Author Archive: Brian

BRAAAP! Extreme Riding in Southern Minnesota

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Quads and Dirt bikes doing freestyle motocross, motocross, and freeriding. Produced by Peter Hager and Brian Klier. This video does a good job summarizing our riding for the year. All riding takes place near Faribault, Minnesota (the capital of Freestyle Motocross in the state, by the way).

How much memory is too much?

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Computers are commonly coming with at least a gigabyte of memory in them now, and sometimes people will add memory to computers so they have two, even four gigabytes of memory.  More memory is better, right?  Not always.  If you are thinking about upgrading to the much-maligned Windows Vista, everyone will tell you to make sure you have sufficient memory.  Two gigabytes is a great starting point, and four gigabytes will allow you to run several large applications at the same time.  However, if you have four gigabytes of memory in your computer, it’s impossible to use all of it.  This article will hopefully inform you of some pitfalls and caveats to keep in mind before you cram all those slots in your computer with more memory.

The operating system you have at home, which might be Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux, are all 32-bit operating systems.  The original switch to 32-bit operating systems happened with the release of Windows 95.  All 32-bit operating systems, by design, can only address, at the maximum, 4 gigabytes of memory (232 for you math whizzes out there).  That’s it.  Even if you can add more memory than this to your computer, it will still only report that you have 4 gigabytes.  That’s all the computer can use.

What’s even worse?  If you currently have four gigabytes of memory in your computer, you won’t even be able to use all of that.  That’s because the hardware in your computer, like your video card, network card, and other expansions cards, have memory too, and they need the ability to have it “addressed” by your computer.  For example, if you have a video card with 512 megabytes of memory on it, surprise!  Now you only have 3 ½ gigabytes of memory to use for what you want to use it for.  There are few technical ways to improve the situation, and those that exist only work for high-end server applications.

What’s the solution?  64-bit computing.  All major operating system manufacturers (and very quietly in the consumer sector) have now released 64-bit versions of their operating systems to the market, but they will only work with the very latest computers (such as the Intel Core 2 and AMD’s Athlon 64).  Some 64-bit operating systems still limit memory expansion to a degree (such as 8 gigabytes in Windows Vista Home Basic).  Theoretically, though, the 64-bit architecture can address 264 bytes, or 17,179,869,184 gigabytes (16 exabytes) of memory!  Besides the ability to upgrade your memory greater than 4 gigabytes, there are few performance benefits and more incompatibility worries at this time to make such a drastic switch.

So what’s the bottom line?  Without an upgrade to a computer with a 64-bit processor and a 64-bit operating system, you will never be able to have more than four gigabytes of memory.  As this is an obvious limitation, watch for 64-bit computing to become popular throughout the next few years.

Tech Tip: Use your Right Mouse Button

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If you’re like most people, you treat your right mouse button the way non-smokers treat the cigarette lighter in their cars. You ignore it. But like the non-smoking driver who gets a CD-player or a cellular phone and suddenly finds the lighter indispensable, once you learn how to use the right mouse button, you’ll find you can’t do without right-click either.

That right button on your mouse is not there for mere decoration.  When you use it (an action called right-clicking), a menu of items will pop up telling you what actions you can perform, and shows you shortcuts you can use to breeze through everyday tasks.

While the left button is limited to selecting an item or launching an program, the right mouse button is smart enough to tell you what you need to know when. The right-click menu is context sensitive.  This means that the menu of items changes depending on what you right-click and where you are when you right-click it. If you right-click the My Computer icon, for example, you’ll get different options on the right-click menu than you will if you right-click a Web page or a blank part of your desktop.

Right-click is especially handy when you come across something unfamiliar or confusing because the right-click menu will usually tell you what you can do with whatever obstacle you come across.  This is why learning to right-click is a good habit to develop. Don’t worry — nothing will break. At the very worst, nothing will happen. At the best, however, you’ll find the clue you need to get beyond feeling stumped, or a shortcut that makes it easier to get the things you want to do done.

Here are some quick right-click scenarios to get you started:

You can use right-clicking in your My Documents folder to quickly copy, paste, or delete files.  Most people use the menus to do this work, but with a right-click you can do the same things faster.  Simply right-click a folder in your My Documents.  You could delete it simply by selecting “Delete”.  You could also select “Copy”, and then open a drive for your portable USB drive, and Right-click “Paste” to easily copy the files without having to drag and drop.

You can also right-click on an empty white space in your My Documents folder to arrange your files by modification date, or by size.  This can help you find that file that you’ve been looking for.

On a Web page, you can use right-click to do a number of things–move forward and backward between pages you’ve browsed, print a page, or add it to your list of favorites.

Once you get into the right-click habit, you’ll settle into your favorite right-click scenarios, and you’ll find you discover new ones along the way.

Boston’s Gourmet Pizza — Better luck next time

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I knew I shouldn’t have done it.

Our new Boston’s Gourmet Pizza in Faribault opened last week.  Usually I am very, very careful with giving a new restaurant a chance, because usually the staff is in way over their heads for the first month a new place is in business.  The Faribault Daily News ran a favorable article about them, and they remarked that they offered both delivery and curbside service.  I figured, what the hey, I’ll try out some pasta and have it delivered.

Mistake.

First of all, they said they don’t deliver at all.  OK, understandable.  That could have been a “Faribault Daily Mistake” screw up.  I then placed my Fetticini Alfredo order for curbside pickup.  The girl seemed happy and willing to serve on the phone, asked what kind of vehicle I had, and said the order would be ready in 10 minutes.

I went there about 8 minutes after the call and waited in one of their “Curbside pick up” parking spots.  10 minutes pass.  20 minutes pass.

OK, there’s something wrong here.

30 minutes pass.  35 minutes pass.

Yeah, this isn’t good. 

I didn’t have their phone number with me, so I drove off, without any food.  I normally don’t want to “make waves” by going inside and making an issue out of something, especially at a restaurant where your health and well-being is in their hands.  I marked this experience down as “Trust your initial judgment, Brian.  Don’t go to the new place the first week they’re in business.”

Obviously, Boston’s isn’t ready for prime-time just yet.  I am looking forward to trying them again in about a month when their staff gets more seasoned and they get a little less busy.

BMX Bike Show Pictures

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There was a BMX Demonstration today in the main parking lot of the Faribault Middle School, the building where my office is located at.  This was a “reward event” for FMS students who participated in the PTO Spring fundraiser and met certain criteria.  Three guys ranging from their late teens to mid 20s, mainly from the Southern part of the United States, showed off their BMX jumping skills.  They also had a very positive motivational and anti-drug message.  It was fun to see these skilled riders take some time to send a positive message to kids doing what they enjoy doing.

There is also a freestyle BMX/Motocross and Extreme Music show coming to the Rice County fairgrounds in July.  I’ll have more information to follow, but be sure to leave a comment or E-Mail me if it sounds like fun to you.  I’ll get you some more information!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

First Big Outing of the Year!

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Almost exactly a year ago to the day that the dynamic duo of Glenn Cox and Matt Rayburn came down the first time to go riding in Rice County, the two came down again, this time for an extended four-wheeling outing.  Not only were Glenn and Matt along, but also Adam, Joe, and most of the Short Bus Racing Team were able to make it to Summit Pit near Ellendale for a day of riding on Saturday.  Even Justin and Anna were able to make it along for the fun!

I had broken my steering stem on my RcR Scrambler 400 the last week at Tri-County just entering a jump, and it was over at J&J Powersports to get a new one installed.  Time went on, and we were still waiting on the part.  I was getting nervous that my primary machine may not be ready to go by the weekend.  Finally, the part came in Friday at noon, and the Scrammy was finished at 4:30 p.m., barely enough time to spare.  Whew!

I brought the Scrammy and my new Yamaha YZ250 along for the ride on Saturday.  Summit Pit itself was in good condition this time around … a lot less wet than the early April run.  My goal was to get proficient with shifting and to get going a little faster on the YZ250.  Joe was definitely leaping past me as far as the bike was concerned.  He gained a lot of skill today … I suppose I could say I did too.  Both of us weren’t doing too bad for being on a bike for only our second times.  The YZ250 is definitely a scary choice of a learning bike, but yet it got less intimidating as the day went on.

The original Short Bus boys … Chad, Todd, and Travis were each on bikes, and they were definitely putting on a show!  They were crashing left and right, and they were all attempting very steep hill climbs and jumps, at times almost straight up and down.  Chad admitted that his riding skill had gone way up already this year, and he was attempting stuff he would have never attempted last year.

We took a break at noon for a cookout consisting of Hamburgers, Nerstrand Weiners, and Brats.  It was almost perfect weather for riding … a little on the cool side, but you didn’t have to worry about heat tiring you out.  After lunch, Adam and Matt with their Raptor 660s, Glenn with his 250EX, and even Justin with his YZ250 were ripping up the pit.  Anna, you sure know how to take Justin for a ride on my Scrammy too!  He was hanging on for dear life!  Oh yeah, so was I with you driving…

We stayed out until dark.  And we loaded up and headed right back out Sunday early morning, this time to Tri-County ATV Park.  Glenn, Matt, and I met up with several regulars out at the pit, including Ryan Volk on his Suzuki Quadracer LTR450 and his friend on a Predator 500.  Even Bob Bartlett, the GNCC Racer from Jordan was down testing a new dual exhaust system for his highly modified Kawasaki V-Force 700!  This year, he is also sporting a bottle of Nitrous, and he claims to be pushing out near 85 horsepower on the thing.  I once again lucked out, and Bob offered me the opportunity to ride his beast.  I rode it once last year, and this year it was definitely a faster and more intimidating machine!  The slightest blip on the throttle would make the rear tires spin.  Bartlett stated that it’s down right dangerous to ride on pavement, because all the thing wants to do is have the front end in the air with all the traction…

It was a super weekend!  At the end of the weekend, I was tired both physically and mentally …. mostly because of the coordination necessary to get a trip planned out that people were able to make, and of course worrying that the weather may turn out less than perfect.  When it was all said and done, of course it all came out just fine.

Enjoy the pictures below of this great outing.  I have many more pictures, in the highest resolution possible, along with 3 videos (including one of me getting my butt kicked by Bartlett’s KFX700 at Tri-County), here, on my home-hosted picture site.  Note: This link may go away in the future, so check it while you can!

Plans are already in the works for next week’s ride!

As a sidebar, here’s the list of the outings so far this year, leading up to this “big one”:

1. January 2006 – Summit Pit Warm Scouting Run – Brian/Adam/Brian B/Chad/Doug
2. March 10th – Tri County ATV Pit – Brian/Chad/Doug – Chad and Doug first time out with Predator.
3. March 26th – Tri-County ATV Pit –
4. April 1st – Tri-County ATV Pit – Brian and Jeremy – Very crowded pit – DNR was there
5. April 8th – Summit Pit – Brian, Jeremy, Joe, Chad, and Doug.  Others.  Brian’s first time riding dirt bike.  Doug crashes bike into Ford truck.  Joe crashed twice on bike.  Cookout.
6. April 9th – Tri-County ATV Pit – Brian/Dave/Joe/Tyler/Bob Bartlett … One Scrambler crashed on jump and trashed front axle and a-arm … Even the master Tyler almost crashed.
7. April 14th – Tri-County ATV Pit – Brian/Doug/Chad/Todd – Todd’s first time out … Doug wheelies his Predator and tips it over on the grab bar.  Brian breaks steering post on Scrambler … Brian first time riding 2 predators … Brian best rider in pit for first few hours . 2 guys with Raptors doing nothing .. Banshee and Warrior or something going slow as well.

Home Wireless Security

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“Snow, Snow, and More Snow!”  Chad, Doug, and myself went quad riding at Tri-County on March 10th.  It was fun while it lasted, but now we’ve got over a foot of snow on the ground again.  I’ll be bringing you more fun riding updates as we get into Spring, but for now, here’s an article on home wireless security that I wrote for our Technology newsletter at work.  Hope you’ll enjoy!

Home Wireless Security

By Brian Klier

Every time I go to Best Buy, it seems like I need to make that one “impulse buy” before I can leave the place.  There are so many new and fun gadgets around to play with that are supposed to make your life easier or more entertaining.

For many, the wireless access point is the ultimate “impulse buy”.  Just the thought of being able to do your schoolwork from out on the patio, all the while having Internet access, is simply too great to pass up.  You grab the wireless access kit, pay for it at the checkout, and bring it home, smiling the whole while.  Once home, you plug in your new wireless access point, and turn on the wireless on your laptop.  “This is every bit as good as I envisioned!”  However, what most people don’t realize is that now your neighbors are also having a great time, on your bandwidth, on your local network … even that creepy guy with the long skinny beard that lives two doors down.  Not only are you sharing your Internet connection, but depending on how your home computer(s) are set up (do you have a password?), you may be sharing your personal documents and financial information too.

Manufacturers set wireless kits up to make it easy for you to connect.  Most of these kits have excellent security features to prevent this from happening, but around 75% of wireless households in Faribault never read far enough in the manual, or do their own research, to find out how to enable them.  While every access point is different in configuration, there are a set of recommendations I have for you to make you aware of the security options you have.

First, change the default Administrator passwords (and usernames) on your access point.  Many access points/routers provide a nice Web interface for you to configure the device.  Be sure the first thing you do is to change your password on it.  Default passwords are simple and very well-known to hackers on the Internet.

Next, turn on WPA or WEP Encryption.  Every access point has the feature to enable some sort of encryption.  It is important to note that the data itself IS STILL NOT ENCRYPTED with WEP, but activating encryption forces other people to know your code before gaining access to your network.  Pick the strongest form of encryption that works with all devices on your wireless network.  You will need to type the same code on your access point and on any computer using the wireless access in able for it to work.

Also, very importantly, change the default SSID.  Access points and routers all use a network name called the SSID.  From the factory, the SSIDs are all set the same.  For example, the SSID for Linksys devices is normally “linksys”.  If you have a default SSID set on your wireless access point, you are telling the world that “I have not configured my device and I’m most likely insecure”.  Be sure to change it, but don’t provide any personally identifiable information in it.

Next, do your own Wi-Fi “site survey”.  Walk around your house with your laptop, and find out exactly how far your network reaches.  If it reaches too far outside your property line, readjust the access point inside your home to change the coverage area.

Last, and perhaps the easiest way to protect your network (and also perhaps most obvious) is to shut off your access point when not in use.  While you may laugh, this is truly the ultimate in security measures.  Turn on your access point when you will be using wireless devices in your house, and turn off your access point when you are finished.  Hackers and neighbors can’t use what’s not plugged in.

Please take some time tonight, if you have wireless at home, to check these few things on your access point.  Break open your access point’s manual, and learn how to protect yourself!

Caption text of picture below: See all the dots?  Every dot represents where there is wireless access in Faribault.  75% of these sites are completely insecure. (map and research by Brian Klier)

An Open Letter to Justin

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Justin, buddy old pal.

Brian just bought a quad.  Chad just bought a quad.  And you have a dirt bike … and never ride the damn thing!

What I said before was true.  I already have my entourage.  On a nice, warm spring or summer weekend morning, you’ll be sound asleep in your bed with a great big smile on your face … your comfy bed, no work.  Being able to sleep in as … long … as … you … want…

And then there I be.

My A-team of 4 special task force members (headed up by Doan of course) will be standing at your bedside.  We’ll give you one free warning to get up and go riding.  If you decide to roll back over, that’s when Mr. Klier is going to have to get out his portable air horn.  And I’m not afraid to use it.

I also expect to fully have your Dad’s support in doing this, because after all, it would just be goddamn funny, and I’d think he’d be all for anything that will put a damper on your 16 hours of daily sleep.

Consider this a fair warning, my dear friend Justin.  There is no place you will be able to hide.  The whole city is scoped out.  You will not be sleeping in on a prime riding day.

And besides, what other EMT are we going to have available to set broken bones?

Scary Weekend in Birchwood, Wisconsin

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Matt Schmitz invited me out to Birchwood, Wisconsin once again this year, to enjoy a weekend full of four-wheeling adventure.  Adventure was certainly an understatement about the weekend, and before we wrapped up day #1, broken chains and flat tires were the least of our problems.

I knew that the trails we would be taking this year would definitely be more intense than last year, since many of the guys, like Matt’s brother Scott, had moved from sport quads to utility quads, and had put big mud tires on them.  I expected we’d be in some deep mud, and that my Scrambler may have a few problems along the way.  Last year at Birchwood, my day ended after about 90 miles, with a soaked air filter, that was completely choking off air flow to tne engine.  I thought I was a pretty good rider back then, but the Birchwood trip was a huge wake up call.  I found out that not only did I need some skill, but my ATV wasn’t too well-equipped to handle the very rocky terrain or the wet conditions.  This year, I vowed I’d make it through the trip.

Everyone’s quad went up on one of two large trailers.  Matt, his best friend Dustin, his boss Dan, and I headed up there in Matt’s Beretta early Saturday morning.  Once up there, we left “camp” at about 11 a.m. or so to head out riding.  

We were pretty much right away hitting some muddy, rutted trails.  The Scrammy was doing well, and most of the utility quads were having no problems.  There was a kid with a Banshee there that was having a little difficulty, but he was doing amazingly well for the terrain.  Dan’s rear-brake locked up on his Raptor after the 1st big mud hole, but that was an easy fix.  We were back on the trail right away.

Just before lunch, Spencer broke the chain on Scott’s Raptor he was riding.  He hit a mud hole that was rutted on the bottom, and the chain snapped, taking the case saver with it.  He was pretty much done for the day.  After lunch, the trails really started to get gnarly.  Many stretches of trail had sometimes 2 feet of water covering them, with rocks hidden underneath.  Some holes had less water, but had soft mud underneath.  The Scrammy was doing amazingly well, with the Kenda Claw tires that are made more for dirt than deep mud.  The 4×4 was in almost constant operation through these, and the 2-stroke 400 was spinning the Claws enough where mud was flying 10 to 15 feet in the air.  Despite my best efforts, I needed to get winched out a few times.  The kid with the banshee had the throttle wide open, bouncing on the back of the quad, moving it from side to side, and the thing was just not moving.  He ended up fouling out a plug and ingesting a little water, and he was pretty much done too, and got towed the rest of the way.

All this mud, rocks, and sticks on the trail eventually started to take its toll on more machines.  Two King Quads went down with flat tires, and needed to be repaired trailside.  My Left-front CV Joint on my Scrambler started to develop more and more play as we continued down the trails.  It was getting to be about 4 p.m., and we had only traveled about 30 miles.  The trails were very slow go, and very difficult.

Finally, my CV Joint broke altogether, leaving me with no 4-wheel-drive.  I continued on the trail, knowing there wasn’t too much more of a choice, and we all eventually got to a gravel road.  At this point, everyone agreed it was best to head back to the trailer to do some repairs, and for me, to get my quad back on the trailer.  Scott headed out first, with me limping my quad back at a slower speed, a few quads behind.  Our quads were well spaced apart, due to the dusty roads.

I came around a corner, and I see the rest of the guys off to the side of the road.  I pull over, and notice right away that we had a HUGE problem on our hands.  Scott was laying in the ditch, his left leg bent underneath his right, and he was in A LOT of pain.  At first, it appeared that he had rolled his quad.  I immediately got off the quad, and went over to the scene to find out what happened.  One wheel on Scott’s quad was broken, and two tires were off the beads.  One rock, about the size of a beach ball, embedded in the ground, had been moved out of its spot, and over a few feet, with deep scratches in it.

Things didn’t look too good right away.  At least we were off of the difficult trails, but we had no cell phone coverage at all to call 911.  Scott stated between breaths that his upper leg really hurt, and his lower back was really sore.  Three of the group were sent up the road to get help, while one of the guys was holding and elevating Scott’s left leg up on a helmet.  I was trying to keep Scott cool by damping down a glove with water, and throwing it on his forehead.  He looked to have a roll of quarters in his left pocket, but when asked if he had anything in his left pocket, he stated, only a driver’s license.

It felt like a long 30 minutes, but the ambulance came quickly down the fire road where we were at.  Scott got loaded in the back, and his brother Matt rode with him to the Hospital in Rice Lake.  The Rice Lake hospital didn’t have the needed tools to do surgery, but they did say he had a dislocated Pelvis and a clean break on his left femur, near the top of the bone.  He was airlifted that evening to Regions in the Twin Cities for surgery.

We all rode back to Faribault last night, a riding weekend cut short by a very bad incident.  Even though what some might say was the worst case scenario come true, things could have been far worse.  It could have been a compound fracture, with blood loss and shock, or it could have been miles and miles down the muddy, rutty trails that an ambulance would have never have gotten to.  Scott had a helmet, but he wasn’t wearing it.  If his head would have nailed that big rock, it would have been all over.  After my CV joint broke on my quad, I was disappointed I hadn’t achieved my goal of making it through, but it seemed miniscule as soon as the true tragedy struck that day.  It got everybody thinking, and even though none of the guys I rode with going up to Birchwood in the Beretta had seat belts on, I noticed that everyone was wearing one on the way back.

If only everyone could think of safety beforehand, instead of after the fact.

Storm Damage in Faribault

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We had some pretty good sized trees down around town after last night’s severe weather.  Two hangars at the Faribault Airport were destroyed, and a gazebo on the east side of town off of Division Street completely collapsed.

Check out Caleb L.’s excellent pictures of before, during, and the aftermath of the storm.

http://spaces.msn.com/members/545784685/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c01_photoalbum=showdefault&_c=photoalbum