Siliconcreek Computer Blog

Other Blogs

2012-01-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

I forgot about this blog.

I run two other blogs:

Amateur Radio: www.ac8jo.us

Transportation Modeling stuff: www.siliconcreek.net

Controlling your Facebook Privacy

2011-09-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Facebook. Unless you live under a rock or are one of the lucky ones that don't have the stalker bar and other "improvements", you'veno doubt seen your friends liking other peoples' statuses (etc). If you mouse-overthose things, you can see the status. Someone else's status.

I don't know if this stops that, but one thing I noticed is that a lot of people have their statuses set to share to friends-of-friends, or to everyone. For the most part, this is bad (unless it is a business's page, where they may want everything

shared to everyone).

Anyway, here is how to change the default to be Friends Only.

1. Go to your privacy settings

2. Set it to Friends Only

Now, when you post something, it is set to be viewed by friends only by default.

Another Excellent Use of Dropbox

2010-05-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Dropbox is my new favorite utility. When I first heard of it, I thought I'd never use it. Then, after darn near pulling out my hair trying to figure out why my VOIP PBX server keeps freezing up, I wrote my last blog post (like 5 minutes ago!) which copies the uptime file to Dropbox.

Then, I thought that the second biggest pain in the rear is messing with copying files between the computers for the phone configurations. I have great tools on my Mac (like TextWrangler, which for XML-style phone configuration files is awesome), and... well, I have vim on the VOIP PBX server.

I don't want to mess around with reconfiguring the tftp server (for the phones), so I simply went to ~/Dropbox:

$cd ~/Dropbox

...and linked it to /tftproot, which is the tftp (trivial file transfer protocol) root folder which is returned to the individual phones:

$ln -s /tftproot/

This created a folder link in my Dropbox folder which sent the contents to Dropbox. Now, with it in Dropbox, I can edit the files on my Mac and Dropbox will handle the transfer.

Using Cron and Dropbox to monitor a server

2010-05-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've been dealing with a server that has an issue, and I keep trying to get things to work right. I thought it might be nice to know (without having to check and potentially without being at home) if the server is operating correctly by copying the runtime file (which tells how long the server was running).

So, the first thing I've done was open a Dropbox account and install Dropbox CLI. This, by default, sets the folder to ~/Dropbox on Linux.

Then, I created a cron job to copy the runtime file every five minutes:

$crontab -e

In vim, which is the default editor in CentOS (and probably many others), you'll need to press 'i' to get into insert mode. Use the following in the crontab file:

5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55,0 * * * * cp -f /proc/uptime ~/Dropbox >/dev/null 2>&1

Then, in vim, press esc, ':', and 'wq' and press enter.

Now, every 5 minutes the runtime file will be copied to the Dropbox folder and synced to Dropbox. Even better, this can be extended to include reports (perhaps those generated by Nagios or another monitor program).

What have I done that is so great?

2010-05-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs (to a Gawker Blogger): "By the way, what have you done that's so great? Do you create anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their motivations"

Interesting quote. Arrogant, flamboyant, and in some ways, mean.

I guess the same question can be asked of me, since I've been pretty critical of a lot of others (Microsoft, Apple, Google, The American Planning Association, to name a few). Well, I have my answer:

I've built the first part of an activity generator, which is part of a new generation of travel demand models (all on a PC). The code from this will be shared to others in the state I live in.

I've assisted many relatives and friends with computer issues.

I've freely shared my knowledge on several listservs and user support web sites.

I've built a VOIP phone system in my house.

I created the theme you see on this website. In fact, I've built this website and worked on several others.

For still being young, I'd say I've one pretty well.

Why Google's Not Wrong in Sniffing Wi-Fi Data

2010-05-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

Google admitted to sniffing wi-fi data with their streetview cars. The NYT thinks "Google could be accused of intercepting private communications and violating wiretap laws in the United States". The flaw with the thought lies in the same article: "nonpassword (sic) protected Wi-Fi networks".

The flaw with the thought of Google violating wiretap laws is that they didn't break into a closed network. The telephone network is closed (physically). A wired computer network is closed. A password protected wi-fi network is closed. An open wi-fi network is NOT. This is akin to Google walking down the street with a recorder listening to everyone SHOUTING.

The moral of this is to lock down your wireless network. The really scary thing for those affected is that even a light-weight hacker could do all kinds of damage to a computer on an open wi-fi network. In fact, most could do a few things that could be criminally damaging and put someone in jail for years.. The manufacturers of most of the wireless access point or wireless router devices have done a darn good job of making it easy to set encryption on their devices. The last three I've had any experience with (all from different manufacturers, Apple, Linksys, and Netgear) have idiot-proof instructions.

Thoughts on Flash...and Apple

2010-04-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

Wow. St. Stephen blasts Adobe with a load of arrogance that even Steve Ballmer can't manage.

I wanted to take this opportunity to post my thoughts on all of this.

First there's open. Apple isn't really open. Heck, I can't (legally) take my legally-purchased copy of OSX Snow Leopard and put it on anything except a Mac. If I had an iPhone or an iPad, I'd be limited to the software that they say is okay, not anything I damn well please (like I can with my Blackberry Storm and I hear Android users can do).

Second, there's the full web. Yeah, I know. I consume it every day. I play Flash-based Facebook games. I view Flash-based videos. I've tried playing some Flash-based videos on my Blackberry (which also doesn't support Flash...yet). There's more to say here. 75% of the web's video is in H.264, but it seems that a lot of the videos I want to see are in Flash. I also don't give a damn that there are thousands of games in the iTunes App Store when the ones I care about are on Facebook.

Third, there's reliability, scalability, and performance.

I don't know what to write here that St. Stephen hasn't already. Flash is the number one reason that Macs crash. My work PC doesn't have the same problem. So why is it that after years of Flash performing poorly and crashing on Macs has NOBODY DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

I'm not going to go on.

Here's the deal, and I think 99% of computer users feel the same way I do. I want a computer that works and "just works" every time. I want Flash to work, Facebook to work, I want to install things myself and I don't want to be limited to what Big Brother says I can install. I know with such great power comes great responsibility, but I also expect that the OS vendor will keep up with security updates to components in their operating system.

My next computer is looking like a PC. God, I hate to type that, but Ubuntu is looking really cool over Parallels...probably a lot cooler on dedicated hardware.

Sour Grapes Alert: The Macalope Weekly Special Edition: Fools of the Year

2010-04-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

I'm spending a small part of my Sunday catching up on blogs, and one of them was the "Fools of the Year" from the Macalope.

I have no issues with them ripping on Wall Street "Reporters" that THINK they know computers. They spread more misinformation than the National Enquirer. What I DO have issues with is them bashing those that have bashed the iPad. I know all of them of them deserve their spot on the list for many other reasons. But seriously, ripping on a product that has the specs to fall short of expectations before it comes out is a problem? Heck, if Dell started promoting their next new thing - and it has a Pentium 4, every computer "reporter" would be ripping that apart! Why, then, should the iPad be exempt? For the price tag, you're not getting much. However, add a few hundred GB of storage (so you could store a few DVDs, eBooks, a large iTunes library, and pictures), add an SD card slot and a CF card slot (keeping in mind that the stock version of Preview can read many digital camera raw formats in addition to JPEGs), and now you have a device worth drooling over!

The other thing, is Apple needs to get OUT of bed with AT&T. They need to NOT be in bed with any wireless carrier. Some of us live in places where AT&Ts coverage stinks, and problems have been well documented in New York City (I've also seen other reported problems in Tampa and have heard hit-and-miss reports in Cincinnati).

So, Macalope, please stop bashing people for bashing unreleased products based on specs. I'm sure you've done it too, and I know you'd do it in a heartbeat to something Windows-related, since you appear to be more fanboy than semi-unbiased reporter.

The Macalope Weekly Special Edition: Fools of the Year | Computers | MacUser | Macworld.

How I Fixed my MacBook Pro

2010-04-04T03:05:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas, my loving wife gave me a copy of Snow Leopard. After upgrading, my computer started running so slow that it was pathetic. My hard drive died, and I thought that maybe that was the issue.

It wasn't.

I started surfing through the forums on 9to5Mac and Apple Support Discussions and found very little that I liked, most of it blaming coreaudiod (the core audio services). I had tried defragging my hard drive before I had to replace it, and I wasn't satisfied with the results.

So, I tried a few things. First off, I reset the SMC controller (on my MBP, you do that by shutting down the computer, unplugging it and removing the battery, and holding down the power button for 5 seconds).

Then, I booted up, shut down, and reset the NVRAM (on my MBP, you do that by starting up and holding the control+option+P+R keys and holding them down until the second startup sound).

It certainly feels faster. Time will tell if this is a real fix.

The Next Steps

I a going to boot from my SL CD and Repair Permissions and Verify Disk. Since I'm fearful that this could have had something to do with my last hard drive's death (although I think my fears should be unfounded), I am going to make sure I'm backed up first.

The 64 Bit Lie

The big issue I have is that my computer supposedly won't support 64 bit. Until today, I was unaware that I had 32-bit EFI (firmware). I'm somewhat annoyed by that, since I'm pretty sure a Core 2 Duo is a 64-bit processor. It seems to me that Apple was a bit short-sighted when they did that.

Facebook Blamed For Rise In Syphilis

2010-03-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

I once again have to side with TechCrunch on this one. Facebook does not cause a rise in Syphilis. The correlation of the two is likely a result of a two factors - how connected we are and how common sex is.

Remember when telephones had cords and were attached to walls? Remember when the Internet was only for geeks and the DoD? Now, everyone has a cell phone. Many of those (just about everyone who is young) has a smartphone or messaging phone. Facebook has become a catalyst to message people and to connect with family, friends, coworkers, etc. We are so much more connected than 10 years ago.

The sex thing... well, just watch a few movies from now (I'm thinking along the lines of American Pie) and compare to Short Circuit or My Science Project...

The link: Facebook Blamed For Rise In Syphilis.

The Problem with the iPhone App Store

2010-02-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

It has been all over the news about the apps that are removed (or denied access to) the Apple App Store. Porn has been a big deal, as has been fart apps. Every time it happens, someone has to bring up that the Apple App Store is a private store and they can do as they please.

The problem isn't what Apple is doing by removing or denying, it is that there is no other alternative.

Think about grocery stores. If you go through one with your young child and it prominently displays porn right when you walk in the door, you're likely not going to return (with your child, at least), are you? You would go to a different grocery store. Depending on your values, you may NEVER return to that store, or you may return only when you don't have your young child. Heck, if you have certain values, you may return (likely without your child), and buy some of it.

That scenario above is exactly why the Apple App Store should NOT be the only store. iPhone users should have the power to choose a different store if they want a different selection.

Will it happen? No, of course not. Apple wants the profits from the App Store. They want control over the iPhone. Unfortunately, people aren't voting with their dollars on this one.

Uneducated Journalism: Why Apple's Porn Purge of Sex-Themed Apps isn't a Smart Move (ABC News)

2010-02-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is the epitome of uneducated journalism and pandering to stupidity.

First off, the uneducated part. Evidently the author hasn't read around at the thousands of news articles discussing apps that were removed from the App Store that were not used to deliver porn, but to, say, sell swimsuits. The author also didn't look at another article from the same magazine, PC World, that brings up the fact that Sports Illustrated and Playboy are still available as apps in the app store. If Playboy isn't within their criteria of "sex-themed", then I would question what criteria they are using.

Second off, the pandering to stupidity. Sometimes people must understand that in the wild world of life and the Internet, there is going to be porn and smut. It isn't Apple's job to police that, mostly because everyone's values are different. Apple SHOULD compartment questionable apps, like Playboy and the SI Swimsuit edition (perhaps by using age controls and a special section of the app store).

I know the big argument to this is "Apple is hosting the App Store and therefore can control what's in it". That argument has a few flaws which I will discuss in a future post.

Why I Carry a Blackberry and NOT an iPhone

2010-02-23T01:13:00.000-08:00

This is pathetic. Apple must sell to absolute "prudes" to call simplybeach.com's bikini pictures "overtly sexual".

I carry a Blackberry because I don't want Stevie controlling what I put on MY phone.

Link to full story: AppleInsider | Swimwear seller hit by Apple's removal of 'sexual' apps.

Software Development: On Testing and Comparing to Old Versions

2010-02-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

One of my major tasks at work has been porting our old Fortran based distribution and mode choice software to Cube Voyager. During this process, I have been testing and re-testing to ensure that my results from Voyager match the results that came out of Fortran.

The reason I am continually testing to match is because despite being old and having some bugs that I've had to fix, the mode choice process is technically sound. If I started from scratch, I probably would not have done something nearly as in-depth as this.

One of the other tasks I've done was a new transit model. Our old transit network, skimming, and loading models were in TranPlan, which is way old and outdated. While programming the Voyager upgrade, I did settings and parameters to get things in the range of the what was coming out of the old TranPlan model. This means that when I actually get the new mode choice ready, I should be close to still having a calibrated model (not! and why in a paragraph!).

The experience with the new mode choice and distribution has enabled me to find bugs in the old mode choice and distribution software. The bugs include:

Incorrect file reading format

Failure to reset certain variables to zero causing transit trips to be assigned when there is technically no transit available

Potentially incorrect script to calculate auto operating cost in park-n-ride and kiss-n-ride situations

That "not!" from above has to do with that very first bullet. There was an extra field in the read script causing a fixed file format input of:

ZONE HH1 HH2 HH3 HH4
10 33 147 301 132

To be read as:

ZONE HH1 HH2 HH3 HH4
10 33.1 47.3 1.1 32

This caused transit trips to drop by about 25%. Re-calibration, here I come!

Tags: cube, voyager, fortran, programming, software, testing

Google Buzz... Good or Bad?

2010-02-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a lot about Google Buzz. I've heard more than I've tried, but it sounds like a replacement for Twitter, just integrated with GMail.

I haven't considered using it. I just dropped MySpace (which is crap anyway), and I am active on Facebook and Twitter, and semi-active on LinkedIn and Flickr.

My concern with it is that based on some posts on Lifehacker (see this post and this post)that the security settings are difficult and not always intuitive - there was a post that likened Buzz to a megaphone. Reading the comments, it sounds like Buzz is doing some stuff that it shouldn't (posting tweets in conversations)... the comments on the two posts are quite interesting and worth a read as much as the articles.

Me? I'm not passing judgement, but I've turned it off.

Turning off Buzz: log into GMail, scroll to the bottom, and click on the link in dinky print that says "turn off buzz".

"Geek Chic" for the home: IP PBX

2010-01-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about what is really cool and what is really a fad in computing. Fad = iPad. Cool = IP PBX, especially if you have a new house.

Consider this, particularly if you have purchased a home built in the last few years. Most low-voltage wiring companies (Guardian, for example) run only two types of wire, RG-6 and CAT-5. I personally think it has something with the (lack of) intelligence of their hiring pool, but that's another issue altogether. However, with all the phone lines being run as CAT-5 cable, you can easily replace the phone jacks with network jacks, and you can purchase IP phones for about $100 each. The PBX, normally the expensive part of the equation, can be done with a halfway (only halfway by modern standards) machine running Asterisk open source IP PBX. Heck, just about any geek has an extra computer collecting dust somewhere.

Imagine how much geek envy your friends would have when their calls are routed via an auto-attendant to the proper ring or phone, and when your spouse transfers their call to another phone.

iPad = Crap

2010-01-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to do it, but I will. I think the iPad is crap.

No Storage

Looking at how much of my hard drive is devoted to my iTunes Library (40 GB) and thinking about what I would actually do with something that I don't have to squint to look at, I would want more. More Movies, probably. More 1.5 GB movies, likely (I looked at the three movies I've ripped to my hard drive, and they range from 1.3 to 1.67 GB). I could run out of space on even the 64 GB (most storage) model pretty quickly. So why, then would I buy something with such limited storage? Hell, I can get an iPod with 160 GB of storage! Why can't I even get half of that on the iPad?

Unreplaceable Battery

Why does Apple keep creating products that have batteries that are damn near impossible to change? Does Stevie really expect us to buy more stuff when the batteries go bad? This is probably going to be like the iPod and the Mac Mini that are extremely difficult to open?

App Store?

I'm guessing that most apps on the app store were written with the iPhone and iPod Touch in mind. That being said, why then, would I want an app designed for a screen that is something like 1.5"x3" on anything larger than maybe 2"x4"? Heck, FB for Blackberry is great... ON MY BLACKBERRY! It would completely suck on my MacBook Pro. This "feature" isn't one at all - it basically says that there are no apps for this thing (other than a few that Apple brought out) and it isn't going to get better for a while (if it ever does).

No Card Reader?

When I heard that Stevie was showing photos in the media event, I figured that he would have the wherewithal to put a minimum of a CF and a SD card slot on the thing. Guess I was wrong. Not even a USB port for those that have their camera cable.

My Expectations

I EXPECTED an Apple tablet to be similar in form (but with a reasonably easy to replace battery) running a special version of Snow Leopard that would allow me to run programs like Safari, Mail, iPhoto, iMovie, Quicktime+iTunes, iCal, Address Book, and iWork. I EXPECTED something that would have plenty of storage for all my music, movies, and pictures. I'm not expecting something that could run Parallels, or have a Terminal interface... basically not a desktop replacement, but something better than an overpriced e-book reader.

Word Cannot Exit

2010-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've heard of software unexpectedly closing. I've never heard of software that, due to an error, cannot close.

Windows Blocked Files

2010-01-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

This one comes with a story. I downloaded a file from the US Census Bureau at work. I tried a few ways to unzip the file, but kept getting the error below:

However, when following the instructions to unblock the file, it doesn't work. I ultimately copied the file over to my trusty MacBook Pro and tried (by double-clicking on it), to no avail. Then, I opened up Terminal (which has its own space on the dock on my Mac), and unzipped it with a minor complaint. After this, I talked to our IT consultant, who also tried to unblock the file, and while he could get the instructions, he did not have an unblock button (which wouldn't have worked).

Vista...

2010-01-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

While You're Installing Crap, Install More Crap!

2010-01-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

Network ACCESS Interrupted?

2010-01-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

This one was new to me with Access 2007...

IE 7 isn't later than IE 5?

2010-01-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

I tried to get updates from Windows Update after upgrading to IE 7. Just as much of a mistake as using FireFox.

This was made a while back, I just haven't got around to uploading it until now.

10.6 falsely reports service battery? ... POSSIBLY!

2010-01-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Ref: 10.6 falsely reports service battery? ... I think not.

This is another example of piss-poor tech writing. This retard author tries to claim that there is no way that Snow Leopard can cause battery problems. There is proof on the Apple discussion thread that he could be incorrect, and even in my case, with my 3-year-old MacBook Pro with a 14-month-old battery, it appears that those that claim that Snow Leopard could be causing battery problems may be on the right track.

Consider this:

15 minutes ago, I checked Coconut Battery against System Profiler. They match. I'm only bringing this up to establish that Coconut Battery reads correctly.

Then, I read the life in Coconut Battery... 37% (2087 mAh)

Then, I shut down the computer, reset the SMC, and re-read the battery... 41% (2287 mAh).

Proof:

Now, if the battery was indeed going bad, I shouldn't have gained an extra 200 mAh by just resetting the SMC. A bad battery is a bad battery, and its capacity would continue to decline.

That being said, I'm not pleased at all with the quality of Apple Laptop Batteries. The battery currently in my computer was acquired around 2008-11-12. In the 1 year and 2 months since then, the capacity has dropped from 95% to 41% (or 37%, hell, I don't know anymore). Who knows, maybe Snow Leopard EXACERBATES an existing battery problem. Maybe it CAUSES a new battery problem. Regardless, the 48 pages of comments on Apple's own discussion forum are probably a lot more than what happened after Tiger and Leopard were released, and since the last comment was today, I'm willing to guess that there is a problem in both the batteries and in Snow Leopard. We should expect 3 years or so out of a battery, not a >50% loss of capacity after 1 year.

As I was writing this, I saw my remaining time jump from 40-something minutes to an hour. Maybe Snow Leopard isn't eating the battery, but it certainly is confused by mine, and probably many others.

Cupertino, we have a problem.

Getting back to the reason for writing this, 10.6 Falsely Reports Service Battery? I think so! Whatever is going on, SL is obviously not doing something right. I imagine that it isn't eating the batteries (as is suggested by some of the posts on Apple's discussion board), but it definitely is flawed in the reporting of the information. I don't buy the thought that it was intentional by Apple to do something to cause batteries to go out to get more revenues from batteries. I imagine that there is some very questionable manufacturing (after all, these are Sony batteries, which have been known to catch fire in Dells) and that SL can't read it right. Probably a combination of the two.

Most Twitterers Missed the Boat

2009-11-29T03:36:00.000-08:00

With the recent advent of Internet access at my house, I decided to spend Sunday morning doing some non-Facebook social networking. To that end, I've been going through all the emails from Twitter that so-and-so is following me. I've clicked on each link, and it seems some of these "dunderheads" (to borrow a term from SpongeBob) need some guidance.

If I look at your Twitter page and it says you are affiliated with The Don, I'm instantly skeptical. If you've had almost 20,000 tweets, not only do I not believe you have any affiliation, but... no.

Just because I follow someone that you follow doesn't mean that I will follow you. I've seen a few do this (they see that I follow one user and go through their entire list to harvest people to follow). Don't take it personally, but... no.

Similar to above, following me because I am in Cincinnati... no.

If I pull up your Twitter page, and you have three tweets of crap... no.

9 tweets 9 days ago with nothing in between then and now... no.

If you aren't tweeting something I'm interested in getting annoyed by up-to-date announcements about, such as parenting or pets... no.

If I pull up your twitter page and see 4 tweets directed at someone and one that has no apparent substance whatsoever... no.

Furthermore, for the few one that did get me to follow them, here is how to not get un-followed:

Do not post links that ought not be posted, such as to bing or google.

Do not over-tweet me. With the exception of one place, I don't follow many because I want to be able to read those 140-character blog entries.

Lastly, here is some guidance of what people I want to see in tweets:

Post some useful links. If you blog only every-so-often, feel free to let me know that there is a new post. However, if you post with the frequency of Life Hacker, do NOT do this!

Make a few jokes. Maybe I'll retweet one of them (which I've done... once!)

If you are a radio host, feel free to let me know what you are doing on the show. I may not tune in, but if I am really interested, I will probably tune in.

Don't expect a reply unless I personally know you or really respect you, or I have something snappy to say.

Don't expect me to follow you unless I am really interested in what you have to say.

With that... feel free to follow me on Twitter. Just don't cry in your Wheaties if I don't follow you back :)

Microsoft Cancels Windows 7 Family Guy Deal - Lamest Move Ever!

2009-10-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

In Microsoft's latest stupid move, they ended a sponsorship deal with "The Family Guy" television show. In the show, characters would use computers loaded with Windows 7 to do common and/or interesting tasks, such as slideshows, burning CDs, and playing music. Microsoft cites that the content of "The Family Guy" "was not a fit with the Windows brand" as the reason.

If Microsoft had one ounce of intelligence in them, they wouldn't have scrubbed the "The Family Guy" episode sponsorship. Microsoft could have finally had a great idea before Apple, but unfortunately Microsoft lacks the kahunas to do a one-up on Apple. Such a shame.

Windows 7 Launch Parties?

2009-10-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

I have really been trying to resist ripping on Microsoft latest attempt at lameness: the launch parties. After reading "Windows 7 Launch Parties Fizzle - Business Center - PC World", I could resist no more. That article was correct in all accounts, I think, except the parodies (I found only one that was total crap).

First off, the fact that Microsoft is putting up videos on how to run a party suggest that they expect everyone is socially inept.

Then, they seemed to have missed the boat when it comes to doing a real launch party. I've seen a lot of launch parties (never been to one) that were put on by either bookstores promoting Harry Potter books or Apple promoting their latest OS. Both had strong corporate backing. Neither fit into my social schedule (the permanent scar on my forehead is the closest I'll get to dressing up like Harry Potter, and I really don't care for the local mall where the Apple Store is here in Cincinnati).

You would think that Microsoft could have taken those 4 people and made them look like an actual party, maybe at least a beer or two, but let's face it, they took 4 people that would not likely be partying together and made them "party" together. Microsoft meets a Spongebob-style party.

Hopefully, Microsoft has made a better OS than the last one, but I think they successfully shot themselves in the foot already with Vista and the outpouring of people recommending to NOT upgrade a computer to 7, but rather, buy a new one. Me? I'll consider buying it, and it seems like it runs fine on my MacBook Pro. However, it is not a priority.

Should I back up data stored in the cloud?

2009-10-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

The reference link is below, but I can tell you the answer in a word: YES.

We need to learn from the Microsoft "Danger" Debacle (or the T-Mobile Sidekick Debacle, if you will), and the Amazon Kindle disaster. Don't expect companies or people to give a damn about you when they mess up. Sometimes, it isn't even the companies, it is some ignorant fool behind the scenes with a score to settle with the company. Sometimes it is a disaster (whether Cyber or real).

Even worse, don't even ask the question when the data in Google Docs is pretty easy to back up. Take a look at http://1st-soft.net/gdd/ and see TWO ways to backup you docs on Google Docs. They're both pretty simple... Okay, I guess the Python one isn't that simple for most people, but the GreaseMonkey/DownThemAll one is! With tools so simple to use to backup that data, why would you not periodically do that?

Reference: Should I back up data stored in the cloud? | Adventures in IT - InfoWorld.

Firefox blocks insecure .Net add-on

2009-10-19T00:49:00.000-07:00

Reference: Firefox blocks insecure .Net add-on

After looking at the comments, I realized I wasn't the only one to see the "Add-On May Be Causing Problems" window in FireFox, see something from Microsoft, and think "what, wait.... did I install that?".

Microsoft has been pushing add-ons to FireFox through Windows Update.

Let me type that again...

Microsoft has been PUSHING add-ons to FIREFOX through WINDOWS UPDATE.

This is terrible.

First off, if I want an add-on for FireFox, I will add it myself. I don't need Windows Update to do it for me.

Second, I don't want the Windows Presentation Framework. I don't know what it is, but I surely don't use it.

Third, Microsoft, if you are going to silently install add-ons to FireFox, at least make sure they don't have unintended side-effects, like SLOWING the startup of FireFox.

After uninstalling this garbage off my machine, I've noticed that the 1-2 minute delay when starting FireFox is gone. I'm glad, too, as it has had a tendency to delay our attendance-on-demand website where I clock-in.

Apple Will Feel The Pain From Windows 7 Launch?

2009-10-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a blundering idiot is allowed to write technology news.

Apple Will Feel The Pain From Windows 7 Launch - Software - IT Channel News by CRN.

Let's go through this in stages.

"Here's what I believe will happen: The Windows 7 launch will take those market-share gains Apple has seen over the past several years and make them disappear."

Really? So the fact that a lot of Macs were bought when XP was still out has no bearing on the fact that Apple has been gaining market share? Granted, Vista was the best thing to happen to Apple, but do you think that people aren't wondering why they would purchase 'fixed Vista' in the first place?

"How frightened is Apple that its about to be whammied by Windows 7? Well, BusinessWeek is reporting that Apple is planning to launch a marketing blitz aimed at convincing PC buyers to instead choose a Mac."

And MS didn't do the same thing leading up to Snow Leopard's release? Remember those "I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person" ads last summer? Microsoft is planning their own advertising blitz, too, and it is even advertised on your site, and it involves a full "commercial free" episode of The Family Guy.

"BusinessWeek says that Apple will likely make the case that Macs are more susceptible to viruses. A flat-out false claim. There are a bunch of Mac myths. And better security than Windows is the biggest one. Security experts say that if Mac users are less susceptible to attack, it's simply due to the fact that there are fewer viruses written for Macs than for Windows."

Yeah, some of the security stuff is myth, but a lot of the "Mac Myths" were based on user intelligence, something neither MS nor Apple can do anything about. There are still less viruses out for Apple compared to MS, just like less attacks on FF and Opera than IE.

"BusinessWeek also claims Apple will make fun of Microsoft for making Windows XP owners go through what is by all accounts a cumbersome process to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. Talk about a canard. That duck just don't fly. No one in their right mind would even think of upgrading a Windows XP system to Windows 7. That's an exercise for unemployed nerds with too much time on their hands. It simply doesn't make sense. Windows 7 is a cause celebre to look at buying a new system. It is not a reason to look at upgrading a well-running Windows XP system. You wouldn't upgrade a well-running Mac system either. Get a life."

BULL SHIT. I have upgraded my MacBook Pro once, and I'm going to do it again once I make it to my computer store of choice and get Snow Leopard. A new OS should NOT be a reason to drop $2k on a new computer. Of course, my MacBook Pro is working as well as day 1 at 3 years old. I can't say the same about my quad-core Dell desktop until I reloaded XP on it. If we can't upgrade a perfectly good system, then why even give Windows 7 the time of day? Oh, I get it. We're supposed to go out and buy a $400 junk PC with Windows 7. I guess you can't upgrade one of those, just like you can't polish a turd. Dell, HP, Sony, etc. all have $2k laptops and desktops. You COULD upgrade those from XP to W7, but yeah, I guess that process will be too cumbersome, thanks to MS.

Additionally, the upgrade process that I did to go from Tiger to Leopard was quick and easy and resulted in no data loss. It has been YEARS since I messed with upgrading a computer with an MS system, partly because 8 out of the last 10 computers I owned or used were so terrible to begin with that they were replaced instead of upgrading to a new OS and had to be reloaded on a yearly basis (not MS's fault, of course).

Speaking of reloading every year, even my bad-ass Dell Quad-Core had to be reloaded after a year (with XP, of course, no way I'd even think about Vista given what I do). Computers should not become so painfully slow or error prone that they need to be reloaded regularly.

EDIT (2): Take a look at this page from the Washington Post where tech writer Rob Pegoraro calls the XP -> 7 upgrade process a "Destructive Install". Mr. Pegoraro has a pretty good assessment of Windows 7 in his article.

"Yes, the Mac has had a great run for the past couple of years. Gartner says Apple's share of the U.S. computer market for the third quarter amounted to 8.8 percent, up from 8.6 percent in the year-ago period. My bet is that market share is going to drop below 5 percent by the end of 2010."

That is an awful strong statement considering the reduced liklihood that people will purchase new computers just to get a new OS in the current economy. You can consider 2009 dead - the holiday season is about to start and the US unemployment is at 9.8% or so. There may be some purchases at tax time, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the expectation.

What about the market share of dual-boot computers - such as a Mac running both OS X and Windows 7 under Boot Camp, Parallels, or Fusion. Is this even going to be measured correctly?

"Apple CEO Steve Jobs has done a great job of exploiting the shortcomings of Vista for some significant market-share gains. Windows 7 has none of those shortcomings and all the advantages of the Windows brand at its best."

And Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn't attempt to exploit the price-point of Apple Hardware? Of course, he also poo-pooed the iPhone and the iPod, both of which have outsold their MS counterparts so much that you don't hear much about Windows Mobile or the Zune.

All in all, I think Windows 7 will be a great OS. I will probably purchase it and run it on under Parallels or on Boot Camp (or both, even). However, unless major changes happen, my next computer will be a Mac... whenever I buy that computer.

Let's be realistic, though. Windows 7 will not be a cure-all for MS. Bing is more or less a failure, Windows Mobile is looking like a failure, Zune is a failure, Office for Mac is a failure (probably part of Microsoft's business plan), and Vista was a failure, to name a few. Steve Ballmer seems to be delusional, having been associated with a number of articles where he laughs at the iPhone, calls Vista an "unqualified success", and the "Vista Capable" lawsuit. Office for Windows is the only software product that Microsoft makes that can be competitive, and it is under assault by free online services like Google Docs. Microsoft's innovation has been surpassed or matched in EVERYTHING THEY DO. Windows and Microsoft will not die, and that is great. We need them. However, Microsoft would do better to refocus and make sure that I'm not wrong on that.

EDIT: In addition to above, Microsoft acquired "Danger" in April 2008. In 1.5 years, they didn't learn to backup their server or store things like photos locally on a device. Instead, it appears that they had them on a server. I'm not too familiar with the T-Mobile Sidekick, but not storing pictures to local memory? Bad news, and a bad move by Microsoft to not do something better.

Now, back to the author and article. The linked article was the most biased and uneducated crap I have ever read. This reads as if it was written by a business person that thinks they know a lot about technology... a person that thinks their PocketPC is cool because it has built-in Wi-Fi... a person that thinks they know a lot because they have 2 GB of RAM in their computer... a person that thinks they are smart because they setup a wireless network in their house and it has 128-bit WEP security. Get with the times. Blackberries and iPhones have replaced PocketPCs a long time ago. 2 GB of RAM is nothing. WEP security is crap, try WPA, and it is pretty easy to set it up. Let me know when you've figured out a program that does more than:

10 PRINT "Hello World"

20 GOTO 10

Former DOT Secretary weighs in on Transportation Bill

2009-10-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

Reference: National Journal Online -- Insider Interviews -- Bush DOT Chief Discusses Reauthorization.

I agree with the thoughts of increased tolling and more fees other than the gas tax. I also agree with $1B per year for technology, but it has to be managed right.

I'm also glad that the performance measures are measurable:

Congestion (we can measure that - it is the percent of a region's network that is operating with a demand greater than its capacity)

Costs (we can measure that, although we have to watch how we do it, as we don't want to have a system be considered bad if gas prices hit $4/gallon)

Safety (we DO measure this - it is the number of injuries and deaths on the road)

Can we let the Kindle/1984 thing go already? NO!!!

2009-10-02T01:06:00.000-07:00

Some idiot in the tech world asks the following question: Can we let the Kindle/1984 thing go already?

It amazes me from a software based magazine that such a pathetically stupid question was even asked.

The answer is NO.

If we were talking about a paperback novel, then what happened would have went as such:

Amazon sells stolen book

Amazon steals stolen book back from unsuspecting consumers

Amazon gets busted for selling stolen property, breaking and entering (potentially), assault (possibly) and theft.

Apparently, there some difference between the paperback version and the digital download? This is what happened:

Amazon sold book that they had no right to sell

Amazon illegally entered user's Kindle devices

Amazon stole legally purchased digital download

The difference is only format. What Amazon did was basically stealing (twice), and they aren't getting busted for it. No, we can't drop it until Amazon does get busted and we have devices where WE have control enough to lock the windows and doors.

Twisted Legal: Google reveals identity of Cohen 'skank' blogger | ZDNet Government | ZDNet.com

2009-08-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

Can you say "whiner"?

Someone calls this person names, and she fights Google in court over the "attack".

First off, three words: FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. The person in question had the right to their speech. It was dirty words, but in the end, that appears to be all it was (now if it was giving away privileged information, like model Cohen's home address or phone number, I stand corrected).

Second off, bloggers must be aware of the ramifications of what they post. If it can be backed up, it is fair game. If it can't, it is probably better left untyped.

Google reveals identity of Cohen 'skank' blogger | ZDNet Government | ZDNet.com.

BusinessWeek: Top 30

2009-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another example of a ranking done wrong.

The 30 Strongest Housing Markets in the U.S: Boulder rocks - BusinessWeek.

In this one, there are several things that make me want to question their ranking capability:

1. #6 is Pittsburgh. If that isn't reason enough to question the entire thing, look at the median value of only $119,800. Not many rich people there, and 'median' means that half of the homes sold for less than that.

2. Pictures on 8, and 12 are bad in some way shape or form. #8 looks like it is falling over, and #12 looks like a scan of an old slide... almost like they found something on Flickr or Panoramio instead of something from Realtor.com or the local convention-visitor's bureau.

3. #10 is Oklahoma. Not Oklahoma City, but Oklahoma... which was a state last time I checked. Evidently, this article lacked the proofreading of someone with a degree higher than a GED.

4. #14 is Springfield, Ohio. Locally, we know Springfield as the capital of antique malls. Also, the median value is $93,500. Perhaps due to foreclosures?

5. #22 is Bay City, Michigan. The median value is $80,100, the annual change is -11%, and the economy is built on manufacturing (which includes a GM plant). Take a look at some of the old steel cities (Youngstown, Ohio, for example) and look at what happens to the economy when a major employer tanks. Not good for home values, is it?

6. #25 is in California. That not being enough, look at the median value (over $500k) and the annual change (-10.8%). The 2008 National Average was 196.6. Anything more than twice that is asking for disaster.

Some ideas to fix or avoid this:

1. Don't publish lists of things that are currently under impact by wildly irregular circumstances. The country is in the middle of a recession caused by a complete implosion of the housing market. There are some great places to own houses that are not on this list because they are impacted by the mortgage crisis.

2. Make sure the criteria is obvious. I don't want to have to look for it. When looking at the results, it should be obvious. Don't show things in the result that don't relate or obscure the criteria.

3. Rankings should be geared towards the readers. BusinessWeek readers are, presumably, business oriented. Why show them half-metrics (annual change, but no indicator of which annum) or omit important metrics (change over last 5 years, change over last 10 years).

How the Mobile Stuff is Supposed to Work

2009-05-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

I have finally been truly impressed with my BlackBerry Storm. I am in Columbus today (well, really it's Dublin). The first thing I really needed to use my phone for was lunch.

So I brought up Poynt and searched for restaurants. I got a list of restaurants, and touched the one I wanted to eat at. Then, I was able to get directions.

I was happy enough that I used my phone to write this post.

Definitions!

2009-05-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Tink

/tink/ n. 1. Sound a nail makes when it falls on a metal object. 2. Word overused by New Kids on the Block (specifically Jordan Knight) to generate interest on Twitter.

New Kids on the Block

/loozerz/ n. A group of 5 singers that are complete and utter losers. They were big with 12 year old girls in the early 90s, and unfortunately, some of those girls haven't grown up (as evidenced by the number of Twitter followers they have). One of the losers, Donnie Wahlberg, attempted to burn down a hotel in Louisville, KY with a home-made molotov cocktail. This apparent suicide attempt marked what was thought to be the end of the band. Their Twitter antics tend to pollute TwitScoop and overshadow more impportant things, such as the second un-retirement of Bret Favre, the death of Dom Deluise, and the general panic over the H1N1 "swine" flu.

Microsoft

/sh-it/ n. A company built up by Bill Gates only to be torn down by the loser Steve Ballmer.

Steve Ballmer

/eediut/ n. An idiot known for being the CEO of the company that released the Vista operating system, getting on stage and yelling "Developers!", throwing furniture, and laying off some 5,000 people at Microsoft. Commonly referred to "jackass".

Vista

/vis-tuh/ n. 1. A beautiful view. 2. A set of operating systems released by Microsoft that lasted realistically for 8 months before Microsoft announced the next operating system. During said 8 months, support for Windows XP was extended... twice.

New BlackBerry...

2009-05-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

How great it is when everything works well. How much it sucks when something isn't perfect.

First, the things that work right. Thank God for Google! They have a nice sync program for BlackBerry devices right here. If you can sync your calendar and contacts to Google, that gives you an online 'cloud' that stores your contacts and calendar.

Second, the things that don't. Apple's address book (which is installed by default on every OS X Tiger and Leopard computer) only syncs with Google if you have an iPhone. However, check the link, as you can hack your computer a little to make it work.

Do these things, you don't need to install the PocketSync for BlackBerry.

Then...

Install the BlackBerry App World and install Flickr, FaceBook, and bbtweet and you can do anything. Now, if I could only get a Snooth plugin...

Social Networking and Government 2.0

2009-03-15T03:23:00.000-07:00

I just saw an article today on PCWorld discussing the differences in ages between MySpace and Facebook users. It got me thinking about the want for Government activities, particularly planning studies, to use 'new media' to reach out and connect to people. As stated in the PCWorld article, Facebook has an abundance of the over-35 crowd, and MySpace has an abundance of teenagers. If done properly, this age difference can be used to connect to BOTH of these groups.

One of the most important things when using social networking in government is keeping things current. Nobody likes a dead page, and all-too-often project websites suffer from not being kept up-to-date. The same thing can easily happen to a MySpace or Facebook page.

Another important thing is prompt replies to questions/etc. People don't want to wait several days for an answer.

Things to keep in mind:

Anything on the Internet is searchable, indexed, and stored.

MySpace and Facebook pages for governments or projects are public documents. Be prepared for media requests about information, etc.

The visual quality of such pages reflect on the government that is operating them. They should be visually pleasing, not gaudy. Keep animated stuff to a minimum. Pictures should be of plans/alternatives, pictures of public meetings, renderings of alternatives, etc.

If done properly, social networking can be a great way to augment the public involvement in any planning (or related) process.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Corrupt OS X Address Book

2009-02-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

I had a problem updating a contact that made its way into my address book without an email...Anytime I tried to update the contact, it would give an error regarding to the corrupt database.

To fix this (assuming OS X 10.5):

1. Close Address Book, Mail.app, and anything else that may use the address book. Really, just close everything but Finder.

2. Go to /Users/username/Library/Application Support/ and copy the AddressBook folder somewhere safe

3. ONLY AFTER MAKING THE BACKUP ABOVE, look for any files that are something like ABPerson.skIndexInverted and/or ABSubscribedPerson.skIndexInverted and delete them. I also deleted a file called AddressBook-v22.abcddb. The skIndexInverted files are indexes, and they were likely what was corrupt (I found a post via Google that indicated something similar).

4. Reopen the address book and see if the problems are alleviated.

Watch your screenshots...

2009-02-07T02:28:00.000-08:00

This was originally from http://www.orangelabel.com/icons.htm... They haven't fixed it yet, I'm not sure if they've even noticed, but I saw it on Twitter...

[caption id="attachment_244" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="Take a look at the IE webpage"][/caption]

Take a look at the IE webpage.

Multiple row toolbar in Firefox

2009-01-24T03:47:00.000-08:00

Multiple row toolbar in Firefox « Codelicious.After seeing this, I decided I'd write some simpler instructions for doing this in FireFox for OSX. This is kindof a rehash of the content, but I think it was more geared towards a more computer-savvy user (it didn't include the path to the default chrome template, it doesn't indicate what to open it in, etc).

1. Go to /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Firefox/profiles/<???>.default/chrome/

(or, in OS X 10.5 Leopard, click on your "home" on the left sidebar in Finder and then Library, Application Support, Firefox, Profiles, something.default, chrome... see the screenshots below)

->

->

->

2. Copy userChrome-example.css and rename to userChrome.css

3.Open userChrome.css in a text editor (textedit.app works well and comes with Tiger and Leopard)

4. Get the last code snippet in the link and paste it at the bottom (note: the copy to clipboard in that does not work, or at least not for OSX. Copy and paste manually, and get rid of the line numbers!)

The code I used:

#bookmarksBarContent
{display:block !important;}
.places-toolbar-items
{display:block !important;
height: 35px !important;
overflow-y:auto !important;}
#bookmarksBarContent toolbarseparator{display:inline !important;}
#bookmarksBarContent
.bookmark-item{visibility: visible !important;}

.chevron {height: 0px !important;}

5. If Firefox is open, Quit (Command-Q or Firefox - Quit Firefox) and restart.

Post originally published on 2009-01-24; updated 2009-01-31 to add screen shots

Social Networking - Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, Del.icio.us, etc.

2009-01-24T03:16:00.000-08:00

I just went through the process of changing my blog, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages/profiles to all link to each other (and an added bonus, my Facebook profile also links to my Flickr page. I've noticed a few things, and I've dropped my thoughts here.The ones that I use that are not linked together are MySpace and Del.icio.us.

It seems to me that there are three categories of all these sites: full network, specialized network, and link sharing.

The full network sites include Facebook and MySpace. I have accounts on both, and they are quite different. Most of the same stuff is posted on them. However, half my friends are younger than I am, and MySpace in general has the high school and college party atmosphere (even on the friends that are older than I am). On Facebook, the pages are more mature-feeling, but I have fewer friends, and those that I do are my age. However, there are less posts about getting drunk and more about drinking wine (I know few wine drinkers that drink wine to get drunk; most people that I know that get drunk use shots or beer). Then there's LinkedIn, which is geared towards business. I have the most friends on that, and have spent the most time on it. Some of those friends are personal, but most are people that I've met at a variety of different locations. All of those personal friends are coworkers or former coworkers.

The specialized network sites include Flickr and likely YouTube (I don't have a YouTube page, but from what I've seen, it falls in this category). They can be used as a full-blown networking site, but lack the numbers to really be able to do that (MySpace has around 250,000,000, where Flickr has around 3,000,000). The profiles on the full network sites are larger, whereas the Flickr and other specialized sites have smaller profile pages. The benefit with Flickr (and likely all of the specialized sites) is how well it is geared towards its subject matter. On Flickr, I can view how a photo was taken - focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, camera make/model, etc. For an amateur photographer, I like being able to see this type of data (see this page for what I am referring to - you can see what camera settings I used to create this image).

The link sharing sites, like Del.icio.us are geared towards sharing links only. I have one, but don't use it very often to post. I do look at what is popular, though, since there have been many occasions where I have found some really cool stuff. However, it isn't a place I spend a lot of time.

RC Car in the Snow

2009-01-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

I took my Radio Controlled Car out into the snow last week, and got some pictures...

[caption id="attachment_190" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="RC Car in the Snow 1"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_191" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="RC Car in the Snow 2"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_192" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="RC Car Aftermath (Body On)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_193" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="RC Car Aftermath (Body Off)"][/caption]

My RC Car is a Traxxas Rustler, which is on the fairly inexpensive side (compared to some of the Nitro models!). It is great for just messin' around on the driveway, and some of the parts (like the motor) are powerful but inexpensive - I've only owned the car for about 6 months and I've already burned out one motor.

It was dfficult to get these pictures, since I was controlling both the car and the camera. It was about 20ºF out, and I couldn't wear gloves (not even driving gloves), since it would interfere with being able to get my finger into the throttle trigger on the RC controller.

Press Cancel?

2008-10-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

If someone could kindly show the new computer users where the cancel button is, I think it would be appreciated.

Hint: it is in the upper right-hand corner.

[caption id="attachment_54" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Press Cancel?"][/caption]

Long Time to add Groundhog Day?

2008-09-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get amazed at how long some simple tasks take. Like this one, for example, which was adding holidays to my Outlook calendar. It took a few seconds to add Groundhog Day.

Axe Garlic Scent

2008-09-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

There's a long story here. I'm not going to go into it. New Axe Garlic Scent! Click on the image for a larger view.

[caption id="attachment_49" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="New! Axe Garlic Scent!"][/caption]

DISCLAIMER: This is not a real product. If you even thought for one remote second that Axe actually made a Garlic scent, you need to do the world a favor and kill yourself, considering that your intelligence level is that of a shovel.

REAL DISCLAIMER: I don't work for Axe, but I do use some of their products. I did not ask Axe for permission to use their can likeness, so hopefully they won't decide to sue me.

Browser Wars

2008-09-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

After seeing http://www.joyoftech.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1120.html, I had to redo it in PhotoShop using the latest mess I found in the shit that is Internet Explorer 7. Click for a larger (legible) image.

[caption id="attachment_45" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="The browsers talking about their support for CSS"][/caption]

After seeing that, you can check out http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2006/8/16/4999, which is a response to IE Group Program Manager's response to people bitching about IE and standards compliance. I found this after building a Web Site in Visual Web Developer 2005 (a Micro$oft product) and having it look perfect in FireFox, only to bring it up in Internet Explorer and having some wierd shit happen. An ASP:Panel changed border styles and text colors (white text was showing up as blue, even if I used '#FFFFFF' instead of 'White').

Travel Demand Modeling 101 Part 1: Terminology

2008-08-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that many people likely do not understand all of the terminology of travel demand models. Because of this, I felt the need to list many of them here. Assignment: A process that determines the specific route of travel from one zone to another.

Binomial Logit Mode Choice: A process that compares the utility of two travel mode choices and determines the probability of using each mode.

BPR Equation: An equation used to determine the speed on a network link based on the ratio of the volume to the capacity.

Centroid: A point that is linked to a TAZ that loads traffic onto the network

Centroid Connector: The link that connects a centroid to the rest of the network.

Equilibrium Assignment: An assignment method that iteratively assigns and reassigns traffic based on revised travel times on each link.

Friction Factors: Factors that are used in distribution to refine the distance measure between zones.

The Four Step Process: A process of modeling that began in the 1950s that performs four major steps: trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice, and assignment.

Fratar Model: An iterative gravity model used to determine trip interchanges where total productions and attractions are known, but not necessarily balanced.

Gravity Model Distribution: A process to determine the likelihood of traveling from one zone to another based on the attractiveness of the destination compared to the distance from the origin to the destination.

Link: A piece of roadway in the network

Mode Choice: A process that determines the economic utility of all available forms of travel from one zone to another and splits trips (from the trip distribution step) into a variety of modes (depending on those that exist).

Multinomial Logit Mode Choice: A process that compares the utility of multiple travel mode choices where each is a separate and distinct choice.

Nested Logit Mode Choice: A process that compares the utility of multiple travel mode choices as a string of choices and sub-choices. An example would be a structure illustrated below (click on the image for a larger view).

Network: A collection of links, nodes, centroids, etc. that simulate the major travel facilities in the model area.

Traffic Analysis Zone (AKA: zone, TAZ): A geographic division, much like a census block, that defines an area of homes and businesses used in the travel demand model.

Trip Generation: A process of counting the homes, employees (usually by type), schools, and other activities that generate traffic to and from them. Trips are generated as attractions and productions.

Trip Distribution: A process of determine where generated trip productions are linked to generated trip attractions. This determines the number of people that will go from one zone to another.

Office 2008 Database

2008-06-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

I opened a PowerPoint presentation from my email and recieved the following notice:

I wouldn't have cared if I had opened PowerPoint a million times before this one, but this was the first time that I opened PowerPoint 2008 on my Mac. However, considering that this is the same company that released Vista AFTER XP and ME AFTER 98, what should I expect?

Google Don't Know Cincinnati

2008-06-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I don't live in New York, NY or anything, but I don't live in Podunk, either.

Click on image to see what I am talking about.

IE Sucks

2008-06-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

It should be illegal to have a site that is intentionally crippled from using another browser. It should be even more illegal from having a site that is crippled from your own company's browser.

Scary Warning...

2008-06-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

As a former IT Manager, I understand when sometimes stuff isn't as complex as it could be. In fact, I am totally happy about the strides that Microsoft, Apple, and the Linux groups have made from DOS to Windows XP, OS X, and Ubuntu and other Linux Distros that have been trying to make computers easy while still maintaining security and the like. It isn't easy at all, and there has been a lot of progress made. If that progress wasn't made, then the would would be so different, and probably not for the better.

Then you find something like this.

That 3.8 GB USB 2.0 FD is my "Jump Drive". Why would I EVER want to allow Windows Media Player to mess with that? In fact, why does it need to touch the drive at all? I just happened to plug it in when WMP was running.

Serious Disk Error?

2008-06-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

I work on a travel demand model. The model I use starts at 300 MB and throughout the run process, the size balloons to 2.5 GB from all the data that is created and calculated.

And I can make it go larger by producing some *REALLY* big reports. There was one I produced that was 800 MB of plain text. When opening it in Notepad, it would take forever as Notepad read the entire file. I thought that maybe Word would read it progressively and allow me to look at the the file while it was loading. I was wrong. Word instead of telling me that the file was too big, it told me:

ArcEngine... 0 seconds left?

2008-06-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

ESRI isn't the only one that is guilty of this, but if there is 0 seconds remaining, then why have this still on the screen?

Stream Data?

2008-06-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

While moving an image (that is about to make it to this blog), I received one of these stupid warnings. Roxio's ~~shit~~ software should have never touched this, since I have never used Roxio anything on the machine in question.

Roadrunner Can't Find Google

2008-03-08T05:17:00.000-08:00

Despite Google having servers across the world, RoadRunner (which likely has fiber across the country) couldn't get to any one of them. Now I did notice that the search bar (see this image, which is the entire screen capture), is powered by Yahoo, so maybe they have some strategy increase their paltry share value by forcibly swinging people away from Google.

Excel CLEAN() Function

2008-02-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

I found this one when getting mad at Excel because I couldn't find a formula that I wanted:

Just a bunch of crap!

2008-01-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

Are we sure that GIS is anything, or is it just a bunch of crap?

(Full Size)

This is why GIS people shouldn't piss off others.

Does GIS Matter?

2008-01-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

Really, does it?

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Computer Stress Diagram

2008-01-05T02:13:00.000-08:00

ESRI had a really cool looking graphic on their website. Try as I did, I couldn't directly use it against them, but I could use it as a diagram that explains life as a/an (pick any or all):

Engineer

Planner

Architect

Lawyer

Doctor

Real Estate Agent

Computer Geek

Photographer

News Reporter

Sales Representative

Account Manager

Accountant

President, CEO, CIO, CFO, C-Whatever-O

Administrative Assistant

Call Center Rep

Insurance Agent

Human Lifeform that uses a computer

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UPDATE:

Another software company and business partner to ESRI has claimed (informally) that they "borrowed" the "flower" idea from them. I don't have the impression that the other company (that will go unnamed) is bothered by it, but I just thought that I would add that.

ArcGIS Desktop Kerplunk Screen

2008-01-05T01:29:00.000-08:00

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Uninstall Crap

2008-01-05T01:26:00.000-08:00

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Custom Software Error

2008-01-05T00:55:00.000-08:00

I worked for the company that programmed this software, and we had a known error with one of the components that was used in the software. This error came up every time I closed the software. The programmer tried and tried to fix the component, but after seemingly hundreds of tries, he never could.

Nonetheless, I always got this stupid thing that said "report this error to Microsoft", which is either a direct connection to a cyber trashcan or Microsoft's big-brother database of software errors that users are getting. Just what I like to know - Microsoft is spying on us, and not sending these error messages to the programmer and company that produced the software.

Note that the inclusion of this is an example, and I tended to poke fun at the programmer of this software - the inclusion here is against Microsoft, not vTIMAS.

CD Recording Generic Error

2008-01-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

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ArcScene Error

2007-10-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

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