Archive for December, 2008

30gb zune issues — official update

Dec 31

Posted by Noel Adams in Technology | No Comments

Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used). The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year.

The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009. We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on. If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device.

Customers can continue to stay informed via the support page on zune.net (zune.net/support).

We know this has been a big inconvenience to our customers and we are sorry for that, and want to thank them for their patience.

Q: Why is this issue isolated to the Zune 30 device?
It is a bug in a driver for a part that is only used in the Zune 30 device.

Q: What fixes or patches are you putting in place to resolve this situation?
This situation should remedy itself over the next 24 hours as the time flips to January 1st.

Q: What’s the timeline on a fix?
The issue Zune 30GB customers are experiencing today will self resolve as time changes to January 1.

Q: Why did this occur at precisely 12:01 a.m. on December 31, 2008?
There is a bug in the internal clock driver causing the 30GB device to improperly handle the last day of a leap year.

Q: What is Zune doing to fix this issue?
The issue should resolve itself.

Q: Are you sure that this won’t happen to all 80, 120 or other flash devices?
This issue is related to a part that is only used in Zune 30 devices.

Q: How many 30GB Zune devices are affected? How many Zune 30GB devices were sold?
All 30GB devices are potentially affected.

Q: Will you update the firmware before the next leap year (2012)?
Yes.

Source: www.bink.nu

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Addonics $55 adapter turns any USB drive into a NAS

Dec 31

Posted by Noel Adams in Nature, Sights, Technology | No Comments

I’d love to get one of these to try but have to stick it on the want list for now.

Gone are the days of using expensive, noisy, bulky computers to serve media to our networks. Behold the Addonics NAS Adapter! This $55 doodad turns any USB drive into a network share accessible via SMB or FTP. But that’s not all! It also includes a BitTiorrent client, so you can download all those episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” directly to your USB drive while you’re at work! It acts as either a DHCP server or a client, and offers web-based management.

Product Feature

Convert any USB 2.0 / 1.1 mass storage device into a Network Attached Storage device
Great for adding Addonics Storage Tower, Storage Rack or any Addonics USB storage device onto the network
Great for creating a custom Network Attached Storage appliance.
USB port can be used to power most 2.5″ USB hard drives or any low powered USB storage device.
Support Fast Ethernet 10/100Mbps.
Simple to install
Small and light weight. Size slightly longer than a C size battery. Can be installed practically anywhere
Can be set as DHCP server or client.
Support Samba server for up to 64 concurrent clients.
Support FTP server for up to 8 concurrent users.
Can be set as a print server to attach any USB printer to the network
Built-in Bit Torrent client for direct download to the attached USB storage device
Can be set as a UPnP AV server to share photo/music files stored on the file server with XBOX 360 video game consoles connected to the LAN
User management to allow read only or read/write access to folders
Administrative management access via web browser with password security.
Compatible with all Windows OS, Mac OS, Linux 2.6.x and above

Link

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Dec 29

Posted by Noel Adams in All Other Stuff | No Comments

Added some more pictures to the photo gallery….. Just look for the update picture on the bottom of the files.

Gallery Link

1077
Preview above.

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Europe’s fastest street-legal car is… a 252 MPH Pontiac Trans-Am…

Dec 29

Posted by Noel Adams in Automotive | No Comments

I was on stumbleupon and found this…. all I can say is holy crap! Can i order one plz….. Click on the picture for the link.

Click on the above image for link to site & more pictures

“Have fun with KITT,” sniffed some AMG engineers when a group of Norwegians showed up at Germany’s Papenburg test track with a 1987 Trans Am. The smug smiles were quickly wiped off the faces of the Mercedes tuner crew when the ancient Pontiac’s practice laps were as fast as the AMG cars, and the F-Body wasn’t even working hard. Once warmed up, the 8.9-liter V8 unleashed all of its 1400 horsepower on the circuit, delivering a startling 407 kph (252 mph) also known as Bugatti Veyron fast. Better still, unlike the Bug, the Pontiac’s lap is official.

Needless to say, there’s not much stock underneath the skin on this particular Trans Am. The car is the work of Polly Motorsport of Norway, and there’s a wealth of top tuner expertise beneath the mostly stock exterior. We’re sure even in its heightened state of tune, the Polly Trans Am is infinitely less expensive than the $1.6 million you’d have to cough up for a Veyron, and its creators say it’s still street legal. Hit this link for some videos, which would be even more entertaining if we could understand what they were saying. Props to reader Mitka who provided the synopsis that we’ve posted after the jump!

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