Category Archives: Computer

Given all of the electronic gadgets in my life, I end up carrying quite a few cables and power adapters around with me. Somehow these things always end up in a tangled mess inside by backpack/computer bag. It often takes me days to untangle them after a trip. Although annoying, I didn’t really give it too much thought as it just seemed part of having all these gadgets.

This weekend, I decided to apply the scientific method to aid in my understanding of how these cords get tangled. I did a controlled experiment using two USB cables carefully laid on a flat surface a few centimeters apart:

I left the cables in a locked room, with windows closed so that wind or other outside forces could influence the outcome. The above photograph was recorded at 9 PM on Day 1.

The next morning, I returned to the room and verified that the door was still locked and that nothing had been disturbed. To my surprise, I found the two cables in this condition, recorded by photograph at 9 AM on Day 2:

Apparently, the cables are able to move on their own and create a tangled mess without human intervention. There must be some physical force present that causes this movement, perhaps the triboelectric effect? I will need to repeat this experiment, perhaps with a video camera capturing any movement.

Has anyone else produced similar results?

– 73, Bob K0NR

The so-called “Netbook” category continues to get quite a bit of attention. Acer has introduced several new models in the Aspire One line and is intent on winning in this category (aiming for 50% of the market in 2009).

Some pundits have pointed out that even though this category is growing dramatically, you may not see that many of them at the local coffee shop. I have to admit that I have not noticed very many of them in the wild. (The installed base is huge, so it takes quite a few units to move the needle.) Acer has apparently taken the worldwide lead in consumer notebooks (in terms of units) in Q3 of 2008, edging out HP with 5.04M units (vs. HP’s 4.85M units.) With netbook prices often in the range of $300 to 500, this sure sounds like price erosion to me in the notebook category.

In a previous post, I wrote about the Acer Aspire One Netbook that my wife is using. She does let me use it once in while, so I have actually gotten some stick time on it. My assessment remains largely the same: this is a great little PC for its intended purpose (web usage, email and light text editing). Sometimes it is the little things that can make a big difference: I find myself reaching for the Acer because it boots from a deadstart in under 24 seconds. It makes my WindowsXP and Vista machines seem like slow, plodding dinosaurs. My car starts in a few seconds, so why can’t my PC be instant on?

After about 6 weeks of having the computer, I still give it high marks. The keyboard is slightly cramped but quite usable. I wouldn’t want to type on anything smaller and I do appreciate it when I switch back to a full size keyboard. The touchpad sucks but that doesn’t surprise — I think all touchpads suck, so I am not an unbiased observer. I use a small notebook style mouse whenever possible. The right/left “mouse” keys for the touchpad are placed in a non-standard position, which causes some user complaints. I finally figured out that FN – F7 turns the dang thing off, so I don’t bump it while I am typing.

The Linux OS has turned out to be sturdy and reliable but difficult to adapt. The GUI that layered on top of Linux does a good job as far as it goes. After that, I find myself resorting to the Linux command line to get things done. This is acceptable for me but puts futzing around with the system out of reach for many users. If you don’t speak Linux, then your ability to adapt this machine is limited. But for its intended use, you shouldn’t need to mess with it. So there you go….works well for the intended use but be careful beyond that.

And did I mention it BOOTS FAST?

— Bob K0NR

Update (28 Nov 2008): Here are a few links for user information, hacks, modifications, etc.

http://www.aspireoneuser.com/2008/07/09/aspire-one-advance-linpus-mode-hack/

http://www.liliputing.com/2008/07/how-to-access-advanced-acer-aspire-one.html

http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2008/09/27/30-cool-acer-aspire-one-hacks/

http://macles.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: I am a little ticked off that my digital scanner (radio receiver, not a graphics scanner) decided to toss its cookies today and lose all of its programmed data. The day before, my Yaesu FT-8900 got amnesia, losing all of its channels. (It seems to not appreciate the voltage dip when the car engine starts.) This reminds me of when iTunes discarded my podcasts about 3 weeks ago. Which reminds me of when my computer hard drive failed, putting my entire digital presence into the bit bucket.

I had always resisted using software to program my radios. When our public service agencies switched to 800 MHz trunked digital, I didn’t have a choice anymore for the scanner. The complexity of that system requires a software program to manage the channels. I also tried to avoid using software to program my amateur transceivers. (Old Guy Talk: Back in the old days, we only had a band switch and one big VFO knob to turn and that was plenty good enough.) Slowly, but surely, the huge number of memories and features available have teased me into buying the software to keep track of it all. I don’t mind paying for the software…typically, the programs are a bargain.

I do object to the time it takes to manage this stuff. You might think that there would be a standard file format that stores my favorite frequencies, transmit offset, CTCSS tone and channel labels so that I don’t have to enter them every time. No, that would make too much sense.

What other cute little electronic devices require their own database? I already mentioned iTunes and MP3 players, where the songs are just bits on a computer. (Not your old 8-track tapes anymore, is it?) My GPS receiver has its own set of maps that demand to be cared for and fed to keep the little device happy and useful. (The other day, a bit in the GPS got set that told it to ignore the maps that were loaded. I could see that the maps were there but the GPS was apparently not using them. A master reset and reload eventually cured the problem.) The GPS also makes use of my favorite set of waypoints that I maintain…carefully stored on The Hard Drive, waiting for the next disk crash.

Oh, and don’t forget digital cameras….they are the Masters of Data Creation. One click of the camera can generate a file with a million or two bytes. A day of photography can fill up a few gigs of storage with no effort at all. All of these precious photos need to be stored somewhere to be preserved for posterity. (Should I put posterity on The Hard Drive?)

There is just too much data in my life, and the trend line is increasing. Keep in mind that this data is the kind that you never really see. You can’t see files on a hard drive, you can’t see mp3 files on an iPod, you can’t see the bits programmed into my scanner. Oh sure, you can see something that pretends to represent the actual data….The Hard Drive lets you display a Word document on your screen and print it out. It is supposed to be the same as the file on The Hard Drive, but that is just an approximation….or maybe an illusion. Another reason bits are so hard to manage….they are invisible.

Back to the scanner…I had the configuration file on The Hard Drive (and backed up via Carbonite, just in case.) The Win96 software that programs the RadShack PRO-96 scanner was a victim of the recent hard drive failure, so I had to reinstall it. The program refused to run until I found the magic registration key that proves I paid for the software. No problem…found that on The Hard Drive as well and off we go. Then, the PC had trouble talking to the scanner via the COM port, mostly because there is no COM port on the PC. That is, I needed to use a USB-to-Serial Port converter. (Insert another poorly documented device of questionable origin.) Can we just have USB ports on all data-hungry electronic devices? After much fiddling around, I got the scanner to load all of the data.

Any one of these things is not that big of a deal. I can deal with one or two special programs and cables. But after being surrounded by these self-centered little devices that don’t play nicely, it really starts to wear you down. Clearly, the amount of data is going to continue to increase and more devices are going to take advantage of it. So don’t count on the problem getting any simpler. Ever.

So what’s the solution?

• Electronic devices should use standard data formats that share easily from device to device. They shouldn’t insist on their own native format. Sharing data is good.
• These devices should use standard interfaces and memory cards so that moving data around is trivial. Get rid of the proprietary cables.
• The software that handles the data should be designed and tested for maximum usability using established human factors methods. Every feature should work with minimal effort for the end user.
• Last but Most Important: these devices shouldn’t ever lose their memory. Bad, bad, bad, bad.

There, I feel much better now.

— 73, Bob K0NR

I powered up my PC a few days ago and it gave me a very blank stare. Actually, it had one small message for me: operating system missing. Hmmm, that did not sound too good.

I investigated further…booted the computer from a CD. Did “chkdsk” which told me my hard drive was Missing in Action.Lucky for me, I had just backed up the My Documents folder a few days earlier, so in theory I had all of the important stuff saved away. After messing around with the computer for a while, I came to the conclusion that I would have to format the hard drive and reload everything. Even then, I wasn’t sure the format was going to work….maybe the hard drive was totally dead.

It turned out the format worked and I spent the next couple of days reloading Windows XP (thank goodness I found the recovery CD that shipped with the computer). Then I reloaded the My Documents folder without any trouble. The thing I miss the most right now is my email address book, which disappeared. I have an older copy backed up somewhere so I’ll try to reload that one. In the future, I’ll add the address book to the backup strategy.

I count myself lucky that I had all the docs backed up but it is still a major pain to reload Windows XP and all of the applications. It will be weeks before I get it all done.