Destroy = Party?

Time to get out your English to English dictionaries... destroy = party.

My 5 Most Wanted

Playing along with everyone... What 5 firearms would I purchase, should price nor practicality be an issue?

1. Smith & Wesson M&P 9

2. Glock 19

3. An AR-15

4. A Shotgun

5. Maybe a .308

See, being new to the game means a lot of my desires are both "practical" and not priced in such a way that I will never get them.

Man shoots himself in the hand at Gun Show

Man accidentally shoots himself in the hand at Gun Show

1. I've said it is like the four rules are suspended when you go to a gun show. It freaks me out.

2. I predict Uncle will post about this and say "Stop touching it."

Via CCA

Insult?

If I was being paid millions to play the game, I would feel bad for just a second, but then I would get over it.

Atlas Shrugged iPad App

In case you didn't get a sense of Ayn Rand's philosophy from the book itself, you can view supplement material as part of the iPad app:

Includes:
-Handwritten, original manuscript pages and notes from the author’s journals regarding key scenes 
-Video and audio excerpts from Rand’s talks on hot button topics from the book and her philosophy, courtesy of The Ayn Rand Archives 
-Full length audio lectures, including a Q&A on Objectivism, an outline of its basic principles, and commentary on the state of business and government (covered in the ever-timely lecture “Is Atlas Shrugging?”)

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Author’s Life and Groundbreaking Philosophy:
-Illustrated, revealing timeline of the author’s life and major works, including personal documents, letters, and correspondence 
-Photo gallery of images of the author at work
-Informative articles on the author’s life, influences, and her philosophy of Objectivism

Additional reader enrichment materials:
-Collection of sharable quotes and passages from the novel (via Facebook, Twitter, and email) embedded within the reading experience
-A fun “Who Said That?” quiz to challenge readers to recall some of the most memorable lines from the novel
-Endorsements and testimonials from celebrities and business leaders on the enduring power and influence of Atlas Shrugged
-A Discussion Guide to aid in book group or classroom conversations, and a catalog of the author’s available titles
-The trailer for the upcoming documentary Ayn Rand and the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged., from Mad Universe LLC

Additional Functionality 
-Easy in-book navigation features, including text search, bookmarks, custom reader settings, and the ability to flip pages with a tap or swipe
-Sidebar annotations alongside the novel hide away for an uninterrupted reading experience
-Complete app functionality in both portrait and landscape orientation
-Reproduced archival documents and images that can be enlarged to full screen with a double tap

. . . and much more!

Beck and Nutnfancy

Nutnfancy Dudes, I'm going to be in the Glenn Beck show in 2 Feb, Thurs. Will let you know time, may make videoSat, Jan 28 16:35:16 from Twitter for iPhone

FourSevens

FourSevens has a new web site. It is a much cleaner look and is much more focused. (No pun intended.) The "Light Finder" feature is a nice improvement. I've still not bought one, but I've been tempted several times - even tried once, but the Quark AA^2 was back-ordered with no ETA.

Filter

Love the last line in this article about information overload:

As Clay Shirky recently observed, “There’s no such thing as information overload — only filter failure.”

What does Google think about you?

This reminds a little of TiVo's ability to suggest other television shows you might like... you can see what Google knows about you based on your web habits. Sign into your google account and click here.

Via Casey Johnston via Business Insider

Taxes 101

Info from an accountant (okay, he's a writer, too):

"So, income gets taxed higher. Investments get taxed lower. That’s why rich guys who now live off of their investments pay a lower overall rate. That’s why Buffet’s secretary gets taxed at a higher rate than her megalomaniacal attention whore of a boss."

Larry mentions that most of his income hits as a 1099, so he has to send in his payments without assistance from an employer. I think Uncle was that one that suggested if we all had to actually write the big check every year to the government instead of the money being taken out every paycheck, we'd be a lot more upset. W-2's are hitting mailboxes. Now is a good time to think about that number.

Is the server down?

Bless their hearts. I don't expect my user/customers to know everything about how the IT systems work, but I have to laugh a little when they call and ask "Is the server down?" It makes it sounds like every service (database, e-mails, file, numerous applications) and bit of hardware (servers, switches, routers, firewalls, NAS, SAN) is running on one magic box.

While virtualization has greatly reduced the number of physical servers, I don't see us getting down to one anytime soon.

Best 3-Point Shooter

I agree. Chris Lofton is the best 3-point shooter of all time. My favorite UT basketball teams all include Chris Lofton. Those teams worked hard, were extremely entertaining with their fast pace and pressure defense, and had a lot of success. It would be hard not to like them.

Here is Lofton's "you have got to be kidding me" shot from way out over Kevin Durant.

Drug Cartel Areas of Influence

Since my company has a plant in Mexico, I probably should not read reports like this one from Stratfor. It shows a map of where the various drug cartels are in control. I think I am ready for a job where I never have to leave Knoxville.

Ender's Game the Movie

Having Han Solo in the movie is great, but I'm just happy it is being made. I liked these books better than Harry Potter. It is a bit of Harry Potter in space for those that are unfamiliar with the series.

andrewchen Harrison Ford locked for 'Ender's Game' - Entertainment News, EXCLUSIVE, Media - Variety bit.ly/w1BRsGTue, Jan 24 00:10:07 from Timely by Demandforce

Utilities Bills vs. Technology Bills

I'm a geek, but maybe I am a frugal geek, because my utilities are much more expensive than my monthly technology cost unlike the findings in this article. If you don't like words, there is a good infograph there, too.

It helps that my company provides my smartphone service, but we have the basic internet service with Knology and no home phone. We don't spend a lot on apps or other services - including an on-line backup service. (I've been tempted, but I use a combination of Dropbox, Windows Live Mesh, and USB hard drives to do the heavy lifting there.) It also helps that my daughter is only three - she probably won't need her own smart phone for another 6 months. ;)

Another factor is that my house is one big energy sink when it comes to heating and cooling. My base usage is a small number compared to the heating and cooling costs. I need a smaller house.

Touch Screen Primer

When I posted about the super cheap Android tablet, Paul was kind enough to note that the cheaper tablets have resistive screens, while the higher end devices use capacitive screens. Here is a quick comparison of the two technologies.

Bye, bye Man Card

Boldly going where no man has gone before... Pinterest... so I can bring you cool things like the Tardis iPhone case.

Source: zazzle.co.uk via Nerd on Pinterest

Wouxun KG-UV6X: Commercial HT with Wide Receive

Powerwerx has a new Wouxun HT with a wider receive capability.

Powerwerx New Item: Wouxun KG-UV6X Dual Band Handheld Radio. Exclusive wide receive 370-512MHz. Upgraded dual slot charger. bit.ly/yMZfVNTue, Jan 24 15:00:20 from web

You might want to check our the Powerwerx Wouxun Model comparison page.

KG-UV920R: "No Update" Update

I hesitate to post this as there is still no real news, but CheapHam had a note in their newsletter about the KG-UV920R:

"Wouxun KG-UV920R - We have received many inquiries about the new Wouxun Dual Band mobile. Latest word from the factory is that the unit is still under certification. The release date nor firm pricing have been released yet. Hopefully soon. We are a direct importer of Wouxun products and in constant communication with the factory. Stay tuned for any breaking news."

Ed, at Import Communications, also posted an update earlier in the month:

".......January 01, 2012 Update......
I recently operated this radio while in China.
Wouxun says this radio will be ready in November-December.
I would not expect to see it Certified and for sale until March-April."

I could read that as both good news for 2012 or, given the date he posted it, another scenario where it won't be ready until 2013.

Bonus:

You can subscribe to the CheapHam newsletter on their site. The latest one has a discount code for buying the Wouxun KG-UVD1P for $94.95 after the $5 discount. Or you can get the for Wouxun KG-UVD1P Special Package $139.95. Use WOU-5 as the coupon code when checking out.

A Brief Pit Stop

When milliseconds count, you will go to any extreme to save them. For one F1 team, this means hiring an Olympic runner to train the pit crew. Formula 1 cars are kinda fast.



Another comparison...

The War on Copyright AKA General Purpose Computers AKA Software Defined Radio

Scary stuff.

Cory Doctorow: Lockdown - The coming war on general-purpose computing. 

He makes the argument that SOPA and the like are merely the next wave of assaults on our freedom. Ignorance, greed, and fear will lead to more invasive technology and laws. He connects the dots between copyright and general purpose computing and even things like Software Defined Radios. The "Evil They" would  prevent you from doing things like modifying your UV-3R to expand the usable frequencies. Or manufacture your own AR-15 in your garage.

"Consider radio. Radio regulation until today was based on the idea that the properties of a radio are fixed at the time of manufacture, and can't be easily altered. You can't just flip a switch on your baby monitor and interfere with other signals. But powerful software-defined radios (SDRs) can change from baby monitor to emergency services dispatcher or air traffic controller, just by loading and executing different software. This is why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considered what would happen when we put SDRs in the field, and asked for comment on whether it should mandate that all software-defined radios should be embedded in “trusted computing" machines. Ultimately, the question is whether every PC should be locked, so that their programs could be strictly regulated by central authorities."

The Wonderlic Exam

I've frequently heard the Wonderlic Exam mentioned on the radio when talking about potential NFL players. I finally spent a few seconds looking up the test to see what it was about. Here is a sample test, so you can see if you are quarterback material.

The some of the sample questions are not that hard - at least for a geek like me who really likes word problems/logic questions/etc. (Geek alert! My family used to buy puzzle books and quiz each other when I was little.) The trick is there are 50 questions that must be answered in 12 minutes. That means you have to do some guesses based on estimates instead of doing all the math. Here is an example where basic algebra will help you solve the problem, but time could be an issue:

Three individuals form a partnership and agree to divide the profits equally. X invests $9,000, Y invests $7,000, Z invests $4,000. If the profits are $4,800, how much less does X receive than if the profits were divided in proportion to the amount invested?

Given the time constraint, you can try to do the math quickly, estimate (since the answers are multiple choice and you could get close), or skip the question and try to find a faster/easier one.

Win7 on your iPad

Interesting...

"The app—a bare-bones, free version was released last week at CES—lets an iPad run Windows 7 in the cloud. It’s a bizarre, head-turning experience: You touch the app and suddenly Microsoft’s familiar interface is emblazoned on your Apple screen. Then you tap around and everything just works—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, and pretty much anything else that runs on Windows, which is everything—can now run on your iPad."

OnLive Desktop

fmanjoo Why OnLive’s Windows-on-iPad App is Revolutionary. My first @PandoDaily post. bit.ly/w1hTyYFri, Jan 20 13:49:04 from bitly retweeted by sarahcuda

MEGA-Watch

What do you call a watch that combines my smartphone, my GPS run tracker, and a Surefire flashlight?

MEGA-Watch!!!

Okay, it doesn't really exist, but just looking at the size of the Surefire alone suggests it would be a large clock, err lantern, err watch. Convergence has its limits today.

Surefire Watch via Says Uncle

Shame Game

It is a shame that the differences between the police and the army are becoming non-existent. Their roles are supposed to be different, so one would think they would be equipped differently.

Apparently that is not the case. I present the "Cop or Soldier" quiz. It should have been easy. It was not.

Via Says Uncle

Interesting Shift

I knew we had rolled out more laptops than desktops in the last year, but I just did the math. We are buying two laptops for every desktop.

There are a few things that would skew that number (executives getting replacements first, desktops are more likely to be redeployed to the shop floor where as old laptops are generally retired, etc.)

I am little surprised none the less.

Beaver Tail for Glock

I was leaning toward a M&P 9, but this new back strap for the Glock looks interesting.

And this is how rumors starts...

George R. R. Martin:

"I really need to find some way to bring Khal Drogo back from the dead."

And congrats to Peter Dinklage for his Golden Globe win.

Staying Married

Apparently my marriage has a good chance of being successful because my wife is better looking than me and she is thin. Finally, science has explained love.

Good Advice

“It’s more important to stay alive than shoot someone.”

A Sign?

So I was doing a preview of the post about the election and what should appear in the ad on the sidebar? Is it a sign? I don't own a wookie suit, but I guess I could find one on the net somewhere.

Death to Inefficieny

Death to independent bookstores. (Amazon)
Death to publishers. (Amazon)
Death to publishers again. (Apple)

Death to inefficiencies.

Euphemisms: How about a smoke and a drink?

Nifty article on the differences in euphemisms between cultures. A Chinese example:

One feature of Chinese euphemisms comes from the tonal nature of the language. Yan is slang for cigarettes; jiu means alcohol. But, with different tones, the two syllables together can also mean “to research”. So a corrupt official being asked to do something might suggest, “Let’s research (yanjiu) this issue together”, by which he would probably mean, “Give me some cigarettes and some alcohol and I’ll make it happen.”

andrewchen Euphemisms: Making murder respectable | The Economist econ.st/zFQnMZWed, Jan 18 11:19:04 from Timely by Demandforce

SOPA

I like being late to the game... it saves me the effort of writing an opinion and I can link to someone who said it better than I could have anyway. Larry Correia:

"As for SOPA, piracy sucks, but I’d much rather have some loser rip me off than give an already out of control government one more Orwellian power."

Amen.

Top Gear, Top Shot

Who wouldn't want their job as presenters on Top Gear?



Via ENDO

Form Factor and Integration

We want to do more and more with our personal computing devices - smart phones, GPS watches, tablets, etc. We've seen new smart phones get larger, so that we can have bigger screens. The GPS watches are not exactly tiny. Tablets come in a variety of sizes, too.

I think this really is the future - wearable computing. The key will be the integration of these devices in a personal area network (PAN). I'm sure the internal electronics will continue to get smaller, but if the devices can leverage each other, so there isn't so much redundancy, there is a real opportunity do more with less.

Baofeng UV-3R: Fix for Extremely Low Power

Many hams have measured the output of the UV-3R on low power and noted that is extremely low - as low as 100 mW. SP3SWJ reports a fix by "exchange some inductance in first stage transistor driver from 47nH to 220nH." You see his notations in the schematic here. He also reports the change improves the spurious transmissions on the harmonic.

Here are his measurements using Motorola R2670 on SMA antenna port:

HI POWER +33 dBm
2nd harmonics -27 dB
3rd harmonics -41 dB

LO POWER +16 dBm --- before fix
2nd harmonics -10 dB
3rd harmonics -44 dB

LO POWER +31.4 dBm --- after fix
2nd harmonics -27 dB
3rd harmonics -47 dB

He says the the change improves the output across all VHF frequencies.




Bert, DD5XL, verified that the mod works:

He "used a 150nH wire-wound 0603 SMT coil to replace the stock 47nH type. Before that my low-power output was around 60mW, it increased by nearly 10dB now up to 620mW with a fully charged battery (4,1V). High output is at 2,1W now, this increased of about 200mW compared with before mod.

I've also made a quick check with the spectrum analysator for the low-power setting, the first harmonic is now down to roughly -45dB, this is also an improvement although I already had a improved harmonic suppression by the PA0EJW filter mod."

Via the UV-3R Yahoo Group

Stupid

I try to avoid doing intentionally stupid things. I fight back when others try to rope me in. Case in point, I asked one of our service providers to send me a copy of their SAS70/SSAE-16 report for my auditors. When the report was ready, they asked me for the shipping address of the CFO of my company. Their auditors, who prepared the report, required that it only be sent to the CFO.

Really? In a completely pathetic attempt to protect their intellectual property, they want to ship the document to someone who a) doesn't even know anything about the service provider and b) will just send it on to me anyway. Reality check, aisle one.

After sending an e-mail to the COO of the service provider, they decided it would be okay to send the report directly to me.

I have several more examples of similar stupid audit rules and requests. I hope others are pushing back. Auditors aren't magical. Heck, their entire industry is built on GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). Generally accepted? That sounds cut and dried to me.

Lets stop being stupid and start being productive.

Adidas adiZero Rush

Maybe my next running shoe... I really like my current Adidas shoes.

wesrucker247 Bet they have an orange one. RT @darrenrovell: Adidas unveils adiZero Rush, its 7.5 oz running shoe ($100/pair) yfrog.com/nubypcsjTue, Jan 17 16:46:30 from TweetDeck

Game of Thrones - Season 1

Watch it again (or for the first time) in preparation for Season 2.

Season 1 will play on Thursdays at 10PM starting on January 26th. Season 2 starts on April 1.

It is the little things - MagPod

Inventing something brand new gets the glory, but I am equally impressed when people improve upon existing things.



Via Fred at Guns and Coffee

What to believe?

Oh how the internets make my head hurt sometimes. I read it on the internet so it must be true.

Uncle says the Republicans are intentionally throwing the race as they don't want to be in charge during another dismal four years.

Tam says that the Democrats miss giving the president a hard time and don't want to win, so we can expect a Republican to win.

Worlds collide! Is it too late for the Galt/Taggart ticket?

SOPA and Ham Radio

I knew that Reddit and Wikipedia among others were going to protest SOPA by doing a blackout, but I just read that APRS.FI will be off-line on Wednesday.

"Although the law is being made in the U.S., it will break the Internet on a global scale by making sites such as aprs.fi liable for links and content posted by the users of the site. Sites like aprs.fi are commonly run by individual developers or small volunteer teams. Due to the huge volume of automatically published user-generated content (50 packets per second currently!) it would be impossible for me to go through it all before publishing. If some APRS user would post links to copyright-infringing material, even when that material would reside somewhere else than aprs.fi itself, aprs.fi could be shut down in the U.S. and there would not be much that I could do about it."

Egg McMuggin

I tried my second Egg McMuggin this morning. I'm trying to eat more protein as part of my elite athlete diet and stumbled across this quick and easy breakfast.

• Take a coffee mug and coat the inside with olive oil or some non-stick spray. Forget this step and clean-up is a pain!
• Crack two eggs into the mug.
• Add salt/pepper and scramble the eggs.
• Microwave for 45 seconds. (Maybe less depending on your microwave and how dry you like your eggs.)
• Add small pieces of cheese, ham, or bacon as you see fit. (Pro-tip: Prep the bacon/ham/cheese in a batch, so you have some ready to easily add).
• Stir all the ingredients.
• Microwave again for 45 seconds. (Maybe less depending on your microwave and how dry you like your eggs.)
• Your Egg McMuggin is now ready to eat, but be careful as it will be really hot!

Harbrace

Also from my Tennessee Alumnus reading tonight... how did I not know that Hodges was responsible for Harbrace? No wonder he has a huge library named after him. I still use my Harbrace - not that you could tell from my raw, lazy, and unpolished writing for the blog. Proof reading is for the professionals.

Power Company Controlled Thermostat or Blackout

I was reading this article about a UT professor's work to gather data about the power grid in order to better manage demand. It talked about rolling blackouts as a method to prevent the total collapse of the system when it is overwhelmed by demand.

I've read other stories about the power company wanting to have the ability to reach in and change the settings on my thermostat to reduce energy usage during peak times. I usually get my feathers ruffled by the idea of the power company controlling the temperature in my house.

Then it occurred to me that a house that is a little too warm is better than one that has no power, so no air conditioning either - and no lights, internet, etc. Of course, this also reminds me of the Ben Franklin quote about the choice between liberty and security.

Which poison would you choose? Rolling blackouts or a remote controlled thermostat?

Printer Hack

Hide ya kids. Hide ya wife. Hide ya printers.

Amateur Radio Quiz: As Seen on TV!

A quiz about ham radio on TV. Good thing this wasn't on the general class exam. I only got half of them right and I had no idea about the Tennessee Valley Indians.

This video will help you answer at least one correctly.

Reddit Ham Radio FAQ

The Reddit Ham Radio FAQ

Sometimes I post things so I can find them later. This is one of those posts.

Layout

Explains why I have been seeing new options for grid layout templates for blogger.

andrewchen OH: a recent A/B test showed that grid-layouts increase engagement/interaction by 10-30% over linear feeds. Visual density helps w scanningMon, Jan 16 12:50:19 from web

Happy Thought of the Day

My buddy, Slim, always likes to be the ray of sunshine on otherwise gray days...

The Keynesian School of Economics Leads to Violence:

The problem is that eventually the socialist/Keynesian school runs out of other people’s money to spend. They can’t raise taxes high enough, and the market forces them to pay ever higher interest rates to access public markets. When governments increase spending, businesses cut back. The net present value tables always catch up to them.

At this point in the cycle, they generally have created a situation where there are haves and have nots. Forced to cut spending on the people that receive a government check, those people riot.

2-Step Verification for Google

After reading this and confirming that Eric Schmidt is not in my friend list on Facebook, I have activated the two step authentication for my Google accounts. Now logging in requires two factors - something I know (the password) and something I have (my mobile phone). You can register a computer for 30 days, so you don't have to repeat the process all the time.

It is not too intrusive on the main Google pages, but not all of their apps are configured to require the code from your mobile phone. In those cases, Google creates a special, complex password that you must use.

I just cannot imaging losing all the work from the past year. I have been doing the poor man's backup, but I was sending to the Gmail account that is tied to the blog. I even commented then that might not be the best strategy. I'm off to change that now.

Hacking

I wish I was smarter... with all the inexpensive hardware available now (Kinect, Arduino, Rasberry Pi, etc.) you could build anything you could dream up.

Ham Radio Deluxe

As suspected, Ham Radio Deluxe may no longer be free. The new owners are conducting a survey to see what people might pay. You can vote here.

Interstates

Looks like the Tube map... Flickr set here.

Created by Cameron Booth

Google+ Plus Google Search

And this is where it gets interesting... Google+ seemed to be an also ran when it comes to social networking. Now that they are integrating your Google+ information into their 600 pound gorilla - search - this thing might just take off.

I've played around with the "Show Personal Results" and haven't been blown away, but I see the potential.

Everything You Need to Be a Ham

Paul, AE5JU, posts his list of everything you need to know to get your ticket:

Go to this site:

http://www.w5ddl.org/

And on the left side you will see links to Classroom Presentations (in
PowerPoint) for Tech and General, as well as links to practice exams for Tech,
General, and Extra class. If you don't have PowerPoint, there is a link for a
free PowerPoint Viewer.

In each of those two links you will find both the separate chapters, as well as
a zip file containing all of the chapters.

Here is another site with classes:

http://www.rarchams.org/class/technician/chartsppt09/index.htm

There are also courses of study that may be subscribed to at:

http://www.hamtestonline.com

(NOTE- When you print out these guides, yes, print them... take a Magic Marker and black out all the wrong answers. This way you study only the correct answers and everything else looks unfamiliar. Seriously, print, black out, study. Just take my word for it and do it.)

Study Guides - right click on these links and Save As:

Tech:
http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010_Tech_Study_Guide.pdf
General:
http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=358
Extra:
http://abacus.nmsu.edu/~shoran/PDF/Extra%20Class%20Amateur%20Radio%20Course.pdf
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Instructor%20resources/ExtraClassSylalbus2009jan-\AD7FO.pdf
http://w5jck.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=28
http://www.nyc-arecs.org/2008-2012%20Extra%20Study%20Guide.pdf
http://kb6nu.com/extra-class-easypass-how-everybody-can-be-an-extra/


Podcasts:
http://hamradioclass.com/
http://hamradioclass.com/shownotes/

Practice Tests:
http://www.qrz.com/ham/
http://www.radioexam.org/
http://aa9pw.com/radio/
http://www.eham.net/exams/
http://www.w8mhb.com/exam/
http://www.hamtestonline.com
http://hamexam.org/

Testing Locations
http://www.w5yi-vec.org/exam_locations_ama.php
(Search by State)

http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml
(Search by State, Country, or Zip Code)

Baofeng UV-3R: Rounding Problem in the Software

The latest version (1.10) of the UV-3R/UV-X4 software fixes a bug where frequencies are rounded incorrectly.

N3DNO's Antenna Calculator

N3DNO's Antenna Calculator - A simple web page application that will calculate the length information needed for a vertical, dipole, or three element yagi.

via N4JTQ on the 470 ARG Facebook Page

Send to Kindle for PC

I saw Amazon's Send to Kindle for PC and got very excited. It allows you to send files from your computer directly to your Kindle via a right-click or print option. I have all sorts of PDFs - books, manuals, diagrams, and other documentation that I like to put on my Android Nook. Sometimes I use Dropbox. Other times I plug it in and use it as a USB hard drive. I thought this might take some of the pain out of doing file transfers.

Unfortunately, the fine print bites me:

You can download archived personal documents from your Kindle Library on Kindle Keyboard, Kindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle for iPad, Kindle for iPhone and Kindle for iPod.

Apparently, there isn't support for the Kindle App on every device.

Cool Call Sign

His e-mail address beings with "loco4christ@" and his call is KZ4GOD.

Quotes of the Day

Click for the context:

1. When I reach the Pearly Gates, I want the first thing I will hear to be "Unload and show clear." 

2. But brother, if you ever find yourself collecting chili recipes for guinea pig you should take a long, hard look at your life and ponder how you ever came to give up on the world.

Watching

Continuing on today's theme of watching, I found this scary infograph about the data a phone company collected about a customer in Germany. (See the interactive version here.)

Or the government could team up with a mobile phone company to track you via Silent SMS texts.

So big companies are tracking you. The government does lots of tracking.

I think we'll see more things like this neat bit of technology (Escort Live) that help level the playing field...

"Escort Live (an accessory for Escort radar detectors) not only detects police speed traps, it also broadcasts their times and locations to other Escort Live owners. They (the traps, not the owners) show up on a map on the phone’s screen, thereby creating a speed-trap social network. The police can’t be thrilled."

Google Stock Drops

Google stock drops... some say because of Motorola. If it is because of Motorola, then it is because they split off the most valuable segment - ham radio!

Cameras Everywhere - Sousveillance

Clive Thompson talks about sousveillance:

"Sousveillance is the monitoring of events not by those above (surveiller in French) but by citizens, from below (sous-). The neologism was coined by Steve Mann, a pioneer in wearable computing at the University of Toronto."

I like the term and the balance of power it suggests.

Examples of videos providing evidence of when people do bad things is all around. Most commonly, we think of catching people in positions of authority misbehaving as in the video below:

Sometimes it even gets people fired -  like the officer that threatened to kill permit holder in what seemed to be a simple incident.

LawDog points out that doing good may have a price. Even knowing the potential consequences, I would hope that I would be like Mr. Green, who recorded the video above, and do the right thing.

Not Sure Which is Scarier

asymco From comments: "consumerization" is actually going to reveal itself as "commoditization" of IT as an industryWed, Jan 11 05:42:28 from Twitter for Mac

Of course, my background is on the infrastructure side, which I've felt like has been a commodity for a long time. In the past you outsourced infrastructure to a different company, but kept the techs (maybe the same set of techs!) on-site. Then you outsourced some of your infrastructure support to India. Now you put applications in the cloud. I guess it really doesn't scare me - everything changes and IT faster than others.

I'd still love to get our e-mail in the cloud. I've got plenty to do and off loading e-mail would be a good one.

Arrington on Politics

Not 100% right, but not too far off either..

arrington If republicans could just lose the fascination with our sex lives and the need to push Jesus down our throats, they'd be perfect.Thu, Jan 05 17:51:22 from web

arrington if democrats could take an econ 101 class, they'd be perfect.Thu, Jan 05 17:51:44 from web

arrington I think many, many americans are fundamentally fiscally conservative and socially liberal, but we have no party.Thu, Jan 05 17:52:15 from web

Coal Creek Armory

I think the many posts in this thread sum up the variety of experiences at Coal Creek Armory. I am sure that some of us customers aren't very educated or experienced. I am also sure that some of the staff could be a little more patient, too. Glad I identified the problems, so we can move on.

GLOCK

I wrote earlier about (and poked a little fun at) an Uncrate post that was a little over the top in describing Glock: The Rise of America's Gun.

The author, Paul Barrett, was kind enough to come by and leave a comment about some better sources for information about the book:

"Brick: The Amazon.com page has a good summary, as well as early reviews from real live people who've read the book via Amazon's Vine early-review program:

http://www.amazon.com/Glock-Americas-Paul-M-Barrett/dp/0307719936

Another option is my website: www.glockthebook.com"

I'm happy to report that there is a Kindle version that is cheaper than the hardcopy. The book will be available on January 10.

BONUS: ENDO is giving away multiple copies of the book.

Refresh and Reset

The two new big features of Windows 8:

• Refresh gives users an easy way to reinstall the operating system if they encounter a problem. Data and some settings are kept, while potential trouble spots are wiped clean. Users will also have to reinstall most desktop apps, although apps that use the Metro interface (the bright colored UI that was designed mainly for touchscreens) will stay around.

• Reset is a little more dramatic: it restores the PC to a clean state, like when you bought it, which will be useful when you want to sell or give away an old PC.

Via Business Insider

Baofeng UV-3R: Radio Czech

Yes, I think I am funny with my little play on words.

Andy, OK1CDJ, has some good information about the UV-3R on his site. (If you cannot read Czech, Google Chrome will offer to translate or he has a Google Translate Widget on the sidebar.) He analyzes some antennas  - including a disappointing result from a telescoping NA-773.

Improve Your Android GPS Performance

I've not had any real problems with using RunKeeper on my Android phone, but it usually exaggerates the distance somewhat as it depends on the phone's GPS. For people that are having a lot of problems, Lifehacker has some suggestions to improve the GPS performance.

You know it is cold...

You know it is cold when you walk into the data center and it seems warmer than the offices.

Learn to Code 2

In addition to the Code Year project, Lifehacker has their Learn to Code: The Full Beginner's Guide available in 5 parts. I always learn better when I have multiple sources. Different books/courses/instructors complement each other and help me fill in the weak spots.

Repeater Primer

From Stu (G3OCR) on the Wouxun KG-UVD1 Yahoo Group gives a repeater primer on the various burps/chirps/tones/beeps/dits/dahs/buzzes you might hear:

"The tone is commonly referred to as a "K" tone, because all repeaters used to be programmed to send a Morse __ _ __ (letter K, the Morse code abbreviation for "over to you") to let you know that the other station had finished transmission and the time-out timer had been reset. A lot of repeaters these days use a letter T (one dash) instead, but there are other variants too.

Other tones used sometimes are an "access tone", which is a bit of history as a 1750 tone-burst used to be (and sometimes still is) required by the repeater at the start of a transmission to stop unmodulated carriers opening the repeater and possibly keeping it open.

The 118Hz tone you refer to is called a CTCSS (Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System), sometimes called a PL-Tone in other countries like USA. This can be one of a number of low-audio tones (sub-audible) and these are usually chosen to avoid a station inadvertently opening up a repeater half a state away as well as your local one, if there's a "lift".

 So there you have (wanted or not!) a quick rundown on the terms for the different tones relating to repeaters."

Bye-bye Dooley?

With Wilcox and Sirmon gone, is Dooley next? Clay Travis thinks so and lists his Top 10 candidates. He is wrong about #3 in his list:

3. Peyton Manning

I would publicly offer the head coaching job to Peyton Manning in the event he doesn't want to take the health risk of returning to the NFL.

In fact, I'd even put Manning at the top of this list if it was my call.

Give him the offense and persuade John Chavis to come back and take over the defense under another Tennessee grad head coach.

Are you telling me that Manning wouldn't have the top quarterbacks in the country every year? Can you imagine what a home visit from Peyton Manning would be like?

This is every Tennessee fan's secret dream, that one day Peyton Manning will return to Knoxville and take back over the Vol football program. His injury may have just accelerated the timetable.

He is wrong about this being a secret dream. We say it loud and proud.

2012 Goals

Healthly, wealthy, and wise:

Run a marathon, pay off my student loan, and earn my Extra Class ticket.

Code Year - Learn to code in 2012

parislemon Screw your other new years resolutions -- learn to code! (nice new initiative from Codecademy) codeyear.com #codeyearSun, Jan 01 18:44:20 from Tweet Button retweeted by arrington

Crazy People

Tam linked to this video of a crazy tight rope walker. I think this is worse.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! May 2012 be the best year yet!