I have updated the site a little recently. I’ve changed lots of the bloated HTML comments to PHP comments.
I will be also trying to update the site so it has an ultra-light version, optimized for portable devices.
I have multiple WiFi access points on my network. One because I don’t want the speed to drop on any when a slower device connects (my 802.11 N network only allows N connections for example, so it doesn’t drop to 11 Mbps or something when an older “B” device tries to connect).
My 802.11 B device is configured with WEP authentication as well. I have older (1998) laptop that uses 802.11 B, and my Nintendo DS can only use WEP, so it makes sense for me to keep up an access point for devices like those.
Of course, with WEP authentication, it makes it a target for easy hacking. To try and prevent someone from stealing all my bandwidth, I use QoS to keep the 802.11 B connection speed limited to just 128 kbps.
My bandwidth was safe, but people would still be on my network if they connected.
A solution would be to put the 802.11 B device on a separate VLAN to prevent access to your network while still allowing Internet access.
Here is one configuration using a WRT54G router, the excellent Tomato firmware, and a spare WiFi access device (I’m using a FON router flashed with DD-WRT).
I’ve been playing the hell out of Dragon Age: Origins the past few days.
Promo video, “This is War” by 30 Seconds to Mars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D5wTYmcBX4
Promo video, “This is the New Shit” by Marilyn Manson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BByNHgNlfs
Full promo movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oba_h90S56Q
Gameplay with the tit monster:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05hcY7oCeD4
http://lifehacker.com/5386953/lifehackers-complete-guide-to-windows-7
Yeah, it’s near the bottom. Just do a search for “xdn”.
This is the third time XdN Tweaker was mentioned on Lifehacker (which is one of the 1,000 sites in the world, and in the top 400 in the USA).
On the same day the Lifehacker page went up, I was contacted by someone from Italy named Giulia Giunta regarding publishing XdN Tweaker on the CD they include with the magazine “Computer Bild Italia”.
I’m still working on the next version. I was planning on several new things. Something to hide the “Libraries” in Windows 7, something to enable the Regional themes and wallpapers in Windows 7, an improved AutoRun disabler, something else I forgot, and also a link to a nice Logon Screen background changer.
I just posted a page regarding defragging Macs. I’ve always heard people say that Macs don’t need to be defragged. It didn’t make any sense.
After having slow boot times and other performance issues, I decided to check my hard drive’s fragmentation. I wasn’t shocked to see it was massively fragmented. Obviously Macs do get fragmentation, and do need to be defragged.
I posted the page here:
http://xenomorph.net/?page_id=778
I don’t know who started the “Macs don’t need to be defragged” lie, or why it keeps being repeated. I guess it’s a superiority thing. Are Apple users trying justify their purchase by thinking they have a system impervious to issues that the cheaper systems suffer from?
All computers suffer the same issues. Disk corruption, file fragmentation, and even malware. Paying more for a computer doesn’t make it immune.
Microsoft lists Apple/Mac OS X, Ubuntu, and Red Hat as its competition.
http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/08/06/microsoft-acknowledges-linux-threat-to-the-windows-client
http://9elements.com/io/projects/html5/canvas/
HTML5-compatible browsers only (I tested it under Firefox 3.5.2 and Safari 4.0.2).
I’m testing out a WordPress app on my iPhone. If this thing works, I may start posting more often.
I just got some retarded sales call from Charter.
They “thanked” me for being a good customer.
First, I’m not a customer of theirs by choice. Charter is the ONLY provider of high speed Internet service where I’m at. I’m a customer of Charter because I have to be, not because I want to be. Second, I know I’m not a special customer, it’s just some generic line they say to all their customers. If he had started the conversation with a line like “I’m sorry you have to use Charter, but perhaps I can offer some services to you to make us seem like we don’t SUCK so much.”
He said I could get Charter Phone service with like a million features and unlimited minutes for $29.99 for 6 months, and then $39.99 after that (plus like $10 in taxes and fees). I explained that I pay less than $20 (*including* taxes and fees) with Vonage. And that isn’t some promotional price, it’s their all-the-time regular price. Plus I get WAY more features than I use, with way more minutes than I ever could use, so it’s already virtually unlimited for me. I even mentioned how copies of my voice mail go to my Email, and asked if Charter even provided that feature.
He then went on to tell me how VoIP services like Vonage were very INSECURE and anyone could just just listen in. He didn’t explain how the encryption used with Vonage was different than with Charter’s VoIP service, just that Charter’s was “better” and “more secure”. Vonage has worked perfectly for me for over half a year. I’ve had ZERO issues with it.
Even with some stupid scare-tactic, he realized he wasn’t going to sell me on Phone service …
So then he said he had a GREAT deal for me for TV service. I said I don’t want Charter TV, especially when they don’t even offer all the local channels. Channels that we actually watch. My sister has Charter TV, and she has to tune in some channels over-the-air since Charter has never offered them. She asked me how to find the channels on her TV that was hooked up to Charter cable. Channel 5.2, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, the all-new “Green Channel” 24.2? Charter doesn’t have them as far as I know.
The guy on the phone checked some list, and couldn’t find any information on the local channels, but said I could get lots of new channels.
I said I didn’t want new channels. I already have plenty of channels I get for free, and I don’t want to PAY MONEY TO LOSE THEM.
The guy told me that if I didn’t subscribe to Charter’s TV service, I would LOSE access to those over-the-air channels when the Digital Transition occurs. I explained to him that those are Digital-only channels, they aren’t going anywhere, that I have been watching digital TV for years, I only watch digital TV, and that the digital TV standard came out back in the 1990s. I’m not worried about any transition. We have like 11 Digital tuners now. 4 of them support HD even.
He then asked me if I have an HDTV. I said yes, 4 of them. He mentioned their great (insanely-overpriced) HD service. I said I get all my HDTV over the air for free. That I watch my favorite shows in 1080i like CSI, Heroes, and all those “Late Night” shows. I asked him why would I pay for HDTV service when I get HDTV service over the air for free?
I don’t know if he was unahppy that he didn’t make his sales quota for today, but he thanked me for educating him on the types of service out there. Who knows, maybe I convinced HIM to drop Charter Phone service and tune into some over-the-air free HDTV.
He tried to offer two services to me, phone and TV, and then tried to *scare* me into switching to Character when I didn’t express interest in them. How … what’s the word? Unprofessional? Desperate? Retarded?
Minor update:
It looks like Charter does provide access to channels 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, and 5.2. They are channels 107, 108, 109, and 127 on their Digital St. Louis package. If the Charter person I spoke with on the phone knew what the hell he was talking about, he would have come a little closer to making a sale. Putting people on the phone that have no idea what they are talking about is pretty dumb. No equivalent to channel 24.2 though.