Support For The Masses

Since I have a medium level of self-taught experience with computers and computer-related issues, several people (friends and family mostly) look to me to check things out when something goes awry or they need to figure out how to complete a project or things of that nature. I enjoy this, as I have been into computers for somewhere over ten years or so, since I got my first PC (I was a little late to the party).

As I say, I have no formal training. Everything’s been picked up along the way by reading mostly: tech and PC magazines and websites. And of course by hands-on learning, trial and error and what-have-you. I have a friend who has done likewise, so we share information when possible and that helps as well. So I don’t know a TON, but I like to think I know enough to help people out in everyday situations.

All that being said, I have a friend for whom I have become his de-facto IT man, for lack of a better term. I’ve revamped PCs for him, hooked him up with different programs and apps, de-crapified systems for him (removed viruses, etc) and helped him create multimedia items for his family … stuff like that. I do this on a regular basis and usually for free, as he’s a friend of course. I look at it as added experience and learning opportunities. Occasionally along the way I glean new information that helps both of us out. Not long ago this happened again and it led me to a cool program I wanted to recommend.

Now this friend of mine lives across town, which doesn’t sound like it would be that far, but I do live in the Detroit area, and he lives on the east side as opposed to me being on the west, so traveling to his home when problems crop up isn’t always convenient. Along the way I had figured out that by using the Remote features built into Windows (Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, etc), I could connect to his computer and help him out that way, rather than try and talk him through things without being able to see what he’s got going on there (which, if you’ve ever tried to help someone that way before, you know is a pain in the ass).

Regular PC users will be familiar with this method of assisting someone, but will also be aware that it’s not always the most reliable means of helping someone out. I had been finding this out more and more recently when I couldn’t connect to his system as easily, and once we were able to make connections, they would drop suddenly and without warning. Not very helpful. And not only that, whenever configurations would change in either my system or his, the connection rules would have to be redefined in one or both PCs (firewall exceptions, for example). As I say, a royal pain.

One night as I had had my fill of the headaches created by trying to connect to him to resolve a situation, I went on a Google-induced binge, trying to find some answers as to why I was getting a particular error message that we had not encountered before (I forget what it was, but I know he had changed internet providers recently and of course settings had changed, but the solutions I was having him implement weren’t taking hold). In a tech forum, someone had mentioned a program called TeamViewer. Supposedly this app brought all the usefulness of Windows Remote Assistance, and more. On top of that, it was free to use. And on top of that, it could be run easily on both ends without installing anything. This sounded too good to be true, but I had to check it out.

Turns out this person was absolutely right, and I’ve been in tech love with it ever since. When you go to the website, there is a Download page where you will find the two modules you’ll need: one for your system, and a smaller “customer” module. In my case, I’ve downloaded both for myself, to keep a copy of the Customer module on hand in case I need to e-mail it to someone (to make it easier on them, rather than have them try and track it down).

Without getting TOO technical (some of you may already be asleep before you’ve gotten this far), the program runs on UDP, or “User Datagram Protocol”. In a nutshell, its a method of communicating between computers without a ton of prior configuration necessary (the source of my Windows Remote problems; the firewall changes etc). You download the main module for yourself, and then click to open and the system will ask how you want to run the app (you can install it permanently for future regular use, or run it as a one-time deal):

Once you’ve chosen and completed either procedure, the main window appears:

Session ID Screen

Now by this point, the person you are trying to help off-site (remotely) will have either downloaded the customer module from the website or received your e-mail containing the file you sent them. In either case, it is the file called “TeamViewerQS”. It’s a very small standalone executable, that when opened looks simply like this:

Ask that person for the nine-digit ID number and enter it into the “Create Session” field in your main window. Then ask for the four-digit password and enter that as well when prompted. That’s it: all you need to easily connect to their system, which depending on your connection and theirs can happen very quickly or take a brief moment. Now if you have the wherewithal (and I assume you do, else you wouldn’t have read all of this), you will be in control of their system, easily navigating their desktop etc. and able to move about with mouse and also type commands to their system when necessary.

While you are connected, your TeamViewer window will also present you with a number of interesting options, including: file transfer (very handy), remote rebooting, screen resolution adjustment, and lots more. I won’t bore with details on that (any more than I have already), but it’s a very nice program; easy to use and feature-rich for someone like me who does a lot of off-site helping of others. I did mention before that it’s free (for now; we’ll see how long that lasts) and not a “feature-limited trial period” sort of free either, as you’ll find in many other applications.

I should close by stating I don’t work for TeamViewer; just a fan of the program and its usefulness (and ease, and cost!), so I thought I would pass the information along to anyone who stumbles across my page here and might also find it of interest. There are more features and uses for it that I haven’t mentioned here, so it’s worth investigating further. Ask any questions if you’d like, or of course visit their website above.

(Note: clicking the above images will embiggen them, in case they’re hard to read depending on your display resolution)

Wut Up Wit Dat?

Ok, so our Tigers appear to be in a bit of a funk, and I can’t say I’m thrilled about it (I’m sure no one who cares is). They seemed on such a tear, at one point being tied with Minnesota for first in the division (even if that only lasted a day). Now over the course of the last week-and-a-half or so, they’ve hit the skids, going 2-8 in the last ten games.

The offense seems to be the primary cause, although no one can figure out why. The bats went cold, if you leave aside the exception of last Sunday’s 10-4 whipping laid on Oakland. One hopes it’s a minor, and temporary, slump. But when it’s spread out over the best of your bats, it gives you pause to wonder what’s up. Oakland’s last game here, on Monday, was a fairly limp showing, with Verlander not quite as sharp as he’d been in the rest of May, and in a weird reversal of fortune, it was the as-of-late putrid bottom of the order that came up with most of the hits that day, rather than the productive top.

Damon seemed like he was really contributing well for a while, but lately his average has dropped somewhat. Action Jackson’s explosiveness was bound to slow somewhat, as was Boesch’s, but as a whole they need to really crank it into a higher gear in order to even hope for a wild card slot. Fortunately Minnesota finally lost a game against Seattle last night, so we’re still 4 1/2 behind, but as tough as they are, we’ve got to pick up more ground on them or it’s time to worry.

I haven’t mentioned last night’s game really, because while I had it on the tube, I missed 99.9% of it, as I was on the phone with a friend trying to help him out with a computer issue. A process I thought would take maybe an hour turned into 3 1/2, right through the whole game (more thoughts on the computer thing later). What little I did see of the game looked as though Bonderman was having a decent start, but again, the offense did not support him. We’d definitely be a force to reckon with if we were able to keep firing on all cylinders, but it seems like when one piece steps up, another falls back.

This time the pitching seems to be coming around while the offense is dropping back. The reverse was true in April, when I thought for sure we were going to spend the season playing comeback kids throughout. I’ll keep my fingers crossed as usual. Hopefully they will have a better go of it tonight, provided at least they actually get the game in. It’s been stormy here today so far and they say there’s a chance the rest of the day was well, so we’ll see.

Tiger Stadium – May 29 1999

postgame 20, originally uploaded by bkirchinger.

I’ve added some scans to my Flickr account of some pictures I took at the first of two games I went to at Tiger Stadium in the last year it was open. Gone but most certainly not forgotten.

Make sure to check out the others by visiting my Flickr page. Clicking on the picture itself will take you there.

Attention Fans Of The 1984 Detroit Tigers …

I just wanted to take a quick second and shamelessly plug my Facebook group, at the link below:

Fans Of The 1984 Detroit Tigers

I’ve had it for about a year now and we’ve got well over 800 members, so all Facebook users are welcome to check it out. I try to keep it updated fairly often with things like articles about former Tiger players, or sometimes I’ll post wherever they may make appearances (for example, I recently added 3 events where some of the ’84 Tigers, including Jack Morris, will be appearing at West Michigan Whitecaps games over the next couple of months).

There’s also a few videos I put up and pictures that myself and others have added to the group as well. Check it out, join up and celebrate the Tigers’ 1984 championship.

Bouncing Back … and Then Some

An excellent game by the Tigers today as they beat Oakland 10-2

Max Scherzer had an outstanding outing after returning from AAA-Toledo. He left in the 6th with 14 strikeouts, just two short of Mickey Lolich’s record of 16 Ks in a game (which he actually did TWICE in 1969). On top of that, it’s the most any pitcher has thrown in one game in the bigs so far this year.

If he stays consistent, it will have worked out well sending him to Toledo to work on his mechanics, and if Galarraga can continue to improve, the subtraction of Dontrelle Willis will be a happily distant memory. But I don’t want to jinx them! Scherzer got a nice round of applause from the Comerica Park crowd and that was cool to see, even if Fox Sports Detroit cut away in the middle of it to make sure they ran all their commercials.

Almost as impressive was Miguel Cabrera. He is continually doing his level best to make sure everyone forgets his transgressions at the end of last season, and this game was no different. All he got was 4 hits, including a 3-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, giving him 4 RBIs on the game and putting his average at .352.

It was also great to see Guillen get a jack, his second of the year and first since coming back from the DL. B. Inge was also showing signs of life, with a home run and 2 doubles to boot. Even Gerald Laird pitched in with two hits and an RBI (that may explain why I saw a pig fly over my house just prior to that).

Overall, just a great game with more than the usual number of contributors and a very encouraging sign after the slide they’d been on for the past week. Here’s to hoping they can maintain the surge (and also hoping Minnesota will lose a couple for a change!)

The D-Train Has Left The Station

Well my Tigers did not fare so well tonight against Oakland, getting shut out 6-0. They really did not have an answer for Brett Anderson, who I’m forced to admit had a good outing against us after coming off of an injury. Rick Porcello did not do a horrible job on the bump, but really the lack of offense was what killed us tonight (that and the bullpen, which has been mostly good as of late, crumbling in the eighth and giving up runs that put the lead farther in Oakland’s favor). And not that it would have helped us in the end of course, but Laird getting robbed of a home run by Oakland’s left fielder didn’t help his average either. The bottom of our order is dreadful and I don’t know how we’ll stay in contention at this rate.

But I am willing to forget about all of that tonight, after I got word of the news that Dontrelle Willis is being designated for assignment to make room for Scherzer’s return from Toledo. I have to say I am really surprised that the Tigers were willing to take what is going to add up to a $12 million hit, but they must have finally seen what the rest of us have seen (and what I was complaining about here just last night): that he just didn’t have the stuff anymore. His control was all over the map and he was walking far too many batters. On top of that, in all of the starts he DID make (between injuries, illnesses and whatever other weirdo anxiety issues he’s had), he’s leaving with a record of 2-8 and a 6.86 ERA over 24 games. That’s it. That’s what $29 million bought us (that’s the amount the Tigers signed him to when they were trying to lock up pitchers at the end of the 2007 season).

As I have posted elsewhere, I will lose zero sleep tonight over the fact that he’s been shown the door. In fact, in a way I’m encouraged by it. It says to me that they realize they have a shot at a wild card slot and they cannot keep throwing the guy out there to give away games with walking bases loaded and other nonsense. They are going to take their chances with Galarraga in Willis’ slot and I’m ok with that. The only downside is that the rotation is now loaded with right-handers, even though Comerica Park favors the left-handed hurlers. But between that and an unsolvable riddle like Willis, I’ll take the former any day.

Tigers vs A’s Recap @ Bless You Boys

Just read a decent rundown of tonight’s drudgery, summing up points that I had running through my mind pretty much the whole game and afterward as well. Check it out at Bless You Boys’ blog: Bless You Boys

Marc Cohn – Walking In Memphis

I wanted to try out the video post feature here, so I figured what better way than with a song I really enjoy and a video I put together myself last year. This is an “acoustic” version (just he and the piano) of Cohn’s song that was on the B-side of his 1992 single “Ghost Train”. I think I actually prefer this version, so I came up with an accompanying video with pictures of Memphis, a city I’ve only visited once but was enamored with from the get-go. Enjoy.

Oh well …

You can’t win them all, right??

That’s what I’ll keep telling myself. Even though Miguel Cabrera did the best he could with a THREE home run game. Pitching let us down tonight more than anything, and yeah I still blame Willis for starters (no pun intended). I would very much like to wake up one day and read that he’s gone, but to where, I have no idea. Who’d want him? And moreover, who’d replace him? I don’t know that either. It’s really funny how at the start of the season I was worried about bullpen pitching rather than our starters (even though I’ve obviously never been a Willis fan), and now it’s done a 180 in the other direction. Scary.

Anyway … while I was watching the game, I wound up fiddling with the page some more, mostly adding things. First off: I finally broke down and got a Twitter account for myself. I could never really see the point of having one, and who knows how often I’ll use it, but what the hell … it’s another toy, and a way to post something here real quick without doing a full-blown post (see the right-hand sidebar for my Twitter feed). Anyone who wants to follow my inane observations there is welcome to do so as well.

Secondly, if you look to the left sidebar, you will see a new widget. Its a link to my online sales “store” at iOffer.com. I’ve been using them as an alternative to eBay since about 2006 and I have to say that so far I have been very happy with them; I’ve recommended them to many people. They’re not as well known as eBay of course, but they do hold three distinct advantages over their larger competitor: A) there are NO fees until you sell something. Period. No charges until your items sell, and even then its a very reasonable percentage of the sale price; B) You can upload an unlimited amount of pictures at absolutely NO charge … a very nice feature; and C) you can establish a “store”, keep your items there as long as you want, and the sales never end the way an auction does.

They use many different methods of payment (PayPal, etc) and transactions have always gone smoothly for me. They also use a rating & feedback system similar to eBay, with another nice bonus: you can import your eBay feedback into iOffer’s system. If you’re a new user at iOffer, its a nice way to start out with positive feedback (provided you’ve had some from eBay). There are lots of other neat sales tools there that I’ve used, but I won’t go into depth on that here. Suffice it to say I recommend them wholeheartedly, as both a seller and a buyer there. Right now my sales items do consist mostly of sci-fi merchandise (things I’d accumulated over the years when I was a more avid collector, and now am ready to move out of the house), but there are also a variety of other items and I will be adding more as I go along. Do be sure to check it out if you have the time.

Third, on the lower part of the right-hand sidebar I added an RSS feed to a site I like called Movie-List.com, where they have all the new trailers for every movie coming out, and also a large archive of trailers to older movies as well. Also worth checking out!

Guess that’s all for now, at least until something else pops into my brain.

D-Trainwreck

So I’m sitting here watching my Tigers, after what feels like a long couple of days with them being off yesterday for travel. Guillen’s back in the lineup and I am really hoping he can contribute (without turning into glass once again). The cost of getting Carlos back was optioning Danny Worth to Toledo, but all things being equal, I’d much rather have had Raburn sent back down. The guy’s shown me nothing.

But all of that pales in comparison to the question already burning through my brain after a half-inning tonight: when are the Tigers going to figure out that the Dontrelle Willis experiment is OVER?? He just looks lost out there … already tonight in the top of the first he’s given up a double, a single (which scored an Oakland run after a sac bunt sent the doubling runner to third on the next at-bat), and two walks. Fortunately an inning-ending DP got him out of the jam, but I mean WTF?? His control is horrible, always has been.

Also fortunately for Willis, Cabrera just hit a two-run shot to right … how big is his bat when it’s not around? You can’t fault the man for wanting to attend his child’s birth, leading to him missing the Seattle set this week, but the team was really missing his power, as evidenced tonight already. And they’re gonna need it if they want to stay ahead of the dreadful pitching of Willis. I wish they’d just cut his ass and eat the contract. I know that’s easy for me to say, but I don’t know what else it’s gonna take.