TECHNOLOGY: How does your “technology” end?

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The recent demise of a fellow Prepster shocked me. I found that his domain had not been renewed two months before his death. As a techie, that brings up an interesting question.

What happens to all my “stuff” when I’m not here to maintain it?

My domain names, web pages, email accounts …, you know, stuff!

Interesting that there is no failure mode, pre-programmed.

Have to think more about that depressing thought.

Like the GMail and Yahoo acounts of the recently killed soldiers in Iraq. All my passwords would NOT die with me since I have them in ROBOFORM.

But who knows the ROBOFORM master password? No one.

My fob has my “keys to the kingdom”. But someone would need that and the master password.

Have to think more about that!

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TECH SERVICE: Check Out My Tumblelog

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

http://www.legalandrew.com/2007/11/23/check-out-my-tumblelog

Check Out My Tumblelog

***Begin Quote***

Do you have a tumblelog? Check out mine!

There are cool things that I run across and want to share with you. But many of them are short or wouldn’t fit my themes at Legal Andrew.

***End Quote***

http://reinkefj.tumblr.com/

which is tied to http://www.reinkefaceslife.com/

We’ll see if I can make any better use out of it when I first tried it.

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TECHNOLOGY: Don’t have a url domain watcher!

Monday, November 26, 2007

What we don’t have!

My high school chum’s recent obit was a shock. What was even more a shock was that his domain expired in September.

So here’s a “what we don’t have”!

There’s no way to to detect the expiration of a domain that would indicate trouble. Like a bouncing email address.

We need from the old western movies the logical equivalent of those concealed indians that watch the cavalry fort for activity.

I need a whole bunch of them their “indians”, just sitting and watch a slew of email addresses, web sites, and domain names.

Know of any such?

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH SERVICE: organizes goals into 16 categories

Monday, November 26, 2007

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2007/11/this-sunday-a-1.html

***Begin Quote***

If you like making lists and setting out your resolutions, take a look at Your 100 Things. This site organizes goals into 16 categories — you can also see other people’s goals. I have my own resolution charts that keep me plenty busy (email me at grubin [at] gretchenrubin [dot] [com] if you’d like to take a look, for inspiration) but this looks like another great way to think through and commit to goals.

***End Quote***

Sort of like Joes Goals in multiple dimensions.

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TECHNOLOGY: Windoze a lock, until the competition gets their act together

Sunday, November 25, 2007

COMMENTED ON A WEBSITE

http://www.pcmech.com/article/the-cost-of-switching-operating-systems/

***Begin Quote***

His point is a very good one – one often forgotten by those of us who are end users who personally control our own computers. While Windows is, no doubt, the most popular operating system in the world when it comes to home users, it is also, by far, the most popular operating system in the corporate world.

As any person who works for a company can probably attest to, corporations are like huge cruise ships when it comes to IT – they do not turn on a dime. They choose Windows because it is tried and true, everybody uses it, and they get official support from Microsoft.

*** and ***

Don’t forget the likes of American Telephone & Telegraph Company, I don’t know about you guys but I haven’t whipped out the telegraph anytime recently. It’s just hard to get rid of legacy names, equipment, etc. It’s startup companies that have a real chance to break the mold. If there are really discernible savings or productivity gains in using another platform, these companies will get ahead, right?

***End Quote***

As an old bell head who spent about two decades at AT&T, I’d note that it was a creature of the government (i.e., FCC’s “universal service” mandate) and was destroyed by the government (i.e., Judge Green’s monopoly breakup). In the process a lot of things were destroyed. The careers of good people were sacrificed on the whims of the government. The investors went for a similar ride. Those people, their families, and their friends had their money (including retirements) robbed by a market transformation from government fiat. The government creates the problem and then “rescues” us from the problem they created with all sorts of unintended consequences.

So in the Windoze – Mac – Linux debate, look for the fine hand of the gooferment causing trouble. Look how the gooferment for all intents and purposes makes these companies lobby for their survival; that cost comes out of something somewhere. Look at the FCC — the agency that singly handedly delayed the cell phone for decades and the fax for merely a decade — currently screwing up “spectrum” and then “auctioning” it off; those costs have to come from somewhere. Look how the gooferment uses “standard setting” to anoint winners and losers (e.g., Open Document Format); that all comes from somewhere.

I’d suspect that if the Mac and Linux folks, as well as the WebOS folks and Google Web Apps, can make their offerings invisible to the end user, then they can dislodge Microsoft from the Desktop. We have had these platform debates for eons, and probably will continue to have them.

I’d also point out that the monolithic large companies that are frozen in the Microsoft footprint by their TCO are organizations of the past. Dino the dinosaur. The small – quick – nimble out compete the big – slow – plodding all the time.

Of course, the big fat gooferment likes big – slow – plodding companies who are fat. It leeches off of them and makes dance to their tune. Fortunately for the consumer, and not fortunate for the American worker / economy / country, there are two trends that are stopping that. Offshoring stuff to “better” places (Note the latest example: California farm owners, who need Mexican migrant labor, are moving their farms to Mexico! Moving a farm? Now if they can move, what’s stopping others? Inertia.) and Downsizing orgs into small fry (Look at the activity in technology start ups: start small – stay small – sell out – move on.)

Sorry, but those are the hard cruel facts. The free market will always be open and adapting despite laws, rules, regs, diktats, or wishes. The gooferment is the root of all our problems. And, where there is a will (become invisible) there is a way (displace Microsoft from the desktop).

imho, but what do I know, I’m just an old bell head who thinks Bell Labs was a national treasure.

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TECHNOLOGY: Spy Drones in Texas

Saturday, November 24, 2007

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/11/police-to-deplo.html

Police to Deploy Spy Drones in Texas
By Sharon Weinberger
November 23, 2007 | 10:41:58 AM

 

***Begin Quote***

An attempt by police in Texas to hold a secret test of spy drones was foiled by a local TV station, which tracked the unmanned aerial vehicles, forcing law enforcement officials to disclose some of their plans.

***and***

Montalvo told reporters the unmanned aircraft would be used for “mobility” or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also “tactical.” She admitted that could include covert police actions and she said she was not ruling out someday using the drones for writing traffic tickets.

A large number of the officers at the test site were assigned to the department’s ticket-writing Radar Task Force. Capt. Tom Runyan insisted they were only there to provide “site security,” even though KPRC cameras spotted those officers heavily participating in the test flight.

***End Quote***

Here’s we have the next wave of “revenue generation”! What a bunch of “barbara streisand”.

When does the sheeple say “enough”?

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TECHNOLOGY: personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16 have gone missing

Friday, November 23, 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7103566.stm

UK’s families put on fraud alert
Alistair Darling
Two computer discs holding the personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16 have gone missing.

***Begin Quote***

The Child Benefit data on them includes name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details of 25 million people.

***End Quote***

OK, it’s the UK. But what makes you think that our politicians, komisars, and bureaucrats are any better? And, you feel comfortable with these bozos protecting you, holding more of your data, and being “stand up” people? What are you nuts? No, you’re just sheeple!

Argh!

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LINKEDINANSWERS: Opine on finding fellow grads

Friday, November 23, 2007

Barry Miller
Manager Alumni Career Programs and Services at Pace University
Using Linked In to Connect to fellow alumni
*** begin quote ***

I would like to connect with New York University alumni, even if I do not know them. Is it possible to do this within Linked IN?

*** end quote ***

I’d also warn about the “five strikes and your out” policy that LinkedIn has to discourage spammers.

I’d offer you the suggestion to set up your own alumni ezine in the form of a free blog (Mine is http://www.jasperjottings.com). Just keep recording everything you “hear” about NYUers there.

(I did more than that, but I’m not sure you want to invest that amount of time.)

I think it’s safer to draw people to you, and form a granfalloon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granfalloon) around NYU. It’ll take a little more work and a little more time, but eventually you will have people coming to you to tout their accomplishments.

To date, I’d say about half of my networking contacts come from that one granfalloon.

Of course, your mileage may vary! Hope this helps.
fjohn

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LINKEDIN: May I suggest that you might want to add more contacts to your LinkedIn profile?

Thursday, November 22, 2007

SHARED WITH ONE OF MY LINKEDIN CONTACTS

May I suggest that you might want to add more contacts to your LinkedIn profile?

LinkedIn is the “find” and “be found” site. But your profile has to be “real”. There are many suspicious profiles on LinkedIn. My taxonomy is: ghosts (abandoned), strawman (owned by a recruiter advertising a real someone and who will “toll booth” you to make contact), scarecrow (owned by a recruiter who will try to sell you a substitute), a zombie (an identity of potentially a real person setup by someone else for other purposes like expanding a contact list to look more popular), and an alter ego (a second profile to feature a different persona). One characteristic they all share is a single, or sparse, contact list. Your contact list is like that. If you’re not getting the results you want, that might be the reason.

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TECH SERVICE: GOOGLE is a complicated beast!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Just when I think I am at the top of my game, I find out how little I really grok!

Take the mighty GOOGLE for instance. It too can be a little schizophrenic!

For the longest time, I thought I was the one going nuts. When I would post on fellow blogger’s blog hosted at BLOGGER, now a GOOGLE minion, I’d try to use one of my funny email addresses tied to reinkefaceslife dot com like “The Big Turkey” for Dave Opton’s blog about job search.

(You know how I try to partition my life despite Gandhi’s admonition and GTD’s paradigm. Maybe I am the schizophrenic?)

So for the longest time, I when I’d want to make a comment at Dave’s blog — something truly insightful or witty imho — I’d tap out my comment and then try to authenticate to BLOGGER using my GOOGLE account. But, I always had trouble and eventual would take one of the other options.

Had similar problems, at the South Brunswick blog where I wanted to be “a libertarian in 08824”.

But authenticating to and signing in to Blogger was always a hassle. And, I attributed to a hidden Google cookie.

Being the naturally insistent jerk that you all know and love, and like pet with a quirk you see on America’s Funniest Videos, I kept trying. I wonder how many hours I’ve wasted banging my fingers on the keyboard just trying?

SO for the South Brunswick blog, I came up with a workaround. Before I’d post at BLOGGER, I’d log on and off and on again to GMAIL with “a libertarian in 08824”. Then, having cleared the “mythical GOOGLE cookie”, I could go an make my comment and BLOGGER would find my old “a libertarian in 08824” GMAIL signon cookie from the other FIREFOX tab and all would work perfectly.

(Note that this workaround reinforces my belief in the magical GOOGLE cookie that prevented my from using the BLOOGER “use your GOOGLE account” authentication mechanism.)

So I thought I was pretty smart!

So, now, I want to comment and use “The Big Turkey @ Reinke Faces Life” account to comment on a different BLOGGER blog. (It was going to be a wonderfully insightful and funny comment about cannibalism on Thanksgiving being unacceptable to the the big fat old turkey hisself. I thought it would be funny.) But, I could NOT authenticate to BLOGGER. (and, for it to be funny, it had to come from “The Big Turkey”!) So I tried my magic workaround. Which, of course, when needed would NOT work.

Now, I am faced with evidence. (Always, an annoying fact of life!) TBT @ RFL is working for email purposes cause I can see it in outlook. I KNOW the passwords for sure because ROBOFORM keeps all my passwords precisely! I can NOT authenticate to BLOGGER to make my comment. I can NOT authenticate to GMAIL to use my working email. I can not authenticate to GOOGLEACCOUNTS even though … hmmm.

Eureka!

TBT @ RFL is a GOOGLEAPPSFORDOMAINS account!

Remember back when Google announced APPSFORDOMAINS? You could turn any domain into a fully functional one for free. (Hey I admit I’m cheap, but I also like to try everything.) So, I put RFL on GAFD!

BUT, that’s not the same as having a GOOGLE ACCOUNT!

Cute.

GOOGLE is the one that’s schizophrenic.

By way of a test I created “yet another blogger” at rfl dot com. And, proved you can sign in to GMAIL or GOOGLEACCOUNT with it, but you can logon on to GMAIL via the GAFD interface. (How’s that for confusing!) And, even stranger, using that id you can create a GOOGLEACCOUNT with it.

(Now I have to go create GOOGLE ACCOUNTS for those email addresses in RFL that are in GAFD!)

So the moral of the story, is GOOGLE has some split personalities.

And, keep poking at something and eventually all will be revealed.

(But does it have to take so long and make me look so dumb?)

Happy tday.
from the big fat old turkey hisself

Turkey illustration

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TECH SOFTWARE: YAHOOMUSICJUKEBOX does an update when it wants too!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

It’s bad enough when a big giant takes over a software product. It’s bad enough when it insists it’s going to do stuff it’s way. It’s bad enough when it takes all the file associations for its own. But, today to listen to an MP3, it decides on doing a mandatory upgrade. No explanation; just goes off an does it. Never mind that I don’t have time for it now. Never mind that I may not necessarily want their “upgrade”. Never mind that it fires up YIM which I don’t want up. Argh! And, it wants a mandatory reboot. Double Argh!

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LINKEDIN: new concept “Network Drafting”

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

“Network Drafting” as defined as noticing that someone you trust in your network connects to another person, and you attempt to connect as well. You’re drafting in the sense that you follow their lead to improve your situation – drafting the race car or bicyclist in front of you.

— Steve Glaiser, Product Quality Executive Management

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH HARDWARE: Kindle is kindling

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071119/D8T114E00.html

***Begin Quote***

The Kindle device is shown in this photograph released by Amazon.com on Monday, Nov. 19, 2007. The $399 electronic book device will allow downloads of more than 90,000 book titles, blogs, magazines and newspapers.

***End Quote***

All I know is what I have read in the press.

$400!

Are you kidding me?

It should read the book to me, serve coffee, and do tricks.

Nahhh, I don’t think so.

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TECH SERVICE: links your listing to the profile portal page

Sunday, November 18, 2007

tiny

http://www.naymz.com/faqs.action?section=3

***Begin Quote***

How does Naymz work?

Naymz has built a proprietary technology which “speaks” to the advertising platforms of the search engines. Naymz relies on paid search advertising to post your personal listing. Paid search advertising is also know as “Sponsored Links” in Google, “Sponsor Results” on Yahoo, and “Sponsored Sites” on MSN Search. Naymz pays all variable fees charged by the engines directly, and subscribers pay Naymz a flat fee. Naymz automatically links your listing to the profile portal page which you create.

***End Quote***

Playing with it. Let’s see if it brings me that bix bux cxo job in 08824. ;-)

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TECH SERVICE: TRUFINA “truth be told”

Saturday, November 17, 2007

https://www.trufina.com

***Begin Quote***

What is a Trufina Identity Card?

Your Verified Trufina Identity Cards are customizable views of information about you that you share with others. Think of it as an electronic version of your driver’s license. Since it is customizable, you can restrict what verified information you show to others. Want to show your city but not your home address? Or prove your age to someone without revealing your full name? You can create multiple credentials for various situations, such as online dating, reputation management, or buying and selling goods through online auctions or classifieds. You control who sees which cards, and nobody can view your ID card without your permission.

***End Quote***

I’ve added a reputation service to my arsenal of tools. Why? People thought my recent networking email might have been spam or phish. Arghh!

Ask to see my identity at www.Trufina.com!

http://profile.trufina.com/reinkefj

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LINKEDIN: the first negative recommendation of anyone I think I have ever seen

Saturday, November 17, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL TO ONE OF MY LINKEDIN FIRST LEVEL CONTACTS

*** begin quote ***

Hi XXXXX: Well, it’s a quiet Sunday morning and I’m working on my current LinkedIn project “how live is my network”. I’ve been reviewing all my contacts to see if there are people I can help. (Yeah, I know “get a life”!) While I’m not “out” now, I could be. So prep is always in order. Pay it forward. I was looking at your LinkedIn profile and I was struck by the “recommendations” of YYYYYYYYYY. Yours is the first negative recommendation of anyone I think I have ever seen. (It kinda puts an interesting question about what does the word “recommendation” mean?) Is it a joke? If not, were you really that mad at him? Now I have no other agenda other than curiosity. As I said, never saw such before and just had to know more. If you have a moment and care to elaborate, I’d love to hear more. Of course, if there is anything I can do to help, please advise. Thanks, your “LinkedIn version of the Vulcan mind meld” mate fjohn

P.S.: I’m adjusting my tin foil hat so you’ll get better reception.

*** end quote ***

Seems like something that is very dangerous to do.

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LINKEDIN: May I suggest that you have your own domain?

Saturday, November 17, 2007

May I suggest that you have your own domain?

The common wisdom, or is that common whizdumb, is to own your own name as a domain name. I own “reinke.cc”. (I like saying “sea sea me at reinke.cc”!) I gives one quite a bit of control. And, it’s very cheap. I know three solutions at 15$/year using wordpressdotcom with gmail, 25$/year email only with 1and1, and 60$/year for domain + email + webspace also at 1and1. My point is not that you should use 1and1. I could care less. It’s that getting on to your own email is cheap and easy.

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LINKEDIN: May I suggest that you not use your employer’s email on LinkedIn?

Friday, November 16, 2007

May I suggest that you not use your employer’s email on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a great way to find people and be found. Unfortunately, in today’s economic climate, changing jobs is a fact of life. When I was on Wall Street, one would be walked out of the building and one’s email unceremoniously forwarded to one’s boss or “Human Resources”. That taught me NEVER to depend or use the boss’ email. So to, I’ve seen a lot of people — one of my very best contacts — lose access to their LinkedIn account. She’s forgotten her password and her corporate email is gone. Hence always I advise people to use a personal email on LinkedIn. I have some pretty specific opinions about what email to use, but suffice to say it’s NEVER the corporate email.

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Update: And, I saw that happen yesterday! :-(

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TECHNOLOGY: BLOGDESK and WORDPRESSDOTCOM

Thursday, November 15, 2007

This morning, BLOGDESK started to time out when it was attempting to update the free, and unequaled, wordpressdotcom. Now there are a lot reasons: netowrk, software on each end of the wire, or the rain. :-) I can’t point the finger yet. But, you can be sure when I can, I will!

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Update: As of 1400 est, it’s all working. I don’t know who to blame. But since it’s still raining, I’ll have to allow the Intelligent Designer off the hook. All others, I have my eye on you! Argh!

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TECHNOLOGY: Using technology (i.e., ducks) to slow traffic

Thursday, November 15, 2007

http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13800

Village Uses Ducks To Stop Speeding
Posted on Tuesday, November 13 @ 17:50:09 CST Eye

***Begin Quote***

Postmistress Ann Martin, 63, from Portesham, Dorset, has recruited a ‘quack’ squad after she noticed motorists driving more carefully when the birds were around.

***End Quote***

:-)

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TECHNOLOGY: BANANA (“Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone”)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/11/powerlessness_san_diego_almost.html

November 13, 2007
Powerlessness: San Diego almost blacked-out
Thomas Lifson

***Begin Quote***

During the recent wildfires, San Diego came perilously close to being blacked out, thanks to the vulnerability of its connections to the national power grid and the low portion of its electric power that is generated locally. The ability to fight that disaster might have been crippled if electric power had been out for any extended period.

Craig Rose of the San Diego Union-Tribune explains the technical complexities involved. But the fundamental issues are clear:

{Extraneous Deleted}

2. It is very, very hard (and expensive) to build high capacity transmission lines in this age of BANANA (“Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone”)

{Extraneous Deleted}

A grown-up approach would be to balance the risks if insufficient local generating capacity with the risks of nuclear power, CO2 emissions, and the like.

***End Quote***

While France, a tree hugging country if I ever heard of one, gens more than half of its electricity nuke-wise, we can’t seem to get our act together. BANANA will ensure that we are screwed royally in so many different ways. Imagine what we could tell the sheiks, Chavez, and Putin that they could do with their oil? The gooferment ensure that nothing ever gets done.

Sigh!

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TECH SOFTWARE: Flock gives a taste of what could be

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/web/2007/1105web2.html

Social networking integration
Flock integrates social networking Web services
Web Applications Newsletter By Mark Gibbs, Network World, 11/07/07

***Begin Quote***

Flock has taken the framework of the Mozilla Firefox browser and provided integration with a number of social networking Web services including Flickr, Del.icio.us, Technorati, Photobucket, RSS feeds, and a number of blogging services.

***End Quote***

Well, I put up FLOCK and it doesn’t do LinkedIn. Seems like it HAS to do LinkedIn to be considered as a “production quality” offering. It does give one a hint of what it could become.

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LINKEDIN: an email about LinkedIn

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL ABOUT LINKEDIN

*** begin quote ***

>Second, what is the 5 strikes and you’re locked rule that you refer to below?

LinkedIn has a policy, about a year old, that if five people that you invite say “Don’t know”, you’re account is locked out. Depending upon how well you kowtow to “customer (dis)service”, they will unlock you. A second offense, and you may not be unlocked.

>Third, I like your “I am not accepting your request ..”

Contrary to the impression my large count gives, I am NOT an open networker. (I run an alumni ezine and have been “in transition” five times and ran a networking group.) I try to only connect with kindred spirits.

>Speaking of LinkedIn, I had an interesting conversation with a recruiter last week on the topic of having recruiters as LinkedIn connections.

I’d think that was “interesting” because recruiters have a completely different set of objectives than real people.

> I told her my take on how I see it being a one-way street (at least from a career networking point of view)

I’m not so sure I agree with you. LinkedIn for seekers allows one to find and be found.

>and she basically agreed as she said “I would never put my clients in my linkedin connections”.

Sure, because she can’t compete with all the recruiters out their chasing a diminishing world of hiring managers and job seekers. If I can id someone who needs my brand of poison then why should they hire a recruiter to find me. Or visa versa.

There’s a lot of sleeze tactics on LinkedIn.

*** end quote ***

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TECH SERVICE: Purchased MLB Game Downloads ?

Monday, November 12, 2007

http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/2007/11/mlb-game-downloads-still-inaccessible.html

11.06.2007
If You Purchased MLB Game Downloads Before 2006, Your Discs/Files Are Now Useless; MLB Has Stolen Your $$$ And Claims “No Refunds”

*** begin quote ***

2nd Update: Baseball Think Factory has publicized the discussion.

Update: Just got off the phone with a MLB customer service supervisor.

“MLB no longer supports the DDS system” that it once used and so any CDs with downloaded games on them “are no good. They will not work with the current system.”

Great. Just effing great. … As I told the supervisor, this is right in line with how wrong-headed and stupid and ass backwards MLB does everything.

I was told there is absolutely nothing MLB can do about these lost games. Plus, they said my purchases were all “one-time sales” and thus “there are no refunds”.

No refunds? As Lee Elia would say: “My ******* ass!”

My info has been submitted to some other MLB department which will review things and see what they can do about either getting me the games I paid for or refunding my $280.45.

So if you have downloaded any games prior to 2006, get those discs out and try to watch them … then call MLB at 866-800-1275 and demand they refund your money.

*** end quote ***

Hence, my policy, no drm ever. Period. No excuse. No way; no how!

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LINKEDIN: Personalizing your LinkedIn url

Sunday, November 11, 2007

What is a personalized LinkedIn url?

Personalizing your LinkedIn url allow you to customize the web address of your LinkedIn public profile. You can include this personalized LinkedIn url in the signature of emails you send, post it on other web sites, or whatever. (Put it on your resume?) You “personalize” it by getting to the “Edit My Public Profile” page. Then choose what will appear after the last slash in www.linkedin.com/in/ “at least five letters”! “first come, first served”! “one to a user”!

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TECH SERVICE: Hushmail offers “encrypted” e-mail … almost!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Hushmail-Privacy-Limits-Revealed-89283

 

Hushmail Privacy Limits Revealed
Significant difference in java, non-java versions
01:20PM Friday Nov 09 2007 by Karl

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Hushmail offers encrypted e-mail services for the paranoid and/or privacy conscious. The company uses cryptographic and encryption protocols OpenPGP and AES 256 to scramble the contents of messages stored on their servers. According to the company, “not even a Hushmail employee with access to our servers can read your encrypted e-mail, since each message is uniquely encoded before it leaves your computer.”

However, Wired News’s threat level blog notes that this protection only goes so far. The blog notes that one version of the company’s platform contains a loophole that allows law enforcement to request un-encrypted messages en masse, defeating the purpose for some of the service’s regular clientelle:
A September court document (.pdf) from a federal prosecution of alleged steroid dealers reveals the Canadian company turned over 12 CDs worth of e-mails from three Hushmail accounts, following a court order obtained through a mutual assistance treaty between the U.S. and Canada.

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Don’t bet your freedom on anything you don’t control.

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