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July 31, 2007
Now this is Wii-lly cool!
As Most of my co-workers know by now I'm a huge Car nut. I also like video games although I rarely play them. But when the Nintendo Wii came out I was one of those people standing in lines for hours until the store opened at midnight. I knew it was cool... but just how cool exactly escaped me until a recent conversation with a good friend. It turns out that the Wii-mote is a lot more than a neat way to control Mario.
via jalopnik
Ready equipped with 3-axis accelerometers, Nintendo's Wiimote is capable of measuring your car's performance. Kevin Lee, a forum user at VW Vortex discovered this and has posted all the necessary calculations to turn the G-force readings into performance figures and even provides a tutorial demonstrating how to connect a Wiimote to a PC. Testing his theory in a BMW M3, he recorded a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds. The Wiimote is also capable of measuring speed, cornering force and deceleration.
Real time data logging is something professional race teams use to learn about how the car performs under various circumstances, and make adjustments as needed. While this method is certainly not as accurate as a standalone data logger. It can provide useful information relatively inexpensively for the amateur car builder. All you need is a Bluetooth dongle, some software and a Wii remote!
Heres an image Kevin Lee took of the data recorded with the Wii-mote.
Posted by Jose at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2007
I'll take my Internet to go please.
Here at Hiwired I get to play with a lot of cool toys and learn how to integrate various technologies to simplify our lives.
But what happens when we take our technology on the road? I get calls from truck drivers, real estate agents, sales people and other "mobile professionals" pretty often. Some times they have issues getting their email or can't open a particular file. I even spoke to a gentleman who was an hour away from a presentation and the projector wouldn't work with his laptop. In all these cases we were able to help. Thats largely due to our 24/7 nature and ability to connect to you where ever you are as long as you have access to a high speed internet connection. Now that we support air cards (cellular high speed networks like Verizon and Sprint) we can help you anywhere you have a cellular signal. How cool is that?!
Next week I am going to try something I've never done before. I am embarking on a 3 day, 1500 mile road rally with 32 other teams. 12 of these vehicles are going to be outfitted with notebook computers, in car web cams, and wireless internet. I will be running live in car video where viewers can click on a link and see whats going on as well as track our progress via GPS the entire time.
I'm sure I'll run into some issues along the way but I am hopeful the technology will behave the right way, and if it doesn't I can always have my navigator double click on PC Check and Connect and get me connected to a tech!
Posted by Jose at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2007
The Ultimate Ipod accessory?
The perfect beach solution for your Ipod? With summer here and everyone heading on Vacation this may be the solution for you. A solar-powered bikini for your Ipod. This bikini created by Andrew Schneider is able to charge your Ipod while you soak up the sun’s rays! His next invention? Men’s swimwear that will power a cooler!
Posted by Scott at 06:07 PM | Comments (1)
July 28, 2007
Ok tomorrow for SURE
Yeah I know I'm on vacation but two quick news articles:
Most vote machines lose test to hackers
Wikia details plans for search rival to Google
Also just picked up the Civ IV Expansion Beyond the Sword, might write a review if I ever get pulled away from it.
Posted by Peter at 05:38 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2007
Vacation all I've ever wanted....
Well all good things must come to an end but in this case it is just starting my vacation that is.
I'm going to be gone for 10 days or so. I might get the odd post up if the mood strikes me, the laptop is near and the wife doesn't find me on it and kill me.
There are no guest bloggers here, just a lot of people who usually don't post, but you will be seeing regulars posts from some of the many other people here, believe it or not this IS a group blog.
Some you will be seeing for the first time, others have posted before but I'm sure you will enjoy the lot while I find time to finally finish the last Harry Potter Book and maybe read the other 5 ones I haven't tried yet.
Take care all.
Posted by Peter at 06:55 PM | Comments (0)
E-mail and Virus
Lately I've been getting a bunch of notices from my Connected on the Go e-mail service informing me of potential virus' that they managed to catch before they reached my system (let alone my inbox). So it seems like a good time to bring up the subject of Virus protection via e-mail.
Right off the bat I'll be a homer and say that if you don't have our Connected on the Go e-mail you are missing out. Not only is your e-mail synced on all computers at once, but since virus (and junk mail) filtering takes place BEFORE mails are downloaded by your e-mail program you don't run into the necessary system slowdowns that other filters provide.
There are three possible levels of protection:
Server Level virus protection:
PC Level virus protection:
You the user:
I'll go over the lot in the extended entry...
Server Level Protection:
I've already described that is server level protection. (What our COTG service provides). The idea is e-mails are filtered at the server where they are first received. This is an advantage for the reasons stated above, also it allows the network manager to identify specific threats and large scale attacks. If you work in a large corporate world you may wonder why you get so little spam and fewer virus. This is why. Also it is why COTG is a nice choice for you as well.
PC Level Virus protection:
The second layer of protection is a mail filter on virus programs. These filters will scan e-mails as they are downloaded from a server to your pc and check them for known virus. (Such a filter is usually included in our PC Guardian packages) These filters usually quite effective and if used in conjunction with a server level filter provide the maximum protection without the mistake of multiple anti-virus programs on a single system.
The disadvantages are three fold:
Speed:
Depending on the speed of your computer and the volume of your e-mail there will be delays in the download of mail, this can't be avoided if mail is to be properly checked. Some filters can be adjusted to for more speed but that always gives you less protection.
Updates
Any protection is only as good as the level of virus protection you have. If your virus protection has expired and or has not been updated your filter might not catch the newest virus variation. And since many nasties are money makers for their users the makers are constantly tweaking them to get around your protection.
Web mail
Many people don't get their mail through a program but get it directly off the web via whatever provider they are using (yahoo, hotmail etc... Mail that is grabbed directly off the web bypasses the anti-virus programs.
You the user:
If you don't have one or both of the protections I've already mentioned (and tsk tsk on you if you don't) you can still decrease the odds of a virus getting through by doing the following:
Avoid Preview panes: Preview panes partially open e-mails and can trigger some virus that need to be opened to run.Delete unsolicited e-mails:
If you don't know the sender and are not expecting a reply don't open it. Also remember that your bank, ebay and amazon and other places where you have online accounts will NEVER ask you for personal info.Beware of Generic subject lines:
If an e-mail worm as nailed a friend who has you on a mailing list you will get an e-mail trying to spread the infection to you. Usually those mails will have a generic things such as "hi" or "check this out" or something like that. What I like to do is to put in a code (such as a pets name) in the subject line since these programs won't include it.
All of these will decrease the odds of an e-mail virus. Keep these tips in mind and you will do well.
Posted by Peter at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2007
Seems to be quite a Storm
I was asked today if I heard about the "Greeting card virus" on the news. I was not aware of the recent attacks and it came as kind of a shock to me seeing I am in the Tech field. With all the new viruses and new ways that they are being distributed it is almost impossible to be aware of everything. Information Week states
Storm Worm Erupts Into Worst Virus Attack In 2 Years
Storm worm authors are blasting the Internet with two types of attacks, and both are aimed at building up their botnet.
Even Postini is experiencing a very high number of spam emails to their customers.
"We are basically in the midst of an incredibly large attack," said Adam Swidler, a senior manager with security company Postini. "
If you suspect that you might have encountered this type of virus, HiWired has a few services to help clean your system, as well as a Hosted email service that uses Postini Spam filtering. Remember. If you don't know who sent the email or if it is from a suspicioius site, do not open it until you get confirmation from the "person" who sent it to you. It only takes a short email to ask if they did and it could save you a big headache.
Posted by brian at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2007
We will withhold judgement for now
There has been probable new moon maiden sighting on the net. Other than the use of the word "probable" I'm going to withhold comment for now. If you don't want to wait till I'm positive then read here to see what other blogs are saying.
UPDATE: This goes to show that you never get in trouble for what you haven't said. We don't have a moon maiden we have a blogger, now it remains to be seen if he is writing comic books.
Posted by Peter at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)
Now that's what I call a PC security issue
We talk about computer security a bit around here and offer several products to enhance it, but the first and most important part of computer security involves actually knowing where they are:
More than a quarter of the computer equipment at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington could not be found by investigators, government auditors reported Tuesday.Three other VA facilities showed slightly better results but still could not locate between 6 percent and 11 percent of their equipment, including computers, hard drives, monitors and other devices. In all, the four facilities audited by the Government Accountability Office reported more than 2,400 missing items originally worth $6.4 million.
This would make my hair stand up on end, if I had the hair to make stand.
Posted by Peter at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2007
Laptop repairs pt 2
Our latest Technobabble podcast features part two of our interview with Jeromy Patriquin who does laptop repair in Gardner Mass. We continue our talk about the laptop repair and upkeep and talk a little about general computer issues. What is that difference? You can listen to this podcast here. Part one is here.
In addition to the direct link above you can as always find us at the iTunes Music store; Keyword Hiwired.
Posted by Peter at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2007
iPhone Hack? but its made by Apple?
A hack for an apple product? Impossible:
Although Apple built considerable security measures into its device, said Charles A. Miller, the principal security analyst for the firm, “Once you did manage to find a hole, you were in complete control.” The firm, based in Baltimore, alerted Apple about the vulnerability this week and recommended a software patch that could solve the problem.A spokeswoman for Apple, Lynn Fox, said, “Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users.”
You mean to say that this phone that people waited in line for and costs more than some PC's is as hackable as a Microsoft product? I thought the Apple name magically prevents any kind of security flaw and/or virus to manifest itself?
All kidding if you want your phone to act like a computer you had better expect it to have both the benefits and the problems of a computer.
“We’ve been hearing for a few years now that viruses and worms were going to be a problem on cellphones as they became a little more powerful, and we’re there,” he said. The iPhone is a full-fledged computer, he noted, “and sure enough, it’s got computer-grade problems.”
Didn't I just say that? Now here is a truth that I've mentioned in the past
“Windows gets hacked all the time not because it is more insecure than Apple, but because 95 percent of computer users are on Windows,” he said. “The other 5 percent have enjoyed a honeymoon that will eventually come to an end.”
Expect more stories along these lines in the future, a LOT more.
Posted by Peter at 07:33 AM | Comments (0)
If at first you don't succeed hope for the best in 2010
Slashdot talks about the latest version of the Microsoft operating system. And they don't mean Vista:
Microsoft is currently aiming to release the next version of the Windows operating system in about three years. Previously known as Vienna, the OS is now simply known internally as '7'.
ZDnet elaborates:
Short answer: Yes, it is going to take us at least three years to release Windows Seven. Longer if it’s buggy and doesn’t hit the “quality bar.”
Glenn's quote from yesterday hits the nail on the head. I wouldn't bet money against his prediction.
UPDATE: Scott reminds me he was all over this back in May.
Posted by Peter at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2007
It's not the company its the way of thinking
The Star Tribune reports on an issue that has come up with a rival of ours:
In recent months, allegations of agents copying pornography, music and alluring photos from customers' computers have circulated on the Internet. Some bloggers now call it the "Peek Squad."Any attractive young woman who drops off her computer with the Geek Squad should assume that her photos will be looked at," said Brett Haddock, a former Geek Squad technician.
The squad denies it is a big problem some in the company note that its growth is the issue:
some current and former Geek Squad agents say the intrusions into customer privacy are symptomatic of a larger problem: that Geek Squad's rapid growth has compromised its service quality and consistency.
They have a point qc issues are always larger as a company expands but I don't think that is what is really going on. In fact I don't think it is even a Geek Squad issue, I think it really the Limewire/Internet culture at work here.
You what a piece of music? Just download it for free with Limewire or whatever. Need a copy of windows? Just install your neighbors. Want to use a picture? Just grab it off the net (I actually did that myself with the Captain's Zorro picture for the podcast.) We e-mail pictures and items all over the place, the concept of paying for things on the net and even the concept of having to ask for items seems odd.
That being the case why would anyone be surprised if people think that they should worry about taking a picture or a song on a PC. Particulary younger people who grew up with this concept?
After all you are just making a copy.
The concepts of copyright and ownership are not the same to younger people as they were to others in pre-internet days. Some of the concepts should in fact change to reflect the new technology in fact it might be to the advantage of the industry to think that way but some other concepts just don't change.
People's mindsets have to change before this does, but either way I have some advice under the fold for techs and for customers...
To my fellow techs from any company I give the following advice:
You have to treat your customers computer the same way as you would expect or want a plumber, or a electrician or any other contractor coming into your house. They might politely comment on something in passing but they are there to do a job and you expect them to do it. You also have the right to expect that nothing will be taken or copied. Treat your customer the same. There are times also when you will miss a click, if you do, click back right away and return to work.
To a customer I would give the following advice:
If you were taking your car in for repairs you wouldn't leave embarrassing photos of yourself on the front seat would you? Treat your computer the same. If at all possible back up key data (you should be doing that anyways). If you are using an online backup (HINT HINT) you can even remove said items before a machine goes into the shop Like a mechanic it is the job of a tech to look under the hood if the situation calls for it. Remember if you put something in plain sight someone will see it. It is the job of a computer tech to check stuff out issues if their are problems. If there are restrictions let the techs know in advance and they can tell you if that will hinder their work.
A little common sense and common courtesy pay great dividends. The customer is dependent on the knowledge of the machine to get it fixed, the Tech is dependent on the customer for his living. Treat each other with respect and you will both be happy.
Posted by Peter at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2007
I guess I'm smarter than I look.
Last year we wrote the following about web economics and the New York Times "Times Select" service and online fees in general:
The fee providers need to provide a product that is of value to the user (hopefully you agree that we provide such value). If the value doesn't come the sale isn't made. The New York Times pay service Times Select may prove to be a great example of this.
By an odd coincidence I saw this article online today:
a growing chorus of people within the paper are lobbying to shut down the two-year-old service, which charges Web visitors to access columns from David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, Bob Herbert, Nicholas D. Kristof and Thomas L. Friedman."It a hot potato," said one insider. "There's a lot of pushing to do away with it."
Indeed, even several of the columnists who make up TimesSelect are said to have expressed reservations privately about the service when it launched, and little has changed their minds since then.
I guess I'll have to wait a few weeks to see if I'm proven smarter than I look.
Posted by Peter at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2007
Harry Potter and the early Shipment
National Review tells the story of a mis-shipped Harry Potter volume that ended up in Will Collier of Vodka Pundit's hands.:
The first thing I thought upon seeing the book was, “Boy, somebody screwed up.” Hallows is famously scheduled for release at midnight on July 21, more than four days after my copy arrived.As you’ve probably guessed by now, my second thought was, “Hey, this thing’s probably worth more than 18 bucks between now and then.” It was a matter of minutes from that thought to taking a blurry digital photo of the book propped up against my computer and composing a brief ad on eBay.
More on the story here here and here.
Posted by Peter at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2007
This person doesn't use HiWired
Via Frank Here is what happens when a person doesn't have HiWired:
A German man who startled his neighbors when he hurled his computer out of the window in the middle of the night, was let off for disturbing the peace by police who sympathized with his technical frustrations.
Don't let this happen to you.
Posted by Peter at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
Harry Potter and the purloined volume
If by some miracle you haven't already heard the final Harry Potter book has been leaked to the net:
Photos of what appeared to be every page of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the breathlessly awaited seventh and final installment in the wildly popular series by J.K. Rowling, were circulating around the Web today, potentially upsetting the most elaborate marketing machine ever mobilized for a book.Various file-sharing Web sites were carrying what looked like amateur photographs of each pair of facing pages of the book, which officially goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning. The pictures show the book laid out on a green and red-flecked looped carpet with somebody’s fingers holding it open. Some of the photos make the text difficult to read, but the ending is definitely legible.
Since the book is out in a few days its not really a big deal and I personally don't think it is going to hurt sales but this shows that in an internet age all the security and all the contracts in the world can't stop a person with a camera and a net connection.
(I won't include the link to the spoilers, if you are dying to see them you should be able to find it on the net).
Posted by Peter at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)
Is there anything Microsoft won't own?
A big hat tip to Juan who used to work here for this story in Arts Technica concerning a Microsoft Patent application on...adware delivery?
Microsoft has filed another patent, this one for an "advertising framework" that uses "context data" from your hard drive to show you advertisements and "apportion and credit advertising revenue" to ad suppliers in real time. Yes, Redmond wants to own the patent on the mother of all adware.
The article gives a technical explanation of what Microsoft is actually trying to patent. The writer John McBride closes thus:
The patent is a fascinating exercise in advertising delivery systems. But surely that's all it is—an exercise. No way anyone would ever actually make a thing like this. Right?
Of course not! Who ever heard of Microsoft embedding stuff in their OS.
This is another Mac vs PC ad waiting to happen.
UPDATE: "Is" was mistyped as If corrected.
Posted by Peter at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2007
Bad form at the top
During last years HiWired Summer School series on Vocab we talked about various terms including Sock Puppets.
Today via the Captain we have a more substantial example namely the the CEO of Whole Foods Market John Mackey:
For executives like Mr. Mackey, sock-puppeting is probably more gratifying than effective in swaying opinion or stock prices — until they get caught. Then it is embarrassing, and for chief executives, at least, potentially illegal. Laws carefully prescribe what executives of public companies can say. The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Friday night that the Securities and Exchange Commission had begun [an informal] inquiry into whether Mr. Mackey violated security laws with the posts.
The Captain adds his comments to the story:
His competitors now can go back through years of message-board postings and sue for any false or misleading information Mackey may have posted. If he put out false or confidential information in an attempt to boost his stock price, he could go to prison.
The internet and blogs may be relatively new to the financial world, but its existence doesn't trump or alter the existing rules of ethics and law. It's just another example of a long established firm that hasn't figured out the new rules of the road.
Posted by Peter at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2007
Busy busy busy
Apparently all of your computers decided to break this morning. I'll try to get something interesting up ASAP.
Meanwhile there is always George Ou, Slashdot or EnGadget.
Posted by Peter at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2007
Even more shock
Via Slashdot even more shock concerning Vista:
Possibly after one of the latest updates in Windows Vista, two strange things happened: first, the Uninstall option is no longer available in the Control Panel when you right-click on older programs ... second, some programs are no longer shown on the applications list in Control Panel
This is not a consistent problem with all systems (for example uninstall appears when I select an application on my Vista system). However the comment thread that follows is a very interesting debate on the merits of Vista and the use of patching. The funniest suggested solution is here.
In all seriousness Vista is isn't as bad as all the complaints make it seem, it's just, in my opinion, not better than XP at least not yet.
Posted by Peter at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2007
I'm shocked shocked
Via Glenn this MSNBC story won't raise a bunch of eyebrows:
Six months on, Vista users still griping
I must say that I was as shocked at this story as Captain Renault, was “ to find that gambling is going on in here.”
Posted by Peter at 04:53 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
Key Loggers
Today I have had the distinct displeasure of dealing with a key logger on a system.
Key loggers are the worst type of hacks that a system can have. They record every keystroke that is done on said system and write it to a log that is then transmitted to whoever put in on.
Tens of thousands of dollars are stolen by people using key loggers grabbing password, bank account information and the lot. Here are a few things you should do if a you find such a program on your system.
a) Any banking information on said system may be compromised, contact your bank and make sure your accounts haven't been touched, have them monitor said accounts. If there is any sign at all of actual theft, have them closed and new ones opened.b) Credit card should be canceled and re-issued. You can't take chances here, some card thieves will wait, and then hit you during say the Christmas shopping season where your card company might not wonder about an expensive purchase such as diamonds.
c) Any online or system passwords should be changed, any online companies such as amazon, paypal or eBay that might have account info should be contacted.
d) If you are not sure that your system can be cleaned reformat it. This can be a pain in the neck, but a lot less of a pain than being robbed.
Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, keeping your anti-virus up to date, being careful of unsolicited e-mails or free downloads will drop the chances that you will ever have to worry about it at all, but if you ever do have this issue, remember time is of the essence. In an electronics age you can't afford to wait to save what you've worked for.
Posted by Peter at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Podcast Laptop repair and upkeep
Our latest Technobabble podcast features part one of our interview with Jeromy Patriquin who does laptop repair in Gardner Mass. He talks about the repairs to my own laptop, some things that you can do to keep your own laptop purring and some interesting notes about repairs he's done. I've often said that teenagers are deadly to computers. He agrees and notes a difference between the sexes in the damage. What is that difference? You can listen here to find out.
In addition to the direct link above you can as always find us at the iTunes Music store; Keyword Hiwired.
We have a few podcasts in the works but if you have any suggestions for future podcast that you'd like to see we would be very interested in hearing them.
Posted by Peter at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2007
iSee whats in the iPhone
For anyone that is interested the great folks at Thinksecret they have a gallery full of pictures of an iPhone taken apart. You can view them and a short article here.
Posted by Chrisk at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
If you've ever been in a old computer room like the ones I used to sometimes work in 20 years ago you will note the rooms is cool enough to keep a lunch in since the temps are kept down for the computers.
I've often talked about how heat (along with teenagers) are deadly to pc's this goes double for mainframes and servers as these people found out:
When employees of The State came in to work following a three day weekend, they found their workstations overloaded with "cannot logon" and "Exchange communication" error messages. The Network Services folks had it even worse: the server room was a sweltering 109° Fahrenheit and filled with dead or dying servers.At first, everyone had assumed that the Primary A/C, the Secondary A/C, and the Tertiary A/C had all managed to fail at once. But after cycling the power, the A/Cs all fired up and brought the room back to a cool 64°.
The why was not that important at first but when everything came back up an e-mail that explained it all came in. It speaks for itself:
I came in today (Monday) to finish up a project I was working on before our big meeting with the State ----- Commission tomorrow, and I noticed that there were three or four large air conditioners running the entire time I was here. Since it's a three day weekend, no one is around, why do we need to have the A/C running 24/7?With all the power that all those big computers in that room use, I
doubt it is really eco-friendly to run those big units at the same
time. And all computers have cooling fans anyway, so why put the A/C
for the building in that room?I got a keycard from [the facility manager’s] desk and shut off the
A/C units. I'm sure you guys can deal with it being warm for an hour
or two when you come in tomorrow morning.In the future, let's try to be a little more conscientious of our
energy usage!
I am very glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read this. Via Glenn.
Posted by Peter at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
Bluetooth and MP3
I am intrigued by the iPhone but am still in sticker shock. I have held off renewing my cell phone contract in hopes of finding a better alternative. Platronics has an alternative to those of us wanting the MP3 feature. The Pulsar 260 Stereo Bluetooth Headset can switch between music and receiving/placing calls without having to touch your cellphone. I like this idea and the price, but it looks like a small MP3 player with earbuds, I would like to see this as an earpiece only. Am I willing to spend $110 on this or wait until Apple comes out with the next version of the iPhone and hope that it will be worth the wait?
Posted by Scott at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
Toys for the sake of toys
George Ou continues his assault on absurdity today with a great blog about wireless storage devices:
One of the most dubious product categories I’ve ever seen was the Wireless NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. I’ve seen some of these devices in stores and I’ve seen people asking for a Wireless NAS device. I find it dubious because it’s clearly a solution in search of a problem or it’s people wanting wireless for the sake of wireless.
He points out further on the reason you have wireless. That is to access data without having something connected. Since data backups are rarely accessed the need for a wireless connection is practically non-existent in a home environment.
This doesn't even count the use of bandwidth and the danger of backup data (the stuff that is likely the most important) being hacked if you have a vulnerable wireless system. If the wireless protection is bad it is keeping all your eggs in one un-secure wireless basket (re Live Free or Die Hard).
This is what George delivers in bundles, common sense. If George Ou didn't exist somebody would have to invent him.
Posted by Peter at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2007
Some people can't do without their music for a second
The iPod is a great music player to listen to music almost everywhere. Stress the almost:
The Muslim woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of concealing the device beneath her headscarf so that she could listen to music during the testimony of a man who bludgeoned his disabled wife to death.Judge Roger Chapple, presiding, said that he thought he could hear “tinny music” in the courtroom at Blackfriars Crown Court in Central London, but dismissed it as a figment of his imagination until another juror sent him a note.
Music may be food for the soul but this is ridiculous.
Posted by Peter at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2007
Lets go beyond the Sword
Well its been a while since I've written about Civilization IV but now the 2nd expansion Beyond the Sword is coming this month.
There is a lot going on. New leaders , New Civilizations and even Multi-national corporations.
More info here, here, here, here and here.
System requirements are here.
Or just watch the video:
Of course if you want down and dirty stuff the Civ Fanatics Center Forums are the place to go.
BTW If you follow the first link, the sound off button is in the upper right hand corner of the screen in case you are reading this at work.
Posted by Peter at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)
Sony trying to play catchup?
Slashdot reports today that the Sony playstation will be dropping its price:
Starting on July 10th, the current 60GB model will sell for $499. Coming to US shores in August is the 80GB version only available in South Korea at the moment, which will retail for $599. They're bundling that unit with Motorstorm, so it's not just another 20 gigs for $100.
Thats tomorrow, yet somehow I don't see myself running out to buy one and with the Nintendo Wii in the house the kids haven't indicated that they have any interest at all in the Sony.
Posted by Peter at 07:46 AM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2007
Pink is for girls for boys there is blue....
Shiny Shiny comments on the use of Pink Tech to sell items to women.
Funnily enough that's the same as the black version, but this one gets a relaunch all of its own. I'll admit that it looks quite nice, but wouldn't it be equally so if they dared make it a new colour? Or (shock) came up with something totally new to market their gear towards women?
I guess the reason is that it works. BTW this is the product she is talking about.
Posted by Peter at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
You mean I don't need iTunes?
This entry at SimpleHelp.net via LifeHacker is a reminder that you don't have to use iTunes to manage your iPod. This tutorial shows how to use Winamp with your iPod instead. LifeHacker comments:
It's a relatively straightforward process, great for anyone who (for whatever reason) is not happy with iTunes as the default music management system. I was able to test it out within about five minutes; your mileage may vary depending on how many songs you have on your iPod.
I've used both Winamp and iTunes with company iPods in the past. No word on if it works with the iPhone but I'd be surprised if it didn't.
Posted by Peter at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2007
Come get your bargain
Yesterday a thunderstorm killed my Linksys B router and it was time for a replacement.
I went to Office Max and was pricing routers. All ran in the $60-$70 range when I saw the My Essentials router for only $25 on sale.
I'd never heard of the brand and was of course immediately suspicious. But it turns out the router is from Belkin, the setup was pretty easy and within a little while my net was up and running complete with WPA security, but for $25 I'll live with it.
Of course that is only 24 hours, we will see if the bargain router is the way to go, if its not believe me I'll let you know.
The setup and install was pretty easy from the wizard, the one weakness is it there is automatic access to the settings screen before a password is set, not even a default password so kids can head straight there.
Posted by Peter at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
July 06, 2007
Ve haff ways of making you upgrade
Many times users (particularly elderly ones) will ask if they need to upgrade their computers. My normal answer is to ask what their system is used for and then advise accordingly. If the user is just doing a little surfing and maybe some e-mail you usually don't need to go for an expensive upgrade.
Web sites however are doing their best to change this reality. As sites use more and more embedded video in ads and in presentations your PC tends to increase the use of RAM memory and increase the size of temp files that build up.
From blogs to business sites to news sites this has increased dramatically, in addition sites like YouTube and their common use increase the need for extra memory. It the same way that game makers add features in update that require better and faster systems.
Here is some bottom line advice:
1. Check the cost of any upgrades you are thinking of: (ram, hard drive etc) If you are running a system with a pre P4 processor and or 256 mb of ram or less you might just be better off picking up a new system. If you will pay $250 or more, think new system. Even a bottom of the line system will have 512 mb of ram and likely a better processor than you have.
2. Consider a used system: If you have an incredibly old system consider picking up a used system running XP. Quite a few people have moved on to Vista and have P4 and better system used and for sale, you might be able to grab a pretty good system for under $200.
3. Check the outlet stores for the manufacturers: You can get pretty good deals at the various outlet stores that might compete favorably with the price of the upgrades you are thinking of.
4. Eyes on the Prize: Remember what you want the system for and what you plan on using it for in the future when you buy.
5. Prices always drop: If money is tight remember time always drops prices. That six months will not only mean more dough to spend but a better system to get with it at the end.
Only you can decide what you can or can't afford but some forethought now will save time and money later.
Posted by Peter at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)
This is why the net is beating the MSM
Right now (8:35 a.m. EST) the Baghdad bureau chief of Time Magazine is on C-Span.
Not 20 minutes ago I heard him say to an aspiring journalist that if he wants to be an international reporter he shouldn't go to Iraq without a large bureau due to danger.
He may have a point after all what kind of reporting can you get from a Michael Totten, Michael Yon Bill Roggio or even Chris Muir and Michelle Malkin that you can't find in the mainstream media? It's not like they provided breaking news or anything.
Cripes we are a TECH blog and we know better! This is as if someone from Norton advised people to use Limewire.
Of course we can't blame them if they missed our posts after all we haven't updated in 430 days.
Update: Welcome Instapundit readers, take a peek around. Regardless of what Technorati says we have been posting (and podcasting) right along and are here right outside of Boston 24/7 to provide for your all your tech support needs.
Update II: Yup I put MSN instead of MSM fixed now. Slipped digit. Dexter is quite correct.
On the other hand there are quite a few more ways to promote yourself then putting yourself in harms way in Iraq. I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one.
Update III: Re-read the post and decided that I should specify Iraq rather than leave it implied and corrected a spelling error, that's what I get for posting in haste.
Posted by Peter at 08:36 AM | Comments (4)
July 05, 2007
We will fight them in the chat rooms, we will fight them on the youtube...
We have our first conviction for Cyber-jihadis:
Films of hostages and beheadings were found among their possessions, including footage of British contractor Ken Bigley, who was killed in Iraq in 2004; and US journalist Daniel Pearl, killed in Pakistan in 2002.Compact discs containing instructions for making explosives and poisons were also found, with other documents giving advice on how to use a rocket-propelled grenade and how to make booby traps and a suicide vest.
The internet has become a front in the War on Terror
"This is the first successful prosecution for inciting murder using the Internet, showing yet again that terrorist networks are spanning the globe.... "Their terrorist tradecraft was sophisticated, but nevertheless defeated by this investigation."
As a free speech person I must confess I'm not all that comfortable with jailing someone based on what is put up on the net. Of course one can argue that the internet is today's crowded theater.
Posted by Peter at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2007
What happend to Tradition?
You thought we forgot our 4th of July tradition didn't you?
We'll we didn't, after all without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as a Fiddler on the Roof.
Unlike Tevye's traditions this one is not likely to change:
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation...
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Posted by Peter at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)
IndependenceThinking
Today is Independence Day the national holiday.
As HiWired is 24/7 we are of course here and on duty. (No parades for me and I'll be missing the barbecue at our friends house but there's the drive-ins tonight!)
As always our thoughts on such a day are with our service men and women who are also 24/7 and will be missing the same and with the Gold Star Mothers.
We hope you have a fun and safe day and thank these people when you do.
Hey even Google remembered what day it was!
Posted by Peter at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2007
Cyberterror made easy
Are you a jihadist who wasn't able to get a medical degree in England but still wants to do his bit? Not to worry Information Week (via LGF) reports that you too can be a Cyber Terrorist!
a relatively new Web-based application offers Islamic jihadis a way for even the relatively nontechnical to target and attack Web sites perceived to be anti-Islamic.The "Electronic Jihad Program" is part of the long-term vision jihadi Web site Al-jinan.org has to use the Internet as a weapon, something that affects any organization that relies on the Web.
Considering how dependant the west is on electronics (that doesn't even count those dying for iPhones) this could be a real pain in the neck. In addition to economic targets media and blog targets might be selected. For example Michael Yon's report of Al Qaeda Massacre of the villegers of Baqubah (warning graphic photos)would be a prime target, that is if the media would bother to report it:
But for those publications who actually had people embedded in Baqubah when the story first broke and still failed to cover it, their malaise is inexplicable. I do not know why all failed to report the murders and booby-trapped village: apparently no reporters bothered to go out there, even though it’s only about 3.5 miles from this base. Any one of the reporters currently in Baqubah could still go to these coordinates and follow his or her nose and find the gravesites.
This has produced some disgust in the blogosphere
the blogosphere has become incensed that big media mostly ignored the murders, especially given that there are reporters currently in Baqubah. Newsbusters and countless others are on it. More disturbing to many bloggers is that major mainstream players were busted (again) by Pajamas Media just days ago for reporting outright fabrications of a “massacre” that never occurred.
Of course if you read us you know about this story without the media's help. For everyone else, Mr. Yon offers a solution...
I humbly offer permission to media outlets to republish excerpts of the dispatch or the dispatch in its entirety, including my photographs from the story (if used as they are in the dispatch) at no cost during the month of July 2007.
It will be interesting to see how many if any take him up on it. The electronic media will continue to grow if and the mainstream shrink if they can't be counted on as a source of info.
UPDATE: At least some jihadist stuff will be stopped online:
Internet service providers (ISPs) would face charges if they failed to block websites containing bomb-making instructions generated anywhere in the world, EU officials said.“It should simply not be possible to leave people free to instruct other people on the internet on how to make a bomb – that has nothing to do with freedom of expression,” Mr Frattini said yesterday.
This might be interesting to see if some informational sites are closed.
Posted by Peter at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)
VMWare Fusion and Parallels Testing
I have finished my testing of the applications that I blogged about a week ago. Both applications are easy to install and configure the virtual machines. Install on both of them was as normal as doing it on a real PC. On my machine I could not get the new 3d acceleration to work on either VMware or Parallels, not good. Both have features to integrate Windows programs into OS X. They perform very well and run side by side with Mac Programs. Both also have a set of tools to install for things like the video driver, mouse and other system tools. I was happy with VMware Fusion the most but was not really jumping for joy when trying to switch to Mac applications while running either virtual application brings OS X down to a crawl. After that I stopped testing and basically think both applications need to go back to the drawing board to improve the performance of the host OS. There is an option to state which should have priority but it never seemed to make a difference.
In closing if you want to run Windows on a Mac the best bet is still Boot Camp from Apple. It is not virtual and cannot run side by side but it runs and performs as an OS should.
Posted by Chrisk at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2007
AMA won't call video gaming an addiction
Article Found on Yahoo News
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
Thu Jun 28, 11:42 PM ET
CHICAGO - The American Medical Association on Wednesday backed off calling excessive video-game playing a formal psychiatric addiction, saying instead that more research is needed.
The full article is here. Key Excerpt:
"While more study is needed on the addictive potential of video games, the AMA remains concerned about the behavioral, health and societal effects of video game and Internet overuse," said Dr. Ronald Davis, AMA's president. "We urge parents to closely monitor children's use of video games and the Internet."
UPDATE: Edited to comply with copyright.
Apparently Members of the AMA have never played Everquest aka Evercrack.
Posted by Richard at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
Trouble in happy Apple land
Well these little things tend to pile up:
The Universal Music Group of Vivendi, the world’s biggest music corporation, last week notified Apple that it will not renew its annual contract to sell music through iTunes, according to executives briefed on the issue who asked for anonymity because negotiations between the companies are confidential.Instead, Universal said that it would market music to Apple at will, a move that could allow Universal to remove its songs from the iTunes service on short notice if the two sides do not agree on pricing or other terms in the future, these executives said.
This could make things very interesting very fast.
Posted by Peter at 07:29 AM | Comments (0)
What's so cool about the net; number 468,511
How about a view of the world one photo at a time?
This is the type of thing that makes the internet just awesome.
Posted by Peter at 07:16 AM | Comments (0)
July 01, 2007
Too many users spoil the servers
Looks like the volume is too much for the new phones:
The much-hyped gizmo wouldn't start up for some because the deluge of activation requests flooded Apple's computer servers.Apple says the ``vast majority'' of customers were up and running within minutes. But the company admits there were some who were left waiting after unwrapping the sleek gadget du jour.
The company is not saying how many were left waiting.
And for those who can't wait and have money burning a hole in their pocket....
For those who didn't feel like waiting in line, there is always eBay. Some 8,000 phones are being sold to the highest bidder. They're averaging nearly a thousand dollars a pop.
Supply and demand, or a sucker born every minute. You decide.
Posted by Peter at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)