“General” collection
Access a diverse collection of miscellaneous technology reviews, specialized DIY tool assessments, and unique lifestyle articles. From niche electrical equipment to general digital organization tips, this section covers the broad spectrum of a tech-focused life.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →November 15, 2006
“Tipsy O’Malley” – Our Drunken Irish Ghost
We have a family ghost. His name is Tipsy O'Malley. He's Irish and, living up to the stereotype, he's always drunk. We discovered him as we started experiencing an unrealistically high number of "spilled liquids" in our house. He's the guy who knocks over glasses of wine or spills coffee on your keyboard or bumps glasses of milk off the…
Read more →November 15, 2006
Blackberry 7100t sync issues resolved
My wife has as Blackberry 7100t and the other day, it just "stopped" synching with the Desktop Manager (4.1). Basically, it would connect and then just hang when trying to do a weekly update. I got on the usual forums (pinstack, blackberryforums, howardforums) and did some futile searching. However I did find that there was recently a new release of…
Read more →November 14, 2006
Install Apple’s Front Row on Mac OS 10.4.8
This is one of the "neater hacks" for those of us who cannot normally run Front Row (e.g., you don't have a Built-in Infrared (IR) receiver). For the most part, it's any of us with the "older school" Macintoshes. It basically allows you to have a mini-media center (Music, Photos, Videos and DVD). More info here on Apple's Site. So,…
Read more →November 13, 2006
Dual-boot: Mac OSX and Ubuntu (Part II)
Well, I'm making this post from my 12" Powerbook G4, wirelessly connected to the internet using Ubuntu. Yep, you guessed it, I got the wireless working. Not the most elegant of solutions, but it works. I have have a fully functional, dual-boot, Mac OSX 10.4.8 and Ubuntu 6.10 system. So, here is what I did...and the guides I followed: Step…
Read more →November 12, 2006
Dual-boot: Mac OSX and Ubuntu (Part I)
OK, I admit it...I was bored. And a bit envious of those Intel-macs that can dual boot to Windows (or run Parallels). So, I figured that I would have some fun with my 12" Powerbook and set it up to dual boot with my favorite Linux flavor (next to OSX, of course) Ubuntu. Yes, don't forget, OSX is unix ((Please…
Read more →November 6, 2006
Way behind on my posts
Just been way to busy. Here are some highlights of things that I have done: Update my activeCollab site to the latest Release Candidate Fixed my wife's computer (issues with RAM upgrade and Windows XP) Helped a friend get reconnected on their wireless network Helped another friend get their Powerbook on their wireless network as well as got them off…
Read more →October 30, 2006
Microsoft Outlook 2003 and ZoneAlarm anti-spam plugin issues
I recently had some issues with my ZoneAlarm install and MS Outlook 2003 and the Anti-Spam plug-in. Whenever I launched Outlook, the ZoneAlarm plugin was not initializing despite efforts to enable (through ZA and through the COM add-in within Outlook). I found a solution that seems to have worked. Basically, you need to fully delete the COM add-in and then…
Read more →October 24, 2006
Installed the keyboard myself!
Well, I figured that I would try to save a little bit of $$$ and get some more notches in the tech belt and install the new keyboard on my Powerbook myself. I used the great guides (as previously mentioned) at iFixIt.com. I definitely recommend them. Anyway, the installation went relatively well, but I had to do it twice (the…
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October 24, 2006
How to combat Phishing Scams
So, I previously posted about Phishing scams and what they look like (with screen shots). I figured that I would continue my Public Service Announcement with some tools that you can use to be sure that you don't get "caught." Option #1 - There is a new site that you can go and report Phishing scams on called PhishTank. On…
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October 24, 2006
Powerbook unboxing – Part 3
So, I got my wonderful Powerbook back from Apple Care yesterday. Yes, they fixed the issue of the ALS (Ambient light sensor). Now I'm shopping around for a good local vendor to help install the keyboard that I purchased on eBay. I have found a couple of local candidates and I'm just checking prices now. I would have tried to…
Read more →October 19, 2006
This is NOT me…
At work, we were playing around with the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on Google Search...there were some funny things that come up. I thought that with a name as common as mine, I would help to clear up all of the confusion in the world about who I am and who I am NOT...so... This is NOT me (too bad)…
Read more →October 17, 2006
Apple Care – Part 4 – back for more repairs (ALS broken)
Well, I must say that I have been getting to know Apple Care a bit more that I really would have wanted to. Where I last left off, Apple had totally "styled me out" by fixing my case with new parts...however, it looks like they forgot to connect the Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) when they put it all together. For…
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