Archive for category Technology
Data Control
Posted by RnR in Computers, Technology on March 14, 2012 10:37 am
I require data to do my current job. If you do not provide me with accurate data or you do not allow me to gather the data necessary, I cannot do my job successfully.
Do not ask me to do my job without the data, as you won’t actually get what you were promised. You will in fact get garbage.
And when everything blows up in our collective faces, do not pile all the blame on me….you will be just as guilty for not providing me or allowing me to gather the data I needed to perform the job you asked me to do.
Management of My Digital Self
Posted by RnR in Random, Technology on September 27, 2011 6:00 pm
I have been reading a lot lately about the digital footprint that people are leaving on the web. Coupled with the debate around Googles seemingly anti “do no evil” stance against anonymity on the web, and Facebook’s total disregard for privacy, I have been giving more and more thought to my own digital footprint.
A recent google search of my name had relevant information about me on the front page. Granted, it was the bottom of the front page, but the front page nonetheless. Watching the way the world is going has also been making me more and more nervous. What if did come down to the line and I had to go “off the grid”, or even something not as harsh, but what if I have to hide my actions from an overzealous govenment/organization looking to cause trouble. How would I disconnect my personal life from the digital life?
I know that this sounds alarmist and crazy, but the more I read between the lines, the more I see something bad coming. The future is no longer the bright, happy place we all though it was at the turn of the century, or even eight years later when the “hope and change” bus came steamrolling in. Nor is it truly the dark dystopian future that we see in movies and television, read in books, or play in our video games. I see the world coming to an, Event Horizon, for lack of a better term. The point of no return, but also the point beyond which we cannot see and we do not know.
But enough of this high handed ‘no one can tell the future’ talk….there was a point to this when I started and I need to get back to it….
I have begun to identify and consolidate my digital information as best I can. No doubt I will miss something…or more likely several things. I need to start somewhere though. It will begin with standardizing my ‘username’ on the web. From there, I will begin to remove the unique identifier that is my given name from what I can. Eventually I hope to have just the ‘username’ out in the wild, and severe as many connections between it and my real life as possible. I cannot disconnect myself completely, without scrapping everything, so there will remain a few strands left.
Once the consolidation portion is complete, we’ll see what happens. The dreamer in me hopes that physical security and self sustainability would be next, but knowing myself I just cannot see me doing it. Who knows though. 😉
PAX East 2011 Bound – Boston, MA
Posted by RnR in Day to Day, Gaming: Console, Gaming: MMO, Gaming: PC, Site News, Technology on March 10, 2011 1:59 pm
Bag: Packed
Flight: Checked In
Boarding Pass: Printed
Phone: Charged
Camera: Ready
I am heading to Boston again this year for the Penny Arcade Expo East 2011.
Once again staying with the illustrious, criminally handsome, dangerously intelligent, and all around good sport, Jeff (from Conversations with Jeff Fame).
This year the roster has expanded to include 3 newcomers, and the extended stay of one that was with us last year.
I am planning to post pictures and stories here, on Twitter (@RnR77), Facebook (if we’re friends, you’ll see them) and on my Flickr page. We’ll see how that goes.
More to come!!
Right In Front of My Face
Posted by RnR in Computers, Day to Day, NaBloPoMo, Technology on March 9, 2011 9:56 am
Warning: Work Related
Ran into an issue recently. I have to connect via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) to a Server 2k8 VM that is running a SQL DB for a portion of my current project. Standard stuff, no issue.
While connected I need to run an import batch file that extracts and imports *.CAB files containing information about MS Office files. It’s all part of Microsofts OMPM application. More pretty standard stuff, once you read up on it.
Issue that I ran into was that the RDP session, once I disconnected (which allows ALL the programs running to continue) would timeout after 30 minutes and clear the session. This had the wonderful affect of stopping all running applications and batch processes.
I knew this had to be a setting. I knew it. Yet I could not find it.
Finally, after several iterations of the search term in Google, I found a forum post that, although not the exact answer I was looking for, made the way a bit clearer.
Come to find out, the answer was right in front of my face the entire time. However, due to the way MS sorts their Start Menu and subsequent sub menus, I was totally missing it.
+1 to me KNOWING that it HAD to be an easily accessible setting and not stopping until I found it.
-1 for me not paying attention.
The Possibilities…
Posted by RnR in Computers, Technology on December 11, 2008 3:38 pm
One Ring to Rule Them All
Posted by RnR in Technology on October 8, 2007 7:15 am
Google has plans, and they involve the world and domination. To my buddy who breaks stones on Linux and doesn’t believe that Google is trying to usurp Microsoft in the OS department, I give you this. Instead of fighting a battle with the iPhone, they want to fight the battle for the rest of them and leave Apple alone. Maybe they do know what battles to fight 😉 (NYT Link)
My Balls….
Posted by RnR in Humor, Random, Technology on September 20, 2007 7:58 am
…Might someday save your life!
I heard about this on NPR today. It is not yet up to Human testing stages yet. However, if it is proven to be true and then it is found to be true for humans as well, then one day YOUR LIFE might depend on MY BALLS!
Whispers in my ear…
Posted by RnR in Technology on September 18, 2007 8:11 am
I keep hearing the same thing in the back of my head….like some one whispering into my ear. It only seems to happen when I watch the following:
The whispers say “You need an Xbox 360…….you need an Xbox 360” 😉
Oh So Sexy
Posted by RnR in Technology on September 11, 2007 2:39 pm
On Playing Video Games
Posted by RnR in Technology on August 24, 2007 2:04 pm
This past weekend the wife and I went and hung out with a colleague of mine and her husband and cousin. We had a really good time, ate some yummy buffalo burgers and corn on the cob all made up on the grill. We drank god beer and wine and had some amaretto cheesecake form Stockbridge Cheesecake. Like I said, an all and all good time.
All three of them play World of Warcraft in the same guild I am in. So needless to say we talked some shop. They also attempted to convince the wife to start playing, and might have even peaked her interest a bit. 😉
I don’t know if she is going to start playing, but that is neither hear nor there. What is interesting is what she said after we got home. She said that she couldn’t believe so many adults actually play that game. And it is true, I personally know five or ten people my age (and older) that play that game. I group up with people of the same or similar age all the time. And when you have a subscriber base of nine million, that is going to be the case. Even though it doesn’t phase me one bit to play the game and not think it weird, the statement did get me thinking. Why do so many people in my age bracket (25-34) play?
And then it dawned on me. We are the first generation of adults that were exposed to the half hour toy commercial. We grew up on G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man, and such. We were the generation that saw Star Wars in the theater and then saw all the ‘action figures’ in the store. And many of us pestered our parents until we got them. In my case, they were used to bribe me to sit still while mom was shopping. We are the generation of Atari, Coleco, Nintendo, Sega, Playstation. We are the generation that has Robotech Mechs and action figures in our cubicles. We are the generation that goes to comic cons dressed like said characters. To us, playing video games IS normal. Many haven’t cut out sports or physical activity, but at the same time we do not think twice about firing up a game console or logging onto the PC to kill some krauts, quest some gold, or hunt some demons. It is ingrained in us that it is okay to do this. And the generations after us won’t even look at it as we do. It will be completely normal to them. As are cellphones and computers and the internet.
It’s a bit strange being in the generation that saw so much change. I wonder if this happens to every generation or only to certain ones?