Apple's support site (self-service) page as of 7/23/04

Apache Tomcat/4.1.30 - Error report

HTTP Status 404 - /wss/WssAuth

type Status report

message /wss/WssAuth

description The requested resource (/wss/WssAuth) is not available.
Apache Tomcat/4.1.30>

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Meanwhile, entering http://selfservice.apple.com yields this page:

"If you're seeing this page via a web browser, it means you've setup Tomcat successfully. Congratulations!"

Yesterday when I tried their service page I got their internal HR support logon page. (Seibel I think.)

When I phoned last week about my (4th) defective iPod, I was told they were upgrading their support systems to new software. Clearly there have been a few glitches.

Maybe a LOT of glitches!

AirPort Express: toy of the month

MacInTouch Posting by Kevin Klein

[Kevin Klein] First impressions: Wow, Wow, Wow. This new Apple accessory is ridiculously cool and I am really blown away with the new features I am now able to bring to my home network and stereos with the Airport Express.

 It integrates seamlessly with iTunes 4.6 by adding a "speaker output selection pop-up" in the bottom right of the main browser window. It took me a while to find it, but this was by far the hardest part of the installation. Now my output choices are "Computer" and "Home Main Stereo System" (you can choose the name of each Express as it appears in iTunes). When I add more Airport Expresses later, I'll have more choices from this pop-up menu to choose from
 
One other note, the Mac does not control the volume the Airport Express passes the stereo it's connected to.
 
In addition to the usual security options (WEP, WPA, etc), I can also password protect each Express for AirTunes access too (using the included Admin Tool). This will can help limit AirTunes availability in more robust, less private environments other than my home (like businesses, coffee shops, hot spots, etc.). I can envision an Airport Express even working as the source for "on hold" music for business phones systems.
 
Now what about my older, legacy Airport Extreme Base Station?
 
I chose to setup WDS using the Airport Express as the main WAP and relocate my older Extreme BS to my second floor home office and set it up as the remote WAP for my home network. I used same network name for both and now have a perfect, full-coverage WiFi network for my entire home (including my rooftop deck and backyard).
 
Another cool thing is with WDS and multiple Expresses/Base Stations, I can have multiple USB printers available via Rendezvous concurrently. Now I can print to my USB Brother Fax machine or my USB Epson 880 without any other computers sharing these USB printer connections and making them available by bridging over wireless or Ethernet.
 
The Airport Express is small and therefore highly portable and it can save up to five (5) LAN/WAN configurations to help accommodate its portability. If you have one that moves around a lot (it is, after all, the size of an iBook power adapter and can fit in your front pocket), you can save multiple configurations for common destinations like your car, your office, your summer home, your house and your best friends house, etc.).
 
Because it's very portable and I am sure that the one I have permanently connection to my home Cable Modem/Home Stereo will not be enough for me.
 
Although I have not yet tested it with XP, If it works as well with Windows (as advertised) this will be the must-have gadget of the upcoming year.

Ok, I'm sold. I may just buy one. One thing I've heard is you can't listed to both local speakers from the iTunes host and distal speakers from the AirPort Express -- a time delay puts the music out of sync.

Blogger fixing Firefox Mess

Quick Notes Blog: July 2004

Blogger redid their interface. They trashed Safari and Firefox immediately (who do they work for again?).

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As of today Safari is no worse than it was (but no better). Firefox 0.91/Mac is looking reasonably good, though font are a bit off when posting.

Firefox 0.91 feels slooooowww on my iBook. Just teething issues I hope ...

Korea -- land of the future ....

Samsung SPH-2300: 3 Megapixel Cameraphone

The future is now. Unfortunately, the future is now in Korea, a land filled with a fine people and such, don't get me wrong, but a land that is also, clearly, not right here in my apartment. So with Samsung's introduction of a new 3-megapixel cameraphone, the SPH-2300, we Westerners have all been apparently flung backwards into the past, which is cool from a 'countdown to death' perspective, but otherwise, you know, I'd rather just have my 3-megapixel cameraphone -- especially one with optical zoom, miniSD slot, and built-in flash.

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Japan used to be the land of tomorrow, now it's Korea. Given my robust personal connections to Korea, I feel a certain (adoptive) filial pride here.

Google for airport conditions...

Google Web Search Features: "To see delays and weather conditions at a particular airport, type the airport's three letter code followed by the word 'airport.' For example, San Francisco International Airport updates can be found by searching for 'sfo airport.'"

Review: Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones

DansData: Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones

Among music lovers blessed with more sense than money, though, it is generally accepted that the DT 880s are serious contenders for World's Best Headphones.

I don't want to spoil the surprise, or anything, but yes, they're worth the money.

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About $260 in the US Dan says. They'd need an amplifier if uses with an iPod, so overkill there.

Dan on Firewire

Dan's Data - PC hardware and gadget reviews!

Dan emailed me with an answer to a Firewire/USB question. These numbers are a bit hard to find, so for reference:

... USB is, as mentioned above, 500mA at 5V; FireWire can theoretically deliver up to 40V at 1.5 amps, though I don't know whether any FireWire adapter that can actually do that has ever been made. PC FireWire adapters run from the regular PSU 12V rail, and so can't deliver more than 12V at (mumble) amps, but even that's beyond the capabilities of USB.

It's easy enough to make an iPod charger that runs from a plugpack, car cigarette lighter or what have you, though; these go to a FireWire plug with only the power and ground terminals connected. You don't have to hack one up yourself, either; many exist in the commercial market:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=%22ipod+charger%22

Some are more practical than others, though:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/7288631317563720/

I love Dan's site -- I learn more there in a few minutes than any other site I visit.

The Psychology of Persuasion: often the classics are still best

Amazon.com: Books: Influence (rev) : The Psychology of Persuasion

I came to this book via a ciruitious route. I'd been interested in a recently published text on marketing, but reviewer comments favored this 1983 text (revised in the early 1990s). I've not read it all, but my sampling has been rewarding. I recognize much of the material from my cognitive science studies @ 1994, but it's very elegantly presented and placed into a corporate context. The author is a student of con artists and manipulators of every stripe, and he regales us with all the tricks of the trade.

I consider myself a hard case (of course everyone does), but I can see how I've fallen for a few of the tricks here. Of course one might say I was paying for entertainment rather than for nothing, but the line is subtle.

The scary thing is that this represents the state of marketing in the 1990s. Since then we've begun to deploy functional MRI scans in marketing research. What hope do we chumps have?

Blogger's GUI upgrade is a mess! Why?

Blogger: Dashboard

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Blogger redid their interface. They trashed Safari and Firefox immediately (who do they work for again?).

They've fixed the Safari bugs, albeit still with a very minimal and incomplete interface. It's no better than it was, but no worse.

The Firefox Blogger UI, however, is a complete mess -- comical really.

What does this say about Blogger's internal processes and Google's resources? Is Google running out of money?

Korean: Braised Short Ribs (Kalbi Jim)

New York Times Recipes: Kalbi Jim

Time: 2 hours, plus overnight marinating

6 pounds short ribs
10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons minced ginger
12 scallions, trimmed and chopped
4 tablespoons toasted and ground sesame seeds
 1/2 cup sake
4 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sugar
1 Asian pear or 2 crisp apples, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 fresh chilies (or to taste), preferably long and red, minced
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
4 tablespoons olive or corn oil
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 eggs, optional
Salt
Cooked white rice, for serving.

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 14 ingredients (through black pepper), and refrigerate overnight, covered. About 2 hours before serving, put half the oil in a broad, deep saucepan or casserole, and turn the heat to high. Remove the short ribs from the marinade, add them to the pan and brown them on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes.

Korean: Meat Pancakes (Gogi-Jun)

New York Times Recipe: Meat Pancakes (Gogi-Jun)

Time: 45 minutes

1 pound firm tofu
1 pound ground beef
10 scallions, trimmed and minced
2 long hot red chili peppers, or about 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Large pinch salt
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 eggs
Corn oil or other neutral oil as needed
1 cup poo-chim karo (vegetable pancake mix, available at Korean markets) or Wondra or other fine flour.

1. Put the tofu in a fine kitchen towel, and wring as much water as possible out of it. Combine it in a bowl with the next 9 ingredients (through the chives). Squeeze the mixture with your hands for a minute or two, until it is very fine and well combined. Adjust seasoning as necessary; the mixture should be well seasoned but not very hot.

PublicRadioFan.com: Need to add this one to my news page

The Doc Searls Weblog : Sunday, July 11, 2004

PublicRadioFan.com is a cool discovery. It tells you what's playing, right now, on a hundred or more public radio stations, along with what format they're using and other helpful information. Way too few use MP3 (the only popular format that doesn't require its owner's proprietary player), but among them are a still-impressive list: WFUV, KKJZ, WEMU, KRVS, WUNC, KCRW, KPUB, WNYC-AM and FM, KUOW, KUSC (to which I'm listening right now), KXPR, KRWG and NRK. The majority of stations and networks (CBC, BBC and NPR itself) require a Real or a Windows Media player.

Even among the MP3 streamers, the situation is far from perfect. For example, neither of WNYC's MP3 streams is working right now.

And too many sources, such as the BBC and WBGO, use a browser with a RealAudio plugin as the required receiver — a pretty clunky approach.

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I think the BBC also uses windows audio codecs. I'll add this to my news page.

Niacin and Alzheimer's?

BBC NEWS | Health | Vitamin may ward off Alzheimer'sThey found that those with the lowest food intake of niacin - around 12.6mg a day - were 80% more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's than those with the highest intake - around 22.4mg a day.

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An 80% risk reduction is worth something, but this study looked like a fishing expedition. They may well have come across a chance and erroneous correlation. 22.4 mg of Niacin is a lot, I think the average multivitamin only has 15 mg.

MIT Technology Review Article on Flickr

MIT Technology Review Article on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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Ok, so online photo sharing is hot. I was impressed with Picasa/Hello (just acquired by Google), this is another angle on the same story. Flickr is trying to merge photos with social networks. Not sure how they expect to make money. They do have ads.

I get the feeling not all the photos are wholesome and pure. One can mark photos as "likely to shock".

They do have private groups, so I can host the family pictures there. They may be too private however, I don't want to bother Grandma with a password. I'm ok with the feeble security of a privately held URL.

Somewhat like Picasa's Hello they support hosting a photo and simultaneously creating a blog entry with a lower res thumbnail. So you can use their blog, or you can use another blog (I have an unpublished blogger photoblog brewing). Somewhat like Picasa, but it's all web client so no platform issues. On the other hand one can't stage fifty photos for posting, the easiest interface is to mail one photo at a time (suited to phone based photoblogging). Maybe they'll extend their offering.

I'll read this MIT tech review and see what it says.

Hot area, but noone is yet following the grandma-friendly plans I posted on newsgroups and emailed to photo vendors a year ago ...

Update: I read the MIT article. It's really an iChat, text messaging, party animal, social networking kind of schtick. I can't see where they expect to make money (higher featured version costs money?) but I can't judge this market demo -- I'm way too old!

Not quite what I need ... but we'll see where it goes ...

Flicker: Doctorow (boing boing) likes it

Welcome to Flickr!

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I'm still not sure what it is. Some kind of photo sharing/community/blog service. The profile seemed to ask more personal questions than most (I entered "taken") -- makes me think it might be a dating service rather than a means to create a photo blog with limited distribution.

Given Doctorow's nature, it could be either of the above.