lisasong.com

Problem statement:
1. My 1/2-T network storage has only 90 gigabytes left
2. The Linux box hosting that storage was built 5 years ago and has Giga-Ethernet compatibility and USB support problem
3. My Win-Tel box runs on an old Dell “space-saver” box with a 3.25″ disk and zero expansion slot
4. The Win-Tel box has only an mid-level graphics card that is not going to support video-editing and raw image processing
5. My daily backup job routinely fails because the Redhat-USB external hard disk issue

Proposed solution:
1. Build a new mid-level Win-Tel box
2. Convert the Dell box to a barebone Linux server
3. Use FreeNAS to build a NAS server with 1-T capacity

Budget:
1. PC: case, motherboard, graphics card, CPU, memory, XP Professional. Should use EIDE board so to reuse existing HDD. About $500 ?
2. Linux: nothing. Not sure latest Fedora has all the drivers though. If not … very very bad.
3. NAS: 1 SATA card, 2x 1-T sata HDD. 1 Giga-Ethernet NIC. total $750.

Risks:
1. I have an old IDE-board. But the new HDD are SATA. If I put in a SATA PCI card, does FreeNAS recognize it?
One user posted on 7/18/07: this card and this one both work with the latest freeNAS version.

2. What Giga-Ethernet card does freeNAS support?
According to freeNAS support page, “Any NIC controllers supported by FreeBSD FreeBSD is a Unix-like free operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD).are supported by FreeNAS ”
The FreeBSD site lists the following NIC: 3Com 3c996-T (10/100/1000baseTX), Netgear GA302T, Intel PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter (82541PI),

Candidates:
HD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145167&ATT=22-145-167&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3watch-_-Hard+Drives-_-Hitachi+Global+Storage+Technologies-_-22145167
SATA card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815124020

Barely two years into its life span my iPod Mini battery is dying. I didn’t even use it that much! Anyway, got the word that I can replace the battery myself and did so moments ago. I order a kit from TechForLess.com and finished the job in 30 min. I don’t like iPod’s proprietariness (?) but I am impressed with its workmanship. It is almost European in that regard. Beautiful piece of work. Too bad now it has two ugly screwdrivers marks on both ends.

Frontal view. All the buttons and circuits … oh yeah	Back view. The kit comes with a special screwdriver and a replacement battery for $16.

This is the review I posted on Amazon.com for “eBags Downloader Laptop Backpack“.

This bag is perfect for what I need: I am a graduate student. My typical load consists of: a 6lb laptop with all the accessories. Plus several books, notepads and printouts.

The bag has enough room for all the stuff abovementioned but is tightly constructed so with even 20 lbs on my back, it doesn’t swing left and right when I walk.

It also has the right combination of padding and pockets. The only feature I wished for was the ability to stand on its own under all load conditions (when load is too light or too heavy, you have to lean it against something).

Overall, highly recommended.

I review I posted on Amazon.com for “Griffin Technology RadioShark AM / FM Desktop Radio with Time-Shift Recording”

I bought this gadget in the hope of recording off-hour radio broadcasts and be able to hear them on my mp3 player later.

The problem with the device is its software: it has a significant memory and CPU footprint while running (as a service process, which means all the time!). And it almost always crashes when woken by the scheduler for the 2nd time.

Furthermore, it records in iPod’s format, to convert it to MP3 can literally stop my desktop. Nor does the software allow you to create a separate folder for each recorded program. The reception is meager to say the best. But unlike my tuner, I can’t even attach a UHF antenna to it.

Not recommended.

I have had a string of bad experiences with Logitech products. First, one of the mouse PS2 connector broke. It was poor workmanship: the metal pins and its plastic casing just came apart.

Later, with another Logitech mouse, there was a sticky scrolling wheel. The latest one was even more screwy. After I replaced the batteries, the left button (click/select) stopped working: buttons on the screen were pressed but nothing happened, as if I pressed down, then moved cursor out and released it.

Similarly, if I click on the Window’s “Start” button, the Program menu pops and disappears all at once. I had to rely on keyboard to open Control Panel. Only after I checked the “ClickLock” box on the Mouse control, did things become partially normal: I was able to click open “Start” menu, but NOT the language settings. Exceed (a X window program) terminal behavior all screwed up too.

I downloaded the latest driver from Logitech and installed it. It did not fix the problem at all. Instead, I was shown a myriad of things I could do with this fantastically advanced multifunctional unit.

This is a typical case of over-engineering. Products like Aspirin, Gillette razors, Oracle database, Microsoft Office and even its OS all have matured and have come to end of natural development cycles. Yet to keep profits coming, product managers just kept “innovating” new “features”, which would add on less values but more complexity and vulnerability.

What I am trying to understand is, if the Market is so efficient, how could this pattern have survived? Lack of feedbacks? If so, someone should start a website and have people, especially insiders, to air out such case.