Recent Posts

4801

Finished Programs / Re: trivia bot

« Last post by app103 on February 11, 2007, 05:20 PM »

What chatroom application are you using to host your room?

Could it be Arca Eclipse (AE) for Ares?

If so, try looking here:  http://www.pure-indie.com

If not, we will need to know the name of the software you are using first in order to help.

4802

General Software Discussion / Re: WIndows Vista Ultimate ... worth upgrading ... CNET say no!

« Last post by app103 on February 11, 2007, 06:27 AM »

(10) Yeah right - just like Windows Movie Maker in XP - that was a real big winner wasn't it? You can bet your life if they were about to include something half decent they would be back in court before you could even say anti-trust.

-Carol Haynes (January 26, 2007, 05:32 AM)

My first introduction to that hunk of wasted hard drive space was in WinME. I didn't try it till I had already been running ME for about 5 years.

I was offline for a week and on the edge of losing my mind when I tried it. I was looking through my start menu for things I had never tried before, in an effort to find something to amuse myself with. It provided about 5 minutes worth of amusement.

I have no idea why it exists...and I don't know anybody else that does either.

4803

Living Room / Re: Will Wikipedia Run Out of Money and Disappear

« Last post by app103 on February 11, 2007, 04:05 AM »

If every high school in America donated 10% of what they raise in fundraisers for things like prom to Wikipedia, there would be no problems.

4804

Living Room / The Joy of Tech

« Last post by app103 on February 10, 2007, 04:35 PM »

Geeky humor, comics, e-cards, forum, etc....poking fun at all aspects of geek culture.

http://www.joyoftech.com/

4805

General Software Discussion / PacketGarden: grow your own planet

« Last post by app103 on February 10, 2007, 04:21 PM »

What is Packet Garden?
Packet Garden is an experimental artwork that seeks to provide an alternative and accessible approach to visualising daily internet use. It was commissioned by Arnolfini in 2006. See the homepage for a brief description of what it does.

Packet Garden captures information about how you use the internet and uses this stored information to grow a private world you can later explore.

To do this, Packet Garden takes note of all the servers you visit, their geographical location and the kinds of data you access. Uploads make hills and downloads valleys, their location determined by numbers taken from internet address itself. The size of each hill or valley is based on how much data is sent or received. Plants are also grown for each protocol detected by the software; if you visit a website, an 'HTTP plant' is grown. If you share some files via eMule, a 'Peer to Peer plant' is grown, and so on.

I'm worried about privacy, does Packet Garden tell anyone else about what I do on my computer?
Packet Garden only records a personal log for you to later explore in the form of a 3D garden. As looking at the source-code will confirm, this log doesn't leave your computer. If you're worried about others finding out where you've been on the Internet, don't show them the gardens you grow.

http://packetgarden.com/

4806

Living Room / Re: What is the most useless key on the keyboard

« Last post by app103 on February 10, 2007, 10:30 AM »

The turbo key.

All the combos except turbo+F11 don't even work. (and I can even live without that combo)

4807

General Software Discussion / Re: Scott Finnie, windows expert, switching to mac

« Last post by app103 on February 09, 2007, 06:44 PM »

Found this one today and it reminded me of this post:



http://www.joyoftech...ch/joyimages/915.gif

4808

Developer's Corner / Re: Any ideas for a small contest to give away a copy or two of Borland Dev. Studio?

« Last post by app103 on February 09, 2007, 03:43 PM »

I had a thought but I don't know if it was a good one...it probably isn't.

Instead of a prize for a contest, make it a reward for a job well done...

To the first person that completes all assignments from the programming school in all languages covered by BDS 2006.

But then I had the thought that it might not be such a good idea because by the time that happens, it might be kind of old...almost equal to giving away a copy of Delphi 6 or 7.

Another thought would be that people that already know what they are doing would just bang out the assignments and it would turn into a race just to get the reward and it wouldn't go to someone that really got something out of it and learned a lot from the experience.

Like I said...probably not a good idea. 

4809

Living Room / Re: long exposure photos of classic arcade games

« Last post by app103 on February 09, 2007, 06:04 AM »

"Tempest 1"
2001
digital c print
4 ft x 6 ft

4 ft x 6 ft????  That's HUGE!  

It's awesome though. (that Tempest 1 that appears in nudone's post is my fav one)

4810

Living Room / Re: Bigger is Always Better

« Last post by app103 on February 08, 2007, 03:37 AM »

All I could think about was "is this what tiny urls become when they grow up?"

4811

Developer's Corner / Free .NET Ebook by Charles Petzold

« Last post by app103 on February 08, 2007, 02:51 AM »

.NET Book Zero: What the C or C++ Programmer Needs to Know About C# and the .NET Framework

by Charles Petzold

This free on-line 267-page book is an introduction to C# and the Microsoft .NET Framework for programmers who have experience with C or C++.

Available as a .pdf or XPS

Source code also available.

http://www.charlespe...om/dotnet/index.html

4812

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

« Last post by app103 on February 08, 2007, 12:55 AM »

btw...mouser...if you ever need to build a fence, let me know. I am available and it will be the most beautiful sturdy work of genius you have ever seen. (I need to get pics of the one I did with my dad)

4813

Older Newsletters / Re: --> Newsletter for February 7th, 2007 - Codename "Helping Hands"

« Last post by app103 on February 07, 2007, 11:43 PM »

How about Florian Balmer, the author of Notepad2 (my favorite text editor)?  [email protected]

4814

The Getting Organized Experiment of 2006 / Re: Do wallpapers aid your productivity?

« Last post by app103 on February 07, 2007, 07:50 AM »

Usually the only part of my wallpaper I see is a small bit on the bottom left side that says "time to move on".



I don't keep my icons on my desktop and rarely see the full desktop unless I have just reboot.

On my other pc I made it a rule not to allow any wallpapers that weren't created by a member of my family. This encouraged artistic productivity in both my daughter & myself, while we tried to create something we could both live with. (we shared a single user account on it)

We eventually had a collection that was large enough to build a website for them, which was my first real "coding project" (I barely knew any html at the time)

I think more important than the actual wallpaper is your color scheme. It has to be comfortable or you will end up not able to use your pc for any long length of time.

While it was quite beautiful, this green theme was bad for my productivity because it caused me to get a headache after about an hour of pc usage (for my daughter it had the opposite effect and she loved it):



In case you are wondering why Windows default themes are based on blue, studies show that blue encourages productivity better than any other color. Windows color defaults were designed with office workers in mind. I can't remember the link to where I found that info, but I did come across it while doing some research on how various colors affect the human mind.

That could be very true, and it used to be my favorite color, but from experiences with Win98se I have hated that color ever since (too many BSOD's). 

4815

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

« Last post by app103 on February 07, 2007, 01:05 AM »

Considering the weight, and the fact that you rent an apartment, you might not want to build that all in one piece.

Bolstering a bookcase. Installing a wall-length floor-to-ceiling bookcase? You may have to strengthen the floor first. The average floor is built to withstand a load of 50 pounds per square foot, but the load of a filled bookcase is easily greater. Talk to a building inspector, carpenter, or an engineer before proceeding.

-http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=26217&pageIndex=7

You would have to bolt it to your wall and/or floor/ceiling to ensure it didn't tip over and kill you.

How would you ever get it out if you ever move?

I would probably build that case in parts of a width that would fit through my door.

Something like this:  


http://www.blackandd..._51_16109_16124.html


Something like this could be another option:



http://www.rd.com/am...9/bookcase/main.html

4816

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: InstantBoss - For those of us which require motivation to work

« Last post by app103 on February 05, 2007, 10:54 PM »

InstantBoss: there's no better boss in town...!
Thank you so much for this wonderful app.

-doublewitt (February 05, 2007, 08:17 PM)

and thank you for the compliments!

4817

Living Room / Re: Why Small Programs Can Take Years To Complete

« Last post by app103 on February 04, 2007, 09:30 PM »

Here is an interesting, related blog post that claims that Rosenberg has it all wrong: programmers don't like coding...they like problem solving.

http://rentzsch.com/...ammersDontLikeToCode

I don't know about anybody else, but I kind of agree with that, for me personally.

I am a puzzle freak...pure, plain, and simple. Even with games, I prefer a good puzzle over an action game. And I approach programming as part art and part puzzle...2 things I enjoy most, combined into 1.

It's like playing every great puzzle game and painting a picture at the same time.

4818

General Software Discussion / Re: Is there any way to abort a reboot?

« Last post by app103 on February 02, 2007, 07:33 PM »

On the other hand, i've seen a bunch of programs that can stop windows shutdown (a feature that i find MOST anoying). This means that processes that are already running can stop the shutdown. Anyone has any idea on how to do it?

-jgpaiva (February 02, 2007, 06:40 PM)

If you are referring to programs that won't allow Windows to shutdown when you want to shutdown, that is the fault of the programmer that coded it, not handling shutdown messages properly.

It's not a feature...it's an application bug.

This is usually an issue with tray applications or windows that minimize to tray rather than closing when you click the X. There is extra stuff you have to do in case the user wants to logoff/shutdown/reboot while your app is still running, or it will cause Windows to hang and not shutdown.

It was something I had to learn about and make sure wouldn't happen with Instant Boss when I was coding it, because I minimized it to tray instead of closing when a user clicks the X.

This page should tell you what you need to know about it:
http://msdn2.microso...ibrary/aa376884.aspx

I don't know if it can be done (and I wouldn't know how any way), but it might be possible to write an AHK script that would be specific to your situation and misbehaving apps, that would somehow close those naughty apps first by simulating the user clicking 'exit' from their tray icon menus...and then logoff, shutdown or reboot Windows for you.

Then you would just use that instead of the normal shutdown shortcut in the start menu.

4819

General Software Discussion / Re: A new kind of search: guided search

« Last post by app103 on February 02, 2007, 01:46 PM »

I tried this out with a tough search...one that has been driving me nuts for a few days now.

As some of you know, I run a site that lists freely available programming related ebooks, at no cost. It's a labor of love that doesn't make me a dime.

I recently received a request to add some ABAP related books, only I can't find any free ones.

I thought what better way to test ChaCha's service than to make that request there?

This was the results:

Spoiler

Status: Connecting ...
Status: Looking for a guide ...
Status: Connected to guide: KarenK
KarenK: Welcome to ChaCha!
You: hi
KarenK: Hi, how are you today?
KarenK: snowing here
You: good...u?
KarenK: great!
KarenK: here's a nice graphic of the ABAP language
You: i need ebooks only
KarenK: sounds like a great career choice
You: it's not for me
KarenK: lets see what I can find
You: i run a website that lists free programming ebooks...got an email request to add some ABAP books
KarenK: oh cool
You: but i can't find any
KarenK: would the language be close to any other language like ASP? anything that compares so I can look there as well.
You: no
KarenK: hmm, let me look further, I program in lots of lanugages if I had some I would give to you
You: lol
You: ty
You: i am a delphi programmer, myself
KarenK: that's cool
KarenK: any XML, XPATH, XLST?
You: I have those on my site already...not related
You: i had to look up on wikipedia to even know what ABAP was
KarenK: ok, just thinking what else I could give you
KarenK: it's pretty powerful
KarenK: I'm going to revise my search, hold on
You: this is harder than finding books for borland's c++ builder
KarenK: I agree
KarenK: I found syntax, reorts code opt and scripts
KarenK: reports
You: i only list full books on my site
You: it's for students that can't afford to buy books
KarenK: that is so cooll. what is your site name?
You: programmingebooks.tk
You: started as a text file in my chatroom targeted to self learners
KarenK: I'm gonna send this take a look, it's not what your looking for though
You: yeah, not exactly what i need
KarenK: there has to be a place.
You: I normally never list resource sites or tutorial sites...or partial books that are only sample chapters
KarenK: do you charge for these books?
You: no
You: they are intended to be freely available
You: i make nothing from my site
You: it's a labor of love
KarenK: wow
KarenK: good for you
KarenK: that's kinda what chacha is
You: i am also a donationware author...meaning my stuff is all freeware unless you feel like being generous
KarenK: I say that only because I find myself solving for XY and Z. helping student and folks who make big money programming sitting at work lookikng for answers
You: I deal with mostly college kids and younger looking for help to pass school assignments or for self learning as a hobby
KarenK: hey wiat
KarenK: wait
You: that looks promising
KarenK: sure does, even if it is $25.00
KarenK: not sure though
KarenK: I used to work for Siemens
You: I am not sure how i feel with their information gathering for something for free
You: sounds a bit fishy
KarenK: yeah, I know what you mean
KarenK: lots of scams out there
You: definately
You: one of the reasons for making my list
You: cut through the scams...and the illegal crap
KarenK: agree, you will be paid back for your efforts, you sound like a wonderful person
You: i am already paid over a million times just knowing i am helping people
KarenK: ah, that is beautiful
KarenK: ABAP used to be referenced as ABAP/4 in release 3. Might be something worth searching for
You: i have watched kids in my chatroom go from messing around with trojans & viruses to developing fantastic applications
You: changing their lives
KarenK: excellent!
You: things like that make it worth the effort
KarenK: okay, it's a scam. I selected the ABAP complete reference, went to check out and it costs $100
You: whoa!
You: and they have a paypal donate button on the site too?
You: they should be ashamed
KarenK: yup, unreal
KarenK: and there's no product reviews whatsoever
You: it's sad
You: I'll tell you what you can do if you want...
You: if you come across any books i don't have on my site...or later on find any really good ones, email me from my site and i can add them
KarenK: I have the complete sets on XML, HTML, lots of web stuff, and Visual Basic
You: you should see my list
You: it's over 300 books now
KarenK: programmingebooks.tk? that's the site?
You: yup
You: and that last link...not free...$61.25
KarenK: yup
You: thanks for the help though
You: much appreciated
KarenK: you are most welcome
You: have a great day
KarenK: you too
KarenK: Please RATE ME. Thanks for using ChaCha.
Status: Session ended.

Throughout the conversation, KarenK was pushing me various links to try, making the ones she thought were better rise to the top of the list. I could tell that she wasn't just shoving results at me but was actually visiting some of the sites, too.

Although I didn't find what I wanted by using ChaCha, the person I spoke with went out of their way to try to find it for me....including signing up and checking out if one of the sites was a scam....something you would never get from Google. (unfortunately it was a scam site)

And yes, it was fun & enjoyable...more than the last 2 days of unsuccessful Google searching for the same thing.

Considering today's experiences, even though I didn't get what I wanted, I just might keep this link handy in case I have another tough search to do.

Edit: added link to KarenK's profile

4820

Living Room / Re: be my valentine!

« Last post by app103 on February 02, 2007, 03:52 AM »

Those cards are funny.

But this one is actually sweet:

4821

General Software Discussion / Re: console: a great CMD.exe replacement application

« Last post by app103 on February 01, 2007, 07:22 PM »

Keep in mind that reviewing software that is still in beta is like critiquing art while the artist is still actively painting it.

The reason I didn't do the review on it back in September was because I felt funny about doing one on something that was still in beta....I didn't feel like it was fair.

I still don't feel it is fair, but because someone brought up the subject of this application, I felt that your right to know my findings outweighed my feelings about sharing them.

If anybody tries this and finds anything different than my initial observations from September, please let us know...especially if there are fixes to the negative things I stated.

I think once most of the bugs are out of this one, it will be a great tool.

4822

Living Room / Re: The Original Donation Coder!!11!!!

« Last post by app103 on February 01, 2007, 12:07 PM »

That picture is a classic.

(and there is a joke in my family about it because he looks just like someone we know...could pass for twins)

4823

General Software Discussion / Re: console: a great CMD.exe replacement application

« Last post by app103 on February 01, 2007, 11:55 AM »

I tested this one out a few months ago and it was MAJORLY buggy.

I don't know if it has improved much since September. Just be warned.

I was planning on doing a review on this one at some point and this is from my notes I made for the review. All of these issues could be fixed in the current version, I don't know.

At that time, this was my observations:

• There was no help file. Nothing to explain what any feature or setting was and how to use it. You were on your own and were meant to guess. Since this is a beta, that can be subject to change, and a help file may be included in a future release, or this one. At least I hope so.
  
• It needed more work on the GUI. There was still some bugs in it. Text would sometimes not show unless you resized the window slightly.
  
• Transparency was weird...not really transparent at all. It used the desktop as the background which can be kind of weird if there is another window under it. That will not show at all.
  
• Renaming tabs wasn't quite ready...it reverted back to original name.

To be fair, I'll post the good stuff too:

• Having tabs is a great idea...less clutter on your desktop, more organization.
  
• The idea that you can set it to 'pinned to desktop' is nice, too. That allows you to let the console window have focus while another window is on top of it. Handy for referring to data while you type into the console window.
  
• You can also highlight text like you would in any normal sort of Windows program by just dragging your mouse over it...no need to right click and select 'mark' first. Also if you set the hotkeys, Ctrl+C can be used to copy, just like in Windows. (anybody that has tried that hotkey combo in a normal console window knows it won't copy text there  )
  
• Hotkeys - You can assign hotkey combinations to various tasks such as copy, paste, new tab, rename tab, next & previous tab, switching to specific tabs, and close tab.
  
• Colors - You can decide what colors you feel like looking at. Not limited to the standard white text on a black background.
  
• Font options - You can select the font, size, and style most comfortable for you.
  
• Docking - pick any one of the 4 corners, or none at all.
  
• Z-order - You can choose from always on top, always on bottom, pinned to desktop, or regular.
  
• Transparency -  You don't have to have it solid, like in a traditional console window.
  
• Tray Icon - the full menu is available from an optional tray icon.
  

Combining settings, it is possible to get the illusion of typing directly onto your desktop, or the output of a console application right on your desktop.

This is a screenshot I did to demonstrate what I mean by that:

(the output you are looking at is from my silly madlibs game)

4824

Developer's Corner / Re: Free online computer books

« Last post by app103 on February 01, 2007, 07:32 AM »

Nice find! 

4825

Living Room / Re: Make Google Go Crazy,neet little javascript trick

« Last post by app103 on February 01, 2007, 06:57 AM »

The shorter version of the code from the link f0dder posted has a slightly different effect:

javascript:R=0;DI=document.images;function A(){for(i=0;i<DI.length;){DIS=DI[i++].style;DIS.position='absolute';DIS.left= (Math.sin(R+i/4)+1)*400;DIS.top=(Math.cos(R/2+i/4+1.6)+1)*400}R+=0.1}setInterval( 'A()',5);void(0)