Recent Posts

2301

Living Room / Re: Linux Mint LMDE "Betsy" Mate and Cinnamon are out!

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 18, 2015, 07:50 AM »

Based directly on Debian (not on Ubuntu).
http://blog.linuxmint.com/

Did i beat 40hz to post about this? 

-dantheman (March 18, 2015, 05:54 AM)

Looks like you even beat DistroWatch

2302

General Software Discussion / Re: my problem with programming

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 18, 2015, 05:30 AM »

I'm gonna chime in here with a couple of caveats of Basic.

-TaoPhoenix

Plus the fact I don't think QWBasic is to be had anywhere.  As far as I know the only Basic that may support the syntax is FreeBasic.

2303

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox Extensions: Your favorite or most useful

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 18, 2015, 05:24 AM »

I don't want to run an unstable Nightly or a Developer Edition, nor do I want "special" builds just to run some extensions. If I'm going to go for special, unbranded builds, I might as well go for IceWeasel or Pale Moon or Project Spartan.

-Deozaan (March 18, 2015, 02:05 AM)

Plus what extension author will bother if the thing will only run on marginal builds?
I fear many will go the way of Andy Halford.

2304

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Windows 8 login/lockscreen transparent?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 17, 2015, 01:32 PM »

I know you can boot to desktop, but yes, I do want to keep the login. I also tend to lock my computer quite a bit.

-jshare (March 17, 2015, 09:51 AM)

I didn't realize Windows made such a big secret of the image file locations until I looked into it due to this thread.  Learn something new every day. 

2305

General Software Discussion / Re: Remove Embedded Watermarks in Videos

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 17, 2015, 07:24 AM »

Most of them but currently I am interested in wmv and I tried the steps earlier but it doesn't work with wmv. Thanks!

-Nzyme (March 15, 2015, 01:24 AM)

wmv can be tough since it is not a royalty free format.  You may need to either convert to another format first, or use AviSynth to produce a stream that can be edited.  This tutorial shows watermark removal using AviDemux.  Supposedly it has a built in filter.  I've used AviDemux in the past but that's a few years ago now.  The name implies for AVI only but that's not the case.

https://sites.google...s-efficiently-easily

also see http://www.videohelp.com
for free software that can convert from most anything to .mp4

2306

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox Extensions: Your favorite or most useful

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 17, 2015, 06:13 AM »

So, for my own good, you're not even going to allow me to override your decision and install whatever software/extensions I want on my own machine?

How does an open source group even come to a decision like that? How is that open?

-Deozaan

I mainly stay away from IE variants because of BHOs and ActiveX.  But during the MaxThon 2.x days I used to enjoy that community.  Since then I would download MaxThon once or twice a year just for nostalgia.  See what the new version looked like etc..  Man those extension restrictions totally killed it.  The community is a shell of its former self.  It seems like the trend these days is hell bent on making surfing a chore to be endured rather than a fun way to pass the time.  Such a waste.

2307

General Software Discussion / Re: my problem with programming

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 17, 2015, 06:00 AM »

Get yourself a good book for beginners and let it hold your hand a bit and walk you through some manageable assignments without overwhelming you.

-mouser (March 17, 2015, 01:45 AM)

Along that line it may be a good idea to start with a language designed for children.  Usually the basic idea is brought home explicitly.  Elementary Basic I found in a bargain bin.  It made it clear why one would write a program, explained the solution to each problem in pseudo-code, then provided the source.  Unfortunately I guess it was never ported to anything other than GW Basic.  That came with most every Dos PC in those days.

But I would think a teaching language for children would be the way to go.  I have no idea which one though:
https://en.wikipedia...g_languages#Children

2308

General Software Discussion / Re: Need help cleaning virus inside HTML files

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 17, 2015, 05:52 AM »

This may be designed for it

http://htmlcleaner.s...e.net/parameters.php

You would want to check for terminating the file before the extraneous stuff at the end.  But it seems to have a flag to strip out entire tag sections such as Script etc..

2309

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox Extensions: Your favorite or most useful

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 16, 2015, 02:28 PM »

Hmm, I hope it doesn't go the way of MaxThon with only the few writing extensions:

https://blog.mozilla...ng-safer-experience/

2310

General Software Discussion / Re: Need help cleaning virus inside HTML files

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 16, 2015, 01:52 PM »

rsatrioadi can correct me if I'm wrong.  But I have the feeling these are for offline browsing?  Otherwise as Mouser says, why not just reset the machine to factory square one?

2311

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Windows 8 login/lockscreen transparent?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 16, 2015, 01:46 PM »

This may be some help:
https://onedrive.liv...key=!AK6GADb9ErqmeWQ

-MilesAhead (March 16, 2015, 01:12 PM)

Appreciate that. If I was going to script this, that would be a big chunk of it, I'd have to think. Then we just need the login to call that and use it instead of a default color. But this isn't important enough just yet for me to take away from leisure time with the kids

-jshare (March 16, 2015, 01:42 PM)

I tried this script but it would not let me run it due to some policy restriction.  I found an ahk script, but it failed to pick up the image file path.  Seems you can't get there from here. 

2312

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Windows 8 login/lockscreen transparent?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 16, 2015, 01:12 PM »

This may be some help:
https://onedrive.liv...key=!AK6GADb9ErqmeWQ

2313

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Windows 8 login/lockscreen transparent?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 16, 2015, 09:33 AM »

See if these help

http://www.eightforu...nge-windows-8-a.html


http://www.eightforu...und-color-image.html

-MilesAhead (March 16, 2015, 05:29 AM)

Thanks. Now I know there are actually 2 lockscreens, and that what I'm looking for is how to put an image on the sign-in or login screen. Surfing around eightforums, it only ever mentions how to change the color of the login screen, no one seems to have figured out how to get an image there.

-jshare (March 16, 2015, 08:08 AM)

If anyone would know it would be in the Customization SubForum

2314

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Windows 8 login/lockscreen transparent?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 16, 2015, 05:29 AM »

See if these help

http://www.eightforu...nge-windows-8-a.html


http://www.eightforu...und-color-image.html

2315

General Software Discussion / Re: Create Shortcut Icons for Keyboard Shortcuts

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 15, 2015, 11:42 AM »

If the icon is a shortcut icon, then right click -> properties has the option to change the icon. However, a standalone executable does not. Is there another simpler way to change the icon?

-Nzyme (March 15, 2015, 10:49 AM)

No you need to recompile using that ahkII.  Once it is installed right click on a file with ,ahk extension(your script source) and click Compile with Options. A tab there has a check box and browse button to include the icon as the program's icon as a resource in the exe.

2316

General Software Discussion / Re: Create Shortcut Icons for Keyboard Shortcuts

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 15, 2015, 10:31 AM »

Lovely! Works just how I need it.  I have also compiled it to get a executable file. Now figuring out a way to change the icon from the default letter "H" 

-Nzyme (March 15, 2015, 10:27 AM)

http://www.autohotke...r-those-who-compile/

After installing right click the script in Explorer and click Compile With Options.  You can set version info as well as set a custom icon.  I usually check the box "store settings in script" to avoid getting an .ini file with settings for each script.

2317

General Software Discussion / Re: Create Shortcut Icons for Keyboard Shortcuts

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 15, 2015, 10:28 AM »

Thanks MilesAhead! I will test this and let you know if this works.

-Nzyme (March 15, 2015, 09:58 AM)

Since I have Windows 8 I did the shutdown for my machine with custom icon.



It produces the dialog shown

2318

General Software Discussion / Re: Create Shortcut Icons for Keyboard Shortcuts

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 15, 2015, 09:17 AM »

If you actually want to send the key sequence as if you keyed it while the desktop was the active window(has the keyboard focus)  you could script in AHK to just send the keys.  To send Alt + F4 in AHK is
Send !{F4}

So an AHK program to set focus to desktop then send Alt + F4 might look like this

[Select]

; SendAltF4.ahk
; make Desktop active then
; send the keys
Sendmode Input
WinActivate ahk_class Progman
Send,!{F4}

Then just follow the same procedure to create a shortcut for the script as in the tutorial linked by Ath.  Or you can programatically create them using AHK's FileCreateShortcut command to create the .lnk files on the desktop.

Note:  To use the mini-scripts without AHK installed on the machine you would compile them to exe.  They might make fun novelty programs. 

2319

Living Room / Re: Interested in doing my own car maintenance.. Advice?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 15, 2015, 08:58 AM »

but seriously, and in light of the above, what are you having trouble with?

I suppose part of why I posted was to try to talk myself out of doing this work that probably doesn't need to be done.. But no luck on that front, i seem to have been bitten by the bug.

But the main thing I still am chewing on is the jobs that need my car to be lifted AND level (rear differential oil change for awd).. For that I need to lift both sides, which makes me a bit nervous, and requires me to get a few more things.

-mouser (March 15, 2015, 08:38 AM)

On the gear oil I don't think it would cost much to have someone do it.  Especially if the car was already on the rack.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone change gear lube unless it was the type where you had to take off the cover to pull the axle and it all drains out, or it was badly aerated.  In any case that particular job the cost risk ratio isn't the greatest.  Another thing too, I don't think I ever got under a car that wasn't supported on a paved surface.  Jack stands boards or no, putting weight on plain dirt is asking for trouble.  In the driveway may be okay.  When it comes down to it shade tree is a pita.  One of the best things about being in the trade was doing brakes on my own car with a hydraulic lift,pneumatic wrenches, and a lathe, and tune ups using a Sun scope.  But anyway just my $.02.  I don't mean to be a kill joy. 

2320

Living Room / Re: Is anyone doing this Bing Rewards thing?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 14, 2015, 04:45 PM »

Sounds about right.  Thanks

-MilesAhead (March 04, 2015, 01:37 PM)

This is one of those bonus things things that if you were going to perform the act anyway regardless of whether or not there was a reward, you may as well reap the reward as well. I wouldn't go out of my way & change my habits just to take advantage of the program.

-Innuendo (March 14, 2015, 04:20 PM)

I get your drift.  The thing is there is so much hype in everything they write that I can't tell what's going on.  Who was the guy who wrote the book about whipping Avis Car Rental into shape?  I forget but one of the things he insisted on was a goal for the company that would fit into a single declarative sentence with no sub clauses.  Something like "Our goal is to become the largest car rental company in the world."  Bing Rewards needs something that simple so I can tell if there is anything besides the hype.  Like "If you amass 2000 points we'll give you $20 worth of cheap electronic gear" or something.

2321

General Software Discussion / Re: Process to automate testing of a large email list to remove non working ones

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 14, 2015, 04:03 PM »

How about another approach?  Set up a filter on incoming mail to put all the bounces into a Bounced Folder or forward them to the account of one lucky person?  Or maybe a dummy email account. Just check the bounced ones for errors in the address.  Those with no error process to acquire new contact info.

2322

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 14, 2015, 03:55 PM »

^^ At first I thought it was one of those Tim Conway videos.

2323

Living Room / Re: 128GB USB 3.0 Flash price/performance/durability recommendations?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 14, 2015, 03:49 PM »

You're not likely to do better for flash storage than Lexar. There's a reason most professional photographers swear by their SD cards.

-Vurbal (March 14, 2015, 10:53 AM)

If I see one on super duper discount maybe I'll spring for it.  The Sata II spinner that's in my Laptop does Sequential Read at only 82 MB/s so that's all I'd be able to feed it unless/until I get an SSD.

Edit:  TigerDirect has them for $104.  Tempting but I'd probably only use 1/3 of the write speed.

http://www.tigerdire...p;cpncode=42-6746958

2324

Living Room / Re: 128GB USB 3.0 Flash price/performance/durability recommendations?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 14, 2015, 07:59 AM »

I've had really good luck with the JDV10 style/series of Lexar drive for the past several years. Unfortunately they only seem to go up to 64GB that I know if (I carry a 32 now).
 (see attachment in previous post)
On the plus side, I can vouch for them handling getting wet (motorcycle...) and surviving quite well.

-Stoic Joker (March 13, 2015, 09:49 PM)

I see Lexar has come out with P20 128GB claiming 400 MB/s read and 270 MB/s write.  They seem to sell at discount houses for around $120.  I'd like to test drive one of those. 

2325

Living Room / Re: 128GB USB 3.0 Flash price/performance/durability recommendations?

« Last post by MilesAhead on March 14, 2015, 06:53 AM »

Thanks for the replies.

@Deozaan  TD does have a physical store in Miami.  But it's about 2/3 of the way to Walmart.  The train ride wouldn't be so bad.  But it is set so far back in the parking lot just walking from the sidewalk to the front door dragging my suitcase would be a chore. 

The other thing limiting my choices is the shipping.  I managed to get a drive from NewEgg where I get my mail.  I have a 32GB and 64GB Adata s102.  Not blazing speed but very rugged.  I can back up my C: partition with Macrium to the USB 3.0 in about 1/2 hour.  The image file is about 33GB.  So it is acceptable.  The drive has no place to attach a chain and the cap just snaps on the back.  But I do like the no moving parts design.

I got a pretty good deal.  About $60 including tax and shipping for the 128GB s102.  I should probably get a capsule necklace or something so that I have at least one backup not in the Laptop bag.