Posts by Veni, Vidi, Velcro

Bonk to enter: Starwood Hotels testing keyless check-in via mobe

As a frequent traveler...

I see limited appeal in bypassing the front desk. If I go to the desk, I can ask if there is a room upgrade available that wasn't already given to me, talk to a person about hotel amenities if I haven't been there before, etc. I'm sure there will be times when I will enjoy being able to just get to my room and not interact with someone (one night layovers in hotels near airports come to mind), but generally I prefer interacting with the front desk, even if that results in me waiting in line to check in.

On the other hand, I like the idea of not having to carry an extra card in my wallet three days out of the week. Being able to open the door using my SPG app on my phone will be nice, provided I can sync it to allow access to others when I'm traveling with friends or family.

Classy Oregon diners tipped waitress with 'crystal meth' – cops

Re: "a meth lab comprising a small torch, batteries and other items",

A torch is either the thing used in the Olympics or it's successor, powered by butane or similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butane_torch

Depending on the fuel source, they can be used for anything from cooking through welding or cutting metal.

Amazon wants in on single-credit-card biz

Re: A little late

@Rampant Spaniel: There are credit cards with chip + PIN available in the US, and no foreign transaction fees. I know the Marriott Black card (the more expensive of the two Marriott offerings) from Chase is one, and I'd be surprised if there aren't a few other cards with a similar offering popping up. The rest of the card benefits are really only helpful if you frequent Marriott properties, but you may be able to give Chase a call and ask which (if any) other cards of theirs have chip + PIN.

Virtual sanity: How to get a grip on your home PCs

XenServer is a decent, free option for the host server. The free edition should provide everything you need. Of course, you'll need to download a free license for it, but that's not a huge deal.

Multiple instances of Windows require individual licenses. For Win 7, I think that Microsoft may have an alternative "VDI" licensing or similar, but the specifics are beyond the sphere I typically worry about.

Christmas headaches? We prescribe a year long course of BOFH

What, no Nook book love?

Canadian prof: Wikipedia makes kids study harder

Fear Itself

This isn't about using Wikipedia as a communal grading system, it's about using Wikipedia as a stick to produce better output. "Not only am I going to grade this, but I'm posting it on Wikipedia and we'll let them tear it apart with your name attached, too."

Hey, if it makes people produce better material in schools, maybe they'll retain more of it. Of course, how useful is in depth knowledge of the biographies of obscure authors, really? Maybe for a very specialized journalist or a book editor, but beyond that, I can't see much practical value for it.

Sprint introduces $10 smartphone premium

Re:What, no iPhones on the list?

iPhones are not available on Sprint at the moment in the US. Only AT&T and, in February, Verizon.