tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51977250281264770762024-03-12T18:01:55.213-07:00Schoon's PlaceOracle, SQL Server, Android, Gaming, fun and interesting blog entries for things that are important to me.NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-78086630001508381762020-06-22T12:57:00.001-07:002020-06-22T12:59:22.722-07:005 Americans I didn't know but am glad that I do now<p class="MsoNormal">I was inspired by this post from <a href="https://www.allprodad.com/" target="_blank">All Pro Dad</a>. It’s a subscription newsletter with links to blogs and also a web site. There are parenting,
marriage, and other topics of interest to me. This post talked about what we
should be and how we are teaching our children about Racial Tension. It strikes
a chord with me because I recognize that I’ve been around quite a few racist
people in my life both in and out of my family. As a white male, it is important to me that my children don’t
follow in my footsteps from both a familial standpoint (we can’t create a
racist atmosphere in our home) and from a learning standpoint (we must teach
that we are all equal but that as white people we are sometimes given opportunity simply due to our skin color).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The All-Pro Dad article is entitled “Racial Tension: What are we
teaching our children?” I’ll let you pause and read it here if you would like<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.allprodad.com/racial-tension-what-are-we-teaching-our-children/" target="_blank">https://www.allprodad.com/racial-tension-what-are-we-teaching-our-children/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now that you’ve read it you will begin to see the direction
of this short post. I decided to see how quickly I could find five distinct non-white
American people that have worked or are working for equality in this country.
The funny thing is those good things aren’t often easy to find. I pride myself
on my google skills and after quite a bit of wordsmith and search engine finagling
I came up with this list. Bonus points if you know any of them, I didn’t.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Irish American – <a href="https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/irish-patriot-and-us-politician-thomas-addis-emmet-honored-in-new-york" target="_blank">ThomasAddis Emmet</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He died in 1827 but during his life he was an Attorney that
fought equal rights. This included fighting laws that prevented Catholics from
holding office to one case where he fought to free an Americana slave.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Italian American – <a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/italians-who-fought-for-justice/#Arturo_Giovannitti" target="_blank">ArturoM. Giovannitti</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He died in 1959 but fought hard for labor rights. He was
even accused of murder once but was actually miles away when the murder
occurred. Eventually, he was acquitted but that must have been hard. He knew how
important the working class is.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mexican American – <a href="https://mashable.com/article/hispanic-activists/" target="_blank">Sylvia Mendez</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sylvia was the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a Puerto Rican
Immigrant. She was expected to go to a segregated school for Mexican students
but instead, her parents sued the all-white Westminster school district which
sparked Mendez V Westminster which ultimately de-segregated schools in
California. She is still an active civil rights advocate to this day! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">African American – <a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-black-activists-who-are-fighting-injustice-and-f/" target="_blank">LateefahSimon</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This lady works to help the homeless, poor, and formerly
incarcerated women. She is also the founder of the Akonadi Foundation which
goes after structural inequalities at the heart of U.S. Society. <br />
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Indian American – <a href="https://medium.com/advancing-justice-aajc/5-asian-american-sheroes-who-inspire-us-729073cebfa1" target="_blank">PramilaJayapal</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Elected to the House of Representatives this lady works for
women’s rights, immigrant’s rights, voting rights, and working to end
institutional racism. She also helps new Americans to vote. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So there is my list. Which enlightened me to so many more
folks that are fighting each and every day on the back end to help all of us to
be more equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of particular note to me
during my research on Pramila is that she is only 1 of 14 naturalized citizens
serving in the United States Congress. She came here at age 16 because her
father believed in the best that this country could be. We are not anywhere
close to being our best. <br /><br />Each one of us must do our part. Whether
that is extending a hand to someone that doesn’t look like us. Supporting a
cause with time or money that we might not otherwise have thought about or
looked into or by voting at local, state, and federal levels. It would be so amazing
to see the largest voter turnout ever this November. I hope that happens. Finally, here a few ways to educate and support.<o:p></o:p></p>Racial Equity Tools - <a href="https://www.racialequitytools.org/home">https://www.racialequitytools.org/home</a><br />Global Citizen - <a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/">https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/</a><br />Feed America - <a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/">https://www.feedingamerica.org/</a><br /><br />Good luck and may God bless us all!<br /><br />NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-78442324795483901082018-01-25T07:29:00.001-08:002018-01-25T08:08:28.194-08:00Why I took a Social Media Break and how I did it<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="467nh" data-offset-key="9v3j1-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Welcome to 2018. I took an unannounced break from social media back in early December 2017. My original thought was that I was spending too much time on social media and I needed to focus more on personal relationships.
A big reason I made this decision was due to this video, which I highly recommend.
<a href="https://youtu.be/PMotykw0SIk">https://youtu.be/PMotykw0SIk</a>
In this video you will see a former Facebook exec talk about how social media is damaging our society in a lot of ways. Yes, there are some good things about it and i'm not suggesting drop them altogether. I'm only writing about why I made my decision to do what I did.
</span><b style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steps I took to initiate my break from social media...</b>
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<li style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Removed all social media apps from my phone. This included Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, Yelp and Twitter. I kept LinkedIn as I consider that more on the professional side.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Turned off any and all notifications for social media apps, even emails, on my accounts.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Committed to not using the web to access these same apps on my phone.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Made a decision that 0 posts would be made to Facebook, Instagram, twitter and yelp but that I reserved the right to post on Nextdoor as it could be something related to safety. I would also reply to direct messages in Facebook if necessary as some folks use that.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Made the decision of not deleting my accounts because I do see some value in these services</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I do not plan to reinstall the apps on my phone but I will check occasionally on my computer or ipad. One of the great things that has happened as a result of all of this is that my conversations with people are much richer than they used to be. This I believe is primarily because I'm not putting a lot of my life out there as I used to. So, that's it for now. I hope that you enjoy the video and have a sense of what I went through to dial my use back, maybe you too will see the value as I have. </span></div>
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NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.comCharlotte, NC, USA35.2270869 -80.84312669999997134.8118989 -81.488573699999975 35.642274900000004 -80.197679699999966tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-39583136983958159462014-06-28T11:26:00.000-07:002014-06-28T11:26:27.384-07:00Media Center PC BuildI'll admit it, I've been lurking around in various PC build forums for probably 6 months. Ever since I cut the cable cord I've been using an older Alienware M11X laptop as my media center pc. While it has done a decent job it is not a perfect solution. It is lacking in CPU cores and also only has 4 gigabytes of ram. Now, you can argue that this should be plenty for a media center pc but when you want to play the occasional steam game using big picture mode things start to get a little more difficult. Couple this with using an (also older) D-Link D321 NAS for streaming videos and things get even more complicated.<div>
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Last week I finally bit the bullet by picking up the last few parts for my build. This is what I ended up with:</div>
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<a href="http://www.cougar-world.com/us/products/pc_case/spike.html" target="_blank">Cougar Spike Mini Gaming Tower</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128555" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(149, 160, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;">GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H LGA 1155 Micro ATX M</span></span>obo</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115233" target="_blank">Intel Core I-5 3.4ghz</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345" target="_blank">Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 - 2 Sticks of 4GB</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153198" target="_blank">Thermaltake TPD-0750M Modular Power Supply</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211603" target="_blank">ADATA 256GB SSD Drive</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148834" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(149, 160, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;">Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB</span></span> Hard Drive</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150607" target="_blank">Radeon 7850 HD Black Edition</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106393" target="_blank">Lite-On 24x DVD Burner</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.startech.com/Computer-Parts/Fans/525-Drive-Bay-Hard-Drive-Cooler-with-Black-Bezel-2-Fans~FANDRIVE2BK" target="_blank">Front Mounted Dual Hard Drive Fan</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416712" target="_blank">Windows 8.1 64 Bit Full Version</a></div>
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My primary goal for this box is to serve as a media center to drive my 60" Plasma Television. For this I will be running XBMC Gotham version 13.1. As a secondary use I want it to be used as a steam box in big picture mode that will share the steam library from my primary account using family sharing. Other than that some karaoke, light web browsing and maybe some music streaming.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_pCasWiyME/U68B6M7d1SI/AAAAAAAAAuY/fE7xc6MmDBc/s1600/IMG_0937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_pCasWiyME/U68B6M7d1SI/AAAAAAAAAuY/fE7xc6MmDBc/s1600/IMG_0937.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Once all the parts arrived I had to familiarize myself with the hardware. It has been awhile since I've built a pc from the ground up. The last desktop I purchased was directly from Dell. While i've done some modifications to that box it was still something that was built for me. One of my main concerns was having minimal sound from the system and also minimal heat. This box will also be sitting right next to my television so it needs to look halfway decent or my wife won't like it all. Migrating about a Terabyte of data from the NAS to the internal hard drive of this new box is not going to be much fun either!</div>
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After laying everything out on my table I was ready to get started, this is what it looked like before I began.</div>
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Motherboards can be picky things. You can do all the research in the world but it is really not going to prepare you for the subtle differences of one over another. This was my first foray into the world of Micro-ATX motherboards. To be fair, it is small, but not so small as to be impossible to work with. I just promised myself I would stay grounded (literally) and take my time. I wanted to get everything hooked up and not worry about cable management just so I could confirm that all hardware was good to go. Once I had everything in and working my plan was to pull all the cables and really focus on the management so airflow would be good.</div>
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My first problem came when I looked at the memory sticks. These things are tall, I mean like twice as tall as the memory modules I was used to. I realized that I'd have to seat the secondary hard drive either high or low as to not interfere with the memory. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RktJk5OKmMk/U68ERAnRILI/AAAAAAAAAuk/BgfR7OLQmlA/s1600/IMG_0940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RktJk5OKmMk/U68ERAnRILI/AAAAAAAAAuk/BgfR7OLQmlA/s1600/IMG_0940.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Since the spike has 5 internal bays I was able to use the bay below the 5.25 in order to keep it out of the way enough. The modular power supply worked out wonderfully here. I was able to use one cable for all sata power connections and then I needed one molex connector for the front mounted fan. Once all of it was together I took it in the office and hooked it up. I put in the hdmi cable, the keyboard/mouse cable (wireless, this will mean something in a minute) the power and the network and pressed the power button. Crossing my fingers as I saw the Gigabyte logo pop up, I was in business!</div>
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The first thing I noticed was the GUI BIOS, very nice! Also I was surprised the wireless keyboard mouse combo worked without any drivers. Usually I would have to go digging for a wired keyboard mouse until I got Windows up and running. I confirmed a few things in the bios and then found my windows disk. I popped 64 bit windows DVD in the drive and then restarted the computer. It asked me if I wanted to boot from the DVD drive and after about 10 minutes I was into the windows environment. Even I was amazed at how fast this thing was. I should note that I made sure the SSD was hooked up to the 6Gbps SATA port (this Mobo only has one of them). The boot time after restart was less than 5 seconds, amazing!</div>
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Once I had everything working with basic windows I shut the computer down and got to work on cable management. You know, when I bought the Cougar Spike I pretty much bought it for the price. It was fifteen dollars after a rebate so it was a no brainer for me. Saving money though can sometimes turn around and bite you. After looking for a few examples of cable management on the spike I found that there was almost nothing that the manufacturer had done to make our lives easier. I went to the workshop and grabbed a few zip ties of various sizes, some twist ties and a couple of rubber bands and got to work.</div>
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I think that you'll agree what I came up with works quite well. Idle temps on the CPU are around 25c and the system stays around 27c. The highest I've seen it go so far has been around 45c but honestly I've not really taxed it yet. Once I get into a long intensive gaming session I may come back here and update this post but I really don't think there is much more I can do to bring them down short of adding more fans and I'm not sure I want the added noise.</div>
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Here is a before picture after I hooked everything up and before I performed my cable management.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZYdM2azvgU/U68Gg1cI0aI/AAAAAAAAAuw/JrlofsvM-tI/s1600/2014-06-27+22.55.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZYdM2azvgU/U68Gg1cI0aI/AAAAAAAAAuw/JrlofsvM-tI/s1600/2014-06-27+22.55.36.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is the final product with everything in place.</div>
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Finally here is a shot of the front of the case, all closed up and ready to be integrated into my media center in the living room. Oh wait, I still have about a day's worth of data migration to do. This DLink NAS will sustain only about 10MBps so this will take some time. I hope you enjoyed my post!</div>
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NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-26414813958176900062013-06-12T08:52:00.000-07:002013-06-12T08:52:48.178-07:00Unstructured Data can create chaosUnstructured Data can create chaos <br />
June 12th, 2013 <br />
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It seems that no matter where you go these days, twitter, your favorite tech blog, email newsletters, that everyone is talking about big data. Let's face it, big data is a buzzword, or buzz term, that many technology professionals are being forced to address. Most database guys like myself have been dealing with large amounts of data for years. What was once kilobytes of data turned into megabytes, then gigabytes, then terabytes and now even beyond that. We've dealt with this sizable data in a lot of different ways including table partitioning, regular archival and purging and the creation of data warehouses that are away from our regular transactional databases. We've had the time to analyze what is coming into our databases so we can transform it into something useful. This latest wave of "big data" is taking some of these approaches away from us for a couple of different reasons, velocity and volume. <br />
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At some point the size of the data becomes just too big to handle and the speed at which it is coming at us is too quick for our systems to handle. Now, fast forward to the wonderful world of unstructured data. This world states that we really don't care what the data that comes in looks like we'll just store it. Then after awhile we'll be able to do something useful with it. But just how realistic is this approach? As a database professional, I like to ensure data quality. By introducing unstructured data into my world you've thrown a lot of my ability to ensure data quality out the window. I can store it for you. I might even be able to query a lot of it and produce useful insight from it but over time the data just becomes more and more difficult to manage.<br />
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For example, once I've traversed the last 2 years of web logs and created a dashboard of how often our customers go to each of our web pages do I keep the detail information just in case I might come up with a new way to traverse and create new business knowledge? If I do keep it, do I tie back my new business knowledge to the rows of unstructured data for purposes of drill down? In some shops this may be impossible. My only real option may be to archive it because while I'm analyzing the bulk unstructured data that is stored let's not forget that all my current customers are quickly producing mounds of new data that I'll have to do something with sooner or later.<br />
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To be fair, vendors are giving us ways to deal with this data. Newer, open source, database technologies such as noSQL and CouchDB (a derivative of NoSQL) are document based solutions. The Hadoop File system (HFS) provides file based storage that is, in theory, easy to get to and designed to store bulk data. Developers are slapping SQL like interfaces like Hive on top of HFS in order to facilitate those of us with SQL skills access to the data in these new systems. But wait, if it is in fact truly unstructured, how do I know what I need? If data is coming in from multiple sources and just dumping away into an open file system how do I make sense of it?<br />
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Well, this is where the database guys come back into the picture. This is also why, in my opinion, the relational database management system is not going anywhere soon. Extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) techniques from these large unstructured data sources will still need to be written in order to make the data into usable and business ready forms. The data will need to be tied to valid business entities such as users, clients or customers or real assets such as servers and/or data centers. Without the knowledge of what a piece of unstructured data is directly tied to it will be difficult, if not impossible to derive any real value from it.<br />
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Let's also not forget the big RDBMS guys like Oracle and Microsoft are adding big data features into their tool sets. Either that or they are buying companies that already have tools and creating hooks back into their flagship products. SQL Server has introduced PolyBase with its 2012 iteration that promises to tie unstructured big data with its relational counterparts. Oracle has its own NoSQL database and a fully configured Big Data appliance that is ready to capture your organization's data. These are all relevant and good approaches to the problem but without data order there is data chaos. <br />
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You, and your team, must take a systematic approach to what data you are capturing and why. Then you must consider its value to the business. Each data have a relationship to a business unit or units within your organization. Once the data are categorized, governance rules must be created. You can't simply say we'll keep all data for all time, that is not realistic and will eventually create chaos. Data retention rules apply here, they may be self imposed or perhaps government imposed in the case of financial institutions but clear rules should be defined. <br />
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Unstructured data cannot always be handled in real time either. Clear rules should be defined around which data needs to be handled in which order. If the data is directly relevant to revenue then obviously it is more important and should be handled with the fastest available applications and hardware. This is where defined disk tiers can come in handy. If data is not needed to be instantly accessible it can reside on older, slower, commodity disks. But if data is needed in real time or near real time then perhaps solid state devices are needed. <br />
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If you haven't already been approached to deal with unstructured data, you soon will be. I hope that this has helped you think about some of the pitfalls of dealing with it. Do yourself a favor and start familiarizing yourself with some of the free tools that are out there. Cloudera, as an example, has a free Virtual machine you can download that has a full install of Hadoop with Pig and Hive on it for practice sessions. With a reasonably powered laptop you can get this up and running in a half hour or so. If you don't, just keep up with industry blogs and whitepapers to stay in touch with what is out there. <br />
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Here are links to some of the stuff I talked about in this blog<br />
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<a href="http://couchdb.apache.org/" target="_blank">CouchDB</a><br />
<a href="http://hadoop.apache.org/" target="_blank">Hadoop</a><br />
<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/solutions-technologies/data-warehousing/polybase.aspx" target="_blank">SQL Server 2012 and Polybase</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oracle.com/us/products/database/big-data-appliance/overview/index.html" target="_blank">Oracle Big Data Appliance</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oracle.com/us/products/database/nosql/overview/index.html" target="_blank">Oracle NoSQL Database</a><br />
<a href="https://ccp.cloudera.com/display/SUPPORT/Cloudera+QuickStart+VM" target="_blank">Cloudera Quickstart VM - Cloudera Quickstart VM</a><br />
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Bill Schoonmaker<br />
Data Architect, EMC Corp <br />
<br />NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-7555895953291448492013-01-04T11:13:00.000-08:002013-01-04T11:13:08.274-08:00Welcome to the FitBit GenerationI'm overweight. There, I said it. According to some charts I'm obese although I don't think about myself in that way. I've gone up quite a few pant sizes since my college days. Then I was a svelte 170 pounds and was pretty active in High School. I never was much of a runner, just didn't care for it. I did like to lift weights but never really bulked up in any way. I guess I was just "normal" for my height of about 6'1". <br />
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The years tend to take a toll on us if we don't continually maintain ourselves. For me, they've been particularly heavy on the pounds. So here I am at the ripe old age of 43 and staring an overage of about 75 pounds dead in the face. There are some serious health problems that can and will begin to crop up when you're pushing around that much extra weight. To be fair, like I said, I don't "feel" like the fat guy in the room most of the time but I do notice that in most cases I am probably the heaviest guy in meetings or in general gatherings with my friends. Even saying that in writing makes me know that something has to change.<br />
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I've dieted but only one time really seriously. About 2 years ago before I started my new job I was a member at the Gym where I worked and joined a bootcamp program. Three times a week I got up at 6:00 am to go exercise before work. In that class I was also required to keep a food journal. The food journal was really just a way for us to know what was going in because hey, knowledge is power, right? Anyway, when I started that program I was sitting at around 235. I managed to drop over 15 pounds during that program but then my world changed. Or maybe it just got re-prioritized.<br />
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Starting a new job is stressful. You have people to impress, changes to adapt to, a new commute to get used to and lunches to get to know people, among other things. From that original 218 or so that I was down to I have now managed to put back on that weight and then some to put myself at a nice, plump 253 or so depending on which scale i'm standing on and how many clothes I'm wearing at the time. Let's not even talk about the BMI percentage right now.<br />
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As it came to be closer to Christmas, the inevitable question arises. What do you want for Christmas? Honestly I have everything I need and more but I still thought about it. I had read about these new fitness gadgets like the Nike Fuel Band and the Fitbit and others. After doing some research I thought that the Fitbit would work into my lifestyle nicely and provide some real data to help me begin to make the changes necessary to lose weight. On Christmas morning I opened up my new Fitbit One and also the matching Fitbit Aria Scale. The products work together with an internet based software solution called the Fitbit dashboard. <br />
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By signing up and then syncing your devices to the account you will begin to accumulate data that will help you see a clear picture of what your intake and output really is. Being the data oriented guy that I am I was well into this thing right out of the gate. The Fitbit one tracks the following:<br />
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1. Steps taken<br />
2. Calories burned<br />
3. Stairs Climbed<br />
4. Sleep Quality<br />
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Some of this is based on tried and true formulas after you give some specifications about your body and the others are derived from actual activity. The typical stride in an adult is about 2.5 feet when walking which seems to be well in line with my stride so the fitbit is pretty accurate in step counting for me. You can also adjust the stride if you're shorter or taller as necessary. The stair climber seems to be directly related to changes in elevation as walking steep hills sometimes counts as stairs but when I tried using it on the stairclimber the steps did not register as stairs (although they did register as steps).<br />
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The Calories burned are based on your statistics and throughout the day, even sedentary, you're burning calories. You set a target weight loss goal (in my case 2 pounds per week) and the software will tell you how many calories you can eat for the day. As you record your food consumed, walk, climb stairs and just generally go through your daily motions the calories remaining will change. If you manage to keep your intake less than your expenditure you should lose weight. Sounds simple in theory right? So why do I need this little device to help me do it?<br />
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Well, the Fitbit is a data lover's dream! In order to sync the data you plug a small device into a usb port on your computer. Once this is done and you have the sync software installed, each time you come near it with the fitbit the data gets uploaded and is available in the Fitbit dashboard. This gives you near realtime views of how your day is progressing with respect to your weight loss goals. If you're sitting at 2:00 pm and you see you only have 500 calories left for the day you either get off your butt and go walking/stair climbing or you know that dinner is going to be a lean cuisine and maybe an ounce of almonds. If you decide to move then the activity you add will immediately give you some buffer in your calories remaining for the day.<br />
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The Fitbit also tries to be cute and helpful with a community of people to interact and compete with. Unfortunately this is where things fall off a little bit for me. Yeah I like blogging and sharing my success/failures to a degree but do I really want complete strangers checking out my BMI? If you have enough real life friends that use Fitbit maybe that would be good but so far this just seems to be a novelty. The other area that is lacking a bit is user forums. There are several thousand of them but there is not a way to search and find forums that are relative to you or your particular situation. Instead you're left to click through them page by page until you find one you like, trust me, you'll get through maybe 10 or so pages before you give up looking. If you do add a few friends you can decide what to share with them which is nice ( I only share steps taken) and then send messages or cute little taunts or praises which may help some people but will probably get old very quickly.<br />
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The best parts of the Fitbit dashboard for me are centered around the calories that I have left to consume.<br />
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<img alt="" 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" /><br />
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Also, the graph that shows me the level of activity that I've performed for they day is helpful. This essentially tells me how often I'm being a slug. As a desk jockey this is a great reminder to get up and move around every hour or so!<br />
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<img alt="" 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" /><br />
<br />
There are also other areas of information that can also help you get a better overall picture of your health such as the sleep recorder. With the Fitbit you are given a wrist strap that the fitbit slips into. Once it is in and you are ready to go to sleep you press and hold down the one button which puts it into sleep mode then you just go to sleep. When you wake up (to the scheduled silent alarm if you prefer) you press and hold the button again. Once you walk by the wireless receiver the data will be uploaded and you'll see either how good or how bad you slept.<br />
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<img alt="" 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" /><br />
This is cool information to have but it doesn't really tell me how to fix it or if it even needs to be fixed. I just know I woke up a lot. I guess as I map this data out I will begin to see how I feel with less or more sleep. The most eye opening thing to me was how many times I usually wake up during the night. At this point I will also mention you can pay for a premium mebership. For $49.95 you get access to additional graphs and logs and also access to real personal trainers that go over your data and help you make positive changes to your plan. Maybe with this I would find out more about the sleep patterns.<br />
<br />
So what else is good about the Fitbit? The battery life seems solid. The documentation says it can go for 5-7 days without a charge and then only needs 2 hours to get a full charge. So far after 2-3 days I have plugged it in and the battery has been around 3/4 full, good to go there. There is also a guy who's created a 3rd party application to notify you when it needs to be charge. You can find his page at <a href="http://fitbit.jcs.org/">http://fitbit.jcs.org/</a>. The unit's form factor is very small and the belt clip that it came with seems very good with not much movement to it while walking. I did manage to turn it off accidentally once while driving, I guess my belt or pants had somehow pushed and held the button down. This was disappointing as it didn't record data until I turned it back on and there is no way to enter steps directly. You can directly log activity but you'll just enter it as a distance walk. I suppose this is good though as people could easily cheat the system and it would ruin the social competition.<br />
<br />
The Aria scale is pretty cool. I'll admit I had some serious problems getting it to work when I took it out of the box. After some googling I found that the scale only support Wireless B. This forced me to make a change to my router to turn on support for it. Once I did this the scale worked great. Some people have also complained about its range. I have mine in the room directly above where the router is so no problems there but your mileage may vary. You can add multiple users to the scale as well which is very nice, up to 8 I think is the limit. This way people can step on it and it logs their data separately. Supposedly there is a slight inconvenience with multiple users of the same body mass as you have to select your username once stepping off the scale but that is understandable. How else would it know?<br />
<br />
So how have my results been so far? Well, I officially started on December 27th, 2012 and today is January 4th, 2013 so I have 9 days in to date. To date I have only missed my 10,000 step goal on one day and have lost 8.1 pounds. I will admit that I'm being pretty good on my food intake. Only one day has slipped and that was New Year's Eve on which I had far too many beers to stay in range of my calorie goal. The Fitbit is something that I'm wearing regularly and looking forward to meeting my goals with every day. I have a few friends out there that I'm connected with but I'm only sharing steps with them. It is fun to see the leaderboard move up and down as we each attempt our goals. Most importantly though this device has opened up my eyes to the lack of physical activity I was getting every day as an IT professional who is bound to a desk all day. I'm not going to say it has worked yet because I've only been on the plan for 9 days but I will say it has been a revelation.<br />
<br />
I will post periodically on my progress here, thanks for reading!NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-35621059285143971562012-09-19T08:23:00.002-07:002012-09-19T08:23:22.626-07:00My essential Android apps listOver time and through two full cycles of Android phones (The HTC Incredible and now the Samsung Galaxy S3) I have come to rely on quite a few applications. It was interesting to me when I picked up my new phone in July because I really got a chance to reconfigure my phone and the various home screens. Since then I've even dumped a few apps and found a few new ones but these are the staples of my Android life and I hope that you will check them out when you have time. Each of these apps I use on a regular basis. I have a lot more on my phone but this is the list that would go with me to my next phone and beyond. Just hit the Google Play link and type in the app's name to find it. Most of them are free or low cost so what are you waiting for, get out there and find some new stuff to play with on your phone!<br />
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<a href="http://play.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Play Store</a><br />
<br />
<b>Everyday Use</b><br />
<br />
Dropbox - Instant camera uploads to the cloud and your other files always available<br />
Weatherbug HD - Great forecasts and a cool widget for your homescreen<br />
Dolphin Browser - The best alternate browser hands down<br />Flixster - Find movie times and watch trailers<br />
Gas Buddy - Find the cheapest gas!<br />
RadarNow - Shows instant radar wherever you are, great for camping and hiking<br />
Google Reader - Catch up on all your rss feeds<br />
Springpad - Take notes on anything, I use it for grocery lists household notes like filter sizes<br />
Shop Savvy - Scan a UPC code get the cheapest price around<br />
QuickOffice - View excel, word and powerpoint documents on your phone<br />
<br />
Craigslist - Post items for sale easily, browse what's available to buy<br />
Key Ring - Store all those loyalty cards on your phone<br />
Slacker Radio - Great mobile radio with good stations to choose from<br />
Netflix - Watch shows while working out or anytime<br />
Flashlight - Light the way, widget provides instant on and off from home screen<br />
Mint - Track our finances<br />
Redbox - Find out if your local Red Box has that movie you want for tonight<br />
<br />
<b>Utilities</b><br />
<br />
Speed Test - Shows how fast your internet connection is<br />
Elixer - Flexible extensions to android such as more icons and instant tether on and off<br />
<br />
<b>Games</b><br />
<br />
Cut the Rope - Great puzzle game<br />
FlickGolf! - Relaxing and fun sports game<br />
Hex Defense - Challenging real time tower defense<br />
Jetpack Joyride - Fun arcade challenge<br />
Plants Vs Zombies - A great classic tower defense game<br />
Skateboard - Fun arcade action with great unlocks<br />
Where's my Water - Interesting puzzle game that will make you think<br />
Wind-up Knight - Platformer with cool graphics<br />
<br />
<b>Other Apps</b><br />
<br />
<br />
CamScanner - Scan any document into a pdf, receipts, etc.<br />
Shazam - Listens for playing music and will tell you what song/artist is<br />
NFL Mobile - Track your favorite team and all scores<br />
Yahoo Fantasy Football - Keep up with your fantasy team<br />
WiFi Analyzer - Shows you signal strength of available wifi<br />
<br />
Zillow - Real Estate pricingNCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-22585065766787686462012-05-21T13:27:00.000-07:002012-05-21T13:27:55.308-07:00DBMSaaS - Database Management System as a Service<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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DBMSaaS – Database Management System as a Service<br />
Bill Schoonmaker - Vice President of Data Architecture at <a href="http://www.adaptivity.com/" target="_blank">Adaptivity, Inc</a></div>
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May 10<sup>th</sup>, 2012<br /><br />
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Consider cost savings, risk reduction and space
savings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While these may not be the
first things you think of when you think of your database, all are reasons to discover
that recently, a new paradigm shift has begun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While there seems to be some disagreement on a proper acronym or even
name, for this blog, I will refer to it as DBMSaaS, or Database Management
System as a Service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is different
than DaaS (Data as a Service) as that is typically used for data sets that can
be used across various lines of business, usually slowly changing lookup data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good example of DaaS would be the <a href="https://datamarket.azure.com/browse/Data">Microsoft Azure Markeplace</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There you’ll find subscription ready data to
access from your applications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t
have to manage or maintain the data, you just use it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that we understand the differences
between DaaS and DBMSaaS, why exactly would someone be interested in putting
their database in the cloud?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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In today’s cloud centric world, there are many vendors that
are offering infrastructure as a service (IaaS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vendors such as Amazon, Microsoft, 6 Fusion,
Rackspace and dozens more provide the ability to quickly stand up all types of
virtual servers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically if you are
using an IaaS vendor you will deploy a virtual server for your database in
addition to your application and web servers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your database software is then installed on the server and the databases
you need are configured and maintained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is similar to what would be done in your own environment only you
are not housing the server on your own hardware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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With DBMSaaS, there is no need for you to manage the server or
in some cases even manage the database.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You simply set up the structure of your database and load the data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Backups and database upgrades are handled by
the vendor and in some cases horizontal scalability is as easy as clicking a few
buttons or may be automatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/home/features/sql-azure/">Microsoft
SQL Azure</a>, <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/rds/">Amazon Relational Database
Service</a> and <a href="https://cloud.oracle.com/mycloud/f?p=service:database:0:::::">Oracle Database
Cloud Service</a> are just three of the ready to deploy solutions for setting
up and maintaining your database in the cloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In addition to these three, there are a growing number of DBMSaaS providers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should have no trouble finding one that
suits your needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, outside of vendor
selection, how do you make a choice to go to the cloud with your database at
all?</div>
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<br /></div>
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There are a few important questions you will need to answer first
about your existing database before you can consider the move to DBMSaaS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Questions such as, how secure does my data
need to be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, how much data do I need
to store in my database?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, what kind
of throughput do I need for my database?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Addressing these questions up front will help you begin to understand if
your database is right for cloud deployment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you need absolute control over your data and manage access on a user
by user basis then your database is probably better off in your own environment
behind your own firewall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you need to
store more than a terabyte of data, you’re more than likely better serviced by using
your own infrastructure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, if you
need extremely fast (sub second) access to your data and most of your access
happens on your own network then you are probably better off rolling your own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next logical step is find support for your particular
DBMS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What database engine does it run
on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are solutions for Oracle, SQL
Server, MySQL, CouchDB and a few others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If your database currently runs on Sybase ASE for example, you would not
be a candidate for DBMSaaS as there isn’t vendor support for it yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sybase is working with Amazon RDS to
implement their DBMS in the Cloud but no release date has been specified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly, if you are running DB2 then there
currently isn’t an option either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
find that your DBMS is not supported by a DBMSaaS vendor then you will either
be tackling a DBMS migration project or considering traditional IaaS.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, you’ve made it to the next step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a vendor that supports your DBMS and
you’ve answered some high level questions about your database and its needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are myriad additional questions that should be asked before you
make the leap to DBMSaaS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
questions range from low level database features such as high availability,
backup operations and encryption all the way to business intelligence support. Each
vendor offers their own feature set so you will need to explore each one in
order to find out what is best for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In general, pricing is competitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Especially when you factor in the cost of a full-time database
administrator and the license for the database itself these services begin to
make a lot of sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, IF your
database meets the right criteria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
vendors will continue to enhance their DBMSaaS offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staying informed through the various blogs
and product announcements may mean that an answer of no today may be an answer
of yes in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The right partner
can help you make intelligent decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Adaptivity prides itself on our ability to help you make the right
decisions with regard to cloud suitability for your applications and
databases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check out our offerings today
at <a href="http://www.adaptivity.com/">www.adaptivity.com</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-26508532147286787292012-04-24T07:33:00.002-07:002012-04-24T07:33:42.634-07:00iPhone AdventuresI finally moved my wife Suzi out of the phone stone ages. She was sporting a Samsung Intensity II phone for the last 2 years. Her primary complaint over smart phones was that she literally HATED touchscreens. I tried many times to get her to play around with my Android phone but she never could quite the hang of it. I knew that when it came time to update her phone that we would be going with the iPhone.<br />
<br />
The iPhone is approachable by just about anyone. I would venture to guess that if you put an iPhone and an Android side by side and turned them on to their respective ready modes that the majority of people would gravitate towards the Apple product. Why? I do not know. What I do know, and this is from experience, the Android platform can be quite frustrating. Yes, you can spend some time setting it up to look like the iPhone and act like an iPhone but in the end, it is not an iPhone. The platform is getting better but I believe it is for more of a power user.<br />
<br />
Even the iPhone takes some getting used to. Understanding what all the applications are for and getting around the user interface are not entirely intuitive but they can be quickly learned. My largest stumbling blocks with setting things up for her came in two flavors.<br />
<br />
1. Getting her Email to properly sync across her pc based outlook and phone<br />
2. Understanding Home Sharing so we could share purchased apps<br />
<br />
Email turned out to be a pretty large hassle and took several hours to rectify. Suffice to say that using the IMAP protocol over POP3 is the way to go. With Suzi only ever checking email on her PC Based Outlook client I had originally set her up to use POP3. There were PST files stored locally on her hard drive so when she checked email the messages were downloaded off the server but not deleted. Outlook was smart enough to know if a message was already stored locally so it was never an issue. Setting up email on the iphone though meant that in her case, her inbox was flooded with over 800 messages while her local inbox had exactly 9! <br />
<br />
In order to change her over to IMAP I had to create a new mailbox on her outlook client then manually move the messages over from the POP3 account to the IMAP account that she wanted to keep. This was very time consuming as she's been using the same email address for years. Basically everything has to be uploaded to the server. Since I recently switched over Gmail as my email provider for schoonsplace.com it was good that they provide 8 GB of storage for email, this was not something I had thought of before leaving Host Monster for email services as they were virtually unlimited for space. I had some availability issues with them though so I switched over to Gmail.<br />
<br />
Once I got everything switched over the mail has the proper behavior now. Messages will be visible in both inboxes but if you delete from one it is deleted from the other. Essentially the clients are reading everything off the server so it just works. About the only downsides I see are speed and space. The actual send/receive process does take longer and as I mentioned above I now have the 8GB limit. It's not a huge deal though as the send/receive is maybe 1 second longer and she's only using 1/8th of the limit so I suspect we'll be fine. I can always help her to copy large emails over to the local PST files on her laptop if she wants to keep them or just get her into the habit of downloading attachment emails and then deleting them.<br />
<br />
Home sharing was another animal altogether. I must admit that I should have done my homework on this one upfront because I think I made a couple of rookie mistakes. One was that I used the same email address on her iPhone that I use for our iPad 2. This is not necessary as with home sharing as long as you are on the WiFI network you have access to the other email address's library. The only thing you lose is the ability to actually install apps from the phone itself that were purchased using the other library's login. It was a bit confusing at first but in the end it all seems to work well. The other issue I ran into was when the PC that I use for itunes synching blanks the monitor (doesn't go to sleep just shuts off the monitor) for some reason the home sharing stops working. I can still see the library but I can't actually transfer any content. Not sure if this is the way it was intended or a bug.<br />
<br />
I will also mention that we just went with an iPhone 4. I know the 5 is coming soon and the S has Siri but really, for a person going to their first smart phone the iPhone 4 is plenty of power. If she becomes a power user then we can look at upgrading her in the next cycle with Verizon. By then I can only imagine the phones that will be available.NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-72047274603634664422012-04-11T12:59:00.003-07:002012-04-11T12:59:41.072-07:00Which smart phone to choose?So these days every 22 months or so I start to get excited about phone again. I wish I had written down somewhere all of the mobile phones I've owned over the years. My first mobile phone was actually a bag phone and I remember making a call from some beach down in Florida back to my office. It wasn't even really a necessary call, it was a bragging call. "Hey Boss, how's it going? Guess where I am". Anyway, I'm sure it costs me at least a few dollars to make that call and I'm even more sure I looked like a total geek dragging that black bag around with me everywhere as if I HAD to be always connected. We've come a long ways since then for sure. I've had my share of flip phones that were the ancestors to today's smart phones. They included calculators and calendars and contact lists but didn't have the ability to side-load apps from anywhere easy.<br />
<br />
I've been on the Verizon network now for probably at least 10 years. My current hand set is the HTC Incredible. I've had my share of problems with it but my most recent factory refresh seems to have made most of those go away. I purchased the Incredible almost sight unseen on a recommendation from a friend. Being a tech geek this was a bit odd for me as I usually do my own due diligence for the tech I buy. Most certainly for something I'll carry with me everywhere I go for two years. So this time, it had to be different. I should mention that I've also dabbled in the Apple world but never with the iPhone. I own both a 1st generation iPod Touch and an iPad 2. I have enjoyed both devices although the iPod Touch is now mostly a paperweight. The iPad 2 however, is the jewel of the family gadgets. Between myself and the 6 year old it's gotten quite a bit of usage and I'm heavily invested in applications. This alone is enough to make me consider an iPhone for this contract cycle.<br />
<br />
So what's making me not want to pull the trigger? With Android, I know I will have flexibility. With Android, I know I will be able to make my home screens look and feel the way I want to. I am a big widget fan, Of my 7 screens in HTC Sense only 2 of them don't contain widgets. I have widgets for google search, for volume control, for YouTube, for Slacker Radio, for device control and my Twitter feed. They are all useful and make my phone that much better and easy to use without having to launch into apps all the time just to figure out what is going on. With the iPhone, I haven't seen widgets, about the closest thing I can find is shortcuts but these really only take you the settings area where you still perform the action. One of my favorite widgets on Android is the Instant Camera, with it on my home screen one press and I hold the camera up, it shoots up to the 3 shots then uploads them to Dropbox, pretty cool huh?<br />
<br />
So where does that leave me the iPhone. Siri and the retina display? Ok, let me back up a second, I haven't even really said what phones I am looking at. I have narrowed my choices down to the iPhone 4S 32GB and the Motorola Droid Razor Maxx. The Samsung Nexus was in the running but the reports on battery left left a bad taste in my mouth. I had already purchased a larger battery for my incredible just a month or so after buying it and the battery life is still not great on it. With the Maxx's battery I can do everything longer than either the iPhone 4S or the Nexus according to this propaganda <a href="http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.DROID-RAZR-MAXX-by-MOTOROLA-US-EN.compare#anchor" target="_blank">sheet</a> . Seriously, FOURTEEN hours of web surfing, I don't even think I could do 4 on my Incredible, and that's only 3G. Anyway, if battery power is my number one concern then that may seal the deal. Let's look at the list of features in order of want<br />
<br />
1. Battery Life<br />
2. Camera Shutter Speed/Quality<br />
3. Apps Selection<br />
4. Screen Visibility Outdoors<br />
5. Screen Size<br />
<br />
Battery life, the Maxx wins hands down in this category. With regard to camera, most sites give it to the 4S over the Maxx, but, the Maxx has a flash. I use this feature constantly and one of the really cool features of my current Incredible is being able to use the flash as an effective flash light, I have done this many, many times and even have an on/off widget on my home screen for the flash light. With apps selection comes a tough decision. I haven't spent nearly as much money on apps for the android platform as I have with the IOS. With all of these apps, the moment I bring the 4S into the house I can sync all these apps over to it that are compatible. This would be a tremendous cost saver BUT I already have all the apps I need on my Incredible, they will also port to the new Maxx if I choose that phone. I think this one is a wash really. People seem torn on screen visibility in direct sunlight and to be honest, I work in a cube so this one could be argued as a moot point. Finally, screen size, as I get older I find myself holding the phone farther away to read it and additional real estate would be welcome. The Maxx wins in this category.<br />
<br />
So, I think what it boils down to here is I just want the Maxx. I honestly feel like i'm just settling if I go with the iPhone 4S. I will be purchasing the iPhone for my wife though as she needs the ease of use. Me, I think I just want to continue with the Android platform. I did consider the Windows Phone but I am just afraid for lack of support there. The newest Nokia handsets are looking good on that platform and people really seem to like them but I am too used to Android to go that route just now. <br />
<br />
Maybe next time Microsoft. Now, to figure out where I'll get the best deal. Seems Best Buy had a $50 gift card thing going on a few months back that I signed up for which will bring the price down to an easier to digest $250. I will be sure to post more insights into the phone once I pick it up hopefully this weekend or next. Thanks for reading.NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-74373923235991409882011-03-01T16:10:00.000-08:002011-03-01T16:10:03.541-08:00The Death of the Personal Web Site?So raise your hand if you still have a personal web site. (My Hand goes up). I'm not talking about a facebook page, I'm talking about a real honest to gosh domain and some interesting combination of homebrew HTML and/or a content portal such as PHP Nuke. I KNOW some of my friends have or have had them so I'm not the only one. The question is, do you still have it? You see, I received a notice from Host Monster today that my hosting package is up for renewal in 50 days. I have flip flopped with this before but this time I think I really am going to shut it down. I have this blog which to be honest is much easier to maintain and has a better editor than my PHP Nuke site and I use facebook and linkedin for pretty much everything else. The only thing I would be missing would be the photo gallery and I'm almost positive I can find a nice replacement for that. So, what do you think readers? Should I can <a href="http://www.schoonsplace.com/">http://www.schoonsplace.com</a> or not? <br />
<br />
The web site has been up for over 8 years now, actually 10 but I reinvented it after two , the first page was really straight HTML. I went to PHP Nuke and never looked back. I used Gallery for the photos and even had a few cool modules from time to time. The sad fact is, I haven't posted there in months and even when I do I usually just say that I'm not dead. I also have had issues with the gallery where I think I hit a limit or something. I can't get the Java uploader to work correctly. To renew, it's $7.95 a month for 2 years so it's around $160 total, couple that with my domain fees and the site costs me just around $200 a year. I don't want to dump the domain though as Suzi and I both use the schoonsplace.com for our personal email addresses. I found out that with EasyDNS I can get 10 email boxes for $10 extra per year so we could even keep those and not lose much if anything.<br />
<br />
The biggest pain will be downloading the 300gb image of the site as a backup file and then figuring out what to do with it. I probably have 50% of the pictures stored locally but I'd need to go through them and figure that out, the odds of that happening are pretty slim. Then there are the comments on each picture, impossible to export and keep them intact with the actual photos, that will suck. Everything is also dated and organized by year in the gallery. Ok, so maybe that is a big pain in the butt to take them away. I just don't know, I have 50 days to decide but I will be sure to let you know whether or not the real schoonsplace.com gets shut down. Have a nice evening.NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-21656787336072058632011-02-19T12:15:00.000-08:002011-02-19T12:15:13.224-08:00The Zune Saga Continued...Today it was Alice's turn to send me an Email and try to ensure my satisfaction as a customer. However, she disagrees with the original email from Kyle which stated he would be able to get me the refund. Alice instead thinks that I need to look at my network settings and that it was most likely my Internet Service Provider. Alice says she wants to help me get to a resolution. The only resolution that works for me is a refund of my Microsoft points but yet she agrees with the supervisor who said "NO REFUND FOR YOU". Anyway, here is Alice's email, again, I really, really doubt her REAL name is Alice, more likely Kalpana which is a popular Indian Baby name meaning "A Fantasy" which is what me getting my refund is at this point in time. For your continued reading enjoyment, I give you, Alice's email...<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hello Bill,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you for contacting Microsoft online support for XBOX. I am Alice and I will be helping you today with this issue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As I understand, we are having issue with the movie that you rented through Zune. You were advised by our previous Technical Support Representative to call our voice support since they have the tools to issue refunds. However, you talked with a supervisor and informed you that there is no refund to be provided.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I understand how you feel. I am a customer like you as well, I felt the same way when I bought airtime minutes for my phone but it did not work, let me go head and help you take a solid step towards resolution. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have read your previous email, and I understand that did not resolve the issue. Let us try different steps this time Bill. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As a general rule, Xbox Support does not provide refunds for video content. If a customer experiences issues that involve downloading or streaming content, the customer should troubleshoot the issue by following the links below. A refund is granted only if all troubleshooting efforts have failed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This behavior can be caused by frequent changes to the speed and the quality of your Internet connection based on network conditions that affect both your residence and your Internet service provider (ISP). If you experience reduced video quality or you receive error messages while you watch video, your connection speed has probably slowed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The email continues with the specific steps I should take to troubleshoot my home network but I won't bore you with those details. I especially enjoyed the story she used about her phone minutes to make me feel better about my situation. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy this lovely weekend!</span> </span></div>NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-76608439715325078042011-02-18T14:24:00.000-08:002011-02-18T14:24:23.065-08:00Continuing Xbox Live Zune SagaFor those of you that haven't read my initial posting on my unsuccessful attempt to receive a refund for a bad streaming movie experience through Zune via Xbox 360 please do so if you want to understand the entire story. I am adding this information to the story partly because it is amusing and partly because I really can't believe that one hand does not know what the other does, or can do, at Microsoft in these situations. Everyone says they are empowered to assist the customer but in fact, no one is. The same night that I spent two plus hours on the phone with support I also fired off an Email via the xbox.com site. Today I received a response from Kyle at Microsoft Support, here it is in its entirety...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hi Bill,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you for contacting Xbox Online Support. I'm Kyle and I am more than happy to assist you today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I understand how you feel. I just imagine how better it can be your guest entertained using your Xbox and you want a refund for unsatisfied quality of video. I would definitely feel the same way if this will happen to me too. No worries, rest assured I will do my best to assist you on this.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Generally, we highly recommend you to call us at 1800-<span class="squiggly">4MYXBOX</span> so that we can process your refund. Our higher tier have the tool to reverse and refund your microsoft points for this. Since there are personal and payment or billing information that we need to verify in order for us to keep your account safe / secured at all time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Though this will be investigated but rest assured your concerns will be covered once you call in.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you so much for your understanding and we appreciate your patience.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">For any issues connecting to Xbox Live, you may also use our <a href="http://support.xbox.com/en-us/pages/xbox-live/troubleshoot/connection-issues/default.aspx">http://support.<span class="squiggly">xbox.com</span>/en-us/pages/xbox-live/troubleshoot/connection-issues/default.aspx</a></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you need to reply to this e-mail, please reply 'with history' (include any previous e-mail) or reference to Service Request Number so we can expedite our service to you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you for visiting <span class="squiggly">Xbox.com</span>. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services, please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Best Regards, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
Kyle</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Microsoft XBOX Support Services</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks Kyle, I appreciate your support and more importantly, your excellent grasp of the english language. Ok, that was a shot, but I am still without my refund. Maybe Kyle will make something happen here. A customer can only dream. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have a great weekend!</span> </span>NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-39537372467879164902011-02-16T20:51:00.000-08:002011-02-16T20:51:51.180-08:00I'm through with the Zune Marketplace on Xbox 360So, tonight we had a guest over and wanted to watch a movie. Legends of the Guardians was the winner and it was listed on Zune marketplace via our new Xbox 360 console for 320 Points in Standard Definition. As we started the streaming movie there were a few hiccups and the spinning icon came up in the middle as the picture froze and then restarted. After a few restarts and sighs of frustration we gave up on watching the movie as it was clearly unwatchable. We switched over to the Netflix application on the same Xbox 360 and picked out a movie there and enjoyed it through streaming technology. The easy answer here is that the network was NOT the problem it was the Zune service.<br />
<br />
My guest left at around 9:15 pm or so and I picked up the phone to call 1-800-4MyXbox, this was around 9:30 pm eastern time. At around 10:00 pm a representative picked up the phone and had me give several pieces of identifying information before assisting me. She had me look at my Zune purchase history to verify the purchase was made and took a few notes about my experience. She was powerless to refund my Microsoft points so she transferred me to the next department which she assured me could help me. At around 10:30 pm another representative picked up the phone and asked for my ticket number. The previous rep had not given me one so this representative asked for my credentials again. She then asked me if I wanted a refund for my Xbox live subscription of $19.99?!? What, I asked? I don't want a refund for my live subscription, I only want my 320 points back for the unplayable movie. As she listened to my problem she quietly stated that she could not help me, she had no access to the Zune system and could only refund Xbox live subscription costs. She then pushed a button to transfer me again.<br />
<br />
It's 11:07 pm and I'm still on hold, by my calculation in about 8 minutes I'll be on the 2 hour mark for my $3.99 refund. I can't help but imagine laughter on the other end of the line as they know I'm on hold and extremely frustrated. At this point it is merely the principal of the thing. I've been a long time Xbox Live subscriber, actually since the original service was put into place over 7 years ago. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever asked for a refund for anything on the service and have easily given them hundreds of dollars over the years. <br />
<br />
Ok, it's 11:09 pm, someone named Dillon just picked up the phone and says he can help me. I have given him all my information again and explained my problem and now he has put me on hold yet again to think about what he can do for me. I suppose he's probably laughing with his co-workers about my situation while he "ponders" whether or not he'll return my precious Xbox Live points. You would think they would have the ability to simply refund the purchase through the Xbox system itself and not even have to employ a human in this process. Why should my fate be given to Dillon? I should simply be able to click something within the interface to tell Microsoft I had playback problem and would like my money back, certainly they can see that I did not watch but the first 3-4 minutes of the movie and then exited out. I guess they don't have the ability to see the performance of the movie on my end which is understandable.<br />
<br />
It's 11:15 now and Dillon has come back on the line to tell me the fate of my 320 points. So now, I have been informed that there are no refunds for Zune Video purchases. Now that I know Dillon is laughing at me I ask for an escalation to a supervisor. I'm now on hold again waiting for the supervisor who almost certainly is at least 2 years older than Dillon (and Dillon is maybe 20). So what shall I say to the Supervisor? I can plead my case yet again which I will most likely do but I will also tell them how ridiculous this entire process has been. They have essentially stolen $4 from me at this point. How can you NOT provide refunds for a service such as this? I suppose since there is not a problem with playback now I can go back in the living room and watch it but my guests are gone so it's not much fun to watch by myself now is it? If the Rental were for more than 24 hours then maybe I could save it till my guest comes back but he won't be back till probably next week. This seems like a pretty good reason for a refund to me.<br />
<br />
Ok, 11:19 now, I'm still blogging and still on hold. Who knows, maybe someone will read this and feel my frustration and not rent from the Zune service for fear of having similar problems. I'll bet iTunes would have played it perfectly, or even Time Warner Cable for that matter, I should have just gone to Time Warner's On Demand section to see if they had it. Better yet, for the 2 hours I've now been on the phone and $4 I'm probably going to lose I could have driven to Best Buy and purchased the DVD or Blu-Ray. Ok Dillon, now I know you're laughing at me over there as I sit on hold, watching the little red light. Maybe you're waiting for me to be yelling into the phone to the elevator Music, that would probably make you extremely happy now wouldn't it?<br />
<br />
11:22 update, Dillon just came back, it's going to be a few more minutes before he can get a supervisor on the phone. I wonder how much money they've spent on the 1-800 call, probably only pennies. They're already paying the customer service staff who have spoken to me for the perhaps 10 minutes of the 2 hours I've been on the phone now, so maybe it really is a game to them. Eventually they figure I'll hang up. I'm sure well over half the people would have left hours ago.<br />
<br />
11:35, ok, Paul, the Supervisor has just picked up the phone. He listens to my problem then clearly states that there are no refunds on Zune rentals. He then offers to read me the terms of service that I agreed to when I pushed the A button on my controller. I ask him to do so, after a few minutes I ask him to clarify a few points in the terms of service then ask him if he is empowered to help the customer, he states yes but cannot refund my points. I ask him how he is empowered if he can't help me? He offers a solution of disputing the original points transaction with my bank. I explain that the points transaction was for a much larger batch of points than the 360 points that this particular rental cost me. He offers to read me the terms of service again. I have been polite and have not raised my voice throughout this entire conversation and once again ask if he can provide me a refund, he states he would lose his job if he did so. He then asks me if he can help me with anything else and instructs me to have a pleasant rest of my evening. Well, screw you Paul and screw you Microsoft. I hope you choke on your $3.99. I also hope all of the other Zune customers out there who have had similar nightmarish customer service experiences speak out like I am. I will never again use this service for Movie or Video rentals or purchases again, thank you very much.<br />
<br />
For the final record I give you the only information this Supervisor would give me, his first name and the case reference number, should I ever need it. I have sent an email to customer support at Xbox live with a summary of this call but don't expect any resolution there. I am hoping that as many people as possible read this and realize that when you are renting movies through Zune you have ZERO recourse for a refund should you have technical difficulties with said Rental. Stick with your cable provider or other reliable service such as Netflix or iTunes for your rentals and good luck out there. <br />
<br />
-- Final Call Information<br />
Supervisor - Paul<br />
<br />
Reference # - 1149187659NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-52012101927651816512011-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:002011-01-17T08:35:22.272-08:00Some of the Best Android GamesYou've scoured the Marketplace. You've installed App Finder. You've searched for reviews online. But yet you're still not satisfied with the gaming collection on your Android device. You might even still be carrying around an iPod touch just waiting for the day when you can ditch it and finally go full on Android. Myself, I've had the HTC Incredible for about 6 months and even though I still usually carry my Ipod touch with me the gaming scene is starting to shape up on the Android. So just what is it that I'm playing on the platform? Well, for starters we've got a few really good ports from the Ipod/Iphone world that have made the jump but there are also a few Android only gems that you should check out. This post will be about games that I already have on the platform and in the future I'll add new posts to talk about new games.<br />
<br />
First let's start with the games that have actually made it onto one of the precious 7 screens that we have in the HTC Sense UI. I only have games on two of my screens, the farthest left two. I have plenty of other apps that I use on a regular basis and I figure if I'm gaming then it's not really a big deal to just go to the apps and scroll to what I want. I find that I install a lot of demo and free games and try to clean them up as often as possible but sometimes they just hang around and take up space. Luckily I have the 16 gig sd card and use APPS2SD to get stuff over to the SD Card. I still have the stupid out of space error occasionally on this phone that everyone else seems to have but I have more or less traced it down to the HTC Mail app that I use for work. As long as I periodically clean it out then I can get the space issue to go away. Sometimes marketplace apps won't even install when the space issue is rearing its ugly head but that's for another post. What follows is a list of the games on my desktop and in order of playability (the ones I play the most are on the top) with a brief description of each...<br />
<br />
WordFeud (Free) - This is like Scrabble only Free and you can play online. I usually have 5-7 games going at one time and you get 48 hours to make each move. Sometimes you can get into almost real-time playing if you have someone who checks it a lot. I've also made a few friends here that I play regularly with. Great game and a lot of fun to kill time while in line anywhere.<br />
<br />
SlotManiac (Free) - Ok so this one is sort of a vice, I like slot machines. They are easy mindless entertainment, I play them when I go to Vegas and love them. This game gives you certain amount of free coin each day and you try to parlay that into a lot of money. You also level up to play better and better machines. Game Money can also be purchased with real money but I haven't gone there yet.<br />
<br />
Angry Birds (Free) - These games are addicting but they can also get frustrating. It's cool they are free on the Android platform. See if you can get three stars on every level by taking out the pigs with your catapulted birds. If you haven't tried this one yet go get it now.<br />
<br />
Doodle Jump ($.99) - This game is a fun quick diversion and can be addicting if you get into the high score tables. Basically just tilt your device back and forth to make the guy jump from platform to platform. There are a lot of clones of this game including the popular World Attack on Android but I like this one better.<br />
<br />
Reckless Racing ($.99) - A top down racing game that reminds me a lot of the old Iron Man 4x4 racing arcade game. It can tend to slow down but that hasn't stopped me from playing it a lot. Very fun if you like arcade fast paced racing games (Think Super Sprint)<br />
<br />
Tropical Fish ($2.99) - This one kind of sneaked up on me. It's the old match 3 type game but with a cute background story about a hot girl that likes to scuba dive. The levels are challenging and I have probably played 3-4 hours probably only 20% into the total number of levels.<br />
<br />
Fruit Ninja ($.99) - Slicing fruit with your finger is fun. It's even more fun with Open Feint support and a few friends to battle it out with for high score. Send me a note if you want my Open Feint ID so we can compare.<br />
<br />
DynamoKid ($.99) - Another Open Feint game that grabbed my attention. I love the looks and the music of this really cool side scroller. The character moves all the time and then you press on the left side of the screen to make him jump and the right side of the screen to touch stars and or build platforms and or kill bad guys. Kind of hard to explain but its the closest thing to mario I've seen that is done right.<br />
<br />
NFS Shift ($.99) - An EA Game that is actually good, I downloaded a bunch of them when they had the $.99 sale including Sims and Tetris but this is by far the best one of the bunch. Can get tiring and make you look stupid if you play it public but it is still a lot of fun and a great time waster.<br />
<br />
. (Dot) (Free) - Another Open Feint game, not sure how they keep the quality up but hope they continue. In the dot game you hold your phone flat and try to pick up circles while avoiding triangles. If you hit a triangle your dot gets smaller, hit a circle and the dot gets bigger. If the dot disappears then your game is over, see how long you can last.<br />
<br />
Doodle Dash ($1.99) - Ok, another side scroller but this one has blood and guts in it. Your guy is constantly moving left to right and you either jump or shoot. The game graphics are great and the pace is frantic. See how long you can last, wish you could jump and shoot at the same time but that is part of the challenge.<br />
<br />
So there are 11 games worth looking into , they will set you back less than $15 and give you hours of entertainment in my opinion. Others that have made it to my home screens but not detailed here include Checkers Free, Tic Tac Toe Free, Chess Free, Backgammon Free, Open Sudoku, Solitaire Free, SliceIt, Jewels, Doodle Bowling, Galcon and Robo 3. Some of these will probably age out soon as they are not being played often enough. I'll cover some more games soon, I just picked up Rope Cut, Mini Squadron, Jet Car Stunts, Humans Vs. Aliens and Gun Bros Beta. Till next time...NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-59837654665538043212010-12-04T10:31:00.000-08:002010-12-04T10:49:33.937-08:00Migration to a larger Micro SD Card with AndroidWhen I first purchased the HTC Incredible it came with a 2gb micro sd card. Plenty of space for the time and considering most of the space would be utilized by photos and or music it really worked well for me. Now that Froyo has come out and we can move Apps to the SD Card I decided to purchase a larger Micro SD Card. I picked a Sandisk 16 GB Micro SD card. While it sat next to my computer for a couple of weeks I really wanted to migrate everything over to it so I can start carrying only my Android phone and leave my iPod touch at home. So, just how hard is this process? Do you need special software to do it? I decided to find out.<br />
<br />
I popped the battery cover off of the HTC Incredible and pressed the Micro SD Card inward, out it popped. I placed it inside an SD Card reader housing and inserted it into my Dell XPS card reader. Up popped the dialog asking what I wanted to do. I chose view files. I then went to my NAS disk and created a backup directory called \Backups\Phones\HTC Incredible\ . I looked at the total number of files and checked my settings to make sure show hidden and system files was checked and then hit ctrl-A to select everything. Then I hit ctrl-c to copy everything and started a paste to my previously created backup directly. The 4700 or so files took about 5 minutes to copy over and was around 900 Megabytes in size. The only problem I ran into was with 8 files that were in the item.cache and it told me that the names were too long to copy, I skipped them so I crossed my fingers that these would not be needed for my phone to be operational.<br />
<br />
Once I had this backup I compared the details of the files in the backup directory to the contents still on the smaller micro sd card and they matched save for the 8 files I had skipped. Now I took the 2 gig micro card out of the SD Reader. I wanted to make sure that the phone could read the new 16 gig card so I put it into the phone and checked settings, 14.83GB is what it showed which sounded like it makes sense so I popped the card back out and into the SD Reader so I can copy files from the backup directory. Interesting, when I viewed the files on the computer it appears that the Android system, on preparing the SD card when I put it into the phone, placed some directories on the card. It included<br />
<br />
.android_secure<br />
Android<br />
com.espn.score.center<br />
LOST.DIR<br />
newsrob<br />
<br />
So, a couple of those are Apps that I know I have and the remainder are system folders. Now, to see if this copy process will work. My backup plan here is to just go back to the 2 gig card as I haven't deleted anything off of it yet. I am probably going to get some duplicates during the copy because of the system created directories but I'll just overwrite and see what happens. So, I do the reverse of what I did before, I got to the backup directory, copy all files with ctrl-a ctrl-c and then paste them into the 16 gb card's window. The copy is taking 6 minutes or so. I begin to ponder what a regression test of this process will be. Should I go through each and every application to ensure it works as before? That would take way too long. I decide that I will reboot the phone with the new card installed and all files intact and make sure it comes up at a minimum and then go through and try my most frequently used "on SD card" applications. I will be fairly certain all is well by the time I get through these tests.<br />
<br />
Ok, what a mess! It appears that everything that was installed to the SD card now fails on run with a force close. The icons are now all replacted with the default android icon instead of the app's original icon. Even more fun, I put the original 2 GB card back in and it is all still messed up. Reboot the phone, hmmm, all the weird icons are gone but now it looks like 50% of my applications are missing. Ok, this is going to suck. Wait, icons are appearing, everything is back to normal, just like the system had to read it all back in and rebuild some cache files? Anyway, whew, that was a bullet dodged.<br />
<br />
So now I am in place with all of this new space what will I do with it? My primary reason for converting to the larger card was to have space for music and possibly movies. I have a large collection of MP3's and for years have used an Ipod Touch for all my Music and Apps. Now that I'm an Android convert I want to use it for music. Hopefully I will be able to use the Android built in applications for managing the music but I've heard they are not great. I am going to start looking for a good app, even if it is pay for managing and listening to my music collect. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I hope you've enjoyed this short walk through and even though it's not very complicated maybe it will help someone out there to do the same thing if they are concerned over the process.NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-62172369326776470082010-04-27T18:58:00.000-07:002010-04-27T18:58:29.783-07:00Toastmasters, finishing my Competent Communicator ManualThis week I will give my 10th and final speech of the competent communicators manual. It is a speech to inspire your audience and hopefully I will do that and not bore them to tears! I have been having a lot of fun with Toastmasters and hope to ultimately achieve the highest accolade of Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM). I hear there are only a few thousand of them in the world and this might be the launching pad for my goal to be on the motivational speaking circuit. I seem to be able to write well and I seem to be able to speak well in front of audiences so together maybe I can do something good in this world and maybe make a few bucks at it.<br />
<br />
I sometimes wonder why I got back into the club. I have a great job at a great company and there was a local club right inside the building I work in so getting to it was pretty easy. The meetings are over our lunch hour and usually end on time. All I really had to do was show up. It's not that easy though. As a Toastmaster it is so very important to work the program because you get out what you put into it. So far I've played just about every role in the club including grammarian, toastmaster and evaluator in addition to giving my requisite speeches. I've even become involved in committees that are responsible for putting on special events such as membership drives and awards celebrations. The one thing I haven't done is become involved in leadership which I will need to do if I want to become a DTM.<br />
<br />
So, after I give my speech this week I will begin working towards advance communicator Bronze level. This award will be given after 10 more speeches from two completely new manuals that I will have to pick. Then Silver level is 10 more speeches and Gold is still 10 more. All along there are other requirements as well. My goal is to have this completed by the summer of 2012 so just over 2 years to get it done. Hopefully by then I will also be in leadership with my job and be running a team of database designers/developers for the bank. I do have great aspirations and the club helps me to keep focused on soft skills that my technical job sometimes does not allow me to flex.<br />
<br />
I will keep you posted on my progress towards DTS, thanks for reading.NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-41484337940643412462010-03-14T16:50:00.000-07:002010-03-14T16:50:23.325-07:00Adventures in Upgrading to Windows 7<div>Recently I purchased an OEM License of Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium from the wonderful online retailer Newegg. I have been running XP Professional for I don't know how long now, at least 5 years, probably more. I was on Service Pack 3 and things were actually quite stable. I am running the following hardware for reference purposes...</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<ul><li>Asus AV8-XE Motherboard</li>
<li>AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core CPU at 2200 MHZ</li>
<li>4 Meg of System Memory</li>
<li>Ati Radeon 2900 Pro</li>
<li>VIA VT8251 High Def On Board Audio</li>
<li>WD740GD 74 Gig 10000 RPM Sata Drive C</li>
<li>ST3250823AS 250 Gig 7200 RPM Sata Drive D</li>
<li>DVR-111D Pioneer DVD-RW ATA</li>
</ul><br />
My first line of business was to get all of my data off of the existing drives. For this reason I purchased a DLink DNS-321 Network Attached Storage and threw a couple of Western Digital Green 1.5 TB drives into it. This journey will be a separate post but I wanted to note it here anyway as it was an important pre-step for this upgrade. Things to think about when you are migrating include <br />
<br />
<ul><li>Photos</li>
<li>Music</li>
<li>Documents</li>
<li>Game Saves</li>
<li>Applications that save outside of My Documents</li>
<li>Outlook PST files</li>
<li>Favorites</li>
<li>Anything else you can think of</li>
</ul><br />
Basically what I did is just backed up everything I could think of to the NAS. It took a long time to do this over the network but it was worth it as I was sure that I could get something back if I needed it. The peace of mind is good to have and will save you once you wipe your drive for the operating system upgrade.<br />
<br />
Ok, so we've got everything backed up now and are ready to get started. First things first, you have to go into your BIOS settings and make sure you can boot from your DVD drive. In my case I hit the DEL Key while the machine is coming up and then go into the boot settings. Move the boot priority up on the DVD drive (just make sure it is above the Hard Disk). Now exit and save your settings and if the Windows 7 DVD is in it will ask "Hit any Key to boot from DVD". Do so and a few moments later you'll see the cool new Windows 7 installation screen.<br />
<br />
After getting through the initial screens I came to the screen which is always fun. I like to call it the blow away your hard drive screen. Here is where you can delete the partitions. Now, since I had backed everything up to the NAS I could confidently press the keys to delete my primary windows partition. Although even having this backup I still hesitated to do so, remember there is NO backing out once you've done this. Oh I'm sure someone will say you can use this tool or that tool to recover it even after deleting the partition but what a hassle that would be.<br />
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So you choose the drive you want Windows 7 installed on and the rest is pretty much automatic. There are a few questions regarding your keyboard type and time and date but soon you will see the fruits of your labor in the fancy new Windows 7 Desktop. First things first, this is NOT windows XP, it's not Vista either. This is a pretty new experience to me. Sure you can get around, but things look weird at first. The task bar for one look quite a bit different. I'm sure there is a way to get it to look like the old one but I wanted all the new here so I'm embracing the new technology. Aero is pretty cool too, if you don't know what that is basically it spruces up the entire desktop experience and makes everything behind what you're doing sorta visible through windows that are opaque. There are plenty of other changes too including Gadgets which are essentially what Yahoo released a couple of years ago but they are cool to have built in. I chose a clock, a cpu/memory meter and the Weather. I put these on the 2nd monitor so they don't clutter things up and it really is nice to have the dashboard as I call it. There are other cool gadgets too like an RSS feed reader and Internet Usage meter to name a couple. I will continue to investigate these to see if any new ones come up that I want to try.<br />
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Alright so things are running but I hit the first snag immediately. NO Sound. So what's up with that. Ok, so snag number two shows up pretty soon too, the machine won't boot unless I have the Windows 7 DVD in the drive, man that's a bummer, gotta fix that. Finally I had installed the ATI catalyst drivers but the windows desktop is reporting a graphics card crash almost every 2-3 minutes. Yeah, these are all bad, i'm starting to not feel too good about this upgrade now but let's roll on and see if we can fix some of these issues.<br />
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Turns out that there aren't any Audio drivers for Windows 7 for my onboard sound card. The first thing I tried was an old Sound Blaster Audigy card but I couldn't even get it to work at all. I started poking around the forums and finally found a set of Vista 64 drivers that apparently work. I installed them and do get sound but it seems a little weird at times, like it fades in an out to a degree. Here is hoping that Soundmax will eventually release a Windows 7 native driver for this motherboard, but I'm happy for the moment at least.<br />
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For the Video card while using the 2900 Pro I actually went back to the included Windows 7 drivers. Things were stable but not giving me the very best performance. I purchased an ATI Radeon 4650 HD for a reasonable price and plugged it in. It has a Gig of DDR3 memory on it and is a couple of years newer than the 2900 Pro so I had pretty good expectations from it. The catalyst drivers so far are running well and it seems overall faster than what I so I'm happy.<br />
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Finally the boot issue. Turns out that the Windows 7 installer decides where to put a 100mb partition pretty much on its own. This partition contains the boot information and if you don't have this drive set up to be your boot partition in your bios then it will not boot unless you have the Windows 7 DVD in the drive. In my case I just went into the BIOS and made sure that this drive was marked first in the boot order and all was well.<br />
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So, the Windows 7 upgrade didn't go exactly perfectly but you know, I'm glad I did it. I certainly enjoy being in the 64 bit world now and being able to use all 4 gigabytes of my system memory. I do notice some issues though, particularly around certain software not running at all like some of the old games that I have. Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 didn't run at all. Outlook 7 seems to crash quite often and I've had a few crashes of Internet Explorer 64 bit which to be fair I had these in the old Windows XP also but I wanted more stability here. I guess at the end of the day I'm now in the new world so things will get better with time. I will update more as I get more experience. Thanks for reading!NCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5197725028126477076.post-85858049799063433232010-02-25T15:17:00.001-08:002010-02-25T18:11:35.153-08:00Adventures in Oracle Parallel Index CreationAdventures in Oracle Parallel Processing<br /><br />So currently I'm working on a large database rebuild. We are moving from a single node instance to a 3-node RAC System on Oracle 10g. The database is roughly 3 terabytes in size and we keep 18 months of rolling history. I wanted to repartition the tables during this move so instead of just doing a data file move I am re-creating the tables and then using datapump import to get the data into them. Once the table and data is there then I will build all the indexes manually. The tables will be partitioned by month and then sub partitioned by hash (a sequence number field so it is unique). As I said, we keep an 18 month rolling window of partitions available and once a month ends that partition's data is compressed and is essentially read only, although we don't actually make it so there is nothing that will ever write to it again. It's used strictly for historical reporting purposes.<br /><br />The first time I ran the process I ran into two problems. <br /><br />Problem #1: <br /><br />Unless you specify pctfree 0 in the index create scripts it will use the tablespace default which in my case was 10%. Because these partitions exceed 100gig each and sometimes more I was basically wasting 10+ gig per partition and after 18 partition loads it was over 200gig of wasted space.<br /><br />Problem #2:<br /><br />I had specified parallel in the index create scripts but not specified degree or instance relying instead on Oracle to make the right choices with regard to both of these parameters. I also was multitasking the index creation and running three of them simultaneously, thinking that with a 3 Node RAC system this would not be a problem. Upon running them though I was finding that the average index creation time was 8-10 hours each! This was certainly unacceptable as I have over 50 indexes to create in the database.<br /><br />Solution:<br /><br />I reworked the scripts and dropped the tablespaces. I added pctfree 0 to the scripts and kept the parallel at the default level but decided to run them one at a time. To my surprise the indexes were each completing in about 1 to 1.5 hours each! When I looked at the session this time oracle had created 32 parallel processes per node and was churning away using all the resources that it could and it was fast! I decided to post on this because I attended the Southeast Oracle Users's conference today and while listening in on one of the presentations the presenter suggested that we should ALWAYS specify the degree of parallelism and instantiation. In this case it is not true. Hope you enjoyed reading and until next time.<br /><br />Bill Schoonmaker<br />Database GuyNCSchoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577368210428282495noreply@blogger.com0