Fredrickville - All Updates

Fredrickville - All Updates All Updates http://www.fredrickville.com/article/ en-us Copyright 2008 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:49:00 -0400 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:49:00 -0400 webmaster@fredrickville.com Fredrickville.com-599 Temp Gripe Corner http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/39/Temp_Gripe_Corner <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/39.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/Gripe.jpg"> For those who cant wait for the real one to come back!... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/39/Temp_Gripe_Corner">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:49:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-597 Edumacation http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/177/Edumacation <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/177.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/84289edumacation.jpg"></center> I swear the gripe corner will be up soon, just adding finishing touches now. ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/177/Edumacation">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:24:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-596 To Our Loyal Fans http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/176/To_Our_Loyal_Fans <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/176.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com In an effort to bring you more juicy goodness in every bite, I've undertaken a complete recode of the gripe corner. As you may have noticed since mid-Sunday afternoon till now, it's been down. I expect it to continue to be down until tomorrow night when I finish the code. The new upgrade is helping us achieve a few goals- -Faster, better search -New features(!) -Compliance with my webhost (plaintext database clogging up server resources) As soon as it's finished, we shall all rejoice. <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/50835080623_George_Carlin.jpg" class=pics></center> In other news, I'd like to state it is a sad day indeed. A great man has passed away. Let's have a moment for George Carlin. [quote]The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.[by]<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nknAzQPHE" target=_blank>George Carlin</a>[/quote]... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/176/To_Our_Loyal_Fans">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:57:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-595 'lephant'e http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/38/lephante <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/38.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/03917eupope copy.jpg"> Much to every one's dismay, combat sponge has returned.<center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/38/lephante">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:14:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-594 How to be a Douche Bag http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/175/How_to_be_a_Douche_Bag <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/175.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com Douchebaggery is an ultimate state of mind and being which takes very little effort to achieve. The difficulty arises in obtaining and comprehending the secrets of douchebaggery, as these secrets are well protected by douchebags world wide. I am here to blow open this secret world, so that all of you may join in on the douchebaggery, with all of our other douchebag brethren world wide. <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/douchebag2dq2.jpg" class="pics"></center> Before we go over the steps, we must first determine who your opponents will be. In order to master douchebaggery, you must define opponents. Opponents will be anybody who is better than you at anything, be it looks, talent, wealth, or just having a lot of possessions. These people are your enemies. You must over-come your enemies to reach douch-bag status. Now that you have defined a list of opponents, you can start on step 1. 1. Over-Compensate- You’re not very good at what you do, or at least, you’re insecure about it. You might be insecure in your masculinity, or maybe your ability to play guitar. What ever it is- we can fix it! It’s called “Over-Compensation” From now on, take your weaknesses, pretend they’re strengths, and rub it in everybody’s face – specifically your opponents’ faces. Let’s face it. You’re ugly. You’re no good with girls. Girls literally run from the sight of you. What do you do? Easy! Find your closest good-looking friend (opponent) who happens to be a lady’s man, and tell him what’s what. Make sure he knows that however much he thinks he’s a lady’s man, you’re more of one. Does he have a good hair cut? Make fun of it. Does his 5 O’clock shadow turn the ladies on? Call him a pedophile for his creepy beard and then call it a night. You just moved yourself up a few pegs. Make sure to do this for everything you’re bad at. This strategy works great in groups. Confront an opponent who’s musically inclined in front of his friends, and make a bold statement that declares that you’re the only musician in the room. Deny his abilities to the very core. Make sure to appeal to the crowd. Make it a spectacle, get the crowd cheering for you! Play air guitar in your opponent’s face, proving once and for all that you’re clearly better at even faking an instrument. Challenge him to Guitar Hero, or Rock Band. If you lose, blame it on the discrepancy between the plastic guitar controller and a real fender strat. Will this actually help you with your talents (or lack thereof)? Will this help you with the ladies? Not really. But it’ll make you feel so good that the only time you need to cry is in the shower or alone at night. Nobody has to know… in fact, people won’t know. You’re well on your way to being the ultimate douchebag! But don’t stop now… 2. Be Passive Aggressive. Don’t address anything straight on. Keep the upper-hand at all times by pretending to be cool, or “chill” with everything and everyone. But make sure to list your opponents and destroy your targets in secrecy later. People in groups will see you as taking the higher-road in arguments, because you don’t get petty. You don’t stoop to the level of an actual confrontation. Make sure to make the other guy look like an ass. This will win you major douchebag points. Do little things that will certainly bug your targets, possibly driving them to insanity. They can’t call you on them- or they’ll look petty. It’s brilliant; nobody will be able to touch you. If John approaches you because he’s upset you spilled grape juice on him and ruined his favorite shirt- pretend it was a mistake. Everybody will side with you, and wonder why John’s being so darn petty. Come on, John! Can’t you see it was an honest mistake? Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Continue to passively destroy your targets. The only person who will remember each incident will be your target. Everybody around them will surprisingly forget each previous incident- making your target look even more petty when he tries to confront you about your cumulative actions. Do things like write a blog that doesn’t directly make connections to the people you’re targeting. Your targets will know who they are, and will get pissed that you’re being so publicly passive-aggressive, but they have very little recourse if they want to keep their dignity. (FYI, your targets have no dignity, because you took that away from them in step 1.) 3. Be an asshole. This is an extension of steps 1 and 2. Now that you’ve proven yourself to be the king of the planet, and you slowly but methodically destroyed your opponents. Now live the legend. You’re a freakin rock star! Live like it. You may not have an album, or crowds cheering at you when you go out for a bite to eat- but that’s all yesterday’s news. Today, you’re the king, baby. When ever you see a girl, hit on her without prejudice. The more crude the remarks, the better. Girls LOVE assholes. Tell her that she’s “gonna be your ho” and slap that ass. When ever you see a fellow “dude” at a party, or on the street, make sure to put him in his place as much as you can during any conversation. Act like you’re too big for him, because, let’s face it- you ARE too big. Does Eddie Van Halen hang out with losers? No. And neither do you. At first these steps may seem difficult or unnatural to you. But the more you live them, the more it will become second nature to you. You can be passive aggressive without even trying. We believe in you, and we know that you can certainly join the ranks of the greatest douchebags in history. Good luck. ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/175/How_to_be_a_Douche_Bag">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Wed, 21 May 2008 00:47:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-593 Creep-o http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/37/Creepo <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/37.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/creepo copy.jpg"> please dont read too much into this one.<center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/37/Creepo">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:50:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-592 To Compliment Human Chicken http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/174/To_Compliment_Human_Chicken <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/174.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com The term is actually "Hunan Chicken", but it looks like this butcher shop may have gotten a bit confused... Have some chinese ribs - boneless for your convenience! <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/009740329081623.jpg"></center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/174/To_Compliment_Human_Chicken">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:00:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-591 Cynical Interlude http://www.fredrickville.com/article/1/89/Cynical_Interlude <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/1/89.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Spoons Editorial I am retooling this article and it should be up shortly. Please email me to obtain the version in progress. ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/1/89/Cynical_Interlude">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Spoons Editorial Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:14:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-589 Change Congress http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/172/Change_Congress <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/172.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com An interesting new site is out, dedicated to allowing the interwebs to invite and track changes for good in our congressmen and women. <center><a href='http://change-congress.org/pledge/citizen/info?l=1&e=1&t=1&f=1&district=NH1&btn=1'><img src='http://images.change-congress.org/cc-badge-2-4.png' alt='Change Congress' /></a></center> The concept is simple, people in each district can keep track of their own Congressperson. They can contact the congressperson and invite them to take the pledge. Then they track the progress using <a href="http://change-congress.org" target=_blank>Change-Congress.org</a>. Easy as that. So join up and make stuff better.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/172/Change_Congress">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:10:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-588 Statistical Analysis of Borat Quotes http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/36/Statistical_Analysis_of_Borat_Quotes <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/36.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/Borat.jpg"> Demetri Martin aint got nothing on me!<center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/36/Statistical_Analysis_of_Borat_Quotes">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:20:00 -0400 Fredrickville.com-587 Mental Illness http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/35/Mental_Illness <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/35.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <Center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/evidence copy.jpg"> mkeboard doesn wor <center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/35/Mental_Illness">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:26:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-586 My Experience with Media Center and Vista http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/171/My_Experience_with_Media_Center_and_Vista <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/171.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/GreenButton[3].jpg" align=right>I started using Vista back in the beta days before the official release. Excited by little things like aero and encouraged by the fact that it was a beta, I put aside the speed issues, and the fact that my audio drivers wouldn't load. It was a beta, it'll speed up and get better by the time it releases to manufacturing, right? Even now, after having the final version for about a year, you'd hear me defend Vista. I mean, people are incredibly critical, and most people you'll hear bashing Vista haven't even used it that much, or at all! So being the lover that I was, I wasn't going to just hate a new operating system because it was Microsoft, and it's cool to hate on Microsoft. No, I went against the grain and installed it on all my machines at home- save my main machine. Well, I'll be honest, I don't use my laptop that much, and my second desktop is more of a youtube device that others use in the livingroom, so I suppose that my few encounters weren't that bad, which is probably why they still have Vista on them. If I had sooner realized what a tremendously hideous operating system it actually was beneath the covers, I think I'd be using XP again by now. But since I already had XP on my main desktop, I never got as much exposure to the OS as I should've had. As an asian guy in The Matrix once stated, "You never truely know somebody until you have fought them." That couldn't be more true than when speaking about operating systems. A few weeks back, I decided that since my version of Vista came along with Media Center, I might as well play with it. After messing with it for an hour or two I realized that it was a darn snappy interface and I wanted it on my TV. That's when everything started going downhill. I shelled out about one and a half big ones and got myself a new videocard with s-video out, a media center remote, and a new rf-modulator that can handle s-video, and then some long audio cables. It was time for installation. Being a computer technician by day (and a super hero by night), I knew the ins and outs of driver installation. I didn't bother with the disc that came with the card, went straight for Nvidia's website, downloaded the newest driver, and installed that instead. Did the obligatory reboot (why do we still have this??), and then sat back to watch the magic fly! Oh except Nvidia's drivers have a known problem in vista that hasn't been fixed. If your TV isn't automatically detected, there's a checkbox that says "automatically enable TV detection." This box is grey and doesn't work. After a few google searches which resulted in little more than a few forums of people complaining about the same problem, and no fixes, I figured it was time to tinker. Eventually I got my TV to detect. Here are the steps to take to get video on my TV. They must be completed after EVERY reboot to regain TV video. 1. Set TV's resolution to 800x600. 2. Open Nvidia's Control Panel. 3. Click the "? My Display is not shown here." 4. Don't check the "Automatic TV detection" box, since it's grey. 5. Click "Rigorous Search for Displays" 6. Click "OK" to the dialog that says "No Displays Found" 7. Wait. 8. A new dialog will pop up that says, "hey, want to enable automatic TV detection?" 9. Click Yes. No video will be on the TV at this point. 10. Reset TV's resolution to 1024x768. (11. Set to desired resolution if final res you desire is not 1024x768) It seemed like a lot of steps, but after the 10th or 12th time you do it, you remember. A few set-backs, but nothing was going to get me down. I knew technology had the ability to eat hours of my time with wasted trial and error, but now it was finally time to sit back and watch the magic fly! Media Center started, I dragged it across the first screen and onto the tv, and then maximized it. It was beautiful. It was intense. It was Media Center. The first thing I did was load the Napster plugin, which Media Center had been advertising on their "Explore Programs" page. I had signed up for Napster's unlimited download service, and was convinced this would revolutionize my parties. Imagine passing a remote around, letting people search for any artist in Napster's Library (pretty much anything popular these days), and then letting them queue the music into the playlist! It'd be a smashing hit! Everybody's the DJ, nobody's fighting over the music, and everybody's happy! Not to mention, everybody would think I was cool to have such a neat toy. So I sat down with my girlfriend and gave it a whirl. After I added a song or two, I passed the remote to her and had her add her favorite tunes to the mix. She added one song, and started to search for the next when suddenly a dialog popped up alerting us of a scripting error. Funny though, I couldn't use the remote to click ok. In fact, I couldn't use the mouse to click it either. No combination of alt-tabs, tabs, arrow keys, escapes or clicks would get rid of this error that usurped Media Center's focus. Alt-Ctrl-Del was my only solution. Not discouraged yet, I decided to try again. Random errors always happen, but usually are just that - random. I was betting it wouldn't happen again. Except it did. Again, and again. I contacted Napster support, I contacted Microsoft. All I got back from MS was that it was Napster's plugin, they'd have to deal with it. All I got back from Napster was that they no longer supported the plugin and I should use their normal interface (oh by the way, doesn't look good on a tv screen, and hardly works well with a remote). I felt alienated. The coolest reason to even have Napster was gone. I suspect I'll be canceling my account with them. Over the next few days I discovered many many rough edges regarding the third-party add-ins. Comedy-Central's motherload would load videos, but when they were done Media Center would detect the plugin was no longer responding and would throw an exception. VH1's plugin never loaded. AOL's plugins were very slow. In fact, most of the plugins were very slow. The online media section of Media Center was a sore dissapointment. Of course, I could still play some videos, right? I loaded up a movie I had on my computer to watch. Hey- at least this didn't look too bad. Oh, and when I push "the green button" on my remote, this sleek overlay of the menu fades on top of my video. Very nice, bonus points to Microsoft for some rock design. While I was watching the movie, somebody asked if they could use the computer. Seeing nothing wrong with that- (since I usually use winamp to play movies on my second monitor on my XP machine while I work), I went to the computer to get them started. First thing I noticed- the mouse was stuck in Media Center land. I couldn't get the mouse out of the media center window. What was the point to multiple screens if only one could be used?! This was getting frustrating. Alt-Tab worked- so long as you have a different program open to alt-tab into. And don't make the mistake of closing that program, because Media Center will snatch that mouse right back up. But the minute you try to use the remote when Media Center doesn't have focus, it will either require focus (the green button does this), or control whatever window has focus (arrow buttons on the remote will scroll internet explorer). So, the drivers for the remote weren't made to give attention to only media center, and media center requires focus to be used with a remote. Basically, if somebody's using media center, there shouldn't be somebody using the desktop at the same time. This, I suspect, is by design, because heck- I didn't pay for no two licenses, no fair having two people benefiting from this pc at the same time. I finally found a work-around to the mouse problem. Since alt-tabbing and regaining focus every other few minutes caused both screens to black-out for about a second each time (something about entering and exiting fullscreen mode always f'd up windows desktop for a second while it regained consciousness) and caused my media to pause/skip, I found that if I don't maximize media center, it fixes this problem (mostly). If I made my TV's resolution smaller than my computer screen, I could stretch media center's window to slightly bigger than the TV screen and make it LOOK fullscreen while not actually being fullscreen. It still required focus to be used, but this made the transition a lot less hassle, so it wouldn't be impossible to browse the net while somebody else is watching TV. But it's still a hassle, and all-in-all, not a very good design. Media Center wasn't batting well, but I decided not to turn judgement on it, since I didn't really give it a fair chance. I mean, I reviewed a few plugins, but they weren't written by Microsoft. Let's give them a chance to redeem themselves with the core media center experience. I didn't have music on my Media Center machine, but I had a pretty large library of WMAs (MS' favorite) on my XP machine. So I shared my music library across the network, got into media center's settings, and added a network folder to the "watch folders" list. They had a seperate section dedicated to network folders, so this was fairly easy. It gave me a list of all the network shares it found. My music library was quickly found and added... and then... Nothing. Waited about 10 minutes, and nothing appeared. No music. Nothing new. Nada. That's odd. I removed the network folder from the watched folders list. Then I mapped the network folder as a network drive, went back to Media Center and added it as a local folder instead. This time, a message came up saying it was scanning for new media, but I could play with media center in the mean time. So that's weird, a new message, that means that it actually found something this time around. Inconsistent, but-hey, I got it to work, right? No complaints here. First thing I noticed was none of the album art was appearing. After some google searches I learned that cover.jpg needed to be folder.jpg for media center to be happy. Not a problem, I wrote a quick batch script, and renamed all my cover pictures. Problem solved- after about 5 minutes of scanning, I had a library of 3,000 songs, and a couple hundred album pictures. It didn't have that unlimited free feeling of Napster, but it was working, so I didn't mind too much. I clicked play all, put it on shuffle, and sat back to relax. Something was finally working, and doing it well. Props to Microsoft! Amazingly smooth interface, and not too difficult to get working. Right? The second track loaded. Except where did the cover art go? I skipped foward to the next song. And the next. And the next after that. No cover art. ANYWHERE. A few google searches later I discovered that this was a known problem. Media Center will load the cover art for the first track in each album. But for the rest, there would be no cover art. And that looked ugly on the "Now Playing" screen, with a big blue music note instead of that fancy cover-art that should be there, for 95% of my library. Luckily, there was a fix available by a few people on a forum. It consisted of quite a few steps copying files from folders that strangely were absent from my vista machine. Was it because I was using a network folder? Should I add the music directly to Media Player's Library and go from there? I decided to copy the music locally to avoid issues that may have been caused by the network folder issue. So the first thing I did was remove my media library from the watched folders list. And nothing happened. I waiting a few minutes, went back to the watched folders list and realized it was still checked. I removed it 3 times before it actually dissapeared from the list. But 10 minutes later, I still had all 3,000 songs in my library. I guess removing the folder from being watched didn't remove the folder from the library at all. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure out how to remove theoretical files from my media center library. I disconnected the network drive, and turned off my xp machine. No way could these files still be in my Media Center library... right? Wrong. Maybe restarting Media Center would clear out those files. Nope. Maybe restarting the machine would clear out those files. Nope. Did I google search this? No. And here's why: Too much hassle. I am used to jumping through hoops to get technology to work. I am a computer technician, and I am pretty used to it. But at a certain point you need to ask yourself whether it's worth moving foward. I've lowered my expectations numerous times because I wanted this media center to work. I was not looking for it to fail, and so I was optimistic. But too much was too much. I am one of the few people out there who is not constantly bad-mouthing Vista. I was defending it. I was even selling it! But come on, this was rediculous. I wasted hours with Vista's file copy. I was still psychologically trying to rationalize this "upgrade" that for some reason wasn't acting like an upgrade at all. I was still rationalizing that it was ok to have to jump hoops to get my brand new hardware to work. The 8600 GT is not that new folks, the drivers should just work. Media Center was fancy, but had such rough edges that I found it to be basically un-usable. And yes, part of Vista's failure is the fault of third parties. MS didn't write Nvidia's drivers. MS didn't write the Media Center plugins. But MS DID write the file copy, and that didn't work. MS did waste time and resources with DRM, which caused DVD43 and Handbrake not work, so I couldn't back up my movies to USE with media center. At what point do you say enough is enough? It's my personal opinion that an upgrade needs to actually be better. Vista does not have new features. It's slower. And it cripples features that I use on a daily basis (file copy, DVD backing up). So, I think Vista is an absolute failure. Microsoft thinks that because in the past, everybody has inevitably switched to XP, they'll do the same with Vista. I think they're wrong in assuming this. XP was an upgrade of features that you needed. Vista is an upgrade to MPAA and RIAA-mandated DRM tools that turn your PC into an over-rated DVD player that will check your email, and not a tool to get things accomplished with. I will be upgrading to XP tonight. Thank you Media Center for fighting with me, so I could better see just how sucky everything really is.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/171/My_Experience_with_Media_Center_and_Vista">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:21:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-585 Bow-chicka-Blam! http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/34/BowchickaBlam <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/34.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/bow copy.jpg"> nothing pertanant to say here.<center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/34/BowchickaBlam">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:34:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-584 Fail: Antivirus http://www.fredrickville.com/article/15/5/Fail_Antivirus <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/15/5.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Things and Stuff! This antivirus fails my "stupid" test by managing match some of the least intuitive and least user-friendly software on the planet. <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/ca.jpg" class=pics></center> There are a few things wrong in this picture, we'll go down the list. I've highlighted part of it for emphasis. <ol><li>The Real-Time scanner did not stop scanning while the manual scan took place (see background of picture). This means that the real-time scanner found a few infected files independent of the manual scanner, and made things all kinds of confusing.</li> <li>The message the pops up alerts you about the virus infection on your machine. It's kind enough to let you know what was found, and what was done with each. As you can see in this window, however, it was put together as nothing more than an information box, and provides no intuitive functions to act upon the information. The biggest problem with this is the presense of an infected file that apparently had no action taken against it. The info link lets you know about the virus, but not the current infection, or why it wasn't removed. Typically this would be a great place for a "heal/delete" infection button. All that we see is a close button. As if no further action is required. How many people might assume no further action? Generally when only one option is availble, people don't read and click 'ok' or 'close,' and rightfully so- since no other options are present, what indicates that further action really is required? Nevermind the fact that an infection still exists.</li> <li>Antivirus software have never dealt with files that are in memory. If the virus is actually infecting the machine (not dormant), then it will be in memory. So basically, any viruses that can actually affect you are immuned to anti-virus software. Useless.</li></ol> Not that it should only be said about this computer associates software- because we all know Norton and McAfee are guilty as well. Honestly speaking I use Opera and no antivirus what so ever, and I'm clean. It's all about browsing habits.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/15/5/Fail_Antivirus">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Things and Stuff! Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:39:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-583 The Customer Service Dilemma http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/170/The_Customer_Service_Dilemma <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/170.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com The biggest problem that the customer service business faces is not a problem with product or service quality. No, the biggest problem is that customer service tends to be a giant war against the mis-informed. <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/50575mechanic.jpg" class=pics></center> I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the customer is the customer's biggest enemy in the service industry. It's simply not enough to meet customer expectations- because customer expectations often exceed the actual possible outcome of a product or service. Far too many times I've seen customers gloss over details for the sake of convenience, only to find that the end product while thoroughly explained to them does not meet their final expectations. The blame can only be put on themselves- but who has the perspective and insight, not to mention humility, to do that? Marriages will end before somebody admits wrongdoing, what makes you think that this will change for a simple transaction at the store? If you take your car to the shop to get new tires, they may tell you the only ones in stock are a certain type and brand. They will offer you a price and, if authorized, will repair your car as specified. When you find out you didn't like the tires, the brand, or the price after the repair, you've got nobody to blame but yourself. It's not enough to blame the mechanic for recommending tires that you apparently don't like. It's certainly not acceptable to blame the company for the repair when you authorized it. Good customer service is a combination of give and take. Sure, the shop could offer an upgrade to different tires for a fraction of the price. But at what point does a service company have to hold their ground? A common problem, and misconception of customer service, is that giving away too much does not make a business model. In some industries- such as the computer repair industry- customers are regularly unaware of quite how the machines work. Despite obvious attempts at educating a customer about the repair, they will inevitably come to a conclusion that doesn't work in your favor. If we took a business model that made sure each customer was compensated to their fullest demands when their expectations weren't met- we'd end with a business that has the happiest customers, and unfortunately- no money. The goal is to realistically affect customer's expectations with the reality of the situation. Explaining to them just how the world works, unfortunately, is difficult. Many people are stubborn, and even more think they already know everything there is to know. Standing your ground when neccessary seems counter-intuitive to the customer service mantra of the 90s, which was "the customer is always right." The fact is, no business can make money with this concept, nor base a reputation on it. If your business is diagnosing problems with cars, computers, electronics, what have you- it's very much worth while to make sure that you stand by your diagnosis. Say, for instance, a customer decides they know better than the experts on a diagnosis, and challenge the business. If the customer is always right, you end with a disgruntled ex-customer who walks away with your money, and an attitude that: 1. They were right all along. 2. They don't need your service. 3. They must tell all their friends about how company XYZ mis-diagnosed a problem and admitted to it. A PR nightmare. Imagine, if you will, that after explaining a diagnosis or repair as logically and as full of detail as you can, the customer simply does not agree or does not like the news. (Yes, most people get pissed because new brakes are $200 - $400) You can cave to pressure and get the results above, or you can stand your ground and get the results above but keep the money. It might be bad to say it, but it's possible that your business may be better off without these types of customers altogether. There should never be a customer service methodology that has tollerance for such a thought. But we find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only real solution is to continue to try to improve communication with customers. Attempt to find weaknesses in your day-to-day customer interactions, and improve them. And most of all, try to be as polite and accomidating as possible without insulting the customer. At the end of the day, people who enter your business with chips on their shoulders are most likely going to leave with the same chips. Don't hate- have pitty. They're the ones who can never be happy.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/170/The_Customer_Service_Dilemma">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:00:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-582 This Coffee Sucks http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/169/This_Coffee_Sucks <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/169.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com An interesting part of developing a scalable business model when franchising is ensuring consistency across all branches of a company. When it comes to retail and service, one of the biggest goals along-side quality and efficiency, is consistency. <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/dunkins1.jpg"></center> Consistency is funny because companies and chains that have achieved consistency will not be noticed for such. It should be expected that two locations baring the same company name and logo would have consistent products, but this is not at the forefront of the consumer’s mind. In fact, consistency, or attention towards consistency, only becomes an issue when there is a discrepancy; when consistency is lost. Although I do not work in the food industry, I can’t help but take note of different chains and franchises that I happen upon during my daily activities. I eat at chain restaurants. I shop at big-name stores with locations across the country. I get my car fixed at a well-known brand mechanic shop. All of these are examples of scaled business models that we experience on the small scale in our daily lives, but were challenging feats to get to the point they’re at now. Take retail stores for instance. The big obstacles are present: scaling product, service, and appearance. Two of these are in the bag. Product quality and consistency can be ensured by creating a distribution method that requires all retail locations to obtain goods from one distributer. Every Old Navy sells the same clothing from the same parent company. You will find consistent products across any location you come to thanks to this distribution model. Appearance is also easily ensured by setting strict guidelines for locations. Mc Donald’s, Burger King, and other similar chains and franchises have streamlined the process by creating cookie-cutter buildings that can be plopped just about anywhere. Now, customer service is always a challenge, but is not unique to any of the business types. Retail or service, both require customer service. Creating the perfect customer service model was certainly the goal during the 1990’s but has died down to the new and improved mantra that many companies have taken recently – “What else are you going to do? Now give us money. We don’t need you, you need us.” Luckily, some companies still value customer service. Not every company is your local phone/cable/satellite company. Consistency in product becomes more of an issue in the service business, but also in the food preparation business. Both will attempt to stream line a consistent product using strict rules and controlled distribution of supplies. But the weak link in both systems is simply their reliance on the same shoulders which bare the customer service burden. Is this something we can change? As robots become more commonplace, we may find the answer to be yes. But at the moment we have some major challenges that every chain and franchise face. I will use two examples, one bad, and one good. Dunkin Donuts. Amazing to still be breathing. The big beef with Dunkin’s is the complete lack of consistency and customer service wrapped up into one. They’ve managed to present themselves very similarly in all locations, but some major efficiency and consistency problems are very present. Dunkin Donuts does not use a computer system for order queuing. The major problem with this is simple: It puts additional reliance on the employee. Any good scalable business model will minimize reliance on the individual employee, and entrust precious few tasks on the idiots who will eventually be running your business for $6/hour. The idea is to take the brains of the operation elsewhere. In Dunkin’s case, a quick and simple solution is obvious: computers to queue the orders. The problem becomes visible when more than one person attempts to make an order, or simply when one person has a large order. Try the drive through! Are there 3 people in front of you? What assurance do you have that they’ll remember your order? You’ve got very little assurance, and sadly- little faith. This problem is shown time and time again. Did they get my order right? Did they remember my order? How many times have I pulled up to the window of the drive through for them to ask me what my entire order was again, because they don’t remember? Their computers allow for simple price calculations and transaction recordings, but after that, it’s useless. Often times I’ll see the entire order in shorthand written in marker on the side of my coffee cup. These employees are dying for a way to record and queue orders. But none exist to speak of. And the quality goes down and it’s almost an expectation at Dunkin Donuts to have an order botched. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the consistency of their product is highly variable. Making consistent coffee is not difficult. Starbucks has got it right. Heck, Mc Donald’s has it right, and that’s hardly one of their main products. But Dunkin Donuts, the place for coffee and donuts, just can’t figure it out. One would consider, when making a food preparation franchise system, using exact measurements and recipes in order to ensure consistency. Ask any Dunkin Donuts employee if they abide by a measurement policy for their cream and sugar in coffee. Undoubtedly, they’ll recite a few measurements off hand, but proceed to make you a coffee that looks and tastes nothing like the coffee at other locations, or even the same location earlier that day. Two problems come to mind: quality control is non-existent, and personal bias poisons the coffee. It’s possible that the employee who just gave me a cup of cream with 5 sugars and 1 tsp coffee really likes her coffee that way. It’s possible that the other employee really enjoys his coffee with very little cream and sugar. But I don’t care how they like their coffee. I want it the way I ordered it. With no quality control, there is no way to punish employees for providing coffee that is inconsistent with the company’s recipes. And to add to the problem, a matter of taste is subjective to the point where many employees will look at the white coffee and say “looks normal to me.” Absolute and objective measurements are put into place to ensure these issues will not arise, yet today- from where I live in central New Hampshire, all the way to Boston MA (the home of Dunkin Donuts), there is not a single location I’ve been to with consistent coffee. Enter McDonald’s. Consistency at its finest. A few easily noticeable things come to mind with McDonald’s. First and foremost: the presence of computers to queue orders. Sure, they screw up your order now and again, but it simply is not a common enough occurrence that one might grow an expectation of regularly botched orders. Consistency. McDonald’s puts forth in consistency what it lacks in quality. When you receive your McChicken sandwich, it’s probably the most disgusting thing you’ve shoved down your throat. But it’s consistent, and it’s the way you’ve grown to love it. No matter where you go in the country, McDonald’s will serve you the same burger. What McDonald’s has that Dunkin’s does not? Well other than a vast number of years in experience, they have quality control. They’ve processed food preparation into a science. There is no subjective. Mayonnaise is rationed using a mayo dispenser. Every time is the same amount of mayo. Their cups have lines drawn on them to instruct the employees where to fill with ice, and where to fill with soda. McDonald’s is a prime example of a system that takes the burden off brains off the employee and puts it into the system. And that works. Is McDonald’s quality food? Not really. But it’s consistent, and that works. Oh and the kicker? McDonald’s coffee is better and more consistent than Dunkin Donuts’. And that’s just an afterthought product on McDonald’s territory. They make burgers! Next time you order an iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts, ask for an exact number of creams and sugars and watch them shovel the sugar in as quickly as they can with no regard for measurement. Watch the cream flow in an unmeasured manner. Then go to Starbucks… or better yet, go to McDonald’s.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/169/This_Coffee_Sucks">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:03:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-581 Best of 2007 http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/159/Best_of_2007 <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/9/159.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Poop on a stick I was just asked what I thought the best movie and album of 2007 were. Well, here's my answer. <IMG src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/punk_dexter/Blogs/terror.jpg" border="2" align="left">Best Movie of 2007 - Grindhouse Presents - Planet Terror This one is a no brainer. Does it get any better than this? - Zombies, senseless violence, and a hot go-go dancer with a gun for a leg! There were times watching this movie that I just started laughing out loud because it's just so damn messed up. It's as if Robert Rodriguez had a huge checklist of awesomely sick or violent things he wanted to do and just randomly threw them into the movie where ever he see fit - and it worked beautifully. The acting is fantastically stylized to the point where it's almost corny, but honestly, that's the charm of this kind of movie. Rose McGowan is stellar and somehow remained super sexy even while limping around on a peg leg. This is my absolute top pick for 2007. Death Proof was also an honorable mention under the Grindhouse name, but honestly, the cast was MUCH weaker and the hour worth of chick banter made me want to shoot myself...better yet, have Rose McGowan shoot me with her gun-leg. <IMG src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/punk_dexter/Blogs/hives.jpg" border="2" align="left">Best Album of 2007 - The Black and White Album - The Hives This was a tough pick because there were some really amazing albums that were released this year. Between Radiohead, The Shins, and Nine Inch Nails the competition was tough as hell. For some reason this album never got as much of the mainstream spotlight as the competition, probably because of how brash it is. The Swedes of The Hives have once again put together a power packed TRUE rock and roll album for the ages, and although it may not be an album that goes down in history, it's because the people writing the books are pussies with sensitive hearing. This album is so charged up you can't help but start jamming out to it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this album. I promise you won't regret it. ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/159/Best_of_2007">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Poop on a stick Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:35:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-580 Bovine Mischief http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/33/Bovine_Mischief <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/33.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/cowtip copy.jpg"> brought to you by the fine dairy farmers of america!<center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/33/Bovine_Mischief">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:54:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-579 People are Strange http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/158/People_are_Strange <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/9/158.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Poop on a stick I just stumbled this video and enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps you will as well? <center><embed src="http://www.fredrickville.com/vids/flvplayer.swf" width="480" height="380" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="file=http://www.fredrickville.com/vids/playlist.xml.php?f=strange&showdigits=true&autostart=false&showfsbutton=false&shuffle=false&repeat=true&logo=http://www.fredrickville.com/vids/logo.png" /></center> ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/158/People_are_Strange">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Poop on a stick Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:42:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-578 Awkward http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/32/Awkward <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/12/32.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Action! Combat-Sponge <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/mets copy.jpg"> Idle conversation isnt easy for some.<center>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/12/32/Awkward">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Action! Combat-Sponge Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:56:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-577 Love it - loathe it. http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/157/Love_it__loathe_it <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/9/157.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Poop on a stick <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/579962008_scion_xb_gold-thumb.jpg" align=left class=pics>I like companies who acknowledge what people are saying about their products and take both the good and the bad in stride. Over the past few weeks Scion Motors has been airing an interesting commercial featuring their questionably designed xB model (shown left). Anyone who has ever seen this vehicle has two very different reactions; they either love it's bold styling, or think it looks like absolute rubbish. I tend to go with the second option, but after seeing this ad on the tele, I at least gained some respect for the automaker. It shows the xB zinging around vacant city streets (yeah, like that happens) with polar labels flashing back to back on the screen such as "Eyecandy/Eyesore." It just gives me a little love for the company's sense of humor. I mean, if you're going to be bold and go out on a limb, you must learn to take the good with the bad. It would seems that Scion is doing that quite well, which gives them a very honest, likable quality. Take a look for yourself... <center><embed src="http://www.fredrickville.com/vids/flvplayer.swf" width="400" height="325" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="file=http://www.fredrickville.com/vids/playlist.xml.php?f=loveloathe&showdigits=true&autostart=false&showfsbutton=false&shuffle=false&repeat=true&logo=http://www.fredrickville.com/vids/logo.png" /></center> Now here's the real slice of cake on this ad - As much as I think the ad is clever, I realize something about it. Scion doesn't give two craps if the average consumer buys their cars. They know you'll probably buy a Toyota, or a Lexus if you want something more refined. Scions are meant to appeal to a young, brash demographic. But how does a company that appeals to a niche market stay afloat? It's simple. Scion, Toyota, Lexus - all owned by Toyota Motors. Most people don't know this, nor do they care. So if you don't like the Scion, Toyota honestly doesn't care, because they know some punk with bad style does. Scion's have a, "I don't care what other people think of me" feel about them, which is exactly what their rebellious, attention craving consumer base wants. Pretty slick advertising if you ask me.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/157/Love_it__loathe_it">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Poop on a stick Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:05:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-576 New Years Resolution http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/168/New_Years_Resolution <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/168.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com Well, the new year is coming up quickly, and there's a lot to get in order. An over-all feeling of complete unproductivity can certainly cause you to become a bit overwhelmed, and depressed. Sometimes it's time to say to yourself, this year is coming to a bit of a bland close, it's time to start fresh and really get on the ball. This year, it's time to make things happen. <Center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/fireworls.jpg"></center> It's easy to run into roadblocks in your life. What's not so easy is to realize that it can all be changed, and it's up to you. Turning your life around or making major changes is a decision that can be made at any time. A good portion of this year was a transition for me. I took on major changes in my life. I moved out of my parents house, broke up with a major girlfriend of 3 years, and started writing a book. I partied. I worked. I learned. And I changed. A lot of the change this year was for the better. I know that experiences that I've had have helped me make changes that are making me a better person. What's interesting is the realization that these changes have always been available on command. There are no big blocks actually keeping you from anything, except of course your own mind. You can do anything you want. If tomorrow you decide you're going to be an asshole for the rest of your life, the only thing stopping you is yourself. I will be the first to admit that despite the experience I've gotten to date, I am still not complete. Nor will I be, until the day I die. Life is a long growing process. So that being said, right now is a great time to say, I've done a lot of learning this year. Now it's time to really push and apply what I've learned. A new years resolution. Fredrickville will be undergoing some slight changes. I will be opening the comment system for anonymous comments again. I will find a way to avoid using those stupid human-tests that you fail over and over again. But it will be spam free. After almost 2 years of voice lessons, I'm now more sure than ever that it's really time to hit the pavement with music. My new book will be finished soon, and it's actually not too bad so far. It will be available here as soon as I'm finished. Work will continue. Major changes at work are looking very positive. My outlook must remain positive at all times. Sorry for such a touchy-feely post, my next one will be about how I hate everyone and such. But I felt this was a good time to share what was going through my head. Fredrickville has been a good place for people to waste time, for myself and a few friends to pour ideas and rants, and for old friends to keep in touch with eachother. I recently heard a story from somebody who goes to my old highschool. Apparently the legend of Fredrickville has not left, even though everybody involved has since left for better things. Let the legend of Fredrickville continue to live on, and so on and so forth. Oh, and can we get some new damn videos? ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/168/New_Years_Resolution">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:28:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-575 Do I have to keep writing about this? http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/156/Do_I_have_to_keep_writing_about_this <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/9/156.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Poop on a stick <a href="http://www.spreadfirefox.com/">http://www.spreadfirefox.com/</a> Check this quote out from a recent article on the above site... [quote]"The goal of the video is to fire-up existing users and infuse even more pride into those that are already spreading firefox around the world (and of course, maybe convince some new users to give us a try as well).[/quote] <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/firefox-vs-opera.jpg" align=left>PRIDE??? This is why I can't stand these Firefox fanboys. These people think they are changing the world or something. It's bordering a religion, and frankly...it's sick. Well, I'm doing my part to offset this trend, just a moment ago I had a customer who's computer was very infected with viruses. We cleaned it up and she was looking for some tips. She had Firefox istalled, and I pretty much gave her the facts, letting her know how Firefox doesn't deserve the praise it gets. Then I hooked her on Opera. Yet another person I've converted from Firefox to Opera. Why do I have to keep writing about this topic? Suggested reading: <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/125/Why_are_you_using_Firefox">Why are you using Firefox?</a>... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/9/156/Do_I_have_to_keep_writing_about_this">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Poop on a stick Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:49:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-574 Hulu's Review, and What They Should Learn From Porn http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/167/Hulus_Review_and_What_They_Should_Learn_From_Porn <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/167.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com As I stated yesterday, I was admitted to the new video site <a href="http://www.hulu.com" target=_blank>Hulu</a>, which is apparently the networks finally offering a legal way to access their stuff online. Unfortunately, it's a last ditch effort that, in my opinion, still doesn't hold a candle to the likes of the itunes video store... oh except the fact that some of the content can't be found on itunes anymore, but instead only on hulu. Great. <center><img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/images/logo.jpg"></center> I'll start with this. Hulu is nothing more than a website with a library of television episodes and clips. The difference being the episodes are full episodes, and the clips are downright useless bits torn from tv shows. It presents a small flash player in the top middle of the screen, but allows fullscreen (however full-screen flash video tends to skip on my pc where regular mpegs and avis do just fine.) A neat feature that I noticed right off is the ability to add videos to a playlist queue instead of just play each one right off. This allowed for setting up your own little tv station. Setting it, sitting back, and enjoying. All-in-all, pretty well pulled off, if you ask me. But is it all bliss? Hulu does a good job being just as conservative as the rest of the industry by offering only select episodes from certain shows, making seasons with continuity completely useless unless you just happened to miss that particular one they have. There are no downloads available, and everything must be played through their player on their site, making everybody crowd around the pc once again, and showing innovation that it's no longer important in innovative technologies. Media center integration? Nope. Network player playability? Nope. Mp3 player? Nope. Useful? Not really. It was fun for an evening, but unfortunately it doesn't make me want to go back. Which brings me to an obvious point. I am finally at that very breaking point where I want the studios to know that I've got a lot of money here that I wish I could spend that I just don't. I see no reason to purchase a downloadable video on amazon's unbox for aproximately the same price as the disc format. The catch? It's filled tip top to the brim with DRM. Can I play it on my portable media device? Probably not- unless you have an approved player. Can I play it on my network player? Nope.. unless you want to buy our apple tv/tivo/insert $300-$500 product here. If I ever felt like spending $300 on a player, maybe I'd be insane. Understandable that we should spend some money on the right equiptment to play the media, but $300? It's like an artist who sells paintings for $20, but you need to purchase a special $300 canvas to look at it. That doesn't make any sense. Now apply this miserable example to the digital world. You'll buy the $300 canvas, and 15 paintings which show up on the canvas. But bad news, the canvas is out of date and the company went under. Your paintings are useless to you now. Why would I spend $300 on a player to ensure that my proprietary videos that are locked to the device will play - when either one could crap out at any time? If there's one thing obvious about DRM that the music industry has shown us, it's that eventually DRM will collapse. You can now buy MP3s from amazon. No protection. Nada. So is it safe to buy into all this technology that ensures nothing but protection to the studios? Probably not. We are at mid-way camp, between the old way and the new way, and things will continue changing as they have been. All that money you'll spend on that content will ensure nothing other than the fact that you'll be stuck with that device to play that media- for a hefty price tag. Compared to a DVD and DVD player, which have been around for a good long time. They're tried and true. And best yet- for a much lower price tag- you have selection of players, movies, and less restrictions on using them (save the whole region thing, which violates fair use just as badly as DRM). So what should we learn? I would gladly pay $2 and episode if it came in a video format that I could easily copy to my mp3 player, and play on my network player. Would that make it easier to pirate? Yes. Would it increase piracy? No. In fact, it would lower demand for piracy. I myself would gladly purchase a library of videos of similar high quality that I can expect than waste my precious time finding random torrents to fill in gaps in season 3, and then find a codec to play 0305.avi. (Don't get me started on how containers broke the extensions convention, with random codecs all stuck in AVIs.) So what can we learn from Porn? Simple: Their stuff is pirated. Their stuff is avilable for free in samples provided by the very creators of the content. Yet the porn industry is doing great! And guess what- 99% of it has no DRM. I can download a porn flick, put it on my mp3 player, play it on the network player, play it in media center, and even use it on products that don't yet exist today. The lesson? People want convenience. Anybody who's tried to collect a moderately good quality version of an entire tv season knows you can spend hours and waste time with piracy. It is at best a major inconvenience. But sadly, consumers find this major inconvenience more convenient than the legal system. People will not purchase the same content more than once. If I'm going to have to buy additional items to get the same movie to play on my ipod vs my network player- be certain that I won't purchase your product. DRM is driving MORE people to piracy. Making un-DRM'd content more easily and affordably available will drive the demand for piracy down, and people will stop bothering. I mean, people just want convenience. Heck- people 'round these parts pay $50 to spend 25% of each hour watching advertisements. Why? Cause it's convenient.... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/167/Hulus_Review_and_What_They_Should_Learn_From_Porn">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:15:00 -0500 Fredrickville.com-573 We Can't Exactly Go Looking For Doctors at Midnight on a Saturday Night http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/166/We_Cant_Exactly_Go_Looking_For_Doctors_at_Midnight_on_a_Saturday_Night <img src="http://www.fredrickville.com/boards/6/166.jpg" align=center border=2> Fredrickville Column: Fredrickville.com Ok, here's the short story. I signed up for the HULU beta. I'm in. I'll give a review shortly. Until then, enjoy this. <center><object width="520" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/0g0cWngkBlEMaHgYqyXgNAXrQimN6QNa"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/0g0cWngkBlEMaHgYqyXgNAXrQimN6QNa" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="520" height="295"></embed></object></center> ... <a href="http://www.fredrickville.com/article/6/166/We_Cant_Exactly_Go_Looking_For_Doctors_at_Midnight_on_a_Saturday_Night">Visit Fredrickville.com for more!</a> Fredrickville.com Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:06:00 -0500