foyleman

Battlefield backwards

Jul 192008

Backwards? Well, sort of. A friend of mine suggested in jest that we play some Battlefield 2. A few days later and I couldn’t stop thinking about going back to that version and giving it another go. So I did.

Today I picked up a copy of Battlefield 2 with all the exansion packs. The price is just $30. It did take 40 minutes to install. hehe.

I got the game installed and started playing. Two hours later, it was time for dinner and I wanted to keep going. It’s not that the game has great graphics or something I haven’t seen before. It just plays well and… I think I’m addicted to Battlefield. Hey, are there support groups for that?

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Eee wins

General 2 Responses »

Jul 192008

After all that, I went with the Eee PC. I said I was considering waiting for the Gigabyte model, until I realized the predicted release date of “this month” was speculative and not even related to US release. lol

I’m glad I went with the Asus brand. I am really digging this little bugger. And let me tell you… it is SMALL (is it an oxymoron to write small in all caps?). It’s handling my light work load perfectly and it’s so easy to carry around. The battery life is better than expected.

So now I wait for the next gadget to catch my eye.

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ordered… no, wait

General 1 Response »

Jul 062008

I thought I finally picked out and pre-ordered my new netbook. I was wrong.

‘Netbook’ is the new term for ultra-portable laptops. I wrote a post about them previously when I was comparing and considering which one to wait for and subsequently order.

Last week, Amazon announced that I could finally order the Asus Eee 901 PC. This is the netbook I decided on when weighing my factors:

Small and lightweight. This to me is the definition of ultra-portable. It’s an important distinction since for some unknown reason to me, new netbooks keep getting announced that are larger and larger in size and weight.
Able to do basic programs such as all web browsing, Office-like programs, basic utilities, etc.
Comes with an actual QUERTY keyboard and not some thumb-like version for typing.
Under $1000 which happens to be a personal preference. Others may argue that such a device should not exceed $300 which I think is ridiculous for a decent piece of electronics.

With this announcement from Amazon, I made my order. The laptop is expected to be released July 7th through 9th.

Then comes news on July 5th of a new device. Gigabyte is releasing a laptop that meets these requirements of mine but with the features I thought only possible via hardware modification. It is an ultra-portable laptop in a tablet design. Why tablet? When I think of such small devices, it makes sense to me that I should be able to tap my way through links and programs and type when necessary. I think of it like a large PDA… with a keyboard.

Gigabyte stated that the devices is slated for release this month (July). So I don’t feel like I am again waiting for the next best thing – which is always about to come out and followed by the next best thing.

Suffice to say, I cancelled my Amazon order and I am now waiting for the release of this beauty.

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live video ain’t what it could be

General 1 Response »

Jul 012008

I think MODSonair is a great show, but it could possibly be better if we could turn it from radio to television. Sure, we broadcast live with a webcam… but that doesn’t make it interesting to watch. Wouldn’t it be better if you could see the game trailer being talked about, the screenshot of that piece of hardware or something else along those lines?

So, I spent this past weekend looking for new software and testing it out (hopefully it hasn’t filled my computer with crap causing it to crash during the next show). Sadly, none of these programs worked out for me. And here they are (in case you have something better to suggest):

http://www.stickam.com/
Like: It works, it’s free and it gets the job done for producing a live show.
Dislike: You can only broadcast your webcam. The service will occasionally restart and kick everyone out of the show.
http://www.mogulus.com/studio
Happy: This is a Stickam-like site that allows you to broadcast your video. You can broadcast other videos as well as your webcam.
Sad: When the other video plays, it takes the over the audio too so that the show host can’t say anything.
http://www.ustream.tv/
XP: Another Stickam-like site with more administration options. You can create user polls, assign co-hosts and more.
Vista: No other video options other than to broadcast your webcam.
http://www.webcammax.com/, http://www.superwebcam.com/, http://www.splitcamera.com/
Battlefield: You can mix up your video with effects and text. You can broadcast your video and even your live desktop.
Sims 2: It feels like a toy. The effects are amateurish. Switching between video sources is horrible.

If you’ve got any other suggestions for me to try, shout’em out. I’m willing to look into anything (except Mac, you damn hippie).

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goodbye google browser sync

Hints No Responses »

Jun 182008

I did some research and found the Google Browser Sync add-on for Firefox is no longer going to be supported. Not only will it not be continued for Firefox 3, but it will be completely discontinued after 2008. Ouch.

The add-on allowed me to syncronize my bookmarks, cookies, etc across multiple computers. All I had to do was install it and setup my login information. The rest was seemless.

So I am off to find an alternative, one of which I am already testing. I came across a letter from Google that stated the following:

For those of you who want to continue to use Firefox 2, we’ll maintain support for old versions of Google Browser Sync through 2008. After that, we can recommend a few other products that scratch a similar itch. We hope that one of them works for you:

Mozilla Weave [labs.mozilla.com] from Mozilla Labs—Offers bookmark and history synchronization across computers.

Google Toolbar for Firefox [toolbar.google.com]—Store your bookmarks online and access them from any computer online.

Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer [addons.mozilla.org]—Synchronizes your bookmarks across all computers where it is installed.

Regards,
The Google Team

I’m giving the last choice (Foxmarks) a shot at winning over my heart. If it fails, you’ll be sure to hear about it.

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firefox firefix

Hints, Rants 2 Responses »

Jun 182008

I knew I should have waited, yet I couldn’t help myself. I had to install the new Firefox browser version 3.0 and here I am with only have of my extensions working. Ugh. I should know better than that.

If anyone else out there uses my CopyforNotes extension (add-on), I have updated it to work with the new Firefox browser. You can grab it here: CopyforNotes version 1.8.

What extensions do I have installed?

ColorZilla (not working)
This plugin allows me to use an eyedropper pointer to select colors on any webpage. It allows me to easily select the color values when programming a website either from an image or the html.
CopyforNotes (working)
With this, I can select text on a page and copy it plus the url of the page for placement in my notes. I wrote this for MODSonair topics creation. It will either take the url of the current page or that of the link I am hovering over. More details are somewhere in this blog.. give a search if you want to know more.
Dummy Lipsum (working)
When programming a website, sometimes you need text to fill in an area here and there. This allows me to create filler text on the fly that doesn’t actually say anything. However, it looks like real sentences and paragraphs so the client can get the overall picture.
Google Browser Sync (not working, damn it all!) (read following blog post)
This extension that I love so dearly allows me to carry my bookmarks across computers without thinking about it. Whatever my bookmarks are at work are at home, which are on my laptop, etc.
Wait, there’s more. It also saves my cookies, passwords and other authenticated business. I don’t have to keep typing in all that junk when going from work to home or any browser I have installed and setup with this plugin.
Google Notebook (working)
I use Google Notebook for taking my initial notes for MODSonair. This allows me to quickly save anything I see online for review later in the week. I then use CopyforNotes to turn those links into topics that easily paste into the final product.
Greasemonkey (working, but not working) (now magically working without my intervention) (broken again)
This is an interesting add-on that allows you to program and use Greasemonkey extensions. It’s like a platform of pre-made functions so that you can more easily program your own extensions. I use it for a Greasemonkey add-on that automatically inserts a custom signature into my different Gmail email addresses. I’m not sure what I’ll do without it that feature which isn’t working
Gmail Signatures (new and working) (link)
I found this as a replacement to the Greasemonkey add-on crossed out above. With it you can insert a custom signature for any of your gmail email accounts. Since you can send out your gmail from any account that you own (like from gmail, foyleman, or modsonline), you can now assign specific signatures to each.
IE View Lite (working)
Right click the screen and have the option to open your current page or selected url in IE. As a programming, websites need to work across multiple browsers.
MeasureIt (working)
Measer the width and height of a selection within your browser window. Great for figuring out the size of an area you have to work with to properly size the image you plan on putting in there.
Screen grab! (working)
Two clicks and you can copy or save the webpage you are looking at as an image. You can copy the select, entire page or what you see.
Web Developer (working)
A necessary tool for web programmings to hunt down problems on any web page.

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online email clients

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Jun 132008

I’m running an experiment to see if I can use Gmail as my only email client. For the past few years, I’ve been using Mozilla Thunderbird to retrieve and read my email. It’s a great program and I recommend it to anyone looking for an email client to install on their desktop. It’s also great if you have several email addresses all of which require special needs.

I have about 5 primary email addresses between MODSonline, Tres, and the rest. Each account requires a specific email signature. I’ve always copied all of my email to Gmail in the event I want to check and reply when I am away from home. Gmail has good spam filters and makes an excellent online interface for all your email. You can even send your email via Gmail as if you are sending it from the person who received it.

I’d now like to make it easier for me to have my archived work email and home email all located in one place. If I can switch to Gmail, that would mean all my email is available where ever I go. Therefore the experiment is on. I am going to see if I can survive without a desktop client to deal with email.

Some issues that I’ve overcome:

Gmail doesn’t really let you have different signatures for different email addresses. However, there are Mozilla FireFox addons (extensions) that resolve this. A combination of Greasemonkey and Gmail Signatures fixes that.
One bug though… to save each signature I have to add one sig, restart FireFox , then add next sig… repeat. This also has to be done on each machine you plan to use your signatures on. Oh well. Still works.
I’m not sure how to synchronize my contacts and calendar with my phone. Using GooSync, I can synchronize my phone without needing a desktop client. It’s all done over the air.

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a car with goosebumps

General 4 Responses »

Jun 112008

I love this concept car that BMW has come up with. BMW realized that the outer shell of a car doesn’t have to be made of metal. The frame (or skeleton) of the car needs to protect us while the outer shell just needs to push the wind a bit to make us more aerodynamic.

With that in mind, GINA is skinned with a fabric of sorts that can stretch. The doors open like wings or arms. The headlights blink like eyes. The engine opens like a gaping… well, not a mouth, but something that gapes.

Check it out:

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now or when

General 4 Responses »

Jun 022008

For the past few months I’ve been extremely interested in getting an ultra-portable laptop. If you have heard of them before, you aren’t alone. They pretty must sprung up near the end of last year. They are smaller than a standard laptop but bigger than a PDA. They come with a full keyboard, so they are a laptop. However, they also are really small.

For the most part, the specifications for such a device are:

7-10 inch screen
mobile celeron or the new atom chip coming from intel (soon)
1Gb memory
wireless options

As you can see, it’s a real laptop. It’s just smooshed into a smaller package. Exactly what I want… something really small that does the job of a laptop. Great for browsing, email and other lightweight computer functions. No… It’s not going to do too well playing crysis. lol.

Why haven’t I gotten one? Well, it’s probably a reason you’re familiar with. I want the best one that money can buy, but every week something new is announced. So, it’s the idea that the next best version is just a month away. Therefore, I am hung on which I could purchase.

To make matters worse (or better, depending on how you look at it), there is a computer show going on this week where all new models and options are being announced. This isn’t going to make my decision easier.

I’m just going to have to close my eyes and point to one. lol.

Oh, and for an idea of what I am looking at: Continue reading »

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level-up-atitus

General 4 Responses »

May 182008

The topic of this post is a word that was coined by a good friend of mine, Stryder. He knows I have it and has mocked me with it several times. But I don’t mind so much. He’s right, I have it. I have a (more than) slight addiction to leveling up. Although this would normally be related to games, I don’t think it’s restricted to just games.

I found a sudo-game this weekend that I started playing. I’m not exactly sure it’s really a game… I don’t know what to call it yet. The name of this “game” is The Passively Multiplayer Online Game (link). Yup, that’s the name of this game and not just a description.

Here’s how it works. You install a Firefox extension found at the site linked above. This extension will put a tool bar at the bottom of your browser to track your surfing… or gaming as it were. As you surf, you may stumble upon chests, portal, or mines left by other players. It’s like playing an RPG while surfing the net. As you surf, you earn more points (or gold). As you earn more, you have the ability to level up.

It sounds ridiculous and that’s what made me check it out. Now, I am having fun playing it. I also can’t help but think of the possibilities that this extensions presents. Imagine what could be created with something like this in mind? I picture a community of people sharing things about the internet in real time instead of having to read their blog or their profile somewhere else.

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