bioneural.net » Rant

Home-made DVDs won't mount or copy on Mac

Bruce — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:39:07 +0000

Home-made DVDs of our travels and family events were backed up as disk images (.dmg) onto an external hard drive as they were made. When these were inadvertently deleted I attempted to re-create the backup using Disk Utility to create new disk images. I was very concerned to find that about a third of my collection would either fail to mount on the OS X desktop or, if so, caused Disk Utility to report an input/ output error resulting in failure to copy. So what gives Apple? Why can my Mac not mount, copy, or play back Mac-made DVDs—when my consumer player handles them fine? All the DVDs in question were made using iDVD (various versions), using several brands of media (mainly Apple and Imation), between 2001 and 2007. Here's what I found: Some disks mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a slot-loading drive (Intel MacBook) and Disk Utility was able to create .dmg files; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a slot-loading drive (Intel MacBook) and Disk Utility failed to create .dmg files, citing in input/ output error; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a slot-loading drive (Intel MacBook) and Carbon Copy Cloner was able to create .dmg files; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a tray-loading drive (G4 iMac) and Disk Utility was able to create .dmg files; Of the remainder some mounted under OS X 10.5.4 via a tray-loading drive (G4 iMac) and Disk Utility failed to create .dmg files, citing ...

Silent and grey iTunes movie rentals

Bruce — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:47:51 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Well behind the American iTunes Store, earlier this month (June 2008) Apple gave iTunes Store customers in the UK the chance to rent (or purchase) movie downloads. Initially I wasn't sure I'd want to watch movies at my computer, even though I have a good screen and sound system. But I had to try it. With a 17Mbps downstream broadband connection getting the movie onto the computer posed no problem (a typical 1GB movie takes a few minutes). Trouble is all I see is a grey box with no audio. Now that I can't do it, of course I'm more inclined to want to. My iTunes Store account allows me to playback my DRM-protected iTunes music, a free TV episode, and a purchased short film with no problems. I'm running the latest version of OS X (10.5.3) with the latest version of iTunes (7.6.2) and QuickTime (7.5). I've now tried renting two films, hearing nothing and seeing only this during desktop playback: Hmmm.. if I wanted to look at nothing but dull grey I shouldn't have to pay for it—I can just look out the window at English skies. Oddly, when I moved the movie onto my iPhone I could watch it (and hear it) as expected. It seems I'm not alone having this issue, according to discussion in the Apple Support Forums. A number of suggestions have been made, most of which I have tried to no avail: Re-installed QuickTime 7.5 (on top of the previous: there is no "uninstaller"); Re-installed iTunes; Removed ...

Resolving router issues with Be Unlimited

Bruce — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:02:48 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Be Unlimited provide ADSL2+ services in the UK, supplying a Be-branded Thompson SpeedTouch wireless router called the BeBox. The Member Forum is full of complaints about router instability and errant behaviour. My 780WL had been doing well for around 6 months, then started resetting itself sometimes several times within a short period, but at least daily. Sometimes after a reset I was left with no Internet connectivity. Eventually Be sent me a replacement router, which came with replacement problems. So how do you turn a flaky BeBox into a rock-solid Internet router? Just take the "Be" out of your BeBox. Be deny any blame Be offered me a variety of explanations and solutions for the frequent disconnection/ resets I was experiencing: The router firmware was corrupt (this was suggested by each of the 4 support staff I contacted—perhaps a stock response. I explained I couldn't replace it using a Mac—see below); Local errors my router reported were indicative of a problem between the router and my computer; Local errors my router reported were likely due to line noise (despite very good data rates it seems, and a clear Quiet Line Test—17070 option 2); The replacement router was disconnecting because I was using the wrong DNS server IP addresses (I was; Be's instructions for configuring the replacement router for a static IP were completely wrong; I got no connection at all until I was given the correct gateway IP address over the phone); Ongoing issues with the replacement router indicated that the problem was "something on my network", ...

TomTom latest map guarantee trap

Bruce — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:18:12 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Just bought a new TomTom with a 30-day latest map guarantee? Don't download any map update as prompted by TomTom HOME on the day you register your device. Why not? Because if TomTom do release a new map in 30 days time, you won't be allowed to download it. You may still be within 30 days, but you will have the map that was current on the day you got your device. If, however, you carefully count to day 30 before downloading any map updates, you will get the latest map as of that time. The ambiguous guarantee is not for the latest map within 30 days—it's for a map within that period. Once again: Don't download any map update as prompted by TomTom HOME on the day you register your device. We ordered a TomTom One v3 with Western Europe maps which we received on 21.04.08. We'd seen it discounted in PC World, but it was an even better bargain online. The maps that came with my TomTom Navigator 5 were very out-of-date, and too costly to upgrade in relation to buying a new device with better software. Since we are driving to the Continent shortly the latest map guarantee we'd seen on the packaging would be very timely, we thought, negating any concerns I had that the unit may have been sitting around for months and the maps already outdated. As a marketing tool it was an effective device. The misleading leaflet that isn't what it seems Inside the packaging was a leaflet ...

Unarranged overdraft bank charges

Bruce — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:56:47 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

When you inadvertently write a cheque from the wrong account putting said account into overdraft, you expect to pay for your mistake. But would you expect to pay four different charges, incurring a total liability in fees nearly four times the size of the overdraft—even though it was rectified within 6 working days? If you bank with Halifax, who always give you extra, you can indeed. A costly mistake We had seven Halifax chequebooks on hand: I grabbed the wrong one, writing a small cheque from an unused (almost empty) account. The account went into overdraft by £23.96 when the cheque was cleared on the day we went abroad. When we returned from holiday the bank had informed me via two online letters of the unarranged overdraft and the fees I had incurred: A £35 charge for going overdrawn without arrangement; A monthly unauthorised overdraft charge for April (covering 3 working days); A monthly unauthorised overdraft charge for May (covering 3 working days); Debit interest, amount undisclosed. When Halifax say they give you extra, they mean it Needless to say I was annoyed at my mistake—but we were outraged at the charges. Specifically we took issue with the fact that: Fees of £91 (excluding interest) were out of proportion to the overdraft amount of £23.96; There was no "grace period" to allow rectification. The bank's response by telephone Immediately after reading the letters online I telephoned the bank; the stub confirmed I had written the cheque from the wrong book. Centralised customer support agreed to waive the £35 charge as a "goodwill" gesture, ...

ATMs should be avoided. The Internet too.

Bruce — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:59:22 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Some cretin recently cloned our debit card, in reflection of rising UK and international rates of card fraud despite technological countermeasures like "chip and pin". Of course it makes us angry, and think of doing all sorts of unsavoury things to the perpetrators if we could confront the cowardly faecoliths. But the good news is we will get a 100% refund from the bank because they acknowledge we were victims of a security lapse; our credit rating is unaffected; and new cards were issued promptly with new numbers. Of course we wanted to know if there was anything we could to reduce the risk of this happening again. We asked the bank if it was safer to use the ATM inside the branch rather than the hole-in-the-wall outside. They said probably so, since it would be harder to attach a device to the machine inside without being noticed. But we would be better still to make over-the-counter cash withdrawals and avoid using ATMs altogether, they said. That's reassuring—not. ATM without (top)/ with (below) "skimmer" attached (© APACS) There are still lots of people out there that won't go near online commerce, because they perceive it to be unsafe. I'd always thought someone was more likely to double-swipe or copy my card out the back of a restaurant than commit fraud online, but actually the risk is around 1:2. Figures from 2007 for UK-issued cards show that phone, Internet and mail order fraud (card-not-present fraud) amounted to £290.5 million, while counterfeit (skimmed/ cloned) card fraud ...

GP College confused over qualifications

Bruce — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 06:32:25 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) remains confused over whether its Membership examination (MRCGP) is a qualification or merely an indication of "club membership". Non-Members are told not to refer to "MRCGP" and "qualification" in the same breath—although it would appear that the College can. Back in 1998 it cost me in the order of £500 to sit all four modules for Membership of the Royal College of General practitioners by examination. To continue using the designation "MRCGP" I am asked to pay £417 per annum (2007–2008 rates). I wrote to the RCGP last month as follows: I passed the MRCGP examination in 1998, and am currently applying (from NZ) to work as a locum in the UK. On the Performers List application I am asked for "medical qualifications", including qualification, institution, and date. Is the following acceptable, given that I am not a paid-up college member? Qualification: MRCGP Institution: RCGP, UK Date: 15.07.98 In other words, does the MRCGP "count" as a medical qualification? The RCGP replied as follows: Use of the designation "MRCGP" is restricted to those doctors who are currently in good standing as Members (good standing in this context is taken to mean those who have paid their annual membership subscription fee). As you are not currently a paid-up Member, I confirm that you are not eligible to use the designation "MRCGP", nor can you state that "MRCGP" is a qualification—the letters mean "Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners" and do not of themselves denote success in the College's exam (the ...

Remote Assistance and NAT routers

Bruce — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:54:34 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

My parents have a PC running Windows XP. From time-to-time they encountered glitches, and it's been useful to establish a Windows Messenger connection and thus provide remote assistance using the tools built into the OS. The remote "expert" (that would be me) is able to see what they see on-screen, and to take control of the screen to help diagnose problems. It worked fine so long has my parents had dial-up Internet, even when I was asisting from my Mac via Parallels. But when they got broadband this functionality broke—all because of their NAT router. When Dad asked for help after conversing in Messenger the connection would fail, and I would be notified that "Remote Assistance connection could not be established because the remote host name could not be resolved. Please try again." Microsoft have a Knowledge Base article on the subject. The issue arises, apparently, because our computers are not in the same private subnet or because Microsoft Windows Firewall does not allow the computers to connect to Microsoft .NET Messenger Service servers. To resolve this the article details the process of making a custom RAInvitation.msrcincident file containing the public IP address of the computer needing help, and e-mailing this to the expert who can then use it (within a certain time frame) to make the connection and provide assistance. It's a hack, but it works. The thing is, there should be no need for a hack. Microsoft says: If the computer that sends the Remote Assistance invitation and the computer that receives ...

American Engrish

Bruce — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:11:04 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Do they no longer teach English in American schools? I am aware that "American" English has its nuances, but was not aware that it had diverged so far from international English as to become an entirely separate dialect. To illustrate my point, I'd like to share the text of an e-mail I recently received from a certain company's U.S. Networking Tech Support. Having recently bought a new ADSL modem, I noted that the same model on the company website looked completely different from my own. Model on the web (left), mine (right) I asked the company to explain the difference. Here's what they had to say: Thank you for contacting Xxx Technical Support. We understand that you are facing an issue with the ADSL 2+ Modem , as it does not looks alike the one which is there in the Website. We request you to, please check for the desire feature and try installing it. As some time the new product may be released with new look. If you face any difficulty in installing it, please revert to us, we will be glad to assist you. Bruce, if you need further assistance please feel free to write back to us and we will be happy to assist you. If you have any other questions or problems you may also call us toll free at xxx-xxx-xxxx (Extn. xxxx). Alternatively, call us on xxx xxx xxxx Ext. xxxx Regards, Tess Smith Xxx Technical Support I have removed the company name to protect the barely literate. I suspect the last two lines of the ...

Xtra requires extra patience

Bruce — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 04:24:26 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

If you're thinking of signing up for broadband from Xtra.co.nz, here's a little rant so that as an informed consumer you can properly consider your alternatives. We have the Go Large plan, which advertises a downstream connection speed "as fast as your phone line allows" and a monthly allowance of "unlimited data". To be frank, this advertising is misleading. Maxinimal I am situated in Wellington's CBD, and I just can't believe that my phone line "allows" up to just 1.5 Mbps during typical usage. I've seen the speed test go up to 3.5 Mbps on rare occasions. When I complained, Xtra sent me the following automated explanation: There are several factors that can affect the maximum speed you can receive: Where you live or work - The distance you are from your local phone exchange will affect your maximum connection speed. For example, if your home or office is within 1km of the phone exchange it is more likely you will get a faster maximum speed than someone who is, say, 4km away. The wiring in your house or office - Both the length and quality of any wiring in your house or office can affect maximum connection speeds. Your computer - Your computer and modem or router will also affect the maximum speed of your broadband connection. Your modem setup - How you connect your modem to your computer will affect your connection speed. For example, an Ethernet or Wireless connection is generally faster than a USB connection. As is the case with most broadband connections worldwide, ...