my computer went black

may 11 2008

I can't believe it: my computer went black.

Twice.

I hope it's the temperature. It's nearly 26 degrees celcius here.
I'm now using a laptop from a friend.
Nice for a little while.

But I was bussy making a graphic for mothersday. Ca't do it with this one.

Well, mothersday is full of surprises.

The children made me breakfast, coffee and peperkoek, and then wanted me to sit on the couch and wait.

I received some very nice presents:
earrings and a pendant...very red
a short blue scarf
a little bureau clock
a little aqua towel
a plastic rose
and ofcourse the lovely poems, spiced up with the funny proof of dyslexia, the drawn hearts and some other sweet DIY.

And I treated myself with a nice plan for my dollshouse 1:12 items.

Am I strange to think that whenever I want to do something for myself, something else goes completely wrong?
I can't do without my computer. It keeps me sane.

Maybe G from B is able to send me what I earned two months ago?
It helps me to find a new computer screen.

Well, I wish everyone a very happy mothersday.

It's summer here, so I maybe I can do something in the garden before we're back to winter or thrown into fall.LOL!

Enjoy Mothersday!!!

Please rate this post here:
Buzzfuse awards the highest rating post with 500 dollar.
When I win my broken computer won't hurt.
So please, please rate here:

Free music, games, TV and more

may 9 2008

Do you know I've been a singer in a band?
I loved it!!

Since that time I'm asked to review music at times.
With that request I honor the ongoing line of musical talent in my family. We have absolute hearing, meaning that we hear all mistakes, even when they're very minor.
My grandfather travelled the country to do the same what I can do online.

A couple of days ago I was told that a band was about to release two new numbers free for download for the general public.
My friend said I'd better download MP3 Rocket, to make life a lot easier.

It's a program that searches on internet for free downloadable material.

I tried to download the program, but it kept sending me error messages. It drove me nuts!
When I told this to my eldest this morning he got red cheeks and was very eager "to have a look". When I was upstairs getting my bag, he performed a miracle.

So this afternoon I had another try and ... IT WORKS!!!

The program enables free music downloads, free games and moviedownloads.
I only had to type in the name of the band my friend mentioned, and the program searched internet and displayed the files. Downloading went so much faster than usual.

There's no chance to be bored again.

There's a radio to listen to. Just choose one of the over 200 stations, or you can watch TV. More than 200 channnels are available, including the BBC.

MP3 Rocket comes as a free version, and as a premium version.

The free version offers me more than enough.

Like with all file sharing programs the system requires a responsible attitude.
The program is not meant to enable you to download the files for commercial use.

The site gives you lots of information and even a demo.

Have a try... it's well worth it!


Do you like the fact that I inform you about this program?
Then, please, rate this post here:


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Let's link and drop like unique individuals

may 7 2008


Today:
The What-DOESN'T-Work-For-Me edition

Recently I joined entrecard. It's a system that gives me the opportunity to visit sites and let know I'm there.
In return I get a visit back and points which allow me to buy a bit of advertising space on a blog or even some special presents, like design, a recipe.

There are more visitor-exchange systems that work almost the same.

I've also joined some sponsored blogging sites, including the newest one I recently blogged about.
The new system registers how people reach the blogs. Entrecard and some other systems are monitored.
So I assume they're looking for unique visitors.

Those link exchange and dropping systems don't work for me, and in the end they don't work for you.

My guess is that it's important to create a linkexchange/dropping system that isn't monitored by the big guys.

When you want to participate, just let me know.

I'm thinking about a good system which takes just a little time, but gives you unique visitors. Those that really count.
Those that are really interested.

So I want only personal sponsored blogging blogs, no blogs that overflow with advertisements and have no interesting content.

Give me a comment and tell me (where I can find) your emailaddress, so I can mail you the details.

Let's make a good working team!

Because the excisting systems won't work for us in the end.


I appreciate it very much when you'll rate this post here:
More about Buzzfuse and why I use it under the topper of this page.)


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Save on your phone cards

april 6 2008


With so many kids going the route of proper puberty, phone cards are a regular item of dispute.

We have the rule that with proper use we pay half, with improper use we pay nothing.

They all can get one card a month, because we have no normal family telephone anymore.
That's far cheaper than kids hanging on the phone all evening and dad paying the bill.

Today it was the day to renew the cards.
I don't know how we landed on the subject, but suddenly we were reviewing our options, and decided to skip the normal route of the local store, buying the cards and handing them out.

We went on internet and found Phone Cards Avenue, offering huge savings on calls over regular providers like AT&T.
They offer phone cards and calling cards for phonecalls all over the world, saving up to 80% on normal cards.

Ofcourse we had to explain a bit when we handed the cards out, but saving on calls means making far more calls for the same amount of money, and now two boys have a girl they want to call all day and night...LOL!

When I told a friend about it she said she already know this service, because her family in Indonesia uses the same phone cards for international calls.
Not only do they save a tremendous amount of money, but they often say that the sound quality of the calls is far better than they experience from normal providers.

At the site you can find a list with countries, country codes and the rate per minute. You have to add the amount of money some countries charge to make the connection, but you'll save a lot of money using the international cards of Phone Cards Avenue.

In case you have questions or in case you encounter a problem, you can always call customers service. Very friendly assistants are ready to help you out, without making you feel stupid. Life support like this is an added axtra that should be valued highly.

Buying a phonecard online is easy and fast.
The system guides you through the proces without any problem, and when I can do it, anyone can!

looking for dad serving in the RAF during WW2

april 28 2008

I don't know why, but I've spend quite some time trying to find out in which squadron my father was serving in WW2.

I still haven't found out.

It's good I have been to England. I've met the people he stayed with, so no one can tell me he hasn't served in the RAF.
But that's long ago and the people there who knew have died.

I know some of his stories.
Just a few.
The rest he kept to himself.

I also know some things from his chaplain. Not much. But enough to follow some lines.
They didn't lead to my dad, yet.

Maybe they didn't serve in the same squardron at the time, but met later, earlier, or on a base where their squadrons were together.

He was trained as a radio operator and became a flying engineer.

Because he was young he had to stay overbight at a family near the base.
As far as I know he stayed in High Wycombe with an elderly lady somewhere between 1941 and 1943. She was very kind and caring.
Her daughter, Lillian, went to Rhodesia with her husband.

He also stayed in Wolverhampton, where I've met the family.
It's a pity my mother managed to loose the address.
Those people were very kind, and I would have loved to have stayed in contact.

Once my father mentioned he'd been in Nova Scotia, but as soon as I started to ask questions he stopped talking. he never wanted to talk about it again.

His photos were kept in an old shoebox.
I remember him sitting in a Lancaster.
He often told about airplanes like the spitfires, mosquitos and the flying fortress.

One of the most amazing experiences was being with him in France.
He'd always said he'd never been there, but he knew his way there quite well.
No surprise, considering many Dutch young men went through France to go to England.

On the other hand, our family was in the resistance and he might have helped pilots escape.

The last days I've spend hours with a magnifying glass looking at old pictures online.

But why, why can't I find him?
And why can't I find his name, nor that of the chaplain?

Requesting information from the army archives is impossible.
My mom is next of kin and she was so traumatized in the war that she doesn't want to have anything to do with it.
She won't give her consent, so I have to wait untill she dies.

I hope that one day, I'll find out more.

Buzzfuse rewards toprated posts.
April is autism awareness month.
This month all my earning
will go to support of autistic children and their parents.
So help me win a buzzfuse reward
and rate this article with a free click.
To be completely sure your rating is counted
you can subscribe free.
Trust me, Buzzfuse is well worth a try.
It really is.
(And you can unsubscribe if you feel you want to.)



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budgeting software

april 20 2008

I've had such a strange evening.

A friend asked me for help.
She's starting at a new location of the firm and they have different budgeting software.

So I went there and looked over her shoulder, trying to find out where she and the software parted the same path and each went their own way.

It took about 20 minutes and then suddenly I saw what she overlooked.
Problem solved.

We customised her user interface, so she couldn't forget the same over and over again, we stored some historical data in the system, and we made a plan for monday and tuesday to gather the data she needs to get the most out of the program.

It was great to be concentrated and work together.

Freezing internet with Avast

april 18 2008

After my son installed Shampoo and Avast, (firewall and virusscanner) I've had troubles staying on internet for longer than a few minutes each time.

It made me feel sooo irritated!

I tried changing the settings, reinstall and all the other means of trying to solve the problems. Nothing helped.

Then I stopped the whole Avast Scanner and now I'm slowly reintroducing the features one by one.

Surfing internet and blogging is for me a way to relax. Life is exciting enough, so having a virusscanner as another problemchild is not my way of having fun.

Right now it's like I've put a child on an elimination diet to see which food triggers an allergic reaction.

Many people say Avast is the best...
Well, tell that me when I have normal internetaccess again with the scanner properly running.

I know Avast pings the service a great lot.
I wonder if that might have to do with internet freezing under my hands each and every time.

A few years ago our internetprovider used to ping a lot, and we all stood up against us being watched.
They stopped.
So maybe the pingingservice of Avast runs into some sort of protection at the provider level.

Is that possible?

Buzzfuse rewards toprated posts.
April is autism awareness month.
This month all my earning
will go to support of autistic children and their parents.
So help me win a buzzfuse reward
and rate this article with a free click.
To be completely sure your rating is counted
you can subscribe free.
(And unsubscribe if you feel you want to.)

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DirMania webdirectory

april 9 2008

It's important for business sites to be listed in as many web directories as possible.

DirMania provides a free web directory for small to medium companies and/or websites.
Submission is completely free.

Don't think that means the site is just a mix of chaotic sites.

A list of clear submission guidelines are given, and all sites are evaluated before they're added to the directory.

The intention is to guarantee quality websites with content, listed under the right categories.

Blogs, linksites, homepages, and sites full of advertisements are not accepted.
And ofcourse adult sites and sites selling illegal items are rejected too.

It's also stated that sites which are poorly designed are not accepted.
When I saw one of the registered sites, it was clear that this is a matter of opinion.

DirMania webdirectory is proud to have kept the google rank of 3.
I don't see a counter on the site though, so I have no idea how often this site is used to look up sites.

Right now 2897 links are listed among 501 categories.

Read carefully the information on the site before submitting your URL.
Visit some sites to get an idea of which kind of sites are listed in the directory.
Be aware that you and DirMania agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within the county of Nassau, New York, but that you're also bound by the law of your own area.

Submitting a site to a webdirectory will enlarge the amount of contacts you make, and hopefully enlarge the amount of visitors on your site.

Submitting is really free. No hidden costs.
And an added extra is that sites that fullfill the requirements are listed within 24 hours.

CAT 6 products

april 4 2008

These last weeks the internetconnection is like a flashing light.
It's infuriating when I have to look up things, because in the middle of the search everything stops.

So I write my entries offline and paste them in my blog, hoping the connection won't be gone before everything is uploaded.

Ofcourse I started to ask around.

First I got all sorts of interesting advise.
I needed a new modem, I'd better renew the CAT6 products, I'd better install a new keyboard, etc etc.

Some things mentioned didn't have anything to do with the internetconnection.

As everyone in the house here has the same problems I asked a neighbour.
He had the same problem.
And then my son mentioned friends at the other side of town having the same problems.

So I knew it wasn't our problem.

I couldn't complain to the provider...not by email.
But I found an emailadress from a communications manager.

The computer at the library worked perfect.

So did the mail.... even before I was home the connection was a lot better!

Yes!!!!

Internetconnection and computers

march 31 2008

It'll be fun the next days.
Some friends are without internetconnection, as is my oldest son.
Guess where they use the computer...

Yep!

Well, one of them has promised to help one of the children with a paper for school.
That'll really make a difference.

I'm happy I'm not the only one here in the house with a computer.
One of the boys is away from home all day, and he's given them the opportunity to use his computer.

Aren't my children sweetiepies???

Web Hosting Choice

march 12 2008

When visiting weblogs, I often come across questions regarding webhosting.
You can give your weblog it's own domain name or make the choice to have it hosted on your own site. People for instance have difficulty deciding what to do.
The often even don't know what certain terms mean.

Web Hosting Choice has written a very clear faq.
Their aim is to help you choosing the right web host for your personal or business site.
Knowing the basics of web hosting wil enable you to make a good choice, because you'll need to define your needs, and you'll need to be able to understand the offers.

Clinton uses an Obama supporter in her little movie!

march 11 2008

Clinton uses an Obama supporter in her little movie!

One might expect a president wannabee to be careful with the law and to be precise with the material she uses.

I suppose she didn't ask permission when she used the images of a sleeping girl.

Have a look!

Please comment and rate here:

Win a a Nintendo® Wii™! and bid for a Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life

march 6 2008


I know Charter.com from the calls a few friends who are a member of the Worldwide 250 Calling Plan. They save so much on calls that our international calls can be longer and a lot more relaxed.
Well, I wasn't surprised to find out that Charter became Cable Operator of the Year 2007!

Charter also provides High-Speed internet.
In fact they provide two plans:
Charter High-Speed® - Speeds up to 5Mbps
Charter High-Speed® Plus - Speeds up to 10Mbps
Both come with additional services like anti-virus, firewall, and spam-filtering software and parental controls, 10 e-mail addresses per account, extra online storage, personal Web space and a helpdesk which is available 24/7.

At the site you can check the system requirements. (To be short: it's compatible with most computers and most cable modems.)

At March 12 an auction starts for all who live in the Charter serviced areas.
The hightest bidder will get Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life.
That means the best internet speed which is available in the area, a cable modem and wireless router, and free professional installation.

The auction starts as low as $10!!


They haven't put a reserve on the auction, so when no one else would bid you might end up with a very cheap life time internetconnection.

You can ensure yourself a place to bid by preregistering.
That's free. No need to bid or purchase anything.
The first step is to assess the serviceability by zip-code. So there's no need to wonder whether you can bid or not.
Only when you're living in the right areas you're qualified to bid.

Not only do you have easy access to the auction at march 12 and later, but you'll also have the chance to win........

tadaaammmmm!!!!!!........

a Nintendo® Wii™.

Wow!

This includes:

• a Nintendo Wii Console,
• Wii Stand,
• 5 Sports games ( Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and bowling),
• 1 Remote Controller,
• 1 Nunchuk Controller,
• 1 Sensor Bar,
• 1 Wii AC Adapter,
• 1 Wii AV Cable.

So you'll be ready to play immediately when you have receiced your prize. You won't need other equipment.

Isn't that great?

Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!



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A Cat 5 cable

february 8 2008

Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's not, and sometimes it's just a matter of knowledge.

My son with asperger syndrome knows a lot of computers and electronics.
That comes in handy, because he can fix a lot.

He's often asked by people to help them out, which sometimes results in a call for his brother to get something he needs in a shop nearby.

One of the girls in his house is moving, and she's worrying a lot about her cat. She's afraid he won't get used to the new house.
We had a talk about that yesterday.

An hour later he called.
Mom, I need a Cat 5 cable. Can you or someone else get one and bring it here?

"Do you need a special length?", I asked. Thinking that a leash for the cat was wanted.
"Good question, I'll call you back."

During the next call I landed on my feet: it's a special kind of network cable. LOL!

Buzzfuse, the dynamic new way of marketing your online creations

february 4 2008

Writing a blog with good content takes time.
Especially when opinionated posts are needed.

Research needs to be done, one has to find the world behind the facts and one has to guard oneself against pure satire, ridicule and other ways to undermine ones own posts.

With a bussy life like mine I often have no time available anymore to market my articles.
Before I have tried services who wanted to spread my words, but they either did nothing, asked a lot of money, or told me they wanted my copyright and the freedom to change in my content whatever they saw fit.

Buzzfuse doesn't do anything like that.
They have very clear terms and on top of that, I tried their consumersservice and got a very kind email within 3 minutes (!) telling me my copyright stays mine.

So I logged in. Swift and easy.

Then I was asked to put a code to the desired post.
In order to activate it it needed to be clicked.

In order to spread the article I needed to provide 10 emailadresses of friend or family.
There were some screening questions: like if I wrote the post alone and if I want to have it published to the world,
and that was it.

Bussfuse even created a nice button to add to my favorites, so I can add content to the service.

Behind Buzzfuse is a young and dynamic team, ready to implement changes, and full of plans and new ideas.

There's a premium available, and ofcourse a chance to get the premium all for free.
I have to say, I won't mind winning one.

This month buzzfuse enables you to win cash and bonusses.

So why wait?

Follow me there, sign up to my circle, and submit your own post, song, graphics, photo, image.

See you there!

Special new years offers and design contest at Lunarpages

january 7 2008


OK.
I want to talk with you about Lunarpages Web Hosting.

I know, there are thousands of webhostingcompanies. Little ones, large enterprises.
But I want to talk with you about Lunarpages Web Hosting.

Designers awake!!

Lunarpages is running a Wordpress design contest.
You'd better look into it, because the effort is well worth the prize: 5 years hosting and $1000. Information: http://blog.lunarpages.com

OK, now they're off and working I can have a quiet talk with you.

I know some of you want to sell stuff online, some of you want your own url for your blog, some of you want to display your photos better, want to make a site for your kid's clubs, etc etc.
But you don't dare to start because you think it's an endless pain to get things online, so you stick to your blog and that's it.

Wake up!!!

Lunarpages has launched just a week ago a new LPQuickSite Plan.
Well, never mind the name.
Important to you is that you can be online in under 2 hours.
With a perfectly looking template or with a phone assisted design you made yourself.
You'll pay only $12.95 p/mo. (That's how much per day?).
For that you'll get 30 minutes per month of design and maintenance help, 27/7 priority support, email, free domain, loads of nice templates to choose from and a lot of pleasure.

When you use Coupon Code: - NewYear30 - you'll get until Jan 31st for $30 off.
Information: http://quicksite-hosting.lunarpages.com

Lunarpages is a very reliable service with 99.9% uptime.
It's the premier web host in the world, hosting over 150,000 satisfied customers with more than 100 staff members worldwide.
In 2000 it developed out of Add2Net and it's still managed by Ron Riddle.
Lunarpages provides beginner (LPQuicksite), basic, business, windows, Linux, VPS & dedicated hosting services.

Lunarpages supports Ruby on Rails, JSP/ASP, they have PHP5 and MySQL5 servers, all plans include unlimited databases, email accounts, FTP accounts and parked domains.

There are constant additions, improvements and adjustments to the ever changing needs of people online.

The basic plan, which is ideal for bloggers, has just increased.
For $6.95 a month you're blogging with 15,000GB of Transfer amd 1,500GB of storage, a free domain name & 10 add-on domains and loads more.

Lunarpages has two more offers.

When you use coupon code: - lunar25off - you'll get $25 off any 12/24 month Basic, Business, Windows or VPS plan.

Webmesters who want to change to Lunarpages, but who are stuck in a hosting contract
are helped out.
Lunarpages will add their paid time (up to 6 months) to their new 12 or 24 month hosting plan. Information: http://www.lunarpages.com/special_offer.php

For those who want to become an affiliate Lunarpages has great offers too. Go and have a look at: http://www.lunarpages.com/affiliate.
When you register, tell them I have send you.

Isn't this a great start of the new year???

Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc.

january 7 2008

When you're living in the New England area or when your business is located there, you don't need to worry anymore about phone system installation, PBX and voicemail maintenance, cable design and installation, and residential services.

Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc. provides this all for phone systems and voice mail systems from leading manufactures like NEC, nortel, Lucent/Avaya, Toshiba and Comdial.


With over 25 years of experience one can rely on their dedicated service.
Whether you're running a small, medium or large business, Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc. understands your needs and has the experience to help you out quickly and efficiently.

The digital phone systems and voice messaging systems Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc. sells perfectly fit your needs.

Take for instance the NEAX 2000 IPS. It's a full-featured IP-based communications system, providing pure voice-over-IP (VoIP) peer-to-peer connections across corporate local and wide area networks (LAN/WAN) and it also supports time division switching (TDM).
For those with a smaller space requirement the NEAX IPXDM (Internet Protocol eXchange Distributed Model) is a better choice. It's equipped with all the features and functions of the NEAX 2400 IPX, with a smaller space requirement. This model is designed for enterprise customers requiring a pure IP solution.
These are just two examples of the PBX systems Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc. provides and maintains.

Apart from those ACM also provides full installation and service of Key and Hybrid Systems like the Electra Elite 48 & 192, perfectly fit for the small moving business which needs a user-friendly, reliable and cost-effective complete communications system, and the Electra Elite IPK.

A full 24/7 service system guarantees maximal user comfort.
One can either call, or submit a webform to contact the technicians of ACM (Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc.), and
when one needs to contact the sales department one can find the contactform and emailadress ready on the site.

ACM is a NEC Certified Reseller. Which guarantees the technicians are continually training in the education of telephone systems to bring the most recent knowledge and modern equipment available to the customers.

So when you need minimal downtime, high quality services, and maximized return on your investment it's wise to contact Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc.

I've got scanning illness

january 3 2007

I've got scanning illness.

After dealing with unknown blanc i-frames in some pages while surfing, I thought it wise to scan my computer once again with another scanner, because the scanner I usually use didn't indicate a problem.

So I went to another online scanner... which diagnosed an empty file to be a problem... and now I'm scanning again.

The mystical i-frame has disappeared again, like it did during the day yesterday.

Well, it doesn't do anything worng. Scanning I mean.

Nor does changing passwords, as long as I write them down and don't forget them.

I wonder how many people really scan on a regular basis, how many change their passwords when the year starts, and how many still don't have a virusscanner, nor a firewall, nor psyware-protection.

I went to the site where I learned everything about computers and internet-use when I started.
Unsubscription followed when they started to ask a money.
But now I found out they lost so many members then, that they're a free forum again.

So whenever that i-frame shows itself in some sites, I will go there and probably ask one of the most stupid questions of the world.
I think they want me to re-install a program which solves the problem forever.

If it hasn't resolved itself yet.

Now I'm feeling ill... a bad cold... it feels OK to have the scan running in the background.
Life goes on.....

FortressSSH Server at Pragma Systems, Inc.

january 2 2008

With the growing use of computers and internet safety is the most important issue.

Especially business coorporations want everything: easy access, reliability, control, and ofcourse top productivity.
Many think that this all should be managed in one complete pack or system, but networking, infrastructure and reliability stretch so far that it's better to hand matters over to more specialised firms.

Pragma Systems, Inc. (located in Austin) focusses on telnet and ssh connectivity.
It has a Gold Certified Partner Status in the Microsoft Partner Program with 3 competencies in ISV/Software Solutions, Networking Infrastrucure and Mobility Solutions.
So you can rely on Pragma's expertise and impact in the technology marketplace.

Pragma offers now the FortressSSH Server.
You can download Pragma FortressSSH SFTP Server (Software Free Development) demo at the site of Pragma Systems, Inc.
Be impressed by the easy to read interface, the customizable login-shell, the speed, and all the other features that will enable swifter and better file transfer at your company.

Earthfrisk: searchengine, toolbar and community

december 27 2007

Now Google has put itself in the corner with Google PageRank, putting thousands of honest bloggers out of work, other searchengines get a real chance.

Building upon the experience of others and wishes of users Earthfrisk has entered the stage.

It's a community based Search Engine, with less spam and it's own ranking system.

Members can rate and rank websites, blogs and individuals according to a CV, colour value.
When surfing the web the Earthfrisk toolbar, available for Internet Explorer and Firefox, displays the rank.

Well, it's certainly more democratic as Google Page Rank. But right at this moment I'm completely done with ranking, because in my eyes it says nothing at all about the quality of a blog, just about the position in one or more specific social network(s).

There are a couple of things that need correction.
When looking for the dutch word: sneeuwbal, the first word that pops-up is snowball.
That's strange.
But I can easily influnece that by becoming a member.

When looking up a former friend, using the combined Earthfrisk sources, I found him immediately.

I do like the searchengine.
One can seach the complete web, or one can click a special source, like Wikepedia,
for instance, and search in that source.

And ofcourse I like the custom made toolbar for bloggers, with my own logo.

Want to have one too?