Apple Mac is to Microsoft PC as Snowboarding is to Skiing

Skiing is easy to learn, tough to master. Snowboarding is tough to learn, easy to master. Snowboards have certain inherent advantages for looking awesome going down (go either direction, quickly). Skis can fly,  and you don't get your pants wet.

That sums up Mac vs PC. All the Apple hardware is basically proprietary, and usually a great effort is made to provide excellent audio and video, along with strong performance. PCs open architecture was the story in the late 1980's when these products were new. It still is, and to some degree that's why there is so much you can do with a PC. Managed systems work well too in PC environments for business - as a platform, and with the software Microsoft themselves make (groupware). 

Ultimately, I made a lot of money betting on both companies, but more on Microsoft - it gave me a nice $1/2 million in 2/2021 from less than $10K since 1992. Nice bet. Helps the retirement nicely.

Good luck picking such a thing today and buying into it. But you should try. 

Great Lawyers Redeeming Themselves

Taking the High Road

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lawyer-election-donations/lawyers-spurn-trump-campaign-in-individual-donations-including-from-jones-day-idUSKBN27531P

It's been reported that a certain big law firm that sends me a retirement check every month and who seemed to have been in bed big time with the Trump administration, contributed $90,000 to the Biden campaign and $50 to Trump.

When I worked there I always felt that the Firm's clients deserved whatever representation they could afford, and our people were really smart. And expensive. I did not work there during Trump, but now that Trump is over, it seems like their impartiality, and commitment to giving the best legal work anybody is willing to pay for, takes the high road.

My faith in "the Firm" is restored.

Review of my new HP Spectre x360 13t Computer

This is the review I posted on HP's site for my new PC. It's a nice less-than-3lb laptop with a 4 core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD and a 4k screen. Not too shabby.

"I expected solid performance from a 4 core i7, 16 GB RAM, a TB SSD, etc. Windows Pro was installed as it should be, and without too much junk (I uninstalled the Norton anti-virus virus and the Microsoft Office things and installed a stand alone Office). It runs real well, but it does not exceed my expectations in any category, so far. That may change in the long haul.

I liked the keyboard when I tried this out and I still do. The touch pad and screen are OK. The screen seems a little warm - yellow. Scaling usually works, but sometimes an icon or text or graphic won't get scaled to a size you can see. The recommended 300% scaling is about right - anything smaller and the few items that don't scale right are too small to control.

The computer can get warm in your lap, but not hot - it is acceptable. The weight is OK.
I hoped the built in audio would be better, but it is quite weak. I'm not talking about the speakers, but the Realtek chip set, which doesn't seem to support any high sampling rates or even 24 bit analog to digital. This is not in any way a high definition audio device.

I've had it not wake up correctly several times already, where I had to hard reboot it. This still seems to be a problem with Windows machines - wake up! Battery life seems pretty weak (I have a 4k screen). I don't think I could get a day's work out of a charge. Also, as expected.

I'm going to have to use this for a long time. I hope it does not disappoint. So far, just OK."

Gun Control - Figured Out

Here's how you need to think about gun control (from someone who admittedly isn't interested in ever firing a gun let alone owning one):

Guns should be like cars. You need to register the car to put it on the road, same with the gun. It needs to be defined and registered, and tracked. Nobody can ever sell or purchase a gun that is not registered.

You have a right to have a gun, but you need to prove who you are to earn that right. You need a gun driver's license. In other words, both the owner and the gun need to be well registered and known. Both also must carry insurance or post a bond, just like with a car.

Existing guns do not need to be registered but cannot be transferred by any means or sold without registration (with criminal penalties for violations). Existing gun users DO have to register and provide proof of insurance. No exceptions. Severe penalties.

Here's the part the politicians will love: You tax the shit out of the process. That's right, if you want to own guns, you can, but you need to register them and yourself, AND you must pay substantial and regular taxes. These moneys can be used for enforcement and victim hospitalization.

The insurance industry should be happy to have so many new policies to write.

None of this infringes the right to bear arms (of the second amendment). But if you want to just repeal the second amendment, I'm fine with that. It really doesn't make sense as it is written.

Audiophile Series: Mass Storage of Data

Five words:

Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8TB

Stick those in your shopping search and get yourself all the storage you need. I got one a year ago for around $170. Next year there should be newer, larger drives.

This drive I am recommending is actually a bit on the slow side, but it is fast enough for audio or video playback. You would never use a drive like this for editing (do that on your 7200 RPM or faster hard drive or an SSD). You know you will need all that storage sooner or later and with 8TB you will never pass on a file because you don't have storage.

A storage drive does not impart anything to the sound itself, but this particularly large Seagate is very handy indeed. It includes a couple extra USB 3 ports, of which you can never get enough. It seems to sleep automatically as it should and there don't seem to be any nasty fans or anything noisy.

Audiophile Series: Computer Audio Interfaces

There are a lot of great sound sources that are convenient to use from a computer. Unfortunately, the audio section of your computer may need some attention to really be audiophile quality.

Although I've used laptop, phone and tablet audio outputs with good hi-fi systems and earphones, I have also heard the differences - sometimes they just have a bit of audio distortion or imbalances that let you know you can do better.

My main setup has long included a computer, loads of great tube amps, and a collection of great audiophile loudspeakers (along with other sources). The audio interface for such a setup needs to be a real hi-fi device. I have used just a few. I had a Roland Edirol FA-101 firewire interface for a long time. I really did not need everything it did but it sounded really good.

When the FA-101finally died (I left it powered on for years) I picked up a Behringer UMC404HD. I still wanted multi-channel capabilities and studio inputs and wanted to try using a USB interface. It is a well built device and works great. I also picked up another Edirol FA-66 for real cheap on ebay, just because I could. I use it if I need more inputs or outputs.

For my laptop based system I got another Behringer, the UMC202HD. This interface sounds great. The 202 is my recommended interface for stereo. You can buy one second hand on ebay (use caution) for $40 or I think I saw Behringer selling them directly for $60 brand new. I have not messed with high end audio over a laptop HDMI output, but it may hold promise.

Upgrading to a Berhinger UMC 202 HD is a no-brainer. You will thank me.

Audiophile Series: BD Player for playing SACD ISO's

SACD ISO's can be made using certain rare PlayStation machines that have been isolated from updates. Many disc images are available. They can be played over PC's, directly on some gear, and burned to DVD media.

There are internet guides available on how to play SACD-ISOs from a PC - I may backfill and write my own some time. In the mean time you are on your own. Using a PC involves several components and some minor audio compromises but a PC sounds very good if you use decent gear (a nice audio interface).

You can also play the images directly from some devices that play DSD, but I haven't played with those. [Edit 2018. I have played with these and they sound good too. Not better in any way.]  I expect they are touchy and may want the files split.

SACD ISO's created by ripping via a PlayStation can be burned to writeable DVD media and played like regular SACD's on certain players. I recommend the Sony BD players. They can easily be found on ebay. Both my S580 my S470 were in the $35 range.

The digital to analog converters and analog outputs of the Sony BD players are quite good, but they get you stereo only. To use in surround mode, you need to go over HDMI.

The list is very specific. Although similar or later models might work, it is doubtful. These do work:

•Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD
•Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD
•Denon DBP-1611UD
•Denon DBP-2012UD
•Denon DVD-2910
•Denon DVD-3910
•Denon DVD-5910
•Denon DVD-A11
•Denon DVD-A1XVA
•Marantz DV7600
•Marantz UD5005
•NAD M5
•NAD M55
•NAD T585
•OPPO BDP-80
•OPPO BDP-83
•OPPO BDP-83SE
•OPPO BDP-93
•OPPO BDP-95
•Pioneer BDP-140
•Sony BDP-S180
•Sony BDP-S370
•Sony BDP-S370/BX37
•Sony BDP-S380
•Sony BDP-S470
•Sony BDP-S480
•Sony BDP-S570
•Sony BDP-S580
•Sony BDP-S780
•Sony BDP-S870
•Sony BDP-S970
•Sony BDV-E870
•Yamaha BD-S1067

The Rock Hall's Power of Rock Experience - A Review

The Rock Hall replaced the "hall of fame video" with a new projection and audio system and a new film. The old film was a recap of each years' inductees. If you sat through the whole thing is was pretty long (an hour+, I think), but the video was pretty cool and the audio outstanding.

The new system includes new screens that move, fake lights to shine on the audience' faces, fake speakers that light up, rumble seats (seats that vibrate), and a very short video (not even 15 minutes, I don't think). It's rubbish.

The new setup has little I would salvage if I were fixing it. The seating is just OK, but it could stay. The screens are stupid - their movement does nothing to enhance the experience - they need to go. The video is crap - show anything else. The sound is OK - I wonder if they maybe just used the same old stuff - they were fine - and added some new rumble to the mess. Keep the sound but get rid of the horrible fake speakers with light.

I am embarrassed by the whole thing. Fortunately the rest of the museum has not completely lost its way, but this exhibit is crap.

"Cleveland, City of Light, ...

... City of Magic"

- Randy Newman

This nifty resource lists bigger buildings in the city:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=101311&bt=7&ht=2&sro=1

Good reference for your perusal.

You were expecting Paul McCartney?

Yes, I guess I was. I should know better than to set my sights so high.

Brian Wilson and his band of very accomplished players came to the Hard Rock Rocksino stage in Northfield (Cleveland) Ohio on April 22, 2017. I had seen the Beach Boys several times over the years, but never with Brian Wilson. Having seen some of the recent videos and heard the great Smile album that was re-recorded (by this band?), I was expecting a high-brow musical experience with this, the Pet Sounds tour. What I got was closer to a Mike Love Beach Boys show without the charismatic front man.

The sound was the worst I have heard in this venue. The kick drum pretty much drowned out anything else. Everything else was just OK, but with the kick booming, who could hear it. There were some good vocal and instrumental performances that got ruined.

The song selection was very much just popular Beach Boys plus Pet Sounds. I was hoping for a greater experience from my first (and only) Brian Wilson show, but what I got was just OK.

Nicky Hopkins’ Greatest Hits

1. Blues De Luxe (Jeff Beck - Truth)
2. Gettin In Tune (really, all over Who’s Next)
3. Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder
4. Loving Cup - the Glimmer Twins
5. Drowned - The Who
6. Edward’s Thrump Up
7. Highland Fling
8. Volunteers of America
9. Baby’s House - Steve Miller

Simple SharePoint List Item Validation Example

Sometimes SharePoint validation can be touchy. This is a simple example of ...

If you answer "Yes" then you must also complete this other field.

VPN is a choice field. VPN Justification is a single line of text.

The formula is:

=IF(VPN="Yes",LEN([VPN Justifiction])>2,TRUE)

and the User Message is:

VPN justification must be completed

Simple and effective.

Setting a Due Date

This formula worked real well as

• a calculated default value 
• on a date only field 
• to set the due date to today plus two 
• and accounting for weekends:

=Today+2+IF(OR(WEEKDAY(Today)=4,WEEKDAY(Today)=5,WEEKDAY(Today)=6),2,0)+IF(WEEKDAY(Today)=7,1,0)

Concert Venue Ratings

As a seasoned and opinionated concert goer, listing venues strengths and weaknesses seems like it would be interesting and fun. When it is all said and done, we will see if it is useful for the global good. These will be mostly venues in and around Cleveland, Ohio, my home town. The posting will expand as time permits and experience grows. These will be generous at the top - there is room for plenty of grade A venues.

Grade  Venue  Narrative C Agora, Cleveland, Ohio No matter what they've done to try to improve this once great opera hall, it is a dump. Surprisingly good bathrooms. Scary hall and neighborhood. Excellent sound on the bottom. The top is more like an arena for some reason. Bad bar. The old Cleveland Agora on E21st was a dump too, but with low ceilings. They used to have shows in a smaller room here, and that was OK. A- Akron Civic Auditorium, Akron, Ohio Older auditorium with decent acoustics. Older seating. Weak concessions. A Allen Theater, Cleveland, Ohio Wonderfully renovated. Great sound, comfortable seats and good sight lines. The old version of the theater was big and beat up but not a bad venue either. A Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, Ohio The Beachland has the best vibe of any concert venue. The ballroom sounds better than it has a right to, thanks to Mike Miller. The room is too square and isn't right acoustically, but Mike gets it to sound just fine. A Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, Ohio The tavern shares the vibe of the ballroom, just smaller. Both have good bars. B Blossom Music Center Peninsula, Ohio Outdoor venue that feels more like a stadium or festival. Huge. Close in can be intense, though. OK sound that is like a festival in back. Horrible for orchestra. Concessions passible. B Cain Park, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Nice outdoor setting. OK sound (rattles around a lot). Stupid moat in front of stage. There is a bar and food, but not much selection. B Connor Palace, Cleveland Great for plays if you don't have a seat that really sucks. The nose bleeds can get really cramped. A- E J Thomas, Akron, Ohio Great sound and decent seating. Multiple high balconies. Weak concession. Needs upkeep. A Foster Theater (Rock Hall), Cleveland, Ohio Intimate theater with great sound for smallish events. Comfortable seating. First class. A Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, Tennessee Great sound, seating and consessions. 1970’s modern facility that works and has character. A Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, Ohio This is the ideal stand-up bar venue. Small, quirky. Great bar. Things always sound OK. B- Hard Rock Rocksino, Northfield, Ohio Good sound everywhere. Flat floor seating with a few risers in the back. No class. Very weak bar. Interesting location. A- House of Blues, Cleveland, Ohio Great sound everywhere. OK bar (it used to be much worse). Somewhat over priced. It's a great place for a concert. B- Kent Stage, Kent, Ohio OK sound and not too big. Poor seats. Bad bathrooms. Dumpy old movie theater. A- Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Lakewood, Ohio Large older auditorium. Decent sound and sight lines. Cramped. Feels like a high school (because it is). B+ Mahall’s, Lakewood, Ohio Good sound. Garage quality seating but clean and unique. Good bar. A- Mentor Performing Arts, Mentor, Ohio Large modern auditorium. Good sound. Comfortable seats. Doesn’t feel too much like a High School (though it is). A Music Box Good sound, seating, food, even the ticket prices aren't that bad. Spiffy clean place. Great venue. B- Nautica Stage, Cleveland, Ohio Mediocre sound. Poor seats. Concessions vary. Large venue feel. Nice setting. A Nighttown, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Next to jazz club in the dictionary should be a picture of this place. Surprisingly good sound, good food, good bar, good vibe. D+ Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio Sound is never good pretty much anywhere. Seating usually uncomfortable (sometime very much so). Usually very weak concessions. Old school arena. The Music Hall side of the venue is seldom used anymore. It was much better. B- Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Usually decent sound. Huge venue with high altitude seating. Modern. B Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Lobby, Cleveland, Ohio Very tricky sound – usually not the best. Temporary or no seating. Fun for often memorable events. A- Severence Hall, Cleveland, Ohio Acoustic music sounds great here - anywhere in the hall (even way up high in the back). Amplified music rattles around and doesn't work very well. I preferred the 1960's configuration with panels on the ceiling. The seats are great. The bar is usually limited. B State Theater, Cleveland, Ohio Mediocre sound and sight lines. Unfortunately this venue is used for a good number of musical events. B+ Wilberts, Cleveland, Ohio OK sound. Quirky seating. Good food. Bar is good but have had stale beer on taps. Clean.

 
 

SharePoint Double Encoding Space in URL to %2520 - An Easy Solution

I got bit by SharePoint double-encoding a %20 (space) in a list name when I tried to rename a customized display form used in that list.

Now, mind you, these are two things I always avoid - spaces in list names and customized forms. But I inherited these, and then I proceeded to muck it up with the rename. The result was that links on tasks that went back to the list were double encoded - the % in %20 becomes an incredibly insidious %25, which is just a horrible thing in a web browser.

Now you might want to try some simple workaround or fix, like a redirect or something, but touching that %25 is real hard. I found a great solution using jQuery to rewrite the URLs. I did not try this but it seemed like it would work.

I found that if I renamed the list without any characters to encode, the links were all fixed.

Next I wanted to put the list back to the original name. This turned out to be impossible. No matter how I did this, SharePoint was nice enough to double encode the thing and make it %2520.

So the answer is to permanently change the URL for the list to not have any encoded characters (spaces, etc.). If need be, you could do some sort of redirect for anything with the old name, but this is largely unnecessary as SharePoint really does a good job with fixing all the URLS (just as it broke some of them).

Multiple Mouse Pointers

We can use touch, mouse, keyboard, voice control, and even various camera based controls that Microsoft and Sony have introduced, and I have used MIDI devices since the 80's, but there is a missing feature on our computers. What if I want to use TWO mice and have TWO pointers?

I'm not sure if there are analogous missing features for other inputs, but just think about the mouse. I use two mice most of the time (much of my waking hours). I got used to using a left hand mouse when I was having back and neck issues years ago. We often have two or more screens. But there is only one pointer.

Someone needs to think of ways to separate the inputs - much like touch vs. mouse, only going a lot further.

With MIDI, there were always multiple inputs available either on the same channel, a separate channel, or globally. You can use a couple keyboards, a breath controller, etc. to control whatever device is set to listen. The 32 year old Musical Instrument Digital Interface specification for serial data streamed at low speed was an example of how the problem could be solved.

Why is nobody working on this?

Opening Form in a Popup from a Link

I know I figured this out more than once (who knows, there may be another version on THIS blog somewhere). That, and there are multiple ways to do this. It should also be noted that sometimes this is a bad idea and won't work right, so think about how it might not work and test it!

Take yer link:

http://yadayada.com/qa/_layouts/listform.aspx?PageType=8&ListId={F06E16DD-3D2B-4022-8E76-495BAAED3DDC}&RootFolder=

and transform it into:

javascript:OpenPopUpPage('http://yadayada.com/qa/_layouts/listform.aspx?PageType=8&ListId={F06E16DD-3D2B-4022-8E76-495BAAED3DDC}&RootFolder=&IsDlg=1')

Bingo!

Greatest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Performances

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is currently polling this topic: http://rockhall.com/voting/the-greatest-moments-in-rock-hall-history/. Voting ends May 1, 2015.

I consider myself uniquely qualified and exceedingly opinionated, having visited the museum hundreds of times, attended many events related to the museum (though only one induction, in 2012, but soon to be two), I bought the 10 DVD boxed set of induction videos when it came out a few years ago, and most importantly, I carefully listened to all the entries yesterday evening on my big hi-fi at as high a volume as I could take it.

So I mercilessly rated all the nominated performances from 1 to 10. The obvious favorite is posted in the #1 position on their page - the sublime While My Guitar Gently Weeps performance from 2004.

 

• While my Guitar Gently Weeps 2004 - I get chills every time. One wrong note sticks out. Still a ... 10
• Let it Be 1999- horrible rubbish. 2
• Roll Over Beethoven 1986- the real deal - Jerry Lee! Keith! A real JAM. 8
• Sweet Emotion 2001 -Nice Take on the song! Totally rockin. 8
• Light my Fire 1993 - Nice, nice Doors + Don Was and Eddie Vedder. Acid. 7
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For 2005 - UBoss 7
• When the Levee Breaks - Neil  Young and Crazy Zeppelin. He dominates ANY band! 8
• I Saw Her Standing There 1988 - Fun jam. Jeff Beck guitar solo! So many great moments. Dylan! 7
• In the Midnight Hour 1999 - The most soulful! 6
• The Weight 1994 - Best song of this bunch. Well performed. 7
• Honky Tonk Woman 1989 - Best party (just cuz it's the Stones for cryin out loud). 6
• Green Onions 1992 - Really bad. Keith, the Edge, Johnny freakin Cash, Neil Young, Joh... aw nevermind. 1
• Blue Suede Shoes 1987 - Carl totally carries an otherwise poor performance. 5
• Sunshine of Your Love 1993 - CREAM, A bit slower but better than ever. Real rock and roll. 6
• Enter Sandman 2009 - Welcome to Cleveland. 6
• I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) 2003 - lost jam but lots of joy! 5
• Come Together 1994 - Good tribute to John Lennon. 6
• You've Lost That Loving Feeling 2003 - The vocals are hard to take. 1
• Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend 1996 - They should do this again in 2015. 4
• Hey Bo Diddley 1987 - Paul Butterfield rocks! 5
• Teach Your Children 1997 - CSN & JT. A bit rough. 3
• Teenage Lobotomy, Rockaway Beach, Blitzkrieg Bop 2002 - Green Day showing why they are being inducted. Great covers. 7
• Respect Yourself/I'll Take You There 1999 - nice. 6
• Higher Ground 2012 - I was there! It's about how I remember it. A cacophony at 1:30 in the morning. 6
• Wish You Were Here 1996 - Nice unplugger. 6
• Barracuda 2013 - Still works. The Gibson SG sounds great. What a riff. 6
• Crossroads 2013 - Geddy Freeking Lee! Great synthesis of performers. Dave Grohl. One of the best thanks to Geddy. 9
• Paradise City 2012 - Clevelander Gilby Clarke has the smallest ego on stage and should also be inducted. 6
• It's So Easy 2014 - I saw Linda in 1973. This did not capture that spirit. 4
• Smells Like Teen Spirit 2014 - Joan Jett channeling Kurt. Outstanding. 7

It was a lot of fun to watch them all. It took hours to do! After all the careful listening, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is still solidly number one. Crossroads is a surprise #2!

Other observations

Early on I was impressed with Billy Joel taking the lead in I Saw Her Standing There and elsewhere, but I also quickly hated Paul Schaefer's contributions. He did not belong on stage with the others, and he kept showing up, ruining many of the songs. Sorry, Paul. It didn't work.

 

I hope there will be great moments at this year's induction. Ringo and Paul can't help but be cool, Stevie Wonder inducting Bill Withers sounds exciting, and I look forward to Joan Jett. Green Day opened the 2012 inductions with a nice little set and a dozen f-bombs about the audience that arrived in a comatose state (and by the end at 1:30, we were mostly zombies). Hopefully we will be a better audience this year, but the line up looks huge again and I don't see how they can make it through the proceedings without going late into the night. Bring a blankie and pillow. 

You CAN Attach the Same Content DB More Than Once

... you just have to detach it first.

Let me back up. I think at least three times I've gotten all excited and apprehensive about restoring a test DB to a SharePoint 2010 farm for a second test because I already did a test in the same farm with the same database.

If you read this great Technet topic http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc287634(v=office.14).aspx you could walk away with the idea that you won't be able to attach the database (even though you have detached it).

Rest assured, that although the Technet posting is accurate, it is not trying to say that you can't attach the database, detach it, and then reattach it. I think it would have been better worded to simply say that all the site collection/GUID combinations must be unique, so you can't attach the same one twice.

Personal Automation - what I am looking for

I want my computer assistant (device) to always be on and watching and listening to what is going on. I want it to identify me by voice and face, and learn who other people (and animals!) are. It needs to interface with devices around me (communications, car, lighting, heating and AC, etc.). It needs to know where I am at all times and go with me everywhere.

We have the technology for all that and we can make it secure. I hope we don't have to wait too long for it to all work well. Microsoft seems pretty far down that path (farther than anyone else), but it isn't quite all there and working well enough to really be effective.