Litha and Computers

This evening we celebrate Litha, the mid-summer Solstice, and it feels like summer with a heat wave throughout the US today. People are flocking to the beach and lakes, air conditioners are running causing selective power brown outs, and movie theatres and shopping centers are crowded with people escaping the heat. It's not too bad here, but it is hot and since today is my day off, I'll be without any air conditioning for the day. Maybe I'll lose some weight through sweating? I wish all of you a fulfilling next six months of life, love and creativity while I cherish Litha in my heart today.

I don't know where this location is, but how beautiful the sunrise is over this monument.  If
you know where this is, please let me know.  

The shop has been haunted by a computer djinn, or so it seems. On Monday the register computer wasn't starting properly and was stuck in "safe" mode. After starting it several times and unplugging it, I finally looked up some possible solutions on-line and tried one of those. It worked, although it seems to give me the "start Normal...Safe" list every time I start it now, but at least it is starting and working properly. My register and sales software doesn't work in "safe" mode so this was an important fix.



Then on Tuesday, the register keyboard bit the dust. This was MOT a good thing and required us to hand-write receipts while I scurried to find, install, and identify key combinations for a standard keyboard. That was a real mess because our usual keyboard is quite specialized. After I had a functional keyboard attached I contacted the company who designed our sales software to get a new keyboard. BUT, the particular model we use is no longer made and the connection would be different and may not have worked on our system. So, I went to Ebay. Armed with the manufacturer and model number of our keyboard, I found a vendor where I could buy one for $90 + shipping (compared to $530 + shipping from my software developer). Guess what I did? You're right. I expect my new keyboard to be delivered on the 23rd.



I also have a monitor whose picture tube is going bad at my work, but Chickie has an extra flat screen monitor that she's willing to let us have, so she'll bring that by the shop today and I'll swap them out on Thursday. I hope that will solve our computer hardware issues for a LONG TIME!