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Jeroen W. Pluimers on .NET, C#, Delphi, databases, and personal interests

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Archive for 2016

Two opinions on Netflix and blocking: they hate Netflix or contact tr@netflix.com and try to solve …

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/28

Basically there are two opinions on Netflix and blocking:

  • TL;DR: People use VPNs for security, Netflix fucks them up, they hate Netflix for that and just torrent that shit.
  • tl;dr If you have issues with Netflix on public Wifi, contact the provider and forward tr@netflix.com to them so they can settle issues.

I’m not a netflix user (or user of any form of DRM) as I really dislike the fact that DRM means for any reason your license can be ended. I’ve seen too many players going out of business or taking decisions turning.

So I buy CDs, DVDs, BlueRays or DRM-free media files. Now it’s my problem of making proper back-ups to ensure future access to them (:

The DRM walls and ladders war^w game has gone so far that in this case, Netflix is blocking even though the WiFi provider / proxy / VPN is in the same country like the below imgur image:

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Cloud, Infrastructure, Netflix, Network-and-equipment, Power User, VPN | Leave a Comment »

difference between ADSLfiber and fiberfiber when both are @xs4all.

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/28

20150412 ping statistics from WiFi -> ADSL -> VPN -> fiber (where ADSL and fiber both are Fritz!Box machines having LAN-LAN VPN to each other):

PING 192.168.71.1 (192.168.71.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=63 time=19.190 ms
...64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=18.905 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=63 time=19.261 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=63 time=19.982 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=63 time=19.332 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=63 time=26.800 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=63 time=20.139 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=63 time=19.498 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=8 ttl=63 time=18.915 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=9 ttl=63 time=19.200 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=10 ttl=63 time=18.948 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=11 ttl=63 time=19.524 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=12 ttl=63 time=19.511 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=13 ttl=63 time=20.417 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=14 ttl=63 time=19.350 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=15 ttl=63 time=18.690 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=16 ttl=63 time=18.632 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=17 ttl=63 time=18.912 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=18 ttl=63 time=19.397 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=19 ttl=63 time=19.257 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=20 ttl=63 time=18.147 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.71.1: icmp_seq=21 ttl=63 time=18.601 ms
^C
--- 192.168.71.1 ping statistics ---
22 packets transmitted, 22 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 18.147/19.573/26.800/1.657 ms

same but LAN –> fiber -> VPN -> ADSL

Pinging 192.168.24.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63
Reply from 192.168.24.1: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=63

Ping statistics for 192.168.24.1:
    Packets: Sent = 24, Received = 24, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 17ms, Maximum = 19ms, Average = 17ms

–jeroen

Posted in ADSL, fiber, Fritz!, Fritz!Box, Internet, Network-and-equipment, Power User, routers, VPN | Leave a Comment »

FIX THAT THING | Sugru mouldable glue that turns into rubber

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/25

Sugru is mouldable glue that turns into rubber. We invented it to make fixing and making easy and fun. Do-ers of the world, it’s time to get excited.

Source: FIX THAT THING | Sugru

via: Playing NSA, hardware hackers build USB cable that can attack | Ars Technica

Posted in LifeHacker, Power User | Leave a Comment »

Improve Word performance with tables

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/25

Apart from the obvious “use less tables” and “break tables apart”, these can also help big time:

  1. Run %WinDir%\System32\SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe
  2. Choose “Ajust for best performance” (it will disable all visual enhancements)
  3. Re-enable “Smooth edges of screen fonts” (it will make it easier to set bold and italic apart in Word)

If it is still too slow, I might look into these:

–jeroen

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Microsoft Surface on Windows 7, Office, Office 2007, Office 2010, Office 2013, Power User, Windows, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 9, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Vista, Word | Leave a Comment »

Linux-Based Low-Latency Multichannel Audio System (CTAG face2|4)

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/24

Just wow (via Joe C. Hecht):

Linux-Based Low-Latency Multichannel Audio System (CTAG face2|4)

We’ve developed a multichannel audio system based on the AD1938 audio codec by Analog Devices and the BeagleBone Green (TI AM335X SoC).The audio system offers 2 stereo inputs and 4 stereo outputs.The whole project is based on open source software.To demonstrate the possibilities of the audio system, I’ve created a surround delay effect with the open source C++ library DSPatch by Marcus Tomlinson.Moreover I’ve created an automatic test based on GNU octave to evaluate the audio system characteristis, such as latency, THD+N, DNR, crosstalk and frequency-response.

Source: Hi there, We’ve developed a multichannel audio system based on the AD1938 au…

–jeroen

Posted in Audio, Development, Hardware Development, Power User | Leave a Comment »

The latest innovation from the media – CommitStrip: @WIRED and @parool are out

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/24

Fun: The latest innovation from the media | CommitStrip: block visitors that use adblockers.

The real fun: the first comments G+ re-share “The end of the ad-blocking wars (and some media)”  are from people that exactly do what’s in the third frame: bye bye adblock-blocker site.

For good reason too: viewing ads has become a clear and present danger to our security and privacy.

I won’t even bother trying ad-blocker-blocker-blockers.

  1. If a site blocks me, they’re out.
  2. If they don’t block me, I share their interesting information with attribution.
  3. If they have a cookie wall that prevents seeing what I want to share, they’re out too.

@WIRED and @parool are out for reasons 1 and 3.

–jeroen

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Fun, LifeHacker, Power User | Leave a Comment »

President of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) Michael van Praag plays national anthems together with Adest Musica

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/23

Drum and Showband Adest Musica based in Sassenheim, the Netherlands, welcomes a very special guest musician. The chairman of the Dutch Football Association (KNVB), Michael van Praag, will join Adest Musica for a special performance that will take place in the Amsterdam ArenA where Adest Musica will be playing the national anthems during a friendly soccer match between the Netherlands and France.

The first contact with Michael van Praag occurred during the summer of 2015. The editors of Adest Magazine, the annual luxury magazine published by Adest Musica at the start of each New Year, had an interview with the KNVB president looming high on their wish list. Ewout Claassen, sousaphonist at Adest Musica and additionally a member of the Sponsoring Committee of the band, says: “We had learned that Michael van Praag, in addition to his work for the KNVB, UEFA and FIFA, is an avid sousaphone player. A celebrity in our own luxury magazine values it even more. These were the reasons for us to contact him. The occasion of the interview was in October 2015 at KNVW headquarters in Zeist. With a big smile, Claassen tells “Together with other interviewer Menno de Jong, who plays drums at Adest Musica and also is Sponsor Committee member, we had a very nice conversation with Michael van Praag. At the end of the event, we asked him whether he wanted to take a place in the Corps as a guest musician during a friendly international soccer match in the Amsterdam ArenA. He instantly gave his commitment.”.

Impact

Friday night March 25, Michael Van Praag will be among the ranks of Drum and Showband Adest Musica. The Corps will, prior to the friendly soccer match between the Netherlands and France, play the national anthems of both countries. Of course, van Praag will also rehearse several times with Adest Musica. Van Praag concludes “I think this is a huge honor! The Netherlands are, together with England, still the only countries in the world where the national anthems are being played by live orchestras. That always leaves a huge impression on the soccer players and the visiting association. I’m very much looking forward to the event!”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in About, Adest Musica, Personal | Leave a Comment »

Copy.com replacement – which one to choose?

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/23

As copy.com will go down on 20160501 (about 6 weeks from now), I’m searching for alternatives.

These tables weren’t really useful when digging information for my use cases:

Use cases

This is how we use copy.com (where our installed machines have Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on them) now:

  1. Sync and share between our scanner VM, the various machines of my wife and me (using the different accounts for each user) and including off-site/in-cloud storage.
    This holds for about 20 gigabytes of data and grows about 1.5-2 gigabytes per year.
  2. Sync project documents between various business contacts and myself (the documents that aren’t part of versioning systems yet).
    Not much data yet (100s of megabytes as most people tend to use DropBox for this even though Copy.com has the option of setting permissions)
  3. Sync and share my BIN directory tree with tools where my own user has read/write permissions and other users have read-only permissions.
    This holds for about 2 gigabytes of data.
  4. Sync and share my installer directory (ISOs, MSIs, DMGs, etc) between my main Mac and Windows machines and various other ones.
    This holds for about 40 gigabytes of data and grows faster than any of the others.

Dropbox doesn’t cut it for various reasons:

  1. It sucks at long filenames (especially on Windows).
  2. It won’t properly handle various encodings (like between Windows and Mac).
  3. Often it hangs on local-sync (although copy.com also does that, but less often).

What to choose?

On my shortlist to experiment with are Google Drive and Mega.nz, although it’s not clear if Mega.nz handles syncing well (Ken Logon thinks it looses data) and it’s security might not be good (although that’s a statement by Kim Dotcom who has stakes).

Any others? Or should I choose a mix of tooling?

Tencent/Weiyun might be useful for ISO images of installers (like the ISOs MSDN doesn’t have any more): Download Tencent/Weiyun 10TB cloud storage english language files

–jeroen

PS: later (20160402) via KPN stopt 1 augustus met cloudopslagdienst Up – IT Pro – Nieuws – Tweakers

Posted in Copy.com, DropBox, Power User, SocialMedia | 1 Comment »

Lots of nice short programming videos by Charlie Calvert – Google+

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/23

The youTube videos by Charlie Calvert – Google+ pointed me to Online Code Editor – Codeanywhere.

Then I found out he has a while bunch more videos. about various programming topics.

I’ve known Charlie for a long time: from his Borland days (and book writing at SAMS, which is now Informit) through the days at Microsoft (he left in 2010) and now he is teaching at Bellevu College.

To follow him, check out @CalvertBC

Interesting! There are lots, below is just s short list.

–jeroen

 

 

Posted in Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Intel mastermind, Silicon Valley statesman Andy Grove dead at 79 – Fortune

Posted by jpluimers on 2016/03/23

Source: Intel mastermind, Silicon Valley statesman Andy Grove dead at 79 – Fortune

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »