XfinityWiFi -- Is it the right thing to do?

If you live or work in an area serviced by Comcast, odds are you see the "xfinitywifi" in your list of WiFi Access Points on your phones, tablets and laptops. For me they are everywhere! But what or who are they for?

What's that all about?

Well, Xfinity (Comcast) wants their clients to be able to connect to WiFi anywhere there is a Xfinity Modem nearby and they can!

I'm an Xfinity client! That's great for me!

Yes, it is great for you. But, it's not just for Comcast clients! That's right. The first time you connect to an "xfinitywifi" Access Point, you get a splash page. If you look closely, you'll see that Comcast is happy to sell service by the day.

Service by the day doesn't sound so bad. But, WAIT! That modem is using someone's power. Maybe even your power. Also, that modem is being rented.

So, let's say that I am a Comcast Xfinity client and I am renting the modem from Comcast. ($10/month as of this post.) I am paying Comcast for the modem and providing the power for that modem, so that Comcast can sell bandwidth on that modem!

This sounds silly! But, that doesn't make it any less true.

But, wait there's more?!?

There is more! Comcast is now in the Mobile business. This means that Comcast mobile phones can route traffic over the modem that I am renting and for which I provide power. 

So, my money is being leveraged by Comcast?

It sure is! What's more, if Comcast isn't already routing calls over those WiFi connections, it's a safe bet they will do just that in the future! And, why shouldn't they? It costs them NOTHING!

I don't like this, what can I do?

Well, if you're a Comcast client and rent a modem, you can buy your own. Amazon, Staples, Officedepot, BestBuy, Walmart and Target all have them. You can get a separate modem and WiFi router. Or, you can get an all-in-one. 

I want my own modem. But, I'm not a techie!

Pay someone to do it! Don't even purchase the equipment, yet. Let them help you find what you need. If they sell parts, great! Buy them! Otherwise, let them provide you with a list of what you need and then have them install the equipment once it has arrived.

Don't buy the oldest/cheapest equipment!

Odds are that you don't need the biggest, baddest, fastest and most expensive modem and router. But, don't go with the oldest/cheapest available either. You don't want to have to replace it that often. So, get equipment that will do more than you need. This way, when Comcast increases the speed of your connection, you'll likely be ready for it. Just don't break the bank!

I like to look at the cost of the suggested modem (be it modem only or with WiFi router) and divide by the amount I pay for modem rental. This tells me how long it takes to pay for itself. An $80 modem, for instance, takes 8 months to pay for itself. Not bad, given modems can operate for 1-5 years, sometimes longer. The savings can add up!

If you decide to go with a separate WiFi router, I don't recommend including that cost with the cost of the modem. Why? Well, in my experience separate routers are replaced far less often than the modems to which they are connected. I have 10 year old routers that are just now getting to the point that they can't keep up with my internet connection speed.

CONCLUSION

I don't have a problem with Xfinity/Comcast expanding their WiFi network through Comcast provided equipment. However, I don't think I should be footing the bill! And, I don't. And, I don't think you should either.

Jamie and the Argus-nauts...

So, I was cleaning out my Inbox a few months ago and ran across an email from Reolink. This email caught me a little off guard. It seems that Reolink had designed a new digital security camera, not surprising as this is kinda what they do. They called it the Reolink Argus and this camera was different. This camera was WiFi, ok no big deal. It was rated for outdoor use, still not exciting... Ah, but it was also battery operated. OK! Now they had my attention! So, I went to Indigogo and got in on the Early Bird special.

Then, I waited. I waited some more. And, more.... Then, it finally came.

Now that I've used it for a few weeks, let's talk about it!

Batteries... Wait, did you say batteries?... Really?!?

Yes, batteries. Now, let's go ahead and ask the question: 

How can the batteries possibly last long enough for the camera NOT to be a nuisance? 

Well, the answer comes in three parts. 

1. They made the electronics as efficient as possible. Yup, it turns out that when you plug most of the wholes, the ship sinks a lot slower. Same with the economy of electricity. When you don't waste stored energy, it's there when you need it and for longer.
2. It's passive. The passive infrared technology employed allows the camera to "see" motion without the entire camera being on and drawing power. This means that the unit can stay in a super-low power mode until it's actually needed.
3. It uses 4 CR123a cells each offering a whopping 1.5Ah of juice @ 3v. Now Amp Hours may not mean much to you. But, just know that it is a measure of available power over time and that the average 9v battery offers about .5Ah. This means these little batteries have a lot to offer in the way of power over time.

So, it is efficient...

Great!

But, passive?... Hmmmm... What if I want to see what's going on now?

No problem. Just open the app on your favorite smartphone or tablet and see what's happening. If you have access to the internet, you can see what's happening. But, keep in mind that the more you watch live, the faster you drain the battery.

Alright, passive is efficient... But, just how efficient is efficient?

Well, these cameras will not perform well in high traffic areas and the website advertises up to 180 days in standby mode. But, standby mode? Really? Let's face it! I'm not putting up a security camera to see what's not happening. I'm putting it up to see what is happening! So, what are we to glean from this? Well, now we have to get anecdotal...

I mounted Eve (to me, the Argus looks like Eve from the movie Wall-E) over my back door approximately 3 weeks prior to this post. I would say that the unit is motion triggered 4 to 8 times per day and the battery level still seems to be at full charge. Of course, the level can't be 100%. But, the power used so far seems negligible. So, while I can't tell you how efficient it is, I can say that it seems pretty impressive, so far.

OK. But, it's not a normal battery.

This is true. The CR123a is not your average consumer battery. That said, it's not exactly hard to find either. A quick search on Amazon showed a 6-pack of AmazonBasic CR123a batteries for under $10, if you use Subscribe & Save. That's not bad!

Don't like throwing batteries away? Well, Reolink says you can use rechargeable batteries if you so wish.

Enough with the batteries already! What about recording?

The Argus has you covered! While there is no internal flash for storage, there is a microSD slot that will accept a card up to 64GB. I provided Eve with a 32GB microSD and she's only used 3GB so far. Your mileage may vary.

So, is it hard to setup?

In a word, No. However, if you come from a security or IT background it is different than what you are likely accustomed. The instructions are easy, just follow them and you'll be fine.

Can I access the camera from my desktop?

Well, that's kind of a hard question to answer.... The practical answer is no. While, I've seen mention of accessing the Argus from PCs and Macs, as of this post I have not successfully done so. While this is not a deal breaker for me. I'd certainly prefer to download saved footage to my Mac, rather than my iOS or Android devices.

Will it notify me?

You bet! It can push notifications to the app on your favorite iOS or Android device. It can also email you a notification with the option of an attached image. However, I don't recommend using both at the same time as you could get double notifications on the same device. I found this very annoying.

So, where does it shine?

Well, virtually anywhere you point it! The Argus fills a very interesting and challenging niche. The unit allows for easy mounting just about anywhere and the only other requirement is Internet access via WiFi. In live mode you have 2-way audio capability. That's right! You can talk to the raccoon that is digging through your trash. And, for $100 per unit (includes batteries), that is amazing!

What's it missing?

Automatic LAN uploading

I'd like to see the Argus upload footage over the LAN via SMB, FTP or some other protocol. That said, I also understand that this could be very challenging to implement and retain respectable battery life. It is "Cloud Ready" and Reolink offers cloud storage. While, that's great for the non-techy types,  I'm not really interested in that. I want to store it locally, but still off camera.

Working Mac/PC Client

I understand that it is just too easy to walk away from the desktop while watching an Argus feed, unnecessarily eating up precious battery power. However, I think that the benefit outweighs the battery power potentially lost. I'm not going to blame Reolink if I kill the batteries through my own negligence.

Should I get one?

SURE!... IF:

1. You have an iOS/Android phone or tablet.
2. The mounting location is covered by WiFi.
3. The mounting location has no access to AC power. 
4. It will NOT be monitored frequently.
5. It is covering a low traffic area.
6. You have $100 to spend on it.

Folks, I'm happy!

I'm happy with the purchase. I'll be recommending the Argus to my clients. And, I'll likely buy another Argus for myself in the near future.

PHP to prune a Google calendar feed of unwanted events

Here is a little PHP script that I developed to prune unneeded events from a Google calendar feed.

// Set header for calendar and give it a filename
header('Content-type: text/calendar; charset=utf-8');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=modified_calendar_feed.ics'); 

// Download the calendar feed we need into a variable
$ics = file_get_contents('https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/targetaccountnamehere%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics'); 

// Remove the useless header info (if this is not done, other Google accounts will not be able to add the URL)
preg_match('/PRODID.+?END:VTIMEZONE../s',$ics,$tz);
$ics = str_replace($tz,"",$ics); 

// Grab the events and dump them into an array
preg_match_all('/BEGIN:VEVENT.+?END:VEVENT../s',$ics,$events); 

// Step threw the events and remove any that don't contain the keyword/phrase from the feed
foreach ($events[0] as $event) {
if (!stripos($event,"keyword/phrase the event must have if it is to stay in the feed")) {
$ics = str_replace($event,"",$ics);
}
} 

// Send the modified calendar feed to the requesting device
echo "$ics"; 

// Destroy the variables before leaving
unset($ics,$events,$event)

HoSafe... You said what now?

In July of 2016, after months of issues with neighbors, I broke down and purchased an IP Camera from Amazon.com (HoSafe Camera Amazon Link). Now, to be totally fair, this was the cheapest IP Camera that met my criteria. Setting aside the absolutely hilarious name, the HoSafe 1MB6P met all of my requirements. My criteria were as follows:

1. It must have POE capability.
2. It must be able to live outdoors.
3. It must have night vision with built in illumination.
4. It must be at least 720p.
5. It must be ONVIF compatible.
6. It must be cheap.

POE

Power over Ethernet is very important. I'd rather run a ethernet cable from my network board the attic to a camera than run AC power. You see, a standard ethernet cable has 4 pairs of wires, only 2 of which are used for communication. The others are left unused in almost all instances. So, how do we use this to our advantage? Well, we run 48v across the other pair, of course. The POE camera steps down that 48v to use for powering the unit. So, one cable for both communication and power!

Outdoor

Well, this is kind of self explanatory. But, I wanted to mount the camera on the front of my house to catch the comings and going of my neighbors walking dogs. (Your dog. Your pooh. Take it with you.)

Night Vision

The chip inside security cameras that sense the light and, in the case of IP cameras digitize it, is sensitive to infrared light. That's right! The very light that we use to control our TV, DVD, etc. So, how do we record in dark or low light without mounting big flood lights? Well, we make sure the IP camera has IR lighting built in, of course. This light isn't good for huge distances, but I rolled the dice and ignored the advertised distance of the HoSafe.

720p

Any more, the "P" is mostly irrelevant. That is, the "P" (progressive) should really be assumed. What it means to us is there the image is divided into 720 lines. The more lines, the more detail. Also, when the number of lines goes up the number of pixels (single dot of the line) goes up too. So, this means more detail. In general, the larger the area you are covering, the more pixels necessary to be able to make things out in the video or images.

ONVIF

This is a tricky business. ONVIF is a lot of things. However, for my purposes the only thing that matters is the cameras ability to respond to ONVIF compliant requests for how to make a streaming video connection. This protocol (language) makes it easier for applications on a PC or recording devices to connect to the camera without a lot of technical knowledge required of the user. Now, I'm not allergic to technical specs and setup. However, cheap cameras (and some expensive ones) are notorious for not providing this type of information. So, ONVIF compatibility can reduce the time it takes to get things up and running.

CHEAP!

This unit was $39.99 on Amazon Prime (Free 2 Day Shipping!!!) at the time of the order. This was an excellent price for a unit that was 3 Stars+ at the time.

The Unit Arrives!

This unit came in DOA. It simply would not power up. This was very disappointing. However, upon close physical examination I found the issue to be a slice in the data/power cable attached to the camera. So, I returned it to Amazon as DOA for a refund and reordered another unit. Same model, same seller, Amazon Prime. I saw no reason, at this point to penalize anyone for the error. It could have been missed by the manufacturer. It could have been damaged by a botched installation and returned to Amazon. However, I decided to try again.

The Second Unit Arrives!

This camera was fine. It powered right up! Now, for the fun part!

The Configuration

Before we delve into the config. A little background. I don't like ladders. I don't like spending time on them. I don't like going up and down them when it can be avoided. So, when it comes to device installation that requires my using a ladder. I do all the configuration possible on the ground, usually at my desk, prior to mounting any equipment.

So, from my desk, I connected the HoSafe camera and it powered up. Cool! Now we can start the fun stuff. Being an IP camera veteran, with many installs of everything from FOSCAM to Panasonic cameras under my belt, I did what I always do. I jumped right in and started looking for the camera on the network so I could login to the web page to configure it. 

Uh... Yeah... and NO! That's a big negative, sir! 

This camera doesn't work like that and I wasted a nontrivial amount of time only to find this out. So, it really does pay to read the instructions sometimes. BLAST!

Anyway, once I reviewed the literature, such that it was, I discovered that the application that records the video also configures the camera. So, I installed the provided CMS application and configured the camera. It went smoothly enough, once I was on the right track.

The Installation

The camera came with everything necessary to mount and connect the camera (except the RJ45 connector, but I didn't expect this and neither should you) including weather proofing for the network connection. This is a big score! Not all manufacturers include this in the design, rather expecting the camera to be mounted to a weather proof electrical box, in which all connectors are contained.

The installation was simple and obvious. No instructions needed here! It went up quick with the provided materials and with no fuss.

The PC Software

The CMS software provided is ok. It's only ok. It's not awesome or astounding or even amazing for the price. It's just OK. It's rather like all cheap DVR/NVR software. It hits and misses, and is almost always lacking in an area that is important to the user. So, after playing with it for a few days, it had to go.

The Apps

The iOS and Android apps available specifically for the HoSafe are another story. They are... well, interesting. Like the CMS software, they didn't really work the way I thought they should. However, they did (and still do) work for what I wanted. I wanted to see my camera view from anywhere I have internet and these apps to exactly that. No muss, no fuss, and very little configuration, and absolutely no router port forwarding!

What?! No port forwarding? But how?!

Well, these units connect to a central server on the internet (probably in China). The apps connect to the same server. So, no need to do port forwarding (that can get incredibly tedious with multiple cameras). 

The down side? Well, you're being watched! Well, not necessarily. However, it is certainly possible. So, I don't know that I would want one of these in my house. But, if someone in China wants to watch what is happening in front of my house? Who am I to judge, or care?

The Pros

• It met all my requirements: POE, Outdoor, Night Vision, 720p, ONVIF and Cheap. 
• It goes beyond by providing a free iOS and Android apps and accompanying service to allow you to view the camera from just about anywhere.
• The night vision works really well.

The Cons

• The CMS software was a dud. Although not surprising, it is a bummer.
• There is no config path for Mac Users. Internet Explorer and/or the CMS app are required for configuration and they are Windows only.
• Config and install of the HoSafe 1MB6P is not for the casual user. Like most (if not all) IP cameras, it does require either experience or stubbornness. If you lack both, get help or get a different IP camera.

The Conclusion

The HoSafe 1MB6P works and it let's you view your camera live on an iOS or Android device from anywhere you have internet. While the CMS software is not ideal, it will record and store your camera footage. The ONVIF compatibility means you can use many third party apps and programs to both view and record if the provided apps don't cut it for you.

I have ditched the CMS software and have been testing both free and pay NVR software for recording and archiving. But, that is another story.

From Obi to Vestalink (formerly Obivoice)

So, I have had a Google Voice account for years. I have actually been using it as the "One Number to Control Them All..." for the last 2 years. In fact, I had been so pleased with my setup, that I got my parents an Obi last year and ported their number to Google Voice. A few months later, I did it for a client. Then, Google decides that the XMPP protocol that is used for Google Chat (and those evil free calling deals like Talkatone, GrooveIP and Obi) isn't big enough, doesn't have enough industry support, won't do what they want. In other words, they are taking their toys and going home. In this case, home is the new protocol they created for Hangouts.

This means that I have to come up with a solution that uses the Obi equipment and works seamlessly with Google Voice. I don't know about other users, but I find the idea of leaving Google Voice voicemail about as appealing as replacing sugar with saccharin. Yeah, they are both sweet. But, you know which one is the sugar, don't you.

So, after looking at pricing, reviews and features, I settled on Vestalink. I could go probably give an account of how I decided. But, if it's that important to you. Do the research yourself. It'll be good for you.

Spoof the Caller ID first:
The process of converting my parents' Obi to Vestalink went flawlessly. Except for one item. If I had to do it all over again, I would Spoof the Caller ID before running the Obi setup script. Since I programmed the Obi before spoofing the Google Number, I had to login with a GrooveIP client to prove "ownership" of the Google Voice number. Not such a big deal, but easily avoided by Spoofing the Caller ID prior to running the Obi setup script.

7 Digit Dialing:
The one real complaint I have with Vestalink is they don't show you how to setup local 7 digit dialing. Or, BETTER YET, make it a part of the Obi setup. So, below I have a Digit Map that makes it possible.

Login to the Obi and pull up the User Settings > User Defined Digit Maps

Change Map 1 to:

Label	Mipd
DigitMap	(<1aaa>xxx xxxx|1xxxxxxxxxx|<1>[2-9]xxxxxxxxx|011xx.|xx.|(Mipd)|[^*]@@.)

Just copy and paste. Make sure you replace the AAA with your Area Code. That's it!

Now, your mileage may vary. Make sure you keep a copy of the original DigitMap in case this one doesn't work for you. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Word and Spell Checking Redux

In the last installment, I shared an uncommon issue with spell checking in Word documents. I also shared a solution, however unsavory and tedious it may be. To recap, from time to time one may run across documents in which proofing (spell and grammar checking) is disabled in certain pages, sections and/or paragraphs.

This may be overcome by marking the problem area and selecting "Clear All Formatting" under Styles and then reformatting. While I admit that this solution is not ideal, it is certainly better than reformatting the entire document.

My approach with to the problem was the same as my approach to any other. Once the problem is identified, find a solution quickly. This solution is not usually going to be easy to implement. However, it is always workable. Once that workable solution is discovered, pass it on to the users that need to use it. This is usually met with groans, but again, it is a solution.

Then, the real fun begins. Since the users have a workable solution, I can work on a solution that is more elegant, easier to perform and implement. In this case, a macro! That's right, a macro. It turns out that the macro solution for this particular problem is, well, really short. One line of code, in fact. Create a new macro called Enable_Proofing and add the code:

Sub Enable_Proofing()
'
' Enable_Proofing Macro
'

ActiveDocument.Content.NoProofing = False

End Sub

Simply add this macro to your Normal.dot template so that it will always be available. No style clearing or reformatting required. The macro simply removes all NoProofing flags from the active document.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Word and Spell Checking

I am currently working in an office environment that has ALOT of legacy documents. What do I mean by legacy? Well, I mean we have alot of documents that were created in older versions of Word and are still used and updated with new information. All of the legacy documents were created with Word for MAC OS 9. Yeah, you read it correctly... OS 9!

So, we have all these documents and they have been modified, folded, spindled and mutilated with various versions of Word on both OS 9 and Windows. This has led to some very interesting issues. (By interesting, I mean very annoying.)

The biggest problem we have is some parts of some documents are excluded from spell and grammar check. Now, I can do without the grammer check. But, I NEED the spell check! This is a major problem, because it is not the document as a whole that is excluded. Only certain portions of some of the documents. It could be a paragraph, a table, a section or even a page. But never the whole document. This makes things very difficult.

However dim it may be, there is a light at the end of this particular tunnel and you don't have to recreate the entire document. If you are having a similar problem there is a way to get rid of these codes that are in the document, but you do not have direct access to. Believe it or not, you can mark the text in question and choose "Clear Formatting" from the Styles drop-down and this will get rid of those nasty little invisible buggers!

Why not just change it to another Style directly? Well, you can. But, if you don't clear all formatting first, the coding for ignoring the spell and grammer checking will remain! So, clear the formatting and then reformat the text to the needs of the document.

So, armed with this new found knowledge, go forth and fix those legacy documents! Show them that you're the boss!

Of Hard Drives and RAID...

Some months ago, one of the two hard drives in the server at the office decided to up and quit. Although this is bad, we use a RAID 1 setup to minimize data loss. What this means is there, in our case, two identical hard drives in the server that are"mirrored" at any given time they both have all the same information. So, if one dies the server continues to operate.

The server is getting up there in age, but I am not ready to go to a new Server OS and you can throw all the power you want at Windows Server 2003 32bit and not see much in the way of performance gain for network-centric operations. So, I decided to upgrade the hard drives with a pair of new server-grade Seagate 500gb 7200.11 SATA drives. Mmmmmmmm a slight performance gain, a huge storage gain and cheap. While the server was down and I was under the hood, I decided to bump the RAM from 2gb to 4gb. Yeah, I know that it can't use all 4 gigs but it can use slightly more than 3GBs and it also was pretty cheap.

The upgrade went relatively without a hitch. I booted from a BartPE CD I have with my RAID driver floppy disc (yes, a real 3.5" floppy) and made an image of the partition. Then I installed the new drives, created the new Array and restored the image. It took about an hour.

But here we are a few months later and one of those new drives has failed. No big deal right? Well, it is when the RAID controller Docs don't discuss rebuilding the array. Now, don't get me wrong, this cheap SATA RAID controller has saved me alot of greif up until this point. But, REALLY?!? No docs on rebuilding?!? REALLY?!?

If you find yourself in a position that requires you to rebuild an array then keep this in mind. An OFFLINE RAID rebuild means that you will be rebuilding the array in the BIOS without the benefit of the OS, Internet, Solitaire, etc. So, if you have to rebuild an array and want to has access to all of those wonderful things that make computers worth having make sure you choose ONLINE rebuild.

All of that said, I don't trust it. Choosing an ONLINE rebuild with a cheap controller seems a bit like rolling the dice. Its an OFFLINE rebuild for me! So, I'm sitting back and checking my webmail periodically.

Cheers!

Is it time to replace your UPS?

Let me ask you a few questions first:

• Has your UPS been in service more than 2 years?
• Have you replaced the computer since the UPS was installed?
• Have you upgraded the computer since the UPS was installed?
  
• Is your UPS missing an AVR circuit?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then you probably should start looking looking for a replacement UPS.


What size do I get?

OK. This involves some simple addition. Gather all the power requirements for all the devices for which the UPS will be insuring continuos power. Generally, this would be you computer box and the monitor. If you would like to include your modem and router, you can. Specifically you need to get the Watt rating for each of the devices. Once this list is complete, add it up. Your target UPS should be able to handle more than the total. Do not round down!


What is AVR and why do I want it?

AVR stands for Automatic Voltage Regulator. The AVR circuit allows the UPS input voltage within a certain range and output a steady constant voltage without the use of the installed battery. In most cases acceptable input voltage ranges from 90 to 140 volts. When the voltage is less that optimal, the regulator uses the steps up the voltage at the cost of a few amps (don't worry you have plenty.) When the voltage is a little over optimal, the regulator steps the voltage down adding to the available amps. An AVR circuit is to power what the suspension system is to an automobile. What this means to you is the UPS can handle most power fluctuations without engaging the battery and this is very good.


Is AVR pricey?

Well, a UPS with AVR does usually cost more than a comparable UPS without. However, recently the price gap has closed somewhat. For instance, at the time of writing, a Tripp Lite 300 watt UPS without AVR is priced at $59.99 and a Tripp Lite 300 watt UPS with AVR is $69.99. For the $10 difference, take the unit with AVR!


Should I consider anything else?

Yes, if you like to leave your computer on 24 hours/day you need to get a unit with a data cable and software. This combination will allows the computer to shut itself down automatically during an extended power outage.


That's it! Go forth with this knowledge and protect your computer from bad power!

Word and Missing Fonts

A part of my current job is Microsoft Office support. In our organization, if there is a problem with Microsoft Office, be it user error or otherwise, I handle it. One of the first first things I did when I came on board was convert the office from Mac 9.x and Office 2004 to Windows XP and Office 2003. Let's face it, in the business world, Microsoft Office is the defacto standard and nothing is as compatible with it as, well, itself. The Mac version is not even fully compatible.

One of the problems that I ran into with the conversion was fonts. Some of the fonts in the Office files were not available on the PC. For most of the files this was not much of a problem. However, we have several Word Documents that are very large and use many fonts. Replacing a single font in a multi-font document is a problem, if you don't know how to deal with it.

The answer is surprisingly simple. Use the Search and Replace function. In Office 2003:

1. click Edit followed by Find. Select the Replace tab and click the more button.
2. click the Find what: field, then click the Format button at the bottom of the window
3. type in the name of the Font you wish to replace, as it appears in the document (in my case it is Palatino) and click OK
   
4. click the Replace with: field, then click the Format button at the bottom of the window
5. choose the Font you wish to use instead of the above Font and click the OK button (in my case it is Times New Roman)
   
6. go to Search: and select ALL
7. finally, click the Replace All button

That is all. Notice that no actual text is required in the Find what and Replace with fields. Also, in step 3 we actually type the name of the font rather than choosing it from the list. This is necessary because the font is not available on the system, so it won't be in the list. However, in step 5 we choose an available font from the list. Step 6 is also important, as it tells the Find and Replace function to ignore any selections and work on the entire document.

The instructions may look a little tough. However, give it a try and I think you'll find it both easy and incredibly useful!

Firewalls and the Internet

Last week I was contacted by a client who could not surf the web for more than 5 minutes after a booting up. The client is using Windows XP and the local cable provider for internet. The client had already contacted the provider and no solution was forth coming. This is a very interesting problem as networking problems go. No other networking issues were apparent, as the client only uses the network for sharing the internet.

Once on site, I experienced the problem for myself. The computer did, indeed, function with regards to internet web connectivity for a limited amount of time before failing. However, all other functions continued to work -- Ping, FTP, Telnet, DNS, etc. HTTP seemed to be the only internet service affected.

So, I broke out the poor man's monitor -- taskmgr.exe. After a few minutes, I saw something disturbing. There was a process that was appearing and disappearing. A reboot and quick search on Google told me that the process belonged to Zone Alarm. This was shocking, as there was no indication that Zone Alarm was loaded on the machine.

A trip to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs confirmed that Zone Alarm was installed on the machine and the appearing/disappearing act told me that is definitely was not functioning properly. So, I uninstalled Zone Alarm and suddenly IE and Firefox were surfing again. So, I verified that the Windows Firewall was active and the job was complete.

Now, I am a proponent of firewalls and Zone Alarm is a good product. However, Zone Alarm to my mind is overkill in a local network behind a NAT router. For the most part, the firewall built in to XP will work just fine when used with antivirus and passive protection.

So, if you are suffering do to internet lag or your machine is just plain slow, you might try uninstalling all unnecessary filter/protection software and go the minimalist approach:

1. Good AV program -- I prefer the free version of Antivir Antivirus
2. Good passive protection --Spybot Search & Destroy (without resident protection) and Spyware Blaster
3. Firewall -- Windows built-in Firewall

pyTivo, Tivo S2 AND HDTV

I have a Tivo. I love my Tivo. I have a computer with Windows XP and pyTivo. I love my pyTivo. Up until a little over a month ago, the lovefest in my house was all about the Tivo and the pyTivo. I could serve virtually any video content to my Series 2 Tivo and the Tivo just ate it up. I'm telling you, it was... well... Awesome!

Then my 26" RCA CRT Television died. That's right, it died. I was recovering from nose and throat surgery and it just died. My wife looked at me and said, "You are going to be in that chair for at least 3 weeks. I am going to buy a television." God bless her, she got in her van and I got on the internet. Later, she returned home with an inexpensive Visio 32" Plasma HDTV.

So, I love my Tivo. I love my pyTivo. I love my Plasma HDTV. But I don't love my pyTivo and Tivo interaction so much. Why? My pyTivo is serving up HD content to my Tivo with Letterboxing. That is what pyTivo is supposed to do when it is streaming to a non-HD Tivo. It thinks that it is doing right by me, after all it has no idea that my non-HD Tivo is connected to an HDTV. An HDTV that, by the way, is stretching the video to make it full screen, so the HD content looks stretched horizontally. What's a guy to do?!?

Well, here is what I did. As I am using the krkeegan branch of pyTivo, version 2008.05.02, I started by opening the web-based configuration console. Then I selected 'Global Server Settings' and clicked 'Edit Section'. Then I scrolled down to 'ffmpeg_tmpl' and inserted the following into the empty text field:

%(video_codec)s %(video_fps)s %(video_br)s %(max_video_br)s %(buff_size)s -aspect 4:3 -comment pyTivo.py %(audio_br)s %(audio_fr)s %(audio_ch)s %(audio_codec)s %(ffmpeg_pram)s %(format)s

I saved the changes and clicked 'Soft Reset pyTivo'. Now, it should be noted that although this worked for me it may not work for you. Your mileage may vary. That being said, I would like to point out that the above is the default with 1 minor change. I replaced "%(aspect_ratio)s" with "-aspect 4:3". That's it. Poof! It is now automagically converting the content on my PC to 4:3 regardless of the source aspect ratio and life is good again! No letterboxing! No borders! Just HD goodness.

Now you might think that the picture quality suffers. Well, if it does then I am just not seeing it.

Google Calendar can Remind You!

I have been using Gmail for a while now. I still don't use it as my main email/client, but I have been using webmail interface for my main client for quite some time. Although the Gmail interface has grown on me somewhat, I haven't been able to make the move to total Gmail immersion.

What does this have to do with the Google Calendar?

Wait for it... While I haven't given myself over to Gmail, I have begun to use the Google Calendar pretty much exclusively. I had, up until recently, been punching in events and appointments directly into my phone, or typing them into iCal on my Macintel and syncing it to my Razr. However, not too long ago Google added mobile capabilities to Gmail and Google Calendar. While the mobile Gmail isn't very impressive in my eyes, adding mobile notification to Google Calendar is... Wait for it... AWESOME!!!

For those interested in Google Calendar notifying them of events, you have but to login to the calendar, go to the settings and choose mobile settings. From there, you just follow the instructions.

I have to say that being able to change my Calendar from any web capable system AND Google sending event reminders via SMS Messaging to my cell phone is just STUPENDOUS! This is not the extent of Google Calendar's mobile capabilities, mind you. However, it is the most important aspect in my eyes.

If you have the means, I highly recommend it!

debt and deficits

I have had it up to my eye balls with the way that Local, State and the Federal Governments budget and spend money. The system which is used to determine the operating budgets is flawed from the very beginning! FROM THE BEGINNING! So, how do you fix a system that is so very flawed? I say, start at the beginning.

So, let's have a gander at the first "real" step taken towards forming the federal budget: the IRS testifies before the House of Representatives, as to the estimated tax revenue for the following year. I call this the first "real" step because the tax revenue should be the maximum budgeted amount! But, even if it is, it is only the estimated tax revenue and not the actual tax revenue as it has not been collected. So, here we are, with an estimated income for the federal government. What should we do with it? You see, if the estimate is strictly adhered to as the maximum budget total, the economy can shift and render that estimate rediculously high. This is a deficit.

So, again I ask, what should we do with the estimate? What good is it?

My answers are: Nothing and None, respectively.

So, what can be done? Well, if you can't count on the estimate being accurate, what can we use in place of the estimate that would better serve our purpose? Why, the actual taxes collected, of course.

WHAT?!? You say! Yes, use the real numbers! But in following this path, there is a price to be paid. It will not be easy to swallow and, like most good medicines, it will probably work. In order to facilitate a move from estimate income to actual income, the federal government will have to go on credit for an entire year. In the process, banking all taxes for the purpose of funding the government the following year. In doing so, the government, at the end of the year will know how much money can be budgeted for the following year.

Yes, this is over-simplified. No, the tax collection year cannot coincide with the government's fiscal year. There would probably have to be at least one quarter separating the end of the tax collection year and the beginning of the government's fiscal year, possible even two quarters. This is something for Congress to figure out.

Once, the federal government is only spending money it actually has, Congress can actually address the national debt. How should they do this. My immediate thought is to have a mandatory %10 of the federal budget set to pay down the debt. By mandatory, I mean Constitutional Ammendment! This way, our well thinking friends in DC will have no choice. The %10 would be mandatory so long as there remains debt. Once the debt is gone, the %10 would go into savings each year until the savings could fund the government for two years. At this point the %10 would no longer be mandatory. The savings, however, should only be spent in cases of war and national emergencies. Acceptable uses of the savings monies should be in the Constitutional Amendment.

This leaves us with high taxes. Well, death and taxes do seem to be universal constants. I favor the National Sales Tax. No matter what method, once government spending is under control, I would hope that lowering taxes would be, at least, a little easier.

walking the dog

Where I live, it is still small enough that many people with dogs get out with them in the morning and evening and walk them. This is good for the people and for the dogs and, in general I don't have a problem with it.

I do, however, take issue with the portion that don't clean up after the dogs. You see, in our area, there is no law or ordinance requiring the owner of the dog(s) to clean up the poop. I actually don't have a problem with that either. We have enough laws already. There are those, that would walk their dog on public property and not clean up after it. I do have a huge problem with this.

You're probably thinking that I contradicted myself. However, I did not. You see, there is an assumption, among self absorbed idiots, that if there is no law prohibiting an act, that it is ok to do it. This kind of thinking results in more laws. The person walking the dog assumes that its ok to leave the dog's crap there because there is no law that prohibiting the action.

So, let me help the self absorbed idiots of the world understand something about the rest of us. No law is going to stop us from running over you in a vehicle! Surprising? The law does not stop us from putting a foot up your a$$, either. More surprising? What then, you may ask, does stop us from doing these things? --We actually recognize that these things are not the right things to do, even though they might help you understand the error of your idiot ways.

For those of you who walk your dogs in public and clean up after them, because it is the right thing to do, I salute and earnestly thank you.

For those of you who don't clean up after your dogs, get a bigger freakin' yard and walk your dog there, there is nothing, short of incredible self restraint, actually stopping us from removing you from this world. That dog and all that it excrements is your responsibility!

Small Business and IT Consulting

Many small offices in my area (and I can only assume, across the country) spend good money after bad yearly due to misconceptions. I have done consulting work for small business' for years and the most common mistake made is failing to make the distinction between recommendations, quotes, and consultation.

Recommendations

We'll start with recommendations. Recommendations are what you get from your guy (you know your guy, everyone has a guy.) You can get them from the local Staples/Office Depot/Circuit City customer representative. You can even get recommendations from your parents. Recommendations can be helpful when you are searching for simple solutions to simple problems. This includes computer problems, such as which digital camera to buy or what photo printer you should purchase to replace the one that just died. Recommendations are a great tool in the small business' arsenal, not because of it's effectiveness, but for it's price. Recommendations are usually free, but this is no way to solve a complex problem or issue.

Quotes

Quotes are, for some reason beyond my comprehension, somewhat tricky. You get a quote, when you know what you need. Now, you might think you know what you need. But, do you really? Do you know what you need, or do you just know what you need to do? The truth is that many small business' don't actually know what they need. They do however, know what they need to do. Think of quotes as an online store cart, you have to know what you need before you can add it to the cart. Quotes are an excellent way to keep costs down. However, this only works when you already know what you need as well as what you need to do.

Consultation

Consultation is a necessity when a small business knows what it needs to do, but not what is necessary to do it. Consultation is often confused with requesting quotes. I cannot count how many times I was asked to provide a quote for equipment for a small business and the business didn't have the details of what was to be quoted. In fact, in one particular instance a potential client got quite bent out of shape when I failed to provide a quote for that very reason. The small business wanted several workstations with software and a server-based network. The workstation and server specifications were layed out like a multiple choice test. The server OS was not even chosen ahead of time. Furthermore, it was expected that all make and model numbers of individual parts that made up the workstations and server were to be provided as well. A quote, in this instance, is clearly not what was being requested. This small business needed consultation before requesting quotes.

So, what does it all mean, Basil? (obscure Austin Power's quote)

When you choose the wrong approach to solve a problem you, in general, waste time and resources that could have been better spent elsewhere. Don't expect quotes to solve complex issues for your small business. Come to think of it, don't lay it on a customer representative or your parents, either. If you do, you're likely to be, not only, disappointed, but much poorer in the end. Take advantage of the consultation services of information technology specialists. Many consultants, myself included, are perfectly willing to consult, provide the necessary information and education, and help the client through the quotation process without actually bidding on the quote itself. This helps keep the consultant somewhat impartial.

Does this mean you should call a consultant every time you need to replace a workstation? Of course, not! However, if you're replacing your server and/or several workstations or considering a change of software/OS platform, it is probably a good call to make. Because you are paying for a service, the consultant will take to time to help identify your needs, educate you, and find software and hardware to satisfy those needs. This kind of "hand-holding" can reap great results, in saved time and money.

national sales tax

I believe that taxes are both necessary and ridiculous. In a free-market system that is consumer driven, an income tax is not only the single biggest economy buster, it is the most complex and inefficient way of collecting taxes.

I don't believe that we should tax the rich because they have lots of money. I want to have lots of money one day, and when I do, I don't want to be taxed more because I do. But, something that most people don't think about when it comes to taxes and the rich, is that the rich already have the money. Income tax doesn't tax you on the money you already have! It does, however, tax you on the money you earn. So, lets think about this -- if you are poor or middle-class, you likely don't have alot of savings, so you get taxed on a larger percentage of your money, because a larger percentage of your money is recently earned. In fact, if you have no savings at all, you get taxed on 100% of your money (not taking into account deductions and credits, which rich people get more of anyway.) That sounds fair, doesn't it! The truth of the matter is that the rich will always pay more monetary taxes than the remainder of the population, and will always pay taxes on a lower percentage of the money they have. I would much rather pay a national sales tax, exclusively.

In a scenario where I only pay sales tax, I can better save. I can, for instance, decide to delay purchasing a new car. By doing so, I not only save the tax, but I also potentially make interest on the money I didn't spend. The rich buy nice cars, far more expensive than I the vehicles I purchase. They will be paying more taxes than I do. However, that will be their choice. In a national sales tax scenario, do you really think that Jay Leno is going to buy a Yugo because it will save him on taxes? Really?

There is the corporate area to consider, as well. You know, those big, greedy, evil corporations that get all those tax breaks! Guess what, when expenses (including taxes) go up for a corporation, so does the product price. The consumer pays all corporate expenses, including taxes, or the corporation goes out of business. So, even if the consumer prices don't go down (directly due to tax liability being lifted), they will more than likely stay at the current level longer than they would have otherwise.

What about illegal aliens? They are not just people, they are consumers. Even those who work for cash, would pay through the national sales tax. What about the seedy underbelly of our society, most (if not all) of which deal in cash only. They too would contribute through a national sales tax.

Folks, a national sales tax, at worst, would only be as bad as what we already have. It couldn't possibly be worse. Furthermore, in a consumer-based society such as ours, the national sales tax is likely to cut-back on government spending (90% of IRS employees can go to the private sector), lower individual tax payouts (you decide how much tax you pay, by your spending habits), and raise the federal tax collections (due to fewer, if any, loopholes and the entire population contributing.)

I fail to see how what we have to loose and there seems to be so much to gain!

email and stupid signatures

Heh... So I get to work one mourning (not morning) and check my email. Well I find, yet another email intended for some organization in Atlanta. My employer nor my office are in Atlanta, but the server name for the organization in question is very close to ours. In fact, they are identical, but the 2 adjacent, transposed letters. I have been receiving a good number of emails intended for this organization, over the past few months. I had been, simply notifying both parties, the intended and the sender. This message, however, was different. It had one of those notices at the bottom. You know the type with "legalese" that says you must digitally fold, spindle, mutilate and otherwise erase the email, if you are not the intended recipient.

--Of course, I was not the intended recipient, in this case.

So, I thought about the situation. Here I am, a guy running a server for an organization. The server is receiving, through no fault of it's/my own, email after email intended for a different server altogether. I have been nicely notifying both parties as to the problem, in each instance. Out of the blue I get an email with, what would appear to be, confidential information attached and a note in the body telling any and all unintended recipients what they should, must, can, or cannot do.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... I don't think so. I have seen these types email signatures before and chuckled each time. Lets look at a scenario. Shall we?

the case:

So, here's the deal... You call your accountant, and say -- "Accountant! I need those W2s!" The accountant says -- "We just finished them (cough) and we'll mail them out to you." "No good," you say. "I need them now. Email them."

the problem:

You, the customer, need information from the accountant. This information is both sensitive and confidential. The accountant has to email this information to you. Email is not secure and, without some sort of protection, is no way to transport such information.

reasons the information will go out the wrong way:

• The accountant won't spend the time to do it right. (lazy and stupid)
• The accountant won't spend the money to do it right. (tight and stupid)
• The IT guy says that it's not worthy of his time. (lazy, pompous, and stupid)
• The lawyer says, "Just put 'THIS' at the end of the email." (just plain stupid)
  

the problem with this type of notice in an email:

• Legal language of this nature at the end of a message does not actually protect the information.
• Legal language of this nature at the end of a message doesn't have "a snowball's chance in hell" of being enforceable.
• Legal language at the beginning of a message only has "a snowball's chance in hell" of being enforceable.
• Sensitive information is about to be placed on to the internet's equivalent of a FREAKIN' POSTCARD!

real solutions:

• Get compression software that has encryption capabilities and use it!
• Get Adobe Acrobat and use the password/encryption features.
  
• Double check your recipient email addresses before letting them fly.

Placing a notice in the email IS NOT A SOLUTION! If your lawyer gave you one and said it would be fine, fire him and get a new one! (stupid advice is dangerous)


And so, we come to my canned response to mis-addressed emails that contain warnings about what I can and cannot do with the information therein.

"Sending an unencrypted email is like sending a postcard through the USPS, it can be read at any point during the journey. You wouldn't put confidential information on a postcard with a note at the end stating that the information, that was just read, is only intended for the recipient and that any use or dissemination of the information is prohibited. So, don’t do it with an email. When you send confidential information, without password protection or encryption, you are telling the recipient that it wasn’t important enough to protect. If the information isn’t worth protecting with a password or encryption, then it’s certainly not worth the bother of unenforceable language, of any quantity or quality. If your IT people cannot help you secure your information for email transport, then fire them and find people that can. If your lawyers told you that a disclaimer at the bottom of the email was enough, fire them and hire new lawyers, preferably lawyers that won’t lie to you."

-- Copyright 2006 by Jamie Forbes, who reserves all rights to the quoted material.

Welcome to my world...

My hope is -- to fill this blog with information and thoughts that might help, guide, and even make people think. Feel free to browse and glean what you can from my ramblings.

The Asylum

Congratulations! You have just left the it... the asylum, that is. Be forewarned! If you choose to leave this little digital isle of sanity, you re-enter the asylum.

Should you actually need a reminder of why you left the asylum in the first place, just think about this quote:

"It seemed to me that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a package of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane."

- Wonko The Sane
(So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish)