Saturday, July 31, 2004
Scoble's inspirational weekend
The other day I met an inspiring young man who is interning at Microsoft for the summer. He writes code in Visual Studio and is a tester on one of the Office teams. Sounds normal, right? Except for one thing: he's totally blind.
Skyboxes the "gated communities" of Sports
Ted Turner, in an interview recently published in The New York Times, lamented the trend toward gated communities. "We're getting to be like Mexico and Brazil," said Turner, "with the rich living behind fences, like they do in Hollywood."
Spamware Tools
My current list of anti-spyware tools:
- AdAware - Scans your memory, registry, hard, removable and optical drives for known datamining, aggressive advertising, and tracking components. Regular updates.
- SpyBot - Scanner, but also tools for Startups and Registry. Regular updates.
- SpywareBlaster - Active-X spyware prevention. Regular updates.
- BHODemon - Looks for bad Browser Helper Objects. Regular updates.
- CWShredder - Specifically targets the elusive CoolWebSearch hijack.
A Sea Voyage On Wheels
| "Daddy-long-legs" (alias "Pioneer") Ploughing its way through the sea between Paston Place and Black Rock, probably in 1898. |  |
Platinum Wedding Band w/o Engagement Ring
It is a simple design, 4 mm wide and with a smooth profile, just like my ex-husband (at least he thought he was smooth until I caught him with his girlfriend).
Included is a picture of the lake I will throw it into.
Friday, July 30, 2004
Peer-To-Peer Movie Rentals
Number Slate is revolutionizing the way you rent movies. Are you tired of being limited to only "3 movies at a time"? Tired of waiting several days for your DVD to arrive at the distribution center, then waiting several more days for the next one to come back? Tired of DVDs arriving damaged? Tired of uncertainty about what movie will arrive next? Number Slate has solved all these problems.
Q: I just love computer science. Can you show me the code that figures out how many movies I can have at once?
A: Certainly. First we get the average number of days you keep each DVD with a SQL query to our database. Then we use the following code to decide how many DVDs you should have.
if (avg_time < cust_limit =" 10;"> 31)
cust_limit = 1;
else
cust_limit = static_cast((24 - (avg_time - 7))/3 + 2);
Pretty cool, huh?
cust_limit = 1;
else
cust_limit = static_cast
Pretty cool, huh?
It was Phishing
This view was supported by the US Embassy in Pretoria, speaking to News24 on behalf of the US secret service, saying, "We can confirm that the data in posession of the South African police was obtained from "phishing" and not from a hack on eBay's servers."
Throughout the 20th century, small groups of men seized control of great nations...
InHisOwnWords.org - The QuickTime video is a bit slow to load, so if it doesn't load quickly, hit the "Click here for RealVideo version" link.
Mom brought Google to its knees
And your mom is just as obstinately ignorant as my mom. You might as well try to convince them to change their own oil as to keep their computers maintained.
Domain Name Bullies
Katie.com is my domain name. I've had it since 1996. I pay for it so that I can have a unique address on the Internet, and I have been, until now, very proud to own it. As you probably know, good domain names are increasingly difficult to obtain, and having my own name .com address has always been a great thing for me to have.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
PayPal settlement
You have reached the website of the claims administrator for the class action settlement in In re PayPal Litigation, Case No. 02 1227 JF PVT, pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose. On July 12, 2004 the Court preliminarily approved the proposed settlement and directed that class members be given notice of the settlement.
Target... for all your Kabbalah needs
The string draws upon the connection to and awareness of Rachel and must be tied on by a loved one and sealed with Rachel's protective energy by reciting the Ben Porat prayer (included on a card).
Well, it's good to see eBay'ers aren't so taken by this one.
Still falling for phish
About 28 percent of the time, the consumers incorrectly identified the phishing messages as legitimate.
EFF defends JibJab
In your July 23 letter, you contend that "This Land" offers no "satirical comment" on the Guthrie original. You are mistaken.
While your view of Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" as being predominantly about "the beauty of the American landscape" and "the disenfranchisement of the underclass" is interesting, most Americans think of the song as an iconic expression of the ideal of national unity. Jib Jab's parody addresses, among other things, the lack of national unity that characterizes our current political climate (ending with the optimistic hope that unity might be rediscovered). In short, "This Land" explores exactly the same themes as the Guthrie original, using the parodic device of contrast and juxtaposition to comment on the original. See Abilene Music v. Sony Music Entertainment, 320 F .Supp.2d 84, 90-91 (S.D.N.Y. 2003) (emphasizing the role of contrast and juxtaposition as parodic devices). The parodic comment takes on an additional dimension of irony when viewed in light of the often omitted closing stanzas of Guthrie's original.
Busting Berry's Music
Then, on Sept. 23, came a knock at the store’s back door that would derail Alan Berry’s life. “I was at our warehouse and got a call from one of the stores saying, ‘Hey Alan, the police are here with an RIAA agent and they’re wanting to confiscate all the mixes.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I couldn’t believe it.”
The Forgotten Coup
In 1934, the only thing standing between a fascist coup and democracy in the United States was the courage and honor of one man.
What is a book?
I take the view that the book is a "practice" -- a collection of social and economic and artistic activities -- and not an "object." Viewing the book as a "practice" instead of an object is a pretty radical notion, and it begs the question: just what the hell is a book? Good question.
Other snippets:
- But just try sending a paper book to a friend in Brazil, for free, in less than a second. Or loading a thousand paper books into a little stick of flash-memory dangling from your keychain. Or searching a paper book for every instance of a character's name to find a beloved passage. Hell, try clipping a pithy passage out of a paper book and pasting it into your sig-file
- I own a *lot* of books. Easily more than 10,000 of them, in storage on both coasts of the North American continent
- Any press is good press, so long as they spell your URL right
Hot to remove IE from Windows
I was impressed with how simple this is. Also his endorsement of JV16 Power Tools might be worth a look.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Confusing Professional Politics With 'Service'
If you are one of those people who are aglow after two days of Democrat rhetoric -- and I've actually met many humans like that, these past 48 hours -- you probably haven't noticed a subtle theme that crops up again and again, like a nervous and revealing tic. Namely, that being a professional six-figure politician should be confused with noble "service," while throwing them your hard-earned money amounts to a brave and selfless sacrifice. ~~Matt Welch
Juicy details on dinner with Billy
Most people won't think this was as cool as I did, but about twenty minutes after he came into the crowd, he was situated in a way that faced Lake Washington and not the home. This was certainly not planned, but I notice a little girl coming down the stairs from where Bill came. I thought, "no way!" Turns out, I was right. It was his oldest daughter. Why was this cool?...
Review: The Underground History of American Education
In 1991 John Taylor Gatto was a thirty-year veteran of the New York school system, and had been honored as both NYC and NY state Teacher of the Year. Then, at the height of his career, he published a provocative essay titled I Quit, I Think in the Wall Street Journal, and shortly thereafter he did indeed quit.
Nine years later Gatto published The Underground History of American Education, a massively researched exposition of his discontent with the education system. Now he's made it available to read online, and it's an eye-opener.
Monday, July 26, 2004
50 cent Tuesday
eBay will be holding a one-day 50¢ Insertion Fee Sale...
Obviously for starts over $10.00.
Quote of the day
"I used to think that the human brain was the most awesome thing in the universe; but then I realized, look what's telling me that."
~~Emo Philips
3.2% of the US adult population
The number of Americans under the control of the criminal justice system grew by 130,700 last year to reach a new high of nearly 6.9 million, according to a Justice Department report released today.
WebNote
Webnote is a tool for taking notes on your computer. It allows you to quickly write something down during a meeting, class, or any other time that you have a web browser available. This is pretty simple to use. Source code available.
And the Army's having the same problems in Iraq
Because of the failure of automated supply chain management and tracking systems in Iraq, U.S. Army combat units fighting there last year had to resort to capturing key supplies such as lubricants and explosives from enemy stockpiles, according to a review of the war that was written by military analysts.
When hotel information technology system goes bad
What happens when a company buys into the "Information Technologies don't matter" strategy?
The new iPAQ Pocket PCs are official
Those long-rumored new iPAQ Pocket PCs from HP are officially official now, and you gotta give it up to HP for not freaking out when leaked specs and pics turned up all over — they obviously get that this kind of buzz is good for them, unlike some other companies.
Dinner on the shores of Lake Washington
I had the opportunity to eat dinner with Bill Gates earlier tonight at his home on the shores of Lake Washington.
My Beef With Big Media
Ted at his best...
I used to tell potential advertisers that our UHF viewers were smarter than the rest, because you had to be a genius just to figure out how to tune us in.
Mr. CoolPix
I thought this was an image hosting service... not quite. They're an image editing service. You upload, they edit, you download. And it isn't cheap.
Beantown Becomes Blogtown
Randell Beck, editor of the Argus Leader, is feeling the heat. In a column yesterday, he wrote: "Those perched on the political fringes have found a home on the Internet. True believers of one stripe or another, no longer content to merely bore spouses and neighbors with their nutty opinions, can now spew forth on their own blogs, thereby playing a pivotal role in creating the polarized climate that dominates debate on nearly every national issue. . . . If Hitler were alive today, he'd have his own blog."
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Zooming photograph "Allison Floral"
Check out this zooming photograph on Macy's site featuing the Ralph Lauren Allison Floral pattern. Also makes it tough to copy.
Also, Google's cache of Polo's page, when it existed.
If it had not been for 15 minutes...
In 1979/80 my family took part in the biggest espionage scandal that the former country of East-Germany ever saw in its 50 years of existence.
Pay attention to the chapter headings. One of them jumps an extra chapter, and you have to take the "Previous" link to get to it.
Saturday, July 24, 2004
8 F-16s 24/7
The flights will operate 24 hours a day and are under the direction of the US Secret Service, one of the state officials said.
BugMeNot strikes back
If you are an employee, partner, affiliate or legal representative of any site which enforces compulsory user registration than we require you to complete our registration process.
- What if we told you that you couldn't access news unless you agreed? Yes/No
- Explain how we can verify the information you enter in this form is correct:
- Would you be willing to have an RFID chip inserted under your skin in exchange for a free, 12 month newspaper subscription? Yes/No
- Have you ever fantasized about killing your boss? Yes/No
- Have you ever sympathized with members of Al Qaeda? Yes/No
- List the names of any of your friends, family or neighbors you suspect may sympathize Al Qaeda:
- Have you ever contemplated overthrow of a government? Yes/No
Outlook searching
Searches your E-mail. Multiple PSTs and My Documents. Seems to be keeping up, even on my slow machine.
Microsoft liked them so much, they bought the company. They closed the download section, and now just reopened.
Just noticed the new butterfly resting on the logo. That's cute!
My Tools
A current inventory of my toolbox:
- AuctionTamer - Essentially an Internet Explorer window with a database grid at the bottom. You grab auctions, your own or others, and AT monitors them for you. Adds great sound effects for bids, BINs, 5 minutes to go, etc. I really only use a small subset its features, just for monitoring my auctions. AT will actually post your auctions and E-mail bidders.
- AuctionStealer - A snipe site. Not really a standalone utility, but AuctionTamer links to it. So while I'm viewing an auction there, it's just one click to schedule snipe.
- ClipMate - A Windows clipboard extender. I originally found this while looking for a program to add an audible cue to a cut/copy. But it really comes in handy for holding various boilerplate E-mail responses. And it's clipboard history has saved me more than once.
- SpamWasher - Keeps literally hundreds of Spams a day out of my Outlook Inbox. I haven't seen any updates in quite a while, so I don't know how long they'll be around. Seems like spam filters are being pulled into E-mail softwares as standard features.
- Avast! - Free anti-viral utility. Talking updates. Nice integration with Internet E-mail.
- ZoneAlarm - Internet firewall protection.
- Trillian - IM client for MSN, AOL, ICQ, Yahoo and IRC. Skinning and lots of useful add-ins.
- FeedDemon - Client based RSS news aggregator. Fast and well supported by Nick Bradbury.
- NetCaptor - Tabbed browsing, Pop-up blocking, and Ad blocking for IE. I tried FireFox and Opera, but business sites I use daily require IE.
- EyeBatch - Batch processing of image files. I use this for resizing and watermarking my auction photos.
- FrontPage - Much more than necessary for my little auction pages, but I never learned another HTML editor.
- InstantFeedback - $10 Utility that automatically returns positive eBay feedback.
Rockin' Rollen Stewart
On July 13, 1993, Rockin' Rollen Stewart was found guilty for the Sept '92 "hostage drama" and sentenced to three life prison terms. This might seem extreme when one takes into account that Rollen Stewart never hurt a flea, though many saw him as "a David Koresh waiting to happen. He has the same beliefs and he stands by them so strongly he's willing to die or kill for them," said deputy district attorney Sally Lipscomb.
Others disagreed. An LA Times letter to the editor--written shortly after Rockin' Rollen's conviction--called rightly into question the inequality of the American justice system in regards to The Rainbow Man. The text read: "Tell me how this adds up right? A drunk driver in Ventura, after four years in the courts, gets less than two years for killing three young men, while Rollen Stewart, the Rainbow Man, gets three life sentences for holding someone hostage and displaying religious placards. Does more money for more lawyers equal more justice? Seems so, but I never got past quantum mechanics." -Paul Garson
Friday, July 23, 2004
The "NetFlix" of Fashion
- Sign up and choose your favorite handbag
- Receive your handbag in the mail
- Return your handbag & pick a new one
- Trendsetter ($20/month)
- Princess ($50/month)
- Diva ($100/month)
Pugster Number 3 Volume Seller on eBay
Fashion jewelry company Pugster Inc. was the fastest growing seller on eBay in the second quarter of 2004, according to ChannelAdvisor Corp. Pugster (eBay User ID pugster888) has garnered a rating of over 400,000 positive feedbacks, which represents over 1 million items sold. Pugster was number three overall on eBay for the number of transactions sold, growing over 75% in volume. And according to Nortica's list of top 500 eBay sellers, Pugster rates 41 in terms of number of unique feedback, the number eBay displays next to a seller's name (this number does not take into account repeat customers.)
And this is using the same "Pro" edition that we use.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Take three words out of every sentence
I used to tell my authors to go through their copy and take three words out of every sentence.
The power you gain when you drop words gives you muscle, shock.
You sound new and interesting to yourself.
USA Today Editor Harriet Rubin's superb, pithy advice to her writers.
The Forgotten Technology
"I am a retired carpenter with 35 years experience in construction ... I have began to build a replica of Stonehenge with eight 10 ton blocks on end and 2 ton blocks on top. One man, no wheels, no rollers, no ropes, no hoist or power equipment, using only sticks and stones."
Gateway 36" monitor
This unit... depresses me.
But interestingly, this is a company that claims to have 11 people in their eBay department:
6 listers
2 technical support
2 shipping
1 admin
And hiring 2 more listers... interesting ratio...
Selling totals 7/22/04
Selling Totals
Selling:
Auction quantity: 55 Bids: 4 Amount: $101.96 Fixed price quantity: 539
Sold: (Last 31 days)
Quantity: 114 Amount: $3,541.85
Today's total inventory listed: $9,255.38
If I'm doing the math right, that's about one turn every three months, for an annual rate of 4. The industry average appears to be about 5.4, with Dell up around 40.
MS Research Labs
Wow... watch this video on image sorting and organiztions tools. This looks almost intuitive. Another reason to upgrade to faster CPUs. It takes lots of horsepower to deal with all these new features.
Time to set MS on FIRE!
Come on baby, Run Linspire...
And you can download the "high-fidelity" MP3.
$20 million from Microsoft can buy a bit of marketing.
Billion dollar categories
eBay Motors at $9.8 billion
Consumer Electronics at $2.5 billion
Computers at $2.4 billion
Clothing and Accessories at $2.2 billion
Books/Movies/Music at $2.1 billion
Sports at $2.0 billion
Home & Garden at $1.6 billion
Collectibles at $1.4 billion
Toys at $1.3 billion
Jewelry & Watches at $1.2 billion
Cameras & Photo at $1.1 billion
Business & Industrial at $1.1 billion
$8.0 Billion in Q2
Confirmed registered users: 114 million
Ative users: 48 million (bid or listed last 12 months)
PayPal users: 50.4 million accounts
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
GMail quietly adds new features
Transfer your address book contacts from Yahoo Mail, Microsoft's Hotmail and AOL Mail, as well as Outlook.
Ralph Lauren Bulk?
This is a New Ralph Lauren Factory Direct Comforter! The item arrived in a bulk shipment and is not in original package . This item has no defects or flaws. TAGS ARE PRESENT!
Interesting. The photo makes it look a bit wrinkled.
"My customers are idiots"
Please do not ask me the size because I have no idea. So what are you waiting for, start your bidding NOW!Please feel free to email with important questions.
Selling Totals (from My eBay)
Selling:
Auction quantity: 55 (4 will sell) Bids: 4 Amount: $101.96 Fixed price quantity: 544
Sold:
Quantity: 112 Amount: $3,595.87 (Last 31 days)
Got to drive this number above $4K.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Wallpaper border layaway plan?
I will not be able to order this until next month as I have been out of work for 4 weeks due to a recent surgery. I am due to return to work this Monday but I must attend to some other bills first. I am sure you understand that. Once I get an accurate measurement and notify you on how many rolls I will need and give you a confirmed purchase date, would you be able to hold them for me? You are the only place I have been able to find this pattern. All the other patterns out there feature the coke girls or bottles and do not suit my wishes. If you can do this I will be very grateful.
PC Selling Center
Kind of slick. It can detect what's in your computer, for generating the description. They can send you a box. Even help erase your data.
PayPal saga continues
Dear Eric Lewis,
Thank you for contacting PayPal. We apologize for the delay in
responding to your service request.
For a 'Gift' address, you must enter the name of the person that you
want the item shipped to.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us
again.
Sincerely,
Jessica
PayPal Tech Support
PayPal, an eBay Company
That's right Jessica, just totally ignore the whole thread. I was not kind in my reponse.
Iraqi QOTD
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill. It's like it pounds at my brain. I'll figure out how to deal with it when I get home." -- Sgt. Joseph Hall, with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment on patrol outside Najaf.
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Login
Wired's article about sites that require registration. They mention BugMeNot and a couple others I hadn't heard of.
Born on the 4th of July
Monday, July 19, 2004
1st Superman comic
From the "Charlie Sheen" collection. Started at the original cover price of $0.10.
That tone of voice
From an E-mail acknowledging payment on an auction I just won:
Hello, and thank you very much for your bid and payment. Your item will be shipped within 24 to 48 hours. It should arrived within 5 to 10 working days within the US, longer overseas. Please do not contact us asking if your item was sent, We can assure you it was. Kindly be considerate and keep emails to a minimun. Feedback will be given once it is posted for us. Again thank you for your payment and bid.
Yes, we don't want customers contacting us and having any sort of "relationship"...
NetFlix advice
Yep, NetFlix better move fast. Combined with the download services, they're being attacked from both sides. And, if you're selling "All You Can Eat", you better be all smiles when the 300 lb. diner arrives.
Blockbuster enters the fray
Somebody leaked the beta of Blockbuster's online service to Hacking NetFlix. Competition is great!
The lock-up diet
'There were so many veiled comments which added up to: "You know those Mexican people, all they eat is fried junk, of course they're slipping her food."
PayPal gift addressing (cont.)
Well, at least they responded quickly:
I reviewed your issue with our Help Desk and found that when you add a
gift address as you have been doing you will experience the behavior
you stated. It has been recommended that you remove the gift addresses
and then re-add the address but don't indicate it is a gift address.
This will allow use the address as you outlined to me.
Grrr... if you don't pick "Gift address", then it doesn't allow you to enter a name. It assumes your own name. Now I'm really lost. What is the purpose of their gift address entry screen? If you enter one, it can't be used anywhere.
PayPal gift addressing issues
Why me? Complete novices seem to have no problem using PayPal, yet I try to do a simple function, and hit a real bug in their system.
I win an auction and want it shipped to a gift address. If I click the "Pay Now" button in an auction, or use the "Pay for an eBay item" on PayPal's site, when I get to the point of selecting an address from the drop down, none of my gift addresses show. Yet when I go to my PayPal Profile, and click on "Street Addresses" under "Account Information", all my addresses are listed.
On my first call to PayPal support, they told me that it had something to do with an import from eBay, and that I just needed to delete the gift addresses, and re-add them in PayPal. I did that, but the problem stayed the same.
On my second call to PayPal, I ended up getting routed to Technical Support. Here the guy told me that those gift addresses were marked "hidden", which indicates that they came from eBay. While on the line with him, I added a new "dummy" address. He could see it, but indicated that it was also flagged hidden.
So, it's a real bug. He's writing up an "escalation", and someone should be contacting me by E-mail.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
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