Archive for March, 2008
March 29, 2008 at 9:32 PM · Filed under Personal Rants
We’ve come a long way in the past 50 years as far as technology is concerned. As more new stuff comes out, it leaves most of us to wonder what new and exciting things we’ll see in the future. For a few people like myself, we’re left wondering not what cool things we’ll have in the next 50 years, but what things we won’t. Let’s face it, we already take what we have right now for granted, but what if all the things you see around you were just a memory when your kids are old and grey?
Live Television
When my Wife and I sit down to watch TV, we’re not watching it as it happens. It’s pre-recorded and aired at a later date with commercials and such. On top of that, we record shows on our TiVo-style digital recorder so we can fast-forward through the boring parts of our favorite ones. Needless to say, there’s nothing live about our living room. I know a lot of people won’t agree with me, but in the next 50 years, I see the few live shows we have (like news, etc.) to become a thing of the past on our televisions as more people surf the Internet to find out what’s going on in the world.
House Phones
Do you have one? I don’t. When I did have a land line telephone, it was only because my high-speed DSL connection required a wired phone line. I’ve since ditched the house phone and live exclusively off my mobile device (CDMA). It’s clear, always with me, and supports high-speed EvDO data. What more could I ask for? I see more and more people switching to cell phones and VoIP (Phone via the Internet) for lower rates, more portable service, and more calling options than ever before. Why not splurge on technology?
Cash Money
A while back, I went to buy something and couldn’t because they wouldn’t take my money. It wasn’t foreign currency or anything, just my bank card. Nowadays you can’t do jack shit without holding a major debit or credit card like Visa or Mastercard. Want to rent a car for that summer trip? Forget about a cash deposit. Even if you had a million dollars, most places now require a card to put on file on top of you paying in cash. Better luck next time!
What about that cheap hotel down the street? Sooner or later, you’ll need that shiny plastic thing for just about everything in the future. Better get used to stuffing your cash in the bank or on a pre-paid credit card because in the next 10 to 20 years, I bet you it’s going to be almost impossible to go anywhere without your plastic cash card. Didn’t Visa say it’s everywhere you want to be? No joke.
March 13, 2008 at 6:28 PM · Filed under Apple / Mac
Microsoft’s Windows Operating System is the most popular computer software in the world right now. With the #1 spot comes more than the bright limelight. Crackers and “script kiddies” are out to exploit your Windows-based desktop or laptop and steal all your personal information. For the average Internet user, sooner or later that’s going to happen and you’ll need to protect yourself if you want to surf with peace of mind.
Software to protect you while surfing the web is a multi-million dollar industry. From anti-virus to anti-spam to powerful firewalls, a lot goes into making sure that porn attachment you just opened is really Lesbian Action and not some nasty cracker trying to get to your passwords and credit card numbers.
The best way to protect yourself is to log off and go outside. Putting a condom over your monitor won’t save you from the dark world of personal information trading on the Internet. But there are some things you can do to protect yourself that are free, and these are probably the best steps to remaining virus-free on any platform.
- Don’t open e-mail attachments from unknown people.
- Quit surfing porn, warez, and illegal torrent websites.
- Download your MP3’s from friends or pay for them (iTunes).
- Use ‘nslookup’ and ‘traceroute’ to make sure you’re on the “real” server.
- Don’t use a password more than once and include at least two numbers.
- Check your e-mail message headers before typing in any information.
- If a site asks you to install “XYZ,” pass it up. You don’t need fake codecs.
- Always use strong passwords on your computer login names.
- Stop doing heavy drugs and buy a Mac Pro. You’ll be amazed.
If you’re still longing for a super duper anti-virus solution, it means you’ve probably used Windows for far too long. Don’t worry, it’s OK. Give this free anti-virus solution a try on your Mac.
March 12, 2008 at 1:35 AM · Filed under Apple / Mac
Let’s face it, sure that Pentium 4 is still chugging along, but what if you could build a real Mac, minus the logo? Welcome to Intel’s newest line of CPU’s. Nowadays, you can pick up a bundle Intel Core2 Duo 2.2GHz paired with a standard motherboard with on-board 64MB of video memory and all the goodies for under $200 shipped. While you’re at it, stuff it to the limit with 4GB of DDR2 RAM and go all out (budget style) for a 256MB or 512MB video card (GeForce). Scoop up a $30 case or spend hundreds buying a replacement case from Apple (don’t forget the mig welder!), but either way you slice it — you’ve just saved thousands of dollars by building your own Mac.
And it’s not just the desktop that has done a 360. HackBooks and HackBook Pro’s as they’re lovingly called by, well, hackers, are popping up all over Internet cafes and coffee shops around the globe. Most notably one of the most popular models being used is the IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad. While the most popular Mac line-up aside from the Mini and iPhone, building your own MacBook may not be saving you as much money as you think.
Entry-level MacBooks run for just over $1,000 USD and most decent PC laptops with comparable hardware are only a couple hundred dollars cheaper. Planning on using an older laptop for your Hackintosh adventures? Think again. Most slower laptops really drag behind because we expect more from our laptops. When we’re on the go and staying busy, we expect our portable desktop to wake on command, zoom through the latest videos and handle like NASCAR but that’s hardly the case with slower, cheaper laptops we have laying around.
For the record, you will probably never hear me say this again, but if you’re looking for a portable Hackintosh to polish off your collection of Frankensteins, go buy a Mac.
March 2, 2008 at 9:57 PM · Filed under Apple / Mac
In my ever continuing Hackintosh adventures, we find ourselves with what every Mac hacker drools over and dreams of: a $200 ‘Mac Pro’ fully updated with all the latest Apple goodies on par with the real mac owners who’ve spent thousands of dollars for the ability to take their computer to AppleCare.
In my two months of heavily using my Hackintosh (or Poor Man’s Mac Pro) at work where we design and develop websites and web applications, I found my computer blazing away running all the popular design applications including Adobe Photosho CS3 after taking the plunge and installing the Leopard Graphics Update for Mac OS X 10.5.2.
I was very hesitant about installing anything that said “graphics” on it. The worst nightmare of any Mac hacker is rendering his or her computer unable to boot to the Aqua GUI. It was a mixed bag of reviews on the usual forums about what improvements this update held for us running illegal versions of Mac OS X on Intel and AMD. After getting really fed up with the slowness of Photoshop, I used Carbon Copy to make a duplicate of my installation on another hard drive and I updated my Hackintosh.
To my amazement, everything worked! I’m still using Natit to support my 128MB eVGA GeForce 5200FX but it took the Graphics Update without a hitch and now everything appears to be running a lot faster including many applications and games. I don’t know all the details of this update but it’s one to run if your computer’s crawling.
Just in case you haven’t followed my other article on my Hackintosh adventures, I started my Leopard installation using Mac OS X 10.5.1 (Kalyway) found on your neighborhood torrent site with the Kalyway 10.5.2 Combo Update also found online which included, among other things, the new Darwin 9.2.0 kernel. My ‘Mac Pro’ is an Intel Celeron 3GHz (2.93GHz) 340D on a PCChips M925 motherboard using the on-board Realtek 10/100 Ethernet, an eVGA 128MB GeForce 5200FX ($30 on eBay!), and I’m amazingly getting by with a single stick of 512MB PC2400 RAM.
Rumor has it that Cougar will be the new 10.6 release of Mac OS X but we’re only at 10.5.2 right now so you’ve got time to enjoy a fully-working system before we dive into another major release. Apple has trademarked both Cougar and Lynx, so there are more great things to come from the Cupertino-based company.
Here’s a screenshot of what I’m talking about.
March 1, 2008 at 9:27 PM · Filed under Personal Rants
Just the other day I was talking to someone through Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger) when suddenly he started to type in a delusional, almost cryptic word using abbreviations and acronyms unbeknown to me. I’m no stranger to chat, having frequented the likes of AIM, Yahoo!, ICQ, IRC, etc. for over a decade now, but I found myself “Googling” these strange 2-4 letter puzzles just to keep up with the conversation.
I know “tpn lk ts” is a lot faster than spelling out each word, but for those of us who communicate often over the Internet, if you don’t spell the word correctly then you’re not “speaking” the language you’re using. If I typed in an acronym-filled crypto-speak on a corporate e-mail to my Boss, I’m sure I’d be seeking new employment by the end of the day.
To an extent I can understand such behavior on a mobile phone where the keypad might be difficult to effectively type on, but on a device with a full QWERTY keyboard like a smartphone, computer, etc., I find this to be absolutely unacceptable and nothing short of laziness and ignorance on any medium.
