CAT | Journal
My research group just recently sent an IC out for fabrication… here are a few of the more interesting stats:
- Size: ~2.5 x ~2.5 mm
- Technology: 90 nm
- Components: ~2.86 million transistors
- Team: 2 lead designers, 1 pad designer, 1 undergrad, & 1 advisor
- Sleep: 5 total hours between Wed. morning and Mon. afternoon
All I have to say is, thank goodness this is over… it’s been quite an experience, but I certainly don’t regret the fact that I’ll never be going through this again. 
I was playing around with a Microsoft Research tool (Microsoft ICE) and decided to run a few photos through it from my trip to Highlands, NC. I’m pretty impressed with the results… which you can see in the sweet Silverlight application I’ve embedded below. You can click and drag to explore the scene and use the scroll-wheel to zoom in/out.
PS: My whole photo collection from the Highlands trip is posted here. I’ve also posted my four favorite shots in the “Photography” album here.
Some security websites (such as PayPal & Bank of America) have special flags embedded in their pages that tell Firefox to not save their passwords. I recently came across a method that overrides these flags and allows Firefox to save passwords for any and all websites. Note: Only do this on computers that you and only you have access to!
- Navigate to your Firefox components installation directory. (Usually located:
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components\) - Open the following file with wordpad:
nsLoginManager.js - Search for the following block of code:
_isAutocompleteDisabled : function (element) {
if (element && element.hasAttribute("autocomplete") &&
element.getAttribute("autocomplete").toLowerCase() == "off")
return true;
return false;
},
- Change the line that currently says “return true;” to say “return false;”
- The block of text should now look like this:
_isAutocompleteDisabled : function (element) {
if (element && element.hasAttribute("autocomplete") &&
element.getAttribute("autocomplete").toLowerCase() == "off")
return false;
return false;
},
- Save your changes and restart Firefox.
There you go, Firefox should offer to remember all passwords, regardless of their security level. Remember… only do this on your personal computer! PS: If you’re not currently using Firefox… for heaven’s sake… why not!?!? Get Firefox
The following two statements were recently added to the Facebook Terms of Service. Does this bother anyone else?
You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.
What does this mean? Anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later. Also:
The following sections will survive any termination of your use of the Facebook Service: Prohibited Conduct, User Content, Your Privacy Practices, Gift Credits, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, Licenses, Submissions, User Disputes; Complaints, Indemnity, General Disclaimers, Limitation on Liability, Termination and Changes to the Facebook Service, Arbitration, Governing Law; Venue and Jurisdiction and Other.
So, when you delete your account, a whole lot of data is retained… indefinitely. Wonderful.
Source: Consumerist
Remember last August when I wrote about Joe Biden’s close ties with the MPAA and the RIAA? Well, it looks like old habits die hard.
Among the men appointed to the Department of Justice are:
- Donald Verrilli: The man responsible for killing Grokster, suing Google on behalf of Viacom, and the infamous lawsuit against Jammie Thomas.
- Tom Perrelli: Lawyer extraordinaire for the RIAA
- David Ogden: Defense lawyer for the Copyright Term Extension Act
- Neil MacBride: Created the program that rewarded people for phoning tips about suspected software piracy
So much for “bringing the integrity, depth of experience and tenacity that the Department of Justice demands in these uncertain times.”
Tim Cook (Steve Job’s temporary replacement) sez:
- iPhone has seen terrific rating from customers. Software is the key ingredient, and we believe that we are years ahead of our competitors. [...] We view iPhone as primarily a software platform, which is different from our competitors. We don’t mind competition, but if others rip off our intellectual property, we will go after them.
Is this guy really arrogant enough to believe that the iPhone’s software is years ahead? Granted, it is good, but it’s not revolutionary. As an example, Microsoft developed a system very similar to Mobile Safari, called Deepfish, long before Apple did. Plus, iPhone doesn’t even have Copy & Paste yet!
I’d normally support respecting patent law, but this quote is in response to a question regarding how the iPhone will remain competitive. Suing the other guy is a really sleazy way to “stay ahead”. Plus, Apple has a history of patenting arbitrary crap. For example: they have patented multi-touch screens, lanyards, and mobile solar cells… even though they didn’t invent ANY of them! This is called patent trolling, and it’s a roadblock to progress.
Source: Engadget
As most everyone should know by now, Circuit City has gone out of business and the stores are being liquidated. If you’re one of the many people who see the phrase “Liquidation Sale” and assume you’re in for some bargains… think again. Most of the items “on sale” at Circuit City have been artificially jacked-up in price and then “discounted” back down to values still more expensive than many competitor’s prices.
This is just another sad example of how the consumer electronics industry is screwing people who don’t know any better. Here’s a little tip, before you ever go to a physical store to purchase anything electronic, do yourself a favor and visit Newegg first. They generally have the best prices available anywhere, and most items have extensive user reviews. Don’t let yourself get hustled by the big-name stores.
Some examples of Circuit City liquidation “bargains”:
- 50-inch Panasonic plasma TV: Circuit City: $1,800, Elsewhere: $1,365
- HP All-in-One Printer: Circuit City: $270, Elsewhere: $141
- Garmin GPS: Circuit City: $225, Elsewhere: $141
Source: Consumer Reports
So, I just wasted about half an hour trying to figure this bug out. A web search shows that I’m not unique in encountering this issue. So, I’m hoping that posted the solution here might lend a hand to some other poor soul who’s stuck in the same boat.
Problem: I had a directory that appeared in Windows Explorer and Command Prompt, but acted as if it didn’t exist. It would issue the following error messages: “Could not find this item… This is no longer located in PATH. Verify the item’s location and try again.”
Solution:
- Run the Windows Command Prompt (CMD)
- WinXP: Start → Run → cmd
- WinVista: Start → Start Search → cmd
- Navigate to the directory containing the problem file/directory
- cd C:/path/to/directory/containing/problem/
- Figure out the 8.3 file name
- dir /x ⇒ somethin~1
- Remove using the 8.3 name
- del /s somethin~1
Jamie & I went apple picking last Saturday.
We couldn’t find the Granny Smith’s. 
