Entries for fdisk

Windows Has Encountered a Problem... [Windows Has Encountered a Problem...]

fdisk — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:11:30 GMT

The end user!

The Times wrote:
Microsoft is developing Big Brother-style software capable of remotely monitoring a worker’s productivity, physical wellbeing and competence.

The Times has seen a patent application filed by the company for a computer system that links workers to their computers via wireless sensors that measure their metabolism. The system would allow managers to monitor employees’ performance by measuring their heart rate, body temperature, movement, facial expression and blood pressure.

...

The system could also “automatically detect frustration or stress in the user” and “offer and provide assistance accordingly”.

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3193480.ece

Great. What could they be doing with this?

in reply to Windows Has Encountered a Problem...

Know When to Fold 'Em [Know When to Fold 'Em]

fdisk — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:03:45 GMT

Last: 0.17	Change: UNCH	Open: 0.179	High: 0.179	Low: 0.17	Volume: 8,700
Last: 0.17	Percent Change: n/a	Yield: n/a	P/E Ratio: n/a	52 Week Range: 0.15 to 3.12

It appears to be game over for SCO. Stock price here.

SCO Might Fold

MarketWatch wrote:
Having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, SCO claims it may go under permanently, depending on how much the court decides it owes Novell.

The SCO Group may need to wind up its operations after its copyright case against Novell collapsed, prompting it to file for bankruptcy.

:(

Perhaps some advice from Kenny Rogers would help.

in reply to Know When to Fold 'Em

Leopard [Leopard]

fdisk — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:20:33 GMT

I haven't sat down and really toyed around with Mac OS in a while. Is this upgrade going to be worth it? Would October be the best time to buy a Mac?

http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/

Apple.com wrote:
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, Leopard features 300+ innovations. Explore the Mac of the future today. Arriving in October.

Movie link

in reply to Leopard

SCO, Round Two [SCO, Round Two]

fdisk — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:18:32 GMT

SCO appeals Unix ruling, seeks a second act

With a potential $25 million settlement against them, apparently SCO only has about $19 million in assets. So...they have to get some cash together quickly. Are you going to be their next mobile customer?

MarketWatch wrote:
In a potential last-minute reprieve, SCO is attempting to branch out. The company recently began selling software services for mobile devices, such as applications for coordinating meetings, and networking with friends.

Here's a nice quote, too.

MarketWatch wrote:
"We're not dead," McBride said, "it's just one of those situations where if you're knocked down seven times, you have to get up eight."

I think somebody has been watching too many Rocky movies!

in reply to SCO, Round Two

Favorite Episode [Favorite Episode]

fdisk — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:38:33 GMT

...of Doctor Who...any season, any doctor. :)

I confess I haven't seen the last season or so (with David Tennant) and am only now catching up on some of the mid 60's to early 70's episodes.

Mine: The Pirate Planet

Calufrax?!

in reply to Favorite Episode

Ride the Rocket [Ride the Rocket]

fdisk — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:10:20 GMT

The stock market rocket, that is! Check it out guys...a ways back I said SCO was the stock to rock the socks off your investment portfolio. I checked on their opening price today:

Last: 1.50	Change: -0.06	Open: 1.52	High: 1.65	Low: 1.46	Volume: 197,700
Last: 1.50	Percent Change: -3.85%	Yield: n/a	P/E Ratio: n/a	52 Week Range: 0.77 to 3.12

Did I read that right??!? $1.50? That's up a whopping 50 cents from a while ago. Think: if you would have invested $10,000 when it was a $1 a share, you'd now have a wad of dough.

Track the daily progress here. [H]

in reply to Ride the Rocket

Feels Like...1984? [Feels Like...1984?]

fdisk — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:10:55 GMT

Now Hiring: Secret Informants

ABC wrote:
The FBI is taking cues from the CIA to recruit thousands of covert informants in the United States as part of a sprawling effort to boost its intelligence capabilities.

(and later)

Other recent proposals include expanding its collection and analysis of data on U.S. persons, retaining years' worth of Americans' phone records and even increasing so-called "black bag" secret entry operations.

Hmmm...I can't see this system ever being abused.

:s

I'm soooo ready to go start up my own island country somewhere in the Pacific and move there. Maybe like the Palm Islands, but on a smaller scale. With internet access. And satellite tv.

in reply to Feels Like...1984?

So Many Feeds, So Little Time [So Many Feeds, So Little Time]

fdisk — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:10:06 GMT

Scoble the Feed-Reading Machine

Scoble wrote:
Google Reader says: “From your 739 subscriptions over the last 30 days you read 28,433 items, and shared 979 items.”

lol

Doing some basic math, that's approximately 948 items per day, and nearly 40 feeds per hour if he stays awake a full 24 hours a day. Assuming that is physically impossible, it comes about to about 79 feeds per hour in a 12 hour period (per day).

All I can ask is: why? Wouldn't that time be better spent doing something other than observing "virtual flowers" or things like that? I have this vision now of Scoble sitting at his computer (or using a pda) and obsessing over it constantly.

:s

There is also the fact that only a whopping 3.44% of items that he looked at that were actually worth sharing. Talk about low signal to noise ratios!

in reply to So Many Feeds, So Little Time

Santa Overthrown; Elves to Battle Back? [Santa Overthrown; Elves to Battle Back?]

fdisk — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:47:49 GMT

Wow. Just wow.

Russia Attempts to Grab North Pole

Daily Mail wrote:
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made an astonishing bid to grab a vast chunk of the Arctic, giving himself claim to its vast potential oil, gas and mineral wealth.

in reply to Santa Overthrown; Elves to Battle Back?

Dumbest Password Contest [Dumbest Password Contest]

fdisk — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:44:58 GMT

I'll start.

MSDOS*

* (I've actually seen this used)

in reply to Dumbest Password Contest

I love Channel 9 [I love Channel 9]

fdisk — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:16:51 GMT

Channel 9, that is.

After extensive observation and thorough investigation, I'm convinced the purpose of this site is to "control" some of the message in the developer community by creating a magnet for developer frustration, interests, etc.

That explains the continued tolerance of trolls in the community.

Think about it. Wouldn't it make more sense to have people vent on a forum rather than taking action in other ways...such as not buying product, writing articles, talking with other developers/managers, developing your own superior product, etc.? Instead, it is much easier for people who have "issues" with MS products to come on here and discuss them, in hopes that their suggestions actually have an impact on a product, when in truth they really don't have much impact at all. The side effect of this is to then get the developer to channel the energy away from making an alternate product choice.

Brilliant!

In a word, this place is brilliant. Sorry for the original rant above. It was based on faulty logic as many other members here have graciously pointed out. I love this community, more than you'll ever know. Thanks guys for being the friends that I needed during the times I needed one.

in reply to I love Channel 9

Just Too Busy [Just Too Busy]

fdisk — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:25:28 GMT

Microsoft too busy to name Linux patents

Article wrote:
"Most people who are familiar with patents know it's not standard operating procedure to list the patents," Markwith said. "The response of that would be administratively impossible to keep up with."

in reply to Just Too Busy

Free Software is Toast! [Free Software is Toast!]

fdisk — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:02:49 GMT

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/ArticleID/96039/96039.html?Ad=1

Windows IT Pro wrote:
"The Free Software movement is dead," Hilf said, in a typical quip, as quoted in "The Bangkok Post." "Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even [Linux creator] Linus [Torvalds] has a job today."

in reply to Free Software is Toast!

The Worst Thread [The Worst Thread]

fdisk — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:29:09 GMT

As suggested in another thread...

Dr. Herbie wrote:
worst books, films, vacation spots, Quotes and food

I'll start.

Worst book: ?
Worst film: Ice Pirates
Worst vacation spot: anywhere with a leaking tent in the rain
Worst quote: "I don't sense anything." - from the Phantom Menace
Worst food: head cheese

in reply to The Worst Thread

Developer Rock Hero [Developer Rock Hero]

fdisk — Wed, 09 May 2007 15:03:38 GMT

Who do you admire most as a developer? Have you ever met this person? What would you say to them if you did?

I'll start.

Anders Hejlsberg, no, and what do you consider to be your greatest technical achievement and why? Do you ever mess around in Turbo Pascal just for the fun of it?

in reply to Developer Rock Hero

Linux Preinstalled [Linux Preinstalled]

fdisk — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:13:05 GMT

Dell picks Ubuntu for Linux PCs

News.com wrote:
Dell is trying a second time to sell personal computers with Linux preinstalled, this time using the up-and-coming Ubuntu version of the open-source operating system.

Are you going to buy one? Will this begin to turn the tide of the industry? Yes, I know Dell has tried this before, but market conditions are continually changing.

in reply to Linux Preinstalled

Time to Dump Some Stock [Time to Dump Some Stock]

fdisk — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:22:00 GMT

Guys, heads up. It's time to dump your SCO stock. Check out the numbers:

Last: 0.90	Change: -0.02	Open: 0.94	High: 0.94	Low: 0.90	Volume: 18,807
Last: 0.90	Percent Change: -2.17%	Yield: n/a	P/E Ratio: n/a	52 Week Range: 0.82 to 5.17

From a few weeks ago, the stock has dropped a whopping 15 cents. Consider:

$1000 initial investment at $1.05 -> $1000 worth of stock now at $.90, making the value worth approximately $900. That's a loss of over 10% or $100.

:|

in reply to Time to Dump Some Stock

Ubuntu! Ubuntu! Ubuntu! [Ubuntu! Ubuntu! Ubuntu!]

fdisk — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:24:38 GMT

Found this article today...it seems pretty balanced, and surprisingly, most of the results come back as narrow victories for Vista, or even as a tie.

Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: The Battle For Your Desktop

InfoWeek wrote:
Ubuntu's best strength is handling the ordinary task-based day-to-day stuff. Vista has a level of completeness and polish that some people find it hard to do without.

in reply to Ubuntu! Ubuntu! Ubuntu!

Why Hang Out On Channel 9? [Why Hang Out On Channel 9?]

fdisk — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:58:32 GMT

I really can't give a good answer to that anymore. Here's my list as to why:

1) Lots of trolling lately. No mod intervention unless the troll goes completely ballistic. Which leads to...

2) I still feel like I'm part of a larger marketing strategy. Controlling mindshare/discussions and all that, regardless of Rory and Charles recent comments.

3) I don't watch the videos anymore, sometimes due to size (approaching 1 GB on a slow connection is not exactly fun). Downloading? Fuhggedaboutit.

4) Where's Mike Dimmick?

5) Vista feels like a letdown, and I can't exactly pin down the reason why.

6) The fact that people still hang out here after Scoble's recent revealing comments speaks volumes about the "community". How can anybody devote this much free time to one company? It's a little obsessive...

7) I don't see a whole lot of new people posting. Why is that? Same tired opinions, same old posters, same old arguments...

I give up...I'm just bored I think. Time to go take up a hobby like archery or coin collecting.

in reply to Why Hang Out On Channel 9?

Why importing food can be a bad idea [Why importing food can be a bad idea]

fdisk — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:48:25 GMT

Tainted Chinese wheat behind US pet poisonings: report

Breitbart wrote:
Investigators have reportedly found a rodent-killing chemical sprayed on imported Chinese wheat in the tainted pet food that has killed several animals in the US and Canada.

You know, lately, I've been seeing lots more products with "imported" produce/food in them (i.e. apple juice with apples from Brazil, China, and a half dozen other countries on the same label). I was always wonder when this sort of practice was going to start causing "issues". Then again, there's always that tainted lettuce once in a while from California...but I do wonder how strict the import rules are on this...

in reply to Why importing food can be a bad idea

Ego Comparison: Rory vs. Robert [Ego Comparison: Rory vs. Robert]

fdisk — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:56:35 GMT

Robert Wins! ;)

Rory: 293,000 results
Robert: 1,260,000 results

Although Rory's post are longer, and sometimes have cartoons in them.

:)

in reply to Ego Comparison: Rory vs. Robert

Linux IS ready for the desktop [Linux IS ready for the desktop]

fdisk — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:32:06 GMT

I really think it is. I read this article today, but disagree with the author's final point.

ZDNet wrote:
I firmly believe that, all else being equal, the differences between the Windows desktop, the Macintosh desktop, and the Linux desktop are negligible. With the proper applications, all three platforms will be capable of providing a satisfactory experience for any user. All three platforms have both free and commercial products available for personal productivity, web browsing, and basic multimedia. Yet, Windows dominates. Why?

With some of the latest Ubuntu distros, I readily agree. Macs are overpriced, Windows is everywhere, and there are sufficient apps available on Linux to make it usable and worthy of daily usage. OpenOffice improves all the time, btw.

ZDNet wrote:
It doesn't matter how great that OLPC laptop turns out to be, or how much those K-12 kids like those Linux clients if they (or their parents) cannot go to the box-store down the street and buy the computer of their choice with Linux pre-installed.

It's not that hard to install a Linux OS (not anymore). In fact, I can't think of any glitches that occured when I installed 6.06. I do know that having a particular type of system in the school system does make a bit of an impact on people, but then why aren't more people buying Apple machines in droves? Consider:

Apple Macs: overpriced hardware, stable OS
Windows PC: cheap to expensive hardware, stable OS
Linux installed on a PC: cheap to expensive hardware, stable OS

Even with the OLPC program, and with Apple switching to Intel chips, I think it all comes down to a matter of public laziness. I think the Linux advocates need to quit harping on the monopoly angle and find something else to build their advocacy around. There are enough near-monopolies in other areas of life/business...and for the most part, the buying public really could care less. I can't think of too many (if any) examples in the business world where that strategy actually worked and "sold more product". Think of how absurd it would be to see an ad like "eat more Prego! Let's break the Ragu monopoly!" Prego (spaghetti sauce) tastes better, but Ragu is cheaper, yet that ad would have no effect on me. I could care less if Ragu owns a monopoly on the world's canned tomatoes. Why? Because if I really really really want to, I can grow my own. Yet, I'm lazy and it's easier to pick up a jar in a store.

Edit: here's another thought. Why don't some of the Linux advocates start pooling their funds to advertise more in various magazines that PC-buying customers actually read?

in reply to Linux IS ready for the desktop

Crossfader Lives! [Crossfader Lives!]

fdisk — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:21:50 GMT

http://www.crossfader.com/

The long-dead Microsoft music-sharing-creative-whatever project is finally alive! The site has been redone, the look is different, the content is current!

And we still have no idea what any of it is for!

:(

in reply to Crossfader Lives!

Fix Your Pages [Fix Your Pages]

fdisk — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:42:42 GMT

Over at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/game/

Under the "Black Jack Card Game Starter Kit" you'll find this text:

MSDN wrote:
A complete, ready to run, ready to customize, interactive Web site for sharing photos, posting your résumé, listing categorized links and more.

Ante up!

Under "Space Blitz" you'll find this text:

MSDN wrote:
Everything you need to easily build a dynamic Web site for your club or organization, including contacts, events calendar, photo sharing, and more.

:s

At least the Rocket Commander text seems right...

in reply to Fix Your Pages

Global Variables [Global Variables]

fdisk — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:25:19 GMT

How often do you use them? I'm reading a book right now where the author uses them everywhere, and it's really irritating. I can see a use for them once in a while, but it seems like a sloppy way of doing things nowadays.

in reply to Global Variables