The Ryan Oliver

DO NOT BUY AN ELECTRIC BIKE...

2021-11-20T06:46:00.005-08:00

Unless you want to have a ton of fun!!

One of my good friends, Dean Rittenhouse, organized an electric bike rental with a group of friends in Washington, D.C. about 5 years ago and looking back, it was one of the most memorable moments in the last decade. we had so much fund cruising around the national monuments and moving effortlessly through the city without breaking a sweat!!

Fast forward 5 years and my friends invited me to go mountain biking and i was so worried that i would not be able to keep up with them, so I made the decision to buy an electric mountain bike and started my research. Here are the steps that I followed and hopefully they can help you too!

Step 1: Requirements

- weight: a bike as light as possible to carry around. Challenge: e-bikes can get heavy b/c of the motor and the battery

- portability: would like to be able to throw the bike in the car or take on the train

- price: not looking to break the bank, these bikes can get expensive

- power: would like to have enough power to push through intersections or up hills when in need of a kick

- duration: hoping to have enough batter life to get back and forth to work and or an afternoon of riding with friends

The requirements are so important because it helped me think more clearly about what is important. It also provided me with a framework for evaluating.

Step 2: Shopping

- Studying the market, see what is out there

- youtube: great resource for videos on the variety of ebikes on the market that you can view, see reviews, watch in action and gain a comfort level

- narrow down your option to the top 3, there are going to be tradeoffs, what are you comfortable including versus excluding.

Step 3: Test drive

- some ebikes are not available for test drive, so this part can be harder to accomplish.

after doing my homework, i ultimately ended up purchasing the Wallke E-bike. after riding it for a couple months, and closing over 500 miles so far, i can tell you that i'm loving it!!! Not only is it so much fun, but it's kick started my exercise routine. I have been able to map out a path to work, so i'm able to bike to the office, hit the gym and then get to my desk by 7 am if all goes well... the feeling of being in the office early and having already exercised is tremendous. the funny thing is that i'm not typically ready to start working out first thing in the morning, but after a 30 minute bike ride, my energy level has increased and i have been able to hit the gym and get a great workout.

One of the nice features of the Wallke is the foldability. This bike folds in half and fits mostly in the trunk with a bungee cord. Able to bike about 50 miles at speed assist level 1. This is a class C bike which means that the top power speed is 28 MPH. Most of the time not going that fast, but on occasion helpful to reach destination faster when the coast is clear.

The wide tires and shock absorbers make the ride smooth and cushy- and loving the bigger seat... have a hard time thinking about a tiny hard seat that has become the standard in the biking world... also the hydraulic disk breaks stop on a dime!

Wallke has been great with customer service- responsive and helpful.

From an overall price value perspective, I'm very happy. My biggest complaint is the weight, but over time that has become overshadowed by the functionality. And I will find any excuse to use my ebike and would highly recommend considering this addition to your active lifestyle!

iPhone Contacts Not Synching with iCloud

2015-11-13T15:08:00.001-08:00

I recently had added about a dozen contacts into my iPhone but they were not synching with my laptop and when I checked online at iCloud.com, they were not showing up there either. I made sure all devices were using the latest software updates, tested iTunes and iCloud on all system preferences and everything appeared to be fine… so then I went online to apple support… searched the online library… still could not find a solution. I called the apple support line at 800-275-2273 and spoke to Deigo. He was very helpful, and within 10 minutes, he figured out the problem. I had to go onto my phone, Settings: Mail, Contact, Calendars and under the Contacts section, I had to change my “Default Account” to “iCloud”. This solved the problem for new contacts, but I still had about 1 dozen contacts that were not synching, so we opened contacts on the phone, clicked on “groups” and then selected the “work” group (my old default account) and found the contacts there. I was able to retype these contacts into a CSV file, then import right into contacts on my computer and voila, problem solved. Thank you Diego!!

Apple iOS 8 Health App Stop Working

2014-11-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

I logged onto the Health App <https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/health/> this morning and all of my data was gone!! Or Was it? I found a post by "marcus from kings lynn" on a https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6568048 post that explaned how to solve the problem:

SOLUTION:

1. Press and hold the power and him keys together.
2. Keep held until the phone has gone black, the apple logo has appeared and disappeared again.
3. Then let go of the buttons
4. and turn the phone on.

Apple Video Rentals Dissapoint

2014-09-02T13:29:00.002-07:00

Imagine that you are getting ready to go camping for the weekend, with no cell or internet and planning a nice, relaxing vacation away from civilization. Just in case it rains, you decide to rent a move to watch on the iPad. The instructions say that you have 30 days to watch the movie, but that once you start, the movie will expire in 24 hours.

Fast forward to the campgrounds. The weather is awesome, so you get setled in, then after all of the setup, dinner and cleanup, you put the kids to sleep and get ready for bed. Your wife suggests watching the movie since you have some quiet time together, so at 9:30 pm, you start the movie... halfway into the movie, you find yourself dozing off, and after a completely exhausting day, you stop the movie and fall asleep.

The next day you have plans to hike along the waterfalls. By the time you get back to camp, it's almost 6 pm. You still haven't had dinner yet, so by the time you finish dinner and get the kids to sleep, it's almost 9 pm.

You turn on the ipad to finish the movie, but an error message impeeds your quiet time. The 24 hours have lapsed, and the movie, that you spent 1/2 hour downloading, has not disappeared from your iPad.

This situation in various settings has happened to me several times and I am going to seriously consider not using this Apple video service in the future. Apple can do better than this. They can clearly see that I did not watch the entire video. They should change this policy to enable viewers to watch their videos in full. If the 24 hour expires, they may not be able to watch the video a 2nd or 3rd time (that I understand), but at least give the viewer a week to watch the video that they rented in the first place!!!

iPhone batter saving tips

2014-07-27T06:50:00.001-07:00

Helpful iPhone battery saving tips http://www.payetteforward.com/why-does-my-iphone-battery-die-so-fast-heres-the-real-fix/

Posted with Blogsy

Dropcam Setup on Verizon FIOS

2014-05-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

After researching dozens of products to be used as a baby cam, I purchased the Dropcam home video monitor primarily because the video stream could be accessed through computer, iphone, ipad and other mobile devices from anywhere in the world. Setup was also marketed aggressively as quick and easy and should be completed within 90 seconds, however, that was not the case.

Step 1: unboxed the unit, followed the instrucions (30 seconds)
Step 2: attempted to connect to Wi-Fi on my Verizon FIOS network (60 seconds)
Step 3: received the error "Wireless network not found. Please make sure the camera is within range of the router, MAC filtering is disabled, and the password is correct." (15 seconds)
Step 4: I searched the support pages and found that changing the wireless router (which requires logging INTO the router admin screen) channel to 1 or 11, but that did not work (5 minutes)
Step 5: called Dropcam support, but at 9:45 PM EST, they were closed (1 minute)
Step 6: woke up Saturday morning, 9:30 AM EST, spoke to Aaron at tech support, he helped me test my internet connection speed at speedtest.net, reboot the router, and move the camera to about 10 feet away from the router. None of those tests worked, so he indicated that I would have to speak to advanced tech support, but they are not available on the weekends. (20 minutes)
Step 7: went online to Verizon chat support and the agent typed "I regret to hear of the trouble that you are having. For Technical Support for your Home Monitoring and Control system, please call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) and follow the prompts for Home Monitoring and Control Technical Support" (3 minutes)
Step 8: that agent directed me to call 866-785-8153 which turns out to be closed on the weekends... (6 minutes)
Step 9: I finally spoke to a higher level tech at Dropcam who was actually pretty nice. He walked me through setting up a higher level of network security so that the camera would work.

1 Month later... Now that it's working, I actually love the product. I can access it from any device and/or multiple devices simultaneously. I would highly recommend this product after using it for about a month!

Smart Mailbox in Apple Mail

2014-05-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love the "unread"mailbox on my phone. It's a quick way to see exactly what has not been read yet, and hides all of the other emails that I have already read. I don't know why it took me 5 years to realize that I could do this on my desktop as well, so I opened my Mail application, went to the Mailbox menu and chose "New Smart Mailbox...".

Then I created a new rule and from the drop down menu, selected "Message is unread" and labeled the new mailbox "Unread". Now I have a new mailbox and can quickly see my unread messages at a glance. Kind of psyched, but I'm sure the excitement will wear off in a few hours...

Don't get ripped off at MODERN VAC & SEW

2014-02-14T08:06:00.002-08:00

If you happen to be near the Roxborough/Andorra Section of Philadelphia, PA, avoid the MODERN VAC & SEW in the Andorra Shopping Center... Here was my experience:

I took my vacuum machine in for repair. They charged a $29.95 fee up front to look at the machine. A few days later, they called with a laundry list of items that needed repair, totally $106.00. The machine new was only $20 more than that, so I went to their store, picked up the machine and took it to the Oreck store in Ardmore, PA. They looked at the machine, flipped it upside down, replaced the belt, charged me $7.10 which included 2 additional replacement belts in case I wanted to do the repair on my own in the future, and sent me on my way. Keep in mind that I am using a Hoover Windtunnel vacuum cleaner, so hat's off to Oreck and avoid getting ripped off at MODERN VAC & SEW.

My Oreck Store

myoreckstore.com/‎

16 Greenfield Ave, Ardmore, PA 19003
(610) 658-0728

Is there one room in the house that is not getting warm? It may not be the HVAC and in fact may be solved by better insulation...

2014-02-10T12:04:00.003-08:00

In my quest to better insulate a room in the house that never seems to get warm, I have finally made progress. The room is now approximate 4-6 degrees warmer, however, still remains about 2-3 degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Caveat: the room faces east, so it does receive direct sunlight in the AM. Prior to our upgrades, the room was always frigid. Here is what we did:

We purchased a laser temperature gun for about $19 (http://www.amazon.com/Nubee%C2%AE-Temperature-Non-contact-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00CVHIJDK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1392060740&sr=8-8&keywords=laser+temperature+gun) FYI: this is a fantastic gift for all of you DIY'ers out there.
We measured the exact temperature of all of the walls, ceiling and floor to establish a baseline.
We met with an HVAC specialist who helped us rearrange the furniture in the room so that the heat coming off of the ventilation would be better disbursed throughout the room (and not blocked by any furniture). During that time, he put his hand over the vents and could clearly feel warm air coming through. He also put a tissue over the return while the HVAC was running and the suction was apparent in that the tissue sucked up immediately against the return. He told us our biggest problem was insulation.
We noticed that the wall with the window was clearly the coldest and that tons of heat was escaping right there. We went to IKEA, purchased curtain liners along with clip on decorative curtains and installed them across the entire wall. It was almost immediately noticeable that we gained about 1-2 degrees of warmth. Just by blocking these windows and the wall, we were able to trap heat in the room.
We hired a GC to come to the home to insulate. The strategy was two fold: a) make sure all of the existing insulation was well buttoned up and created an “envelope” that is required to trap the heat and b) use a blow pump to shoot insulation into the hard to reach areas.

After doing a little investigation, we were SHOCKED to find out that the insulation that was underneath the bedroom was resting on the garage ceiling (per code), but there was a 3-4 inch GAP between the insulation and the sub-floor above it. This means that there was no real insulation on the floor. Cold air was circulating under the room. The room was essentially an ice box. We rented a blow pump from Lowes/Home Depot and shot about 8 units of insulation in between that small gap below the floor.

Before and after pictures of the insulation above the vaulted ceiling: notice the GAP at the peak. Heat was escaping through this area which lacked thorough insulation:

With the combination of the heavy curtain wall, and the insulation, the room is now much warmer and noticeable more comfortable.

How long does it take to change a lightbulb?

2014-02-02T06:50:00.001-08:00

My wife's 2006 Hyundai Sonata headlamp bulb died, so instead of taking it to the mechanic, I figured I would save some money and replace it myself... Three hours and $46 later, the joke was on me! Here is what happened:

Went to pep boys, asked the parts guy for the correct bulb part number... Went home ans started to remove the boots that hold in the headlight box housing. Two screws were easy and accessible, but the 3rd was tucked away about 8 inches deep. My 1/4" rachet set for home hobbies was not compatible. The 3/8 was too ss all and the 7/16 was too large.
I went back to pep boys and talked to a new parts personal. She must have been no more tha 21, but knew more about car parts than the previous parts guy and showed me where to find a 10mm. This time, I brought my rachet with me, so I went to the parking lot, popped the hood, and quickly learned that the rachet and socket were both too small and made the first comedy of errors, and dropped the rachet down into a crevasse.
Third trip into pep boys, found me helpful parts girl and she suggested I use a retractable magnet to extract my ratchet. I also bought an extended length 10mm socket, whet back out to the parking lot to fish out my ratchet, and in the process, inadvertently knocks the ratchet down even further into the abyss. I dropped to the concrete and was able to pull the rachet out of the bottom just by a small opening near the drivers side wheel base. Using the extended socket, I realized that my 1/4" ratchet handle was simply too small.
Back to pep boys, my parts girl recommended a 3/8 ratchet upgrade since they are more durable and more commonly used, is I returned my two 1/4" sockets, and picked up and extended handle ratchet, along with and extended 10mm socket and a rice crispy treat. Upon returning to the parking lot, I quickly realized that this was the right fit, so decided to drive home and compete the project in the garage. Once I was home, I handily removed the entire light housing. From that point, I was able to remove the bulb. Once the bulb was out, I compared it to the build I had purchased, and guess what... It was the wrong bulb! At this point, I was fuming....
Quick trip back to pep boys, and it turns out that the car is a 2006, not 2005, so that was clearly my fault... I purchased the correct bulbs, along with a giant 3 musketeers and went back home. Removing the bulb was easy, but reseating the new bulb was a huge pain. There was an awkward paperclip like part that needed to be secured to the base of the bulb so that it would stay in position... It was so annoying that I started laughing at myself because the paper clip kept detaching. My wife and I had to leave, and I was going to have to put down the project for now, but just beforehand, I learned that the extended ratchet was simply too long for the passenger side... So later that evening, we stopped at an auto zone about 5 minutes before 9 pm, and of course, the did not have the right part.
Next morning, went back to pep boys for a 6th time... Purchase another 10mm socket, went home, replaced both bulbs, easily spent and hour fiddling with the paper clips, and finally completed the job.

Posted with Blogsy

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America

2014-01-26T11:16:00.003-08:00

According to the CDC, Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, (nearly 500 deaths annually in the United States) yet many people don't know they are suffering from CO poisoning until its too late. Since symptoms of CO poisoning are like the flu, you might not even know you're in danger at first. CO monitors can detect the CO you can't see, smell or taste in the air.

I was originally going to order a $20 unit that was ranked highly on Amazon: "The First Alert CO600", but then I checked with Consumer Reports and found that there is a big difference in CO detectors... The quality of detection increased drammatically at around $50, so I'm probably going to puchase: " First Alert OneLInk SCO501CN" instead.

"Every home should have smoke alarms, and CO alarms are a must in all homes with fuel-burning appliances such as a furnace, water heater, range, cooktop or grill. Even an all-electric home may benefit from a couple of CO alarms" -Consumer Reports http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/co-and-smoke-alarms/buying-guide.htm

Ditch your cable yet???

2013-10-20T07:10:00.001-07:00

If you are a serious sports fan, then stop reading... but if you are just a regular TV watcher and want to eliminate your cable bill, then you should seriously consider DTV. Digital TV is the next generation of "over the air" broadcast T.V. Some of you may remember growing up with 4 channels: ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS, that over time expanded to include FOX and other local stations, but ultimately around 2009, the broadcasting via analog was discontinued and DTV was born. Digital TV sends digital signal over the air for free. You need a digital converter box, unless your TV is new and equipped to handle this reception. In some cases, the DTV is High Definition (HD). In other words, you can get HD for free!

When the DTV service started, I ordered a converter box, but the only output was RCA, so even though the HD was free, the quality of delivery was not as sharp as it could have been. Several years have passed and I have been able to enjoy the DTV to a degree, although there are probably just as many commercials as you would find on cable. We have also added the AppleTV to the mix to view any movies and T.V. shows on demand. We are able to pay for specific HBO shows as well as dozens of other popular premium channels. Last year, my sibilings gifted HULU subscription and that has only added to our growing array of "on demand" video.

Then trajedy struck...the other week the DTV remote disappeared. We looked in the couch crevices, in every possible corner of the home to no avail. After a week, I started searching online for information about a new DTV converter box. I found one that was well ranked on Amazon: HomeWorx HW-150PVR ATSC Digital TV Converter Box w/ Media Player & Recording PVR Function / HDMI Out. I noticed that it included a "PVR" which is essentially a DVR, VCR, VHS, Betamax, or any other similarly named recording device. I ordered this product and it arrived less than a week ago. Let me just tell you that this thing works great. Firstly, it has an HDMI output, so now ALL of our channels are so much more crisp and clear. HD is fantastic and the reception seems to be stronger. The PVR requires that you hook up a USB hard drive for storing your recorded shows. I grabbed an older drive, hooked it up, and it would not work at first, so I had to format the drive using the built in interface on the converter box and it has worked flawlessly since. I have been able to record shows easily and watch what I want, when I want.

I'm really happy with this purchase, and for $46, I would consider it a great investment.

Perfect Shave Every Time

2013-06-25T19:06:00.002-07:00

Do you really need to replace your razor blades after every use? Or after every week? Most definitely not... I get about 4 months out of my Gilette Fusion Blades... here's how: Ryan's special shaving routine: 1. turn on shower 2. wash face with soap 3. apply favorite shave cream (i prefer old foam style- do not like gel) 4. wash the rest of body (this extra couple minutes allows the shave cream to really soften the facial hair) 5. switch shower head to focused stream and turn up the heat 6. direct stream of super hot water onto blades, allow blades to get hot 7. shave, then rinse in hot water stream, then repeat 8. perfect shave every time

Plumb Pak Toilet Flush Tank Lever Highly Recommended

2012-10-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

The toilet handle disintegrated and I was forced to pick up a new lever. I had already reported on the HydroFlush Water Saver adapter that saves water depending on the flush load, but I have found out over time that the interface is not simple for inexperienced users to grasp. I will continue to look for alternatives, but in the meantime, I went to Lowes and purchased a solid solution. It's the Premium Tank Lever by Plumb Pak in polished brass (item #79890) and I am really liking it so far. It was easy to install in about 10-15 minutes but more importantly, it's all brass. There are no plastic or fake metal parts to break like the last unit. I would definitely recommend this product: http://www.lowes.com/pd_79890-143-PP836-73L_5003696__?productId=3135311&Ntt=toilet+tank&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__5003696__s%3FNtt%3Dtoilet%2Btank&facetInfo=$10%20-$15

Posted with Blogsy

Apple TV vs Google TV vs Roku vs Boxee vs…

2012-09-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a great snapshot comparison from the Device Guru comparing:

Apple TV vs Google TV vs Roku vs Boxee vs…

http://deviceguru.com/google-tv-vs-apple-tv-vs-boxee-vs-roku/

Golf Handicap - What does that really mean?

2012-08-05T09:08:00.002-07:00

I was trying to determine how my golf handicap was calculated and this web site was very helpful: http://golf.about.com/od/handicaps/l/blhandicapincal.htm

I learned that your Handicap index is not meant to reflect your average score, it's meant to reflect your best potential.

Here are some other important definitions:

Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the course will be;
Slope rating (a term trademarked by the USGA) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative to the course rating. The minimum slope rating is 55 and the maximum is 155, average difficulty is 113
ESC: Equitable Stroke Control: is part of the USGA Handicap System, and is a feature of that system that is designed to minimize the effects of "distaster holes". ESC sets a maximum per-hole score that you can turn in for handicap purposes, and those per-hole maximums are based on your course handicap.
Adjusted Gross Score: Gross score is, of course, every stroke a golfer has taken during a round, added up to a total score. Adjusted gross score is a golfer's stroke total for a round after accounting for the maximum per-hole scores allowed by the USGA's Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) guidelines.Also note that even when ESC limits are in use, golfers must still count all their strokes. If you score 89, you don't get to claim to your buddies that you shot 79 because of ESC limits. Your score is the number of strokes you used. But the score you submit to a handicap committee is the total that results after you apply Equitable Stroke Control (and that figure is known as your adjusted gross score).
Course handicap is really the crux of the USGA Handicapping System. It's the number that determines how many strokes - if any - you get to reduce your net score by on each hole at each different golf course you play.Course handicap is a result of the addition of "slope rating" to "course rating" as factors in the USGA Handicapping System in the early 1980s. A player's scores and the course ratings and slope ratings of golf courses played are used to calculate a "handicap index." But not all golf courses are created equal; some are easy, some are tough, and some are in the middle. What happens if your handicap index was earned playing a very easy course, but now you're about to play a very tough course? Handicap index alone doesn't account for that, so a second calculation is needed. That second calculation is course handicap, which adjusts your handicap index up or down depending on the degree of difficulty of the specific course you're about to play.
USGA Handicap Index is a numeral, to one decimal place, that represents a golfer's potential for scoring. A handicap index of 14.5, for example, indicates that a golfer will, on his or her best days, shoot somewhere around 14 or 15 strokes over par. Handicap Index is not an average of a golfer's scores, but rather an estimate of what the golfer might shoot on his or her best days

After reading through all of the pages, I decided to create my own spreadsheet to help determine exactly what my score is when taking into consideration the "Course Handicap". Take a look at this https://www.dropbox.com/s/yi7zgrikjagkyfj/Handicap-Template.xls handicap template spreadsheet. I hope this helps.

Mag Lev Tube: NY to LA in 2 Hours

2012-04-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McpWcn-1RZU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Enable the Debug Feature in iCal for Bonus Features and Tweaks

2012-02-22T10:04:00.001-08:00

http://lifehacker.com/5886836/

How do germs spread?

2012-02-15T06:06:00.001-08:00

"Most germs are spread through the air in sneezes, coughs, or even breaths. Germs can also spread in sweat, saliva, and blood. Some pass from person to person by touching something that is contaminated, like shaking hands with someone who has a cold and then touching your own nose.

Steering clear of the things that can spread germs is the best way to protect yourself. And that means . . .

Hand washing! Remember the two words germs fear — soap and water. Washing your hands well and often is the best way to beat these tiny warriors. Wash your hands every time you cough or sneeze, before you eat or prepare foods, after you use the bathroom, after you touch animals and pets, after you play outside, and after you visit a sick relative or friend.

There is a right way to wash your hands. Use warm water and soap and rub your hands together for at least 15 seconds, which is about how long it takes to sing "Happy Birthday."

Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze and cover your mouth when you cough to keep from spreading germs. So if you have to cough, it is best to do it in your elbow so your are not contaminating your hands.

Using tissues for your sneezes and sniffles is another great weapon against germs. But don't just throw tissues on the floor to pick up later. Toss them in the trash and, again, wash your hands!

Another way to fight and prevent infections is to make sure you get all the routine immunizations from your doctor. No one likes to get shots but these help keep your immune system strong and prepared to battle germs. You can also keep your immune system strong and healthy by eating well, exercising regularly, and getting good sleep. All this will help you to be prepared to fight germs that cause illness.

Now that you know the facts about germs, you may still pick up a cough or a cold once in a while, but you'll be ready to keep most of those invading germs from moving in.

Reviewed by: Yamini Durani, MD

Date reviewed: April 2011"

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/germs.html#

25,000 Pics in iPhoto with Thousands of Duplicates

2012-01-31T12:22:00.000-08:00

About 3 years ago my hard drive crashed. On top of that, my backup software was partially working, so I had to piece together a lot of files and folders. I sent my hard drive into a repair company that charged about $1,000 to extract the data. Fortunately, they pulled out most of the files. Unfortunately, a lot of the files were duplicates and even worse, the files were renamed to unrecognizable numbers, i.e. 111.pdf, 112.pdf, 113.pdf, etc. As you can imagine, it took hours and days to get everything re-organized. I dumped all of my photos into my iPhoto library. While I was psyched to have not lost my pictures, I soon realized that my iPhoto library had mushroomed to over 25,000 pictures. I finally got around to calling AppleCare tech support and they said that they do not have any remedies for this, however they did say that some people have used Duplicate Annihilator with some degree of success. I downloaded the software and paid the $7.95. Turns out this was a great investment. I was able to extract about 8,000 duplicates from my library. Even more exciting was that I was able to regain over 8 gigs of hard drive space!! Great job to Brattoo Propaganda Software. Thank you!

Google is Watching!

2012-01-30T10:02:00.001-08:00

Curious to know what Google is monitoring? Here is a link to a web site that will explain how they use your information: www.google.com/ads/preferences

Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems

2012-01-28T08:29:00.001-08:00

Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems

Top 5 things you should know about driving on Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)

Hard Drive Swap and Spotlight is Not Working

2012-01-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

If you have recently swapped out your hard drive on your Apple computer, or ventured into hyper-speed with SSD upgrade (highly recommended), you may have noticed that your spotlight search is no longer working, or partially working.

The solution is simple... just REBUILD your spotlight database. The quick way to do it is:

go to system preferences
choose spotlight
click on "privacy"
click on the "+" sign at the bottom
add your entire hard drive
quit system preferences (you may want to restart at this point)
re-launch spotlight preferences in your system preferences into the privacy pane
click on the "-" minus sign and REMOVE your hard drive from privacy
close system preferences

At this point, if you go to search on spotlight, you will notice something that looks like this:

This means that spotlight is rebuilding your searching database and reindexing. This worked great for me and I hope you have similar success.

Good luck.

Are you in the top 1%? You may be surprised...

2012-01-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

If your household income is $384,000 or higher, you are in the top 1% of earners in the United States according to the New York Times. Check out this link to see where you fit in:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/15/business/one-percent-map.html?ref=business

or view the entire article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/business/the-1-percent-paint-a-more-nuanced-portrait-of-the-rich.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Mac Mail for Heavy Users

2012-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

Are you using Apple's Mail program on your Mac? If so, you may remember how fast the program ran when it first started. If you don't keep your folders small, then you may run into problems. After calling Apple support, I found out that it is recommended to keep less than 2,000 emails in your folders. I deleted about 25,000 emails and now my mail program is working so much better. It has stopped crashing and everything is working great. It took some time to delete the files out of the folders because once the emails were moved to trash, I had to empty the trash and the Mail program would choke on large trash dumps. It required force quitting a couple times when I tried to delete to many emails at once. Eventually I got through it all and now Mail is working great and so much faster.

The Ryan Oliver

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Mac Mail for Heavy Users