I agree, it's criminal. This guy gets a few cents to install the crap. I get called out to remove it.
A typical service call to remove crap:
Travel charge - $15 to $35 depending on distance.
Spyware removal - 1 to 2.5 hours depending on infection (and a lot depends on the speed of the machine) It's sad but true that low end machines take longer to clean, so I spend more time on site, so I cost more in the end.
Training and prevention - another hour or so.
In the end - the bill is usually a couple hundred bucks. The good news is that I offer free remote tech support and train them well enough that I normally never have to come back. My customers usually just need some education - so it's slow but I'm working to eliminate the problem one client at a time.
But don't think for a minute that it's because we actually like Democrats - we just hate them less at the moment, because they're too incompetent to do anything really evil.
You hate them less because you have a short memory.
Really interesting question. For my entire career (since 1983), hardware has outrun software, and OS software in particular. This is a new and interesting twist. Extracting money from users based on "number of processors" or "processor power factor" (think Oracle) may become more difficult in a world of muti-core, multi-die, and multiple architecture.
For example, which is worth more (none of these CPUs exist) - a quad CORE 2 or a eight core Athlon XP?
I'd expect the eight-way to be better at some tasks that are easy to multi-thread, perhaps database servers. I'd expect the quad CORE 2 to be better at most general tasks, mostly because current OS and compilers aren't designed for multiple cores.
Freezing the drive often works, but many times has nothing to do with the actual platters and head. The electronics are usually the issue. A common technique we used when I did data recovery for a living was to use a can of freeze spray and a hair dryer.
We could often locate the particular temperature sensitive chip, and just keep it frozen with freeze spray while backing up the data. It was normally the spindle moter driver / speed controller or the read/write chip.
The poor man's blade. Those Pentium III laptops with 20 gig drives work pretty well for a lot of stuff. DNS, DHCP, Router, etc... But if you are into saving power, get a WRT54G and load DD-WRT or OpenWRT on it. It will do all that stuff also and be a lot cooler and quieter.
Dell sold or provided these batteries with the notebook computers, as part of a service replacement, and as individual units from April 1, 2004, through July 18, 2006.
And I thought OMG, Ponies! was over the top. This is crazy.
But does that really hold when they annoy the shit out of you daily for years about a product that you don't need?
I think it still works. I don't think you consciously blame the drug companies for the spam, you blame the spammers. So the negative effect isn't hurting the drug companies. If my paranoid theory is correct, it's a genius strategy.
A lot of advertising isn't the immediate "call to action" type, it's just building familiarity.
And once you are more familiar with the product, you'll tend to prefer it when you need it.
Google desktop search was pretty good, until I realized it didn't notice when I moved a file or email to a different folder or location.
Windows Desktop Search does notice, and updates the index in real-time. With WDS, Outlook is fine. I just have one huge inbox, with the past 3 months in in - and auto-archive everything older than that so I don't outrun my Exchange quota.
I can find everything I need, even when my ISP goes down. (Which happens from time to time).
I've about become convinced that the Viagra and other drug spam must be funded by the drug companies themselves. Not because they want us to buy the drugs from the spammers, but just because the constant barrage of email adds up to advertising impressions.
Obviously the emails I get for this crap are so badly done, nobody would actually expect me to buy from them. If I was actually trying to make money selling bogus drugs through spam, wouldn't I work harder to make it look legit? The phishing guys don't seem to have too much trouble making good looking e-mail - so why are the bogus drug emails so childish?
Because they don't exist. It's just advertising impressions. They've managed to get the word Viagra and Cialis in front of me a few more times a day, really cheaply.
It drives me crazy - I call someone who mumbles, so I turn up the volume all the way on my phone, straining to hear them... Then they start yelling to a co-worker, or kids, whatever. Or they push touch-tones.
My wife says my ears are just too sensitive - but that sort of rapid volume change, especially on tinny little speakers like most telephones - it hurts.
I want a limiter I can plug inline using normal sub-mini jacks for my cell phone that will set an absolute top limit for volume, while allowing me to turn up the soft sounds.
Vistaplex is a professional Linux system, used by many casinos and businesses. I've had personal dealings with this company, and can highly recommend it. It's designed to be bulletproof.
...asked the survivors for blood samples and injected the samples in uninfected villagers and almost all of them survived...
He deliberately infected healthy people with Ebola? That's not "neat", that's criminal. Some people survive HIV also, you wanna sign up for a transfusion from one of them?
It's a tank. You can't kill it. Send me an email and I'll sell you one cheap. I get better than two years per toner cartridge. Shipping will cost you more than the printer is worth though...
Been said before, but bears repeating: EVERY time I have written my senator to say "don't do this stupid thing" I get back a form letter saying "this stupid thing is the right thing and I'm glad I stood up for it".
That's funny... I get just the reverse. EVERY time I write my senator to say "don't do this stupid thing", I get back a form letter assuring me they are also fighting this stupid thing.
Not sure if it's because I live in Texas, or because you are on the wrong side of the whatever the stupid thing is... But it's working for me.
Write it down, in ink. Take pictures with a camera. When you get home, if it's still that interesting, write it up and post a summary.
I recently found an old journal I wrote during a trip I took about 20 years ago. I didn't have to find the right kind of drive to read it or the right kind of markup parser or editor to read it. And... I didn't have to wish Google hadn't cached the embarrasing parts.
Slashdot Mirror
- BZFlag
- BZFlag
- BZFlag
- BZFlag
- BZFlag
Ok, I guess I showed I'm a seriously lame gamer.Ted Stephens was right! It is a series of ...
Oh darn. Too late.
A typical service call to remove crap:
- Travel charge - $15 to $35 depending on distance.
- Spyware removal - 1 to 2.5 hours depending on infection (and a lot depends on the speed of the machine) It's sad but true that low end machines take longer to clean, so I spend more time on site, so I cost more in the end.
- Training and prevention - another hour or so.
In the end - the bill is usually a couple hundred bucks. The good news is that I offer free remote tech support and train them well enough that I normally never have to come back. My customers usually just need some education - so it's slow but I'm working to eliminate the problem one client at a time.The Clipper chip was big news, and it wasn't that long ago... Only 16 years. Well, I guess that was a while ago.
Get off my lawn you darn kids!
- Clipper chip
- DMCA
- CALEA
Democrats are completely competent and able to screw you over. Don't forget it.Really interesting question. For my entire career (since 1983), hardware has outrun software, and OS software in particular. This is a new and interesting twist. Extracting money from users based on "number of processors" or "processor power factor" (think Oracle) may become more difficult in a world of muti-core, multi-die, and multiple architecture.
For example, which is worth more (none of these CPUs exist) - a quad CORE 2 or a eight core Athlon XP?
I'd expect the eight-way to be better at some tasks that are easy to multi-thread, perhaps database servers. I'd expect the quad CORE 2 to be better at most general tasks, mostly because current OS and compilers aren't designed for multiple cores.
Freezing the drive often works, but many times has nothing to do with the actual platters and head. The electronics are usually the issue. A common technique we used when I did data recovery for a living was to use a can of freeze spray and a hair dryer.
We could often locate the particular temperature sensitive chip, and just keep it frozen with freeze spray while backing up the data. It was normally the spindle moter driver / speed controller or the read/write chip.
So remap the key and quit whining.
p x
In Linux under X:
http://www.columbia.edu/~djv/docs/keyremap.html
In windows:
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/tools/msklc.ms
or http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick/
Or, you could start jousting at windmills and try to change the entire industry. Whatever is easier for you...
The poor man's blade. Those Pentium III laptops with 20 gig drives work pretty well for a lot of stuff. DNS, DHCP, Router, etc... But if you are into saving power, get a WRT54G and load DD-WRT or OpenWRT on it. It will do all that stuff also and be a lot cooler and quieter.
But does that really hold when they annoy the shit out of you daily for years about a product that you don't need?
I think it still works. I don't think you consciously blame the drug companies for the spam, you blame the spammers. So the negative effect isn't hurting the drug companies. If my paranoid theory is correct, it's a genius strategy.
A lot of advertising isn't the immediate "call to action" type, it's just building familiarity.
And once you are more familiar with the product, you'll tend to prefer it when you need it.
Outlook search sucks.
Windows Desktop Search rocks.
Google desktop search was pretty good, until I realized it didn't notice when I moved a file or email to a different folder or location.
Windows Desktop Search does notice, and updates the index in real-time. With WDS, Outlook is fine. I just have one huge inbox, with the past 3 months in in - and auto-archive everything older than that so I don't outrun my Exchange quota.
I can find everything I need, even when my ISP goes down. (Which happens from time to time).
I've about become convinced that the Viagra and other drug spam must be funded by the drug companies themselves. Not because they want us to buy the drugs from the spammers, but just because the constant barrage of email adds up to advertising impressions.
Obviously the emails I get for this crap are so badly done, nobody would actually expect me to buy from them. If I was actually trying to make money selling bogus drugs through spam, wouldn't I work harder to make it look legit? The phishing guys don't seem to have too much trouble making good looking e-mail - so why are the bogus drug emails so childish?
Because they don't exist. It's just advertising impressions. They've managed to get the word Viagra and Cialis in front of me a few more times a day, really cheaply.
Could you at cite a reference? If that's true, it's really interesting, but I have not heard this before. What is your source?
Heck, I didn't even read your comment.
It drives me crazy - I call someone who mumbles, so I turn up the volume all the way on my phone, straining to hear them... Then they start yelling to a co-worker, or kids, whatever. Or they push touch-tones.
My wife says my ears are just too sensitive - but that sort of rapid volume change, especially on tinny little speakers like most telephones - it hurts.
I want a limiter I can plug inline using normal sub-mini jacks for my cell phone that will set an absolute top limit for volume, while allowing me to turn up the soft sounds.
Vistaplex is a professional Linux system, used by many casinos and businesses. I've had personal dealings with this company, and can highly recommend it. It's designed to be bulletproof.
Are you sure about that?
Really?
You have both VLANs with access to the net, but no access to each other.
I think that's what you were asking for.
He deliberately infected healthy people with Ebola? That's not "neat", that's criminal. Some people survive HIV also, you wanna sign up for a transfusion from one of them?
You know, you could just bypass the computer completely and draw it by hand, like this guy.
Another link and a documentary about Boggs.
So, it's not exactly "news". I first saw this at least two years ago.
It's a tank. You can't kill it. Send me an email and I'll sell you one cheap. I get better than two years per toner cartridge. Shipping will cost you more than the printer is worth though...
Been said before, but bears repeating: EVERY time I have written my senator to say "don't do this stupid thing" I get back a form letter saying "this stupid thing is the right thing and I'm glad I stood up for it".
That's funny... I get just the reverse. EVERY time I write my senator to say "don't do this stupid thing", I get back a form letter assuring me they are also fighting this stupid thing.
Not sure if it's because I live in Texas, or because you are on the wrong side of the whatever the stupid thing is... But it's working for me.
Write it down, in ink. Take pictures with a camera. When you get home, if it's still that interesting, write it up and post a summary.
I recently found an old journal I wrote during a trip I took about 20 years ago. I didn't have to find the right kind of drive to read it or the right kind of markup parser or editor to read it. And... I didn't have to wish Google hadn't cached the embarrasing parts.