Welcome

Hello, my name is Christopher, and since I was very young, I have always been interested in how things work.  Whether it is something mechanical or digital, it intrigues me and I want to know how it works.

To read the rest of this, please continue to my “about” page.

Automatically hit the beep (voicemails)

Sometimes, I have questions that I’m too lazy to find out the answers to, and occasionally, I find the answers by chance.  The following is such a case.

Hate to wait for the beep during long outgoing voicemail messages?  Sometimes people can be annoying and leave LONG outgoing messages like
“Hi, this is Bob, and you have reached my voicemail.  Your useless fact for the day is that fungi grows on the north side of trees.  Today’s weather report is … my dog was singing yesterday, it was the darndest thing … I’m going fishing tomorrow … anyway, hope your day is wonderful! At the beep, please leave a message.”  *BEEP!*  ”ZZzzz… snore … zzzz …”

Worse, sometimes after the person leaves a message, there’s some annoying little automated message (Sprint & Verizon, I’m looking at you, probably some others) that follows the personal greeting, FINALLY followed by the beep.  Your timer could hit a minute before you even start speaking.

SO!  If you don’t really care what their personal message says and you just want to leave a message, follow the instructions that are below. When you hear the voicemail kick in, as in the person starts saying “Hey, this is Bob, listen to my 10 minute message about meaningless stuff” press the button, you’ll hear the beep, and you can leave your message:

SPRINT: press 1 (the number one) – the automated message after the personal message even says so.

VERIZON: press *  (star)

 

So far this is all I know – let me know if you know of others, and I’ll add them!

Windows Live Writer

So, I updated my XP Desktop, and one of the optional software downloads was “Windows Live Essentials.”  Which, as one blog writer wrote, if it’s essential, then why is it listed as an optional download?  Also, isn’t Windows Live supposed to be for apps that live online (and not those that are downloaded)?

Regardless, I noticed that one of the apps included was “Writer,” which was explained as a blog program that supports WordPress, so I figured I would try it out.

 

The cool thing is, it uses my fancy theme in the editor, so it looks like I’m using the online interface, kinda.

I’ll be trying this thing out, see if I like it, maybe write a review of it eventually.

Setting up a non-domain Windows XP network with file sharing permissions

So this is mildly embarassing to say, but before today I didn’t know how to set up file sharing on XP past the simple file sharing that’s turned on by default.  I knew that there was more, as I’d seen it in the past, but I decided I didn’t need anything more than simple at that point in my early network experiences.  I had already had enough trouble with getting two computers to see each other on the same network with the same workgroup name, and I didn’t want to cause more trouble where I had no knowledge to get out of it.  That was then.

As I have written, I have gained extensive knowledge of networking and file permissions, so now that I will be facing networks that do not have domains (at least, for the most part), it would be nice to know alternatives for file sharing that also gives some degree of security. 

Today, I learned about advanced file sharing, or whatever it is called.  The following link was very informative in how to get started, and I was surprised to see how simple it really was, yet how hidden the option was.

XP Pro File Sharing
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_filesharing/index.htm

The link says to switch over from simple to advanced, just go to Explorer, then Tools -> Folder Options -> View and then uncheck “use simple file sharing.”

From there, just about everything else the article mentioned I knew about, though it was still an interesting read.  I saw that file permissions and other things of the like were almost exactly like using the domain, since the simple file sharing had hidden the “security” tab from the properties.

It was still a little messy compared to having a centralized user database (having to manually sync each user account on each computer based on the file server), but still workable.

I ran into some trouble for a while, in which I was not able to write to any directory that was being shared, no matter how much control was given to said directory, but then I realized that the root directory (the one being shared) needed to have its shared permissions to full access.  From there, I could set the NTFS permissions separately, and still get the security necessary while having the share work as it should.

 

I got into this today, as the new tech for the cog said he was going to set up this type of network over at the secondary site to make things simpler.  I wanted to know how to do this, as I did not know how, and I am always up for learning about new ways of doing things on the computer, so he explained that removing the simple file sharing would allow for more advanced file sharing, and though he didn’t tell me exactly what to do, a quick search of Google found the article linked above.

 

I could apply this to my home network, sharing files on the network while having some essence of security just in case someone from the outside world manages to connect to my WPA encrypted network.  I could also apply this to networks that potential clients would need set up with permissions.

Dual XHD6425 car audio receiver

Just recently, I purchased the Dual mentioned in the title for $130.  It was the cheapest radio I could find with an HD tuner (there was another, lesser model with a few less features, but I liked this one).

This radio includes the following features which I think are quite cool:
*CD player (WAV/MP3/WMA) – resumes track after power-off / source switch
*USB input (MP3/WMA)
*AUX input for whatever kind of device that can plug into a 3.5mm headphone jack
*Power on volume – I’ve set this to volume:5 so I don’t blast out my eardrums when I turn on the truck.
*remote control – some say it’s not necessary, but it can be easier to press the buttons on the remote than the face of the device
*HD tuner – my interest in this is for the extra stations provided by some HD stations
*rotary volume knob – my last radio had buttons … I prefer a knob
*blue/white lights – blue-lit buttons, white text: good colors.

Some short-comings of the receiver that I wish would have been better:
*Tuner
The tuner is slow to find stations, whether HD or analog, and switching stations (especially some stations that are not as strong in reception) is a minor chore.  I liked the operation of the tuning on my factory stereo – I hit the seek button and it found the nearest clear station, or I could hold it down to speed through the dial.  To tune to not-so-great stations, I pressed the “Tune/scan” button, then the seek button.  With this one, pressing & releasing seek does the same thing – finds the nearest strong station.  Pressing and holding it, however, enables the tune function for getting to weak stations.  As far as I can discern, there is no easy way to speed through the dial.  Plenty of presets may help that problem, though.

*HD
I’ve not listened to many HD stations yet, but the one I was wanting to listen to most (edge1069.com) doesn’t have very good reception (it dropped out several times through the day as I drove), and when it is playing okay, the sound is very flat – no bass, not even much treble, just kind of muffled sound.  I don’t think this is the case with all the HD channels, it’s just that I must be somewhat far from the signal source.

*Lights
This receiver does not have the capability of dimming the lights on the display when I dim the dash lights.  I’m not sure why this feature is not available on something that is in almost every way better than my factory receiver, but it could cause some problems on evenings when I have headaches in which light is a bothering factor.  Maybe I can get some kind of aftermarket kit to allow it to dim.

Overall, I’m pleased with the unit, even with the few things mentioned above being annoying.

I’ll update this later with further HD explorations and such.

lifehacker.com reviews Ubuntu 8.10

I’m looking to upgrade my laptop’s hard drive soon (500GB), so when I get that, I’ll be getting the new version of Ubuntu, but until then, I think I will stick with 8.04, as I don’t like dealing with brand-new software with all its bugs and glitches.

http://lifehacker.com/5072351/a-users-look-at-ubuntu-810-intrepid-ibex

Highlights:

The writer of the article claims that dual monitor setup in 8.10 is flawless, which makes me hopeful, as it doesn’t work like it should in 8.04 (he said he had trouble with it, too).
One thing of worry he mentions is that X.org is gone, replaced with a “blind automation” process that could leave experienced users out in the cold.

Networking has been improved, adding support for 3G phones, more wifi drivers, and a new network manager to manage all the various network connections that can be made.

There’s a guest account built-in that can be accessed through fast-user-switching, that pretty much allows access to the Internet and very little else, so your friend can’t mess up the computer or browse your personal files.

8.10 doesn’t include the new OpenOffice.org 3.0 version, opting for 2.4 instead, though the comments in the article link to some other articles that might explain why. 

The new version of Ubuntu has a folder called “Private” that is encrypted until the user logs in, and is encrypted again when said user logs out, though the comments mention that the names of files can be read, such as “~/.Private/secret_passwords.txt” which could be a mild annoyance which will probably be fixed with an update.

Along with security, Ubuntu now officially supports Clam-AV, the free open source anti-virus application.

The interface received numerous improvements including updates to nautilus, inclusion of sound themes, and updates to Samba.
The writer of the article says he likes the new Shutdown screen, though I must say I liked the previous one.

——-

When I get around to installing it, I’ll write a review based on my own experiences.

AOL critisizes Google’s email service

I found this article rather amusing, as AOL has always been known for being horrible at everything they do (except marketing and money-collecting), and here they are making fun of Google for “being late to the game” and “copying features.”  Sure, they copied a few things that everyone else has had for years, but regardless of that, Google’s email is leaps & bounds better than anything else I have ever used.  I love the interface, the speed, etc.   AOL’s own email interface is slow and annoying to me, and I’d rather not use it.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/11/aol-gets-feisty.html

Macbook & Macbook Pro refresh

Apple has given some interesting updates to their Macbook & Macbook Pro notebooks.

The macbook has been given a new Aluminum body to replace its white plastic one, which some do not like, due to the weakened wifi strength, since it is more difficult to pass through metal than plastic.

I think I like the new trackpad.  It is bigger, there is no button, which is cool, because tapping the pad is easier anyway, and multi-touch helps out, too.

One thing I love about these is the new LED backlit LCD, which saves power and looks better.  Plus, it is “greener,” because it does not have mercury and other things that should not be in land fills.

 

Source: Engadget article

Group Policy Editor fun

I recently spoke with one of my old teachers at Western Piedmont Community College about the subject of roaming profiles, which would allow the staff at cogcon use any computer at the office and have access to their documents.

I eventually didn’t do “roaming profiles,” per se, but just Folder Redirection.

He showed me how to get to the Group Policy Editor for the domain, and then showed me around, explained some of the useful settings.

Later, I went to cogcon and explored the GPE and found all kinds of cool settings and options.

I went to the Active Directory Users & Computers area, added a test user group, and added a few test users to that group.  I then set the “My Documents” folder redirection to go to
\\cogconsvr2\profiles\%username%\My Documents
After that was done, I tested it, and on many computers,  it still showed the local profile was in effect, because I had already logged into those computers before with those user names.  I tried restarting them, and it still did not work.  I then discovered a setting that told the computer to wait for the network, and after restarting, it worked.

Then, I went back to the Active Directory Users & Computers, added two new user groups, one for each office, and then added the respective users to their groups.

Then, I went to the GPE and set “My Documents” folder redirection for each:
\\cogconserver\profiles\%username%\My Documents and
\\cogconsvr2\profiles\%username%\My Documents
 Two computers in each office (four total) oddly enough would not accept the changes, and insisted on keeping its original setting for the documents, so I just set them manually.

I am not sure of what is special about those four computers, but I did not worry a whole lot about it.

During this project, I renamed all those “Workstationnn” folders to their respective owners’ names, which made things look much better.

I also created a script to map several drives that most of the staff will find useful or necessary, including the map to the AltaPoint data, QuickBooks data, etc.

Rogue networking devices and Vista

For a long time now, it had seemed that there must be some other device on the network that really liked the server’s address (192.168.0.2), because if the server was restarted, it could not use its address and would just kind of be “stuck.”  I would have to disable networking and then re-enable it for it to work again.  I could not figure out what was going on, but since it was not a major problem, I let it go.

Enter that Vista Ultimate laptop I spoke about previously.  I was able to join it to the domain, but then I could not log in to the domain, as it was giving a weird error.  I could not ping external addresses like google.com, though I could ping local addresses.  Just for fun, I tried putting local IP addresses into Internet Explorer.  I put in the address of the server, which technically should have given me a “page not found” error, because it is not a Web server.  What I got was the Web interface of a smart Ethernet switch!  I stared at the page for a few moments, thinking, letting the reality sink in.  The status page showed a MAC address which was different from the server’s, yet the IP address was the same.  Out of curiosity, I went to a couple other computers and typed in the server’s address.  One brought me to a yahoo search page, another showed the page not found, but neither showed me the switch.  Only this laptop seemed to have the “powers” to do so.  I didn’t know the password to the device, and Mike was not answering his phone, so I tried “password.”  Sure enough, it worked, and I was in.  I went to the network setup, changed the IP to 192.168.0.201, and instantly, the laptop had Internet connectivity, I could log into the domain, I could see all my network resources, everything.

None of this makes sense to me, because none of the other computers on the network had ANY problems getting on the Internet, logging into the domain, etc.  Also, none of them could see the switch until I changed the IP address.  I went back to one of those computers and typed in the switch’s new address, and got to its Web interface.  

Regardless of the strangeness, it was fixed, so I was happy about it.

cogcon has a new office building (& ophcrack)

Cognitive Connection got a new office which is not connected to the domain.

Some people from the two established offices moved to the new office, so I removed their computers from the domain, which in hind-sight, I probably should not have done.

At first, I thought that removing their computers from the domain deleted their local profiles, then I realized they were still there, but a bit more difficult to get to.

Also, the local administrator accounts were not consistent in their passwords, though I solved that with a Linux distribution called “Ophcrack.”  It is a bootable CD that can find Windows XP and Vista passwords, as long as they are not complex passwords greater than 14 characters.

I brought an extra computer to use as a file server, set it up with shares to the proper users, but since there is no domain, I cannot set individual permissions (at least, I am not sure how to do it).

 

The phone guy who installed the network jacks in the various rooms did not number the jacks, so I did not know which jack went with which number on the patch panel in the front room, so I used my laptop as a network tester, by connecting the switch with the patch panel, then connecting my laptop to one of the network jacks.  Finally, I would look at the number on the switch that is lit up, and doing that for each room, I labeled the jacks with their numbers.