Geek Articles

iPhone app heats device for warm hands

2010-01-04T12:16:00.002-06:00

This just seems like iPhone abuse. The Pocket Heater app puts stress on the phone's processor and battery to literally heat the device and apparently warm your hands. Very novel, but not practical. Read more about it in this Mashable article:
http://mashable.com/2010/01/04/pocket-heater-iphone/

Muppet Bohemian Rhapsody FTW!

2009-11-25T09:08:00.002-06:00

The Muppets perform Bohemian Rhapsody in true Muppet fashion in glorious HD on Youtube! Check it out.

Friday Fun with video clips

2009-11-13T13:48:00.003-06:00

Here are some fun video clips to kick off your weekend.

This is a movie clip song mash-up. Kinda hard to explain really, so just watch it.

And to be cute, here's Nom Nom Kitty!

Two buzzworthy new iPhone apps trend on Twitter

2009-10-13T13:19:00.004-05:00

Two new iPhone apps came out recently and they are garnering much attention, but both for very different reasons. Let's start with Viper's car system control app.

Viper is a car security system company that has developed an iPhone app to work with their system. The app itself is free, but to have a compatible system installed in your car will set you back about $500. If you already have a Viper car system, then it will only cost you about $300. But, you can do some pretty nifty things with it, like start your car remotely... from anywhere in the world (as long as you have cell service or wifi connection)! This video shows off the app features. Personally, I think a key fob might be faster and more ideal, but hey, if you have an iPhone and the money to spend on a car security system, then why not?

Next up, Pepsi came out with a controversial app that has pissed off all types of women. 24 types, to be exact. To promote their AMP energy drink, they developed the AMP UP Before You Score app. Guys can download this app and basically use it as a researching tool to pick up 24 different types of women. You choose the type of woman you are interested in, then browse pickup lines, nearby locations of interest (like local tattoo parlors), and even what kind of artist the woman might be into. After successfully "scoring" with a woman, you can add details to a brag list, which can be shared on social networks for your friends to see. Sweet, dude! So next time you go out with your popped collar and aviator shades with your friends who wear bandanas that match their shoes, use this app to more efficiently hit on chicks, bra.

This app is kind of funny, even if it's targeted at womanizing scumbags. For example, if you choose a "Married" woman, the options under that menu will bring up a map of local motels. Choose "Nerdy" and you can find out where the comic book shops are in town. My favorite joke is under "Rebound" where you can find the closest ice cream parlors. I would expect this from Axe body spray, but from Pepsi? What the hell were their advertising team thinking?!

Microsoft gives you free antivirus

2009-09-30T15:19:00.002-05:00

In a rather philanthropic gesture, Microsoft this week released a free antivirus program available to Windows users. It's called Security Essentials v1.0, yet another contender in the free-antivirus genre. You can read an indepth Cnet article here, but basically what you should know is this: It's just antivirus so you will need other programs for spyware and firewall, it updates automatically in the background, it collects program and file activity data from your computer to submit to the microsoft knowledge base in order to fight suspicious-acting files, and it won't ask you to upgrade to a paid version. Naturally, it only works for a Genuine copy of Windows, so pirates are SOL.

You can get the download here.

I think I'll put this program on not-so-important computers, like my laptop and media center computer. For my main computer I'll want more protection.

My date with a spambot

2009-09-24T23:47:00.002-05:00

The other night I was talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger. I usually avoid Y!M because the spambots ruthlessly attack me with pathetic IM phishing chats. My preferred method of chat is AIM or Gchat, but I digress.

An interesting IM popped up from an unknown screenname, and it seemed like and honest "hello." I replied back curious to find out who it was. I've had a Yahoo screenname since I was 16, so how can I remember who all has my screenname. I saw in the chat window the other person was typing and I received a response back. I engaged this person in conversation and it was too real to be a bot, so I went along with it trying to figure out who this person was.

Then things got out of hand. One thing led to another, and before I knew it the other person sent me a link to a website wanting me to view her webcam. I should've known not to click any random link, especially one that started with "tinyurl.com", but I was feeling confident in my computer security and curiosity got the best of me. Luckily the link only took me to a flashy phishing page that didn't infect my computer right away. There was a fake flash animation of a "live" webcam with some random female, and there was a form asking for information so that I could access this user's webcam.

I closed the window and faked an answer to the person like "I don't have Flash installed," but the person just kept going, saying "don't worry about entering a credit card, it's just for age verification." Even after I said "look, I'm gay", the spambot replied "I'll see you in a little bit, I'm going to slip into something more comfortable. . ." Aaaaaand blocked.

I have to give this spambot props. It actually engaged me in a well thought out conversation and was very much a Siren. I knew spambots were bad on Yahoo Messenger, but I didn't know they could be that bad. This whole scenario reminded me of this comic from XKCD. So from now on, to be my friend I'm gonna have to ask you to pass a CAPTCHA test.

Learn new skills using the Internet!

2009-09-11T09:25:00.002-05:00

Remember that scene in The Matrix where Neo and Trinity are on the rooftop and they want to steal the helicopter? Trinity phones in a request to their operator to download into her brain the ability to fly the helicopter. How cool would that be?

You can do that (in a way) with the Internet! Now that Youtube has made uploading amatuer videos ridiculously easy and popular, there are all kinds of instructional videos out there that can teach you a new skill you've been curious about.

Youtube is the obvious source to find just about anything, from hacking your Xbox to learning how to iron your shirt properly. But there are more refined instructional video sites out there! Howcast.com is a great site to find instructional videos that are clear, concise, and will probably give you more information than you thought you needed. One time I was hiking a wooded trail with my friend Tara, and we were curious what poison ivy looked like. I pulled out my iPhone and found a video on Howcast that told us exactly what to look for. The team at Howcast create many professional videos themselves, but their user community submit homemade videos as well.

How To Order Drinks Like a Bartender on Howcast

If you feel that you are more of an inventor or innovator, then instructables.com is for you! The community there consists of very imaginative people. There aren't too many videos for the instructions, but there are step by step guides that can be downloaded in PDF format. You can start a free account to keep track of your favorites and even submit your own instructable! You can learn how to sew your own Where The Wild Things Are hat or build an arcade cabinet or even (my favorite) build a computer housed in a classic NES case.

There are other great sites out there for whatever your hobby may be. Some of my favorite sites are:
Life Hacker
How-to Geek
Have paper, will travel

I Tweeted Comcast and I liked it

2009-09-09T21:26:00.003-05:00

Did you know you can use Twitter to receive customer service? Try a search for companies whose service you use. It can turn out to be a powerful service tool for you. This is my success story:

Recently my combined cable and internet service has been pretty lousy. The cable box wouldn't display any channel (just a "please wait" message) and my internet speed test results were surprisingly pathetic. Being a paranoid geek, I tweeted a comment wondering aloud if Comcast was throttling my connection. I made sure to include an "@" reply to a customer service account that I found from a quick search.

Within minutes, I received a response from a Comcast customer service representative denouncing my suspicion and offering his help. A few brief replies and some direct messages later, he looked up my account and connection strength. Here is a direct quote that I found most interesting: "As you probably know I have reviewed things for a lot of people. I have never seen signals so poor as yours. Not sure how you are online." I knew my situation was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad.

The rep quickly set me up to be helped by a lead tech. Within 24 hours I received a call to set an appointment for the tech to come over. Nerd rage pays off on the internet!

P.S. After my initial Twitter conversation with the rep, the following morning I got the attention of another rep who offered to help! I kindly thanked him and let him know I was already taken care of. It was a great start to my day!

Go ahead, give it a try. These companies would love to hear your gripe!
@comcastcares
@netflixhelps
@xboxsupport
@shareatt
@VZWsupport
@AppleSupportRSS

To find more, try www.wefollow.com or www.twibs.com

As a side note, I found out that Microsoft seems to LOVE Twitter. They have quite a few accounts for the various projects

Use Speech-to-Text IM'ing on your iPhone with IM+

2009-09-01T15:13:00.002-05:00

It's things like this that make you wonder if we are getting out of control with this whole texting thing. Sure, it's fun to text and IM'ing your friends is a good time, but I've heard the gripe more than once: "Ugh, I wish I could talk and the iPhone would text for me." The iPhone already has that app. Yeah, it's called the "Phone."

But I digress. The iPhone app IM+, which lets you access all kinds of IM services from one program, has come out with a speech-to-text feature. Now, don't get carried away, it has the same flaws as any other speech-to-text program out there. But, on top of that, it seems to take some time to process your speech before it translates it into text. It's even slower if your are using the 3G network and now WiFi. The app costs $9.99 in the app store, and the speech-to-text feature is $0.99 per month. Would you pay $12 a month for an app that types what you're saying to your friend who probably is also speech-to-texting you? I think I'll stick with my phone app and my landscape keyboard. Check out this video:

Disney buys Marvel

2009-08-31T09:36:00.004-05:00

Breaking news from Twitter. Disney is on track to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion. I'm apprehensive to see what this means for my favorite childhood super heroes. Will the Spiderman movies become even more sucky, or maybe Pixar will take over and make it completely computer animated. Will Wolverine's vicious character traits get nerfed? What about the next X-Men Origins films for Rogue and Magneto? Sigh, at least Superman is safe... for now....

Here are some of my favorite tweets on the topic:

@Owtlaw If Hannah Montana has a guest appearance on the X Men, I'll feel my childhood was betrayed.

@majornelson The Disney/Marvel news will make for interesting negotiations when Universal Theme Park Orlando needs to renew their Marvel licensing deal.

@Owtlaw Oh wait! Rogue from the X Men can't show her stuff on True Blood any more! Disney will make her life dissapear!

@thinkgeek The Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious Four, Peter Pan Parker, Ironmouse, Snow White & the Silver Surfers #frankenmarveldisney

Woot.com: That's what I call customer service!

2009-08-24T22:37:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago, I snagged a nice little deal on my favorite tech shopping site, Woot.com. It was one of those mini-tower Acer PC's that was refurbished and sold for $300. I thought it would be nice to sit next to my TV so I can watch my BSG videos as well as Hulu and Netflix. It also had a video card so I knew the graphics wouldn't be too bad.

Well after waiting a whole week I did not receive any notice of it shipping out yet. After checking the forums, other buyers had the same issue. As it turns out, a lucky 200 customers who bought the computer had their shipment water damaged at a shipping center in New York when the vendor facility was flooded. Woot posted a notice on the forums informing the customers of the situation, and shortly thereafter emailed the affected customers (i.e. me) telling us what they were going to do about it. Here is an excerpt of the email:

Our records show you ordered the Acer Space-Saving Multimedia Desktop with Intel Dual Core Processor on August 14.

While most of these systems were in our warehouse and shipped out on time, there were a few systems housed at a vendor's facility in New York. As we disclosed earlier in the forum (http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=3397870), these systems were damaged by a flood in the vendor's warehouse and they are unable to repair or replace the systems with an identical computer.

We have arranged for another system to be used as a replacement if you so choose. The replacement system is a Gateway Desktop with AMD Phenom X4 9100e Quad-Core Processor. You may go to this link to view the specs: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156478&type=product&id=1218038551741&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=9156478. Please keep in mind your system will be refurbished (like the Acer was) and carries a 90-day Gateway warranty, not the full warranty as indicated on Best Buy's site. For this option a reply will not be necessary.

You may also choose to cancel the order entirely if you aren't satisfied with the replacement system. If you select this option, you will be issued a $5.00 coupon code for use towards a future purchase on any Woot site.

So my purchase is being replaced with another machine that seems to be of comparable value. The AMD quad core processor seems to be something of an upgrade, but it's only 1.8 Ghz as opposed to the Pentium D 2.4 Ghz. Also the Gateway computer is a normal sized PC tower and not the space-saving one that I was hoping for. Still, I can't complain.

This isn't the first time Woot has given me great customer service. One time, right after I moved to my current apartment, I ordered an item that the mail carrier refused to deliver to my address because my name was not labeled on my mail box. Instead, they sent the item back to Woot. All the way back to Texas. I was upset with the silly detail, but Woot understood and refunded my purchase. It's so refreshing to deal with a reasonable company!

Cylon actress does voice for Starcraft 2 Queen of Blades

2009-08-24T22:14:00.002-05:00

It's like twice the geekiness in one piece of news. At Blizzcon this past weekend, it was announced that Tricia Helfer, better known as the Cylon babe called Number 6, will be doing the voice for Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, in the perpetually upcoming PC game Starcraft 2.

It seems Blizzard has a thing for heroes turned bad. Sarah Kerrigan was on the human side fighting the scourge of the universe known as the Zerg, a bug-like race that was more like an infection that spread across different worlds. The Zerg captured Kerrigan, brainwashed her, and made her their queen. A similar story happens in the Warcraft games, where the king's son, Prince Arthus, strays to the path of evil while on a quest for ultimate power to overcome evil. He eventually becomes the mighty Lich King.

Anyway, since the Queen of Blades is such an evil character, it's very fitting that Tricia Helfer plays her voice since she made her claim to fame protraying a sexy cyborg bent on driving the last of humankind into extinction. Although Starcraft 2 seems to be in development for an indefinite amount of time, this piece of news keeps all of us geeks in tantalized suspense.

Battlestar Galactica movie to be directed/produced by Bryan Singer

2009-08-14T13:00:00.003-05:00

Praise the Gods! Rumors of a Battlestar Galactica movie has been confirmed, and Bryan Singer will produce and direct the flick. Now I need to watch the rest of the series and webisodes to catch up on the lore, although the movie will not be based on any particular series. Smart move.

Source: http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/08/13/bryan-singer-battlestar-galactica-movie/

Digsby IM whores out your computer for a quick buck

2009-08-14T12:33:00.004-05:00

Wow, and here I thought Digsby was such a great program! Turns out that even freeware has it's dark side. A report from Life Hacker states that during your computer's idle time, Digsby uses your resources (including your bandwith) to crawl the web, and is being paid by another company to do so. What Digsby is crawling for is still a mystery, but regardless it seems very wrong to me that they are being shady about this feature. Uninstall Digsby and read more about what's going on over at Life Hacker.

http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joins-the-dark-side-uses-your-pc-to-make-money

Why you should play Batman: Arkham Asylum

2009-08-13T23:01:00.004-05:00

As if there weren't enough lame comic book hero games out there, Batman: Arkham Asylum adds another to the list. But this is not your typical franchise game. There was actual thought and caring put into this one!

The demo was released for download and my first impressions are very good. This game stands on it's own as far as the storyline goes. Players already familiar with Batman mythology will recognize the majority of the characters, and to fill in the background info on the rest, you can unlock bios for all the heroes and villains in the game. The feel of the game is dark and brooding, true to Batman style. There are plenty of dark shadows to make Batman the dark knight and the Joker seem even creepier. the lighting is stale and harsh, just like you'd expect in a mental institution.

My favorite aspect is the voice acting. Nothing brings a game to life like great character dialogue. Growing up I was an avid viewer of the Batman Animated Series. I love this game because the original voice actors for the cartoon series were cast as their respective roles for the game! Do Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy ring any bells? Arleen Sorkin reprises her role as Harley Quinn as well. I have much love for Heath Ledger, but Mark Hamill has the most wicked Joker voice I have ever heard.

The combat and strategy in the game is done superbly as well. As opposed to prior Batman-themed games, you cannot confront every enemy directly most of the time. The inmates carry guns, and your strategy must be like the true Batman. Sneaking around on hidden perches, singling out and striking inmates who have strayed from the group, and recessing back into the shadows. The thugs actually become nervous when they find their cellmates' bodies, prompting them to stick together more and then you have to try a newer strategy. This game is about being a detective, a ninja, and a powerhouse.

When you do fight the enemies in hand to hand combat, it again holds true to Batman's form. You can quickly and easily shift from punching one thug to the next. There are also counter moves that are just awesome to pull off. There's one move that I've always called "The Batman punch," where a thug tries to attack from behind, but you throw you fast backwards quickly, knocking out the baddie cold. Another move has Batman catching and stopping a thug's punch with his hand, and crushing the thug's bones. Such a badass.

There are plenty of surprises and bonuses in store for the game. If you pre-order the PS3 version from Gamestop, you will get a code to unlock The Joker as a playable character in a special challenge mode. The Xbox pre-order will get you a challenge mode where you are intoxicated with The Scarecrow's nerve gas and you fight inmates who look like skeletons to you.

I'm a Superman fan, and I have a rivalry with a Batman fanatic friend of mine, but even I can admit that this game is one of those that is a MUST PLAY and not just another franchise attempt to get money. This game was not released when The Dark Knight hit theaters for a reason. You can dance with the devil in the pale moonlight on August 25th.

New Xbox update let's you "Party Watch" streaming Netflix movies with friends online

2009-08-11T13:37:00.003-05:00

During E3 a few months back, Microsoft revealed many new features coming to Xbox 360, and now some of them have been released today with an update to the console's software.
There are many small tweaks that now make the Xbox experience smoother and more fine-tuned, but there are also some great enhancements to current Xbox LIVE services.

Players can now buy and download premium clothing and props for their gamer avatar. There is already a decent variety to the avatar wardrobe, but now you can take the extra step and deck out your virtual person with brand-name items. And I thought buying gamer profile pictures was ridiculous...

Don't scoff at the new update yet, because another new enhancement allows you to buy and instantly play Xbox and Xbox 360 games straight from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. There's no waiting for these games to download to your harddrive, you can jump right into the action. This is a smart move by Microsoft, and there are some pretty awesome games that are available already at launch.

Probably the coolest (and geekiest) new feature is found in the Netflix service. In addition to being able to instantly stream Netflix content (by the way, the streaming was tweaked for better speed and quality), but now you can watch Netflix with you friends online! It's like instantly hosting a movie night without having to clean up your living room. You and your friends' avatars will sit on a couch and watch the same thing at the same time. Nifty!

To check out a full list and description of the updates, check out the page on Xbox.com. I love how when I spend $300+ on a system, I keep getting more bang for my buck.

P.S. Xbox will also be adding services like Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, and Zune Video later this Fall. Check out this video from the E3 Microsoft Press Conference. Hey look! It's Felicia Day!

Classic Video Game Music, Orchestra Style

2009-08-10T14:13:00.002-05:00

This came up on my Google Reader from one of the video game blogs I follow. This takes me back to when times were simpler. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did :-).

Fall Out Boy's new video is their best yet #musicmonday

2009-08-10T12:30:00.002-05:00

There's no hiding it, I love Fall Out Boy. I'm not saying I'm a blind follower of theirs, but I usually end up liking a lot of their songs. For example, at first I was very critical of their new album Folie a Deux, because I wasn't impressed with the single I Don't Care. But eventually it grew on me, and I love the other songs on the album like She's My Winona and 20 Dollar Nose bleed. I really love how they collaborate with other bands on many of their songs, as well (Brenden Urie, lead singer of Panic At The Disco, sings most of the lead parts in 20 Dollar Nose Bleed while Patrick Stump sings back up vocals). Heck, even Lil Wayne and Elvis Costello make small cameos on this album!

Anyway, I got slightly off track. Fall Out Boy's latest music video for What A Catch, Donnie is actually quite good. Have you ever had one of those moments where you didn't like a song at first, but after watching the music video for it suddenly you realize it's a good song? I had such an epiphany today when I watched the new video.

Even if you're not a Fall Out Boy fan, this song strays from their usual style and seems to be somewhat of an artistic experiment for Patrick Stump, and the video compliments it well. Pete Wentz commented on his blog that this was his favorite video to shoot by far, and he's very proud of it. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Fall Out Boy - What A Catch, Donnie from clandestine on Vimeo.

The Free Spot: Graphically view your harddrive with WinDirStat

2009-08-07T09:32:00.003-05:00

I was looking at one of my friend's computer and noticed her harddrive was rather full (only 22 gigs left), and she became curious as to what was taking up so much space. Wouldn't you like to know what your biggest files are?

This is a job for one of my favorite programs, WinDirStat! The Windows Directory Statistics program will analyze your selected drives and will give you a graphical display of every file on that drive.

The interface shows your folder directory tree in the upper left corner, a legend of the colors for the file types in the upper right corner, and the files on your drive color-coded at the bottom. You can click on each color and the folder tree will jump to that file's location and show you its name. If you click a folder in the tree, it highlights the block of space that folder takes up on the drive. You can even delete files from within the program to quickly free up some space, and the graph will automatically update itself to reflect the changes.

This program is a really neat way to compare the size of an mp3 to a jpeg. The entire Battlestar Galactica series in high def (MKV format) is monstrous compared to my photo collection.

I've used this program to diagnose why my flash drive was full, and used it to free up space (did you know that Vista's "ReadyBoost" feature carves a big chunk of space for itself and stays there until you delete it?). Speaking of flash drives, WinDirStat is available in a slimmer portable version. Quite convenient for geeks on the go!

Get WinDirStat for FREE here
Read about it here

The portable version is here, along with others ;-).

The Free Spot: Protect and Maintain your PC, Revisited

2009-07-30T10:18:00.003-05:00

I've been working at this small office for a year now, and I have picked up a few tools of the trade to keep my computer clean and healthy. Due to recent events I think now's a good time to share the programs I use to maintain my system.

First off, security is essential. However, I don't like the idea of paying a lot of money for software when there are free, effective alternatives. Here's the low-down on my anti-virus software picks:

AVG Anti-Virus - AVG's website will have you believing you should buy their Security Suite, which includes anti-virus, spyware fighter, spam blocker, and firewall, but you can get the anti-virus part for free. Be sure to scan the website for the path to the free version of the software, and don't be duped by their attempt to make a sale. It's a great program that updates regularly, however it has a desire to scan daily. It's a great idea, but the scan took FOREVER for me. I have a 1 TB harddrive (1000 GB) and it scanned endlessly and slowed down my system. That got old real quick. Maybe the newer version scans more efficiently.

Avira AntiVir Personal - Another great, free anti-virus program. Avira updates daily and after the initial scan, it will scan more efficiently ignoring non-threatening folders. The drawbacks are that you must start the scanner yourself, and there is a single, daily pop-up ad trying to sell you their paid security suite. I use this one and it's not so bad, actually.

Now that you have anti-virus, you need to protect your computer from spyware. It can mine data from your Internet browser and bog down your computer's performance.

Spybot: Search and Destroy - Spybot is the weapon of choice when it comes to getting rid of spyware. Not all malware are viruses, and Spybot does a great job at getting rid of the rest of the scum on your harddrive. It can be slightly annoying because it polices every change made to your software: adding a program, deleting a program, changing whether a program opens at startup or not. It will always ask you to approve those changes, and the warning is not very descriptive. It's like Windows Vista UAC. Still, better safe than sorry. I have this setup to run weekly on my work computer.

A firewall is an important thing to have in place to keep you safe from "the outside world." If you use a router at home, chances are it has a built-in firewall, which is good but isn't foolproof. Windows Vista has a great feature where it lets you label a WiFi network as "home" or "public", where the public setting will protect your computer from outside intruders. Windows XP SP2 and SP3 have a similar firewall, but nothing is perfect.

Zone Alarm - A powerful, yet rather annoying firewall program, Zone Alarm is a good idea to have on while using public WiFi. It is an overzealous bouncer to the night club that is your PC. It will block just about EVERYTHING unless you tell it that program is safe. It already knows that Internet Explorer (and possibly Firefox) are safe programs, but others like instant messaging applications will be blocked until you say it's safe to use. This is good, however, when a trojan tries to download viruses to your computer from the Internet. ACCESS DENIED. My recommendation is to have it installed on your laptop and turn it on when you surf in public. Better safe than sorry.

Alright, you should be relatively protected now, and all for free! Now let's talk about maintenance. Your computer can get messy just like your bedroom, so here are some great utility programs to keep things tidy.

Advanced SystemCare Free - IObit is a software developer that makes some nice utility programs. Advanced SystemCare (ASC) is simply amazing! It sweeps up spyware, cleans the registry, clear junk files, and scans privacy issues, all with the click of one big button. In a few short minutes it fixes multiple, common problems with computers and fixes them. It will try to sell you the Pro version, but just ignore that. I recommend running this weekly.

Smart Defrag - When you use your computers files, it doesn't store the data back neatly into one location on your harddrive. Your Word document may actually be spread in bits across your whole harddrive space, which we call fragmentation. When your files are fragmented, it takes longer to access them. That's where Smart Defrag comes in. Your computer already has a defragmenter, but this program is better. It's fast, easy, and when left on it will automatically defrag the files you use the most without cutting into CPU performance. It is recommended to defrag at least once a month. Defragging more often puts needless wear and tear on your harddrive.

You may notice that all of my links come from Download.com. This site is owned by a reputable company (CNET) and you can find many awesome free programs. Be forewarned that there are trial software versions in the mix as well. The Top 20 Popular Downloads list is a good indicator of what's hot in the geek world. The next time you find yourself in need of a particular software, but you don't want to dish out the cash, check out what you can find at Download.com.

I hope you learned something new and that I helped you achieve Internet security zen. Did I leave anything out of my list? What do you guys use? What are your feelings on these programs?

iPhone virus can take full control

2009-07-30T10:02:00.002-05:00

The Internet is atwitter with news of an SMS vulnerability found in the iPhone 3.0 OS. The only warning you receive is a single, odd character by text, and then the virus can take control of all iPhone functions such as the microphone, email, and more. The only way to fight the attack is to turn the phone off.

Two researchers found the hack and informed Apple a month ago. At this time Apple has yet to release a patch, and the researchers will reveal the vulnerability during a talk this week. Other flaws will be discussed as well, including a hack for Windows Mobile phones that allow the same level of control as the iPhone virus.

Read more in the Forbes article.

This is further evidence that Apple's product immunity from malware is purely a myth. Yes, Mac's can get viruses, too. Enlighten yourself to the security issues and take steps to protect your assets. Check out earlier Geek Articles posts (mostly titled "The Free Spot") for advice on protecting your computer.

Hot Tech Deals..From Circuit City?!

2009-07-27T09:30:00.002-05:00

That's right. Our local Circuit City store may be dead (along with all others), but CircuitCity.com has been bought and is still alive. My coworker sent me this link this morning showing 100 deals under $100! These are some pretty awesome deals, if I do say so myself. $30 isn't a bad price for a Wireless-N USB adapter. I've always fantasized about having a smaller secondary monitor for my computer. and that 19" Acer for $99 is looking mighty fine. Finally I will be able to play World of Warcraft AND watch my DVR'ed episodes of The Big Bang Theory! Who's with me?! *crickets chirp*... Ok fine, but still dual monitors are badass. There are also a couple terabyte-sized harddrives and computer parts thrown in the mix. Go forth and splurge!

Circuit City 100 Deals for Under $100

Tron Legacy trailer

2009-07-26T00:18:00.003-05:00

I'm a little slow on this, but Disney dropped the trailer for Tron Legacy! Unfortunately I can't embed it here, but go over to Youtube real quick and watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6jfm0hq0bk

This movie looks hot, AND it will be in Disney 3D. Pretty awesomely geeky. Ok, to be honest I never watched the first Tron movie. Give me a break, I wasn't even born yet then! But you can bet it's definitely going on my Netflix queue ;-).

Raptr: Social Networking for Gamers

2009-07-24T10:10:00.004-05:00

When I was growing up in the 90's, being a gamer meant you were isolated from society. I spent many hours in the basement playing Super Mario and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Zelda. The best part about gaming however, for me, was getting to play along with my brother or friends. Sharing a video game with someone provided countless hours of entertainment.

Now we live in the new millennium and it's time to rethink the definition of "gamer." The Internet has changed everything. Gamers meet and play on Xbox LIVE, Playstation Network, Wii Connect, and PC games online. It's easier than ever before to shout obscenities at someone who's half-way across the globe!

So let's talk about Raptr.com, a social networking website for all gamers. You can sign up quickly and tie-in your account with your gaming aliases (Xbox, PS3, Wii, Warcraft, Steam, whatever...) and then meet other gamers with your similar interests and tastes in games. You can even tie it in with your Facebook and Twitter accounts, so it will automatically update your status when you start to play a game. That way your friends can see when you are on and join you online (or leave nasty comments on your status about how much of a loser you are for playing Warcraft so much....*cough*...).

If you wanted to take things a little further, Raptr also has developed an IM client that you can download to your computer (free) which will tell you which of your friends are online gaming. Recently they rolled out an update so you can use the Raptr client to chat with your friends on AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, Facebook, and more! The program also takes inventory of the games on your PC and will automatically download updates for them so you don't have to sit and wait for those updates when you launch the game to play.

Raptr is almost a year old and has made huge improvements over the past few months. I definitely believe this up and coming website is a force to be reckoned with. As a gamer, I'm always looking for cool new people to play with, and I'm excited about the new friends I'll make on Raptr. If you join Raptr, add bluefox864 to your friend list and let's shoot some zombies :-).

Sam Raimi to direct World of Warcraft movie

2009-07-23T08:56:00.004-05:00

Yep, Blizzard Entertainment announced that they are working on a movie based on World of Warcraft and that Sam Raimi will be directing it. Craziness, I know. This is quite geeky.

Now I know that movies based on video games aren't really the greatest. However, I will definitely go see this movie since WoW has been dominating my life for the past couple months now. Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating, but it is HIGHLY addictive. Also, I believe Sam Raimi has credibility as a director. If anyone knows fantasy, it's him.

Whatever the storyline may be and whatever characters they include, I just hope they have dancing in this film. It's just not Warcraft without dancing :-P.

And just for fun, here is a demonstration of what would happen if my WoW account was deleted

More Office Humor

2009-07-10T10:42:00.002-05:00

It's Friday! Here's a laugh to take your mind off of impending doom from the state budget crisis. This is one of my favorite web comics.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Office 2010: The Movie trailer

2009-07-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

WARNING: Extremely geeky ^_^

Windows 7 prices announced

2009-06-25T10:36:00.003-05:00

If you haven't heard already, Windows 7 versions have been priced, and things are looking good.

Here's the skinny:
If you have a copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista, you can get an upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium for $120 and Windows 7 Professional for $200. The Ultimate version is $220.

For a full install (if you don't have a previous Windows version) will be $200 for Home Premium, $300 for Pro, and $320 for Ultimate.

Now here's what you really should check out. If you pre-order from participating retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Microsoft online store) then you can upgrade your version of Windows to Windows 7 for $50. Pretty sweet, right?

Also, Windows 7 is set to release October 22, but you don't have to wait until then to get a new computer. Starting June 26 (tomorrow) if you buy a new computer with Vista on it, you are eligible to upgrade that computer for little to no cost to Windows 7 with Microsoft's Upgrade Option Program. This is just what we, the consumer, expect to hear.

I don't know about you, but I'm sure pleased about these prices, especially the cheap upgrade for pre-ordering. I plan to pre-order, but probably won't download the upgrade right away since I'm sure it will take forever to download right when it's available. I'll wait a little for the servers to cool down.

iPhone, Google phone, and Palm Pre speed test

2009-06-25T10:29:00.003-05:00

Here's an interesting experiment done to test the speed benchmarks of the top three popular smart phones. I'll show you the results graph to save you some time. Here you can see the number of seconds it took for each phone to accomplish a set task using their browsers:

Check out the details of the experiment here.

It's fascinating that my iPhone 3G is as fast as the Palm Pre, and that the new iPhone 3GS is even faster.

I'm not a proponent of Apple, but even I will say that the iPhone is clearly a superior device.

The Last Airbender movie coming 2010

2009-06-24T10:31:00.002-05:00

I've been a long time fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it was the only reason why I would watch Nickelodeon. Although it's faux-anime and geared towards kids, the story is deep and captivating, and the characters will get you emotionally involved. Feel free to skip my synopsis below...

*Begin synopsis*
Basically, the story is about a world where there are four nations (air, water, fire, and earth) and each nation has a small percentage of the population who can control their respective elements. These people are called "benders" (i.e. "water bender"). Peace is maintained by a single philanthropic being who can control all of the elements known as The Avatar. There is only one avatar at a time and he/she is reincarnated as a member of another nation in sequence.

Aang is a young air bender who is told he is the next Avatar, and he must leave his village to train. Meanwhile, the Fire Nation's overlord is planning a global invasion to achieve ultimate power. Aang's village gets attacked, one thing leads to another, and Aang disappears for 100 years. Brother and sister team of the water nation, Katara and Sokka, accidentally discover Aang frozen in a ball of ice near their village at the North Pole. The Fire Nation has nearly obtained world dominance, and when they hear the Avatar has returned, they set out to destroy the one being who could possibly stop their conquest. And so the story begins...
*End Synopsis*

Anyway, there was a point of time when Nickelodeon was wavering on whether they would keep showing the series or not. It was one of those shows that seemed would fall off the grid, but I was extremely grateful when not only did Nick continue to show the rest of the series, but finished it off with the 2 hour finale movie. The final episodes and movie were very well done and nicely wrapped everything up, in my opinion.

Now I hear that M. Night Shyamalan is writing for the screen adaptation of the series. I'm excited at this prospect, and hope that it does better than the Dragonball Z movie (which I didn't see, but could tell it was crap). Check out the teaser trailer. Looks cool so far!

It's a Woot! Off

2009-06-23T10:41:00.002-05:00

Woo Hoo! It's Woot-Off day :-). Go get yourself some awesome deals at www.woot.com. Once an item is sold out it's gone, and the next item comes up for grabs. Maybe you'll get lucky and snare the coveted Random Bag of Crap. Be sure to buy three of those! And give one to me :-).

Tricking Your iPhone to Use Tethering Could Cost You

2009-06-20T10:12:00.003-05:00

The new 3.0 update came out for the iPhone 3G this week, and geeks everywhere rejoiced. With this new update, the iPhone 3G is now capable of MMS text (that's multimedia, or picture texting to you non-geeks) and "tethering" which is a fun geeky word for "connecting your phone to your computer so it acts as an access port to the Internet."

However, AT&T has not readily activated these features on the iPhones using their service. Those jerks! But, of course there are plenty of super-smart geeks out there who have found some hacks that will trick your iPhone into activating those features. I'm not going to talk about that.

What I will talk about, is an article I found that airs on the side of caution. See, AT&T isn't stupid, and they know about the hacks, and if you use those hacks to activate those features, you could lose your phone service. So be careful out there, and maybe put some thought into your actions before you fulfill your computer genius "evil" scheme.

So why would AT&T deny their customers the glory of tethering for their iPhones? Don't they already allow that with other smart phones under their domain with the same data package as the iPhone?! Well, I read this article in USA Today about how AT&T's network is hitting capacity with all the data activity from their iPhone users, and it suddenly all made sense. Here's an interesting quote: "the average iPhone user eats up around 400 megabytes of capacity each month. Average (other) smartphone usage is 40 to 80 megabytes."

Huh, so it seems that AT&T's network is rather fragile and they bit off more than they could chew when they signed up to be the only US carrier for the iPhone. Can you imagine the havoc that would happen if we were all texting pics of our dogs and tethering our phones to our laptops so we could check Twitter AND watch Hulu? It's things like this that make me wish we had a better phone network like Europe.

Life-Size Gundam Replica for 30th Anniversary

2009-06-09T14:23:00.002-05:00

Apparently it is the 30th Anniversary for the Gundam anime series, and how else would you celebrate it than by building a giant, life-sized replica of a mobile suit?! I know the site is in Japanese, but click the main picture on the page to view the gallery of shots taken of the sweet robot. I just hope it doesn't get struck by lightning and come to life to destroy us all.

http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/graph/anime/20090609_2/3.html

Star Wars: The Old Republic game trailer!

2009-06-09T12:30:00.001-05:00

I jizzed in my pants when I saw this. All geeks should definitely check out this game!

Awesome Nintendo Collage art!

2009-06-05T14:29:00.002-05:00

I love video games and I have a flair for art, so combining the two is always a great way to win the adoration of geeks. Check out these cool Nintendo-themed Collages!

See more here!

Hulu May Begin Charging for Video Content

2009-06-04T14:32:00.002-05:00

This just in from Slashdot.org:

"According to Jonathan Miller, News Corp's CDO, Hulu may soon begin charging subscription fees for some of their online content. News Corp is the parent company of Fox, which owns a huge portion of Hulu."
Read the whole post here.

I guess it's typical business, but that would suck to have a nice service for free to the viewer (which is funded in part by commercial ad revenue already) and then be required to pay for it. If this does go through, I'm curious to see what kind of subscription fees we are talking about here. I presume that if I pay for a Hulu subscription that it will be commercial free. Maybe they'll have more episodes available at one time instead of, say, just the last five (or so) episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I'll keep an eye on this.

You Suck at Photoshop

2009-06-03T11:59:00.002-05:00

This web video series is HILARIOUS! It may not actually teach you how to use Photoshop, but the instructor gives you a glimpse into his dismal life through each lesson. You just have to watch it to get it. I'll start you off on episode #3 and let you search Youtube for the rest. Enjoy!

Your Own Personal Online Newspaper

2009-06-01T19:44:00.003-05:00

Do you have a Google account? Why not?! You're missing out! Google is FREE and has so much to offer. One of the services I have started recently using is Google Reader. It pulls in all of your RSS feeds onto one easy to navigate interface.

If you don't know, an RSS feed is something most blogs have that you can use to subscribe to every one of it's posts. Google it if you want to learn more about how it works.

Anyway, what you do is take all of those favorite blogs and sites that you visit on a daily basis and click the little orange square with the white waves (the RSS feed icon, which can be found in the address bar in Firefox) and tell it to use Google to subscribe to that feed. Now all of your favorite blogs will come to your personal Google Reader page and you can control how to view them, either all at once or by individual feed. You can also quickly create folders to organize your feeds by clicking the "Feed Settings..." drop down menu and placing that feed in a current folder or a new one.

My Google Reader page has folders for my friends' blogs, video game news blogs, and the blogs from HowStuffWorks.com. It is quick to adapt to and will change the way you read up on the news that interests you. I highly recommend it!

http://www.google.com/reader

Twitter is so Trendy!

2009-06-01T19:14:00.003-05:00

Today there were some hot pre-E3 press conferences that showed off the future of video games! Microsoft announced plenty of hot new features and games for the Xbox 360.

But you don't need to be in LA to stay up-to-the-minute on all the latest and hottest news. Have you tried checking out trending topics on Twitter? Twitterers use hashtags (basically short topic titles noted with a # sign) to add their say to a topic that many people are talking about on Twitter. So, if you're like me today, you would go to search.twitter.com and type in #xboxe3 to get all the latest news and links pertaining to the Microsoft press conference at E3. From Twitter users who used that topic hashtag, I found links to live video feeds of the conference and was able to watch it as if I were there!

Also, taking trending topics further, I found this cool site that explains what you should know about the current trending topics on Twitter. It's called What The Trend and it's helpful in keeping up with the most buzzworthy news floating around Twitter.

This is the true power of Twitter. It's not just a wannabe facebook status update. Twitter is real-time news as it happens (if used properly). But of course you can always find out when someone is eating a sandwich RIGHT NOW!

My Twitter follow recommendations:
@majornelson (xbox insider)
@CNN (news)
@cnetnews (tech news)
@enbargain (awesome deal finder)
@amazonmp3 (Amazon mp3 deals)
@michaelianblack (hilarious comedian)

You ARE a Target for Computer Hackers!

2009-05-29T11:24:00.003-05:00

No one ever thinks that they could fall prey to computer hackers. I mean, what do you really have of value on your computer? You never use it to do online banking, so what's the big deal?

Think again. In this blog post on Security Fix, you'll learn that there are far more resources on your computer than you realize. Having your computer controlled by an unknown criminal could get YOU in trouble!

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/05/the_scrap_value_of_a_hacked_pc.html

Glee

2009-05-21T15:35:00.003-05:00

OMG this song has been stuck in my head ALL DAY! I watched the pilot of Glee on Hulu and the last song really struck a chord with me. I will definitely be watching this series.

This is the song that's been stuck in my head...

And you can watch the pilot episode here. Give it a chance.

Video Games and Exercise Don't Mix

2009-05-20T11:08:00.001-05:00

This is too funny. I should get one of those shirts!

I'm following you on Twitter

2009-05-20T10:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a cool blog post that lists 101 Twitter tools. Very cool!

http://adecon101.blogspot.com/2009/03/100-twitter-tools-to-help-you-achieve.html

I'm on a Boat!

2009-05-20T09:14:00.001-05:00

This is a cool simulator game that puts ships in Google Earth. I'll have to play with this later.
http://www.planetinaction.com/ships.php

It's Almost The Weekend

2009-05-14T11:35:00.002-05:00

Thought I would share a good laugh for the end of the week.

Some other laughworthy things:

7 Things I've always wondered about Back To The Future

Patrick Duffy and a crab discuss Facebook and ringtones

The Free Spot - "Reign of Terabyte" aka How to Transfer Harddrives for Free

2009-04-27T10:18:00.004-05:00

I recently got a great deal on a new 1TB (that's, terabyte, or 1000 gigs) harddrive and I had loads of fun figuring out how to copy over my current harddrive to the new one. I would like to impart my wisdom on you now so you can benefit from my trials and tribulations.

Here's a quick summary of what's going on here. You have a new harddrive (HDD), but it is a completely blank slate. You want to make it your main HDD (instead of a slave harddrive), which means you will have to somehow copy over your old HDD to your new one. You could buy a new copy of Windows and install it on the new one, then somehow copy your personal files over, but that isn't ideal. The best strategy is to use software to make an exact copy of your old HDD to your new one.

I thought I would have to spend money on something like Norton Ghost, which is the #1 copying software out there. A close second would be Acronis. Both of these can cost $50+ which is not something I want to spend after buying a terabyte HDD.

Luckily the answer is so simple. Just visit the manufacturer's website and look for free software! Many companies who make computer accessories will provide software that you can use with your device. Seagate provides DiscWizard which is an awesome program with a user-friendly interface. It walks you through the settings and even resizes the partitions for you. That means you can make your C: drive bigger to fill in the extra space on your new HDD. Did I mention that it was created with help from the people at Acronis? A quality program that's free? Awesome!

You'll need to install your new HDD in your computer as a slave drive for now, then fire up your computer and make sure the computer knows the new HDD is there. Then install DiscWizard and walk through the steps. DiscWizard will also help you recognize if the new HDD is installed properly or not. Once you have made all of your settings in DiscWizard, it will reboot your system and then a blue screen will come up showing you the progress of the transfer. I transferred my 250 GB drive to my 1TB drive in about an hour and a half to two hours. It will wait for you to confirm completion and then shut down. Now you must make your new drive your master HDD, and I recommend removing your old HDD so the computer does not try to boot it.

Be sure to have your Windows License Product Key handy (it's probably on a sticker on your computer case) because Microsoft might want to verify your license since you have a new HDD installed. But there you have it, a brand new, higher capacity harddrive that looks exactly the same as your old one. I've also noticed that with the upgraded HDD my computer starts up and loads programs faster. It also uses less energy so it's more eco-friendly (not to mention better for my electric bill).

So remember, next time you want to do some serious upgrades to your system, but you need software to do it, there's a good chance the quality stuff is out there for free!

New Half-Blood Prince Trailer!

2009-04-15T22:23:00.002-05:00

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! Hulu is going to show the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince LIVE in less than 24 hours! Check it out!

*UPDATE* So it seems Hulu uses the same URL for every live event they have. Believe me when I say this used to have the Half-Blood Prince trailer. If you want to see the trailer, Hulu still has it in their archives. Go do a quick search for it :-).

Gamers Unite!

2009-04-09T09:15:00.003-05:00

A friend on Twitter showed me this awesome social networking site for gamers! http://raptr.com is a place where you can create a profile and sync it up with your gamer ID's for various systems so that your gaming activities are automatically reported on your Raptr profile! Now I can find out when my friends are playing online and what they are playing. You can link your profile with your Xbox gamer tag, your PC and Internet games, and even your Wii! After playing some games and listing your favorites on the site, you can start to discover other gamers who are compatible with your gaming style. I'm looking forward to making some new friends!

A Sword to cut the Rain

2009-04-02T14:14:00.002-05:00

I've been needing an umbrella for a while, and this one caught my eye on www.thinkgeek.com. It's sturdy and cool and very nerdy! Get your own here!

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

Christian Rock

2009-03-19T22:35:00.004-05:00

I'm always surprised when it turns out a new band I like is a Christian rock group. But I like bands like Flyleaf because the lyrics are good and the music is strong and they aren't as imposing as other Christian bands can be.

So anyway, Pandora Radio introduced me to Fireflight. The name alone is cool. I'm liking most of the songs from their latest album Unbreakable. Their popular single from the album, Unbreakable, has great lyrics and a strong sound.

But some of their better songs are about relationships, whether it's about breaking up and moving on, or resolving conflicts.

The songs sound hard and kind of angry, but they really aren't. It's a pretty cool change of pace. Now I just need a relationship to really get into the spirit of the music :-).

9 Awesome Uses for Twitter

2009-03-18T22:20:00.002-05:00

Stolen from Maximum PC Magazine.

9. Get Breaking News: Receive up-to-the-minute updates the next time a plan safely lands in the Hudson River

8. Win the presidency

7. Traffic and weather reports: Track road hazards and zombie outbreaks for your commute.

6. Tap into the 'wisdom' of The Cloud: Uncover obscure facts or poll fellow Lost addicts about their latest plot theories.

5. Infiltrate private conferences: Micro-bloggers clue you into major keynote announcements.

4. Demand customer service: Dell, Comcast, and Southwest Airlines have all reportedly made amends with unsatisfied customers who tweeted their complaints.

3. Locate secret concerts: With the power of Twitter, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist would've been a 10-minute movie.

2. Find online deals: Follow @amazondeals and @woot for great bargains.

1. Stalking celebrities: Keeping tabs of celebrities, like Levar Burton (@levarburton), or the Internet-famous, like Veronica Belmont (@veronica), is easy when they broadcast their every move.

More about SyFy

2009-03-18T15:52:00.001-05:00

Had to share this...

Crafty Teens Take Pics of Earth 20 Miles High

2009-03-18T11:44:00.003-05:00

Got this from Twitter.com/thinkgeek:

Teens + £56 camera + latex balloon = pics of space 20 miles above Earth: http://cli.gs/z6j6dT

I'm sending my kids to that school.

Drastic Times Call For Drastic Measures

2009-03-18T09:13:00.001-05:00

So I have a crazy idea. My weight is getting out of control and working out sporadically isn't enough. So now I turn to changing up my diet.

One of my friends on facebook said she was giving up fried foods for lent, and I thought that was a great idea. Not lent, the fried food part. Maybe I'll try to cut down (or cut out) fried foods, and opt for grilled or alternatives instead.

Also, last time (way back in 2002) when I went through a dramatic weight loss, I stopped drinking soda. I been renewing my addiction to caffeine over the past months, and I know that even diet soda can cause you to gain weight. So no more soda, just water, juice, and crystal light.

I think that's a good start to a healthier diet. I don't have to give up ALL of my sinful foods, but a good majority of bad things. Since we're on the verge of Spring, the farmers market will be coming, and I love me some fresh salsa. Hopefully I can get back on track with my weight-loss goals.

Any other good suggestions?

Twouble with Twitters

2009-03-17T13:42:00.000-05:00

Geocaching: How to Geek Out Outdoors

2009-03-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

My friend and I went hunting for geocaches for the first time last night and it was very exciting! I can't wait to plan more geocaching hunts. I'm already scheming ideas on planting our own!

We really lucked out and found a geocoin on our first find! It's a coin that you log online and by doing so you (and others) can track it's progress. It's really neat looking, too. I was gonna put it at a nicer place around the city, but I may go out of town to plant it. I also found out that my coworker knows some people who geocache in NJ. It would be cool to send that coin really far (it originates from IN).

Geocaching is a great excuse to hike, and I need to do lots of hiking!
Learn more at www.geocaching.com

P.S. Geocache Team "The Finer Things Club" is now taking applications ;-)

Revolutionary Wireless Innovation

2009-03-16T10:11:00.000-05:00

SciFi Channel will change to SyFy

2009-03-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

This is really stupid. It seems that the SciFi Channel is trying to update it's image by changing the name to SyFy. It's trying to move away from associating itself from geeks and aliens. WTF? One commenter put it wisely saying they are unwittingly alienating their core demographic.

Just for the record, wasn't Science Fiction shortened to SciFi to make it cool in the first place?

My Heart's All A'Twitter

2009-03-16T09:44:00.001-05:00

I joined the Twitter bandwagon because all my friends are doing it. Next fad: jumping off a bridge. My Twitter is public for now, but I think I will change it to private eventually.

Funny story: turns out I already had a Twitter account from about a year ago. I forgot I joined to check it out but ditched it after a short stint. The iPhone is definitely fueling my Twitter addiction.

On the plus side, now I get to follow one of my favorite musicians, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. Also there are some great comedians on there good for a quick laugh. It's also cool to keep up with the latest news by following the local newspaper and CNN.

I think the real reason I like Twitter is because I so love the status update on facebook and this site is basically only status updates. I can use my phone to instantly pots pics and even share my location. I see geocaching potential here...

Bad Ass Speedy Computer!

2009-03-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

I read about this video in an article online. If you never heard of steady state drives (SSD) then do a quick google search. Maybe Howstuffworks.com might tell you. Anyway, check out this crazy video. Just mindblowing, and it made my mouth water!

Weight Loss FAIL

2009-03-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

I joined the gym a few months ago and had managed to lose about 5 lbs. But then life and work happened and my gym ritual slowed to a crawl and now I'm back where I started. I need to get back on track, and I'm using an iPhone app to help get me started and keep me focused. With "Lose It!" I can enter my daily calorie intake, log my exercise, set goals, and keep track of my progress. Since I'm always using my iPhone anyway, it's rather convenient. The fact that it's free is a perk, too.

I'm also going to focus more on my core since I think that's the best way to build muscle that will burn fat. I found some good yoga videos on Hulu that are about 10 minutes long.

I WILL stay focused on my goal. Swim suit season is around the corner!

Easier Than Carrying a Laptop Around

2009-03-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

So I saw this cool article months ago on MaximumPC.com about making your USB drives into awesome tools. I recommend checking it out because if you're a geek like me (or are tech trendy) you have more than one USB drive lying around.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/build_ultimate_usb_toolbox

The article lays out a couple scenarios and uses, but I'm going to mix and match for my own USB. I have a 4 gig and to load the PortableApps platform it requires at least 512 mb, but I suggest at least 1 gig to have some decent play room. Keep in mind USB's are getting cheaper by the day, so don't be afraid to aim high.

I like the idea of having a secure USB drive with all my files and PC fixing tools, because I carry one around on my keychain for special occasions. What self-respecting geek doesn't? Download some portable apps and make your life easier!

Mike-a-Palooza

2009-02-28T23:19:00.001-06:00

Last night it was my friend's birthday, and he rented out the top of Catch 22. It was a fun night, especially since the deal was $25 for all you can drink.

The crowd was good and the music was fun. Everyone took lots of good pictures.

At the end of the night, I was walking a friend home and realized that I lost my keys. I retraced my steps, but with no success. I knew I had spare keys at my parent's house, but only to my car and apartment. I didn't know how I was going to replace my office key, not to mention my flashdrive that had data on it.

I took a cab to my parent's house and had my brother (who is a night owl and was awake) take me to my car downtown. By the time I go to my car my friend called and said he found my keys. Another friend had found them there. I gave them both the biggest, drunkest hug I could muster.

On the way home I grabbed some McDonald's, but as soon as I got home and into bed I fell asleep without eating my food.

This is a Toast to the Road

2009-02-28T23:11:00.000-06:00

I am in the middle of doing the bi-annual trainings for work. Basically my boss and I go on a tour of the state and teach people how to use our software. We do two trainings per day and spend about 2 hours at each place, but the work is exhausting.

There are always interesting questions (and loaded questions) that come up from the audience, and it makes these trainings interesting (and sometimes tense). Overall, though, it's fun to meet our users and let them get to know me a little, too.

My favorite part is getting to stay in a few hotel rooms. It's nice having a king bed and a room with cable tv and internet all to myself. There's something really fun about staying in a hotel. Sadly, I don't usually get much time to enjoy the room since I need to sleep for the next day.

The worst part is the long drive home. Usually we are both exhausted and eager to get home. The passenger usually sleeps which makes the drive even more boring. At least it's a good time to catch up on podcasts...

Can You Cook an Egg with Your Cell Phone?

2009-02-17T13:31:00.000-06:00

Today I got a text from my friend saying he wanted to try to pop popcorn with cell phones, like he saw on the Internet. I told him that the video he must've watched was a hoax and that it was not possible to do so.

After looking into it, it turns out that your cell phone's ability to cook food is an urban legend perpetuated by blind fear of this mysterious technology. It all started by a guy who wanted to play off that fear (which he knew was pure nonsense) and posted a bogus experiment on his farcical website about how he managed to cook and egg with two cell phones that were active for an hour. Much to his amusement, some foolish people took it as legit science and forwarded it on to their friends in emails.

Later, in 2008, a technology company Cardo Systems Inc. developed a marketing ploy that spawned the infamous popcorn videos. In the video, four people place four cell phones around a handful of popcorn videos. They then have others call the phones to activate them. After a few seconds the kernels magically begin to cook and turn into popcorn! Oh no, this means there are strong waves attacking my brain while I'm on my cell phone! Maybe if I bought a Cardo bluetooth headset, I could avoid placing the phone near my head!

That's exactly what Cardo's marketing scheme was. Eventually CNN had an interview with the person behind the marketing plan, and he explained that they simply made it look like the kernels were cooking with video editing software. You just got punk'd.

Consequently, the marketing scheme payed off and Cardo doubled their bluetooth headset sales.

You can read all about this urban legend at Snopes. Don't worry, keep using your cell phone without TOO much fear...
http://www.snopes.com/science/cookegg.asp

The Free Spot: Digsby Chat

2009-02-14T21:07:00.000-06:00

All-in-one chat program, and so much more!

Facebook recently implemented a new chat feature on the website, and it is the latest craze among my friends and I. It's the coolest thing Facebook has done since the status update. However, with all new programs, it has its flaws. For one, the sound notification is barely audible. Also it gets rather tedious switching between other tabs on my Firefox Browser window and also to my AIM chat window. I can only do so much using the ALT+TAB function, which doesn't work when you want to switch through browser tabs. On top of that you have to check your email to get your myspace notifications.

Luckily, there's Digsby. It's a chat program that keeps getting better and better! Digsby ecompasses all of your favorite chat programs (AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Chat, ICQ, etc., and even Facebook chat!) all in one application. On top of that it can even monitor your Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter notifications and let you know as soon as they happen. But that's not all, Digsby can also monitor your Gmail, Yahoo! mail, MSN, etc. And those are just the main features, there are a slew of other little conveniences offered by Digsby! This program keeps growing as well, so as new developments are made available, Digsby will automatically update for you. It's a great way to keep track of your digital life.

A really cool feature of Digsby is the ability to create a Digsby account. You create a simple login and password and then you are able to access all of your email, chats, and social networks from any Digsby application. For example, I have Digsby on my desktop and laptop, and when I sign into either my Digsby is the same. Even when I update my accounts or rearrange my buddy list, it stays the same. It really is an ingenious application. So from now on whenever you sign into Facebook or you send me a message on myspace, just remember... I'll be watching ;-).

Did I mention that you can put a Digsby chat widget on your Facebook page or blog?

You can download Digsby Chat FOR FREE here:
http://www.digsby.com/features.php

The Free Spot: Portable Apps

2009-02-14T21:06:00.000-06:00

Your home computer is full of great (free) applications that make your life easier. You use Thunderbird to put all of your gmail accounts into one place. You use OpenOffice to write papers, create spreadsheets, and design presentations. You can even chat with your friends using an instant messenger. Yep, your computer is pretty awesome, except for one little problem. You can't take it with you. Even lugging your laptop everywhere can be a chore. But how else are you going to keep up with your digital life?

Now, from the makers of all your favorite free programs comes fresh new flavors! It's sugar free, carb free, and has zero calories! It's a lighter choice without losing taste!

Portable Apps is a great website that has really blossomed into a convenient place for getting great open source programs made byte sized (get it? "bite" sized?). Portable Apps offers many programs such as email clients (Thunderbird), office suites (OpenOffice), instant messengers, web browsers, and even music players that can all be stored on a flash drive! These applications take up little space making it easy to store on your personal flash drive along with your other important documents (like your LOLcat pictures). All you need is access to a computer and you can fire up Thunderbird to check your email or open up Firefox Portable and have all of your personalized settings and bookmarks at hand. This is great for public computers since nothing is stored on the computer itself. It's like taking your home computer everywhere you go right in your pocket!

Portable Apps has a convenient Portable Suite that gives you all of their greatest programs in one download, or you can check out their list of applications and pick which ones you want. And the best part is.... well, you already know by now...

You can download portable applications for FREE here:
http://portableapps.com/

The Free Spot: KeePass

2009-02-14T21:05:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love the Internet and all the different things you can do on your computer? You can check your mail online, do your banking online, pay off your credit cards, and even turn your friends into vampires on Facebook. But all of these things require a username and password. Sure, you could set the same credentials for all the sites, and when some hacker gets ahold of your information (or perhaps an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend) then you are basically screwed. The safer solution is to have different usernames and passwords for all those sites, but who can remember them all? And what if you get amnesia, huh? What then?

Now that I have you fearing for your digital life, let me introduce you to KeePass. KeePass is a program that will remember all of your passwords for you. You can file each of your accounts (with username and password) into different categories (and even categories your create) such as "Internet" and "Home Banking". Mine are divided into "Work" and "Personal". The best part is that once you input all of your accounts with login info, you don't have to remember them again. All you need to remember is a single password that will grant you access to your database. All of you information is encrypted using the latest encryption methods (AES and Twofish for all you tech security types). If you are too lazy to remember a password, you can create a "key file" that you can input whenever you access your database. You can then put the key file in a safe place, like, I dunno, a USB flash drive? If you wanna feel extra important, you could set a key file AND a password that would both be required to access your chamber of secrets.

You can install KeePass on your computer, or you could download the Portable version which is just an executable. This means that you can even put the whole thing on a flash drive and take all your accounts and passwords securely whereever you go. From the KeePass interface, you can launch your web browser and open up the site you want and then have KeePass automatically sign you in with a keystroke. It also has a "Global Hot Key" that will let you sign into whatever site you are on automatically, without switching back to the KeePass interface. The program is easily locked with a mouse-click in case you want to leave the computer to go to the bathroom or grab an energy drink. You can also set KeePass to lock itself automatically after so many seconds have passed. And if you decide to creat a new profile on hotornot.com and don't know what to make your password, KeePass can randomly generate a super secure password for you. There's no way anyone could crack it! There are more features to KeePass, but I'll let you figure it out yourself. Oh, by the way... you're welcome!

You can download KeePass FOR FREE here:
http://keepass.info/download.html

And you might need this tutorial:
http://keepass.info/help/base/firststeps.html

The Free Spot: Yahoo! Widgets

2009-02-14T20:59:00.000-06:00

The Internet is a great place full of information. You can use yellowpages.com to find the address and number of that great pizza place. You can use Google maps to find the way to Nashville, TN. You can even go to your local news channel website to find out what the weather is today, tomorrow, and for the next five days. But its kind of a pain to go to these sites individually. There HAS to be a better way!

There is! Widgets are the coolest toys for your computer desktop. They are "mini" programs that sit on your desktop and perform the one task they were programmed to do. For example, you can have a weather widget which displays the current temperature and the five-day forecast.

Pretty cool, huh? But that's not all! I have a calender, notepad, Yahoo! Maps, Yahoo! email notification, Illinois doppler, and even a typing speedometer! My max so far is 50 wpm. According to the website Yahoo has the largest library of widgets to offer you, 4,000 and growing.

Other companies offer you widgets such as Google, but they call theirs Gadgets. Windows Vista comes with a new Sidebar application that is just like Widgets, and you can download more from Microsoft.

So yeah, its cool to watch a panda in a chinese zoo from a live webcam right on your desktop, but that's not the best part. Everything you've seen here today is FREE! So what the hell are you waiting for?! Go get yourself Widgets today and experience a whole new way to waste time through the internet! :-).

Yahoo! Widgets is available for FREE here:
http://widgets.yahoo.com/

You might also like:
Google Gadgets
http://www.google.com/webmasters/gadgets/

Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/sidebargadgets.mspx

The Free Spot: Open Office

2009-02-14T20:56:00.000-06:00

Before I get into this one, let me share a success story with you. Recently a friend of mine had his myspace account hacked and consequently his account was posting phoney comments on my page (and all of his friends' pages). It was a method called phishing. A picture of a video was posted that would trick a person to click it in order to play the video, but instead it sent them to a page that looked exactly like the myspace log in page which would again trick the person into giving up their login and password and then the culprit would have complete control over that person's account. Now, I'm a smart guy and recognize a scam when I see one, but I will admit that myspace login page trick looked pretty authentic. It could easily fool anyone. What I was more impressed with however was that my Firefox browser took a moment to examine it and then brought up a screen that told me that the page was fraudulent and asked me if I wanted to surf away from it. It stopped me from giving up my account and protected my privacy. Thanks, Firefox, you're awesome! Anyway...

Microsoft's Office Suite makes the world go round. Everyone writes letters and papers in Word. It's hard to find an office that doesn't use Excel for spreadsheets. Everyone uses it and everyone expects it on any computer they use.

But Office is expensive! Most commercial computers you buy today don't come with it. Sure, its installed on there but you are required to buy it after the trial period. Can you afford the basic package thats about $130? Can you afford not to have it? You just try, college student. Just another expense to dish out, right?

Wrong! One word, OpenOffice. OpenOffice.org is made up by a community that continuously works on improving the software and make it available to the public.

So what is it? A full office suite that includes a text editor (like Word), a spreadsheet editor (like Excel), presentation software (like Powerpoint), and other useful programs to make your life easier (but really, what more do you need than word, excel, and powerpoint?). It pretty much does everything Microsoft Office does except you don't have that damn paperclip trying to tell you what to do. That lil bitch....

You want more? Well, all these programs save files in multiple formats that can be recognized by those other mainstream programs. You can save text documents as .doc and spreadsheets as .xls. Also the suite is available in over 20 languages and you can turn to the forum community for answers to your questions. Did I mention that the organization I volunteer at, Comptuer Banc, loads this software on all the computers they supply to low-income families? If you're curious you can check them out at www.computerbanc.info.

A free office program that works with popular office files? Pretty sweet, right? You're welcome.

You can download OpenOffice for FREE here:
www.openoffice.org

The Free Spot: Internet Security

2009-02-14T20:53:00.000-06:00

Everyone knows that the Internet is a potentially dangerous experience, full of viruses, trojans, worms, and spyware. It is imperitive that you have antivirus, firewall, spyware and pop-up blocker software. Spyware and pop-ups can be handled by downloading a simple toolbar to your browser, like Yahoo! or Google toolbar. What's really important is the anti-virus and firewall. Let's talk.

Some would have you believe that you need Norton or Mcaffee on your computer, and by paying them $50 annually you will be safe and that is that right? And you can pay Geek Squad or Firedog to install those for you on your brand new computer for a simple $100 fee. What service! What a rip-off is more like it...

You can get a competent, basic anti-virus program with regular virus definition updates along with a license for the software for, get this....free! AVG Antivirus comes in basic and premium packages. The premium isn't free, but you'll be just fine with the basic version. It's not very complicated to use, either. Make sure you set it to update at least once a day. Definitely a must have for those in need of antivirus but don't feel like throwing away money.

Viruses are scary and all, but hackers are worse. To keep them out, you should have a firewall. Firewalls police the traffic between your computer and the Internet. Nothing will communicate with the Internet without your knowledge as long as you have ZoneAlarm. Its a (you guessed it) free firewall program that is top notch. It will automatically detect your local network as well and help you configure the settings so you can easily communicate with other objects on your network (i.e. a printer or your roommate's computer). I should warn you though, here's the "catch."

ZoneAlarm can get quite annoying. You know that new feature in Vista where it always asks for your permission to proceed every step of the way? It's just like that. When AIM tries to connect to the web "Warning! Block or allow?" When you start up Firefox "Warning! Block or allow?" Thunderbird? "BLOCK OR ALLOW?!" Yeah....but after you get past that awkward first stage, it will start to remember which programs are safe and not question you about it again. There will be those times where you will try to run a program that uses the Internet or your network and ZoneAlarm will block it without question. It can be frustrating, but that's what web forums are for.

To be honest, my experience with ZoneAlarm was less than satisfactory. I tried to share an Internet connection from one computer to another and both computers had ZoneAlarm intalled on them. ZoneAlarm fought me the whole time and after an hour of tweaking, reading forum postings online, and adding IP Address ranges to the "allow" table I was able to get it to do what I wanted. However, I know that no hacker will be able to get into those computers (unless they are, like, an international hacker team determined to steal your Britney Spears mp3's).

But that example was a special case. Normally ZoneAlarm will be good to you. Even if you have it installed on a wireless laptop, it will make sure to keep you safe no matter which wi-fi network you surf on. It may be annoying, but better safe than sorry.

You can download AVG Anti-Virus here for FREE!!!
http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10741647.html?tag=lst-0-1

You can download ZoneAlarm here for FREE!!!
http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm-Firewall-Windows-2000-XP-/3000-10435_4-10698360.html?tag=lst-0-2

And when you get fed up with ZoneAlarm, go here to find answers.
http://forums.zonealarm.org/zonelabs/

Stay safe out there, use protection!

P.S. You'll need spyware protection, so I recommend Spybot Search and Destroy. It's great, it's free, what more could you want?
Get Spybot here
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

The Free Spot: Mozilla Thunderbird

2009-02-14T20:48:00.000-06:00

A while ago Microsoft Outlook was giving me some trouble. I haven't used Outlook for a long time, not since I had a Champaign student email account. I couldn't get it to work with my UIS email so I didn't bother with it. Recently I created a gmail account (cuz it allows POP3 access, unlike Yahoo!, which makes you pay for that) and I wanted Outlook to manage it. It wouldn't do it cuz of some stupid error that I could not fix.

Then I remembered my friend that keeps on giving, Mozilla. Mozilla is the company (or team, whatever they are) that created the Mozilla browser which is now called Firefox. They also created an email client called Thunderbird. Like Outlook, it gets my mail from my online email accounts and presents them to me right on my desktop. It also helps control spam, but I don't have to worry about that much anymore because gmail has been AMAZING with spam blocking (not a single spam message to yet!).

Now, Thunderbird isn't exactly n00bie friendly, but gmail provides a great step by step guide (with pictures!) that'll give you the right idea of how to set up your email account(s) with Thunderbird. It doesn't quite look the same, but you should be able to find your way.

Setting up POP3 access requires work on both ends. Using Gmail as an example, you have to allow for the access from settings within Gmail, and then set up accessing the email in Thunderbird. You have to do this no matter what email account you have in order to make the email client (Thunderbird) work.

*TIP - Be sure to set the port to 995 and the security setting to SSL or you'll never get your email no matter how many times you type your password. Trust me, I know....

*TIP - Under 'Account Settings', click 'Server Settings' in the tree under your email account (i.e. Gmail). You can toggle how often Thunderbird checks your email where it says "Check for new messages every __ minutes".

*TIP - "But bluefox, I like how Outlook has a calender." Good news! Thunderbird has add-on's just like Firefox! Just click Tools --> add-ons, and in the pop up window click "get extensions" at the bottom corner. It'll take you to the add-on website where you can browse and download to your heart's content.

You can download Thunderbird FOR FREE!!!:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Here are setup instructions for Gmail:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=38343

Why pay for something someone else has made for free?

The Free Spot = Geeky Wisdom

2009-02-14T20:43:00.000-06:00

I kept a blog previously where I shared my knowledge of awesome FREE programs that were available on the internet. Since sharing my geeky wisdom is one of my goals for this blog, I've decided to re-post from the old blog to here to make those articles available to more people. Enjoy!

Love Is The Movement

2009-02-13T20:24:00.001-06:00

Happy TWLOHA Day!

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

About Last Night

2009-02-12T15:39:00.001-06:00

I got all their signatures. It was a good night.

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

Awesome Concert

2009-02-11T20:49:00.001-06:00

I'm only here for Every Avenue

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

To Write Love On Her Arms

2009-02-11T13:08:00.000-06:00

I'm totally doing this by the way. TWLOHA Day is Feb 13, the day before Valentine's Day. You write "Love" on your arms to support the cause. It's really neat, and kind of fun to get creative.

Find more information on the facebook group here.

I'm On a Boat

2009-02-11T12:16:00.000-06:00

Andy Samberg's CD is out, too. This kid's going places...

Rest Is For The Dead

2009-02-10T20:59:00.000-06:00

Love this song

Fun ThinkGeek Goodies

2009-02-10T16:29:00.001-06:00

Some goodies I got from ThinkGeek.com and I shared them with the office. Find them here:
Bittersweets: http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/valentines/a03c/
File Folders w/ Attitude: http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/supplies/a46b/

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

How to do Your Taxes Online for FREE

2009-02-09T23:43:00.000-06:00

Start with your federal. Go to http://www.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/index.jsp?ck and choose a site that you like. I recommend H&R Block Taxcut Free File because they walk you through it. Just walk through the questions and fill out the appropriate forms. It may help to have someone who knows what they're doing, but the site is pretty good at guiding you through.

Near the end, before you actually file your taxes, it asks if you want to do your state taxes as well for $30. Say no, because you can do that for free, too, and its faster than federal. After you submit your claim be sure to download the PDF of your tax return, and print it for your records.

For the state, go to your state's website, like illinois.gov. Look for the link to file taxes online for free. The nice part is that if you file online here every year, it will save some of your information to make the process smoother. This is pretty straight forward compared to your federal return.

And like that, your taxes are done. Thanks, dad :-).

Pimpmobile

2009-02-09T15:41:00.001-06:00

A car in my office parking lot

- Posted using Mobypicture.com

Five Year Hiatus

2009-02-09T14:06:00.001-06:00

Oh one more thing. Blink182 is getting back together. Check out their website and click "Our Message." They are planning to drop a new album this summer and start touring again. Pretty cool.

Territorial

2009-02-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

This weekend I was out with my friend at the bars, and I ran into a friend who I haven't seen in a while. She introduced me to her boyfriend and we shook hands. Then I leaned in to talk to her and ask her about a baby shower we would be collaborating on. Well, this must have been inappropriate, because the boyfriend pushed my arm away from her and told me to not get so close to his girl. Even after explaining to him that I'm gay, he still didn't change his stance. The situation was diffused quickly and we all went our separate ways. And here I thought these scenes only happened in high school movies. I blame Oasis and its skanky atmosphere. Heh, maybe I should learn from this and vow never to touch a woman ever again :-P.

Firefox Has Crashed

2009-02-09T13:57:00.000-06:00

Firefox and cute foxes are some of my favorite things!

more animals

New Dawn, New Day, New Life

2009-02-06T21:48:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to start blogging again! I'll use this space to share funny and interesting things I find online, talk about things going on in my life, and even share some of my geeky wisdom to make technology work better for you!