Virtual desktop solutions for vista
2008-05-14 05:22 PM | 0 comments
Yesterday I asked around on twitter about any sort of software that provided linux/mac style virtual/multiple desktop support for Vista. I was abruptly met with "No." and a "Get a mac." as responses.
Fortunately, Google is my friend - and failing my friends suggestions, I did a couple quick searches for the software in question. I found two solutions, neither of which really did what I wanted to - but they're useful none the less: VirtuaWin and Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager. Both are open source, the former on sourceforge, the later on codeplex.
They both manage to provide multiple virtual desktop managers, but they only allocate windows to each of these virtual desktops - while I was looking for a solution in which each desktop could have separate desktop shortcuts. Regardless, they are neat apps.
Download VirtuaWin
Download Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager
Windows Live Messenger and BIS Hotmail push mail on BlackBerry
2008-05-12 01:31 PM | 62 comments
From BerryReview.com:
RIM and Microsoft have tied together to bring tighter integration between Hotmail/Messenger and the BlackBerry. Just look at the promised features in the press release.
This is an awesome announcement - up until now, Bell in Canada and T-Mobile in the States have been the only carriers to offer MSN Messenger to their subscribers. Part of my work at RIM involved instant messaging provisioning and testing the Windows Live Messenger component in preproduction, so it's awesome to hear that the service will be coming out on a wider scale. I expect it'll be similar to Facebook's deployment and this is a huge marketing chip for carriers like Rogers and Telus.
(I know a lot of people on Telus from HowardForums have tried to get the MSN Messenger client working, and you can't do it without getting a Connection Error 65 - RIM has to enable your SIM or device for it. It's not just a service book issue.)
Congrats to the teams at RIM and Microsoft on getting a deal worked out - MSN/Windows Live Messenger is definitely one of the most popular services here in Canada.
Additionally, this announcement will take Hotmail/Windows Live Mail from a second-class citizen (you had to pay for Hotmail Plus to access it on your device, ordinarily) to a top-tier mail account with push access. In effect, when using BIS, you'll get the message on your device as soon as it lands in your inbox, and not from 2-15 minutes afterwards. Other providers with push email on the BlackBerry are Yahoo Mail and Gmail, and some GoDaddy hosted accounts.
With the release of the
January 16/09: This post has been modified to avoid giving the impression that I'm an appropriate contact for support. Please contact your carrier or BlackBerry technical support for the correct method of reporting issues.
No more LimeWire: what other options do I have?
2008-05-12 01:10 AM | 5 comments
This post discusses tools that can, but are not designed to, aid copyright infringement. Leaving aside potential legal issues, this post is intended to serve an educational purpose and merely describes already available services and software.
As part of my consulting business, I'm often asked to suggest alternatives for popular P2P programs like Kazaa and Morpheus. The first thing I mention is that I no longer support LimeWire, which is a P2P client that uses the Gnutella network. Unfortunately, most search results for any popular keywords contain pornography, trojan executables or MediaSentry "fake" files. Executing one of these files can do significant damage to a system, on the level of installing "MSN Block Checker" or similar software.
Just a note, for those reading: "MSN Block Checker" is a trojan that preys on people wanting to find out who blocked their account on MSN/Windows Live Messenger. There is no way to do this, since online status changes are sent by Microsoft. You can't find out who blocked you with client software.
MSN Block Checker and its ilk necessitate a complete Windows reinstallation, and generally you can't run a "repair" procedure. Systems can become reinfected just by viewing an old Windows folder with a shellcode exploit. We recommend a complete system wipe (deleting the original partition) and reinstallation for this particular problem, followed by disabling MSN file transfers and applying a limited user account for the teenager involved.
There are three P2P alternatives that I generally offer to clients who ask. For those who aren't aware, the iTunes Store does offer high quality tracks without DRM as "iTunes Plus" content. You have to pay - but this method ensures clients that the music is legitimate and will work on any given iPod, which is the most commonly seen MP3 player in my work. I generally remind people that the price for songs also encompasses proper tagging and album art, which is more often wrong than not when Internet releases enter the picture.
The second alternative is BitTorrent. Unfortunately the protocol has come under fire from large industry groups: the record and movie industries patrol highly popular files, seed fake content that will never complete its download, and its ubiquity has ensured that trackers such as the Pirate Bay follow the wishes of the lowest common denominator in the crowd. People who have never seen a .rar file in their lives, don't have the correct codecs or are incompetent at selecting a download folder are thrust into a world of pain when they encounter these problems using BitTorrent. Communities such as TorrentFreak only encourage this kind of behaviour by promoting substandard movie releases and drama.
My personal choice and recommendation for people willing to learn is Usenet access. Unlike BitTorrent, users of the protocol are not required to upload content. A standard level of access to Usenet is offered by several commercial providers for $15 per month: Newshosting and Usenetserver are two newsgroup providers that I've used. Downloads generally run at the top speed of your Internet line. Combined with a client like SABnzbd+ and a search solution such as binsearch.info (free) or NewzBin (paid), Usenet is a powerful utility that discourages people who are unwilling to learn.
Some of the changed concepts from BitTorrent to newsgroups involve:
- Multi-part files and recovery. Newsgroups contain binaries in multiple "posts", which are usually separated into multi-part .rar archives. The advantage to this system is that provided enough recovery information, a partially complete upload can be restored and made usable.
- Retention time. With BitTorrent, files are available as long as at least one seed (or enough partially complete peers) announce themselves. Newsgroups rely on retention time (how long has passed since the files were posted), which is provider-dependent.
- Client software. Both BitTorrent trackers and Usenet search providers provide a "key" file (a .torrent or a .nzb) that indicates how the content should be retrieved.
In an upcoming post, I'll discuss some of these details in depth and provide some pointers on getting started with newsgroups. Stay tuned.
Somewhat back to normal: aftermath of the move
2008-05-10 03:10 PM | 0 comments
It's been slightly over a week since I moved into the new place and things are working out well so far. One of the major changes is that I haven't had as much time to sit down and develop: instead, the roommates and myself tend to be more social in the community area. Unfortunately for the screaming fans of XenonMKV, though, this means I haven't had a chance to deliver on some bug fixes and requested features. I hope to have something new by the end of the month on that end.
On the technology front, I haven't had as much luck getting 1:1 pixel mapping on a KDS-55A2020 television as the KF42E200A, but it's still quite usable for movies without any overscan. I'm using the default nVidia drivers on Windows Vista, and using the "Adjust HDTV desktop size" controls in the nVidia Control Panel applet. There were some promising threads on AVSforum but they all seemed to deal with Windows XP and Powerstrip, both of which are needed to create and display custom resolutions.
I'll likely have a new Judge Jake episode out within the next week or so, as well.
"America's Got Talent"... on MySpace
2008-04-30 01:34 AM | 2 comments
From Mashable: America's Got Talent... on MySpace.
WHAT IS THIS GOD WHY.
Seriously, I'd have a hard time thinking of a worse combination of words. Any takers in the comments?
(If you're reading this from the front page, click through to see the horrendous image that accompanies this post.)
Writing "see ID" on your credit card is worse than useless
2008-04-28 11:40 AM | 3 comments
Over at the Consumerist, there's a recent piece debunking a Boston Globe article on writing "See ID" or some variation of the phrase on the back of credit cards. I admire what popular consumer advocacy site has done for the average person who's gotten screwed by a large company, but some of their posts definitely suffer from the Gawker formula. In the effort to crank out content persistently every day, editors inject significant personal bias and non-news into the stream of articles.
Unfortunately, the Consumerist takes the anti-fraud prevention stance pretty significantly. Not that I'm advocating fraud: a large number of people write in who have experienced identity theft. As a result, the editors' viewpoints trend towards "being safe than sorry" all the way up the ladder to blatant fearmongering. The latest contribution towards the fearmongering effort (which also contributes towards the page view effort) is to talk about the advantages of writing "See ID" beside your signature on the back of a credit card.
"See ID" is not a valid signature by itself.
I'm willing to bet that most of the advocates of not signing their credit cards have likely never read their own cardholder agreements, and aren't aware of the merchant agreements that retailers must abide by. For example, credit cards are all property of the issuing bank, and must be surrendered upon request to the original issuer. In theory, a credit card can be revoked for any reason or no reason at all. When using a credit card, you've been granted the privilege of using someone else's good name to acquire goods and services. If Visa, MasterCard or American Express decides that you're sullying their good name, your permission can - and will - be pulled.
(Before I go too far with this, I'd like to let it be known that I have indeed read the cardholder agreements for my particular accounts, and am familiar with the merchant terms for acceptance. After all - I signed a contract, so it'd be stupid not to read it beforehand. The agreements are not what one would consider consumer-friendly, but I accept them because I receive significant benefits from the issuers.)
So what constitutes sullying the name of a large financial lender? The obvious answer, "not paying your bills," is definitely there. Another good reason is if you're not holding up your end of the bargain and complying to the agreement that you signed. One of the agreement's terms and conditions is that you sign the back of your card before using it, and your signature is not "See ID".
"See ID" doesn't help protect you. It might cause even more problems. It's worse than useless.
What the Consumerist suggests (to stay in compliance with the cardholder agreement) is signing the card, then writing "See ID" as well. Unfortunately, for the paranoid among us, it's possible to do much more with the numbers and address off a driver's license than a credit card alone.
As it stands, if you've given someone your credit card to process for more than 30 seconds, they don't need your signature. They can simply memorize or record the number, expiry date and CVV code on the back and use those to make online purchases. More sophisticated criminals can skim the tracks of information from the magnetic strip, duplicate the card onto a blank, and use it at unattended terminals such as gas stations. Don't underestimate anyone's memorization capabilities.
Showing a driver's license as identification immediately gives three additional, valuable pieces of information to a malicious person:
- Driver's license number (useful as an identifier for credit checks)
- Date of birth (useful for changing account information)
- Address (useful for "billing address" fields online)
Continuing along these "scary identity theft lines" - with these additional qualifiers, what might have started as an easily-reversible, fraudulent charge on your credit card may result in a complete loss of account control. Combining the credit card details and driver's license information constitutes a large security issue.
Credit cards have built-in fraud protection measures, and using one ensures that you can dispute fraudulent charges without tying up your bank account. Giving more information away can only amount to worse results, especially if your personal details are in the hands of a fraud artist.
"See ID" is not standard practice. Merchants don't have to ask for ID anyway.
While some retailers will check ID when prompted as a good faith practice, there is nothing in the merchant agreement that forces a store to comply with your request. In fact, merchants are specifically prohibited from requiring additional ID when presented with a credit card and signature matching the back. They can't make showing identification a condition of sale with a credit card - only when the card contains an invalid signature.
What to take away from all this
- Don't expect that writing "See ID" in combination with your signature will reduce fraud.
- Showing identification to a reasonably skilled criminal could result in even more problems.
- Don't get angry when merchants don't follow your non-standard instructions, as pointed out by nytmare:
I write 'dance like a monkey' on all my cards. Then I get all indignant when the cashier continues to follow their normal store procedures instead of my personal non-standard instruction. Why won't they do as I say?
- Read your cardholder agreement. You may be surprised at its contents.
Migrate permalinks without pain
2008-04-25 03:13 AM | 0 comments
A WordPress plugin that actually does what it advertises? Sign me up for Dean Lee's Permalinks Migration Plugin, which properly 301 redirects your old permalink (example.com/year/month/day/postname) structure after it's been updated. (I've swapped this site to use just a jakebillo.com/postname structure, so consider this my seal of approval.)
PA overuses Twitter with hilarious results
2008-04-23 01:11 PM | 1 comment
Penny-Arcade has a delightful comic about people who overuse Twitter, the service that has essentially replaced the LiveJournal-style "and then I ate some fish, and it was good" missives. Now, instead of just being angsty to your closest friends, you can be angsty AND deliver your every bowel movement to the Internet.
XKCD - "New Pet"
2008-04-22 06:28 PM | 0 comments
After reading today's xkcd I actually laughed out loud at work - which was surprising because the comic had been rather lame until the last frame. Gotta love Python - the language that takes everything and still manages to spit out functional programs. Too bad the lead up was weak.
Hit the link for the full comic.
xkcd - "New Pet"
New Nine Inch Nails track
2008-04-22 05:12 PM | 1 comment
The new track is called Discipline and was released straight to radio stations yesterday, this track was whipped up by Trent Reznor and tossed out in short order from what I've heard. Its not readily available on the net yet, so who knows how long we'll be able to offer it!
Take a listen to the full song here:
[audio:http://chaser.homeip.net/music/discipline_full.mp3]
Can't say its the best song from NIN, but its new and its not really out there yet [hence the low quality]. Hit the link for a download.
NIN - Discipline [mp3]
Update: Added a new category for music and fixed the tags.
Shakespeare plus Pulp Fiction = win
2008-04-21 03:53 PM | 0 comments
From the Metaquotes community at LiveJournal, likely found through Boing Boing: Shakespeare meets Pulp Fiction.
J: How passing strange, for I have traveled far,
And never have I heard tell of this What.
What language speak they in the land of What?
B: What?
J: The Queen's own English, base knave, dost thou speak it?
More powerful file management utility: FreeCommander
2008-04-20 02:29 PM | 0 comments
FreeCommander is a Windows utility similar to Midnight Commander on *nix systems. Check it out if you're into heavy or repetitive filesystem operations.
I've often used ExplorerXP on Windows systems to provide a better version of Windows Explorer for file management, but I've recently had issues with file rename and copy operations. FreeCommander has filled this gap nicely. One of the things these utilities do best is display a "complete folder size" next to each entry, useful for finding folders that no longer contain the content you want.
Judge Jake Episode 3 online: Warren Fails It
2008-04-16 06:13 PM | 2 comments
Judge Jake episode 3 is now available, predominantly focusing on Warren's exceptional ability to fail it on a friend's birthday. Other topics of interest include
- A recent business exam and how "The Sound of Music" is an inappropriate ringtone
- How I feel about "Internet girlfriends"
- A brief review of Simple Plan's newest album (they still suck)
Subscribe to Judge Jake RSS feed
Grab the MP3
Listen now:
[audio:http://jakebillo.com/files/podcast/jj03.mp3]
I'm sorry, honey, your coffee's seriously... undrinkable.
2008-04-16 12:58 PM | 0 comments
Another YouTube video, but damn if it doesn't remind me of some productions I was involved with in high school. (Hint: Sexist ad for coffee!)
Search query: Soulja Boy = moral decay
2008-04-15 08:02 PM | 0 comments
At least seven people have recently searched on Google and arrived at this site for the phrase "soulja boy = moral decay." I couldn't agree more.