I'd suggest getting one of the bigger certifications, like a CCNA. My CCNA is lapsed, and has been for a decade now, but I put "former CCNA" on my resume, and it seems to trigger whatever resume-scanning apps the larger corporations are using. I've done IT for some small shops, where it was a matter of knowing someone who knew someone, and some larger shops, where it's a matter of the software triggering on "CCNA" and handing it off to a live person. And once the recruiter comes calling with phone and in-person interview opportunities, it's what you know, not how formal a setting you learned it in.
How about you actually TRY the app? If it's good, go ahead an give it a favorable review, but include full disclosure that you're an employee. That way there is no question of whether you're astroturfing or not.
I've tried A LOT of PVR software over the years, and MythTV (via Mythbuntu) is what I'm currently using. That said, if you're looking for a Windows solution to run under XP, I found GB-PVR to be about an excellent choice. There are a ton of plugins available as well, so I'd say it is at least as full-featured as MythTV. If you insist on running Windows on your PVR, you could do much worse.
*disclaimer* I've not tried Media Center under Windows 7. I did try it under Vista and found it somewhat lacking.
I *always* attempt to act suspicious whenever I know I might be monitored by some supposed "behavior detection" expert. After all, ill will is not a crime until acted upon.
...I think I might be a terrorist. I mean, one of my best friends is a foreign national. I didn't report our friendship to the feds. And I skipped almost all of last quarter without explaining it to anyone. For the good of the country, lock me up and convince me that there are five lights!
Interesting, 'cause I haven't had any trouble with Maxtor drives in a long time. I've noticed that all the manufacturers seem to go through periods where their drives have issues. I remember a time when I couldn't get a WD without it failing rather quickly (I can't remember if it was their 2Gig or 4.3Gig drives I had problems with). I've seen the same thing with Seagate drives where every drive I got seemed to be bad. And let's not forget IBM. To this day, I won't buy a Hitachi drive because they bought IBM's drive business and thought it wise to continue to use the Deskstar name.
"Similarly, it's illegal to record a telephone conversation without telling all parties on the line that it's being recorded. I think that's federal law."
You're mistaken, on two counts. First, it varies by state. And second, some states simply make the recording inadmissible in court, but it's not actually illegal to do, as long as at least one party has authorized it.
I spent a decade in support. Half as head bench tech for a computer retailer. Pre-Y2K. So that was fun. Then, the other half as tech support manager at an ISP.
It's not that people are stupid. It's that they don't completely understand the technology they're trying to use. But they shouldn't need to. Technology is a tool, and they simply want it to work. Much like their car - they don't need to understand the inner workings of their car in order to drive it. And it's frustrating when it doesn't.
That said, a decade in support will wear on a person. I finally had to move to IT management in a non-IT company with less than a dozen employees. They key is to move on when it's time, and never, *ever*, let the customer see any of your frustrations with your job before you do.
"Seems like a particularly inefficient and masochistic method of confirming that a ThinkPad is the optimal choice for an x86 notebook."
And if that ThinkPad were to lose power (and have a dead battery) at just the wrong time during boot, it becomes a paperweight. However, I've only seen once, and it's the only design flaw I've seen in the ThinkPad notebooks. They may have corrected the design by now, as my ThinkPad with this issue is a few years old. Also, with a little bit of hardware hacking and about $50, you can do a repair, even though IBM officially says that the MB is dead.
Not saying the ThinkPad is a bad choice - in fact I prefer them to just about everything except Sony (which I refuse to buy because of the whole DRM fiasco). Just that there is (or was) an issue with it's boot process that could render it unusable under very specific, if unlikely, circumstances.
I run a bar and decide to get some live music, so I call up a group of musicians. A popular and very well known band, of course, I don't want to drive my patrons out. They tell me "sure, we'll come and play, just give us some money." So I send them a payment, and the day of the performance, they show up with a 50 page contract. "Just sign this and we'll be set". I look over it, and I see among it's provisions that they're going to firebomb the stage at the end of the show. I give them the contract back and tell them no.
Then they firebomb the stage.
OK. So, either I accept the EULA and infect my PC with DRM, or I reject the EULA and... it *still* infects me with DRM?! Your analogy illustrates another point:
If I pay for goods and or services, the terms of the purchase are known up-front. After accepting payment, the other party cannot force me to chose between accept changes to the terms or taking my money back. By accepting my money, they're bound to the terms that were in place to begin with.
When I buy an audio CD, I am paying for just that: *audio*. A EULA presented to me upon insertion of the CD into my PC does not change the terms of the original sale. Therefore, the maker of the audio CD is violating our original purchase agreement by displaying said EULA on what is labeled an audio CD. Maybe I should buy one of the infected CDs, install it, and sue Sony in small-claims court. Enough people do that, and Sony quickly changes their tune (pun not intended) or sinks.
In the spirit of this post, here is my EULA to Sony that they must accept should I buy another CD from them:
All executives of Sony/BMG must immediately deposit all company and personal assets into my bank account. If you do not accept the terms of this EULA, then you must deposit said funds into my wife's bank account.
The MPAA has claimed that eyes violate this legislation. They are asking that everyone turn their in immediately and settle out of court for $40,000, or risk more costly prosecution.
"The only real solution: copy-protect the actual audio output from the speakers, say by adding a high-energy ultrasonic screech which instantly obliterates all recording devices within hearing range."
They already have this. Pick any number of current pop artists;)
The real solution: Take people's hearing at birth unless their parents pay the RIAA licensing fees to be allowed to hear. This license needs to be renewed yearly. Don't pay? Lose your ears.
"Even if that alliance holds, I think google will win. Microsoft had its time and that times is gone. "
Regardless of what I think about the company, there's no denying that Microsoft will be around for quite some time. I think Google's genius is that they've let the word "google" slip into usage as a verb, meaning "search." It doesn't even matter if you're using their engine or not. If you're using a search engine to find something on the internet, most people would say you're "googling" for it. There's no way Microsoft would allow the same thing to happen. Hell, I'd bet that if William Gibson has written _Neuromancer_ today, he'd be sued into oblivian for his use of the word "microsoft."
"A music retail store spokesman said that Sony's rootkit attack has become public just before Christmas. Customers can easily choose some other gift now that they are scared about computer attacks. Sony's attack has hurt the entire music industry, not just Sony. Also, the damage will continue after Christmas. "
Has anyone from the RIAA weighed in on this fiasco? Not that I'm buying anything from them ever again, but it would be interesting if they did the right thing and came out publicly against Sony. I know it's not gonna happen, but it would still be interesting nonetheless:)
"I've been chasing down several accounts of government agencies, companies, educational institutions and others banning the use of Sony CDs on their PCs, due to the security risks of having Sony's rootkit DRM infecting their PCs."
Fantastic. I hadn't thought of it, but it *does* put our network at risk. Therefore, as the IT manager, I believe Sony BMG has just been banned from my company's PCs as well. Just need final approval from the CEO.
"And I actually checked the music CDs I was buying to make sure they were not from Sony."
I quit buying from RIAA member companies awhile back. I'll listen on the radio, but I haven't heard anything worth buying for a long time. And I station-surf through commercials:P If I do buy music, it's from one of the local unsigned artists who haven't had their sound watered down to what the RIAA wants.
As for Sony, I am done with them. My last TV was a Sony, but my current one is some German company that I can't pronounce. My Sony stereo has been abused for way too many years. I will not be replacing it with a Sony. My digital camera needs replaced. I'm thinking Canon. My notebook computers are Toshiba, and my desktops are custom-built and Sony-free. As mentioned above, I don't buy Sony-label (or RIAA-label) music. I haven't gone to the movies forever, and my (non-Sony) DVR watches TV for me, and most shows get erased unwatched. I think that about covers it... Well, except for gaming. My last console was an Atari 2600 and I don't do much PC gaming. When I do, it's usually Blizzard. So, Sony, what are you going to do to get my business back? Remove a couple of crappy CDs from store shelves? Not likely to get my business back. They're gonna hafta go through a lot of chapstick to accomplish that!
Evidence suggests that, rather than completely die out, an enclave of these apes survived and is thriving... gainfully employed as the RIAA legal team.
However, one escaped and is working for Microsoft.
Slashdot Mirror
It's not really hacking if you aren't pulling out all the stops, is it? IOW, there's no such thing as "cheating" when it comes to hacking.
I'd suggest getting one of the bigger certifications, like a CCNA. My CCNA is lapsed, and has been for a decade now, but I put "former CCNA" on my resume, and it seems to trigger whatever resume-scanning apps the larger corporations are using. I've done IT for some small shops, where it was a matter of knowing someone who knew someone, and some larger shops, where it's a matter of the software triggering on "CCNA" and handing it off to a live person. And once the recruiter comes calling with phone and in-person interview opportunities, it's what you know, not how formal a setting you learned it in.
How about you actually TRY the app? If it's good, go ahead an give it a favorable review, but include full disclosure that you're an employee. That way there is no question of whether you're astroturfing or not.
I've tried A LOT of PVR software over the years, and MythTV (via Mythbuntu) is what I'm currently using. That said, if you're looking for a Windows solution to run under XP, I found GB-PVR to be about an excellent choice. There are a ton of plugins available as well, so I'd say it is at least as full-featured as MythTV. If you insist on running Windows on your PVR, you could do much worse.
*disclaimer* I've not tried Media Center under Windows 7. I did try it under Vista and found it somewhat lacking.
Q: "Are you planning to bring down the aircraft with an illegal device"
A: "Not today, I only attack aircraft on odd numbered Thursdays"
...today is my day to attack boats... with water... 3 ounces at a time...
I *always* attempt to act suspicious whenever I know I might be monitored by some supposed "behavior detection" expert. After all, ill will is not a crime until acted upon.
...I think I might be a terrorist. I mean, one of my best friends is a foreign national. I didn't report our friendship to the feds. And I skipped almost all of last quarter without explaining it to anyone. For the good of the country, lock me up and convince me that there are five lights!
Interesting, 'cause I haven't had any trouble with Maxtor drives in a long time. I've noticed that all the manufacturers seem to go through periods where their drives have issues. I remember a time when I couldn't get a WD without it failing rather quickly (I can't remember if it was their 2Gig or 4.3Gig drives I had problems with). I've seen the same thing with Seagate drives where every drive I got seemed to be bad. And let's not forget IBM. To this day, I won't buy a Hitachi drive because they bought IBM's drive business and thought it wise to continue to use the Deskstar name.
"Similarly, it's illegal to record a telephone conversation without telling all parties on the line that it's being recorded. I think that's federal law."
You're mistaken, on two counts. First, it varies by state. And second, some states simply make the recording inadmissible in court, but it's not actually illegal to do, as long as at least one party has authorized it.
I spent a decade in support. Half as head bench tech for a computer retailer. Pre-Y2K. So that was fun. Then, the other half as tech support manager at an ISP.
It's not that people are stupid. It's that they don't completely understand the technology they're trying to use. But they shouldn't need to. Technology is a tool, and they simply want it to work. Much like their car - they don't need to understand the inner workings of their car in order to drive it. And it's frustrating when it doesn't.
That said, a decade in support will wear on a person. I finally had to move to IT management in a non-IT company with less than a dozen employees. They key is to move on when it's time, and never, *ever*, let the customer see any of your frustrations with your job before you do.
"Or at most be something we point to for the next five years or until the MPAA does something else stupid, whichever comes first."
;)
So you mean about two minutes then, right?
"Seems like a particularly inefficient and masochistic method of confirming that a ThinkPad is the optimal choice for an x86 notebook."
And if that ThinkPad were to lose power (and have a dead battery) at just the wrong time during boot, it becomes a paperweight. However, I've only seen once, and it's the only design flaw I've seen in the ThinkPad notebooks. They may have corrected the design by now, as my ThinkPad with this issue is a few years old. Also, with a little bit of hardware hacking and about $50, you can do a repair, even though IBM officially says that the MB is dead.
Not saying the ThinkPad is a bad choice - in fact I prefer them to just about everything except Sony (which I refuse to buy because of the whole DRM fiasco). Just that there is (or was) an issue with it's boot process that could render it unusable under very specific, if unlikely, circumstances.
"I think Novell should file a Second Ammendment claim asking to bear (and use) arms in their case against SCO."
;)
Can't we just nuke Utah or something to end this whole thing? I mean, who'd miss Utah anyhow?
OK. So, either I accept the EULA and infect my PC with DRM, or I reject the EULA and... it *still* infects me with DRM?! Your analogy illustrates another point:
If I pay for goods and or services, the terms of the purchase are known up-front. After accepting payment, the other party cannot force me to chose between accept changes to the terms or taking my money back. By accepting my money, they're bound to the terms that were in place to begin with.
When I buy an audio CD, I am paying for just that: *audio*. A EULA presented to me upon insertion of the CD into my PC does not change the terms of the original sale. Therefore, the maker of the audio CD is violating our original purchase agreement by displaying said EULA on what is labeled an audio CD. Maybe I should buy one of the infected CDs, install it, and sue Sony in small-claims court. Enough people do that, and Sony quickly changes their tune (pun not intended) or sinks.
In the spirit of this post, here is my EULA to Sony that they must accept should I buy another CD from them:
All executives of Sony/BMG must immediately deposit all company and personal assets into my bank account. If you do not accept the terms of this EULA, then you must deposit said funds into my wife's bank account.
Think it'll work?
The MPAA has claimed that eyes violate this legislation. They are asking that everyone turn their in immediately and settle out of court for $40,000, or risk more costly prosecution.
"The only real solution: copy-protect the actual audio output from the speakers, say by adding a high-energy ultrasonic screech which instantly obliterates all recording devices within hearing range."
;)
They already have this. Pick any number of current pop artists
The real solution: Take people's hearing at birth unless their parents pay the RIAA licensing fees to be allowed to hear. This license needs to be renewed yearly. Don't pay? Lose your ears.
"Even if that alliance holds, I think google will win. Microsoft had its time and that times is gone. "
Regardless of what I think about the company, there's no denying that Microsoft will be around for quite some time. I think Google's genius is that they've let the word "google" slip into usage as a verb, meaning "search." It doesn't even matter if you're using their engine or not. If you're using a search engine to find something on the internet, most people would say you're "googling" for it. There's no way Microsoft would allow the same thing to happen. Hell, I'd bet that if William Gibson has written _Neuromancer_ today, he'd be sued into oblivian for his use of the word "microsoft."
"it's getting to a point where people just aren't smart enough to take care of themselves."
I'm sorry, what were you saying? I was busy having my wife wipe my nose for me. lol no this is not a virus
The best comment I've ever seen has to be:
/* Magic happens here */
I've seen it a couple of times now....
"and now I'm wondering why I ever left. That's it, I'm going back to the Slack *now*. "
Slackware was my first installed distro, back at v0.96 or so, and I've been running it ever since. It's what I know.
"A music retail store spokesman said that Sony's rootkit attack has become public just before Christmas. Customers can easily choose some other gift now that they are scared about computer attacks. Sony's attack has hurt the entire music industry, not just Sony. Also, the damage will continue after Christmas. "
:)
Has anyone from the RIAA weighed in on this fiasco? Not that I'm buying anything from them ever again, but it would be interesting if they did the right thing and came out publicly against Sony. I know it's not gonna happen, but it would still be interesting nonetheless
"I only have two words for Sony... BITE ME!!!"
My two words were stronger... "FUCK OFF!!!" I didn't want to leave any doubt as to where I stood or anything.
"I've been chasing down several accounts of government agencies, companies, educational institutions and others banning the use of Sony CDs on their PCs, due to the security risks of having Sony's rootkit DRM infecting their PCs."
Fantastic. I hadn't thought of it, but it *does* put our network at risk. Therefore, as the IT manager, I believe Sony BMG has just been banned from my company's PCs as well. Just need final approval from the CEO.
"And I actually checked the music CDs I was buying to make sure they were not from Sony."
:P If I do buy music, it's from one of the local unsigned artists who haven't had their sound watered down to what the RIAA wants.
I quit buying from RIAA member companies awhile back. I'll listen on the radio, but I haven't heard anything worth buying for a long time. And I station-surf through commercials
As for Sony, I am done with them. My last TV was a Sony, but my current one is some German company that I can't pronounce. My Sony stereo has been abused for way too many years. I will not be replacing it with a Sony. My digital camera needs replaced. I'm thinking Canon. My notebook computers are Toshiba, and my desktops are custom-built and Sony-free. As mentioned above, I don't buy Sony-label (or RIAA-label) music. I haven't gone to the movies forever, and my (non-Sony) DVR watches TV for me, and most shows get erased unwatched. I think that about covers it... Well, except for gaming. My last console was an Atari 2600 and I don't do much PC gaming. When I do, it's usually Blizzard. So, Sony, what are you going to do to get my business back? Remove a couple of crappy CDs from store shelves? Not likely to get my business back. They're gonna hafta go through a lot of chapstick to accomplish that!
However, one escaped and is working for Microsoft.