Recent Posts

2076

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

« Last post by 40hz on March 30, 2014, 08:25 PM »

Just finished watching the docu-bio flick Twenty Feet from Stardom (highly recommended btw) which examines the crucial but often under-credited role of the backup singer.

In the course of the movie, they played this segment from the 1995 tour by the Rolling Stones which included the incomparable Lisa Fischer in an eye opening performance of Gimme Shelter. Lisa kicks into high gear around the 2:25 mark and shows The Stones what fronting a rock vocal is supposed to be about:

Thanks Mick! Why don't you take the rest of the night off and leave Lisa and the boys to handle the rest of the show.

2077

Living Room / Re: (Cheap) Holiday Gifts for kids that like to make things

« Last post by 40hz on March 30, 2014, 07:50 AM »

Provide them with resources that show how to make board games!

They're fun to make -  and incredibly cool. (Two important criteria for most kids.)

They can be as simple (inked paper gameboard and cardboard or "found" game pieces) or elaborate (i.e. inlaid wooden boards and hand-painted miniature playing pieces) as one cares to make them. So they're easily doable by any age group. And the "repeated giving" a game provides is always a plus. Especially if the game becomes a family classic.

I have an embroidered fabric Pachesi board with traditional shell "dice" and wooden playing pieces my grandmother made one summer when she was a girl that still gets happily played during family gatherings. It's well over 100 years old and will soon be handed over to a member of the next (4th!) generation. As long as this game is around, Anita Roy will always be present, along with her "children’s children's children," whenever the family sits down to play it.

Note: Best if they make an unusual game. Or one you can't easily buy such as Nine Men's Morris or Fanorona. There are some truly enjoyable and playable games from the past that aren't easily obtainable in commercial editions. Xiangqi (or Chinese chess) is a favorite of mine. Just different enough from traditional chess (which I'm not that great at) to level the playing field. (see below)



Even better yet is encouraging them to invent their own games...

Provenzo's book Favorite Board Games You Can Make and Play is a good starting point. Many board games, with illustrations and rules, can also be found on Wikipedia.

 

2078

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft releases DOS and Word for Windows source code

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 08:52 PM »

I suspect your suspicion borders on the conspiratorial, but I'm also aware of it's validity.  
In the words of the FreeDOS devs:

I'll add a warning that if you download and study the MS-DOS source code, you should not contribute code to FreeDOS afterwards. We want to avoid any suggestion that FreeDOS has been "tainted" by this proprietary code.

-Edvard (March 27, 2014, 08:04 PM)

Wow! Here I thought I was indulging in a touch of silly paranoia when along comes the FreeDOS devs weighing in with much the same thinking.



Hmm...Could it be we've both dealt with Redmond "up close and personal" and realize no matter how crazy an idea for dealing with your competition you can come up with, Redmond has probably thought up and given it due consideration already?
 

2079

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft releases DOS and Word for Windows source code

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 06:22 PM »

It seems from the point of history, its a different use than might be thought, but this is nothing new.

The purpose of the Computer History Museum in its own words:

The mission of the Computer History Museum is to preserve and present for posterity the artifacts and stories of the Information Age.

It seems that this is for learning from the past, rather than use.  Which I think is useful for that purpose.

-wraith808 (March 27, 2014, 04:29 PM)

If so (in truth) then that's fine.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totally unrelated but 'sorta related' side note:

The CHM got hit with a DMCA takedown notice for posting the video of Steve Jobs doing his famous inaugural rollout of the Macintosh. That video never returned to the CHM website. Or at least not last I checked.

Guess whoever holds those rights isn't impressed by CHM's mission statement huh?

2080

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft: All your data are belong to us.

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 06:09 PM »

I just want a company to say "we are not allowed to poke around without your consent".  Not, "if we have to, we will poke around all we want, and remove stuff and do whatever we want."

-superboyac (March 27, 2014, 05:49 PM)

The problem is, between the existing state of the law, and the "understandings" between industry and government - "your consent" doesn't factor into the equation any more.

Done deal. It's over.

About the only alternative is to encrypt befor sending - BUT - how secure is the encryption alogrithm - or the OS it's running on - or the app you composed your original message in? They all can (and many do) have backdoors, engineered weaknesses, and related sneaky gremlins lurking within their code. That's the problem with closed and proprietary code. You just can't ever be sure - even if (by now) we're all pretty damn sure, if ya know what I mean.

2081

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft releases DOS and Word for Windows source code

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 02:34 PM »

Why is it an empty gesture?

-wraith808 (March 27, 2014, 01:42 PM)

Because it was not "released to the public" in the normal and generally understood sense in which that phrase is applied. This source code has been made available (i.e. licensed) to individuals who agree to some frankly restrictive licensing terms. Hardly the same as "released to the public" in my world. And I doubt I'm the only one on that planet.

I half suspect this release is intended to give Microsoft an excuse to go after virtually any text processing app with the argument that "they must have borrowed some intellectual property from Microsoft" by sheer virtue of the fact Microsoft's source code has been published.

If it sounds crazy, take a look at all the "presumption of piracy" arguments that are being advanced by large corporations and industry groups in support of ridiculous new laws they're lobbying for.

Sorry for sounding cynical. But I really do think the only reason this code is being released is to establish "primacy" and set the stage for charging opponents with "knowing infringement" in future legal battles.

2082

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 01:34 PM »

Working my way through Mark Minasi's latest 1700-page server opus: Mastering Windows Server 2012 R2



1700 pages of solid reading with a much heavier emphasis on the command line and PowerShell scripting this time around. (You'll need to have at least a moderate acquaintance with PowerShell and a general understanding of OUs and GPOs to get the most out of this book.) This is not a good textbook for complete beginners. W2K12-R2 has several curve balls plus some new surprises and 'features.' It's different enough that even people who have been with Windows Server since the NT days will have a lot of info to catch up on (and digest) with this release. And Minasi's book definitely fast tracks you through it.

A very good book for experienced and/or 'pro' readers. Less experienced users, or people completely new to Windows Server, might want to look elsewhere.
 

2083

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone testing Daminion Media Manager ?

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 01:10 PM »

The license pricing is certainly understandable and (IMO) reasonable. That alone is nice to see with this type of product.

2084

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft releases DOS and Word for Windows source code

« Last post by 40hz on March 27, 2014, 04:52 AM »

Welcome to another installment of: Microsoft and the "Art of the Empty Gesture." 

Is anyone truly surprised? 

2085

Developer's Corner / Re: Need help coding website with music and database

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 06:00 PM »

Ah...I see.

Well good luck with it. FWIW I think the front end is quite important to "industry" and AR types when it comes to music sites. At least from my experience doing music professionally for more years than I'd care to admit. But that's only the people in the music industry I've personally dealt with - so that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

----
Addendum: the link in you OP doesn't seem to want to load. Is that just me?

2086

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Word under attack. Don't open RTF files!

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 02:36 PM »

Unfortunately that requires extended MAPI(this is by Microsoft design) which is only supported in Outlook, which requires me to do a (partial) Office installation on a server.

But I do recognize the irony in this. To be able to communicate securely I need to install software known to be insecure and destabilizing a Windows installation.

-Shades (March 26, 2014, 01:58 PM)

Good lord! And here I thought the Dutch were way ahead of us when it came to saying "NO" to this sort of nonsense...

2087

Developer's Corner / Re: Need help coding website with music and database

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 02:31 PM »

You might want to check out the Bandcamp website for some ideas. They're doing something very similar to what you're planning.

Take a look at this page for an example of how an individual artist appears there. (She's a fellow CBG crony of sorts. I like her.  )

2088

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 02:06 PM »

I always try to emphasize to people how much quality difference there can be between consumer and enterprise technology. The key is understanding that if you aren't happy and decide never to buy from some company it's not that big a deal. If some corporation decides to stop spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on their hardware it is.

-Vurbal (March 26, 2014, 01:33 PM)

A most excellent point succinctly stated. I hope you don't mind if I quote you next time this topic comes up with a client.

2089

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 01:23 PM »

There are actually 2 primary high end OEMs for tower/desktop power supplies. Seasonic has always (as long as I've known about them anyway) been the best in terms of consistent high quality. Next was SuperFlower, who always made good top end units as well, but weren't always the most consistent with their lower tier models. Over the last few years they seem to be right up there with Seasonic across the board.

-Vurbal (March 26, 2014, 01:03 PM)

Can't speak for SuperFlower having never (knowingly) used one. The Seasonics are extremely well engineered units. But I've only deployed them in server settings. If you have rack style casings they offer a pretty full line. And their replacement price is compelling when compared to an OEM's "own" PS offerings. I like them a lot.

As far as Corsair goes, it's the intended market design principle at work. I think they're fine for non-mission critical use. I've probably bought and installed well over a hundred of them over the years and I never had a problem with one. One of my partners swears by Enermax and has much the same regard for them as I do for PCP&C. Which makes sense since they seem to be using the same base frame from what you're saying.

In the end I guess it's not super important which you choose as long as you start with an appropriately sized quality brand of PS; plug that into an appropriately sized quality sine-wave UPS (ideally a zero-switchover model); and plug that into a good quality surge suppressor/line filter. Extra points for plugging in a line conditioner after the surge suppressor if you're power is extremely cranky (or there's a civil war in progress) where you live.

That won't solve all your power problems - as you noted with with your mention of grounding issues -  which are the bane of my existence. But it should go a very long way towards happy computing.
 

2090

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 01:09 PM »

Unless things have changed considerably since the last time I had a UPS battery die (it's been a few years), it's almost as expensive as a new UPS.

-Vurbal (March 26, 2014, 10:02 AM)

Last I checked - it was.

The other thing is unless it's a "server grade" or data center UPS, there's probably enough electrical wear & tear on the circuit components that you'll get less than "new" performance after you replace the batteries after the originals go. I  have clients who replaced batteries in the smaller APC (Smart-UPS 1500 et al) units and discovered those batteries required replacement in fairly short order. The originals lasted about three years when not pushed too hard. The replacements wanted to be replaced in less than a year. And there was no real change in the demands put on them if the PowerChute logs are at all to be trusted.

Much like putting a new transformer in an old guitar amp, what you usually end up doing is gradually replacing everything in the circuit. Generally starting with the capacitors. Because that old amp isn't used to getting the correct voltages or current - and the other components aged with the transformer and couldn't handle it once it was replaced.

I put a stake in the ground for consumer level hardware. If the fix exceeds 50% of the original purchase price - or the unit is over three years old - I'll almost always opt to replace rather than repair. But that's me.

2091

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Word under attack. Don't open RTF files!

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 11:12 AM »

As there is no way in hell I'm installing Office on any of the host servers.

-Stoic Joker (March 25, 2014, 10:21 PM)

  I sure hope not!  In any IT department worthy of the name, doing so would be an awfully creative way to "tender one's resignation" wouldn't it?

2092

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 11:04 AM »

re: power supplies

Since we're naming names, I prefer to get a PS from PC Power & Cooling. Not cheap by any stretch. But they last through a couple of builds before you need to retire them. So they're a bargain in the long run IMHO. PCP&C supplies (especially their premium TurboCool models) will get a workstation through anything for the foreseeable future even if their price tag may induce nosebleed in about 30% of the population.

I've also had very good luck with the Corsair brand which gives you very similar specs to the PCP&C, but at a considerably lower price point.

For a home or SOHO PC I'd go with Corsair if building one today. For a serious production workstation - or a client build - I'd definitely specify a TurboCool even though it ends up getting changed (to save cash) more often than not.

 

2093

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 08:45 AM »

+1 w/4wd on the above.  

I have the most confidence in Tripp Lite's product line. I've had Belkins fail. But Tripp Lite never let me down - even in one case where there was a lightning strike. The Tripp Lite supressor itself got fried. But everything downstream in its circuit path was just fine. The Belkin across the room didn't do so well. Both it and the PC plugged into it were left inoperable.

So yes, no matter what else you get, definitely invest in a top notch surge supressor. Make it a priority purchase.
 

2094

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 26, 2014, 06:03 AM »

A properly sized unit from a reputable name such as Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, or PC Power & Cooling are all good bets. You don't need to spring for expensive 'enterprise' grade models. Units built for workstation deployment are just fine. Put a good UPS in front of them and Bob's yer uncle.

It's the no-name Asian imports that go for <$50 you want to avoid. Figure $80 and up for a good PS depending on wattage.

Quick rule of thumb: a quality power supply for a desktop is noticeably heavier than a cheap one. Bigger transformer + more solid construction = more weight.

2095

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Word under attack. Don't open RTF files!

« Last post by 40hz on March 25, 2014, 07:32 PM »

Seriously, why does everything have to behave like a portal these days?

-40hz (March 25, 2014, 05:25 PM)

For science! And cake!

-Deozaan (March 25, 2014, 06:58 PM)

Microsoft Office!
It works like it does because our plan
For our precious bottom line
Requires we move you online...

So it's no use crying that it's all a mistake
We'll just keep on trying, and we'll tell you "Eat cake!"
While the meters run
'neath the brave new sun
Of a world where cloud service firms thrive...

2096

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Word under attack. Don't open RTF files!

« Last post by 40hz on March 25, 2014, 05:25 PM »

Ya know...if they could just let wordprocessors process text, and email readers just read email, and not web-enable or otherwise implement all these ancillary capabilities into them...things might become less risky. Seriously, why does everything have to behave like a portal these days?
 

2097

Non-Windows Software / Re: *NIX - List of 100 Open Source Replacements for Popular Security Tools

« Last post by 40hz on March 25, 2014, 05:17 PM »

@Deo - Wow! All that from just a title?

I don't think I could get that logical on a bet.

2098

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

« Last post by 40hz on March 25, 2014, 11:21 AM »

@V - Pretty warped.

Now that's MY kind of humor.

2099

Living Room / Re: A three drive system - the sweet spot

« Last post by 40hz on March 25, 2014, 06:58 AM »

Brian Trapp over at Linux Journal agrees with Cranioscopical, Innuendo and xtabber regarding SSDs.

Solid-State Drives: Get One Already!
Mar 18, 2014  By Brian Trapp   
 
I've been building computers since the 1990s, so I've seen a lot of new technologies work their way into the mainstream. Most were the steady, incremental improvements predicted by Moore's law, but others were game-changers, innovations that really rocketed performance forward in a surprising way. I remember booting up Quake after installing my first 3-D card—what a difference! My first boot off a solid-state drive (SSD) brought back that same feeling—wow, what a difference!

However, at a recent gathering of like-minded Linux users, I learned that many of my peers hadn't actually made the move to SSDs yet. Within that group, the primary reluctance to try a SSD boiled down to three main concerns:

• I'm worried about their reliability; I hear they wear out.
• I'm not sure if they work well with Linux.
• I'm not sure an SSD really would make much of a difference on my system.

Luckily, these three concerns are based either on misunderstandings, outdated data, exaggeration or are just not correct.  <more>

Brian's article goes on to discuss SSDs primarily from the viewpoint of a Linux user. But he includes a discussion of the technology and the results of his real-world testing that should be of interest to anybody regardless of which OS they're running.

He concludes with the following remarks:

Summary

If you haven't considered an SSD, or were holding back for any of the reasons mentioned here, I hope this article prompts you to take the plunge and try one out.

For reliability, modern SSDs are performing on par with HDDs. (You need a good backup, either way.) If you were concerned about longevity, you can use data from your existing system to approximate how long a current generation MLC or TLC drive would last.

SSD support has been in place in Linux for a while, and it works well even if you just do a default installation of a major Linux distribution. TRIM support, some ext4 tweaks and monitoring via tune2fs and smartctl are there to help you maintain and monitor overall SSD health.

Finally, some real-world performance benchmarks illustrate how an SSD will boost performance for any operation that uses disk storage, but especially ones that involve many different files.

Because even OS-only budget-sized SSDs can provide significant performance gains, I hope if you've been on the fence, you'll now give one a try.

So there you have it...

Seems to me that (a) the people who actually own an SSD love these little guys; (b) reliability doesn't seem to be as much a concern as it originally was; and (c) regardless of what you've read (or been told) SSDs are just like any other piece of hardware (i.e. YMMV.)

I guess the only real way to find out is get one and see for yourself.  

2100

Non-Windows Software / Re: *NIX - List of 100 Open Source Replacements for Popular Security Tools

« Last post by 40hz on March 24, 2014, 05:27 PM »

That article loses a lot of credibility with me when it lists Microsoft Internet Explorer as a "Popular Security Tool"  

-Deozaan (March 24, 2014, 02:19 PM)

@Deo - umm...the only place IE is listed is on the line where it says a particular piece of software "replaces Internet Explorer" AFAICT.  

Like so:



I don't see where it calls IE a security tool...or even recommends it for anything. (Why would it possibly include it btw? IE isn't open source to begin with.)