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December 31, 2006
Google is a business too
A series of post (starting with this one from Glenn) point to an article concerning a new "feature" within google that promotes some of their products as a tip at the top of their search engine.
Google is predicated on the idea that the democratic structure of the Web will push the cream to the top. Search for “photo sharing” and you should already get the highest quality services. According to Google, Picasa is not one of them. These “tips,” then, can only be a tacit admission of failure: either the company does not believe in its own search technology, or it does not believe its products are good enough to rise to the top organically. I’d guess the latter. And if I were on the Calendar, Blogger or Picasa teams, I wouldn’t be celebrating the news that my employer has lost faith in me.
Michael Arrington elaborates:
They (google) need to stop treating the outside world with disdain, and replace it with transparency and honesty. Users must always come first. Always. And they need to do it soon. Once the shift in public opinion becomes obvious, it will be way too late. And while Matt Cutts, the unofficial Google blogger, deals with the Ross post in a straightforward and honest way, I think he should be far more critical of his company. Even to the point of risking his job. Because that is exactly what Google needs right now.
What people tend to forget is Google is a business. If people are still holding them to their "do no evil" motto then they are just not paying attention or define evil differently (I define it here). They are not Wikipedia that's for sure.
None of the results changes can credibly be defined as evil but as Glenn says: "all you need to do to take your business elsewhere is type a different URL." And with IE 7 you can change your default search box in seconds.
Posted by Peter at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
Don't drink and click
Today is New Years Eve (and the 7th day of Christmas)
HiWired will be closing at 7 P.M. EST today so our employees can enjoy the New Year.
Meanwhile we make two suggestions to our valued customers one far more important than the other:
Remember when celebrating the New Year don't drink and drive and beware of those who might choose to do so, we would love to enjoy your patronage in 2007.Less important but also true, don't drink and attempt to FIX anything on your PC. I have interesting memories of trying to lead people through system repairs (in my pre-screenshare days) who either did weird and wonderful things to their PC while drinking or who had a few too many to follow instructions.
No matter what we hope 2006 was a great year for you and 2007 is even better!
Posted by Peter at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2006
Apple doing something dishonest? NO!
More proof that Apple Computer is a business:
Records that purported to show a full board meeting had taken place to approve Mr Jobs’ remuneration, as required by Apple’s procedures, were later falsified. These are now among the pieces of evidence being weighed by the Securities and Exchange Commission as it decides whether to pursue a case against the company or any individuals over the affair, according to these people.News of the irregularities, which is expected to be revealed in a regulatory filing by Apple before the end of this week, will add to pressure that has been growing on one of Silicon Valley’s most highly-regarded companies since the middle of 2005.
There are many advantages that Apple has over Microsoft but none of them involve being a non-profit.
Posted by Peter at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2006
PS3 trades for Wii
Thought this was very interesting.
Looks like some people are posting request to trade their PS3 for the cheaper but more fun Nintendo Wii. More information HERE.
Most of these trades are requesting a Wii plus cash difference, but some punters were prepared to take a loss just to get their hands on the latest Nintendo console.
I've been trying to find a Wii in stores for a few days now. No luck this far. I'm told a couple store employees that when they receive shipment they are sold out in less then a hour. No one want to give me any details on when shipments come in though =,(
Posted by Hector at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)
I can't take it anymore (at least I can't for another 2 weeks or so)
Well the issues with my laptop not seeing the charger has reached the point were it is impossible for me to do my work.
Basically if my system is jostled it stops seeing the power supply and goes to battery. The battery then continues to be used until it dies.
My recourse at this time as been to:
Shut downRemove the battery
attempt to power up with external power. (usually takes several attempts)
Once windows is up put the battery back in.
My tests suggest the issue is the battery itself or something loose or shorted inside the laptop. I've been shopping for a replacement battery (an 8 hour one so I can work a shift in a situation.) but that is only stopgap.
Yesterday I only had to reboot once during my shift but today I've been on for under 2 hours and have had to reboot twice. That settled it for me.
I went back to the Dell outlet and purchased a Inspirion 6400/e1505 dual core system that was scratch and dent.
I actually paid $60 more than the face value of the system new but I boosted the ram to 1 gig and the video card to CIV IV status. With the included package I saved about $100-$150 over the a new system.
I will likely upgrade it to VISTA when I have a chance as well.
As for my 1150 I intend to give it to my son, buy a new battery and let him worry about the repairs. He has a job so he can choose if he will just let it recharge every even as best as he can or will lay out the cash to get it fixed. Either way it's cheaper than buying a new one.
Posted by Peter at 01:35 PM | Comments (2)
Yet another end of the year list.
CNET puts out its list of the 5 best mobile devices for 2006.
Somehow I didn't expect a Lexus to be on the list.
Posted by Peter at 12:08 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2006
News Listers
What I referred to as a "News Listers" is actually more commonly known as a RSS reader which takes RSS Feeds and displays them in a list format so that you don't have to remember to check those 50 sites for new post. Just setup the RSS reader to check their feeds for you and you will have a list of all the new posts with out waisting time. I have searched around for good readers that fit my taste and found my self using the Opera browser for a while. Today I revisited a couple and tried a couple new ones and found one that I think will replace Opera. I will be testing it out for a while.
Click read more to view my thoughts..
One thing I was looking for in my RSS Reader, which Opera did well, is the ability to list the feeds displaying titles only. I like to see what the title hints at and then if it peaks my interest go forward and read the post. If not move along to the next head line. This makes the job of looking at 100 news post a easy task as there will probably only be about 15-25 that will peak my interest and many of those will be duplicates such as a news post on multiple sites. Really a nice tool that makes it easy to filter out anything but what you are interested in spending your time reading on.
Another thing I was looking for in a RSS reader, which Opera lacks, is the ability to synchronize the feeds since I find my self using quite a few computers. I might be at a friends house or at work or one of several computers at the house. (No I'm not rich. Only 1 is new which is about 10 months old and the others 2 are 5+ years old. So I update probably on average about every 4 years and just haven't got rid of the last 2).
One minor thing that I also wanted is while Opera worked great I really wanted to use my favorite browser so there is only 1 set of tabs rather then some on Opera and some on FireFox to keep track of. This of course is not a option in Opera feeds since the news I opened up would spawn a new Opera tab opening the page.
As I mentioned I've been using the Opera browser as a RSS reader. My thoughts on Opera..
1. Clicking on a RSS link automatically ask to be added. It also loaded the RSS source in the background which might confuse some people. Click yes to add then back button to get back on site. Click feeds tool bar to view feeds.
2. Opera as I mentioned does a good job about listing headers only with a preview window at bottom. It displays a link at very bottom that takes you directly to the post on the site.
3. Opera RSS reader is built into the browser. This makes it very quick to load and display feeds since it doesnt need to keep refreshing a page like the web based ones.
4. Opera lacks a synchronization tool which makes it annoying finding where you were or making sure all your feeds exist between different computers.
So the one I revisited to check on progress was Pluck. My thoughts..
1. Pluck works as a browser plugin but loads a web page. There for it is web based.
2. I found it to be extremely slow. Very intolerable.
3. It list only 1 site at a time. Click on site and it list the feeds.
4. (maybe not a issue in IE) the plugin fails to close when you click the (X). Had to go into tools menu and uncheck the plugin to get it to disappear from the side panel.
5. If you have Google Toolbar you do have a 1 click tool to add new feeds on sites that offer a RSS feed.
*Over all I was a bit more disappointed with Pluck then I had been previously*
Next up was NewsGator..
1. Its web based but seems to load pages fairly quick.
2. Is only able to display one site feed at a time.
3. No option to view titles only. So it list title and atleast some of the content.
4. It does have the ability to forward feeds to a mobile device which is nice!
5. (not sure if this is firefox only) Minor rendering problem. As you scroll down a long list each listing is a little more to the right.
6. This one is also supported by the Google Toolbar 1 click easy add.
*Over all I think this one was alright but I bit of room for improvement in my opinion*
Next up was BlogLines
1. Web based and seems to load pretty quick.
2. Google Toolbar also supports 1 click add for this one.
3. One bad thing was it automatically hides unviewed feeds. By this I mean I can literally click on HiWired feeds and have them all list. As soon as I do that you notice the new feeds count disapear. And as soon as I click away and then click back to HiWired feeds there is nothing to see. Luckily at the bottom there is a option to list every post thats less then a week old and will re-list them.
4. It does list titles only if you select this in options.
5. It does list all feeds from all sites in one listing.
6. It does not mix up titles by post time. What I mean is on Opera you will, if you select to view all feeds, have all titles regardless of what site it is related to listed by post date/time. With BlogLines it will list the site with all posts under it and then you scroll down to the next site.
*Over all my experience was very positive. Since BlogLines is web based my major complaint with Opera gets resolved using this tool since no matter what computer I use it will access the same page which is up to date with my viewed feeds and what feeds should be watched for.*
Posted by Hector at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
It's no Pal of mine
Among the gifts they I got for Christmas my favorites were Volume 14 & 15 of the old 1950's TV show The Adventures of Robin Hood staring Richard Greene. If you are an old fellow like myself you might remember this first rate show.
If you go to the Amazon page where they are sold you will note that a reviewer from Jerusalem suggests purchasing the entire seasons (4) instead. I would be very happy to do so if they were available in NTSC format but unfortunately Amazon England only sells them in PAL format.
This is a good time to explain what the region settings on DVD's are and what they mean. To quote from this article by Robert Silva:
To keep it simple, this means that DVD players and DVDs are labeled for operation on within a specific geographical region in the world. For example, the U.S. is in region 1. This means that all DVD players sold in the U.S. are made to region 1 specifications. As a result, region 1 players can only play region 1 discs. That's right, the DVDs themselves are encoded for a specific region. On the back of each DVD package, you will a find a region number (1 thru 6).The geographical regions are as follows:
REGION 1 -- USA, Canada
REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland
REGION 3 -- S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia
REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico)
REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa
REGION 6 -- China
REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use
REGION 8 -- Reserved for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc...
REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played Worldwide, however, PAL discs must be played in a PAL-compatible unit and NTSC discs must be played in an NTSC-compatible unit.The end result is that DVDs encoded for regions other than Region 1 cannot be played on a region 1 DVD player, also, players marketed for other regions cannot play region 1-stamped DVDs.
As a practical matter you will not run into much of an issue unless you are purchasing overseas or from a source like eBay. The primary purpose of this is to cut back of piracy however Mr. Silva suggests that there is a hint of price fixing involved.
For my own personal issue it doesn't change a thing since it's not the regions that are killing me but Pal vs NTSC issue. My wife however has accidentally solved that problem too with a $40 Philips DVP642 player that unknown to me until I was researching for this post actually automatically converts PAL to NTSC. The reviews of the device aren't very inspiring, but what do you want for $40?
Robin Hood Season 4 here I come!
Posted by Peter at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
DVD only now more popular than VHS
Via Slashdot apparently the DVD revolution isn't as overwhelming as we thought:
During the third quarter of 2006, 81.2 percent of all US households reported owning at least one DVD player compared to 79.2 percent for VCRs. That figure marks a 6 percent increase in DVD player ownership from the same period in 2005, while VCRs ownership fell. It's a far cry from 1999, when Nielsen first began tracking DVD ownership. At the end of the 90s, only 6.7 percent of households owned a DVD player, compared with 88.6 percent owning VCRs.
I would have thought that DVD's would have outpaced VCR's long ago. I'd be interested in seeing the IPOD numbers.
Posted by Peter at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)
Too sick to drive not too sick to work.
This morning I was scheduled to be in the office, however I found myself coughing and vomiting up a storm.
If I worked at any of my previous jobs I would have called out spent a fair amount of time in bed and generally put putted around the house.
However we now live in the age of telecommuting, so today I sort of called out. I won't be in the office today, but I will be working my normal shift from home so my cough won't be the only thing that is productive about me today.
This is one of the great benefits a company gets from this type of policy. My voice will be a tad off if you call but I can still point and click with the best of them. Nobody in the office will catch whatever I have.
It also leads to the idea that work is the default position. Let's be honest. Many people use sick days as extra days off. When you are able to work from home people have the tendency not to do that.
Will it be the wave of the future? What do you need to make it work, well you can check our old podcast Telecommuting for some of the answers to those questions.
Posted by Peter at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2006
For the kid who got dough for Christmas
CNet features a good side by side of the three big new systems, playstation III, X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii.
Posted by Peter at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
Happy Boxing Day & Kwanzaa
Today is in addition to being the 2nd day of Christmas is Boxing Day (St. Stephen's day) which is celebrated in Canada, England, Australia & New Zealand.
Today also marks the begining of Kwanzza the newest of the December Celebrations (although Festivus was not known to the general public it was celebrated in at least one household as early as 1966 the year Kwanzza was invented).
To all our customers who celebrate them we wish a happy Boxing Day and Kwanzaa.
To those customers of ours who celebrate Festivus (and considering sales of Festivus poles some just might) sorry we missed you on the 23rd, you can add that to next years Festivus ritual Airing of Grievances.
Posted by Peter at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas from HiWired
Today is Christmas Day a National Holiday in the USA and the first of the Twelve days of Christmas Season that runs to the Feast of the Epiphany (the coming of the wise men) that falls on Jan 7th this year (traditionally Jan 6th).
If you've ever wondered why many Catholics keep their trees up till then, that's why.
HiWired will be open today from 3 p.m. EST to 2 a.m. EST. That should give everybody plenty of time to enjoy their Christmas dinner before they start trying to get that iPod to sync, that Zune to convert movies, that printer to connect up wireless or to set up the internet security for that new laptop you just got.
Tomorrow HiWired will resume our standard hours for 9 a.m. EST to 2 A.M. EST.
As always if you don't celebrate Christmas then as always we say: "Have a nice day".
Posted by Peter at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)
Not quite the gift Microsoft had in mind
Well this won't make a Merry Christmas for Microsoft:
On Dec. 15, a Russian programmer posted a description of a flaw that makes it possible to increase a user’s privileges on all of the company’s recent operating systems, including Vista. And over the weekend a Silicon Valley computer security firm said it had notified Microsoft that it had also found that flaw, as well as five other vulnerabilities, including one serious error in the software code underlying the company’s new Internet Explorer 7 browser.The browser flaw is particularly troubling because it potentially means that Web users could become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site. That would make it possible for an attacker to inject rogue software into the Vista-based computer
Well that just inspires me to run out and buy Vista, wasn't security supposed to be the big feature of the release?
And if you don't think people are just waiting to hack your system think again:
Last week, the chief technology officer of Trend Micro, a computer security firm in Tokyo, told several computer news Web sites that he had discovered an offer on an underground computer discussion forum to sell information about a security flaw in Windows Vista for $50,000. Over the weekend a spokesman for Trend Micro said that the company had not obtained the information, and as a result could not confirm the authenticity of the offer.
Consider the information that could be hacked from the thousands of systems that could be hit. Well worth the 50k if you are a thief. Why wait on the side of the road with a knife when you can get rich with some keystrokes.
Posted by Peter at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2006
Shameless Plug and Christmas Eve Hours
Today is Christmas Eve. HiWired will be closing at 7 p.m EST tonight.
If you still have a person that you can't decide on a gift for might I be so bold as to suggest a HiWired Gift Card. It is the perfect gift for that someone who is about to open the gadget whose manual is not readable by humans, or that someone who is getting their first computer and needs it set up.
They can be purchased online 24/7 in case you are like my wife who likes to shop online on Christmas day. (yipes!)
Posted by Peter at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2006
It's a wonderful post
Much to my own shock I have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off for the first time that I remember in years.
Because of this my blogging will be a tad light (at least by me but I have high hopes for the others).
Meanwhile enjoy this story about an American Movie Icon who's fame comes from only a few minutes of screen time:
Everyone who saw the movie remembers Zuzu. She gets to say, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." And the petals from Zuzu's rose — stuffed into a pants pocket by Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey as he comforts his sickly daughter — become a symbol of life.Grimes laughs about the petals getting more screentime than she did. But she has parlayed her six minutes in the beloved 1946 film into a late-life career. After enduring heartaches that make George Bailey's troubles look small, she has become a feel-good ambassador for the film and one of its last living links.
Posted by Peter at 05:41 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2006
Vista install, oh that explains it
Mark Kaelin blogs about his install of Windows Vista, like me he favors a clean install but notes an issue that I had as well when testing:
The practical result is that your wireless card works as long as it never actually connects to a network. As soon as it does, the next time you boot the machine you will get a user account error. To fix it, at least from my experience, you have to do a system restore to a previous point.Broadcom is promising new drivers in January, but until then I am stuck with using Ethernet cable, which essentially takes the lap out of laptop. Keep this in mind if you use any Broadcom wireless NICs — it is a universal problem.
Drivers are always the #1 issue on a new OS so be prepared.
Posted by Peter at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
Power to the PC
George Ou strikes again refuting this post concerning "25 billion" of energy wasted by XP with this post containing actual information on both the operating system, how your computer works and some actual energy saving solutions. Two great points:
On setting a pc by default to high performance:
Most users demand that their computers be set to High Performance.
I can vouch for this, most of our calls are from people complaining about the speed of their pc. If we decided to set their systems to low performance we would be out of business in a hurry.
On Sleep mode:
Microsoft can't risk a default setting that renders even a small fraction of PCs unable to wake when a USB keyboard and mouse are plugged in, even if most hardware doesn't have this problem.
I personally hate sleep mode. I've seen too many computers have issues come out of it. In fairness in my job I see the ones that are failing not the ones that work but I never use it period. When I want to save energy on a PC I shut it off.
As they say in the blog world read the whole thing.
Posted by Peter at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2006
Viacom bows out of the youtube sweepstakes
Viacom has decided to drop out of the project to develop a network based rival to YouTube:
Yes, we're out of it," one executive confirmed. "We've got a lot of agendas right now. There was no need to do it and be a founding member. We can license our stuff to it. We don't have to be a participant." A Viacom spokesman declined to comment.
The big question isn't so much if they can do it but if the users will use it:
The reason YouTube grew so quickly, said Ian Schafer, CEO of Deep Focus, which has launched campaigns on the site, is that it's a functional website. "Chad Hurley will say this until he's blue in the face -- it's designed for the user with the conveniences, functionality, sharing," Mr. Frazier said. "If the networks put something together and do it right they would make it just as minimalist and democratic as YouTube." But, of course, that's not been the primary impetus driving the networks decisions.
We will see.
Posted by Peter at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)
ARRRUUUGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
I've been looking for interesting things to post about today and have found the pickings online pretty slim. No really good ideas have been popping into my head and nothing online has gotten my blood flowing.
That was until I saw a brief link at the bottom of the page where this post linked to. It listed the top 10 software downloads at Download.com.
Three anti-spyware softwares are listed 1-3 on the list. I approve (particularly of ad-aware). Then I saw #4....
LIMEWIRE
My reaction to this discovery is the title of this blog post.
Our very first entry on the blog (other than the hello) was about the risks of P2P. We have written over and over about how Limewire and p2p in general is bad for your system (and of dubious legality). When we do a PC Restoration it comes with the caveat that if you install Limewire or similar programs after the Restoration the cleaning of the system is only temporary.
What's worse is CNET gives it a 4 star review and people are singing its praises.
It's a free country and people are certainly entitled to their opinion If you want to download this software and use it you go ahead. I have never seen a system with Limewire on it uninfected. We will be happy to take your money to clean the system up, and then when it reinfects we will take your money to do it again (although as techs we won't be as happy).
I can only warn you, you have to make the call, but please heed my warning. I can't keep worrying about this I'm losing enough hair as it is.
Posted by Peter at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
Here's a list you don't want to make
CNet provides a list of the worst MP3 players of the year:
And though most of the players here are just mediocre at worst, that's enough of a reason to pass them up. I mean, really--why settle for a "5" when you can get an "8"?
She must subscribe to the Papelbon theory of shopping.
Posted by Peter at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
Blue Screen of Death
Here is something interesting from our friends at Microsoft. The Blue Screen of Death (also known as the infamous “Blue Screen” or abbreviated as “BSoD”) is now available for download on the Microsoft Site!
This common error can display on a users monitor without warning and is caused when a system can’t recover from a serious error. At that point there is no choice, but to restart and troubleshoot the problem. Recovering the data you were working on or even loading the Windows OS normally can be difficult. Learn more about this the Blue Screen Here.
Now this computer user’s worst nightmare is available for download as a screensaver Here. Micorosft claims this download is available for people who have never seen the error before. However, if you owned a computer for a few years now I guarantee you have seen this error at least once before.
Posted by pbanacos at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2006
Where is Microsoft hiding that Backup
Had a customer today who wanted to configure backups on his windows xp pro system. It was a very easy thing to set up the build in Microsoft backup to create backup sets on the external drive.
If you are running Xp Home edition (and most of you are) you may discover that the backup is not where you might expect it. That's because the home edition has it on the CD but not pre-installed. If you want to install it you need to do so manually. The instructions are here.
Of course you can always use your our online backup and save the trouble. Whichever way you go make sure you backup your data. You never understand how valuable it is until you lose it.
Posted by Peter at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)
Yet another Ipod Killer? (Yawn)
Business Week reviews the new Sony Ericsson Walkman W810i phone. They suggest it is a good choice for somebody who wants to carry one less gadget and still have their music:
"I always carry my phone with me, but the iPod is an extra," Rachel Slack, a 26-year-old Londoner, told one of my colleagues recently. Since buying a Sony Ericsson with enough memory for about 100 songs, she says, "it made sense to just use my phone for both."Now, similar phones are becoming available in the U.S. For the past few weeks, I've been trying out the Sony Ericsson W810i, and I have to say that Rachel may be on to something.
The customer comments on the same page don't share the reviewers enthusiasm for the product a sample:
Oh lord... not another "iPod Killer" article... How many of them have come true? Nothing quite screams sensational journalism these days like writing something with "iPod Killer" in the title.
He has a real point there. When the papers use that type of headline people are more likely to dismiss what might (or might not) be a good product.It sounds a lot like Branch Rickey who traded the "Next Pee Wee Reese" a half a dozen times during the 40's and 50's while keeping the real thing.
Full disclosure: Sony Ericsson is a HiWired partner.
Posted by Peter at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
Well that's one place where they are selling
I've been interested in seeing how well the Zune is selling, so whenever I find a place that carries them I tend to ask how they are moving. The answer usually is: They're not.
I finally found the exception at the local Gamestop in Leominster. The guy there told me that the Zune is moving pretty good. I was surprised and asked what he thought of the device. He said he found it more reliable than the pod. Customers who purchased it generally were much happier due to a more reliable sync.
It is the first critique of that type I've heard, so I'll keep my ears open for more.
Posted by Peter at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)
Wii controller internals
Want to know what the insides of your Wii Controllers look like then click here.
Posted by Peter at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)
Note to stores do a factory reset and wipe on returned electronics
It is not uncommon for electronics to be returned and repackaged quickly for resale. The problem is with stuff like cell phones and Zunes etc, you might get more than you bargained for as EnGadget reported:
it happened to a family in Southside Chicago who purchased Microsoft's Zune from the local Walmart for their 12 year-old daughter. The daughter, who says the box looked like it had been opened (the charger was missing) discovered that her player contained porn.
Even lamer the particular store manager blamed Microsoft for a pre-load (I think not).
Stuff like this tends to happen because both the former owners and the Stores don't think ahead so here are three pieces of advice:
If you are returning/trading-in a Cellphone, IPOD/Zune, Memory card etc:
Do a full format or a factory reset on the system. Remember that personal financial data and info that could result in identity theft might also remain if you dont' do this. Protect yourself.
If you are a store accepting such returns:
If at all possible have an employee do a factory reset on the device to make sure it is clean. Make sure returned electronics are marked as such. Consider having a single computer devoted to wiping devices, cards etc and assign an employee to do so. Don't hurry such items back on the shelf until you know they are clean. The $8 and hour you will pay the person to do cleaning is a lot less expensive than the bad publicity you will get if something nasty gets out.
Consumers:
While shopping if you don't know if an items is a return or exchange ASK. If so ask if it has been wiped clean. When you get such a device home, consider a factory reset at once, or a reformat at once. Remember you don't know who had it and might be legally responsible for anything on that system.
Lets save the surprises for the opening of the gifts.
Posted by Peter at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2006
Keyboards of the world Unite!
This story is beyond parody:
Robots and machines are now classed as inanimate objects without rights or duties but if artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous, the report argues, there may be calls for humans’ rights to be extended to them.It is also logical that such rights are meted out with citizens’ duties, including voting, paying tax and compulsory military service.
Mr Christensen said: “Would it be acceptable to kick a robotic dog even though we shouldn’t kick a normal one?
“There will be people who can’t distinguish that so we need to have ethical rules to make sure we as humans interact with robots in an ethical manner so we do not move our boundaries of what is acceptable.
This kind of thinking is guaranteed to keep a whole new generation of lawyers in whiskey for centuries. I enjoy Star Trek TNG but I don't base my future laws on it.
Posted by Peter at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2006
Let's just give that info away
Via slashdot we find this BBC story about the ePassport. Apparently the security is not all it's cracked up to be:
But this is also the bad thing about them because, as Lukas demonstrated to me, he can easily download the data from his passport using an RFID reader he got for 200 Euros on eBay.
Well at least it's not a quick process is it?
Using a standard off-the-shelf component you can just buy at a component store you can have a cloned ePassport in less than five minutes.
Well what do the researches say?
Researchers working within the Future of Identity in the Information Society (FIDIS) network say European governments have forced a document on its citizens that dramatically decreases security and increases the risk of identity theft.RFID chips can be read at a short distance and tracked without their owner's knowledge, while the key to unlocking the passport's chip consists of details actually printed on the passport itself.
It is almost like writing your pin number on the back of your cashpoint card.
Well this inspires confidence doesn't it?
Update:
George Ou begs to differ
It is possible to demonstrate a serious crack when given possession of an ePassport if you can clone it AND customize it. That last bit is something Grunwald won’t tell reporters unless they specifically ask him. I asked him if he got that last part and he replied “of course not”. It's sad that the media hasn't picked up on this minor detail...The bottom line is that these so called “cloning” cracks in ePassports are bogus and they all cite the same guy Lukas Grunwald over and over again who admittedly hasn’t cracked anything. The problem is that the reporters don’t understand the technology and can’t ask the right questions.
Posted by Peter at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
Windows 2000 it's so like last century.
Information Week reports that Microsoft is putting pressure on business users using windows 2000 to get themselves to Vista.
What if you want to keep your old operating systems, such as Windows 2000, running as long as possible?Microsoft isn't making it easy for you. Office 2007 and the software for the company's much-hyped Zune music player won't install on Windows 2000. As other new products emerge from Microsoft in 2007 and beyond, more and more of them are likely to leave Windows 2000 out of the party.
What's more some of the install issues seem to be phony.
One example of this conundrum is Microsoft's Windows Defender program. This antispyware program can be downloaded for free, but it will only install on Windows XP, Server 2003, and higher. The application won't install on Windows 2000, according to Microsoft's own product documentation...The installer contains a condition defined as VersionNT > 500. (Windows 2000 is technically considered version 5.0 of Windows NT.) Admins who've removed this condition using Orca, an Installshield editor, say Defender then installs and runs fine on Windows 2000.
The irony is Microsoft provides some instructions for this here
Since business users with a larger stake in avoiding costly upgrades then most users the NYT rule might not apply and the existing alternatives come into play:
According to Chris Ratcliffe, Sun's director of Solaris marketing, the Santa Clara, Calif., company is actually still supporting users of version 2.6. That product is more than 10 years old and hasn't been commercially available since 2002. But Sun's "vintage support" period means the operating system is fully supported through 2007, Ratcliffe says.Even after 2007 ends, it isn't curtains for the older technology. "After the end of vintage support," Ratcliffe explains, "we're prepared to go into negotiations with customers on an individual basis."
Will that make a big enough difference to make things change in Washington state? I suspect not for a while.
Posted by Peter at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)
Safe to surf, safe to call. Score one against junk science
First a history lesson:
Back in the early days of railroads in England farmers objected to the laying of the tracks saying that the noise of the trains would make the cows stop giving milk and other dire predictions. They of course did not come true.
Last Month George Ou linked to this story about a woman in England claiming that wi-fi was making her sick. He had this to say:
Take the highest power industrial grade Access Point and put it in front of her. Let's use something that puts out 500 milliwatts which is about 10 times more powerful than typical access points and set it 6 feet in front of her in plain sight. Then mask off the Wi-Fi activity indicator so you can't go by the LED indicator when the Wi-Fi is on or off but let her see that the Access Point is plugged in and turned on. Remotely SSH in to the Access Point and toggle the radio on and off for durations of at least 10 minutes on or off in a random pattern and note the time of each change in state and repeat this test for a few hours. Have her write down the times she believes the she feels the 2.4 GHz radio waves assaulting her and let's see how she scores.
Today Ou links to this article of a Danish Study that concludes that cell phones don't cause cancer:
Scientists tracked 420,000 Danish cellphone users, including 52,000 who had gabbed on the gadgets for 10 years or more, and some who started using them 21 years ago.They matched phone records to the famed Danish Cancer Registry that records every citizen who gets the disease, and reported Tuesday that cellphone callers are no more likely than anyone else to suffer a range of cancer types.
He uses this study to reinforce his earlier point:
The truth of the matter is, a Cell phone at 10 millimeters away (distance from your brain) is about 8,000,000 times stronger than a Wi-Fi access point that is 10 meters away. A ubiquitous cordless 2.4 GHz cordless phone is about 1,000,000 times stronger under those same distances comparisons. ... I find it very difficult to believe that someone who has almost certainly used a cordless phone or a microwave oven without incident would have a nasty allergic reaction to a distant Wi-Fi access point that is 1,000,000 times weaker.
I of course have avoided cell phones due to an allergic reaction to the monthly bill.
Posted by Peter at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2006
Congratulations to each and every one of you.
Well Time has chosen it's person of the year and it's YOU:
You were named Time magazine "Person of the Year" on Saturday for the explosive growth and influence of user-generated Internet content from such sources as blogs, video-sharing site YouTube and social-networking site MySpace.com.
In Time's own words:
For seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, Time's Person of the Year for 2006 is you
Considering the many times we have commented on avg people using technology to do amazing things I think it's a good pick.
Posted by Peter at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2006
Wii Recall just in time for Christmas
This is what you call bad timing:
Nintendo is recalling 3.2 million straps attached to the controllers of its new Wii game consoles, and about 200,000 AC adapters for its DS and DS Lite handheld game machines. The company made an offer to exchange the straps for stronger ones after consumers reported they were breaking during game play.
That's going to hit the bottom line a bit:
In addition to the cost of replacing the straps, Nintendo predicts the issue will cost it between US$848,600 and $1.7 million to replace the faulty adapters.
Well that will make it a less Merry Christmas for them.
Posted by Peter at 09:35 AM | Comments (2)
Microsoft leaves an opening IBM drives through.
Looks like Microsoft's desire to get a bigger slice of the database business is being hampered by a flaw in Vista:
Until now, Microsoft has been doing what it does best to attract corporate customers: It has tied its SQL Server database management software to programs running on Windows desktops.But now Microsoft has a problem. Vista, its long-awaited update to the Windows operating system, can't run the current version of SQL Server. The company is working on a SQL upgrade that is compatible with Vista - called SQL Server 2005 Express Service Pack 2 - but it's in beta and can be licensed only for testing purposes. Microsoft hasn't set a release date for the new SQL program.
So what does a smart company do when there is an open, they take a truck and drive through it:
IBM has beaten Microsoft to the punch. Last week IBM released a desktop version of its competing database management software, called DB2 9 Express-C, that's compatible with Vista.Microsoft's oversight with SQL is one reason, among many, why analysts don't expect Vista to appear in the workplace until 2008. And it's become yet another sticking point with corporate IT departments already frustrated by their dependence on Microsoft. In the long run, the lack of SQL support could delay widespread adoption of Vista even further.
I think that it's not going to change the reality that the NYT has pointed out, but it's another straw on the camel's back.
Posted by Peter at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2006
Happy Hanukkah from Hiwired
Sunset tonight marks the beginning of Hanukkah the Jewish festival of light. Details here here here and here.
An interesting thing is there are apparently several different spelling of the day. This is quite useful to me since I can't spell to save my life.
This Hannukkah will continue through December 23rd. To all our Jewish Customers we wish a happy and Holy Chanukah.
To our non Jewish customers we say as always, have a great week.
Posted by Peter at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
I'm right next to you.
Techs in general love there technology and use it whenever possible, however there are times when it is just not necessary. that tends to drive me nuts.
One of my pet peeves is when I am sitting next to or behind somebody and they say "Hi" in a chat room. I tend to turn around and say "I'm right here!". If you are on the phone with a customer that's one thing but just talk to me if I'm nearby.
Do you have a tech pet peeve? Send it in!
Posted by Peter at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2006
Amazon comes through!!!!!
You might remember a couple of posts concerning Amazon.com and a customer service issue I had. They had agreed to either refund me shipping or get the item out when promised.
Just got an e-mail. The item in question was shipped today.
This makes three years that I've used Amazon at Christmas and they've always come through.
Posted by Peter at 02:46 PM | Comments (0)
We're all moon maidens now
Apparently Igniteblog suggests that Glenn Reynolds might be a Cypher for big drug companies, sort of a pseudo moon maiden.
I guess that's one way to get a quick instalance.
Glenn shouldn't feel bad though according to Technorati you still aren't reading this, as we haven't updated our site for 226 days. Looks like they didn't read our last post about this in September, but then again how could they read it if it never happened?
I guess that makes me a Moon Maiden too.
Update: remember when I'm talking about Moon Maidens I don't mean this one.
Posted by Peter at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)
The New York Times bottom lines it perfectly
Today the New York Times give a pretty solid review of Windows Vista:
So after five years, how is Windows Vista? Microsoft’s description, which you’ll soon be seeing in millions of dollars’ worth of advertising, is “Clear, Confident, Connected.” But a more truthful motto would be “Looks, Locks, Lacks.”
The review is useful and very much worth a read but it is David Pogue's last paragraph that says what the rest of us have danced around for the past several months:
In other words, it doesn’t matter what you (or tech reviewers) think of Windows Vista; sooner or later, it’s what most people will have on their PCs. In that light, it’s fortunate that Vista is better looking, better designed and better insulated against the annoyances of the Internet. At the very least, it’s well equipped to pull the world’s PCs along for the next five years — or whenever the next version of Windows drops down the chimney.
Truer words were never spoken.
Posted by Peter at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
In search of Moon Maidens
Former CNN Head Eason Jordan is heading to Iraq to try and find alleged moon maiden Jamil Hussein and has invited Michelle Malkin who has posted on the matter to join him in the search:
So the search for Jamil Hussein is on, and rightly so. IraqSlogger's team in Baghdad is working to track him down. If we find him, we'll get back to you with details. If we can't find him, we'll report that, too. If Michelle Malkin wants to join the search in Baghdad, IraqSlogger will pay for her trip, and I'd even be willing to accompany her. Stay tuned.
She has accepted
This brings up another point, When she goes to Iraq Ms. Malkin will be joining a group that includes, Michael Yon, Michael Totten, Michael Fumento (in Ramadi) and Bill Roggio (in Fallujah) all bloggers/independent reporters who on their own have (and most of them on their own dime) travel to Iraq or Lebanon or elsewhere to give us first hand news.
You may or may not agree with their views but no matter how you slice it, the net is allowing first hand reporting without a filter to get to readers. It is brought about by the triumph of technology allowing the reporting and the triumph of guts to go over there and do it. As a reader I say thanks.
Posted by Peter at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2006
This guy is lucky Dean didn't use his name
There is a blog that I've never heard of before called Deano's world run by a fellow named Dean Hunt. Via Slashdot today I became acquainted with the blog and the rather odd circumstances that he was threatened with legal action for...wait for it....having a higher Google ranking than the business threatening legal action.
The fun started with this post. The letter Dean received stated in part:
On Thursday morning I checked our Google positions and your site is now above us for this term. I have checked your blog and it has nothing to do with [edited], so I think it would be best all round if you remove your blog from Google for this search term.(spelling errors corrected)
Dean being apparently a sane and rational person answered the e-mail in part saying:
I have never attempted to rank for the search term [edited], I seem to rank fairly well for [edited], which I suppose is fairly similar. But if Google prefers my site to yours then perhaps you should be asking yourself why that is.
He closed as follows:
Perhaps instead of wasting your time with e-mails like this you could work on improving your web site instead?
The business in question followed up with a 2nd letter threatening legal action. Dean being a sane and rational man ignored it.
As of today 4 days later it appears that the company has decided to drop this. I think Dean has very gracious in not revealing the company name since it would have been equated with ridicule all over the blogsphere.
I can't help but think of the famous(pseudo?)exchange between Groucho Marx and the Warner Brothers studio where the studio complained about the upcoming movie A Night in Casablanca infringing on their movie Casablanca, This is an excerpt from Groucho's reply:
It seems that in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather, while looking for a shortcut to the city of Burbank, had stumbled on the shores of Africa and, raising his alpenstock (which he later turned in for a hundred shares of common), named it Casablanca.I just don’t understand your attitude. Even if you plan on releasing your picture, I am sure that the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo. I don’t know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try.
I'm sure that there is a way to gimmick Google ranks and results (we commented on some pre-election stunts along those lines) but this seems like a rebel without a clue. There is no Divine Right to google ranking.
Posted by Peter at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)
Ok Firefox II sold me
I've never been an update person. I still Run iTunes 6.0, I have the old Mozilla that I have and keep old updates handy and install files handy. This is for three reasons:
1. You can always find the new stuff but not the old stuff and you never know when you'll have a customer with the old stuff.
2. I'm a great believer in the "if it works don't fix it" rule.
3. I just don't want to go through the hassle.
When Firefox 2.0 came out as normal we reported it and I ignored it. I must confess that I had no idea there was a built in spell checker in the program.
Today I'm working on a system at the main office and was shocked to see the spell checker find my errors while I was typing the blog.
If that's not worth an upgrade I'd like to know what is.
Posted by Peter at 03:31 PM | Comments (0)
What makes your games tick
Tech Republic has a great series of galleries of different gaming systems, side by side, in action and taken apart. Definitely worth a look.
Wii & GameCube side by side
Game Cube Cracked Open.
X-Box 360 Cracked Open
Wii Cracked open.
When you look inside of the boxes you understand what we techs have always known. Your game systems are just PC running a single basic program. When they talk about the extra features such as networking etc, all that's being done is using other functions.
Posted by Peter at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
A price people will pay
Well Amazon has established that people will pay $90 for the Zune:
Zune 30 GB Digital Media Player (White) from our Electronics store Amazon Price: $229.95 Winning Price: $90.00 Currently sold out at this price
Basically Amazon has a contest each day to discount a limited quantity of an item during the Christmas season. The Zune was the item one day and it sold out. (as did the X-Box 360 at $100), but it establishes the Papelbon rule as true.
Posted by Peter at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2006
About that wireless Zune feature
One of the touted features of the Zune is the wireless ability to share music. Today on CNet we see the quest of a user to find somebody ANYBODY with a Zune to share with:
Well, it had been two weeks since the Zune had hit stores, and I was ready to sample a stranger's tunes. Equipped with a demonstration unit--courtesy of the folks in Redmond--I set out to try to find some fellow Zunes and their playlists.
It's not quite the Quest for the Holy Grail but it is an amusing read.
Posted by Peter at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2006
IE 7 you don't HAVE to update
We've had a spate of calls from people having trouble with IE 7. Since IE is considered a critical upgrade Windows Update automatically pushes it.
If you would rather not have it pushed an easy solution is this:
1...Go to the windows update website
2...Run a "custom" update
3...When IE7 is listed uncheck it and tell windows not to check for it again.
Of course if you don't want to go through all that trouble Your Daily Cup of Tech has a zip file that will do it for you.
Posted by Peter at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)
Why Karem Amer matters here
A blogger in Egypt Karem Amer has been jailed for a month for what he posted on his blog:
Blogging became Amer's outlet - and his downfall. When Al-Azhar officials discovered a blogpost criticizing extremist professors, Amer was expelled and his case referred to the public prosecutor.Although a human rights lawyer accompanied Amer to his interrogation, prosecutors made clear they were indicting Amer for his beliefs...
...Amer would not retract his blogposts, so prosecutors threw him in jail - and laughed at the human rights attorney present, openly mocking the concept of standing up for individual rights.
Why is that important? Why does internet free speech and jailed bloggers constantly rate posts on a technical blog anyway? Let me explain:
Just over 21 months ago the company started this blog. The owners of the company shell out the hosting fees and purchased Movable Type. Although I've done most of the blogging every employee of this company who has worked here for more than 30 days has blogging rights (HINT HINT GUYS). Back in April we started our podcast interviews. Since September we have interviewed people outside of the company.
I have never had a blog post censored by my bosses. I have never had a podcast censored or been told what I can or can not ask. I have never been told to pull a post. I have been free to tell stories and give my opinions on various products.
A good example is this: You have never (and will never) hear me refer to this time as the "holiday" season. I say "Christmas" and will continue to do so. I will also say Hanukkah, Kwanzza, Boxing Day, Yon Kippur, Thanksgiving etc etc etc... Each of these days can stand on its own two feet. There is no reason to be afraid to name any of them. I have and will continue to wish our customers well on all these days that are celebrated, religious or secular. If you don't celebrate anything I'll wish you a nice day. In an era where people are so afraid of saying anything that type of public freedom is really special in a company.
Other posters have had the same privileges, I've disagreed with some but the posts haven't been touched. We've had comments that have disagreed and have even been insulting, we've edited out vulgarities but we haven't pulled the comments.
All of this online freedom is a function of: The classy people I work for, the freedoms given by this country, the technical invention of those who invented the net and all the tools I use and most of all to the willingness of my grandparents to come to a strange country 100 years ago not knowing the language or customs and working much harder then I ever have so I wouldn't have to. Odds are if you are reading this in America you can say the same thing, only the date of arrival will have changed.
We have been given much, to whom much is given much is expected. It's only a little thing to mention and object when others don't get that freedom that we all take for granted, but when we do we honor all those who have made ours possible.
Posted by Peter at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)
The Zune is Jonathan Papelbon
In my last opinion piece on the Zune I said the device was given a bad rap. I've thought about it a little bit and I think the mistake I'm making is that I'm looking at it as a device rather than as a product.
As a device the Zune is worthwhile and can do a lot of cool things, in fact I just tested the accessory for integrating it the TV and it's a great way to show off family photos, as a tech judging if a product is worthwhile or not, I have to conclude that the Zune is a worthwhile product.
But in the consumer marketplace when somebody decides am I going to buy the Zune or the IPOD the question becomes which is the best product for the money, which brings me to the Subject of Jonathan Papelbon....
If you take a look at his states they are impressive. In 76 games over two seasons he has compiled a 7-3 record with 35 saves in 42 chances and an ERA of 1.50. Last year he converted just under 87% of his save chances and had an ERA under 1.00 He was the major reason that the Red Sox were not also-rans a whole lot sooner than they were. This is a pretty good job for a 26 year old pitcher.
Now lets consider another baseball closer Mariano Rivera:
Mariano Rivera is 37 years old and has pitched in the majors for twelve years, the last 10 as a closer. He has compiled a record of 59 wins Vs. 40 losses over those years with 413 saves Vss 55 blown saves. He has not recorded an ERA over 1.95 over that last 4 seasons. With the exception of his first season (when he started 10 games in 19 appearances he has never posted an ERA above 2.86. Last season he blew only 3 saves in 37 chances. Before Mariano Rivera arrived the last Yankee team to play in a World Series was the 1981 team that lost to the Dodgers. Since 1986 his 2nd year he's helped the Yankees to 6 World Series appearances winning 4. The team has won it's division in 10 of his twelve years and finished 2nd twice.
Jonathan Pappalbon made $335,400 last year, that's more money than I'll ever see.
Mariano Rivera made $10,500,000 last year, that's a bloody fortune.
Now consider, if both players were free agents and you had 10.5 million to spend, which player would you get? Would you take the young player who has potential or the established one that has proven himself over and over again?
Now if you could get Pappalbon for a lower price then you are more likely to take him.
The IPOD is Rivera, the Zune is Pappalbon. We've already established that the Zune is the same price as the IPOD.
If the Zune came out at a lower price or as a loss leader as rumors had reported it might have made a difference, but it did not.
The Zune is a good device with a good future ahead of it, but given the choice the wise shopper buys the IPOD.
Posted by Peter at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2006
It's beginning to look a lot like $$$$$
This is a topic we go over every now and again, but it's worth repeating as Christmas gets closer. There are quite a few people looking at the various discounts for Computers offered and trying to find a bargain for a new machine. Before you jump at one deal or another ask yourself these questions:
1. What do I use my computer for right now?
If you are an elderly person who only checked an occasional e-mail and maybe goes to the Pogo site for a game or two your needs are going to be different from a teenage gamer who spends hours with online game such as World of Warcraft. Knowing your habits is the first step to buying smart.
2. What will I be needing or wanting in six months?
Are you a student who will shortly be going to college? Is that new upgrade for City of Heroes going to need a faster processor than the PC you are looking at has? Are you planning to start a home business? Are you about to retire and won't be working from home anymore? These are all questions that need answering. If your needs are going to change soon then make sure the system you are buying can fill those future needs.
3. Operating systems/ Established vs New
Next year Microsoft will be releasing the Vista system to the general public, yet the system being sold today will all have windows xp sp2 on them. XP sp2 is a well-established OS, so you know what you are getting if you purchase it. Vista has a lot of new features but non-beta releases are yet to be tested in the general public arena. You need to decide if you want the established system or the new one. Remember that new software will be written geared to the new OS, but will likely be compatible to XP for a long time. Also many of the new computer computers offer a free vista upgrade, you can save some serious cash, it's my experience that you are always better off with a clean install vs an upgrade.
Side features extras or extra baggage:
Packaged deals will usually come with say a printer or a particular amount of ram. Do the extras fill a need or are they just clutter? Are they an improvement on what you have? A printer thrown into the deal is no bargain if you already have three in the house (unless you want to give it away to someone as a gift of course).
Gift Items:
My father always wanted a grandfather clock. One year he finally decided to buy himself one and even placed it on order. Meanwhile my sister had bought him a Grandmother clock and had us all chip in. My father being himself took the gift and cancelled the order for the clock he actually wanted. That story always stuck with me. So if you are buying a system as a gift consider, does it fit the person's needs, does it fit the wants, will it show up on ebay shortly after Christmas without my knowledge? It's not like a tie that if it sits in the closet doesn't cost a few hundred dollars.
Know your budget:
This is the mistake that most of us make. Know what you can afford to spend and what you can't. If you can't afford what you want consider what you need, if your need doesn't require a new system hold off. It's not a bargain if you can't afford it, and you will be surprised what you can do without if you don't care about having what the other guy does.
Update: Mickey Kaus gives his opinion concerning Vista, it sounds familar:
Now I can't see a thing Vista's going to do for me that seems worth braving the inevitable Microsoft early teething problems.
Sounds like the good enough theory to me.
Posted by Peter at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
Where no Blogger has gone before
Space blogging the final frontier. (via glenn).
Posted by Peter at 03:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2006
Addiction is Addiction Blackberry or no.
I know that in my family we tend to gather around the TV computer and laptop but all in the same room so the electronics are a shared experience. For some families this isn't always the case the Wall Street Journal reports (via Glenn):
In Austin, Texas, Hohlt Pecore, 7, and his sister, Elsa, 4, have complicated relationships with their mother's BlackBerry. "I feel very annoyed," says Hohlt. "She's always concentrating on that blasted thing." (Hohlt says he picked up the word "blasted" from the film "Pirates of the Caribbean.")
Elsa has hidden the BlackBerry on occasion -- Hohlt says she tried to flush it down the toilet last year. Their mother, Elizabeth Pecore, who co-owns a specialty grocery store, denies the incident. But Elsa also seems to recognize that it brings her mom comfort, not unlike a pacifier or security blanket. Recently, seeing her mom slumped on the couch after work, Elsa fished the BlackBerry from her mother's purse and brought it to her. "Mommy," she asked, "will this make you feel better?"
I know there are times when It's hard to leave the CIV IV game, so I tend to play it when they are at school or very late at night.
Posted by Peter at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2006
Hello I'm Peter and I like the Zune
Well I've now had a week to fiddle with the Zune and I'm come to a conclusion:
This device, but not Microsoft, is getting a bad rap. My son is right.
The Zune itself is heavier than the IPOD, shows pictures better than the ipod, works as a radio, allows you to play music while playing a slideshow, has a better volume control and it frankly a sleek device.
The Zune is basically suffering from the expectations game.
The Zune software doesn't currently support podcasts, that is a software issue and a Microsoft decision.
The wireless feature's limitations are due to DRM decisions so people's expectations were different since one would naturally assume a wireless device would wirelessly sync.
The decision to sell music in the way that Microsoft chooses to sell it is again something just annoying customers.
And finally the IPOD is a first rate device
Or to put it simply, the Zune is a good device condemned by poor support software, user unfriendly choices and expectations that were high and a first rate device it is fighting with for market.
However you might recall that Microsoft front page 97 was one of the worst pieces of software ever released but Front page 2000 was a vast improvement.
So bottom line, if you choose to go with the Zune be aware of the current limitations, if you don't plan on a lot of on-line buying it might be the better choice.
It remains to be seen if the software updates will correct the limitations without buying a new device. If a firmware update allows wireless syncing then the battle is over (at least until the Pod includes it too.
If the pod get the wireless sync working before the Zune does then Apple wins the day.
Posted by Peter at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2006
Our condolences
Our condolences are offered to the family of CNET editor James Kim who was found dead in the Oregon woods yesterday.
Wired News has a remembrance here.
Posted by Peter at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)
lap top dying or battery dying?
My old Inspiron 1150 is showing some odd symptoms over the last couple of days.
All of a sudden the battery starts to discharge when plugged into AC, the system itself toggles from AC to BATTERY as if it can't see it.
Reseating the battery after shutdown seems to get rid of it but it comes back. Not sure if it is a battery issue or a whole system issue. A battery I can buy quick enough, but I'd hate to spend the money on one and find out the system is dying instead.
I'll try to get another battery to test, but it might be the end of the line for the old Inspiron 1150.
Posted by Peter at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2006
And the nominees are (not us waaaah!)
This years list of nominees for the 2006 Weblog awards have been announced and again we aren't on the list. (Sniff, Sob, Sniff)
We would like to point out that three of the nominees have been interviewed by us on our Podcasts. Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters, Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit and Chris Muir of Day by Day.
We are very proud and grateful that all three have joined us. We will try to get some of the other blogs in contention to sit and visit with us soon. In the meantime check out all the various blogs on the list. I can say for sure that the three guys above all rate a vote.
Posted by Peter at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2006
Moon Maiden alert: Meet Captain Jamil Hussein
I haven't been following the story much as we've been very busy here but it looks like yet another Moon Maiden is making an appearance in the news cycle:
The story, which was quickly picked up by virtually every major news organization in the world, also claimed that "the Shiite-dominated police and Iraqi military" stood by doing nothing as the six people were gruesomely murdered. The story was sourced to "police Captain Jamil Hussein."The problem is there appears to be no such person as Captain Jamil Hussein, at least not who is employed by the Iraqi police. The U.S. military says Hussein doesn't exist and has demanded that AP issue a correction. The Iraqi government says no such person is on its police payroll.
Again we see the internet acting exactly as Capt Ed and Glenn said on their podcast interview with us; giving power to ordinary people. In this case the blog Flopping Aces that broke the story. The post that started it all drew so much traffic that his server went down so you can find all the posts in the series on this backup site here.
If you want more details the blogs are all over this one.
I know who Captain Jamil Hussein is: He's George Harleigh's half brother of course.
BTW that page of quotes from our non-existent friend George Harleigh is STILL UP.
Posted by Peter at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2006
Axis of internet blocking
It appears that the two remaining members of the Axis of Evil can now also be referred to as the Axis of net censorship:
Iran yesterday shut down access to some of the world's most popular websites. Users were unable to open popular sites including Amazon.com and YouTube following instructions to service providers to filter them.Similar edicts have been issued against Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia, IMDB.com, an online film database, and the New York Times site. Attempts to open the sites are met with a page reading: "The requested page is forbidden."
The clampdown was ordered by senior judiciary officials in the latest phase of a campaign that has seen high-speed broadband facilities banned in an attempt to impede "corrupting" foreign films and music. It is in line with a campaign by Iran's Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to purge the country of western cultural influences.
Via Michelle Malkin who points out some irony here. As a general rule this stuff doesn't work in the long run and there are ways around it, if you are willing to risk your neck that is. You can always spot a place that isn't free by what you can't say. Of course it is still better than North Korea where net access is almost non-existant.
Meanwhile via our favorite free speech diva it appears that China is re-writing history on the net or at least on Wikipedia anyway:
According to the English-language version of Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia, he was a victorious military and political leader who founded China's modern Communist state. He was also a man many saw as "a mass murderer, holding his leadership accountable for the deaths of tens of millions of innocent Chinese."Switch to Wikipedia in Chinese, and one discovers a very different man. There, Mao Zedong's reputation is unsullied by any mention of a death toll in the great purges of the 1950s and 1960s, or for what many historians call the greatest famine in human history.
And what do you do when you can't control the content, why you make your own:
A parallel, and purely homegrown, effort at creating an online encyclopedia in China, Baidu Baike, skirts controversies like these altogether.
How skirted it it?
A user who searches for the Tiananmen Square massacre will find no entry.... A spokeswoman for the company, Zhang Yan, said it is guided by the editorial policy of not "judging the existing national system with malice."
Asked to explain what this meant, Zhang said, "Anyone who is Chinese knows."
It remains to be seen if the reach of the net will overcome these things.
Posted by Peter at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
Generic Password Warning
The UN is worried about your passwords:
The International Telecommunication Union, a Geneva-based U.N. branch, said businesses and regulators need to find a solution to the spread of personal information on the Internet, possibly by developing more streamlined identification methods.At the moment, the ITU said the sheer number of identifiers and passwords required from computer users made it nearly inevitable that they repeat codes.
As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Your identify info is a map, as each piece becomes available thieves follow it to find the treasure, your credit card and bank access info.
Consider unique passwords for each banking establishment or merchant you use or at the very least a set of rotating passwords. That extra security today will be a lot less trouble than chasing after lost or stolen funds later.
Posted by Peter at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
I'm confirm with him when I'm more awake
A big shock hit me last night. After my shift I was talking to my 15 year old son. I handed him the Zune I've been working with and asked him to play with it for an hour.
Around midnight he handed it back to me saying: "Why would anyone want an Ipod when they can have this"?
I do have a bit of a sinus headache and it was near midnight but I'm sure I did hear him correctly.
I'll double check when I see him tonight but it's nearly the first nice thing I've heard about the device and the only person I know who likes it better than the pod.
He does have one point, the ACTUAL device is in my opinion better than the pod, it's got more mass, a better screen and i like the volume controls. However the limitations of the device put on it by Microsoft make it less of a value, particularly if you are using the Zune store to buy music, but we'll see what he says later.
Posted by Peter at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)
December 03, 2006
Lucky for me I don't forget my wife's birthday.
An awful lot is going on around here. So much in fact that I totally forgot our 2nd Anniversary two days ago. (Dec 1st)
HiWired is two years old and like most two year olds we are growing like a weed. It's a lot of fun to be here and watch the new people come, particular when you were here for the start. Now if I could only get them to post a little...
To all of you who have used us in the last two years, thanks a lot for the most enjoyable job I've ever had.
Posted by Peter at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
Another reason why the net is great for Christmas Shopping
One of the great utilities of the net is the ability of ordinary people to talk about what they like and dislike. If a big chunk of people think something is a lemon you'll find out soon enough.
On CNET that is reflected by the reviews of downloaded software, if something is junk you find out about it real quick through the customer ranks and reviews.
At Christmas time this is very handy when buying technology, but can be applied to other items. Glenn Reynolds received a letter concerning cookware and it turned into this monster post about all kinds of cookware to purchase. Why one brand is better than another and even Non-Teflon Non-Stick if you are worried about flaking in your food. My favorite line is this one:
And of course, a good cast iron skillet is a kitchen essential, and properly maintained, nothing sticks to it.
I just need to know what properly maintained means, but there is nothing like a cast iron frying pan.
Posted by Peter at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2006
How to annoy customers via e-mail
I've been shopping at That's Entertainment for decades. My father used to take me 30 years ago. I've known the owner for almost that long and still pick up Usagi Yojimbo when it comes out there (and Groo when available).
They were a very early user of PC in the workplace and wisely use direct e-mail but today they gave a great example of how NOT to use e-mail as a business. Let me explain:
It's my day off but since we finally got the podcast interview with Ed Morrissey up I figured I'd check his blog to see if he linked it. He did. I figured I'd finally break down and register to leave a comment and a thank-you. So I went through the registration process and awaited the e-mail for confirmation, and waited, and WAITED.
Since I was playing the interview in the background for the wife, I figured it could be slowing the download. When the interview finished the thing was still crawling.
So I signed into my Comcast account to see what e-mail was clogging the download up. Turned out That's Entertainment had an e-mail about their holiday sale and added a scanned attachment of their flier.
Well that scan must be a pretty good resolution because it has now been two hours and it still hasn't finished downloading.
For the fun of it I'm leaving the outlook download active, in two hours it has managed to download 1/4 of %1.
The smart thing to do would have been to put the flyer on their server and included a link to it. Anybody with dial-up is going to be stopped cold by this.
This is a lesson well learned. If you are a business keep that in mind.
Update: Uh oh, the link above reveals the face behind the mask, hope the bad guys aren't paying attention!
Posted by Peter at 09:41 AM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2006
The Captain visiting our quarters
Our newest podcast The Captain (posted slightly late as we've been flat out around here) Features Captain Ed Morrissey of the blog Captains Quarters.
We talk about how he went from an avg guy who reads blogs to a writer of blogs to somebody who movers and shakers are interested in.
As always you can find it on the iTunes Music store under HiWired or you can listen directly here .
Update: BTW that picture is from an early post on his blog here. Well I think it is a much better picture than this one.
Posted by Peter at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
Amazon.com and the happy ending
Well got one more e-mail from Amazon today.
This one totally addressed my issue; the winning paragraph:
When your order is shipped, we'll send you an e-mail message to let
you know it's on the way. If the delivery date exceeds more than
December 19, 2006. I assure you that I will refund you the full
shipping charges you paid for this package, That is I will refund
you the amount of $15.38.
So basically they will attempt to get it out as promised, if not then they will refund the extra shipping. I think that is very fair and told them so in my response:
Hello again:Got your response today.
It is a very fair and reasonable solution and speaks well of you.
I will be sure to pass that opinion to people I know.
P.S. Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit called you "old reliable" I guess you've proven him right.
I love happy endings, particularly when they involve me. I like it even more when a large company takes care of their customers. It speaks well of them and will earn them many more years of business from me.
Posted by Peter at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)