Messages

101

Living Room / Re: [Humour] Never ask for help on the Internet

« on: December 26, 2008, 11:53 PM »

It's amusing to read the FacePunch Event Log - stuff like getting banned for 700 days, being registered for one hour (at most), because of "losing lots of smartness in a single post" is really... interesting.

I will now proceed to ROFL

Great review of the Intel water bottle! Best User Review I've ever read.
 
OEF
Also, on a related note: Asking about the Intel waterbottle on Facepunch - goes from capacity to overclockability (you may need to scroll to the top to understand it)

-wreckedcarzz (December 25, 2008, 03:15 PM)

102

Living Room / Re: Your favorite quotes?

« on: December 26, 2008, 09:57 PM »

two of my favorites:
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. -Plato
If you meet your master on the road, kill him - Buddhist quote

-mouser (December 04, 2008, 12:36 AM)

Nice ones, Mouser. Currently, one of my favs is "Old is when your friends compliment you on your alligator shoes, and you are bare-foot."
The Buddha qoute reminds me of Shriekback's "Gunning For The Buddha"
http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=FEgSKLq5yDU

 
OEF

103

Living Room / Re: Gift-giving season cometh. What computer hardware/peripheral would you like?

« on: December 26, 2008, 09:49 PM »

Maybe a USB-powered Time Machine so I can finish all these repair/build projects!! A retail copy of Windows home Server would do as well.
 

OEF

104

Official Announcements / Re: DC-IRLDD Champaign, IL - New Years

« on: December 26, 2008, 09:35 PM »

So far, I'm planning to spend the day at the beach.

-OldElmerFudd (December 24, 2008, 01:36 AM)

That's just plain cruel!
Where I am, we just had yet another foot of snow.
I don't need a snow thrower, I need a tunneling machine.

Merry Christmas!

-cranioscopical (December 24, 2008, 11:10 AM)

Sorry about that, my friend. If it's any comfort, we're getting a blast of cold air today. Might get below freezing tonight. In L.A., when the temperature fall below 50F, everyone starts wearing parkas and fleece. Gloves, mufflers, and woolly hats, too. We're just not built for cold, I'm afraid. I love the sun, and even go out when it's cold to soak up what I can.
OEF

105

Official Announcements / Re: DC-IRLDD Champaign, IL - New Years

« on: December 24, 2008, 01:36 AM »

Mouser, et al.

Very kind invitations, but I'm here in Los Angeles. So far, I'm planning to spend the day at the beach. While it might be raining, I'm from Santa Monica, CA, so rain is kind of a novelty. Best wishes to you all.

OEF 

106

General Software Discussion / Re: Time to reinstall Windows? Or get a new desktop?

« on: September 13, 2008, 01:40 AM »

 
You're set for some fun! I just finished building another box, very smooth and easy by now. Second the recommendation about Newegg and Crucial memory. Another thought: If you spend top dollar on the latest hardware, it'll be outdated in six months. The bleeding edge ain't all it's cracked up to be. Above 3Ghz on a CPU and 2.5Gb memory, and I can't tell much difference. Look for solid reports about last year's gear; user forums and newsgroups are a great way to go. Use your favorites; I love Seasonic power supplies. My machines run so quiet I have to look at them to see if they're on!

107

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: PPTminimizer 4.0 on Giveaway of the Day (Sept 10, 2008)

« on: September 13, 2008, 01:05 AM »

Thanks for taking a look at Giveaway Of The Day. I haven't paid much attention to the site in months, although I was a daily drop in for a a while. I got tired of the inconsistent nature of the offered s/w, the one-time installation restrictions, and the endless carping from users who frequently showed no connection between their brains and the "send" button.

I don't use PowerPoint, but that 4-month license termination is ridiculous.

 

108

Living Room / Re: What printer?

« on: August 27, 2008, 04:30 PM »

Memories...
My first printer was an HP monochrome inkjet that was built like a '54 Chevy; all steel and bolts! Used to refill those cartridges about 10 times before they gave up the ghost. I stuck with HP printers for years, until I finally got so disgusted that I drop kicked the last two into the street. Not really, but I did ewaste 'em; they drank too much ink to give to any poor friends. I've used an Epson 1280 for graphic work for about 4 years. Still love it. Got a Pixmia iP 4500 I really like now and less'n $100!
Btw, IMHO there's absolutely no good reason to put a print head in an ink cartridge. You're paying for a lot of expensive tech that gets trashed,

109

General Software Discussion / Re: Paragon Partition Manager 2005 or Easeus Partition Manager for Windows XP Pro

« on: August 27, 2008, 04:08 PM »

Hmmm...I own True Image 7, 8, and 10. For partitioning and imaging drives, I've never found anything better suited for my purposes, free or paid. Never had any trouble with any drive, either. Go figure.
 

110

Living Room / Re: Skimp or splurge?

« on: August 15, 2008, 05:21 PM »

 
Great thread!
Regular gas for my '97 Toyota, but I use Union 76. Cheap gas is cheap gas. I have 35 year-old chef's knives that hold an edge beautifully. Good tools, yes. GOOD mattress absolutely! Some splurges are worth it: http://www.amazon.co...B000079XW2/ref=pd_bb s_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1218837942&sr=8-1 is the best can opener ever. Mouser, I feel your tape pain. I too, learned the hard way. Thanks for all the suggestions, App103; good stuff. Got a yard or a sunny window? Grow food and/or herbs.
This gang doesn't NEED to be told this, but...build your own computers, but don't succumb to the bleeding edge. 6 months can make a huge difference.
OEF

111

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« on: July 24, 2008, 02:02 PM »

Firewalls? I haven't smelled smoke..oh, THOSE firewalls.

Some thoughts:
) ISTR XP's firewall doesn't stop outbound baddies.
2) Yes, I know ZA's gotten fat over the years, but I use it on all our machines. Bite-sized trouble and I also sit behind a hardware firewall, and I routinely install multiple layers of AV, anti-spyware, anti-adware, and anti-trojan screeners and sweepers in every machine I get my hands on.
III) I check all the boxes all the time.

Software I use: AVG Free, Eset NOD 32, Spybot, Spywareblaster, SpywareGuard, SpySweeper, A2 Free, ZA, AdAware, TrojanHunter, and more. Not to mention WinPatrol Plus, Prevx...guards! Seize him! OK, I'll go quietly now.
I'm not really paranoid, just kind of a-retentive thorough about this stuff. Depending on the machine, I'll even use (shudder) payware.

OEF

-OldElmerFudd (November 09, 2006, 03:58 AM)

Well, the dust has settled a bit. I still use most of the free software on installs for friends, but have abandoned ZA for all but my Luddite friends in favor of Online Armor. http://www.tallemu.com/
A little steep on the learning curve, but I'd rather be asked. I like it well enough to put it on a machine at home that's not on my static NAT. Also, I've dumped about everything but Spybot, SpySweeper, and ESET at home; less is more, IMHO!
OEF

112

General Software Discussion / Re: What's your music player of choice?

« on: February 05, 2008, 02:57 PM »

The minimalist simplicity of VUplayer (recommended by Allen) won me over.

-mouser (January 19, 2008, 09:52 AM)

Think you may be on to something here, mouser. There's a nice little set of filters and audio tools on the site, tho' for the life of me I can't seem to get the VU Meters to work.
 

113

Living Room / Re: About Rudeness in Forums

« on: December 13, 2007, 09:06 PM »

I truly do not recall anything remotely approaching rudeness at DC. There might be an occasional misunderstanding or quick reply, but the level of respect shown others is exemplary. In my experience, tech forums are generally civil when the members are knowledgeable in the matters at hand. For incivility, try Usenet. alt.comp.freeware has good information, but it frequently nearly buried in the personal attacks of some of the posters (As you may well recall, Mouser)
DC is a haven and an invaluable resource. I don't remember how I stumbled across it, but I've a cheerful supporter/user ever since.
my 2 pennies
OEF
 

114

Living Room / Re: What's Your Favorite Productivity or Programming Supplement?

« on: December 13, 2007, 08:50 PM »

Coffee, coffee, coffee. When I can get my hands on it chocolate, too. I love tea as well but didn't vote for it because I don't tend to drink it as much as coffee.

tinjaw - +1 for cold pizza. I'm drooling just thinking about it (as much as a fossilized skull can drool, of course).

-Darwin (November 30, 2007, 03:53 PM)

Hmm, I have to agree about the cold pizza. I just finished a cup of Yogi Green tea and I think there's a couple of pieces of pizza somewhere. Aha! Found them in last night's spaghetti pot under my sweater with my fountain pen!!
 

115

Living Room / Re: How often do you reboot your primary workstation?

« on: December 13, 2007, 08:42 PM »

I selected "every couple of days" even though it is more like every 3-5 days.  Unless I'm having a problem, I only reboot just before doing an image backup, which I do twice/week.

I hibernate the machine (Dell desktop, XP Pro SP2) any time I'll be away from it for more than a few hours, never had a problem with hibernation or sleep mode.

-AndyM (November 24, 2007, 04:58 PM)

Well, I use 3 "primary workstations", with the work load divided between graphics, audio, and general duties. They all stay on for days, sometimes a week or so. I image the primary partitions in those boxes when there's significant changes, at least every 2-3 weeks. Data's backed up daily; more often when I've been working on something major. My laptop's only on when I'm updating or traveling.
I'm not a big fan of hibernation; I prefer sleep or "standby".
Every one of them is running XP Pro SP2. I just hope MS supports the OS for more years than they say they will!
OEF

116

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« on: December 13, 2007, 08:14 PM »

I've dumped A2, Prevx (tiresome), and TrojanHunter.

Why dump TrojanHunter?

-mrainey (November 30, 2007, 02:19 PM)

Umm...Well, when it came time to renew it, I'd already decided to let it lapse. I routinely scan all downloads for problems. I never heard a peep out of TrojanHunter (and I encountered a few nasties) except 'Thanks for updating'! BTW, after a trial run at Eset's Smart Security, I found the firewall kind of lame and the anti-spam component equally lackluster. I do like the upgrade from 2.7 to 3.0 in the Nod32 AV. Light footprint and automatic daily updates; set it and forget it. Just haven't been as impressed by any freeware. Sigh.
OEF

117

Living Room / Re: Graphics Tablets - opinions (nudone, hamradio, tomos etc. care to chime in?)

« on: November 28, 2007, 09:42 PM »

My only experience with tablets is a little Intuous3 4x5 I bought about a year and a half ago. (It had occurred to me a bigger tablet would just mean broader strokes and losing a little too much desk space.) I'm more committed to photography, but the tablet pairs up nicely with Painter IX.5 and my old copy of PS7. I use it permanently attached to a machine that's dedicated to all my photo/graphics work. Admittedly, I'm no artist, but it's interesting to enhance some of my digital work.
(Note to Darwin) It did take a little work to get used to not looking at my hand, and the sensitivity levels initially dogged me after a third glass of petite sirah, lol! Still, I'm always glad to mess with it when the mood strikes.
 
OEF

118

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« on: November 28, 2007, 08:43 PM »

 
Update to my list: I've dumped A2, Prevx (tiresome), and TrojanHunter. AVG Free is gone in Favor of EsetNOD, and AdAware's lifetime is limited. ZA is about to be replaced by the new Eset Security Suite on all the boxes.
Endlessly refining, as always.
 
OEF

119

General Software Discussion / Re: Top 3 programs you use

« on: November 28, 2007, 05:14 PM »

Just an update (not that it's such a big deal). I've been using Seamonkey version 2.0a1pre for a couple of months now. It's remarkably stable.
http://ftp.mozilla.o...ightly/latest-trunk/
Still working with Photoshop, but I just got a Pentax K10 digital SLR, so I'm spending a lot of time with $ware like Phase One, Bibble, and OnOne.

my 2 pennies
OEF

120

General Software Discussion / Re: UpdateStar

« on: November 08, 2007, 08:50 PM »

Tried it, found the database it created was faulty. It didn't recognize that I had newer versions of s/w installed than what it claimed was the "Current" version. updates something minor, and uninstalled it with Revo Uninstaller. Didn't leave much garbage behind.

my 2 pennies
OEF

121

General Software Discussion / Re: Is Windows XP too good for Microsoft’s own good?

« on: November 08, 2007, 08:42 PM »

 
IMHO MS decided to release RC3?4?5? versions of the OS just to take the heat off the delays. Never mind the 4!! versions, or the still missing add-ons to Ultimate, or the fact that Vista is a poor shadow of what Longhorn was proposed to be. XP Pro just works, day in and day out. Buy all the OEM copies you can, and settle in for a few more years.

my 2 pennies
OEF

122

General Software Discussion / Re: ERUNT - Restore Replacement

« on: November 08, 2007, 08:34 PM »

 
Agreed, ERUNT is a must-have. I let it do autobackups each day a machine first boots. Anything more than a couple of days old is kind of unnecessary on my most active boxes, so I erase them every week. Don't forget NTREGOPT, the companion s/w at the site. And yes, donate! The author's earned it!

my 2 pennies
OEF

123

General Software Discussion / Re: How do you launch stuff?

« on: September 28, 2007, 11:15 PM »

Hunh?/
Farr/Luanchy, yeah, yeah. What's your hurry? Lookit, take a breath and slow down a little. Kindly think about backups/images instead. Might serve you better, IMHO.

hth,
OEF

124

General Software Discussion / Re: What's your preferred File Manager

« on: September 28, 2007, 10:04 PM »

Okay, okay...
Dopus because of all the boxes I maintain. Still, Ztree Gold is on each one. (I loved XTree gold: so  clean, so easy. Shoot me!)
There's a freeware approximation of X/ZTree for WinXP (dunno 'bout other OS)
http://go.to/filextreme

hth
OEF

125

Living Room / Re: Update on member KenR health status: Surgery went well

« on: September 28, 2007, 09:45 PM »

 
wahoo!

Ken's a valued contributor. The pain will pass; the other side is wonderful! BTDT
Good luck and best wishes!
OEF