Alpine releases car stereo integrated with iPod

New in-car audio system from Alpine that can connect directly to an iPod and let you select tracks using your car stereo:

With a simple one-cable connection, iPod users will be able to operate key playback features from the Alpine receiver's buttons and have display of playlists, album, artist and songs on the head unit. The iPod can then be safely stored in the glove box or console because it acts like a portable hard drive connected to the head unit through Alpine’s powerful Ai-NET system bus. The Alpine connectivity solution also provides charging of the iPod’s internal battery.

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/industry_news/article_650.shtml

BioLucid in the Newspaper

My friend Jeff Hazelton is in the newspaper with his Company http://www.biolucid.com/ check it out.

UT article on BioLucid

Inexpensive wireless bridge, and QOS VoIP solution

I was reading a message on Slashdot that refered people to BroadbandReports.COM (the former DSL Reports). Which has become a great place for home network people to exchange information on how to get the most out of their bandwidth provided by Cable and DSL.

Sveasoft

Download: v2.00.8.7 - BIOS for the Linksys

Instructions on how to install: Installation 101

List of features of the upgraded router

Sveasoft vs WiFi'sComparison of different updated BIOS's

Windows XP Status Bar keeps disappearing

here's a tip from mvps.org that actually worked - and continues to work:

How to retain the Status Bar

If your status bar disappears when opening a new IE 6 browser window:

1. With (only one) IE open, click View, select: Status Bar
   
2. Right-click on IE's Toolbar and select: "Lock the Toolbar"
   
3. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the close button (upper right)
   
4. Open Windows Explorer, click View, select: Status Bar
   
5. Right-click on Explorer's Toolbar and select: "Lock the Toolbar"
   
6. Click Tools | Folder Options | View tab
   
7. Click the "Apply to all folders" button.
   
8. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the close button (upper right)
   
9. Open IE to any page, right-click on a link and select: "Open in New Window"
   
10. Verify that these Registry entries exist:
    

    
    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMain
    
    "Show_StatusBar"="yes"
    
    "Show_URLinStatusBar"="yes"
    
    

    
    i needed only to complete steps 1 through 3 in order for my IE status bar to show
    every time. also, i checked the registry (even before i had performed the three
    steps, the registry entries were correct).
    

    
    hope this solves your problem.

Understanding the enhancements in Outlook 2003

Essential Outlook 2003 document

One of the Outlook program managers just answered one of my questions with some info from an excellent new document that gives all kinds of details about how the client experience has been improved in Outlook 2003. Curious about how RPC compression works, or what “buffer packing” is? Do you want to know when Outlook selects “header only” vs “full item” download? If your job is to deploy Outlook, or you just are curious about the answers to these questions, you need to read this document:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/prodinfo/enabling.mspx

(PS: the link speed threshold is 128 kbps for determining to download full item or not, and it's as reported by Windows, so if you're using ethernet behind a dial-up modem, it will think you have a link of 10 Mbps)

GM Recalls 127,000 Corvettes

Corvette's recalled for Steering Column Locking Problem

Its about time they do a formal recall on this. My 1999 one had the problem, and I had it towed to the dealer, and they said they fixed it. Hopefully the recall is to all those that have yet to have it happen on them yet. My 2001 has yet to have it stuck to the point I couldn't get it unstuck. Who knows, I may get a call.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7920310.htm

The latest recall involves a condition in which some Corvettes can operate when the electronic steering column lock fails to unlock.

Vehicles included in the recall are 1997-2000 models with automatic transmissions in the United States, Canada and Mexico; 1997-2004 models with automatic transmissions in Europe and other export countries; and 1997-2004 models with manual transmissions in North America, Europe and other export countries.

GM is still trying to determine the total number of vehicles affected, but it said the best estimate is about 127,000.

Eudora versus Outlook 2003

Found this great write up about Eudora vs Outlook

===============

Sorry for the delay in response. I really wanted to think through a response so as to be fair and impartial. Unfortunately for Eudora, if/when Outlook2003 gets released, I won’t be recommending the use of Eudora in certain instances any longer for Enterprise use (unless version 7 holds benefits that again swing the tables.) The best way for you to get a feel of Eudora with minimal impact is likely to run both Eudora/IMAP and Outook2003 simultaneously. This way, you can judge for yourself.

Let me know if you’d like assistance in getting this setup/configured. I’ve detailed my reasoning for not recommending Eudora in the Enterprise any longer after the internal release of Outlook2003 below but it’s a bit of a long read and one possibly best left unread 😉

--
While I feel that Eudora 6 has gotten better in IMAP mode, I feel that Eudora/IMAP lacks the capability to compete with the new version of Outlook that you’re using (at least in an Enterprise/Exchange environment.) Still further, IT doesn’t officially support IMAP/Exchange in our environment as there really isn’t a need to given the Outlook/Exchange feature set (and the fact that Eudora and Exchange servers have historically had problems working well with each other in IMAP mode.)

When I last evaluated the two (Eudora 5.x vs. Outlook 2002), I found Eudora to stack up well in several categories… but in looking at those same categories now (Eudora 6.x vs. Outlook 2003), I find a different story:

• Better client-side filters – no longer the case. Outlook2003’s rules are now quite intuitive and friendly to use. (Outlook equal to Eudora.)

• Better mail display capabilities such as sorting, secondary sorting, and threading – Outlook as redefined the Email client user interface and I find it superior to anything in Eudora. (Outlook better than Eudora.)

• Better offline capabilities – Outlook now operates in ‘cached mode’ which I find far more convenient and adaptive to use than Eudora’s offline mode, especially when teamed with 1X/EV-DO/varying connection options. (Outlook better than Eudora.)

• Easy to use – I think the clients are pretty much equal here now. (Outlook equal to Eudora.)

• Friendly, familiar, and intuitive user interface - certainly friendly and intuitive but I think it’s still a personal choice, though. (Outlook equal to Eudora)

• Best solution for users accessing their E-mail from a single location – No longer the case. I think the client’s are equal now for users in a single location (Outlook equal to Eudora)

• Limited solution for multiple device access to E-mail (with Exchange) – still limited…though better IMAP performance takes away some of the other items of concern (Outlook better than Eudora)

Still further, MyApps+, noted below, is not designed for regular access to your email from home…more for the occasional user. I’ve covered this point with Bill directly. To access Eudora through MyApps+ you must:

1. Leave your laptop at work, plugged in, turned on, and properly configured to receive remote access connections (timbuktu / remote desktop sharing).

2. Use a SecurID token to login to the MyApps+ homepage

3. Once logged in, remote control your laptop through your web browser
   

This is too much of a roundabout way to access your email unless you’re truly tied to using Eudora. I feel that it’s a workaround solution for someone who insists on using Eudora and has a desktop machine – but a bit too difficult if you have a laptop and are using Eudora (since most would simply take their laptop home with them rather than use the MyApps+ method.)

While we still produce/sell the product, I feel that there’s significant business productivity advantage to using Outlook2003 over Eudora 6 in the Enterprise space…even more when combined with the calendaring capabilities of Exchange. While I still use and will continue using Eudora at home to access various POP servers and personal mail, I won’t be able to consciously continue recommending it for Enterprise users in short order.

That said, if you’d like to go back to using Eudora, we’ll need to convert your Outlook psts and such into Eudora mbx format (the Eudora team has a new converter they’ve been working on which they’re looking to release soon, I believe). This will allow Eudora to access any mail stored locally on your machine by Outlook. The server side of things shouldn’t be too bad although I’m at a loss with respect to how to archive mail off the server automatically to avoid running over quota (as Eudora doesn’t have this feature.) You’ll also want to make sure that your mail is only delivered to your inbox to avoid misplacing mail. Mail will still remain on exchange you’d just be accessing it through Eudora.

If you’d like assistance in getting this setup, I’d be happy to assist. Another alternative might be to simply pass on the conversion and have you access your mail simultaneously from Eudora via IMAP. This would allow you to try out the merits of Eudora vs. Outlook2003 and weigh things for yourself without the impact of converting a bunch of email back to .mbx format.

I have a new place – Things you do when moving

I got approved to move into a new apartment. I'll be moving at the end of the month. 🙂 I can finally unpack alot of things and spread out. It even has a nice little fireplace in the living room.

I am going to be using Bartle Brothers Movers and their number is
(858) 547-0783. Chris Bartle is the owner, and is a great guy to work with.

Still need to arrange:

• Cable Modem - $29.95 a month special
  
• Does DSS work?
  
• SDG&E
  
• Already have phone working
  
• Arrowhead?
  

Reseting Outlook reminders

One thing that happens periodically at least with the old version of outlook, is reminders stop popping up. There are two command line arguements for Outlook that clear this up.

Outlook.exe /cleanreminders versus /resetfolders

Outlook has a bunch of commandline switches that can be used to change certain behaviors, reset settings, or do things such as create messages. There are two switches that are sometimes confused with each other: /cleanreminders and /resetfolders. I got an explanation of the difference between the two once, and wanted to share it:

outlook.exe /cleanreminders recreates the reminder search folder and restarts the search.

outlook.exe /resetfolders recreates the properties (and possibly the folders themselves) that point to the default folders. We cache the entry IDs for the default folders on the root of the store so that we don't waste RPCs looking them up every time we need one. /resetfolders causes us to look for a folder named “Inbox“ or “Calendar“ (or localized versions). If we find the folder, we stamp the entry ID for that folder into our special property for that folder. If we couldn't find a folder by that name, we create the folder and stamp the property. The reminders folder is one of our default special folders, so this applies to it, too.

Sinfest – Everything is a sexual innuendo