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    <title>LUX.ET.UMBRA</title>
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    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2007-10-12://1</id>
    <updated>2008-05-13T14:20:45Z</updated>
    <subtitle>&quot;Alas! must it ever be so? Do we stand in our own light, wherever we go, And fight our own shadows forever?&quot; - Lord Lytton</subtitle>
    <generator uri="http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/">Movable Type Personal 4.1</generator>

<entry>
    <title>psrinfo command in older Solaris versions</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/psrinfo-command-in-older-solar.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7543</id>

    <published>2008-05-13T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-13T14:20:45Z</updated>

    <summary>In one of the audits I had to do for work, there was a need to figure out what processors were running in the Sun boxes. Since it&apos;s really just not cost effective to go to each of the multiple...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Unix" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="command" label="command" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="cpu" label="cpu" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="processor" label="processor" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="psrinfo" label="psrinfo" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="solaris" label="Solaris" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="unix" label="unix" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>In one of the audits I had to do for work, there was a need to figure out what processors were running in the Sun boxes.  Since it's really just not cost effective to go to each of the multiple switches and tear open the box to see physically, there had to be a way to see if there is indeed X number of processors and at what clock speed they are currently performing.</p>

<p><strong>psrinfo -v</strong> will provide this information.</p>

<p>What's interesting is that in later Solaris versions, (I'm not definite on 9, but definitely in version 10), <a href="http://life.firelace.com/2007/10/prtdiag-command-for-solaris.php">prtdiag</a> will give a much better looking output including memory and slots.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, with a stock Solaris installation, you need to take what comes with the system and this will assist you in cpu proc auditing.</p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fpsrinfo-command-in-older-solar.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-13%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=psrinfo%20command%20in%20older%20Solaris%20versions"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fpsrinfo-command-in-older-solar.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-13%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=psrinfo%20command%20in%20older%20Solaris%20versions" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Resourcer for .NET</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/resourcer-for-net.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7541</id>

    <published>2008-05-12T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-10T15:58:13Z</updated>

    <summary> When you&apos;re in .NET, sometimes there are resource binaries and XML file formats used within the platform. The goal of this tool is to allow you to edit those binaries and give you the ability to not only edit...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Windows" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="net" label=".NET" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="binaries" label="binaries" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="development" label="development" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="freeware" label="freeware" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="resource" label="resource" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="resourcer" label="Resourcer" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="windows" label="windows" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="xml" label="xml" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.aisto.com/roeder/dotnet/"><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Resourcer.png" src="http://life.firelace.com/images/2008/Resourcer.png" width="160" height="160" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;" /></span></a>  When you're in .NET, sometimes there are resource binaries and XML file formats used within the platform.   The goal of this tool is to allow you to edit those binaries and give you the ability to not only edit names, string pairs, and import bitmaps and icons, but also allow you to merge multiple resource files together from different sources.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.aisto.com/roeder/dotnet/">Resourcer for .NET</a> is basically a resource editor for .NET.  Another great third party development tool that is free for Windows.</p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fresourcer-for-net.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-12%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Resourcer%20for%20.NET"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fresourcer-for-net.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-12%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Resourcer%20for%20.NET" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Reflector for .NET</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/reflector-for-net.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7540</id>

    <published>2008-05-11T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-12T05:17:55Z</updated>

    <summary> Reflector for .NET is a tool that most .NET programmers know about. It&apos;s actually one of the few freeware tools that is invaluable in a coder&apos;s arsenal. What&apos;s it do? Well, it decompiles any binaries that are assembled in...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Windows" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="net" label=".NET" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="analyzer" label="analyzer" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="assemblies" label="assemblies" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="browser" label="browser" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="class" label="class" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="decompiler" label="decompiler" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="development" label="development" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="freeware" label="freeware" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="reflector" label="Reflector" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="windows" label="windows" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.aisto.com/roeder/dotnet/"><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Reflector.png" src="http://life.firelace.com/images/2008/Reflector.png" width="160" height="160" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;" /></span></a>   <a href="http://www.aisto.com/roeder/dotnet/">Reflector for .NET</a> is a tool that most .NET programmers know about.   It's actually one of the few freeware tools that is invaluable in a coder's arsenal.</p>

<p>What's it do?  Well, it decompiles any binaries that are assembled in .NET so that you can read it in the .NET languages (C#, VB, IL).    It allows you to view the classes, has an explorer function, and allows you to navigate through the source code and such.   This is one of the few tools that have been used to find malicious code written into .NET binaries and how some programmers were stealing not only credit card information but also identities.</p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Freflector-for-net.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-11%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Reflector%20for%20.NET"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Freflector-for-net.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-11%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Reflector%20for%20.NET" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Is social networking right for your product?</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/is-social-networking-right-for.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7542</id>

    <published>2008-05-10T17:30:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-10T17:32:06Z</updated>

    <summary> At a recent dinner meeting for digital media executives, they asked me several questions about social networking, and how I viewed the digital medium. I explained my views on advertising and subscribers but then we got into social networking....</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Business" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Development" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Media" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Opinion" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="development" label="development" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="internet" label="internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="opinion" label="opinion" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="process" label="process" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="product" label="product" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="socialnetworking" label="social networking" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xingty/2297536852/"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2297536852_3a485922d3.jpg" ></a></center>

<p><br />
At a recent dinner meeting for digital media executives, they asked me several questions about social networking, and how I viewed the digital medium.  I explained my views on advertising and subscribers but then we got into social networking.</p>

<p>Don't get me wrong, social networking is great.   It fits a niche and helps drive different types of advertising.  But the question is more of, is <strong>social networking right for your product</strong>?   Let's take the powerhouse <em>Facebook</em> for example since currently they're one of the social kings.   Have you ever noticed that they've never ever offered to take more detailed personal information in a survey form?  Perhaps incentives to get you to give it up?   Why not?   They advertise, but they blanket advertise.  To me, that's just a waste, especially in a social medium.</p>

<p>When given a social medium, you're already grouping your audiences together by whatever.   For example, college alumni will be parts of alumni groups.  Thus, this information is invaluable for those vendors that sell school products or even discounted plane tickets to X,Y,Z game.  There are all sorts of ways to target your audience in a social medium, especially in such a clean interface as <em>FaceBook</em>.</p>

<p>Another question you must ask is, is social networking right for your product?  Or are you just leaping on the bandwagon because that's the funky new internet term that you've picked up this year?   Social networking is great as long as you understand how your audience views your current product and can be applied in a similar fashion.  But in the case that your audience doesn't usually share your product with others anyways, then it becomes a useless gimmick that is a costly expense.  Think of it in this fashion.  With the street racing, aftermarket parts such as NOS tanks and stabilizers are very useful.  But if you're driving a Yugo and you stick a NOS system on it, then not only is it pretty useless, but you weren't in the same league to start.</p>

<p>The real determination when it comes to products is that while new Internet tools and terminology is great to be a part of and you want to leverage the hot tech terminology, if it doesn't fit your product then don't use it.  Product design and development is a process of research and analysis, not so much of marketing fads.  Can the two be mixed?  Sure, as long as you keep them separated.  The moment you start leaping on bandwagons without understanding why, could be the downfall of your product line.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xingty/">JoonYoung.Kim</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fis-social-networking-right-for.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-10%2017%3A30%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Is%20social%20networking%20right%20for%20your%20product%3F"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fis-social-networking-right-for.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-10%2017%3A30%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Is%20social%20networking%20right%20for%20your%20product%3F" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>iTunes Saturday</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/itunes-saturday-39.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7487</id>

    <published>2008-05-10T13:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-19T15:15:28Z</updated>

    <summary></summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Music" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="iTunes" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="itunes" label="itunes" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="jamesotto" label="James Otto" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="music" label="music" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="rayj" label="Ray J" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=iyvtpFIBRUk&offerid=78941.10002854&type=4&subid=0" target="_blank"><img alt="Apple iTunes" border="0" src="http://images.apple.com/itunesaffiliates/US/2008/04/03/JamesOtto_125x125.jpg"></a><img border="0" width="1" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=iyvtpFIBRUk&bids=78941.10002854&type=4&subid=0"> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=iyvtpFIBRUk&offerid=78941.10002862&type=4&subid=0" target="_blank"><img alt="Apple iTunes" border="0" src="http://images.apple.com/itunesaffiliates/US/2008/04/03/RayJ_125x125.jpg"></a><img border="0" width="1" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=iyvtpFIBRUk&bids=78941.10002862&type=4&subid=0"></p>

<p>                        </p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fitunes-saturday-39.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-10%2013%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=iTunes%20Saturday"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fitunes-saturday-39.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-10%2013%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=iTunes%20Saturday" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Docstoc - find and share professional documents</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/docstoc-find-and-share-profess.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7539</id>

    <published>2008-05-10T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-10T15:43:41Z</updated>

    <summary> If you&apos;re a small business, chances are you have an attorney to take care of your most basic of needs but otherwise the cost of drafting up custom documentation is a hard hitter on your pocket. While all common...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Business" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Education" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Law" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="business" label="business" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="docstoc" label="Docstoc" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="documents" label="documents" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="educational" label="educational" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="legal" label="legal" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="professional" label="professional" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="share" label="share" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="tech" label="tech" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.docstoc.com/"><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="docstoc.gif" src="http://life.firelace.com/images/2008/docstoc.gif" width="212" height="52" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;" /></span></a>   If you're a small business, chances are you have an attorney to take care of your most basic of needs but otherwise the cost of drafting up custom documentation is a hard hitter on your pocket.</p>

<p>While all common sense dictates that an attorney's word rules above anything you get on the Internet, <a href="http://www.docstoc.com/">Docstoc</a> is a good resource to find <strong>FREE</strong> legal and business documents that others have uploaded.</p>

<p>Now, if you use this, you have to use a grain of salt and perhaps understand how to reword some parts of it to make it fit your business, and on top of it, it's not guaranteed to be legally water-tight until an attorney looked it over.   But for the most basic of policies such as terms of service, privacy policies, and perhaps even basic contracts, this site could save you a whole lot of headache and a little bit left in the wallet.</p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fdocstoc-find-and-share-profess.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-10%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Docstoc%20-%20find%20and%20share%20professional%20documents"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fdocstoc-find-and-share-profess.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-10%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Docstoc%20-%20find%20and%20share%20professional%20documents" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Movie Review: Stargate - The Ark of Truth</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/movie-review-stargate-the-ark.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7471</id>

    <published>2008-05-09T14:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-06T14:37:56Z</updated>

    <summary> With the cancellation of the Stargate SG-1 series off of Sci-Fi, fans were much disappointed with no resolution to the Ori arc. However, there was a great thing that happened. Robert C. Cooper, whom directed and produced this film,...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Movies" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Reviews" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="amandatapping" label="Amanda Tapping" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="ark" label="Ark" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="arkoftruth" label="Ark of Truth" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="beaubridges" label="Beau Bridges" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="benbrowder" label="Ben Browder" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="christopherjudge" label="Christopher Judge" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="claudiablack" label="Claudia Black" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="michaelshanks" label="Michael Shanks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="movie" label="movie" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="ori" label="Ori" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="review" label="review" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="robertcooper" label="Robert Cooper" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="sg1" label="SG-1" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="stargate" label="Stargate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010YSD7M?ie=UTF8&tag=leu-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010YSD7M"><img border="0" src="http://life.firelace.com/images/amazon/2008/31UehsxSl1L._AA_SL160_.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" /></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=leu-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0010YSD7M" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />  With the cancellation of the <em>Stargate SG-1</em> series off of Sci-Fi, fans were much disappointed with no resolution to the Ori arc.</p>

<p>However, there was a great thing that happened.  Robert C. Cooper, whom directed and produced this film, basically provided the ending via a film.   The goal was to shift the television series to a straight-to-DVD type format and provide fans with not only resolution of the storylines, but understanding of where and how the Ori went and how the Priors were pushing for a religious war that eventually was not justified.</p>

<p>Personally, I found the best part of  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010YSD7M?ie=UTF8&tag=leu-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010YSD7M">Stargate - The Ark of Truth</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=leu-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0010YSD7M" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> to be the tie-in with the King Arthur legend and spinning both an absolutely advanced civilization into how it was portrayed in a more primitive one.   If one had a time device to travel back in time, even a flashlight would seem like "magic" would it not?</p>

<p>This was a great film that left most satisfied with the ending and looking forward to the new <em>Stargate: Continuum</em> movie that is currently in production (2008).</p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fmovie-review-stargate-the-ark.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-09%2014%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Movie%20Review%3A%20Stargate%20-%20The%20Ark%20of%20Truth"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fmovie-review-stargate-the-ark.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-09%2014%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Movie%20Review%3A%20Stargate%20-%20The%20Ark%20of%20Truth" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>DVD player hacking</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/dvd-player-hacking.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7538</id>

    <published>2008-05-09T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-10T03:40:07Z</updated>

    <summary> One of the most interesting things I do with hardware is DVD firmware hacking. Except, that I don&apos;t actually mess with the firmware. Nah, that stuff was back in college days. These days, I let other people do it....</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Entertainment" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Hacking" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Hardware" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Technology" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="dvd" label="dvd" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="dvdplayer" label="dvd player" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="firmware" label="firmware" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="hack" label="hack" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="legal" label="legal" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="maintenancewindow" label="maintenance window" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="player" label="player" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taniwha/26477437/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/26477437_216c2e1b4d_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>   One of the most interesting things I do with hardware is DVD firmware hacking.  Except, that I don't actually mess with the firmware.</p>

<p>Nah, that stuff was back in college days.  These days, I let other people do it.   What's most interesting to me when I get a DVD player is the ability to be region-free.   There's a good reason for this.   Region-free players allow other regions DVDs to play.   This allows you to play imported DVDs without having to actually having to have multiple DVD players.</p>

<p>Before people get all huffy about this, do realize that pirated DVDs are actually region-free already so making your player region-free?  Won't really be useful at all.   In fact, it's the only way to keep paying for legal DVDs if you happen to watch a lot of other region movies (as I do, and I buy direct from <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=32755&wgprogramid=1120">Yes Asia USA</a>).</p>

<p>So the goal is to do the research, and check a place like Video Help, or any other database to make sure that there is a maintenance window mode or firmware upgrade available.   If you're lucky, then you too can watch movies from other countries too with a little bit of firmware flashing, or maintenance windows tinkering.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taniwha/">Br3nda</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fdvd-player-hacking.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-09%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=DVD%20player%20hacking"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fdvd-player-hacking.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-09%2004%3A01%3A00&amp;itemTitle=DVD%20player%20hacking" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Too lazy to reach for that lever in your car?</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/too-lazy-to-reach-for-that-lev.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7537</id>

    <published>2008-05-08T13:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-08T06:48:24Z</updated>

    <summary> Seriously. What gives? Are you just too lazy to even reach for that lever when you shift from lane to lane? What about when you turn left, or right? I know it&apos;s a group of muscles that you rarely...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Life" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Opinion" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Society" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="car" label="car" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="driving" label="driving" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="opinion" label="opinion" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="shifting" label="shifting" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="turnsignal" label="turn signal" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhackett/414891219/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/414891219_118afe04e6_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>  Seriously.</p>

<p>What gives?</p>

<p>Are you just too lazy to even reach for that lever when you shift from lane to lane?</p>

<p>What about when you turn left, or right?</p>

<p>I know it's a group of muscles that you rarely use, and outstretching a few fingers is painful even for the youngest of folks, but it really would mean the world to those that are driving around you to actually know what you're doing.</p>

<p>I know I might be asking too much here, seeing that we just met and all, but really.  If you can't do it for me, do it for that special someone in your life.</p>

<p>Okay okay, do it for yourself.   Either way.   Those muscles in your fingers will thank you.    People around you will thank you.   And I for one won't have to wonder if you're shifting into the lane that I'm about to shift into or if you're just daydreaming about a date with a young Hollywood star and drifting over.</p>

<p>Being that it's our first time, I urge you to go slowly.   I know it's a long and difficult road ahead, but you might want to practice doing it while parked.   When you feel like you're ready for the next stage, then perhaps you can start to move around and signal while turning in a parking lot.   Adventurous ones can play on the major roadways but be cautious for there are others out there.</p>

<p>Others just like you used to be.</p>

<p>And they must also be educated in the ways.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhackett/">ismh</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
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<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Ftoo-lazy-to-reach-for-that-lev.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-08%2013%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Too%20lazy%20to%20reach%20for%20that%20lever%20in%20your%20car%3F"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Ftoo-lazy-to-reach-for-that-lev.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-08%2013%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Too%20lazy%20to%20reach%20for%20that%20lever%20in%20your%20car%3F" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>If you have a news site: clean design should be number one</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/if-you-have-a-news-site-clean.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7536</id>

    <published>2008-05-08T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-08T06:08:16Z</updated>

    <summary> One of the most annoying things about news sites is the blend of advertisement and news. In fact, if you notice the difference between blogs and news sites, there&apos;s an inherent design difference between the two. The former is...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Design" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="advertisers" label="advertisers" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="blog" label="blog" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="blogging" label="blogging" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="clean" label="clean" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="design" label="design" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="layout" label="layout" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="news" label="news" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="newspaper" label="newspaper" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="print" label="print" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="tip" label="tip" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="website" label="website" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/splat/389671652/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/389671652_92b1a12155_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>  One of the most annoying things about news sites is the blend of advertisement and news.   In fact, if you notice the difference between blogs and news sites, there's an inherent design difference between the two.   The former is usually very clean.</p>

<p>What's interesting here is that blog theme designers take into account the single thing that most news websites do not:  "single page layout".   If you look at a print newspaper, it's set in a finite space and thus it's spaced out very evenly so that you can take in each individual piece without getting thrown into a mess of things.  Things are easy to find.</p>

<p>Similarly, news websites, particularly small local papers that have websites, need to remember to do the same but on a single page.   This means that you shouldn't just jumble all your ads together to try to appease advertisers, nor should you use all your space for news.  There's a fine balance between the two, and actually very passive ways to go about making things work in your favor.</p>

<p>Remember that without readership, your advertisers mean nothing.   The audience is everything for your business.   Thus, a clean design should not only be absolutely key to your process, but it should be a part your entire process from beginning to end.   There is too many-a-time that I visit a newspaper website or a local news website to find myself jerking my fingers across the mousepad to get the piece as quickly as possible and get out of there.</p>

<p>Clean design is the key to everything.   And don't think that print layout is any different than the web.  Medium might differ, but there are many things that you can learn from the more matured process.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/splat/">Patrick Haney</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Security tip: Don&apos;t ever digitize your signature online</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/security-tip-dont-ever-digitiz.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7533</id>

    <published>2008-05-07T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-06T13:44:05Z</updated>

    <summary> Although digitizing signatures seems very personal and such a witty thing to do, it&apos;s in actuality something you NEVER should do regardless on internal memos, newsletters, or whatever. Why? You&apos;re basically letting the world know how you sign for...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Security" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="digital" label="digital" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="digitize" label="digitize" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="identity" label="identity" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="identitytheft" label="identity theft" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="johnhancock" label="John Hancock" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="security" label="security" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="signature" label="signature" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="tip" label="tip" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usafa87/428820712/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/428820712_e548c2f7e1_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>  Although digitizing signatures seems very personal and such a witty thing to do, it's in actuality something you <strong>NEVER</strong> should do regardless on internal memos, newsletters, or whatever.</p>

<p>Why?   You're basically letting the world know how you sign for things.   And from a identity theft perspective, that's just one other thing that thieves don't have to bother with scamming off you since they'll already have access to it.</p>

<p>Digital signatures can not only be reproduced, but it gives people a way to learn how to write your signature and forge checks, sign for documents, and all sorts of other "fun" things.   All in all?  Just not a good idea.  So don't be leaving your John Hancock online unless you really like to play with fire.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usafa87/">USAFA87</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/castlevania-dracula-x-chronicl.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7535</id>

    <published>2008-05-06T14:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-06T14:19:37Z</updated>

    <summary> I gotta say. This is a blast from the past. Definitely. When it comes to vampire hunter side scrollers, Castlevania has always taken the cake. This particular version is a port of Castlevanie: Rondo of Blood, and Symphony of...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Games" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Reviews" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Sony PSP" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="belmont" label="Belmont" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="castlevania" label="Castlevania" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="dracula" label="dracula" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="draculaxchronicles" label="Dracula X Chronicles" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="game" label="game" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="psp" label="psp" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="review" label="review" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="rondoofblood" label="Rondo of Blood" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="sonypsp" label="Sony PSP" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="symphonyofnight" label="Symphony of Night" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="vampire" label="vampire" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=iyvtpFIBRUk&offerid=120801.64727&type=2&subid=0" ><IMG border=0 src="http://www.gamestop.com/common/images/sbox/190427a.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;"></a><IMG border=0 width=1 height=1 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=iyvtpFIBRUk&bids=120801.64727&type=2&subid=0" >  I gotta say.  This is a blast from the past.   Definitely.   When it comes to vampire hunter side scrollers, Castlevania has always taken the cake.</p>

<p>This particular version is a port of Castlevanie: <em>Rondo of Blood</em>, and <em>Symphony of Night</em> but done up in a better graphics and the original soundtrack for <em>Rondo of Blood</em> was rearranged and remastered.</p>

<p>Interesting tidbit of trivia.  What's interesting is that the reason why the US never saw <em>Rondo of Blood</em>?  The original version was released for PC Engine.   Those in the United States would have known this console as Turbografx16.   In fact, there have been many series that have debuted on this including <em>Ys</em>, but I digress.</p>

<p>Outside of the usual game play, it definitely is a blast of nostalgia on a smaller screen.  Due to the resolution, it looks fabulous and will suck you right into the Castlevania world if you've never played it before.  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R37S00?ie=UTF8&tag=leu-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000R37S00">Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=leu-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000R37S00" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> definitely goes on the books as one of those collector's items that you must have when it comes to PSP games.</p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
<br /><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fcastlevania-dracula-x-chronicl.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-06%2014%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Castlevania%3A%20Dracula%20X%20Chronicles"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//life.firelace.com/atom.xml&amp;itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Flife.firelace.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fcastlevania-dracula-x-chronicl.php&amp;itemDate=2008-05-06%2014%3A00%3A00&amp;itemTitle=Castlevania%3A%20Dracula%20X%20Chronicles" /></a>
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Tip to monetizing your blog:  Use pictures</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/tip-to-monetizing-your-blog-us.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7520</id>

    <published>2008-05-06T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-29T05:55:51Z</updated>

    <summary> Another great way to pull readership? Add pictures. As they say, one picture is worth a thousand words. And truth be told, it also applies to blogging. Are you interested in boosting your numbers? Choose wisely and get some...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Blogging" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Design" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Internet" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="blog" label="blog" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="blogging" label="blogging" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="design" label="design" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="monetizing" label="monetizing" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="picture" label="picture" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/areyoumyrik/253520981/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/253520981_76cbcdfd1f_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>  Another great way to pull readership?</p>

<p><strong>Add pictures</strong>.</p>

<p>As they say, one picture is worth a thousand words.  And truth be told, it also applies to blogging.  Are you interested in boosting your numbers?   Choose wisely and get some more pics in there.</p>

<p>How did I learn this?   A <a href="http://www.makeyougohmm.com">friend</a> told me to just try it out for a week.   And I haven't looked back.   Depending on the type of blogging software you use, there are actually pretty good tools out there to help you pick pictures from different types of image storage sites if you really have an issue with storage and bandwidth.   Don't forget, unless it's allowed, hotlinking is a bad and naughty thing to do.</p>

<p>So go ahead.  Add a picture to that post of yours.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/areyoumyrik/">are you my rik?</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Why product research studies seem like garbage</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/why-product-research-studies-s.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7521</id>

    <published>2008-05-05T14:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-29T16:16:30Z</updated>

    <summary> Them&apos;s fighting words aren&apos;t they. But it&apos;s also a pretty logical deduction. Historically, product studies are performed for research and development because there&apos;s a need to know what the market wants before going ahead and creating the product. On...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Business" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Opinion" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="marketing" label="marketing" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="opinion" label="opinion" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="productresearch" label="product research" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="research" label="research" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="tangibleproduct" label="tangible product" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/superamit/555172915/"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/555172915_39cd3044af_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>  Them's fighting words aren't they.</p>

<p>But it's also a pretty logical deduction.   Historically, product studies are performed for research and development because there's a need to know what the market wants before going ahead and creating the product.  On the flip side?  These surveys and studies are biased since they are usually paid, and the naysayers are more likely not to be involved.   </p>

<p>Let's take a product that everyone knows.   For example, mobile phones.   If you're targeting the ages of 18-24, a survey would do less than standing out on a campus asking every student that walks by, what phone they use and why.  Want to do it passively?  On a sunny day, just mark down what sort of mobiles are out in the common area.   If you watch carefully, the younger markets are less around keyboards (eg. Blackberries and Qs) and more about candybar shaped phones with a lot of texting involved.   They're more likely to carry LG and Samsung, due to the looks, and is less concerned about flip phones and thin sizes as much as the ability to do things like take good pictures, texting, internet, and speaker phone calls.</p>

<p>This is the type of thing that just walking around on a nice day at the mall, can tell you from just observing.   That would give you a great perspective on how people use the technology in an everyday environment.</p>

<p>It's funny, but random people watching gives you a lot better data in my opinion for a lot of different types of products than most product research.   While this doesn't work for everything, it does seem to paint a pretty clear picture for a number of goods rather than reading some survey done just as Nielsen's ratings drive the shows that you watch on television, even though those that have rating boxes don't necessarily represent every genre.</p>

<p>Again, it's not an absolute.   But overall, there's a lot better ways to figure out if a product is worthwhile or what sort of design changes you should make without looking at just some numbers that you don't know where they come from.</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/superamit/">Amit Gupta</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
<![CDATA[
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    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Look no further than Ubuntu for easy upgrades</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://life.firelace.com/2008/05/look-no-further-than-ubuntu-fo.php" />
    <id>tag:life.firelace.com,2008://1.7531</id>

    <published>2008-05-05T04:01:00Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-05T16:58:38Z</updated>

    <summary> When it comes to ease of upgrading, I have to say that Ubuntu takes the cake. For newbies and experienced users alike, this has got to be one of the most simple upgrade procedures ever. Basically, it comes down...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>darkmoon</name>
        <uri>http://life.firelace.com</uri>
    </author>
    
        <category term="Linux" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Open Source" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="Tips and Tricks" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="easy" label="easy" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="linux" label="linux" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="ubuntu" label="Ubuntu" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="ubuntu" label="ubuntu" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    <category term="upgrade" label="upgrade" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://life.firelace.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhjiz/465557415/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/465557415_f6c7787849_m.jpg" align="left" style="padding-right: 5px;" border="0"></a>   When it comes to ease of upgrading, I have to say that Ubuntu takes the cake.   For newbies and experienced users alike, this has got to be one of the most simple upgrade procedures ever.</p>

<p>Basically, it comes down to this.  You launch Synaptic, and it detects that there's a new version out there.  You click on the button that says "Upgrade".</p>

<p>After one or two clicks for OK on the install, it just goes off to the Internet to grab the correct packages and does the upgrade for you.   You just leave it alone and the upgrade will just set up itself.   Bottlenecked by your bandwidth and your processor speed when the packages are installed.  Definitely gives meaning to one click upgrade.</p>

<p>So if you're looking for a distribution that's easy to use and you don't know what you're doing but don't want to hassle with too many things since you're trying out Linux for the first time, then give Ubuntu a go.\</p>

<p><small>Photo Credit: (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhjiz/">Dhjiz</a>)</small></p>]]>
        
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