Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Running Plan & April Events

PLAN


April - 5k
May - 5k
June - 8/10k
July - 10k
August - 10k
Sept - 15k
Oct - 15k
Nov - 15/20k (half marathon)
Dec -15/20k (half marathon)

APRIL
Saturday, April 03, 2010 @ 9:00AM
Deer Grove East Forest Preserve
Dundee Road and Hicks Road
5K: $30.00 Pre-Registered, $35.00 Day-Of, 1 Mile Youth Run: $10.00 Pre-Registered, $20.00 Day-Of
100 Yd Dash & Egg Hunt: $5.00
Registration Closing Date: Sunday, March 28, 2010
http://www.bunnydash.com
2010 Wrigley Start Early Run
Saturday, April 10, 2010
5K Chip-Timed Run 9:00 am, $35
GRANT PARK (Upper Hutchinson Field at Columbus and Balbo)
http://www.startearlyrun.com/event.shtml
Run thru the Hills 5K/10K 2010
Lake in the Hills, Illinois
Sunday, April 11, 2010 8:00 AM
https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=KV2V3K7&Source=Calendar29
6th Annual Neighbor's House 5k 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 8 am.
Hopkin's Park, 1403 Sycamore Rd., DeKalb, IL
Manual timing, 1'20" drive
http://www.neighborshouse5k.com/   

Take a Step for Kids 5k/10k
Saturday April 17, 2010
9AM 5k/10k Run
Race Location: Independence Grove Forest Preserve
16400 W. Buckley Rd. Libertyville, IL 60048
Chip timed
http://www.takeastepforkids.org/page1.aspx

Dow Live Earth Run for Water Chicago
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 7:00 AM
Grant Park, Chicago
Chip Timed
http://www.active.com/running/chicago-il/dow-live-earth-run-for-water-chicago-2010

Prairie View 5K Run/Walk
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Prairie View Community Center,
6834 Dempster Street, Morton Grove
Run: 8:05am
https://www.mortongroveparks.com/5krun/

5K for Earth Day
Saturday, April 24, 2010 @ 8:00 AM
Humboldt Park/Logan Square
1400 N. Sacramento Ave., Chicago, IL
http://www.active.com/running/chicago-il/5k-for-earth-day-2010
10th Annual Fox Trot 5k Run/Walk
Batavia, Illinois
Sunday, April 25, 2010 8:00 AM  $25
https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=HX2V2K7
MAY
Firefighter 5k
Cary, Illinois
Saturday, May 01, 2010 8:00 AM 
https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=YY2V2K7
RESOURCES
http://www.mychicagoathlete.com/ME2/Default.asp
http://www.active.com/
http://www.signmeup.com/
The Couch-to-5K Running Plan
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Fix: Belkin N1 Vision Router Freezes When Transferring Large Files

GENERALLY

Our Belkin N1 Vision router is 2+ years old and generally works fine and without interruption.  Some set up information from the router:

Firmware version: F5D8232-4_WW_1.00.16
Boot version: v1.02
Hardware: F5D8232-4 v1000
Encryption: WPA2-TKIP

DHCP is enabled on the router to support five clients and one wireless printer.

PROBLEM

Transferring a large amount of files between computers, e.g., 250 megs of MP3 files, initially works fine.  But after transferring about half of the files and data, the router ends all connections to all clients, appearing to freeze up and stop all its activity.  We have to reboot the router by unplugging and replugging the power to the router.  Thereafter, any amount of data transfer, even small files, cause the router to seize up, requiring another re-boot.  Any attempts to transfer data after this point fail.

SOLUTION
  1. Start a browser window and go to the following address:  http://192.168.2.1/wukongjiuwo.html
  2. A console appears providing command line control of the router.
  3. Beneath the word "Console" is a long, rectangular box in which the user may enter commands, and next the box is an "Enter" button.
  4. Enter the letters "ps" into the command line (small letters not caps, without quotes) and click the "Enter" button next to the command line box.
  5. Router data appears in the large box below the command line.
  6. Under the column entitled "Command," identify the line with the acronym "NTP" (among other things).  To the left of this acronym in the same line, under the column "PID" is the process ID number.  for example, on my router the PID for this line was 768.
  7. In the command line box, enter the word "kill [PID]" and click the Enter button next to the command line.  For example, on my router I entered "kill 768".  This command line apparently stopped process ID 768 which included the NTP process.
  8. You may need to reapply the foregoing steps every time you restart your router, before you start any big file transfers.
  9. After completing these steps, I tried my large file transfers again and they worked without any further router freeze ups.  
Note that there may be minor apparent drawbacks to killing the NTP process (the "network time protocol").  There may also be other solutions people have found to work, e.g., assigning static IP addresses to router clients.  See the following threads on-line for more information (scroll down to find the relevant discussions):
END

Jonathan Swift  - "May you live every day of your life."
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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Happy Halloween 2009!

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Monday, October 5, 2009

Re: 5k's in the Chicago Metro Area, Oct to Dec

Tony, I don't think you will catch me running outside in December.  The veterans run or the trick or treat trot sound interesting with both the 5k and 10k options.  Let me know what the group decides and I might try to make one of these.

Rich

Anthony Mormino <anthony.mormino@gmail.com>
10/05/2009 05:09 PM



As promised, I compiled a list of weekend 5ks in the general metro area that are almost all chip timed, mostly fundraisers, and appear to have a good turnout.  I'm trying to space my races a month apart, so I put a star next to the races I'm leaning toward signing up for, but haven't committed to any one race yet.  I'm game for just about any of them.  So please let me know which, if any, of the races below you're interested in, or if you find other worthwhile races.
 
I'm planning to do 10k runs approximately monthly starting January 2010.
 
Best regards,
 
Tony
 
October
November
December 
Sources: active.com, mychicagoathlete.com    -- Anthony J. Mormino 308 Inverness Drive Cary, IL 60013 Tel. 847-639-9597   
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5k's in the Chicago Metro Area, Oct to Dec

As promised, I compiled a list of weekend 5ks in the general metro area that are almost all chip timed, mostly fundraisers, and appear to have a good turnout.  I'm trying to space my races a month apart, so I put a star next to the races I'm leaning toward signing up for, but haven't committed to any one race yet.  I'm game for just about any of them.  So please let me know which, if any, of the races below you're interested in, or if you find other worthwhile races.
 
I'm planning to do 10k runs approximately monthly starting January 2010.
 
Best regards,
 
Tony
 
October
November
December 
 
--
Anthony J. Mormino
308 Inverness Drive
Cary, IL 60013
Tel. 847-639-9597
 
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Friday, September 4, 2009

HDR Test Photo

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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Layer & Mask Test in Photoshop

Relevant website tutorial:
  • http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/collage/collage.htm
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Saturday, August 8, 2009

5k's

Below are links to various 5k races around town in the coming months.  I think I'll sign up for at least one a month to keep motivated.  Consider which ones you might be interested and let me know.

Also, next time I see you I have your goodie bag from the Terrapin 5k, including your t-shirt, bottle, etc.  I did, however, use the tags on your bib to get an extra beer and pizza!

Tony

Sept 12th (Saturday morning) - Chicago 5k Lung Run and Walk in Lincoln Park - http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1698032&assetId=E8AABFA0-7E07-4D48-82CC-099E1B1436E7
Sept 13th (Sunday morning) - Chicago Half Marathon and 5K in the Loop - http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/Top_Nav/5K_Information/Course.htm
Sept 26th (Saturday morning) - Midtown 5k Palatine - https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=CZ2V8K7

Oct 4th (Sunday morning) - Bucktown 5k Run - http://www.bucktown5k.com/
Oct 17th (Saturday morning) - Pumpkins in the Park Grant Park (activities for kids) - http://www.fleetfeetchicago.com/htm/events_races_pumpkins.asp
Oct 24th (Saturday morning) - Hallowwen Hustle 5k Run/Walk for Fathers - http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1655752&assetId=F78CBEE0-6487-413F-BEFB-C2214B069B04

Nov 1st (Sunday morning) - Hot Chocolate 15k/5k - http://www.hotchocolate15k.com/
There are a few more 5ks in November and December.  We should plan them in October

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Nikon Lens Rental Site Comparison

Nikon Lens Rental Site Comparison

Lens Rental.xlsx Nikon Lens Rental Data Collected August 2009 Minimum Reservations? Rental No week No 3 day Yes week Yes 5 day Yes week Yes week Yes 4 day Yes 3 day Yes week Yes week Yes week Yes week Yes week Where stores calculate shipping at checkout (noted with *), estimate RT shipping at $30. Week Rental $ $ 54.00 $ 54.00 $ 60.00 $ 68.00 $ 60.00 $ 67.00 $ 101.00 $ 80.00 $ 110.00 $ 85.00 $ 84.00 $ 100.00 $ 150.00 Dmg Waiver $ 4.00 $ 6.00 $ $ 14.00 $ 10.00 $ 17.00 $ 15.00 $ 7.00 $ 10.00 $ 7.00 $ 14.00 $ 35.00 $ 15.00 Total Week Rental with Waiver $ 88.00 $ 90.00 $ 90.00 $ 96.00 $ 100.00 $ 109.00 $ 116.00 $ 117.00 $ 120.00 $ 123.00 $ 128.00 $ 165.00 $ 205.00 Per Day Cost $ 12.57 $ 12.86 $ 12.86 $ 13.71 $ 14.29 $ 15.57 $ 16.57 $ 16.71 $ 17.14 $ 17.57 $ 18.29 $ 23.57 $ 29.29 Example: Rent Nikon 70-200 F/2.8 for a week Rentglass.com Try and Buy Lens* GlassandGear.com* Lens Giant* ZipLens* Nikon Telephoto Lenses Pro Photo Rental Camera Lens Rentals* LensProToGo Lens Rentals Borrow Lenses Rental* Focus Lens Rentals* CSI+ CANON ONLY Weblenses.com Rent Camera Gear PhotoLensRental.com Lens Lenders (Canada Only) REVIEW OF ONLINE RENTALS 8 Online Lens Rental Stores Compared http://www.rentglass.com/ http://tryandbuylens.com/ http://www.glassandgear.com/ http://www.lensgiant.com/ http://www.ziplens.com/ http://www.rentmylenses.com/ http://prophotorental.com/ http://www.cameralensrentals.com/ http://www.lensprotogo.com/ http://www.lensrentals.com/ http://www.borrowlenses.com/ http://www.focuslensrentals.com/ http://www.csirentals.com/ Rental $ $ 54.00 $ 40.00 $ 60.00 $ 58.00 $ 60.00 $ 67.00 $ 71.60 $ 67.00 $ 110.00 $ 85.00 $ 84.00 $ 100.00 $ 150.00 Shipping $ 30.00 $ 30.00 $ 30.00 $ 14.00 $ 30.00 $ 25.00 $ $ 30.00 $ $ 31.00 $ 30.00 $ 30.00 $ 40.00 Note Damage waiver not offered Week is actually 8 day rental 3-day Shipping included Shipping included Calendar shows availability http://www.webelenses.com/ http://www.rentcameragear.com/ http://www.photolensrental.com/ http://lenslenders.com/ http://photodoto.com/8-online-lensrental-stores-compared/ Page 1 of 1
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Windows Home Server Fails to Backup my Computer

I run WHS on an HP Mediasmart 470 server. WHS has been backing up three clients for many months without any errors. Last week it stopped backing up one of the clients, an HP Pavilion DV8300 running Windows XP Media Center 2005. Based on the error, it turns out all I had to run was chkdsk c: /r to fix the error, but after much trial and error I learned I had to run chkdsk four times until it cleared all the disk errors and I could once again back up! In the process I learned a couple of things.

Below are the two original error messages the client threw when the WHS backup failed. I ran chkdsk c: /r twice but still got the errors and no WHS backup.

I tried System File Checker (sfc /scannow), but the system constantly asked me to insert a system CD I simply to not have. I checked and re-checked all my registry entries to ensure SFC was looking to my HDD for the i386 directory, but I ran SFC over and over and it still kept asking for my system disk. Finally, I found out why from HP help files:
System File Checker scans and restore system files.

 NOTE: If your computer has Media Center 2005, a message might display stating Insert Your Windows XP Profession CD2 Now . Click Cancel to continue. This message might display several times and does not affect the repair of standard files that came with your PC.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=bph05767

So it appears SFC works perfectly fine to confirm the status and replace system files where necessary *despite* the repeated SFC request for me to Insert your Windows XP Professional CD2 Now. Not one of the scores of tech help websites I visited offered this important piece of advice! I must have run sfc /scannow at least ten time before I came across this piece of information.

Once I realized sfc /scannow worked fine, I ran chkdsk c: /r two more times as the most obvious solution. Sure enough, it corrected more errors. I now have a happy green WHS tray icon and a completely backed up client.

ERROR 1:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: HomeServer
Event Category: HomeBackup
Event ID: 773
Date: 5/26/2009
Time: 3:40:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SUPERMAN
Description:
Backup of volume C: to HPSERVER failed: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007045D): The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007045D)
at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHRInternal(Int32 errorCode, IntPtr errorInfo)
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Common.Client.Win32.ThrowLastError()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.VolumeBuffer.EndRead()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.ClusterBitMapReader.Next()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.DoClusterPass1()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.RunWithoutCatch()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.Run()

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


ERROR 2:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: HomeServer
Event Category: HomeBackup
Event ID: 770
Date: 5/26/2009
Time: 3:40:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SUPERMAN
Description:
Backup set 445 on HPSERVER failed: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007045D): The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007045D)
at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHRInternal(Int32 errorCode, IntPtr errorInfo)
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Common.Client.Win32.ThrowLastError()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.VolumeBuffer.EndRead()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.ClusterBitMapReader.Next()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.DoClusterPass1()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.RunWithoutCatch()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.Run()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupSetOperation.RunWithoutCatch()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupSetOperation.Run()

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Windows Home Server - Remote Access Failure

Remote access failure on the Windows Home Server causes websites on the server to become unavailable from the internet. Also, remote access to the files on the server become unavailable. WHS reports the error as "port forwarding unavailable." The Event Viewer on the WHS reports two primary errors:

1. Event Type: ErrorEvent Source: W3SVC-WPEvent Category: NoneEvent, ID: 2268Date: 3/3/2009Time: 4:19:04 PMUser: N/AComputer: HPSERVERDescription:Could not load all ISAPI filters for site/service. Therefore startup aborted.

2. Event Type: ErrorEvent Source: W3SVC-WPEvent Category: NoneEvent ID: 2214Date: 3/3/2009Time: 4:19:04 PMUser: N/AComputer: HPSERVERDescription:The HTTP Filter DLL C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP MediaSmart Server\jetty\bin\isapi_redirect.dll failed to load. The data is the error.

Solution (from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942031): Remove the ISAPI filter that is not valid. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type inetmgr.exe, and then click OK.
(or click Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Internet Information Service (IIS) Manager).
2. In IIS Manager, expand server name, expand Web sites, and then click the Web site that you want to modify (for me it was "Default Website").
3. In Features (or Properties) view, click the ISAPI Filters tab.
4. You should see the offending ISAPI filter as Unloaded (a red arrow next to the name). Right-click the ISAPI filter that you want to remove, and then click Remove.

Now go to the WHS Console, choose WHS Settings, under Remote Access click Repair. The Console should then report the repair as successful and the local websites and remote access as Available.
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Monday, February 2, 2009

Windows Home Server McAfee Update Failure

Problem: The red WHS icon appears, declaring the WHS is critical, and Mcafee claims it hasn't updated or is unable to do so.

Solution: Run Windows Update on the WHS. Remote Desktop connect to the WHS and run Windows Update. After re-starting the server, the Mcafee issue should be resolved.
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Sunday, February 1, 2009

Skype Failed to Connect

I had not used Skype on one of my desktops for about a year. I started the program, entered my log on credentials, and clicked connect. Skype reported it "Failed to Connect with the Server." The help messages strongly implied a router port issue. Since I use Skype without issue on my other desktops and notebooks, I know router ports are not an issue.

Solution: Install the latest version of Skype. Once I updated Skype, the connection problem went away.

The lesson: The simplest potential solution is usually the correct solution. Try the easier fixes first and you will likely solve the problem sooner.
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Elluminate Connection Issues Resolved

My wife recently began using Elluminate to teach some of her college classes. The program is Java based and runs through a web browser. I could run the program on two other computers, but my wife's desktop.

Upon initiating the program, it could connect directly to the Elluminate.com server, but failed to authenticate. It produced the following error: " Timed out while waiting for the client. Try again? Yes, Cancel".

Elluminate telephone support suggested the problem was unopen ports on the router firewall. I suggested this wasn't the problem because Elluminate could in fact connect outside the router. It seemed the problem was a setting on the computer running Elluminate since it, the client, timed out in responding to the Elluminate server.

Solution: Updated the driver for my network card (Belkin N1 USB) and updated my Java software to the latest version. I also ran three registry cleaners (CCleaner, Glary tools, and Eusing, all freeware), and Mal-ware Remover (also freeware). I don't know if one or all these actions fixed the problem, but the problem is now resolved. The system authenticates immediately upon setup. I did not have to open any ports on the router.
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