gene  07/11/2008 - 11:50  Geek  Jobs

Why do most IT recruiters have a fear of e-mail?

gene  05/28/2008 - 14:31  Geektalk  Technology

Update: Sigh. Add another to the list: Can't recv multimedia messages until I go to a crappy AT&T site (viewmymessages.com) that works about 1/3 of the time and requires you to enter long random strings of alphanumerics (why not just send a link that includes the login/password as url params? then I could just click the damn link?)

I like my iPhone and consider it a decent value for the $250 I paid for it (AT&T Wireless refurb) but I have some issues, anyone else run into these annoyances?

• WAY too many steps to dial a number, luckily I don't make many actual phone calls on my iPhone.
• Too easy to hang up on a caller ("End Call" button under swipe)
• Can't type in lengthwise format for email/txt and the narrow format is too cramped.
• Auto suggestion is not as helpful as I had hoped. Works great for crafting whole sentances in email but when texting abbreviations you can end up feeling like you are fighting it. (example: typing "account(s)" it wanted to make the 's' an 'a' for some reason).
• Also, the UI to remove the auto selection is terrible. I'm supposed to hit a 2-pixel wide "x" everytime it guesses wrong? Meh.
• Edge network not responsive for web browsing. Bascially you can't count on a useable web experience unless you have a wi-fi connection.
• Form field entry (web) is annoying, can't see what you are typing most of the time.
• Return button next to delete? Idiotic!
• Microphone jack non-standard? Only Apple would do something this monumentally stupid...
• Battery life is a bit of a drag, but I guess charging every other day is acceptable for being able to carry around a small computer.
• Maps application is different than google maps, can't find as many locations. So I end up just using google maps via the web instead. Tres annoying.
• WiFi detection can be aggrevating, if you are on the edge of range you will get constant confirmation msgs. Also the switching from Edge to WiFi and back kills your network responsiveness.
• Materials design sucks. Looks great but doesn't hold up well to daily use. (There is a reason that not many hand tools are coated in chrome.)
• No cut and paste? Weird.
• No IM? Weirder.
• Can't sync via Bluetooth/iSync, only via iTunes? I guess I hoped they wouldn't have to subsidize the cost with adversiting...
• Doesn't dial phone extensions, I'm forced to enter as XXX-XXX-XXXX,,XXXX in my phonebook.

gene  05/20/2008 - 10:16  Geektalk  Technology

Two (and only two) features Firefox should copy from IE 7:

1) Option to allow new tabs to be opened next to the current rather than at the far right. Easier to keep your browsing subjects grouped together. Some may not like this so make it an option to enable.

2) Option to allow seperate sessions per window. Example: I can open IE, then re-launch it and run two windows at the same time with different session vars which is nice for web development. (This is actually a result of crappy app design by Microsoft but if it could be implemented as a secure option if FF that would rock)

Jos  04/04/2008 - 11:04  Games  Geek

Ed note: Sorry Jos I've been ignoring my blog lately, I finally pushed this to the front page.

Have to pass this one along. It's damn near brilliant.

gene  03/07/2008 - 14:45  Meta

Finally back up, sorry about the inability to comment or login but my logging table (watchdog) was corrupt and since it didn't really take down the site I was too lazy to fix until now.

I really need to upgrade Drupal... it's REALLY cool now.

gene  01/02/2008 - 13:30  Sports

For the first time ever, I looked up the NBA standings. I couldn't help it, I was curious where the Blazer's epic string of wins left them in their conference. (answer: a very close 2nd to Denver)

Hopefully I'm still the same person I was yesterday.

gene  01/01/2008 - 00:01  Announcements

High five!

Jos  12/18/2007 - 08:00  Geek

Ok, so I'm looking into getting myself a new laptop for Christmas. I'm also thinking about making it a Mac, but I've been working with "the Dark side" for so long that I'm not as up as I should be on what's out there for good use.

My primary use will be word processing (writer, duh), web surfing, and a few multi-media presentations. Now, as I'll also be using this for my day job, where most of the financial programs are built for Windows rather than Macs, I may need to be able to run XP (We will not mention The Operating System That Sucketh, yea Verily).

gene  12/14/2007 - 10:54  Investing  Journal

UPDATE (12/31): Put the last bit of cash reserves in KONG (now I'm at 6.13/share cost basis).

UPDATE (12/18): Doubled my position in DBTK at the current price, bringing my ave cost per share down to 21.36. Bought KONG @6.16 per share (Chinese cellular provider). That pretty much taps out my cash holdings but I have a bit left if anyone has any hot tips...

UPDATE (12/17): Harsh intro, as DBTK is down 12% and KONG would have given me a nice bump. Oh well, buy and hold right?

More on this later, but wanted to post the cold hard facts and a bit of my thinking. I would love to hear any opposing viewpoints, or your own investment ideas.

I've never done any investing other than picking funds for my retirement account, but I purchased equal stakes of the following stocks this afternoon:

DBTK @22.7200
DOUBLE TAKE SOFTWARE COM

Justification: In my view this is company is either a buyout target or a future growth stock. It's a business model I believe in and because it's a new stock I'm willing to buy nearer to the top of the 12 month trading range than I'd prefer. My goal is to sit on this one, possibly adding to my position on the dips, for at least the medium-term (5-10 years).

UMPQ @14.8378
UMPQUA HOLDINGS

Justification: Being pulled down by sector's subprime meltdown but from what I can tell they did not issue a bunch of junk consumer mortgages. Also they operate in areas where the real estate crash has been more of a plateau than a dive (N. Cali and Pacific NW). My hope is that I get a quick bounce in the next year or so, take a bit of profit out and hold the rest as a med/long term play.

Future possibilities: ETFs representing China, broader Asia (ex Japan) and Latin America, JBLU, QSII, WFMI, NFLX, NTGR, KONG, ERTS, SAY

Credits: Fool.com, Google Finance, Yahoo! Finance

gene  12/07/2007 - 11:06  Current Events  Portland

I've had a similar experience to this lady's encounter with the Portland Police.

Jennifer Karps, 37, says in her lawsuit that an officer rudely pushed a friend and abruptly pulled her aside as he tried to reach fans at a Portland Timbers game in PGE park who were lighted flares last September. ...

After the game, Karps says she was standing in the stadium's concourse when Sothern called out: "So, do you still want my badge number?" in "an unprofessional, condescending and mocking tone," and asked if she wanted an ambulance in the same tone.

When Karps said all she wanted was his badge number, Sothern handcuffed her and placed her in a patrol car for 30 minutes before driving her to jail, the suit says. Police accused her of interference and harassment and released her nearly six hours later at 3 a.m.