Giving Yourself Over to the Ride

Went for a nice long motorcycle ride through the back country roads today. I think the thing that makes even a simple ride so enjoyable is that you have to give yourself over to the ride completely.

Safely riding a motorcycle means you need to concentrate on the ride, leaving all your worries and concerns behind. Completely giving yourself over to the ride, you are no longer the person who has to worry about bills, work or anything else in your life.

You are just part of a moving team of motorcycle and rider. Nothing more. Nothing less. That can be immensely relaxing while at the same time exhilarating.

Avoiding Fake Microsoft Scam Phone Calls and Emails

WTAM 1100 – Geek Squad – September 12th, 2011

There seems to be a rise in the number of phone or email scams falsely using the Microsoft name going around lately. I had a chance to speak to the Wills & Snyder show on Cleveland’s WTAM 1100 Newsradio this morning.

For more information on these scams, and how to protect yourself, visit the Microsoft Safety & Security Center.

How to Love and Care for Your Laptop Battery

One of the more common questions I hear is whether it is okay to leave your laptop plugged in all the time. Battery technology has changed over the years, resulting in some conflicting advice coming from friends and family around how to best charge that laptop, smartphone or tablet.

Most current portable devices have switched over to Lithium-ion batteries for power from older nickel-based battery technologies. One of the outdated tips given around the older NiCad batteries was to always fully discharge and recharge the batteries whenever possible. Partial charges, along with age and overcharging issues, meant shorter lives for NiCad batteries. The newer Lithium-ion battery technology has addressed many of these issues, so the advice around them has changed.

Continue reading “How to Love and Care for Your Laptop Battery”

Ridin’ the Ohio Country Roads

My 1973 Honda CB350F on the back country roads of OhioHaving a day off prompted me to go on an extended ride today. I ended up nearly two hours away from home, in some really great farm country on the back roads of Ohio.

It was amazingly relaxing, but I also had some excitement when my clutch cable broke while on a country highway outside of Akron. Fortunately, the bike behaved itself, and a few miles up the road I happened across All Seasons Sport Center.

The two guys there were pretty cool, and while they didn’t have a cable specifically made for my ancient bike, we found a shorter one that could be routed across the outside to get everything working again.

When you have two wheels, there’s always an adventure to be had.