I've been looking for an excuse to post something here (life has gotten busy, and therefore a bit sterile/unpostworthy of late), so I went sifting through the archives... and ran across this bit about our presence in Iraq, and how much good it would actually do.
I think it's high time to do the grown-up thing and say... I was wrong. Mind you, the fact that the locals got tired of beating on each other is at least as big of a factor as our physical presence for getting to this point... but the Iraqi government has survived the challenges of the past two years, they have real, trained security forces that are picking up the slack, while we are disentangling ourselves and preparing to get out in an orderly manner.
Of course, there's still plenty of room for one party or another to royally screw things up... in particular, I hope we're well and truly gone before the central government really butts heads with the "semi-autonomous" Kurdish region over key cities and resources. On the whole, though, I'm actually hopeful for a reasonably stable country there going forward, which I didn't expect before short of a lopsided civil war with massive casualties for all involved. Live and learn, as the saying goes.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Comcast is at it again
Boy, if there's any company that gives me episodes of Tourette's, it's Comcast. Once upon a time, I had both cable TV and Internet access through them, and was reasonably well pleased. Over time, I became less well-pleased with them, as their cable TV bill crept ever upwards and they started playing games with the Internet connection (blocking applications, capping downloads and the like). On the TV side, the straw that broke the camel's back was when they reduced the functionality of their channel guide to insert more advertising... I've been using broadcast HDTV and my Roku box, mainly, for about a year, and haven't missed cable TV much.
But Comcast doesn't learn... they just launched a "Domain Helper" system, similar to ones tried (and failed) by other ISPs in the past (link). The basic idea is, you typo an address in your web browser and, if you typo'd the right part, you instead get sent off to a Comcast page with suggestions on where you might have been trying to get... along with who-knows-how-many-ads. The problem I have with this is that online advertisers are notoriously spotty about keeping their adverts "safe and clean"... it's often all too easy for a bad actor to slip an ad in that does something you don't want done, whether that's generating pop-up windows or infesting your computer with viruses, or something in-between.
So... given my druthers, I'd be hopping ship to an alternate broadband ISP carrier just about now. Unfortunately, I'm in an area served by Qwest, which means the really "good" stuff like fiber-to-the-home hasn't made it here yet, and I live about equi-distant from their offices, meaning DSL would be even crappier than usual. For now, I opted out of their "help", then, for good measure, switched my DNS to OpenDNS, which plays a similar trick to Comcast's, but has two distinct advantages in my book... first, you have to know what you're doing to hook up with them (which at least implies some sort of opt-in), and, since DNS is all they do, you can expect them to stay on top of their advertisers... nothing quite like the threat of your userbase deciding en masse to leave your service if you screw up security sufficiently to keep you on your toes.
But Comcast doesn't learn... they just launched a "Domain Helper" system, similar to ones tried (and failed) by other ISPs in the past (link). The basic idea is, you typo an address in your web browser and, if you typo'd the right part, you instead get sent off to a Comcast page with suggestions on where you might have been trying to get... along with who-knows-how-many-ads. The problem I have with this is that online advertisers are notoriously spotty about keeping their adverts "safe and clean"... it's often all too easy for a bad actor to slip an ad in that does something you don't want done, whether that's generating pop-up windows or infesting your computer with viruses, or something in-between.
So... given my druthers, I'd be hopping ship to an alternate broadband ISP carrier just about now. Unfortunately, I'm in an area served by Qwest, which means the really "good" stuff like fiber-to-the-home hasn't made it here yet, and I live about equi-distant from their offices, meaning DSL would be even crappier than usual. For now, I opted out of their "help", then, for good measure, switched my DNS to OpenDNS, which plays a similar trick to Comcast's, but has two distinct advantages in my book... first, you have to know what you're doing to hook up with them (which at least implies some sort of opt-in), and, since DNS is all they do, you can expect them to stay on top of their advertisers... nothing quite like the threat of your userbase deciding en masse to leave your service if you screw up security sufficiently to keep you on your toes.
Monday, July 6, 2009
New ways to screw up a good thing
Here's something that could be very, very bad, depending on how it's applied. It seems that Amazon has applied for a patent relating to serving up ads in their Kindle ebooks (link). Up to this moment, the only downside I saw to ebook readers was their cost... but throwing ads between pages of a book you would otherwise "get in to", that's just wrong.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Inventory problems?
Time for another in my long line of "what wrong with company X" posts... but this time, it's for a pair of rivals, Home Depot and Lowes. I started with a pair of seemingly simple tasks... find a new drain cap for the shutoff valve for one of my outside spigots, and also find a 32 gallon trash can (winter drivers were less than kind to the old can).
So, off to Home Depot I go... locate the garbage cans briefly, then head off to plumbing for that drain cap. I swear, I looked up and down those aisles for the better part of an hour, finding all sorts of things that wouldn't quite work, but not the exact item I needed. Disgusted, I decide to hit the Lowe's a half-mile down the road.
This time, I suss out the drain caps first. Of course, they only sell them in a two-pack of different sizes, guaranteeing that you get one useless bit to pay for in the process... but, at least I found what I was looking for. Then, I go to search for trash cans... strangely, they have multiple stashes of a particularly cheap trash can (no proper handles, just handle-like indents in the can) scattered across the store, but the rest of the trash cans are squirreled away with cleaning products. Anyways, I find a likely-looking mid-range trash can... only to discover that they have no lids for those cans anywhere in sight. Well, I'm not about to shell out for the high-end trash cans (strange that such a thing even exists), the low-end cans are a joke, and the mid-range cans are lidless... so, I take my drain caps to the checkout, then head back to Home Depot.
Back I go to the spot I found the trash cans earlier... much nicer selection than Lowes, there's a couple of different cans that will do the trick for about the same price... and this one even has wheels and handles that lock the lid down. Wait a sec... where are the lids?!? Again, I'm given the choice of paying for the high-end cans, or settling for a lesser can, because the store doesn't have lids for the cans they're selling. Oh well, at least the lesser can here has actual handles, so I settle.
So, two home stores, more or less equal in stature, and two items to buy... one item, one store doesn't carry, the other makes you buy extra that you don't need. The other item, neither store can keep track of all (2) of the pieces necessary to sell a complete item. I know my experience isn't typical (or at least, I hope my experience isn't typical), but still, when you can't even keep a relatively close count of number of lids to number of cans for something that takes up as much retail space as a trashcan, you have to wonder how nobody's coming along and eating their lunch for them.
So, off to Home Depot I go... locate the garbage cans briefly, then head off to plumbing for that drain cap. I swear, I looked up and down those aisles for the better part of an hour, finding all sorts of things that wouldn't quite work, but not the exact item I needed. Disgusted, I decide to hit the Lowe's a half-mile down the road.
This time, I suss out the drain caps first. Of course, they only sell them in a two-pack of different sizes, guaranteeing that you get one useless bit to pay for in the process... but, at least I found what I was looking for. Then, I go to search for trash cans... strangely, they have multiple stashes of a particularly cheap trash can (no proper handles, just handle-like indents in the can) scattered across the store, but the rest of the trash cans are squirreled away with cleaning products. Anyways, I find a likely-looking mid-range trash can... only to discover that they have no lids for those cans anywhere in sight. Well, I'm not about to shell out for the high-end trash cans (strange that such a thing even exists), the low-end cans are a joke, and the mid-range cans are lidless... so, I take my drain caps to the checkout, then head back to Home Depot.
Back I go to the spot I found the trash cans earlier... much nicer selection than Lowes, there's a couple of different cans that will do the trick for about the same price... and this one even has wheels and handles that lock the lid down. Wait a sec... where are the lids?!? Again, I'm given the choice of paying for the high-end cans, or settling for a lesser can, because the store doesn't have lids for the cans they're selling. Oh well, at least the lesser can here has actual handles, so I settle.
So, two home stores, more or less equal in stature, and two items to buy... one item, one store doesn't carry, the other makes you buy extra that you don't need. The other item, neither store can keep track of all (2) of the pieces necessary to sell a complete item. I know my experience isn't typical (or at least, I hope my experience isn't typical), but still, when you can't even keep a relatively close count of number of lids to number of cans for something that takes up as much retail space as a trashcan, you have to wonder how nobody's coming along and eating their lunch for them.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Revisiting the bad old days of computer games
I've been regularly playing games on home computers for a little over 20 years now (and boy, does that statement make me feel old). From that very first Amiga 500, through the days of DOS (with manual configuration of sound and video adapters on every game), and all the "joys" of Windows from 3.1 to XP, I've watched as games evolved from mostly "coded by a hobbyist on odd weekends" to "multi-million dollar professional development teams". Whatever you want to say about the blanding of games over that time frame, you did get a fairly steady improvement in how likely it was that you would be able to play the game you bought.
Up until now, Steam (a service I've mentioned in past posts) has been, to me, the pinnacle of that progression. Sure, the service had some fits and starts at launch, and it doesn't do well for those who don't/can't have an Internet connection, but it's a mature service that promises one simple thing: buy from us, and, supposing your computer meets the minimum requirements of the game, it will install and run at least as smoothly as the version you buy from the store, if not better. In fact, there are even some games (Half Life jumps to mind) where the boxed version is unplayable under current versions of Windows, but it plays and runs just fine from Steam.
So, I was a little surprised to see that Bethesda Softworks (the people behind Fallout 3, which I wrote up earlier) had released a few older games on Steam... or rather, one game in particular. You see, along with Oblivion and Morrowind (a pair of fine RPGs, fantasy games whose core mechanics are greatly reflected in Fallout 3), there's a title called Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. I remember, back in the day, thinking it might be a fun game (if memory serves, it came out after Morrowind but before Oblivion)... only to reluctantly pass on it as the reviews came in, praising the concept but panning the execution, particularly the game's stability. Now, here it was in front of me again, up to Steam's standards for putting out on the market, and for a mere $15.
Naturally, I bit. After the first download, the game was unlaunchable, instead pulling up an "Engine" folder. A link within the Steam client let me find the official website for the game, still available after all these years, with several new posts in the forums about people buying the game through Steam and having the same problem I did. Suggested fixes included manually editing your registry, downloading CPU-specific patches from random sites, and installing a fan-made patch on the game, to take care of the worst of the problems.
I opted instead to re-download the game... and at least got something that would launch. Start a game, watch some cutscenes... and watch the game crash as it tries to enter the game proper. I played with various machine settings, turning off video card features and killing other resident programs... which got me to the point of being able to play the first, "introductory" scenario. Apart from one crash while trying to save the game, it seemed to be working alright... until I finished that introductory scenario, got another extended cutscene to lead into the "real game", and another crash while waiting to get started playing. Of course, I retried later, just to make sure it wasn't some sort of fluke, and got the same results.
So, long story short... if Steam had any standards in place before putting games up on their systems for purchase, they're gone now, so caveat emptor is the name of the game. In particular, don't bother trying to purchase Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth from them, either... Steam's installer has problems, the game has problems, and in neither case are they problems of the "quick fix" variety. Heck, if I ever see a patch that fixes this game's problems come through Steam, I'll gladly post a "my bad, Steam's not all that bad" message here... but don't go holding your breath on that one.
Up until now, Steam (a service I've mentioned in past posts) has been, to me, the pinnacle of that progression. Sure, the service had some fits and starts at launch, and it doesn't do well for those who don't/can't have an Internet connection, but it's a mature service that promises one simple thing: buy from us, and, supposing your computer meets the minimum requirements of the game, it will install and run at least as smoothly as the version you buy from the store, if not better. In fact, there are even some games (Half Life jumps to mind) where the boxed version is unplayable under current versions of Windows, but it plays and runs just fine from Steam.
So, I was a little surprised to see that Bethesda Softworks (the people behind Fallout 3, which I wrote up earlier) had released a few older games on Steam... or rather, one game in particular. You see, along with Oblivion and Morrowind (a pair of fine RPGs, fantasy games whose core mechanics are greatly reflected in Fallout 3), there's a title called Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. I remember, back in the day, thinking it might be a fun game (if memory serves, it came out after Morrowind but before Oblivion)... only to reluctantly pass on it as the reviews came in, praising the concept but panning the execution, particularly the game's stability. Now, here it was in front of me again, up to Steam's standards for putting out on the market, and for a mere $15.
Naturally, I bit. After the first download, the game was unlaunchable, instead pulling up an "Engine" folder. A link within the Steam client let me find the official website for the game, still available after all these years, with several new posts in the forums about people buying the game through Steam and having the same problem I did. Suggested fixes included manually editing your registry, downloading CPU-specific patches from random sites, and installing a fan-made patch on the game, to take care of the worst of the problems.
I opted instead to re-download the game... and at least got something that would launch. Start a game, watch some cutscenes... and watch the game crash as it tries to enter the game proper. I played with various machine settings, turning off video card features and killing other resident programs... which got me to the point of being able to play the first, "introductory" scenario. Apart from one crash while trying to save the game, it seemed to be working alright... until I finished that introductory scenario, got another extended cutscene to lead into the "real game", and another crash while waiting to get started playing. Of course, I retried later, just to make sure it wasn't some sort of fluke, and got the same results.
So, long story short... if Steam had any standards in place before putting games up on their systems for purchase, they're gone now, so caveat emptor is the name of the game. In particular, don't bother trying to purchase Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth from them, either... Steam's installer has problems, the game has problems, and in neither case are they problems of the "quick fix" variety. Heck, if I ever see a patch that fixes this game's problems come through Steam, I'll gladly post a "my bad, Steam's not all that bad" message here... but don't go holding your breath on that one.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Analog TV broadcasting is done
...and it's about time, too. I mean, the switch to digital was going to happen originally some months back, but it got pushed forward due to converter-box supply difficulties. I was going to let the whole thing pass unnoted, but then I saw this story: 700,000 people called the FCC's hotline, confused about the transition, within the past week. Mind you, that's only a little over 0.2% of the population... but, compared to the number of people who still rely on over-the-air transmission of their TV programming, the percentage must be much, much higher.
So, months of leadup-time and on-air education, followed by a delay to make sure everybody can get the equipment they need, test it out, and make sure they're good to go come launch day... and there's still that many people who couldn't be bothered to work things out until the last week of the "old way" of doing things. This, friends, is a prime example of why I have no faith in the future of humanity.
So, months of leadup-time and on-air education, followed by a delay to make sure everybody can get the equipment they need, test it out, and make sure they're good to go come launch day... and there's still that many people who couldn't be bothered to work things out until the last week of the "old way" of doing things. This, friends, is a prime example of why I have no faith in the future of humanity.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Movie o' the day: Up
Right, well... go see Up, if you haven't already. The movie's emotionally pitch-perfect, never resorting to being saccharine or maudlin... which isn't to say it doesn't approach emotional highs and lows, just that it doesn't dwell on them needlessly long.
So far as the story itself, it deals with a widower being driven to make a choice... but, rather than take the path society has chosen for him, he decides to go on an adventure that both he and his late wife dreamed of all their lives. Of course, how that translates into him making his home mobile by means of thousands of helium balloons... well, you really need to see the movie to fully "get it", so I won't spoil it for you.
Along the way, he ends up inadvertently kidnapping a young neighborhood boy (and in the process learning that kids aren't all bad), making his way to South America, and meeting a boyhood hero (and getting that hero transformed into the main villian). Mix in a giant bird and some talking dogs (courtesy of collar translators) for plot points and comedy relief, and the end result is a wonder to behold.
Oh, and of course, being a Pixar flick, it's got a short beforehand... in this case, a piece called Partly Cloudy, which takes the old "storks bringing babies" story back to territory I haven't seen since the old Warner Brothers cartoons... namely, where do the storks get the babies? That poor, poor stork... I haven't seen that kind of abuse of a cartoon character in such a short time since those old cartoons, either, and it was just as funny now as then.
So, a great short and a wonderful movie are waiting for you at the local theater... what are you waiting for?
So far as the story itself, it deals with a widower being driven to make a choice... but, rather than take the path society has chosen for him, he decides to go on an adventure that both he and his late wife dreamed of all their lives. Of course, how that translates into him making his home mobile by means of thousands of helium balloons... well, you really need to see the movie to fully "get it", so I won't spoil it for you.
Along the way, he ends up inadvertently kidnapping a young neighborhood boy (and in the process learning that kids aren't all bad), making his way to South America, and meeting a boyhood hero (and getting that hero transformed into the main villian). Mix in a giant bird and some talking dogs (courtesy of collar translators) for plot points and comedy relief, and the end result is a wonder to behold.
Oh, and of course, being a Pixar flick, it's got a short beforehand... in this case, a piece called Partly Cloudy, which takes the old "storks bringing babies" story back to territory I haven't seen since the old Warner Brothers cartoons... namely, where do the storks get the babies? That poor, poor stork... I haven't seen that kind of abuse of a cartoon character in such a short time since those old cartoons, either, and it was just as funny now as then.
So, a great short and a wonderful movie are waiting for you at the local theater... what are you waiting for?
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