Unhappy customers flaming Apple and each other over iPhone GPS issues
My Clippings September 12th, 2009 by System
Automatically pulled from My Clippings on NewsGator Online
Filed under: Odds and ends, Bugs/Recalls, iPhone
There are quite a lot of posts on the Apple support forums discussing whether nor not the upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 and later releases has trashed the GPS functionality of the device.
At last count there were 24 pages, a high percentage from users in Europe who claim that moving to 3.0 eliminated GPS functions, and all they get is Wi-Fi geolocation or cellular network triangulation.
As often happens, the passion devolves to nasty comments going back and forth, but clearly, some people are having a GPS problem which Apple is not acknowledging as a bug. They are giving some people new phones, but others aren’t getting them because their iPhones are out of warranty.
Here’s a typical comment from one poster:
“I could not get a satellite GPS (blinking blue dot) on my iPhone, while two other phones running 3.0 like me, got it within seconds. So I returned my unit, and got it replaced. The new phone got a correct GPS signal at once and according to MotionX GPS it was correct within 8 meters.
This leads me to the conclusion that OS 3.0 makes GPS not work on some iPhones (not all). Replacing the unit was the only solution for me, and it worked.
I recommend it to anyone who never (or almost never) get a GPS satellite signal.”
Some are blaming their cell service provider, others are blaming Apple. Others are saying it was fixed by the recent version 3.1 update. Of course, with any new hardware/software there are problems, and with millions sold, a lot of reports will surface. What’s odd here is that some people are solving it with resets, some with new phones, others with turning 3G off. There just doesn’t seem to be any consistency in the solutions, which is probably driving Apple crazy.
Hope these folks get this problem sorted out, and Apple dives in and finds a solutions, or more likely, solutions.
Thanks to Torstein in Norway for the tip
TUAWUnhappy customers flaming Apple and each other over iPhone GPS issues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Computing’s Greatest Conspiracies
My Clippings September 10th, 2009 by System
Automatically pulled from My Clippings on NewsGator Online
The date is 7 July 1947 and the place is Roswell, New Mexico. Something has crash-landed in the desert – but what is it? The debate is still raging today and AWitnesses reported shiny silver debris scattered over the impact site. Was it the remains of a flying saucer, as the Roswell Daily Record suggested, or just fragments of an errant weather balloon? Stories and conjecture were rife, and from them came the most famous conspiracy theory in the history of the species. Were aliens being hidden from the rest of the world by the United States government?
Conspiracy theories are a thoroughly modern cultural phenomenon. In loose terms they explain historical events as being the work of secret and powerful conspirators. After 9/11, conspiracy theorists insisted the hijackings were the work of the American government. Black helicopters in the sky – that must mean that secret and wealthy juntas are up to no good. Even the humble light bulb isn’t safe from suspicion: was the everlasting light bulb designed in 1930 and then suppressed to bolster bulb makers’ future profits?
A conspiracy theory’s recipe is disarmingly simple: all you need is an occurrence, the suggestion of a dark cabal, a wilful disregard for evidence and a creative mind. Critically, however, once released the tale takes on a life of its own and begins galloping around the globe. As it travels, self-appointed experts begin picking it over, searching out ‘the real truth’. Layers upon layers of detailed information are added to what may originally have been an overheard whisper, a lie or just a simple misinterpretation.
Government cover-ups of extra terrestrial life might have been the mainstay of conspiracy theories for decades, but today the world of computing is an equally fertile breeding ground. Fuelled by never-ending debate on web discussion forums, conspiracies relating to computing and the internet abound. Here we examine 10 of the top PC-related theories and try to decide, once and for all, whether they are rooted in reality, or are nothing more than the result of too many paranoid and furtive imaginations. The truth is out there.
Hidden messages found in the Bible
Tags: bit.ly, email, Google, Information, IO, Microsoft, security, Spam, Trash, video, way, wind, XP
Repair Damaged Drives With Linux
My Clippings September 4th, 2009 by System
Automatically pulled from My Clippings on NewsGator Online
When you’re used to the world of Windows or OS X, Linux can seem a little unforgiving. Not only does command-line access hand over the complete keys to the manor to any unwitting user with access to the administrator’s account, there’s rarely a safety net should things go wrong. Despite advances in most Linux desktops (where the ubiquitous Trashcan safely buffers deleted files), you get no such protection from most system-specific configuration, installation and maintenance tools. And while it’s rare for anything to go wrong without your direct input, some accidents do happen, especially if you enjoy tinkering with the latest distro release each month. But this being Linux, there’s plenty you can do to dig yourself out of a hole, which is why it’s always a good idea to have a repair-worthy distribution close to hand when performing configuration and installation tasks.
One of the best developments in recent years has been the Live CD. These offer a fully functional Linux installation that runs from an optical drive. If you’ve got enough memory, you can even install new packages to the RAM disk just as you would when completing a standard installation. This makes a recent release of a Live CD-based installer like Ubuntu Jaunty the perfect system recovery tool. Not only does it include every package you might require, but because it runs from the optical drive rather than the hard drive, your data isn’t touched and there’s no chance files will be overwritten without direct input. It’s the obvious place to start when you get stuck.
Booting Linux
Probably the most common problem is when the Linux boot menu disappears or gets corrupted. The most likely reason for this is that a shared Windows installation has re-stamped its authority over your disk’s master boot record, overwriting the Grub boot loader with its own system-launching code. In these cases, you need to boot into a different Linux environment, either off a Live CD or from any other Linux booting media you can get hold of. The distribution you choose will also need to have Grub installed.
Tags: backup, blockquote, Build, flash, Information, IO, Linux, Microsoft, recovery, Sudo, Trash, Ubuntu, Vista, way, wind
Simplify Your Workflow With Dropzone
My Clippings July 17th, 2009 by System
Automatically pulled from My Clippings on NewsGator Online
The real power of OS X lies in all of the hidden gems beneath what you see at first glance. Technologies like Expose, Spaces, Stacks, Spotlight and others help users tap the power of their Mac, while keeping the experience sleek and elegant. Aptonic’s Dropzone, a third-party application designed to further simplify your Mac experience, fits into this group perfectly and naturally.
It’s Like an Intern for Your Dock
Dropzone is an application that resides in your Dock like any other app. The power of Dropzone comes into play when you begin dragging files onto its icon. Similar to the appearance of a Stack, Dropzone will expand giving you options of what to do with the file or files you’ve selected. Think of it like Automator for your Dock.
For example, if I have a handful of files selected, and drag them onto my Dropzone icon, I am presented with a series of choices, one of which is “Zip files and email.” As simple as it sounds, dragging the files onto this icon zips the files automatically and attaches them to a new email message inside of Mail. Gone are the days of right-clicking to compress the files, attaching that to an email and then deleting the zip file when I’m done.
Another “destination” included is the ability to install applications quickly by dragging a DMG onto the “Install Application” destination. Behind the scenes, your Mac will mount the DMG file, locate the application inside, copy it to your Applications folder and launch it, unmount the DMG and move the DMG file to the trash.
Other destinations include quick access to uploading images to Flickr (including copying the image URL to your clipboard when its done) or upload files to your FTP server. Want those files zipped before upload? No problem. Just hold down the option key as you drag the files onto the icon. It’s quick and simple and really does save time.
I’m the type of Mac user who likes to keep my Dock as simplified as possible, but I do enjoy the ability to be able to drag files onto an application icon and force the file to open in that application. Dropzone allows me to throw applications I use frequently inside of it and then I have the ability to do just that. Compared to attempting the same thing with a stack in Leopard, I only spawn Finder windows.
Tags: Apple, email, Leopard, Mac, Photo, Snow Leopard, Trash, wind, XP
Installing Microsoft Silverlight v3 on OSX
Uncategorized July 14th, 2009 by Shai Perednik
For some reason the Microsoft Silverlight installer thinks hackintoshes are powerPCs. There’s a simple workaround for this:
Download the Silverlight plugin for Mac OSX.
Mount the .dmg file
Drag the Silverlight.3.0.pkg file to your desktop
Unmount the .dmg – not required now
Right click on “Silverlight3.0.pkg” and choose the “Show Package Contents” menu item.
Double click on the “Contents” folder.
Double click on the “Resources” folder.
Drag and drop the file “InstallationCheck” to the trash.
Close out the folder you’re working in.
Finally double click on the “Silverlight3.0.pkg” package, and it should install fine now.
VIA Msi Wind Forums • View topic – Installing Microsoft Silverlight v2 on OSX (Advent 4211).
Tags: Advent, Hackintosh, Leopard, Mac, Microsoft, MSI, MSI WIND, OSX, Silverlight, Trash, wind
HOWTO: Recover Lost Disk Space in Ubuntu
Uncategorized July 10th, 2009 by Shai Perednik
Disk Space Problems & Solutions
via HOWTO: Recover Lost Disk Space – Ubuntu Forums.
This guide was created to help users who are having issues with disk space, or lack thereof. It presents various reasons why free space may have unexpectedly disappeared or changed, and how to locate and remove the files which now may be occupying this space.
The primary focus is on restoring space on the system partition ( / ) but the commands can easily be modified for other partitions as well. Although Linux ‘thinks’ of everything as a file, I will often refer to folders, partitions, and devices to keep things simpler for users transitioning from other operating systems.
This guide is an outgrowth of a tutorial covering residual Trash files. If you know your issue is related to Trash, please refer to Disk Full? – Check Your Trash Bin(s) for a more comprehensive treatment of that subject.
In a Rush? … Go Directly to # 6 for possible solutions or to # 8 for a step-by-step summary.
1. Error Messages – Why You Are Here?
“There is not enough room on the disk to save …” or perhaps you received an error message about “insufficient disk space”. Perhaps you looked at your system with a file browser or Disk Usage Analyzer and realized that you were running out of disk space. Maybe your system is reporting a partition full when you know it isn’t. This thread presents ways to discover what is using large portions of your disk space and how to regain some free space.
2. Where Did My Free Space Go? – Common Causes
- A partition, such as / or /boot, is too small. (See # 6a).
- Backup files were mistakenly saved to the wrong location. (See # 6b)
- Deleted files in the trash bin are still on your system taking up disk space. (See # 6c)
- You unknowingly created a large file. (See # 6d)
- Downloads have accumulated in /var/cache/apt/archives. (See # 6e)
- Various log files have increased in size and/or number. (See # 6f)
- Your cloned partition doesn’t show the new partition’s correct size. (See 6g)
- Your NTFS partition shows the incorrect size. (See 6h)
DropZone Supercharges the Dock
My Clippings July 7th, 2009 by System
Automatically pulled from My Clippings on NewsGator Online
If you’re using a Mac you’re already familiar with the Dock, the launcher that traditionally lives at the bottom of the screen and gives you an easy way to get to your most commonly used applications and folders. The dock is already great at what it does but DropZone adds power to the Dock that you didn’t know you needed, like the ability to instantly install applications, upload files to Flickr or an FTP server, and quickly move or copy files to apps or folders of your choice.
DropZone isn’t free, a single user license will cost you $10. Also, Mac OS X 10.5 is required for the app to run. That being said, if DropZone streamlines tasks that you frequently perform the app may be worth the 10 dollar price tag. Once you have the app installed, you’ll likely wind up using it to drag and drop items and perform tasks that used to take several clicks.
One of DropZone’s best features is its ability to give you commonly used apps, folders, and network drives. Simply drag an item onto the DropZone icon in the dock and the app will expand a grid that you can customize to suit your most common tasks. For example, if you find yourself uploading documents to Flickr, editing images in Photoshop, and draging finished images to the Pictures folder on your server, you can add the Flickr upload widget to the grid, a Photoshop icon that you can drag folders onto to open Photoshop, and a shortcut to your network share, and get access to all of them without having to add them individually to the dock.
In addition to giving you more control over some of the regular processing you do with your files, DropZone has widgets that allow you to upload photos to Flickr, files to an FTP server of your choice (or as many as you choose), and even add the files you’ve dragged and dropped to a ZIP archive and add the archive to a new e-mail message. Each of the widgets in DropZone are called “destinations,” and when you drag files on top of the DropZone icon, your customized destinations are shown in the grid that expands over the icon.
Force Ubuntu Trash to Empty
Uncategorized June 10th, 2009 by Shai Perednik
Sometimes the Ubuntu trash can be very stubborn and files are left there that won’t delete.
There are two options both involving terminal. replace USERNAME with your username.
Option 1:
sudo rm -rf /home/USERNAME/.local/Trash/files/*
Option 2:
gksudo dbus-launch nautilus
navigate to: /home/USERNAME/.local/Trash/files/
Delete what you want.
Option 1 works 99% of the time, but sometimes there will be those files that even sudo can’t remove.
Need a Temp Email Address?
Uncategorized May 20th, 2009 by Shai Perednik
I’ve used dodit for years. But since I always mispell it I looked for alternatives.
Here’s the top 20 via sizlopedia.com
- Mailinator is one of the best and top rated disposable email services that gives you a temporary mailbox on the following address format e.g. [email protected]
- MyTrashMail is another good temporary mail service that gives you a mailbox in the address format e.g. [email protected] and also gives you secure temporary mailbox if you signup
- MailExpire stands out in the crowd by giving you the option to have a temporary inbox ranging from 12 hours expiry to as long as 3 months
- TemporaryInbox is yet another simple and easy to use temporary email service that gives you an email address in different formats
- MailEater gives you a free temporary email inbox in the format e.g. [email protected]
- Jetable not only allows you to set the life span of your temporary email inbox but also allows you to forward the mails in your temporary inbox to your real email address
- SpamBox gives you a temporary email address in the format e.g. [email protected] and also allows you to set the lifespan of your inbox
- GuerillaMail lets you generate a temporary email which expires in a time of 15 minutes and also tell you how to offer a temporary email service on your site.
- SpamHole provides you a 2 hour long temporary email inbox at the address format e.g. [email protected]
- 10MinuteMail generates an easy 10 minute email inbox for your temporary email needs
- DontReg is one bigger, better, faster and safer temporary email inbox solution
- TempoMail is one new temporary email inbox services that give you spam-free mailbox
- TempEmail aims to give you a fast, anonymous yet secure temporary email inbox
- PookMail is a multi-language temporary email inbox service that gives an email address in the format e.g. [email protected]
- SpamFree24 is a new multi-domain temporary email inbox service which is growing rapidly
- KasMail requires registration, allows up to 25 aliases, can set aliases to expire after a certain amount of time.
- SpamMotel requires registration, provides mail forwarding, mail can be accessed through desktop e-mail clients, can reply to e-mail from your real e-mail address using SpamMotel e-mail.
- GreenSloth requires no registration, receive-only, e-mail expires automatically after a week
- AnonInbox requires no registration, simple, no frills.
Tags: Disposable Email, email, Spam, Temp Email, Temporary Email, Trash, XP
