...michael neil bell

Meanwhile outside of Krogers

2011-06-22T19:09:00.001-07:00

Payphones! Seriously, who uses these anymore?

System Sweeper by MS

2011-06-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

To all my security conscience friends: Microsoft now has a rootkit detector available on their site in beta. I've tested it on a virtual machine that I know had several rootkits in a sandboxed enviornment and it detected them all. I'm going to do further testing, but it looks like there's another cd/USB key to add to your forensics/cleaning kit.

There's a 32 bit and 64 bit version.

http://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper

Windows 8

2011-06-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a video showing some of the features of Windows 8, the successor to the current Windows 7 OS.

It's interesting, I'll give it that. However I just don't know about making one OS to run full fledge computers and tablets. Tablets and laptops are used very differently, and the OS should reflect as such. I personally think attempting to cram them all into one design is a bad idea.

Look at the Palm Pilot. The reason why the Palm Pilot worked so well is it did what it was designed to do, and did it well. They didn't try to force an existing OS into their little device (ahem Windows CE). They created an OS from the ground up to do specifically what functions they wanted for that device and it worked. It feels like Microsoft is trying to throw it all together, instead of making something that works well for tablets, and something that works well for desktops and laptops. In other words, specific tools for specific jobs.

Apple seems to be moving in the same direction with their latest OS X, Lion, coming out this summer. They created an App store similar to that on iOS (which I think is long overdue personally). They've created the Launchpad which is very similar to the look and feel of iOS. .

I hope that I'm wrong, but it seems to me like the "One OS to rule them all" strategy will not end well.

T-Mobile nostalgia

2011-05-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Let me start by letting you know I'm a happy T-Mobile customer. My first cell phone was with Cingular, which is now AT&T. I switched to Voicestream which then was purchased by T-Mobile. I've had nothing but good things to say about T-Mobile. The customer service is great. I have a modded Nexus One phone running Android 2.3.3 in which wireless tethering is native to the OS; I don't have to pay any extra for it. While on the subject of money, T-Mobile is definitely the most competitively priced mobile company out there. Sure people say the signal sucks outside of the city, been when do I EVER leave the inner loop here in Houston?

So I've been sad lately for T-Mobile. It is going to be purchased by AT&T. This means, for me anyway, that my network is going to be infiltrated by millions of more subscribers, probably making my cell experience that of some of my colleagues; it hardly ever works in crowded metropolitan areas. Also I'll be subject to AT&T's pricing and draconian controls over it's cell network; I double they'll let me continue to wirelessly tether for free, or keep the $25 unlimited data plan.

And then I come across this post on Engadget. The title says it all: "Nearly half a million customers left T-Mobile in Q1 2011". Obviously there are many reasons like Verizon's superior network, or AT&T's and Verizons iPhones. I guess it's a good thing for the stock holders of Deutsche Telekom, the owners of T-Mobile US, that they were purchased. Still, I'm going to miss my T-Mobile...

I guess I like rooting for the underdog; maybe that's why I still own my Sega Dreamcast

DC

2010-08-17T12:00:00.001-07:00

Just added some photos to my FLICKR account from my recent trip to DC.

Click here to view

Microsoft will no longer update XP SP2

2010-07-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

As of today, Microsoft is discontinuing updates to Windows XP if you’re still running Service Pack 2 or below. This only affects XP users. If you’re on a Vista or Windows 7 machine, this does not affect you. (If you’re on Windows 95/98/Me/or 3.1, may the powers that be have mercy on your soul)

I strongly recommend that if you are running Windows XP as your operating system on your computer or laptop at home, you need to be sure you’re on SP3.

To check what version you’re running, right click on “My Computer”, then select “Properties”.

You’ll then see this screen:

What’s circled in red is where it tells you the Service Pack version you are running. If it says something other than Service Pack 3, you need to update your system.

Updating to Service Pack 3 is free, and not only gives you security updates but also speed improvements. Turning on your Automatic Updates is recommended as well if it is not already, so you’re always up to date and Service Pack 3 will install from Automatic Updates.

Here’s an article about configuring your Automatic Updates:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

Here’s an article about service packs and how to update:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389

Is it time to ditch Facebook? What to do...

2010-05-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Amid all the new privacy changes that Facebook has made, and the privacy policy that's longer than the Constitution of the United States I ask myself, "is it time to ditch Facebook?"

This is a question I've been pondering the last couple of days. I spend a good amount of my online time on Facebook for better or worse. I would miss all of the old friends I've reconnected with over the years. But I do not like everything I do online to be sold to third party partners if I don't jump through hoops to adjust their very convoluted and misleading privacy settings.

Something that's been holding me back from ditching is the information I've uploaded and what would happen to it. However, I found this great utility called Backupify that allows one to backup many online presences. Facebook is one of the services they can backup and this allows you to keep all your links, notes, events, and the important one: pictures. Use this and then you can delete your account without worry.

But let's be honest, everyone you know is on Facebook and that can be hard to give up. If you decide not to quit there are a couple of things you need to do immediately to secure your personal information (and mine by proxy) from Facebook and it's third party partners.

Be sure to opt-out of the "Instant Personalization Pilot Program." Don't you just love the wording of that? "Instant Personalization Pilot Program" which is basically just a misleading way of saying "we're selling you out". Here's how to opt-out: go to Account, then Privacy Settings, then select Applications and Websites. Click the edit settings button next to Instant Personalization Pilot Program. Then UNCHECK the box next to "Select partner websites may use information I'm sharing with everyone to automatically personalize my experience."
A useful tool you can use to check what information is being exposed comes from a ReclaimPrivacy.org. Follow the instructions on this page to help close up any private information from the publics grubby hands.

Even if you follow these instructions, there's no way of knowing that Facebook won't change their policy again to undo all these settings. I'm still undecided on the subject, so I'll leave you with this: if you do decide to stay make sure that everything you post and display is something you would want everyone to see. Because they will.

8.31 Mbps... whaaa?

2010-05-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

As described in my previous post I have been using my Nexus One on T-Mobile to connect my iPad to the internet when there's no hotspot available. I ran a speed test on it the other day at a cafe called Byrd's in downtown Houston at around 6pm and to my surprise I got speeds of 8.31 Mbps. Suck on that AT&T!

Update 5/18/10: It was pointed out to me that the specs of the phone only allow for up to 7.2 Mbps. I was definitely logged into the phone; I tested on several different speed test apps to verify, so I'm not sure how this speed was achieved.

Just turned my wifi iPad to a 3G

2010-04-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

I recently am one of the brave souls to purchase a first-gen Apple product. Yes I'm talking about the (in)famous iPad. I'm not going to review it, because what could I write that hasn't already been droned on endlessly about elsewhere.

I will however give a cliff notes version of my opinion of it: Overall, it is an amazing device. The iPad is basically something I wished for as a kid watching sci-fi movies. At work I use it as my primary note-taking device using Evernote (the onscreen keyboard is quite adequate). I also use it as a control panel at work. I run the IT department at the Alley Theatre, and taking advantage of an RDP and VNC app I am able to access all our servers and all our client machines.

I will say there are a few issues I have with it. First, I don't understand why this device needs to be tethered to anything. Out of the box, the first screen you see is "Connect to iTunes". You can't even use it without connecting it. I own a Nexus One phone which runs the Android operating system. With Android, you never need to connect it to a computer. It helps if you would like to sync it or put big files like movies onto it, but the point is you don't HAVE to.

The other main issue with it is the problems it has with wifi. As with any first gen Apple product they are still working out the kinks. This time it happens that the wifi receiver has very weak reception, drops connections, and sometimes won't auto-connect. Apple has already addressed these issues with a few quick fixes, but the real issue won't be solved until a firmware update is released.

That brings me to the subject of this posting. Because I have the wifi-only version of the iPad (the 3G won't come out until later) and it has been having some, but not all, of the previously mentioned wifi issues. I decided to find a work around.

I discovered a great app on the Android Market titled Barnacle WiFi Tether which essentially makes your phone become a wifi router. The only problem was that you needed to root your phone. Rooting your phone gives you complete access to everything and allows access to previously restricted functions of the phone. Using some great instructions I rooted the phone and installed this miracle app.

So now I have a wifi router in my pocket using my T-Mobile 3G connection that my iPad connects to. The speeds aren't great, but they are tolerable. And now anytime I'm in a spot that has weak or no wifi, I just connect using my phone. The best part: I don't have to pay anything to AT&T to have a 3G connection.

I love technology.

Net Neuatrality is NOT a Marxist plot.

2010-03-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Net Neutrality is a very important issue that I feel very strongly about. I find that the majority of people who are against it are either misinformed or simply just don't get it. Here is an email I received today from Save the Internet that I felt I should post.

I encourage everyone to do what they can to stop the misinformation and get net neutrality passed. It's not some Marxist plot, it's vital to the free speech and progress of the internet as a whole. To find out more about it, visit www.savetheinternet.com or you can watch the informative video at the bottom of this post.

Tell the FCC: Net Neutrality Means Free Speech

"Dear Michael,

Glenn Beck recently stood at his chalkboard to warn Fox News viewers of a sinister plot to shut down free speech. A "gang of communists" had infiltrated Washington, he raged. Their goal: to pass Net Neutrality and turn the Internet into a "Marxist utopia."

Beck has it backward: Net Neutrality is the Internet principle that protects — not threatens — our ability to speak freely in a democracy.

But don't tell that to the phone and cable lobbyists. They're flooding the FCC with the same lies about Net Neutrality and censorship that Beck peddles to the public.

Set the Record Straight: Net Neutrality Fosters Free Speech

Our new site, Debunk the Junk, reveals the lobbyists' bogus claims about Net Neutrality — and lets you counter them by telling the FCC the truth.

The Internet's founders established open standards to ensure that everyone with a connection could communicate with everyone else online. This basic Net Neutrality principle turned the Internet into an amazing engine for free speech.

The FCC is considering whether to protect this freedom with a Net Neutrality rule. Without it, companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast have a commercial incentive to decide whose voices are more important and whose views will be heard. They've already put in place technology that allows them to filter and block content they deem undesirable.

Debunk Their Junk: Don't Let the Telcos Control Internet Speech

Help expose phone and cable company lies; tell the FCC the truth and stop powerful interests from stifling your voice.

Thanks,

Timothy Karr

Campaign Director

SaveTheInternet.com

P.S. There's a lot of junk out there. Forward this e-mail to your friends and share the site on Twitter andFacebook: Get everyone you know to tell the FCC you support Net Neutrality."

The Internet's Sea Cables

2010-03-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here is an extremely interesting map of the cables between all the continents. (at least I found it interesting) The majority of the worlds internet traffic flows through these lines. Hard to believe that length of cables...

Image from http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Skyfire for Android

2010-03-11T14:42:00.001-08:00

I must have missed this before as this post came out Feb. 11th, however I'm excited that Skyfire will be ported to Android! Back when I had a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone, I used Skyfire for my web browsing. It really was the only way to browse the web on a WinMo phone, with Opera Mini coming in a close second. It rendered pages quickly and allowed me to view Adobe Flash and Silverlight content, ie Hulu and Netflix's streaming service.

I have since purchased a Nexus One phone running Android 2.1 and couldn't be happier. It's blazingly fast. And while I know that Flash 10.1 will be available for Android 2 soon, I haven't heard of any Silverlight development for it (and I doubt it will ever come, being a Microsoft product).

It seems that it will be based on the webkit browser supplied by Google out of the box, which I think is a good thing. It's a very capable and full featured browser (now with multi-touch!) that I have no complaints about.

All in all, good news in my very humble opinion.

http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=5484

Be Epic

2010-03-08T09:37:00.001-08:00

I was bored...

There's a difference between weather and climate

2010-01-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

I'm going to write this post as apolitically as possible. I don't care about Al Gore, cap and trade, etc.

Some people believe that because there is cold weather that the climate is not getting warmer, and they make statements to that end. Most of the time they might be well-meaning statements that reinforce their own world view, but unfortunately they are not accurate.

There is a difference between weather and climate, and it's in the amount of time it's measured. Weather is measured in a shorter period of time as opposed to climate which is over longer periods. A good description, taken from nasa.gov*:

"In short, climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.

Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years. It's really an average pattern of weather for a particular region.

When scientists talk about climate, they're looking at averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a particular place. "

All empirical data points to the fact that the climate is warming. This is a measured fact from the time we've been able to record this data and have it to reference. Whether or not this warming is caused by man is another subject. That is what the debate is about, not whether the climate is changing. Some say that we are coming out of an ice age. Others say it's caused by the amount of different types of gases released into the atmosphere caused by the industrial age and beyond. In this post I'm not going to argue one way or the other, but the climate is changing, as it has since the earth formed an atmosphere. To say that it's not changing is ignorance, pure and simple.

This means that even though the winter may be one of the coldest winters lately, that doesn't prove that over time the climate isn't changing. It's been changing since the beginning and will continue to change.

*Site referenced:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html

Fred Phelps protesting schedule

2009-12-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of where this man's hateful protests will be. The only reason I'm posting this is so if counter protesters want to organize they'll know. DO NOT go to their websites as it is giving them attention and traffic that they should not have.

1/3/2010 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM

Co Cathedral of the Sacred Heart - 1111 St. Joseph Parkway

1/3/2010 09:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Lakewood Church - 3700 Southwest Freeway

1/3/2010 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

Holocaust Museum Houston - 5401 Caroline St.

1/3/2010 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Jewish Community Center/Jewish Federation -5601 S. Braeswood Blvd

1/3/2010 4:45 PM - 5:15 PM

Congregation Beth Yeshurun - 4525 Beechnut St

1/4/2010 07:15 AM - 07:45 AM

Emery/Weiner (Jewish) School - 9825 Stella Link

1/4/2010 08:45 AM - 09:15 AM

Anti-Defamation League - 4635 Southwest Freeway

1/4/2010 09:20 AM - 09:50 AM

Jewish Herald-Voice - 3403 Audley St.

1/4/2010 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

City Council - 901 Bagby Street

Chrome OS running in Parallels in OSX

2009-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

I posted this on my Facebook earilier, but decided to make it a blog post:

Google has recently announced their operating system called Chrome. It's a net based OS that forces you to work almost entirely in the cloud. It's based on the Chromium browser. At the announcement they also announced the source code is available. Many people grabbed it and compiled it for consumption. I found on GDGT a VMware image, but since I have Parrallels on the Mac, decided to use the transporter and get it running. And I did thanks to a quick search and some helpful posts online.

So whats the verdict?

Can't really make a verdict yet. It's a pre-alpha release, and since I'm running it in a virtual enviornment the speed advantage isn't there either (except for the boot process, man this thing starts up fast). However, I think the idea is very interesting. It would never replace a full workstation computer, but for netbooks... The problem I can see with it is nothing is stored locally, so if you have no connection you're hosed. Plus it almost forces you to use Google services, and I could see people resenting that. The light weight versions of Ubuntu have done some interesting things for netbooks and the latest Ubuntu is amazing, so Google has their work cut out for them if they want to carve out a space in this market. However the advantage Google has, similar to Microsoft, is they have unlimited resources so if they wanted to push their way in, they could. That being said, I'm geeking out on it.

Creationism's Damage to Christianity

2009-03-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

This video is so well put...

Urban Legends Making the Rounds

2009-03-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of warnings I've heard this week about gangs and initiations they perform either at walmart or while driving. I've recieved both of the myths from at least 3 different sources this week, in two different media (txt and email). Please don't believe either, they are both urban legends.

I don't like these kind of forwards because all it does is propagate fear. While I believe you shouldn't live in fear of anything (or follow someone that spreads the FUD) there are plenty of real things in this world to be afraid of without spreading around this nonsense. Besides, there's PLENTY of other reasons not to shop at Walmart, other than fear for your life.

Here are the links to where both of the myths originated.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/walmart.asp

a view from my desk

2009-01-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

nothing better...

2009-01-19T22:00:00.001-08:00

My niece Megan

2009-01-19T21:55:00.001-08:00

Firefly script signed by Joss himself courtesy of Patrick O.

2009-01-19T21:47:00.001-08:00

"Our Mrs. Reynolds" set script!

Gas Prices

2008-10-28T23:11:00.001-07:00

Gas Prices falling...

Colin Powell!

2008-10-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

I really like what Colin Powell says here, especially about the accusations that Obama may be a Muslim. He articulates very eloquently that the correct response should be "so what if he was?" I've had this same response when people have claimed Obama was Muslim, even though he isn't. Last I checked this country still had freedom of religion, not just freedom of religion only if you're Christian. We're not a theocracy yet.

Damage to the Chase tower

2008-09-17T09:46:00.001-07:00