Category: Technology

All things technical

AT&T Suffers Massive Mobile Data Outage In Northeast, Midwest T

Posted on by luken7

Just a day after Apple kills off Google Voice and GV Mobile (probably at teh behestof AT&T), their network is suffering a massive outage in the northeast. Could this be Karma? More bars in more places? More like more flatlining in more places. This is yet another example why the exclusivity deals are bad, and I don’t fault people for unlocking their phones. It seems that all AT&T wants to do is collect money, and provide as little service as possible. I’m looking forward to the day when the phone is available on other networks. Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon.

With recent earnings reports, it’s clearly stated that AT&T’s growth is dedicated solely to the iPhone for the wireless division. Heck, it’s the only reason why I’m with them, so they need to keep the phone exclusive. They know that when it comes available on other networks, there will be a mass exodus, including me, even if I have to pay the termination fee. And with them doing things like blocking innovative applications, it only hastens my desire for a quick exit from them.

AT&T T appears to be suffering a massive outage in its data network in the Northeast, and some parts of the Midwest, according to Twitter reports. And our iPhones are offline, too.

Whatever the excuse is, in this era of always-on mobile communications, its not acceptable.

via AT&T Suffers Massive Mobile Data Outage In Northeast, Midwest T.

The AT&T U-Verse Installation Saga Begins….

Posted on by luken7

logo_attuverseWell, here we go. I figured I’d document this because you know there will be a story. About six weeks ago, I noticed fiber being laid to my neighborhood. I asked the construction guy and he confirmed that it indeed was AT&T U-Verse. Imaging my joy as I immediately summarized that I would be fred from the shackles of TWC.

So a couple of weeks ago I get a flyer in the mail advertising that U-Verse is here and available in my neighborhood. I immediately run inside, go online to their site and check the availability of my address. Wham-o, it’s available !! So of course I immediately order U-Verse, just the broadband and television. Not phone, I use Vonage. I get an install date of June 8th, from noon to 2pm.

So on Saturday the 6th, the doorbell rings and it’s an AT&T guy. He says, “Hi, I’m from AT&T”. I say “wow, you’re a bit early”. he laughs and tells me that he is here for a pre-site survey and qualification. Wait, you’re not sure if I’m qualified? Your website says so. He explains that he needs to check the quality of the line and that I’m within 3000 feet of the DSLAM. Well, I’m a couple of hundred feet from it (it’s behind our subdivision) and it’s a new neighborhood, lines couldn’t have rotted that fast. About an hour later the doorbell rings again and he’s looking real sad. I know that look. It’s the look of “we have a problem and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it” look on his face. He proceeds to explain.

First the simplified explanation. My phone line is connected to that little phone box about four houses down, instead of the box that is actually between my house and my neighbors. Go figure. That in itself isn’t a problem. The problem is that in their many databases, it shows me connected to the wrong box. He explains that it is simply a matter of doing a change of record, a relatively simple data entry tasks that takes about two minutes, and that he could do it himself, but he would get in trouble because that’s not his role. Also the maintenance dept. is closed on Saturdays. And that this process usually takes up to 48 hours.

Now for the wild part. He begins to confide in me about the internals of AT&T. YOu see, he’s a union guy, and the U-Verse division is non-union and they hate each other and don’t get along, and they’re not treated well. Also, if you’re going to get U-Verse, better get it now because it looks like a strike is coming in August because the evil AT&T wants to pay the union guys $15 less per hour to put their payscale in line with the non-union U-Verse folks. So the union guys do all the exterior work and the non-union guys do all the internal work for U-Verse. And it’s not fair. Well…thanks for that primer. I think because I’m a minority he thought I was in full agreement with him, but that’s another post in the political category.

So, on to yesterday. A complete no-show. So, on to this morning. I call…. navigate the voice response unit trying to avoid getting trapped in the VRU flowchart of death. I finally get a voice that’s backed by a temperature of ~98.6, a blood pressure of 122 over 80, and a heart rate of 86 beats per minute. After providing all the relevant information about my first born, sexual preference and what I ate last night, I could tell that her vitals were quickly going out of whack after I mentioned that yesterdays’ U-Verse installation was a U-Verse stranded at the alter event. So three people and two long on hold transfers later, I get the selected scripted apology based on the computerized detection of the stress level in my voice (that’s actually a real system, btw). So, the change of record was done yesterday (probably between noon and 2pm) and I was told that someone was “probably” going to call me today about it. Ok, whatever. So I’ve been prioritized and have a new appointment between 8am and 10am tomorrow morning. So stay tuned for part II of this post, it should be a fun filled day but I have faith and Im looking forward to U-Verse eventually…. possibly….. hopefully.

A silent Killer in you Home?

Posted on by luken7

From an article by George Will, Perils of a Bright Idea.

“Clear people and pets from the room and open a window for at least 15 minutes if possible. Avoid vacuuming. Scoop up larger pieces with stiff paper or cardboard, pick up smaller residue with sticky tape, and wipe the area with a damp cloth. Put everything into a sealed plastic bag or sealed glass jar. In most cases, this can be put in the trash, but the EPA recommends checking local rules.”

What kind of horrid device in your home and around your children, would carry such a stern warning? An Easy Bake Oven – Anthrax Edition? What household item could this possibly be? A CFL, Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb. I never thought about how dangerous these things are. Now many people believe that using CFL’s is the way of the future to use less energy and cut carbon emissions. Maybe so, but at what cost? Health risks and injury? Now before you start getting all beady-eyed while reading this, note that I’m not against these bulbs, we have them throughout half the house. But we’ve notices some problems and I thought they were exclusive to me, based on my wife’s belief in karma and that I haven’t always been a good boy in my life. Bulbs going out way before the suggested 10,000 ours and taking a while to light up. Then I read this…

Although supposed to last 10,000 hours and save, the Times says, “as much as” $5.40 a year in electricity costs, some bulbs died within a few hours. Some experts, reports the Times, “blame the government for the quality problems,” saying its push to cut the bulbs’ prices prompted manufacturers to use inferior components. Furthermore, some experts have written a guide saying the new bulbs require “a little insight and planning.  ” The Times says that “may be an understatement. “The bulbs, says the Times, “do not do well in hot places with little airflow, like recessed ceiling fixtures,” and some do not work “with dimmers or three-way sockets.” And: “Be aware that compact fluorescents can take one to three minutes to reach full brightness. This is not a defect.” Well, if you say so. Because all fluorescents contain mercury, a toxic metal, they must never be put in the trash, so Home Depot and other chains offer bins for disposing of dangerous bulbs. Driving to one of these disposal points might not entirely nullify the bulbs’ environmental benefits. Besides, the Times summarizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s helpful suggestions for coping with the environmental dangers caused when one of these environment-saving bulbs breaks. Worrywarts wonder what will happen when a lazy or careless, say, 10 percent of 300 million Americans put their worn-out bulbs in the trash. Stop worrying. What do you think? That Congress, architect of the ethanol industry and designer of automobiles, does not think things through?

So in an effort to get these bulbs out, the government pushed companies to get prices down, and how do companies rapidly get pricing down? Use less quality components, doe less research and take short cuts. But I don’t recall that stern warning on the box, or it must be in real fine print that we all ignore. I’m not sure what the ordnance is in my town. I can imagine many people have just dumped them in the trash. And to think, after 2014, you won’t be able to purchase an incandescent light bulb, they are banned as of 2014, part of that recent energy bill.

When it comes to reducing the carbon footprint and greenhouse gases, one cannot simply mandate new technology until it’s fully proven and also  note that alternatives and additions to the problem must be considered. Items like increasing energy output with clean technology, and smart energy usage. We have these CFL’s in our family room which are recessed lights. They are not as bright, and do take the three or so minutes to get to full lumens. Frustrating to say the least. Well, unless that’s resolved and the labels clearly states, we fixed it, I’ll be sticking with the traditional recessed bulbs until 2014. The rest of the house can use the CFL’s, they’re working OK, unless I start noticing the actual reduced hours vs. what’s advertised. You know, for centuries people used candles. Hmmm….

via George Will : Perils of a Bright Idea – Townhall.com .

Are My Time Warner Cable Days coming to an end? After today's fiasco, yes, rapidly….

Posted on by luken7

img_0141img_0139Great news. AT&T’s U-Verse is getting closer by the day. Just this past week, contractors were running fiber under the street to connect to the DSLAM that services my subdivision. We’re expecting to have U-Verse by the fall. Some of the features that I’m looking forward to.

AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR, which gives you the freedom to watch recorded Standard Definition (SD) and HD programs from a single DVR on any connected TV in the home. You can also pause a recorded show and pick up where you left off in another room, and play back multiple recorded shows at once. Total Home DVR was recognized by the 2008 TelcoTV Vision Awards in the service provider innovation category.

Today, we have multiple HD-DVR boxes that TWC charges fee for. Having one box to serve the house will be great. Lets hope they have larger capacity drives than TWC. Record a few series of your best HD programs and you’re already out of space, have to spend a weekend catching up or deleting something.

The ability to record up to four programs at once using a DVR (up to four SD programs or two HD and two SD programs) — another feature that is exclusive to AT&T U-verse TV. You can store up to 37 hours of HD content or up to 133 hours of SD content, which is more storage than most cable providers’ DVRs.

So what happens when you want to record you Friday night lineup and check out something new on SciFi? Not happening today. But being able to record up to four programs at once is a great idea. It seems that my favorite programs always seem to have scheduling conflicts. Or used to now that BSG is finished.

Max 18: Downstream speeds up to 18.0 Mbps, upstream speeds up to 1.5 Mbps

Not exactly Verixon FIOS speeds but much better than what’s available from cable, and it’s probably cheaper. Eventually Netflix will start streaming full HD content, and you’ll need that bandwidth to watch a movie while others in the household are doing something else online.

And most importantly, adding competition to the area. No better example than what is happening today. Stagnant innovation and limited services and options, with inflated pricing.

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$50 for broadband that is only 6Mb and ~480K upload? Believe it or not, even in a residence, people have a need for upload bandwidth.Perfect example, Mozy Online backup service. What should take a couple of hours can last overnight or take a day just to backup a GB of data. Just totally unacceptable in today’s connected world. High speed data transfers to and from business, residential and mobile devices is what is moving the world forward today. At times I wonder if our data communications network shouldn’t be treated like other core infrastructure components such as our highway system. Owned by the government to serve the needs of citizens, but contracted out for the design, building, operation and maintenance of it. Yes, I know, a whole left vs. right discussion on that, but let’s reserve that discussion for a later date.

So lets move on to the second part of this post, the latest fiasco by TWC. This past Monday, they added more HD channels and in the process, screwed up badly. Most people haven’t noticed the problem yet. I discovered mine on Wednesday evening when going to watch MLB-TV. A message on that channel stating that the channel was unavailable, please try agin. Then I noticed it on several more channels, while even more were just blank. But the box in the family room was fine.  So a call into support. They show nothing wrong and dispatch a technician. You know where this is going, right? The drama begins.

He arrives and I show him the problem. I also show him the system upstairs in the family room and that it’s fine. Back downstairs to the theater and he spends the next several minutes selecting channels, hoping that by flipping channels as fast as feasibly possible, the problem will go away. I suggest just switching the box to see if it’s the box, always start troubleshooting at the endpoint and work your way back. I guess they don’t believe in that because he asks, where it’s terminated. I take him to the (IDF) room  where the smart cabling system is located. He goes…”ah, smart wiring, this is the problem”. And immediately begins disconnecting and reconnecting cables, bypassing the OnQ system and plugging the coax cables directly into a 3 way splitter. Well, the problem doesn’t go away. Next he on the phone with support for about 30 minutes, while recycling the box and looking at the diagnostics on the screen, checking signal to noise ratios and such. Still nothing. I get wind of his conversation that one of his peers had an identical issue earlier in the day but it wasn’t resolved. Hmm, to me, sounds like a network system problem back at home base or in their network. He’s insistent that it’s in the house. So he finally goes out to the truck and gets his test box.

Meanwhile I’m trying to watch the rest of Friday’s Dollhouse episode as I’m thinking that if his box works, I’m loosing my DVR and the remaining programs. He returns and tries his box and guess what, same result, several of the channels have the same problem, but his box is known to be good as he used it earlier in the day. So he takes his box outside the house and connects directly to their system. Same problem. Well, I guess that rules out my DVR, the smart wiring, the barking puppy and everything else within these walls.

So what’s the problem? Apparently after the upgrade on Monday, the DVR in the theater rebooted, the one upstairs hasn’t been rebooted. So once a box is rebooted after the channel upgrade, you loose several channels. So folks, pray your box doesn’t reboot until they fix the problem. And what is the problem? TWC transmits channels in two forms. Some channels sit on a fixed frequency that’s assigned and permanent. Other channels only get transmitted to you upon request (when you select that channel) and is assigned a frequency. They call it digital selection or something like that. This is how they are able to add more channels, by only sending a channel upon request. All those channels are unavailable after the recent channel upgrade and a cable box reboot. So no it looks like Monday when someone will be dispatched to look at the equipment in my area….six days.

So yes, I’m looking forward to AT&T’s U-Verse. It will accomplish several things. First, it will (hopefully) get TWC to adjust their pricing to be more competitive, and/or add new features. But personally, I’m really just looking for the bandwidth. With services like Boxee, Hulu and Netflix Streaming, I’m hoping in a couple of years, our antiquated program delivery type will be relegated to the closed. Streaming, on-demand, anytime multi-viewing and recording services are the way going forward.

Keeping a positive thought, good things are going to come.

And GM is doing what right now?

Posted on by luken7

Another example why investing in smaller, nimble companies is better than pouring billions of dollars into that sinkhole that is GM, the company that can’t seem to move forward.

A 187-MPH Hybrid As Fast As It Is Green

Italdesign Giugiaro is a familiar name to gearheads the world over, and its designs for everything from Hyundai to Ferrari are well known. Frazer-Nash, on the other hand, is generally considered the answer to a trivia question, but it was once a respected sports car company.

All of those names came together at the Geneva Motor Show to bring us the Namir concept, which combines Prius-beating fuel economy with Ferrari-like speed to produce what the companies say is the quickest, greenest hybrid on the planet.

Namir is Arabian for tiger, by the way. Given the specs on this ride, that name sure fits.

That’s right, this angular, scissor-doored sports car concept is a hybrid. The drivetrain was designed by Frazer-Nash, which Archie Frazer-Nash founded in England in 1923. Once a sports car maker, the company is now in the business of designing, building and marketing hybrid systems. The Namir combines an 814 cc endothermic rotary engine with four electric motors in a system that those involved in project claim delivers 91 mpg and CO2 emissions of 60 g/km. The Toyota Prius emits 104 g/km. Those are impressive numbers, but the number that really wows us is the claimed top speed of 187 mph and a zero-to-60 time of 3.5 seconds.

In theory, anyway, given that it’s a concept.

But the Namir is more than a design exercise. It’s a fully developed prototype. Giugiaro’s engineering division handled the chassis, body, and mechanical layout while the Italdesign Giugiaro Style Center penned the exterior and interior. Frazer-Nash oversaw the electrical and electronic elements, and the whole thing was built by Italdesign Giugiaro plant.

Who knows if this will ever see production. But Italdesign Giugiaro and Frazer-Nash are outside design and consulting firms, so they will work for companies like General Motors, Chrysler or anyone else in desperate need of a high-performance fuel efficient car to boost their sex appeal and CAFE numbers.

Just sayin’…

Main photo by our friends at autoblog.nl, which once again comes through when the automakers at the Geneva Motor Show don’t. Check out more pics of the Namir in autoblog.nl’s gallery. All other images by Italdesign Giugiaro.

via A 187-MPH Hybrid As Fast As It Is Green | Autopia from Wired.com.

Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ Ads Created On Macs — RoughlyDrafted Magazine

Posted on by luken7

Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ Ads Created On Macs — RoughlyDrafted Magazine
This is just priceless. The “I’m a PC” ads from Microsoft are done on a Mac !!! And using Adobe CS3 instead of their own Expression Studio. What were they thinking? And how many people just got fired for letting this happen. Apple should capitalize on this with their own commercial. 

Daniel Eran Dilger
After dumping its $10 million contract with Jerry Seinfeld after just three ads (only two of which even aired) Microsoft has created new ad copy where regular people and a few celebrities say, “I’m a PC!” One problem with the campaign’s credibility: the ad work was created using Macs.
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Flickr user LuisDS found that metadata on the creative copy of the “stereotyped PC user” and other photos appearing on Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” website revealed that they were produced using Macs running Adobe Creative Suite 3. One might expect that Microsoft would use Windows PCs running its own Microsoft Expression Studio software, which as the company advertises, “takes your creative possibilities to a new level.”

Apparently, neither Windows PCs nor Expression Studio are up to the task of taking on Apple and destroying its globe enshrouding “Get a Mac” campaign. The image of John Hodgman as a troubled PC struggling with Vista-related problems has pushed Microsoft to defend itself with a $300 million campaign to take control of the “conversation about Windows,” using Macs as needed to get the message produced.

When LuisDS checked on the photos again this morning after publishing the metadata details on Flickr last night, he found that Microsoft has scrubbed the revealing details from the work, an effort that also resulted in the 272 KB photo ballooning to 852 KB.

The iPhone Activation Fiasco…again

Posted on by luken7

Basically, here’s what I think it is. AT&T and Apple are not going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, to upgrade the activation infrastructure of hardware, software and network, for a onetime surge of activations. I think they were fully aware that this might happen, and essentially, their risk analysis concluded that it would cost more to build up an infrastructure rather then satisfy customers. Their rational is that customers have already purchased the phone and signed their contract, so business as usual.

Look at last year as an example, I, along with hundreds of thousands of other people had bricks for four days, but essentially none of us returned our phones due to the frustration of not having immediate activation. We’ve all but forgotten about it and Apple and AT&T know this. The storm will blow over in a couple of days, or maybe weeks with this rollout, and people will be so happy when they’re activated, they’ll simply forgive and forget. Everyone will soon be emailing, browsing and texting as though nothing has happened. Apple and AT&T will save a lot of money not having to build out extra capacity for a one-time surge in initial activations.

I’ve got my 2.0 upgrade on my original iPhone, so I’m content with that for now. I think I will sit this out for a couple of weeks until the activation fiasco settles down.

What would make Apple Media perfect?

Posted on by luken7

itunesSo I’m starting to warm up to the iTunes distribution model. I know, I’m late. Lately, I’ve been seeing some really good music at the iTunes Music Store, beyond the typical commercial stuff. You know those “artists”, recycled, here today, gone tomorrow corporate stars. I’ve seen the latest from Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller. And buying music from the iPhone can be addictive, mainly because of the novelty and simplicity of it. And buying individual tracks for 99 cents just makes sense. Purchase what you want.

So here’s my first gripe that I would love to see addressed. Being able to download music in open lossless formats, mainly FLAC, so I can put on my fileserver and play on my Squeezebox. I’m sorry, but the apple format does not do my B&W’s justice. Also, remove the DRM please, it’s annoying.

Now, onto the AppleTV. I haven’t gotten one yet and don’t think I will until they change their model. First, I don’t buy movies, well, I’ve purchased a couple. But for the vast majority of movies out there, it’s not worth purchasing for something you may watch once or twice a year, then maybe never again. Also, renting per movie is so 90’s. That model is out the window. That’s why I have Netflix, I pay a flat monthly price and can have three movies at a time. so my cost is predictable. But the use of the post office is getting stale. I bought the Roku box and I have to say, it’s a good start no HD, but online streaming is where it’s at. When Apple supports 1080p on the AppleTV and has a subscription service for movies, say having three movies cached at a time, I’m in, big time. Would probably drop Netflix, unless Netflix gets their catalog updated on instant watching and does HD.

Blogging Clients

Posted on by luken7

I saw that Microsoft has a blogging client called Windows Live Writer. Of course it’s for Windows only, so after some snooping I found Ecto for the Mac. I’m using it to write this post now. So why a blogging client? It’s a lot more flexible and manageable when writing posts. Here’s a screenshot.
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