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August 31, 2007
Nice program but does it follow Reynolds 1st Law?
UCSC has developed a tool to rank Wikipedia Authors in terms of reliability reports slashdot:
Roughly speaking, the algorithm analyzes the entire 7-year user-editing-history and utilizes the longevity of the content to learn which contributors are the most reliable: If your contribution lasts
Now the question is does it check the number of edits on a piece or how many times an edit of a piece is removed as well.
I wonder if it takes into account Reynolds 1st law of Wikipedia:
My sense is that the wiki format works pretty well when issues are uncontroversial, but that it doesn't handle politics very well.
It had better.
Posted by Peter at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2007
There's a vote for Vista
I guess we have one solid vote for Vista; our customers. We have been VERY busy, it is almost like the day after Christmas. I guess Back to school trumps an iffy operating system.
Posted by Peter at 07:39 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
Up comes Apple
A side effect of everyone's favorite operating system; Apple continues to move up in the world:
Apple Inc.'s share of the laptop market is growing -- the company now sells more than one in every six laptops purchased in the U.S., a research firm said today."Apple's definitely up," said Stephen Baker, an analyst at Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group Inc. "Their sales are continuing to grow faster than the rest of the marketplace."
They are now tied with Gateway for 3rd. HP and Dell are still far ahead. Gateway's big novelty was the mail order business but that novelty is gone.
Posted by Peter at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2007
iPhone for a car? not as good a deal as it sounds
It doesn't sound like a bad deal an iPhone for a new car, but it just isn't any iPhone:
George Hotz, of Glen Rock, N.J., said he had reached the deal with CertiCell, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile phone repair company.Hotz posted on his blog that he traded his modified iPhone for "a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones."
"This has been a great end to a great summer," Hotz wrote.
He will also get a job as a consultant. The question is it is legal:
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act prohibits the circumventing software's access controls.In November 2006, the US Copyright Office declared that unlocking mobile phones for lawful use is not considered a violation of law.
But this may not clear hackers who unlock the iPhone, according to Fred Von Lohmann, staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
"The biggest misconception out there is that the exemption would protect the people [distributing the software], and that is wrong," Lohmann told vnunet.com.
While the provision protects the act of unlocking the phone, the distribution of tools and code is not afforded the same exemption.
Of course they can always sell the hacked phone to China and the whole copyright question will be moot.
Posted by Peter at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2007
History and progress hurt Vista's perception
You know I'm been pretty hard on Vista around here but the more I think about it the more I consider that the issues and noise about Vista's problems have a lot to do with historical bad luck. Lets consider the launch of XP.
I seem to recall that when XP was released there were quite a few issues people had, however when that happened not only were there a lot fewer home computer users but the operating system it was replacing was Windows ME(ss). I will state for the record that Windows XP on its worst day is better than ME on its best (or at least pretty close)
Meanwhile Vista is replacing what I consider the best or 2nd best operating system ever released by Microsoft (Windows 98 is the contender). And the number of people using it is greater , plus a larger percentage of those people are avg folks who aren't as forgiving when something that worked in xp doesn't in Vista.
Under those conditions none of this is a surprise
Posted by Peter at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)
More vista bashing/reporting etc....
Slashdot talks about yet more problems with Vista concerning audio quality:
Apparently playing music causes Vista to throttle network performance to a small fraction of speeds seen when audio is not being played. Network speed degradation seems to occur even when the audio is paused.Turning off Vista's automatic network "tuning" doesn't resolve the problem, users report.
Microsoft's answer isn't inspiring and this particular quote doesn't exactly build confidence:
“Please note that some of what we are seeing is expected behavior, and some of it is not. In certain circumstances Windows Vista will trade off network performance in order to improve multimedia playback. This is by design.”
Well gosh that makes me want to run out and buy one. That extra $300 for XP is sounding better and better.
Posted by Peter at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2007
Manbots not supported
We generally don't spend much time around here talking about the competition but yesterday the wife and I were watching TV and one of those commercials came up where the Geek Squad guy fixes the robot. She asked why we don't have neat commercials like that?
It's true, we don't have neat commercials, we don't have identical suits and we don't support fixing manbots or space lasers and if you are hiding your daughters backpack in your grill we won't discuss it.
But if you want US based (Boston to be exact)tech support 24/7 without having someone in your house, support that can be continued while you work or sleep, if you want the ability to have unlimited data backup or connected on the go e-mail, if you want straight advice on what to buy and what you have, and if you want them from a group of techs who work together and know each other by their first name, then we are your ticket.
Note to management:
Nothing in the above paragraph is meant to imply that I would reject a company car if offered. (:c)
Posted by Peter at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2007
Excuses Excuses
We all have excuses on occasion. My excuse right not is that call volume is so high that I really don't have time to post except on my free time. That's why posting has been so erratic lately.
Speaking of excuses or the lack thereof:
US Internet giants Yahoo and MSN confirmed Friday they had signed a code of conduct for their blogging operations in China that committed them to protecting the interests of the Chinese state.
Read the whole thing you will in fact find it is as bad as it sounds. Do these companies have an excuse?
MSN China spokesman Feng Jinhu said: "We've signed the pact but there is no press release on that. On your other questions, we will get back to you as soon as possible."
Apparently not.
Posted by Peter at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2007
XP is worth how much more than Vista?
Friend of mine's Grandfather picked up a new Dell recently. He didn't want the one model that came with XP but didn't want Vista. Dell graciously offered to downgrade the system....for $300.
He accepted.
Think about it Vista is so disliked that a person paid $300 extra not to have it.
Posted by Peter at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2007
Those paper ballots are looking better and better
There is nothing a computer does better than play with data. Some times however (via cNet by Glenn) they get a little too much info:
Two Ohio activists have discovered that e-voting machines made by Election Systems and Software and used across the country produce time-stamped paper trails that permit the reconstruction of an election's results--including allowing voter names to be matched to their actual votes.
You know computers are great tools but they are not the only tools.
Posted by Peter at 08:21 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2007
Phony Spam example #468,511
It's time for another example of a phony phishing scam and how to spot them. For our show today I use an example e-mail that almost caught me.
It a very simple e-mail which is what makes it so effective. I recently made a bid on e-bay but was sure I didn't win, so this threw me off for a sec, but there were several clues that show this as phony as a $3 bill.
The first clue was it didn't mention what the item was (I was looking at some old coins for a gift) The item number is invariably paired with the name of the item.
The second clue was "response required" Ebay doesn't use that kind of verbiage. It might be requested but never required. This isn't the Admiralty in the era of Hornblower.
The second clue was the link itself if you check the properties of the link it looks like this.....
http://221.11.135.249/css/css1/signin.ebay...etc etc. etc
Anything from eBay would automatically start with ebay in the bolded section, not in the middle.
Microsoft outlook was kind enough to automatically block the link to that site, your e-mail program might not be so accomodating.
These are actually glaring errors if I hadn't been so busy it would have confirmed it as phony for sure, but I decided to to double check. I logged into eBay and checked my account, sure enough no unpaid bids.
In addition I checked the item number and it not only didn't correspond to any item I bid on, it didn't correspond to any other item period.
So beware and be wary. It only takes once mistake for you to be on a page asking for you login information and from there your credit card, your paypal account and identity are in play, likely in some other country and being used around the world.
Posted by Peter at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)
You know you've done your job right when...
How can you tell when you delivered proper customer satisfaction? When a customer who is a Yankee fan offers good wishes for the Red Sox after we've set up her wireless system.
I won't include her name as I don't want her found and executed for blasphemy.
Posted by Peter at 06:55 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2007
XP the love affair never ends
How popular is XP still? So popular that Microsoft is running out of product keys:
The new build, dubbed SP2c, includes no fixes or feature changes, but was created simply to address the shrinking pool of product keys. XP Pro SP2c, which has been released to manufacturing, will be made available to resellers and system builders next month, said Microsoft."Due to the longevity of Windows XP Professional, it has become necessary to produce more product keys for system builders in order to support the continued availability of Windows XP Professional through the scheduled system builder channel end-of-life date," wrote the Microsoft system builder team on its blog yesterday.
Will the will of the customer trump Microsoft's declared policy? Only time will tell.
Posted by Peter at 01:24 AM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2007
Chip Van Winkle?
Jim Louderback is leaving PC Magazine but in his farewell post he has some unkind things to say about Vista:
Take sleep mode, for example. Vista promised a new low-power sleep mode that would save energy yet enable nearly instantaneous resume. Poppycock. The brand-new dual-core system I built a few months ago totters off to sleep but never returns. I have to cold-start it to bring it back. This after replacing virtually every driver inside. It's gotten so bad that I've actually nicknamed it Chip Van Winkle. And I've nicknamed my primary Dell notebook Philip Marlowe.
He goes on in this vein for a while and finishes thusly:
I could go on and on about the lack of drivers, the bizarre wake-up rituals, the strange and nonreproducible system quirks, and more. But I won't bore you with the details. The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain't cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can't get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux.
I could tell you I'm shocked. I could also tell you I'm from Mars and have 7 ears and 3 arms. Both statements would be just as accurate.
Posted by Peter at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2007
Very flat out again
We continue to be flat our around here and I just have no time for a post.
So I will leave you with this question. With vista SP1 due out shortly are you going to wait for the sp to be released or are you going to pick up a needed pc now?
I'd wait for the service pack myself.
Posted by Peter at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2007
Speaking of Virus' and Yahoo
Well McAfee has found a new issue with Yahoo messenger and webcams.
For now, you should stop accepting Webcam invites from untrusted sources until a patch for this flaw has been released and installed. Additionally, McAfee also recommend that you block outgoing traffic on TCP port 5100.
So you might want to give that webcam a rest for now.
Posted by Peter at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
Raw Anti-virus numbers
We always get people asking is this anti-virus or is that anti-virus worth the time and money.
Well an anti-virus "fight club" took place and the results from the two rounds are here. and here.
It is interesting to note that the results of a shootout from May by PC mag showed different results.
Personally having the anti-virus is the big thing, as virus' and spyware keep updating it is the ability to keep updating that makes protection effective.
Posted by Peter at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2007
Putting your mouth where your money is
Considering what we've already said about Wikipedia before this story is no surprise:
Wikipedia Scanner -- the brainchild of Cal Tech computation and neural-systems graduate student Virgil Griffith -- offers users a searchable database that ties millions of anonymous Wikipedia edits to organizations where those edits apparently originated, by cross-referencing the edits with data on who owns the associated block of internet IP addresses.
Bloggers are already having a field day with this and a lot of egg is going to be on a lot of faces because of this.
Posted by Peter at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2007
If hacking tools are outlawed only outlaws will have hacking tools
There is a line from Dickens that says the law is an ass, well whatever it is via Slashdot we see apparently in Germany it isn't tech smart:
This hope was important because earlier this year the German Government had introduced similar language into Section 202c StGB of the computer crime laws, which would have made the mere possession of (creates, obtains or provides access to, sells, yields, distributes or otherwise allows access to) tools like John, Kismet, KisMAC, Nessus, nmap, and the ability to Google effectively a crime.
The problem here is that many of these tools are used by people who are actually trying to stop hacking. The author is not impressed
Like many other legislative attempts to address real or perceived problems with computer-based activity, the law fails to account for reality. Others have pointed out that it is only those already engaged in illegal activity that are using 'hacking tools'. The legitimate security industry is using 'diagnostics' and other useful utilities. Already it seems that the law will have the unintended consequence of making legitimate research just that much harder, only deterring the legitimate researchers and the opportunistic attacker. The serious criminal will just keep on going with their malicious activity, probably a little bit bolder - safe in the knowledge that the German Government has just made it a little bit more difficult for them to be found.
This would be like making fertilizer illegal to keep people from making explosives.
Posted by Peter at 10:57 AM | Comments (1)
Ezpass doesn't lie
The electronic age has brought all kinds of benefits. It reminds me of the classic seen in Inherit the Wind when Spencer Tracy says the following:
Mister you can have that telephone, but you'll lose privacy and the charm of distance.
Today's quote would be as follows:
Mister you can have EZpass but you lose social contact and plausible denialability to wit:
Lynne Gold-Bikin, a Pennsylvania divorce lawyer, said E-ZPass helped prove a client's husband was being unfaithful: "He claimed he was in a business meeting in Pennsylvania. And I had records to show he went to New Jersey that night."
It has also been useful in criminal cases:
Electronic toll records have also proved useful in criminal cases.They played a role in the murder case against Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey nurse convicted in April of killing her husband and tossing his cut-up remains into the Chesapeake Bay in three matching suitcases in 2004. Prosecutors used toll records to reconstruct her movements.
Just remember everything costs something.
Posted by Peter at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2007
Online Video purchase fine print
Via Glenn we get this link to Boing Boing that shows "buying" downloadable videos online isn't all its cracked up to be:
Samuel sez, "Hey guys. Several months ago, I bought an episode of Star Trek on Google Video, just out of curiosity to see how it worked. Today I got an email letting me know my videos would stop working in five days."
Apparently the videos he purchased is being taken back and a $5 credit given at a different location his reaction is not a big surprise:
The terms that Google sold its video on were similar to those laid down by other downloadable video "stores," like Amazon Unbox. These stores claim to "sell" you things, but you can never truly 0wn the things they sell -- they are your theoretical property only, liable to confiscation at any time. That's the lesson for DRM: only the big motion picture companies, search giants and other corporate overlords get to own property. We vassals are mere tenant-farmers, with a precarious claim on our little patch of dirt.Hey, class-action lawyers! This seems like a golden opportunity.
There is a reason why the net stuff is called "software" and "virtual".
Posted by Peter at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
Hacking at the UN
Hey if they can get by US security UN security should be a piece of cake.
Posted by Peter at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2007
A very good Vista SP1 feature
APC magazine has a very solid going over of the leaked sp1 of Vista.
They have several detailed pieces of information concerning the service pack that might be of interest to us technical types but there is a very important part that will be of great use to everyone:
Normally, service packs don’t include new features – Windows XP SP2 being the standout exception. By and large this seems to be true of Vista SP1, although there is a new maintenance application called “Create a Recovery Disc”. This isn’t the same thing as creating a backup of the system to DVD – instead this process creates a recovery DVD which you can use with system recovery options if you don’t have an original Windows DVD or you can’t access OEM recovery tools.
Many manufacturers such as HP have such a function built in but this will cover people such as dell that do not.
If you have a HP or other brand that has this feature, the creation of those recovery disks should be job #1. If you don't when this service pack is released this feature should be top on the list.
Posted by Peter at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2007
What's in a name II
Here is something that will sometimes happen when you get so big that your left hand forgets what your right hand is doing:
Readers of Google Inc.'s Custom Search Blog were handed a bit of a surprise Tuesday when the Web site was temporarily removed from the blogosphere and hijacked by someone unaffiliated with the company. ADVERTISEMENTThe problem? Google had mistakenly identified its own blog as a spammer's site and handed it over to another person.
It's little mistakes like that (and believe it or not it is a little mistake) that really makes a tech tear his hair out.
Posted by Peter at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
What's in a name?
Via Glenn (who's blog turned 6 this week that's almost ancient for a blog)we see this story from Popular Science:
A few days before Apple's launch, an online video surfaced depicting a sleek new product called the P168 [watch the video below]. The phone came in a black box, marked with both the iPhone and the Apple logos. The video showed the phone being unpacked and operated (the start-up screen also featured the Apple branding). There were features that the iPhone didn't have, such as the ability to operate on two different networks at once; six speakers; and, addressing a major prerelease complaint about the iPhone, a removable battery. I asked my translator if she could find one on the street. They weren't available in Beijing—yet—but a few weeks later, a friend discovered one in Guangzhou. The manufacturer of the P168 wouldn't comment for this story, but the hardware was real, and it worked.Neither the miniOne, the P168 nor even HTC's model are likely to carry the mystique or quality of the iPhone. But that's not really the point. Those phones will be available to millions more consumers than Apple's product, at a lower price. The rest of the world will accept the clones as if they were the original. That will make them no different than a flood of Chinese products—cars, pharmaceuticals, food, appliances—that are emerging from the shadows and climbing the learning curve to the point that they will no longer be clones at all. They'll be the real thing.
You know its like modern art, I don't get it, I don't like it and I'm constantly told that its not about what it looks like, but I've always thought art IS about what it looks like. If these phones do the job and do it better than Apple, it doesn't matter if its a copy to the user.
People used to by things for what they do not for status. (Actually that's not true people have always sought status but I won't spend money I don't have without getting what I need.)
Posted by Peter at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2007
Some late news notes
When you are on vacation you tend to miss some good stories. Here are a couple of updates to items we've talked about before.
First concerning the reliability of electronic voting machines:
Wagner's source code team found that the Diebold system still had many of the most serious security flaws that computer scientists had uncovered in the system years ago, despite Diebold's claims that problems had been fixed. These include vulnerabilities that would allow an attacker to install malicious software to record votes incorrectly or miscount them or that would allow an attacker with access to only one machine and its memory card to launch a vote-stealing virus that could spread to every machine in a county.
Well that won't be great news come 2008.
The 2nd one concerns our almost moon maiden, it looks like we are dealing with comic books after all.
Posted by Peter at 01:09 AM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2007
I'm Back and Vista is still bad
Well I'm back and I want to thank Jose for his daily posts as I've kept away from all things work related.
Meanwhile a couple of Vista updates have been released to the public and Vista service packs have been sent to testers along with sp3 for XP as well.
Meanwhile a tampering tool came and went as well.
The great Vista debate keeps going on:
Mike Agerbo likes the same feature that I do:
When you use the search in Vista, for whatever you're looking for, it brings up your search results instantly. It's amazing. If you've ever had to wait for Windows XP to search your hard drive you'll know what I mean. I can actually find stuff now...which kind of sucks, because it makes me realize how many things I've left unfinished.
Acer president Gianfranco Lanci is blunt:
Lanci said the operating system was riddled with problems and gave users and businesses no reason to buy a new PC, according to the report. Taiwan-based Acer is the world's fourth-largest PC manufacturer, after HP, Dell and Lenovo."The whole industry is disappointed with Windows Vista," Lanci said.
Of course Microsoft has taken steps to make sure that people turn to Vista or else:
The software developer has made at least one move in that direction already. In mid-April, it announced it would terminate sales of Windows XP to resellers and retail after January 2008. User reactions were almost unanimously negative.
Well who cares about the reaction, after all they are only customers.
Meanwhile business' are voting with their feet:
Today's hesitation also runs counter to what companies thought they would do as of late last year. In PatchLink's December poll, 28 percent said they would deploy Vista within the first year of its release. But by the results of the latest survey, fewer than half as many -- just 11 percent -- will have opted for the next-generation operating system by Nov. 1.
I talked to a tech during my vacation and the word is that people call him every day to ask for downgrades for their Vista systems but the hourly rate for finding all drivers etc makes the cost prohibitive.
It still remains to be seen if the next batch of Vista is better. I'll have more on the subject on my future post on the new CIV IV update.
Posted by Peter at 12:16 AM | Comments (1)
August 07, 2007
New iMacs...but I am not switching yet!
Apple today announced their new line of iMacs complete with aluminum and glass, and while they certainly look cool - I am holding out for this!
Posted by Jonathan at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2007
Sorry Jose
Very sorry to hear about Jose's tranny. I just did a tranny job on my car about a year ago so I know it's not cheap. Actually just got done paying off the loan to repair it. Luckily had some friends that knew what they were doing and basically did the job for me which and saved me tons of $$$. I helped by following instructions since I really had no real clue. I'm a tech not a mechanic. I actually ended up in the emergency room after burning my self while performing repairs. (Lesson: best to leave it to the professionals) I can not imagine the disappointment how ever of having it fail with all eyes on you.
I've also had my motor replaced in my car with less then 50K miles on the car. Thing really ran like a champ before in comparison to now. Had taken my car to Pepboys for maintenance including oil change, wipers, alignment, brake pads and might be forgetting couple other things. Wanted to prepare for a long drive. I didn't even get 1/4 mile down the road and motor was knocking. They denied any wrong doing and I ended up eating the bill for that repair as well. My friends kicked in then too and really can not thank them enough. They not only saved me a ton of money on repairs but for the 3 months it took to save up enough cash to get the car going again they let me barrow their cars. I do my own oil changes now.
Posted by Hector at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2007
I Love EVDO
I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about using cellular technology to stay connected to the internet on this expedition. The fact of the matter is EVDO is every bit as reliable as my cable internet connection at home. Its not as fast, but it is definitely on par with DSL connections I have used. There was very little lag while I was streaming video and viewing the other teams progress. I thought for sure I would be watching choppy videos. That couldn't be farther from the truth. My navigator was able to have a conversation with Nick from our tech team while we were moving on the highway. When I asked him if he wanted to hear the lovely sound of a dual stage intake manifold I had an ulterior motive. I actually wanted to see if I could web conference with him with 2 way video the and audio. I dropped a gear (to pass safely of course) and Nick was able to hear the sound of the secondary intake runners switch over. Did I mention there were 3 other video feeds at the time? Along with aim conversations, and gps tracking?
I did everything I could think of to push the limits of EVDO bandwidth. And boy did it deliver! If you need to be connected to the web no matter where you are definitely look into EVDO. Standalone data cards will probably make the most sense as it will simply plug into a PCI slot on your laptop, but any phone with EVDO capabilities, the right cable and data plan will work as well. Heck you could even sync it via bluetooth if you are feeling techy.
One word of caution:
make sure your card is compatible with your pc. My Brother Daniel was unable to stream simply becaus he had a 64 bit slot and the cards we were equipped with were for 32 bit slots.
Unfortunately my plan to build an in car PC for next years event may have to take a back seat as i need to upgrade my transmission. I'll keep you all posted if and when I decide to build it.
Posted by Jose at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2007
C'est La Vie
Well I'm back home a lot sooner than I thought I would be. Turns out all my technology worked like a charm thanks to everyone here at HiWired. Sadly the same cannot be said for my car.
There was no way of knowing that my transmission would have failed. The car was running like a champ even though I was driving non stop for hours on end. I even let the car cool down about an hour before I went into the staging lanes at New England Dragway. I lined up to make my second pass. Adrenaline flowing through me as I waited my turn. I lined up and kept my eyes on the tree. One yellow, Two yellows, and I was staged. All I had to do now was hold the car steady untill the go light. Perspiration beaded up my brow. Butterflies were in my tummy, I felt more nervous than I did when I went on my first date. I knew that somewhere in those stands was my my girlfriend and team mates so I wanted to give it my all.
Once I was staged, I slipped the car into first gear, held my RPM steady, and then disaster struck. Light hit green, I let off the clutch in anticipation of going down 1320 feet of asphalt as fast as I could. Instead I heard a loud THUD. It was probably the most painful sound I've heard! My car just sat there. Green light and the Integra wouldn't take any gears. I had to get pushed out of the way and towed to a dark corner of the track as the track workers removed the scattered bits of my transmission.
So today I get to go back to the drag way and flatbed my car back home where it will sit until I can fix it. As I am self funded its probably going to be there for a while.
I would like to thank HiWired for all of their support regarding my participation on a great event for charity. Without them I may not have been able to stream video, access the internet, or maintain my laptops performance through out this experience. I even had their logo on my car amongst a sea of event sponsors!
So kudos to you HIWired! As Arnold would say... "I'll be back."
Posted by Jose at 10:21 AM | Comments (1)
August 03, 2007
Lets get ready to rally!
Today is the big day! 1500 miles, 5 States, 2 countries, and 3 days! It is going to be a blast!
I will have a live web cam video feed that you can watch (there are only 50 seats in the conference so if your not watching please don’t stay logged in)
I will also have a GPS unit in the car that you can track my progress with by simply going to the rally website and clicking the tracking banner.
For more information about the rally, or to track our progress you can check out their website.
I will also be posting updates here as we navigate through the checkpoints.
The trip starts in RI on Friday morning, and will end in Salisbury, Mass at La Chiquita Mexican restaurant for the ending event and dinner. We should arrive there around 4:00pm Sunday.
And did I mention this? A portion of all proceeds will be donated to two great organizations that help children.
The Boys & Girls Clubs in New England
Youth Crime Watch of America
So I hope to see you in the video chat!
Posted by Jose at 05:25 AM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2007
Busy busy
So today was pretty hectic. I had to take my freshly detailed car to the office for a last minute training and meeting. Luckily we have a covered garage so it wasn't too bad. Now I have to get my HiWired decals made up before I go to bed.
Once again technology rules! All I had to do was ask Jeff in marketing to get me a high resolution vector image. (I have no idea what it is but my buddy Gino from Right Coast Racing needed it for his graphics plotter) A few emails and AIM conversations later the graphics were getting printed. And I never had to leave the office!
If you are wondering what I'll be driving on the rally here is a picture. It is a 1995 Acura Integra GSR freshly detailed and all!
I can't wait to start blogging from random places around New England!
Posted by Jose at 08:56 PM | Comments (1)
August 01, 2007
Isn't it great when there are people you can count on?
Today is Wednesday which means I will be departing on the New England Rally in less than 48 hours. It was getting close to crunch time and funds were getting tight. Now I have already taken care of most of the work the car needed for this expedition, and fortunately I had a few people who like me enough step up to make sure everything was up to par.
As you all may know I will be streaming live in car video, and taking my tech toys with me. Thanks to Brian from our tier 2 escalations team I was able to get the web cam synced with the laptop, as well as integrated with the web based video feed. All I had to do was zip tie it to the rear view mirror!
My brother Xavier donated lightweight wheels and tires, as well as his suspension tuning knowledge to get the car running in top form. It may not be the fastest car entered... but it will definitely stick to the track when it needs too!
Hector from our technical team decided a PC Restoration wouldn't be a bad idea for the laptop. I guess it makes sense too. Why embark on a 1500 mile road trip in a car thats tuned, and bring a PC that hasn't had updated spyware definitions in 2 months? Sad isn't it? I slacked on my own PC... The cool thing is he started it around 1:30 AM (gotta love 24/7 tech support), I went to bed around 2:30 AM, and when I woke up I had a PC that was noticeably faster. I guess a PCR is kind of like weight reduction!
So whether you are going to an extreme, or just want a little more oomph out of your computer. A PC restoration can definitely help things run smoothly.
Posted by Jose at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)