Recent Posts

2101

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by tomos on December 31, 2015, 06:15 PM »

Compared to what?

-MilesAhead (December 31, 2015, 05:44 PM)

for a moment there I thought you were getting annoyed about something someone said
(Havent listened yet, I'm on an Eva Cassidy binge )

2102

N.A.N.Y. 2016 / Re: NANY 2016 Release: SysTrayIconsManage

« Last post by tomos on December 31, 2015, 05:47 PM »

Sounds great, downloaded
Happy new year! (I think Ath is my timezone)

2103

General Software Discussion / Re: Magazine creator

« Last post by tomos on December 31, 2015, 06:52 AM »

I'm not fully clear on the question --
for starters: what you want to do with the end result?

Layout/design -- you can do a share of this in a doc file, but it does take work, e.g. double-column is a lot more readable. Add a nice font, headers, footers -- but that's looking more like a book then than a magazine. Magazine probably needs proper layout software, and lots of work -- even then it needs talent, and experience. So I suspect the answer is no, but I might be wrong ;-)

2104

Living Room / Re: Movies you've seen lately

« Last post by tomos on December 30, 2015, 03:32 PM »

^ Sounds good.
Me, I managed to make something approaching noodle soup, but with no meat I added anchovies, which were a bit too strong. Later, in her dream she complains about use of sardines -- but I hadnt seen that yet ;-)
Otherwise it was quite good:

Japaneseish noodle soup with German ingredients

fried onions and grated ginger
boiling water + Spätzle
VitamR (like Vegemite/Marmite but milder, from yeast)
Added in the bowl:
Fresh sauerkraut + Anchovies + Soy sauce

2105

Living Room / Re: Movies you've seen lately

« Last post by tomos on December 30, 2015, 11:20 AM »

Tampopo

-panzer (December 30, 2015, 08:26 AM)

A classic   

-MilesAhead (December 30, 2015, 08:52 AM)

thanks to you both for the tip.
I started watching, but got this compelling urge to eat (noodle soup would be nice but I'll have to make do with whatever's in the fridge)

2106

N.A.N.Y. 2016 / Re: YouTube Down Loader Shell for youtube-dl

« Last post by tomos on December 29, 2015, 10:35 AM »

sounds interesting, the download link says:
[ Invalid Attachment ]

2107

General Software Discussion / Re: dream phone

« Last post by tomos on December 29, 2015, 06:51 AM »

^ thanks 4wd

2108

General Software Discussion / Re: gateway ta6 laptop

« Last post by tomos on December 29, 2015, 04:29 AM »

^ It's a while since I used XP, but that should be possible:
http://www.makeuseof...touchpad-windows-xp/

2109

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 02:54 PM »

^ We're going around in circles here. And you appear to be an expert in not hearing what people say, so I'll finish up by saying:

yes,
online backup is better than nothing -- when it comes to the crunch, you have a good chance of being ok.

You say your data is 'extremely important' -- it looks like we have very different definitions of what that means.

FWIW the thread has been helpful to me cause it makes me realise I need to look a little closer at the setups I do have in place. Because having any un-checked/tested backups are not a particularly great solution either.

2110

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 01:23 PM »

in case the laptop gets lost or stolen or corrupted, the data will always [may] be accessible online

-kalos (December 28, 2015, 01:20 PM)

ftfy kalos ;-)

2111

General Software Discussion / Re: dream phone

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 12:51 PM »

Here is a phone with Dual SIM dual active (be careful, different model versions and different features, some may only have Dual SIM dual standby):

http://www.asus.com/...s/ZenFone_2_ZE551ML/

-brahman (May 31, 2015, 06:23 PM)

I've read claims on amazon.de about the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML that only one card can do internet.

Similar claims here about the ZenFone 2 ZE550ML:

Do you get full 4g, Internet etc using the micro Sim slot or does full functionality only work using a nano Sim?
Answer:
Both sim slots are micro sim, but only sim slot 1 is data compatible 2G/3G/4G. Sim slot 2 is for 2G voice and text only.

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/B00VP4T506/#Ask


EDIT// yeah, that's confirmed on their website:

Dual Micro SIM card
SIM1 Support2G/3G/4G
SIM2 Support2G (Call only)
Dual SIM Dual Active

http://www.asus.com/...51ML/specifications/

no idea how that compares with other models, just reporting (still trying to get my head around what exactly is meant by dual 'active' sim)

2112

General Software Discussion / Re: dream phone

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 12:10 PM »

Looking at dual sim phones again ('normal' ones where both sims work but probably not simultaneously - not for telephoning at any rate).
Very little choice still but there's a new-to-me brand from France that are selling on the continent -- Wiko, e.g.

On some of their products on amazon I've read claims that one can telephone with one sim *and* surf with the other -- but this just in the Q&A's. Unfortunately there's a lot of confusion about dual-sim phones in general and how they work - on amazon and even on phones' websites there is minimal info given. Info from Q&A's can be contradictory.

EDIT// I should add, the phone I've been using for the last year (haier) served me well, but my uses are really very basic:

I bought a very cheap one earlier this year, and it's a treat to be able to use two cards without having to swap them (I have it set to: choose which card on sending text message; one sim as default for telephoning & internet). But mine is a far cry from 3GB ram ;-)

-tomos (May 31, 2015, 12:56 PM)

2113

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 11:04 AM »

And even if you do have larger problems... I can still solve your primary objection.

https://www.sandisk....nnect-wireless-stick

-wraith808 (December 27, 2015, 09:09 PM)

it does use WPA2 - WPA2-PSK specifically.

-wraith808 (December 28, 2015, 09:53 AM)

that does look very interesting, and reasonably affordable (probably cheaper again over your side of the water).

2114

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 07:55 AM »

^ great post shades
...
makes me wonder (again) though about the security of my laptop -- and smartphone, but that's another topic (I might get around to starting a thread about it).

2115

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 05:58 AM »

Backup is unfortunately rarely convenient - that is if want you do it properly.

For the ongoing 'monitored' realtime backup, you could always use one of those tiny pen drives -- and leave that always plugged in to the laptop (same as the idea above to backup to a partition on the laptop).
You'd still have to copy that backed-up content very regularly to another drive, be it a full external HD, or to another pen drive. Again, as said multiple times here: keep separate from the laptop, and ideally have one recent copy of same somewhere else completely.

Online backup gives another level of security, but it's just one layer of backup where things can go wrong.

2116

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 05:43 AM »

There's many of versions of To Drive the Cold Winter Away - many of which are a little over the top. Even Loreena beams out that high note enough you need to watch your levels if you're wearing headphones... and you value your eardrums. But this solo voice with lute rendition by Jim Keyes hits what I think is an authentic and rather sweet spot. Done nicely with no pretensions to virtuosity or art, I think it captures the spirit and simplicity of the song beautifully, even if it is a very abbreviated version with some modernization of the original lyrics.

-40hz (December 27, 2015, 08:48 PM)

enjoyed very much
for contrast (for those who dont know what we're on about) here's the version from Loreena McKennitt (from a playlist with most or all of the album To Drive the Cold Winter Away):
https://www.youtube....X_k7mfjVvHIPj4WMS6zP
I'm not a hifi guy, but it really needs a quiet space, and something better than laptop speakers would be nice :-)
There's something almost formal about that album from Loreena, some of the songs are quite old I'd guess. I love it myself

2117

General Software Discussion / Re: gateway ta6 laptop

« Last post by tomos on December 28, 2015, 04:33 AM »

I keep touching the touchpad accidentally with the base of my thumb and everytime I do that the cursor jumps halfway across the screen and it beeps at me, so then I have to grab the external mouse and put the cursor back where I'm typing. I tried blocking the pad with a post-it note and an index card but it didn't block it.

-holt (December 27, 2015, 09:34 PM)

have a look at the mouse/trackpad settings, they can sometime be 'desensitised'

2118

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 27, 2015, 04:16 PM »

and so many settings are a bit overkill I think

-kalos (December 27, 2015, 04:11 PM)

yeah, I know what you mean

just installed that, it doesn't even allow you to specify multiple folders in a backup job!

-kalos (December 27, 2015, 04:11 PM)

does actually, but may need a bit of rooting -
see what others recommend -- or try the search box

2119

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 27, 2015, 03:45 PM »

I think I 'll go for Google Drive, anything Google is reliable, but how do I set it up to copy my files whenever there is a change in them in the cloud?

-kalos (December 27, 2015, 12:36 PM)

e.g again using Syncovery
https://www.syncovery.com/googledocs/

2120

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 27, 2015, 12:24 PM »

which is the best of these services like SpiderOak and Syncovery???

maybe some reliable solution from big companies like Google, etc?

-kalos (December 27, 2015, 11:45 AM)

try doing a search -- this one most relevant but there are others:
Comparison of FREE Cloud Storage services

and EDIT// Syncovery is software.

2121

General Software Discussion / Re: backup strategy

« Last post by tomos on December 27, 2015, 06:46 AM »

You stated that the info you want stored is 'extremely important'. In that case, don't be fooled by the convenience promised by cloud solution providers, but make sure that they, your ISP, the infrastructure and yourself can deliver on that promise. If you have doubts, use a pen drive or portable hard disk for backups.

-Shades (December 27, 2015, 06:19 AM)

(as long as you're comfortable using cloud) I'd recommend using both.
FWIW I use SpiderOak for online backup. I dont pay much attention to it (probably should check it and test it more..) so cant really say much about it.
and use Syncovery (software) for local backup -- it recognises moved files and adjusts accordingly as opposed to deleting and copying again which is great, esp. when backing up to flash drive. Also does partial file backup, great for backing up large files with small changes. There probably are cheaper options out there (but note: updates are often, but paid upgrades are few, so in the long run it's actually very reasonable software). Also note: Syncovery can be used for online backup -- I did use it for one job to amazon S3 (over a period of a couple of years), but havent used it that way since.

If you have an extra partition on the laptop, you could always do backups there and simply sync these to external-HD/pen-drive. It's important to keep at least one backup off-site (I'm not good at keeping this going myself..).

A problem I find with my backup is that it has grown organically. I recently made the mistake of moving one group of files to a new more logical location, but the new folder wasn't backed-up. Of course that was when I deleted half the content of a file and clicked save :-/ (luckily I still had a recent enough backup).
But point being, try keep a good overview. Really, file organisation, planning of hierarchy etc., should be done with backup in mind. (But that's easy to say in retrospect!)

2122

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: WinCatalog 2009

« Last post by tomos on December 27, 2015, 05:40 AM »

WinCatalog 2015 Professional (including upgrade to 2016)
on offer @ BDJ for ~20$US
http://www.bitsdujou...in=todays-deals-home

20 hours to go.
Website is:
http://www.wincatalog.com/

2123

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: InfoQube (IQ) Information Management System Q & A

« Last post by tomos on December 27, 2015, 04:41 AM »

So I have remarked elsewhere I as a consumer get nervous when "suddenly" a developer wants serious money ($250 for a lifetime license etc), that's above a LOT of programs! Then you as an example "backdated" a promo for it by a week for "the rest of 2015" before the buying period sets in.

-TaoPhoenix (December 26, 2015, 08:36 PM)

hi tao, I think you may have missed this part that you quoted:

... InfoQube v1.0 personal license ($50 value).

-PPLandry (December 23, 2015, 03:49 PM)

-TaoPhoenix (December 26, 2015, 08:36 PM)

I'm not sure what a commercial license will cost, I think double that. Seems fair enough to me.
Also, version 1 is not ready, so betas are still free to use. I'm not an insider so dont know when launch is planned.

2124

N.A.N.Y. 2016 / Re: NANY 2016 :Window resize keys (grids X*Y where X,Y = 1 to 5)

« Last post by tomos on December 26, 2015, 03:34 PM »

v1.03 ctl+win+alt+<digit> :to change grid increment

-wjamoe (December 16, 2015, 08:29 AM)

hi wjamoe,
distractions are easing now ;-)

It is working a treat on my Win7 (x64) laptop
will try it out for a while

2125

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by tomos on December 26, 2015, 01:34 PM »

I'm just after finishing Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue The Untold History of English by John McWhorter (amazon link).

The main topic is the evolution of English grammar -- the way he writes suggests he's proposing theories that are not generally accepted. Writing style a bit odd at times, but I got used to it. Well worth reading imo

Two main points are that, compared to Proto-Germanic, (the ancestor of all Germanic languages) and also to other modern Germanic languages:

English gained from the native Celtic languages:

• what he describes as a meaningless 'do', e.g. why do we use the word 'do'? Apparently unknown almost anywhere else in the world apart from the native Celtic languages (he quotes Welsh & Cornish)
• we also gained the phrasing: I am writing -- instead of I write as in other Germanic languages e.g. ich schreibe

and English lost via the Vikings (more info below):

• loads of suffixes (especially with verbs, but also nouns)
• nouns having gender
• most reflexive verbs -- e.g. the German ich erinnere mich translates to I remember. Remnants in English are e.g. I behave myself
• hither / tither / man (now one/you) / some prefixes / etc.
• using the 'be' verb to make a past tense of action verbs -- a remnant of same from Jane Austen: I am so glad we are got acquainted

The Viking theory involve a huge influx of adults who learned the language fairly poorly and passed this on to their kids. A different but comparable modern example being when immigrants want to give their children the new language, and they haven't already learned it well themselves, the children tend to learn a simplified version of same.