Disqus - Latest Comments for southplatte

Re: Step by Step Installation guide for CH340g USB to serial IC along with its drivers

Bill — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 01:08:36 -0000

One issue I have found on differing systems - CH341S64.sys is not always installed by the installer. I have 3 Windows 10 Pro systems. The only one that works has CH341S64.sys in c:\windows\system32\drivers while the two that don't work don't have that file installed. The two that don't work show the USB Arduino clone based upon CH340g chip as "Unknown USB device (Device Descriptor Request Failed). The WCH installer does NOT install the CH341S64.sys file in all cases on 64-bit systems, even when using the Install64.exe or Setup64.exe (depending upon which package you download). I firmly believe this is why the 340g chip has such a bad rep on the Arduino forums - the driver install installs a 32-bit and/or older window's driver version using the Setup.exe or Setup64.exe and doesn't always install the CH340S64.sys file. Just my thoughts, and no I have not found a reliable way to ensure that file is installed instead of the CH340S98.sys file.

Re: Use ASP.NET Core 1.1 with .NET 4.6 (without Visual Studio)

Bill — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 15:38:38 -0000

John, you are the rockstar today! This is exactly what I needed to be able to use some libraries that have not been updated to .Net Core yet!

Re: A lightweight shopping cart web application in ASP.NET MVC 5.

Bill — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 17:36:12 -0000

Just stumbled across this little gem. I've been mulling shopping carts for some weeks now - and I found the following:

1) So much bloat it's not even funny
2) Not easily integrated with existing MVC 5 sites
3) Costly
4) Maintenance nightmare

I have programmed carts in other languages and was looking for my first - I think taking some ideas from your code I can have my cart done, my way, the weekend. Thanks for sharing and for sharing the code.

Re: Instagram, Social Media and the Opt-Out Economy

Bill — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:58:32 -0000

True that, Danny. I also have an issue with the willingness to use minors' information, photos etc. with the expectation that the teenager alerted parents to the ToS and the parents explicitly agreed to the ToS. That, to me, is the more damning situation of the whole, followed by the fact they retain it even if you opt-out/disagree/delete the account.

Re: Instagram, Social Media and the Opt-Out Economy

Bill — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:02:57 -0000

I knew you would have a post about this Danny!

Let's be real here, while often time not much is done, basically what they are saying is, "we can, and we just might" use your images, without attribution, in anyway we deem we want to, whether you like it or not, even if you stop using our service and delete your account. That begs to question how many other services actually do not "remove" information when an account is deleted. Oh wait, most do NOT.

Re: Be Where YOU Need to Be, Not Where “They” Say You Should

Bill — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:38:06 -0000

Don't you know, Danny, that if one over complicates things it's possible to charge more for services? Then, only a handful of clients pis sufficient to pay the bills, as over charging brings more revenue and smooth talkers make clients believe they are getting a true return for their investment.

Or it could be done the right way.

Re: The Only Pinterest Post You’ll Ever Need to Read – EVER!

Bill — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:11:22 -0000

I think I was missing #2. No wonder it didn't make sense.

Re: Grow Some Balls

Bill — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:09:39 -0000

Oh, and I should point out, apologies for not reading and interacting here more often - kinda missed the straightforward, no-holds-barred writing and approach.

Re: Grow Some Balls

Bill — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:08:31 -0000

All of a sudden the old AC/DC song pops to mind.....

And as Ricardo says, Go BIG or go home. People don't understand why C-Levels don't intimidate me, I see it as one has to have Balls to put themself, their ideas, their thoughts and their opinions out there....and occassionaly be ready to get kicked where it hurts and remain standing and/or get right back up and stick to it. It's either that or get fed through the tube.

Re: 9 Points on Why I’m Not a Social Media Expert

Bill — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:35:54 -0000

And here you said just the other day I was as raw and honest as they come ;-)

Numbers without context is kind of like reading the first and last chapters of a book and writing a review or book report about it. It just doesn't work the majority of the time. As well, interaction with a limited audience does not spread wings and gain the experience that interaction with a larger group gains.

All said, if I interact well with 100 - does that hold true with 1000? Maybe, maybe not. If I have 1000 but never interact with more than 100, what does that say? Doesn't matter if the audience is on Twitter, Facebook, in an auditorium or in my work place, but we can play it in the social sphere since that is the topic at hand.

Social media is as any other tool or process, it comes with a specific break even point and profit point(s) (and no I am not talking monetary profit, and yes these are different for each business, individual etc. with some trends to be found). It's in those profit points that occurs the raw, natural interactions based on real items that end in real action and real results we should measure - what is 1000 followers with zero results or actions? Zero.

At least in my view ;-)

Re: The Danger of Not Work

Bill — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:22:11 -0000

Well, nay, very well said.

Keyword in my take away: Balance.

It's not just getting out from the computer. Sure I can take my family out for dinner, go to the park etc. but if my mind and emotions are not there, then the balance is off. If I am running through other items and not giving my 100% to that moment, with those people, my balance is off.

Speaking from personal experience, having just completed a marathon of 18-20 hour days going nearly 2 months straight; yes - my body was out of balance and I ended up extremely ill. My relationships were out of balance - with my wife, my kids and others - you know the important people. My sleep habits still have not recovered.

The end result? One item in life came out spectacular while so many others suffered.

Re: Consider This

Bill — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:50:03 -0000

Danny~

Spot my friend. Spot on.

As a web developer versed in design, UI and customer interaction in addition to the back-end "geek" coding, I find too many sites fit the profile you advise against for web sites.

Having been in customer tech support prior, the phone tree is all too familiar.

In fact, I have worked in organization that fail at one point or another, many that fail at multiple points.

I say this - It's not rocket science, and $150,000 in market research is not going build you a site that is usable, a tree that navigable, or a FAQ list that is understandable.

Intuition, customer minded, relationship focused direction, executives and employees who can see it from the target market will. It's not enough to know the target market, but how to interact with them and draw them in as easy as a sidewalk sale.

Re: Dear Car Dealerships – Stop Sucking

Bill — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:13:56 -0000

Kind of late on this one....but....

I agree 100%. Last summer I was shopping for a new truck (which consequently I did NOT purchase). The dealerships #1 marketing tool where I live on their web site? Call for price. Really? No. I want to know what you have, a ballpark of where I need to start bargaining, and who I am going to talk to when I get there. They can give all that online. Simple.

They can also make do with user friendly sites, mobile sites, and much much more.

Re: Win 5 Copies of “jQuery: Novice to Ninja”

Bill — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:36:31 -0000

Count me in for one.....not that I will win...but hey, one has to try, right?

Re: Tell Us Your Social Media Story

Bill — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:23:02 -0000

Danny -

It's posts and ideas like that make you never cease to amaze me in what you do for your online communities, and the general at-large online community as a whole.
.-= Bill´s most recent blog post ...Server Move Done! =-.

Re: Tell Us Your Social Media Story

Bill — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:23:02 -0000

Danny -

Re: How I Made $100K With Twitter

Bill — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:00:37 -0000

"I worked my ass off to deliver."

That's the key many miss - the follow through to ensure you get done what you say you will get done. If that had not been done properly, then you would have had a much different outcome.

Often, many get the work, but then fail to deliver.
.-= Bill´s last blog ..Server move successful =-.

Re: To Blog or Not to Blog

Bill — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:24:22 -0000

Great post Danny!

One that I am still working on, and you've read some of posts and know that I am not perfect, don't care much what people think of me etc. But we all need a reminder like this. Thanks for that!
.-= Bill´s most recent blog post ...Overly Complicated? =-.

Re: To Blog or Not to Blog

Bill — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:24:22 -0000

Great post Danny!

Re: Geopocketing- When Twitter Gets Cool Again

Bill — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:12:41 -0000

Haahaa - I knew you would push something like this out sooner or later.

Interestingly enough I have something logically completed just the opposite (just need to package a nice UI on it) - find people in certain geographic areas on Twitter - example: give me registered users in Ny, Ny or in Tampa, Fl, interfaced with Twitter's search API (which already does geolocation to a degree) and you find all tweeters in that area - one would think it simple to accomplish the same thing. In fact - when tweeting, it would be necessary to geolocate based upon current location (ex at CES) provided users have updated their lat/lon or zip/postal/city/state within Twitter as they have traveled to the event/area - it would then would be very simple to find all your followers in that area, and only tweet them.

Hmmm....anyone interested in what I have thus far and partnering? Yup, ok that was blunt, that's one of my 2010 strategies is to not be chicken in speaking up about ideas, projects, thoughts etc. . Don't have my keyword for it yet, other than blunt.

Bill
@southplatte

Re: Grinding vs Clocking – Time and the Overnight Success

Bill — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:13:11 -0000

Mr. Brogan - you hit the nail on the head with this one. Personally I have been grinding for months now - some days have been merely clocking, and even fewer have been recharging. It is very important to find a balance - sometimes things are out of our control, but we still have to fit things in to balance the scales and engage ourselves differently to recharge various portions of ourselves.

Thank-you for the reminder.

Re: Response to Barbara Talisman’s Misinformed 12for12k Post

Bill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:22:57 -0000

James,

I found myself unemployed, behind on house payments, struggling just to survive. Yet in the midst of it all, through the 12for12k team, their inspiration and dedication, my wife and gave. We gave $10 each, our kids watched as we tweeted, retweeted and interacted. The older ones in amazement at what was happening - that a bunch of strangers would sit, chat, talk, tweet and reach out to the world through social media.

That powerful, effective change happens to those who come into contact with 12for12k with an open mind, open heart and a willingness to just do.

I wish you best of luck with college, and hope you all the best in the coming months...hang in there.

Re: Response to Barbara Talisman’s Misinformed 12for12k Post

Bill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:08:24 -0000

Just in case it never makes it or is deleted over there:

Ms. Talisman,

While I sincerely appreciate the fact that you can write that fund raising is about cultivation, awareness, education and then giving. I think you will find that the 12for12k project is aware of this, and is one of the things it is doing through efforts online and offline. While it may not be raising hundreds of thousands, or millions for that matter, for any given charity as of yet, I don’t think you will find any one of the organizations disheartened by the efforts put forth. As well, I sincerely appreciate the fact that you can voice your view as to why this is such a failure in that aspect, though many will disagree with you.

What I do have a hard time appreciating are the personal attacks, which are unmerited in this medium, and the fact that you are attempting to point out what is so wrong with what 12for12k is trying to build and accomplish, yet you yourself have yet to offer any true ideas, methods, or solutions that are viable, sustainable, growth enabled and work via the social media sphere to build upon. I imagine if Danny were to have given you the funds raised thus far, you would be more forth coming with that information.

See what 12for12k is doing, is taking the money to the charities, non-profits and organizations. It is not taking a larger piece of the pie that what the organizations receive, in fact I don’t know of it taking any cut of that pie since the funds go right to the organizations, and not to 12for12k, Danny or anyone else involved. As stated on the web site, less than 10% for administrative costs – which any and all organizations have.

What is your take when you do your consulting for charities and non-profits? 10% or less? 20% 40% A set fee? Maybe the reason $2000, $5000, $15,000+ sounds so weak to you is that is far less than you would charge for your ideas, methods and solutions to the organizations you consult for?

A much more effective position on your part would have been to realize there is a group of people, businesses and other entities that are growing in size, banding together sharing a common goal. That the community is not about self, it is not about being conceited, it is not about only identifying the problems. It is about global change, which has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is with 12for12k. It is about community, social sharing and giving. It is about awareness and coming together to learn, change and grow as a group, as a community, as a global united group.

All of that has to start somewhere, just as you had to start somewhere in your efforts 20+ years ago. I am sure your first fund raising efforts raised into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, right? No, you had to start somewhere too.

My personal view? You are scared. I am sure you charge a very nice sum to consult with entities on fund raising and how to go big. Now, here is this growing force, a community of volunteers doing it for the love of helping, that is basically supporting these organizations free of charge. I can understand how that scares you, your competition is not charging and is growing at a very fast pace.

Unfortunately for you, the personal attacks have made a blemish on you to that growing force, that community and imagine how the organizations that 12for12k support feel towards you now. Do you think any of them will decide to “go big” with your organization seeing that personal attacks are your nature? That you could not appreciate the grass-roots level of starting something new using new media? Things to think about going forward.

Re: Response to Barbara Talisman’s Misinformed 12for12k Post

Bill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:22:57 -0000

James,

I found myself unemployed, behind on house payments, struggling just to survive. Yet in the midst of it all, through the 12for12k team, their inspiration and dedication, my wife and I gave. We gave $10 each, our kids watched as we tweeted, retweeted and interacted. The older ones in amazement at what was happening - that a bunch of strangers would sit, chat, talk, tweet and reach out to the world through social media.

That powerful, effective change happens to those who come into contact with 12for12k with an open mind, open heart and a willingness to just do.

I wish you best of luck with college, and hope you all the best in the coming months...hang in there.

Re: Response to Barbara Talisman’s Misinformed 12for12k Post

Bill — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:08:24 -0000

Just in case it never makes it or is deleted over there:

Ms. Talisman,

While I sincerely appreciate the fact that you can write that fund raising is about cultivation, awareness, education and then giving. I think you will find that the 12for12k project is aware of this, and is one of the things it is doing through efforts online and offline. While it may not be raising hundreds of thousands, or millions for that matter, for any given charity as of yet, I don’t think you will find any one of the organizations disheartened by the efforts put forth. As well, I sincerely appreciate the fact that you can voice your view as to why this is such a failure in that aspect, though many will disagree with you.

What I do have a hard time appreciating are the personal attacks, which are unmerited in this medium, and the fact that you are attempting to point out what is so wrong with what 12for12k is trying to build and accomplish, yet you yourself have yet to offer any true ideas, methods, or solutions that are viable, sustainable, growth enabled and work via the social media sphere to build upon. I imagine if Danny were to have given you the funds raised thus far, you would be more forth coming with that information.

See what 12for12k is doing, is taking the money to the charities, non-profits and organizations. It is not taking a larger piece of the pie that what the organizations receive, in fact I don’t know of it taking any cut of that pie since the funds go right to the organizations, and not to 12for12k, Danny or anyone else involved. As stated on the web site, less than 10% for administrative costs – which any and all organizations have.

What is your take when you do your consulting for charities and non-profits? 10% or less? 20% 40% A set fee? Maybe the reason $2000, $5000, $15,000+ sounds so weak to you is that is far less than you would charge for your ideas, methods and solutions to the organizations you consult for?

A much more effective position on your part would have been to realize there is a group of people, businesses and other entities that are growing in size, banding together sharing a common goal. That the community is not about self, it is not about being conceited, it is not about only identifying the problems. It is about global change, which has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is with 12for12k. It is about community, social sharing and giving. It is about awareness and coming together to learn, change and grow as a group, as a community, as a global united group.

All of that has to start somewhere, just as you had to start somewhere in your efforts 20+ years ago. I am sure your first fund raising efforts raised into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, right? No, you had to start somewhere too.

My personal view? You are scared. I am sure you charge a very nice sum to consult with entities on fund raising and how to go big. Now, here is this growing force, a community of volunteers doing it for the love of helping, that is basically supporting these organizations free of charge. I can understand how that scares you, your competition is not charging and is growing at a very fast pace.

Unfortunately for you, the personal attacks have made a blemish on you to that growing force, that community and imagine how the organizations that 12for12k support feel towards you now. Do you think any of them will decide to “go big” with your organization seeing that personal attacks are your nature? That you could not appreciate the grass-roots level of starting something new using new media? Things to think about going forward.