Category
“I’ve got nothing to hide.”
All too often do I hear that phrase when I talk to people about privacy. They should take a gander at this.
Well said, in my opinion. Assuming, of course, that no one will take my opinion out of context..
~Jaker
Facebook Rebroadcast Platform
Facebook has made quite the effort with it’s “Notes” to make it a blogging platform. It’s actually a brilliant idea, as you can easily tie in the social networking aspect with your writing. It’s like getting 100 fans for free, and then free advertising as Facebook goes out of it’s way to tell everything that you spent your precious time writing something.
Since this blog is almost as old as Facebook, I prefer posting on it instead of Facebook. I didn’t want to double-post either, since it was time consuming (and I rarely am on Facebook–it’s all about texting via phone).
The new Facebook has a fancy new feature. It’ll read in RSS feeds from your own blog and convert them to Notes. Now the new process:
1. I can post here.
2. Have Facebook repost it, then spam it to everyone
3. ?????
4. Profit!
Facebook, you’re so evil, yet so convenient. No wonder everyone loves you.
~Jaker
gstreamer + mp3
I’m assuming Totem must be dependent on gstreamer for it’s music, as I could not get any mp3 file to play (it said I needed the correct codec). Audacious could play mp3’s, so it was a mystery.
Want mp3 playback for your gstreamer-dependent programs in Gentoo? Just emerge media-plugins/gst-plugins-mad
Not that I’d ever really use Totem to stream online radio. It’s just nice to know that I can now.
~Jaker, posting via Gnome
Super Patch Tuesday
That’s quite a bit of updates!
~Jaker
The Irony
**Shameless Advertising Alert**
Every character I have ever leveled in WoW, I always make it a point to try to kill a Zhevra (read: a zebra) far before I am able to.
Example: The Zhevra is level 15. I am level 10. The first time I enter the Barrens, no matter what my level, I aim to kill one of those. So far, I have about a 50% success rate (it’s very sad when one gets killed by a zebra).
The irony? Blizz is giving a Zhevra to anyone who recruits a friend. It’d be quite ironic to ride around in the animal of which I seek to destroy every time I enter the Barrens.
If you, or anyone else out there in this fine Internet would like to play WoW, let me know. I can totally hook you up with a 10 day trial. Then, if you subscribe, I’ll help you quest with my Zhevra. At least I know I won’t be killed by it.
~Jaker
**end of shameless advertising alert**
AT&T DSL WI Outage (or “The System is Down, Yo”)
Besides being awesome in general, my AT&T wireless card has become incredibly helpful this evening/morning.
Around midnight CST, I was remoting into work to do some server maintenance. Suddenly the screen locked up and my music stream stopped. The little globe icon disappeared from the network icon. I may not be some crazy IT guy, but I had a gut feeling that my internet went down.
I checked my laptop. Same results. I logged into the router. That worked. Saw that my router was failing PPPoE authentication (over and over again). Rebooted the modem. Rebooted the router. Still nothing.
I physically checked the modem. Ah ha! The Internet (”tubes”) light is das blinken! The activity light was off. Normally the Internet light is solid, and activity blinks. Bingo.
I jump on my laptop and get connected to my wireless card. Looks like that works, so we don’t need to reset the Internet by communicating with it musically. I hit up AT&T’s site and found it surprisingly easy to get to their support site. I tried some of the provided phone numbers, but all of them said no one was in the office (the hours also didn’t match the website, but both of them still said the offices were closed when I called. I could hope for something though, right?).
I searched further. AT&T had a service outage site, but said nothing was out in Wisconsin. The AT&T Yahoo! didn’t have a outage site at all, so I finally resorted to the “Chat with us” option (which was, fortunately still open). The chat session started, and I was 18 people in queue. From that I could tell there was probably something up, since it was 1 in the morning at this point.
I finally was connected after 20 minutes of waiting. That’s when they broke the news:
Jean Spencer: What city and state are you in right now?
Jacob Thornberry: Menomonee Falls, WI
Jean Spencer: Are you near Waukesha, WI?
Jacob Thornberry: yes
Jacob Thornberry: it’s about 20ish miles away
Jean Spencer: There is an ongoing outage in that area.
Jacob Thornberry: hmm.. that would explain it then
Jacob Thornberry: the modem seems to connect, but the pppoe fails (internet light keeps blinking)
Jacob Thornberry: do they have an eta on when it’ll be back up?
Jean Spencer: The Estimated Time of Restoral is 3:00AM CT.
Jacob Thornberry: cool
Jacob Thornberry: thanks for the information!
Jean Spencer: You’re welcome.
Jean Spencer: Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Jacob Thornberry: that’s not a problem. i’m just glad it’s not a problem on my end
Jean Spencer: Thank you for understanding.
Jean Spencer: Is there anything else that I can help you with today?
Jacob Thornberry: nope, that’s all i needed
Ah, troubleshooting skills fail me not once again!
Jacob Thornberry: thanks again for the information, and hopefully you’re not getting pounded with people asking about this
Jean Spencer: Actually, we are.
Looks like my modem gets to rest for a bit.
So, from this experience, I have learned the following:
1. If you have a cell phone with a data plan, use that as a modem and hit up the chat link. It works quite well.
2. If you aren’t blessed with such, DSL subscribers automagically get access to AT&T’s Dialup. Your ultra-cool Dialup will come in handy when your internet goes out, there’s an atomic bomb blast in your vicinity, or if you’re some sick freak who has a fetish with slow internet speeds.
If you’re in Wisconsin, I have a nice list of AT&T’s DUN servers. I’m surprised to see one in Allenton. If you’re not in Wisconsin, stop being so lazy and get your own damn list!
Allenton WI (262)299-4010 56K V90 Appleton WI (920)830-8365 56K V90 Athens WI (715)257-4023 56K V90 Beaverdam WI (920)885-8475 56K V90 Belgium WI (262)476-4028 56K V90 Beloit WI (608)466-4774 56K V90 Berlin WI (920)354-6023 56K V90 Big Bend WI (262)910-4035 56K V90 Birnamwood WI (715)449-4023 56K V90 Brandon WI (920)332-4001 56K V90 Brillion WI (920)524-4028 56K V90 Bristol WI (262)891-4000 56K V90 Burlington WI (262)806-4002 56K V90 Burnett WI (920)543-4001 56K V90 Cascade WI (920)523-4028 56K V90 Cedarburg WI (262)421-4035 56K V90 Chilton WI (920)522-4028 56K V90 Chippewa Falls WI (715)861-4012 56K V90 Clyman WI (920)341-4023 56K V90 Colby WI (715)316-4012 56K V90 Columbus WI (920)626-4001 56K V90 Darien WI (262)726-4027 56K V90 De Pere WI (920)351-4001 56K V90 Delavan WI (262)725-4002 56K V90 E. Troy WI (262)684-4001 56K V90 Eagle WI (262)592-4001 56K V90 Eau Claire WI (715)858-7044 56K V90 Edgar WI (715)352-4023 56K V90 Elkhart Lake WI (920)876-6023 56K V90 Fond Du Lac WI (920)933-4774 56K V90 Fort Atkinson WI (920)542-4027 56K V90 Genoa City WI (262)295-0032 56K V90 Green Bay WI (920)448-6985 56K V90 Greenbush WI (920)526-4018 56K V90 Hartford WI (262)709-0102 56K V90 Hatley WI (715)446-4021 56K V90 Hilbert WI (920)853-4018 56K V90 Horicon WI (920)643-4001 56K V90 Hortonville WI (920)779-1032 56K V90 Houlton WI (715)954-4774 56K V90 Hubertus WI (262)229-4011 56K V90 Hudson WI (715)220-4012 56K V90 Hustisford WI (920)349-5018 56K V90 Jackson WI (262)423-4020 56K V90 Janesville WI (608)554-4022 56K V90 Jefferson WI (920)541-4001 56K V90 Johnsburg WI (920)799-4028 56K V90 Kenosha WI (262)671-4774 56K V90 Kenosha WI (262)612-0102 56K V90 Kenosha WI (262)656-6680 56K V90 Kewaskum WI (262)477-4010 56K V90 Kiel WI (920)797-4028 56K V90 La Crosse WI (608)498-4000 56K V90 La Crosse WI (608)498-4001 56K V90 Lake Geneva WI (262)581-4018 56K V90 Lebanon WI (920)798-4010 56K V90 Loyal WI (715)503-4012 56K V90 Madison WI (608)354-0102 56K V90 Madison WI (608)467-4774 56K V90 Manitowoc WI (920)482-4190 56K V90 Manitowoc WI (920)482-4029 56K V90 Mapleton WI (920)653-4010 56K V90 Marathon WI (715)443-4021 56K V90 Marinette WI (715)330-4021 56K V90 Marshfield WI (715)502-4012 56K V90 Mayville WI (920)644-4001 56K V90 Melrose WI (608)396-6672 56K V90 Menomonee Falls WI (262)293-4006 56K V90 Menomonie WI (715)233-5305 56K V90 Merrill WI (715)804-4774 56K V90 Merton WI (262)533-4021 56K V90 Milwaukee WI (414)375-4059 56K V90 Milwaukee WI (414)326-4774 56K V90 Milwaukee WI (262)649-4077 56K V90 Milwaukee WI (414)615-0062 56K V90 Milwaukee WI (414)376-4059 56K V90 Milwaukee WI (414)377-4059 56K V90 Mishicot WI (920)654-4028 56K V90 Mount Calvary WI (920)753-8018 56K V90 Neenah WI (920)486-4012 56K V90 Neosho WI (920)656-4010 56K V90 New Holstein WI (920)827-4018 56K V90 New London WI (920)472-4774 56K V90 Newburg WI (262)355-4020 56K V90 North Antioch WI (262)435-4774 56K V90 Oconomowoc WI (262)804-0102 56K V90 Oostburg WI (920)587-4009 56K V90 Oshkosh WI (920)232-6195 56K V90 Owen WI (715)408-4012 56K V90 Palmyra WI (262)485-1002 56K V90 Plymouth WI (920)449-4028 56K V90 Port Washington WI (262)261-0102 56K V90 Racine WI (262)672-4774 56K V90 Racine WI (262)504-0022 56K V90 Random Lake WI (920)447-4028 56K V90 Reedsville WI (920)443-4028 56K V90 Salem WI (262)586-4016 56K V90 Sheboygan WI (920)547-4774 56K V90 Silver Lake WI (262)885-4016 56K V90 Slinger WI (262)297-4010 56K V90 Spencer WI (715)406-4012 56K V90 St. Cloud WI (920)624-4010 56K V90 Stevens Point WI (715)342-2831 56K V90 Stoughton WI (608)205-4024 56K V90 Stratford WI (715)407-4012 56K V90 Sturgeon Bay WI (920)473-4774 56K V90 Sullivan WI (262)582-1302 56K V90 Thiensville WI (262)292-4006 56K V90 Trevor WI (262)298-4010 56K V90 Twin Lakes WI (262)448-4028 56K V90 Two Rivers WI (920)657-4028 56K V90 Walworth WI (262)394-2001 56K V90 Watertown WI (920)245-0002 56K V90 Watertown WI (920)545-4011 56K V90 Waubeka WI (262)447-4028 56K V90 Waukesha WI (262)506-1902 56K V90 Waukesha WI (262)565-6066 56K V90 Waupaca WI (715)256-4605 56K V90 Waupun WI (920)239-4001 56K V90 Wausau WI (715)803-4774 56K V90 West Bend WI (262)384-4774 56K V90 West Bend WI (262)808-0102 56K V90 White Water WI (262)458-1202 56K V90 Whitelaw WI (920)796-4028 56K V90 Williams Bay WI (262)607-8001 56K V90
Well, that ends my sleuthing. In the 7 months I’ve had residential DSL service with AT&T, 3 hours of downtime (at least, downtime I’ve noticed) isn’t bad (99.9995% uptime). I’m sure this number is exaggerated, but if the Internet goes down and nobody notices…
~Jaker
nVidia GPU Update
Recently nVidia announced that there was a heat issue with their G84 and G86 model graphics cards (8 series video cards on laptops). Initially we were told that it was an “HP only” problem, but now Dell is releasing BIOS updates to several laptops with that card, saying that the BIOS update “updates nVidia BIOS.”
Basically the update changes the fan state so the GPU fan runs earlier (in some cases, all the time). This is supposed to “help regulate the GPU temperature.”
So far Dell has only released the update for the following laptops:
|
Dell Product Name |
BIOS Revision |
Date |
Update File Name |
|
A09 |
7/14/08 |
1420_A09.EXE |
|
|
A12 |
6/22/08 |
D630_A12.EXE |
|
|
A06 |
7/11/08 |
D630CA06.EXE |
|
|
A07 |
7/11/08 |
M2300A07.EXE |
|
|
A10 |
7/10/08 |
V1310-A10.EXE |
|
|
A09 |
7/10/08 |
1400_A09.EXE |
|
|
A10 |
7/10/08 |
V1510A10.EXE |
|
|
A07 |
7/10/08 |
V1710A07.EXE |
|
|
A12 |
7/9/08 |
M1330A12.EXE |
|
|
A09 |
7/25/08 |
1530_A09.EXE |
(See http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx)
There are plenty of other laptops that have the G84/G86 chip, yet they are not in this list. Take the Inspiron 1520 for example. Not only is it the laptop I have, it also comes with an 8600M GT and is not in the list. BIOS Rev. A07, though, includes an “enhancement for thermal control.” This could possibly be part of the whole GPU fix, seeing that the timestamp seems to be in the range of these other updates.
Either way, if you have a laptop that is in that list, you should probably update thy BIOS. Since several people are reporting that their GPU fan runs almost all the time now, you may see a decrease in battery life. I’d also recommend keeping tabs on that fan, as I’m not sure what the MTBF for a laptop fan is..
(I have the latest BIOS on my laptop and the fan seems to not act unusual. It’ll run when playing games, but otherwise it’s not too bad).
~Jaker
Futurama III
More Futurama?!
If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I’m a pretty big Futurama fan (of the “post-OTA” generation). Yes, I’ve seen all the shows, and I’ve seen the two movies so far.
Fortunately there’s word out that the third (of the 4 rumored movies) installment of the straight-to-DVD Futurama’s has been announced. “Futurama: Bender’s Game” appears to be a fantasy-oriented movie, emulating the likes of Dungeons and Dragons (note: this isn’t the first time these two have converged).
There’s a pretty non-descript trailor that I apparently missed on the last DVD.
The catch: we won’t see this appear until November 4. Ah well. I’ll just *rolls dice* patiently wait.
~Jaker
When a mommy and a daddy…
Daddy should be aware of KB946676. Otherwise everyone will laugh at him because his data is lost!
~Jaker