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Comment Re:Lying doesn't help... (Score 1) 855

by edward2020 (#26270499) Attached to: Tales From the Support Crypt
When I was a tech support guy at a manufacturing plant i had good success with washing keyboards (note, plural) in the dishwasher (no detergent, just water) after spraying various kitchen cleaners on them. The keyboard I'm typing on now has seen multiple washes. I think the key is to have a few of them on rotation so that you can allow them to dry properly (usually a few months).
Media

Submission + - Legal Home Media?

Submitted by
SuperCharlie
SuperCharlie writes: "I am in the process of setting up a home media center where all my movies, music, etc.. can be streamed throughout my house. I think there could be a real market for this where I live and would like to take the final solution on the road in my backwoods part of the world and try to sell it to house builders for doctors, lawyers and the likes. The sticking point I am running into is the media, specifically, movies. Sure, you can stick a DVD in, share it and be on your way, but most people have libraries of movies that even a decent sized jukebox can't hold. How can I provide a *legal* digital version of a users movie collection?"
Linux Business

Submission + - Needed: Simple Business Management Software

Submitted by
justinchudgar
justinchudgar writes: "I'm starting to work as an independent IT consultant; and, I have pretty much switched to Linux on my systems. Overall, I am very happy with the transition away from proprietary software; but, I need a software package to manage the dirty details of my business. For me, that is basically tracking my time and creating invoices/statements for clients and then receiving payments against them. I do not resell hardware as a line of business; and, I do not (yet) have employees which makes it easier for now. What I want is:
  • integration with standard calendaring packages so that billable time can be entered via a browser anywhere and be accessible to the AR package
  • handle different bill rates for different service classes
  • generate invoices and statements without much manual labor
  • track account balances and service charges
  • have the capability to integrate credit card payment processing
  • not require endless hours of HOWTO or manpage slogging to get up and running


While I can muddle through with OO.org documents and spreadsheets + evolution calendar; this is not very efficient or clean. I have searched around the web, read innumerable articles, blogs and tried a bunch of stuff. Yet, I have yet to find a nice simple and user friendly package for my needs.

Compiere/Adempiere are overkill for what I need, and the personal finance apps that I managed to find are not good at doing things like handling multiple bill-rates and tracking receivables. I know that it is possible to get SlowBooks running with CrossOver or Wine, but, I have had so much misery with Intuit products in my clients offices that I will not allow them in mine.

I would really appreciate learning what open-source or commercial Linux apps you have seen working well for professional services firms that you run or serve. Thanks!"
Displays

Submission + - Protecting your eyesight in tech

Submitted by
trainsnpep
trainsnpep writes: "I'm a sophomore undergrad CS major. I'm also lucky enough to have better-than-average eyesight. Now how do I keep the two? I've heard from various anecdotal sources that staring at a monitor too long is bad for your eyes, but I don't recall ever seeing an actual scientific study on it. How long is it safe to work before I should take an eye break, and how long should the break be? Do you know of any way to ease the supposed strain on my sight? Is it even an issue?"
Displays

Submission + - How to build a video wall

Submitted by alphakappa
alphakappa writes: I am interested in building a video wall as a personal project using recycled old laptops so that I can make use of the display controllers already present. Is there free or cheap software that can extend the display on Windows and still be capable of showing different videos on different zones (like, say run a video in one zone while showing a powerpoint presentation in another one) What tools would slashdotters use?
Technology (Apple)

Submission + - Has Apple become a vaporware producer?

Submitted by
MrPerfekt
MrPerfekt writes: "I am a giant Apple fan, but with the recent Apple TV delay and complete lack of information about the release of Leopard, I think this is a fair question. The iPhone is still months off as well. Apple has been somewhat out of character the past year telling us about products that are in development in the first place but it highlights the fact that they haven't released anything groundbreaking in a while. Instead, we only seem to get tastes of what's to come. I think this is minorly intensified by the fact that Macintoshes now use Intel processors. We can see the Intel roadmap and what is due to be released when and can eagerly anticipate a future Apple release that may be a while off. So, is Apple now in the unenviable position of being a company that gets us excited about future products that may not show up for a long time, if at all?"
Education

Submission + - Diplomas or Certificates?

Submitted by
Honkin' on Bobo
Honkin' on Bobo writes: "What's the difference in pay between a Diploma, Certificate or a Degree? Which ones are better to obtain...I thought maybe a degree, but after looking at multiple 2 year diploma programs now I'm not so sure. It seems that the latter cuts out the "writing poetry classes."
Security

Submission + - What tech to backpack around the world with?

Submitted by ryrw
ryrw writes: I'm planning to spend a year backpacking around the world and the hardest question I have to answer is: What technology do I take with me? Aside from the obvious (digital camera, ipod, et. al.) what technological devices would you you take? Specifically, I wonder if I should bring my nice and shiny MacBook Pro. I can think of lots of uses for it (offloading pix, updating blog, email, etc.), but I'm worried it will be lost or stolen along the way. Does anyone have experience with travel while toting technology?
Programming

Submission + - Driving Simulators with Real Maps?

Submitted by
K'Lyre
K'Lyre writes: "Why are there are no driving simulators that take advantage of the vast amount of map information available to let the user travel along any road they wish? Is it the marketability of such a venture? The vast amount of information it would need to include? This is one of the types of games I dreamed of when I was little. What's the big hold-up?"
Windows

Submission + - How bad does Windows need to be for people to stop

Submitted by jellomizer
jellomizer writes: With still no seeming end to Windows Security problems, Current very bad reviews of poor performance on Vista, and all the other problems. Yet people still use it and most feel the effort to switch still isn't worth it. So how how much worse Windows will need to be to say get 40% of the current Windows users to switch to different OSs, Help fund development of their apps to more cross platform development models, Focus more on Web Application using open standards and less on platform particular add ins. It seems to me people will not switch off Windows unless it keeps on getting so much more worse then it is. So how bad does it need to be?
User Journal

Journal Journal: Strange Unregistered Domains

Journal by gbulmash
Every once in a while, I go hunting for odd domains that are still available. For example, if you believe that junk e-mail is caused by the spirits of dead aliens, you might want to register spamintology.com. It's available (or was when I wrote this) and it's one of 25 I found while wasting some time today.
The Matrix

Submission + - Do we need to make voting mandatory?

Submitted by
gd23ka
gd23ka writes: "Australia and Belgium force their electorate to the ballot boxes. Disaffected in Australia and don't want to get out of bed on election day? Pay a fine or go to jail or at least explain why you couldn't come. With these laws on their books both countries enjoy a high percentage of participation in their elections. Proponents say that forced participation in the elections strengthens democracy. What are your thoughts on the matter? You can read Slate's opinion piece first or tell me right away: Is mandatory voting a good idea for America?"
Announcements

Submission + - Study suggests US/UK are failing children

Submitted by
Brian Ribbon
Brian Ribbon writes: "The BBC has a report regarding a study into child welfare by international charity Unicef, which reveals that the US and UK have the lowest levels of child welfare out of 21 countries studied. The study measured child welfare using six categories; family and peer relationships, material well-being, health and safety, behaviour and risks, and children's own sense of well-being (educational and subjective).

Is it a coincidence that the countries which have the most draconian legislation disguised as measures to protect children also have the lowest level of child welfare, or is the level of paranoia and hysteria in these countries actually harming children?"
Communications

Submission + - Text Messaging Device for the hearing impaired

Submitted by spaceball1
spaceball1 writes: I was in the army and I did serve in Iraq — one of the side effects being some permanent hearing loss. I now wear hearing aids all of the time in both ears. Talking on a cell phone has become nearly impossible. I have considered moving to a device more geared towards text messaging but they are all very expensive and have a lot of the features that a cell phone user needs. Are there any devices out there that anyone has found that are geared only towards simple text messaging? The No-Frills-Cell-Phone concept has been largely ignored in the US; does a No-Frills-Text-Messaging device exist?

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