So my PC crashes in the middle of a big scan on my HP. When I boot up, I find I'm missing 16.9 GB on my hard drive. Naturally, I know it's in a temp file someplace, so I chat with HP.
________________
Lance: Hello ike
Lance: Hello Mike
Mike Abundo: Hi Lance.
Lance: Welcome to HP Total Care.
Lance: My name is Lance. How may I assist you today?
Mike Abundo: My PC crashed while I was scanning...
Lance: Okay
Mike Abundo: and when I rebooted, 15 gigabytes were missing from my HDD.
Mike Abundo: I'm assuming they're in a temp file someplace.
Mike Abundo: Am I right? If so, which directory?
Lance: Mike, this is the support queue for HP All-in-one products.
Lance: Do you wish to install the HP software again?
Mike Abundo: No, I don't.
Mike Abundo: Yes, mine's an All-in-One. PSC 2110.
Lance: I would suggest you to please contact your system vendor to resolve the issue
Mike Abundo: Look, all I need to know is the temp file directory.
Mike Abundo: I can fix this if I find. it. :)
Mike Abundo: Do you know where it is?
Lance: I understand your issue as the PC is crashed and some amount of data is missing for Hard Driver so you need to contact your system vendor or Operating system support so that they can assist you
Mike Abundo: Yes, it crashed while scanning a very large image at hires.
Mike Abundo: I'm sure you can see that's because some data was written to the drive by the scanner.
Mike Abundo: Just let me know where I can find that temporary data file and delete it. :)
Lance: Once the system is crashed you need to contact the operating system support team as the scanner did not save any data
Mike Abundo: It was in mid-scan when it crashed.
Mike Abundo: Are you telling me an HP has no temp files?
Lance: Yes Mike, once it crashed the scanner loose the data
Mike Abundo: All right, thanks. :)
Lance: Yes Mike, Scanner does not save any data, once you scan you need to save on your computer
Lance: Thank you for using HP Total Care and providing us an opportunity to serve you through Real-Time Chat. A copy of our chat session will be e-mailed to you shortly. I hope you have found this session helpful and informative
________________
Frustrated, I manually dig around my hard drive for the biggest file around. Guess what I find: a file called scan.bmp, exactly 16.9 GB in size.
For HP scanner users mysteriously losing gigabytes of drivespace in crashes, don't bother calling HP. I found the temporary file in C:\DOCUME~1\Mike\LOCALS~1\Temp\HPQKYGRP_0000172C. The path should be similarly long and counterintuitive on your PC.
HP, please inform Lance that scanners don't save temporary data in the same magical place Superman puts his cape or Akane puts her mallet. He's lucky I'm nicer than Jeff "Dell Hell" Jarvis.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Bloggers Finish Sexist Ad Guru
61-year old ad guru Neil French, who quit his firm after calling all women in the ad industry "crap", says he's suffered "death by blog".
First Dan Rather, then this old jerk. Let's finish 'em all, folks.
First Dan Rather, then this old jerk. Let's finish 'em all, folks.
China vs. Web 2.0
China's blocking Wikipiedia (I wonder why). Fortunately, the Googlebot is powerful enough to defy them on Taiwan.
Yahoo, apparently, is not. They helped Bejing jail a journalist. No wonder teens don't use them.
Let's not even get started on China's interference in online game mechanics. Government-imposed fatigue systems -- ridiculous!
For a phliosophy that's supposed to empower the peasantry, Maoism sure hates participative technology.
(Via Danny Sullivan)
Yahoo, apparently, is not. They helped Bejing jail a journalist. No wonder teens don't use them.
Let's not even get started on China's interference in online game mechanics. Government-imposed fatigue systems -- ridiculous!
For a phliosophy that's supposed to empower the peasantry, Maoism sure hates participative technology.
(Via Danny Sullivan)
Friday, October 21, 2005
Petition for Captions in Games
Now I know a lot of you turn off subtitles during gameplay and cutscenes, but hearing-impaired gamers don't have that luxury -- and too many games don't have subtitles during gameplay or cutscenes.
That's why I encourage you to sign this online petition for captions and subtitles in videogames.
(Via Old Grandma Hardcore)
That's why I encourage you to sign this online petition for captions and subtitles in videogames.
(Via Old Grandma Hardcore)
Gaming as a Spectator Sport
Filipinos love pugilism, and World Cybergames Philippine team captain Tjader Regis advocates gaming as a spectator sport in the Philippines. Vladimir Cole presents dramatic evidence of that combination's potential.
You don't have to play Street Fighter III to marvel at a heavily-injured fighter parrying fifteen rapid killer kicks in a row, then coming back with a dozen spectacular combo blows to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Like this guy did.
You don't have to play Street Fighter III to marvel at a heavily-injured fighter parrying fifteen rapid killer kicks in a row, then coming back with a dozen spectacular combo blows to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Like this guy did.
FFX for the... Famicom?
Nevermind the Final Fantasy VII spinoffs for the PS2 and PSP. A group of Japanese Final Fantasy fan-hackers have time-travelled in the opposite direction.
They've ported the PS2's Final Fantasy X over to the Famicom -- or its present-day software emulators, at least.
Using the Famicom's Final Fantasy II as a base, they've fit this gorgeous kissing scene:
...into this pixelated pretty:
They've ported the PS2's Final Fantasy X over to the Famicom -- or its present-day software emulators, at least.
Using the Famicom's Final Fantasy II as a base, they've fit this gorgeous kissing scene:
...into this pixelated pretty:
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Microsoft Spamblocks... Itself?
My invite to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) DevDays 2005 was just spamblocked -- by Microsoft Hotmail.
Since people sign into MSDN using Microsoft Passport accounts, and Passport accounts mostly use Hotmail, I wouldn't be surprised if no one shows up. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right's doing...
Since people sign into MSDN using Microsoft Passport accounts, and Passport accounts mostly use Hotmail, I wouldn't be surprised if no one shows up. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right's doing...
The Web Has a Long Memory
While reviewing how my Web strategy practice has evolved over the years, I came across a page on a former client of mine -- from five years ago.
Champagne's voice is still angelic. At one point five years ago, she beat high-profile Filipina artists Jaya and Regine on the MP3.com download charts.
Indeed, the Web has a loooooong memory.
Champagne's voice is still angelic. At one point five years ago, she beat high-profile Filipina artists Jaya and Regine on the MP3.com download charts.
Indeed, the Web has a loooooong memory.
PICS Hops on Podosphere
The Philippine Internet Commerce Society (PICS) front page now features our podcast.
Thanks to Joyce, Carlos (Congrats on the baby!) and the cool guys at Softrigger for posting the links.
Thanks to Joyce, Carlos (Congrats on the baby!) and the cool guys at Softrigger for posting the links.
New US Voicemail Line
Got something to say? Leave me a voicemail at +1 (206) 888 6550.
Drop a really cool comment, and it just might get podcast. ;)
Drop a really cool comment, and it just might get podcast. ;)
Google Exec Bashes Exec Control
This Week in Tech podcast: "If the executives controlled what projects were pushed forward at Google, most of the projects that would make Google successful would have never been passed."
Hack Keeps Me on Opera
Old Grandma Hardcore
Meet Barbara St. Hilaire, 69 years old: gamer.
She's not alone. Business Week says 19% of all gamers are above 50.
It's good for them, too. A 2002 Harvard University report cited significant increases in reaction time for gamers over 60.
(Via James Ransom-Wiley).
Corporate Blogging Taking Off
According to the BlogOn 2005 Social Media Adoption Survey, 55% of US corporations are blogging, with 70% of the rest planning to.
Organizer Mike Segal says it ain't just the geeky half, either: "We often think these emerging technologies will be very skewed to startups and technology vendors, but seeing the distribution across all industries was very surprising to us."
So where's your blog?
(Via Steve Rubel)
Organizer Mike Segal says it ain't just the geeky half, either: "We often think these emerging technologies will be very skewed to startups and technology vendors, but seeing the distribution across all industries was very surprising to us."
So where's your blog?
(Via Steve Rubel)
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
GuildWiki
Guild Wars emphasizes online collaboration, so it's no surprise that players have put up a GuildWiki.
(Via Toolz)
(Via Toolz)
Help This Gamer Girl Pwn N00bs
Our contributor Alodia Gosiengfiao is running for the title of Philippine R.O.S.E. Online's "It-Girl".
If you play Philippine R.O.S.E. Online, vote for her. She's a multiplatform gamer; the other candidates are vapid n00bs spouting pageant BS. If you don't vote for her, I'll feel compelled play that RO2 reject of a game ("Ragnarok Online Second Edition") just to kick your ass.
If you play Philippine R.O.S.E. Online, vote for her. She's a multiplatform gamer; the other candidates are vapid n00bs spouting pageant BS. If you don't vote for her, I'll feel compelled play that RO2 reject of a game ("Ragnarok Online Second Edition") just to kick your ass.
Splog Tool Stupidity
5.8% of all blog posts created everyday are spam. That's around 50,000 spam posts a day -- and now, they can be automated.
If you're too too stupid to get a clue on the Web, or so cynical that you think readers will mistake automated information regurgitation for actual thought, then go ahead and buy this software. $247 for an ersatz brain.
In any medium, Industrial Age marketing always tries to drown out authentic human voices with canned drivel. In the Participation Age, it will fail. I trust that the human yearning to hear real thoughts from real people will make blogspam sink to the bottom of the blogosphere's sea of thought, consumed only by the bottomfeeders who excrete it.
(Via Jeremy.)
If you're too too stupid to get a clue on the Web, or so cynical that you think readers will mistake automated information regurgitation for actual thought, then go ahead and buy this software. $247 for an ersatz brain.
In any medium, Industrial Age marketing always tries to drown out authentic human voices with canned drivel. In the Participation Age, it will fail. I trust that the human yearning to hear real thoughts from real people will make blogspam sink to the bottom of the blogosphere's sea of thought, consumed only by the bottomfeeders who excrete it.
(Via Jeremy.)
Optical's End?
Bill Gates: “The format that’s under discussion right now, HD versus Blu-ray, that’s simply the last physical format we’ll ever have. Even videos in the future will either be on a disk in your pocket or over the Internet and therefore far more convenient for you.”
The modern use for inexpensive physical media is to conveniently deliver/archive volumes of data common broadband cannot. Unless the latter becomes infinite, the former cannot become obsolete. For flash drives to replace optical media as the former, they'd have to get a lot cheaper. Right now, a 4-gig flash drive goes for US$ 309, while I can grab 4.7-gig DVD-R at the mall for US$ 0.15.
But hey, I'm a big fan of digital delivery and removable storage. I'm as hopeful about their future as you are, Bill. The CD-ROM was standardized in '85, the DVD-ROM in '96. Wonder if HDDVD or Blu-Ray will get even a single decade.
Just don't tell our government. They put up an "Optical Media Board" two years ago -- and put an actor at the helm. Hey, I told them it was a bad idea.
The modern use for inexpensive physical media is to conveniently deliver/archive volumes of data common broadband cannot. Unless the latter becomes infinite, the former cannot become obsolete. For flash drives to replace optical media as the former, they'd have to get a lot cheaper. Right now, a 4-gig flash drive goes for US$ 309, while I can grab 4.7-gig DVD-R at the mall for US$ 0.15.
But hey, I'm a big fan of digital delivery and removable storage. I'm as hopeful about their future as you are, Bill. The CD-ROM was standardized in '85, the DVD-ROM in '96. Wonder if HDDVD or Blu-Ray will get even a single decade.
Just don't tell our government. They put up an "Optical Media Board" two years ago -- and put an actor at the helm. Hey, I told them it was a bad idea.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Free WiFi for DS at McD
More proof that gaming promotes universal access: McDonald's will offer free WiFi for the Nintendo DS in the US (Via Dan Choi).
Nevemind that a certain Filipino congressman just doesn't get it.
Nevemind that a certain Filipino congressman just doesn't get it.
Smart's Slipshod Online Marketing
Just noticed this image on the site of local cellco giant Smart.
That girl's from Dead or Alive 3. As far as I know, Smart has no tie-ups with developer Tecmo or Xbox manufacturer Microsoft for this game. A company that makes well over US$ 1,000,000 a day in prepaid service revenue alone ought to know better.
I'd report this breach to Microsoft Philippines, but they don't give a hoot about anything but business software licenses. Hell, they don't even know who Scoble is.
That girl's from Dead or Alive 3. As far as I know, Smart has no tie-ups with developer Tecmo or Xbox manufacturer Microsoft for this game. A company that makes well over US$ 1,000,000 a day in prepaid service revenue alone ought to know better.
I'd report this breach to Microsoft Philippines, but they don't give a hoot about anything but business software licenses. Hell, they don't even know who Scoble is.
32 Million Chinese in MU?
Only in a population as big as China's can a lousy Diablo ripoff like MU Online get 32 million players.
Filipino Podcast Studio
Philippine voiceover studio Univoicesal Productions adds podcast production to its suite of services. They've actually put up their own podcast feed.
I wholeheartedly applaud their efforts to help Filipino companies make high-production-value podcasts -- but I vehemently disagree with their assertion that podcasts need voice actors. People listen to podcast talk shows for the same reason they read blogs -- to hear from real people.
I wholeheartedly applaud their efforts to help Filipino companies make high-production-value podcasts -- but I vehemently disagree with their assertion that podcasts need voice actors. People listen to podcast talk shows for the same reason they read blogs -- to hear from real people.
More Posts Than Babies
Technorati just published its latest report on the state of the blogosphere. Full presentation's here.
Seems people around the world post 9.2 entries per second. That's three times as fast as they make babies.
(Via Steve Rubel).
Seems people around the world post 9.2 entries per second. That's three times as fast as they make babies.
(Via Steve Rubel).
Blog Con for MSM
Mainstream media old-timers looking to wrap their brains around the blogosphere would do well to check out this blogging conference for journalists here in the Philippines on October 22. First come, first served, grandpas.
Big Screens Raise Productivity
Corporations everywhere take heed: a new study shows big-ass screens aren't just for pr0n.
"On the bigger screen, people completed the tasks at least 10 percent more quickly - and some as much as 44 percent more quickly. They were also more likely to remember the seven-digit number, which showed that the multitasking was clearly less taxing on their brains."
-- Clive Thompson, The New York Times
(Via Jeremy Zawodny)
"On the bigger screen, people completed the tasks at least 10 percent more quickly - and some as much as 44 percent more quickly. They were also more likely to remember the seven-digit number, which showed that the multitasking was clearly less taxing on their brains."
-- Clive Thompson, The New York Times
(Via Jeremy Zawodny)
Monday, October 17, 2005
Symmetric Broadband for the People?
Asymmetric Internet connections, which have been so common for so long that we've come to accept them as "standard", are consistent with the Web 1.0 paradigm of users as digital content consumers, mere eyeballs for big business to toss around.
Doc Searls, however, contends that Google may be in the best position to deliver symmetric broadband, which would further the Web 2.0 model of users as digital content prosumers, empowered hands to craft the 'Net.
Could symmetric broadband be commonplace soon?
Doc Searls, however, contends that Google may be in the best position to deliver symmetric broadband, which would further the Web 2.0 model of users as digital content prosumers, empowered hands to craft the 'Net.
Could symmetric broadband be commonplace soon?
Save on Misspellings!
The Internet develops workarounds for idiocy. This particular workaround can save you some money, too.
Misspelled items on eBay get less search hits -- and thus, lower bids. Now you can find these misspelled items with MisspelledAuctions.com.
(Via Philipp Lenssen)
Misspelled items on eBay get less search hits -- and thus, lower bids. Now you can find these misspelled items with MisspelledAuctions.com.
(Via Philipp Lenssen)
