text: Hi Gerry Gerry Creager wrote: > History/background/description of the cluster > * 126 node Dell 1950 cluster with dual-quad core Xeons > * HP 5412zl switch for gigabit cluster backplane and 10GBE interconnect > to selected services (file server, etc) > * Gigabit interconnect > * Hand compiled 2.6.26 kernel > * bnx2 module loaded for the Broadcom onboard nics > * Switch, compute nodes, head node set to 9000 byte MTU We have had *lots* of problems with Broadcom nics and jumbo frames. From 2.6.9 timeframe onwards. > > We're seeing the following error in WRF compiled with openMPI and the > PGI 7.2 compiler: > mca_btl_tcp_frag_send:writev failed with errno=104 > > While all nodes were accessible prior to the run and returned > appropriate "stuff" when queried with, eg., ssh and a command, two nodes > now return something like this: > [gerry at brazos SCOOP12km]$ ssh c0522 > Received disconnect from 192.168.200.154: 2: Bad packet length 808464432. Hmmm... sounds like a link tried re-negotiating. Can you get on via serial/console and root at lightning:~# ethtool eth0 Settings for eth0: Supported ports: [ TP ] Supported link modes: 10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full 100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full 1000baseT/Half 1000baseT/Full Supports auto-negotiation: Yes Advertised link modes: 10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full 100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full 1000baseT/Half 1000baseT/Full Advertised auto-negotiation: Yes Speed: 1000Mb/s Duplex: Full Port: Twisted Pair PHYAD: 1 Transceiver: internal Auto-negotiation: on Supports Wake-on: g Wake-on: d Current message level: 0x000000ff (255) Link detected: yes it? You might want to ethtool eth0 autoneg off to force it not to renegotiate its speed. Also, look at root at lightning:~# ethtool -g eth0 Ring parameters for eth0: Pre-set maximums: RX: 511 RX Mini: 0 RX Jumbo: 0 TX: 511 Current hardware settings: RX: 200 RX Mini: 0 RX Jumbo: 0 TX: 511 See if you can do something like ethtool -G eth0 rx-jumbo 100 if you have zero jumbo ring rx entries. > I'm stumped and looking for causes and solutions. Yeah, the WRF as > compiled did run before the change to Jumbos. > > Do I reduce the size of the frames to something smaller, like 8800 > bytes? 7500? 1500? In the past I had heard that jumbo frames may work on Broadcom NICs around 6000 byte length. We haven't tried this in a while ... YMMV. > > I'm not completely out of ideas but stumped. > > Thanks, gerry -- Joseph Landman, Ph.D Founder and CEO Scalable Informatics LLC, email: landman at scalableinformatics.com web : http://www.scalableinformatics.com http://jackrabbit.scalableinformatics.com phone: +1 734 786 8423 x121 fax : +1 866 888 3112 cell : +1 734 612 4615


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Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Levein bullish about Spain test
Craig Levein insists Scotland have "nothing to fear" against Spain in Tuesday night's do-or-die Euro 2012 Group I qualifier in Alicante.
Craig Levein insists Scotland have "nothing to fear" against Spain in Tuesday night's do-or-die Euro 2012 Group I qualifier in Alicante.
Craig Mackail-Smith's first goal in his first international start in a 1-0 victory over Liechtenstein kept the Scots' qualifying hopes alive going into the final game against the world and European champions who are looking to complete a clean sweep of victories in this campaign. Scotland are one point above Czech Republic and must at least equal the Czechs' result in Lithuania to book a play-off spot.
"It is a tall order, we understand that but there is nothing for us to fear, that is the important thing, there is nothing to fear," Levein said. "We are playing the world champions, of course, but we are in the position where if we win the game we qualify. I believe wholeheartedly in the players and their ability to rise to the challenge."
The Scotland boss, who revealed Barry Bannan was a concern with an Achilles injury and that Charlie Adam had picked up a knock, is looking to take the uncertainty away from that scenario by inflicting an unlikely defeat on the Spanish.
"Our intention was to move into second place in the table and now we are in the position where the second place is ours to lose," he added. "We have a group of players who recover quickly, they are a fit bunch of guys and they are in a position I would have taken at the start of the campaign, where if we win the game we finish second, that's a fact.
"We can't go in the game relying on what happens in Lithuania, we have no influence over that. So it makes complete sense for me to do everything I can to win the game on Tuesday night.
"Of course we recognise it is difficult but we have nothing to fear and I can assure you that the lads will run themselves into the ground attempting to get that second spot."
Steven Naismith had missed three good chances before Brighton striker Mackail-Smith, playing in place of injured Kenny Miller, headed Phil Bardsley's cross over Peter Jehle in the 32nd minute to secure three crucial points.
Levein, though, played down his side's profligacy, saying: "I was pleased with how we played for long spells. What we didn't do is get the second goal which would have made it easier for us.
"It is not a concern because we were in positions to score goals and if we keep doing that we will score goals. But you can't compare today's game with the Spain game, they are two different matches."


text: On Tue, Oct 26, 2004 at 01:08:00PM -0600, Joshua Marsh wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm currently working on a project that will require fast access to > data stored in a postgreSQL database server. I've been told that a > Beowulf cluster may help increase performance. Unlikely in general, although possible in certain cases. For example, look into Clusgres, memcached, and Backplane. I've previously given links and discussion here: http://openacs.org/forums/message-view?message_id=128060 http://openacs.org/forums/message-view?message_id=179348 > Since I'm not very familar with Beowulf clusters, I was hoping that It is more important that you are extensively familiar with RDBMSs in general, and PostgreSQL in particular. Are you? > you might have some advice or information on whether a cluster would > increase performance for a PostgreSQL database. The major tables > accessed are around 150-200 million records. On a stand alone > server, it can take several minutes to perform a simple select > query. 200 million rows is not that big. What's the approximate total size of your database on disk? Your "several minutes for a simple select" query performance is abysmal, and this is unlikely to be because of your hardware. Most likely, your queries just suck, and you need to do some serious SQL tuning work before even considering big huge fancy hardware. Once you have tables with tens or hundreds of millions of rows, doing ANY full table scans of that table at all sucks really badly, so you MUST profile and tune your queries. And eliminating full table scans of large tables is just the first and most obvious step, it is not unusual to still have very sucky queries after that. > It seems like once we start pricing for servers with 16+ processors > and 64+ GB of RAM, the prices sky rocket. If I can acheive high > performance with a cluster, using 15-20 dual processor machines, that > would be great. If you are even thinking about buying an 8-way or larger box, then you are certainly a candidate for several 2-way boxes with an (expensive) SCI interconnect, so see Clusgres in my links above. Or, if want want to spend a lot less money, your access is read-mostly, and you DON'T need full ACID transactional support for your read-only queries, look into using memcached to cache query results in other machines' RAM. However, VERY few people need such large RDBMS boxes. What makes you think you do? What exactly is your application doing, and what sort of load do you need it to sustain? Have you profiled and tuned all your SQL? Tuned your PostgreSQL and Linux kernel settings? Have you read and worked through all the PostgreSQL docs on tuning? (You didn't install PostgreSQL with its DEFAULT settings, did you? Those are intended to just get it up and running on ALL the platforms PostgreSQL supports, not to give good performance.) Investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fancy server hardware without first doing your basic RDBMS homework makes no sense at all. If your database is dog slow because of poor data modeling or grossly untuned queries, throwing $300k of hardware at the problem may not help much at all. -- Andrew Piskorski <atp at piskorski.com> http://www.piskorski.com/


text:
When urbanization is messy, students fall through the cracks
On a foggy winter morning in Dhaka, 41-year-old Jahid was sipping tea by a roadside stall.
"Life was very peaceful back in my village," he reminisced, "but there was no work, so I moved to Dhaka. Even if I live in a slum, my children are better off here."
Jahid is one of the 500,000 people that move to Dhaka city each year. Driven by the promise of economic opportunity as well as poverty in rural and coastal areas, it is estimated that half the population of Bangladesh will migrate to urban areas by 2030.
Urbanization can be catalyst for growth. Density – the clustering of firms and workers – can drive productivity, innovation and job creation. It is the benefits of agglomeration that once drew the country's most important industry – the ready-made garments sector to Dhaka city.
However, it is the costs from congestion that are now pushing factories away, mainly to peri-urban areas. Why are factory owners leaving?
For starters, the tide of new migrants has overwhelmed urban infrastructure, basic services, as well as the stock of affordable housing – eroding the both the livability and competitiveness of Dhaka city. A recent World Bank report described South Asia's urbanization trajectory as "messy and hidden" – reflected in the large-scale proliferation of slums and urban sprawl.


text:
Marriages, new jobs, new children, new grandchildren — find out what fellow alums have been up to since the last Class Note Corner.
Michelene Bennett '00, of Cincinnati, married Darin Ray Bowman from Canton, Ohio, on August 10, 2013. They also welcomed their first child, a boy, Evan Ray Bowman on January 7.
Lisa Marie Muething '10 of Cincinnati, recently received the Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul Award in recognition of her selflessness and exceptional dedication to DePaul Cristo Rey High School. Muething's fundraising roles include planning the Golf Classic, assisting with the Rey of Light Scholarship Benefit, annual giving, volunteer management, and working with the school's Rising Professionals group. She also served as a freshman mentor during the academic year.
Would you like to tell your fellow alums what's been happening in your life? Submit a classnote today.


text:
OMIK Enterprises necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 41 diseños de 5 diseñadores freelance.
4BeerPong.com – The name of the website is pretty self explanatory. Our website will be THE place to go for everything beer pong related for the college-aged young adults - including information and supplies. Below are the basic requirements, but we are definitely open to new ideas. We want the website to be a place that is visually inviting to young adults – a place that they will want to explore and spend some time.
If chosen, the final submission will need to be the layered .psd files.
18 – 25 year olds who enjoy the "party scene"
We require the submission of 2 graphically complete webpages.
Home Page
- Logo
- Navigation bar ( Included Pages: Home / Store / Rules / Pictures & Videos / Beer Pong in the USA / Tips & Tricks / Wholesale / Contact / Links / Work for Us!)
- Announcement Area – Webpage will be launched with a graphic that you design in this area, but this will eventually be used as a slider box with regularly updated information
- Featured Products (Drupal Carousel design)
- Graphic link for store
- Most Recent Forum Entries
- Rss feed
- Tag cloud
- Search field
- "Disclaimer Footer" – just the word Disclaimer on the bottom of the page will work
Store Page – Product Grid Design
- Logo
- Navigation Bar
- Area for featured products (Drupal Carousel design)
- Visual Category Menu ( The more visual the better. Product categories are: Cups & Balls / Tables & Racks / Clothing / Other Party Supplies. For sample products that will be listed you can visit http://www.pongstuff.com )
- If able to add in a graphically pleasing way would like to see a Sale Item Slider
- "Disclaimer Footer" – just the word Disclaimer on the bottom of the page will work
Attached are some sample logos for this website. It is not a requirement to use one of these logos. If you have a better idea - go for it!


text:
2018 Rugby Trading Card - 14
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text:
Apple made a long-awaited entry into mobile health technology this week, previewing an iOS 8 app called Health, along with a HealthKit cloud API for integrating data from multiple apps and monitoring devices. Both got an instant credibility boost from partnerships with market-leading hospital software company Epic Systems and the prestigious Mayo Clinic.
HealthKit was one of many announcements Apple made Monday, but it had been particularly anticipated by wearable tech and mobile health enthusiasts. Although Apple did not announce its own wearable, the long-rumored iWatch, the company's new mobile health platform could make wearable health devices more useful.
"Apple is making a big move -- their first really big move in healthcare that I'm aware of," said Skip Snow, a senior analyst for healthcare IT at Forrester Research. "Still, a lot of us were expecting a bigger move -- an integrated hardware / software announcement." That announcement is likely still to come, he added.
[Can integration engines help bring unity to healthcare IT? Read Integration Standards Tackle Healthcare's Lack Of Standards.]
For the healthcare industry, the most intriguing aspect of Apple's new technologies is the potential to unite feeds from many health monitors and report back to a hospital's electronic medical records system, making the Apple Health app a tool for patient engagement.
Apple's new HealthKit cloud service logs data that's been recorded by apps or gathered from mobile sensors and retrieve the content of that health profile. Apple wants to make its own Health app a convenient entry point to the service, but other apps will also be able to interact with the health profile. Apple released information and sample code for HealthKit developers, including an invitation for hardware developers to discuss how their devices might play into the system.
Mayo already has a successful patient portal and patient app, but the medical center sees its partnership with Apple as a way to cater to consumers with whom it doesn't already have a relationship: through advisory content Mayo will supply for the Apple Health app, said Dr. John Wald, medical director for marketing and public affairs. "The app is really a data repository for Fitbits and a lot of different sources -- probably a lot of different sources yet to be named -- so we can get blood pressure and pulse into one dashboard to be used by the patient," he explained.
A patient monitoring his own blood pressure could have results flagged as abnormal in the Health App, with follow-up recommendations from the Mayo Clinic presented in the context of the app. Part of the point of the Apple partnership will be to find the ideal way to present compact bits of information, suitable for display in a mobile app, with links to further information where appropriate, Wald said. When users of the app require treatment, Mayo also hopes they will consider coming to one of its hospitals if appropriate, he added.
"[The HealthKit API] breaks very exciting ground," Wald said. "For a subspecialty like cardiac, we're monitored on what our 30-day readmission rates are. [This gives us] the ability to have the patient monitored at home with a variety of devices and move the information into the data aggregator, HealthKit. Our doctors can pull the vital numbers they need into the electronic medical record as a permanent catalog, and intervene if they need to. We can keep patients at home or pull them back into the hospital if we need to interact with them sooner."
Mayo Clinic is not an Epic customer, so that partnership is not directly relevant to its operations, Wald noted. However, Mayo is looking at the potential of integrating into its own environment, which includes a mix of software from GE and Cerner.
Apple didn't give many details about its work with Epic, other than to acknowledge that the companies are actively working with each other. That fact alone is attention-getting,
Next Page


text:
It's Rio Grande turkey time in the Hill Country
Yes, it is nearly time for the general Rio Grande Turkey season. The south zone season begins on March 17. There is a special youth-only opening March 10-11 and again May 5-6. The South Texas season remains open through April 29 in 54 counties.
The 101 counties in the north zone will open for the youth only March 24-25 and again May 19-20. The general north zone Rio Grande Turkey season will begin March 31 and run through May 13.
Keep in mind that only the Rio Grande birds are legal game. The Eastern turkey season will open in 28 counties on April 15 through May 14. There are a number of counties that have both the Rio Grande turkeys and the Eastern variety. Check with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Annual to learn the status of the area where you intend to hunt. It is also prudent to know what the bag limits are in various areas.
Even with the prolonged drought, the number of Rio Grande turkeys that I saw during the deer season was substantial. In fact, my personal observation was the same as several other hunters in the Hill County. The turkey population seemed to have not been effected as much as was expected. I'm sure that last year's nesting did feel the drought effect. However, with the large numbers of adult birds available, there should be plenty Rio Grande turkeys for the opening of the hunting season.
The Eastern variety is a completely different situation entirely. Their population seems to be spotty. There are some areas in East Texas where there are numerous turkeys and there are other nearby areas where neither the hunters nor landowners ever see one. The season for the Eastern turkeys, as you have probably noticed, comes later than the Rio Grande turkey season. So getting ready for it will still be several weeks off.
There are various methods for hunting the wild turkeys that may or may not be the correct ticket on a given day. Both the Eastern and Rio Grande birds are super wary. They seem to be all eyes and nerves. Their heads with extra sharp eyes never stop looking all around. Sometimes they will seem to be dumb and then just when you are ready to take him, he will seemingly disappear. They also have a habit that will cause long-time turkey hunters to lose their religion. For instance, in open woods when you are well camouflaged and calling them, they will come into view. The Eastern birds require shotgun or archery hunting only. That means that the bird should be within the effective clean kill range. So what will happen many times is that the turkey will come to a certain spot out of range – and stop. They will be deterred by fences, drains or sometimes things that are seen only by the turkey. No matter how much and how smooth the calling, he will not come into range. Of course, this is one of the things that makes hunting these big birds so challenging.
Some folks choose to set up well camouflaged and try to ambush a bird just coming through the area. Other folks will do the aforementioned calling either with or without decoys. Keep in mind that during the springtime, the gobblers typically gobble at practically any sound. The use of a turkey call will usually, but not always, let you know the direction he is coming from since he will answer the call.
Not all of the gobblers make sounds. They can simply show up. For some reason unknown to me, they seem to come in from the opposite direction from where your scattergun is pointing. Any amount of movement or even battling your eyes is apt to spook a wild turkey. You have a bird coming to you from one direction and you are set and ready for him and in comes one from the other direction. What's a hunter to do? Do you try for the one that's in range or continue to hope that the first bird will come on in? That is a question that only a turkey hunter that has been there can answer. When you are going after wild turkeys, there are definitely no absolutes.
Rio Grande turkey hunters are allowed to use the same firearms and archery equipment as Eastern turkey hunters, with rifles also being legal. It is also legal to use bait to attract the Rio Grandes, which is not legal for Eastern turkey hunting. My personal hunting preference for all wild turkey hunting is to locate a turkey area and set up beside a tree or in some brush and use a call to try to attract a gobbler to within range.
With turkey season so near, I do recommend learning to use a call and enjoy some really challenging and exciting hunting. Wild turkeys are also excellent table fare.


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Invensys is a global technology company that works in partnership with a broad range of industrial and commercial customers to design and supply advanced technologies that optimise their operational performance and profitability. From oil refineries and power stations to mining companies and appliance manufacturers, Invensys' market-leading software, systems and controls enable its customers to monitor, control and automate their products and processes, thereby maximising safety, efficiency, reliability and ease of use. To learn more about Invensys, visit invensys.com.
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text:
Daily log, June 18
Tiffin reports
Ronald L. Weber, 58, of Tiffin, was charged with disorderly conduct Sunday afternoon. A person reported a man became entangled in his bicycle in the 100 block of North Washington Street. He was released to Mercy Tiffin Hospital.
A caller in the area of Tomb and North Sandusky streets reported Sunday evening an intoxicated woman and a 6-year-old child attempted to get into her house and then got into a vehicle. The child was released to a family member and the woman was transported to take an unspecified test.
A 200-block Greenfield Street man reported early Monday morning people were at his house enticing him to fight. He said they broke taillights on a vehicle. He requested a trespass order be issued.
A 100-block Coe Street person reported early Monday morning a male was attacking people. A juvenile was released to a parent, according to the report.
Andrew E. Foy, 22, of Tiffin, was charged with burglary, and Tessa E. Lundy, 24, of Republic, was charged with complicity after police responded to a residential burglar alarm early Monday morning in the first block of Autumn Lane. According to the report, the man was the homeowner's son and was not allowed on the premises.
A 200-block North Washington Street woman reported Monday morning a brick had been thrown through her vehicle's windshield.
A shoplifter was reported Monday morning at Walmart, 2801 W. SR 18. Charles P. Dundore, 84, of Tiffin, was charged with theft.
A first-block North Monroe Street person reported Monday afternoon a table and two chairs had been stolen.
County reports
A caller reported Sunday afternoon a man was sitting on a train rail in the area of East TR 178 and North CR 29. Train traffic was stopped, but deputies were unable to locate the man. Another caller reported the man walked away.
A 2000-block North SR 53 woman reported Sunday afternoon her home had been broken into and a TV and prescription medication was taken.
A large fight was reported early Monday morning on Center Street in Bascom. The caller said multiple men and women were involved and some people were on the ground. The caller also said a large party had been going on at the location. Jamie L. Baker, 18, of Tiffin, was charged with assault and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jacob C. Daughenbaugh, 18, of Tiffin, was charged with underage possession/consumption.
Fostoria reports
Justin C. Ward, 33, of Fostoria, was charged with loud sound June 11.
Shana M. Long, 35, of Fostoria, was charged with persistent disorderly conduct Sunday.
A caller from ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital reported Sunday night an assault patient was being treated. According to the report, a verbal argument had occurred and all parties involved had conflicting stories. The case was to be forwarded to the prosecutor.
A 200-block East North Street woman reported Sunday night her 11-year-old daughter was assaulted by a bunch of girls.
A 1000-block Independence Road woman reported a phone scam early Monday morning.
A 200-block Bricker Street woman reported Monday morning her plastic chairs had been stolen.
A juvenile was arrested Monday morning after an employee from Fostoria High School reported a girl who was supposed to be in summer school had locked herself in her bedroom.
State Patrol
Raul Garcia, 52, of Tiffin, was cited with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a turn signal violation and a sticker violation early Saturday morning.
Tiffin firefighters were called to 264 Fourth Ave. Sunday evening for a trash fire.
Tiffin EMS had four squad runs Sunday afternoon, one squad run Sunday evening and one squad run Monday morning.
Green Springs fire and EMS had a squad run Monday morning
Clinton fire had a squad run Monday morning.
Corn: $6.86
Wheat: $6.51
Soybeans: $15.05


text:
Kilbirnie Recreation Centre is located near Kilbirnie Pool and Kilbirnie Park. The centre has been upgraded in recent years with new, modern facilities for skateboards, bikes, scooters, roller skates and inline skates.
No doubt you already know some of Wellington's best attractions, but if you are staying locally in Kilbirnie be sure to check out the Kilbirnie Rec, it's great family fun that's a hit with the kids.
Kilbirnie Rec Centre – Facilities
- 20m by 40m concrete rink
- Removable ramps and obstacles (used during public hours)
- Tinytown (childrens play area)
Kilbirnie Recreation Centre is located at 101 Kilbirnie Crescent.
Phone: (04) 387 1491
Fax: (04) 387 1495
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
CANADA: 416-371-9668 USA: 310-929-7444 E-mail: foreverheels[at]yahoo[dot]com
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Made-to-Order Sexy Stiletto High Heel Shoes
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V-Shape Sharp Pointed Toe 16cm Heel Extreme High Heel Pumps - Made from a last that is one of a kind, the V16SA special arch pumps combines the unique special arch and V-shaped pointed toes. The shoe soles are reinforced with metal plates to create perfect balance. The bottom sole can be synthetic or genuine leather. The upper can be genuine leather or PU. These pumps are lined with sheep skin, giving the wearer a true sense of prestige. The 16cm (6.3 inch) steel reinforced slender heels make this pair of pumps even more remarkable.
Arch Type: Special Arch
Heel Height: 16cm Regular, 16cm Regular with 2.5cm Platform (16RP), 16cm Metallic (16M)
Please Note: For non-platform shoes, the actual heel height varies according to size. Please click here to view your actual heel height.
Colors: All colors. Please contact us for colors not listed
Production Time: 2 to 3 Weeks
Cannot Wait This Long? Contact Us to expedite your order or View items that are currently in stock.
Exchange Policy: All shoes are made-to-order. Please review our Exchange Policy.
EMS Worldwide (Express Mail Service):Business and Residential Addresses, P.O. Boxes. For countries not reachable by EMS, we will automatically use Regular Airmail. Both EMS and Regular Airmail are handled by your local post office.
TNT Worldwide:Business and Residential Addresses only. No P.O. Boxes. Shipping to The Netherlands and Italy is by TNT only.
DHL Worldwide:Business and Residential Addresses only. No P.O. Boxes. Shipping to Germany is by DHL only.


text:
Microsoft named longtime executive Satya Nadella as its new chief executive on Tuesday. Nadella becomes just the third CEO in the software company\'s history. Our Rex Crum (@mktwcrum) will live-blogged a Webcast from Microsoft in which the company introduced Nadella.
Related reads:
Microsoft\'s \"safe choice\" could surprise investors.
Will Bill Gates pull a Steve Jobs at Microsoft?
- Sort by:
- Oldest
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- 2:50 pm
- Add a Comment
This is Rex Crum with MarketWatch. New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will address company customers and partners beginning in about 10 minutes. Microsoft's stock price is up by 8 cents at $36.56 a share.
- 3:02 pm
- Add a Comment
Web cast is undeway.
- 3:03 pm
- Add a Comment
Nadella starts by going over his biography. Describes his "tour of duty" with Microsoft as a "great journey".
- 3:06 pm
- Add a Comment
Nadella says Microsoft will be defined by a "mobile first, cloud first" business philosophy going forward.
- 3:06 pm
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Microsoft's heritage is still "very relevant," says Nadella.
- 3:08 pm
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Nadella calls the Surface Pro tablet a "perfect example" of how devices empower all of us.
- 3:13 pm
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Nadella says "we need to redefine" what it means to work in an ecosystem that is evolving.
- 3:15 pm
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Nadella is emphasizing software that's "embedded in our devices and services"
- 3:16 pm
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"There's a lot to learn," Nadella says of his start as CEO. Says he will meet with customers, partners and investors in the coming weeks.
- 3:17 pm
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"It's not about one single device anymore," says Nadella.
- 3:19 pm
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And that is that…The Web cast is over. The Satya Nadella Era at Microsoft is under way.


text:
For laughs, check out #TrumpBookReport on twitter. I've gathered some of the best renditions of Trump reviewing the classics.
- Literature is as vital to our lives as food and shelter. Stories and poems help us work through the challenges we face, from everyday irritations to loneliness, heartache, and death. Literature is meant to mix it up with life. This website explores how it does so.
Please feel free to e-mail me [rrbates (at) smcm (dot) edu]. I would be honored to hear your thoughts and questions about literature.
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text:
Justin Wayne Parris said little to police after his 81-year-old grandfather was found decapitated in their Garden Oaks home in 2009, and a bloody trail led to a long-handled tree pruner in the garage.
The grandfather's body had been covered with a blanket, a gesture Parris would explain on an interrogation video shown Tuesday in court.
"You don't leave somebody like that, " the grandson said.
Whether the 27-year-old killed Johnnie Morales-Gonzales will be up to a Harris County judge as the third day of his trial on a charge of murder resumes Wednesday with the defense putting on their case.
"Our position is that he is not guilty," said Jerome Godnich, an attorney for Parris. Godnich was tight-lipped about his theory of the defense but said he expects to call a family member to testify that Parris is innocent.
For two days, prosecutors glided through testimony from investigators, medical examiners and other witnesses who said Parris's 12-year-old sister came home to find Parris pacing on the front porch about 4 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2009.
She saw her grandfather's body covered in a blanket at the home in the 900 block of Lamonte and called 911.
Police found the grandson with blood smears on his pants and shirt. He had a bandaged finger and a large cut on his forearm.
Asked what happened, he told police, "I don't want to talk about it."
In the garage, investigators found a bloody long-handled branch "lopper" with curved snipping blades that are just a few inches long.
On large screens in the courtroom, prosecutors Tuesday showed grisly photos of the deep cuts on the grandfather's head, fact and chest, allegedly inflicted by the landscaping tool.
"He cut his head off during the course of the murder," said Assistant Harris County District Attorney John Jordan.
Instead of putting the pictures on the screen, prosecutors approached state District Judge Brock Thomas to show even more macabre photos of Gonzales, who was described by the medical examiner as "completely decapitated."
Instead of a jury trial, Parris opted for a judge to determine his fate. If convicted of murder, he faces life in prison.
Since his arrest more than four years ago, Parris has been found to be sane and competent, court records show.
Prosecutors show grisly photos in decapitation trial
Justin Wayne Parris said little to police after his 81-year-old grandfather was found decapitated in their Garden Oaks home in 2009, and a bloody trail led to a long-handled tree pruner in the garage.


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Podcasting Equipment Guide (2011)
In December of 2009, after about 5 years of podcasting as a hobby, I took a leap of faith, launched 5by5 Studios, and started broadcasting and podcasting full-time. It's been an amazing ride so far, and I'm glad to be able to share what I've learned about podcasting, videocasting, and audio recording here, with the 2011 edition of the Hivelogic Podcasting Equipment Guide.
If you find this guide useful, please consider a small donation which will help support me and everybody at 5by5 Studios. Many of the links below are also affiliate links, so using them when you buy helps us out too.
You can message me at @danbenjamin on Twitter with your thoughts, questions, and comments about this article.
Your mic is probably the most important part of your setup. This piece of equipment has more of an effect on the overall quality of your recordings than any other device. If your budget is limited, spend your money here.
Many people ask me if they should get a dynamic or condenser mic. Dynamic mics work very well in broadcasting situations where you want to isolate a voice and eliminate background noise, but they're more expensive. Condenser mics create a more "natural" or "live" sound, but pick up a lot more background noise and require a better mic technique. The Heil PR-40 is a dynamic mic that sounds like a condenser (but without the tradeoffs see below). My recommendation is to spend the extra money and get a dynamic mic. It will make a big difference, and though it'll hurt your wallet today, your listeners will thank you.
A note about USB mics: You can get great dynamic and condenser USB mics at affordable prices, and they don't require a pre-amp or audio interface to connect to your computer. The downside is that when you decide to upgrade to a more professional setup, you'll need XLR mics, and that means you'll have to upgrade to a new mic.
Broadcast microphone recommendations:
- The Rode Podcaster Dynamic Mic ($230) is the best USB mic I've ever used. It isolates your voice against typically noisy backgrounds (kids, neighbors, traffic, etc.) and requires only basic mic technique. All of my 5by5 co-hosts (except John Siracusa) use this mic, and it sounds great. It plugs right into your computer's USB port, and you don't need an audio interface. You probably won't need a pop-filter, either. You will need a mic stand or boom. I recommend getting the Rode Podcaster Studio Kit which includes the mic, boom, and shock-mount for only about $100 more.
- The Rode Procaster Dynamic Mic ($230) is the same exact microphone as the Podcaster above for the same price, but it uses an XLR interface instead of USB. This means you will need an audio interface to connect it to your computer, but you'll also have a nice upgrade path going forward. There's also a Rode Procaster Studio Kit ($320) that includes the boom and shock mount.
- The Heil PR-40 ($320) is the best broadcast mic I've ever used. I use this mic every single broadcast day at 5by5, as well as for voice work, narration, and screencasting. It's an incredibly versatile mic for this kind of work, providing the feel and tone of a condenser mic with all the benefits of a dynamic mic. You'll need to feed it a lot of gain though, and of course it's an XLR mic which means you will need an audio interface to connect this mic to your computer (and maybe a preamp as well). You'll need good mic technique to use this mic, and it would also benefit from a pop-filter as well. Best. Broadcast. Mic. Ever. Regardless of which stand or boom you get, I also recommend the Heil SM-2 Shockmount ($100).
Affordable/Portable microphone recommendations:
- The Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone ($100) deserves honorable mention here. The Meteor is a really impressive, portable, USB driven condenser microphone with built-in zero latency monitoring. It sounds very warm and has the live feel people love about condenser mics in a compact, portable package. It's beautiful, and gleams with a brilliant retro style like something out of Metropolis. This is currently the only USB condenser mic I'd recommend.
- The Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Headset ($32) is a great USB headset mic, perfect for Skype interviews, mobile recording, or when you just don't need or can't afford a high quality mic.
Microphone Accessories
- The Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter ($17) is good enough for use with most mics, but if you bought the Heil PR-40, you'll want to get the BSW RE27POP Pop Filter ($40).
- If you have an XLR mic, you'll need a few cables. I love everything Monoprice makes, like the 6ft Premier Series XLR Male to XLR Female Cable ($8). The Cables To Go M/F Pro-Audio Cable (6 Feet) ($13) will work just fine as well.
- If you got the Heil PR-40, you should also consider the Heil SM-2 Shockmount ($100).
Mic Stands and Booms
- Get the Heil PL2T Boom ($120) if you want the best mic boom available. It works with every mic ever made (not just the PR-40), and it's totally silent. It comes with a clamp for attaching to a table, but the FL-2 Flange Mount ($28) or the DT-1 Desk Mount ($35) look and work much better. And don't forget the Heil SM-2 Shockmount ($100).
- Mic desktop stands like the Atlas Sound DS7E Microphone Stand ($26) are great. I use one here in addition to the mic boom depending on the show and if we're using video or not.
- The K&M Mic stand with boom arm ($60) is a nice midpoint between a desktop stand and a boom.
You need a good set of headphones when you're recording. You need to monitor yourself as well as hear your guests, and you want to do this without sound leakage, where the audio you're hearing in your headphones (other people, sounds, music, your own voice, etc.) gets picked up and recorded by your mic. Typical headphones and iPhone headsets won't cut it. I don't like in-ear headphones for recording work, so I don't have any recommendations for them.
- The Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones ($85) are the best headphones I've ever used, and many people consider them to be the standard cans for audio work. The perfect marriage of comfort, weight, honest sound reproduction, and price. I wear them every day for hours at a time and they feel great.
- If you prefer open-back headphones (which make it easier to hear environmental sounds at the expense of some sound leakage), try the AKG Acoustics K-240 Semi Open Studio Headphones ($99), considered by many to be the other standard headphones for audio work. They sound great, but to me they don't feel as comfortable as the Sony MDR7506s, but many people I know swear by them.
- If the Sony MDR7506s are too pricey for you, check out the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Professional Headphones ($43). They sound good, aren't too heavy, and feel pretty good.
Audio Interfaces
If you bought an XLR mic, you need to plug it into an audio interface to record with it on your computer. The audio interface translates the signal from the microphone into either USB or FireWire. USB is more compatible, and most USB audio interfaces will support monitoring (so you can hear yourself, critical to develop good mic technique), making lag mostly a non-issue. FireWire is usually reserved for prosumer-level and above, because it's higher bandwidth and there's never any lag.
- The entry point is the M-Audio Fast Track USB II audio interface ($92). It has one XLR jack and decent gain levels. A good choice if you're starting out on a budget but want to commit to XLR instead of USB. Small and portable, too.
- The M-Audio Fast Track Pro 4x4 Mobile USB Audio/MIDI Interface ($160) has two XLR inputs for two microphones with plenty of gain to drive even gain hungry dynamic mics like the Heil PR-40. I used this box for a year or so before moving up to a mixer.
Here at 5by5 we use a mixer rather than a smaller audio interface like those listed above because we're typically recording multiple (3 or more) audio streams simultaneously and record them as individual tracks. We also need to provide a mix-minus feed back to our guests, and only a mixer can do this. Mixers also provide much greater control of the audio, allow for multiple routing paths, and a whole lot more, especially important for doing live shows where level matching and riding the faders matters.
When it comes to mixers, I'm only interested in the kind that can simultaneously record multiple tracks, one per input, and are designed to connect directly to a Mac or PC. Of the very few that do this well, I prefer Mackie Onyx line of FireWire mixers.
- The Mackie Onyx 820i ($400) is an amazing mixer with eight channels, three mic preamps, and two auxiliary sends (meaning two mix-minus feeds). This will do everything you'll want until you need more mic inputs or more auxiliary sends.
- The Mackie Onyx 1220i ($600) has 12 channels, four mic preamps, and two auxiliary sends.
- The Mackie Onyx 1620i ($820) is the king of FireWire mixers. It's the one we use at 5by5 for everything we do. It has 16 channels, eight mic preamps, and 4 auxiliary sends. It's the best.
Miscellaneous Hardware
- If you have more than one person in studio, you'll need headsets for them too, and that means you'll want a headphone amp. I use the sturdy ART HeadAmp4 Four Channel Headphone Amplifier ($49), but the Behringer HA400 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp ($26) is cheaper and probably works fine.
- If you're serious about recording, you might want to consider getting a stand-alone preamp. I use a Joe Meek threeQ ($250), which provides a needed gain boost for the Heil PR-40, and has an amazingly warm, natural pre with a built-in EQ and a phenomenal compressor. I use a Hosa STP201 1/4 TRS To Dual 1/4 TS Cable 3.25 Ft ($5) to connect the threeQ to the Mackie.
Podcasting Software
- For multitrack recording and editing, nothing beats Apple Logic Express. There's a learning curve, but once you put in the time, you'll be amazed at how quickly you can edit and produce your show. Sure, you could spend $400 on Apple Logic Studio, but with Express, you'll have more than you need for podcasting.
- Lots of people swear by Pro Tools, which is available from Amazon and sells for $590. I used it for years before switching to Apple Logic with great success. It's available for both Mac and PC, and would be my second choice for multitrack audio editing on the Mac, and my first choice on Windows.
- For single track recording, we use Sound Studio 4 ($59). It's reliable, easy to use, and affordable.
- If you're on a Mac and have a tight budget, an application like Apple Garage Band will do the job, though we prefer Apple Logic (see below). If you go this route, be sure to run Levelator on your exported files.
- Audacity is a free audio editor for Windows, Linux, and the Mac. Again, run Levelator on your audio file when you're done.
Streaming Software
- We use Wirecast to stream all of our live shows to the 5by5 Live Page. It's available for both Mac and PC (we use the Mac version). I'll describe the 5by5 studio setup and how we use Wirecast sometime in the near future.
- We stream live audio from our shows to the 5by5.fm and the 5by5 Audio Page using Rogue Amoeba's Nicecast.
That's a Wrap
Broadcasting is a big territory with lots of room for different ideas and opinions about gear, software, and technique, and the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to know.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope it's been helpful to you.


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New coach McKay looks to change culture with UMaine Farmington softball team
Beavers eager to win after winning only 12 games in past two years.
... "We're young, and I think that's going to show in some of early games," McKay said. "I think that they're still a little shell-shocked. This is college ball, it's more fast-paced than high school. They're very talented athletes, but I want to make sure they have the composure they need to play in these games."
For the freshmen being counted on to mature quickly — one of which is Grady, who projects to play often at second base though McKay said she's still figuring out a stable lineup — the challenge to adjust isn't too much to ask.
"We've had to do some growing up. We've had to step up our game," she said. "We're going from high school to college, and it's different. But we've adapted well."
The Beavers will take it. There are signs of progress, and it's enough for the team to think that something promising could be in the works.
http://www.centralmaine.com/2017/03/18/ ... ball-team/


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granville, PA
Your charge card bill starting as of late comes joined to alluringly plain "settlement checks." Your appraisal preparer allures you to look for survey rebate credits. You're shelled with TV ads for payday credits.
Gave that you have a lawsuit or settlement pending and you require maintains sooner than later, you may need to search for a lawsuit loan. Inestimable are either work, damage, or mishap recognized. This recommends that a mind-blowing some bit of individuals experiencing lawsuits need to proceed lost wage by virtue of their suit. In actuality individuals that don't have lost pay can at present search for a loan for their lawsuit.


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Before choosing AT&T for my internet provider, I was with Comcast. I was looking for a less expensive means of service and ATT's Fast Access DSL looked good no contract and a good price that would not change for 2 years. But the real "carrot" that was dangled before me was the $175 rebate that I was told I would get, but then denied. Here's how they manipulated me and likely thousands of other customers into believing that they would come through with the rebate.
First, the AT&T sales representative will hand out several rebates to try to Win you over, and the big one is the $175 for switching from another internet service provider. What they do is first use the term "qualify", but then in further discussion with the sales representative the language turns to "you will get..." The hidden piece of information here is that the $175 rebate is ONLY for those people who switch AND order a phone line and AT&T long-distance.
Does the sales representative mention this? NO. When you say "I only want internet, not a phone line" does the representative say "you will not get the rebate"? NO they don't. This is the first step of the manipulation. As with most sales interactions, you think that the deal is being made and finalized in this phone call, but its NOT. It's a car sales tactic. First set the customer up with a good picture and confidence in the sale and then it's the "hold, on I need to run this by my sales manager." In this case, you are not told about the second part of sale where you are denied the rebate.
Now the second part is what hits it home. After you get off the phone and you go to the rewards center to claim your rebate, you will see it listed. Yes, that's right, AT&T will even show you that it is being processed to further punch home the belief that they will follow through and you will be 125$ richer. Even if you come back 3 weeks later to claim your $125 rebate, IT'S STILL THERE. That's right, everything is done with the intent to making you believe that you will get the money.
Why do they do this? Because it protects them when you find out a few weeks later that your claim has been denied. That's right, AT&T's defense is that their sales representative throws out as many rebates as possible to dupe you into thinking you will get them, but then there is this 4-6 week "processing" period where the Rewards Center looks over the rebate request and decides who gets what rebates.
Yep, the sales representative that gave you the quote, told you when your first bill would arrive, and of course when you would get your rebates SAYS NOTHING about the fact that the service bundle you have ordered WILL NOT QUALIFY YOU FOR THE REBATE. Thus, it doesn't matter what the sales representative tells you, the final decision as to whether you get the rebate is not made until after you have the service installed and you are less likely to send it back as a result of not getting the rebate you were told you would get.
From a marketing perspective, the scam is superb! You are left feeling manipulated and cheated, which in fact you were. Most people don't do anything to follow up, I would imagine, as they have the internet service, and after calling AT&T customer service and getting all of their apologies, they go surf with their new service and forget about.
The fact of the matter is that this is another example of where BIG CORPORATE AT&T does not give a damn about its new customers, only the opportunity to manipulate them into buying their services. Underneath all the "great customer service" and advertised deals that show how much AT&T "cares about their customers", it's all a lie. And you are ** who just got duped into thinking that you found a company that was transparent in their deals.
Is that the kind of business you want from a company? PLEASE do not fall for this manipulation. Stay away from AT&T. They do not deserve our hard earned dollars as their only motivation is to turn a profit at your expense. They are laughing all the way to the bank every time they manipulate someone who is simply looking for a better customer service relationship.
AT&T DSL Installation is the example of the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I've experienced in years. A month ago I decided to sign-up for AT&T U-Verse (TV) and Internet packages. Called and scheduled an installation appointment, they gave me a 2-hour window for a technician to arrive. The technician arrived 30-mins past the end of the appointment window (though I have to mention that they called and notified me about the delay).
After arriving, the technician spent only 5 minutes taking a look at my apartment and immediately stated that she would not be able to complete an installation that day because she needed access to the phone/cable room outside of my apartment which was locked at the time (I live in a condominium building). I was very frustrated that I ended up taking 4 hours off from work (unpaid time!) for nothing. If they told me in advance that they would need access to the phone room I would have arranged that with my HOA. The technician offered to reschedule the installation for next day and gave me another 2-hour window.
Next day, I took a time-off from work again and was sitting and waiting in my apartment. When no one showed up or called at the end of the allotted appointment time, I called AT&T's customer service myself. They told me that they had NO RECORD of any appointment for me in their system for this day. I can't express how shocked and upset I was with such an unprofessional dealing.
Taking another half-day off from work for nothing!! I demanded to talk to a manager. The manager sympathized with me (per their usual protocol) and offered me a $50 credit off the first month bill for the inconvenience they caused. Then he suggested another installation appointment in a couple of days. I couldn't wait any longer for the Internet b/c I needed it that evening for work so I decided to activate the Internet with my previous cable provider (Cox) and take only the TV package from AT&T. So, I scheduled the third installation appointment for TV in 2 days (BTW, Cox technician arrived the same day in a few hours and activated my Internet).
At the time of my third appointment with AT&T a new technician came and worked for 3 hours going back and forth between my apartment and the phone room outside. He ended up using a coaxial cable (leftover from previous Cox TV service) instead of a phone cable b/c of the inconvenience of the phone jack location. After he left I realized that I lost my Internet (which was using a separate coaxial cable in another room). Luckily, the technician left his phone, so I called him and he returned back. After working for another hour, he reconnected the cables and I finally got TV service from AT&T in my living room and Internet service from COX reinstated in my other room.
I had thought my troubles with AT&T were over until I got my first bill. Not only that there was no promised $50 credit but I was also charged for the Internet package which I didn't get from them!!! When I called them a customer service representative said that there was nothing in their computer system about me canceling my request for the Internet service.
I was shocked once again! Maybe they didn't see the canceled request but couldn't they see that there was no actual usage of the Internet data and they never even provided me with an Internet modem? The representative said that no, she couldn't verify all that. However, she agreed to revert the charge for the Internet (she made it sound like she was doing me a favor by just taking my word on it).
As far as the promised credit, she said there was NO note (again!) on that in the system (how convenient!). There was no record of me having any conversation with any manager. She asked me what was the name of the person I spoke with, I couldn't remember and she said there was nothing she could help with since I failed to record the name of that person.
Since when it's the customer's responsibility to log phone conversations? Why AT&T doesn't take responsibility for not keeping records of customer calls and promises of their own reps/managers? I asked to talk to a manager again, the representative said no manager was available and offered a call back first thing next morning (which is today). As of noon, no one has called yet.
Though I like the selection of channels that AT&T U-Verse offers I am going to switch back to COX for my TV as well. I am so pissed with this lack of accountability and professionalism that I don't want to continue to remain their customer. I also have a cell phone service from AT&T and even though I've never really had any customer service related issues with the cell phone, I am thinking about canceling it as well, just to save myself from any future bad customer service troubles.
PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA -- On April 7, 2009 I was going out to pick up my son from his friend's house, and a person approached my car and it was an AT&T U-verse representative and started telling me how wonderful his product was in cable and internet. At that time, I had land phone and DSL internet with Bellsouth and cable with Comcast. I live in Pembroke Pines, FL and never had an issue with my providers however my husband who loves the new technology wanted to try the new U-verse product of AT&T.
I made a quick quote with the sales representative and I would end up paying like $ 30 more of what I was paying before but according to him for a much better service and qualify. He set up the appointment for us and the technician was scheduled for April 15, the worst day!!!
On April 15, the technician showed up and started with the installation process. To begin when he installed the modem in my kitchen because he said that the signal was coming through them and that would be better. He assured us that we will not have any kind of issues with the wireless internet, my husband explained to him that he was a home base employee and he needed to have the connection via wire directly to his desktop.
Technician didn't care and assured him that he wouldn't have any problem. He left that day and of course when my husband tried to work late at night he didn't have signal so he had to do an internal connection and run a cable from the kitchen to his office and that included that the cable will go across my living room and dining room.
I was very upset because I personally hate the wires and cables showing up everywhere however it was more important for him to work. My husband had to go out of the country the next day for two weeks so actually I didn't make any change or contacted AT&T because he needed to have access to his e-mails and I didn't want to make any change.
He came back on April 30th so we discussed about this and we decided to cancel. We were thinking about more money and not a great service, neither internet or cable which you used to freeze very often. I contacted AT&T and asked them to cancel my service and explained the situation with the wires and the fact that the quality of the cable wasn't great she accepted to cancel my cable and insisted in allowing them to fix the issue of the wires and assure me that I will have the best internet ever.
She sent another technician and they moved the modem same story, the technician left and after a couple of hours the connection failed and we didn't have internet, my husband was hysterical and I was worst. We contacted them and they sent another technician (now the third one) on May 2, he came in and measure the signal and he told us that the signal was coming very poor and nothing he could do improve it. He apologized and asked us to cancel the service.
I immediately contacted their office and spent 3 hours trying to cancel my service and to put me back with DSL. Well nobody was able to do that and their office close at 5 pm on Saturdays. At the end we called Comcast and upgraded our cable and got the internet service from them. We had a modem at home so the same day was working perfect, what a difference! Tomorrow I will call AT&T again and cancel the service.
LISTEN, if you have another provider and you are doing fine with them DO NOT CHANGE IT TO AT&T U-Verse, they are freaking liars and their service is the worst. You can spend hours on the phone and they don't care. Don't do it for the offers of month free or HD free because at the end if you don't have good service that is what it counts. I think they are not ready to provide a good service neither in technology and professionalism.
About 3 weeks ago, there was a network failure in my area. They had it up and running the day before the estimated repair time. After service was restored, I still had connectivity issues. I called AT&T tech support. They said it was a problem with my password and reset it. All was fine, for about an hour. My connection dropped, I had no internet. I called them back and they told me there were no other issues in my area. They sent me a new modem, which would cost me $100. The other modem (a replacement for my original modem)was out of its warranty period (Convenient, huh?). I got it within 2 days.
Meanwhile my connection was shoddy. It was fine and then I'd get disconnected and couldn't connect again, but if I did, it would drop and come back. I got the new modem, set it up and I has service again. For about 10 minutes.
So I called them again. I explained AGAIN my situation and how this only started after their network outage. The representative I spoke to this time was more thorough, but she talked WAY too fast. She had tested my connection, found no problems. She said the network techs had tested my network connection as well as neighbors that had AT&T DSL in my neighborhood. She said the problem was in my house in the lines and she could have a tech out within the next week. I told her I would have to check my work schedule and get back to her.
I had connection this morning, with no issues. I took a shower and came back to the computer, I had no internet, the service light on my modem was red. Since I had to go to work, I couldn't call AT&T. I came home for lunch, still no internet, but I didn't have time to call. I talked to my friend (who lives about 1/2 mile away) on my lunch break about this, she said she was also having connectivity issues since their network outage.
I told her to call AT&T to complain. She also told them about my complaint. She was told there have been no issues reported in the last week (lie). She was told it was a password issue and they reset it. It worked fine for a little while, but then connection issues came back. When I came home, I called AT&T tech support and the recording told me wait for it. There was a network failure in my area and it would be resolved by 5am tomorrow.
I was livid. I got back to a human being and told them how unhappy and frustrated I have been about this for the last 2.5 weeks. I informed them that I would be sending their $100 modem back (that I didn't need). They have a record of how many times I called.
I asked them why couldn't they just listen to me (and who knows how many other complaints) to resolve this issue. Why couldn't they admit from my first phone call that it might be an issue on their end? I was given the "well at the time we looked at your connection there were no issues." Really? All three times I called and was having problems, you're never found an issue? When my friend called when her connection was down, there was no issues? But the network went down the next day anyway? Weird.
I will be calling the billing department to get a credit for all of the downtime. After this last call, as soon as I hung up the phone, I had connection and have had no problems since. Pure coincidence, or did the squeaky wheel finally get the oil? Get it together AT&T. You aren't the only internet provider in my neighborhood. I switched TO you, I can switch AWAY from you in a heartbeat.
CAROL STREAM, ILLINOIS -- I ordered high speed internet from AT&T U-Verse at the end of November 2010 after having some difficulties with Time Warner cable internet. After my problems were resolved I canceled the installation of AT&T internet 1 business day after setting it up. Within 2 days of cancellation, I received the hardware for installation which cost over $100.00 and which I was told I would receive a $75.00 credit for. I mailed the hardware back to AT&T via their enclosed return labels. These labels were EXTREMELY uninformative as to the carrier and I saw no tracking data. I dropped the package off at my local post office to an agent and they could also not tell it was not for them.
I received a bill for 105.10 in January and called U-Verse billing support and was told they had not received the return and I would be held responsible for it if they did not receive it. I was also told that they deal exclusively with UPS for shipping - this was NOT CLEAR on the label. I have seen other reviews saying that even with the tracking info, people are still being held responsible for the amount of the hardware returned to AT&T. These practices seem like a very good way for AT&T to make a bit of extra revenue off their customers who cancel, AT&T should be aware that they are alienating their customers as well.
BEWARE of subscribing to this service which requires you to purchase hardware. It seems to me that AT&T is getting tricky with returns. Based on the shipping labels I received, I don't really think they wanted the equipment returned to them. It seems they would rather have their customer on the hook for the amount of the "returned" hardware than actually getting it back.
GLEN ELLEN, CALIFORNIA -- AT&T is the most horrible service I have ever had. I was warned against them, but decided I just wanted to reinstall the service that was there from previous owners so I thought it must be easy. After 8 hours on hold on 3 different phone calls and 3 missed appointments (I was very specific that I had to drive an hour to meet the technicians) I finally got a very nice technician who told me I needed the service that had been previously at the house and not what was ordered.
But I had told AT&T I just wanted the internet service that was already there!! The technician tried to change the work order so that he could get the work done, but after a half hour and 3 different transfers, he gave up!!!! What an absolute joke! The people I dealt with were very nice. It is obviously mismanagement by the uppers who do not give the employees what they need to get information from different departments. I despise this company and will cancel my current phone service with them because I don't want to pay them another dime!!!
GEORGIA -- I switched to AT&T and it was a big mistake. I Love Comcast but unfortunately I can't get them in the current area that I have moved in. Big bummer!! Their customer service sucks. They will keep you on hold for 15 minutes without coming back to refresh the call and thank you for holding. They all sound unprofessional and they just seem as though they don't care. As well the internet I have is supposed to be 6.0 and when I run a speed test on a brand new computer it's nowhere close. Don't bother if you don't have to!! Good luck to those that do.
BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT -- The quality of service or lack of depends on your distance from a "Cross Box" located somewhere in your neighborhood to your house. AT&T claims that you can get service if 3,000 or more feet away from the "Cross Box". I am exactly 2,975 feet away from their box which is on the next street.
The installation date was October 17, 2008. The tech with four months of experience used the very old Comcast outdoor Co Axe cable and drilled through a bedroom wall to attach the cable to their "Router" from which cables run back outside and to the other rooms which require TV connections. The wires are then attached to a receiver which feeds the TV.
We experienced complete drop of all services several times daily and I had to reset the router. A second visit by a tech resulted with all new Cat5 wire installed to the three rooms with TVs. We experienced the same daily loss of phone, internet and TV service.
By now I knew enough that when I call Level 1 technical support 1-800-ATT-2020 I would ask for Level 2 support where they would review my case number and read the last entries explaining the repair steps taken. After several weeks and more visits I could dial Level 2 support, enter a four digit code for that day and get directly to upper-level support. I also learned to request a senior tech with more experience and they agreed that was needed.
A senior tech and the brother of a neighbor who lives 500 feet closer to the "Cross Box" was advised by his brother the tech not to get U-Verse because of the distance issues. This senior tech discovered that the wiring from the outside connection to the inside Router had not been replaced and was original old Comcast cable. This was overlooked by at least three previous techs.
He used his AT&T laptop computer and reviewed 218,000 errors recorded in an hour's time!! He replaced the cable. He also had a pole tech reduce the power or surge at our pole which in effect gives us an addition 400 feet of service from the cross box.
The HD TV reception is now very sharp and clear. The second analog TV is also receiving a much better picture. We did away with the third analog TV. Now in rainy or snowy weather we experience occasional "Ghosting" with black lines outlining people or figures on the screen, temporary several second freezing of the picture and audio freezing. When getting GOOD reception fast moving video such as viewing basketball or such often shows uneven movement in the action which has to do with their method of streaming. I just don't like it as it is unnatural.
There is no further cure except for AT&T to upgrade the Cross Box at great expense which they will not do. They rather invest in upgraded more powerful boxes in highly populated areas such as cities rather than rural areas with fewer customers.
If you have enough complaints they will reduce your bill. When we signed up we had the choice for their "Everything" service with either $280 something worth of prepaid debit cards which could be used at restaurants of for purchases etc and a monthly bill of something like $184 OR $170 monthly and a $50 debit card. We elected for the $170 & $50 card for one year of service.
After many complaints and six tech visits we are paying $140 a month for one HD receiver/DVD, one analog receiver, the full premium TV package, faster Internet speeds and unlimited long distance phone calling. The TV reception is very high quality when there are no errors as described above and the errors are only in poor weather it seems.
My message is that you FIRST have them determine your exact distance from the Cross Box. If it approaches 3,000 feet forget U-Verse as you may experience many problems if they have not upgraded the cross box. The do not use Optical Cable on your street or to your house but only to the Cross Box. Inside and outside your house IS hardwired and they do not use a WIRELESS Router as suggested by their salesman.
We will continue to use the U-Verse service as long as it gives quality reception. If it reverts back to it's former "Unacceptable" service we will have no options but to switch back to Comcast which in my opinion utilizes inferior often refurbished receivers/DVRs.
Comcast also has a standard policy of increasing your monthly bill substantially once a year if you do not read the fine print on your bill and call them once a year to extend your contract with them. After 32 years with Comcast they did this to me, a daughter living within the state and many people I have questioned. Just my findings, I hope this may save you aggravation and dismay and help you in your decision-making.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- AT&T was called and asked about installing internet service back in May. I was informed that I was able to receive this service and that someone would be out in 1 week to turn this service on. I had to wait at home from 8am-5pm for someone to show up. At 5:30 pm someone showed up and said they hooked up the internet and left. I went to go on the internet but it wouldn't work.
I called AT&T and they said that they had until midnight for the service to work and told me to call back. At midnight the service did not work and I had to reschedule for someone to come back out in another week. One week goes by and I wait at home again from 8am - 6pm for someone to come out. A guy comes out and tells me that there is a problem and says that it is late and I will have to reschedule. I call AT&T again and in about another week someone comes out and "fixes" the problem.
I try to go on the internet and am not able to. I call AT&T and they say that there was 2 problems but the guy only fixed 1 problem hoping it would work. I had to reschedule for another week and waited yet again at home from 8am-6pm. The guy never shows up! I called AT&T again and reschedule waiting another week and a guy comes out looks around and leaves. I later get a call from AT&T saying that they are unable to provide me with internet service because my distance is too far. The guy says that I won't have to pay anything.
Well I receive a bill in June for $133.80!! I call AT&T on June 29 @ 2:27 pm and get a lady named ** who says if I don't pay I will go to collections and that they will ruin my credit. I explain to ** what happened and am told that I have to pay. After threatening her with the BBB she says, "Well if you ask me nicely I can transfer you to customer care who backtracks accounts."
I ask nicely and am transferred to **. ** tells me that my problem is not her problem and that I have to pay. After arguing with her she finally says, "Well if you ask me to backtrack your account I can." I ask her if that is her job and she says yes but she cannot offer a service unless I ask the right question.
Well this goes on for a while, me trying to guess the right question and I thought my charges were backtracked and reversed. Well on Aug 30 I receive another bill, and a threatening letter for collections. On 9/14/06 @ 10:13 am I call AT&T and get ** who refuses to talk to me and says this is not her problem that I did not receive service I still have to pay.
I have recently received a letter from collections for AT&T service that was never received but AT&T says that they have my social # and all my info and I have no choice but to pay them even though I never received even one second of service from them or they will destroy my credit!!! This company is awful. It is the worst company I have ever dealt with.