WorldCAD Access

How I switched to digital tv for $50

Well, we made the switch to digital tv today -- for $50! When I was in the store buying the equipment we needed, the clerk said, "So many people buy just the digital antenna, find it doesn't work, and then return it, mad." For us, it was the other way around. TV in the USA was forced to switch to digital-only broadcasts a few years ago; here in Canada, the analog transmissions get turned off end of this month. Unlike the American government, the Canadian government has not been helpful in explaining what's happening and what needs to be done;... Read more →

Another attempt at overcoming the Windows Defender virus

Last week I reported on trying to remove the "Windows Defender" virus from the computers belonging to my dad and one of my daughters. I thought I had removed it, but then it returned to my dad's computer -- as one commented suggested it might. (The virus disables Microsoft's Defender software, preventing you from reinstalling it. It displays dialog boxes and alert balloons that look similar -- but not identical to -- Microsoft's own security warnings. Below is an image of an older version of the virus. When you agree that you want to remove the threat, it asks for... Read more →

New Apple ads recognize Android's ascendency

Earlier ads from Apple reported that its iPhone, iTouch, and iPad could play back music, display books, show photographs, and so on. The new Apple ads I saw on tv Sunday evening change the wording to report that only Apple's devices had iTunes, iBookstore, and so on. During the new ads, I chanted, "Got it on my Android, but it's called Music"; "got it on my Android, but it's called Kodo." The new tag line for the new ads is the rather defensive-sounding, "If you don't have an iPad (iPhone), you don't have an iPad (iPhone)." Exactly. I don't. With... Read more →

The problem of LED bulbs from China via eBay

With the the prices of LED lightbulbs unreasonably high locally, I wondered if cheaper alternatives might be available through eBay. Sure enough: 8W bulbs that cost $20 locally can be had for just $3 on eBay, shipped from China. I ordered two, and after two weeks they arrived. Each bulb featured 149 LEDs! I plugged one in to ascertain its brightness and cone of illumination. (Many LED bulbs for sale locally are designed for spot lighting, meaning the light does not spread out over a wide angle, and so are unsuitable for general use.) I was immediately disappointed. The LEDS... Read more →

LED light bulb pricing problematic

I am slowly converting our household from CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) to LED lights. The problem today is the same that dogged CFLs two decades ago: price and lumens. (Our house was one of the first to switch from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs, having done that back in 1991.) Locally, LED light bulbs start at $8. Those use just 1.5W, but are too dim anything other than mood lighting. Up the wattage to 3, and the price jumps to $14. Now the bulbs are bright enough for area lighting. Up the wattage to 8, and the price slides up... Read more →

When your wireless mouse acts up

My desktop computer uses a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. The two used to be a matched pair, until the mouse's left button wore out. Although I disassembled it in an attempt to repair it, it appears that the left button was permanently pressed down. (It was pretty impressive seeing the amount of electronics squished inside for this six-button mouse.) I substituted an older wireless mouse, and kept on working. But every so often, it would not cooperate: Button presses did not register Moving the mouse failed to move the cursor Spinning the roller wheel did not scroll documents.... Read more →

The future of social media, part ii

The response Twitter gave today, oh and yesterday, too: (part i .) Read more →

Warning: do not upgrade to Opera Web browser v10.5x (yet)

I did so accidentally, and found that it is just way to buggy. And its UI is also really different, and so it takes a fair amount of time to customize it. Also, one of the sub versions of 10.5x doesn't read your bookmark file, and then replaces it with 0 entries. It was a bad move to name it 10.5, since it is to dramatically different from earlier releases. Opera Software should have named it V11, or given it a different number system, to emphasize how different it is from before. Read more →

Battling headlines: Chrysler in deep loss -- or profit?

This pair of headlines from this morning give us vastly different views of Chrysler's financial condition: Chrysler Reports $4 Billion Loss - Wall Street Journal Chrysler in $143M profit - CNN Money This morning also, The National Post uses so-called 'scare quotes' in a headline concerning the Pope: Pope promises 'action' on sexual abuse crisis. Scare quotes are used by headline writers when they doubt the factual accuracy of a word. I wondered how other headline might read if scare quotes were used on them (all these headlines from cnn.com didn't have scare quotes in the original): At least 11... Read more →

There's more to fuel efficiency than mpg

Once a year, I drive to Portland, a drive that takes five hours on the freeway between here and there. I get amazing gas mileage from my 2004 Toyota Corolla, typically between 46 and 50 mpg (call it 48). Here's how: - we're talking Canadian gallons, which are 20% bigger than US gallons. So, my 48mpg might be your 40mpg, if you're living in the USA. - gas saver tires, which have stiffer sidewalls. They ride rougher and noisier, but boost milage by roughly 10-20%. - non-stop driving at pretty constant speeds of 60 or 70mph, depending on the stretch.... Read more →

It turns out that incandescent bulbs are still superior

Last month I bought an LED light bulb from Wal-Mart. It was a 1W unit, and I found it too dim, other than for use as accent lighting. I blogged about it, and readers had questions. Unfortunately, I had thrown out the packaging. I got another one today, this one being 3.5W, with which I replaced the CF light bulb over our front door. So here is what the packaging says the LED bulb can -- and cannot -- be used for: Can Do - Lasts 30,000 hours (about 6.75 years at 12 hours a day, as at our front... Read more →

Adobe's Flash-battle not a new one for Adobe

Reading the war Adobe is conducting through the media against Apple, I am thinking of two things. One, this is not a war against Apple; this is Adobe fighting against the future irrelevance of Flash. Adobe is picking on Apple, because Apple is proving through iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad that Flash-free Web access is possible. Adobe's management is concerned about Flash's diminishment for revenue reasons. For while Flash remains a kind-of de facto standard for Web pages, Adobe can expect a de facto ongoing revenue stream from many Web hosts paying expensive licensing fees for the Flash server software. Much to Adobe's... Read more →

Why I've given up on iTunes Store

I have a 64BG iPod Touch that's mostly empty. It has a bunch of apps and a few albums I purchased from the iTune Store. Last week, I purchased my last one. Here's why: I've only synch'ed the iTunes Store purchases with my desktop computer four times. 50% of the synchronizations failed, leaving a few songs of a purchased album on the computer, and none on the iPod. (In both cases, I found the backup copy of the full album on my computer -- after a period of freaking out.) I am beginning to better understand the point Cory Doctorow... Read more →

McAfee Be Gone!

Last night my dad arrived, after spending five months up north connected to the rest of the world with just a slow modem line. After the "Hello"s, it's "Can you update my computer?" Overnight, I get his notebook computer updated with megabytes and megabytes of the latest fixes from FireFox, Windows, AVG anti-virus, and whatever else is clamoring for attention. One update was for Flash. As I downloaded the update, I noticed two programs being downloaded from the Adobe Web site: Flash and McAfee anti-virus. What!? I hadn't asked for it, and the computer already runs AVG quite nicely, thank... Read more →

Wireless Mouse Needs 2 USB Ports

Logitech sent me last spring their wireless mouse/keyboard combo. I like a big mouse, and so I have been using this one for several months now. I'd tell you which model it is, but Logitech leaves that crucial information off the mouse. Being wireless, it needs a USB port for the wireless transmitter. Being wireless, it needs a battery. This particular model includes a rechargeable battery and a recharging cord. Every so often, I have to plug the cord into a second USB port, and then attach it to the mouse through its mini-USB connector. For several hours then, I... Read more →

The State of Computing: Gettin' Depressin'

For those of us who grew up learning computing on mainframe computers, the personal computer was a revelation -- and the revolution. Finally, a computing device that we could do with as we wanted -- without paying by the minute for using it. Once we paid for our own personal computer, computing was free. Heh, we didn't pay for software, because we wrote our own, and then shared it. Imagine the excitement in 1983 when Borland released TurboPascal for a mere $50. Too bad Bill Gates had to come along and ruin all that (cf. whiny memo on people should... Read more →

Three Questions Against Global Warming

How, since temperatures have been dropping, can CO2 be blamed for them rising? What, if CO2 was the cause of recent warming, was the cause of temperatures rising higher in the past? Why, since the official computer models have been proved wrong, should we rely on them for future projections? Source. Read more →

Boycott the EU

Every 5-6 days, countries of the European Union kill as many animals for their fur as Canadians do of seals in an entire year. Canada's National Post newspaper calls for a boycott of European products: The European Union is close to banning all Canadian seal products, and a grassroots campaign to boycott Canadian fish and seafood is gaining momentum. But what of Europe's own barbaric culinary practices? In response, Full Comment will call attention to European hypocrisy and demand an immediate end to the brutal slaughter of helpless creatures. Read the full editorial at Barbaric European Food Practices -- if... Read more →

Earth Day Sales

When I read this one-line ad in today's PC World email news blast... Earth Day Sales Save up to $640 on select [Lenovo] Thinkpad Laptops through April 27 ...I knew that commercial interests have corrupted yet another day meant for altruistic reasons. Earth Day in on the heap, along with Christmas (most important buying time of the year), Easter (chocolate rabbits), and the other holy-days. The connection between Lenovo and Earth Day? None, except an excuse to hide poor sales behind an unrelated event. Read more →

3 Tips for Prolonging the Recession

A recent poll of Americans indicates they feel the bad times might last as long as five years. Here are some ways to ensure the recession lasts that long: 1. Fewer Customers? Raise Your Prices. Toronto's international airport is the most expensive in the word, in terms of fees charged to airlines and passengers. To offset the smaller number of passengers expected this summer, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority is increasing the exit tax (aka airport improvement fee) from $20 to $25 per passenger. business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090213.wpearson0213/BNStory/Business/home 2. Paid Too Much Income? Spend Less of It. NBC's Brian Williams makes $10 million... Read more →

Worrisome Headlines

Here are the headlines from today's Web edition of the Globe & Mail: Factory sales drop for third month in row. U.S. consumer prices plunge by record 1.7%. Goldman Sachs posts first loss since going public. Net worth of Canadians is eroding. [Canadian prime minister] Harper: 'I've never seen such uncertainty. They sound worrisome, but not nearly as worrisome as this headline: Telus aims for 10% profit growth. It's is worrisome when a semi-monopolistic telephone company plans to increase its profits by 10% during these times when consumer spending is dropping by as much as 20% a year (annualized). (Telus... Read more →

10 Reasons Why Multi-cartridge Printers are a Disaster

My current color printer, a PhotoSmart C6280, is as good a printer as I expect from HP. I have quibbles with it, the most serious being its use of six ink cartridges. Black, cyan (light blue), light cyan, magenta (pink), light magenta, and yellow. HP's promise: you use all the ink in a single color-cartridge, instead throwing away 3-color cartridges that probably still have plenty of ink remaining in two of their reservoirs. In practice, the promise is a broken one. The Grim Reality The reality is that multi-cartridge printers are a disaster. Here are ten reasons why: 1. The... Read more →

Successful Crash Landing

Dueling concepts from CNN Technology today: "Unmanned Indian probe lands successfully on the moon." "...the probe transmitted sufficient signals to the mother craft before landing, but no more were expected after the impact." "The probe had a hard landing on the lunar surface that terminated its functioning." "...the 34-kilogram probe hit the moon surface traveling at 1.6 kilometers per second, which is a speed of 5,760 kilometers per hour (3,579 mph)." Read more →

Gosh, That American Media -- Chuckle

Everyone "knows" most of the American media is clueless about the rest of the world. CNN's headline today reinforces the stereotype: Canadian PM loses majority in election It is hard to lose a majority when you don't have one before the election. This is Canada's third minority government in a row: left-of-center Liberal, right-of-center Conservative, and now Conservative again -- each time the Conservative Party gaining more seats. More relevant to CNN reporters, however, is the marriage status of middle-aged singers of American popular music, for the main headline shouts: Madonna to divorce director Ritchie Read more →

PayPal Phishing Attack, By Phone

A kindly sounding elderly gentleman called my home this morning trying to "update" my information about PayPal. To "verify that we are talking about the correct account," he began by quoting back publicly available information about my PayPal account, such as when it opened (2001) and my account email address ([email protected]). Knowing that financial institutions only update customer info through their Web sites, I told him that he was engaged in a phishing attack; when he denied it, I told him "better luck with your next victim," and then hung up on him. ("Phishing" is when the attacker attempts to... Read more →

Solving Vista's Slow Network Problem

Vista has many technical problems that Microsoft's $300-million marketing splurge ain't gonna solve. I solved one of it irritating hassles for nearly free. And I didn't have to hire a comedian to do it for me. (Around here, we have two networked printers serving about eight computers: a color inkjet connected directly to the network, and a monochrome laser printer connected indirectly through a host computer. Printing from a Vista computer to the laser printer takes ages, something like a minute for the Print dialog box to appear and then for the page to land in the output tray.) Frustrated... Read more →

Fear of Upgrades

I’m no longer excited about new releases, in fact, I dread them. Devon T. Sowell wrote those words over at the Matt Writes blog. So true. When software works, we don't want upgrades screwing up our livelihood though incompatibilities (think Vista) or new bugs. So, a lot of software I run in my business is pretty old -- and that just fine, because I get my work (technical writing) done. And that's the fundamental flaw in SaaS [software as a service] and cloud computing, where software is updated for everyone automatically -- new bugs, included. Read more →

Canada at the Olympics

Canada is tied for 52nd place at the olypmics today, with 0 gold, 0 silver, and 0 bronze medals. Even Tajikistan and Togo have won more medals than the second-largest country in the world (area-wise). Read more →

Music From Rhapsody "Very Limited"

RealNetworks is boasting through a press release headline: RHAPSODY LAUNCHES “MUSIC WITHOUT LIMITS” INITIATIVE ACROSS WEB... I checked it out, and found it very limiting, for it works only for potential customers in the USA. Real Networks is limiting its customer base to 0.05% of the world's population. That's limiting. When I checked it out, I found another limitation: there is no way to search for genres or labels. I like music from ECM, but it is impossible to locate it on the Rhapsody MP3 store. I like jazz music, but when I searched for "jazz," only albums with "jazz"... Read more →

Rogers: $128 per Video Clip

Canada boasts some of the highest cell (mobile, handi) phone charges in the world. How high? Here's how high: One of our phones is with Rogers, and they email customers a monthly unhelpful newsletter, filled with Tips on how to spend more. In this month's issue, they list data roaming rates -- downloading things like ringtones and podcasts when outside of Canada. Helpfully, they segregated their roaming data charges into two categories: Great services to use while travelling. Services that will cost you more. Under the "will cost you more" list, they have: Video Clips -- $128.00/clip (2.56MB) (2.56MB is... Read more →

Email Saves Time

A study came out last week deriding email as a time-waster. It purported to show that interruptions from email cost companies hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Two points why the study should be ignored: 1. Hundreds of millions is a tiny percentage of the global economy. I wager that the cost of interruptions from fellow employees is worse. 2. Email is efficient, compared to what it replaced: the telephone conversation. Twenty-five years ago, I worked as an engineer, and kept track of all phone calls I made -- for record keeping and legal purposes. After some months, I discovered... Read more →

NanoMaterials like Asbestos: No Kidding

Engaget's Nilay Patel reports that "mice injected with certain lengths of nanotubes developed lung problems similar to those caused by asbestos." No kidding. When nano materials were first excitedly proposed several years ago, they were predicted to solve all sorts of mankind's problems -- kind of like embryonic stem cells are to be our salvation from the inconvenience of disease and death. At the time, I worried that extremely small particles would become a health hazard. I had the experience of working in very dusty conditions (potato farming) and in high pollution areas (aluminum smelting). I knew about the asbestos... Read more →

The Relative Price of Gas

Yesterday the price of gas in my home town in southern Canada rose to $1.319 per litre -- the highest price ever. In Germany, they are getting upset with the amount of taxes on gasoline: $1.50 tax with gasoline costing about $2.75/litre. I'll convert those numbers to US gallons: While Americans get upset that the price might soon arrive at $4/gal, I'm paying about $5/US gal. Much of the difference is the higher taxes, including the hated GST (VAT) tax imposed on top on other gasoline taxes -- a tax on tax. In Germany, it is the equivalent of $10.40/gal,... Read more →

Painting the Planet Green

I said to my wife the other day, "We should paint our car green. Then we can tell people, we have a green car." Read more →

When Corporate Renaming Goes Bad

Back in 2002, I was excited at the prospect at using the Internet to help me get the lowest price on the new car I was planning to buy, a new Honda Odyssey minivan. But, I ended up being disappointed, for in Canada there was little advantage in going-Internet for car buying -- at least new cars. (Used cars is another matter: In the last year my son used Web sites to narrow down used car dealers with potential second-hand cars, without needing to physically visit each place of business. In both cases, he ended up with a car he... Read more →

Chinese Cars Crash Against American Safety Standards

Geoffrey York writes in yesterday's Globe&Mail that "China stalls North American auto move." Much of the story is about companies like Cherry saying that it will take at least four more years before their cheap vehicles are available for sale in the USA and Canada. The excuses: The USA is the world's toughest market; more time is needed to set up the dealer network; cars need to be built of sufficient quality for the American consumer; the Russian and Asian markets are exploding. Left unsaid is the real reason: safety. Chinese car makers were ready to enter the European market... Read more →

Earth Hour Earth Year

Let's do the math on Earth Hour: Turn off all lights for one hour. Assume ten light bulbs would normally be on, each 100W. Total savings = 1 kilowatt-hour per household. In our area, this would reduce the next electrical bill by 8 cents due to the annual event. Here is a more practical approach: Replace the ten light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs, each consuming 13W. Assuming lights are on 4 hours a day, the annual savings amount to 1,270KWhr, reducing the electrical bill by $101 a year. The problem with Earth Hour is that it can give participants... Read more →

T5

There is an old joke about the first fully automated airplane flight. As the plane takes off, a recorded voice explains to passengers how this airplane has no pilots, and that "...nothing can go wrong... nothing can go wrong...nothing can go wrong..." The chaos at the opening day of Heathrow's $4-billion Terminal 5 reminded me of the joke. Earlier in the week, the press were given a tour. BAA (british airport authority) reps boasted how computers would run everything, from getting luggage to passengers before passengers arrived at baggage claim, to targeted ads via giant electronic boards. The computers would... Read more →

3 Reasons Against Extended Warranties

I never buy extended warranties, and here are three reasons why: 1. When you pay for an extended warranty, you've made a 100% payment for repairs the item will probably never need. 2. Guestimate the expected cost: multiply the likelihood of repair work times the cost of the repair. For example, the chance of the product breaking down is perhaps 10%; the cost of repair is perhaps $500. The expected cost is $50. If this is higher than the cost of the extended warranty, then the extra warranty is worth it. If not, then not. 3. Your credit card may... Read more →

How Bad is Vista? This Bad...

Or maybe I should've named this post, "Just Try and Copy This." I have Bricscad Pro running on my Vista notebook, and decided to installed Bricsad Classic on my wife's new Vista PC. All I needed to do was copy the 38MB download file from my computer to hers over the network. No can do. First time I tried, I realized I hadn't set up her computer's C: drive for sharing. Did that. Used two copies of Windows to drag the .exe file from mine to her computer again. Same error msg, about not being allowed to. Fiddled some more... Read more →

BlueTooth is a Single Tasker

My newest notebook computer has Bluetooth built in, and I like it. I like using the Bluetooth mouse -- no dongle, as with other wireless mice. I like hotsyncing my Palm TX -- no cable. And so I wanted to get a Bluetooth keyboard too, but the only ones I could find were keyboard-mouse combos that cost in excess of $150. (And I didn't need a second Bluetooth mouse, after spending $60 on one already.) In my search, I stopped at a messy, independent computer dealership near the corner of Broadway and Main in Vancouver. The proprietor explained that I... Read more →

Life Imitates Art

Read this item at Engaget: Tesla co-founder gets the boot, "not at all happy" about it Which movie's plot line does it remind you of? In the case of Tesla, Martin Eberhard is - Tesla co-founder - got a vague demotion to "President of Technology" - scruffy beard he's been working on - now been phased out entirely - doesn't really point to happy fun times in Tesla land. In the movie Startup.com, Tom Herman is - GovWorks.com co-founder - is CTO - constantly changes his beard styling - gets the boot entirely after offering to take some time off... Read more →

LED Lighting? I'm Not So Sure

I put up LED Christmas lights last December, after calculating that they would pay for themselves after just three Christmas seasons through savings in electricity. Now some hardware stores are selling LED desklamps -- pricey, but again there is the promise of electricity cost savings over the long term. I got a cheap version at London Drugs. From Logiix, for $15. It's a 10 LED lamp that plugs into a computer's USB port. I often work early mornings and late evenings, and I though this might be good for providing illumination of the keyboard. I don't use it anymore. Here's... Read more →

HSBC - Not Your Local Bank

A drug addict friend is on his way to recovery, has a job, and wants to open a bank acct. Right now I act as his bank, doling out to him $20 at every few days, so he's not tempted to blow his entire paycheque on a one-day binge of crack. He wants to open an acct at HSBC, because that's where his boss has his acct. Since he lost his car, this would make it convenient to deposit the paycheque with his boss. Since he works long hours, he can only open the account on Saturdays. Last Saturday I... Read more →

It Pays to Shop Around

After my wife dragged me to Chapters last night (that wasn't so bad, I came away with more books than her), I said we needed to visit Best Buy as retribution. I found some significant variations in pricing. Our fm transmitter (for hooking mp3 players to the car stereo) is starting to wear out, and so I was shopping for prices. Our old one cost $30 and I was shocked to see the cheapest at Best Buy (in Canada) costing $50-$60. Across the street at Wal-Mart, the cheapest was $20. At Best Buy, I found my birthday present. I've been... Read more →

Our Computers To Stop Working This Year - EMC

We're chuckling over data storage company EMC's scare tactic in (pardon the pun) scaring up new customers. It paid "research" firm IDC to write a whitepaper with the following conclusion: In 2007 the amount of information created will surpass, for the first time, the storage capacity available. Now, THAT's funny. Sometime later this year, perhaps this summer: * My digital camera will stop working -- because the memory card is full! * My MP3 player will stop working -- because it's tiny hard drive is full! * My desktop computer will stop working -- because its four hard drives are... Read more →

F-22s Bugged by International Date Line

Daily Tech's Brandon Hill explains in Lockheed's F-22 Raptor Gets Zapped by International Date Line how computers on the world's mightiest jet fighter crashed crossing the International Date Line, on a trip from Hawaii to Japan. I was not surprised to read that. Buggy IDL code exists in plane (pardon the pun) view on those Web sites that graphically track the progress of passenger flights. When the yellow line tracking the airplane's progress across the Pacific Ocean crosses the date line, the line suddenly veers to the extreme east of the map, and then shoots back to the IDL. I've... Read more →

10 Reasons to Not Buy Vista

Mike Elgan of Computerworld gives you six reasons to not buy Vista: Wait! Don't Buy Microsoft Windows Vista. 1 Thru 6 His six reasons for not buying Vista are as follows: #1. Vista Is Incomplete -- it doesn't include all drivers needed for your computer. #2. Vista Is Expensive -- at US$399; higher elsewhere. #3. Vista Wants a New PC -- your current computer's hardware is insufficient. #4. Vista Is Time-Consuming -- in installing and upgrading software and hardware. #5. Windows XP Isn't Obsolete -- Vista doesn't solve any existing problems. For example, to run Autodesk software on Vista, you... Read more →

DHL Sucks

An advertiser pays me by cheque, sent by DHL courier. It doesn't arrive. The advertiser passes on to me this log from DHL: 1/4/2007 3:48 pm Delivery Attempted. Please Call 1-888-273-8876. Axxxxxx, Canada Odd. There was no delivery attempt notice left at the door. In any case, someone was here all day. I call 888-273-8876. The automated message assures me that delivery is DHL's top priority, and then asks me to enter my 5-digit ZIP code. Here in Canada, we have 6-character postal codes. I press 0 to get an operator. No response. I enter my postal code on the... Read more →

Why Upgrades Are No Longer Popular

Over on my WorldCAD Access blog, I give two reasons Why Upgrades Are No Longer Popular: 1. Software has become good enough. 2. Disruption has become a negative. Read more →