Mobile Docking Mobile

I wish that I could "dock" my iPod shuffle with my smartphone.

Actually, I wish that my iPod shuffle could download new podcasts for me to listen to over the air (OTA).  But I can understand how that might be difficult for a device as small as the iPod shuffle.

But I wish that I could control my iPod shuff;e from my smartphone.  I don't want to mess with no stinking PC no longer!

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Another possibility: make it possible to ssh or https *into* an iPod shuffle. Give it USB bridged to Ethernet, so that it can charge, and be controlled, from the web.  Or tether it to a USB phone.  Or wireless (battery, again).

Nvidia Secret Sauce for ECC?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2977/nvidia-s-geforce-gtx-480-and-gtx-470-6-months-late-was-it-worth-the-wait-/4

See http://semipublic.comp-arch.net/wiki/Poor_Man%27s_ECC

In particular
US patent 7,117,421, Transparent error correction code memory system and method,
Danilak,
assigned to Nvidia,
2002.

http://semipublic.comp-arch.net/wiki/Poor_Man%27s_ECC#Optimizing_Poor_Man.27s_ECC

I should blog about that, but...

At happy hour with MH this afternoon [*] MH and I talked about something that I thought would make a good blog topic (at which MH groaned).

But, I forgot what it was.

Times like this I wished I had a lifestream camera sitting on my shoulder, recording everything.

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[*]: going to "Happy Hour" is a new thing for me, only happening on days when (1) I am in town, (2) not busy doing other stuff, and (3) want to catch up with friends from Portland who I do not see the rest of the week when I am in Bellevue.

Turbotax 2009 requires admin

Taxes.  TurboTax DVD requires admin to read.  Worse, fails to install, and the recommended fix is to "Run As" admin with prejudice.  TurboTax blames .NET, but I think it is a TurboTax bug.

This is a security risk.  If security problems occur as a result of it, TurboTax should be liable.

Microsoft Security Essentials (Virus Scan)

While I am happy that Microsoft is making Microsoft Security Essentials virus scanning available freely, so that we can imagine that such security is a standard part of the operating system...  While I am happy to see this, I must admit that I wonder whether Microsoft will be as conscientious scanning for errors in non Microsoft software such as FireFox or Adobe as it is in scanning Microsoft software.  This could become a powerful force for lock-in: Microsoft software is scanned for security flaws better than other software.  Plus, of course, in Windows 7 non Microsoft virus scanners are deprecated.

Speech recognition and gmail

Can you hear me now?:

I have long been annoyed that have not been able to process my Google mail using voice recognition, in either FireFox nor Internet Explorer.

I am quite happy to report that voice recognition (windows vista) works pretty well with the thunderbird IMAP interface to google mail.

This has allowed me to process my backlog of 300 personal google mail messages fairly painlessly, without aggravating my RSI.  Mainly saying "delete".

As you can see, it also works not so badly for blogging.

Tablet PkingC pen stops working

In the PDX->SEA van this morning, my tablet PC pen has stopped working.

I hope it is repairable.  I hope it is just pen battery.  I hope that I am still under warranty.
Toshiba M400.