tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52084745607067407342024-02-08T08:31:38.722-08:00Tech-nol-o-gyTech how To's & Best Of'sKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-70371495179156012122009-12-09T20:22:00.000-08:002009-12-24T20:57:15.961-08:00The android reviews begin<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, just recently I purchased an HTC Dream phone (T-mobile G1) which is the original Android phone that started the recent wave of Android based mobile devices as of late. Although the G1 has been on the market for about a year now, and is ancient by cell phone standards...I am still very impressed by it's capabilities, even compared to the newest line of Android based phones...but enough about the G1, I will have more on that later, you came to see the apps.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">for the next few posts I will be reviewing some of my favorite Android apps that I have found so far. Some of these Applications have been out since the inception of the market, and some are fairly new. I will try to encompasses games, navigation, tools, UI enhancements, people finders, and place finders...mostly free, but a few paid apps.<br /><br />Let's get to it! :<br /><br />Beautiful Widgets (.99e ~ 1.34us)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SyB8FFU7xaI/AAAAAAAAAWc/GEkDkBOVMo0/s1600-h/beautiful-widgets.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SyB8FFU7xaI/AAAAAAAAAWc/GEkDkBOVMo0/s400/beautiful-widgets.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413463178870506914" border="0" /></a>Beautiful Widgets is exactly what it says it is, a collection of handy, handsome, widgets to embellish your home screens with added functionality and eye-candy.<br /><br />Here are the included widgets:<br /><br /> on/off toggles for, <br /><ul><li>WiFi <br /></li><li>Bluetooth <br /></li><li>Plane mode <br /></li><li>GPS <br /></li><li>Silent mode <br /></li><li>Vibrate mode</li></ul> UI enhancements,<br /> • Flip clock (non animated) with current weather conditions<br /> and tap-able areas to set an unlimited amount of customizable<br /> alarms, and 3-day forecast shortcut.<br /> - Also includes a smaller version of this clock for those of you that<br /> like to have a lot of app shortcuts on your main screen.<br /><br />Most of the widgets included in this collection can be found for free either on their own, or in other widgets packages. What makes this collection stand out is the "Beautiful home" widget. This home widget is your shortcut to weather, and alarm functions...and is just darn pretty to boot. The widget was made to resemble the included home app on the HTC Hero (another excellent Android phone). Some weather apps take up quite a bit of memory, and data usage...but for the complexity of this widget it seems to be pretty slim on the memory use. As far as the data use, you can opt to have it only update manually, or at several hour intervals.<br /><br /><br />Overall I would give this app 4 out of 5 stars.<br /><br />I rate it down because sometimes it seems to create some lag while coming back to the home screen.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-11567126581655106252009-09-27T14:26:00.001-07:002009-09-28T18:39:25.930-07:00Google Analytics ReviewedI continue my Google product reviews with the amazing Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool for webmasters and site admins to keep track of site traffic and trending. I have personally used this tool with this blog for about 2 years and continue to be amazed. This service is free to use and is as easy to install as copying and pasting a few lines of code into your blog template, or website code. After installation, it begins working its magic almost immediately. You can monitor as many websites as you like. The user interface for the results dashboard is great.<br /><br />This is the main dashboard page when first entering:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzID4rEdI/AAAAAAAAAVc/xBOURhph1oY/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzID4rEdI/AAAAAAAAAVc/xBOURhph1oY/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386361367910093266" border="0" /></a>There are several categories for viewing your traffic:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzYeExI1I/AAAAAAAAAVk/MolhoQEt7oo/s1600-h/Picture+4.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzYeExI1I/AAAAAAAAAVk/MolhoQEt7oo/s400/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386361649818051410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzf8eu-xI/AAAAAAAAAVs/gnAJ4rwmqX8/s1600-h/Picture+5.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 216px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzf8eu-xI/AAAAAAAAAVs/gnAJ4rwmqX8/s400/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386361778239109906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzrZbMTjI/AAAAAAAAAV0/lQkrLPkAWR4/s1600-h/Picture+6.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 194px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAzrZbMTjI/AAAAAAAAAV0/lQkrLPkAWR4/s400/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386361974987443762" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, there are tons of options to keep track of on your site. There is even a map overlay which shows who in the world has been viewing your site. If your new to site tracking tools, this one is easy to set up, and will let you get your feet wet for free.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-66456439111044841212009-08-16T10:53:00.000-07:002009-09-28T18:40:30.318-07:00QuakeCon 2009!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SohIQdzmqqI/AAAAAAAAAUU/Lc5d7JlAnOQ/s1600-h/logo.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 102px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SohIQdzmqqI/AAAAAAAAAUU/Lc5d7JlAnOQ/s400/logo.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370622003355495074" border="0" /></a>Wow...this was my first Quakecon...and I live in Dallas, I should truly be ashamed. I went on Saturday by myself, which really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The con consisted of one main exhibit hall, a bring your own computer (BYOC) section, and one main stage ballroom which had revolving shows. The main exhibit hall had another small stage section, which held various shows from software and hardware sponsors. The shows usually showed off the sponsors goods, and usually had a t-shirt throwing session. I'd like to know how many shirts they gave away at this con because somewhere in the show there was at least one booth or show throwing t-shirts at people. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite in the right place to catch any during my 5 hour stay.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Here are a few pics taken around the show:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">BYOC setup:<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAudJWNHMI/AAAAAAAAAVM/FeUQQyOMPiw/s1600-h/IMAG0007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 353px; height: 263px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAudJWNHMI/AAAAAAAAAVM/FeUQQyOMPiw/s400/IMAG0007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386356232595250370" border="0" /></a><br />AMD up-showed Intel with this overclocking exhibit:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAvbfO05oI/AAAAAAAAAVU/Ocl8YamQegc/s1600-h/IMAG0003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SsAvbfO05oI/AAAAAAAAAVU/Ocl8YamQegc/s400/IMAG0003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386357303621772930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also got to see the first public Demo of id's new game "Rage". This game looks Excellent! The gameplay is quite varied for id, which is what they where going for. There is even a driving element which i believe is a first for id.<br />Overall the show was great! I would recommend bringing a few friends, and joining the BYOC crowd.....I can see staying for the full 3 days if that were the case.<br /></div><br /></div></div><img src="file:///Users/apple/Desktop/logo.png" alt="" />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-91282037431864936482009-01-21T21:14:00.000-08:002009-09-28T18:41:03.496-07:00Google family of products<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I know, its another Google related blog entry....but I have submitted to the glory that is the all powerful Google....This will be the first of 5 google product reviews/opinions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I am not one to stick to one company and or website to depend on for multiple programs or tools of different functionality, but as of late Google has become my swiss army knife of internet tools. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I have used, and continue to use, almost all Google tools in every day in managing this and other blogs and websites.</span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Gmail:</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I started off my Google experience with Gmail, which I have been using since it was in the invite only stage. Gmail seems to be growing in popularity and is definitely "in" with the college crowd. The things I like most about gmail are the clean look and feel the site. There are no picture based ads at all that will distract you from "just checking your email" which can invariably become a 5 minute romp through various news, fashion, video, and other links on other popular email services such as Hotmail, or Yahoo. Unless you are one that is not eas</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ily distracted I found myself going a.d.d on my previous main </span><span style="font-size:100%;">hotmail account. There are still text based ads in gmail, but they are much less distracting and obnauctious than the random dancing mortgage ads that haunt the hotmail inbox. Google is now starting to add more features to their email service. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> I guess they had complaints about gmail being TOO clean and boring, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">so they livened it up a bit with skinned themes. The themes range anywhere from space, ninjas, or just solid colors. Aside from the aesthetics, gmail has other powerful features such as displaying your emails in conversations.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hotmail:<br /></div></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SX_n2sCAzjI/AAAAAAAAAQs/w4QcNVYxAYo/s1600-h/hotmail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 451px; height: 335px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SX_n2sCAzjI/AAAAAAAAAQs/w4QcNVYxAYo/s400/hotmail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296206613529546290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SX_nXzqDhTI/AAAAAAAAAQc/3a57RWV3cDI/s1600-h/hotmail.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;">VS.<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SX_nl_sHH1I/AAAAAAAAAQk/orYkL4FJy3Y/s1600-h/gmail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 468px; height: 327px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SX_nl_sHH1I/AAAAAAAAAQk/orYkL4FJy3Y/s400/gmail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296206326748618578" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Gmail<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />Next week I will review my use of analytics, googles free traffic analysis tool.</div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-22032678258440214252008-12-14T20:15:00.000-08:002009-09-28T18:43:56.372-07:00Google is....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SUXbcG89N8I/AAAAAAAAAP8/kY5JlidZCeA/s1600-h/google+is...+copy.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 544px; height: 404px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SUXbcG89N8I/AAAAAAAAAP8/kY5JlidZCeA/s400/google+is...+copy.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279867414110877634" border="0" /></a>Just thought id give it a shot. I'm sure someone has beat me to it, but what the heck.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-74031379339413426842008-10-19T21:09:00.001-07:002008-10-19T21:11:08.243-07:00Pac wear<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SPwEuqbe3JI/AAAAAAAAAOU/WaUt1EWjQQM/s1600-h/pacman-hoodie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SPwEuqbe3JI/AAAAAAAAAOU/WaUt1EWjQQM/s400/pacman-hoodie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259083664571948178" border="0" /></a><br />See Picture!Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-57741631692001873752008-09-08T17:53:00.000-07:002008-10-12T09:40:11.774-07:00Linux Battle Continued<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SMmBXQjuS-I/AAAAAAAAAKU/lsEFFxgWg60/s1600-h/ubu+knockout+copy.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SMmBXQjuS-I/AAAAAAAAAKU/lsEFFxgWg60/s400/ubu+knockout+copy.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244865477631429602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I have now tried about 5 different distro's and can finally say that I have settled on Ubuntu!<div><br /></div><div>Overall Ubuntu seems to be the most stable, "works out of box", and features the best use of compiz with some tweaking. After reinstalling 8.04 last night, i'm really not sure why I left it. The response time of the entire OS seems to be much quicker than GOS, SuSe, and sabayon. Usually within minutes or hours after fiddling around with the other distro's getting the effects and look customized to my liking...something invariably caused all the other distro's to crash. My only complaint is sluggish system and flash player response with compiz enabled while viewing flash web content.<br /></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-34003345483621884852008-08-16T10:40:00.000-07:002008-10-12T09:40:49.509-07:00Linux Distro Battle Royale<span style="font-family:verdana;">Recently I have been exploring alternative OS options to see if I can find something with the wide scale compatibility, and dare I say it, usability of the Windows operating system. I am not a windows fan boy by any means, I just know that my PC will work with pretty much every piece of hardware on the market as long as manufactu</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">rers have made decent windows drivers for th</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">e product. As far as software is concerned, y</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">ou can find anything your heart desires for wi</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">ndows. The interface may not be as "pretty" o</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">r intuitive as that of say Mac OS, but it does work...usually. The reason for my switch is that I am growing tire</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">d of the constant barrage of updates, crash reports</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">, and odd sluggish moments.<br /><br />I have had Ubuntu installed on my system for the past year or so. The installation was easy, and most of my hardware worked straight off the bat. The only thing it seemed to lack was eye candy. In the age of vista and OS X, I have grown accustomed to my transparencies, docks, gadgets and fun task switching animations. So in my effort to spruce up the OS I did alot of Google searches and found a so-so dock application, and attempted to install compiz fusion. Compiz fusion is a visual appearance plug-in type application that enhances UI look and feel with animations, transparencies, and several other neat effects</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> that seemed to fit my eye candy requirement. Unfortunately....the installation was a failure....and I sunk back into the windows abyss.<br /><br />Last month I found a new distribution called gOS (good OS). G</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">OS is based on Ubuntu, and includes compiz fusion, plus a few other fun visual items that I wanted. There are a few versions of this OS, and I decided to go with "Space" (it looked the most flashy).<br /><br />Here is a screen shot from my gOS desktop:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SKeP0SSC8pI/AAAAAAAAAJw/XiJfWf2VM70/s1600-h/Screenshot.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 501px; height: 375px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/SKeP0SSC8pI/AAAAAAAAAJw/XiJfWf2VM70/s400/Screenshot.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235311220264989330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(note the os X like dock interface)<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Without hesitation I immediately replaced my ubuntu installation after I ran the live CD. Sadly I was disappointed with reliability and some driver issues. As far as reliability goes, I have had to restart the system from freezes about 5 times this week. Two of the three involved Wine (windows API emulator) and the rest were just from surfing the web. What kept me from going straight back to windows was the eye candy...it was literally so awesome I just had to reboot just to see wobbly windows and play with the cube desktop switcher! I know, your probobly thinking..."wow this guy is a noob and knows nothing about OS's"...ive experienced windows 3.1 to Vista and mac os 6 through 10.5 leopard. Leopard is still my OS of choice....but alas I dont have a mac at home, only at work......anyway, I digress. My point is that this is the kind of face lift Linux needs to become a mainstream option for the newest generation of computer users.<br /><br />I have also tried gOS's newest release "gOS 3", and am already scared for its future. gOS 3 is still in its beta stage, but its missing many key features of spaces:<br /><br />1. Dock no longer supports applet stacks<br />2. What happened to compiz fussion??<br />3. Seems slower than spaces<br /><br />As I said, this is still in the beta stage. As far as the compiz support goes, it seems that it is still an option through the desktop effects preferences, but there is an error when it is attempted to be enabled. gOS 3 is also based on ubuntu 8.05, which is a plus since 7.10 based 'space' was not upgradeable, yet I hope by final it will be based on the soon to come 8.10 release.<br /><br />Overall, I am very excited about the project this company has been working on, and I hope to see the linux community continue to grow toward this direction.<br /></div></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-32781700133010982072008-04-22T21:19:00.000-07:002008-10-12T09:41:34.127-07:00More flash ProjectsI've been preoccupied with school, work, and just life in general. Here are some of the flash labs I have done recently.....<br /><br /><embed src="http://geek.design.for.fun.googlepages.com/belllab9.swf" width="400" height="300"></embed><br /><br /><embed src="http://geek.design.for.fun.googlepages.com/belllab6.swf" width="400" height="295"></embed>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-29353251051278555992008-02-27T21:52:00.000-08:002008-05-03T13:35:03.979-07:00New definition of corpse campingJust thought I'd share another screen shot from WoW. I took this a few months ago in Zangarmarsh. These Horde (2 lvl 70's a lvl 1 (thats the one kindly teabaging me) and a mid 60's) camped me hardcore, complete with a barbeque on my body.<br /><br />Touching isn't it...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(click to enlarge)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R8ZN9_ON3nI/AAAAAAAAAHA/2ZQcze0kQrI/s1600-h/Pwn+Camp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 520px; height: 414px;" class="reflect rheight20" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R8ZN9_ON3nI/AAAAAAAAAHA/2ZQcze0kQrI/s400/Pwn+Camp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171906949420015218" border="0" /></a>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-90157145688288403922008-02-04T18:49:00.000-08:002008-04-27T14:32:40.977-07:00Frankenmac!<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Here is my frankenmac:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6fTSP07qJI/AAAAAAAAAEY/zueUMulZO0k/s1600-h/P1130070.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 181px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6fTSP07qJI/AAAAAAAAAEY/zueUMulZO0k/s400/P1130070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163327808243214482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is an imac DV 400mhz that I squished. The monitor was starting to go out, so i decided to take it out and dremel down the case. Turns out converting the video was not that simple, and took many hours of google searching and wire switching to achieve successful external video.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6fTwv07qLI/AAAAAAAAAEo/yOkSa-rSJjQ/s1600-h/P1130071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 178px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6fTwv07qLI/AAAAAAAAAEo/yOkSa-rSJjQ/s400/P1130071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163328332229224626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> It's alive and </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">working great!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> The </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hard drive has been</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> upgraded to 80gigs, and Mac OS updated to 10.3.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><br /></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-24210853620943993082008-01-30T21:08:00.001-08:002008-01-30T21:08:13.409-08:00HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!!!Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-88937179936547741002008-01-30T19:59:00.000-08:002008-03-19T19:33:00.982-07:003 Websites to MentionToday I heard and stumbled upon a few informational websites I thought you all would like to know about. Click on their logos to visit.<br /><br />The first is called <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Change this"</span><a href="http://www.changethis.com/"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://changethis.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" class="reflect rheight33" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6FNA_07qGI/AAAAAAAAAD0/7Tzo1aEky0Y/s400/ct-logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161491327472085090" border="0" /></a>This site's aim is to create a new type of media using current media. Much of the content is text based, including essays on many different topics, including tech.<br /><br />The next site is <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Big Think"</span> <a href="http://www.bigthink.com/"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bigthink.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" class="reflect rheight33" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6FMo_07qFI/AAAAAAAAADs/Chvcegwfdss/s400/bigthink_logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161490915155224658" border="0" /></a><br />This site is like YouTube for nerds. The audience (you) are to come up with questions and ideas, and the site's job is to make sure they are talked about, or answered by professionals in that field. There are many great interviews from the tech industry so anyone interested should check it out.<br /><br />And finally <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Free Tech Books"</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://freetechbooks.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" class="reflect rheight33" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R6FMP_07qEI/AAAAAAAAADk/HBNh2NUTdVQ/s400/logo_left.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161490485658495042" border="0" /> </a>This site has FREE tech books (okay you probably figured that out if you can read)...anyway they have books on topics ranging from gamer theory to algorithmic dynamics and everything in between.<br /><br /><br /><br />The first two sites I heard about on one of Leo Laporte's podcasts (<a href="http://www.twit.tv/">check it out</a>). As for the last site I stumbled on it. If you havn't checked out Stumble Upon you should check that out as well at <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/">http://www.stumbleupon.com</a>. Thanks for hanging in there and basically reading a link list...wait isn't this what a blog is for.......? Hope you enjoy!Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-55322816412942562202008-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:002008-03-19T19:33:52.229-07:00Just when I thought I've seen everything in outlands..........I come across <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Terokkarantula</span>.......<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">(click pic to see full size)<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R5_TD_07qDI/AAAAAAAAADc/pvadeMLFoRM/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_012808_222653.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 511px; height: 383px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R5_TD_07qDI/AAAAAAAAADc/pvadeMLFoRM/s400/WoWScrnShot_012808_222653.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161075763616393266" border="0" /></a>Yup <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">that's</span> my 63 hunter in front of the biggest spider ever...too bad it can't be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tamed</span> : (<br /><br />As this is my first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">WoW</span> topic post, let me tell you a bit about my life in The World of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Warcraft</span>:<br /><br />I have been playing since just about the beginning of the game. I have 3 active characters right now. I guess you could call my night elf warrior, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Vircaecus</span>, my main even though he's only 68, but he is my original character. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Fwokenheimer</span>, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">toon</span> I play most at the moment, is shown above. And I also have a 34 gnome <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">mage</span> who goes by the name <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Virage</span>. All of these characters are on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Sargeras</span> realm. I also have a 34 Undead warlock, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Mordathe</span>, on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Lothar</span> Realm. So if you see me around make sure to say hello!</div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-83142518054370372622008-01-27T19:30:00.000-08:002008-03-19T19:31:07.379-07:00Top 10 coolest USB Drives<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here is my list for the top ten coolest USB Flash Drives:</span></p> <p><br /><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#10 </b></span></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Lego Custom case drives</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R51JFf07qAI/AAAAAAAAAC8/JGkch9ZYUuk/s1600-h/28994_mini.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R51JFf07qAI/AAAAAAAAAC8/JGkch9ZYUuk/s200/28994_mini.jpg" name="graphics10" align="bottom" border="0" height="178" vspace="5" width="133" /></a></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Last, but certainly not least, my favorite of the DIY custom flash drive case scene. Available to anyone with some legos, a dremel tool, and some spare USB key guts.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#9</b></span></span> <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Thumbs Up, Autobot and Decepticon Transformers USB Key's</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R51ISv07p_I/AAAAAAAAAC0/cyvIAynLNvA/s1600-h/transformers-usb.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R51ISv07p_I/AAAAAAAAAC0/cyvIAynLNvA/s200/transformers-usb.jpg" name="graphics9" align="bottom" border="0" height="126" vspace="5" width="184" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Need I say more.....These are only available in 1gb (Autobot) and 2gb (Decepticon) Versions, and come complete with a neck lanyard to show it off. <a href="http://www.thumbsupuk.com/">Site</a></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#8</b></span></span> <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Solid Alliance, Thumb Drive</b></span></span></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R51Fwf07p-I/AAAAAAAAACs/CV3ueOd7Vlo/s1600-h/usb_human_thumb.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R51Fwf07p-I/AAAAAAAAACs/CV3ueOd7Vlo/s200/usb_human_thumb.jpg" name="graphics8" align="bottom" border="0" height="133" vspace="5" width="178" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pictures speak a thousand words.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b><br />#7</b></span></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Solid Alliance, Electric Guitar drive</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R509wf07p9I/AAAAAAAAACk/1l5I7sit4Oc/s1600-h/usb_guitar_drive.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R509wf07p9I/AAAAAAAAACk/1l5I7sit4Oc/s200/usb_guitar_drive.jpg" name="graphics7" align="bottom" border="0" height="104" vspace="5" width="200" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This one is dedicated to my cousin Wesley. This drive comes complete with strings, and a velvet lined case. <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.solidalliance.com/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DSolid%2BAlliance%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DsCK">Site</a></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#6</b></span></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Sandisk Extreme USB Drive Ducati Edition</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R508MP07p8I/AAAAAAAAACc/EfX7_r9O6ec/s1600-h/sandisk-ducati-usb-drive.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R508MP07p8I/AAAAAAAAACc/EfX7_r9O6ec/s200/sandisk-ducati-usb-drive.jpg" name="graphics6" align="bottom" border="0" height="133" vspace="5" width="169" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The case of this drive is modeled to resemble a Ducati motorcycle. This limited edition drive is only available in 4gb, and retails at a pricey $124.99. <a href="http://www.sandisk.com/Ducati/">site</a></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#5</b></span></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Kingmax Super Stick L series</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R506xP07p7I/AAAAAAAAACU/JpiDYEvFxmM/s1600-h/kingmax_thin_drive_world_usb_slimmest.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R506xP07p7I/AAAAAAAAACU/JpiDYEvFxmM/s200/kingmax_thin_drive_world_usb_slimmest.jpg" name="graphics5" align="bottom" border="0" height="145" vspace="5" width="168" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The worlds smallest flash drive weighing in at 3grams, and measuring 34mm x 14.5mm x 2.2mm. Comes with a lifetime warranty. Price varies vendor to vendor. <a href="http://www.kingmaxdigi.com/">Site</a><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#4</b></span></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>MixA tape form factor drive</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R504lP07p5I/AAAAAAAAACE/iLQnQklboW8/s1600-h/tape-usb.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R504lP07p5I/AAAAAAAAACE/iLQnQklboW8/s200/tape-usb.jpg" name="graphics4" align="bottom" border="0" height="130" vspace="5" width="178" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;">You can customize this retro drive on their <a href="http://www.makeamixa.com/">website</a>......need i say more? 1gig, $19.99</span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#3 </b></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Ritek, EZusb</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R5014f07p4I/AAAAAAAAAB8/MPWcOxDyEy4/s1600-h/ritek_usb_drive_yego.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R5014f07p4I/AAAAAAAAAB8/MPWcOxDyEy4/s200/ritek_usb_drive_yego.jpg" name="graphics3" align="bottom" border="0" height="129" vspace="5" width="173" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">With this drive you can have your storage and at an extra USB port at the same time. With dual status LED's on each hub stem, you can know whats active on each of the ports. Available in 128, 256, 512mb, and 1, 2, 4, or 8 gig models. The 1gig model is anywhere from $14-$20 depending on the vendor. <a href="http://www.ritek.com/">Makers site</a></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#2 </b></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Rehobotech Irikon Flash Drive</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R50zT_07p3I/AAAAAAAAAB0/GZWvY8RYnC0/s1600-h/irikon-flash-usb-drive.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R50zT_07p3I/AAAAAAAAAB0/GZWvY8RYnC0/s200/irikon-flash-usb-drive.jpg" name="graphics2" align="bottom" border="0" height="102" vspace="5" width="139" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Irikon is the worlds first USB key featuring Iris recognition technology. This baby can store up to 20 iris templates with 256-bit encryption. Available in 1, 2, and 4gb storage sizes. <a href="http://www.rehobothtech.com/">Rehobotech</a></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>#1 </b></span></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>IRONKEY</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R50xcf07p2I/AAAAAAAAABs/6tW1pIC78w8/s1600-h/ironkey-1.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R50xcf07p2I/AAAAAAAAABs/6tW1pIC78w8/s200/ironkey-1.jpg" name="graphics1" align="bottom" border="0" height="160" vspace="5" width="153" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is the IronKey. The <a href="https://www.ironkey.com/contact">manufacturer</a> touts that this is the safest USB key in the world. And after seeing their <a href="http://www.ironkey.com/demo">Demo</a>, I believe it! The key has a password vault, an ultra secure portable version of Mozilla Firefox, and an internet backup feature. Available for as low as 79.99 (for the 1gb version) the price includes "1 year of internet protection".</span></p><br /><br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-43025293995378590512008-01-26T14:57:00.000-08:002008-03-19T19:34:31.175-07:00I apoligize for the hiatusNow that classes have begun, I haven't had much time to work on this blog. I am taking an introductory course involving Flash and Dreamweaver. And also an intro computer graphics class. I should be able to post more often.<br /><br /><br />Just for fun, here is my first flash animation!<br /><br /><embed src="http://geek.design.for.fun.googlepages.com/Newtons.swf"></embed> <br /><br /><br />By the way, this animation was only done with keyframes, no motion tweens, etc.... we were not allowed to use them on this first assignment, thats why it is so choppy.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />digg_url = 'http://tech-nol-o-gy.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-appoligize-for-hiatus.html';<br /></script><br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-51217488664117460472008-01-09T19:56:00.000-08:002008-02-03T19:26:49.881-08:00Open DNSI just heard about something extremely powerful,<br />and the best thing it's FREE! It's called Open DNS.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R4WZvaL2-8I/AAAAAAAAABY/IqMRXCvwTK8/s1600-h/footer_logo.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R4WZvaL2-8I/AAAAAAAAABY/IqMRXCvwTK8/s200/footer_logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153694388357364674" border="0" class="reflect rheight33" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(c) OPEN DNS<br /><br /></div>In case you don't know what DNS is heres a snip from wikipedia describing its function:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />--The </span><b style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Domain Name system</b><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> (DNS) associates various sorts of information with so-called </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name" title="Domain name"> domain names</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">; most importantly, it serves as the "</span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_directory" title="Telephone directory">phone book</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">" for the Internet by translating human-readable computer </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostname" title="Hostname">hostnames</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">, e.g. </span><i style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Example.com" title="Example.com">www.example.com</a></i><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">, into the </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address" title="IP address">IP addresses</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">, e.g. </span><i style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">208.77.188.166</i><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">, that networking equipment needs to deliver information. It also stores other information such as the list of </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_exchange_server" title="Mail exchange server">mail exchange servers</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> that accept </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email" title="Email">email</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> for a given domain. In providing a worldwide </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyword" title="Keyword">keyword</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">-based redirection service, the Domain Name System is an essential component of contemporary </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" title="Internet">Internet</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> use.--</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><P> Normally your Internet Service Provider will direct your traffic through their DNS server which can go down, or be alot slower than the server OpenDNS provides. The coolest thing about this service is that you can completely customize your network. You can choose to filter pages with certain words or content, or even block entire domains (ex. www.sex.com) so this can provide your home network with a free way to filter content if you would like. The other interesting feature is the fact that it logs all the activity on your network! For example, if you have an open wireless network at your home, and you would like to know if your neighbor is getting on it while you are away you can check it REMOTELY by loging in to your account. Once again, this is all awesomely free! heres the link to their website <a href="http://opendns.com/">OpenDNS</a></p><br /></div><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />digg_url = 'http://tech-nol-o-gy.blogspot.com/2008/01/open-dns.html';<br /></script><br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><script src="http://geek.design.for.fun.googlepages.com/reflection.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-39206244365640521172007-12-27T17:12:00.000-08:002008-01-09T20:21:39.550-08:00Christmas, or whatever you did the past few days... hope you enjoyed it!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmahanakwanzakah traditions and days off from work (hopefully at least one). I got to see my girlfriends AND my family both this Christmas which was fun. Not too much going on lately, I should have another how-to post up soon...probably some filler in between, check regularly!</span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5208474560706740734.post-7803474484645579312007-12-23T06:42:00.000-08:002008-01-28T06:26:57.059-08:00Teach an old cue cat new tricks<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R25096L2-3I/AAAAAAAAAAM/imyWVY6vvM8/s1600-h/cuecat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 120px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xb_zKvvbq4s/R25096L2-3I/AAAAAAAAAAM/imyWVY6vvM8/s320/cuecat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147180031070894962" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I did something the other week that I have been wanting to share with people, just because i think its so darn cool. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">THE STORY</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Remember these things, i used this when i was a kid to scan many a cocoa puff cereal box. For those of you that don't remember....... The CueCat was an amazingly free bar code scanner and software bundle that you could acquire at your local radio shack (if i remember correctly). The software that came with the cats allowed you to scan virtually anything that had a bar code on it, and it took you to that products website. I thought it was pretty cool as a kid, and so did many other people, but apparently due to the privacy infringement (transmitted personal data, demographics etc..to companies) it didn't hang on long. </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br /><br /><br />THE EXPERIMENT, USE THE CUE CAT FOR YOUR WIRELESS ROUTER PASSWORD (OR MOST ANY OTHER PASSWORD)</span></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> The cue-cat is hard programed to take the bar code information that you have scanned, place it in the selected text field (or anywhere you can type) and press enter. But, without scanning software what you scan in isn't what you get.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> The cat 'encrypts' the bar code data and its out put ends up as base64-XOR and also the serial number of the cue cat itself. So in turn this is the standard output you would expect for your cue-cat to make without the software decryption:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:courier new;" ><br /><br /> .C3nZC3nZC3n2D3bWENP0DxnY.fHmc.C3P6E3P2C3nZCxrY.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Talk about a strong password.....</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">alphanumerical, caps, lowercase, spaces, AND symbols ....</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ok</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> symbol (.)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Are you starting to see the possibilities? I ended up using this crazy password for my wireless router. I set it up for </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">WPA</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">-Personal with </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">TKIP</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> encryption. This allows you to enter any password you wish. If you don't have a password on your router not only can you have people on your home network fiddling with your files, but also people (neighbors and or passerby) can easily connect to your router (especially in apartments) and this can bog down your connection.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> So how do you keep that coke bottle you scanned for your password? The simple answer is, you don't. I suppose you could if you wanted to, but there are ways to print it out for easier filing. There are many online java enabled bar code creators, the one I used is </span><a href="http://www.idautomation.com/java/linearservlet.html">HERE</a></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">make sure you select </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">UPCE</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> under the bar code type, or else you won't be able to scan it with the cat. After making the code you can print it and you've got a password you can scan into any computer for wireless network setup. I just used my numerical birth date</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> with a 1 at the end and its easy enough to remember. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">**Remember: keep both the printed bar code AND a printout of what you get after you scan it with the cat ( just in case you should loose the cat). </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them in comments,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Thanks for reading!</span><br /><a href="http://www.idautomation.com/java/linearservlet.html"></a><span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span></div><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />digg_url = 'http://tech-nol-o-gy.blogspot.com/2007/12/teach-old-cue-cat-new-tricks.html';<br />digg_title = 'Teach and old cue cat new tricks.';<br />digg_bodytext = 'How to make an old cue cat into an extreme password maker!';<br />digg_media = 'Image';<br />digg_topic = 'gadgets';<br /></script><br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919709854652437552noreply@blogger.com0