QICBoy - review tag

DIVX 6

Fri, 18 May 2007 14:00:00 GMT

I finally agreed to let the DIVX player on my laptop do it's upgrade. I'm not sure why I procrastinated as long as I did. I'm usually really good about doing upgrades. This time though I'm really disappointed in the results. I was just raving about their product the other day, pointing out its ability to open multiple windows at the same time. Would you believe they took that out of the new version? They did it to resolve a problem with the download manager. Are you kidding me? Download managers are a dime a dozen. In fact I have one built into my browser (Firefox) already. Why would I want another download manager? They took their best feature (multiple instances) and traded it in for a feature I have no interest in (download manager). Now I have to go digging around for an older version of the software and pray that I don't get stung by any sploits that might be luring around. I give the DIVX upgrade (version 6) a definite thumbs down.

Fluevog

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 01:46:00 GMT

Last Sunday I went shopping for shoes down on Haight. I went into the Fluevog shop and just couldn't walk out without purchasing something. I took home a pair of the Supervog I made the mistake of taking a business card with me. They sell their merchandise online. This could be very dangerous.

Center for Sex and Culture

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 07:00:00 GMT

One of the most wonderful things to spring out of SF's progressive sexuality is the Center for Sex and Culture. This organization offers classes in human sexuality through the Good Vibrations stores. The organization was started by renown sexologist Carroll Queen.

If you think you've seen the face of sex shops in America, this will change your impression of them. Forget the image of dark dingy store you might have in your mind, this store is more of a boutique than anything else with friendly employees with over 60 hours of sex training.

Your life in your pocket

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:20:00 GMT

Steve jobs is undeniably the most brilliant man in the computer industry. When he gave us the Mac he revolutionized the way we thing about computers. When he gave us the iPod, he revolutionized not only music but the way people broadcast. Now he's done it again but this time with the phone. In the beginning of his iPhone introduction he said his product was five years ahead of the competition. When I heard that I was skeptical. Now I think it was a drastic understatement. If he's only five years ahead it's because his competition will incorporate some of his ideas is their products. This phone has over 200 new patents. It's amazing.

The phone has 3 advanced sensors built in to improve user experience. The phone uses a proximity sensor to detect when the user's brought the phone to their ear so it can disable the controls and turns off the display. It has a ambient light sensor to automatically adjust brightness. It has an accelerometer so it can detect when the user holds the phone horizontally and automatically goes into landscape mode [00:13:00].

You control the phone using your finger not a stylus. There's no hardcoded keyboard. It's software driven so the interface can actually evolve after the hardware's been released. Text messaging is done using a GUI QWERTY keyboard for example. When you first pick up the phone you slide the unlock button across the screen start using it. It uses a technology Steve calls "multi touch" so to zoom in to a picture you un-pinch your fingers on the screen [00:33:00]. There is only one button in the hardware, a home key [00:15:20].

The device runs OS-X so it runs full blown applications, not the trimmed down stuff you see on most phones. That means it has a fully functioning browser for example. You sync your phone to your PC using iTunes. The phone includes an iPod application that allows creative way to scroll through album art (an app it calls Cover Flow). It supports widgets and email through either pop3 (Google Gmail, AOL Mail, Most IPSs) or imap (e.g. Yahoo Mail, MS Exchange, .Mac Mail). They've partnered with yahoo to offer free email.

One of the most impressive parts of the demonstration was when he demonstrated the call management features because it's hard to believe that he actually improved the basic functionality of a phone. When calls come in there's a picture of who's calling. You can answer the call and the person goes into a list. You can merge the call, unmerge the call, drop a call, switch between the calls all with the GUI interface. He made it seem really simple, far simpler than my RAZR. The phone also supports video voicemail which allows the user to pick which voicemail you want to listen to instead of listening to them in the order they came in [00:29:30]. At some point he called his favorite sushi restaurant (415-332-3940) sushi ran, you can't get a better recommendation than that.

The phone supports 5 hours life (16 hours of audio playback). It has a 2MP camera. It supports Bluetooth 2.0, WIFI and it switches between WIFI or the network intelligently.

Apple has teamed with Cingular and will start shipping the phone in June. It is priced at $500.

Just to get a sense of how big this market is, here are some stats from the speech. If you get 1% market share that means you've sold 10M units. [1:16:00]

Game consoles   26M
Digit Cameras   94M
MP3 players    135M
PCs            209M
Mobile phones  957M

It's a GSM phone so that means it won't work with the MetroPCS service I use but is so amazing that it might get me to switch phone carriers.

The video for the iPod introduction and the Macworld keynote are available on the Mac site.

Paypal and alternative ShipTo

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:20:00 GMT

Paypal has issues. My credit card allows for an alternate shipping address. I called them up, they added the address, and there was no problem. So when I ask for something to be billed to my BillTo address and Shipped to a ShipTo address, the address can be confirmed and there should be any problem. Quite honestly, I buy a good deal online and I almost always ship packages to my work address because there's someone there to receive the package.

When I tried buying a hard drive today, I decided to use Paypal to take advantage of this promotional offer. Paypay, being the shitty service that it is, doesn’t allow me to specify a ShipTo address other than my BillTo address. So when I confirmed the transaction, NewEgg kept rejecting the order because of a mismatch in the ShipTo address. I was on the phone and was transferred from person to person but the bottom line was that nobody had any idea how to fix the problem.

That isn't their only problem. Their toolbar is difficult to navigate, but more importantly, their business model has serious flaws the put consumers at risk. They only insure customers for $1000 and that's only if you use a banking account. From what I hear, if you use a credit card, you're not insured, and you can't dispute the charge since the dispute would be over whether Paypal PAID the recipient. That's what you credit card charge is for after all. You're paying Paypal, and Paypal pays the seller. So if you dispute the charge you're disputing your payment to Paypal, not the payment that goes to the seller.

Save the cheerleader, save the world

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 01:47:00 GMT

I am so addicted to the NBC series Heroes. Wikipedia has a boat load of pages on the series; complete write-ups on all the characters. There's even a site based on the comic in the show and a series of graphic novels. I've wanted to watch the show since I saw the ads for it on TV but since that's my usual photo lab night, I've never had a chance to see it. Since I had a couple days off for the holidays, I've been catching up with the episodes online. For some strange reason though, there seem to be edited version of the episodes. In the episode 1 I saw on youtube, for example, Suresh compares God to a cockroach (2:47). Also, Niki's striptease includes a scene with her kneeling over doggie style (6:47). I'm not sure which audience that was intended for and why they included it in one run but pulled it out of another. The strange thing is that there's apparently a lawsuit going on with Emerson Electric Company over a garbage disposal scene but that scene was left in the episode that I saw that had the cockroach/doggy-style scenes cut.

The NBC site, which I'm linking last, is difficult to navigate. They want to charge for back episodes and I couldn't even find links to the trailers.

TextbookX service

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:54:00 GMT

There are good examples of online merchants, then there are places like textbookx.com. That place spends more time working on their online purchasing system then they do on customer service. It's ironic really. They probably see their online site as this efficient cool toy that’s going to improve their business.

On October 2, 2006 I purchased some books from textbookx.com, some of these books were sold under their Marketplace. The Marketplace is where they broker sales of used books by other sellers. It has been over 40 days and I still have not received a refund. I was bummed that someone tried to sell me something they didn’t have but I thought it would be an easy problem for the broker to resolve. That is what they're there for after all. Textbookx.com kept assuring me that the money would be refunded to my account but I kept checking on it and it never has. I guess they thought I wouldn’t check, or that I'd forget about it. I suspect this is how they expect most of these transactions to end.

They finally told me I should call and talk to a rep. Again they assured me that I would receive a refund. The conversation was in the same tone as their emails. I tried to understand why I had to call to have this item resolved but the rep kept repeating the same lines over and over again, a description of their process. What I wanted to know was why this process was so bumpy; why I had to call when it seemed so clear that I should received a refund. All I got was a repeat of their "process". I'll write it down when I call him again. I have no doubt that I'll have to. This company, when it comes to customer service, rates well below average. Unfortunately their prices are hard to beat.

I've included a copy of my dialog with them below. On 2006-11-22 the $6.90 was finally credited back to my account. The order was placed on 2006-09-29. That means it took nearly two months to correct a mistake that should have been a slam dunk.

-----Original Message-----
From: TextBookX Customer Service [mailto:tbxinfo@akademos.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 8:46 AM
To: Me
Subject: RE: Regarding order # xxxxxx

Dear [Me],

Thank you for contacting TextbookX.com.

We value your business and appreciate your patronage.

This is with reference to order # xxxxxx for the book titled "ANSEL ADAMS GDE.: BASIC TECH.PHOTO.BK.I".

I am glad to inform you that the refund for the order was initiated on 2006-11-21. It usually takes 3-7 business days for that amount to reflect into your account. The refund was initiated to your credit card which you used while placing an order. The same should reflect into your account within 3-7 business days. If you do not receive it, you may go ahead and contact your bank with the reference code: VUGA0C851F08. I am sure that they would be able to help you.

I apologize for the delay.

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance. The TextbookX team is available and would be glad to assist you.

Regards,
Shawn Jones

TextbookX.com Customer Service

-----Original Message-----
From: Me
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 12:03 AM
To: TextBookX Customer Service
Subject: RE: Regarding order # xxxxxx

Dear Steven,

I called as you requested and spoke with a Sean. He assured me that the trouble I was having obtaining a refund was unusual and that the funds would be credited back to my account. This was a week ago and I still have not received a refund. Please advise me as to what I should do as I am considering more drastic measures.

Sincerely,
[Me]

-----Original Message-----
From: TextBookX Customer Service[mailto:tbxinfo@akademos.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 6:26 AM
To: Me
Subject: RE: Regarding order # xxxxxx

Dear [Me],

Thank you for contacting TextbookX.com.

This is with reference to order # xxxxxx for the book titled "ANSEL ADAMS GDE.: BASIC TECH.PHOTO.BK.I".

Regarding your query, it would be highly appreciated if you would contact our Customer Service team at the following toll free number 1-800-221-8480 from Monday to Friday between 9 am to 5 pm EST. Our Customer service representatives would be glad to assist you with your question.

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance. The TextbookX team is available and would be glad to assist you.

Regards,
Steven Hall

TextbookX.com Customer Service

-----Original Message-----
From: Me
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 8:09 AM
To: 'TextBookX Customer Service'
Subject: RE: Regarding order # xxxxxx

It has been over 40 days since this fraudulent order was taken and I still have not received a refund. Can I get an estimated date for when I should expect my money back?

-----Original Message-----
From: TextBookX Customer Service [mailto:tbxinfo@akademos.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2006 3:18 PM
To: Me
Subject: RE: Regarding order # xxxxxx

Dear [Me],

Thank you for contacting TextbookX.com.

We value your business and appreciate your patronage.

This is with reference to order # xxxxxx for the book titled "ANSEL ADAMS GDE.: BASIC TECH.PHOTO.BK.I".

I am sorry for the delay in initiating your refund.

However, as the seller cancelled your order, I assure you that it would be initiated shortly.

I apologize for any inconvenience caused to you in this regard.

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance. The TextbookX team is available and would be glad to assist you.

Regards,
Jack Anderson

TextbookX.com Customer Service

-----Original Message-----
From: TextBookX Customer Service [mailto:tbxinfo@akademos.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 5:13 PM
To: Me
Subject: Regarding order # xxxxxx

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting TextbookX.com.

We value your business and appreciate your patronage.

This is with reference to order # xxxxxx for the book titled "ANSEL ADAMS GDE.: BASIC TECH.PHOTO.BK.I".

This is to inform you that the seller of the above titled book has contacted us stating that he do not have the book in stock to ship to you and have confirmed the order by error. Please note that the seller would not ship the book to you and the refund for the order would be initiated shortly. Once the refund is initiated, it would take 3-7 business days to reflect into your credit card.

I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you in this regard.

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance. The TextbookX team is available and would be glad to assist you.

Regards,
John Matthew

TextbookX.com Customer Service
!DSPAM:454b7ef170451646212847!

-----Original Message-----
From: Me
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006 11:10 PM
To: TextBookX Customer Service
Subject: RE: Regarding order # xxxxxx

It has been 7 business days since this letter was sent and the funds still have not been reinstated. Can you update me on the status of this issue?

-----Original Message-----
From: TextBookX Customer Service [mailto:tbxinfo@akademos.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 5:13 PM
To: Me
Subject: Regarding order # xxxxxx

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting TextbookX.com.

We value your business and appreciate your patronage.

This is with reference to order # xxxxxx for the book titled "ANSEL ADAMS GDE.: BASIC TECH.PHOTO.BK.I".

This is to inform you that the seller of the above titled book has contacted us stating that he do not have the book in stock to ship to you and have confirmed the order by error. Please note that the seller would not ship the book to you and the refund for the order would be initiated shortly. Once the refund is initiated, it would take 3-7 business days to reflect into your credit card.

I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you in this regard.

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance. The TextbookX team is available and would be glad to assist you.

Regards,
John Matthew

TextbookX.com Customer Service

Ultrafineonline service

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:20:00 GMT

Isn't it funny how the sites with excellent customer service always seem to have any place to rave about their customer service? Take ultrafineonline.com for example. That place never messes up my orders and ships them out in a reasonable time. Their prices are excellent and when I call, they talk my ear off with things I want to hear; I actually take notes! When I place an order with them, they always send me an email asking me to review them and I always reply with a positive response. This store, in my opinion, rates well above average.

Numb3rs

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:50:00 GMT

Despite the efforts of some of the most determined pirates on the net, I still manage to find an excuse to watch normal TV. I'm talking about that vile nearly talent-less cess pool where they find a way to make even the most unentertaining show worse by filling it with commercials. They fill it with so many commercials in fact that a trip to change clothes at the beginning of a commercial run finds me back at the beginning of yet another commercial run; that's how little time they spend on the actual show itself. I was so worn out the other night that I was too lazy to pull out my laptop. I lay in front of the TV resolved to watch whatever came on. What came on was one of the worst shows I'd ever seen: Numb3rs. I admit I was drawn in by the name, with the 1337 looking spelling. What I found was anything BUT 1337. The episode was about the this guy who had been killed (yes another crime drama). He had figured out some way to calculate the winner of a race. The logic behind the plot was pretty simple; the less likely a horse is to win, the more money you get if the horse wins. Prizes however, are also influenced by supply and demand. This can cause the return on a first place horse to go down. Since fewer people bet on the second place horse, this horse can actually be a better bargain. Pretty simple premise I thought. Unfortunately, the writers had so little background in mathematics that they kept trying to play up the reasoning. At one point, they ran out of cryptic words and started in on quantum physics. The best part of the script was when one of their brilliant mathematicians would glance, for less than a second, at the victim's notebook and immediately understand the theory behind what he was doing. Add speed reading to their list of skills along with the ability to read through pages I guess. How stupid do they think we are. If you're going to do a show on esoteric mathematics, get someone in there who has at least taken a math class. In the end, they gave up on the complicated math plot and decided it would be better if they attributed the whole thing to a mob money laundering scam; good idea, stick with stuff you know, I'm sure the writers have at least a three digit repertoire of scripts with that plot in it.

Network attached storage

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:20:00 GMT

I'm not sure why it's so hard to find a nice solution to storing all files we seem to accumulate. I have a laptop, its my primary personal machine. So when I use it, I can be anywhere in the house, if I'm in the house at all.

Over the years I've collected a lot of crap and I don't have room on my tiny laptop hard drive for all of it. Just the pictures I take alone would fill up the little drive in a matter of months. I mean, I shoot about a gig of pictures just about every time I pull the camera out of its bag and the drive on my laptop is only 40G. So it makes sense to keep the pictures somewhere else. I don't want to have to juggle CDs every time I needed a picture so I decided to put them on a USB drive. In fact I have several USB drives all of which I keep connected to a USB hub. When I want to use the drive, I plug the USB hub into my laptop, turn on the drive I want, and I'm up and running.

The problem is, it's inconvenient to connect the drives. I keep them near my desk. So if I want to use them, I need to use my laptop on my desk. I would much rather plug the drives into my network and access it from anywhere in the house. They make devices like this, called a NAS (networked attached storage) but they're expensive. Before I get one it has to fill a couple criteria.

It has to cost less than $200.
It has to support FAT-32 because I may also want to connect the drives directly to Linux machines, windows 98 machines, etc.
It has to support WIFI, because I don't want to run a wire from the drives to the WIFI hub.
It can't require specialized software on the client machine because it seems stupid to have to do so when there are already perfectly good ways of doing this. The more software I load the less stable my machine becomes and I would rather avoid that altogether. Also, it's unlikely they'd support Linux and windows 98. I want to access the drive using windows file sharing as if it were being shared by another windows machine.
The device has to be energy efficient and quiet.

I could, I suppose, just plug these drives into another machine that I keep on all the time. I just think that's a messy way of doing it. I do in fact have an old laptop that I use for this purpose. I have some other drives and when I want to get to them I turn on the laptop and access the drives over the network. The problem is, it's an old, really slow laptop. I could replace it with a new PC but I don't want to have to pay $500 for a machine that I only use to share drives. Besides it wouldn't startup and shutdown nicely and it would suck up a bunch of electricity.

This NAS challenge actually ties into another one I have which is to find some way to make these files accessible through the TV so that people could flip through an album with a remote control. There are products out there available now. They're called PVR's (personal video recorders). The problem is that the popular devices, like TIVO, don't let you plug in extra USB drives. The more expensive PVR's that cost over $1000 are more flexible but too expensive. I suppose I'd be willing to throw down $400 - $500 for something that handled my network storage problem AND my PVR problem but I don't want to have to spend so much effort that I become an expert at it. I just want a clean simple solution.