Use Ubuntu To Access A Failed Windows Hard Drive

My daughter brought me her HP laptop that was running Windows Vista, but now won't boot. Like many users, she had years worth of data and no backup. All she wants are the photos and a few assorted documents. After trying various hard drive utilities, with no luck, I decided to try and create a bootable Ubuntu (Linux) USB stick. I know from past experience that booting Linux on a USB stick should get us by Windows but still allow us to get files off the hard drive.

Following these directions (I am using a Mac, but there are options for Windows too), I was able to create a bootable version of Ubuntu 12.10. Rebooting the laptop with the USB stick plugged in, I was able to boot to the USB stick, and start up Ubuntu. And like some kind of magic, the Ubuntu Desktop appeared. Bringing up the File Manager tool, and finding the folder where the photos and documents are located, I was able to download all 20GB worth of files to another USB hard drive I had plugged into the laptop.

Now we can rebuild the system using Windows Vista (because the system was built specifically for Vista, mainly because there aren't any Windows XP/7/8 drivers for the video/network/sound cards.

I might be able to make Windows 7 work, but it will be a stretch. I may just install Ubuntu 12.10 on the laptop and call it good. She'll have a system that is easy to use and will give her fewer problems. I guess it also means I'll have to do a little training.

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Opening Day For Microsoft Store At Citycreek Utah

People are lining up to be one of the first inside the new Microsoft retail store in Citycreek, downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are a few pics.

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The Next 90 Days

I just finished a ninety day fitness challenge with some folks, including Alex Lawrence. We have been using a Facebook group and Twitter under the hash #tmfit, to track our progress and as a form of accountability. Most of us tracked our calories with MyFitnessPal. This tool also let's you track exercise, and you can share with your friends.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be as open about my weight loss as I would need to be. I have a considerable amount of weight to lose, and will take quite a while to reach my end goal.

Speaking of goals, in the past 90 days, I managed to work out at least 5 days a week, some weeks more. I reduced my calories to 2000a day or less before taking workouts into account. I managed to reach my original goal of losing 20 pounds between January and March. Mission accomplished. I lost a total of 33 pounds.

I'd love to connect on MyFitnessPal, its great for tracking and accountability.

The next 90 days are going to be interesting. As we move into spring and summer, I'm hoping to move my exercise out doors. For me that means billing, riding a bike, and camping. So here's are my goals for the next 90 days:

1. Workout at least 5 times a week, more if possible.
2. Add 2 days of weight training, and at least 4 days of cardio.
3. Continue to eat less than 2000 calories.
4. Reduce my sugar intake. This will be hard to measure but I'm mostly trying to build awareness.
5. Go hiking add many times as I can.
6. Get a road bike. I have a mountain bike but I really need a road bike.
7. Go camping at least once before the end of June.
8. And finally, drink more water, a lot more water.

That's it for now. I'm stepping up my public accountability her on the website. Also going to try and take more pictures of my progress. I'll also share my activity from MyFitnessPal.

Here is a pick from day 1 and about day 90.

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Article: Flipboard: Now You Can Publish Your Own "Magazine"

Would you use Flipboard to curate your own magazine? I think its kind of a cool idea. I'm not sure I would spend a lot of time building a magazine product, but I'm sure many will be using it to promote their content. Flipboard: Now You Can Publish Your Own "Magazine" http://readwrite.com/2013/03/26/flipboard-expands-platform-enables-users-to-create-their-own-magazines

Lead image downloaded from the ReadWriteWeb article. It's not used with permission,

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Mobile Cameras No Longer About Megapixels

A feature of the iPhone that is very annoying is the low megapixel rear facing camera. For the longest time I wondered why can't Apple fit a really nice 13MP camera in the iPhone. And they could. But maybe it's not about megapixels any more. I ran across this from HTC today, http://www.htc.com/www/zoe/, the Ultra Pixel Camera, which will appear in the new HTC One. The company claims a 300% performance increase over a 13 megapixel camera. I'm not really sure what that means, but the specs talk about "advanced CMOS Sensor, ISP, and optical lens system that captures significantly more light than most 8 or 13 megapixel cameras."

I know most people are used to measuring a cameras value by the number of megapixels (I am/was one of those people). However, of the picture quality can be improved digitally, then I guess I don't care what the megapixels are, only that it produces a very high quality true image.

This Verge review of the HTC One kinda puts the Ultra Pixel camera to the test and didn't care much for it.

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