Recent Posts

2076

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox Extensions: Making use of OneTab

« Last post by IainB on August 23, 2015, 09:03 PM »

Making use of OneTab.
The uses/functionality of this Add-on are described in the notes on the OneTab Add-on page. However, some further potential use might not be so obvious.
Two examples of how to make use of that further potential:

• You need to have the Scrapbook Add-on installed.
• You need to have the Quickfox Addon installed.
• You need to have Firefox Sync running to sync bookmarks at least.

1. Scrapbook:
You can save a OneTab page as-is at any point in time to a Scrapbook folder.

2. QuickFox:
Look to the upper RHS of a OneTab page, and you will see a link to Export / Import URLs. Clicking on that link opens up a new Tab that shows two sub-panes, "Import URLs", and "Export URLs".
Select all the text within the "Export URLs", right click it, and send it as a New Note in Quickfox. That saves it as a new note in your bookmarks (it's not a bookmark though, but just a note). Sync will then sync that note so that you or anyone else  (can be shared with a collaborative group) who has access to your Synced items account can open that note in QuickFox in Firefox.
(The notes on the OneTab Add-on page indicate that this kind of functionality may eventually be built-in to OneTab.)
_____________________________

Other examples: If you had these Add-ons/applications installed, you could also select all the text within the "Export URLs", right click it, and send/copy it:

• as copied text to CHS (Clipboard Help & Spell).    
• as selected text to the Scrapbook Add-on.    
• as selected text to WizNote (can be shared with a collaborative group).    
• as copied text to Wezinc.    
• as selected text to Zotero (can be shared with a collaborative group).    

2077

Post New Requests Here / Re: Transfer all the opened urls to a folder

« Last post by IainB on August 21, 2015, 09:51 AM »

From DC forum: Re: Firefox Extensions: OneTab is well worth trying out.

From DC Forum: Re: Transfer all opened tabs in browser to a txt file

^^ Yes, OneTab would be brilliant for this and other browsing information capture purposes. I have been trialing it for a couple of weeks, and it's very nifty.   

-IainB (August 21, 2015, 09:35 AM)

-IainB (August 21, 2015, 09:43 AM)

2078

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox Extensions: OneTab is well worth trying out.

« Last post by IainB on August 21, 2015, 09:43 AM »

From DC Forum: Re: Transfer all opened tabs in browser to a txt file

^^ Yes, OneTab would be brilliant for this and other browsing information capture purposes. I have been trialing it for a couple of weeks, and it's very nifty.   

-IainB (August 21, 2015, 09:35 AM)

It also minimises memory usage and noticeably speeds up one's browsing in Firefox.

2079

Post New Requests Here / Re: Transfer all opened tabs in browser to a txt file

« Last post by IainB on August 21, 2015, 09:35 AM »

^^ Yes, OneTab would be brilliant for this and other browsing information capture purposes. I have been trialing it for a couple of weeks, and it's very nifty.   

2080

Living Room / Re: Switzerland-based ProtonMail, yet another secure email service

« Last post by IainB on August 20, 2015, 04:52 PM »

^^ Yes, I saw that too.
I made a "request for invite". Making a "request for invite" doesn't seem to get responded to though. Message says they are maxed out on invites, or something.
It's a bit opaque. I wonder how many users they actually have, or if it's all a sham? Probably never be told.

2081

Living Room / Re: Peer Review and the Scientific Process

« Last post by IainB on August 20, 2015, 05:53 AM »

Looks like the clean-up of false, published "science" is still underway: Peer review is broken – Springer announces 64 papers retracted due to fake reviews | Watts Up With That?

I'm impressed.   

2082

General Review Discussion / Re: Maintaining online privacy, security and anonymity.

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 07:44 PM »

@mwb1100: Many thanks for the tips.  
That mvps.org looks very interesting. It also gave me an idea for making greater use of the 127.0.0.1 proxy... Time to experiment, methinks.

2083

General Review Discussion / Re: Maintaining online privacy, security and anonymity.

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 05:04 PM »

Quite coincidentally, I saw this in my bazqux fee-reader this morning. Looks like a pretty accurate analysis of some of the main problems/issues: Ad Blockers and the Nuisance at the Heart of the Modern Web - The New York Times
(Copied below sans embedded hyperlinks/images.)

AUG. 19, 2015
Photo Credit Stuart Goldenberg
Farhad Manjoo

The great philosopher Homer Simpson once memorably described alcohol as “the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems.” Internet advertising is a bit like that — the funder of and terrible nuisance baked into everything you do online.

Advertising sustains pretty much all the content you enjoy on the web, not least this very newspaper and its handsome, charming technology columnist; as I’ve argued before, many of the world’s most useful technologies may never have come about without online advertising. But at the same time, ads and the vast, hidden, data-sucking machinery that they depend on to track and profile you are routinely the most terrible thing about the Internet.

Now, more and more web users are escaping the daily bombardment of online advertising by installing an ad blocker. This simple, free software lets you roam the web without encountering any ads that shunt themselves between you and the content you want to read or watch. With an ad blocker, your web browser will generally run faster, you’ll waste less bandwidth downloading ads, and you’ll suffer fewer annoyances when navigating the Internet. You’ll wonder why everyone else in the world doesn’t turn to the dark side.

Photo

“They’ll start telling all their friends about this amazing app that saves your battery, saves your data and speeds up the web, and it’s likely to go viral," said Sean Blanchfield, the chief executive of PageFair. "A lot of people are going to get accustomed to having an ad-free mobile experience.” Credit Paulo Nunes dos Santos for The New York Times

Well, everyone may be catching on. Ad blocking has been around for years, but adoption is now rising steeply, at a pace that some in the ad industry say could prove catastrophic for the economic structure underlying the web. That has spurred a debate about the ethic of ad blocking. Some publishers and advertisers say ad blocking violates the implicit contract that girds the Internet — the idea that in return for free content, we all tolerate a constant barrage of ads.

But in the long run, there could be a hidden benefit to blocking ads for advertisers and publishers: Ad blockers could end up saving the ad industry from its worst excesses. If blocking becomes widespread, the ad industry will be pushed to produce ads that are simpler, less invasive, and are far more transparent about the way they’re handling our data — or risk getting blocked forever if they fail.

“It’s clear to us that the ads ecosystem is broken,” said Ben Williams, a spokesman for Eyeo, the German company that makes Adblock Plus, the most popular ad-blocking software. “What we need is a sea change in the industry to get to a place where we have a good amount of better ads out there, ads that users accept.”

The industry may not have much time to wait. In a report last week, Adobe and PageFair, an Irish start-up that tracks ad-blocking, estimated that blockers will cost publishers nearly $22 billion in revenue this year. Nearly 200 million people worldwide regularly block ads, the report said, and the number is growing fast, increasing 41 percent globally in the last year.

Today ad-blocking is mostly restricted to desktop web browsers. But iOS 9, Apple’s latest mobile operating system, will include support for ad blockers when it becomes available in the fall. Several ad-blocking firms are already creating apps for the new OS; when it’s out, you’ll simply download an ad blocker and no longer have to see ads on the iPhone’s version of Safari and possibly in other apps that open web links.

“What’s likely to happen is that of the 200 million people who use ad blocking now, let’s say half of them have iPhones — they’re all going to install one of these things,” said Sean Blanchfield, the chief executive of PageFair. “Then they’ll start telling all their friends about this amazing app that saves your battery, saves your data and speeds up the web, and it’s likely to go viral. A lot of people are going to get accustomed to having an ad-free mobile experience.”

It’s important to note that PageFair has skin in this game, and some have accused the company of self-interested alarmism.

PageFair also sells technology that allows web publishers to determine if users are running blocking software — and then serves them ads anyway, going around the blockers. PageFair’s software, which Mr. Blanchfield said is currently being tested with a number of large websites, circumvents ad blocking by using “low-level networking” technology that he declined to detail in order to stay ahead of ad companies.

Showing ads to people who have downloaded ad blockers sounds a little spammy. But in a twist, it may also lead to better ads. Here’s how: PageFair’s canny strategy to mitigate users’ outrage is that it will only show ads that aren’t “intrusive,” Mr. Blanchfield said. That means the ads won’t feature animations, they won’t block content, and they won’t load “trackers” that monitor and report back to some unknown server what you do on a web page.

By requiring companies to run ads that are simple and transparent, Mr. Blanchfield said PageFair would return sanity to the ad business. “We as an industry have lost the trust of our users, who are right — there are a lot of very bad ads out there,” he said. “We have one shot as an industry to get this right.”

PageFair is just one of the firms trying to create an ecosystem that produces better ads. After wrestling with the implications of their software, the founders of AdBlock Plus created an initiative called “Acceptable Ads,” which sets out a standard for ads that the software will let users see despite having ad-blocking turned on. These ads are also low-fi — they can’t be animated or cover up a page’s content. (Eyeo charges some large companies a fee to show these ads; Google, for instance, pays Eyeo to have its search ads show up for Adblock Plus users.)

Then there’s Ghostery, which makes a plug-in that lets users find and block online tracking tools — the code in a page that sends data about your surfing habits to marketers. According to the company, the number of such trackers has exploded in recent years because marketing software used to analyze consumer behavior has become much easier to use. Ghostery reported 22 trackers on a page for Slate, 18 on one for Business Insider, 22 at The Wall Street Journal, and 26 for the New York Times.

Not only do these trackers represent efforts to profile you, but they also waste time — when you see a web page stuck loading, you can usually blame one of these trackers. Ghostery aims to fix that. For a fee, the company reports to site owners which trackers are slowing down pages — which in turn may improve how ads are served. It will also soon unveil a “Ghostery score” that will show users which sites to trust based on the trackers that sites are loading up.

The pattern here is ironic: PageFair, AdBlock Plus and Ghostery, which all depend to some extent on consumers’ interest in blocking ads, are also all pushing innovative efforts to create better ads.

Even some in the ad industry acknowledge this dynamic. Scott Cunningham, the general manager of the technology lab for the Internet Advertising Bureau, the trade group that comes up with online advertising standards, said his group had already begun to respond to users who are downloading the software; most recently, he said, the bureau has been working to create clearer guidelines for the trackers’ coded web pages.

“As we’ve watched the incidence rate of ad blocking, we’ve said, ‘O.K., it’s time for us to put the clamps onto some of the areas we haven’t addressed yet,’ ” Mr. Cunningham said.

That suggests another practical utility of ad blocking — it appears to be an effective form of protest. For better ads tomorrow, block ads today.

Correction: August 19, 2015
An earlier version of this column misstated part of the name of an online advertising trade group. It is the Interactive Advertising Bureau, not Internet Advertising Bureau.
_________________
Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @fmanjoo

2084

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: RightNote 50% discount to August 31

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 03:27 PM »

I settled on Surfulater (SUL) long ago, and I like it very much.  there are two things that it doesn't do that I really, really miss:
  - spell checking
  - synchronization of databases across different machines (using either the network or a USB drive is fine)

I'm not looking forward to testing out a new note-taker app, especially since I think that the next version of SUL(the cloud-based "clibu") will probably be what I ultimately want.
Does anyone who currently uses RightNote (particularly if they have experience with SUL) think that I should take a closer look at RightNote?
_____________________________

-mwb1100 (August 19, 2015, 02:30 PM)

Just a hasty reply from me.
My primary PIM  (Personal Information Manager) is MS OneNote (part of the $10 MS Office Pro Corporate Home Use licence), and my secondary PIM is an old IS8 (InfoSelect 8.).
I don't use RN (RightNote), but being as I suffer from CRIMP** I am trialing the RN Pro version right now, motivated by this special offer.
Initial thoughts are that RN seems to be a very good 2 or 3-pane PIM (Personal Information Manager), hierarchical outliner and notetaking tool, and is much improved from when I last trialed it a few years ago, and now also seems able to cope with embedded/attached files quite well. If the RN search/index functionality (seems a bit kludgy) works out OK in the trial, then It looks like it might be good enough for me to replace IS8 with, which latter PIM I have used for years and not moved on to the later versions as they don't meet my peculiar requirements.

However one of my main requirements is faithful webpage capture functionality, and said functionality in RN seems to be there but somewhat mediocre at best. One thing it does have that seems to be excellent however is an import utility for Scrapbook collections - Scrapbook uses the WebPageDump code (developed by the Scrapbook developers) for webpage capture, which sets the de facto base standard for this functionality and is why, for example, it is included in the excellent Zotero PIM and reference management tool - which I have also been trialing for a couple of months together with Wezinc.

Another requirement of mine is to be desktop-based, reliable and entirely under my control. The old and excellent SUL (Surfulater) was probably as good at webpage capture as WebPageDump (I don't know), but I lost interest in SUL when its development was dropped in favour of the Cloud-based Clibu. Recent developments and failures in so-called Safe & Secure™ Cloud-based services have merely served to reinforce my requirements in that regard.

**CRIMP defined
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
May 10, 2006 at 01:05 PM
 
CRIMP stands for a make-believe malady called compulsive-reactive information management purchasing. Symptoms include:
   • never being satisfied with your current system of information management
   • continuously being on the look-out for something newer and better
   • purchasing every new PIM program you learn about
   • and secretly hoping you won’t find the perfect PIM, because then you’d have to stop looking for a better one

So, when someone speaks of succumbing to his or her CRIMP, it means acknowledging that they’ve purchased another PIM program even though they really don’t think they need it.
There must be a 12-step program for over-coming CRIMP, but who really wants to? It’s too much fun.
Steve Z.
From <http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/17/0/crimp-defined>

2085

General Software Discussion / Re: Cloud-storage - safe & secure? Consider Wuala (it's encrypted as well).

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 04:42 AM »

I wonder if there may be a bug in their MegaSync?

-IainB (August 18, 2015, 09:53 AM)

Just to be clearer, MEGASync doesn't count as logging in, you need to access your account through the website.
When it didn't seem to register the first time, after the second warning email I logged in on a 24/7 machine and left the browser open for 24 hours which seemed to work, (well, the account is still valid so I'm guessing it worked).
_____________________________

-4wd (August 18, 2015, 11:52 PM)

Actually, that's a bit of a worry - that you are left to "guess" whether it worked, I mean.
Suppose you hadn't seen that, buried away in the legal straightjacket Terms Of Use, that what it actually said was an explicit statement to the effect that the only acceptably valid login was where you logged-in on 3 consecutive occasions within not more than 35 minutes apart of each other, on the night of a blue moon?

If you didn't do exactly that, then your account and data could/would be irretrievably taken from you, and even though you might know (or assume) that they would have prudently backed-up your data like any pukka IT operation, they for sure weren't going to recover it from backup for you anyway (similarly, Tresorit wouldn't do that for me).

There seems to have  been a Newspeak redefinition of what is meant by the term: "Safe & Secure Cloud Storage™" services.

2086

General Review Discussion / Re: Quick Review: Ghostery - Best blocker I've used since JunkBuster

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 04:03 AM »

@wraith808: Very interesting. Thanks for the info. A bit disappointing too, though I am none too surprised, being skeptical of the motivation of anyone involved in any aspect of advertising after having spent some years working on computational analysis of market research problems, population surveillance problems, and modelling of "target audience participation demographics" down to the ultimate level of granularity - i.e., a single identifiable person. This has the potential to reach into every corner of our lives. The Nazi fascists arguably set the standard by example - tattooing a number onto the forearm of every Jew in the death camps was a brilliant bureaucratic idea for indelible audience identification - one that supposedly "freedom-loving" Western democracies seem Hell-bent on trying to imitate nowadays, through the implementation of the medium of a National ID card, or subcutaneous RFID tag, DNA registering, or facial recognition, or something.
"Ah, but that's justified in the "War Against Terror™" one might hear someone say. Well, yes, so it might seem, but then what about all those other "wars" that are often used as arguments to substantiate the loss of freedoms, liberty, or franchise in some way - "The War Against Drugs", "The War Against Poverty", "The War Against Malaria", "The War Against Climate Change™" - to name but a few?

If one feels that we seem to have been encouraged to forget/overlook these post-modern lessons of fascism from Nazi Socialism and Russian Communism from the Second World War, then it's probably because we have - it's all going "down the memory hole" as George Orwell put it (in the book "1984"). For example, the EU's so-called "right to be forgotten" is a relatively modern innovation of Orwell's "memory hole" (erasing/rewriting history in the Ministry of Truth), but now actually manifested as a legally enforceable law. You can see where that's heading. So much for freedom/liberty.

With the possible exception of JunkBuster, I suspect that most of the efforts - e.g., Ghostery - to make browsing more private have the potential to be used in a similar sort of "reverse-engineering" manner to improve the advertising delivery protocols/methods, and that's exactly how they will be used, even if they weren't designed for that in the first place. It's a kinda evolutionary process that is happening to market advertising targetting and delivery methods, and there's arguably nothing you can do about it. It is remorseless, driven by a cancer in the currently supreme form of tacitly acceptable fascism called corporate/capitalist fascism, the most virulent form of which seems to have been homegrown and husbanded in America. It's American-made, like Bud Light.
For example: SOPA? TPP anyone? "G8 Free-market negotiations"? Ah, the taste of freedom! Yeah, right. Look at all those people ROFL.

So, you've "...started trying Disconnect.  They seem more upfront... so I'm going to trial it for a while....".
Well, good for you. Let us know how that works out for you.
Arguably it won't make a blind bit of difference what you do, but one never knows...
...and where you say you're "...feeling pretty good about it after this (Ghostery) sensational uninstall page..." I have to agree. It's a moronic but classically fascist way to intimidate people through the use of propaganda. I reckon they should've also worked in the classic "It's for the greater good of our children and their children" too. I mean, it's not like it would've made it any more stupid than it already was, so why not go the whole hog?   

2087

Living Room / Re: Brightness Settings Reversing - No apparent reason.

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 01:42 AM »

...Needless to say, I am very confused. ...
__________________________

-Stephen66515 (August 18, 2015, 08:42 PM)

Me too, perpetually.
You have my sympathies.
Disregard @rgdot's silly comment about "Poltergeist" - maybe he's got his pills mixed up, otherwise his technical causal problem analysis skills would seem to be clearly lacking. Still, you could try exorcism if you feel he might be on the right track, I suppose.    

It does sound like an unusual problem though - at any rate, I don't recall having heard of it before now. I tried this search: Brightness settings reversing on Acer Aspire
Not sure if there's anything useful there. Your query on DC forum comes up in the list.

2088

General Software Discussion / Re: Label making software

« Last post by IainB on August 19, 2015, 01:17 AM »

I have to ask: What do you need the labels for, and why would you be constrained to making/printing them out of Excel/Word? Describing more about the context of your requirements could help people to better understand your requirements and what you might be looking for.

Regardless, this search looked like it could potentially be useful for your purposes - the Avery software especially: free software for printing labels and envelopes

Also, though I am unsure whether this will be of any use or whether you have already tried it, a search in Excel 2013 for online templates for "labels" produced this (below), which looked like it could be quite relevant:

2089

Post New Requests Here / Re: Program Proposal: "File Master" Cataloging Software

« Last post by IainB on August 18, 2015, 05:08 PM »

^^ Well, I've just bought a US$14.99 licence. WinCatalog 2015 has virtual folders and lots of other features, so it might well be able to do what you seem to require there, though I am unsure whether it meets the requirements in the OP. We shall see.

2090

Post New Requests Here / Re: Program Proposal: "File Master" Cataloging Software

« Last post by IainB on August 18, 2015, 02:30 PM »

WinCatalog 2015 might be worth a purchase/trial: (I'm thinking about it...)

This programme seems to be continually updated
Paid upgrade seems to be only every few years (if you own 2011 version it is still a free upgrade to 2015 version).

2015 version (including updates - "for noncommercial use") currently on offer for $14.99 this week via SharewareOnSale.

-tomos (August 18, 2015, 09:14 AM)

2091

General Software Discussion / Re: Cloud-storage - safe & secure? Consider Wuala (it's encrypted as well).

« Last post by IainB on August 18, 2015, 09:53 AM »

^^ That's interesting. Shouldn't happen, methinks. Thanks for the info.
I wonder if there may be a bug in their MegaSync?

I've held off using Mega as I didn't quite understand the reports that Dotcom had said Mega had been the subject of a hostile takeover by the Chinese, or something. It didn't make sense. It's a private company properly registered in NZ and I checked the Companies Office records, and though the shareholders/directors and the charter have changed, it all looks aboveboard from what I could see. Maybe he was pushed out somehow, but that doesn't make sense either as he was originally the major shareholder, I gather.
Maybe the NSA have taken it over?     

2092

General Software Discussion / Re: Cloud-storage - "Safe & Secure Cloud Storage™" services? Not Wuala/Tresorit

« Last post by IainB on August 18, 2015, 03:53 AM »

Yes, Wuala gave us remarkably short notice too. There certainly seems to be a lesson for the wise in this Wuala case - and in the case of Tresorit, viz: AVOID "Safe & Secure Cloud Storage™" services, or at least, treat them with circumspection. I was utterly disgusted with Tresorit's arrogant and cavalier stance, though I would presume Tresorit was deliberately so for business reasons, but it did rather convey the impression of "F*** you" with prejudice, and with a middle digit raised at the same time for good measure, perhaps in case you didn't get the message.

From experience "Safe & Secure Cloud Storage™" services would seem to be neither safe nor secure, and certainly not reliable, by definition. Mind you, I don't know about SecureSafe, which, along with Tresorit, is a possible alternative suggested by Wuala.
You could sling Mega into the mix as well, I suppose.

This was the Wuala notice that I received in my inbox today:

From: Wuala Sales Team <[email protected]>
Date: 18 August 2015 at 03:43
Subject: IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WUALA ACCOUNT

WUALA SHUTDOWN NOTICE

THIS NOTICE CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WUALA ACCOUNT AND THE DATA STORED IN YOUR ACCOUNT.  PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

Today we are announcing plans to discontinue Wuala secure cloud storage service.  Please note the following important dates:
 
17 August 2015    No further renewals or purchase of storage
30 September 2015    Wuala service will transition to read-only
15 November 2015    Wuala service terminates and all data stored in the Wuala cloud will be deleted

Effective as of today, you will no longer be able to purchase storage or renew existing accounts.  Full account service will continue through 30 September 2015, at which point all active accounts will shift to read-only mode.  Effective Sunday, 15 November 2015, the Wuala cloud service will terminate.

Please download the content in your Wuala account and safely backup it to your PC, Mac, external hard drive or another cloud storage provider.  After 15 November 2015, you will no longer have access to your content, which will be deleted.   Please use this time to download and backup the content stored in your Wuala account.

Customers who have an active prepaid annual subscription will be eligible to receive a refund for any unused subscription fees.  Your refund will be calculated based on a termination date effective from today’s date, even though the full service will remain active until 30 September 2015 and your data will be available until 15 November 2015.  Refunds will be automatically processed and issued to eligible customers in coming weeks.  Some exceptions apply.  Please visit www.wuala.com for more information.

Although Wuala will no longer be offering storage service, alternative options are available for your encrypted cloud storage needs.  In order to ease the impact of the Wuala service termination, we have partnered with Tresorit—a provider of end-to-end encrypted cloud storage for businesses and individuals—and created a secure, easy option to transition your data to Tresorit.  To learn more about Tresorit, transferring your data, and Tresorit’s offer to Wuala customers, please visit: tresorit.com/business/wuala-alternative

As a Wuala customer you may receive an exclusive pricing offer from Tresorit by using this offer code: WUALA15 at tresorit.com/pricing/wuala
More information about Tresorit and alternatives can be found in the FAQ below.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this email, you can find additional information here:  www.wuala.com.  Or please contact Wuala at [email protected]
We thank you for the support you’ve shown Wuala.

Sincerely,
The Wuala Team
 

Please note: If you choose to move your data to Tresorit, you will need to set up a new account with Tresorit.  Service through Tresorit is subject to Tresorit’s standard terms and conditions.  Tresorit is not affiliated with Wuala or its affiliate entities.


FAQ
Question #1:  How do I download and backup the data stored in my Wuala account?
Answer:  Please export your content from Wuala using the Export Tool and safely backup it to your PC, Mac, external hard drive or another cloud storage provider.  If using local storage, please ensure that enough local storage is available before exporting.  Changes and edits to exported data will not be synced to your Wuala account.

Question #2:  Will I be able to use the Wuala service after 30 September 2015?
Answer:  Full account service will continue until 30 September 2015.  After 30 September 2015, accounts will be active in read-only mode only.  In read-only mode, you will be able to access all existing files and data, but will be restricted from making changes to existing documents and uploading new content.  Data contained in Wuala accounts will be deleted starting 15 November 2015.  PLEASE BACKUP ALL DATA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  WUALA WILL NOT TRANSFER YOUR DATA TO ANOTHER PROVIDER AND WILL NOT MAINTAIN BACKUP OF YOUR DATA.  All customer data will be deleted after 15 November 2015.

Question #3:  Will I be able to retrieve my data after 15 November 2015?
Answer:  No.  After 15 November 2015, all data contained in Wuala accounts will be deleted.  PLEASE BACKUP ALL DATA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  WUALA WILL NOT TRANSFER YOUR DATA TO ANOTHER PROVIDER AND WILL NOT MAINTAIN BACKUP OF YOUR DATA.  

Question #4:  Will the Export Tool delete/wipe my data in Wuala as well?
Answer:  No, the Export Tool will not delete the data in your Wuala account.  However, changes and edits to exported data will not be synced to your Wuala account, and could be lost.  If you choose to, you can delete the data in your account after exporting and backing up your content.  After 15 November 2015, all data contained in Wuala accounts will be deleted.

Question #5:  Do you know of other cloud storage providers?
Answer:  While Wuala will no longer be offering storage service, alternative options are available for your encrypted cloud storage needs.  Some existing options include:

    Tresorit: In order to ease the impact of the Wuala service termination, the Wuala team has partnered with this leading provider of end-to-end encrypted cloud storage for businesses and individuals to create Migration Wizard offering a secure, easy way to transition the data in your Wuala account to Tresorit, plus full joint customer support
    Tresorit offers a similar level of security you are used to with Wuala.  In addition, Tresorit gives you more control over your data—you can decide if files are to be copied, edited, printed or emailed.  You can also set policies to limit coworkers' access to sensitive data. Learn why Tresorit is the perfect choice to replace your Wuala account at tresorit.com/business/wuala-alternative.
    As an incentive for helping you switch, Tresorit is offering its services at a fraction of its original prices, available only for existing Wuala customers.  Use the promo code WUALA15 at tresorit.com/pricing/wuala.  If you choose to move your data to Tresorit, you will need to set up a new Tresorit account.  Service through Tresorit is subject to Tresorit’s standard terms and conditions.
    SecureSafe: Secure online data storage and password safe made in Switzerland –please visit www.securesafe.com for further information

Other cloud storage provides may be available in your area as well.

Question #6:  How do I sign up for Tresorit?
Answer:  You can sign up via tresorit.com/pricing/wuala with the promo code WUALA15. You can either start by purchasing your selected plan or you can start with a 30-day free trial, test the service and decide later.  You can transfer your Wuala data while in a free trial.

Question #7:  Do I need to pay for the service to transfer the data from Wuala to Tresorit?
Answer:  There is no additional cost associated with data transfer process.
To transfer your data, you'll need to sign up for a free 30-day trial plan or purchase Tresorit Premium or Tresorit Business.  You can transfer your Wuala data while in a free trial.
If you decide to continue using Tresorit after your free trial ends, a monthly or yearly subscription fee applies.  Wuala customers benefit from 25%- 75% discount: prices are displayed at tresorit.com/pricing/wuala

Question #8:  How do I get my refund from Wuala?
Answer:  Refunds will be issued to eligible customers securely via PayPal to the email address associated with their Wuala account, in the currency in which the initial payment was made.  Refund recipients will receive an email notification in coming weeks with instructions on how to claim the refunded amount.  Please note that monthly subscriptions and inactive subscriptions are not eligible for refunds.  Annual subscriptions expiring before 30 September 2015 or with less than USD/CHF/EUR 10 in remaining credit are not eligible for refunds.  If you have purchased via bank transfer, we will get in touch with you or please contact us via [email protected].

Question #9:  What happens to my data stored on the Wuala cloud service if I am not able to delete it before 15 November 2015?
Answer:  Data in accounts will be deleted after 15 November 2015.

Question #10:  I am signing up for a Wuala account in connection with an offer made with the purchase of a LaCie product.  What are my options?
Answer:  Please refer to your local cloud storage provider or contact LaCie customer support at www.lacie.com/myaccount to obtain information about other free cloud storage opportunities.

Question #11:  Can you provide my data to me on a drive instead of having me download my content via the Internet?
Answer:  No.  Please export your content from Wuala using the Migration Wizard and safely backup it to your PC, Mac, external hard drive or another cloud storage provider.

Question #12:  I am having a Wuala-related technical issue, who can I contact?
Answer:  Please contact Wuala support at support.wuala.com or [email protected]

Question #13:  I have Wuala-related questions not listed in this FAQ, who can I contact?
Answer:  Please contact Wuala support at support.wuala.com or [email protected]

Question #14:  I have Tresorit-related questions not listed in this FAQ, who can I contact?
Answer:  Please contact Tresorit customer support support.tresorit.com/home

Question #15: Is Tresorit taking over the Wuala service or software?
Answer:  No, Seagate/LaCie will continue to operate the Wuala service until its termination.  Furthermore, Seagate/LaCie will retain the software and all intellectual property rights thereto.  There is no transfer or sale of assets, business or otherwise from Seagate/LaCie to Tresorit.

Copyright © 2015 Wuala by LaCie AG, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are an active Wuala user

Our mailing address is:
Wuala by LaCie AG
Köchlistrasse 15
Zurich 8004
Switzerland
__________________________

2093

Post New Requests Here / Re: Program Proposal: "File Master" Cataloging Software

« Last post by IainB on August 17, 2015, 08:09 AM »

This might be worth a look as a basis for comparison with requirements (it's not listed in the thread above): FileBot (I've not tried it out)

FileBot is the ultimate tool for organizing and renaming your movies, tv shows or anime, and music well as downloading subtitles and artwork. It's smart and just works.
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Looks a bit like Audiograb for multimedia.

2094

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by IainB on August 16, 2015, 07:31 PM »

^^ Yes, that's what I reckoned, too.   

2095

Living Room / Re: OnLive.com has shut down.......

« Last post by IainB on August 16, 2015, 09:57 AM »

I hate to say this, but there has to be a moral in here somewhere...

2096

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Microsoft Money Plus Sunset - Mini-Review

« Last post by IainB on August 13, 2015, 09:11 AM »

Cross-posted from: Re: Windows 10 Announced - legacy app. support.

A few days ago, the MS Money user forums were buzzing about how Win10 had disabled MS Money - when MS Money started up, it suddenly stopped and said it needed IE6 to be installed.
(For those as might not know it, MS Money uses IE as its primary UI.)

When my MS Money (Sunset version) failed on this error, I clicked the "Send Error Report" button.
 
[ Invalid Attachment ]

Reading the forums, a workaround to the problem was soon discovered. A good description of the problem and the workaround is here: Windows 10 Compatibility with Microsoft Money | Ameridan's Microsoft Money Offline Weblog

However, following a Win10 update today, MS Money is now working perfectly again.
Kudos to MS for fairly swift action on this. I don't know whether the error was a bug, or if it only affected MS Money, but the effect of fixing it seems to indicate that MS is listening and just might be aware of the need to support this and other legacy applications in Win10.

I am cross-posting this to Microsoft Money Plus Sunset - Mini-Review

-IainB (August 13, 2015, 09:07 AM)

2097

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 Announced

« Last post by IainB on August 13, 2015, 09:07 AM »

A few days ago, the MS Money user forums were buzzing about how Win10 had disabled MS Money - when MS Money started up, it suddenly stopped and said it needed IE6 to be installed.
(For those as might not know it, MS Money uses IE as its primary UI.)

When my MS Money (Sunset version) failed on this error, I clicked the "Send Error Report" button.



Reading the forums, a workaround to the problem was soon discovered. A good description of the problem and the workaround is here: Windows 10 Compatibility with Microsoft Money | Ameridan's Microsoft Money Offline Weblog

However, following a Win10 update today, MS Money is now working perfectly again.
Kudos to MS for fairly swift action on this. I don't know whether the error was a bug, or if it only affected MS Money, but the effect of fixing it seems to indicate that MS is listening and just might be aware of the need to support this and other legacy applications in Win10.

I am cross-posting this to Microsoft Money Plus Sunset - Mini-Review

2098

Screenshot Captor / Re: Capturing Scrolling Pages

« Last post by IainB on August 12, 2015, 04:46 AM »

...PS: Major American Monty Python fan here. 
_____________________________

-SuperMan (August 12, 2015, 01:33 AM)

    I suspect there's a lot of us about.

2099

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by IainB on August 12, 2015, 04:31 AM »

I just started on Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I'm only a couple pages into Chapter 1 (but I read the introduction) and it seems like it will be an interesting book.
_____________________________

-Deozaan (August 11, 2015, 03:02 PM)

I'd be interested in what you make of the book after reading it.
The title of the book caught my attention as it echoed what I have often said to myself and others: "Why can't people stop from talking all the time and just allow themselves to take time to think?"

I was able to form some kind of idea of what the book was about from reading the introduction and excerpts at the link (thanks for providing that). Reading the book could potentially be quite self-revealing, I suppose, or it might just be a feel-good sop pandering to the self-absorbed or the insecure/uncertain who may be concerned about whether they are extrovert/introvert - "Oh dear, maybe I'm not OK?" - like (say) one being unsure as to whether one was gay. ("Oh, I so badly want to be an extrovert and be accepted!")

I have to say that, after studying psychology, pragmatically it doesn't seem to matter a toss whether I or anyone else is extrovert/introvert. It can lead to insidious labelling. I always considered myself - and still do - to be a relative introvert (prefer to read a book than see the movie version; prefer to stay at home than go out; tend to avoid attending and wasting my time in potentially unnecessary groups/parties/meetings; tend to be quiet in groups and discussions unless there is a valid and useful point that I feel needs to be made and is being overlooked, etc.) - and yet I come out strongly labelled as an ENTJ on the Myers-Briggs psychometric tests, and so heavily skewed in the "T" that two psychologists (who were testing me for vocational aptitude) separately treated me like a peculiar lab specimen and said that I was in a small group of 4% of the population tested. It seems to be related to a strong locus of internal control and the Asperger syndrome, or something.
So, regardless of what I might know myself to be, I am forever labelled as an Extrovert by the forced dichotomy of the theoretical Myers-Briggs model, where the population distribution of introvert/extrovert is apparently around 50/50.

As a skeptic and as a student of psychology, I remind myself that psychology is arguably mostly BS - psychobabble - in a field where there seems to be little that can be scientifically proven (i.e., using scientific method) - and seems to be just lots of theory, interspersed with dollops of hokum here and there. Fortunately some of that theory has shown itself  to be potentially and remarkably useful as tools for helping us to address our own character deficiencies or personality disorders under professional guidance from a psychiatrist, so that we can better cope with Life's challenges - e.g., as outlined in The Road Less Travelled, by M. Scott Peck.
Anything that can help you to change yourself and grow arguably can't be all bad, but it could be a double-edged sword - like a divorce, which might generate developmental dissonance for one person, or destructive dissonance for another.
 
So my suggestion would be to disregard the unproven (yet apparently "well-researched"!       ) premise of the book that the world is made up of introverts/extroverts and that this is somehow very important, and avoid reading oneself as a self-deduced introvert/extrovert into the book. Take it with a pinch of salt, and then get an arguably more important and entirely rational perspective by reading I'm OK, You're OK by the late Thomas Harris, who was a Navy psychiatrist and a professor at the University of Arkansas. He practiced psychiatry in Sacramento, California and directed the Transactional Analysis Association.

I'm OK, You're OK by Thomas Anthony Harris is one of the best selling self-help books ever published. It is a practical guide to Transactional Analysis as a method for solving problems in life. From its first publication during 1969, the popularity of I'm OK, You're OK gradually increased until, during 1972, its name made the New York Times Best Seller list and remained there for almost two years. It is estimated by the publisher to have sold over 15 million copies to date and to have been translated into over a dozen languages. -
Wikipedia
____________________________________

I'm OK, You're OK was required reading for my studies, since when the theory has been extensively developed in greater detail by academics. Not only did it give me a good grounding in the theory of TA (transactional analysis), but also, when I applied it to myself and my interactions with others, it transformed my outlook on life (for the better). I still use it (TA), and I have taught it to my 13½ y/o daughter, who readily grasped the concepts. It's not complicated, and it can be amazingly effective.
I have even explained the TA theory to others who have been having difficulty in coping with their social interrelationships (e.g., in marriage), and watched in awe as comprehension dawns, the lights come on, and they go off and fix up their own problems.
"Thank you so much for telling me about and showing me that book", as one recently-wed boss of mine said, when I explained that a recurring pointless argumentative dialogue she described having with her new husband fitted the definition of a script in TA theory, and was potentially damaging to the relationship and was avoidable.

2100

Screenshot Captor / Re: Capturing Scrolling Pages - consider using Clip to OneNote (IE bookmarklet)

« Last post by IainB on August 12, 2015, 12:55 AM »

If the otherwise excellent SC is not playing nicely with a scrolling capture of a web page, then this might be of use/help: whilst I'm not usually interested in capturing images of scrolling windows (web pages), it does seem that the OneNote Clipper bookmarklet "button" - as used with the "FREE" MS OneNote - still works very well in doing a quick and flawless image capture:

Test of the OneNote Clipper bookmarklet "button" that you drag to Favorites:
My test results indicate that this takes an image of an entire web page (a scrolled-window image, much like Screenshot Captor, but without all the palaver associated with the latter), but:
(a) The image is of the entire web page, regardless of whether you have only selected/highlighted a part of the page.
(b) It doesn't seem to work in Firefox v28ß (could be my Firefox settings, I suppose).
(c) It works perfectly in IE11.

The way I work, my objective is usually to save selected parts, or all, of a web page in HTML format and often with attached/nested pages/files.
Thus I rarely take such images/screenshots, and the OneNote Clipper is not of much use to me.
However, when I want to capture an image of an entire scrolled web page, in future I shall consider using OneNote Clipper rather than SC (if I remember).
So, I shall continue to use Firefox with the Scrapbook extension for capturing part/all of a web page in HTML format (having come across nothing better with a non-proprietary format, or greater reliability so far).
______________________________________

-IainB (March 19, 2014, 04:35 AM)

Using the OneNote Clipper to capture the webpage, for example, here's this thread page in an image: (click to enlarge)