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1126

Living Room / Re: good Videos [short films] here :)

« Last post by 40hz on October 25, 2014, 11:29 AM »

This is is stunning! A scifi short for the ESA sponsored Rosetta Mission. It shows a far future, with a post-human apprentice planet builder and her mentor...

Published on Oct 24, 2014

Ambition is a collaboration between Platige Image and ESA. Directed by Tomek Bagiński and starring Aiden Gillen and Aisling Franciosi, Ambition was shot on location in Iceland, and screened on 24 October 2014 during the British Film Institute’s celebration of Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder, at the Southbank, London.

More information.
Rosetta: the ambition to turn science fiction into science fact


The 'Making of Ambition' is available here:
http://youtu.be/Ud9ON2CzYYM

Unlike NASA, the ESA understands the importance of spreading the dream...  

Addendum:

And here's "the making of" part:

 

1127

General Software Discussion / Re: Massive malvertising campaign on Yahoo, AOL and other sites delivers ransomware

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2014, 03:51 PM »

It's generally a good idea to only download directly from the app publisher's website. If you get bounced over to CNet or another 3rd party software aggregation host, think twice. (If you're using a lot of free software, this is now happening with increasing regularity.) Same for any popup upgrade notifications. Always upgrade from inside the app if at all possible. If there isn't an upgrade/"check for update" feature in the app itself, go to the publisher's website. If you're redirected to anywhere other than one of the publisher's websites, go back to the beginning of this post and read again.
 

   

1128

Living Room / Re: What are your favorite movies?

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2014, 11:13 AM »

I'd add the 1990 psychological thriller Jacob's Ladder to the list.

I'll avoid any discussion to keep the "go in cold" crowd happy.

1129

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox windows and CPU slow-downs and restarts

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2014, 02:03 PM »

I haven't found FF version 28.0 (running on Linux) to be all that bad. About the only sites that give it occasional grief are the usual suspects: YouTube/GMail/Hotmail. Everything else generally works well including Amazon. Running FF on Windows 7 Pro is a different story. The Windows version of FF is almost unusable IMO. I've since switched to IE when in Windows. (When in Rome as the saying goes.)

1130

Living Room / Re: Chip Wars: AMD vs Intel .... GO!

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2014, 01:43 PM »

I vote for Texas Instruments and Motorola!

-Renegade (October 23, 2014, 12:23 AM)

Not so sure about TI. But a big +1 for Motorola. I miss those guys and their 68xxx architecture. That flat memory map alone was worth it.  One of the easiest and funkiest chips to engineer or code for. (My 'commode door" roots are showing. )

And while we're on the subject of drop-the-ball wunderkinder, too bad about Transmeta. There are no secrets that can be kept indefinitely in the CPU world - stealth startup or no stealth startup.

1131

General Software Discussion / Re: Cloning SERVER 2008 R2 SYSTEM TO A BACKUP 2TB DRIVE-Which app is best?

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2014, 06:39 PM »

Thanks to all.  I agree on the problems with makign a "bad" clone but  working "bad" clone would at least give me some comfort-zone for THEN trying to make cluster repairs.  I have had this happen before on this same system when it ran RAID and it was even MORE trouble then.  One of the pauir was bad and not synced to the other but the one that was newer would not boot.
 

-questorfla (October 22, 2014, 12:59 PM)

Sounds like you have (a) a flaky RAID controller; (b) are experiencing power glitch induced errors due to an inadequate or marginal power supply; or (c) you're routinely maxing out available disk space so much that errors are starting to creep into things. If possible try to keep at least 20% of your available system volume "unused" to avoid bad surprises. It's also wise to max out RAM. Inadequate RAM puts a lot of stress on your disk drives when running Windows Server. Especially if you're running a database or other app that writes a lot of temporary and log files.

This system has been on the sheet to be upgraded/(REPLACED) now for over 6 months.  I guess now someone will finally OK it.

Yup! Been there. And just recently too. Kinda goes with the turf unfortunately. Luck!

1132

General Software Discussion / Re: Cloning SERVER 2008 R2 SYSTEM TO A BACKUP 2TB DRIVE-Which app is best?

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2014, 06:28 PM »

^Agreed.

As an alternative to imaging, have you tried using the built-in Windows backup software to do a complete system backup? I've had great luck with it doing restores/recoveries to both original and alternate hardware. Also as mentioned above it will allow you to do a test restore of a few files (like the really critical ones...) to alternate location to verify it's integrity.

-Stoic Joker (October 22, 2014, 12:35 PM)

+1 on the built-in tools. Even the very popular (and $$) BackupAssist app uses various Windows services such as shadow copy. I've made successful bare metal recovery images using just the tools that came with Windows Server. Saved my bacon more than once. If you don't need to automate disaster recovery for a server farm, the utilities that Microsoft provides should work just fine. Especially if you're just dealing with a single server.

Note: if any of the Microsoft recovery utilities give you grief, or don't run to completion, you can be 100% sure you have a filesystem or other serious issue that absolutely needs to be addressed NOW!  

1133

General Software Discussion / Re: Cloning SERVER 2008 R2 SYSTEM TO A BACKUP 2TB DRIVE-Which app is best?

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2014, 09:42 AM »

I'd worry about those possible cross links more than anything right now. If the integrity of your file system is questionable, cloning it over to a new drive isn't going to fix things. In a worse case scenario you might be left with a DOA (i.e. STB) situation, or a system that's going to fail when you least expect it. You can't clone (or even get a usable backup) if your files are glitched. Sure they'll backup to a file. Often without warning on older backup systems. But more often than not, when you go to do a restore, it will fail because most databases check the integrity of the backup before they'll restore it. If you have a "bad" backup, it won't use the recovered file copy.

If at all possible, get the file system fixed first.

1134

DC Gamer Club / Re: Free Steam Game: Afterfall InSanity

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2014, 09:32 AM »

Not available for the anti-social among us, ie. requires Twitter, Facebook accounts to get it.

-4wd (October 21, 2014, 07:46 PM)

I prefer to think we're more 'selective' than 'anti-social.'  (Ah...screw it! I probably am anti-social.  )

Just quickly register a fake Facebook profile using some random name and e-mail address...the website doesn't care lol

-Stephen66515 (October 21, 2014, 07:51 PM)

I'm with 4wd. Dealing with so-called social media sites? That's one game I still refuse to play.

1135

Living Room / No cameras allowed in SCOTUS? No problem! We'll use dogs...

« Last post by 40hz on October 21, 2014, 08:22 PM »

This is just too priceless for words, with thanks to Techdirt.

John Oliver Has The Solution To The Supreme Court's Refusal To Videotape Supreme Court Hearings: Dogs
from the not-cats? dept

For many years, we've discussed the pure ridiculousness of the Supreme court's adamant refusal to allow cameras in the courtroom, along with the Justices' questionable justifications of the ban. Now it appears that John Oliver has taken up the issue as well, but unlike those just whining about it, Oliver (thanks to the resources of HBO) has a possible "solution." Dogs.

Oliver starts out mocking Justice Antonin Scalia's reason for barring cameras: that people would just see 15- or 30-second clips from the arguments, taking things out of context. Of course, as Oliver points out, that makes absolutely no sense, since the Supreme Court already releases audio of the hearings, and thus we already do hear the same clips -- it's just that they're generally paired with artistic renderings of the Justices instead of the actual video.

His solution -- using "an almost immoral amount of resources" -- is to present video representations of the entire Supreme Court... using dogs (and a couple of birds in supporting roles). And, Oliver claims, they're making those videos freely available to any other news provider who would like to create complete reenactments of any court case in a way that is cute and guaranteed to draw more attention than the court renderings, or, hell, actual videos if they were ever allowed.

John Oliver! Legend.

1136

Living Room / Re: DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

« Last post by 40hz on October 21, 2014, 11:57 AM »

All the reviews I have read about the Kalita "Wave" brewers say the filter is the biggest 'con' (out of pros and cons) about them; they don't stock them at your corner store and they cost 10-15 bucks for a pack of 100, when 'normal' filters cost around 2.
How about just using a regular filter and folding it down?  No go, say the enthusiasts.  The patented "wave" (read: pleated sides) configuration must be preserved for the full flavor to be realized.

-Edvard (October 20, 2014, 08:20 PM)

It's more "in the pour" than it being which filter IMHO.

Getting the right amount of water at the correct temperature through the correct amount of grounds at the right speed is the key. Everything else is marketing boondoggle or wishful thinking.

The Kalita tries to make it idiot proof. They succeed very well. That said, I refuse to pay the price they want for their filters. I've used the smallest Mr. Coffee and Melitta filters with equally good results. You just need to work on your pouring technique a little more. The ones specifically made for the Kalita make it virtually goof proof. It's almost as easy as slosh and wait. But at such a premium, it's hardly worth it to me. YMMV.

And as App pointed out, she can get an excellent result with an inexpensive kitchen strainer. All it takes is a little feel for the brewing and an appreciation for good coffee.

 

1137

General Software Discussion / Re: Ad Muncher 5 will be free

« Last post by 40hz on October 20, 2014, 02:39 PM »

Correct me if i'm wrong, but it's hard for me to read that as anything but a really good guy doing a good thing, and very much in the spirit of this site and deserving of our support, encouragement, cheers, and understanding.
This is a rough world and we can all become a little too cynical and pessimistic -- I know I can.

But let's support the small folks trying to do the right thing!

-mouser (October 19, 2014, 09:32 PM)

Amen!

1138

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by 40hz on October 20, 2014, 02:36 PM »

This one is fun. With thanks to the Sploid blog for the find.

Mayokero is the first song of the album Acowpella Beatbox by Israeli artist Roy Kafri. The music video—directed by Vania Heymann, a second year student in Bezalel School of Art and Design—is brilliant. It takes classic album covers and animates them to sing along the song in a completely seamless way.

 

1139

Living Room / Re: DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

« Last post by 40hz on October 20, 2014, 10:37 AM »

Of course it's kinda hard to feel too much sympathy for anyone who insists on buying an expensive brewing machine that produces an inferior tasting cuppa for approximately 75 cents a serving...

However, if you want a superior tasting single cup, get one of the glass Kalita pour-over drip brewers. (Note: this model says 2-4 cups - but it's more like 12-16 ozs. which is just a large or x-large in my book.)

It may be a smidgen less "convenient" than a Keurig since you have to boil water, add a filter, put some coffee in it, and then pour. But in actual use, it only takes a few minutes. And most of us coffee regulars have the brewing choreography down so well we don't even need to think about it. As a plus you'll save a decent amount of counter space without that hulking Keurig. The only downside is the cost of the filters. Kalita doesn't save you any money there compared to the Keurig. But the superior cup you get is worth it IMO. Definitely a better choice for those times when you just want to brew a single large serving. The rest of the time you're better of making a regular pot. That's what a good quality glass thermal carafe is for.

Just my  

1140

General Software Discussion / Re: Portatil to control a desktop pc

« Last post by 40hz on October 20, 2014, 06:00 AM »

Teamviewer can be setup as a background process that listens for and accepts an authorized remote connection request.

FWIW, I always liked the way Synergy works. The only problem is I could never get it to work reliably on my machines for any length of time. Sometimes it would, sometimes it wouldn't. I gave up after a while. You may have better luck.

1141

General Software Discussion / Re: Portatil to control a desktop pc

« Last post by 40hz on October 18, 2014, 07:07 PM »

Really i need synergy plus using UltraVNC or TeamViewer ?

-Contro (October 18, 2014, 06:13 PM)

No. They have the same functionalities. Pick one. Using more than one can cause all kinds of weird problems since they all access mostly the same interrupts. If this is all for for personal use, go with TeamViewer. It's the easiest to set up, has virtually no reliability issues, is fast, and deals with slow connection speeds really well. TeamViewer is one of the top apps used by tech support people to provide remote customer assistance.

If you like to tinker, go with VNC or Synergy.

What i really would like to know is if i need a bios modification for launching the desktop without keyboard or mouse attached, and no monitor....

 

You can disable the "check for keyboard on startup" in most BIOS settings these days. Just go into the BIOS setup screen (hit F2 or whatever your BIOS uses) and poke around. It'll be in there somewhere. You can also disable onboard video if you want. If you don't want to use a mouse, just don't plug one in. They're mostly USB these days, and there's no point in disabling USB ports just to not use a mouse. Running a PC in a 'headless' configuration is no big deal these days. However...if for some reason your remote connection fails, disabling too much can make it difficult to get back into the PC to troubleshoot things afterwards.

 

1142

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by 40hz on October 18, 2014, 03:45 PM »

Great version...plus modern and clean!

-superboyac (October 15, 2014, 02:50 PM)

I especially enjoyed that lovely and adorable young woman's smile around the 2:20 mark when she realized she was up on the big stage screens. Too cute!

1143

General Software Discussion / Re: Portatil to control a desktop pc

« Last post by 40hz on October 18, 2014, 03:16 PM »

TeamViewer is incredibly easy to set up and a joy to use. So it's an excellent choice. But it's only free for personal use. Otherwise, it gets pricey.

1144

Living Room / Re: Who is your Favourite "Doctor"?

« Last post by 40hz on October 18, 2014, 07:14 AM »

Would have been interesting if David Niven had ever been given a crack at it. That role would have been right up his alley.

1145

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind Mapping Software - What are the current top players now?

« Last post by 40hz on October 16, 2014, 05:24 PM »

Thank you for mentioning this!

-ewemoa (October 16, 2014, 04:53 PM)

A guy by the name of Dave Straker did a whole book about PostIts and problem solving. When I was working at a certain mega-corp's HQ, they were using this combination. Straker's book came out in 1997. I was working with people who routinely used the whiteboard/PostIt combo as early as 1988 - so who knows where it first originated.

And who cares, really?

1146

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind Mapping Software - What are the current top players now?

« Last post by 40hz on October 16, 2014, 09:26 AM »

I haven't had much luck with feel, speed of response, and resolution on tablets so far.  Some day perhaps...

I've been using a small whiteboard for sketching things out and a camera to take pictures for later viewing

-ewemoa (October 09, 2014, 07:46 AM)

I've also found using PostIt notes in conjunction with a whiteboard to be very productive. Minimizes a lot of rewriting (and possibly losing something) if you want to rearrange the board down the road. I'll also tape photos, illustrations, graphics, etc. up there and mostly use the board to draw connecting lines or small notes. A lot easier than corkboard, pins and colored string. Let's you jot ideas and things when you're away from the board too. I keep a small notebook, a pen, and a block of PostIts on me at all times.



Note: really like the idea of photographing the board to make a 'copy.' Nice!

1147

General Software Discussion / Re: Child board set up for discounts and deals found on the web

« Last post by 40hz on October 14, 2014, 08:51 AM »

Want to buy a software product in low price? Come to visit IfCoupons.com. Here is the online shop where you can find many useful software products. The most delightful thing is that it offers free software deals and coupons, which enables you to possess the software in really low price. Don’t hesitate to come and have a look.

-CelineAdams (October 14, 2014, 03:51 AM)

Is that you, Winsome Lousum?

-cranioscopical (October 14, 2014, 08:17 AM)

Good to see you back Chris!

1148

Living Room / Re: DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

« Last post by 40hz on October 12, 2014, 08:16 AM »

One word: boycott.

1149

General Software Discussion / Re: How can i achieve this kind of video effect!

« Last post by 40hz on October 12, 2014, 08:14 AM »

Sorry hulk! Better no answer than somebody just making one up. You get a lot of that elsewhere on the web. DoCo is an oasis in a desert of misinformation. If people here don't know something, they don't pretend to.

Luck!

1150

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by 40hz on October 10, 2014, 08:00 PM »

This just may be the definitive version of Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes from the Back to Front Tour  which ends in December of this year. Awesome!