Awful design decisions

Our new candidate for awful design decisions of the decade is especially intriguing. I was going out in the kitchen to make some food. I wanted to make the refrigerator a bit colder because some stuff was getting spoilt. Inside the fridge I got presented with this control panel..

Should I go towards the min saying I want to minimize the temperature, or should I go towards the max saying I want to maximize the power output? This simple task had become so ambiguous that I had to look up the manual. Seriously, the guys at Daewoo don't expect that anyone could just set the inner temperature of the fridge easily and seamlessly... So here's what it said in the manual.

 Here's what it says in a different manual, published by Daewoo.

Now that's great. It very well explains that by default the middle leds is shown then after that, the led at position 4 is lit up and it goes on to describe the cycle order... All right, perhaps just pushing the buttons repeatedly is not enough for some monkeys, but what do I do with this utterly useless information? Wait, it goes on and explains the same thing again! And most of all, how do I make the inner tempreture colder? Disaster...

In my last despair, I decided that in order to get the answer to my question, I had to think like a Daewoo designer and walk in their shoes. What could he have thought? Hmm. FRZ. TEMP, REF. TEMP MIN MAX... Aha, maybe temperature means the actual temperature? But then again there's no unit measures, like C or F, just numbers. So perhaps, if I set temp to min, logically it would mean minimum refrigerator temperature. So that must be it.

I wasn't convinced so I decided the search the internet to find the ultimate answer to this incredibly difficult task. In other model manuals, guess what. They had the same stupid descriptions. However, in more advanced models, they improved and decided to put a C mark. So you know what? It turns out that actually, it is MAX that means lower temperature, though I'm still not sure. I would have never thought that Daewoo would make my life easier. They didn't.

What alien life might look like?

Yesterday, I was thinking what life is. Then I saw a TED video by David Deutsch, who called life a "chemical scum". And he's so right. I mean imagine an alien who has never seen life before. What does he see? He sees molecules. Molecules sometimes form planets, sometimes they merge or split releasing energy, for example in a star. So what does he see when he comes to the Earth? He sees molecules that interact with eachother in the limits of the Laws of Physics. Phisics is what defines what is permitted in our Universe. So basicaly what this alien sees is some molecules who interact with eachother in an uncommon way, not like for example molecules on a rock. Even if you think of humans and human society. That is no different to grass or lifeless objects, in that it is just a bunch of atoms that in the limits of phisicys, at this point in space, at this time, interact with eachother in a way, that it creates a thing that is collectively know as humanity.

So what is my point. My point is that when we search for extraterrestrial life forms, they may be fundamentally different than us. That is they may not even be lifelike, it could be the case that there is another cube of space at this time, where the laws of phisics make molecules, and energy interact with eachother in a way that it creates some totally wierd, outlandish phenomenon, that we can't even imagine now. Life is no different than a black hole, in that it is just a phenomenon that under certain conditions with some probability, exists. It's just one property of the Universe and what physics allow.

Hidden Microsoft Silverlight keeps reappearing in MS Update

Talk about customer pressurization. I have recently discovered a cunning little method that Microsoft uses to make you download Microsoft Silverlight through Windows Update, even if you have explicitly hidden it or have another Flash player (like Adobe) already installed.

First you get presented with the update screen, provided that you have Windows Update set to manual. Otherwise, MS Silverlight may have been already installed without your knowledge.

You naively think that after you have hidden the updates you don't want to install, it won't bother you again. Not so fast cowboy.



Deceptively enough, if you click hide, close Windows Update and reopen it immediately, MS Silverlight will not show up, which makes you think that your action has indeed worked.



However after five minutes...



There it is again!! Wait so haven't I hidden update for this software already? Let's check.



Yep, MS keeps re-offering the same software again and again with different update IDs. What makes them think that if I did not want an optional update the first time, I will want it the 7th time? They will not rest until you install every piece of their bloatware on your computer. Little tricks like this is what I don't like about Microsoft's way of dealing with their customers.

How to download free stuff from the internet? - A quickie guide for bittorrent

This guide covers settings for a popular bittorrent client called Utorrent.

PORTFORWARDING

1. Firewall: open port 45678 TCP, and 45678 UDP.
In Windows Firewall
1.1 under Exceptions tab
1.2 click "add ports" (you can enter any name)

Skip unless you have a router
2. Router
2.1 set up a STATIC IP
2.2 note the manufacturer and find a guide here


UTORRENT

1.1 download Utorrent: http://www.utorrent.com/
1.2 open it
1.3 click Options, Preferences

2. General
2.1 Install IPv6
2.2 Append ut! to incomplete files -- tick

3. Directories
3.1 Put new downloads in -- tick
3.2 enter path where you want to download to

4. Connections
4.1 Port: 45678
4.2 other boxes are empty

5. Bandwidth
5.1 Use additional upload slots if speed is below <90% -- empty

6 Bittorrent
6.1 Everything ticked except:
6.2 Limit local peer bandwidth -- empty
6.3 Outgoing -- disabled

You can skip step 7- This helps you spare some upload bandwidth
7. Queuing
7.1 Ratio is -- 0
7.2 Seeding time is -- 0
7.3 Seeding tasks have higher priority -- empty
7.4 Limit upload rate -- tick and 0

8. Press OK

9. Options -> Speed Guide.
9.1 If you don't know your upload bandwidth, click "run speedtest"
9.2 Connection Type: second value is upload speed (kilobit and megabit, not kilobyte or megabyte!)
9.3 Current Port: 45678
9.4 Test if port is forwarded correctly
9.5 Use selected settings

If you get a green OK, everything's fine

You can skip step 10- This accelerates your download speed
10.1.1 Download a patch)
10.1.2 Open and enter: 100.
10.1.3 Add to tcpip.sys
10.1.4 In Utorrent: Options - Preferences - Advanced
10.1.5 net.max.halfopen
10.1.6 Value: 100
10.1.7 Set
10.1.8 OK
10.2.1 Download another patch
10.2.2 open it and set your upload speed on the slider
10.2.3 click "optimal settings"
10.2.4 Apply changes

SITES

www.isohunt.com
www.mininova.org
www.thepiratebay.org

DOWNLOADING

1. go to one of the above sites
2. search for something, as in Google
3. download a .torrent file
4. open the .torrent file with Utorrent
5. wait until download is finished

Bittorrent, p2p, Utorrent avagy Hogyan töltsünk le ingyen cuccot az internetről?

Gyorstalpaló

PORTOK

1. Firewall: nyisd meg a következő portokat: 45678 TCP, 45678 UDP.
Windows firewallnál:
1.1 kivetelek ful
1.2 port hozzadasa (bármilyen nevet beírhatsz)

A 2-es lépést kihagyhatod, ha nincs routered
2. Router
2.1 Statikus IP
2.1.1 Start->Futtatas->cmd->ipconfig /all ->most kapsz egy kepernyoi adatot.
2.1.2 Itt megkeresed az internetkapcsolatodra vonatkozo bekezdest,
2.1.3 Írd le a következőket: IP cím, Alhálózati Maszk, Alapértelmezett átjáró, DNS kiszolgálók (2 érték)
2.1.4 Start -> jobb click Hálózatra-> tulajdonságok -> Hálózati kapcsolatok kezelése -> jobb click internet kapcsolatra -> tulajdonságok -> click TCP/IP v4 -> tulajdonságok
2.1.5 Ird be ide az előbbi értékeket, amiket leírtál magadnak.
2.1.6 OK

2.2 Router: nezd meg a routerodon a gyartmanyt es ezen az oldalon le van irva, hogy mit kell csinalni.
Linksys routernél:
2.2.1 Roviden, megnyitod a firefoxot
2.2.2 beirod a routerodnak a cimet (pl.:192.168.1.1)
2.2.3 beirod a felhasznalo nevet/jelszot
2.2.4 Security fül
2.2.5 block anonymous requests -- üres
2.2.6 Applications and gaming fül
2.2.7 Ott beirod 45678, udp, 192.168.1._ és 45678, tcp, 192.168.1._ az utolso jegyek a fent említett "IP cím"-el egyeznek meg (általában 1,2,3... vagy 100,101,102...)

UTORRENT

1.1 letöltöd Utorrentet innen: http://www.utorrent.com/
1.2 megnyitod
1.3 Rakattintasz Options, Preferences-re

2. General
2.1 Install IPv6
2.2 Append ut! to incomplete files -- bejelölve

3. Directories
3.1 Put new downloads in -- bejelölve
3.2 Ird be, hova akarod menteni a cuccot

4. Connections
4.1 Port: 45678
4.2 A többi nincs bejelölve

5. Bandwidth
5.1 Use additional upload slots if speed is below <90% -- üres

6 Bittorrent
6.1 Minden bejelölve kivéve:
6.2 Limit local peer bandwidth -- üres
6.3 Outgoing -- disabled

A 7-es lépést kihagyhatod- Ezzel spórolni tudsz a feltöltéssel
7. Queuing
7.1 Ratio is -- 0
7.2 Seeding time is -- 0
7.3 Seeding tasks have higher priority -- üres
7.4 Limit upload rate -- bejelölve és 0

8. OKzd le az egeszet

9. Options -> Speed Guide.
9.1 Ha nem tudod a feltöltési sebességet, akkor click "run speedtest"
9.2 Connection Type: masodik ertek a feltoltesi sebesseged (kilobit és megabit, nem kilobyte vagy megabyte!)
9.3 Current Port: 45678
9.4 Test if port is forwarded correctly
9.5 Use selected settings

Ha zöld OK-ot kaptál akkor minden működik

A 10-es lépést kihagyhatod- Ez gyorsítja a letöltésedet
10.1.1 Letoltesz innen egy patchet
10.1.2 Megnyitod es beirod, hogy 100.
10.1.3 Add to tcpip.sys
10.1.4 Utorrentben: Options - Preferences - Advanced
10.1.5 net.max.halfopen
10.1.6. Value: 100
10.1.7 Set
10.1.8 OK
10.2.1 Letöltesz innen egy másik patchet
10.2.2 megnyitod es beállítod a feltöltési sebességed a csúszkán
10.2.3 click "optimal settings"
10.2.4 Apply changes


OLDALAK

www.isohunt.com
www.mininova.org
www.thepiratebay.org

LETÖLTÉS

1. rámész az egyik oldalra
2. rákeresel valmire, mint a Google-on
3. letöltesz egy .torrent fájlt
4. megnyitod a .torrent fájlt Utorrenttel
5. vársz amíg letölti

Pirate Party and The Pirate Bay Trial

So the Swedish Pirate Party says that the patent system and copyright laws should be abolished.

I assume this is because people like downloading stuff for free, and they don't want to give up their newly found hobby. To be honest, nobody wants to pay for anything. People have found a way to get stuff for free, so it's natural that they don't want to let that go. However, I advise you to look into what actually the term "copyright" means. It means that if you create something of an intellectual property, then it is acknowledged by others that it was you that created that stuff. If copyright laws and the patent system were to be abolished then there would be no assurance for content creators (movies, games, music... etc.) and respective copyright owners that they work gets properly attributed to them and they get compensated when someone else attempts to make a buck of it.

In other words, the Pirate Party proposes that whoever creates something of a value, their work should just drift away into public domain and should be everyone's. The incentive for people to create intellectual media is that they want to get payed for it and properly acknowledged. It is self-interest that drives people, not altruism. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any difference if they indeed did nothing and sat on their laurels all day, or they pushed themselves to put some very hard work into their product.

This whole hype is hypocrite. If you don't pay for other people's hard work then eventually, they will stop working and soon you will see that nobody's making any quality products anymore. It's nice that the Pirate Party wants to gain some influence so they ride the recent spur of publicity of the Pirate Bay trial, but their support is based on the fact that people are reluctant to pay for other people's work, but expect to get it for free.

Do you think that the sole reason The Pirate Bay website exists is because they so want to promote the freedom of Internet and have great deal of love towards their users? They exists because they know that people do like downloading stuff for free so they will visit the Pirate Bay site in order to do so, and watch ads on it for which the admins get paid. They only exist so that they can put ads on their website on which people click as a result of which they earn money. So yes, they are making money of other people's work without sharing the revenue with them. If it wasn't for free movies and songs, their site traffic would drop by 99%.

I must say that as an end consumer, I am a great supporter of p2p networks in general and I find it amazing how technological advances change the way of life for some. At the same time, though, it's high time that people realized that Nobody Works For Free!