Poor
Bladezor was having a bad day:"Ugh, one of you guys dropped the table again..I'm not fixing it again.."
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Geek Humor
In a comment regarding all the stolen passwords of the last week was this gem: SQL Injection Madness.
PoorBladezor was having a bad day:
Poor
Bladezor was having a bad day:
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Punny
 Richard_Dew @Pogue Saw this in Toronto. Might be the next step for your son. Another chance to brighten the day of others: pic.twitter.com/iyIBnRoxWed, Jul 11 10:57:46 from web retweeted by Pogue |
Friday, July 13, 2012
Take 15, Graduate in 4
Take 15, Graduate in 4:
"When I went to college, you were expected to graduate in four years.
For today’s college students, this expectation has somehow gotten off-track.
We have embarked on an all-out effort to make on-time graduation the new norm for our students. Starting in the fall of 2013, our full-time undergraduates will be charged for 15 credit hours per semester—the number they must take to graduate in four years. They now pay for only 12 credit hours, regardless of how many they take. "
"This new plan will be a money-saver for students and their families. Adding just one year of college costs an extra $24,000."Look how much we are saving you! Ignore that tuition is going up! Sounds like spin to me. And I took 21 hours a semester on occasion, so it is safe to say that I'm okay with people taking more than 12 hours.
Waccom WUV-6R: Jacket
I take it all back. Now that I can get a jacket for my Waccom WUV-6R, I am all over it! I wonder if they will throw in a couple of free pens.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Microsoft is Pivoting
Is Microsoft going to buy the market? From TNL.net:
"Let’s remember here that Microsoft has over $50 billion in cash. What if it committed one fifth of that to the new platform ($10 billion) and decided that its attack on the market would be on build quality and pricing. Doing so could push the tablet in the $100–200 range and the PC into the $400–500 range, making it substantially more competitive (messaging: you can get a tablet from Apple or you can get a PC AND a tablet from Microsoft)."
Via
Better Than Nothing
I'm, obviously, a big fan of inexpensive things like the Chinese radios. I'm willing to take a risk when it comes to quality and performance if the price is low enough. But there are limits... if you are chasing the absolute lowest price, you may end up with something that isn't even worth the small amount you paid. (And don't get me started about the transaction costs of scouring the whole internet to save $0.05 on a $50.00 purchase.)
Not Better Than Nothing
Hans (PD0AC) has a post up about Waccom where he wonders if they aren't buying up the early versions of various radios - early versions that have problems that were fixed in subsequent releases. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that some of these companies are actually related - that they've created tiers/brands for the various levels of quality. If a radio is good, sell it under the primary brand. If you have a bad batch, sell them under a secondary brand, so you don't dilute the stronger reputation of the primary.
These Waccoms seem to be the exception to the "better than nothing" rule in that, for essentially the same money, you could have a much better product. That's why I call this a "not better than nothing" option - you have wasted a scare resource in a race to the bottom.
Better Than Nothing
When it comes to self-defense, I'm less inclined to find the cheapest gun available, but there are some interesting options out there. (Everyday of the week and twice on Sunday, I would pick an inexpensive gun over no gun - even if it was one of these.)
Today, I saw this article about Cheaper Than Dirt's best selling gun - the Interstate Arms Hawk Model 982. The 982 is a clone of the popular Remington 870 and is less than $200. The article says it is so successful because "it does a great job of doing exactly what the manufacturer intended it to do, which is to be a rugged home defense gun." Then came this article about a polymer AR lower for only $50. There must be something in the water, because Tam also had this post about cheap fakes of the already inexpensive Magpul sights.
Not everyone can afford a Bio Force Gun 9000, so these less expensive options have their place. I would tend to think of them as "trunk guns" unless I couldn't afford something else. In that case, they would be my pride and joy. Much like I think of the Baofengs as cheap insurance. It may not be the best performer, but the low price allows me to keep one at the office, one in each car, etc. Since I don't have a complete armory at my house, maybe a 982 and a polymer lower is in my future.
Cheaper Than Dirt article via Gun Nuts Media
Not Better Than Nothing
Hans (PD0AC) has a post up about Waccom where he wonders if they aren't buying up the early versions of various radios - early versions that have problems that were fixed in subsequent releases. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that some of these companies are actually related - that they've created tiers/brands for the various levels of quality. If a radio is good, sell it under the primary brand. If you have a bad batch, sell them under a secondary brand, so you don't dilute the stronger reputation of the primary.
These Waccoms seem to be the exception to the "better than nothing" rule in that, for essentially the same money, you could have a much better product. That's why I call this a "not better than nothing" option - you have wasted a scare resource in a race to the bottom.
Better Than Nothing
When it comes to self-defense, I'm less inclined to find the cheapest gun available, but there are some interesting options out there. (Everyday of the week and twice on Sunday, I would pick an inexpensive gun over no gun - even if it was one of these.)
Today, I saw this article about Cheaper Than Dirt's best selling gun - the Interstate Arms Hawk Model 982. The 982 is a clone of the popular Remington 870 and is less than $200. The article says it is so successful because "it does a great job of doing exactly what the manufacturer intended it to do, which is to be a rugged home defense gun." Then came this article about a polymer AR lower for only $50. There must be something in the water, because Tam also had this post about cheap fakes of the already inexpensive Magpul sights.
Not everyone can afford a Bio Force Gun 9000, so these less expensive options have their place. I would tend to think of them as "trunk guns" unless I couldn't afford something else. In that case, they would be my pride and joy. Much like I think of the Baofengs as cheap insurance. It may not be the best performer, but the low price allows me to keep one at the office, one in each car, etc. Since I don't have a complete armory at my house, maybe a 982 and a polymer lower is in my future.
Cheaper Than Dirt article via Gun Nuts Media
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wouxun KG-UV920R: Drama Llama
Steve (Founder and Moderator of the Wouxun Yahoo Group):
"I know most all members are excitedly looking forward to release and availability of the KG-UV920R. Many recall this was an oft promised release for the last almost 2 years.
I have just learned from highly reliable sources that Wouxun has chosen to play "hardball" with all/many of its vendors by mandating that their retail pricing not be lower than the $320-330 range. Backing up this threat is Wouxun's warning that dealers violating this practice will be denied shipment of these units. I believe many of us had been led to believe they were working with a price point originally around $250 retail
Wouxun management is a member of our fine group and I am sure they would welcome your views. To avoid clogging this board with your reactions you may choose to email them directly at "wouxun@wouxun.com"
We have numerous vendors and Wouxun management as members and I would welcome their clarification of Wouxun's position if I've misrepresented it."Ed Greany (1 of 2 Eds that sell the Wouxun Radios):
"I'm sorry I cannot lend any clarification to this matter. This same story came up last year with regards to the handheld unit. I have never been notified by China of such a requirement."
And I agree with Adam:
"This is funny because it exactly resembles a certain case study in marketing I recall. When your customers are expecting a lower price you temper their expectations by "leaking" pricing info in advance of the release that's much higher than desired, then "cave" to customer demand later, all the while reaping the benefits of free publicity and additional hype. Ed's recollection of a similar story about another unit only supports the idea that this is not much more than a marketing gimmick."
Programming Software Trouble-shooting
I've seen it enough times on the Yahoo Group and in the comments here that I think it bears repeating.
Programming Software Trouble-shooting
Step 1: Make sure the plug is firmly pushed in to the radio.
Step 2: Push the plug some more.
Step 3: Find your strongest friend and ask them to push on the plug even more.
Step 4: Check the driver, verify the COM port, download the latest version of the software, etc.
Programming Software Trouble-shooting
Step 1: Make sure the plug is firmly pushed in to the radio.
Step 2: Push the plug some more.
Step 3: Find your strongest friend and ask them to push on the plug even more.
Step 4: Check the driver, verify the COM port, download the latest version of the software, etc.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
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