wtf is knol?!

Official Google Blog: Encouraging people to contribute knowledge: "Newest Google blogs"

Lame

Offer Package

Package got here via FedEx.


Now if I can figure out how to use this FedEx slip...

RIM Internship

My RIM(read "Blackberry") offer package supposedly was shipped today. Supposedly because it only took them a day to prepare it after I emailed them asking about it 2 weeks after the verbal offer. I'll be there(Kanata) for 8 months starting in January. It'll give me some good experiences in working in a more structured environment compared to what I do right now which is pure chaos. I'll try to document it as we go!

Free Blackberry you say? RIM gives a Blackberry to every emplyee. It'll be the first one I ever touch and I'll look forward to... critique it. I don't see why people have to call them Blackberries. Is "smart phone" not good enough for it? I don't see what the big deal is about Blackberries, just as I don't see the big deal with IPods(haven't touched one ever). I tried to use Blackberry Enterprise Server(BES) at work and it was not fun. 10 years ago, when Starcraft came out, 2 people with the same CD-Key couldn't log on Battle.net at the same time. RIM could have learned something from that. When 2 BES with the same ID come online at the same time, RIM will lock out the ID and you have to call your wireless provider to unlock them. Retarded. It seems that no one there has ever played Starcraft.

And what the hell is with Microsoft not making Office Live Small Business available in Canada?! I know Canada is 10 years behind in e-commerce but come on!

Westinghouse 42" LCD

Got this delivered to me the other day. Plugged it in.. 1 dead pixel. Called Dell, which is where I bought it from, and got told that the policy is 6! dead pixels to exchange/return.

Well it's safe to say that I'll never buy anything from Dell again.

Outlook Locking out Domain Account

This happened to one user on a particular machine. Every time she would start Outlook, her domain account would get locked out. Event ID 40960 and 40961. Event ID 14 would appear some times. If this happens only to one user on one machine, rebuild the user profile.

Reboot and log in as an administrator
Rename C:\Documents and Settings\User
Log on as the user
Move everything back from the user folder that you can. Some files will be in use by windows so skip those. Make sure to empty temp folders to save some time.

Microsoft Bus Driver should be loaded in your system before installing Realtek HD Audio Driver

Looked into a few sources and I thought the solution could be clearer.

To fix this follow these steps

1. Open device manager in system properties
2. Find a PCI device in the System Devices section that has a yellow exclamation mark next to it
   
3. Right click on that device and click Update Drivers. This will install UAA Audio Bus.
4. Proceed to install Realtek HD Audio Drivers.
   

Excel Spreadsheet Takes 100% CPU to Open and Close

Today at work someone's excel took 5 minutes to open a 500KB .xls file. The CPU load was at 100% while opening. Same when closing. The issue was there was a lot of VB macros in that file. Every time it opens, Excel creates several *.emf files in %temp%. When I opened the temp folder, there were over 5000 *.emf files from 0 to 3KB.

To solve this problem, simply browse to the user's temp folder by typing %temp% in a run dialog box and delete all *.emf files. While you are at it, delete any file starting with "mso." Make sure Excel or any other program for that matter is closed. Since we don't want any application to be using a file that we are about to delete.

It's probably a good idea to periodically clean out the temp folder with the windows utility or manually.

To Jack Thompson

After examining the facts of the Virginia Tech shooting, I have come to the conclusion that the shooting was caused by you, Jack frakking Thompson. Not only did you not eliminate all violent video games from the world, you publicized the games in your feeble attempts at placing blame. After examining the subliminal messages you send with your TV interviews in which you covertly encourage young people to play violent video games, I have come to the conclusion that your dumb ass is directly responsible and legally liable to the events at VT.

You keep insisting that shooters train on video games but I say that it is your face that is used for target practice to video game enthusiasts. Unlike hyper-violent video games such as Counter-Strike, the hyper-violent Bust-A-Cap-In-Yo-Face is real. You most probably taught people how to enjoy shooting idiots in the face in execution style. However, there has been no attempts what so ever by your dumb ass to take your face off the surface of the planet.

Mr Jackass Thompson, pull the plug on your face today. There is more going on in the world than video games. Just ask the bereaved VT families.

I Will Not Watch Any More Prison Break

Prison Break is a good show. I've watched it since it started. It seemed like a series that I could watch and follow the story until it ends. At the end of season 1, they escaped from the prison. I thought "YES CLOSURE!" But no! They had to miss the plane. Now one week before the season 2 finale, and with the news of a THIRD season, I refuse to watch any more of this non-sense.

Details on the serialized drama's storyline for next season are being kept under wraps, but it is understood that brothers Michael (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln (Dominic Purcell)--who recently escaped to Panama with the FBI hot on their trail--and many of their fellow fugitives would end up back behind bars, possibly in Panama.

I got some insights for you Fox: chasing and running gets old. Can we just stop messing around and stretching the story and milking the cash cow and end the show? END IT!

How to Speak Like Captain Picard

I am sure many of you like me have always dreamed about talking AND being like Captain Picard so here's some general guidelines I've created to help you (and me).

1. Accustom yourself to say "Engage!" and "Make it so!" when you want someone to do something.
• Example: Friend: "Hey let's go get some In & Out! I'll drive!" You: "Make it so!"
2. Whenever you order a drink, always append the preferred temperature.
• Example: "Coke, cold." "Coffee, hot."
3. Refer to your secretary/assistant/caddy as "Number One".
   
4. Whenever you stand up, tug on your shirt and pull out any ruffles in it.
5. Pronounce ER sounds as Ah.
• Example: "The line must be drawn HEAH (here)!" [First Contact]
  
6. Roll your tongue when R is before a vowel.
• In this example we can see the use of both use of R: "What does a woman like you see in MoRRiaAHti?" [S06E12 Ship in a Bottle]
7. A should be pronounced as AU as in "awe"
• Example: CommAUnder Data
  
8. Less nasal.

Funniest Website in The World

http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page

Bravo to those geniuses who thought of this. I salute you in your originality and sense of humor! Some of you less funny people might not catch the nuances of this site. Let me point an example so you may appreciate this site for what it is, a work of art.

Read a list of many Examples of Bias in Wikipedia.

Conservapedia is an online resource and meeting place where we favor Christianity and America.

Now do you get it? THAT is irony my friend.

Polls show that about twice as many Americans identify themselves as "conservative" compared with "liberal", and that ratio has been increasing for two decades.^[1] But on Wikipedia, about three times as many editors identify themselves as "liberal" compared with "conservative".^[2] That suggests Wikipedia is six times more liberal than the American public.

HAH! It is true that most of the conservatives can't manage to use a computer let alone edit an online collaborative encyclopedia.

Albert Einstein's work had nothing to do with the development of the atomic bomb, contrary to popular opinion.

I guess that e=mc^2 doesn't mean the mass differential between matter before and after a nuclear reaction doesn't equal the amount of energy released. My college professor was wrong after all! That idiot in the class was right!

Like all modern animals, modern kangaroos originated in the Middle East and are the descendants of the two founding members of the modern kangaroo baramin that were taken aboard Noah's Ark prior to the Great Flood.

Hilarious.

http://www.conservapedia.com/Da_vinci_code

I love how they got the average religious nut just right. They wrote 10 pages defuting a fictional novel. Once again I must salute you on your dedication to satyr.

Google Associate Product Manager Intern Interviews

Last month I was interviewing for an internship at Google as an APM. Here's how it went and some questions they asked(No I didn't sign any NDA.)

The recruiter asked me for my availability for the first phone interview the week after I applied. It was surprisingly quick!

The first interview was the type of interview you'd get at most companies. "Tell me a bit about your self", "How was working at ______". Some of the better questions were "What's a good product and how would you improve it and "How many _______ do you think there are in ________", one of those estimation questions as to be expected by a tech company. The entire interview was about 35 minutes.

In the same week, I got a request for a second interview.

The second interview was a lot more interesting. I was asked some product strategy questions and logic questions: "How would you compare the quality of 3 different yellow pages type of business listings", "What are some ways that you can compress code". And the question I was prepared to answer all along "Critique a Google product".

Now began the bad part. After getting a response for the first interview after only 3-4 days, I expected the same kind of response time for the second interview. Was I wrong... 2 weeks went by, 3 weeks, I sent 3-4 emails to the recruiter and no answers.

The interviews were very easy and straight forward... nothing really technical. If you aren't dumb you should do well in the interviews. But it doesn't guarantee an internship. :)

Things to Remember When Building a Computer

Dell takes small steps toward Linux

Dell buyers demanding Linux-ready machines... That's almost as funny as the Christian Science Monitor. What's next? Mac users demanding a functional multi-button mouse?

Tired of Dell's bullshit with the load of crapware pre-installed on your computer that are impossible to get rid of as if they dragged their asses on your carpet? Tired of waiting to upgrade a component and in the process voiding your warranty? Tired of people laughing at you online because "dude, you have a Dell?!" Build your own computer and learn something on the way for a change.

Buying

1. Google - Google for reviews by other users
2. Don't be cheap - things are more expensive for a reason
3. There are components that are regularly on sale - Hard drives especially
   
4. Don't hesitate - if you keep thinking things will get cheaper you'll never get a computer
5. Newegg.com

Building

1. RTFM
2. If it doesn't fit, you did it wrong
3. RTFM - the CD that came with the hardware serves a purpose, most of the time
   

BT Goes Hollywood

BitTorrent.com has made a deal with several Hollywood studios including Fox, Paramount, and WB to distribute their content via torrents for a FEE! TV shows can be downloaded and kept but movies will self destruct a la Mission Impossible after some time. The files are protected by Microsoft and will be unwatchable after 30 days or 24 hours after watching.

Hollywood is just trying to use the BT name to sell their stuff. Will the actual technology be a factor in this? Usually torrent sites require users to maintain a share ratio to allow them to download. Now that people no longer feel the "obligation" to seed the torrents because they paid for this, no one would want to upload the content.

Will this actually make people use this service and increase revenue for studios and decrease piracy or will it only put a spotlight on torrents and make countless number of people still using limewire Google for torrent sites.

Just seems like Napster all over again.

JJ Abrams to direct Star Trek XI - o rly?

As you probably know, Abrams has been linked to the new Star Trek movie for quite a while now. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Abrams has officially signed on to the project as the director and producer. He is also working as a writer.

The movie supposedly revolves around young Kirk and Spock in the Starfleet Academy and is scheduled for release for Christmas 2008.

I am highly skeptical about this movie since the writers for it are best known for writing Hercules and Xena: The Warrior Princess. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. As far as I can tell, no one who is currently on board has worked on a Star Trek project before...

The real question is: "When will there be a movie (or even better, a new series) revolving around the DS9 crew?"

Google Apps - Is it gon' fly?

GMail & GCalendar - MS Exchange Server & Outlook

Gets rid of at least 1 server in your organization. Cuts down on maintenance cost and licensing fees. I've tried to use Outlook once and I hated it and never wanted to touch it again. This is the easiest part of the Apps suite for the users to adopt and imo, the best sell point for companies considering Apps.

Of course there is some issues of trust in letting someone else store your proprietary stuff. Sometimes, "do no evil" will just not be enough... Wonder if Google will put GMail into a Google Mini and call it GMailBox?

Docs & Spreadsheets - Word and Excel

D&S doesn't have nearly as much functionality as Office does. But for simple memos and TPS reports (including cover sheets), it will do. People are making a big deal about this one since Office is pretty much the standard software to have on a Windows machine(minus Open Office.)

Page Creator > Front Page

Front Page is just terrible. Notice how every college professor will want to have their own web page on their schools' domain? It is often inconsistent to the design of the main site. Using Page Creator, this can be controlled!

Start Page

Makes everything web based is the biggest leap users will have to take. Not everyone has adopted the web 2.0 mindset. It won't be easy to make the 48 year old woman working in sales effectively working with web-based software. It's gonna be like teaching a white guy to dance.

The Why of netsicles

When I saw Google unveiling Google Apps Premium, I felt the need to express myself on the Internet. The only proper way to do so is via Blogger. I came up with this name when I was in the shower 15 minutes ago trying to think of a name of my blog. I tried to make new word with "net" in it and making it sound like testicles(the part of my body I was cleaning). I came up with "neticles" and then somehow ended up with "netsicles" which is... less obscene.