Blackjack Unleashed was accepted on Download.com at Blackjack Unleashed 2008.5.25.
6/10/2008 was the first day I saw any downloads. On 6/10/2008 I had 23 downloads and on 6/11/2008 I had 42 downloads.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
MetroFi free citywide wi-fi shutdown
I was using metrofi.com in Sunnyvale; however, now MetroFi is ending service June 20, 2008 in Sunnyvale so I have to find another ISP.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Email management
Like many other people my first ISP was AOL when the Internet was new. I started out with just one email from AOL as my first email but when I canceled my AOL ISP service I lost my email.
I then started using hotmail so I could keep the same email forever since it was not tied to an ISP.
I used Outlook Express so I could backup my hotmail email messages to my desktop computer. Now in 2008 Microsoft is discontinuing Outlook Express. I could upgrade to Windows Mail and get the same functionality but I think I will just use web based email because it is easier to manage. I have a total of 1 GB of email backups which is a bother to manage.
I now have emails with Hotmail, Live, Yahoo, and Gmail. I still have not tried the new AOL mail which is now free and offers unlimited storage. Both Yahoo and AOL now have unlimited email storage.
I changed all my email to Yahoo for anything that I sign up for so I don't have to worry about backing up email anymore.
I am still using web based Hotmail for my personal email but I might change this too so I don’t have to worry about backups.
I then started using hotmail so I could keep the same email forever since it was not tied to an ISP.
I used Outlook Express so I could backup my hotmail email messages to my desktop computer. Now in 2008 Microsoft is discontinuing Outlook Express. I could upgrade to Windows Mail and get the same functionality but I think I will just use web based email because it is easier to manage. I have a total of 1 GB of email backups which is a bother to manage.
I now have emails with Hotmail, Live, Yahoo, and Gmail. I still have not tried the new AOL mail which is now free and offers unlimited storage. Both Yahoo and AOL now have unlimited email storage.
I changed all my email to Yahoo for anything that I sign up for so I don't have to worry about backing up email anymore.
I am still using web based Hotmail for my personal email but I might change this too so I don’t have to worry about backups.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Blackjack Unleashed freeware PC game live
The new Blackjack Unleashed website was launched today.
Blackjack Unleashed™ is a freeware blackjack game with advanced features for learning and practicing basic strategy and card counting.
Blackjack Unleashed™ is a freeware blackjack game with advanced features for learning and practicing basic strategy and card counting.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Gadgetness.com gadget popularity website launched
The new Gadgetness.com website was launched today.
The Gadgetness™ (beta) is a community-based popularity website for gadgets. Gadgets are submitted by users, and then promoted to the top through a user-based ranking system.
The Gadgetness™ (beta) is a community-based popularity website for gadgets. Gadgets are submitted by users, and then promoted to the top through a user-based ranking system.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
How to fix Metrofi browser won’t load web page infinite loop problem
The Metrofi free wireless service in Sunnyvale, California has a problem (or bug) loading some web pages that use a frameset that causes it to go into an infinite loop so the web page never loads. I have this problem with both Firefox 2 and IE 6.
I found an easy way to fix the problem. Use your browsers options to disable JavaScript and then load the page and it should work. If the web page requires JavaScript you can normally enable JavaScript after the first page is loaded and use the website as normal.
I found an easy way to fix the problem. Use your browsers options to disable JavaScript and then load the page and it should work. If the web page requires JavaScript you can normally enable JavaScript after the first page is loaded and use the website as normal.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Abodeblog.com housing blog website launched
Along with my partner I launched a new housing news blog www.abodeblog.com on 10-01-2006. To start it will offer primarily key housing news summaries. In the future we will add more new housing products.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Spot2meet.com social website live
Today the new social networking website www.spot2Meet.com was released. The Spot2Meet can be used for friends, dates, sex, and activity partners. Features include 100% free, standard email, hyperlinks, hit counter, and no registration required.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Metrofi free wireless review
I canceled my SBC Yahoo DSL and started using www.metrofi.com free wireless.
I originally signed up with SBC Yahoo DSL for $26.95 on a year contract but then the price went up to $40 a month after the contract ended. I did not want another contract because I was thinking that I might move in the near future and the contract would be a hassle. When I called SBC to cancel they told me that my DSL speed was not offered anymore and that the new monthly fee was now $30; howeever, they never lowered my price or upgraded me to the new faster speed.
I was going to signup for a dialup account at www.netscape.com for $6.95 a month for a 12-month contract. A contract is not a problem with dialup because you can take it with you if you move.
However, I found out that www.metrofi.com has free wireless service available for Sunnyvale, CA so I started using it.
I did not have wireless on my desktop so I ordered a "Hi-Gain USB Wireless-G Adapter w/Antenna", part number "HWU54D", that metrofi.com recommends on their website from www.ecost.com for a total of $67.10.
Ecost.com was really fast with the shipment, they said it would ship on the 14th but I got it at my door on the 13th of January. If you want to get an adaptor there are other vendors recommended on metrofi’s website too.
I was getting 30% signal strength in the back of my apartment so I moved my computer to a window in my bedroom facing the street and got 90% signal strength. Metrofi mounts the antennas on street lights. I can actually see the antenna in line of site of my window so that is why I am getting such good signal.
So far the new metrofi free wireless service is working good and I am getting much faster speed then my old SBC Yahoo DSL.
The 4 main problems I have found with metrofi's service are:
1. It sometimes takes a long time to connect.
2. It loses connection about every few hours.
3. The ads at the top of the browser prevent some websites from loading.
4. It is sometimes slow.
I originally signed up with SBC Yahoo DSL for $26.95 on a year contract but then the price went up to $40 a month after the contract ended. I did not want another contract because I was thinking that I might move in the near future and the contract would be a hassle. When I called SBC to cancel they told me that my DSL speed was not offered anymore and that the new monthly fee was now $30; howeever, they never lowered my price or upgraded me to the new faster speed.
I was going to signup for a dialup account at www.netscape.com for $6.95 a month for a 12-month contract. A contract is not a problem with dialup because you can take it with you if you move.
However, I found out that www.metrofi.com has free wireless service available for Sunnyvale, CA so I started using it.
I did not have wireless on my desktop so I ordered a "Hi-Gain USB Wireless-G Adapter w/Antenna", part number "HWU54D", that metrofi.com recommends on their website from www.ecost.com for a total of $67.10.
Ecost.com was really fast with the shipment, they said it would ship on the 14th but I got it at my door on the 13th of January. If you want to get an adaptor there are other vendors recommended on metrofi’s website too.
I was getting 30% signal strength in the back of my apartment so I moved my computer to a window in my bedroom facing the street and got 90% signal strength. Metrofi mounts the antennas on street lights. I can actually see the antenna in line of site of my window so that is why I am getting such good signal.
So far the new metrofi free wireless service is working good and I am getting much faster speed then my old SBC Yahoo DSL.
The 4 main problems I have found with metrofi's service are:
1. It sometimes takes a long time to connect.
2. It loses connection about every few hours.
3. The ads at the top of the browser prevent some websites from loading.
4. It is sometimes slow.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Exchangester Beta 3 live
The new beta 3 version of www.exchangester.com has been released. Exchangester is a classified ads & personal ads website that was founded in 2004 and is based in Sunnyvale, California.
Exchangester has categories for real estate, rentals, and roommates, jobs, dating, sale, services, vehicles and more.
Features include 100% free, standard email, hyperlinks, global & local search, detailed attributes, maps, and more.
The previous beta has been retired for now.
Exchangester has categories for real estate, rentals, and roommates, jobs, dating, sale, services, vehicles and more.
Features include 100% free, standard email, hyperlinks, global & local search, detailed attributes, maps, and more.
The previous beta has been retired for now.
Friday, June 17, 2005
I currently have three home pages.
Loren Brown's Home Page
Loren Brown's Home Page
Loren Brown's Home Page
Loren Brown's Home Page
Loren Brown's Home Page
Loren Brown's Home Page
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
PG&E online billing review
I am upset with the bill payment service from PG&E. I was paying my bill online for free for the last several months at http://www.pge.com/ and then without notice they change it so you can only pay online if you agree to stop getting paper statements in the mail.
I did not want to depend totally on the computer to pay my bill because my computer might break down. They told me if my computer breaks down then I could call them and send in a check. However, calling and sending a check in my own envelope is not convenient and a computer malfunction could prevent me from getting an email reminder. Therefore, at this point I think it is less trouble to pay by mail rather then computer.
I think it is OK for them to require you choose either online or mail payments; however, my main gripe is they should not have offered the service and then taken it away after I was depending on this method of payment being available to me.
I did not want to depend totally on the computer to pay my bill because my computer might break down. They told me if my computer breaks down then I could call them and send in a check. However, calling and sending a check in my own envelope is not convenient and a computer malfunction could prevent me from getting an email reminder. Therefore, at this point I think it is less trouble to pay by mail rather then computer.
I think it is OK for them to require you choose either online or mail payments; however, my main gripe is they should not have offered the service and then taken it away after I was depending on this method of payment being available to me.
Friday, July 02, 2004
Exchangester.com Beta 2 live
The Beta 2 version of the Exchangester.com web site has been released today. Exchangester.com is a classified ad database that was founded in 2004 and is based in Sunnyvale, California. Exchangester will initially only offer free personal ads with the Date category; however, more categories will be added in the future.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Blackjack Explorer 2.0 live
Blackjack Explorer 2.0 was released 4/25/2004. Blackjack Explorer is a straightforward, fast, and easy-to-use blackjack game with an Explorer-like interface. Its advanced features make it ideal to learn or practice basic strategy and card counting.
Monday, June 07, 2004
HP Compaq desktop PC problems
This story is about the problems I had with my new HP Compaq desktop PC.
5/9/03, I purchased a Compaq Presario S3000Z-P8654X computer with Windows XP Pro. My first problem was not being able to create a recovery CD. The computer requires you to burn your own recovery CDs. They provide software that enables you to burn the recovery CDs. Technical support said their software that makes the recovery disks does not work with an external CD-Writer which is what I was using. So they sent me new recovery disks; however, they sent me disks for XP Home which were the wrong kind. When I called back they sent me the correct recovery disks for XP Pro.
Shortly after getting the computer it started making a cricket noise from the sound card. The noise was several seconds long and would repeat every 10 minutes. It would do this for a few days at a time and then stop for weeks or months before doing it again. I called HP and they instructed me to replace a sound driver to see if that would help.
Eventually it continued to make the noise again so I called back. This time they instructed me to reinstall the OS. If it continued to make the noise after trying this, they said they would have to replace the motherboard because it has an integrated sound card so I would have to send it in to them for repair.
Months later it started to make the noise again; however, now my warranty only had about 2 weeks left. This time they wanted to replace the sound driver again even though last time they said they would let me send it in. To make it worse, they said that if it still makes the noise after the warranty expires they will not fix it for free even though they failed to fix it for months.
This time within a few days it started to make the noise again so I called them back immediately and this time they said to send the computer in for repair. They paid for the shipping to and from their repair center so there was no cost to me.
5/5/04, I sent my computer in for the first time. When I got the computer back I notice that now when I boot up it says HP where it use to say Compaq. I tried to use my recovery CDs to restore my computer to original factory condition but they would not work anymore. I called back and explained this to HP tech support and they said they put in the wrong motherboard and I would need to send it back in.
5/20/04, I sent the computer in for the second time. When I got the computer back it had the same problem as last time. It still boots up as HP and my recovery disk won’t work. I called back again and they said a case manager will call me back in 72 hours. After 72 hours, I called them back and this time they said that they put in the wrong BIOS so it needs a new tattoo. They said that they use the same motherboard for both the HP and Compaq computers; the only difference is the BIOS.
6/9/04, I sent my computer back for the 3rd time so they can program the correct BIOS on the motherboard.
6/21/04, I got my computer back. The computer now looks like it boots up correctly. I recover the OS to make sure that the recovery disks work correctly. After the recovery is complete it instructs you to reboot. After rebooting I get the following error message, however, the computer seems to function normally.
I called HP technical support to ask why I got this error message. They said if you only get this error message once after doing a recovery then it is not a problem that needs to be repaired. It is obvious to me that it would not be intended that you get this error message after doing a recovery but I guess they don’t consider it a problem that needs to be fixed. They said if there seems to be any problems or if the error message continues more then once then I could call back. I was told the replaced motherboard would have a 90 day warranty so I will watch my computer to see if it function normally.
7/1/04, the computer started making the exact same cricket noise as before. Since they said they replaced the motherboard and we also tried recovering the OS, I assume the problem must be with one of the other components. Another component such as the power supply or network card must be creating interference which is causing noise on the sound output. I called HP tech support and they had a case manager talk with me. Because of the amount of time that I have been without the computer and the problems I had trying to get it fixed they offered to send me a new replacement computer. This was above anything that the normal warranty would require so I thought it was a great offer.
7/12/04, I got my new computer. They sent me a new Compaq Presario SR1000Z. So far it has worked great and it does not make the noise that my other one did.
7/13/04, again I could not make recovery disks with my new computer so I called hp tech support and they said they will send me recovery disks.
Although it is unfortunate HP had trouble repairing my computer I think the way HP support went out of their way to make sure I was satisfied was really fair and commendable. Because HP did the right thing I will definitely consider buying HP again in the future.
As a side note I wish all computer manufacturers would provide either recovery disks or the original software disks with the computer. When they don't provide them it makes it more likely the customer will run into problems.
5/9/03, I purchased a Compaq Presario S3000Z-P8654X computer with Windows XP Pro. My first problem was not being able to create a recovery CD. The computer requires you to burn your own recovery CDs. They provide software that enables you to burn the recovery CDs. Technical support said their software that makes the recovery disks does not work with an external CD-Writer which is what I was using. So they sent me new recovery disks; however, they sent me disks for XP Home which were the wrong kind. When I called back they sent me the correct recovery disks for XP Pro.
Shortly after getting the computer it started making a cricket noise from the sound card. The noise was several seconds long and would repeat every 10 minutes. It would do this for a few days at a time and then stop for weeks or months before doing it again. I called HP and they instructed me to replace a sound driver to see if that would help.
Eventually it continued to make the noise again so I called back. This time they instructed me to reinstall the OS. If it continued to make the noise after trying this, they said they would have to replace the motherboard because it has an integrated sound card so I would have to send it in to them for repair.
Months later it started to make the noise again; however, now my warranty only had about 2 weeks left. This time they wanted to replace the sound driver again even though last time they said they would let me send it in. To make it worse, they said that if it still makes the noise after the warranty expires they will not fix it for free even though they failed to fix it for months.
This time within a few days it started to make the noise again so I called them back immediately and this time they said to send the computer in for repair. They paid for the shipping to and from their repair center so there was no cost to me.
5/5/04, I sent my computer in for the first time. When I got the computer back I notice that now when I boot up it says HP where it use to say Compaq. I tried to use my recovery CDs to restore my computer to original factory condition but they would not work anymore. I called back and explained this to HP tech support and they said they put in the wrong motherboard and I would need to send it back in.
5/20/04, I sent the computer in for the second time. When I got the computer back it had the same problem as last time. It still boots up as HP and my recovery disk won’t work. I called back again and they said a case manager will call me back in 72 hours. After 72 hours, I called them back and this time they said that they put in the wrong BIOS so it needs a new tattoo. They said that they use the same motherboard for both the HP and Compaq computers; the only difference is the BIOS.
6/9/04, I sent my computer back for the 3rd time so they can program the correct BIOS on the motherboard.
6/21/04, I got my computer back. The computer now looks like it boots up correctly. I recover the OS to make sure that the recovery disks work correctly. After the recovery is complete it instructs you to reboot. After rebooting I get the following error message, however, the computer seems to function normally.
Your system has detected a configuration error. Please call your Customer Care Center number, located in your Warranty and License information, for technical support (Code Purple)
I called HP technical support to ask why I got this error message. They said if you only get this error message once after doing a recovery then it is not a problem that needs to be repaired. It is obvious to me that it would not be intended that you get this error message after doing a recovery but I guess they don’t consider it a problem that needs to be fixed. They said if there seems to be any problems or if the error message continues more then once then I could call back. I was told the replaced motherboard would have a 90 day warranty so I will watch my computer to see if it function normally.
7/1/04, the computer started making the exact same cricket noise as before. Since they said they replaced the motherboard and we also tried recovering the OS, I assume the problem must be with one of the other components. Another component such as the power supply or network card must be creating interference which is causing noise on the sound output. I called HP tech support and they had a case manager talk with me. Because of the amount of time that I have been without the computer and the problems I had trying to get it fixed they offered to send me a new replacement computer. This was above anything that the normal warranty would require so I thought it was a great offer.
7/12/04, I got my new computer. They sent me a new Compaq Presario SR1000Z. So far it has worked great and it does not make the noise that my other one did.
7/13/04, again I could not make recovery disks with my new computer so I called hp tech support and they said they will send me recovery disks.
Although it is unfortunate HP had trouble repairing my computer I think the way HP support went out of their way to make sure I was satisfied was really fair and commendable. Because HP did the right thing I will definitely consider buying HP again in the future.
As a side note I wish all computer manufacturers would provide either recovery disks or the original software disks with the computer. When they don't provide them it makes it more likely the customer will run into problems.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Exchangester Beta 1 website live
The Beta 1 version of the Exchangester.com web site has been released today. Exchangester.com is a classified ad database that was founded in 2004 and is based in Sunnyvale, California. Exchangester will include categories for Autos, Jobs, Merchandise, Personals, Real Estate, Rentals/Roommate, and more. However, Exchangester will initially only offer free personal ads with the Date category.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Completed C# .NET Programming Award and Windows Application and System Programming Certificate
I completed the C# .NET Programming Award and Windows Application and System Programming Certificate from UCSC Extension in Santa Clara.
Monday, January 06, 2003
Blackjack Explorer game website live
I set up a new web site for my Blackjack Explorer game today. This web site will allow me to use ASP.NET.
Monday, November 11, 2002
New classified ad web site coming soon
I am going to launch a Silicon Valley Internet start-up in 2003. The business is going to be a classified ad web site. More details will be coming soon after I get a patent on the technology I will be using. The web site will be programmed using ASP.Net.
I'm currently getting a certificate in Microsoft .Net and Windows programming at UCSC extension.
I'm a member of an entrepreneur group that meets in Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, CA called the eteam formed from members of promatch.
I'm currently getting a certificate in Microsoft .Net and Windows programming at UCSC extension.
I'm a member of an entrepreneur group that meets in Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, CA called the eteam formed from members of promatch.
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