New Phones
We got some new phones. Three of them all Motorola's: The Krzr K1, RAZR2 V8 and the W490. We replaced 2 Razr V3's and a a basic Samsung.
We sent the W490 to my sister-in-law, ruok. I never got to play with it much, but it seems to be a very nice phone and simular in operation to the KRZR. It has a 1.3 Mhz Camera, records video. and has a slot for a micro SD card.
Equality, my wife, got the Razr2 V8. It is a sleek fine looking phone. It's even thinner than our old RAZR's. Such a thin yet it seems ruggedly built. The T-mobile site clams it uses a micro SD card but I couldn't find the slot I don't think it exist, the manual doesn't mention it. It doesn't matter, because there are 2 gigs of storage available anyway. The RAZR comes with a charger, a USB cable, and a CD. It won't connect to my Windows 2000 machine. It won't connect as another disk drive or install the CD. The CD installed just fine on Equality's XP computer and uses the Windows Media program for a front end to load and sync music. Ironic that Motorola would use the open source Linux OS to run their phone, but be so limited in what software is used to connect the the phone. Once the drivers and software is installed on an XP machine though you can then access the files through Windows Explorer. This is not the phone for Apple or Linux users.
The KRZR K1 is my phone, It is a slick silvery case that attract fingerprints, about as long as the RAZR but thicker and more narrow. It uses a more traditional user interface. My Windows 2000 computer found it and adding music files is done simply by using Windows Explorer. I don't really intend on using it to listen to much music though. The KRZR doesn't seem to support much of a playlist. Both the KRZR and the RAZR have 2.0 MP cameras While I've seen some reviews that pan the cameras, I'm impressed with the quality and convenience of the cameras on these phones. The KRZR came with a 256 Meg micro SD card which will store a bunch of pictures. It can suport a 2 gig card, but I haven't decided yet whether I'll ever need that much.
I wanted a unique ring for my phone, and I thought the that the opening bars of the theme from the movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I had an MP3 of the whole thing and used the free program
Audacity to cut out the part that I wanted and copied it on to the the phone. There is no need to pay for ring tones.
Calls on all the are very sharp and clear in fact moble to moble is typically clearer than what we can get on our ATT landlines.
The real test of any cellular phone though is how well they hold up over time. We shall see!
Labels: Tech
The Phoenix
Built from the remains of 2 missions gone bad. The Phoenix will make an attempt to land inthe Northern region of Mars.
The BBC has a great animation on the complex landing sequence with a nice summation of the mission
Update: 19:00
A successful landing!
The Mars Phoenix lander touched down late on Sunday GMT in the far north of the Red Planet, after a 680-million-km (423-million-mile) journey from Earth.
The probe is equipped with a robotic arm to dig for water ice thought to be buried beneath the surface.
Scientists say the mission should give the clearest indication yet of whether the planet could once have harboured primitive life.
Labels: Tech
Progress Continues with OpenOffice.Org
It looks like
Version 2.4 will be released next week around March 28th. 2.4 will have some of the enhancements we are looking at for 3.0 Which should be
out around September.
The OpenOffice.org Ninja has a preview of 3.0 I have been using OpenOffice.org almost exclusively these days. One of the main reasons is because oft he ability to create PDF files. The ability of 3.0 to edit and perhaps import them is a real reason to look forward to it. another new feature that I find pretty exciting is notes. Attaching notes to a document furthers the potential of collaboration.
Although it was mentioned last year that OpenOffice 3.0 will contain a an Outlook Substitute. Rumor has it that this will be
Thunderbird and
Lightning, I although I use Thunderbird, I cant see any real benifit to merging the 3 programs they are available seperatly, and unless there is some real tight intigration adding them to the package is simply bloat.
OpenOffice isn't just good Free Software. It is a good Office suite. A good suite that has cababilities beyond what Microsoft has to offer.
Labels: Tech
A petition to Save XP
I just set up a new computer this weekend, It was the dinosaur XP Pro. I have no use for Microsoft Vista. My favorite applications womn't work on it and I don't care for the idea of getting Microsoft's permission to run my favorite hardware and drivers that have worked faithfully for years. Its not only me, most IT professionals that aren't actually in Microsofts pocket will admit that its crap. While pretty and with some nice features its basically crap.
Infoworld is begging Microsoft to spare taking it away from us, with
a petition drive.
"Over the past year, CIOs and CTOs have consistently told me they see no significant benefits to Vista, and really don't want to spend the time and money to update all their computers, retrain their users, and deal with application incompatibilities for a cosmetic upgrade," said Galen Gruman, executive editor at InfoWorld.
Already, due to customer resistance to Vista, Microsoft has granted XP a stay of execution, delaying its scheduled demise from December 31, 2007, to June 30, 2008. But that's not enough. InfoWorld's editors believe Microsoft should make XP available indefinitely. Therefore, InfoWorld has launched a petition drive aimed at convincing Microsoft to not only stay XP's execution but to take it off Death Row.
Please try to extend the life of XP by
signing the petition here.
Labels: Tech
Building a Vacuum Tube at Home
Fabrication d'une lampe triode
French amatuer Radio Operator, Builds a Triode Vacuum tube. In this fascinating video, Claude Paillard takes us step by step in the process of hand fabricating a vacuum tube.
Labels: Tech
Glow in the Dark Cats
Glow in the dark cats, I guess that somethings shouldn't be done just because they can be.
Laurence Simon isn't impressed much either
Labels: Tech
Not So Quite Hushmail
Maybe we just can't trust anyone anymore. Hushmail has long been considered one the most secure ways of communicating., They even advertise their service as a protection against government surveillance.
In some countries, government sponsored projects have been set up to collect massive amounts of data from the Internet, including emails, and store them away for future analysis. This data collection is done without any search warrant, court order, or subpoena. One example of such a program was the FBI's Carnivore project. By using Hushmail, you can be assured that your data will be protected from that kind of broad government surveillance.
There were some emails the U.S government wanted to look at and it looks like the Hushmail just turned it right over to them. Well, they turned it over to the Canadiens who then turned it over to the American DEA.
Hushmail claims to offer unreadable email as it uses PGP encryption technology and a company specific key management system that it says will ensure only the sender and recipient can read the emails. However it seems the Canadian company has been divulging keys to the American authorities.
The document describes the tracking of an anabolic steroid manufacturer who was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The document alleges that the majority of those engaged in the trade in anabolic steroids use Hushmail to communicate.
The DEA agents received three CDs of decrypted emails which contained decrypted emails for the targets of the investigation that had been decrypted as part of a mutual legal assistance treaty between the United States and Canada.
Thats right, it wasn't about terrorist, or narcotics. It was about steroids. I got to wonder if there is any privacy over the net any more. My real concern though is if whether we've tipped off any Islamic Terrorist that might be using Hushmail. The government showing its hand over something petty like seems silly. It does confirm our belief that the government is more concerned about the war on drugs than they are about the war on folks who are trying to blow us up.
You can't trust anyone anymore.
Update: More details on how they did it can be found on Wired
Labels: News, Politics, Tech
A Parting Shot
I must admit from the beginning I never liked the view. I always thought Microsoft Vista sucked, and so far the only folks that I've found that are impressed with it is some IT type folks who like the way it keeps the user away from knowing what is going on. Job security I guess.
PC Mag has long been known for being a Microsoft apologist. For several years they have spewed out the Bill Gates company line. In the early beta days and post Release days they kept us informed on how Vista was going to make all of our lives so much better.
Jim Louderback is turning in the keys to PC Mag, and as a parting shot he finally admits that Vista ain't so great.
Rest assured, you haven't heard the last of me. I will continue to write a column in PC Magazine. I still have too many issues to discuss with you. For example, my latest beef is with Vista.
Maybe it was something in the water? I've been a big proponent of the new OS over the past few months, even going so far as loading it onto most of my computers and spending hours tweaking and optimizing it. So why, nine months after launch, am I so frustrated? The litany of what doesn't work and what still frustrates me stretches on endlessly.
...
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 bought a new PC a few weeks ago and I went out of the way to avoid the nightmare known as Vista. Apparently
I'm not the only one. I suspect this is happening a lot. Unfortunately, whether its XP or Vista, MSoft is still making a fortune off each system it sells.
Labels: Tech
Review Garmen Nuvi 360
I tend to travel quite a bit, in last 6 months I've been to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin a couple of times, Jay Florida, Biloxi and all over Texas. Sometimes I fly but even then there is usually driving involved to get to the final destination. There have been a couple of incidents that convinced me I should get a new fangled GPS navigation system. The last straw was circling around in Austin trying to get to my Hotel at midnight.
I decided on the Garmen Nüvi 360 It has a larger screen at 2.8"W x 2.1"H; 3.5" diagonal and it has Bluetooth. This would allow me to retire the Bluetooth earpiece that I've been using.
The screen is bright and easy to see in the brightest daylight. I had intended to mount it on a center platform on my dash. But mounting the suction cup holder proved to be impractical. Fortunately it mounts quite well on both my Dodge Nitro and Equality's Accord. Ive noticed that people tend to mount these things in the middle of the windshield. I mount it on both cars low and on drivers side so that it in effect becomes part of my dashboard instrumentation. The mount for the Nuvi is somewhat ingenious. Navigator pops out pretty easily to remove the temptation for potential thieves. The power from the Cigarette lighter adapter is routed through mount although it could be charged directly into the Nuvi.
I was a bit concerned whether the navigator would be more of a distraction than it would be of help. Once i got used to it being there it was just another console instrument much like the tachometer or speedometer. In fact I often use its speedometer/odometer function because it can be a little more useful. While traveling unfamiliar roads it the 3D maps serve as a look ahead and provides one with that extra bit of useful information. The audible warning to turn off a semi familiar road serves as a nice reminder. And knowing how long until the nest turnoff is only helps ones concentration on driving.
I guess all GPS navigation systems will tell you how to get to where you are going. I paid $450 for my Nuvi 360 because it had some extra features. It works well with my Motorola Razr cell phone. The phone book is downloaded to the Nuvi. I can call up and dial through the Nuvi, talk hands free though bluetooth and never touch the phone. I don't believe I can make voice commands through the phone but its still easier and less distracting to dial out using the bluetooth wireless functions of the Nuvi than it is to use the phones dial-up. The Bluetooth functions are excellent and have allowed me to retire the bluetooth earpiece I was previously using. The Bluetooth functions alone make the 360 worth the extra money.
The Big screen. The screen is a little bigger than most of the units I've seen. It detaches from the mount and slides into a shirt pocket nicely.
I think most new units today come with WAAS accuracy up to 10 feet. The WAAS was disabled by default, to preserve the battery I presume. I turned it on. What surprised me is that the unit had no problem locking on to satellites even inside my home. I don't think I'm gonna have a lot of problems with trees blocking the way.
MP3 player with SD disk is nice concidering the tiny speakers the Nuvi sounds remakably good. I want to get a patch cord though so I can wire it directly into car radio.
As they used to say, "Don't leave home without it!"
Update: June 6, 2008
My Nuvi started acting up on me a few weeks ago. I contacted Garmen through the phone number provided on ther web site. I reached a customer rep. rather quickly they gave me an RMA and sent me a new unit all in about a week. i couldn't ask for better customer service. I didn't like being without my Nuvi though. Even though I didn't go anywhere new, I like the warning I missed the reminders of when to turn off, and the I also missed not having the Bluetooth speakerphone. At any rate 1 year later the Nuvi still goes with me wherever I go. Even if I have to fly.
Labels: Tech
iPhone Woes
Apple hasn't shown much concern over the consumers maintaining their computers or Ipods. they have been notoriously expensive to repair when their stuff goes bad. The iPhones are
expensive to manufacture and they will be expencive to maintain. Unlike every other manufacturer the new Apple iPhone does not have a consumer replaceable battery. The hapless consumer will have to send the phone in and
pay Apple $85.95. If they can't do without a phone for a few days Apple will gladly rent a phone for $29. Consumer groups find this unfair.
A consumer group has warned that Apple's
battery-replacement policy for the iPhone is inadequate, as sales for the new gadget introduced during the weekend were estimated at topping 500,000 units. Before the iPhone went on sale Friday evening, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights sent a letter to Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, whose company is the exclusive wireless carrier for the iPhone in the U.S. The letters asked the CEOs to implement consumer safeguards for the iPhone batteries, arguing that most buyers would have to pay to have them replaced after the iPhone's one-year warranty, unless users buy an extended warranty. The battery does not appear to be user replaceable, and Apple advises buyers to take the iPhone back to Apple or AT&T for support.
Labels: Tech
Review HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One
In January last year I
bought a Brother MFC-640CW Fax Scanner printer. I liked it, although it did have some things I didn't like about it to much. It used up ink like a drunken sailer, and it was a bit of a pain in the ass to configure. I was able to read faxes from my computer, and store them permanently as a TIF or Gif file. Last May it died on me. I could still manually send and receive Faxes there was no either wireless or hardwired Ethernet. It probably would have worked if connected to my USB hub but that wasn't practical .
I needed to replace it quickly and to be honest I didn't shop to hard. I went to
Sams Club and picked out an
HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One. I paid about $190 out the door including taxes. It is not wireless. While I thought it was important when I bought the Brother It turned out that I ended up using about 4 feet away from my router. I still have plenty of ports available and even if I didn't a switch is pretty cheap.
Installation was a piece of cake real simple and straight forward. It probably took 1 hour from out of the box, hooking up, and installing software. The software install took forever. its pretty slow although straight forward. I installed it into my desktop and Equality's laptop.
I did have problems. While I was attempting to send a Fax Equality attempted to send out a print job from my computer. Every light on the Fax machine started flashing. Any further attempts to resend the fax caused the flashing light-lock up problem at at page 6. I pulled up the web site and went into chat with the support guy after about 2 hours he had me reset the system by using a magical combination of keys that I wish i had written down. All in all I rate the support as pretty good even though he took me down a garden path. Eventually he did get to the solution and he was persistent. Thats worth points.
My overall impression so far isn't so impressive. With the Brother I was able to view faxes on my computer. This seems to me should be a standard feature and essential to viewing Legal sized documents properly. It's just to bad that HP doesn't understand that faxing is a 2 way communications process. I still have problems sending multiple pages and have experienced the flashing lights when attempting to send pages. When this happens I'm not sure about how many pages did get sent so I send them all over again .. A source of annoyance for the recipients also.
Print quality is pretty good and seems so far to be more economical than the Brother. The scanner is good and convienient. The document feeder seems to handle just about anything. quality, the software/driver software is simple straightforward. The ability to read various camera media and print directly might be a useful feature for some. I prefer to directly view them on the PC , edit and print from the PC. The HP All-in-One does handle most camera media.
There are things I like about the HP. I can read the display. I sometimes had to use a flashlight to read the Brother. The print quality is outstanding, as are the scans. There is a spam blocking feature, I'm sure it would work great if the fax spammers didn't block their caller ID number. Hopefully it will last a little longer than the brother.
Labels: Tech
The RoadRunner Comcast Shaft.
No one ever claimed that the the Roadrunner-Comcast switch over in this the Houston area was for the benefit of the customer. Apparently the switchover is going real smooth over at Time Warner. They simply pulled the plug on the @houston.rr.com accounts. Real painless... at least for them they aren't even taking phone calls over it. Dwight Silverman explains all.
At the bottom of a May 21 post about the Road Runner/Comcast e-mail changes, I mentioned that several RR customers had e-mailed me to complain that their e-mail service was down. They said they were told by tech support personnel that the outage was the result of the switch from Road Runner to Comcast.
Both Comcast public relations Vice President Ray Purser and regional Senior Vice President Tony Speller said that wasn't true. Someone was giving out bad information, they said.
But today's Computing column about the change has generated more of those e-mails. They have a similar thread, in which customers are told that 7,000 to 14,000 e-mail accounts were affected as a result of the Comcast switch. Purser and Speller say that's not possible, because the changeover won't happen until July.
Another customer who e-mailed said he was told that sub-accounts -- secondary accounts created by the holders of primary e-mail accounts -- were removed by accident as part of system maintenance. In many cases, the accounts and the mail they contained were wiped out. But at least one person followed up to say he had his e-mail restored by Comcast's tech support.
Changing ones email address can be traumatic, notifying everyone is just about impossible. Preventive measures is not a bad idea. I use an email forwarding service from www.mail.com and use the email address liberty.freedom@revolutionist.com Its just a mail forwarding address. I have had this email for 10 years or 2 ISP changes and been pointed to at least 3 different Mail boxes. It's also my oldest email address. It cost me about $25 a year.
There is always a web based email client, these things are pretty good. I use gmail (liberty@gmail.com), but hot mail or yahoo are just fine also. They are free and most can be read with with a regular email reader.
The other option is to buy a domain. Its not that expensive or difficult. Godaddy.com host this blog, and much of my email these days.
The point is not to give anyone your ISPs provided email box. Other than spam, and communications from my ISP all my real email is forwarded into the box. Don't give anyone your ISP provided email address. That way if your forced to switch ISPs you won't lose your incoming email.
Dwight also has some suggestions. If you have a houston.rr.com account the time to start moving accounts is now.
Labels: Tech
