My sister has recently started her own site where she talks about fashion and thoughts on style. The site is called Dress Me Dearly. Anyhow, I thought I would put a bit of a plug in here for her and a bit of "link love".

I have to say I am quite impressed so far with the frequency and quality of the content being posted. Lots of images, articles, and even a video entry have been posted so far.

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I was recently having problems getting my Apache web server to start up the other day. If I tried to start it with the Apache Monitor or in the Services window, it would just try to start and exit. No message and nothing would be left in the Apache log files.

So I went to the command prompt and tried to start it there. That is when I received the following error.

(OS 10048)Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted. : make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:80 no listening sockets available, shutting down Unable to open logs

Solution

Turns out the problem was with Skype. I had installed it recently and when I rebooted my computer, it took control of that port before Apache could. You can fix it by exiting Skype and then starting Apache, before starting Skype again. Alternatively, you open Skype and go to Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Connection. Turn off the checkbox that refers to port 80 and 443. Then restart Skype.

I found similar information on this problem on this page about Apache Not Working On Vista.

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I recently replaced a fridge in a basement suite and checked out how to dispose of it. I live in Calgary, Canada. Previously, I had found a "recycling opportunities" document on the city of Calgary's website that listed privately owned businesses where you could drop off your appliance for free and they would use it. Alas, that document has been taken down (thought a number of sites still link to it).

The option I finally ended up using was taking it to a city landfill. The cost was $25 for me and it was really easy. Apparently it is a $15 flat rate fee for "freon removal" (whether it was already removed or not) and a weight charge. Just drive in, go to the Throw 'n' Go area, and unload it beside the rest of the appliances.

Some references:

• City of Calgary Recycling Main Page
• Landfill Rates
• Landfill Throw 'n' Go

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I have owned an Acer Extensa 5420 for basically 2 years now. I wrote an Acer Extensa 5420 Laptop Review and another article in regards to a Black Screen On Startup.

I had a new problem today. The power jack was pushed back further inside the laptop. When I tried to connect my power cord, it fit really loosely and the battery charging light would not turn on. I have seen power jack problems before, so had a pretty good feeling this was the problem.

Anyhow, I turned the laptop over and remove the small panel on the bottom where you gain access to the memory. I then removed all the large screws on the bottom have of the plastic case so that I could detach it. I was still unable to remove it, so I remove the top piece above the keyboard where the power button is and the power lights. Underneath there are two screens that hold the monitor to the upper half of the body. If you remove these, it also allows to pull back the bottom half.

Sorry if the instructions are confusing. I don't have pictures either. Basically, try to remove as many screws as possible that look like it holds the two halves together though.

When I looked inside where the power jack was, the tiny little plastic ridges that the power jack held against had bent back and/or broken off. My solution was to push it back into place, insert the power cord into the jack fully, duct tape down the power cord on the outside of the laptop so it stays in a good place and doesn't place any more strain on the power jack, and then apply as much super glue via toothpick around the surface contact areas that were plastic between the power jack and the laptop case.

Afterwards I put everything back together and left the power cord taped to the laptop to give it as much time to cure the glue as possible.

Hopefully it lasts for a little while. A new power jack definitely wouldn't have helped as the problem was with some plastic pieces on the inside of the laptop body.

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I have found two ways that I have used to download my Google Contacts list onto my iPhone. For those of you who don't know what Google Contacts is, it is basically a big address book on-line. Entries get created automatically when you email people using your Gmail account, but you can add tons of other information like phone numbers, addresses, birthdays, profile pictures, and even categorize them into groups.

If you are like me, it is quite developed and very handy to have on-line as well as on your phone. Both methods I have used will synchronize both ways, meaning that changes you make on your phone or on -line will then move to the other device too.

Free Way to Synchronize Your Google Contacts

The free way is to configure your email on the iPhone to work using the Exchange settings when you initially do the setup. Most people use the "Gmail" option as it is the most obvious, but it will only sync your mail.

There are specific instructions on Google's Google Sync for iPhone page.

The downside with this is that the iPhone only allows for one Exchange account to be set up at a time, so if you have another email account using this, then my paid option below might work for you better.

Please note, with this method you also get push email which means your phone will show your email as soon as it is delivered to your account. It otherwise checks the server on a predetermined interval (could be 10 or 15 minutes) to check for new email.

Paid Way to Synchronize Your Google Contacts

I found an app called Sync in a Blink that will synchronize your Google Contacts to your iPhone. It is quite a bit more powerful as it will let you specify more settings and only sync certain groups if you've defined them in your Contacts.

Basically, it allows you to not have to use your Exchange account on your iPhone if you are already using it for another account.

Word of warning, play around with the settings first for Sync in a Blink, because if you sync more contacts than you really wanted to (like I did) it is a bit of a pain to wipe the contact list so you can sync again. There are some tutorials on-line on how to do it though.

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I have been quite content with just having a plain old phone for the longest time. No data plan, no texting plan, and didn't even have games on my phone. When Bell went to their next generation cellular network last week, I decided to get an iPhone.

Needless to say, I am very enthused with everything I can do on my phone. Email, my google contacts come down, my calendars from Google and my work's Microsoft Exchange server come down, tons of applications, and other things I'm find out day after day.

I'm also finding the limitations of the iPhone. I realized most of them before I purchased it and it was a fairly weighted decision between iPhone and an Android phone (phone that runs Google's Android operating system), but a few decision weighed in and I went with iPhone. Most notably, I can't run some of my apps in the background, I can't develop apps for my phone without a Mac computer, and there are some illegal apps out there that I want that the AppStore rejected.

In the next while I will fill you on my iPhone findings and what I'm doing with it.

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I recently purchased a set of PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells. Probably one of the smartest fitness purchases I have done. I own the PowerBlock Classic 45. These dumbbells can adjust from 5 to 45 pounds in 5 pound increments. This is all I need at this point, but they do have other sets that are capable of being upgraded to go as high as 130 pounds if you are looking for more weight.

There are newer versions that have more room inside the handles as well. The Sport 5.0 and Sport 9.0 series are the latest generation that have a little more room between the handles and actually go up to 50 pounds.

I was motivated to buy them because I am doing the P90X workout program. For a guy doing the classic version of the program and trying to build a little muscle, you really need to be lifting dumbbells to get enough strength training resistance. The PowerBlocks were a perfect fit for my house because I really don't have the room at my house to store it, nor do I want to pay to have a rack of dumbbells with the same range.

If you are looking for some dumbbells and are tight for money/room, then these dumbbells are a good option. I simply bought my used in the city I live in, but you can find them wherever. There are a few different brands too. The other popular one are the Selecttech Nautilus ones that Bowflex is affiliated with.

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If you haven't heard of P90X, it is the infomercial, workout program that is commonly seen on late night television or in fitness magazines. Basically, it is a DVD video workout program that involves lifting weights, pushups, chinups, cardio, yoga, and other workouts to get you in shape.

I have been doing it for a couple weeks on a more casual basis, but have started today doing the official program. Basically 90 days of fitness routines and diet. I'm going to take it easy on the diet, but will follow the fitness routines as close as possible.

I'm doing the classic routine, which is basically 1 strength routine followed by a cardio routine the next day. This is 6 days like this, one day off, and then repeat. After 3 weeks, it is a break week with 6 cardio, stretching, or yoga days and then back into another set of 3 weeks. After 90 days, presto.

I did my before pictures and measurements and will keep you posted on the 30 day, 60 day, and 90 day status.

Check out P90X on Amazon.

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I had a really annoying situation with my Acer Extensa 5420 laptop recently. It would not sleep or go into sleep mode. I would press the sleep button, close the lid, and would even try to do it through the Windows Start menu's Shutdown section, but the laptop would still be powered on and usually just go back to the Windows login screen.

The problem of it not sleeping came from setting up a Windows Media Extender (otherwise known as my Xbox 360). When you set up a Windows Media Extender as part of your Windows Multimedia Center, it will ask you if you want to enable or turn on Away Mode. This is what can disable your sleep functionality. It is probably more suitable for a PC than my laptop.

At first, I remapped my lid closing action and sleep button to hibernate. Hibernate is where the laptop truly saves power because it saves the laptop's state to the hard disk. Sleep just puts the laptop into power save mode basically, but is still using a slight bit of power to keep things in memory. The difference is that sleep will go into and come out of sleep mode much faster than hibernate. However, hibernate actually saves more power if the laptop will be off for long periods of time.

Disable Away Mode

This was the real solution I was looking for. Basically, you need to go change your Power Options settings:

• Go into the Start menu -> Control Panel
• Click on Power Options. If you don't see it, you might need to click on System and Maintenance to find it.
• There will be a power plan already selected (radio button). Click on Change plan settings for that plan.
• Click on Change advanced power settings
• Find Multimedia settings near the bottom and click the plus sign to expand it.
• Click on the plus sign beside When sharing media.
• There are two settings for On battery and Plugged in. Change the picklist to be anything other than Allow the computer to enter Away Mode. I picked All the computer to sleep.

Hopefully that works for you as well. I was sick of closing the lid on my laptop to come back and find that it had actually been running the whole time and killed the battery.

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I have been looking at others ways to increase revenue from my site recently. I recently signed up with Amazon as an affiliate to selling merchandise they carry. You earn commissions of varying amounts for the different items.

I have no idea how well this will work out, but being that I do review products from time to time, I thought I might as well add a link to a place where you can purchase them too.

Three Methods of Product Placement

I have done three things to get the products out there.

First, in posts where I review products that they carry, I will specifically add a little banner or advertisement square for the exact product that I am talking about. One example is my recent article about recovering pictures or files on a flash memory card. You will see an advertisement for Recover Pro on there.

Second, you will see at the bottom of posts there is a banner that has 2 or 3 advertisements for different products that Amazon carries. Over time, they analyze each page that their ads appear on and then tailor the product selections to the theme of the page.

Third, I have added a Thoughts From My Life Store. Basically, this is my own little on-line store that allows me to pick the categories and exact products I want to display. So I only went through and picked out items that I own or have used in the past that I would recommend. The other handy thing about this place is that if you ever see me talk about a product, there is a good chance you will find it in the store and can go read up on it at Amazon. Amazon has a lot of reviews, which I also have used in the past when buying stuff, even if I don't buy it through them.

Summary

Anyhow, the whole thing is a little experiment to see if I can generate a few more dollars and cents out of my traffic. Regardless, it does add some extra content and a simple way for people to go see reviews and such.

I'll keep you posted on whether I think it has been of value to me or not. I was using Chitika and Bidvertiser in the past, but the results have only been in the dollar or two a month range. Poor ad placement on my part could be the problem, but I have not been able to get them working better.

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