Its all ABOUT Firefox

Some useful About commands that Firefox users may benefit from:

• About:
  
• About:Plugins
  
• About:config
  
• About:mozilla
  
• About:cache
• About:buildconfig
  
• About:credits
  

Just type them, as show above, in the address bar and press enter...

An Outlook Express basic repair kit

An Outlook Express basic repair kit is a pretty well written article on how to repair Outlook Express if you're experiencing issues.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/.../oerepair.mspx

Viidoo - Home of Web TV

Viidoo lets you watch various cable stations at home, on your computer. From ESPN to HBO and a few I never heard of. Not sure how long this will last but check it out while its still live.

Link:
http://www.viidoo.com/en/index.php

Cool stairs

Check out this staircase

Microsoft's Official Press Release on Zune

REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 28, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. is putting the social into digital music, starting this holiday. Today the company announced that the Zune™ digital media player and online service will be available to consumers in the U.S. on Nov. 14, 2006, just in time for the holidays. The Zune device will retail for $249.99 U.S. (ERP) and will create new ways for entertainment fans to connect and share media experiences device-to-device through the use of wireless technology and new software scenarios.

For $249.99, consumers will get an incredible entertainment experience right out of the box:

• 30GB digital media player will come equipped with wireless functionality for Zune-to-Zune sharing of music, pictures and home recordings; a bright, three-inch LCD video screen that works in portrait or landscape mode to view pictures and videos; and a built-in FM tuner. The device will be available in three colors: black, brown and white.
• A selection of preloaded content including songs, music videos and film shorts are installed on the device’s hard drive to help consumers discover new artists and entertainment.

Zune makes it easy to find music you love — whether it’s songs in your existing library or new music from the Zune Marketplace:

• Its dynamic music service will be continually updated with new content and experiences so there is always something to discover. The Zune Marketplace lets users browse and purchase songs individually.
• A Zune Pass subscription gives consumers access to millions of songs for $14.99 per month.
• Users can purchase songs individually using Microsoft® Points for 79 points per track. Similar to a pre-paid phone card, Microsoft Points is a stored value system that can be redeemed at a growing number of online stores, including the Xbox Live® Marketplace.

In addition, consumers can choose from a full line of accessories to enhance the Zune experience and help Zune users enjoy their entertainment where they want to, at home or on the road. Accessories range in price from $19.99 to $99.99.

“On Nov. 14 we’re delivering not only a device, but a shared, social experience that will be shaped by the collective imagination of consumers,” said Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for Zune. “We’re infusing the spirit of discovery and sharing into everything we do — from the experience we crafted around the device and service to pre-loading music and videos on every device to expose people to something new.”

Pre-Loaded Content

Zune is a vehicle to explore new sounds and experiences. With that in mind, Microsoft pre-loaded each Zune device with a variety of songs and music videos from hot, new artists as well as some fun films and images. With something for everyone, the pre-loaded Zune content may just help you discover your new favorite band. Zune preloaded content includes the following:

Audio Tracks

• Band of Horses, “Wicked Gil” (Sub Pop Records)
• Bitter:Sweet, “The Mating Game” (Quango Music Group)
• CSS, “Alala (Microsoft edit)” (Sub Pop Records)
• Darkel, “At The End of The Sky (edit)” (Astralwerks)
• Every Move a Picture, “Signs of Life” (V2)
• Small Sins, “Stay” (Astralwerks)
• The Adored, “Tell Me Tell Me” (V2)
• The Rakes, “Open Book” (V2)
• The Thermals, “A Pillar of Salt” (Sub Pop Records)

Music Video

• 30 Seconds to Mars, “The Kill” (Virgin Records)
• BT, “1.618” (DTS Entertainment)
• Chad VanGaalen, “Red Hot Drops” (Sub Pop Records)
• Coldcut featuring Roots Manuva, “True Skool” (Ninja Tune)
• CSS, “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” (Sub Pop Records)
• Fruit Bats, “Live: The Wind That Blew My Heart Away” (Sub Pop Records)
• Grandaddy, “Elevate Myself” (V2)
• Hot Chip, “Over and Over” (Astralwerks Records)
• Kraak & Smaak featuring Dez., “Keep Me Home” (Quango Music Group)
• Kinski, “Live: The Snowy Parts of Scandinavia” (Sub Pop Records)
• Paul Oakenfold, “Faster Kill Pussycat (Featuring Brittany Murphy)” (Maverick Records)
• Serena-Maneesh, “Drain Cosmetics” (Playlouderecordings)

Film Shorts

• 5 Boro: “A New York Skateboarding Minute” (Skateboarding)
• Radical Films: “Kranked — Progression” (Mountain Biking)
• TGRTV The North Face (Skiing/Snowboarding)

Images

• A variety of images to personalize a Zune device, including 12 classic rock posters from “Art of Modern Rock”

Zune Accessories

For entertainment fans who want to experience their media from anywhere, Microsoft will offer the following accessories:

• Zune Home A/V Pack. The Home A/V Pack includes everything you need to amplify your Zune experience. This set of five products integrates Zune with your big-screen TV and the best speakers in your house. The wireless remote puts you in control from virtually anywhere in the room. When you buy the Zune Home AV Pack, you’ll get the AV Output Cable, Zune Dock, Zune Wireless Remote with Lithium Battery, Zune Sync Cable and Zune AC Adapter for $99.99.
• Zune Travel Pack. The Travel Pack includes everything you need to travel with your Zune device in style. This set of five products is designed to keep you and your friends and family entertained while you travel. When you buy the Zune Travel Pack, you’ll get the Zune Dual Connect Remote, Zune Premium Earphones, Zune Gear Bag, Zune Sync Cable and Zune AC Adapter for $99.99.
• Zune Car Pack. The Car Pack includes everything you need to hit the road with your Zune device. With AutoSeek, setup is easy, and you can enjoy your music on the go and charge at the same time. When you buy the Zune Car Pack, you’ll get the FM tuner with AutoSeek and the Zune Car Charger for $79.99.

Sold Individually

• · Zune AV Output Cable. The A/V Output Cable lets you connect your Zune device to a TV and home stereo. Ideal for listening to music and showing pictures and video, the A/V Output Cable is simple to set up and use, and will retail for $19.99.
• · Zune AC Adapter. The AC Adapter lets you charge your Zune device without a PC. For convenience, the AC Adapter will charge your Zune device in about three hours and will retail for $29.99.
• · Zune Sync Cable. The Sync Cable lets you connect your Zune device to your PC or the Zune AC Adapter (sold separately). It works as a replacement for your original sync cable or as a spare for travel and charging, and will retail for $19.99.
• · Zune Car Charger. The Car Charger lets you charge your device in the car while listening to your favorite music and even while using the FM tuner with AutoSeek (sold separately). The Car Charger will retail for $24.99.
• · Zune Dock. The Dock elegantly displays your Zune device anywhere in your home or office. Featuring a connector port and an audio/video output, the Dock is ideal for syncing, charging and connecting with home A/V equipment. (A/V connectivity requires the Zune A/V Output Cable, sold separately.) The Dock will retail for $39.99.
• · Zune Wireless Remote for Zune Dock. Designed for use with Zune Dock (sold separately), the Wireless Remote lets you control your device from across the room. The Wireless Remote gives you quick access to your current playlist as well as full control over menu navigation and volume. The Wireless Remote will retail for $29.99.
• · Zune Dual Connect Remote. The Dual Connect Remote offers convenient playlist control and two headphone jacks with independent amplifiers and volume controls so you can listen with a friend or family member. The Dual Connect Remote will retail for $29.99.
• · Zune FM tuner With AutoSeek. The FM tuner with AutoSeek lets you wirelessly listen to music through your car’s stereo through the FM radio. AutoSeek automatically finds the optimal station so it’s easy to set up, and will retail for $69.99.
• · Zune Gear Bag. The Gear Bag lets you bring Zune and related accessories with you wherever you go. The Gear Bag comes with a rugged exterior and fitted compartments to protect your device while you travel. The Gear Bag will retail for $29.99.
• · Zune Premium Earphones. Designed exclusively for use with Zune, the Premium Earphones produce superior sound and feature a noise-isolating, in-ear design. With a convenient storage case and three earpiece sizes to choose from, you can listen to your music with added comfort and quality. The Premium earphones will retail for $39.99.

The Next Step in Connected Entertainment

In addition to the rich service and Zune-to-Zune sharing capabilities available at launch, the built-in wireless technology and powerful software provide a strong foundation for Zune to continue to build new shared experiences around music and video. “We’re offering a compelling experience right out of the box and providing customers with a solid base to customize and personalize their entertainment,” Stephenson said. “This is just the beginning.”

2 online website creators

Been wanting to blog about these sites for a while now. The online website creators are good for what they do, create a website with the least amount of work, knowledge, and money. I would never recommend this for a business site as they look very template.

1) SiteKreator

An all-inclusive Web publishing service, SiteKreator can help you launch and manage an engaging and robust Web site for your business or organization, artist portfolio or professional CV, personal blog or family photo gallery.

Website is stored on their servers and they do offer a free personal account. Seems to have a lot of templates and from what I can tell most of the templates look very Blog like in nature. I guess you could say web 2.0 looking but I think its most inline with blog sites. The personal account, which if free, may be good if your looking for a picture gallery, mailing list, or web form and not sure how to start one.


2) Synthasite

Synthasite is an advanced collaborative web development platform that competes squarely with traditional web development software.

Closed beta right now and hard to get non-marketing fluff about the product. It will be AJAX based - duh!. This ones looks like, if it ever gets released, to be more of a professional solution as they offer alot more 'components' to be plugged into a site.

Real-time HTML Editor

Real-time HTML Editor let you type and add code into an editable area and the HTML code is rendered to a frame below. This could be useful for people that have no clue as to HTML and want to try out some things. It works rather well and could be fun to play around with.

Check it out for yourself.

Link:
http://htmledit.squarefree.com/

Cfont Pro - Premium Font Manager is now Donationware

I decided to turn Cfont Pro into a donationware application. This is a 100% optional donationware application with no nag screens, malware, or registration process.

(make sure you use the direct download link until Download.com gets the update)

Enjoy!

Link:
http://www.cfontpro.com/

Working out the kinks

Working out all the kinks on the new server. I think I have most things back to normal but in case I don't please feel free to contact me if you find something not working.

Thanx

Server failure

The problems just won't stop happening. Last night I lost the server and all data. I had most things backed up on my local system but have lost some of the MySQL data as I was not ontop of backing this up - still a manual process for me.

It will be a couple days until I start posting again.

PHP Designer 2007 does it right

I looked and looked for a solid PHP IDE (application to develop PHP webpages from within) and came across PHP Designer 2007. This application stood out with me because of its quick loading and clean, but customizable interface. There is really too many features to discuss here so just drop by the website and check it out for yourself - they also offer a free version (that I have been using).

From the products website:

PHP Designer 2007 is a free/commercial Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for PHP for both beginner- and professional developers.

One of the strength in PHP lies in the ability to embed it into- and together with other web-languages, and this is why PHP Designer 2007 not only supports PHP but also other web-languages like HTML, MySQL, XML, CSS, JavaScript, VBScript, Java, C#, Perl, Python and Ruby!

Link:
http://www.mpsoftware.dk/phpdesigner.php

When cartoons were actually good

Rememeber when you looked forward to Saturday morning cartoons and they where actuall worth wactching? Try these cartoon clips on Windows Media.

Link:
http://www.windowsmedia.com/mediaguide/cartoons

DreamMail Email Client

Imagine a great logo of the application here (too lazy to download and add it)

• DreamMail supports skins
• DreamMail integrates many easy-to-use mail templates
• Antispam filter (Does nt work in International version of DreamMail, currently trying to use Bayesian filter)
• Webmail support, with auto-connection to server
• Mail composer can add an image easily using Drag 'n Drog and from clipboard
• Display sender's IP (Only working on chinese version)
• Powerful mail search
• 3 different display for your mail accounts
• RSS Feed Reader

They list it as an amazing email client. I am too much wrapped around Outlook for my business that switching or testing another email client really isn't an option. If you give it a try drop me a comment and let me know if it is amazing.

Link:
http://dreammail.europe.free.fr/

Software Pirate Gets 7 Years in Prison

BetaNews | Software Pirate Gets 7 Years in Prison: "A California man has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $5.4 million in restitution as a result of a federal piracy case, software company Autodesk said Friday. In addition to Autodesk, 26-year-old Nathan Peterson also was copying and selling software from Adobe, Macromedia and Symantec, the company said in a statement."

How Gas Prices Work

Howstuffworks "How Gas Prices Work": "When you pump $20 dollars into your tank, that money is broken up into little pieces that get distributed among several entities. Gas is just like any other consumer product: There's a supply chain and several groups who are responsible for setting the price of the product. The media can sometimes lead you to believe that the price of gas is based solely on the price of crude oil, but there are actually many factors that determine what you pay at the pump. "

The IE7 User-Agent String

• On Windows XP SP2, IE7 will send the following User-Agent header: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1)
• On Windows 2003 Server, IE7 will send the following User-Agent header: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.2)
• On Windows Vista, IE7 will send the following User-Agent header: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0)

SizeEasy lets your visualize the size of things

Sounds kinda of strange and really kinda useless in its current state. I'm not being harsh but it really only works well with items that are in the same general size area. If one object is too large compared to another than its really doesn't work well. Anyway, give it a shot for yourself.

Link:
http://www.sizeasy.com

Number of galaxies in nothing

The Hubble Deep Field: The Most Important Image Ever Taken: Good watch - watch the whole thing and don't be tirned off by the little Numa Numa injection.

Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcBV-cXVWFw

How to Destroy the Earth With a Coffee Can

How to Destroy the Earth With a Coffee Can: "It's not as easy to destroy the Earth as you might think; evil geniuses everywhere have been trying for years. The problem lies with the fact that the Earth is pretty big (at least compared to you and me) and it takes quite a bit of energy to destroy it. There is a way however, to do it with nothing more than a coffee can. "

The Holy Grail of Synchronization

The Holy Grail of Synchronization:: "The Holy Grail of Synchronization: How to synchronize Microsoft Outlook (multiple locations), Google Calendar, Gmail, iPod, and mobile phone with Funambol / ScheduleWorld."

Soapbox on MSN Video Beta

Soapbox on MSN Video Beta will be like a YouTube site. Basically its going to be a user content video upload site. I signed up for the beta and will post more if I can get in.

Link:
http://soapbox.msn.com/

Zune for $284

Is this the price point for the new Zune player from MS? Good starting point if you ask me.

Adobe Acrobat 8 Adds Conferencing

Adobe Acrobat 8 Adds Conferencing: "Adobe on Monday introduced version 8 of its ubiquitous Acrobat PDF software as part of a minor update to its Creative Suite. The new release brings with it Web conferencing functionality incorporated from Macromedia Breeze."

Wonder how bloated the reader will be.

I C Zune

BetaNews is offering images of the new Zune media player from MS. I like the simplistic design (like iPod) but still unsure about the size. How thick is it? Also, what is the price point for Zune?

Some Specs

• 12 hour battery life
• embedded WiFi
• 30 Gig hard drive
• 3" display
• built-in FM tuner
• three color choices: black, white and brown

Download Urchin 5 Web Analytics Software

Google Analytics - Urchin Software: "Urchin 5 analyzes traffic for one or more websites and provides accurate and easy-to-understand reports on your visitors - where they come from, how they use your site, what converts them into customers, and much more. If you have content behind a security firewall or on an intranet or internal network that prevents you from using the Google Analytics service, Urchin 5 software is for you."

This is the same software that drive Google Analytics.

Link:
http://www.google.com/analytics/urchin_software.html

Google protecting us from ourselves?

I have heard that Google will warn us about websites that could be potentially harmfull if accessed but had never come across it till now. While looking for sites that have cracked some of my software I came across one of the warnings.

Do you like the fact that Google is 'protecting' us?

Seeker no longer requires a registration code

Veign's - Seeker: "Seeker's has a ultra-fast file search engine on top of a powerful file search algorithm. Searching for files or inside of files Seeker can handle it. Seeker not only searches for files or inside files, Seeker lets you replace text inside of files. Regular expression support and command line parameter support makes Seeker a complete search and replace solution. All results from Seeker can be viewed in one of four advanced reporting modes; Detailed file list, Structured report, Summary report, and Summary report with file list. Don't miss out on the top Search and Replace application around."

Link:
http://www.veign.com/download_app.asp?app=104

Webwag: Yet another customizable homepage

Customizable homepage or personalized portal it doesn't matter as Webwag is another web 2.0 site that offers its users what so many sites are already doing. Rather than have the do all, be all homepage I much rather just leave my homepage set to Google and use an RSS aggregator that sits in my browser like Sage. This, for me, is the ideal setup as it doesn't take my focus away from what I'm doing and keeps the news and other information very handy.

Link:
http://www.webwag.com/

Way too much time on their hands

Coming in 2005-2006: "Matchstick version of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the Matchstick Marvels museum in Gladbrook, IA. The model is based on Hollywood's version of Hogwarts seen in the Harry Potter blockbuster movies. When finished in December of this year, it will contain over a half-million matchsticks held together with 15 gallons of carpenter's wood glue. "

Link:
http://www.matchstickmarvels.com/...

Ten Things That Will Happen to TV and Newspapers

Ten Things That Will Happen to TV and Newspapers: "At the recent VON convention experts tried figuring out the future of online media and its significance for newspapers and television broadcasters.

Well here's ten points they missed."

I just don't see a place for paper newspapers in the future. I even find it difficult to watch local news as there stories seem so lagging behind. With RSS and sites like Digg.com news is instantaneous.

Link:
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/09/14/125153.php

File your ThinkAll.com compliants here

Better Business Bureau has open cases against ThinkAll.com. If you want to do something and have been scammed by this company than help others by filing a formal compliant.

Link:
http://www.dallas.bbb.org/...

Right from the horse's mouth: 21 Great SEO Tips

21 Great SEO Tips From Google’s Matt Cutts - if you going to read about SEO then you may as well do it from someone at Google.

Link:
http://.../matt-cutts-has-said-p112.html

DesktopTwo

DesktopTwo appears to be an online version, sorta, of your desktop. What they seem to be offering in a Widget type site where you open a browser and have a webpage 'assembled' the way you like it. What they do is spin this into a desktop where you will be able to store email, contacts, files, and calendar events online, in a 1Gig free account.

I need to see things like this advance a lot before I would even consider trying. Its kinda cool, slightly useful, but nothing unique.

Link:
http://desktoptwo.com/

Coming Zune get more content

Coming Zune, Microsoft's website that will showcase the new media player has been updated with newer, and very strange, content.

No specs yet...

Link:
https://www.comingzune.com/

Tools to query your system

CPU-Z
Get detailed information about some of teh main devices on your system. Nice little download.

Link:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php


Belarc Advisor
This is one that everyone has heard of. From their website:

builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks

Link:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html


AIDA32
This is a great freeware tool for getting all kinds of information about your system. The download is old but still works. Reason no further development was done is because AID32 became Everest (see below).

Link:
http://www.sofotex.com/AIDA32-download_L9326.html


Everest
They used to be one of the top tools for getting the hardware information of your system and they even offered a free edition. They are still great but they no longer offer the free edition. May still be worth checking out since the 19.95 or 29.95 price tag is not too bad.

Link:
http://www.lavalys.com/

Worlds worst hacker. IRC transcript

Worlds worst hacker. IRC transcript

Hack to Change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional

Hack to Change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional: "Enable the features found in Windows XP Professional on your Windows XP Home Edition installation with this hack. It will allow you to turn your Windows XP Home CD into a Windows XP Professional CD."

Link:
http://www.technipages.com/article114.html

Setting the preferred domain

Setting the preferred domain: "The preferred domain feature enables you to tell us if you'd like URLs from your site crawled and indexed using the www version of the domain (http://www.example.com) or the non-www version of the domain (http://example.com). "

This could help out a domain's ranking within Google by quite a bit. I highly recommend setting your preferred domain from with Google's Webmaster Tools. Every little bit helps...

Link:
http://.../setting-preferred-domain.html

PIXresizer - how could I forget

Image resizing, do it with PIXresizer: "PIXresizer is a photo resizing program to easily create web and e-mail friendly versions of your images with reduced file sizes."

Can't believe I forgot this one when I made my list since its loaded on my computer and I use it from time to time. Thanx Ron for reminding me of this one.

Top 3 ways to resize images (for free)

These are my top three ways to resize images. I often have clients who need a simple, free solution to make camera images more web-friendly and these are my top three choices.

1. Image Resizer from Microsoft PowerToys (WinXP)
This is probably the easiest and best solution for most since it adds a right-click menu item to resize images. You can select one or many images, choose to create a resized copy or over-write the image(s) selected, and choose levels of resizing (simple menu). This is the first one I would try if you're running WinXP

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/.../powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx


2. Quick Thumbnail - An online image resizer
This one is as simple as Item#1 and gives a few more resizing options. If you more confortable not installing anything on your system then this is the choice. Simply upload the image, choose a few options, hit resize and the resized image is pushed to your browser. Its a bit more work since you have to browse to the image, resize, and then save it back but there's nothing to install and online solutions seem the way to go.

Link:
http://www.quickthumbnail.com/


3. Irfanview
This is by far the most powerful of all solutions. This is not just an image resizer but a powerful image viewer that goes so far beyond just a viewer. If you want power and you want free, then this is the one. It supports batch processing, plugins, most image formats you will ever come across, and so much more. It may be a little overwhelming for the novice user but is also the most powerful - which is usally the case.

Link:
http://www.irfanview.com/


Honorable Mention:

Paint.Net:
Paint.NET is image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Server 2003. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

Link:
http://www.getpaint.net/

Gigapxl Project

A camera that can capture a 4 giga-pixel photo?

Link:
http://www.gigapxl.org/gallery.htm