I troubleshoot home theater electronics all day, every day. I have to wonder if something else is at work here. At least one person asked, what do these eleven units all have in common? The same working environment. There are plenty of Xbox 360s out there, and they certainly all aren't failures, and the chance that this one person has received every part from the 1-2% of doomed 360s out there that are failures would be nearly statistically impossible.
More likely is that some other factor is causing this, perhaps the powerstrip he's plugged it into has a badly grounded outlet, or perhaps the main outlet itself - or possibly any of another hundred or so electrical issues there could be - such issues tend to plague complex electronics in very odd ways, and not the same way every time.
If I were at Microsoft, I'd replace his unit, but advise this guy he needs to get some help looking for what other factors could be causing these malfunctions.
This event comes as a shock to anyone, especially those of us within the Virginia Tech community. It is terrible that this would ever happen, and a great loss of opportunity and life for those who were killed today - and for what? I'm sure many are wondering exactly that, including myself - and I hope that they will be able to decipher the motive of these horrible events.
However, and I cannot help but wonder this - the entire country will be mourning for these 31 individuals killed in cold blood today, and wonder about that last, obviously disturbed indivudual - but events of this magnitude are not rare. In fact, these types of incidents happen every single day in Iraq, yet instead of the constant news coverage and awareness that this story will be given, it is glossed over by our News Media by events such as the Imus story or who Anna Nicole's baby will go to....
This may serve as a wakeup call to many people - but it shouldn't be, really - if our News Media was doing as it's supposed to do, and actually telling us about the tragedies that face us every day - not to say they can't show the light side as well, but such things are not worthy of 95% of a 24hour news coverage - things like this, especially today, are.
Great post! Mods, bump this up. It's awesome to hear both perspectives here, and a great story that made me wanting to know more of the experience, to boot.
I'm just a Technical Support Representative, but I've been reading about this case long before I worked there.
The initial ruling, I applauded. Yes, Echostar screwed up with Tivo. Yes, I think they should have to pay for that mistake, in monetary terms. Tivo earned at least that much.
However - DVR functionality at this point is just about commonplace - Dish/Echostar's DVRs perform the same functions that Tivo, and 50 other competing products do, and to tell Echostar that it can no longer compete in this now-established market is tantamount to handing the company over to a Firing Squad.
Nevermind the fact that there are now millions of Dish Network customers that are using DVR recievers, that will find out about this case, find that they've lost the functionality that they have been paying for every month - and place the blame squarely on - guess who? - Tivo.
Now, I like Tivo - and I hope they succeed, and again, I'm more than happy to see them monetarily compensated for the situation. But this is not punishing Echostar/Dish - this is only punishing the consumers who have bought those devices and who use them every day, and continue to do so.
On a personal note - this lawsuit will make my life a living hell, becuase those millions of customers will be calling me to explain why they can no longer use the functionality that they signed up for. The first time I recieve a phonecall asking why our DVR service has disappeared and why they cannot use the hard drive on the device they paid for, is the day that I turn in my resignation.
No one seems to have caught on to one thing here - after he tore it up, he FILLED IT OUT and sent it in. When these things arrive in the mail, they aren't filled out for you - yes, they do have a couple things filled out, but you still have to put all your pertinent information such as your social security number and whatnot on the forms - they can't process that stuff unless you give that to them. That's the only reason it worked.
So sure, if you fill out a credit app, tear it up, and some bozo then pieces it back together, you're in trouble - but if you don't ever fill it out, where's the problem? Seems like a big pile of sensasionalist FUD to me.
I've worked in a number of hotels for the past seven years- and all of them used electronic key systems, either the card type, or an electronic microchip key.
In EVERY case, the key system is a seperate box not tied into the main computer, and only contains your room number, and length of your stay. The device is ONLY a key coder - it does not tie-in to the main network or the hotel's database in any way.
This story is spreading FUD, do we really need more of that going around?
Granted, most people choose not to program their VCR because they don't think it's worth the effort. But we're not talking about those people. We're talking about people who honestly can't figure out how to program a VCR.
You're only half right. Only the US-spec STis use the 2.5L - the rest of the world, they get the 2.0L - and make roughly the same horsepower. They went to the 2.5 in the US because they couldn't get their 2.0 to make emissions standards with that kind of output.
Sheck out the "Shop" link. You can buy one from there. Although, $30k is a lot for a "new" Delorean - you can usually find one in very nice shape for under $20k - but of course, that's used.
I do hope that's a joke. The stock V6 PRV engine was designed by Peugot, Renault, & Volvo (hence its name, PRV) with an original output of 130bhp. Hardly powerful, and definitely not Chevy-built.
From Delorean Motors UK: It's a Peugeot Renault Volvo V6 (PRV-6) 2849cc Bosch K-Jet fuel injected SOHC 90 degree V6. It's a US emission-controlled amalgum of the Renault 30 and Volvo B28 engines. It's often mistaken for a Renault engine due to the belts, pulleys, alternator and water pump using the Renault configuration, but the internals are common to the Volvo engine. The transmission is a slightly modified version of the R30's (both 3-speed auto and 5-speed manual). The gears are taller and the transaxle is rotated through 180 degrees for rear-mounting. The PRV-6 has been a popular choice among kit-car enthusiasts for years due to its flexibility and availability. The 3-litre 24 valve version of the PRV-6 was in new production cars up until only a few short years ago, for example in the Citroen Xantia V6 and Renault Espace V6.
What's worse is that they waited way too long to get into the digital "film" market. It was just last month that I first saw a Kodak-branded memory card for sale at a local drugstore. That should've been a total no-brainer. For anyone over the age of 40, given a choice between a brand you'd never heard of, and Kodak... which memory card would you buy?
That's funny, because I started using Kodak memory cards in 1998, after got my Kodak DC210. I had a 4mb and 8mb CF card, Kodak branded. So they have been around for quite some time.
With something this small, I don't see how BitTorrent could possibly do any good. I pulled down Firebird from one of the mirrors in about 15 seconds. I understand supporting an open source cause, but isn't there a point where it just becomes useless?
Were I to use BT, it would take 5seconds to check the torrent, another 20 to start running and to find seeds and peers. Hell, I've had the.torrent running for over 2min now and I still don't have even 1%. Doesn't this kind of defeat the purpose? Torrent just isn't suited to small downloads, so why even bother?
It's run based off a site that is dedicated to technical information of Microsoft Products, and the forums tend to be a good place to ask questions and get some results. As with any forum, there'll be a fair bit of chatter, but overall it's pretty good.
I've seen a lot of posts saying a lot of things, but none of them has mentioned the ability that XP has to run an app under different credentials, for that single app.
If you right click on the application's shortcut, in the "Advanced..." menu you can check to allow it to run under different credentials. Now, when the kids start up their game, they'll get prompted with a user login screen, or choose to run under their own username. This would require you to log them in as an Administrator or similar, but it'd allow the protection you want, since it'd be just for that game.
While the information presented is good, I don't think the hypothesis is sound. Nintendo isn't just a Video Game company, it is merely their base. MS & Sony are first a software company and a media hardware company, respectively, but both delve into each others' realms, and into video gaming.
Nintendo's had its hands deep in the media industry for years - movies, television, toys, etc etc etc - are all extensions of Nintendo's little media empire. Think about all the various Pokemon TV Shows, Movies, Toys, heck I think they even have a cereal now. The same is true for other Nintendo properties - like Mario Bros., although some may argue that the plumber brothers may be past their prime in the marketing dept...
So it's not that Nintendo doesn't have its hands in the other industries, it focuses more on pure entertainment mediathough, instead of other media hardware.
The part about Nintendo having always made the highest quality games made me laugh, and discredit the article as little more than Nintendo fanboy pleading...
That this was VTTV. Probably cuz the symptoms sound a lot like other VT organizations that I've done work with over the years...:-)
Anyhow - I don't have a lot more to contribute other than that - but I'm sure others will, and I think anyone from around here knows, VTTV could use the help.
Amen to that. After having owned two Talon TSi AWDs (a 95 and a 93), I can honestly say I never want to buy a FWD car ever again. (Of course, that's not to say I won't drive one, but spend money on one, nah!)
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I troubleshoot home theater electronics all day, every day. I have to wonder if something else is at work here. At least one person asked, what do these eleven units all have in common? The same working environment. There are plenty of Xbox 360s out there, and they certainly all aren't failures, and the chance that this one person has received every part from the 1-2% of doomed 360s out there that are failures would be nearly statistically impossible.
More likely is that some other factor is causing this, perhaps the powerstrip he's plugged it into has a badly grounded outlet, or perhaps the main outlet itself - or possibly any of another hundred or so electrical issues there could be - such issues tend to plague complex electronics in very odd ways, and not the same way every time.
If I were at Microsoft, I'd replace his unit, but advise this guy he needs to get some help looking for what other factors could be causing these malfunctions.
This event comes as a shock to anyone, especially those of us within the Virginia Tech community. It is terrible that this would ever happen, and a great loss of opportunity and life for those who were killed today - and for what? I'm sure many are wondering exactly that, including myself - and I hope that they will be able to decipher the motive of these horrible events.
However, and I cannot help but wonder this - the entire country will be mourning for these 31 individuals killed in cold blood today, and wonder about that last, obviously disturbed indivudual - but events of this magnitude are not rare. In fact, these types of incidents happen every single day in Iraq, yet instead of the constant news coverage and awareness that this story will be given, it is glossed over by our News Media by events such as the Imus story or who Anna Nicole's baby will go to....
This may serve as a wakeup call to many people - but it shouldn't be, really - if our News Media was doing as it's supposed to do, and actually telling us about the tragedies that face us every day - not to say they can't show the light side as well, but such things are not worthy of 95% of a 24hour news coverage - things like this, especially today, are.
Great post! Mods, bump this up. It's awesome to hear both perspectives here, and a great story that made me wanting to know more of the experience, to boot.
Disclaimer: I work for Echostar.
I'm just a Technical Support Representative, but I've been reading about this case long before I worked there.
The initial ruling, I applauded. Yes, Echostar screwed up with Tivo. Yes, I think they should have to pay for that mistake, in monetary terms. Tivo earned at least that much.
However - DVR functionality at this point is just about commonplace - Dish/Echostar's DVRs perform the same functions that Tivo, and 50 other competing products do, and to tell Echostar that it can no longer compete in this now-established market is tantamount to handing the company over to a Firing Squad.
Nevermind the fact that there are now millions of Dish Network customers that are using DVR recievers, that will find out about this case, find that they've lost the functionality that they have been paying for every month - and place the blame squarely on - guess who? - Tivo.
Now, I like Tivo - and I hope they succeed, and again, I'm more than happy to see them monetarily compensated for the situation. But this is not punishing Echostar/Dish - this is only punishing the consumers who have bought those devices and who use them every day, and continue to do so.
On a personal note - this lawsuit will make my life a living hell, becuase those millions of customers will be calling me to explain why they can no longer use the functionality that they signed up for. The first time I recieve a phonecall asking why our DVR service has disappeared and why they cannot use the hard drive on the device they paid for, is the day that I turn in my resignation.
270 in Maryland doesn't connect to it's namesake twice - it connects 495 to 70 in Maryland, but never reconnects to 70.
It was a flying boat. Its hull is its landing gear.
So that pretty much makes it useless for a giant runway, doesn't it?
No one seems to have caught on to one thing here - after he tore it up, he FILLED IT OUT and sent it in. When these things arrive in the mail, they aren't filled out for you - yes, they do have a couple things filled out, but you still have to put all your pertinent information such as your social security number and whatnot on the forms - they can't process that stuff unless you give that to them. That's the only reason it worked.
So sure, if you fill out a credit app, tear it up, and some bozo then pieces it back together, you're in trouble - but if you don't ever fill it out, where's the problem? Seems like a big pile of sensasionalist FUD to me.
Yahoo! purchased Konfabulator, and Dashboard is the re-launching of it.
Funny, I thought Yahoo Widgets 3.0 was the relaunch of Konfabulator?
If the keycard didn't have the room number encoded on it, then it wouldnt be able to open your room.
It wouldn't make a very good keycard then, would it?
I've worked in a number of hotels for the past seven years- and all of them used electronic key systems, either the card type, or an electronic microchip key.
In EVERY case, the key system is a seperate box not tied into the main computer, and only contains your room number, and length of your stay. The device is ONLY a key coder - it does not tie-in to the main network or the hotel's database in any way.
This story is spreading FUD, do we really need more of that going around?
Dude... that link points to spyware. Thanks a lot, jerk!
Dope indeed!
You're only half right. Only the US-spec STis use the 2.5L - the rest of the world, they get the 2.0L - and make roughly the same horsepower. They went to the 2.5 in the US because they couldn't get their 2.0 to make emissions standards with that kind of output.
Sheck out the "Shop" link. You can buy one from there. Although, $30k is a lot for a "new" Delorean - you can usually find one in very nice shape for under $20k - but of course, that's used.
I do hope that's a joke. The stock V6 PRV engine was designed by Peugot, Renault, & Volvo (hence its name, PRV) with an original output of 130bhp. Hardly powerful, and definitely not Chevy-built.
From Delorean Motors UK:
It's a Peugeot Renault Volvo V6 (PRV-6) 2849cc Bosch K-Jet fuel injected SOHC 90 degree V6. It's a US emission-controlled amalgum of the Renault 30 and Volvo B28 engines. It's often mistaken for a Renault engine due to the belts, pulleys, alternator and water pump using the Renault configuration, but the internals are common to the Volvo engine. The transmission is a slightly modified version of the R30's (both 3-speed auto and 5-speed manual). The gears are taller and the transaxle is rotated through 180 degrees for rear-mounting. The PRV-6 has been a popular choice among kit-car enthusiasts for years due to its flexibility and availability. The 3-litre 24 valve version of the PRV-6 was in new production cars up until only a few short years ago, for example in the Citroen Xantia V6 and Renault Espace V6.
Delorean Motors offers upgrades for this engine.
0wn3d!
That's funny, because I started using Kodak memory cards in 1998, after got my Kodak DC210. I had a 4mb and 8mb CF card, Kodak branded. So they have been around for quite some time.
With something this small, I don't see how BitTorrent could possibly do any good. I pulled down Firebird from one of the mirrors in about 15 seconds. I understand supporting an open source cause, but isn't there a point where it just becomes useless?
.torrent running for over 2min now and I still don't have even 1%. Doesn't this kind of defeat the purpose? Torrent just isn't suited to small downloads, so why even bother?
Were I to use BT, it would take 5seconds to check the torrent, another 20 to start running and to find seeds and peers. Hell, I've had the
You may want to try the Active Network Forums.
It's run based off a site that is dedicated to technical information of Microsoft Products, and the forums tend to be a good place to ask questions and get some results. As with any forum, there'll be a fair bit of chatter, but overall it's pretty good.
Check it out.
I've seen a lot of posts saying a lot of things, but none of them has mentioned the ability that XP has to run an app under different credentials, for that single app.
If you right click on the application's shortcut, in the "Advanced..." menu you can check to allow it to run under different credentials. Now, when the kids start up their game, they'll get prompted with a user login screen, or choose to run under their own username. This would require you to log them in as an Administrator or similar, but it'd allow the protection you want, since it'd be just for that game.
While the information presented is good, I don't think the hypothesis is sound. Nintendo isn't just a Video Game company, it is merely their base. MS & Sony are first a software company and a media hardware company, respectively, but both delve into each others' realms, and into video gaming.
Nintendo's had its hands deep in the media industry for years - movies, television, toys, etc etc etc - are all extensions of Nintendo's little media empire. Think about all the various Pokemon TV Shows, Movies, Toys, heck I think they even have a cereal now. The same is true for other Nintendo properties - like Mario Bros., although some may argue that the plumber brothers may be past their prime in the marketing dept...
So it's not that Nintendo doesn't have its hands in the other industries, it focuses more on pure entertainment mediathough, instead of other media hardware.
The part about Nintendo having always made the highest quality games made me laugh, and discredit the article as little more than Nintendo fanboy pleading...
That this was VTTV. Probably cuz the symptoms sound a lot like other VT organizations that I've done work with over the years... :-)
Anyhow - I don't have a lot more to contribute other than that - but I'm sure others will, and I think anyone from around here knows, VTTV could use the help.
Amen to that. After having owned two Talon TSi AWDs (a 95 and a 93), I can honestly say I never want to buy a FWD car ever again. (Of course, that's not to say I won't drive one, but spend money on one, nah!)
:)
Btw- Mad props for the GVR4. DSMs rule
It's expected to grind somewhere into the U.S. East Coast sometime this evening.
Uh, no? Every single report I've read says it won't strike the US until Thursday. Today is Monday. You do the math.
but there's talk of it all over campus.
Funny, I haven't heard anything about it prior to today. Guess I'm just out of the loop then...