Recent Posts

5401

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Internet Explorer Address Bar Search Utility

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 21, 2011, 09:17 PM »

I would use that in a second, Windows 7 here, however

-Josh (February 21, 2011, 09:00 PM)

I'm running FF 3.6.9 on W7 32 bit and this gives me google search in the address bar( or location bar.. whatever they are calling it this week )

http://www.techzilo....refox-google-chrome/

5402

General Software Discussion / Re: Google set to steal Opera's thunder yet again, decides to eliminate url bar

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 21, 2011, 09:10 PM »

To me Windows7 Wordpad is totally useless for that reason. I use another editor for .rtf files.

-MilesAhead (February 21, 2011, 03:35 PM)

hey!  Don't leave me hanging man!  What do you use for an rtf editor?  I have NEVER found a good specific rtf editor.  Please, tell.

-superboyac (February 21, 2011, 07:15 PM)

I've only used it on occasion so I don't know how it will bear up under heavy usage.  Atlantis Nova is what it says. It gives this for home page:

http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en/

5403

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: WinX DVD Author, Free & Clean

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 21, 2011, 03:50 PM »

finally went freeware after being on giveaway sites around the internet several times.. never had the chance to try it though.

-lanux128 (February 21, 2011, 07:06 AM)

Haven't tried the Author app but I tried a couple of variations on the Ripper by this publisher.  As you say, GOTD is how I got it.  I took them off within a couple of days. After trying this and a couple from other publishers I've come to the conclusion if the program insists you have a disc in the optical drive or it won't continue, it's a waste of time. To test for bad output you have to use a slow erasable disc for the burn instead of just producing a VIDEO_TS folder.

The converters worked ok for the common cases if you ran them at highest quality slowest speed.  But too often the aspect ratio of the output was messed up.  People either tall & skinny or with really wide shoulders and fat heads.

5404

General Software Discussion / Re: Google set to steal Opera's thunder yet again, decides to eliminate url bar

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 21, 2011, 03:35 PM »

Seems like a horrible idea to me -- just like this move to get rid of menu bars, etc. all seem like bad ideas to me.  Just give me a standard user interface and stop all this obsession with hiding everything.

-mouser (February 21, 2011, 11:22 AM)

I never met a ribbon I ever liked. I don't see the utility in burying everything in context sub-menus under one button.  That's the worst "feature" of Chrome/Chromium is that wrench thing.  A program you know how to use that becomes unusable after one "improvement" is not improved. To me Windows7 Wordpad is totally useless for that reason. I use another editor for .rtf files.

I remember awhile back some scientist/engineer types were trying to get rid of the steering wheel in automobiles.  After all it works perfectly and is old fashioned.  They substituted a button pad that you worked with one hand.  Most likely all these guys died during testing!

5405

General Software Discussion / Re: Google set to steal Opera's thunder yet again, decides to eliminate url bar

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 21, 2011, 12:59 AM »

Hmmmmm ain't it weird how stuff cycles around?  I remember when I was a kid many of the older cars on the block had a starter button on the dashboard.

I forget the model but now there's some new expensive ride with this big starter button on the dash like it's some innovation.  Guess if you save your suit coat long enough it will come back in style.

Didn't some version of Netscape come with this real small address bar? I seem to remember having to mess with it to get the input line wider than 2 inches.

5406

Living Room / Re: Strange subtleties of the Placebo Effect

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 21, 2011, 12:53 AM »

Following the tenor of this discussion I'd like to point out another phenomenon, which is that the individual bursts into song. This is known as the Placebo Domingo Effect.

-cranioscopical (February 20, 2011, 10:21 PM)

Just be careful with those fake aphrodisiacs. You could end up singin' soprano.

5407

Living Room / Re: Strange subtleties of the Placebo Effect

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 20, 2011, 06:22 PM »

Speaking of bias, let's not forget the fact that research often produces the results the sponsors paid for.  You're likely to get different research results on the harmful effect of tobacco if Philip Morris paid for it than if the research was sponsored by NORML.

Another "placebo effect" is the physician sticking a stethoscope on you can tapping around like it means something. In that vein I guess I'd agree with the video that the placebo is more effective if the gadget is bigger(e.g. MRI machine.)

5408

Living Room / Re: Strange subtleties of the Placebo Effect

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 20, 2011, 03:43 PM »

For a tried and true traditional example of the Placebo Effect(tm) just go to any barber shop and find a chair with a nearly bald guy.  Barbers did "air scissors" way before we ever did "air guitar."

5409

Living Room / Re: Strange subtleties of the Placebo Effect

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 20, 2011, 03:40 PM »

I'm skeptical. A Genuine Placebo Aphrodesiac never did a damn thing for me!

-MilesAhead (February 20, 2011, 03:22 PM)

It would be hard to see if it's working 

-timns (February 20, 2011, 03:35 PM)

Like Carson used to say, "I ain't touchin' that straight line with a ten foot pole!"

5410

Living Room / Re: Strange subtleties of the Placebo Effect

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 20, 2011, 03:22 PM »

I'm skeptical. A Genuine Placebo Aphrodesiac never did a damn thing for me!

5411

General Software Discussion / Re: SrtStrip 1.2

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 19, 2011, 05:48 PM »

SrtStrip 1.2 is available for download via the link in the first post. I've added removal of tags that use an opening and closing curly brace on a line such as {a6}. Anything that opens with a '{' and ends with a '}' on the same line will be removed from the output copy. As before the output filename is the input filename with ".strip" appended.

The input file is not altered.

5412

Living Room / Re: Borders Goes Bankrupt - The Death of Print at Retail?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 19, 2011, 03:10 PM »

Maybe I will start a bookshop

I just hope it isn't a curio shop in an out of the way section of town designed to snare the Winston Smith types. 

5413

Living Room / Re: Borders Goes Bankrupt - The Death of Print at Retail?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 18, 2011, 11:07 PM »

I used a scanner on my phone to compare everything to amazon, and would browse there, and order from amazon.  I like the ability to browse a hard copy before buying,

This is where i think the future is going.. There will no longer be different kinds of retail stores. There will be only generic "Browsing Shops" which have very high-tech 3d/tactile setups where you walk into a booth and can examine, feel, and just in general "browse" any product available on the internet.  Maybe some popular items will actually have demos in the store.  But nothing will be "in stock" in the store.  You'll just place your order and have it delivered later, or pay some small "browsing free" and order at home at your convenience.

-mouser (February 18, 2011, 03:11 PM)

Kinda' sounds like a Gateway computer store. I went in one once with the ridiculous expectation I could buy a computer there and throw it in the trunk of my car.

Some things I just don't like to get online.  Like shoes. Maybe I have non-standard feet or something, but even testing them out in the store isn't always enough.  Buying untried is just asking for disaster.

5414

Living Room / Re: USB 3.0 stick - anyone taken the plunge?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 18, 2011, 03:17 PM »

It came formatted Fat32.

-MilesAhead (February 17, 2011, 05:15 PM)

...
And I think it looks decent as well.

...

-Ath (February 17, 2011, 06:22 PM)

I very much like the narrow profile. When I plugged it into my USB 3.0 port it didn't even touch the cable in the adjoining port.  Seems like they put some thought into the design.

edit: I didn't notice until I used it with my DVD player.  The cap snaps onto the butt end.  There's no loop for a lanyard but at least it gives a place to put the cap during use.

5415

Living Room / Re: USB 3.0 stick - anyone taken the plunge?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 17, 2011, 05:15 PM »

If anyone is curious I got the A-Data thumb drive today. It came formatted Fat32.  In my dual core PC plugged into a USB 2.0 port it got Crystal Disk Mark sequential read and write of 24 MB/s as expected as this seems to be the real-world max on my HP PCs.  Copying on a 1.4 GB video file at the end of the copy when Explorer tends to show the lowest number, it was still showing about 21.4 MB/s.

I plugged it into the SIIG USB 3.0 port.  CDM sequential read showed 74 MB/s and sequential write of 40 MB/s.  Copying on a 1.4 GB video file at the end of the copy it was still showing about 31.4 MB/s in Explorer.

For $2 a gig it seems like a good buy compared to others I have.  Physically it's narrow enough you should be able to plug into a USB 3.0 port even if the one next to it is occupied.  The cap has a little snap to it. It feels like it should endure a few hundred "on and offs" before it falls off anyway. I like it much better than the "sliding guts" design.

Only thing that may be a drawback for some is no LED indicator.  My first impression is very positive though.

5416

General Software Discussion / Re: What does it mean when I say "successful freeware"?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 13, 2011, 07:10 PM »

If you want to make lots of money, do things that make money.

-mouser (February 13, 2011, 05:08 PM)

It would be nice if life was so simple. If you're a shoe string operation you don't have marketing money.  I'm convinced much of the plethora of corporate sponsored "free" software is out there to preclude the possibility of a one man shop from producing the same product and getting a foothold.  The days of one guy coding up an editor and making a buck are gone and it's no accident.

There are lots of boards where I give what amounts to free support but if I put my url in my signature, they'd kick me off.  I don't see corporate sites spamming products on boards and a one man programmer getting legitimate exposure as both "spam".  One is spam and the other is goodwill.

Goodwill is hard to come by these days.

Much of "donationware" started out as an attempt to sell a product, but when reality hits you figure you might as well hang out the donation shingle as you might at least get a few donations from individuals as a thank you for your efforts.

So in conclusion I'd say what makes "successful" freeware is some corporation paying you a salary to write the stuff so they can give it away.

5417

General Software Discussion / Re: What does it mean when I say "successful freeware"?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 13, 2011, 04:17 PM »

I think software users have a lot of misconceptions about software development.  In the way they think Ben Casey will do neurosurgery on you for free if you can't afford it, and a couple of college kids start a search site in their spare time and become billionaires, they think we have bucks to set up all these machines to test software on various combinations of machine, OS, etc..

And of course we are up on the internet putting this stuff out so there must be something in it to be had.

For the one person programmer I think people are most likely to donate or pay for software if the program facilitates getting other stuff for free.  Binary newsreaders come to mind.  Video converters etc..

Even something like BD Rebuilder that has obvious benefits, the author has to periodically harangue the faithful for more contributions.  At this point when I get a stray donation I just consider it a nice gesture from an individual who liked one of my programs. It's not going to make a dent in my expenses.  The cost of filing the annual report for my LLC is more than the sum of individual donations for the year.  I'm obviously not gonna' be buying new convertibles any time soon.

But "on internet = rich in 6 months" seems to be the myth that's aggressively promoted.  Why I have no clue.

5418

General Software Discussion / Re: What does it mean when I say "successful freeware"?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 12, 2011, 04:05 PM »

Does 8 include corporate sponsorship? I think my freeware would feel way more successful if somebody gave me a $20,000/year stipend and paid my filing and online fees.

5419

Living Room / Re: Borders Goes Bankrupt - The Death of Print at Retail?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 12, 2011, 03:59 PM »

Aside from the books, the appeal of Borders for me was the jazz selection. Often I would find lesser-known titles for particular artists.  The prices were high so naturally I'd note the CD and try to get it online at a discount.

There must be big markup in coffee.  But the hidden cost of letting people loiter for hours after spending $2 probably caught up to 'em.

For awhile it was kind of fun to look through the computer magazines to see what weird flavor of Linux was included in the plastic magazine wrapper.

5420

Living Room / Re: Borders Goes Bankrupt - The Death of Print at Retail?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 12, 2011, 01:02 AM »

I wonder how long it will be until 2 people lamenting the demise of bookstores are interrupted by a grad student asking "what's a book?"

5421

Living Room / Re: USB 3.0 stick - anyone taken the plunge?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 11, 2011, 10:01 PM »

Yeah, I don't fully get what going on.  When I plugged my Seagate 500 GB USB 2.0 external into my USB 3.0 port it got about 18% increase in read speed.  I'm not up on all the chip set business but they are saying in some of these USB 3.0 stick articles some stuff about not needing a bridge chip in the high performance models.  I'm thinking the Seagate external drive must have a bottle neck in the Sata to USB internally because native USB 3.0 docking station just runs as fast as the internal drive you stick in the thing.

When USB 3.0 starts coming standard on towers then the info I'll have to find out is the benchmark for that system so I don't get stuck with slow port syndrome.

Just for grins I plugged in my Verbatim stick and got a benchmark of 12 MB/s sequential write on the USB 2.0 port. I didn't bother to copy a big file on. I think it drops to about 8 or 9 MB/s when you copy a gig file onto it. I'd like to get at least double that with the new stick if not a full blown 24 MB/s on the 2.0 ports. That would be worth it if I could copy an 8 GB .mkv onto the thing in reasonable time.  Although I'm not as psyched about plugging into USB 2.0 ports on WD set top box as when I got the thing.  It has 2 ports and already one has gone South.  Seems like they're at tad on the flimsy side. I use a 2.0 docking station to avoid plugging/unplugging. Seems like it's less wear and tear to just slide an internal drive in the dock.

The other wrinkle with the stick I just bought is there's supposed to be a software download for purchasers that includes a Windows7 VM.

5422

Living Room / Re: All Hail...!

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 11, 2011, 06:51 PM »

 (see attachment in previous post)
What I want to know is how did it know I was wicked, I only found out yesterday....

-4wd (February 10, 2011, 12:44 AM)

The test subject is always the last to know.   

5423

Official Announcements / Re: March 2011 DonationCoder.com Fundraiser Celebration -- Ideas for Special Events?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 11, 2011, 06:49 PM »

my autographed pics

-MilesAhead (February 11, 2011, 04:08 PM)

You pogoniate devil, you!

-cranioscopical (February 11, 2011, 06:34 PM)

My sesquipedalian attributes have atrophied.  Now you gonna' keep making me use FARR define alias!! Sheesh!

5424

Living Room / Re: USB 3.0 stick - anyone taken the plunge?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 11, 2011, 06:41 PM »

btw where are you seeing these USB 2.0 60+ MB/s reads?

-MilesAhead

That is the theoretical limit, and you're going to see a lot lower speeds in reality because of protocol overhead. That said, even sucky onboard controllers can deliver 30MB/s (and onboard by itself is no excuse for bad performance - in theory it could perform a lot better than addon PCIe controllers). And the perfectly achievable 30MB/s USB2 rates are a lot better than what you see for most pendrives.

Don't confuse pendrives and external HDDs.

-f0dder (February 11, 2011, 05:00 PM)

All I know is I can't get better than 24 MB/s out of my USB 2.0. I mention the external drive because I'm talking about a situation where the bottle neck is not the stick. If I have a drive capable of 100+ MB/s sustained reads and put it in a docking station plugged into USB 2.0 on my machine, I'm still only going to see 24 MB/s read(might hit low 30s peak for a couple of seconds but that doesn't do me any good.)  Plug the same drive into USB 3.0 docking station/port combination and I'm getting 120+ MB/s sequential reads.

So no matter how good a chip my new stick has, it ain't gonna' read faster than 24 MB/s on my machine. I just hope it writes at a decent speed.

It will be interesting to see how it benches and what I really get when copying on a huge vid.

5425

Official Announcements / Re: March 2011 DonationCoder.com Fundraiser Celebration -- Ideas for Special Events?

« Last post by MilesAhead on February 11, 2011, 04:48 PM »

Me

-MilesAhead (February 11, 2011, 04:08 PM)

You could have gotten a better shave that mornin'

-Ath (February 11, 2011, 04:11 PM)

There's an idea! I'll let a babe shave me with one of them Gillette Fusion razors for $100?