Archive for January, 2008
Posted by presson on January 31, 2008
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Posted by presson on January 30, 2008
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Posted by presson on January 29, 2008
I was emailed the following, and I thought I would share it with you:
Occasionally I see two clocks together with slightly different times displayed and it occurs to me that those two machines are just sitting there counting. One is counting a little faster than the other and each displays how far it has counted and we consider that a measurement of time.
Consider what’s inside a clock. The old fashioned grandfather clock with a pendulum swinging back and forth responds to gravity. If I put it on the moon it will run slower, so I have to say it is a machine that measures gravity. My old tick-tock wrist watch has a little spring attached to a wheel and the wheel goes back and forth at a speed that depends on the stiffness of the spring. There is an adjustment inside that lets me adjust the length of the spring (its stiffness), so this machine measures spring stiffness. My old plug-in electric clock has a wheel that spins at a speed determined by the 60-cycles-per-second electricity I get from the power company. If I take it to Europe where they have a 50 Hz electrical supply, it will run at 5/6 the speed, so I have to conclude that this machine counts alternating current electrical cycles. Whatever clock I consider, I find a device measuring or counting something as it occurs and expressing it as time.
It seems that, if a clock measured time, I could put it in the presence of more or less time and it would respond accordingly.
When I put water in my measuring cup and it indicates I have one cup of water I can understand how the cup measures water. If I use water in my house, the dials on the water meter spin to measure the water. When I use more water, they spin more. When I shut off the faucet they stop. I can understand that this machine is measuring water. But I have to ask, can you show me a machine that measures time?
what do you think?
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time,
measure
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Posted by presson on January 27, 2008
A new limit has been imposed on air travelers. Lithium batteries are being limited. 
You must pack spare lithium batteries in carry-on luggage, and you are limited by the weight of lithium contained within. Most notices I have seen from laptop manufactures indicate the total limit shouldn’t affect anyone. You should read the new rules here to be sure: http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html
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Posted by presson on January 23, 2008
Register for the “Hero’s happen here” launch event, and Microsoft is giving away free copies of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008!
Find out if your City or Country is hosting an event quick! http://www.microsoft.com/heroeshappenhere/register/default.mspx
I’m going for the launch event, but keep in mind you have another option to get everything CHEAP: a Technet Direct Plus subscriber, I get nearly all Microsoft software and beta including Server, Exchange, Sharepoint, Vista etc. for $250 a year. The first year cost $350 , but in either case I get two free support calls per year, 10 licenses for nearly every product Microsoft offers. Check out: http://presson.wordpress.com/2007/02/20/cheapest-way-to-get-vista-office-2007/
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Posted by presson on January 22, 2008
Ok, so you have to be a current student with an email address ending in .edu, and be actively enrolled with at least a .5 course load, but that’s over $500 off the price! Expires April 30, 2008 Get it here: http://www.theultimatesteal.com/home.asp
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Posted by presson on January 20, 2008
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Posted by presson on January 19, 2008
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junk mail snail
Eliminate much of your junk mail by spending a few moments online. The Direct Marketing Association’s request form is used to get the bulk of your junk mail removed. It takes a while, but trust me it’s worth the $1 it will cost you. You can also opt out of credit card offers by visiting OptOut Prescreen.com
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Posted by presson on January 18, 2008
Yes, a year from Feb 17 in the U.S. analogue over-the-air TV will no longer be 
available. Your current TV’s will no longer be able to get over-the-air channels without a digital to analogue converter. The government is providing up to two rebates worth up to $40 to offset the cost of the converter boxes. Keep in mind, that the rebates are only good for 90 days, so if you order them make sure you buy the converters. I haven’t seen the converters yet, it will be interesting to see what America’s reaction will be next year.
EDIT: the Link was not visable, my apoligies! https://www.dtv2009.gov/
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog with your reader: http://presson.wordpress.com/feed/
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Posted by presson on January 16, 2008
A good read if you are feeling stressed out (who isn’t these days?) I especially like the idea to write down the stressors and assign a severity. You might just realize it’s not that big of a deal as you think. Read more here: http://www.rd.com/content/37-stress-management-tips/
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Posted by presson on January 15, 2008
Many processes run under the name “SVCHOST.EXE” and when it has problems, it’s difficult to track down the cause. Examples of problems include system hangs or 100% CPU utilization that is attributed to the service. The performance team of Microsoft put together an easy way to conquer these problems, that is if you’re windows savvy. This applies to w2k, XP and Vista
The highlights:
1) tasklist /SVC /FI “IMAGENAME eq svchost.exe” compare the process ID with the process ID in task manager having the problem.
2) sc config <service name> type= own
3) bounce the service
http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2008/01/11/getting-started-with-svchost-exe-troubleshooting.aspx
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Posted by presson on January 15, 2008
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Posted by presson on January 15, 2008
The rumor mill has been churning since the announcement that Warner Bros decided 
to abandon HD-DVD and go with Blu-ray. This goes straight in the face of the “adult” industry, who had picked the winning format in the past. Personally I think this format war is moot. Purchasing digital data on a medium is an antiquated way of distributing content. It wastes resources, costs too much to create which is passed onto the multiple touch points involved etc. The bandwidth for the Internet may need a little boosting, but overall the delivery of content should be real-time and not rely on a trip to the store.
I had many a discussion about ‘Why does Sony have to keep trying to make their own format that looses every time?’ It just stalled an already declining distribution mechanism and will not make the half-million owners of a potentially losing format very happy. I decided a while ago to only get my HD content from the Air or my Satellite Provider, until a format was deemed the standard. HD-DVD format providers are slashing prices and providing up to 8 free HD moves. What should you do? I’m waiting to see what’s next.
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Posted by presson on January 14, 2008
An Einstein ring is a rare phenomena where a distant galaxy is brought into view by a closer galaxy. The closer galaxy acts as a lens to bend the light around what would normally block the light. AAS found three galaxies lined up so that all three are visible. Read more here: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/13682267.html
Posted in Cool, Fun Stuff, Main, Photography, Technology | 2 Comments »
Posted by presson on January 14, 2008
Did you know Vista has a built-in tool for screen shots? Go to start and start to type “snipping”:
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Posted by presson on January 13, 2008
Just like a source of sound bouncing off nearby surfaces before reaching your ears, photons from a source near a black hole will have multiple echo’s due to the wrenching gravity. What is truly cool about this discovery is it gives scientists a way to very accurately measure the mass of a black hole. NASA scientists are presenting their findings this week. Read more here:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2008/blackhole_echo.html
Posted in Cool, Main, Technology | 1 Comment »
Posted by presson on January 12, 2008
If you find yourself struggling to pick a candidate for president – or are curious if 
your impressions are on target, go to http://glassbooth.org/ and answer a few questions. You will be shown which candidates most closely match your views and why.
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