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Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Cellular Pacemaker: But What's the Coverage Area?

This is neat.  With my Grandfather having an un-cellphoned defibrillator in, it would be neat to have the doctor be able to tell how often it had to work or get alerted if it went off. 

lumos.jpgPacemakers are a thing of the past with the Biotronik Lumos defibrillator implant. Next time your heart stops beating and you aren't near civilization, this implant will take charge and get your rhythm back on track. Connected via the cellular telephone network to your doctor or physician, you'll never feel isolated from immediate care or monitoring by trained professionals. Messages arrive to doctors via SMS or a detailed web-based report so extra help is always around the corner.

Just be sure that the implant is turned off during movies, live performances, meetings and other embarrassing situations.

Lumos DR-T Dual-Chamber ICD with Wireless Home Monitoring [MedGadget]
[Gizmodo]

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

My Precious

Hehehe..

It's my Birthday present from Google...

http://talk.google.com

Look me up, pjmorrgmail.com (almost messed up and put my email address out there for the bots. I am getting old.)
If you need an invite, just let me know.

Vonage Saga

Be ready: This is a long post.

First off, let me start by saying that I love Vonage. They have saved me so much money it’s not even funny. I have been a loyal customer since Sept 2003 and have referred many folks. Be that as it may, I had the opportunity to deal with the tec support of Vonage and let me tell you what… It is a mess.

It all started with a towel. Seems that someone threw a towel into the room with the Cisco ATA device and it happened to land on said device. This caused it to over-heat which of course, caused it to no longer function. I called tech support and I had to deal with a first tier tech support dude. Now, those of you who know me know that I did everything within my power to not call in because I am quite familiar with this technology and gadgets in general. But, swallowing my pride, I walked through all the idiot questions and even had to tell the technician (who had never seen/heard of the Cisco ATA) that this device does not have a web interface. After going to a second tier guy several times the guy came back and said that he would ship me a new Linksys device and a shipping label. This new device was the RT31P.. The device comes in and I hook it up. No worries. I still can’t ship the other device back yet as I don’t have the shipping label. An hour after I put the new device in my cell phone rings. It is someone calling me on my home phone which rolls over to cell when the Vonage device is unavailable. Well, seems the new device is no longer working…. After many calls with another technician we determine that we can not reset this device to factory defaults so he is shipping me ANOTHER RT31P. He proceeds to tell me that I will be charged another 99 bucks to which I say, “No you’re not!” He gets his manager who does concede that this is ridiculous and does a delayed bill. I also remind them that I still have not received my shipping label for the first device… Remember the first device…. Well, the next RT31P comes in and I hook it up. Now I have two devices in boxes waiting for labels to send back and make my first call on my new device…..


No dial tone.

At this point I begin to get impatient. I begin to demand that they send me my labels as I don’t want to start another return while I have 2 defective devices already….

I finally get my labels and I send them all back. When I finally get my 99 bucks back I start the process over for the device I have now, which doesn’t work. It is here that I made a good find that I will share with everyone.

If you have to call Vonage tech support, use the following path in the automated attendant (granted this info may change but it was going through the billing department).
2, 2, 1, 2. The phone only rang twice and I always got someone who was easy to understand. I start telling them that I want to speak to a supervisor and almost have to argue with the person because they want me to talk to a technician. I concede and speak to a dude who says that he can fix things. It seems that there is a new model now, RTP300, that has replaced the other model due to reports of failures in the older model. (Duh)
He said he would send me a new model (delayed billing) and have it tested before it was shipped. And for my trouble, he gave me a free month of service. When I checked the next day I still didn’t see any updates on the order. The person I got when I called in said that the order was locked and never released for shipping. He released it and also said he would give me ANOTHER free month of service for my trouble.

The next morning I find an email waiting in my inbox stating that my credit card has been charged another 99 bucks for the shipment of the new device. On top of that, when I log in to look at my account I see that my two months of free service have been removed as well. Well, as you can imagine I am not happy about this. I call in again, using 2212 and DEMAND to speak to a supervisor.

It took a good 20 minuets for the supervisor (Mr. Perry) to grasp the entire fiasco that I have gone through. He immediately cleared the slate. Mr. Perry canceled the order, refunded my money (which only took 1 day to post back to my credit card) and started all over. Within 15 minuets of hanging up with Mr. Perry, my money was on the way home, my two free months were added back in, and the device said it was on the way.

Yesterday, I get my device, plug it in and it works right away. THANK YOU Mr. Perry!!! You rock!

The morale of this story is that VoIP is awesome, it saves money and Vonage is a great company. They have just grown too fast in my opinion and their first round technicians are way under trained. I am not sure if this is because English is not their natural language (which those that know me, know I understand most foreign accents better than most) or if they just don’t grasp the job that has been handed to them. But the management folks and the third tier technicians (most of which have been with Vonage since the beginning) are spot on awesome!

Sushi-making Gadget

Oooooh, cool.  I don’t know if I would trust myself to make it.  But TechnoD makes his own sometimes… 

sushi-2Prod.jpgThere are very few things in life that I love more than sushi. That magical combination of vinegary rice, raw fish, and wasabi, just sends my taste-buds singing. So imagine my delight when I found out about this crazy contraption, Sushi@Home, which makes devices to help you make sushi at home. The round device makes Nigiri, whereas the long oblong device makes Maki. The devices are fairly mechanical in nature; the Nigiri device just shapes the rice ball for you, and the Maki device allows for easy setup and rolling (it does mean you'll get a square-ish Maki instead of a round one though). I don't think making your own sushi is all that difficult in the first place if you have a bamboo mat and you know what you're doing, but if you NEED proper measurements the Sushi@Home products might be for you. Both the Nigiri maker and the Maki roller go for $90 each, but if you get them together, they'll go for $150.

Product Page [Sushi@Home via Red Ferret]
[Gizmodo]

Monday, August 15, 2005

2005 Darwin Awards

Number 10 caused my side to hurt.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/darwin05.asp

HOW TO: Use Schtasks.exe to Schedule Tasks in Windows Server 2003

Re found this while looking into a problem with remote AT job scheduling on Win2k3. Seems they changed the command a bit:

HOW TO: Use Schtasks.exe to Schedule Tasks in Windows Server 2003
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 814596
Last Review : April 12, 2004
Revision : 1.0
On This Page
SUMMARY
Overview of the Schtasks.exe Tool
Syntax and Parameters
How to Create a Scheduled Task
How to Change a Scheduled Task
How to Run a Scheduled Task
How to End a Scheduled Task
How to Delete a Scheduled Task
How to Perform a Query of Scheduled Tasks
MORE INFORMATION
APPLIES TO

SUMMARY
In Windows Server 2003, you can use Scheduled Tasks in Control Panel to create, delete, configure, or display scheduled tasks. You can also use Schtasks.exe to schedule tasks manually.


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Overview of the Schtasks.exe Tool
Schtasks schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time. Schtasks adds and removes tasks from the schedule, starts and stops tasks on demand, and displays and changes scheduled tasks.


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Syntax and Parameters
The following is a list of the syntax and parameters that you can use with Schtasks.exe: • Schtasks /Create
Creates a new scheduled task. • Syntax:
schtasks /create/tn TaskName /tr TaskRun /sc schedule [/mo modifier] [/d day] [/m month[,month...] [/i IdleTime] [/st StartTime] [/sd StartDate] [/ed EndDate] [/du duration] [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] [/ru {[Domain\]User | "System"} [/rp Password]] /?
• Parameters: • /tn TaskName Specifies a name for the task.
• /tr TaskRun Specifies the program or command that the task runs. Type the fully qualified path and file name of an executable file, script file, or batch file. If you omit the path, Schtasks.exe assumes that the file is in the Systemroot\System32 folder.
• /sc schedule Specifies the schedule type. Valid values are MINUTE, HOURLY, DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY, ONCE, ONSTART, ONLOGON, ONIDLE.
• /mo modifier Specifies how frequently the task runs in its schedule type. This parameter is required for a MONTHLY schedule. This parameter is valid, but optional, for a MINUTE, HOURLY, DAILY, or WEEKLY schedule. The default value is 1.
• /d day Specifies a day of the week or a day of a month. Valid only with a WEEKLY or MONTHLY schedule.
• /m month[,month...] Specifies a month of the year. Valid values are JAN - DEC and * (every month). The /m parameter is valid only with a MONTHLY schedule. It is required when the LASTDAY modifier is used. Otherwise, it is optional and the default value is * (every month).
• /i IdleTime Specifies how many minutes the computer is idle before the task starts. Type a whole number from 1 to 999. This parameter is valid only with an ONIDLE schedule, and then it is required.
• /st StartTime Specifies the time of day that the task starts in HH:MM:SS 24-hour format. The default value is the current local time when the command completes. The /st parameter is valid with MINUTE, HOURLY, DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY, and ONCE schedules. It is required with a ONCE schedule.
• /sd StartDate Specifies the date that the task starts in MM/DD/YYYY format. The default value is the current date. The /sd parameter is valid with all schedules, and is required for a ONCE schedule.
• /ed EndDate Specifies the last date that the task is scheduled to run. This parameter is optional. It is not valid in a ONCE, ONSTART, ONLOGON, or ONIDLE schedule. By default, schedules have no ending date.
• /du Duration Specifies a maximum length of time for a minute or hourly schedule in the HHHH:MM 24-hour format. After the specified time elapses, Schtasks does not start the task again until the start time happens again. By default, task schedules have no maximum duration. This parameter is optional and valid only with a MINUTE or HOURLY schedule.
• /s Computer Specifies the name or IP address of a remote computer, with or without backslash characters. The default is the local computer.
• /u [domain\]user Runs the command with the permissions of the specified user account. By default, the command runs with the permissions of the user who is logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /p password Specifies the password of the user account that you specified in the /u parameter. This parameter is required when the /u parameter is used.
• /ru {[Domain\]User | "System"} Runs the tasks with the permission of the specified user account. By default, the task runs with the permissions of the user who is logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /rp Password Specifies the password of the user account that is specified in the /ru parameter. If you omit this parameter when you specify a user account, Schtasks.exe prompts you for the password and obscures the text you type. Tasks that run with permissions of the NT Authority\System account do not require a password and Schtasks.exe does not prompt for one.
• /? Displays help at the command prompt.


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• Schtasks /Change
Changes one or more of the following properties of a task: • The program that the task runs (/tr ).
• The user account under which the task runs (/ru ).
• The password for the user account (/rp ).
• Syntax:schtasks /change /tn TaskName [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] [/tr TaskRun] [/ru [Domain\]User | "System"] [/rp Password]
• Parameters: • /tn TaskName Identifies the task to be changed. Type the task name.
• /s Computer Specifies the name or IP address of a remote computer with or without backslash characters. The default is the local computer.
• /u [domain\]user Runs the command with the permissions of the specified user account. By default, the command runs with the permissions of the user who is logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /p password Specifies the password of the user account that you specified in the /u parameter. This parameter is required when the /u parameter is used.
• /tr TaskRun Changes the program that the task runs. Type the fully qualified path and file name of an executable file, script file, or batch file. If you omit the path, Schtasks.exe assumes that the file is in the Systemroot\System32 folder. The specified program replaces the original program that is run by the task.
• /ru [Domain\]User | "System" Changes the user account for the task.
• /rp Password Changes the account password for the task. Type the new password.
• /? Displays help at the command prompt.


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• Schtasks /Run
Starts a scheduled task immediately. The run operation ignores the schedule, but uses the program file location, user account, and password that are saved in the task to run the task immediately. • Syntax:schtasks /run /tn TaskName [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] /?
• Parameters: • /tn TaskName Identifies the task. This parameter is required.
• /s Computer Specifies the name or IP address of a remote computer with or without backslash characters. The default is the local computer.
• /u [domain\]user Runs the command with the permissions of the specified user account. By default, the command runs with the permissions of the user who it logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /p password Specifies the password of the user account that you specified in the /u parameter. This parameter is required when the /u parameter is used.
• /? Displays help at the command prompt.

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• Schtasks /End
Stops a program that was started by a task. • Syntax: schtasks /end /tn TaskName [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] /?

• Parameters: • /tn TaskName Identifies the task that started the program. This parameter is required.
• /s Computer Specifies the name or IP address of a remote computer with or without backslash characters. The default is the local computer.
• /u [domain\]user Runs the command with the permissions of the specified user account. By default, the command runs with the permissions of the user who is logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /p password Specifies the password of the user account that is specified in the /u parameter. This parameter is required when the /u parameter is used. /? Displays help.

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• Schtasks /Delete
Deletes a scheduled task. • Syntax:schtasks /delete /tn {TaskName | *} [/f ] [/s computer [/u [domain\]user/p password]] [/? ]

• Parameters: • /tn {TaskName | *} Identifies the task being deleted. This parameter is required. • TaskName Deletes the named task.
• * Deletes all the scheduled tasks on the computer.

• /f Suppresses the confirmation message. The task is deleted without warning.
• /s Computer Specifies the name or IP address of a remote computer with or without backslash characters. The default is the local computer.
• /u [domain\]user Runs the command with the permissions of the specified user account. By default, the command runs with the permissions of the user who is logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /p password Specifies the password of the user account that you specified in the /u parameter. This parameter is required when the /u parameter is used.
• /? Displays help at the command prompt.


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• Schtasks /Query
Displays all the tasks that are scheduled to run on the computer, including those that are scheduled by other users: • Syntax:schtasks [/query] [/fo {TABLE | LIST | CSV}] [/nh ] [/v] [/s computer [/u [domain\]user/p password]]
• Parameters:[/query] The operation name is optional. Typing schtasks without any parameters performs a query.
• /fo {TABLE | LIST | CSV} Specifies the output format. TABLE is the default. /nh Omits column headings from the table display. This parameter is valid with the TABLE and CSV output formats.
• /v Adds advanced properties of the tasks to the display. Queries using /v should be formatted as LIST or CSV.
• /s Computer Specifies the name or IP address of a remote computer with or without backslash characters. The default is the local computer.
• /u [domain\]user Runs the command with the permissions of the specified user account. By default, the command runs with the permissions of the user who is logged on to the computer that is running Schtasks.
• /p password Specifies the password of the user account that is specified in the /u parameter. This parameter is required when the /u parameter is used.
• /? Displays help at the command prompt.


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How to Create a Scheduled Task
To create a scheduled task: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type net start, and then press ENTER to display a list of currently running services. If Task Scheduler is not displayed in the list, type net start "task scheduler", and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type schtasks /create /tn "Application_Name" /tr c:\apps\Application_Name /sc Value /st HH:MM:SS /ed MM/DD/YYYY, and then press ENTER. Note that you may have to change the parameters for your situation. For example, you might type schtasks /create /tn "My App" /tr c:\apps\myapp.exe /sc daily /st 08:00:00 /ed 12/31/2004 This example schedules the MyApp program to run once a day, every day, at 8:00 A.M. until December 31, 2004. Because it omits the /mo parameter, the default interval of 1 is used to run the command every day.

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How to Change a Scheduled Task
To change a scheduled task: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, typenet start, and then press ENTER to display a list of currently running services. If Task Scheduler is not displayed in the list, type net start "task scheduler", and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, typeschtasks /change /tn TaskName [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] [/tr TaskRun] [/ru [Domain\]User | "System"] [/rp Password] , and then press ENTER. Note that you may have to change the parameters for your situation. For example, to change the program that a task runs, type: schtasks /change /tn "Application_Name" /tr C:\File_Path\Application_Name.exe

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How to Run a Scheduled Task
To manually run a scheduled task outside its schedule: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type net start, and then press ENTER to display a list of currently running services. If Task Scheduler is not displayed in the list, type net start "task scheduler", and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type schtasks /run /tn TaskName [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] , and then press ENTER. Note that you may have to change the parameters for your situation. For example, to run a task on the local computer, type schtasks /run /tn "Task_Name" .

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How to End a Scheduled Task
To end a scheduled task: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type net start, and then press ENTER to display a list of currently running services. If Task Scheduler is not displayed in the list, type net start "task scheduler", and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type schtasks /end /tn TaskName [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]] , and then press ENTER. For example, to end the instances of a program that was started by a scheduled task on a local computer, type schtasks /end /tn "Task_Name".

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How to Delete a Scheduled Task
To delete a scheduled task: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type net start, and then press ENTER to display a list of currently running services. If Task Scheduler is not displayed in the list, type net start "task scheduler", and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type schtasks /delete /tn {TaskName | *} [/f] [/s computer [/u [domain\]user /p password]], and then press ENTER. For example, to delete all tasks scheduled for the local computer, type schtasks /delete /tn * /f.

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How to Perform a Query of Scheduled Tasks
To perform a query of scheduled tasks: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type net start, and then press ENTER to display a list of currently running services. If Task Scheduler is not displayed in the list, type net start "task scheduler", and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type schtasks /query , and then press ENTER. Output from this example displays a table of tasks that have been scheduled to run.
For more information about how to use Schtasks.exe, search for Schtasks.exe in Windo
After the specified time elapses, Schtasks does not start the task again until the start time recurs. By default, task schedules have no maximum duration. This parameter is optional and valid only with a MINUTE or HOURLY schedule.
ws Server 2003 Help.


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MORE INFORMATION
For further information on the Schtasks command, go to the following Microsoft Web page:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/standard/proddocs/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/WindowsServ/2003/standard/proddocs/en-us/schtasks.asp (http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windowsserv/2003/standard/proddocs/en-us/default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/windowsserv/2003/standard/proddocs/en-us/schtasks.asp)

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Phil's foot trouble





Phil's foot trouble

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Sorry for the slow posting. I have been recovering from a torn achillies tendon and a fractured bone spur in my right heel. Seems that I should have just stepped on the cat instead of trying to save its life because the result was that the cat hid in the couch for a day and I have a stupid cast on my foot. After a week I had to go back to the doctor because the bottom of my foot hurt worse than the heel. When they took off the cast this is what they found.


Now I wear a boot that looks like a part of a space suit that I can take off at night so that this doesnt happen any more. It seems that I sweat so much that a cast just isnt feasable in the hot weather up here.

3 more weeks of this and then I start on something else. This has redefined what a 10 on a 1-10 pain scale is and this coming from someone who has broken a more than a few bones...

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

New VMWare boxes dont like old LightPulse HBAs

Upgraded to new build of VMWare ESX and SAN went away... Here was the fix.

Emulex LightPulse Driver Issue:
===============================
edit the file /etc/vmware/vmware-devices.map

find the line
device,0x10df,0xf095,fc,LP952 1Gb Fibre Channel Host Adapter,lpfcdd_2xx.o
device,0x10df,0xf095,fc,LP952 1Gb Fibre Channel Host Adapter,lpfcdd.o
and replace with
device,0x10df,0xf095,fc,LP952 1Gb Fibre Channel Host Adapter,lpfcdd.o
device,0x10df,0xf095,fc,LP952 1Gb Fibre Channel Host Adapter,lpfcdd_2xx.o

Sunday, August 7, 2005

image_00092.jpg





image_00092.jpg

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Watching NASCAR on the couch.

image_00091.jpg





image_00091.jpg

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Robin and Sandy...

Windows Vista Beta 1

Well, I am now running Windows Vista Beta 1 on both my main laptop and my main desktop. Before I get into the things I like I will tell you about the 1 thing that I have found that I don't like.
I can't seem to get the Cisco VPN client to install. It installed for previous betas but now it just fails. :( But, other than that... On to the good stuff.

Instead of My Documents you just have a "Documents" folder. They changed the path to C:\users\username\Documents. I like this as it was a pain to dig under "Documents and Settings".
The other neat thing is the new PC-to-PC sync. Now that I have my desktop and laptop running Vista I have sync setup on them so that if I make changes on my laptop it will sync to the desktop the next time it sees it. They still have the "Offline" setting for server shares but having the ability to have a copy somewhere else is awesome!
The other change is that there is aparently no more msgina.dll. The logon screen is a full screen of blue. I think this is why the VPN client fails to install.
Another thing is that they brought fast user switching to domain users! I like this
And lastly, the User Account Protection setting. When it is on, any changes you attempt to the system will prompt for a local administrator username/password. Even if you are already in the local administrators group. Also, when this is on you can't write to any location except for your user directory. Verry cool!

Monday, August 1, 2005

The Kegbot - It Gives You Beer

This is funny. Free beer from a robot.  Reminds me of the scene in “Fifth Element” when the robot asks, “You want some more?”.

DSC05601.jpgFolks at Defcon got to spend some quality time with the Kegbot, a Linux-based freedom-as-in-free-beer dispenser. The system uses a specialized board and iButton reader to dispense a perfect, frothy pint in every pour. It can even keep track of who drank what and when and the folks at Make Magazine even go their own happy welcome from said Kegbot. Now if only they had a EasyCreepyWomanAttheBarBot, I could maybe die happy.

@ DEFCON - The Kegbot project [Makezine]


[Gizmodo]

the::unwired: WM5's Simultaneous Connection Capabilities

Way cool!  Now we just need a ROM image for our PPC-6600’s. 

"Finally; it took until Windows Mobile 5.0 but now it is there - Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 now supports simultaneous data connections (e.g. W-LAN and GPRS/UMTS) including seamless handover between both connection types. While GPRS is at least (depending on your country) always available, W-LAN isn't but only at home, in the office or at selected HotSpots.
On the other hand, in most cases W-LAN is way faster and in most cases cheaper than...


[Pocket PC Thoughts]