Computers | Trevor Dickerson

No Radio Show For Now

May 31, 2008 By Trevor Dickerson

So you might have noticed I’ve quietly removed most references to the radio show I was originally going to have. With work and all the other things I have going on, it just isn’t feasible at this point. Plus my chosen co-host, Rochelle, also has a full plate and it would be difficult to schedule weekly time together that fit between our commitments.

I’ve received many comments and emails of encouragement for the radio show, and I really appreciate everyone’s support. Sometime in the future it will eventually happen, just not right now. There’s technology out there that could allow me to give Rochelle a microphone and have her record with me from JMU in the fall, live via an audio chat. It would sound the same as if she were in the room with me. So, that’s a possibility. Again, though, thanks for everyone’s interest and for reading my daily blog posts.

Filed Under: radio show Tagged With: audio, blog, blogging, broadcast, broadcasting, cancelled, co-host, computers, James Madison University, JMU, podcast, podcasting, posts, radio, radio show, show, technology

I’m Employed

May 14, 2008 By Trevor Dickerson

So just to update everyone, I finally found a job. I’m working at Attronica Computers, Inc. off of Nuckols Road. I’m in the Engineering Department as a Computer Technician. This week I’m mainly at the University of Richmond doing some help desk work (Attronica as a contract with them for their computer systems). I love what I’m doing and the experience I’m gaining, and just overall so thankful I have a job, and one I really like at that! More to come, but just wanted to update everyone on that.

Filed Under: business Tagged With: Attronica, computers, engineering, job, Nuckols Road, systems, technology, University of Richmond, work

Hang Tight!

May 3, 2008 By Trevor Dickerson

Just wanted to put out a note ahead of time that I’m in the process of upgrading my hosting account (moving to a bigger server) because I’m getting serious about my web business, Short Pump Media Ventures. I’m moving all seven of my websites (domain names, files, et cetera) to one massive server. I’ve made backups of everything on every site, so while there’s no chance of data loss, there’s a pretty good chance all of my sites, including my blog, will be either seriously disabled or completely down for a day or two. Everything should be peachy by Monday (I hope). Self-hosting is a tricky thing. The server seems to have a mind of its own. It’s a lot more customizable to host websites yourself, but at the same time it’s a lot more work. See you soon (hopefully)!

Filed Under: news Tagged With: backup, blog, blogging, computers, data, hosting, Internet, server, technology, websites, WordPress

Tornado Outbreak: Suffolk Devastation & Colonial Heights Déjà Vu

April 28, 2008 By Trevor Dickerson

Fifteen years ago, in 1993, a strong F4 (winds of up to 260 MPH) tornado touched down in Colonial Heights, destroying the Wal-Mart store and killing three people, before tearing through Petersburg’s historic district. Well today, history seems to have repeated itself. A moderate tornado touched down in the exact same shopping center (Dimmock Square, near Southpark Mall). Is that eerie or what? I was only five years old the first time it happened, but (strangely) vaguely remember seeing it on TV. The Dress Barn and Target stores suffered blown out windows and minor roof damage, but for the most part there was no extreme structural damage.

It was a different story in Suffolk this evening. The same line of storms marched eastward (and strengthened considerably as they did so) and proceeded to completely flatten a portion Suffolk’s historic district, then went through a golf course community and completely wiped large, substantial homes clean off their foundations to the point where all that was left was a concrete slab beneath. This part was especially eerie to me because the neighborhood looked very similar to mine (Wyndham) from the aerial shot.

Suffolk is completely devastated. It looks like an atomic bomb went off the way the homes literally exploded with the extreme winds. At the time I’m writing this, there has only been one person confirmed dead, but unfortunately, it would be miraculous if the death toll didn’t rise, by the looks of the flattened neighborhoods. Hopefully it won’t, though. Virginia is no stranger to tornadoes, but usually experiences much weaker ones than this. This was extremely rare. Keep your thoughts and prayers with the Hampton Roads community during the aftermath of this immense, widespread natural disaster.

I find all of this very interesting since most of you know how much I like weather and storms. I flipped through the local news channels and hooked up my Comcast digital box to my Mac to record everything as it happened. Here are some screenshots from the live broadcasts I recorded from NBC 12 (WWBT), 8 NEWS (WRIC), CBS 6 (WTVR), and WAVY 10 (WAVY) (NBC affiliate in Norfolk, via live streaming on-air web simulcast).

1993 archive video footage of the destruction of the Southpark Wal-Mart (WRIC)

Meteorologist Jim Duncan advises citizens to take shelter during a tornado warning (WWBT)

Aerial image of Dimmock Square Shopping Center (perimeter highlighted in yellow) and the adjacent Wal-Mart store (now a Sam’s Club) that were both hit by tornadoes that followed the exact same paths in 1993 and 2008 (Blackwood Development Corporation)

Cars were tossed like toys in the Dimmock Square Shopping Center parking lot, in front of Target (WWBT)

A house suffers extreme damage in Suffolk (WTVR)

A Suffolk antiques shop is cut in half with almost no visible damage from the front or rear façades, but obviously the historic building is a complete loss (WAVY)

The owner of a car dealership snaps a picture through the front windows of his business as a huge tornado barrels through Suffolk (WAVY)

Filed Under: news, Uncategorized, weather Tagged With: 1993, 2008, 8 NEWS, aftermath, Apple, BDC, Blackwood Development Corporation, cable, catastrophe, catastrophic, CBS 6, chaos, Colonial Heights, Comcast, computers, damage, death, debris, digital, Dimmock Square, Dimmock Square Shopping Center, disaster, Dress Barn, feed, Hampton Roads, historic district, injuries, Internet, loss, Mac, natural disaster, NBC 12, neighborhoods, news, Norfolk, Petersburg, prayers, recovery, screenshot, stream, Suffolk, Target, technology, thoughts, thunderstorm, tornado, tragedy, video, Wal-Mart, WAVY, WAVY 10, wind, WRIC, WTVR, WWBT, Wyndham

Flock – The Social Web Browser

April 21, 2008 By Trevor Dickerson

I heard about a relatively new web browser today designed for today’s increasingly interactive interweb (screenshot from my computer above). The advent of Web 2.0 has brought a new meaning to the web. There’s an increasing amount of interconnectivity between different Web 2.0-based social networking sites like Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Twitter. This browser, Flock, connects them all together into one easy-to-use browser. Once you set up your accounts, there are tabs in a sidebar that allow you to simultaneously access each of the aforementioned social networking sites.

Friends’ updates appear instantly, and you can click “media” next to their status updates to see their photos in the media bar (the dark area with photos at the top of the browser in the screenshot). There’s even one-click access to create a new blog post in your blog once you set it up. I tried using that for my blog, and although it worked, it lacked the functionality I need to add formatting and other elements such as pictures to my posts. Their blog editor is very basic.

I use Safari currently, but thought I’d give Flock a try. I’m impressed by the interconnectivity and this is a great idea for people such as myself who are [way too] connected to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube and find themselves multitasking multiple social networking sites at once. I’m not sure if I’ll keep using it or just stick with Safari, mainly because I already have Safari set up just how I like it, but we’ll see. It’s a very cool concept and has Firefox-like theme and extension features. It’s available for download on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Give it a try, eh?