Fun with Google Maps

Recently in Washington state there was talk of creating DUI checkpoints. Here's a nifty Google map based application to track these Checkpoints in real time. Check out: DUI Fox and post any information you have!

Blogger.com Login Failures

We were recently helping a client bring their blog on-line using the Blogger service provided by Google (the same one that powers this blog). First we attempted to create an account, the error indicated that the account already existed. Upon questioning the client we discovered they already had Google account that was used for Google Analytics and a few other Google services we recommended. We then attempted to login to Blogger with the email and password used for Google Analytics. We were using the wrong password. The first pass through the error indicated invalid username or password, as expected. The second attempt to login (still with incorrect passw0rd) gave the error "The email you provided does not exist. " On the third attempt, same email and now with correct password our login was successful. Odd, seems like a little authentication glitch in their system. That error indicates our account doesn't exist! May just an issue with exception catching.

SerialNumberJob on HP Printers with Vista

Was working one a Vista machine today with an HP USB connected printer device. After installing the device fails to print. No error is reported. Also a job called "SerialNumberJob" is first in the queue and blocks all the other jobs.

To fix this I first removed all print jobs by choosing 'cancel' on each job then restarted Windows.

Now delete the printer itself

Now visit 'Server Properties' of the printer control panel (File - Run as Admin - Server Properties) and remove all unnecessary drivers from the drivers tab. Be sure to remove the drivers for the problem printer!

Powercycle the Windows machine and unplug both USB and and power from the printer.

When Windows comes back up and has setteled down then put power back to the printer. Wait for it to settle. Plug USB back into the printer. Windows should auto-install. After this open the printer properties as Administrator and print a test page.

This had worked for us a number of times. YMMV.

Also of note when the jobs started failing there were notices in the Event Viewer that SpoolerWin32SPL was unable to read some registry keys. It appears that Windows or the driver get confused and corrupt their settings.

AT&T Call Failures

Had many call failures one day, then tried customer service. Nice.

Deprecated Support for IE6

IE6 was released in 2001, it's last feature update release was SP2 in August 2004. The current revisions of this browser are now over four years old! In the technology world four years is 2.6 life times! (A lifetime is roughly 18 months, based from Moore's law) IE6 suffers many bugs in terms of Display, Security and Standards Compliance. As such, effective today support for IE6 for any and all web-applications and web-sites developed or created by Edoceo will not support or test on IE6. We are not sorry for the inconvenience, IE6 is deprecated and should not be used.

Jerry Seinfeld working with Microsoft?

Just hear that Jerry is going to be the new pitchman for Microsoft! Holy cow! What is this? What can he say? "This is Microsoft - whats the deal with that? I mean Micro Soft! Two words us men do not want to be associated with." I think I heard him do that bit on his last tour through Seattle!