Listen to Your iPod in Your Car

When reaching a new city, I always find it hard to find something good on the radio.

You got your Country stations ("my wife ran away and my dog died"), Religious music ("I Love Jesus and he loves me") and of course, Religious Country stations ("My wife ran away but I still love Jesus"). And endless cheery (but empty) morning talk shows...

So, I just pack my own music. Using my iPod Mini and an FM transmitter, I just broadcast my music to the car radio. I use the Belkin TuneBase. You just plug it into the car's cigarette lighter socket, tune the radio to an empty frequency and dial that frequency on the TuneBase.

And herein lies the problem, with so much noise in the ether, it has become very hard finding an empty frequency. And it becomes even more complex while driving.

That's why I was glad to discover these 2 sites: DLO's OpenFM and Radio Locator will allow you to find quite frequencies in the US, based on city or zip code. So far, it works well in some places. Some are just noisier than others (try finding a vacant station in NYC).

Other than just music, driving has become my education time. I'm listening to podcasts and keeping up on current news - the better to fill my blog with later .

Visual Studio 2008 Will Be Released THIS Month

According to this article, Microsoft's Developer Division VP announced in Tech Ed today, that VS 2008 and .Net FW 3.5 will come out this month (November). Both, together with Windows 2008, were originally expected to be released in Q1/08.

This is good news, if it'll actually happen (only 3 weeks left till the end of the month and Microsoft is not known as a timely release-schedule adherent, to say the least).

I've been using Orcas since early betas and loving it (read this and this). Looking forward to getting my hands on the real thing. I especially look forward to the new features in WCF (such as the ability to turn any data source into an RSS/ATOM feed) and the new improvements in WF (Workflow Foundation). Hopefully, I'll be able to write a fuller review by month's end.

No More Freebies

Microsoft today fired it's CIO and VP, Stuart Scott, for "violation of company policies".
Here's a link to the original Mary Jo Foley article.

Mary Jo is a reporter covering Microsoft almost exclusively. She has many inside contacts and over the years I've read her columns to get some insights about trends and intentions in Microsoft. She's been very good in the past in predicting which division is in favor, which technology is not long for this world. And let's admit it, she gets the best Microsoft gossip from her insiders.

But if you read her post, with all the original additions and deletions, you'll see even she couldn't figure out what did Mr. Scott do to deserve such a kick in the butt. Well, this MarketWatch post, hot from the oven (written an hour ago) exposes Scott's sin: "Scott was charged with the distribution of Microsoft products among employees."

Ouch! Ok guys, no more freebies from me. Forget about all the swag, squeezy toys and free licenses for our software. I'm not giving anyone anything anymore.

Now, unless it later comes out that Scott did much more than that, or that he was about to be let go anyway, I fail to see the big sin of comping workers with some licenses to products they work on (unless, of course, he was giving out Xbox consoles ).

We're Jammin'

Have you ever stood next to a person, relaying all his personal, financial and medical problems on the phone? The same person who later wouldn't reply if you ask them to their name, but somehow wouldn't mind divulging their Social Security Number on the phone next to you? The person the term TMI (Too Much Info) has been coined for?

Well, some people have had enough. These vigilantes carry cell phone jammers and joyfully press the red button whenever someone speaks too loud next to them, or offends their sensibilities.

A jammer is a tiny device, no bigger than a pack of cards, that emits a strong radio signal, breaking the phone's connection with cell towers. A typical small device has a radius of 30 feet (10 meters), but bigger devices can be used to jam every phone in a restaurant, or a theater.

Jammers are of course illegal in the US (up to $11,000 fine for a first offense), but the owner of Phonejammer.com, a site specializing in jamming devices, claims he ships about 400 units a month to the US.

Beside the obvious point, where each one of us would have liked to have such a device and wield the Power of Disconnection over our neighbors, there's the moral (invasion of privacy), illegal (a call costs money), and the fact you basically disrupt everyone in your effect radius. Add to that the fact that you've just lowered yourself to the level of that person: he disturbed you - now you disrupt him - kinda childish, no?

So while I'd like nothing more than to have some people shut up, I'll continue observing their basic rights to pollute the air with their noise, until such time that common courtesy comes back into fashion.

Read more about jammers in this NY Times article. (If it requires a password to read the site, refer to this post).

PS: speaking of people who are oblivious to the fact everyone around them can hear them, have you ever noticed how people in cubicles behave as if they're alone in a room, and not just surrounded by 3 cardboard walls?

Personal (200th) Post

Looking back on the amount of posts over the last 4 months (I really took up writing seriously in July this year), it looks like I'm hitting my stride, of about 40-50 posts a month on average (the 50th post was on August 2nd, the 100th on September 8th).

I really enjoy writing this blog, both as a sort of knowledge sharing resource, and as a sort of personal diary. I find the need to articulate a subject I just read about, so other people can understand it, quite refreshing, if a bit demanding.

I've worked with a lot of people who talk in sound bytes - if you don't understand what they're talking about, you probably don't deserve to. I come from a different angle: I love education and believe everyone can understand anything, if you take the time and effort to explain.

So, I promise to continue covering interesting, challenging, controversial and funny issues and add color commentary as much as I can. And the next celebratory post would be the 500th post.

Last piece of news: the URL www.TravelingTechGuy.com is now active and points to this site.

Another tidbit: I decided to try and see whether emoticons on the site work better than my usual smilies :) Drop me a note if you think I should avoid them .

Technological Digest II

Another Sunday, another flight from SJC. This time I'm at terminal A, waiting for an AA flight to DFW. The good news is I can hang in the lounge and write this post. The bad, is that this is a full flight and the only seat I could get is a middle .

So many interesting things happened last week and over the weekend. I could probably dedicate a full post to each. Instead, I'll give you the skinny and a link for the rest:

1. When is a gigabyte not a gigabyte? - a lawsuit against Seagate, for misrepresenting the size 'gigabyte' was won last week. The company interpreted 1Gb as a 1000 ^ 3 byte, rather that 1024 ^ 3 byte (the difference seems negligent for Kb and Mb, but for Gb, 1,073,741,824 bytes are more than 7% deviation). According to the settlement agreement, anyone who purchased a Seagate HD (as a standalone - not as a part of a system), can return it and get a refund. Read more here. I've already written about the growing storage sizes. And I'm sure the deviation in size for 1Tb is bigger than 7% (just too lazy to check ).
   
   
2. Is DX 10 DOA? - This article seems to suggest that DirectX 10, the last excuse to switch to Windows Vista, is a dead technology. Several tests show DX 9, the current XP version, outperforming this gaming framework. So, what's the compelling excuse to switch to Vista now? Will Microsoft finally admit this OS was released waaaaay ahead of time and own up to it's mistake? (the way it did with Windows ME - if you remember that 1999 dud).
   
   
3. Your cash is no good here - Apple decided last week to limit iPhone purchases to 2 per customer and to not accept cash anymore, just credit cards (presumably to track the buyer and verify he's limited to 2 devices.
   
   The real reason? Apple admitted last week that about 250,000 iPhones purchased were never activated with AT&T. According to internal sources, the secret deal both companies have dictates that AT&T would pay Apple $18/month for every iPhone subscriber (on top of the $400 Apple already makes on the device itself). In return, AT&T will be able to sell the iPhone exclusively.
   It's easy to see Apple stands to lose a lot of $$$ if people hack their iPhone and use a different provider. A quick calculation will show that over 2 years (the minimum AT&T mobile contract) Apple stands to make $432 for each customer. Times 250,000 - we're talking about $108M - at least. Some what are some customer rights and privacy violations, if you stand to lose money? Is Apple is doing it's best to be the next Evil Empire?
   
   If there's a lawyer in the crowd, please comment on this: is it legal to force people to use credit cards to purchase a product? Is it legal to track their purchases countrywide (or worldwide)?
   
   
4. Oh well, here's an SDK - While on the subject of iPhone, Apple caved in and announced that it will allow 3rd party apps on the iPhone, via a new SDK to be released early next year. Talk about closing the barn door after all the animals are out. At least this time it'll be official and won't require a hack.
   
   
5. A true miniature PC - A while ago I wrote about the XO PC. I just saw a review of the ASUS Eee PC (not a typo). In one word - AMZING. I want one. And I want it now!
   Watch a review here and see the full specs and price here.
   For $400 I think I'll skip my plans to buy an iPod Touch this Christmas, add $100 and get this instead. Just imagine - I'll finally be able to use a computer in coach .

That's all for now. Next: the big 200.

Go Bears!

My office has a nice tradition: every Friday, in season, 2 football tickets, to either the SF 49ers, or Cal Bears, are raffled out. I've tried twice and didn't get them. This Friday, I was off work, but had to go through the office to submit an expense report. On a whim, I threw my name in the box. And 2 hours later got the email informing me I got 2 tickets to see the Cal Bears take on WSU.

My company is one of the Bears sponsors, so I got good seats and a free parking pass close to the stadium in Berkeley. I've never been to a college football game before, but I've enjoyed every minute of it.

I've purchased a blue-and-gold Cal T-shirt, to fit with the rest of the fans. I've cheered as if it was my own home team and enjoyed every new experience. From the pre-game show and marching band:


to the first Bears Touchdown:


I've had a wonderful time. More pictures can be found here. And the game description (Bears won 20-17) can be found here. And, for a wonderful experience, I'd like to thank (click to enlarge)


PS: and now for something completely different. This is my 198th post and I'm looking to write something special for number 200. Any ideas? Drop a comment or an email - and get a credit ;)

Halloween in Sunnyvale - Round 2

This is a very personal post - just feeling the passage of time.

A year ago, I took these pictures, of the Halloween decoration in my new Sunnyvale office.

This week, on the same day (10/29) I took these pictures - the only difference is me - one year older.

Day Trip in Northern California

I had a day off and a visitor from abroad (hi Ohad!), so we took a trip to some of California's parks and nice places:

1. We started the day at Los Gatos, a nice town at the foot of the hills (recommended: apple cider at blendz).
2. We continued to Santa Cruz and to the Natural Bridges park. There we saw hundreds of thousands of Monarch butterflies on their seasonal vacationing spot, before continuing down to Mexico. I've also learned the importance of a zoom lens (or lack thereof) when I realized that every one of my pictures turned into a spot-the butterfly puzzle.
   
3. From there, on route 1 north, to the Ano Nuevo park, where we had hoped to see some elephant seals. Alas, none were around. I've seen them before - I guess they're out of season.
4. Onward to the Pigeon Point lighthouse - one of the oldest in the US. Just looking at the sea around it, you can understand why it was needed. Now, as it faces closure, people try to preserve it as a museum.
   
5. From there we continued to Half Moon Bay, one of the most wonderful natural bays in the area (again, no seals - where are they when you need them? oh well...).
6. Back inland along rt 92. We finished at Stanford Mall - a very chic (and expensive) mall, right by Stanford U in Palo Alto. Try Max's Reuben sandwich...

Rest of the pictures from the trip can be found here. A Google map of the route can be found here (I actually tried embedding the map in this post, but this caused such a delay, I opted for a link).