Re: [CGUYS] fios renewal was:Digital TV [Was: Broadband Speeds Map]

[betty]

And if yer lucky and live in France, maybe you can get your car burned up!



I don't plan to go to the Paris or Marseille projects. Same could happen if you lived in 
the south Bronx, or east L.A. or Miami.


At least if you lived in the Paris projects you could watch it all happening out the 
window, on your cell phone, on TV, PC, faster, and pay much less than in the US.



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Re: [CGUYS] LCD HDTV

[betty]

Paula Minor  escribió:


Crooked companies shouldn't be encouraged, much less allowed to get away with 
their abuses.


Betty, in our home they are referred to as the "Evil Empire" and no one in our extended family will go near them. But we are lucky to live in a large city with many other choices.  Some people don't have that choice once the Evil Empire moves in. 


Some people have no choice but to shop at places like Malwart. However, people who have a 
choice and still shop there, claiming that they can't afford to shop elsewhere are fooling 
themselves. We can't afford to keep shopping at stores that resemble bad country 
songs--They done me wrong!! They done us wrong!!


Even Beast Buy and CompUSSR [they're bck- new store just opened in Delaware, home of 
tax-free shopping, like New Hampshire] are better.



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Re: [CGUYS] Apple to charge $107 for iPad battery replacement EarthLink - Technology News

[betty]

stay away from the internet as much as is
possible and most certainly do not anchor your lifestyle to it

I repeat, some of you folks have a real problem dealing with change. You are 
ignoring that many new technologies that greatly simplify and/ or enrich our 
lives. I want more of these things, not less. I do agree that one has to pick 
and choose, but the overall drift I'm seeing here is quite reactionary.




I repeat again, some of you city folks don't know what it's like to live in the Internet 
slow lane. You may be able to get all that great stuff like everywhere networks where 
you are, but most of the rest of us [in the US] don't have service like that for 
Internets or mobile phones. Or it's so outrageously expensive that it may as well not 
exist.


In much of the US, the only service is satellite. My friends in Maine pay $70 a month 
for 693 kbps [tested this week] service, and no cellular networks.


We don't ignore new technologies that aren't available to us. The new technologies don't 
enrich our lives because they're not here, or they're redundant or unnecessary.


"Enrich" my life and get us affordable broadband. Until then, don't lecture us about 
phantom technologies. It's insulting and ignorant. We are not reactionary just because 
there's barely passable service.


I don't have an iPhone. I don't want an iPhone. I have an unlocked Nokia N79 with WiFi. 
I don't want an iPad--I hate reading broadsheet newspapers on a screen--hurts my eyes. 
It's not reactionary to not want something you don't need. I have a Touch and a MacBook. 
I use my Nokia for free VOIP when I can find a network, otherwise I use a land line with 
a cheap per minute phone card for long distance.


I'm spending a lot of time getting rid of stuff . My grandfather 
warned us to be careful about too many possessions because they can possess us.


How much tech stuff do you need?






--
 "telecommuting" is just another way of saying "lying naked with your
laptop on the front lawn."


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[CGUYS] Recommendation for laptop computer advice sought

[betty]

Dell notebooks are heavy and clunky, but not too bad. Toshiba makes excellent notebooks. 
If I were buying a Dell, I'd get the new Alien notebook. Alien finally has a smaller, 
still powerful notebook for a reasonable price. Apple also makes excellent PC notebooks, 
in case you forgot that they run both Windows and Mac OS X natively.


The weight of the Dells won't matter as long as you don't plan to carry one around. Sony 
makes computers, so I hear, but I've owned a lot of Sony products and the only one that 
didn't die before its time was the Trinitron CRT display--never again.



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Re: [CGUYS] Mac Market Share At 11%

[betty]

You Windoz weenies still don't get it, do you.

Mac users need to use multiple browsers that can mask the OS, because there are still 
millions of web sites, many of them commercial that block Macs or distort their 
experience. This isn't some clueless individual who's still using FrontPage either. I had 
to contact SuperPages.com last week because a random message told me that I needed a newer 
version of IE--IE was discontinued for Macs years ago--or else I couldn't view their maps.


Masking browser ID and OS has been necessary for Mac users since we figured out how to do 
it a dozen years ago. It's built into Safari, Opera, iCab, and a simple add-on in Mozilla 
browsers. Thus, no matter how limited or encompassing the survey population, it won't show 
all of the Mac users.



More accurately, some specific subset of web use share. If they've got a
single mac-centric website in the mix like 2-pop then all the figures could
be skewed. All current figures I've seen show Mac holding at around 5%, and
I just checked my own AWstats


blah blah blah


On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 9:01 PM, mike  wrote:


Shouldn't it be web usage share?




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Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?

[betty]

> Again you are pining for the parallel port. Very few people want to take their
> computers apart. Service is easy to get and priced reasonably. Apple 
routinely waves
> fees and offers huge trade-in discounts. By giving up on making some of their 
products
> easy to open Apple reduced costs, made the product much smaller, and 
increased battery
> life...
>
>> Your futuristic nightmare isn't for people who don't have unlimited budgets 
to buy
>> new toys and peripherals every year, or who don't have businesses that can 
deduct the
>> toys' cost in their taxes. No ports + odd SIM card + only AT&T 3G US 
frequency =
>> fewer sales.
>
> Why should innovation stop just because you won't or can't pay for it? That's 
very
> self-centered. The rest of us want innovation. In fact we love innovation.


Spoken like a Windows FB who can't find the power switch. Parallel sucks, so did ADB. 
People buy cheap computers because they're cheap, and expensive computers because they 
should be better. Lots of us have friends who help with maintenance and repairs. Many 
others, like me, work alone and either do their own repairs or have friends or user groups 
who help. Repair shops are best avoided as dangerous to our wallets.


I buy Macs because they're [supposed to be] well designed and built. Apple touted ease of 
replacing drives with the G4, G5, Mac Pros. They made it easy to swap out hard drives in 
the notebooks to remedy hard drive "shrinkage". Now notebooks are sealed--WTF??!!! Even a 
novice can easily change the HD in an older MacBook. Changing RAM in a unibody MacBook Pro 
could void the warranty? WTF?? Unibody reduced cost is BS--it increased the bottom line 
for repair shops. After all, somebody has to open the notebooks, just not you.


Apple repaired our iBook 3 times, replacing the mobo and two displays. They didn't charge 
the first two times, but charged a flat rate of around $300 the last time. Then the AC 
charger DC in plug broke off in the port. I gave it to a friend who has two broken iBooks 
[can't afford a new Mac] and wants to try to put together one that works. Many others had 
similar problems--Apple had recalls on those issues.


As someone who has been on the leading edge of technology for years, I contrast the 
difference between flashy and useful. The iPad is only flashy now. When it's released it 
might be more attractive, but, for now, no. Looks more like Steve's last gasp.


Oh goody, a large unprotected glass tablet in a vulnerable pocket!! iPad vs. Rock -- rock 
wins.



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[CGUYS] Buried by an Earthquake? -- There's an app for that

[betty]

iPhone app is Pocket First Aid and CPR, $3.99.

Betty



--
 "telecommuting" is just another way of saying "lying naked with your
laptop on the front lawn."


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[CGUYS] Time Watching TV Linked to Greater Risk of Death, New Study Says - WSJ.com

[betty]

As seen in Robert L. Park's "What's New" newsletter at UMd physics site, 
http://www.bobpark.org/. He comments, "Of course, it may be the programming rather than 
being sedentary that's bad for you."




Watching TV Linked to Higher Risk of Death
By RON WINSLOW

If you're reading this sitting down, you might consider standing up.

In a provocative look at the impact of sedentary behavior on health, a new study links 
time watching television to an increased risk of death. One of the most surprising 
findings is that it isn't just couch potatoes who were affected—even for people who 
exercised regularly, the risk of death went up the longer they were in front of the TV. 
The problem was the prolonged periods of time spent sitting still.

[heartbeat]

Australian researchers who tracked 8,800 people for an average of six years found that 
those who said they watched TV for more than four hours a day were 46% more likely to 
die of any cause and 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than people who 
reported spending less than two hours a day in front of the tube...


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704055104574652340708172608.html



--
 "telecommuting" is just another way of saying "lying naked with your
laptop on the front lawn."


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Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...

[betty]

DVDs & CDs - CDs, yes, DVDs no. There's no reliable replacement for DVDs. Over-priced, 
over-hyped Blu-Ray disks are a marketing tool, not an answer.


Home telephone service - I was listening to a radio program last week where the host said 
that she lived in the DC area and lost her cable service for several days. She didn't have 
a digital TV so couldn't get broadcast TV shows. She had no Internet. She had no phone. 
Her cell phone had minimal reception in her apartment. She had to go to her neighbor who 
had a land line to make phone calls. She walked down to the corner store to buy 
newspapers. This may be an exception in DC, but it's normal in small towns and rural 
areas. The author lives in a big city and suburban fantasy world.


External hard drives - How do you backup your computer? Broadband isn't everywhere, and it 
isn't fast enough to back up hundreds of gigabytes.


Smart-phone also-rans - Fewer sales doesn't mean that a phone isn't as "smart" or useful. 
It usually means that its appeal and marketing is different. Is the most popular phone 
necessarily the best? Remember when the Razr was the "hot" phone? It was awful, but sold a 
lot.


Compact digital cameras - Our two very fine SLRs have been mostly sitting on the shelf 
since buying a tiny Nikon digital camera. Sometimes snapshots that capture the moment are 
more important and worth saving than a


Newspaper & magazine subscriptions - I went to a dance competition on Saturday. Took the 
bus to NYC; carried three magazines; left one on the bus. I forgot the other two after 
doing a video from the balcony of the ballroom. Glad I didn't have a Kindle.


New college textbooks - might be right on this one except the used textbooks have to be 
bought new by somebody, and you can't write useful notes in the margins of an e-reader.


Gas-guzzling autos - when gas is more expensive, fewer people will choose gas-guzzlers, 
but they won't go away.

Energy-inefficient homes and appliances


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Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...

[betty]

DVDs & CDs - CDs, yes, DVDs no. There's no reliable replacement for DVDs. 
Over-priced,
over-hyped Blu-Ray disks are a marketing tool, not an answer.

Home telephone service - I was listening to a radio program last week where the 
host said
that she lived in the DC area and lost her cable service for several days. She 
didn't have
a digital TV so couldn't get broadcast TV shows. She had no Internet. She had 
no phone.
Her cell phone had minimal reception in her apartment. She had to go to her 
neighbor who
had a land line to make phone calls. She walked down to the corner store to buy
newspapers. This may be an exception in DC, but it's normal in small towns and 
rural
areas. The author lives in a big city and suburban fantasy world.

External hard drives - How do you backup your computer? Broadband isn't 
everywhere, and it
isn't fast enough to back up hundreds of gigabytes.

Smart-phone also-rans - Fewer sales doesn't mean that a phone isn't as "smart" 
or useful.
It usually means that its appeal and marketing is different. Is the most 
popular phone
necessarily the best? Remember when the Razr was the "hot" phone? It was awful, 
but sold a
lot.

Compact digital cameras - Our two very fine SLRs have been mostly sitting on 
the shelf
since buying a tiny Nikon digital camera. Sometimes snapshots that capture the 
moment are
more important and worth saving than artistic perfection.

Newspaper & magazine subscriptions - I went to a dance competition on Saturday. 
Took the
bus to NYC; carried three magazines; left one on the bus. I forgot the other 
two after
doing a video from the balcony of the ballroom. Glad I didn't have a Kindle.

New college textbooks - might be right on this one except the used textbooks 
have to be
bought new by somebody, and you can't write useful notes in the margins of an 
e-reader.

Gas-guzzling autos - when gas is more expensive, fewer people will choose 
gas-guzzlers,
but they won't go away.

Energy-inefficient homes and appliances - eh


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Re: [CGUYS] Better than a UPS

[betty]

Battery alone will never work.

Just tonight I went outside to take my son to work, and my garden lights were 
not
working.  It has been overcast all day long and raining so they did not get a 
charge.
Now I know that the solar panels on them are small and not high quality but 
extrapolate
that out and you see that they need almost daily charging to be totally 
reliable.


Garden lights have cheap, usually poorly made, solar cells. If you bought them more than a 
year or two ago, they have NiCad batteries--cheap ones that are less than 500 milliamps, 
and low quality. The NiMH batteries in the new ones are cheaper and low quality. If you 
change the batteries in your garden lights to Duracell/Eveready/Rayovac 2000+ mA your 
lights will charge better and last longer, even on cloudy days [but the batteries might 
cost more than the lights.


Lithium batteries for heavy use are entirely different from NiCad and NiMH anyway--no 
comparison. Aside from cell phones and other electronics, they're used in cars and for 
storing power generated by solar PV shingled roofs.


We've been following the development of PV power and storage for over 20 years, but only 
recently has it become more affordable, thanks in part to the investment by the German 
government that encourages homeowners to install the solar shingles. Similar projects are 
in progress in Japan. In the US? For now, open your wallet and pay for it, unless you live 
in a state that can afford the tax credit.



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Re: [CGUYS] Here we go again....

[betty]

Speaking personally, it does not matter to me if TV broadcasting is ended. With 
the switch from analog to digital, I am able to receive only two local digital 
broadcasts despite having a very large VHF-UHF antenna mounted 10 feet above 
the roof of my 2-story house. I dwell in Vienna, VA, which is on the Capital 
Beltway only 10 miles from the transmission towers. Prior to the switch, I 
could receive at least 14 TV broadcasts. Effectively, TV broadcasting is ended 
for me and I must rely on cable for TV viewing.

I don't know how important TV broadcasting is in smaller cities or in rural areas. Perhaps it is more important there. 



There are still some good programs on broadcast TV. I think the telcos don't like it 
because they can't make money from free broadcast television, so they invent a problem 
that doesn't exist [like PHARMA does]--bandwidth needed from DTV, and use that for an 
excuse to kill broadcast TV--even though they're obviously lying about needing the 
bandwidth from the TV spectrum.


When digital TV first started broadcasting last Winter, we could get one, maybe two 
channels, using a converter box. Then we got a Radio Shack  U-75R outdoor antenna for $35 
and installed it in the attic, plus got a deal on a 24" digital TV to put upstairs. With a 
bit of manipulation, we have the antenna pointed so that we can get at least 20 channels, 
including the secondary channels, and Univision. We're happy.


With cable or satellite, we could get either Philly or Baltimore stations, not both, but 
most come in using the new antenna. There are several videos on YouTube and elsewhere that 
show how to make a digital antenna--CHEAP. Here are some good instructions, follow 
measurements carefully: http://www.tvantennaplans.com/.


Robert - we live near Elkton, Maryland, much further from TV towers than where you live. 
Buy or make an antenna. Use it with a TV that has a good digital tuner, or with a good 
converter box. New TV is good, http://is.gd/5Ihpu- .


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Swapping Boot Drives

[betty]

With a Windows PC, can you boot from an external drive? If not, can you run programs from 
an external drive?


I do this with my Mac, and run Windows inside VirtualBox, but don't usually use my 
husband's PCs. If I plan to install the hard drive in the computer, I'll run it bare using 
a drive adapter [USB <-> SATA/ATA] for a short time until I have a chance to install the 
drive permanently.


You may be able to do this on a Dell.


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Re: [CGUYS] Google exec dismisses concept of privacy

[betty]

The other day, on CNN, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said this about the
expectation of privacy for users of Google: "If you have something
that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in
the first place."  I guess that clears things up!

It certainly does. Very consistent with a company motto of "Don't do evil."

Definitely incomprehensible to that portion of the population that is morally 
handicapped.





You could switch from Google to Bing. Remember "Always trust Microsoft" and their systems 
that call the mothership to report on you?


“You Have Zero Privacy Anyway. Get Over It” - Sun Microsystems (JAVA) chairman, president 
and CEO, Scott McNealy.

http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/1999/01/17538

For those who weren't paying attention then, and use social networks and searches, it 
hasn't changed. Do you allow your social security number to be used by vendors, doctors, 
banks? Do you use the same email address for everything? Do you have a Facebook, etc. page 
and lots of 'friends' there?


You still have no privacy [and it's probably your fault]. Get over it. It's like living in 
a worldwide small town!


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Gulag?

[betty]

  Most employment laws regard these virtually forced servitude
situations to be voluntary in nature.  In other words. if the worker
doesn't like it, they are typically free to leave and get another job
elsewhere.  Problem is, it can be quite difficult to find a similar
job that fits the same set of job skills that will offer an outcome
that is any different.  Plus, you are not all that likely to get a
good recommendation toward future employment if your boss thinks that
you are leaving because of dissatisfaction.  Change careers?  A
possible cure, but then again, what about of all the time and money
spent getting that education and work experience?


There are hundreds of thousands of high tech workers in these "gulags" right now. Is there 
anyone organizing them? When workers in skilled trades were being abused by employers, 
they started unions and are better off. As fewer workers join unions, guilds, trade 
associations and professional associations, the employers increase abuse to the point of 
threatening their jobs if they complain.


Instead of the first concern being that jobs are scarce, it should be to organize, so that 
highly skilled workers are treated with the respect and rewards that they deserve. Their 
unions can lobby to get laws and rules passed so that their jobs can't be so easily 
outsourced, and businesses are rewarded for keeping jobs here instead of moving jobs 
and/or plant outside the country.


Unlike people who are captured and forced into slavery, the high tech workers choose that 
for themselves because they're too "proud", short-sighted, uninformed, disconnected, to 
organize. Hotel workers organized and improved their lot, why not programmers? As long as 
they're ordinary employees or contractors [as opposed to having a written, defined, fixed 
contract] and not on par for negotiating with employers, the situation won't change and 
could get worse.



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Re: [CGUYS] iPhone unlimited [was online storage]

[betty]

> But that's the problem... when you have access to no other phone and you are conducting 
business ... the minutes rack up.

> You can't text a client when what  they want is  to talk to you...
>
> Unlimited is for $130 the next step above 1300 minutes (or whatever that figure is... I 
can't remember) is the only cost effective iPhone plan available here.   Someone said 
they  only paid $70 for  unlimited minutes... and I was curious about that.

>
> Are you suggesting to carry a PayGo phone with another number too to make outgoing 
calls with?

> That seems to defeat the purpose.


You didn't say that this was for business. The cost of your phone is a deductible expense, 
so does the extra $30-40 matter? Sprint, Alltel and Nextel's unlimited talk is $99, 
Verizon's is $119. T-Mobile's unlimited talk plans start at $50. Boost PAYGO unlimited is 
$50. Even Net10 has unlimited talk for $80. Do you have to use an iPhone or is another 
smart or not so smart phone acceptable?


I have an iPod Touch and a Nokia phone. They have different purposes and give me more 
features than the iPhone alone [but my son vehemently disagrees]; and it will be much 
better when I get a Nokia smart phone. Consider your needs before you choose your devices. 
Gotta have an iPhone? Get a Touch and a basic or not so basic phone. My new phone will be 
like this, http://www.unwiredview.com/2008/11/08/nokia-n79-review/.


What do you really need?


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Re: [CGUYS] It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer)

[betty]

Wow Stewart, you almost achieved superstardom with your "OK first off you are an ignorant 
philistine." Great! Not so good here.


Apple wanted worldwide sales for the iPhone. Verizon doesn't do GSM, but Apple wanted them 
to do that to get the iPhone. Verizon doesn't get the iPhone without GSM. I might want it 
wth my T-Mo account, but special features disappear when the phone's unlocked. AT&T set up 
a lot of special features as part of the contract.


So get something else and use a Touch, or not. What's the big deal? It's only a 
phone.




OK so you are saying Jobs is just like everyone else out to get our money?

I thought Apple was the home of altruism?

Verizon also did not want to be stuck with the problems.  From what I 
understood Apple
wanted everything but was willing to give nothing.  Verizon said we wont play 
that
game.

So Apple approached ATT and ATT jumped at the deal because they needed a way to 
bring
more folks in.  (Sounds a lot like deceptive marketing to me).

So Apple went with a second rate network to get their device on the market?



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Re: [CGUYS] It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer)

[betty]

iPhone or Android? How about neither. Antennas and reception are very important for me as 
are WiFi, browsing, email, basic camera, VOIP.


iPhones have lousy antennas and pathetic cameras [sshhh, Chad, Nokia ain't no Leica or 
Kolsch, but at least they use Zeiss lenses and autofocus w/LED flash, not bad for a 
phone]. Droid depends on the quality of the phones, since it's the OS not the phone.


I'll take Nokia N-series or E-series over both any day. At least I'll be able to find a 
network when I need one, and I won't be stuck with a sucky browser like Saferi. The iPod 
touch gives me most of the app toys, and Nokia uses a real GPS along with its superior phone.



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Re: [CGUYS] Finding web stores overseas

[betty]

Toyota is a publicly held company with profits that go to its shareholders who may be anywhere in the world. 


Yeah, I own some of that stock.  But last time I checked Japan
was a free democracy.


What's their Ticker Symbol?



Find it on most financial sites:  TM

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=tm

http://www.google.com/finance?q=tm


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Re: [CGUYS] Finding web stores overseas

[betty]

A Toyota manufactured in Kentucky is an American product.

But where do Vincent's and Toyota's profits go?  That's right,
not to China or the US.

I'm not saying that what you mention doesn't happen, although
I'd be interested to hear a quick list of the companies you describe.

If you had a choice, and in the categories I've mentioned you do,
would you not rather spend your money with an American
company that had all domestic manufacturing, assuming that it
was a world class product?

If I have any alternative, I'll not buy a Chinese product.  In case
you haven't noticed they are practicing economic warfare against
most of the world.  And they are winning.


You're walking a find line here. I don't know about Vincent's but Toyota is a publicly 
held company with profits that go to its shareholders who may be anywhere in the world. 
This summer my dad wanted to buy a quality new American compact car made in America. He 
bought a Ford Focus. It turned out to be a very nice car, but it has less US content than 
a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, also made in the US of US and foreign parts. My husband 
chose to buy a Honda and have our money go to US workers instead of some American badged 
car made elsewhere. [I've gone totally foreign and drive a still new MINI Cooper, and 
don't regret all the smiles at all.]


I really try hard to find products made in the US of US parts when I can find and afford 
them. Gets harder all the time. Maybe when the gummint stops borrowing so much money to 
pay for unnecessary wars--some $2 trillion or more so far for Iraq [twice] and 
Afghanistan, in addition to Grenada, Nicaragua, Panama, etc in the '80s--we can repay our 
debt and not have to depend on the Chinese to hold our bonds and notes. Meanwhile, change 
the corporate tax loopholes to that companies aren't rewarded for off-shoring our 
manufacturing jobs, and are rewarded for keeping them here.


Do you have an all US made computer?


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[CGUYS] Privacy [was: Gmail issue]

[betty]

No setup is absolutely 100% reliable, but I have yet to lose email with
AOL (which does offer free IMAP access), Google or Yahoo.  I have
however had email and other files disappear from supposedly securely
backed up providers.  I do have to wonder just those folks with multiple
gigs of photo or movie files will do in the near future for backup.


> I do store things online, to share, and for easy retrieval. But to make that 
my ONLY location--that's asking for big trouble...

Actually if you download your mail from Gmail automatically via IMAP,
you can have a locally available copy of all your mail.  


I don't like IMAP except for my iPod Touch. It's a pain to clean up more than 
location for
email. Every account I've ever had crashed at one time or another, including 
GMail, so if
I do my backups it's my fault when it crashes. At least I'll have a few other 
copies
safely tucked away. Email is the least of the data problems.

Just how important are all those personal files anyway that it really matters 
if they
disappear? One concern, is privacy. Anything you delete from an online server is
still on their backup servers. Some of it can be subpoenaed  to be used against 
you. I
guess I'd rather keep private things private and not broadcast it all to the 
world or
have it available for someone else after I deleted it.

The only way to share sensitive data without it being seen or stolen is with 
encrypted
P2P or sneakernet. Interesting Science Friday interview on NPR this week,
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200907312, "Who Owns Your Digital 
Data?"


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Re: [CGUYS] Gmail issue

[betty]

Seems like a travel vault would be an automatic first target for hacking by 
passport
and identity forgers... and that Lonely Planet would not have the type and 
quality of IT staff
or expertise to stay ahead of them...


But they don't run it themselves and you can't find it.


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Re: [CGUYS] Google Warning...

[betty]

I'm finding it very difficult to teach these seniors not to be afraid of the
machines, and yet balance that with the security issues that they will find on 
their
home computers.


You are experience first hand the difference between getting Windows vs 
Macintosh. The
Macs are far more resistant to this kind of pollution. They would be easier to 
lock
down too, but that is generally unnecessary.


My Dad got his first computer when he was in his 70s, a Quadra 605, moved on to a PM 6100, 
now has an indigo CRT iMac that's fading a bit--used them for a home business. He told me 
he wants a MacBook or MB Pro with WiFi. Likes his Macs a lot; says they're easy, not 
scary, and don't crash. He's 91 and buying a new car tomorrow.



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Re: [CGUYS] Mac's True Market Share is 91%

[betty]

Steve - The same think happened to my friend Frank last year when he took his broken 
out-of-warranty PowerBook to the Apple Store. Apple didn't have the parts any more so they 
offered him a free MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air for $300. He owns an MBP so he got the 
MBA--and they eventually fixed his PowerBook too. He has three Mac notebooks now.


I had a pink Nano [named Floyd] that got wet and shorted out two weeks before the warranty 
was up last Summer. The Genius at the Apple Store replaced it with an identical Nano, no 
questions asked, even though wet iPods aren't covered anyway. My friend Helene brought her 
old graphite CRT iMac to the Apple Store in Delaware to get a new PRAM/BIOS battery. The 
almost-blind tech not only sold her a battery, he took her Mac apart, installed the 
battery, ran maintenance utilities, for only the cost of the battery, not the service.


These are not unusual for Apple.

Betty


This seems extreme even for Apple.  Why would they do something like this
outside the 1 year warranty or 3 year extended?  This seems more like a very
pleasant mistake on Apple's part then anything near the norm.  The times
I've dealt with Apple they have been fine, but not crazy like this seems to
be.

On Sat, Jul 25, 2009 at 3:22 PM, phartz...@gmail.com wrote:


 My example of exemplary support is when my 5 year old 17" Mac
PowerBook laptop died from a logic board failure.  This machine had
been purchased used from an individual and had no warranty whatsoever.
 I sent it to Apple for repair, and they informed me that a new logic
board would not be available for at least two weeks, maybe more.  They
asked me if I wanted to wait, and if not, they would give me a brand
new, latest model 17" MacBook Pro instead.  I accepted their offer and
they immediately shipped it to me free of charge.  They also sent me
my old machine, free of charge, so I could obtain whatever files were
still on the hard drive, and even paid for the shipping of that
computer back to them.

 Steve



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[CGUYS] In the beginning [was: Re: Friendly neighbors?]

[betty]

On that note, a fun book to be sure..you should stay away from it Tom, it
doesn't tow your line.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginning-Was-Command-Line-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0380815931


Neil Stephenson wrote that article ten years ago. It was supposed to be published in Wired 
Magazine, but wasn't. It's posted on his cryptonomicon site, 
http://www.cryptonomicon.com/beginning.html. Download or buy it. Your choice. I'm sure Tom 
read that article. Right Tom? "Cryptonomicon" is much better, so is anything by William 
Gibson.


newer book: 
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/magazine/16-09/mf_stephenson?currentPage=all#
better article: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html

Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Friendly neighbors?

[betty]

Your logic problem here is you believe using a mac makes you creative.
Anyone who has to use a mac to be creative, ain't so creative.  Those who
feel compelled to write will do so with computer or quill, in whatever
conditions.


Well said. Using any computer won't make you able to draw or paint or animate or write if 
you can't do any of those without a computer. Computers are TOOLS--the means to an 
end--not the end product of a creative process. In fact it's much easier to write or to 
illustrate on paper than on a computer, until you have to make changes. Then you use the 
computer that does the job best for you.


Too bad that the differences are offered as adversarial rather than complementary, but 
that's business! Even Microsoft makes a fair profit from Mac users, with Office, and with 
dual booting or virtualization. So being next-door neighbors can be a good thing.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Switching, and why

[betty]

> I took the initial question as an honest inquiry...after being told I'm
> wrong for why I don't specifically use a mac, I was dismissed summarily.

You have your own good reasons for using the computer of your choice. However if the 
reason you chose PCs, as you said in a previous post, is that you can't build/rebuild a 
Mac, then you're misinformed or you haven't tried. That doesn't mean your choice is wrong 
in any way if it works for you. If you're a gamer like Eric a hot PC is a good choice. For 
those who create and animate games, much of the animation is done on Macs, while coding is 
done on either or any. For video, graphics, publishing, Macs are the industry choice. For 
databases and spreadsheets, PCs are much better.


Even those who switch often keep their old computers and use both. We do. Whichever does 
the task, work, game, playing, coding, surfing best for each instance is what we use. I 
don't mean to dismiss you at all, only to contrast where our experiences differ. I enjoy 
your comments. Sorry for the confusion.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] GMail Warning about Betty's Post

[betty]

I don't know if my computer isn't displaying this stuff right or what but these 
symbols
and foreign language puncuation don't look like upside down letters to me. � 
�ı



It could depend on the character encoding you set. I have mine set to ISO 8859-1 on this 
MacBook. Also works in Unicode. Or maybe it's the email client. Mine is Thunderbird. 
Doesn't display upside down in Firefox with Western encoding, but does OK with Unicode. 
Might want to play with it and see, or do something that's more fun or more important 
instead. It's kind of cool the first time, though.



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Re: [CGUYS] What the ...

[betty]

Love that 24" iMac!

I have no trouble using Appleworks on my iMac; I saved it from an older Mac--runs fine. I 
also downloaded Smultron and Bean to replace TextEdit. Smultron is OK. Bean is good. iMac 
is good.


Betty

---

sonnenbrand!


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Re: [CGUYS] Annoying...so annoying....

[betty]

> I used to use only FF but switched back to IE with 8, 
> so I don't understand this one. It must be newish. 
> Are you saying that any typing is turned into a

> text search?

about:config
accessibility.typeaheadfind = true
It's been that way for years, going back to netscape.


This seems strange to me. I don't understand why I'd want anything I type
turned into a text search. What's so hard about typing ^F first? I'll have
to fire up FF and see why this makes sense.


It makes no sense for me to use command/control+F and be stuck inside a dialog box or a 
separate text field when I can simply type the word I want to find, and it's highlighted. 
To find the next instance I type command/control+G. Much faster and much easier. It's rare 
that you would type on a web page except in forms, so 'typeaheadfind' is very convenient 
and not at all intrusive.


One of the many reasons I don't like Safari is because it doesn't have this feature. 
Firefox and SeaMonkey do. I haven't added the about:config entry to Camino, but might if I 
decide to use it more.



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Re: [CGUYS] DTV debacle

[betty]

Each time I turn on any of our TVs there are no channels and I have to scan.

We've had DirecTV for years, and they've been digital for years. They get it right, and 
have a lot of good channels, but we can only get Baltimore TV stations for our local 
stations, not Philly and not both, like we had on analog.


Just a reminder that you may have to run the "scan for all channels" several times. Did so yesterday, but then lost some and had to run again today. Seems the broadcasters a shifting frequencies at different times. (And relocating from where they were originally.) 



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Re: [CGUYS] formatting a USB external disk for use by Mac

[betty]

Get here a combo FireWire/USB drive enclosure and put whatever HD you want inside. 
Enclosures start at around $25. Don't rely on just USB. If you want to use it for backup 
with TimeMachine, I think it has to be formatted as a Mac drive [Disk Utility].


I have one of mine formatted FAT32 to use with Macs and PCs, and it works fine. The one 
formatted NTFS needs special utilities to be used with Macs. Unless you have individual 
files larger than 4GB and you share with a new PC, NTFS isn't worth the hassle.



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Re: [CGUYS] Annoying...so annoying....

[betty]

There's also a feature where you can find text on a 
page just by typing it, but you have to turn it on.


I used to use only FF but switched back to IE with 8, so I don't understand 
this one. It must be newish. Are you saying that any typing is turned into a 
text search?



about:config
accessibility.typeaheadfind = true
It's been that way for years, going back to netscape.


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Re: [CGUYS] DTV debacle

[betty]

> It *was* broke, now it's fixed. For a while, anyway. You wouldn't
> really consider driving a 1940 model car today, would you? Your 'fire'
> analogy is a really bad one because DTV is a set of standards, not a
> universal chemical process.


Nobody around here can get all the channels they had with analog. None of my friends have 
more than one or two channels even friends who live much closer to the broadcast towers. 
In case you haven't noticed, fire still works. Our TVs don't. Even friends with digital 
TVs--we have two--get few channels even with new antennae. I'm so excite!! I got ONE 
secondary digital channel today!! And NOTHING else.


Sure looks like the people who did the survey found an area with good reception and asked 
those folks. The hell with the rest of us who have almost nothing now. Of course the 
National Association of Broadcasters would say good things about DTV. DUH.


'Fire' adheres to the 'standards' set forth in the laws of Thermodynamics. DTV standards 
aren't sufficient to provide over-the-air broadcasting, except where the NAB does their 
limited polling. Your idea of broken is bizarre, considering the replacement is much 
worse, and the excess bandwidth is being sold instead of leased, denying taxpayers revenue 
that our gummint needs, and has received before the sales. Bad standards, bad implementation.



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Re: [CGUYS] What to do: Was: Steve added you as a friend on MyLife!

[betty]

Jeff Miles  escribió:


Now on to another question. Earlier I asked about a firewire drive for an iMac. 
I still
didn't get one. But when I came back from vacation today my hard drive in the 
iMac had
finally died. Now I'm wondering if I should/could get an external firewire 
drive and
have it run the OS on the iMac, or just buy a new iMac. Any thoughts?


Save the drive. Get a FW/USB case. AND buy a new iMac.

I highly recommend the 24" iMac that we call the "drive-in theater" model. Both 20" and 
24" are at the Apple store blue tag sale today. The $899 20" model is gone, but $999 is 
still there; you can get the 24" 2.8GHz for $1199, and it's worth it! Acomdata has a nice 
FW/USB enclosure that takes PATA/SATA drives [at newegg.com].


While you can boot and Intel Mac from a USB drive [including flash/thumb drives] the 
FireWire works more smoothly and is faster.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] First OS X Botnet Said to be Activating,> From:

[betty]

>Why would anyone steal shareware or freeware? It's free to download 
>directly from developers.


Think more broadly. Looks like you are still at step 1 while I'm at step 
3.


Fill in the blanks:

Step 1 _

Step 2 _

Step 3 _

I've probably already been through steps 1-5 and like to keep it simple.


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Re: [CGUYS] First OS X Botnet Said to be Activating

[betty]

iWork isn't shareware or freeware, it's commercial software developed by Apple. Go find a 
torrent of something like Adobe CS4, MS Office Pro, Archicad, Quark XPress, and see how 
many of those expensive programs are real and how many are waiting to eat your computer 
for lunch.


Why would anyone steal shareware or freeware? It's free to download directly 
from developers.




Different kind of user or not, the fact remains it hasn't touched the
shareware/freeware side on windows.

On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 6:35 AM, Tom Piwowar  wrote:


> >Hasn't touched shareware/freeware on windows.

>
> Different kind of user. Windows users like the sense of adventure that
> comes from never knowing what will happen next -- computer as
> entertainment. Mac users see their computers as a means to and end --
> computer as tool. If your computer is a critical tool you don't mess with
> it. (Of course this is a generalization and there will be exceptions on
> both sides.)
>



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Re: [CGUYS] First OS X Botnet Said to be Activating

[betty]

>Why would it have a negative impact on shareware/freeware?


Because it would make folks terrified to install it.



That's silly. Most people are either too scared or too confused about torrents to consider 
downloading programs--or anything else with BitTorrent. Probably don't know what it is.



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Re: [CGUYS] First OS X Botnet Said to be Activating

[betty]

Yes it is an "honor virus" but if you are installing software you expect 
that it will be asking for your admin password. So if you install 
anything where you are not sure of its origins you can get into big 
trouble.


I wonder if in the long term this has very negative impact on shareware 
and freeware utilities. A lot of great midnight programmers and small 
companies are going to get buried.




I use a lot of shareware and freeware. I pay for most of it, at least the ones I like and 
keep. You have to be stupid to download something like iWork when you can get a free 30 
day copy at the Apple site and either delete a few files to get another 30 days, find a 
serial number or pay for it--it's fairly inexpensive.


I don't think it will affect shareware and freeware, especially from "safe" sites. I don't 
worry when I download apps from Sourceforge or Versiontracker, or utilities from software 
companies like BareBones, Unsanity or Freeverse, etc. If my Mac gets bitten by some bug, I 
have backups, don't you?


When you get a movie torrent, you don't have to run as admin or root to view it. With an 
app torrent, especially a major expensive commercial app, they're daring you to take a 
chance. It's not worth the risk, yet it's tempting.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Frank/ CGUYS chatter [Was:In Defense of Idiots]

[betty]

By filtering it to its own folder gets it away from the rest of your inbox but 
means you still have to look thru it all  ... only less often and probably more 
after the fact.
I like to be immediately involved in the tech problems part of CGUYS.
Setting up filters when needed reduces the list to the problem solving / tech 
informational posts that I prefer but there seems to be less of the tech fix it 
or find it stuff.
The fix it strings are less often with fewer responses so typically go into 
less depth...


I filter the CGuys messages to a separate folder. I also get the digest; doesn't matter if 
I'm a few hours off with email [since it's in the UK anyway]. I like the digest where I 
can read a list of topics at the top. Makes it easer to find emails that interest me.


I think that one of the reasons that people get sidetracked so much, aside from rampant 
ADD, is that some of us are nitpicking when we'd do better to concentrate on solving 
technical issues. However. there's a huge overlap of technical, community, government, 
politics and legislative issues, so a sidetrack is sometimes a lot more interesting and 
fruitful than the tech problems that can be answered in a few messages.


FWIW, a hot rant or flame every so often is good for the soul. I've been laughing at the 
Windoze/M$ comments this week.



Betty


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[CGUYS] [Fwd: Zombie Macs Launch DoS Attack]

[betty]

Panic? Don't panic. More fake vulnerabilities, this time from ZDNet. Where is that botnet? 
Is it in Symantec labs?


Yawn! This article says this supposed trojan needs to run as root. On all Macs, root is 
disabled by default. How many people know how to enable the root account on a Mac, have 
done so, and would be foolish enough to provide the root password to software they

downloaded from a source that's known for malware?

 Original Message 
Subject: Zombie Macs Launch DoS Attack
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:33:07 -0400
From: Kurt T

ZDNet has a story (and several related articles) about how Symantec
has discovered evidence of an all-Mac based botnet that is actively
involved in a DoS (denial of service) attack. Apparently, security on
the exploited Macs (aka "iBots"?) was compromised when users
bit-torrented pirated copies of iWork '09 and Photoshop CS4 that
contained malware.

 From the article: '...this is the 'first real attempt to create a Mac
botnet' and the zombie Macs are already being used for nefarious
purposes."

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3157


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Re: [CGUYS] Bandwidth cap mumbo-jumbo?

[betty]

April 09, 2009 | 4:50:55 PM


Time Warner Cable Earnings Refute Bandwidth Cap Economics

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/04/time-warner-cab.html




Time Warner shelves plan to cap Internet use
Capitulation doesn't bode well for the future of metered billing
updated 5:13 p.m. ET, Thurs., April 16, 2009

Time Warner Cable Inc. is shelving its plan to bill customers based on how much Internet 
traffic they generate, following mounting public and political outcry. Time Warner Cable's 
capitulation doesn't bode well for the future of metered billing of the Internet, in which 
people who use more bandwidth pay more. Frontier Communications Corp., a Time Warner Cable 
rival in one key test market, Rochester, N.Y., also has dropped its plans for metering 
Internet use...


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30252543/

---

Could it be the publicized earnings report that made them change their minds?


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Re: [CGUYS] Bandwidth cap mumbo-jumbo?

[betty]

[April 09, 2009 | 4:50:55 PM]


Time Warner Cable Earnings Refute Bandwidth Cap Economics

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/04/time-warner-cab.html




Time Warner shelves plan to cap Internet use
Capitulation doesn't bode well for the future of metered billing
updated 5:13 p.m. ET, Thurs., April 16, 2009

Time Warner Cable Inc. is shelving its plan to bill customers based on how much Internet 
traffic they generate, following mounting public and political outcry. Time Warner Cable's 
capitulation doesn't bode well for the future of metered billing of the Internet, in which 
people who use more bandwidth pay more. Frontier Communications Corp., a Time Warner Cable 
rival in one key test market, Rochester, N.Y., also has dropped its plans for metering 
Internet use...


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30252543/

---

Could it be the publicized earnings report that made them change their minds?


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Re: [CGUYS] Bypassing Cable TV

[betty]

I asked the guy in the Verizon truck. He guffawed. Then he said,
"Never".


That was the wrong answer.  Get his name and give it to me off
list.


I won't complain about the guy in the truck. I know he can only give an opinion that has 
nothing to do with company decisions. Besides, I like him and he does a good job.


Verizon has decided to bypass our county. That's the info from sales. My friends in 
Delaware are all getting FIOS, as are friends in Baltimore County, and soon in Harford 
County [Bel Air and west], but not here, not for a very long time, if ever. My gripe isn't 
with the technician, it's with the people who decide to jump over populated areas where 
there really are lots of people living, just not as many as in the 'burbs.


If there is so much info and entertainment that requires a fast broadband connection, and 
milions will be cut off from digital TV off air, there needs to be technology to make 
broadband both available and affordable to everyone. Without FIOS, they should do VDSL or 
wireless -- we need it. It's not a luxury any more, it's a utility.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Camera query. Just curious.

[betty]

  Digital camera folks!  Which manner of "viewfinding" do you use
and/or prefer?  Camera held out in front of you at arms length as you
stand or walk about looking like a zombie, or to use the actual
viewfinder if your camera has one?

  I'm a viewfinder person myself if for no other reason than any
camera is hard to hold steady when held at arms length.


When I did photography for my business, I had my SLR with a bunch of lenses, lots of film, 
etc. Then I got tired of carrying it around while traveling. I bought a Nikon digital 
camera that fits in my pocket and rarely touch an SLR any more, and don't care to get a DSLR.


My son, Cavan, wanted to buy a digital camera on Black Friday, and brought me along for 
guidance.


He insisted that he needed a viewfinder. I convinced him otherwise by looking at all the 
specs. Does it use expensive proprietary batteries that are hard to find? Does the camera 
use SD or CF memory cards? What is the optical zoom? Other features? I talked him into 
buying a Nikon Coolpix S550 without a viewfinder instead of another that did because the 
rest of the features are better, and the special sale price was excellent. He loves it, 
and his pictures are very good.


My Nikon has a viewfinder. I almost never use it. The day I stopped using it was when we 
were in Mexico and a cat. 4-5 hurricane was about to reach land. Of course, I had to take 
pictures--huge waves splashing on the beach, lots of debris blowing down the streets, etc. 
Could only run down the street, camera in hand, snapping continuously, not having time to 
compose my photos, but they were amazingly good. Now I usually hold the camera about 18" 
or so in front of me so I can see both the display and whatever I'm shooting. Works for 
me. I have a mini tripod that I hold instead of the camera body for night shots.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Bypassing Cable TV

[betty]

Interesting story at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30229181/

We know the about caps and metered usage plans that the cable companies 
are trying to institute. This story goes a little further to speculate 
why.



snip
After analog broadcasting stops, those who are out of broadcast range may 
have to rely on Internet programming too. Though many of those locations 
don't get Internet either.


This will be interesting.


I was considering FIOS for Internet and phone. It would cost less than getting faster DSL. 
I asked Verizon when they would install FIOS in Cecil County. The sales rep stifled a 
laugh. I asked the guy in the Verizon truck. He guffawed. Then he said, "Never". Verizon 
only installs FIOS where there are people.


We can't even get fast Internet service here except absurdly overpriced Comcast. When we 
finally get it, then we'll have to fight to avoid over charges for watching movies online 
TV shows. US broadband sucks. US customers make it worse by overpaying for their service 
and not demanding better prices and service.


We live beyond where digital TV will work reliably. Which digital antenna works best for 
those of us who live 40-50 miles away from broadcast towers? Why is the government selling 
or giving away the analog frequencies when they always leased them before?



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Re: [CGUYS] OS X on Dell Mini 9

[betty]

On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 12:30 PM, Snyder, Mark - IdM (IS) <
mark.sny...@ngc.com> wrote:


> Actually my fortune-100 company is reconsidering their Windows-only
> policy.  This has been gaining momentum since many senior IT
> administrators are buying MacBook Pro's and setting up dual-boot.
>
> The MS-sponsored "Apple-tax" is as thin as can be; they must stretch
> beyond truth to make their arguments and are attracting much parody.
> The costs are closer than you think.
>


Yep Two OS for the price of 1.5 Machines.


Not exactly. Our HP notebook with Vista Business retails for the same price as the base 
MacBook. We added more RAM to both, Switched out the optical drive from the HP, bought a 
FW PC card, got the MacBook with a SuperDrive. Price is pretty much equal, except I can 
run XP Pro [from the PC we just sent to the landfill] on the MacBook.


The real result with the MacBook: Two OS for the price of ONE notebook. In businesses that 
have site licenses for their software, the Mac is the best deal. Otherwise, choose 
whichever is best for you, but comparable machines have comparable prices.



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Re: [CGUYS] Laptop Hunters

[betty]

>Hey, guys.  You don't need to exaggerate to make your point.  BTW, if  
>you really believe that a BASIC Mac costs 2 K, then your idea of  
>basic is very different from mine.  [To be boringly factual, you can  
>do well for a lot less.]


I just bought several new Macs from Apple's online store for $499 each. 
They are very nice computers.


Cavan just bought a new Mac and an awesome 22" display for $750. Excellent 
computer!

We also have a 2008 ~16" HP notebook with Vista Business. Took almost two weeks to get it 
to connect to the wireless network without constantly disconnecting. It would be faster, 
too, except for the anti-malware goo that's gumming it up. It hurts my eyes to use it for 
long. I'd rather watch a video on my MacBook. But it's not too bad for Netflix streams on 
our LCD HDTV.


She gets what they pays for, or not, since she was only acting.

Comment on Engadget: "so let me get this straight, if i'm given $15,000 and i can't buy a 
bmw but i can buy a kia then the kia is obviously better? 
http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/microsofts-new-ad-shows-how-people-shop-for-computers-in-the-re/



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Re: [CGUYS] Laptop Hunters

[betty]

> She wanted a Mac. She went first to the Mac store.


I wish I could visit your imaginary world some day. Does Mrs. Butterworth
fix you breakfast every day, saying "Good morning, dear! And a lovely one it
is, too!"


I looked at the video. Lauren didn't go into the Apple Store at all. She walked to the 
door, turned around and walked away. Same guy is walking past in both scenes.


Wow! Another fake M$ ad with ACTORS! What a surprise!


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Re: [CGUYS] Laptop Hunters - and Silverlight

[betty]

> I went to the Microsoft website this week for information. It 
> turned out to be in a Silverlight video. Silverlight doesn't 
> run on the Mac I was using. 
> 
> MS has cooperated with Flip4Mac to replace Windows Media Player, yet

> their Silverlight doesn't run


Are you saying that Silverlight's Mac plugin doesn't work? I hadn't heard that.


I have a PowerMac, as do millions of Mac users. Need Intel Mac to use the current 
Silverlight, and it doesn't run very well either. Didn't want to boot the new Mac just to 
look up something minor at MS. Maybe I'll use Moonlight on X11. How is Silverlight BETTER 
than Flash or MPEG that both work on almost all computers?


"Light Up the WebSilverlight powers rich application experiences wherever the 
Web works."

Yeah, sure, whatever. Pointless.

Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] OS X Migration A**istant is broken

[betty]

>Where is the data for the user accounts stored? In the main Library or
>System/Library--and which folder/file? Can it be edited in Terminal?


Migration Assistant displays the list of user accounts with a check box 
for each account. You only check the accounts you want transferred.


The fun continues. The only way I can get Migration Assistant to find the right drive is 
over the network. Fine. OK.  I cleaned up the drives ahead of time. It said it will take 
14 hours. That was at 2:00 this afternoon. I'm waiting...still waiting...


I could have moved every single file one by one in less time. I'll have to wait until 
tomorrow to see if it worked OK.


thanks anyway.


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[CGUYS] Costco [was: Would like suggestions for 4-in-1 printer]

[betty]

We can go into the Costco in Delaware, but can't buy anything without a membership. 
Couldn't even spend their rebate check. Do you shop in DC metro Virginia? Wish we could 
buy. I wouldn't mind paying a markup.


(3)  Strange, in my area Costco is free admission.


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Re: [CGUYS] verizon email problem

[betty]

After going through at least six or seven ISPs, I can't imagine ever
having email with any. Get GMail, and don't bother with Verizon unless
you download it to Thunderbird or import it into GMail. If you're not
in the US, get a free POP/IMAP Yahoo account and do the same.


I wouldn't bash *all* ISP email service. Verizon, Comcast, sure, but the smaller ISPs do a good job. . .at least mine does (did). 


I'll bash _all_ ISP email service==good and bad.

As long as you plan to never move, even across town, your idea might work. However, as 
other list members have reported, service can differ town by town, and even block by 
block. Sit tight.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] verizon email problem

[betty]

After going through at least six or seven ISPs, I can't imagine ever having email with 
any. Get GMail, and don't bother with Verizon unless you download it to Thunderbird or 
import it into GMail. If you're not in the US, get a free POP/IMAP Yahoo account and do 
the same.


I won't knock Verizon though. The web site is separate from the people who provide your 
internet connection, and they provide reliable Internet service for us. I'd just like them 
to have an affordable VDSL service here one day soon. BTW, the tech guy in the Verizon van 
who services those big boxes along the road has been terrific in providing us with tips on 
connections, speed, optimizing service, repairing an indoor short circuit. It's a good 
company, and they're still paying dividends. Can't knock that!


So for you, it's GMail/Yahoo, import your Verizon email, and never go to their site except 
to pay the bill. Don't bother with their free web pages in your account either, Geocities, 
et al, work infinitely better for Mac users, and most everyone else, too.


Betty


So if I understand the implications of this correctly: you can not post 
anything to the CGuys list if you use Verison's new email program because 
it insists on sending incorrect headers and incorrect formatting.


I wonder why Verizon would even bother to develop their own email when 
there are so many good choices out there. I don't think anybody would 
select Verison's service based on the quality of their email. We chose 
their service because they have a near monopoly on the last mile.



Guys,
I read your exchange on the web and want to commiserate. The problem 
has nothing to do with OS or settings.  If you want to suffer through 
Verizon's new Beta flash-based Webmail client (which drove me crazy 
with its quirks and crazy formating results) it =is= possible to 
compose a true plain-text email. But with their older "basic" Webmail 
version (which is lately developing its own set of ailments in the 
reliability department), after much experimenting I have determined 
that regardless of the plain-text vs. rich-text settings it is 
impossible to compose a true plain-text email (as opposed to an email 
without formatting) in Verizon Basic.  This is because:



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Re: [CGUYS] Republican Bill Would Require Home Owners To Retain Internet Access Logs

[betty]

Betty it is the old magicians ruse.

Keep everyone looking this way while you perform your slight of hand elsewhere.

Stewart 


I could show you how that works. My grandfather was a prestidigitator [magician] and 
sometimes I was his

assistant, uh, distraction.


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Re: [CGUYS] Republican Bill Would Require Home Owners To Retain Internet Access Logs

[betty]

Was the Fifth Amendment repealed by one of those midnight regulations in 
December?

It's all a big distraction from the economic mess we have. Instead of trying to create 
jobs, provide the regulation that has been lacking on Wall Street and elsewhere, protect 
the environment without hurting businesses, balancing the budget and paying down the 
national debt, we get a bill requiring us to spy on ourselves. Don't they have important 
work to do? HAHAHAHA


What a waste of time.

Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] What? Me Worry? - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! -- OT! POL

[betty]

This is a better video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s


I like these better:

Hummer vs. Smart  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjZtfgqC2w
Banned TV ad  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oph4fcJmPBk

The safety test results for cars sold in the EU are on the European New Car Assessment 
Programme site, http://www.euroncap.com/. The ratings are based on procedures explained 
here, http://www.euroncap.com/testprocedures.aspx.



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Re: [CGUYS] Scanned

[betty]

chad evans wyatt  escribió:


An honor to be dope-slapped.  Equal opportunity.  You did see the file 
reduction,
right?   Of course I tried .jpg compression first, but that printed very badly 
@500kb.
I wanted a file that would both reduce, but print well, if needed.  .pdf 
conversion
worked, trial and error, not sorcery.  I haven't conceptual skill to prefigure 
in
computer matters, I'm just a simple photographer.  My objective only is 
something that
works for me.

Thanks for the advice, however, for the opinion that I have font problems.  
Guess I
knew that, why I wrote.  Should have said that I am Mac OSX.  I want to thank 
Fred for
offering advice about working my problem in the PC environment, instructive
nonetheless.


For email I usually scan text at 150 dpi. Then I convert the text JPEG to PDF in 
Photoshop, or Preview, or from the Print dialog box. Very clear, easy to read, clear 
enough to run through OCR. For photos I'll often post them online with a thumbnail linked 
to a much larger file so the thumbnail is clear, and the 600+ dpi photo can be easily 
downloaded. That way I avoid emailing huge files, since I hate it when people email huge 
files to me, too.


I use TIFFs for printed materials, but not for email or web. Too big, not compatible. 
Designed for printing, not for Internet.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Making room on OSX primary drive?

[betty]

> Oh brilliant idea Betty!  Duh! I should have known the G5 tower could hold 2 SATA 
drives but you say it can hold 3?

>
> It's my friend's machine so I don't have it handy to poke around in.  It's this machine 
however:

> 
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g5/stats/powermac_g5_dual_2.0.html
>
> If they decide to upgrade to Leopard to use Time Machine, would the 1TB Seagate or 
their 1.5 TB drive work with Time machine?  (I saw some at New Egg for $109 and $129 
respectively, 5 year warranties)

>
> Initially I think I remember Time Machine was picky about its hosts drives but I heard 
that may have changed  ?

> db

I have a third drive under the optical drive. G5 has room in the middle on the
bottom, but if it can be suspended below the optical drive it can use the same 
bus. The
cable has connections for 2x 2 drives. Otherwise you need a PCI SATA controller 
card, and
that could support two MORE drives. Might need another fan. Probably only need 
one more
drive if you get a 500GB or 750GB one, or even a 1TB [check the size limit].

My friend George has 10 hard drives in/on one of his G4s [he's a printer, has a graphics 
shop with Macs, PCs, Unix, Linux systems]; looks like 2 are eternal and 3 RAID. He had to 
add an extra power supply and leave the door open to run it, 
http://homepage.mac.com/gasjr4wd/Sites/wrong-way/bad_server3.jpg. With only 3 drives you 
could even close the door!


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Time Machine

[betty]

 >   While it's been said here that firewire is best between external and
computer for the use of Time Machine, it wasn't mentioned that it's  
necessary if you wish to put OS-X.5 on the external and start the  
computer from the external OS. You can't boot from an external drive  
that's only connected with USB2.




Ah, but now you can.

We tested that last week. A friend who's a Mac tech at a large credit card bank needs to 
be have a portable bootable drive to test his Macs if there are any issues. He did a basic 
installation of Mac OS X, 10.5.5, on an 8GB USB2 flash drive, including some diagnostic 
tools, and used it as the boot drive on a new MacBook Pro. We ran the MBP for about an 
hour to give a presentation, running it from the OS on the flash drive. The presentation 
and a video were on the MBP, as well as the applications.


It ran better than expected. He's testing it this week on his new iMacs. Will find out how 
that went when he gets back from skiing.


FireWire is much faster and more reliable than USB2, but, again, we're stuck with the 
lowest common denominator if FW is eliminated completely. The only Macs that can take 
third party cards are the MBP and Mac Pros. I hope they keep it on new iMacs since many of 
us use them for video and don't want to give up speed and reliability. My videocam works 
better with FW.


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] Help! Apple Mail Ghosts

[betty]

>I opened the Mail folder in my Home library, and dragged the  
>INBOX.imapmbox folder to the desktop. Mail created another one, and  
>the ghost messages remain, and the Messages folder with in the Inbox  
>folder is empty.

...snip...
2) You should never allow any antivirus program to mess with your email 
data. The data structure managed by your email program is complicated. 
Your antivirus program hacked at it with no knowledge of how these files 
are managed. It deleted the contents of a mail file, but may not have 
deleted the file itself and it certainly did not adjust the index file to 
match. So the email program's index is pointing to a file that is empty 
or not there. Hence a ghost file.


This is the best argument I've seen for avoiding Apple's Mail program--the data structure 
is complicated, as in OE. It's not so complicated in Mozilla's Thunderbird, so fewer 
things are likely to go wrong. I dumped Apple Mail ages ago after using it for only a 
couple of weeks. Went back and tried it again last week and dumped it again.


Have you backed up your email files this month? week? ever? Do you know where the 
preference/data files are located?


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] WiFi mobile phone

[betty]

I have a hard time thinking that you can get a good camera into a good phone.  
The resulting appliance would be too bulky and too big.

Lenses are the key.  Any good camera has good lenses.  Cheap lenses give you bad results.  To put a good set of lenses into a phone would require a decent amount of room, making the resulting product either very bulky, or very odd shaped. 


The newer Nokia N-series WiFi phones have Zeiss lenses, autofocus, video stabilizer, duel 
LED flash, additional camera for video calling. N82 has xenon flash, no scary green tones.


N85 photos, http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=nokia&w=35034363287%40N01. Some 3.2 megapixel 
phones' photos [Samsung, SE, Nokia], 
http://www.gsmarena.com/n73_d900_k800_photo-review-102.php.



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Re: [CGUYS] WiFi mobile phone

[betty]

chad evans wyatt escribió,

Not a feature, what's missing is unlocked universal use.  Tied to ATT (same 
model overseas, tied to one carrier), the iPhone is useful only to those who 
wish to spend, rather than use.  That's the problem, Tom.  Betty is trying to 
get there without shackles.


Thank you Chad. That's most of it--must be unlocked GSM. AT&T-only is a serious, and 
expensive, limitation for iPhones. The iPhone camera is lame, and it doesn't do video. I 
need a new camera. Nokia [and other] phones have 5+ megapixel cameras and do very good 
video. That's better than my old Nikon. I don't need a PDA or any fancy apps, just a 
calendar with alarms, IM, email. Copy/paste might be nice, but not a deal breaker. A big 
deal breaker is that the iPhone doesn't have a card slot--not good for travel.


New unlocked quadband WiFi phones range in price from $300 to $800. Combining the cost of 
a new camera with the cost of the phone, the lower midrange price isn't too bad. I'm 
waiting for the N79 to be released here.


I'd like to know how smoothly WiFi phones other than iPhone move from WiFi and VOIP to 
mobile networks. This is important because I plan to use local or international SIM cards 
[maybe with a SIM doubler], and WiFi is an important part of our [basic] budget.



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Re: [CGUYS] Firefox bookmarks

[betty]

>
> i only have 2.16 & Ff doesn't find any updates.


FF2.x is similar to 3.x, except commands for sorting are in the View menu instead of 
attached to buttons.


Download, http://www.mozilla.com/. For plug-ins/Add-ons, support, forums, see links at top 
of page. Organize bookmarks in the sidebar, 
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Organizing+Bookmarks.



Betty


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[CGUYS] contextual menus => crash

[betty]

Using Control+click or right-click in most applications causes app to crash.

Reinstalled updates, Safari, security patches, ran OnyX, repaired permissions, ran repairs 
from X install disk. Problem started with system update and installing Safari last week. 
Where do I start throwing prefs, library/system files and add-ons away? There's not much 
on this computer, but I don't want to start from scratch. Contextual menus are useful. I 
miss them.


MacBook 2.16 GHz, 2007, OS X v.10.4.11


Betty


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Re: [CGUYS] OMG! Apple US Market Share for "Premium" PCs Hits 6

[betty]

Jeff Miles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> escribió:



Oh yeah, I was going to say HP not making their own computers would
come as a big surprise to an ex-girlfriend and her sister who both
worked for HP in their Boise ID plant. And that was in the 80's.




I worked on a robotics project at HP in 1990 in PA. They hired me 
because I knew how to use Macs to illustrate and videotape procedures 
for programming and running their robots, and could use the 
workstations. The HP computers there were mainframes and workstations, 
many running Unix, command line, but no basic PCs except in 
administrative offices. I don't know if they were even HP PCs.


Yes, HP has PCs, but started much later than Apple, or IBM.


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Re: [CGUYS] solar battery chargers

[betty]

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.



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Re: [CGUYS] solar battery chargers

[betty]

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.



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[CGUYS] Why not the US? [was: classic movie downloads]

[betty]

There's plenty of pie to go around but the broadband Internet providers 
are greedy--and they're lying so they can gouge their customers. Mostly 
they're afraid of becoming irrelevant, or obsolete when a new upstart 
gives us better deals at half the price.


In Europe and Asia the speeds keep getting faster as prices get lower. 
Neuf [in France] offers DSL + telephone + TV for 29.90 Euros per month. 
In our crashed dollars that's around $45, but where it's offered, it's 
equivalent to $30/mo here. At either price it's better than the pathetic 
triple-play deals for $100/mo here--overpriced by more than 50%!


Offer from Neuf includes a free wireless modem, unlimited 20Mbps 
broadband, unlimited worldwide calling to EU, Canada, US, Australia, 
Japan, Korea, China, Chile, Argentina, 
http://offres.neuf.fr/adsl/adsl/adsl-telephone.html, and 75 HD plus 150 
standard def TV channels. For the same €29.90/mo you could get 
fiber-optic broadband at 50Mbps along with phone and TV. Mobile phone 
service starts around €15/mo. Many also include inexpensive WiFi cell 
phones in their choices.


More similar offers in other countries. 26Mbps broadband is €25.90 in 
Germany, or €30 including phone through KabelDeutschland, etc.


Why is the United States _so_far_behind_ in speeds, choices, prices??? 
Time Warner is now regressing to metered service in Texas, just like the 
old-time metered dialup. American consumers don't know enough to demand 
better/more/cheaper service? Or there's just not enough competition, 
instead of anti-competition.


Verizon service here is pretty good, but very expensive, except in 
comparison to local cable. Eric? Why so much for so little?


Betty


"Eric S. Sande" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> escrubió:


If everyone started downloading 4 GB movies, could the current
internet handle the capacity? If not, is this something we really want or
need?



That is why it is estimated that 1/3 of the Internet's bandwidth is used
for such uses.


But not by 1/3 of the users.

Which isn't necessarily bad, but I happen to think that you should get
what you pay for, not what others pay for.

Should I get your pie because you are not eating it at the moment?

If I can't have your uneaten pie, won't a lot of pie go to waste?

Or should I pay you directly for your pie, with a commission to the
baker...






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