Check out Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's YouTube channel for some funny and insightful (albeit British) movie reviews.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Kermode and Mayo on Wheat
Check out Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's YouTube channel for some funny and insightful (albeit British) movie reviews.
Friday, November 13, 2015
The Wicker Man from Atlantis
A photoshop thread on the SomethingAwful forums started a theme on film and TV crossovers. Remembering an infamous RiffTrax of the 2006 remake of 1973 classic, The Wicker Man, this one starring Nicolas Cage of all people, and a long gone TV series Man from Atlantis with Patrick Duffy, this seemed a natural choice.
A clever goon mentioned Nic might've had an unfortunate incident in the confines of his suit, so I simply couldn't resist replying...
A clever goon mentioned Nic might've had an unfortunate incident in the confines of his suit, so I simply couldn't resist replying...
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Adopting the Southern Blue Flag Iris
The Southern Blue Flag Iris is one of the prettiest flowering aquatic plants out there.
Growing and cultivating it can be a challenge. If you happen to be an apartment dweller without, say, a convenient backyard pond handy, you might wonder how to grow a nice specimen of this largely aquatic plant, especially if you don't happen to have a convenient partly-sunny swamp handy.
All you really need, though, is a bucket.
My wife and I happened to be on the way to Cedar Key, Florida, when we happened upon a Blue Flag Iris on the roadside which someone had carelessly discarded. Undeterred, we rescued this hapless plant and took it home, whereupon we then stuck it in a bucket of plain old city water in an effort to mimic its preferred habitat.
Sadly, the plant seemed to yearn for more. It seemed to want to swampy, muddy, murky waters of its home. To help it thrive, we decided to give it that kind of existence.
First step involved dumping some local soil into the aforementioned bucket, then filling it until the mud was submerged by a couple of inches of water. Then, we planted the Iris. Given that we live in the U.S. state of Florida, the mosquito is a clear danger. It simply doesn't fly to enable those tiny (or, in some cases, disconcertingly large vampires) to procreate in conveniently neglected buckets of water.
Fortunately, a solution exists in the form of Mosquito Bits.
Simply sprinkle some of this stuff into your backyard bucket or pond periodically according to the directions. The chemical released will neutralize mosquito larvae, an insect Failure to Launch, if you will.
Now, the plant appears to have rebounded with a couple of clusters of 6+ inch blade-like leaves, and the plant's hosts have no need to worry about a mosquito invasion. At least, not until the mosquitoes evolve a means to procreate in spite of our best efforts.
Growing and cultivating it can be a challenge. If you happen to be an apartment dweller without, say, a convenient backyard pond handy, you might wonder how to grow a nice specimen of this largely aquatic plant, especially if you don't happen to have a convenient partly-sunny swamp handy.
All you really need, though, is a bucket.
My wife and I happened to be on the way to Cedar Key, Florida, when we happened upon a Blue Flag Iris on the roadside which someone had carelessly discarded. Undeterred, we rescued this hapless plant and took it home, whereupon we then stuck it in a bucket of plain old city water in an effort to mimic its preferred habitat.
Sadly, the plant seemed to yearn for more. It seemed to want to swampy, muddy, murky waters of its home. To help it thrive, we decided to give it that kind of existence.
First step involved dumping some local soil into the aforementioned bucket, then filling it until the mud was submerged by a couple of inches of water. Then, we planted the Iris. Given that we live in the U.S. state of Florida, the mosquito is a clear danger. It simply doesn't fly to enable those tiny (or, in some cases, disconcertingly large vampires) to procreate in conveniently neglected buckets of water.
Fortunately, a solution exists in the form of Mosquito Bits.
Simply sprinkle some of this stuff into your backyard bucket or pond periodically according to the directions. The chemical released will neutralize mosquito larvae, an insect Failure to Launch, if you will.
Now, the plant appears to have rebounded with a couple of clusters of 6+ inch blade-like leaves, and the plant's hosts have no need to worry about a mosquito invasion. At least, not until the mosquitoes evolve a means to procreate in spite of our best efforts.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Fisher Wallace Stimulator
I recently asked my doctor to authorize my purchase of a Fisher Wallace stimulator device, produced by Fisher Wallace Laboratories.
The idea is that the device generates "a gentle electrical pulse at a patented frequency that stimulates the brain to produce serotonin and other neurochemicals required for healthy mood and sleep." Some of the back story related to this device goes as far back as the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
It comes with a couple of velcro-fastening elastic bands (one for the head, the other for the back or elsewhere), dry sponge electrodes, two AA batteries, a zippered carrying case, and of course instructions. About $700 later, I received it and have been using it for a couple of weeks now. I suffer from clinical depression, so my goals in using this device included improving my overall mood, and decreasing the need for prescription medication. Other suggested uses include dealing with chronic pain and insomnia.
Thus far, my results seem promising!
For me, depression can come upon me like a shadow, usually prompted by internal ideation or external events or a combination. One recent example came in the form of a glumly cloudy, rainy day, which tends to put me in a gloomy mood and leads me to brood on things I really shouldn't be brooding upon, and from that point on other events and memories from my past and in my present dogpile and might lead to a relatively major depressive episode.
The instructions recommend using this device once or twice daily (upon activation the device turns off automatically in 20 minutes). To begin with, I decided to try using the device just at the verge, just as depressing thoughts began creeping into the forefront of my mind.
My first experience was intriguing and rather euphoric. I found myself trying to suppress a giddy urge to grin, and if I closed my eyes I noticed a distinctive pulsing of whitish light from either side of my field of vision. Since that first time, I've used the device about half a dozen times, usually once in the morning or afternoon, then again in the evening shortly before bed.
The only side-effect thus far seems to be that if I happen to use the device just before bed, I tend to stay awake for an hour or few and might read a book for a while before finally feeling sleepy enough to turn in. This is one of the device's documented possible side effects, so I plan to simply use the device earlier in the evening rather than later.
I found that in any case where depressing thoughts reared their ugly head, engaging the device seemed to derail these thoughts, in a way like how a railroad switch diverts a train from one track and one destination to another. Instead of drifting toward brooding on whatever happened to be bothering me, I found myself unfazed by the usual negativity and eager to pursue other activities.
Whereas the medication I take (sertraline, the generic version of Zoloft, an SSRI) at worst significantly suppresses my affect and at best keeps me on an even keel emotionally, the Fisher Wallace stimulator seems to be able to actively intervene and gently redirect my train of thought to another track to a different destination in my mind. This is definitely a good thing; whereas otherwise I might be relatively helpless to thoughts that would overshadow my happiness and motivation, the device seems to counteract those thoughts and stimulate neurochemistry in my brain which favors healthier thought.
Overall, I'm pleased so far. Now let's see whether my health insurance will be willing to reimburse at least some of the out-of-pocket cost!
The idea is that the device generates "a gentle electrical pulse at a patented frequency that stimulates the brain to produce serotonin and other neurochemicals required for healthy mood and sleep." Some of the back story related to this device goes as far back as the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
"Company cofounder, addictionologist Dr. Martin Wallace, discovered LISS Cranial Stimulator in late 2001, when trying to cope with the deep depression which he suffered after spending eight hours trapped in a building at Ground Zero on 9/11. He successfully treated his depression with the stimulator after other therapies failed."
It comes with a couple of velcro-fastening elastic bands (one for the head, the other for the back or elsewhere), dry sponge electrodes, two AA batteries, a zippered carrying case, and of course instructions. About $700 later, I received it and have been using it for a couple of weeks now. I suffer from clinical depression, so my goals in using this device included improving my overall mood, and decreasing the need for prescription medication. Other suggested uses include dealing with chronic pain and insomnia.
Thus far, my results seem promising!
For me, depression can come upon me like a shadow, usually prompted by internal ideation or external events or a combination. One recent example came in the form of a glumly cloudy, rainy day, which tends to put me in a gloomy mood and leads me to brood on things I really shouldn't be brooding upon, and from that point on other events and memories from my past and in my present dogpile and might lead to a relatively major depressive episode.
The instructions recommend using this device once or twice daily (upon activation the device turns off automatically in 20 minutes). To begin with, I decided to try using the device just at the verge, just as depressing thoughts began creeping into the forefront of my mind.
My first experience was intriguing and rather euphoric. I found myself trying to suppress a giddy urge to grin, and if I closed my eyes I noticed a distinctive pulsing of whitish light from either side of my field of vision. Since that first time, I've used the device about half a dozen times, usually once in the morning or afternoon, then again in the evening shortly before bed.
The only side-effect thus far seems to be that if I happen to use the device just before bed, I tend to stay awake for an hour or few and might read a book for a while before finally feeling sleepy enough to turn in. This is one of the device's documented possible side effects, so I plan to simply use the device earlier in the evening rather than later.
I found that in any case where depressing thoughts reared their ugly head, engaging the device seemed to derail these thoughts, in a way like how a railroad switch diverts a train from one track and one destination to another. Instead of drifting toward brooding on whatever happened to be bothering me, I found myself unfazed by the usual negativity and eager to pursue other activities.
Whereas the medication I take (sertraline, the generic version of Zoloft, an SSRI) at worst significantly suppresses my affect and at best keeps me on an even keel emotionally, the Fisher Wallace stimulator seems to be able to actively intervene and gently redirect my train of thought to another track to a different destination in my mind. This is definitely a good thing; whereas otherwise I might be relatively helpless to thoughts that would overshadow my happiness and motivation, the device seems to counteract those thoughts and stimulate neurochemistry in my brain which favors healthier thought.
Overall, I'm pleased so far. Now let's see whether my health insurance will be willing to reimburse at least some of the out-of-pocket cost!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
2015 Kia Sedona LX Review
Recently I had the opportunity to drive a rented 2015 Kia Sedona LX.
Following a car accident where my existing minivan was rear-ended and subsequently declared totaled by my insurance provider, I rented a comparable minivan from Enterprise. Having driven it for over 2 weeks now, I have a fairly good feel for the vehicle.
With the LX, the minivan came with power everything, Microsoft UVO infotainment and navigation system are included, but otherwise not the complete range of possibilities offered by Kia for this model (heated / cooled, seats and cupholders, for example, were not present).
I'm 5 feet 7 inches tall, and my legs are a bit short, and this seemed to be problematic with the Sedona. Even with the powered driver's seat moved fully forward, my feet could just barely reach the pedals. This wouldn't be a big deal if not for the fact that with the seat so far forward, each time I got in the top of the door frame threatened to knock me in the skull unless I contorted my torso awkwardly.
Aside from an annoying creaking noise coming from the rear, ride noise was minimal. Given that the Florida summer is arriving, the front and rear AC were sufficient. The 3.3 L V6 engine and accompanying 6-speed automatic transmission were nicely peppy and responsive. The braking was excellent, and upon glancing at a Consumer Reports review of this model, it appeared to be among the best as far as braking goes for minivans. However, one gripe with the ride is that it's a bit brutally stiff. It reminded me of the last time I'd driven a pickup, and even over fairly minimal potholes the suspension was unforgiving. Handling is a bit ponderous, given the 19-inch wheels and somewhat unrefined steering.
The infotainment system is definitely a plus for the Sedona. Navigation is straightforward and simple, and the backup camera is a nice touch. Those of you who use a USB flash drive for your music might be annoyed occasionally, though, as perhaps every 1 out of 3 attempts or so my USB stick chock full of MP3s would need to be reinserted after starting the vehicle after failing to detect the device.
Kia, in typical Korean automaker style, has tried valiantly to copy the success of, say, the Toyota Sienna, and although it comes close, it isn't quite there. I think you'd be better off buying a prior year top-of-the-line minivan by Toyota or even Dodge rather than plunking down some $30K+ for this model.
#Kia #minivan #2015
Following a car accident where my existing minivan was rear-ended and subsequently declared totaled by my insurance provider, I rented a comparable minivan from Enterprise. Having driven it for over 2 weeks now, I have a fairly good feel for the vehicle.
With the LX, the minivan came with power everything, Microsoft UVO infotainment and navigation system are included, but otherwise not the complete range of possibilities offered by Kia for this model (heated / cooled, seats and cupholders, for example, were not present).
I'm 5 feet 7 inches tall, and my legs are a bit short, and this seemed to be problematic with the Sedona. Even with the powered driver's seat moved fully forward, my feet could just barely reach the pedals. This wouldn't be a big deal if not for the fact that with the seat so far forward, each time I got in the top of the door frame threatened to knock me in the skull unless I contorted my torso awkwardly.
Aside from an annoying creaking noise coming from the rear, ride noise was minimal. Given that the Florida summer is arriving, the front and rear AC were sufficient. The 3.3 L V6 engine and accompanying 6-speed automatic transmission were nicely peppy and responsive. The braking was excellent, and upon glancing at a Consumer Reports review of this model, it appeared to be among the best as far as braking goes for minivans. However, one gripe with the ride is that it's a bit brutally stiff. It reminded me of the last time I'd driven a pickup, and even over fairly minimal potholes the suspension was unforgiving. Handling is a bit ponderous, given the 19-inch wheels and somewhat unrefined steering.
The infotainment system is definitely a plus for the Sedona. Navigation is straightforward and simple, and the backup camera is a nice touch. Those of you who use a USB flash drive for your music might be annoyed occasionally, though, as perhaps every 1 out of 3 attempts or so my USB stick chock full of MP3s would need to be reinserted after starting the vehicle after failing to detect the device.
Kia, in typical Korean automaker style, has tried valiantly to copy the success of, say, the Toyota Sienna, and although it comes close, it isn't quite there. I think you'd be better off buying a prior year top-of-the-line minivan by Toyota or even Dodge rather than plunking down some $30K+ for this model.
#Kia #minivan #2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Mars Won
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| "We made it, guys! We've arrived on Mars!" |
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| Trekking to the Mars One habitation facility... |
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| "Let's see... ok, guys, it's a few kilometers away. Breathe easy and let's move." |
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| Meanwhile, at Mars One headquarters back on Earth, budget shortfalls are apparent. |
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| "Hey guys! I see it, look, it's the habitation facility! Mmm hmm, tasty oxygen, fresh-frozen rations, here we come!" |
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| "..." |
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| "What. The. FUCK." |
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| "It looks like Woodstock, only without the chicks, weed, and beer." |
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| "We are SO fucked right now." |
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| "Well... let's scrounge for oxygen and supplies. Surely there must be some up here...?!" |
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| Meanwhile, at the Mars One launch gala in Las Vegas... "Enjoy the ride, suckers!" #MarsOne #FAIL #RedPlanet #Mars |
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Logitech k400 Wireless Touch Keyboard Review
As many "smart TV" owners know, "typing" with your TV remote control can be a hassle at best, a pain at worst. Fortunately, there are alternatives when you want to access your TV like you would a PC.
One is a smartphone app, such as this unofficial one for use with Samsung TVs. Another, especially handy if you don't use a smartphone, is the Logitech k400 keyboard.
The keyboard has smallish keys and is nearly full-size, but may be a bit irritating for those with fat fingers. The package includes a small transceiver which plugs into a free USB port on your smart TV, as well as a USB range extender smaller than many USB flash drives.
Samsung, manufacturer of my particular smart TV, "...does not guarantee compatibility with all devices..." (source), but freely list their very own keyboard as wholly compatible, which is convenient for them. However, at least for my Samsung UN46EH5300, this particular keyboard worked out of the box for me.
The keyboard itself uses two AA batteries, and the transceiver runs off the TV's USB power. For your Samsung TV, a button with a right-mouse-button icon will, assuming you're viewing a TV channel, pop up a menu which lets you open Samsung's trademark on-screen menu. From there you can open YouTube and various other online services, and thereafter type URLs in as desired.
So far, my only complaint is that as far as Samsung's built-in web browser goes, you're stuck with ads (which might otherwise be blocked on your PC with the AdBlock Plus browser add-on or other means), and the browser itself for the few sessions I've opened with it so far has frequently crashed.
This does not impugn my impression of the Logitech k400 itself, though; it seems to do exactly what I expect it to do, enable both keyboard and mouse control of my smart TV.
One is a smartphone app, such as this unofficial one for use with Samsung TVs. Another, especially handy if you don't use a smartphone, is the Logitech k400 keyboard.
The keyboard has smallish keys and is nearly full-size, but may be a bit irritating for those with fat fingers. The package includes a small transceiver which plugs into a free USB port on your smart TV, as well as a USB range extender smaller than many USB flash drives.
Samsung, manufacturer of my particular smart TV, "...does not guarantee compatibility with all devices..." (source), but freely list their very own keyboard as wholly compatible, which is convenient for them. However, at least for my Samsung UN46EH5300, this particular keyboard worked out of the box for me.
The keyboard itself uses two AA batteries, and the transceiver runs off the TV's USB power. For your Samsung TV, a button with a right-mouse-button icon will, assuming you're viewing a TV channel, pop up a menu which lets you open Samsung's trademark on-screen menu. From there you can open YouTube and various other online services, and thereafter type URLs in as desired.
So far, my only complaint is that as far as Samsung's built-in web browser goes, you're stuck with ads (which might otherwise be blocked on your PC with the AdBlock Plus browser add-on or other means), and the browser itself for the few sessions I've opened with it so far has frequently crashed.
This does not impugn my impression of the Logitech k400 itself, though; it seems to do exactly what I expect it to do, enable both keyboard and mouse control of my smart TV.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Videos Added To Serviio Do Not Appear In Library
Recently my DLNA setup based on Serviio version 1.4.1.2 running under Windows 7 inexplicably started to not recognize newly-added videos. When attempting to browse them via my Samsung smart TV, the latest entries did not appear.
I hadn't dramatically changed the file and folder structure from which Serviio streams recently, nor had I made any huge changes to the configuration of Serviio nor my server. Finally though I found a solution which seems to have done the trick. It involved simply configuring Windows' file and folder permissions and file sharing permissions to allow the Everyone group to have read access.
Some users in the Serviio forum suggested giving the PC's local system account read access to one's video repository. I tried this, but after restarting the server and the TV, the situation remained the same. I later discovered a blog post which clarifies the difference between Everyone and other authenticated accounts in Windows:
The "local system account" I'd read about in my research on Serviio's forums might not be the same one I gave read access to, so I tried simply giving the Everyone group read permissions, and upon forcing Serviio to refresh its database of videos, it began churning through them and finally resulted in them being visible again via the TV.
One drawback to doing this is that anyone else on my LAN would be able to access my video collection, given that the folder is now openly shared to essentially "everyone". I might need to ramp up the frequency with which I routinely change up my WiFi passphrase, but in the end this is no big deal.
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| Serviio console, showing status and devices configured for streaming. |
I hadn't dramatically changed the file and folder structure from which Serviio streams recently, nor had I made any huge changes to the configuration of Serviio nor my server. Finally though I found a solution which seems to have done the trick. It involved simply configuring Windows' file and folder permissions and file sharing permissions to allow the Everyone group to have read access.
 |
| Modifying Windows file and folder permissions to enable Everyone to have read access. |
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| Modifying advanced file sharing permissions to give Everyone read access. |
Some users in the Serviio forum suggested giving the PC's local system account read access to one's video repository. I tried this, but after restarting the server and the TV, the situation remained the same. I later discovered a blog post which clarifies the difference between Everyone and other authenticated accounts in Windows:
The Everyone group includes all members of the Authenticated Users group as well as the built-in Guest account, and several other built-in security accounts like SERVICE, LOCAL_SERVICE, NETWORK_SERVICE, and others.
The "local system account" I'd read about in my research on Serviio's forums might not be the same one I gave read access to, so I tried simply giving the Everyone group read permissions, and upon forcing Serviio to refresh its database of videos, it began churning through them and finally resulted in them being visible again via the TV.
One drawback to doing this is that anyone else on my LAN would be able to access my video collection, given that the folder is now openly shared to essentially "everyone". I might need to ramp up the frequency with which I routinely change up my WiFi passphrase, but in the end this is no big deal.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Fragile Agile
One of the twelve core principles of the Agile Methodology is as follows:
It would seem intuitively obvious that in order to maintain a constant pace indefinitely, the team would need to collaborate and bolster itself to make this even remotely feasible. At minimum, each team member ought to have a "satisfactory" level of competence in the various areas of expertise integral to an Agile team. Satisfactory doesn't necessarily imply expert.
In Final Patrol: True Stories of World War II Submarines by Don Keith, the author describes the following regarding the training of submarine crews both past and present:
In my experience, an Agile team's roles have included software developer, business analyst, and tester. My primary specialty has been software development, but thanks to my wide array of tasks and experience, I am wholly capable of a level of expertise over and above satisfactory with regard to the business analyst and tester roles.
Let's assume that a dump truck happens to transform my brains into goo just as I'm crossing a busy New York intersection. How does this impact the team? Suddenly, there's a gap in expertise and productivity. Not only is one who specializes in software development absent, but one who can also more than competently handle the business analyst and tester roles is removed from the equation.
How does this affect the team's velocity? How does this impact the team's ability to achieve the stakeholders' goals?
I'd wager negatively.
In my view, a relatively slim chance does exist that a superstar could emerge from among those remaining team members for whom software development is not their forté. Perhaps they've been paying especially close attention in pair programming sessions. Typically, though, I'd guess velocity would be decreased for a given sprint while the company investigates either transferring a software development specialist from another department, or hiring someone completely new to the company.
Let's apply this scenario to your modern ballistic nuclear submarine.
Perhaps the chief weapons officer (let's call him "weaps" for short) trips and inexplicably falls into a bulkhead, rendering him dead.
Based on Don Keith's information, at least one other member of the submarine's crew possesses the bare minimum qualifications to perform weaps' job, and should it be necessary for weaps to launch a torpedo or nuclear missile, someone else on his team will be able to do this. Perhaps not with the expertise or finesse of weaps, but at least with the bare minimum capability, which means the task can at least be completed.
Can the same be said of the "typical" Agile team, especially your Agile team?
If not, stakeholders should be very concerned.
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
It would seem intuitively obvious that in order to maintain a constant pace indefinitely, the team would need to collaborate and bolster itself to make this even remotely feasible. At minimum, each team member ought to have a "satisfactory" level of competence in the various areas of expertise integral to an Agile team. Satisfactory doesn't necessarily imply expert.
In Final Patrol: True Stories of World War II Submarines by Don Keith, the author describes the following regarding the training of submarine crews both past and present:
Sub sailors were (and still are) required to graduate from submarine school, where they combined classroom learning with actual onboard training, but they were not finished yet. When they got aboard their first boat, they had to be trained until they could pass a rigorous examination in order to verify that they could take any station on a vessel and perform each job in a satisfactory manner. Once they passed their qualification exam, they were awarded a patch or pin that showed two dolphins, nose to nose. One of a sub sailor's proudest days was when he received his "twin dolphins" and could wear them on his dress uniform. The alternative for those who were not able to pass within a reasonable time was to be assigned to other duty. Incidentally, that procedure is still in place today on nuclear submarines.
In my experience, an Agile team's roles have included software developer, business analyst, and tester. My primary specialty has been software development, but thanks to my wide array of tasks and experience, I am wholly capable of a level of expertise over and above satisfactory with regard to the business analyst and tester roles.
Let's assume that a dump truck happens to transform my brains into goo just as I'm crossing a busy New York intersection. How does this impact the team? Suddenly, there's a gap in expertise and productivity. Not only is one who specializes in software development absent, but one who can also more than competently handle the business analyst and tester roles is removed from the equation.
How does this affect the team's velocity? How does this impact the team's ability to achieve the stakeholders' goals?
I'd wager negatively.
In my view, a relatively slim chance does exist that a superstar could emerge from among those remaining team members for whom software development is not their forté. Perhaps they've been paying especially close attention in pair programming sessions. Typically, though, I'd guess velocity would be decreased for a given sprint while the company investigates either transferring a software development specialist from another department, or hiring someone completely new to the company.
Let's apply this scenario to your modern ballistic nuclear submarine.
Perhaps the chief weapons officer (let's call him "weaps" for short) trips and inexplicably falls into a bulkhead, rendering him dead.
Based on Don Keith's information, at least one other member of the submarine's crew possesses the bare minimum qualifications to perform weaps' job, and should it be necessary for weaps to launch a torpedo or nuclear missile, someone else on his team will be able to do this. Perhaps not with the expertise or finesse of weaps, but at least with the bare minimum capability, which means the task can at least be completed.
Can the same be said of the "typical" Agile team, especially your Agile team?
If not, stakeholders should be very concerned.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Foscam Firmware Update Bricks Camera, And They Don't Care
Foscam once again doesn't seem to respect consumers, nor understand the concept of quality control.
Typically when a company releases a a product to the public, it's been through some testing to ensure that the product is actually serviceable to the consumer. Sadly, in the case of the Foscam FI9821W, they have failed miserably.
Recently, Foscam released a firmware update, version 1.1.1.14. Numerous FI9821W camera owners, myself included, have reported that the camera has been "bricked" following the upgrade. The upgrade begins, then an "Upgrade Failed" message appears, and thereafter nothing happens other than a steady, red LED beside the camera's ethernet port, and the camera is completely unusable.
A user on the Foscam forums, TheUberOverlord, has been shepherding a thread where he provides a solution which involves buying a specialized tool, cracking open the camera, then interfacing with the camera and overwriting its firmware.
Unacceptable!
Firmware updates are frequently released for various electronic devices (including wireless IP cameras) in order to fix defects not initially addressed by the manufacturer. Usually, updating is a good thing, because it fixes something the manufacturer neglected to fix in the initial release, whether due to time or budget or other constraints.
Even if a camera is past its warranty coverage, there might be subsequent firmware updates to fix various issues. This was the case with the 1.1.1.14 firmware update for the Foscam FI9821W. Of two FI9821W cameras I own, one of them successfully updated to the 1.1.1.14 firmware, but the other experienced the aforementioned upgrade failure.
I contacted Foscam via email. This was their response.
Out of warranty, eh? Despite the fact that Foscam released firmware for this out-of-warranty camera model, which turns out to be defective for many of these cameras, they refuse to take responsibility??
UNACCEPTABLE!
I strongly suggest avoiding Foscam until they get their priorities and quality control straightened out. They simply don't seem to care about their customers nor the quality of their products.
#Foscam #ipcamera #homesecurity
Typically when a company releases a a product to the public, it's been through some testing to ensure that the product is actually serviceable to the consumer. Sadly, in the case of the Foscam FI9821W, they have failed miserably.
Recently, Foscam released a firmware update, version 1.1.1.14. Numerous FI9821W camera owners, myself included, have reported that the camera has been "bricked" following the upgrade. The upgrade begins, then an "Upgrade Failed" message appears, and thereafter nothing happens other than a steady, red LED beside the camera's ethernet port, and the camera is completely unusable.
A user on the Foscam forums, TheUberOverlord, has been shepherding a thread where he provides a solution which involves buying a specialized tool, cracking open the camera, then interfacing with the camera and overwriting its firmware.
Unacceptable!
Firmware updates are frequently released for various electronic devices (including wireless IP cameras) in order to fix defects not initially addressed by the manufacturer. Usually, updating is a good thing, because it fixes something the manufacturer neglected to fix in the initial release, whether due to time or budget or other constraints.
Even if a camera is past its warranty coverage, there might be subsequent firmware updates to fix various issues. This was the case with the 1.1.1.14 firmware update for the Foscam FI9821W. Of two FI9821W cameras I own, one of them successfully updated to the 1.1.1.14 firmware, but the other experienced the aforementioned upgrade failure.
I contacted Foscam via email. This was their response.
Thank you for contacting the Foscam RA department. Unfortunately, we are not authorized to replace your FI9821W model as it is out of warranty. The FI9821W models have a one year warranty. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Out of warranty, eh? Despite the fact that Foscam released firmware for this out-of-warranty camera model, which turns out to be defective for many of these cameras, they refuse to take responsibility??
UNACCEPTABLE!
I strongly suggest avoiding Foscam until they get their priorities and quality control straightened out. They simply don't seem to care about their customers nor the quality of their products.
#Foscam #ipcamera #homesecurity
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Add Custom Ringtones To Motorola Razr v3m
I recently purchased a Motorola Razr v3m phone. My previous carrier used the T-Mobile network (whose reception was iffy at best in my area), so my new carrier uses Verizon, whose coverage is far superior.
Unfortunately, though, the v3m is hobbled beyond belief!
Aside from Verizon's typical anemic interface for its v3 series phones, the phone provides no easy way to add custom ringtones, for example, in my case from my Windows 7 desktop. The phone itself even has a slot for a micro SD card, but this card is completely inaccessible from the phone's UI. Motorola Phone Tools, the software that usually allows you to quite easily copy multimedia from your PC to your phone, had no such options available for the v3m.
A few phones back I'd owned a Razr v3c, and it at least allowed you to craftily send a text message with an attached MIDI file which you could then assign as a ringtone, but no such luck with the v3m. Verizon has gone out of its way to funnel customers through its online marketplace for the privilege of obtaining custom ringtones, wallpapers, pretty much anything.
After poring over numerous forum threads from people trying all kinds of workarounds, and trying some dozen different methods, I had no luck whatsoever. However, finally I found a solution which enabled me to not only add my favorite MP3 ringtone (which happens to be the "dying phone" one from the movie Crank), but also freely modify and transfer photos and wallpapers and other stuff.
First of all, let me spell out a few details of my particular v3m, which could determine whether you will be successful with these steps or not. These are found via Settings => Tools => Phone Info:
Now, before I outline the steps, here is a ZIP file containing all the utilities which worked in my particular case. Download this file, then follow these steps.
1. Click twice on MotorolaDeviceManager_2.4.5.exe. This will install the drivers for three devices which Windows 7 will need to talk to the Razr v3m, the Motorola USB Modem, Motorola USB Diagnostic Port, and the Motorola USB Compositive Device. Note that these devices will only appear in Device Manager when the phone is actually plugged into your PC via USB.
2. Now, run the file bitpim-1.0.7-setup.exe, which will install the BitPim utility.
3. Assuming you've successfully installed the Motorola drivers in step 1, connect your PC directly to your v3m via USB cable; some have reported problems going through a USB hub. Windows should recognize the phone and begin setting up the drivers for the hardware. Wait for Windows to successfully recognize the hardware before proceeding.
4. In Device Manager, right-click on the Motorola USB Modem, click Properties, click the Advanced tab, and then click the Advanced Port Settings button. This will reveal the COM port the device uses, which is important for the next step.
5. Open BitPim. If prompted that no phone has been detected, hit OK and ignore that for now. Click Edit => Settings, and first ensure that v3c is selected as the phone type (yes, v3c, not v3m).
6. Click the Browse button, and in the Choose a comm port screen, click on Motorola USB Modem (which should be listed as an option under Available Ports if it was detected successfully by Windows), and verify that the message about the port being selectable is displayed, and that the COM port number corresponds to the COM port in Device Manager identified earlier. Click OK assuming all of these check out.
After following the above steps, you should now have access to your Razr v3m's ringtones, wallpapers, and more. I refer you to BitPim's online help to get some tips on how to actually use BitPim to interface with your phone.
NOTES:
Unfortunately, though, the v3m is hobbled beyond belief!
Aside from Verizon's typical anemic interface for its v3 series phones, the phone provides no easy way to add custom ringtones, for example, in my case from my Windows 7 desktop. The phone itself even has a slot for a micro SD card, but this card is completely inaccessible from the phone's UI. Motorola Phone Tools, the software that usually allows you to quite easily copy multimedia from your PC to your phone, had no such options available for the v3m.
A few phones back I'd owned a Razr v3c, and it at least allowed you to craftily send a text message with an attached MIDI file which you could then assign as a ringtone, but no such luck with the v3m. Verizon has gone out of its way to funnel customers through its online marketplace for the privilege of obtaining custom ringtones, wallpapers, pretty much anything.
After poring over numerous forum threads from people trying all kinds of workarounds, and trying some dozen different methods, I had no luck whatsoever. However, finally I found a solution which enabled me to not only add my favorite MP3 ringtone (which happens to be the "dying phone" one from the movie Crank), but also freely modify and transfer photos and wallpapers and other stuff.
First of all, let me spell out a few details of my particular v3m, which could determine whether you will be successful with these steps or not. These are found via Settings => Tools => Phone Info:
Software Version: 24.1_01.19.09
PRL Version: 59396
ERI Version: 4
Technology: dual800/1900 CDMA 1X-EVDO
Now, before I outline the steps, here is a ZIP file containing all the utilities which worked in my particular case. Download this file, then follow these steps.
1. Click twice on MotorolaDeviceManager_2.4.5.exe. This will install the drivers for three devices which Windows 7 will need to talk to the Razr v3m, the Motorola USB Modem, Motorola USB Diagnostic Port, and the Motorola USB Compositive Device. Note that these devices will only appear in Device Manager when the phone is actually plugged into your PC via USB.
2. Now, run the file bitpim-1.0.7-setup.exe, which will install the BitPim utility.
3. Assuming you've successfully installed the Motorola drivers in step 1, connect your PC directly to your v3m via USB cable; some have reported problems going through a USB hub. Windows should recognize the phone and begin setting up the drivers for the hardware. Wait for Windows to successfully recognize the hardware before proceeding.
4. In Device Manager, right-click on the Motorola USB Modem, click Properties, click the Advanced tab, and then click the Advanced Port Settings button. This will reveal the COM port the device uses, which is important for the next step.
5. Open BitPim. If prompted that no phone has been detected, hit OK and ignore that for now. Click Edit => Settings, and first ensure that v3c is selected as the phone type (yes, v3c, not v3m).
6. Click the Browse button, and in the Choose a comm port screen, click on Motorola USB Modem (which should be listed as an option under Available Ports if it was detected successfully by Windows), and verify that the message about the port being selectable is displayed, and that the COM port number corresponds to the COM port in Device Manager identified earlier. Click OK assuming all of these check out.
After following the above steps, you should now have access to your Razr v3m's ringtones, wallpapers, and more. I refer you to BitPim's online help to get some tips on how to actually use BitPim to interface with your phone.
NOTES:
- I've found with my phone that MP3 ringtones for the v3m must be less than 300 KB in size, and have a bit rate no higher than 192 kbps. Also, the length of the actual tone must be under 30 seconds. However, your experience may differ depending on your phone's firmware and options.
- Upon adding custom ringtones to your v3m, you should navigate the phone's file system as illustrated below, first by clicking Filesystem in the left-hand pane, then clicking the forward slash at the very top (the "root" of the file system). If you don't see any folders or files beneath the root, you can right-click in the white space in that middle pane and click "Refresh Filesystem". Once you can see the files and folders, click on the root up top, and delete the file MyToneDB.db. Then, next chance you get, power the phone off and then on again. This will cause the phone to rebuild its ringtone index to include your custom tones.
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