Recent Posts

7651

General Software Discussion / Re: Software recommendations for writers

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 02:52 PM »

^ +1 w/Doormouse.

The real beauty of LSB is that it, unlike many all-in-one wrier's desk tools, does not impose any methodology on you. You can use as much or as little of its toolset as you like. I don't use it to anywhere near its full capabilities. But that doesn't make the parts I do use any less useful.

Why not download the free trial and check it out yourself? It takes a little effort to start using it because you first have to impose a little discipline on the way you normally might work. But it's effort well spent. Much like what programmers go through when they start using version control. First it's a pain, but then they soon wonder how they ever worked without it.

The developer is also responsive to customer feedback and suggestions. I don't know how good they are about bug fixes because I've never encountered any bugs with LSB. 

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Living Room / Re: Movies I Love to Listen To: Dialects and Accents

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 02:32 PM »

Just recently saw The Boys & Girl from County Clare.

Sweet little comedy with superb (real) Irish accents. So authentic I sometimes had a little trouble following a few of the more passionate and rapid dialog exchanges.



Colm Meaney and Bernard Hill are perfect as two estranged brothers who have dragged their lifelong sibling musical rivalry to new heights of ridiculousness and banter. And the ever lovely and musically brilliant Andrea Corr (of The Coors fame) is superb as Anne, 'the girl' in the title. Now that I've heard her speak more than a few sentences at a time, I can't decide if I'd rather listen to her fiddle playing - or her voice.

 

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General Software Discussion / Re: PC Lock software for "Free"

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 01:46 PM »

WoW! ...Extortion Much?

Thanks for the warning!

-Stoic Joker (May 16, 2011, 11:48 AM)

I don't think it's extortion even if it is a jive move on their part. The do have this proviso:

You must extend your subscription to PC Lock or contact customer service to gain access to your encrypted files

I doubt they'd refuse to let you in at all. (Probably be illegal for them to do that anyway.) I'm guessing they'll issue you a time-limited key to get your stuff decrypted and do an uninstall if you call. But likely not before they first subjected you to a high pressure sales pitch to extend your subscription. Probably offer it on a sliding discount scale depending upon your degree of resistance too. ("OK Bud, this is our 25th and absolute final offer. And this time we really mean it!"  )

But that's still hokey and best avoided. Most other companies that offer subscriptions only shut off your ability to add new files when your subscription expires. I've never heard of anybody requiring you contact customer service in order to uninstall a program or get your data out of it because of that...

Big thumbs down!

Laplink's been around for years too! They should know better than to do something like this.

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Living Room / Re: Help with new computer build

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 10:09 AM »

My mantra is always: "Wire if you can. Wifi if you must."

I'd go hardwired on my main desktop if at all possible. Especially if you do any serious downloading or streaming. You'll be a lot happier if you do. Count on it!  

For add-in wired NICs, I'll usually opt for one of the better Intel or Netgear GB models. That or preferably a used "server grade" NIC card if I have a spare or "scrapped" one sitting around doing nothing on my junk parts shelf.

Can't help you with a desktop wireless card. Never bought one. I've only used USB dongles for that so I could swap them out more easily, and also to reposition them for better reception if needed.

On a related subject: Does anybody have any personal experience with the most recent generation of hub-adapters that use your wall's power lines? I've heard mostly good things about them. About the only knock on them i've heard was their relative high cost compared to other alternative.

Anybody have one of the newer models?  

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Living Room / Re: Need recommendation for wireless adapter

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 09:48 AM »

I'll +2 with Wraith and 4WD.

I've had the best overall experience and luck with Netgear for consumer grade Wifi hardware. I also only use the basic drivers and ignore the rest of the software they ship. Most of it causes problems sooner or later. And you don't really need it.  

Also don't bother flashing any firmware unless it will (supposedly) fix a specific problem you're actually experiencing. Firmware upgrades are mostly more trouble than they're worth for this class of device. These updates often don't fix what they claim. Half the time they seem to introduce new headaches as well. And there's also always that small risk of "bricking" your device if the flash update process doesn't complete or terminate properly.

The only time I'll ever flash home/SoHo routers is if I'm installing something like Tomato or DD-WRT on them.

Your mileage may vary.  

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General Software Discussion / Re: PC Lock software for "Free"

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 09:27 AM »

Two words (besides the obvious two): Axcrypt and Truecrypt.  

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Living Room / Re: The end of the line for cursive writing

« Last post by 40hz on May 16, 2011, 09:11 AM »

The Hungarian language is spelled phonetically. They have a few 'extra' letters in their alphabet. But each letter has one (and only one) sound associated with it. So once you know how to properly pronounce a Hungarian word (and have "larned yer letters") you automatically know how to spell it correctly.

FWIW, it didn't seem to cure any of the societal ills advocates for spelling reform claim 'fixing' American English would other than to negate the justification for spelling bee competitions in Hungarian schools.

Hmm...maybe not such a bad thing if all spelling "reform" would do is get rid of those.  

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Living Room / Re: The end of the line for cursive writing

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 08:46 PM »

For one thing, I can't imagine block-printing a signature.

-skwire (May 15, 2011, 06:55 PM)

I'm amazed at the number of people I know who do block print their "signature."

Which seems to be another thing that's losing significance as time goes on.

As an experiment, I've actually signed government forms and some bank paperwork with an "X" or an indecipherable 'scribble.' Nobody has ever challenged me for doing that provided my name was printed below it with the date. As long as that was there, you could apparently put anything you wanted on the signature line.

To be honest, I think the only thing they actually do check for is a date and a printed name.  

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Living Room / Re: Batteries charged?...Away we go!!!

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 08:35 PM »

Cool concept, but impractical for anything other than a proof-of-concept exercise.

And a big +1 w/Deo on the issue of old whiplash injuries and that forward lie-down position. Like him, I had a whiplash injury. (Car accident: my Toyota Celica got rear-ended by a pickup truck while I was stopped at a red light.) And also like Deozaan, my neck has never been completely right after that. I'd last about 15 minutes in that position before I either passed out from the pain, or cramped up so bad I couldn't steer.

Plus I'd hate to be traveling behind anything with a bumper at my approximate chin height while on something like that.

It's one thing to "lose your head" while driving. But quite another to lose your head while driving.

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Living Room / Re: The end of the line for cursive writing

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 02:56 PM »

It was bound to happen eventually.

I'm surprised it took this long, even though it saddens me to see cursive 'longhand' begin its journey into memory.  

Too bad it's that moronic No Child Left Behind Act that seems to be precipitating it. Talk about twisting the knife!  

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Developer's Corner / Re: AttachMate/Novell Lays Off People - Mono Hit

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 02:45 PM »

One thing you can count on however. If  Mono begins to take significant business away from Microsoft or otherwise becomes a genuine threat, Redmond will send in their legal team to either arrange license fees - or kill it.

-40hz (May 15, 2011, 01:39 PM)

But didn't Microsoft basically do the same thing with JavaScript that Novell is doing with Mono?

-Deozaan (May 15, 2011, 02:01 PM)

More like what they did to Sun and Java I think.

But Microsoft licensed rights to develop Java from Sun back in 1995. In 1997, Sun got into a legal scrap with Microsoft over what it saw as a violation of this license due to Microsoft making changes to its own version of Java. These changes made both the language and the VM far more Windows-centric, in complete defiance of Sun's license requirement that Java be kept completely cross-platform.

I think Sun (quite correctly) saw this as the start of "Step-2" in Microsoft's classic tactic of Embrace-Extend-Extinguish.

Microsoft settled with Sun in 2001. While this made Sun the 'winner' in the legal sense, it probably did more to hurt them in the long run. Because this settlement also gave Microsoft the right to take Java in their own direction as long as they didn't call it Java. At which point Microsoft finally began to get serious about .NET as a platform. And which also led to the introduction of the C# language and the ever decreasing importance of Java to Microsoft's technical development plans.

In 2003 Sun found itself in the embarrassing position of suing Microsoft once again - but this time in an attempt to have Microsoft be required to include Sun's Java interpreter in the Windows operating system.

The courts did not agree and now .NET has replaced Java for most Windows development efforts where Java might formerly have been used.

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Developer's Corner / Re: AttachMate/Novell Lays Off People - Mono Hit

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 01:39 PM »

I think Microsoft is beyond that point where they can try to kill Linux. It would only hurt them. They need a different direction. So I don't see them killing Mono or anything like that.

They have nothing to gain there. Linux is entrenched. There's no killing it. They can only try to gain there.

Azure and all that cloud stuff is where they can gain. Linux can be an ally there. Mono can help. MS is losing relevance.

-Renegade (May 14, 2011, 10:21 PM)

For some people, it would be nice to think so.  

I think a lot of people misunderstand modern business strategy, which emphasizes control rather than ownership. Microsoft does not want to kill Linux. Far more trouble than it would be worth even if they could.

But that doesn't mean they won't try to co-opt it. Sort of like the old Soviet bloc. Why bother occupying and annexing Eastern Europe when you could more easily and completely control it by proxy? Microsoft is approaching Linux and FOSS the same way. They don't want to kill it. Nor do they want to own it. They just want to license it. That brings in revenue without needing to pay for development. It's a straight intellectual property tax. Kinda like how the Roman Empire used to operate. They didn't care who you were, what you thought, or what you believed. All they wanted was for you to pay your taxes, and do as told, if and when they told you to do something. The rest of the time, they left you alone.  

Sweet system. Many tend to knuckle under and learn to live with arrangements like that. It preserves the illusion of your independence while they're fitting you with a virtual slave collar.

So no, Micro-saftig isn't out to do in the penguin. They just want him to get a dog license from them.

One thing you can count on however. If  Mono begins to take significant business away from Microsoft or otherwise becomes a genuine threat, Redmond will send in their legal team to either arrange license fees - or kill it.

The only reason it's less likely this will happen now is because of Microsoft's cloud initiative. If Mono provides an entry point for NIX users to start buying into MS/cloud services all will remain well with Ballmer & Co.
 

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Developer's Corner / Re: AttachMate/Novell Lays Off People - Mono Hit

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 01:38 PM »

<duplicate of following post -please delete>

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Living Room / Re: Sound problems

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 11:52 AM »

What app are you using to play MP3 files?

There's been some recent reports of VLC Media Player 'spiking' and using abnormally large amounts of memory and/or CPU on some machines although what I saw was reported under Windows 7 as opposed to Vista.

Does this happen with every media player on your system, or just a specific one?

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Living Room / Re: Sound problems

« Last post by 40hz on May 15, 2011, 07:41 AM »

It sounds like something is maxing out your CPU, or excessively polling an interrupt, whenever you try to play MP3s. Switching to a separate audio card (which took some of the load off the CPU) and getting a slight improvement seems to reinforce that suspicion. This points to a driver issue, as Renegade mentioned earlier

There's a few things that could be at play here.

1. Audio Drivers

Audio drivers are the most likely suspect. There's the possibility that a driver has somehow been updated or changed (without your knowledge) which is causing the problem. A lot of Athlon-based boards use RealTek audio chips and drivers, which can act very flaky. These same mobos also often use the NVidia nForce drivers, which are known to sometimes conflict with the RealTek audio susbsystem. I've seen situations where adding a component forced a change to the nForce drivers, which in turn caused a problem downstream.

Use Device Manager to see if the audio driver has been updated and if there's an older RealTek driver available. If there is, do a roll-back and see if the problem goes away. If that doesn't help, check your PC's manufacturer's website and see if there are updated audio drivers available. If there are, download the most current set available for your model and and try reinstalling them.

2. BIOS

Check and see if there's a BIOS update available from your PC manufacturer. Sometimes older boards have trouble dealing with today's larger/faster hardware, which results in high CPU usage and erratic performance. A BIOS update will often fix that. Two points regarding BIOS updates:

• Only use a BIOS update supplied by the manufacturer of your PC. DO NOT use any other BIOS updates, such as might be available from the maker of your actual motherboard, even if you know who the maker is.
    
• Follow the instructions that come with the software exactly. And under no circumstance ever try to stop the update process once it begins. If it's interrupted before it finishes (or you otherwise screw up your BIOS update) you could be left with a completely inoperable machine that can't be repaired without major hassles. Flashing the BIOS is not a difficult thing to do. But this is one of those very few times when things have to be done in a very specific order and fashion.

3. Chipset Drivers (or "board" drivers)

Depending on what hardware is in you machine, you might be experiencing a chipset issue. Diagnosing that can get a little hairy so it would be helpful to know the manufacturer of your PC and what chipset is being used. Piriform's Speccy (or any one of a dozen other freeware sysinfo utilities) can provide that information if it's not listed in the documentation that came with your machine.

Let us know how you make out.

7666

Living Room / Re: need recommendation for an onlne computer store

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 03:10 PM »

Since I live in a small community of 250 people that is about an hour's drive away from any cities of any size (20,000), I thought maybe it is time for me test the waters and see if I couldn't do some more moonlighting on the side.  Time will tell.

-techidave (May 14, 2011, 02:13 PM)

Sounds like a good potential market provide unemployment doesn't hit the area too hard.

But I do not want to be so busy that I don't have time for the family.   

Can't help you too much with that one. It's entirely up to you to make that part happen.

But I applaud you for feeling that way. I've made "making time for family" a big priority in my business life. I may not be as materially 'well-off' as I would have been had I arranged my priorities differently. But I seriously doubt I'd be half as happy as I am today had I done otherwise.
 

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Developer's Corner / Re: AttachMate/Novell Lays Off People - Mono Hit

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 02:34 PM »

+1 w/Renegade. Doing something like Mono is a major undertaking. It's not in the same league as developing an application, no matter how complex that application might be. Without a sponsor and some heavyweight (and paid!) developers in the loop, Mono will become a dead issue.

But considering the inherent legal peril of openly cloning a piece of Microsoft technology, this might just be a blessing in disguise.

Considering how much in bed Suse and Novell already are with Microsoft, this might even be a result of some behind-the-scenes "encouragement" from Ballmer & Co.

Either way, Mono is a risky piece of tech to rely on no matter how you look at it. It's almost like a trojan horse. At best, it's something that will eventually give Microsoft the handle it's been looking for to bring the FOSS world to heel under an across-the-board and mandatory licensing arrangement. At worst, it can be the bullet that will finally allow Microsoft to shut down a significant portion of Linux app development once and for all. Especially if a good number of popular NIX apps are based on Mono when the whip inevitably comes down.

IMO Mono is something that's going to eventually end up biting the ass of both it's supporters and its developers.

So better Mono development folds now than later if the Linux application ecosystem is going to become too dependent on it.

At least that's what I think.

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Living Room / Re: need recommendation for an onlne computer store

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 01:11 PM »

I'm more "enterprise" than "desktop." So for most user-level things, I stick with the suppliers everybody knows about: TigerDirect, NewEgg, and Frye Electronics.

If you're going to be supporting business customers (or plan on getting involved in network stuff) I use, and can recommend, any of the following companies.

I use Stallard Technologies for a lot of my enterprise hardware maintenance requirements following a recommendation by Stoic Joker. High quality, fully tested, mostly used server components. They're great to work with. The quality and reliability are there. And their prices are very good.

Note: if you do get involved in handling businesses, schools, or government customers, be sure to carefully review whatever contracts or purchase orders they issue you. Many government and business entities have strict rules regarding the use of 're-engineered', or 'refurbished' (i.e. used) components in fulfillment of their requirements. It's not automatically a problem going with used - but they usually have a clause where they expect "factory new" everything unless it's otherwise agreed to in advance. Just a little FYI when you're working up a formal quote.

Also good are: Sonnet Technologies and Granite Digital for storage hardware and components.

Also been happy with:

• PartsExpress (general electronics)
    
• Cables for Less (care to guess what they sell?)
    
• Jensen Tools (Now owned by Stanley. Pricey but exceptionally good tools. Shop Sears and other sources first. If you can't find it, then come here.)
  
  Also avoid the 'kits' for the most part. They're nice to own - but you'll usually end up buying and paying for a bunch of things you'll never use. Remember: 95% of all computer repair and service requires nothing other than a #2-Phillips plus a miniature (aka: Jeweler's or Precision) screwdriver set. Add in a T8, T10, and mini-Torx driver set, and it goes up to almost 99%.
  
  Better yet, grab a Kronus 25-piece Mini Tool Set from your local RadioShack (permanently 'on sale' for about $15 last I checked) and be done with it. Great quality tool set that rivals kits going for ten times as much in overall usefulness and quality. There's still plenty in there you'll never use - but the price is right so it doesn't matter. I buy these four or five at a time and stash them at client sites in case I ever need a tool - or give them to exceptionally favored client gearheads as impromptu gifts when I catch them staring longingly at the kit I'm using. (Be sure to check for any rules the organization has about gift giving however! This particular kit is cheap enough that it usually falls below the "no-no" threshold. But not always.)
    
• Black Box (The oldest but still one of the best sources for all things network. These guys go back before the Internet so they've seen it all and already know about whatever you need to know about.  )

There's more, but that's all I can think of right off the top of my head.

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Living Room / Re: need recommendation for an onlne computer store

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 11:50 AM »

+1 w/Wraith on doing business w/family.

When it comes to family, keep in mind that golden saying:

It's better to give than lend - and it usually ends up costing the same.  

7670

General Software Discussion / Re: Software recommendations for writers

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 08:58 AM »

Thanks 40hz, I didn't know all that.
But it's meant to be proof you wrote it on a particular date.
And not a legal copyright.

-cmpm (May 14, 2011, 08:14 AM)

I understand.    The only reason I mentioned it was because it came up at a recent discussion in my writing group. One of the guests was a person directly involved in IP issues and licensing. She characterized PMC as "one of the most dangerous misconceptions out there." She basically said it established nothing - including proof something was written by, or on, a certain date. The second link in my previous post shows just how easy it is to fake a PMC.

It was a pretty eye-opening conversation. With thanks to Gillian (our 'IP expert' guest) for the info and most of the above weblinks.  

7671

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 07:59 AM »

but.. but.. Gabe claims that "Mac is 5 times more stable than windows running games".

-lanux128 (May 13, 2011, 08:57 PM)

That could be because there is less diverse Mac hardware supported/available.

-Deozaan (May 13, 2011, 11:20 PM)

well, the lack of diversity in Mac hardware is obviously obvious and big Gabe is milking it all he can by being sensational.. basically Valve/Steam have identified a big void in Mac gaming and are trying to fill it with their "cross-platform" games.

-lanux128 (May 13, 2011, 11:50 PM)

Well...it's good marketing strategy at any rate. Playing suck-up to the Appleistas (by way of a token nod to the Mac's innate superiority and some low key Windows bashing) is almost a requirement if your product is cross-platform and you want to sell it to that crowd.

Gotta be some logical reason why Mac users often pay more and have to put up with so much nonsense, right?

 

7672

General Software Discussion / Re: Software recommendations for writers

« Last post by 40hz on May 14, 2011, 07:31 AM »

Just a note to keep in mind.

The poor man's copyright-
Send what you wrote via registered letter to your self.
But don't open it.
This will be the proof that you originated the writing by the date of the registered letter.

-cmpm (May 14, 2011, 02:09 AM)

Important note: The "poor man's copyright" is not a recommended strategy if you live in the USA.

Per the United States Copyright Office:

I’ve heard about a “poor man’s copyright.” What is it?

The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.” There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.

Good explanation of why it's a problem can be found here and here. Some other interesting info on US copyright myths can be found here.

One of the best introductions to US copyright law I've ever seen was written by Brad Templeton (of EFF and ClariNet fame). You can find it here. Read it!

(Yes - you really should. )

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Living Room / Re: Microsoft buying skype for US $8.5 Billion

« Last post by 40hz on May 13, 2011, 06:10 PM »

Best laugh I've had all week from reading this back-and-forth! 

-zridling (May 13, 2011, 05:56 PM)

+1

The two of you need to start your own DoCo member page. Call it something like [He|She]Said and just toss ideas and comments back & forth.

7674

Living Room / Re: Microsoft buying skype for US $8.5 Billion

« Last post by 40hz on May 13, 2011, 05:01 PM »

^Good grief! First whips ,now he's smoking!

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Found Deals and Discounts / Re: AllMyNotes Deluxe latest version today on GOTD

« Last post by 40hz on May 13, 2011, 04:00 PM »

it's a long way from portable by any sensible definition

-oblivion (May 13, 2011, 03:03 PM)

Agree. Although in all fairness I can understand why they can't give away an unrestricted portable edition.

The do have a workaround of sorts:

The catch!

Is Portable version of AllMyNotes Organizer available at Giveawayoftheday?


    Follow the steps below to convert this GOTD build in to a PORTABLE version:
    1. Install AllMyNotes to your PC using the installer from GOTD.
    2. Go to the directory where AllMyNotes is installed. By default folder path is "c:\Program Files\AllMyNotes Organizer\"
    3. Copy this folder to your USB media (any location)
    4. Create empty Portable.sig file in to the folder (must be same path where allmynotes.exe file is located). Existence of this file will SWITCH PORTABLE MODE ON. You will see this in About screen, it will say "Portable Mode".

    Note: This Portable version will launch in Deluxe mode only on PCs where it was installed using GOTD's Activatate.exe application. So if you want to have it working on many PC please make sure to activate it on all of these PCs TODAY!!!

For me, that would be a showstopper. But again, I think I can understand why they feel the need to do it that way. And I think they deserve credit for at least trying to come up with something that's fair to all parties.