Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with technology

Help me decide what to research.

acidic — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:46:10 -0800

I'm in need of ideas for a year-long research topic in economics, preferably relating to feminism, technology, or both. I'm about to embark on a sort of informal thesis, which will occupy about 1/6th of my academic time for the next year, relating to economics. Since it's a bit of a capstone project, I'd like it to involve my other main interests, feminism and the internet. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to take many classes which involve either of those interests as my program is quite standardized, but I'm eager to learn and throw myself into a passion project.

Certainly labor economics is a possibility, e.g. the wage gap, but I thought I would open the question up to the hive mind to see if there are any unanswered questions, creative viewpoints, or any other ideas which might be interesting.

A good example, which I'm already exploring, is a the research exploring the effect of online pornography on the incidence of rape. My perspective is somewhat snarky, a little bit "Freakonomics," and I just really don't want to spend a year, like, rating index funds!

How to read PDF files on Amazon Kindle?

omaralarifi — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:30:24 -0800

How to read PDF files on Amazon Kindle? If your answer in which I have to convert it to whatever file type(s), then please guide me in step by step process (in details if possible) to fully read PDF files in my Amazon Kindle.
Thanks

Where can I find people who like to know 'how stuff works' in socal?

tarthur — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:46:18 -0800

Where around socal can I meet other aspiring electronic do-it-yourselfers? [backyard imagineering] I'm having a hard time finding fellow young folks (I'm 21) who read and understand the liking of MAKE magazine... people who like to take things apart and play with electronics.

Looking for others interested in figuring out Arduino boards, LEDs and automation stuff and I desperately need someone who can teach me some new tricks.

Any ideas where I can find (remotely) normal people with similar interests? Are there any user groups or something a bit less geeky?

Looking for books about history of technologies

pombe — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:33:24 -0800

Looking for good books on the history of technologies. Basically, I'm looking for books like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but about other modern technologies. Long, technically detailed, well-written, and engaging are all positives. I'm not too picky about what the technology is but I'm interested in "big" technologies from the last 100 years - histories of things like rocketry, nuclear power, integrated circuits, etc. are all good.

Bonus question: if anyone knows of a book on the history of accelerator design, that would be especially interesting.

3 guys, fresh out of college, looking for some financial advice on obtaining a developer for our startup

drkrdglo — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:25:54 -0800

Two college friends and myself are looking to put together a mobile application start-up. We have the business end of the startup covered, but we need to find a developer to help us out. We need some financial guidance on what to do and what not to do. Should we pay a freelance developer, or bring someone on board with us as a partner? My friends and I have finished college, have great full-time jobs, but we are still looking for something more. We share a passion for technology and innovation. In the current climate, mobile technology seems to be a huge growth area, and a huge area of opportunity for a new startup.

At the current time, we're looking at this startup as more of a serious project than anything. We're keeping our day jobs (in advertising and ecommerce) not only to continue being able to pay our student loans, but to continue learning how the industry works. Business wise -- we're set. Financially -- we can get by. We have a few thousand dollars to invest at the time being. We want to make sure we're making the right investment.

Our current dilemma is that we need a developer. We need to find out whether it's better to hire a freelance developer (which I've seen ads on Craigslist ranging from ~$60-$75/hr), or garner the interest of a fourth partner to join our team. Under the assumption of gaining a fourth partner, he/she would receive compensation, as the rest of us would --- after the applications are launched and sold.

Since this is more of a very serious project as opposed to a full blown business -- I would be more comfortable with a fourth partner, but hey, I could be totally off base about this whole thing.

In the end, we're doing this because 1) we love the industry/would love to be a part of a technological revolution 2) there's huge potential for future opportunities. In order to make our dreams a reality, we need to find a developer -- our missing link. Hopefully you guys have some insight how we can go about doing so in a financially responsible way.

(Side note: if there's a developer out there interested in this sort of endeavor -- send me a message!)

I didn't know what I didn't know about IT.

joshrholloway — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:20:39 -0800

I'm an entry-level computer technician looking for advice on what skills are most vital for me in today's market, and how to best achieve them. Specifically, I would like to know what hands-on classes I should look into in the Nashville, TN area. This is a bit long, but anyone who will take the time to read it and answer will be greatly appreciated.

I'll give just a touch of background: My very first AskMeFi question was a little over a year ago, about how to get an IT security job and work my way up the ladder. At the time I posted it, I was 19, stubborn, cocky, and a know-it-all. Today I am 21 and still stubborn, but I realize now that I was not the computer genius I thought I was then.

Cutting that intervening period short, I will say that I was extremely blessed with an entry-level computer technician job for a great company that I am loving. Because this job has helped me understand the things about IT that I don't know, I'm looking to expand my knowledge further. Being around great guys who know what they're doing is helping already, but there's just not time enough for them to sit me down and train me on what they do, and I wouldn't want to put them through that.

So I'm looking for help. The main questions I have are essentially "what should I be learning to make myself a more valuable employee?" and "what is the best way for me to learn those skills that fits in with my learning style?" I know these are both pretty general, so I will outline a few things to help narrow it down.

I have been using and fixing PCs since I can remember, and I am very comfortable with Windows as a desktop/workstation OS and the user-facing layers of OS X. At my job, we use an infrastructure mainly based on Windows Server 2003 and Active Directory, with some Linux and UNIX server here and there for various purposes. I have been able to handle my basic support tickets very well, but when any of my co-workers discuss servers and network structure and things of that nature, most of it goes over my head. I'm picking up bits and pieces.

So basically I have a foundation that would probably equate to an A+ certification and maybe a little more than that. I have had some hands-on training for the MCP MDST certification, although I never took the test. I have very little experience with UNIX; I know some very basic commands, and that's it.

So where do I begin? I am not a very good book learner, but I can discipline myself if it is important enough. I am really looking for hands-on or classroom training if possible. Please don't recommend I get a degree. I don't want to be short-sighted, but I have neither the time nor the money to pursue a degree with a university at this point. My company will pay $2500 per year for classes or training, but I may be able to get more if the training would be exceptionally valuable to me. I don't plan on leaving the company I work for now anytime soon, but I want to take on more responsibilities and be able to perform tasks myself that I now have to go to my co-workers for.

I have looked into classes, and have found several offerings for rigorous five-day courses in basic Windows Server 2003/AD administration. From reading the description and the coverage areas, I think this would be a good start for me, but I don't want to jump the gun. I also don't know what training facilities or companies are reputable or worth it, so if you have a better recommendation, let me know. As for classes, I am in the Nashville area if that matters.

I am sorry if this was long and a bit scatter-brained, but I am just trying to get all my thoughts out there. Anyone willing to give me a little help would be extremely welcome. Anything you can give is good. Thank you so much in advance.

How can I get data off a bad hard drive?

deafmute — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:28:11 -0800

I am having a very unusual problem with my hard drive and CANNOT recover any data from it after trying numerous methods. Please help me with your technical expertise. A few weeks ago the hard drive for my Dell Inspiron 1520 became unable to boot into Vista after freezing suddenly. When trying to boot, I get a BSOD with the error message "Stop: c000142{DLL Initialization Failed} Initialization of the dynamic link library winsrv failed. The process is terminating abnormally." When attempting to launch startup repair, boot into safe mode, or boot off of several different Vista DVDs I am greeted with a cursor (that I can control) on a black screen that never goes anywhere.

I ran Dell's built-in diagnostic program, and after being given several hard drive related errors, Dell (very quickly) sent me a new hard drive. Now I need to send them the old one, and I would like to recover my data from it before wiping it and sending it back.

I first put it in an enclosure and connected it to Vista, but Vista does nothing more than prompt me to format the drive.

I then ran Spinrite, which, after 27 hours(!) of operation returned no bad sectors or errors of any kind. What's unusual, however, is that my old drive does not exactly match my new drive in terms of partitions. The data partition is flagged as being too large for the size of the drive, and I am advised to change my BIOS's "understanding" of the drive (which I can't do). It is also missing a partition labeled as "hidden CTOS memory dump". I have no idea what this means.

I then booted off of a Knoppix cd and attempted to mount the drive there. I was able to mount the two partitions containing Dell's hidden diagnostic and recovery data, but Knoppix was unable to recognize the existence of a third partition containing my data.

Google searches have proved inconclusive (particularly in the case of my BSOD error message). Please help me get my data!

Help me pick a second degree.

highfidelity — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:55:02 -0800

Considering a career change to Coding/Programming. Advice wanted. Background: I'm 26 with a bachelor's degree in History. For the last four years I have been running a book store with my father. We're closing the store down at the end of August.

I'm considering going back to school part time and getting a different degree. Basically I'd want something that would give me the option of doing freelance work from home, so would coding be a viable option for that? What type of degree would I want for that?

My wife does a lot of traveling for her job, so ideally I'd like a career where I could just take a laptop along and go with her.

I know this is kind of vague, but I'll respond to any questions for clarification.

Technologies in use within your organization?

bleucube — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:33:36 -0800

What technology do you used at your work place to communicate between workers / organizational members? Bonus points if you're on a Virtual Team. I need to collect some information for a school paper. I'm not sure who to turn to, so you're my only hope hive mind.

With your answer to the above question, please include (Short Answers are acceptable):

1. Company Name (can be left blank or make one up)

2. Which technologies have employees/ work teams in this organization used to help them in reaching a decision or accomplishing tasks?

3. Which technologies are available to these organizations (whether or not problem-solving groups are using them)? Do the technologies include the use of telecommuting by members?

4. If cost were not a consideration, which technologies would members of work teams or of these organizations in general prefer and believe would be an asset to meet complete tasks and meet goals?

Why won't my computer talk to my monitor?

jeffmshaw — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:33:45 -0800

My monitor stopped talking to my PC. Strangely, the monitor shows the Windows startup screen before going dark. It does this every time I boot up. I built my PC in Japan, and it's served me well for a year. For the entirety of that time, it's been attached to a new Dell monitor.

One night last week, I was playing music with iTunes when the screen went dark. The music continued to play. I rebooted the computer, but after the Windows start screen came up, it went dark again -- never saw my desktop.

So I took the box to work and connected it to other monitors. Oddly, the other monitors work fine with the machine. I haven't tested my monitor with other boxes yet. (I do have the CD that came with the monitor still).

Does this sound like a driver issue? A video card issue? What's my next step? Admin please hope me!

Streaming Tennis Quality?

zackola — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:27:55 -0800

Has anyone used mediazone to view Wimbledon or other tennis events? If so, what is the quality like? If I hook my PC up to a 32" LCD, is it going to look like crap, or will it be OK? I can't find anything anywhere about what quality they are streaming in. Do they advertise during the matches? We're trying to ditch cable and if this was good quality, it would certainly help. Thanks!

What is the total deployment cost of US wireless telephone infrastructure?

yesno — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:02:23 -0800

What is the total deployment cost of US wireless telephone infrastructure? I am trying to figure out the total costs of US cell phone infrastructure over time. How much has the industry spent in siting and building towers, maintenance, wireless-specific backhaul, etc? I just need a rough estimate somewhere that I can cite, but am coming up dry.

Thanks!

Workshops in the Baltimore/DC area

NormandyJack — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:42:52 -0800

Is there anything even remotely like Menlo Park's TechShop, Providence's Steel Yard, or Boston's FabLab in the Baltimore/DC metro area? Alternatively, glass and wood workshops are also of interest. All I know of is HacDC.

Recommend books for IT execs?

bicyclefish — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:20:27 -0800

Do you have any good book recommendations for IT executives? So, I'm a journalist. I've been asked to compile a list of recommended reads for IT executives. In an effort to make my list suck a bit less, I thought I'd consult with MeFi.

I'm looking for books that are both thinky and timely (Nick Carr's The Big Switch, say), as well as the timeless-classic type. If you had to stick a good book in front of an exec, what would it be?

When is the better living through chemistry?

Monochrome — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:37:31 -0800

Where are the transhumanists who will settle for current technology? Transhumanists seem to be waiting for some unspecified date when we will have jetpacks and nanobots and neural interfaces. Yet we can already improve our bodies somewhat. Consider hearing aids. Directional microphones let you focus on people around you and tune out background noise. Dentures are better than our teeth. So why do transhumanists use their own teeth and ears? My first answer to my own question was cost. But false teeth have been available for centuries; their price has probably stabilized. Furthermore, nanobots and their ilk won't be cheap either. My next idea was that they feared invasive surgery. But the best implants will always require surgery, so transhumanists are putting off the inevitable.

There are several trade-offs with current technology, and it would be foolish to think there won't be in the future. So why aren't transhumanists lining up to get prothstetics?

Changing technologies in book design?

Caduceus — Sat, 31 May 2008 10:46:34 -0800

I'm looking for information about how new technologies have affected book design and typography. I'm particularly interested in the affects of computers and design software, but information about how things like Print on Demand and ebooks have changed the status quo of book design would also be helpful. I'd be happy to be pointed to books, web essays, blogs, whatever information I can track down and dig through.

The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind... (and shining from the sun, and growing in the pond, etc etc)

matty — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:12:02 -0800

How do I invest in green technologies without paying for the privilege? I've recently started investing in 'Green' technologies. Solar, wind-turbines, algae for bio-techs, LED lights, etc.

There are sites out there that cater to this sort of thing, but they have a snake oil feel to them - "our picks are up over 276%!!!!" - and they charge for membership to boot.

I subscribe to various 'green website' RSS feeds (shoutout to TreeHugger!!!), but I'm trying to find a smarter way to keep myself abreast of the latest news and trends in green technologies that I might want to invest in - according to my interests.

I'm not looking for stock tips on AskMe. (Well, unless you have one!)

I'm not really sure WHAT I'm asking for, but does anyone have some recommendations on what I can do to set up my own little system to accurately track specific news on the nets - and not necessarily from news sites or sites that only report on such technologies? I know I can use RSS feeds to subscribe to specific sites, but I think what I'm looking for is a way to set up something that collects information for me off of the web based on keywords (and I don't mean googling stuff constantly). Something like an RSS feed for keywords? My own little 'bot'?

I know sites like TreeHugger filter and give you the good stuff, but is there anything out there that recommends sources, allows me to filter, and constantly updates the type of information I'm looking for?

I know, I know... possibly a crappy question.

Mac Powermac G4 AGP will not boot, can I take the drive and boot using a firewire enclosure on another G5?

safepants — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:38:14 -0800

Mac Powermac G4 AGP will not boot, can I take the drive and boot using a firewire enclosure on another G5? I've tried replacing the CMOS battery and resetting the PMU which didn't work. I really need to boot from this drive to use the files immediately, then take the data off afterwards.

Can I boot with this drive in a firewire enclosure using a G5, or does it have to be another similar G4 system? would a powerbook g4 work too?

What IT systems would Jesus use?

allkindsoftime — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:50:28 -0800

Looking for a IT consultant for a largish-church in NYC - please help? Asking for a friend, who manages media / communications for a large church in NYC. They need to conduct and evaluation of their current hardware / software environment for:

1) Church office internal systems
2) Church website hosting / management / design (site already exists but they want to pursue some new direction as well as plan an intranet)
3) Data storage / security / etc.

Further, they need to develop a strategy / vision for where their systems need to be in the future for more optimized operations.

The church currently has ~15,000 "clients" (for lack of a better word) that it communicates with regularly through snail and virtual methods, and does not feel their systems are up to speed with what they need for management of information exchange (church communications, demographic surveys of the clients, etc.). The data in its current state is fragmented, with some departments having certain information but others not having access to it, etc..

The church is looking to contract an IT Consultant that can help them with this evaluation and strategy development. I work in consulting but my firm deals primarily with large (for-profit) clients, so what we're looking here for specifically is a consultancy / firm that works with smaller clients, and (if possible) for non-profits in particular.

There's no formal RFP in process yet, they're just currently looking for someone capable for this effort before confirming scope / budget / scheduling. Any ideas?

TIA.

Help me purchase the correct laptop for partially mobile nursing home residing father!

littleredwagon — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:37:37 -0800

Looking to purchase a no-frills laptop for my father who currently resides in a nursing home. He'd like to be able to do the following:

- surf the web
- send/receive emails
- view pictures
- work wirelessly

But, here's the catch...he's:

- legally blind with some peripheral vision left (macular degeneration sufferer)
- mostly deaf, with one ear better than the other
- computer literate for the most part

Now, my searching has brought me to this model,
but not sure if this will do the trick or not...does anyone have any experience with SeniorPC? It has the stuff to help the vision impaired, which is nice.

I'd like to be able to have someone come in a set it up for him once I purchase it, if possible.

Any and all information/tips would be appreciated!

I'll definitely want to add a big keyboard and mouse from these folks after I purchase the laptop.

Thanks hivemind!

Should a start-up use its patented tech to get some money in the door while it works on its consumer launch?

mrkinla — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:27:54 -0800

TechHistoryFilter: Can The Hive Mind name any instances of technology or net-based products that began life as a "white label" business service solution before being rolled out as a consumer-facing service? This one needs a little explaining: I'm doing consulting for a small start-up. They're a cool group of people, but as in all start-ups, there are lots of questions about direction and focus. The company has a patented process that serves as the basis for what they eventually want to launch as a consumer-facing web service.

However, in the meantime, this patented process could be used by agencies and their brands for better brand engagement. Because I need to stay sketchy, let's say this start-up invented Bluetooth. And they wanted to use Bluetooth to start a social network that worked in the real world as well as the online world. But, in the meantime, they said to themselves, "Hey, there's a million uses for this Bluetooth thing. Maybe we should shop it out to get a little money in the door while we work on developing the Bluetooth-based social network."

The technology is not as groundbreaking as Bluetooth - that's just an example. But I've been wracking my brain, trying to think of a tech or web company that's followed that model. If one can't be uncovered, it's probably a bad idea to pursue that strategy. Even if there is, I know it would take a great deal of focus to sell the white label product, make money from it, while growing the consumer-facing black label product. I'm a firm believer in those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so anyone who knows of a similar product/company history, I'd be interested in hearing it.

Help me get out of an IT contracting loop!

PetiePal — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:03:58 -0800

I'm 26 years old and stuck in a IT-contracting loop. Would an MBA, Masters or going back to get certified in certain hardware/software help me out? What kinds of opportunities could they open up? I've just turned 26 this past April and I've been out of college for 4 years this spring. I graduated from a good university with dual majors in Information Technology and Management. I've worked for such companies as American International Group, Nokia, Pfizer, Merck and Louis Vuitton. My positions have varied:

-Help Desk analyst
-Help Desk Manager
-Systems administrator
-Operations administration
-Project Manager
-Documentation Specialist/Policy Developer
-Change Control Consultant
-Technical Trainer
-Technical Writer
-LAN Group consultant

I currently do not have any technical certifications. I think something important to distinguish myself is that I'm not just a nerd in a cubicle who sits there and codes all day. (In fact I don't code at all I rather dislike it very much!) I think I'm really adept at creating the bridge between highly-technical (non social) people and managers who are not technical at all. I'm fast to adapt to emerging technologies and my creative problem-solving has helped me a lot throughout my career so far. I've also demonstrated a strong ability to motivate people I manage and bring projects in on time.

I'm a people person and I really enjoy working either in groups, managing projects or being involved with strategic planning related to technology within a company. I've been stuck in contracts lately that last anywhere from 3 months to at most a year. I don't particularly love the jobs that I've been getting and I feel like I'm just treading water when I should be really advancing myself in my career. I'm actually just ending a contract of 3 months.

The IT industry as a whole is very rocky lately with all of the outsourcing and companies downsizing/offshoring tasks to cut costs. I have been considering getting an MBA as that would "open up a lot of doors" I'm told. I've also considered going back for a Master's degree, (in what I have no idea... Technology? Business like the MBA?), so that I might be qualified for higher level jobs and earn myself some more stability. I have good experience under my belt but I feel I'm not specialized at all. It almost seems like specializing in one thing can be dangerous and really limit you as well.

My main question is...what can you do with an MBA? What about Masters degrees in other fields? What kinds of opportunities can they lead to? Are certifications where it's at? Is it better to study by book and take the exams or take a structured training course? Is it true that unless the company you're working is first and foremost a technology company your purpose to the company will always be viewed as something "outside" to them? (For instance IT within an insurance or pharmaceutical as opposed to IBM/Google/Verizon) What kinds of certifications are good and have lucrative careers? Storage specialists? Cisco CCNA/CCNP engineers? Bear in mind I'm not a coder so C+, C#, Java, HTML etc is not for me.

Does anyone know how intensive the PMP certification is? I've been thinking since I like the project management experience I've had thus far that might be a good choice- since with it you can manage not only IT projects but pretty much anything!

I feel like I really need to make some big decisions and put my nose to the grindstone because I'm never going to survive on contracting alone or earn enough to support myself and possibly a family one day. All advice and insight is most appreciated.

Firefox 3 Beta Quits After Installing Extension

bronxteacher — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:12:11 -0800

I love Firefox 3. However, since trying its most recent release, I've been having problems. I mistakenly activated the "nightly tester tools" extension so that I could activate all my old add-ons from Firefox 2. Since installing the extension FF3 suddenly quits whenever I try to open it. I've reinstalled it, I've deactivated the extension via FF2, and still FF3 won't open.

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm ready to start using FF3: so much faster! I'm running Leopard on a Macbook Pro, by the way.

Aurduino or Make Controller

dylanSnow — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:55:53 -0800

I am trying to decide which to (learn) to use, The Arduino or The Make Controller Kit. Which should I choose as a first buy / entry level controller? I am going to have 10 days to sit down and really get down and dirty with a new project. I am very much an autodidact type of person. I have in to build a mind a multi-touch musical instrument.

I am an artist. I am have above average Actionscript 2.0 (working on 3.0) programming skills. I will be using flash to control the multi-touch
device.

At the moment, do to ease of use the Make Controller looks like the best bet, but it is $100. On the other hand The Aurduino seems to have way more how-tos and tutorials and is $35

Any suggestions, guidance or comments would be greatly appreciated.

dylan

Can I get paid for people printing my photos?

sliderjc — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:20:32 -0800

Are there any websites that allow you to upload photos and get paid for people printing them? I got the inspiration from www.photobox.com where users can order prints of other peoples photos but I was wondering whether there is a service where the owner of the photo gets paid, aswell as the website.
Any ideas?