Category Archives: Tech

HP 48G: How to fix the “Warning: Invalid Card Data” problem

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Recently, my good old HP 48G calculator (one of the best calculators ever built and my longtime personal favourite till today) started displaying the following message whenever I switched it on:

Warning: Invalid Card Data

Which seems a bit odd at first, considering the 48G model has no card slot (only the 48GX model has one). Luckily, there’s a simple solution: Execute the PINIT command by typing “PINIT” (without the double quotes) and pressing the ENTER key.

There’s a great, detailed explanation of this problem and the according fix in the “invalid card data at my hp48g” thread over at the independent HP calculator museum. If this warning message appears on a HP 48GX and the problem persists after applying this fix, take a look at step 3 described in the  article titled “Message, Invalid Card Data, is Displayed when the Calculator is Turned On” on HP’s support forum.

Wouldn’t it be a pity if a company with such a great history and so many great hardware products ceased to be a hardware company?

Quick review of the Logitech ClearChat Stereo headset

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My new Logitech ClearChat Stereo headset just arrived. Here’s a quick review of it:

Plus

  • Low price, less than 30 CHF/USD (= budget class headset, don’t expect too much)
  • Fits well and is very light-weight (unlike those heavy headsets for gamers etc.). Can thus be carried in hand luggage etc.
  • The cable is attached to one side of the overhead band only (which is more convenient and facilitates the overall handling)
  • Good cable length (2 m, just about the right length so you can use the headset both for laptops and desktop computers)
  • The adjustable overhead band is very handy (There are still many budget headsets with fixed overhead bands). It’s also comfortable when wearing glasses (in contrary to most neck band headsets).
  • The size of the (open) earbuds is comfortable and they don’t warm your ears too much (like those cushioned closed earphones)
  • Sound quality of the earphones is okayish (= sufficient) for Skype, Internet telephony
  • Sound quality of the mic is also sufficient for Skype etc. (but not for singing Karaoke and the like)
  • The in-line controls for the volume and mic mute are very handy (else you’d need to adjust these things in Windows/Mac OS X/Linux)
  • Uses simple plugs, not USB (lighter, cheaper design, compatible to almost any computer or audio device)

Minus

  • Sound-quality-wise, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect high fidelity sound. It’s clearly a headset for Internet telephony only.
  • Not recommended for gamers (too low-fi and the open earbuds don’t protect enough from environment noise)
  • Not recommended for listening to music (lacking “crispness” of the sound, lacking frequency linearity, lbass frequencies are rather dull, dito for the heights) or for watching a film (dito).
  • Microphone can be rotated vertically only (which is sufficient for most people, but some would probably like it to be horizontally adjustable, too)
  • Microphone is on the right, not on the left (which is not necessarily a disadvantage, but is somewhat unusual as most headsets have the mic mounted on the left)
  • It’s not a very solid headset. Better don’t smash it to a wall. And yes, it will definitely blend (though nobody has tried that yet ;)

All-in-all: Recommended for Internet telephony, not recommended for gamers, audiophiles and cineasts. Which is pretty obvious, considering the low price.

Easy user navigation on mobile GUIs

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Getting mobile UIs right

BTW, I have a rather unconventional (but probably the more interesting) idea how to make user navigation on small, mobile devices (such as mobile phones) much more user-friendly. Particularly in those cases, where current approaches lack the most (e.g. with mobile web browsing). And guess what, it doesn’t even require any new sensors or any other hardware that isn’t there already :) (Contact me, if interested.. ;)

Jingproject, screencast.com and Logitech G9 Laser Mouse SetPoint 5.0

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I’ve just installed the free (as in ‘free beer’) Jingproject client by that allows to capture screenshots or screen videos and store or upload and share them (e.g. on screencast.com). It’s amazing, how easy and convenient it is to use – good job! There are clients for both Windows and Mac OS X (which will likely be important for me very soon as I intend to buy a new MacBook Pro with LED backlit display and a Penryn Core 2 Duo processor). The only thing missing is a Linux client (but we’re used to that, aren’t we? ;). Jingproject is provided by TechSmith, the creators of the well-known (and also great) SnagIt screen capture application.

Here’s an example of a screencast I just recorded (no sound, though):

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse SetPoint 5.0 German

It shows the great variety of configuration options you have for customizing your Logitech G9 Laser Mouse using SetPoint 5.0. The Logitech G9 Laser Mouse is Logitech’s latest “gamer” mouse and the best and most accurate mouse I ever used. I bought it though I’m not much of a “gamer” actually, but the form factor, features and its high quality convinced me. It’s quite a small mouse compared to other mice, but that’s intentional as you move it with your fingers rather than with your wrist or arm. This makes it a very user friendly (and particularly gamer friendly) pointing device as you’re much quicker in pointing and clicking while using less energy. The small form factor however might be a problem for you if you have really big hands (check it out in the next hardware store before you buy!).

Further, it’s a mouse with a cord, so you don’t need to worry about batteries, lag or interferences. So in short, I highly recommend the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse. For me, the only minuses are its rather high price and the fact that there is no SetPoint for Mac OS X (let’s hope Logitech will port it soon).

9 out of 10 points from me.

“Realising Dreams – strategies for deep design” by William Gosling

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One of the about 30 something new books on my bookshelf – and a truly great one I just finished reading. Gosling gives a systematic insight into the matter of design and innovation. A very inspiring and useful, yet very concise framework!

“Realising Dreams – strategies for deep design” by William Gosling

Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router and the “AP Isolation” option

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If you have a Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router and wonder why Windows file sharing (SMB/CIFS/Samba) between different wireless clients doesn’t work, find out that you can’t even ping other WLAN clients, then you’ll probably need to disable the checkbox cryptically labelled “AP isolation” in the tab “Wireless -> Advanced Wireless Settings” of your access point.

Dear Linksys engineers:

  1. Please don’t set a default that an estimated 95% of all buyers/users of the product will need to change.
  2. If you set a default that most likely will need to be changed by almost any user, please don’t hide the according checkbox in a submenu labelled “Advanced Wireless Settings”, targeted at advanced users.
  3. If you decide to hide a checkbox for a setting which most likely will need to be changed, please don’t label it misleadingly “AP isolation” whereas the setting should rather be called “wireless client isolation”.
  4. Fine. So you decided to label the checkbox wrongly. Why be so cryptic about it then? Can’t you at least label it “Access point isolation” instead of just “AP isolation”? Do you believe the latter will make life easier for joe average or experts?
  5. Last but not least: Why isn’t the “AP isolation” feature/setting mentioned at all in the pop-up help of the according tab?

Thanks.

State-of-the-art skiing technologies, part VI

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In response to State-of-the-art skiing technologies, part V, I was informed about the Austrian edelwiser custom design ski project. You can choose from two hand-made, sandwich technology carving ski models (“Swing” and “Speed”) and design the cover sheet all by yourself! :) A great idea for creative minds, promotional purposes and as a potential prevention against thieves (-> personalize your skis by adding your full name, your e-mail address, your home page URL or similar).

In addition to the trendy life-style orientation of this concept, the skis (which are manufactured in Germany by VR) seem to be of exceptional quality (a positive review of the “Swing” model by carving-ski.de). The combination of both high quality and custom design (enabled through mass-customization via the web) somehow reminds me of Freitag F-CUT bags.

If you’re interested in test-driving edelwiser skis, there will be an edelwiser ski test opportunity in Saas-Fee, Switzerland at the end of March (contact the edelwiser team)

Spring is in the air, but skiing conditions in Switzerland are still great (sunny weather with good snow). It’s particularly good in places with glaciers like Saas-Fee or Zermatt, where you can even enjoy skiing in summer ;)

State-of-the-art skiing technologies, part V

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Hm.. it’s getting a bit boring, isn’t it? “Switzerland: zero points”.. “Switzerland: 0 gold medals, 0 silver medals, 0 bronze medals”. Not everything’s that bad. By reading an article in today’s NZZaS, I’ve realized that there are some other, even smaller Swiss ski manufacturers apart from Stöckli (BTW learn German, dang it! ;):

Movement, RTC, AK, Zai: Neue Schweizer Skihersteller neben Stöckli

Auch wenn seine Skirennfahrer im Moment nicht brillieren – Stöckli [www.stoeckli.ch] ist in Form. “Vor zwölf Jahren bauten wir noch 11’000 Paar Ski – jetzt sind wir bei gut 50’000 angelangt”, sagt Beni Stöckli. Inzwischen werden fast die Hälfte der Ski aus der Fabrik in Wolhusen (LU) in 34 Länder exportiert. “Im vergangenen Jahr konnten wir uns im Export um nahezu 30% steigern”, erklärt Stöckli. Für das laufende Jahr hat er mit seinen 200 Mitarbeitern erneut ein Umsatzplus budgetiert. Stöckli erwirtschaftet zwei Drittel des Firmenumsatzes mit seinen Ladengeschäften, den Rest mit der Skiproduktion. “Rote Zahlen haben wir noch nie geschrieben”, sagt Stöckli, für den eine Verlagerung ins Ausland nicht in Frage kommt. Wer die Nase voll hat von den Grossserienherstellern, die stets bemüht jugendlich wirken und ihre Ski mit schreierischem Design verunstalten, findet bei den Schweizer Kleinserienherstellern Alternativen. Carving-Pionier Sepp Bürcher hat mit Andreas Hangl ein abgestimmtes System von Ski und Bindungsplatte entwickelt. Seine RTC-Ski (Ready-to-carve) werden in Brig gebaut, heissen “der Rote”, “der Grüne” oder “der Blaue”, sind als echte Carving-Ski kurz (128 bis 168 cm lang) und kosten 1180 bis 1200 Fr. (www.rtc-ski.ch). Die Jahresproduktion liegt aktuell bei 900 Paar Ski; in zwei bis drei Jahren will Bürcher 1500 Paar absetzen.
Auf Freeride-Ski spezialisiert ist die Firma Movement in Vevey: Sie konnte in der vergangenen Saison den Absatz auf 5500 Paar Ski verdoppeln. Die extrabreiten Ski werden von den Snowboard-Pionieren um Richard Cattaneo und Serge Baud (Marke Wild Duck) entwickelt und konzipiert. Hergestellt werden die Movement in Oberitalien; sie kosten 500 bis 600 Euro (www.movementskis.com).
Erfolgreich behauptet sich auch Aldo Kuonen (www.ak-ski.ch): Der ehemalige Rennleiter von Rossignol baut edle Carving- und Tourenski. “Ich bin im Moment ausverkauft”, berichtet Kuonen. 2500 Paar liess er dieses Jahr in Frankreich und Italien herstellen, gefertigt aus Schweizer Komponenten. Die Zai-Ski [www.zai.ch] von Simon Jacomet sind Luxusprodukte von feinster Qualität. Die Nachfrage dürfte bei einem Preis von 3300 Fr. pro Paar beschränkt sein – die Manufaktur in Disentis hat eine Kapazität von 1000 Paar.(dah.)

From a sports perspective, the RTC and the Movement ski are interesting. Unfortunately, the price tags are rather exclusive too. Observation: The continued fusion between skiing and snowboarding. More and more people (including yours truly) aren’t willing to limit their fun to one particular discipline. They want to go snowboarding, skiing, carving, freeskiing and so on. Of course, manufacturers also welcome this development.