Solcar
10 kW
AW, well done on these developments. I think Tiny is swell.
End of the World. Beginning of a new one. The Life of Amberwolf.
- Thread starter amberwolf
- Start date
Thanks for all the well-wishes.
tiny's doing ok except she is now scared of any noises when she's outside, becuase on the 4th after all the other fireworks were done and peopel had gone to bed, i went out with her for potty break and walkies and someone sent off a bangbang rocket right overhead, scared her so bad she dropped to the ground and cowered and then dragged me back to the apartment door, pushing on it so hard I could see the bottom bow in a little bit before i could get it unlocked and let her in.
gonna be a while before she gets over that.
On the ohter hand, now she prefers sleeping on the bed with me, and staying in the bedroom, instead of hte front room, because she feels more secure with me than alone.
I am feeling a lot more "normal" now, though I am still having some bad dreams, and am still strssed out by not bieng home, in yet another strange place but this time with no one around that I know at all. (and most people won't even return a greeting as I pass them, with or without Tiny in tow).
Regarding the wifi, there's not much in the area at all that is unsecured. I rode around with my celphone that has wifi and it doesn't even detect anything within aobut a mile that could be used. there's probably 60-70 secured networks, most with WPA2, a couple with WPA, one really faint one wiht WEP. I tried with the big-antenna-rosewill-usb thing and it also doesn't find anything usable.
I also borrowed and tried a Netgear router that has a mode to be a wifi node for a computer, instead of a router, and big internal antenna that's supposed to give "miles" of range but while it does pick up a lot of sources, only a couple have more than a minimal signal, and none are unsecured (except for the couple of unusable ones I found with the celphone and regular wifi, as they are just printer-to-computer connections and won't let me connect to them).
The Mcdonalds and starbucks and such only seem to work within the building, in a few spots they work a few feet outside a window but not even out in the parking lots--they don't even show up at all.
I have tried a couple of directional antenna methods and they pick up a signal, but won't connect.
There's no way I'm going to walk up to strangers' doors (especially in this area) and knock and ask "can I buy some wifi from you?", so that option is out. Maybe if I happen to make friends with someone that has it I might ask about it, but it's not a likely thing ot happen, not in the short time I'll be here.
I did try to check out some of the wifi-access linux live cds and whatnot, but all of them appear to rquire quite a bit of linux knowledge to even boot the cd to an OS, load drivers, programs, etc, much less actually use the utilities on them to do what they are intended to. I might eventually learn enough to do that, but it'd be nice to find some other way instead.
Someone (here on ES I think) had once given me links to an easier way to do that sort of thing, but I don't seem to have them anymore, and any printouts or notes I had on them would've been lost in the fire. I did a LOT of web searching for such things prior to leaving Bill's place, and found very little useful info on the subject, almost all of it pointing to those livecd's and other linux versions of utilites that all require lots of linux knowledge to setup and operate. There are suppposedly windows versions of such things but i couldn't find any working versions of them, except a couple that couldn't access either wifi adapter I have, so either they don't work either or they just don't have drivers to do it.
So for the moment it's all gonna be thru places like MCd's as I can get a drink or something else for a buck, and sit here for a short while when they're not busy and check mail and post updates here and such, eveyr few days or so.
tiny's doing ok except she is now scared of any noises when she's outside, becuase on the 4th after all the other fireworks were done and peopel had gone to bed, i went out with her for potty break and walkies and someone sent off a bangbang rocket right overhead, scared her so bad she dropped to the ground and cowered and then dragged me back to the apartment door, pushing on it so hard I could see the bottom bow in a little bit before i could get it unlocked and let her in.
gonna be a while before she gets over that.
On the ohter hand, now she prefers sleeping on the bed with me, and staying in the bedroom, instead of hte front room, because she feels more secure with me than alone.
I am feeling a lot more "normal" now, though I am still having some bad dreams, and am still strssed out by not bieng home, in yet another strange place but this time with no one around that I know at all. (and most people won't even return a greeting as I pass them, with or without Tiny in tow).
Regarding the wifi, there's not much in the area at all that is unsecured. I rode around with my celphone that has wifi and it doesn't even detect anything within aobut a mile that could be used. there's probably 60-70 secured networks, most with WPA2, a couple with WPA, one really faint one wiht WEP. I tried with the big-antenna-rosewill-usb thing and it also doesn't find anything usable.
I also borrowed and tried a Netgear router that has a mode to be a wifi node for a computer, instead of a router, and big internal antenna that's supposed to give "miles" of range but while it does pick up a lot of sources, only a couple have more than a minimal signal, and none are unsecured (except for the couple of unusable ones I found with the celphone and regular wifi, as they are just printer-to-computer connections and won't let me connect to them).
The Mcdonalds and starbucks and such only seem to work within the building, in a few spots they work a few feet outside a window but not even out in the parking lots--they don't even show up at all.
I have tried a couple of directional antenna methods and they pick up a signal, but won't connect.
There's no way I'm going to walk up to strangers' doors (especially in this area) and knock and ask "can I buy some wifi from you?", so that option is out. Maybe if I happen to make friends with someone that has it I might ask about it, but it's not a likely thing ot happen, not in the short time I'll be here.
I did try to check out some of the wifi-access linux live cds and whatnot, but all of them appear to rquire quite a bit of linux knowledge to even boot the cd to an OS, load drivers, programs, etc, much less actually use the utilities on them to do what they are intended to. I might eventually learn enough to do that, but it'd be nice to find some other way instead.
Someone (here on ES I think) had once given me links to an easier way to do that sort of thing, but I don't seem to have them anymore, and any printouts or notes I had on them would've been lost in the fire. I did a LOT of web searching for such things prior to leaving Bill's place, and found very little useful info on the subject, almost all of it pointing to those livecd's and other linux versions of utilites that all require lots of linux knowledge to setup and operate. There are suppposedly windows versions of such things but i couldn't find any working versions of them, except a couple that couldn't access either wifi adapter I have, so either they don't work either or they just don't have drivers to do it.
So for the moment it's all gonna be thru places like MCd's as I can get a drink or something else for a buck, and sit here for a short while when they're not busy and check mail and post updates here and such, eveyr few days or so.
bowlofsalad
100 kW
I understand not wanting to go door to door, but you could probably find some sort of bulletin to post a wanted ad (with mention of money) in your apartment building as well as a similar ad on your door for wifi. I'd tear through mountains for a solid internet connection, jacking into an unsecured mcdonalds connection might be a acceptable temporary, but that would be very far from ideal.
One thing you probably don't know is, unless you are connecting to a VPN as well when using unsecured wifi, anyone can 'sniff' those packets and collect all of what you are doing, this includes things like logins (name/pass) and whatever else you do online. In fact, I'd suggest using a VPN connecting to anyone elses wifi unless you trust whoever else was on that router.
For educational purposes, see 'aircrack'.
One thing you probably don't know is, unless you are connecting to a VPN as well when using unsecured wifi, anyone can 'sniff' those packets and collect all of what you are doing, this includes things like logins (name/pass) and whatever else you do online. In fact, I'd suggest using a VPN connecting to anyone elses wifi unless you trust whoever else was on that router.
For educational purposes, see 'aircrack'.
very happy to see you with another great dog !... living alone I know all too well what a huge difference having friendly company can make.. that's great !
as said above, a quick post it note near the mailboxes saying something like " I need wifi access for basic internet surfing, email etc, no major downloading, willing to pay a bit of cash per month to help with the bill, please slip a note under my door if i'm not home so we can meet, apt no. XX, recovering from a house fire and have limited means at the moment, please help a kind soul.. "
if funds are that tight for you at the moment, shoot me a PM and i'll see to it you get wifi money !
even a smartphone with dataplan , and tethering would work as long as you don't stream large amounts of data.. browsing ES and email etc take very little..
as said above, a quick post it note near the mailboxes saying something like " I need wifi access for basic internet surfing, email etc, no major downloading, willing to pay a bit of cash per month to help with the bill, please slip a note under my door if i'm not home so we can meet, apt no. XX, recovering from a house fire and have limited means at the moment, please help a kind soul.. "
if funds are that tight for you at the moment, shoot me a PM and i'll see to it you get wifi money !
even a smartphone with dataplan , and tethering would work as long as you don't stream large amounts of data.. browsing ES and email etc take very little..
Apparently there is a special T-mobile plan that comes with 100mins, but unlimited data for $30 a month or something, so you can use data to make calls and texting. you have to purchase/activate online with the help of written instructions. If you have T-mobile coverage out there...
mdd0127
100 kW
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2008
- Messages
- 1,084
I got a straight talk phone. I supposedly have unlimited data for $45 a month but they cut my data off two weeks in because "Their system was monitoring my usage and thought I might use too much." So unlimited only means unlimited because they refuse to say what the limit is. So be careful with wireless. They're all crooks!
Ykick
1 GW
I recently bought refurbished iPad mini for about $400 with Verizon LTE which allows me to pay as I go for data and tether via wifi, usb or BT for no additional charges. In other words, it functions as a wifi hotspot merely consuming whatever data plan you've chosen. 1GB plan is $20/mon or 2GB $30/mon, etc. No contract, if I don't need wireless data for period of time simply turn off auto renewal.
Apple thing but maybe there's other tether/hotspot capable devices with pay as you go 4G data options?
Perhaps Phoenix doesn't have Verizon LTE yet? But if it does and good coverage in the areas you frequent, it's damn fast internet with no contract obligations.
Apple thing but maybe there's other tether/hotspot capable devices with pay as you go 4G data options?
Perhaps Phoenix doesn't have Verizon LTE yet? But if it does and good coverage in the areas you frequent, it's damn fast internet with no contract obligations.
I appreciate the varied advice, even though my reply below probably doesnt' sound like it. I'm stubborn, and set in my ways, and money is extremely valuable to me as I have rarely had any to spare, most of my life.
As I said I'm not signing up for any paid internet connections--there's just no good reason to pay thru the nose for it anymore, and definitely not going to go get yet another celphone and service contract just to use it as a wifi tether. I already have a payasyougo phone (forget which service) that I just a month ago bought what should be at least a year's worth of minutes for talking/texting on. It also does wifi, so it can be used for data without using up my minutes, but if I'm going to do that I'd rather use the laptop that I can actually type on and read the screens properly.
Technically it's supposed to do emails, but I can't get it to correctly access my gmail, because it wants to download *all* of the mail since the very beginning even though gmail's account settings are set to only allow downloading of "from now on", and I even reset that twice to be sure--it works fine from any client except whatever crappy one the phone has, whcih can't be changed.
Then another problem is that gmail keeps denying access to the phone's login attempts, because it is downloading too many messages at once, according to the error, and it thinks someone is hacking my account. When that happens I can't even access it from my laptop via SMTP/POP either, only via webmail.
The mobile webmail won't work on this phone; it just has jumbled text on top of other text and boxes and stuff so i can't see anything. No idea what browser it has in it but I can't change it.
I'm sure it could be made to work with *some* email service, but if it wont' work with my existing account I have no use for it. (sure I could forward everything form gmail to anothe raccount but am not going to do all that crap just to do something I can do better on the laptop with regular wifi, hwich does work wiht my existing acounts and stuff).
It's also possible I'm doing all of this stuff wrong in some wya and that's why it doesn't work, but I think it's really a conspiracy to get me to fork out more money.
@ bowlofsalad: The VPN is probably a good idea, and I'll have to look up how to set that up. AC is one of the things I had tried to use in my previous "rant" about not being able to get anything to actually work with my existing adapters.
@Ypedal: I'm not short on money to buy internet service--but it is not worth the huge expense just to connect, when free connections exist.
Technically since I am buying something at Mcds or wherever when I use their wifi it isnt' even free wifi, but I am trying to only get stuff off the dollar menu, so I am only spending $1 and tax each time. Doing it that way it will cost maybe $10/month if I go every three days, less if I go less often. I'm still looking for other options that really won't cost anything at all, but it's likely that this is the most convenient/close one for now. The libraries have internet access, so I am planning to head over to the closest one and see how it works for my purposes, once I get the chance.
BTW, I realize that "expensive" is a relative term, but to me spending $20-$40 a month on something is quite a lot, because that's $240-$480 a year, which could easily be kept in savings instead and kept around for emergencies or other stuff that comes up that I woudln't otherwise have any money to do anything about.
Thankfully since I am fostering Tiny, any vet stuff she needs will be taken care of by the rescue group, but that doesn't mean I won't end up with an additional dog (or more) that has to all be paid for by me. (I'm kinda used to having more than one around, especially after the big group I had until the fire; I still find myself looking around for the others even when Tiny is right there with me).
EDIT: I forgot to post more Tiny pictures, including her first meal at the apartment (after refusing to eat for more than a couple of days, I added some wet food and water to it to entice her, and she gobbled it right up):
I'm stubborn, and set in my ways, and money is extremely valuable to me as I have rarely had any to spare, most of my life. As I said I'm not signing up for any paid internet connections--there's just no good reason to pay thru the nose for it anymore, and definitely not going to go get yet another celphone and service contract just to use it as a wifi tether. I already have a payasyougo phone (forget which service) that I just a month ago bought what should be at least a year's worth of minutes for talking/texting on. It also does wifi, so it can be used for data without using up my minutes, but if I'm going to do that I'd rather use the laptop that I can actually type on and read the screens properly.
Technically it's supposed to do emails, but I can't get it to correctly access my gmail, because it wants to download *all* of the mail since the very beginning even though gmail's account settings are set to only allow downloading of "from now on", and I even reset that twice to be sure--it works fine from any client except whatever crappy one the phone has, whcih can't be changed.
Then another problem is that gmail keeps denying access to the phone's login attempts, because it is downloading too many messages at once, according to the error, and it thinks someone is hacking my account. When that happens I can't even access it from my laptop via SMTP/POP either, only via webmail.
The mobile webmail won't work on this phone; it just has jumbled text on top of other text and boxes and stuff so i can't see anything. No idea what browser it has in it but I can't change it.
I'm sure it could be made to work with *some* email service, but if it wont' work with my existing account I have no use for it. (sure I could forward everything form gmail to anothe raccount but am not going to do all that crap just to do something I can do better on the laptop with regular wifi, hwich does work wiht my existing acounts and stuff).
It's also possible I'm doing all of this stuff wrong in some wya and that's why it doesn't work, but I think it's really a conspiracy to get me to fork out more money.
@ bowlofsalad: The VPN is probably a good idea, and I'll have to look up how to set that up. AC is one of the things I had tried to use in my previous "rant" about not being able to get anything to actually work with my existing adapters.
@Ypedal: I'm not short on money to buy internet service--but it is not worth the huge expense just to connect, when free connections exist.
Technically since I am buying something at Mcds or wherever when I use their wifi it isnt' even free wifi, but I am trying to only get stuff off the dollar menu, so I am only spending $1 and tax each time. Doing it that way it will cost maybe $10/month if I go every three days, less if I go less often. I'm still looking for other options that really won't cost anything at all, but it's likely that this is the most convenient/close one for now. The libraries have internet access, so I am planning to head over to the closest one and see how it works for my purposes, once I get the chance.
BTW, I realize that "expensive" is a relative term, but to me spending $20-$40 a month on something is quite a lot, because that's $240-$480 a year, which could easily be kept in savings instead and kept around for emergencies or other stuff that comes up that I woudln't otherwise have any money to do anything about.
Thankfully since I am fostering Tiny, any vet stuff she needs will be taken care of by the rescue group, but that doesn't mean I won't end up with an additional dog (or more) that has to all be paid for by me. (I'm kinda used to having more than one around, especially after the big group I had until the fire; I still find myself looking around for the others even when Tiny is right there with me).
EDIT: I forgot to post more Tiny pictures, including her first meal at the apartment (after refusing to eat for more than a couple of days, I added some wet food and water to it to entice her, and she gobbled it right up):
Attachments
bigmoose
1 MW
Amber she looks right at home!!
winkinatcha
10 kW
FROCKING AWESOME AW!
That is all
Joe
That is all
Joe
I have found that Dunkin Donuts directly across the street from one of the apartment buildings (not mine, unfortunately) has a zero-bar signal that I can just *barely* connect to from a slightly shady spot on the edge of a partial sidewalk in front of the apt building, if I use the external Rosewill antenna-wifi, and angle the antenna and the laptop just right.
It's not enough for web browsing unless you like waiting a few minutes for a page to load, but it works ok for SMTP/POP email access via Thunderbird, though it still takes up to 30 seconds to a minute just to download each email, if there are attachments. About 5-6 seconds each for normal emails.
It normally only works in the middle of the day, though, for some reason. Earlier and later, when it's cooler outside, I usually can't pick it up at all, even on their side of the street. When I do pick it up it won't connect. So to use it I have to sit there in the heat for however long it takes to download the mail and send anything I've written.
I've also used Thunderbird to download via Mcdonald's connection so i can reply offline, but it doesnt' always work--a couple of times SMTP/POP wouldn't work even when web browsing would, for no reason I can figure out.
Oh, and the McD's wifi is wierd. I can pick it up at 5 bars from the same spot I can sort-of connect to the DD signal, but if I attempt to connect to it it just causes the program to re-scan for signals, and then whichever of the two (wayportaccess or attwifi) I tried to connect to doesnt' even show up in the list. If I then rescan again both show up with 5 bars, but any attempt to connect to them doesn't work. If I'm in their parking lot, I can't connect either, and they only show 2-3 bars at best. If I'm next to a window outside the building, I can connect and it shows only 1 bar. If I'm inside at a table (any table) I can connect to either one just fine, and it is 1-3 bars usually, though it may show 5 bars in the very same spot on a different day.
So, even knowing what I do about radio/EMI/etc from an electronics standpoint, and from my ham radio days, it is still strange and doesn't make sense.
I've also been trying to find a place in the area to trade paper money from the bank ATM for coins (roll of quarters) so I can use the washers and dryers here at the apartment complex. So far, no place will do it, except the bank itself but because I only have the basic account it would cost me $10 (enough for a whole roll of quarters) to get to talk to the cashier in order to trade paper money for coin money.
Supposedly there are two laundromats around here that have coin-changer machines, but I haven't found them yet (no one could tell me where they were, and I haven't found them via internet / phonebook searches yet). Gonna just have to keep riding around more till I do find them.
Most likely I'll just do it at work, if we have a spare roll of quarters to do it with. Otherwise, I know where a laundromat with change machine is up around my house, and will just go there to do it.
It's not enough for web browsing unless you like waiting a few minutes for a page to load, but it works ok for SMTP/POP email access via Thunderbird, though it still takes up to 30 seconds to a minute just to download each email, if there are attachments. About 5-6 seconds each for normal emails.
It normally only works in the middle of the day, though, for some reason. Earlier and later, when it's cooler outside, I usually can't pick it up at all, even on their side of the street.
When I do pick it up it won't connect. So to use it I have to sit there in the heat for however long it takes to download the mail and send anything I've written. I've also used Thunderbird to download via Mcdonald's connection so i can reply offline, but it doesnt' always work--a couple of times SMTP/POP wouldn't work even when web browsing would, for no reason I can figure out.
Oh, and the McD's wifi is wierd. I can pick it up at 5 bars from the same spot I can sort-of connect to the DD signal, but if I attempt to connect to it it just causes the program to re-scan for signals, and then whichever of the two (wayportaccess or attwifi) I tried to connect to doesnt' even show up in the list. If I then rescan again both show up with 5 bars, but any attempt to connect to them doesn't work. If I'm in their parking lot, I can't connect either, and they only show 2-3 bars at best. If I'm next to a window outside the building, I can connect and it shows only 1 bar. If I'm inside at a table (any table) I can connect to either one just fine, and it is 1-3 bars usually, though it may show 5 bars in the very same spot on a different day.
So, even knowing what I do about radio/EMI/etc from an electronics standpoint, and from my ham radio days, it is still strange and doesn't make sense.
I've also been trying to find a place in the area to trade paper money from the bank ATM for coins (roll of quarters) so I can use the washers and dryers here at the apartment complex. So far, no place will do it, except the bank itself but because I only have the basic account it would cost me $10 (enough for a whole roll of quarters) to get to talk to the cashier in order to trade paper money for coin money.
Supposedly there are two laundromats around here that have coin-changer machines, but I haven't found them yet (no one could tell me where they were, and I haven't found them via internet / phonebook searches yet). Gonna just have to keep riding around more till I do find them.
Most likely I'll just do it at work, if we have a spare roll of quarters to do it with. Otherwise, I know where a laundromat with change machine is up around my house, and will just go there to do it.
dogman dan
1 PW
Tiny is so beautiful. I don't know what it is about those bernards, but I can't live without one in the house anymore. So glad to see you are able to have a dog again.
Daisy is the same way with booms. Fortunately they banned all the loud stuff in recent years so the 4th is not so bad anymore. But we get F22 sonic booms all the time from White Sands airspace, and the dogs just hate it. According to Cezar, too much love when they are scared like that just reinforces being scared. Just your calm non scared presence is supposed to be best. Seems to be working with the booms for me. They still run back inside to hide, but no longer crawl under the bed. I just give them one touch, but not a big hug when they get frightened.
I don't blame you on the internet, wait till you are permanently back in the new place to start paying for it again. Just drop a line here when you are getting a buck cheeseburger so we know you are OK. I had the Verizon internet this spring for a month. Found a hotspot in a parking lot, and to my surprise it worked. It was slow like all wifi, but plenty fast for ES.
I don't' know if they have this in your town, but here you can order a Mcdouble for a buck. It won't be posted on the menu, just ask if they have a Mcdouble. It's the little cheeseburger, with two patties but just one cheese. At the MickeyD's near my house, Sunday at noon I often get in a long line of grey haired old farts. Every one of us ordering two mcdoubles and two small fries to go. I call it the old farts cheapskate meal. four bucks. Nobody orders a drink, those are a ripoff.
Daisy is the same way with booms. Fortunately they banned all the loud stuff in recent years so the 4th is not so bad anymore. But we get F22 sonic booms all the time from White Sands airspace, and the dogs just hate it. According to Cezar, too much love when they are scared like that just reinforces being scared. Just your calm non scared presence is supposed to be best. Seems to be working with the booms for me. They still run back inside to hide, but no longer crawl under the bed. I just give them one touch, but not a big hug when they get frightened.
I don't blame you on the internet, wait till you are permanently back in the new place to start paying for it again. Just drop a line here when you are getting a buck cheeseburger so we know you are OK. I had the Verizon internet this spring for a month. Found a hotspot in a parking lot, and to my surprise it worked. It was slow like all wifi, but plenty fast for ES.
I don't' know if they have this in your town, but here you can order a Mcdouble for a buck. It won't be posted on the menu, just ask if they have a Mcdouble. It's the little cheeseburger, with two patties but just one cheese. At the MickeyD's near my house, Sunday at noon I often get in a long line of grey haired old farts. Every one of us ordering two mcdoubles and two small fries to go. I call it the old farts cheapskate meal. four bucks. Nobody orders a drink, those are a ripoff.
e-beach
10 MW
Tiny look like one happy dogy to me! I am glad you have her!
http://blog.jgc.org/2012/02/long-range-wifi-antenna-from-illy.html
Or something similar...
http://www.antennamagus.com/blog/?p=216
http://www.instructables.com/id/10--WIFI-16dBi-Super-Antenna-Pictorial/
Anyway I am really glad that you have another dog. It is the best thing for you IMHO.
Looks like it is time for the DIY wifi coffee can antenna.amberwolf said:
http://blog.jgc.org/2012/02/long-range-wifi-antenna-from-illy.html
Or something similar...
http://www.antennamagus.com/blog/?p=216
http://www.instructables.com/id/10--WIFI-16dBi-Super-Antenna-Pictorial/
Supermarkets around here will do that. Buy something and then ask to exchange paper for coin....amberwolf said:
Anyway I am really glad that you have another dog. It is the best thing for you IMHO.
Ok, that DD wifi signal is very strange. Walking around the complex with the laptop and the rosewill antenna, there are a handful of spots where it almost gets a signal enough to connect, after dark when it's cooler. (might also be earlier but only tried then for obvious reasons). One place it actually does get enough to connect, though it sometimes gets interrupted when there is a lot of traffic on Thomas--right in front of the mailboxes for my section of the complex, in line-of-sight to DD itself, thru the metal gate. On teh other side of the gate, it does NOT get a signal, so the gate and the mailboxes must be interacting to create a reflection that makes it work--I have to be within a fairly small area to get it to work.
But at least this way I don't have to be outside the gated area after dark, and I don't have to be out in the hot sun, and I don't have to go buy stuff at McD's just to get email and stuff--I'm only about a hundred feet from my front door, actually. Close enough that if there was any place secure to put it, and a way to power it, I could set up a repeater at the gate to get it to my apartment. :/
I've considered the cantenna, and other solutions. I'll probably try one of them out at some point.
@Dogman, they have the mcdouble on the dollar menu section at this one, and probably others but I don't typically go out to eat so I'm not sure. It's one of the things I have ordered to nibble on while checking email and ES. (the small ice cream cone is another, though it's practically robbery to charge that much for such a teeny thing, it was super hot outside and felt good enouhg to be worth it). Sometimes I just get a drink and refill it with different stuff each time I run out while I'm there, but usually it's just the raspberry tea stuff.
Unit next to me is now remodelled, and a nice family moving in as i type this, while washing my clothes. I got quarters via Bill, as he had a change jar with more than enough to do it this time around. Next time I'll do it at work (didn't this time cuz I didn't htink of it until yesterday, my first of 3 days of in a row). Unfortunately only one washer is working, because the others' coin boxes are full and won't take more money. I didn't find this out until I tried to put money in one, though, and it took $1 but refused the last quarter, so now I'm out that whole dollar--it doesn't return anything already dropped in the box. The service phone number says they're open 24/7, but they're not--already closed and their answering service "for emergencies" doesn't pick up very quick for an emergency line, just puts me on hold. I only waited 5 minutes, because i dn't want to waste my celphone minutes on tis. I'll just let the office know in hte morning, and let them deal with the service company.
Thankfully the washer still working took the quarters for my other load, but I'm not going to risk the dryers, and will just hang them in the apartment over the divider I brought and the bathroom shower curtain rod.
I also gave Tiny a bath just beofre coming out to start the wash, cuz she's rolled in the dirt so much while out walking that she's more beige than white in some places, and has some stinky paws. She dind't appreciate the bath, but didn't fight getting her into the tub, though at one point she decided she wanted out and it was a little tough keeping her in without making her slip, just holding her nose downward so she couldn't lift up enough to get over the tub edge, until the desire to try goes away. (works on most big dogs)
But she had fun after getting out and partly dried off, first running in circles aorund the front room, then diving onto the bed (which I'd double layered with blankets that need washing anyway, cuz I knew this would happen) and rubbing herself all over on the blankets. I have video of the latter (couldn't get the phone out in time for the former, and didn't even try in the bathtub cuz I didn't know how she'd react and didn't want to lose the phone to a flood or getting stepped on or something).
Have to wait a bit to do the uploading though, till I'm over at Mcdonalds or something, cuz no way it's going to happen over the bandwidth available from the DD conection across the street.
But at least this way I don't have to be outside the gated area after dark, and I don't have to be out in the hot sun, and I don't have to go buy stuff at McD's just to get email and stuff--I'm only about a hundred feet from my front door, actually. Close enough that if there was any place secure to put it, and a way to power it, I could set up a repeater at the gate to get it to my apartment. :/
I've considered the cantenna, and other solutions. I'll probably try one of them out at some point.
@Dogman, they have the mcdouble on the dollar menu section at this one, and probably others but I don't typically go out to eat so I'm not sure. It's one of the things I have ordered to nibble on while checking email and ES. (the small ice cream cone is another, though it's practically robbery to charge that much for such a teeny thing, it was super hot outside and felt good enouhg to be worth it). Sometimes I just get a drink and refill it with different stuff each time I run out while I'm there, but usually it's just the raspberry tea stuff.
Unit next to me is now remodelled, and a nice family moving in as i type this, while washing my clothes. I got quarters via Bill, as he had a change jar with more than enough to do it this time around. Next time I'll do it at work (didn't this time cuz I didn't htink of it until yesterday, my first of 3 days of in a row). Unfortunately only one washer is working, because the others' coin boxes are full and won't take more money. I didn't find this out until I tried to put money in one, though, and it took $1 but refused the last quarter, so now I'm out that whole dollar--it doesn't return anything already dropped in the box. The service phone number says they're open 24/7, but they're not--already closed and their answering service "for emergencies" doesn't pick up very quick for an emergency line, just puts me on hold. I only waited 5 minutes, because i dn't want to waste my celphone minutes on tis. I'll just let the office know in hte morning, and let them deal with the service company.
Thankfully the washer still working took the quarters for my other load, but I'm not going to risk the dryers, and will just hang them in the apartment over the divider I brought and the bathroom shower curtain rod.
I also gave Tiny a bath just beofre coming out to start the wash, cuz she's rolled in the dirt so much while out walking that she's more beige than white in some places, and has some stinky paws. She dind't appreciate the bath, but didn't fight getting her into the tub, though at one point she decided she wanted out and it was a little tough keeping her in without making her slip, just holding her nose downward so she couldn't lift up enough to get over the tub edge, until the desire to try goes away. (works on most big dogs)
But she had fun after getting out and partly dried off, first running in circles aorund the front room, then diving onto the bed (which I'd double layered with blankets that need washing anyway, cuz I knew this would happen) and rubbing herself all over on the blankets. I have video of the latter (couldn't get the phone out in time for the former, and didn't even try in the bathtub cuz I didn't know how she'd react and didn't want to lose the phone to a flood or getting stepped on or something).
Have to wait a bit to do the uploading though, till I'm over at Mcdonalds or something, cuz no way it's going to happen over the bandwidth available from the DD conection across the street.
bigmoose
1 MW
I also found the wifi in the X-32 was really poor for extended range. When I had to snarf a signal in Florida a few years ago I used a USB type WiFi adapter and put it in the focus of a 8 inch Chinese wire mesh frying tool. The wire mesh has sort of an elliptic focus point. I cut a hole in the mesh in the middle and play with stuff to get better range. Sometimes it works. It looks something like this one, but I got mine for a couple bucks at the local Chinese grocery. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/town-food-equipment/42411/p375364.aspx
That's another possibility. I've also used a foldup-collander and changed the focus by expanding or contracting the outer segments a little, for some experiments, but I couldn't find the collander in the stuff at the house--I think someone took it instead of packing it in a box for me, when "helping" me after the fire. (seems to be a lot more of that than I imagined, as I go looking for things)
I finally got the Tiny afterbath vids uploaded, so the first one is her right out of the towel-off, and the second is her bed-diving. A still image precedes them for those that can't view the vids for whatever reason.
[youtube]BNPqmMV_I00[/youtube]
[youtube]TG6uytdUmHE[/youtube]
I finally got the Tiny afterbath vids uploaded, so the first one is her right out of the towel-off, and the second is her bed-diving. A still image precedes them for those that can't view the vids for whatever reason.
[youtube]BNPqmMV_I00[/youtube]
[youtube]TG6uytdUmHE[/youtube]
etriker
100 kW
the thread that made me cry made me smile today !
Tiny is cool !
Tiny is cool !
dnmun
1 PW
you should not have to be afraid to ask your neighbors there if you can log on using their wifi or even run some cat5 cable directly to the modem. pay them $20/mth to help with the cost. or if you have a landline phone you can get the peoplepc online service for $5-6/mth. that is what i have to use when i go home since there is no dsl out in the boonies where i live.
I give up on trying to get my point about that stuff across to you.
Tiny is doing better about noises by just a little bit. They still scare the heck out of her, but at least now, after lots of waiting and body-blocking so she can't head back to the apartment, I can get her to continue her rounds and then actually go potty most of the time.
She got spoooked in teh aprtment itself though, today, when i was relacing the 20" rear motor wheel, as some washers went flying off it as I tightned things up (cuz their holes were too big). She hid in the bathroom and had a nap (several times, actually). She never wanted to even go into the bathroom before, but I guess it is as safe as anywhere else now that she knows what's in there after her bath yesterday.
She did notice the mirrors, and though she couldnt' see hereself in them she saw movement reflected in them, and kept trying to figure it out. I tried to get video but never caught her at it, just staring at the coorner or pawing at the tile, as she heard noises from the new neighbors on that side.
No new wifi info yet, except that Bill gave me an old Android Samsung / AT&T phone with wifi, and it picks up even less stuff than my little LG prepaid phone. Haven't had a chance to go online and find the rooting/unlocking info on it to see if it can be used with my prepaid's sim card for phone use, but at least with wifi it can be used for gps/web/email/etc, once I set those up, since it's got stuff specifically in it for gmail.
EDIT: forgot the pics
Tiny is doing better about noises by just a little bit. They still scare the heck out of her, but at least now, after lots of waiting and body-blocking so she can't head back to the apartment, I can get her to continue her rounds and then actually go potty most of the time.
She got spoooked in teh aprtment itself though, today, when i was relacing the 20" rear motor wheel, as some washers went flying off it as I tightned things up (cuz their holes were too big). She hid in the bathroom and had a nap (several times, actually). She never wanted to even go into the bathroom before, but I guess it is as safe as anywhere else now that she knows what's in there after her bath yesterday.
She did notice the mirrors, and though she couldnt' see hereself in them she saw movement reflected in them, and kept trying to figure it out. I tried to get video but never caught her at it, just staring at the coorner or pawing at the tile, as she heard noises from the new neighbors on that side.
No new wifi info yet, except that Bill gave me an old Android Samsung / AT&T phone with wifi, and it picks up even less stuff than my little LG prepaid phone. Haven't had a chance to go online and find the rooting/unlocking info on it to see if it can be used with my prepaid's sim card for phone use, but at least with wifi it can be used for gps/web/email/etc, once I set those up, since it's got stuff specifically in it for gmail.
EDIT: forgot the pics
Attachments
yopappamon
10 kW
mdd0127 said:
They use the big guys networks and if they have you on the AT&T network you will be limited to 1.5g per month. I almost switched to them until I found that out. If you are using a gsm phone( one that uses sim cards) I have some t- mobile sims I will give you if you like. T-mobile isn't supposed to cut you off. They are for Net10, sister company to straight talk. Same pricing deals.i found out there is no t mobile service at my house, so they are no use to me.
Another quick update via DD wifi before I head off to work:
Tiny is a teeny tiny bit better at handling noises each time we go out for walkies, but it's gonna be a long process. Mostly I have to keep herding her with body blocks once she gets to certain areas, in order to get her to the larger walking areas, instead of just a few dozen feet away from the apartment door.
My house hasn't had any changes last couple times I've been by--they have the windows installed and they do look like they can slide open, at least. The main A/C unit is sitting on top of the roof over on the back room (the one that will have to be torn down) but isn't yet mounted on the house proper, which would be up near the central peak of roofline, where they have the ducting going to (where the old ducting used to be, more or less, except it went to the back of the house wall instead of the roof). I assume they used a crane to get it up htere, but not sure how they plan ot move it from where it is to where it needs to go--another crane, or a bunch of poeple lifting across the angled roof (which seems dangerous).
It's beginning to be cool enough in evenings before dark that I might be able to start doing more cleanup work there myself. I am not sure how long I can handle it emotionally so the self-limiting of it getting too dark to see should help that, also so I don't end up overheating/overworking myself like I have done when starting from early morning iwth the day just getting hotter and hotter.
Only a couple of people have been willing (and able) to help at all there sinceeven before the debacle with Tannon, although a couple of others were willing to they can't actually do any of the work that needs to be done (mostly heavy lifting and moving of stuff into and around the sheds, like the big furniture pieces I'd love to get inside the sheds before real rains start--that was part of why I wanted the sheds in the first place...but it requires more than three people to move some of them. At the least, different people than just me, Mark, and Michael S., as none of us is really in any shape to do that.)
I've been back to do a little stuff, like move some things from the first new shed to the second, to allow access to the dog food and other dog stuff I'd had in the back of it, but secondary things like getting the trash out of the pile in back of the yard have had to wait, and only once did I have energy or time left to move a bag of trash out to the dumpster in the alley. It's significantly harder for me to do that since they moved the gate in the fence to the front from where it had been on the side.
I am trying to get there often enough to do a little watering of trees and lantana so they don't die in this heat, but it's hard to decide to do it when I am at the apartment, cuz it's about six miles from there to the house, and hardly seems worth the effort to go just for that, especially when I can b espending time with Tiny instead. Stopping by to do it on the way to work is usually not possible either, because it is the hottest part of the day then, and I'd be stinky and dirty and drenched with sweat by the time I got to work if I did. Stopping by on the way home from work is possible, but normally it's completely dark by then, and there's no lighting there--I first have to find and then setup lighting before I can do stuff after dark--yet another thing that has had to wait. On sundays if I get off at 7pm or earlier then I have about 30-60 minutes of usable light, so that's usually when i've been stopping by.
Am still debating if I want to ask for full time again yet; I'm still not sure I'm ready for that, though I am a lot better off than I was before Tiny. LOTS better.
Tiny is a teeny tiny bit better at handling noises each time we go out for walkies, but it's gonna be a long process. Mostly I have to keep herding her with body blocks once she gets to certain areas, in order to get her to the larger walking areas, instead of just a few dozen feet away from the apartment door.
My house hasn't had any changes last couple times I've been by--they have the windows installed and they do look like they can slide open, at least. The main A/C unit is sitting on top of the roof over on the back room (the one that will have to be torn down) but isn't yet mounted on the house proper, which would be up near the central peak of roofline, where they have the ducting going to (where the old ducting used to be, more or less, except it went to the back of the house wall instead of the roof). I assume they used a crane to get it up htere, but not sure how they plan ot move it from where it is to where it needs to go--another crane, or a bunch of poeple lifting across the angled roof (which seems dangerous).
It's beginning to be cool enough in evenings before dark that I might be able to start doing more cleanup work there myself. I am not sure how long I can handle it emotionally so the self-limiting of it getting too dark to see should help that, also so I don't end up overheating/overworking myself like I have done when starting from early morning iwth the day just getting hotter and hotter.
Only a couple of people have been willing (and able) to help at all there sinceeven before the debacle with Tannon, although a couple of others were willing to they can't actually do any of the work that needs to be done (mostly heavy lifting and moving of stuff into and around the sheds, like the big furniture pieces I'd love to get inside the sheds before real rains start--that was part of why I wanted the sheds in the first place...but it requires more than three people to move some of them. At the least, different people than just me, Mark, and Michael S., as none of us is really in any shape to do that.)
I've been back to do a little stuff, like move some things from the first new shed to the second, to allow access to the dog food and other dog stuff I'd had in the back of it, but secondary things like getting the trash out of the pile in back of the yard have had to wait, and only once did I have energy or time left to move a bag of trash out to the dumpster in the alley. It's significantly harder for me to do that since they moved the gate in the fence to the front from where it had been on the side.
I am trying to get there often enough to do a little watering of trees and lantana so they don't die in this heat, but it's hard to decide to do it when I am at the apartment, cuz it's about six miles from there to the house, and hardly seems worth the effort to go just for that, especially when I can b espending time with Tiny instead. Stopping by to do it on the way to work is usually not possible either, because it is the hottest part of the day then, and I'd be stinky and dirty and drenched with sweat by the time I got to work if I did. Stopping by on the way home from work is possible, but normally it's completely dark by then, and there's no lighting there--I first have to find and then setup lighting before I can do stuff after dark--yet another thing that has had to wait. On sundays if I get off at 7pm or earlier then I have about 30-60 minutes of usable light, so that's usually when i've been stopping by.
Am still debating if I want to ask for full time again yet; I'm still not sure I'm ready for that, though I am a lot better off than I was before Tiny. LOTS better.
Tiny finally used the indoor potty tray I made, as she'd held her pee so long she couldn't manage it anymore I guess. Last night when I got home from work she was all antsy like she needed to go so I got her leash and stuff but she then trotted over to the potty tray and squatted on it instead, so I went right over and praised her for it since that's what it's for.
She didn't want to do walkies long enough to go potty after that, at any time, so she didn't go poopy either, after more than a day's holding it, but sometime in the night she finally used the tray for that, too.
She wasn't interested in going out this morning--way too many noises from cars and trucks on 23rd Ave and on Thomas, and she turned right back as soon as she went out the door the first time at predawn, then later she woudln't even go out the door cuz of the noises of remodelling in other apartments in my section. So she used the tray again while I was in the shower, but she missed a little this time. (but that is why I wanted this tile floor, just in case).
We tried again an hour ago (just before midday), but it's so hot that I brought her back in after only a very short walk just within my section of the apartments, in the shady spots.
She's still not eating consistently--sometimes she'll eat everything and lick the bowl clean, but usually she only eats maybe a cup of food total before she's done, and she doesn't go back for more later at all, when I've left the remainder out for her to finish. Doesn't seem to matter which of several flavors and types of wet food I've mixed with water for gravy-flavoring mixed in with the dry food. She should be eating around 2 cups per meal, maybe a little less, at her size and activity level, depending on kind of food, but is only doing about half of that on average, and this is with the food she had already been eating before I got her. (only change is the topping cuz she wouldn't eat at all without it; I'm using less and less of it each time to wean her off it to see how she'll do without it).
Myself, I'm still having bad dreams, but less and less of them. I do still often wake up and feel Tiny there and pet her, thinking "what's wrong with Hachi's fur?" (or Nana's, if Tiny is snoring, cuz Nana did that and Hachi didn't really) before I remember, and am both really sad and a little happy at the same time, which is confusing.
Sometimes I wake up and Tiny isn't in the bed (having gone in to the front room to sleep on the cold tile) and I panic until I realize that's where she's gone, but I still have to get up and look. She doesnt' wake up from little noises as long as the fan and the "marsh sounds" from the clock Bigmoose sent are running, so I don't have to worry about waking her up unless I actually touch her (which will wake her quickly almost always).
I have not had to carry/hold Phideaux (Hachi's toy) since Tiny arrived, but I still carry it in my cargo pod on the bike just in case, for when i'm at work/etc. Still have bad moments here and there, but not often, and nowhere near like before Tiny. I *almost* feel normal again.
On the wifi/etc front: The android phone from Bill will check Gmail via the webmail function just fine, but even copy/pasting the login name and password out of that login window and into the email application will not work--it tells me that one of the two is wrong, even though it's not. So I can't use it for just getting/sending the emails whenever I'm near a hotspot and reading htem offline later, which is what I had planned to do with it.
It also has very little range for it's wifi, so for instance I can't use the DD wifi unless I actually cross the street and go into their parking lot. The McD's wifi I can only access inside the building with it--it doesnt' even see it outside the windows like the laptop does. Staples has a hotspot, too, up in the shopping center I work at, but unless I am either inside or just outside the windows (literally leaning against htem) it won't connect. There *is* an antenna port that uses the same connector the internal antennas on laptops do, so I can dig thru my remaining unmelted laptop parts at the house someday and see if I have a display casing that still has the antenna in it. Then I can put that into something to stick on the back of the phone, and plug into the internal connection to see if that nets me a better signal.
I've thought about lots of signal amplifiers for the laptop, but practically, none of them are really useful because the only unsecured wifi is blocked by buildings that they won't help with. There's lots of secured wifi in unblocked directions, even without amplifiers, so I'd more likely have ot work on doing something with that to be able to get wifi at the apartment itself. :|
She didn't want to do walkies long enough to go potty after that, at any time, so she didn't go poopy either, after more than a day's holding it, but sometime in the night she finally used the tray for that, too.
She wasn't interested in going out this morning--way too many noises from cars and trucks on 23rd Ave and on Thomas, and she turned right back as soon as she went out the door the first time at predawn, then later she woudln't even go out the door cuz of the noises of remodelling in other apartments in my section. So she used the tray again while I was in the shower, but she missed a little this time. (but that is why I wanted this tile floor, just in case).
We tried again an hour ago (just before midday), but it's so hot that I brought her back in after only a very short walk just within my section of the apartments, in the shady spots.
She's still not eating consistently--sometimes she'll eat everything and lick the bowl clean, but usually she only eats maybe a cup of food total before she's done, and she doesn't go back for more later at all, when I've left the remainder out for her to finish. Doesn't seem to matter which of several flavors and types of wet food I've mixed with water for gravy-flavoring mixed in with the dry food. She should be eating around 2 cups per meal, maybe a little less, at her size and activity level, depending on kind of food, but is only doing about half of that on average, and this is with the food she had already been eating before I got her. (only change is the topping cuz she wouldn't eat at all without it; I'm using less and less of it each time to wean her off it to see how she'll do without it).
Myself, I'm still having bad dreams, but less and less of them. I do still often wake up and feel Tiny there and pet her, thinking "what's wrong with Hachi's fur?" (or Nana's, if Tiny is snoring, cuz Nana did that and Hachi didn't really) before I remember, and am both really sad and a little happy at the same time, which is confusing.
Sometimes I wake up and Tiny isn't in the bed (having gone in to the front room to sleep on the cold tile) and I panic until I realize that's where she's gone, but I still have to get up and look. She doesnt' wake up from little noises as long as the fan and the "marsh sounds" from the clock Bigmoose sent are running, so I don't have to worry about waking her up unless I actually touch her (which will wake her quickly almost always).
I have not had to carry/hold Phideaux (Hachi's toy) since Tiny arrived, but I still carry it in my cargo pod on the bike just in case, for when i'm at work/etc. Still have bad moments here and there, but not often, and nowhere near like before Tiny. I *almost* feel normal again.
On the wifi/etc front: The android phone from Bill will check Gmail via the webmail function just fine, but even copy/pasting the login name and password out of that login window and into the email application will not work--it tells me that one of the two is wrong, even though it's not. So I can't use it for just getting/sending the emails whenever I'm near a hotspot and reading htem offline later, which is what I had planned to do with it.
It also has very little range for it's wifi, so for instance I can't use the DD wifi unless I actually cross the street and go into their parking lot. The McD's wifi I can only access inside the building with it--it doesnt' even see it outside the windows like the laptop does. Staples has a hotspot, too, up in the shopping center I work at, but unless I am either inside or just outside the windows (literally leaning against htem) it won't connect. There *is* an antenna port that uses the same connector the internal antennas on laptops do, so I can dig thru my remaining unmelted laptop parts at the house someday and see if I have a display casing that still has the antenna in it. Then I can put that into something to stick on the back of the phone, and plug into the internal connection to see if that nets me a better signal.
I've thought about lots of signal amplifiers for the laptop, but practically, none of them are really useful because the only unsecured wifi is blocked by buildings that they won't help with. There's lots of secured wifi in unblocked directions, even without amplifiers, so I'd more likely have ot work on doing something with that to be able to get wifi at the apartment itself. :|
Hang in there AW
interesting thread for sure
interesting thread for sure
She gets no running at all, unfortunately, though she'd love to. There's no fenced in area I can let her loose in anywhere in the apartments other than my front room, and she's not comfortable with running on that tiled surface, or indoors. She's not ready for walks outside the complex yet, still too jumpy at noises, and we'd be walking along and crossing roads with lots of traffic on them, and lots of other noise sources, to get to anywhere she could go to run. Plus she'd also be with other dogs and she doesn't necessarily get along with others well--depends on the specific dog. So she can't be let loose except on her own in a fenced area.
Right now, that means she probably wont' have the chance to run around until it's a lot cooler, and I can start training her to ride in the kennel trailer, and take her up to my house's yard to run around in on days they're not working on the house.
She gets plenty of walks, but I can't run so she has to go slow to let me keep up with her, holding her leashes (I always use two with bigger dogs, just in case, one on collar and one on harness--in her case the one on collar is one clipped to itself and looped around her like a collar, because that is what she is so used to that if I don't do that she won't go walking--but the actual control leash is on her harness, and the other is just a backup in case of failure of the first one).
Eating: She may simply not need to eat more than a couple cups a day without hte running around and playing, or she might not want to because she's still not really settled in yet (though she seems to be; I don't know her well enough yet).
She does drink enough to make big puddles, but I think if she had free access to a yard to run around in and go whenever she felt like it, she'd drink more. She might simply be used to not drinking much, as I 've had some dogs that never really drink enough, and I have had to just always add lots of water to their food like gravy so they'd have to lap it up in order to eat.
(Am at mcds for breakfast as much as i dislike it cuz i was starving and too shaky/tired to cook my own safely today, and so i am also doing ES and email stuff)
Right now, that means she probably wont' have the chance to run around until it's a lot cooler, and I can start training her to ride in the kennel trailer, and take her up to my house's yard to run around in on days they're not working on the house.
She gets plenty of walks, but I can't run so she has to go slow to let me keep up with her, holding her leashes (I always use two with bigger dogs, just in case, one on collar and one on harness--in her case the one on collar is one clipped to itself and looped around her like a collar, because that is what she is so used to that if I don't do that she won't go walking--but the actual control leash is on her harness, and the other is just a backup in case of failure of the first one).
Eating: She may simply not need to eat more than a couple cups a day without hte running around and playing, or she might not want to because she's still not really settled in yet (though she seems to be; I don't know her well enough yet).
She does drink enough to make big puddles, but I think if she had free access to a yard to run around in and go whenever she felt like it, she'd drink more. She might simply be used to not drinking much, as I 've had some dogs that never really drink enough, and I have had to just always add lots of water to their food like gravy so they'd have to lap it up in order to eat.
(Am at mcds for breakfast as much as i dislike it cuz i was starving and too shaky/tired to cook my own safely today, and so i am also doing ES and email stuff)
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