Turkey Frying Checklist

I know, I know, everybody knows how to fry a turkey.

But I would be remiss if I didn't caution you in the strongest words I can that frying a turkey -- a whole bird -- is not safe for small animals or little children. In fact, it's a tad dangerous.

So here's a quick checklist of things to remember when frying a turkey, especially if it's your first time. Tape this list to the refrigerator and keep it until next year when I do this again.

Send any kids or pets into the house and lock the door. The last thing you want is a bunch of small creatures running around a pot of boiling oil.

Likewise tell your favorite uncle, the one who gets into the Christmas cheer a little earlier than most folks, to stay inside with the kids. You don't want anybody who can't pass a field sobriety test anywhere near the pot.

Make sure the turkey is thawed completely before you dunk it in the oil. Any ice -- any -- still in the bird will react violently with the grease and the outcome won't be pretty.

Don't overfill the pot. Fill it no more than half way and a little less is actually bettter. It can boil over.  Another way is to put the turkey in the empty pot and fill with water to get the level.  Make a mark and don't fill more than the mark.

Concentrate. Timing is critical in turkey frying so either pay close attention to the time (3 to 3½ minutes per pound) or find somebody more reliable than you and charge them with the task of time keeping.

Take the oil's temperature regularly. Try to maintain a temperature of about 340 degrees if possible. Don't let it drop below about 320 or get above 360 degrees.

Pinewood Derby Links

Here is a list of links for some Pinewood Derby websites I visit.  They all have good info, but some are more for the Mom's and Dad's and others who take Pinewood very seriously.

Message Boards

• http://pddr.proboards51.com
  
• http://www.derbytalk.com
  
• http://pwdracing.proboards91.com
  
• http://pinewoodp.proboards29.com
  

Vendors - Supplies

• http://www.maximum-velocity.com/
  
• http://www.derbydoc.com/
  
• http://www.derbydad4hire.com/
  
• http://www.winderby.com/
  
• http://www.pinewoodextreme.com/
  
• http://www.derbychamp.com/
  

Vendors - Track & Software

• http://grandprix-software-central.com/
  
• http://www.besttrack.com/
  
• http://www.pinewoodderbytrack.com/
  
• http://www.microwizard.com/
  

PS3 Hard Drive Upgrade

Follow the link for a walk-through of a PS3 HD upgrade.

http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/ps3cheatsandcodes/a/PS3HDDDriveSwap.htm

There are many choices, but the Western Digital WD3200BEVT is a good place to start.  Any SATA 2.5" drive should work.

TIVO 30 Second Skip

ENABLE THE 30 SECOND SKIP ON YOUR REMOTE

The 30 Second Skip

Every TiVo can do a 30 second skip - you just have to enable it. Here's how you do it:

1 Start playing any recording.

2 During playback press:

Select - Play - Select - 3 - 0 - Select

3 You should hear three bongs (if you don't have the TiVo sounds disabled), and you're done.

Your "skip to beginning/end" button (the arrow pointing to a line) is now a 30 second skip button. During fast-forwarding or rewinding, the button will still "skip to tick."

The button looks like this: 

 

To turn the feature off, repeat the three steps.

Important note: this feature is set to "off" at default on restarts. So if your TiVo restarts or loses power, the feature will be turned back off. Just enter the code again while watching a recording to re-enable it.

The most importaint word...

A Boy Scout Troop's Scoutmaster asked the question, "What is the most important word in the Scout Law?"

After all the Law had been shouted out, Trustworthy? NO, Reverent, NO, Helpful and so on. The Scoutmaster answered by saying the most important word in the Scout Law is "IS". 
"The Scout Law doesn't say A Scout might be, or maybe be or sorta could be.  Remember you are a Scout and a Scout IS Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, etc..."

"Go be a Scout."

Mark Murray, Scoutmaster

Troop 753, Carrollton TX

democracy

Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those others that have been tried. - Winston Churchill

This quote was used in an episode of Law & Order ("King Maker") to describe the political process of the advisors who make things happen for the candidates and elected officials behind the scenes.

HP MSA2000

From HP quickspecs:

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12991_div/12991_div.html

Ordering and Part #s:

Step 1 - MSA2000fc - Base Configuration
Select one:
Model Name	Model Description:	Part Number
MSA2012fc	HP StorageWorks 2012fc Dual Controller Modular Smart Array	AJ743A
MSA2012fc	HP StorageWorks 2012fc Single Controller Modular Smart Array	AJ742A
MSA2212fc	HP StorageWorks 2212fc Dual Enhanced Controller Modular Smart Array	AJ745A

Step 2 - Options
Select each option with quantities specified. NOTE: SATA drives are designed for archival or reference data. They should not be used in a heavy or intense I/O environment. Those situations require the use of enterprise-class SAS drives. MSA2 3.5” drives are for use only with MSA2000 products.
Step 2a - Options
Description with Parts Shipped:
The base controller chassis with one or two controllers has twelve drive bays for both SAS and/or SATA drives. For additional twelve additional drive bays purchase an MSA2000 3.5" Disk Enclosure. You may attach a total of three Drive Enclosures for a total of forty-eight drive bays. Single controller arrays support Single I/O Disk Enclosures; dual controller arrays support Dual I/O Disk Enclosures.
Step 2b - SAS and SATA Drive Options
NOTE: MSA2000 3.5" drives are for use only with MSA2000 products.
Description	Quantity	Part Number
HP StorageWorks MSA2 146GB 3G 15K 3.5 inch Dual-port SAS HDD		AJ735A
HP StorageWorks MSA2 300GB 3G 15K 3.5 inch Dual-port SAS HDD		AJ736A
HP StorageWorks MSA2 450GB 3G 15K 3.5 inch Dual-port SAS HDD		AJ737A
HP StorageWorks MSA2 500GB 7.2K 3.5 inch SATA HDD		AJ738A
HP StorageWorks MSA2 750GB 7.2K 3.5 inch SATA HDD		AJ739A
HP StorageWorks MSA2 1TB 7.2K 3.5 inch SATA HDD		AJ740A
Step 2c - Drive Enclosure Options
Should you want a drive enclosure, the model you choose depends on which array model it attaches to. If it is a single controller array, then choose the JBOD designated as "Single I/O". If it is attaching to a dual controller array then choose the "Dual I/O" JBOD
HP StorageWorks MSA2000 Single I/O 3.5 in 12 Drive Enclosure		AJ749A
HP StorageWorks MSA2000 Dual I/O 3.5 inch 12 Drive Enclosure		AJ750A
SAS Cables
HP Ext SAS 1m Cable		389665-B21
HP Ext SAS 2m Cable		389668-B21
HP Ext SAS 4m Cable		389671-B21

svmotion walkthrough

C:\>cd "\Program Files\VMware\VMware VI Remote CLI\bin"

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VI Remote CLI\bin>svmotion.pl --interactive

Entering interactive mode.  All other options and environment variables will be ignored.

Enter the VirtualCenter service url you wish to connect to (e.g. https://myvc.mycorp.com/sdk, or just myvc.mycorp.com): virtualcenter.somedomain.com

Enter your username: domainname\admin.credentials

Enter your password: XXXXXXXXXX

Attempting to connect to https://virtualcenter.somedomain.com/sdk.

Connected to server.

Enter the name of the datacenter: DCname

Enter the datastore path of the virtual machine (e.g. [datastore1] myvm/myvm.vmx): [STORAGE-ARRAY1-LUN1] VMserver4/VMserver4.vmx

Enter the name of the destination datastore: STORAGE-ARRAY1-LUN2

You can also move disks independently of the virtual machine.  If you want the disks to stay with the virtual machine, then skip this step..

Would you like to individually place the disks (yes/no)? no

Performing Storage VMotion.

0% |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 100%

    ##########################################################################################

Storage VMotion completed successfully.

Disconnecting.

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VI Remote CLI\bin>

Beginnings

This will just be a simple place to keep my notes, ideas and thoughts.  From work to personal to family, I never know what I might write.

Good Luck keeping track.

David