Topics

126

Living Room / tv worth watching for a change

« on: August 11, 2007, 04:13 AM »

mr. dawkins will be on british tv this coming monday for the start of a two part series.

'the enemies of reason' http://en.wikipedia....he_Enemies_of_Reason

he's said to appear a little calmer this time around. no doubt he's realised his last tv outing didn't do him any favours in the 'root of all evil' http://en.wikipedia...._Root_of_All_Evil%3F


also, interesting video left out of the original 'root of all evil' series. said to leave dawkins looking a little uncomfortable as he chats with his old pal alister mcgrath http://video.google....=6474278760369344626

127

Coding Snacks / easy to locate current working folder(s)... and file(s) i suppose

« on: August 01, 2007, 06:53 AM »

[my memory is going but i think there might be a util that has already been mentioned on the forum that might do something similar to what i'm about to describe. suggestions please...]

your working on a 'project', that is to say, a folder that contains several files of several varieties perhaps.

the project requires several apps to work with all the files.

i'd like a tool (or a method) that allows me to quickly locate the 'project' folder i'm working with regardless of the application i'm using.

in other words, when i use the open/save dialog box from inside an application, there will be an automatic or very quick way of navigating to the 'project' folder i'm currently working with.

i'm thinking along these lines of how the util would work:

1. i specify my current project folder inside the util. the util stores the path to the folder.

2. ANY program i then use whilst working on the project has an auto or single button click method of navigating to the project folder when i open or save files.

the important part is the number of clicks required to get to the project folder. i'm thinking a single click would be about right - the idea is to cut out all the laborious navigation.

i think it might be possible to do what i'm asking with a dialog box extender - it wouldn't do the automatic part of finding the project folder but i can accept that. in this case, which file box extender would provide the least amount of clicks to set up the project folder and then retrieve it?

ta

edit:

i'm going to try to get in the habit of using 'dialogmate2' as this should cover what i want.

128

Coding Snacks / auto color 'new folder' icon to make it quick to find

« on: July 28, 2007, 03:56 AM »

i'll make this request and hope that someone just suggests a util that already does this - or a better method of what i'm describing.

i tend to make a 'new folder' and throw the things into it that i'm currently working on - kind of like a quick temp folder to isolate a few files from a bunch of others.

the important thing is speed - i'm only using this folder temporarily (perhaps) and i just want to get things done quickly so i don't rename the new folder - i just leave it as 'new folder'.

this is fine, except for when there are several, possibly hundreds, of other folders at the same level of the 'new folder'. the problem is when using software and browsing to the 'new folder' i have to scan through the list of other folders until i get to 'N' for 'new folder'. perhaps i'm making a big deal out of nothing but if the 'new folder' was a different colour, i.e. now yellow, then i wouldn't have to scan through all the other folders looking for 'N', instead i'd just look for the different colour.

an alternative would be for windows to name a new folder '! New Folder' with the ! at the front so that the newly created folder appeared first in the list of other folders - thereby making it simple to find.

i appreciate this is long winded. in fact, this is kind of insane, i've just spent more time writing this than it will take for me to manually input the '!' character into the 'new folder' name field when it is created. okay, fine, i'll go and bang my head against the wall for a few minutes.

129

Living Room / totally pathetic comparison about apple and microsoft

« on: July 05, 2007, 03:55 AM »

i saw this video whilst browsing someone's design blog (i won't mention who they are as their topic is unrelated to my post here).

http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=0pXL5_RvGrs

the clip is meant to be funny and oh so clever - how the ipod would be packaged if designed by microsoft.

i assume the clip was put together by a mac head as i can't see anyone else wasting that amount of time on something that completely misses the point.

apple can get away with minimal design on the packaging because EVERYONE on the planet already knows what the product is about without having to read the box. the box could be completely faceless and just have the word ipod and apple stamped on it on the underside where no one will see it and the product would still sell.

how witty to totally miss this point and show how microsoft would have to resort to actually putting useful information on the box to make it clear what is inside - BECAUSE they don't have the media hysteria and fan boy love for the plastic box they manufacture.

130

General Software Discussion / seeking something to replace and rename files by drag 'n' drop

« on: June 27, 2007, 05:06 AM »

i'm forever replacing files that are referenced within other programs (eg. swf files referencing jpg's for a gallery slideshow).

for these kinds of things to work i have to maintain the filenames, i.e. the new file and the old file that is replaced have to share the same file name.

i find it an incredibly tedious process having to manually type each file name for each new file.

as the old file that is going to be thrown away has the correct name i'd like an 'automatic' way of taking the old file's name and giving it to the new file's name.

something like a drag and drop process would be great, something like this:

1. i drop the new file with 'randomname.jpg' onto the old file with 'specificname.jpg'

2. the old file is then automatically deleted.

3. the new file has it's name automatically changed to what the old file's name was (so randomname.jpg becomes specificname.jpg).

if there is something out there that does something similar to this then please speak up.

the main point is that i need it to be something simple - i need to pick single files out of a folder that may contain several so the drag 'n' drop process will be the quickest way of doing it. well, anything quicker than typing filenames out by hand would be good.

love you all, nudone.

131

Living Room / what is the potential capacity of the internet?

« on: June 16, 2007, 01:57 AM »

zaine's post https://www.donation...9;topicseen#msg65079 reminded me of this question that keeps me awake at nights:

in 'theory' what is the capacity of the internet, i.e. in visual form, if the 'internet' was a big fat pipe - is the data flowing through it like a tiny trickle or is the pipe almost at full capacity. (or is that a terrible analogy?)

or has the 'pipe' been full for years and really it's now just a case of how fast things flow through it?

132

Living Room / UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« on: May 20, 2007, 06:32 AM »

Uk members may have seen this already - from an ITV show called 'House of Horrors'.

the show aims to expose dodgy service people by enticing them into a realistic looking set up where everything is captured on film.

i've been waiting for the clips to appear on youtube and now here they are:

part 1: http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=8DsAwt8vf6Q

part 2: http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=BOrHS50Xkqs

look out for the car he drives - particularly what happens to it as he makes his escape - and look at the license plate, what a classic.

133

General Software Discussion / All in one place - free tools to cover all of your design needs.

« on: May 16, 2007, 10:11 AM »

You've no doubt tried or, at least, heard of Ubuntu. How about Ubuntu Studio?

Ubuntu Studio. A multimedia creation flavor of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Studio is aimed at the GNU/Linux audio, video and graphic enthusiast as well as professional.

We provide a suite of the best open-source applications available for multimedia creation. Completely free to use, modify and redistribute. Your only limitation is your imagination.

http://ubuntustudio.org

134

General Software Discussion / auto send an email after system start

« on: April 08, 2007, 12:35 PM »

my machine tends to behave at the moment but i sometimes leave it running whilst i'm out or away from it - and then i return to find that the machine rebooted itself for no good reason.

i've given up trying to find out why it does this, instead i'd like to simply know WHEN it does this.

so, can anyone recommend a small email kind of app that will automatically send a predefined email to a preset address after my machine has booted up.

this way, i can be informed that my machine has restarted by sending an auto email to an account i have that then forwards things to my mobile/cell phone (i don't have one of those fancy mobile/cell phones with it's own email account).

i'm sure there must be something out there and yet i can't find anything.

i'd prefer to avoid using something that has to use outlook or some other email program to send the email.

135

General Software Discussion / Photoshop - add supported online editor, soon...

« on: March 02, 2007, 01:39 AM »

over on cnet news.com

Like Adobe Remix, the hosted Photoshop service is set to be free and marketed as an entry-level version of Adobe's more sophisticated image-editing tools, including Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Chizen envisions revenue from the Photoshop service coming from online advertising.

http://news.com.com/...-7345_3-6163015.html

i hope it will support layers and a few other advanced features.

136

General Software Discussion / Firewalls - please, i can't be bothered.

« on: February 25, 2007, 11:13 AM »

zone alarm sometimes give up on me - usually only if the machine has been on for more than 24 hours. i can live with this but it's a little annoying.

that Comodo thing works even less on my machine.

so, i thought i'd have a go with Ashampoo's free firewall. looked okay at first but then i found that my non pop3 email accounts wouldn't connect when using MS Outlook.

funny how Ashampoo's rule is to allow full access for outlook in and out.

do i want to know the solution, can i really be bothered. absolutely not. i've just uninstalled it and Outlook is working fine again.

will i go back to Zone Alarm, will i go back to Outpost? nah, i think i'll just not bother with a firewall (again). f0dder, gave me good reason not to believe in them, yet i keep looking for one that might work.

is there nothing that will simply monitor outbound connections and let me block them if i want to - how big a task is that?

137

Official Announcements / wtfcody.com - Cody now has a home not just an address.

« on: February 21, 2007, 03:31 PM »

it's been a long time coming but now it's official...

Cody now has his very own website

wtfcody.com



to find out more you'll have to visit his new home.

never fear, Cody isn't going anywhere. he remains the full-time mascot at DonationCoder.com - his new home just allows him a bigger playground.

i hope you'll drop in on Cody and leave him a message or two. there will be prizes for things running on wtfcody.com - the first of which will be a special mug to the best 'ask cody' question that someone puts forth - a winner will be picked at the end of March (hopefully we'll keep the prizes coming each month).

that's it for the moment. i hope you enjoy what you find.

nudone

138

General Software Discussion / FileHamster - auto incremental file monitor/backup as you work - and free!

« on: February 16, 2007, 02:56 AM »

saw this over on 'shell extension city' this morning: FileHamster - just the right tool to let you save different versions of files you are working on. so i know it would be great for 'digital artists' but i assume it will also be very useful for coders.

FileHamster provides real-time backup and archiving of your files while you work. It enables you to monitor specific files on your hard drive and automatically create incremental backups whenever those files are modified. It also enables you to store notes about the changes that have been made, allowing you to quickly locate a specific revision or provide a detailed account of the work you've done on a project.

http://www.mogware.com/FileHamster/

from

139

Living Room / long exposure photos of classic arcade games

« on: February 09, 2007, 02:21 AM »

by Rosemaire Fiore...

long exposure photography of old arcade machine screens.

http://www.rosemarie...php&navGallID=12

and other nice and curious art.

140

Living Room / be my valentine!

« on: February 02, 2007, 02:18 AM »

one of my favourite books Love Sick: Love as a Mental Illness (Paperback)
by Frank Tallis http://www.amazon.co...?ie=UTF8&s=books is a great gift to send this valentine's day, but if you'd rather not stretch that far you can get a few nice ideas here instead http://www.meish.org/vd/

bitter? moi? surely not.

141

Living Room / snap.com search. gimmick or great tool?

« on: February 01, 2007, 02:16 PM »

i did i quick search on the DC forum but couldn't find anything relating to snap.com - i'm not saying there isn't a thread already about it, i just can't remember one.

anyway, www.snap.com a new way to search the internet. again.

i've had a quick go - i wouldn't call it super fast (maybe it's my connection) but once you are presented with the results i can see how it might make your final selection or page choice a bit quicker - snap.com provides quite large thumbnails for the websites in the search results.

is this any better than just clicking on the search results in google - that bit i'm not too sure of.

142

Living Room / cost of running a pc (in the UK)?

« on: January 27, 2007, 03:08 AM »

i'm sure i've asked this question before (i can't find any evidence on the forum though) about the cost of running a computer. i can't remember the answer so i have to ask again.

any ideas what the typical cost of running a computer is - doesn't have to be precise, just a good idea.

if it helps i'll describe the machine: 600w psu, amd 4800, 4 hard drives, geforce 7, several fans, audigy, 24" Lcd, adsl router.

i'm sure there was a webpage that allowed you to put the details in and it worked out the cost for you but i can't find it.

(i think f0dder may have answered this last time - maybe i dreamt it all - i think i might have even said "maybe i dreamt it all" last time too. hello, hello, am still asleep?)

143

Living Room / is it me or is it the machine (i'm sorry for even posting this).

« on: January 24, 2007, 06:17 AM »

i will understand if this post is seen as dragging this situation out for as long as i possible can but i really am losing my will to turn this machine on...

i'll try and explain as briefly as i can. this machine is just over 12 months old. i paid out top money to buy all the best bits of hardware at the time (just over £3000 - i priced the same components up yesterday - they are currently worth £2000 retail). i can't say it ever worked perfectly from day one but i put that down to me rushing the install of the operating system and then banging loads of programs onto it. it worked well enough, just not 100% perfect.

i recently started having hard drive problems (they might be resolved now, i just have to wait for the next random reboot to occur). this prompted me to install win xp onto another partition of one of the hard drives - i'm glad to say i can keep installing xp without much trouble as i have a legal corporate key.

this new xp install was to be my masterpiece operating system. since its first boot up, i've been keeping a log of every install i make, every setting i change, every issue that occurs and how i fixed it. it was all going so well.

yesterday, the new xp install decided to start playing up - winamp creates errors when trying to run the visualizations and kmplayer complains when i click on a specific set of preferences. poser 6 also wouldn't work as it should. all these things worked perfectly well the day before.

no problem you might think. i've been keeping a log of what i've done to the machine, i can simply revert back by uninstalling and reinstalling, etc.

well, i've tried everything: reinstalling, deleting, using xp's system restore which didn't work at all, and the final kick in the teeth which has nearly pushed me over the edge of sanity - i used acronis true image to restore the entire partition.

acronis worked perfectly well. i successfully restored two different backups of the operating system (one version being a minimal backup of the operating system and another containing a few programs i'd installed). you'd think this would be the answer to my frustration and winamp, kmplayer, poser 6 would now work perfectly after their fresh installs. WRONG. they do exactly what they did before i wiped everything clean. HOW ON EARTH IS THIS POSSIBLE?

you might reply that i must have a hardware fault. maybe it looks that way, but don't forget, i have the old xp installed on another partition. if i boot into this older operating system and use the programs in question, they work absolutely perfectly - so where's the hardware problem now.

i can, of course, just revert back to the older xp install and forget about the newer one. i will, what else can i do. but that doesn't explain what is happening on the machine. it really is driving me insane - i've nearly spent two weeks messing about with this machine since it started playing up - that's whole days nearly, not a couple of hours here and there.

i'm considering asking a friend to drop the machine out of an upstairs window so that it lands on my head as i lie on the ground below. the computer would then finally know that i am beat and would hopefully leave me alone after that.

and now the moral of this tale:
don't spend a lot of money on computers believing that they are going to be the perfect godlike machine. stay in the midrange price bracket and get good value for your money. don't assume your computer actually likes you, mine is a total prima donna that likes nothing more than to see me banging my head up and down on the table in despair. the terms sadist and masochist start to seem quite fitting for my pc interplay.

144

General Software Discussion / multi core cpu control - is there a need?

« on: January 22, 2007, 04:08 AM »

i came across this util today over at shell extension city: CPU-Control by Koma Code.

http://www.koma-code...;id=88&Itemid=93

it allows you to configure how the cores are used in a multi core system. so, you can specify whether an application should run on one core or use both.

is there any real point to this. i have a dual core cpu but as i understand it, the software has to be designed to use both cores for there to be any advantage over using one.

this app would be handy for running apps that will only run correctly on a single core - i remember having a game like that (might have been ut2003). but other than that scenario is there any use to this app.

i ask as i'd like to obviously get the most out of my dual core machine and if this app can help then i'll use it.

145

General Software Discussion / common router firewall outbound settings?

« on: January 21, 2007, 06:34 PM »

(this is more of a hardware question, but as i'm trying to avoid 'software' firewalls i've posted it in this section.)

i've spent today removing and installing several firewalls. they are the free versions recommended everywhere. none work perfectly on my system it seems. so, i wish to abandon them completely and stop wasting time hoping they'll work correctly.

right. i have an adsl router. it has a firewall built in. brilliant. well, it would be if i had the slightest idea of what to put into the outbound rules - at the moment it's set to let everything out. kind of pointless isn't it. i've seen plenty of complaints about the windows inbuilt firewall letting everything out, but i get the impression that's exactly what all the adsl router firewalls are doing around the world too.

so, is there a list of common settings to allow through such a router firewall - settings that will cover the usual programs that are run on an xp machine?

it looks like i'm going to have to specify exact ports or port ranges (and tcp and udp). how on earth am i supposed to know that - just what is the point of having a firewall built into a router when there's no way of knowing what to put into it.

okay, i'm sure there will be information for certain apps i can find, but what about all those mysterious 'svchost' things and all that rubbish. suddenly i've just realised how absolutely pathetic internet security is.

anyway, if there is a list of common settings to use then i'll be very grateful if you let me know. thanks.

146

Living Room / moving operating system from one partition to another?

« on: January 19, 2007, 05:45 AM »

in the past i would have just jumped straight in and done what i'm hoping to do - rather than wait until after this question is answered.

i want to move my operating system from drive E (yes, drive E) to drive C. the 'drives' are just partitions on the same hard drive - which is actually two physical drives in raid 0.

i'm sure i've swapped things around in the past - on older machines, i'm just a bit hesitant to do it this time because of the raid 0 setup - i assume this makes no difference (hopefully).

i'm going to use acronis trueimage to make a backup of drive E (yes, drive E) and then 'restore' this back to drive C. now, drive E and drive E are of different sizes - i assume that acronis trueimage will be able to cope with this and leave the partitions at the sizes they are. does it matter one jot whether the paritions are logical or primary (and what about 'active' - does that meant anything these days)?

right. as i said, i'd have just done this without giving it a second thought but i see that trueimage has options for whether the drives are partitions, i.e. whether they are logical or primary. so the question is, as the operating system is currently installed on a logical partition, is this going to easily transfer onto the primary larger partition C when i do the restoring?

i don't trust this machine so i need guidance before taking action...

147

Living Room / new system install - avoiding the BLOOOOAAAAAT

« on: January 15, 2007, 03:57 AM »

i'm currently installing everything back onto my machine - this time i'd like to keep it free of everything except for the 'essentials'.

so, just the software i use that has a REAL purpose - stuff i work with - not little things showing me the temperature or the time or the latest news or blah, blah, blah.

how long this will last is anyone's guess.

but the point of this post is this - i use the machine for video editing and encoding. quicktime seems to be a necessary component for this with things like adobe premiere (or it was in the past, not sure now), so can i get away with installing the quicktime alternative or do i have to use the apple version? i know, i know, i could just install it and find out - i probably will but i'm trying to avoid installing things and then uninstalling them if they aren't required - i'm trying my hardest to just install what is really going to work. apple's quicktime seems a little bloated to me.

the same question applies to codecs - in the past i've used the cccp pack as it sounded like the most well rounded collection of codecs - but i can't say it worked perfectly. i still required things like gomplayer or kmplayer to play some videos.

i appreciate there is no single right way to do all this but i'm interested it what other video people have done with their machine.

148

Living Room / can a file or folder structure make a pc crash at random?

« on: January 13, 2007, 03:48 PM »

i'm experiencing weird hard drive problems at the moment.

i was convinced that a particular hard drive was on it's way out and making my system lock up or reboot - but the SMART readings for this particular drive indicate it's perfectly healthy.

so, all i can see that might be wrong with the drive is the data that is on it. there's about 150 gig used on the drive and i'm slowly removing what i can from it just in case the drive does die.

therefore, my question is: am i talking rubbish - can something on this drive make my machine lock up or reboot when it feels like it - just data. i'm not running programs from it. the problem only occurs when the drive is being accessed in some way but it's not consistent and i can't see a pattern to it all.

i've spent today reinstalling windows xp and updating all the drivers - i've not really installed any of the programs i'd normally have on the machine. i was expecting this to cure the problem but the machine rebooted itself when i was transferring data from the dodgy(?) drive to a dvd - the machine rebooted as the data on the disk was about to be verified.

i'm prepared to throw the drive out the window if it's dying - how reliable is this SMART stuff?

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!

149

Living Room / OFFER: book - beginning flash game programming for dummies

« on: December 31, 2006, 05:07 AM »

anyone want a 7 day old book - beginning flash game programming for dummies - it's free, i'll pay the postage.

state why you would like it and i'll pick who gets it on the 7th of january.

150

Post New Requests Here / IDEA: cross program links

« on: December 26, 2006, 09:52 AM »

this is somewhat of a half-baked idea - maybe it's impractical, maybe it's asking too much, maybe it's already possible.

i know i'm not the only person that can't decide on which program(s) to use for managing their data - or, it might be better to say that there isn't a single program that covers our requirements. instead several programs have to be used that overlap in functionality or perhaps just don't offer enough options singularly to get the job done.

so, my idea is, instead of waiting for the ultimate program to be created that does everything you require - i'm talking about organiser programs and the like - how about combining a few programs into a single way of working.

i use surfulator, mylifeorganized, desktop notes, acdsee, etc, etc. and i often find i'm not entirely sure if i've put the right data into the right program - there's quite a bit of crossover OR sometimes there just isn't enough crossover.

i'm suggesting (and wondering if it would work) that a universal super 'link' or 'shortcut' system be created that can be used with any program. you could then create an entry or file or image or whatever in one program and then link this piece of information with another piece of information inside a completely different program.

the 'link' system would be in the form of a word or number or code that could be entered as standard text inside the program - as this is universal. this 'link text' would then reference another piece of information with the same 'link text' inside another program. highlighting this 'link text' and pressing a hotkey would then open up the program that had the same 'link text' and hopefully take you to the right entry.

the 'link' system works by a continuesly running program (in the system tray) that can translate these bits of 'link text' into macro actions to open the correct 'linked' program and file within it.



now that i've typed that out i can see how difficult it would be to implement or, at least, i see how MORE difficult it would be than i first imagined. or maybe it isn't that complicated???

perhaps just defining a system that would work with 'text links' can be done manually and that would be enough.

if anyone understands what i've outlined and can suggest a practical manual way of defining these links then i'd be interested to hear that also.

my first thoughts are that maybe something along the lines of using a structure like this may work:

example...

entry 1a in surfulator relates to information in MLO for project 2b and also image 3c in acdsee. the universal 'link text' for this information would be "surf1a-mlo2b-acd3c" but a 'real' link would undoubtedly be longer because of the names of the information referenced.

perhaps i'm simply asking for a project management system?