Hard Drive Formats

If you’ve ever wondered what to reformat your flash drive or external hard drive, you are not alone. There are several formats to choose from, but there is likely only a couple that will work for your needs.

Formats

FAT32

FAT32 is the most common format found on flash drives (also known as thumb drives, USB sticks, or jump drives). FAT32 is perfect for these small devices because the format can be read and written to from every major computer or device (including Windows PCs, Macs, and Linux computers).

There is only one problem with FAT32, it cannot save a file larger than 4GBs. That might be a problem if you’re working with video or have a large ISO file that you’d like to store.

exFAT

FAT32 is being phased out for exFAT that can store files larger than 4GBs. Unfortunately, older operating systems do not support exFAT and there may be some compatibility issues.

Just like FAT32, exFAT can be read and written to across many platforms, including Windows and Mac OS.

NTFS

NTFS is a Windows format that can only be written to by a Windows computer (unless special software is installed). NTFS is the format of choice for running a Windows operating system but isn’t ideal for flash drives.

HFS+

Like Windows, Apple also has their own format called HFS+. This format has been the standard for Mac computers and their external devices. This format can only be read and written to by other Mac computers (unless special software is installed).

This format isn’t ideal for devices that will need to be accessed by Windows and Linux computers.

APFS

APFS is Apple’s newest format. It will replace HFS+ in the coming years and will offer several advantages over the 30-year-old format. APFS is designed for solid state drives and will make all of Apple’s devices more compatible with each other. Apple TVs, Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs will eventually all run on APFS providing greater security and speed in the future.

ext4

ext4 is the successor of ext3, the format used by Linux operating systems. This format cannot be read by Macs or Windows computers (unless special software is installed). Unless you are running a Linux operating system, you may never run across this format.

How to Make a Website

Your website is an important component of your lead generation strategy. It will be the metaphorical flagship of your online fleet. All of your social media profiles and newsletters will link to your website which should be the centerpiece of your online presence.

Building a website is a lot easier than it was at the turn of the 21st century. You do not need to know how to code or be incredibly tech savvy to launch your own website. But, you might need some guidance on where to go to get what you need. This post will show you one method to achieve this goal.

Once you are familiar with web administration, you’ll eventually feel more comfortable trying different services or configuring your website differently to rank better in Google or load faster on mobile devices. It can get complicated fast, but don’t worry we’re keeping it simple in this article. Baby steps!

Choose a Domain Name

Depending on your personality, choosing a domain name can be easy or hard; it’s a lot like naming your first pet or child. Some thought needs to go into it, but not too much. Remember you can always buy another domain. Many are nominally priced.

Most people are familiar with .com domains. Ideally, you’ll want to go with that.

For example, I launched a website called llamaleads.com I could have chosen llamaleads.net or something more trendy like llamaleads.marketing. But, I chose llamaleads.com because it was memorable and more importantly available.

If the domain that you want is not available you may attempt to buy it from its current owner using a domain name negotiation platform like Domain Agents.

To purchase available domains, I recommend Hover. Try a few names, keep them short, easy to spell, and consider getting a .com if possible. After you have purchased your domain, return here to continue your journey.

Choose a Web Host

Congratulations on purchasing your first domain! Now it’s time to put that domain to work for you. I recommended a domain registrar that makes this next process a little easier than most.

You may choose any domain registrar that you wish, there are many out there, but I thought that you would appreciate the one I selected because it offers a lot of one-click choices. You can achieve similar results with other registrars, but I would have to delve into what DNS Records are and I promised to keep this simple, right?

Assuming that you have already purchased your domain from Hover and are already logged in, the following steps will help you connect your domain to a web host (the easy way).

Using Hover Connect to Pair Domain to a Web Service

In your Hover Control Panel click on edit > use hover connect.

You’ll then be greeted by another panel. At the time of writing, there are 23 services to choose from. I recommend taking a look at them all to determine what suits your needs best, but since you’re new to this, I’ll make a recommendation—Squarespace. It’s toward the bottom of the list.

Once you’ve made your determination, be sure to read the instructions carefully when they appear. By this stage, you’ve already purchased your domain, so if any of these services say it is unavailable, it is because you already own it.

Build Your Website

By this point, you should have purchased a domain and connected it with a website development platform. Explore the menus of the web builder you chose and start experimenting. Web development is something you learn by doing. It gets easier with time and you will learn that there are many ways to achieve a similar result.

You may choose at a later date to move to a different web builder because the current one doesn’t fit your needs or hire a professional to develop your website for you. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged. Keep working at it and you’ll soon discover that it was easy all along! You can do this!

This is the Squarespace configuration panel for nowyoucme.org (Now You See Me Foundation), a non-profit that supports disabled athletes rebuild their lives after a tragic accident. If you love a good cause, I encourage you to check them out!

 

Launched my own Honda Blog: newhonda.club

Currently, I am the Digital Marketing Manager for Hill Country Honda. As someone with an extensive digital background, I know how important it is for every business to build their online presence.

Before the Internet, a reputation was built through word of mouth (gossip). Today, while word of mouth still is a factor, much of what is said is online in forums, Facebook statuses, and reviews.

I decided it was time to promote my brand and dealership with my own blog. With this new blog I plan to chronicle dealership life and draw attention to important Honda news.

For example, Honda just announced that they will be extending the warranties for Certified Pre-Owned Honda vehicles. The new warranties will cover Bumper-to-Bumper 5 years or 86,000 miles and Powertrain 7 years or 100,000 miles. These extensions are significant as it means you will not have to worry about out of pocket expenses for the life of your Pre-Owned Honda.

So why newhonda.club? Well there was a sale going on and I got a great deal on the first year. A good sale always helps. Also I like purchasing short domains. Since most of the short .com domains are taken I’ve opted for the new gTLD (generic Top Level Domains).

Visit newhonda.club

Chase Your Dreams

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Laozi

Dreams dare to exist before the path to their attainment is made clear.

Fear of failure is a mental obstacle. Those who overcome fear achieve success.

Fear of failure is overcome by humility, the laying down of pride. There is no need to succeed on the first attempt. Not even on the final attempt.

The journey is the reward. Take this journey without expectations.

Empty the mind of expectations so it can experience discoveries.

Like a child, when every encounter is new, there is no fear. This is why children learn the most and adults stick to what they know. In these young minds there is no expectation of failure; there is no fear of it. The expectations of the old are limitations; clinging to mildly successful methodologies as they feel safer than the unknown.

Be bold, chase your dreams. When failure comes, let it excite your mind with a fascination on how to improve your next attempt.

Discovery is the fuel of innovation. It is the token reward to continue.

There is no greater joy than to learn something new.

There is no greater regret than to not have tried.

Mistakes are guidance markers for the next attempt. Do not fear them.

Celebrating the successes of legends while forgetting their failures misleads young dreamers to believe that the pathway to success is without struggle.

Anything worth achieving was attained at great sacrifice. This is its value.

If it were too easy it would not be precious, it would not be desirable.

Chase your dreams and you will find your treasures. What is dreamed about is treasured.

Those who dream of far away places, treasure the journey. For what is near is not as desirable.

Those who dream of riches, treasure what is difficult to obtain. For what they have is not as desirable.

Those who dream of achievement, treasure struggle. For what they have achieved was too easy.

Some dreams are unobtainable. Such as mirages and the end of the rainbow. These dreams are best avoided.

Goals that are not clearly defined are best avoided.

Defining Success

Some of us struggle with a never ending desire to be successful. Unless you’ve clearly defined it, success can be a vague goal that is more of a mirage than a destination.

I have personally struggled with this. When I read about Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, and others, I felt a strong desire to want to be great like them. My perception of their accomplishments and how they obtained them blinded me from the truth. Many of my childhood heroes had hard lives, obtained their successes by accident, or were later spun into a success story.

In other words, while I may perceive Scott Fitzgerald as a great author, he passed into the next life believing himself to be a failure. His greatness wasn’t appreciated until after he was gone.

Greatness; everyone is great, everyone is average. The trouble with equating success to greatness is the delusion that one can be greater than another. All are created equal. The limelight shifts between us, but ultimately we are all the same. We are both equal and unique.

While greatness can be measured by achievement; if attaining that achievement required a great sacrifice in another area of your life, recognize that compromise as what levels you off with others. Life is all about balance.

Being the absolute best at something comes at a price; a sacrifice in another area of your life. When looking at your life as a whole that sacrifice is what negates the success. Thus we are all equal.

Recognizing this equality is what will satisfy the unquenchable thirst for success. An overzealous drive can be let go of when one realizes that success is not all that it appears.

Wanting to be the best is an insecurity. The belief that one is in an inferior state and must obtain superiority to all others to be content. Once this desire has subsided one can be respectful and accepting of others and open without shame about one’s own shortcomings.

True success isn’t climbing to the top of an invented hierarchy; it’s accepting the shared equality with others and recognizing everyone’s unique greatness.

Lighten Up (A New Perspective)

Eight years ago I designed the above artwork titled “Lighten Up (A New Perspective)” with Pixelmator.

I had lots of creative energy my Freshmen year in college. I didn’t need a reason to create. I created for the sake of creating. Being creative made me happy. I loved creating and sharing my work on Facebook.

The above artwork was created from a random photo I took in two bathroom mirrors. I held a lightbulb just to hold something unusual.

The original photo was nothing special, but a few months later I felt artsy; I decided to deconstruct the photo by distorting its hues and blend different versions together several times. The result is what I consider to be my personal masterpiece. I’m not sure I’ll ever create something as intricate or time-consuming like this again.

When scrolling on a high resolution screen the light bulb shimmers. This was achived by accident. Nothing about this work was planned. I simply listened to TobyMac’s “Showstopper” song on repeat while applying random effects to the image repeatedly until I though the artwork was done.

The photo would appear in The Best of College Photography of 2010 and would serve as the logo for Paleolithic Films for several years.

 

 

Building a Website for Free

Hangout with me long enough and I’ll help you launch your own WordPress blog or website. I’ll talk you into it somehow! I live and breathe this stuff.

This morning I helped my girlfriend Kara launch her blog at karajade2020.wordpress.com. Earlier this year I launched a co-authored blog with my good friend Charles at alwaysdeep.wordpress.com. And I helped my HOA launch theirs at inspirationhillsnet.wordpress.com. I’m on a spree because the list doesn’t end there!

In 2018, there’s no reason not to have your own blog or website. WordPress.com is free! So it doesn’t cost you anything. It’s a WYSIWYG, meaning you don’t have to learn how to code. The bar for entry has never been lower. You can always get fancier with your website, but keeping things free and simple works too!

Personally, I like having my own domain, configuring DNS Records, and managing my own @agarcia.tv email addresses. I enjoy it.

There was a time when it was more difficult. Today, it’s easier. It costs a lot less too. IT admin won’t tell you that because it’s their own job security that they’re worried about, but you could easily get away with launching a WordPress or Squarespace website for $96 or less!

Your student organization can launch a free site with WordPress. There’s no excuse not to be online! Every entity can now have their own website. There’s no cost associated with having one. Unless you want more features.

I remember hearing that a church I previously attended paid $40,000 for their website. It wasn’t mobile friendly, it was very hard to navigate, and it was rarely updated with new content. I now realize they could have just paid $299.04 for the Business Plan (the top tier) and still saved thousands! The site would have been mobile-friendly on day one and would have been easier to keep updated with fresh content.

Times are changing. Costs are diminishing. And while I could see this as a threat to all the hours I’ve spent learning how to do this stuff, I recognize that times change. And there will always be people who want it done for them. So if your business or organization wants a website, doesn’t want it to cost too much, but you don’t want to do it yourself, I’m always here to help!

Would You Watch a Dream?

Aaron Garcia

Nightmares and other lucid dreams have always fascinated me. I have written over 250 of them in my journal. Many of them I remember in vivid detail. I’ve always wanted to share them with others. Like in a movie. A dream that you could watch.

I’ve pitched this idea for a few years now. As creative as the movie industry might be, enthusiasts are decidedly not ready for what I’d like to bring to the theater. The conversation usually goes like this…

I want to make a movie with no plot, no setting, and no title.

There’s a pause. A bewildered look forms on whomever I’m telling this to and I continue.

I’ve never seen a good dream film. Inception was a good start with the train randomly coming through the street and the buildings folding in kaleidoscope fashion, but it wasn’t random enough! Dreams are random.

Intrigued, the person…

View original post 1,810 more words

Photoshoot at Castroville Regional Park

Kara and I just took some new profile photos at Castroville Regional Park. I have the same profile photo on my social media accounts since 2015; Kara thinks it is time for me to update.

I agree with her. I must stay current. Though I do not choose my profile photo lightly since I will use it across all networks.

The question remains, does the above photo beat the current one? This is a very subjective question. I suppose I’ll get used to the new one. Facebook has been bugging me to update my profile photo for some time.

Kara does not agonize over updating her profile photo. She updates her profile photos twice a month. If only I did not overthink everything!

Kara fell in love with these photos immediately. This one made it to Instagram. Another made it to Facebook.

Now she is just waiting for me. I really need to update my profile photo. Out with the old in with the new. Yep, I think I am going to do it.

What do you think? Too much deliberation? I should right?

Ray’s Drive Inn Review

Ray’s Drive Inn is the Home of the Original Puffy Taco and has been serving San Antonio residents delicious food since 1956. Those who live nearby love Ray’s. But for those who have never been, you’re missing out!

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It’s the puff dreams are made of: San Antonio’s famous puffy tacos ☁️ 🌮 ☁️ Click the link in our profile to find out where to eat ‘em and celebrate #NationalTacoDay! 📷: @edanklepper

A post shared by Texas Highways Magazine (@texashighways) on Oct 4, 2017 at 7:05am PDT

If a photo can say a thousand words, the thousands of photos taken by customers say millions! And I 100% agree with them. The food is spot on excellent!

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meanwhile in San Antonio – home of the #puffytaco

A post shared by Josh Hammertimez (@hammertimez) on Jul 15, 2017 at 1:50pm PDT

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I got to eat at Ray's, the original #puffytaco #trademark #wehelpyoumakeit

A post shared by Zack Northcutt (@zcutt) on Sep 26, 2017 at 7:14pm PDT

While the trademarked Puffy Tacos are their specialty, Ray’s Drive Inn offers a full menu that includes seafood, burgers and every conceivable kind of taco you can imagine!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP1TphCg6DO/?taken-at=1323724

Check out Ray’s Drive Inn, you’ll likely become a regular!

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Puffy taco power.

A post shared by Matt Joyce (@rejoycetx) on May 24, 2017 at 10:02am PDT

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Taco Tuesday with Steve and Marty McHugh

A post shared by BAEcation (@lolamchugh) on May 9, 2017 at 10:48am PDT

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#GODISGOOD #BLESSED #TYGOD #WESTSIDE #FAMILIA #ClasicCars here in The Old Ghost town on 19th stGuadalupe St #OldSchool

A post shared by Patty Salinas (@patykakez) on May 24, 2017 at 6:43pm PDT

Ray’s Drive Inn hosts car shows occasionally because good food and classic cars are awesome!

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Ray's Drive Inn – A westside classic just like CineFestival! #westside #sanantonio #sananto #cinefestival #tacos #puffytacos

A post shared by Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (@cinefestival) on Feb 6, 2016 at 8:08pm PST