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3576

General Software Discussion / Re: wireless (wifi) network connection manager with saved profiles

« Last post by superboyac on August 20, 2010, 04:07 PM »

Mobile Net Switch seems to be the best program that I've run across for this purpose:
http://www.mobilenetswitch.com/

3577

General Software Discussion / It is impossible to remove the network connection icon from the system tray.

« Last post by superboyac on August 20, 2010, 04:01 PM »

I know I've been ranting and raving lately, but here's another one.

There is NO way to completely remove the network connection icons in the system tray of XP.  You know the one, the little computer with the red "X" (when it's not connected).  For some reason, it is impossible to remove this thing without some pretty decent computer hacking.  At least, I haven't heard about a way so far.  The only way to really remove it is to actually disable that network adapter in the devices menu.  But that's not good.  I want the device enabled, I just want the icon to never be in the tray...ever.

What's even more confusing and frustrating is that if you go to the connection properties, there's the somewhat deceptive settings about this whole thing (see the last two checkboxes):


But that doesn't really work.  The icon will still show up in various situations.  I've read about it online, how it will never really go away even if you uncheck those options.

So, why?  Why is this such an impossible issue?  What's wrong with these companies?  When did we stop paying attention to the little things that matter, and only focus on the shiny, largely useless features?

3578

General Software Discussion / Re: wireless (wifi) network connection manager with saved profiles

« Last post by superboyac on August 20, 2010, 11:15 AM »

Update:
Avanquest is no good.  It can't see some of the wifi connections that the regular Windows one can see.  Also, there is not place to configure certificate properties.  Actually, the certificate thing is a feature I'm very interested in.  Even the Intel one doesn't have a decent certificate management section.  For the Windows one, (and I've ONLY seen it on the Windows one), I can select multiple certificates using checkboxes.  For Intel, i can only choose one at a time.  And Avanquest has nothing, it can't even see that connection.  So goodbye, Avanquest.

We need to find a good wireless network manager.

You may be asking, why not just use the Windows one?  Well, the interface sucks.  Too many windows, too many SMALL windows, too many tabs, the flow is illogical, profiles are not in a prominent location.  Once again, it's mostly interface issues which makes the use experience a pain.

3579

General Software Discussion / Re: wireless (wifi) network connection manager with saved profiles

« Last post by superboyac on August 20, 2010, 10:29 AM »

Well, I just tried the Avanquest one.  It's ok, but I think there's one out there that is better.  Avanquest is definitely better than the built in Windows manager or the Intel one, however.

3580

General Software Discussion / wireless (wifi) network connection manager with saved profiles

« Last post by superboyac on August 20, 2010, 09:27 AM »

I'm looking for wifi connection manager software.  Please recommend any that you know of.  There was one I saw on bits du jour a long time ago, and I can't find it anymore.  Can anyone remember?

So, I want an alternative to the network manager that comes either with Windows itself, or the intel one that can also be used.  They both have their pors/cons, but I don't really like either of them.  I want more control, more options, nicer interface.

The only one I've found (and it's free) is this one:
Avanquest Connection Manager

But I'm hoping somebody remembers the one on BDJ, that one looked nice.

3581

Living Room / Re: How difficult/feasible to do a desktop virtualization of my home PC?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 10:14 PM »

I have a question:
How come ALL corporate software companies can't clearly explain what their product does exactly?  I'm no dummy, but it takes me way too long to figure out what the hell is going on.  I see it all the time with corporate software.  I see it with this virtualization stuff, I saw it with the business process modeling stuff, I see it with collaboration stuff.  It's out of control.  I am just about convinced that it is done on purpose.  Why?  I don't know.  I can't see how it helps financially or anything.

Take Citrix for example:  try figuring out in 10 minutes what the hell their product does.  Ok, I know it has something to do with remotely connecting to a computer.  Presentations server, Xenapp, Xendesktop?  Which one is for what?  THen they have videos that are just as unclear.  Then page after page of polished marketing links and brochures that really aren't clear what it does and what the different parts are and which ones you need to do a particular thing.  Sheesh.  Why can't they just say something like, "This is an application to remotely connect client pc's to a server, deploy applications remotely, etc."  there's nothing like that.  Man, what is everyone's problem?  What's the price?  Do they do this to make sure you call them and have a rep sent to you?  That's the only logical conclusion I can draw from it.

3582

General Software Discussion / Re: Raster to Vector imaging software

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 05:44 PM »

Firstly, the latest Adobe Illustrator version (CS4 and CS5) can do this rather nicely.  I forget what the name of the feature was, Live-something.  Well, i won't say it's A+ good, but it's pretty good, and the settings can be tweaked.

As far as its benefits, I used to design heavily using Autocad, and stuff like this would often come up.  We'd get an old blueprint, scan it, and trace over it to get the vectors in Autocad files.  So if it worked well, it could save drafters a ton of time.  Unfortunately, they don't work that well at all, at least not the ones I tried.  Even if it "looked" ok, the amount of tweaking you'd have to do to finalize it is almost more work than doing it from scratch.  It's something that I just couldn't efficiently insert into my workflow.

3583

Living Room / Re: How difficult/feasible to do a desktop virtualization of my home PC?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 04:49 PM »

Thanks Stoic. I'm going to try it out.  I've used the .rdp file here at work, so I'll try that also.  I'll be blown away if the responsiveness is anywhere decent.  I'm already impressed that you connect to multiple computers and are able to work productively.

I'll also take a look at VNC, wraith, thanks.

3584

Living Room / Re: How difficult/feasible to do a desktop virtualization of my home PC?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 02:34 PM »

Stoic, what software do you use to setup the remote connections?  Do you just use the Remote Desktop Connection that comes with Windows?  What do you use for a client?  What if I'm on a mac, is there a way to connect to my XP PC at home?  Is there some portable client app I can have on my USB drive and connect from a Mac to my pc?

And I can't tell from your explanation:  are you just connecting to files and folders, or are you actually running a virtual desktop and using programs installed on the other pc?

3585

Living Room / Re: I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 01:10 PM »

I think app nailed it.  You said it better than I could have.

And that's sad for the consumers.  It's sad to me to know that this great technology is available, yet we are stuck with a crappy user experience.  I watch Mad Men also, and sometimes I wonder about what the future holds for advertising.  The typical advertising models seem antiquated to me also.  Commercials, movie previews, even ads on the internet.  How effective are they to the end user?  i wonder sometimes.  I know it's bringing loads of money to everyone, but is it actually accomplishing the true intent of advertising?  Are a lot of people discovering the products they need through formal advertising these days?  I wonder.

3586

Living Room / How difficult/feasible to do a desktop virtualization of my home PC?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 01:00 PM »

I've done my best to be able to deal with my on-the-run computing needs by setting up portable applications on my USB and stuff.  But how difficult would it be to make my home PC accessible virtually?  A full desktop virtualization, that is.  I want to use the programs there in case I need something during an emergency situation.

I know this can be setup using various virtual software, but is it even worth it?  I have a time warner cable connection, which is decent, but can it handle this sort of thing effectively?  Would the lag be too unbearable?  because it's not just about setting it up, I know I can do that.  Is the experience going to be productive, though?  I know, I can't expect the speed of a local PC, but I also can't have a situation where I move the mouse to the side, and it takes 10 seconds to see that on the screen.

My company uses Citrix, which does this, but in a way that I can't explain.  It's not just a window into another desktop, it actually brings the programs to the local pc, so it's all rendered locally.  Other programs just give you a window basically that shows the remote desktop.  I've used remote desktop (basic windows XP accessories) within my building to connect from a laptop to my workstation, and that works really well.  but I've heard it's unbearably slow when people try doing the same from home.

So i want to explore this idea.  I'd like to hear about your experiences with this, or if there are experts, any advice.  Thanks.

3587

Living Room / Re: I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 12:43 PM »

An article about this:
http://www.wired.com.../ts_burningquestion/

I do disagree with this statement:

But it would take a total market shift to inspire consumers to actually cut their cables, a market shift as significant as, say, iTunes. Not surprisingly, that’s just what many industry sages are forecasting.

Don't blame this on the consumers.  This all has to do with the corporations.  Sure, most consumers don't care and don't know about what is going on, but don't think they wouldn't welcome the change.  They would LOVE it.  Once they experienced it, they would never go back.  And the big companies know that.

3588

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: How to disable pasting "blip" sound?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 12:05 PM »

as a temporary workaround you could clear that edit box specifying the sound file.

-mouser (August 19, 2010, 11:43 AM)

Thanks, that works.

3589

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 9

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 11:07 AM »

I got the USB export license a couple of years ago when they got all strict with the computers at my old job.  it works great.

I will admit that the DOpus pricing is relatively expensive compared to its competitors.  On the other hand, it's also relatively more powerful than the competitors.  So I kind of have no problem paying it whenever the time comes.  That's the thing with good software, I don't mind paying for it if it's the best and I'm using it a lot.

3590

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: How to disable pasting "blip" sound?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 11:03 AM »

I already have that unchecked.  That seems to only be for capturing.  When I paste using the quick-paste menu, I always get a blip sound, and I can't find anywhere in the options to turn that off.

3591

Clipboard Help+Spell / How to disable pasting "blip" sound?

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 10:22 AM »

Mouser, I can't seem to figure out how to turn that sound off.  Please help, thanks.

3592

Living Room / Re: I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 19, 2010, 08:59 AM »

Thanks Oshyan!  That is an epic post, and well said!
I, too, believe that it makes sense for everyone.  The technology available is amazing, and it should be used in a way that is both profitable for the companies and enjoyable for the customers.  As my friends says, the companies shouldn't treat their customers with disdain, which is often what is happening.

You're totally right, ratings are a silly thing nowadays.  The whole idea of how many people are watching a scheduled show is outdated.  To comment more on that, I'd have to understand how it all works better, but I agree with pretty much everything you said about that.  Everyone DVR's these days anyway, so what difference do time slots and ratings make anyway?  I can see how that can ruin stories if some people watch a popular show before someone else and tells them about it.  But, actually, the show can be 'released" at a specific time (Thursday at 8pm), but all that means is that's when it first becomes available.  That's like having a schedule, but still keeping in line with the a la carte revolution.

You're also right about it being a win-win situation.  i think so too.  But it would take a leader who has a strong vision, capable staff, and a deep understanding of the industry to know what to do.

3593

Living Room / Re: I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 09:19 PM »

Yeah, Z, it's probably the case.  i'm very curious how much longer these business models of theirs are going to last.  I really feel like there is a big opportunity for some big company to say F it and go forward with something like this.  But maybe I'mjust being naive and optimistic.  That's sure dying fast, however...

FYI, I'm not sure how secret it is, but I've gotten wind through my professional connections that Google has tried to enter into some kind of agreement in the Los Angeles area to provide fiber optic services to residential areas.  That is, to piggy back on the existing FO grid to provide Fiber connections to customers.  I would LOVE that because I'm really jealous of my sister and others who have FIOS.  But we'll see.  With all their net neutrality things happening, it's looking dim that something big like that would happen.

Miles, thanks for the channel changing explanation, that makes sense.  My question now is, why don't they fix it to be faster?  It's really really slow, to the point where it's not really tolerable for channel surfing.  You can't surf anymore.  You really cant.  The best you can do is go to the menu or guide place and browse there.  But then you don't see the actual video, so it's not as good.  I'm sure that if they really wanted to make that faster, they could have by now. It's been years, and I know they're holding back on the bandwidth on purpose.  Either people aren't complaining enough (which is likely, I've never heard anyone bitch about it to me) and/or the companies are just ignoring it until someone makes a beef about it.

3594

Living Room / Re: OhLife - A new way to journal

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 06:06 PM »

I've struggle with this for a long time.  This is somewhat related to my notetaking struggles also.  Let me offer a suggestion: that service you posted about doesn't really do anything differently than Evernote.  Evernote can do all that and more, and it does it really well.
I've always thought Evernote would make an excellent journal/diary application.  You just open it, write whatever you want, and close.  The date will automatically be recorded, and that's the minimum requirement.  you don't even have to tag it, organize it, give it a title, or anything.  Just open it, write, close, done.

Now, here's the great part.  Evernote can work with just about ANY device commonly used.  Your computer, obviously, but both PC and Apple work.  Iphones, ipad, other cell phones...they can all use evernote.  Now, let's say your device can't do evernote for some reason, and here's the amazing part...all you have to do is write an email to your own specially assigned evernote address, and it will automatically get added to the database of notes.

Finally, ALL this information going back and forth from various places and devices, will be automatically synced.  Just amazing.  Think about it, what more do you want for a journal?

now, let's say evernote doesn't have enough specific journal features.  then just export it to a more robust application.  But if that's a strong need, then you're not trying to journal quite as casually as you've stated in the original post.  Then you can use some hardcore journal app (like the Journal).  but then, you probably lose all those amazing conveniences I described above.

3595

Living Room / Re: I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 05:46 PM »

Amen Brother~!
I hear you!
However, I don't see it happening soon, or soon enough.
The networks, studios, and affiliates have too much invested in the way things are. Giving people a way around them just isn't going to happen.
And then there are the international licensing agreements...
Nightmare.

-Renegade (August 18, 2010, 05:31 PM)

Yup...well, let me tell them what they SHOULD be doing:

1) start taking this stuff seriously.  Get all the agreements and licensing going.  But don't just go through the motions like Adobe and Apple.  Recognize that this WILL happen, and the first one of the major corps that does it is going to be the big leader.  So do whatever you gotta do and get it going.  Cross your t's and dot your i's and let's roll it out.  But they don't do that because they are comfy with whatever they have and it's a risk they are not willing to take.  Also, they are paranoid about all that copyright stuff.  You gotta do what youtube did which is intentionally allow the copyright infringements to get it going, and once you're big, then deal with the restrictions like they are doing now.  I can't upload any clips because they will immediately be fingerprinted.  They could've done that years ago, but they didn't.  because they KNEW they wouldn't get big doing that.

2) If you are NOT going to take this seriously, do NOT bitch about piracy.  I don't want to hear about it.  I'm not defending the illegal activity...I'm just saying I don't want to hear about it.  I'm TELLING you how to effectively deal with piracy.  If you don't want to do it, you are saying you would rather have the situation we have now, than to actually solve the problem.  So I'm done with you.  They throw the people a little bone like DVR and think that's it.  Sorry.  The pirates are WAY ahead of you.  Reminds me of how the porn industry is always the leader in revolutionizing media content distribution (VHS vs. beta).

3596

Living Room / Re: I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 05:38 PM »

Er...one more point:

What the heck is the deal with the excruciatingly slow channel changing speed with ALL digital services?  Really, what the F--K??!!  I hate it, I can't stand it, it makes me want to break something.  Now, I don't know exactly why (technically speaking) it's like that, but I'm pretty sure of one thing: they do it intentionally.  For some reason, the companies do NOT want us to be flipping around very quickly.  I don't know why, but I'm certain it has to do with money somehow.  Same reason why we don't see very many good replays during an NBA game.  The NBA (David Stern) absolutely does NOT want people seeing replays for every little questionable play.  So, instead, they fill the screen up with useless statistics and "special" commentaries during dead balls that could be used to show replays of what just happened.  Which is really what the people want to see.  i don't give two shits about how many games the Lakers have won Andrew Bynum gets over 12 rebounds...SHOW ME THE REPLAY THAT JUST HAPPENED!!

Arrgghhh!!!

3597

Living Room / I'm ready for the TV revolution to hit!

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 05:24 PM »

I know, this is yet another thread where I start to think about something for the first time even though it's already a hot topic among the people in the know.  Oh well...

I am officially ready for the TV revolution to take place.  We are still using an antiquated system shoehorned with a few modern touches (DVR, Digital TV, etc.).  The TV industry is holding on for dear life to their old ways.  They want us to pay monthly for all TV-specific services, when TV is nothing more than another feed that could (should, IMO) come through the regular internet connection.  Once again, I really want ISP service to be independent from all the other monthly services I pay for (TV, telephone, gas, electricity, etc.).  All I want is a data connection to the grid based on the bandwidth I require.  After that, I'll choose the other services independently knowing that I have the connection taken care of.  That is really the best way for the future.  I'm not even saying the company providing these services have to be different.  It can all be Verizon, but I want the services clearly distinct.  I know, I know...they already do that.  But wait, there's more.

So, now that the fundamental ISP service is taken care, let's start thinking about TV.  We can now get anything that is information (i.e. not electricity or gas) into our homes.  So, a cable TV connection or digital TV connection is not really another "connection".  It's just some information coming through my existing connection.  Since that is established, let's go ahead and change the way TV is watched.  Why should TV still be on a set schedule?  DVR's are already very common, what's the point of a TV schedule?  Why not have a system where we just decide to get whatever show we want whenever we want?  Instead of saying, "I'm going to record Seinfeld at 7:30pm on channel 13", why not just say, "I want episode 3 of season 5 of Seinfeld right now to save and watch later"?  I mean, isn't that really where we're trying to go?

The infrastructure and everything is already in place for this.  it's not like its a new technology that we have to wait for to become commonplace.  Ah!  But the TV industry will lose just about ALL of their existing moneymaking procedures that are in place.  The schedule forces you to watch the commercials (assuming it's live).  Even if you DVR, they don't let you skip the commercials.  They did initially, but there was a fuss, and now you can just skip using the FF button, which is totally lame.  Also, it would force people to get out of the habit of just surfing to see what's on.  For example, when I'm at someone's house and bored, I'll just flip through channels until I find something.  That's NOT how I like to watch, but that's how a very large majority watch TV.  Again, it's old school.  It's time to move on.

Next...channels?  Really?  What's the point.  i don't give a shit about this channel or that channel.  The TV access providers should just let you pick either the shows you want or the categories you want.  They can charge per viewing, or some kind of monthly package.  Ideally, they should offer as many flexible packages as possible.  I would gladly (read-->GLADLY) pay $50-100 monthly to have this kind of access to the shows and movies I want.

This is the only way to really compete with piracy, also.  The companies can come up with half-solutions like [technology restricted] DVR's, but don't let that fool you...the pirate experience is MUCH nicer.  I can go on my computer, find a torrent of some episode, have it downloaded in 10-15 minutes, and watch it right away...no commercials, no fussing around with menus and FF buttons, etc.  Bam...immediate satisfaction.  So what I described is the ONLY way for companies to offer a equivalent experience.  And again, money is not the issue...I have a fine job, I would be very eager to pay for that kind of service.  At least Netflix kind of got it right in a lot of ways.  Once they have more things available for streaming, that's going to be a huge deal and more towards what I'm talking about.

What really got me thinking about this today was Arrested Development.  I finally started watching this show, and it's brilliant.  one of the best shows I've ever seen.  A lot of people think so also.  So why was it canceled?  It's not certain, but most of what I've heard points to faulty or ineffective marketing.  Nobody really knew what the show was about.  So it got canceled due to poor ratings.  On the other hand, it was very highly critically acclaimed by both the public AND the industry.  That's weird.  But if the TV industry operated the way I described, it wouldn't matter, and the show would still be on.  The reason why it failed is because it had to meet the expectations of a "prime time" slot, and it didn't, so they had to pull it even though it was good and everyone knew it.

Prime time is useless.  Everyone should just be able to watch whenever they feel like it.  If I'm free at 7:42pm and I want to watch something, why should I wait until 8pm?  And then, why should I be limited to just whatever is available at 8pm?  Even though DVR has taken care of that, again, there's SO much more that can be done.  We're ready, the infrastructure is ready, it's all ready to go.

And then, we would see a lot more shows like Arrested Development being made.  Why?  because it wouldn't such a big risk to do it.  If they don't have prime time expectations, that means we can have MORE shows being made without the show having so much pressure to succeed.  There will be more creativity, more good quality shows, heck, even more bad quality shows.

So, I'm ready, how about you?

Who's comin' with me? Who's coming with me? Who's coming with me besides "Flipper," here?

You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do without freedom? Will you fight?

OK, back to work...

3598

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 02:55 PM »

The points that resonate with me are the beauty of the display <snip />  These are two issues that I predict the PC tablets will be worse at. 
<snip />

-superboyac (August 18, 2010, 12:36 PM)

It doesn't *have* to be that way, though.  The tc1100 has a glass display just like the iPad- and while I'm not *sure* that this makes a difference, my wife did notice it the first time she looked at it, and actually commented on it.  And she's a photographer, so she pays more attention to that kind of thing that I do.

-wraith808 (August 18, 2010, 02:14 PM)

It's a lot of little things like that, though.  Glass display, display size, resolution, etc.  Apple always seems to get those combos right for the most part (I'm not trying to start a debate here, I understand some people prefer matte displays vs glass, etc.).  For example, when I was considering the ipad, I looked at the screen size, resolution, and just the general crispness of it.  Then I looked at the various alternatives out there.  A lot of them simply had a significantly smaller screen, which I wasn't too thrilled about.  Then, others had a large screen, but the resolution was significantly lower than Apple's.  And so on.  I just don't get the approach.  if Apple is your enemy, and you are trying to compete, you have to offer a better product.  I'm not saying resolution is the end all be all argument, but a lot of people like me see the lower resolution and are immediately dissatisfied.  I'm like, No! I want the big resolution.  Then a lot of PC apologists will say it's not the resolution that matters but this and that about the graphics capabilities, etc.  Anyway, once again, my point is to other companies to get with it and do the things necessary to compete with apple, if that is indeed their goal.

3599

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 12:36 PM »

Just found this blog post: http://techpp.com/20...random-observations/

-sri (August 18, 2010, 12:38 AM)

His points sound reasonable, i like that review.

-superboyac (August 18, 2010, 08:43 AM)

Stay the course man, don't weaken...

 

-Stoic Joker (August 18, 2010, 10:46 AM)

Ha!  I know...
The points that resonate with me are the beauty of the display and the effectiveness of that virtual keyboard.  These are two issues that I predict the PC tablets will be worse at.  I've noticed that the apple displays seem to look better than other displays.  This is not scientific, just first glance kind of impressions.  But I've consistently noticed it.

Secondly, the virtual keyboard thing.  I haven't tried the ipad, but I've tried the iphone and various other non-apple virtual keyboards on phones.  The apple one is always much better.  I tried blackberry, i tried that big HTC one, and some other ones.  This is what Apple excels at.

All the apple-competitors need to really really pay attention to the little things like that.  They must, or they will continue to lose ground.  The PC people, what they usually do is put together a device that may have more capabilities than the apple, but they don't give these little things as much attention, and in the end, your day-to-day experience is not as enjoyable as the apple.  The PC tablets will have a more flexible OS (Android, Windows, etc.) they will have more programs that work on it, it will be able to DO more than the ipad, etc.   BUT...I will bet money that the virtual keyboard will not be as good.  That's my prediction.

3600

Living Room / Re: Should I buy a tablet pc, ipad, netbook, or other?

« Last post by superboyac on August 18, 2010, 08:43 AM »

Just found this blog post: http://techpp.com/20...random-observations/

-sri (August 18, 2010, 12:38 AM)

His points sound reasonable, i like that review.