Nandi: I ain't her. Mal: Only people in this room is you and me.

'Heart Of Gold'


Buffistechnology 3: "Press Some Buttons, See What Happens."

Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!


Pix - Dec 30, 2010 5:57:39 pm PST #15760 of 25501
The status is NOT quo.

I have wireless through AT&T and don't recall any problems with the install or use (except that one time when Pix was here and I couldn't remember the WEP code and ran around like a crazy person looking for it while she laughed and laughed).

I would never laugh at you. Well okay, maybe a little. But it was a laugh born of love.


tommyrot - Dec 31, 2010 4:47:36 am PST #15761 of 25501
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

New Tiny Tape Recorders (Feb, 1960)

The Smart Sony (Jan, 1983) A Sony PC from 1983? I don't remember that. It ran CP/M.

Introducing the Sony small business computer system. The Sony that shows the top rated programs that help you make smarter business decisions.

The Sony system that’s easy enough for a doctor, lawyer or chief executive to learn to use. Yet smart enough for accounting, billing, inventory word processing and endless other complex, profit oriented chores. It can even talk to other computers, big and small.


tommyrot - Dec 31, 2010 4:52:48 am PST #15762 of 25501
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

FYI: iTunes slowdowns with Google DNS

Last night we tried to rent an iTunes movie on our newish Apple TV. Instead of starting right away, the Apple TV said it would be 2+ hours before we could start watching. I’ve got a healthy 15-20Mb/s connection and a clean wire to the Apple TV, so this shouldn’t be happening.

A little bit of research turned up a surprising fix: Don’t use Google DNS.

...iTunes’ video content is delivered by Akamai who has distributed massive datastores around the world so those large files originate from nearby servers and spend less time getting switched around the network. Akamai somehow uses our DNS routing to determine our location. If Google DNS or OpenDNS routes everyone to Akamai the same way, then those Akamai nodes and the pipes leading to them get overwhelmed.

Since most people don’t know what a DNS server is, this problem primarily affects the “tech-vanguard” and those fortunate/unfortunate enough to be inside our circles of helpfulness.

I switched to my ISP’s DNS servers and now HD rentals on Apple TV are ready to watch in 10-20 seconds.


Tom Scola - Dec 31, 2010 4:53:43 am PST #15763 of 25501
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.

Wow, it had 3.5" floppies. It ran CP/M, but it couldn't read the disks from any other CP/M system on the market at the time. Probably why it failed in the marketplace.


Vortex - Dec 31, 2010 5:54:11 am PST #15764 of 25501
"Cry havoc and let slip the boobs of war!" -- Miracleman

Not that I didn't already believe that Drew was right, but I was talking to a friend last night and he told me that his mom was on her third Vizio TV in a year and a half. :)


§ ita § - Dec 31, 2010 5:57:11 am PST #15765 of 25501
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Why do you buy Vizio #3 in that scenario? Are they crack-laced?


Gudanov - Dec 31, 2010 6:01:53 am PST #15766 of 25501
Coding and Sleeping

We've had a LG for 2 years so far, works exactly the same as new.


brenda m - Dec 31, 2010 6:13:58 am PST #15767 of 25501
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

I'm glad I remembered the Samsung rec, because there were a lot of nice looking Vizios at Costco when I was looking.

I did end up returning the first Samsung I got there. Partly because I realized I probably could fit a bigger one than I had thought, but also because the volume level on the one I got didn't go very high, even for the small room I'm in. I ended up getting a bigger Samsung, but also jumping up a level or two in quality. It's very nice so far.


tommyrot - Dec 31, 2010 6:16:41 am PST #15768 of 25501
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

I just hook my stereo into my TV. I don't even know how loud my TV can go.

I have some sorta-generic TV from Radio Shack I bought a year and a half ago. Crossing my fingers that it will live a long life.


Liese S. - Dec 31, 2010 6:25:59 am PST #15769 of 25501
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

Yeah, I just had to steer my brother-in-law Samsung direction based on this conversation.