This morning I received an email from Google regarding the Adsense changes. So here it is, in their own words (with some highlighting from me on some of the important points):
Hello,
We have recently sent you a Personal Identification Number (PIN) via standard mail. You should expect to receive it within about 2-4 weeks. Once you receive your PIN, you will need to enter it into your account in order to become eligible to receive AdSense payments. To enter your PIN, simply follow the instructions included with your PIN mailer.
Please note that publishers have 6 months from the original issue date to enter their PIN. If you have not entered your PIN within 4 months, we will start displaying Public Service Ads (PSAs) on your web pages. If you have not entered your PIN within 6 months, your account will be disabled and any unpaid earnings will be refunded to the appropriate advertisers. You can learn more about our PIN policy at http://www.google.com/adsense_pin_info .
For additional questions about getting paid, please visit http://www.google.com/adsense_payment_guide . If you prefer a video presentation of this information, we encourage you to watch our Payment demo (currently available in English only), located at http://www.google.com/adsense_payment_demo .
Yours sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
So if you are still waiting for your pin, don't delay when it turns up or you may end up loosing out on your pending payments.
Friday 29 February 2008
Thursday 28 February 2008
Like Monday, but on a Thursday
Some days I really think I'd have been better off staying in bed. Today is a prime example of that.
Apart from having to get up early (6.30am sucks) it didn't start off too bad. The reason for our early rise was that my wife has an early start today and so I have the dubious pleasure of escorting our eldest to school. We'd already arranged for one of our relations to pick up our youngest and look after him till nursery starts after lunch. This also means that I have to start work a little late, and finish a little late too.
So far, so good. Right?
After my wife left for work things started to go downhill. Our daughter was already dressed and ready to be taken to school which just left our son, who doesn't like getting ready at the best of times, and today was no exception. After explaining that yes, he was going to get dressed whether he liked it or not he went to play in the front room.
Checking the clock it was nearly time to take our eldest off to school, but no sign of our volunteer babysitter. To save a bit of time I got our youngest ready in his coat and shoes just to bundle out the door when the time comes.
At this point I hear a series of bangs from the kitchen. This turns out to be caused by the washing machine entering its spin cycle and going for a walk across the kitchen floor.
After a short fight I manage to get the washing machine back in its corner. As if to make its displeasure known the washing mashine starts to make a loud squealing noise. Add to this the delightful smell of burning rubber. Yes folks, it looks like the drive belt has slipped.
At this point I powered off the washing machine (again), and opened the door.
Once I'd stopped coughing and could see through the clouds of smoke I tried moving the washing machine drum. Squeeeeeeeeeel. Damn!
Right on cue a knock at the door. I get there in time to see our youngest having a tantrum that he didn't want to go to school. Time for another wresting match, this time with a human foe. I won, after carrying his kicking form out the door and folding him into the car. Nothing like a tantrum in the morning to get the blood pumping.
Following a quick check to see if the washing machine is still in warranty (it isn't) 'tis time to take our other child off to school, before rushing back to get a bus into town ready to start work.
Tonights entertainment will involve me, a washing machine, some screwdrivers and a certain amount of swearing. More later folks!
Apart from having to get up early (6.30am sucks) it didn't start off too bad. The reason for our early rise was that my wife has an early start today and so I have the dubious pleasure of escorting our eldest to school. We'd already arranged for one of our relations to pick up our youngest and look after him till nursery starts after lunch. This also means that I have to start work a little late, and finish a little late too.
So far, so good. Right?
After my wife left for work things started to go downhill. Our daughter was already dressed and ready to be taken to school which just left our son, who doesn't like getting ready at the best of times, and today was no exception. After explaining that yes, he was going to get dressed whether he liked it or not he went to play in the front room.
Checking the clock it was nearly time to take our eldest off to school, but no sign of our volunteer babysitter. To save a bit of time I got our youngest ready in his coat and shoes just to bundle out the door when the time comes.
At this point I hear a series of bangs from the kitchen. This turns out to be caused by the washing machine entering its spin cycle and going for a walk across the kitchen floor.
After a short fight I manage to get the washing machine back in its corner. As if to make its displeasure known the washing mashine starts to make a loud squealing noise. Add to this the delightful smell of burning rubber. Yes folks, it looks like the drive belt has slipped.
At this point I powered off the washing machine (again), and opened the door.
Once I'd stopped coughing and could see through the clouds of smoke I tried moving the washing machine drum. Squeeeeeeeeeel. Damn!
Right on cue a knock at the door. I get there in time to see our youngest having a tantrum that he didn't want to go to school. Time for another wresting match, this time with a human foe. I won, after carrying his kicking form out the door and folding him into the car. Nothing like a tantrum in the morning to get the blood pumping.
Following a quick check to see if the washing machine is still in warranty (it isn't) 'tis time to take our other child off to school, before rushing back to get a bus into town ready to start work.
Tonights entertainment will involve me, a washing machine, some screwdrivers and a certain amount of swearing. More later folks!
Wednesday 27 February 2008
Max Payne: Hero
This is one fan film that really manages to capture the spirit of the Max Payne games, in the form of a short music video. I know, this has been kicking around for a while now but who knows, you may have missed it. If so, then enjoy.
Monday 25 February 2008
Changes to Adsense
Like most of us I'll check my Adsense stats every day or so to see if a miracle has happened and someone has clicked on an advert (hey, stranger things have happened!). Today, however, I received this message when I logged on:
IMPORTANT: Your payments are currently on hold. Action is required to release payment.
There were two things that need to be done to "resolve" the issue. One is to verify my pin number (more on that later), the other is to verify my phone number. Yes, that's right, they want to be sure that your phone number is genuine. No phone number - no payments.
The verification process for this is pretty straight forward. A six digit pin number is generated and displayed on screen, then they phone you. Enter the pin on your phone keypad and thats it. All done.
The other issue is that they also want to verify your home address. This time, however, they put a pin number in the post to you. Once you receive it you'll need to enter it to unlock payments.
For me this isn't really much of an issue. I've yet to make enough though adsense to warrant a payout (the $100 limit is still quite a long way off) but if you were about to be paid then you may find that this will be delayed until everything has been verified.
IMPORTANT: Your payments are currently on hold. Action is required to release payment.
There were two things that need to be done to "resolve" the issue. One is to verify my pin number (more on that later), the other is to verify my phone number. Yes, that's right, they want to be sure that your phone number is genuine. No phone number - no payments.
The verification process for this is pretty straight forward. A six digit pin number is generated and displayed on screen, then they phone you. Enter the pin on your phone keypad and thats it. All done.
The other issue is that they also want to verify your home address. This time, however, they put a pin number in the post to you. Once you receive it you'll need to enter it to unlock payments.
For me this isn't really much of an issue. I've yet to make enough though adsense to warrant a payout (the $100 limit is still quite a long way off) but if you were about to be paid then you may find that this will be delayed until everything has been verified.
Saturday 23 February 2008
Star Trek: Phase II
Regular readers will know that I'm a bit of a Star Trek fan, and that includes the thriving "fan film" scene, headed by Starship Exeter, Star Trek - Of Gods And Men, and of course Star Trek - New Voyages.
I've got to admit that New Voyages is a personal favorite of mine, and in my opinion has been improving from episode to episode. I've long been of the opinion that New Voyages has moved beyond merely being a fan film, especially in the light of them shooting genuine Star Trek scripts, including those that would have been destined for Star Trek: Phase II had it ever been produced.
It looks like they are also of a similar mind, as they have just announced that they are changing their name to Star Trek: Phase II.
From the press release:
On Saturday, February 16th, Executive Producer James Cawley announced to fans during an appearance at the 2008 Farpoint Science Fiction Media Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, that Star Trek: New Voyages would shed the “New Voyages” moniker and become Star Trek: Phase II. Cawley assured fans that the change would be more than just the name, promising that the production will have access to new people, new materials, and a new direction, but will remain focused on his original vision for the show.
“Make no mistake about it, this is a new beginning for our production. This will be the next step in our effort to provide the quality show fans have come to expect, with commitment and dedication to keeping the original series look and feel that fans have come to enjoy,” said Cawley, “As before, we will strive to involve familiar faces from Star Trek’s 40-year legacy in our episodes, as well as actors from other classic SciFi shows when we can. You will see the changes taking place over the next few weeks, but you will really appreciate the changes when we release our future episodes.”
I'm certainly looking forward to the new eposides, and to seeing what changes are made. I do wonder if they are going to write out Spock to make way for his replacement Xon (see the Wikipedia entry for details).
The only issue I've had with New Voyages, or Phase II as it is now, is the ever-changing cast. Every episode seems to bring a change in the main cast. So far we have had two Scotties, two Uhuras and two Chekovs (three if you count Walter Koenig reprising his role) and the news is in that we are about to move to a second Spock, a second Sulu (not including George Takai's reprised role) and a third (!) Chekov.
I can understand why the cast changes happen - but it would be nice to have a more stable cast for a couple of episodes.
Head over to http://www.startreknewvoyages.com for the latest news and, of course, for the episode downloads.
I've got to admit that New Voyages is a personal favorite of mine, and in my opinion has been improving from episode to episode. I've long been of the opinion that New Voyages has moved beyond merely being a fan film, especially in the light of them shooting genuine Star Trek scripts, including those that would have been destined for Star Trek: Phase II had it ever been produced.
It looks like they are also of a similar mind, as they have just announced that they are changing their name to Star Trek: Phase II.
From the press release:
On Saturday, February 16th, Executive Producer James Cawley announced to fans during an appearance at the 2008 Farpoint Science Fiction Media Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, that Star Trek: New Voyages would shed the “New Voyages” moniker and become Star Trek: Phase II. Cawley assured fans that the change would be more than just the name, promising that the production will have access to new people, new materials, and a new direction, but will remain focused on his original vision for the show.
“Make no mistake about it, this is a new beginning for our production. This will be the next step in our effort to provide the quality show fans have come to expect, with commitment and dedication to keeping the original series look and feel that fans have come to enjoy,” said Cawley, “As before, we will strive to involve familiar faces from Star Trek’s 40-year legacy in our episodes, as well as actors from other classic SciFi shows when we can. You will see the changes taking place over the next few weeks, but you will really appreciate the changes when we release our future episodes.”
I'm certainly looking forward to the new eposides, and to seeing what changes are made. I do wonder if they are going to write out Spock to make way for his replacement Xon (see the Wikipedia entry for details).
The only issue I've had with New Voyages, or Phase II as it is now, is the ever-changing cast. Every episode seems to bring a change in the main cast. So far we have had two Scotties, two Uhuras and two Chekovs (three if you count Walter Koenig reprising his role) and the news is in that we are about to move to a second Spock, a second Sulu (not including George Takai's reprised role) and a third (!) Chekov.
I can understand why the cast changes happen - but it would be nice to have a more stable cast for a couple of episodes.
Head over to http://www.startreknewvoyages.com for the latest news and, of course, for the episode downloads.
Thursday 21 February 2008
This Week I Have Mostly Been Playing: Hover Bovver 2
Most games easily fit into one or more categories. Shoot-em-ups, platformers, RPGs, there is a category for pretty much every game. Then there are games like this. Mow-em-up perhaps? Third person lawner? I'll have to think about this.
It's a lot less bovver. . . . .
So what is the game about eh? Well, in a nutshell, you need to mow your lawn. Sounds simple? Not in this garden it isn't. You see, you've had to borrow your neighbor's lawnmower and he wants it back. Not only that, but if you mow the flowers you'll have an angry gardener to deal with.
Luckily your dog is on hand to chase off your pursuers, but watch out, the more he chases them, the less happy with you he'll be. As if that wasn't enough you also have to make sure your mower doesn't overheat, so don't mow too much grass in one go. Mow enough of the lawn and sheep will come out to help eat the grass
Not to mention the mole hills, dog mess and other obstacles that you'll encounter as the game progresses.
With comical sound effects, cute graphics and frantic gameplay this is one time you won't mind mowing the lawn.
The game runs under Windows, and Linux users can run it under Cedega (like I did).
Head on over to Llamasoft to give it a shot. Ewe won't regret it!
It's a lot less bovver. . . . .
So what is the game about eh? Well, in a nutshell, you need to mow your lawn. Sounds simple? Not in this garden it isn't. You see, you've had to borrow your neighbor's lawnmower and he wants it back. Not only that, but if you mow the flowers you'll have an angry gardener to deal with.
Luckily your dog is on hand to chase off your pursuers, but watch out, the more he chases them, the less happy with you he'll be. As if that wasn't enough you also have to make sure your mower doesn't overheat, so don't mow too much grass in one go. Mow enough of the lawn and sheep will come out to help eat the grass
Not to mention the mole hills, dog mess and other obstacles that you'll encounter as the game progresses.
With comical sound effects, cute graphics and frantic gameplay this is one time you won't mind mowing the lawn.
The game runs under Windows, and Linux users can run it under Cedega (like I did).
Head on over to Llamasoft to give it a shot. Ewe won't regret it!
Zen and the Art of Blogging
Every so often I'll blog about stats, adwords, get rich quick schemes and so on. To be honest I try and keep the number of these to a minimum, partly because they are dull, but mainly because, well, that's not why I'm here.
Let me explain. If I wanted a "get rich quick" type scheme then blogging wouldn't be top of my list of things to try. I enjoy keeping a blog, but to get a blog that brings in the revenue would mean destroying the overall feel of my site. That is important to me. You may (or may not) like my site, but at least it is honest. I post about what I think and feel (and about my games too of course!) and it is up to you whether you agree, disagree, comment or whatever.
I'm not out to follow any "golden rules for success". I don't want to "make a fortune from blogging", although if anyone has a spare fortune that they aren't using and need a home for then feel free to get in touch!
No, I'm here because I want to write, and this gives me a good excuse to do so.
So any hints? Personally I'd say to just blog about what interests you, keep going, and eventually the stats will improve. Mine have been creeping up for a while now, chances are once you've established yourself yours will too.
Let me explain. If I wanted a "get rich quick" type scheme then blogging wouldn't be top of my list of things to try. I enjoy keeping a blog, but to get a blog that brings in the revenue would mean destroying the overall feel of my site. That is important to me. You may (or may not) like my site, but at least it is honest. I post about what I think and feel (and about my games too of course!) and it is up to you whether you agree, disagree, comment or whatever.
I'm not out to follow any "golden rules for success". I don't want to "make a fortune from blogging", although if anyone has a spare fortune that they aren't using and need a home for then feel free to get in touch!
No, I'm here because I want to write, and this gives me a good excuse to do so.
So any hints? Personally I'd say to just blog about what interests you, keep going, and eventually the stats will improve. Mine have been creeping up for a while now, chances are once you've established yourself yours will too.
Sunday 17 February 2008
Dan's Remakes February update.
The latest from Dan's Remakes.
First things first, RetroRoids has been updated to 1.20. This will probably be the final release of the game. It was partly a bugfix release, adding things like a joypad deadzone to allow XBox 360 controllers to work with the game, and partly a release to add the final "polish" to the game.
Following on from RetroRoids there will be another new game, based around an updated version of the game engine.
Gravity has been added into the mix and a new original game will be coming soon. Yes, that's right, original. Well, fairly original. It won't be directly based on any existing game, although it obviously bears some resemblance to Gravitar, Thrust, Space Taxi, Lander and probably others too.
Now onto Batty Junior. Although this game has been "on holiday" for a bit, I'm going to have to bite the bullet and finish off the single player game. In all honesty there isn't a lot left to do, so once I'll have to look towards finishing that bit off before moving on to the new (unnamed) game.
There may be some (minor) updates to some of my other games too. Chaos Caverns has had a bugfix release to add in a DirectX version of the game. There may well be another update to Chaos Caverns and RetroVaders later on this month to add in the deadzone for the XBox 360 joypads.
First things first, RetroRoids has been updated to 1.20. This will probably be the final release of the game. It was partly a bugfix release, adding things like a joypad deadzone to allow XBox 360 controllers to work with the game, and partly a release to add the final "polish" to the game.
Following on from RetroRoids there will be another new game, based around an updated version of the game engine.
Gravity has been added into the mix and a new original game will be coming soon. Yes, that's right, original. Well, fairly original. It won't be directly based on any existing game, although it obviously bears some resemblance to Gravitar, Thrust, Space Taxi, Lander and probably others too.
Now onto Batty Junior. Although this game has been "on holiday" for a bit, I'm going to have to bite the bullet and finish off the single player game. In all honesty there isn't a lot left to do, so once I'll have to look towards finishing that bit off before moving on to the new (unnamed) game.
There may be some (minor) updates to some of my other games too. Chaos Caverns has had a bugfix release to add in a DirectX version of the game. There may well be another update to Chaos Caverns and RetroVaders later on this month to add in the deadzone for the XBox 360 joypads.
Wednesday 13 February 2008
Back Online
We are back online.
I arrived home today to find a note from the postman that a parcel had been returned to the sorting office. Luckily for me it's only a twenty minute walk there, so I was able to go straight back out and collect what turned out to be my replacement modem.
So back home, unplug the old one, plug in the new one, and make a call to Virgin Media's tech support to enable the new modem.
Pretty painless when alls said and done, and considering it was Monday evening when I placed the support call, I think they've managed to sort things out pretty quickly.
I arrived home today to find a note from the postman that a parcel had been returned to the sorting office. Luckily for me it's only a twenty minute walk there, so I was able to go straight back out and collect what turned out to be my replacement modem.
So back home, unplug the old one, plug in the new one, and make a call to Virgin Media's tech support to enable the new modem.
Pretty painless when alls said and done, and considering it was Monday evening when I placed the support call, I think they've managed to sort things out pretty quickly.
Tuesday 12 February 2008
Those Offline Blues
Ah, a life without broadband. How did we ever survive?
At the moment I'm learning to cope without internet access at home, thanks to a dead cable modem. Internet access is one of those things that you don't really think too much about these days, until you can't use it that is.
So what happened? Well on Saturday when I tried to go online. . . . . . Nothing. Oh well, sometimes the connection does go down (usually for maintenance) so no need to worry. Sunday - still nothing. No internet (sniffle). NO INTERNET! (sob!)
By Sunday evening it was looking less like an issue with my provider (Virgin Media) and more like something more local. So after checking cables etc, powering off for a couple of minutes, trying with and without my router and so on I was fairly certain that the modem, although it was showing a "sync", "rdy" and "enet" lights it wasn't actually communicating with their servers.
A couple of things I have learn't about my modem that I didn't know before. One is that there IS a difference between just quickly disconnecting and reconnecting the power, and leaving it for a minute or two before restarting (it doesn't do a full reboot unless you leave it off for a while). Another is that whilst it is coming up from cold it allocates a temporary IP address (with a 30 second TTL) to allow you to connect into the Modem's configuration pages (username root, password root). It only gives you a real IP address once it connects to the service providers upstream servers, and returns 0.0.0.0 if it doesn't.
Just to make that it wasn't my provider, I called Virgin Media's broadband status line. This used to give a run-down of problems around the UK that might affect your connection. What it now does is tell you to disconnect your modem, wait for two minutes and reconnect it. And if that doesn't work then call their support line (25p per minute, 10p connection charge).
With a lack of options available it was time to call their support line. Except I can't because it is a premium rate number which is blocked (by default all Virgin Media phones used to block premium rate numbers). As I couldn't find the phone number for help with this (and I couldn't go online to check) I'd have to make notes of all this at work on Monday.
On Monday I was able to check their website - nothing was listed for where I live that would explain why I didn't have any internet access. Also no freephone number for technical support. Once I got back home it was time to phone Virgin Media to unblock the premium rate number. On phoning their number I got to speak to a very nice Indian lady, who, once we were able to understand each other's accents, was able to allow me to call premium rate numbers.
So finally I was able to phone for help. As a full time Systems Technician I look after things like this as part of my job, so I am probably a helpdesk's nightmare to deal with - because I already know the answer before I phone. You can pretty much guarantee that if I'm phoning your support line you'll be getting your equipment back because it will be beyond repair. Honestly. Trust me, I'm a Technician.
So getting through to another Indian gentleman who was obviously reading from a script is an exercise in restraint. On the upside the phone was answered almost immediately and I was straight through to a real human operator. On the downside he then spent the next couple of minutes explaining just how much this phone call was costing me (10p connection, 25p per minute from a Virgin Media landline, call charges from mobile phones or other providers may vary).
So after giving some personal information (account number, name, address, what services do I buy, how do I pay for them) it is on to the script. At this point I usually just turn off and try and do what they say, "yes, I've turned off the modem. . . . Yes, I've turned the modem back on again. . . . . No, it isn't getting an IP address."
As a side note those of you who have been paying attention will know that I usually use Linux when at home. One thing I have learned in the past is that if I want to get anywhere with tech support then booting into that old Windows XP partition is a benefit - because their script doesn't usually cover Linux. And If I'm paying through the nose for the help then I want to get things resolved as quickly as possible.
Back to my friend in India. After a couple of minutes I'm given an update of how much this has already cost me, do I want to continue the call? As I want to get this working, what choice do I have really?
On with the script. We basically go through everything that I'd already checked (disconnecting the ethernet cable, rebooting the modem, reconnecting, disconnecting the coax cable, rebooting and so on). This takes us to the end of the regular script. "I need to check some things, can I call you back in ten minutes?" he asks.
"Sure, no problem."
Time for a cuppa whilst I wait. Around ten minutes later, as promised, he's back. "Your modem appears to be broken."
(deep breath, big smile before speaking)
"Is it? Oh dear." But, this at least gets me where I needed to be. They are sending me a new cable modem by post, which should be with me within five days. Or to be more exact five working days. Also, as the problem is with their equipment they've also refunded the cost of the support call (which ended up at around £4.50, which means that my bit of the call ran to around 18 minutes).
All being even life will return to normal either later on this week (hopefully) or early next week (boo!) with a brand new cable modem.
At the moment I'm learning to cope without internet access at home, thanks to a dead cable modem. Internet access is one of those things that you don't really think too much about these days, until you can't use it that is.
So what happened? Well on Saturday when I tried to go online. . . . . . Nothing. Oh well, sometimes the connection does go down (usually for maintenance) so no need to worry. Sunday - still nothing. No internet (sniffle). NO INTERNET! (sob!)
By Sunday evening it was looking less like an issue with my provider (Virgin Media) and more like something more local. So after checking cables etc, powering off for a couple of minutes, trying with and without my router and so on I was fairly certain that the modem, although it was showing a "sync", "rdy" and "enet" lights it wasn't actually communicating with their servers.
A couple of things I have learn't about my modem that I didn't know before. One is that there IS a difference between just quickly disconnecting and reconnecting the power, and leaving it for a minute or two before restarting (it doesn't do a full reboot unless you leave it off for a while). Another is that whilst it is coming up from cold it allocates a temporary IP address (with a 30 second TTL) to allow you to connect into the Modem's configuration pages (username root, password root). It only gives you a real IP address once it connects to the service providers upstream servers, and returns 0.0.0.0 if it doesn't.
Just to make that it wasn't my provider, I called Virgin Media's broadband status line. This used to give a run-down of problems around the UK that might affect your connection. What it now does is tell you to disconnect your modem, wait for two minutes and reconnect it. And if that doesn't work then call their support line (25p per minute, 10p connection charge).
With a lack of options available it was time to call their support line. Except I can't because it is a premium rate number which is blocked (by default all Virgin Media phones used to block premium rate numbers). As I couldn't find the phone number for help with this (and I couldn't go online to check) I'd have to make notes of all this at work on Monday.
On Monday I was able to check their website - nothing was listed for where I live that would explain why I didn't have any internet access. Also no freephone number for technical support. Once I got back home it was time to phone Virgin Media to unblock the premium rate number. On phoning their number I got to speak to a very nice Indian lady, who, once we were able to understand each other's accents, was able to allow me to call premium rate numbers.
So finally I was able to phone for help. As a full time Systems Technician I look after things like this as part of my job, so I am probably a helpdesk's nightmare to deal with - because I already know the answer before I phone. You can pretty much guarantee that if I'm phoning your support line you'll be getting your equipment back because it will be beyond repair. Honestly. Trust me, I'm a Technician.
So getting through to another Indian gentleman who was obviously reading from a script is an exercise in restraint. On the upside the phone was answered almost immediately and I was straight through to a real human operator. On the downside he then spent the next couple of minutes explaining just how much this phone call was costing me (10p connection, 25p per minute from a Virgin Media landline, call charges from mobile phones or other providers may vary).
So after giving some personal information (account number, name, address, what services do I buy, how do I pay for them) it is on to the script. At this point I usually just turn off and try and do what they say, "yes, I've turned off the modem. . . . Yes, I've turned the modem back on again. . . . . No, it isn't getting an IP address."
As a side note those of you who have been paying attention will know that I usually use Linux when at home. One thing I have learned in the past is that if I want to get anywhere with tech support then booting into that old Windows XP partition is a benefit - because their script doesn't usually cover Linux. And If I'm paying through the nose for the help then I want to get things resolved as quickly as possible.
Back to my friend in India. After a couple of minutes I'm given an update of how much this has already cost me, do I want to continue the call? As I want to get this working, what choice do I have really?
On with the script. We basically go through everything that I'd already checked (disconnecting the ethernet cable, rebooting the modem, reconnecting, disconnecting the coax cable, rebooting and so on). This takes us to the end of the regular script. "I need to check some things, can I call you back in ten minutes?" he asks.
"Sure, no problem."
Time for a cuppa whilst I wait. Around ten minutes later, as promised, he's back. "Your modem appears to be broken."
(deep breath, big smile before speaking)
"Is it? Oh dear." But, this at least gets me where I needed to be. They are sending me a new cable modem by post, which should be with me within five days. Or to be more exact five working days. Also, as the problem is with their equipment they've also refunded the cost of the support call (which ended up at around £4.50, which means that my bit of the call ran to around 18 minutes).
All being even life will return to normal either later on this week (hopefully) or early next week (boo!) with a brand new cable modem.
Saturday 2 February 2008
XP on old hardware
Regular readers may remember the "fun" I had trying to get my el-cheapo wireless cards running under Linux. The USB adapter as it turns out is broken (it only runs for ten minutes at a time before crapping out), the WalkLAN PCMCIA card doesn't run properly under Linux although it is supposed to be supported (it locks the system solid).
To test the card out I decided to re-install Windows 98SE and test the card with that - but wouldn't you know it, I can't find where the install CDs have gone. Fortunately I'd a spare XP Pro license so for an experiment I've installed that instead.
The actual install was straight-forward, if a bit slow. I've got to admit I wasn't expecting too much performance-wise from this once it was installed. After all, a Celeron 433 with 160meg of memory is hardly an XP powerhouse.
How wrong I was.
It runs like a charm. It is fast to boot, all the hardware appears to be supported (mind you, I'd have been surprised if it wasn't) and after tracking down the driver for the WalkLAN card the wireless support is spot-on.
At the moment to stress-test the card I'm installing all the required updates to Windows XP (nearly 100 of them!) which should take over an hour to do. And while I'm doing that I'm also browsing the web, and writing this in Blogger. Internet Explorer, while it isn't my favourite web browser by a long chalk, is actually performing well, and is certainly keeping up with my typing.
The battery life seems OK too. I'll test this a bit more over the weekend and update this with my thoughts on it, but looking good so far!
Update 04/02/2008
I've been pleasantly surprised with how well this runs. OK, so it's a bit iffy for YouTube, but that's more down to the display than the Laptop (lots of moving stuff tends to blur quite a bit). But beyond that small gripe the rest of it is fine and dandy.
Hibernate works well - it shuts down quickly and restarts from cold in well under 40 seconds. This is probably down to the fact that it only has 160 meg of memory to restore.
Browsing works well, both in FireFox and Internet Explorer. The wireless card has worked flawlessly - even during the kids mammoth CBeebies browsing session lasting a couple of hours.
Before anyone asks, no, I'm not becoming a Windows convert. If the wireless card had been supported properly in Linux I'd have still been using that, but until I get the chance to swap the card for something better then I'm pretty much stuck - especially as I'd need to prise the wife away from the laptop with a crowbar to get her off Ebay. . . .
A couple of things that are pretty good to install to get that good freeware feeling back:
Rocket Dock - A pretty good MacOS style dock copy. Although officially it needs a 500 processor (or higher) it works really well on a 433.
The Gimp - Needs no introduction really. My image editor of choice.
Open Office - The Microsoft beating free software office package (well nearly anyway).
To test the card out I decided to re-install Windows 98SE and test the card with that - but wouldn't you know it, I can't find where the install CDs have gone. Fortunately I'd a spare XP Pro license so for an experiment I've installed that instead.
The actual install was straight-forward, if a bit slow. I've got to admit I wasn't expecting too much performance-wise from this once it was installed. After all, a Celeron 433 with 160meg of memory is hardly an XP powerhouse.
How wrong I was.
It runs like a charm. It is fast to boot, all the hardware appears to be supported (mind you, I'd have been surprised if it wasn't) and after tracking down the driver for the WalkLAN card the wireless support is spot-on.
At the moment to stress-test the card I'm installing all the required updates to Windows XP (nearly 100 of them!) which should take over an hour to do. And while I'm doing that I'm also browsing the web, and writing this in Blogger. Internet Explorer, while it isn't my favourite web browser by a long chalk, is actually performing well, and is certainly keeping up with my typing.
The battery life seems OK too. I'll test this a bit more over the weekend and update this with my thoughts on it, but looking good so far!
Update 04/02/2008
I've been pleasantly surprised with how well this runs. OK, so it's a bit iffy for YouTube, but that's more down to the display than the Laptop (lots of moving stuff tends to blur quite a bit). But beyond that small gripe the rest of it is fine and dandy.
Hibernate works well - it shuts down quickly and restarts from cold in well under 40 seconds. This is probably down to the fact that it only has 160 meg of memory to restore.
Browsing works well, both in FireFox and Internet Explorer. The wireless card has worked flawlessly - even during the kids mammoth CBeebies browsing session lasting a couple of hours.
Before anyone asks, no, I'm not becoming a Windows convert. If the wireless card had been supported properly in Linux I'd have still been using that, but until I get the chance to swap the card for something better then I'm pretty much stuck - especially as I'd need to prise the wife away from the laptop with a crowbar to get her off Ebay. . . .
A couple of things that are pretty good to install to get that good freeware feeling back:
Rocket Dock - A pretty good MacOS style dock copy. Although officially it needs a 500 processor (or higher) it works really well on a 433.
The Gimp - Needs no introduction really. My image editor of choice.
Open Office - The Microsoft beating free software office package (well nearly anyway).
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