CNN.com Finally Ditches Real SuperPass

CNN.com, probably realizing that no one is watching any of the videos on their site, have finally ditched annoying Real SuperPass in favor of FREE video! Now I no longer have to go to MSNBC to watch news videos. Now maybe ABC News will wise up too.

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect to Include Roundtrip AS2 Support

Finally the wait will soon be over! For those of us that have been looking for a UML design solution that fully supports AS2, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect will soon provide that solution.

I’ve been emailing a bit with Sparx Systems CEO Geoffrey Sparks since early this year about AS2 suport in EA and he was immediately receptive. He indicated to me last week that the next version tentatively slated for August will include full round trip AS2 support.

This means that not only will EA support the design and export of AS2 stub code (as is possible now), as design updates are necessary, these changes can be implemented through EA to the existing code!

I’ve been evaluating UML design software to support my C#, Database and AS2 work and with or without AS2 support I’ve found EA to be the best software to work with. With pricing from US$125 – US$315 and support for MS Visual Studio and Eclipse (MDG Link – US$95 extra) I think that it is definitely an affordable solution.

Good on ya Sparx!

Need Help Using Code Library Components with FAME

Got a pretty large project happening and I’m trying to use FAME for the first time with it. We’re using a canned code library as a Flash Component which has been included in the library of the swf file.

No matter what paths I insert for MTASC and Flashout to find the component, Eclipse just can’t seem to find it and gives me a variable undefined (this initial test is a call to a static var (the version number) in the class).

Can anyone give me any advice? I’d prefer not to have to expose the whole package source code. FYI, everything works fine from within the Flash IDE.

Comcast has Us by the Balls

We ditched the completely suck ass BellSouth DSL service a couple of years ago. Everything with BellSouth worked great for years, from the time when we had ISDN to the time we had DSL. Once we went to networking, everything just went to hell. They actually suggested that the streetlight outside was affecting our service. They actually implied that I needed to prove the problem wasn’t in the house by figuring out a way to connect a computer to the port on the outside of the house!

We’ve now have Comcast for about two years and the speed is awesome and keeps increasing and uptime has been %99+. Two year deja vu has stricken I guess because the last few months with Comcast has completely sucked. “Oh, it’s this distribution amplifier, lets remove it.” Same thing. Then, “Oh, it’s your modem.” $100 later and the same problems. NOW WHAT? Where do we go? What do we do? We aren’t going back to BellSouth.

I’ve been on hold for at least 45 minutes. Service is up and down. I never knew that “power down your modem and router and then power back up” was a fricking feature for functional internet service. We’ve been doing that over and over since the problems began.

Joyce works out of the house and connectivity is very important for her.

Comcast is in the driver seat because currently, cable is much more superior to DSL, so we’re back to the monopoly treatment.

Does anyone have any alternative to DSL or cable for reliable internet access?

Doug (”Wyatt”) Earp 1953 – 2004

Was back in Flint over the Memorial Day holiday. While there I stopped at Wyatt Earp Records to say “Hi” to Doug. Come to find out that he died of cancer in December at the age of 50. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach.

Doug (“Wyatt”) Earp was the musical “enabler” for me and all of my suffering music loving friends. In the early to mid eighties (and beyond) he was our only source for the emerging punk and new wave music that we craved while stuck in the culturally deprived outpost of Flint, Michigan. Every Tuesday he would get a new list of music, domestic and imported, that was being released that week and in upcoming weeks.

He was more important to me than Rodney Bigenheimer, John Peel, or Claire Kember.

He changed my life. He was a friend. He was an Icon.

Doug, I didn’t see you too often over the last 20 years, but your face, your voice, your smile, your laugh will be with me forever. I’ll miss you.

The obituary follows: