Busy week, lots happening, lets get on with it..News / Web Happenings:
First shots of IE Mobile 6 - looks promising, but I can't help think Microsoft are still missing the mark on this one when compared to other mobile browser offerings already available. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now seeing as it's not even finished :)
Chinese TV channel joins Freeview|HD - Having just got my Satellite TV card up and running (which I won at the Geekzone Pizza evening in Hawkes Bay) I can happily say "the more the merrier".
YouTube and TVNZ to bring New Zealand election debate on-line - welcome to the digital age.
SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 1 to orbit - the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth.
Xero now available in Australia - Go you good thing!
Paymex is back, but why would you trust them? - Great commentary here from Lance Wiggs on the return of Paymex this week. He's asked all the right questions - and to their credit the new (and previous) owners of the Paymex service have responded (read the comments).
Microsoft to launch 'Cloud Computing' platform - Steve Ballmer has announced Microsoft's new cloud computing initiative, most likely to be unveiled soon at PDC in LA. More commentary here and here as well.
Skype 4.0 beta take 2: Full screen mode now optional - Anyone using it? what do you think? Several people are commenting that the user experience falls apart as soon as you want to chat with more than one person.
Slingshot's misfire cuts off phones - Very, very poor form on Slingshots behalf to allow such an important domain name to expire - regardless of the reason.
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 released - Microsoft's terrific new Virtualisation platform is available right now!
Telecom slashes broadband tariffs - Telecom updates pricing and bandwidth allowances on it's plans.
Coming Soon: Amazon EC2 With Windows - A good move from Amazon, more options for on-demand servers. (One wonders if this announcement shortly after Microsoft's 'cloud computing' platform announcement is pure co-incidence?)
GIMP 2.6 Adds 32-Bit Support, GUI Improvements - for all you GIMPers out there (you know who you are).
Skype surveillance: You can't trust closed-source software - News today that Skype is helping Chinese authorities monitor the Internet. An official response from Skype's CEO came through this morning also.
General:
Vista - curb those annoyances - Kirk Jackson with a good rundown of some common Vista issues and how to remedy them.
Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter - a neat tool that automatically tweaks Windows Server 2008 and sets it up ready to use as a day-to-day workstation.
Development:
jQuery and Microsoft - Microsoft will be shipping jQuery as part of Visual Studio going forward, this is terrific news as jQuery is one of the best javascript libraries out there and more developers should be looking at it.
Microsoft unveils next version of Visual Studio and .NET Framework 4.0
Apple Drops iPhone Developer NDA On Released Software - It's about bloody time. This rediculous farse was doing nothing but stifling iPhone development.
Flash for the iPhone confirmed - Again, it's about time. Apple have said all along it's the 'real internet' in your pocket - which doesn't really ring true without the abundance of video content etc. served by flash.
Neat Stuff:
24 Hour, Air traffic visualisation - Incredible representation of the daily movements are aircraft across the globe. [video]
Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: October 2008 - Pimp your desktop!
FAIL of the week:
Incident Action Plan - Epic FAIL
AnimfxNZ 2008 in Wellington
I received today an e-mail from a friend who is part of the trust organising the AnimfxNZ in Wellington.Very cool - and I didn't know we had such an event here in the city.
The AnimfxNZ brings together a conference and exhibition covering all things in the Game, Animation and Film, Music TV, and Sporting Stereoscopic fields.
AnimfxNZ 2008 is happening 14th - 16th November, here in Wellington.
XBOX Live planned downtime
I just got this in my Inbox, and decided it was interesting to spread:
The Xbox team is hard at work getting ready for the launch of the New Xbox Experience, coming to Xbox 360s around the world later this Spring. In order to prepare to bring you new features, games and experiences the team is going to need to take Xbox LIVE offline for a short time. On September 29 Xbox LIVE will be unavailable from 8.01 PM and will restart at 7:59 PM on September 30.
These are New Zealand times, please adjust accordingly...
IE7 icon missing On WinXP Desktop
My poor technician must have freaked out earlier today when his boss (me) suddenly burst into fits of hysterical laughter and couldn't stop giggling for at least 5 minutes.
The thing that provoked such mirth was a couple of lines from the Microsoft Help section. It read like a cross between Monty Pythons Cheese Skit and a programmers joke. The lines in question are bolded below.
SUMMARYTheAs a programmer I know that poor programming practice* leading to buggy functionality is often passed off on the poor unsuspecting customer as a 'feature' or an implementation 'by design'. For Microsoft to state that the ability to put the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop or Start Menu is not an issue and is by design is ludicrous. Further more for Service Pack Three to REMOVE the icon from the Start Menu or Desktop or even worse, to change the functionality of the icon to bring up Internet Properties instead of starting IE is doubly idiotic.
Internet Explorer icon might be missing after either you upgrade the
Internet Explorer version to 7, or installed through Windows updates.CAUSEThis
Back to the top
is not an issue and is by design. Unlike the previous versions of
Internet Explorer, the option to enable to Internet Explorer icon on
the Windows Desktop is not available. The behavior of Internet Explorer
7, which is bundled with Windows Vista is also the same.
[ BTW - HERE IS THE FIX FOR THIS ] -> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555849
Some claim it is part of Microsoft's anti-trust agreement responsibilities to have the icon removed and to also remove the ability to put the icon on the desktop as part of the display properties. Personally I think that is bollocks too. How long ago were the anti-trust hearings? Years. To take this long is a mockery of anti-trust, if indeed that was the causative action.
Secondly - with the advent of service pack three, Microsoft's IE components and Internet Explorer security properties are more tightly integrated with the system than ever. As an example, to Install Mozilla Firefox version 3 requires IE 7, or at least some of its components to be present. Why? Because without them some of the dialog boxes and under laying componentry is not present causing the failure of Mozilla 3 during installation.
Further more Mozilla Firefox Three is now so affected by the internet settings in XP that in order to tighten IE 7 to stop downloading and running active X ( and other executable code ) in the Internet Zone also disables downloads in Mozilla Firefox Three (Ref 1). It is now impossible to cripple IE's active X vulnerability completely without also crippling Mozilla's ability to download programmes. While some of these problems stem from Mozilla developers tying Firefox into the Internet Security Panel (Ref 2), the rest also points to Microsoft's embedding of IE in the operating system. Again, try removing IE7 and watch how fast Mozilla Firefox, and presumably other applications, fail.
As this blog entry isn't a rant about MS or how IE is such a PITA I wont go into detail about the fact that if you start IE7, after it has upgraded itself, you have no ability to set the default page until you stop pushing cancel and start answering the damn questions about security and settings you
Did I mention that trying to tell IE7 to push off and not bother me with Live Search (AKA dead useless) as I am already using Lycos, or google, or yahoo or wiki or ....bugger!!!!! There is now only live seach - and if I click on - "Go make another search engine the default" - Mozilla pops up as the default browser so I have to enable IE7 as the default browser to get rid of live search tool bar and then re-enable Mozilla as the default browser.
No IE7 tie in to the operating system - hah - my left testicale is less tied in to me than IE is to Microsofts OS.
1 - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/07/firefox_3_follows_ie7s_securit_1.html
2 - http://kb.mozillazine.org/Unable_to_save_or_download_files#Reset_system_Internet_security_settings_-_Windows
* DISCLAIMER - Not my programming practices - other peoples. I just had to explain or fix up their bollocks - honest injun - it wasn't me.
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Is TelstraClear Mobile just in Beta?
It seems that TCL Mobile doesn't quite have their system sorted.
Two and a half weeks ago I bit the bullet and decided to stick with TCL and join their mobile plan.
I started by ringing and trying to get my number and existing handset ported from Telecom.
And so the dramas began!
After being told that that was impossible and insisting it wasn't, I was set to be connected "in the next 5 business days" and would be sent a text message the day before. After waiting 5 days and hearing (and receiving) nothing, I decided to give TCL Mobile another call. I was told that the mobile people had all gone home and it should've been done already. I was given a ticket number and told to call the next day. I rang the next morning (Tuesday, 30th September) just to be told I had already been connected! Yay! But I still hadn't received my text and thought that it might contain some useful information so I requested it be sent. "Not a problem" I was assured. Ha!
After waiting the 3 days I was told my voucher should arrive in, I rang again. "We will look into it and get back to you." Ok, I thought to myself, I'll give them another couple of days. That afternoon, our existing cordless phone decided it had had enough. Great, no other phone in the house. That voucher will be the perfect thing now as we'll be able to get a new cordless!
After waiting another 3 days and hearing nothing, I decided to call again. This time I was told an email would be sent and I would definately be sorted ASAP.
The next morning at work I have 4 missed calls from the better half (who had borrowed an extremely old phone from her parents).
While with telecom I had my voicemail turned off as I often operate loud machinery and dont quite have time to shut down the equipment/park the truck and get my phone out of my pocket before it went to voicemail. No problems without it!
I also notice some texts and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just about my dental appointment and not because something had happened with her pregnancy. Apparently my phone now goes to voicemail!
Last night I rang again and was told they will forward an email to someone on the mobile side of things to sort my voucher.
Today, I go to the dentist and while I'm home (and barely able to talk), I ring TCL about 3 things.
Any news on my voucher? Nope. "You should have a reply soon" I was told again.
Ok. Can I have voicemail turned off please. "Sorry, that is part of the package". Um, no it's not. Nowhere was I told i HAVE to have voicemail. Can I please talk to someone else? "Ok"............ (on hold)........... "Yes we can do that for you.... oh, no we cant. Not for at least for the next couple of days until your whole swap over is completed."
Does that mean I have to wait for my voucher? "I can't tell exactly, but we can't do anything until the mobile team finish with your account. Call back in 2 days".
("FFS" goes through my head).... OK, one last question. Do you have a number I can ring to find out how many text messages I am using in a month? "Not at the moment... But we're working on it!"
O...K.... Thanks.
If I was told TCL never had a mobile service before, I'd believe it. Unfortunately, I know differently.
This is the sort of stuff I'd expect if I was on the beta test for B+W, not one of NZs biggest phone, tv and internet providers. Not to mention their parent company....
Please TCL, don't charge me for the privilege of being your guinea pig!
I feel better now.
Except the bit where my 2 teeth have been removed.
(and I still haven't received my text.)
How long do you want to live?
Cryogenics has been the subject of science fiction for as long as I can remember, but it has now become an accepted science in many ways.
Cryogenics is now commonplace for use in fertility health. It is quite common now for people to store eggs or embryo’s for future implantation. Organisations like Fertility Associates in New Zealand have had success with freezing sperm, eggs and much more.
More and more people are starting to freeze the umbilical cord of newly born babies with a view to being able to use the cells to aid in treating serious immune conditions such as cancer with a guarantee of acceptance of the cells by the person, because they are in fact their own genetic matter.
Now there are companies like the American Cryonics Society who are offering a service to freeze human bodies with a view to restoring them to life at a later date. This may be a matter of freezing a sick person for an illness that we currently have no cure for, for people who are well, but know that there will be treatments available in the future to prolong life, or perhaps those who want to be able to experience the future.
You would think that this would be an expense that only extremely wealthy people can access, but there are now opportunities through people like Rudi Hoffman who are offering insurance plans that will cover the costs of cryogenics when they are needed. This means that you can plan to live longer if you wish to take the risk that it will be viable. He is also looking into your needs if and when you are revived. The insurance and investments will ensure that you have an income available to you if you do come back and also protecting your property from others who are looking for an inheritance.
One of the common questions, including mine are the damage that would be caused by ice crystals forming in the body, and especially the brain, but as Ben Best says in his Cryonics FAQ, we already use compounds to stop crystalisation such as propylene glycol which stops ice cream from crystalising and keeps it smooth. In cryogenics there are chemicals used to cause vitrification, thus preserving the tissue without damage.
According to Alcor, the other Cryogenics company in the USA less than 100 people have been frozen to date, but the exciting thing is that they have.
I find this fascinating, but am left with lots of questions:
- People talk about proof that animals have been frozen using cryonics and then reanimated, but I couldn’t find any evidence on the web.
- If you are already sick or dying, what is the likelihood that you could be brought back to life? What are the odds that if you could, that they would treat your condition over and above people living at the time you were brought back, unless you have huge financial resources to cover the costs.
- Will your brain still function normally after it has been frozen?
- If you come back, are you still you? Is your essence the same?
- Would your chances be better if you didthis while you are still young and can take advantage of future sciences to keep you young, as opposed to someone who already has old cells that aren’t reproducing with the same youthfull excellence, in effect your body has already significantly deteriorated?
Then of course there are all sorts of religious and ethical issues which I’ll leave for someone else to ponder over.
This is fascinating and there are all sorts of opportunities for the future. For example the ability to freeze astronauts so that they can travel light years away without physically or mentally ageing.
I suspect this technology has to come, but there are so many surrounding issues that will need to be considered and I’m sure it won’t be an option for me in my lifetime. This is another example of Science Fiction becoming reality and babies are being born without defects from frozen eggs, sperm and embryos. Admittedly they are less complex than human adults, but the fact that this works suggests that it is only a matter of time before people can be frozen and reanimated. But when will this be achieved? Don’t hold your breath.
I would love to be frozen and come back for a year in every 10, but I also want to enjoy my family today. Other than dying of an incurable disease you would have to be very selfish and self indulgent to turn your back on your family in order to outlive them.
The new Microsoft ads... enjoy!
Here we go, for your viewing pleasure:
I like those. Why? Because when Apple launched the "I am a Mac, I am PC" ads they decide to approach the whole game as a battle between stereotypes. They also had no moral problems in comparing the platforms directly. Which is ok, when done by a independent party - not by a company that will of course show some bias.
So the Microsoft "I am a PC" ads are not like that. They don't try to make the competition look bad. Instead they try to show you why you should care.
And yes, I do have Macs here at home too.
Orcon Homehub Update
So after a relatively painfree experience with an Orcon Homehub at work I decided to get one for home.
My main motivation was my wondering if my DLink DSL-502T & a WRT54G modded to run DD-WRT were causing double NAT issues and resulting in slow connections/torrents. You would imagine an all in one solution would at least half the possible causes for slow speeds. And since upgrading so far so good - more green lights than amber in Azureus/Vuze.
But as I've come to get used to the Homehub, I was hoping to get a feature of Leopard/MobileMe working - Back to My Mac.
The general use is to setup a zero configuration VPN between your various Macs that aren't all in the same location. If this thing
actually worked it would be an awesome. Remote Desktop/VNC, File Sharing - even Bonjour support all with no complex setup. The problem is it only works in ideal configutations - and most of those are centred around America's cable connections - and not an ADSL setup in NZ.
Back to the Homehub - although offering uPnP, it would seem to be lacking true NAT-PMP support. Via this Apple Discussion, I've found that looks like the same issues but on a BT Homehub (which is in no way the same box as Orcons).
OK, so the problem is that the BT Voyager 2100 only supports the WANPPPConnection service of UPnP, while Apple currently only supports the WANIPConnection service. There's a chance Apple could add WANPPPConnection support in a future release, but until then you're out of luck.When I used Lighthouse, a dynamic port forwarding utility for OS-X, to give me some indepth info, it reports -
Lighthouse could not associate with the router '192.168.1.1' because of invalid protocol implementations
The router '192.168.1.1' sent invalid responses to Lighthouse's requests to associate with it. This may happen if your router doesn't support NAT/PMP or UPnP (please check its manual) or because their implementation is incomplete. It may help to upgrade your router to its latest firmware version (information on how to do this should also be present in the router's manual).
So my options would be to loose the Homehub, replacing it with a NAT-PMP supporting ADSL2+ Modem, ideally that supports Bridge mode - this turns it into a dumb modem that forwards everthing through to your routers WAN port - including login and authentication - and hopefully NAT/uPnP. The I can use my Airport Extreme to get proper NAT-PMP.
I did some reading and it would seem that the newest revision of the DLink DSL-502T does this - look out for Revision C.
Has anyone out there managed to get a bridged modem connection working into their router and if so what gear are you using?
Also - Orcon seem to be shipping a 2nd revision of the Homehub, its still based on a Siemens SX763, the new model has a WPS button on the back to allow for easy Wireless pairing (if you're other gear supports it). The new Homehub also has a Orcon Logo screened on the top and theres no standard Siemens packaging - just a Orcon branded slip around a white box.
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