J.D. H. | J.D. Hodges

Author Archives: J.D. H.

Shipping container modular ceiling installation [video]

Sunday, 2012.07.01 J.D. H. Leave a comment

[please scroll down for the video] Samantha and I are considering shipping container (ISBU) construction for our garage and possibly our new house. We currently have an 8’x20′ container that we mounted our solar (PV) panels on top of and inside we have our batteries, inverter, etc. We also use it as a simple storage container. But when taking the container concept beyond storage/utility into a more advanced structure, there are some issues. One problem with building with ISBUs is

Read more Misc Links, Off the Grid, Remodeling

Improving drive distance in disc golf

Sunday, 2012.07.01 J.D. H. Leave a comment

I am working on improving my driving distance in disc golf. FYI I am a right hander that throws backhand. The following video featuring Dan Beto has been helpful in improving my distance. The first day practicing with his technique tips, my best throw was approximately 50 feet further than my prior best drive. Not bad for a days work! Top Search Terms:disc golf distance tips (5)disc golf driving tips (4)disc golf distance techniques (3)backhand disc golf (2)disc golf distance

Off the grid solar system maintenance

Sunday, 2012.07.01 J.D. H. Leave a comment

This morning I performed a couple simple maintenance tasks for our off-the-grid solar system: Washing the solar panels This is actually optional maintenance, as you don’t have to wash your panels. However, keeping solar panels clean and free of dust etc. can appreciably boost your power output. After washing the panels (it has been pretty dry and dusty lately) I had about 10% more electricity being generated. Woot! Adding distilled water to the batteries Flooded lead acid* batteries periodically require distilled

Two WordPress plugins for database driven sites

Friday, 2012.06.29 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Here are two plugin I am evaluating for use on a user-generated-content website: WordPress › Formidable Forms « WordPress Pluginshttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/formidable/Quickly and easily build forms with a simple drag-and-drop interface and in-place editing. There are dozens of form-building plugins out there to create forms, but most are… WordPress › AZIndex « WordPress Pluginshttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/azindex/screenshots/Stylish Indexes for your WordPress Blog. Create alphabetical indexes of your posts, with headings, subheadings, and descriptions, based on post title, Download Version 0.8.1 Both have some very cool

mysql error 1130 host is not allowed to connect to this mysql server

Friday, 2012.06.29 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Question from Steve. Hello, I installed XAMPP on my Window sLaptop and then tried to access it via Navicat from my Desktop as root I get this error: mysql error number 1130 host STEVE-DESKTOP is not allowed to connect to this mysql server Can you please help me? Answer from JD. Sure Steve, I am happy to help! Your issue is caused by there being insufficient permissions in the MySQL users table, specifically your desktop machine does not have permissions

Crazy cool bathroom!

Thursday, 2012.06.28 J.D. H. 4 comments

Samantha and I are planning our new home, with the help of our good friend and architect John Odom. Along those lines today I came across a pretty crazy bathroom idea: An exhilarating bathroom experience awaits you.http://www.discountbathroomvanities.com/blog/?p=1441Discount Bathroom Vanities Blog » Read more! Idon’t think we will be doing anything quite so crazy in our houseplan, but it is pretty darn cool 🙂 PS this bathroom actually reminds me of some of the insane bathrooms in old Colorado mining buildings,

WildBlue US Government Recovery Act Program and Plans

Thursday, 2012.06.28 J.D. H. Leave a comment

If you are in the market for Exede or WildBlue Broadbrand, make sure to checkout the WidlBlue US Recovery act plan first: US Government Stimulus Program | Satellite Internet Service from Wild Bluehttp://get.wildblue.com/recovery-act-program.htmlThe limited time U.S. government Recovery Act Program is currently in effect, but funds are running out. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for discounted monthly rates, plus… WildBlue & the US Recovery Act | Low Cost Broadbandhttp://www.wildblue.com/options/recovery-actThis special program is available to rural unserved households under the

Differences between original WildBlue FAP & Broadband (Exede) FAP

Thursday, 2012.06.28 J.D. H. Leave a comment

The orignal WildBlue services uses a rather unusual ‘rolling FAP’ that is pretty hard to explain. The new WildBlue broadband (Exede) uses a much simpler monthly usage reset date. Here are the policies for both old and new WildBlueas of 2012.06.28 followed by an explanation and example where appropriate. –JD Original or ‘old’ WildBlue Plans WildBlue Original Plans: After exceeding either of the usage thresholds, which vary by service package, the speed of your service will be slowed to 128 kbps download