On a recent Air Canada flight the flight attendant actually came on the PA to tell everyone that the in-flight entertainment system was being turned on for our use. She then proceeded to tell us to be sure we didn't push 4 of the buttons on the main screen or else the screen at your seat would crash and they would be unable to fix it in flight.
I thought it strange that a computer entertainment system installed in an aircraft would be a "work in progress" instead of just installing a full-functional system.
Among the buttons we were not to touch? Weather and Flight tracking...of course.
I completely agree. I used to work for a small tech company that was writing custom software. A typical test run would take a few hours of manually checking each item. My boss requested that I look into some automated tools to shorten the process, and after trying out several different kinds I recommended that we avoid them and stick with manual checks. There was just too many interface changes to each build to keep an automated test up to date.
So of course they spent thousands to buy a test package anyway and put me in charge of running it. Granted it did cut test times down to minutes instead of hours, but it took ages to update the test code each time, and many failed tests when something was missed.
2 months later I was laid off and the software was never touched again. In our case it just made more sense for a human to test the interface, too bad they cut all the humans from the test department.
If your company writes certain kinds of software that lend themselves well to automated testing it would be foolish to ignore the option... but blindly purchasing a test software package and hoping for the best is a waste of money.
The problem with regular solar panels is that you only get power while the sun is shining, these new systems actually have a way of storing that energy using a super-heated substance.
A system like this could really help equatorial regions that get lots of sunshine, and they wouldnt have nasty environmental damage... but places like Canada (ie where I'm writing from) which receive less sunlight in the winter would find it more difficult to implement this system (ie lower returns).
OR you could just do was Nova Scotia Power does, take the Natural Gas they're pumping out of the sea floor off the coast and export it to the States, then continue burning coal locally and tell everyone how much you're helping by keeping the electricity costs low. Take THAT environment!
har-dee-har-har
Slowly but surely I'm developing a thicker skin for comments about the Canadian military (I used to make them myself).
Canadian troops are some of the best trained people in the world, you have to do a lot of training at home if there's no money to send you anywhere else =)
I had a full-time job at an IT company, I was the network admin, the QA tester, the company trainer and the website guy (4 jobs, only one paycheck of course). In my free time I did a little freelance tech support business doing house calls to make some extra cash. I only charged $20/hr and I worked around their schedule. I did that for about a year before I gave up.
The upside was that I could make a bunch of tax deductions for running a home business and get some of my money back from the government.
The downside was that it was a money-losing vebture from the start. A small ad in the weekly paper ran me about $90/month.. unless I got 5 calls in a month (which was rare) I was already in the hole.
Friends would ask me "man why arent you charging way more money?"... the simple explanation was that no one would ever pay it. When everyone has "a friend who knows lots about computers" why would they pay someone $75+/hr to come over when they could get it for free? I gave it up when the costs kept rising and the calls got scarce, even raising my price to $25/hr wasnt enough to pay any bills. I guess the population base isnt high enough to provide enough computer-idiots to make a living on. Now I see at least 3 other people around here trying to do the same thing.
I've been unemployed for almost 7 months now and I've enrolled in the military to get a steady job. Granted I'm in Canada but it's gotta be pretty similar in the US. Dont you just love IT?
In this case it's important for the communication aspects... instead of having to travel to the nearest neighbouring village they can use a voice or data link to send for help or contact relatives. I believe one of the people in the article has relatives in Canada that they'd like to contact, a voice link run by a pedal-powered generator can help.
But I agree, there have to be priorities and an Internet connection isnt essential for survival, but it's a big step up from complete isolation.
One of the major complaints about the EXISTING media levy is that it's completely hidden. The price you see on the shelf already INCLUDES the levy so many people are under the (mistaken) impression that this media levy is a new thing. Some retailers have since taken to advertising the price of the media itself and then just tacking on the levy at the register so it looks like you're getting a deal on the disks.
I believe that London Drugs has joined with a bunch of other companies (Future Shop, Radio Shack, etc) and made one collective submission as objectors to the proposed increases. The levies are already in place, the current hearings are going to decide how much to INCREASE the levies for the 2003-2004 period.
The reason more people are aware of the process this time is because of the outcry at such a huge increase. Currently a spindle of 100 CDs has a (100 * 0.21 =) $21 levy applied to it... if the proposed increases go through that levy increases to $56. Would you want to pay an extra $56 for your blank cds? me neither.
That's right, hence the huge outcry.
They charge a "per gigabyte" fee on those mp3 players instead of a "per device" nominal fee. meaning that as the hard drives get bigger they make more money, at your expense.
That's why the "C-32" seemed familiar... they passed it back in 97 and THEN started charging the levies on blank media.
yeah the MP must have meant that the new proposed levy rates had passed, which is wrong because the hearings havent even started yet. An MP wrong about something? I know, shocking.
I still dont agree with these stupid levies... they treat me like a criminal because of what the media MIGHT be used for, make the fees top-heavy so that later technology gets more and more expensive, and you've killed the Canadian market for those items. Government at work.
I emailed my Member of Parlament. He responded to me today to say that "Despite strong opposition by the Canadian Alliance to these and other aspects of the bill, the Minister of Canadian Heritage won the day and Bill C-32 Copyright Legislation is now law."
The bill may or may not have passed (still trying to find some confirmation on the various government websites), but the actual hearing on the "proposed" amounts to be charged for the levies on blank media for the 2003-2004 period is just starting (tomorrow actually).
I'm on the official objectors list for the proposed levy, and there is some pretty convincing evidence being presented at the hearing that the proposed levies are WAY too high and should be struck down.
It will be interesting to see the outcome. If it passes the market for blank media and mp3 players in Canada will be hit hard.
Last time I used an XP machine I noticed it was set up to sync it's time with a microsoft time server.
Assuming it does this fairly regularly that probably accounts for some of your mystery connections.
still... any "automated" tasks should have the users approval before they're implemented. Having the OS do things like that on it's own it poor security.
I had a similar problem with our small office. Apparently it's a huge ordeal for some people to open a file manager window to our local file server (which gets backed up to tape every night).
I found a little utility called Backup Magic that works pretty well. You configure the important directories that you want backed up, specify the network-shared folder to copy them too and set it to automatically start when clicked. Then you can just add it to a system schedular and it's done automatically.
I received one of these Verisign "renewal" notices in the mail last month. Looked exactly like a legit "sign here to renew" notice and would easily trick many people into transferring their domains. The small print said "you agree to allow verisign to transfer this domain to the verisign system"
They're obviously trolling the WHOIS database and spamming domain name owners, isn't that illegal or at least against the "official" WHOIS rules?
I find black cases to be pretty damn ugly, almost as ugly as the beige boxes except it's harder to find drives to match.
My next case will probbaly be a Lian-Li PC68, brushed aluminum. Yeah it's going to be a bitch to find drive faces to match but it'll destroy my current beige box in every way.
I can find rounded cables galore now, so why is it so hard to find a DVD drive with an aluminum faceplate?
From what I read, Microsoft complained to the event organizer that Sony was letting people try out the Playstation2 when such behaviour was not allowed. Imagine, a company actually letting their potential customers try out a new device at a tradeshow? How dare they!
Sounds like M$ was being catty, the organizers wouldnt have bothered if M$ hadnt complained.
Anyone that wants to complain about the new fees has to follow a few simple rules. I've even created a template below for you to use so your comments will be entered as actual objections instead of just comments.
The only way to get the government to listen is to get everyone to write in a formal complaint... otherwise we'll all be forced to pay out these rediculous fees (imagine, an EXTRA $840 charged on a portable MP3 player just so they can send the money back to the RIAA!)
[message template]
send to: Claude Majeau majeau.claude@cb-cda.gc.ca
[you need these first paragraphs to have your letter considered as a formal complaint]
I intend to participate actively to the process leading to the certification of the private copying tariff. Consequently, this constitutes my formal objection to the proposed statement filed by CPCC.
I have read the information set out in the Board.s notice published in the Canada Gazette on March 9, 2002 with CPCC ' s proposed statement. I understand the duties that I undertake as an objector and intend to abide by them.
I do not wish to take part in the pre-hearing conference on May 23, however I do wish for my objections to be made part of the official records of these proceedings.
[insert your objections here. Make them clear and consice, state your reasons for objection, etc]
Sounds like an interesting game, I just hope it's better than C&C Renegade... all the reviews for Renegade have been mediochre at best. good try, just poor execution.
C&C Generals uses the same basic engine but it's cool to see them trying to reflect current events in a video game. Maybe the media will portray the people playing it as "training for the fight against terrorism".. well ok, not likely. =)
I hate it when companies play these stupid little PR games, you never know what's really going on in the background.
I do know one thing, Kazaa will NEVER be installed on my machine... spyware watching my internet activity PLUS the admitted ability to modify settings on a users machine at will? no thanks.
The "new" morpheus may not be as easy to use as the original but at least Morpheus has never modified my registry settings on its own.
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On a recent Air Canada flight the flight attendant actually came on the PA to tell everyone that the in-flight entertainment system was being turned on for our use. She then proceeded to tell us to be sure we didn't push 4 of the buttons on the main screen or else the screen at your seat would crash and they would be unable to fix it in flight. I thought it strange that a computer entertainment system installed in an aircraft would be a "work in progress" instead of just installing a full-functional system. Among the buttons we were not to touch? Weather and Flight tracking...of course.
I completely agree. I used to work for a small tech company that was writing custom software. A typical test run would take a few hours of manually checking each item. My boss requested that I look into some automated tools to shorten the process, and after trying out several different kinds I recommended that we avoid them and stick with manual checks. There was just too many interface changes to each build to keep an automated test up to date.
So of course they spent thousands to buy a test package anyway and put me in charge of running it. Granted it did cut test times down to minutes instead of hours, but it took ages to update the test code each time, and many failed tests when something was missed.
2 months later I was laid off and the software was never touched again. In our case it just made more sense for a human to test the interface, too bad they cut all the humans from the test department.
If your company writes certain kinds of software that lend themselves well to automated testing it would be foolish to ignore the option... but blindly purchasing a test software package and hoping for the best is a waste of money.
2 troll replies and the article is dotted already? Doesnt anyone use robust web servers anymore?
That certainly was an informative, well written and not-in-the-least-bit inflammatory article!
And this is going to "save" how much money at the sake of convenience?
A system like this could really help equatorial regions that get lots of sunshine, and they wouldnt have nasty environmental damage... but places like Canada (ie where I'm writing from) which receive less sunlight in the winter would find it more difficult to implement this system (ie lower returns).
OR you could just do was Nova Scotia Power does, take the Natural Gas they're pumping out of the sea floor off the coast and export it to the States, then continue burning coal locally and tell everyone how much you're helping by keeping the electricity costs low. Take THAT environment!
har-dee-har-har
Slowly but surely I'm developing a thicker skin for comments about the Canadian military (I used to make them myself).
Canadian troops are some of the best trained people in the world, you have to do a lot of training at home if there's no money to send you anywhere else =)
The upside was that I could make a bunch of tax deductions for running a home business and get some of my money back from the government.
The downside was that it was a money-losing vebture from the start. A small ad in the weekly paper ran me about $90/month.. unless I got 5 calls in a month (which was rare) I was already in the hole.
Friends would ask me "man why arent you charging way more money?"... the simple explanation was that no one would ever pay it. When everyone has "a friend who knows lots about computers" why would they pay someone $75+/hr to come over when they could get it for free? I gave it up when the costs kept rising and the calls got scarce, even raising my price to $25/hr wasnt enough to pay any bills. I guess the population base isnt high enough to provide enough computer-idiots to make a living on. Now I see at least 3 other people around here trying to do the same thing.
I've been unemployed for almost 7 months now and I've enrolled in the military to get a steady job. Granted I'm in Canada but it's gotta be pretty similar in the US. Dont you just love IT?
and I find it awkward enough lugging a normal case to a LAN party...
In this case it's important for the communication aspects... instead of having to travel to the nearest neighbouring village they can use a voice or data link to send for help or contact relatives. I believe one of the people in the article has relatives in Canada that they'd like to contact, a voice link run by a pedal-powered generator can help.
But I agree, there have to be priorities and an Internet connection isnt essential for survival, but it's a big step up from complete isolation.
I believe that London Drugs has joined with a bunch of other companies (Future Shop, Radio Shack, etc) and made one collective submission as objectors to the proposed increases. The levies are already in place, the current hearings are going to decide how much to INCREASE the levies for the 2003-2004 period.
The reason more people are aware of the process this time is because of the outcry at such a huge increase. Currently a spindle of 100 CDs has a (100 * 0.21 =) $21 levy applied to it... if the proposed increases go through that levy increases to $56. Would you want to pay an extra $56 for your blank cds? me neither.
That's right, hence the huge outcry. They charge a "per gigabyte" fee on those mp3 players instead of a "per device" nominal fee. meaning that as the hard drives get bigger they make more money, at your expense.
yeah the MP must have meant that the new proposed levy rates had passed, which is wrong because the hearings havent even started yet. An MP wrong about something? I know, shocking.
I still dont agree with these stupid levies... they treat me like a criminal because of what the media MIGHT be used for, make the fees top-heavy so that later technology gets more and more expensive, and you've killed the Canadian market for those items. Government at work.
The bill may or may not have passed (still trying to find some confirmation on the various government websites), but the actual hearing on the "proposed" amounts to be charged for the levies on blank media for the 2003-2004 period is just starting (tomorrow actually).
I'm on the official objectors list for the proposed levy, and there is some pretty convincing evidence being presented at the hearing that the proposed levies are WAY too high and should be struck down.
It will be interesting to see the outcome. If it passes the market for blank media and mp3 players in Canada will be hit hard.
Assuming it does this fairly regularly that probably accounts for some of your mystery connections.
still... any "automated" tasks should have the users approval before they're implemented. Having the OS do things like that on it's own it poor security.
The new Civic has the second generation electric assist engine as an option... The insight was first generation.
I found a little utility called Backup Magic that works pretty well. You configure the important directories that you want backed up, specify the network-shared folder to copy them too and set it to automatically start when clicked. Then you can just add it to a system schedular and it's done automatically.
They're obviously trolling the WHOIS database and spamming domain name owners, isn't that illegal or at least against the "official" WHOIS rules?
Why isnt Verisign being punished for this?
My next case will probbaly be a Lian-Li PC68, brushed aluminum. Yeah it's going to be a bitch to find drive faces to match but it'll destroy my current beige box in every way.
I can find rounded cables galore now, so why is it so hard to find a DVD drive with an aluminum faceplate?
wow.. right outta 1984, editing history on the fly. It could have just been a typo but why not just own up to it?
we just got some "new" ones y'know, they're tied up at the halifax shipyard.
dont know how much they cost though, maybe $78mil is a bargain.
Sounds like M$ was being catty, the organizers wouldnt have bothered if M$ hadnt complained.
The only way to get the government to listen is to get everyone to write in a formal complaint... otherwise we'll all be forced to pay out these rediculous fees (imagine, an EXTRA $840 charged on a portable MP3 player just so they can send the money back to the RIAA!)
[message template]
send to: Claude Majeau majeau.claude@cb-cda.gc.ca
[you need these first paragraphs to have your letter considered as a formal complaint]
I intend to participate actively to the process leading to the certification of the private copying tariff. Consequently, this constitutes my formal objection to the proposed statement filed by CPCC.
I have read the information set out in the Board.s notice published in the Canada Gazette on March 9, 2002 with CPCC ' s proposed statement. I understand the duties that I undertake as an objector and intend to abide by them.
I do not wish to take part in the pre-hearing conference on May 23, however I do wish for my objections to be made part of the official records of these proceedings.
[insert your objections here. Make them clear and consice, state your reasons for objection, etc]
Thank you,
[your name]
[your address]
[your phone and fax #]
[your email address]
C&C Generals uses the same basic engine but it's cool to see them trying to reflect current events in a video game. Maybe the media will portray the people playing it as "training for the fight against terrorism".. well ok, not likely. =)
I do know one thing, Kazaa will NEVER be installed on my machine... spyware watching my internet activity PLUS the admitted ability to modify settings on a users machine at will? no thanks.
The "new" morpheus may not be as easy to use as the original but at least Morpheus has never modified my registry settings on its own.