Unfortunately for the consumer, the modems provided are crap.

For instance AT&T offers some customers a variant of a DSL router manufactured by 2Wire. While the modems themselves are easy to install and relatively maintenance-free, I’ve heard nothing but trouble from those that experience problems. One of my friends’ 2Wire modems fizzled out soon after the 1-year warranty agreement by AT&T. The modem booted up, but the power light would remain red. Hard resets and power cycling did nothing to the modem. The model was a 2700-HGB. AT&T suggested to her to buy a new modem (for >$79). I found several online accounts similar problems with these modems, and it turns out to be a faulty capacitor in the modem or a faulty power supply.

The power supply unit offered by 2Wire cannot be purchased separately. However, several electronic devices in the market use a similar 5.1V head. The quick fix for the 2Wire 2700H-GB power supply is a PSP power adapter (like this). For a mere $5, you can get your modem back and running again. If it doesn’t work, you’re only down $5.

I’ve collected a bit of tweaks throughout the years to help keep my copy of XP competitive on older hardware. I’ve decided to post a list of optimization techniques for Windows XP, mainly for myself and those of you who still may be using this operating system. Refer to my previous guide on netbook optimization, as some of these suggestions overlap.

Firstly, these tips are not specific to any hardware, although some systems may not be amenable to these tweaks. Laptops, in particular, have specific drivers that may be required to function properly. Be warned.  Secondly, I expect a minimum baseline in your system (ie Pentium 2 is unlikely to respond as well as a Pentium 4).

1. Memory. No matter what type of computer you have, you need memory. From my experience in ECE110 (operating systems) in college, the memory will give a higher end-user speed improvement over clock speed (although clock speed is what drives the electric current to the memory). You should have at least 1gb in your system. If your computer is too old to warrant a memory upgrade and has too little (256mb), then any sort of optimization will be limited.
2. Stop indexing. My Computer->Right Click hard disk->uncheck “Allow indexing Service to index this disk for fast searching”. You don’t need this.
3. Stop unnecessary services. There are specific services that are required for your system. Check to make sure which ones you need, and cut out the ones you don’t. Go to Start->Run->”services.msc”. There is a list of services that you can uncheck. A few that I have found to be useless for the average home user include:
   1. Error Reporting Service
   2. Help and Support (Who ever uses this?)
   3. Fast User Switching (If you had enough power to support multi-user logins, you needn’t be using this article)
   4. Telephony
   5. Anything with “Remote Desktop”. Security hole.
   6. Messenger. No way.
4. Cut some of those special effects. You probably don’t need most of them: Control Panel->System->Advanced->Performance->Settings. Uncheck the drop shadows and visual styles.
5. Optimize startup. Cut out Office Launcher and Acrobat startup. Let them load on first run of opening Word/PDF files. If your taskbar is over a fifth of your desktop width, then you might have too many startup programs.
6. Ditch Symantec Antivirus. This program has memory leaks. I don’t understand why some universities still purchase a site license for this useless software. If you need antivirus, use something like Comodo Internet Security.
7. Try Bootvis. It can optimize startup order. It sped up my startup by 10 seconds!
8. Ditch some unnecessary fonts. Excess fonts that you never use can bog down word processing and any graphics editors that you use. Control Panel->Fonts. Choose some to remove. Just don’t forget to keep the basics.
9. Use a tweaking application. I used to use TweakUI, which eventually became encompassed by PowerToys. X-Setup is an extreme tweaking app that I found pretty helpful. You can enable “fast updates”, disable tooltips, and other optimization hacks. I obtained a noticeable speed increase after using this tool.
10. Remove unnecessary programs. Some of the programs that you installed and used once can have startup functions that slow down the boot process.

That’s it! These basic tweaks can bring life to any aging Windows XP system.

Interesting use. Could someone elaborate?

It seems like hardware has caught up the power race, and most desktop systems are capable of handling all but the most processor-intense applications. I’ve been one to believe that current computers are overpowered for their intended purposes. Who needs a dual-core with 2gb memory and 1gb video ram to browse the ‘net and word process? Indeed, there is no role for this in routine use, but I recently discovered that new hardware helps even with light software use.

I recently installed Microsoft’s Visual Studio with SQL Server onto my 1.7ghz Thinkpad. The installation burned through about 15gb of disk space (out of a 40gb disk) and took over an hour to complete. After the ancillary drivers were installed in place (.NET, Powershell…etc), the laptop ran like a 500-lb man after going through a Vegas buffet. I promptly uninstalled the software.

It’s probably time for an upgrade.

Nice.

Fortunately for smartphone users (a la Blackberry, iPhone, and Android), Google has a suite of applications for Voice that use your data line, saving your monthly minutes. After you download the app, using it is self explanatory.

For those still stuck on a voice-only cellular plan, there is still an option with outgoing calls via Voice. As I can recall from my limited phreaking knowledge, voice lines all have a pause signal that you can deliver to the telephone stream. This can be invoked to automate your responses through a menu. Depending on the model of your phone, this pause signal can be represented by a number of symbols which may include the following:

• comma: “,”
• pause: “P”
• asterisk: “*”
• plus: “+”

My Samsung flip-phone has a dedicated pause signal that is invoked from the plus key when held for 1 second. With the pause signal in mind, dialing out with Voice is simple, albeit slightly slower with so many keystrokes.

For instance, to dial out Andrew via Voice, I program this into my address book:

XXX-XXX-XXXX P YYYY P 2 ZZZ-ZZZ-ZZZZ

“X” is my Voice number. “Y” is my PIN. The number ’2′ is the option to dial out via Voice. “Z” is Andrew’s number. The pauses are spaced out so as needed so that your keystrokes are registered. I’ve discovered that I do not need to deliver a pause signal after the ’2′ option. Again, no spaces are needed.

The entire process takes about 3 seconds to make the connection, but it is a reliable work-around for those of you without a data plan.

I have been using OpenDNS for quite some time simply as a means to speed up my internet connection. It works. OpenDNS serves as a domain name server (DNS). It is free for personal use, and also available for business/institutions for DNS resolution. What does this really mean? Every website name that you type into your browser is translated into an IP address via the DNS. Typically your ISP has its own DNS that is either configured automatically or through your router/ethernet software setup. Depending on how efficient your ISP’s DNS backbone is, your website resolution can vary by a magnitude of seconds. Furthermore, a good DNS can provide an additional layer of security to your computer by filtering phishing websites or preventing cache poisoning.

The more impressive aspect of this company is its success. It is managed essentially by three people. Its CEO, as I recall, graduated with a biological anthropology degree from WashU. It has a deliverable product that is available freely to the public, as well as a commercial version for generating revenue. The service doesn’t blatantly intrude into our lives a la Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, yet plays a substantial role in IT. Bravo indeed.

Go out and use OpenDNS. Most of you do not have an internet backbone like MIT‘s with a direct connection to Akamai. Enjoy the reliability, speed, and security of a trusted DNS.

*Note: I have no disclosures with OpenDNS, although am available for technical consultation by any party. *

It is shocking to recall how naive I was. I borrowed a suit and dress shoes from a guy named Alex who lived down the hall from me. I had no idea what a real interview entailed. Sure, I’d swept movie theater floors, washed toilets, cut trees, built houses, but never had a desk job. That is a different beast. The interview began with about a minute of pleasant conversation, and degenerated into a brain teaser session. For those of you who lived only in the Google era, convoluted brain exercises during tech interviews existed ages before Google came along.

Remarkably, I managed through about ten problems involving spilled water, 2-quart containers, and 50-cent pieces.

“Good, ” the interviewer declared, “most people never get more than two of these correct, but unfortunately we still have to check your computer science knowledge. I’ll give you an easy one, since you did so well on the logic puzzles.

“What’s negative 6 written in 8-bit twos complement notation?”

F-ck.

Twos complement is a fundamental notation found in logic systems. In integrated circuits, each wire has two states, on or off. There is either electricity flowing through the wire, or not. A wire with power is represented in binary as a ’1′. All calculations are grounded on the twos complement system. All computing circuitry invokes logic represented by twos complement. With an 8-bit register, the number 6 is represented simply in binary notation, like this:

00000110

Negative numbers are represented by inverting the bits of their positive counterparts, and adding ’1′. Thus, -6 looks like this:

00000110 => 11111001 => (add 1) => 11111010

Any geek who tinkers with computer science would have known that. Not me. I was unable to write ‘-6′ in twos complement notation, and did not get the job. However, I received a Razor scooter as a consolation prize and was offered a priority internship consideration the next year.

I never followed up on that position, and am now an ophthalmology resident. It is incredible how much one event can impact your career.

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.

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.