Network QuickEntry

In my last post I mentioned how I think it would great if QuickEntry worked across a network.  This is how I think that this could work.

• When Quicken is installed it generates a large public / private key pair.


• There would be a new option in Quicken to generate a QuickEntry widget.  When the widget is generated, a public / private key pair is generated for the widget itself.  Also the user can assign a label for each widget generated.


• Quicken would create a daemon that would allow QuickEntry instances to be added to the Quicken data file, even when Quicken is not running.


• When a QuickEntry widget sends the transactions to Quicken, it will first sign the data with the private key for the widget.  Then it will encrypt the signed data with the public key for the Quicken installation.

Quicken 2007

Intuit released a while ago their latest in yearly update to Quicken. (Remember when Intuit said that they were discontinuing support for Mac quicken?) Quicken 2007 is a minor update with the only major feature being the resurrection of QuickEntry.  QuickEntry has been implemented as a Dashboard Widget.

I really like this feature, especially it takes too long to launch Quicken just to enter some receipts.  It was a shame when it was removed in Quicken 2002.

Harmony Remote Software

I just noticed that Logitech has updated their Harmony Remote desktop software.  Now instead of using a separate web browser to configure the remote settings, and an application to update the remote, the application now integrates these two functions.  The Logitech Harmony Remote application is a java application that essentially a web browser that initially goes to a specified url.

This solves the problem that I mentioned before where the old Harmony Remote Application started reading the configuration file before Firefox finished downloading it.

Technorati Tags: browser, Harmony Remote, java, Logitech

DiggThumbs

DiggThumbs is a Firefox extension that shows thumbnails for entries on digg.  These thumbnails are provided by WebShotsPro.com.  This is very similar to the functionality provided by BetterSearch, for search engine results.

This doesn't appear to slow down the page loads in digg.


[via Download Squad]

Technorati Tags: BetterSearch, digg, DiggThumbs, Firefox, WebShotsPro.com

XNmap

I have been using nmap to inventory my network for various reasons (1, 2).  XNmap is a Mac OS X application that make nmap easer to use.  This is essentially just a wrapper that calls the nmap command line tool.

[via TUAW, Nirlog.com]

Technorati Tags: networking, nmap, security, XNmap

Limiting hybrids in carpool lane

It looks like Caltrans may be limiting the number of hybrids that get access to the hybrid lanes in California.  I personally think that this is a good thing for several reasons:

1. One of the ways that carpool lanes are supposed to reduce congestion is to encouage people of share a car.  But now you see a solo driver driving a hybrid in the car pool lane.


2. Carpool lanes are supposed to help reduce environmental polutants.  I would claim that 1 gasolene automobile with 2 or 3 people (depending on the carpool rules for the area) emmit less pollutants than 2 or 3 hybrids with single occupants.

The current system is geared for the wealthy.  Those who can afford a hybrid, regardless of how efficient it is, can drive in the carpool lane.  I would rather the state be upfront about this, and enact a rule where if you spend $1000 - $2000, you get a sticker to enable you to drive in the carpool lane with a solo driver.

[via A Sad Salvation]

Technorati Tags: Caltrans, carpool, hybrid

BitRocket

BitRocket is a new BitTorrent application for Mac OS X.  It brings some of the great features of Azureus to a native Mac OS X application, like the ability to download torrents from an rss feed.

Download Squad has a pretty extensive walkthrough of the features of

Technorati Tags: Azureus, BitRocket, BitTorrent, Mac OS X