Oh My God: Nathan... Cute... OVERLOAD

Fry's Electronics Ads!

So I have no idea if i'm going to permanently post Fry's Electronics Ads here or not. I usually head over to a Chicago based Vietnamese PC Magazine, TapChiViTinh. Personally I think it's awesome they host the ads on their forums.


But, I just lost some of my regular hosting, so i'm posting the pictures here to hotlink from the TapChiViTinh forums pages, so here goes. :)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

Western Digital "VelociRaptor" - !!!!!

Over the last few years, when I've needed a high performance hard drive, I've purchased and recommended the Western Digital Raptor line. From the first 36GB 10000RPM 8MB cache drive all the way to the 150GB 10000RPM 15MB cache'd Raptor X, I've been extremely happy with them.

1. I've purchased at least 30 for myself and clients, and none of them have died.
2. They run at 10K RPM (faster than the standard 7200RPM or 5400RPM for desktop drives) meaning faster sustained read speeds and faster random seek reads.
3. They sound cool without being annoying (hehe).

But, they're old... the last update to the line was in late 2006 and, I still love them, but I'm always looking for more speed.

So they introduced the VelociRaptor.

It's a terrible name, yes, but it's all about hard drive performance, and apparently this "tears shit up". It's a 2.5" drive with a huge heatsink surrounding it!

There've been 10K RPM SAS server drives out for a long time, it's nice to see they're bringing them over to the desktop, standard SATA side.

So, while I didn't find this out all by my lonesome, I thought this was exciting enough to bring everyone's attention. Want a fast drive? GET THIS.

300GB, 10K RPM, 3.0GB SATA (finally), and lots of healthy reviews = win.

Source: Engadget
Review: Tom's Hardware
Review: Maximum PC
Review: PC Perspective
Review: Hot Hardware

Rock Band : The Next Generation

My favorite game is Rock Band.

Our band is the Commonwealth of Pants.

Yes, NIkki's British, so that's why, leave us alone.

Anyway, some intrepid soul with (apparently) more love of Star Trek than me decided to go the extra mile and make Rock Band characters out of Star Trek characters.

I wish I had thought of this myself, because it's awesome:



(drops jaw)

Oh, and by the way, here's a video of Nathan drumming. :)

GCalSync - Synchronize Blackberry with Google Calendar

I have a Blackberry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile. I love the device. So much so that I put it through a full washer / dryer cycle just to make it look and smell great! Upon finding out the device no longer functioned, I coughed up the $110 insurance fee and received another. (It looks great, does not smell great... )

But right now I'm not using it with over the air sync of my calendar / address book information since I don't have a working Exchange server at the moment. So I decided to try to (temporarily) move away from the Microsoft Outlook / Microsoft Exchange combination.

The last time I tried this I attempted to use Ximian Evolution (now just Evolution), then I looked into Chandler, and... I came up empty. (Note, the Evolution logo has changed... I just like this one more)

The truth is, I need e-mail and calendaring all the time, everywhere I go, on a laptop, on my desktop, on my phone, and I need them to all share data seamlessly.

I think I may have found what I'm looking for.

Mail: Mozilla Thunderbird

Calendar: Mozilla Lightning (or Sunbird if you want a separate application)

Blackberry Sync: GCalSync

To make it work on the Blackberry side of things you need to be aware of two potential issues which I was not aware of. I received an "invalid tunnel name" error. I fixed it by resolving two issues:

Disabling the "Proxy" setting under TLS on the Blackberry.

Choose Options -> Security Options -> TLS -> TLS Default

Choose Handheld (not "Proxy")

Setting the APN name

Choose Options -> Advanced Options - TCP

Type in your Wireless Provider's APN address, username, and password.

(For T-Mobile, it's wap.voicestream.com with no username or password)

This is the closest I've come to breaking up the Outlook / Exchange combination.

It still isn't seamless, sync between the Blackberry and Google Calendar isn't automatic, you have to initiate it at the GCalSync app on the Blackberry.

Additionally, it won't update already uploaded events.

Nevertheless this is the closest I've come in a while, so I'm going to work with this and see what I end up doing.

Windows Vista Downgrading, aka: Purchasing laptops and shoehorning XP into them

So anyone purchasing a laptop these days has to deal with Windows Vista.

Disclaimer:
I've been using Windows Vista since day one. I heavily promoted Windows Vista as a panacea for problems laptop computers had connecting to disparate networks, power management, and other little XP issues that would crop up.
I am no longer a promoter of Windows Vista. I help people get rid of it in favor of Windows XP, or a I give a gentle push towards Apple.

I purchased four laptops from a local retailer, three Acer Extensa 4420-5237 units, and a HP Compaq Presario F756NR. I'm keeping one of the Acer's for myself.

Yes I linked you to a Taiwanese Acer site, because Acer America no longer lists that particular unit.

Both laptops come preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, 32-bit.

(Insert random Microsoft / Vista hating joke here. Here, I'll start you off: "Preloaded? More like pre-bloated!" Ok, ok, another one: "Preloaded? You must mean defective by design." Actually, that last one is a slogan referring to DRM infestations. Check out http://www.defectivebydesign.org.)

Anyway, both manufacturers (HP/Compaq and Acer) don't offer Windows XP on these laptops. They also don't list XP drivers for these laptops on their websites.

HP makes it rough, luckily enough intrepid souls out there purchased these laptops and either edited some .INF files on their own or found the exact same hardware on older laptops, or on other similar laptops offered by HP, Compaq, or another manufacturer and used the drivers from those models.

Unfortunately, all that information is buried under several forum posts and it's not in one location. So, I'm going to 1) Link to the original posts, and 2) Link to a 100% tested (by me, on a single laptop, don't complain if you can't get it the first time, just ask questions!) compilation of all the correct drivers, and 3) tell you how mad I am.



So, for the Compaq Presario F756NR, drivers are available here:

(Uploading, will post link soon)

The original forum posts I referenced are here:

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?admit=109447626+1208137423572+28353475&threadId=1188979
http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?admit=109447626+1208137423799+28353475&threadId=1193928
Link to another laptop, the V3000Z CTO with some drivers and utilities that work. Read the earlier forum posts though.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3180330&lang=en'



Luckily, while Acer is just as dumb as HP for not listing drivers on their site, apparently their European bureau didn't get the memo.





So for the Acer Extensa 4420-5237, drivers are available here:

http://support.acer-euro.com/drivers/notebook/ex_4420.html

(lol)



Have fun y'alls!

Westboro Baptist Church gets Rick Roll'd

So the Westboro Baptist Church protested at Northern Illinois University (NIU) during services for the deceased.

Thank God someone Rick Roll'd them for their trouble.



Btw, this happened in Orlando, FL. Thanks to Perez Hilton for the link! (and Nikki for sending me there)

The coolest thing my dad has said (in my presence) in recent memory:

I received an e-mail from my dad today, and it reminded me that he occasionally used to rock.

It is a Microsoft bug/feature related to 8 bit MIME. 2003 Exchange forwards in 8 bit MIME. Other Exchange Servers and many other Servers can accept it. Yahoo and BlackBerry do not. This MS Document tells us how to turn off this feature. It’s scary and reminds me of my days as an assembler programmer XOR’ing a packed data field but it works. I have tried it on mine and now Yahoo messages can be forwarded to my BlackBerry and Vice Versa. It’s something I’ll need to do on any Exchange Server I have that forwards mail to a PDA or server similar to Yahoo.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257569/

I just looked at that and said to myself, "That's so cool... he used to be an assembler programmer... he knows what XOR is... hehe".

But anyway, to comment on Microsoft, 8 bit mime, ESMTP, and... how dumb SMTP is as a protocol, and why Blackberry/Yahoo/anyone else can't understand a few extra "introduction" lines (or why Exchange 2000 can't) is just... annoying. :)

Best April Fools Joke This Year, C/O The BBC

I wish public broadcasting was taken as seriously in this country as it is in Britain and Canada... GOD SAVE THE QUEEN... and the BBC and CBC.




(I do love Chicago Public Radio and PBS)

... and so the Rick Roll has truly come full circle.

So someone decided to actually look up Rick Astley. Hey, it's the Los Angeles Times, they're still journalists over there? (wow)

They let him in on this whole rickroll Internet phenomenon. Apparently he's into it, and has no plans to start a new career. Just relive a little of the old one. 

Good guy. :) 

I miss the Chappelle Show...

So I knew I wouldn't have time to listen to Barack Obama's speech, "A More Perfect Union." It's gotten saturation media coverage, mostly good, some disgustingly terrible, so I'm not going to push it or post any real opinion other than, "I must volunteer."

But it got me thinking about moments when political speech transcends politics and becomes a real force. So I remembered watching the Chappelle Show back when it was on "for real" and -fantastic-. (The entire first and second season is what I consider fantastic)

So Wyclef Jean comes on singing President. So I just want to share.

We Interrupt This Programme;

It's been a while since writing. I've reflected quite a bit on the trial and I realized I'm still having issues coming to terms with it.

So I'll continue to write about it... and shame all those who've earned a public shaming.

In the meantime, ... NEDM

Rick Roll'd: Rick Doom

(facepalm)

Rhymefest "friended" me on Facebook. (and why I'm lame)

Out of the blue I got an add request from Rhymefest on Facebook.

My first thought: How the hell does Rhymefest know who I am?
My second thought: I wonder if it's the post from a couple weeks ago.
My third thought: Nah... my site's read by a whopping five people (at best).
My fourth thought: Maybe google indexing is just that damned good... and maybe it ranked me high for "Rhymefest"
My fifth thought: It's probably not Rhymefest anyway.


So I accepted, and whether it's Rhymefest or not, it's cool as shit. :)

My sixth thought: Oh yeah... Facebook... (searches for Rhymefest) Damn, I'm number three on Facebook for "Rhymefest"... Apparently my last name (which incidentally rhymes with Hairy-Ass... thanks fourth grade!) being alphabetically first means I'm third in the pecking order.

So, while I still laugh at social networking in general as being a waste of time and useless (to me, not to anyone else, just to me), it apparently does connect people.

Thanks Rhymefest!

Check out a few articles on Rhymefest if you're interested:

Live: Rappers hate American Idol (VillageVoice.com)
Rhymefest Interview (ThaBiz.com)
A Revolutionary MC Speaks: An interview with Rhymefest. (JIVEMagazine.com)

Oh yeah... why am I lame? 'cause my first five thoughts were "...what the?" instead of "awesome"... :)

What beats Klingon Karaoke? STEVIE WONDER ON SESAME STREET!

Oh ... oh man... oh wow. Sesame Street back in the day was full of... what's that word? WIN
First, attribution:
I found this clip originally on Baby Roadies about... half a year ago? It disappeared after a couple days and I couldn't find a good quality clip again. Well, found another one.

Klingon Karaoke!

(grin)
Thanks Frank for an awesome Friday! Thanks to Capricon too!



Update: Attribution: OrganicPhoto.com (Frank!)

Flotation Centers, Relaxation, ... I need to head into Chicago.

So my Aunt Teresita and Uncle Frank ran a flotation center a couple years ago called "Aguasal". I'd never heard of flotation centers, isolation tanks or float tanks, only of sensory deprivation in the context of The Simpsons.



So I didn't exactly have an educated perception of floating. :)

But luckily Frank and Tere did, and knew about the benefits of floating enough to not just write or evangelize, but to found and run a flotation center!

Chicago's ABC 7 station ran a report on flotation while they were putting the finishing touches on their center.



A few months later, 190 North, a local Chicago based "news magazine" type show decided to pay Aguasal a visit.




This was all back in early to mid 2005. Unfortunately Aguasal closed (and so did my easy, nearby chance to float!) but it left a permanent mark in my mind and in many others.

Floatforhealth.net still ranks as one of the premier sources of information for flotation on the internet and it's still run by Frank and Tere.

They've also put up a blog that answers many questions about flotation. Check out floatation-tank.com and you can ask questions and get some answers if you're interested.

It also has links to where you can float in the US. The two places local to Chicago are:

Ecosspa (Naperville, IL) directions

SpaceTimeTanks (Chicago, IL) directions

Sony Support = WIN

So one of the clients I support purchased two Sony Vaio VGN-TZ195N laptops. They arrived with Vista Business pre-installed.



Sony VAIO VGN-TZ195N/XC 11.1" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor U7600, 2 GB RAM, 48 GB Flash Drive, Vista Business)

I started out by removing Vista Business and installing our volume licensed Windows XP Professional software. Everything went great except for one thing...

The on board Sprint broadband card (Novatel Wireless Expedite EV-DO Rev.A) did not have Windows XP drivers on the Sony eSupport website. The eSupport website was pretty honest about it saying "we don't yet offer the SmartWi utility for Windows XP". however I figured I'd be able to hack something together.

I wasn't. I tried grabbing the XP Expedite drivers from the OQO website (which uses the same mobile broadband card) and it didn't work. I tried playing around with Novatel's support website to see if I could finagle it into giving me XP drivers, with no success.

So I had to give up, order Vista restore dvds from Sony (Yes, I forgot to make backups, and no Sony doesn't make some of their shared libraries available on their eSupport website!), wait for them to arrive, and re-install the Sony certified Vista installation.

It was not a happy day for me. It was not a happy month and a half for the two executives that received brand new Sony Vaio laptops loaded with Vista either.

That's where Sony's technical support comes in.

I called, mentioned the problem, told them I downgraded (hah) to XP and that even after installing the new SmartWi utility that it wasn't detecting the hardware.

It would give me four devices, "data interface" with no drivers.

I got referred to level 2 tech support with no hassle at all, told them the issue, waited about five minutes, and I was given a link from one of their technicians to download new Novatel drivers. I installed the drivers, and it worked!

The whole tech support experience? under 15 minutes.

HUUUUGE props to Sony technical support. Wow.

Dell has a lot to learn.

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL : Shooting (Updated)

(Updated CNN Article)

I of course made the usual calls making sure everyone I knew was ok and to see how things are going on campus. How many school shootings have occurred in the last two weeks?!

I don't have anything interesting to say. Here's an eyewitness report of what happened:

http://daily-chronicle.com/articles/2008/02/14/news/latest_news/news02.txt

Happy Snowfall Chicagoans!

At least we're not Portland!