Thursday, July 31, 2014

A Little San Diego Mayhem

Okay, San Diego. What's going on?

This is what I woke up to this morning for my local news alerts. In the last 24 hours, we've had a skydiver fall to his death in what appears to be a suicide, a plane crash in a local strip mall parking lot, a deadly shooting outside of a grocery store, a pedestrian struck and killed a mile or so from my office, and a body wash up on the beach.

What is happening? Suicide, shooting, plane crash, fatal vehicle accident, and a body washing ashore are not exactly elements of "America's Finest City."

Alright, people. Let's get it together. If I wanted this kind of random violence and craziness, I'd live in Los Angeles.

This is San Diego. We are laid-back, mellow, and calm. We are nice to each other. We are happy people enjoying the good life. Let's at least try and act like it, shall we?

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

My Solution for the iPad "Storage Almost Full" Error

I have an iPad 2 and I like. I love it, actually. I'm very happy with the functionality, the long battery life, and the ease of use. But there's one thing that makes me very unhappy with this iPad.

It's this stupid error right here.

"Storage Almost Full."

It bothers me so much because I know it isn't true. I have plenty of storage space left on my iPad. But for whatever reason, my iPad thinks otherwise.

If you check out the Apple Community Forums, or even visit a Genius Bar in an Apple store, you'll learn two things. One, no one has a clue why this keeps happening. Two, the "solution" is a very annoying complete Reset. And no one wants to do all that nonsense.

Fortunately, there is a better way. It won't prevent the error from happening again, but it will quickly reset your iPad with a minimum of hassle.

Here's how you do it:

At the error prompt, select Settings.

That brings you here, to the Settings screen.  Select Usage in the middle right.



You'll see this screen, which shows the space available on your iPad. (More correctly, you'll see what your iPad thinks is your lack of space.) In this example, you can see it shows that I have "0 Bytes Available."



My solution is a reset, but not a complete iPad reset. Instead, I just reset the network settings. Select Reset


 Select Reset Network Settings.



 Enter your iPad passcode (if you have one).



 Select Reset.


Once the network settings have reset, the iPad will come back to your home screen. You should see this message:


 Enter your PIN code to unlock the SIM card.




At this point, you will be back to your home screen. But your network (wi-fi) settings will be cleared. No problem, it's easy to reset them in a moment. First, let's confirm that your reset fixed the storage space problem.

Select General.


 Select Usage.


 See? I'm back up to 40 gig available.



The last thing you need to do is reconnect to your Wi-Fi. Select WiFi and enter your password. And that's it. Your iPad space is back and you're all set.

Note: I see this error return every couple of weeks, but it's a quick enough fix to resolve it. I am hopeful that Apple will provide an official, long-term solution, but until they do, I hope this helps you, too.


Sunday, July 6, 2014

Designated Driver's Creed

These are my drinkers. There are many like them, but these are mine.
My drinkers are my best friends. They are my life. I must master them as I must master my life.
My drinkers, without me, are useless. Without my drinkers, I am useless. I must guide my drinkers true. I must be stronger than the alcohol that is trying to tempt me. I must outwit it before it outwits me. I will.
My drinkers and I know that what counts in a party is not the rounds we drink, the noise of our laughter, nor the jokes we make. We know that it is the joy of being together that counts. We will be joyful.
My drinkers are human, even as I, and they are my life. Thus, I will treat them each as a brother or sister. I will learn their weaknesses, their strengths, their trigger points, their accessories, their drink preferences and their dislikes. I will keep my drinkers in sight and standing, even as I am sober and ready. We will become part of each other. We will.
Before all, I swear this creed. My drinkers and I are the hit of the party. We are the masters of our social outing. And I am the savior of their lives.
So be it, until victory is ours and there is no DUI nor accident, but all drinkers safely home in peace!



(With credit to the Rifleman's Creed.)