Paul Monaco .com

It’s been about 8-years or so since I’ve actually purchased a computer for myself.  Sure I’ve had numerous “company” computers in my posesion to use and have piece-mealed a few frankentowers together but nothing that was really mine that I could expect to last for any length of time. 

So I went out shopping for a laptop (I’ve really grown to like them!) .. I took a day off of work just for this task, so I’d have pleanty of time to fine one and set it up with all my “stuff”.  

I struck out at my first stop Staples, an office supply superstore type place.  They had a great selection but when I asked a sales rep which ones were in stock he said “I didn’t work this weekend, I have no clue” and he didn’t seem eager to make any efforts to help me any further other than to point out their add-on warranty.  So.. off to the bank (I wanted to pay cash and the debit card has a maximum daily spending limit of $400 which I was sure to top).

Store number two, BestBuys.  Ahh.. anything that was not in stock was labled right on the tag, no need for a salesperson though one was at the ready.  I looked at the Sony Viao.. the model they had was a low-end variety and the keyboard looked like that of an old TRS-80 color computer. Next up was a 15.4″ Gateway.  Hmm… A little bigger then I had in mind but nice Intel specs…  still not really up on Gateway.  Then a slick glossy black number with bright blue lights and a remote control jumped out at me… an HP Pavilion dv2615nr with built in web-cam.  I was in love but uh oh.. AMD?  You see years ago there was some crazy CPU chip shortage and prices zoomed thru the roof.  To save money at work I went with an AMD product and let’s just say it turned out to be a really bad move.  But in all fairness that was another time and I was ready to set aside my fears.

Now that it’s home, and running for a few weeks.. I’m more that satisfied.  It even outperforms the work-machine it replaced.  It’s not gaming machine, but I can still run MS Flight Simulator X without all the graphics options turned up and The Sims Online just performs stellarly!!

Oh and 8 years ago.. that machine I got.. it was an eMachine T4200 running 2-GHz on a Pentium IV chip which with only a memory and video card upgrade is still holding it’s own.

Some of you may remember that last year I was all into SwiftWXweather software.  As it turned out the tropical hurricane season was pretty much a bust and at least temporarily other activities took the place of my arm-chair weather forcasting.

But now that winter is upon us I’m back in the saddle!  My $14.50/month subscription has been reactivated and I’m running SwiftFX again!  This year it’s even more exciting than ever because I’ve added a mobile broadband card with integrated GPS to my rig and SwiftWX supports real time position tracking while I’m on the move.   Yea that features is a bit more useful for the tornado chasers out there but you have to admit it’s a significant cool factor!

So expect my weather blogging to increase again as well as a possible ad hoc podcast from the road.  I’ve been peeking at TalkShoeand my brain has been working overtime with the possibility of a live, on the road podcast.  (hint hint - you might want to create a listener account for yourself!)

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Well it starts, forcast is calling for upwards of 12 inches falling at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour.  Snow began falling in New Haven country 2-hours earlier then predicted.  Stay tuned.. I may get ambitious and fire up the webcam for the ride home.. might even attempt a streaming broadcast. 

If you don’t already have a TalkShoe account you might want to sign up for a free account if your interested in that.  Though I haven’t tested it using the laptop’s sounds system so you  may get dead air and I may be talking to myself.

A few weeks ago I finally became a full subscriber and supporter of Geocaching.com.  I really didn’t expect a great benefit from it other then showing some love to a site I’ve useing more and more and have really been enjoying.

Little did I know it would reach out and try to increase my addiction.  One of the features of being a member is having the ability to create instant alerts based on various criteria.  Since my pattern has been to start with the closest cache to my home and work my way out, I thought it’d be cool to be alerted whenever a new cache is placed just so I don’t overlook one.

Well, as I’m sitting at home watching a movie an email comes in and I notice it was a Groundspeak alert.  I just had to take a peek.. this was my first one.  As soon as I saw it was a brand new cache I immediately got excited.. wow.. the opportunity to be the very first to log a find on a new cache!  But after some quick Google mapping and looking at the setting sun I decided I couldn’t pull it off before nightfall.  Sure enough, someone else did.

I guess the point I wanted to make is now there’s a whole new set of things in my head that I’m resisting.  For example, for years I’ve wanted a mobile broadband Internet connection for my laptop but I’ve always concluded that I’m either at the office or at home and otherwise driving from one to the other with no opportunity to surf.  Now I’m starting to think that I can have these alerts page my phone and where ever I am I can pull over and get details on a new cache!

For now I will resist my urge, but it is just one more log on the fire towards a new full-on addiction.  Not that I’m not already addicted to caching, but I just sense that “next level” on the horizon.

 Back when geocaching first started gaining popularity, if you wanted to bike it you would have probably wanted a sophisticated mountain bike to take you on the trails.  But these days with the number of urban geocaches on the rise it just plain old makes sense to consider a beach cruiser bicycle for your next expedition.  The upright peddling position and wide seats makes for comfortable journey and perfect vantage point to take in the scenery. 

With available fenders and chain guards you’ll find this classic style to be very clothes friendly.  Add a sturdy metal basket at you’ll have plenty of cargo capacity for all your maps and caching gear as well a lunch.

Think the terrain may be a bit too difficult muscle with one speed?  Think again, the folks at Copacabana Bikes have a full range of models from traditional to multi-speed urban models that makes short work out of those hills.

 Think a beach cruiser isn’t cool enough for you?  Think again!  You can get a retro styled extended frame model with springer forks that will really make you stand out in the crowd!

There’s certainly a model for everyone, even the kids!  Don’t worry about the price either, most models are priced under $200.

The easily navigable CopacabanaBikes.com site allows you to effortlessly order and customize your beach cruiser by selecting your color, size and other options like baskets.  Shipping costs are very reasonable and assembly is a breeze, usually under 20-minutes.