Have you ever looked at your hard disk free space, and wondered where it all went? I mean, when I bought that 250G drive, I thought I would never need more space.

WindirStat is a easy way to graphically see where all of that free space went to. I use it all the time, even on my networks, to see what is using up all of my drive space.

Of course, it doesn’t run instantly, after all, WinDirStat has to crawl through every directory on your hard drive. While directories are being updated, you are entertained with little packmen running back and forth next to the directories it is updating.

The visual representation of the files is neat, but I really look for the top half of the screen, pictured below.

Directories are listed with the largest on top, and you can continue to drill down into the subdirectories to find out what they are made up of.

This really is a great utility, and you can’t beat the price, which is free.

You can download WinDirStat from the Downloads page, also check out the WinDirStat Web Site.

If you like this type of Tech post, you should check out Two Guys Tech. A friend and I are working on it, and we even have a terrific podcast.

We’re always glad to answer questions, help people out, and help relate what we’ve learned. Get a new perspective on the tech topics and news that you’re interested in, come visit Two Guys Tech.com.

Posted in Personal-Computing, Tech, Open Source, Reviews, Applications, free stuff, Utilities 25 Comments »

Whew! Command of the grill week is over, well, I still wanted to do a little wrap up post on that, but I should finish that up pretty soon and I’ll be able to get back to my regular posting topics.

Near the end of Command of the Grill Week, I finally gave up on my old grill. It was a little Sunbeam Kettle grill, which has served me well over the years that I’ve had it, but finally the ash bucket rusted out.

I’ve been growing a little frustrated with it, because it has a standard wire grate, rather than a nice heavy duty cast iron grate. The wire grate makes it really hard to leave any grill marks at all.

The timing couldn’t have been better. My wife had been asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and although I had been kicking around some ideas, I didn’t know for sure.

This grill is made by BBQ Grillware, who I hadn’t heard of before. Although it is stainless steel, it is still a charcoal grill with a cast iron grill grates. The grill marks are exquisite. I’m not sure how often I’ll have to light the whole grill, but it sure is nice to have a little extra space.

Phil posted about old friends and new friends, in his case a new computer. So this is my new friend. I’m looking forward to doing some serious grilling on it.

Posted in Rambling, Grilling 4 Comments »

The purpose of Command of the Grill week is to promote the book “Command of the Grill”, whose proceeds benefit charities that support Marines. I’m not making any money off of this, and anything made from traffic during the month of November will be donated to Toys for Tots. You can read more here, or follow this link to purchase your own copy. This is a really easy way to support our troops. Semper Fi!

Sorry for the delay in posting this recipe, but some family emergencies came up, and I just didn’t get to this recipe in time. Without any more of a delay, I present to you, Steak Satays.

These are about the ultimate in marinated meat. Although the recipe wants the meat to marinates for a mere 20 to 30 minutes, I’m a big fan of extra marinating time, so ours were in there for about 3 or 4 hours. Since the meat is cut oh so thin, that marinade just soaks right in there.

The meat is originally a flank steak, and is cut into thin strips at a 45 degree angle, then placed on skewers. The skewers are put into a dish with the marinade.

The marinade itself is made up of soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and other ingredients.

Cooking is quick, about 3 to 5 minutes with one turn.

This is another recipe that is going to go on my list of favorites. The only thing I am going to change is that I’ll buy two flank steaks instead of just one.

For this recipe, we have Major Kevin McCoullough to thank. He was the second runner up at the MCB Hawaii competition. Thank you sir, may I have another!

Posted in Grilling, Semper Fi, Command of the Grill, Charity, Books, barbecue 5 Comments »

The purpose of Command of the Grill week is to promote the book “Command of the Grill”, whose proceeds benefit charities that support Marines. I’m not making any money off of this, and anything made from traffic during the month of November will be donated to Toys for Tots. You can read more here, or follow this link to purchase your own copy. This is a really easy way to support our troops. Semper Fi!

This particular recipe is one of the “Celebrity Recipes” that gets featured for each competition. Dan Lauria, who has been in a long list of shows and movies, but I still remember best as the dad from The Wonder Years, submitted this recipe.

We usually don’t eat flank or skirt steak by itself, instead the family favorite is to use it in Fajitas. There are few things that smell as aromatic on the grill as the Anaheim peppers roasting in preparation to be peeled.

With this particular recipe, the steak marinades for 2 to 4 hours in a mix of fresh parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and some other ingredients.

I’ve never thought that parsley had a taste of it’s own, because I’ve only tasted  dried parsley from a spice jar. Fresh parsley is a totally different animal though, and has a really fresh flavor.

After leaving the marinade, the steak gets dropped in some searing heat on the grill for about 10 minutes, turning once, and then gets pulled off.

The recipe also calls for some Lemon Garlic butter which is made by mixing  softened butter with chopped fresh parsley, lemon zest, and other ingredients. The butter gets smeared on the still hot steak while you let it stand.

If you haven’t cooked flank or skirt steak before, it’s important to cut the steak against the grain, or you’ll be chewing it forever. In the picture you can make out the direction of the grain in the meat, it is pretty easily seen on the surface.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, this recipe was pretty darn tasty, it just didn’t knock my socks off like all the other recipes have so far. The butter, although good, just didn’t have any kick or seasoning to it, and that’s what the steak really needed.

Posted in Grilling, Semper Fi, Command of the Grill, Charity, Books, barbecue No Comments »

One of my friends sent out a slide show with some Marine Corps History in it, and  several really good quotes. One of the quotes that made me think was this:

In the last analysis, what the Marine Corps becomes is what we make of it during our respective watches, and that watch of each Marine is not confined to the time he spends on active duty. It lasts as long as he is ‘proud to bear the title of United States Marine’ - General Louis H. Wilson. 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

To all of my brothers and sisters, both home and abroad, I hope you have a happy and safe day today.

Happy Birthday Devil Dogs!

Semper Fi!

Posted in November 10th, Semper Fi 1 Comment »