Many years ago on March 13th (the day before Pi day), I interviewed for a summer position at Microsoft. I was a freshman in college, and was two months into my first computer science course ever. I knew little about computing at the time, and had a desktop computer built mostly from parts I found in the dumpster.  My operating system was Debian Linux 2.0, since I didn’t have a copy of Windows. Indeed, it was ironic that I was interviewing for a M$ position.

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computing humor, tech

Netbooks have been the hot new computer gadget in the past year. Despite having 4-year old processor speeds, the sub-10″ laptops serve exactly as their names imply, to “surf the web”. In theory, they are great for carrying around the city to surf in coffee shops. Some of them even have SSDs that replace the standard platter hard drives. Verizon even offers deals that include a free netbook with your broadband packages.

Unfortunately, most netbooks with SSD’s are unusable without tweaking, because of the inferior MLC’s on the controllers (See Anandtech’s detailed analyses). I spent several hours paring down a Compaq Mini 110C before I could surf the web without hiccuping every 5 seconds. Here is a dirty how-to for tweaking your netbook out of the box (assuming you have Windows XP):

1. Install a RAMdisk immediately. I threw on FlashFire. You can also use another true ramdisk software, but it will require tweaking. This will allocate some of your memory (RAM) for use as temporary hard disk space. While counterintuitive, a ramdisk will serve as fast memory for the SSD buffer.
2. Start removing software. Get a cleaner like CCleaner or RevoUninstaller. You can uninstall them after you’re done cleaning house.
3. The goal is to remove as much junkware as possible, like the Verizon software, and even the HP Wireless utilities. This will indirectly shave down your startup taskbar. Don’t forget M$ Works and Office Demo. You don’t need them. Junk Acrobat for FoxIt if you can. I skimmed off 3-4gb disk space easily. For a 16gb SSD, that is nearly 25%.
4. Install a good firewall. You will likely be using wifi at airports or coffee houses, so block out those trojans and worms. I use Comodo.
5. At this point, you should have a usable, speedy netbook. If you’re a perfectionist, you can refer to the standard WinXP optimization guides on the web (including Bootvis).
6. Don’t forget to install some standard programs, like Firefox.
7. Some guides recommend adding another 1gb of memory. While it may help, the standard 1gb ought to be adequate for basic needs. Moreover, a stick of 2gb DDR2 will typically increase heat production significantly. You may not want that unless you’re a big multitasker.

That’s it! Got more suggestions? Post it below! Having spent several hours on this, I am reminded that this is the aspect of usability that Apple simply blows away its competition in.

computing tech

Even if you aren’t tech-oriented, you’ve probably gotten wind of the ongoing Consumer Electronics Showcase this weekend in Las Vegas. Every winter, electronics and computer companies get an opportunity to dazzle us with the latest technological breakthroughs. I’ve never been to any of these conventions before. I’m not there now, as I am on call this weekend. It does amaze me that some innovations are simply spectacular, while others appear impractical.

It seems like the common theme this year is digital screen technologies, like OLED televisions and E-books. The concept of e-book readers like Kindle and Sony’s Reader is enticing, but the weak .pdf support and huge restrictions on certain file formats makes the device an imperfect scientific reading device.

I wonder how many of these devices have application in the medical community. Portable readers? Not really. See-through OLED screens? Nice, but not a necessity. Portable dictation devices? Absolutely. We need to transcribe our referral letters. I will be following Android’s dictation engine closely. Since Google has been harvesting 411 voice data onto its Voice system for the past few years, I can only expect things to improve. It will be an exciting year.

computing rant, tech

I recently purchased an Asus WL-520GU wireless router. For the average tech user, this router offers little innovation. It serves as a typical 4-port router 802.11b/g (no 802.11n support!) that you probably already have connected to your cable modem.  This device loses points simply by looking ugly. As you can see from the picture, the box-like white case is an eyesore to any living room.

For the tech geek, this router is a beast–it has 4mb of flashable memory on a 200mhz processor. All for less than $50. What does this mean? For one, you can turn it into an Internet radio. Another guy made a wireless weather station out of it. You can definitely turn it into a mini-computer to run your crew of wirelessly-controlled lunar rovers. Or to brew coffee.

That’s right. Internet-controlled coffeemaker. The concept isn’t new. I’ve definitely seen coffee makers that can be controlled remotely in Skymall. Imagine telling your coffeemaker to brew a cup of coffee while you’re online. Don’t feel like coffee today? No problem, cancel the order. It would be damn cool to send a text message to my coffeemaker, “brew coffee 9pm”.

I had actually planned to put my toaster and coffeemaker on the Internet. Then I saw this article about hackers breaking into your house through your coffeemaker. Boy would that be humiliating…

computing tech

My friend Jon sent me an invite for Google Wave a few weeks ago. The hype behind this online collaboration tool is that it serves as an alternative to email. In a way, this platform serves almost like a wiki, in which multiple participants can embed content to be distributed to any or all of the members of a ‘wave’.

The confusing aspect of this framework is that most users are accustomed to a linear conversation. We chat via instant messenger in a linear approach, as in emails. With a tree framework, certain topics can branch out into subtopics. The root topics/discussions can also be revised on a later date. This translates into an evolving topic, which potentially keeps old topics accessible.

This idea is not novel to the programming crowd. Version systems a la CVS have been around for decades to maintain proper updates on software. The problem with applying this to laypeople collaboration is that it’s a new system to learn. Given that Wave is still in an invite-only interfact with limited functionality, I don’t see myself collaborating much with my coworkers/peers anytime soon, unless I can muster up some more invites.

In the meantime, you can read “The Complete Guide to Wave” online to get up to speed, written by one of the Lifehacker editors.

computing tech