Monday, October 31, 2022
I am spending more time in online meetings and courses, so I have been trying to find affordable solutions to update the office. The last post showed some of the latest additions and included a photo of the old 13" television used to keep up with breaking news and business headlines.
I have wanted to replace the television for awhile, however could not justify the cost in that I rarely used the office before my real estate course and the onset of the pandemic.
In early October 2022, Verizon required upgrades to all of the set top boxes and the WiFi Gateway because the equipment was obsolete. There were two televisions that were not HDMI ready, so with the upgrade- HDMI channels were now accessible via the new set top boxes. One of the old televisions was in the office.
Allow me to digress for a moment. How is the cost of Verizon FiOS justified? I use FiOS for business and rarely go out for entertainment. The cost of the FiOS service is about $240.00 a month, however includes two land lines, internet, and television (6 set top boxes). There are several discounts applied because of customer loyalty and bundle selection.
Last week when I decided to get a new television for the office, I determined I could spend no more than $200.00. Initially, I selected a 24" Vizio.
VIZIO 24-inch D-Series Full HD 1080p Smart TV with Apple AirPlay and Chromecast Built-in, Alexa Compatibility
After thinking about it, I decided to go with the smallest monitor I could find and use the existing RCA hookups from the set top box to the bookshelf stereo system for the audio. I thought the 24" Vizio, simply too large for the space and I did not want to mount it on the wall. There is a daybed in the room (behind the desk), however the wall is simply too close and would have made watching while sitting at the desk too awkward.
Shown below, the before and after photos of the old television versus the new monitor now being used as an HDMI television.
Below the invoice for the new monitor.
I had to adjust several settings on the monitor and the video sharpness level on the set top box to achieve optimal display results. I am pretty happy with the outcome of this project.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Lately, I have been using my office more- mainly because I am not currently working software development projects. I seldom work in my office when developing software- instead preferring to setup my workspace in my bedroom, where I can sleep when I like.
I have several projects I am currently working, including updating my business address and contacting the proper Maryland agencies to ensure the changes are properly recorded.
I also use my office for Zoom meetings and classes. It is also where I maintain my printers and the fax machine. It is simply easier to handle "running the business" issues in the office.
That said, I have been making minor adjustments to the office ever since my real estate course. Why not a more modern look with an electric desk that lifts with the touch of a button? I like my office space, the scene from the window, and I would rather keep the smaller furniture pieces, in that the room is rather small.
Recently, I purchased a new 2K monitor (see link below) for the office, so I would not have to use the smaller 2K monitor used with my software development mini pc. If I had a meeting, I had to unplug the other system (software development platform) to use the monitor. I have a large 24 inch monitor however, it is only a 1080 HD monitor and when Zooming I like ensuring I see what others see. I needed a higher resolution monitor in my office.
I was using the mini PC boxes and a software reference manual to lift the display (shown below), however finally found a monitor stand I thought would work. I am happy with the outcome.
I have a bookshelf stereo system, an older television hooked up to a Verizon FiOs set top box, and an Alexa Echo Input to round out the perfect office environment.
I need more artwork, one of the walls has my diplomas,
certificates, and awards and the others are next on my list. The problem, I
need a good backdrop for the Zoom meetings. I am still working all of
this.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Since early September (2022) I have been experimenting with online surveys to determine whether they are a viable source of income. In my case, I have decided they take up a little more time than I can afford, however will help out with gift purchases for the upcoming holiday season.
That said, the following chart shows the Amazon Gift Cards I have claimed since September...
Monday, October 17, 2022
This blog (It's Personal) has been around since December 2011 and
there are about 783 posts (excluding this post). I started the blog to
replace Q's Wire a Wordpress blog, that is no longer published. For
added security, I decided to use the Thingamablog content management
system (CMS) to maintain the blog in a local environment.
What does this mean really? The entire blog (master copy) is maintained on a PC hard drive and new posts/images/videos are SFTP/FTP'd to my online server when the application's post publish button is used.
About six months ago, I began having problems with the keyboard on my 2010 Windows XP Acer Netbook, shown below.
In addition, most online services no longer supported the browsers and email clients available for the older Windows XP system, so I knew I had to move on.
About a week ago, I decided to move this blog to the Guzila Mini PC I purchased for my real estate class. Since the completion of the class, I have added three elements to the system; a 500GB internal hard drive, a 1920x1080 24 inch monitor (doubles as a streaming device when the system is connected in my bedroom) and a 13.3 inch 2K portable monitor for my office (zoom meetings, high resolution detail video editing and other efforts).
Although this was not the only task, i.e., moving this blog- I had on
tap for the week, it was the most time consuming and tedious. Why?
I have more work to do insofar as checking links across all of my sites, however, I think most of the work is done. What about my Google Juice (old links that are now dead)? I knew the risks when I decided to make this move and if I ever have to move the blog again, I will not have to update the links.
