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Topics - barney [ switch to compact view ]

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6next
1
Folk,
I'm trying to find a password program L used to have.  Of course, the name eludes me.  I've used it so long,it just became, "the password thingy."

Between hurricane Harvey, a house fire, and a recent theft from my place, I've lost all capability to replace it,unless I can find it online again. 

Reason I want it is because of the way it worked.  Enter text in a field, click,and it generates the same password, based upon that text,  every time.  As a result, I could enter text relevant to a aite and get my password to it w/o having to record the password anywhere.  Ran resident, so I always had quick access to it. 

It's several years old, so may not be available still, but I would dearly like to find it again.  Any help appreciated.

2
Folk,

Have a friend, [Capt.] Chris, who runs a sailing school.  Has a Galaxy S5 (Android).  He's been pretty unsuccessful finding a task management program that isn't overkill.  Told him I'd ask around here.

Due to scheduling, he's frequently out on a five (5) day class when some bills come due.  So he needs a task manager/reminder list that will
  • alert him when a bill is coming due, say two (2) or three (3) days in advance
  • alert the day the bill is due
  • bug him until the bill is paid, i.e. he manually kills the warning w/o killing the task

As a ferinstance, he has dock fees due on one (1) date, phone bull due on another date, maintenance tasks on the boats on a regular schedule (no fixed date, but schedulred nontheless), boat girl(s) to clean the boats after a class (no fixed schedule), and so on.  Problem is that his extended classes require four (4) to five (5) days, depending upon the courses, with a goodly part of that time spent overnight at anchor or at other marinas than his base marina.  So if he has a five (5) day class starting Monday and a bill or task is due Wednesday, he'll likely forget it by end-of-class Friday.  His description of some of his student body on some of the classes is, "I'm just waiting to see how this class will try to kill me."  He isn't far wrong, if at all.  Most of his students are brand-new to sailing, so no amount of lecture time is going to keep them from making mistakes that could kill him, them, and the boat  :o :P.  Should go without saying that bills are not a primary concern at such a time  :D.

So.
I would ask of you, collectively, whether you know of such an app?  Not a search, but one (1) you've actually used/tested?  'Twould be a plus should it also function on Windows (XP or 7 as of now).

We've both searched the apps available, and found eleventy-seven variations, some too simplistic, most overly complex, but none that really fill the bill on functionality.  I've found a few that worked well, but they did not support scheduling.  Each month's tasks had to be entered manually every month.  So I guess this would be a combination of a scheduling system combined with a grocery list - one (1) time entry - of items.  If he spots a problem with a boat while at sea - not life-threatening, but requiring attention nonetheless - he's prone to forget it once the sail is done [until the next time he takes that boat out, of course!].  There are also times he needs to make note of some part(s) or part number[s) for a trip to a hardware store or a repair facility.

Bottom line, as near as I can figure, is that he needs a combination long-term scheduler and a grocery list combo.  Anyone familiar with such a beastie  :-\?  Please?

3
Living Room / In search of ... botanical info
« on: July 09, 2014, 10:00 PM »
Folk,

My neighbor's son ... my ersatz son  :-\ :P ... has an interest in plants.  He's about to turn eighteen (18), and I'd like to get him something akin to a plant bible.  A decent how-to website would work, but I'd prefer something with pages that can be turned, have images - you know, a real book  :huh:.  Now, I'm not much on gardening.  As mentioned in a commercial I've seen recently, my house is where plant-kind com to die.  My thumb is somewhere between brown and black  :(.  I figure that at least one (1) of you has a botanical bent, so I'd like to ask that person for advice on tomes or sites, the more extensive, the better.

4
Folk,

This is prolly not doable w/o some special hardware, but I have to ask.

At the moment, the cable modem for my system is bad - won't transmit - so I'm using a tethered cell phone for connectivity.  At the same time, I want/need to connect to a wi-fi router so that the other two (2) machines in the current config can communicate with the primary box.

Any time I try to access the router, I lose the cell connection, and vice versa.  I'd like to find some means to connect the primary to both the cell and the router (which does not have Internet connectivity, but works just fine as a local hotspot).

Anyone have any ideas?  Or is this just wishful thinking?

The cable modem issue will be resolved tomorrow, but if this happened once, it can happen again, and I'd like to be better prepared next time around.  The OS is currently Win7 Ultimate, 64-bit, with i7 Intel and six (6) Gig RAM.

5
Folk,

I'm pretty much stymied.  There were previous threads on this topic, but kinda old.

I've been using Input Director for quite a while, three (3) or four (4) years, I'd guess, maybe longer.  However, it has lately become very unreliable, and 'twould appear 'tis no longer supported by the developer.  

Recently bought Multiplicity, but after installation - apparently successful - it gives errors and quits.  The error messages flash so briefly that I cannot read them.  Product support seems non-existent, pretty shabby for a $40.00 product, methinks.

Synchronicity has never worked for me.

Windows without Borders seems questionable, from what I've read, too questionable to purchase a license for multiple machines.

Has anyone knowledge of a functional alternative?  I don't mind paying for it, but after being burned by Multiplicity, I'm loathe to buy a pig in a poke again.

I'm looking at three (3) laptops, each with a 2nd monitor attached.  Input Director worked well until about six (6) months ago, but has been losing connectivity more and more often.  Currently, two (2) boxes are Win7 Ultimate and one (1) is Win8.1.  (The problem existed prior to the Win8.1 box.)

Any recommendations?

6
General Software Discussion / It's about ... Vagrant (VM Web server)
« on: January 04, 2014, 09:13 PM »
Just ran across this.  Seems a bit complex from the initial read, but there do seem to be a few advantages.  Anyone here aware of or familiar with it?  Maybe used it?  (I hate pioneering  :P.)  Just wondering if it'd be a waste of time to peruse the documents, as the setup seems to be a bit complex, e.g., no adult beverage(s) during such perusal  :huh: :-\.

7
Looking for effective working reasonable real backup solutions.

Just ran across this, Backing Up Gets You Only Half Way There by Dana Cardwell, and I'm pretty close to full agreement - just don't think he went far enough  :P.

The assessment mirrors a problem I just encountered.  I had some browser-affecting bit(s) of software on a system that brought up independent ads for almost every page I actuated.  Browser - and system - slowdowns were significant.  Tried all manner of suggestions - some of 'em here on DC, all to no avail.  So I used RollbackPC to revert to a [very] much earlier state.  That worked.  Aha!, sez me, "I'll just restore the lost data bits from a recent [daily] backup".

Considering my history with backups, the backup restore - not unexpectedly! - failed.  So, I've lost a pregnancy (~nine (9) months) of data, some of which I'd consider to be critical to my usage(s).

I've had trouble with backup since DOS 2.1 - I think 3.2 was the only one (1) that ever worked for me.  I've tried - and actually bought - any number of Windows backup systems, but none have performed.  (Don't get cocky, Linux users, same problem(s) there  :P.)

OK, how do ya test a backup?  Ya restore it, of course.  And that has caused more OS reinstalls than I care to consider.  I'm willing to accept that I'm doing something wrong at any given time, but c'mon, ~28 (twenty-eight) years of failed backups?  I'm willing to accept that the only common denominator is me during that period, but I don't thimk I could do it wrong that many times.

So I'm still/yet/again in search of a backup system that will work reliably in most all conditions.

I used Acronis True Image - don't recall version - to backup a Dell system with a dying hard drive.  The restore would not restore to a different hard drive - hardware signature issues I suppose.  I understand that Acronis has since addressed that issue, but it doesn't help me now.

I've tried several *nix variations of backup capability, all for naught.

So.  I'd really like to find a [functional|effective] backup resolution.

Any suggestions?

8
... which may not even be a true BHO.

At some point in the last month or two (2), a sneaky little bit of ware installed itself on my system.  It likely came, unheralded, with some installation package.  Part - evidently not all - of the package was ScorpionSaver, which I [thought I] managed to eradicate.  However, something is still here and I'm unable to find it.  It slows things terribly, almost to the point of making a browser useless.

Symptoms:
  • 5-6 line banner ad at top of page
  • ~3"x3" ad block, usually lower left corner, sometimes titled Ad not from this page
  • Small banner, usually below a site graphic, usually with left-right scroll arrows and clickable graphics, usually hardware
  • Transparent graphic covering the entire page such that any click on that page will load a new Web page (sometimes even on my Gmail page)

Not all symptoms are displayed on every page, but I can tell when something is coming because of the slow loading of the page.  Each of the ads is more-or-less relevant to the page being loaded.  I've tried several cleaners, but all that accomplished was to completely wipe my Firefox configuration(s).  Search (Google, DuckDuckGo) has yielded naught but the ScorpionSaver removal process - which may have been somewhat less than completely effective.

Primary browser is Firefox.  IE doesn't seem to show the ads, but has the same slowdown problem, as does Chrome.

This little beastie also seems to slow the whole system,  but I cannot find it in memory with any of the tools available - might not be able to recognize if if I did  :-\.

9
Folk,

I'm looking for recommendations on QR code generators.  Yeah, I've searched, but I seek opinions from some of you who have actually used such, not new search recommendations.

In particular, although I can do the Website link thing, I'd like to also create a code that will implement the option to add information to a smartphone's contact list.  Not add it automatically, but provide a button that provides that function as an option.  Ideally, this would be a single 2D code, but I suspect 'twill be two (2) different codes - I'm not feeling particularly lucky today.

10
Clipboard Help+Spell / from PC World ...
« on: May 03, 2013, 07:35 AM »
   The latest from PCWorldDaily
    5.3.2013
      

Free Clipboard Help+Spell adds a lot of power to your clipboard

Apr 18, 2013 9:19 AM

On their own, X, C, and V are just three random letters. But combine them with the Ctrl key, and you get one of the most iconic keystroke trios in the history of computing. Cutting, copying, and pasting data is something we all do on a daily basis, so doing it more efficiently can translate into major time savings. Clipboard Help+Spell is a donationware utility by Mouser that does just that. Note: The "Download Now" button below the full review and on the Product Information page will download the software to your system.
»Keep reading the review and try it now
»Check the product specs or try it now

11
  • Dell Inspiron - AMD Radeon HD 8730M with 2G DDR3 VRAM - $860
  • Toshiba Satellite - Mobile Intel - no VRAM specified - $880

Those are the basic differences 'tween two (2) laptops, one (1) of which I'm about to order.  The price difference is insignificant, as the Toshiba ships free, but the Dell has shipping costs, so they'll come within a couple-two-t'ree bucks of each other.  Both are large screen (17.3"), but I'm more interested in visual space than weight - I'm accustomed to lugging around a similar beast at the moment.

Both with i7 processors, 8G RAM, terabyte 5400 RPM drives.  Not wild about the speed, but I can live with it  :-\?  The Dell i7 is 2GHz, the Toshiba is 2.4GHz.

Problem is, I have virtually no knowledge of graphics cards  :huh:.  Not a [frequent] gamer, but I do engage in graphics work from time to time ... mostly CAD, SVG, or similar.

So, given the listed specs, which box would be the better value?  Which is likely to be more versatile?

12
General Software Discussion / In search of ... networking experience
« on: February 20, 2013, 09:17 PM »
Folk,

I've been fighting this for nigh onto a month.  It's actually two (2) problems, but both pretty much under the same topic/subject, probably interconnected.

First problem is page reset when trying to access a Web site.
Second problem is chaining two (2) [Linksys/Cisco] routers.

I think the first problem came about through efforts - ineffective - to correct the second.

OK, first problem.  Whenever I try to access a couple of cPanel pages, there's a message that the connection was reset.  I've removed the [Comodo] firewall.  When I look at the event log, it tells me that the problem description is in Words - I don't comprehend Words  :(.

On to the second problem  :( :(.
I've been trying to add a second router, via a NetGear powerline ethernet adapter, in order to attach a SlingBox to a TV that cannot be added to the cable system (unless I get cable company out to run a new connection).  Win7 recognizes that the router is there, but if I use the Win7 network stuff to try to access it, I'm told that I need an eight (8 ) character/digit pin which is on the router.  It ain't.  Perusal of the Cisco/Linksys pages has, to date, revealed no override for this situation.


I've done a couple of Win recoveries, to no avail.  I don't think a reinstall/restore will ameliorate the situation.  Frankly, I'm afraid to try that avenue.  I've tried to revert whatever I did in the first place, but that's a bit difficult when I have no clue what I did to cause it  :-\.

Miscellaneous stuff.
This is a Win7 Ultimate system. 
Two (2) other boxes on the same - primary - router can access the pages in question w/o any obvious problem - one (1) is Win8 Pro, the other is Win7 Ultimate.
The routers are E4200 dual band (primary) and WRT350N.  (I've tried using the major input and an output jack on the 350N.)
Firefox, Dragon, Chrome, and Internet Explorer 9 all return the same error on problem one (1).


I used to have software that would help me analyze such a situation, but it's been so long since I've had to use it, I cannot recall it, although It's prolly still on one of my drives.

So, anyone have any advice other than start over?


13
Folk,

Did a quick search here, but nothing seemed relevant.  My sailing instructor friend is trying to embed a Google Calendar (GC) app on his Web site.  Problem is that when I try see it, the colours he used to highlight different classes are not the same as he used on the original calendar.  I have no experience with GC at all - never had need for it.  A Google (naturally  :D) search brings up way too many links - pages and pages.  So, anybody here familiar with this problem/project?

Oh, the reason for the color-coding is that all of a particular type of class is shown in a particular colour - makes viewing multiple months in order to pick out a schedule much easier.  So it needs to be consistent and predictable.

14
dotTech has presented an interesting video on Win8.  Having just installed it on a non-touch system, I can pretty much agree.

15
Folk,

Back ~1998-2000 I had software that made a Web cam a surveillance device, capable of being activated by movement, recording so long as there was movement.  Also had a Panasonic [cabled] remote pan/tilt/zoom camera.  Both were useful, but both were cabled.  This was on Win2K, maybe WinXP.

Two (2) or three (3) years ago, while still on XP, I bought three (3) IP cameras.  After assigning them IP addresses, via cable, they worked just fine in wireless mode.  All three (3) came with software - different version for each camera, although they were all from the same vendor.  They worked just fine, had pan/tilt/zoom/IR capability.  But I had to use the software that came with each camera to access that camera.  (Recording capability and motion detection sucked, at least to my mind.)  Then I changed routers.  Cameras no longer worked - new router didn't recognize their IP addresses.

Back with the original cameras mentioned.  There was, at that time, a software that would handle multiple cameras, up to sixteen (16) I think.  Don't recall it, and it prolly wouldn't work with Win7 anyway.  However, I've seen searched reference to similar software recently - too much of it  :o!

So much for background, now comes the question  ;D.  Rather than spend six (6) months diddling with various softwares that claim to function, I thought I'd ask here first.  Are any of you using such software  :tellme:?  Can you recommend such software  :tellme:?  Or am I gonna diddle for six (6) months  :(?

16
There is a request at dotTech for suggestions for screen capture utilities to be reviewed.  Thought it might be of interest here, as well.

18
General Software Discussion / Ghacks mention of N.A.N.Y. 2013
« on: January 03, 2013, 08:24 AM »
Martin Brinkman over at ghacks.net gave mention of the N.A.N.Y. results yesterday, but I was too lazy to type it in then  :D.

I subscribe to a number of similar news feeds, and can't help but wonder how many of those folk - Martin, Samer Kurdi, Yaara Lancet, et. al. hang out here; lurking, active, or drive-by?  Seems as though I see fairly regular mention of DC on their blogs, as well as a number of others.  I've also noticed coincidentally timely discussion in - on :-\, at  :-\ - those blogs of currently active topics here  :huh:

Be interesting to get a head count, no?

19
Folk,

I seek a couple of editor/ide elements, one (1) for JavaScript (JS) and one (1) for BBcode.  Not searched recommendations, but something that you've actually used and can recommend.

The BBcode thingy is for me - I'm about to need a familiarity with it whether I like it or no.

The JS thing is another matter.  There is a young lady here that has asked me for a recommendation for a JS IDE.  She's gotten help from me the last several years with hardware and software problems, and seems to think I'm a real whiz  :huh:.  Told her I don't use JS if it can be avoided, but she wants a recommendation anyway, so I told her I'd ask some real experts in the field.  She's young, but in a couple of years or three (3) I'll be asking for her help - she's that sharp.

Because of a comment by Renegade in another thread, I pulled down Aptana Studio ... and remembered why I'd discarded it years agone.  It'd take a month just to understand and modify the configuration  :o ;D.  It has a learning curve that's just a bit steep for her at the moment.  So, is there some IDE, that you have used, that's a bit simpler for JS?  Preferably with some sort of debug capability?  If so, what advantages/disadvantages does it present?  How steep is the learning curve?  Is it currently in development, or is it a golden oldie?

20
Folk,
I would like to install a TV in the garage.  Broadcast TV would work OK, but broadcast in this area is somewhat less than stellar.  And running cable to the garage is not feasible.  So, what I would like to do is to do this via wireless, i.e. via my current wi-fi network.  However I have no idea whether this is doable.

Before I start a [possibly futile] search on ways, means, & equipment, I need some idea whether this is even possible.

My thought is to attach a dongle to the [USB capable] TV that will allow it to access my existing cable signal via the wi-fi network.  I do not yet have the TV, so its requirements are flexible.  Current router is a Cisco/LinkSys E4200, but that can be changed.  I've dedicated a bit of savings to this project, but I don't yet know whether it can be accomplished, nor what I'd need if it can.

Rationale for this is that I have several friends, sports nuts, who like to smoke  :).  At this time of the year, the patio is a bit uncomfortable, so we retire to the garage for beer & smokes, but there's a dichotomy 'tween smoking and watching the game(s)  ;).  We also do a bit of laptop work during the smoking sessions when sports events are not extant  :o.

I know I've left a lot out, but the bare bones are here.  Mostly I just want opinions/suggestions about feasibility before I launch a search equivalent to tilting at windmills.

So, any thoughts on the matter?  Advice?  Suggestions?

21
Folk,

A close friend of mine is a sailor, been sailing for ~twenty (20) years.  ~Seven (7) years ago, he became an ASA (American Sailing Association) certified instructor.  (He is a licensed Coast Guard Master for fifty-ton, working on a license (read hours) for 100-ton.)  He has several times moved boats under contract, the last time being from Galveston, TX to somewhere on the East coast of Florida.  Two (2) years ago, he opened his own school, which is doing very well as he starts into his third year.  He was ~eight (8 ) hours shy of a pilot license when he decided to devote his attention to sailing instruction.  OK, that's the background.

What we would like to find is charting software - preferably low dollar or free - that he can use to instruct his students in the art of plotting courses, then sailing those plotted courses.  He will, of course, continue to teach how to use paper charts, but most of his students are much more comfortable with a screen than with paper  ;).

NOAA provides both raster and SVG charts.  We'd prefer something that uses SVG, since the raster charts do not scale very well.  A software that works on WinXP/Win7 would be acceptable, but something for Android or (shudder) iOS would be preferable.  Personally, I'd like Android, since I have hardware that can use it.  We can test it on a B&N Nook Color, a Toshiba Thrive, or a Nexus 7.  (A chart station would be ideal, but they're very expensive, and not portable - this unit will be moved among at least three (3) different boats currently used for instruction.)

The problem here is twofold:  he gets, at best, three (3) to five (5) days off a month, seldom consecutively, and I just am not knowledgeable enough to know the appropriate search terms  :(.

So, any boaters here?  Doesn't matter whether power or sail, since charting will be the same in either case.  And it's quite possible that the avionics folk here might have software that would work, as well.

22
Living Room / it's about ... oldish films - again
« on: December 15, 2012, 07:36 PM »
<announcement>
Not to reprise an old topic, but I'm watching two (2) of four (4) tonight.  My four (4) favorite female dancers have always been Juliet Prowse, Cyd Charisse, Mitzi Gaynor, & Vera-Ellen.  Currently watching The Band Wagon, [Cyd Charisse] and I'll see White Christmas [Vera-Ellen] shortly thereafter.  Two (2) outa four (4) ain't bad for one (1) night  :P!
</announcement>

23
Living Room / It's about ... why is the left seat the command seat?
« on: December 06, 2012, 08:17 PM »
OK, I've looked at this before, but w/o a definitive answer.

Just finished watching Starship Troopers, the first of a [so far] trilogy on film of R A Heinlein's book of the same name.  It occurred to me that they - the film makers - always put the command pilot in the left seat.  US film, US habits, I suppose, but the question is why?

I can understand the English/UK/Europe folk making the [wheeled vehicle] right side the command side, considering the history [and forms] of combat there.  But why is it [I thimk] universal today than the command pilot sits in the left seat?  I've tried to research this in the past, several times, but never derived a definitive answer.

So, anyone here have that definitive answer?  Or even a clue or pointer as to the why?

I'm not gonna lose sleep over it - I hope! - but I'm damned curious.

(Edited for typos)

24
Living Room / In search of ... opinions on RAID at home
« on: November 25, 2012, 05:03 PM »
Had a discussion group earlier today - six (6) of us this time - that started out as a football watching event.  As usual, the discussion was alcoholically fueled, and the six (6) of us voiced ~eight (8 ) opinions ... I said it was alcoholically fueled, didn't I  :P?.  (Usually these events are at a table at a bar, but my recent incarceration by infirmary incompetents has interrupted that normal process.)

Anyway, the discussion today was about the value of home RAID systems, whether they are worthwhile and which RAID configurations are most practical/productive.  As mentioned, there were a number of opinions, both pro and con.  So I thought I'd bring it up here, see if there's any kind of consensus. 

So, the question is whether RAID is really practical for a home system - bear in mind that all of these guys (well, one (1) lady) are coders to some [varying] degree, so some form of backup/recovery system is important - and if so, what RAID version would be most viable?  (If it helps, three (3) of us have RAID setups, three (3) of us do not.  As well, the young lady is a C/++/# coder, three (3) of us are PHP, one (1) is ASP (Web), and one (1) is an ex-CoffeeCup employee who didn't want to leave when CoffeCup moved, don't know his disciplines.)


25
Living Room / It's about ... the clock (mouser)
« on: November 15, 2012, 10:53 PM »
Mouser,

I'm in CST, currently at ~2230 hours.

From your post:
  
Gadget Fridays
« on: Today at 15:09:37 »
...
The first Gadget Friday starts in 3 hours!
(remember, you can't post on any other day except when forum time, in upper-right corner of page, says it's a Friday).
« Last Edit: Today at 15:54:51 by mouser »


If it starts in three (3) hours, then your clock should be showing something like 2100 hours.  However, the forum clock shows this entry at 15:09:37, last edit at 15:41:51 hours, or close on to 1600 hours (4 PM).  There's a dichotomy 'tween your statement and that timestamp.  I'm [more than usually] confused.

Wouldn't have brought it up, except that this has been bugging me for a while.  Is that timestamp local to the server's location, to my profile, or ...?

If it's tied to my profile, then the timestamp on this should be ~2250.

Edit:

Time stamp is GMT, not GMT-6 as specified in my profile.  The date shows according to my profile specs, and the Current forum time: displays correctly while I'm in my profile, but reverts to GMT (UTC?) when I exit.

2nd edit:
Actually, that's wrong.  The timestamp on the post shows GMT+6.  Now I'm really confused.

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