December 2010
The year in review
by Volker Weber
Wrote stuff, built enterprise systems, fixed a few, traveled a bit, spoke at some conferences, spent time in the sun, ate too much good food, listened to lots of great music, saw some movies, still had a lot more readers. Resolution for next year: continue the life that I love.
Thank you for stopping by. I love you.
Heute lesen
by Volker Weber
Vorgestern schrieb ich mit Verweis auf diesen Eintrag auf Facebook:
Wenn ich groß bin, möchte ich mal so schreiben können wie Maximilian Buddenbohm
Kurz darauf meldete sich per Skype Malte Diedrich Widenka:
Malte: das buddenbohmbuch. willste das haben, mit widmung?
vowe: gerne. der schreibt so genial.
Malte: kommt. ist mein nachbar :)
Malte: steht deine adresse im blog?
vowe: vowe.net/contact
Malte: fein, ist morgen in der post
vowe: danke. und schönen gruß.
Danke an Maximilian und Malte. Muss weg. Habe jetzt was zu tun. :-)
Palm Pre wird bei Pearl verramscht
by Volker Weber
Das Logo im Katalog ist aus dem Museum. Das Handy neu. Billiger als ein drei Jahre altes iPhone gebraucht.
[Danke, Alex]
RunKeeper Pro is currently free
by Volker Weber
New Year's special: RunKeeper Pro is FREE through the end of January
Original Victorinox Schweizer Postbeamtenmesser
by Volker Weber
Photo: vowe
Skype adds video call to iOS app
by Volker Weber
You need an iPhone 4 or an iPod touch with front facing camera to place video calls. Older models with iOS4 can participate in one way video calls. I tried calling from an iPod touch to a Macbook Pro, and video calls worked over both Wi-Fi and 3G. The other party had to manually switch on their video camera, so it's a bit more complicated than Facetime, but it does work over 3G.
Why excellence in customer service is important
by Volker Weber
It's almost five years ago that Ben Rose told me about a product I never heard of before. And it took another three months until I finally had a sample. The company had a single product with a clunky remote, and when I unpacked it, I was unimpressed. It seemed very limited and I could not get it to work. I was about to give up on it, and then I talked to their head of customers service for a good hour. Calling in from Santa Barbara, on their money. He had me connect some ethernet wires, run some tests, submit diagnostics over the Internet. And then he knew what the problem was: a faulty wireless card in one of the boxes. I was sent a new one which arrived the next day. I was able to set it up in about five minutes. I liked it, and I wrote a series of reviews about it. Over time, I liked the product so much, that I "sold" it to my friends, their friends, and their friends' friends. The company had turned an impatient reviewer into a favorable one.
They not only had a sound product, but excellent customer service. Don't know what I am talking about? Read my first impressions. I was almost a lost cause, but they never gave up. Not customer service, not PR.
If you understand German, compare that to what I just experienced with a German company, which refuses to repair their product, if I send it to them directly on my own money, without going through Amazon.
Polizei auf Knöllchenjagd
by Volker Weber
Polizisten sind erneut aufgefordert worden, möglichst viel Verwarnungsgeld eintreiben. Doch der Landespolizeichef bestreitet dazu eine Anordnung gegeben zu haben.
BlackBerry PlayBook battery issues could delay launch
by Volker Weber
According to Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu, RIM may be forced to delay the release of its first tablet computer, the BlackBerry PlayBook. Wu claims he is hearing that the PlayBook “needs to improve its relatively poor battery life of a few hours compared to 6 hours for the Samsung Galaxy Tab and 10 hours for [Apple's] iPad.” As a result, Wu writes, the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook may be delayed until May, 2011. Wu notes that the cause of the battery issues may stem from the fact that QNX, the PlayBook’s operating system, was designed for use in scenarios where battery life is not an issue — such as in automobiles. RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie stated last month that the PlayBook would launch in the first quarter of 2011, with a price tag under $500.
Probleme bei Napster und Sonos
by Volker Weber
Sehr geehrte Sonos Kunden,Wir möchten Ihnen erneut mitteilen das Napster uns darauf hingewiesen hat dass es in den kommenden Tagen, also auch Sylvester und Neujahr, zu Problemen beim Suchen, Durchstöbern sowie der Wiedergabe und Anzeige von Titeln und Coverbildern kommen kann.
Auch können Titel übersprungen oder gar nicht erst wiedergegeben werden. In einigen Fällen kann es sogar zu einem Komplettausfall der Napster Funktionalität in Ihrem Sonos System kommen.
Sonos sieht dieses Verhalten als unakzeptabel und als inkonsistent mit den hohen Qualitätsansprüchen an die wir an unsere Produkte und unsere Partner stellen. Wir arbeiten momentan mit Napster daran die derzeitigen Umstände zu beseitigen und eine fehlerfreie Funktionalität, wie unsere Kunden und auch Sonos es erwartet, zu garantieren.
Ganz kleiner Kundenservice
by Volker Weber
Bisher war ich mit unserem Technisat Digicorder HD S2 Plus eigentlich sehr zufrieden. Bis die Platte anfing zu zicken. Eine 160 GB Platte. Keine Ahnung, wo Technisat diese Museumsstücke noch einkauft. Es gibt auch ein Modell mit 500er Platte, das kostet 200 Euro mehr. Zum Vergleich: aktuell kostet eine Samsung 500 GB Platte etwas unter 40 Euro, für knapp 90 Euro gibt es zwei Terabyte.
Ein Kunde, der weiß an welchem Ende ein Lötkolben warm wird, der nimmt für 40 Euro keine Garantie in Anspruch, sondern kauft kurzerhand eine neue Platte. Um sie zu tauschen, muss man zwei Gehäuseschrauben lösen, vier Schrauben an der Festplatte und zwei Kabel abziehen. Dann das ganze retour. Das würde vielleicht 10 Minuten dauern. Oder eine Stunde, wenn man die Platte erst noch einkaufen muss.
Interessanterweise hat Technisat gleich mehrere Hürden eingebaut, um die Kunden vor den Kopf zu stoßen:
- Das Gehäuse ist mit einem Siegel verschlossen. Ohne Siegel keine Garantie.
- Man kann das Gerät beim Hersteller registrieren. Technisat nimmt aber keine Geräte vom Endkunden zur Garantieabwicklung an. Man muss es ggfls an Amazon zurückschicken, die mit dem Gerät auch nicht mehr machen dürfen, als es an Technisat zu schicken.
- Der Händler meint, Technisat werde voraussichtlich drei Wochen brauchen, das "Problem" zu lösen. Das sei sein Wunschtermin. Es könne aber auch Ende Januar werden.
- Kommt man nun auf die Idee, das ohne den Hersteller zu regeln, unter Verlust der Garantie selbstverständlich, dann wird man feststellen, dass das Gerät keineswegs einfach eine neue Platte akzeptiert, wie das unser alter Kathrein tat.
Ich weiß nicht, was ihr machen würdet, aber ich werde nichts mehr kaufen, auf dem Technisat steht. Und ich weiß auch wieder, wie sensationell gut der Sonos-Service im Vergleich dieser Branche ist.
Memolane
by Volker Weber
Ed writes:
What I don't get yet is the social aspect of MemoLane. I know why *I* want access to all this stuff, but I'm not sure why I want to make it open to others, or to what granularity.
What is Memolane? It's an online service which aggregates a timeline of the pieces you publish on the web. They currently support Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Last.fm, Foursquare, Tripit, YouTube and any RSS feed. It basically aggregates what you shared already.
I find it quite redundant since Google already follows me. If you find Memolane scary, then you might want to reconsider your public life. My brain is very good at aggregating information. If you publish on your site, on Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr, chances are that I have seen (and memorized) it.
And the winner is ...
by Volker Weber
As the year comes to a close, I can finally tell you what my favorite smartphone in 2010 has been. I don't compare the features side-by-side. It's a very simple vote: which phone do I pick for the day. There are quite a few test units around the house, and you will often find me with two phones, which of course is kind of silly.
Phone is the wrong word anyway. Yes, I can talk using these small computers, but most of the time I use them to access the Internet, using a variety of services like email, Twitter, Facebook, more recently Path. Phone calls are the least used service, actually.
At the beginning of the year, the Nexus One was my favorite phone. Fast, great screen resolution, excellent integration into Google's services. Much better than the old iPhone 3G I had. And loads more fun than the BlackBerry Bold, which always served as a parachute when traveling. Because. It. Just. Works.
The iPhone 4 won me back. For a number of reasons:
- Facetime. Video makes all the difference, when you are away from home. Not video, glued to a computer screen, but around the house, everywhere, anytime. I never felt so connected before I started using Facetime.
- Camera. The iPhone 4 camera is simply "good enough". I never shot more photos with any point-and-shoot camera. It's the camera that is always with me.
- Connectivity. When you travel in major cities in the US, you are always close to a Starbucks. They offer free Wi-Fi to iPhones. Data roaming is way way way too expensive on cellular networks, but free Wi-Fi, hey, ...
- Display. I am near-sighted, which means I don't need reading glasses, although I am old enough for them. Which means, I can clearly see the display at close quarters without glasses. And I can't see any pixels. The screen is better than my eyes.
Android, Windows Phone 7, the excellent Nokia N8, the new Blackberry Torch, none of them beat the iPhone 4. They all have their merits, but since the iPhone 4 came out, they were all #2 at best.
The winner for 2010 is .. the iPhone 4. What will next year bring?
Mercedes wieder
by Volker Weber
My BlackBerry is not working
by Volker Weber
Drive dry
by Volker Weber
How do I remove location sharing requests from Latitude
by Volker Weber
I generally like Google Latitude, but there is one annoying behavior that I am unable to resolve: I cannot remove location sharing requests. When I remove a contact, it comes back as a location sharing request. When I deny a location sharing request, it just comes back. See those five requests below:
Hier ist das Erste Deutsche Fernsehen mit der Tagesschau
by Volker Weber
Photo: vowe
US Bullies Spain into Proposed Website Blocking Law
by Volker Weber
Let’s be clear what this means; a US official apparently pressured the government of Spain to adopt novel and untested legislative measures that have never been proposed in the US Congress, and as the other cables published by El Pais show, did so at the request of US IP rightsholders.
Aufnahmezustand
by Volker Weber
"Aufnahmezustand" lädt ausgesuchte Bands und Musiker ein, zwei Tage im "Saal 4" des ehemaligen "Funkhauses der DDR" in Berlin ihre Songs live einzuspielen: So, wie sie sie auf der Bühne spielen oder auch mal ganz anders arrangiert. "Aufnahmezustand" ist dabei, wenn im Tonstudio der Aufnahmeknopf gedrückt wird und fängt die magischen Momente einer Studiosession mit der Kamera ein.
Abusive feed readers, here Mac OS X Mail or Safari
by Volker Weber
Today I had another idiot who refreshes my feed every single fukcing second, causing problems for others. I have now deployed a script that won't let you fetch the feed that quickly.
If your feed isn't working anymore, chances are you are this person.
c't testen
by Volker Weber
c't kann man kostenlos testen. Drei Hefte und dann endet das Abo automatisch. Finde ich gut.
Cute Mercedes video
by Volker Weber
Google Latitude finally on iPhone
by Volker Weber
How did I miss this last week? Google Latitude is finally available on the iPhone, updating your location in the background. So far I could only do this on Android and BlackBerry.
Donald Ferguson: Simplify
by Volker Weber
BBC: What's the biggest technology mistake you ever made - either at work or in your own life?
Fergusson: When I was at IBM, I started a product called Websphere ... Because I had come from working on big mission-critical systems, I thought it needs to be scalable, reliable, have a single point of control ... It was too complex for people to master. I overdesigned it.
Google Maps 5.0 for Android
by Volker Weber
Pressemitteilung des Tages
by Volker Weber
Zum Verständnis, alt und neu nebeneinander:
IBM Lotus news fixed
by Volker Weber
After only five months Lotus has added eight new stories to the press room. Apparently things can get fixed.
Ad Hoc iOS App Installs for Testing Purposes
by Volker Weber
One of the major pain points in developing mobile applications for iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) is testing those apps. As we've noted before, the traditional testing method is time-consuming and cumbersome - files have to be emailed or shared, then downloaded to a computer, dragged into iTunes and synced to the mobile device ...
But there's a better way, as it turns out, thanks to a change Apple made in iOS 4.0 but didn't publicize.
OSNews: "FBI Added Secret Backdoors to OpenBSD IPSEC"
by Volker Weber
Okay, this is potentially very big news that really needs all the exposure it can get. OpenBSD's Theo de Raadt has received an email in which it was revealed to him that ten years ago, the FBI paid several open source developers to implement hidden backdoors in OpenBSD's IPSEC stack. De Raadt decided to publish the email for all to see, so that the code in question can be reviewed. Insane stuff.
Comment spam workflow at vowe's magic flying circus
by Volker Weber
- Remove comment and close comments on posting
- Find low wage country and network: whois 210.211.234.89
- Block network: deny from 210.211.128.0/17
VM Import for Amazon EC2
by Volker Weber
We are excited to announce the immediate availability of VM Import for Amazon EC2. VM Import enables you to easily import virtual machine images from your existing environment to Amazon EC2 instances. ... This offering is available at no additional charge beyond standard usage charges for Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3.
Currently supports VMware VMDK images for Windows Server 2008 SP2.
New media player: Netgear NeoTV 550
by Volker Weber
The son of EVA is here: a brand new NeoTV 550. Immediate benefits over the EVA9150: no fan, no spinning disk, much smaller, support for DTS in the box. Speaking of formats, this is what NeoTV supports:
- File formats: ISO (Bluray, DVD), BDMV (Bluray, BDMV, BDM), BDAV (Bluray M2TS), IFO (DVD), Matroska (MKV, MKA), Windows Media (WMV, WMA, ASF, DVR-MS), AVI (AVI, DIVX, XVID), MPEG-PS, MPEG-TS (MPG), MPEG-4 (QuickTime, MP4, M4V, M4A), MPEG Audio (MP3), FLAC, WAVE (WAV), JPEG, TIFF, PNG, BMP
- Video formats/codecs: AVC (H.264), VC-1, MPEG-4 Visual (e.g. XVID, DIVX), MPEG-2 Video, MPEG Video, H.263, H.261, Windows Media Video
- Audio formats/ codecs: AC-3 (Dolby Digital), Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS HD HR, DTS HD MA, DTS ES, MPEG-4 Audio, MPEG Audio (e.g. MP3), AAC, Windows Media Audio 9, WMA9 Pro, FLAC, (L)PCM
- Subtitle formats: All Bluray subtitle formats, Internal UTF-8, SSA, ASS, ASCII, SUB/IDX (MKV), Internal PGS (M2TS), Internal SPU (DVD), External .SRT, .SMI, .SSA, .ASS, .TXT (MKV, AVI, WMV, MP4), External .SUB/.IDX (MKV, AVI, WMV)
It's way uglier than the EVA, but I am not much concerned about that. I only wonder when Netgear will hire a UX designer. I tell you a bit more about the device once I used it for a little bit.
Der Krug geht so lange zum Brunnen
by Volker Weber
Es handelt sich laut den Angaben wie bereits vermutet um einen Deutschen albanischer Herkunft. Er stammte aus Neumünster, war der Polizei als Intensivtäter bekannt und galt als gewalttätig.
Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt, wie viele polizeibekannte Intensivtäter frei herumlaufen.
IBM Lotus Notes and Lotus iNotes 8.5.2 on Citrix XenApp 4.5/5.0: A scalability analysis
by Volker Weber
This white paper provides an overview and recommendations for how to get the most from the IBM Lotus Notes 8.5.2 client on the Citrix XenApp 5.0 server.
Leadership
by Volker Weber
Ed writes
the last piece that completes our leadership equation in the business mobile collaboration space
I really wonder how that leadership is defined. Certainly not by "being first" or "broadest support by the industry".
Maybe Nokia is right, and Scoble is wrong
by Volker Weber
Nokia Smartphone Strategy and Execution IS Right, even if the Scobleizer can't find developers who say they like Nokia
Plantronics K100: Er blinkt nicht!
by Volker Weber
Gadgets blinken gerne. BlackBerrys blinken rot, wenn ungelesene Mails vorliegen, blau, wenn sie eine Bluetooth-Verbindung unterhalten, und früher haben sie auch grün geblinkt, um ihrer Freude über eine bestehende Mobilfunkverbindung Ausdruck zu verleihen. Überhaupt blinken alle Bluetooth-Geräte gerne blau, auch wenn man sie hinter dem Ohr gar nicht selbst sehen kann. So richtig nervig wird dieses Geblinke, wenn man nachts im Auto unterwegs ist und vor sich eine Freisprecheinrichtung hängen hat, die ein Blaulicht simuliert. Und damit kommen wir zum allerdollsten Feature des Plantronics K100:
Man kann das Blinken abschalten. Halleluja! Die exzellente Sprachqualität, das schicke Aussehen, die einfache Lautstärkeregelung über ein Rad statt einer Wippe, die einfache Bedienung überhaupt, das nimmt man schon als selbstverständlich mit. Aber die Kiste blinkt nicht und muss nicht mit einem Klebeband verbessert werden. Das ist endlich mal eine Neuheit, die bitte jetzt ganz schnell alle Hersteller kopieren.
Editor-so-refuses-to-give-it-back award. Am Hosenband. Mit Brillianten und Schwertern.
Den FM Transmitter habe ich mir noch nicht angeschaut. Der kann nicht nur ein Telefongespräch an das Autoradio senden, sondern auch Musik, die er vom Telefon per A2DP empfängt. Bisher bin ich von diesen Lösungen nicht so begeistert, weil man das erstens auch im Nachbarauto empfangen kann, und zweitens, weil selten Frequenzen wirklich frei sind. Probier ich aber noch aus ...
JMStV vor dem Aus
by Volker Weber
Der geplante Staatsvertrag für Jugendschutz in den Medien steht vor dem Aus. Als letztes Bundesland müsste Nordrhein-Westfalen zustimmen - doch eine ganz große Koalition stemmt sich dagegen: Neben CDU, FDP und Linken wollen jetzt auch die Regierungsparteien SPD und Grüne die Regelung ablehnen.
Halten wir die Daumen, dass wirklich so abgestimmt wird.
TomTom GO LIVE 1000: some disappointments
by Volker Weber
I generally like the new TomTom device. But there are a few things that bother me:
- Today I checked the traffic situation around Frankfurt on routes.tomtom.com and found a major traffic jam on my intended route. In the car however, the TomTom GO LIVE 1000 did not show any problems after updating the traffic information. Guess what? Routes.tomtom.com was right. Instead of trusting the PND I routed my way around the situation from the top of my head. The device kept on updating its traffic data, but it never showed the traffic jam that was there, and was also shown on routes.tomtom.com. vowe wins, GO loses.
- MyTomTom, the new online update service is bad. At first it tells you "no update". Then it updates itself (full install), then it tells you there are updates. Then it won't tell you what it is installing. That is exactly what I do not want. Tell me what you want to do, and then let me decide whether I want that. Otherwise I won't ever be connecting my device again.
- Look at these FAQs (german). None of this is available: backing up, adding POIs, purchasing maps, downloading voices, managing maps, activating promotions (service cards, etc), map share corrections, sharing favorites, speed cameras.
Tell you what: this thing isn't done yet. It was rushed to the market to meet the Xmas season. I am sure it will become more useful as things evolve.
Habemus Visual Voicemail on O2
by Volker Weber
Photo: vowe
Now available: Lotus Notes Traveler for Android
by Volker Weber
Today, IBM is shipping Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.2.1. New in this release -- the Notes Traveler client for Android OS. The new client provides support for mail/calendar/contacts on any Android 2.x-based device.
Requirements: Domino 8.5.2 and a client install on the phone.
Amazon MP3 for BlackBerry smartphones
by Volker Weber
Imagine having access to just about any song you want, any time or any place you want it. Find new tracks, buy them, download them and move them around. Amazon MP3 for BlackBerry® smartphones is fun, easy and quick.
Says RIM. Currently in beta in the US.
O2 aktiviert Visual Voicemail schrittweise
by Volker Weber
Seit dem vergangenen Wochenende stehen für iPhone-Nutzer neue Netzbetreibereinstellungen des Mobilfunkanbieters O2 in Version 9.2 bereit, die die Grundlage für Visual Voicemail bilden. Diese in der Telefon-App des iPhones integrierte Übersicht aller eingegangenen Sprachnachrichten will O2 für die eigenen iPhone-Kunden bis zum 18. Dezember schrittweise aktivieren - erste Nutzer können bereits im O2-Netz auf Visual Voicemail zugreifen.
Internet Tethering - einfach so
by Volker Weber
Ich bin ein erklärter O2-Fan. Seit vielen Jahren habe ich meinen privaten Vertrag da und ich werde exzellent bei meiner Arbeit unterstützt. Wenn ich mir die Angebote und die Leistungen der Provider anschaue, dann spricht mich O2 mehr an als der Wettbewerb.
Ein Beispiel ist das iPhone. Während Telekom und Vodafone das iPhone nur mit Netlock anbieten, ist das iPhone bei O2 die gleiche Handelsware wie bei Apple. Ohne jede Sperre, jedoch mit Finanzierung über einen Ratenvertrag. Am letzten Freitag gab es dann ein Update der Providereinstellungen, und nun kann man das iPhone auch als Internetzugang für seinen mobilen Computer nutzen. Entweder über das USB-Kabel angeschlossen oder, wenn das mal nicht dabei ist, per Bluetooth. Apple nennt das "Internet Tethering".
Bei Telekom und Vodafone wird für dieses Feature zusätzlich kassiert. Nicht so bei O2. Der Kunde gewinnt. Und wenn der Kunde gewinnt, dann auch der Carrier. Zufriedene Kunden muss man nämlich nicht mit Sperren an sich binden. Die bleiben freiwillig.
Mit Huawei bei Vodafone unterwegs
by Volker Weber
Seit dem Wochenende bin ich mit einer Vodafone SIM im Huawei E5 (E5830S) unterwegs. 7.2 Mbps downlink, 5.76 Mbps uplink. Internet wie zu Hause. It. Just. Works.
TomTom GO LIVE 1000: First Impressions
by Volker Weber
Kathrin, my TomTom GO 940, has dumped me, so I hooked up with Yannick, a TomTom GO LIVE 1000. He's a boy, and he is also a bit bossy. I need to find a different (computer) voice, which can speak street names.
My experience so far is mixed. On one hand, the navigation has been perfect, and that's what counts. On the other hand, this device is completely locked up. You can't move any files in and out, unless you go through a new TomTom online experience. It won't mount as a drive on your computer.
Things I like: the new screen mount has gotten even better. It holds the device steadfast - no wobbling whatsoever. It's also very easy to remove the device from the mount and to reattach it, since it now uses a magnet. You can remove the proprietary cable from the mount and attach it directly to the device. I am probably going to put it on the center console instead of the screen. The display is even better than on previous devices and it gives you a very good reading of what is happening on your route through a strip on the right side of the screen. It will also show you exactly the same information you get from routes.tomtom.com.
Unlike the GO 940 I had, the new GO LIVE 1000 came with only a Europe map, but not the US map I have used occasionally. That won't be a problem since I can use a smartphone for navigation abroad. Most likely the Nokia N8, with Ovi Maps and pre-installed maps.
Prices have come down considerably, and you can easily find a perfectly working PND with a EU map for half the price of this device, even from TomTom. This is their top of the line offering. And they claim to be able to offer you better routes than anybody else, due to their Live Services. You get two years of service with the purchase , and after those two years I would suggest to dump it on eBay and get a new one. :-)
Do penguins fly?
by Volker Weber
Duffbert: Why I don't think XPages will make a difference in turning the tide...
by Volker Weber
I have no confidence that it (XPages) will make any difference in stemming the tide of what appears by all accounts to be a continual slide in lost Lotus accounts.
Search on
by Volker Weber
Comment of the day
by Volker Weber
Thank you for making it easy to never use your software again.
Mein Computer ist sturer als Dein Computer
by Volker Weber
Photo: vowe
Callcenter beisst sich an Fritz!Box die Zähne aus. Ich bin ja so froh, dass man diese Idioten so einfach abschalten kann.
Update: Anrufstatistik
10.12.2010 114 Anrufe zwischen 18:55 und 21:11
11.12.2010 193 Anrufe zwischen 11:16 und 16:05
12.12.2010 298 Anrufe zwischen 10:14 und 16:48
13.12.2010 18 Anrufe zwischen 17:21 und 18:28
Der Anrufer ist die IFAK GmbH & Co., Georg-Ohm-Str. 1, 65232 Taunusstein.
Quote of the day
by Volker Weber
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
— George Orwell, 1984
Zustellung
by Volker Weber
Ich habe mitterweile alle Kuriere soweit instruiert, dass Sie Post für mich auch beim Nachbarn zustellen dürfen, WENN sie mir dann auch einen Hinweis in den Briefkasten stecken. Klappt eigentlich ganz gut, bis auf einen Nachbarn, der es nicht so eilig hat. "Nein, brauchen Sie nicht zu machen". Zwei Tage vergehen. "Volker, Du, bei uns wurde was für Dich abgegeben. Ich such's Dir raus und bringe es Dir später".
Auch nicht schlecht: Einschreiben. Die Post, wo man sowas abholen muss, liegt in der Nähe des Autobahnanschlusses. Da fährt man erst mal nach Hause, holt sich die Benachrichtigung aus dem Briefkasten, dann den ganzen Weg zurück durch die Stadt, halbe Stunde anstehen (Vorweihnachtszeit abends). "Nein, das ist noch nicht da. Immer erst am nächsten Tag". Also wieder retour durch die Stadt. Macht gut eine Stunde. Morgen dann noch mal. Das schaffen wir schon. Samstag ist ja eh nix los auf der Post.
Update: Samstag morgens um 8 Uhr ist tatsächlich nichts los bei der Post. Brief abgeholt, SIM entnommen, alles ist gut.
c’t Magazin für iPad im iTunes App Store
by Volker Weber
Mit dieser iPad-App lesen Sie Europas meistabonniertes IT-Magazin im Original-Look der Print-Ausgabe.
Eine ältere c’t steht Ihnen als Gratis-Leseprobe zur Verfügung.
Just a thought
by Volker Weber
Google wants to index all knowledge in this world. Shouldn't they be mirroring Wikileaks?
Paths of flight
by Volker Weber
Aerospace Insight: Qantas QF32 flight from the cockpit
by Volker Weber
On 4 November Qantas flight QF32, an Airbus A380 outbound from Singapore, ran into serious problems when a turbine on its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine suffered an uncontained failure. We caught up with one of the five pilots onboard, who describes how the crew professionally dealt with the incident, the sequence of events, and how the most dangerous period was after they had landed.
Thanks, Hajo.
Rien ne va plus
by Volker Weber
Mixed Tape 36 "White Waves" is out
by Volker Weber
01 PASHLEY MUSIC | AK | 3:00
02 OH YOU | SUBSOUNDZ QUARTET | 4:31
03 SUGARFREE | THE LOVELIERS | 5:08
04 HAIRY LITTLE BOY | 8BITMOON | 3:31
05 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN | PHRESH | 4:24
06 LOVESLAVE | FARAH RIELI | 3:26
07 SNOW | PIRATE BRIDE | 3:01
08 DISCOVERED PLACES | BLINDS | 4:21
09 MORVEREN’S LULLABY | ISOBEL ANDERSON | 5:30
10 BILLOWS | THE.PRINCESS.AND.THE.PEARL | 4:01
Win a house full of Sonos on Facebook
by Volker Weber
Five weeks, five Sonos S5, five houses filled with music. Enter our Sonos "Oh What Fun it is to Win Sweepstakes". Open to residents of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Translate: surrender your social graph to Sonos for the chance to win 5 Sonos players.
BlackBerry App World Now Accepting Apps for BlackBerry PlayBook
by Volker Weber
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 7, 2010) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today opened the BlackBerry App World™ vendor portal to begin accepting BlackBerry® PlayBook™ apps from developers. In addition, RIM outlined how developers can become eligible to get a free BlackBerry PlayBook if their app is submitted and approved for distribution on BlackBerry App World prior to the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook in North America*.
Mac & i: Neue Themensite rund um Apple auf heise.de
by Volker Weber
Unter www.heise.de/mac-and-i respektive unter www.mac-and-i.de ging soeben eine Themensite online, die Nachrichten, Artikel und Kolumnen rund um Apple veröffentlicht. Sie ergänzt das gedruckte Heft "c't special Mac & i", das erstmals im Februar erscheinen wird, und den Apple-Anteil in c't gleichermaßen.
Your application 'vowe dot net' is now available in the Ovi Store
by Volker Weber
Dear Publisher,Your application is now available in the Ovi Store. To view your application simply click on this link: http://store.ovi.com/content/75232
Doesn't seem to work at all. Don't know what went wrong the first time around, but it's working now.
Speed camera lottery
by Volker Weber
Bugger
by Volker Weber
[Thanks, Malte]
Scott Gilmore: WikiLeaks just made the world more repressive
by Volker Weber
I am an aid worker, the kind who rants about transparency, open governments and reforming the United Nations. But, I used to be a diplomat and I used to write secret cables, like the ones being released by WikiLeaks. And I said some very frank and nasty things in those cables.
Reporters Sans Frontières - Wikileaks hounded?
by Volker Weber
This is the first time we have seen an attempt at the international community level to censor a website dedicated to the principle of transparency. We are shocked to find countries such as France and the United States suddenly bringing their policies on freedom of expression into line with those of China. We point out that in France and the United States, it is up to the courts, not politicians, to decide whether or not a website should be closed.
Bullet time
by Volker Weber
Apple-PubSub/65.20 does not play here anymore
by Volker Weber
A fool with a tool ...
Aktuelle Verkehrsinformationen
by Volker Weber
TomTom bietet für seine Navigationsgeräte aktuelle Verkehrsinformationen, die aus den Bewegungen von Mobiltelefonen berechnet werden. Die gleichen Informationen kann man sich auch auf routes.tomtom.com anschauen. Wenn man immer den gleichen Verkehrsraum sehen will, sollte man sich einfach ein Lesezeichen abspeichern. Ich sitze immer wieder mal an einem anderen Rechner und habe mir leicht merkbare Kurz-URLs konfiguriert. Die letzten drei Buchstaben sind der IATA-Code des Flughafens. Ausnahme: Berlin und Ruhrgebiet.
Berlin http://bit.ly/tomtomber
Düsseldorf http://bit.ly/tomtomdus
Frankfurt http://bit.ly/tomtomfra
Hamburg http://bit.ly/tomtomham
Hannover http://bit.ly/tomtomhaj
Köln http://bit.ly/tomtomcgn
Leipzig http://bit.ly/tomtomlej
Mannheim http://bit.ly/tomtommhg
München http://bit.ly/tomtommuc
Nürnberg http://bit.ly/tomtomnue
Ruhrgebiet http://bit.ly/tomtomruhr
Stuttgart http://bit.ly/tomtomstr
Ist das für Euch nützlich?
Amazon on Wikileaks
by Volker Weber
There have been reports that a government inquiry prompted us not to serve WikiLeaks any longer. That is inaccurate.There have also been reports that it was prompted by massive DDOS attacks. That too is inaccurate. There were indeed large-scale DDOS attacks, but they were successfully defended against.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) rents computer infrastructure on a self-service basis. AWS does not pre-screen its customers, but it does have terms of service that must be followed. WikiLeaks was not following them. There were several parts they were violating.
Path can now share from your library and supports iPod touch 4th gen
by Volker Weber
Photo: vowe
Ovi Maps for mobile v3.06
by Volker Weber
December 2, 2010: HOT NEWS! With this release, you are now able to download Street Maps directly to your phone without a PC!
Great feature since it allows you to work without the maps loader. You need to be connected to Wi-Fi, but that is the only way I would want to use it anyway. If you tap on Update, you get to your current maps overview where you can search for map updates or add maps. Let's choose Americas/USA/California, Download and then find it in the overview: (half size)
Remember, this comes free with your Nokia phone. Including downloadable maps that don't cost you a thing when you are roaming, and of course turn-by-turn instructions for driving or walking. And there is no DRM nonsense like with your TomTom.
Google Beatbox
by Volker Weber
- Go to Google Translate
- Set the translator to translate German to German
- Copy + paste the following into the translate box: pv zk pv pv zk pv zk kz zk pv pv pv zk pv zk zk pzk pzk pvzkpkzvpvzk kkkkkk bsch
- Click “listen”
- Be amazed :-)
Alternative DNS Servers: the book as PDF
by Volker Weber
Jan-Piet Mens:
I recently announced that we would be making my book Alternative DNS Servers available free of charge, so without further ado, here it is.
BlackBerry 6 Gains FIPS Security Certification for U.S. Government Agencies
by Volker Weber
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 1, 2010) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) announced today that BlackBerry® 6, a powerful new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones, is now FIPS 140-2 certified. This FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification provides confidence to a variety of security-conscious organizations, including U.S. government agencies, companies in regulated industries and other organizations dealing with sensitive information, that data stored on smartphones running BlackBerry 6 can be properly secured and encrypted.
