Of soldering guns and audio switches

I want to be able to switch easily between my computer speakers and headset.  Apparently, that’s easier said than done. Some motherboards shut off audio output in back automatically when you plug something into the front.  Alas, my ASUS motherboard doesn’t do that.  Even if it did, that wouldn’t be “easily” — I don’t want… Read More »

New Massachusetts unemployment insurance employer Web site crashes and burns upon launch

(Simulblogged at universalhub.com.) The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a convoluted(*) unemployment insurance system, under which employers are required to make various quarterly and annual filings and quarterly payments involving at least two different state agencies. This system is administered by the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA), who decided to replace their old, paper-based system with… Read More »

Family “Letters to the Editor” Score: +1

In today’s Boston Herald: Learn from Israel Monday, January 11, 2010 The Israelis do not use racial profiling for airport security (“European response mixed to new U.S. security demands,” Jan. 4). They use profiling, which includes patterns of behavior, coordination of intelligence and sophisticated modeling of which country of origin as but one factor. Interviews… Read More »

Zipcar! w00t!

I recently joined Zipcar.  I have been incredibly impressed in all of my dealings with them.  Some examples… Like just about every other company nowadays, Zipcar has a form on their Web site you can use to send them a message.  However, unlike most other companies, they also publish an actual email address you can… Read More »

Comcast Tech: “Comcast already disconnected? But I’ve got to disconnect SOMETHING!”

As I’ve discussed at length, I recently switched from Comcast internet & phone to RCN + Vonage because of dissatisfaction with Comcast’s business model (i.e., rip customers off at every opportunity), pricing (i.e., not at all competitive) and customer support (i.e., awful).  I thought this afterthought might be amusing to some… When the RCN installers… Read More »