Yearly (LOL) update!

OK,  I've neglected this page, I'll admit, but there are some new toys I've received.

But first, my last post mentioned that I got an LG V60.  

How is it?  It's a great phone!  I also love the dual screen (I got that via the promotional offer).  It's camera is awesome.  I was able to capture some pictures of Neowize with it (the pictures were without a tripod, so there's some motion that was captured).  My wife also bought me a Bamboo pen for it.  Oh, and we now have 5G (we're on the edge of range)...when it works, it works well.

The bad?  The dual screen sometimes glitches out.  Since the dual screen isn't under warranty, I'm SOL with that.  Another con is that the dual screen's back is made of glass...WTF were they thinking?  There are many folks who have cracked or shattered their dual screen, and apparently, it doesn't take much effort to damage the glass.  The phone itself has a nagging issue of the screen not always staying dark when I have it between my shoulder and head.  What ends up happening is my ear ends the call or dials someone else, or puts the phone on speaker mode...whatever icon my ear touches will activate that feature.

I still love the phone, though.

For Christmas 2020, I got a monocular (Gosky 12x55 HD) that I plan to use for star gazing.  It has a tripod mount as well as a part that will mate my smartphone to it, so that I can take pictures with the phone.

Another Christmas present was another head-tracking system, the Delanclip Fusion with the LED clip.  For now, I'm just going to use the LED clip with my TrackIR setup (it appears to track more accurately than the passive hat clip I have).

For working from home during the Coronavirus pandemic, I bought a Samsung 34" UltraWQHD monitor that's 21:9!  I also bought a Skull Candy Venue headset, for work.  Work actually paid for that equipment (I bought and they reimbursed).

Also, this week, I found that my mouse was dying.  I've heavily used it the past 4-5 years as a gaming mouse.  It is the Logitech G700 (the original one, not the S model).  The primary left button works intermittently, which is sad because I love the G700 so much.  It's been acting up awhile now, and I bought an G700S two years ago in case the G700 died on me, so I've been using both.  

Now that the G700 died, I bought a new mouse to replace it, although I'll admit right now that I'm not liking this mouse.  

The replacement mouse is the Logitech G502 Hero.  There's a variant of the G502 that is $140!!  I wanted it but did not want to pay $140 for a freaking mouse, so I compromised and bought the Hero version.  

There are some things I had to compromise on (even compared to the G700):  

• My G502 is not a wireless mouse. Since I rarely used the wireless feature on the G700, I was OK with having a wired mouse.  
• The G502 has 11 programmable buttons, which I think is similar to the G700.  
• What's cool is that I can add weight or lessen the weight of the mouse, as it comes with metal ballast pieces.  
• This mouse also mated fully with G HUB, which the G700 would not do.  

What do I not like about the new mouse?  The scroll button.  I like the option of a notched scroll button (the G700 has this).  This mouse also has the option of a notch-less scroll button (the G700 has that, too).  The notched feature feels like a caveman designed it....it's lumpy as gravel lot (and noisy when it's used, too).

I'll continue to use the mouse, though, as I think it's an OK compromise in price and design.

A good comparison of these two mice is here.

I'd love a metal mouse, though...I'm tired of all the plastic, cheesy, and cheap mice.  That's why I didn't want to spend $140 on a mouse...that's some expensive plastic.  Metal is also recyclable...plastic is eco-friendly nor is it recyclable.  And, with a metal mouse, there's be less of a need for adding additional weight.

I'll try to be better at updating this page.

Fathers Day - LG V60

My wife asked me what I wanted for Fathers Day.  I told her I wanted another handgun.  She didn't bite.  Instead, she suggested a new phone.  I'd been using an LG V30 the past 3 years.  It's been working fine.  Before then, I'd used an LG V20.

What'd I get this time?  An LG V60.  Verizon is my carrier.

I'd wondered if the V60 would come with the dual screen case.  It does not (although you can purchase it separately if your carrier is AT&T.  I'd read that you could get a promotional offer of the dual screen case but no literature came with the phone that stated it.  I had to hunt it down on the internet.  Even then, the URLs were bad...it took me a while to find a functional URL that would let me submit for the dual screen case.  I submitted for it the same day I bought it (3 days ago).  It will take 4-6 weeks for me to receive it.

The phone is definitely an upgrade for me.  Everything about it is better (not that I had any major complaints on the V30).  The speakers are far better than the one on the V30.  The camera is better.  The V30's screen is better (but smaller).

I bought a cheap clear gel case for the V60.  I'll use it when I'm not using the dual screen case.

One thing about the dual screen case that I see people complaining about is the fragile front of the case (when closed).  It's made of glass.  While it will protect the phone, it destroys itself in the process.  I hear that LG will replace broken glass for you for $35.  That's not bad.  It would be better if they refined the case by making the front cover plastic instead, though.

I also have an active stylus coming (a Wacom Bamboo Ink Plus).

It also syncs well with my Samsung Galaxy watch (I didn't have an issue with the V30 connecting to it, either).

The V60 is a 5G phone and I don't live anywhere near a location that has 5G (closest area is Pentagon City and DC area).

The phone also is using Android 10, which is new to me.

One thing I have to get used to is using gestures instead of the home row keys that are usually at the bottom of the screen (home key, back key).  I can disable gestures to regain access to the home row keys but I thought I'd try to use the gestures for a bit to see if I can learn something new.  If I don't like it, I can always go back to what I'm used to.

I'll probably give the V30 to my son.  I've to remove the 256 GB microSD card first (he doesn't need that) and then ensure that my Google Authenticator entries have been migrated to my new phone.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad

I've purchased both IL-2 Sturmovik:  Battle of Stalingrad and IL-2 Sturmovik:  Battle of Bodenplatte. 

I purchased the premium version for both, meaning I also have the premium (ie, collector) planes for those two modules.

I've been flying IL-2 the past 3 weeks, off and on.  I'm also flying War Thunder in Simulator Battles mode.  I probably shouldn't be mixing the two, but the concepts are pretty much the same between the two games.  I can use the same tactics in both games.

I'll be posting on these two games as I learn more about them.

PC Gaming

During the pandemic, I've not been able to do my normal hobby (visiting the local range to shoot my firearms).

I've been trying to do things that are different.  One example is that I've been delving in using Python (the programming language). 

Another thing that I've been doing is playing different PC games than I'm used to.  I've recently been playing Cold Waters, a submarine warfare sim.  I've also been playing Arma 2.  I'd install Arma 3 but I probably have to uninstall a few other games before I do that.  Arma 2 has a smaller footprint.

I also recently bought Steel Beasts Pro PE, a tank/armor simulator that uses sandboxes (similar to Arma 3).  I bought the original version maybe 20 years ago and thought I'd have fun with the latest version.  It is fun but something that you have to keep playing to get used to.

Lastly, yesterday, I bought a set of rudder pedals and 8 GB of DDR3 RAM (to add to my gaming desktop, which already has 8 GB - I needed to add another 8).  The pedals I bought are CH Pro pedals.  It took me two weeks to decide which pedals to buy.  I didn't want to buy anything super-expensive...I just need a decent set to use to play War Thunder SB or even DCS with (I've the first version of Black Shark as well as A-10C Warthog, which I've rarely used).  If I end up flying SB within War Thunder or DCS a lot more, then I'll invest in a very nice set of pedals.  I plan to use the CH Pro pedals with my X52 Pro HOTAS.

I'm finding myself playing less War Thunder RB.  I think I'm bored.  I've been playing it hardcore a bit over a year and it's getting redundant.

I'll keep you all updated the next few weeks.

TrackIR and FPS

I bought a TrackIR (version 5) a few years ago but hardly ever used it. I wanted to try to use it for flight sims but never got around to using it. Well, I dusted it off and used it to play some Arma 2 this past weekend. All I can say is....WOW! I should've been using this a long time ago. While I realize that not all games allow for head-tracking, Arma does (I've many of the Arma variants, including Arma 3). I also used it a bit to play some War Thunder. It was awesome there as well, allowing for a very immersive bit of gameplay (although I just used the test drive feature to test the hardware). To use TrackIR with War Thunder will also, for full immersion, require the use of HOTAS, which I do have (I've the Saitek X52 Pro throttle and stick combo), as well as rudder pedals, which I do not yet have (I'm in the process of deciding which to buy...I'm not looking for Gucci equipment...just some decent pedals to facilitate gameplay). I'll be testing other FPS games to see if they allow for head-tracking. I may also delve into other flight sims such as DCS and the IL2 series. Stay tuned.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

I bought Call of Duty: Modern Warfare last year, but haven't played it much.  A friend reached out to me via Battle.net to ask if we can play a few games and I told him I had CoD:MW.  

I started playing  the campaign to get familiar with it, but noticed that the game kept crashing after a few minutes of play.  

Initially, I tried dialing back the graphics, in case my system couldn't cope with it, but I play a lot of other resource-intensive PC games on this system, so I knew that this wasn't a hardware issue.  I had the game redo the shaders, as well.  Neither helped.  I reinstalled the game (as someone suggested) but that didn't help either.

Today, I fixed the issue.  It wasn't related to software or hardware.  This was a networking issue.  I went into my router's configuration and added some port fowarding entries using this resource.  It worked.  The game hasn't crashed and I've played maybe 1.5 hours.

My gaming system's specs:

Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Motherboard:  MSI MS-7850
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4690K CPU @ 3.50GHz
Monitor: Dell SE2719H (27" LED)
Video Card: ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB
Memory: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
Mouse: Logitech G700S
Keyboard: Logitech G213 Prodigy
OS: Windows Version 7 Professional
Web Cam: Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam
Headset: Logitech G935

SSD Fever

Maybe 5 years ago, I bought a 750GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD drive for my Alienware 17" laptop.  It's still going strong (I don't use it as much as I used to).  3 years ago, I bought 2 x 500GB Samsung 750 EVO SSD drives for use in my gaming laptop.  2 days ago, I bought 2 x 1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSDs.

Why so big?  Why not?  Especially since they're super-cheap now.  The 1TB drives were $139 each.  The 500GB drives were around $170 each.  The 750GB was around $400.

I now need to determine how to use them.  I can sacrifice my two 500GB drives and put them into RAID0 for craps and giggles.  Or, I can put the two 1TB drives into RAID0 or RAID1...again, for fun.  I now have more SSD drives than I do mechanical drives.  I know many people buy small SSDs and put their OS on those drives.  Some put the OS and a game or three on the drive.  They would also have several mechanical drives for storage of files, images, and things like that. 


I've no idea how I'll use them, as I mainly bought them because they were on sale, but I'll find a way!  :)

UPDATE - 12/2/2018:

I decided to only use one of the SSDs.  I will probably put the other in another system or wait for a bit to use it.  For now, it's sitting bare but installed.  I could use it as a storage drive.  We'll see.

I reisntalled Windows 7 instead of cloning a different and older (and degraded) install.  I spend the Saturday installing Win7 and all of the required drivers and such, then attempted to install Win10 (I've an upgrade license).  The install hung at 63% and stayed there for 4 hours until I intervened and rebooted the system.  It did not like that but I had no choice.  I waited overnight for the rescue portion of the install disk to fix the errors.  I'll continue with Win7 and clone it, so that when I attempt to upgrade to Win10 and the process breaks, I'll have a fresh copy of Win7.

New Phone! LG V20!

I got rid of my shitty Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.

My daughter and I had been having boot loop issues.  I don't think it's an app or battery issue.  I think it's an OS/firmware issue.  Why?  Because there was nothing in common with my daughter's installed software and mine.  She's a teen and I'm almost 50 years old...we used totally different software across the board.  It wasn't a battery issue because I actually had my daughter's phone replaced (at $200, that was NOT a cheap "fix")...2 months later, the exact same issue started occurring again on her new phone.  The battery and phone were new.

So, I got tired of running the battery down to 30% where the phone would automatically shut down and reboot, go to the red Verizon screen, then reboot again, then again, then again, and again, and again.  The only way to stop it is to remove the battery.  Many times when removing it, the phone shows no battery power left to restart the phone...you usually have to plug the phone in to let it fast charge for awhile to get it to where it'll have enough power to restart.  Bottom line is that I now think that Samsung has quality control issues.  Everyone I know that has or has had a Samsung phone has had some type of issue that had hindered their phones in major ways.  I won't be buying another Samsung anytime soon.

Nor would I be going back to Apple.

I was eligible for an upgrade but it took me a long time to decide between the LG V20, the LG G5, the Google Pixels  (Pixel and Pixel XL), and the HTC 10.

I wanted a removable battery, expandable storage, and a large screen (at least as large as my Note Edge).

I almost settled on the Pixel XL, but wanted something more than just stock Android.  I'd had also had to give up both a removable battery and expandable external storage in getting that phone.  Yes, I know that with the Pixel, you get unlimited cloud storage via Google, but if you are not near a wireless AP and you don't have unlimited data, unlimited cloud storage is not going to be a good solution.

I've had the HTC One M8 as a work phone...my daughter had one as well.  It was a solid phone.  It had expandable storage but a built-in battery.  It had forward-facing speakers that sounded awesome.  The phone never gave me or my daughter issues.

I've never owned an LG phone and was eyeballing the G5 because I'd considered it awhile back, before I got the Note Edge.  I decided against the G5 because it isn't a recent phone and always seem to get phones that are not top-tier.  Two years ago, the G5 may've been top-tier, but not now.  I'd never heard of the V10 (for some reason).  I'd not even heard of the V20 until I began to search for Pixel competitors.  When I looked at the V20's specs, it compared to the Pixel very well, but was also cheaper, while also having expandable storage and a removable battery.  It is very much a top-tier phone.

I bought the LG V20.

There's a ton to like about the V20.  Basically, if you like the Pixel, you'll like the V20.  Like I said, they're very much comparable to each other.

The things I don't like about the V20:

The USB-C cable.  I can't stand it.  The cable that it comes with is way too short.  I had to go to Best Buy and get a Belkin car charger kit (5' cable) and what I did was swap the OEM cable for that one so that I can use the 5' cable to charge the phone and still use it while in bed.  The OEM is just long enough for me to use to charge the phone while it is mounted on my dash.  As well, with all my other Android phones, I always had spare micro-USB cables around the house that I could use to charge my phones (I also had a bunch of power adapter bricks).  I bought this phone and only had ONE USB-C cable.  I could not use any other of my cables.  I went to my sister's house and the phone needed to be charged...she had a ton of spare cables but no USB-Cs.  So now I have to ensure I have spare USB-C cables (one for my bedroom, one for my car, one for my Jeep, one in my wife's car)...they're not exactly cheap, either.

The V20 also has a feature that's called Smart Settings.  You can automate some things on the phone, like configure the phone to enable wifi when you get home, or turn off wifi when you leave home...things that you might do manually to save battery power, for example.  Well, Verizon removed that feature from Verizon V20s for some reason.  That was one of the features that drew my attention to the phone.  Yes, I can use 3rd party software to automate processes on this phone.  For example, I can use Tasker to do the same things.  Tasker isn't exactly easy to use...it's powerful but it's not intuitive.  Plus, I had created some tasks when I had my Note Edge.  The app maintainer upgraded the app, and all of a sudden my apps disappeared, never to be found again.  I wouldn't have to deal with that if Verizon hadn't removed the Smart Settings.  :/

Oh, and my damned Samsung Gear S won't work with this phone.  That's not an LG problem...it's another Samsung issue.  Samsung appears to be unwilling to enable this phone to work with non-Samsung phones.  When smart watches cost as much as they do nowadays, they should NOT be made to refuse communication with phones that are not the same make.  So, I won't be buying any more smart watches for awhile.  I'll await a neutral wearable maker before I spend my hard-earned cash on another watch.  I suppose I could use my Pebble but after taking calls from my Gear S, I refuse to step down to a Pebble...sorry.

The speaker could stand to be louder (it would be nice to have a forward-facing speaker on this phone, too).

The screen is very vivid and bright.

The phone doesn't feel bogged down and the interface isn't laggy.

The OS out-of-the-box is v7.0 (Nougat)...the only other phones that are using Nougat are the Pixel (naturally) and the HTC 10 (only just last week did that make the news).

As with my other phones, I'll keep you all updated on any glaring issues and will share any praises.

UPDATE - I replaced the LG V20 with the LG V30 (three years after I created this post).  Two years sfter that, I replaced that phone with the LG V60.  The V60 also came with a separate offer for a (free) dual screen case, which makes it very versatile - I ordered the dual screen case.  My wife also bought me a Wacom Bamboo Plus stylus for use with the V60 and dual screen.  All three were great phones.  I still have the V30 and V60, and actively use the V60 - the V60 is my backup phone.

My Android Phone's Browser Was Hijacked!

Last week, I went to a website on my smartphone and something took over the native Samsung web browser.  In fact, it was affecting the Chrome web browser as well.  Rebooting the phone didn't solve the issue.  A factory reset would've worked but I wanted something less impacting than resetting my phone.  AV apps didn't detect the browser hijack, which is a pity...AV apps for PCs tend to discover such anomalies, but smartphone apps are quite behind in this regard.

I found a fix, though.  I had to clear the cache (of the browser app) and force stop the app.

Note that this was not a malicious compromise of the phone.  I clicked nothing when the browser was hijacked and was prompting for me to acknowledge that I had viruses on my phone.  If I had clicked the links the links the hijack attempt was trying to force me to click, chances are that the phone would've been compromised, though.  As it was, the prompting didn't go away until I cleared the app cache and force restarted the browser app.

This was the very first time I've ever experienced such an issue with an Android smartphone (or any smartphone).

Samsung Gear S Replaced; Samsung Galaxy Note Edge and Android 6.0.1

So, I received my replacement smartwatch.

What can I say, other than "it works"?  I thought I'd get one in a box with a new cradle.  Nope.  They gave me the watch replacement and that is all.  At least it works, though.  We'll see if it'll last a year.  I'm not so sure.  This whole owner experience was fine until the watch died and I got to see how Samsung handles warranty claims.  Although they did good, I've the feeling I'll be pissed 18 months from now when the replacement watch dies without warranty coverage.  I don't even know if the watch is new or refurbished.  I'll investigate whether the watch is new (or a refurb) and find out if a new watch has a full warranty (it should)....and, I'll also discover how well the warranty coverage is for a refurb.

I had to activate the new watch and pair it with my phone.  While that wasn't complicated, it wasn't as simple as it should be, either.  I'll admit, though...it was simpler than when I got the first watch...this one wasn't glitching like the first one.

I also upgraded my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note Edge) from v5.0.1 to v6.0.1 (Marshmallow).

The phone had issues from the onset when trying to install the new firmware.  I kept getting error code 404.  I must've tried like 4 times before clearing the cache (each time I tried, I had to redownload the damned firmware...it was a PITA).  Clearing the cache worked and Marshmallow finally installed.

v6.0 consumes a lot of power.  I've been finding myself having to recharge during the day.  I used to get by without having to charge the phone after letting it charge overnight.  Fast Charge doesn't seem as fast as it was when I was using v5.0 (yes, Fast Charge is enabled).

Yesterday, I was taking a picture of my dog and the phone locked up.  It would freeze at the Verizon screen during boot-up.  It did this 4 times (each time, I had to remove the battery to unfreeze it).  I couldn't get past the freeze.  I ended up doing a factory reset.  This was a PITA.  Yes, I had a recent backup (I did a full backup the night before, using the Verizon Cloud app), but restoring it was very slow (did it over a wifi connection).  I believe my initial upgrade attempt worked but something crucial became corrupt in the process (it took like 24 hours to manifest).

I'm still trying to get the phone back to normal.  I've not yet played with much of the features.  The interface is a bit different in some places.  I don't know of any of the major enhancements.  I suppose I could research them but all I really care about is that I've a functional phone.  If I could find out if there's a fix for the abnormal power consumption, I'd be happy.

UPDATE (6/24/16) - I've experienced no freezing or rebooting or reboot loops since the upgrade to v6.0.1.  This is good news, as my daughter was also experiencing freezing and reboots (I ended up having Asurion replace the unit).  My daughter is still using v5.0.1, though, so I'm wondering if she will eventually experience those issues again -- I'll ask her how her phone is doing...last I asked, I thought she said that the issue was still occurring but was less frequent.

Samsung Gear S

Over the last ten months, I've enjoyed my Gear S.  Here's my user experience thus far:

The watch's voice command feature is very sensitive.  It activates when it thinks it hears a command, usually when I'm talking to someone else.  It's annoying.

The latch features on the charger cradle broke.  The fittings are plastic and snap into the watch.  The latches broke after 6-7 months of ownership.  This usually means you can no longer charge the watch (because the two of them won't stay attached).  This is why I hate proprietary cabling.  It means you have to either coerce Samsung into replacing the cradle or you've to put on your MacGyver hat and somehow latch the cradle to the watch.  If you get a replacement cradle, it will more than likely develop the same issue eventually (some people report their replacements breaking within a week of receiving them).  I usually wrap the band around a pill bottle that has a similar size to my wrist...that keeps the cradle to the watch during the charging period but do I really have to do this for a $400 watch???

What I like is that if I'm driving and don't want to take my eyes off the road, but I get a text or an e-mail arrives, I can usually look down at my watch for 1 sec to get a summary of the text or e-mail.

I can use the watch as a standalone device (in case my phone breaks, if I forget it while going to work, or if it runs out of power).  While I can't use it to browse the internet, I can receive reminders, texts, and calls.  I can even respond to texts.

My watch stopped working maybe three weeks ago while I was on a cruise.  It just died.  It wouldn't charge, it wouldn't turn on, and the indicators wouldn't blink...nothing.  Luckily, this happened before the 1-year manufacturer's warranty ended...I was at the 10 month mark when it died.  I went to the Samsung website and created a case for them to fix it.  They paid for the shipping to their facility and for the shipping back to me.  It turns out that they couldn't repair whatever it was that was damaged/faulty, so they sent me a new one.  It should be delivered to me today.

I get to see how long the replacement will last.  I'm getting tired of buying technology that almost seems like they're designed to self-destruct.  I think most manufacturers purposely build merchandise that doesn't last long, so that they can get a second chance at a customer's money, in the hopes that maybe the item breaks after the maker's warranty.  I'd insure the watch if I could, but I also don't want to end up feeding more money into the system ($12 a month for Asurion insurance coverage where, if the item breaks, it'll cost $200 for a replacement/repair...screw that).  Home owners' insurance may cover it, but there's a steep deductible to worry about.

While I love wearable tech, I'm not going to be spending huge sums of money for shit that's not going to have the legs to last 2-3 years.  No.

Gaming With My Custom Core i5 system!

About a year ago, I rebuilt an old system because I thought the mainboard was dead (only it wasn't).  I ended up buying an MSI MS-7850 mainboard that supported Intel CPUs.  I was coming from an AMD 6-core CPU, but wanted to try Intel's Core i5.  I settled on the Core i5-4690K (which runs at 3.50 GHz and is a 4-core CPU.  This thing is faster than my M17x R3...it should be since it's running later internals.  The system's specs are:

CPU:  Core i5-4690K @ 3.50 GHz (4-core)

Dedicated Video Card:  AMD Radeon HD 5670

Integrated Video Card:  Intel HD 4600

RAM:  8GB

Motherboard:  MSI MS-7850

Hard drive:  C drive - 233 GB; D drive - 500 GB

The video card is a spare that I had in my parts bin...it'll do some gaming but struggles with BF4 in medium settings.  The integrated video card is rather beefy compared to the ones in my other systems (especially my R3).

Anyways, my wife's car went into the shop and needed new front rotors and rear pads...the repair fee was $600 and some change, so I'll have to wait awhile to get my laptop fixed.  I can still use it but can't game with it unless I'm playing a game that is graphics-intensive (like BF4 and others).  I can play War Thunder on the integrated card but I have to dial down the configuration to its very lowest settings.  That takes away the immersion factor quite a bit and the frame rates are very low.

I decided to try War Thunder on my i5 system.  I'm using a Vizio E231-B1 23" monitor with it, connected with an HDMI cable (the video card accepts HDMI connections, which is great).  I can play with the high settings configured and still get 40fps.  It's quick, too.  No, it doesn't have a solid state drive, although I can remove the one that's in my R3 if I'm desperate (it's a Samsung 750GB 840 EVO), but I'm happy with a plated hard drive.  I've another 500GB drive that I use to replace the 233GB drive (that one replaced a bad 1-TB hard disk as a temporary solution).

About that 1-TB drive.  That's what was causing BSODs and shutdowns.  I had the machine open and my kids sat beside it while playing around...someone stepped on the SATA cable while it was plugged into the drive and it cracked the port.  I continued to use it but it must've been short-circuiting.  I misdiagnosed the issue in thinking it was a motherboard issue, only the same thing started happening with the new parts.  That's when I swapped out the hard disk for a small one, to test if it was the issue.  That was the problem.  I told my kids they owe me a big 5.25" drive.  So now I've a spare motherboard and AMD CPU that I can use to build another box (once I get the funds to get more parts -- case, RAM, CD drive, and PSU).

One thing I love about desktop systems is that I can easily replace parts, even major parts such as the mainboard (I can do that with my laptop as well, but it's a bit more complicated in removing such a part).  The reason I got a laptop machine was because I got tired of not having a gaming system when traveling.  I still swear by Alienware laptops, though...most geeks understand why after they've opened one up.  All the major parts are easily accessible and removable.

Alienware M17x R3 - Dedicated Video Card Dead!

So, I've been experiencing blue screens since April, at maybe twice a month in frequency, up until August.  From August until now, I was getting BSODs 3-5 times a month.  I couldn't figure out why because the error messages were obscure.  I've been trying different video card driver version as well, with no good results.

I finally downloaded WinDbg, a debugging tool, and used it to read the minidump files that the system compiles after a BSOD, and saw this:

Problem signature:

  Problem Event Name:        BlueScreen

  OS Version:        6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3

  Locale ID:        1033

Additional information about the problem:

  BCCode:        116

  BCP1:        FFFFFA800CCFE4E0

  BCP2:        FFFFF88002C1501C

  BCP3:        FFFFFFFFC000009A

  BCP4:        0000000000000004

  OS Version:        6_1_7601

  Service Pack:        1_0

  Product:        768_1

Files that help describe the problem:

  C:\Windows\Minidump\091815-12682-01.dmp

  C:\Users\ron\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-30763-0.sysdata.xml

This error could be generated by a multitude of issues, such as motherboard problems, software problems, operating system problems, or hardware issues.

I opened up my system and cleaned it of dust (there wasn't all that much, considering I've not opened it to clean it -- ever).  I also removed the heat sinks from the CPU and graphics card, cleaned off old thermal paste (Dell just dumped a ton of it on each part without care).  I then re-applied new thermal paste and also added 4GB of RAM since I had it open.

I tried gaming again, after removing all the Nvidia drivers and reinstalling them, but was still getting BSODs.  What's funny is that the drivers disappear and I have to reapply them every time I get a BSOD, but still have to use a driver uninstaller to do it.

In looking at my logs for the month of October, I've experienced 8 BSODs so far and it's only halfway through the month.  Also, the logs say "Video hardware error", specifically:

A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.

So, I guess my Nvidia GeForce 580M finally died.  Apparently, people have been having problems with them since 2012.  I guess I got lucky...I'm only now experiencing issues, 3 years after people began to notice they fail.  I shouldn't complain, I guess.

Now I need to determine which would be a good replacement card.  I've seen people using 680Ms in their M17x R3s without issue.  Some people have even used 780Ms and 880Ms, but those are pricey...I'm not ready to spend $800 on a video card.  I can either get another 580M and hope it gives me another 3 years or I can get a 680M (can find them new for $320-$360 on eBay, with warranties).  I can't find them as cheaply on Amazon.

For now, I've configured War Thunder (that's the game I'm currently playing) so that I can use the integrated graphics card (an Intel HD 3000).  It works but my frame rate dove down to 30-40fps.  :(  I suppose I can either try to do War Thunder on my iMac or use the desktop system I was using before I bought the Alienware.  I also have a Dell Latitude E5530 that has an Intel HD 4000 that might get better frame rates.  I do have options.

I'll update this blog entry as I decide what to do next.

iMac- Possible Drive Failure....Again

About a month ago, my iMac started acting funky again, only I didn't receive any drive failure alerts.  I ran several diagnostic checks on the system and the system checks out fine.  I won't take it back to Apple's Genius Bar because the system is out of warranty and it also is too heavy to be taking back and forth to Apple.  I wouldn't mind taking it in if they told me it would be a warranty repair and if I wouldn't have to keep ferrying the system back to them.

I ran FSCK twice (the first time it had to clear out some issues...the second time it didn't alert on any issues).  I used Disk Utility in Recovery mode to check the drive (there were no warnings).  I checked the disk's permissions...there were many that needed corrections but it fixed them all.  I reset NVRAM.  I tried Safe Boot mode.  I reset the SMC.  Nothing is working.

I opened the system and cleaned it of dust.  I didn't see anything amiss internally (the inside wasn't uber-dusty, either).

What's happening?  The damned beach ball is taking over the computer, which is why I think it's a drive issue.  It could well be a RAM issue, especially since it's only got 4GB of RAM but it has been running fine on 4GB for YEARS.  I can't use Activity Monitor to check any of the resources because the damned beach ball won't let me open anything.

Another thing is that the system keeps opening all these apps that I ran the last time I used the system and some of them are resource-intensive (iMovie, for example)...I wish there was a way to tell the system to clear out any cached apps and to not run them anymore, since it's interfering with my troubleshooting.

I'll be ordering a drive from iFixit but I need to know what brand is inside the computer.  I'd much rather not have to open it again, but I might have to, since it's taking forever to check within OS X.

But before I do that, I'm going to reinstall OS X to see if this fixes the problem.  I checked Disk Utility yet again and don't see any errors or SMART warnings.  I actually scanned the system with the included Application CD, which has additional diagnostics...it didn't detect anything.  I think a reinstall of OS X may work as my daughter was running a crapload of 3rd party software for Minecraft...she may have hosed the system.

UPDATE:  Annnnddd...it's working.  I was right...there must've been an issue with the OS installation. I need to get current OS-wise, though...I had to go all the way back to Snow Leopard.  I can't even install Lion, Mountain Lion, or Yosemite until I download the 10.6.8 update.

UPDATE #2:  As of 10/14/15, it's still working without issue.

PC Gaming - War Thunder, BF4, ARK: Survival Evolved

I've been somewhat bored with gaming the last few months, so I've been forcing myself to play BF4 again.  I stopped playing that game maybe 7 months ago but began playing again 3 weeks ago.  I only play in Hardcore mode (kill/damage model is more rewarding and realistic), but usually played Conquest mode.  I gravitated to Team Death Match and Gun Master modes, as they've a lot more going on.  I've had a spikes in kills (and deaths) and have been obtaining lots of ribbons and medals (and equipment)...all with it being more fun than the other modes I was playing last year.  I have to keep mixing it up, I guess.

Prior to being re-engaged with BF4, I gave ARK: Survival Evolved a spin.  I do NOT like it.  It's not a bad game, but is too time-consuming.  If you have OCD, this might just be your type of game, though.  I'm not going to explain the game, but if you're curious, a simple Google search will help.  Much of the game is open-ended (it's an open world that is undeveloped...you've to develop it).

I've also decided to try again with War Thunder.  I'd tried it awhile back and played it for maybe a week or two, then got bored with it.  I've been playing it again for maybe 2-3 days so far and I've gotten more kills/assists these last 2-3 days than I did in the 7-14 the last time I played it.  I've also been watching LOTS of WT tutorials on YouTube, which helps.  I'm also working my way through the game's single player tutorials and I'm finally working my way through some of the single player campaigns.  I've been doing this to get the extra virtual money and upgrade points, but realized that going through them would help me learn crucial WT knowledge/skills.  I also fly online nightly.  Normally I don't like learning games while being online, as experts tend to prey on those new to the game and that usually makes learning very frustrating, but it's different with WT, as when you fly in multiplayer mode, it matches you with others of your skill level.  This is something that I think a lot of games would benefit from (or, the game end users).  I've been very satisfied with WT the last few days and will probably continue to play the game.  I've been playing Arcade mode, but the plan is to eventually migrate up through the modes as I become more proficient with flying.

Maybe I'll capture some Fraps gameplay footage, post it to YouTube, and link it here.

Steam Hit by Major Security Breach, Many Accounts Hacked! -- Master Herald

http://masterherald.com/steam-hit-by-major-security-breach-many-accounts-hacked/23239/

The gist of it is, Steam was cracked, many Steam accounts were hacked, but Steam didn't notify it's users.  In my opinion, that's negligent...in a major way.  With today's problem with internet breaches, providers should be prompt and proactive in notifying their user base, as breaches tend to not only affect a person's service account, it can also affect finances and credit.  There's a lot of gray or overlapping areas where breaches are concerned.  If a game service provider is hacked and credit card data is tied to the account, purchases can be made internet-wide.  As well, home address information tied the the account can be used to open lines of credit against your name.

I really think that there should be laws that govern how businesses interact with their customers when breaches occur.  There should be no more waiting when there's a time criticality tied to most breaches.

Origin Account Hacked!

My Origin account got hacked today. Was out shopping and missed the "your password has been changed" e-mail from Origin. I saw it maybe an hour later, and immediately submitted a trouble ticket. They called me immediately (within a minute of creating the trouble ticket). Whoever made the change was able to guess the answers to my security questions (WTF).

They also changed the e-mail address associated with the account to "garryjhonson98@gmail.com". They changed the origin ID to "ENFIELD_Hare_Gr".

The EA agent reverted back to my original e-mail address and set up new security questions. He changed the Origin ID to something else. He also set up login verification (that wasn't active on my account) and tied it to my phone number so that any future password changes would be directed to my phone...if they don't have to code sent to my phone, they can't change anything on the account.

He also told me to check my friend list, as they tend to add themselves to the list after hacking accounts (so that they might be able to try again later).

I've no idea how they were able to know my login and guess my password, as well as the answers to my security questions. Luckily, no purchases were made, as I had a credit card linked to the account.

I'm sharing all this in case this person is jumping between people's friend lists.

UPDATE - 8/4/2015:  Noticed another hack attempt...Origin sent me a security code via text, meaning someone tried to access my account but won't be able unless they can retrieve the security code that was sent to me (via phone).

Samsung Gear S (Verizon)

I'm about to head to bed but thought I'd copy my notes on my initial experience with the Gear S:

Could not find the Samsung Gear app, even when using Samsung's instructions at http://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00038393/239278/.  I found that the problem was Chrome...it wasn't seeing the 'download' icon.  Using the OEM browser, I was able to see it.

Next issue I ran into was that the phone wouldn't pair with the watch.  The instructions never said to go into the phone's BT screen and attempt to pair the device.  As well, once the Gear app is opened, it takes over the screen...this implies that the Gear app needs to be used to initially pair the phone with the watch.  I found that when I go into the phone's BT settings and try to pair the phone with the watch, it downloads and installs 11 new apps, but still won't pair with the watch...the watch won't accept the 'OK' clicks to accept the pairing.

I got fed up and kept hitting the 'OK' prompt on the watch when trying to get it to accept the pair attempt...I hit it maybe 4-5 times rapidly and it THEN began to pair.

I also ended up not seeing the "activate" screen, so the watch was only seeing limited 3G and was set to roam.  I performed a factory reset and after the watch rebooted, it was a night and day difference, where the watch could be navigated without hesistation or voice prompting.  I was able to activate the watch and configure mobile usage for 'auto only'.  

I'm not even sure I should compare the Gear S to my Pebble (non-Steel).  I've pretty much retired my Pebble.  I'll either put it away with my other gadgets or try to sell it.  Maybe one of my daughters will want it.

I don't think I'll ever see a week's worth of usage (on one charge) with the Gear S, although I did fully charge it today...the watch is currently at 68%.  I went into the watch's settings (Settings/Connections/Mobile networks/) and set "Gear networks" to auto switch, which will only use mobile broadband when I or an app needs it (phone calls and such).  I've got the watch set to auto-dim as well.  The charging cradle actually holds a charge, although I don't know if it'll fully charge the watch's battery from empty.  The phone charges pretty quickly if you're not using it while it's being charged.

So far I've set up the Gear app to notify the same apps that I'd configured to notify on my Pebble.  I can get a view of my G-mail e-mails but I'm not sure I'm ready to use the default e-mail application on my Note Edge...I'm used to using the G-mail app, but the watch doesn't have an app for that.

I've set up my voice-mail and have to remember the watch's phone number.  I don't foresee using the watch as a standalone smart device any time soon.  I don't even think I'll be using the watch's phone features.  To set up voice-mail, I had to call the VM number using the watch.  The speaker is loud enough to hear with ease, although I've no idea how well the microphone works and if it has good noise cancellation.

The watch has a native browser as well, but I have to use the Gear app to install it.  I don't see the need to use the watch as a web browser.

I'm curious about the texting/messaging features, though.  I attempted to type a text and while the virtual keys were extremely small, I didn't do any typos, so I guess the keyboard is good enough.

The watch is hefty, but I'm enjoying it thus far.  I worry that I'll bang it against something accidentally (I opted out of insurance for the watch -- Verizon's insurance is expensive!).  I'd rather not use a screen protector...that's more hassle than it's worth (I tried to put one on my Pebble but removed it soon after, as it was annoying).

I'll be setting it up to my liking over the next week...there's so much to configure that I'm a bit overwhelmed.  I might do a quick video review of it later, as well.

For now, I'm impressed enough to say I think I'll keep it.  Initially, when I was having issues setting it up, I was irritated enough to where I was thinking on returning it ($399 for something that was giving me immediate issues...uhmmm...no), but I'm OK now.  :)

UPDATE:

I've not run into any problem with the smartwatch, so far.  I have noticed that with set to auto switch  between BT and using the mobile network, I end up with 15-20% battery use in a 24-hour period.  This is without using the watch as a phone or web browsing with it.  I typically only look at it when someone texts, when I'm notified of an incoming e-mail, or when I'm looking at the time (pretty much how I was using my Pebble).

I've also noticed that my dog likes to lick the watch...her tongue activates the watch!

UPDATE 2:

I usually sit or stand with my arms crossed...I can't do that with this watch.  My arm's skin ends up activating the screen, which sometimes enables widgets or other watch tools.  They should build some type of logic where the screen won't activate if at at certain angle.

Verizon Customer Service Issues, Samsung Gear S

I reported awhile back that I upgraded my daughter to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.  We had to return her phone because the display was showing a thin green line going down the center of the screen.  It initially showed after I took it out of the box, but disappeared the next day.  My daughter told me that the display issue had returned maybe a week later.  I began to research how to get the phone replaced.  Verizon has no real guidance on how to do such a thing...the box contained return instructions (in case we changed our minds about the phone)...it said nothing of if the phone were damaged.  There was nothing on their website.

Two days before the two-week return period expired, I decided to bring it in to a local corporate store.  They sent me to another store because they didn't have a replacement in stock.  I went to the other store and when trying to describe the display issue, they asked me if I were a Verizon employee (the store I initially visited didn't ask me this).  I told them, "Yes."  They told me I couldn't be helped and that I had to call Verizon Customer Service to get a replacement.  Keep in mind that this is two days before the return period expires, around 7PM.  I returned home and asked online help for assistance.  They couldn't help but gave me a number to call.  When I called the number, and after walking through a menu system that was not intuitive, I got someone who began to help but then told me that I'd have to call back the next day during core duty hours because they weren't staffed to assist me.  By this time it was 10:30PM.

I called the next morning and they walked me through the RMA process, told me where to get a return shipping label, and also told me that I had to ship it and have it post-marked before midnight that night.  I packed up the phone and took it to the local Post Office and got a shipping and tracking receipt, just in case.

That was almost two months ago.  I checked my bill last night and the RMA'd phone was charged to me (WTF).  I'm pretty sure it's because they received the phone after the two-week return period.  I'm awaiting to visit a Corporate store to get it sorted out physically...I'm tired of dealing with phone queues and being transferred (I called several times the first night I was seeking assistance and was disconnected twice).

I haven't had issues with Verizon until now (I'm a long-time customer and employee).  When employees buy phones, they receive discounts.  Verizon uses a different system to process billing of phone purchases and upgrades than they do with non-employees, but this process is convoluted and isn't documented.  I spent a LOT of time trying to determine who to call and when to call.  Another thing:  If you upgrade online, your two-week return period doesn't start until after you've received the phone (shipping days don't count), so I was within the 14-day period (they've the shipping day in their system).  None of this is mentioned anywhere on their website.

If I find that they're going to stick me with the bill after going through all that, I'll immediately withdraw the money to cancel every single line and move to a different carrier.  Almost every phone I have on the plan is a Verizon Edge phone (all but one).  I'll just pay for the 3 Edge phones and 1 contracted phone...better to do that than to give Verizon $350/month the next 2 years.

I've also ordered a Samsung Gear S watch from Verizon.  I bought the watch last night.  After seeing my current Verizon Wireless bill, I almost didn't buy this watch.  I paid full price ($399) instead of having the watch under contract ($349).  Why?  Because I didn't want to have to deal with a contract device if I have to leave Verizon over this recent billing issue.  As well, the difference is only $50 between the two.

I can't wait for this watch.  It is a stand-alone device, meaning it can be used without being tethered to a smartphone (my Pebble needs to be tethered).  I can make and receive calls from the phone.  I can listen to music directly from the phone, with or without a BT headset.  I can get notifications on the phone.  I can't do much of that with my Pebble.  The con is, I *might* get 2 days of battery life from it and will have to carry a charging cradle and micro-USB cable around with me (I can charge the watch while going to/from work and I can also do it while at work).  Functionality-wise, the Gear S is well beyond my Pebble, plus the Pebble was already returned once because of a display issue (the replacement watch has been showing similar issues, though).

I'll review the watch and post it here once I receive it.

UPDATE:

Verizon straightened up the billing for the phones.  My wife called them and got it sorted (luckily, I made sure to get receipts when I mailed the phones back to Verizon...had Post Office and UPS tracking numbers and receipts).  In fact, one was already in the process of being credited back even before my wife called.  Verizon gets a big thumbs-up this time.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

For my daughter's birthday, I upgraded her phone from an HTC One M8 to a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.  I actually opened the box for her and ensured it had a full charge so that when she came home, from school, she'd be able to immediately play with it.  That she did!  I actually resisted the urge to play with it while it was charging, so she was able to enjoy the whole factory setup experience.

Just seeing her phone made me want to upgrade mine and I did just that!  I upgraded from my Note 3 to the Note Edge.

I was actually on the fence on whether to get the Note 4 or the Note Edge...decided that it wouldn't hurt to try the Edge and if I found to not like it, I could always 'edge up' to something else a bit later.

Some observations:

• The Edge consumes quite a bit more battery power during the day compared to my Note 3 and my daughter's M8.  This might be due to the quad display.  It consumes less power when in power saving mode, but it's nowhere near what it was with the Note 3.  There's also the ultra power saving mode, which I haven't tried yet...I'm not sure if it hobbles the phone too much (it also goes to grayscale).
• It takes some time to get used to the phone's display edge.  I keep thinking that it's about to slip out of my hands.
• The phone will get hot when using it while the display is on.
• Quick charges are ridiculously fast!  This is good, since this phone consumes power quickly.
• There's no Android 5.x for the Note Edge yet (or, at least I haven't seen the upgrade prompt for it yet).  This phone is currently at v4.4.4.  It may not seem to be a big deal, but I got a taste of 5.x on my Note 3...loved it and currently miss it dearly on my Edge.
• Verizon only had the phones in Black...I'm not sure if White was promotional or if they ran out of stock when I bought the phones, but there was a two week gap between buying the two of them, so if there was a stocking shortage, you'd think that it wouldn't last two weeks.
• There aren't many phone cases available for this phone, currently.  My daughter has the Samsung wallet cover.  I have the Verizon shell/holster combo w/ kickstand (which I had for my Note 2).  I'd much rather have an Otterbox Defender on this phone, but until they're available, I'll be happy with what I currently have.
• There was at least one app that I had on the Note 3 that wasn't detecting the user config file on the SD card that came from the Note 3.  I had to manually grab the config from the Verizon Cloud and overwrite them on the SD card for them to work (mainly Tasker).  mSecure also had a problem taking imported backup and I ended up having to manually copy over a backup.  I exported a copy of the database to G-mail and imported the G-mail copy without issue...wouldn't work with the Edge, as the app kept complaining that it couldn't see G-mail's SMTP server.  I didn't have that issue with the Note 2 and 3.
• The fingerprint reader is better than what reviewers are stating.  I've been using it with little issue...it's pretty accurate.
• The heart monitor is iffy...I'm not sure if it's precise but my pulse is usually higher than average, and it's right in that regard...I wouldn't use it in place of a dedicated blood pressure and pulse monitor, though.
• No problems using my Pebble watch...BT is BT, I guess.
• It doesn't feel any bigger than my Note 3, although it's slightly bigger.

I haven't messed with the S-Pen yet.  I have fiddled with setting up the Edge...that's gonna take some getting used to.

Now, there was an issue with my daughter's Edge.  I plugged it in when I first removed it from the box and it had a green line in the middle of the screen, going from top to bottom.  It disappeared the first day of use, then returned and stayed after that day.  I'd been trying to find out how to return/replace it and Verizon has NO documentation on how to do that...it's not included on their My Verizon pages nor does any information regarding returning/replacing or troubleshooting come with the phone.  I visited 2 different stores and got no help.  The first store didn't even check my account, I don't think...they saw that they didn't have any Edge phones to swap with mine, so they sent me to another store that was 1/2 hour away.  I got to that store and they immediately told me that they couldn't pull up the account.  I had to call their employee assistance line to request a replacement.  They treat employee accounts differently and that's what really irked me...I'm not just an employee.  I'm a damned customer.  These phones and the service isn't cheap...I deserved better service than I got.  I ended up spending at LEAST 3 hours in two stores last night.  Then I came home and was on the phone for another hour, being bounce around different tech teams.  I also spent another hour on the phone today, as well, but I finally got the right person and they were able to assist me in getting a new phone sent to me.  This could've been done yesterday without all the traveling and phone time if Verizon had understood how to help me...they didn't know a thing.  I was so ticked that I almost considered moving to a competitor ASAP.  Verizon needs to do a better job at customer service (I've said this many times to friends and colleages)...the run-around I got last night was pretty ridiculous.  They also need to make the custom replacement process for employees more transparent than what it currently is, because it's hardly transparent.  They need to make it so that the employees feel like customers...I felt like a damned leper last night.  And on top of that, I had to rush ship my daughter's phone back to them since this was the 14th day of ownership...if they'd know WTH they were doing yesterday, I wouldn't have been quite as rushed.

We'll see if the new phone is without problems...it'll be here tomorrow.