tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54943208830292396562024-03-21T21:48:36.730-07:00Fortysomething Geekthe tech and geek musings of a 40 something year old tech geek.fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-14721319596495610162015-02-25T07:25:00.003-08:002015-02-25T07:25:48.828-08:00Lenovo Superfish Fiasco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I have a Lenovo Miix that happens to fall under the time period of the Superfish security bug. I just checked and I'm free and clear. This is why I hate bloatware. Unfortunately, this problem really soiled Lenovo's reputation.<br />
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If you have a Lenovo and want to check your machine, there are some online sites that check your SSL for the man-in-the-middle hijack attack.<br />
Here is a good tester: <a href="https://filippo.io/Badfish/">https://filippo.io/Badfish/</a><br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-23552634883868303702015-02-24T17:57:00.001-08:002015-02-24T17:57:13.475-08:00QNAP TS-120 and TS-212P NAS review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OK, I haven't been blogging for a while. I've been just busy. However, today, I am going to resume and post about two QNAP NASes I've been using for the past 2 months. The 2 Bay QNAP TS-212P (pictured above left) and the single bay TS-120. I'm not going to go into a full review. I'm just going to jot my thoughts on using these two devices.<br />
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Now for a bit of a background. As many of my old readers know, I am a fan of home-grown systems; using FreeNAS and re-purposing Pogo Plug devices. Well, for the past year, my FreeNAS box has been at the office. At home, I'm a bit more energy conscious. I've been using various spare Linux boxes to act as SAMBA and TimeMachine shares. I've also used a few Pogo Plug in stock and ArchLinux form. However, my TimeMachine (TM) backups have been a bit flakey. Every other two or three weeks, I would get a corrupted TM image and would have to re-start. Furthermore, I had two pogoplugs fail on me. So when the QNAP went on sale during Christmas, I figure I'd give it a try.<br />
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I got the TS-120 for around $80 and the 2 bay TS-212p for $110. They are similar yet different. Both have Marvell 1.6 ghz CPUs with 512MB RAM. Both have a single USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports. Power consumption is very similar at 12/13 watts (5/6 watts sleep). The key difference is the single bay TS-120 has an eSATA connector. According to QNAP, the TS-120 is middle end and the TS-212p dual bay is an entry level model.<br />
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In terms of storage, I slapped a 3TB Seagate on the TS-120 and two 4TB Hitachis on the TS-212p. The TS-212p is running in a RAID mirror for redundancy. Both are similar in performance and capabilities.<br />
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Installation is straightforward. Screw in some drives, boot, update the firmware and access everything via a web base interface.<br />
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So what do I like about them? They're very much plug-n-play and zero hassle. It is kind of refreshing.<br />
The browser interface acts like a pseudo operating system. In fact, QNAP does call it an OS. QTS 4.0. For a browser interface, it works surprisingly well within the limitations of HTML. You can drag-n-drop files and overal UI is well done for an HTML app. In fact, this works well with Chromebooks.<br />
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In addition, QNAP makes some fairly competent iOS and Android client apps to access the NAS.<br />
Importantly, QNAP has a good repository of add-on applications.<br />
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You can install apps such as Squid Proxy server, WordPress, Node.js, Python, Plex, an USB web cam, etc. Pretty much, your useful standard open-source applications. Hence, you can turn your NAS into a variety of appliances from downloading bit-torrents, serving DLNA media, to a CMS application server. The capabilities are limited to the computing power of the specific QNAP device you are using. For example, I have Plex installed but neither devices are suitable for real-time transcoding. They serve h.264 MP4 media just fine to my iOS and Android devices but for 1080p MKVs, you'll want to look at the more advance QNAP models. <br />
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My needs are pretty simple. I wanted a simple TimeMachine box in addition to storing MP4 media files that I don't want running on the family Plex server.<br />
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For these two use cases, the QNAP boxes were fantastic. I even installed the CloudLink add-on which allows you to remotely access your NAS from the outside. Again, it was plug-n-play. There was no need to set-up port forwarding. The Cloud Link creates a tunnel link that allows you to access your NAS via Web browser or a mobile app. Sure, I had this before with ad-hoc set-ups using Pogos and open source cloud tools like OWNcloud/PyDIO. However, none of those solutions worked well. The iOS and Android app has one simple thing I like and that is <b><i>searching. </i></b><br />
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Something so simple yet profoundly compelling. Sure, connecting to a file server is trivial using CIF/SAMBA apps but the ability to search the file-system easily wasn't there. For example, open up ES File Explorer on my Android phone, mount a Samba mount, and I'd always have to browse folders; looking for what I needed. I normally, over-think things but this simple feature is a good reason for me to use QNAP.<br />
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There are some handy apps I want to mention real quick. You can set-up an Amazon S3/Glacier rsync. You can even rsync your Google Drive to a path on the NAS. The replication and synchronization tools are pretty good. I was able to set-up an schedule RSYNC to my FreeNAS box and it worked effortlessly. Thus, whatever is copied to my single bay QNAP, a duplicate copy is made in the background to my "real file server." You can even set-up one-touch USB drive copies. If you have an external USB drive, the NAS can easily synchronize to it whenever it is connected to its USB ports.<br />
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In terms of performance, it depends on your drives and network. I have a gigabit network and in comparison to my FreeNAS box, the QNAP was considerable slower with mix performances. The Seagate single bay TS-120 was pretty slow in terms of network copies in both AFP/SAMBA.<br />
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TS-120 Single Drive Seagate ST3000 3TB drive.</div>
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TS-212P w/ Mirror Hitachi 4TB drives</div>
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Overall, I'm not really expecting much in terms of performance. These are entry-tier devices. For Time Machine backups and accessing via my iPad, the performance is fine. However, I am genuinely curious about some of their small business models. I am seriously thinking about testing the soho models at my work for TimeMachine backups and RSYNC replication. I'm also seriously thinking about evaluating these for iSCSI vSphere application. </div>
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<b>Conclusion:</b></div>
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I like these devices. I really like the simplicity and ease-of-use. After a full week of work, I don't really want to think about tinkering around anymore on the weekends. I like how they just work for my needs. Between the two, it is a toss-up. I really like the eSATA port on the TS-120 but the TS-212p in a RAID mirror is more disaster-recovery friendly. If you are not sure, I suggest you try the low-end TS-120 if you can get one for $80 on sale. Who knows, you might get hooked. Thats what happened to me. I had no intention of replacing my other devices but the ease-of-use is pretty compelling. At first, I thought of just having a secondary TM back up on my network but now,I am thinking about the 4-6 bay models. I had no intention about getting hooked into a NAS eco-system but I am sure glad I tried.</div>
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Links: </div>
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TS-120 <a href="https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=102">https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=102</a></div>
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TS-212p <a href="https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=117">https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=117</a></div>
fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-76323639953508610452015-02-16T10:23:00.000-08:002015-02-16T10:23:00.979-08:00Secured Guest Account on OSX Yosemite.I notice something interesting with the new Guest login on Yosemite. If you have an encrypted file-system, the guest login is completely different from the normal guest login of a non-encrypted drive.<br />
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With an encrypted filesystem (File Vault), you have to re-boot into an ultra-secure mode. This is almost analogous to a Chromebook and I like it. The new guest mode only has one app running and that is Safari.<br />
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Once in guest mode, the user has no other access. He/she cannot access any applications nor can they browse the filesystem.</div>
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For comparison, here is the guest mode on my iMac also running Yosemite without File Vault. The original guest mode has desktop, application and file system access.</div>
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So if you are running a full file-vault, the guest mode will be a complete surprise. I can see some people not liking it; preferring it to the original mode. I personally like it as it appears to be more isolated and there is little to no chance a user can see anything on my drive as it is intended.</div>
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-89862268119686852512014-12-23T08:51:00.001-08:002014-12-23T08:53:28.124-08:00Braun ET-66 Calculator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been busy lately so I haven't been posting much. My interests lately have been non-gadget, tech related. Today, I'm going to break that silence and write about a simple calculator.<br />
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The Braun ET-66 calculator designed by the famous Dieter Rams. This is a remake, re-issue from Braun. I hate to use the word replica as Braun is the original manufacturer and they have the right to re-issue a product from their past catalogue.<br />
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<b>The calculator cost $50.</b><br />
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Yep, you read that right. $50. Sure, you can get any calculator from the drug store for $3. Heck, your smartphone probably has a calculator in it. In fact, if you have an older iPhone, the Apple's calculator.app is basically a rip-off of this iconic ET-66 design. Steve Jobs was enamored with Ram's work that they made their calc app a digital copy.<br />
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Does this calculator do anything fancy? Nope! So what is the big deal.<br />
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Here is a quote from an amazon customer review that sums it up:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;"><i>This calculator is considered a design classic, by one of the most famous industrial designers of the 20th century. The people who will buy this are interested in the aesthetics and maybe the status of showing off their design acumen. It has nothing to do with the function of the calculator.</i> </span></blockquote>
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You either get it, or you don't. I'm not going to convince you otherwise. It is a good looking piece of tech. Rams has been quoted many times as saying "Design little as possible. Less is more." The last quote originally came from Mies van der Rohe.<br />
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The nice thing about the calculator is the round keys. It is so damn simple and round. Why is this a big deal? Back when I was a kid, most calculators had square or rectangular keys and when you pressed on them, they would get stuck in the cut-out. That is why this design is so genius, Simple explanation for a simple problem. That is Dieter Ram's legacy.<br />
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So why did I get it? I got me a new expensive desk ($2400) so I needed some desk accessories. This would look good on it.<br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-46582002395845957522014-11-12T08:11:00.002-08:002014-11-12T09:11:19.999-08:00Hand Off and Continuity on OS X Yosemite and iOS 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU61EZuS7SOYpVhX9Q3zByXKHV9fhwDgQJod2R387qyjEbQOoWKbX1enYrnh8NXEonHFZo0P5J0fPKUG7Ps8riKUw1o9ccXaNxilmVyo7PoSqPjMLBAWcjaQMcT3C8OCtdGbzU0MWLB-o/s1600/handoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU61EZuS7SOYpVhX9Q3zByXKHV9fhwDgQJod2R387qyjEbQOoWKbX1enYrnh8NXEonHFZo0P5J0fPKUG7Ps8riKUw1o9ccXaNxilmVyo7PoSqPjMLBAWcjaQMcT3C8OCtdGbzU0MWLB-o/s320/handoff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After using Handoff and Continuity between iOS 8 and Yosemite, I have some thoughts on this. Hand-off is the ability to have Mac OSX computers and iPhone/iPads pick up from what you were doing. For example, if you are composing an email on your mac, you can easily walk away from your desk and pick up to the exact sentence you were typing on your iPhone.<br />
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So after a month, how does it stack up? Read on.<br />
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In theory, the idea of interchanging tasks between devices sounds pretty amazing. In some instances, I really like it but in general, hand off isn't a game changer. I'll go down the things I like and things I don't really care for.<br />
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<b>Performance and reliability.</b><br />
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Picking up web pages is pretty quick. Only downside is if you are authenticated in a logged in session, an iPhone isn't going to know you are logged into a secure site and you'll be prompted to a login page. There is no way around this. However, the ability to see what other devices and what pages are opened have existed way before Handoff. When you create a new tab, you can previously scroll down and see what other linked iCloud devices have as their recent or open tabs.<br />
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Email works great for short messages. When you have emails with large attachments, there is a lag between switching between iPhone/iPad and a Mac. It does have to copy/transfer large attachments between devices over bluetooth. Thus, the transition doesn't feel smooth.<br />
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I haven't tried Pages or any of the other iLife suite.<br />
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It is also a hit or miss. Sometimes, I see the hand off icons and sometimes I don't. This is something that needs to work all the time to be useful. I also think it may be attributed to the fact, I have multiple iOS devices around my mac so there is a possibility, the Macbook doesn't know to notify my phone or tablets.<br />
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Hand Off is only a small part of what Apple calls Continuity. Hand Off may be a bit half baked right now in terms of performance but the rest of Continuity is pretty compelling.<br />
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<b>Continuity</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHHoiEft8OIopIAeoxwLB0p50N-dAPPhg94VJJk6rB2WjeFjvjst90YkfXouzF87Uqu2G58ZSJCTrFwyBbyzQqvValyJHVQAyy2COtLoV_EON5QzmfeLhSNajFFmOCcHB2XswgbeykW4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-12+at+9.09.23+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHHoiEft8OIopIAeoxwLB0p50N-dAPPhg94VJJk6rB2WjeFjvjst90YkfXouzF87Uqu2G58ZSJCTrFwyBbyzQqvValyJHVQAyy2COtLoV_EON5QzmfeLhSNajFFmOCcHB2XswgbeykW4/s320/Screen+Shot+2014-11-12+at+9.09.23+AM.png" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(This is a phone# from some telephone spammer making a robot call to my Mac)</span></div>
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Answering calls from an iPad or Macbook is pretty cool. I know this has been done ten years ago and I remember doing it from my 12" Apple iBook but the whole experience is a bit seamless. In fact, too seamless. When I get a call, my iPad, Macbook, and a iPod Touch all ring in addition to my iPhone.</div>
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I also like the fact, I do all my SMS composing with a Mac now. I have proper diction and grammar in my text messages instead of doing it on a phone. I wasn't a big user of iMessage because I do work with people and have friends/family who are not in Apple's ecosystem. So the ability to do SMS from an iPad or Mac is very good.</div>
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Lastly, the biggest value to me is AirDrop. That is the most compelling feature to me. Yes, people will say you can do that you can transfer files with Bluetooth and apps. It isn't the same. There is no pairing involved and no set-up. It just works. It works with other users within your vicinity.<br />
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It is more than just transferring files. I am an extensive user of Apple "Notes" with over 3,000 entries of technical information from code tidbits, bash scripts, general how-to I use to diagnose problems for my work. It is my encyclopedia of knowledge. My notes are often formatted RTF style. Now, I can share those with colleagues and friends. For example, last week, they were stuck with some Cisco commands. I had an entire write-up with code snippets that I was able to AirDrop from my Mac to a friend's iPad. He then shared it out to two other colleagues who had iPhones. That was a Eureka moment. I didn't have to convert my notes into a Word file or PDF and email it. I feel more secure AirDropping an RSA key locally then sending it as an email attachment.<br />
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Another big plus are photos. I shoot mostly with my iPhone now. However, I like to edit them with my iPad due to the larger screen. I can round up 10-12 images and simply AirDropping them is very fast and intuitive. It is basically two clicks of a button and I will have my images ready for Pixelmator on the iPad. This to me, is the best feature of Continuity.</div>
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I haven't tried the hotspot feature as I have a work issued Mi-Fi and have no need for it. </div>
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Overall, I like the new integration between mobile devies and desktop computers. I am starting to use iCloud much more now in the past month than I ever have since it was available. In fact, I never touched it before iOS 8 as I had other alternatives such as One Drive, Google Drive and DropBox. With new iOS apps taking advantage of it and the ability for me to quickly share things to those apps, it now makes a compelling use case to use iCloud. Many of the great apps I do use also have DropBox integration but I am starting to see a push toward iCloud.</div>
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-57400689471619451682014-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:002014-11-10T16:22:21.194-08:00HTC Dot View CaseI have to admit, since I got my iPhone 6 Plus, I haven't been using my HTC ONE M8. It has been sitting in the carry brief for more than a month. However, I like to keep current gadgets relevant so I got me the HTC Dot View Case. As a result, I pulled it out this afternoon to try on my new case and there it is.<br />
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If you want to know what it is, it is a gimmicky folio case that is unique to HTC and gives you some notifications through the case.<br />
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The case retails for $45-49. I strongly do not recommend anyone purchase it at retail. It is simply not worth it. There is no real protection and the case makes it really hard to hold in the hand when making phone calls.<br />
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You can tell by looking at this picture that a flip out case like this will effect the ergonomics; especially one handed use.<br />
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However, I didn't pay $45 for this. Instead, I got it for around $12 and a month delivery time from China. At $12, it is still gimmicky. I can see the weather and the time.<br />
I can answer calls and cue my music playback tracks.<br />
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The dot view notifications are pretty limited. It supposedly supports text messages but none showed for me. Rather, it prompts you to open your case. It would be nice to have it delete messages.<br />
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So far, I'm not that impressed. It would be nice to get at least GMail or calendar notifications.<br />
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It does support some theming.<br />
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In conclusion, I think this is gimmicky at best with no real value. Especially at $45. I think your money will be better spent on a Spigen case that would offer better phone protection.<br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-4706947310777713792014-10-21T21:25:00.001-07:002014-10-21T21:59:18.274-07:00Going back to the iPad after using Windows 8 Tablets. From a DevOPS Dad.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The picture above summarizes what I use my tablets for. As a convenient on-the-go device when I am out and about. I regularly take my kids out to the local play park on a daily basis. I'll pull up in a stroller and watch them play. Occasionally, I’d get a call to log into some remote Linux server in the cloud or query some database for a client report. In these instances, I don’t want to lug around my $3,400 laptop, a top-of-the-line 15” Macbook Pro Retina. A Macbook won’t fit inside the diaper bag or the stroller. After trying a bunch of Windows 8 All-in-Ones and convertible tablets (as chronicled on this blog), I've decided to go back to the iPad. The iPad Mini.<br />
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Pictured above are a Dell Venue 8 Pro, the iPad Mini Retina, and a 10" 1920x1200 HiDPI Lenovo Miix 2. With all the hype of convertible, do-it-all all in one and the allure of running native x86 software in a tablet, I mistakenly went for that sales pitch. I ended up getting a few devices I no longer use. Now, I decided I need something that simply works when I'm out and about. That device ultimately is an iPad.<br />
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Read On.<br />
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For the past two years, the iPad has gotten a lot of competition. Competitors are touting the benefits and the "cheapness" or running Windows 8.1 in a tablet form factor. Some of them are very cheap and very good. They promise to be your do-it-all, one single device. Obviously, the most serious one to date is the Surface line. Unfortunately, none of those devices are really good laptop replacements, the Surface Pro 3 included. Well, not good enough for me. I need the quad core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, dedicated GPU to run 27"& 30" monitors and I'm spoiled with Thunderbolt. Yes, Thunderbolt. I shuttle around 200-400 GB VM (VirtualMachines) so I spend quite a bit of time moving large mammoth files on and off RAIDs. I often run half a dozen CentOS Linux virtualized servers to simulate a clustered cloud environment. In short, I need my Macbook. I use it as a development tool to bring home money and work.<br />
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This isn't a Mac vs PC debate. If I didn't have my Macbook, I'd probably be running with the latest Thinkpad in a similar environment. The laptop I had before was a Thinkpad T420 with 16GB RAM and dual storage SSDs running Debian Linux. So unless a Surface 3 (or 4) has at least a high DPI 14"screen with at least 500GB of SSD, Quad-Core CPU and minimum of16GB RAM, I won't consider it as a daily driver. Besides running and developing for the cloud, I use Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Lightroom.<br />
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Hence, with my use case, I need a companion device rather than a 'replacement' device. A companion device should be disposable if you take it to a kids play area or romper room with 20-30 kids running around. When there is a likelihood of it getting stolen, lost or broken. That, to me, is a companion device. It should do things admirably without fuss for the most part. It won't be 100% nor 70% what you need but what it does, it does it well like have crazy good battery life or a rich ecosystem for whatever you are into. If you are into music, it should have good music apps. If you like photography, it should have rich apps in that area. Same for gaming. In my case, I need good connectivity apps for my work.<br />
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And this is where things fall apart. I tried and I tried. I started off with an ASUS T100, Dell Venue 8 Pro, and lastly, the Lenovo. In between, I even got myself a cheap disposable 11.6" Acer netbook. All of this mostly chronicled on this blog and I still have most of those things sitting around; collecting dust. Why?<br />
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I think it boils down to this. A companion device shouldn't try to be the end-all device. You won't get a workstation class pc in a tablet form-factor in the short future. Desktop operating systems aren't designed to be touch friendly. Windows, in it's current form, isn't good for mobile touch. Modern UI is actually good but the ecosystem is very sparse. I actually like Modern Internet Explorer and think it is probably the best mobile browser on the market. But that is it. Everything else pretty much stinks in the Windows App Store. In fact, I now only use my Windows tablets for Internet Explorer and NetFlix.<br />
In fact, I get more done with my two Chromebooks than any of my current Windows machine. My Venue 8 sits on top of my night stand dresser and my Lenovo Miix serves as bathroom duty Sunday paper reader after about 2 weeks of initial use. They're used as cheap consumption devices because that is all they're good for now - cheap Netflix streamers! You can get a refurb Venue 8 Pro for $112. Until the app solution and ecosystem improves, I literally threw money away; chasing for the impossible. If I could easily install and run Linux on them, I'd at least replace my aging Chromebooks.<br />
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Now, people will tell you and tout the benefits of running the millions of legacy x86 applications on their Venues, Asus T100s and Thinkpad 8s. Yep, I tried that too. If you read earlier in previous blog posts, I even tried running Adobe Lightroom and VMware Workstation/VirtualBox on an 8 inch Windows tablet. Not fun.<br />
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I then thought, maybe the 8" was a bad form factor so I went up to a 10" Lenovo with a higher res screen. The previous 10" ASUS T100 left a bad taste in my mouth so a Miix 2 with 1920x1200 was another experiment. Again, I gave it a go.<br />
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Instead of taking a screenshot, I decided to take a picture. The high-res screen is indeed nice but it boils down the same problem. Touch doesn't work. I had to blow up my icons, DPI settings, font scaling and it still doesn't work.<br />
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The supplied keyboard with trackpad helps but it defeats the whole purpose of getting a tablet. In the case of the Lenovo Miix, the keyboard is actually quite bad. Here on the Lenovo Miix, I am trying to query and edit a MySQL database using the popular Window's Client, HeidiSQL.<br />
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It just doesn't work.<br />
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Oh man, I tried. I kitted out all my PCs with CyGwin. The Redhat Linux POSIX environment for Windows so I can have a BASH shell to run actual POSIX apps like rsync, iperf, and native SSH. I made an effort with PuTTY because all the Metro Modern SSH clients suck. I even had Shrewsoft VPN to access some servers in Japan but again, it was way too much work when I can have more sophisticated solutions with a simple click-away on the Apple App Store on my iPads. Things were just too jarring going in and out of Windows Desktop and Modern UI. Alt-Tab would cycle between apps within old Windows and Windows-Tab would cycle between Modern Metro Apps. It was really inconsistent. Browsing One Drive in the Desktop mode, I could apply and image into a wallpaper but I couldn't do that if I was in Modern UI mode. Yes, these are little complaints here and there but they add up.<br />
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The iPad is not perfect. Safari randomly crashes but it does get some things right. Deep sleep hibernation works awesome. I could put away an Ipad for 4-5 days and still have charge. All of my Windows devices were dead within 2 days of no use in deep sleep mode. Next, music playing in the background without pausing when the device went to sleep is another small thing I cherish. I would have my Lenovo stream music and due to Windows power saving modes, it would go to sleep and the music would stop. On an iPad, you can play for 8-10 hours straight with the screen turned off with little impact on battery life. People tout the benefits of OTG USB, micro SD cards, built in HDMI but those pale to issues of battery life and power management.<br />
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Then there are the apps. Are they perfect? No. You can't run a good Office on them and you can't run Photoshop. I actually think Pages and Numbers are good but I'll cede the argument to those who absolutely have to run their complicated Excel spreadsheets on an 8" tablet.<br />
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However, there are so many good apps on iOS, that I can get actual work done. For example, I use Prompt as my SSH client. I can easily sync my servers and keys across multiple iPads and iPhones I have. On Android, you could use something like Juice SSH. On Windows 8, nothing.<br />
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I can easily access MySQL databases without hassle. I can make JOINS and do fancy queries all day long while my kids are running around the grass.<br />
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Logging into a remote VPN in Japan to transfer files, well, it just works. I can easily log into a client's server to see why his FFMPEG transcoder crashed and restart it.<br />
I am starting to appreciate the simplicity.<br />
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I was actually getting work done. I can fix a back-end Excel parser I was working on. This is part of a web app that generates real charts in Excel from a web backend database. Real work.<br />
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If I didn't have my iPad with me, the apps I had usually synced data across to my phone. I could easily pick up and continue on my new iPhone 6 Plus.<br />
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Again, things just worked. If you asked me to patch a bunch of old CentOS servers with ShellShock bugs, I could do it on an iPad out in the field. Easy. If I had my Dell Venue. You'd would have to wait a few hours until I got home to my regular desktop. Ask me to write a script to batch process uploads and combined PDFs or sort XML, please wait till I get home from day trip with the kids. Your server crashed and you need to spool a redundant one? Again, I can do it from an iPad or iPhone.<br />
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In some of these pictures you see it with a nice fancy ClamCase keyboard. The BT keyboards are nice but not an absolute requirements. I could easily type using the on-screen keyboards. Typing is much more preferable on the 9.7" larger iPad than the Minis. However, both iPads work great as stand-alone devices without any accessories.<br />
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This whole post was done with an iPad. I shot photos with my iPhone, wirelessly transferred via AirDrop and edited the images, color corrected with VSCOCAM like you see in the 1st and this last picture. Seamless. Grading an image is instantly quick with little thought. On my Dell Venue, to get a similar quality, I usually have to launch something like Lightroom as VSCOCAM isn't available on Windows 8.1. Lightroom on a slow ATOM processor would take forever to load and process. Editing without a mouse would be intolerable. Is Lightroom better? Yes but it also cost a hundred bucks more and totally un-necessary for quick blog and social media pictures like this or the types you post on Instagram. I've tried the various ones on Windows like "Fhotoroom"and the likes but there isn't the breadth and quality you get on iOS and Android marketplaces.<br />
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Each use cases will be different. Everyone has their own needs. Not everyone programs database apps or manage clusters of servers. Some people may have a genuine need for the free Office license that comes with many Windows tablet. Or in some cases, they want the cheapest vis-a-vis a specific screen size for just watching Netflix. As long as Windows tablets are under $300, I may continue to buy them. However, I will only use them as video consumption devices rather than productivity devices everyone is claiming they would be.<br />
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Now with the iPad Air 2 benchmarks being published. I am seriously thinking of getting a 128GB LTE model.<br />
<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-25378878607824478562014-10-08T17:23:00.002-07:002014-10-08T17:32:08.890-07:00iOS METAL Graphics iPhone 6 Plus versus HTC ONE (M8) SnapDragon 801<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With the release of iOS 7 and iOS 8, Apple introduced a new bare metal graphics API. This new framework promises to give iOS an edge in mobile gaming. So how does it compare to a standard Android Flagship running something like the SnapDragon 801 SoC? The new A8 chip on the iPhone 6 Plus is indeed a powerhouse. Well, I took it for a spin and compared two cross platform games that has Metal support on iOS. These are merely screenshot comparisons as I played some games on both platforms.<br />
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I think comparing the HTC ONE M8 to the Apple iPhone 6 Plus is a fair comparison. Both are driving 1920x1080p resolution. Both were set at full detail max resolution gameplay.<br />
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<b>Asphalt 8: Airborne</b> and <b>Beach Buggy Racing</b>.<br />
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The differences on Gameloft's Asphalt 8 is very hard to tell. You really have to look for it and I don't think it really makes a compelling difference in gameplay. Yes, there are some differences but again, you really have to look for them.<br />
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Here are some screenshots.<br />
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On the first track, at launch, you can see the iPhone has some extra details. The other racer's launch usually has a flamed induced burn-out. Everything else is the same. The texture mapping and polygon count on both platform are the same. You are not going to see anything majorly different.<br />
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iPhone 6 Plus<br />
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HTC ONE M8</div>
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Next, the HTC suffered from serious banding on the canvas. You can clearly see the gradient banding in the blue sky. It is throughout the game. Here is an example. It is very obvious where you see the blue sky.</div>
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This isn't visible on the iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 8.0.2. Here, you can see the sky fairly clean on the iPhone. Also, if you pay attention to the rear bumper, there is a detailing like the dirt on the bumper.</div>
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On the HTC, again, you can see the heavy banding in the blue sky. Also, the bumpers always appear to have some sort of motion blur effect to make up for the fast motion. On the iPhone, the vehicle is usually very clear and detailed. Come to think of it, the roads have much more detail. There is simply too much motion blur going on with Android. I'm not a gamer so I can't explain the difference. Maybe the iPhone is faster at rendering the finder details but it does look sharper on iOS.</div>
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Here we have the tunnel run right before the finish line. The first shot is of the iPhone 6.</div>
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Here is the HTC. There isn't much of a difference to declare the iPhone a clear winner. There are some detailing like the non-blurred bumper of the iPhone and the road detailing but not much. </div>
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Gameplay will be the same on both. I don't think Gameloft did any real optimization as I suspect they want to target for the lowest common denominator. Here, I am not really swayed one way or the other. For a gamer, maybe the extra details makes a difference.</div>
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Now, here is Beach Buggy Racing.</div>
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They're comparatively the same. </div>
First is the iPhone and the second is the HTC. I should also note, taking screenshots while playing is very difficult. I couldn't get it to match the scenes exactly. The screens on the iPhone came out brighter and I don't know why. They're simply better lit on iOS.<br />
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There were only two instances where I notice any difference in graphics.</div>
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Shadows. The iPhone showed more shadows from the side street bench, lamp posts, and buildings. </div>
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There are some extra smoke and the competing racers have extra detailed shadows. On Android, the shadows were not opaque enough. Everything else is pretty much the same. Again, I am looking at the polygon count and low-res texture mapping. There isn't much you can do.</div>
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The other major difference I saw again, had to deal with environment shadows. On the first track, near the end as the racers end their round-a-bout toward the finish line, the iPhone shows shadows from the large tree on the left. This is completely absent on the HTC.</div>
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The first image shows the tree leaves casting shadows on the road. On the HTC, the road is pretty much shadow-less.</div>
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Unlike Gameloft's Asphalt 8. The gameplay is very different on iOS vs Android KitKat on the HTC. Even after a full reset, gameplay was very choppy and laggy on the HTC ONE (M8). The game would pause and interrupt. Asphalt 8 did not have this problem. However, here, it was too laggy to play on the HTC ONE (M8).</div>
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These are the only two games you can really compare at the moment. Metal shows a lot of promises but I don't know if that gives iPhone and advantage in gameplay when you have other players such as the Nvidia K1 Tegras and their own optimized games. Furthermore, I think both of these games were pretty much rushed with Metal optimizations for the iPhone 6 launch. I don't see much of a compelling difference in Asphalt 8. As for Beach Buggy Racing, the Android version was too laggy for me to make a conclusive decision. </div>
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Hopefully, we will see some optimized games. Here are some screenshots from Epic Zen Gardens on the iPhone 6 Plus to give you a glimpse.</div>
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-57686023386374164402014-10-06T17:55:00.002-07:002014-10-06T17:56:22.108-07:00Fixing the BASH Shellshock vulnerability on OSX 10.5.8 and 10.6.8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43j3LXpGVi_-ZXxZAI5eFjd320xBibChpgElwl0nPsjO6X6gUrssFTcbzHXw16-6lUtQs0htlpEp1MIMvTIgBxv1g0OPZLwH_MXUgxjPVCb9t0F2kymCkOHgNb4CzlM6xlN7uLgyMy2A/s1600/Picture+02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43j3LXpGVi_-ZXxZAI5eFjd320xBibChpgElwl0nPsjO6X6gUrssFTcbzHXw16-6lUtQs0htlpEp1MIMvTIgBxv1g0OPZLwH_MXUgxjPVCb9t0F2kymCkOHgNb4CzlM6xlN7uLgyMy2A/s1600/Picture+02.png" height="256" width="400" /></a></div>
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Apple released a BASH update that addresses the vulnerabilities of ShellShock but they neglected operating systens older than 10.7 Lion.<br />
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Well, I happen to know people who are running various 10.5.8 and 10.6.8 Snow Leopard machines in production. They are used in automation and rely heavily on BASH. Thus, I upgraded over a dozen legacy Mac OSX Servers and it was pretty straightforward.<br />
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I'm not going to take the credit but most of what you need is at this link:<br />
<a href="http://www.macissues.com/2014/09/25/how-to-unofficially-fix-the-shell-shock-bash-vulnerability-in-os-x/">http://www.macissues.com/2014/09/25/how-to-unofficially-fix-the-shell-shock-bash-vulnerability-in-os-x/</a><br />
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You will need to download the latest Xcode for each respective OS.<br />
The only gotcha as 10.5.8 and cURL. 10.5.8's built in cURL does not support SSL so you will need to add a -k (insecure SSL) flag in the instructions.<br />
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Here is an example:<br />
For 10.6.8<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">curl https://opensource.apple.com/tarballs/bash/bash-92.tar.gz | tar zxf -</span><br />
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For 10.5.8</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">curl -k https://opensource.apple.com/tarballs/bash/bash-92.tar.gz | tar zxf -</span></div>
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That is it. For 10.5, add the -k flag for each cURL request you download from Apple's servers.</div>
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Once finish, you should be able to address all of these vulnerabilities:</div>
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CVE-2014-6271 </div>
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CVE-2014-7169</div>
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CVE-2014-6277 </div>
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CVE-2014-6278 </div>
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CVE-2014-7186</div>
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CVE-2014-7187</div>
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Bash should be updated to 3.2.55(1)</div>
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Once you are patched, it is time to test.</div>
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You can go to shellshocker.net and download a bash script that run through all the vulnerabilities.</div>
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Or run it from the shell via cURL.<br /></div>
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<pre style="background-color: #fafafa; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.42857143; margin-bottom: 10px; overflow: auto; padding: 9.5px; word-break: break-all; word-wrap: break-word;">curl https://shellshocker.net/shellshock_test.sh | bash</pre>
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I hope this helps.</div>
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Once you compile it, you can easily tar the files up and use it for re-distribution to similar machines. I only had to compile BASH twice (one for 10.5 and one for 10.6). I then took my Releasebuild binaries and rsync them across various OSX machines from my iPad.</div>
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I tested it extensively on some VMs and then to production servers. I was a bit worried about going the homebrew route as that method will install newer 4.3. That is a major generational change and there would be some major breakage somewhere. Thus, sticking with a 3.2.XX version of BASH with all the updates will be the most painless. I have OS X servers running MailMan listservs, some are used for production automation that runs rsynch, mounting NFS shares, CalDAV, and the likes. So far, nothing has broken.</div>
fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-7489064511821697192014-10-04T14:07:00.002-07:002014-10-04T14:19:02.257-07:00Lenovo Miix 2 10 inch 2-in-1 hybrid tablet ultrabook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A new toy so I have a new write-up. Today's gadget is the Lenovo Miix 2 10 is a 10 inch Windows Bay Trail 2-in-1 hybrid tablet. <br />
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Here are the specs:<br />
10 point multi-touch FHD screen (1920x1200)<br />
1.33 GHZ ATOM Z3740 QUAD Core Processor<br />
2GB RAM and 64GB Flash Storage<br />
<a name='more'></a>ATOM Bay Trail has been proven to be a popular platform and there many choices on the market such as the ASUS T100 Transformer.<br />
However, what makes this competitive is the 16:10 1920x1200 IPS screen on a 10.1" form factor.<br />
The ASUS may actually be a better value for most people as it has a superior keyboard and USB 3.0.<br />
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However, I really do not like 1336x768 screens so I got this one. The screen resolution is a really compelling difference for my needs.<br />
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The corners are very sharp; making it hard to hold at length. The screen isn't quite that bright as I would have hoped. Most importantly, the supplied keyboard is really finicky, laggy and not that pleasant to use. The Tablet docks into the keyboard via magnets and it has a fixed angle. Sometimes, the keyboard doesn't quite engage and you have to re-dock until you get it to work. This is definitely not something you can easily put on the lap. If screen resolution isn't important to you, I suggest shopping for an alternative like the ASUS or Dell Venue 11s.<br />
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The tablet has micro USB and HDMI on board. It can be charged via USB or via the supplied charger. The keyboard provides a small speaker along with two USB 2.0 connections. USB 3.0 is a pretty big omission.<br />
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I am pretty much replacing my Chromebooks with these inexpensive Bay Trail devices. I've gotten to a point where I can make Windows 8.1 passable for my workflow. The 8" tablets was simply too small to be effective. The improved screen size is well worth it. I'm basically using these for low-powered, long battery life field use. I've been using Cygwin for my UNIX/LINUX POSIX shell compatibility. I've given up any hopes of a decent Linux based Tablet hybrid. Thus, Windows 8.1 is still really the only game in town in this form-factor. Some of the apps on Modern UI have been improving. They still don't match the iPad and iOS for my productivity requirements. As a result, 90% of my interaction is still in the Desktop mode. In short, I am really using these as laptops rather than as touch centric tablets. The tablet functionality of Modern UI is just an added benefit.<br />
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I also have a Dell Venue 8 Pro which a similar ATOM SoC Bay Trail architecture. Since the Miix 2 has a larger screen to drive, it isn't as snappy or fast as the smaller Venue. This has been corroborated with various online benchmark and comparisons. However, most people won't even notice the difference.<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, I mostly use this as lightweight laptop, ultrabook.Thus most of my time is spent in the Desktop. Touch is still not really useable in Desktop mode. The problem is
more compounded by the higher resolution screen. Despite having a larger screen than the 8" Dell Venue, I found that touch mouse control is much harder on the Lenovo.<br />
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HiDPI scaling is still iffy on Windows 8.1. Some applications work fine and some are just blurry. You can enable exceptions to HiDPI per applications but it isn't as smooth as OS X.<br />
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I've tried every possible scaling and font size and it still isn't quite there. The experience will be disjointed as 3rd party application developers need to update their programs for Windows HiDPI.<br />
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Using the standard 1.5 scaling on Windows, you'll get a very useable Desktop experience. The effective scaled down real estate is 1280x800. This is comparable to the Chromebook Pixel and the standard Macbook Pro 13"<br />
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However, I need real estate. I try to run it natively as much as I can. 1920x1200 on a 10" is a pleasure to use.<br />
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Portrait mode auto orientation is better than what I've been accustomed to in the past. The switch is pretty fast for a Windows tablet.</div>
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I really like this form factor. The 10" size really feels very compact and portable while being quite useable compared to an 8" Bay Trail device.<br />
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Just for comparison, here is the Lenovo Miix 2 10" on top of my Apple Macbook Pro 15" Retina. <br />
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And compared to an 8" inch Bay Trail Windows 8.1 tablet. The Dell Venue 8 Pro is simply too small to be used in Desktop Mode.<br />
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Overall, I semi-like the Miix 2. I really
like the screen and battery life. The keyboard is still an issue but I
can probably have suitable work-arounds. This entire blog post was
written on the Miix using an external 3rd party keyboard. I find that I really have to type slow and make forceful keypress on the supplied keyboard 2GB RAM and
64GB of internal storage is more than adequate for light tasks. It feels really snappy for surfing the web, typing up text files and accessing remote servers.<br />
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To summarize, the Lenovo Miix 2 10" is a decent Windows 8.1 tablet coupled with a flawed keyboard system. <br />
<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-63954462327665969702014-09-29T09:15:00.003-07:002014-09-29T09:27:43.430-07:00iPhone 6 PLUS versus HTC ONE (M8) preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I finally got an iPhone 6 PLUS to go along with my HTC ONE(M8). This isn't meant to be a complete shoot-out. I'm just going to jot down some initial impressions. When I have more time, I may do a full write-up.<br />
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This might be an odd comparison since the HTC ONE M8 size is a closer match to the smaller 4.7" iPhone 6. However, because of the screen resolution, I think it is a better comparison to the 6 PLUS. The HTC ONE is straddled between both iPhones in terms of size.<br />
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Both are premium machined metal bodied made devices but I have to say the iPhone 6 feels really good in the hand. The HTC One is a bit fat in the middle. However, I'd say the HTC is a better one-handed phone to use. Prior, I was carrying the iPhone 5 and HTC ONE. Back then, I thought the HTC ONE was huge with it's 5" screen but after a week with the iPhone 6 PLUS, the HTC ONE feels really small. I guess what I am saying is you will get acclimated to the size difference.<br />
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The feeling of smallness on the HTC ONE is probably attributed to the UI of Android and HTC Sense. Even though both are 1080p (1920x1080) resolution screens and both have the same physical resolution real estate, the iPhone 6 Plus simply shows more data. The fonts/typeface (even at the smallest settings), the title bars, menu bars are simply way to big on the HTC ONE (M8). Screen real estate is also affected by the Android virtual soft key buttons.<br />
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Here are some examples. These are the screenshots of the mail list of my Outlook account in landscape mode.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLQzzpF-Mx_HrSpCw-pQbauLzjGOXlZOVjKtagrJHvoNFZ1A6tK6qT1-XkcDGhFEGQX3tVnoZEV7ca-QfvAzJhwocRTHHEdk_BgRKZGzxJbtguE_wC5yO9CMxXZ23WVpdAx00Je_NNkk/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-18-52-47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLQzzpF-Mx_HrSpCw-pQbauLzjGOXlZOVjKtagrJHvoNFZ1A6tK6qT1-XkcDGhFEGQX3tVnoZEV7ca-QfvAzJhwocRTHHEdk_BgRKZGzxJbtguE_wC5yO9CMxXZ23WVpdAx00Je_NNkk/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-18-52-47.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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The same list in portrait mode.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJvMbTk2Eprp43LrQMPd4T6i_SWU6Exa6z-4wl4y2rVtNv3Aeyot-HFmr_U4YrMBnK-KJOjkYzaMwCfhyAv3lsTwBRM8Ts-HDFQlBVxQhY3qqxEQUOIh0rIll-JEGnPyjo_XKIMyIg0Y/s1600/IMG_4864.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJvMbTk2Eprp43LrQMPd4T6i_SWU6Exa6z-4wl4y2rVtNv3Aeyot-HFmr_U4YrMBnK-KJOjkYzaMwCfhyAv3lsTwBRM8Ts-HDFQlBVxQhY3qqxEQUOIh0rIll-JEGnPyjo_XKIMyIg0Y/s1600/IMG_4864.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VRU30i_SpamKE8K25qiNb8OzSqjTy7Dw3dpsYoj6FdBPadS2bQuaNP-ixh3iBUTNBaxkpiw4B7k14Iy2iXHwcx014Aa3l6C5bmBmLiDlmcO3z5Mos_HyXfZe1xsjKeZMntQSG9gUDQk/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-17-07-49-00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VRU30i_SpamKE8K25qiNb8OzSqjTy7Dw3dpsYoj6FdBPadS2bQuaNP-ixh3iBUTNBaxkpiw4B7k14Iy2iXHwcx014Aa3l6C5bmBmLiDlmcO3z5Mos_HyXfZe1xsjKeZMntQSG9gUDQk/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-17-07-49-00.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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And the contents of the same email newsletter. Note, I had the fullest zoom-out on both emails.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq1uAtSaAAOiLMyor48GYsbvoREgPNU9ylRtpdD9X_gOYIyrRcddrI70NJPumf0NZ5Bm7bQV0ZjVCc3kJBE6dg6uaUkZiuoIy-8Ozo4BEd4wNE4DBeYYD8wCrue0Z3axUInESVKfFfk0/s1600/IMG_4865.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq1uAtSaAAOiLMyor48GYsbvoREgPNU9ylRtpdD9X_gOYIyrRcddrI70NJPumf0NZ5Bm7bQV0ZjVCc3kJBE6dg6uaUkZiuoIy-8Ozo4BEd4wNE4DBeYYD8wCrue0Z3axUInESVKfFfk0/s1600/IMG_4865.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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You can say this is the fault of HTC's mail client and their apps. Yes, that is possible. However, even compared to Google's native GMAIL client, the iOS email experience is a little bit better. The gesture selection is very intuitive when it comes to deleting, filing and archiving emails on iOS.<br />
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However, not everything is perfect in iOS. There are apps that still need to be optimized for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 PLUS. Legacy apps look blown up on the new iDevices. Case in point: Instagram and Facebook. These also suffer from overtly large UI elements. However, due to the volume of iPhone users, I'm pretty certain most apps will be upgraded soon enough. Twitter on iOS 8 looks very good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna11fGVpGjp552FNh8DvGp0hz7ySPrvBmhWoaQ49eDymBnvboItVDrV7TTwEJMxiEKS7BWjnldJaiTxGbSz8ykTJc1U5QP6mJTi_lvFmO4l4uDousFAv4AhEvfsRPltKtybgpTHhl4q4/s1600/IMG_4875.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna11fGVpGjp552FNh8DvGp0hz7ySPrvBmhWoaQ49eDymBnvboItVDrV7TTwEJMxiEKS7BWjnldJaiTxGbSz8ykTJc1U5QP6mJTi_lvFmO4l4uDousFAv4AhEvfsRPltKtybgpTHhl4q4/s1600/IMG_4875.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Going back to iOS 8 after an absence is pretty good. I really missed the quality apps and I have to say, there are so many good iOS apps.<br />
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For example. SSH clients. This is what I use my phones for most of the time. To access remote UNIX/LINUX servers remotely.<br />
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Here is Cathode on iOS. A very cool and awesome SSH client.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUADOcvfXRuZfLW2gh-AY5s9DaWUB7tJI4zWpzf__hztooWEcU1JNoBbdjgxGvw6X0v-YjUn_wKFtyn1Bpatnx-CG7ONw5GziXGijyp-M4-avQVN7_rOMH2ZTlluRfp84nHEngVd7H-o/s1600/IMG_4859.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUADOcvfXRuZfLW2gh-AY5s9DaWUB7tJI4zWpzf__hztooWEcU1JNoBbdjgxGvw6X0v-YjUn_wKFtyn1Bpatnx-CG7ONw5GziXGijyp-M4-avQVN7_rOMH2ZTlluRfp84nHEngVd7H-o/s1600/IMG_4859.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now compare it to what I've been using on Android for a while. JuiceSSH.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUYlLIieQzCjgOqUhzGAhd_YUiElOh6rapJqGUyVXjisw0OnI7cFeBYF5fzlNx0xn0Rm2g2-rw7sGhyy-EPqgol5T5ylQeNPaJrlh13P1o3N8nmmPqcNrx90VBEs6-i-I1Vsd6Z5biZw/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-17-56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUYlLIieQzCjgOqUhzGAhd_YUiElOh6rapJqGUyVXjisw0OnI7cFeBYF5fzlNx0xn0Rm2g2-rw7sGhyy-EPqgol5T5ylQeNPaJrlh13P1o3N8nmmPqcNrx90VBEs6-i-I1Vsd6Z5biZw/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-17-56.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6BPZ0qRHO-YjmVhjWS21zUmrJTnLoL_EOqEtgNqDVRT0ovTmLALzW-j-B3oM0n40R6d-gsKECckR5nrJaBHTCtm_zddiyLf48lCQVp1By37csUnMe67V2A0634rNDWVm_ckxLK2Ablw/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-30-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6BPZ0qRHO-YjmVhjWS21zUmrJTnLoL_EOqEtgNqDVRT0ovTmLALzW-j-B3oM0n40R6d-gsKECckR5nrJaBHTCtm_zddiyLf48lCQVp1By37csUnMe67V2A0634rNDWVm_ckxLK2Ablw/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-30-19.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see the HTC ONE (M8)'s UI is made smaller with status bars and the virtual soft keys. I simply think screen real estate management can be better handled on Android.<br />
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Now what looks more fun to use? Both have SSH-Key authentication and virtual soft keys. If you don't want silly geeky fun of Cathode, there are countless other great iOS SSH client apps. There are also better MySQL Clients, RDP, VNC,etc on iOS.<br />
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First party apps are also a joy to use on the new iPhone.<br />
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Pages compared to Google Docs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYepd8-fedHsRuE9ACC_ANC5lfxblklmemnMRp9EYFi3L528pcqvGekydEZMWJRoniKEszK579-lPIICFtV12J5pJH6J_q0_khkkGfCbqDAkupbRWFjd8ADxut8KVvYqtOVmKjTfHaw9A/s1600/IMG_4872.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYepd8-fedHsRuE9ACC_ANC5lfxblklmemnMRp9EYFi3L528pcqvGekydEZMWJRoniKEszK579-lPIICFtV12J5pJH6J_q0_khkkGfCbqDAkupbRWFjd8ADxut8KVvYqtOVmKjTfHaw9A/s1600/IMG_4872.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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and</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRX8KsLeEg3THhL542yV7Tiz-dHhVCGO6RlcyW-Dsl37pccXp_d_qO3fYZP2ekbSVBp6OKeoZIyLoEEVYMuZZnqTfLdDGqHjn0HIEjiruZmagR5ZlzIxondBHrgurTxIvfEGVfYs55aE/s1600/IMG_4874.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRX8KsLeEg3THhL542yV7Tiz-dHhVCGO6RlcyW-Dsl37pccXp_d_qO3fYZP2ekbSVBp6OKeoZIyLoEEVYMuZZnqTfLdDGqHjn0HIEjiruZmagR5ZlzIxondBHrgurTxIvfEGVfYs55aE/s1600/IMG_4874.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Compared to Google Docs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFNLF0Z5w0Wn1TBQvQp6jXCtgJ8KMtoIxHkD_ZmyMiOB_YXFSOiSlt__vB0tVAxouBoBJzE3vWaOYnnRvMqws6C_rlfSWlWUkLQXeAvh4wOlC5VEOxZGml3bLs-IUp5KKvcsgtAhyphenhyphenBdA/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-34-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFNLF0Z5w0Wn1TBQvQp6jXCtgJ8KMtoIxHkD_ZmyMiOB_YXFSOiSlt__vB0tVAxouBoBJzE3vWaOYnnRvMqws6C_rlfSWlWUkLQXeAvh4wOlC5VEOxZGml3bLs-IUp5KKvcsgtAhyphenhyphenBdA/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-34-42.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Simply, there is still a lot of awkwardness and I can't pinpoint it on the HTC. Maybe it is the careful selection of typography that Apple spends details on.</div>
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Again, the use of real estate on web browsing also makes a big impact on user interaction and satisfaction. I really like the feel and transitions of the full screen on Safari. I missed the tap to top for months and now I have it back with the iPhone 6.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1UChODX-4L02YZOIL0fGRtdygQ7dCca1lxqjnzCAs1W12CdhQAbeOSY3Jgrmm3VXOpRSXk0YrO54sAr7ZFXtQV6CWJ8pMvgaTDLTorM0RQIQVLWPI92bB9g6sUIcN7HVhZAYVduG-7o/s1600/IMG_4870.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1UChODX-4L02YZOIL0fGRtdygQ7dCca1lxqjnzCAs1W12CdhQAbeOSY3Jgrmm3VXOpRSXk0YrO54sAr7ZFXtQV6CWJ8pMvgaTDLTorM0RQIQVLWPI92bB9g6sUIcN7HVhZAYVduG-7o/s1600/IMG_4870.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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By default, you don't get full screen on Android as the virtual keys take up space. However, there are 3rd party apps and full screen solutions on the Google Play Store (that don't seem to work quite well).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyx_ERQ9aMjAc9RzUInNQZ3I-GYFMvYNsDAU3eDxc5xs8HEiILJTJm-BWNvKX3TSYWttsvn3xPVpG5Yjme_te9ZZ7Ll7tqElxTTRvC-kNbCLM7_6iOAFvzjqdKohFV5lhHA05FWb7PcI/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-27-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyx_ERQ9aMjAc9RzUInNQZ3I-GYFMvYNsDAU3eDxc5xs8HEiILJTJm-BWNvKX3TSYWttsvn3xPVpG5Yjme_te9ZZ7Ll7tqElxTTRvC-kNbCLM7_6iOAFvzjqdKohFV5lhHA05FWb7PcI/s1600/Screenshot_2014-09-26-19-27-16.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Again, I guess the point I am driving home with this comparison is that despite the fact both have the same screen resolution, the iPhone 6 Plus makes better use of it. As I said, the HTC ONE (M8) simply feels small now.<br />
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I really dig the landscape mode. Yes, I know I've been able to do it for years on Android with various launchers but it is really nice to use it on iOS. It makes having the Plus worth it for me over the standard iPhone 6. As most of my work revolves around emails, remote Linux server connectivity, and database work, I prefer the landscape orientation. I use my iPhone for work and now it is even a better tool at it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVj5oOfsBJ93STUKAHsq3bB8fQpazCDDIwCqCaB_Y4ClRXgGz7-6L231aLDagDWsZwEKA6DX89ymZuO1zamwrGBQjETrAq9jR5xAQ-U3nkNCtteZmQZOvWU9QG5NV6qQBKCz3FuD30XEs/s1600/IMG_4871.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVj5oOfsBJ93STUKAHsq3bB8fQpazCDDIwCqCaB_Y4ClRXgGz7-6L231aLDagDWsZwEKA6DX89ymZuO1zamwrGBQjETrAq9jR5xAQ-U3nkNCtteZmQZOvWU9QG5NV6qQBKCz3FuD30XEs/s1600/IMG_4871.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are also some other major differences. The iPhone 6's camera is simply awesome. I'm not going to go into detail here as you can read dozens of online reviews and analysis from such places as DxoMark. Simply, the iPhone 6 has a very good camera.</div>
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The HTC ONE M8 camera's IQ wasn't that bad. Not as bad as you would believe from Internet trolls. But the major problem with the HTC ONE isn't the picture quality, it was the physical construction. The iPhone 6 uses a sapphire coated lens whereas the HTC ONE uses some film coating which leads to scratches. Simply, it easily gets scratch and this really bothered me. I wrote about it here : <a href="http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2014/08/htc-one-m8-little-details-that-piss-me.html">http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2014/08/htc-one-m8-little-details-that-piss-me.html</a></div>
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The scratched camera lens on the HTC is a common problem and it really pushed me away from using it for photography for months. For months, I carried my Fuji XF1 because I could not rely on the HTC.</div>
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Then there is the other issue with the HTC ONE (and Android in general). The SD card. I bought an 128GB microSD card and it was rendered useless as you can read here: <a href="http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2014/05/htc-one-m8-android-kit-kat-sd-card.html">http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2014/05/htc-one-m8-android-kit-kat-sd-card.html</a> .</div>
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Seriously, the idea of a removable SD card is a major selling point of the Android ecosystem and Google now has deemed it not worthy so they have been locking it down. For that reasons, I opted to get the 128GB iPhone 6 Plus. Considering the cost of an UHS-1 128GB micro SDXC card, the new Apple price tiering isn't so bad and actually worth it.</div>
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Then there is the issue of Linux compatibility. I could never get the HTC (or ANY Android device since the Galaxy Nexus) to properly mount in Debian based Linux. There were work-arounds and stuff like that but it never worked reliably. MTP Android and Linux is still an issue for me. The iPhones (and iOS devices in general) were always problem free for me. They simple mount on Linux and I can copy files easily to my apps. If I wanted to copy a 8GB MKV to a video player, it wasn't a big deal. This was all great until now. As of this writing, I can only mount iOS 8.0.2 and the iPhone 6 safe volume. This is the volume where you can pull images, PDFs,etc. At this time, I can't mount the other volume where I can drag and drop files for my 3rd party apps. So it isn't quite perfect right now but usually after a new iPhone introduction, the libimobile utilities are quickly updated.</div>
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<b>Conclusion.</b></div>
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It is pretty obvious that I am enjoying the iPhone 6 Plus. With the exception of the camera and sdcard issues on the HTC ONE, they're both good phones. I just think Apple did a really good job on this new iteration. I can see how it can capture sales. This is a solid release. When I have more details, I may go into some more comparisons.</div>
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-67405404237949190612014-09-27T09:06:00.000-07:002014-09-27T09:06:07.343-07:00Coolest SSH Terminal Client App for any Smartphone iOS - CATHODE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLC7VNQKVt_7kpHagpDeAS3yAul-STWs1ufTJi4hzuXnbBhbDb_QeC4Bq6tSkNjdLGpwxZGdw0kwanMPizGRwARq6qpdBGaUr4NgVBS9QGc9w5Te783PwnI3tgWTA8CwYESK5_JQIufA/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLC7VNQKVt_7kpHagpDeAS3yAul-STWs1ufTJi4hzuXnbBhbDb_QeC4Bq6tSkNjdLGpwxZGdw0kwanMPizGRwARq6qpdBGaUr4NgVBS9QGc9w5Te783PwnI3tgWTA8CwYESK5_JQIufA/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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This has got to be the coolest iPhone SSH app. In fact, it is the coolest SSH client on any mobile smartphone. It is called Cathode.<br />
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Notice, how I did the BASH test for shellshock on my new iPhone 6 Plus in the screenshot above!<br />
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Last year, <a href="http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2013/04/cathode-terminal-app-for-osx-vintage.html" target="_blank">I reviewed the Desktop version</a> and I said if they ever made an iOS version, I would buy it. And I did. Cathode is a retro, fun SSH client that mimics and old Cathode Tube monitor. The kind you had back in the late 70s and mid 80s. The little details are great. For example, the reflections in the screen moves along with your gestures. There is burn-in effects and flicker. I love this little app.<br />
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This app wouldn't be good unless it supported what you needed in an SSH client - keyboard function along with SSH Key authentication support. The effects are fully adjustable and customizable.<br />
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Here are some images for your enjoyment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsd1WNmnUkyhTlB9yYcVtVuvhCab_KM_vx1OSwFM7QVOYXrEKoyu6_4jZJeHd8oEa8usN4kR0jdEOOeOic52S14AFJpbL7BFzo8za67cUrvJvUnvzHNlNX5no_xHhStRrKamYgl_HOOA/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsd1WNmnUkyhTlB9yYcVtVuvhCab_KM_vx1OSwFM7QVOYXrEKoyu6_4jZJeHd8oEa8usN4kR0jdEOOeOic52S14AFJpbL7BFzo8za67cUrvJvUnvzHNlNX5no_xHhStRrKamYgl_HOOA/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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iPhone 6 Plus in landscape mode. Here, I am connected to my FreeNAS box.<br />
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This is one of those cool iOS only apps and it is made better on the larger 5.5" iPhone 6 Plus.<br />
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Link: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cathode/id656982811?mt=8">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cathode/id656982811?mt=8</a><br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-91417283465620864972014-09-20T15:17:00.001-07:002014-09-20T15:19:00.277-07:00Macally Quick Switch Bluetooth Keyboard. Pair up to 5 devices. Connect to 6 total.Here is an interesting keyboard. The MacAlly Quick Switch Keyboard. This is a full-size bluetooth keyboard that allows you to pair up to 5 devices in addition to a 6th USB device.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBFulgB4_xdu-G9_BnmzWXUXRH4ZJ_x3FmZoLqH8pj4f6Xyj_CbmZs7mm-M_mJYTOMHcEmqe2Dvm6tUwE77vrS-HYl8HKYtGnAlFYoUK5OY_Dq9dlmU_q_ruEFYjZOwCiTD1fzb5Xgvo/s1600/IMAG0547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBFulgB4_xdu-G9_BnmzWXUXRH4ZJ_x3FmZoLqH8pj4f6Xyj_CbmZs7mm-M_mJYTOMHcEmqe2Dvm6tUwE77vrS-HYl8HKYtGnAlFYoUK5OY_Dq9dlmU_q_ruEFYjZOwCiTD1fzb5Xgvo/s1600/IMAG0547.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was cheap and available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Bluetooth-Keyboard-Smartphones-BTKEYPRO/dp/B0009STJIW" target="_blank">Amazon for $29</a>. This is normally $70 but I was able to pick one up at Frys.<br />
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I've used multi-paired bluetooth keyboards like the Logitech K810/811 but none of them support 6 devices (5 Bluetooth and 1 USB).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4DS9qj1qV3SWmvxT-kM3w3tukxLuVqe7L8e3XS3WGNMGO5kxpCeT8Ng1ByRXLYOm_hW94WvDHjwt8IFfsxxDyGvGytHw9RwxNXHtkX3uQo9ej4hoIFOAK_qs32BMmVmjHpP8WCXoALg/s1600/IMAG0549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4DS9qj1qV3SWmvxT-kM3w3tukxLuVqe7L8e3XS3WGNMGO5kxpCeT8Ng1ByRXLYOm_hW94WvDHjwt8IFfsxxDyGvGytHw9RwxNXHtkX3uQo9ej4hoIFOAK_qs32BMmVmjHpP8WCXoALg/s1600/IMAG0549.jpg" height="73" width="400" /></a></div>
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Switching and pairing is pretty straightforward. There is a dedicated button to switch. The keys multi-labelled for Windows and Mac OS.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZHOu32_Q2HBTWpYtZ1K50J9FFsd6j1DicdwNEw72Sn8e_dlvKW9qZMQaU4ZKil1PPFZ-aiE2M4D5_A4TB6szHdTHuCL0Ediy-Wa8qMy_ssxiBnQlTZCPTz1WL1lxBxRlkSlWYcJ4o8M/s1600/IMG_1923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZHOu32_Q2HBTWpYtZ1K50J9FFsd6j1DicdwNEw72Sn8e_dlvKW9qZMQaU4ZKil1PPFZ-aiE2M4D5_A4TB6szHdTHuCL0Ediy-Wa8qMy_ssxiBnQlTZCPTz1WL1lxBxRlkSlWYcJ4o8M/s1600/IMG_1923.JPG" height="320" width="270" /></a></div>
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I really like the fact that it supports USB. So if y ou have a computer without bluetooth, it connects via micro-USB cable. Unlike the Logitech K810, it is a full size keyboard with a numeric pad. In addition, it comes with a small tablet fold-up stand. It uses standard AA batteries so there is nothing to recharge. </div>
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Overall, I like the flexibility of multi-device connectivity. However, as a keyboard goes, it is a bit mushy. It doesn't have a good tactile feel or feedback. If you are quick typist, you're not going to like it. It just doesn't have the tactile feel of a Logitech or an Apple keyboard. But if you have multi-devices on your desk, this is well worth the $30 bucks. Let me repeat it again, this can connect to 6 devices total. I have two laptops, two phones, a desktop pc, and a tablet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjrijeLna75Uq-dDocmjZT_GH0qbxzdZ2aeUHjCDe1idIdQWgOTUPkAYE4Fe6XR8B5lKUo9cN4tsQdEGCLGOZ10IQecHBD7juvL1xWSCq2mIcn2MWx3salltaeoqg1mFc3VSwwDH4SFE/s1600/IMG_4796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjrijeLna75Uq-dDocmjZT_GH0qbxzdZ2aeUHjCDe1idIdQWgOTUPkAYE4Fe6XR8B5lKUo9cN4tsQdEGCLGOZ10IQecHBD7juvL1xWSCq2mIcn2MWx3salltaeoqg1mFc3VSwwDH4SFE/s1600/IMG_4796.JPG" height="287" width="320" /></a></div>
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fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-24710607866474682562014-09-13T09:02:00.003-07:002014-09-13T09:08:52.009-07:00Dell's USB OTG dual charging dongle for the Dell Venue 8 Pro<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3YI-mV4XPRlWTqXbxsGv4Stn0PTeHd_S_loYB-BR5hnrp9-XzEcTa7YVGhlgD9M0SObLjijorsa_HYwnmzqdwFIlxdOH1Tqcb5o8eejaP8MMxkRNcTId2RCK8k0djWi0FNoaNyF2HWM/s1600/venue8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3YI-mV4XPRlWTqXbxsGv4Stn0PTeHd_S_loYB-BR5hnrp9-XzEcTa7YVGhlgD9M0SObLjijorsa_HYwnmzqdwFIlxdOH1Tqcb5o8eejaP8MMxkRNcTId2RCK8k0djWi0FNoaNyF2HWM/s1600/venue8.JPG" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've finally put my Dell Venue 8 to good use. It has been in the drawer since I got it months ago. After a week of usage, it really didn't fit my use-case. Even with a portable bluetooth keyboard, I found the whole touch experience with Windows 8.1 on an 8" screen painful. I never even use Modern UI, just the traditional Dekstop and using your fingers is hopeless. Desktop operating systems simply do not work with touch on a small screen.<br />
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Then out of nowhere, Dell releases a USB-OTG cable that simultaneously supports charging. It is roughly $20 on Dell's website. For those who don't understand the significance, it now means you can charge the Venue 8 at the same time you are using a USB device. Before, you couldn't do that.Thus, the single micro USB port limited it's use as a full time desktop computer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCikuM9v9-1pt1Du_vGq_rndCEBmCS2aekKyiBMOnX8U4BDYL4e_uVpMOuz1gEKYTIa7XuFwR41FDGd1gylzqd-aHdZrmyMX7qvQgbxHg77RQfakzpATgu4qqKeLyvKTokoHZtmQdsGdA/s1600/dongle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCikuM9v9-1pt1Du_vGq_rndCEBmCS2aekKyiBMOnX8U4BDYL4e_uVpMOuz1gEKYTIa7XuFwR41FDGd1gylzqd-aHdZrmyMX7qvQgbxHg77RQfakzpATgu4qqKeLyvKTokoHZtmQdsGdA/s1600/dongle.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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There has been some D-Y-I type affairs but I wasn't keen on taking that route. This official dongle works pretty good. This should have been provided from the get-go or made available at release of the Venue 8. I paired it up with my Microsoft's All-in-One Multimedia keyboard. The keyboard has a built in trackpad, so now I treat the Venue like a little mini laptop.<br />
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I also have a hoot USB 3.0 3-port hub with built in Gigabit. Once you plug it in, you can make up for the lack of networking and multiple USB. It looks like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_jFD60LppYpLCTpJIYc56M-o9utrMXP61qEMhBWzOQkVoNUsmYLHy7ifZd7gFFXc-9TmALhlCDuu9D8N3OsBIwdTyFFVs_4SzJkUXrV-ih0cYtJcZ_i4VM0K4DbBbnAjHL4vNjImL_c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-13+at+9.07.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_jFD60LppYpLCTpJIYc56M-o9utrMXP61qEMhBWzOQkVoNUsmYLHy7ifZd7gFFXc-9TmALhlCDuu9D8N3OsBIwdTyFFVs_4SzJkUXrV-ih0cYtJcZ_i4VM0K4DbBbnAjHL4vNjImL_c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-13+at+9.07.29+AM.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
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Now, it is a good VPN terminal. I run Cygwin and I use it as SSH client. When I don't use the Dell Venue, it simply stows away nicely.fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-27636978325007868702014-09-11T08:52:00.003-07:002014-09-11T08:54:56.420-07:0010,000 miles / 10 month Fiat 500E electric car update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPhNEUV1VpaM-U1TzvSFDsbMYFU443gfi_UT5n_i1df2reLYa-1c8WL73ngrN0GEdPbGUcyz1TgG9e9QF74RRA72Po9r6GYoX3lbvnOv9gWWj5KfbiDZioUGtnDR00tFM5MYEmMsziXQ/s1600/IMG_3742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPhNEUV1VpaM-U1TzvSFDsbMYFU443gfi_UT5n_i1df2reLYa-1c8WL73ngrN0GEdPbGUcyz1TgG9e9QF74RRA72Po9r6GYoX3lbvnOv9gWWj5KfbiDZioUGtnDR00tFM5MYEmMsziXQ/s1600/IMG_3742.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Many of you readers know I have an Fiat 500E electric car as a commuter. Today, I broke the 10,000 miles marker. It has been 10 months since and I have not yet entered a gas station. It is pretty flabbergasting to think that I drive by multiple gas stations everyday and do not even have a clue about current gas prices.</div>
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Hence, this is an update for those curious.</div>
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I started my morning with an average range of 101 miles. Some days it can go as high as 111 miles. The car has an EPA range of 88. However, it has surpassed my expectations.<br />
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After driving it 15 miles, I still have around 100 mile range and 89% capacity. Folks, this is the effects of regenerative braking. Stop and go commute will do wonders for the batteries.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9EmktYnXBFlvQ_wDkk8Nx-BfmAxeYPrhFD3Gn8dJZSKuc-UpUcDYycWN23a6ZgxQrxKTq3Fofcg25tuejNjgCajLkbUtoiQDtGcRkrMVwmvYstQg8xLrLYzFpmQPbK-nAoOx7Cixw40/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9EmktYnXBFlvQ_wDkk8Nx-BfmAxeYPrhFD3Gn8dJZSKuc-UpUcDYycWN23a6ZgxQrxKTq3Fofcg25tuejNjgCajLkbUtoiQDtGcRkrMVwmvYstQg8xLrLYzFpmQPbK-nAoOx7Cixw40/s1600/2.jpg" height="299" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most importantly, this car has changed my life. Simply because of the perks. Driving in the solo diamond lane, I save a lot of time from my commute. I get to spend more time with my kids. In the morning, I am generally less grumpy. Pictured below is a daily scene. Commuters stuck at the Toll plaza; waiting as long as 30-40 minutes while solo carpoolers like myself just whizz on by. On average, I am saving more than 45 minutes each way. That time simply adds up. I save money on bridge toll. I get to pick up my kids earlier from day care; saving me those costs as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtGokCdMZNelVBOEBJbkMATEAdGWg6KVOz_BbLRErx78rmtw7aHx1Zj_yf5h605kP7OSuOhGpqd5Q2rTgw3ZFACJvEcemvFYhZav-5ewo-SegFVwwI_H_DzdFf7EwAuqJQCCqoXoVvqQ/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtGokCdMZNelVBOEBJbkMATEAdGWg6KVOz_BbLRErx78rmtw7aHx1Zj_yf5h605kP7OSuOhGpqd5Q2rTgw3ZFACJvEcemvFYhZav-5ewo-SegFVwwI_H_DzdFf7EwAuqJQCCqoXoVvqQ/s1600/4.jpg" height="127" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm actually worried about what happens when my lease ends. I'm contemplating how things will be like when the carpool benefits end in 2019. Yes, you can call me selfish but those perks are just too good.</div>
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Now lets talk about fuel economy. After my one-way commute into work, I have about 89 mile range left. I've driven more than 22 miles. Getting back home, my tank will be left with 60 or so miles of range to do errands. Not bad.</div>
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For over 10 months, my average economy is 4.2-4.7 miles per kWh. That is simply impressive or it just means I am a really good driver who knows how to get the most of his electric car. Based on today's readings, at 10 cents a Kw, my morning trip cost me 46 cents. My other car, a Range Rover Sport would have cost $6.23. This is not including the toll difference because I get a discounted bridge toll for being green. So the Range Rover would have cost me $12 just to drive into work versus $2.96 on my Fiat 500E. A 50MPG Prius would have to pay $7.76 (22/50MPG * $4 gas plus $6.00 toll).</div>
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Simply, the savings, you can't really complain.</div>
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Overall,the car hasn't been giving me any real problems. Like my last update, there were two more instances where my car did not charge overnight. The car is on a timer and it starts to charge after 11pm for the cheaper rates. I don't know what the cause is. It could be my EVSE charging station, the grid, or the car itself. However, in one case, I notice the plugin electrical connector wasn't fully inserted. I've also notice the EVSE and car sometimes does not fully lock in and engage the connection. So now, I simply plug in, unplug and re-plug it in until I hear an audible click. The audible click tells me the car is fully locked into the charger and is ready to go. Since then, I have not had any charging problems.</div>
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After 10 months, I don't get irritated by carpool cheats anymore. When I first got my car and started driving in the HOV lane, I notice rampant carpool cheats. For some reason it really irked me. There are lots of people who want to risk $400-$600 fines just to drive in the carpool lanes. Those drivers are often rude and aggressive. I totally get that people want to get to work and home on time. Everyone is in a rush. By now, I sort of get numb. I simply let them in front of me especially where I know where the cops will hide. I'm beginning to see the patterns of how the police catch these guys and I'm going to keep it my secret. If they cheat, they will eventually get caught by the police. I've had two encounters with Police who didn't think my car was electric until they saw the decals.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEHH-ixPia7krmeYldbeH-ZtE63SB7ErnT59t9u0SvhJX2WxqdJz43gGVdrUhhG7bHYPvataImqoKPEthdrTyOPzJyH5tIBLC2AvII5DGMNteNtLFrUVUCxxP6d9fzmdqaeEQormRHrY/s1600/IMG_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEHH-ixPia7krmeYldbeH-ZtE63SB7ErnT59t9u0SvhJX2WxqdJz43gGVdrUhhG7bHYPvataImqoKPEthdrTyOPzJyH5tIBLC2AvII5DGMNteNtLFrUVUCxxP6d9fzmdqaeEQormRHrY/s1600/IMG_0011.jpg" height="152" width="320" /></a></div>
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So folks, look at the picture above. If you plan to cheat the carpool, the cops will eventually catch you. It is only a matter of time.</div>
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So there you have it. Nothing exciting. Same old fun. Same great fuel economy. No gas stations. Simply, a completely different outlook on driving cars.</div>
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-86783096218982301432014-09-10T08:45:00.004-07:002014-09-13T19:37:30.830-07:00Apple Watch. A Casual Observation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZwKfyPqsjp73A6hOqw3tg6y-KBliyqJU8USPwKeDHuZCk6rehvUlG1NycfdXhbVvsxQLfyj3euUVL6WQZb3uxjP1iigx8BjDbzcHpa4f7vgRRgKGpQHBa2qEsJZ7Y2cN_me_FHwZcCo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+3.56.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZwKfyPqsjp73A6hOqw3tg6y-KBliyqJU8USPwKeDHuZCk6rehvUlG1NycfdXhbVvsxQLfyj3euUVL6WQZb3uxjP1iigx8BjDbzcHpa4f7vgRRgKGpQHBa2qEsJZ7Y2cN_me_FHwZcCo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+3.56.30+PM.png" height="287" width="320" /></a></div>
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So Apple finally introduces the Apple Watch and everyone is going into frenzy. As I've said it many times before, I'm not the target market for any smart wearables. However, that isn't going to stop anyone else in my household from getting one.<br />
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For the first time in a long time, my wife was fixated and I can see she is very interested; especially in the gold red strap one pictured above. She is not a watch wearer despite being married to a watch collector. I've bought her many high-end Swiss watches and she simply doesn't wear them. She isn't into tech gadgets either. She is happily content with her hand-me down electronics from me.<br />
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This is were most men have lost sight of what is happening. Everyone is debating how fugly it looks. Everyone is comparing it to the Motorola 360. It isn't about your personal taste. Taste and style is subjective. I've been in watch debates since 1994 on Usenet. Rolex vs Omega, Breguet vs Patek, Zenith vs IWC. So I'm a veteran at this and I've learned from a long, long,long time ago, taste is entirely subjective. Having said that, I think the Apple watch has a strong chance of succeeding in the mall watch category from $300-$1200. The High End Swiss watches ($4,000 and up) I enjoy won't be affected. I strongly believe this but the low-end is ripe for the taking.<br />
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Why? <b>Build quality, presentation and marketing.</b><br />
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I am very impressed with the website and overall presentation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4SAzIH_veKNzzx_K5LGrVNvFwoE87vtn8qoimDKOJUJDbqiyeeHlHcY9KojjAiyH-5X17xJyQRUYayxxMqp2yViz6idXPYysFHFEkRYsJE13IcbFcEEQ1vLcGzUjwZUH3N1V4uWKSMI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+4.48.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4SAzIH_veKNzzx_K5LGrVNvFwoE87vtn8qoimDKOJUJDbqiyeeHlHcY9KojjAiyH-5X17xJyQRUYayxxMqp2yViz6idXPYysFHFEkRYsJE13IcbFcEEQ1vLcGzUjwZUH3N1V4uWKSMI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+4.48.14+PM.png" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Jf5tP7Gu53yRCqTTaWkdAxJAt6E2YJZkVkeY1bsvqqFjZoX7pQTEZT4wlBclsA5TEaVJL1O_aGFxzRqksxNvZXSUeJnKC9osihePasgbiPYv6DNguyyhOb01ALRXJEdjb3P0w2Rta1Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+4.48.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Jf5tP7Gu53yRCqTTaWkdAxJAt6E2YJZkVkeY1bsvqqFjZoX7pQTEZT4wlBclsA5TEaVJL1O_aGFxzRqksxNvZXSUeJnKC9osihePasgbiPYv6DNguyyhOb01ALRXJEdjb3P0w2Rta1Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+4.48.21+PM.png" height="271" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdzMIhydOgheajnd8CQFBI7KFJxm3Qio1WGBvJ0bCXdmVUz8pgnVAdSEdztgPcHdjCfQIjh3Zo0LkiI92nuy7dnXuY-ynF85ktfahboEALLnjna2NGXHuWIbaXgMP40hOkJV9umM4GLA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+4.48.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdzMIhydOgheajnd8CQFBI7KFJxm3Qio1WGBvJ0bCXdmVUz8pgnVAdSEdztgPcHdjCfQIjh3Zo0LkiI92nuy7dnXuY-ynF85ktfahboEALLnjna2NGXHuWIbaXgMP40hOkJV9umM4GLA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-09+at+4.48.50+PM.png" height="320" width="261" /></a></div>
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The build quality is impeccable. I am studying the details. The raised and bezeled sapphire glass, the edge chamfer, the grain of the matte SS on the bracelet, the meshed Milanese strap,etc. These are all top notch detailing that no one in this market (Smartwatch) has. Pebble doesn't have it. Nor does Samsung and Motorola. Also, for the first time, I never saw an Apple product that lists material properties until now. This is what the Swiss do. They boldly note the SS is 316L (high grade SS steel found on Omegas, Panerai,etc). For comparison, Samsung, LG uses 304 steel. Motorola is absent in this disclosure. They also note the use of Sapphire; the pre-requisite for a <b><i>premium</i></b> timepiece. Note my use of the word premium instead of luxury. These are two distinct markets.<br />
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The premium market consist of fashion brands. These are Movado, Michael Kors, Armani, Gucci, Burberry and the likes. These are brands with absolutely zero horological domain expertise. They often use cheap $5-10 quartz movement with cheap B-O-M material cost and sell watches in the $300-1200 market. We call these "mall watches." They're often found at department stores rather than high end watch boutiques. The Apple watch competes with these. Yes, it competes with Samsung and Motorola but on the grander scope of things, based on the projected price point, the "mall watch" is the target. I strongly believe this because their recent executive hires are people with retail channel distribution in the luxury/premium markets. I am guessing they want to sell this at airport kiosks and high end malls around the world - Frankfurt, Dubai, Tokyo. Why else would they poach a Tag Huer and enlist Burberry's top exec? They invited fashion bloggers, creative directors of most fashion rags to the Apple watch unveiling during the busiest Fashion week in New York. While the bottom of the pole reporters were in New York, you can see many of the Creative Editors of Vogue, Vogue UK, Marie Claire, InstaStyle in Cupertino.<br />
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Back to my wife. She was fixated and her eyes were all on the gold models. Some of you guys out there are still stuck on the round circle and do not think a square watch will work. Well, let me present to you the Cartier Santos. A $5,000 watch. Women love this watch. They have no problem with rectangular time pieces.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg8oqXCTCT_OuMVguAFAnNtNcKbUoR2cMHDa_DNYvRI87wlpmdfCpiLhr6dnHEpcLS2i4qVXI1KvUQDo0Bix59A-z9QVD1YReva58aVCRmAZiXsJ-LnNryGzo5_6IEY1Yeez_Iba6lPo/s1600/w20011c4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg8oqXCTCT_OuMVguAFAnNtNcKbUoR2cMHDa_DNYvRI87wlpmdfCpiLhr6dnHEpcLS2i4qVXI1KvUQDo0Bix59A-z9QVD1YReva58aVCRmAZiXsJ-LnNryGzo5_6IEY1Yeez_Iba6lPo/s1600/w20011c4.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
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Here is the Santos in a sports setting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-cB9mrX1qem_Q3T_Nwqc_z83j_483-CeMrbwZRLBGTMtb5j86RwQEHvjFiM0pbXtFmKrjyohG361QXjQFGi3blp2VaF4JG8tJ3UAk4piAzqgyF1PIJ83Mj7qqGFZxg6pL5CLTKkNIsw/s1600/Cartier-Santos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-cB9mrX1qem_Q3T_Nwqc_z83j_483-CeMrbwZRLBGTMtb5j86RwQEHvjFiM0pbXtFmKrjyohG361QXjQFGi3blp2VaF4JG8tJ3UAk4piAzqgyF1PIJ83Mj7qqGFZxg6pL5CLTKkNIsw/s1600/Cartier-Santos.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Now look at the Apple watch in the marketing promo. On women. I assume these are the 38mm models.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2mqvHAzItXH9-Sq2n5wRWV6AfOjLIuUMofM46BuBBvEmJMW8MdR08R33DTvfl8rEkzDUKsg9JF2PO-wgMRyT3-ce-2uZShBZq3o7APBRT4X6DepoUw3ex2sRrezeEwtV77_7aTW7Qzw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-10+at+8.36.48+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2mqvHAzItXH9-Sq2n5wRWV6AfOjLIuUMofM46BuBBvEmJMW8MdR08R33DTvfl8rEkzDUKsg9JF2PO-wgMRyT3-ce-2uZShBZq3o7APBRT4X6DepoUw3ex2sRrezeEwtV77_7aTW7Qzw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-10+at+8.36.48+AM.png" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4SAi6dkdF6FxULiZEiVGl-IadU1g2OmAmItc8BCU266XvItLhtOdnVShfu5ToSET5p-WAt9E6cicv0VopqDX3i3nhVx_VnJkELK61FZ6keZdAaVNKiD5alwL3a9V1LbaTipjQ9XPlB4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-10+at+8.36.04+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4SAi6dkdF6FxULiZEiVGl-IadU1g2OmAmItc8BCU266XvItLhtOdnVShfu5ToSET5p-WAt9E6cicv0VopqDX3i3nhVx_VnJkELK61FZ6keZdAaVNKiD5alwL3a9V1LbaTipjQ9XPlB4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-10+at+8.36.04+AM.png" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
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They're not Cartiers. My wife would never spend $5000 on a Cartier (she has no problem with me spending that on my mens' watches). Simply, she doesn't see the value. However, a $1000 gold case and red leather deployant strap is a different thing altogether. The Apple watch looks inoffensive. It is also highly customizable. In short, it hits the target market she is in. The Premium, fashion soccer mom market.<br />
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My point is this, this may not be attractive to you (or me), it is attractive to others. Now, I showed her the Motorola 360 to get her opinion. I showed her a picture of something she has context with - 40mm sports watch. Here is a picture I found on the internet that gives a good comparison. That is a 46mm Motorola 360 next to what appears to be a Rolex Sub (or knockoff) which is 40mm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGeducmKSJ1UtLhtYH4-2XARektyjS7MAvy01athczZy62AU5BVrCQzuUoyIXK5u5eHLPbkWngRUBV8QF2mwCAwL0dKG82U2RAKlE8dncoANE6Qkq_gDptbS0fJSK5pXKdYfKPOArFD4/s1600/20140908_161626_Android.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGeducmKSJ1UtLhtYH4-2XARektyjS7MAvy01athczZy62AU5BVrCQzuUoyIXK5u5eHLPbkWngRUBV8QF2mwCAwL0dKG82U2RAKlE8dncoANE6Qkq_gDptbS0fJSK5pXKdYfKPOArFD4/s1600/20140908_161626_Android.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just for context, 40mm Rolex on Charlize Theron. This is a "large's" man's watch. To her, the Moto 360 is comically too big. This is before she even put eyes on the flat tire screen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt1jHq0XW9LxJumn9Onmg-WvVm48HVYjRibGDst5pyH4IGYtv9OUpWeVioPF2Itng_AnLmsJ2oYHSJI3f-DcLJvXS0f4cJc4G7SD6b48ZGQZpXx5nHAjZC3LMqC9UXOkLtAJzd5_sZcM/s1600/Charlize-Theron-Rolex-DEEP-SEA-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt1jHq0XW9LxJumn9Onmg-WvVm48HVYjRibGDst5pyH4IGYtv9OUpWeVioPF2Itng_AnLmsJ2oYHSJI3f-DcLJvXS0f4cJc4G7SD6b48ZGQZpXx5nHAjZC3LMqC9UXOkLtAJzd5_sZcM/s1600/Charlize-Theron-Rolex-DEEP-SEA-.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I am starting to think Apple may be on to something. Despite my Luddite attachments to my Rolex and Omegas, I think there is a market here. It may not appeal to me but I can see it appealing to my significant others.<br />
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<b>Update</b>: Here is a really <b>good post</b> why Square/Rectangular screens are better for swatch watches. It is a very compelling argument. You basically need a larger circle to cover equal amount of content when compared to an equal size rectangular screen. With the smaller the screen (38mm for women), touch UI will be exponentially harder to work with. This validates the use of a digital crown in the design process.<br />
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<a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=19627830&postcount=21">http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=19627830&postcount=21</a><br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-13853567274265376992014-09-08T09:10:00.001-07:002014-09-13T12:58:39.356-07:00iWatch, SmartWatches, Moto 360, Wearables. Again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOmxSrG496Ai56Lba-Gqj49N2KrSH0R_L7Ry3vibRAtAvbbmTDNLpZZqXxRG1C-W03mgANQaGmhlkEQq_6GTqJlVvnP0bnZRGVYt7uyk_x4wS68LKDNwnN6948eW4WiYZ6eWXeqEWqsw/s1600/Watches_son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOmxSrG496Ai56Lba-Gqj49N2KrSH0R_L7Ry3vibRAtAvbbmTDNLpZZqXxRG1C-W03mgANQaGmhlkEQq_6GTqJlVvnP0bnZRGVYt7uyk_x4wS68LKDNwnN6948eW4WiYZ6eWXeqEWqsw/s1600/Watches_son.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(My 4 year old son at the time trying to figure out which watch he will inherit from me)</span></div>
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This is a topic that simply cannot die. For over 25 years, I've been known as the "watch guy" in my circles. Yeah, I'm the guy with the fetish for expensive Swiss mechanical watches. So obviously, everyone comes to me for my watch opinions. With the introduction of the Motorola 360 and the anticipation of the Apple iWatch, more and more people are coming to me for my advice and opinion.<br />
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Well, lets do this one more time.<br />
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<b>Will I buy one?</b><br />
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No, I won't buy something to replace my Swiss watches. I will not buy a Smartwatch. However, I am open to a fitness band. I will buy something that can be worn on my right wrist; reserving my left arm for watches. I'm in my forties and health is a big deal to me. I have friends dying right and left. I do have medical and health issues so a compelling health sensor would make me buy a wearable.<br />
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<b>Moto 360</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIGiPvcE_7mGYnvuQQWvCndZW-OTxwxp2V64FsgtBD7SI8JJLDpfsmDjzWeuDR2izol6KiIT30u9kVOm1FbHn5PzZ_IQO5qGMD8UEIos57XNk1rqjBR03YDwkVwRgEBmwSwQ1cSyAu4o/s1600/Moto-360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIGiPvcE_7mGYnvuQQWvCndZW-OTxwxp2V64FsgtBD7SI8JJLDpfsmDjzWeuDR2izol6KiIT30u9kVOm1FbHn5PzZ_IQO5qGMD8UEIos57XNk1rqjBR03YDwkVwRgEBmwSwQ1cSyAu4o/s1600/Moto-360.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is an ugly watch and that is my opinion. I'm not into the flat tire design (where the bottom is cut-off). That is my biggest complaint. However, taste is entirely subjective. It also looks to much like it is trying too hard to be an ultra-thin museum piece when it isn't. It is girthy. I also looks like a cheap "Mall fashion watch" in the theme of Movado and Rado. Those are quartz watches I don't like except those are ultrathin and quartz makes sense. The 360 is so big, you can fit literally a pocket watch movement in it like the Unitas 697. In short, it looks like a girly fashion watch yet at the same time, it is monstrously big.<br />
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I prefer the LG G R watch. The thicker bezel doesn't bother me on the LG because if you look at any Swiss watch I have, they all have bezels. They also all have traditional lugs to swap straps. Here is the LG R watch. It looks like a fashion watch too but it is more pleasant in my eyes. I read that people don't like the thick bezel nor the lugs. Obviously, those people prefer the minimalist, cleaner 360.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TYxGrWEcT0zKG1R6x1BoNEa-WjKbG6LD3RyCNXFbqwvDRKG5pbQgU3icZaYe3dp0yk5-HwD7t8No6YtUjpGZsE3AestuotznzERpeGytwManc38i6aY8OBgCgLNg1WC6xSXQDXbE_ls/s1600/lg-g-watch-r-578-80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TYxGrWEcT0zKG1R6x1BoNEa-WjKbG6LD3RyCNXFbqwvDRKG5pbQgU3icZaYe3dp0yk5-HwD7t8No6YtUjpGZsE3AestuotznzERpeGytwManc38i6aY8OBgCgLNg1WC6xSXQDXbE_ls/s1600/lg-g-watch-r-578-80.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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That is just my opinion on looks.<br />
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Most importantly, I think the 46mm size of the Moto360 is way too big. Monstrously big for what it is. Arstechnica did a comparison (<a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/moto-360-review-beautiful-outside-ugly-inside">http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/moto-360-review-beautiful-outside-ugly-inside</a>/) and their comparison is a bit off and let me explain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavFHJnCSF7OLIr3uyfNIMDFhdhMYT3K8pAw39Fqo1EWInMtwLo_pwMlPUSPEq7icgmBQlFMNbWPgi5D6vMhKSnPZdJjln0UeEkEUs9WhPtB9dYSI6Z5WFj5fypOYy2HC-4uNma1kjVjc/s1600/size-comparison.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavFHJnCSF7OLIr3uyfNIMDFhdhMYT3K8pAw39Fqo1EWInMtwLo_pwMlPUSPEq7icgmBQlFMNbWPgi5D6vMhKSnPZdJjln0UeEkEUs9WhPtB9dYSI6Z5WFj5fypOYy2HC-4uNma1kjVjc/s1600/size-comparison.png" height="305" width="640" /></a></div>
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36mm is a women's size. Small Men's size are 38mm like the Datejust and Explorer. 42mm is a slight creep from the average large men's watch.<br />
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Now for some context.<br />
40mm is large. It has been considered large for over 50 years; notably with watches like the Rolex Submariner, GMT Master. Those are manly watches. Here is Charlize Theron wearing a 40mm Rolex. It is a large watch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3kr6SPMS-ZuCYdkQc6R87zRdx2UhVQXkKVGykDcvCrw5KEnn8JwPYu6SPlK2858q6YAoGCsref0OqVRytknrlg3rVxV8HoqX9p4Ai_ibSdj-Wei9LR2DTrB8d5AbF-9YGwomjk_c2Gg/s1600/Charlize-Theron-Rolex-DEEP-SEA-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3kr6SPMS-ZuCYdkQc6R87zRdx2UhVQXkKVGykDcvCrw5KEnn8JwPYu6SPlK2858q6YAoGCsref0OqVRytknrlg3rVxV8HoqX9p4Ai_ibSdj-Wei9LR2DTrB8d5AbF-9YGwomjk_c2Gg/s1600/Charlize-Theron-Rolex-DEEP-SEA-.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></div>
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Most of my watches are 40mm and I'm comfortable with that. 40mm with 20mm strap width is the perfect Men's large watch size. A good majority of the historical iconic classics fit in that dimension. Here is what most Alpha males historically worn. 40mm.<br />
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Here you have Che with a Submariner, Apollo 13 Jack Swiggert with his GMT Master, and various James Bond with their 40mm Submariners.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCj1CXnE7B2zF42kfeAXXXa1gxH0wTY_jwFsiLSoloOC42hsXjPqnTYR7cT6FFf8DyvQXC07gjpF_RTcgCZJPqfxHz-NjmDu8W-EbvdGkII67WbyZB8dM4yhUmFwYztVwHw8Y9Wm5pz0/s1600/cheGMT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCj1CXnE7B2zF42kfeAXXXa1gxH0wTY_jwFsiLSoloOC42hsXjPqnTYR7cT6FFf8DyvQXC07gjpF_RTcgCZJPqfxHz-NjmDu8W-EbvdGkII67WbyZB8dM4yhUmFwYztVwHw8Y9Wm5pz0/s1600/cheGMT.jpg" height="200" width="193" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFavgtshwya6XM15d_ITZDDsrp4Z95xnYLp7OYPXqf_VNShGVpVzuy1UmNeM1BiJdg_91Za1irhUflBYiEhx7PNOXUduwvK-lperYn970_0uoFbcbyLhpk68qTzDdHTFNcvyVA-3psZk/s1600/ap13-noID_Swigert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFavgtshwya6XM15d_ITZDDsrp4Z95xnYLp7OYPXqf_VNShGVpVzuy1UmNeM1BiJdg_91Za1irhUflBYiEhx7PNOXUduwvK-lperYn970_0uoFbcbyLhpk68qTzDdHTFNcvyVA-3psZk/s1600/ap13-noID_Swigert.jpg" height="200" width="156" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIYEh_KYSSvm03ksKxDhuD1iTCGAGkCDMZWaIYgjaXVJq3ea1jKf_rNcFxBe1Wy9hcTyiBrPpDEpMPTY8MzbNWQu_06p6Po4S79BrV1YtIJuh3PFbKAuQKAs9EXiG9wJlKW9ma6NjOmo/s1600/Timothy-Dalton-James-Bond-Living-Daylights-Rolex-Submariner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIYEh_KYSSvm03ksKxDhuD1iTCGAGkCDMZWaIYgjaXVJq3ea1jKf_rNcFxBe1Wy9hcTyiBrPpDEpMPTY8MzbNWQu_06p6Po4S79BrV1YtIJuh3PFbKAuQKAs9EXiG9wJlKW9ma6NjOmo/s1600/Timothy-Dalton-James-Bond-Living-Daylights-Rolex-Submariner.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWi5tON-anWYxaoiosB0Dz7KZ3lD5fA6H6zNPkOxVOnZ6EF-jU5z7zr1nUQ9dXKxP-wQIBgKs56g6e9cWhgShWgPcB3dxq67H9_KwmAZtXSP_Rt0bEkhHipsU7XH4BL35rT_1UH0NEe8/s1600/thunderball2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWi5tON-anWYxaoiosB0Dz7KZ3lD5fA6H6zNPkOxVOnZ6EF-jU5z7zr1nUQ9dXKxP-wQIBgKs56g6e9cWhgShWgPcB3dxq67H9_KwmAZtXSP_Rt0bEkhHipsU7XH4BL35rT_1UH0NEe8/s1600/thunderball2.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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In short, your masculinity was never at question with 40mm. Every cool male figures in my life wore 38 to 40mm. 38mm was considered to be on the dressy side and 40mm was the casual, sporty side. All the Hollywood actors, test pilots (Chuck Yeager), NASA astronauts, explorers wore 40mm. Even the high end tactical secret forces of the her Royal Navy special ops wore 40mm. It was a successful recipe for Rolex for over 60 years. It was the optimal size.</div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
Here is a comparison to a Rolex 40mm. See why I call it comically big?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uWLpHxbOhN_uE_1BvVfgrdtQgAizWVF4_OcMLHrDOJTAX3kBv-R1OTJ-1sbkOU7xOYOKfM-lbGzyS1wCIG0HZyHLZDAv5v2t7iBdEJGld7eeq5YV7jB2GACDFC6Qf__feihbMK0z6-0/s1600/20140908_161626_Android.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uWLpHxbOhN_uE_1BvVfgrdtQgAizWVF4_OcMLHrDOJTAX3kBv-R1OTJ-1sbkOU7xOYOKfM-lbGzyS1wCIG0HZyHLZDAv5v2t7iBdEJGld7eeq5YV7jB2GACDFC6Qf__feihbMK0z6-0/s1600/20140908_161626_Android.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then around the mid 1990s, Panerai broke the mold and introduced the 44mm Panerais. Hollywood macho celebrities like Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Statham, and many leading men started to wear Panerais because they were over-size and blingy without the negative Rolex stigma. Pictured below is a 44mm Panerai.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5z8H-EDTyndDU8HvES2SYcfjeStrDxBMrtGBxkUUxbg7veZIuuGjIUiYq6Ce3M2_bneX8EjuSo9THuvtJ9ePqTYlYjcSabEza3J5tnD3zJUBtdZBaCa18CiS66DducqMt5OebxLCnKw/s1600/theexpendables_2-panerai-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5z8H-EDTyndDU8HvES2SYcfjeStrDxBMrtGBxkUUxbg7veZIuuGjIUiYq6Ce3M2_bneX8EjuSo9THuvtJ9ePqTYlYjcSabEza3J5tnD3zJUBtdZBaCa18CiS66DducqMt5OebxLCnKw/s1600/theexpendables_2-panerai-3.jpg" height="178" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiA5h6c_Fx8SGZ1vsvcootsJgg1ZyyYNDEO56ZiLhrWhl1HBfRfhLKZdo3-cElojmwuY-_HcvQSWDTBlu4IEhrv2M3ySaGBpBLcQkow1wOUYN2ObXiuQ7vpBnJXqQG5Y1xmG_DGqIH-2g/s1600/o_464490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiA5h6c_Fx8SGZ1vsvcootsJgg1ZyyYNDEO56ZiLhrWhl1HBfRfhLKZdo3-cElojmwuY-_HcvQSWDTBlu4IEhrv2M3ySaGBpBLcQkow1wOUYN2ObXiuQ7vpBnJXqQG5Y1xmG_DGqIH-2g/s1600/o_464490.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, there are some outliers. Panerai does make some models in 47mm.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc08WZu0HNbdQ8g_26Cx55WDnDGBG_QyANHSP-pnKua78q01HRkCuwDLFmBMQoEBtuIgGFrr1S0znkurMIsGt4TRr8aILJWRB3t21B2TWzRQ4Xej6Twt_ljvqf82dhT6pyq5380Meg3Y/s1600/Sylvester-Stallone-Panerai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc08WZu0HNbdQ8g_26Cx55WDnDGBG_QyANHSP-pnKua78q01HRkCuwDLFmBMQoEBtuIgGFrr1S0znkurMIsGt4TRr8aILJWRB3t21B2TWzRQ4Xej6Twt_ljvqf82dhT6pyq5380Meg3Y/s1600/Sylvester-Stallone-Panerai.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
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Obliviously, you can tell it is an outlier size. Some say you need the persona and physical stature to pull that off. The Moto 360 is not that far off the mark at 46mm. Except, a 44-47mm Panerai looks really masculine and macho. A Moto 360 still looks nerdy. In short, the entire cast of the <i>Expendables </i>wear 42-47mm watches. Compare an A-List Hollywood action star to your typical nerd geek who will be wearing a smart watch that are both similar in size. This pretty much eliminates a large percentage of the population; women.<br />
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Outlier size won't appeal to many. I wear a 44mm Panerai on occasion and I can feel the heft and that watch is the most banged up watch I have. I'm always accidentally banging that watch on doors,tables,etc. Other Panerai owners feel the same.<br />
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Omega and Rolex started to supersize to 42-43mm as well. With this over-size watch craze, some of the younger generation think 40mm is no longer large but regular size. There is a very tangible big difference every mm you grow on in size on a watch. The perception is much more so than the weight.<br />
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<b>Battery life</b><br />
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Like I wrote earlier, I'm into Swiss mechanical watches. None of my watches need batteries. They are infinitely powered. The whole idea of 1 to 2 day battery life is alien to me. I'd go bat-crazy. I remember a few times where I was hospitalized for 2 days and all my electronic gadgets died on me - iPad, laptop, smartphones. The only thing keeping me sane was my watch. I've been on travelling expeditions (buses, trains) in 3rd world countries for days. No smartwatch would obviously work in that scenario.<br />
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They need to obviously work on the battery life.<br />
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<b>What would I buy if I did?</b><br />
It is hard to say. I may get one for novelty purposes but nothing is going to replace my Panerai, Rolex, Omega or whatever I have.<br />
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The idea of a square case doesn't bother me. It doesn't have to be circular as I'm not looking for a watch. I prefer long battery life. But I've seen decent square watch cases like JLC and the Heuer Monaco.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh348zO04srBEoqo8QEiJBq1KZBPil8VcFCNiEyJWvAEgZoDs8thnXDbxdBr3lBG2OsmzG-wIAlO3VIT9s_Q7BzynAjTKQN_lDExj8Dcz8D2IXmLrNM_yiJsxDkzAi_TPI0ecXc1kTbpfc/s1600/1240943861_tag-heuer-monaco-anniversary-edition_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh348zO04srBEoqo8QEiJBq1KZBPil8VcFCNiEyJWvAEgZoDs8thnXDbxdBr3lBG2OsmzG-wIAlO3VIT9s_Q7BzynAjTKQN_lDExj8Dcz8D2IXmLrNM_yiJsxDkzAi_TPI0ecXc1kTbpfc/s1600/1240943861_tag-heuer-monaco-anniversary-edition_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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But as I noted, I'm not looking for a watch per se. I'm open to a fitness band tracker I can wear on my right wrist.<br />
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I would go for something like this. Yes, I know some of you guys will think of it as a girly bracelet but I don't have those hang-ups. I'm wearing some 40-44mm beefy Swiss tool watch on my left wrist so I don't care.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UwRRQkXUTGpWO81seVXK-YfbCpT0J7-qzOVSywMO5cW_T2UVwfs0_ErsqQ8B8trdVn2JlhiNK10HhHxHBiFeprQsD0eu6NLxkEkBUtTe1Asvh016ipT8HQ06vWYwYGcr9eGG9SLxqfc/s1600/1391428854-md-119305_md_12924_iwatch_release_date_is_october_2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UwRRQkXUTGpWO81seVXK-YfbCpT0J7-qzOVSywMO5cW_T2UVwfs0_ErsqQ8B8trdVn2JlhiNK10HhHxHBiFeprQsD0eu6NLxkEkBUtTe1Asvh016ipT8HQ06vWYwYGcr9eGG9SLxqfc/s1600/1391428854-md-119305_md_12924_iwatch_release_date_is_october_2013.png" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, the thing that would make me instantly buy something like this are:<br />
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1. Battery embedded in the bracelet. This would compensate for the short battery life that is causing problems for many of the OEMs. If the whole bracelet was an extended battery and if it gets 4 days of use, I'm sold. But I would only buy something like this on the premise of it being a fitness, health sensor band. If it is mainly a watch, I'd have to consider my techy gadget curiosity over my horological passions.<br />
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2. Some extended phone calling capabilities without the need to tether a phone. If Apple was able to convince Phone carriers to allow multi-shared SIM plans, that could be a big. The idea is with two SIMs, you can share the same phone number and capabilities on your phone and wearable. So if the phone is in your car while at the gym, you can make calls with just your wearable. This would be an instant buy for me. However, I doubt this would ever happen.<br />
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<b>Will Apple kill the Swiss industry.</b><br />
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I see this question come up a lot. Answer. No. That is a big pipe dream. Rolex is a 8 billion dollar company with 4.5b in annual sales. They generate over 800,000 Chronometers. Their average watch sales for $8,000. SWATCH group, LVMH, Richemont are equally big. Boutiques like Patek and Lange Sohne will never be effected just as Ferrari will never be effected by Toyota. The comparisons and analogies to Blackberry/Nokia are so way off the mark. We are talking about luxury goods here. A different dynamic. I know people who drop $25,000 on a Panerai and a $250 smartwatch isn't going to sway their opinion. People buy engagement and wedding gifts that are suppose to last and be used for decades.<br />
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There are a million reasons why the whole idea is nonsense. No one is going to replace their high end watches. Smart watches will be disruptive. Sure. It will effect the market under $1,000. Possibly even encroach in the $1,500 range. Casio, Garmin, and many of the fitness trackers will be effected. Some of the mall fashion brands will be hurt - Coach, Armani, Gucci, and Movado. But that is about it.<br />
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But high end Swiss mechanical? No. I buy watches because I like mechanical miniaturization. There is simply no comparison to something made from electronics with something made from hundreds of mechanized parts. Watches also appreciate in value over time. I buy them as life-long companions. I have some watches I bought new that are over 25 years old. They don't have the 2 year replacement/update cycle. I can hand down my watches to my kids so it is a generational thing. Craft. There are a million other reasons why Swiss watch buyers won't give in. It is mostly emotional and no form technical rationalization is going to change that. I have friends and family who are heavily tech and gadget oriented. Those with Swiss watches share my similar opinion. Nothing is going to replace their Rolex and Panerais. <br />
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Some guys save up years to buy their Omega Speedmaster because they were in awe with NASA. Some get Rolex Submariners because they remember their cool uncle or dad, or perhaps, James Bond. These are longings that many have as a kid until they grow up. No one is going to long for a disposable gadget. My son, who is six, really wants my Omega Seamaster and Speedmaster Professional. He's been stuck on those two watches since he was three. He also know they're special by observing how much care I take after them. An electronic gadget doesn't have those appeal.<br />
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I've been called an old fart for this Luddite reasoning and I'm OK with that. It is the same feeling art lovers will never replace an Rothko with some Adobe Illustrater drawing.<br />
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In closing, these are my thoughts for the time being.<br />
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Update: With the Apple Watch announced, here are my thoughts on another post.<br />
<a href="http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2014/09/apple-watch-casual-observation.html">http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2014/09/apple-watch-casual-observation.html</a><br />
<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-22324824422680840472014-09-03T18:01:00.003-07:002014-09-04T10:17:04.695-07:00VMware Fusion 7 Pro. A must have upgrade.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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VMware just released Fusion 7 Pro with some major changes and updates. The most obvious are support for Yosemite OSX 10.10, improve performance, GPU upgrades.<br />
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However, if you are Mac based developer who is involved with ESXi or vSphere, this is an absolute must-have upgrade. This version definitely gives weight to the "Pro" denomination. The remote server integration makes it well worth the $80 upgrade and $150 full price.<br />
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<b>So what is new?</b><br />
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I'm not going to rehashed some press release or product page. You can read that directly on VMware's own product page here:<a href="http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion-pro/" target="_blank">http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion-pro/ </a>. Improved performance. Check! Improved Retina support. Check!<br />
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The "what's big" is the vSphere, ESXi support. This is only in the Pro version and it definitely makes it a big differentiator between the regular Fusion 7.<br />
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For those Mac developers who tirelessly worked for years with ESXi, your normal modus operandi was to install a Windows VM and run vSphere Client in a Windows' Guest. Now, a majority of those functions are built right into Fusion Pro.<br />
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In the screenshot below, I can see my local VMs and in the preview pane and I can now see the inventory of my remote Virtual Machines. I even get general stats on usage of the remote server.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gugx0TqLTzgR4IJbuFs6zS2o4NI-7_ycg6sXoelGaxXZ7FYjhrR5kkGZTTqr5JRX1ojNPS0O2ww6BXb61ncWsDWNdpqX6tiUr2I2Y0SLSwbAMnb-Fy-G5AIqcxghroqm8GfJAN02ctQ/s1600/ESXi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gugx0TqLTzgR4IJbuFs6zS2o4NI-7_ycg6sXoelGaxXZ7FYjhrR5kkGZTTqr5JRX1ojNPS0O2ww6BXb61ncWsDWNdpqX6tiUr2I2Y0SLSwbAMnb-Fy-G5AIqcxghroqm8GfJAN02ctQ/s1600/ESXi.png" height="395" width="640" /></a></div>
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Yep. Now you can start, stop, modify remote Virtual Machines, and even deploy OVFs right inside Fusion Pro.<br />
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<b>Impressive indeed!</b><br />
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You simply, connect and you have some basic control. This is simply a <b><i>killer feature</i></b>.<br />
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Another benefit to this is you can now run Virtual Machines remotely. I have 6 and 8-core AMD ESXi white box servers running in my basement. They have 16 and 32GB of RAM with 3 terabyte of data storage. I don't need to even run my development VMs on my Macbook. Rather, I can control and run them remotely. Sure, you can VNC or RDP in but that method is often laggy and unpleasant. Nor can you enable features of the guest via traditional remote desktop connectivity.<br />
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Here, you can run and enable device features remotely. For example, I run a proxy server and have a stand-by failover VM on another server. Both are running with the same IP. When one fails, I simply enable the networking on the standby unit to take over. The guest will utilize whatever CPU and GPU processing power your remote host hypervisor has.<br />
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So if you have VMs on a ESXi, vSphere or Windows Workstation, you can now run your VM on beefier, remote boxes. The whole start-up and control process feels and acts if you are running locally. I am very impressed. You won't get unity or shared folders on remote VMs. Thus, you'd still need to run those VMs locally for those guests that need those features. However, for most console OSes (Linux apps servers), you can simply run them remotely.<br />
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Furthermore, you can now provision on-the-fly fairly quickly.<br />
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Fusion 7 Pro has the ability to export OVFs built in the interface. You now no longer have to run command line tools like ovftool to export your Virtual Machine into a ESXi/vSphere format. You can even drag-n-drop local Virtual Machines you built on your Mac and it will upload and deploy on your ESXi server in a seamless Mac-like fashion. Again, killer upgrade.</div>
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Pictured below is an example. I dragged a local LAMP stack from my Macbook onto my remote ESXi server box and voila. Instant provisioning.<br />
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You can also export and download as well.<br />
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I must say, these Pro features are impressive. It doesn't have all the features of the Windows ESXi client but it covers most of the stuff I need on a day to day basis. The OVF export takes the hassle of tweaking VMDK and thin provisioning.<br />
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Now, let me comment on some of the other features of Fusion 7.<br />
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You can select what GPU you want to use if your Mac has a hybrid graphics card set-up. Before, I had to use some hacks to disable the NVDIA card but now, you can set it in the VM guest.<br />
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This will save battery power considerably for Macbooks with dual GPUs. Console based OS and older operating systems will no longer start the GPU if you don't want them to. My macbook no longer whizzes the fan when I want to fire up an old copy of Windows XP or CentOS.<br />
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They've also improved Retina support. For non HiDPI operating systems, the rendering doesn't look so bad anymore. Pictured above is Windows XP and it now looks fairly good without the nasty dithering blockiness found in earlier versions.<br />
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User interface wise, it is an clean, streamlined new look that will fit right in with Yosemite.<br />
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Overall, I am very impressed. I am definitely giving this upgrade a big thumbs up.<br />
<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-6295553533957207522014-09-03T13:07:00.003-07:002014-09-03T13:09:45.803-07:00Logitech introduces the K480 multi device bluetooth keyboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today, Logitech announces the new K480 keyboard. It is a bluetooth keyboard that allows you to pair up to 3 devices. This sounds exactly like the K810/K811 I <a href="http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2013/05/quick-review-logitech-bluetooth-easy.html" target="_blank">reviewed a while back</a>.<br />
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I guess the basic difference is this is $50 instead of $99. It also has a jog dial versus Fn keys. However, I still like the K810/811s due to the fact they glow at night with the illuminated keyboards. This doesn't appear to have illuminated keys. Oh, I forgot, this new K480 does have a slide in cradle to dock your phone and tablet. That is pretty cool except the green color doesn't suit me and I can do without the white version.</div>
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I'll probably pick one of these up as I always have a need for bluetooth keyboards.</div>
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Link: <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/multi-device-keyboard-k480?crid=26">http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/multi-device-keyboard-k480?crid=26</a></div>
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fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-78071327459982974432014-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:002014-09-03T10:52:33.202-07:00Proper way to run TOR and TAILS in a Virtual Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Note: This post is for informational purposes only. I use Tails/Tors for network analysis and intrusion detection of my network for academic purposes.</i></div>
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Tails is a TOR based amnesic based operating system. It is basically a Live-CD/USB operating system that gets you on to the TOR based Onion network for complete privacy. The normal usage is to run it off a CD or USB. Virtual Machines are not recommended but people do it anyways. I won't get into the debate or discuss the merit of running it via live boot USB versus running it in a VM. The basic argument against the VM's premise is if the host hypervisor is compromised, you are not truly anonymous. Furthermore, keyloggers, remote desktop can cause problems. Lastly, most VM's bridge or NAT networking can potentially leak info.<br />
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If you are going to run it in a VM, I have some suggestions. Hence, the topic of this blog post.<br />
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First of all, you want to have much isolation as possible. Most Hypervisors allow you to dedicate specific hardware to the guest operating system. Never share anything. This includes soundcards, bluetooth, and most importantly ethernet/wi-fi devices.<br />
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For the sake of this post, I am using Mac OSX and VMWare Fusion. However, the concepts and principles apply to Windows, Linux or VirtualBox.<br />
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When you create your guest, try not to store it on your drive.If you do store it on your drive, encrypt it. And encrypt it again. My main hard drive has file fault but I go even further and store my image in an Encrypted container. In this case a DMG.<br />
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I can then go toss my DMG image into an encrypted USB stick.<br />
Then go another step further and use VMware's built-in encryption to protect the VM file.<br />
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(be sure to enable it to ON!)<br />
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Since the whole guest will be relatively small, I strongly suggest throwing it on a USB stick. You don't want anything on your host.<br />
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<b>Now to the VM itself. Clean it up.</b><br />
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I then remove everything I do not need. Remove the Sound Card. Disable the bluetooth sharing.<br />
Everything except USB. If you need sound, I have a solution for that later.<br />
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Most importantly, remove the hard drive as you don't need it. You will be booting from the ISO file. Your VM files should be less than 2MB.<br />
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Now, lets beging the isolation process.</div>
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<b>Disable the Network Adapter.</b></div>
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<b>Yes. Disable the network adapter.</b></div>
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In fact, you can disable all networking on your host computer. When you bridge or NAT, you cannot truly mask your host's computer with advance sniffing. Your host computer doesn't even need to be physically connected to the network.<br />
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<b>Now, if you disable networking, how do you get on the Internet or have any networking?</b><br />
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This is the important piece of info. Get yourself some cheap NIC devices. USB ethernet dongles, wi-fi sticks. Treat them like disposable SIM cards you have on disposable phones. The MAC ethernet addresses of those devices will be unique and will not trace back to your computer. </blockquote>
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No bridging. Not NAT traversal. Complete isolation from the host. If you no longer have a need for the NIC, simply throw it away and get a new one. That last tip is for the paranoid.<br />
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Under your USB settings, you will want the guest operating system to "own" the particular device.<br />
In this case, my portable USB dongle. Since Tails uses Debian, I've notice most USB network and wireless dongles work out of the box including the ASIX 88179 USB 3.0 gigabit dongle.<br />
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Once you boot into TAILS, you'll see the USB network adapters as if they were native to the TAILS operating system.<br />
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I would also do a simple ifconfig to verify you are indeed using the hardware.<br />
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Another cool thing you can do is dedicate a separate USB mouse/keyboard to the Virtual Machine. This should eliminate one of the key concerns of running Tails inside a VM - potential keylogging from the Host. As for sound, since you disabled sharing from the host, you can use a USB sound DAC if you really want sound inside Tails. Again, you need to give dedicated USB ownership to the guest.<br />
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Here I use a Motorola LapDock. I dedicate a separate full screen display to my VM and use the built in keyboard/trackpad. The key entries are unknown to my host Macbook Pro. Also pictured is an Apple 10/100 USB dongle that also works very well with Tails.<br />
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Now back to my disclaimer on the top of this post. This is for informational purposes. I've been evaluating Tails/Tor to see if anyone on our network can go un-detected. We've provisioned Kali intrusion boxes; sniffed network with Wireshark/Ethereal and we are still testing. I have to say, I am very impressed and scared at the same time.<br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-3479599421017268612014-08-24T15:26:00.003-07:002014-08-24T15:34:49.687-07:00David & Goliath. Bargain Bin Budget Laptops Acer 11.6 in and Toshiba 17.3 in Windows 8.1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My kid is entering the first grade so I decided to upgrade his computer. His first computer was an Acer C710 Chromebook. It served him well for Preschool and Kindergarten. I think Chromebooks satisfies most needs but the one thing I hated about the C710 Chromebook was the battery life. Thus, I sought out his replacement. I heard great things about the 710 replacement, the C720 but the allure of cheap Windows laptops tempted me. Low and behold, a few of the brick-n-mortart stores are selling ultra cheap Windows 8.1 celeron budget laptops. First, I got him a 17.3" Toshiba laptop. Yes, 17.3" 1600x900 6lb behemoth. It was $250 so why not. Then, Best Buy flashed an 11.6 Acer for $130 so I couldn't resist. I decided to let hime choose what he wanted to keep.<br />
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Thus, today's post are about two compelling, cheap, low-end Windows PCs in our household. <br />
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<b>Windows 8.1</b><br />
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I have to admit, I am actually starting to like it. Specifically, the "Family Safety Controls." It works like in OSX but I like the one cool feature is that it sends you a weekly summary. Unlike the mac, the administration is in the cloud. Hence, Microsoft's ability to send you a notification. Here is an email I got for his first week. 2.5" of Netflix. Hmmmm.<br />
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In my household, all the computers are running some sort POSIX operating system. I run Mac OSX, the appliances and servers run Linux. When my wife gets a new computer, we usually wipe off Windows and install Ubuntu for her. It is just a matter of preference. However, this time, we figure we'd give Windows a shot. I installed CygWin so I can get work done but that will be another blog post. Overall, it is a bit of a change. I'm not a fan of the disjointed, incoherent, inconsistent Modern UI but I like some of the things Microsoft is doing. The ability to restore profile app settings from one machine to a new machine from the cloud is cool. This is how Chrome OS works and it is really convenient to provision a "Metro" Modern UI environment in minutes. I still have to re-install desktop applications but the ability to get Microsoft Store Apps to automatically install at set-up is a plus.<br />
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I do have some major criticisms of the operating system but I won't discuss them here.<br />
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<b>Budget Computing.</b><br />
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Both computers are fairly slow. Neither of these are touch-screen so they don't benefit from Windows 8.1 Metro environment. Obviously, they're bargain basement, low-end department store specials. It is a shame actually, the performance is what 90% of the consumers who buy these will get accustomed to. Are they pathetically slow? Yes. Chrome OS on older, slower hardware runs rings around these machines. In fact, it is quite frustrating on two levels: Slow 5400 rpm hard drives and bloatware. Since I have a lot of spare SSDs lying around, both computers got the upgrades.<br />
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However, Windows is still a pig. It literally took me half an hour to unzip a 110MB zip file on the Acer. I was about ready to throw it out the window when the same zip file took 5 seconds on my Macs. The problem? Background virus scanning. I'm pretty certain McAfee anti-virus was analyzing all my file I/O such as unzipping files. The bloatware is pretty atrocious. Most application install took 20-40 minutes when they should have been done in 2-3 minutes. Moving to SSDs really helped.<br />
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Cloning the drives to SSDs was pretty trivial. 15minute affair to clone an existing drive through USB 3.0. Upgraded to SSDs, it makes a major difference in computing experience. However, the reality is, you won't be getting a 120-256GB SSD budget laptops for under $300. I'm lucky to have enough spare drives lying around to make it palatable. For others, I can see how some of these Walmart, Staples, Office Depot specials can be infuriating and painful.<br />
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The only unexpected thing was both machines come with 2.4 GHZ only Wi-Fi. I couldn't see my 5GHZ channels. For comparison, my son's 2 year old Acer Chromebook has 5ghz and it definitely runs snappier than both. I'm surprised manufactures are still pushing 2.4 GHZ Wi-Fi.<br />
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However, I like the fact that both have Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and HDMI. Worst case scenario, these can be inexpensive NAS servers running FreeBSD or Linux.<br />
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Bottom line, they're cheap. They're cheap enough where if my six year old breaks them, I won't worry so much. They're absolutely fine for their intended price points. I'm not complaining nor do I expected them to be comparable to my $1500,$3000 laptops.<br />
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<b>Acer E3-111 11.6"</b><br />
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I really like this small laptop. It is a fanless design with a puny Celeron N2830 CPU. This won't win any benchmark contest. I think an Apple iPad Air would out-run this machine. It is about as fast as a 5 year old Core 2 Duo. However, I like the low thermal heat dissipation. The CPU runs at 7.5 watts. I got up to 8 hours of run-time on an SSD (despite the 5 hour stated specs). Unfortunately, it only has 2GB RAM but that is all you really need for a light web browsing laptop. Internet Explorer runs well and INTEL did a good job with the CPU design. It plays 1080p MKVs and M4V videos over my network with no issues. Thus, this is really a simple web browsing, media consumption laptop. I would not run more than 2 applications at a time on this due to the 2GB RAM. Hard drive and RAM is upgradeable which is becoming very rare in this form factor. The built in Gigabit is a big plus.<br />
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Unfortunately, my first grader doesn't like it because it isn't a step-up from his Acer Chromebook.<br />
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<b>Toshiba L75-B7270 17.3" Laptop.</b><br />
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This thing is huge.<br />
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Stacked against the Acer and my 15" Macbook Pro Retina, you can definitely tell it takes up a big footprint.<br />
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It is thick, the screen is fairly nice and it comes with 4 USB, VGA, Gigabit, HDMI and even a CD-ROM. It is definitely a desktop replacement. The screen is very good for the price. Colors are well saturated and viewing angles are decent for a regular TFT screen. Build quality is much better than the Acer. Skullcandy branded speakers give it some bassy boom. It is simply huge and I kinda like it. The fact it adds a numeric keypad in addition to full size keyboards tells you it is definitely a goliath.<br />
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The CPU is a Pentium 3558U and the passmark score on this is almost double of that on the Acer. Again, this is a more expensive retail laptop than the Acer so I'd expect it to be faster. The only downside is the 4 hour run-time.<br />
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For a desktop replacement, my son loves it. It definitely dominates his little desk.<br />
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I, myself, prefer a 13 to 15" form factor but my boy simply loves his new computer. The kids love that big screen for watching HULU and Netflix. To him, this was a big step up from his 11.6" Acer Chromebook. I like the fact that the RAM upgradeable to 16GB of RAM. Since this CPU runs at 14-15 watts, it would make a fine little, low-powered Linux server in the future.</div>
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For me, I am enjoying the $130 Acer 11.6" E3-111. I really like that fanless attribute and aggressive battery run-time. It has replaced the aging Samsung ARM Chromebook we use around the household for guests and living room lounging. Before getting the Acer, I was seriously thinking about getting the 11" Macbook Air at around $650-700 discounted (4GB RAM/128GB/Corei5). There are times I don't want to lug my 15" Retina and I like the portability of the 11" form factor as a companion device. I know the Macbook Air would be close to 8 times faster, but for now, I'm going to use this Acer while anticipating the rumored 12" Retina Air. You simply can't beat the $130 price proposition.</div>
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I don't expect to run Photoshop, Lightroom or anything heavy duty on these. My kid will be using Microsoft Office and his homework mostly resides on web pages.<br />
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It is amazing what you can get today on the cheap. Both of these laptops, combined, cost less than an iPad Mini Retina. That is simply mind-boggling. You definitely have to pay attention to sale pricing as I would never pay full retail for either of these.</div>
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-81629737915057142732014-08-21T08:25:00.002-07:002014-08-21T08:27:57.650-07:00Amazon FireTV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got myself an Amazon TV last week when they were available for $60. $84 plus 20% off coupon. I figure why not. I ended up getting the game controller as well. I don't have much to write about it but I gotta say it is cool.<br />
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I have NetFlix, Plex, Amazon Prime video, and some light games. The Amazon FireTV appstore is very lacking. There is probably only three good games on it - RipTide, Asphalt 8, and Amazon Studio's in-house Sev Zero. The other games are pretty much boring. The App library is very limited so you can't install something like ES Explorer or MX video player without going the sideloading route. You can root it and get the Google Play store on it. However, I don't have the time for those shenanigans. I would not buy this in the hopes of having a convenient Android TV gaming console. It isn't quit yet there.<br />
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I had a Logitech Google TV that we used primarily as PLEX and NetFlix Client. It was handy because of the keyboard and the keyboard itself is a universal TV remote.<br />
With the FireTV, we don't have that so we have to make do with TV remote, FireTV remote, and external keyboard.<br />
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I have a USB wireless K400 keyboard so it makes it very usable to search for PLEX and Netflix titles. It is also good to have Amazon Video right there without the need for Airplay or Chromecasting. Plex is a $4 app. I already have it on my Amazon App Store and Google Play but I guess there is a separate one for the Fire TV. Again, I don't have the time or inclination to side load Plex from another source just to save $4.<br />
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The voice control is real simple that even my 6 year old kid can use. Speaking of kids, you'll definitely want to enable Parental controls. Otherwise, anyone can just buy apps and media. Parental control forces a numeric PIN for purchases.<br />
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Overall, I like it. Most retailers are now selling it for $84. I don't know if that is a permanent price drop but it is a good value. Is it better than the Apple TV. In some ways yes, it has more options and gaming. However, AppleTV has iTunes ecosystem and AirPlay. With the Apple TV, I don''t need to make a cohesive effort to upload my content to Amazon's cloud. Everything works in the background on Apple's ecosystem. Then again, I don't think I'll be sharing family photos on Amazon's photo cloud system nor would I upload all my music to Amazon's music. I'm glad I have both.<br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-26260740446608942902014-08-20T14:29:00.000-07:002014-08-20T14:29:59.345-07:00Upgrading the G-Drive G-Connect hard drive <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the G-Tech G-Connect iOS NAS drive. It is a 500GB 2.5" NAS that allows you to stream videos to iOS as well as act as a micro AFP file share / TimeMachine server. It has onboard ethernet as well as Wi-Fi built in. They routinely go on sale for $39.99 at Frys and I actually like them very, very much. I am able to store files off my PLEX server that my kids can't view. AKA "Daddy files."<br />
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The issue with them is they only store 500GB.This device is discontinued and I wouldn't pay more than the $40 street price for these. However, they are pretty easy to crack open and you can easily replace the built in drive with a larger capacity drive.<br />
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I did just that with a 1TB Western Digital 2.5" blue drive.<br />
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The drive I replaced it with appears to be thicker. Possibly 9.5 mm height and the built in one may be 7.5 mm tall. With some work, I was able to manage the swap. I was concerned that Hitachi (who now owns G-Tech) may have added some special firmware that locks their devices to their own drives but that was not the case. I just attached the drive and formatted it as normal. Once booted, I was able to see it in the network.<br />
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Voila. 1TB available. These make good TimeMachine remote backups. $40 for the G-Connect and $60 for a 1TB 2.5" drive.<br />
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<br />fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-28426577373755114392014-08-19T10:47:00.001-07:002014-08-20T08:02:34.387-07:00Crazy Cheap Acer 11" Netbook / Laptop on SaleI just ordered an 11.6" laptop for $129. Yep, $129. That is crazy.<br />
Sure, it isn't a speed demon but $129. This would make a low power NAS, linux ultralight.<br />
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I saw my newsfeed flash a sale for an 11.6" notebook at $179. I went online to Best Buy and refreshed the page and it dropped to $129.99. This was around midnight on 2014-08-19. It sold out quick. It is an Acer Aspire 11.6" E3-111. The RAM is upgrade-able so I'll throw in an 8GB stick I have lying around.<br />
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It has a N2830 Celeron which isn't particularly fast but it has the same specs as the ASUS C200 Chromebook. It is completely fanless, so this should be very interesting.<br />
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I will update with a review once I get it.<br />
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Edit: This was legit. If it was a price mistake, Best Buy did honor the price and I picked it up.fortysomethinggeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749612412800861345noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494320883029239656.post-54939967082896430572014-08-17T15:29:00.000-07:002014-08-17T15:29:51.687-07:00Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard vs Logitech k400<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Microsoft released an All-in-One multimedia keyboard with a built-in Windows 8 friendly multi gesture trackpad. It appears to be a good, alternative to the ever popular Logitechg K400. In fact, some have speculated that the Microsoft keyboard may actually be a rebranded Logitech or possibly built by Microsoft. I don't know if Logitech has any involvement but I can clearly say it is not a re-skinned K400. The K400s are often on sale for $20 -24 and the Microsoft often dips under $30 (the retail is $40).<br />
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I use the K400 because it is a very practical and useful keyboard to have when you are working in a server room or building out computers. Often, you are testing or computing in unusual and often cramp spaces. They can be use for HTPC and media uses. Thus, these tend to be real popular keyboards and they come in different colors. I happen to own multiple black and white K400s.<br />
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<b>So how does the Microsoft keyboard stack up?</b><br />
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The Microsoft All-in-One is definitely a more stylish, contemporary looking gadget. The profile is slimmer and the design is more modern. Keyboard travel on both are iffy and I don't recommend neither keyboards for full time usage. The trackpad on the Microsoft appears to be bigger because it is a button-less design.<br />
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In terms of use, I think the Logitech feels better. The trackpad, in terms of movement, is very iffy on the Microsoft version. However, multi-gesture works better with the Microsoft. Range appears to be the same as I tested from 10 and 15 feet away with no problems.<br />
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Both use dedicated USB dongles that can be stowed away when not in use. I like how the Microsoft has a magnet that holds their dongle in place. However, the Logitech has an ace in the fact that it uses a Unifying dongle. This means you can pare multiple Logitech keyboards and mouse to one dongle. I really like that feature as I often have a dedicated mouse I want to use in addition to the keyboard. It still isn't Bluetooth but I like the fact I can plug in a dongle into a Tablet or various Android sticks and NUC micro computers and be ready to go with a mouse.<br />
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They both come in handy when I want to prop up my Dell Venue 8" Tablet and use it as a Windows desktop computer on-the-spot. The Microsoft trackpad does a fair job at scrolling and pulling up the Charms bar. Due to the slightly wider pad, the Microsoft has a slight edge. Zoom and pinch is still wonky on both and that is due to Windows OS itself. I still can't get that smooth of a pinch on any Windows trackpad. You still can't do 4-5 finger alternating swipes like you can on other operating systems.<br />
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When it comes down to it, I will stick with the Logitech. The Microsoft keyboard lacks a dedicated HOME, END, and INSERT button. Those are deal breakers as I often use these keyboards in a text-only console environment; rebuilding or emergency boot fixing a Linux server. I also prefer the keyboard tactile feel of the Logitech over the Microsoft version. However, in my opinion, I think the Microsoft looks more handsome in terms of the styling. Lastly, the Logitech uses AA vs tripe A (AAA) batteries on the Microsoft.<br />
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