Well...

I have an HTC 6800 (or P4000) from Telus - syncing has never been a problem with Vista x64 - though generally I sync through our Exchange infrastructure wirelessly.

What I have been unable to get working, is using it as a data modem when tethered.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 12:24 PM on August 19, 2008

I've been working from home the past three years and while my children were/are not babies, it has been difficult at times, but very rewarding.

As mentioned - you will always be "on-call". Even when day-care, pre-school and/or school kicks in, be aware that there may be emergencies that blow your planned schedule.

Basically - the key thing I've learned is to be completely flexible. Sometimes that means doing very little work during... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 9:15 AM on August 19, 2008

I've jailbroken my iPod Touch several times (but not since the 2.x firmware came out) - never had an issue.

However, I've tried custom firmware on my phone (Windows Mobile device) and it knocked all network settings out ... Explaining that to their carrier would be difficult for most people, luckily I had an edge/distinction... Never did get that firmware working, fell back to the standard.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 9:07 AM on August 19, 2008

Yeah, it will just wreak havoc, 18-19 year olds are just too immature to drink in the U.S.A. - it's not like you guys have another country on your northern border that you could use for research, eh?
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 8:47 AM on August 19, 2008

We just started with RecordedBooks.com - it is nice, but returns to the US from Canada are not free - so it is reasonably expensive. We have also had some bad tapes from them.

Generally we get our stuff from Audible.com or the local public library (rarely had bad discs or tapes) - it does mean we are now an "iPod family", but oh well... When your audiobook collection is 180gb, lock-in is the least of your worries...
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 7:03 PM on August 18, 2008

Or - did I miss something in the FAQ/wiki and just asking for things that already exist?
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 12:44 PM on August 2, 2008

>Unless I'm misunderstanding you, this implies that there's authentication going on
>between a feed reader and mefi, which kind of makes it a no go from the start.

Why is it different than the authentication mechanism already used by my client-side browser? I have a client-side feed-reader which allows me to setup a username/password for each URL. Other than the user-agent string, why should it matter to mefi which HTTP-compliant mechanism I use to connect?
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 2:14 PM on August 2, 2008

>This way you can actually leave the house

No - this way I can take the "n-hundred" posts and sort/categorize them, much like bookmarks.

>whenever someone notices you via whatever

This is not being "favorited-by-others" - these are the links I have chosen to select as favorites for my own use. Fundamentally different IMO than favoriting someone's comment/personage. I could give a shit how many people "favorite-me".
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 2:21 PM on August 2, 2008

>Are you a hipster?

Hah - I think that would kill the movement instantly - two kids, married with a beer-gut and absolutely no fashion/style-sense, plus I work for the borg... Maybe I should join.

No - I am a "paying" member of a web-site, asking for a feature. Part of what makes this place great is the community and the participation of it's members. Not being able to get the posts I consider "useful" and manage 'em... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 2:30 PM on August 2, 2008

>This way you can actually leave the house

But yet, here you are? Saturday?

(me, I'm hiding from the gossipy neighbour-lady who managed to capture my wife and turn a 5 minute conversation into a 2-hour complete waste-of-time - plus, it's cool in my basement lair...)
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 2:32 PM on August 2, 2008

>Isn't this how the My Ask feeds work? Not authenticated, but hashed.

Well - this is exactly how I would envision the feature behaving, but I just tried in the "other" browser (where I do not cache credentials) and it lets me see all of my posts non-authenticated anyways.
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 2:44 PM on August 2, 2008

I've seriously been considering the Canon High-Definition SD Flash Camcorder (HF100) (currently about 1000 CDN on the web)

Has a Mic in - dunno about headphone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 8:29 AM on August 2, 2008

Oh - and trolling on some HD camera forums, the Canon Vixia (HF100) will get 1-2 hours of HD on a 4gb flash card. (I can't recall exactly)

Some purests prefer the tape, as then it is less compressed than the files output by the Vixia when they use firewire to transfer to their computers. Some say that the imaging in the HF100 leaves more artifacts (but others disagree). However, almost everyone agrees that the fact that there is no tape motor makes the output nice -... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 12:34 PM on August 2, 2008

Why an application to do what is built into the operating system? Why not File Sharing?

Well - here is what I do (because I generally do lock down my wife/kids computers and disallow File Sharing ;-) )

I bought a cheap NAS device, which has it's own file sharing service and security - then I store all my files there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 8:24 AM on August 2, 2008

How old is your Mac (ie - will it run Windows)?

I would probably use a good GPS datalogger and then manually use the WWMX Location Stamper to tag the photos after my trip/walk.

The key is to find reviews of how well a device performs in an urban area - then, find out if that same chipset is used by a datalogging unit. I recently got a non-data logger, Bluetooth-enabled device and it performed amazingly well in the dense alleys/streets of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 8:21 AM on August 2, 2008

Have you yanked the battery (is it possible?) and left it for about 20-30minutes? That might be enough to force a full reboot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 8:06 AM on August 2, 2008

Stress, lack of sleep or stimulants (caffeine for example) will all do this to me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 3:15 PM on August 1, 2008

Lobster is still a wild creature that doesn't require petroleum inputs for it's growth. A better nominee would be Argentine feedlot beef in Toronto.

How so? Last time I checked, catching lobster required gobs of petroleum typically used in inefficient marine engines...
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 11:16 AM on July 31, 2008

kuujjuarapik: Well - I am not going to completely disagree, because I truly don't know how my local beef producers fatten cattle for market on a commercial scale. From my memory of our small farm, we did not feed our cattle corn or soybeans - they grazed on locally grown hay/wheat or whatever was in the fallow fields.
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 12:08 PM on July 31, 2008

Great costumes, great opener but it they lack something...

MeBatFilter
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 9:17 AM on July 31, 2008

I've done this several times previously (only for Windows) - typically I leveraged an internet browser (IE) that already had some form of kiosk & full-screen mode and customization toolkit. Thanks to the magic of plug-ins, it would handle many different media-types. I could also display local HTML/images or remote - depending on connectivity.

Unfortunately - I still had to do some ugly fix-up work (disabling browser features - removing menu entries via resource... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 1:20 PM on July 29, 2008

Wow - GNU/LINUX Kiosk Project based on Firefox and a custom Window Manager looks almost perfect.

First link on a Google search for "Linux kiosk"...

Second link is a project from DNALounge... (go jwz!)...

So - there are a few projects out there - I'd search SourceForge.net for "kiosk" as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 1:25 PM on July 29, 2008

Ah - sorry - I wrote an application which essentially executed as a Windows service - it then embedded my customized browser. It had a ton of timing features (as the device had to keep track of how long a paid session was). Total time to build this was about 40-50 hours.

I have not heard of a full distribution yet - I keep an ear out for these things, even though I *shouldn't*.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 1:40 PM on July 29, 2008

>If one of my users wiped a laptop clean I'd be pretty royally pissed.

Wow - I've never seen that, typically most companies WANT to image the machine before sending it to another user. But it depends on the organization & it's policies. Here we expect most users to actually configure their machines themselves (heh - licensing is typically not a concern)...

However, I would also be very suspicious getting a completely... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 1:35 PM on July 29, 2008

It's been awhile since I've looked at housing there, sorry.

However - there is definately software development work - heck, we have a large campus there now and there are a ton of small/medium size software shops.

As well - in addition to online job searching - try local recruitment agencies.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 2:30 PM on July 27, 2008 marked best answer

It depends on what you are doing.

I have a couple different LCD models - for BluRay/HD & all-digital content (think monitor for my media PC) I do find that the faster refresh rate makes a difference.

However, for regular DVD & non-HD television - it is simply not noticable.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2008

Wow - thx for this, I've been a camera (35mm) enthuisiast since high school - but am only now investigating a decent HD rig.

For those that don't know - Vimeo (the service hosting most of these) has a "channel" for HD video's with/without adapters, they encourage people to discuss the shot setup/camera configuration.

Now - for me the toss-up is tape or SD. Personally I like the idea of working just with digital files, even if I would... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2008

I don't know about PHP - but I used an open-source program called "Album Art Downloader" available on SourceForge. All of it's sources are small scripts written in another scripting language (Boo) - the main application source is C# I believe.

However, they should be straightforward enough to quickly translate to another technology/language.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 12:25 PM on July 26, 2008

You had better iron this out ASAP - before the marriage, before kids enter the picture.

If your mutual sex drives are so far apart, eventually he will find a way to satisfy his. And that could potentally expand from manual "override" to third-party gratification.

Or - he could become bitter, which could also poison things.

Either of those outcomes will certainly NOT make your relationship stronger.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 1:30 PM on July 25, 2008

As well as including the art files - could you ensure that all the metadata and the art is pre-embedded within the MP3 files themselves?

I use MP3Tag to do this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 7:26 PM on July 24, 2008

Heh - I was pre-weaned of infatuation for Steampunk at an early age; my dad got me one of those working steam engine models and the thing gave me quite the scalding...

Though - I *liked*; The Difference Engine, Space: 1889, Castle Falkenstein, The Diamond Age and most Jules Verne... I have to admit - I like the visual asthetic, but fundamentally it is a niche/geek thing to do like extreme Star Trek/Star Wars fandom, cosplay, etc.
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 5:15 PM on July 24, 2008

This all must go.

The Mgt.
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 9:38 AM on July 24, 2008

One of the things about interviews at Microsoft is that we do not look just at what you know now, or your immediate experience - but what potential do you have in the future.

While saying that - I work with people on panel interviews who focus on extremely technical experience/knowledge. However, the team I am on needs to have people "hit-the-ground-running" and is in the services division. Product development/research has a more long focus.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 9:33 PM on July 22, 2008

"more long-term focus"
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 9:34 PM on July 22, 2008

Well - if you want an actual product, which is designed for high-traffic locations, *cough* Microsoft Surface comes to mind - the development tools are great...
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 3:41 PM on July 21, 2008 marked best answer

Follow-up with a card, postal letter or email - do NOT call.

However - I only follow-up if I really want the position - then, I make a point of actually following-up on some discussion point or another from the interview. Actually, on several occasions when I was unable to answer something in an interview - I mentioned that I would follow-up. I did (via email) - and in every instance was offered the job.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 3:28 PM on July 21, 2008

>It happened for me a bunch of times when I was contracting out at Microsoft.

Looks to be the case - trying a different machine that is not currently VPN'd in and it no longer occurs - the other user I was "confused" with lives in Seattle and works in IT - pretty sure they were/are using the same outbound proxy.

Thanks all!
posted to MetaTalk by jkaczor at 2:25 PM on July 21, 2008

It really depends on the agency you are with and their agreements with the end-client.

However, most have a roll-over clause, whereby they get a percentage of your first-year salary. But - the contracting agency may not want to do that if you've only been with them at that end-client for a few months... Usually the "break-even", no-ill-will timeframe is 6 months or more.

But yeah, if the agency you are with is a body-shop, then it is pretty much a dead-end.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 8:14 AM on July 21, 2008

You in the US?

Pretty sure there is some sort of economic downturn happening (600 Starbucks closing, incredibly high fuel costs, etc...), which would put a pinch on non-profits and business in general.

Head north (Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver) - you have a masters, getting a NAFTA TN1/L1 visa for Canada should be reasonably easy and our resource-based economy still seems to be ticking fairly strongly - I cannot go a day without seeing/hearing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 8:09 AM on July 21, 2008

It may be attempting to attract a mate - depends on where you live. In the southern hemisphere (Australia), September is the typical mating season for Magpie's... Up here in Canada, it is probably too late.

They are very intelligent birds - they can sometimes do weird things, just well, because...
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 7:55 AM on July 21, 2008

I couldn't get more than a third of the way through it (wow - what an ego - and I was even expecting it) - about the only thing/place I see it impacting regularly are the shelves at used bookstores...
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 5:27 PM on July 16, 2008

From my memory - the skin is pretty tough - would make for some very chewy or very crunchy bacon. I would suggest removal - then roasting into "crackle" for yourself or pets/dogs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 4:45 PM on July 16, 2008

Heh - "crackle" is usually a fairly generic term for fatty rind which has been roasted or fried - it is very tasty (but oh so bad...) - are you in a rush? I can ask my wife when she gets home - she may know more on the subject.

Hmmm - Goog is bringing up a few things for "skin-on pork belly", but nothing definitive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 4:54 PM on July 16, 2008

Hmmm - looks like people remove it - this useful thread seems to ask what to do with it... "cracklins"...
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 4:57 PM on July 16, 2008

While not expert specifically in bacon (god, I wish - but then, I'd be dead already) she loves to cook, bake, smoke, etc... It's gotten to the point that we rarely go out anymore as we will almost always be let down and can almost always do better at home.

(Which is wonderful, but bad as well...)
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 5:03 PM on July 16, 2008

I always disable indexing/searching - but, I am a power user/developer-type. Being able to search for files they have missplaced may be a feature the average user likes...

I have found that with enough RAM (4gb+) and x64 on a known hardware configuration (Dell laptop) that Vista SP1 is actually very nice.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 4:50 PM on July 16, 2008

As an ornithological point of order, you should never touch baby birds - no matter how cute they are. It can lead the mother to reject them.

That's what I was told... That's what I told my daughter, but for three years in a row, a couple of Robin's have nested under our deck, near the stairs... Within arms reach of my daughter... One day, I came home to find the chicks on the lawn... She had been taking them out and putting them back for days.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 9:33 AM on July 15, 2008

I didn't say that Batman Begins was the same as Michael Bay's films--I said that it's a pretty shit movie just like the previous

Ah yes... SPOILER ALERT...

The movie which depends on the plot device of using an extremely powerful microwave emitter to vaporize a drug/toxin into the air, which is residing in the city water supplies... in pipes... underground....

Lest one forget... The average human is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 5:01 PM on July 7, 2008

Personally - I don't want a full-cast of characters and/or sound-effects. I want a single narrator, who can voice a couple different styles - male and female.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkaczor at 1:38 PM on July 7, 2008

You forgot Wall-E...
posted to MetaFilter by jkaczor at 1:34 PM on July 7, 2008