Westendorf.US » Technology/Computers

Making a change and a quick survey

Ryan Westendorf — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:17:05 +0000

Okay, so I admit it. I don’t take the time to update the site like I used to. Other social media like Facebook & Twitter seem to have taken over my time. Well, I wanted to know something. What is the main reason you visit this site? Is it for the weather info on the sidebars? Or.. do you just like reading about my misery out in the everyday world. Comment to this post and let me find out.

Either way, I’m working on adding a new addition to the site. I found a plugin that will pass through my Twitter posts. I’m working on installing this now and hopefully it will work well. This means there will probably be much more frequent updates, some relevant, some not, but all will most definitely be short. (Perfect for those of you with short attention spans.) SQUIRREL! Just checking….

That’s the update for now. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Just for Android users…

Ryan Westendorf — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:25:00 +0000

Would you like my contact info? Then just scan the code!

Best dvd warning label ever

Ryan Westendorf — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:51:30 +0000

Do not expose disk to direct sunlight. Do not place near magnetic field. Do not use as Frisbee or pet toy. Do not use as drink coaster. Reflective surface is not to be used as vanity mirror. Failure to comply will result in a severe spanking by the brotherhood of Delta Force.

Whoa whoa wait, I can do what here now?

Ryan Westendorf — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:39:52 +0000

As promised, another update and… SURPRISE! A new design. I’m still tweaking some things, but I had to ditch the old theme in favor of one that supports the new Meebo Bar at the bottom of the screen. Now you can “like” this page, just like you like the random comments and groups in Facebook. You can also see my recent tweets, my Flickr photos (I’ll start posting more there, too, I promise), and any recent activity on the site. At least… I think that’s what the recent activity thing means, I really don’t know yet.

What’s the best thing about the site? Well, have you ever wanted to be logged into different messengers or Facebook without people looking over your shoulder knowing that you are logged in? Well, you’re in luck. I now provide you the power to stick it to the man! (Or woman, depending on your preference.) That’s right, if you click on the “Chat With Your Friends” link on the bottom right corner, you can log into any or all of these services and… TADA! Instant chattage available to you.

I’ll keep tweaking the theme over the next couple weeks, and will probably either add or take away some things on the sidebars. Do you have something you’d like to see on either side to help make this your homepage destination? Let me know! I’m always up for suggestions.

Hurricane Dean Weather Net

Ryan Westendorf — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:27:38 +0000

I’ve started to get involved a bit with the Hurricane WX Net a bit and am relaying the net traffic through a shoutcast stream. You can use any standard MP3 player capable of streaming audio to listen to the stream, just head over to http://rwest.homeip.net:8000/. The stream has a 32 user max. I don’t anticipate reaching that, but if the hurricane looks like it will make landfall it may get more hits. Guess I’ll find out then whether my internet connection can handle all the listeners.

Update

I’ve closed my server as newer better ones have come online. If you still want to listen, visit VOIP-WxNet and look for the streaming links on the left side.

Forget that last one

Ryan Westendorf — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:01:41 +0000

The power is out again in my living room. I’m about to start something on fire just so I can get it fixed. That along with this damn alarm on one of the computers in master control is driving me absolutely insane. I’ve yelled many a “red” word tonight. Actually, I think that I have run out of words I know… it’s seriously ridiculous.

When good PSUs go PU

Ryan Westendorf — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:12:13 +0000

For about the past 3 weeks I’ve been having bizarre power problems in my apartment. In one half, the living room/kitchen side, the power has infrequently been flickering to the point of actually completely going out. I’m still trying to figure out what’s causing it as I’m sure it’s something I’ve got plugged in. My PVR2 computer behind the TV is my current suspect. I’ve unplugged it and am running a smokeping to make sure it’s not something else. Hopefully it’s not the TV, but that’s about the only other thing that I have and use that I can think of. :-/

Clipped Bored

Ryan Westendorf — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:11:04 +0000

Sometimes you can find random things on people’s computers. (No, not those random things.) So, it’s time for an interactive post. In the comments to this post, simply paste what is on the clipboard of the computer you’re currently viewing on. I’ll start, as this is what got me thinking about this.

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"

I honestly have no idea why that was on the clipboard of the master control computer, and who knows for how long it’s been there since this machine hardly ever gets rebooted or logged off.

//edit// I guess if I Googled, I could have found the answer. I guess it’s a movie coming out this summer… but still, quite random.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 7PM

Ryan Westendorf — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:06:46 +0000

The NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 7PM for areas along and north of US-30 in Iowa. The Live Radar link will be up all day today.

PepperCam is back

Ryan Westendorf — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:21:36 +0000

The long awaited (well, probably not) arrival of PepperCam is back. You can see it to the right in its old home. Also, there is now a 24 hour timelapse of the action. The images are being uploaded as part of the Weather Underground webcam project. Eventually the site will host 24 hour lapses and images historically on the site. I’m still working out some problems with the camera, mainly that during the day the picture gets blown out. I assume it has something to do with the auto-iris but I’m not sure. I’ll keep working at it.

I’ve been updating

Ryan Westendorf — Tue, 22 May 2007 09:40:06 +0000

Just not this site. In the past few weeks I’ve taken on several new computer and internet projects. For websites, I’ve completely redone how TVDMAJobs.com works. It’s now a wiki to provide for an easier way for me and site visitors to update out-of-date links. I’ve also started a new job called the TV Streaming Wiki. Its purpose is to provide links to streaming video and audio from TV stations. The main focus is on wall-to-wall severe weather coverage, but breaking news can also be included.

At the day care center, I’ve taught myself how to setup a domain controller and administer computers through active directory. I had a bit of experience with active directory during my time at extension, but starting from scratch was a pretty new experience. I was doing good and was on track to make changes this weekend (I only started reading and teaching myself last week), but I screwed up and accidentally deleted all my previous accounts on the server Monday afternoon. So 14 hours later I’m finally back home and now all the computers are on a domain. This will definitely make my life easier as I can now use group policies to change how the computers are setup and also allow the users to change their own passwords… SWEET!

So, as you can tell, it’s been a fairly busy past couple weeks. June 9th I’ll be heading home and to Oelwein for Nate Oldenburger’s wedding. I’ll take my camera so I can hopefully get some good pics, plus it will just be nice to see friends from school again that I haven’t seen in years.

I’m online now… for reals

Ryan Westendorf — Mon, 07 May 2007 10:36:14 +0000

Visitors to the site have probably always noticed the Meebo Me box usually says I’m offline. That’s because I need to keep a browser window open and sitting at Meebo’s website. Well, I’ve finally found another way to stay online. So… feel free to send me a message now when you see me online. The only real problem is that it doesn’t tell me what name you’ve entered in the box, so don’t forget to tell me who you are.

My Bag of Crap

Ryan Westendorf — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:07:14 +0000

It finally came. My bag of crap that I got on April 1st. Actually, I’ve had it for a couple weeks, but I’m just getting around to posting it now. Oh, and yes, there’s another woot-off going on.

2 3-ring binders
1 Targus Travel Bag
1 Wall-wart power supply for something….
1 PS3 Wireless Control
1 Headphone Ear-bud style
1 White Envelope

Off for home…now with stalking power (again)

Ryan Westendorf — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:17:50 +0000

For the new storm season I finally got my APRS tracker up and working again. This means all my stalkers can once again follow on my travels around town or even up and back from my trip to home this weekend. Java is required for this new map to work, but it should refresh itself. You can always find the link in the left sidebar called Track Ryan. Also, I’ll be leaving the live radar up for the weekend since there is a chance of light precipitation on Tuesday. Have a Happy Easter everyone.

Live Radar

Ryan Westendorf — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:55:14 +0000

I’ve added another new feature for the website… Live radar! Well, almost live anyway. If there is ever a threat for some active weather I will fire up the radar program and post them to this page. The page is set to automatically refresh the image when a new scan comes in. If you want to check if the radar is updating, look at the time stamp on the bottom right of the image. The time is in UTC, but you can still figure out the minutes to see how old the image is. Sometimes, images may be up to 10 minutes delayed. And, just so you don’t have to read this post every time or bookmark the page, there is now a link to the live radar along the left side of this page.