Parker's Blog

Getting up to SEVEN people logged in on ONE workstation.

I spoke with a nice lady from Ncomputing today – she called back; the previous blog here.

She directed me to www.TigerDirect.com – specifically this webpage for the more individual consumer product

Steps:

1. Buy the fastest CPU you can afford (usually the fastest CPU released more than 3 months ago)
2. Load the machine up with the MAXIMUM amount of the fastest RAM it will take. This may cost you virtually as much as the CPU, motherboard, and the case
3. Buy a DVD writer
4. Buy at least 1 additional hard disk drive – if not two – and MAKE SURE THEY ARE THE LARGEST ones you can buy.
5. Buy the device
6. Now, buy as many keyboard, mouse, monitor combinations as you need.

One of the beauties, as I understand it, of this new system is that you can operate all of the users off of ONE set of software – saving you hundreds of dollars in software costs. While this little fact may violate some companies licensing policies – you’ll have to (a) read up on the licensing (b) figure out how you’re going to overcome any issue with them (and or your personal god).

Technically, you’re saving money:

1. On all of the extra ELECTRICITY you are not using as you’ve only ONE machine plugged into the wall
2. On all of the extra hardware you’re not buying
3. On all of the extra software you may (or may not) buy
4. On all of the extra support issues – make sure that you have good antiviral software, and a good firewall

PAF

As I’m trying to make my iPhone even MORE cool … and as I love to download, experiment, and play with software (shareware, freeware, trial ware, etc)… I am constantly searching for some sites which SPECIALIZE in reviewing iPhone related applications.

I’ve found two things of interest:

1. Subscribe to Jessica Dolcurt’s blog at CNET by clicking here
2. iPhoneAlley.com which may or may not be named after Harry Potter’s Diagon-alley. Anyway – as of today’s date, it’s my favorite site related to the iPhone.

You like poker?
You want to get a hand up on your friends?
You have an iPhone?

This is a cool application for your iPhone.

Put it on your lap, and get your iPhone to help you bet your money.

The web is a strange place.

Having spent 2 years living in Shanghai … and 3 years in Taiwan prior to that … I’ve a bunch of legacy friends all over.

The strangest thing is what people write about you once “you’re gone”.

BACKDROP: My younger boy was born in Shanghai, on June 12, 2003.

Regardless, the following is a fairly bizarre quote attributed to me:

I’m half Han/half European mix, and people like me are already rare enough (though we’re gaining all the time, thanks to folks like Parker

I guess I should say “I’m glad to have been of service” ??

Another target of the Internet sabotage speculation is Islamic terrorists. “It was a six-ton anchor that took out that cable in the Persian Gulf. Unless al Qaeda has extremely strong frogmen or submarines, I’m not sure how they did it,” laughed Beckert.

Following last week’s outages, Internet Service Providers in India were alerting customers to service slowdowns of 50 percent to 60 percent, according to the Internet Services Providers Association of India. Service was back to normal by this week.

This is rich … Usama with SCUBA gear, and a laser guided 6 ton anchor. The imagery only gets better with him getting hooked by the anchor … NO WONDER George II can’t find him.

Interesting article in the sense that it’d SUCK to be in the Middle East to India right now … your internet would be so slow you wouldn’t be the other person reading this.

Peace.

Backdrop: Charlene & I hated AT&T … Because right before they acquired Pacific Bell Telephone, Pac Bell basically did the old “bait & switch” on us. We tried to cancel the ADSL service they were UNABLE to provide us. During the canceling process, AT&T bought Pac Bell. It took more than 1 year for me to get AT&T to cancel the bill … and that was with me calling 1x per month, recording everyone’s names, and notes. We were done with them.

Here’s a copy of a chat I had tonight … I bet you’ll find it amusing. I just hope that it’s not an indication of things to come; aka a reminder of the past.

I just experienced why I hated AT&T.
it hasn’t changed. OMG.

I called Customer Service (CS) because while I was activating my iPhone, the activiation of my iphone went ok… but it never asked me about the other account that I have set up ..

so now I have TWO accts set up – the first one I set up yesterday when we bought Charlene’s new phone

So, they set “the” plan up for about $120+ per month

Then today, when I activated the iPhone, during the process, I was never asked about the other account … so I went on the web and SURE ENOUGH. TWO ACCOUNTS.

Each one at about $120+ per month … when JUST ONE account will suffice. Double charged is double profit for them!

So I called CS … typed all the right numbers there system asks me … press ZERO for operator…. wait, etc … finally I get a human and I explained that I need to merge the 2 accts.

Sorry, we’ll have to transfer you. Sure, I should have known.

The operator transfers me to the ‘business office’… I’m kept on hold listening to “please wait” for 5 mins. Then suddenly the phone system says, “this call will be terminated. please redial”
what the F*#$ is that?

AT&T has me WAIT five minutes to hang up on me and tell me to call back?

So I called back to regular CS … got the # for the business office. The CS agent says let me transfer you

I’m like OK

She comes back on the line says, sorry the # is busy
I said curiosly, “The AT&T small business Business Office number is ringing BUSY?”
She started to repeat it, realized how stupid that sounds and said … please hold. Throwing me back on hold.

So I waited..
and with my wife’s phone I dialed the # she’d given me.
It rang fine. I told the CS agent that her phone system didn’t work right… as the # worked fine from my wife’s cell phone. So I hung up.

As I dialed the # with my phone, I’m thinking, the frigging place is a JOKE … AT&T with a screwed up phone system? That’s worse than ‘military inteligence” as an example of oxymoron

So I’m on the line typing in all the #s (acct, zip, etc) again
and finally I get thru to a message – press ZERO for operator
I do …

I’m then greeted with “The business office is closed now. IT’s open 7a – 7p CST. Please call back again.”

OH SO NICE to be a customer of AT&T again!

Interesting article here on a potential LIFE SAVING external keyboard for the iPhone.

Can’t wait until they get the FLEXIBLE version.

“There was an explosion into the air with debris and a fireball that was probably five or six times as tall as the tallest trees here,” said Lt. Alan Baker of the Port Wentworth Police Department. “It’s the biggest explosion I’ve ever seen in my life.”

You ask, what was the cause of the explosion? It was “sugar dust, which can be volatile”.

The huge blast Thursday night shook homes miles away across Georgia’s Savannah River, a firefighter said.

[youtube]TlSeJWvIIUc[/youtube]

Now we know why we bombed that confectionary factory in Iraq under Bush I … and that too bad George II didn’t know the ramifications of sugar dust … surely this would qualify.

I wonder how much dust is needed in the air for it to be this volatile? I’m thinking the dust would need to be EVERYWHERE … which makes me wonder what is it like to work in that factory … can breathing in fine sugar dust be good for your lungs? If you’re breathing it in … it must get into your nasal passages… and well, from there your mouth. Wonder if they have more cavities than most people.

Oh well.

Explosive sugar dust – if only Mr. T or MacGyver knew! Man.

This seems like a cool list.

So… not a long posting today – I’m exhausted.

I’ll possibly put up a posting about the cell phone extravaganza I’ve been (not) enjoying.

The 30,000 foot overview is that 3 weeks ago my Nextel rep – who has ALWAYS taken great care of me over the last 4 years – shifted me to Sprint.

Sprint sucks if you live where I live. Even Sprint knows they suck for me … So, as it was in the first 30 day window, they agreed to let me cancel the contract … and are ALLEGEDLY going to let me refund my phone; this I doubt.

Anyway, so I had to shop for new service. I haven’t had anyone BUT Nextel since 1997 (of course, not including the time while we were living in Shanghai).

Shopping for new cell service sucks.

I looked at Verizon – Can you hear me now? They seemed good.

I looked at AT&T once Jayson found out I was switching. He’s got an iPhone and even though he’s a complete cell phone whore (he always has the newest one) he went on and on and on about the iPhone more than I’ve ever heard. Days went by with him waxing poetic.

I tried the iPhone. “It sucks for typing” was my first thought. If you know me, i’ve got huge fingers. And you type on glass … and Blackberry’s have keys you can feel.

It does have a fairly decent predictive database of words though – and that speeds up the typing. I practiced @ the AT&T store and after 5 minutes was pretty good. Jayson said he hated the phone for the first 2 days he had it due to the typing. Not a ringing endorsement in general … except he’s had it for who knows how long and he talked about it ad nauseum. Something like “it’s the best productivity device since the laptop computer” or some other crap like that.

I caved in. It’s sitting right here.

So far… the coolest thing about it … is … the reception at my house is a ton better than Sprint. In case you were wondering, Sprint sucks at my house. AT&T’s reception is ok.

I dunno. I suppose I’d have to say that the 2nd coolest thing is that we watched my shark video on YouTube (it’s got a YouTube button).

I’m looking forward to letting you know how cool it is.