January 2008 Archives
Apparently if you want DVD playback in Ubuntu, it's pretty annoying because it's not installed. Well it looks like you can get it resolved with only 2 commands.
sudo apt-get install totem-xine libxine1-ffmpeg libdvdread3
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh
Pretty useful if you need to play commercial DVDs.
So I went and got me a copy of Over the Rainbow
and listened some more. If this little girl can hold onto to the way she sings, it should propel her career as a singer.
If you can't believe that a little girl won the Britain's Got Talent, then just listen to her on the following video and just melt like I did:
CacheBlock is a plugin for MT4 that allows you to cache certain blocks of code to allow faster access and rebuild times.
This is due to it leveraging a couple things. First, if the system has memcache installed, then the plugin uses that to actually cache blocks of code. This makes it lightning quick to actually rebuild or create static pages since it doesn't query the database each single referenced link. If memcache isn't installed, then it caches the code in the database. This will still be faster than usual since one query to the database still is less than multiple queries to the database.
CacheBlock in general and depending on how you use it, will definitely speed up your publishing for Movable Type. Just takes some time to add the template code and rebuild the site. But once that's done? Bam..... faster builds, faster action and everyone's just dandy and happy.
There's nothing like the classic Gene Kelly singing and dancing to Singing in the Rain. But when you're looking for a little bit of something a bit fresher, this remix for the VW Golf GTi definitely mixes up the old with the new.
Beauty of this? The way it was done was with superimposing Gene Kelly's head onto famous liquid dancer, David Elsewhere. Interestingly enough, you probably have seen him dance since Apple has had him in one of their iPod silhouette commercials. Either way, it's some amazing stuff.
Fresh UI is something there that allows you to tweak and customize Windows. System settings, hardware settings, policies, applications... it does a whole lot of things for such a tiny little application.
Supports ME/95/98/NT/2000/XP.
You figure that the primaries are decided by the democratic process. In fact, you would think that if people vote in one direction, that would be the voice of the people. Yet, it's not true. There is actually a safety net put up by the political parties called "superdelegates".
These positions were actually set up by the Democrat Party back in the 1970s for those that are not bound by caucuses and primaries, but can make a decision by allowing those that have been active in the party to have a say. Another way to look at it, is that it's a way to keep the voting power more in the power of the party, than those that are voting..
On the flip side, the Republican National Committee does not have similar types of superdelegates so there isn't as much power held by those in the party, but there is still some power held.
Why is this wrong in my opinion?
Well, that means that if the people vote against the party and push for a person because they're not happy with those now in power would actually mean... not much. It means that there is enough power that you can maneuver a vote to those in the old guard, than actually for what the people want.
Either way? It sounds kind of fishy to me. Doesn't sound very democratic. Oh well.
Interestingly enough, Windows Vista media actually does serve a purpose.
Not only is it the installation medium, but it also can do many other things such as recovery of a hosed up system. Unfortunately, OEM manufacturers don't provide the disc for free.
Microsoft realized this fact and provided the Windows Vista Recovery Disc. Fortunately this helps you recover any poof of he operating system. Ahh. Nice.
Fresh View is an interesting piece of free software for Windows. What it does is that it lets you explore image files and multimedia by organizing them and viewing them without having to actually open the files.
While this sounds great, I'm not exactly sure how this isn't like File Explorer, except for the fact that you only only view them one at a time for multimedia. Images in icon format would definite show enough that you'd know what it was. But the nice thing about this one is that you can probably view it in a larger size.
Well, it's not that bad, but I already have things that I already use for Windows that seem to work fine for the similar processes. But if you don't use anything as of yet? It might be worth a shot at taking a look at it. What's it hurt? It costs... a whole lot of nothing.
If you're looking for a free cd/dvd burning software, then look no further. BurnAware Free Edition definitely fits the bill. It can burn audio CDs from your usual music formats, it can burn your DVDs, it can even burn your ISOs. Multi-session? No problem.
In fact? How many free things for Windows have you found that support Blu-Ray? Exactly. Not much out there. Supports Windows 98 all the way to Vista. You can guarantee this is going in the big toolbox of useful applications.
Within five years, everything has been infected and little by little, the remaining humans are fighting to survive the infection. Claire Redfield (Carter) leads a convoy that keeps getting diminished by zombies taking out those there. They meet up with Alice and together try to take on Umbrella after Umbrella tries to regain Project Alice.
From a perspective of game to movie makes? This is probably one of the better series to date. Definitely a great action flick along with decent special effects. And really, who wouldn't want to be one of those zombie extras? So cool. This definitely will be going on the shelf.
If you're in need of downloading files and want a download manager that you can pause and resume downloads as well as allowing multiple connections for the same file... then Fresh Download is your application of choice.
This download manager can be scheduled for low-times downloads, allow for proxy servers, allow for password protected sites, and has a built in zip extractor. In fact, there really isn't too much it doesn't have including browser integration. Makes life a lot easier when freeware for Windows like this exist, eh?
Sometimes, one just has to collect that is most awesome. And believe me when I say that a statue of Samus, the star of the game series Metroid, is not far down on my list of favorite characters. This particular piece is a limited edition that stands 17 cm without the base and is hand cast and hand painted.
There are only 2500 world wide so get yours before they're gone. Runs for about eighty dollars USD. And it is officially licensed by Nintendo.
The Random MixTape Maker allows you to make mixes from multiple mp3 sources. This basically creates fresh new playlists that you can customize; anything from time length to what directories the songs are in.
You can set up lists so that there is always a blacklist where you don't ever add those songs, or randomize the list completely for a fresh sound. You can also preview the songs from the list to make sure you know exactly what you're creating and you're not putting rap next to Metallica (unless that's exactly what you were trying to accomplish).
Donationware for Windows.
I have to be in a certain mood to really appreciate it. Don't get me wrong, but the songs on there remind me of a certain time in my life when everything was depressing, and the music was about hurt and being broken and.. your usual broken heart type feel. While at a time, I really liked the album Room for Squares, it seems like Continuum is still following the same track and style.
While it's not my cup of tea currently, it's not bad music. Just doesn't really change too much from what I know of John Mayer. And from an artist, you sort of hope that there's more to it than the hint of sadness that he sings about...
if you write a lot of essays and your vocabulary skills (like myself) just isn't up to par, then a desktop application such as Mobysaurus Thesaurus would definitely help you out.
These types of tools are not only great for writing, but it expands your vocabulary, and allows you to craft better writing. Seeing how this is free and donationware for Windows, there's not really any reason that you shouldn't get it. I would probably also recommend this those that are in school since there is a lot more opportunity to increase your writing skills.
Look at that. Being one of the most requested colors, Apple has decided to release the pink nano for Valentine's Day. Yes, the pink nano! This isn't the hot pink one either....
At $199.00USD a pop, it's no different than the rest of the pastel colored ones, with 8GB space, and a 2 inch screen that does 320x240 px. For up to 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video storage, it's really just a handy dandy little portable multimedia device.
And it's pink! You really can't go wrong there with any gal.
Apparently a lot of non-technical people have never heard of linux, and if they have... they think that you have to have Windows to install it.
Well, while linux is a completely separate operating system that runs on its own, you now can install it directly via Windows, without the CD media. With Wubi, you can install Ubuntu in a folder, and if you don't like what you see, then you can uninstall it and no harm, no foul.
No need to change your bootloader, no need to set up partitions. For those that want to be technical about it, it does actually set up a virtual disk, and it does add an entry in the Windows bootloader. You technically can set up other flavors also, but it's defaulted to Ubuntu.
Open source... for Windows.
With the most recent talks by the CIA about how the power grids are being attacked by hackers, I really wonder if this is just a cover-up for incompetency or if it really exists. The reasoning pretty simple.
A while back, the government went through a demonstration video that was showing how a cyberattack could potentially take down a power generator (dramatized obviously). But a really obvious light bulb popped up then, and here it stands now again.
Why are power grid computers on the Internet?
I mean, here's the deal. Being that it should be a secure facility, you shouldn't be able to access the power grids any more than you can access parts of the Defense and military networks since they're on closed networks. There isn't outside access, and most of that stuff top secret, and I'm sure clearance based. Which means you would have to physically breach for access.
So the obvious solution here? Pull Net access. I mean, it sounds that simple, but why not? Secure them on a private network like everything else that's important is on. Billing and actual utilities control can be on completely separate networks with a internal firewall, or multiple security entries such as time coded passwords. Seriously. Why do we even put them online? I can't see an obvious reason at all so I want someone to enlighten me.
Photo Credit: (OZinOH)
Having problems with getting things done? Need to exercise or eat right? Maybe chores for the kids just are not getting done?
Point Motivator could be for you then. Interesting program since it allows you to set rules and point values for each of the goals. If you reach a certain goal at a certain given time, then you get those points. From the gained points, you can set rewards that you can buy ... and motivating yourself or others further.
Interesting, although it does takes a little bit of self-discipline to actually commit to this application just as you would if you did it yourself. But take all the help you can get, right?
Donationware for Windows.
If you're a software developer, then you would know that latency is one of the most annoying problems to deal with due to the fact that there are many variables in play. Fortunately, if you develop in linux, you're in luck. Intel has released a tool called LatencyTOP, that basically allows you to visually track down what exactly is creating the latency.
This can be done on a system or process level, so you can see for yourself as to which processes are lagging behind so that you can track down the source of the issue and optimize out the lag. And less lag means faster programs.
A crazy thought occurred while I was thinking about how Time Warner was basically setting up metering for the Internet, and making a statement of how only 5% of users account for the top 50% of traffic. First, I'd be curious as to where these numbers are coming from.
But there is another thing that came to mind. A while back, there was a huge play by Tier 1 ISPs to try to tier the Internet. This created a huge divide, where many major corporations stood against the Tier 1 ISPs and against tiered traffic. Slowly but surely, that fight died to nothing as telecom executives grumbled and went back beaten.
But would this metered Internet, be the beginnings of the next play against the consumers? It obviously will not be anything good for consumers, but even corporations such as Google, will take an indirect hit being that the majority of their applications require some sort of Internet access. And based on this fact, this would definitely place a dent in the adoption of such Internet applications.
It definitely is a different battle, but seems to be in the same war. The question is, will the masses again gather to form a blockade against those that try to hurt technology growth for the sake of more green in the coffers? Time will tell.
If you're looking for something that's even more secure than the Secure Empty Trash feature for MacOSX, Permanent Eraser is your answer.
It's open source, and freeware, and it implements the Gutmann Method that rewrites over the data thirty five times, rather than the usual DoD seven times method. Now don't get me wrong here... this is pretty secure to a point. But you can still recreate data via forensic means unless it's been totally demolished. While the Gutmann Method does a pretty darn good job of that, that doesn't mean it's flawless like everything else. But it definitely would be very secure for very sensitive data such as your credit card numbers and passwords. Why you'd be storing that in a file? I don't know.
The rage behind the manga and anime has hit the big screen. Yes, this is a bit older, but it's interesting since most of the United States has just gotten a hold of this via Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
Death Note [affiliate] is about a high school student, Light Yagami, whom has come into possession of a "Death Note", a book that death gods possess to take lives. The shingami, Ryuk, watches the story unfold in amusement as Light tries to create the "perfect world". Having a god complex, Light becomes the target of an investigation where a little known eccentric genius only known as "L" plays a battle of wits with Light.
Strangely enough, this follows the anime and manga pretty closely, but the choice of actors was pretty strange since "L" was actually very close but in both manga and anime, Light is this perfect looking high school student that is actually pretty great looking. Unfortunately, Tatsuya Fujiwara just doesn't quite cut the whole look in my opinion.
The movie itself was actually pretty decent, and sets up for the sequel of which is actually still a part of the manga and anime storyline. Personally,I found the movie to be fairly enjoyable and the story followed the original storyline fairly well enough that you didn't think..... "WHAT is this?!!" So that was good too. It did seem a bit slower at the beginning, although it was really just trying to preface how the Death Note worked.
It looks like Time Warner is experimenting with an "a la carte" type of payment scheme for cable internet. And they claim that the top 5% of the users use up 50% of the bandwidth.
Sorry. I just don't buy it. Why? This is a plain and simple play for more money. Think about it. Currently there are rental movies that are going online. iTunes anyone? There are also many types of free software such as linux ISOs, and other types of things that are large files. In fact, with every day hard drives, closing in on the 1 terabyte mark, it's no wonder that people just download more.
A buddy of mine said that his kids always complain when he sucks up the bandwidth when they're gaming since a lot of games these days require fast ping rates and actually produce a lot of traffic back and forth. Ever look at the traffic patterns for incessant web surfers? They can pull some major traffic down, especially if they use YouTube.
I think I've pointed out enough examples where this case is a strong move to force consumers to pay more for less and stifling many different technologies in the process. I think that overall, it will also detriment Time Warner's business by increasing turnover. You can guarantee that people will be looking for other providers that are not going to nickel and dime them for a service.
If you're a Time Warner customer, especially one in Beaumont, Texas, I would be seriously raising heck. Just think about it. What's the point of having metered Internet, if you know that you're going to be paying more not only by current standards, but your pocketbook will be emptied for being a web technology first adopter?
Consumers need to stand together on this before it gets any further. Don't let them meter the Internet.
The WordPress plugin, OneClick does something pretty dang interesting. What it does is, it takes away the need to really need to ftp into your host.
Now, I'm not certain this plugin is the greatest to use depending on if there are security holes that potentially could make this a unnecessary nightmare due to the permissions you supposedly have to grant it. Although truthfully, you're not granting much when you realize that the folders that it asks for are already 755.
In ANY case... what it does, is that it allows you to install plugins and patches directly from URLs or local files. This gets rid of one extra step and makes it a lot more simple in doing updates and other types of plugins. True to its name, it's only one click.
Domain Name Analyzer is freeware for Windows and MacOSX that allows you to not only find out if a domain name is taken, but it can find out when it expires and whether or not a domain is available.
What's more is that you can also set up names and have it generate names that might be good choices for domains. It's just an all around domain checker type application that you can save and even register from your favorite registrar.
To me, it's useful because it's tough enough to type in different types of names into one of those registrars and have to wait for a website to pull up the data. Instead, this application goes directly to the whois databases and queries those. Ahh. What a life changer.
This happened a while back, but I've been watching it closely and I'm really proud of N&R. Years ago (back in 2005), they asked me what young people were looking for since they were looking to change their paper.
And I told them. News on the fly. It comes out? We want to know. That's what new generations are about. Give it to me as fast as it comes or else I can get it elsewhere more quickly.
After a couple focus groups and what not, N&R revamped how they look at their online image. And it shows. Using Twitterfeed, they're sending a RSS feed of the local headings and the links to Twitter. Only six Twitter followers currently, but I can tell you that when it comes to getting local news fast, this is right there with reading local blogs. Bravo, N&R. Bravo.
Now to see what you do next to change the way news is distributed.
Lifehouse's rock style and amazing lyrics is hard to be compared to by other bands being that they write quality songs where the entire album fits well together. Who We Are goes over the usual tragedy of love lost, and the reasons why people search for love. A self-look at how things are and how things can be.
This album in itself holds to every other album that I have of theirs. Absolutely outstanding. I'll let you know when I get sick of it, but so far it's just not happening. If you're looking for it on , they also sell this album.
Needless to say, the way Dreamhost tried to lighten the mood around the $7.5 million billing mistake? Not very professional.
They did fess up to what they did (and it would probably be difficult to not do so). And apparently they have a status domain for people to actually check if something is wrong.
Unfortunately, this error was severe enough that it's one of those things that you would probably want to post on the front page. If you notice that on their front page of their domain, there is absolutely no links to the status page. In fact, you have to dig into the support area to find it. Not a good sign really.
And while there's a time and place to take the whole "fight the power, fight the man" stance, this isn't one of them. There's definitely going to be an aftershock effect felt from this billing error. Just think about it with one hypothetical example. If you happen to have used a debit card to charge your services, and you overdrafted? Those overage charges are not taken up by the merchant even if they make the mistake. They're billed to the customer. That means there's hassle dealt with by the customer. There also is many other types of scenarios with credit cards, that could or could not effect your credit rating along with other types of mishaps. Customer side of things, it's a huge screw up and they have a right to be pissed regardless since they except a certain level of service.
The light joking stance is a method of trying to take a bit of the edge off. Unfortunately, Dreamhost not only is biting the bullet on this one, but they need to be professional about it. Other hosting providers are currently reaping the benefits of customer turnover, and Dreamhost should be throwing out freebies or credits like mad to keep their business.
The actions on how they dealt with this situation makes me reconsider my initial look at Dreamhost as a provider for a business I'm currently starting. Sometimes, if a business doesn't know when to act professionally and know how to deal with public relation fiascos, it's not worth using as a business hosting provider. Hopefully Dreamhost learns from this mistake.
Namecat.com has a really cool widget for the MacOSX Dashboard.
Domain Name Grabber is a widget that allows you to check if a domain is available directly from your Dashboard. It actually launches you to Namecat just like running a whois on a domain. It doesn't really run a query except sending a browser query string. While this is useful, it also means that it doesn't show up directly in the widget which would definitely have made it more powerful.
Synfig allows you to draw 2D animation and vector drawings without manual "tweening" which means that you have to draw each frame individually. This allows for fluid motion and non-choppy movement for animation.
This allows a lot of indie type development with fewer resources and personnel and with more powerful software at your disposal.
I'll have to say that it sure seems like a pretty good deal considering it can support Windows, linux, and MacOSX. Unfortunately for MacOSX, currently there is no builder for this or someone to test so it's been taken offline until they gain someone interested to help with the project. I'm unsure if there is Aqua code or if it supports tablets offhand, but if it does, then it definitely gives the other vector based programs a run for their money.
Recently, I had just renewed my passport. Yes, it's been that long since my last one. In fact, I even received the new RFID one which brings along a whole slew of other matters that I'll have to deal with in protecting myself as an American citizen when traveling abroad. But that's another opinion for another day.
But this part is really strange. We're still using the old procedures of sending in a photo for renewals and new passports, BUT if you read the instructions. Those photos have to be able to withstand certain types of temperatures. The reason for this is because the old passports basically laminated the photo directly onto the passport.
The new ones however seem to be a scanned image. At least without taking apart my passport and not having the duplicate picture, it sure seems that way. The resolution of the picture has been downgraded for sure. Which makes me wonder why we have to have photos that can take temperature differences anymore? Why can't you use photo paper or anything that an amateur photographer uses these days? Or just plain inkjet paper if it indeed is a scan. It's not like the people at Walgreen's that took my photo actually signs off on an "official" photograph.
Definitely one of those interesting questions that I probably will never find the answer.
Anil and I had some conversation before I had upgraded Lux to MT4. There was a lot of assurance that things would be better.
[sigh]
And graphically? Sure. It looks nicer. But operationally, there are so many things that I would give anything to roll back to MT3.x. It's too late though. Currently, I'm fighting an issue where when the index builds, it takes too long and the server times out before the build completes. Nothing my host can do about it since it's a shared hosting account, and there's no plugin out there that can fix this. Fun times with manual builds of the index. On a daily basis.
I suppose I'll have to go in and hack the build code, which is something I dread doing since it's time consumed that I don't really have the time to do.
I'm also curious as to when the next version will be coming out where you can control the trackbacks. Strange that WP has no issues with it, but the way MT is implemented, some hosts deny how it functions but have no issue when you run trackbackid= in the actual URL. This tells me that from a functionality standpoint, MT doesn't empower the user to actually pick and choose what they want to use to actually implement trackbacks.
I also know of a minor bug in the code for 4.01 that doesn't allow you to have the same login name for your MT4 login as your TypeKey one. Good luck in commenting if you've run across this (it took me a few days to debug it with the wonderful Six Apart support staff). It's been reported and confirmed by their staff that the fix will be implemented in the next version, but who knows when that will be.
Overall, if this software wasn't so bulky and having hosting issues, I'd actually love it for the interface (which in my opinion blows away WP admin interface). But always the engineer, functionality is key before beauty. And unfortunately, I'm currently considering the possibilities of migrating LUX to WordPress even though I've been using MT for years. Will it break my links? You betcha. And that's one of the reasons I'm hesitating.
[sigh]
If you already know what Filelight is, then you won't need an explanation what MacFilelight does. It basically shows you a directory structure in concentric circles and lets you know how deep your file structure goes.
It's interesting, but it's not super necessary. Just a pretty application for MacOSX.
Disctop Pro is something that TUAW came across and is definitely an interesting little utility. It actually works in two parts. One is the preference panel that blends the CD/DVD into the background of your desktop so you know there's something there. The other is the daemon that actually watches the optical drive for changes.
Overall, this doesn't really increase functionality any, but it does make life just a little bit easier. Especially when the optical drive is pretty quiet on Macs in general. Freeware for MacOSX.
Hmm. This is actually a really good deal. For $49, you get 1password, CoverSutra, Cha-Ching, iStopMotion, Awaken, Speed Download, AppZapper, and TaskPaper.
Wait a second, you say. There's three more that are missing! Oh yeah. As of this writing, CSSEdit has been unlocked, and Snapz Pro X, and Pixelmator have yet to be. Basically the goal is that within a two week period (there are still eleven days), they meet certain goals for everyone to access all of the applications.
Having paid full price for both AppZapper and Pixelmator, I can tell you that this bundle deal is actually amazing in just having the option of many of these applications. Not only do the developers get eyeballs on it, but MacHeist is great fun and you get some neat little applications for free on top of it. And it raises money for charity, which is even better! I sort of wish they had Child's Play as a charity they give to, but maybe next year.
When you're looking for an informational application where you can look up hundreds of minerals and rocks and entirely searchable? Earth's Core is exactly what you're looking for.
This application is a glossary of the geology and has a lot of pictures and detailed information. Very useful in an educational institution type environment. It even has cool things like biographies of scientists and explorers that are within the field.
So when I saw Kickin' It Old Skool
One of my favorite pieces about this is that Michael Rosenbaum is in this movie. You would probably know him as Flash on Justice League or Lex Luthor on Smallville. Great actor, and it was a pleasure to see him in this movie.
While it was enjoyable to watch, it's not one that I would have probably spent money in the theaters for, and if it wasn't for 
.
Filelight allows you to take a look at your file usage by showing it in concentric circles and displaying it with upper parent directories as the inner rings and the files at the ends of the trees at the outer edge of the rings. This works for anything that runs QT and KDE. That means linux, folks.
Pretty neat stuff. Not something I'd use on a daily basis, but if you're more graphically oriented, it's definitely worth it. Me? Give me a commandline any day.
Interestingly enough, we've recently purchased some hi-def things for the