scott

Blog Comment Span No More

by

This News.com article talks about what Google is doing to stop people from comment spamming blog’s in order to boost their own sites listings on Google. Looks like they will offer an HTML tag that will stop spydering links on a site. That way if you run a site you can tell google when your links stop, and when comment type links start. This is perfect for comment spam on blogs like this one.

The article mentions that Six Apart (the very nice operators of the Typepad service I use) will immediately implement this new tag on all their hosted blogs. Does that mean that people will stop spamming my comments? If spamming my comments doesn’t do anything for a persons google ranking, I hope it will stop. I know in the short term it wont stop, but I can wish can’t I?

Visiting Friends

by

I traveled long and far (15-20 minutes) to Time Square last night to meet Joe & Karen for dinner. Jayson & Gretchen also joined in. Joe is in NY to help Karen move, so we all decided to get together. We ventured out in the freezing cold to get some food. We ended up at the Olive Garden on Broadway near 49th Street. It was a nice low key dinner.

We were able to catch up. Joe was in a few weeks ago, and we hung out but we don’t get together that much so it was nice to have a long relaxing dinner with everyone.

Joe tried to give me a lesson on wines. He was attempting to culture me a bit, but I still do not like the taste of wine. Even though what they were drinking was not as bad as other wine I tasted, I still was not ready to begin drinking it.

We also had an interesting run in with someone while walking to the restaurant. We were on the street and we passed by Ice Cube as he was going to his limo. A bunch of people were standing around as he was walking by. We were smarter than that and continued on our way since it was SO cold out. Of course it is my luck I get to see Ice Cube but Sunday Jayson & Gretchen stood in line with John Stewart while at the Apple store. John is like my new comedic idol, and he was in one of my favorite stores. That is what I get for sleeping in on Sundays.

Joe was prodding me to come visit him sometime down south. I want to go, but I know if I go during the work week I will not relax but end up working with him at his company for a few days. I have been known to do that before. I don’t mind it, but I need a real vacation! Karen did tempt me with being able to play Halo all I want. She pointed out that I suck as bad as her in the game so I could possibly kick her ass in it. Hmm tempting!

Web Hosting Dilemma

by

I currently host my blog at Typepad. I have been very happy so far except for one technical limitation (i will go into that later). I host my regular (old) site and photo album site on my friend Miguel’s server. The problem is due to space constraints a few months back I don’t have the full site up there. My email is hosted elsewhere (also free).

My issue is I am at the mercy of others because of the “free” status of my service. I am looking at cheap hosting options. I have been thinking about it for a month or so. I am not sure if what I gain is worth $5-8 a month. Granted that is cheap, but free is cheaper. Because of how Typepad had me setup my domain name it also poses some issues. Most web hosting companies require you (or REALLY like it if you) use their DNS servers so they can setup all the records for your account properly. Because of Typepad requiring me to point an A record for www.Scott.ac to it prevents me from using my main domain I use (i use Scott.ac for everything including mail) to any web hosting company. I can get mail configured but it requires non standard setup from any provider. I would have to select another of my domains to use as the primary domain name. That is not so bad, but any “non-standard” setup’s worry me. Anything that requires custom configuration is asking for things to go wrong.

Jayson and I had the idea of splitting a server over at godaddy.com. For $40 a month (20 per person) you get a decent sounding setup. Granted it is a virtual server, but I have no issues with that. I am pushing VMWare with my company so why would I have issues with VMWare for my use. I am still pondering my options.

Knowing myself as I do I will dither a while longer and then make a spur of the moment decision that will not take into account most of the research I have done over the past month or so!

Mac Mini Sounds Great, Just Get Over It

by

I have been reading reviews questioning the Mac Mini. I just read this review and it says the same thing allot of people have been saying “the mini is not as cheap as you thing for what you get”. I have one thing to say to all these people, “get over it”. Yes it is not the most cost effective system out there. PC’s will ALWAYs be cheaper. I for one would NEVER buy a bottom of the line Dell or Gateway, but I did buy a bottom of the line (sort of, since I got the $599 model) Mac. Why, because the bottom of the line Dell, gateway or HP’s are crap. I won’t go into specific’s, but I am a m a Systems Engineer. I have worked with both Dell and HP entry level desktops. There is a reason why they are are entry level. I would never recommend them for a friend to buy. The Mac Mini on the other hand was on the market for 2 hours before I put an order in for one. Why? Generally Mac’s are quality gear. Is it the cheapest computer you can get? No of course not. is it the cheapest Mac out there? Yes by far.

I like many people already have a mouse, keyboard and extra monitor. That equals no extra cost for me. I also have a KVM so I don’t even need the extra mouse, keyboard or monitor, but I will use them. So as Steve Jobs said it is a good second computer. I don’t need the super power of a G5 tower, nor do I need the 17″ monitor that comes with the entry level iMac.

Oh and the review I referenced before said basically if you want a super small desktop you can do that with a PC. The Mini is not unique (or that is what I read into it). They are correct. Unfortunately Dell, HP, Gateway & IBM don’t sell a super small desktop. Know how I know that? I tried to do a project at work with the smallest desktop I could find from a major manufacturer. do you know what we ended up with? A semi small HP desktop that weighed in at a whopping 15lbs, vs the mini’s 3 lbs or so. Joe schmo user won’t go out and buy a no name box. I for one would not recommend a super small desktop from bob’s computing. I quoted out a small form factor box with very decent specs back in September. it cost over $900.

Why do reviewers have to Apple bash? Can anyone admit that YES Apple has a good product. it is not for everyone, but for the target audience they went after it is a good product. Lets face it, someone who wants a $300 PC won’t be getting a Mac. This Mac is for people who have a pc and want to give the Mac platform a test drive, or for Mac owners who want a cheap (relitivly) second box. Why does everything this company does have to be bashed by some people. If they cured cancer people would give them shit about it.

I am not even someone who likes everything Apple says or sells. I wouldn’t touch the stuff until OS 10.2 came out. I still have brand new PC at home, and a PC laptop along with a few desktops at work, but I was and still am open to the fact that the Mac does some (not everything) things better than a PC.

If you are going to bash a new Apple product, go ahead and bash the Shuffle. I got nothing to defend that with. I will stick with my 40 gig iPod! Thanks anyway.

This post wasn’t supposed to be a “go apple” rant, but I have read like 5 or 6 reviews that said the same thing about the mini. Why hasn’t a major brand done what apple has done with a super small nice looking desktop PC? The cube came out in what 2001. Where is the name brand competition to the cube or the mini? Really, where. I would have bought it back in November when I got my PC. Oh wait, it doesn’t exist. That is why I couldn’t buy it. Dell does not innovate, they make things cheaper than everyone else. That is why I have been known to buy Dell at work, but for myself no thanks. HP at least innovates, but they are still not as ahead of the curve as Apple is.

Lastly yes the Mini is not as cheap as $499 or $599. If you buy ram, bluetooth or Wifi it adds cost. But it is still much cheaper than the next viable mac that I would get. It is still 3lbs and 2″ thick by 6.5″ wide. Like I said, no one else can give me the same thing, so I will stick with the Mini.

Saturday And The Jets

by

Saturday I went to Queens to go buy a suit with my dad for an engagement I was invited to. I have (had) 4 suites, but after trying them on I realized that I have in fact gained weight in the past 6 years, so it was time to go out and buy some (a) new one. I ended up with a nice black single breasted 2 button suite. It came with 2 pairs of paints, or in case I needed a less formal grey pair for some reason. I have to pick it up after alterations in a week or so. Men’s Warehouse is easy and I think I got a good deal!

After that I trekked back to Manhattan and went to Dan’s for the Jet’s game. It was a relatively small turn out so it was quiet. Of course any get together without Nelson is nice! Coop & Pierre got to play for the first time. They ran all around and it was very funny to watch them. BTW, Coop & Pierre are two dogs. Dan’s Cooper got big. I haven’t seen him in a while, and he is not the little puppy I remember. he is still funny.

The Jets lost. I didn’t really care since I don’t like football, but it was funny to watch everyone else get upset. I have to say the way they lost was not fun. They should have had that game. Oh well…

Sci-Fi Remakes

by

I am an admitted fan of Science Fiction.  In recent weeks and months I have been happy to read about some really interesting remakes.  I read this week that they will remake the 80’s film Tron.  The movie was a bit cheezy but it was still great.  I can’t wait to see how it looks with some state of the art CGI.

Another remake I just read about is the BBC show Dr. Who.  I used to watch that in the early 80’s.  it was also cheezy but good.  I guess you gotta like the 80’s cheeze.  The last Dr. Who movie they made in the 90’s sucked big time.  I am interested to see how the new show looks.  I have liked several drama’s from the BBC in recent years.  From MI-5 (spooks), to The Vice, so I hope this one is actually good.

Other remakes that have just gotten on the air are Battlestar Galactica.  One of the first movies I ever remember watching was Battlestar Galactica.  Of course that memory includes my dad having to leave the movie with me since I was really little and didn’t want to sit around anymore:)  The mini series and the first episode on the Sci-Fi Channel were good.  I have Tivo programed to get the rest of the series so I can watch it.

Early Mini Mac Order

by

I am glad I got my Mac Mini order in a few hours after it was announced. Jayson noticed that Apple’s website now says shipping in 3-4 weeks. My order status still says shipping on or before 1/21/2005, so I am happy.

While I am on Mac’s I need to point out to some employee’s I work with that it is not ok to bash me because I like Mac’s. I once hated them, and I know where you are coming from. It is still not ok to mock us. Especially if I have the ability to hire and fire you:) Those people know who they are, and hopefully know I am just kidding. If not, “I am in fact kidding”. You will be converted. Brian and I are on a quest to get our department to embrace easy computing. Jayson is already eying the mini. Kai was eyeing it, but his truck needs tires, so it is on hold for a while. he will check out the big store in SoHo when he is down next week.

HP Jet Direct

by

I finally got around to plugging in my HP Jet Direct device to my printer. At first my excuse was I didn’t have a network device for the printer. Then months go by and I get one. Then it sits in a drawer and I don’t use it. hey, I am lazy. I didn’t want ton’s of network cables all over the place. Since I looked behind my desk and saw all the cable mess, I figured what is 1 more cable. I got out the jet direct module and plugged my printer into it. Now I can print from my Mac without having my desktop on. Mmmmm network printing! Just one of the little projects I did today.

Beyond TV With Cable Box

by

I got my IR Blaster (product is called USB-UIRT) yesterday. it is a little device that plugs into my desktop’s USB port. I then can control my cable box from Beyond TV via my ATI Remote Wonder. After reading the newsgroups I thought I might have some issues doing this. It turns out that I got everything to work just fine on the first try.

I did have to play around a bit with Beyond TV’s program guide to get all my digital cable channels to show up, but after a few minutes I was all set. My next upgrade is to go from Coax, to RCA cables from my cable box to my USB-2 video capture device. I figured I would do that after I was sure that the IR Blaster worked.

Now I can be a bigger couch potato now that I can fill up any hard drive space that I can get my hands on with MPEG-2 video of my favorite shows, movies, or anything else I get lazy and want to record. I am living it up now, because in July the recording flag or whatever they are calling it will screw anyone wanting to record digital TV. More on that after I bask in my recording ability glory today!

The Waiting Is Over, Now More Waiting!

by

The waiting is over. The rumors are in fact true. Apple has released a small (cheap) desktop that does not require you to buy an all in one model. The Mac mini is actually real. Rumors were flying for over a month, but they are in fact true. I for one am very happy. I went the iMac route only to sell it because I don’t want to be locked into an all in one unit. I won’t upgrade my monitor so often, but I will upgrade my desktop. I also don’t use my Mac for super power user functions, so a $1500 tower is out. The Mac Mini is perfect for me. Inexpensive small desktop computer. I may get rid of my Powerbook and just get 2 Mini’s. One for work and one for home. What I will probably do is just leave the powerbook at work.

I was one of the crazy ones. I went online and ordered mine already. it took an hour since the apple site was really slow, but I got my order confirmation already. I am told it will arrive on the 22 of this month, but you never know with hardware vendors. My hardware vendor who I usually buy stuff from gets me great deals if I buy for personal use, but he could not guarantee the delivery date. I ended up getting the faster processor model with the extra hard drive space. I will upgrade the ram with 3rd party memory. With shipping and the extra ram I am talking about $800 for the total package. Not bad since the entry level iMac is like $1299 but it comes with a 17″ monitor and I already have a 20″. I want flexibility. This will give it to me. I am very excited. Apple finally listened to what people (me) wanted. I hope they sell like hot cakes. As for their flash music player, I will pass. I am very happy with my 40 gig iPod.