Those of you who have phone reception during work may be reaping the benefits of Google Voice. One of the shortcomings of distributing your Voice number, however, is that outgoing calls from your cellphone or office still display the number in use. That is thoroughly confusing for your clients, especially if they save your “outgoing number” on their caller id’s. To avoid this issue, Voice has an outgoing calling option that requires you to dial your Voice number, and enter it through a menuing system. This is the same procedure for using its international dialing service, which is relatively inexpensive.

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.

computing tech

Those of you who are tech types probably have heard about OpenDNS, a [profitable] Internet infrastructure firm founded on venture capital. They recently became accountable for 1% of the world’s Internet usage. That is impressive.

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. *

computing tech

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