6.01.2006
Knoppix
Since this is my last blog I thought I would focus on the one piece of software I feel everyone should download. It, as per my tradition, is absolutely free. In-fact this software is more than free, it's open source. Open source means that the coding behind it is available to anyone who wishes to modify the computer code to change the way it runs. In fact, this piece of software isn't really software at all, but an Operating System. Yes my favorite download that I feel everyone should have is Knoppix.
Knoppix is a form of Linux. For those out there who do not know what Linux is, it does the same thing that Windows and Mac OS do. Basically it connects you, the user, to the computer, and all the goodies that actually make up the computer. It tells the computer what to compute. Linux was created by one man but since then many many people have modified the open source code for specific purposes.
Knoppix is one of the modifications to the original Linux operating system. It adds a user-interface. In Windows the user-interface is the Start Button, the Desktop, and basically everything you see that is not its own software program. But what the best part of Knoppix is, that it is an operating system that runs entirely off a CD. It will run on-top of Windows by booting to a CD. The uses: endless. I most often use it to access the internet when Windows won't start to figure out why Windows won't start.
You can learn more at:
http://www.knoppix.org/
Knoppix is a form of Linux. For those out there who do not know what Linux is, it does the same thing that Windows and Mac OS do. Basically it connects you, the user, to the computer, and all the goodies that actually make up the computer. It tells the computer what to compute. Linux was created by one man but since then many many people have modified the open source code for specific purposes.
Knoppix is one of the modifications to the original Linux operating system. It adds a user-interface. In Windows the user-interface is the Start Button, the Desktop, and basically everything you see that is not its own software program. But what the best part of Knoppix is, that it is an operating system that runs entirely off a CD. It will run on-top of Windows by booting to a CD. The uses: endless. I most often use it to access the internet when Windows won't start to figure out why Windows won't start.
You can learn more at:
http://www.knoppix.org/
5.18.2006
Dazzle Video Converter
I recently purchased a Dazzle DVC (Digital Video Creator) 90. I did so for a school project so I could finally edit those tapes I taped with my old-fashioned 8mm video camera. The price was affordable, $90 or so, and it promised features. However delivering on such promises are where Pinnacle, the manufacturer, falls short.
First, right out of the box it did not work. It was 1500 frames per second (almost all frames) when I plugged it in and tried to use their software. Their software would regularly freeze. So I tried Microsoft's Movie Maker. It had the ability to capture it from the device, however it experienced similar glitches. It would record some of the audio, mostly garbled, and none of the video. Frustrated I looked to Pinnacles own message boards for help after their FAQ did not solve the problem.
I noted the system requirements and noted that I met them all. I tried it on my other, less new computer, to no avail. But luckily at 9:00pm on a Friday night I found out what the matter was.
Apparently the problem arises with chipsets designed for AMD processors. Normally I've had no problems with AMD processors and find they are the best bang for your buck. Turns out the Dazzle will not work with On-Board USB ports (integrated ports) on AMD motherboards.
Everything was clear now. Both my computers have on-board USB ports and AMD processors. It's a shame they don't put that on the box because the box says it works fine with AMD processors. Turns out there is a USB Bus limiter that cannot be easily changed (I'm not positive it can be changed at all). My USB ports were limited to 12% of system resources. Now for video capture they needed much more than this (no need to safe processor for background tasks during capture, you need all that you can get). So I took a trip to everyone's favorite capitalistic monster, Walmart (only one open at 9pm). I bought a $30 USB PCI card, popped it in within 5 minutes of getting home, and I was able to capture at the highest quality flawlessly.
Thus if you are buying a Dazzle from Pinnacle and have a AMD processor, make sure you have/buy a separate PCI USB 2.0 Card.
Click to visit Pinnacle
I proudly use:
First, right out of the box it did not work. It was 1500 frames per second (almost all frames) when I plugged it in and tried to use their software. Their software would regularly freeze. So I tried Microsoft's Movie Maker. It had the ability to capture it from the device, however it experienced similar glitches. It would record some of the audio, mostly garbled, and none of the video. Frustrated I looked to Pinnacles own message boards for help after their FAQ did not solve the problem.
I noted the system requirements and noted that I met them all. I tried it on my other, less new computer, to no avail. But luckily at 9:00pm on a Friday night I found out what the matter was.
Apparently the problem arises with chipsets designed for AMD processors. Normally I've had no problems with AMD processors and find they are the best bang for your buck. Turns out the Dazzle will not work with On-Board USB ports (integrated ports) on AMD motherboards.
Everything was clear now. Both my computers have on-board USB ports and AMD processors. It's a shame they don't put that on the box because the box says it works fine with AMD processors. Turns out there is a USB Bus limiter that cannot be easily changed (I'm not positive it can be changed at all). My USB ports were limited to 12% of system resources. Now for video capture they needed much more than this (no need to safe processor for background tasks during capture, you need all that you can get). So I took a trip to everyone's favorite capitalistic monster, Walmart (only one open at 9pm). I bought a $30 USB PCI card, popped it in within 5 minutes of getting home, and I was able to capture at the highest quality flawlessly.
Thus if you are buying a Dazzle from Pinnacle and have a AMD processor, make sure you have/buy a separate PCI USB 2.0 Card.
Click to visit Pinnacle
I proudly use:
5.02.2006
Random Text
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio. Sed leo arcu, tempor id, dapibus eu, viverra vitae, dui. Etiam sed elit. Praesent id dui sed pede congue ultrices. Quisque ut metus. Vivamus porta. Phasellus mauris. Fusce in nulla. Vestibulum rhoncus lacinia lorem. Mauris adipiscing turpis ultrices nisi. Nulla elementum dolor vitae tortor. Praesent dapibus leo ac tortor.
---
Sometimes you need to design something before the content is there. Say you are designing a brochure but don't know exactly what you are going to write. Some place filler text to see how things will work. However typing filler text or random characters: "erhasdfhdsalghds" either looks unnatural or takes a lot of time.
There is a solution and it doesn't require one to speak Latin. It is called Lorem Ipsum. It has long been used as a placeholder text. It is used often in website design, where the designer makes a design and the company takes the design and adds their content. The filler text is Latin and translates to some odd proverb about the difference between pleasure and pain.
To Generate Lorem Ipsum just go to lipsum.com You enter the number of paragraphs/sentences/words you want and it will generate them for you. Try it out whenever you need it. It looks like the English spacing and sentence structure but it is not English so it doesn't distract from the layout.
Give it a whirl!
---
Sometimes you need to design something before the content is there. Say you are designing a brochure but don't know exactly what you are going to write. Some place filler text to see how things will work. However typing filler text or random characters: "erhasdfhdsalghds" either looks unnatural or takes a lot of time.
There is a solution and it doesn't require one to speak Latin. It is called Lorem Ipsum. It has long been used as a placeholder text. It is used often in website design, where the designer makes a design and the company takes the design and adds their content. The filler text is Latin and translates to some odd proverb about the difference between pleasure and pain.
To Generate Lorem Ipsum just go to lipsum.com You enter the number of paragraphs/sentences/words you want and it will generate them for you. Try it out whenever you need it. It looks like the English spacing and sentence structure but it is not English so it doesn't distract from the layout.
Give it a whirl!
4.13.2006
Google Earth
Did Osama bin Ladin buy a soda with three quarters, or with two quarters two dimes and a nickel? The U.S. military could tell you with their satellite surveillance. Many civilians wish they had this great power. They wish they could just call up live feed images taken from high-altitude geosynchronous satellites. Unfortunately technology/funding is not there yet.
If you are anything but a general, you will have to settle with the next best thing...Google. Google now provides two options for viewers to see a hybrid mix of aerial and satellite photography of most of the North-West Hemisphere. Either option has its merits. It's uses include finding parking lots, seeing the intersections of a map and being able to recognize them, and just general fun seeing what your house looks like from space.
1) Google Earth
A downloadable application, this program lets you zoom and pan the satellite imagery to your hearts content. It has a feature which lets you see mountain and other major features in 3d. It also allows you to trace your path to work/school to tell you how far you really go (driving on the road). It can even display 3d models of building in many of the major cities in the U.S. unfortunately this requires a download and a decent graphics card.
http://earth.google.com
2) Google Maps
This is a basically a watered down Google Earth mixed with a MapQuest like service. To see the aerial photography you must click "Satellite." The great thing is that this will run on almost all computers with the internet. It is a fun thing to show your friends. It's quick and allows you to search for an address.
http://maps.google.com
What is this below?
If you are anything but a general, you will have to settle with the next best thing...Google. Google now provides two options for viewers to see a hybrid mix of aerial and satellite photography of most of the North-West Hemisphere. Either option has its merits. It's uses include finding parking lots, seeing the intersections of a map and being able to recognize them, and just general fun seeing what your house looks like from space.
1) Google Earth
A downloadable application, this program lets you zoom and pan the satellite imagery to your hearts content. It has a feature which lets you see mountain and other major features in 3d. It also allows you to trace your path to work/school to tell you how far you really go (driving on the road). It can even display 3d models of building in many of the major cities in the U.S. unfortunately this requires a download and a decent graphics card.
http://earth.google.com
2) Google Maps
This is a basically a watered down Google Earth mixed with a MapQuest like service. To see the aerial photography you must click "Satellite." The great thing is that this will run on almost all computers with the internet. It is a fun thing to show your friends. It's quick and allows you to search for an address.
http://maps.google.com
What is this below?
4.06.2006
Have Fun
Nothing bothers me than a bored family with a computer just sitting there. Maybe I'll go over to an aunt's house to eat. Maybe its my friend's house. But we end up watching some awful TV show with lots of commercials. Oh how I wish these people had video games on their computer.
The thing is, many games are free. But the problem is many are riddled with spyware. So now I unleash my super-secret way on how to have fun when you are bored: "demos." They are games with limited functunality, perhaps one or two levels or perhaps a day limit on how many days they can be played. The great thing is they are free. And since the purpose of a demo is to get you to buy the game, they don't bundle nasty spyware with it because they want you to be happy and buy the product.
Demos can be found at almost any game company's website. If you don't know what game you are specifically looking for a demo for, I suggest happypuppy.com. It has the widest selection. The best part is that their downloading system automatically accelerates the download speeds for those on a broadband connection. Thus through their website, at non-peak hours, I can download at 600-800 kilobytes a second. That usually equates to about 5-15 minutes per demo.
Some of my favorites include the following list:
1) Battlefield 2 (Online Multiplayer)
2) Battlefield 1942 (Online Multiplayer or Single)
3) Splinter Cell (Single Player)
4) Medal of Honor Spearhead (Online Multiplayer)
Check these and more out!
The thing is, many games are free. But the problem is many are riddled with spyware. So now I unleash my super-secret way on how to have fun when you are bored: "demos." They are games with limited functunality, perhaps one or two levels or perhaps a day limit on how many days they can be played. The great thing is they are free. And since the purpose of a demo is to get you to buy the game, they don't bundle nasty spyware with it because they want you to be happy and buy the product.
Demos can be found at almost any game company's website. If you don't know what game you are specifically looking for a demo for, I suggest happypuppy.com. It has the widest selection. The best part is that their downloading system automatically accelerates the download speeds for those on a broadband connection. Thus through their website, at non-peak hours, I can download at 600-800 kilobytes a second. That usually equates to about 5-15 minutes per demo.
Some of my favorites include the following list:
1) Battlefield 2 (Online Multiplayer)
2) Battlefield 1942 (Online Multiplayer or Single)
3) Splinter Cell (Single Player)
4) Medal of Honor Spearhead (Online Multiplayer)
Check these and more out!
3.21.2006
Efficient Computing
My friends all have the same problem. I like to call is ESP. No not extrasensory perception. They all have "Excessive Startup Programs." The symptoms of such disorder is that the computer tends to lag and freeze often. A major sign that one has ESP is that in the taskbar, next to the clock, there are lots and lots of icons for things you don't use.
Everything likes to startup when Windows starts. Why, might you ask? Its because developers like programs that update themselves and users like programs that launch quickly. By starting up with Windows, it adds time to the computer's startup time but usually decreases the load time for an application. Often you'll see the icons in the corner, blinking telling you they've updated themselves.
The important thing to realize is that ESP is not necessary. 90% of programs that dwell in your computer's memory, eating up valuable resources, do not need to be there. For example, there is no reason why AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger needs to startup with windows. If updates are needed they can almost always be done manually.
To start zapping startups, first look in the program's own options. For example, AOL Instant Messenger has a checkbox labeled "Start AIM with Windows." Uncheck the box and you are good to go. For those programs not so nice, you need to do a little trick. Go to Start> Run and type in "msconfig". Press Enter and click the startup tab. Now you can uncheck anything you recognize and know you don't need. Do not uncheck anything you don't recognize (windows may use it). Also avoid uncheck your anti-virus or firewall, these are utilities that run in the background keeping your computer safe. After saving the changes, restart your computer. If something fails to work (for example I once unchecked my printer drivers so I couldn't print), just open back up msconfig and recheck them. If worse comes to worse you'll have to restart Windows in safe mode and revert back to a restore point (might be a good idea to create one before changing msconfig).
There you go, after unchecking somethings there should be more room in the taskbar and your computer should start up and run faster. Enjoy!
Everything likes to startup when Windows starts. Why, might you ask? Its because developers like programs that update themselves and users like programs that launch quickly. By starting up with Windows, it adds time to the computer's startup time but usually decreases the load time for an application. Often you'll see the icons in the corner, blinking telling you they've updated themselves.
The important thing to realize is that ESP is not necessary. 90% of programs that dwell in your computer's memory, eating up valuable resources, do not need to be there. For example, there is no reason why AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger needs to startup with windows. If updates are needed they can almost always be done manually.
To start zapping startups, first look in the program's own options. For example, AOL Instant Messenger has a checkbox labeled "Start AIM with Windows." Uncheck the box and you are good to go. For those programs not so nice, you need to do a little trick. Go to Start> Run and type in "msconfig". Press Enter and click the startup tab. Now you can uncheck anything you recognize and know you don't need. Do not uncheck anything you don't recognize (windows may use it). Also avoid uncheck your anti-virus or firewall, these are utilities that run in the background keeping your computer safe. After saving the changes, restart your computer. If something fails to work (for example I once unchecked my printer drivers so I couldn't print), just open back up msconfig and recheck them. If worse comes to worse you'll have to restart Windows in safe mode and revert back to a restore point (might be a good idea to create one before changing msconfig).
There you go, after unchecking somethings there should be more room in the taskbar and your computer should start up and run faster. Enjoy!
3.03.2006
Firefox
The greatest things in life are free. Although such case is not always true with food or money, it is often true for software. One day a few years ago I stumbled into a word, browser. 'What's a browser?' I asked myself. 'Isn't that the evil bad guy in Mario? No that's bowser. Hmm.' So I looked it up on the internet.
It turns out that browsers are the things you get on the internet with. Sure once you plug in the cable into the back of your computer and connect to the internet, you are "online." But until you open up your browser you are not "surfing" the net. Most people use Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is Microsoft's browser. However, recently people have exploited security flaws in IE and created such things as phisings. Although some phising occurs on all browsers, some tricks can be done in IE to do things say for example, placing a picture of "www.paypal.com" over the address bar so people believe they are at the genuine site.
The solution is firefox. It is a browser that is free from the Mozilla corporation. Though security improvements will benefit those who "switch over." The greatest advantage to firefox is the tabbed browsing. Tabbed browsing is like Multitasking times two. Normally when one multitasks in Windows, you have multiple Internet Explorer Windows open. With firefox you can set it so that within a window there are many websites. You flip between them with a tabbed system like a file folder. But then you can have multiple windows of firefox open each with their own many tabs. Its like saying Windows XP is a file-cabinet for the internet and each of its windows is a file-cabinet drawer. With IE you have one file folder per drawer, with firefox you have the draw filled with many file folders.
It may not sound so fun but, oh once you use it you will never turn back. I challenge you to try it. It can run side by side with IE.
www.getfirefox.com
It turns out that browsers are the things you get on the internet with. Sure once you plug in the cable into the back of your computer and connect to the internet, you are "online." But until you open up your browser you are not "surfing" the net. Most people use Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is Microsoft's browser. However, recently people have exploited security flaws in IE and created such things as phisings. Although some phising occurs on all browsers, some tricks can be done in IE to do things say for example, placing a picture of "www.paypal.com" over the address bar so people believe they are at the genuine site.
The solution is firefox. It is a browser that is free from the Mozilla corporation. Though security improvements will benefit those who "switch over." The greatest advantage to firefox is the tabbed browsing. Tabbed browsing is like Multitasking times two. Normally when one multitasks in Windows, you have multiple Internet Explorer Windows open. With firefox you can set it so that within a window there are many websites. You flip between them with a tabbed system like a file folder. But then you can have multiple windows of firefox open each with their own many tabs. Its like saying Windows XP is a file-cabinet for the internet and each of its windows is a file-cabinet drawer. With IE you have one file folder per drawer, with firefox you have the draw filled with many file folders.
It may not sound so fun but, oh once you use it you will never turn back. I challenge you to try it. It can run side by side with IE.
www.getfirefox.com
