IT Legends – Tech in Connecticut

I have a new business, home based, just a couple computers. I downloaded and installed Microsoft Security Essentials for free. To some of the people I trust to evaluate these things (Steve Gibson of GRC and Leo Laporte of the TWiT network), it has been dubbed a “good enough” solution for anti virus and anti malware. OK, so its a nice free utility for home users and small, home-based businesses. Awesome! But… it does use about 150MB of RAM constantly. So if your older XP machine only has 512MB of RAM, maybe invest the $30 you would normally have invested in antivirus into a RAM upgrade instead. You’ll have better performance overall anyhow.

… but no. I have Comcast Business Services for Internet. I have a server hosted elsewhere that is on a nice fiber connection via AT&T. Somehow, One Communications has to route the traffic between them – and of course they are down. But, I didn’t buy anything from One Communications! So, when I ask Comcast what their solution is, the answer is to wait. They try to explain to me how the Internet works and how everyone is dependent on others, how we just have to wait for One Communications to fix or reroute the traffic. I ask them what they are going to do if One Communications fails. The Internet is designed to be able to route around these things. They were not able to adequately explain to me why they had to wait for One Communications and why they could not simply tell their gateway routers to push traffic elsewhere. Clearly I get other places on the Internet. You can route around the problem areas – some technology is even “self healing”. I will be calling them back tomorrow and I will speak to a network engineer this time. No more Tier 1 support techs and their managers. Actually, the Tier 1 support tech was nice. Her manager just kept repeating the same thing over and over, no matter how I asked my question, which I guess is his job but seriously – why did you have to talk to me for 30 minutes after I was on hold for so long before you told me there was noone at the office at that time that could answer my question?  Were you stalling until 6pm?

I’m not sure how One Communications is in your neck of the woods, but here in Connecticut I have been moving my clients away from them as fast as possible. Their own networks here don’t talk to each other. When I get them to fix the issue(s), they break again. For example, I have 2 clients in Hartford and they have a colleague in Waterbury. All were on One Communications as an ISP, various levels of service. Between all 3 of them, none could route traffic to the others and they all have their own email servers in their office. I have another client in New Haven, and they have to email the Waterbury office too. Couldn’t do it (on One Communications). All 4 companies can email anywhere else, just not to other local One Communications destinations (including my accountant, who is also now moved to another ISP). So I call One Communications, they eventually (days later) find the problem and temporarily fix it. Until it comes up again 6-9 months later. About the 4th time it happened I decided I was done with them because they just couldn’t get their act together to even fix it temporarily that time.

Experts-Exchange.com having a little fun at all of us who know the little secret to view answers without having a subscription via google.
I have to say, I like it!
Fun. Check
Attempts to solve a problem without being normal jerk company. Check.

Good Job Expert-Exchange!

One of these windows is not like the other.....

So.. Since I recently bought a 130 year old house and we are having a super cold winter,  I’ve been looking for cheap cost effective ways to improve the insulating qualities of my house.

Guy Marsden Sustainable living  to the Rescue!

I followed (with slight modifications) his plans for DIY, inexpensive indoor storm windows. or INTERIOR WINDOW INSULATION PANELS as he calls them..

The pic above shows the results. (taken with awesome FLIR thermal camera)  I’ll post some Pics of my actual built windows in a little bit.

Disclaimer: I’ve got no relation to FLIR or Guy Marsden, they havn’t sent me a thermal imaging camera or a truck load of spare solar collectors. But as far as I’m concerned they both Rock.. Except that FLIR used to mean Forward Looking Infra Red.. so using that is like calling your company LASER..am I nit picking?   but still.. awesome product.

So..   This.. Very awesome informative  image is the reason for the previously described water cooling blocks for my video cards.

Check out this thermal Image I took with a borrowed FLIR Thermal Imaging Camera.

Inner Video card is RED

For Reference:

Yellow blob on bottom is Video card getting enough air.
Red Blob on top of it is the inner video card cooking,
This is why I need to find the time to setup the water blocks!
Blue Circle on top is the copper Water block on my CPU, That is doing it’s job!

Disclaimer: the FLIR Camera is AWESOME and super easy to use and I would be happy to take a review Unit  from the company and would then post tons of more crazy pics. But unfortunately they and I have NO relation and I had to borrow this one.  oh well.