Peter Redmer
Posts
This is so, so, so good.
"Just bill your clients for IE support separately, and they will cut costs. It's that easy."
https://twitter.com/#!/paniq/status/131034859421437953
Historically, I had never been much of a pop drinker. I grew up on milk, orange juice, and delicious water (my parents' home has an exceptional well which produces sweet, crisp tasting water.) Occasionally, I'd have a generic diet cola, but generally steered away.
In my adult life, I've mostly continued this save for a slight addiction to energy drinks. There's something about the taste, the fizziness, the vitamins and caffeine that my body craves. They're a great help for workouts as well. The problem is that spending $2 a pop seems expensive and wasteful. On top of this, I recently picked up a craving for mineral water. Not sure why, but I did. I bought some San Pelligrino from the store and I was hooked. I saw somebody, somewhere post on Twitter about this SodaStream thing, and I was intrigued--a home carbonation system? Sweet! When I found out an "energy" syrup was available--with equivalent caffeine but 1/3 the sugar (and no HFCS) I was sold. The unit costs about $99, with flavor mixes costing about $5 each (a bit more for the energy variety,) it's super easy to use, and takes no electricity. Now, I can have great tasting energy drink, fresh, made from my own filtered water, with no waste of packaging, whenever I want. It was totally worth the money and is one of the best gadgets I have bought in years. In short, without doing a full review of the device, I will safely tell you that if you like pop or energy drinks, this is a must have--over time, you'll save money and create significantly less waste by using reusable bottles, plus you can adjust the taste and carbonation to your liking. You can buy the unit online, or do what I did, and buy retail (I got mine at Sears, but it's sold at a lot of different places) More info here: http://www.sodastream.comOk, so the Internet is overrun with people complaining, often melodramatically, about Netflix's price increase. "Oohhhh, it's a massive 60% price increase" they say. Yeah, which amounts to $6. SIX BUCKS. Just don't drink your Starbucks today, cheap ass--this is clearly a "first world problem."
Let's think for a moment what Netflix does for your $16 per month: 1. Unlimited online streaming of 18,637 metric tons of TV shows and movies. Seriously, there's a lot. Ok, the movie selection is skewed towards indies and some on the more interesting side (e.g., "Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives," "Slaughtered Vomit Dolls," and so on) but still. I mean, they can't give away the most wanted content for free. 2. Said online streaming can be done from virtually anywhere--your Internet-connected TV, your game console, your fucking TOUCHSCREEN STAR TREK PHONE while you're on the toilet, etc. 3. They will also mail you DVDs... FOR FREE... from the closest distribution center to you, which you can watch at your leisure, with no late fees, and send back to them... ALSO FOR FREE. Doesn't having a nationwide DVD distribution network and the vast amount of postage they have to pay for sound kind of expensive? Yeah, you only get one at a time for $16/mo, but hey, it's pretty posh. I mean, back in my day, I had to BEG my parents to take me to the local video store, where VHS tapes you had to REWIND cost like $4 to rent for a few days, and if you didn't take them back in time, you'd get charged late fees and half the time the damn things wouldn't work right or whatever. And, if you didn't like the movie, you're screwed. Now, you can just play another one. So, stop making this sound like it's a huge crisis. Netflix is amazing, pure and simple, and their service is fantastic. For those who want it, the unlimited DVDs option is still a bargain in my opinion, considering the infrastructure that supports it--otherwise, do streaming only. I'd pay double what I pay now if I had to. How much does a DVD cost in the store that you'll probably watch only once, anyway? One way or another, complaining about Netflix is just what this current, spoiled rotten generation seems to like to do. Don't be like them--recognize that what we have today is super awesome, don't take it for granted, and don't whine about things that aren't worth whining about.
I always seem to see a sea of complaints regarding Comcast's high speed internet service. This is just a quick note to speak my peace and say that, so far, I love Comcast. I get blazing fast Internet connectivity, and each time I have had a problem (twice over 3 years, not exactly often) they've come out, at no charge, and quickly upgraded my equipment. Each time, it's solved the issue immediately. And no, I'm not being paid to say that, I'm just a happy customer who appreciates being attended to when needed. Thanks Comcast, and please keep it up--this geek needs his Internet.
Love this video. Die Antwoord isn't afraid to be totally weird yet make awesome tracks that don't fit any mold I know of. Enjoy.
“Hi! Welcome to Hell. Let’s get you started on your cell phone plan. Have you picked out a ring tone?"
Recipe: Spicy Olive Oil Pan Fried Potatoes with Green Beans
I have invented a delicious recipe for pan fried potatoes. This particular mix lends itself to a meal or side dish that is spicy and bursting with flavor, as well as healthy. You can change ingredients as you like, but this is the way I like the best. Do not substitute crappy ingredients, as you will be disappointed. The green beans provide a nice, sweet, snappy counterbalance to the soft and spicy potatoes.
You can continue cooking the potatoes as long as you like, but once the onions and garlic are caramelized, I usually stop. This means the potatoes will have a soft texture with slightly chewy, browned skins, as they have soaked up the olive oil. Making them crispy is harder, and I think less desirable, but you can cook as long as you want.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 medium size golden potatoes (this is important, I use Klondike Goldust, regular russets would probably suck for this), diced thickly with skin on
- 1 small white onion, sliced or diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- A handful of french style green beans, fresh
- A jalapeno
- Sweet paprika, Hungarian if possible
- Cayenne pepper, ground, at desired hotness
- Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp or so
- Sea salt (I prefer Fleur de Sel, the grey variety)
Recipe:
- Pour the olive oil in a non-stick pan (also important) and heat.
- Once heated, CAREFULLY slide in the potatoes. They will sputter. This is ok.
- Cook, covered, for 10-15 mins and flip occasionally. Adjust heat so they don't burn, med-low or so. When you flip, make sure the condensed water from the lid does not pour back into the pan.
- Put in your seasonings to taste. I like a few pinches of salt and liberal amounts of cayenne and paprika.
- Stir/flip again and cook another 10 mins. You will note the dish, due to the spices, is taking on a nice dark red/brown hue.
- The potatoes should be browning and soft now. If so, add in your veggies and beans. Stir/flip again.
- Cover and cook an additional 5-10 mins or so, until everything achieves the texture and browning you like.
The only way to make a martini. In my case, don't even have any vermouth on hand. Another variation is to simply glance at the bottle of vermouth, then ignore it from then on out.
Churchill's Martini: Shake gin with cracked ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass & garnish with olive. Drink while looking at a bottle of dry vermouth.
How I love old commercials.
The pickle commercial is 2 minutes in.
***UPDATE 11/29/2010*** These errors have recently been resurfacing for me, sadly, even with the fixes I have tried - but not sure why. I sincerely hope the TDRDelay fixes work for you, but it seems - for me - this is not the magic bullet I was looking for. If you have any ideas to share, please leave them in the comments - I'll try anything at this point! ***
I blogged earlier about a BIOS editing method that helped fix some of the woes I was experiencing with my newly purchased ASUS ATI Radeon HD4870 1GB. (NewEgg link if you're curious about the exact model)
This, however, doesn't really fix the problem. At all. I thought it did, until I started experiencing the crashes again. However, I think I've found a fix that actually works, and it is definitely NOT what I expected.
The Problem with the ASUS EAH4870 or Radeon HD 4000 Series In General
For some reason, this particular graphics card becomes unstable when switching fan speeds or core clock speed. The ATI BIOS (dubbed PowerPlay) is designed to underclock the processor when in 2D mode and clock up to standard speed in 3D. This would be great, except for that it becomes as failure-prone as a intoxicated Jersey Shore cast member at a spelling bee. This is a common issue - just Google for it...
In addition, this problem is not limited to the HD 4870 nor the 4000 series - the 5000 series reportedly experiences it as well, and who knows how many others.
The Crash
So, you're playing a game (it only does this when under load)and all of a sudden the game freezes. Damn. Then the screen goes blank for a minute, but during that process, you can still hear the audio from the game. Then - sometimes - it dumps you back in the game. Other times, you cannot recover from the error and have to close the game window. This is particularly annoying because it seems totally random, and the card is otherwise fine.
What Doesn't Really Work
So, to circumvent this, I tried various methods to stabilize the clock and fan speed, including but not limited to:
- ASUS SmartDoctor (kinda cheesy but it does work)
- ATI Tray Tools (an awesome tool)
- RivaTuner
- Manually editing the BIOS with RBE and flashing in DOS mode with ATIFlash (also works well, but fraught with peril)
Most of these would do the job, but not always. The video card REALLY WANTS to switch modes, and you basically have to forcefully pimp-slap it to get it to stay at a manual fan speed and clock speed. For example, try using RivaTuner to adjust the clock and fan speeds and play a game. Make sure you have monitoring and logging on (GPU-Z is a great program to use for this.) When you experience the crash, look at the logs - I bet it either changed fan speed or clock speed, even though you told it not to with the software, and that correlates directly with the crash.
What Has Worked (So Far)
If you really dug into your issue before landing here, you might have checked the Windows Event Viewer and seen this message:
"The display driver atikmdag has stopped responding as was recovered."
This is called a TDR error, or "Timeout Detection and Recovery" error. This is a feature (and sometimes an anti-feature) of WIndows Vista and Windows 7. What happens is that your ATI card freaks out and goes postal when the BIOS attempts to change clock speeds or fan speed (and sometimes even if it doesn't.) Windows attempts to automatically recover from this "error" and recover the display, but this is an unreliable process, and thus it crashes.
The solution is simple. I concluded that my graphics card was working fine; indeed, when it worked, it was blazing fast and stable. It only crashed when these speed changes were happening in the background. So, after some more spelunking, I discovered that you can actually disable TDR in the registry so it makes no attempt to recover when the GPU does this, or otherwise flips out for a moment.
Go to regedit and find this location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
When you get there, right click on it and add a DWORD entry named "TDRDelay." This will automatically create a registry entry (yes, you have to actually create one manually) and for me, it defaulted to a value of zero, which is what you want. If it's not zero, change it to zero - otherwise you will actually be increasing the delay, meaning that when it crashes you have to sit there for even longer while it recovers, causing your urge to go Office Space on your rig rises sharply.
I have only tested this for a few hours, but even the crashiest games (I'm looking at you, Red Faction Guerrilla) have been smooth as silk without one annoying crash.
If your problem is the same as mine, I'm sincerely hoping you find this blog and that this helps you. I have been spending weeks testing, searching, diagnosing, and losing hair over this issue and I think this has finally solved it. I would love to bring you the same joy I have experienced actually playing my games without fear of this annoying crash.
However, I'll be sure to update if they crop up again, which is always possible - but for now, I'm going to enjoy my system.
On a side note, I have read there are tons of other things you can try to solve GPU issues without resorting to voodoo, including adjusting RAM timings, increasing your FSB speed, and others.
May my hours of toil this past weekend save you frustration. This guide is most likely applicable to many other models. The whole reason I did this is to get a consistent clock speed without having to muck with Catalyst Control Center or other garbage programs. The EAH4870 I just bought from NewEgg is a pain in the ass, as it creates some weird lockup issues when changing clock speeds for "2D" and "3D" modes...
Step 1: Go to this link: http://wccftech.com/forum/overclocking-modding-benchmarking-and-tweaking/1970... Grab the tools you need, which you can find in this thread, to make a DOS-formatted USB boot disk. Step 2: Download GPU-Z. http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ This is a handy utility for monitoring your graphics card - but more importantly - dumping the BIOS. Dump the BIOS using the little tiny icon and save it in a special, hallowed place. Step 3: Download Radeon BIOS Editor http://www.techpowerup.com/rbe/ You can use this to set clock speeds, fan speed, etc. Read up in this thread before you do ANYTHING. This is dangerous stuff. http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/154 OK, now that you know RBE inside and out, create a BIOS file with the settings you desire, then save it to the USB drive. Step 4: Download ATIFlash http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1731/ATIFlash_3.79.html Download this program, ATIFlash, and copy it to your flash drive. Step 5: Boot from the USB Flash Drive Assuming the drive boots properly (you may need to edit your motherboard BIOS) run the following command: atiflash -i You will see your graphics card device listed, probably at location "0," unless you're running multiple cards. I don't have multiple cards, so I had just one device in location 0. I then ran this command: atiflash -unlockrom 0 (If that doesn't work, switch the parameters around, but I think is correct) This command is CRUCIAL. It unlocks the BIOS ROM in the card from protection so you can reflash it. You should get an "Ok" if this worked correctly. Then, run atiflash -p 0 "yourrom.bin" (replacing with the name of your ROM file, removing quotes) The flash should then work properly. You should NOT have to use the "-f" switch to force the upgrade. I'd worry about your ROM if you had to use it. You're welcome. (If this didn't work, do more research on your individual card and on the Internets. Google is your best friend. Don't blame any of the awesome programmers who created these tools if you brick your card, it isn't their fault...)One of the few insects I adore, the woolly bear caterpillar holds a special place in my childhood memories. As if I have ever left my childhood. My sister and I would catch them in the road by our house - in many a fall, there were hundreds of them, In different species and colors. I caught this little guy today and I think he wanted to hang around; when I attempted to release him, he just held on.
I can't stop laughing at this. All I can hear is this bit from Reservoir Dogs... skip to 1:50. NSFW, naturally.
After several hours over several days, I have finally restored my great grandfather's safety razor, which was passed down to me by my father. My great grandfather Julius embodied classic Redmer values - honesty, integrity, durability, and manliness. He lived to almost 110 years old (108, I think.) His razor was pretty durable, too - after cleaning up the grime, this little beauty shines, and is every bit as high quality as my brand new Merkur. History lives on...
Ahh... shaving. For some men, it's a minor inconvenience. For a wolfman like me, however, it's a labor of love - not something to be completed in a matter of a few minutes, nor to be taken lightly. As a young teen (I had full sideburns at 15) I was introduced to the art of shaving with a crappy Norelco electric shaver, a hand-me-down from my old man, who has a "babyface." I could grow in five minutes what he could grow in five years, but I digress. The battery-powered abomination ripped and tore my barbed-wire-esque follicles from my skin, causing pain, suffering, and annoyance. I quickly changed to Gillette safety razors.
Over the years, the good old razor companies have been adding more and more blades to razors, including the vibrating Fusion, which I was using up until now. Then, I "discovered" the old fashioned practice of wetshaving - you know, the brush and lather kind? It was a mix of subconscious hints from Facebook posts and coverage on one of my favorite blogs, then a visit to the (new) Art of Shaving store in one of my nearby shopping stores. One glimpse of the Merkur HD, and that was it.
It's immediately apparent that this fine machine was produced by skilled German manufacturing and attention to detail. It's deceptively simple to load; simply unscrew the end, lift the handle, insert the blade, and retighten. This feels like a man's razor. Ever shot a well-made firearm, or balanced a fine blade in your hand? The Merkur HD feels like that. It's got heft, balance; merely touching it causes the testosterone to begin flowing. It' s been made in the form you see for
Eager to test out its capabilities, upon arriving home I hastily "lathered" up some shaving cream from C.O. Bigelow on my hands, applied to face, and shaved. This was a poor decision. My face was transformed into something like a cross between a war infirmary and an undercooked hamburger.
Today, however, my badger brush and soap cake arrived, allowing me to do it the real way. This took over a half hour, but was worth every minute. It was a zen-like experience, taking precision and care. I now have the best shave I have ever had - my face feels clean, I'm now the man your man could smell like, and I feel like somehow, I have conjured up a bit of the not-so-distant past.
This is an experience worth having, and, if you're interested, read on for some quick things I have learned.
Wet Shaving Beginner Tips (From A Fellow Beginner)
1. You need a shave brush - but either badger or boar bristle is probably OK for starting out. Avoid synthetic.
From doing a lot of research on some excellent online forums like the Badger and Blade, you'll get a lot of diehards who pimp $150 brushes, as if anything less is unacceptable. This is the same as saying a Honda Civic Si isn't as good as a Ferrari and anything less is unacceptable. The Honda Civic Si is still great, and so are a lot of inexpensive brushes. I bought a $12 "Tweezerman," probably the cheapest badger brush on the market, and it worked awesomely well. Note that everything I read everywhere about synthetic brushes said they all sucked, so beware.
2. Get a soap cake.
Some people seem to prefer creams, but from what I gather, most pro wetshavers prefer soap cakes to the glide and lather they provide, the fact they are usually cheaper, and also last longer. I bought this one.
3. Go slow, and apply absolutely ZERO pressure when shaving.
Pressure = hamburger. Going fast = hamburger. Pressure + going fast = Freddy Krueger. Go slow, enjoy the process, and be precise.
4. Buy a styptic pen.
In case you don't follow #3.
5. Get an aftershave in a scent you like. Preferably something really old school.
Yeah, like Old Spice, Aqua Velva, you know, badass stuff. Just don't go overkill, or else you'll musk everyone out. Of course, you can use whatever you like, but most men back in the day didn't dabble in haute couture "fragrances." They used Brut (which reminds me of my dad, by the way.) Most importantly, make sure your significant other likes it.
6. Do a lot of research.
Profile
Summary
:: Managing the editorial calendar and growth of online communities through content creation, curation, moderation, involvement, and client correspondence.
:: Working with clients to interact with customers, uncover strategies for sales, solving customer service issues right at the origin, cutting support costs, and teasing out future product features.
:: Creating a relevant voice on social networking tools (like Twitter) as a part of an overall promotion/branding strategy.
:: Authoring a wide array of content including editorials, reviews, news, blogs, etc.
:: Building site design to client specs and managing the look of communities and social networking tools to closely match branding.
:: Analyzing web analytics to predict trends, produce relevant content, and determine site growth goals.
:: Learning and mastering new tools and technologies as needed.
:: The ability to look at all of these things through the eyes of a business professional and corporate worker.
Experience
- Jan 2008 - PresentCommunity Network Manager / Capable Networks- Create, write, nurture, and promote unique editorial and news content for several diverse online communities.
- Maintain editorial control and vision for each community, working closely with clients to fulfill their needs and requests, and also to grow membership and increase value.
- Work with and manage teams of site lead moderators, volunteer moderators, and freelance writers.
- Create visual and modular elements of each site; monitor analytical tools to maximize pageviews and memberships through said design. Experienced with closely integrating site look and feel to client's own online initiatives.
- Think creatively to design and promote new site features, content, or material to predict and react to online trends and community needs.
- Actively and effectively utilize social media to enhance community participation and exposure. - Oct 2004 - Dec 2007Bank Branch Manager / Associated Bank- Responsible for all bank branch operations including loss prevention, customer relationship management, loan and deposit portfolio growth, detailed financials, staffing and human resource needs, and networking with the Chamber of Commerce and other community forces.
- Supervised a full retail banking staff including tellers, teller supervisors, and personal bankers.
- Correlated sales efforts with other units within the company including commercial & small business departments, treasury & wealth management, mortgage, and others.
- Trained extensively in multiple areas of sales management, human resources, and compliance. - Oct 2002 - Oct 2004In-Store Bank Branch Manager / US Bank- Responsible for a staff of universal bankers in a highly aggressive, sales-focused banking environment.
- Involved in all aspects of managing a bank branch including detailed financials, human resources issues, loan and deposit portfolio growth, loss management, and others.
- Networked extensively with local community forces and utilized internal sales tools to maximize branch growth.
Education
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2002 - 2008Columbia CollegeBSBM in Management & Marketing
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1998 - 2004Elgin Community CollegeAssociates in Arts in General
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2000 - 2002Elgin Community CollegeAssociates in Arts in General
Additional Information
Updates
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What a great story about a girl with a dream, nice people, and fast cars. http://t.co/EQ64zlrG40 hours ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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http://t.co/lQWt19tc BarneySplat. If you know, then you know. A true text classic.
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I finally had "real" pho this weekend. Damn the significant lack of Vietnamese restaurants around here. It was amazing. http://t.co/uwi4cEmG
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So awesome… http://t.co/97Jl9GT6
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Open Kang is rocking my Nexus S 4G world right now. Fantastic. http://t.co/zKN846u4
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New company website! Gives a much clearer presentation of what we do. Sorry to pimp, but I love our company. http://t.co/ugxaZDXr
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QuickPick for OS X is the Launchpad that should have been. Much more customizable. http://t.co/YdTeEH7T
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@betsymartian @allpointsnorth And real women, too ;)
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@allpointsnorth That is by far my favorite scotch, by a large margin. Real men drink Laphroaig.
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I love my PC, but whenever I work from it I always try to press the non-existent Expose button to switch windows.13 days ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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I am extremely impressed by, and enjoying immensely, this series of hands-on car videos: http://t.co/aM9D7G7u
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Laughing so hard, in tears... Beavis & Butthead on Twlight http://t.co/mt3r2YHq
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Haha, love the randomness that is Jotly. Think I'll be checking it out (and posting) often. Jotly.co
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@aptronym I crave spicy food constantly, no matter what. Especially Thai. So I hear ya. I could go for some tom yum...
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Also, I know my money is a pittance, but it's symbolic. The @WSJ is already losing subscribers. See comments: http://t.co/jx1ALCRf3 weeks ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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I want to subscribe to @WSJ, but am not, due to @rupertmurdoch supporting SOPA. Change your opinion, receive my money. #challenge 1/23 weeks ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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I like chickens. I would love to own and care for a few. For now, http://t.co/3auSADGy will suffice.
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I want one of these... http://t.co/VbkxO8T0
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Xybot is way cooler than that mini douche. http://t.co/rEJGidpr Robot makers not thrilled to be beside Bieber (from @cnn)
Posts
Not long ago, I " switched " from an iPhone 4 to a Google/Samsung Nexus S 4G , effectively making the transition from an iOS dominated gadget life to a half and half approach. (I'm too vested in the App Store and I love my iPad 2 as a tablet.) [Image Via ] Usually, when I tell people about this decision, they ask "Why?" as if it's some strange sort of crime to try something new, or perhaps, as a self-professed Apple fan, that it's sacriledge to go to the dark side of Droid. That's all nonsense. I simply was sick of AT&T, and wanted to give Android a true go at everyday use. I also envied the talk of custom roms and kernels, and longed for the ability to tweak and hack my phone as I please without hassle. (Yes, jailbreaking is kind of a hassle, since Apple doesn't really support or like it, where the Android community seems to embrace it.) Anyway, what do I think so far? Here's some of my first impressions for would-be switchers and curious minds. Yes, it can do everything the iPhone can Pretty much every major online service I use has a...
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community manager for capable networks, llc
