Recent Posts

5276

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 03, 2010, 10:21 PM »

Actually I was thinking of alarms, not hourly chimes. The standard samples, and a lot of other suitable sounds, are so short as to be easily missed, but I don't want the alarm to repeat until cancelled.

-sagji (May 15, 2010, 02:07 PM)

Hm... Let me Mull that one over a bit - I got see how many worms come flying outa the can when I open it before comitting...

-Stoic Joker (May 15, 2010, 03:13 PM)

Okay, You win ... Alarms can now Chime the Hour.

-Stoic Joker (May 27, 2010, 09:59 PM)

I was only using striking the hour as an example,

-sagji (May 30, 2010, 07:25 AM)

Crap... (Didn't see that one coming.)

so would prefer something more flexible - such as a simple numeric.

-sagji

Okay, added that - Current Alarm (sound) Options Now:
 Ring once.
 Ring X Times.
 Ring/Chime the Current Hour.
 

Also when the alarm is specified using the 24 hour clock then at 6 pm it strikes 18 times not 6.

-sagji

I'm not really sure that needs fixed.

5277

Living Room / Re: Wii blamed on Child's Death: Guns looks like Controller

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 03, 2010, 09:24 AM »

+1 for Eoin

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this case is how easily mentioning video games in conjunction with a child’s death apparently deflects all media attention away from the stepfather’s decision to leave a loaded pistol within reach of an unsupervised 3-year-old child.

Yepper, that about sums it up nicely. ...And just for the record, I routinely carry a gun - which I am legally licensed to do.

5278

Living Room / Re: Linux based E-book reader with two touchscreens about to be released.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 03, 2010, 09:19 AM »

There's way too much (emphasis in marketing) cost involved in making things ultra thin. They are easier to break, more expensive due to the cutting edge tech involved in squeezing everything in a tiny package, and harder to cool - Read a book at the beach = Poof!

This thing is no thicker than an average (tree edition) book. and from a tactile stand point I'd say a bit nicer because of it (A book that's book like yet electronic).

5279

Living Room / Re: Has SEO ruined the web?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 03, 2010, 07:37 AM »

Okay, so noting this mine field, what advice would be offered to one trying to get a website positioned correctly for the topic its content is relevant to?

(Bear with me, I know this is only vaguely on topic)

I ask because I'm currently in the process of redoing the company website which we've never really tried drawing attention to...because it's hidious. The new site which will (hopefully be non-hidious) feature online shopping while showcasing the company (yada yada yada) will need to be created with the SEO madness in mind.

So... any advice on what I should/should not do/be doing?

5280

Living Room / Re: Linux based E-book reader with two touchscreens about to be released.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 03, 2010, 06:45 AM »

Now that looks interesting. Granted I have no interest in buying an Ebook reader, but this "fits" nicely with my sense of "correctness" (screen is protected by design when closed).

I wonder how the keyboard input is handled? On screen I'm assuming (didn't see anything in Vid).

5281

General Software Discussion / Re: X-Setup Pro now free, but abandoned

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 02, 2010, 03:59 PM »

*Shrug* Guess I can stop waiting for an updated version of X-Find now...

 

5282

General Software Discussion / Re: What to use to secure delete a HDD?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 01, 2010, 12:41 PM »

+2 for DBAN

5283

Living Room / Re: Google Ditches Windows on Security Concerns

« Last post by Stoic Joker on June 01, 2010, 12:35 PM »

So all we really need is a Mac port of the SnowWhite bugg (with looser file type restrictions) turned loose in G world so we can be done with this nonsense.

5284

Living Room / Re: Does DRM Kill the End of a Movie??!?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 31, 2010, 02:18 PM »

I'm not ruling out the firmware option, I just have no idea how to "flash" a television.

5285

Living Room / Re: Does DRM Kill the End of a Movie??!?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 31, 2010, 12:19 PM »

[Reguarding rant] Ya gotta admit folks, he's got style...

ROFL

I'm not really a movie collector - I see a movie once, and have no desire to watch it again, and again (, and again...). So I never really had an interest in the medley of knock-off methods. However I am really getting curious about then now...

-Stoic Joker (May 31, 2010, 11:43 AM)

There are a few movies that I have seen a trillion times. All of which I own on either VHS or DVD and in legitimate copies (not pirated).  Most though, I forget almost instantly and have no desire to see them again.

-Renegade (May 31, 2010, 11:58 AM)

I saw Stars Wars 6 times back when I was 15, and that was it. I've seen it again once or twice (Star Wars marathon on TV constantly) ... but I've no desire to own a copy.

Frankly IMO... Video piracy just became the Robin Hood of the 21st century ... And if I gotta take it in the ass every time I want to watch a movie...I might as well be wearing tights...

-Stoic Joker (May 31, 2010, 11:43 AM)

Ouch! I really don't like seeing some anal-rape in the rear-view mirror.

As far as I can see, there is some very nasty stuff going on that is simply 100% against the interests of the consumer. Who wants to screw their customers more than <insert answer here>?

-Renegade (May 31, 2010, 11:58 AM)

Damn Straight! ...Show me a movie or rock star driving a rusty Ford Pinto (just once) and then I'll believe there is a problem.

5286

Living Room / Re: Does DRM Kill the End of a Movie??!?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 31, 2010, 11:43 AM »

Hm... The DVD in my Comp is a Plextor PX-740A (over-burn capable Dual layer etc., etc.) - I hadn't really thought about the basic disk layout (DVD9) aspect of the issue. I rather assumed (...) that all the factory pressed DVDs were dual layer - causing the earlier disk copy methods to be lossy trying to "fit" the movie on what was available to consumers (single layer blanks) at the time.

I'm not really a movie collector - I see a movie once, and have no desire to watch it again, and again (, and again...). So I never really had an interest in the medley of knock-off methods. However I am really getting curious about then now...

The wife & I generally only rent movies on holidays because we're a bit low on family these days... and there is never anything worth sitting through on TV. So I've not a real large sampling size to work with. The three we just rented are:
Sherlock Holmes (which played fine)
2012 (which got thrown across the floor - but played fine in my 'puter)
Legion (which we haven't watched yet)

The Simpson's movie is the only other one that comes to mind (tho there were several others) that also played (or rather failed to played..) this shit also.


...Guess I'll be going on the market for a (non Sony) DVD player as the built in unit is too old for the current disk protection shenanigan level.


Frankly IMO... Video piracy just became the Robin Hood of the 21st century ... And if I gotta take it in the ass every time I want to watch a movie...I might as well be wearing tights...

5287

Living Room / Does DRM Kill the End of a Movie??!?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 31, 2010, 09:26 AM »

Okay, I'm allowing for the possibility that I could be nutz, but this has happened way too many times to be coincidence.

I've got an old(er) 52" flat screen (CRT) TV with a built in DVD player. I start watching a movie (which plays fine), then about half way through it, it suddenly looses its' abinity to load the next segment. If I try to hop past the "bad spot", it simply hangs on the next one also.

These are not knockoff copies. These are movies rented from BlockBuster.

I have in the past taken a movie back to get a different copy, but all copies "hang" (/exibit the same ill behavior) in about the same (half way through) place. Yet if I take the "defective" disk back to my office, it plays flawlessly in my computer - Which has a newer Plextor DVD.

So... Am I crazy? or is there some DRM "feature" that is confusing the old DVD player in my TV??

5288

Developer's Corner / Re: Recommend a general purpose IDE

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 29, 2010, 07:53 AM »

folding is important to me because i often work on a small screen laptop

Fortunately, thanks to the Scintilla component, there's no shortage of code folding freeware editors these days.

-Gwen7 (May 27, 2010, 09:37 AM)

-daddydave (May 29, 2010, 04:42 AM)

Now that's interesting (thinking of an old project that may be dustoff-able).

5289

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 28, 2010, 05:57 PM »

I have tested 7.2

The alarm crash has gone.

-sagji (May 28, 2010, 09:14 AM)

Hooray!

Is this the map you are looking for?
http://msdn.microsof...ms647003(VS.85).aspx
Versions 7 and 7.2 have the same version no in the file (2.0.1.111).
I have a vague memory of VS2005 having an auto build no option somewhere - presumably in the linker options section.

Um, no. That function is used to pull the version info from a compiled binary for version validation. It actually is already being used in/by T-Clock to verify that the correct .dll version is being used. Here's the actual code:

Code: C++ [Select]

1. //================================================================================================  
2. //----------------------------//--------+++--> Verify the Correct Version of tClock.dll is Present:
3. BOOL CheckDLL(char *fname) { //-----------------------------{ 2.0.1.52 }--------------------+++-->
4.         DWORD size;
5.         char *pBlock;
6.         char szVersion[32] = {0};
7.         VS_FIXEDFILEINFO *pffi;
8.         BOOL br = FALSE;
9.        
10.         size = GetFileVersionInfoSize(fname, 0);
11.         if(size > 0) {
12.                 pBlock = malloc(size);
13.                 if(GetFileVersionInfo(fname, 0, size, pBlock)) {
14.                         UINT tmp;
15.                         if(VerQueryValue(pBlock, "\\\0", &pffi, &tmp)) {
16.                                 if(HIWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionMS) == 2 &&
17.                                    LOWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionMS) == 0 &&
18.                                    HIWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionLS) == 1 &&
19.                                    LOWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionLS) == 111) {
20.                                         br = TRUE; //--+++--> Correct tClock.dll File Version Found!
21.                                 }else{
22.                                         wsprintf(szVersion, "Version: %d.%d.%d.%d",
23.                                                 HIWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionMS),
24.                                                 LOWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionMS),
25.                                                 HIWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionLS),
26.                                                 LOWORD(pffi->dwFileVersionLS));
27.                                 }
28.                         }
29.                 }
30.                 free(pBlock);
31.         }
32.         if(!br) {
33.                 char msg[MAX_PATH+30];
34.                 strcpy(msg, "Invalid file version: ");
35.                 get_title(msg + strlen(msg), fname);
36.                 MyMessageBox(NULL, msg,
37.                         szVersion, MB_OK, MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
38.         }
39.   return br;
40. }

But that won't help with automagically updating the build number at compiletime. I thought perhaps you knew of a compiler option or script that would auto update the code during the build process for the older project types - C# projects will happily increment the build number - But this ain't C#

5290

Living Room / Re: American Express Might Not Be Encrypting Your Credit Card Number Online

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 28, 2010, 05:39 PM »

Wow! ...That's bad on a whole new level.

5291

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 27, 2010, 09:59 PM »

Actually I was thinking of alarms, not hourly chimes. The standard samples, and a lot of other suitable sounds, are so short as to be easily missed, but I don't want the alarm to repeat until cancelled.

-sagji (May 15, 2010, 02:07 PM)

Hm... Let me Mull that one over a bit - I got see how many worms come flying outa the can when I open it before comitting...

-Stoic Joker (May 15, 2010, 03:13 PM)

Okay, You win ... Alarms can now Chime the Hour.

5292

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 27, 2010, 07:09 PM »

I have downloaded the 0.7 release.

I still get a crash in x64 by going to the alarm tab and closing the dialog.

-sagji (May 26, 2010, 08:56 AM)

If you could export the T-Clock config from the registry and either post it or send it to me, it will be easier for me to resolve - If I can duplicate the crash.

-Stoic Joker (May 26, 2010, 05:55 PM)

Reg export for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Stoic Joker's attached, also I don't see the same problem in my x86 machine.

-sagji (May 27, 2010, 08:58 AM)

Well, that was an elusive little bastard ... Apparently it rather picky about what it crashes. Server 2k3 x64 had zero problems with it - but my Win 7 x64 box did finally crash (the shell) when I exited the dialog.

So... (Few carefully placed whacks with a Hammer and...) it appears to be behaving now.

The about page doesn't give the version no, or date.

That's true, mainly because I've already got 4 places I have to manually update the build number (version tab of properties dialog) and I didn't want to add a fifth that I knew I'd forget.

The best solution to that is for the app to read the information, put in by the build chain, from the exe.

  Does that suggestion come with a map? I've seen the auto increment the build number option in/for C# projects - But this is written in pure (Win32 API) C using MSVS2005 - Which doesn't seem to automatically do much of anything.

5293

General Software Discussion / Re: church song software

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 26, 2010, 09:37 PM »

You don't. Just do attach=1, attach=2, etc. in the order they are uploaded.

5294

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

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 26, 2010, 05:55 PM »

I have downloaded the 0.7 release.

I still get a crash in x64 by going to the alarm tab and closing the dialog.

-sagji (May 26, 2010, 08:56 AM)

If you could export the T-Clock config from the registry and either post it or send it to me, it will be easier for me to resolve - If I can duplicate the crash.

The dialog still appears off screen.

That has to be an issue/conflict with the high DPI setting (which you mentioned many other apps exibited). I not really sure when/if I'll be able to resolve that one.

The about page doesn't give the version no, or date.

That's true, mainly because I've already got 4 places I have to manually update the build number (version tab of properties dialog) and I didn't want to add a fith that I knew I'd forget.

I wanted to check I was running the new version so I tried the SyncOpt - this dialog also appears off screen, I also get an error saying "can't open SNTP.log"

...Which is why I mentioned in the post right above us that it needed to be manually created.

some require manual interaction (SNTP.log creation/permissions)

-Me Above

- EasterEggs (by design) are supposed to require a bit of tinkering. - That's why they're not to be considered supported "features".

5295

Living Room / Re: It's Official: Apple Is Now Worth More Than Microsoft*

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 26, 2010, 05:27 PM »

PS I did consider loading Vista Ultimate on their iMac but can't see them using a dual-boot setup and doubt they'd enjoy running Windows as a VM. Thoughts?

-Darwin (May 26, 2010, 12:20 PM)

If some schlockmeister Crapple sales tool did that to my parents? He'd be dragged out behind the boutique for a quick lesson in instant karma. I've got slightly less than half the patience of a coked-out badger when it comes to that brand of nonsense.

-Stoic Joker (May 26, 2010, 01:50 PM)

Which nonsense - the VM/Dual booting Windows idea? Just checking...

-Darwin (May 26, 2010, 03:31 PM)

Wow! I royally fcsked that one up didn't I? 

I meant to quote (and was responding to) this part:

The obsequious Apple salesman kept going on and on about the superior "innovations" on the iMac (like streaming video!) and went on about the superior security, yada, yada, yada. I was with my mum for that embarrassing spiel. She and dad went and checked out Windows 7 machines on their own and went and bought the iMac without me. The same salesman convinced them that the iMac was competitive in terms of hardware at that price point. Ridiculous.

They paid $1300 for a 22' iMac

-Darwin (May 26, 2010, 12:20 PM)

Salesman probably told them a tall story!

-cranioscopical (May 26, 2010, 02:10 PM)

No it's part of the Super Secret Apple MacDonalds merger - They're calling it the iWhopper.

5296

General Software Discussion / Re: church song software

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 26, 2010, 05:18 PM »

but I have nothing to do with the coding part of the software.  Only as an end user who is trying to help improve the program.

-techidave (May 26, 2010, 02:00 PM)

Okay, just checking, I stumbled across that while trying to give the app a fair glancing over. Granted I'm an atheist, but there are several churches in our client list...

(Speaking of which) There is another app called PowerChurch (parishioner/donation management CMS sort of thing)that I've seen several times and it always has an office full of happy users. Are these two perchance related??

5297

General Software Discussion / Re: church song software

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 26, 2010, 01:57 PM »

Oh, I realize that Cpilot.  But out of 215,000 members and I am the only one who has an interest in something like this?  This forum gets a lot of posts for many different types of software, why not some church software too.  Besides its not like it is related to a certain denomination. 

-techidave (May 26, 2010, 05:46 AM)

Churches have networks too...

Just a quick question about the (impartial) review ... You're not the same techidave that's a moderator on the PowerWorship user forum, right?

5298

Living Room / Re: It's Official: Apple Is Now Worth More Than Microsoft*

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 26, 2010, 01:50 PM »

PS I did consider loading Vista Ultimate on their iMac but can't see them using a dual-boot setup and doubt they'd enjoy running Windows as a VM. Thoughts?

-Darwin (May 26, 2010, 12:20 PM)

If some schlockmeister Crapple sales tool did that to my parents? He'd be dragged out behind the boutique for a quick lesson in instant karma. I've got slightly less than half the patience of a coked-out badger when it comes to that brand of nonsense.

5299

Living Room / Re: What happened to my DC forum avatar?

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

I can hardly wait to find out what happened to 40hz's  avatar.

-ljbirns (May 24, 2010, 06:15 PM)

It's obviously being punnished for its absence

On a side note: Spell Check suggested I replace your name with lesbians   - Not an altogether bad idea...

5300

Living Room / Re: Power supply and SATA

« Last post by Stoic Joker on May 25, 2010, 05:26 PM »

  A Y cable with three outputs?