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I’ve made a few statements in the past – both in real life and online – about how certain Web sites seem to attract certain types of users and commenters. There’s a very clear relationship between the audience a site attracts and the comments contributed by users. One can clearly go from quality, interesting comments to spambots and txt-speak in a few clicks.

I may update this list as necessary, as new sites appear every day, but here’s my definitive Hierarchy of Internet Commenting. Rankings go from quality at the top to “I am dumber for having tried to read this” at the bottom.

1. Popular Web standards or technical discussion sites, such as A List Apart or flagship sites in the 9rules network. Sometimes the comments can definitely stray into pretentious quibbling, but for the most part they’re insightful and offer decent advice to Web designers and developers:
2. Something Awful Forums: The content of discussion at SA may be highly ridiculous, but it’ll be written well and intelligently. There’s a reason that several industry insiders post there. A $10 registration fee acts as an initial gatekeeper, and a few ban-hammer wielding administrators take care of anyone foolish enough to use ‘lulz’ in a post or reply.
3. Newsgroups: general discussion. Most newsgroups take a bad reputation because of the inherent community of trolls, but even the troll posts are generally well-written. People may be fairly snippy, as per below, but you’ll generally get the correct answer if you’re thick skinned.
4. Slashdot. Posts without merit are taken care of by the moderation system, and the standard of written English is very high even though there’s no specific enforcement of it. There are some Internet memes present in most discussions, but these posts are likely lead to genuinely funny responses. Posters on Slashdot also have a significantly higher degree of technical knowledge than the average bear (or Internet user), so responses to questions are likely to receive a correct response in a shorter timespan.Comical or humorous posts – even the first one in a discussion – have likely already analyzed the situation and provided commentary on it:

   

5. General-interest blogs. Sites like Gizmodo, Engadget, Kotaku, Joystiq and all others owned by Gawker Media and Weblogs, Inc. have dedicated staff policing their comment fields. Unfortunately, there’s not much enforcement of post quality – simply that there’s no trolling and people tend to stay on topic. Additionally, it’s clear that certain topics attract people without the technical knowledge to respond properly. These people respond anyways, forking the discussion and causing needless debate, when a snappy “You’re an idiot and here’s why, with proof” response would curtail the issue. A certain amount of sarcasm is necessary, in my opinion, to separate the idiots from people who actually do know something.
6. Facebook popular applications walls: This is where we start devolving into really horrible discussions of who is popular and who is clearly not. The picture alone should be sufficient to tell you that the quality of discussion definitely has gone down a bar:
7. Digg: I thought the site’s newly introduced ranking system would keep discussions a bit more technically involved.I thought wrong – apparently that damn “cheezburger” meme is still worth displaying:

   

8. YouTube comments are filled with the most ignorant, racist invective I’ve ever seen online. I found these attached to a “most popular” video on the front page of the site:
9. And last but not least, any MySpace comments – simply because they’re 90% ads for “free” ringtones or profile tracking scripts. I’ll leave the image off this site here, but you know where to look for examples.

Have any other sites with good or horrible comments? Disagree with my ordering? Feel free to comment here, but please keep it at a Kotaku-or-above level.

It must be a banner day for Eclipse projects, since the primary IDE I use for both work and personal projects has been released as a 1.0 version at eclipse.org.

The primary download mirror from eclipse.org is fairly slow (I’m pulling about 50-60K/s from my work connection from it, when normally I get much speedier downloads), at least for the full-sized Win32 large package. I’d suggest you use an alternate mirror – the OSU Open Source Lab mirror seems to be pulling in the ZIP file fairly well. It also hasn’t percolated to all mirrors yet, so try a different one if you’re unlucky with the first.

I’m going to check and see if the minor file naming bug in RC1 made its way out to the final release; stay tuned.

Update: Wow, we’ve got a UI and a pain-in-the-rear bug when trying to create filenames with multiple periods:

I might decide to report this to the Bugzilla site, but last time I did, apparently the description and sample code I provided wasn’t really needed.

Update 2: Apparently this will be fixed in the next integration build, but it’ll still probably have an ‘illigal’ spelling error.

Update 3: The typo should be picked up in the next nightly.

Update 4: The typo and bug has been fixed in the N20070920 build, but still doesn’t allow the creation of filenames with dashes. Might have to report this one.

Just heard the news that IBM’s launched a free office suite called Lotus Symphony. I’m currently installing it; apparently the entire package is based on Eclipse, which should make for an interesting environment. Since I do most of my development in Eclipse, it’ll be interesting to see how they’ve expanded on the IDE to create an office suite inside it.

The site was a bit slow for me earlier, so here’s the direct link to the IBM signin page, which was significantly faster than the Lotus site. To install, run the IBM_Lotus_Symphony_w32.exe file, then run setup.exe from the same folder.

I’m taking a look at the search queries again in my statistics, and apart from the miserable failures of some adult sites to try and get referral PageRank, here’s what people have been looking for. Sarcastic and snappy answers are provided as a convenience to future visitors.

convection font: There you go, you don’t even have to read the Achievement Unlocked post. To install, unzip the file and:

click Start > Run and type in fonts. Drag the ConvectionRegular.ttf to the Fonts window, and wait for the progress bar.

Also, small-brained teenagers from Gaia Online and random anime forums that are image leeching the Achievement Unlocked pictures: one day, when I’m bored, I will change them to the infamous goat. I’ve got nothing but extra bandwidth for this site.

iphone bus error: Are you seriously getting these error messages? Take it back to Steve and yell.

bioshock error: Nothing of note like that on my Xbox 360 version. Try the 2K Games Support Forums if your PC is weaksauce.

asus p5b deluxe e6750: Remove the 4GB RAM, install 2GB only, and then try whatever it is you were doing again. If it’s installing Vista, you should be able to add the 4GB and turn memory remapping back on once the OS is installed and patched.

steam error you do not have enough disk space available bioshock: Delete your hentai and then try again. You probably don’t have enough disk space available. 😉

As a followup to my initial post on Canadian wireless technology, here’s some additional information on hot topics.

For those not in the know, consumer data rates in Canada absolutely suck. In the States, technically (if not truly) unlimited plans are available starting at $20 per month. The best comparable plan in Canada is Telus’ 1024MB for $100 option. Part of the reason for this situation is our (comparatively limited) selection of wireless providers and population concentration near the border.

What’s all this I hear about “unlocking” phones?
When you buy a phone directly from a GSM carrier like Rogers, it comes with a provider lock on it. This means that the only type of SIM cards that can be used are those provided by your original carrier – so if you buy a Rogers phone, you’ll need to use a Rogers SIM card with Rogers service. If you put a SIM from any other provider in the phone, the only number you’ll be able to dial is 911.

Since most cell phones are subsidized by the wireless provider and people like low initial prices for phones (for example, the phone you get for “free” for signing a contract costs something), the carrier will lock the phone to ensure that you stick with their service. The carrier also likes getting paid for extras such as long distance and out of area calling. Due to the global nature of GSM networks, the better solution for the consumer is to buy a prepaid SIM card when travelling. This way, you’re only paying 20 to 50 cents per minute rather than $1.95/minute. Locking prevents this from happening.

The solution is to unlock your phone, removing the restriction on the carrier. This process can be done for free with some models of phone (the original Razr, for example, can be unlocked fairly easily) and a few minutes of Internet research, or you can find an independent dealer that should perform the operation for a fee. A good place to look is Howard Forums, since Rogers will not give you the unlock code for your phone even if you’re out of contract. Unlocked phones carry a higher resale value on eBay, since any buyer can use their own GSM provider at will.

Public interest in unlocking phones has spiked since Apple’s release of the iPhone, which up until this point has always been shipped with a lock to AT&T in the United States. Since it’s not possible to get an AT&T phone plan from outside the US, and a prepaid card would have astronomical roaming fees for being on a different GSM network, users who want to play with shiny, lickable iFruit have been looking for an unlock solution.

This post comes at an interesting time, since tomorrow Apple is expected to release a European version of the iPhone on the O2 network. The latest news from Rogers about Apple’s device is that negotiations are still ongoing; don’t expect anything until 2008. In the meantime, you’ll not only have to unlock the iPhone to use it properly here, but you’ll need a data plan that will likely be more expensive than any cell bill you’ve ever received.

Of course, with the recent unlocking progress, it’s possible to disable cell data and simply use the phone for your calls, and WiFi for Internet browsing when you’re in a hotspot. Still, at that point, it’s the same price to buy a 16GB iPod touch, pair it with a cheap Nokia for $0 on contract, and call it a day.

I was catching up on some of my feeds this afternoon and noted a comment I’d posted on Phil’s blog about what “unlocking” a cell phone really meant. Apart from my day job working for a wireless device manufacturer, where people swap SIM cards and batteries between devices in about 20 seconds, and talk about IMSI, MSISDN and ICCIDs like it’s nobody’s business, it’s often not easy to understand why wireless providers do the things they do. I’ve talked to people who didn’t understand why they couldn’t use their Bell phone on Rogers; or why Rogers made them switch their phone or plan.

Here’s an explanation of some of those issues and a brief background of the state of wireless in Canada.

Currently, in Canada, there are four major providers, several regional or localized carriers, and a number of virtual mobile network operators that piggyback on the major providers’ networks. There are also three different wireless technologies actively used for service. The major providers are:

• Bell Mobility, the wireless arm of Bell Canada. Bell’s prepaid division is called Solo Mobile
• Rogers Wireless, part of the ubiquitous Rogers group of companies
• Telus, who operate standard wireless services and push-to-talk (CHIRP) technology under the Mike brand
• Fido, formerly Microcell Telecommunications, who are owned by Rogers

Of these providers, Bell and Telus use a technology called CDMA. The Wikipedia page on the technology deals with some highly mathematical concepts such as vector orthogonality, but effectively for end users, indicates the type of technology used in phones and wireless towers. CDMA devices are generally only usable on one network – the provider who issued the device.

The alternative technology to CDMA is GSM. Rogers and Fido use GSM, which operates on two radio frequencies in North America: 1900MHz and 850MHz. The 850MHz tower signals generally have better coverage indoors. The distinctive feature of GSM is that all devices have a SIM card, which contains operator information, the subscriber phone number, and address book information.

The final technology, iDEN is used by Telus for the Mike PCS brand. iDEN devices support “push-to-talk” technology and also contain SIM cards. These SIM cards may or may not be compatible with GSM phones, though.

So why can’t I use my Bell phone on Rogers?
Since Bell uses CDMA technology and Rogers uses GSM, phones are physically not compatible with the other provider’s network. The radio transmitter internal to the phone uses different frequencies and CDMA phones don’t read SIM cards.

So why can’t I use my Telus phone on Bell?
Telus and Bell won’t activate a phone not provided by them on their own network. While the technology is the same, phones are typically preconfigured with individual carrier settings that aren’t necessarily easy to change on CDMA devices.

Why did Rogers make me change my phone?
Since approximately May this year, Rogers turned off its older network, which used analog towers and an older technology for transmitting wireless signals. Customers were required to upgrade to a GSM capable phone and in doing so, the coverage area should be improved.

More details in the next post on this topic, including the iPhone, data plans, and GSM locking…

My music selection lately has turned around from illScarlett’s latest album to the Warped Tour 2007 compilation. Usually there’s a few choice artists on the list, and this year there are a few decent tracks if you can get into the whole emo/punk genre. Here’s the ones I’ve found to jump out at me immediately. Admittedly, I can’t say a whole lot of them have insightful or inspiring lyrics.

• Killswitch Engage – The Arms of Sorrow. Very listenable with a decent chorus. I’m not a huge Killswitch fan, and the punk/screamo verses aren’t entirely my thing, but it’s a very anthemic in the chorus and bridge sections.
• Amber Pacific – Summer (In B). Punk-ish, almost power pop. Could go very well as a “surfer dude”, high energy summer movie track.
• Escape the Fate – Reverse This Curse. Escape the Fate has a style that I’d consider screamo. The vocals have a very distinct, recognizable sound, but the lyrics sound like typical RIAA-produced teenage rebellion material. Nothing’s really outstanding about this song – I’d personally recommend listening to “Ransom”, which isn’t on this album, for a better idea of the band’s sound.
• My American Heart – The Shake (Awful Feeling). I actually heard about this band in the UW Imprint a few years ago, and had no idea they had a new album out. This song in particular has radio single material and is much less whiny than their previous work. Another track with this style is “Hiding Inside the Horrible Weather”, which happens to also be the name of their 2007 album. The album itself has been on my playlist for a few days in the illustrious “crap emo that I can’t stop listening to” position.
  

  Don’t you get it?
  I made an attempt / to piece it all together
  And I’ve found your love lost in the sky
  Hiding inside / the horrible weather
  We’ll watch it all come down

  Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather – My American Heart (lyrics)

• Mayday Parade – Black Cat. I only mention this one because the intro sounds incredibly similar to some Panic! at the Disco tracks, and I couldn’t place it at first. I might still have some musical taste remaining.
• The Used – The Ripper. If you’ve heard The Used, this won’t really be anything new. They have several better (and several much, much worse) tracks on Lies for the Liars.
• Aiden – We Sleep Forever. A significant departure from what other work I’ve heard, and again, it’s a pop-style anthem executed fairly well. Listening to the lyrics, though, it’s really just another emo kid song, although the instrumental arrangement wouldn’t suggest it. Similar to the Gin Blossoms’ “Follow You Down”, which fancies up the act of stalking, Aiden puts a bright spin on wrist-slitting:
  

  She cuts a vein although it’s much too dull
  I say she’s all alone
  Fighting for redemption
  I know little pain, a little lust
  I lose myself at night to feel the rush
  Of tearing my skin apart
  Now take this sadness and close your eyes love

  Hey, call the angels. This razor blade was meant for me
  Hey, call the angels. We’ll mutilate insanity

  Go deeper, I feel it
  I see your ghost appear
  Go deeper, I see it
  I feel your ghost appear
  I will say goodbye tonight (We’ll sleep forever)
  Hold on, hold on tonight love
  We’ll sleep forever
  Hold on, hold on tonight love
  We’ll sleep forever
  Hold on, hold on tonight love
  Close your eyes

  (lyrics)

There are still a few other reasonably interesting tracks on the album that I didn’t mention, so I’d suggest checking it out if you’re not totally offput by the occasional power pop song.

Quite a number of new systems I’ve built have included the P5B Deluxe or P5B Deluxe-WiFi motherboards. After an aggravating experience with a new build today – really out of the ordinary for the hardware – I figured I’d write up my experiences to save other people a potential issue.

Symptoms: When installing Vista x64 on a P5B Deluxe with 4GB RAM, the installation wizard blue screens and fails with a STOP message. I’d initially tried to pin this to the Intel ICH8R storage controller, since this was my first setup running a RAID1-array on a 64-bit OS. Unfortunately, RAID1 is almost necessary for a new home system these days because hard drives do fail, and people don’t like burning 500GB of their personal files to DVD.

However, even after setting the IDE controller to “Compatible” in BIOS, I received different errors – some apparently related to RAM, and the Windows Memory Test on the Vista installation DVD indicated that the machine had hardware issues. I broke out my copy of Memtest86, which found nothing out of the ordinary.

I tweaked the BIOS settings – memory remapping, PECI support – all with no real results or varied blue screen messages.

The solution eventually came to me when I was re-browsing Asus’ download site for BIOS upgrades. As part of all new system builds, I upgrade the BIOS to the latest stable version available. Unfortunately, Asus has two separate pages for these upgrades: one which just indicates “new BIOS releases”, and another page that lets you know which ones are beta versions. One thing you don’t want to do for a stable family system is install a beta BIOS, and any revisions publicly available after April 2007 are considered betas.

I likely wouldn’t have experienced this issue (and indeed proved it) if there was only 2GB of RAM in the system, or I wasn’t using an Intel E6750 1333MHz CPU. So, lesson learned? Make sure you read all the BIOS pages on Asus’ site before downloading and installing one. Currently I’m planning on reverting back to the latest official 1101 version, as opposed to version 1216 which seems to display these issues.

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Update: Apparently downgrading your BIOS is a trickier proposition than originally thought. EZ Flash 2 (the built-in flash utility) will not downgrade BIOS versions, so you have to locate a copy of a DOS application called AFUDOS that supports downgrading:

AFUDOS 2.07

From this application, you’ll need to make a bootable USB stick/CD/floppy with the older BIOS image on it, and then use the command:

AFUDOS /iBIOS.ROM /pbnc /n

where BIOS.ROM is the path to the BIOS file you’d like to flash.

I’ve recently switched my Gmail account to a new alias (jake.billo). It looks much more professional than my Evergreen98 screenname, especially considering Outlook 2003/2007’s habit of attaching “sent by X on behalf of Y” to any outgoing message using a different From address. I don’t mind having the on behalf of text in the subject line, as long as it’s reasonably professional and not a slightly-outdated alias. However, I have 363MB of searchable, indexed content from my existing account that I’d prefer not to lose, and would like to transfer to my new account.

While I don’t have a “Gmail for your domain” account setup configured, since I like the IMAP support that Dreamhost provides, these instructions from Silvermac are fairly useful. Here’s the adapted process I used for moving evergreen98 to jake.billo:

1. Sign into your old account, then click Settings / Forwarding and POP. Set up forwarding to your new email account, and also select the Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s already been downloaded) option. Save your changes:
2. Sign into your new account, then click Settings / Accounts. Under the “Get mail from other accounts” section, add a new (or additional) POP account with the name of your old Gmail account. Provide your username and password for your old account, as well. You should use pop.gmail.com for the incoming mail server. (The server address on Silvermac is undocumented – use the official one.)
3. The synchronization process will begin and Gmail will begin fetching the contents of your old account. For me, this process is taking several hours, but will run in the background fetching 200 messages at a time:

There you have it – get rid of your embarrassing EmoKid10471XxXHaRdCoRE alias, and move over to something that won’t get your resume filed into the circular filing cabinet on the floor.

Edit: Fixed some horrible post formatting. WordPress’ editor really needs to shape up.

Dave and I came up with this creative public shaming today at lunch. Full credit to Dave for the actual work.

This is what happens when you don’t pay your hosting bill for several months. I’m sick of your excuses. 🙂

Chris Fitzpatrick Owned 2 (NSFW text)