Archive for May, 2010

RIP – Connectblogs

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connect Blogs logoThere was a local business magazine that was slightly edgy and pretty fun, while providing useful information. It was called Connect Magazine. Connect magazine decided to gather the best of the local bloggers and aggregate them into one big feed on their website. Not only did it give a decent place to read about local and national issues, it gave many blogs (including this one) the push it needed to grow into decent traffic. After all, people just need to discover good content to want to come back to it.

It appears that connectblogs is off the radar for good.  Thank you Connect Magazine.  You put some great Utah bloggers on the map.

–Ben

Sources:  Broken Links and a Parked Page

Is chrome 5 fast – See the Potato Gun Video and others

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Chrome is my default browser.  Its fast and in version 5, it just got faster.  It’s clean, secure and friendly.

Google apparently has a team that got bored and wanted to blow many thousands of dollars to show that Chrome was fast.  I suppose they want us all to purchase their FREE browser.  Yeah, lots of money spent to show that a free browser is really fast.  I’m scratching my head and wondering why.  I dunno.  Meanwhile I’ll go check my FREE gmail and ask a few of my friends through google buzz.

Google Chrome Speed Videos:

Google Chrome Making of Video:

Awesome

–Ben

Sources:  Computerworld, Chrome

Fix – MS Entourage 2008 Doesn’t Sync Tasks with Exchange

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If you have exchange 2007 or later and Entourage 2008 you can go download the update for Entourage called Entourage Web Services Edition.  (This includes AppRiver, I believe).  Make sure you have all the updates it requires.

However, I installed parallels, vista and outlook 2003.  Entourage 2008 cannot sync tasks with exchange 2003 without terrible and inconvenient work-arounds (like Missing Sync = Exchange to Mobile Device to Entourage).  This is definitely, not the best way to go.  I’ve been having copy-paste crash outlook several times.  I try and copy a section from my word document to outlook 2003, and I get the “this application has crashed” Vista window.

Aaargh.  At least its (most likely) fixed if you’re on exchange 2007 and Entourage 2008.

–Ben

Sources:  Wikipedia, Usenet, Microsoft

iPhone 4G LTE/CDMA on Verizon in 2010 – Tipsters think so – we’ll see

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So the internet seems more abuzz than usual about the iPhone hitting Verizon.  What adds more excitement is that sources are saying that it will be a 4G/LTE launch device (with a CDMA backup).  This would be unusual for Apple, as they seem to like to have incremental revisions and an iPhone 3G/CDMA would be enough to get people on board.

Still, I find it exciting that the iPhone may hit Verizon.  I know my wife would get the iPhone.  I’m not sure I’d leave my Droid.  But it would at least require some thought, as the Droid is the only phone that was a “must have” for me on Verizon.

–Ben

Sources:  CNET, Wall Street Journal, Engadget, LA News Monitor

Fix – Enter Kenmore Elite Dryer Factory Test Mode for Troubleshooting

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As you might have read by my previous article, I have been troubleshooting my dryer (and found the fix).  One of the things I came across was an article on how to get into factory test mode for a Kenmore Elite Dryer.

Here’s the process:

  • Unplug and Replug the dryer (just get into a known state)
  • Close the Door
  • Set the Signal Setting to Off
  • Set Fabric Setting to Air Fluff
  • Open the Dryer Door
  • Set Signal Setting to High
  • Set the Timer to Timed Dry or Auto (Pick the setting you want to test – moving to or past OFF turns off the test mode)
  • Set Fabric back and forth from Air Fluff to Ultra Delicate three times in under 5 seconds (six clicks)
  • If you get a “BEEP” WAIT “BEEP BEEP”, you’ve succeeded.

Once in the mode, everytime the dryer senses a change, it will beep.  As I was worried that the moisture sensor was defective, I would take a moist washcloth (ran it under the facet) and put the washcloth across the sensor.  As the unit runs 240 volts, if something is really bad – you don’t want your finger across the electrodes.  Remember that there will be a BEEP for sensing something across the electrodes and a BEEP for removing it from the electrodes.  If you leave it there, there may be some further delayed BEEPS as the capacitor charges/discharges.

I liked TechBuddy’s suggestions for test too:

  • Open/Close the Door for a BEEP
  • Fabric Setting for a BEEP
  • Push to Start Button for a BEEP on pushing in and a BEEP on letting go
  • Transition to Wrinkle Guard for a BEEP (move the timer just before wrinkle guard and the timer will move into wrinkle guard, so you’ll get a delayed BEEP)

One thing that threw me off is that I didn’t know the timer motor would be running (the timer motor moves the dial).  So I heard some random BEEP’s.  Then, when I tested the wrinkle guard transition, I noticed the BEEP, but did not pay attention to when it went to OFF.  When it goes to OFF, the dryer gives a dying BEEeeepp.  I thought I had broke the machine, but it was just turning off and letting me know of its last change.

For the curious, Techbuddy says that this information came from a manual stashed inside the dryer next/on the mainboard.

Hope this helps.

–Ben

Sources:  Techbuddy, Doodgical

Fix – Kenmore Elite Dryer not working in Automatic Drying mode

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Here’s our symptoms:

  • Dryer works in automatic with very full loads
  • Dryer leaves clothes wet when in automatic mode
  • Dryer works fine on timed mode

Here’s the fix:

  • Re-level the dryer – even maybe a slight bias to the front of the dryer.

Here’s the why:

There’s a set of moisture sensing electrodes (metal strips) in the front of the dryer (see article).  If your dryer has a backwards bias (tipped backwards), then the wet clothes will not touch the sensor unless there’s enough of them to tumble onto the sensor.

Hope that saves someone else some time.

PS – If you want to enter a test mode on a Kenmore.

–Ben

Sources:  Appliance411

Useful Link:  TechBudy

May 21 2010 Google Pac man Banner

Google has a Playable Pacman Banner Today – World Productivity Sinks

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UPDATE 5/21/2010: I apparently didn’t look too hard.  Its not a link – its a button, where the I’m feeling lucky button normally resides.

If you’re not living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed google’s banner.  If you wait long enough, it will load and become a playable game.  I’m told that if you click on the insert coin link (which I haven’t seen) twice, you can control a second player with “wasd” keys.

Google – You Rock.  Screenshot below.

–Ben

Source:  Google

May 21 2010 Google Pac man Banner

Droid BOGO Part 2 – Buy a Droid, get one free from Verizon

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FYI – the Droid BOGO deal is back on.  You can go to Droid Does and click on the upper right corner.  You’ll have to add the phone to the cart to verify that the Droid BOGO deal is still on.  Hope that helps you all.

–Ben

Sources:  Droid Does, NBC Advertisement on 5/18/2010

Support the Event – Angel Investor of the Year 2010

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Angel Investor of the YearI just got an email from Funding Universe talking about their Angel Investor of the Year Award.  As Utah technology and know-how is coming into the light through efforts such as Silicon Slopes and Utah Genius – we also need to recognize the people who help fund our growth.  Let’s support the event and nominate some great people, who parlay their success into other entrepreneurial successes.
NOTE:  Entrepreneurs are encouraged to nominate as many investors as they like and self-nominations are more than welcome.
–Ben

Doug Fabrizio on Technology, Listening and the Rise of Snark

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I just finished editing some video from our UTAH GENIUS 2010 event.  One of the most requested items is the keynote talk from Doug Fabrizio of KUER 90.1 FM, NPR and RadioWest.  If you can’t view the videos below, you can find PART 1 and PART 2 on youtube.

Doug has this enchanting voice that mixes with storytelling.  His words seemed to put the audience into a higher state of thinking.  At least that’s what it looked like from the tech table as my brother and I were operating the event technology.  I find listening to Doug’s thoughts fifteen minutes well spent, as he contemplates technology’s place in the rise of a generation that may fail in learning how to listen.

PART 1:

PART 2:

–Ben

Sources:  Utah Genius 2010, Youtube, KUER 90.1

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