I can officially say that I am one of the lucky ones. We now have all our services restored and fully operational. Still have some minor things to deal with, but overall, we can resume life and try to get this mess cleaned up and fixed back to it's original condition. I'm not quite sure why, but it seems that my dryer and dishwasher had issues with the hurricane. They BOTH crapped out and are INOP. If that's the worst of it, I can deal with it. Unfortunately some of my friends haven't been so lucky. A vast majority of people down here are still without power, much less phones and DSL. The fuel situation seems to have calmed down and it's becoming easier to find fuel. Some folks here have been waiting in line up to 5+ hours for fuel. No thanks. I drove 40 miles across Alligator Alley through the Everglades to the Big Cypress Indian Reservation to get gas. Considering the drive was pretty quick, incredibly scenic and there was no waiting in line, and no $20 limit on gas - it was well worth it. It's a little-known hidden secret that's worth keeping in your memory bank for the future. For all my buddies still in the dark...hang in there! Hopefully FP&L will get to you soon...in the mean time...you are welcome at my place!
October 2005 Archives
We are still chuggin along here trying to pick up the pieces. All is going well and we finally got power a few hours ago. Still no phone and sporadic cell service. Thankfully my mom and brother-in-law have been fully restored and I have been able to mooch warm meals and Internet accecss from them. My daughter has been a trooper and managed to survive the past 4 days with no Wiggles or Elmo. She's actually had a blast running around outside since there's nothing else to do. Kids always somehow seem to make the best of things. Signing off for now...hopefully the next update will be when we are back online 100%...
This pic is what's left of my back yard. The complete set of pics can be found on my FlickR site. We were hit pretty hard by Wilma. We currently have no power, no phone, no cell service and limited water. Overall, we fared well compared to many others in my area. FPL is telling us it could be up to 4 weeks before power is fully restored. Luckily my brother-in-law and mother have had their power restored in their respective areas. Looks like we'll be hoppin back and forth between home and the family. Gonna be a rough month, but I can't complain. Other folks have been hit much harder. Gotta love living in Florida. Anyone need an Apple Systems Engineer in a state WITHOUT recurring natrural disasters? :-)
[ via MacOSXhints.com ]
As you probably know, Apple has dropped support for Virex in .Mac, but there are still some people using it. Both Virex 7.2 and 7.5 give you the option to customize you eUpdate settings -- the goal of this is to prevent you from having to type in your .Mac password all the time in certain cases. For example, if you are updating Virex but don't have your .Mac account configured. That basically means that the following does not affect all users -- just the users who have set their username and password in the custom eUpdate settings.
Should you choose to customize you eUpdate settings, Virex does something pretty insecure. Instead of storing your username and password in the Keychain (a task that takes less than 100 lines of code to accomplish for store, retrieve, and update), they store it in a file. In the case of Virex 7.2, the file is stored in your user's ~/Library -> Preferences folder, in a file named VirexPrefs.vprF ... with the password and username in plain text!
In the case of Virex 7.5.1, the file is stored in /Library --> Preferences -> com.nai.virex75.prefs.plist with the username as plain text while the password is hashed. Note, though, that all users have access to this file, and while I am not sure how good the hash is, I do know that by simply copying the file to a second machine, you can have access to Virex updates from that second machine -- something that all users can do because all users have read access to the file. This kind of careless disregard for the protection of a .Mac user's credentials -- hashed or not -- is inexcusable.
If you're a Virex user, please check for the above-listed files and delete them if you find your .Mac info in them. And to prevent their creation in the future, don't customize your eUpdate settings!
Here's one of those widgets that you just have to have. Ambrosia Software has released a great update to the EasyEnvelopes widget. You can use EasyEnvelopes to quickly print a one-off envelope, or utilize its tight integration with Address Book which allows you to quickly find a person's address to print an envelope for. It handles USPS bar codes for both 5 and 9 digit bar codes, and brings a ton of time-saving goodies. EasyEnvelopes lets you control the size of your envelope, the formatting for the return address and mailing address, and much more.
Today marks yet another historical landmark day in Apple history. As if a third media special event within a month is not enough to wig out your typical Apple fanatic, these press briefings have introduced some of the most innovative new products to hit the market on ANY platform. At the top of todays announcements is a brand new application named Aperture. As you can guess, this is geared at the professional photographer. You could say that this is iPhoto on steroids to put it mildly. Some might go as far as to say that this is a Photoshop killer. I am here to tell you that this is not exactly the case.
This tool should be considered as a COMPLIMENTARY tool to Photoshop, and just another way to manage and work with your photos. This would be very similar to the relationship between Motion and Adobe After Effects. Where this app sets itself apart is that it can be your primary tool for managing your photography. Aperture picks up where Adobe has dropped the ball. This tool is geared to and dedicated to professional photographers. Adobe Photoshop is but a mere 1 click away from importing the image you are currently working on in Aperture, and when you are done, you can revert back to Aperture and your corrected image will be reflected on-screen within Aperture. VERY cool indeed. Photoshop is nowhere near being completely replaced by this product, but I would venture to say that this will definitely put a big dent in Adobe's universe and photographers will be taking notice in a major way.
The major upside here is that there is a huge population of photographers out there that for one reason or another, seem to have completely missed the boat on Apple. I have heard every excuse in the book, but it mainly boils down to the fact that most photographers I know are just plain 'ol cheap bastards. I am a photographer myself and just have too many buddies that have this common trait. Some of you out there are still running Photoshop 5 (you know who you are)! Your average photographer is so fixated on PRICE that they often overlook the value of what a proper machine would do to improve their workflow, time spent editing, quality of their work, customer satisfaction and overall bottom line. If you have a machine that is capable of increasing your productivity by a significant factor, that directly translates into more time spent in the field or studio, doing what you love most, taking pictures. That alone should be justification to get the proper tool for the job, even if it will cost you a little more initially. Well folks, the kicker to this story is that not only is a Mac the right tool for the job, it is also every bit as affordable as a PC configured in a similar fashion (if there is such a beast). I think this is going to make an awful lot of PC folks rethink their platform of choice. The benefits and advantages of a Mac these days is just too much to overlook for any professional in the new media industry.
That leads me into the next major announcement, the long-rumored QUAD G5. Yes folks, it's tru - Dual-Core Dual-Processor G5's have arrived. This is one SMOKIN machine. Up to 69% faster on some apps clocking in at a whopping 76.6 gigaflops of number-crunching madness. The sheer power of this machine is nothing short of astonishing. One thing you will notice is that the G5 line as a whole was revamped. ALL new PowerMac G5's are running Dual-Core processors. But only ONE is running Dual-Processors. So for those of you with a "more is better" complex, that means anything short of ordering the Quad will net you ONE processor in the box. Yeah yeah, I know...but having TWO just LOOKS so cool (and gives you über bragging rights) ! :-) And here's something to think about, we all know Steve Jobs would not have crossed over to an Intel architecture for the next generation G5 unless is was something that would stomp this Quad G5. The thought of a machine that can unleash a can of whoop-ass on this Quad G5 is something fierce. I for one am already itching and tweaking at the thought of it. If I actually have to wait a year+ to see that machine, I am going to need some serious rehab.
The last, but certainly not least of the major announcements is the revamped and improved PowerBook line. Most people are going to let out a big yawn and say "whatever". Yeah, it wasn't what everyone was hoping for, but we all know that a major announcement for this line is not going to happen until the switch to Intel happens. It's just a fact of life folks, lets cope with it for another year. If you need a portable machine TODAY, it isn't going to get any better than a PowerBook with a high resolution display. Let me say that again...High RESOLUTION, not HIGH DEF. Many people were predicting an HD display on the PowerBook, that did NOT happen. The display is spectacular, but not HD. So again, I don't think anyone in the industry has an HD laptop, so there isn't much room to complain, but you know us Apple peeps, we love to bitch about SOMETHING. :-) Sooooo Apple, can we go for a FOURTH announcement within the next month? Now THAT would be something spectacular.....Long Live the Newton! Did someone say Newton? Apple, are you listening? Hail Newton!
[via The Register ]
Palm gets a grip on BlackBerry:
RIM's wireless email hits Treo
By Team Register
Published Monday 17th October 2005 11:57 GMT
Palm has shaken hands with Research in Motion to allow the Treo 650 and future devices to link to BlackBerry Connect. The deal will mean that the 650 and other upcoming Treos will be able to access RIM’s BlackBerry Server technology, delivering amongst other things, push-based email, wireless calendar synchronization, and IT policy enforcement and commands to the Palm devices. The Treo/BlackBerry integration will be offered from early next year and pricing and distribution will be unveiled nearer the launch.®
Just finished upgrading to the newest Movable Type v.3.2. So far so good, but things may be a little wacky until I rebuild some things that were in the old template. If you notice any bugs, please be patient and feel free to drop me a line about it. Thanks!
Just when you think it's safe to buy a new iPod, Apple does it again. Today Apple released yet another version of it's wildly popular iPod. This is not your momma's iPod boys and girls, this bad boy now does video. New flavors are 30GB and 60GB models, and yes, there is a new and sexy black one as well. Quite frankly, I am over myself. The only complaint I have is that it should have been an 80-100GB drive. But all-in-all, I am quite pleased with the new goodies. But wait, it doesn't stop there. Other new announcements include a revamped and much nicer iMac G5, and after a mere 5 weeks on the charts, iTunes is now at version 6, including all new video goodies topping off with content from ABC / Disney for that shiny new iPod. Exciting times we are living in...can't wait to see what's next. For the full breakdown and specifics that you DO NOT want to miss, grab a cup of coffee and sit down to watch the special event on Quicktime.
The future is looking mighty tasty for some sweet new rides. The German Car Blog has a lineup of VW's models through 2008 and all I have to say is SCIROCCO. Wowowowowwwwww....this is a serious contender to be my next car. I had a Jetta VR6 and would say it is among my top 2 best cars owned, only slightly behind the Audi A4.
Speaking of Audi, they have a wicked version of the TT coming soon. Check this baby out at 37 Signals.
Engadget ran a little update story today which I had forgotten to post about when this fix became known, so here it is. For those of you that continue to have your Treo 650 reboot for no apparent reason, it could be a simple little SIM tray causing you a lot of headaches. Apparently this has become such an issue that Cingular and Palm are offering a replacement tray for those with the older style trays. I just recently had my Treo 650 replaced due to numerous glitches and it included the upgraded tray. Most of my problems have all but gone away with the new firmware and tray. Check yours out to see if you qualify for the replacement. More information is available at Cingular or Palm.
I have had my Treo now since February. The first few weeks was Treo fever, but I haven't been playing around with the Treo too much lately other than getting a few cool apps like PSSH (an SSH client for the Palm). Somehow you just take for granted that phone you lug around all day and don't realize the power you have in your hand. I just came across a great review on Treonauts on some GPS units for the Treo. I have actually been thinking about getting a GPS and was totally blown away with the solutions that are out there on the Treo 650. A similar stand-alone GPS unit could easily run $1000 or more, but with a Treo 650, you could get the exact same thing for well under $299. Check out the review for the full story...
Yet another reason why buying a Dell is just plain wrong. How's this for misleading advertising? Oh - by the way folks....when you order a Macintosh and it says Free Shipping, that means it gets delivered to your DOOR! ;-)
[ via Techdirt ]
Dell Says Meet Me Half Way On Free Shipping:
I bought my first Dell computer in 1993. Over the next eight years, between myself and my family, we ended up buying 7 computers from Dell. In 2000, I swore off Dells after they refused to fix a 3-month old laptop whose screen stopped working (and, yes, I had the extended warranty thing). Even though Techdirt was going strong at the time, I didn't vent my frustrations here at the time, as it didn't seem right. However, over time, apparently, it's become quite acceptable to vent your frustrations on blogs, and Dell has been a leading recipient of it in the last year with the "Jeff Jarvis complaint." That one incident has received so much press that it appears Dell is finally trying to change how they handle service, admitting, basically, that they can't afford to service cheap computers, so they have special phone queues for more expensive machines. Of course, the "more expensive" part was what many of thought we were buying when we bought the extended warranties. However, Dell's new plans to cut costs apparently go even further. The latest plan is to "redefine free shipping" on their cheaper models. Instead of shipping them all the way to your house, they will only ship the machine to your local Post Office and make you go and get it. Considering the size of many computer boxes these days, that can be quite a pain. Instead, they'll end up having a lot of people pay "extra" for home delivery -- while still being able to advertise "free delivery." It's fine if they want to charge people for delivery. It's an expense and there's nothing wrong with that. But, to claim free delivery certainly implies free "home" delivery, so this certainly seems like somewhat misleading advertising.
