A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Technology Page 7 of 14

Biggs On: Gunnars

gunnarsSince the first time I saw Gunnars at Micro Center I had wanted to try them out. Granted at the time I was wearing glasses so unless I was willing to pay the ridiculous price for prescription Gunnars, they would remain on the store shelves instead of beside my gaming peripherals. A few years later I had LASIK and it was worth every penny, of course the Gunnars would still have to wait since I just paid for the surgery.

So now we fast-forward to present day and I find some on sale on Amazon and it became time to try them out. They are supposed to help with eye strain and fatigue as well as help with dry eyes. A side effect of LASIK is dry eyes and I had chronic dry eyes prior to LASIK so anything to reduce how dry my eyes get is worth a try.

I’ve been using my Gunnars for about 3 weeks and so far they have been worth the investment. My eyes do seem less stressed and I do notice that they seem to dry out less through the day. I even think everything looks more crisp on the computer monitors. In fact not only have I been wearing them when I’m using my computer at home for video games, but I have brought them to work as well. Granted I have been called everything from “the biggest nerd in the office” to Bono from U2 but considering how much its been helping my eyes it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Besides, why would I flinch when I’m called a nerd, isn’t it better just to embrace what I am?

You can get Gunnar’s without the yellow tint and still receive the benefit but they will cost more so if you don’t mind the yellow lenses, I’d recommend the cheaper pair. So if you have the means, keep an eye on Amazon because that’s where I found them at a discount and I would definitely recommend getting a pair especially if you are feeling any kind of eye fatigue or dryness after staring at the computer for long hours.

Open Season on nook

easton1I’ve had a Barnes & Noble nook e-reader since the first year they came out and today I probably have more books on it than I own in printed format. I always knew, however, that Barnes & Noble was struggling with the sales of their nook devices. Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iBook app are just too strong for Barnes & Noble to fight. It sucks because I really like my nook.

Now I read today on CNET that Barnes & Noble will be splitting into two companies, one will be it’s regular retail business and the other their Nook Media business. I think what is most suspicious about this move is that just a few weeks ago it was announced that Samsung will be teaming with Barnes & Noble to provide a new nook using the Samsung Galaxy hardware (named the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook). I suspect that what is really happening here is that Barnes  Noble Nook Media isn’t just splitting off, I think it will become a divestiture in which Samsung will purchase the new company. This just seems to coincidental so mark my words, Samsung will soon be the new parent company of Nook Media.

I just hope that my boring nook e-reader will not become completely obsolete and the sole focus will be just on the nook tablet. Unfortunately, I think I know the answer to that.

Biggs On: HTML5 and CCS3

Web_programmerBack in the day, around 1997 – 1998, I picked up a book called “Teach Yourself HTML4 in 24 Hours”. It was my first glimpse into the world of web development. Thanks to SamsNet Publishing, I read that book cover to cover and referenced is so much the cover literally came off. CSS was still in its early stages and JavaScript was hated by everyone. Creating dynamic content was a test in perseverance and willpower. If I wanted a cool menu system, and I didn’t want to write it myself, I had to find something I liked on places like http://www.dynamicdrive.com or research how to do it using DHTML (which I don’t think even exists anymore).

This was the world I lived in for my early, static, web site development. It not only proved how difficult it was to make a website dynamic, but it also revealed just how terrible of a graphics designer I am.

After I finished college, word started going around about HTML5. It was boasted as the greatest enhancement in HTML development when combined with CSS3 ( and jQuery). They weren’t wrong. I have completed a certification in HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3 and I find myself enjoying web development immensely. Despite my complete lack of graphics design skills, I can now make buttons and fancy headers and never launch a graphics studio. It’s amazing what can now be accomplished with just a few tags and styles.

Microsoft Haters vs Critics

quillIt’s not a secret among many of my friends and co-workers, I have been pretty harsh toward Microsoft lately. It’s an interesting dichotomy since I make a living developing Microsoft solutions. Despite my harsh opinions, I’m hardly considered a hater. This post was inspired by another post I read in Visual Studio Magazine (No Stopping Microsoft Haters). The unfortunate fact is, the trolls of the Internet are relentless. Some may actually have valid reasons for their opinions, others are probably just trying to bate the passionate.

The thing is, there is a huge difference between a hater and a critic. I rip on Microsoft a lot, because I do have high expectations for a company that has been in business for nearly 40 years. I don’t think my comments and opinions make me a hater. Perhaps if you were to say I am a Windows 8 hater, that might be a valid accusation. However, I really enjoy the tools Microsoft provides to make my job a hundred times easier. I really think Windows 7 is the best version of Windows you can use (unless you must use Hyper-V, then you are pretty much stuck using Windows 8).

Unfortunately for Scott Hanselman, his rather scathing article, which has incited quite a comments backlash, may have painted him as a hater. I read his article, Microsoft killed my Pappy, and it does read like one of those obstinate anti-Microsoft personalities that has been attacking the company for years.  So, yea, there is quite a difference between someone that just has strong opinions against one or two particular products and someone that is merely trying to trash a name.

/cheers

New Domain, New Home

Greetings World!

It has been a while since I have posted anything but a couple of book reviews. The reason for that is I had to move my site to a new domain. Before I continue I need to pay some homage to my former site host. My good friend owns the www.fuzzydice.net domain and has been hosting my site for over a decade. It’s difficult to repay so many years of great service and I can’t thank him enough for doing it despite my occasional badgering when the server were to crash (or the time my site was compromised – damn spambots!). As things in life change and the cost to manage server space goes up, sometimes its easier, and cheaper, for everyone to move on to new homes and new domains.

Thanks Fuzzy!!

So here we are at our new home. I don’t know what to expect yet as far as stability and performance nor am I certain yet that this will be the permanent home but it will be sufficient for now. I’m also surprised how easy it was to actually move a WordPress site. I was honestly expecting it to be rather difficult but it actually took longer to backup and restore the site then it did to reconfigure WordPress (I found this post to be extremely helpful). If you happen to have my blog site bookmarked, you will want to update the link (or hit Ctrl+D and delete the old one).

At any rate, I will be getting back to my normal blog banter with the return of MMO Times and my other nerdy posts and rants.

/cheers

Page 7 of 14

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