http://netflap.com/blog For those of us who think life is like an accident and we can't stop staring Thu, 24 May 2007 01:20:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Is it possible for a machine to think and solve problems the same way we do?  Are we able to create a system (AI) equally as complex as the system (our brains) we are using to create it? These questions sound very deep and would maybe strike some people as being legitimate question, but they're not.  When it ... http://netflap.com/blog/2007/05/23/artificial-intelligence-are-developers-the-problem/ After reading this article today about the nightmares of one Best Buy customer, I just wanted to state my opinion on the matter.  Product service plans or extended warranties (whatever you want to call them) are a giant waste of money. The concept behind these plans is great.  You pay a ... http://netflap.com/blog/2007/01/23/product-service-plans-are-garbage/ Anyone with a big DVD collection should seriously check out this site called UTRACK Movies, it's pretty sweet.  The site is basically a online system for tracking your DVD collection.  Now if you're one of those people with 10 DVDs, this isn't for you, but we have a LOT of DVDs and therefore we ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/11/15/very-cool-dvd-collection-tracking/ So I was reading in the news today about this NetFlix competition where they are offering a million dollars for the first person/team to improve the accuracy of their movie suggestion algorithm by 10%. Now, NetFlix is a pretty big company and I'm sure they have some pretty smart people working for ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/10/02/the-netflix-competition/ I am a big fan of the linux operating system because (like I've said before) it creates competition in a market which is in dire need.  As powerful as Linux may be, it doesn't mean that it is ready for every home user in the world to switch to tomorrow. In ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/09/27/linux-is-almost-ready/ A lego rubber-band chaingun which fires at 11 rounds/second.  I really don't think there is much else to say.  For those who need to hear more, don't bother, and for those who understand the cool factor here, check out the details here.  I have to say, that is some mighty ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/09/11/lego-chaingun-need-i-say-more/ I seem to be writing a lot of rants lately, but hey, that's just how it goes.  Another question I have about users is why is it that whenever something goes wrong with a computer, it's the computer's fault.  People have the impression that computers are there to do things ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/09/08/its-the-computers-fault/ SPAMassassin has become an extremely efficient SPAM filtering solution and is currently the most accurrate way to eliminate the majority of SPAM coming into a corporate network.  The problem is that you can configure SPAMassassin in MANY ways and depending on how it is done, you can go from filtering 75% of the SPAM ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/09/05/increasing-spamassassins-accuracy-4-tips/ I'm not sure if this problem has been given an official name as of yet, so I will call it the "related blame" syndrome.  Why is it that when it comes to computers and technology, people want to immediately relate one problem with another.  Even if there is virtually no correlation, ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/08/30/users-and-the-related-blame-syndrome/ When it comes to the technology industry, in many areas there is a lack of serious competition.  When a company begins to dominate a market, they are able to price their products higher than they should be and can even release low-quality products.  As long as they have a tight grip on ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/08/28/its-all-about-competition/ I've done up this list to help other IT professionals avoid the mistakes I've made and the mistakes I've seen others make.  These tips are for both corporate and home users because both can fall into the trap.  If you're an IT administrator, be sure to read through the list and ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/08/28/top-5-ways-to-get-hacked/ So I was walking through Toys 'R Us yesterday and saw the new Lego MINDSTORMS.  I already have the last Mindstorms set, but this one is new... and how can I resist new robots? The best new feature is definitely the "Ultra Sonic" sensor.  It allows the robot to judge depth ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/08/26/lego-mindstorms-nxt-and-me/ Why is it that everyone in the world has someone in their immediate family who is a "computer expert"?  Have I missed something?  Is there a factory somewhere selling computer experts and everyone is buying one? The problem is that these people honestly believe they are computer experts. Why? I'm not ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/08/25/everyone-is-a-computer-expert/ Well… this is the beginning.  It’s quiet in here.  Because I just spent a while playing with all the options of Wordpress and setting up the hosting account, I’m not going to make this long and won’t make references to the begining of time or the big bang or anything ... http://netflap.com/blog/2006/08/25/netflap-the-beginning/