dh blog

I've been using Opera as to do specialized tasks online for about a month. Even though not all pages are Opera-friendly and it does tend to crash, I still think it has a lot going for it. My 3 favorite features are discussed below:

Opera has a transfers tab that looks oddly like the downloads window that firefox uses, except that it stores as a tab. And it understand the language of torrents.
That's right, you can download that latest release of Ubuntu or Vista Beta from your browser.
I currently use www.isohunt.com to find most of my files, but you could just search google for the title of what you want and then add on the word "torrent".
So what?
Well, in any other browser, when you click on get torrent, the browser downloads a 1k text file and that's it.
If you have a torrent client ( Opera's is built into the browser program), the application will know that this a tracking file and start gathering your data from the web.
It's not a direct download. That text file creates a search thread that meanders through the web and starts looking for other people that have the file on their hard drives or in their download ques. It directs portions of the download to your computer and when it tracks all the pieces, will assemble the complete file.
Viola! A fresh new Ubuntu Build.

Another handy feature worth mentioning is Opera's "hide option." This will minimize the browser to your task bar. Also, when looking at operating applications in the task manager, Opera is taken off the applications tab and is only seem as a running process. Very discreet. Oh, execute this command by pressing ctrl+H. Especially if everyone in the office assumes download maanagers are useful solely for grabbing ill-gotten Shakira mp3s.

Last is it's built-in session saver. I now have this feature on firefox, but only because I hunted down the plugin and configured it myself. Opera's version will prompt you to restore after a crash and has been extremely convenient. Another side note for enticing FF enthusiasts: Opera lets you re-order your tabs..

You may not want to use opera for everything, but it is pretty handy, especially if you are looking for a very useable download manager that understands torrents.
Just DL it and see for yourself:

http://www.opera.com/

-Dan

-Dan

I wasn't ever really intending this space to be a critic's pedestal and was looking to bring to light some of the more discreet ideas and products out in our big,big world. But Singer really messed up my Supes... to the point that I was getting nauseous and still have a deep burning desire to petition that universal/WB give me my movie admission back, plus damages. It's films like this that promote internet piracy and the multimillion dollar phenomenon of home theaters. Yes Folks, it's that bad.

Imagine that you were reading the daily newspaper and saw that DC was re-introducing Batman to the public in a great new film. Okay, that's not so difficult because a kajillion people turned out to see "Batman Begins" last year.
So try to re-imagine that scenario. Let's leave the compelling trailers and promotion. Leave the billing of a hopeful cast and crew. Entice us with smart variations of the storyline we all know and love. Show us enough to make us wonder if we will buy this new take on a beloved hero. Lour us into the movie and let us hear familiarity in the score. Then pan in to show our hero, young, unfettered by time, sporting an updated gray spandex leotard with purple undies and a pumpernickel silk cowl. Show him winding up to hit a mime as a primary cartoon bubble fills the screen with an iconic "BLAMMO." Then watch all the people walk out of the theater.

I wish the betrayal was that clear cut with superman. I wish there hadn't been that familiarity in the intro and that there wasn't something enigmatic about the opening on the Kent's rural home.
I wish there had been something better playing on another screen in the theater so I could have an excuse to duck into a better flick.

The intro was compelling. The idea of Supes coming back to a distant Lois Lane was inviting. The problems arose after the first 20 minutes. Superman is going to be the world savoir once again .Analyzing the plot holes at this point would drive me insane, so I'll hit the biggies.

The History:
Supes Returns is supposed to take place 5 years after the events of Sooperman II, which involved Supes showing Lois Lane a great time in the Fortress of Solitude and revealing his true identity.

The Problem:
Lois conveniently forgets that Clark is Superman, yet indicates that her child (who is being raised by another man) is Superman's.

The History:
Gene Hackman played a bumbling, quirkily Lex Luthor in the previous movies. All the other licenses have worked their tails off to show that Lex is a very nasty, manipulative guy with tons of financial and intellectual resources at his command.

The Problem:
Kevin Spacey dazzles as a perfect reincarnation of Hackman's retarded character.

The History:
Superman bends backwards to help Lois Lane while countless other people die horrible deaths at the hands of villainous madmen.
Again, Other licenses have worked long and hard to turn supes from a bodyguard for a woman that makes really stupid choices into a global hero with a heart for mankind.

The Problem:
Superman bends backwards to help Lois Lane while countless other people die horrible deaths at the hands of villainous madmen.

The History:
Superman is deathly "allergic" to Kryptonite. Knowing this, Lex imbeds Kryptonite into the "Catastrophe Machine" (<-- my name for it) so when superman shows, he will loose his superpowers become easy to kill. Lex's plan works out and he dumps the near-dead supes over a ledge. To save "The World" (aka the U.S.'s eastern seaboard) superman (all better now!) burrows under the "Catastrophe Machine", uproots it and tosses it into outer space.

The Problem:
Superman lost his abilities almost instantly after coming in contact with the "Catastrophe Machine" the first time. Launching it into space directly exposes him to the embedded Krypton (it pokes through his hands) for 3-5 minutes (this sequence took a loathing 20 minutes to depict on-screen), yet he still manages to somehow pull through.

The History:
At the end of the movie, we see a bumbling Lex and his lady-accessory stranded on a very small white sand island. They claim they have no gas and no food.

The Problem:
How could the helicopter not have enough fuel to make it from 40 miles off New York's coast back to the mainland, yet still end up somewhere in the Caribbean (there were palms trees on the island).

I can't go on... It's draining my will to ever go see another comic-related movie again. I can't even think about the Character regression ( that's right, no development. Things went backwards for the characters in this one.)!! Ahhhhhhh!!!
-Dan

About 5 weeks ago, I noticed a great coincidence in the life of my home entertainment appliances. The health of my TV-top DVD player was greatly diminishing as my need to transfer items from VHS to DVD was peaking. Deciding that my seldom-used VHS Recorder would indeed outlive it's relevance, I opted to replace my typical DVD player with a DVD recorder. Thusly, I headed off to a big box store and found the last in-stock Lite-On LVW-1107HCI DVD recorder. I can confidently say that I will never again even faintly consider using a lowly chunk of cellophane to capture fleeting moments of broadcast mediocrity.

First Impressions:
The unit was tightly packed away and had surprisingly useful quick-start guide. But my strongest initial reaction after peeling off the packaging was about the size of the unit. This thing is compact. It's square,with each side measuring about 10 inches. The remote is laid out in an agreeable fashion. It's not anything ground-breaking, but at the same time, it certainly isn't as bad as most of the generics you get with low-end equipment. Setup was barely more complicated than setting up a VCR. So an extra star for that category.

Features:
Here's where this unit either makes it or breaks it for you. If you are looking for a sleek, feature-filled, Tivo alternative, stay away from this box. If you are looking for a simple way to transfer those cherished family movies, a decent no-frills DVD player, and an easy to use replacement for that clunky VCR, go buy this shiny new appliance now!

Let me be a little more specific in what this unit has to offer. Lite-On has been good place most of the desired hookups, not only for you videophiles, but also for us last-in-line adopters. The unit features composite, component and RF visual hookups, as well as coaxial and stereo sound. Let me expand on each of these a little.

Video:
Composite and Component should be a standard on any dvd player you pick off the shelf these days. Composite is your standard red, white, & yellow rca hookup that most A/V devices can handle (well, if they were made after 1990). Component is the Red/Green/Blue jack array now found most mid-and-above displays over 21". It delivers a picture second only to a digital signal input.
When I mentioned that this would be a great conventional VHS replacement, it's due mainly to the fact that this unit has it's own standard broadcast TV tuner. So what? This means that, just like your VCR, you can record off one channel while watching another.

Audio:
Audio is little lacking. Your choices are the to grab sound through the RF TV tuner, the composite inputs, or the coaxial audio out. That's right, no optical audio for all you audiohpiles.

Other:
I almost forgot to mention the other significant feature for the home-movie enthusiast. A front mounted Firewire port. That's right, If you're looking for ridiculously simple way to transfer those Digital8 movies off the family movie maker and onto a universally playable DVD, this is the way to go for you.

User Experience:
So Lite-On isn't the world's most elegant interface designer. But they certainly are not the most cumbersome, either. The DVD remote is pretty logically laid out and the "dumb" features help guide new users through the routine operations.

Recording:
This often is the biggest pain with any recording device. I won't even touch on the pains of verifying that your VCR was recording, let alone making sure it was the right channel at the right time. This is where the interface on the 1107HCI shines. all recording functions, whether a timed recording from broadcast or a transfer from your Digital8 Camcorder. Simply hit the "Guider" button on the remote and the player will walk you through a series of colorful menus that will get everything set to record. My favorite feature pops up just before you hit record: The last screen shows a review of your recording plan, along with a preview pane of the source you are recording from. You will never again find yourself wondering if you had the right channel tuned in for recording. The Lite-On 1107HCI tells you and shows you before you ever hit record.

Other Things Worth Mentioning and Closing Thoughts
I realize that I have yet to mention anything about media. I think this is another area where this little TV top player excels.
The 1107HCI will record on both DVD-R and DVD+R as well as both format's RW counterpart.

I have yet to stick in a DVD recordable media that this thing will not play (with the exception of DVD RAM). In fact, part of this player's verbosity is a major reason I like it. I have had great success with taking my downloaded movies burned to a DVD-R (data files, written to the disc as avi's), sticking them in and being able to watch the majority of them without a hitch. In fact, I would venture to say that this dvd player handles digital media better than my lackluster D-Link 320 Media Center.

So, if you are looking to play hours of Hi-Def content back to your Plasma TV, the quality and amenities of this unit will not be up to your standards. If you are stuck with a CRT TV like the rest of us, try this one out as a replacement for your VCR. With the low price of DVD recordable media and an enjoyable user experience, I highly suggest you give one of these little wonders a try. And just in case you don't like it, the Lite-On 1107HCI's return policy is the same as most other dvd players in a big box store: If you don't want it, return within 30 day. No questions asked and no restocking fees.
-Dan

I need to geek out over this. I can't believe how far a basic understanding of algebra and some familiarity with asp.net got me in setting up this online file browser script. I can't stop about how cool it is, not to mention the fact that the code itself is extremely well-documented.

The idea of hard-coding an online browser is, well, scary. I am NOT a coder. In the past, I've managed to decipher the structure of asp.net galleries and had limited exposure to javascripting. At least I think I understand most of the stuff that dreamweaver produces.

I was desperately searching for a php solution to run on my new linux hosting server that did not include modules to be installed on the root level. I just didn't pay enough for the space to get that kind of control. That's where the Web File Browser guys came in. This is an inclusive single-file solution with extremely elaborate documentation. I popped it open with dreamweaver and had a custom configuration running within an hour.

I'll admit that finding the bits of code to piece together the login was much more challenging than the browser setup itself. My current version does not allow the admin to edit user names and passwords due to my lack of knowledge on how to script that particular cgi file and, maybe even more importantly, the need to direct users to a particular directory.

All in all, I think it's highly successful. You can check out my working demo right here.
-Dan

If you couldn't make it, you didn't miss much when comic book artist Phil Hester came to Dubuque, IA. Hester gave a presentation at Dubuque's Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

The whole thing was about 45 minutes, there was no demonstration, and most of the people there were under the age of 14. He answered some good questions, but they were pretty much answered in an article about him
that came out in the local culture mag a week before.
Oh, and he's definitely not a public speaker. After about 30 minutes, the questions centered around comic characters (and not the artist), and total geekdom ensued.

Needless to say, I didn't stay for the book signing. Maybe next time we'll get someone who's a bit more charismatic. Ah, Iowa.-John

I know the idea of reviewing a version (or distro) of Linux may appear a little bit pretentious. But please, even if you are not at all a techie, keep reading. You may even find a use for that old HP Pavillion that you banished to the closet when it hung on the Windows ME title screen for the 17th time.

What is it?
Geexbox is a media-specific build of the Linux operating system. Basically, this is a uni-tasking computer OS that plays media files.

Why should I care?
Let me propose this question instead:
Ever have an inkling to play that great mountain biking video (you know, the one where the guy breaks 9 ribs doing an endo into a concrete pylon.) on your TV without spending 12 hours re-encoding the video file and burning it to a VCD or DVD?

Geexbox provides an opportunity for you to enjoy hours of catalogued media in the comfort of your living room without the expense of a semifunctional media center or over-featured TIVO.

How do I get it?
Geexbox is a free OS available in an ISO file that you download from www.geexbox.org. Simply burn the .iso file to a cd with a program like Nero or CD Creator and you're set!

How Does It Work?
Geexbox takes over your computer at startup. Just make sure you have your BIOS set to boot from the cd-rom before your hard drive. Power on your computer and place your newly-burnt GeexBox CD into your CD Tray. The CD will load the files into your computer's memory and launch the interface automatically. Geexbox will kick out the CD once all the necessary files are cached. Insert your media with movie files into your drive. GeexBox should start playing any media files it finds automatically.

What Do I Need to Use It?
I would encourage you to try it out on the machine you're using to read this page, but almost any computer will do. Even your old one without broadband capabilities that's providing a breeding grounds for dust bunny colonies in the depths of your closet.

In fact, this is a great tool for turining old computers into something useful. Your donor machine does not need a hard drive. More than 64mb of RAM helps. So will a video card with a TV out, if you plan on watching your media on your TV. A 350Mhz processor will handle most avi and quicktime files, but if you are looking for DVD or VOB playback, move up to a 450Mhz processor and add a DVD drive.

(Check out the geexbox page to get the author's hardware recommendations.)

Does it hurt windows or install spyware on my comptuer?
That's what's so cool about this OS. Because it caches it's vital info into your RAM, no data is ever written to the hard drive. That's right, no program installation tedium ever takes place. In about the time it takes to start up your PS2, you can power up your media pc, load Geexbox as your temporary OS, and start enjoying the replay of bone-splitting endos on your 36" TV.

To discontinue use, just remove any media from the CD Drive and power off the computer. Restart your computer and you're right back into windows. (For future reference, this type of OS on a CD referred to as a "Live" distro.)

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I hope that this quick overview has convinced you to consider the possiblity that there are other OS's out there. Even if they aren't as popular as XP or as robust as Ubuntu, some do specialized tasks very well. -Dan