Yep... They were 370s. I worked on them at Onizuka AS out in Sunnyvale, California from 1991 to 1996. We thought they were old then, but they did the jobs flawlessly. IBM worked closely with the Air Force to get them to do real time processing instead of the normal batch processing that most mainframes do. It was a lot of fun... but I hated doing our weekly backups to approximately 50 nine-track tapes. Of course, the center i worked in didn't handle the GPS satellites, but we did handle a lot of other missions (including providing backup support for the Space Shuttle).
My Motorola phone automatically switches to a silent ring when I charge it. I usually charge it when I am at work. The funny thing is that the voicemail notification is still audible. In effect, what happens is that I don't realize I have a call until I hear the voicemail alert.
Why would it switch to silent while it is being charged? Makes no sense to me. I can switch it out of silent mode, but it still seems stupid.
I have been using PowerVPS for close to two years. In that time, I have not had a price increase, but the specs of my server have gone up. Last year, the hardware node I was on had some stability issues where it would crash every few days. Rather than leave customers on an unstable box, they moved us to a new server with only a few minutes of downtime. When I decided to switch from Fedora as my OS to CentOS, they built a new VPS for me and gave me a week to move. Their Tech Support has been very helpful. When Cpanel gave me some errors when I tried to rebuild Apache, they helped me almost immediately. Am I satisfied with their service? Absolutely.
So far, my two biggest complaints about Vista are the file move/copy/delete times. We bought the upgrade version for testing on some PCs at work. I did the upgrade procedure and then proceeded to try to clean up the system after the upgrade. To delete a directory of about 500mb it took 14 minutes. The other big problem I had was that it failed to come out of standby properly. The screen would always stay black even though the system appeared to be out of standby mode. I thought the problems were due to the upgrade, but I did a clean install and still had those problems.
For an easy download of many of the apps from those two sites, you can visit my Portable Apps Collection webpage. I have put together about 150 apps in one easy direct or BitTorrent download. If you don't want some of the apps, simply delete them from your drive.
I have dealt with recruiters many times. The part I hate most is that they don't seem to listen and aren't usually that technical. For example, you tell them you don't want any contract that involves much travel, yet they will still call you about contracts that require 50% travel. I've also had recruiters ask if I know Visual Basic Scripting. When I reply that I am pretty good with VBScript, I had one guy say, "Sorry, they are really looking for Visual Basic Scripting."
The final straw was my last dealings with a recruiter. It was a 6 month contract-to-hire job with Apex Systems. They told me a $10K salary range for when I went full time. However, when my 6 months was up, I found out through the real company that Apex Systems had overstated the salary range by $10K. Luckily for me, I had a job offer from a different company that same week for the original salary I was looking for. Now I will never deal with Apex Systems again.
To be honest though, I have had a couple of good meetings with recruiters. The difference was that they were usually small time recruitment firms and they didn't lie. They also had a real interest in placing me in the RIGHT job. I said I didn't want a travel job, so they didn't call me about travel jobs.
This is related to a wiki article I posted recenty at http://www.theinfobox.com/index.php/Portable_USB_A pps. It is sort of an open letter to end users from systems admins. Because its a wiki, you guys can can add your own tips from personal experience.
I work for a gov. agency that has a lot of laptop users. We also use Exchange/Outlook and have limited mailbox sizes to 150MB. The biggest problem that we have is that users want to store their Archive PST files on their laptop and then scream at us when their HD dies and they lose their old emails. It's a no win situation for us.. Management won't authorize more Exchange server space; if we force them to store their PST on a file server, they complain; if they lose a PST on a bad laptop HD they complain.
I'm thinking of implementing some type of VBS login script that will copy the PST to a file server. The problem with that is that PSTs can be big and it might take awhile to do the copy. I have to ensure it won't run when the user is on dialup or VPN. In addition, even if they are on the LAN, it will mean they can't use Outlook while it is copying.
In your router settings see if you can manually set the MAC address that Comcast sees. Once you change it, reboot your cable modem and router. Comcast will issue you a new IP address. If someone is targetting your IP, then it will be problem solved. If the attacks don't stop then either your PC or your router is 0wned.
"Both Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, and Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's closest adviser, made clear before September 11 2001 that Saddam Hussein was no threat - to America, Europe or the Middle East."
My R40 recently "sorta" died. One morning when I tried to power it out of hibernation state, it would just turn on the "power" light and the "battery charging" light but nothing else happened. The LCD never came on and I didn't hear the HD (although I did hear the CD spin up). I called IBM tech support and they had me try to power on with just the battery and then with just the power cord(and no battery at all). They also had me try an external monitor. The next step was to leave the battery in overnight and leave the laptop powered on to completely discharge the battery. This still didn't work, so I was advised to take it to a local service center.
When I got to the service center, I hit the power button and it came on with no problems. The only explanation that I could come up with is that the laptop was cold since I had it in my car for about 30 minutes and it was 20 degrees F outside. I had read of a similar problem someone had with a T20 and they said that by putting it in the fridge, it helped one of the internal capacitors discharge and that enabled the boot up.
I don't know if this is true or not, but it is the only thing I could come up with. This happened about two weeks ago, and so far has not reoccured.
That's how my nephew became an expert. He runs PCMforless.com along with a friend of his. They both started programming mod chips for their own cars. As they got better, friends started asking them to mod their chips. Now they have a pretty good business and a reputation for turning out excellent mods. Now they are using their 'hobby' to pay for college!:)
This "Ask Slashdot" got my interest because I am thinking about doing the same thing. I have 15 years of experience working on everything from System 370s to Solaris to Linux.... but mostly Windows. For those of you that are ICs, are you able to sell customers on the idea of using OSS? One of the reasons I want to be an IC is that I don't want to be forced to use some piece of software because that is what the "company standard" is. I want to expose small businesses to benefits of OSS and hopefully make some money doing it. Can it be done? Or do most customers ignore any solution that isn't Windows.
I doubt this is a true letter, but the friend I received it from swears it is true.... --- Following is a supposed letter of resignation from an employee at a computer company, to her boss, who apparently resigned very soon afterwards! It's Funny, but a bit harsh
Dear Mr. Smith, As a graduate of an institution of higher education, I have a few very basic expectations. Chief among these is that my direct superiors have an intellect that ranges above the common ground squirrel. After your consistent and annoying harassment of my co-workers and me during the commission of our duties, I can only surmise that you are one of the few true genetic wastes of our time.
Asking me, a network administrator, to explain every little nuance of everything I do each time you happen to stroll into my office is not only a waste of time, but also a waste of precious oxygen. I was hired because I know how to network computer systems, and you were apparently hired to provide amusement to myself and other employees, who watch you vainly attempt to understand the concept of "cut and paste" for the hundredth time.
You will never understand computers. Something as incredibly simple as binary still gives you too many options. You will also never understand why people hate you, but I am going to try and explain it to you, even though I am sure this will be just as effective as telling you what an IP is. Your shiny new iMac has more personality than you ever will.
You walk around the building all day, shiftlessly looking for fault in others. You have a sharp dressed useless look about you that may have worked for your interview, but now that you actually have responsibility, you pawn it off on overworked staff, hoping their talent will cover for your glaring ineptitude. In a world of managerial evolution, you are the blue-green algae that everyone else eats and laughs at. Managers like you are a sad proof of the Dilbert principle. Since this situation is unlikely to change without you getting a full frontal lobotomy reversal, I am forced to tender my resignation, however I have a few parting thoughts.
1. When someone calls you in reference to employment, it is illegal for you to give me a bad recommendation. The most you can say to hurt me is "I prefer not to comment." I will have friends randomly call you over the next couple of years to keep you honest, because I know you would be unable to do it on your own.
2. I have all the passwords to every account on the system, and I know every password you have used for the last five years. If you decide to get cute, I am going to publish your "favorites list", which I conveniently saved when you made me "back up" your useless files. I do believe that terms like "Lolita" are not usually viewed favorably by the administration.
3. When you borrowed the digital camera to "take pictures of your Mother's birthday," you neglected to mention that you were going to take pictures of yourself in the mirror nude. Then you forgot to erase them like the techno-moron you really are. Suffice it to say I have never seen such odd acts with a sauce bottle, but I assure you that those have been copied and kept in safe places pending the authoring of a glowing letter of recommendation. (Try to use a spell check please; I hate having to correct your mistakes.)
Thank you for your time, and I expect the letter of recommendation on my desk by 8:00 am tomorrow. One word of this to anybody, and all of your little twisted repugnant obsessions will be open to the public. Never f*** with your systems administrator. Why? Because they know what you do with all that free time!
PCMforLess.com
on
Hack Your Ride
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
My nephew runs a website that sells mods for GM cars. He has been quite succesful at it and got started by tuning his own car. The list of mods that he can do is amazing:
Change the fan turn on temperatures for a 160 thermostat
Program the transmission to perform similar to a shift kit (1994 and newer)
Power program the car for use with premium octane gasoline
Remove the top speed limiter
Correct the speedometer and transmission for gear and tire changes
Correct for the use of a larger throttle body.
Change idle settings and restore drivability with cam installs
Correct for larger injectors
Correct for larger displacement (383, 396, etc....).
Unfortunately, he only does GM cars and I own a Ford. Oh well... If you do own a GM car, check out his site... He may be able to help you and and you may be able to help him pay for college!:)
I found it very valuable to have my laptop out while my wife was driving (and vice versa). We used it for navigation (MS Streets and Trips) and entertainment. The maps were extremely helpful in getting around traffic jams and construction. No paper map would have been as good. It also helped us find hotels and restaurants along our route. For the entertainment, I would play DIVX movies and place the laptop on the center console in our truck so my son in the back could watch. While this was technically in the view of the driver, I don't think either my wife or me ever even glanced at it.
If we didn't have the laptop, we would have been stuck in traffic with a cranky 4 year old. What fun.
Besides, I thought California already had a law that said the driver should not have anything in the car that can interfere with their driving. I was told that the law was made so that it could include just about anything (makeup, eating, etc).
I met my future wife for the first time in a chat room on the Compass Rose BBS. That was April 26, 1992 out in California. Nothing can top that memory. I even have the chat log saved from that day.
...for a non-MS owned search engine. Based on the horrible search results and the pop-up ads I get with MSN search, I would definitely be looking at search engine alternatives. Right now, I use Google for 95% of searches I do.
Be wary of cancelling SBC Yahoo. Back in March I moved from California to Texas (in an area that doesn't have SBC). I called and cancelled my SBC phone service and then was transferred to the DSL department to cancel that. Everything went fine and my service was cancelled.... or so I thought!
In the middle of May, I got an email from SBC's billing department. They needed my new address so they could send me my bills. I called them and told them I had paid for everything already. Then I was told that this was to bill me for SBC Yahoo Dialup service!!! WHAT!? I told them I never ordered that, but they told me that when I cancelled my DSL it reverted to a Dialup account.
At that point I let the curse words fly! Of course he hung up on me in a few seconds. I ended up emailing them several times. It is either resolved or they ignored my emails and have reported me to some goon collection agency.
During the early '90s, I was stationed at Onizuka AFB which is right next to the Moffet/Ames facility. Back then, the wind tunnel had so many customers they were trying to get permission to operate the wind tunnel earlier and later than usual. Why did they need permission for the local government? This thing was LOUD. Once I was in a classroom that was right next door to the tunnel. Right in the middle of the lecture, it sounded as if a giant air conditioner was turned on. When we went outside, we figured out that it was the wind tunnel - you had to shout to be heard. The local communities (which had houses about 1.5 miles away) always complained about the noise. They didn't want it operationg before 7:30AM or after 9PM. NASA supposedly begged to get exceptions to this rule because they had "customers lined up from all over the world."
It is interesting to see now they don't have enough customers.
Slashdot Mirror
Yep... They were 370s. I worked on them at Onizuka AS out in Sunnyvale, California from 1991 to 1996. We thought they were old then, but they did the jobs flawlessly. IBM worked closely with the Air Force to get them to do real time processing instead of the normal batch processing that most mainframes do. It was a lot of fun... but I hated doing our weekly backups to approximately 50 nine-track tapes. Of course, the center i worked in didn't handle the GPS satellites, but we did handle a lot of other missions (including providing backup support for the Space Shuttle).
My Motorola phone automatically switches to a silent ring when I charge it. I usually charge it when I am at work. The funny thing is that the voicemail notification is still audible. In effect, what happens is that I don't realize I have a call until I hear the voicemail alert.
Why would it switch to silent while it is being charged? Makes no sense to me. I can switch it out of silent mode, but it still seems stupid.
I have been using PowerVPS for close to two years. In that time, I have not had a price increase, but the specs of my server have gone up. Last year, the hardware node I was on had some stability issues where it would crash every few days. Rather than leave customers on an unstable box, they moved us to a new server with only a few minutes of downtime. When I decided to switch from Fedora as my OS to CentOS, they built a new VPS for me and gave me a week to move. Their Tech Support has been very helpful. When Cpanel gave me some errors when I tried to rebuild Apache, they helped me almost immediately. Am I satisfied with their service? Absolutely.
So far, my two biggest complaints about Vista are the file move/copy/delete times. We bought the upgrade version for testing on some PCs at work. I did the upgrade procedure and then proceeded to try to clean up the system after the upgrade. To delete a directory of about 500mb it took 14 minutes. The other big problem I had was that it failed to come out of standby properly. The screen would always stay black even though the system appeared to be out of standby mode. I thought the problems were due to the upgrade, but I did a clean install and still had those problems.
Here is video taken by a local news crew this morning: ABC 7 Note: They use an embedded Windows Media Player.
For an easy download of many of the apps from those two sites, you can visit my Portable Apps Collection webpage. I have put together about 150 apps in one easy direct or BitTorrent download. If you don't want some of the apps, simply delete them from your drive.
I have dealt with recruiters many times. The part I hate most is that they don't seem to listen and aren't usually that technical. For example, you tell them you don't want any contract that involves much travel, yet they will still call you about contracts that require 50% travel. I've also had recruiters ask if I know Visual Basic Scripting. When I reply that I am pretty good with VBScript, I had one guy say, "Sorry, they are really looking for Visual Basic Scripting."
The final straw was my last dealings with a recruiter. It was a 6 month contract-to-hire job with Apex Systems. They told me a $10K salary range for when I went full time. However, when my 6 months was up, I found out through the real company that Apex Systems had overstated the salary range by $10K. Luckily for me, I had a job offer from a different company that same week for the original salary I was looking for. Now I will never deal with Apex Systems again.
To be honest though, I have had a couple of good meetings with recruiters. The difference was that they were usually small time recruitment firms and they didn't lie. They also had a real interest in placing me in the RIGHT job. I said I didn't want a travel job, so they didn't call me about travel jobs.
This is related to a wiki article I posted recenty at http://www.theinfobox.com/index.php/Portable_USB_A pps. It is sort of an open letter to end users from systems admins. Because its a wiki, you guys can can add your own tips from personal experience.
I work for a gov. agency that has a lot of laptop users. We also use Exchange/Outlook and have limited mailbox sizes to 150MB. The biggest problem that we have is that users want to store their Archive PST files on their laptop and then scream at us when their HD dies and they lose their old emails. It's a no win situation for us.. Management won't authorize more Exchange server space; if we force them to store their PST on a file server, they complain; if they lose a PST on a bad laptop HD they complain.
I'm thinking of implementing some type of VBS login script that will copy the PST to a file server. The problem with that is that PSTs can be big and it might take awhile to do the copy. I have to ensure it won't run when the user is on dialup or VPN. In addition, even if they are on the LAN, it will mean they can't use Outlook while it is copying.
Any suggestions!?!?!?
I've been playing with a bunch of stuff from No-Install.com and PortableFreeware.com. I even made a collection of these available in a BitTorrent: http://static.thepiratebay.org/downloadtorrent/336 2920.torrent/ThumbdriveApps.rar.3362920.TPB.torren t
A pps
For more info on the collection I created a tutorial: http://www.theinfobox.com/index.php/Portable_USB_
It started off "1 in 9" and is now "10%". Where will the madness end?
In your router settings see if you can manually set the MAC address that Comcast sees. Once you change it, reboot your cable modem and router. Comcast will issue you a new IP address. If someone is targetting your IP, then it will be problem solved. If the attacks don't stop then either your PC or your router is 0wned.
"Both Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, and Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's closest adviser, made clear before September 11 2001 that Saddam Hussein was no threat - to America, Europe or the Middle East."
7 04nothreat.htm
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2004/100
My R40 recently "sorta" died. One morning when I tried to power it out of hibernation state, it would just turn on the "power" light and the "battery charging" light but nothing else happened. The LCD never came on and I didn't hear the HD (although I did hear the CD spin up). I called IBM tech support and they had me try to power on with just the battery and then with just the power cord(and no battery at all). They also had me try an external monitor. The next step was to leave the battery in overnight and leave the laptop powered on to completely discharge the battery. This still didn't work, so I was advised to take it to a local service center.
When I got to the service center, I hit the power button and it came on with no problems. The only explanation that I could come up with is that the laptop was cold since I had it in my car for about 30 minutes and it was 20 degrees F outside. I had read of a similar problem someone had with a T20 and they said that by putting it in the fridge, it helped one of the internal capacitors discharge and that enabled the boot up.
I don't know if this is true or not, but it is the only thing I could come up with. This happened about two weeks ago, and so far has not reoccured.
That's how my nephew became an expert. He runs PCMforless.com along with a friend of his. They both started programming mod chips for their own cars. As they got better, friends started asking them to mod their chips. Now they have a pretty good business and a reputation for turning out excellent mods. Now they are using their 'hobby' to pay for college! :)
This "Ask Slashdot" got my interest because I am thinking about doing the same thing. I have 15 years of experience working on everything from System 370s to Solaris to Linux.... but mostly Windows. For those of you that are ICs, are you able to sell customers on the idea of using OSS? One of the reasons I want to be an IC is that I don't want to be forced to use some piece of software because that is what the "company standard" is. I want to expose small businesses to benefits of OSS and hopefully make some money doing it. Can it be done? Or do most customers ignore any solution that isn't Windows.
I doubt this is a true letter, but the friend I received it from swears it is true....
---
Following is a supposed letter of resignation from an employee at a computer company, to her boss, who apparently resigned very soon afterwards! It's Funny, but a bit harsh
Dear Mr. Smith,
As a graduate of an institution of higher education, I have a few very basic expectations. Chief among these is that my direct superiors have an intellect that ranges above the common ground squirrel. After your consistent and annoying harassment of my co-workers and me during the commission of our duties, I can only surmise that you are one of the few true genetic wastes of our time.
Asking me, a network administrator, to explain every little nuance of everything I do each time you happen to stroll into my office is not only a waste of time, but also a waste of precious oxygen. I was hired because I know how to network computer systems, and you were apparently hired to provide amusement to myself and other employees, who watch you vainly attempt to understand the concept of "cut and paste" for the hundredth time.
You will never understand computers. Something as incredibly simple as binary still gives you too many options. You will also never understand why people hate you, but I am going to try and explain it to you, even though I am sure this will be just as effective as telling you what an IP is. Your shiny new iMac has more personality than you ever will.
You walk around the building all day, shiftlessly looking for fault in others. You have a sharp dressed useless look about you that may have worked for your interview, but now that you actually have responsibility, you pawn it off on overworked staff, hoping their talent will cover for your glaring ineptitude. In a world of managerial evolution, you are the blue-green algae that everyone else eats and laughs at. Managers like you are a sad proof of the Dilbert principle. Since this situation is unlikely to change without you getting a full frontal lobotomy reversal, I am forced to tender my resignation, however I have a few parting thoughts.
1. When someone calls you in reference to employment, it is illegal for you to give me a bad recommendation. The most you can say to hurt me is "I prefer not to comment." I will have friends randomly call you over the next couple of years to keep you honest, because I know you would be unable to do it on your own.
2. I have all the passwords to every account on the system, and I know every password you have used for the last five years. If you decide to get cute, I am going to publish your "favorites list", which I conveniently saved when you made me "back up" your useless files. I do believe that terms like "Lolita" are not usually viewed favorably by the administration.
3. When you borrowed the digital camera to "take pictures of your Mother's birthday," you neglected to mention that you were going to take pictures of yourself in the mirror nude. Then you forgot to erase them like the techno-moron you really are. Suffice it to say I have never seen such odd acts with a sauce bottle, but I assure you that those have been copied and kept in safe places pending the authoring of a glowing letter of recommendation. (Try to use a spell check please; I hate having to correct your mistakes.)
Thank you for your time, and I expect the letter of recommendation on my desk by 8:00 am tomorrow. One word of this to anybody, and all of your little twisted repugnant obsessions will be open to the public. Never f*** with your systems administrator. Why? Because they know what you do with all that free time!
Makes it sort of ironic when ghs.com runs
NetBSD/OpenBSD Apache/1.3.29 (Unix) PHP/4.3.3 7-Nov-2003 63.102.70.69
according to Netcraft.
Change the fan turn on temperatures for a 160 thermostat
Program the transmission to perform similar to a shift kit (1994 and newer)
Power program the car for use with premium octane gasoline
Remove the top speed limiter
Correct the speedometer and transmission for gear and tire changes
Correct for the use of a larger throttle body.
Change idle settings and restore drivability with cam installs
Correct for larger injectors
Correct for larger displacement (383, 396, etc....).
:)
Unfortunately, he only does GM cars and I own a Ford. Oh well... If you do own a GM car, check out his site... He may be able to help you and and you may be able to help him pay for college!
I found it very valuable to have my laptop out while my wife was driving (and vice versa). We used it for navigation (MS Streets and Trips) and entertainment. The maps were extremely helpful in getting around traffic jams and construction. No paper map would have been as good. It also helped us find hotels and restaurants along our route. For the entertainment, I would play DIVX movies and place the laptop on the center console in our truck so my son in the back could watch. While this was technically in the view of the driver, I don't think either my wife or me ever even glanced at it.
If we didn't have the laptop, we would have been stuck in traffic with a cranky 4 year old. What fun.
Besides, I thought California already had a law that said the driver should not have anything in the car that can interfere with their driving. I was told that the law was made so that it could include just about anything (makeup, eating, etc).
I met my future wife for the first time in a chat room on the Compass Rose BBS. That was April 26, 1992 out in California. Nothing can top that memory. I even have the chat log saved from that day.
...for a non-MS owned search engine. Based on the horrible search results and the pop-up ads I get with MSN search, I would definitely be looking at search engine alternatives. Right now, I use Google for 95% of searches I do.
Be wary of cancelling SBC Yahoo. Back in March I moved from California to Texas (in an area that doesn't have SBC). I called and cancelled my SBC phone service and then was transferred to the DSL department to cancel that. Everything went fine and my service was cancelled.... or so I thought!
In the middle of May, I got an email from SBC's billing department. They needed my new address so they could send me my bills. I called them and told them I had paid for everything already. Then I was told that this was to bill me for SBC Yahoo Dialup service!!! WHAT!? I told them I never ordered that, but they told me that when I cancelled my DSL it reverted to a Dialup account.
At that point I let the curse words fly! Of course he hung up on me in a few seconds. I ended up emailing them several times. It is either resolved or they ignored my emails and have reported me to some goon collection agency.
During the early '90s, I was stationed at Onizuka AFB which is right next to the Moffet/Ames facility. Back then, the wind tunnel had so many customers they were trying to get permission to operate the wind tunnel earlier and later than usual. Why did they need permission for the local government? This thing was LOUD. Once I was in a classroom that was right next door to the tunnel. Right in the middle of the lecture, it sounded as if a giant air conditioner was turned on. When we went outside, we figured out that it was the wind tunnel - you had to shout to be heard. The local communities (which had houses about 1.5 miles away) always complained about the noise. They didn't want it operationg before 7:30AM or after 9PM. NASA supposedly begged to get exceptions to this rule because they had "customers lined up from all over the world."
It is interesting to see now they don't have enough customers.
If they put NEW Pentium IV's in the Shuttle it would have even MORE of an overheating problem!