Archive for the “computers” Category

The host that Stolen Droids sits on has recently done some migration work on their servers. Basically, they’ve moved from one server to another. This can get kinda tricky when a single account (like this one) actually has MANY websites and subdomains under it.

For whatever reason, every site that is on this account has been shuffled off this internet coil except Stolen Droids.  While I greatly appreciate the fact that our most visited (and technically complex) site has not been deleted, it doesn’t really help me bring back any of the other sites that just suddenly don’t exist anymore.  The account is actually under fellow SD member Schmidty, who graciously allows us space and pays for the monthly bill.

I’ve done many migrations before myself, and I know that they can be a real pain in the rear if you don’t plan accordingly for the project at hand.  The best way to avoid this kind of issue is to . . . well, PLAN for the project at hand.

It’s not really a secret that computer geeks go ga-ga for anything skinny.  Anime girls, MMO characters, and especially their electronic devices.  The urge to make everything as skinny and flat as possible has helped us make some pretty cool gadgets; LCD monitors, TVs, smaller game consoles, and computers.  However, there is a point at which it simply doesn’t make sense anymore.

Perfect case in point; the MacBook Air.  Don’t get me wrong, I think the thing is gorgeous and a major technical achievement.  The CEO of my company just bought one and I got to spend a week with it, setting it up for her.  It runs Windows better than it runs OS X (and I’m not just saying that, it really just FLIES under Vista), and can do anything you’d expect from a larger computer with ease.

My company recently bought a Dell Inspiron Mini9 to try out in the field. It’s what’s referred to in the industry as a “netbook” because it’s so small. The idea is to have a device that’s a cross between a full laptop, and a smart phone with constant internet access. It’s really a handy idea . . . for blogging from a coffee shop. If you need more, however, you’ll be disappointed.

Well, we found that our field agents didn’t like it because the keyboard is too small for them to type for long periods of time. It was retired to my shelf of misfit toys in my office. Dell offers it in either Windows XP (which is just plain stupid) or a specialized flavor of Linux called Ubuntu. So I decided to image it with the Ubuntu installation, and I was pleasantly surprised! Everything worked well right off the bat! Even the onboard mobile broadband card! There’s also a neat feature called Network Manager who’s sole purpose is to keep you online:

As most of you probably know this week is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3 for short. This time of year brings a huge amount of gaming news for all the latest and greatest games to come. Rather than link all of the awesome videos, and I assure you there are many (just keep reading if you doubt), I recommend you regularly check http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/index.html for all the latest news. In no particular order I’m going to talk a bit about some of the amazing things that have been announced so far. I’ll try to add new posts after each days news hits. Since it’s midday Teusday this will include all of the stuff from day 1, and some of day 2.

• There is a new model of the PSP coming with a slide up screen. Yeah I know, I don’t care either but it’s as good a place as any to start

Last week while I was playing a baseball game on my computer, the screen suddenly minimized and I was staring at my desktop.  I was mildly annoyed and wondered what had just happened but didn’t dwell on it too much and resumed playing my game.  After a few pitches, the same thing happened.  This was not chance; something was messing with my computer and I didn’t like it.  I put my game on hold and started researching the issue.

Obviously something was stealing the focus of the window that my game was in.  This is why it kept minimizing to the desktop.  I opened up Tweak UI to verify that I had enabled the option to prevent one window from stealing focus from another and saw that I had.  This was getting more and more interesting.

Every geek that I know has a favorite media player.  Mac geeks swear by iTunes because they’ve been brainwashed by Steve Jobs.  Some Windows geeks love Windows Media Player because it has Windows in the name.  And let’s not forget about Real, WinAmp, or the numerous other “standards” that people use.  Despite these options, some people have and have discovered new and better ways to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special or listen to their vast MP3 collection.

I’ve mentioned before how I am able to watch various movies and TV shows at my desk while I’m working.  Because these files come from an assortment of locations, I have to deal with a large number of codecs and other hoop jumping in order to watch everything that I want.

A couple weeks ago my little girl turned the big 1 year old.  As is customary, we went and had some pictures taken at the local portrait studio.  She was a real trooper and we got some really nice pictures of her with varied props and outfits.  The photographer was really nice and you could tell she was familiar with working with babies by how well she handled ours.  When our session was over, we waited in the front room for our proofs to be done.  

Now, I remember going with my family to Olan Mills for our family portrait when I was 10 or so.  We probably only got 4 shots taken, and my mom had to go back a week later to look at the proofs.  It’s quite amazing how digital photography has changed the scene when it comes to getting your family portraits done.  But what’s really annoying is how the sales strategy haven’t.

Last week we had a bit of a upgrade-induced meltdown at work.  The server upgrade that had gone so smoothly the night before had somehow fallen apart by the next morning.  I was flying into work with my laptop already out and ready to go online and see what had happened by the time I got in the office, and I went straight to my boss’s office instead of my own.  I sat in the chair next to his desk and he and I worked on the issue for about an hour to get everything buttoned back up again.  Towards the end of our ordeal, he noticed how slow my laptop had gotten since they had purchased it for me and how much battery life it was sucking away.  He decided that I needed an actual workstation to have in my office, and to only use my laptop when I was working out of the office.

Or The Freeware Strikes Back.  Choose your title.  I won’t be offended.

Last week I published a post about some of my favorite freeware utilities that I like to use before I reinstall Windows.  They don’t need to be used exclusively before a reinstall, but they have proven to be very useful to me.  There are a few more free apps that helped me as I reformatted two different computers on five different occasions over the past few weeks so I thought I’d bring them to your attention.

ProduKey
With all of the product keys that are required to legally use software these days, it can sometimes be difficult to keep everything straight.  Produkey will scan your computer for installed Microsoft programs and then provide detailed information about them such as product keys and product IDs.  All that you need to do is run a scan and then print out the results.  It’s a very handy tool that no geek should be without.

Years ago, it used to be that when I needed a program, I’d either buy it or find somebody who could give me a copy.  With the internet the way that it is now, nearly every application you could want can be found online.  However, downloading copyrighted software poses its own set of problems that may not be worth the money you’d be saving by downloading the latest version of Adobe Photoshop.  Therefore, I propose an alternative: freeware.

Over the past few years, freeware has taken a giant leap forward.  Most people are familiar with applications such as Open Office and Linux that have taken a piece of Microsoft’s pie.  Whether these people have used these applications is beside the point.  My point is that there are viable alternatives to expensive programs out there that don’t cost a dime.  On this note, I thought that it would be fun to share some other free applications that I have fallen in love with over the years.