Quirky. I've had the best service ever with the credit union I'm with.
I can find ATMs everywhere.
Even when I'm not in my home state, I usually can run into an ATM that's supported by my CU to get free withdrawals (found that out on a trip to Minnesota, US, and again on a trip to Georgia, US).
I recently needed a loan to get my vehicle back after needing emergency repairs. I called them on a Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning, the money I needed to pick up my vehicle was in my account and ready to go. I didn't have to go do any paperwork or anything special. I just called.
I haven't paid any BS fees. The few times I actually managed an overdraft, I was charged the overdraft fee and that's it. I couldn't deposit anything for two weeks, but there were no fees other than that one overdraft.
This is unlike what has happened to a good friend of mine: He managed to overdraft by 47 cents (an automated transfer for something hit right after paying rent, heh). The bank charged him for the overdraft, which is right and fine, albeit $40 is a pretty steep overdraft charge. Then a week later, they hit him for a 'service fee' for the overdraft ($35). A week after that, they hit him again for another 'service fee' ($35 again). As a result, he gets to pay over $100 for overdrafting by 47 cents with a regular bank. My CU would have charged him $29 for the same thing. That's it.
The few banks I've tried have pretty much scared me off with their fee schedules.
I puckered around with it this morning, and found that yes, you can categorize games with tags, and pull a specific tag up when trying to choose certain game types.
I've got Lord of the Rings Online, EVE, and Anarchy Online sitting under "MMORPG", Torchlight under "Crawler", Iji under "Platformer", and so on.
I've yet to see if the new overlay will work with a couple of games on this list (AO, Iji) since it didn't before, but I won't be disappointed if not.
Surprisingly, because it slowed down impulse shopping, and by the time we've found the game on the site, our urge to "buy the game if the screenshots or video looks good" is gone.
Also, as it was pointed out on the forums (can't link to the post for now -- behind the corp wall of fire) that this being broken under these particular configurations may speed up Impulse shopping, which could finally make Stardock a threat to Steam, since Impulse already had that "It just f'n works." thing going on. None of this "Open a browser to look, with purchasing client open at the same time" stuff -- See a thumbnail, click for screenshot, close lightbox when done, and if you want it, add it to the damn cart.
With this beta release of Steam, they fix an interesting issue that cropped up with the release of Windows 7.
For users of that particular OS who have either removed Internet Explorer, or did not have it installed at all when the OS was installed (see: Europe, and the rest of the world that couldn't even stand the browser), Steam was half-broken. One could not see any screenshots for a game before purchasing. Anything that needed a popup window in Steam would NOT default to the main browser installed on the system.
People complained about this, asking Steam to start looking for the default browser on the system so they could at least go back to browsing for games and possibly buying them.
It's good to see them actually address that issue.
That should have read: (Computrace, that is, with remote data deletion. It worked by allowing the computer to receive commands remotely once it hits the internet anywhere long enough to do its job. A delete job can be sent to the unit, wiping the drive. It was designed to survive some hardware replacements, as well, so swapping out the HDD isn't enough. At the time I did my research, there was a TSR that would regenerate itself on any Windows OS if the entire hardware batch wasn't swapped, but by the time you've done that, you could have just bought a replacement machine!)
I'm almost a little surprised that the school wasn't being penalized for this beyond the "Don't turn on the cameras, teehee~" I'm seeing here.
The concept of the technology makes sense -- get a visual of a thief using the stolen laptop. I'm okay with that. Wipe the Hard Drive on behalf of the customer's request if the unit is stolen and has information on it that shouldn't get out? Cool with me -- that's a feature people were able to buy on Dell's business laptops (Computrace, that is, with remote
The student did not report the laptop as stolen, so there's no feasible reason to be turning on the camera. The school did not give birth to the student. There is no reason to monitor the student like a parent should.
I'm happy to see that the hammer is starting to fall in favor of students using these units, but will the hammer hit the nail on the head?
(Of note, I read the main article, but behind the corp walls of fire, I can't read some of the supporting articles and information.)
Where/when could you use such a device in an effective way?
Hello from a tourist trap city in Florida! I've been asked for directions many a time by someone who's new to the area, or just traveling through.
I'd have loved to be able to show them a map of how to get to there from here, and know that they can see it. Squinting at a small screen to visualize directions isn't likely to be as effective as projecting a map on the back of a tray at a local Subway.
I can say something like: "Take Busch to 56th, turn right. Take 56th to Hillsborough, turn left. Take Hillsborough to Orient Road, turn right. Hard Rock's on your left." and get looked at strangely. Same happens with "Take Busch to I-275, and grab the southbound ramp. Merge into I-4 by taking the right-side ramp. Get off on the Orient Road Exit, and turn left. Hard Rock is on your right."
People are visual creatures when traveling, using things to set waypoints, making it easier for them to find their way home. Some of them just forget to print directions before they go places. So projecting something in a minute's time would be useful.
(At the same time, I worry about projecting, because someone will invariably use a mapping application with a GPS, project the map on the windshield while driving, and manage to run someone over.)
It has a varying level of difficulty, depending on which PSP you've picked up.
As of my last foray into that realm:
PSP-1000 was the easiest to exploit, depending on firmware version. May need to have a go at it with a service mode battery if the firmware version is too high.
PSP-2000 usually requires a service mode battery and a 256 MB or larger memory stick to exploit. The batteries are cheap (about $7 online if you know wher).
PSP-3000 had only a HEN exploit to date, which would allow one to run homebrew, but no PSP or PSX games. There's a few scattered claims that one could get a partial CFW onto the unit that would enable the playing of backups, but I've not had that experience.
PSP GO is a STOP. Return this box to the nearest retailer for full refund. You can't even play your legally purchased UMD games on this device, from what I understand.
It would make sense, but if you pick up a cellphone in an emergency state like a natural disaster of this magnitude (no pun intended), you may find that any number you dial is greeted with a message telling you that all lines are busy to non-emergency crew traffic, and to please try your call again later (Ask anyone along the Eastern Seaboard or Gulf Coast of the US about this right after a hurricane, for example). Even your calls to 112, 118, 119, 000, 911, etc. would run into this if the towers are that congested.
Meanwhile, there might still be a little bandwidth left from that tower for someone using a cellphone to send a few packets, hoping that someone can save them. Just wildly guessing that people are more likely to pick up the phone and call for help, or try to call family, or receive calls from family after said disaster, and guessing that data would run on a different channel of sorts for cell networks, I'd safely guess that getting to the Facebook or Twitter pages (barring any Fail Whales) would be easier than calling someone.
If your wall or tweet happens to reach someone who has access to the emergency crew channels for a given disaster, then it might be an effective option to go this route, if you have no other viable option. It beats dying, if you have something to live for.
Has anybody ever truly said, "Damn! I really need to plug my laptop into a television!"
I have.
Plug a set of speakers in, connected an S-Video cable and the AC Adapter, disabled screensaver.
Watch Hulu and Youtube videos on a screen significantly larger than my laptop's, so I can sit back and enjoy the first week of being in my new apartment (Cable company came and hooked us up to the internet on the same afternoon we moved in, which was amazing).
It's one of the draws to a compact device -- knowing you can carry it from room to room and show videos.
Depending on the setup, I could see this as being useful in an educational setting -- give the teachers a lightweight device that they can check out from a central repository (the media center at my old high school comes to mind), and something to project images up to. When they're done, check 'em back in, or chain them down securely to something that's immobile.
Instead of those boring laminate slides and the plain overhead projectors, you could have something that can be colorful and interactive. It could certainly make Biology much more interesting, for example.
If a device like this catches on in an educational setting, you could end up with lots of applications that can save money in the long run. Virtual dissection for biology class, anyone? Can't object so much to cutting things open when there's no formaldehyde smell (note to self: if this app happens, create a formaldehyde scented diffuser for that "Real Dissection Smell"...). No? How about 3D rotatable molecules for chemistry classes to help visualize what's being worked with? No? How about a visual math application, helping people who are learning the basics of algebra visualize how you get from one point to another when using it? I know I could have used it -- I nearly failed Algebra the first time, because I couldn't make it make sense in my head until someone actually started drawing some of it out for me. I'm sure that there are a boatload of other suggestions that are out there, too. Make the device and the necessary gear to set it up in an educational environment affordable, and I'd dare say there are schools that would consider running a pilot program to see how much it boosts education by, at the very least.
But alas, I ramble too much and feel like I might be preaching to the choir.:)
Of course, there are quite a few problems with this. For starters, internet use cannot yet cause death or dismemberment like car accidents can...
He has obviously not seen a man leaning over into the passenger seat of his car, furtively stabbing away at his laptop's keyboard while driving in rush hour traffic. If that man had a mobile broadband card in that computer, and is busy trying to pull up a playlist on blip.fm/last.fm/pandora.com, and he manages to rear-end a mini-van in front of him that came to a sudden stop for whatever reason... and the kids in the back seat aren't buckled in, PLUS the airbags fail to deploy...
You've got a kid rocketing through a windshield to his death and possible dismemberment.
I'm sure there are better scenarios, but I have witnessed the man leaning to stab a laptop in the passenger seat. In the case I witnessed, it was just a smash of the rear bumper of the car in front of him at around 5-8 miles per hour. I can only imagine the results at 8 times that speed.
I'm a type 2 diabetic. I only use pills, diet, and exercise to treat my symptoms, since the insulin I was taking was causing me to bottom out (50-60 mg/dL or lower). I would love something that would drop the need for (up to) 2.5 gigantic pills out of my daily regimen (especially given the side-effects (of which my gut would thank me to avoid) of Metformin).
I did address the needle group in my thoughts above, but a little haphazardly, perhaps.:)
They were using older and diabetic mice for their tests.
I can't help but wonder if this discovery may have some effect on diabetes treatments in the future. For diabetics who still have some pancreatic function, and aren't wholly dependent on pills, maybe the results found from this research could help them.
As for those who are dependent on pills, needles, and the like, I could wonder what it would do for them.
The article didn't really clarify what happened with the diabetes in the affected test subjects, though, so I lack that answer.
I keep my desktop right by my bed. 20" monitor, keyboard, stuff. All sorts of good times. Netflix, live TV, stored media, all in an arm's reach. Great for when it's too bloody cold to sit at the computer and read/. -- balled up under a blanket, text size enlarged in the browser to compensate for the slightly larger distance from the screen...
Sadly enough, trying to figure out a logical way to put a computer in the bathroom. Need to mitigate the gigantic cloud of steam's potential damage for when my roomie uses all the hot water showering (I'm a warm/cold shower person, not nearly as much steam).
I observed that, visiting my family last week. They've got a DVR, and the kids are gathered around watching some show called I, Carly (too lazy to google, don't care if it's the right name).
They know how to work the DVR better than my 40-something year old aunt. I saw them pull the show up, start it, and start laughing.
When I lived with the family over half a decade ago (helping to take care of my aging mother, whom I miss very much), I encouraged them to get a DVR then, because they'd get upset if someone (my mother) didn't hit record on the VCR in the afternoons.
We got a couple of DVRs with the cable service, and would fill up their puny HDDs with various shows.
I only recorded two shows per week (that came on at around one in the morning) with the intent of watching them on Sunday mornings (while the family was out and about), but the kids decided they were going to erase my recordings. Why? Because they didn't have enough room for Spengbab.
I guess the tl;dr of this post is: Kids, when given the opportunity to dictate when (and to some extent, where) they will watch something, will watch PLENTY of television.
Must agree with this, because that was my experience, on a desktop, with a cheap wireless card stuck in there.
I went back and installed some of the hardware-specific drivers, simply because they perform a little better than the default drivers did (mostly just the video driver and my TV tuner, really, now that I think of it -- everything was detected and installed, except that tuner, which took me on a little side trip for drivers, then Windows Media Center happily picked it up and asked me to tune in stations.)
Adding to the challenge, the Win7 RC installed quickly AND ran well on a 6 year old laptop. I only needed a wireless driver, and the sound driver. Wireless was easy, once I connected a NIC cable to the computer -- there was a Vista driver available for the hardware, if I remember well. Sound was harder, since there were ONLY XP drivers available, but 7 RC worked okay with them. Some of the audio functionality was reduced, but it still worked. On 768 (-64 for the onboard video!) MB of RAM. It took about 80-90 minutes to get that done.
(Pardon the disjointed syntax - I do this between calls. Thanks.)
I think it'll make its move to mainstream, considering that Dell actively sells computers and monitors with built-in DisplayPort as standard features (See: Dell Optiplex 760/960 desktops, Dell's E-series docking station for Latitude E-Series and Precision Workstation Mobiles, the adamo xps, and a few others that elude me at the moment).
For the desktops that don't have it built in, they have started to offer them with video cards with DisplayPort (and DP-to-DVI adapters). I've seen this often enough on Dell's newer small form factor machines that use the low profile bracket cards.
It appears that HP is also following suit with similar offerings, but not Late^H^H^H^HGateway.
Computer monitors, on the other hand, are also starting to adopt DisplayPort, perhaps because of the lack of HDMI royalties, while offering features not present in preceding connector types.
Hardly an exaggeration. I'm in a fairly large city, and can drive down to a gi-f'n-gantic glass tower with a Verizon logo glued to it, 30 or 40 floors up. I can attest to those high prices.
These fine chaps charged $30 + taxes and fees for a basic local landline. No feeps whatsoever other than local calls. Even calls across the bridge into the next county (25 miles away) incurred an extra fee.
If you needed a second phone line (ie: the teen in the house (me at that time), who is working a part time job so he can have his own phone), Verizon would charge a special fee for not having the primary line. The fee was about $3 or $4 on top of the basic, local service and taxes. I was paying about $40 a month, and my (grand)mother was paying $34 or $35.
The cost weaseled its way up a little in the past half decade, but I was done with Verizon at that point. They wouldn't offer a dry loop DSL package in that area (near an air force base -- that should tell you where I am), so to have DSL, I was paying $75 a month. Of course, on top of that, DSL wouldn't work for about a week each month, but they insisted it worked. Got tired of the argument, left them for cable, and have been happy since.
$63 a month for plain cable internet, no TV. Built an antenna for $10 or so for digital. Good times.
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Quirky. I've had the best service ever with the credit union I'm with.
I can find ATMs everywhere.
Even when I'm not in my home state, I usually can run into an ATM that's supported by my CU to get free withdrawals (found that out on a trip to Minnesota, US, and again on a trip to Georgia, US).
I recently needed a loan to get my vehicle back after needing emergency repairs.
I called them on a Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday morning, the money I needed to pick up my vehicle was in my account and ready to go.
I didn't have to go do any paperwork or anything special. I just called.
I haven't paid any BS fees. The few times I actually managed an overdraft, I was charged the overdraft fee and that's it. I couldn't deposit anything for two weeks, but there were no fees other than that one overdraft.
This is unlike what has happened to a good friend of mine: He managed to overdraft by 47 cents (an automated transfer for something hit right after paying rent, heh).
The bank charged him for the overdraft, which is right and fine, albeit $40 is a pretty steep overdraft charge.
Then a week later, they hit him for a 'service fee' for the overdraft ($35).
A week after that, they hit him again for another 'service fee' ($35 again).
As a result, he gets to pay over $100 for overdrafting by 47 cents with a regular bank.
My CU would have charged him $29 for the same thing. That's it.
The few banks I've tried have pretty much scared me off with their fee schedules.
I puckered around with it this morning, and found that yes, you can categorize games with tags, and pull a specific tag up when trying to choose certain game types.
I've got Lord of the Rings Online, EVE, and Anarchy Online sitting under "MMORPG", Torchlight under "Crawler", Iji under "Platformer", and so on.
I've yet to see if the new overlay will work with a couple of games on this list (AO, Iji) since it didn't before, but I won't be disappointed if not.
Surprisingly, because it slowed down impulse shopping, and by the time we've found the game on the site, our urge to "buy the game if the screenshots or video looks good" is gone.
Also, as it was pointed out on the forums (can't link to the post for now -- behind the corp wall of fire) that this being broken under these particular configurations may speed up Impulse shopping, which could finally make Stardock a threat to Steam, since Impulse already had that "It just f'n works." thing going on. None of this "Open a browser to look, with purchasing client open at the same time" stuff -- See a thumbnail, click for screenshot, close lightbox when done, and if you want it, add it to the damn cart.
But that's just my opinion on that.
With this beta release of Steam, they fix an interesting issue that cropped up with the release of Windows 7.
For users of that particular OS who have either removed Internet Explorer, or did not have it installed at all when the OS was installed (see: Europe, and the rest of the world that couldn't even stand the browser), Steam was half-broken. One could not see any screenshots for a game before purchasing. Anything that needed a popup window in Steam would NOT default to the main browser installed on the system.
People complained about this, asking Steam to start looking for the default browser on the system so they could at least go back to browsing for games and possibly buying them.
It's good to see them actually address that issue.
Maybe I'll buy Space Giraffe to celebrate.
(Computrace, that is, with remote
Smoooooooooth, Orb.
That should have read:
(Computrace, that is, with remote data deletion. It worked by allowing the computer to receive commands remotely once it hits the internet anywhere long enough to do its job. A delete job can be sent to the unit, wiping the drive. It was designed to survive some hardware replacements, as well, so swapping out the HDD isn't enough. At the time I did my research, there was a TSR that would regenerate itself on any Windows OS if the entire hardware batch wasn't swapped, but by the time you've done that, you could have just bought a replacement machine!)
I'm almost a little surprised that the school wasn't being penalized for this beyond the "Don't turn on the cameras, teehee~" I'm seeing here.
The concept of the technology makes sense -- get a visual of a thief using the stolen laptop. I'm okay with that. Wipe the Hard Drive on behalf of the customer's request if the unit is stolen and has information on it that shouldn't get out? Cool with me -- that's a feature people were able to buy on Dell's business laptops (Computrace, that is, with remote
The student did not report the laptop as stolen, so there's no feasible reason to be turning on the camera.
The school did not give birth to the student. There is no reason to monitor the student like a parent should.
I'm happy to see that the hammer is starting to fall in favor of students using these units, but will the hammer hit the nail on the head?
(Of note, I read the main article, but behind the corp walls of fire, I can't read some of the supporting articles and information.)
Where/when could you use such a device in an effective way?
Hello from a tourist trap city in Florida!
I've been asked for directions many a time by someone who's new to the area, or just traveling through.
I'd have loved to be able to show them a map of how to get to there from here, and know that they can see it. Squinting at a small screen to visualize directions isn't likely to be as effective as projecting a map on the back of a tray at a local Subway.
I can say something like:
"Take Busch to 56th, turn right. Take 56th to Hillsborough, turn left. Take Hillsborough to Orient Road, turn right. Hard Rock's on your left." and get looked at strangely.
Same happens with "Take Busch to I-275, and grab the southbound ramp. Merge into I-4 by taking the right-side ramp. Get off on the Orient Road Exit, and turn left. Hard Rock is on your right."
People are visual creatures when traveling, using things to set waypoints, making it easier for them to find their way home.
Some of them just forget to print directions before they go places.
So projecting something in a minute's time would be useful.
(At the same time, I worry about projecting, because someone will invariably use a mapping application with a GPS, project the map on the windshield while driving, and manage to run someone over.)
It has a varying level of difficulty, depending on which PSP you've picked up.
As of my last foray into that realm:
PSP-1000 was the easiest to exploit, depending on firmware version. May need to have a go at it with a service mode battery if the firmware version is too high.
PSP-2000 usually requires a service mode battery and a 256 MB or larger memory stick to exploit. The batteries are cheap (about $7 online if you know wher).
PSP-3000 had only a HEN exploit to date, which would allow one to run homebrew, but no PSP or PSX games. There's a few scattered claims that one could get a partial CFW onto the unit that would enable the playing of backups, but I've not had that experience.
PSP GO is a STOP. Return this box to the nearest retailer for full refund. You can't even play your legally purchased UMD games on this device, from what I understand.
Where I am, $100 at a bar is about 15-20 mixed drinks, IF you don't tip the bartender.
That's a dangerous thing to do.
Not tip the bartender, that is.
You could end up with a case of tetrahydrozoline poisoning if the barkeep is the spiteful kind.
It would make sense, but if you pick up a cellphone in an emergency state like a natural disaster of this magnitude (no pun intended), you may find that any number you dial is greeted with a message telling you that all lines are busy to non-emergency crew traffic, and to please try your call again later (Ask anyone along the Eastern Seaboard or Gulf Coast of the US about this right after a hurricane, for example).
Even your calls to 112, 118, 119, 000, 911, etc. would run into this if the towers are that congested.
Meanwhile, there might still be a little bandwidth left from that tower for someone using a cellphone to send a few packets, hoping that someone can save them. Just wildly guessing that people are more likely to pick up the phone and call for help, or try to call family, or receive calls from family after said disaster, and guessing that data would run on a different channel of sorts for cell networks, I'd safely guess that getting to the Facebook or Twitter pages (barring any Fail Whales) would be easier than calling someone.
If your wall or tweet happens to reach someone who has access to the emergency crew channels for a given disaster, then it might be an effective option to go this route, if you have no other viable option.
It beats dying, if you have something to live for.
That's just my two cents, though.
Has anybody ever truly said, "Damn! I really need to plug my laptop into a television!"
I have.
Plug a set of speakers in, connected an S-Video cable and the AC Adapter, disabled screensaver.
Watch Hulu and Youtube videos on a screen significantly larger than my laptop's, so I can sit back and enjoy the first week of being in my new apartment (Cable company came and hooked us up to the internet on the same afternoon we moved in, which was amazing).
It's one of the draws to a compact device -- knowing you can carry it from room to room and show videos.
Depending on the setup, I could see this as being useful in an educational setting -- give the teachers a lightweight device that they can check out from a central repository (the media center at my old high school comes to mind), and something to project images up to. When they're done, check 'em back in, or chain them down securely to something that's immobile.
Instead of those boring laminate slides and the plain overhead projectors, you could have something that can be colorful and interactive. It could certainly make Biology much more interesting, for example.
If a device like this catches on in an educational setting, you could end up with lots of applications that can save money in the long run.
Virtual dissection for biology class, anyone? Can't object so much to cutting things open when there's no formaldehyde smell (note to self: if this app happens, create a formaldehyde scented diffuser for that "Real Dissection Smell"...).
No? How about 3D rotatable molecules for chemistry classes to help visualize what's being worked with?
No? How about a visual math application, helping people who are learning the basics of algebra visualize how you get from one point to another when using it? I know I could have used it -- I nearly failed Algebra the first time, because I couldn't make it make sense in my head until someone actually started drawing some of it out for me.
I'm sure that there are a boatload of other suggestions that are out there, too. Make the device and the necessary gear to set it up in an educational environment affordable, and I'd dare say there are schools that would consider running a pilot program to see how much it boosts education by, at the very least.
But alas, I ramble too much and feel like I might be preaching to the choir. :)
So, instead of G.U.I.L.T., it's G.R.I.E.F.?
Of course, there are quite a few problems with this. For starters, internet use cannot yet cause death or dismemberment like car accidents can...
He has obviously not seen a man leaning over into the passenger seat of his car, furtively stabbing away at his laptop's keyboard while driving in rush hour traffic.
If that man had a mobile broadband card in that computer, and is busy trying to pull up a playlist on blip.fm/last.fm/pandora.com, and he manages to rear-end a mini-van in front of him that came to a sudden stop for whatever reason... and the kids in the back seat aren't buckled in, PLUS the airbags fail to deploy...
You've got a kid rocketing through a windshield to his death and possible dismemberment.
I'm sure there are better scenarios, but I have witnessed the man leaning to stab a laptop in the passenger seat. In the case I witnessed, it was just a smash of the rear bumper of the car in front of him at around 5-8 miles per hour. I can only imagine the results at 8 times that speed.
I'm a type 2 diabetic. I only use pills, diet, and exercise to treat my symptoms, since the insulin I was taking was causing me to bottom out (50-60 mg/dL or lower). I would love something that would drop the need for (up to) 2.5 gigantic pills out of my daily regimen (especially given the side-effects (of which my gut would thank me to avoid) of Metformin).
I did address the needle group in my thoughts above, but a little haphazardly, perhaps. :)
I read TFA (gasp! rare!)
They were using older and diabetic mice for their tests.
I can't help but wonder if this discovery may have some effect on diabetes treatments in the future. For diabetics who still have some pancreatic function, and aren't wholly dependent on pills, maybe the results found from this research could help them.
As for those who are dependent on pills, needles, and the like, I could wonder what it would do for them.
The article didn't really clarify what happened with the diabetes in the affected test subjects, though, so I lack that answer.
If Comcast actually does what they're saying on the tin, maybe the other ISPs will follow suit.
This just might be a good thing.
Netbook!?
I keep my desktop right by my bed. 20" monitor, keyboard, stuff. /. -- balled up under a blanket, text size enlarged in the browser to compensate for the slightly larger distance from the screen...
All sorts of good times.
Netflix, live TV, stored media, all in an arm's reach. Great for when it's too bloody cold to sit at the computer and read
Sadly enough, trying to figure out a logical way to put a computer in the bathroom. Need to mitigate the gigantic cloud of steam's potential damage for when my roomie uses all the hot water showering (I'm a warm/cold shower person, not nearly as much steam).
Three letters:
DVR.
I observed that, visiting my family last week.
They've got a DVR, and the kids are gathered around watching some show called I, Carly (too lazy to google, don't care if it's the right name).
They know how to work the DVR better than my 40-something year old aunt. I saw them pull the show up, start it, and start laughing.
When I lived with the family over half a decade ago (helping to take care of my aging mother, whom I miss very much), I encouraged them to get a DVR then, because they'd get upset if someone (my mother) didn't hit record on the VCR in the afternoons.
We got a couple of DVRs with the cable service, and would fill up their puny HDDs with various shows.
I only recorded two shows per week (that came on at around one in the morning) with the intent of watching them on Sunday mornings (while the family was out and about), but the kids decided they were going to erase my recordings. Why? Because they didn't have enough room for Spengbab.
I guess the tl;dr of this post is:
Kids, when given the opportunity to dictate when (and to some extent, where) they will watch something, will watch PLENTY of television.
Erm.
Isn't that the goal of ReactOS?
I may be wrong, but it's a shot.
Must agree with this, because that was my experience, on a desktop, with a cheap wireless card stuck in there.
I went back and installed some of the hardware-specific drivers, simply because they perform a little better than the default drivers did (mostly just the video driver and my TV tuner, really, now that I think of it -- everything was detected and installed, except that tuner, which took me on a little side trip for drivers, then Windows Media Center happily picked it up and asked me to tune in stations.)
Adding to the challenge, the Win7 RC installed quickly AND ran well on a 6 year old laptop. I only needed a wireless driver, and the sound driver. Wireless was easy, once I connected a NIC cable to the computer -- there was a Vista driver available for the hardware, if I remember well. Sound was harder, since there were ONLY XP drivers available, but 7 RC worked okay with them. Some of the audio functionality was reduced, but it still worked.
On 768 (-64 for the onboard video!) MB of RAM.
It took about 80-90 minutes to get that done.
(Pardon the disjointed syntax - I do this between calls. Thanks.)
I think it'll make its move to mainstream, considering that Dell actively sells computers and monitors with built-in DisplayPort as standard features (See: Dell Optiplex 760/960 desktops, Dell's E-series docking station for Latitude E-Series and Precision Workstation Mobiles, the adamo xps, and a few others that elude me at the moment).
For the desktops that don't have it built in, they have started to offer them with video cards with DisplayPort (and DP-to-DVI adapters). I've seen this often enough on Dell's newer small form factor machines that use the low profile bracket cards.
It appears that HP is also following suit with similar offerings, but not Late^H^H^H^HGateway.
Computer monitors, on the other hand, are also starting to adopt DisplayPort, perhaps because of the lack of HDMI royalties, while offering features not present in preceding connector types.
Why yes, you can.
You can either get a cable, or just the dongle, whichever you prefer.
Fido!
Bad dog! Get off my bed and quit using the internet!
We'll discuss your typing habits later.
I can validate that Latitude ON does not run from the hard drive. It is its own dedicated flash device, and can usually be replaced if damaged.
I've had to dispatch a couple of replacements. (I literally mean just a couple. Mostly the 'spilled * on unit' type of repairs.)
Hardly an exaggeration.
I'm in a fairly large city, and can drive down to a gi-f'n-gantic glass tower with a Verizon logo glued to it, 30 or 40 floors up. I can attest to those high prices.
These fine chaps charged $30 + taxes and fees for a basic local landline. No feeps whatsoever other than local calls. Even calls across the bridge into the next county (25 miles away) incurred an extra fee.
If you needed a second phone line (ie: the teen in the house (me at that time), who is working a part time job so he can have his own phone), Verizon would charge a special fee for not having the primary line. The fee was about $3 or $4 on top of the basic, local service and taxes. I was paying about $40 a month, and my (grand)mother was paying $34 or $35.
The cost weaseled its way up a little in the past half decade, but I was done with Verizon at that point.
They wouldn't offer a dry loop DSL package in that area (near an air force base -- that should tell you where I am), so to have DSL, I was paying $75 a month. Of course, on top of that, DSL wouldn't work for about a week each month, but they insisted it worked.
Got tired of the argument, left them for cable, and have been happy since.
$63 a month for plain cable internet, no TV.
Built an antenna for $10 or so for digital.
Good times.