Some major rulings:

 Good summary at http://gizmodo.com/5596677/drm-buster-faq-what-it-means-for-you

 Every three years, the Librarian gets to make rulings on what is meant by Copyright in this country... so it should be. Good reading and ripping.

~cse

 We find ourselves at day 3....

 So the hardware issues have settled down... DishNetwork is back up and running. Now I move onto trying to get Outlook to work with uverse... I actually call the right number (same number as before, but this is now the right number). As I describe to the level 2 tech on phone, we find out that my account registration did not complete... not a surprise given that the ATT registration site was down at the time of install. So we get through that... as the tech's computer is down and is in the process of coming (nice to know that ATT's support has many of the same issues as it's customers).

 Finally, the real reason why I called... the settings that I found on ATT's web site to setup Outlook to work with Uverse simply do not work when you are not on @att.net. Gee, guess my email is on the @bellsouth.net domain. Yeah.... so as the tech and I continue to talk, he makes it a point to let me know that there is a "Service" I can call because they specialize in getting email up and running (a specialist to get email working? Really? We're talking about EMAIL!).... There is one catch though... this "email" setup service costs.

 Excuse Me? COSTS? At this point I remind the tech on the phone that I was told that my email will just transfer over (in fact that's what the tech and I just did...we migrated my current account stuff to uverse).... Well... not quite... The tech tells me that they do not support Outlook.... really?

 So once again, in ATT's rush to get customers... and just tell them anything... in fact there are exceptions to this "everything will migrate".... In the sprite of trying to get Outlook working on uverse, I let the tech transfer me to another tech (that's actually in the same building).... Yeah...

 Guess what the Cost is of getting ATT to fix their broken POP/SMTP (Mail geek for their Mail Server) and give you the "secret" Outlook settings that actually work!.... Guess? $29. Yeah, that's not a misprint, ATT wanted 30 bucks to fix their problem. As I'm talking with this "Specialist" Tech... I ask so it's $30 for you to help me fix something you broke? The tech comes up with the analogy that well 'if you bought a Ford and a GPS and the GPS broke... you wouldn't expect Ford to fix the GPS? Would you?"- Well Duh, no I would not next expect Ford to fix someone else's equipment... but you know what... in this case, ATT own's the network and the email systems. It's not Outlook that is broken, the problem is within ATT's system. The correct analogy is I take the GPS unit and plug it into a Ford socket and says it delivers 12v DC.. and the GPS unit does not work! I Plug the GPS unit into another "NON-FORD" car and it works... I don't call the GPS folks, I call Ford because it's the plug! You ATT moron! Yeah, $30.....

 So no.. I hung up as the "Specialist" tech was giving his closing speech that ...."if there's anything else I <click> can help you with....." and then I went downstairs to help my wife setup email in Outlook to use Gmail... and it works.... Thanks ATT... lots of no help there...

<over the weekend a couple of days later> The ATT supervisor from Day #2 gives me a call back, as she said she would, and I thank her and give a good report on the tech she sent out to re-connect the DishNetwork cable... So we are good on the hardware... ATT screwed up using Outlook, but the network is up....

 Next.... Day #4 (or a couple of days later) as I try to get the TV part of Uverse off my account.... this should be fun!

~cse 

Well it is day 2 in my transition to ATT Uverse (it's really day 3... I'm playing catch up....)

 I've decided to stay with DishNetwork's definition of DRV and multi-room support... So I have to go around and hook everything back up...what a pain! So as I head out... I discover that the ATT tech (tech day #1...we'll call him)... Cut the f**king line to my Satellite dish.... WHAT!!!??? Why the hell did he do that? He cut the line and is now using the line going into the house on the ATT network? Gee, I guess he didn't want to put in a new Coax line? WHAT THE F***K!

 Yeaper, now that I'm already slightly annoyed by what I was sold and didn't get! Now, I'm just plain pissed off!!!!

 So, I call the support number that Tech day #1 gave me... and I know it's not really the right number, but the guy on the phone is going to try to help me... Now to this level 2 tech on the phone's credit... he did try to help me... as we talked and he mentions that there maybe a service charge to get another tech out to fix the problem... I pointed out that no there will not be a service charge for ATT to fix something YOU broke!

 I ended up having to talk with a supervisor... no surprise there... and again... I explain what happened... and the only thing she could say was... the tech really cut your dishnetwork line? Yeaper!  "....they are not suppose to do that!..." Yeah, you're telling me! But in the end, the supervisor lady did help me! She placed the tech call to get someone dispatched to my house... she also went the extra mile and said that she would call me back to check and that if there was any problem or charge that she would get it handled... Now that is customer service!!! 

For all of the f**king up that ATT did and is doing concerning getting Uverse and getting it's services... this lady handled the customer in a very professional manner... she didn't argue with me... she didn't put my concerns off... she listen and managed the problem.... Kudos!!

Tech day #2 was nice guy showed up and I point out the issue to him... The tech doesn't understand why the previous tech did what he did, but I get the sense from this tech that he wants to help and make things right, so he slices in a new line... and he gives me a replacement coax cable so I can a hook up the power back into the Dish equipment....

 I finally got everything set back up and running.... Now day #3... another interesting experience with ATT.....

~cse 

Well, the install happened and new sets of lights are blinking (the ScottGeek estate has LOTS of little lights blinking everywhere), now some opinion....

 First of all the internet and the VOIP, work great! In fact the router reports that I have 25mps up and ~2mps down- which translates in reality to about 18mps up and ~1 - 1.5mps down. So good marks on that Uverse. Things took a bit of configuring and I have still to get outlook to send email, but overall Phone and Internet are working well.

 As for the TV part of the Uverse experience, well that's a little less than what I expected- and what I understood I was getting. Yeah... I'm not going to go into a rant about it, because I have options and the means to work around things, but I will speak to some interesting "WTF" things concerning Uverse as a TV provider.

 The tech gets started with the install and at some point he asks... "Where would you like the DVR installed".... excuse me? The DVR? My initial response was.. don't you have 4 DVR's? I was under the impression that I was replacing my 4 (FOUR) current Dish DVR's with Uverse DVR's... The tech informs me that...oh with Uverse there is only one actual DVR (the unit that has the Hard Drive and where tv is recorded)... the other units connect to the DVR.... Ok... install it here.... Did I just mis-understand how Uverse TV/DVR is setup and functions? You bet! So I ask the tech some "techy" questions... and I was still cool with it (I just lost major TV recording space, but maybe it's still ok.... right?) So, I learned that Uverse TV always for only 1 (ONE) actual DVR... every room that you attach (@$7.00 per room) must share the single (count them 1 DVR).... ummm, but Dish only charges ~5 per room for a real DVR.....

 Ok, I go with the flow... I did say that I would give this a fair look.... So the install finishes with TV/Phone/Internet all set up and pumping away.....

Then, as wife and I head up to bed... we decide we would take the show we were watching up stairs... I turn the TV/non-DVR box on... go to the channel... and hit pause (got to go and do the before bed bathroom brush teeth, etc...) But before I walk away from the TV I notice that the show would not pause? So I try again, this time I notice a message on the screen... Can not Pause Live TV.... really! No really? I can't pause live tv? But but.... it paused downstairs! Oh, wait a minute... downstairs is the real DVR..... Crap! Really!?

 Next Day.... after some research.... Yeap, You can only do DVR stuff on the actual DVR.....

   To be Continued.... Uverse Day 2 (or How ScottGeek attempts to dump the TV part of Uverse).....

~cse 

Interesting article... We have some of the worst traffic in the country (and the worst politicians) Gee, are we really surprised that this state looses money? http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-passenger-terminal-to-569971.html?cxtype=rss_news_81960

Conservatives don't build roads or use public transportation (that socialism)... yeah in the red state of right-wing GA.

~cse

I just love this.... I'm still laughing....

Interesting article form Gu about Windows 7 Phone development http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/07/12/windows-phone-7-developer-tools-beta-released.aspx.

Check it out.

~cse

I'm I a convert.... I could be... The google "Stuff" appears to be... very good so far... what the hell, Hire the best engineers... threat them well... let them loose... and technology happens. Well, what else would you expect a TechnoMage to say?

Anyway, some more blog posts are on there way... I've awfully busy... I working on the usual stuff but I'm getting into the Silverlight tech... I have a BizTalk systems management tool that I want to bring to the Web... and yes it needs to be in silverlight (ok, not really... But I need an excuse to do something in silverlight).

~cse

 Well, the "SharePoint Trail Expired" issue finally hit my SharePoint. Besides this being total crap (How can a non-Trial edition of software Expire?), what pain in ass! Once again <onto the soapbox> that piece of crap to prevent software pirates from sealing has given a false positive to us that actual have paid for licensing. Having a software bug is one thing, but writing bad software that goes out of its way to disable itself…

 You know, I have yet to see anything that is “Protected” not be broken. Why? It’s simple,  by the very nature of software protection schemes a totally effective protection strategy means that one has to create software that does not work or will not work at some point. I think back to the days of Lotus 123. Mission #1 of Lotus was to make absolutely sure that their product would not work unless you had the Master disc in the drive. Yeah, that was a floppy disc, by the way. Do you see any potential problems with that? Yeap, ever single bad thing that was possible to happen to that Master Floppy Disc did occur… and it occurred on such a vast scale (because Lotus sold tons that their spreadsheet) that Lotus put in place the policy that they would charge licensed customers fees for replacing bad Master Discs. So, when is the last time you heard of anything regarding a Lotus SpreadSheet? Or for that matter Lotus anything? Lotus products do still exist. IBM bought all of that software years ago and some of it is still around (Lotus Notes is used by lots of folks). But a Lotus SpreadSheet? Moral of this story, piss off enough of your customers with your paranoid approach of protecting your software to the point that your software is useless and so expensive and someone will find a way to use something else (ever heard of Excel? Or the other Free SpreadSheet software?).

Ok <off the soapbox>….

 If you do run into the issue of your licensed SharePoint installation Expiring itself, there are a number of good articles on the web to help you through it. In my case, I ran the SharePoint Configuration, without changing anything, and then I did a enable of Enterprise Features in the Operations Admin… and my SharePoint is happy again.

~cse

Yeap… got my photographer hat on and took some saps…

I kid you not!...  cse