Juxtaposition

I often get asked about recommendations for various things and have been meaning to write up my absolute favorite devices for some time. I finally got this done so enjoy! If I think of other devices, I'll write follow-up articles.

Cowon D2 with 16 Gb AData SDHC memory card

This is my media player.  I think it blows away most all on the market, although things are always changing.  There isn't a perfect device out there but this came about as close as possible.

• 52 hour music playback time
• 10 hour video playback time
• Gorgeous audio quality
• No moving parts -- perfect for those with a propensity to drop their mp3 players
• Very compact
• Upgradeable storage
• Bookmarks
  
• Plays almost everything, including WMA DRM audiobooks.
• Firmware updates, active user and hacking community, and even a RockBox implementation!
  

The screen is small, but it is big and bright enough for my uses.  The primary downside is the requirement to convert videos to fit on the device (there isn't enough CPU power to downconvert on the fly)

Motorola S9-HD bluetooth headphones

I started out with the original S9 headphones because they were simply the best out there on the market in terms of style and audio quality.  But they are notorious for a terrible design flaw where the touch-sensitive buttons are also moisture-sensitive and prone to just stop working after a few months, especially if you work out in them.

However, Motorola's RMA department was quite smooth and when I suggested (thanks to numerous postings online from other people's experiences) that the problem was endemic to these that perhaps they should replace with the S9-HD, they obliged!  They appear to have fixed the touch-sensitive button design and went with a traditional press button (which has other problems if you try to wear them and a snowboarding helmet at the same time), but they work flawlessly!  The sound is even better.  They can pair with many, many devices at the same time.  I pair them with my computer to play video games and use them as wireless headphones, with my cell phone, and with my media player (via the Jabra device below).

They have the feature where if they are paired with your phone and music player at the same time, they will seamlessly switch to your phone if you get a call and then switch back when you hang up.

I can't say enough good things about these now.  The only downside is that, according to the manual, the battery is not user-replaceable and is only good to 400 charges.  So, this may not be your everyday headphones unless you want to buy new ones in a year.  Also, the battery life is better than the S9 but still not stellar.  Be prepared to charge them after using them for 4-6 hours.

Jabra A120s Bluetooth Music Adapter

I bought this on ebay for a steal of a deal.  I wanted a generic, bluetooth transmitter to use on anything with a regular stereo headphone jack.  I use them with my media player, and have also used them with other devices.  The transmission strength is impressive, although its generally a good idea to keep them within 20 feet of you.  I put this with my D2 in my hydration pack and have no cutouts at all when biking.  Also, when I go to the gym, I leave my player on the floor while running on the treadmill, etc. with no cutouts.  And no wires to get in the way!

These are rechargeable via USB -- a very nice feature.  It is really tiny and amazingly light.  The pictures online are all bigger than the device actually is.  It also comes with velcro so you can stick the device to your music player.  The audio quality is _excellent_ which is another criticism of a lot of the players out there.

Philips SHS8000 Earhook Headphones

For everyday music listening, I switched from Sony earbuds to a set of Philips earhook design.  I liked the Sonys, but the cord was too short and required attaching a heavier extension (included) to get a reasonable length.  The Philips are at least as good, if not better, for audio quality.  I find the earhook design more comfortable than the Sonys, but unlike the Sonys, you cannot convert them to non-earhook style.  The only problem I've had with them is probably my fault -- the wire attachment at the phono jack is very delicate and I made the mistake of wearing them to sleep once or twice and ended up breaking the connection inside the jack.  I'm on my second pair now (purchased on ebay from Hong Kong for ~$20 including shipping) and am sure to use a sacrificial pair for nighttime.

Canon MP970

I really am tired of HP owning the printer market and their tactics with their toner.  But these days you can get aftermarket toner that is just as good for much less.  So, I was considering another HP.  But then I discovered the MP970 at an awesome price with more features and quality and individual ink wells than you can shake a stick at and had to have it.  My main concern was that Canon is unapologetic about not supporting Linux drivers, but I don't print from Linux much anyway, and there is progress being made in reverse-engineering the ethernet protocol so drivers are on the horizon. 

A main beneift of this printer is that it is trivial to share on the network by plugging it into my home LAN.  And it is now my print server (no more need to manage a CUPS print server to share out otherwise unsharable HP printers...)

This printer has superb print quality, has a high-capacity feed tray, is super easy to set up (don't even believe them when they tell you to set it up via USB before connecting to the network. You don't need to), has network and print server support built in, makes network scanning a snap, the software for windows is quite good, has duplex printing, individual ink wells with electronic ink level management, is really, really quiet when printing, etc.

Only possible downside is that it has a rather large desktop footprint.  But its nice looking so I don't find that a problem.

Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Mouse

I got this on an awesome sale at Best Buy.  It comes with a battery charger base so no more AA batteries thrown in the trash.  The battery life is phenomenal and has a warning to tell you when the battery is low.  The design has a great feel, is ergonomic, lightweight, portable.  It also has some great features for the scroll wheel feedback (click or free-spin) that are nice.

Main downside for this mouse is that Logitech drivers are notoriously buggy.  I would definitely just install the drivers that shipped with it and not upgrade them unless you have to.  Newer does not equal better.  They need some better QA on their drivers for sure.  I wish I had a second one for work...

Mio Digiwalker GPS

I bought this used from my friend Kevin and even without text-to-speech, it is absolutely invaluable.  It has a great feature I haven't seen in others (e.g. a Tom Tom I used once):

• Announces moves coming up 1000 feet ahead and successively closer.  Great for unfamiliar areas.

It has some minor annoyances, such as poor battery life, and it gets confused sometimes with elevated roadways around here, and makes some questionable route choices, like telling me to exit left off of Hwy 99 where there isn't an exit, but it's often very similar routing to Google maps and is pretty easy to use.

It could be easier to add personal points of interest, but I found a way to do it fairly reliably.

And it has developed some sort of short that causes the screen to go white that I have to take apart to investigate.  But now I know some things to look for in the next device.

This is really unfortunate.  I hope it comes back. Was an excellent service.

For now, I'm using mininova or eztv.it directly and having good luck.  Not sure if I want to take the time to update all my auto download feeds though or stick it out and hope tvrss.net makes it back online...

3 Alternatives to TVRSS.net’s RSS feeds | OzSoapbox

I've used this before and was considering it again as an alternative to Preen (a pesticide/herbicide) but found that there is no evidence that it does anything and actual evidence it makes weeds _worse_ because it contains 10% nitrogen.

Corn gluten meal did not prevent weeds from germinating in OSU study

Corn gluten meal is a natural substitute for a synthetic “pre-emergence” herbicide and has been advertised as a more environmentally friendly way to control weeds.

A pre-emergent herbicide is one that kills seedlings as they germinate. Pre-emergent herbicides generally have to be applied and watered in before weed seeds germinate. Other herbicides, such as glyphosate (e.g. Round Up) kill plants after they have emerged.

A by-product of commercial corn milling, corn gluten meal contains protein from the corn. It poses no health risk to people or animals when used as an herbicide. With 60 percent protein it is used as feed for livestock, fish and dogs. It contains 10 percent nitrogen, by weight, so it acts as a fertilizer as well.

The use of corn gluten meal as an herbicide was discovered by accident during turfgrass disease research at Iowa State University. Researchers noticed that it prevented grass seeds from sprouting. Further research at Iowa State showed that it also effectively prevents other seeds from sprouting, including seeds from many weeds such as crabgrass, chickweed, and even dandelions. Components in corn gluten meal called dipeptides are apparently responsible for herbicidal activity.

...

Corn gluten meal did not control any weeds in any trials under any circumstances over a two-year period. They found no evidence of pre- or post-emergence weed control in any of their trials. Because it contains 10 percent nitrogen, corn gluten meal proved to be a very effective fertilizer, causing lush, dense growth of turfgrass and of weeds in shrub beds.

Here's a challenge to WSDOT:  Are you willing to halt and reverse the variable speed limit signage deployment if, after a set amount of time, there has not been a significant reduction in congestion-related collisions?  Or, if the new signage actually causes more congestion or more collisions?

All too often the readerboards that give information on accidents seem to slow traffic down even more.

WSDOT - I-90 - Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations - Variable Speed Limit Signs

Tried and true on our mountain passes
WSDOT uses variable speed limit signs on US 2 at Steven Pass and on I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass to alert drivers to slow down during icy, snowy and congested driving conditions. Similar signs installed on European urban roadways incresed safety and decrease congestion-related collisions by 30% or more.

I can't believe how many privacy policies are cut from the same tattered cloth and are written by corporate lawyers who are not concerned with people actually understanding them or in actually communicating the information that someone might be looking for in a privacy policy (CYA mode only).  I came across one that gets to the meat of the matters that should be important to anyone using an online service:

• Who owns my data in your system?

"At drop.io, what’s yours is yours. Period. This Privacy Policy describes what little information we do collect from you (the “User”) as part of our web service (the “Service”), and how that information may be used and/or disclosed."

• What are you going to collect and what are you going to do with it?

"Very little.  In fact, practically nothing.   You do not need to provide us with any personal information to set up free Drops. .... Although we know very little about you -- Drops are not totally anonymous.  When you visit our Service, some information is automatically collected, such as your computer’s operating system and browser type, version, and capabilities.  We also will track your Internet Protocol (IP) address and the time and date of your visit."

Now that is USEFUL information about data privacy that is understandable and I can get behind!

drop.io privacy policy

The typical corporate privacy policy is typified by:

• No information on the specific _service data_ that is being collected
• No information on how the specific _service data_ is being protected
• No information on how to view or correct or expunge information stored about you.
• No details on the exact list of information collected about you.
  
• Generic platitudes about SSL as the panacea for site security
• Mostly irrelevant discussions of client-side cookies that are too generic or marketing-specific and not website or service-specific
  
• Generic information about marketing data collection and emails
• Only information about _website_, not software or service security (data is not contextualized; but the lawyers are happy because they have a checkmark in the box next to "Write Privacy Policy")
• Focus too much on opt-out for marketing.
  

No wonder people don't care enough about their privacy.  They aren't able to understand what companies are doing with their data.

To be fair, the companies writing the policies (if they are big enough) probably don't really understand very well what is being collected or used so they are forced to write generic policies.  It's hard work to actually catalog and enforce customer data tracking and most companies don't think they need to do this, and customers enable they by not demanding this level of accountability.

Wow.  Was just recalling how a mirror on the passenger seat of my grandparents' car burned a hole in the dashboard on a sunny day when I was a kid.  Was a reminder to not leave mirrors attached inside the vehicle (even though having one to watch our little cutie would be handy)

Sunlight, Water, Bowl Likely Cause Of Bellevue Fire - Seattle News Story - KIRO Seattle

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Investigators suspect sunlight was the cause of a fire that destroyed a deck and kitchen in an east Bellevue home on Sunday, said Lt. Eric Keenan of the City of Bellevue.

A glass bowl partially filled with water elevated on a wire rack in a sunny area of the home’s deck provided the right conditions to focus the sunlight and start a fire, Keenan said.

The fire occurred shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday in the 17100 block of Northeast Fifth Street.

The homeowners were away from the house when neighbors noticed flames and smoke.

Bellevue firefighters were able to extinguish the fire without injuries, and the family dog was rescued, but damage to the home is estimated at about $215,000.

Very cool news about a fuzzer + ms debugger extension to not only do fuzz testing of software, but help weed out false positives.  Will be interested in trying this out and reading more about it.  Wonder if it works with asp.net?  Or at least the unit-testable portions of code?

Kaminsky: MS security assessment tool is a 'game changer' • The Register

Looks like at least one attempt at a new strategy for teaching shit as if it was science (creationism) is to get an education degree program accredited so that the Institute for Creation Research can churn out teachers that can infect the school system like viruses and eat children's brains from the inside out.  A Texas representative is trying a new tactic to get the degree program approved:  exempt the ICR from the rules created by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that rejected the last attempt by a unanimous 8-0 vote.

Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said at the time that the institute's program, based on a literal interpretation of biblical creation, falls outside the realm of science and therefore could not be designated "science" or "science education."

This rep is making the tired old "fairness" argument, "Why are people who call themselves scientists afraid to hear two sides of a debate?" Berman asked Friday. 

Note to Berman:  Science is not a "debate".  It is based on facts and a rigorous methodology for evaluating those facts to approximate the truth as closely as is possible to make predictions about the natural world.  Creationism is not based on facts or a methodology at all. 

Little Green Footballs - Texas Lawmaker Backs Creationist 'Degree'

A new 231 page report outlines 12 key policy decisions that led to the current economic crisis.  Let's hope that some facts start to do a couple of things:

1. Stop the stupid right-wing chain emails that claim that this all rests on the Democrats and Fannie/Freddie.  There's plenty of blame to go around (Fannie and Freddie are # 10 on the blame list)
2. Stop the pundits that decry the "finger pointing" and hope to instead "move forward".  Excuse me, but I think that a report looking critically at pointing fingers at what got us in this mess is _kind of important_ to know how we get out of it.  Of course maybe those pundits just want us to "look busy" and "do some stuff" and hope it works.  I prefer evidence-based governing myself and the place to start is with the evidence for how we got in this mess.

Wall Street Watch

1. In 1999, Congress repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which had prohibited the merger of commercial banking and investment banking.
2. Regulatory rules permitted off-balance sheet accounting -- tricks that enabled banks to hide their liabilities.
3. The Clinton administration blocked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from regulating financial derivatives -- which became the basis for massive speculation.
4. Congress in 2000 prohibited regulation of financial derivatives when it passed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act.
5. The Securities and Exchange Commission in 2004 adopted a voluntary regulation scheme for investment banks that enabled them to incur much higher levels of debt.
6. Rules adopted by global regulators at the behest of the financial industry would enable commercial banks to determine their own capital reserve requirements, based on their internal "risk-assessment models."
7. Federal regulators refused to block widespread predatory lending practices earlier in this decade, failing to either issue appropriate regulations or even enforce existing ones.
8. Federal bank regulators claimed the power to supersede state consumer protection laws that could have diminished predatory lending and other abusive practices.
9. Federal rules prevent victims of abusive loans from suing firms that bought their loans from the banks that issued the original loan.
10. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expanded beyond their traditional scope of business and entered the subprime market, ultimately costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
11. The abandonment of antitrust and related regulatory principles enabled the creation of too-big-to-fail megabanks, which engaged in much riskier practices than smaller banks.
12. Beset by conflicts of interest, private credit rating companies incorrectly assessed the quality of mortgage-backed securities; a 2006 law handcuffed the SEC from properly regulating the firms.