The wife an I went to the movies this afternoon. We went to see This Means War. It's a really fun movie. There's some good action and a LOT of laughter. It's a good balance between action flick and chick flick.
But that's not what I'm posting about. I'm posting about one of the previews.
The preview came up and appeared to be a period piece. There were shots of Abraham Lincoln and it seemed like it was going to be about him but something was off. They didn't seem to be playing it as a dramatically interpreted biopic. I couldn't put my finger on it but it just wasn't right.
The final scene of the trailer had someone on top of a moving train swinging a long-handled ax around like he was Darth Maul. Then I realized the someone was Abraham Lincoln. WTH? Fade to black and shimmer and flare in the signature of Abraham Lincoln.
The ENTIRE auditorium burst into laughter as the words "Vampire Hunter" appeared in red text under the signature. I'm not making this up. Check out the entry at IMDB. Watch the trailer while you're there.
Showing posts with label WTF?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WTF?. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
How We Got Screwed At Sears.com
My wife ordered a small storage building with home delivery from sears.com in mid October to replace one that was damaged in a thunderstorm.
Two weeks later she called to find out why the shed had not been delivered yet. She spoke with online services who dropped the call trying to transfer her to e-commerce. She called back and her call was dropped *again*. She was finally connected with e-commerce who attempted to pass her back to online services. Can you imagine her mood at this point? It gets worse.
She managed to keep the agent from transferring her and found out that the order had simply not been completed. When he tried to re-establish the request with delivery services he found there were no more available in the warehouses for them to deliver.
To his credit he managed to work a refund and reorder of the same product for home delivery but it encumbered over $600 of our liquid assets until the refund completed processing. I literally had to wait until the refund was deposited to go buy groceries.
She received notice that the shed was to be delivered Monday, November 7. Nobody showed, nobody called, we just didn't have our product. She called to check the status and was given a revised delivery date of Wednesday, November 9. Guess what? Nobody showed up to deliver our shed. Nobody called us. We received no email. We got nothin' just like before.
When my wife called delivery services to find out why our shed had not been delivered she was told the order had been cancelled. When she inquired why, she was told it was cancelled by online services and delivery services had no idea why. After being transferred to online services she was told, by a supervisor, they had no idea why it was cancelled and she needed to talk to delivery services.
This is a completely unacceptable way to do business. Not only are we both quite angry that our hard-earned money has been jockeyed around and we do not have the product we paid for - twice, we are extremely disgusted with the lack of customer service from a company as large as Sears. I thought we were ordering a product from a trustworthy source but that seems not to be the case.
Would I recommend sears.com to a friend, family or colleague? There's not a chance in hell that's going to happen. As a matter of fact, I doubt I will shop at Sears retail locations.
Two weeks later she called to find out why the shed had not been delivered yet. She spoke with online services who dropped the call trying to transfer her to e-commerce. She called back and her call was dropped *again*. She was finally connected with e-commerce who attempted to pass her back to online services. Can you imagine her mood at this point? It gets worse.
She managed to keep the agent from transferring her and found out that the order had simply not been completed. When he tried to re-establish the request with delivery services he found there were no more available in the warehouses for them to deliver.
To his credit he managed to work a refund and reorder of the same product for home delivery but it encumbered over $600 of our liquid assets until the refund completed processing. I literally had to wait until the refund was deposited to go buy groceries.
She received notice that the shed was to be delivered Monday, November 7. Nobody showed, nobody called, we just didn't have our product. She called to check the status and was given a revised delivery date of Wednesday, November 9. Guess what? Nobody showed up to deliver our shed. Nobody called us. We received no email. We got nothin' just like before.
When my wife called delivery services to find out why our shed had not been delivered she was told the order had been cancelled. When she inquired why, she was told it was cancelled by online services and delivery services had no idea why. After being transferred to online services she was told, by a supervisor, they had no idea why it was cancelled and she needed to talk to delivery services.
This is a completely unacceptable way to do business. Not only are we both quite angry that our hard-earned money has been jockeyed around and we do not have the product we paid for - twice, we are extremely disgusted with the lack of customer service from a company as large as Sears. I thought we were ordering a product from a trustworthy source but that seems not to be the case.
Would I recommend sears.com to a friend, family or colleague? There's not a chance in hell that's going to happen. As a matter of fact, I doubt I will shop at Sears retail locations.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Awwww Rats!
Some say life is a rat race. I couldn't agree more. The last few weeks have certainly made me feel as if I am running around a maze just hoping I'll stumble upon the exit. I was shoved into the maze and the door was locked behind me. I have run into and overcome a few obstacles, run into a dead end or two, and found new obstacles to overcome. At the moment, my future is in the hands of others. I can certainly choose a direction but whether or not the obstacles are lowered or doors are unlocked is completely out of my control.
I was involuntarily released from my employment on August 20. The short version is that my direct supervisor and I had communication difficulties. These difficulties led to unspoken expectations on both sides and preconceived resentments on both sides. The end result was that by the time we realized this and started to work beyond the obstacles the damage had been done and I could no longer be effective in my position. I was in the position for two years. The story is, of course, much deeper and much more detailed but when you boil it all down, those are the basics.
My aunt passed away on September 12th from what started as breast cancer. She had been in remission but they found tumors in her spine and pelvis. In the end there was one in her brain, too. My mother had gone to visit after she had been taken to the hospital and was on a respirator. My dad couldn't go since he had broken his leg and had almost no mobility. The wife and I spent the last part of August in KC helping him get around then I went back over Labor Day for a couple of days because I was the only one available.
I've been fighting a mistake in my dismissal that caused me to be unable to apply for any jobs at my previous place of employment. That part got resolved on Wednesday but it also caused me to be denied unemployment benefits. Now that it's corrected on one end, I'm waiting to hear on the benefits appeal. It's so frustrating having to take a potato and wait.
Looking for jobs is depressing and distressing. Most of what I'm finding in my field (which ain't much at all compared to 3 years ago) is for application developers - which I'm not. Some others are scaring me off because they're above my skill level. Most of what's left is call center work which I would prefer not to go back to. It's hard to find two jobs a week to apply for under those circumstances.
Overall, though, we are re-normalizing. We have more meals at home. We think twice, then reconsider and finally have to make a fourth go-round before we buy anything (bathroom tissue is always a yes). I ended my garage sale habit on August 21st. I would like to say I'm getting a lot of projects done around the house but between the traveling and the appealing and the job searching there just hasn't been time. I'll get a round tiut one of these days and make things happen. I already got part of the kitchen cleaned up.
My mood is pretty good. I tend to be optimistic about things. Even though I got fired I still learned a lot of indelible lessons about me, about my abilities, and about where the shortcomings in my performance hindered me (I plan to work on those). It has come to me, though, that with all of the roadblocks I stumbled across my destiny no longer lies at OSU and there is a high probability it no longer belongs in Stillwater.
Time will tell but we know this time not to move too far from our support system - that didn't turn out so well the last time we did that.
I was involuntarily released from my employment on August 20. The short version is that my direct supervisor and I had communication difficulties. These difficulties led to unspoken expectations on both sides and preconceived resentments on both sides. The end result was that by the time we realized this and started to work beyond the obstacles the damage had been done and I could no longer be effective in my position. I was in the position for two years. The story is, of course, much deeper and much more detailed but when you boil it all down, those are the basics.
My aunt passed away on September 12th from what started as breast cancer. She had been in remission but they found tumors in her spine and pelvis. In the end there was one in her brain, too. My mother had gone to visit after she had been taken to the hospital and was on a respirator. My dad couldn't go since he had broken his leg and had almost no mobility. The wife and I spent the last part of August in KC helping him get around then I went back over Labor Day for a couple of days because I was the only one available.
I've been fighting a mistake in my dismissal that caused me to be unable to apply for any jobs at my previous place of employment. That part got resolved on Wednesday but it also caused me to be denied unemployment benefits. Now that it's corrected on one end, I'm waiting to hear on the benefits appeal. It's so frustrating having to take a potato and wait.
Looking for jobs is depressing and distressing. Most of what I'm finding in my field (which ain't much at all compared to 3 years ago) is for application developers - which I'm not. Some others are scaring me off because they're above my skill level. Most of what's left is call center work which I would prefer not to go back to. It's hard to find two jobs a week to apply for under those circumstances.
Overall, though, we are re-normalizing. We have more meals at home. We think twice, then reconsider and finally have to make a fourth go-round before we buy anything (bathroom tissue is always a yes). I ended my garage sale habit on August 21st. I would like to say I'm getting a lot of projects done around the house but between the traveling and the appealing and the job searching there just hasn't been time. I'll get a round tiut one of these days and make things happen. I already got part of the kitchen cleaned up.
My mood is pretty good. I tend to be optimistic about things. Even though I got fired I still learned a lot of indelible lessons about me, about my abilities, and about where the shortcomings in my performance hindered me (I plan to work on those). It has come to me, though, that with all of the roadblocks I stumbled across my destiny no longer lies at OSU and there is a high probability it no longer belongs in Stillwater.
Time will tell but we know this time not to move too far from our support system - that didn't turn out so well the last time we did that.
Friday, January 15, 2010
I Cannot Say This Enough
Digital Rights Management is pure, simple and total BULLSHIT. It doesn't stop anyone from copying any digital content, it punishes the honest and encourages honest people to be dishonest.
I got a copy of Terminator Salvation on Blu Ray for Christmas. It includes a digital copy. This evening I popped the disc in to activate/download the digital copy so I could transfer it to my Zune. There's an activation code and, according to the instructions sheet, it's easy as 1-2-3.
1. Insert the DVD into your computer. 2. When prompted, enter the authorization code. 3. Follow the instructions to get your digital copy.
Step one went as planned and it has just gone to hell from there.
First, I was prompted to choose between an iTunes or Windows Media Player version. A little research and I find that I can't use the WMP version because the Zune isn't a "Play's For Sure" device. (Side note: I've always found it ironic that a Microsoft device is unable to play files in a Microsoft format if it is protected with Microsoft DRM) I decided to choose the iTunes version because there is a chance the Zune will be able to play it and, if not, I'm about 99% sure the iPod can.
Installer: I'm sorry, you don't have iTunes installed.
Me: There's a reason for that. I don't really need it and, frankly, I don't really want it installed.
Installer: Well, if you want the iTunes version of this content you'll need to install iTunes.
I installed iTunes.
iTunes: I see you're trying to activate a digital copy of a movie (iTunes sounds suspiciously like clippy). May I have your activation code, please.
Me: Sure, it's 9N**********
iTunes: Great. Now, may I have your Apple ID so I can verify your code?
Me: I don't think I have an Apple ID.
iTunes: No problem. You can use your AOL screen name and password.
Me: You GOTTA be fracking kidding me. AOL? Really? Didn't they implode, like, ten years ago?
iTunes: Alright, well, you can create an account and you'll have an Apple ID.
Me: What if I don't WANT and Apple ID?
iTunes: Well, if you want the iTunes version of this content you'll need to provide an Apple ID or your AOL screen name.
iTunes: Oh, one more thing. Every time you want to play this file on your computer you will need to give me your ID and password.
Kevin, this one's for you: BULLSHIT! TOTAL BULLSHIT!
I got a copy of Terminator Salvation on Blu Ray for Christmas. It includes a digital copy. This evening I popped the disc in to activate/download the digital copy so I could transfer it to my Zune. There's an activation code and, according to the instructions sheet, it's easy as 1-2-3.
1. Insert the DVD into your computer. 2. When prompted, enter the authorization code. 3. Follow the instructions to get your digital copy.
Step one went as planned and it has just gone to hell from there.
First, I was prompted to choose between an iTunes or Windows Media Player version. A little research and I find that I can't use the WMP version because the Zune isn't a "Play's For Sure" device. (Side note: I've always found it ironic that a Microsoft device is unable to play files in a Microsoft format if it is protected with Microsoft DRM) I decided to choose the iTunes version because there is a chance the Zune will be able to play it and, if not, I'm about 99% sure the iPod can.
Installer: I'm sorry, you don't have iTunes installed.
Me: There's a reason for that. I don't really need it and, frankly, I don't really want it installed.
Installer: Well, if you want the iTunes version of this content you'll need to install iTunes.
I installed iTunes.
iTunes: I see you're trying to activate a digital copy of a movie (iTunes sounds suspiciously like clippy). May I have your activation code, please.
Me: Sure, it's 9N**********
iTunes: Great. Now, may I have your Apple ID so I can verify your code?
Me: I don't think I have an Apple ID.
iTunes: No problem. You can use your AOL screen name and password.
Me: You GOTTA be fracking kidding me. AOL? Really? Didn't they implode, like, ten years ago?
iTunes: Alright, well, you can create an account and you'll have an Apple ID.
Me: What if I don't WANT and Apple ID?
iTunes: Well, if you want the iTunes version of this content you'll need to provide an Apple ID or your AOL screen name.
iTunes: Oh, one more thing. Every time you want to play this file on your computer you will need to give me your ID and password.
Kevin, this one's for you: BULLSHIT! TOTAL BULLSHIT!
Thursday, January 07, 2010
What A Waste Of A Survey
I have been a member of Harris Poll Online for several years now. Every time I complete a survey, I get points. I can then trade those points in for products. I've gotten a lava lamp, a nice bird feeder (I broke the one my wife got), and a $20 Amazon gift card among other things. But the process isn't the important thing here.
I've been doing this for a while. Sometimes, you can tell who paid for the survey by the questions they ask. There are a couple that I don't bother answering anymore because I can tell from the title who paid for it and the types of questions they're going to ask and, frankly, I've already giving my opinion.
You can also tell what they're trying to find out by the questions they ask. The questions are generally balanced and the surveys are fairly well written... until today. They're going to have to throw mine out. I finally started giving BS answers because they kept asking the exact same thing using different terms, they asked questions that seemed irrelevant and one question didn't even offer complete options. It asked how strongly I agreed or disagreed and didn't give any agreement options. It stopped at neutral.
Oh well, I got my 100 points.
I've been doing this for a while. Sometimes, you can tell who paid for the survey by the questions they ask. There are a couple that I don't bother answering anymore because I can tell from the title who paid for it and the types of questions they're going to ask and, frankly, I've already giving my opinion.
You can also tell what they're trying to find out by the questions they ask. The questions are generally balanced and the surveys are fairly well written... until today. They're going to have to throw mine out. I finally started giving BS answers because they kept asking the exact same thing using different terms, they asked questions that seemed irrelevant and one question didn't even offer complete options. It asked how strongly I agreed or disagreed and didn't give any agreement options. It stopped at neutral.
Oh well, I got my 100 points.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A Picture Is Worth... A Lot, Apparently
We ventured to Oklahoma City yesterday to get our pictures taken at a studio I will not name (unless you email me - I'll tell you in private). I did not pick the studio nor did I make the decision to have our pictures taken. My mother in law decided she wanted pictures of my wife and I as well as her grandchildren, my nephew and nieces.
The photo shoot itself was not bad. Most of the pictures turned out well. The wife and I really liked one of ours, I liked another one (she didn't - something about her bangs) and the others we staged well but there were problems with expressions, position of glasses, etc. The pics of the grandkids were similar. The work was fine, the photographer was nice, but it was what happened after that really shocked us.
I have been to a photo studio semi-recently so I knew we were going to get a sales pitch, they were going to try to upsell us, and they would do some fancy talking such that we didn't realize how much money we were spending. I also knew that outside of a package, photos are sold by the "sheet" and the sheets are priced such that people like us think hard about just how many copies we need of each picture.
It didn't go exactly as I thought it would. The person who took our pictures was the one selling to us. She really needs more practice at it. What I expected was that she would sit down and go over the packages, starting with the largest (almost $400) and working her way down, limiting poses and reducing picture count along the way. She started by going through the pictures with us, showing all of the poses, including some with optional changes such as sepia tone, Christmas cards, frames, etc. What bothered me about that part was that she kept saying, "this is cute," or "I did this to it, which I think is cute." Sorry, I'll be the judge of what is or is not cute.
From there most of what she said was negative-speak, "we can't do that," "no, I'm sorry," "it doesn't work like that," etc. It really shocked me. My mother in law was obviously getting agitated at being told no at every turn and this girl just wouldn't stop. Here's a hint: If you're saying you can't do something, turn it around and offer something you can do before the customer has a chance to get agitated.
We convinced them to let us buy two promotional packages - one with the wife and I and one with the grandkids - that was limited to a single pose each. We had to get a little snippy and remind them that we had booked two appointments for just that reason and it shouldn't matter that all the pictures are in the same folder to get them to do that but they did. We had a coupon for one package at $7.99 and we bought the same package for the other picture at the regular price of $9.99 (despite the photographer trying to tell us that the regularly priced package was different that what was listed on the coupon - it wasn't). We chose a nice picture of my wife and I sitting on the floor with presents around us and a shot of the grandkids in sepia tone. My nephew doesn't usually let himself get in front of the camera so my mother in law also bought a single sheet of wallet prints of him alone for $19.99. This brought us up to $37.97.
Being a digital couple, my wife and I inquired about a studio CD that included digital versions of all of the shots from the session. We quickly declined when they said they wanted to charge us $200 for it. I kind-of understand that because, since they include a print/copyright release, anyone they sell this to is never coming back for more prints.
The photographer went to ring everything up and after about a minute came back to tell us she had forgotten to include the $5 subject fee per package for having more than one person in the shot so that brought us up to $47.97.
I wasn't keeping tabs on the total in my head so when all was said and done I asked my mother in law what the final total was. "It ended up being seventy-four something."
"How did we get to $74?"
"Apparently, there's an 'enhancement' fee [for the sepia print]."
Sheesh. I knew it was going to be hard keeping the price down but I didn't realize that we were going to get nickel-and-dimed to death. I don't go to studios for pictures much but the next time I do I don't think I'll be going back there.
The photo shoot itself was not bad. Most of the pictures turned out well. The wife and I really liked one of ours, I liked another one (she didn't - something about her bangs) and the others we staged well but there were problems with expressions, position of glasses, etc. The pics of the grandkids were similar. The work was fine, the photographer was nice, but it was what happened after that really shocked us.
I have been to a photo studio semi-recently so I knew we were going to get a sales pitch, they were going to try to upsell us, and they would do some fancy talking such that we didn't realize how much money we were spending. I also knew that outside of a package, photos are sold by the "sheet" and the sheets are priced such that people like us think hard about just how many copies we need of each picture.
It didn't go exactly as I thought it would. The person who took our pictures was the one selling to us. She really needs more practice at it. What I expected was that she would sit down and go over the packages, starting with the largest (almost $400) and working her way down, limiting poses and reducing picture count along the way. She started by going through the pictures with us, showing all of the poses, including some with optional changes such as sepia tone, Christmas cards, frames, etc. What bothered me about that part was that she kept saying, "this is cute," or "I did this to it, which I think is cute." Sorry, I'll be the judge of what is or is not cute.
From there most of what she said was negative-speak, "we can't do that," "no, I'm sorry," "it doesn't work like that," etc. It really shocked me. My mother in law was obviously getting agitated at being told no at every turn and this girl just wouldn't stop. Here's a hint: If you're saying you can't do something, turn it around and offer something you can do before the customer has a chance to get agitated.
We convinced them to let us buy two promotional packages - one with the wife and I and one with the grandkids - that was limited to a single pose each. We had to get a little snippy and remind them that we had booked two appointments for just that reason and it shouldn't matter that all the pictures are in the same folder to get them to do that but they did. We had a coupon for one package at $7.99 and we bought the same package for the other picture at the regular price of $9.99 (despite the photographer trying to tell us that the regularly priced package was different that what was listed on the coupon - it wasn't). We chose a nice picture of my wife and I sitting on the floor with presents around us and a shot of the grandkids in sepia tone. My nephew doesn't usually let himself get in front of the camera so my mother in law also bought a single sheet of wallet prints of him alone for $19.99. This brought us up to $37.97.
Being a digital couple, my wife and I inquired about a studio CD that included digital versions of all of the shots from the session. We quickly declined when they said they wanted to charge us $200 for it. I kind-of understand that because, since they include a print/copyright release, anyone they sell this to is never coming back for more prints.
The photographer went to ring everything up and after about a minute came back to tell us she had forgotten to include the $5 subject fee per package for having more than one person in the shot so that brought us up to $47.97.
I wasn't keeping tabs on the total in my head so when all was said and done I asked my mother in law what the final total was. "It ended up being seventy-four something."
"How did we get to $74?"
"Apparently, there's an 'enhancement' fee [for the sepia print]."
Sheesh. I knew it was going to be hard keeping the price down but I didn't realize that we were going to get nickel-and-dimed to death. I don't go to studios for pictures much but the next time I do I don't think I'll be going back there.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Waxing Snowflakes
I seem to be half a step behind in everything this holiday season. It's like I decide to start one of my regular projects and, while I'm casually getting underway, realize how little time I have to finish and have to hit it hard and heavy. It's been that way at work and at home.
Starting Friday evening and all through the weekend the kitchen was overrun with wax. I find candlemaking during the holidays relaxing but this round was barely so and it wasn't just trying to get enough done for gifts.
At the last garage sale where I bought candlemaking supplies I came into some snowflake oil. Snowflake oil gives a mottled or snowflake appearance to candles. I used it for my first two batches and they turned out nicely. Just as a matter of procedure, I washed all of my equipment. The stainless steel items, plastic votive molds and wooden spoons went into the dishwasher (after removing as much wax as possible) and all of the aluminum molds and the pouring pitcher got washed by hand in very hot water and dish soap.
For my next two batches I used pillar molds I hadn't previously used this season and just a couple of the votive cups. As the candles and reserve wax cooled I was surprised to see the wax snowflaking. Remember that I had just washed everything very well and I hadn't added snowflake oil to these batches. Neither the stainless steel double-boiler and pitcher nor the aluminum boiler and pitcher would have absorbed any of the oil from the last batch and the molds hadn't been used yet. The only thing I could figure is that some of the oil had soaked into the wooden spoons and had "contaminated" the batches.
The next batch I washed everything again and used two brand new wooden spoons. Guess what. Snowflakes. I still have no idea why. It couldn't be the metal and I had 'virgin' spoons. If it was the plastic molds, how did the reserve wax in the boiler get contaminated?
I'm not displeased with the results. The candles look fine but I wasn't planning to have every candle with the mottled look. And I'll be damned if I can figure out how it happened.
Starting Friday evening and all through the weekend the kitchen was overrun with wax. I find candlemaking during the holidays relaxing but this round was barely so and it wasn't just trying to get enough done for gifts.
At the last garage sale where I bought candlemaking supplies I came into some snowflake oil. Snowflake oil gives a mottled or snowflake appearance to candles. I used it for my first two batches and they turned out nicely. Just as a matter of procedure, I washed all of my equipment. The stainless steel items, plastic votive molds and wooden spoons went into the dishwasher (after removing as much wax as possible) and all of the aluminum molds and the pouring pitcher got washed by hand in very hot water and dish soap.
For my next two batches I used pillar molds I hadn't previously used this season and just a couple of the votive cups. As the candles and reserve wax cooled I was surprised to see the wax snowflaking. Remember that I had just washed everything very well and I hadn't added snowflake oil to these batches. Neither the stainless steel double-boiler and pitcher nor the aluminum boiler and pitcher would have absorbed any of the oil from the last batch and the molds hadn't been used yet. The only thing I could figure is that some of the oil had soaked into the wooden spoons and had "contaminated" the batches.
The next batch I washed everything again and used two brand new wooden spoons. Guess what. Snowflakes. I still have no idea why. It couldn't be the metal and I had 'virgin' spoons. If it was the plastic molds, how did the reserve wax in the boiler get contaminated?
I'm not displeased with the results. The candles look fine but I wasn't planning to have every candle with the mottled look. And I'll be damned if I can figure out how it happened.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Nuke The Site From Orbit - It's The Only Way To Be Sure
This is another Windows 7 entry but this time, I'm not happy.
If you are considering doing an in-place upgrade (where you overwrite the old version and keep all your programs and data intact) from Windows Vista to Windows 7 DON'T DO IT. I'll repeat that. Do not bother trying to do an in-place upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7. It will only cause you stress and test your patience. Back up all your data, gather your program discs and do a clean or custom install as appropriate for your license.
I am testing Windows 7 at work before we start rolling it out to the general public. Normally, I never ever ever do an in-place upgrade. The last time I did was from Windows 95 to 98 and I've learned a lot since then. Basically, I just like to start with a clean slate. Just to see what an end-user may run into, I started an in-place upgrade on my desktop computer at work just before 11:00am.
Normally, an in-place upgrade is a much simpler upgrade. You run the installer, it replaces all of the operating system files, updates drivers as necessary, and leaves your data and programs alone. It generally takes only slightly less time than a basic clean install (just the OS, no programs or updates). Not so with Windows 7.
Microsoft has apparently changed the method they use for an upgrade. Based on the limited feedback I got from the installer and information I learned at the tech briefing, here is what I think happens. The installer copies and encapsulates your files and settings, including the registry. It then clears out the folders where it is going to install itself. Once that's done, it installs very similar to a clean install and, once done, puts your files and settings back where they belong. Easy, right? Apparently, not so much.
First of all, I had to uninstall several programs, including the ATI Catalyst Control Center and Windows Mobile Device Center before the installer would even start the actual installation process. You will want to uninstall your antivirus so it does not interfere with the installation. I managed to do that after fighting the agent for McAfee Enterprise that wanted to put it back every time I took it out.
Once I was underway, things seemed to go pretty smoothly but the installer did seem to be taking its own sweet time. When it got to the point of actually installing, it hung at 21% for quite a long time. The percentage finally started increasing just after noon but there are stories on the web of it sticking at that point for 8 to 12 hours.
When I got back from lunch it was putting my programs and settings back and finished up at about the 3 hour mark. The system rebooted, went through the startup procedures, then exclaimed that it was preparing Windows for the first use. After a bit of waiting, it presented me with the options for automatic updates (i.e. automatic, manual or none). My primary monitor was offline. My secondary monitor had the image. The mouse cursor was in the upper-left corner. The mouse wouldn't move. The keyboard wouldn't respond.
As any good technician will, I rebooted. It went through its dance again and tripped over its own feet at the exact same place. So, I tried safe mode. After much thinking, it rebooted.
When I came up into unsafe mode, it again locked up but the hard drive was still chugging away. Maybe it was doing something? Maybe it had to get to a point where it could respond to the mouse and keyboard. I decided to wait. It is now 4:00pm and I just shut it off. It's been sitting there doing basically nothing for over an hour. The monitor went into standby 15 minutes ago.
My co-worker was upgrading her work laptop. She started at about 2:00pm. She finished about 3:30pm without a hitch. Me? I'm going to have to boot to the install CD and start fresh on Monday morning. Good thing I backed up all my data first.
[Note for those of you who care: The system is a Dell Optiplex GX620 full tower with a dual core processor and was running Vista Business fairly well (though not great)]
If you are considering doing an in-place upgrade (where you overwrite the old version and keep all your programs and data intact) from Windows Vista to Windows 7 DON'T DO IT. I'll repeat that. Do not bother trying to do an in-place upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7. It will only cause you stress and test your patience. Back up all your data, gather your program discs and do a clean or custom install as appropriate for your license.
I am testing Windows 7 at work before we start rolling it out to the general public. Normally, I never ever ever do an in-place upgrade. The last time I did was from Windows 95 to 98 and I've learned a lot since then. Basically, I just like to start with a clean slate. Just to see what an end-user may run into, I started an in-place upgrade on my desktop computer at work just before 11:00am.
Normally, an in-place upgrade is a much simpler upgrade. You run the installer, it replaces all of the operating system files, updates drivers as necessary, and leaves your data and programs alone. It generally takes only slightly less time than a basic clean install (just the OS, no programs or updates). Not so with Windows 7.
Microsoft has apparently changed the method they use for an upgrade. Based on the limited feedback I got from the installer and information I learned at the tech briefing, here is what I think happens. The installer copies and encapsulates your files and settings, including the registry. It then clears out the folders where it is going to install itself. Once that's done, it installs very similar to a clean install and, once done, puts your files and settings back where they belong. Easy, right? Apparently, not so much.
First of all, I had to uninstall several programs, including the ATI Catalyst Control Center and Windows Mobile Device Center before the installer would even start the actual installation process. You will want to uninstall your antivirus so it does not interfere with the installation. I managed to do that after fighting the agent for McAfee Enterprise that wanted to put it back every time I took it out.
Once I was underway, things seemed to go pretty smoothly but the installer did seem to be taking its own sweet time. When it got to the point of actually installing, it hung at 21% for quite a long time. The percentage finally started increasing just after noon but there are stories on the web of it sticking at that point for 8 to 12 hours.
When I got back from lunch it was putting my programs and settings back and finished up at about the 3 hour mark. The system rebooted, went through the startup procedures, then exclaimed that it was preparing Windows for the first use. After a bit of waiting, it presented me with the options for automatic updates (i.e. automatic, manual or none). My primary monitor was offline. My secondary monitor had the image. The mouse cursor was in the upper-left corner. The mouse wouldn't move. The keyboard wouldn't respond.
As any good technician will, I rebooted. It went through its dance again and tripped over its own feet at the exact same place. So, I tried safe mode. After much thinking, it rebooted.
When I came up into unsafe mode, it again locked up but the hard drive was still chugging away. Maybe it was doing something? Maybe it had to get to a point where it could respond to the mouse and keyboard. I decided to wait. It is now 4:00pm and I just shut it off. It's been sitting there doing basically nothing for over an hour. The monitor went into standby 15 minutes ago.
My co-worker was upgrading her work laptop. She started at about 2:00pm. She finished about 3:30pm without a hitch. Me? I'm going to have to boot to the install CD and start fresh on Monday morning. Good thing I backed up all my data first.
[Note for those of you who care: The system is a Dell Optiplex GX620 full tower with a dual core processor and was running Vista Business fairly well (though not great)]
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Isn't That Just Craptastic
I have a Toshiba laptop that I was given about a year ago. It used to belong to my nephew and the power adapter went out, then the LCD panel went bad. When I received it, I bought a second-hand power adapter and checked the problem with the LCD. When you turn on the computer, the LCD starts out fine but quickly turns into something resembling a Picaso painting then just freezes there. I plugged in an external monitor and it was fine. Ergo, bad LCD.
I finally got around to spending the $50 or so to get a replacement LCD off eBay and it arrived this evening. I have just spent 90 minutes removing the old LCD and installing the new one. I fired it up and got... nothing. The new LCD had no image (no, it's not the inverter). I plugged the old LCD back in and got... nothing. I just plugged in an external monitor and got... nothing.
It appears that the video card has now gone South.
Anybody want to buy a used Toshiba laptop with a new LCD panel and a bad video card?
UPDATE: WOOHOO! It works! Turns out the RAM was seated wrong. This update is being written on the repaired laptop.
I finally got around to spending the $50 or so to get a replacement LCD off eBay and it arrived this evening. I have just spent 90 minutes removing the old LCD and installing the new one. I fired it up and got... nothing. The new LCD had no image (no, it's not the inverter). I plugged the old LCD back in and got... nothing. I just plugged in an external monitor and got... nothing.
It appears that the video card has now gone South.
Anybody want to buy a used Toshiba laptop with a new LCD panel and a bad video card?
UPDATE: WOOHOO! It works! Turns out the RAM was seated wrong. This update is being written on the repaired laptop.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Utterli Failed
I posted an audio clip to Utterli on Saturday. It was supposed to post here, too. Apparently it didn't make it.
Update: D'Oh! I forgot that I had changed my password and forgot to tell Utterli about it. All fixed now.
Update: D'Oh! I forgot that I had changed my password and forgot to tell Utterli about it. All fixed now.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Apparently, It Is Too Much To Ask
Many moons ago, Peter Norton created a product called "Ghost." What Ghost allowed you to do was to create a snapshot, bit-for-bit, of a computer hard drive and store it as what is called an image. The image can then be written back to a hard drive in the case of a catastrophic failure or virus infection and the machine is back to its old self in a matter of minutes instead of hours. The other advantage of this capability is the ability to deploy that image to several other computers.
Let's say you purchase ten computers for your company. For each of those computers, you need to install any updates that have been released since it left the factory as well as the programs your office typically uses such as time clock software, office productivity (spreadsheet, word processing, etc.), customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, etc. With Ghost, you spend the three or four hours installing updates and software and tweaking the configuration on the first machine. You create your image file from the machine that is done, then deploy the image to the other nine (you can usually deploy to all nine at once). Once you have the first built, it can, potentially, take you less than an hour to have the other nine ready.
Over the years, there have been many other drive imaging solutions introduced (including open source - free - solutions) and products like Ghost have grown into total system management solutions monitoring system status, pushing incremental updates, and even handling disaster recovery with a simple reboot of the client machine. Like many other programs that did something and did it well, Ghost (and several others) has become a bloated bastardization of its old self.
All I need is a product I can have installed on one or more machines that will allow me to plug in a hard drive via USB and either capture or deploy an image. I don't need live system management. I don't even 'need' network deployment. I just need to be able to restore a machine in less than a day (or two).
I have tested some open-source solutions. While they fit the bill operationally, there have been some issues with reliability. Plus, they tend to be slow. I have located a couple of paid products but they seem to be a little big on themselves.
There is a company, Acronis, that provides several different disaster recovery and management tools. They have everything from server-based system management solutions to local drive-to-drive deployment products. For the system management solutions where there is a constant (or at least regular) communication between the host server and the individual workstations, I understand their licensing model. For the drive-to-drive solution, I don't. Basically, you have to purchase a license for each computer you have the software installed on and each computer to which you push an image.
Frankly, that's insane. There's nothing like nickel-and-diming your customers to death. It harkens back to the days when the cable company used to charge a monthly fee per active cable outlet you had in your house, regardless of whether there was a TV connected to it or not. It was a practice they abandoned years ago (I think because they were forced to).
Granted, the licenses for the product I need are not expensive but they add up. To include the ~500 computers we manage, that's over $12,000.00. I would rather pay $500 for the license to install on a host system and deploy as needed than $25 a pop. I'd even be willing to pay $100 for the host and $2.50 per machine imaged. Either way, management would be a nightmare. There's no sense including existing hardware we haven't imaged yet. New machines wouldn't be difficult to include. But then we'd have to keep track of which computers we'd imaged and which we hadn't. I just don't have time for that.
I did find a commercial product that fits my needs but I just don't get that polished vibe off of it. It seems barely better than the open source solutions we've looked at (and it's just about as slow).
Symantec (Norton) still makes a version of Ghost that fulfills my need but they don't sell it as a stand-alone product. It has to be purchased as part of a solution suite. But why would I want to pay for solutions I don't need? Besides, their licensing model is very similar to Acronis'.
Oh for the days when I could go down to the store, buy a CD for each host machine for $100 or so and have it just work.
Let's say you purchase ten computers for your company. For each of those computers, you need to install any updates that have been released since it left the factory as well as the programs your office typically uses such as time clock software, office productivity (spreadsheet, word processing, etc.), customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, etc. With Ghost, you spend the three or four hours installing updates and software and tweaking the configuration on the first machine. You create your image file from the machine that is done, then deploy the image to the other nine (you can usually deploy to all nine at once). Once you have the first built, it can, potentially, take you less than an hour to have the other nine ready.
Over the years, there have been many other drive imaging solutions introduced (including open source - free - solutions) and products like Ghost have grown into total system management solutions monitoring system status, pushing incremental updates, and even handling disaster recovery with a simple reboot of the client machine. Like many other programs that did something and did it well, Ghost (and several others) has become a bloated bastardization of its old self.
All I need is a product I can have installed on one or more machines that will allow me to plug in a hard drive via USB and either capture or deploy an image. I don't need live system management. I don't even 'need' network deployment. I just need to be able to restore a machine in less than a day (or two).
I have tested some open-source solutions. While they fit the bill operationally, there have been some issues with reliability. Plus, they tend to be slow. I have located a couple of paid products but they seem to be a little big on themselves.
There is a company, Acronis, that provides several different disaster recovery and management tools. They have everything from server-based system management solutions to local drive-to-drive deployment products. For the system management solutions where there is a constant (or at least regular) communication between the host server and the individual workstations, I understand their licensing model. For the drive-to-drive solution, I don't. Basically, you have to purchase a license for each computer you have the software installed on and each computer to which you push an image.
Frankly, that's insane. There's nothing like nickel-and-diming your customers to death. It harkens back to the days when the cable company used to charge a monthly fee per active cable outlet you had in your house, regardless of whether there was a TV connected to it or not. It was a practice they abandoned years ago (I think because they were forced to).
Granted, the licenses for the product I need are not expensive but they add up. To include the ~500 computers we manage, that's over $12,000.00. I would rather pay $500 for the license to install on a host system and deploy as needed than $25 a pop. I'd even be willing to pay $100 for the host and $2.50 per machine imaged. Either way, management would be a nightmare. There's no sense including existing hardware we haven't imaged yet. New machines wouldn't be difficult to include. But then we'd have to keep track of which computers we'd imaged and which we hadn't. I just don't have time for that.
I did find a commercial product that fits my needs but I just don't get that polished vibe off of it. It seems barely better than the open source solutions we've looked at (and it's just about as slow).
Symantec (Norton) still makes a version of Ghost that fulfills my need but they don't sell it as a stand-alone product. It has to be purchased as part of a solution suite. But why would I want to pay for solutions I don't need? Besides, their licensing model is very similar to Acronis'.
Oh for the days when I could go down to the store, buy a CD for each host machine for $100 or so and have it just work.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pants On Fire
As I do every Thursday night, I was watching Survivor tonight. This season, one of the contestants is 'Coach'. Something has bothered me about Coach since the beginning but I haven't been able to put my finger on it. I thought it was just his arrogance but tonight I finally figured it out. Coach is a pathological liar. I don't mean in the John Lovits on SNL way, I mean in the clinical sense.
I have had the opportunity to know two pathological liars in my life. Both of them had several things in common. They were both very self-assured and arrogant. They had a bravado that they were better than everyone else and nobody could possibly argue that. If you did something well, they always did it better - whether or not they actually could. There was always something not quite right about their stories that was usually just far enough outside the realm of possibility. Not physical possibility but you just couldn't see them in that particular situation. They also told the stories as if they didn't quite believe it themselves.
Sometimes, the lies were outright transparent (like the one who had said he was a highly accomplished martial artist who had been trained by Jackie Chan). If they were called on one of their lies, they always had some excuse or another lie to explain why they couldn't provide any proof (like a severe back injury on another job they probably didn't have that now prevents them from practicing their craft). The thing about their lies, however, was there was often a kernel of truth.
Coach outed himself three times in tonight's episode. The first was the campfire story. The kernel of truth: he probably does kayak and white water rafting. The lies: He was kayaking down the Amazon having been dropped off by a military helicopter (that literally dropped him). He didn't pay anything to hitch a ride on a military transport because he 'pulled a few strings'. He was captured by "indigenous" tribesmen who were "four, four and a half feet tall" with their "bows and arrows drawn." The tribesmen tied him up and beat him severely several times but he managed to slip the bonds, escape and paddle his kayak "like hell" until his hands bled to escape.
Story number two: His morning exercises are an ancient form of martial arts that is only passed down by oral teachings and must be learned directly from the monks in their far Eastern monastery. The kernel of truth: That form of martial arts probably does exist and is probably only taught by monks in a secluded monastery. The lie: That what he was doing was that form of martial arts and that he ipso facto learned it from said monks. It just looked like some form of Tai Chi to me... and not a good one at that (but I didn't see the raw footage of it, just the edited version).
Story number three: The embelishment of the campfire story at Tribal Council. The kernel of truth: There was none. He had to add something for the new audience member (Jeff Probst). The lie: That the event was actually much more horrific than he originally told it and that the tribesment were "staring at [his] ass talking about eating [his] ass."
Do you see what I mean? I believe it is possible that someone could be captured and tortured by a jungle tribe but Coach was not one of them. He's too healthy and well adjusted (if you can call him well adjusted) for something like that to have happened.
And, by the way, Coach, if you just happen to read this, I challenge you to prove me wrong. Send me an email (the link is in the right sidebar), I'll email you my phone number, and you can give me all the sordid details. If you convince me, I'll happily and publicly retract every statement I've made about you in this post.
Addendum: A comment someone left reminded me of one point about pathological liars that I forgot to mention. They believe that what they are telling you is the God's honest truth. I couldn't say for sure but I'd be willing to bet it would pass a polygraph. Oh, yeah, and who wants to bet he's not actually a symphony conductor? (that's one's believable but in light of the other stuff, it is now thrown into serious doubt)
I have had the opportunity to know two pathological liars in my life. Both of them had several things in common. They were both very self-assured and arrogant. They had a bravado that they were better than everyone else and nobody could possibly argue that. If you did something well, they always did it better - whether or not they actually could. There was always something not quite right about their stories that was usually just far enough outside the realm of possibility. Not physical possibility but you just couldn't see them in that particular situation. They also told the stories as if they didn't quite believe it themselves.
Sometimes, the lies were outright transparent (like the one who had said he was a highly accomplished martial artist who had been trained by Jackie Chan). If they were called on one of their lies, they always had some excuse or another lie to explain why they couldn't provide any proof (like a severe back injury on another job they probably didn't have that now prevents them from practicing their craft). The thing about their lies, however, was there was often a kernel of truth.
Coach outed himself three times in tonight's episode. The first was the campfire story. The kernel of truth: he probably does kayak and white water rafting. The lies: He was kayaking down the Amazon having been dropped off by a military helicopter (that literally dropped him). He didn't pay anything to hitch a ride on a military transport because he 'pulled a few strings'. He was captured by "indigenous" tribesmen who were "four, four and a half feet tall" with their "bows and arrows drawn." The tribesmen tied him up and beat him severely several times but he managed to slip the bonds, escape and paddle his kayak "like hell" until his hands bled to escape.
Story number two: His morning exercises are an ancient form of martial arts that is only passed down by oral teachings and must be learned directly from the monks in their far Eastern monastery. The kernel of truth: That form of martial arts probably does exist and is probably only taught by monks in a secluded monastery. The lie: That what he was doing was that form of martial arts and that he ipso facto learned it from said monks. It just looked like some form of Tai Chi to me... and not a good one at that (but I didn't see the raw footage of it, just the edited version).
Story number three: The embelishment of the campfire story at Tribal Council. The kernel of truth: There was none. He had to add something for the new audience member (Jeff Probst). The lie: That the event was actually much more horrific than he originally told it and that the tribesment were "staring at [his] ass talking about eating [his] ass."
Do you see what I mean? I believe it is possible that someone could be captured and tortured by a jungle tribe but Coach was not one of them. He's too healthy and well adjusted (if you can call him well adjusted) for something like that to have happened.
And, by the way, Coach, if you just happen to read this, I challenge you to prove me wrong. Send me an email (the link is in the right sidebar), I'll email you my phone number, and you can give me all the sordid details. If you convince me, I'll happily and publicly retract every statement I've made about you in this post.
Addendum: A comment someone left reminded me of one point about pathological liars that I forgot to mention. They believe that what they are telling you is the God's honest truth. I couldn't say for sure but I'd be willing to bet it would pass a polygraph. Oh, yeah, and who wants to bet he's not actually a symphony conductor? (that's one's believable but in light of the other stuff, it is now thrown into serious doubt)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Ten Things I Hate About You
I have recently become disenamoured of Windows Mobile. I don't know if I got a bum device or what but for as much as I paid for my Fuze, I kinda expected more. Here is the list of problems I am experiencing and other things I want to bitch about.
1: Web Browsing - Opera and Internet Explorer will not function at the same time. In fact, I think I've only gotten IE to work once. As for Opera, half the time I fire it up and it won't connect properly. I have to cycle the radios off then back on (it's easiest to just turn airplane mode on then off) to get it to work. It all supposedly has something to do with the AT&T proxy server but I honestly don't understand why it has to be that complicated. This is one of those things that should just work.
2: Touch response - Is it too much to ask when I'm trying to dial or use the calculator that if I tap a button once I only get one instance of the number? This is actually where it is most noticeable but it happens trying to navigate Touch Flo 3D. I even undid all of the tweaks once and it didn't make a difference.
3: Navigating left and right using the D-pad. This is actually a design flaw.
4: GPS - Why does it take five fraking minutes for the GPS to warm up and get a solid lock? My friend with a Palm on Sprint does it in about fifteen seconds. Supposedly a new ROM (recently leaked) improves this but I haven't seen an official release yet.
5: Holiday mismatch - I think I may be the only person having this problem because I posted it to a forum and didn't get any 'me too' posts. My holidays are listed on the correct day on my Outlook calendar but my Fuze thinks they are the day before they are supposed to be (i.e. April 14 is Tax Day in the United States?). This does not happen with any appointments I create or meetings I accept. Just holidays.
6: TF3d vertical scrolling - The touch screen is either too sensitive or not sensitive enough. There doesn't seem to be an in-between. It never fails if I am attempting to scroll through programs, I invariably launch one I didn't intend to launch. Then, if I'm trying to flip through emails or text messages or contacts or whatever, I have to do it several times before it finally takes.
7: The keyboard - I have thought the horizontal sliding keyboard was cool for many years. Apparently I never used one of these phones long enough to really figure out just how inconvenient it really is to have to slide out the keyboard, turn the phone, then wait for it to decide that I've turned the phone to switch the orientation.
8: Hang up dammit! - To place a call I HAVE to use the hardware button. Even though there is a giant, red 'End Call' button on the screen, I can't use it because the phone turns off the screen during a call. And, apparently, the hardware button doesn't think I really want to hang up now.
9: ActiveSync - There is a function to be able to synchronize your Outlook notes with your phone/mobile device. There is also a function where you can tell the system that in case of conflicts, replace the stuff on the phone with the stuff on the computer. I plugged my Fuze into my work PC yesterday hoping a sync might tweak the clock and the PC would tell my Fuze it was a dumbass and had the holidays on the wrong day. When I went to open a note this afternoon that had a nice list of things I need to talk to my boss about, it had information from two weeks ago that I had deleted and replaced. Nice.
10: Useless stylus - Seriously? You think a 3 1/2-inch stick of metal the diameter of a Bic pen ink cartridge is helpful?
Honestly, the thing has been getting in my way more than it has been helping me lately. I wish it were easier to switch phones but beyond the problems with AT&T and my contract, I just had to get the most expensive WinMo phone they offer. The wife would never let me live it down if she found out how I feel about it now.
Maybe I'll do an experiment. I'll undo all of the tweaks and do a backup tonight. Tomorrow (or at my earliest convenience) I will hard reset the phone (basically reloading the ROM), restore my backup and turn TF3D off. Then I'll go at least a week with an untweaked phone using the standard WinMo shell.
ADDENDUM: You may get the impression from the paragraphs above that I hate my Fuze. That is not the case. I'm just frustrated with a few of its quirks (some of which seem to be isolated to my phone) and knowing what I know now, I might not have been so quick to snag one.
1: Web Browsing - Opera and Internet Explorer will not function at the same time. In fact, I think I've only gotten IE to work once. As for Opera, half the time I fire it up and it won't connect properly. I have to cycle the radios off then back on (it's easiest to just turn airplane mode on then off) to get it to work. It all supposedly has something to do with the AT&T proxy server but I honestly don't understand why it has to be that complicated. This is one of those things that should just work.
2: Touch response - Is it too much to ask when I'm trying to dial or use the calculator that if I tap a button once I only get one instance of the number? This is actually where it is most noticeable but it happens trying to navigate Touch Flo 3D. I even undid all of the tweaks once and it didn't make a difference.
3: Navigating left and right using the D-pad. This is actually a design flaw.
4: GPS - Why does it take five fraking minutes for the GPS to warm up and get a solid lock? My friend with a Palm on Sprint does it in about fifteen seconds. Supposedly a new ROM (recently leaked) improves this but I haven't seen an official release yet.
5: Holiday mismatch - I think I may be the only person having this problem because I posted it to a forum and didn't get any 'me too' posts. My holidays are listed on the correct day on my Outlook calendar but my Fuze thinks they are the day before they are supposed to be (i.e. April 14 is Tax Day in the United States?). This does not happen with any appointments I create or meetings I accept. Just holidays.
6: TF3d vertical scrolling - The touch screen is either too sensitive or not sensitive enough. There doesn't seem to be an in-between. It never fails if I am attempting to scroll through programs, I invariably launch one I didn't intend to launch. Then, if I'm trying to flip through emails or text messages or contacts or whatever, I have to do it several times before it finally takes.
7: The keyboard - I have thought the horizontal sliding keyboard was cool for many years. Apparently I never used one of these phones long enough to really figure out just how inconvenient it really is to have to slide out the keyboard, turn the phone, then wait for it to decide that I've turned the phone to switch the orientation.
8: Hang up dammit! - To place a call I HAVE to use the hardware button. Even though there is a giant, red 'End Call' button on the screen, I can't use it because the phone turns off the screen during a call. And, apparently, the hardware button doesn't think I really want to hang up now.
9: ActiveSync - There is a function to be able to synchronize your Outlook notes with your phone/mobile device. There is also a function where you can tell the system that in case of conflicts, replace the stuff on the phone with the stuff on the computer. I plugged my Fuze into my work PC yesterday hoping a sync might tweak the clock and the PC would tell my Fuze it was a dumbass and had the holidays on the wrong day. When I went to open a note this afternoon that had a nice list of things I need to talk to my boss about, it had information from two weeks ago that I had deleted and replaced. Nice.
10: Useless stylus - Seriously? You think a 3 1/2-inch stick of metal the diameter of a Bic pen ink cartridge is helpful?
Honestly, the thing has been getting in my way more than it has been helping me lately. I wish it were easier to switch phones but beyond the problems with AT&T and my contract, I just had to get the most expensive WinMo phone they offer. The wife would never let me live it down if she found out how I feel about it now.
Maybe I'll do an experiment. I'll undo all of the tweaks and do a backup tonight. Tomorrow (or at my earliest convenience) I will hard reset the phone (basically reloading the ROM), restore my backup and turn TF3D off. Then I'll go at least a week with an untweaked phone using the standard WinMo shell.
ADDENDUM: You may get the impression from the paragraphs above that I hate my Fuze. That is not the case. I'm just frustrated with a few of its quirks (some of which seem to be isolated to my phone) and knowing what I know now, I might not have been so quick to snag one.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Another Reason To Be Suspicious Of Microsoft (as if you needed it)
I'm trying to embed some wmv files into a PowerPoint presentation. They play fine on my PC but won't play on another PC. I figured out that what I am doing is simply linking to the files and not placing the actual movies into the presentation. So I pulled up help and typed in 'embed wmv.'
The first item that was listed looked promising. It read, 'Troubleshoot issues with sounds, movies, and links in your PowerPoint presentation.' Ah, just what I was looking for. But instead of being directed to a Microsoft KB article or even to a Microsoft forum, I was directed to a third-party site called pptfaq.com.
Well, presumably MS knew it was there because they had to integrate it into their help system, right? The only problem was that it had inaccurate information. One of the first things the article does is to point you to another site that has a free add-in for embeding movies. The only problem is that the developer of the add-in has decided that he now wants to get paid for his efforts.
Normally, at the end of every help article, Microsoft provides a feedback box. Was this article helpful? Care to comment? But since this was not a Microsoft site, there was no feedback form. Is MS now endorsing third-party help sites? did this just get picked up via an integrated web search?
Trustworthy Computing... right.
The first item that was listed looked promising. It read, 'Troubleshoot issues with sounds, movies, and links in your PowerPoint presentation.' Ah, just what I was looking for. But instead of being directed to a Microsoft KB article or even to a Microsoft forum, I was directed to a third-party site called pptfaq.com.
Well, presumably MS knew it was there because they had to integrate it into their help system, right? The only problem was that it had inaccurate information. One of the first things the article does is to point you to another site that has a free add-in for embeding movies. The only problem is that the developer of the add-in has decided that he now wants to get paid for his efforts.
Normally, at the end of every help article, Microsoft provides a feedback box. Was this article helpful? Care to comment? But since this was not a Microsoft site, there was no feedback form. Is MS now endorsing third-party help sites? did this just get picked up via an integrated web search?
Trustworthy Computing... right.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
My Email To David Howe, Executive President, NBC Universal | Scifi Channel
I read on web that you're changing the name of the network from SciFi to SyFy. The only thing I have to ask is, "What the hell are you thinking?"
People identify SciFi with science fiction. You see "SciFi" in the channel lineup and you know exactlywhat that channel is about. SyFy just looks stupid. What is that? Is that a movie network? Another cooking channel? It sounds to me more like what G4 ended up being. I stopped watching that network before they dropped TechTV from their name.
You say the name change is to broaden the scope of programming. Why do you need to change the name to do that? If the network is still going to be related to science fiction, leave the name alone. Change your tag line. Advertise and market differently. Don't change just so you can trademark. Let's not get cutesy with the name of the network. Please.
Thank you,
Joe Fusco
People identify SciFi with science fiction. You see "SciFi" in the channel lineup and you know exactlywhat that channel is about. SyFy just looks stupid. What is that? Is that a movie network? Another cooking channel? It sounds to me more like what G4 ended up being. I stopped watching that network before they dropped TechTV from their name.
You say the name change is to broaden the scope of programming. Why do you need to change the name to do that? If the network is still going to be related to science fiction, leave the name alone. Change your tag line. Advertise and market differently. Don't change just so you can trademark. Let's not get cutesy with the name of the network. Please.
Thank you,
Joe Fusco
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Just Say No... NO NO NO NO NO!!
The SciFi Channel is changing its name. Starting in July, apparently, they will be known as SyFy.
The move is designed to "open up to a broader range of content." That's just dumb. The name change is cutesy and silly and we MUST put a stop to it. It's the "Web 2.0" invation is what it is. NBC just wants to be able to trademark the name instead of using a widely-accepted general term.
I encourage... no, I IMPLORE you to send an email to feedback@scifi.com and lodge your protest. I've sent mine. Let's crash their mail server with all the protests.
UPDATE: Apparently, you can also send email to Dave.Howe@nbcuni.com
Also check out www.nosyfy.com
The move is designed to "open up to a broader range of content." That's just dumb. The name change is cutesy and silly and we MUST put a stop to it. It's the "Web 2.0" invation is what it is. NBC just wants to be able to trademark the name instead of using a widely-accepted general term.
I encourage... no, I IMPLORE you to send an email to feedback@scifi.com and lodge your protest. I've sent mine. Let's crash their mail server with all the protests.
UPDATE: Apparently, you can also send email to Dave.Howe@nbcuni.com
Also check out www.nosyfy.com
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Random Irony
Why is it that the products that Microsoft products have the most compatibility issues with are other Microsoft products?
I encoded a video in Windows Media Video (wmv) format and embedded it into a web page. It plays just fine in Firefox. Opera has no problem whatsoever with it. Internet Explorer apparently has no idea what to do with it.
I encoded a video in Windows Media Video (wmv) format and embedded it into a web page. It plays just fine in Firefox. Opera has no problem whatsoever with it. Internet Explorer apparently has no idea what to do with it.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
I Don't Get It
I went to work again on figuring out why my pages aren't rendering right in IE. I deleted one line of code and took a look. It looks fine. I put the code back in. It still looks fine. I'm just going to go with it.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wal Mart - The Evil Empire
Apparently, Wal Mart will match any competitor's price, but not if the competitor is themselves.
Yesterday, my wife purchased a 4GB MicroSDHC flash memory card at our local Wal Mart for me to use in my phone. She paid $20.88 plus tax.
The price wasn't unreasonable but, knowing that she probably overpaid, I did a little poking around on the internet and, to my surprise, I found the same product for $14.84... at walmart.com.
I took the card back to our local store and requested a price adjustment. I was refused. I returned the card for a full refund. Apparently, Wal Mart's policy is that they would rather lose $20.88 instead of $6.04 and would also prefer to create ill will with its customers. The excuse that I was given was that, "the internet prices are separate from the store prices."
I was shocked. The page does not clearly state that the price is a web-only price. In fact, it noted that the item was available at my local store. I figure that any reasonable person would believe that the price advertised on the web would be the same as at the store or would at least be honored at the store. Wal Mart price matches, don't they? (I'm calling bullshit on that policy, by the way)
When I got home, I re-examined the page. It was only then that I saw at the bottom of the page past the big, bold, red price; past the notification that this item is in stock at my local store; past the suggestive sales in the "you might also like" section; past the item description and specifications; past the customer reviews; past the Q&A/FAQ section; past the second suggestive sales section under the "people who viewed this item also viewed" heading; past the gifting options; and finally past the payment options which include a suggestion to get the Wal Mart credit card as well as a "bill me later" option; this:
I have sent a comment to the corporate office. I had thought about filing a complaint with the FTC but thought I should give them a chance to respond first. I told them that if they don't respond to me by Wednesday, I will file the complaint... and I fully intend to do so.
My biggest problem with this is that they have a minor monopoly in my town because there are no other stores of their class or type (i.e. Target, K-Mart, etc.). A boycott would simply be unsustainable. There are too many products for which I rely on them to provide. This will, however, make me start looking for alternatives (going to Braum's for milk, for instance).
Yesterday, my wife purchased a 4GB MicroSDHC flash memory card at our local Wal Mart for me to use in my phone. She paid $20.88 plus tax.
The price wasn't unreasonable but, knowing that she probably overpaid, I did a little poking around on the internet and, to my surprise, I found the same product for $14.84... at walmart.com.
I took the card back to our local store and requested a price adjustment. I was refused. I returned the card for a full refund. Apparently, Wal Mart's policy is that they would rather lose $20.88 instead of $6.04 and would also prefer to create ill will with its customers. The excuse that I was given was that, "the internet prices are separate from the store prices."
I was shocked. The page does not clearly state that the price is a web-only price. In fact, it noted that the item was available at my local store. I figure that any reasonable person would believe that the price advertised on the web would be the same as at the store or would at least be honored at the store. Wal Mart price matches, don't they? (I'm calling bullshit on that policy, by the way)
When I got home, I re-examined the page. It was only then that I saw at the bottom of the page past the big, bold, red price; past the notification that this item is in stock at my local store; past the suggestive sales in the "you might also like" section; past the item description and specifications; past the customer reviews; past the Q&A/FAQ section; past the second suggestive sales section under the "people who viewed this item also viewed" heading; past the gifting options; and finally past the payment options which include a suggestion to get the Wal Mart credit card as well as a "bill me later" option; this:
Yeah. that's a reasonable placement. I always scroll all the way to the bottom of a web page to make double double sure that the price is correct and will be honored. Again, I point you to the argument of what a reasonable person would do.About Our PricesWe strive to provide you with the lowest prices possible on Walmart.com as well as in our stores. However, sometimes a price online does not match the price in a store. Walmart.com's prices may be either higher or lower than local store prices. Our local stores do not honor Walmart.com pricing or competitor advertisements from outside of a store's local trade territory.
I have sent a comment to the corporate office. I had thought about filing a complaint with the FTC but thought I should give them a chance to respond first. I told them that if they don't respond to me by Wednesday, I will file the complaint... and I fully intend to do so.
My biggest problem with this is that they have a minor monopoly in my town because there are no other stores of their class or type (i.e. Target, K-Mart, etc.). A boycott would simply be unsustainable. There are too many products for which I rely on them to provide. This will, however, make me start looking for alternatives (going to Braum's for milk, for instance).
Friday, February 27, 2009
GAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
I hate Internet Explorer.
Okay, so, here's my problem. When I set up my new wav site using a content management system (CMS), I previewed it exclusively in FireFox as I was building it. It did and still does look just fine in FireFox. In IE, however, the background graphic that is supposed to be behind the content section displays at the very top of the page, then stops and it shows the main page background. Here, let me show you what I mean.
The one on the left is how IE is rendering it. The one on the right is how it's supposed to look and does look in everything but IE.
Okay, so, here's my problem. When I set up my new wav site using a content management system (CMS), I previewed it exclusively in FireFox as I was building it. It did and still does look just fine in FireFox. In IE, however, the background graphic that is supposed to be behind the content section displays at the very top of the page, then stops and it shows the main page background. Here, let me show you what I mean.
The one on the left is how IE is rendering it. The one on the right is how it's supposed to look and does look in everything but IE.
I've done all sorts of troubleshooting. I've added code, I've taken out code, I've substituted code, I've reverted to the original code... nada. I then decided to take a drastic step. I loaded another instance of the CMS I'm using into another folder. Once it was installed, I started going through the tutorials to build the basic structure of the site. I did this while previewing the changes in Internet Explorer. I wanted to see where it broke so I could figure out which file might be the troublemaker. If I made it all the way through the basics without a problem, I would start adding my customizations and mirroring my production site so I could see which one of my brilliant ideas screwed it up.
It broke pretty early on. I didn't even make it through lesson one. The only problem is that it broke in reverse. Here, take a look at what I mean:
What am I supposed to do with that? I can't troubleshoot if it won't break the same way twice. Do you see why I hate Internet Explorer?
Update: Apparently, the test site is broken in Firefox, too. I guess I'll move forward on it tomorrow.
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