So, I received my replacement smartwatch.
What can I say, other than "it works"? I thought I'd get one in a box with a new cradle. Nope. They gave me the watch replacement and that is all. At least it works, though. We'll see if it'll last a year. I'm not so sure. This whole owner experience was fine until the watch died and I got to see how Samsung handles warranty claims. Although they did good, I've the feeling I'll be pissed 18 months from now when the replacement watch dies without warranty coverage. I don't even know if the watch is new or refurbished. I'll investigate whether the watch is new (or a refurb) and find out if a new watch has a full warranty (it should)....and, I'll also discover how well the warranty coverage is for a refurb.
I had to activate the new watch and pair it with my phone. While that wasn't complicated, it wasn't as simple as it should be, either. I'll admit, though...it was simpler than when I got the first watch...this one wasn't glitching like the first one.
I also upgraded my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note Edge) from v5.0.1 to v6.0.1 (Marshmallow).
The phone had issues from the onset when trying to install the new firmware. I kept getting error code 404. I must've tried like 4 times before clearing the cache (each time I tried, I had to redownload the damned firmware...it was a PITA). Clearing the cache worked and Marshmallow finally installed.
v6.0 consumes a lot of power. I've been finding myself having to recharge during the day. I used to get by without having to charge the phone after letting it charge overnight. Fast Charge doesn't seem as fast as it was when I was using v5.0 (yes, Fast Charge is enabled).
Yesterday, I was taking a picture of my dog and the phone locked up. It would freeze at the Verizon screen during boot-up. It did this 4 times (each time, I had to remove the battery to unfreeze it). I couldn't get past the freeze. I ended up doing a factory reset. This was a PITA. Yes, I had a recent backup (I did a full backup the night before, using the Verizon Cloud app), but restoring it was very slow (did it over a wifi connection). I believe my initial upgrade attempt worked but something crucial became corrupt in the process (it took like 24 hours to manifest).
I'm still trying to get the phone back to normal. I've not yet played with much of the features. The interface is a bit different in some places. I don't know of any of the major enhancements. I suppose I could research them but all I really care about is that I've a functional phone. If I could find out if there's a fix for the abnormal power consumption, I'd be happy.
UPDATE (6/24/16) - I've experienced no freezing or rebooting or reboot loops since the upgrade to v6.0.1. This is good news, as my daughter was also experiencing freezing and reboots (I ended up having Asurion replace the unit). My daughter is still using v5.0.1, though, so I'm wondering if she will eventually experience those issues again -- I'll ask her how her phone is doing...last I asked, I thought she said that the issue was still occurring but was less frequent.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Tuesday, June 07, 2016
Samsung Gear S
Over the last ten months, I've enjoyed my Gear S. Here's my user experience thus far:
The watch's voice command feature is very sensitive. It activates when it thinks it hears a command, usually when I'm talking to someone else. It's annoying.
The latch features on the charger cradle broke. The fittings are plastic and snap into the watch. The latches broke after 6-7 months of ownership. This usually means you can no longer charge the watch (because the two of them won't stay attached). This is why I hate proprietary cabling. It means you have to either coerce Samsung into replacing the cradle or you've to put on your MacGyver hat and somehow latch the cradle to the watch. If you get a replacement cradle, it will more than likely develop the same issue eventually (some people report their replacements breaking within a week of receiving them). I usually wrap the band around a pill bottle that has a similar size to my wrist...that keeps the cradle to the watch during the charging period but do I really have to do this for a $400 watch???
What I like is that if I'm driving and don't want to take my eyes off the road, but I get a text or an e-mail arrives, I can usually look down at my watch for 1 sec to get a summary of the text or e-mail.
I can use the watch as a standalone device (in case my phone breaks, if I forget it while going to work, or if it runs out of power). While I can't use it to browse the internet, I can receive reminders, texts, and calls. I can even respond to texts.
My watch stopped working maybe three weeks ago while I was on a cruise. It just died. It wouldn't charge, it wouldn't turn on, and the indicators wouldn't blink...nothing. Luckily, this happened before the 1-year manufacturer's warranty ended...I was at the 10 month mark when it died. I went to the Samsung website and created a case for them to fix it. They paid for the shipping to their facility and for the shipping back to me. It turns out that they couldn't repair whatever it was that was damaged/faulty, so they sent me a new one. It should be delivered to me today.
I get to see how long the replacement will last. I'm getting tired of buying technology that almost seems like they're designed to self-destruct. I think most manufacturers purposely build merchandise that doesn't last long, so that they can get a second chance at a customer's money, in the hopes that maybe the item breaks after the maker's warranty. I'd insure the watch if I could, but I also don't want to end up feeding more money into the system ($12 a month for Asurion insurance coverage where, if the item breaks, it'll cost $200 for a replacement/repair...screw that). Home owners' insurance may cover it, but there's a steep deductible to worry about.
While I love wearable tech, I'm not going to be spending huge sums of money for shit that's not going to have the legs to last 2-3 years. No.
The watch's voice command feature is very sensitive. It activates when it thinks it hears a command, usually when I'm talking to someone else. It's annoying.
The latch features on the charger cradle broke. The fittings are plastic and snap into the watch. The latches broke after 6-7 months of ownership. This usually means you can no longer charge the watch (because the two of them won't stay attached). This is why I hate proprietary cabling. It means you have to either coerce Samsung into replacing the cradle or you've to put on your MacGyver hat and somehow latch the cradle to the watch. If you get a replacement cradle, it will more than likely develop the same issue eventually (some people report their replacements breaking within a week of receiving them). I usually wrap the band around a pill bottle that has a similar size to my wrist...that keeps the cradle to the watch during the charging period but do I really have to do this for a $400 watch???
What I like is that if I'm driving and don't want to take my eyes off the road, but I get a text or an e-mail arrives, I can usually look down at my watch for 1 sec to get a summary of the text or e-mail.
I can use the watch as a standalone device (in case my phone breaks, if I forget it while going to work, or if it runs out of power). While I can't use it to browse the internet, I can receive reminders, texts, and calls. I can even respond to texts.
My watch stopped working maybe three weeks ago while I was on a cruise. It just died. It wouldn't charge, it wouldn't turn on, and the indicators wouldn't blink...nothing. Luckily, this happened before the 1-year manufacturer's warranty ended...I was at the 10 month mark when it died. I went to the Samsung website and created a case for them to fix it. They paid for the shipping to their facility and for the shipping back to me. It turns out that they couldn't repair whatever it was that was damaged/faulty, so they sent me a new one. It should be delivered to me today.
I get to see how long the replacement will last. I'm getting tired of buying technology that almost seems like they're designed to self-destruct. I think most manufacturers purposely build merchandise that doesn't last long, so that they can get a second chance at a customer's money, in the hopes that maybe the item breaks after the maker's warranty. I'd insure the watch if I could, but I also don't want to end up feeding more money into the system ($12 a month for Asurion insurance coverage where, if the item breaks, it'll cost $200 for a replacement/repair...screw that). Home owners' insurance may cover it, but there's a steep deductible to worry about.
While I love wearable tech, I'm not going to be spending huge sums of money for shit that's not going to have the legs to last 2-3 years. No.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Gaming With My Custom Core i5 system!
About a year ago, I rebuilt an old system because I thought the mainboard was dead (only it wasn't). I ended up buying an MSI MS-7850 mainboard that supported Intel CPUs. I was coming from an AMD 6-core CPU, but wanted to try Intel's Core i5. I settled on the Core
i5-4690K (which runs at 3.50 GHz and is a 4-core CPU. This thing is faster than my M17x R3...it should be since it's running later internals. The system's specs are:
The video card is a spare that I had in my parts bin...it'll do some gaming but struggles with BF4 in medium settings. The integrated video card is rather beefy compared to the ones in my other systems (especially my R3).
Anyways, my wife's car went into the shop and needed new front rotors and rear pads...the repair fee was $600 and some change, so I'll have to wait awhile to get my laptop fixed. I can still use it but can't game with it unless I'm playing a game that is graphics-intensive (like BF4 and others). I can play War Thunder on the integrated card but I have to dial down the configuration to its very lowest settings. That takes away the immersion factor quite a bit and the frame rates are very low.
I decided to try War Thunder on my i5 system. I'm using a Vizio E231-B1 23" monitor with it, connected with an HDMI cable (the video card accepts HDMI connections, which is great). I can play with the high settings configured and still get 40fps. It's quick, too. No, it doesn't have a solid state drive, although I can remove the one that's in my R3 if I'm desperate (it's a Samsung 750GB 840 EVO), but I'm happy with a plated hard drive. I've another 500GB drive that I use to replace the 233GB drive (that one replaced a bad 1-TB hard disk as a temporary solution).
About that 1-TB drive. That's what was causing BSODs and shutdowns. I had the machine open and my kids sat beside it while playing around...someone stepped on the SATA cable while it was plugged into the drive and it cracked the port. I continued to use it but it must've been short-circuiting. I misdiagnosed the issue in thinking it was a motherboard issue, only the same thing started happening with the new parts. That's when I swapped out the hard disk for a small one, to test if it was the issue. That was the problem. I told my kids they owe me a big 5.25" drive. So now I've a spare motherboard and AMD CPU that I can use to build another box (once I get the funds to get more parts -- case, RAM, CD drive, and PSU).
One thing I love about desktop systems is that I can easily replace parts, even major parts such as the mainboard (I can do that with my laptop as well, but it's a bit more complicated in removing such a part). The reason I got a laptop machine was because I got tired of not having a gaming system when traveling. I still swear by Alienware laptops, though...most geeks understand why after they've opened one up. All the major parts are easily accessible and removable.
CPU: Core i5-4690K @ 3.50 GHz (4-core)
Dedicated Video
Card: AMD Radeon HD 5670
Integrated Video
Card: Intel HD 4600
RAM: 8GB
Motherboard: MSI MS-7850
Hard drive: C drive - 233 GB; D drive - 500 GB
The video card is a spare that I had in my parts bin...it'll do some gaming but struggles with BF4 in medium settings. The integrated video card is rather beefy compared to the ones in my other systems (especially my R3).
Anyways, my wife's car went into the shop and needed new front rotors and rear pads...the repair fee was $600 and some change, so I'll have to wait awhile to get my laptop fixed. I can still use it but can't game with it unless I'm playing a game that is graphics-intensive (like BF4 and others). I can play War Thunder on the integrated card but I have to dial down the configuration to its very lowest settings. That takes away the immersion factor quite a bit and the frame rates are very low.
I decided to try War Thunder on my i5 system. I'm using a Vizio E231-B1 23" monitor with it, connected with an HDMI cable (the video card accepts HDMI connections, which is great). I can play with the high settings configured and still get 40fps. It's quick, too. No, it doesn't have a solid state drive, although I can remove the one that's in my R3 if I'm desperate (it's a Samsung 750GB 840 EVO), but I'm happy with a plated hard drive. I've another 500GB drive that I use to replace the 233GB drive (that one replaced a bad 1-TB hard disk as a temporary solution).
About that 1-TB drive. That's what was causing BSODs and shutdowns. I had the machine open and my kids sat beside it while playing around...someone stepped on the SATA cable while it was plugged into the drive and it cracked the port. I continued to use it but it must've been short-circuiting. I misdiagnosed the issue in thinking it was a motherboard issue, only the same thing started happening with the new parts. That's when I swapped out the hard disk for a small one, to test if it was the issue. That was the problem. I told my kids they owe me a big 5.25" drive. So now I've a spare motherboard and AMD CPU that I can use to build another box (once I get the funds to get more parts -- case, RAM, CD drive, and PSU).
One thing I love about desktop systems is that I can easily replace parts, even major parts such as the mainboard (I can do that with my laptop as well, but it's a bit more complicated in removing such a part). The reason I got a laptop machine was because I got tired of not having a gaming system when traveling. I still swear by Alienware laptops, though...most geeks understand why after they've opened one up. All the major parts are easily accessible and removable.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Alienware M17x R3 - Dedicated Video Card Dead!
So, I've been experiencing blue screens since April, at maybe twice a month in frequency, up until August. From August until now, I was getting BSODs 3-5 times a month. I couldn't figure out why because the error messages were obscure. I've been trying different video card driver version as well, with no good results.
I finally downloaded WinDbg, a debugging tool, and used it to read the minidump files that the system compiles after a BSOD, and saw this:
This error could be generated by a multitude of issues, such as motherboard problems, software problems, operating system problems, or hardware issues.
I opened up my system and cleaned it of dust (there wasn't all that much, considering I've not opened it to clean it -- ever). I also removed the heat sinks from the CPU and graphics card, cleaned off old thermal paste (Dell just dumped a ton of it on each part without care). I then re-applied new thermal paste and also added 4GB of RAM since I had it open.
I tried gaming again, after removing all the Nvidia drivers and reinstalling them, but was still getting BSODs. What's funny is that the drivers disappear and I have to reapply them every time I get a BSOD, but still have to use a driver uninstaller to do it.
In looking at my logs for the month of October, I've experienced 8 BSODs so far and it's only halfway through the month. Also, the logs say "Video hardware error", specifically:
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.
So, I guess my Nvidia GeForce 580M finally died. Apparently, people have been having problems with them since 2012. I guess I got lucky...I'm only now experiencing issues, 3 years after people began to notice they fail. I shouldn't complain, I guess.
Now I need to determine which would be a good replacement card. I've seen people using 680Ms in their M17x R3s without issue. Some people have even used 780Ms and 880Ms, but those are pricey...I'm not ready to spend $800 on a video card. I can either get another 580M and hope it gives me another 3 years or I can get a 680M (can find them new for $320-$360 on eBay, with warranties). I can't find them as cheaply on Amazon.
For now, I've configured War Thunder (that's the game I'm currently playing) so that I can use the integrated graphics card (an Intel HD 3000). It works but my frame rate dove down to 30-40fps. :( I suppose I can either try to do War Thunder on my iMac or use the desktop system I was using before I bought the Alienware. I also have a Dell Latitude E5530 that has an Intel HD 4000 that might get better frame rates. I do have options.
I'll update this blog entry as I decide what to do next.
I finally downloaded WinDbg, a debugging tool, and used it to read the minidump files that the system compiles after a BSOD, and saw this:
Problem signature:
Problem Event
Name: BlueScreen
OS
Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale
ID: 1033
Additional
information about the problem:
BCCode: 116
BCP1: FFFFFA800CCFE4E0
BCP2: FFFFF88002C1501C
BCP3: FFFFFFFFC000009A
BCP4: 0000000000000004
OS
Version: 6_1_7601
Service
Pack: 1_0
Product: 768_1
Files that help
describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\091815-12682-01.dmp
C:\Users\ron\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-30763-0.sysdata.xml
This error could be generated by a multitude of issues, such as motherboard problems, software problems, operating system problems, or hardware issues.
I opened up my system and cleaned it of dust (there wasn't all that much, considering I've not opened it to clean it -- ever). I also removed the heat sinks from the CPU and graphics card, cleaned off old thermal paste (Dell just dumped a ton of it on each part without care). I then re-applied new thermal paste and also added 4GB of RAM since I had it open.
I tried gaming again, after removing all the Nvidia drivers and reinstalling them, but was still getting BSODs. What's funny is that the drivers disappear and I have to reapply them every time I get a BSOD, but still have to use a driver uninstaller to do it.
In looking at my logs for the month of October, I've experienced 8 BSODs so far and it's only halfway through the month. Also, the logs say "Video hardware error", specifically:
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.
So, I guess my Nvidia GeForce 580M finally died. Apparently, people have been having problems with them since 2012. I guess I got lucky...I'm only now experiencing issues, 3 years after people began to notice they fail. I shouldn't complain, I guess.
Now I need to determine which would be a good replacement card. I've seen people using 680Ms in their M17x R3s without issue. Some people have even used 780Ms and 880Ms, but those are pricey...I'm not ready to spend $800 on a video card. I can either get another 580M and hope it gives me another 3 years or I can get a 680M (can find them new for $320-$360 on eBay, with warranties). I can't find them as cheaply on Amazon.
For now, I've configured War Thunder (that's the game I'm currently playing) so that I can use the integrated graphics card (an Intel HD 3000). It works but my frame rate dove down to 30-40fps. :( I suppose I can either try to do War Thunder on my iMac or use the desktop system I was using before I bought the Alienware. I also have a Dell Latitude E5530 that has an Intel HD 4000 that might get better frame rates. I do have options.
I'll update this blog entry as I decide what to do next.
Monday, August 24, 2015
iMac- Possible Drive Failure....Again
About a month ago, my iMac started acting funky again, only I didn't receive any drive failure alerts. I ran several diagnostic checks on the system and the system checks out fine. I won't take it back to Apple's Genius Bar because the system is out of warranty and it also is too heavy to be taking back and forth to Apple. I wouldn't mind taking it in if they told me it would be a warranty repair and if I wouldn't have to keep ferrying the system back to them.
I ran FSCK twice (the first time it had to clear out some issues...the second time it didn't alert on any issues). I used Disk Utility in Recovery mode to check the drive (there were no warnings). I checked the disk's permissions...there were many that needed corrections but it fixed them all. I reset NVRAM. I tried Safe Boot mode. I reset the SMC. Nothing is working.
I opened the system and cleaned it of dust. I didn't see anything amiss internally (the inside wasn't uber-dusty, either).
What's happening? The damned beach ball is taking over the computer, which is why I think it's a drive issue. It could well be a RAM issue, especially since it's only got 4GB of RAM but it has been running fine on 4GB for YEARS. I can't use Activity Monitor to check any of the resources because the damned beach ball won't let me open anything.
Another thing is that the system keeps opening all these apps that I ran the last time I used the system and some of them are resource-intensive (iMovie, for example)...I wish there was a way to tell the system to clear out any cached apps and to not run them anymore, since it's interfering with my troubleshooting.
I'll be ordering a drive from iFixit but I need to know what brand is inside the computer. I'd much rather not have to open it again, but I might have to, since it's taking forever to check within OS X.
But before I do that, I'm going to reinstall OS X to see if this fixes the problem. I checked Disk Utility yet again and don't see any errors or SMART warnings. I actually scanned the system with the included Application CD, which has additional diagnostics...it didn't detect anything. I think a reinstall of OS X may work as my daughter was running a crapload of 3rd party software for Minecraft...she may have hosed the system.
UPDATE: Annnnddd...it's working. I was right...there must've been an issue with the OS installation. I need to get current OS-wise, though...I had to go all the way back to Snow Leopard. I can't even install Lion, Mountain Lion, or Yosemite until I download the 10.6.8 update.
UPDATE #2: As of 10/14/15, it's still working without issue.
I ran FSCK twice (the first time it had to clear out some issues...the second time it didn't alert on any issues). I used Disk Utility in Recovery mode to check the drive (there were no warnings). I checked the disk's permissions...there were many that needed corrections but it fixed them all. I reset NVRAM. I tried Safe Boot mode. I reset the SMC. Nothing is working.
I opened the system and cleaned it of dust. I didn't see anything amiss internally (the inside wasn't uber-dusty, either).
What's happening? The damned beach ball is taking over the computer, which is why I think it's a drive issue. It could well be a RAM issue, especially since it's only got 4GB of RAM but it has been running fine on 4GB for YEARS. I can't use Activity Monitor to check any of the resources because the damned beach ball won't let me open anything.
Another thing is that the system keeps opening all these apps that I ran the last time I used the system and some of them are resource-intensive (iMovie, for example)...I wish there was a way to tell the system to clear out any cached apps and to not run them anymore, since it's interfering with my troubleshooting.
I'll be ordering a drive from iFixit but I need to know what brand is inside the computer. I'd much rather not have to open it again, but I might have to, since it's taking forever to check within OS X.
But before I do that, I'm going to reinstall OS X to see if this fixes the problem. I checked Disk Utility yet again and don't see any errors or SMART warnings. I actually scanned the system with the included Application CD, which has additional diagnostics...it didn't detect anything. I think a reinstall of OS X may work as my daughter was running a crapload of 3rd party software for Minecraft...she may have hosed the system.
UPDATE: Annnnddd...it's working. I was right...there must've been an issue with the OS installation. I need to get current OS-wise, though...I had to go all the way back to Snow Leopard. I can't even install Lion, Mountain Lion, or Yosemite until I download the 10.6.8 update.
UPDATE #2: As of 10/14/15, it's still working without issue.
Friday, August 07, 2015
PC Gaming - War Thunder, BF4, ARK: Survival Evolved
I've been somewhat bored with gaming the last few months, so I've been forcing myself to play BF4 again. I stopped playing that game maybe 7 months ago but began playing again 3 weeks ago. I only play in Hardcore mode (kill/damage model is more rewarding and realistic), but usually played Conquest mode. I gravitated to Team Death Match and Gun Master modes, as they've a lot more going on. I've had a spikes in kills (and deaths) and have been obtaining lots of ribbons and medals (and equipment)...all with it being more fun than the other modes I was playing last year. I have to keep mixing it up, I guess.
Prior to being re-engaged with BF4, I gave ARK: Survival Evolved a spin. I do NOT like it. It's not a bad game, but is too time-consuming. If you have OCD, this might just be your type of game, though. I'm not going to explain the game, but if you're curious, a simple Google search will help. Much of the game is open-ended (it's an open world that is undeveloped...you've to develop it).
I've also decided to try again with War Thunder. I'd tried it awhile back and played it for maybe a week or two, then got bored with it. I've been playing it again for maybe 2-3 days so far and I've gotten more kills/assists these last 2-3 days than I did in the 7-14 the last time I played it. I've also been watching LOTS of WT tutorials on YouTube, which helps. I'm also working my way through the game's single player tutorials and I'm finally working my way through some of the single player campaigns. I've been doing this to get the extra virtual money and upgrade points, but realized that going through them would help me learn crucial WT knowledge/skills. I also fly online nightly. Normally I don't like learning games while being online, as experts tend to prey on those new to the game and that usually makes learning very frustrating, but it's different with WT, as when you fly in multiplayer mode, it matches you with others of your skill level. This is something that I think a lot of games would benefit from (or, the game end users). I've been very satisfied with WT the last few days and will probably continue to play the game. I've been playing Arcade mode, but the plan is to eventually migrate up through the modes as I become more proficient with flying.
Maybe I'll capture some Fraps gameplay footage, post it to YouTube, and link it here.
Prior to being re-engaged with BF4, I gave ARK: Survival Evolved a spin. I do NOT like it. It's not a bad game, but is too time-consuming. If you have OCD, this might just be your type of game, though. I'm not going to explain the game, but if you're curious, a simple Google search will help. Much of the game is open-ended (it's an open world that is undeveloped...you've to develop it).
I've also decided to try again with War Thunder. I'd tried it awhile back and played it for maybe a week or two, then got bored with it. I've been playing it again for maybe 2-3 days so far and I've gotten more kills/assists these last 2-3 days than I did in the 7-14 the last time I played it. I've also been watching LOTS of WT tutorials on YouTube, which helps. I'm also working my way through the game's single player tutorials and I'm finally working my way through some of the single player campaigns. I've been doing this to get the extra virtual money and upgrade points, but realized that going through them would help me learn crucial WT knowledge/skills. I also fly online nightly. Normally I don't like learning games while being online, as experts tend to prey on those new to the game and that usually makes learning very frustrating, but it's different with WT, as when you fly in multiplayer mode, it matches you with others of your skill level. This is something that I think a lot of games would benefit from (or, the game end users). I've been very satisfied with WT the last few days and will probably continue to play the game. I've been playing Arcade mode, but the plan is to eventually migrate up through the modes as I become more proficient with flying.
Maybe I'll capture some Fraps gameplay footage, post it to YouTube, and link it here.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Steam Hit by Major Security Breach, Many Accounts Hacked! -- Master Herald
http://masterherald.com/steam-hit-by-major-security-breach-many-accounts-hacked/23239/
The gist of it is, Steam was cracked, many Steam accounts were hacked, but Steam didn't notify it's users. In my opinion, that's negligent...in a major way. With today's problem with internet breaches, providers should be prompt and proactive in notifying their user base, as breaches tend to not only affect a person's service account, it can also affect finances and credit. There's a lot of gray or overlapping areas where breaches are concerned. If a game service provider is hacked and credit card data is tied to the account, purchases can be made internet-wide. As well, home address information tied the the account can be used to open lines of credit against your name.
I really think that there should be laws that govern how businesses interact with their customers when breaches occur. There should be no more waiting when there's a time criticality tied to most breaches.
The gist of it is, Steam was cracked, many Steam accounts were hacked, but Steam didn't notify it's users. In my opinion, that's negligent...in a major way. With today's problem with internet breaches, providers should be prompt and proactive in notifying their user base, as breaches tend to not only affect a person's service account, it can also affect finances and credit. There's a lot of gray or overlapping areas where breaches are concerned. If a game service provider is hacked and credit card data is tied to the account, purchases can be made internet-wide. As well, home address information tied the the account can be used to open lines of credit against your name.
I really think that there should be laws that govern how businesses interact with their customers when breaches occur. There should be no more waiting when there's a time criticality tied to most breaches.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Origin Account Hacked!
My Origin account got hacked today. Was out shopping and missed the "your password has been changed" e-mail from Origin. I saw it maybe an hour later, and immediately submitted a trouble ticket. They called me immediately (within a minute of creating the trouble ticket). Whoever made the change was able to guess the answers to my security questions (WTF).
They also changed the e-mail address associated with the account to "garryjhonson98@gmail.com". They changed the origin ID to "ENFIELD_Hare_Gr".
The EA agent reverted back to my original e-mail address and set up new security questions. He changed the Origin ID to something else. He also set up login verification (that wasn't active on my account) and tied it to my phone number so that any future password changes would be directed to my phone...if they don't have to code sent to my phone, they can't change anything on the account.
He also told me to check my friend list, as they tend to add themselves to the list after hacking accounts (so that they might be able to try again later).
I've no idea how they were able to know my login and guess my password, as well as the answers to my security questions. Luckily, no purchases were made, as I had a credit card linked to the account.
I'm sharing all this in case this person is jumping between people's friend lists.
UPDATE - 8/4/2015: Noticed another hack attempt...Origin sent me a security code via text, meaning someone tried to access my account but won't be able unless they can retrieve the security code that was sent to me (via phone).
They also changed the e-mail address associated with the account to "garryjhonson98@gmail.com". They changed the origin ID to "ENFIELD_Hare_Gr".
The EA agent reverted back to my original e-mail address and set up new security questions. He changed the Origin ID to something else. He also set up login verification (that wasn't active on my account) and tied it to my phone number so that any future password changes would be directed to my phone...if they don't have to code sent to my phone, they can't change anything on the account.
He also told me to check my friend list, as they tend to add themselves to the list after hacking accounts (so that they might be able to try again later).
I've no idea how they were able to know my login and guess my password, as well as the answers to my security questions. Luckily, no purchases were made, as I had a credit card linked to the account.
I'm sharing all this in case this person is jumping between people's friend lists.
UPDATE - 8/4/2015: Noticed another hack attempt...Origin sent me a security code via text, meaning someone tried to access my account but won't be able unless they can retrieve the security code that was sent to me (via phone).
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Samsung Gear S (Verizon)
I'm about to head to bed but thought I'd copy my notes on my initial experience with the Gear S:
I don't think I'll ever see a week's worth of usage (on one charge) with the Gear S, although I did fully charge it today...the watch is currently at 68%. I went into the watch's settings (Settings/Connections/Mobile networks/) and set "Gear networks" to auto switch, which will only use mobile broadband when I or an app needs it (phone calls and such). I've got the watch set to auto-dim as well. The charging cradle actually holds a charge, although I don't know if it'll fully charge the watch's battery from empty. The phone charges pretty quickly if you're not using it while it's being charged.
So far I've set up the Gear app to notify the same apps that I'd configured to notify on my Pebble. I can get a view of my G-mail e-mails but I'm not sure I'm ready to use the default e-mail application on my Note Edge...I'm used to using the G-mail app, but the watch doesn't have an app for that.
I've set up my voice-mail and have to remember the watch's phone number. I don't foresee using the watch as a standalone smart device any time soon. I don't even think I'll be using the watch's phone features. To set up voice-mail, I had to call the VM number using the watch. The speaker is loud enough to hear with ease, although I've no idea how well the microphone works and if it has good noise cancellation.
The watch has a native browser as well, but I have to use the Gear app to install it. I don't see the need to use the watch as a web browser.
I'm curious about the texting/messaging features, though. I attempted to type a text and while the virtual keys were extremely small, I didn't do any typos, so I guess the keyboard is good enough.
The watch is hefty, but I'm enjoying it thus far. I worry that I'll bang it against something accidentally (I opted out of insurance for the watch -- Verizon's insurance is expensive!). I'd rather not use a screen protector...that's more hassle than it's worth (I tried to put one on my Pebble but removed it soon after, as it was annoying).
I'll be setting it up to my liking over the next week...there's so much to configure that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I might do a quick video review of it later, as well.
For now, I'm impressed enough to say I think I'll keep it. Initially, when I was having issues setting it up, I was irritated enough to where I was thinking on returning it ($399 for something that was giving me immediate issues...uhmmm...no), but I'm OK now. :)
UPDATE:
I've not run into any problem with the smartwatch, so far. I have noticed that with set to auto switch between BT and using the mobile network, I end up with 15-20% battery use in a 24-hour period. This is without using the watch as a phone or web browsing with it. I typically only look at it when someone texts, when I'm notified of an incoming e-mail, or when I'm looking at the time (pretty much how I was using my Pebble).
I've also noticed that my dog likes to lick the watch...her tongue activates the watch!
UPDATE 2:
I usually sit or stand with my arms crossed...I can't do that with this watch. My arm's skin ends up activating the screen, which sometimes enables widgets or other watch tools. They should build some type of logic where the screen won't activate if at at certain angle.
I'm not even sure I should compare the Gear S to my Pebble (non-Steel). I've pretty much retired my Pebble. I'll either put it away with my other gadgets or try to sell it. Maybe one of my daughters will want it.Could not find the Samsung Gear app, even when using Samsung's instructions at http://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00038393/239278/. I found that the problem was Chrome...it wasn't seeing the 'download' icon. Using the OEM browser, I was able to see it.Next issue I ran into was that the phone wouldn't pair with the watch. The instructions never said to go into the phone's BT screen and attempt to pair the device. As well, once the Gear app is opened, it takes over the screen...this implies that the Gear app needs to be used to initially pair the phone with the watch. I found that when I go into the phone's BT settings and try to pair the phone with the watch, it downloads and installs 11 new apps, but still won't pair with the watch...the watch won't accept the 'OK' clicks to accept the pairing.I got fed up and kept hitting the 'OK' prompt on the watch when trying to get it to accept the pair attempt...I hit it maybe 4-5 times rapidly and it THEN began to pair.I also ended up not seeing the "activate" screen, so the watch was only seeing limited 3G and was set to roam. I performed a factory reset and after the watch rebooted, it was a night and day difference, where the watch could be navigated without hesistation or voice prompting. I was able to activate the watch and configure mobile usage for 'auto only'.
I don't think I'll ever see a week's worth of usage (on one charge) with the Gear S, although I did fully charge it today...the watch is currently at 68%. I went into the watch's settings (Settings/Connections/Mobile networks/) and set "Gear networks" to auto switch, which will only use mobile broadband when I or an app needs it (phone calls and such). I've got the watch set to auto-dim as well. The charging cradle actually holds a charge, although I don't know if it'll fully charge the watch's battery from empty. The phone charges pretty quickly if you're not using it while it's being charged.
So far I've set up the Gear app to notify the same apps that I'd configured to notify on my Pebble. I can get a view of my G-mail e-mails but I'm not sure I'm ready to use the default e-mail application on my Note Edge...I'm used to using the G-mail app, but the watch doesn't have an app for that.
I've set up my voice-mail and have to remember the watch's phone number. I don't foresee using the watch as a standalone smart device any time soon. I don't even think I'll be using the watch's phone features. To set up voice-mail, I had to call the VM number using the watch. The speaker is loud enough to hear with ease, although I've no idea how well the microphone works and if it has good noise cancellation.
The watch has a native browser as well, but I have to use the Gear app to install it. I don't see the need to use the watch as a web browser.
I'm curious about the texting/messaging features, though. I attempted to type a text and while the virtual keys were extremely small, I didn't do any typos, so I guess the keyboard is good enough.
The watch is hefty, but I'm enjoying it thus far. I worry that I'll bang it against something accidentally (I opted out of insurance for the watch -- Verizon's insurance is expensive!). I'd rather not use a screen protector...that's more hassle than it's worth (I tried to put one on my Pebble but removed it soon after, as it was annoying).
I'll be setting it up to my liking over the next week...there's so much to configure that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I might do a quick video review of it later, as well.
For now, I'm impressed enough to say I think I'll keep it. Initially, when I was having issues setting it up, I was irritated enough to where I was thinking on returning it ($399 for something that was giving me immediate issues...uhmmm...no), but I'm OK now. :)
UPDATE:
I've not run into any problem with the smartwatch, so far. I have noticed that with set to auto switch between BT and using the mobile network, I end up with 15-20% battery use in a 24-hour period. This is without using the watch as a phone or web browsing with it. I typically only look at it when someone texts, when I'm notified of an incoming e-mail, or when I'm looking at the time (pretty much how I was using my Pebble).
I've also noticed that my dog likes to lick the watch...her tongue activates the watch!
UPDATE 2:
I usually sit or stand with my arms crossed...I can't do that with this watch. My arm's skin ends up activating the screen, which sometimes enables widgets or other watch tools. They should build some type of logic where the screen won't activate if at at certain angle.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Verizon Customer Service Issues, Samsung Gear S
I reported awhile back that I upgraded my daughter to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. We had to return her phone because the display was showing a thin green line going down the center of the screen. It initially showed after I took it out of the box, but disappeared the next day. My daughter told me that the display issue had returned maybe a week later. I began to research how to get the phone replaced. Verizon has no real guidance on how to do such a thing...the box contained return instructions (in case we changed our minds about the phone)...it said nothing of if the phone were damaged. There was nothing on their website.
Two days before the two-week return period expired, I decided to bring it in to a local corporate store. They sent me to another store because they didn't have a replacement in stock. I went to the other store and when trying to describe the display issue, they asked me if I were a Verizon employee (the store I initially visited didn't ask me this). I told them, "Yes." They told me I couldn't be helped and that I had to call Verizon Customer Service to get a replacement. Keep in mind that this is two days before the return period expires, around 7PM. I returned home and asked online help for assistance. They couldn't help but gave me a number to call. When I called the number, and after walking through a menu system that was not intuitive, I got someone who began to help but then told me that I'd have to call back the next day during core duty hours because they weren't staffed to assist me. By this time it was 10:30PM.
I called the next morning and they walked me through the RMA process, told me where to get a return shipping label, and also told me that I had to ship it and have it post-marked before midnight that night. I packed up the phone and took it to the local Post Office and got a shipping and tracking receipt, just in case.
That was almost two months ago. I checked my bill last night and the RMA'd phone was charged to me (WTF). I'm pretty sure it's because they received the phone after the two-week return period. I'm awaiting to visit a Corporate store to get it sorted out physically...I'm tired of dealing with phone queues and being transferred (I called several times the first night I was seeking assistance and was disconnected twice).
I haven't had issues with Verizon until now (I'm a long-time customer and employee). When employees buy phones, they receive discounts. Verizon uses a different system to process billing of phone purchases and upgrades than they do with non-employees, but this process is convoluted and isn't documented. I spent a LOT of time trying to determine who to call and when to call. Another thing: If you upgrade online, your two-week return period doesn't start until after you've received the phone (shipping days don't count), so I was within the 14-day period (they've the shipping day in their system). None of this is mentioned anywhere on their website.
If I find that they're going to stick me with the bill after going through all that, I'll immediately withdraw the money to cancel every single line and move to a different carrier. Almost every phone I have on the plan is a Verizon Edge phone (all but one). I'll just pay for the 3 Edge phones and 1 contracted phone...better to do that than to give Verizon $350/month the next 2 years.
I've also ordered a Samsung Gear S watch from Verizon. I bought the watch last night. After seeing my current Verizon Wireless bill, I almost didn't buy this watch. I paid full price ($399) instead of having the watch under contract ($349). Why? Because I didn't want to have to deal with a contract device if I have to leave Verizon over this recent billing issue. As well, the difference is only $50 between the two.
I can't wait for this watch. It is a stand-alone device, meaning it can be used without being tethered to a smartphone (my Pebble needs to be tethered). I can make and receive calls from the phone. I can listen to music directly from the phone, with or without a BT headset. I can get notifications on the phone. I can't do much of that with my Pebble. The con is, I *might* get 2 days of battery life from it and will have to carry a charging cradle and micro-USB cable around with me (I can charge the watch while going to/from work and I can also do it while at work). Functionality-wise, the Gear S is well beyond my Pebble, plus the Pebble was already returned once because of a display issue (the replacement watch has been showing similar issues, though).
I'll review the watch and post it here once I receive it.
UPDATE:
Verizon straightened up the billing for the phones. My wife called them and got it sorted (luckily, I made sure to get receipts when I mailed the phones back to Verizon...had Post Office and UPS tracking numbers and receipts). In fact, one was already in the process of being credited back even before my wife called. Verizon gets a big thumbs-up this time.
Two days before the two-week return period expired, I decided to bring it in to a local corporate store. They sent me to another store because they didn't have a replacement in stock. I went to the other store and when trying to describe the display issue, they asked me if I were a Verizon employee (the store I initially visited didn't ask me this). I told them, "Yes." They told me I couldn't be helped and that I had to call Verizon Customer Service to get a replacement. Keep in mind that this is two days before the return period expires, around 7PM. I returned home and asked online help for assistance. They couldn't help but gave me a number to call. When I called the number, and after walking through a menu system that was not intuitive, I got someone who began to help but then told me that I'd have to call back the next day during core duty hours because they weren't staffed to assist me. By this time it was 10:30PM.
I called the next morning and they walked me through the RMA process, told me where to get a return shipping label, and also told me that I had to ship it and have it post-marked before midnight that night. I packed up the phone and took it to the local Post Office and got a shipping and tracking receipt, just in case.
That was almost two months ago. I checked my bill last night and the RMA'd phone was charged to me (WTF). I'm pretty sure it's because they received the phone after the two-week return period. I'm awaiting to visit a Corporate store to get it sorted out physically...I'm tired of dealing with phone queues and being transferred (I called several times the first night I was seeking assistance and was disconnected twice).
I haven't had issues with Verizon until now (I'm a long-time customer and employee). When employees buy phones, they receive discounts. Verizon uses a different system to process billing of phone purchases and upgrades than they do with non-employees, but this process is convoluted and isn't documented. I spent a LOT of time trying to determine who to call and when to call. Another thing: If you upgrade online, your two-week return period doesn't start until after you've received the phone (shipping days don't count), so I was within the 14-day period (they've the shipping day in their system). None of this is mentioned anywhere on their website.
If I find that they're going to stick me with the bill after going through all that, I'll immediately withdraw the money to cancel every single line and move to a different carrier. Almost every phone I have on the plan is a Verizon Edge phone (all but one). I'll just pay for the 3 Edge phones and 1 contracted phone...better to do that than to give Verizon $350/month the next 2 years.
I've also ordered a Samsung Gear S watch from Verizon. I bought the watch last night. After seeing my current Verizon Wireless bill, I almost didn't buy this watch. I paid full price ($399) instead of having the watch under contract ($349). Why? Because I didn't want to have to deal with a contract device if I have to leave Verizon over this recent billing issue. As well, the difference is only $50 between the two.
I can't wait for this watch. It is a stand-alone device, meaning it can be used without being tethered to a smartphone (my Pebble needs to be tethered). I can make and receive calls from the phone. I can listen to music directly from the phone, with or without a BT headset. I can get notifications on the phone. I can't do much of that with my Pebble. The con is, I *might* get 2 days of battery life from it and will have to carry a charging cradle and micro-USB cable around with me (I can charge the watch while going to/from work and I can also do it while at work). Functionality-wise, the Gear S is well beyond my Pebble, plus the Pebble was already returned once because of a display issue (the replacement watch has been showing similar issues, though).
I'll review the watch and post it here once I receive it.
UPDATE:
Verizon straightened up the billing for the phones. My wife called them and got it sorted (luckily, I made sure to get receipts when I mailed the phones back to Verizon...had Post Office and UPS tracking numbers and receipts). In fact, one was already in the process of being credited back even before my wife called. Verizon gets a big thumbs-up this time.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
For my daughter's birthday, I upgraded her phone from an HTC One M8 to a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. I actually opened the box for her and ensured it had a full charge so that when she came home, from school, she'd be able to immediately play with it. That she did! I actually resisted the urge to play with it while it was charging, so she was able to enjoy the whole factory setup experience.
Just seeing her phone made me want to upgrade mine and I did just that! I upgraded from my Note 3 to the Note Edge.
I was actually on the fence on whether to get the Note 4 or the Note Edge...decided that it wouldn't hurt to try the Edge and if I found to not like it, I could always 'edge up' to something else a bit later.
Some observations:
I haven't messed with the S-Pen yet. I have fiddled with setting up the Edge...that's gonna take some getting used to.
Now, there was an issue with my daughter's Edge. I plugged it in when I first removed it from the box and it had a green line in the middle of the screen, going from top to bottom. It disappeared the first day of use, then returned and stayed after that day. I'd been trying to find out how to return/replace it and Verizon has NO documentation on how to do that...it's not included on their My Verizon pages nor does any information regarding returning/replacing or troubleshooting come with the phone. I visited 2 different stores and got no help. The first store didn't even check my account, I don't think...they saw that they didn't have any Edge phones to swap with mine, so they sent me to another store that was 1/2 hour away. I got to that store and they immediately told me that they couldn't pull up the account. I had to call their employee assistance line to request a replacement. They treat employee accounts differently and that's what really irked me...I'm not just an employee. I'm a damned customer. These phones and the service isn't cheap...I deserved better service than I got. I ended up spending at LEAST 3 hours in two stores last night. Then I came home and was on the phone for another hour, being bounce around different tech teams. I also spent another hour on the phone today, as well, but I finally got the right person and they were able to assist me in getting a new phone sent to me. This could've been done yesterday without all the traveling and phone time if Verizon had understood how to help me...they didn't know a thing. I was so ticked that I almost considered moving to a competitor ASAP. Verizon needs to do a better job at customer service (I've said this many times to friends and colleages)...the run-around I got last night was pretty ridiculous. They also need to make the custom replacement process for employees more transparent than what it currently is, because it's hardly transparent. They need to make it so that the employees feel like customers...I felt like a damned leper last night. And on top of that, I had to rush ship my daughter's phone back to them since this was the 14th day of ownership...if they'd know WTH they were doing yesterday, I wouldn't have been quite as rushed.
We'll see if the new phone is without problems...it'll be here tomorrow.
Just seeing her phone made me want to upgrade mine and I did just that! I upgraded from my Note 3 to the Note Edge.
I was actually on the fence on whether to get the Note 4 or the Note Edge...decided that it wouldn't hurt to try the Edge and if I found to not like it, I could always 'edge up' to something else a bit later.
Some observations:
- The Edge consumes quite a bit more battery power during the day compared to my Note 3 and my daughter's M8. This might be due to the quad display. It consumes less power when in power saving mode, but it's nowhere near what it was with the Note 3. There's also the ultra power saving mode, which I haven't tried yet...I'm not sure if it hobbles the phone too much (it also goes to grayscale).
- It takes some time to get used to the phone's display edge. I keep thinking that it's about to slip out of my hands.
- The phone will get hot when using it while the display is on.
- Quick charges are ridiculously fast! This is good, since this phone consumes power quickly.
- There's no Android 5.x for the Note Edge yet (or, at least I haven't seen the upgrade prompt for it yet). This phone is currently at v4.4.4. It may not seem to be a big deal, but I got a taste of 5.x on my Note 3...loved it and currently miss it dearly on my Edge.
- Verizon only had the phones in Black...I'm not sure if White was promotional or if they ran out of stock when I bought the phones, but there was a two week gap between buying the two of them, so if there was a stocking shortage, you'd think that it wouldn't last two weeks.
- There aren't many phone cases available for this phone, currently. My daughter has the Samsung wallet cover. I have the Verizon shell/holster combo w/ kickstand (which I had for my Note 2). I'd much rather have an Otterbox Defender on this phone, but until they're available, I'll be happy with what I currently have.
- There was at least one app that I had on the Note 3 that wasn't detecting the user config file on the SD card that came from the Note 3. I had to manually grab the config from the Verizon Cloud and overwrite them on the SD card for them to work (mainly Tasker). mSecure also had a problem taking imported backup and I ended up having to manually copy over a backup. I exported a copy of the database to G-mail and imported the G-mail copy without issue...wouldn't work with the Edge, as the app kept complaining that it couldn't see G-mail's SMTP server. I didn't have that issue with the Note 2 and 3.
- The fingerprint reader is better than what reviewers are stating. I've been using it with little issue...it's pretty accurate.
- The heart monitor is iffy...I'm not sure if it's precise but my pulse is usually higher than average, and it's right in that regard...I wouldn't use it in place of a dedicated blood pressure and pulse monitor, though.
- No problems using my Pebble watch...BT is BT, I guess.
- It doesn't feel any bigger than my Note 3, although it's slightly bigger.
I haven't messed with the S-Pen yet. I have fiddled with setting up the Edge...that's gonna take some getting used to.
Now, there was an issue with my daughter's Edge. I plugged it in when I first removed it from the box and it had a green line in the middle of the screen, going from top to bottom. It disappeared the first day of use, then returned and stayed after that day. I'd been trying to find out how to return/replace it and Verizon has NO documentation on how to do that...it's not included on their My Verizon pages nor does any information regarding returning/replacing or troubleshooting come with the phone. I visited 2 different stores and got no help. The first store didn't even check my account, I don't think...they saw that they didn't have any Edge phones to swap with mine, so they sent me to another store that was 1/2 hour away. I got to that store and they immediately told me that they couldn't pull up the account. I had to call their employee assistance line to request a replacement. They treat employee accounts differently and that's what really irked me...I'm not just an employee. I'm a damned customer. These phones and the service isn't cheap...I deserved better service than I got. I ended up spending at LEAST 3 hours in two stores last night. Then I came home and was on the phone for another hour, being bounce around different tech teams. I also spent another hour on the phone today, as well, but I finally got the right person and they were able to assist me in getting a new phone sent to me. This could've been done yesterday without all the traveling and phone time if Verizon had understood how to help me...they didn't know a thing. I was so ticked that I almost considered moving to a competitor ASAP. Verizon needs to do a better job at customer service (I've said this many times to friends and colleages)...the run-around I got last night was pretty ridiculous. They also need to make the custom replacement process for employees more transparent than what it currently is, because it's hardly transparent. They need to make it so that the employees feel like customers...I felt like a damned leper last night. And on top of that, I had to rush ship my daughter's phone back to them since this was the 14th day of ownership...if they'd know WTH they were doing yesterday, I wouldn't have been quite as rushed.
We'll see if the new phone is without problems...it'll be here tomorrow.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Rocksmith
I grew up playing a musical instrument. I played the trumpet in middle and high school, playing in both concert and marching bands. One of my girls has been playing viola the last 5 years. Another of my girls has played both the saxophone and the violin (but has since stopped).
The point is while none of us three were prodigies, we're all somewhat familiar with music. We sometimes end up having big Rockband and Guitar Hero sessions on weekends. No, those games aren't really music-centric...they're more like a version of Simon Says, but you still have to know music patterns (such as beats), otherwise you're going to be struggling.
Well, I picked up a game that really takes it to a new level. I wouldn't even call it a game...it's more like a tutorial that uses games to teach you. What's the game? Rocksmith.
Currently, there's Rocksmith, released back in 2012, I believe, and Rocksmith 2014. I opted for Rocksmith since I'd read that Rocksmith 2014 tended to be less tutorial-oriented than the original version. I want to learn how to play, not get thrown to the wolves, so to speak.
Rocksmith is sold in three versions: For PC, for the Xbox360/XboxOne, and for the PS3/PS4. And of those versions, you can opt to buy with or without a PC-to-guitar USB cable. I opted for the PC version, since I'm more of a PC guy. The cable is required, unless you already have such a cable. You can opt to not that version if you already own Rocksmith and have a cable. If you upgrade to Rocksmith 2014, you can use the cable that you used with Rocksmith, so you won't need another cable, unless you've broken your original one. You can also buy the cable separately.
The PC game requires a decent PC. You can't play it on junk machines without having system resource consumption issues, and the game requires a dedicated graphics card. I've yet to try the game on my Alienware M17x R3, but I'm assuming it will not have issues since I've played it on my recently-built Core i5 system without issue. The rule of thumb for me is, if you can play such games as COD or BF (recently current versions), your computer is not going to have issues playing Rocksmith or RS:2014.
And, of course, the game also requires that you have an electric guitar.
The game accounts for many different electric guitars and accounts for left-handed and right-handed people.
I got the game yesterday and was a bit surprised that the game is actually distributed by Steam. It comes with a CD and I'm assuming that the game on the CD is either a demo or an installer that redirects to Steam. There's a game code that you enter into Steam to activate and download the game. It took me 20 minutes to download the game, but I've a large-piped FO connection. Once downloaded and installed, the game had an issue detecting the USB cable. It wouldn't detect at all and I was concerned since I'd read about cables being bad out of the box. I read that if you use multiple USB connections (mouse and keyboard and other peripherals), the game becomes confused and doesn't see the guitar connection. The fix is apparently to disconnect the PC-to-guitar cable and reconnect it and to keep trying until the game recognizes the guitar. Another fix is to remove all other USB peripherals (before or after starting the game, I don't know). I don't know which worked for me, but it eventually worked.
The game interface is weird. It took me awhile to determine how to navigate the menu. You have to use the keyboard arrow keys to move around the menu, and you can use either the Enter key to select your option or click the Enter graphic button with the mouse. Going backward in the menu system is a PITA.
The game first makes you tune your guitar and will have you ensure your guitar is tuned before every song. If you've old strings, you might want to replace them before playing this game. Also, don't just throw your guitar around when not using it...it'll eventually get out of tune because it's being banged around and even when just normally playing, my guitar would sometimes slip slightly out of tune. I'm not sure if that means there's something wrong with the guitar or if it means I need new strings (I bought my guitar back in 1990 at a pawn shop, not knowing a damned thing about guitars...still don't know all that much about them, but I'm now making an effort to learn). That's the thing about this game: it would be nice if it talked about such things. Or maybe I could just use Google to search for those answers in my spare time (that's typically what most budding hobbyists might do anyways).
There are several games within the game. They're designed to hone your skills and get you familiar with your guitar and guitar techniques. The mini-games tutor you in techniques such as hammering and if it detects you're having issues with the technique, it will show you a video snippet of someone actually playing as an example. It'll keep trying to help you (and not advance on the tutorial screen) until you've gotten through the exercise.
There's another tutorial mode where you follow along in playing songs. The tutorial explains techniques before the song begins. Once the song begins, it can't be slowed or stopped, though. During the song, the virtual tutor will start out with basic techniques that will slowly begin to get more complicated. You might start with one note per measure or one every 5 measures, then end up with several per measure. It is quite stimulating. Once done with the song, the tutor plays back your session to you (audibly and visually), where you can opt to skip it or listen and learn from your mistakes.
I had intended to only try a few minutes of the game but ended up playing for 2 hours, to the point where my fingertips were hurting (and still are -- waiting for the calluses to kick in!).
The game is FUN and it feels like I've actually absorbed some guitar knowledge, instead of actually forgetting it or giving up after 30 minutes of trying to learn. It makes you want to keep trying. In my opinion, this is a decent way to get people immersed into learning at least some aspects of playing guitar.
If my oldest daughter sees this game, her and I might be fighting for play time.
I can see spending more money on the 2014 version.
The point is while none of us three were prodigies, we're all somewhat familiar with music. We sometimes end up having big Rockband and Guitar Hero sessions on weekends. No, those games aren't really music-centric...they're more like a version of Simon Says, but you still have to know music patterns (such as beats), otherwise you're going to be struggling.
Well, I picked up a game that really takes it to a new level. I wouldn't even call it a game...it's more like a tutorial that uses games to teach you. What's the game? Rocksmith.
Currently, there's Rocksmith, released back in 2012, I believe, and Rocksmith 2014. I opted for Rocksmith since I'd read that Rocksmith 2014 tended to be less tutorial-oriented than the original version. I want to learn how to play, not get thrown to the wolves, so to speak.
Rocksmith is sold in three versions: For PC, for the Xbox360/XboxOne, and for the PS3/PS4. And of those versions, you can opt to buy with or without a PC-to-guitar USB cable. I opted for the PC version, since I'm more of a PC guy. The cable is required, unless you already have such a cable. You can opt to not that version if you already own Rocksmith and have a cable. If you upgrade to Rocksmith 2014, you can use the cable that you used with Rocksmith, so you won't need another cable, unless you've broken your original one. You can also buy the cable separately.
The PC game requires a decent PC. You can't play it on junk machines without having system resource consumption issues, and the game requires a dedicated graphics card. I've yet to try the game on my Alienware M17x R3, but I'm assuming it will not have issues since I've played it on my recently-built Core i5 system without issue. The rule of thumb for me is, if you can play such games as COD or BF (recently current versions), your computer is not going to have issues playing Rocksmith or RS:2014.
And, of course, the game also requires that you have an electric guitar.
The game accounts for many different electric guitars and accounts for left-handed and right-handed people.
I got the game yesterday and was a bit surprised that the game is actually distributed by Steam. It comes with a CD and I'm assuming that the game on the CD is either a demo or an installer that redirects to Steam. There's a game code that you enter into Steam to activate and download the game. It took me 20 minutes to download the game, but I've a large-piped FO connection. Once downloaded and installed, the game had an issue detecting the USB cable. It wouldn't detect at all and I was concerned since I'd read about cables being bad out of the box. I read that if you use multiple USB connections (mouse and keyboard and other peripherals), the game becomes confused and doesn't see the guitar connection. The fix is apparently to disconnect the PC-to-guitar cable and reconnect it and to keep trying until the game recognizes the guitar. Another fix is to remove all other USB peripherals (before or after starting the game, I don't know). I don't know which worked for me, but it eventually worked.
The game interface is weird. It took me awhile to determine how to navigate the menu. You have to use the keyboard arrow keys to move around the menu, and you can use either the Enter key to select your option or click the Enter graphic button with the mouse. Going backward in the menu system is a PITA.
The game first makes you tune your guitar and will have you ensure your guitar is tuned before every song. If you've old strings, you might want to replace them before playing this game. Also, don't just throw your guitar around when not using it...it'll eventually get out of tune because it's being banged around and even when just normally playing, my guitar would sometimes slip slightly out of tune. I'm not sure if that means there's something wrong with the guitar or if it means I need new strings (I bought my guitar back in 1990 at a pawn shop, not knowing a damned thing about guitars...still don't know all that much about them, but I'm now making an effort to learn). That's the thing about this game: it would be nice if it talked about such things. Or maybe I could just use Google to search for those answers in my spare time (that's typically what most budding hobbyists might do anyways).
There are several games within the game. They're designed to hone your skills and get you familiar with your guitar and guitar techniques. The mini-games tutor you in techniques such as hammering and if it detects you're having issues with the technique, it will show you a video snippet of someone actually playing as an example. It'll keep trying to help you (and not advance on the tutorial screen) until you've gotten through the exercise.
There's another tutorial mode where you follow along in playing songs. The tutorial explains techniques before the song begins. Once the song begins, it can't be slowed or stopped, though. During the song, the virtual tutor will start out with basic techniques that will slowly begin to get more complicated. You might start with one note per measure or one every 5 measures, then end up with several per measure. It is quite stimulating. Once done with the song, the tutor plays back your session to you (audibly and visually), where you can opt to skip it or listen and learn from your mistakes.
I had intended to only try a few minutes of the game but ended up playing for 2 hours, to the point where my fingertips were hurting (and still are -- waiting for the calluses to kick in!).
The game is FUN and it feels like I've actually absorbed some guitar knowledge, instead of actually forgetting it or giving up after 30 minutes of trying to learn. It makes you want to keep trying. In my opinion, this is a decent way to get people immersed into learning at least some aspects of playing guitar.
If my oldest daughter sees this game, her and I might be fighting for play time.
I can see spending more money on the 2014 version.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Xbox One
So, I bought an Xbox One. I'd promised myself that I wouldn't buy one, but I say that every console generation, no matter the platform. I held out pretty well, this time, though. Why'd I buy one? I got tired of missing out on the recent Forza games. I've Forza Horizon 2 for the Xbox 360 and there's NO DLC content for it. And, there's no Forza 5 for the Xbox 360...only the Xbox One.
So, I bought an Xbox One for Forza 5 and Horizon 2. My thoughts so far:
1. There's hardly any DLC support for Forza 5. I'm not sure about Horizon 2 DLC support, though.
2. There's barely any racing wheels for the Xbox One. I believe there are two and one in development to be released to the public soon.
3. Two of the three wheels are $299, while there's one that's $99. The $99 wheel lacks FFB and manual shifting with clutch (this is the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider wheel).
4. Forza 5 is nowhere near as robust as Forza 4. There aren't as many cars included in Forza 5 and Forza 4 surely has better DLC support.
There's no wheel maker that's making cross-platform wheels (ie, wheels that can be used acrosss both the PS4 and XBO systems, although they have PC/PS4 or PC/XBO wheels).
As well, controllers, games, and Kinects are non-compatible between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Really?? This is the type of crap that'll drive me to PC gaming exclusively. If I wanted to play co-op games in my own house, I'd have to by another controller or two, and they're not cheap. I also decided to pass on buying the Kinect for the Xbox One, since I figured I'd be able to use the 1st gen Kinect that I have...well, nope, they made it incompatible with the Xbox One.
When I bought the Xbox One, I'd thought about trading in my Xbox 360 for trade-in credits to go toward my Xbox One purchase. That would've made all my Xbox 360 games unusable and I'd have had to sell/trade them. I opted to keep the Xbox 360 so that I could still play my older Forza and Project Gotham racing games.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to stop investing in console gaming. I shouldn't have to spend $800 to buy a new console, a game, and a wheel, only to see the hardware and games become obsolete every 4 or so years. Competitive racing via console used to be fun, but MS and Sony aren't playing nice with their customers.
So, I bought an Xbox One for Forza 5 and Horizon 2. My thoughts so far:
1. There's hardly any DLC support for Forza 5. I'm not sure about Horizon 2 DLC support, though.
2. There's barely any racing wheels for the Xbox One. I believe there are two and one in development to be released to the public soon.
3. Two of the three wheels are $299, while there's one that's $99. The $99 wheel lacks FFB and manual shifting with clutch (this is the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider wheel).
4. Forza 5 is nowhere near as robust as Forza 4. There aren't as many cars included in Forza 5 and Forza 4 surely has better DLC support.
There's no wheel maker that's making cross-platform wheels (ie, wheels that can be used acrosss both the PS4 and XBO systems, although they have PC/PS4 or PC/XBO wheels).
As well, controllers, games, and Kinects are non-compatible between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Really?? This is the type of crap that'll drive me to PC gaming exclusively. If I wanted to play co-op games in my own house, I'd have to by another controller or two, and they're not cheap. I also decided to pass on buying the Kinect for the Xbox One, since I figured I'd be able to use the 1st gen Kinect that I have...well, nope, they made it incompatible with the Xbox One.
When I bought the Xbox One, I'd thought about trading in my Xbox 360 for trade-in credits to go toward my Xbox One purchase. That would've made all my Xbox 360 games unusable and I'd have had to sell/trade them. I opted to keep the Xbox 360 so that I could still play my older Forza and Project Gotham racing games.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to stop investing in console gaming. I shouldn't have to spend $800 to buy a new console, a game, and a wheel, only to see the hardware and games become obsolete every 4 or so years. Competitive racing via console used to be fun, but MS and Sony aren't playing nice with their customers.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Lollipop!
So, both of my phones (work and personal) got upgraded (OEM -- I don't root or try various ROMs on my phones...I need them to be dependable and as stock as possible) to Android 5.0 within the last seven days.
There are distinct differences in the UI between them, with the work phone being an HTC One M8 and the personal phone being a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (both Verizon phones).
I was underwhelmed with the One, but I also don't usually tinker with it since it's the work phone, so I can't really notice the new changes since I wasn't really familiar with the old options and features.
With the Note 3, there's a slew of UI changes, but I don't see much difference in the system options/configuration. I've not yet noticed things such as excessive battery usage or bad phone reception. I did notice that I had to re-enable some of the features I had selected prior to the Lollipop upgrade. I also noticed an easter egg. If you go to Settings/General/About Phone, click "Android version" multiple times, click the lollipop multiple times, then click/hold, you'll see a version of the Flappy Bird game and be able to play it! There are some new features in the Security settings, too, like reactivation lock, "Send security reports" and "Security policy updates."
I'll report any anomalies or good stuff I discover.
UPDATE: And I saw this article today, showing how much of a dramatic difference each Android 5.0 experience is per device. It's good to know I wasn't the only one that noticed this. A snippet:
I agree.
There are distinct differences in the UI between them, with the work phone being an HTC One M8 and the personal phone being a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (both Verizon phones).
I was underwhelmed with the One, but I also don't usually tinker with it since it's the work phone, so I can't really notice the new changes since I wasn't really familiar with the old options and features.
With the Note 3, there's a slew of UI changes, but I don't see much difference in the system options/configuration. I've not yet noticed things such as excessive battery usage or bad phone reception. I did notice that I had to re-enable some of the features I had selected prior to the Lollipop upgrade. I also noticed an easter egg. If you go to Settings/General/About Phone, click "Android version" multiple times, click the lollipop multiple times, then click/hold, you'll see a version of the Flappy Bird game and be able to play it! There are some new features in the Security settings, too, like reactivation lock, "Send security reports" and "Security policy updates."
I'll report any anomalies or good stuff I discover.
UPDATE: And I saw this article today, showing how much of a dramatic difference each Android 5.0 experience is per device. It's good to know I wasn't the only one that noticed this. A snippet:
This dive into Lollipop revealed something very clear to me: Manufactures are, in fact, doing Android no favors. I've already posted my take on bloatware, and I stand firm on that with Lollipop. But even minus what most would consider bloatware, manufacturers are robbing consumers of the true Android experience, and Lollipop is a perfect example of that.
Anyone who experiences the jump from KitKat to Lollipop should get the platform I had on the Nexus, rather than the HTC M8. After the very long wait for the Lollipop upgrade, some users are going to be disappointed--not because of what Google has done (because what Google has done is brilliant), but because of what the manufacturers have done to the latest iteration of Android.
I agree.
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Canon Printer - Networking PITA
Over the summer, I bought a Canon MG 6420 all-in-one printer/scanner system. It's been great. It has wireless capability so that anyone in the house that's connected to the network can use it.
Well, the kids have been complaining that sometimes it won't print. I've also experienced it several times first-hand.
I was trying to print a Walmart product web entry so that I could dispute the price at a local store. The printer wouldn't print...I spent 10 minutes trying to troubleshoot before I ran out of time. An hour later, when I returned from the store, the document was printed and waiting for me.
What error was the printer generating? "Couldn't connect to printer".
One day, I spent a good amount of time trying to determine what was going on. I found out that the printer was configuring itself to use the 192.168.2.0 subnet. My home network uses the 192.168.1.0 subnet. I've no idea why it tries to go to 192.168.2. When I tried to manually configure the subnet information to 192.168.1, network connectivity is never established (can't ping the device, from the gateway router).
So, I just set it up to use a USB connection with our main home computer as a workaround. This means we can't print from anywhere in the house.
As much as I've grown to hate HP inkjets, this has never happened to me when using that brand of printer/scanner. The biggest issue I've had with HP is that the damned ink cartridges sometimes don't work (even new ones straight from the box). The problem with this Canon is mild in comparison...at least I can still use the printer -- I couldn't do that with the HP and had to chuck it.
In researching if someone else has experienced this issue, I've not seen any complaints, but maybe the words I'm using to search the issue aren't the best...it's difficult to search against without having to slog through thousands of hits. So, I thought I'd post about it to see if I eventually get an e-mail from someone confirming that it's a widespread issue (and maybe them supplying a solution).
I haven't reached out to Canon for support (yet).
Well, the kids have been complaining that sometimes it won't print. I've also experienced it several times first-hand.
I was trying to print a Walmart product web entry so that I could dispute the price at a local store. The printer wouldn't print...I spent 10 minutes trying to troubleshoot before I ran out of time. An hour later, when I returned from the store, the document was printed and waiting for me.
What error was the printer generating? "Couldn't connect to printer".
One day, I spent a good amount of time trying to determine what was going on. I found out that the printer was configuring itself to use the 192.168.2.0 subnet. My home network uses the 192.168.1.0 subnet. I've no idea why it tries to go to 192.168.2. When I tried to manually configure the subnet information to 192.168.1, network connectivity is never established (can't ping the device, from the gateway router).
So, I just set it up to use a USB connection with our main home computer as a workaround. This means we can't print from anywhere in the house.
As much as I've grown to hate HP inkjets, this has never happened to me when using that brand of printer/scanner. The biggest issue I've had with HP is that the damned ink cartridges sometimes don't work (even new ones straight from the box). The problem with this Canon is mild in comparison...at least I can still use the printer -- I couldn't do that with the HP and had to chuck it.
In researching if someone else has experienced this issue, I've not seen any complaints, but maybe the words I'm using to search the issue aren't the best...it's difficult to search against without having to slog through thousands of hits. So, I thought I'd post about it to see if I eventually get an e-mail from someone confirming that it's a widespread issue (and maybe them supplying a solution).
I haven't reached out to Canon for support (yet).
Monday, October 13, 2014
Busy Few Weeks With Technology!
What have I been up to? I've not been idle, that's for sure.
A few weeks ago, my work Blackberry started acting up. I was happy enough with it, as I don't really need smartphone tech to answer calls, run conference bridges, and send e-mails or reply to them. I actually had a phone upgrade awaiting me the last 8 months, so I decided to use it. What'd I get to replace the BB? I got an HTC One M8. I already had a taste of the M8, as my daughter has one.
How's the M8? It's a great phone! It's overkill for what I need, though, but I'm not going to complain. I love the included headphones and they work far better when I'm on conference calls. I have to use the Good Enterprise client on it, though. I didn't have to do that with the BB. The Good Enterprise client isn't bad, but I'm surprised there's no native Enterprise tools for HTC phones (in fact, it's like this for all Android phone if you're working for my company). iPhones aren't using the Good client. It's kinda strange.
How's the M8? It's a great phone! It's overkill for what I need, though, but I'm not going to complain. I love the included headphones and they work far better when I'm on conference calls. I have to use the Good Enterprise client on it, though. I didn't have to do that with the BB. The Good Enterprise client isn't bad, but I'm surprised there's no native Enterprise tools for HTC phones (in fact, it's like this for all Android phone if you're working for my company). iPhones aren't using the Good client. It's kinda strange.
Anyways, I wanted to be able to play with the M8 when I'm not working, and since the Good client segregates the phone into business and personal sections, I can probably get away with taking personal photos with the phone. I bought two 64-GB Sandisk Ultra Plus Micro SDXC cards, one for the M8 and one for my Samsung Note 3. Both phone accept this card without issue, although my laptop didn't like the card at all (due to old drivers, which I updated). This card uses exFAT (be aware of that, especially if you're using it with devices that may not support exFAT, such as some action cameras).
Speaking of action cameras, I bought a Mobuis action camera. I wanted something smaller than the GoPro series of cameras that also had good features. This camera takes good footage...just as good as the GoPro Hero 2 I currently have. I also got a ton of accessories with the Mobius. The Mobius doesn't have a view screen, so you have to be sure you've framed it properly. It also doesn't have wireless capability, so you can't use it like you can the GoPro wifi backpack. Sound is great with this camera, but the reason I noticed that is because the Mobius doesn't come with a waterproof case (hence the sound isn't muffled and is quite clear). The kit comes with a small suction cup mount that I attached to my car's dome light...the vantage point was great...I was not able to do this with my GoPro and Gecko suction cup mounts because the suction cup is too large for the dome light. A con of the Mobius is, while it doesn't have a non-removable battery, it is not designed to quickly swap out. You can open the Mobius case to remove the battery, but there's no battery port to swap out batteries like the GoPro and Astak.
On the PC front, I went through my house and removed all the RAM and hard drives from the old laptops and gaming systems I no longer plan to use. I came up with two wifi cards, 2 sets of RAM (2.5GB worth) and 5-6 2.5" hard disks, the largest being 250GB and the smallest being 20GB. I installed three of the larger 2.5" disks into a Linux system to see if they would work (they are SATA drives)...they did, although one had partition table issues that I'm trying to sort out (been repairing the table the last 3 days). I suppose I can revisit those laptops I scavenged and also remove their CPUs as well. At least one of them has a removable CPU. I might be able to determine if they're desktop CPUs, and if so, I might be able to use them to upgrade my older servers.
On the PC front, I went through my house and removed all the RAM and hard drives from the old laptops and gaming systems I no longer plan to use. I came up with two wifi cards, 2 sets of RAM (2.5GB worth) and 5-6 2.5" hard disks, the largest being 250GB and the smallest being 20GB. I installed three of the larger 2.5" disks into a Linux system to see if they would work (they are SATA drives)...they did, although one had partition table issues that I'm trying to sort out (been repairing the table the last 3 days). I suppose I can revisit those laptops I scavenged and also remove their CPUs as well. At least one of them has a removable CPU. I might be able to determine if they're desktop CPUs, and if so, I might be able to use them to upgrade my older servers.
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Unhappy Customer: Comcast Told My Employer About Complaint, Got Me Fired
http://consumerist.com/2014/10/06/unhappy-customer-comcast-told-my-employer-about-complaint-got-me-fired/
Ugh...this story is tragic.
I hate Comcast.
We used Comcast a few times before FIOS became dominant, at different locations within Virginia. The service was good enough (this was between 2004 and 2010). There were no service interruptions and the bandwidth was adequate. There was no equipment or billing issues.
So, why do I hate them? It seems that they receive far more negative news coverage than even Verizon. Verizon definitely has customer service issues...I'm not going to even argue that they don't, but Verizon doesn't have the level of negative press coverage that Comcast does. The problem is, the Comcast leadership seems to welcome strong-arming their customers and then dragging them through the mud afterward with such press coverage. If the Comcast leadership want to get in front of the negativity, they need to retrain their staff and fire anyone that is involved with such activity. Some of these stories can be refuted, but there have been several stories where the complainers actually recorded their interactions with Comcast, and it's difficult to argue against such evidence.
I've a problem with this story in particular. Several commenters state that this was the customer's fault. No. It was both the employer's fault for taking Comcast's word as gospel AND Comcast's fault for calling the employer. What's funny is that, when asked if it is standard practice for Comcast to contact customer employers, Comcast didn't provide a straight answer. And while most states are "at-will", where companies can fire their employers without reason at any time, there should generally be a reason offered when terminated in the fashion that this Comcast employer was let go. If I were this guy, I'd lawyer up and go after both Comcast and his employer. Apparently, he was let go due to ethical reasons. For such accusations (that can damage a person's reputation and hinder future job searches), a reason is definitely needed, and all evidence should be offered. The employer never provided a copy of what was sent to them by Comcast. Comcast didn't specify what was discussed.
Now, every company has its bad elements, but the Comcast leadership appears to be playing games with people and when journalists ask the right questions, Comcast offers blunt but insufficient answers. At some point, they're going to get seriously burned. I seriously hope this customer legally hunts them down (he still has to deal with those billing and service issues, too).
The next time I see a Comcast sales rep on my door step asking me to switch to Comcast, I'm going to try to discuss this article with him...maybe it'll make him leave my door step quicker.
Ugh...this story is tragic.
I hate Comcast.
We used Comcast a few times before FIOS became dominant, at different locations within Virginia. The service was good enough (this was between 2004 and 2010). There were no service interruptions and the bandwidth was adequate. There was no equipment or billing issues.
So, why do I hate them? It seems that they receive far more negative news coverage than even Verizon. Verizon definitely has customer service issues...I'm not going to even argue that they don't, but Verizon doesn't have the level of negative press coverage that Comcast does. The problem is, the Comcast leadership seems to welcome strong-arming their customers and then dragging them through the mud afterward with such press coverage. If the Comcast leadership want to get in front of the negativity, they need to retrain their staff and fire anyone that is involved with such activity. Some of these stories can be refuted, but there have been several stories where the complainers actually recorded their interactions with Comcast, and it's difficult to argue against such evidence.
I've a problem with this story in particular. Several commenters state that this was the customer's fault. No. It was both the employer's fault for taking Comcast's word as gospel AND Comcast's fault for calling the employer. What's funny is that, when asked if it is standard practice for Comcast to contact customer employers, Comcast didn't provide a straight answer. And while most states are "at-will", where companies can fire their employers without reason at any time, there should generally be a reason offered when terminated in the fashion that this Comcast employer was let go. If I were this guy, I'd lawyer up and go after both Comcast and his employer. Apparently, he was let go due to ethical reasons. For such accusations (that can damage a person's reputation and hinder future job searches), a reason is definitely needed, and all evidence should be offered. The employer never provided a copy of what was sent to them by Comcast. Comcast didn't specify what was discussed.
Now, every company has its bad elements, but the Comcast leadership appears to be playing games with people and when journalists ask the right questions, Comcast offers blunt but insufficient answers. At some point, they're going to get seriously burned. I seriously hope this customer legally hunts them down (he still has to deal with those billing and service issues, too).
The next time I see a Comcast sales rep on my door step asking me to switch to Comcast, I'm going to try to discuss this article with him...maybe it'll make him leave my door step quicker.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Wordpress Woes
I did a dumb thing last week.
I'd been holding back on upgrading my Ubuntu server to 14.04...for good reason: I was running software versions that weren't compatible with my version of Ubuntu.
Well, I upgraded anyways (after months of holding off). It broke my web server and also reverted my Wordpress site back a few versions (3.8.x or something like that...I'd been running version 4.0).
That was this past Saturday. Today is Tuesday afternoon and I'm almost finished restoring the site.
Things that broke:
Wordpress
PSAD
Apache
I'm going to specifically speak to Wordpress now.
This was actually an Apache/Wordpress combination issue. I believe the version that Apache was upgraded to was 2.4.x. It changed the default webserver location from /var/www to /var/www/html, which broke a LOT of my content. The fix was easy: I moved everything from /var/www to /var/www/html, ensuring the file and directory permissions didn't change.
Then, I found a multitude of issues with my Wordpress site's content:
First thing I did was upgrade (manually, via CLI) to v4.0. That cleared up some issues.
Next, I worked on trying to get the plugins to work. I couldn't install new plugins. I also couldn't update old plugins to new versions. The error I would get was, "Unable to locate Wordpress content directory". I'd also get "Unable to locate Wordpress plugin directory". What I did was download (via web browser) the "third party host fix" plugin. I loaded it to my Ubuntu server via SCP. I then unzipped it, and moved the uncompressed directory to the plugins folder. It still wouldn't work. I found that a symlink was missing from /var/lib/wordpress/wp-content/plugins, so I created a new one:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 60 Sep 30 19:48 third-party-host-fix -> /usr/share/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/third-party-host-fix
I'd been holding back on upgrading my Ubuntu server to 14.04...for good reason: I was running software versions that weren't compatible with my version of Ubuntu.
Well, I upgraded anyways (after months of holding off). It broke my web server and also reverted my Wordpress site back a few versions (3.8.x or something like that...I'd been running version 4.0).
That was this past Saturday. Today is Tuesday afternoon and I'm almost finished restoring the site.
Things that broke:
Wordpress
PSAD
Apache
I'm going to specifically speak to Wordpress now.
This was actually an Apache/Wordpress combination issue. I believe the version that Apache was upgraded to was 2.4.x. It changed the default webserver location from /var/www to /var/www/html, which broke a LOT of my content. The fix was easy: I moved everything from /var/www to /var/www/html, ensuring the file and directory permissions didn't change.
Then, I found a multitude of issues with my Wordpress site's content:
- All image links broke, meaning they wouldn't render, even after moving content to /var/www/html (but I could upload new pictures without issue -- and they'd render).
- I couldn't perform upgrades to v4.0 via the GUI.
- I couldn't install new plugins.
- I couldn't install templates.
First thing I did was upgrade (manually, via CLI) to v4.0. That cleared up some issues.
Next, I worked on trying to get the plugins to work. I couldn't install new plugins. I also couldn't update old plugins to new versions. The error I would get was, "Unable to locate Wordpress content directory". I'd also get "Unable to locate Wordpress plugin directory". What I did was download (via web browser) the "third party host fix" plugin. I loaded it to my Ubuntu server via SCP. I then unzipped it, and moved the uncompressed directory to the plugins folder. It still wouldn't work. I found that a symlink was missing from /var/lib/wordpress/wp-content/plugins, so I created a new one:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 60 Sep 30 19:48 third-party-host-fix -> /usr/share/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/third-party-host-fix
That's linked to /usr/share/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/third-party-host-fix...that also the directory where the actual plugin content is located.
After I did that, I was able to see the plugin in the UI. I activated it successfully. I then tried to update a plugin...I got a different error: "Wordpress could not create directory". Ugh...
I found the solution on how to fix that issue at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WordPress. I went to /usr/share/wordpress/wp-config.php and edited the following:
Changed:
define('WP_CONTENT_DIR', '/var/lib/wordpress/wp-content');
to read:
define('WP_CONTENT_DIR', '/var/www/wordpress/wp-content');
That fixed the issues of installing or updating templates and plugins.
The only issue I need to resolve now is the image rendering issue, but I think I'll just reload all the images, one at a time (there aren't all that many, I believe).
This was a horrible experience but the benefit was that it got me to delve and fix the issue (vs. just wiping everything and reinstalling the whole distribution).
UPDATE:
New issues --
UPDATE:
New issues --
- Can't remove plugins. Error message: "Plugin could not be deleted due to an error: Unable to locate WordPress Plugin directory."
- Using Photo Gallery plugin - galleries will render but the images will not show within the gallery UI. I also can't seem to view the images via browser...may be another incorrect coding issue or even a permissions issue.
UPDATE 2:
- I've fixed the issue with the Photo Gallery plugin. I basically dumped the picture back in the directory where the plugin was looking for them (/usr/share/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery). I hate how hodge-podge this is...crap is everywhere without standardization, but I'm to the point where I just want the site functional again. I just hope things don't break when I next upgrade Wordpress.
- I'll look into the "can't remove plugins" issue tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
California Law Now Requires All Smartphones to Have Built-In Kill Switches By July 2015 - Mac Rumors
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/08/25/california-kill-switch-law/
I'm glad this is happening! I'm hoping that this is adopted by the other states (or that there's a federal version of this law). There are many non-U.S. countries that have laws that protect their citizens' privacy (a stolen phone will put your private information at risk). The U.S. always falls behind the curve where citizen privacy is concerned, it seems.
As you know, my wife lost track of her phone and someone stole it. I'm not sure if the phone's deactivation signal was ever applied (the phone was powered down by the thief before I could have the carrier deactivate the phone...the carrier never got an indication that the phone was ever powered back up...I deactivated it so that when the phone came back online, it would receive the deactivation signal but the phone never came back online). In addition to the fact that someone stole a $500 (retail) phone, we had private data spillage to worry about. Also, there were complications on getting a new replacement phone. We learned some valuable lessons, but still, a stolen phone is no joke and can put you at risk for not only stolen private data, but people could possibly use the information on your phone to open lines of credit. That's not good.
I'll be awaiting to see how this pans out for the nation.
I'm glad this is happening! I'm hoping that this is adopted by the other states (or that there's a federal version of this law). There are many non-U.S. countries that have laws that protect their citizens' privacy (a stolen phone will put your private information at risk). The U.S. always falls behind the curve where citizen privacy is concerned, it seems.
As you know, my wife lost track of her phone and someone stole it. I'm not sure if the phone's deactivation signal was ever applied (the phone was powered down by the thief before I could have the carrier deactivate the phone...the carrier never got an indication that the phone was ever powered back up...I deactivated it so that when the phone came back online, it would receive the deactivation signal but the phone never came back online). In addition to the fact that someone stole a $500 (retail) phone, we had private data spillage to worry about. Also, there were complications on getting a new replacement phone. We learned some valuable lessons, but still, a stolen phone is no joke and can put you at risk for not only stolen private data, but people could possibly use the information on your phone to open lines of credit. That's not good.
I'll be awaiting to see how this pans out for the nation.
Friday, August 01, 2014
Smartphones - Maxing Out Your Storage Capacity?
Maxing Out Your Storage Capacity? This article can help you regain storage space.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/08/01/no-more-storage-space-on-your-phone-heres-what-you-should-trash-first/
I skimmed over the article. It appears sound as far as what it recommends. It speaks in a way that people should understand, no matter what brand of phone you're using (it has screenshots of both Android and Apple smartphones).
Do I need this? No. I already know how to free up space when I've reached the storage limits (I usually back up everything on my SD card onto my PC, then place it on a dedicated storage drive). But I'm sure this will be able to help people like my mother or wife or daughters.
Enjoy!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/08/01/no-more-storage-space-on-your-phone-heres-what-you-should-trash-first/
I skimmed over the article. It appears sound as far as what it recommends. It speaks in a way that people should understand, no matter what brand of phone you're using (it has screenshots of both Android and Apple smartphones).
Do I need this? No. I already know how to free up space when I've reached the storage limits (I usually back up everything on my SD card onto my PC, then place it on a dedicated storage drive). But I'm sure this will be able to help people like my mother or wife or daughters.
Enjoy!
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