Recent Posts

3301

Living Room / Re: A small tweak to DC forum for Firefox & K-meleon users (enhances visited links)

« Last post by app103 on June 01, 2009, 02:05 AM »

For any one else who cuts and pastes like I did, it put in a lot of # characters between lines which need to be removed.

-Grorgy (June 01, 2009, 01:58 AM)

Not if you click this little link:

3302

Living Room / A small tweak to DC forum for Firefox & K-meleon users (enhances visited links)

« Last post by app103 on June 01, 2009, 12:40 AM »

I like the look of the forum, and its colors but sometimes the lack of contrast between visited/unvisited links makes the visited links not obvious enough for me.

So I created a tweak to userContent.css that can be used in both Firefox and k-Meleon to change the visited link color from a lighter shade of blue, to purple. This doesn't affect all visited links on the site because that really looked bad. It just affects some of them...the ones I feel are the most important to have more contrast on.

Installing it is relatively simple.

Firefox:

In your Firefox profile folder is a userContent.css file (might not be there if you never set it up before, but there is an example file with a slightly different name)

Path to file:

on Win2k/XP: C:\Documents and Settings\(your name)\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[random looking chars].default\chrome\userContent.css
on Vista/Win7: C:\Users\(your name)\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[random looking chars].default\chrome\userContent.css

• Open the file in Notepad (or create the file if it doesn't exist) and paste in the code, save, and restart your browser.

K-Meleon:

• Go to the Edit menu in K-Meleon, and under Configuration, select User-Defined Stylesheet. This will open a file named userContent.css in Notepad.
• In the userContent.css file, go all the way to the bottom and locate the line that tells you not to edit anything below it.
• Paste in the code right above that line and save the file.
• Restart your browser.

The code:

Spoiler

Code: CSS [Select]

1. /* BEGIN DonationCoder tweaks */
2. @-moz-document domain("donationcoder.com") {
3.         a:visited{
4.                 color: #aa00aa !important; /* make this one the color you want */
5.         }
6.         #topnavbar a:visited {
7.                 color:#6495ED !important;
8.         }
9.         .maintab_active_back a:visited {
10.                 color:white !important;
11.         }
12.         .maintab_back a:visited{
13.                 color:white !important;
14.         }
15.         .catbg a:visited{
16.                 color:blue !important;
17.         }
18.         .nav a:visited {
19.                 color:#1E5164 !important;
20.         }
21.         .windowbgdc2 a:visited{
22.                 color:#2E6FCC !important;
23.         }
24.         .mirrortab_back a:visited{
25.                 color:white !important;
26.         }
27.         .mirrortab_active_back a:visited{
28.                 color:white !important;
29.         }
30.         .titlebg a:visited{
31.                 color:black !important;
32.         }
33.         #topbannerSubtitle a:visited{
34.                 color:#d90000 !important;
35.         }
36. }
37.  /* END DonationCoder tweaks */

Screenshot of what it does:

Before:


After:

3303

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« Last post by app103 on May 31, 2009, 06:14 AM »

Uhhhh....errrrmmm....hmmmm...maybe try v1.0.3 build 26 and we'll just forget this ever happened.   

-skwire (May 31, 2009, 05:10 AM)

Sure, ok!
 

3304

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« Last post by app103 on May 30, 2009, 10:46 PM »

I can't seem to play audio CD's in Trout.

I have tried quite a few in both of my drives and Trout just won't load a playlist, even though it says match found & tracks added in the statusbar.

And these CD's all work in other players just fine. It's not an issue with the drives or the CD's.

3305

General Software Discussion / Re: Wakoopa's First "The State of Apps" Report

« Last post by app103 on May 30, 2009, 05:09 AM »

It's not spyware because

1. You have the option to install it or not. It does not sneak onto your computer or come bundled with anything.
2. You have the option to run it or not.
3. While running it, you have the option to allow it to track or not.
4. You have the option to not allow it to track web apps.
5. You can hide any data you don't want shown, any application you don't want anyone to know you are using.
6. You can hide your whole profile and keep it private, for your eyes only.
7. You can delete all your data from your account. (I exported my data and deleted it to start fresh, when I got a new pc)
8. You can delete your account, itself.

Though what does bother me is the fact that there's no way to block someone from following you...

-wraith808 (May 26, 2009, 08:34 PM)

Are you aware that people can follow you without you knowing it (if your profile is public), just by subscribing to your RSS feeds? Even if you could block a user on the site, what would be the point if he could just grab your public feeds and follow you from a feed reader, rather than the dashboard?

Of course if you make your profile private, they can still follow you but there would be no point in it. They can't see your data and you have no public feeds.

3306

Site/Forum Features / Re: Ability to copy geshi formatted code text.. help me test?

« Last post by app103 on May 29, 2009, 09:54 PM »

Actually, it doesn't work for me. Just makes the page jump to top.

3307

Living Room / Re: Help me build the ultimate metal playlist

« Last post by app103 on May 29, 2009, 07:56 PM »

Back around 2004, I had a chatroom on a network that contained an abundance of Japanese channels, that all appeared at the bottom of the channel list. My channel was located at the very bottom, after all of those. This was deliberate, so mine would be at the top if you flipped the list (made it easier to find). Unlike everyone else in the English speaking world on that network, I wasn't going to compete with them to be at the top of the channel list.

Being at the bottom of the list meant seeing a lot of Japanese channels on the list every day. One day, one of them caught my eye, mainly because its topic was in English: Japanese Progressive Rock and Metal (ENGLISH ONLY IN HERE)

Curious, I decided to check it out. It was hosted by a 16 year old Japanese girl with very good English skills, that was more than thrilled to have an articulate native English speaker to talk to (rather than someone that communicates in AOL kiddie-speak), and she was quite eager to spread and share what she felt was the best metal music her country had to offer.

She sent me 3 files:

The first one, I deleted it as soon as I heard the vocals, since I can't handle anything that sounds like growling in English, nevermind in Japanese.

The 2nd one, the vocals sounded like a whiny high pitched very feminine guy. Deleted that one too.

But the 3rd one was these guys. I kept that one. 

3308

Living Room / Re: Help me build the ultimate metal playlist

« Last post by app103 on May 29, 2009, 05:18 PM »

I have kind of moved on from anything that might be considered metal, with the exception of some progressive symphonic metal like Shadow Gallery or Enchant.

But some stuff in my collection that I used to listen to a lot, before my taste really started changing...

Ария - Воля и Разум (this may be very hard to find)

The band is also known as "Aria" or "Ariya", and the song could be called "Volya I Razum" or "Volia I Razum" or "Volja I Razum" (translates to "Will and Reason").

Translation of the lyrics can be found at the bottom of this page.

This is from one of the oldest and greatest Russian metal bands. They have been around since the 80's, and still recording & touring. Their style is classic metal, NWOBHM. This song is from their 2nd album, from 1986, called "С Кем Ты?" (Who are you with?).

Their stuff is getting easier to find, though, and now it is possible you can find their stuff for sale on sites that are actually in English and accept American currency (1 "best of" album left at amazon.com) This is not something that was possible 6-7 years ago, when I first discovered their music. Thanks to the internet, they are gaining a new worldwide fame. Unfortunately, that also means they aren't giving the full song mp3 away on their website any more.

Some other stuff worth considering:

Crossbreed - Release Me
Crossbreed - Pure Energy
Disturbed - Stupify
Disturbed - Down With the Sickness
Disturbed - Shout 2000
Drowning Pool - Bodies
Godsmack - I Stand Alone
Puddle of Mudd - Control
Snake River Conspiracy - Homicide (it's nothing like their other stuff)
Static X - Black and White
Static X - Push It

and just about anything by Yngwie Malmsteen (including his neo-classical metal stuff), although I don't think you can go flying down the highway to his stuff. More like slam on the breaks, and then just sit there all bug-eyed, jaw dropped, & shaking, with your heart racing. It's like being hit with a stun gun.   

3309

Living Room / Where's Cody? (Where's Waldo, Twitter Style)

« Last post by app103 on May 28, 2009, 05:54 PM »

Martin has been messing around with the Twitter API and created a fun little game where you must find a person's Twitter profile picture in a sea of faces.

There are 10 levels in total, and the images become smaller and more abundant with each level.

Just for fun, see if you can find Cody in all 10 levels. (Cody image is coming from @donationcoder, which you can now follow on Twitter)

http://wally.tweetdo.../?name=donationcoder

3310

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Taskbar toolbar mod

« Last post by app103 on May 28, 2009, 02:46 PM »

You can always right click a folder in the tree and select "Open" or "Explore".

As far as left clicking a folder name and it opening the folder, you would have to use shortcuts to folders rather than actual folders in your list. Of course with the shortcuts, you will not have tree access to the files within it.

I wonder if mouser's LaunchBar Commander can do what you want. If not, you can always request the feature.

3311

General Software Discussion / Re: Wakoopa's First "The State of Apps" Report

« Last post by app103 on May 26, 2009, 02:44 PM »

I think you may have missed the point. Who cares what Joe Computer user will be running today? Wouldn't you like to have a crystal ball that can see what he will be running in about 2-3 years from now?

This is the data that predicts what is the next big thing, and what is on its way out the door.

The fact that Joe Computer User won't install wakoopa on his Wal-Mart PC is a good thing. The data they are collecting today can be a pretty good predictor of what Joe Computer User will and won't be using in about 2-3 years.

Remember something, it's not the idea that Joe Computer User will be using this service, it's the idea that what the wakoopa users (the trend setting early adopters) are flocking to today, will be what he will be using tomorrow.

And what they are moving away from today, he will be moving away from tomorrow.

It's not the wakoopa tracker that is important, it is what and who it's tracking.

For instance, if 25% of wakoopa users use Twitter and the number is growing, it's safe to say that twitter usage will continue to rise for awhile. But there is another stat that's important, and that most of wakoopa's twitter users use the service through desktop apps, which means Twitter's business model better put it's hope in something other than ads on their site, if they want to survive. And knowing that, if they do decide to go with ad banners, advertisers should know that a great chunk of Twitter's userbase will never see them.

3312

General Software Discussion / Wakoopa's First "The State of Apps" Report

« Last post by app103 on May 26, 2009, 01:22 PM »

Since its inception, wakoopa has logged over 525 million hours of software usage data from 75,000 members and 200,000 applications.

Wakoopa users, have also shared more than 3 million application recommendations to date.

The site has released their first report on usage trends in desktop software and web applications, covering the first quarter of 2009. Since wakoopa users are considered early technology adopters by nature, this data is being regarded as an important marker for future trends.

And with the recent release of their Linux tracker, things should be even more interesting, in future reports.

http://blog.wakoopa....ate-of-apps-q1-2009/

Additional info & insight into their report:

TechCrunch
Giga Om
VentureBeat
PRWeb

3313

General Software Discussion / Re: What makes an application "useful"?

« Last post by app103 on May 25, 2009, 05:34 AM »

FileBox Extender²
PS Tray Factory

²Hyperionics is no longer developing, supporting, or hosting this GPL licensed application, and I have contacted them for a copy of the source and I'll host it myself if I have to.

-app103 (May 17, 2009, 06:35 PM)

App, I love this tool. I missed it so much since I moved to windows server 2008. If you got it to work on vista 64/windows server 2008 64... please shout!

-urlwolf (May 25, 2009, 05:27 AM)

After I made my post, I contacted the developer of Filebox Extender and I guess my interest in the project must have persuaded him to put it back up on the site. So go take a look. He said he will offer no support, but the application and the source are there again. He also said he made a few fixes for 64-bit Vista and Win7, although he didn't specify exactly what they were.

http://www.hyperionics.com/?Page=/files

3314

Living Room / Re: Wow wowowowowow!!!!

« Last post by app103 on May 25, 2009, 04:07 AM »

I like my WIN stir-fried and smothered in AWESOMESAUCE.

3315

General Software Discussion / Complaint & Compliment: 3M Post-it Digital Notes vs ConceptWorld Notezilla

« Last post by app103 on May 24, 2009, 06:55 AM »

I just sent this email to ConceptWorld that I think will explain the whole situation:


Subject: My compliments to you for NoteZilla

I am both a developer and a blogger.

While I was in the midst of planning a series of in-depth articles, based on a list of lesser known applications that I love and feel need more attention, I had an unfortunate experience.

Actually, unfortunate is too mild of a word to describe it. Here is what happened:

I have been a long time, loyal, faithful, dedicated user of 3M's Post-it Software Notes, which I purchased some time around 2001. My whole life is organized in it and without it I feel like I have no brain and can't function.

Loving every feature in it, I felt it should be included in my list and had planned on writing an in-depth article about it. To do that, I was going to have to upgrade to the latest version in order to become familiar with any newer features and provide up to date screenshots.

But they don't offer a free or reduced price upgrade to users of the previous version I happened to have installed. And that's OK, they have that right, and I was fully prepared to pay for the application again, at the full price. I felt it was worth it, even though I would lose a few features that they had eliminated.

So, I downloaded the installer and proceeded to install it. It wouldn't allow a side-by-side install, with the previous version on the machine, nor would it allow an upgrade, even with the idea of rolling me back to an unregistered status. It required that I uninstall the older version before installing the newer one.

I made a manual backup of my database of notes & memoboards, and proceeded with the uninstall process. It was a good thing I made that backup, because there was no option to keep my database and the uninstaller just went ahead and deleted it along with the program files.

And to make matters worse, once I had installed the new version, I found that the old database was incompatible with it and there was no way to import the notes and memoboards. Basically, I was screwed, unless I uninstalled the newer version and reinstalled the old one, and copied my backup files to it (which I did).

In order to get my old notes and memoboards into the new version, I was going to have to copy them manually, one at a time, into a text file, and then recopy them into the new version, after going through the whole uninstall/reinstall process again.

I was sitting here, quite angry with 3M...no longer the loyal dedicated user I once was, not willing to write my nice article about their application, and so disgusted at what I had to go through that I started looking for a replacement.

NoteZilla comes as close to what I am used to using as I can possibly find. I have been taking it for a spin for the last few hours, manually copying all my notes & memoboards over to it, resetting all my alarms, etc. This is a lot of work for me and as I copy each note I am hating 3M more and more.

I like what I see in NoteZilla, especially the ability to export my database (even the choice of non-proprietary formats you have provided) and I have just purchased it.

There was a reason why I mentioned that I am a developer at the beginning of this email. I am a donationware developer and member of donationcoder.com. I have been a very active member there almost since the beginning. It was because of their forum that I discovered your product and read the praises of those that use it, praises given by those I respect and know have great taste in software. Everything they said was true. I also saw how actively interested in your users that you are, and how willing you are to provide support for your product.I like that very much.

I used your generous 30% discount to purchase NoteZilla, which brought it down to the same price it would have cost me to buy the latest version of 3M's software. I feel so much better giving you my money, than them.

I think in time, as I grow accustomed to the different interface, I may love your product more than I have ever loved theirs and not even miss it. It has a lot going for it.

Thank you for your kindness for providing that discount to donationcoder.com members. And thank you for all your time, effort, and hard work that you put into your application. It is very much appreciated.

3316

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by app103 on May 22, 2009, 09:20 PM »

The reason the rates are so exorbitant is because of the failure rate of the loans.  And the repossession is not really wanted; the fees to do so merely allow the businesses to stay afloat- the interest rate on the people who make good on the loans are what keep the businesses going.

-wraith808 (May 22, 2009, 07:12 PM)

There are companies that exist solely to give out loans to people they hope can't pay them, just so they can take their cars, which greatly exceed the value of the loans. That's the reality of the situation. They only make loans to people with cars, the only collateral they accept are cars, and they only give small loans.

They stock their used car lots with all the repossessed cars and make a fortune selling them lower than anyone else in town. Essentially, they are getting tons of cars dirt cheap.

And if by chance the person does manage to pay off the loan, the company actually makes less money, even though the interest rates they are charging are unreasonably high.

How much more profitable is it for one of these companies that owns 50 car lots to only get $400 on a 7 day loan of $300 vs. getting a car worth $5000+ that they sell for $2500?

That's $100 profit vs. $2100 profit, in case you didn't want to do the math.

And how fair is that to the guy that owns the used car lot down the street that acquires his cars honestly, from people that actually sell the cars to him, and can't compete with the prices offered by the loanshark lots?

I can't believe anyone would think this is right.

3317

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by app103 on May 22, 2009, 05:54 PM »

One way sounds almost socialist and the other way predatory.

-wraith808 (May 22, 2009, 02:41 PM)

What is wrong with usury laws that limit the amount of interest one can charge, legally? I live in a state that has had usury laws since it was an English colony, so this is not something unheard of.

We don't have "payday loans" here because they exceed the 30% APR legal limit.

And what about extending the existing laws to cover more things, like rent to own? They should be disclosing the APR in a nice little chart like all credit companies have to do. There should not be a loophole that lets them get away with not doing that and allowing them to charge an illegal interest rate and making claims that it's not interest.

And it should be illegal to seize and keep $1000's of assets if someone defaults on a $300 loan. (People in FL lose their cars they put up as collateral on these small loans, and they are never refunded the difference)

And what happened to the laws that say that any hospital that receives federal funding has to offer charity care to anyone that shows up at the emergency room and can't afford it? It used to be that if someone was poor they could get that and not get sued and then have their wages garnished if they were under the poverty line. Now they end up with their wages cut to $150/week till the bill, interest, court fees, collection agency fees, plaintiff's lawyer fees, etc is paid off. Instead of charity care covering a $3000 bill, they are being fleeced to pay $10,000 or more, just because they are poor.

3318

General Software Discussion / Re: PC Game Trek: A really nice game review blog

« Last post by app103 on May 22, 2009, 12:43 PM »

Hi PC Gamer,

Welcome to DonationCoder.

I think your blog is fantastic. I might have even found a few games worth trying. And that is saying a lot, coming from me, because as I stated before, I am not a gamer.

3319

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by app103 on May 22, 2009, 11:00 AM »

This little 5" screen is what keeps my husband out of my hair and off my lap while I am trying to use my computer.

-app103 (May 22, 2009, 10:42 AM)

Sorry to hear that.

I'm in a more fortunate position in that regard. Should my beloved climb on my lap and get in my hair while I'm using a computer, I'd immediately switch it off in order to pursue some more "interesting" activities.

(I could use the exercise anyway...  )

-40hz (May 22, 2009, 10:51 AM)

The only reason why mine climbs on my lap while I am using my computer is to see the screen better. He's being nosy. And it's usually only during commercial breaks.

3320

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by app103 on May 22, 2009, 10:42 AM »

Who ever suffered from lack of TV?

-cranioscopical (May 22, 2009, 09:36 AM)

When I was a kid, I didn't get to pick & choose what I got to watch on TV, and I had an early bedtime that prevented me from watching anything that fell in the prime-time slot.

As a result, I always failed school assignments that required me to watch something specific on TV. (Remember Roots? I was supposed to watch it every night and take notes, and turn in an essay when the miniseries was complete. It weighed very heavily against my grade.)

Now, imagine that you would love for your children to complete their school assignments, but due to the fact that you are too poor to buy a TV, they can't.

_______

That being said, currently the only TV in my house (that works) is a battery operated black & white analog thing with a 5" screen (running with an A/C adapter) that will go in the trash next month, since even with a free DTA converter box, it's pretty much useless, since I can't connect the converter to it.

I will suffer greatly for this loss, even though I haven't really watched TV in about 6 years. This little 5" screen is what keeps my husband out of my hair and off my lap while I am trying to use my computer.

Last year when we had the big storm that caused a power failure that lasted almost 5 days, I wanted to kill him. I knew what to do with myself (read a book, crochet, etc) but he had no clue what to do with himself. As a result, he made it very difficult for me to do anything. You try reading a book in the same apartment with a very bored man that is constantly getting in trouble with something he isn't supposed to be touching or doing. It's worse than babysitting a bunch of 2 year olds. I tried to teach him how to play solitaire with a real deck of cards (failed), tried to teach him latch-hook rug making (failed), and at one point I said we needed to invest in an old fashioned rainy day chest of kids toys. Things like coloring books, crayons, legos, lincoln logs, etc. I was less than half joking when I said it.

So, beginning next month I am going to have to put up with a similar situation, 4 days a week, because things are pretty rough here and my husband is only working part time. So, if I should suddenly stop logging in on the forum for any long length of time, after the official switch to digital, you can assume I am in jail for killing him.

So, does that answer your question about who has ever suffered because of a lack of TV?

3321

Living Room / Re: poor? Pay up!

« Last post by app103 on May 22, 2009, 05:37 AM »

That article didn't even mention how a great many of the poor finance things like TV's.

What do you do if your TV dies and now you have nothing?

If you are part of the middle class, you grab your credit card and get in your car and take a drive to an electronics store or the mall. You shop around till you find something suitable, in both price and quality, and when you find something you are happy with, you then put it on your credit card.

But if you are poor and have no car or credit card, you go to the local RAC or ColorTyme, subject yourself to their high pressure sales tactics, and select a TV from their very limited selection. Then you sign a contract to make weekly payments for a set term (usually about a year & a half). At the end of that term you own the TV.

But is it a new or used TV? Is it a refurb? You really don't know when you sign the contract. How about the interest rates? They don't disclose that either and will even claim they technically don't charge interest, so they don't have to disclose that.

By the time you have paid off your possibly used, possibly refurbished TV, that you could have bought at Sears for $250 if you had a car or a credit card, you'll be paying over $1000. And shortly after you finally pay it off, it will probably die on you, starting the whole chain all over again.

Oh, and if you are late or miss a payment, they come take the TV away, and if you come up with the money for the payment and want the TV back, you have to start all over again with a new contract, essentially losing everything you paid towards the TV already.

And unlike a credit card, there is no reward or benefit in paying it off early. There is no reduction in fees or interest.

Additionally, during the term of your contract, you will be contacted quite frequently by company sales representatives that will try to pressure you into buying more overpriced crap from them. They are not happy with you just wanting a TV. They want to replace all your furnature, appliances, and electronics.

If you have kids, they will pressure you into buying a $500 computer for them, at a final price of over $2000, with a sales pitch that will lead you to believe that if you don't do it, that it means you are a bad parent that doesn't love their kids and want to see them succeed in life.

You'll find that these businesses operate essentially only in poor neighborhoods. You will not find them in the middle class suburbs. If you are part of the middle class and one of these places opens up shop in your neighborhood, it's time to move. It's one of the signs that your neighborhood is going to hell.

http://www.clnj.org/rentown.htm

3322

General Software Discussion / Re: Create simple installation file.

« Last post by app103 on May 21, 2009, 04:15 PM »

The free version of Advanced Installer can do it. (I love this app!)

3323

General Software Discussion / Re: PC Game Trek: A really nice game review blog

« Last post by app103 on May 20, 2009, 10:40 AM »

Yeah, well you have to understand, I am not a gamer at all, other than some old school Atari stuff and a few classic PC puzzle games.

I am not mentally coordinated enough for most modern games.

3324

General Software Discussion / PC Game Trek: A really nice game review blog

« Last post by app103 on May 20, 2009, 10:23 AM »

I just discovered a really nice PC game review blog that I just had to share.

Most of the reviews are for box games, it seems.

They are very nicely written, complete with screenshots. They make me wish I were a gamer.

http://www.pcgametrek.com

3325

General Software Discussion / Re: Mozilla Contest: How Would You Improve Tabbed Browsing?

« Last post by app103 on May 19, 2009, 09:41 AM »

How about multiple tabbed browser windows within an MDI interface? Oh wait...AOL already did that.

How about subtabs, where each tab is a parent to multiple child tabs that appear on a 2nd row? Oh wait...Crystalport already did that.

Ok, I admit...I have no original ideas worthy of submitting.