December 2016

2016 Reading List

Influx

Influx

Daniel Suarez

Published: 2014 | Pages:528

Description: The bureau’s mission: suppress the truth of sudden technological progress and prevent the social upheaval it would trigger. Because the future is already here. And it’s rewards are only for a select few.When Grady refuses to join the BTC, he’s thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison housing other doomed rebel intellects. Now, as the only hope to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age, Grady and his fellow prisoners must try to expose the secrets of an unimaginable enemy—one that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making.

Secret Warriors, Volume 1: Nick Fury, Agent Of Nothing

Secret Warriors, Volume 1: Nick Fury, Agent Of Nothing

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2009 | Pages:168

Description: Collecting: Secret Warriors 1-6, material from Dark Reign: New Nation

Secret Warriors, Volume 2: God of Fear, God of War

Secret Warriors, Volume 2: God of Fear, God of War

Jonathan Hickman

Published: 2010 | Pages:128

Description: Collecting: Secret Warriors 7-10, Dark Reign: The List Secret Warriors

Alias, Vol. 3: The Underneath

Alias, Vol. 3: The Underneath

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2003 | Pages:160

My Rating: 4/5

Description:

Alias, Vol. 2: Come Home

Alias, Vol. 2: Come Home

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2003 | Pages:128

My Rating: 4/5

Description:

Raging Heat (Nikki Heat, #6)

Raging Heat (Nikki Heat, #6)

Richard Castle

Published: 2014 | Pages:292

Description: New York Times Bestselling author Richard Castle’s newest novel, an illegal immigrant falls from the sky and NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat’s investigation into his death quickly captures the imagination of her boyfriend, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jameson Rook. When he decides to work the case with Heat as his next big story, Nikki is at first happy to have him ride-along. Yes, she must endure Rook’s usual wild conspiracy speculations and adolescent wisecracks, but after reuniting following his recent assignment abroad, she’s glad for the entertainment, the chance to bounce ideas, and just to be close to him again and feel the old spark rekindle. But when Rook’s inquiry concludes that Detective Heat has arrested the wrong man for the murder, everything changes.Balancing her high stakes job with a complicated romance has been a challenge ever since Nikki fell for the famous reporter. Now, her relationship lurches from mere complexity into sharp conflict over the most high-risk case of her career. Set against the raging force of Hurricane Sandy as it pounds New York, Heat battles an ambitious power broker, fights a platoon of urban mercenaries, and clashes with the man she loves. Detective Heat knows her job is to solve murders. She just worrie sthat solving this one will be the death of her relationship.

Alias, Vol. 4: The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones

Alias, Vol. 4: The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2005 | Pages:168

My Rating: 4/5

Description:

Elite: Tales From The Frontier (Elite: Dangerous)

Elite: Tales From The Frontier (Elite: Dangerous)

Chris Booker

Published: 2014 | Pages:462

Description: Orbital scrap yard worker Oliver dreams of exploring the galaxy, but when the return of a long lost friend sparks a terrible disaster, can Oliver deal with some uncomfortable truths about his own life? – A Game of Death Chenoa O’Laundy is on a mission to find her missing father and bring him home safely, but can either of them escape the Calite Corporation, determined to reclaim their property at any cost? – A Question of Intelligence Myles Jarek is a company man on a far flung exploratory mission with a hired crew. Will he be able to return to his previous life or will the Children of Zeus stay with him forever? – Children of Zeus These are three of 15 scintillating tales in this eclectic collection where characters from the Elite universe seek honour, truth, retribution and in one case a place to sell 300 year old Lavian brandy. The Stories Crossing The Line by Chris Booker The Comet’s Trail by Darren Grey A Question of Intelligence by Lisa Wolf The Easy Way Out by Ramon Marett The Maledict by Tim Gayda Children of Zeus by Christopher Jarvis Pinacotheca by Alexander G Saunders Blood is Thicker by Ulla Susimetsä Beyond Civilisation by Marko Susimetsä Cat’s Cradle by Rose Thurlbeck Nature’s Way by Gaz Bailey A Game of Death by Allen L Farr Mission (almost) Completed by Matthew Benson Research Purposes by Fred Burbidge Ode to Betty Cole by Nicholas Hansen and Darren Grey 10% of the proceeds of this book will be donated to Plan who do wonderful work promoting child rights to end child poverty, worldwide.

Age of Ultron: The Complete Event

Age of Ultron: The Complete Event

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: | Pages:456

Description: COLLECTING: Age of Ultron 1-10, 10AI, Avengers Assemble 14AU -15AU , Fantastic Four 5AU , Fearless Defenders 4AU, Superior Spider -Man 6AU , Ultron 1AU , Uncanny Avenger s 8AU , Wolverine & the X-Men 27AU

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Cosmic Avengers

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Cosmic Avengers

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2013 | Pages:136

Description: There’s a new rule in the galaxy: No one touches Earth! But why has Earth suddenly become the most important planet in the galaxy? That’s what the Guardians of the Galaxy are going to find out! Join Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and–wait for it–the Invincible Iron Man as they embark upon one of the most explosive and eye-opening chapters of Marvel NOW! The secrets these galactic Avengers discover will rattle Marvel readers for years to come! But while London deals with a brutal invasion by the Badoon, the fate of the Guardians may have already been decided millions of miles away! Why wait for the movie? It all starts here! Collecting: Guardians of the Galaxy 0.1, 1-3; & Guardians of the Galaxy Infinite Comic

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4)

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4)

George R.R. Martin

Published: 2005 | Pages:1061

My Rating: 4/5

Description: Crows will fight over a dead man’s flesh, and kill each other for his eyes.Bloodthirsty, treacherous and cunning, the Lannisters are in power on the Iron Throne in the name of the boy-king Tommen. The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life.The Martells of Dorne and the Starks of Winterfell seek vengeance for their dead. Euron Crow’s Eye, as black a pirate as ever raised a sail, returns from the smoking ruins of Valyria to claim the Iron Isles. From the icy north, where Others threaten the Wall, apprentice Maester Samwell Tarly brings a mysterious babe in arms to the Citadel.Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory will go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel and the coldest hearts.

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, )

George R.R. Martin

Published: 2000 | Pages:1177

My Rating: 4/5

Description: an alternate cover for this ISBN can be found hereHere is the third volume in George R.R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces manoeuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords…

The Greatest Castles in America (The Greatest Series Episode 1)

The Greatest Castles in America (The Greatest Series Episode 1)

W.E. Salud

Published: | Pages:73

My Rating: 2/5

Description: The Greatest Castles in America!
The Greatest Castles in America is on the search for the grandest, most awe-inspiring castles in America. Castles? Yes, there are castles in America and we’ve found the greatest of them all right here in America for you and your family to visit. Find out: • The “mad king” who built his own medieval castle! • One of the grandest castles not just in America but the world! • The castle right in the middle of a major American city! • And Much More! Complete with photographs of the awe- inspiring castles, take a whirlwind tour of The Greatest Castles in America!

The Road to Civil War

The Road to Civil War

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2007 | Pages:120

My Rating: 4/5

Description: COLLECTING: New Avengers: Illuminati One-Shot, Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #529-531, Fantastic Four (1997) #536-537

Giant Days, Vol. 1 (Giant Days, #1)

Giant Days, Vol. 1 (Giant Days, )

John Allison

Published: 2015 | Pages:112

My Rating: 3/5

Description: Collects issues -4.

Civil War: Black Panther

Civil War: Black Panther

Reginald Hudlin

Published: 2007 | Pages:168

My Rating: 4/5

Description: Civil War-ravaged United States, for a meeting with none other than the point man for the U.S. government’s implementation of the Superhuman Registration Act’s Tony Stark, T’Challa’s former Avengers teammate. Will the Black Panther and Storm decide to get off the sidelines of the Civil War and get involved?Collecting: Black Panther 19-25

Alias, Vol. 1

Alias, Vol. 1

Brian Michael Bendis

Published: 2002 | Pages:208

My Rating: 4/5

Description:

Spider-Gwen, Vol. 0: Most Wanted?

Spider-Gwen, Vol. 0: Most Wanted?

Jason Latour

Published: 2015 | Pages:136

My Rating: 4/5

Description: COLLECTING: EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE , SPIDER-GWEN 1-5

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

George R.R. Martin

Published: 2011 | Pages:1125

My Rating: 4/5

Description: Alternate cover edition of ASIN B004XISI4AIn the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

Make: Electronics: Learn by Discovery

Make: Electronics: Learn by Discovery

Charles Platt

Published: 2008 | Pages:349

Description: –Hans Camenzind, inventor of the 555 timer (the world’s most successful integrated circuit), and author of Much Ado About Almost Man’s Encounter with the Electron (Booklocker.com) “A fabulous well written, well paced, fun, and informative. I also love the sense of humor. It’s very good at disarming the fear. And it’s gorgeous . I’ll be recommending this book highly.”–Tom Igoe, author of Physical Computing and Making Things TalkWant to learn the fundamentals of electronics in a fun, hands-on way? With Electronics , you’ll start working on real projects as soon as you crack open the book. Explore all of the key components and essential principles through a series of fascinating experiments. You’ll build the circuits first, then learn the theory behind them! Build working devices, from simple to complexYou’ll start with the basics and then move on to more complicated projects. Go from switching circuits to integrated circuits, and from simple alarms to programmable microcontrollers. Step-by-step instructions and more than 500 full-color photographs and illustrations will help you use — and understand — electronics concepts and techniques.

Raspberry Pi Projects for the Evil Genius

Raspberry Pi Projects for the Evil Genius

Donald Norris

Published: 2013 | Pages:224

Description: TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.

Star Wars Adventures: Han Solo and the Hollow Moon of Khorya

Star Wars Adventures: Han Solo and the Hollow Moon of Khorya

Jeremy Barlow

Published: 2009 | Pages:80

Description: Before they ever met Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca had already lived a lifetime of adventures. In this action-packed tale, Han and Chewie are caught between gangsters and the Empire, and their only help is Han’s former partner—who may be worse than either!Star Wars Adventures is a series of graphic novellas designed for readers of all ages!

Star Wars: Empire, Vol. 1: Betrayal

Star Wars: Empire, Vol. 1: Betrayal

Scott Allie

Published: 2003 | Pages:104

My Rating: 4/5

Description:

Die Again (Rizzoli & Isles, #11)

Die Again (Rizzoli & Isles, #11)

Tess Gerritsen

Published: 2014 | Pages:330

Description: Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the case of a big game hunter found dead in his apartment, alone with the body of a beautiful white snow leopard he had recently been commissioned to procure and stuff for a high-profile museum in the area. Medical examiner Maura Isles connects the case to a number of seemingly unrelated deaths where the victims have all been found hanging upside down, the hallmark of a leopard’s kill. Rizzoli follows the puzzling trail of clues all the way to Botswana, where she uncovers the unsolved mystery of a deadly camping safari six years prior. When she realizes the two cases are connected, Rizzoli must track down the sole survivor of the tragic trip to discover who – or what – is behind these gruesome deaths.Story Locale: Boston, MA

Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America

Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America

Jeff Ryan

Published: 2011 | Pages:292

Description: The story of Nintendo’s rise and the beloved icon who made it possible. Nintendo has continually set the standard for video-game innovation in America, starting in 1981 with a plucky hero who jumped over barrels to save a girl from an ape. The saga of Mario, the portly plumber who became the most successful franchise in the history of gaming, has plot twists worthy of a video game. Jeff Ryan shares the story of how this quintessentially Japanese company found success in the American market. Lawsuits, Hollywood, die- hard fans, and face-offs with Sony and Microsoft are all part of the drama. Find out about: * Mario’s eccentric yet brilliant creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, who was tapped for the job because was considered expendable. * Minoru Arakawa, the son-in-law of Nintendo’s imperious president, who bumbled his way to success. * The unexpected approach that allowed Nintendo to reinvent itself as the gaming system for the non-gamer, especially now with the Wii. Even those who can’t tell a Koopa from a Goomba will find this a fascinating story of striving, comeuppance, and redemption.

A Clash of Kings  (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, )

George R.R. Martin

Published: 1998 | Pages:969

Description: It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War

The Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War

J. Michael Straczynski

Published: 2007 | Pages:168

Description: COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man #532-538.

Iron Man: Civil War

Iron Man: Civil War

Christos Gage

Published: 2007 | Pages:160

Description: Civil War.Captain America has fallen into a clash with his government and his friends, and the people close to him are paying the price. The life of Cap’s girlfriend, Agent 13, is torn apart as her superiors use her divided loyalties against her. Elsewhere, a new villain emerges; the Red Skull begins to make himself known; and the Winter Soldier again comes face-to-face with Cap. Meanwhile, get inside the mind of of Tony Stark, and learn why he feels superhuman registration is necessary – and why he’s taken it upon himself to lead the charge for its implementation. Big changes are in store for Iron Man in the post-Civil War landscape, and the build-up begins here.Collecting: Iron Man 13-14, Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War, Civil War: The Confession

Star Wars: Crimson Empire

Star Wars: Crimson Empire

Mike Richardson

Published: 1998 | Pages:160

Description:

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More

Kelly Sue DeConnick

Published: 2014 | Pages:136

My Rating: 4/5

Description: COLLECTING: CAPTAIN MARVEL 1-6

Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event

Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event

Mark Millar

Published: 2006 | Pages:208

Description: Whose side… are you on?The Marvel Universe is changing.In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill proposes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government. Divided, the nation’s greatest champions must each decide how to react—A decision that will alter the course of their lives forever.It’s time to choose and take a side. This conflict has been brewing from more than a year, threatening to pit friend against friend, brother against brother… and all it will take is a single misstep to cost thousands their lives and ignite the fuse.Collecting: Civil War -7, written by
Mark Millar
(‘The Ultimates’ (2006)) and illustrated by
Steve McNiven
(‘New Avengers’ (2006)).Age Rating: 13–18+ Years Old / Eighth Grade+Edition MSRP: $24⁹⁹ US / $27⁹⁹ CAN (ISBN 978-0-7851-2179-4)Printed in the USA

Troublemaker (Barnaby and Hooker Graphic Novels #1)

Troublemaker (Barnaby and Hooker Graphic Novels )

Janet Evanovich

Published: 2007 | Pages:106

Description:

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, )

George R.R. Martin

Published: 1996 | Pages:835

Description: alternate cover editions can be found here, here and hereLong ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. To the south, the king’s powers are failing—his most trusted adviser dead under mysterious circumstances and his enemies emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the king’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but the kingdom itself.Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Volume 1

The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Volume 1

James Roberts

Published: 2012 | Pages:128

Description: Last Stand of the Wreckers and sends the Transformers on an epic quest to the farthest reaches of the Transformers Universe — and beyond in the three-part story “Lirars, A to D!”Collects issues -3 of The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and the one-shot Death of Optimus Prime.

Reamde (Crypto, #2)

Reamde (Crypto, )

Neal Stephenson

Published: 2011 | Pages:1044

My Rating: 4/5
A generally good read with a nice twist early on. Its main issue is that it has so many layered plot elements, many which seem to go nowhere that it ends up feeling a little too long for its own good.

Description: For Richard, the game was the perfect opportunity to launder his aging hundred dollar bills and begin his own high-tech start up—a venture that has morphed into a Fortune 500 computer gaming group, Corporation 9592, with its own super successful online role-playing game, T’Rain. But the line between fantasy and reality becomes dangerously blurred when a young gold farmer accidently triggers a virtual war for dominance—and Richard is caught at the center.In this edgy, 21st century tale, Neal Stephenson, one of the most ambitious and prophetic writers of our time, returns to the terrain of his cyberpunk masterpieces Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon, leading readers through the looking glass and into the dark heart of imagination.

Dead Hard Drive and My Process

So, I have been pretty sure for a while that the main Hard Drive in my desktop was going out.  It’s probably the oldest drive I own and occasionally it got feisty during reboots.  For a variety of reasons, I kept putting off replacing it.

… and putting it off…. and putting it off…

Then I went down to my office one day, the wife and kids were heading out for the weekend, I had grand plans to waste away my weekend on Overwatch and Battlefield 1.  Those plans came to an abrupt halt because I was greeted with a GRUB error.  My first assumption was that, as has happened before, Windows 10 did an update and screwed things up again.  A good while back I encountered  similar problem and after some troubleshooting I found that my Linux partition had been wiped out.  I reinstalled Ubuntu there and everything booted just fine.  Windows 10 had just done and update and after some searching online there were sporadic reports of similar issues.  After some troubleshooting trying to use a Windows disk to do a Master Boot Record fix and then trying to reinstall Ubuntu again, it became apparent that instead, the drive had failed.

This complicates things a bit.  I pulled out my SpinRite disc and threw it in the drive, hoping it would find and correct the error.  It instead threw out an error partway through the scan.  It’s an older disc, I’m honestly not sure if it’s compatible with the newer set up.  Instead I tried a copy of Norton Ghost to clone the drive to a spare 1TB drive I had in the cabinet.  It looked promising as well, though it also listed that it would take nearly 50 hours to finish.

I guess that meant no Battlefield but Overwatch runs fine on the laptop so a weekend of Overwatch and Netflix it would be.

Unfortunately, the clone crapped out as well after about an hour.

The final solution was to simply reinstall Windows 10, on a new drive.  I never use Ubuntu on the desktop so I opted not to bother reinstalling it.  I downloaded the official Windows 10 recover ISO and ran through the install.  During the install I skipped over entering the CD Key, Windows 10 is supposed to activate itself based on account credentials and hardware on the same machine, time to test that concept out.  The install finishes up and Windows 10 loads up just fine.  It’s even activated as promised in all of the Windows 10 feature lists.

The next task involves getting things back up and running order.

In recent years I’ve pushed a lot of my data off onto either my NAS or into Cloud accessible storage.  This makes this whole task much much easier.  I keep very little irrecoverable data on any one machine these days.  There are a few folders that I will need to recover from the old drive, but nothing super important, and I should be able to simply hook the drive up using a USB drive bay and do normal recovery operations to get to my data.

More interesting through, I ended up saving a ton of time and bandwidth with the games I had on the machine.  At one point I had nearly all of my 1000 Steam Games downloaded and installed, all of my GOG galaxy games and all of my Origin games installed.  These games are spread across several drives of varying size in this machine.  Once I reinstalled Steam, I set up Steam to use each of these drives and it simply detected all of the downloaded games, automatically.  The same happened with GOG Galaxy.  I didn’t see a way to make Origin to reattach to it’s old data so I just dumped that folder and redownloaded things as needed.

Honestly, ultimately this whole debacle has been a bit of a godsend.  I now have a fresh clean Windows 10 install, not one from my Windows 7 upgraded to Windows 10.  I also have a slightly nicer and faster drive as the main drive, which helps performance a bit.  It also gave me an excuse to purge out a lot of cruft I wasn’t really using.  I’ve shifted a lot of my computer use to my laptop, the desktop is primarily used for gaming, so it doesn’t really need anything else installed that doesn’t serve that purpose.

A Myriad of Little Projects

I’ve neglected posting much lately, not so much because I haven’t been doing anything but more because I’ve been busy and not really with anything deserving of it’s own post.  I hope to remedy this a bit next year but for now I just wanted to run through some recent projects I’ve been working on.

The All New All the Same Lameazoid.com

Probably the biggest monopolizer of my time has been my other blog at Lameazoid.com.  There isn’t a lot there now, but my intention is to do a relaunch of sorts in 2017.  I’ve managed to keep up with my current regular posting, which amounts to roughly two posts per week, one Weekly Haul post and a recap of Agents of SHIELD.  I want to do much more next year.  I even made up a spreadsheet to plan everything for the year.

I have regular content set up for every day of the week.  The idea right now, is to build up a long runway.  I have the time now to crank out reviews and take photos as needed.  If all goes to plan, I will have content scheduled out through roughly May in every category.  The idea is that this content, while good is a buffer that can be shuffled as needed for NEW content to be inserted on demand.

I’ve also taken steps to try to line up content with related new content.  For example, Logan, comes out on 3/3.  So in the weeks before, for the Marvel Movie Review of those weeks, I’ll do Wolverine and The Wolverine (yeah those names are similar and dumb).  I could also pair this with some Wolverine related Marvel Legends reviews, or maybe some other Hugh Jackman reviews.

I’ve been up to a few new tech related projects lately as well.

Mail-In-A-Box

I’ll probably do a post just on Mail-in-a-Box and my set up experience.  Mail-In-A-Box is a simple install Mailserver for hosting your own email.  I’ve spun up a second VPS and attached this domain to it, since I previously didn’t have any email for this domain.  It was a little tricky but I worked things out.  The hardest bit is that Mail-In-A-Box wants to handle the DNS and core domain, but I’m hosting these things on two separate servers.

I’ve gotten a little extra cozy with DNS lately, but I also had an issue come up because Mail-In-A-Box seemed to be pushing the SSL https domain for BloggingIntensifies.

Encryption Everywhere

You might notice, I’ve enabled HTTPS on this blog.  This came out of necessity since after setting up Mail-In-A-Box, Firefox kept forcing the site to the HTTPS version, which nothing was set up for so it didn’t load.  This is a change I’ve been meaning to make anyway since the launch of LetsEncrypt!  Google is supposed to start penalizing non HTTPS sites at some point plus it’s good practice anyway.  I set up HTTPS for this blog, Lameazoid.com and Joshmiller.net.  Once I am confident in things I’ll set it up for TreasuredTidbits,.com and TheZippyZebra.com as well.

I had some issues with Joshmiller.net though because of the way Cloudflare works.

Cloudflare Integration

I also recently added Cloudflare to all of my sites.  Cloudflare is essentially a DNS provider but it also lets you mask and reroute traffic to help protect your server.  I had to pull BI off of it though to get Mail-In-A-Box to work and apparently Lameazoid.com wasn’t set up for rerouting.  I ended up having trouble with Joshmiller.net when I tried to enable SSL encryption.  Basically, as near as I can tell, the set up was looking at the Cloudflare IP and not the server IP, so things weren’t meshing or hooking up properly.  Everything corrected itself once I removed the Cloudflare rerouting.  I still need to play with this a bit before I set things up on my wife’s two blogs.

Part of why I experiment with my blogs vs hers is that I get way less traffic and I don’t like to irritate her.

Cloud At Cost VPS

I did a post on Cloud At Cost, but I wanted to mention it again as a recent project.  I have two VPSs from them, plus some.  I’m still having issues with the Windows VPS but the Linux one has been running pretty well since I got it up and running.

PLEX Server

My Synology NAS has the ability to act as a PLEX server.  I recently cleaned up a bunch of space on the NAS by throwing some spare drives into an older machine and creating a “Deep Archive” for things that I never need to access that take up a lot of space (read: My 500GB of raw video from ten years of my bi annual DVD making projects).  I also shoved some things like old ISOs and Game Install files onto the Deep Archive.  I then proceeded to start filling this new space with rips of my DVD collection.  I’m still working on the long and arduous ripping process as time allows but the idea is to run everything through PLEX to the two Firesticks I’ve set up on each TV.  This means my family doesn’t have to drag out a huge binder of DVDs to find a movie and it means I can stop worrying about discs getting scratched up and ruined.

It also gives me a nice way to watch all of the home video footage I’ve recorded over the past 10+ years.  This whole project met a bit of a roadblock when I found that I need to pre transcode all of the video in PLEX before it becomes watchable.  The NAS isn’t powerful enough to transcode it in real time.