Eric the Red

I have been using Windows XP 64 bit edition for some time on my computer, and due to some shotty hardware support I decided to give Windows Vista 64 a shot. I reformatted my computer so that everything was fresh and shiny. What was my “experience”:

1. Graphics: I use a nVidia GeForce 7900 GT. I downloaded the Vista-64 bit drivers from nVidia, and installed them. The result: Windoes Vista refuses to use the correct drivers. The Windows XP-64 drivers worked perfectly.

2. Networking: I use a D-Link DWA-160 USB network adapter. It worked perfectly under Windows XP-64. Windows Vista recognizes the adapter as a USB device, but it is not recognized by the D-Link installer. Vista refuses to accept the Vista 64 driver from D-Link through the device manager driver update menu or using the Ad/Remove Hardware feature.

3. Audio. The RealTek drivers for Vista (Downloaded from RealteK) do not function. The speakers make a mechanical “thud” rather than the sounds they are supposed to make. The audio was perfectly functional under XP-64.

4. Service Pack 1: I attempted to install Vista Service Pack 1 (downloaded from Microsoft). The service pack crashed the system after 30 minutes.

5. Other Devices: I attempted to load drivers from a memory stick (brand new). The stick took approx. 30 minutes to be recognized, and was inaccessible from “My computer” as a device.

The verdict: I decided to re-install windows XP-64. I simply cannot afford to have a dysfunctional computer. Vista is a piece of software that belongs in the garbage can rather than on peoples desktop PCs. I would encourage anyone who is considering it to stay as far away as possible. Look at other alternatives, such as Macs.

In an act of EXTREME stupidity, Verizon Wireless has decided that its cell phones should sound an alarm if the user dials 911. What Verizon has utterly failed to understand here is that when people dial 911, their lives are in danger because they have walked into a break-in in their home, or someone breaks in while they are at home and they are forced to hide or die.

So why does Verizon think its appropriate to alert attackers to the locations of their victims? Will Verizon be sorry if this utterly idiotic “feature” results in someone being beaten, kidnapped or killed, or will they just say “whoops, my bad”? I mean, how the hell can they call something this stupid a feature?? And apparently Sprint is susceptible as well.

The article I cite here quotes a Verizon spokesman who claims:

The tone our customer experienced is our interpretation of Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act calling for a provider of telecommunications service to offer service that is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. The tone, indicating that 911 has been dialed, is one of several features designed to make wireless service is accessible and easy to use, especially for those with disabilities. Other features include a voice command key where customers can use their voice to dial by name or number; a voice echo feature so that a person who can’t see can hear the number or letter if sending a text; read back text messages and speech output of signal strength, battery strength, missed calls, voicemail, roaming, time and date.

I assume this spokesman is talking about the blind. So lets take a look at this statistically.

Compare this to 1.1 million people in the United States who are legally blind. So domestic violence affects three times as many people as blindness. This means 3 times as many people are likely to be in a situation where contacting law enforcement while remaining hidden could save their lives.

Maybe the tone is so you have something soothing or upbeat to listen to while your killer hacks you to death. Ugh…..

The OLPC is now for sale to rich Westerners. For those of you who don’t know, the OLPC started out as an attempt to provide a $100US laptop to developing nations so that they can make their children more tech-savvy. you know, ’cause when I think of things third world countries need, it isn’t roads, food, schools, clean water, affordable health care or electricity, its a laptop.

So for $400US you can buy one for yourself, and send one to a needy child. The problem I have with this thing isn’t what it is, but that the money could be better spent on things that generate tangible results, like clean drinking water. Let the statistics speak for themselves:

Water is implicated in 80% of all sickness and disease worldwide, while 19% of deaths from infectious diseases worldwide are water-related and water related diseases contribute to nearly 4 million child deaths each year. One encouraging statistic noted that clean water, sanitation and hygiene interventions reduce diarrheal disease on average by between one-quarter and one-third.

Source

I’ll donate $400 for health initiatives. You should too!

I like the idea of a smart phone. One device to handle my calendar, tasks, web browsing, texting, picture/video messaging, etc…..I’ve used many smart phones over the years and they all disappoint.

My first smart phone was an audiovox windows ce device. I had no camera, ran at dialup speeds and mixed sms messages with email. Yuck! On the up side, it was fairly slim and light. Battery life was fairly impressive.

The Palm Treo 650 was much better. It has a camera, is easy to use sorts SMS messages like bulletin board threads and has a lot of stamina. Unfortunately, it’s fat, heavy and has a bulky antenna. Plus, the camera is just a weak 1.3 Mps and its multimedia ability sucks.

Windows CE phones cant display websites for shit. Fortunately, they run fairly well and have a nice feature set.

The iPhone has a decent web browser….and thats it.

Why cant there be some marriage of these features that….well….works?

So I was at Best Buy today trying to activate a new line on my family plan. The phone was a motorola V385.

Those who know me well are aware that I have used every cellular service offered in my area, and to date no network has matched the coverage of Verizon for my purposes. You may disagree, and thats fine. I welcome any experiences on wireless coverage.

So back to the activation…..the Best Buy sales associate collects the relevant information, scans the ESN on the phone….and is answered with a big blaring warning “Unknown ESN or phone not E911 complaint”

Best Buy rep calls Verizon support, with the same result.

So how can a network that calls itself the most reliable be unable to activate its own phones? Amazing! Now I get to make two trips!

Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore has reversed his 30 year course and suggested that nuclear power should be used in the future. Says Moore:

The 600-plus coal-fired plants emit nearly 2 billion tons of CO2annually — the equivalent of the exhaust from about 300 million automobiles. In addition, the Clean Air Council reports that coal plants are responsible for 64 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions, 26 percent of nitrous oxides and 33 percent of mercury emissions. These pollutants are eroding the health of our environment, producing acid rain, smog, respiratory illness and mercury contamination.

Meanwhile, the 103 nuclear plants operating in the United States effectively avoid the release of 700 million tons of CO2emissions annually — the equivalent of the exhaust from more than 100 million automobiles. Imagine if the ratio of coal to nuclear were reversed so that only 20 percent of our electricity was generated from coal and 60 percent from nuclear. This would go a long way toward cleaning the air and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Every responsible environmentalist should support a move in that direction.

Personally, I believe global warming is poppycock. To me, energy efficiency and renewable energy are a matter of good economics, not ways to head off a pending apocalypse. I would argue that the sun (among other things) has more to due with it. You, the reader, are always free to disagree.

A few interesting things came up this week.

• Scientists in Thailand discovered the world smallest fish, which lives in acidic swamps and lacks a skeletal structure.
• MSNBC has a piece de-bunking some myths about the Challenger disaster. I wonder if any will come up about Columbia after 10 years…..
• God is vengeful….a starving woman in Kenya placed a curse on God for sending famine….only to die in her sleep afterward.
• Finally, Cingular has filed for an emoticon patent. Let me infringe: .

Wired has several “foot-in-mouth” pieces that are noteworthy as far as science and technology are concerned.

Some of my favorites:

“Most people don’t even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?”

– Thomas Hesse, president of Sony BMG’s global digital business division

“I’m going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I’m going to f***ing kill Google.”

– Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, in statements attributed to him in court documents by former Microsoft engineer and recent Google hire Mark Lucovsky

In other tech news, the media companies are killing their own standard over some petty squabbling. As a result High Definition DVD will have to wait despite the fact that drives are ready to ship. Here is a good piece on the “DRM vs Fair Use” fight. As the RIAA files thousands of lawsuits per year over “infringement”, this discussion is becoming more relevant for the average joe. Unfortunately, its not getting the attention it deserves.

As monopolies stamp out the competition as they expand their power over consumer technology and rabid attorneys persecute children [Warning: PDF] and strip away our rights in the name of creating a legitimate digital society. But for whom is justice reserved? Certainly not this kid.

The illusion exists with the idea that digital technology represents a threat to music as a profitable form of media. Battlestar Galactica was so successful because of P2P swapping of episodes. The internet allows indie bands to spread music at next to no cost without the hassle of using a label. swapping damages long term profitability. Metallica was born because of tape swapping, and later led the charge against Napster. I would wager that P2P song swapping sells more concert tickets (which benefit the artist) than CDs (which benefit the label). So who needs the label?

More charges were added to Sony/BMG suits by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott that accuse the company of violating state anti-spyware laws. The charge alleges that the sony rootkit installs and monitors computer users activity even if the user declines the EULA.

The article also notes the existence of malware that targets holes created by the rootkit.

Hopefully, these suits will make the recording industry think twice before attempting something so stupid in the future.

Legislation was recently introduced to close the analog hole in content protection. The bill mandates that analog listening and recording devices include technology that prevents unauthorized use. These devices include VCRs and tape players. DVD and CD devices already include such technology in one form or another. In many cases, those wishing to pirate digital material may use a converter to eliminate digital encryption. Converting from digital to analog reduces the quality of the image or sound.

The MPAA claims it loses $3 billion a year due to piracy. The RIAA claims it loses $4 billion annually to piracy. This figure is determined by averaging the cost of a CD or DVD/movie and then multiplying that by the estimated number of people illegally copying some part of that. This makes it look like “pirates” are walking out of stores without paying for CDs and DVDs. The problem with this analysis is that it over estimates the level of piracy that occurs. This assessment also doesn’t consider the fact that MPAA and RIAA members produce lots and lots of pure trash. People dont buy trash, but producing it costs money. In other words, “losses due to piracy” also includes some loses due to the low quality of the album or movie.

If such technology is implemented, the consequences for consumers will be varied. For one, your DVD player or VCR will be more complicated. Programs that you record will be unable to play. When this technology is combined with the broadcast flag, the results become very interesting. You may be prevented from recording a TV show. If you use a device like a Tivo, you will be prevented able from skipping commercials unless you pay a fee. Recording the show to your Tivo may require paying a fee as well. You may be prevented from rewinding and fast forwarding unless you pay an additional fee. The show may become unable to be viewed after a certain period of time (like Divx players). Before you tell me that I am living in a fantasy world, consider the pressure that was put on iTunes to raise prices. Wait until they charge $5 or $10 or even $20 per song.

You can help prevent this bill from by passing by writing your Representatives, expressing your concern over what will soon be an overt violation of your consumer rights. Also, contact the MPAA and RIAA, and inform them you will boycott their products if this bill and others like it pass.

MPAA lobbysits, waiting to meet with congressional leaders.

Sure, its fun to compare the MPAA and RIAA to Nazis, and some people call it “extreme” to do so. But is it REALLY that far off when you think about the way they try to trample all over us just to make some extra money to support the hours and hours of pure garbage they roll out? There will always be a need for RIAA and MPAA members to raise more money, regardless of how much we as consumers are harmed by their efforts. The Sony case that established many of our fair use rights is under attack. Don’t let it be burned.