retrophisch.com

Comcast woes

So at some point yesterday morning, our broadband connection died. We both had been using it in the early morning, checking email, pulling up web pages, that sort of thing. But when I went back to do the same around 10:30-11ish, no connection. Checked the cable modem; no connection with cable.

Now, we’ve been experiencing drop-outs left and right for the past few months on a seemingly regular basis. I’ve chalked it up to the Comcast buyout of AT&T’s broadband business, and the switching over, but it is getting a little ridiculous. Not to mention that even before the buyout happening, we had more broadband dropouts in any single month than a I did in a year and a half with Verizon DSL at our old house.

Spent about two hours on the phone with a Comcast tech yesterday. The guy was very competent, I’ll give him that, and we tried a myriad of things. I had even gone out and bought a new cable modem, just in case that was the problem. It does not appear to be. Other friends in the neighborhood still have their connections, and there’s no reported outage for our area. So the tech and I are both thinking that’s something’s screwy at the junction box. We’ll find out later today; an on-site tech is due between 2 and 5.

The past year and couple of months with broadband cable as soured me on it, however. Especially when you’re trying to run a server on that connection. Said server has now moved, however, to the more reliable business-class DSL line of a friend.

DSL was never available in our area when we first moved here, which is why we had to go with cable for broadband. I have begun research on if I can get DSL now, even though it will be “slower” than the shared 1.5 Mbps of the cable connection. The Verizon DSL web site claims that we’re “pre-qualified,” which you would think means that our line checks out for it, but we’ve been pre-qualified before, and then I spoke with a live CSR only to be told that we’re not in an area serviced by Verizon DSL.

Which would leave me the small local telco, Advantex, which does offer DSL service, but for $10 more a month than what I’m paying for cable. (We get $10 knocked off our bill each month for providing our own cable modem.) The question again would be is Advantex’s DSL offered in our area. I’ll follow up with the two DSL providers on Monday.

All I know is that dial-up sucks these days for most everything but email…

How pathetic am I?

So I’ve spent part of last night and this morning, off and on, installing Fink, FinkCommander, and X11. Why? Why, to play XGalaga, of course, the open source clone of my favorite childhood video game. Geez, you didn’t think I was going to go through all that trouble to do work or anything, did you? ;-)

Pen tech

A few minutes later I have a fistful of Bics, including the new nevr-dri-out highlighting pens with a clear reservoir tank. You can see the lovely yellow ink sloshing around. No more wondering how much highlighting you can do - just check your tank. Highlight with confidence, friend. Across the room, a Sharpie salesman who, true to the name of his product, had the manner of Chris Finch from “The Office”, was handing out the new bleedless acid-free silver-ink Sharpie. Got two. At the Uniball table, the new magic pen with invisible ink that turns purple when it hits the page! And it has - drumroll - a clear reservoir tank. All your old pens with their inscrutable interiors are old and busted, and I sneer at you from my position on the clear-tank paradigm verandah, where I have a lounge chair and an umbrella and a drink. It’s clear but it tastes purple.

Isn’t technology cool?

1. Buy the Baby Einstein CD set. (Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, and Bach)
2. Rip all 4 CDs to MP3 with iTunes.
3. Copy all 4 sets of MP3s to your iPod.
4. Now you can use your Aiwa noise-canceling headphones plugged in to the iPod and situated on the wife’s abdomen to let your developing little son listen to the classics, proven to beneficially stimulate neural development.

DNS Primer

If you’ve ever been interested in how your email gets from your computer to someone else’s, or how your browser knows how to load up a web site, you need to read Dan Benjamin’s excellent DNS primer at MacDevCenter. It’s geared toward Mac OS X users, but anyone can learn the basics of DNS, IP addresses, routing, and all that other techie stuff that makes the Internet work, boiled down in to simply terms by Mr. Benjamin (of Hivelogic/Hiveware fame).

Oh, and hire this dress-code-aware guy, if you have the need. Too much talent to not be getting paid well by someone, somewhere.

More blogging coverage

Business Week Online has a good article on the growing pervasiveness of weblogs, and what they mean to mass media and consumers. I like Nick Denton’s term of “open-source media.”

The Samsung Way

The current Business Week’s cover story is about Korean tech company Samsung, and its ascendance from third-rate copycat to bleeding-edge envelope pusher. Apple gets quite a few mentions throughout as well; Samsung’s MP3 player line is third in the market worldwide, behind Number 2 iPod. Good article, showcasing how Samsung defies the conventional wisdom with its old-school processes, though it begs the question of how long the company can keep that up.

Speaking of Apple and Samsung, Jon pointed me to this article, wherein they discuss Apple’s threatened lawsuit over the Korean tech-maker’s latest revision of their Yepp series MP3 player. Seems it looks just a little too much like the iPod. Samsung’s agreed to go back to the drawing board.

Seriously, though: I love my iPod, but how many different ways are there to design a good MP3 player? Cool your jets, Steve-o. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. As long as it’s not an exact, specification-for-specification, look-by-look copy, let’em go. The iPod will still spank’em.

7135 first impression

As I stated previously, I went on my lunch break to the nearby Verizon Wireless store to check out the Kyocera 7135 SmartPhone. I was suitably impressed. Yes, it’s a little thicker and bulkier than most phones out there, weighing in at 6.6 ounces. But playing around with it, I didn’t find its size to be a deal-breaker. We are, after all, talking about a phone with a Palm PDA jammed in to it. Personally, I didn’t feel that it was too much bulkier than my current Motorola StarTac, once it’s folded over and in its belt clip/holster.

Decided to do a little checking on the web. Walt Mossberg likes it, but doesn’t like it. Walt’s gripes do not overly concern me, especially the email issue. Call me old-fashioned, but I just haven’t quite grasped the concept yet of checking my email on my phone. I like to stay connected and in touch via email as much as the next guy, but I honestly don’t have the type of professional or personal life that would warrant such immediate need.

Mike Wendland loves his 7135, and has had little problems with it under OS X. Since I’m no longer using iSync, I doubt I would encounter the same issues as Mike. (Said issues may have been fixed with iSync 1.1, but I haven’t come across the post yet on Mike’s site that may say so.) Reading through one forum on Palm Boulevard sounds like there was a lot of pent-up demand for the 7135 from November of last year to just this April. There’s even an entire site devoted to Kyocera SmartPhones.

I’m waiting to hear back from our VZW corporate rep, but I think I’ve found my new phone…

De-iApping

So today I de-iApped a bit. Viz: I had moved all of my contact and calendar info out of Palm Desktop, into OS X’s Address Book and iCal. Then I set up iSync to sync my Palm m505 with my TiBook. The thought was that I could then sync this info with my iPod—which I’ve done once in about six months—and whatever new mobile phone I get when my current contract expires (end of this month).

Seeing as how I’ve never used iSync to sync to my iPod (did it all manually the one time), and now I’ve got my eye on the Kyocera 7135 as my mobile phone replacement, I’ve ditched Address Book and iCal and moved everything back over to Palm Desktop. Syncing is way faster now. I think Apple is doing some really cool stuff, but the iSync Palm conduit just plain sucks. Address Book and iCal are now gone from the Dock.

Yeah, I may opt for another phone, and that might mean that I’m doing all of this again. The m505 actually is provided by my employer, so if I went with the 7135, I’d have my own Palm, with a phone wrapped around it. I’m going to look one over during my lunch break.

Microsoft targets Google

Is there anyone that Microsoft doesn’t see as a competitor?

“We do view Google more and more as a competitor. We believe that we can provide consumers with a better product and a better user experience. That’s something that we’re actively looking at doing,” said Bob Visse, director of marketing for Microsoft’s MSN Internet services division.

What’s wrong with the Google user experience? I think it’s great. I love the simple, minimalist interface on the main page. If you need more advanced features, they’re a click away. If I want a bloated, crufty, way-too-much-happening-at-once search engine, I know where to go already, thank you very much. But I’m sure Microsoft is doing some sort of “innovating” in the search engine sector.

TypePad screenshots

There are now some screenshots of the TypePad interface up at the main site, including the photo albums feature. Having just recently moved over some of my own photos, this is interesting. I may hold off on any more conversion/moving until after TypePad pricing is announced and/or it goes live.

PNG petition

IE/Win doesn’t fully support the PNG graphics format, and Zeldman points to an online petition that is now just shy of 7,000 signatures. (Yours truly is #6977.) Every modern web browser with the exception of IE/Win has full PNG support built in, including beta browsers Safari and Camino. Please sign the petition and let’s hope Microsoft will listen; they’ve only been promising this since IE 4.

VZ VOIP

Seems our parent company is going to be installing a “next-generation tandem soft switch” in Dallas as its first step in providing nationwide Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP. You may have already begun to see tv ads about this technology from Cisco, who is the leader in VOIP hardware.

Theoretically, because VOIP is faster and less expensive than conventional circuit-switched transmission, your long-distance phone bill should go down as well. VOIP works just like the various Internet applications you use daily, in that the packet-switching technology breaks down voice and data messages into many separate “packets” that can share the same line.

Plans call for these next-gen soft switches to be deployed in Chicago and Pittsburgh next, with VZ using all three to process VOIP calls.

TypePad

Ben and Mena’s latest venture sounds intriguing, especially if the basic service is something that runs only $7 a month. I’d be interested in something more advanced, as I like putting up photo albums, which is an advanced feature/option. No firm pricing information just yet, and no other details, like how much space you get, how many email addys, etc.

Ben Hammersly got a sneak peek:

The features are remarkable: there is a very powerful, but extremely simple, template builder. Users can redesign their weblogs and create fully compliant XHTML pages, with out knowing what that last phrase means. There is a built-in photo album, built-in server stats, so you can see who is coming to visit you and from where, built-in blogrolling (listing the sites you like to read), and built-in listing for your music, books and friends, producing a complete friend-of-a-friend file for every user.

Final judgment pending until full details are disclosed, but it sounds promising.

Jargonary

Can’t keep all of that techno-computer jargon straight in your head? Ever wonder what a PNG is? You need Jargonary, a shareware product for both Mac and Windows.

No affiliation with the product or author; just thought it was nice (though I think it’s overpriced at $20).

One million in one week

Yeah, I know everyone has read how the Apple Music Store has sold more than a million songs in its first week.

But Lee has broken down what that means, and the results are impressive. Better than one-and-a-half songs sold per second. I can’t wait to see Apple’s financials on this as the year progresses. My stock has already gone up about three bucks a share in the past week.

iLoo

I wish I was making this up. From the idiot savants at Microsoft UK. (Note that the emphasis is not on “savants.”)

(Thanks, Ricky.)

Apple’s music Fortune

My lovely bride pointed me to this Fortune article on the new iTunes Music Service. Obviously written for publication before the service was officially announced, it provides a great look at Jobs’ vision behind the service, and the inadequacy of the music industry in its previous and current efforts at online distribution.

A few items I’d like to address:

One thing’s for sure: If ever there was an industry in need of transformation, it’s the music business. U.S. music sales plunged 8.2% last year, largely because songs are being distributed free on the Internet through illicit file-sharing destinations like KaZaA.

I take issue with this statement, since it’s impossible to prove that illegal file sharing has had this much impact on the U.S. music biz. There is a ton of physical piracy (blanket CD copying) going on overseas, especially in Asia, that eats in to the music industry more than a bunch of geeks swapping songs online.

I have downloaded a lot of music from peer-to-peer networks, as well as some centralized sites I have access to. Some of it was digital copies of CDs and cassettes I already own. The rest was stuff I wanted to listen to before I went out and bought it. A lot of that got trashed when I realized it wasn’t for me.

I know I’m not the only one who probably spent more on music (albeit looking for sales and good prices online) because I was pulling music off the net.

Second, it seems as though hardly anyone in the music business thinks that the problem with falling sales may be attributed to the product itself. Elsewhere in the article:

For years they have been able to get away with releasing albums with two or three potential hits bundled with ho-hum filler cuts. That has been wonderful for the industry, but it has made a generation of consumers who pay $18.99 for CDs very cynical. “People are sick and tired of that,” says singer-songwriter Seal. “That’s why people are stealing music.”

Amen. That’s it right there. And we see further evidence of the music industry’s slow-to-catch-on attitude:

But MusicNet users still can’t download songs onto portable players. “These devices haven’t caught on yet,” insists MusicNet CEO Alan McGlade. Never mind that U.S. sales of portable MP3 players soared from 724,000 in 2001 to 1.6 million last year.

Hmmm. I would think a better-than-two-times annual growth, in a year, in any segment of the tech economy would be cause for consideration of said segment.

As for the service itself, I think it’s great. I haven’t actually bought and downloaded any music yet, but that’ll change any day. I’ve spent quite a bit of time searching through it and listening to samples. It’s going to change the way I buy music. It’s going to change the music business.

Vindigo 2.0 is 1

A year ago Vindigo 2.0 was launched. I’m a happy customer, with the software humming away on my Palm m505.

New York Office Space

I don’t live in New York. Don’t work in New York. Plan to never, ever live or work in New York.

Yet I found this article by Joel Spolsky, on searching for office space in NYC, fascinating. (via Glenn)

Tax Day Desktop

Not sure what compelled me to suddenly share what my desktop looks like, but here it is:

Click on the above pic for a full-size image.

That’s Zane, atop one of his former favorite napping places: my 20” CRT, now replaced by a 15” Apple LCD. That shot is about two years old. The PowerBook has four partitions, appropriately named for an avowed Star Wars nut. iTunes is ripping The Elms’ latest to MP3.

The one thing I miss about that incredibly massive Radius CRT, was Zane plopping down on top when I was in the room.

Geektels

If having high-speed ‘net access while traveling is extremely important to you, then Geektels is a resource you must use. (via Damien via Dave)

Fun with spammers

This isn’t necessarily an anti-spam measure; it’s more along the lines of revenge. From the latest Dilbert newsletter comes this reader gem:

Here’s a fun hobby of mine: When I get e-mail spam that includes an 800-number, I save the number for later. Then when one of the hundreds of Nigerian scam e-mails hits my e-mail box, I reply enthusiastically and give the 800-number of the spammer as my own. I feel that people in the DNRC have a responsibility to introduce A-holes to each other.

Embedded PowerBook

Thanks to Mark for the pointer to this photo gallery of USA Today photography Jack Gruber, who is using his PowerBook G4 12” to send pictures to the main office.

I still want one!

Mobile mobile numbers

All I can say is, it’s about freaking time.

I wonder if I could push this issue in June, should I change mobile providers after plan/phone shopping. (Thanks, Jon!)

SmartyPants 1.2.2

I know I’m half a month late in noting this, but Gruber confesses to why such a quick update to the 1.2.1 release of SmartyPants was necessary:

See, back in 1998 I became the owner of a South American woolly monkey, whom I named Paco, with the intention of training him to assist in my freelance graphic design work. Everyone told me this was a terrible idea, that it would not work, that at the very least I would need a chimpanzee or orangutan, that a mere monkey would never be able to do graphic design.

I was unswayed. Do you know how much food chimpanzees and orangutans eat? And for chrissakes, an orangutan can beat you up — I’ve seen those Clint Eastwood movies, those [BLEEP]ers can pack a punch. I do not need to be coldcocked by my lower-primate assistant. What I wanted was a monkey, a loyal friend who, when otherwise unoccupied, could sit on my shoulder and pick crumbs out of my hair.

Photorescue

Now this is something I could have used last year, when I lost pictures of my grandmother’s visit to Dallas.

WiFi in rural Iowa

Rod Keller documents the external expansion of his home LAN via WiFi. Very cool.

(Thanks, Ric)

Beleaguered Gateway closing stores, reducing work force

I figured it was high time that a computer manufacturer other than Apple had the word “beleaguered” in a headline or story about them. According to a c|net story, Gateway is closing 76 stores and laying off 17 percent of its work force. If this were Apple, stories and editorials on the company’s imminent demise would be rampant.

Maybe if Ted Waitt stopped talking to cows, people would take his company more seriously.

Hilton, Borders, & McDonald’s go WiFi

MacMinute notes a c|net report that Hilton Hotels, Borders Books & Music, and McDonald’s are partnering with Intel to deliver WiFi (802.11b) wireless network access in various hotels and stores around the country.

Though I’m sure they’ll try to charge separately for something they should simply build in to their costs, the latter of which would help attract consumers, the only mention of pricing thus far is from McDonald’s: one hour of free access when you purchase a combo meal.

MobileTracker.net

My new favorite n3rd reports that his mobile phone weblog has a new and permanent home: MobileTracker.net.

Jon also shares this insight on the T68i, which is fast becoming my next mobile of choice!

World’s Smallest Combination Lock

From the Your Tax Dollars At Work Department:

Sandia Labs had developed the world’s smallest combination lock, and hopes to have a commercial partner lined up for distribution within two years, after they have completed refinement and reliability testing. Each of the six gears is only 300 microns across, about as big as a period in standard newspaper text. The lock will be marketed at the computer industry.

(via Gibson via Sterling)

n3rd Cell Station

Jon Gales has spun off from his regular blog a new weblog devoted to mobile communication technology. Seeing as how I’m four months away from the end of my current mobile phone contract, this new site of his is of great interest to me…

On passwords

Thanks to JG & Co. at MacMerc for the link to a CreativePro story on safe password creation and usage. Good stuff here. Read and implement. (This means you, sweetheart.)

Newton still going strong

Yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of Apple’s discontinuing production of the Newton, the forerunner of today’s PDAs. Speaking of today’s PDAs, some are still trying to catch up, in terms of features and speed, to what was offered 5 years ago in the Newton MessagePad 2100. To this day, the Newton’s biggest shortcoming is still its size.

Michael notes how Newton users are continuing to extend the life of the original personal digital assistant. I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with Newton when a 2100 arrives in a couple of weeks, courtesy of a pal in NYC.

P800

More gear lust, this time courtesy of Steven and The Register. With our current mobile contract up in June, I’ll be shopping around for the best plan, and a new phone. I’ve had my sights set on SonyEricsson’s T68i, and may still pick that up, depending on P800 pricing in 4 months. Both the T68i and the P800 would allow me to dump my Palm and have just one device. Currently, my mobile is a low-end StarTac.

Stolen Computer Registry

Lose or have stolen your laptop—or desktop, for that matter? You can register the serial number with the Stolen Computer Registry. That great system you just picked up on eBay for next to nothing? Check it against the registry; if something seems too good to be true…

When you’re really paranoid

The DVD/CD Shredder from Alera Technologies destroys the data layer on DVD and CD discs, making the data unrecoverable.

Pretty much any size DVD or CD is handled, including 120mm, 80mm, and even Business Card size. It’ll set you back $39.99.

I’ve been saving quite a few CDs to send off to be recycled, and for the CDs that actually contain old personal data, this might not be a bad idea.

(via Macintouch)

CRT-free household

As of this morning, our household is free of computer CRT monitors. Last night, we purchased a NEC 17” LCD for my wife’s PC. With just a slightly smaller viewable area than the 19” CRT she was using, she now has more desk space, along with the LCD’s crisper, easier-on-the-eyes view, and low power consumption. The NEC joins my Apple 15” LCD as the household desktop monitors. All other systems in the house — PowerBook G4/500, iBook/300, and IBM ThinkPad — are laptops.