microface 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: FCC May Need To Staff Up The Phone Lines To Deal With Digitial TV Transition

    microface ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2008 @ 11:18am

    Digital TV Signals stink

    My HDTV, and system work great part of the day, the signal strength is about 75% from sacramento, but during the night I get nothing but breakups and problems. I have removed all the splitters, I have put an amplifier on my antenna, but nothing seems to help. So now I will have to put up with Bad DirectTV service like I had 4 years ago, Expensive Dish Service where I pay over 400/year for the 4 channels I like, or some bad cable company that cost 40/month. I already subscribe to NetFlix, so i will just get all mystuff through the DSL, or just give up.

  • On the post: Getting Insight Into The Challenges Created By Digital Nomads

    microface ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2008 @ 02:32pm

    Digital Nomads, SOHO, Software Development, Virtual Corporations

    I have been developing software for various companies off and on from my home, and at one time was a total at home developer, netadmin from 1995 - 2001. I installed Linux servers in companies, and would remotely administer them using a fractional T1 Line. These days I use DSL, with a variety of packages. I no longer administer Linux systems, the companies wised up after 2001, and no longer needed me to "maintain" those systems so i had to find a different source of revenue. Since I developed software, I started offering my services through different websites, but was unable to make a steady living, so I started telecommuting for various companies in Silicon Valley, Sacramento, and now Folsom. In each case the majority of my work was performed at home, and I would visit the company site 1 -2 days per week, for meetings, integration, testing etc. These are my expereinces.
    Various source code control packages, or version control packages were not meant to handle different time zones. Time stamps on files can always be a problem. Even now I work at a company where the IT head insists on keeping the date/Time on my work computer in the Time zone in which that person resides, not the time zone in which I work. When I edit common documents this causes a problem, that I have to fix with a PowerShell Script.
    Todays telecommute options are far superior in 90% of the features than even 5 years ago when I headed a project where some of the software was contracted from a Ukrainian group, I was in California, and the actually company where we all met and tested software was a 3 hour drive away. Conferencing software, white boarding, and interactivity net meeting offerings, along with remote control software of internet accessible computers have grown up to the point that I have interviewed, written software, remotely debugged the software I created, never setting foot anywhere near the actual company.
    Security is an issue for some companies, but other companies, just have simple policies, like archive the days software efforts, with a password, place the archive on a shared gmail account, or rapidshare account, and send an encrypted e-mail to company detailing what was accomplished, and the password.
    The internet has become a must have for most software development, tele-everything is usually considered at the very start of any project. If specifics are needed please e-mail me.

  • On the post: When Did Network Neutrality Become A Partisan Issue?

    microface ( profile ), 27 Apr, 2006 @ 08:33am

    Re: Patrick Mullen

    I am glad for you PAtrick Mullen, having so many choices. Up until this last year I had 2 choices 350 up front fee with 70/month for satellite or a 48K landline. Now I have an additional choice i can choose to pay $70/month for DSL. This is on top of the 50$/month for dish or DirectTv I am very happy that lots of you city dwellers have so many choices. Us farming folk have little or no choice, but since we are sucha small segment of the population I expect it to remain that way. So my children will have computer experience but n o broadband, they will have plenty of Linux, but no Mcintosh or Windows. Since we can't get updates to squeeze through the landline, we have no way to update Windows and prevent infection or malware, so our only choice is to use LINUX or McIntosh that requires no constant updating. HAve i mentioned how jealous I am that you have so many choices?