#it closed when I close the browser or shut down my pc obviously

[callioclops]

Happy 2 year anniversary to when I first opened this image on my browser and haven’t closed it since

[dreamtracer2017]

Shooting Stars

Chapter 1: It wasn't something she had ever meant to do. That was what the last line of the quickly scrawled letter forensic specialists Sue and Kate found in the car seat next to the victim said. It was written on the back of a bank envelope. The handwriting was poor, and obviously written in haste. Perhaps she changed her mind at the last minute only to find her body had already lost the fight. Sue held the letter in her latex-covered hands, and stared past it at nothing. The well-organized garage was straight out of an IKEA catalog. Everything seemed to have its proper place. It still smelled of fumes. The hood of the car was still warm. Both investigators moved about collecting evidence in relative silence. They had each seen far worse. There were no signs that anyone else had any hand in the suicide. They would run the evidence to the labs. Have the tests done. Finger and shoe prints would be examined, and verified. Names would be cleared. It was all completely routine, and probably open and shut. "It's sad." Sue broke the silence briefly, startling Kate. There really was nothing else to say. Kate nodded. She studied Sue while she wasn't looking. They had both gone over the inside of the house. They had each taken a room; Sue the bedroom, Kate the living room. Each finding everyday items you would see in any house. Nothing out of place. It was very clean; spotless even. Sue had checked her computer for e-mails, and any pertinent information that might give them an idea as to why a seemingly successful, young woman had ended her life. One Hour Earlier: "You got the bedroom?" Kate looked over her shoulder at Sue and winked. "Yeah. Looks like her computer's in there." Sue walked down the hall and flipped on the light switch as she entered the room. She had seen the PC in the bedroom on their initial walkthrough. Personal computers were often a great source for clues, especially when you needed insight into a victim's personal life. Part of her felt guilty as she pushed the power button, watching the machine come to life. The desktop was adorned with a classic Italian painting. She checked the e-mail inbox first. The last e-mail was sent earlier that morning. Sue was apprehensive as she opened it. She read the letter carefully. It was apparently sent as a goodbye to a close friend or love. 'You always knew how to make me smile.' 'I regret we never did go to that beach at sunset.' It was all about things that had been left unfinished. Regrets. A deep sense of mournful loss and giving up. Sue shuddered at the thought of being the person who received this e-mail, and finding out about the death that followed. The suicide rate was higher among law enforcement, but this was the first time she'd had to investigate one locally. Nat Walker had been a police officer with the Cincinnati police department for three years. She came from a wealthy family in Texas. Sue closed the e-mail, and opened up the web browser, looking at the 'favorites' in her web pages. She entered a forum, which was already logged in. She shook her head, and stood up to get a breather. She paced the room a few times, looked down the hallway to see where Kate was, then went back to the computer. Sue wasn't one to cry at the drop of a hat like some girls she'd known. She definitely couldn't cry at a crime scene. She stood up again. She had to pull herself together, or she'd get thrown off this case. "Sue?" Kate startled her as he gently put a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?" She knew from her expression that she was definitely not ok. "I knew the victim." She said it like she was admitting guilt. "Why are you just telling me this? You shouldn't have taken this case." Kate looked worried. Not for the case, but for her friend who looked like she was on the verge of tears. She had seen her angry, moody, even depressed, but she had never seen her cry. It freaked her out. "I didn't know then." She pointed to the screen, unwilling to explain in any detail out loud. Kate sat down at the desk, and glanced at the screen. It was a forum for law enforcement officers dealing with PTSD that the university had set up. She crossed her arms, and gave a deep sigh. She stared down at the floor with her eyes firmly shut. "Kate? C'mon. It's not like I tell everyone this stuff. How could I have known?" She thought she was upset with her. Kate was her best friend in Cinci, and she never told her anything about her past, or why she had left a successful spot at the Columbus PD. Sue sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing she could say. "Yeah. . . me too." Kate looked up at the screen. She read the last entry the victim had made. "What are we going to do?" Sue looked over at her. This was Kate’s case. It was her call. "We can't quit this case." She looked her in the eyes to see if she understood. She knew she did, but she wanted confirmation. "We gather the evidence, drop it off at the labs, and write the report. That's what we do." Sue stood up to leave the room. Kate turned off the computer and followed her out to the hall. Pete, the officer on call, was standing in the door to the garage with the coroner looking over his shoulder. "They're ready to take the body if you're through with it." Pete stood with his hands clasped in front expectantly. "Go ahead." Kate called down the hall. They nodded, and disappeared into the garage. "Let's get this done and out of here." Sue followed Kate out to the garage.

Chapter 2: Sue closed the door to her apartment and dropped her keys on her kitchen counter before reaching in the fridge for a beer. She walked over to her computer, and sat down. After a heavy sigh, she turned it on. A message alerting her of a new article on the Archaeology website was all that waited for her in her inbox. She logged onto the website that she and Kate had seen at Officer Walker’s home. She typed in her nickname and password, and watched the page load up. Towards the top of the page were the previous days' posts. She reread the post Nat had left using the nickname "Behindthebadge". She looked beneath it at her own reply posted only a few hours before she went on shift. The world was too small. She glanced over the page. She didn't make a regular habit of logging on to the site. Only on bad days, when the nightmares were the worst, or a case came too close to home. "BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ!" Sue glared at her phone. She had forgotten to take it off her belt. She looked at the message. "U ONLINE?" It was Kate. Sue hit the second speed dial on her cell phone. "Hey." Kate was glad she'd caught her. "You logged in?" "Yeah." She felt a little nervous admitting this to Kate, but then Kate was probably doing the same thing. "Me too. I was wondering if we should say something to the forum." She paused. "I don't know. I didn't really know her that well, and we aren’t supposed to know her, remember? We'd just been exchanging replies for a few months. I just replied to her the other day. . .I was probably the last person she ever had any contact with." Sue stared at the screen, and read the post again for the hundredth time. The last words of a dying woman. "Yeah." Kate looked at the post she referred to and winced. "I, uh, just read it. I'm really sorry, Sue." Kate looked at Sue’s nickname, "Bulletproof". She wondered why she'd chosen that name. Sue wasn't good at talking about it to a real, breathing person yet. She just gave another sigh. "So how long have you been posting on here?" Sue leaned back in her chair. "A few years, off and on. Just after the bad ones. It helps sometimes just to know I'm not a freak. There are lots of others out there who've been through it all too. Too many." "I didn't see this coming. I could tell she was having a bad time, but I didn't think she'd give up. I mean, none of us are very happy when we come on here. It's mostly to vent, and get support. Something must've happened." Sue tried to hide the quivering of her voice. "You ever think about it?" Kate had to ask. She was staring at Sue's reply to Officer Walker. 'I know what you mean. Some days it's hard just to get out of bed. There will always be bad guys, no matter how hard we work, or how many we put away. Sometimes I see a victim who didn't make it, and I think they were the lucky one. They don't have to live with the memories, or the nightmares, or the guilt. Then I feel horrible for thinking that way. A girl I was trying to help was killed. We should've been watching her place. We should've protected her. It haunts me.' Kate cleared the lump in her throat with a gruff "ahem!" Sue wasn't answering her. "Sue? You still there?" "Yeah. I'm here. This is just between us, Kate." "Of course!" Kate was offended that she had to even ask that of her. "Sorry. . .I wish you hadn't found out this way. Actually, no offense, but I wish you hadn't found out at all. I don't like talking about it." "Nobody's asking you to, but you still didn't answer my question. You ever think about suicide?" Sue looked at the screen, her eyes wide with fear. Did Kate think she was suicidal? "No! Kate, I'm not going to kill myself. I mean, I've thought about it over the years, but I never really would. I don't want to die." "You've been so sad lately. You hardly ever really talk to me anymore. I was kinda getting worried before, and then this." "It's more complicated than that. Just believe me. I'm not suicidal." Sue glanced over the page. "What's your nickname on the forum?" Kate cleared her throat again. "Why?" She wasn't sure about this. "You know mine. I was just curious. Have we ever chatted on here before?" It was Kate's turn to stare at her screen in fear. They had chatted. A few years back they had shared stories of painful cases. Anonymity had allowed her to bear her soul, and she wasn't sure if she could handle Sue knowing that just yet. . .still, hadn't Sue just done the same, and Kate already knew it was her. "OK. But, like you said. This is just between us. We're friends and coworkers. I trust you here, Lawson." Sue waited for her to say something, but instead, she heard her typing again. A few moments of hearing rapid keystrokes went by before she finally spoke. "Refresh your screen, Sue." She did so, and saw the new topic listed by "LoneStar." Sue understood now why she had hesitated. She remembered their chats. ‘Fellow members: I am very sad to have to inform you that last night we lost one of our members. Behindthebadge chose to end her own life. While I am sad, I am mostly angry. Suicide is the coward's way out. We're all in pain. Life is not easy. But you can't just throw up your hands, and say game over either. Some of you may get mad at me for saying this, but you can't just quit because life sucks. When life is so damn bad that you want to kill yourself? When there's absolutely NOTHING you can think of to live for? Then what have you got to lose? GO run down the street screaming at the top of your lungs! Buck naked if you want to. Tell that person who has been ruining your life for so long EXACTLY what you think about them. Screw the world! Screw everybody! They can kiss your ass! Do anything, anywhere, anyway, but just don't die. Dying doesn't just make you a permanent victim, it lets the people who hurt you to begin with win. RAISE SOME FRIGGIN HELL! Scream. Wake the neighbors! And to everyone else, let's say a prayer for Officer Natalie Walker a.k.a. Behindthebadge.' Sue read the post, and smiled. Kate's optimism was endearing. "You're a good egg, Kate." "Think I ruffled some feathers?" "Probably. Kinda preachy, but at least you tried, and I think Nat would've approved. . .after she finished hitting you with her dummy club." "So. . .busy tonight?" "Not really." Sue grinned. "Good. I'll be there in ten." Kate hung up her phone before Sue could say no. Sue opened her door ten minutes later to let Kate in. "Come on." She grabbed Sue’s arm, and she barely had a chance to snag her keys on their way out. "Where are we going, Lonestar?" She grinned as she dragged her quickly to her car. "You'll see. . .'Bulletproof'?" She smirked at her from the driver's seat. "It was meant to be sarcastic." She watched the scenery go by as they sped out of the city, across the bridge into Kentucky, and down heavily wooded roads. "Where are we going?" "You really have no patience do you?" Kate shook her head. "I hate surprises." "Well, you'll like this." She pulled off the road and parked. They were out in the middle of nowhere. Plowed fields, and rolled hay-bails accompanied by the occasional cow were all she could see.  The hills rose up on either side of the fields. They were in a valley. "You drove me out to a deserted road? Good thing I trust you, or I'd really be freaking out right now." "Just shuddup and watch, Lawson." Kate took a deep breath, and before Sue could cover her ears, let loose with a blood-curdling wail followed up by a good old-fashioned Southern 'Wooo-Hooooo!' Sue stood gaping at her in utter astonishment. "Now it’s your turn." Kate looked over at the shocked expression on her face. "Uh, I don't think so." "You scared? Nobody can hear you out here. Trust me. It feels great." "You do this often?" She cocked her head to one side and studied her friend. "Only when I need to." "You also run down the street? Buck naked was it?" She smiled. "Not buck naked, no." Kate smirked. Sue looked at Kate, took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs. Kate was impressed. They sat on the hood of Kate's Jeep. She handed Sue a Bud Lite from the small fabric cooler she’d lugged along. "Make me a promise." Kate looked over at Sue who was staring up at the night sky, counting stars. "What kind of promise?" Sue stopped counting, and looked over. "Next time you feel things are getting too heavy, you'll call me. We'll flex our lung capacity again. Maybe next time I'll bring some better beer and a carton of B&J too." "Deal. So long as you do the same." She returned to the stars, and Kate smiled. In the distance a coyote howled, and a truck horn blared far off down the highway. The occasional shooting star danced across the moonless sky. Life went on.

[zerohour1974]

The Grumpy Git Episode ....whatever

Well, Hello people. It seems that now I am back in the possession of a PC.  I have had a number of issues, but it seems to be working for now.  oh what fun was to be had.

It started when the machine in question was over fife days late due to a delivery problem.  However I am now in possession of a Dell Optiplex 780 with a Core 2  clocked at 2.93 GHz.  The machine has 8GB of RAM, 1 TB hard drive and a Nvidia GT710 Graphics card.

This graphics card has been a bone of contention.  When it works it is magical and I really can’t complain.  It will run the games I want to run at reasonable frame rates.

However there was an issue if you tried to watch YouTube videos or open a web browser.  It seemed the driver kept reporting a crash which it had recovered.

Normally meaning an video you were watching would freeze or page just turn black.  Restarting the browser seemed to get the driver back but you could not watch anything for long.

So I tried installing the latest driver which I pulled from the Nvidia website.  Attempt install to which it fails and closes itself.  Off to the Interweb I go.

I find a program called DDU or Display Driver Uninstall to give it the full title.  Sure enough it restarts the PC in Safe Mode, removes the driver and restarts so the driver can be installed.

Driver installs and seems OK until I open the browser and once again crash and recover.  after a bit of reading I discover this is a known issue with the TDR service.

DDU ran again and reinstall the driver.  Still happening.  A few people on the net recommend checking the card for dust or reseating.

Shut down PC and open case.  sure enough the card is not screwed in.  Just pushed under a slight metal casing to hold it, which it is obviously not doing as soon as I lift the clip the card virtually falls out.

OK one possibility found.  I refit the card and screw it in place.  Hopefully the issue should be resolved.  sure enough the browser seems to open fine but as soon as I start to watch a video.  Crash of driver.

DDU the driver again.  This time I install the driver on the MSI driver CD that came with the actual card.  Once again seems to install fine.  I even manage to watch a video and all seems to be good.

I close down the machine for the night.  Following morning start up, open the browser, all good just then crash.  Christ on a bike so off I go back to the forums.

After fiddling around in Nvidia’s forums I am finally redirected to a Microsoft wiki page.  Explaining the TDR system and how it works.  I add a few registry keys and restart the PC.

first time I start a video the screen locks and refuses to let me get to any application.  Restart time.  Change the keys so that the TDR process does not cut in after 5 seconds move up to 10 seconds.

This seems to have stopped the crashing for now.  It seems my machine takes longer than the 5 seconds allocated for the CUDAs of the graphics card to respond.  So far it seems to be working but this may still be a work in progress.

So far I have managed to watch several videos and open various websites with out the driver committing suicide.  If further issues arise I will keep you posted.

Surely Nvidia who are worth millions could have written this routine into the driver to stop having to make people enter the registry keys and do harm to their machine potentially.  But then again what do I know?

Also they have given me a USB Wifi dongle which is fine but if you must do this then make sure to stop the damned thing from powering down if idle for longer than a minute.  It’s one click in the Power management of the USB stick under the Device Manager.

Having finally sorted my power saving issues, as in turning most of them off.  As it’s a desktop it’s not going anywhere fast.  I don’t need a million power options to save battery.

I’m sure there will be more glitches to come in the future but for now it seems to be working again.  while this machine will never set the world on fire with legendary performance it is more than serviceable at the moment.

Only time will tell how long that will last.  So for now I will sign out...Nanoo Nanoo.

Edit:- Video Issue still exists just takes a bit longer to arrive... Bugger more work to come.