Moving always presents problems. Besides all the normal boring stuff like deciding where to put the furniture, a Geek is also presented with additional dilemmas like where to put the media server, what type of internet access to get, where to setup the home theater and the HTPC, and what type of TV service to use.
Since I've decided to move to an even smaller town than I lived in previously (much higher cow to people ratio), I can no longer get my precious Comcast. Millennium Digital serves my area and they are an 'unknown' entity to me - not to mention much more expensive than Comcast. I have decided to go with DSL this time around since it looks like I'll be able to get more upstream and roughly the same downstream bandwidth for about $20.00 less a month. So ISP decision made, that leaves TV...
Continue reading "Time for HDTV?"...Haven't you ever wanted to know what sites those Null boys are linking to? Now you can. We've setup a Nullstream account on del.icio.us that you can view here. This link is also available on the nav bar along with a handy RSS feed for the reader of your choice. Enjoy.
(Disclaimer, I'm only taking credit for links I've prefixed with my name. Most will be full of Geeky content I'm sure. I can't vouch for the other guys).
I've been keeping an open 'ideas' file since the early 90s. It originally started as a paper based folder that I would drop varies notes and scraps into. Over the years it evolved to be entirely digital as I can type much faster than I can write. Currently however I find that I'm capturing these ideas on multiple devices and in multiple formats so synchronization has become an issue. My current solution has been to use Gmail as my idea aggregator.
Well at least one PocketPC IM client can work with Google Talk. PocketPC thoughts has a post about it here. The client they mention is here. Since it is Jabber based I'm sure there are others.
Now if only they get the VOIP stuff working from mobile devices...
I've been using my old pal Notepad2 as a notepad replacement for quick and dirty code and file editing. Ok not as quick and dirty as using VI, but hey I currently live full time in a Windows world. I was surfing around a few days ago and found another light weight notepad replacement that might just win me over: Notepad++. This one is based on the same editing enging, Scintilla as Notepad2. It also has nearly the same feature set, color syntax highlighting (popular prog languages as well has xml, html blah blah blah), regex search, bookmarks, zoom and is about the same size. Why then would I switch you ask? Well Notepad++ seems to be a more active project and it does Tabs! I like tabs. It will also split screen so I can work on two files at once, or two parts of the same file. I do that often in my full blown editors. I'm going to give it a week or so to see how I like it before making the switch.
MSN Messenger 7.5 is now released. Nobody seems to have noticed. I'm sure there is a bunch of new stuff, but all I've noticed so far is: 1. a new sign in screen. 2. voice clips (short audio clips you can send during an IM session. 3. dynamic / animated chat backgrounds backgrounds. There are some minor UI changes here and there.
Some have complained about the crazy amount of tabs that seem to grow with every version. I've found at least one way to turn them off: Tools, options, security, check "This is a shared computer so don't display my tabs."
Google's answer to Skype.Google Talk. I'm using it now; initial review:
Anyone check this thing out? I can see why Yahoo ran to buy up Konfabulator now.
Also includes a sidebar that you can write plugins here:
Note the cool clock plugin:
As you can read here, the source code to Quake 3 has been released. You might be able to get it directly from here, if the link hasn't been slashdoted (it's only about 5.6 MB).
I think this is fantastic news, since I taught myself how to program by typing games, written in BASIC, into my Timex-Sinclair and tweaking them to see what happens. Games today are far too large to do anything like that, so it's great that id provides a way for people to learn game programming from the real thing.
Earlier today, I compiled the code from the provided Visual Studio project file, and ran it with no problems. You have to have an original copy of the game for all the models and levels, since only the source code was released, but it is super easy to run. Just go the directory with the newly built binary and run this from the command line:
./quake3.exe +set fs_cdpath "C:\Program Files\Quake III Arena"
(assuming you installed the retail game in "C:\Program Files\Quake III Arena").
Some time ago, I realized that a form of PCs will eventually be as small as the iPod. The Mac Mini is strikingly small for a full PC, and it doesn't seem too far off that it could eventually be in iPod form factor.
So here we have an iPod sized linux machine - the Realm Systems Black Dog, powered and interfaced via USB2. Initially, I was pretty excited. Maybe it's a promising solution to Web cafe security issues. Or maybe it could cause some security risks as a keylogger connected to an internal USB port, revealing its contents only with the proper fingerprint. Maybe its monitoring ability could be used for good with the right software as an external high availability monitor of your server, sending a ctrl-alt-delete to deliver a cleansing reboot. If it had ethernet and could draw power off it, it might make a great sniffer or intrustion detector.
It's a lot like the Intel Personal Server circa 2003. The personal server seemed like a cool idea, but I wonder how this machine is better than a PDA? No screen, bluetooth, Wi-Fi, long term battery. PDAs are instant-on, and this thing has to boot. It has a fingerprint reader, but so do some PDAs now. It doesn't have cellular or a camera like smartphones. No hard drive like an iPod. The cost of $200-$250 seems reasonable, although many PDAs are in this range today. The primary advantage is, I guess, that it runs Linux, and therefore is easy to extend and modify. This is reasonable, although the PocketPC tools and emulator are free and very well documented from Microsoft (and complete with Compact .Net framework).
So what do you guys think of this thing? There has to be some interesting use for it while being tethered to a host PC. At a minimum, it's an alternative to installing Linux on your laptop or PC for development, and to be able to plug this in at any time, and resume into the same line of my vi session months later is interesting. Of course, as Paul will note - Mac OS X provides you with a Unix shell and better than Windows UI...
Conduits has released a new version of my favorite PPC MP3 player, PocketPlayer. You need a 3rd party app like this if you use a microdrive since the MS media player won't buffer complete songs. Version 2.6 adds a bunch of features including DRM'd WMP10 support. Also by adding a a plug-in my HP bluetooth headphone controls will work properly - Yeah!
So, you're not using the shotgun modem anymore?
Oh you're funny.
I loved that modem, may it rest it peace. It got me through a rough couple of years when my house seemed to be designated a broadband free zone by all the major providers.
Good move on the Millenium Digital Cable. I had them for a while in an appartment building I was in. The only reason was because the same conglomerate that owned the appartment complex also owned Millenium Cable. It sucked. Channel selection was off and even had some feeds that were on East Coast time.
I don't remember much about the internet part of that deal, but I think that's because I blocked it out.
Voom may be an options as well. I've not heard the greatest things about them and they tend to use high compression rates on some of their HD channels. However, they carry HD channels.
I've got a 42" Samsung ED plasma and a Samsung 56" DLP. The Xbox is on the DLP, which is why Ghost Recon is so easy :) Anyways, I'm running component from the Comcast digital box directly into the plasma and it looks great. Even being an EDTV the HD channels look amazing. I don't really use anything on it to have screen burn worries though. The best part is I got it at Costco Home for $1700.
I'm digging DLP also. While it's not a "hang on the wall" solution it is much smaller than a CRT. Plus they comes with all the hookups in the back that you can imagine. I run Comcast HD, DVD, Xbox and a PC through it. Very happy with it. The one downfall I might mention is it takes 45 seconds for the bulb to warm up. Which seems like such an ancient problem.
I've not had any issues with either of the Samsung TV's. While ED might kill your PC resolution, I think it's an acceptable TV solution with HD signals for the near future.
If you're looking for something in particular let me know if you want me to cruise by Costco Home to see if they have it. I live right by it. (Not everything is marked up there)
Great, thanks for the info.
Woot had a pretty impressive sale on this monster last week:
Infocus 61md10.
It is a 61" rear projection DLP that is only 7" thick and wall mountable. I was tempted. It looks like InFocus just dropped their list price on it anyway (it was 4999). Some of the reviews don't paint it too favoribly when compared against the Samsung however. But man is that thin.