“Tech” collection
Stay informed on the rapidly evolving world of consumer electronics, high-performance hardware, and digital innovation. This central tech hub provides a deep dive into the physical components and software ecosystems that power your modern life.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →December 20, 2006
LogMeIn.com (Hamachi) Part 2
Since I already wrote about Hamachi, and I must say that I am really growing to like it, I figured that I should do a little write up of Hamachi's new parent company, LogMeIn.com. But first, a couple of new notes for Hamachi. I was able to finally access my Windows shared directories from a Mac. First you need to…
Read more →December 19, 2006
Hamachi (now LogMeIn Hamachi) – Part 1
There are lots of ways to connect to your PC nowadays. In the past, I have used simply Remote Desktop (when using Windows) and setting up port forwarding on my router to make sure that I connect to the proper machine. A lot of times, this requires a static IP (as opposed to dynamic, which is still doable, but I…
Read more →December 19, 2006
Software review a day (?)
It seems like recently, probably due to the holidays, that I have not been posting regularly. So last night, I made a decision (who knows if it will stick) to try to review one piece of "software" a day. I realize that it is ambitious, but I would rather make the attempt than have my blog turn stale. So, I'm…
Read more →December 8, 2006
Best Windows Screen Saver ever!
I came across this great screen saver for your Windows machines...but only install it if you are a bit of a geek, or you want to pull a prank on someone. Basically, this screen saver emulates a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD). When the screen saver starts, it looks like the infamous BSoD (actually pulling configurations from your system). This…
Read more →November 29, 2006
Firefox Add-ons that I really like (and use)
I've been finding Firefox more and more to be the browser that I naturally launch first. It's starting to beat out Safari and Maxthon as my preferred browser. It is great that it is basically the same across all platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux). The other great thing about it is the huge amount of plug-ons or add-ins (e.g., Extensions…
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…
Read more →
