With Friends Like Me

So a former co-worker was asked to document a system after a problem occurred that resulted in a couple of hours of downtime. From his description, it sounded more like a communications issue than a true technical issue. And this system is massive when you include all the moving parts - database, communication servers, web servers, client-server apps, PLCs, HIDs, printers, scanners, etc. Everything sits on top of an IP network, of course, with a Microsoft Active Directory infrastructure, so toss in potential problems with the Cisco hardware, DHCP, AD logins, etc. Even if they froze the environment, it would take years to document every component and potential problem. So given that he was asked by a seagull manager to document this behemoth*, he was a little frustrated I think.

I tried to help out by endorsing him for the "Software Documentation" skill on LinkedIn.



* I do think there are parts of this system that could use better documentation. I also believe in good postmortems, so you can avoid or minimize problems in the future. However, in this situation, I think the criticism of the manager's request is appropriate given the nature of the problem and the environment they are in.

Magic

Any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic... teleportation.

Tiny 2M Receiver

So several people (both on my post and the reddit thread) suggested looking at the Alinco radios for a tiny receiver option - specifically the DJC7.  That thing is extremely thin and has many more features than what I was talking about.

I also found this old thread on AR-15.com

But I want something even smaller - along the lines of this size would be great (see picture below). That's $13.99 for a "High Quality mp3 player 1.8" LCD screen 100% 8GB slim 4th player with FM radio video play games free shipping wholesale." I don't think volumes would be such that you would get down to that price, but I wonder how hard it would be to replace the chip (87MHz -108MHz) with one that would receive the amateur 2M frequencies. I'd like to have it for running as I've said before. I can think of a few other uses. For example, if you want to allow people without a license to easily listen without loaning them a transceiver - particularly for monitoring at an event - this might fit the bill.

Best Printer

Lifehacker readers have crowned their favorite printer - the Brother HL-2270DW. I've got the older HL-2170W and it has been great for years. I don't use it a lot, but it has worked every time I've pulled the trigger with no failure to feeds, jams, etc. It is the Glock of printers.

(And I just realized my shoes and printer share a model number.)

Pofung Baofeng

So Baofeng is Pofung - not just a new name, but the "only" brand outside of China.

"Rebranding of BAOFENG to ‘Pofung’ In International Markets 

We are pleased to announce today that we’re rebranding our products as ‘Pofung’ for international markets.

Thanks to our valued customers from all over the world, we’ve been embracing an exciting growth in the last few years. We feel it’s time to adapt our brand to the global stage. The current name ‘BAOFENG’, a literal Pinyin translation of our Chinese character name, may be difficult for a hobbyist across the ocean to pronounce. We’ve heard different kinds of pronunciations, like ‘BAY-O-FENG’. The new name ‘Pofung’ is easier to pronounce and more friendly to our customers, while maintaining the phonetic symbolism of our brand.

Our new brand ‘Pofung’ will gradually replace the existing brand ‘BAOFENG’ in the global markets outside China. Products for the domestic market in China will retain their current brand name and identity. Our official web domain www.baofengradio.com will remain unchanged.

The new brand builds on our heritage as a reliable and professional provider of high-performance ham transceivers.We will continue to provide our customers with high-quality, cost-effective radio communication solutions, through our authorized distributors like AMAZON.COM, SAIN STORE, RADIODDITY.COM, and BAOFENGTECH.COM. We advise you to purchase only from authorized distributors to ensure quality of the products and service you get.

The rebrand is also in line with our global vision and our commitment to strive toward excellence. We look forward to bringing you more exciting products under the new brand. For updates on our rebranding process and information on our new products, please visit www.baofengradio.com and the following websites of our business partners: www.baofengtech.com www.radioddity.com and www.sainsonic.com."

I checked and www.pofung.com is registered, but there isn't anything there yet.

Ham Radio Mascots

"I have seen a number of radio mascots pictured in various threads, be they figures, stuffed animals or whatever. It got me wondering how many here have some kind of little mascot with their equipment. Post yours for us to see."

Mine...

Past My Prime

I knew I was past my prime, but now data!

"In summary, endurance runners obtained their best performance in the marathon at 27 years in men and 29 in women. Thus, elite marathon runners should program their long-term training to obtain maximal performance during their late 20s."

Via The Blaze 

The Brick Bank

I'm going to start a bank - negative deposit rate guaranteed!

E-mail me and we'll work out the details. I'm willing to do up to 100% negative rate for the right depositors.

Pofung Baofeng

I've seen links to an announcement saying that Baofeng is now officially Pofung for the non-China markets, but the links don't work. Anyone got the a cache of the story? (I checked IsItUp.org and it reports the site is down, so it isn't just me.) More as I learn more...

Leixen Programming Cable for VV-808 and VV-898 II

I screwed up the link when I posted about the cable. I fixed it on the original post but am posting again. Sorry!

Leixen is selling the cable via AliExpress for $9.20. (There is a sentence on the listing that makes it seem like they would only sell the cable with a radio. That is incorrect. You may order the cable by itself.)