Recent Posts

4876

General Software Discussion / Batch photo filter software?

« Last post by 4wd on December 29, 2009, 04:15 AM »

Hi folks, having just spent the last 2-3 days scanning 1800 slides I am in need of some software, (preferably free), to automate the next process.

All(?!) that is required is the ability to batch run a Photoshop compatible filter, (Polaroid's Dust & Scratch), over all the images and save to JPG output from TIFF input.

While I'd lose some quality over the final output compared to running the standalone version of the filter, I don't mind because this is purely a BTN archival purpose.

Sounds simple but the programs I've tried don't seem work too well handling 8bf filters externally.  Most either don't work at all or don't support 8bf filters in their batch commands.

eg.
XNView - Becomes unresponsive and doesn't handle 8bf in batch commands.
Image Analayzer - Same as XNView.
GIMP - Couldn't even work out how to use it on the image, (image processing software isn't a high priority function of my existance).
Paint.com - Mentioned in a DC thread, it did work but can't do batch processing.
IrfanView - Same as XNView.

I don't particularly want to learn Photoshop's wierd and wonderful way of doing things, (nor do a massive download just to see if it'll do it), since I'll likely never use it again.

So, anyone have any suggestions?

Or if anyone knows of a freeware image processor that can do Dust & Scratch removal as good as Polaroid's I'll be happy with that too

4877

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Firefox startup faster.

« Last post by 4wd on December 28, 2009, 10:04 PM »

Actually it's for the OS Prefetcher, it's a, (generally), little known switch which, (IIRC - been a few years since I played with it), specifically loads the executable into the Prefetch data directory instead of relying on Windows' usage algorythmns to preload it.  Wikipedia mentions it under Incorrect tweaking of the prefetcher in the Prefetcher^w article.

The prefetcher for Firefox is (dis|en)abled under the about:config screen.

The value required is network.prefetch-next which is set to a default of True.

4878

General Software Discussion / Re: Alternatives to Daemon Tools?

« Last post by 4wd on December 22, 2009, 04:37 PM »

Just checked out Pismo File Mounter in a virtual machine, here's from the install log:

-f0dder (December 22, 2009, 07:53 AM)

Hey, I didn't say it didn't install a driver

I just pointed out how it worked.  With the SDK you could write modules for all kinds of archive/image access.

4879

Living Room / Re: Best. Shop. Ever.

« Last post by 4wd on December 22, 2009, 03:41 AM »

Is it there yet?  Is it there yet?  huh..huh?

 

4880

General Software Discussion / Re: Alternatives to Daemon Tools?

« Last post by 4wd on December 21, 2009, 10:36 PM »

PFM is read-only for ISO images.

I use it all the time for ISOs that don't need to be "inserted" into a drive, (eg. DVD Video).

It's a simple matter of right-click->Quick Mount and then double-click the ISO to access the files via Explorer/DOpus.  Applications can directly access the files in the ISO but will have to save any changes to somewhere else, (as is the case for a real CD/DVD ROM).

If you need to mount the ISO to a drive letter, then there is also Microsoft's own free VirtualCD Control Panel.  Standalone, (un)install the driver, (un)mount images - pretty basic but good to carry around on your Flash drive.

4881

Living Room / Re: How to stop junk [snail] mail?

« Last post by 4wd on December 21, 2009, 10:20 PM »

You should be able to charge them fees for storage of the material until they come and collect it if you didn't request it.

You've got nothing to lose by sending off an invoice to one of the companies sending the sh!t to you - just make sure you've kept it all if they want it back

4882

Living Room / Re: I'm beginning my experiment with Linux and other OS's.

« Last post by 4wd on December 20, 2009, 04:53 PM »

... it is still not even close to the level I am accustomed to with Directory Opus.

-Shades (December 20, 2009, 04:09 PM)

If you don't mind going back to DOpus' Amiga origins you could try Worker.
From the Directory Opus 4 Research Project:

Worker  is a pretty accurate clone of the original Amiga DirOpus. It nearly looks and feels like the original. Distributed under the GPL.

4883

What's the Best? / Re: Video conversion: What's the best (freeware or shareware)?

« Last post by 4wd on December 19, 2009, 10:41 PM »

My favourite converter for MPEG4 ASP/AVC output is StaxRip.

The latest version has quite a number of preset profiles but it's easy to create and add your own.  The first time your fire it up it has help prompts for each step/action.

4884

General Software Discussion / Re: Printliminator

« Last post by 4wd on December 19, 2009, 05:06 PM »

There's another online one called PrintWhatYouLike that has been around for a while.

4885

Living Room / Re: How would you improve a standard PC keyboard?

« Last post by 4wd on December 18, 2009, 10:21 PM »

I suppose taking away the useless Scroll Lock key and Windows menu key?

-kakarukeys (December 18, 2009, 09:57 PM)

The Scroll Lock key is not useless for those of us who play Joint Operations, (or any of the Novalogic games).  Toggling it is the equivalent of holding down the forward motion key, (known as AutoRun ), and it's function can't be remapped, (although I suppose the useless CapsLock could be remapped to Scroll Lock - dammit, why didn't I think of that before!  Then I wouldn't have had to reach across the keyboard to use it...).

4886

General Software Discussion / Re: Two users with own KVM(keyboard, monitor, mouse) on one Windows PC?

« Last post by 4wd on December 18, 2009, 06:17 PM »

Not free but reasonably cheap from DealExtreme:

NC120 UXP - US$45.90
NC300 1-to-3 User - US$62
NC220 - US$65

Note these are copies of the real NComputing devices but if you want to try one and don't need USB the NC120 might work out OK.

EDIT: You'll need one Ethernet port per device also but they're reasonably cheap to add, (the NC300 comes with a 3 port card).

NOTE: I'm not recommending you get these from DX, just pointing out they are available.  If you want to be sure you get one that works, then buy from NComputing or another brand name company.

A quick look over SourceForge seemed to reveal that there is possibly software available to do the same, (mostly Linux based), but you'd still need to supply your own thin client hardware.

4887

Living Room / Re: The Great Aussie Firewall to Go Ahead

« Last post by 4wd on December 16, 2009, 07:27 PM »

I wonder how long it will br before someone suggests the Great Firewall be used to assist Big Media.

-Ehtyar (December 16, 2009, 03:35 PM)

I believe that was one of it's functions in the initial proposal, (can't find a link right now), so it's already primed for BM use.  I'm sure quite a few torrent search/tracker sites are already on the blacklist.

Sorry 4wd, that was the largest I could find. Seems to only come in roughtly 300x300.

No probs, guess I'll have to improvise.

4888

Living Room / Re: Win7 Bug - New windows/notifications do not get focus

« Last post by 4wd on December 15, 2009, 10:46 PM »

Could be accidental triple-clicking as well: the double-click opens an application, then the instantaneous third click gives focus to the desktop or whatever window it happens to hit.

-tranglos (December 15, 2009, 08:25 PM)

I realised that but the fact that it only seemed to be happening on Win7 and not the previous Vista installation I made the assumption, (I know, I know...), that they could tell the difference between accidental triple-click or not.

4889

Living Room / Re: Win7 Bug - New windows/notifications do not get focus

« Last post by 4wd on December 15, 2009, 06:47 PM »

When it happens is the mouse positioned over the area where the window opens or over another area/window?

The last would imply Active Tracking may be enabled along with the option to raise windows made active by this tracking.

4890

Living Room / Re: The Great Aussie Firewall to Go Ahead

« Last post by 4wd on December 15, 2009, 05:41 PM »

BTW Ehtyar, where'd you dig up that picture of the Chairman?

I need one that's 1680x1050

4891

Living Room / Re: The Great Aussie Firewall to Go Ahead

« Last post by 4wd on December 15, 2009, 03:43 AM »

I tried to think of something intelligent and articulate to say regarding this abuse of power by the technologically illerate cretins but all I could really come up with was.....

F@#$&^$ S!@%H%$#+!!!!!!!!!

4892

Living Room / Re: How to un-Google yourself

« Last post by 4wd on December 15, 2009, 03:24 AM »

So you're saying the ATF/FBI are going to have to kick down a lot of doors just to find you?!   

-zridling (December 15, 2009, 02:35 AM)

Yep, and by the time they get to Australia I'm sure their legs will be a few inches shorter

4893

Living Room / Re: How to un-Google yourself

« Last post by 4wd on December 15, 2009, 02:11 AM »

Gee, I never realised how cool I am, let's see:

A Real Estate agent
A UFOlogist
A Parliamentarian
A Professor
A Doctor of Psychology
A Footballer (in their dreams!)

Guess I'm just lucky to have a reasonably common name, I'm probably buried 30+ pages deep within any of Googles search results if I even appear.....which is fine by me

4894

General Software Discussion / Re: Video player: What's the quickest (fastest/lightest)?

« Last post by 4wd on December 14, 2009, 06:12 AM »

MPC-HC will let you set a variable audio delay, Options->Audio Switcher->Audio time shift (ms).  You can also advance/delay the subtitles in steps of 500ms, (F1/F2), won't affect hardcoded subs naturally.

Variable rate playback is limited to specific steps: 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0, (Cntrl-Up/Down).

Since this is only likely to occur on AVI files wouldn't it be better to remux, (AVI-Mux GUI), the file so that audio/video will always be in sync?

With subtitles, just load the subtitle file into ReSync, (part of VobSub), or Subtitle Edit set an appropriate delay and save the output with the new offsets.

4895

Living Room / Re: Win7 Bug - New windows/notifications do not get focus

« Last post by 4wd on December 13, 2009, 07:31 PM »

Are you crazy?!?

Many is the time I wish XP, (and Windows in general), would work that way...please, please, please tell me how you did it

4896

General Software Discussion / Re: Video player: What's the quickest (fastest/lightest)?

« Last post by 4wd on December 13, 2009, 07:12 PM »

or taxes?

-Shades (December 13, 2009, 03:41 PM)

Taxes take from you - it doesn't fit the first part: "The more from it you take...."

4897

General Software Discussion / Re: Video player: What's the quickest (fastest/lightest)?

« Last post by 4wd on December 13, 2009, 01:28 AM »

Yeah, but it seems like you have to be able to solve the riddle to find out what to enter in the registration fields.

-superboyac (December 13, 2009, 12:31 AM)

Sorry, missed that bit.

Using Google Translate, I get: "Then have a little break a head, I hope all will end well."

Which makes a little more sense if, for example, the program phones home to check the validity of your claim to be Russian speaking.

4898

General Software Discussion / Re: Video player: What's the quickest (fastest/lightest)?

« Last post by 4wd on December 12, 2009, 06:08 PM »

The Russian SLO.RU states Light Alloy to be freeware, so the answer to the riddle may not be too difficult, for Russians... (unless the SLO version is a special SLO-Russian version).

-Curt (December 12, 2009, 04:31 AM)

Actually it says on the Softella website: Free for the Russian speaking population.

So, technically, if you can speak Russian you can use it for free.

4899

General Software Discussion / Re: Video player: What's the quickest (fastest/lightest)?

« Last post by 4wd on December 11, 2009, 08:42 PM »

- is this ALL true? To my (lack of) understanding, if I press Close, MPC will merely close the file, and stay in position on screen, not Close-and-minimize-to-systray. But of course, MPC also has hundreds of keys and settings, I might not have reached the proper combination yet.

-Curt (December 11, 2009, 06:12 PM)

Now you've provided more info, so:
a) MPC-HC will minimise to the Taskbar and perform as I said above regarding the BossKey.
b) If you have selected to use the Tray icon, it will minimise to the Tray icon when you press the BossKey but will not re-open when you double-click another video file - as you found with SPlayer.
c) When I click the Close button in MPC-HC, it closes...period.  The file closes, the interface closes, the program exits.  It doesn't Minimise-on-Close and I can't find an option for that.
d) If I select File->Close or use the keys for Close, then it does as you describe.  There is no Minimise-on-File Close option.

4900

Living Room / Re: Motherboard Advice Needed

« Last post by 4wd on December 11, 2009, 06:27 PM »

I know this may seem a rather dumb question but....

What motherboard form factor is required?

The Dell Inspiron 530 looks like it could be a mATX board and we don't know whether you transplanted it into a mATX case or a full ATX case.

Addendum: This picture I found for the Dell Inspiron 530 motherboard shows it to be mATX.