[CGUYS] Solar Energy (was solar battery chargers)
(My emphasis in Betty's message.) My parents built our home in Miami, FL in 1949. At that time, in that place (from my childhood memory), homes were built individually, and our home and the others in our neighborhood had solar water heaters. They were simple affairs, inexpensive, just a galvanized steel pan containing copper pipes zigzagging to and fro a few times, then filled with tar and covered with glass. In the Miami sun, ours provided all of our hot water needs on all but a handful of days per year; and an electric heater in the storage tank took care of those days. Then the area's population began to grow rapidly, and tract homes began to be built. The Florida Power and Light company offered those builders incentives and authorized them to advertise their homes as "Gold Medallion All- Electric Homes". No solar water heaters allowed. Think of those hundreds of thousands of homes, broiling in the Miami sun for all of those years, burning all of those tons of fossil fuel to heat water, that could have been heated by the sun! -- [We did not have air conditioning. We just opened our windows and there was enough space between the homes to allow enough of a breeze for us to feel comfortable.] On Mar 27, 2008, at 10:51 PM, betty wrote: I've lived in a solar house since 1980. We have at least 100 trees. From my experience with passive and active systems, all you need is daylight--sun, clouds, rain or snowy weather, direct or reflected light--to produce enough electricity to run a battery charger, or produce enough electricity to run most home appliances, including recharging a laptop; same weather conditions apply for heating and cooling. Most people I know who live in apartments, even basement ones, have at least one window. There's enough light coming in through a window to use a PV battery charger, or the panel can be hung out the window--doesn't even have to face south. Ambient light can also activate a trickle charger indoors. Besides it's not likely that an individual apartment would have its own independent connection. The building owner, manager, super, would have the FIOS boxes installed in one location for the entire building. No, "we" aren't generalizing. It continues to amaze me that there are so few people _in_the_US_ who take advantage of almost free heating, cooling and electricity, and simply make up excuses for not doing it. Aren't we generalizing a bit? I'm under trees here, there's not nearly enough sunlight to charge batteries. People in apartment buildings would have the same trouble. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 1:56 PM, b_s-wilk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Photovoltaic solar panels are the sensible answer to unlimited backup > for FIOS. They can be standard equipment with FIOS boxes. PV solar > panels are small and will keep the backup batteries charged > indefinitely, even on rainy days. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http:// www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] solar battery chargers
And what about Windows users who are perpetually in the dark? >The price for those panels is lower >than some of the new cable/DSL/ADSL modems. Searched online and found >one that retails at $44.99, and another for $37.95; will be much less if >bundled with FIOS service boxes. Betty: Is this packaged in a way that will allow a DIY installation? First time I saw photovoltaic trickle chargers for 12V batteries was at a Volkswagen dealer. They had the chargers plugged into many of the cars on their lot, with the PV panel on the dashboard. I'd guess they might have some kind of deal from the German government where homeowners and businesses are given incentives to install PV panels on their buildings to generate electricity. These panels are integrated roofing, like tiles [search SunSlate], not big panels bolted to the roof, as were used 20 years ago. Initially the equivalent cost of energy from PV was around 40 cents per kw hour while power companies charged 10 cents/kwh. Government paid the difference to the customers. Cost has gone down to 30 cents, 20 cents, and is expected to reach parity within 5 years. After that the electricity from PV panels will be free. I didn't look at the brand that they were using, but I could ask the VW dealer, or you could ask a dealer that uses them. I got the prices by using a search engine. These chargers plug into the cigarette lighter in a car. The laptop chargers were well over $200 when I looked for one several years ago and are still expensive, but chargers for cell phones and iPods can be found for under $40. And, yes, the battery chargers are easy to set up. Some models are even sold in the online NPR shop and many other places on the Internets. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM, Jeff Wright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Who is objectively supposed to assess which applicant's > > can and cannot afford a home? The banks always have before > > (is it a legal mandate or fiduciary responsibility, or both?) > > Seems a little simplistic to pin it on home buyers, > > especially since they have the least resources and > > no surfeit of objectivity. > > This is your paycheck. > > This is your paycheck minus your mortgage payment. > > Get the picture? > > Yes, but the people losing their homes now had plenty of paycheck to cover their mortgage payment *at the time they got the mortgage*. What the banks and investment houses did that was fiscally irresponsible was to give out or invest in mortgages that would only work as long as rates stayed down and home prices continued to rise. The loans didn't make any sense when they were made. I used to serve on the Board of Directors of a credit union and we took our fiduciary responsibility seriously. We had to run scenarios where rates went up or down 3 percentage points, where the value of the home went down instead of up, and determine if the risk to the institution was reasonable or not. Often we would direct the CEO to reduce the mortgage portfolio because of the "too many eggs in one basket" scenario. Even though mortgages were the big money makers. -- John DeCarlo, My Views Are My Own * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] solar battery chargers
I've lived in a solar house since 1980. We have at least 100 trees. From my experience with passive and active systems, all you need is daylight--sun, clouds, rain or snowy weather, direct or reflected light--to produce enough electricity to run a battery charger, or produce enough electricity to run most home appliances, including recharging a laptop; same weather conditions apply for heating and cooling. Most people I know who live in apartments, even basement ones, have at least one window. There's enough light coming in through a window to use a PV battery charger, or the panel can be hung out the window--doesn't even have to face south. Ambient light can also activate a trickle charger indoors. Besides it's not likely that an individual apartment would have its own independent connection. The building owner, manager, super, would have the FIOS boxes installed in one location for the entire building. No, "we" aren't generalizing. It continues to amaze me that there are so few people _in_the_US_ who take advantage of almost free heating, cooling and electricity, and simply make up excuses for not doing it. Aren't we generalizing a bit? I'm under trees here, there's not nearly enough sunlight to charge batteries. People in apartment buildings would have the same trouble. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 1:56 PM, b_s-wilk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Photovoltaic solar panels are the sensible answer to unlimited backup > for FIOS. They can be standard equipment with FIOS boxes. PV solar > panels are small and will keep the backup batteries charged > indefinitely, even on rainy days. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
> Who is objectively supposed to assess which applicant's > can and cannot afford a home? The banks always have before > (is it a legal mandate or fiduciary responsibility, or both?) > Seems a little simplistic to pin it on home buyers, > especially since they have the least resources and > no surfeit of objectivity. This is your paycheck. This is your paycheck minus your mortgage payment. Get the picture? > Arguing that the economy and society is simply the sum total of a bunch of choices freely made by consumers is... I give up Paul. What is it then, if not this? Is the hive mind controlling your actions? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
>I do not understand the idea that every improvement, no matter how >expensive, must be affordable by all, and if not some injustice has >occurred. I do not understand your belief that money is the criterion to use to determine who lives and who dies. Why not favor those with higher IQs? Why not favor those who lead saintly lives? Why not favor one race over another? Why not favor one sex over the other? Why is it only money that counts? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Macbook pwned...again
>Highlights...last year a mac was taken over in nine hours, this year it took >two minutes with a web exploit. No word in the article about how linux or >vista faired... >http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20080327/tc_infoworld/96676 Incorrect. Nobody was able to break into any of the systems on the first day. On the second day the "contestants" were allowed to specify that the judges perform specific actions with the computers. Following a script provided by a "contestant" the Mac was hacked. This reminds me of the "honor-system virus" joke. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
>So, I would suggest that all 3 acted irresponsibly. >Now, how can we link this thread to computers? What we are groping to understand is market dynamics in general, using analogic thinking to better understand the logic behind what the telco's managers are doing or not doing with broadband. So yes this is all on topic. Though I do not know how helpful it is. We are also examining the thought process behind what the public is willing to accept. This seems to be pulling the discussion sideways. Not productive. (I know I just poked Tony for his complaining about where the drive lables thread was going and here I'm doing it myself. Oh well. Apologies to Tony.) I see that the same people who are willing to accept poor software and abusive marketing tactics on the part of Microsoft are consistent in their willingness to be somebody's doormat. It is puzzling/frustrating to me. Perhaps it is in the genes? Some people are born as willing serfs and some are born as troublemakers. At least there is some consistency here. But the argument that the people who are ripping us off have some inherent right to do so looks too much like an argument for the divine right of kings. I don't buy that. I don't see that any of these bozos deserve their $100,000,000 salary. The only exception I can think of is Steve Jobs, and he came back to Apple insisting on a $1 salary. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
One of our laptops has a similar issue. Four reserved drive letters that do nothing at all. Just ignore them. At least until you use z: and really _need_ to free one up. I already told you a way around it. If you're dead set on using that brain-dead wizard, just save the files to eg c:/tmp/ then move them to whatever drive you want. > On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:11:25 -0400, Richard P. wrote: > > >What really throws me off is that Windows is telling me to transfer my > >settings to these non-existent drives and won't allow an option to save > >to existing drives. Is there a way around this? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Elephant In the Room [Was: Why not the US?]
During natural disasters count on nothing, buy try everything. When everything else is falling down around you have plenty of batteries on hand. Stewart At 07:11 PM 3/27/2008, you wrote: I submit that anyone who accepts a communication system that will not work precisely at the time when it is most needed is not a very smart person. Rev. Stewart A. Marshall mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org Ozark, AL SL 82 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:11:25 -0400, Richard P. wrote: >What really throws me off is that Windows is telling me to transfer my >settings to these non-existent drives and won't allow an option to save >to existing drives. Is there a way around this? > >It is interesting to note that these F-I "drives" show up in Windows >Explore but when clicked on, asks to insert a disk. The only disk drive >that I have is E which is a DVD/CD drive. So what are these F-I disk drives? I don't think they are any kind of place holder for future drive installs. Do you have a (multi) card reader in your computer? No Zip drives or anything like that? If not, it seems like you could get rid of the phantom drive assignments. . .but I'd hold off until somebody else says it's okay, because I'm not 100% sure. -- R:\katan LET'S GO METS!! LET'S GO METS!! * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Macbook pwned...again
Highlights...last year a mac was taken over in nine hours, this year it took two minutes with a web exploit. No word in the article about how linux or vista faired... http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20080327/tc_infoworld/96676 Mike * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Elephant In the Room [Was: Why not the US?]
>I also note that the present telephone model came about because 48 volt >batteries with large capacity worked and many homes likely to get phone >service didn't have a source of power for phones. The accidental >benefit that during a power failure the system continued to work was >just a happy accident. I submit that anyone who accepts a communication system that will not work precisely at the time when it is most needed is not a very smart person. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
Sorry I missed out on on the fun discussion today, I was unavoidably detained. Your point make me wary to change the drive letters even though the removable media Disks 2-5 (F-I) currently have no drives assigned to them other than it saying that they are removable and there is currently no media. My guess is that these volumes (?) are default for any future internal media drives which may be installed, but I'm not sure. I would hate to change one and not be able to fix it back if it didn't work. What really throws me off is that Windows is telling me to transfer my settings to these non-existent drives and won't allow an option to save to existing drives. Is there a way around this? It is interesting to note that these F-I "drives" show up in Windows Explore but when clicked on, asks to insert a disk. The only disk drive that I have is E which is a DVD/CD drive. So what are these F-I disk drives? Richard P. Tom Piwowar wrote: When you start up an application in Windows, the operating system needs to know where to find the various components. If you happen to locate some components in other than the default locations, Studying many years in the school of hard knocks I have found that locating any components in other than the default locations is asking for trouble. All too often some idiot program will hard code the path, causing the user great pain. Before OS X, Mac users would laugh about this Windows-only problem. Now in the land of Unix the best advice for OS X users is the same... Never move any application-related files from default locations. Never rename any application-related directories from default names. I want to use the Win XP File and Settings Transfer Wizard to save my configuration but it only opens up save options for default External Drives F, G, H, and I, all of which have nothing attached to them. When I hook an external USB hard drive, it shows up as the first available letter, "J", which isn't an option for the Wizard. How can I get my "J" external drive to show up in the transfer wizard defaults? It doesn't allow browsing for my selection and when I try to change the "J" external drive letter, F, G, H, and I are not listed as an option. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] solar battery chargers
>Aren't we generalizing a bit? I'm under trees here, there's not nearly >enough sunlight to charge batteries. People in apartment buildings >would have the same trouble. And what about Windows users who are perpetually in the dark? >The price for those panels is lower >than some of the new cable/DSL/ADSL modems. Searched online and found >one that retails at $44.99, and another for $37.95; will be much less if >bundled with FIOS service boxes. Betty: Is this packaged in a way that will allow a DIY installation? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:28:14 -0400, Matthew Taylor wrote: >To be rationed requires that there be a shortage of supply. There is >no shortage of supply for those able to pay - if you can afford the >procedure you will get the procedure in the US (organ donations being And those that can't afford it can just go away and die. Yes? -- R:\katan LET'S GO METS!! LET'S GO METS!! * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] drive labels
WTF are you talking about? My point was clear - if you want to discuss drive labels then just change the subject. I don't know of anyone that particularly _likes_ the Windows way of labeling drives with single letters of the alphabet, so if you're trying to rile up controversy I doubt it will happen. Hopefully it's just a legacy thing we can dispense with eventually. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 6:58 PM, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Oops. We gotta scram. The PC censors have arrived. We have to narrowly > interpret questions and not explore possibilities. Drive letters are > double-plus good. Yes they are. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
Sure. There are the folks that buy Windows, the folks that sell Windows, and Microsoft. That tracks with ignorance, greed, and corporate over reaching. On Mar 27, 2008, at 4:29 PM, Daniel Else wrote: So, I would suggest that all 3 acted irresponsibly. Now, how can we link this thread to computers? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
To be rationed requires that there be a shortage of supply. There is no shortage of supply for those able to pay - if you can afford the procedure you will get the procedure in the US (organ donations being the exception where there is a shortage and the supply of which by law can not be increased by willingness to pay) - that is not rationing. We do have many who can not afford the current standard of care, 50 years ago we had massively more who could not afford todays standard of care, 100 years ago it was largely unimanaginable. I do not understand the idea that every improvement, no matter how expensive, must be affordable by all, and if not some injustice has occurred. On Mar 27, 2008, at 2:03 PM, Paul Meyer wrote: Unfortunately, all health care systems ration, we do it by ability to pay. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
"Both obviously. A mortgage contract has two parties." Maybe yes, but there's more. During the past several years, there have been three, not two, parties to the mortgage. Only two are present at closing, but that third is really calling the shots. In days of yore, banks (or other financial institutions) lent their own money to finance individuals' purchases of homes - hence the strict credit checks and down payment requirements. As the practice of shifting risk to mortgage bundlers and outside investors grew, the initial mortgage lending institution, the one requiring title search, down payment, etc., became more a mortgage salesman, looking no longer for the long-term cash stream of the mortgage itself, but rather for the commission that comes from selling the mortgage (and passing on the risk) to the third party. More sales, more commissions, more moving off the books to make mortgages someone else's problem. Very simply put, the breakdown came when those investors failed to require the same assurances of credit, down payment, and the like of the home buyer that the banks used to demand and a lot of people found the situation just too tempting. So, I would suggest that all 3 acted irresponsibly. Now, how can we link this thread to computers? Dan * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
Both obviously. A mortgage contract has two parties. On Mar 27, 2008, at 1:55 PM, Paul Meyer wrote: Mostly because they could not afford the home on the terms they agreed to and thus never should have purchased them. Who is objectively supposed to assess which applicant's can and cannot afford a home? The banks always have before (is it a legal mandate or fiduciary responsibility, or both?) Seems a little simplistic to pin it on home buyers, especially since they have the least resources and no surfeit of objectivity. Of course, that's the problem with cheap money, it robs the financial industry of objectivity as well. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
10 years is hardly the long term wrt economies. On Mar 27, 2008, at 1:53 PM, Ralph wrote: If Eurosocialism is so great, why have more open economies out performed them over the long term for so long? Neither Eurosocialism nor capitalism its without its shortcomings, but to argue that the American cultural, economic and social systems have out performed other western nations, over the past decade, is absurd. With the value of the dollar falling and our national debt tripling, it's fair to ask whether the 20th century will have been America's high-point. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] solar battery chargers
Aren't we generalizing a bit? I'm under trees here, there's not nearly enough sunlight to charge batteries. People in apartment buildings would have the same trouble. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 1:56 PM, b_s-wilk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Photovoltaic solar panels are the sensible answer to unlimited backup > for FIOS. They can be standard equipment with FIOS boxes. PV solar > panels are small and will keep the backup batteries charged > indefinitely, even on rainy days. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
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Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
> contaminated food stuffs, Because those pesky consumers have largely valued low price above every other consideration. Makes about as much sense as the idea that smokers freely express their preference when buying cigarettes. There is no free choice in the face of inadequate information and most economists will admit that mostly consumers don't have adequate information. Arguing that the economy and society is simply the sum total of a bunch of choices freely made by consumers is... well, I hope that notion at least helps you sleep at night. Checkout One Laptop Per Child project laptop.org * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] FIOS Backup [was: Why not the US?]
Photovoltaic solar panels are the sensible answer to unlimited backup for FIOS. They can be standard equipment with FIOS boxes. PV solar panels are small and will keep the backup batteries charged indefinitely, even on rainy days. The price for those panels is lower than some of the new cable/DSL/ADSL modems. Searched online and found one that retails at $44.99, and another for $37.95; will be much less if bundled with FIOS service boxes. We can have all of this technology at a good price. Why not remove the oil subsidy from companies like Exxon-Mobile that have $40 billion net profit at our expense, and use it for incentives to telcos to boost our broadband system. ¡Sí, se puede! Betty Yes, but Verizon (and others) needs to develop a way to power phones indefinitely when the electric grid goes down, i.e., with one big generator at the central office or something else that works as well. What's going to happen the first time there is a fire in a location where no phones are working because the electric grid has been down for 72 hours and all of the "backup" batteries died after four or so hours? Fred Holmes At 08:35 PM 3/26/2008, Eric S. Sande wrote: OK, I'll come clean. It absolutely sucks to maintain a twisted-pair (not even coax) copper network Some, maybe a lot of it, is at or near its end of service life. It makes absolutely no business sense to continue to throw money at it, when the alternative is more reliable, overcomes all of copper's distance and bandwidth limitations, and allows for crushing the competition. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
>When you start up an application in Windows, the operating system needs >to know where to find the various components. If you happen to locate >some components in other than the default locations, Studying many years in the school of hard knocks I have found that locating any components in other than the default locations is asking for trouble. All too often some idiot program will hard code the path, causing the user great pain. Before OS X, Mac users would laugh about this Windows-only problem. Now in the land of Unix the best advice for OS X users is the same... Never move any application-related files from default locations. Never rename any application-related directories from default names. In Mac OS X, as in Classic, any self-contained application runs perfectly well from the desktop. Not so with those that require additional files in the root libraries. Still it's a good idea to put apps and other things where the system expects to find them, to be sure that they work all the time, instead of most of the time. Betty * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
> > That delivers care of sufficient quality (to those who can pay) that > > folks come here to get what they can not get from their national > systems. Did you read the recent study about how many women in labor > > had to be turned away from British maternity wards for lack of beds? > > > high energy prices, > Funny thing is, all the other rich countries have national systems and it is hard to make an intellectually honest case that the US is unambiguously better. General health statistics and outcomes are not better in the US as a whole. The US doesn't even have more high-tech diagnostic equipment (Japan does). It is easy to pick on Britain for it long lines or other aspects of rationing, it is easy because it has always been one of the least under-funded national health systems (and that has been true under Labor let alone Thatcher). Brits also go to national healt services on the Continent when they can't get what they want in Britain (and it get paid for). Unfortunately, all health care systems ration, we do it by ability to pay. Checkout One Laptop Per Child project laptop.org * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
> > Mostly because they could not afford the home on the terms they > agreed > to and thus never should have purchased them. Who is objectively supposed to assess which applicant's can and cannot afford a home? The banks always have before (is it a legal mandate or fiduciary responsibility, or both?) Seems a little simplistic to pin it on home buyers, especially since they have the least resources and no surfeit of objectivity. Of course, that's the problem with cheap money, it robs the financial industry of objectivity as well. Checkout One Laptop Per Child project laptop.org * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
> If Eurosocialism is so great, why have more open economies out > performed them over the long term for so long? Neither Eurosocialism nor capitalism its without its shortcomings, but to argue that the American cultural, economic and social systems have out performed other western nations, over the past decade, is absurd. With the value of the dollar falling and our national debt tripling, it's fair to ask whether the 20th century will have been America's high-point. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
Hear, hear! At 10:42 AM 3/27/2008, mike wrote: >I love what few programs are not tied to paths...completely installed and >running all in one folder. I keep my mom on Eudora for this reason. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Elephant In the Room [Was: Why not the US?]
I've got a HAM op who lives nearby, I'll go scream fire to him. I'm a ham, there's not guarantee I'ld be able to charge batteries or find some means of getting out when electrical power is available. Admittedly, cars can be used to either power a rig or to charge batteries, but I've been places where there was no gasoline available or it was very scarce after an emergency and without fuel, cars can't power things. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Elephant In the Room [Was: Why not the US?]
My understanding is that fiber cable already has a metal wire in it so Miss Utility can find a buried fiber cable. So I would think that with just a little bit of additional motivation the telcos could do the good socalist thing. May I suggest that a single wire suitable for running RF down to allow tracing of the fiber cable is not any indication that sufficient capacity exists to power lots of phones. Fiber is likely to be cheaper in the long run for phone companies but powering via fiber isn't likely to get or be practical. I also note that the present telephone model came about because 48 volt batteries with large capacity worked and many homes likely to get phone service didn't have a source of power for phones. The accidental benefit that during a power failure the system continued to work was just a happy accident. With many folks quite willing to cut the cord to wire phone companies and accept cable telephone service,, or depend on cell phones or horror of horrors use a non-local VOIP service the desire to have phones with power out for extended periods isn't all that high. I also note that even with a wired phone there's no guarantee that the batteries will continue to power your phone when discharged and no generator is present to replace AC. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
Actually, it was the OP that mistakenly believed shuffling drive letters was his problem. So far this thread has gone off on a completely useless tangent, certainly not helpful to him at all. His question: How can I get my "J" external drive to show up in the [Win XP File and Settings Transfer Wizard] defaults? My answer: I'm sorry, I don't know. But I do know you're wasting your time using F&S. Implement a good backup strategy instead. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 9:17 AM, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Why are you folks so stuck on drive letters? That is the world of DOS. I > do not pay any attention to drive letters on my PC. What an I missing out > on? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
>Every command has an underlying reference to a drive letter. In Windows, >If a drive is mounted with a different drive letter, all shortcuts to >files on the drive break. (Unless Vista has something new to >automatically fix the problem in real time.) Isn't that just DOS. Does not Windows use a UNC? I don't think Windows is as hindbound as you think it is. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
I love what few programs are not tied to paths...completely installed and running all in one folder. I keep my mom on Eudora for this reason. The only other program I can think of off the top of my head is unreal tournament. Mike On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 7:17 AM, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >When you start up an application in Windows, the operating system needs > >to know where to find the various components. If you happen to locate > >some components in other than the default locations, > > Studying many years in the school of hard knocks I have found that > locating any components in other than the default locations is asking for > trouble. All too often some idiot program will hard code the path, > causing the user great pain. > > Before OS X, Mac users would laugh about this Windows-only problem. Now > in the land of Unix the best advice for OS X users is the same... > > Never move any application-related files from default locations. > > Never rename any application-related directories from default names. > > > * > ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** > ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** > * > * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Elephant In the Room [Was: Why not the US?]
I've got a HAM op who lives nearby, I'll go scream fire to him. Mike On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 7:11 AM, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >Yes, but Verizon (and others) needs to develop a way to power phones > >indefinitely when the electric grid goes down, i.e., with one big > >generator at the central office or something else that works as well. > >What's going to happen the first time there is a fire in a location where > >no phones are working because the electric grid has been down for 72 > hours > >and all of the "backup" batteries died after four or so hours? > > Keeps getting ignored. > > I guess the neocons consider batteries at the central office to be just > another manifestation of socialism. All you rugged individualists are > supposed to have your own emergency power plants (and your own e coli > tester, radiation meters, and plenty of duct tape). > > My understanding is that fiber cable already has a metal wire in it so > Miss Utility can find a buried fiber cable. So I would think that with > just a little bit of additional motivation the telcos could do the good > socalist thing. > > > * > ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** > ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** > * > * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Why not the US?
Let me say this simple thing: there is no surprise greater than the first call on arriving in Europe, a shock of clarity unmatched here. That reception doesn't go away, whether in the mountains, or the metro. My limping unlocked mobil, which works with local sim cards all over Europe, suddenly becomes an audio wonder. Intense advertising here for various providers seems antique; they are all ModelT service, no, worse, incompatible gauges of rail reminiscent of the 19th century, and that depresses me. Formerly technological pacesetters, now we may not ever catch up to what is ordinary worldwide. Is a universal gsm architecture "nationalist", or simply common sense? I would posit that our markets intoxication temps us to SUV's and trucks that serve no real purpose, obsessive shopping for cheap goods that locate our treasure in the control of others, confers healthcare taken up in significant part by filling in managed-care forms, and a future diminished entirely by our pursuit of the mere next thrill. Chad Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
>When you start up an application in Windows, the operating system needs >to know where to find the various components. If you happen to locate >some components in other than the default locations, Studying many years in the school of hard knocks I have found that locating any components in other than the default locations is asking for trouble. All too often some idiot program will hard code the path, causing the user great pain. Before OS X, Mac users would laugh about this Windows-only problem. Now in the land of Unix the best advice for OS X users is the same... Never move any application-related files from default locations. Never rename any application-related directories from default names. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Elephant In the Room [Was: Why not the US?]
>Yes, but Verizon (and others) needs to develop a way to power phones >indefinitely when the electric grid goes down, i.e., with one big >generator at the central office or something else that works as well. >What's going to happen the first time there is a fire in a location where >no phones are working because the electric grid has been down for 72 hours >and all of the "backup" batteries died after four or so hours? Keeps getting ignored. I guess the neocons consider batteries at the central office to be just another manifestation of socialism. All you rugged individualists are supposed to have your own emergency power plants (and your own e coli tester, radiation meters, and plenty of duct tape). My understanding is that fiber cable already has a metal wire in it so Miss Utility can find a buried fiber cable. So I would think that with just a little bit of additional motivation the telcos could do the good socalist thing. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
Every command has an underlying reference to a drive letter. In Windows, If a drive is mounted with a different drive letter, all shortcuts to files on the drive break. (Unless Vista has something new to automatically fix the problem in real time.) At 09:17 AM 3/27/2008, Tom Piwowar wrote: >Why are you folks so stuck on drive letters? That is the world of DOS. I >do not pay any attention to drive letters on my PC. What an I missing out >on? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
On Mar 27, 2008, at 9:15 AM, Tom Piwowar wrote: So not only are large numbers of Americans being evicted from their homes, Mostly because they could not afford the home on the terms they agreed to and thus never should have purchased them. I can not afford a Rolls Royce, and no low teaser rate will get me to buy one on financing. but we now ave a broken health care system, That delivers care of sufficient quality (to those who can pay) that folks come here to get what they can not get from their national systems. Did you read the recent study about how many women in labor had to be turned away from British maternity wards for lack of beds? high energy prices, Largely because demand is way up and we have historically been wealthy enough to pay whatever it costs. Be nice if we did not subsidize oil importing through payroll and income tax though. contaminated food stuffs, Because those pesky consumers have largely valued low price above every other consideration. and a second-rate telecomminications system. Yawn. Yes, we could have a faster system. Good old fashioned corporate competition would help, but those pesky voters keep electing local governments that grant monopolies to cable companies, reducing competition, instead of reducing barriers to entry. But you know, the money for those $100,000,000 salaries (plus bonuses) has to come from somewhere. The laboror is worthy of their hire. That applies to ploughman and plutocrat both, or do you want a government office setting compensation rates? And they figured they would have retired to the Cayman Islands before people figured out exactly how much damage they did. You know this how? Eurosocialism says that no person is worth 1000 times more than any another person and such a disparity in paychecks is wrong. Liberty and Freedom say that the market gets to determine compensation, not the government. Letting things go so far wrong has ruined our economy. We don't need retroactive immunity as much as we need retroactive taxes. This needs to be put right. What is right about the majority voting to tax the minority for the benefit of that majority? That is the very antithisis of liberty. If Eurosocialism is so great, why have more open economies out performed them over the long term for so long? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
At 9:22 AM -0400 3/27/08, Tom Piwowar wrote: >Yes it's a huge risk, and telcos aren't generally known for taking risks. But a fiber network just makes sense, long-term. You should note that Verizon is an exception in the industry and Verizon's efforts to upgrade their network to fiber has been seen negatively by Wall Street. As technologists we see that upgrading to fiber makes very good long term sense. Wall Street would keep us on copper and cable forever. Wall Street looks down on any reinvestment in a company; they want that money in their pockets, either in the form of dividends or, even better, higher stock prices, through stock repurchase. I think that is the reason private equity firms take troubled companies private, so they can be "fixed" without interference from the analysts and stockholders. Then, they take them public again, and cash out. -- Roger Lovettsville, VA * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
When you start up an application in Windows, the operating system needs to know where to find the various components. If you happen to locate some components in other than the default locations, changing drive letters will cause those components to be "not found". Other than that, it probably matters very little what you call the drives. Mike Tom Piwowar wrote: You need to go to computer management- disk management. Rename the drive FGHI (which are probably the builtin media drives) as LMNO. Shut down, restart with you USB drive in the device. It should now come up as F- if not, go to computer management-disk management and set it as F. Why are you folks so stuck on drive letters? That is the world of DOS. I do not pay any attention to drive letters on my PC. What an I missing out on? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
>Yes it's a huge risk, and telcos aren't generally known for taking >risks. But a fiber network just makes sense, long-term. You should note that Verizon is an exception in the industry and Verizon's efforts to upgrade their network to fiber has been seen negatively by Wall Street. As technologists we see that upgrading to fiber makes very good long term sense. Wall Street would keep us on copper and cable forever. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
>Who said anything about nationalization? How about a little >"Eurosocialist" regulation? I'd be happy to have some of their >broadband service, and their Eurosocialist prices. When A technological business gets taken over by non-technologists out to make a quick buck this is what happens. Not content to merely do damage on Wall Street and banking these crooks branched out. So not only are large numbers of Americans being evicted from their homes, but we now have a broken health care system, high energy prices, contaminated food stuffs, and a second-rate telecomminications system. But you know, the money for those $100,000,000 salaries (plus bonuses) has to come from somewhere. And they figured they would have retired to the Cayman Islands before people figured out exactly how much damage they did. Eurosocialism says that no person is worth 1000 times more than any another person and such a disparity in paychecks is wrong. Letting things go so far wrong has ruined our economy. We don't need retroactive immunity as much as we need retroactive taxes. This needs to be put right. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
>You need to go to computer management- disk management. Rename the drive >FGHI (which are probably the builtin media drives) as LMNO. Shut down, >restart with you USB drive in the device. It should now come up as F- if >not, go to computer management-disk management and set it as F. Why are you folks so stuck on drive letters? That is the world of DOS. I do not pay any attention to drive letters on my PC. What an I missing out on? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
Yes, but Verizon (and others) needs to develop a way to power phones indefinitely when the electric grid goes down, i.e., with one big generator at the central office or something else that works as well. What's going to happen the first time there is a fire in a location where no phones are working because the electric grid has been down for 72 hours and all of the "backup" batteries died after four or so hours? Fred Holmes At 08:35 PM 3/26/2008, Eric S. Sande wrote: OK, I'll come clean. It absolutely sucks to maintain a twisted-pair >(not even coax) copper network Some, maybe a lot of it, is at or >near its end of service life. It makes absolutely no business sense >to continue to throw money at it, when the alternative is more >reliable, overcomes all of copper's distance and bandwidth limitations, >and allows for crushing the competition. > >Yes it's a huge risk, and telcos aren't generally known for taking >risks. But a fiber network just makes sense, long-term. > >It gives me relief in the three key areas that I mentioned in my previous >post. My labor costs go down because my maintenance requirements >go down. It's no fun to futz around with fifty year old copper either >up a pole or in a flooded manhole. You've got to pay some pretty >good people some pretty good money to be willing to do that. Fiber >has issues too, principally guaranteeing power at the nodes. > >But that issue belongs to cable also. > >I've mentioned the bandwith gain. More importantly I get distance. >Yes, DSL can go a lot faster than it does now, as you've mentioned. >But it is hardly universal because it's physically impossible to deliver >decent performance at great distance. Fiber, no problem. > >I could take the approach that another telco which I won't mention by >name, which is to build a network that only goes as far as the local >neighborhood POP and then transitions to copper. It's less of a >risk but it's less of a payoff, because that pesky copper is still a network >element. > >Did I mention the regulatory aspect? If I build it I own it, at this point in >time I'm not legally required to give away access to my fiber like I am to >the copper I installed and maintain at wholesale rates to other providers, >as I have to do at present. > >As a businessman, I have a responsibility to my shareholders to turn >a profit. I guarantee that I'm not twisting any arms here. If my price >is too high, well, you have options. The product is good. Better than >good. Better than the competition. > >Luckily the USA still rewards innovation and investment, although to >hear you tell it, frankly, it sounds like you think you should get these >neat toys for Eurosocialist prices. The next thing you'll want to do is >nationalize the network. > >That ALWAYS works well. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
There is that alternative then we end up paying for it twice, through subscription and then through government subsidy. Stewart At 07:01 AM 3/27/2008, you wrote: Who said anything about nationalization? How about a little "Eurosocialist" regulation? I'd be happy to have some of their broadband service, and their Eurosocialist prices. By the way, when the network was "nationalized", everyone may have had the same black phone, but no one worried about being without phone service, or receiving phone bills, so high, they had to charge them to their credit cards (which, admittedly, didn't exist at the time.) By the way, deregulation of power companies is working well, too, right? Rev. Stewart A. Marshall mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Prince of Peace Ozark, AL SL 82 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why not the US?
> The next thing you'll want to do is nationalize the network. > > That ALWAYS works well. Who said anything about nationalization? How about a little "Eurosocialist" regulation? I'd be happy to have some of their broadband service, and their Eurosocialist prices. By the way, when the network was "nationalized", everyone may have had the same black phone, but no one worried about being without phone service, or receiving phone bills, so high, they had to charge them to their credit cards (which, admittedly, didn't exist at the time.) By the way, deregulation of power companies is working well, too, right? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive
You need to go to computer management- disk management. Rename the drive FGHI (which are probably the builtin media drives) as LMNO. Shut down, restart with you USB drive in the device. It should now come up as F- if not, go to computer management-disk management and set it as F. Voila. Have a great day. Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. The Adjuvancy, LLC Technical, Financial, and Managerial Support Services for the Entrepreneurial, Non-Profit, and Professional Services Organizations From: "Richard P." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 4:27 PM To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Subject: [CGUYS] Assigning permanent letter to external drive I want to use the Win XP File and Settings Transfer Wizard to save my configuration but it only opens up save options for default External Drives F, G, H, and I, all of which have nothing attached to them. When I hook an external USB hard drive, it shows up as the first available letter, "J", which isn't an option for the Wizard. How can I get my "J" external drive to show up in the transfer wizard defaults? It doesn't allow browsing for my selection and when I try to change the "J" external drive letter, F, G, H, and I are not listed as an option. Thanks in advance, Richard P. Win XP SP2 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
