Dell m4400 Blue Screen

I recently purchased a Dell Precision m4400 notebook. All was well for a few weeks until out of the “blue” it started blue screening on boot. Safe mode reported some VMM start-up problem, which didn’t really mean much to me (I assumed it was Virtual Memory Manager).

So I did’t what all good developers do, cracked the s#!$% and formatted it. All was well for another few days. Then it started again – this time I was completely sure I hadn’t changed something.

This time, rather than jumping in and reformatting, I decided to try “investigation”.

Long story short, it was an option in the BIOS, on the Virtualistaion tab, “Enable Direct I/O” or something similar. I disabled this and no more bluey

Test Tax File Number

What’s a good test Tax File Number (TFN)?

555-000-555. Nice and easy to remember.

Wikipedia has some more information on the TFN algorithm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_File_Number.

Shortcuts on Windows Vista start menu do not work

If you have items on your Windows Vista start menu that do nothing when you click them – and you know they should be working – such as Word or other Office programs, then this may be your answer.

For starters, if you have KDiff3 installed then the answer to your problem may be simple – the problem is with KDiff3′s context menu handler – see http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1759117&group_id=58666&atid=488548.

If you do not have KDiff3, then you might want to look at point 12 on this page: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm. Follow the instructions to use ShellExView until your shortcuts start working.

Big thanks to Rosso for taking the time last year to figure this out!

DTS-HD MA on PS3

Wow,

Just watched Die Hard 4 in DTS HD-MA… ON MY PS3!!

Thank you Sony at last!!

Sorry for the quality of the pic, my GF has my camera out on the town and I had to take it on my TYTNII Windows Mobile device.

A previous post detailed my trials and tribulations about Dolby TrueHD and DTS-MA (http://jakkaj.wordpress.com/2008/03/01/dolby-truehd-and-dts-hd-ma-on-ps3/)… looks like the latest PS3 update (2.30) has added DTS-MA decoding to the PS3 OS. Or 2.20, I dunno, I stopped checking every update for DTS-MA a few months back:)

Suffice it to say, DTS-MA is here! To enable, check out my post listed above – but remember, if you want to show off to your friends your cool new amp in its true DTS-MA and Dolby TrueHD glory, ensure they concentrate on the sound… your amp will not show that it’s decoding this awesome format (you will only see PCM, which comes across as being something you would see in a  Windows 95 WAV at first, until you realise that PCM means pure, un-adulterated lossless multi-channel awesomeness). In short, the Sony decodes the audio internally and sends it in a raw, lossless format to your amp – same audio, but no DTS-MA HD light on your amp:)

AMP: Yamaha RX-V3800
Speaker Setup: Klipsche F-3 front, C2 centre and F1 surround.
Awesomeness: 100%

“Yeah I saw it! I did it!!”

Multiple monitors – a productivity tool? I think so…

Jeff Atwood (of Coding Horror) has posted about a study recently completed by the University of Utah which has researched the productivity gains by using various monitor configurations, including different sizes and multiple monitor set-ups. You can read his post here: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001076.html

I too am a long time proponent of multiple monitor usage. Over the years I’ve had various configurations, my favourite being a centre 24 inch screen surrounded by to 20 inch screens… I found this to be a rather pleasant setup.

One thing that I think counts a lot toward a users enjoyment and productivity whilst using a multiple monitor rig is their previous experience of using such a set up. Most users who are “first timers” on a muti-monitor system have a rather difficult time coming to grips with some of basics like:

• Windows pop up on the other monitor… user thinks computer is being dumb and re-opens/smash clicks icon
• Where is the goddam mouse (I must admit this happens to me sometimes still)
• Task bar isn’t where it’s supposed to be when working on a secondary display (see below for fix). Same for the clock and Start button.
• Efficiently moving windows between screens (also see below for solution)

All these things are learned over time. In short I think it would be very difficult to reflect (in a University study for example) the gains made from switching from one to multiple screens – a user has to learn how to make the most out of the multiple set up before any real gains are to be reflected.

In my general experience I have found that most users will take a number of weeks to get really used to the extra screens, and even longer to take full advantage of them. If you where to study the any productivity gains, you would need to benchmark at the beginning and end of a lengthy period and take the following into account:

• It’s a long test (weeks and months) so the user is going to get better at their work over time.
• Testing has to be focused around general productivity – how do you measure gains made because the user isn’t concentrating so hard on window management (a pain in the bum for sure) – i.e. the user may be more relaxed because of less clutter, making them less stressed and more efficient.
• People get gains from using a larger single display probably because they are used to using a single display to start with – perhaps re-test a group starting from smaller multiple displays and move to larger multiple displays… assuming they where already good at multiple displays to begin with (this group of subjects would be hard to find I imagine).

The other thing that I think is important to consider is perhaps MSFT didn’t build very good multiple monitor support into the OS – sure it is very simple to set up and use multiple monitors, but is it really the best experience. Maybe the test would be a lot different if the users had access to something like Ultramon…

Ultramon allows things like: drag a maximised window between screens without first restoring it, and it adds a task bar per screen, so you can see the apps that are running on a particular screen on the taskbar for that screen – brilliant! Ultramon is not free.

To summarise I don’t think it’s a fair judgement that users only improve when using multiple monitors by 44%. I also don’t think its fair to say that software developers only need one screen to “code” in… I always have a piece of Xml or some string from a watch in the other window. Also alternative monitors are great for all the little extras… we all have Skype, MSN, Email, Twitter etc to think about – there is a lot of communication going on, most of the time enough to take up an entire screen!

Do Things Debt

Do Things Debt: The debt to yourself and those around you accumulate from having things to do (take out the bins, do the washing, build an extension on the house with floating floors, wall mounts for TV and sweet looking down lights you saw one day at Bunnings).

Do things debt builds just like normal monetary debt as you gain things to do – doing these things is much like making a payment off your monetary debt.

Do things debt has many similes with normal monetary debt:

• As you gain more debts they become harder to manage.
• The larger the debt the harder it is to pay.
• The larger the debt the more worry and stress it can cause.
• You lie awake at night worrying about how to pay the debt.
• Debts can be shared between people (joint do things debt account).
• Debts can be repaid to others.
• Some debts must be paid by the final date or they will incur serious consequences.
• Most debtors operate an early payment reward scheme – especially if payment is made as soon as the debt is incurred.
• Non payment will result in debtors talking to each other. You may get a name if you don’t pay them ontime and it may be difficult to gain credit.
• You can loan from others and create a debt.
• Recurring debts – keep coming back even if you pay them off. Non payments accumulate as other debts.
• Paying off certain debts may have a chain reaction and pay off related debts – this is negotiable with the debtor(s). Non payment of debts can have this effect in reverse – non payment may lead to creation of additional debts.
• Personal debts and business debts.
• The longer you leave a debt the more interest it accumulates. The original debt may increase at the whim of the debtor. It’s best to pay early to aviod this situation.
• Debts may be exchanged with others for debts of similar value.
• Some debts you may be unable to pay on your own, so be smart and have somebody help you pay, or evnt pay them for you – be careful though – you may gain another debt which is harder to pay than the original debt!
• Some people are better at managing debt than others.
• People of the opposite sex seem to create more debts than those of the same sex.
• Taking on debts for others without asking for any credit in return is rewarding. There are organisations (government, not for profit etc) which handle this very thing!
• People who don’t pay debts regularly on time are colloquially known as procrastinators.

Tips for dealing with Do Things Debt

• Allocate time each day to think about your debts and strategise how to pay them.
• Ensure you don’t spend too much time thinking about your debts – don’t let them rule your life!
• Don’t have unpaid debts for too long – and never leave them long enough to get a “Final Reminder” – especially in the domestic environment. Leaving debts for too long may incur a penalty debt.
• Don’t take on debts you cannot pay!
• Don’t forget about debts – especially in a domestic environment. All you debts are stored in a secure vault and cannot be erased. Your outstanding debts will be remembered for *years* to come.
• You cannot run and hide from your debts (pub, shopping, sleep etc). You will be contacted by any available means with reminder notices.
• Debtors don’t care what you are doing when they call on their debts, you may be expected to pay immediately. You may be able to negotiate an extension at the expense of additional debt.
• Make a time on weekends or after work to pay a few of your debts in one hit! I may seem like a lot of payment at the time, but you will be thankful later.
• Seek advice from others who have paid similar debts or talk to specialists for professional advice (e.g go to Bunnings for information on how to pay a domestic enhancement debt). Remember you are not alone.
• Keep an open dialogue with your debtors – don’t leave it until the final reminder to action. Negotiating new payment schedules is possible, and your debtors should be open to suggestions.
• There are special software programs available with specialised formulas to assist with debt management – Google “To Do List” to find these packages. If you are old fashioned there are methods for managing debts using pen and paper. A highly technical system some revolutionaries are using involves a whiteboard which sticks to the fridge using magnets!
• Get the kids to help you pay your debts – the best part is you will not incur any additional debt in return! This is a loophole which should be exploited as much as possible. Be careful however, as this method may invoke monetary problems around Christmas and birthday time.

And remember – keeping on top of your things to do debts is the key to a happy and successful life!