Another Google Fail

I am no longer able to post images.  The image upload tool have been broken for some time.  For a short time, I was able to use the old interface to upload images successfully.  After they retired the old interface completely, I was able to post images indirectly through Picasaweb.  Not the Google Plus Photos tool, which seems inferior in every way to Picasa.  (You can use the 'noredirect=1' flag when accessing Picasaweb to not get redirected to Google Plus.)  Even though it was a bit cumbersome if I had to post several images, I could make it work.  They must have changed something in the Blogger API, though, and failed to update Picasa, because I can no longer post images that way.  I'm not sure what else to do and may have to switch blogger platform.

Doing the Office Space Routine on my DVD Player

In Office Space, there is a famous scene, where they violently take apart a printer that entirely deserved it.

 

I did the same to my JVC DVD/BD player.  (An XV BP1, if you must know).  I did it for much the same reason.  This junk failed to play about half of the Blue Ray discs I popped into it.  Yet, I can get over that.  What really irked was that the player quite often would refuse to open the drawer and let the disc out.  It would just stay hermitically sealed.  That experience was reminiscent of the scenes in Office Space where they are pulling on the paper in order to get their printed page.

I finally had enough.  I took the player outside and used a sledgehammer on it.  I freely admit, compared to Peter, Michael, and Samir, I am a rank amateur.  Still, the experience was oddly deliberating.

Year of the Google Dragon

Happy Chinese New Year!  I believe today is the official new years day and according to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 will be the year of the dragon.  For me, 2011 was the year of the Google dragon, so it is a bit serendipitous.  It was not only the year Android and Chrome ascended to market prominence, it was also the year I got disenchanted.  (I may conflate a bit of history.  Do not take me too literally here).

Microsoft is the software company whose products I use the most.  Comparing Google to them, over any given period of sufficient length, say, 6 months, I run into about as many Google bugs as Microsoft bugs.  At the conscious level, I feel this is being kind to Google, but I also realize that I have used some Microsoft products for many years and they probably have some quirks I work around without thinking about it.  The complexity of the Microsoft functionality I use is several orders of magnitude more than the Google functionality I use.  By the time I booted my system and started my browser, I have already run millions of lines of code.  During most weeks I will use a whole slew of Microsoft products, such as most of the Office suite, Visual Studio, Visio, SQL Server and other back-office products, not to mention several versions of Windows.  (I understand that Google does have an impressive infrastructure, in both the logical and the physical sense, to serve up web pages, fast, to gazillions of users.)

I love my Microsoft products and could write other blog posts about why, but today I have been thinking more about Google.  I keep running into annoying bugs.  The worst is when they lose my blog post, and that only happens when I have been working for hours on one.  I cannot remember the last time a Microsoft product lost my data. 

It gets worse.  I develop browser extensions for a living (OK, that is an exaggeration, but it is part of my job).  In order to test these, I load various browser configurations and then hammer on it with automated tests until it crashes, or several days pass, whichever occurs first.  I can tell you that with IE8 at least, the naked browser does not crash.  (Earlier versions were also pretty solid, but they did have some CPU issues.)  Once I start loading other browser extensions, such as the Google toolbar, the Yahoo toolbar, the Flash plugin, etc, that is when the browser starts to crash.  Of these, the Google toolbar is by far the worst.  The time to live goes from open-ended to hours, singlehanded courtesy of the Google extension. 

Add to this that you have to be on your toes something fierce if you do not want the Google toolbar.  That thing spreads like a virus.  I have on a couple of occasions gotten it installed with some other software, probably overlooking some crucial checkbox, and have had to uninstall it. 

I am a firm believer in Heinlein's Razor: Cock-up before conspiracy. I am fairly certain no sinister plan was in play here.  It would have been a pretty neat trick, though: develop an unstable extension to your competitor's product, propagate it aggressively using any means available, then ship your own product and laud its stability. 

I could say more, but I am going to publish my post before Blogger loses it.

Computer Issues

I have written about malware issues before. This time it is worse. Some virus killed my main PC, and I spent over two months trying to restore and clean it. Four security packages failed to do it automatically.

It was tedious work. I reinstalled the OS and available upgrades many times, too many to count. I scoured through registry settings, looking for suspicious entries. One evening, I manually copied 176 system DLLs from the XP installation DVD, one by one. I installed security packages and ran updates and scans, little of which proved productive.

Though I harbor little respect, and much disdain, for the malware authors, I have to admit the viruses are getting sophisticated. They morph themselves so that they are difficult to recognize, by programs or humans. They use counter measures, so that if you partially disable one, it will reconstitute itself. (This happened to me many times). They use indirection and one-way references, so that finding the root of each takes effort. They try to limit their system impact so that you might not notice them. Like biological viruses, they try not to kill their hosts, though in both cases, a lossage in the 10-20% range is perfectly acceptable.

I managed to get my system working and clean, and even got ESET Smart Security installed and operating. It is my favorite security program so far, because of its speed and relatively simple design (though the UI could use some work). Even it was not the silver bullet for me, though.

In the end, was it all worth it? I could have scratched the system and started over. (All my data is backed up regularly). That would have taken almost as long, though, and I would have lost a few assets -- some programs I would not have been able to reinstall and relicense. I would also not have learnt as much.

I have concluded that a few system settings and a security software package is not enough to protect you. You need more layers of security. I have become a fan of the limited user account. I have also looked for malware lists, such as the one found on malwaredomains.com. It is a non-profit, which I promptly donated to, because I like his work. Through it, I also found the Unmask Parasites blog, which reveals how some viruses work, security holes, and perhaps most importantly, includes tips and tidbits for end-users and webmasters alike.

I have also concluded that many viruses, especially the commercial ones, are so discreet that many computers and websites are infected, without the owners' awareness.

Browse safely.

Japanavia

As I travel around Japan, I notice many details that are distinctly Scandinavian. Sometimes the illusion is so complete as to be uncanny. Following are some pictures that are not that interesting in themselves, except that they could have been taken in Japan or either Denmark or Sweden. To be sure, a native or an expert might notice a revealing detail, so do not take it in a technical sense.

Often, I will see a building or a tile pattern that looks similar to something I might see in Denmark, but something is a little off. For instance, the brick-sizes and methods used in masonry differs slightly, so that a brick building may only look familiar at a distance. Sometimes I cannot put my finger on it. At other times, I will see a house that looks perfectly Danish, but a mountain in the distance or a sign in Kanji destroys the illusion.

To be honest, I am not certain if I initially saw a couple of these patterns, then started looking for them. I will say that they keep jumping out at me in ways that do not happen in other parts of the world.

Poor Norway gets left out. I do not see the wooden construction particular to Norway and northern Sweden, and the mountains near the cities are not dramatic enough.

Japanese Water Zen

Water is important to Japanese designs. In their version of Feng Shui, it's best to have some kind of water running through a setting. Thus, you'll see little brooks and ponds in unexpected places.

The little canal on the right, which I noticed in a historical neighbourhood in Takayama, could be mistaken for a gutter, but water will flow through it at all times.

Though I'm no Feng Shui nut, I do find the presence of water both aesthetic and soothing.

This stream in Kyoto had steps so you could literally walk across -- or through, depending on your perspective -- the stream.


Pond designed as part of the restoration of Osaka Castle.

The Two Towers

Shanghai is awe-inspiring. Above is a picture of two of the largest buildings in the world. On the left is Shanghai World Financial Center, the second tallest in the world. On the right is Jin Mao tower. The latter has an observation deck on the 88th floor, where I went up. I couldn't see much, thanks to the clouds, but it was still an impressive experience. The last 30 floors is a hotel with an atrium you can look into.

Neither building is boring. They each have interesting architectural features. Jin Mao tower took an idea from ancient pagoda construction, with the decorative terraces all the way up.

When we went to the Yu gardens in the old town, we got glimpses of the Pudong skyline, which created an interesting contrast.

Fairytale City

Hong Kong from Victoria Peak



You walk down an immaculate street, wondering if you can make your itinerary for an ambitious day. Your shoes never stick, you see no discarded paper cups, no errant paper blowing in the wind. The tiles are even and none are missing or cracked.

You come through a beautiful park with green shrubs, colorful flowers and an elegant fountain.

Fairytale Fountain



You descend into the metro station on a ramp that is smooth and shiny like marble. You get to the sprawling underworld with several levels and halls leading in all directions. Bilingual signs everywhere guide you to where you need to go, past neat shops and automated ticket dispensers that always work.

The train arrives on time a few minutes later, and you get into a car with clean, comfortable seats. The train moves quietly and fast, and you get to your destination as scheduled.

Again using the helpful signs, you exit the metro station by one of the numerous ramps within a block from where you need to be.

You get to the teahouse you want and a friendly waiter seats you and immediately serves you refreshing tea. You feast on sumptuous dim sum and other little meals until you are fat and happy.

You go outside and hail a cab. You get one immediately. The cab driver is polite and turns on the meter automatically. You drive down an even road with no cracks or potholes. The markings look like they were put there yesterday.

As you drive past the Louis Vuitton and Gucci stores, you notice that while it's a crowded city, and there are people everywhere, the traffic moves and you are never stuck or crammed.

You get out by the harbor to wait for the ferry. Unsurprisingly, it departs on time a few minutes later. The ocean air hits your nostrils and you get an incongruous whiff of sewage. As the ferry carries you to another scenic island, you take in the view of the stupefying expanse of high-rise below the green hills.

Fairytale Ferry (I cheated here: of course the commuter ferries didn't look like this)



You get off the ferry and walk down a lavish promenade. You are getting a little tired, so you take one of the ubiquitous escalators up the hill to your destination. You notice the handrail looks new and its motion is perfectly synchronized with the stairs.

At the top, you turn around to enjoy another arresting view of Fairytale City. You are well ahead of schedule in this town where everything works and everyone hustles. You relax and enjoy.

You are in Hong Kong.

Fairytale Flowers



Cleaning Fairytale City



Fairytale Paths and Staircases -- notice the perfect tile work

Today's Word: Opulent

Adjectives come to mind like raindrops as you bum around Hong Kong. Today's word is opulent.

Fountain and Walkway at base of Central Plaza

Bank of China

Flower garden at the top of Victoria Peak

Judging from the designer furniture on display, the inside of Hong Kong homes are as luxurious as the outside. I realize this is a poor indicator, but somebody must buy this stuff.