Back in the USSR....

Finally back online!  I can have my Schlock Mercenary fix!

While ketrien mentioned on Furrymuck that my LCD problem is a defective LCD, telling me "Get a new laptop," one person came back on the Dell Community forums and pointed that the LCD ribbon cable connecting the lid to the base may be broken, and having trouble getting a signal.  This means opening the laptop up (thanks gentle_wolfox for the info on how to do it) and inspecting it.  If it's broken, I'll have to see what my options are, short of replacing the cable.

And no, I am not replacing the laptop.  I don't have that kind of money just yet.

(no subject)

Not happy.  redwolf's LCD problems seems to be ether the LCD itself, or the LCD cable.  Both ketrien and gentle_wolfox are leaning towards the LCD, but visual inspection says it could just be the LCD cable.  I've found (and ordered) a new one on eBay before...

...a paycheck from KeenSpot arrived!  Yes, I'm under contract for running 'Space.  It's been long, and the amount suprized me... but it went whole-hog into the bank account.  As soon as I get that cleared and fully in (should only be a day or two, it was drawn on a bank), I'll be able to purchase another CPi on eBay.  The plan is this:

• redwolf becomes a CPi 400Mhz system.
• sandra (or mikail) becomes the CPi 266Mhz and gets to do radio.  I have a monitor for it already, so LCD issues are a non-problem.  (I may make it mikail since Sandra in the comic runs FreeBSD)
• mikail stays the Toshiba 115CS (unless I name it terry).  miniredwolf, the other Toshiba that's slightly broken, stays as is.  I don't know what to do about those two yet.  I may just move mikail out to the large shed, rename him terry and have him be a remote PC for when dad needs to look things up.
  
• neobast gets upgraded and becomes a Windows PC named nistral.
• If I'm lucky, the lawyer's old HP system will come to me and I'll make it a file/print server, naming it eightbits.