Editor's comments delimited by < >

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart

They're tagged with #Zentech

Paul has an iPhone 3G there's an update to version 4 of the firmware coming out. He doesn't know if it's been hacked yet and recommends holding off on the update for now if you need it to be hacked <I think he means jailbroken>.

Glenn thinks you can pull the SIM card out of your previous iPhone and plug it into the new iPhone 4.

Paul gave a brief rundown of some acronyms…
– 2G networks run at the so-called EDGE speed — about 9600bps.
– 3G networks can approach DSL speeds (1.52Mbps) if the cell towers are providing the service and it's not over subscribed — the more people using the network, the lower the bandwidth.
– With 4G the sky's the limit but the infrastructure hasn't been rolled out yet.

The iPad with 3G has what's known as a micro-SIM card. An actual SIM card is about the size of a credit card. In Europe, the SIM is embedded in the plastic of a credit card and it's that mini-SIM (about 3/4" by 1/2" in size) that's used in cell phones. The micro-SIM has the same electronics and the mini-SIM can be trimmed down, with an exacto knife, to be used in its place. There are devices sold in Hong Kong for about $10 that can clone SIM cards.

Mikail called with more info about the new iPhone 4.
– He said you CAN'T take the SIM card out of the old iPhone and put it in the new one because the iPhone 4 uses the micro-SIM card.
– There is no jailbreak for the iPhone 4 yet.
– The iPhone has a reception problem supposedly due to the operating system and update 4.1 is expected to fix that.
– The camera resolution is so good that it's comparable to actual dedicated cameras.
– It does 720p HD video.

You can now get a Google Voice account without being invited. It's free.
– Go to google.com/voice.
– Choose the google voice number carefully, typically one that's local to your area so people calling it won't incur extra charges.
– Calling abroad using a Google Voice number is only $.02/min. You still pay for the airtime on the cell phone but international calling is cheap.
– AT&T is blocking the app for using Google Voice, but there is a web interface to get around that.

Then there is also Skype for low budget & free phone/video calling. Keep checking for updates to Skype as improvements are made often.

Mikail called again to say he has a Google Voice number and thinks it's great. There's a free app for jailbroken phones and one called Google Voice Plus for $2 with more features.

Paul mentioned that Google Voice can transcribe a voice mail into text and does a reasonably good job.

Google also has a pretty good language translation service at translate.google.com

Glenn also mentioned the Babelfish translation service.

Joshua called to say his iPod is not being recognized by his Mac Book Pro. It says something like "file missing".
– Download iTunes and install it again. It should be version 9.2. Go to itunes.com or apple.com/itunes.
– You might also try updating the Mac from the Apple logo.
– Try resetting the iPod. Glenn found this suggestion at support.apple.com and knowledge base article ts1410.
– Try running "file check" on the Mac.

Matt called and said that a security update for his Windows Vista machine keeps being sent to him and has been installed numerous times.
– Get the knowledge base number (beginning with the letters "kb") and use that to research a solution. Search for the kb number and the word fix or undo or backout.
– Generally, the solution involves going to the command prompt using the F8 key and deleting something.

Paul said the solution to a tech problem is out there, you just need to ask the right question. When doing a search, think of a combination of words that uniquely apply to the problem. The fewer, more specific or unusual the words, the better.

The Flee Market show now has podcasts at kvmr.org/fleemarket. There is also a PDF file there.

Michael called and said that when he plays slower music in iTunes the music stutters.
– Paul ventured a guess that because slower music, which doesn't change much, actually gets compressed more, and the CPU has to work harder to decompress it. So, unburden the CPU by closing other running programs and see if there's an improvement.
– In the utility folder (Mac) there is a program called something like "CPU Usage". It tracks how hard the CPU is working. If CPU usage goes up to 100% while playing the slower music, that's the problem.
– Check if there's a common source of the problematic music. The music files themselves may be faulty.

Jim called wondering what jailbreak means.
– Unlocking the iPhone allows it to work on any network. <Subject to the type of network (GSM or CDMA), I guess>
– Jailbreaking allows you to install software not approved by Apple.

Glenn wondered why Skype is allowed by AT&T when Google Voice is not.
– Paul said it works on wi-fi but not a 3G (cell phone) network, although there is an hack for that on a jailbroken iPhone. That it doesn't work with 3G means it doesn't directly compete with AT&T's cell service.
– Paul also mentioned that 1/5 of iPhones have been unlocked.

The disclaimer: views & opinions are those of the show's hosts only. Do the jailbreaking & unlocking at your own risk

Paul said he's found better travel deals thru means other than the web. Don't assume web searches are always your best option.

Listeners were invited to write to zen at kvmr dot org and browse the website at zen.kvmr.org.

Bill called. He's been looking for some old schematics and has been trying to educate himself in the use of advanced search syntax.
– You can just use the form provided on the advanced search page at Google. You don't have to learn anything complicated. When you complete the search, you'll see how Google constructed the query.
– On the advanced search page, there's a link to tips explaining how to use special syntax.
– Gmail also has powerful search capabilities.

Ben called to ask why one of his computers will not stream the Zentech show. It just downloads a file called kvmr.m3u.
– It's not set up to know how to deal with an .m3u playlist file.
– Right-click on the .m3u file, left-click on "open with", select "choose application", select the program you want to use for listening to the stream (like iTunes), and select the check box that says "always open with this application" to make your choice permanent.

John called with a suggestion for Bill. Russia and Czechoslovakia are good places to find old schematics. Search by using a version of Google specific to the country like google.cz (Czech) or google.ru (Russia). The US version of Google may not be able to give the same results.

Glenn offered links he's recently found for good deals. Restaurant.com and groupon.com.

Last updated: 7:50 PM 6/28/2010 

Left and right brain Martian Venution mind meld:

We talk with KVMR's Poet Laureate Molly Fisk about her use of Facebook & other social media for literally getting the word out about her creative endevours:
Poetry Boot Camps, writing workshjops and more.
Some Comments about computer punctuation, too..

 PlaceShifting TV- Watching from Elsewhere via SlingBox Solo- For Example.

netowrk Accessed Server & etc, Raid and ALL! by promise – review. Under $300 wihout drives

 Warranty Issues: Above All be Reasonable!
"Availability- affability- ability." You can get mad or get even but not both.
1) "Outage Supplement" They take 30 days to fix it? you get 30+ days
2) "Stonewalling Weaselout"- REGISTERED first date of Complaint.
3) "Not workign as advertised" Buy a boat anchor- expect a boat anchor. merchantability
4) "Lemon Laws" Your reasonable expectation of fixes Done Right (mechanically, at least!)
5) Blinded by BS- YOU should not have to be an IT guy to go figure THIER problem
6) "Inherited Liability". If you company got Bought, the buyer owes you!
7) "Class Action and design flaws": IE batteries and hardware components
8) "Outside Resort"- Home owner's Insurance, Creidt Card warranty extension, etc.

 Additional Notes

Editor's comments delimited by < >

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart
They're tagged with #Zentech

The segment with Molly Fisk, about promoting her work thru Facebook, was more conversational than pedantic, so I'll just hit some of the highlights: Molly's interview ended about halfway thru the show and listener's calls were taken

Molly Fisk operates Poetry Boot Camp poetrybootcamp.com. She's done so since Jan 2002.
It's a intensive 6 day poetry workshop done thru email where people submit poems and are critiqued.

She started using Facebook Feb 4, 2009 when she lost one of her cats.
At Facebook search for molly fisk. She also has a business account — search for molly fisk writer speaker teacher.

On Facebook, you can unfriend someone you don't like or, alternately, hide their posts.

Molly puts her radio essays in the notes section of Facebook, about once a week. She puts them in the notes section, not status updates, because they can then be more easily shared by other people.

She spends about an hour a day finding the interesting content of other people, and putting it on her page.

Facebook hasn't changed the way she works but has changed her social life. It's also increased her interaction with the younger generation who are now more likely to recognize her in public.

She went on to say that being on Facebook has saved her business because she uses it to promote her classes & book. And it's put her in touch with other poets and brought her to social events.

Previous to Facebook, attempts at social networking included a site called Evite. It and other sites had no integration between themselves. Facebook solved that problem.

Coryon Redd & Brenda Horton have been on previous shows talking about marketing using social media.

There was discussion about using Facebook to find lost pets. Unlike using email (which can circulate for years by being forwarded), when the pet is found, it's easier to bring the search to a close using Facebook.

Molly said it's easy to alienate people when using Facebook for marketing. She said you have to strike a balance between being personable and promoting your product.

Molly was asked to define poety and she quoted Samuel Coleridge:
Prose, words in their best order. Poetry, the best words in the best order.

Molly mentioned that she uses a Mac computer.

On Facebook, she said, one can make a list limiting the number of friends you want to follow more closely so as not to be overwhelmed by the volume of comments.

She also said that she uses the chat feature only occasionally but finds it difficult to politely refuse a chat.

Molly can be contacted at molly@mollyfisk.com. And, as mentioned above, on Facebook. And also at poetrybootcamp.com as well as mollyfisk.com and voiceofyourown.com.

Brian called and said the guys had previously recommended Digital Path for internet service over wi-fi. But said his trees aren't high enough for their service and wondered if there were other suggestions.
– smarterbroadband.com may be a possiblility.
– Sometimes a group of people get together where one, usually the highest in elevation, would relay the signal, coming from the commercial provider, to the others.
– You can try using the internet over the cell phone network — AT&T or Verizon. This was mentioned in previous shows.

A caller asked about getting an antenna for using the internet over Verizon's cell phone network.
– You can find one on the internet or from the Verizon store. But she said the store she used didn't carry any.
– Locally, Banner Communications carries antennas. Take your unit with you to the store because it's sometimes hard to find its connector. And check their return policy in case it doesn't work for you.

Listeners were invited to write to the hosts using zen at kvmr dot org.

Paul talked about product warranties.
There's the get out period during which you return your purchase.
The warranty period itself is typically 1 year.
Your expectations for warranty service should be reasonable. E.g. your data on the hard drive you bought is not covered, only the hardware itself.

Paul thinks companies supporting their products should observe 3 principles — "Availability- affability- ability." The company..
. Should be reachable — Availability.
Should be not be rude — affability
Should know what they're doing — ability

Paul talked about the 8 points of warranty support listed above.
1) Paul thinks companies should extend your warranty by the amount of time taken to do any warranty work. If they take 30 days to fix something, you should get 30 more days of warranty.
2) "Stonewalling Weaselout" is when your warranty is about to expire and the company takes so long to process your request that you're no longer under warranty. Get a repair ticket number, get an RMA number to return merchandise, get the name of the person you talked to and take notes to document the timeline of events in your warranty request. The aim is to prove you spoke to someone about your problem.
3) You have the right to a product that does what it's advertised to do.
4) "Lemon Laws" put a finite limit on the number of times the product can be replaced due to malfunction. Software has different rules. See the above link.
5) You shouldn't have to have special knowledge to deal with a service problem. The average person should be able to understand and respond to what the service dept is talking about.
6) When one company buys another, they inherit the responsibility for warranty work.
7) Usually, a company is responsible for notifying you when a product is subject to a "class action" (normally due to a design flaw). But do check for yourself — do an internet search for class action model where for model you substitute the actual model of your product.
8) Keep in mind that something like homeowner's insurance may cover your product. Also consider using a credit card that extends the warranty.

Paul talked about place-shifting your TV programming. Using SlingBox you can receive your TV program in one place (the cable service at home) and have that program sent thru the internet to be watched elsewhere. So you don't have to be at home watch your own cable TV. See the above link.

Last Updated 8:20 PM 6/14/2010

Coryon Redd show for May 31 2010

How to use keyword and competitor research to build a wireframe – and a
> better website. For most businesses the steps I recommend are:
> 1. Write a list of competitive advantages as well as products and/or
> services offered.
> 2. Keyword research on Google keyword tool. Develop a spreadsheet with
> groups of related keywords.
> 3. Do competitor research to find ideas and inspiration for making your
> site. Write up notes and develop a wireframe with Google Drawing. (if
> you want to see Google drawing, I can send you a map of our home
> garden). The wireframe is your "blueprint" for your website that you
> need to get polished before starting to build.

Paul will Call In From UK after a dinner of ZIPLOC OMELET

New WebSite Cosmetics : ) Still Using four year old Joomla! Content Management System! ver 1.0.15

Trying our Twitter Feeds Today! follow "ddhart" for today's show, "kvmr" for the station in general, etc.

iPad 3G CAme Out May 01, starting at $629.  NON contract 3G from ATT (month to month) available!

Facebook: Privacy Settings TimeLine from EFF Maybe the only way to win is Not to Play??

AND some Tech Info on its elusive News Feed algorithm (thanks (::) )

Customize that funny little Icon to the left of your Web Address called: favicon.ico
http://www.favicon.cc

Armchair Wildlife Webcams!

Hate Embedded Capital letters? (CamelCAps!) More HEre! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CamelCase#Variations_and_synonyms

 What Is Next Generation HTML5? Demo Here: http://html5demos.com/ and SOME explanation HERE

Additional Notes 

Editor's comments delimited by < >

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart

They're tagged with #Zentech

Today, Glenn was in the studio and Paul called in from England

The Joomla content management system has been, and is currently being used, at the Zentech web site for 4 years.

Using a Ziploc bag to make an omelet was described. See the above link. Also Glenn described a technique for microwave omelets.

The Zentech Radio Inspirations banner at the top of the zen.kvmr.org page is made using a free tool at the Cooltext web site.

In a web browser, the icon just to the left of the address in the address bar is called a favicon. It comes from a special type of gif file that has .ico as the extension. You can make one yourself, just follow the link above.

Paul said the long awaited Apple iPad has come out recently and now the 3G version is also available. It's like a giant iPhone. Go to apple.com to find out more. The 3G version works over the cellular phone network. The starting model is $629 and you pay month-to-month for the service. Though it's been out for only a few days, it's already been jailbroken so you don't have to use it with the AT&T service. The SIM card in it is much smaller than a regular one though the electrical contacts are the same.
<Article: "How to Jailbreak the iPad">

Paul talked about the changes at Facebook and privacy concerns of its users. See the above link. He went on to say that this is the result of Facebook trying to make money — after all, the service is free to the users. He also said he's considering dropping his account there.
Glenn didn't think the service was very intuitive for some features and he had to get help on finding who all of his friends are.
Paul went on to say, groups now have the 'like' icon instead of 'join'. This can be misleading because you can end up joining inadvertently.

Glenn thought Twitter might not serve him in passing on info from his Flea Market show.Twitter's one-line-at-a-time nature makes it difficult to format the info about the items for sale.

The above link about the news feed algorithm explains the difference between a news feed and the current news on Facebook.

Bo called to ask if one can have a cell phone and use it as a PDA without subscribing to a phone service provider.
– Yes, you can use a wi-fi connection.
– The iTouch from Apple might work for you. It's like an iPhone without the phone. But the iTouch doesn't have a microphone so you can't use Skype VOIP over the internet. Paul said he tried a device from China that was supposed to work as a mic for the iTouch, but it didn't work.

Paul talked about Wildlife Webcam from wildearth.tv. The subject — wild life. See the link above

Ustream.com allows you to stream video or music using Flash from your location. All you need is a laptop with a camera & microphone. Visit the site & follow the directions.
Paul used the service when he called in from Phoenix in November during one of the Zentech shows and it worked quite well.

Another version of the service is ustre.me

Julie called. She's looking for a laptop and is concerned about viruses. Her friends suggested a Mac and she asked for advice.
– The downside of a Mac is its cost, but not much else.
– An iPad might work. They start at $499. However, it doesn't have a physical keyboard, just a virtual one on the screen, and it can be difficult to type & see what you're typing.
– A netbook might be a good choice. Both Glenn & Paul have an ASUS netbook. <see Glenn's review> You can get a netbook for about $350.
– An Apple Air notebook is also a possibility. An Apple refurbished unit goes for about $1100 and a new one for about $1500
– If you're very concerned about viruses, an Apple would be a good choice.
– You can use the AVG anti-virus program, which you can get from Cnet.com. Type in "AVG free" while you're there. <or find it here> It integrates with Google when you make your searches and warns of suspicious search results.
– One problem with using the iPad is Microsoft Office may not be available but "the application suite" from Apple may be available. <she said she was using some Microsoft products>. But you can use Google Docs to do your work online. That service can work with many operating systems without having special or expensive applications on your own machine, just a web browser.

Ken called to comment about the hiss heard during Julie's call. He thinks that it came from her phone as it automatically increased the gain on the microphone. When she wasn't talking, the phone 'thought' it needed to increase the volume.

The disclaimer: The views expressed on the show are those of the speakers only

Larry, who has a G4 iMac he bought in 2004, called and said the videos he watches online and are jumpy. He has AT&T DSL that tests to about 3 megabits per sec.
– That should be plenty fast but the server of the video may not be sending it fast enough.
– The Flash player is inefficient on some platforms and gets bogged down trying to decode the video.
– Update your Mac using the Apple logo.
– Paul heard, in the PC world, that Flash would bog down a machine that's slower than a 1gigHz. Larry's Mac is 784megHz so that may be the problem.
– In the Mac's utilities folder there's a program called something like "Resource User" that shows what percent of your memory, internet speed, CPU, etc. is being used as programs run. That will help pinpoint the problem.
– Ask a friend to bring a faster machine and compare the performance.

Jerry called and he also has G4. He wondered if he can get Linux for his Power Book?
– The Ubuntu project has versions for the 3rd world where there are many older machines.
– Ubuntu can be burned to a CD that you can boot from to see if it works before installing it on your machine
The fellas surfed to the Ubuntu site and found that version 6.06 is likely what he needs

<I think this is it, otherwise you can do your own search starting here.>

A caller <sorry, I couldn't make out her name> said she upgraded from a 19" monitor to 23" and now her internet speed seems to be slower, as well as some applications.
– Some machines borrow video memory from the pool of processing memory and the bigger monitor may be using more of that memory making less available for processing.
– First determine if the video card has it's own memory or if it's borrowing memory, as just mentioned.
– To check what your computer (PC) has in it, in the start menu right click My Computer, click properties and at the bottom, in the general tab, are the specs. Doing this she found she has 1gig of memory.
– With this info, go to the manufacturer's web site and find out what type of memory you need. Glenn guessed it's DDR2 memory.
  – Find out how many memory slots the machine has…
either 2 slots and both are occupied or 4 slots with 2 occupied.
"With this type of RAM you can add just 1 more" <memory stick>.
You can add 1 1gig stick for about $25 to $30 or, for about $50, a 2gig stick ("either a 2gig single stick or, if you have room for 2 more, you can put 2 1gigabyte sticks in addition giving a 3 gigabyte total"). <That's what he said>.
The sticks go in only 1 way, don't force it, there is an indent on the memory stick. Match it up with the indent on the mother board.

Camille called. She was told if she uses Bcc (blind carbon copy) when emailing, no recipient will be able to see who the other recipients are. Others told her, no, someone can find out by going into the utilities folder (Mac), and was advised to send the mail individually.
– True, the email address you send to are viewable on your machine locally (even if sent individually) but the recipients of the emails can't see them. <That's what Bcc: was designed for>

Also her emails print out too small.
– The preference in Mac Mail (which she uses) may allow you to change the size.
– Mac Mail tends to be buggy. Switch to a different program.

  Last updated 8:26 PM 5/3/2010