isnoop.net blog

From Tuttle SVC

If you would like to try out the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) system for yourself, follow these simple steps:

1. Download the VMware Player installer and run it;
2. Download the VMWare Image file: (Bittorrent, original, mirror) and unzip it somewhere handy;
3. Navigate to the unzipped files and double click on the ‘olpc’ VMware Configuration File;
4. Tell the player it is ok to change the system’s UUID and click through the error messages;
5. You should have a fresh simulated XO laptop. Have fun messing with it.

I’ve mirrored the 136MB image here, but I strongly suggest downloading the bittorrent if you can.

Every light fixture in my home, with the exception of those in the bathroom, is on a dimmer circuit. I’m not sure who’s idea it was, but it is kinda nice if you want to set a romantic mood by the coat closet.

Most CFL (Compact FLuorescent) bulbs come with a warning indicating that they should not be used in dimmer circuits, among other things. Always interested in saving a watt or two, I’ve kept my eyes open for dimmer-compatible CFL bulbs every time I visit the lighting section of my local hardware store.

On my most recent trip, I found and purchased two 26W (100W equivalent) dimmable CFLs at the dandy price of $10 each. I installed them a week ago tonight and they worked fantastically. They don’t dim out fully like incandescent bulbs, merely reducing to about 25% brightness at the lowest level, but they produce a pleasant white light and don’t emit any noise.

That is, until tonight.

After one full week of regular nightly use, one of the bulbs began to “click” every few minutes. This went on for only a few hours until it clicked one last time, blinked, and then went out for good. As it turns out, I may have gotten a bum bulb and I will exchange it for another to make sure. However, my hopes are fading for this early crop of dimmable CFL bulbs. With a price point around that of 20 incandescent bulbs or 5 similar non-dimmable CFLs, one should expect much better results.

Ah well. As with all new things, one should expect some flaws. I just hope these bulbs won’t burn down my home like this company’s other models were said to. Only time will tell.

My Tivo just shut down while I was watching late-night election coverage. When the machine came back online several minutes later, I was prompted with a notice about the update I’d just received. As it turns out, my Series 2 Tivo now supports WPA security (with Tivo Wireless Network Adapter).

For the sake of those who downgraded their network security due to lack of WPA support on a few lagging devices such as Tivo, I’m very glad they have rolled out this update. After begging Tivo to release this feature, I chose to buy an overpriced wireless access point and hook the Tivo up to that.

Thank you, Tivo, for coming out to support your users’ security, even if it is several years late.

I just got home and found an unexpected package at my door. It is a Philips Senseo pod coffee maker. Despite living in Seattle and working within two blocks of no less than a half-dozen fantastic coffee makers, I’m not much of a java drinker. Honestly, I’m more of a tea man, but who am I to say no to a free coffee maker?

Rinse out machine, plug it all in, First thing after rinsing it all out and plugging it in, I put in a pod, plunked down my biggest mug, and pressed the big/two cup button.

The folks who designed these coffee pods must have done quite a bit of testing to come up with a coffee grind that can be so completely exhausted so quickly. I watched with great interest as the cup filled halfway and then the coffee coming out turned light tan and then clear in under ten seconds. After inspecting the hieroglyphs on the coffee pod holders (2), I discerned that I should have used the other pod holder and inserted two pods.

One cup down the drain.

I put my cup back under the machine, lowered the head, and pressed the one cup button. After a bit of chatter, the machine starts pumping water all over my counter. Apparently the coffee maker will still run even if the head isn’t locked in place. It may appear that you’ve shut it if the latch is down and the head is lowered, but you can’t latch it until after it’s shut. I imagine it will also spew hot water if you don’t put in the pod holder, so don’t do either of those things.

Third time’s the charm. I put a single pod into the holder, filled my cup 1/4 with milk and let ‘er rip on one cup of fancy Irish cream coffee.

I’ve never had such tasty drip coffee.

My first thought upon seeing the machine was that I’d have to spend the rest of my days buying proprietary teabags full of coffee grounds so Philips can earn a return on this loss leader machine. As it turns out, the pods are simply round mesh pouches and the two pod holder has enough space to fit even the largest of teabags.

I’m currently drinking the most convenient cup of tea I’ve ever made. I do believe this machine will find quite a bit of use in my home through the cool winter ahead.

A tip for those who might make tea in their Senseo: One typical teabag equals two coffee pods. Your results may vary, but my tea came out very potent for the first half of the process and the second half lightened out and eventually ran clear. The end result was a perfectly steeped cup made in less than a minute.

Don’t want spammers emailing you through your website’s contact link? The answer is simple: Forget email. Give the internet your phone number.

There are a number of services available which provide a cheap or free voicemail box with a number based in just about any major city. I’ve used k7.net to create my own voicemail/fax line that feeds straight into my email box.

If you’d like to reach me, feel free to give me a call any time, 24×7 at 206.666.3187. If you ever lose the number, don’t worry. You can find it on the front page of my website.

MacSaber 1.1 has been released, now with expanded 17″ PowerBook support and keyboard backlight effects. I invite you to take your very expensive laptop into a dark room and swing it around* for improved dramatic effect.

Download MacSaber 1.1.

*Don’t break your laptop, okay? If you do, don’t blame me.

If you use an automatic toilet sanitizer such as 2,000 Flushes Blue or anything similar, you are probably familiar with the phenomenon of the sharp spike in blueness over the first week or two followed by a whimpering taper off into nothingness.

You can get a much longer lasting and more consistent experience out of your toilet tablets if you find yourself a low, wide plastic cup. Put the puck into the cup and carefully drop it into your tank, letting the cup sink to the bottom. Make sure not to touch the puck with your bare hands, though; it’s a bloody rock made of ultra-concentrated toilet cleaner.

You may have to adjust the cup’s position based on your tank’s flow pattern, but you should find that the cleaning lasts longer and stays more consistent over its lifetime.

This has to be the most random and off-topic thing I have blogged so far, but I’m sure at least one person out there will benefit from the tip.

Monday: Saw Metric
One of the better live shows I’ve been to. The opening bands (The Islands, End of Fashion) were more than just bearable, which was quite a surprise to me after some of the openers I’ve endured in the past. On the topic of openers, I really enjoyed The Islands and will have to pick up one of their discs.

I long suspected Metric would sound fantastic live since their sound isn’t over-produced. Almost every sound you hear on their albums can be easily reproduced live with the four people on stage. I hope they don’t change that very important quality as they grow in popularity.

Tuesday: Spicy Chicken Goes Straight for the Damned Eye
We didn’t want to bother with cooking dinner, so Emily and I went to the local Whole Foods Market (organic grocer) for their excellent hot/cold soup & salad bar.

I’d just dished some red spicy chicken into a box and was buttoning it up when one of the flaps slipped and catapulted an ant-sized chunk of concentrated hellspice straight under my glasses lens and into my favorite eye.

It’s moments like these when the world around you dissolves, you drop all of your inhibitions (and spicy chicken), and madly paw at your eye with a napkin trying to sop up the burning red pepper oil before it reaches your brain.

Thankfully, I walked away from that situation with both eyes intact, but I count myself among the lucky. Also, that spicy chicken can burn in hell. Last night I ate beef.

Also Tuesday: House Cleaners Aren’t PC Savvy
We hired some cleaners to a nice deep spring cleaning on our home. When I returned home, I found my computer’s mousepad with built-in wrist rest rotated backwards; 180° from normal.

My amusement was furthered when I noticed that there wasn’t a mouse on the pad, but a stapler. And a razor blade.

After righting the pad and putting away the other stuff, it occurred to me that the mouse was nowhere to be found. It took me a minute to locate it on the bookshelf.

I suppose the cleaning people weren’t so PC savvy. They were, however, very handy with the sponge and broom, so I’m not complaining.