Friday, January 25, 2013
On-Line Banking PSA
Here is my public service announcement for the week: Tips for Safer Internet Banking. Some good tips like using the mobile apps. I use the mobile app for my bank, but primarily for the convenience - I hate driving to the bank to deposit a $32 check. Extra security is a bonus!
AC's Bad TV
We all have our buttons:
"I’m perfectly happy watching a magic/science levitating invisible robot that’s powered by glowing radioactive crystals and can also play jazz; but the minute a general fires a sheriff I’m royally pissed off."
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Liturgical Mysteries
Want a cheap thrill? Slim introduced me to these books about a small town police chief/organist/writer. While I am not Episcopalian, the church humor is easily translatable to my own experience. I hear if you are a member of a choir, there are lots of jokes for you that probably went sailing over my head. I was sick over the week-end and read a couple of them during my downtime - easy, fun reads.
Less than a buck if you want the Kindle version... if you click the link below to buy, I get a cut of your $0.99. No one has ever used my Amazon links before, so I don't even know what that would be.
If you'd rather go to the author's site directly, click here.
Less than a buck if you want the Kindle version... if you click the link below to buy, I get a cut of your $0.99. No one has ever used my Amazon links before, so I don't even know what that would be.
If you'd rather go to the author's site directly, click here.
AR-15: Good for You, Good for Me
Department of Homeland Security: Sport rifle (AR-15) “suitable for personal defense” - including 30 round magazines and select-fire.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Anytone AT-5888UV: Firmware
Milton posted an update for Ed in the AT-588UV Yahoo Group.
"Ed says he's shipped 100 radios in the past two days. He is now updating firmware in his previous inventory. He must replace the mic board in the head, update the head firmware, remove the top cover on the body and update the main firmware. He says it's very time consuming. Probably 20-30 minutes per radio counting the unpacking, repacking and etc. And he has to work carefully as not to scratch anything.
Updated radios will be shipping the first of next week. These will be EXACTLY like the recently arrived new inventory. Only difference between the updated inventory and the recent inventory is the updated inventory will have the updated mic board and the updated firmware. Ed says an additional 100 radios are supposed to ship at the end of this month from China.
So as you might guess Ed is working night and days shipping radios and applying the updates to his previous inventory. Plus I'm getting a new radio too! Mine was part of the first 50 and had a problem with the mic board and some oddities to the receiver that I documented on a General Dynamics R8000 test set and sent my results to Anytone in China."So what does Ed have to do to update the firmware? I wonder if end-users would be able to update it.
It would be fantastic if end-users could plug a radio in via USB and do an update. While software isn't the only issue in the rushed to market radios, it would make be an early adopter a little less painful. Aren't we getting closer to that everyday with SDR?
Monday, January 21, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
First Computers
Lifehacker asks "what was your first computer?"
My uncle loaned us a Kaypro of some flavor. I remember playing a lot of an ASCII Donkey Kong clone. (About this time, a friend has a Commodore VIC-20 that we played with as well.)
We then bought an IBM PCjr. I saved my pennies and we bought the BASIC cartridge, so I could do some simple programming.
When I went off to college, I bought a new computer. I think it may have been an AT&T branded 286. I remember connecting it via a null modem cable to the computer of the guy in the dorm room next door, so we could play a submarine game together.
A few years later, I bought a Radio Shack 486. It had a modem and I could dial up to various BBS. I think I had an AOL account then, too.
My wife claims I fell for her only because when we met, she had just taken delivery of her new Pentium Gateway computer.
The next one, I built using an Intel Celeron 300A - that was easily over-clocked to 450 MHz by changing the FSB to 100 MHz in the BIOS. Toss in a 3D video card along with my ISDN connection and I had an awesome Quake II gaming rig!
My uncle loaned us a Kaypro of some flavor. I remember playing a lot of an ASCII Donkey Kong clone. (About this time, a friend has a Commodore VIC-20 that we played with as well.)
We then bought an IBM PCjr. I saved my pennies and we bought the BASIC cartridge, so I could do some simple programming.
When I went off to college, I bought a new computer. I think it may have been an AT&T branded 286. I remember connecting it via a null modem cable to the computer of the guy in the dorm room next door, so we could play a submarine game together.
A few years later, I bought a Radio Shack 486. It had a modem and I could dial up to various BBS. I think I had an AOL account then, too.
My wife claims I fell for her only because when we met, she had just taken delivery of her new Pentium Gateway computer.
The next one, I built using an Intel Celeron 300A - that was easily over-clocked to 450 MHz by changing the FSB to 100 MHz in the BIOS. Toss in a 3D video card along with my ISDN connection and I had an awesome Quake II gaming rig!
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