The Sad State of Cell Phone Service

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Consumer Switching Costs in the U.S. Marketplace for Wireless Telephone Service - a report fron AARP:

In 2004, 2005 and 2006, cell phone service was the most complained about industry in the United States.
...
Each of the national wireless carriers has mostly or completely ignored repeated FCC requests to submit network coverage maps and other information about their quality of service and service availability.

They list sensible policy recommendations that politicians undoubtably would pass if not for huge payments they receive to allow continued bad practices.

Related: More Bad Customer Service Examples :-( - Telephone Savings - Poor AT&T "customer service" - Standard Prepaid Cell Phone Policy - Companies in Need of Customer Focus

Ubuntu 7.1

I upgraded to Ubuntu 7.1 today. It went very well. It was a large download but otherwise no problems at all. Simple download, upgraded Ubuntu and lots of supported applications. And it removed some no longer supported applications. It is a wonderful free operating system based on Linux for the desktop and very good for non-IT geeks. It automatically notifies you of updates and installs the updates with no need to reboot most of the time. Also it is Linux based and therefore very secure.

I did have one problem with Ubuntu last week. I could not download the photos from my digital camera. I tried various thing but couldn't figure it out. My friend was able to figure out there was a limitation in the software I was using that failed with over something like 1,000 photos (I had 1,085 photos from my trip). We tried another photos software but it failed too. I was able to delete some (that I got off the camera using a Windows computer at work) and then it worked fine.

Code Monkey

Code Monkey mp3 by Jonathan Coulton

Code Monkey get up get coffee
Code Monkey go to job
have boring meeting with boring manager Rob
Rob say Code Monkey very diligent
but his output stink
his code not functional or elegant
what do Code Monkey think
Code Monkey think maybe manager oughta write goddamn login page himself
Code Monkey not say it out loud
Code Monkey not crazy just proud
...

Related: CD Baby

Take A Tour of ProBlogger HQ

Take A Tour of ProBlogger HQ - nice video showing Darren Rowse's office.

via: Coolest blogger offices

Also see: The Ultimate Home Office, from lifehacker.

Google Challenges Baidu for China Market Share

Google Challenges Baidu for China Market Share by Andy Beal:

Well, Google's proving that the #1 spot can be challenged–at least in China. Reuters is reporting Google grew its market share by 4% (to 22.8%) while Baidu grew just 1% (to 58.1%).

Maybe this will give Yahoo, Microsoft, and Ask.com hope that they too can challenge Google's #1 US dominance. Then again, they might be thinking "crap, Google’s going to dominate the entire world!"

I would guess the dominate the entire world option :-) But it is very true if Google fails to return the best results they can easily fall fast.

Related: Search Share Data - Checking the ACSI - Is Google Overpriced

The Rise of Indian English

The rise of Indian English:

A glossary of the latest lingo as spoken on the streets of India
Teachress - a female teacher.
She freaked out last night - she had a good time.
Hue and Cry notice - title of police missing person newspaper advertisement.

Flashdrive Your Electronic Life

Portable Apps is an open source freeware initative that collects a ton of useful programs (Firefox, Gimp, Open Office...) that you can take with you on a flash drive and use on whatever computer is handy. This looks very cool.

via: Cool trick to make your life more portable

Appalachian State stuns Michigan

Appalachian State (division I-AA) beats No. 5 Michigan 34-32. Good. I am a Wisconsin fan but I don't dislike Michigan or other Big Ten teams. But I do find it lame to schedule teams that are the equivalent of picking a fight with the 98 pound weakling. I am glad to see one of these bullies get beaten. Wisconsin schedules the weaklings too - I wish they wouldn't.

Some of the scores this week from big time football schools playing teams they shouldn't: 49-3, 38-6, 59-0, 73-10. And that doesn't include USC's game against Idaho which will be another blowout.

Science and Engineering open access

Open access posts on the Curious Cat Science and Engineering blog

The First Amendment

I read one of those headlines: "more people can name lame pop culture... than rights granted by the first amendment to the constitution." So, this isn't much but here is hoping I can be part to remind some people in the USA what our government was formed to do for us. The First Amendment to the Constitution, rights:

• Freedom of religion


• Freedom of the press


• Freedom of speech


• Freedom of peaceful assemble


• Right to petition the government for redress

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The USA has some great things going for it but without vigilance there is always danger to the ideals the country was founded on.

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
Thomas Jefferson

"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me."
Martin Niemoeller

Washington's Worst Jobs

I ran across this portion of an article from the City Paper awhile back with an article on Washington's Worst jobs listing the 10 worst jobs in Washington DC. I had one of them at the time and the write up they included was hilarious - I don't think it really was close to actually being one of the worst jobs but I can see why they chose to include it. From the article:

Unlike for instance the Department of Interior, where the drudgery and anonymity of government work could be mitigated by a built-in sense of larger purpose, OPM exists solely to manage the red tape of the federal government employment. It is the bureaucracy of the bureaucracy.
...
"Some stay longer," says one benefits specialist. "But they're like prisoners who have stayed in jail so long they don't want to leave."
...
Once the proper documents have been assembled, the benefits specialist figures out what retirement rules apply to the retiree. Since the guidelines are constantly changing, determining what a retiree is owed is often so Byzantine a calculation as to be an open question, a matter of interpretation.
...
And while they are scurrying to juggle several cases a day, they are getting calls and questions for cash-strapped and confused retirees as well as supervisors who are constantly reviewing and sending back work.
...
"It's similar to assembly-line work," says one benefits specialists. "It's just one after another. And there's not a lot of camaraderie here, not many friendships. You can come in, do your work all day, never speak to anyone, and then go home."

I thought is was great write up. Not really accurate but funny and with just enough hints of truth - just framed in the way to make the best story not the most accurate one. I remember it also listed a job for city rat exterminator - now that probably is one of the worst jobs. I can't really see sitting in an air conditioned room moving paper from one side of your desk to another and trying to improve processes (well I was - and not getting too much help with that though there were a few people that did) is really that horrible. See what I have done since.

Voting Machine Failures

Diebold vote-hack roundup provides a series of quotes and links on problems with electronic voting machines:

"Electronic voting machine breakdowns have wreaked havoc in recent state primaries, disenfranchising thousands of voters and calling into question election results, " said Holly Jacobson co-director of Voter Action. "While we are pleased with today's verdict, the serious security flaws inherent in electronic voting technology - confirmed in a new study by Princeton University experts last week, underscore the need for more secure and verifiable voting systems. Paper ballots do not fail to boot up and can be reliably counted, audited and recounted. This is why half the counties in the country are using them. Maryland 's Governor Ehrlich announced his support for returning his state to paper ballots earlier this week".

Our previous posts on this topics: Security of Electronic Voting

Backlink Tool

Check the pagerank of backlinks to your site. via Randa Clay

Tired of Incompetent Government Harassment

I am getting tired of all the reported instances of police officer harassment of people going about their own business. If police officers, federal law enforcement officers... don't put a stop to these repeated ridicules actions by their co-workers they are going to deal with having lost the respect for their positions. On the other hand in this case it provided an example that legislators do actually have a role in society (little used to serve as a check on unrestrained police powers) thanks to Congressman Rick Boucher for putting a stop to the abuse in this instance. Abuse of power by National Park Service police:

I pulled off the road ahead of the second NPS patrol car, grabbed my camera and headed back to take a photo of the police action. As I approached, the Park Service officer wheeled around and pointed at me.

"Sir, if you raise that camera to take a photograph I will place you under arrest," he barked. I identified myself as a working journalist on assignment and said I was simply covering a news event.

"Sir," he retorted, "this is U.S. government property and under the provisions of the USA Patriot Act you cannot take photographs of official government activity without authorization. Put your camera down now!"
...
he National Park Service recalled their CIT unit and ordered them back to Asheville after Congressman Rick Boucher, who represents the area, intervened on behalf of the festival. Boucher's office received numerous calls of complaints about the NPS police activity on Thursday and Friday and called the director of the National Park Service. Security for the remaining two days of the festival was turned over to the Virginia State Police who patrolled the Parkway but did not harass festival attendees.

It is critical to use police force in a responsible way. Authority given to restrict the rights of others is not something that a society can afford to leave in the hands of people that abuse that authority.

Related: Failure to Address Systemic SWAT Raid Failures - The Photographer’s Right

7 Clever Google Tricks Worth Knowing

There are lots of these list of tips. Some are good some are not. Here is one with some good ideas: 7 Clever Google Tricks Worth Knowing:

Find the Face Behind the Result... appending the code &imgtype=face to the end of the URL address after you perform a standard Google Image search.
...
Google + Social Media Sites = Quality Free Stuff... Examples: site:reddit.com free "wordpress templates"

Alexa for Firefox

Alexa toolbar for Firefox - I can't really understand why it took Alexa so long but they finally have a toolbar for Firefox users. Alexa is far from perfect but it provides the best data available for free (so even though the data is highly questionable it is used to gage the traffic to sites).

curiouscat.com report on Alexa

Curious Cat blog report on Alexa

Related: Compete Toolbar

Share a virtual Desktop Between Two Computers

Matt Cutts details how to share a virtual desktop between two different computers using Synergy.

Do you wish you could cut and paste between computers? Now you can! ... It's as if all your computers shared a single clipboard (and separate primary selection for you X11 users). It even converts newlines to each computer's native form so cut and paste between different operating systems works seamlessly. And it does it all in Unicode so any text can be copied.
...
Synergy also understands multiple screens attached to the same computer.

Looks very cool.

The Economic Benefits of Walkable Communities

The Economic Benefits of Walkable Communities. Examples of walkable design leading to higher property values, increased private investment, tourism, etc.. This is an example of positive externalities and the economic gain possible to all through proper regulation.

Related: Urban Planning - Designing Cities for People, Rather than Cars - Car-free zones

Data on You

Interesting site: Attentiontrust to look at later.

Grandcentral and Spock

Grandcentral is a personal phone management system that manages voicemail messages, lets you listen to voicemail messages while they are being left, switch an active call from your cell to your landline phone (or the reverse), have different callers routed to different phones, have calls routed to different phones depending on the time of day, filter to weed out unwanted telemarketer calls automatically... Google bought the company yesterday

Spock helps users find and discover people. Over one hundred million people already indexed and millions are added every day.

Both of these sites are in invitation only beta release. Please let me know if you are interested in an invitation by adding a comment.