There are a lot of retailers that will soak the cost of a return shipment item. I know several that include the shipping label with the package should you decide to use it.
I know some that will just soak any cost to keep you a customer.
While you can't find every super open ended policy published it is still entirely possible to review the written return policy prior to purchasing.
I believe Video Professor has a cd on avoiding scams... like this one... it plays just like a vcr... but on your computer.
In any event, I'm fairly certain I would have been burned by the scammers ages ago if I didn't sign up for the free Video Professor Avoiding Scams disc. Now if I could just stop getting billed for this crud.
I wonder if they make a cd to solve your VP billing issues...
Actually it sounds like the system was designed to grow very large. The information provided does not indicate there are adequate alarms and documentation for when elements fail.
I don't know what world you live in, but biometric components are highly disposable.
Just last week we had a copy of an employees eye floating around. We quickly plugged that hole by confiscating the employee's left eye.
Every so often we get a real joker who thinks its funny to prove how he can bypass the thumb readers. Those guys stop smiling the moment we take that compromised thumb away.
Traditionally DVB streams are of the encrypted variety around Northern America. While there is a steady transition to digital feeds for the cost savings there is still a very healthy analogue infrastructure.
Many syndicated shows are delivered via this infrastructure in the form of "wild feeds." This changes seasonally and it's always fun to manage when there is a wealth of syndicated content to acquire.
More recently there has been the push to digital content distribution systems. Pathfire being the predominate provider that I can remember. This methodology still uses satellite communications, but is actually performed using terrestrial IP + multi-cast. (Still DVB receivers/modems in the end).
I actually haven't been able to fathom why anyone who host a server beyond a temporary connection. There is no benefit beyond limited advertising and no way to build community.
I'm also a pretty big fan of automatically connecting to a server which pings horribly.
The second problem is believing the tech when he says the data cannot be reclaimed.
The third problem is using a simple raid 5 volume on a great deal of data. Multiple drives fail all the time! Hell, racks of servers fail in unison.
Even if the DCB data is corrupted this can be corrected even on a large SAN.
All or part of the data is generally recoverable.
Either this was an impossibly horribly managed install or something very complex has happened. Generally, the more severe instances are because of multi-faceted failures and not something so simple as lost array data.
Kinda why your backup solution has to scale with your data.
There are monstrous libraries available and when restoring from them you simply dedicate multiple channels to the restoration process.
Depending on the arrangement of systems, archives and tape equipment it may not be ideal to restore directly from tape to host.
I don't know if I find that particular story plausible though. We had much the same issue because despite expensive contracts these companies routinely dole out work to contract technical staff... ie warm bodies.
It is entirely possible to recovery data. Even if they do something silly like blast all of the dcb data from the system and format the drives.
Unless everyone is horribly clueless I'm going to guess the issue is a bit more complex than a simple SAN explosion.
I also praise the authors of "stress" a handy application for linux which can perform non-destructive stress to hard disks as well as provide load on the processor and memory.
For memory I really do like memtester, but I wish it was a bit less verbose. (For a user space app it's not bad)
YOU SHOULD NEVER USE CAPS LIKE THIS AND NEVER SUGGEST SOMEONE BRIDGE COMPONENTS WITH A SCREW DRIVER.
I'm getting a bit tired of replying to all of the bad advice I see flying around. However, never discharge caps by bridge the connectors (even if the tool is insulated). A large enough power source can cause some serious problems.
The proper way to handle this is to terminate the load into a ground source capable of dissipating the load. Earth ground will suffice, but don't dump a crap ton of current into the ground of your house.
A power supply tester is mostly useless. The basic features of any modern motherboard include sensors which display the voltage readings.
A power supply tester simply identifies whether or not an unloaded voltage source is within the 5% variance. It would have to be extremely poor condition to not pass this test (sic, obviously failed and identified from the same common tools everyone has access too).
In many circumstances I find it necessary to apply load to a power supply in order to quickly identify the fault.
Again, testers are nice, but the reality is you have access to a tester which can offer you information on both the performance of the power supply and the motherboards own voltage regulators and step down components.
Unfortunately you left out one major component in this troubleshooting scenario.
Before applying any troubleshooting steps you must first create a verifiable test condition to reproduce the problem.
If the problem cannot be reliably reproduced it will be difficult to isolate the fault with physical isolation, reduction or replacement of specific components.
Before beginning on such an endeavor strive to create a scenario in which the problem can be reproduced quickly.
Waiting a week for the fault to reproduce could be a lengthy period of troubleshooting.
There are some fairly straight forward applications that several readers have mentioned.
However, relying on software to determine a fault when no fault indicators are built into your motherboard is an inherently flawed logic.
The vast majority of systems today are quite dumb and have no reporting. Even on more expensive systems this reporting is still not the most reliable method of troubleshooting hardware.
That is to say that software cannot be helpful in the troubleshooting process. It can be immensely useful if applied correctly with the right approach.
Software used as a tool for isolation purposes can help verify and ferret out problems. Memtest is useful (not perfect) for finding memory faults within the memory subsystem. (Controller, memory and physical pathways). Stress tests and smart data can be useful to isolate problems with hard disks or other faults within the disk subsystem.
The approach is nearly always the same. Use a common set of tools to attempt to identify obvious flaws with the system. (Praying you have a board and combination of hardware which does more then just fault).
In the end, identifying an unknown error is a combination of agitating specific areas within the system and attempting to illicit a fault under a controlled set of circumstances.
It's Monday morning after a weekend of hard rocking. The day is already a bit hazy because several elements of various substances are still floating around in your system.
While traveling a cozy 57mph in a 35mph zone some elderly guy in a walker leaps out of nowhere across the street during a possibly red'ish light.
The light was more maroon than anything.
This is a fairly serious accident, but it's important to note you really shouldn't stick around for something that was obviously not your fault. You reap what you sow or at least that is the passing comment you provide to the evil knievel elderly gentlemen.
In most circumstances this really shouldn't be a problem. However, cameras are funny things and it might be interpreted differently by others. There are just risks and unnecessary risks. Myself... I like to err on the side of caution.
I've had my intestines removed and used as a personal restraining device. All of my toes and fingers removed and subsequently re-attached to one hand. Said hand was than forcefully punched into my own face with some guy shouting, "Stop hitting yourself" over and over. After that was over I had my abdomen sliced open by a light saber and some Jedi Knight used my womb to shelter from the cold for hours.
Actually, you don't even have to go this far with the restriction of keeping nearly everything legal.
I could think of a half dozen ways to find him illegally. That said, I don't believe there is much of a point to all of this with such a restriction.
On the flip side, if you could somehow manage to take him to court it would be win/win. If he shows, you get paid and if he doesn't you can get a default judgment.
I just need to find a way to get wronged!
Re:So, why couldn't the feds figure this one out?
on
The Outing of Pranknet
·
· Score: 1
If you read the story (boy is it long).
The moment the issues were traced to a foreign location the investigation halted due to jurisdiction.
Now, enough damage will warrant more attention and eventually authorities will deal with international issues.
Slashdot Mirror
There are a lot of retailers that will soak the cost of a return shipment item. I know several that include the shipping label with the package should you decide to use it.
I know some that will just soak any cost to keep you a customer.
While you can't find every super open ended policy published it is still entirely possible to review the written return policy prior to purchasing.
I believe Video Professor has a cd on avoiding scams... like this one... it plays just like a vcr... but on your computer.
In any event, I'm fairly certain I would have been burned by the scammers ages ago if I didn't sign up for the free Video Professor Avoiding Scams disc. Now if I could just stop getting billed for this crud.
I wonder if they make a cd to solve your VP billing issues...
Actually it sounds like the system was designed to grow very large. The information provided does not indicate there are adequate alarms and documentation for when elements fail.
I liked for the ability for users to manage my box.
Surely the users would never do anything that would harm the system in which we all exist?!?
And he would be right to do so!
As a T-Mobile convert I do have to agree they are horribly nice. It's also a bit of a bonus that I save money as well.
With the abundance of the red ring of death syndrome it's rather sketchy to buy a used xbox 360 already.
I don't know what world you live in, but biometric components are highly disposable.
Just last week we had a copy of an employees eye floating around. We quickly plugged that hole by confiscating the employee's left eye.
Every so often we get a real joker who thinks its funny to prove how he can bypass the thumb readers. Those guys stop smiling the moment we take that compromised thumb away.
Just another day in the security division of OCP.
Traditionally DVB streams are of the encrypted variety around Northern America. While there is a steady transition to digital feeds for the cost savings there is still a very healthy analogue infrastructure.
Many syndicated shows are delivered via this infrastructure in the form of "wild feeds." This changes seasonally and it's always fun to manage when there is a wealth of syndicated content to acquire.
More recently there has been the push to digital content distribution systems. Pathfire being the predominate provider that I can remember. This methodology still uses satellite communications, but is actually performed using terrestrial IP + multi-cast. (Still DVB receivers/modems in the end).
Yes.
I just integrated the hulu desktop into mythtv today.
The interface is a little sluggish on my htpc, but it is otherwise perfectly functional.
It's pretty much bawls out bad.
I actually haven't been able to fathom why anyone who host a server beyond a temporary connection. There is no benefit beyond limited advertising and no way to build community.
I'm also a pretty big fan of automatically connecting to a server which pings horribly.
At the level of data they were working at I highly doubt they are using file systems in the manner you or I would normally use.
It does scale well.
Well the first problem was the EMC storage array.
The second problem is believing the tech when he says the data cannot be reclaimed.
The third problem is using a simple raid 5 volume on a great deal of data. Multiple drives fail all the time! Hell, racks of servers fail in unison.
Even if the DCB data is corrupted this can be corrected even on a large SAN.
All or part of the data is generally recoverable.
Either this was an impossibly horribly managed install or something very complex has happened. Generally, the more severe instances are because of multi-faceted failures and not something so simple as lost array data.
Kinda why your backup solution has to scale with your data.
There are monstrous libraries available and when restoring from them you simply dedicate multiple channels to the restoration process.
Depending on the arrangement of systems, archives and tape equipment it may not be ideal to restore directly from tape to host.
I don't know if I find that particular story plausible though. We had much the same issue because despite expensive contracts these companies routinely dole out work to contract technical staff... ie warm bodies.
It is entirely possible to recovery data. Even if they do something silly like blast all of the dcb data from the system and format the drives.
Unless everyone is horribly clueless I'm going to guess the issue is a bit more complex than a simple SAN explosion.
I also praise the authors of "stress" a handy application for linux which can perform non-destructive stress to hard disks as well as provide load on the processor and memory.
For memory I really do like memtester, but I wish it was a bit less verbose. (For a user space app it's not bad)
YOU SHOULD NEVER USE CAPS LIKE THIS AND NEVER SUGGEST SOMEONE BRIDGE COMPONENTS WITH A SCREW DRIVER.
I'm getting a bit tired of replying to all of the bad advice I see flying around. However, never discharge caps by bridge the connectors (even if the tool is insulated). A large enough power source can cause some serious problems.
The proper way to handle this is to terminate the load into a ground source capable of dissipating the load. Earth ground will suffice, but don't dump a crap ton of current into the ground of your house.
A power supply tester is mostly useless. The basic features of any modern motherboard include sensors which display the voltage readings.
A power supply tester simply identifies whether or not an unloaded voltage source is within the 5% variance. It would have to be extremely poor condition to not pass this test (sic, obviously failed and identified from the same common tools everyone has access too).
In many circumstances I find it necessary to apply load to a power supply in order to quickly identify the fault.
Again, testers are nice, but the reality is you have access to a tester which can offer you information on both the performance of the power supply and the motherboards own voltage regulators and step down components.
Most hardware is 'dumb' and does not have fault latches.
This is a cost that was avoided in order to make cheap motherboards and system components.
Hardware troubleshooting is in no form about trust. It is applying a series of logical steps designed to isolate and repair failures.
Unfortunately you left out one major component in this troubleshooting scenario.
Before applying any troubleshooting steps you must first create a verifiable test condition to reproduce the problem.
If the problem cannot be reliably reproduced it will be difficult to isolate the fault with physical isolation, reduction or replacement of specific components.
Before beginning on such an endeavor strive to create a scenario in which the problem can be reproduced quickly.
Waiting a week for the fault to reproduce could be a lengthy period of troubleshooting.
There are some fairly straight forward applications that several readers have mentioned.
However, relying on software to determine a fault when no fault indicators are built into your motherboard is an inherently flawed logic.
The vast majority of systems today are quite dumb and have no reporting. Even on more expensive systems this reporting is still not the most reliable method of troubleshooting hardware.
That is to say that software cannot be helpful in the troubleshooting process. It can be immensely useful if applied correctly with the right approach.
Software used as a tool for isolation purposes can help verify and ferret out problems. Memtest is useful (not perfect) for finding memory faults within the memory subsystem. (Controller, memory and physical pathways). Stress tests and smart data can be useful to isolate problems with hard disks or other faults within the disk subsystem.
The approach is nearly always the same. Use a common set of tools to attempt to identify obvious flaws with the system. (Praying you have a board and combination of hardware which does more then just fault).
In the end, identifying an unknown error is a combination of agitating specific areas within the system and attempting to illicit a fault under a controlled set of circumstances.
When this fails... chuck parts at it.
You have to think about the big picture here.
It's Monday morning after a weekend of hard rocking. The day is already a bit hazy because several elements of various substances are still floating around in your system.
While traveling a cozy 57mph in a 35mph zone some elderly guy in a walker leaps out of nowhere across the street during a possibly red'ish light.
The light was more maroon than anything.
This is a fairly serious accident, but it's important to note you really shouldn't stick around for something that was obviously not your fault. You reap what you sow or at least that is the passing comment you provide to the evil knievel elderly gentlemen.
In most circumstances this really shouldn't be a problem. However, cameras are funny things and it might be interpreted differently by others. There are just risks and unnecessary risks. Myself... I like to err on the side of caution.
That's nothing...
I've had my intestines removed and used as a personal restraining device. All of my toes and fingers removed and subsequently re-attached to one hand. Said hand was than forcefully punched into my own face with some guy shouting, "Stop hitting yourself" over and over. After that was over I had my abdomen sliced open by a light saber and some Jedi Knight used my womb to shelter from the cold for hours.
A broken heart? I really do miss that Jedi
Actually, you don't even have to go this far with the restriction of keeping nearly everything legal.
I could think of a half dozen ways to find him illegally. That said, I don't believe there is much of a point to all of this with such a restriction.
On the flip side, if you could somehow manage to take him to court it would be win/win. If he shows, you get paid and if he doesn't you can get a default judgment.
I just need to find a way to get wronged!
If you read the story (boy is it long).
The moment the issues were traced to a foreign location the investigation halted due to jurisdiction.
Now, enough damage will warrant more attention and eventually authorities will deal with international issues.
I believe he had a point.
I think it's time we spread some good ol fashioned fud.
Our new campaign slogan, "Stop stealing energy from the environment."
Down with harnessing the oceans!