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11151

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by 40hz on October 26, 2008, 01:46 PM »

Well, not quite to the level of stone tablet and chisel but:
2. (Soon) hand writing and paper

-Darwin (October 26, 2008, 11:17 AM)

I copy that, Darwin. Hope this doesn't happen to you:

I was in Barnes & Noble not too long ago. For some odd reason, I didn't have a credit card on me - but I did have my checkbook in my jacket pocket. I wrote out a check in standard schoolboy cursive script and handed it to the young cashier who seemed almost shocked to see something that anachronistic being handed to her.

She looked at my check blankly for a minute and then asked, "Is this written in some sort of foreign language?"

I told her no, it was English. She looked over her shoulder at another equally young cashier who came up behind and proceeded to ask her if she had ever seen writing like mine. The other young lady exclaimed "Oh, yeah. Wow! My mother writes like that sometimes. She had a name for it, but I don't remember what it was"

I told her it was usually called longhand. "Yeah, that was it," she agreed.

The first cashier had by now gotten an approval from her cash register and bagged my three O'Reilly titles.

As she handed the bag to me, she smiled and said, "Longhand huh? Is that anything like shorthand?"

I nodded and said "a little bit," before I smiled back, thanked her, and walked away.

Back out  in the car I just sat there for a minute.

For the very first time in my life I really did feel OLD.

11152

General Software Discussion / Re: A Special Recognition and Present for DC Member Eric Wong (VideoInPicture

« Last post by 40hz on October 26, 2008, 12:51 PM »

Congratulations Eric. I'm sure it took many long nights.

11153

General Software Discussion / Re: Best Python IDE

« Last post by 40hz on October 26, 2008, 12:42 PM »

FWIW: When I was first starting to learn Python, it was suggested to me by a guy I know who breathes code, that I avoid IDEs and just use a really good editor such as Notepad++. His feeling was that if you go the IDE route initially, you will need to learn two things at the same time - Python - and your IDE.

I took that advice and I'm glad I did. It allowed me to just focus on learning the language without getting too bogged down in all the "productivity and convenience" things that would really be more applicable to somebody who already knew how to program in Python.

If you're learning something, about the only thing you really want is syntax highlighting. Go beyond that and you run the risk of "throwing out the baby with the bathwater." Sometimes it's good to have to fully type out full lines of code and make mistakes. Repetition and really looking at lines of code can go a long way to reinforcing your learning experience and helping you memorize things that need to be available for instant recall. It's sort of like cooking - try learning how to do something from scratch first before you start looking for ways to do it quicker or more easily. You'll always learn a lot more doing it "the hard way" first..

Once I got more comfortable using Python, the value of using an IDE became much more apparent. Because before I knew something about Python, I couldn't really use most of what the IDE could provide.

Just my own tuppence.

Oh yeah, almost forgot...I like PyDev best.

11154

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone uses MediaMonkey? I need your advices.

« Last post by 40hz on October 26, 2008, 08:02 AM »

Sounds like a DNS problem on your ISP's nameservers. They may have an outdated or missing record.

SamSpade.org gives mediamonkey.com an IP address of 209.200.15.117

Try entering the IP address instead of the URL and see if that connects.

BTW: tracert confirms the website both ways on my ISP (i.e AT&T):



You might also have something cached that is screwing things up. You can fix that by using Windows' repair option on your network connection.  Alternatively, you could do it from a command prompt by flushing your arp and dns caches.

The command to flush the ARP cache is: netsh interface ip delete arpcache

The command to flush the DNS cache is: ipconfig /flushdns.



Good luck.

11155

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 05:27 PM »

I joined exactly two years ago, 25'th October 2006, so my status is shown with two boxes. Deozaan joined 2.9 yrs ago, which is rounded up to 3 boxes. No four boxes can yet be found, but if I understood the principle, they will show up within a month?? The five box people are moderators. Please correct me if I am wrong.

-Curt (October 24, 2008, 05:22 PM)

Oh. That's it?

Hmm. I'm...disappointed. I thought three meant you could become invisible and five meant you could also fly. <*sigh*>

11156

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 05:18 PM »

I know it sounds death defying but try hovering over each one 

-Carol Haynes (October 24, 2008, 03:18 PM)

Not the little badges under the avatar, I meant the little boxes under the name/title.

It's a symbol of our status and incredible powers!

Two-boxers like you are clearly inferior to a high ranking three-boxer like me.

-Deozaan (October 24, 2008, 02:57 PM)

I know that already.

11157

General Software Discussion / Re: Critical vulnerability in Windows

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 02:20 PM »

Installs on Win2K3 and 2K8 servers without a hiccup. Totally transparent so far. Anybody do it on Vista?

(fingers still crossed )

11158

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 02:11 PM »

Just out of curiosity, could somebody please tell me what the little gold, pink, and blue boxes beneath our names mean? I've got a pretty good idea based on who has what, but does anybody know exactly what they represent?

Mouser?

11159

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR In APC

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 02:08 PM »

First APC,  and tomorrow - who knows?

Can the day Mouser and DC finally gets Slash-Dotted be that far off?

11160

General Software Discussion / New Linux administration info site

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 10:40 AM »

I just found a new blog called The Small Box Admin that looks like it might become a valuable addition to your Linux visit list. (Assuming you're someone who visits Linux sites in the first place! ):

Welcome to the Small Box Blog

I created this blog for notes on Linux in smaller environments. Whether your own personal Linux box, workstation at work or administering a small Linux server, the goal is to help with tips, tricks and general information.

Enjoy,
Ken, The Small Box Administrator

Link at: http://smallboxadmin.blogspot.com/

The initial posts look promising, and not at all the usual rehashed articles you're seeing everywhere else. Let's hope it continues.
 

11161

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 09:41 AM »

40hz - I've always thought that "waffles for England" meant "waffling" for England (as in equivocating). No?

-Darwin (October 24, 2008, 09:16 AM)

It could be interpreted either way. Only Carol would know for sure.

Sorta like the old puzzle question:

What word in the English language would it not be possible to know which way to pronounce if it were capitalized and not used in a sentence? (Answer: Polish)

I'm sure there are others as well.

11162

General Software Discussion / Re: Free teleprompter/autocue service: Cueprompter

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 09:28 AM »

Thanks zridling. Nice find. (Too bad I didn't know about this three months ago when I really could have used it.  )

Here's a few things I found when I was looking for stuff for my project:

1) Links if you want to make your own teleprompter hardware:

   Fully DIY (see below): http://www.instructa...olling-teleprompter/



  -or-

 Pro Mirror Kit:  http://www.freetelep.../buyteleprompter.htm
 

2) Some free cue software that can be run on your PC without needing a web connection:

    http://www.freetelepromptersoftware.com/

3) A javascript scroller that can be used as is - or for inspiration to write your own!

    http://javascript.in...us/teleprompter.html

11163

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by 40hz on October 24, 2008, 08:51 AM »

Carol: I hope you'll be able to keep posting (and I'll able to keep reading) until the day I attain enlightenment and finally understand what "Waffles for England (patent pending)" actually means!

Congrats!

11164

Living Room / Re: Eggnog season is upon us!

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 06:03 PM »

- my mum used to make "cognac aux oeufs" and a warm, spicier version which was not eggnog but similar...

-iphigenie (October 23, 2008, 03:43 PM)

Any chance of getting her recipe and posting it?

11165

Living Room / Re: Tea anyone - Bubble Tea that is....

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 02:53 PM »

Sounds like it's not even tea, necessarily:

-Deozaan (October 23, 2008, 02:21 PM)

Must be their answer to New York's famous Egg Cream.  A beverage unique in that it contains neither.

<edit:> For those who are wondering, here's a link to show you how to make a genuine NYC Egg Cream:

http://www.jaykeller...cooking/eggcream.htm

Do not be fooled by imitations. This is the real deal.

(BTW: There is only one factual error in the above link - it relates to the question about whether or not it is essential to use Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup. This is not a topic for debate. U-Bet is absolutely essential. Period.

11166

General Software Discussion / Re: WINDOWS 7 THREAD (ongoing)

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 02:42 PM »

I just don't like web apps...I think that's it.  I don't like the way they feel, if that makes any sense.

As far as being able to work anywhere and stuff, I'd prefer to just setup a robust synchronization system based upon my personal needs rather than have an OS manage it all in a general way.

-superboyac (October 21, 2008, 05:12 PM)

You are not alone in your opinion. I can't stand web apps. I still call my computer a personal computer.

We spent the last 30 years getting away from time-sharing terminals on tightly controlled mainframes. Now it seems we're trying to go right back there. The only real difference between a web app and a terminal/mainframe "solution" is that the terminals are smarter; and the monolithic mainframes have since been reborn as clusters of machines spread out all over creation. This is progress?

Then there's 'reality' to think about. I saw a major US city completely paralyzed by the destruction of only two of its major buildings just a few years ago. In the wake of that, why would anybody want to put all their computing eggs in one basket? Is the Internet backbone really all that bulletproof? It was designed to absorb physical damage - not cyber-attacks. The very technologies that allow its datagrams to withstand a nuclear strike also make it very difficult to hunt down and extinguish any malware that exploits its decentralized robustness.

This is not paranoia. This is the simple acknowledgment that a major piece of critical technology is built on a foundation of wishful thinking about how the world would use it. William Gibson summed it up best with his most famous quote: "The Street finds its own uses for things."

IMHO -"web for everything" is a real bad idea. Dangerous too.

How off topic am I?

Dunno...looks to me like you rammed a wooden stake right into the heart of the subject.

11167

General Software Discussion / Re: Writing to two folders simultaneously. Possible? Tired of running synch progs

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 01:50 PM »

If you actually need to mirror in real-time as opposed to just sync your files, your best bet would probably be Techsoft's MirrorFolder.

Link: http://www.techsoftp...com/backup/index.php

MirrorFolder is a real-time mirroring and synchronization software to backup files from your local computer drive to another local/removable/network drive.

You can setup mirrors for your important folders, or even an entire drive, to another local/removable/network drive in either automatic synchronization or real-time mirroring mode. Once you setup mirror(s) for a folder, mirroring/synchronization will be done silently in the background without requiring any further effort or attention from you. You may also optionally archive older versions of mirror files inside a series of zip files in a third location periodically.

Some common uses of MirrorFolder are:

    * Mirroring on local hard disk - MirrorFolder is ideal for real-time mirroring on a separate local hard disk. In this mode, files in the mirror folder will remain identical with their source at any point of time. In case the source disk fails, you will have all of your files on the mirror folder/disk for immediate use. You may also use auto-synchronization mode of mirroring on local hard disk and choose to move older versions of files in the mirror folder to recycle bin duringsynchronization.

    * Backup on removable drive - MirrorFolder can be used for automatic backup of your important working folders on removable drive like USB flash drive, removable hard disk, etc., preferably in automatic synchronization mode. You may also enable archive option to store older versions of files in a series of ZIP files into a third location.

...

    * Synchronization between laptop and desktop computers - You can use MirrorFolder to synchronize files between your laptop and desktop computers using bi-directional automatic synchronization mode.

    * Synchronization between home and office computers through a USB flash drive - You can use MirrorFolder to synchronize important folders between your home and office computers using bi-directional automatic synchronization mode through a USB flash drive.

MirrorFolder will set you back $39, but you get full use of the program for 30 days before you need to buy a license.
That should be plenty of time for you to decide if it's worth it.


You also might consider just keeping your files on a USB drive and working off of that. If you go this route, be sure to backup regularly, and also use some form of encryption if your files are sensitive. Also try to stick to quality brands and avoid the 'no-names.' Not all USB drives are created equally.

11168

General Software Discussion / Re: WINDOWS 7 THREAD (ongoing)

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 12:54 PM »

This in from Windows 7 News ( http://windows7news.com/ )

Channel9 announced recently that they will post recordings of all PDC08 sessions on their website for everyone to view. Each session should not take more than 24 hours after taking place to find its way on the Channel 9 homepage which is an excellent opportunity for anyone not attending to view the sessions and discover all the exciting news about Windows 7.

Link to full article: http://windows7news....-all-pdc08-sessions/

This is welcome news for anyone who needs to stay on top of Windows 7 yet doesn't have 4 free days; airfare to LA, and a $2,395 registration fee(!) handy.

Thank you Mssrs. Blair and Brinkmann of Windows 7 News

11169

General Software Discussion / Re: OCR too expensive? Try freeloaders!

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 12:34 PM »

?

11170

Living Room / Re: Tea anyone - Bubble Tea that is....

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 11:36 AM »

I dunno about where you are...

-wyrwolf (August 09, 2006, 11:37 PM)

FWIW I haven't heard about Bubble Tea until just now either.  But I'm only about 30 miles outside of New York City. I guess I just don't live in a very sophisticated or cosmopolitan area. we are not worthy....

Thanks for sharing KenR!

11171

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 11:24 AM »

Finally they came out with ZModem

-CWuestefeld (October 23, 2008, 10:17 AM)

And all was right with the world.

BTW: I just downloaded a copy of RBBS-PC.EXE from a web archive. I'm going to have to see if I can get it running in DOSBox. Should be fun, if I can get a minute free any time soon...

11172

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by 40hz on October 23, 2008, 10:06 AM »

BBS (bulletin board service) predated the internet and back in the 80s, it's how we downloaded porn. At least some of us.

(Not me, of course.*)

-zridling (October 22, 2008, 06:20 PM)

OMG! Forgot about those little buggers - and I used to run a Mustang Software Wildcat! BBS that was linked into FidoNet!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidonet

Wikipedia Wildcat BBS

What an amazing hack! All those little 128K DOS machines (with their state-of-the-art 9600 baud modems!!!) passing e-mail messages back and forth every day during "fidonet hour" so that members could have free e-mail outside their long-distance area. Then when the radio amateurs got their solder-burned hands on it - and started wedding it to their ARRL network to provide teletype services and slow-scan video... ahh, those were fun times! Nobody had a clue about what they were doing. They just went out and did it. But somehow it created a lot of neat stuff we're still using today, along with the public demand to create what has now become known as the Internet.

I remember when a screen like this was once as exciting as webbing out to Donation Coder or Eve Online...



First there was antique radio . Now there is antique software!

BTW - there are still some BBSs out here if you want to play with them.
To fire up the time machine and see a living fossil in action, try telenetting out to:

shadow.skeleton.org

Use ASCI terminal or VT100 emulation on default port-23.
 Login as bbs with no password.
 Enter a ? to get help using the system.

(Set your terminal to display green or orange text on black for that true "DOS vibe". )

11173

Living Room / Re: keep xp, put vista on 2nd partition on a raid 0 drive - will i regret it?

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2008, 03:32 PM »

what i love for these occasions is to get a hard drive rack and a spare hard drive, and just swap it in when you want to boot with an alternative OS.

-mouser (October 22, 2008, 10:50 AM)

That's what I do too. Avoids all the nonsense you can get into messing with boot managers and the MBR. 

I bit the bullet and finally got separate hard drives for everything. (I'm up to something like eight for my main workstation.)
Now my only hassle is the minor effort it takes to swap one out for the other.
 

11174

General Software Discussion / Re: which Linux version for my laptop

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2008, 02:26 PM »

You could also try MEPHIS ( http://www.mepis.org ). It's a very user friendly distro with plenty of power. and some of the best hardware detection routines out there. I've had this distro work flawlessly on laptops that Ubuntu had troubles dealing with.

Whatever you do, try a "Live-CD" of the distro you're interested in before you do an actual installation to your hard drive to see how well it handles your hardware. Also take a look at the features and pay particular attention to the the preferred desktop manager (KDE, Gnome, etc.) to see if it works for you.

Also check out: http://www.desktoplinux.com  Lots of good info can be found there.

Welcome to Linux!

11175

SMF Forum Mods / Re: Scanning attachments on SMF with ClamAV

« Last post by 40hz on October 22, 2008, 01:20 PM »

Not a mod, but something you'll probably want to be aware of if you're assisting NGOs.

Take a look at the free community edition of Untangle. This is an excellent modular gateway security package that has integrated some of the best open source security tools under one hood with an elegant adminitrative front end that makes it almost fun to use. You have the option to purchase support contracts and a few commercial add-ons (KaperskyAV to supplement the included AV; remote admin tools; and a "clientless" VPN option) but 95% of Untangle - and all its core functionality - is completely free. Very sweet.

Homepage: http://www.untangle....id=86&Itemid=179

It can be run as a stand-alone appliance (i.e.  separate machine) or on any WinXP machine attached to the network using something called Re-Router Technology. Obviously this would work best on a smaller network, but it's easy to install and test so why not try it first?

http://www.untangle....=434&Itemid=1527

Re-Router™ Technology
Network Protection from any Windows Machine

Re-Router™ Technology is a breakthrough from Untangle that provides network-wide protection from any Windows XP desktop.  Running transparently in the background without sacrificing any desktop functionality (word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, etc.), Re-Router™ Technology enables users to:
 

    * Provide network gateway protection without buying new hardware
    * Protect the entire network from just 1 PC (Unlike Norton or McAfee)
    * Get started in minutes… No network reconfiguration, re-cabling or extra NICs to install
    * Leverage the best open source networking apps on the familiar Windows platform

These days, the web is a dangerous place, but buying an expensive security appliance just isn’t an option for everyone. Re-Router™ Technology finally enables organizations with less than 25 PCs to protect their whole network, from online threats like spam, spyware, viruses, phishing and inappropriate websites, right from one Windows XP desktop.  It’s the same great Untangle Gateway… but without the gateway!
 
How it works

Re-Router™ Technology leverages virtualization and layer 2 protocols to dynamically reconfigure the network so that all in/outbound traffic flows through the Untangle “server” before reaching its intended destination.   The physical network gateway thinks the Untangle “server” is each of the desktops and the desktops think it’s the gateway.  There’s no need to physically re-cable the network and if the host PC ever shuts down, Re-Router™ Technology elegantly restores the network’s original configurations without any downtime.  Dynamic network reconfiguration sounds geeky and complex (and under the hood it really is) but to the user, it's 100% automatic and seamless.  Some might call it Magic!
 
Features

    * Free to use
    * No hardware to buy or install
    * Runs transparently in the background on Windows XP
    * Doesn’t sacrifice any desktop functionality like word processing or web browsing
    * Protects all the PCs on the network
    * No network reconfiguration or re-cabling required

Link: http://www.untangle....=434&Itemid=1527

I'm a big fan of Untangle. Easy to use and well documented. (Not to mention being open & free under GPLv2.)

Luck!