Deliciously Geeky

Now everyone, situp straight!!! (And get outside now and again) :)

Keith DG — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:44:54 +0000

Thanks to Lifehacker:

http://lifehacker.com/5801844/vodaphone-ergonomics-videos-remind-us-to-sit-up-straight

Bye bye four-square, oh how I loved thee – until I saw this

Keith DG — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:45:44 +0000

Mr. “I’m Not Actually a Geek” has a nice article on a site called “PleaseRobMe”.

Its classic security stuff in many ways, lets show how something can be abused before the bad people really really abuse it. In other ways it is bone chillingly scary.

-Keith

iPad vs. Blackberry RIM

Keith DG — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:29:49 +0000

I was thinking a lot about something Bill Gates said about the iPad lacking a keyboard. He might have a point, I could see Blackberry users flocking for a Notepad size device that ran RIM’s OS and software, and had keyboard. The Blackberry slate perhaps?

What do you think?

-Keith

P.S. I went looking for a pic and found another blog with the same idea. Hello RIM!?!?!

Don Reisinger doesn’t get the iPad

Keith DG — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:56:49 +0000

Don’s latest article on eWeek is thought provoking and interesting, but I am left wondering if he is missing the point.

Let me first say I am no Apple fan boy, but I think Apple has another hit on their hands. That said, lets take a look at each of Don’s points:

1. Hobbled web surfing – Ok he makes a valid point about the iPad not supporting Flash, but personally I think: FLASH MUST DIE! Its horrible on Windows and the MAC. Why spread the disease?

2. No multitasking – My friend has an iPhone, and he keeps asking me why people complain about this, and what do they mean by it? Near as he can tell, the iPhone multitasks just fine. Because Apple lets just the right amount of features work at the same time. So I suspect that most people will not notice, or care that the iPad does not truly multitask. Its a geek issue, not a consumer issue.

3. No HD Video port – I suspect that most people are going to buy the iPad to watch video on the iPad. And do we really know for sure that the iPad won’t have the same funky video out connection that most iPods do? Or is the complaint, that it won’t be HD? Either way, I think this is a non issue for most people that buy the iPad.

4. Printing – Umm what? The iPad is suppose to replace paper, not help generate more paper. Open the document or e-mail on the iPad and consume it there. Enough with the tree killing.

5. No Blu-ray – The Mac’s don’t have Blu-ray, why would the iPad? I think most people will just buy video off iTunes. No one is going to care. I already consume HD content on my TV in my living room from Netflix and Amazon and I don’t own a Blu-ray player. I bet a lot of people are skipping Blu-ray for the moment. Non-issue.

6. The price – Umm $499 is a deal. It plays music, it plays video, it is an eBook reader, and then when I land I flip it over and use it for my GPS! Then I can check email to you say!?!? Wow! Lets see, GPS $200 + iPod $200 + Blackberry $200 + Kindle $250 + other gadget. No – I am sorry, it is a deal.

7. Display is bad for books – I used my laptop and Kindle PC software to read a book on the flight home one week. It worked great. It may not work for everyone, but I suspect the display will be fine.

8. No USB – The iPod touch has no USB. The iPhone has no USB. I really don’t hear people complaining about that. I don’t think this is an issue either. If I can’t sync it with my PC, then issue. But for as I know, syncing via iTunes is a given.

9. iPhone apps don’t work – I have read and heard it widely reported that they do work, and they just have to scale up on the display. They may look a little ugly, but they work.

10. There are better devices – Maybe – but most force you to use a UI that is desktop friendly, not in the lap or in the hand friendly. And most of them are not as price friendly.

What do you think?

-Keith

Microsoft Security Essentials is OUT! (The heat is on!)

Keith DG — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:03:03 +0000

Antivirus is a huge security and performance issue for most of us. So I thought I would mention that Microsoft just released their free AV software for home users today:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

I have been using the beta, and I am very happy with it. Of course I take no responsibility for it acts on your machine!

Adobe PDF sucks for eBooks or just reading anything on the screen

Keith DG — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:51:16 +0000

I hear people complaining about the ability for the Kindle or other eBook readers to correctly and legible render PDF’s but the reality is, the format itself does not support scaling or dynamically repaginating for various size screens.

Adobe PDF became the defacto way to send documents in a universal format across the internet because it was free, and it worked great when the expectation was to print said document. Or even read a short document. But the moment a document gets more that a few pages long it becomes unbearable hard to read on various size screens.

Well its time people – the number of us attempting to read books and other large documents on various devices, including netbooks is growing rapidly. Either Adobe needs to step up and update the PDF format to support scaling and repaginating or there needs to be a new sheriff in town!

So say we all?

-Keith

Podcast: Deliciously Geeky – Episode 86 – Summer Time

Keith DG — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Download the Podcast

Show Notes:

AV-Test Deems Windows Security Essentials “Very Good”
http://www.winbeta.org/comments.php?shownews=19688

Lifehacker – Alice Takes Household Shopping Off Your To-Do List – Shopping
http://lifehacker.com/5301363/alice-takes-household-shopping-off-your-to+do-list

Gizmodo – Independent Jury Rules On Steorn’s Free Energy Machine: Guilty (Of Not Working) – Steorn jury
http://gizmodo.com/5301033/independent-jury-rules-on-steorns-free-energy-machine-guilty...

animoto – the end of slideshows
http://animoto.com/

Fotografix / l.madhavan
http://lmadhavan.com/software/fotografix/

Gizmodo – Vending Machine Dispenses Gold Bars To Go – Gold vending machine
http://gizmodo.com/5296930/vending-machine-dispenses-gold-bars-to-go

Lifehacker – Simulate Office Presence with Skype and VNC – remote working
http://lifehacker.com/5295818/simulate-office-presence-with-skype-and-vnc

Microsoft Podcasts Search: Certification
http://www.microsoft.com/events/podcasts/default.aspx?pageId=x1097&search=born+to+learn

Microsoft Security Essentials: What wannabe testers need to know | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=3120

Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows: Microsoft Security Essentials Public Beta (June 23, 2009)
http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/mse_beta.asp

Enable tethering in iPhone 3.0 – UPDATE
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/17/enable-tethering-in-iphone-30/

More questions (and even a few answers) about Windows 7 E | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=3109

WinBeta.org Beta News and Reviews
http://www.winbeta.org/comments.php?shownews=19660

Netflix Has Begun Processing Discs on Saturdays | News, Netflix | geeksugar – Technology & Gadgets
http://www.geeksugar.com/3321792

Keirsey’s PersonalityZone – Fathers Day
http://www.keirsey.com/personalityzone/lz85.asp

i-Aroma: Japan wants to add fragrances to the web experience
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/17/i-aroma-japan-wants-to-add-fragrances-to-the-web-e...

Palm responds to Apple’s warning | Crave – CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10266423-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

The Amazon Kindle could enjoy iPod-like success | The Digital Home – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10266420-17.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

iTiVo Lets You Download Your TiVo Recorded Shows Into Tunes to Get Them Onto Your iPhone or iPod | Geek Tip, How to, Download of the Day | geeksugar – Technology & Gadgets
http://www.geeksugar.com/3314699

More alleged Microsoft Morro screen shots, details leak | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=3090

Microsoft posts teaser for Office 2010 | Beyond Binary – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10266464-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Intel spells out Core i3, i5, i7 branding | Nanotech – The Circuits Blog – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10266536-64.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Yeah, What Is A Browser Anyway?
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/17/yeah-what-is-a-browser-anyway/

Gizmodo – Zune HD Packs Nvidia Tegra: Better Video and Better Battery Life – Zune hd nvidia tegra
http://gizmodo.com/5293404/zune-hd-packs-nvidia-tegra-better-video-and-better-battery-life

Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Media Player in Windows 7 – Windows Experience Blog – The Windows Blog
http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsexperience/archive/2009/06/16/keyboard-shortcut...

Apple warns about unsupported players’ iTunes integration | Apple – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10266147-37.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Free Software Pick: Microsoft Security Essentials – BETA (Morro Antivirus)

Keith DG — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:40:55 +0000

Ok it looks like its available for “limited downloads”. While I am not sure what that means, if your looking to try a different Free Antivirus and Antimalware solution, then it may be worth trying MSE. You can download it from:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

P.S. I have it running and it seems very lightweight and immediately detected my IPScanner app on my jumpdrive. I told MSE to ignore it, but I was impressed that it detected something no other product has called out.

-Keith

Podcast: Deliciously Geeky – Episode 85 – Fathers Day

Keith DG — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:09:44 +0000

Download the Podcast

Show Notes:

WalkingHotSpot – A revolutionary new internet access solution that will turn your mobile phone into your own anytime, anywhere “Walking” Wi-Fi hotspot
http://www.walkinghotspot.com/devices

Lifehacker – Nexus Dock Has Leopard-Style Eye-Candy Effects – Featured Windows Download
http://lifehacker.com/5292890/nexus-dock-has-leopard+style-eye+candy-effects

Zango – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zango

Gizmodo – Futuristic Movie Timeline: The Next Few Decades Will Be Eventful – Sci-fi
http://gizmodo.com/5292550/futuristic-movie-timeline-the-next-few-decades-will-be-eventful

That Reinvention Of The Web Thing Opera Was Talking About? It’s Called Opera Unite
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/16/that-reinvention-of-the-web-thing-opera-was-talkin...

Opera Unite Puts a Media Server in Your Browser
http://lifehacker.com/5292297/opera-unite-puts-a-media-server-in-your-browser/gallery/

Ars Father’s Day Gift Guide: Geek Dad Edition – Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2009/06/fathers-day-gift-guide-geek.ars/2

Obama administration aims to fix broken Real ID Act – Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/obama-administration-aims-to-fix-broken...

Make it better: Amazon Kindle 2 | Crave – CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10265061-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Lifehacker – Netalyzr Determines Your Network Health – Network utilities
http://lifehacker.com/5291653/netalyzr-determines-your-network-health

Lifehacker – PowerResizer Brings Windows 7′s Window Sizing to All – Window Management
http://lifehacker.com/5289805/powerresizer-brings-windows-7s-window-sizing-to-all

CrunchPad unboxed, handled on video
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/14/crunchpad-unboxed-handled-on-video/

Free and Cheap Remote Control: DimDim and Techinline « Deliciously Geeky
http://dgpodcast.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/free-and-cheap-remote-control-dimdim-and-tech...

Does Microsoft’s Bing have Google running scared? | Microsoft – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10264417-75.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

PureSync Homepage – Synchronize folders and files, automatic backups, photo sync
http://www.jumpingbytes.com/en/puresync.html

Lifehacker – WinCDEmu Integrates Image Mounting into Windows Explorer – Disk Images
http://lifehacker.com/5283082/wincdemu-integrates-image-mounting-into-windows-explorer

MOXI – Internet Connectivity
http://moxi.com/us/internet_connectivity.html
Welcome to the Marlaverse: Novels by T.A. Pratt (An ass-kicking sorceress)
http://www.marlamason.net/

Lifehacker – ViGlance Converts the Vanilla Taskbar into a Windows 7-like Superbar – Customize
http://lifehacker.com/5288408/viglance-converts-the-vanilla-taskbar-into-a-windows-7+li...

Gizmodo – Leopard 10.5 Getting One Last Update To Fix Bugs, Placate Sad PowerPC Users – Leopard 10.5.8
http://gizmodo.com/5288045/leopard-105-getting-one-last-update-to-fix-bugs-placate-sad-...

Two new Mac attacks surface | Security – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10263002-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Jimmy Fallon rocks out with Project Natal
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/11/jimmy-fallon-rocks-out-with-project-natal/

LiberKey – All softwares
http://www.liberkey.com/en/tous-les-logiciels.html

Microsoft ready to launch beta of its free Morro antivirus offering | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=3023

Sci Fi – Arizona
http://www.scifi-az.com/

IMHO: GPS Shopping list

Keith DG — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:59:20 +0000

Must have:

1. Preloaded with maps of USA – DUH! If you live in the US, but worth double checking the side of the box and making sure your not going to have to pay a fee to download the maps.

2. Ability to update said maps – An extension of the requirement above, its good to know that you can update the maps, even for a small fee if need be.

3. Excellent User Interface that clearly identifies the next road in the Trip – This turns out to NOT be as obvious, for example the TomTom One has this feature turned off in the UI by default, after turning it on, the TomTom One becomes very usable. (Just to be clear, its very helpful to have the ability to glance at the GPS and know what road or street to look for next, especially if your GPS lacks Text to Speech)

4. Text to Speech – Many current GPS units, have the ability to say out loud the name of the next turn, this can be very helpful, especially during city driving when you are making turn after turn.

5. Lane Assistants – California here we come. I have noticed in particular that California will have many highways split off at once. This can be confusing if your GPS is telling you to bare right and there are two or three options to your right. The Lane Assistant will clearly identify which lane to take to remain on course.

6. Large Database of “Points of Interest” – Extremely helpful in a strange location to locate the nearest Coffee shop, IHOP, BestBuy, Wal-Mart, Target, or Shoe Repair – as the case may be…

Nice to have:

- Free Real-Time Traffic updates for the life of the product*
- Radar Info
- Emergency Help
- Speed Assistant
- Extendable memory

-Keith

Novel ideas: Marla Mason the ass-kicking sorceress from Felport needs you!

Keith DG — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:57:28 +0000

I read one book every week or so, that is until I encountered Marla Mason. I got the first book in the series completely free from the Sony eBook store. I read it on a lark, and like crack – I was complete and utterly addicted. T.A. Pratt has dreamed up and executed an astounding original set of characters and circumstances that makes the whole series fun, exciting, and addictive.

For the record, I read the current series of four books in less than two weeks. While some will say that’s not astoundingly fast, so what – I say. Its fast and more ravenous than I have otherwise been driven by other authors. And really what I want everyone to understand is that the books are not only compelling, but intelligent – while remaining entertaining and absorbing. I nearly missed a flight while reading one book in the series.

Now here’s the problem – the real world publisher of T.A. Pratt may not continue to publish the books. Well, that just sucks to put it bluntly. So if I have stirred your interest in a great series of books, please please check out: http://www.marlamason.net and perhaps pickup a copy of the first book. If you like magic and Sci-Fi, I guarantee you will fall in love with the series.

At the very least check out MaralaMason.net and decide for yourself.

-Keith

Free and Cheap Remote Control: DimDim and Techinline

Keith DG — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:14:00 +0000

I don’t think of myself as a cheapskate, but I sure do like to minimize cost. In this case, I have been using DimDim – a remote desktop conferencing tool. DimDim allows up to twenty participants for FREE. A four letter word that like a lot! Anyway, it seems to work great on XP, and has some UAC issues on Vista. But for free – it is very very usable, and I suspect they are working on making it a better experience in Vista and in future, Windows 7. ( I was reminded that is also supports Mac OS X )

Besides presentations, sometimes you need a quick and easy way to help resolve a problem on a remote computer or demonstrate how to accomplish some task. Well then there is Techinline to the rescue. Its a top notch solution for remote desktop support and is inexpensive compared to its competitors. It would be choice for small business remote assistance. After the free trial, you can purchase five sessions for as little as twenty dollars. My only complaint is how the screen was scaled. Other than that, it works great.

Check them both out.

-Keith

Podcast: Deliciously Geeky – Episode 84 – Water World

Keith DG — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:51:12 +0000

Download the Podcast

Show Notes:

Google plots Exchange escape with Outlook plug-in | Webware – CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10260879-2.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Lifehacker – Nomad.NET is a Powerful, Tabbed File Manager – Featured Windows Download
http://lifehacker.com/5284579/nomadnet-is-a-powerful-tabbed-file-manager

Report: Novell eyeing open-source app store | Software, Interrupted – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10260440-62.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Gizmodo – Beanzawave USB-Powered Beans Microwave is What USB Was Created For – Beanzawave
http://i.gizmodo.com/5283559/beanzawave-usb+powered-beans-microwave-is-what-usb-was-cre...

Plants vs Zombies™ Official Site – PopCap Games – Free Download Games
http://www.popcap.com/games/pvz

InfraRecorder – Burning software
http://infrarecorder.org/

Hulu board member: let’s talk subscription fees – Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/06/hulu-board-member-lets-talk-subscriptions.ars

Podcast: Deliciously Geeky – Episode 83 – The Return of Greg

Keith DG — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:16:43 +0000

Download the Podcast

Show Notes:

New malware attack infecting Web sites | Security – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10255226-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Jing 2.1 adds Web cam, capturing heft | The Download Blog – Download.com
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10254947-12.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

bit-tech.net | Microsoft reveals native Win 7 video transcoding
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2009/06/02/microsoft-reveals-native-win-7-video-transc/1

YouTube XL Brings The World’s Most Popular Video Portal To Your TV
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/02/youtube-xl-brings-the-worlds-most-popular-video-portal-to-your-tv/

Free 1 Year Subscription to the Microsoft TechNet Plus Site – CheapStingyBargains Forums
http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/forums/freebies/22909-free-1-year-subscription-micro...

Windows 7 to launch October 22 | Beyond Binary – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10253924-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Actual Window Manager: transparent windows, minimize to tray, stay on top, close popup windows, run mode and much
http://www.actualtools.com/windowmanager/

Using Remote Desktop with Dual Monitors | SplitView
http://www.splitview.com/using-remote-desktop-with-dual-monitors-in-span-mode

WindowSpace Shareware download and review – manage multiple open windows from SnapFiles
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/windowspace.html

MaxTo
www.maxto.net/
http://Let you Maximize Windows to different parts of you Monitor

Money Manager Freeware download and review – manage your personal finances from SnapFiles
http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Money_Manager/moneymanager.html

Gizmodo – Ultimate Lock Picker Cracks Medeco High Security Deadbolts In Minutes – lock picking
http://gizmodo.com/5274594/ultimate-lock-picker-cracks-medeco-high-security-deadbolts-in-minutes

Lifehacker – Synchronize Nearly Any Storage Device with iTunes – iTunes
http://lifehacker.com/5273791/synchronize-nearly-any-storage-device-with-itunes

Lifehacker – RadarSync Keeps Your Programs Up To Date – Drivers
http://lifehacker.com/5274450/radarsync-keeps-your-programs-up-to-date

Patent app shows Roombas pooping on potties, being big boys
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/01/patent-app-shows-roombas-pooping-on-potties-being-bi...

Xbox takes center stage, opens E3 2009 | Gaming and Culture – CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10253306-235.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

PSP Go revealed in detail—it’s real – Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/05/psp-go-revealed-detailed-real.ars

New 16GB ‘PSP Go’ revealed early | Crave – CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10252769-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Rumor: Hulu coming to XBOX 360

Keith DG — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:03:44 +0000

Could it be? That would be very cool, and while there at it – could they just put it on Windows Media Center as well! Please!

Get the details at Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/5272573/is-hulu-coming-to-xbox-360

-Keith