Software Soapbox

How to stop a Kidde 1276 smoke detector from chirping

After replacing the battery and trying all the steps I could find online, here's what worked:

1) Separate the plug from the smoke alarm unit. 
2) Remove the battery
3) Throw the alarm unit against a hard surface as hard as you can.
4) Dispose of the unit in a soundproof container
4) Go to your local hardware store and buy a new unit, install. 

If you're stupid enough to buy a replacement Kidde unit, keep a second unit on hand for when this unit fails and starts chirping, usually within 30-60 days, and always in the middle of the night.. 

If it's another brand, just replacing the backup battery will probably fix the problem.

Kindly Revert

In my inbox today....I get a few of these a week:

Greetings to you...

Looking out for Lotus Notes Professionals with Exchange Server – 5+ years!!!

This position is open with one of the CMM Level 5 Companies

Kindly revert with your word resume if you are keen in this opportunity as it is a very challenging position.

Thank you

Too late!  I reverted yesterday.

Big Bang atom smasher starts speeding proton beams

via Yahoo! News.

Physicists say the beam is of superb quality, with the protons tightly packed into hairlike lines and guided by 1,600 superconducting magnets — some of them 15 meters (50 feet) long — around the ring.

Why you don't need an extended warranty

Consumer Reports Money & Shopping Blog

For the consumer, extended warranties are notoriously bad deals because:

* Some repairs are covered by the standard manufacturer warranty that comes with the product.
* Products seldom break within the extended-warranty window—after the standard warranty has expired but within the typical two to three years of purchase—our data show.
* When electronics and appliances do break, the repairs, on average, cost about the same as an extended warranty.

Black Friday Shoppers - avoid lines and shop smarter at Black Friday Ads at Black-Friday.net

These guys are doing some great work categorizing Black Friday ads for us, and pointing out which items are available online, or even now, as early black Friday sales start up this week. 

This brings us one step closer to my own personal online newspaper nirvana I spoke of back in 2006....I already get all of my news online, I really only need newspapers when I'm looking to buy stuff, through the incredibly inefficient (but still not replaced with anything better) medium of advertising. 

Now if we could get this info EVERY week....That's a killer app.

Black Friday 2009 Thanksgiving Day Black Friday Ads at Black-Friday.net.

6 Ways to Use Ning for Business

I currently use Ning to collaborate with several small project teams at once, with no changes to the out-of-the-box functionality.  Free so far, and a great tool!

6 Ways to Use Ning for Business.

There is an almost overwhelming number of options on the social web for businesses to create and participate in communities. You hear a lot about Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter (Twitter) communities, and even LinkedIn Groups; but businesses have another option when looking to build a community online that’s often overlooked despite having nearly 40 million users: Ning. Ning allows businesses to create their own off-site social network for their brand’s community, and participate in existing conversations with the communities they are looking to engage. Here are 6 ways businesses can put Ning to work.

Beware the late night Kebabs

Cannibals nabbed selling corpse to kebab house - Yahoo! News.

Three homeless men with previous criminal records have been arrested on suspicion of setting upon a foe with knives and a hammer before chopping up his corpse to eat, local investigators said in a statement on their www.susk.perm.ru Web site.

HANDS-ON: Chrome OS Developer Version [Video]

HANDS-ON: Chrome OS Developer Version [Video].

Chromium OS is most certainly a work in progress and is very rough around the edges. Some of the coolest parts of the video demonstration at today’s Google (Google) event either aren’t available in the current build or will only work if you are using specially optimized hardware (I was using a virtual machine). Still, it’s exciting to see what Google has already created.

Starting a company is like landing on the shore of a deserted island

via Evan Williams | evhead

Eventually, if you're successful, you'll be king of your own prosperous world. If not, you'll die—or, at least, have to go home.

Las Vegas Monorail Opens at 4 a.m. to Support Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon

via Las Vegas News.

On Dec. 6, 2009, the more than 25,000 runners won’t be the only ones running early on the Las Vegas Strip. The Las Vegas Monorail will open early on Dec. 6, to help move visitors and spectators along Las Vegas Boulevard South, which will be closed that morning to accommodate the start of the race.

Laptop reliability survey: ASUS and Toshiba win, HP fails

via engadget

The 3-year service history of more than 30,000 laptops has been pored over, analyzed, and reduced to gorgeous comparative charts, which you know you're dying to know more about. We should note, however, that the service was provided by SquareTrade, whose primary business is selling extended warranties, but that shouldn't completely prejudice us against reaching conclusions on the basis of the presented facts.

How Microsoft Blew It With Windows Mobile

via Wired.com.

He added that Microsoft’s second problem is segmentation in the hardware ecosystem. Windows Mobile ships with several different manufacturers’ hardware, including HTC, LG and Samsung. The problem? From a developer perspective, that requires coding an app for several phones with different UI styles, buttons and screen sizes. (The same problem, incidentally, has started to plague Android developers.)

This Microsoft store has encountered an unexpected process and has to shut down.

Words fail me here. I hope for the sake of the workers that this is truly spontaneous and they are truly enjoying themselves, but I'm not so sure.....

Madoff''s "Developer Trail"

via blog maverick.

Someone had to outline the details of what they wanted the software to do, and in a scam of this size, could it be anyone but Madoff himself ? Someone had to take that information and either create or modify software to keep the whole mess running smoothly for him. Find the programmers who wrote the software and you will find out how the whole thing worked.

Microsoft’s Loss, Google’s Gain. Don Dodge Gets A New Job

Microsoft’s Loss, Google’s Gain. Don Dodge Gets A New Job.

It was just 11 days ago that Microsoft’s “ambassador to startups” Don Dodge was laid off as part of a broader workforce reduction. Last week he showed up in Silicon Valley to “see friends” as he put it. But it was clear that he was also interviewing for jobs.

The Nine Essential Truths of Entrepreneurial Success

THENETWORKGARDEN.COM.

Having been around the block a few times, I put together this primer of nine key lessons learned from doing eight startups (four as co-founder, four liquidity events – exits to IBM, Apple, Wind River, Zoom):

6th Annual Las Vegas Intertribal Pow Wow - Nov 14 and 15

I'll be there!

6th Annual Las Vegas Intertribal Pow Wow.

Grand Entry on Saturday at 12:00 Noon and 7:00 PM and Sunday at 12:00 Noon. Gourd dancing will begin 1 hour before Grand Entry at 11:00 a.m. Saturday

Looking forward to Pirate Radio!

When I lived in London in the 80's I used to enjoy listening to and reading headlines about the high-seas adventures of Caroline, Monique and Laser....
Here's the historical perspective:

Once again, Caroline had a Dutch operation. From December 1984 the Ross Revenge broadcast the taped and live programmes of a Dutch music radio production company by day under the name Radio Monique using the 50 kW transmitter. These programmes featured mainly Pop and Euro-Pop style music, aimed at the mainstream Dutch radio listening audience, which gave Radio Monique wide appeal throughout the Benelux.

In addition, Caroline transmitted paid-for programmes of various Dutch and American religious evangelist broadcasters such as Johan Maasbach and Roy Masters. These were broadcast on medium wave (and later on short-wave as well) under the name "Viewpoint 963/819" (or "World Mission Radio (WMR)" in the case of the SW service).

In November 1985, the competitor offshore station, Laser, dragged its anchor in a storm. Laser broadcast a Mayday (distress signal) call, which the DTI answered and escorted the Communicator into harbour, where they impounded the ship. With Laser off the air, Caroline moved from 576 kHz to Laser's 558 kHz frequency, now broadcasting a Top 40 music format somewhat similar to Laser's (albeit with a higher proportion of oldies) under the name Caroline 558. Thus when Laser briefly returned as Laser Hot Hits, it was in turn forced to use Caroline's former (and somewhat inferior) frequency of 576.

Leonard Cohen plays Las Vegas this week!

Who would have imagined I could ever type that title.  Every inch of my food drugged tree of blood will be enjoying Thursday night!

LEONARD COHEN [ TOUR ].

Nov 12, 2009 8:00pm Las Vegas, Nevada The Colosseum at Caesars Palace