Category: Techno Bob

Categories
Assorted Bob Techno Bob Web Bob

I’m back …

At least, I think I’m back. The post before this one was in mid-November. Shortly after that, my hosting provider, AplusNet, was sold and the buyer migrated all severs to a new location. That migration was a nightmare and left me unable to post to this blog.

I’d been with Aplus for about 10 years so I wasn’t eager to leave. They’d provided great service and until November, I’d had no problems. But the more I talked to them after the migration, the more pissed I became. My help desk ticket was rolled into one massive ticket for all WordPress problems, so I couldn’t get any visibility into what was being done to fix it or when we might get a solution. I assume a lot of people with WordPress installs are having problems after the migration. When I asked for a refund for my hosting fees so I could go elsewhere, they refused.

Then my favorite gun-nut blogger, Say Uncle, suggested I give his hosting provider a shot. So far, I’m very impressed with Hosting Matters. Price is right. Everything works as advertised. I’m going to give it a week or two and then pull the plug on all my stuff that’s over on AplusNet.

Moral of this story: AplusNet sucks ass. Total ass. Avoid them like the plague.

To-do: If you see anything broken/strange/odd on here (I mean, aside from the usual broken/strange/odd stuff I tend to spit out), send me a note so I can troubleshoot it. Best I can tell, the move went well, but I’m sure there are a few broken things dangling here and there.

And Happy New Year.

Categories
Media Bob Techno Bob

Hulu turns to the ‘winfomercial’

I had insomnia last night and found myself watching “Family Guy” on Hulu at about 4 a.m. At the start of one episode, Hulu presented me with an option to see one ad at the beginning of the show, or ads throughout, as it usually does.

I chose the one-shot deal.

And a very strange ad for Stride Gum came on. It ran about two and a half minutes (I love the way Hulu runs a clock to let you know how much longer the ad has to run …), and at the end of it, I was wondering what I had seen. They’re running a $10k contest to rename this everlasting gum, but I also had to wonder if what they’re really doing is testing user acceptance/preferences for streaming video advertising. I was actually doubting whether Stride Gum existed at all and if it was all just a ploy to see what kind of consumer response they were getting. After looking at the site, I’m still not sure. But the ad:

1. Got me to go to the site

2. Stayed with me. I’m still thinking about it, and even writing about it.

3. Was preferable to sitting through multiple interruptions in the Family Guy. I’d sooner sit through the 2.5 minute ad, especially if it’s somehow unique or off the wall, than get stopped periodically for 30 or 60 seconds.

Not sure where all this is heading, but the infomerical, or “winfomercial” as they call it, format of the Stride ad has potential. I’ve noticed Hulu and Boxee delivered content still is full of public service announcements where ad avails should be, and I’ve seen several instances where dated creative still was running. As these vehicles gain more mass appeal, it’s going to call for a more sophisticated and possibly targeted approach to serving ads. And better targeting might make viewers more amenable to the longer, one-shot format.

(I was watching Hulu via Boxee, btw. Boxee’s latest workaround for Hulu’s refusal to play ball is working pretty smoothly now … makes you wonder if Hulu will stop trying to hinder mass distribution and embrace it, instead.)

Categories
Techno Bob

Adding RAM to a Mac Mini …

I’m toying with installing Mac server software on my Mac Mini, but I wanted to add the max RAM to it first. Not surprisingly, Steve Jobs and Co. made it as difficult as possible to do, but thanks to this tutorial I boosted my RAM to 2 GB today. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

I did hit one glitch, however. When I pulled out the antenna for the Airport card, I managed to disconnect it from the card. It took me a while to figure out where exactly that was and how to connect it. Some ruthless Googling turned up this guide, which steered me in the right direction.

Now the fun begins …