Recent Posts

3051

Living Room / portable air conditioning - any good?

« Last post by nudone on July 04, 2006, 06:28 AM »

i'm english therefore when the weather turns hot during the half-a-dozen days of the year, i can't take it. my brain shuts down and i just dream of finding a cool dark hole to lie down in.

unfotunately i can't put my computer in such a hole so i'm thinking maybe one of these portable air conditioner things would be the solution.

so my question is: does anyone use one and are they any good?

thanks

3052

Best Music Service / Re: tech crunch article comparing music services

« Last post by nudone on July 04, 2006, 12:48 AM »

the latest: http://news.bbc.co.u...tainment/5140788.stm

Copyright lawyers say that, even if the BPI obtains a verdict that the website is illegal, it might have "enormous practical difficulties" enforcing the ruling in Moscow.

so, i think we can see where this is going to end. allofmp3.com will be even more popular in a few months time because of the the publicity it will get and everyone that uses it (in the UK at least) will know that they are breaking the law. perhaps more importantly the BPI will have to accept that no one cares.

3053

Image Manager Shootout / Re: ACDSee - the best image viewer for large files

« Last post by nudone on July 03, 2006, 12:59 AM »

i think they can as part of the metadata stuff (iptc or whatever). well, it looked like that was the answer during a 5 second search on google - i didn't investigate further than that.

3054

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: drag window to edge automatically resizes it

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 05:15 PM »

it's beddybies time for me now but here's my edited script of version 4.5

i'd still make a few changes to the grid layout but it's pretty much what i was after... you may find the grid layout useful.

you'll see i've disabled the 'drag title bar method' and reduced the size of the trigger zones.

3055

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: drag window to edge automatically resizes it

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 03:36 PM »

i certainly like where this is heading - i need to change the grid layout and give it a good run before saying anything further.

as always, keep it up. oh, and thanks for putting the screen edge trigger back in. pity about the grid not being hidden yet, though. 

3056

Image Manager Shootout / Re: ACDSee - the best image viewer for large files

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 07:58 AM »

Sorry didn't read the whole thread ... Do all TIF files have thumbnails included? I suppose if they do it makes sense for them to be used.

-Carol Haynes (July 02, 2006, 07:35 AM)

i would guess they do but i really have no idea. i had a quick look in photoshop to see if there was a choice to include an embedded thumbnail but it either does it automatically or this is just how tiff files work???????????????????

3057

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: drag window to edge automatically resizes it

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 06:40 AM »

the more options there are the better - everyone gets to use the final version of the program in the way that they feel most comfortable with - hopefully.

i will have to revisit version two for a bit i think...

3058

Image Manager Shootout / Re: ACDSee - the best image viewer for large files

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 06:37 AM »

the file is a .tif file not a jpeg, Carol.

3059

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: drag window to edge automatically resizes it

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 04:08 AM »

i can see that gridmove has progressed further than what i originally requested so i'm a little biased when i offer my thoughts on it now.

my own personal preference is still to use the edges of the screen to trigger the resize window function - i'm still hoping that you'll include that in the final version.

why do i stubbornly stick to this view? well, i'll only have a basic grid layout (i think) - perhaps it would be good to have a way of toggling between different grids - maybe a complex grid with a variety of window sizes/zones and then a basic alternative grid with just a few zones.

i'm straying from my answer to the question above... so, i'm only going to use gridmove to resize the occasional window. most likely using it so that only two program windows cover either side of my screen at a time - no doubt i'll probably use four programs and have each window take up a quarter of the screen on the rare occassion. the final use would be to have a window resize to fit with the central part of my screen so that there is a border around it that i can see my desktop.

this basic grid layout doesn't really need to be displayed to me - it will be very symmetrical - so all i need to remember is which part of the screen sides/edge will act as the trigger, i.e. left edge of screen will resize window to fill left half of screen - right edge of screen will resize window to fill right half of screen, etc. all very simple.

of course, this is just how i would use it, someone new to gridmove may well feel better if they could see the grid appear - or, at least, until they had remembered the grid layout.

i can see that the current 'titled area of title bar' to initiate gridmove is quicker than my 'screen edge acts as trigger' method - i've just not really made up my mind about which i prefer. the speedier method ought to appeal to me more but i'm still favouring my original drag to screen edge trigger way. might be irrational - can't really say at the moment.

here's yet another idea to add to the mix - what if different grids were invoked depending on what programs were running. this could perhaps lead back to the 'group' idea.

say you often have a web browser open and a couple of other programs that you always end up putting into a particular arrangement on screen - then you could have a 'grid 01' load in when the browser is running - other grids would load in when other programs where dominant - and there would be the 'general' grid when nothing in particular was running.

i guess, really, the above multi/group grid method would be better if a particular grid loaded in if two or more specific program windows were detected on screen at the same time - not just a single program window - otherwise i can see this would get confusing when the basic 'default' grid should be in use.

3060

Image Manager Shootout / Re: ACDSee - the best image viewer for large files

« Last post by nudone on July 02, 2006, 03:23 AM »

adobe bridge only displays a thumbnail of the file - which i suspect is embedded in the original file anyway.

3061

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: drag window to edge automatically resizes it

« Last post by nudone on July 01, 2006, 02:35 PM »

nice to see you coming back to the old gridmove, jgpaiva 

i can see that the transparency is working better but i'll have to make a few changes to the script i think - my screen does't really suit the current grid layout.

i like the idea of dragging the titled part of the title bar to initiate gridmove - my final use will be very basic (i think) so i don't think i'd even need the grid popping up, so if you can allow that to be disabled i'd appreciate that.

keep up the great work...

3062

Living Room / Re: Article(s) on Googles New Pay Service, controversies, and my experiences

« Last post by nudone on June 30, 2006, 06:41 AM »

i agree with you, Carol. i'd even go as far as to say i don't click on any adverts - well, i suppose i must do once in a blue moon. i'm sure there are a vast number of people that never click on an advert.

if i'm after a product i'll do a search for it - or, i'll just go straight to a site that i expect will have the product. when i'm not 'online shopping' then i'm blind to adverts and banners.

i think there was an article on digg.com recently - if i remember correctly it said that a great deal of web surfers are 'banner blind' in that they simply ignore typical banner sizes and advertisements.

i assume that anyone who has used the internet for a few months will ignore banners. i'm more perplexed that anyone does click on an obvious banners advert. maybe i'm just too much of a snob so nothing takes my fancy.

3063

Living Room / Re: Cody Figurines

« Last post by nudone on June 30, 2006, 05:32 AM »

ah, Cody's uncle. he is one crazy dude, i've heard many a tall story about him from Cody. and the snake - don't even ask.

(i like where you're going with all this, mouser.)

3064

Living Room / Re: Cody Figurines

« Last post by nudone on June 30, 2006, 12:44 AM »

ha, ha, fantastic.

3065

Living Room / Re: Article(s) on Googles New Pay Service, controversies, and my experiences

« Last post by nudone on June 29, 2006, 03:01 PM »

is it too rude to suggest that we have a debate at some point about having advertising here (i don't think it's been mentioned for a while).

mouser, you know my stand point anyway on donating and ethics, etc. i'm just starting to wonder if there are 'good' adverts that allow more revenue to come in and then pay authors to create more content then isn't that worth some serious thought?

i am turning to the dark side? maybe. but as the reviews have dried up again i'm beginning to think people need a financial incentive to put all that work into the reviews we want to see on donationcoder. unfortunately a money reward appears to outway every other kind of payment.

we know there is plenty of scope for the reviews - we know people want to see them - we know they have dried up.

i'll leave it at that - just wanted to try and open up the debate as you are hinting at it quite strongly (or maybe that's just my warped minds interpretation).

3066

Living Room / Re: Fetching Cody

« Last post by nudone on June 29, 2006, 01:31 PM »

i don't think you were looking close enough - after using my blade runner photo inspector gizmo i found this...

Cody will not deny or confirm anything further to me.

3067

Living Room / Re: Microsoft announces Robotics studio, but where's the Holodeck?

« Last post by nudone on June 25, 2006, 07:42 AM »

i have a holodeck you can borrow, Zaine. Or, you can just go out and buy your own. all you need is 10 bottles of Absinth - drink and watch the virtual world appear before your very eyes.

3068

General Software Discussion / Re: MouseImp Pro Live!- useful mousetool

« Last post by nudone on June 25, 2006, 07:37 AM »

i used to love mouseimp pro - then i sort of just forgot about it.

3069

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

« Last post by nudone on June 25, 2006, 01:02 AM »

i've just been here a long time - like, 50 years or something, so i haven't really said that much...

3070

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

« Last post by nudone on June 24, 2006, 05:36 AM »

  thanks jgpaiva. i did completely forget. it was very kind of you to remember for me.

3071

Living Room / Re: Recommendations for good external hard drive solutions?

« Last post by nudone on June 24, 2006, 01:53 AM »

i'd just like to add that, i once bought a couple or three western digital drives there were meant to be 'silent'. well, the reviewer concluded they were fantastic all round quality drives so who was i to argue...

i sold the drives as soon as i could get rid of them - they weren't silent at all - they had that all too common hard drive whine that is about as easy to ignore and a persistent fly buzzing around in your room.

i mention this as a month or two later the same reviewer decided that samsung drives where the quietest. so, i'm just saying that silent doesn't always appear to mean silent. let's face it, no hard drive is truly silent.

regarding samsungs current crop of drives - i believe the spinpoints are all built using the same fluid bearing so they ought to offer the same low operational noise level.

3072

Living Room / Re: Recommendations for good external hard drive solutions?

« Last post by nudone on June 23, 2006, 09:46 AM »

i've just realised - i'm a samsung fanboy.

3073

Living Room / Re: Recommendations for good external hard drive solutions?

« Last post by nudone on June 23, 2006, 02:45 AM »

i agree about not wanting to repeat a bad experience.

speaking more on the idiots i mentioned above - i'd put it down to the power of advertising, or should i say the power of the established brand. i know these people i refer to aren't going to buy a samsung - because in their world samsung doesn't equate to 'hard drive' (and obviously they don't value my opinion) so they'll keep buying the brand that has become synonymous with 'hard drive' in their stagnant brain.

there are fanboys for every type of product.

(just thought i better add - i'm speaking personally about the idiots i know - my example refers to the times that these people have bought goods online where samsung, maxtor, wd, etc, etc have been almost identically priced and available from the same store.)

3074

Living Room / Re: Recommendations for good external hard drive solutions?

« Last post by nudone on June 22, 2006, 02:04 PM »

samsung hard drives get my vote too - from the reviews/comparisons i've read they seem to be the quietest there is - and they aren't slow either.

i do wonder why the hardware reviewers praise samsung drives and then everyone else keeps going on about maxtor/wd/etc/etc - doesn't anyone have any faith in reviewers tests results or is it just some kind of morbid habit that people have to keep recommending anything but samsung.

they are the quietest drives i've ever owned over the years i'm pleased to say - hard drive noise sends me insane so i know a quiet drive when i hear it (or don't hear it).

my main irritation and root of my rant probably stems from the amount of times i've told people about samsung drives and how they were praised so highly by reviews - these people nod in agreement with me then turn around and click on 'add to shopping cart' and go and buy a maxtor or whatever instead.

3075

Living Room / Re: Interesting tad bit - MS Windows Genuine Advantage Phones Home Every day

« Last post by nudone on June 22, 2006, 07:01 AM »

might be of interest http://www.firewalll...er.com/removewga.htm