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User: SScorpio

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  1. Re:Windows Media Center on Windows 10 Release Date: July 29th · · Score: 1

    It looks like it should work pretty well if you use the upcoming HDHomeRUN DVR software. You do need to use one of their tuners but you might already be using one. If not you can get an OTA or cablecard 3-tuner for $90-95.

    Support is being added to NAS boxes, so you could switch out a power hungry PC for a low powered NAS drive, and then watch live or recorded TV on a Amazon FireTV, Roku, Smart Phone, Tablet, etc.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1275320038/hdhomerun-dvr-the-dvr-re-imagined

  2. Re:What after one year? on Windows 10 Release Date: July 29th · · Score: 2

    Because that isn't the upgrade version. That's a new license and someone building a new machine from parts they bought on NewEgg still needs to buy a valid Windows license.

  3. Re:Seems to Be a Pattern of Behavior on SourceForge and GIMP [Updated] · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Have you heard of http://ninite.com/?

    You can install Filezilla directly from them without the bundled malware and other shenanigans.

    Their installer does take away choice so software will install to the default location. But it skips desktop shortcuts, bundled toolbars, and other crap I don't want.

    They work especially well when you are setting up a new PC, you simply select what you want to install and it will automatically install the latest versions of everything without you needing to track down individual installers or prompting you during installation.

  4. Re:Define "Qualified" on Millennial Tech Workers Losing Ground In US · · Score: 1

    You say you are self taught, but if you don't have a degree and certifications that's really going hurt you in the eyes of HR. College doesn't necessarily teach you the tech skills, but if can help you develop the skills to work with other which you will need in your professional career. I'm also self taught, but I went to school. I honestly learned more from my part time programming job I had while I got my bachelors than most of the actual courses, but the later courses taught me interesting things that have come in handy when trying to come up with creative solution to some complex issues.

    My experience with people who haven't had formal education is mixed, some of them are brilliant, some are idiots who think they know everything, and the worse are the people who fall in the middle. These cowboys can come up with incredible solutions, but they rarely think things all the way though which can lead to critical systems breaking at the wrong moment which can cause days or weeks of downtime.

    I'm probably around the same age though I might be a little more end of Gen-X. Even with a degree and experience, getting a job is extremely difficult. I've found it hard to pass through HR, but getting in front of the actual IT managers and developers would allow your knowledge to shine. The problem is getting there, you are right about needing industry contacts. The best way to get these is networking. Look for user groups in your area and start showing up. A lot of the people going to them work with the technology in their day to day jobs. Talk to them and impress them with your skills, they might be able to tell you about a position at their company, or one a headhunter has been stalking them about.

    Try seeing if there are any small/medium consulting firms in your area. Working at these allowed me to get hands on experience with a large number of technologies, as well as developing a large number of contacts with both clients and fellow employees. With a small/medium business you'd have more luck getting in from of a decision maker and getting to show off your knowledge. I was able be at one company while bouncing around different projects as I was needed. This gave me exposure to an extremely diverse number of technologies and environments without looking like I was job hopping every few months.

    Finally don't rely on job postings. I was only ever hired at a single place by replying on them. My other jobs were knowing people who could recommend me, or with my latest using a recruiting firm. Try directly contacting a recruiting firm and see if you can get a meeting with a recruiter. This will allow you to discuss your skills and put you at the top of their call list when something relevant opens up. It will also give you some interviewing experience. Just be blunt, let them know that you are having issues in your job search and any advise or critiques they can give you are welcome.

  5. Re:The new power supplies may be sensitve to EMP on Xenon Flashes Can Make New Raspberry Pi 2 Freeze and Reboot · · Score: 1

    It's related to the GSM network, if you had a CDMA phone (Verizon, Sprint) you didn't experience the issue.

    The problem wasn't only over the radio, it also affected computer speakers and headphones. The expanded frequencies the networks use might help the problem, but I've been on CDMA for the past eight years, so I experienced it for a while.

  6. Re:The road to hell on Should IT Professionals Be Exempt From Overtime Regulations? · · Score: 0

    So you're saying you'd rather keep working 80 hours a week, rather than moving and and get around the same pay but only put in 40 hours?

    If you went somewhere that paid your normal rate for OT, you'd make double what you are now for those 80 hours. Or you could just work 40 and enjoy life outside of work.

  7. Re: Stupid, trucks cause the problem on The Downside to Low Gas Prices · · Score: 1

    Such a nice light dusting of snow.

    While trying to find the average snowfall in Copenhagen that line "Snowfall occurs mainly from late December until early March, but snow cover seldom lasts long." came up.

    So yes, biking there would work well in the winter. But many places in the US stay well below freezing for the entire winter and snow just keeps piling up.

    Only some very special people try biking then, it's not exactly easy going through 2-3 feet of piled up snow.

  8. Re:Windows 10 please. on Will HP's $200 Stream 11 Make People Forget About Chromebooks? · · Score: 1

    Read the specs it has a full HDMI port. If you don't like metro, there are several free to commercial options that return the start menu.

    The Windows 10 upgrade is the big question. But it's been rumored that it will be a free upgrade for 8/8.1 users. But that's just speculation at this point.

  9. Re:did they even think when they made that list? on The Tech Fixes the PS3 Still Needs, Eight Years On · · Score: 1

    The PS4 doesn't do PS1 at the moment either. But Sony is reportedly working local not PSNow, PS1 and PS2 emulation on the PS4. It's been rumored to all be disk based, but no confirmed information about how the backward compatibility will work has been released.

  10. Re:Real tech fixes on The Tech Fixes the PS3 Still Needs, Eight Years On · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Blu Ray drive has nothing to do with the YLOD. Yes the laser can burn out, and I've had to do a single replacement.

    YLOD is caused by micro fractures in solder eventually leading to connections failing. This is because the PS3 came out in 2006, which is the same time PC video cards were also combating the move away from lead based solder (thanks California, do you have that sign up that the state of California contains things known to cause cancer so anyone visiting or living there is aware?).

    The YLOD and RROD caused both Sony and Microsoft to be very conservative with power and heat in the new console.

  11. Ubiquiti EdgeRouter and UniFi on Ask Slashdot: Life Beyond the WRT54G Series? · · Score: 1

    For the same price has the higher-end consumer stuff you can get pro-level equipment.

    Grab an EdgeRouter Lite: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CPRVF5K/ for $95

    and pair it with an UniFi AP: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XXMUCQ/ for $68

    The EdgeRouter is not as user friendly as DD-WRT/Tomato, its OS is based of Vyatta. It has three gigabit ports you decide what you want to do with. Have one WAN and two LAN? Sure. Dual WAN fail over with LAN? Ok. WAN, LAN, and DMZ? Yup. Need more? Get the standard non-lite, or even go Pro. Software configure wise they work exactly the same.

    Having an AP separate from router is also nice. Keep the router in the basement near the drop. Then just run CAT to a central area. The UniFi only has a single Ethernet connector and requires PoE which it includes an adapter for. It also supports seamless hand off, so if you have more than one, you can transition between them, and your network connection will stay open.

  12. Multiple PCs and multiple copies on Watch Dogs Graphics and Gameplay: PC Vs. Xbox One, With Surprising Results · · Score: 1

    Family sharing isn't a great solution. A library can only be accessed once, so you if are playing a game on your main PC someone else spouse/kid can't be on another playing a game out of the same library. The only real solution is for non-online games which is to go into Steam offline mode and the games can be accessed on two different machines.

    Sony's system on the PS4 is slightly better. On machine is defined as the account's "home" system. Any content is then accessible from any other account logged into that console. You can then sign into another console with the account and access all of the content. Locking online multiplayer behind a pay service sucks, but the ability to play online is also shared with on the "home" system. So if you bought games digitally on one main account, you can easily play the same copy online with another person.

  13. Re:More or less on Retail Radeon R9 290X Graphics Cards Slower Than AMD's Press Samples · · Score: 1

    Will gamers see that much of an improvement? The PS4 and Xbone being x86 hardware is nice as the excuses on why a port to PCs can't happen, but both consoles are pretty sad when compared to current mid-range PCs let alone a high-end rig. The Xbone one is struggling to hit 1080p while the PS4 is hitting it, but at 30fps. This is matching or lower than the performance of a current mid-range PC and the performance gap will only widen.

    It's good that AMD was able to get the contracts to get income as they have been struggling lately, but the Radeon 7000 series was a big of a disappointment, and were rumors of Nvidia branding the GTX660 as the GTX680 and the Titan was supposed to be the original GTX680. AMD new series is all rebranded cards save for the R9 290 and 290X. The cards a cheaper compared to Nvidia's offering, but they run hot and loud. Plus this article is discussing performance issues so maybe they aren't as good as the original look into them lead everyone to believe.

    AMD really needs to buckle down and hit one out of the park. The Bulldozer was a dud, so the processor side of the business is also without a hit. I thought we might see the beginnings of an PC architecture redesign once you look at the new consoles, but I don't believe that anymore. I'm not hopefully that Kaveri is going to be the strike again Intel that AMD needs like the glory days of the Athlon 64 vs the Pentium 4, nor AMD releasing a GPU in the coming year that will force Nvidia to stop coasting along and release a highend card that is 80% of Titan SLI performance on a single card.

  14. Intel should can compete just fine in the low end market, and is starting to poke their nose into the mid-range. You can play Battlefield 4 with the integrated graphics of an i5/i7 desktop Haswell chip at 720p and low settings at 30fps.

    Desktop processors running Iris Pro graphics may let Intel start stealing the spot light from AMD's APUs. I wouldn't count on Intel diving into the high-end market, so hopefully Nvidia won't be killed off. I also believe Nvidia has foreseen the end of themselves being anything but a high-end option and has innovated with PhysX, 3d Vision, and the new GSync.

  15. Re:Solution on EU Plastic Bag Debate Highlights a Wider Global Problem · · Score: 1

    I've had them overflowing with 12oz glass bottles I'm taking back to the store and the bags have survived multiple trips. I've had more issues with the handles on plastic bags ripping apart.

    Recycling is a non-issue. And get this, it promotes the growth of more trees which will be used for paper.

  16. Re:FOR-PROFIT CORP !! NO THANX !! on Ars Checks Out CyanogenMod's New Installer · · Score: 2

    Or you could buy a unlocked Nexus 5 directly from Google which supports LTE on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

  17. Re:Obligatory note: the USPS is intentionally brok on US Postal Service To Make Sunday Deliveries For Amazon · · Score: 1

    Nope, but the USPS has seen a drastic increase in the number of packages which carry higher postage charges. When teleportation/replication becomes widespread, that's when they will need to worry.

  18. Re:Intel is keeping pace on Intel Open-Sources Broadwell GPU Driver & Indicates Major Silicon Changes · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why 1080p @60fps? Both the PS4 and Xbone will only be 30fps at the majority of games at 1080p. If Intel can reach parity with on board graphics to the new consoles that are just coming out they will have eaten into AMD's APU lead, since Intel currently crushes AMD when it comes to CPU performance.

  19. Re:What problem? on New Standard For Website Authentication Proposed: SQRL (Secure QR Login) · · Score: 1

    Maybe you should read the spec: https://www.grc.com/sqrl/phishing.htm

    It says right on the page that an active attack could be mounted if you use a cross device authentication like you'd use in a public computer setting.

    The computer you are accessing the site from it at a phishing site that displays an active QR code to log you into the real site.

    Your cellphone you authenticate with is accessing the Internet via a cellular data connection so the IP of the computer and cellphone would be different.

    Since a cellular-connected, camera-enabled device can be expected to have a different IP than any cross-device computer you're logging into, the SQRL client will usually be configured not to request any same-IP enforcement from the remote web server. In this instance, same-IP policy driven phishing detection countermeasures will not be available so the user will need to be vigilant about the sites being logged into in these cross-device circumstances.

    The IP check would work if authenticating off a single device like a laptop, but it doesn't solve the public computer access problem that Steve Gibson was touting as solved.

  20. Re:What problem? on New Standard For Website Authentication Proposed: SQRL (Secure QR Login) · · Score: 1

    I don't see a comparison of ip addresses stopping a malicious site from pulling a real QR code and presenting it to the user who then authorizes the session. The fake page would then be logged in as the user and could do whatever it wanted.

    This was the first thing I thought of as I was listening to the initial discussion.

    Using it solely for unimportant account would make it more secure than using Facebook to log into other sites. At least the phisher would only get access as a single session rather than potentially tricking a user to giving them their Facebook login which they could then do more with.

  21. Re:Any better than SSL client certs? on New Standard For Website Authentication Proposed: SQRL (Secure QR Login) · · Score: 1

    The point is to allow access to a site from a public computer that may be compromised without needing to enter your credentials on the site.

  22. Re:What problem? on New Standard For Website Authentication Proposed: SQRL (Secure QR Login) · · Score: 2

    One of the main things it's supposed to address is to allow secure login from a public computer. A computer could have a software or hardware key logger, but since the authentication is handled by the phone you control it doesn't matter.

    It also has a unique ID that's based on a hash of the site you are authenticating with, so accounts at different sites can't be tied together unless you give the site something like an alias or your email address.

    This does raise the problem in that it makes your phone the keys to the kingdom, but having something like this for throw away accounts for posting on a forum wouldn't be bad. It would be like OpenID, I wouldn't use it for something like my banking account which I wouldn't access from a public computer anyways. But it addresses the issue that people generally use one email address and one password to access every site they go to.

  23. Re:Killer App? Really? on PS Vita TV's Killer App: Remote Play · · Score: 1

    The PS4 has a dedicated encoder chip to compress the streams. It's been rumored that it will take about 5Mbps for this to work.

    The Vita TV supports an wired Ethernet connection as well as 802.11N so bandwidth shouldn't be an issue. If the connection does require 5Mbps, it might work decently when streaming outside your home to a Vita, or maybe a Vita TV in a hotel room.

  24. Re:Wait... Hasn't... What? on PS Vita TV's Killer App: Remote Play · · Score: 1

    It could for a very limited number of games. Vita remote play supposed is supposedly going to be put into more of the games. This also allows you to play on another TV rather than just a handheld. I have two PS3 just so I can play games in different rooms, this would allow me to have a single PS4, and a $100 Vita TV.

    Of course I also still have my normal Vita which I can stream games to as well and play anywhere.

  25. Re:Too little too late on Windows 8.1 RTM Trickling Out, With Start Menu and Boot-to-Desktop · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you want to modify system settings windows key+x or right clicking the bottom left or start button if you are on 8.1 will give you a menu that blows away at 7 let you immediately access.

    Someone clicking the start menu or using the windows key may have pinned favorites they access all the time. The start screen allows you to pin a lot more on it. And 8.1 gives you a small item size so you can fit even more.

    The way I used to use the Vista/7 start menu was just pressing the windows key and then typing the name of the program I want. The start screen works the same way without you needing to bring up the search charm. Just press open the start screen and start typing.

    Where I thing Microsoft messed up was forcing all of the metro apps on desktop users. The default PDF and image handlers are horrible. Thankfully the desktop version for the picture viewer is still included. A simple option to allow a user to use all of the new metro or fall back to the desktop mode of apps would have kept away a lot of confusion. Especially when the metro apps act as a walled garden and don't give you easy access to your files.