Posts by Herby

Doing heart rate on an instrument like that...

Isn't very easy. They have contacts pretty close together to detect EKG pulses (typically R wave) and just count the interval between R waves (the most predominant part of the EKG, and go from there. The math(s) is pretty easy to do (I helped in patient monitoring for anesthesia back in the 70's). The big problem is getting a good signal to the device, and there are lots of ways noise creeps in.

I'm sure FitBit can put all sorts of disclaimers out there and results might vary all over the map, but the number they display is probably pretty good, considering.

Not if they can get their FitBit Flex goodie a little more water proof. I used to wear it in the shower (and that was OK), but the trip to Hawaii last year and its encounter with salt water have seemed to foul it up. It blinks nicely (when charging) but it doesn't sense anything. Oh, well...........

If you already have...

The monitor and keyboard/mouse you don't need much more. Sure, it is only a single display, but for LOTS of applications this is all you really need.

OK, a nice VESA mount and built-in supply to make it better, but in reality, the most expensive part of a "THIN CLIENT" are the peripherals. If you go to a warehouse store and get a nice TV which has HDMI input(s) and a cheap keyboard/mouse you are in business. In my case, when I got the 55 inch TV for the living room, I plugged it in. The keyboard mouse combo was a nice IR based one that I could use form the couch across the room. What more do I need for a thin client (I used a WiFi dongle). The RPi was $50 on Amazon (with wall wart WiFi and SD card) the IR keyboard/trackball was $20 at the local surplus store.

What a deal!

Where...

Do I begin?

Maybe they should label...

Microsoft.com as a major virus threat. Look, it has infected millions of computers with this "Windows" virus, in many forms. Most lately in its most recent form "Windows 10".

I'd label this with "Joke Alert", but I have doubts.

And I thought the California DMV was bad...

Nothing compares to this nonsense. Yes, we here in sunny California have this miraculous public service bureau call the Department of Motor Vehicles (commonly referred to as the DMV). They issue drivers licenses and vehicle registrations. Licenses are issued every 4 years (I believe the last one cost $15 or so) and vehicle registrations (which include vehicle property tax) are anywhere from $50 to much more (newer cars). Other than the lines in the local office (about 1/2 day if you don't have an appointment) they aren't too bad. If all you need to do is simple payments, online with a credit card will do, and you can even change addresses as well. The nice drivers license (generally accepted as identification) has a nice mug shot (for quite some time since 1950 I guess) and they changed to color back in the 70's. Luckily you can keep your old license (while they make you a new one you get a note saying "in process") and you go from there. My experience is that they have been relativetly error free (they do serve a population of over 30 million, so I suspect that there are some errors). Overall it has worked out well. The current form is a nice mag-stripe credit card size thing with ALL sorts of validation stuff (holograms, raised signatures, etc.). We haven't gone to virtual (stored on an iPhone) ones yet, but you never know with the younger set so attached to their devices.

Me? I'm afraid that you might need to insert your license in a slot to get a vehicle to work, and it will broadcast on request to the policeman following you the details. It might get scary in that case. Or as was mentioned above "what could possibly go wrong?".

So, who do you pay?

Google to get high marks (works most of the time), or:

Some fly by night SEO company that believes that they can outfox Google at their now game, and charges you to do it.

As the saying goes: Youse pays your money, youse takes youse chances. The Google alternative looks more reliable to me. If you do pay a SEO company, you might get what you pay for, but if that other company changes its mind, you can get bypassed.

Good luck!

Not truly "typewriter"

If it were, it would have the big lever that returns the carriage and indexes the platen up one line. Most of these were actually attached to the mechanical carriage suitable for reaching with your right hand and slinging it across in front of you. Of course it might also ring the bell when you got too close to the edge of the paper as well.

Yes, dial phones are cool as well, and (at least here in the USA) work on most telephone exchanges.

If you do make a "wearable"...

Make sure you don't obsolete the hardware too quickly. People wear the same watch for a LONG time. I suspect that the time between "new" watches is around 10 years or so. In my case it has been closer to double that (and it works just fine!).

P.S. Please make them functional for left handed people, and those who wear the watch on the inside of the wrist. Being able to fit commercial watch bands would be nice too.

I'll really be impressed when..

They do a 6809 that runs at full speed. That was a proper 8 bit micro.

My first micro was a 6800 when you got the kit of parts in a $300 (1975) and a nice big applications book. Did LOTS of things with it!

Prophecy coming true.

A person of "great influence" mentioned to me a long time ago that the computer would become "just a bump" in the power cord. Devices like this indicate it coming true.

Of course in those days, the power cord was to an ASR33 teletype, but it still holds true today.

Now if they could...

Go after other "ransom" people. There are all sorts of them out there, and they ALL need to get the same treatment.

I dream on (*SIGH*).

"exempt the top 10 domains"??

Would one of these be YouTube?? Which is owned by......

I could go on, but why bother?

An experiment??

I've always wanted to get a small 1/4 inch (or so) wooden dowel and properly paint it in while with a bit of orange/red at one end. Then "use" it as a "vaping" device here in anti-smoking California, just to see the reaction (I'm a rebel at heart!). I suspect that it would be universally condemed and I would be asked to leave. That's just the way it is. Some are anti- anything and don't like much of anything that hurts their "personal space" real or percieved.

As for tobacco products, I suspect that governments are as addicted to them as any other for the tax revenue they produce. I don't think you will see a ban on them anytime soon.

Me? No, I don't smoke at all.

What is a "native" to do??

Being a native (yes, I was born here) of Sillycon valley, I've seen it all. You start in the tech industry (I wrote my first program over 50 years ago) and keep on going. If you have people getting these visas (what no Master Card?) you need to wonder what is really going on. In this day and age, one could just as easily do "work" from the other end of an internet connection, as a physical embodiment most likely isn't needed. So, we have a couple of cases: 1) Import the worker (for whatever reason) and let them find out what it costs to live here in the USA, or 2) export the job to the other end of a wire where monsoons happen yearly. Given the choice, importing a worker may be the better choice.

The bigger problem is that job providers (companies) are having trouble getting proficient talent. The younger ones seem to think that right out of school they are entitled to a nice $100k job when they have no experience (and being tied up in acedemia for so long think that they can program a BIOS in Java or some such. The more experienced have figured out that they don't know everything and apply their skills to forge ahead. When an economic downturn happens they hope it doesn't last too long (unfortunately not the case for the last 8 or so years) then soldier on.

Life goes on, and visas will be issued, jobs exported, and iron turns to rust. One hopes for startups and new horizons and keeps a positive attitude which is what we should all hope for. (*SIGH*)

I have a great product idea...

Have a product called future money. It is sold in various increments and has a physical embodiment. A nice box of something "special" that may have nice blinked lights (activated upon opening of box). Assign a value to said item, and allow it to be traded in for "other stuff".

Call it a Budgetary Box. Take a little off the top (1% ought to be enough for most instances) and go to town.

I'll be rich, and retire to a beach somewhere (I understand Hawaii is nice!).

Things get a little silly.

Microwave ovens are but on example.

In my case, I look to my first (late 1970's version) microwave oven. It had THREE controls, and I only used two most of the time. The main control was a simple dial for the time to cook. It was nicely logarithmic in nature as the first minute was quite large, but the last one (minute 29/30 as I remember) was quite small.. The second control (rarely used) was the one that controlled the percentage cook intensity (I usually left it at 100%). Lastly the third control was the "GO" button that started the whole thing. Marvelously simple to operate and almost impossible to mess up. Fast forward to today's computerized (the old one used a mechanical timer) user interface. They have all sorts of buttons to control time, delay start, defrost, and which item of food to use, along with an incomprehensible display (which has a segment out in my case). You get to push all sorts of buttons and in a dark kitchen (my wife likes the lights out when se watches TV there) you just can't use the "touch method" to get going. It is a REAL MESS. The problem is that in order to make their product "different/better" a manufacturer needs to have something unique/new and match his competition's bells and whistles. This leads to an never ending spiral of silly functions and people like my mom putting yellow stickums on the "important" controls of the microwave that she needs to use (about three of them).

The lesson here is that fancier and flashier (shinier) isn't always "better". You may have lots of controls for your appliance, but yes, you only select a VERY limited subset for everyday use.

Applications for computers succomb to the same "feature creep", and things like Word or Excel take this to the limit! The software vendor keeps adding features so differentiate the "old" from the "new", I'm sure we have all seen it.

When all else fails, a nice charcoal grill works fine.

Document for yourself...

Because you will be the one who ends up needing it. Weather wires or programs, in 6 months you will most likely forget EVERYTHING you knew about whatever system you have. Labels are nice, and be sure to label components as well, then you can ask the flunky nice user to flip the switch on the (no not that one) proper box.

There is a nice article in the Wall Street Journal about family tech support: mom & dad calling offspring to assist in their problems.

We do so much for so little (*SIGH*).

We now need to support...

...the emoji messaging service. so these can be used.

Look up "accidental emoji expert" and get an even further explanation.

Wait for it...

Windows 10 nagware incident to follow. Now back to the studio.

Too crowded anyway.

We should go back to nice two letter top level domains. Maybe .org for REAL organizations and .net for real network operators with .com for the rest if they want it.

Do I really want "accountonline" to be citibank?? I've got other accounts you know.

It is a shame they don't...

Look at a "real" company and allow its principals to help write the scripts of its ups and downs. I've lived (it was a while ago) a startup life from "first employee" all the way to Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It was a wild ride, and taught me BUNCHES about how VC's think and the like.

Hint: If you get a new CEO, two weeks later there WILL be layoffs (this happened twice to me). I'm 1 for 1 in living through it.

Just a question:

Has Microsoft done ANYTHING original (other than Bob and Clippy)?

I rest my case.

Wait, they are good at extracting moola from suckers. That might be original.

And it all works until...

The NEST server get the Windows 10 upgrade nag. Then it makes the thermostat go to "roast" in the middle of summer, or "chill" in the middle of winter. Welcome to big brother, he is at the other end of the wireless signal.

Me? I want a device I can talk to directly WITHOUT any outside involvement AT ALL.

Solution to this mess...

Loser pays.

Enough said.

Is it me, or does this look like...

Someone forcing Windows 10 down our throats.

IPv6 is probably "too much" for normal use, or it would have been adopted LONG AGO (years).

For me, there should have been a SIMPLE method to accommodate the IPv4 address space in the new fangled IPv6. Unfortunately the path wasn't that clear, and the address space for IPv6 probably assigned an individual address to every grain of sand on planet earth and have a few left (billions and billions!) over.

Oh, well at least it isn't a proprietary thing that we don't know much about, or what is going ot happen next.

Wine is looking...

...better than ever. It is only a matter of time.

Microsoft is aiming for a continuing revenue stream to replace the every other year OS/Office upgrade that users have decided they don't need.

No, I don't use Windows. Anderson does windows nicely. Much friendlier!

Nothing to see here, please go away...

NSA Nothing NSA to NSA see NSA here, NSA please NSA go NSA away NSA...

Just remember...

If IBM back in 1890 or so chose a different processor/operating system for its PC, both Intel and Microsoft would be much different than they are today.

When a major desktop machine builder goes away from X86 architecture people will need to adapt, and quickly. I believe that the trend started by the likes of a Raspberry Pi are just the beginning.

Sadly (or not as you chose it) both Microsoft and Intel are eating dust from the trail that is being pioneered by others now.

I just keep wondering...

Is the same company that produced ACCESS? One wonders if any features have drifted between the two?

Who knows what the answer is given how they publicize things.

Another question:

Is there a 'clippy' helper that allows you to write better SQL?

Similar to a "connected toaster"

And about as useful. What did we do before computers invaded every part of a vehicle. It seems that we got along "just fine".

At one time I drove a 1964 VW bug (seatbelts installed) and had little problems. Great car to learn how to drive, and not a computer in sight.

If you wanted a "self driving car" you hailed a taxi. Life goes on.

No, a toaster does NOT need to be "connected". Go away!

Interest (possibly) lost...

When they (from what I remember) cut the scene that had a vehicle going down Page Mill road. Why do I remember this? I was at a stoplight waiting for the cops to release traffic when it passed by at the corner of Hanover and Page Mill. I just wanted to see if my vehicle showed up during the take.

Interesting how they film people in cars toodling down roads.

Yeah, it was the first season.

My experience: I've been in a company from its founding all the way through VC to Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It is quite a ride.

Simple solution...

1) No software patents.

2) Public review period BEFORE the patent is granted to show "prior art" (much of which is unpainted!).

3) Loser pays in patent suits.

4) Wishful thinking (*SIGH*)

Darwin award??

Maybe they shouldn't have the lights. The world needs people who pay attention to silly things like their surroundings!

A better idea might be to have a light bulb above their head so cars can run them down with impunity.

Given how people are taught...

And some of those who are "learning", the outcome of this will be that EVERYONE will get a "passing grade" and have absolutely no knowledge of the subject at hand. You see, university work is HARD, and takes WORK. Both of these are limiting factors, and those who want everyone to be educated see as barriers to learning. Yes, they will have a piece of paper that says "Computer Science", but will they actually know how to do addition without using a calculator application on their smart phone.

Good luck! Those hiring will need it. Welcome to mediocrity, the new norm.

All men are created equal, after that it takes hard work!

No beer??

Bummer. College/University life without BEER is terrible. This must be corrected!!

And exactly what...

...is the value of this "certification"? I suspect it doesn't amount to much, other than a tick box in the HR department.

Which brings us to "The tragedy..."

"...of the commons". If there are no bandwidth caps, when 20 or so people start downloading a nice 1080p movie, it might get bogged down a bit. The nice cable has a finite bandwidth, and without some limiting factor, there WILL be a few resource hogs that will probably spoil it for everyone.

Weather this actually happens will be interesting in any event. At that point, Charter might say "I told you so".

"...Why go for a billion??"

The answer is pretty simple: Crooks are greedy. It is the nature of the beast. Otherwise they wouldn't be crooks in the first place.

Note: Most crooks are caught due to this flaw, or trying to brag about their exploits.

Note to self: Don't be greedy!

Why don't they...

Just register ".amazon" and be done with it.

Then again, maybe Brazil and other governments in South America might not want it don't that way...