Operation Chokehold
Dec 16, 2009 Information, iphone
Operation Chokehold: Hey its worth a shot right?
I’ll tell you something — I’m really sick of the sorry ATT network as of late. It is extremely pathetic. I hear the engineers are friggin livid. And, because they’re engineers, and they can, they’ve come up with a plan to teach AT&T a lesson. They’re calling it Operation Chokehold. Last night I got this email that they’ve been sending around inside Apple, encouraging people to join the crusade:
Subject: Operation Chokehold
On Friday, December 18, at noon Pacific time, we will attempt to overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees. The goal is to have every iPhone user (or as many as we can) turn on a data intensive app and run that app for one solid hour. Send the message to AT&T that we are sick of their substandard network and sick of their abusive comments. THe idea is we’ll create a digital flash mob. We’re calling it in Operation Chokehold. Join us and speak truth to power!
If anyone has ideas, use the comment strings. Tell your friends. Get people involved. We have a few days to create a movement and plan a major assault.
Remember to turn OFF your Wi-Fi during that hour. There would be NO point if a bunch of people are browsing YouTube in their office or home and they are using their daily Wi-Fi without knowing. This would not affect ATT in the least bit.
Turn off your Wi-Fi, if you have no better choice, just browse through the YouTube app
Remeber folks this is to be done at NOON pacific time, that’s 1 p.m. Mountain time, 2 p.m. Central time and 3 p.m. Eastern time.
I myself plan on watching some YouTube videos or listening to Slacker radio for an hour.
Gmail Folders and Filters
Dec 11, 2009 Information
Recently in a previous article, I discussed a really cool free tool used for video surveillance called VitaminD
The tool is AWESOME!
The only problem I have is that sometimes my inbox is overloaded with small still captures notifying me of what is going on. At first I thought is there a way to limit the number of emails that VitaminD sends? Then I thought, no that would defeat the purpose. I need these emails. I just need to manage them a certain way.
I basically knew what I had to do. I needed to create a folder in my email and create a “rule” for incoming mail that would send the mail from VitaminD into the correct folder. This is easily done in Outlook using the create rule wizard, but I don’t use Outlook. I use Gmail.
Gmail takes a different approach to this. Instead of Folders, Gmail uses Labels. Using labels and filters, you can have Gmail sort your incoming mail by sender, subject or other criteria to your custom folders(labels) — out of the Inbox.
Let me show you how.
To make Gmail route certain mail to particular “folders”, bypassing your Inbox:
- Open Gmail and go to your Settings in the top uppper right.
- Click on the Filters
- Click Create a filter.
- Enter the desired criteria.
- To filter all mail from somebody, type their email address in the From: field, for example.
- Click Next Step.
- Make sure Skip the Inbox is checked.
- Also check Apply the label:.
- Select an existing label (folder) from the Choose label… menu or: Select New label….
- Type the desired name for the label (folder).
- Click OK.
- Optionally, check Also apply filter to conversations below to move existing messages matching your criteria to the folder.
- Click Create Filter.
Thats it!
Now new messages matching your rules will arrive in their labels (i.e. folders) only. This is very easy to manage isnt it?
Mozy Backups
Dec 10, 2009 Information
Ok I am pretty sure all of my readers out there are backing up their data using some form of media like backup tapes or maybe even CD’s and DVD’s and storing them offsite like in a bank safety deposit box or in your office at work or something right? …..right?
Please tell me you are… If its one thing everyone should know about computing its BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!!!
Backup your important data. Your pictures, your financial data, your music that you paid for online. It makes no sense not to have digital copies of this elsewhere.
Wait ….what….? You dont back up!?!
Oh No! What are you going to do with all those precious photos you have of your newborn baby girl, or those pics of fluffy your little Yorkie, or your Grandmothers 80th birthday? Oh you planned on backing them up to DVD but just never got around to it huh?
Let me try and paint you a mental picture and give you something to thing about. Its a stormy night, lightning abound striking hard to the ground with such loud crackling booms that you feel its right outside the window. The power surges on and off repeatedly within seconds. You didn’t think to turn off the computer, but that’s ok, the storm caused a power outage in the neighborhood and now you don’t have to worry about that. The next day you decide to power it on and check your Facebook and Twitter pages along with email, but wait…. whats that clicking sound? The power light is on but I hear this odd clicking coming from inside the case. Whats this on the screen? NTLDR is missing? What the hell is that? Then you think oh no…my computer must have gotten zapped in the storm. My power-point presentation that I had been working on for 3 weeks was on there. Then panic sets in and you think of all the other things you have now lost and you have an empty feeling inside.
Read the rest of this entry »
Get your VitaminD
Dec 10, 2009 Information
Have you been wanting a web surveillance camera system but were afraid of the cost? We let me introduce you to VitaminD.
VitaminD makes it easy to turn your usb webcam or networked camera into a full fledged monitory tool, and best of all its FREE!
This program allows you to specify the size of the objects that will trigger events. You can setup a certain area for detection like a door or window.
You can easily scan video for motions that it detected. You can have screenshots sent to your email and in turn to you cell phone if you wish. Its truly amazing and crazy that its free!
Check out the demo below
Tech Deals
Dec 3, 2009 Information
I did a little shopping on the internet today and found some pretty good deals that I thought I would share with all of my loyal readers of this blog.
This holiday season, make sure you are updated with the best deals and gift ideas.
I have compiled several popular deals below related to tech products that may interest some of you.
I think I will try my best this year to order all I can online to save me from having to travel, and stand in lines.
Windows 7 Netbooks Under Starting $350
HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One Printer
Movies & TV Gift and Boxed Set Sale
Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device
Bestselling AT&T Phones from $.01
Save over 30% off the Canon PIXMA iP100 Mobile Photo Printer
Windows Automatic Updates Annoyance
Nov 30, 2009 Hacks, Information
Lately, I’ve been dealing with the Windows XP Automatic Updates restart nag screen for quite some time now. I am normally pretty busy and have tons of apps open along with several browsers with several tabs. Even though it doesn’t take long for my computer to reboot, I would rather do it at the end of the day.
To keep from hulking out like The Incredible Hulk and thrashing my laptop, (just kidding I would never do that) after clicking the Restart Later button for the tenth time, I decided to stop being lazy and figure out how to shut it off.
It turns out to be pretty easy.
You can either use the command line to shut off the Automatic Updates service or manually shut it off in the Services panel.
To shut it off manually: Read the rest of this entry »
1. Go to Start->Control Panel->Administrative Tools and double-click on Services.
2. Right-click on Automatic Updates and select Stop.
Cyber Monday
Nov 29, 2009 Information
Did you miss out on any Black Friday deals?
Well don’t feel bad…
Get ready for a deal-packed Cyber Monday. Enjoy deep discounts on great gifts and FREE Super Saver Shipping on millions of items.
Tags: Cyber Monday
Black Friday 2009
Nov 23, 2009 Information
Hey all! Just a reminder that Black Friday starts on Monday at Amazon.com.
Its DEALS WEEK!
I must say… I love me some Amazon.com and the biggest shopping day of the year is almost here!
Black Friday deals start as early as Monday, Nov. 23, 2009!
Amazon’s Black Friday page is the central point to find all of your Amazon.com and Endless.com Black Friday deals and thousands of other products that are on sale for a limited time only. So, don’t waste a minute. Get to shopping! There is a thousand of new deals each day starting Monday. You shouldn’t have to stand in line to get a great deal!
Tags: Black Friday
The iPhone a year later
Nov 17, 2009 Information
Wow a year goes by really fast sometimes. Today marks the anniversary of my personal iPhone.
Yep a year ago today I was anxious, excited, and nervous all at the same time.
I was super excited to get one after all the wonderful things I had seen and read about it doing.
I was extremely anxious to get one and get to fiddling with it.
I was nervous at spending the high cost of $400 for it as well.
See I generally get a new phone every year or 18 months because the phone is either in terrible shape, or is just completely pathetic around that time.
It’s been a year and I have not been dissatisfied. This phone is still amazing and still runs like brand new, maybe even better.
I do so much with it as many of you know from my previous articles. I am writing this article post from it this very minute and will submit it here in a few all done from the magical iPhone.
If you have the means I highly recommend you pick one up. It’s truly an amazing device and you really will not realize this until you have one in your possession.
I can’t say enough great things about this phone. Once you crossover and get one you will agree that there is no other phone.
Sent from my iPhone
Roll Your Own Multiboot USB Flash Drive
Nov 16, 2009 Gadgets, Hacks, Information
How To Create Your Own Multiboot USB flash drive
For the longest time when I do computer repair house calls, I often depended on a satchel full of CD’s with my favorite tools on them.
Some of them being ERD Commander, Ultimate Windows Boot CD, Knoppix Live, Ubuntu Live, NTpassword, and so on. I hated to have all these cd’s with me at all times.
I often thought about how to accomplish this, but always got sidetracked.
Recently I made up my mind and said the ultimate goal was to have a bootable USB flash drive with a nice menu. I fiddle with this for at least two months with little to no headway, but alas I figured out how to do it and I would like to share it with all of you techies out there willing to read my blog.
I am going to teach you what I have learned throughout this process, and I’m sure you will feel technically empowered when this is all done.
Today you are going to build a USB Multiboot toolset complete with customized boot menu ready to launch many of your favorite tools.
Are you Ready? Good, lets get started!
Read the rest of this entry »
