Category: Not Workers Compensation

By Posted on Posted in Business, Free, Not Workers Compensation, PDRater, PHP, Technobabble, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Wordpress Upgrade
Wordpress Upgrade

I upgraded the website to WordPress 2.7 RC 1 over the weekend.

I generally do not bother installing the updates between the major upgrades.  My major concern in upgrading is eliminating possible security issues and obtaining additional program features.  I maintain a totally separate website from PDRater.com, also running on WordPress, where I install the very latest versions of WordPress and try out new variations on the look-and-feel of this website, new calculators, and new ideas about how best to present the current calculators.

Very late Wednesday night I upgraded this website to WordPress v2.7.  I’m not sure I fully appreciate how much better it might be than the various release candidates.

Thursday morning I discovered an unintended effect of upgrading is that it “broke” one of my plugins.   (Reza: Thanks for pointing it out!)  I had modified an existing plugin, EasyPayPal, to allow this website to accept credit card payments.  WordPress v2.7 changed the user profiles area of the website – and made it so that instead of seeing an option to become a paid subscriber, you just saw a cryptic PHP error.  This is nothing that would have compromised a credit card number or anything – it just would have prevented anyone from giving me money.

A little bit of bug testing, one new line of code and its back up and running.  :)

By Posted on Posted in Not Workers Compensation No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leverage
Leverage

I’ve been looking forward to watching the premier of a new TV show called, “Leverage” on TNT.  I first saw a teaser preview during the summer.

I happen to like Timothy Hutton.  I was a big fan of the Nero Wolfe mystery series on A&E a few years back. ((Unfortunately, A&E in their infinite wisdom decided to cancel this show.  I believe they began airing reruns of “CSI: Who Gives A Damn” instead.))

If you like caper movies/shows, chances are you’re going to enjoy Leverage.  Its in the same vein as Ocean’s Eleven and Hustle.  If you haven’t seen Hustle, its a BBC import shown on AMC about a group of con artists.

For those keeping score at home, I’d liken Leverage to:

  • Ocean’s Eleven
  • Hustle
  • Burn Notice
  • Sneakers
  • A-Team ((Come on, you know you liked it.))
  • Mission Impossible
  • The Sting

Leverage even has its own Alternate Reality Game.  Its good for a few minutes diversion.

The premier of Leverage was on last night on TNT.  I expect they’ll show an “encore” sometime in the near future.  In any case, its going to be on Tuesday night at 10:00 PM.

By Posted on Posted in Business, Free, Not Workers Compensation, PDRater No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Driving home from a deposition on Tuesday evening I was listening to NPR. ((I’m an NPR junkie, remember?)) They had a piece about how food banks in California are struggling.  Donations across the board are down.  Corporations that used to donate are reducing or even eliminating their donations.  People who once donated to food banks are now showing up asking for food.

Tuesday night I made a decision to help my local food bank.

  • I have donated all of the income from this website, retroactive to November 1, 2008 to my local food bank.  I will be sending out an e-mail to all current paid subscribers thanking them for their support of this website and, by extension, our food banks.

I also decided to make a further commitment.

  • I will continue to work on this site to bring you the absolute best workers’ compensation calculators for free.  And, I will continue to donate every single cent from this website to this food bank through the end of this year.
  • If you buy a monthly subscription, I will donate your subscription to this food bank through the end of the year.  If you buy a yearly subscription between now and the end of the year, I’ll donate the whole thing to them.  I do not believe this would be tax deductible for you, so I’ve thought of another option.
  • If you make a donate of any amount to your local food bank, just send me a copy of the receipt and I will give you an equivalent amount of subscription access to this website. ((E-mail, fax, mail – whatever works for you.))

If you use this website chances are you’re a professional who can spare enough to make a donation.  I’m no good at impassioned pleas or eloquent words.  Please make a donation and help out some hungry folks.  If you want to sign up for access for this website, please e-mail me or try to make an online payment through your profile on this website.

Thank you.

By Posted on Posted in Laptop, Not Workers Compensation, PDRater, Technobabble No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Data is important...
Data is important...

Quick recap:

...so backup your Data
...so keep a backup

Here’s what I’ve learned:

  1. Backup your data before something goes wrong ((Like discovering you have an evil android twin who’s exactly like you – except that he has emotions.)) ((Thanks to wikipedia for the photos.))
  2. A flash drive is your friend
  3. Decide whether it makes sense to repair or replace your laptop
  4. Make sure you find a good reliable laptop repair shop
    • Get a referral, if possible.  Otherwise, do your homework.
    • Researching a repair shop is time consuming, but you’ll be glad you did.
  5. Make sure your repair shop stands behind their work.  Paramount Technologies’ repair warranty is 90 days.  I think that’s pretty reasonable.
  6. Ask them what went wrong and how to prevent it

Ideas for new posts:

  • What to do when your laptop or computer dies?
  • How do you choose a laptop repair facility?

By Posted on Posted in Laptop, Not Workers Compensation, Technobabble No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Technical Difficulties
Technical Difficulties

A little over a month ago my laptop died.  I took it to a shop in Contra Costa County named, “Paramount Technologies” who were able to fix up my laptop in record time.  ((Estimate: 3 days.  Repair time: 3 hours.  Now, that’s what I call service.))  Apparently, the problem was the video chip which had loosened from the motherboard over time (probably through overuse).

Friday evening my laptop died all over again.  At least it was peaceful.  I put my laptop to sleep and it didn’t wake up again.

Its still under a repair warranty from Paramount Technologies, so I’ll take it back to them.  It has the same symptoms, so I hope its the same problem.  Even if it weren’t under warranty, my formula for determining whether I should invest in repairing or buying a new computer still dictates that I should probably repair.

No matter.  Be of good cheer: these troubles will have absolutely no effect on this website.  :)