idl3mind.net
Ramblings of a techy Southern gent
Archive for the ‘Computers’ Category
I found that I use Safari much more on my Mac since Safari 4 was released.
By default, to jump to the Google Search field in Safari, one must press Option-Command-F. This isn’t the easiest one-handed key combo in my opinion. The key combo to jump to Google Search field in Firefox is Command-K, a much easier key combo.
How does one pull off Command-K in Safari:
1) Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Keyboard & Mouse.
2) Click Keyboard Shortcuts, and then click the Add (+) button.
3) Choose an application from the Application pop-up menu. In this case, you’ll choose Safari.
4) Type the menu command for which you want to set a keyboard shortcut in the Menu Title field.
You must type the command exactly as it appears in the application menu, including ellipses and any other punctuation. An ellipsis is a special character that looks like three periods. To type an ellipsis, press Option-semicolon.
So, you would type Google Search Option-semicolon (leave the space out between “Search” and pressing Option-semicolon) yielding “Google Search…”
5) Click in the Keyboard Shortcut field and press the key combination that you want to assign to the menu command, and then click Add.
Here you will press Command-K and click Add.
This makes using Safari on Mac OS much easier especially since Apple added Control-Tab/Shift-Control-Tab when Safari 4 hit Macs and PCs.
Some info taken from Creating keyboard shortcuts for applications for reference.
www.drsoft.com has a brief post on how to create a simple progress bar with just a little PHP and CSS.
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I’ve gotten some phishing messages addressed to “undisclosed-recipients” from <no-reply@pay-pal.com> this morning. The URL to ‘reactivate your account’ points to http://www.alambretshirts.com. PayPal’s domain is paypal.com; not pay-pal.com.
Just beware if you read this. Save yourself some headache by not falling prey to this scam.
click for higher resolution; opens in new tab/window
The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html
The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/
Secrets of Ulduar
• Since discovering Ulduar in the Storm Peaks, adventurers have journeyed to the titan city to learn more about its mysterious past. Further exploration has revealed that the magnificent complex is above all a prison, intended to permanently confine the Old God of death, Yogg-Saron. This ancient horror has corrupted its guards, and now it is breaking through the last of its restraints. Faced with the peril of Yogg-Saron’s imminent freedom, a band of mortals has made preparations for a sweeping assault on the city. Overcoming the legions of iron minions and towering defenses at the city’s entrance will take tremendous strength, but even that great victory may not be enough to overcome the madness that dwells below.
The Argent Tournament Begins!
• As the might of the Scourge wanes under the pressure of Azeroth’s heroes, the Argent Crusade have taken a foothold in Arthas’s back yard. Off the northeastern coast of Icecrown, the Argent Crusade have sounded the call for the most bold and brave adventurers of the Horde and Alliance to take part in the Argent Tournament. Representatives of all ten faction capitols, from Undercity to Exodar, have traveled to the tournament grounds to find champions among their heroes who will prepare for the inevitable battle against the enemy of all living beings, the Lich King.
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last night, in no more than 45 minutes, I had a working Ubuntu 8.10 “desktop” install on my D620 lappy.
this includes:
- a working music player that can play my ripped tunes, or stream from Last.fm (critical
- a working Firefox install, customized to my liking
- a working amazon mp3 downloader
- Tweetdeck via adobe air (again, critical)
- Pidgin (gtalk, aim, msn msgr)
- VPN (can do Cisco compatible w/ security profiles, or PPTP like the MS client)
- Wireless of course
- RDP client
- a working torrent client
- a working office suite that is MS Office compatible
Haven’t had to ‘hack’ the first text config file either. Ubuntu 8.10 Linux “desktop” is a friendly, working install right out of the chute. Take that Windows. you can’t even install Windows and do Microsoft Updates in 45 minutes.
I picked up Rock Band 2 along with a new wireless guitar controller for RB2. The game? It’s awesome! Every song I had downloaded for RB1 works on RB2 (at least on my Xbox it does). The new song list is great, too.
The new guitar is a definite improvement over the first Rock Band guitar. I have the RB wired guitar controller, also. My only complaints about the original RB guitar are 1) it’s wired 2) triggering overdrive doesn’t always work which is a pain. The fret-buttons are much quieter on the new guitar. They don’t go click-click-click when you are pressing them. The clicking is very distracting to me personally. The strum bar provides a little more feedback to your thumb than the old one. Also, the neck is sturdier on the new guitar, while still maintaining it’s even balance and light weight. The vintage sunburst ‘finish’ is nice too with a wood-grain look both on the body, fretboard and headstock.
I’ve had several folks tell me they prefer the Guitar Hero Les Paul or Explorer over the Rock Band guitar. I’ve always preferred the Rock Band guitar; I truly find that the RB device is easier to play and is less fatiguing after a long-playing stint. The Rock Band 2 wireless guitar is an improvement on an already great game controller.
MySQL, the open source database firm, is to receive Microsoft marketing support along with Visual Studio technical integration.
The company has paid $3,000 to become a member of Microsoft’s Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program in a move that will help cement the database’s use on Windows. MySQL joins more than 240 other ISVs also working with Microsoft.
Click here to find out more!MySQL says 40 per cent of its downloads are for Windows, and VSIP membership will provide greater integration between the database and Microsoft’s development environment. Using a plug-in, developers will be able to build forms and objects inside Visual Studio with Microsoft languages lsuch as C# and Visual Basic, browse data and records, and perform basic data management.
VSIP also gives MySQL access to co-marketing opportunities, which include the right to sport the “Optimized for Microsoft Visual Studio” logo on product boxes and its website, eligibility for inclusion in partner promotions at Microsoft developer events, and the ability to participate in VSIP developer labs.
Membership is handy for both companies. For Microsoft, it means developers using Windows with MySQL continue using its tools and don’t drift off into alternatives. It should also ensure companies who need a low-cost database don’t investigate products from Oracle and – as a result – ultimately adopt Linux over Windows, according to MySQL.
“Unlike Oracle, we don’t have a platform agenda. Oracle tries to get people to run from Windows to Linux,” MySQL executive vice president of products Zack Urlocker told The Register. “Microsoft is ultimately a very pragmatic company and their customers are asking them to resolve their issues and support their customers.”
For MySQL, VSIP means greater exposure to developers in the Microsoft user base. Integration reduces the need for developers to switch between different environments, and takes the pressure off MySQL to build its own IDE or forge lots of different IDE partnerships.
Looking ahead, MySQL is investigating integration beyond Visual Studio, including integration with Microsoft’s Operations Manager (MOM). ®
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Jennifer Korbin reminds me of Tanya Roberts as Kiri in The Beastmaster.
When we heard a couple of weeks ago that Dell might buy Alienware, we dismissed the rumors — especially since one source was Alienware competitor VoodooPC. However, CNET is now reporting that the deal may already be done — though they admit that they currently have no confirmation. CNET did speak to an Alienware PR exec, who provided a written statement that read, in part, “at this time, Alienware will not comment on any speculative stories or rumors concerning Dell and Alienware’s association.” Dell, of course, has spent heavily to build its XPS brand as a high-end alternative for gamers, and purchasing Alienware would automatically give Dell a major share of that market — though it’s unclear what would happen to the XPS brand under such circumstances. At this point, however, it’s all guesswork — though we wouldn’t mind picking up a discontinued XPS Renegade in Dell’s outlet if the deal goes through. Read
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