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5126

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (beta - download)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 30, 2010, 06:48 AM »

In TClock 2010 beta I just tried to assign the mouse click options to various actions.
What I wanted to have is Left-click > Calendar (this one works) and Middle-click > TClock Properties.

This last one doesn't work. Known issue?

-xcopy (August 28, 2010, 05:34 PM)

Yes, MS used the middle button/mouse wheel click for an enhanced Alt - Tab menu on Win7 so it's no longer a viable option to try asigning something (esle) to it. Podnering that it on my To-Do list.

@mouser - Thanks for the tip, I'll look into it.

5127

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (beta - download)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 25, 2010, 06:32 PM »

Hi Stoic Joker,

thanks for pointing me to this thread via email.
I just installed TClock 2010 on my Win7x64 and it works perfectly (even the secret hidden it-which-must-not-be-named feature).

-xcopy (August 25, 2010, 11:40 AM)

LOL ...Good man.

Just one thing, compared to your TClock x64 1.01 which I used up to today:
when I use the same font settings for the Clock text the new text is way to bold even when bold is not selected (when it is, it goes ultra-creamy-bold).

This is what v1.0.1 displays with Verdana, 9pt, not bold:

And this is the same setting with v2010:

Actually it looks like ClearType was enabled but it's not.
Is there a way to make the text brilliant sharp like it used to be (please )?

-xcopy (August 25, 2010, 11:40 AM)

Well... Here's where I'm at (surprised nobody caught this before). I made a change in the way T-Clock creates its-own font at runtime that effectively creates a ClearType font (I was/am debating on making this a configurable option). The native Taskbar transparency is whats queering the deal here, because if you have a dark background the fonts look fine. White or pale backgrounds make the font appear to fuzz.

As an example of this behavior:


Notice it's crystal clear over the command prompt, but it gets fuzzy over the white?

I'm guessing from your screen-shots that you have a light-ish colored wallpaper, Yes?

If you can replicate the test, and confirm this behavior, I'll add including a toggle to the To-Do list so T-Clock's use of ClearType can be disabled internally. *Shrug* ...It seemed like the thing to do at the time - I was shooting for crisper fonts on a dark background - But I have been wrong before...




P.S. (Almost forgot) From your screen-shots, it looks like you need to increase the clock height setting a bit (+2 should do) so it stops cutting off the bottom of the g's

5128

Living Room / Re: Simple way to connect two computers (both XP) ?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 24, 2010, 06:19 PM »

As Shades eluded to above, workgroup name is only an issue if you are trying to browse machines using the GUI. Direct connect using \\IP Address bypasses the need for matching names.

Just out of curiosity...are the machines ping-able from each other when connected via cross-over cable? This has been a screwy enough issue that I'm half tempted to vitalize (damn spellcheck is on crack) virtualize a couple of XP Home machines just to see if I can duplicate it.

5129

Living Room / Re: Simple way to connect two computers (both XP) ?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 23, 2010, 11:35 AM »

• I'm logged into Admin accounts on both computers (neither uses a password)

-tomos (August 23, 2010, 11:23 AM)

I forget which Service Pack did it, but Network Access is blocked for accounts that have blank passwords.

5130

fSekrit / Re: Development: progress and thougts

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2010, 08:52 AM »

After recent events, I had to go back and double check on how the code for T-Clock was originally released. It was (thankfully) just included in the download with no strings attached to be used as a learning aid (according to Kazubon).

And it occurred to me; if I did release the code in the same fashion (which I'm inclined to do), and someone expanded on the work to create a commercial product that they got rich on (not likely but...), am I really willing to/interested in going through all the legal/lawyer crap? The answer is simply no. Frankly, any lawyer I could afford would get shredded instantly, so I'll be much farther ahead just saving the money.

Now you are the original author of FSekrit - A fine program indeed - But are you really willing to go through all the legal crap if somebody learned enough from your code to get ahead?

Just a Thought,
Stoic Joker

5131

Living Room / Re: Simple way to connect two computers (both XP) ?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2010, 08:31 AM »

IIRC There is no way to turn off Simple File Sharing (which uses the guest account) in XP home. Make sure the Admin accounts match (password), share the root of C: with everyone, enable the guest account, Turn off anything that even looks like a firewall, and use \\IP_Address to connect to the 2nd machine.

Obviously this is not something one would do in a production environment as it's a screw security and rip the thing open tactic (but if you're in a hurry... ).

Actually if you grab a copy of the Trinity Rescue Disk, and boot the target machine to that, you can select Samba No Security from the boot options menu and have free access to the target machine without any configuration changes. I don't remember if TRD supports APIPA but if it doesn't give itself an address it'll prompt you for one. APIPA range is 169.254.x.x/16

5132

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (beta - download)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2010, 07:53 AM »

Yes, it's one of the items I still need to tweak a bit. It was added during the high DPI tests and I never checked it at the normal (default) settings - which apparently I should have. It will be fixed before the next build is released.

5133

Living Room / Re: HOSTS File for malware prevention

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2010, 06:53 PM »

OpenDNS would be a better way of effecting the same thing as it can be configured in a single location (the network border) and can be used to block many other network nuisances (FaceBook).

5134

T-Clock / Re: T-Clock 2010 (beta - download)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2010, 10:35 AM »

Drag and drop functionality is already built into T-Clock so I'm willing to explore the file rename option there. Adding something to the context menu would force me to have a method of removing it (read uninstall procedure) other than just deleting the clock's folder. So I'll leave that to one of the myriad of other apps out there more oriented toward file management.

@sagji - I know I still owe you a clean (no borked manifest) build, but I've been wrestling with how best to do what with which compiler (VS2005 vs. VS2010). I just don't like VS2010 ... So I've got to run a few test on some of the other (office/work) projects to see if I can decide if the switch is worth it.

Speaking of work/office projects, I've gotten tied up in a large in-house deployment that has had (and will continue to have) me tied up to the point that I'm to fried when I get home to work on T-Clock. Hopefully it will calm down a bit in a month or so and allow me to take another run at the project. I'm just spread a bit to thin these days so I had to drop something before I either screw it up or burn myself out (Which is getting annoyingly easy at my age).

5135

Living Room / Re: How much would it cost to create my own high-speed server hosting solution?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2010, 07:46 AM »

The phrase Out of the frying pan & into the fire comes to mind.

Of the 3 servers on our office network two have public access services. We have an Exchange mail server and 3 websites spread between them. Pipe into the building is a fractal T1 ($250mo) - which hasn't given any performance issues... Yet.

Traffic on the websites is extremely low - Less than 2,000 hits a month for the trio. Exchange traffic is either really high, or really, depending of you count the spam (I love GFi MailEssentials) 80,000 total, 2,00 valid, per week. Point being the sites are mainly static pages with some dynamic stuff backed by a SQL db. There is no Video Streaming, and I've been fighting tooth & nail to prevent any flash movies from being added just so I can maintain the fragile balancing act that is our visitors x content to bandwidth ratio.

If the boss came to me tomorrow, and said we were going to be adding a series of streamed videos to the site - as much as I like having my very own servers to play with - I would also (as the crew above) have to go for/recommend/insist on commercial hosting. It's a go big or go home game, that you're either all in...or about to be killed. The middle ground disappeared years ago.

5136

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 20, 2010, 05:29 AM »

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.

-superboyac (August 19, 2010, 10:14 PM)

Yes! Signup Now to Target Yourself with High Pressure Sales Tactics. Nevermind what the product Does...You Need One Now! And With Our "Flexible" (as concrete) Licensing Plans, You Can Get One for the Entire Staff!!! (for only $3 less than a Kings Ransome).

5137

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2010, 04:01 PM »

Stoic, what software do you use to setup the remote connections?  Do you just use the Remote Desktop Connection that comes with Windows?

-superboyac (August 19, 2010, 02:34 PM)

Yes. But, Home PC will need to be a Professional/business edition - Home editions do not have Terminal Services bits necessary to connect to them (from is fine)

What do you use for a client?

Same, you can either memorize the connection info or save a .rdp file on your ThumbDrive. There is a downloadable install copy of the client software, but it's only needed for the rare NT4/Win2k case.

What if I'm on a mac, is there a way to connect to my XP PC at home?

 
Then you have my sympathy... ...As I understand there is a Mac version of the MS RDP client available. As long as Home PC is a Business or Professional Edition yes.

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?

Yes it's a direct connection to the remote machines desktop, so whatever project you were working on can be accessed directly - Just like you were there. The MS RDP is much like Symantec's PC Anywhere or a VNC connection except it's smooth, fast, and doesn't waste a ton of bandwidth.

If you choose to connect the local drives using the RDP config option, then any drives available to the machine you are connecting from will be made available to the machine you are connecting to. I usually just connect the clipboard so I can cut and past text between local and remote machines (even if you're connected to 4 or 5 at a time - as I frequently am).

5138

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2010, 01:35 PM »

I spend most of my day working via Remote Desktop to the various internal and external servers I manage. I seldom ever have any issues. The occasional lag is hardly noticeable, and basic printing to local devices (I've never tried large graphics) works fine.

Only real lag prone area is when you try to browse local drives (deep into large file systems) using the connect to local drives feature. But as long as you stay close to drive root and leave the window open it's not hard to deal with.

Well over half of Page Countster was written and tested at night while I was connected to my office comp via RDP.

5139

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2010, 01:31 PM »

Yepper App nailed it.

You are just a set of ad watching eyeballs to them. Nothing more.

-app103 (August 19, 2010, 12:53 PM)

I just got this mental picture of the Geico mascot bleeding its money bundle into a TV set and then vanishing.

5140

Living Room / Re: ultimate insult from fraudulent ebay seller tries to sell me iPhone 4

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2010, 11:41 AM »

it is true that the "security questions" i've been asked to select and answer are never that difficult to guess - that is, by someone who knows me, knows my history. i'm not sure a total stranger could guess them; perhaps it is best to simply concoct a set of fantasy answers to your own security questions - that way, there will never be any history of them for someone to find (or guess).

-nudone (August 18, 2010, 03:25 AM)

As long as you can keep your fantasy life straight, yes that is a good plan (That I've used to an extent).

The thing in my case is I had not set or been asked to pre-set up any security questions they used.  And if I had, I would not have used, or for that matter even thought of using, a 14 year old previous address or year & make of my wife's (joint titled) car.  And I know I've never used either of these two things as a security question anywhere before.

-bob99 (August 19, 2010, 10:40 AM)

The DMV has a website for online renewals - this site has a search function.

90% of hacking is Social Engineering. You start with a name, do a property search, now you have a list of addresses.

What schools are in that district? (oops!)

What are their mascotts? (oops!)

Does the school's website have a section for the faculty (most do)
Does this section show the how the faculty has changed over the years (not uncommon)

Approximate the age/year target went through school, cross out the ones that look like a bitch, how many choices for "Favorite Teacher's name" are there now? (shit!)

On the amount of money that was trying to be accessed, I've read before in some cases if outsiders get access to an account of some type, or many accounts of a number of people, they make relatively small purchases.  Small purchases can slip through easier.  And a bunch of small purchases can add up to more $$ than wiping out one big account.

-bob99 (August 19, 2010, 10:40 AM)

Bingo!

5141

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2010, 09:08 AM »

(waxing anthropomorphically) So it takes position as an Efriend that consistently asks "How was your day?", and then affords you a forum to expound upon it. Clever idea indeed.

5142

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 18, 2010, 10:46 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.

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

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

 

5143

General Software Discussion / Re: SmartWhoIS GiveAwayOfTheDay License Key.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 17, 2010, 02:27 PM »

Hadn't heard of the others, I've always used a free command line app called wWhois by SoftGears. I've been using it for years and it never misses.

I just did a quick check and it seems they've vanished. but I did find a (shareware) GUI version that looks quite nice called Whois 2010 Pro that has a lifetime license for $7.77


Update: Cnet still has a copy of the old (free) Command Line wWhois.exe available here - Apparently it came out in 2002, but it still works on Win7 x64 (So me no change).

5144

Living Room / Re: Simple way to connect two computers (both XP) ?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2010, 11:21 AM »

Assuming the XP defaults of DHCP & APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) both machines will self assign IP addresses in the 169.254.x.x network range when the cross-over cable is connected between them (time-outs being what they are, this tends to take a while 5-10min) This should work fine for your (quick-N-dirty) purposes.

5145

Living Room / Re: On the Web: Google net neutrality stance gives Net’s future to corporations

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 13, 2010, 03:23 PM »

Now do you think I can go into a phone store and fine a (unicorn) plain god damn phone? No. Best I can do is a clamshell with GPS - as if anybody can find (or even see) anything on a 1 inch map. It's a stupid pointless gimmick - that will probably get you killed if you ever actually try to use it.

-Stoic Joker (August 13, 2010, 01:02 PM)

You've just proven my point.

-CWuestefeld (August 13, 2010, 01:47 PM)

That's a hell of a leap.

The reason your phone has a GPS in it, is not that the manufacturer thinks it's a nifty gimmick that they can foist on you. It's because of government regulation. The FCC's regulation for E911 service require that cell phone providers be able to locate a phone geographically.

Read the bold part a few times...

You're being forced to buy a GPS because some government regulators decided that your personal values are not important, and that their own ideas should determine how you spend your money.

Cell providers being "forced" to include GPS location of phone = a GPS Beacon Only - fine - I don't really care. That doesn't affect my usage of the device.

Cell providers being "forced" to include GPS location of phone - Does not mandate that the phone have a bunch of usless buttons that control 7 different flavors of GPS MAPING Software that I have no use for and have to trip over constantly. That Is a Bunch of Useless Gimmicky Crap! The FCC never mentioned that as being a requirement ... Now did they?

5146

Living Room / Re: On the Web: Google net neutrality stance gives Net’s future to corporations

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 13, 2010, 01:02 PM »

And what part of that connects want and need as identical? You're arguing intrinsic value. I don't really care if someone else doesn't (realize) think they're getting screwed. I'm just annoyed by the marketing trends that trying to force people into thinking that they need something, when they don't.

I truly do need a cellphone for my job. What I do not need is a web enabled "smart"phone with texting, GPS, video chat and an entire laundry list of other crap that I have no interest in using. Now do you think I can go into a phone store and fine a (unicorn) plain god damn phone? No. Best I can do is a clamshell with GPS - as if anybody can find (or even see) anything on a 1 inch map. It's a stupid pointless gimmick - that will probably get you killed if you ever actually try to use it.

Nor can I get shed if the inane charges for the silly crap. Every time some dipstick decides to zing me a text message, the carrier in their infinite stupidity, enable texting on my account and delivers the frigging thing. Why..? Because they have this really cool gimmick that auto enables any "feature" on first "use", that then slam charges you for the rest of time.

Just because some book on marketing economics says it's business as usual doesn't make it right. The word quality never appears in advertising any more - but Super, Ultra, Hyper, Cool & Kewl do, constantly. ...Now why is that?

5147

Living Room / Re: On the Web: Google net neutrality stance gives Net’s future to corporations

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 13, 2010, 11:53 AM »

Too many people are getting way too rich these days by gimmicks instead of providing a service that people need.

-superboyac (August 12, 2010, 03:07 PM)

I'm sorry. I see that other people are agreeing vehemently with this idea. But it's poppycock. You don't get rich without providing something that people want.

-CWuestefeld (August 13, 2010, 09:16 AM)

Sorry man, but you've already hit the wall coming out of the gate. You have Want and Need confused - They are not synonyms.

You can easily make people think (IT's COOL) they want something (Pet Rock anyone??!?) ... But do they really need the damn thing?? No. e.g. it's just a gimmick - to hook people in.

Research and testing are apparently far to expensive (i guess), so companies these days just bundle together spitball-ed wads of whatever to toss at the public in the hopes it will catch ahold of the cool wave without the slightest regard for whether or not anybody really needs the silly POS.

5148

Living Room / Re: On the Web: Google net neutrality stance gives Net’s future to corporations

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 13, 2010, 06:50 AM »

Too many people are getting way too rich these days by gimmicks instead of providing a service that people need.  That's why these things are happening.  The underlying intentions of all these companies is a gimmick rather than a service that people are demanding and need.  So instead of trying to address the desires and needs of their customers, THEY tell the customers what they SHOULD want.  I hate it.

-superboyac (August 12, 2010, 03:07 PM)

Right on man!

While I do 100% agree with your entire diatribe, this is my favorite part. It's a rant I've gone off on IRL many times - How ever I generally fail to complete it without using the F word about 9 times.

5149

Circle Dock / Re: Goodbye all, I'm out of here effective immediately

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 11, 2010, 11:38 AM »

Wow

-Eóin (August 11, 2010, 11:10 AM)

Yeah - Damn - Did not see that one coming.

5150

Living Room / Re: Bermuda Triangle Solved

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 11, 2010, 07:16 AM »

The explosion would also sink any ships and oil structures in the vicinity and create a tsunami which would head toward Florida at 600 mph.

-app103 (August 10, 2010, 11:15 AM)

Oh goody... There's something to look forward to (I live in Florida).

-Stoic Joker (August 10, 2010, 11:36 AM)

Whoa.  Me too!

-parkint (August 10, 2010, 06:20 PM)

Damn - according to the map you're in the next county over (about 20mi from me) - Well Howdy neighbor!