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User: BLKMGK

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  1. Re:Cells are never off..... on How To Tell If Your Cell Phone Is Bugged · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Umm, cell phones get their time and date from the TOWERS not from an internal clock, this is how it adjusts when you move to another time zone. Magic huh? Settings are saved in the SIM or other non volatile memory location.

  2. Re:Nails still much faster. on Top Gadget of 2006 — The HurriQuake Nail · · Score: 1

    Incredible kick? What the heck are you talking about exactly? I helped the guys frame a new upstairs for my home just a few weeks ago and there's ZERO kick to a nail gun. A palm nailer probably has more kick than a framer and I watched oen of the guys nail brackets with that thing for two hours straight no problems. I've used a framer on several jobs now and finally broke down and bought my own along with a brad driver and finish nailer, no issues using any of it and no "kick" I've noticed.

    If a nailgun has such a kick what of the torsional stress imparted by a screw gun? No way is that going to be zero.

  3. Re:Knockoffs in the drug industry on Knockoff Tech Selling Better Than the Original · · Score: 1

    Generics are "knock-offs" legally made after a specific amount of time has expired in order to allow the originator time to recoupe their R&D investment. These are not simply products that were copied as soon as a new drug was made as you imply.

  4. Re:This is just an assumption...counterfit parts. on Knockoff Tech Selling Better Than the Original · · Score: 1

    Counterfeit bolts are actually a HUGE problem! I've read test results on so-called certified bolts and the knock-offs are REALLY REALLY bad! The heat treating and thread cutting are improper in ways that only an engineer would understand but that you and I would certainly understand when an engine falls off of a wing and through the roof of your home! I cannot recall the statistic but at the time I first became aware of this a very significant number of bolts were found to be bogus and in industry that's not cool. When trains, planes, and automobiles start coming apart because the specified tolerances and strength weren't met we'll all pay the price for having substandard materials. Wonder how many of those things are holding bridges together, ships, and who knows what else....

  5. Re:Don't manufacturer in China on Knockoff Tech Selling Better Than the Original · · Score: 1

    You speak the truth! The aftermarket car part industry is a perfect example. I am aware of several folks who invented\designed innovative parts and when they couldn't find production facilities in the US for a reasonable cost they went overseas. Terrific, the part was produced! Bad, knockoffs showed up on EBAY REAL fast. Seems that if you figure out which Chinese company is producing the parts and offer them the right sum they will gladly produce the parts for you - using the other guy's plans! :-O HKS, Greddy, and other Japanese manufacturers have been burned by this many times. EBAY will often yank these sales when pointed out but WEB sites will happily sell these parts. As a consumer being given the choice between an intake that's $1500 and one that's $700 it really is hard to resist the knockoffs though.

    Don't get too excited though. I have an intake manifold that was supposed to be an OEM Ford part (Cobra upper intake). Only I got mine dirt cheap. Why? Because the guy I bought it from got Alcoa to make a few extra and slip them out the back door to him instead of Ford. At the time, and possibly even now, Alcoa was an American company and the parts were being cast here. The difference is one of scale, the Chinese have turned this into their economy and I don't see them stopping anytime soon.

  6. Re:This is "Capitalism" at its best. on Knockoff Tech Selling Better Than the Original · · Score: 1

    Actually that's being done now. There aren't counterfeit Core2Duo processors because China does NOT have a FAB process capable of making them. Duplicating the design perhaps or they would simply steal it but they do not (yet) have the process. However many chips do not require nearly that comlpicated a process and making it that complicated just for complication's sake isn't cost effective or smart. There are reasons why companies like Intel and AMD won't build their best FABs in China - they know damned well it would all be stolen.

    There's certainly some truth in what you're saying but it's not the solution and certainly won't hold long term.

  7. Re:Just one word: dust on 10 Reasons To Buy a DSLR · · Score: 1

    sorry, you don't want this camera. Every single power up is extended while it shakes the lense. On top of that they tried REAL hard to screw me on my rebate of $100 - thank you COSTCO for my full refund. It took good shots and had two good lenses but the power up time was extended and a PITA. It can be shortened SOME if you turn off the animation but I could never figure that out. Some of it's LCD functions were even easier to use than on my new camera but I'm still getting used to it...

    I now own a Canon XTi. It shakes the sensor too - on shutdown. It warms up and is ready to fire near instantly and takes VERY high rez shots. Only one lens so yeah I need a zoom but that's okay it works great with awesome battery life. Lenses are going to kill me!

  8. Re:Keeping It Simple W/o Batteries on 10 Reasons To Buy a DSLR · · Score: 1

    FWIW, I recently purchased a new Canon XTi after returning an Olympus after they tried to screw me on the rebate. So far I've charged it *once* but have taken probably 400+ pics with it including many with the flash. I do leave the LCD off most of the time to conserve but right now it's not even showing any discharge on the meter! I am using a 4Gig 80X CF from COSTCO and not shooting RAW since right now it's just pics of house construction\renovation but there's plenty of room left on it. I leave it turned on all the time and it goes to sleep after a bit, it warms up to shoot damn near instantly - it only cleans the lens on a shutdown unlike the Olympus that would take a FEW seconds to get ready to roll at each turn-on. The charger for this camera is also nice - no cord! You simply plug the charger directly into the wall and slide the battery pack into it, quite compact.

    I do wish the kit lens was a bit faster. I am currently looking around for a decent zoom that's a bit longer and will want a short lens to go with it I think. Unfortunatly I'm not willing to spend a ton for this so it may be awhile. I do really miss being able to shoot indoors like I could with my old Pentax MX and a fast lens, I was really spoiled! Lots of features with this camera and I want to try some HDR shots once I find my danged tripod. I've not yet gotten it to bracket but also want to try that. Will be awhile before I'm comfortable with it's many modes too but that's okay - I'm not going to be replacing this one anytime soon!

    Anyway, I think batteries will probably be my last worry with this sucker. Hopefully the battery will stay strong like this a good long time...

  9. I can't help but wonder but... on Bot Nets Behind Recent Spam Surge · · Score: 1

    Has anyone tried charting out these stocks they try to pump and dump to see if their tactics actualyl work at all? It blows my mind that anyone falls for those things....

  10. Re:even more relevant on MySpace to Use Audio Fingerprinting · · Score: 1

    Sorry, not completely open sourced - a portion of that project is closed\licensed as I recall. The fingerprinting portion also finds plenty of dupes in my experience. A good example though, I will be surprised if Gracenote does better.

  11. Re:From the summary... on How MythTV Detects and Flags Commercials · · Score: 1

    Short answer? YES! In fact FireFly's full series plsu the unaired shows are available for download on a site I frequent. The only reason I haven't DL'd the FireFly series is because I bought the DVDs :-) I have two tuners on my DTIVO, anything I miss that I want I DL - usually the same night it aired. I play it back from a hacked XBOX and it works perfectly, I can even get the shows in HD often times but I've not got an HD display yet. If you know where to look you can indeed find anything on TV worth watching via download. Sadly it's not something you'll find on the broadcaster's sites and you have to hunt for it or know where to go - something I'm not willing to share here as it would quickly get screwed up :-

    Oh, older stuff? Like AirWolf, Babylon5, Star Trek, BatMan cartoons, etc. - all available....

  12. DITTO! on How MythTV Detects and Flags Commercials · · Score: 1

    Replay was pretty good - mine now sits in a closet too mostly due to the lack of a second tuner and the awful picture I got compressing the already compressed SAT signal. You'll note that they were nearly sued out of existance due to this "feature" and that the later models produced by the new owners did *not* have this feature. A real shame too since it was so easy to get shows off for archival purposes. It can be done on a TIVO but not so easily and I've never seen an auto skip for a TIVO :-(

  13. Re:We need a really big lawsuit against Microsoft on Is the Botnet Battle Already Lost? · · Score: 1

    And when they have lost 90% of their customers overnight, what then? Many users use FAR more ports than the short list you've created and nmost of them have no clue about it. how long before a targeted bug gets through and modified your "allowed ports" page without your knowledge?

    Sorry, from a practical perspective this is a fantasy. If users wanted that sort of draconian control we'd all be using AOL....

  14. From the first link... on NVIDIA GPU Gems 3 Call for Participation · · Score: 1
    As the title indicates, GPU Gems contains a collection of tips and tricks for real-time graphics programming with graphics processing units (GPUs) that are found on modern graphics adapters.

    Yeah, I had no clue what it was either....
  15. Re:Is it also worth the drama? on Is Backyard Wind Power Worth It? · · Score: 1

    Servicing the windmill on the ground is not the big deal you make it out to be. There are safe ways to correctly raise and lower a mast in order to perform servicing. I am not familier with the WEB site you mentioned but I'd be interested ni it if anyone tracks it down. In the meantime check out http://otherpower.com/ to learn how to build windmills and to get some lessons learned form folks who are already running them. One of the more eye opening things I learned about was magnetic sand - now THAT is some nasty stuff to get mixed up in the bearings of your windmill! They have an interesting forum there too where peolpe from all over the world post - some of whom have no other source of reliable power. The best way to go offgrid IMO is a combination of wind, solar, and if at all possible water. Water is some really good power it seems but there are issues there too - also discussed on otherpower as well as in HomePower magazine....

  16. Re:But without an association on Is Backyard Wind Power Worth It? · · Score: 1

    I had much the same issue except it was dumptrucks being serviced and stored. I didn't mind that the owner parked them there overnight but when he spent 6 days straight dawn till into the night banging, grinding, and welding - through a weekend - on one of them enough was enough! Try calling the county. there are zoning rules and rules about maintaining your property that must be followed. Board of health for instance might be quite interested in the trash and appliances stored on the property - mine was. Do they have kids? There's a group that sees to their welfare too and if you feel there's a big issue call them as well.

    In my case there's laws against storing commercial trucks in residential areas - they were enforced. Eventually with most of the neighborhood complaining this guy moved out along with his HUGE brood of kids and extended family. The builder who bought the place from him had to send in an exterminator who spent HOURS suited up spraying. I'm told that they had to sweep up the roaches there were so many and that mice and rats were found dead in the yard shortly after. Nothing has been done to clean up the small toxic waste dump worth of oil yet but they are trying to get the house back into shape. Kids lived in that home and played barefoot in the yard, its amazing how careless some people are but there ARE laws and rules that can be enforced to at least keep a little bit of sanity. Worse comes to worse you wait them out - this guy only lasted about 3-4years before dumping his mess on someone else. It'll be fine here in a little while I'm sure, if I'm lucky they will tear down the 6ft "privacy" fence before it finishes falling down....

  17. Re:Oh... Perfect. on Vista to Include Stepped up Anti-Piracy Measures · · Score: 1

    Troll much?

    XP support is *not* going to be cut off right after Vista released any more than WIN2K support was cut off right after XP was released. FUD pure and simple! It's not been all that long ago that Microsoft cut off updates to WIN98!

    Vista isn't the boogeyman and I cannot think of a single sane person I know who would run off to some completely new and foreign OS (to them) just because some fool tried to scare them by waving the Vista flag. Get real....

    Most people I know will stick with XP until the lay of the land is clear with Vista. If Vista turns out to be really chock full of crappy DRM and isn't stable then they nor I will switch and it will rot on the vine as it should. If instead it's not nearly as bad as the FUD mongers such as yourself claim then some MIGHT switch but no one I know is in a rush to go anywhere right now.

  18. Re:Guys??? on Going Pink For October · · Score: 2, Informative

    I never knew guys could get breast cancer until a few years ago when I met someone who not only had it but had hasd a masectome (sp?). One nipple was kind of weird when he had his shirt off and yeah he had some scarring. He got lucky in that it was caught early enough that they were able to get it all.

    Want unfair? Testicular cancer. I'll never forget being told about that in school during the last bit of senior year. They seperated out the boys and girls and then told each group about it. We guys were told that the rate of incidence was as high for men as breast cancer was for women and OBTW we had been susceptible for it for a year or two but the school district wouldn't allow them to teach us about it till we were nearing graduation. One guy actually turned GREEN and passed out. Never seen someone actually turn green but this guy sure did. The doctor will check you for this and mine always seems amazed that I'm actually aware of it as few men apparently are and he was even more amazed the school had actually told us something about it...

  19. Re:Forget ATMS - What about VENDING MACHINES? on Another ATM Maker Pwned by Googling · · Score: 1

    Umm, you've been asleep then if you think there's nothing out there for vending machines.

    There are videos on YouTube etc. explaining how to game soda machines and there are also keypad codes out there for modifying the menus to reduce prices. One of the machines even has an interesting command called changedump or somesuch. the kids who have these in their schools are having a field day with them :-)

    You need NOT be inside the machine to do these things and even if you did getting into them is often as easy as getting into the old Kryptonite locks. The "lockpick" tool for these round locks costs under $100 too if you'd like something designed for the job.

    Not my cup of tea to rob the soda stocking guy but it IS interesting to know about and it might be fun to change the "Have a Nice Day!" message to something else ;-)

  20. TinyXP - Beast Edition on Zero-Day Team Launches with Emergency IE Patch · · Score: 1

    You may find that this "OS" which is a stripped version of XP has no IE, has FireFox, and is perfectly stable. It also doesn't phone home for updates etc. Worth a look for "testing" anyway...

  21. My TV has none but..... on How Many HDMI Ports Does Your HDTV Have? · · Score: 1

    I haven't moved to HD yet but my new receiver has HDMI inputs and can upscale. I do NOT want to use my TV as a switch, I want to use my recdiver to switch among components as I have forever.

    What I found interesting when purchasing this receiver though was the VERSION of HDMI. Seems that it has been revised several times now and that the receiver I was buying was one point revision back from current. I'm not exactly sure what the impact of that will be but it does occur to me that while we're all counting ports we might want to ask ourselves what REVISION of the spec our ports support! After all USB 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0 are all "USB" right? But ask anyone who wants to move a few Gigs worth of data which revision of that particular "standard" they'd rather have!

  22. Has it worked? Not really :-( on Is the Do Not Call System Working? · · Score: 1

    I'm unlisted and on the Do Not Call list. I get phone calls from these jerks and they always start off by telling me that their credit consolidation service is a non-profit service now. Well, non-profit just means they pay someone a bunch of money and don't turn a profit near as I can tell. They are offering me services I don't want and what used to be normal SPAM calls. GRR! My level of phone calls really hasn't changed which just means it was never super bad before I guess. I've never once ever been listed and I like it that way. Can't look me up? Tough! :-P

  23. Re:Why Bother? on Fingerprinting Wireless Drivers · · Score: 1

    While it might have been designed for 30 meters it has been braodcast as far as 124+ miles UNAMPLIFIED. That's a full link at 10megs using 802.11b. Yes large directional antennas were used on both sides of this connection. However it very clearly demonstrated that with a proper antenna you can go FAR further than the design specified. A mile or three with a reasonable antenna isn't beyond reason so I wouldn't get too comfortable with the 30meters thing...

  24. Re:Happy User on MythTV 0.20 Released · · Score: 1

    Mine's silent - I replaced the crap stock fan with an 80mm aftermakret fan. TaDa! It's now not possible to hear it over the rest of the AV equipment and XBMC manages the temp so it's not spinning faster than needed. Runs cooler now too...

  25. Re:A Year of MythTV on MythTV 0.20 Released · · Score: 1

    MFSFTP - yup just another file on my network... ;-) A hacked TIVO is pretty powerful although in the end Myth has more potential since it's on general hardware. Unfortunatly Myth isn't nearly as easy to setup IME as most would like. My DTIVO is pretty close to an appliance, not so a Myth box from what I gather. Bad enough I'm always tweaking my hacked XBOX, do you REALLY want to be doing this for what could be the primary entertainment device in your home? A good way to get the whole family mad at you! :-O