Recent Posts

26751

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Quick Thumbnail (an online approach)

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 06:49 PM »

He didn't want to install anything on his pc to do it

the answer to that is simple: have a stern talk with him and if that fails hit him over the head with a bat and install the software yourself.  that's just silly.

26752

Living Room / Re: Define passive-aggressive

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 05:58 PM »

even better 

26753

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Quick Thumbnail (an online approach)

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 05:52 PM »

app, there are quite a few free local pc programs that do resizing.

26754

Living Room / Re: Define passive-aggressive

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 03:45 PM »

as the quote above says, most of these aren't really "passive aggressive" which is bound to confuse anyone who is interested in learning what that phrase means.

from merriam-webster:

passive-aggresive: being, marked by, or displaying behavior characterized by the expression of negative feelings, resentment, and aggression in an unassertive passive way (as through procrastination and stubbornness)

an example would be telling your roomate that you wish you had been able to get more schoolwork done but it's hard for you to concentrate when there is a lot of noise (it's *passive* aggressive because what you are really *wanting* to say to roomate is: stop playing your music so loud!).

26755

General Software Discussion / Re: Software for planning wood bookcases/cabinets/tables etc?

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 02:53 PM »

Here are some finished pictures, with my apologies to everyone who thought i should leave some natural wood.  In the end I decided that I really did want a "built-in" look where the bookcase felt like just another one of the white walls:








ps1.
with all the trouble i went to to install "crown molding" at the top, you can barely see it (neither in pictures or in real life)!

ps2.
those funny little things you see on left+right side at waist level are speaker wires, since i plan to add some speakers at either end (i only wish i had remembered to put a power outlet on each unit).

ps3.
the very bottom left+right corners are not "covered" -- there is ethernet, power, and cable wiring accessible there.

ps4.
final dimensions: 17' long by 9' high, 12" deep at bottom, 8" deep at top.

26756

UrlSnooper / Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 01:21 PM »

sounds great onerudyard -- i did discover it was localizer issue but had trouble rebuilding it with fixes, so any discoveries you found would be very welcome indeed.  you can email me (the author of url snooper) at [email protected] directly if you like.

oh, and welcome to the site 

-mouser

26757

Living Room / DRAM Buyer's Guide From ExtremeTech

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 12:51 PM »

Another nice mini-article from ExtremeTech on buying memory (DDR2 or the new DDR3).  If you're anything like me you are completely mystified by all these different brands and kinds of memory chips, with all their different timings, and vast differences in price..

If anyone knows any other similar good articles on buying memory, please post as a reply.

As PC manufacturers ramp up their system offerings with DDR3 support, most of the DDR3 volume initially will go into those. We don't anticipate a rush to buy motherboards that support DDR3, but this is a good time to discuss memory and to help you plan future upgrades.

For the moment, DDR2 is still the king of the hill in memory. Sometimes, though, the sheer number of flavors of DDR2 is confusing. On top of that, there has been some variance from the JEDEC spec for memory. For example, some high-performance memory is rated at specs beyond any official JEDEC rating, and to hit those high specs, you also need to increase voltage beyond the standard. We've seen users buy memory rated at DDR2-1066, for example, who are surprised when they boot their system and find out that it's only running at DDR-667 speeds.

http://www.extremete...,1697,2133377,00.asp

26758

Developer's Corner / Re: How to bundle a game's source file and its interpreter into a single EXE

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 12:33 PM »

one thing you will want to decide is: do you want user to be able to easily extract the original files, or do you want to hide them and make it behave like one exe and not have any sign of original files.  if the former, than sfx is good approach.  if the latter, then you might want to look for more specialized tools.

26759

General Software Discussion / Re: Software for planning wood bookcases/cabinets/tables etc?

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 09:13 AM »

Another lesson i have learned while painting this big bookcase:

I'd rather walk 30 miles in the snow to buy a 50 cent disposable painting sponge than use a $50 bristle paintbrush given to me by Linda Fiorentino.

26760

General Software Discussion / Re: Software for planning wood bookcases/cabinets/tables etc?

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 09:11 AM »

this seems to be what many consider the best current glue:
http://www.gorillaglue.com/home.htm



I can vouch that it is very strong.  It swells up as it dries -- which is important to know -- that means it's quite good at fixing loose joints, but it means that if you were using it to glue 2 objects flat against each other you better use clamps.

26761

FARR Plugins and Aliases / Re: Post your FARR v2 Plugin Idea Requests Here - Plugin Writers Read In

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 05:50 AM »

I'd like to see a farr plugin that does what ServicesCtl by OGroeger does, lets you type "services *" and shows you matching background services in windows, and their running status (green or red light icons), and lets you toggle them on and off when you click.

26762

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: ServicesCtl by OGroeger

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 05:38 AM »

Indeed that looks very useful. It's also given me a nice idea for a FARR (Find and Run Robot) plugin that could list status of services and let you toggle them.

26763

General Software Discussion / Re: Software for planning wood bookcases/cabinets/tables etc?

« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 05:36 AM »

Farmsteadter and my dad think alike!
They both think wood glue is the best thing since slices bread, and both came up with idea of using "dummy" books as supports.  Must be old school true woodwork lovers.

26764

General Review Discussion / Re: Review suggestions

« Last post by mouser on May 22, 2007, 09:37 PM »

yes it's so true that we need to do a much better job specifying version numbers clearly in our reviews, i agree and we will be doing that in all future reviews.

26765

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is The Bat! e-mail app better than Mozilla Thunderbird (or other e-mail app)

« Last post by mouser on May 22, 2007, 07:58 PM »

I wrote a long review of thebat 2 years ago on DC:
https://www.donation...ailClient/index.html

i still love it.

but, thunderbird is getting better every day, and many of the advantages that thebat had may be implemented by thunderbird by now, i'm note sure.  try them both and see what you prefer!

26766

General Software Discussion / Re: musicIP (as a player): wow

« Last post by mouser on May 22, 2007, 04:17 PM »

um... could we have a url or is it a secret? 

(a screenshot would be nice too

26767

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: powerful screen capture-----ACA capture PRO

« Last post by mouser on May 22, 2007, 01:34 PM »

I agree that it's in a gray area, and i think it could be a bit counterproductive because i think it detracts from the people who would write a review just because they like your software.  however, it still seems pretty harmless to me in that if the only thing the writer gets is a free copy, then obviously they like the program enough to want a free copy, and the "rules" don't say anything about you not being able to say anything negative, etc.  so i stand by my view that there isn't really any incentive to say good things about the program that you don't believe, so i don't see much harm in it.  the ones that i am totally opposed to is where people get paid to say good things about a product, where there is a very strong incentive to praise something and say positive things you don't really believe.

disclaimer: i've never written a review in exchange for a free copy (or for money of course!), but i have accepted a free copy of a program after i've posted a review.

26768

Post New Requests Here / Re: Alarm When Power Cord Falls Out of Notebook

« Last post by mouser on May 22, 2007, 12:03 PM »

I think this is a great idea.

Maybe even an option to change the background desktop color or image or something based on whether you are using battery or not, to help you remember?

26769

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: powerful screen capture-----ACA capture PRO

« Last post by mouser on May 22, 2007, 12:02 PM »

Welcome to the site alex.

Wordzilla, I'm not sure the objection to being paid for reviews is the same as getting a free license for writing a review.

Being paid money (or equivelent) for writing a (presumably positive) review seems bad to me.  It means that people will be writing glowing reviews in order to make money.  [worst is when they don't reveal they are bing paid -- if you announce you are being paid clearly in the review it's not quite as bad].

But getting a free copy of a program you think highly of based on a review you write of it seems pretty harmless to me, since there is no motivation to write good things about a program you don't truly like (otherwise why would you want a free copy?).

At least that's my view.

Worst:  Writing a positive review for money and not disclosing it.
Most Harmless: Getting a free copy of a program you like after writing a review about it.

26770

Dr.Windows / Re: Dr.Windows Dialogs - Add Yours!

« Last post by mouser on May 21, 2007, 06:20 PM »

just make new .cfg (text) files in the Dialogs subdirectory directory.

26771

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Emulate a green monitor to reduce eye strain.

« Last post by mouser on May 21, 2007, 06:00 PM »

Firstly I snuck downstairs to the theatre, and stole some green lighting gel.
    * Yes - I actually do live above a theatre.
    * No - I don't wear a mask and drop chandeliers on people.

 

26772

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by mouser on May 21, 2007, 12:16 PM »

i'm wondering if this is a good tactic though. maybe it just smells of desperation when you use other businesses as a bad example to your own business.

I think it's a good idea to address the issue directly that people are concerned about being ripped off.
So I say yeah link to the videos and other pages with tips and articles on what to watch out for.
Make a point that an informed customer is something you welcome and encourage.
Make clear your real info (names, addresses, phone#) so users can make sure there are no complaints, etc.

26773

Google Boomerang / Re: Google Translator Boomerang - Latest Version Info - v1.04.01 - May 21, 2007

« Last post by mouser on May 21, 2007, 11:10 AM »

"my cat has rabies." -> "I am angry cat thing."

26774

Google Boomerang / Re: Google Translator Boomerang - Latest Version Info - v1.04.01 - May 21, 2007

« Last post by mouser on May 21, 2007, 11:09 AM »

As promised, new version is released which works on latest google changes. 

26775

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Emulate a green monitor to reduce eye strain.

« Last post by mouser on May 21, 2007, 10:37 AM »

that's pretty cool.
might be nice if there was a script that could toggle that setting on and off.