Kevin

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• Commented on What would you do with a Class C IP block?
  Actually, if you're NAT'ing those addresses to servers inside your network with private IP addresses, you can use all 256 addresses, you do not need to strip off the first and last address. In general practice, even when using more...
• Commented on Can Your Phone Read This QR Code?
  Yes, many new US-market phones can read QR codes. For example, most Nokia phones with S60 come with a code reading application. I've seen a few magazine ads and even street posters with QR codes in the states, but nothing...
• Commented on UK cops threaten to bust woman who videos her boyfriend's search on terrorism charges
  Automatic uploading has been here for years. Phones with the Nokia S60 OS come with (or can download) Nokia's free "Share Online" application for easily uploading images/video to Flickr, Ovi, etc. Works with Cellular data or WiFi, and can automatically...
• Commented on Wolfram|Alpha is Live
  I registered for API access, but it's apparently not open yet -- in fact, looking at their API document it seems to be half-baked at best, just like the search results. One thing I did like about the API is...
• Commented on "Tin Can" turns modern iPhone into something like a modem
  Does iPhone have any sort of proximity messaging app using bluetooth or wifi?...
• Commented on Local man finds card skimmer on ATM
  I saw something really great on one of the ATMs in Amsterdam, an idea which all banks should adopt. When you first go up to the ATM, the screen displays a list of languages with "Press here to begin" in...
• Commented on FDA may regulate e-cigarettes
  When I was in college there was some interest in chewing nicotine gum, both as a wakefulness aid and also as a way to benefit from state-dependent memory -- basically you take low doses of nicotine when you're in your...
• Commented on Traditional Japanese fish scaler
  Even if you're not interested in this particular tool, the Toolmonger site is well worth a visit....
• Commented on EZ-Find is a divining rod for lost gadgets
  #7: The tags are also a bit large to put on a cat collar, but would make for an interesting game of Ghost in the Graveyard....
• Commented on Joe Hutsko, Energy Detective
  What really sucks about "The Energy Detective" is the $150 price tag doesn't include the ability to export the data! To "enable" the USB port you pay the manufacturer extra for an "activation key", and then they supply Windows-only software...
• Commented on Hostage-taker wields Sega light gun
  @STROPHE "I wonder what happened to this type of peripheral? We never see games that require lightguns anymore, and the venerable first person shooter isn't losing any steam." The original XBOX had a light gun available towards the end of...
• Commented on Flashmob of ATM crooks scores $9 million in 49 cities
  #45: Well, the obvious solution to the timeslot issue is to distribute programmed cards in advance, no imprint, just a sequence #, and then at the appointed time, sMS the PINs that go with each card. That way nobody can...
• Commented on Flashmob of ATM crooks scores $9 million in 49 cities
  The "card limit" (maximum withdrawal in a single day) is not stored on your account, it is set by your bank and stored centrally. The default in the USA seems to be $300/day. I doubt ANY standard banking/charge cards used...
• Commented on Photoshop Competition: What will this liquidated Circuit City become? (UPDATE: WINNERS!)
  Or it may become nothing at all, given the state of both the economy in general and retail real estate in particular. There's a store in a faily affluent suburb here that has been vacant since SILO went out of...
• Commented on Facebank swallows souls
  Saw these for sale at KiddyLand in Tokyo, around twenty bucks. The same company now makes the larger and creepier "Mega Face Bank"....
• Commented on Tokyo broom store has not had a customer since 1972 (Update: HOAX)
  I'll be in Tokyo next month. Find me an address (and directions, Tokyo is confusing!) and I will buy a small broom for Mark....
• Commented on You'll need a passport to buy a mobile phone in the UK
  The situation in Japan is even worse -- a passport is not sufficient. You specifically need proof of residence in Japan (or a resident alien card) to purchase or activate a mobile phone, prepaid or otherwise. So tourists just staying...
• Commented on Tom Wolfe: CRT monitors caused the financial meltdown
  While disjointed, Tom Wolfe has a point. Think about trying to read a novel, or a long contract, on a computer screen instead of printed out on paper....
• Commented on The House of Death: An Interview with DEA Whistleblower Sandy Gonzalez
  I see a lot of Hope and Change coming out of the elections: "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though - Dreams of my Father This sounds to me like...
• Commented on Rockbox 3.0: turn your old iPod into new h4wtness with free/open software
  Rockbox on older MP3 players is great, if only for the games. Unfortunately, due to changes Apple made to the guts of their product, Rockbox's iPod support is limited: "not the Shuffle, 2nd/3rd gen Nano, Classic or Touch"....
• Commented on Obama bumper-stickers for every state project now complete
  Whr's th n tht hs th pcs f Wllm yrs nd Tny Rzk? Shhh... you'll ruin the GOP's big October surprise!...
• Commented on Palin's Yahoo email account hacked, contents posted to Wikileaks
  I agree-- don't blame the parent, rather convict his adult son of a felony or three, including a nice federal prison sentence and permanent loss of his voting rights. And by the way, the latest article http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/18/palin_email_investigation_continues/) confirms that "popcorn"...
• Commented on Gerber Artifact multitool has tiny, replaceable blades
  bardfinn@#15: I was at a show this past weekend, one vendor (Moore Cutlery) had a box full of Peter Atwood tools, many are now on their web site. GauchoAmigo@#8, I disagree -- this Gerber product, with the replaceable razor, is...
• Commented on Sarah Palin, would-be banner of books
  Oh come on now, what excuse can there be for censoring the last sentence of my comment #85? Unsurprised that comments to this particular topic end up disemvoweled in such a partisan manner. Saddened, but not at all surprised....
• Commented on Sarah Palin, would-be banner of books
  Read *all* the comments in the linked blog posting (http://www.librarian.net/stax/2366/sarah-palin-vp-nominee/), it's really quite amusing, including American Library Association internal politics. t sms ths smr ttmpt hngs n sngl qt frm Jhn Stn, th mn Srh dftd t bcm myr f...
• Commented on Diesel's quintuple-faced watch
  The man with one watch always knows what time it is, the man with two is never sure. The man with five watches ? He has more than a few unresolved issues....
• Commented on Publishers should all have a /covers directory
  posted by edwinx2:I've always wondered why newer formats like DVDs didn't have specs for that info built into the media. Do BD discs have that capability? My only player is a PS3 and I haven't had a chance to inspect...
• Commented on Credit-card companies killed Mythbusters segment on RFID vulnerabilities
  One important note -- having a credit card, even if you only rarely use it and pay it off immediately each time, is a strong contributor to having a good credit score. I don't use credit cards either. Hopefully I'll...
• Commented on Credit-card companies killed Mythbusters segment on RFID vulnerabilities
  . Suppose they all agreed to pick a credit card company that month and all withhold their payments. Can you imagine the cash flow problem that would create for that credit card company if a large percentage of victims all...
• Commented on ShotPaks: Single-serving booze in a pouch
  A titanium flask will elude the average "metal detector", but is expensive to risk confiscation. One good brand of flexi polyester drink flasks is "Rum Runner". Affordable, and more flask-like than the various Platypus products....