are now starting to remove Adsense from the site.

July 13, server was upgraded to an incredible, whopping, massive 4194304 kilobits (Okay, sounded bigger that way, right?) or 512MB. This should eliminate MySQL memory flooding and any Apache issues.

July 17, the WordPress installation was moved to the root directory. Type 304 redirects were set in place as well as redirects to deal with the old permalinks.

July 20, cleanup on a few of the old posts made prior to the decision to be dedicated to technology.

July 28, A freak storm hit Waterville, where the server is stashed away in a basement. Total downtime occurred for about one hour. I manually unplugged the server because the power was cycling, flickering, dimming, etc. The server kicks back on when power comes back on, but it was not work the risk taking to have it constantly going up and down. It was a good lightning show!

July 31, a second storm hit, causing a a ~5 minute power outage. Nothing damaged, everything came back up without flaw.

So, the jist of it? (since you read down all the way to the bottom, skipping nothing I am sure).. only one significant outage (more than 10 minutes) this month. Lots of planned improvements. Also, further progress on replacing the server has been made so we can handle more; I refuse to make promises at this time.

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Synchronization Software: SyncBackSE (Windows)

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

Synchronization is something that many people use in place of regular backup software, but also to do simpler things such as: to sync files from a flash drive to a folder on your computer, replicate network locations so files are available offline, and even to move files from an old computer to a new computer.

Synchronization and backup software are similar, but still two separate ideas. To synchronize folders will replicate the contents of the two folders so they are alike. Backing up copies the contents of a folder (or partition, or drive..) to another folder (or partition, or drive..)
For windows backup software, click here.

There are many more free synchronization programs than there are backup programs. One program that I use, primarily for moving the contents of one computer to another over FTP or Windows Shares, is SyncBackSE. Continue reading →

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Ink Jet Cartridge Refills

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

Inkjet cartridges are extremely expensive, and more than a billion ink jet cartridges are thrown away in landfills each year (1). Did you know that these little [expensive] devices can be refilled? Since you are not buying the digital, mechanical, or moving parts inside the cartridge, the costs are already cut in half — even more, you just aren’t getting stabbed by the manufacturer.

This last week, I brought the HP Officejet’s black inkjet cartridge to Costco for a refill. After writing my name and a phone number I could be contacted by, handing the Costco card over, and paying $10.80 (yes, really, ten dollars and eighty cents) I was told “come back in five minutes and pick up your cartridges”. (They weren’t busy that day.. you should really have
It was really that easy. And the printing was great.

One tip: Don’t put your cartridge in a plastic bag. Use a letter-size envelope and make sure the head is not touching anything. When you go to get your cartridges refilled, they will give you a little plastic cover to put over the head — keep this for your return trip.

The quality of refill centers vary, though I would say Costco is your best bet it is not possible for everyone to go to Costco. For more information about Costco cartridge refills, visit here:

Inkjet411.com is an educational resource to teach people about reusing cartridges, including Frequently Asked Questions and how to take care of “Low Ink Level” warnings. I highly recommend checking it out before you refill so you know exactly what is involved.

Sources: (Yeah, really.)
1. “Your Inkjet Cartridge Refill Resource.” Inkjet 411. Inkjet 411. Web. 18 July 2010. <http://www.inkjet411.com/>.

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OpenDNS: Family Shield

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

A few months ago, I introduced OpenDNS — An advanced DNS service which can help you improve lookup speeds and also filter your Internet using a method that is extremely difficult to bypass.

For those of you who want to protect your family, but found the setup settings too intimidating, OpenDNS now offers an easier way to get going: OpenDNS Family Shield.

Family Shield is automatically set up to block adult websites, phishing, malware, and proxy websites. OpenDNS and OpenDNS Family Shield will even protect the “Tech-Savvy” kids, as it is just plain hard to get past. To do more advanced configuration and add more blocked categories, you would need to proceed to getting a regular OpenDNS account, but Family Shield takes you half-way to that stage for you. Continue reading →

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Backup Software: Macrium Reflect (Windows)

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

“Oh no! Computer, why are you just sitting there with a blinking cursor on the screen? I NEED YOU! My photos, my music, my level 66 WoW saved game, I’ll just die!”
Have you ever had your computer fail on you? Chances are, you were just thinking about backing up your computer last week and never got around to it. Everyone should back up their important information and get it off the physical computer to a storage medium, or even another computer. Unfortunately, this only becomes clear after it was gone. For users who have thousands of files on their computers and can not just do a “Copy/Paste” backup to a blank CD or Flash Drive, backup software can really make backing up simple. Unfortunately, there are not many free backup programs to choose from, fortunately there is at least one: Macrium Reflect.

Macrium Reflect creates full drive images using the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service. Both 32 bit and 64 bit versions are available. Backup destinations can be on another partition, external drive, network, or CD/DVD Burner. These are all things that the free version allows you to do. Continue reading →

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Backup Software: Déjà Dup (Ubuntu Linux)

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

Déjà Dup is a backup program for Ubuntu (and other .deb package compatible operating systems), which is so simple I though it would do the world a bit of good to share it.

For Windows backups, click here.

There is so much and so little to say about Déjà Dup, because there is nothing complicated about it. Click “Backup” and it asks you what and where, click “Restore” and it does the same thing! Continue reading →

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PDF Readers | Foxit Reader

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

If you have ever worked in a public building or medium to large sized business where a series of programs must be installed on many computers, you know how much difference it makes when you have a program that takes five minutes to install compared to a program that takes one minute to install.

Within the last year, Adobe has filled their Reader program with so much junk that the installer now works in more than one part, and installs another program: “Acobat_.com” on your computer which is a ploy to get you to use Adobe AIR. Continue reading →

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Jack Horkheimer: Stargazer

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Jesse Zylstra

The words: “Greetings, Greetings! Fellow Stargazers” cause me to run to the TV.
Jack Horkheimer: Stargazer tells you all about the night sky, and the biggest show of all, The Universe.

Stargazer is a show featured on Public Television, but also available online from their website and the Miami Science Museum’s Youtube Channel. Learn about what you can see in the night sky from your backyard, through the telescope, or even through just a pair of binoculars. See new constellations of stars, find out where planets are, and much more.

If you would like to see Stargazer on your television, check out your local PBS website and see if it is scheduled. If it isn’t, call your station, write a letter, or email them explaining why they should feature Stargazer.

Want to know more about the night sky? Also check out SpaceWeather

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