Computer users: gamers, graphic designers, work , etc

[jperk]

Hey guys- I have a library i go to for computer needs. Where do you guys go when library is closed? In other words how do you do your work , gaming, etc outside of library? Thanks

 

[B and C]

I just use a hotspot and my pc or laptop. I hardly ever use the library unless I need to print something.

 

[jperk]

I'm in my car so i don't have the luxary of generators, etc. Therefor, all i have to rely on is battery which would go fast with the software I use ( very cpu or gpu heavy).

 

[B and C]

So maybe your question should be where do you get free electricity for pc use.

McDonalds, Coffee shops, etc.

 

[jperk]

Yeah that's what I've been doing. Panera & starbucks

 

[grumpygrizzly]

I used to use Portableapps.com and downloaded Google Portable. That way, you can set up a thumb drive with Google Portable, plug it in at your local library and it's just like your personal Google browser.

Portableapps.com is full of a bunch of free programs you can use off a thumb drive.

With the invention of tablets, I pretty much have all the programs I need to use with me wherever I go.

My business is drawing floorplans in Autocad for clients wanting to add rooms to their homes, pole barns, garages, etc..

I have a 2010 version of Autocad and I also have a tablet version of Autocad that I use for taking measurements and drawing as-built drawings of houses. It works with my Leica Disto laser distance measurer and basically, I draw a line on the screen using my finger, hold the disto in one corner and take a reading to the other corner, then it links to my tablet and makes the line perfectly straight and to the correct length. I can as-built a floor plan in less than a half hour and email it to my laptop to clean up the drawings.

For me to as-built your house and make any changes to the floorplans, I make anywhere from $400-$1000 for a day or two of work. Not too shabby..

 

[Rob-Goose]

i just go to the local cafe, and when it closes mcdonalds parking lot is your best friend!

 

[Dingfelder]

I used to use Portableapps.com and downloaded Google Portable.  That way, you can set up a thumb drive with Google Portable, plug it in at your local library and it's just like your personal Google browser.

Portableapps.com is full of a bunch of free programs you can use off a thumb drive.  

With the invention of tablets, I pretty much have all the programs I need to use with me wherever I go.

My business is drawing floorplans in Autocad for clients wanting to add rooms to their homes, pole barns, garages, etc..

I have a 2010 version of Autocad and I also have a tablet version of Autocad that I use for taking measurements and drawing as-built drawings of houses.  It works with my Leica Disto laser distance measurer and basically, I draw a line on the screen using my finger, hold the disto in one corner and take a reading to the other corner, then it links to my tablet and makes the line perfectly straight and to the correct length.  I can as-built a floor plan in less than a half hour and email it to my laptop to clean up the drawings.  

For me to as-built your house and make any changes to the floorplans, I make anywhere from $400-$1000 for a day or two of work.  Not too shabby..

Jeez, sign me up.

 

[grumpygrizzly]

Jeez, sign me up.

Do you have Autocad?  There's a lot of other programs out there but, the industry standard is Autocad by far.  You could pretty much do what I do with Autocad LT.

Check out the bottom of this page to see why I'm asking if you have a copy of Autocad already.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-lt/overview

At $390 a year, you're pretty much stuck with it but, you can pay for that with one or two jobs.. Probably a tax write-off as well.  

My Autocad is a 2010 version which still works and came out before they had all the subscription options.  I worked for a reseller many years ago and he gave it to me to use.. 

The main difference between Autocad and Autocad LT is customization.  I've got my version so heavy with keyboard shortcuts I've written that I'd probably go crazy having to do it the LT way.  

The other thing I use a lot is my Samsung Tablet and a Leica Disto Laser measuring tool.  You can try all those apps in the google app store but, to me, none of them are really serious and won't produce an industry standard filetype I can hand off to some one else and have them work with it.

The way my tablet and Disto work is I go into a house and work from the right side and go all the way around the inside of the house measuring everything I need to show in a floorplan.  With the tablet, I open up (you guessed it) Autocad Mobile, turn on the bluetooth and it shows my Leica Disto.  

So I draw a line with my finger, then place the laser in the corner, point it at the other end of the wall, hit the button and that distance is put right into the drawing and changes that line I drew with my finger.  Continue doing that and you'll have a floor plan layout pretty quick.

Once you get your floorplans, you'll more than likely need elevations of each side and the floorplan will be a big help for locating windows on your elevations, doors, etc.  Just make sure you include them when you're drawing your walls inside.  Autocad Mobile has a small library of "blocks" that include windows and doors you can place in your walls and even scale them using the software as you go along.

OK, I'll stop right there in case your head is about to explode.

If anyone is really interested in doing this kind of work, feel free to drop me an email, just put Autocad Mobile in the subject line.

I don't charge to help anyone get into this.  I learn from helping and teaching others.

 

[grumpygrizzly]

Saving just one dog won't change the world...
But surely the world will change for that one dog.

 

[maki2]

If you are boondocking where there are libraries then it is also quite likely there is a community center. They usually have rooms with tables and chairs where people can hang out and play games. They also often have showers and of course they have restrooms. Very likely in this day and age to also have wifi. The community centers around the country have been stepping up to help provide internet access to lower income individuals so that no child is left behind. Here is an article about how the Seattle Community Centers are increasing this type of access.
https://techtalk.seattle.gov/2017/0...ow-available-at-26-seattle-community-centers/

 

[Natgreen]

I'm on steam. Hundredthmonkey. Send me a message.

 

[Cajunwolf]

Buy an extra 12v deep cycle like an AGM Sealed Lead Acid battery, a briefcase solar panel setup with a charge controller (harbor frieght), a cheap 400-watt to 750-watt inverter, and your set to go. The solar panel will keep your aux battery charged, and you plug your laptop into the inverter and your good to go. Use a mobile hot spot. This is what I do in my Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it works like a charm.  You don't need a sinewave inverter, you're plugging a transformer into it, and it's giving your laptop the DC voltage, amps, and watts it needs. This is not a TV or something that requires a pure sine wave inverter. I just bought an EverStart 750-watt inverter from Walmart for $34.95.