How would changing trains be worse then changing planes? I've had to change trains in Japan and its not a difficult thing. Maybe inconvenient if you have to walk to another station but not difficult.
I have been to Japan a number of times. Rail works well there and even if it wouldn't work down to the small town level here the high speed backbone would be very useful. And a lot less fuss then flying.:)
Also the DSi is not a phone. Thats a pretty big difference too. Maybe some could claim its competition against the Ipod Touch but really, one is made primarily for listening to music and the other for primarily playing games.
As someone who manipulates digital video on both a person and professional level, ffmpeg is the #1 tool in my arsenal.
Quick question, I know its off topic but do you know of any good way to convert a wmv file from MS Photostory3 to flv format? For some reason the file gets bigger, when it actually works. I Googled for answers but didn't find much. My only guess is that photostory3 is doing something funky in the wmv file. Though IMHO wmv is funky anyway. Alternativly if anyone knows of a good open source photostory3 replacement I'd love to know about it. I work for a school and so I am stuck dealing with Movie Maker and Photostory3. Also anyone know of a good open source DVD creator (video, with at least simple menus)?
I agree. Most of my users aren't trying to do anything malicious, other then try to install software they shouldn't, and they want their machine to run well. The reason for policies isn't that I just want to be a control freak, its so the machines can't be accidentally broken by someone clicking something they shouldn't or by installing a software that will break something else (and that we likely don't have a license for). Some users get frustrated that they can't install software they want but we have a process for getting software approved and installed. Its there for a reason that has nothing to do with being a control freak or an ass. I want to know that if we ever got audited by the BSA (Business Software Alliance) that we wouldn't have anything to worry about. I want to know that someone didn't install some file sharing app that will infect their machine, and then the network, with a virus. I want to know that when a person sits down at a certain machine that it looks and works just like the last machine they were at. There are a lot of very valid reasons for policies and locking down workstations. Standardization and protection are two of the biggies.
Also there is Novell ZENworks for desktops. It works on Linux too, though I haven't used it on Linux as of yet. I know it would work on SLED and most likely OpenSUSE, not sure about Ubuntu.
All the trains I have been on in Japan subway/local/shinkansen have always been amazingly on time. I have been very impressed with that, and with how many people you can squeeze into one train car.;)
It would be nice if it was explicitly mentioned in the Bill of Rights though. But then I'm sure it could be interpreted many ways and up for debate about what is private and what is not.
I'm using the latest version (3.8.2) and the interface is quite decent I think. The OP asked about helpdesk software recommendations so I gave one. I agree that perhaps the users could use more training but he didn't ask about that and I'm sure that.
I just installed RT a couple weeks ago and I am really liking it. From others I have talked to it scales well. I am a one man IT shop and it allows for web interface and email (I have been using strictly email for the user's side). It even has an RTFM (RT FAQ Manager) component.;)
This switch has been know to be coming for at least three years. Palm made no secret of it and developers knew about it. It was also known that it would use linux in some fashion as it was difficult for palmOS to adapt to new hardware and I heard support for things like wi-fi were non-trivial to implement drivers for. Linux could be small and have good hardware support so it was the way they wanted to go.
I am not a palmos developer but I hang out on the pilot-link channel and heard about this some time ago.
We received some donated computers from the US Army Corps of Engineers and one of them hadn't even been wiped even though the tag on it said the drive was degaussed. I wiped the drive with DBAN and called them up to let them know. They thanked me and said it wasn't a big deal as none of the donated computers had access to classified info as they physically destroy those drives. Still kind of eerie as all the rest had been wiped. I have also found a few CDs in the drives including gov branded win XP disks and even a gov branded active@kill disk. I work for a school and before any drive leaves here it gets autonuked with DBAN. Better safe then sorry with student records.:)
It should roll out just fine. But here is a few points:
*There may be some issues with macros or VB Script on spreadsheets that use them. *Impress doesn't always play nice with PowerPoint presentations that use embedded windows media player stuff. *Draw is still not able to open Publisher docs. So this could be a problem if you rely heavily on Publisher. Also its not as nice to work with yet. *Don't forget about the extensions! Here is a list of the ones I use here when I deploy: http://blogs.frederic.k12.wi.us/paulsenj/?p=50 *You will have to deal with the "But its not Microsoft" people. This is actually the number one issue that I run into. *If you use Outlook you will need to find something to replace it with. I would suggest a webmail system, it will make your life much easier.:)
"traffic passed through a routing center in Chicago when one end is in Pakistan and the other is in Saudi Arabia"
If traffic going between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia goes through a router in Chicago then someone seriously needs to look at their routing tables.:P
But seriously, what about a US citizen having a private conversation with their loved one who is on a business trip or something in another country. Or even is a citizen of another country? Wouldn't you want your communication to be private and not open to the ears of your government?
Whenever things like this come up I like to read the first part of the Declaration of Independence. It really is a powerful document and powerfully worded. I personally think that we need to add some bits to the constitution that clarify communications as being the property of the two or more parties involved in it. I would also like to see an amendment specifically stating that people have a RIGHT to privacy. These two things could take a lot of doubt and "interpretation" out of situations like these.
Its also difficult to do a google search when you have no internet connection.:P
Not that she couldn't have found another computer to do it from, just saying.
Though I remember having conversations with tech support back in the day that just made you think, WTF? Like telling them the modem wasn't working and them telling you to download the latest drivers.:/ This was at a time when very few people had multiple computers and there wasn't any good way to get large (at that time) files from one computer to another. I remember this happening a lot in the Win95/98 days. Even if you had another system the modem driver was often too big to fit on a floppy.
"The only reason to ever look for an alternative is when it DOESN'T work."
Or when its too expensive.
But I would guess that her college, like many others, have super cheap offers of MS products. I know the tech school I attended did. Office was $25 and Windows was $35 when I was there. I bought the newest versions to play with but even at that time I was running Linux.:)
However this laptop would have,presumably, come from Dell with the wireless and networking setup already. Even given that its Dell, I would doubt they would sell a laptop with Ubuntu on it if not all the hardware supported it. (Short of a biometric fingerprint reader or something).
I actually live in the US but its good to know for future reference. There is always the possibility that we would move back to Japan. I know my wife would like to raise our kids there, just not sure about job availability as I speak very little Japanese. Most of the jobs that you don't need Japanese for (in IT) are in Tokyo but I know my wife would want to live in Osaka or Nara (preferably Osaka). Also with the economy the way it is now, it makes me all the more uncertain.:/
Heian-794,
I have only been bothered by authority twice. Both times at airports. The first was at Narita (Tokyo's airport for those who don't know) in which they wanted to see my passport and then wrote down some info on from it. I was just sitting there waiting for my flight time to come closer before going into the secure area. I was sitting near the shopping section of the airport. The guy didn't harass me or anything and he was polite but it was just kind of odd as I was just relaxing in a chair watching one of the big TVs. The other time was at Nagoya airport where they took me from the walkway to the plane (the term escapes me at the moment) and went through all my luggage and had me turn on all of my electronic devices (cell phone, mp3 player, laptop, camera, etc) and then let me get on. I was the first down that walkway and the last to board the plane, I was the only one searched. This was after I had been through security.:/ Again they were polite but it was like WTF? That flight was to Narita before catching the flight to Minneapolis. When I was in Tokyo itself (not long) I had no issues, though I have heard many have. My wife is from the Kansai area and I have never had any issues there. Everyone, including police, seem really nice there.
I hadn't heard about the $30 for reentry, thats kind of odd. On our side you need a re-entry permit only if you will be out of the US for more then a year and I am not sure if there is a fee but if there is I would guess its way over $30 knowing immigration. The fees are unbelievable.
Do you live in Japan? If so in which bit and for how long? Just curious.:)
The last time I went that really bothered me as well but I did know that the US had been doing it to foreigners for some time now. At least they were nice about it. I had heard (don't know if its true) that the US asked that its visa-waiver countries do the same to "help catch terrorists". Of course since there is also information sharing on this data between the countries it means that the US can get its citizens photos/fingerprints from those foreign governments without breaking US law or by doing it themselves. The reality isn't that the US is turning into a security theater, its that the world seems to be.:/
I was also disheartened to hear that my wife, a Japanese national with a green card, might now have to use the foreigners line at customs again. This is related to another law that will be taking effect soon (or already). For those who don't know legal permanent residents (Green Card holders) have been allowed to get in the US citizens line and, I believe, aren't required to give finger prints or have their picture taken (as they are already on file from immigration). This makes it easier for families in which one or more members may not be citizens to go through customs and immigration together (big help when you have kids).
Sorry for the tangent, this stuff just makes me sick. Though with respect to doing the form online and ahead of time it does have a couple of benefits. You already have to fill out an I-94 (I think) form when you come and this would replace that and its good for two years. It also means that if there is a problem you find out before you get on the plane and don't risk having your trip cut short if they decide not to allow you entrance. At least you wouldn't be out your fare. Though it does mean impromptu trips are not as easy if you haven't first done the application.
You said it would produce minuscule force but would it scale? For example if you put a really huge version of lone in space and hooked it to a generator could it turn it or would it only have enough force (even at that scale) to turn itself? Just seems like it could be an interesting twist on solar power.
Sorry to reply to myself but I just thought I would mention quick that Dell wasn't the only one having the CAP issue. I know that, at the very least, HP had it as well.
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How would changing trains be worse then changing planes? I've had to change trains in Japan and its not a difficult thing. Maybe inconvenient if you have to walk to another station but not difficult.
I agree.
I have been to Japan a number of times. Rail works well there and even if it wouldn't work down to the small town level here the high speed backbone would be very useful. And a lot less fuss then flying. :)
Also the DSi is not a phone. Thats a pretty big difference too. Maybe some could claim its competition against the Ipod Touch but really, one is made primarily for listening to music and the other for primarily playing games.
As someone who manipulates digital video on both a person and professional level, ffmpeg is the #1 tool in my arsenal.
Quick question, I know its off topic but do you know of any good way to convert a wmv file from MS Photostory3 to flv format? For some reason the file gets bigger, when it actually works. I Googled for answers but didn't find much. My only guess is that photostory3 is doing something funky in the wmv file. Though IMHO wmv is funky anyway. Alternativly if anyone knows of a good open source photostory3 replacement I'd love to know about it. I work for a school and so I am stuck dealing with Movie Maker and Photostory3. Also anyone know of a good open source DVD creator (video, with at least simple menus)?
Thanks,
I agree. Most of my users aren't trying to do anything malicious, other then try to install software they shouldn't, and they want their machine to run well. The reason for policies isn't that I just want to be a control freak, its so the machines can't be accidentally broken by someone clicking something they shouldn't or by installing a software that will break something else (and that we likely don't have a license for). Some users get frustrated that they can't install software they want but we have a process for getting software approved and installed. Its there for a reason that has nothing to do with being a control freak or an ass. I want to know that if we ever got audited by the BSA (Business Software Alliance) that we wouldn't have anything to worry about. I want to know that someone didn't install some file sharing app that will infect their machine, and then the network, with a virus. I want to know that when a person sits down at a certain machine that it looks and works just like the last machine they were at. There are a lot of very valid reasons for policies and locking down workstations. Standardization and protection are two of the biggies.
Also there is Novell ZENworks for desktops. It works on Linux too, though I haven't used it on Linux as of yet. I know it would work on SLED and most likely OpenSUSE, not sure about Ubuntu.
All the trains I have been on in Japan subway/local/shinkansen have always been amazingly on time. I have been very impressed with that, and with how many people you can squeeze into one train car. ;)
It would be nice if it was explicitly mentioned in the Bill of Rights though. But then I'm sure it could be interpreted many ways and up for debate about what is private and what is not.
I'm using the latest version (3.8.2) and the interface is quite decent I think. The OP asked about helpdesk software recommendations so I gave one. I agree that perhaps the users could use more training but he didn't ask about that and I'm sure that.
I just installed RT a couple weeks ago and I am really liking it. From others I have talked to it scales well. I am a one man IT shop and it allows for web interface and email (I have been using strictly email for the user's side). It even has an RTFM (RT FAQ Manager) component. ;)
http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/
Is there double jeopardy in Sweden? There is in the US and I would suspect other countries have similar laws but does Sweden?
Just asking out of curiosity.
Thanks,
This switch has been know to be coming for at least three years. Palm made no secret of it and developers knew about it. It was also known that it would use linux in some fashion as it was difficult for palmOS to adapt to new hardware and I heard support for things like wi-fi were non-trivial to implement drivers for. Linux could be small and have good hardware support so it was the way they wanted to go. I am not a palmos developer but I hang out on the pilot-link channel and heard about this some time ago.
We received some donated computers from the US Army Corps of Engineers and one of them hadn't even been wiped even though the tag on it said the drive was degaussed. I wiped the drive with DBAN and called them up to let them know. They thanked me and said it wasn't a big deal as none of the donated computers had access to classified info as they physically destroy those drives. Still kind of eerie as all the rest had been wiped. I have also found a few CDs in the drives including gov branded win XP disks and even a gov branded active@kill disk. I work for a school and before any drive leaves here it gets autonuked with DBAN. Better safe then sorry with student records. :)
It should roll out just fine. But here is a few points:
*There may be some issues with macros or VB Script on spreadsheets that use them. :)
*Impress doesn't always play nice with PowerPoint presentations that use embedded windows media player stuff.
*Draw is still not able to open Publisher docs. So this could be a problem if you rely heavily on Publisher. Also its not as nice to work with yet.
*Don't forget about the extensions! Here is a list of the ones I use here when I deploy: http://blogs.frederic.k12.wi.us/paulsenj/?p=50
*You will have to deal with the "But its not Microsoft" people. This is actually the number one issue that I run into.
*If you use Outlook you will need to find something to replace it with. I would suggest a webmail system, it will make your life much easier.
"traffic passed through a routing center in Chicago when one end is in Pakistan and the other is in Saudi Arabia"
If traffic going between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia goes through a router in Chicago then someone seriously needs to look at their routing tables. :P
But seriously, what about a US citizen having a private conversation with their loved one who is on a business trip or something in another country. Or even is a citizen of another country? Wouldn't you want your communication to be private and not open to the ears of your government?
Whenever things like this come up I like to read the first part of the Declaration of Independence. It really is a powerful document and powerfully worded. I personally think that we need to add some bits to the constitution that clarify communications as being the property of the two or more parties involved in it. I would also like to see an amendment specifically stating that people have a RIGHT to privacy. These two things could take a lot of doubt and "interpretation" out of situations like these.
Its also difficult to do a google search when you have no internet connection. :P
Not that she couldn't have found another computer to do it from, just saying.
Though I remember having conversations with tech support back in the day that just made you think, WTF? Like telling them the modem wasn't working and them telling you to download the latest drivers. :/ This was at a time when very few people had multiple computers and there wasn't any good way to get large (at that time) files from one computer to another. I remember this happening a lot in the Win95/98 days. Even if you had another system the modem driver was often too big to fit on a floppy.
"The only reason to ever look for an alternative is when it DOESN'T work."
Or when its too expensive.
But I would guess that her college, like many others, have super cheap offers of MS products. I know the tech school I attended did. Office was $25 and Windows was $35 when I was there. I bought the newest versions to play with but even at that time I was running Linux. :)
However this laptop would have ,presumably, come from Dell with the wireless and networking setup already. Even given that its Dell, I would doubt they would sell a laptop with Ubuntu on it if not all the hardware supported it. (Short of a biometric fingerprint reader or something).
k-macjapan,
Thanks for the insight! I wish you the best of luck too! :)
Hi k-macjapan,
I actually live in the US but its good to know for future reference. There is always the possibility that we would move back to Japan. I know my wife would like to raise our kids there, just not sure about job availability as I speak very little Japanese. Most of the jobs that you don't need Japanese for (in IT) are in Tokyo but I know my wife would want to live in Osaka or Nara (preferably Osaka). Also with the economy the way it is now, it makes me all the more uncertain. :/
During the summer I switch to working four ten hour days. Its nice as it gives me Fridays off and have a long weekend. :)
Heian-794, I have only been bothered by authority twice. Both times at airports. The first was at Narita (Tokyo's airport for those who don't know) in which they wanted to see my passport and then wrote down some info on from it. I was just sitting there waiting for my flight time to come closer before going into the secure area. I was sitting near the shopping section of the airport. The guy didn't harass me or anything and he was polite but it was just kind of odd as I was just relaxing in a chair watching one of the big TVs. The other time was at Nagoya airport where they took me from the walkway to the plane (the term escapes me at the moment) and went through all my luggage and had me turn on all of my electronic devices (cell phone, mp3 player, laptop, camera, etc) and then let me get on. I was the first down that walkway and the last to board the plane, I was the only one searched. This was after I had been through security. :/ Again they were polite but it was like WTF? That flight was to Narita before catching the flight to Minneapolis. When I was in Tokyo itself (not long) I had no issues, though I have heard many have. My wife is from the Kansai area and I have never had any issues there. Everyone, including police, seem really nice there.
I hadn't heard about the $30 for reentry, thats kind of odd. On our side you need a re-entry permit only if you will be out of the US for more then a year and I am not sure if there is a fee but if there is I would guess its way over $30 knowing immigration. The fees are unbelievable.
Do you live in Japan? If so in which bit and for how long? Just curious. :)
The last time I went that really bothered me as well but I did know that the US had been doing it to foreigners for some time now. At least they were nice about it. I had heard (don't know if its true) that the US asked that its visa-waiver countries do the same to "help catch terrorists". Of course since there is also information sharing on this data between the countries it means that the US can get its citizens photos/fingerprints from those foreign governments without breaking US law or by doing it themselves. The reality isn't that the US is turning into a security theater, its that the world seems to be. :/
I was also disheartened to hear that my wife, a Japanese national with a green card, might now have to use the foreigners line at customs again. This is related to another law that will be taking effect soon (or already). For those who don't know legal permanent residents (Green Card holders) have been allowed to get in the US citizens line and, I believe, aren't required to give finger prints or have their picture taken (as they are already on file from immigration). This makes it easier for families in which one or more members may not be citizens to go through customs and immigration together (big help when you have kids).
Sorry for the tangent, this stuff just makes me sick. Though with respect to doing the form online and ahead of time it does have a couple of benefits. You already have to fill out an I-94 (I think) form when you come and this would replace that and its good for two years. It also means that if there is a problem you find out before you get on the plane and don't risk having your trip cut short if they decide not to allow you entrance. At least you wouldn't be out your fare. Though it does mean impromptu trips are not as easy if you haven't first done the application.
You said it would produce minuscule force but would it scale? For example if you put a really huge version of lone in space and hooked it to a generator could it turn it or would it only have enough force (even at that scale) to turn itself? Just seems like it could be an interesting twist on solar power.
Sorry to reply to myself but I just thought I would mention quick that Dell wasn't the only one having the CAP issue. I know that, at the very least, HP had it as well.