Windows Mobile 6.1 Firmware – Sprint Mogul

I updated my phone with a developer version of the firmware.  The production release was issued 8.6.2008 and the link below matches the exact rev I have installed on my phone.

I found the following benefits of the firmware:

• NO SYSTEM RESETS.  None, since the firmware update.
• Device certs for ActiveSync support (future requirement for my company for security)
• Longer battery life (this is more qualitative, but it is noticeably better)
• Text messages conversations are threaded
• Eliminated occasional problems I had answering calls when phone locked
• Java updated – Google Mail application works
• GPS application support enabled – works with Google Maps real time
• Did I mention NO SYSTEM RESETS?

There are probably some other issues, but these are ones I know off the top of my head.

Also, I had a local problem with ActiveSync that I resolved with help from Sandy Dahri.  Details on link below .  The root cause appears to be a beta release of Microsoft Desktop Search 4.0.

Windows Mobile 6.1 for Mogul - Sprint

http://www.htc.com/us/SupportDownloadList.aspx?p_id=75&cat=all

ActiveSync problem fix

http://www.paulbegley.com/2008/07/office-2007-and-activesync-45-problems.htm

Technorati Tags: HTC,Sprint,Microsoft,mobile,firmware,ActiveSync

Gmail's Temporary Error

Gmail's Temporary Error

This is a follow-up to my screen shot (which didn't post from w.bloggar) yesterday. I'll update to a single post, but basically, Google had a pretty widespread hiccup.

Google Mail is doing bad things. This is the first time I have experienced this issue.

Writers Rooms, How We Work, and library catalogs

 

The links below are from the Guardian, a blog, and library.thing.com.  I found the original material on Metafilter.  The Guardian article is my favorite, and includes pictures and background information on famous writers offices.  I don't know if you would call them offices per se, but it's interesting because it is where they did the bulk of their work.  Some were shacks detached from their homes, others were rooms in the homes, some were separate offices.  Either way, they are interesting because most used pen and paper, or typewriters to write.

The How We Work are interesting as well.

One of the things I find interesting is how the professional writers (Hemingway, etc) approached writing like a job, they blocked out time on a regular (daily, weekly) basis, and approached it in a methodical fashion. The same is true of Kerouac, despite the impression people have that he wrote "On The Road" as a steady stream of unedited prose.

Writers Rooms
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/writersrooms

How We Work - quotes from artists, writers, and musicians (creative types)
http://rodcorp.typepad.com/rodcorp/2004/12/how_we_work.html

I See Dead People['s Books] - A group for those interested and involved in entering the library catalogs of famous readers.
http://www.librarything.com/groups/iseedeadpeoplesbooks

 

Technorati Tags: literature,creativity,office,process

What McCain Should Do Next - WSJ.com

What McCain Should Do Next - WSJ.com

Karl Rove should be in jail for contempt of Congress. Aside from that he is also full of crap. I find it hard to believe he compares McCain to Calvin Coolidge. My observation is that the Republican's seem to think that if they state something often enough, it becomes a fact. I am concerned that the media is not holding McCain to the same standards they have held previous Democrats. Remember the furor about Theresa Heinz Kerry's finances? I haven't seen the same scruteny over Cindy McCain's beer distribution company, particularly since Budweiser was sold to InBev, a Belgian company.

Quote from Rove Op Ed:

Then there's character. Mr. McCain is the most private person to run for president since Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s. He needs to share (or allow others to share) more about him, especially his faith. The McCain and Obama campaigns are mirror opposites. Mr. McCain offers little biography, while Mr. Obama is nothing but.

Character? Is he talking about McCain? The same guy who married his current wife while his first wife was still recuperating from a serious car accident? From public records, it also appears that he married Cindy before his divorce was final. Is this character?

Private Person? Is he really talking about McCain? I recently saw him on Saturday Night Live. Below are a list of his film credits and TV appearances. This list is courtesy of IMDB and Donklephant. I particularly liked the Frontline production "Karl Rove: The Architect"

“Today” …. Himself (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
… aka NBC News Today (USA: promotional title)
… aka The Today Show (USA)
- Episode dated 21 July 2008 (2008) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 28 December 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself

“Late Night with Conan O’Brien” …. Himself / … (3 episodes, 2004-2008)
… aka Late Night with Conan O’Brien (Australia)
- Episode dated 18 July 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Herself
- Episode dated 25 May 2005 (2005) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 27 May 2004 (2004) TV episode …. Himself

“Entertainment Tonight” …. Himself (2 episodes, 2008)
… aka E.T. (USA: informal title)
… aka ET Weekend (Australia: weekend title)
… aka Entertainment This Week (weekend title)
… aka This Week in Entertainment (USA: weekend title)
- Episode dated 4 June 2008 (2008) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 9 May 2008 (2008) TV episode …. Himself

“Saturday Night Live” …. Himself / … (2 episodes, 2002-2008)
… aka NBC’s Saturday Night (USA: first season title)
… aka SNL (USA: informal title)
… aka SNL 25 (USA: alternative title)
… aka Saturday Night (USA: second season title)
… aka Saturday Night Live ‘80 (USA: sixth season title)
… aka The Best of Saturday Night Live (USA: rerun title)
- Steve Carell/Usher (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Himself
- Senator John McCain/The White Stripes (2002) TV episode …. Himself - Host

“Live with Regis and Kathie Lee” …. Himself (1 episode, 2008)
… aka Live with Regis (USA: new title)
… aka Live with Regis & Kelly (USA: new title)
- Episode dated 14 May 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Himself

“The O’Reilly Factor” …. Himself (4 episodes, 2005-2008)
- Episode dated 9 May 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 8 May 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 27 December 2007 (2007) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 26 July 2005 (2005) TV episode …. Himself

“The Daily Show” …. Himself (12 episodes, 2001-2008)
… aka A Daily Show with Jon Stewart (USA: new title)
… aka Jon Stewart (Australia)
… aka The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (USA: new title)
… aka The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Global Edition (International: English title: cut version)
- Episode dated 7 May 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 16 August 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 24 April 2007 (2007) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 24 July 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 4 April 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
(7 more)

“WWF Raw Is War” …. Himself (1 episode, 2008)
… aka Raw Is War (USA: short title)
… aka WWE Monday Night RAW (USA: new title)
… aka WWE Raw (USA: new title)
… aka WWF Raw (USA: new title)
- Episode dated 21 April 2008 (2008) TV episode …. Himself

“The View” …. Himself (2 episodes, 2005-2008)
- Episode dated 10 April 2008 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 8 November 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen. John McClain) …. Himself

“Late Show with David Letterman” …. Himself / … (8 episodes, 2001-2008)
… aka Late Show Backstage (USA: title for episodes with guest hosts)
… aka Letterman (Australia)
… aka The Late Show (USA: informal short title)
- Episode #15.90 (2008) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Himself - Guest
- Episode #15.41 (2008) TV episode …. Himself - Pre-taped segment/’Late Show Candidate Spotlight’
- Episode #15.40 (2008) TV episode …. Himself - Pre-taped segment/’Late Show Candidate Spotlight’
- Episode dated 28 February 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 9 February 2006 (2006) TV episode …. Himself
(3 more)

“IFC News: 2008 Uncut” …. Himself (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
- Episode #1.10 (2008) TV episode …. Himself
- Introducing the Circus (2007) TV episode …. Himself

“Larry King Live” …. Himself (9 episodes, 2004-2008)
- Jon McCain (2008) TV episode …. Himself
- With President Bush address Tonight (2007) TV episode …. Himself
- Sen. John McCain (2007) TV episode …. Himself
- Sen John McCain (2007) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 10 January 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself
(4 more)

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” …. Himself / … (10 episodes, 2001-2008)
- Episode dated 31 January 2008 (2008) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 29 August 2007 (2007) TV episode (as Senator John McCain) …. Herself
- Episode dated 28 August 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 7 August 2006 (2006) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 18 April 2006 (2006) TV episode …. Himself
(5 more)

CNN/YouTube Republican Debate (2007) (TV) …. Himself
“On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren” …. Himself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 20 September 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself

Darfur Now (2007) …. Himself

“The Situation Room” …. Himself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 5 July 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself

The World Awaits: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather (2007) (TV) (uncredited) …. Himself - Audience Member

“American Morning” …. Himself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 1 May 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself

“The Michael Smerconish Show on MSNBC” …. Himself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 24 April 2007 (2007) TV episode …. Himself

“Face the Nation” …. Himself (4 episodes, 2006)
- Episode dated 24 September 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 9 July 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 7 May 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 15 January 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself

“This Week” …. Himself (5 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Episode dated 17 September 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 13 August 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 2 July 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 26 February 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 18 December 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen John McCain) …. Himself

“Meet the Press” …. Himself (6 episodes, 2003-2006)
… aka Meet the Press with Tim Russert (USA: complete title)
- Episode dated 20 August 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 2 April 2006 (2006) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 4 December 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 19 June 2005 (2005) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 6 June 2004 (2004) TV episode …. Himself
(1 more)

“Hardball with Chris Matthews” …. Himself (2 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Episode dated 14 July 2006 (2006) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 1 March 2005 (2005) TV episode …. Himself

“CNN Live Today” …. Himself (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode dated 8 June 2006 (2006) TV episode …. Himself

Port Town (2006) …. Himself

2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (2006) (TV) …. Himself

Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater (2006) …. Himself

“Tavis Smiley” …. Himself (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode dated 6 January 2006 (2006) TV episode …. Himself

“The Tony Danza Show” …. Himself (1 episode, 2005)
- Episode #2.55 (2005) TV episode …. Himself

“Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith” …. Himself (1 episode, 2005)
- Episode dated 10 November 2005 (2005) TV episode …. Himself

“The Charlie Rose Show” …. Himself (1 episode, 2005)
… aka Charlie Rose (USA: new title)
- Episode dated 31 October 2005 (2005) TV episode …. Himself

“ESPN 25: Who’s #1?” …. Himself (1 episode, 2005)
- The Best World Series (2005) TV episode …. Himself

“Beyond the Glory” …. Himself (1 episode, 2005)
- Ultimate Fighting Championship (2005) TV episode …. Himself

Wedding Crashers (2005) (uncredited) …. Himself

“NBC Nightly News” …. Himself (3 episodes, 2005)
- Episode dated 27 May 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 26 May 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself
- Episode dated 18 May 2005 (2005) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself

“ESPN SportsCentury” …. Himself (1 episode, 2005)
- Pat Tillman (2005) TV episode …. Himself

Missing, Presumed Dead: The Search for America’s POWs (2005)

Why We Fight (2005) …. Himself
… aka Nerf de la guerre, Le (France: TV title)

“60 Minutes” …. Himself (1 episode, 2004)
… aka TV Land Legends: The 60 Minutes Interviews (USA: rerun title)
- Episode dated 31 October 2004 (2004) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself

“Paula Zahn Now” …. Himself (3 episodes, 2004)
- Episode dated 28 September 2004 (2004) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 7 June 2004 (2004) TV episode …. Himself
- Episode dated 23 April 2004 (2004) TV episode …. Himself

“ABC Evening News” …. Himself (1 episode, 2004)
… aka ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings (USA: long new title)
… aka ABC World News with Charles Gibson (USA: new title)
… aka ABC WorldNews Tonight (USA: new title)
… aka Peter Jennings with the News (USA: new title)
- Episode dated 8 April 2004 (2004) TV episode (as Sen John McCain) …. Himself

“ABC News Nightline” …. Himself (1 episode, 2004)
… aka Nightline
- Episode dated 5 April 2004 (2004) TV episode (as Sen. John McCain) …. Himself

“Arizona Highways” (2004) TV series …. Himself (unknown episodes)

“Listen Up! Charles Barkley with Ernie Johnson” …. Himself (1 episode, 2002)
… aka Listen Up! (USA: short title)
- Episode #1.1 (2002) TV episode …. Himself

Lewis Black: Taxed Beyond Belief (2002) (TV) …. Himself

Return with Honor (1998)

Disk Storage Calculations

I just finished a quick design project for a hosted Exchange 2007 infrastructure. In the process, I had to

Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2007

Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries

Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries:

"The top sources of US crude oil imports for May were Canada (1.840 million barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1.579 million barrels per day), Mexico (1.116 million barrels per day), Venezuela (1.030 million barrels per day), and Nigeria (0.851 million barrels per day)."

I found this very interesting. Canada is our single largest source of crude oil, about 17% more than Saudi Arabia. Iraq isn't even in the top five, and if you walk through the list, it's not a very pretty sight. Lots of unstable countries, and countries that are not very friendly with the United States. These include Venezuela, Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, and Libya.

I'm posting and commenting on this list for several reasons.

First, to my friends in Canada. If Karl Rove wants to visit, I highly recommend not letting him into your country. No good can come from a visit by Rove. Double that for McCain, but he was already there and apparently he doesn't realize Canada is a foreign country. I would keep an eye on him. He keeps running ads about off shore drilling and his energy plan. After re-reading through his plan, it's a quick read and requires no technical background, he *may* be considering Canada part of his plan. Again, keep an eye on him.

Next, I don't agree with either party, but at least Obama is using credible technical resources (academic and industry) rather than industry-only.

Here is what I think the US should focus on in the next five to ten years:

• Drill off shore and in ANWAR. By drill, I don't mean pump oil from production wells, perform the studies necessary to accurately estimate the size and scope of any and all reserves in the United States. There is little risk to the environment and it will provide accurate information, currently not available, to make an informed decision.
• Nuclear Power. This has to be revisited. Consider a standard design for reactors, which increases safety and reduces cost. Also, plan to reprocess waste material instead of burying it in a salt mine. It doesn't have to be safe enough for humans to ingest, but somewhere in between. Charter the appropriate scientists to come up with some options and review, and this is not a ten year study, give us your best information within a year. At this point, we will have enough information to make an informed decision. Sound familiar?
• Forget ethanol.  It can’t be pumped, it’s hydrophilic (absorbs water), it’s corrosive, poor net energy, need I go on?
• Forget Hydrogen, at least for now and as a vehicle fuel.  Read “The Hydrogen Myth” and other references.  Look at the specifications for the BMW mixed fuel car – it generates half the performance when using hydrogen fuel.
• Biofuels are viable, just don’t compete with food (use non-food source material), and target generation of diesel or clean burning oils.  I’m quite interested in generating methane and other simple hydrocarbons from algae.
• Wind power generation – there are huge possibilities in some areas of the United States.
• Solar generation – we need tax benefits and contracts to sell back power to local companies at pre-defined rates.  Tax benefits have to be long term to make it a simple decision for homeowners and encourage wide spread adoption.  I’m an engineer and I can barely figure out how to complete energy rebate forms for my new HVAC system installed last year.  One page and you should be able to do the math in your head to figure out the payback and net cost.

 

Technorati Tags: politics,energy

New approach to my web site

I’m taking a mental health break because I should be working on an RFP that is due at noon tomorrow.

Moving forward, I am taking a different approach to my Blog.  I’m not even sure I like the term Blog anymore (although I like the Blogger software/system).  I will still link to sites that have content that interests me, or that is thought provoking, but my new focus is to publish original content or observations for all future posts.  I think it’s the election, but my content will be a combination of politics, technical, personal, and productivity.

I will target 500 words (212 so far), but this will not be a requirement.  The web has reached the point where five people post original content, everyone links to them, and the MLM people still think they can be millionaires working part time from home.  I have reached a  point in my life where I want to add value and not just follow others.

My web sites are hosted on a server I share with friends.  I will be migrating this week and there may be an interruption in service while DNS updates, but the new server is bigger, better, faster, and I am looking forward to the transition.

 

Technorati Tags: personal,blogging,hardware

END_OF_NT_EVALUATION_PERIOD

Sarah is taking the HP TX1110US laptop back to school in August.  Last week she mentioned that the system was mysteriously shutting down after about an hour or so.  I tried to ignore the problem, but I wanted to image the system before I installed XP.

I reset the System configuration so it would not automatically restart.  An hour later, the BOSD shows the event END_OF_NT_EVALUATION_PERIOD. 

This can’t be a Good Thing.  I Google (yes, it’s a verb).  Don’t find much, but I dug around TechNet and found that this can be generated if you installed a beta of Windows Vista SP1.  Crap.  Yeah, I did that, and never updated (well, I thought I updated…).

I uninstalled SP1, restarted (three step count down to complete the uninstall).  After restart, I used Vista Windows Update and painfully re-installed the pre-SP1 fixes, SP1, post-SP1, and just for good measure the latest security fixes as well as some HP specific hardware driver updates.

NOW the system is up and running.  I will image (Acronis is my friend), and install XP (yes, a legit license I have from my IBM Z-Pro workstations which are now running Windows Server 2003 R2 and Windows 2008 Server.

Technorati Tags: Vista,backup,BSOD

Hunter S. Thompson’s 9.12.2001 Essay predicted the future

Fear & Loathing in America

This essay by Hunter S. Thompson was published September 12th, 2001. I'm not sure how I missed the original article. Hunter S. Thompson was prescient.  Thirty years ago, he was the first person I read to realize that Jimmy Carter would win the presidential election (Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Rolling Stone, 1975) and in 2001, he was the first person to predict the reaction of the Bush Administration.

Given the state of the nation in 2008, I think this article bears reading. Everything Thompson said, possibly including the death tolls from 9/11, was entirely accurate. I was mildly amused by his description of President Bush II:

This is going to be a very expensive war, and Victory is not guaranteed -- for anyone, and certainly not for anyone as baffled as George W. Bush. All he knows is that his father started the war a long time ago, and that he, the goofy child-President, has been chosen by Fate and the global Oil industry to finish it Now. He will declare a National Security Emergency and clamp down Hard on Everybody, no matter where they live or why. If the guilty won't hold up their hands and confess, he and the Generals will ferret them out by force.

Technorati Tags: politics,Thompson,Bush,terrorism

The upside to FISA and government monitoring

 

Technorati Tags: politics,privacy

Office 2007 and ActiveSync 4.5 Problems

ActiveSync stopped doing a bi-directional synchronization with my Sprint HTC Mogul a few weeks ago (naturally before I went on vacation). 

I never discovered the root cause of the problem, but it may have been a combination of Microsoft Desktop Search 4.0 beta, my Outlook profile, and my being very busy and not sorting out the problem when I noticed the synch stopped working.

Around the same time, Outlook generated an error on opening that stated it was not the default Mail Client, even though the option was properly set.

Problem: ActiveSync would not synchronize Outlook with my HTC Mogul.  Period.  End of story.  Not even thinking considering it.  ActiveSync would connect properly, display the proper count for Contact items (934!), the count would jump to 100/934, then complete and go to Calendar without any Contacts being copied.

I reset the phone, still no joy.

Finally, Sandy suggested I delete the contents of \Windows\Messaging on the device. 

This worked!

Resolving the default client error was resolved by a re-install of Office 2007.  All my settings were saved, including my Outlook Profiles, it was just inconvenient.

I also upgraded the HTC Mogul to Windows Mobile 6.1 (Developers build downloaded from third party site, not HTC or Sprint).  It’s a very nice upgrade and I’ll post after I have it running for a few weeks.

 

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Office,ActiveSync

ScanGaugeII - Trip Computers + Digital Gauges + Scan Tool

ScanGaugeII - Trip Computers + Digital Gauges + Scan Tool

The hypermilers have made mainstream news, and this is A Good Thing. However, I fear too many people did not pay attention in Physics class (if they took Physics at all).

In my Saab 92x Aero (2.0 liter turbo, five speed manual transmission), I have increased my average mileage from 22-24 mpg to 26-28 mpg in mixed driving. We also have a Chrysler Town & Country LXI van that gets high teens in local driving. On long trips, without stuff on the roof (bodies, bicycles, Sears roof carriers), we have gotten as high as 25mpg.

I think I can do better, but I need more information, so I ordered a Scan Gauge II. This is an add-on interface you plug into the existing OBCII interface built into every car after 1996. It offers a superset of the features available in most car computers (trip computer, digital gauges, and a scan tool. The scan tool displays any faults and allows you to clear them as well (check engine light...).

Reviews have been very good and if I increase mileage by 10% in my cars, the Scan Gauge will pay for itself in less than a year.

I will post an update and detailed review after the first month of use.

Slaughterhouse 1945

http://www.newsweek.com/id/143739/output/print

This is a letter from Kurt Vonnegut to his family when he was a POW in Nazi Germany in 1945.   It’s an amazing letter and is included in a collection of writings on war and peace, “Armageddon in Retrospect”. 

The timing of the book, as the US enters it’s fifth year of war in Iraq, is fortunate.  The more people read about the horror of war, the less it is sanitized and glamorized. 

Technorati Tags: Vonnegut,war,books

Lousiana Science Education Act - setting Science Education back 100 years

streamdocument.asp (application/pdf Object)

OK, all you centers of higher education, please note that the next generation of Lousiana graduates will require remedial Science studies before they can compete with other students.

In a baldly political move, they have added language directing teachers to

"...create and foster an environment that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

Human cloning isn't a theory. And none of these issues are controversial within the scientific community.

As I have stated before, we have Scientific Method. If anyone has a theory, they should publish a paper describing a contradictory view for peer review. If the view is valid, the prevailing theory will be updated to reflect new findings.

Intelligent Design, Creationism, and other 'theories' are not scientific. There have been no scientific papers published for peer review on any of these topics, so they should be limited to religious or philosophical classes, not Science.

Citizen Kubrick | Features | guardian.co.uk Film

Citizen Kubrick - Guardian Film

I used to get the Guardian (and a bunch of other newspapers) each Sunday while we lived in Ireland. It's a great paper, and this article is a great article about Stanley Kubrick, one of my favorite directors.

Dr. Strangelove is one of my favorite films. A discussion spontaneously started about the film at lunch one day. Everyone at the table had seen Dr. Strangelove, in four different languages no less. How many films are there that everyone has seen, and in multiple languages?

The Guardian article has some very interesting details about how Kubrick worked and I'll have to dig around to see if there is a Kubrick biography available.

Register for SolarWinds Exchange Monitor v1.0.1

Register for SolarWinds Exchange Monitor v1.0.1

Very interesting monitor application from Solar Winds that supports Exchange 2000 and 2003 (sadly, not Exchange 2007). It monitors queue lengths and high level performance stats for the server (disk space, CPU and Memory utilization).

The Kozinski mess (Lessig Blog)

The Kozinski mess (Lessig Blog)

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski is in the news a lot this week. Lawrence Lessig is a lawyer who focuses on computer issues and he has posted an insightful article with a lot of details that have been overlooked by traditional television and print media.

My take on Judge Kozinski is that he is a victim of a defendant who has been trying to discredit him. Read the article (and comments) and make your own decision.

I wish the news media had less pressure to publish crap, more insight into technology issues, and better editorial oversight. Maybe next year...

Letters - Evolution and Creationism in Schools - Letter - NYTimes.com

Letters - Evolution and Creationism in Schools - Letter - NYTimes.com

This is a letter to the editor from Ivan Schuller, a professor of physics at UC San Diego. I quote extensively because I feel he summarized my view of Creationism versus Evolution so succinctly.

The scientific method has well- defined rules by which we decide whether a solution to a scientific problem is correct or not. It is not that we believe or have the opinion that a certain solution is correct — we prove it scientifically one way or another.

Thus there are right and wrong solutions that may seem unfair, undemocratic and elitist. But this is how science advances and produces the marvelous technological developments that surround us. And this is not a belief. It is a fact.

Ben Stein's Expelled Exposed: Scientific American

Ben Stein's Expelled Exposed: Scientific American

The article, details Ben Stein interview of Michael Shermer for the movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed". I am shocked that Stein, a lawyer and generally intelligent guy, was so focused on supporting ID that it impacted his ability to interview Shermer. Generally, the interview process for journalists is very much like Scientific Method - process the information provided in an interview of a subject matter expert and include it in the movie.

The level of detail about the interview gives additional insight into Stein's decent into madness, and I echo the last sentence - "... will anyone take Ben Stein seriously again?".

Phoenix Lander photographs

Phoenix News

Another awesome picture of the Phoenix landing. This photo was taken from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Other pictures include the crater with Phoenix decending. And an annotated shot of the Phoenix lander, heat shield, and parachute.

Real estate agents debate local statistics

Real estate agents debate local statistics:

Overall, I feel that Realtors lobby to protect their vested interests. However, this article, from Press of Atlantic City includes an interesting quote from Bruce E. Breunig. I commend him for his insight and honesty.

"Bruce E. Breunig Jr., broker at Century 21 Alliance in Margate, admitted that 'we Realtors remain part of the problem. We blame the media for fueling the downturn and try to counterbalance it with our own positive spin.'

Breunig had a theory as to why the NAR survey shows rising prices locally that real estate agents aren't seeing.

The Realtor survey tracks median home prices, the price at which half of all sales were for more, half for less.

The subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent credit crunch have made it far more difficult for low-end buyers to get a mortgage, he said, which has reduced the number of low-end sales. The homes that sell are then disproportionately from the upper half of the market, artificially raising the median price.

The other survey with local home prices, from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, avoids this kind of distortion by tracking price changes at particular properties.

For the fourth quarter of 2007, the OFHEO survey said Atlantic City area prices fell 1 percent, even as the Realtor survey showed them rising 10.7 percent in the same period."

The Phoenix Mission - photos from Mars

I don't have time to comment yet, but The Phoenix Mission is awesome.  There was minimal coverage on the news (in my opinion), but the photos from the University of Arizona site are incredible.

As a kid, I got up early and watched every space launch.  When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, I thought the video was too good to be real, and at first I thought it was some form of animation.

I only hope that in 2008, there are still kids with that level of interest who seek out sites like this and watch the NASA channel (cable TV or online...).

Technorati Tags: science,space,Mars,photography

Olympus W-10 Voice Album Software

I just went on a search of the Internet to find software for my Olympus W-10 digital recorder and camera.  I found some rip-off usb-drivers.com download site that requires you to register for dozens of what appear to be SPAM sources.  BTW - I registered Karl Rove at whitehouse.gov and that appeared to work, but even then I got into a circular loop and never got to the driver download.

Anyhow, to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else, I found my original driver CD and Zipped all the files so everyone can have them.

BTW - these are not available on any Olympus support site, and I realize this device is at least 8 years old, so I'm posting them for general consumption and will contact Olympus.

Olympus Voice Album W-10 Software

Technorati Tags: software,hardware,drivers,download

Ride of Silence - Mount Laurel, NJ

Ride of Silence is a silent, slow ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. 

I'm leading a Ride of Silence in Mount Laurel, NJ.  We will meet in the corner of the Shop-Rite parking lot at the intersection of Union Mill Road and Elbo Lane.  I posted a Ride of Silence Ride on my Ride List list.  It is currently 11 miles, and I may cut it down under 10 miles, but it will be some variation of the ride posted and it will be on rural roads with relatively light traffic.

It is suggested that we wear black arm bands on the ride and I require that all participants wear a helmet.  The ride is scheduled for twelve miles at a target speed of 12mph.  Think of this ride as meditation and reflection.  The ride is for anyone and everyone who rides a bike, and the ride will be short enough and flat enough that you can ride just about any bike - hybrids, mountain bikes, single speeds, cruisers.  Kids are welcome as well, but if they are under 18, a parent should ride with them.  My daughters and possibly the local Scout Troop may participate.

If a lot of people show up on Wednesday, we may split the ride up into 2-3 groups for safety.

DATE: May 21, 2008
TIME: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Mount Laurel, NJ

Towne Square Center
892 Union Mill Road
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

 

Technorati Tags: bicycle

Gas Prices - what's the fuss?

Businesses are significantly impacted by the price of gas, particularly trucking, but I am tired of hearing news outlets incessantly beating the drum about the price for regular gas.

I maintain that for every dollar increase in the price of gasoline, the cost to the average consumer is $50 per month.

The average person in the United States drives 12,000 miles per year.  The average car gets 20 mpg.  At this rate, they buy 600 gallons of gas per year.

12000 miles per year/20 miles per gallon = 600 gallons/year

The price of gas has increased about $1 per gallon since last year, so this is $600 per year or $600/12 = $50 per month.

I'm more concerned about the increase in the price of cream for my coffee, which has almost doubled in the past year.  Bread and other staples have increased at an alarming pace, and quite frankly, I spend quite a bit more on food than gasoline in a month.

$50 per month is less than the cable bill for most households.  $50 per month is less than my than my home water/sewer bill. $50 per month is less than I spend on coffee.

Every time I see the news on TV, they lead with the price of gasoline.  I don't care about the price of gas, I care about health insurance, food, education, and my local taxes.  $50 per month is a rounding error on my monthly budget, not something that I need to hear about every night.

 

Technorati Tags: economy,energy,news

:: rogerebert.com :: Answer Man (xhtml)

:: rogerebert.com :: Answer Man (xhtml):


Roger Ebert has had multiple, disfiguring surgeries to treat his recurring cancer. He is disfigured from the cancer and surgeries, but he is still a public figure, and I think its a powerful message for people.

"Q. Readers want to know if the Movie Answer Man is too PC to review 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed'?
Ruddy Spencer, Tucson, Ariz.

A. The last I heard, it is not considered Politically Correct to agree with Darwin. I think it is more like, oh, intelligent."

Exchange Server 2007 Prerequisite Updates

Exchange Server 2007 Prerequisite Updates

This is a good overview of the Exchange 2007 pre-requisites for the various Exchange roles (including Unified Messaging, Edge, x86, x64, and Admin Tools).

I have been traveling quite a bit the past month and am using my spare time (what's that?) setting up a virtual AD/Exchange/SharePoint environment on my laptop. The goal is to hone my PowerShell and admin skills and perform proof-of-concept testing.

Katie Begley Passes Her NJ Drivers Exam

The Begley Family congratulates Katie on her achievement and will be issuing a formal warning to drivers and law enforcement agencies in the tri-state area (including NJ, PA, and DE).

The US Government has not released a formal acknowledgement of this event and the United States government's national thread level remains at Elevated, or Chartreuse.  There has also been no reaction from US financial markets .

Katie excels at parallel parking and she invites small children and pets to return to the Virginia Lane Park and Parallel Parking Test Zone in Mount Laurel starting this afternoon.

Geico will be notified this evening, and our umbrella coverage will be increased accordingly.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed - Movie - Review - The New York Times

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed - Movie - Review - The New York Times

One of the sleaziest documentaries to arrive in a very long time, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” is a conspiracy-theory rant masquerading as investigative inquiry.

 

I haven't read a movie review in the NYT that was quite this direct. Although I admire Ben Stein as a writer and his business sense, I feel he has either been led astray, or lost his mind. His participation in, and support for "Expelled" is a public disservice and humiliation.

My one observation and request for anyone who backs (un)Intelligent Design, or Creationism, is to ask them to submit a scientific paper supporting thier view for peer review and publication. That's it. To date, no one has published any paper supporting ID. I have only read statements to the effect that it is futile because the scientific community is out to get them.

That is crap, and there are lots of examples of papers published that initially were scoffed at, but after peer review, found to be credible. One example was a scientist, Barry Marshall, who believed that some ulcers were the result of bacteria in the stomach and they could be cured through the use of antibiotics. The researcher infected himself, documented the process, and found that antibiotics cured the self-inflicted ulcer. This was sometime around 1984.  In the early 90's, one of my co-workers at the time had the same treatment (which was experimental} and she had to shop around for a doctor who would treat her.

Update to my original post.  I added Barry Marshall's name, the date of his original research, and a link to Expelled Exposed.