• NZXT H2 Silent Mid-tower case
• ASUS EVO USB 3.0 AM3 socket full sized motherboard
• 8 GB Crucial memory in two sticks
• AMD Phenom II x4 955  black edition quad core processor
• OZC 500 watt modular power supply
• OZC 60 GB solid state drive

So a few days ago, I thought I would try to dual boot my pc and install a copy of Linux Fedora. I wanted to do this so I could install a cool application called Amahi. Amahi is a Linux version of Windows Home Server. To make a long story short, after installing Fedora, instead of getting the Grub loader, all I got was a hard drive error and a dead C: drive.

Thankfully, after having gone through the loss of my data drive earlier, I had backed up all the data on the C: drive to the D: drive. Then, to make sure I didn’t lose any data trying to restore Windows to my pc, I booted in with an XP CD and moved all the data from the D: drive to my 1 TB Buffalo NAS.

After giving it some thought, I decided against re-installing XP and opted for installing Windows 7 Home Premium. Since I had Windows 7 running on my Asus laptop, not to mention Teresa’s new HP laptop, I thought I would go for the trifecta. The end result is that we are now the proud owners of 3 Windows computers. The moral of the story is always backup your data, preferably to both the cloud and a NAS. That way, if your house is flooded or burned down, you will still be able to restore your data from the cloud.

Did I mention Teresa’s new HP laptop? Actually it is a refurbished 15.6 inch laptop. I have never bought a refurbished product before, but the price was fantastic. BTW, I found the deal on CNET Cheapskate. It is a great place to find fantastic deals on electronics and computers. When the laptop arrived, it looked brand new. I could find nothing that indicated it was used. So if you are thinking about buying a refurbished product at a great price, go ahead and do it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

That is all. Peace.

The OS is Windows 7 and I am very pleased with it. I am a big Linux fan, but I have to admit that Windows 7 is very stable and easy to use. The only complaint I have with the laptop is the Synaptic touchpad. I don’t like touchpads very much but the Synaptic touchpad is very squirrly sometimes. I have not found a way to get it to work properly, so I bought a wireless mouse to use instead. The mouse works via 802.11 using a usb dongle. I also bought a wireless keyboard that uses the same technology. Both are made by Logitech and work very well. It is very easy to sit in front of our HDTV and use the wireless keyboard and mouse to control the laptop while using Boxee software in the HTPC role.

The battery life is excellent. It runs for 6-8 hours on a charge. The display is very sharp and bright and the audio is also very good. There is even a button that when pressed runs software that allows you to surf the web and play games without even booting into Windows 7. How cool is that?  If it wasn’t for the touchpad problem I would give the laptop 5 stars. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase.

That is it for now. Stay thirsty my friend. Peace.

I was contemplating getting a low-profile system from either Zotac orAcer. Both were very small and would fit nicely on the console with my HDTV setup. Using the included infrared or bluetooth keyboard I would be able to add significant capability over my existing Roku and LG Blu-Ray disc player.

Right now I am using two programs to add Internet content for streaming to my HDTV. The first program is called Tversity.  Tversity allows me to stream content that I subscribe to, including Youtube video, as well as content on my local network. With the included decoding capability, I am able to stream most file types without a problem. Overall, Tversity is a very good program.

The second program I am using is called Miro. Miro allows me to subscribe to a myriad of programming which is downloaded to my local network and then streamed via Tversity to my HDTV. It works similarly to iTunes.

There are also two media center programs which I am using to add even more capability to my network. These are XBMC and Media Portal. Both of these programs provide an interface similar to Windows Media Center. They allow me to view my photos, videos, and music in an integrated fashion. Both also include add-ins that add the capability to include weather, RSS, and other content. The problem with both of these programs is that the interface is not viewable on my HDTV.

The solution to the problem with XBMC and Media Portal is to install the software on an HTPC which would be connected directly to my HDTV. Thus my interest in the Zotac and Acer HTPC’s. The only problems with that is the dedicated nature of a HPTC. I thought a better solution would be a new laptop.

I had a Dell Mini 9 netbook which I use extensively in addition to my Dell Dimension desktop computer. The Dell Mini 9 ran Ubuntu 10.10 and I loved it. I said loved because I sold it recently. The reason I sold it was to help pay for my new ASUS Eee PC 1215B-PU17-BK 12.1-Inch Netbook (Black) which is on its way from Amazon.

With the ASUS notebook, I will be able to use XBMC, Media Portal, and Windows Media Center with the laptop connected directly to my HDTV via the HDMI port. The ASUS has enough horsepower to play 1080p content without stuttering or buffering. I am going to also add a bluetooth keyboard so I can control the laptop from my couch. When I am not using the notebook as a media center I can simply disconnect the HDMI cable and use it as a laptop.

I hope this will be a perfect solution. I will report back on it once I have received my laptop and had a chance to try everything out. Any comments  you may have about what you are using for a HTPC system are very welcome. That is all. Peace.

In the last couple of years my attention has been focused on firearms. I have always enjoyed shooting and since I have retired I have spent much of my time acquiring and shooting firearms. While doing this, my other passion, technology, has sort of languished. Recently, starting with the introduction of tablet PC’s and a host of other new technology, my interest has returned once again to all things geek. Within the last six months I have bought an LG Blu-ray disc player with Internet capability, a new cable modem, a new Cisco dual-band 802.11/n wireless gigabit router, and a Buffalo Technologies 1 TB NAS. (Network attached storage). This is in addition to the Roku Internet media device I already owned.

With an internal 250 GB hard drive in the LG disc player, the 600 GB drive in my Dell Dimension PC, and the 1 TB of my NAS, I now have almost 2 TB of disc storage. My wireless network is now much faster than it used to be. I am able to stream audio, photos, and high definition video to my Samsung HDTV and 5.1 surround sound system flawlessly. The Internet content that is accessible to me via my Roku box and my LG Blu-ray disk player is astounding. I have been seriously thinking about cutting the cable TV cable and saving a significant amount of money every month. There is very little available via cable TV that I cannot get over the Internet with my present setup.

I think for the present my appetite for technology has been sated. At least I hope it has as my wallet can not take any more. That is all. Peace.

I have had a birthday, and now I am 62 years old. I am not sure how I feel about that. Mostly I wonder where all the years went. Nothing too significant has happened in the last two months, although we did get another big snow storm.

I had some old color slides from 1971 that I sent off to be converted to digital format. They are photos from when I was stationed at Vint Hill Farms Station while I was in the Army. There are also some slide from when we lived in Corpus Christi, Texas and while our family was visiting my Grandparents in Ripley, New York. They sure did bring back old times.

I have been watching my finances closely lately, as the economy is not well and food prices have been skyrocketing. I did break down and buy a new Buffalo 1TB NAS for my home network as well as a new dual band 802.11n router with gigabit ethernet. I hope to use them to stream video to my LG Blu ray player to watch on my HDTV.

I might go to to a gun show today, although I will probably not buy anything. I just like looking at all the guns and accessories. Well, that is all for now. Peace.

Grandpa Bemis, Mom, Chris, Jeff, Me, Jon, Michelle, Cheri

Last night our church had our annual Christmas Eve communion. I did the slide show with the accompanying lyrics for the hymns as well as being the voice of Jesus and serving communion. There was a large crowd in attendance and the service was lovely. The service always helps to put me in a Christmas mood and reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas.

So to all of you out there, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings, and all that. Be excellent to one another. Live a cut above. Do not succumb to the vices of this world. Be the miracle you seek.

Teresa, Kirk, and I went to Suffolk to eat at a new diner called Jammin Jerk BBQ. I ordered the jerk chicken over red beans & rice and it was the best meal I have had in a long time. Teresa had coco bread, which is another great dish, and Kirk had brown stew chicken. Everything was delicious! If you live in Hampton Roads, I would highly recommend this place. After lunch we visited St. Luke’s Church and then did a little Christmas shopping at the Christmas Store in Smithfield.

I have been Christmas shopping this month, mostly buying toys for children in programs our church participates in. One is Operation Christmas Child, which is organized by Samaritan’s Purse. The other program is Operation Santa Claus, which is a local charity to give gifts to needy children. I have participated in both these charities for many years.

A Christmas presents to myself, I recently bought a LG Blu-Ray dvd player. This player has built-in Internet access with apps that allow you to download movies, watch YouTube video, view your photos on Picasa, listen to music via Pandora and several other things. You can also stream media from your network connected devices which allows me to view photos and video stored on my hard drive, as well as listen to my iTunes music. The player has a 250G hard drive to which you can download media from your network devices for faster playback. All in all it is a lot of bang for your buck. I also bought a new pocket knife: the Spyderco Delica 4. My old knife was too big and bulky to carry around all day.

My son Jason is looking to sell his house and rent something. He says he is not cut out for home ownership. Can’t say that I blame him as he is single for now. I just hope he can manage to sell his house in this depressed economic climate. That’s it for now.

I guess the biggest thing that has happened lately was my vacation to North Carolina. I spent a week in Boone, North Carolina with my brothers Chris and Jon and my sister-in-law Regina. We spent a week in late August seeing the local sights including the Blue Ridge Parkway. Some of the highlights were white water rafting on the French Broad river and climbing Grandfather Mountain. We also visited the Mast General Store, Linville Falls, parts of Tennessee, a mineral museum, vineyard, and numerous other sites. The weather was great and I had a great time. Lots of video and pictures are available on Flickr and YouTube. You can find them by visiting my web page at The Mind of Tefft

I also went to the Biplanes and Zeppelins show at the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia. Many recreations of WWI biplanes, of both the Allied and Axis forces, were on display. All of the planes were flyable and many of them took to the skies for demonstrations. There were also displays of military hardware and equipment, as well as vendors and food. It was also a great time and yes, there are videos and photos available on Flickr and YouTube.

A lot of other things have been keeping me busy, which may be why I have not updated this blog. I bought a used M1 carbine which I have taken to the range a couple of times. My treasurer duties at church have keep me busy too. I upgraded the OS on my Dell Mini 9 netbook and have had to order a new battery for it as the old one won’t hold a charge any longer. Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the way.

All in all life has been good and I have little to complain about. I hope life has been treating you as well as it has been treating me. That’s it for now. Peace out.

I was stunned by how much the museum had grown since my last visit. I did not even recognize the place. It has been designated by Congress as the National Maritime Museum and is the largest maritime museum in North America. It is located on a beautiful piece of land with bike trails and a nature trail. Today its main attraction is the Union ironclad USS Monitor. An entire section is dedicated to the history of the USS Monitor, including its battle with the CSS Virginia (Merrimack). The original turret is preserved in a huge tank of water and there are many artifacts from the recovery of the Monitor on display. Outside is a full scale reproduction of the Monitor which is great for giving you a realistic idea of what the ship was like in real life.

Inside there are recreations of the crews quarters, a full scale reproduction of the turret with cannons, as well as a recreation of the CSS Virginia. I could have spent hours in the Monitor section alone, but since I only had two and a half hours till closing I had to skip a few things. The Age of Discovery and the Nelson Touch sections of the museum were also fascinating, with many artifacts on display. I was particularly intrigued by the Defending the Seas section of the museum. There was a full size recreation of a WWII carrier flight ready room which eerily made you feel like you were actually there being briefed for a mission. There was also a recreation, with real instruments, of the con of a WWII submarine. Again, it made you feel like you were really there in the middle of a world war.

But my two favorites of the museum were the Great Hall of Steam and the International Small Craft Center. Words fail me in adequately describing just how fantastic both of those exhibits are so I will post a couple of links to video I took of my visit to them. I do know that I will be back again real soon to take a more leisurely tour of this amazing place. If you live in this area, I highly recommend a visit to the Mariners Museum. My next stop will be to the Virginia Marine Science Museum. I cannot wait to see what surprises are in store for me there. That is all.