31 Dec, 2006
Google Reader suggestions
This post on the Ramblewords blog has some great suggestions for Google Reader. The ones that I like a lot describes ways to group posts by linked article or topic.
This would allow me to go through my feed list faster. (I hope I wouldn't add additional feeds.)
Technorati tags: Google Reader, suggestions
31 Dec, 2006
GlowWorm FW Lite
I had been using Little Snitch to prevent and notify me of outgoing network connections. Ever since, I have upgraded to my Mac Book Pro, I have not be successful in running Little Snitch.
I just tried GlowWorm FW Lite. This is an application that has the sam functionality. When installed, you are notified of any outgoing network connections. You then can accept or deny the connection, and then same this setting.
(More)Technorati tags: firewall, GlowWorm, Little Snitch
31 Dec, 2006
2006 Darwin Awards
The 2006 Darwin Awards have been posted.
[via Slashdot]
Technorati tags: Darwin Awards, natural selection
30 Dec, 2006
Fedora Legacy shutting down
I recieved the an email yesterday (included below) stating the Fedora Legacy is in the process of shutting down. As of now, they are not maintaining distributions for Fedora Core 4 and earlier.
Fedora Legacy provided a centralized place where updates were distributed, even after the OS wasn't officially supported through Red Hat.
Now that this Fedora Legacy is going away, hopefully some other project will fill the space, or maybe I will switch to an OS with support. I really don't want to managed all patches and upgrades manually.
(More)Technorati tags: Fedora Legacy, Red Hat
30 Dec, 2006
Valid XHTML embedded YouTube videos
The code that YouTube specifies to be used to embed videos into html pages, is not valid in the XHTML 1.0 spec. The <embed> tag has been deprecated in XHTML 1.0. This page describes valid XHTML 1.0 code to embed YouTube videos.
[via Zeigen]
Technorati tags: , XHTML 1.0, YouTube
30 Dec, 2006
DIY baby rocker
This is great. Someone took the motor from a microwave oven and is using it to rock a baby chair. It would be fun to make something like this before the baby comes.
[via MAKE: Blog]
Technorati tags: baby rocker, DIY, microwave, motor, oven
30 Dec, 2006
Cell phone wish list
I have been using the Motorola E815 for a little over a year, and I have been pretty happy with it. Recently there have been some annoyances, and some things that I haven't be able to do with it. For example,
- The E815 can not run the Gmail for mobile application or any other Java application
- The built-in browser doesn't retain cookies across power cycle, so you have to re-enter usernames and passwords for web sites.
So now when I am ready for a new cell phone, these are the features that I want:
- Java capable
- Full Bluetooth support, including file transfer profile
- Web client, with persistent cookies.
- Full iSync support over Bluetooth
- Camera with lens cover to protect against pocket lint.
- Voice dialing capable.
Technorati tags: Bluetooth, Camera phone, E815, Gmail, iSync, Java, Motorola, Voice dialing
23 Dec, 2006
Video On Demand Behavior Change
I have been playing with Comcast's "On Demand" feature on the Motorola DVR cable box in our bedroom a little bit, and have realized that this will change my behavior. We used to have some series recordings of kids programs.
Now, I can cancel these recordings, since most of these shows are available on "On Demand". With this change, the DVR's disk space will not be "wasted" with programs that I don't watch.
Technorati tags: Comcast, On Demand, DVR
23 Dec, 2006
TiVo remote addresses with Harmony remote
I needed to setup my Harmony remote to be able to control both the TiVo Series3 and the DIRECTV HD DVR. I thought that there was a setting in in the Harmony interface, but I couldn't find it. Here is the way that I was able to get this to work:
- Configure the remotes and TiVo for seperate remote addresses.
- In the Harmony remote application, click on the Settings for one of the TiVos.
- Select the "Confirm infrared commands" option.
- Follow the instructructions.
- Do the same for the other.
Technorati tags: Harmony Remote, Logitech, Series3, TiVo
23 Dec, 2006
MailBarricade
In early 2004, I was looking for a solution of reducing spam email or our domain. We had been using SpamAsassin, but we didn't have a food soluton for training the bayesian database.
Then I found Maia Mailguard. This is a extension of amavisd-new. When mail is received it is run though spam an virus filters. The mail is quarantined or released based on each users settings. There is a nice web interface for users to mark items as spam, that were missed, or release items that were incorrectly marked as spam.
I installed this on my server, and it really worked for our mail. It worked so well, that I decided to make this available to other people. That is when I started MailBarricade. I mentioned this to my friends, and posted some ads with AdWords. Some friends and some small companies signed up.
(More)Technorati tags: amavisd-new, filtering, Google, Google Apps, MailBarricade, spam, virus
22 Dec, 2006
difference between geek, nerd and dork
This post has a table that describes the differences between geek, nerd and dork.
[via Valleywag]
Technorati tags: dork, geek, nerd
21 Dec, 2006
Another Series3 issue
Today, I noticed another problem with the Series3. About half of the recordings were "partial" with duration of 0:00. It turns out that only one of the two CableCards were activated. So all of the recordings from digital cable channels, on that tuner, were failing.
The TiVo should have been able to identify this problem after setup. The TiVo could have process where it tunes to every channel on both tuners. Then it could verify that the content on both tuners is the same.
Technorati tags: CableCard, Comcast, Series3, TiVo
21 Dec, 2006
Podcasts: TiVo vs FrontRow
With the Series3 installed, we now have two ways to easily listen to podcasts on our main system. We can either use FrontRow on the Mac mini, or use the podcasting application on the TiVo Series3. There are good and bad things with both of these solutions.
TiVo:
The podcasting application has a small directory of audio podcasts. The ones you want to have easy access to, you can mark them as favorites. For the podcasts that aren't listed, you can, tediously, enter the urls of the rss feed with the remote. Playing back works by essentially streaming the audio file.
Technorati tags: FrontRow, iTunes, Series3, TiVo
21 Dec, 2006
OpenID
It appears that OpenID is gaining prominence. OpenID is a decentralized identity system that can be used for authentication for various sites. When you want to authenticate your identity, you enter a url for a page that you control. This page contains will contain link tags with the location of the OpenID server where authentication happens.
This solution seems to work pretty well. Unfortunately, it setting up an OpenID identify is a little complicated. If you are not on system that natively supports OpenID, you will need to either configure a server your self, or use one of the OpenID identity services.
(More)Technorati tags: identity, LifeType, OpenID, phpMyID
20 Dec, 2006
300GB 2.5" drive
Fujitsu has announced a 2.5-inch 300GB drive. With this drive, I would install Parallels with Windows XP, and not have to carry around two laptops.
[via Gizmodo]
Technorati tags: 2.5-inch drive, 300GB, Fujitsu, Parellels, Windows XP