Monday, December 15, 2014

Chromebook's Task Manager

I have recently been suffering from some lockups and crashes. The need for a task manager was incredible and I lamented the lack of one.
How wrong I was. The hot key is Esc+Shift. Well. I feel stupid.
What I discovered using the task manager was that Adblock Plus was eating my RAM. Google Drive Sync, the ability to use and edit drive documents offline is also chewing on my memory.
As valuable as I find Adblock, I decided it to turn it off.
We shall see what happens.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Legacy Formatting - Google Docs vs. Microsoft Office

Many years ago, I decided not to use Microsoft Office any more. Yeah me! But what if you have to use both Microsoft Office and Google Documents? Well, you can.
BUT... it seems that all formatting done in Google Docs IS supported by Microsoft Office while Microsoft Office formatting can be horribly scrambled by Google Docs. Nothing is more annoying than perfecting form in Excel or Word and having Google Docs screw up the formatting.
The obvious and horrendous option is to rewrite the whole document in Google Docs. My answer to that is "Heck no."
The better option is to make sure Google Docs does not try to convert Microsoft Documents when they are upload. There is a trick to this. Google Docs doesn't let you do this. Why? All Google Docs are stored in or on your Google Drive. That is where the setting is.
Annoying, I know.
Go to Google Drive and click the gear.
Click settings. The window that opens has exact four options. Uncheck the first item called "Convert uploads".
Once this is done, you will have your Microsoft Office Format preserved. There is a minor cost for doing this - You may not edit the document. On the other hand, the document has a preview mode available, a conversion option, sharing and email choices, and printing options. Usually this is good enough for most users.
I made a choice not to use Microsoft Office, but do you know why Office exists? Because some people like it and continue to use what they know best. As it should be.
When you need to keep your workflow moving and have all kinds of new tools available glitches happen. I hate it when a new product like Drive or Docs comes a long and breaks old files, forcing you to rework them.
If you find yourself in this set of circumstances, you really should pick one software product and use it exclusively. If you end up picking drive. you will eventually need to rework and reformat your files. But don't let your software dictate when you need to do this.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

SFB Scrapyard Sack

I ordered Amarillo Design Bureau’s Scrapyard Sack.

What did I get? I don’t know, but I love it.

There are several intact ships – A Kzinti ship, a Kzinti Tug, 3 Federation CA style ships, an AUX carrier and a B10 Boom. The small Aux carrier, the B10 Boom and the Kzinti Tug are pretty much ready to go, I could clean them up and paint them now. The others will require a smidgen of creativity to get into action.

Additional items are 6 Federation engines, matched in left-right pairs. 4 Federation frigate engines and lower hulls, an extra CA style hull with engines, a Federation hull with no engines or bridge, and a pair of Klingon wing disruptors or engines.

And in the middle is a nearly complete hull of something I can’t identify.

All and all, I am very happy with my scrapyard sack.

UPDATE: David McGuire over on Google+ gave me some hints:
"Without a closer look, the center one may be a NCL. Or on the outside, maybe the DN minus the body or the Federation version of the B10"

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Reshare – Billiam Brabble and Inked Adventures

Reshare my butt… this is a total post theft.
Billiam Babble on Google +, posted about Inked Adventures, a set of 3d paper dungeon morphs. These sets are available on DriveThru RPG and retail for less than $10.00 a set. In many cases, much less than 10 bucks. You can also check out Inked Adventures link above for free items, support, and errata.
What a deal for a creative and easy way to enhance your dungeon crawl.
For the record, my payday is Friday so sadly I have to wait to order my set.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Brown's Berry Patch

(EDITED May, 2016. I am uncertain as to the status of the Farm, I had heard they closed but they still have an active Facebook Page. It was always a pleasure traveling out the Patch. Perhaps a little investigation is in order.)

It is that time of year again, we are taking our yearly trip to Brown’s Berry Patch. Brown’s is located in Orleans County, just south of Lake Ontario.
Brown’s Berry Patch has seasonal you-Pick fruit, right now, apples are in full swing along with pumpkins. Some softer fruits are available in the shop, but not available as a self picked item. Prices for apples are ridiculously low, be sure to bring a bag to carry your picks home with you. Wagons are available for rental.


Live music and the grill are the center piece of the Patch. The various acts provide family friendly entertainment while you enjoy treats from the snack shop or a meal from the grill. Take some time to take a pictures and shop before venturing out to pick apples.


Kids will enjoy the Barnyard Adventure. Prices are very reasonable, about $5.00 per person. The Barnyard Adventure is subject to weather conditions, so it is best to call ahead or check the local weather for the 14571 zip code.
Address: 14264 Roosevelt Hwy, Waterport, NY 14571
Website: Brown’s Berry Patch

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Chromebook and Ubuntu - How do I right click?

If you are using Crouton on a Chromebook, there will come a day where you ask "How do I right click?" With Chrome, you tap with two fingers. In Ubuntu, this does work.
Nothing special is needed. Just hold the ctrl button and click. This also works with any Ubuntu variant and a Mac single button mouse.
Good to know, eh?