Gear

  • May 23, 2006

    MacBook and Me

    MacBook

    I’ve decided that this summer it is time for a new computer. I have had the trusty desktop for over 3 years now and the lappy is going on two. But this new computer is going to be different. It is more than likely going to be a Mac. I know some of you know of my distaste with Apple, but things can change, and they have made some major ones.

    First of all, with the new Intel Macs, they are leaving some of their hardware operations to other companies, making them less proprietary. Also, with Bootcamp, you can put WinXP on the Intel Macs. Dual Booting XP and OS X is the dream of many, and I am getting there. I am a Microsoft Fan Boy at heart, but The Macs are pretty awesome. OS X is also really nice for Multimedia stuff, which I plan on getting into on top of web design. I want to get a MacBook, but there is one serious problem.

    In all the reviews I’ve read, over heating is a serious problem. I have a laptop now that over heats sometimes with a cooling pad under it, and this laptop is not suppose to have an over heating problem. That does not bode well with me. I run a lot on my computers and expect a lot of them. Hopefully by the time I save enough money, the problem will be solved, because well, I REALLY want one. Later!

  • April 12, 2006

    PC Starter Kit

    Let me start by saying I suck for not bring my PC charger home over break. No worries though, I have a back up PC with none of my files and stuff on it. But it is enough to get by. Unfortunately, this is a bare bones PC with none of my regular software on it. I have to rely on freeware, both new and old. So, here is a list of the software I am using to get by. Eventually I want to make all the installs part of a .bat file so I can run that one script and everything I need will be installed!

    Firefox
    First and foremost, I need a good browser to get all my other stuff. Firefox, without question.
    Gaim
    For all of my Instant Messaging needs
    Notepad++
    In my opinion, the best text editor. Supports many languages and it’s very lightweight.
    FileZilla
    I will always be doing FTP/Web Stuff, and for that, I have FileZilla.
    The GIMP
    For my photo editing needs
    Open Office
    When I don’t have MS Office handy, this is the next best thing
    Fox It PDF Reader
    I know Adobe Reader is free too, but Fox It reader is 100x better.

    And there you have it. My quick and dirty list of stuff I constantly use, no matter what PC I am on. You can find a huge list of freeware here too. Later!

  • April 8, 2006

    Treo 650

    Treo 650

    My new toy. About 2 weeks ago, I was able to buy a new phone with the renewal of my Verizon contract. I decided after a lot of thinking to go with the 650. I could not be happier with my decision. On face value, the reasons I went with the Treo 650 over other phones was this: 1) it is made by Palm, and therefore trustworthy. 2) It is significantly cheaper than the 700, which also runs Pocket PC software.

    The reason I like palm better than pocket pc(ppc) is primarily because there is more freeware for palm than for ppc. It is also more stable and just seems less cluttered. PPC looks just like WinXP, which I am used to looking at on a 14+ inch screen, so when I look at it on a 3×5 inch screen, it’s a little cumbersome. But onto the phone.

    The Palm Basics: It has your calendar, contacts, todo, memos and prefs that come with all palm stuff. Sync it with your computer using hot sync and you are good to go. Then there is your run of the mill calculator.

    The Fun Stuff: So we know it has your basic stuff. It ALSO has a camera, camcorder, wireless hotsync and internet if you want the National Broadband Access service(which I highly recommend). It plays music and video and has an expansion slot for SD cards, which is great because that is also what my camera takes. Finally, it has the QWERTY keyboard making it easy to text. O yeah, it also has Bluetooth.

    Nice features: Here are some nice aspects of the 650. Its text messaging system is very much like an IM system- actually it looks just like one. The camera takes some nice quality pictures, esp. for it being a camera phone. You can find some of mine on my Flickr Site. Having the internet wherever I go is also a huge plus. And since is it always connected, if you are so inclined to set up an email account on it, you can get email anytime. (but really is that a blessing or a curse?? ;)).

    Pimp your Palm: Now one of my favorite things to do is download some nice freeware to make my palm better. Freeware Palm is the best for this. A couple of apps that I really enjoy having on my 650 are: the Palm Today Screen, which gives me the same kind of Today screen as ppc, without the clutter. It really makes viewing my appointments and tasks much easier and allows me to set quick icons. The other app I really like, which is only for the 650 is Call Log+, which I guess I only have the Trial of, but I didn’t notice. It allows you to write notes in you call log next to your recent calls. I find it great since I deal with a lot of calls from a lot of clients.

    So there you have it. A not so short overview and review of the Treo 650. I am very happy with it. Later!

    UPDATE: The fact that I got a play-by-play of the Yankee Game from my phone while out is absoultely amazing.

  • December 26, 2005

    Happy Holidays Indeed

    Well, I’ve got to say, the holidays were good to me. Most Notably, I got a Panasonic Video Camera is that absolutely tiny. I’ll be playing around with it in the next few days to see how cool it really is.

    I also got a multitude of games and DVDs. My Xbox 360 will be working over time. Madden ’06 (review coming soon), Call of Duty 2 (ditto) and Kameo will be occupying my time not spent on programming/computer stuff. I also got Family Guy DVDs and some other whatnot. Let me know in the comments some of your cool gifts!

    My next review will be King Kong, because I’ve been asked about it. Maybe later tonight?? Later!

  • August 17, 2005

    Hard drive in a freezer gone bad.

    I usually don’t blog Digg Stories- But this is a good one.

    Yup, the tried and true old clicking hard drive in the freezer trick that has served me well over the years, upon hearing a coworkers problem with a hard drive I offered up the old last resort trick as advice and sometime after that weekend this was the e-mail I received.

    read more | digg story

  • July 2, 2005

    Why you should buy a laptop for college….

    I just read This- it’s entitled “Why you should not buy a laptop for college. Ok so this post isn’t why you should, but I’d like to help shed some light on the situation. I have both a laptop and a desktop. I built my desktop. I’m a computer geek. However, I find my laptop incredible useful for school and otherwise. Let’s take this guy’s post point by point.

    Price Issue: A laptop will cost considerably more then an equally matched desktop system… While this is true, most students should by laptops because they don’t need a really powerful machine. Something that can run MS Office (Word, Excel, etc.), AIM and a web browser (use FireFox) really should be sufficient. My laptop (Averatec Tablet PC) was $1300, is very small, and is currently running gAIM, Firefox, a notepad clone, Excel, Word, Windows Media Player and Adobe Photoshop as well as Gmail Notifier and Windows Updates. and it’s running fine. if your laptop breaks down you will nearly always have to send it to the manufacture to get repaired. That’s if you are still covered by the warranty… In my experience, the same thing will happen with a desktop. Most people are afraid of the inside of a computer and don’t want to deal with it. Depending on the damage, no matter what you have, you will b e sending it back. and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get the extended warranty. At best buy, it will extend it to 3 years.

    Portability Hype: Not all locations on campus will support wifi… This is true, so you will have to find out if you school does, and where. My school does and is expanding it throughout campus. And if your school doesn’t offer it, chances are someone living just off campus did no configure their wireless router correctly, and you can mooch off them. Sitting in a parking lot on campus, i found 16 WiFi connections. Also forget about using your laptop as a notebook… This one he’s pretty right about. But it’s good for those times where you want to bring it to class for other reasons, because you are giving a presentation or something- I’m a programming major, so I find that bringing my laptop to class helps sometimes. But, what our friend didn’t mention is those times you go home for the weekend or breaks. The Laptop is definitely great for this. You aren’t going to lug your desktop home for a weekend. It would take to much time and effort and probably not pay off. Also, those longer breaks- laptop breakdown is much easier. Since I am often in need of My computer- because of certain resources- I find myself bringing my laptop all over the place. Plus, Laptops are great for commuters who often spend the whole day on campus because why drive back and forth in between classes.

    Productivity Hype: Your going to be as productive as you want to me. He mentions online research and distractions- that is true. But you will be able to get the internet anywhere on campus. If you want to do online research at the library you can do it on their PCs, but it wouldn’t be a hassle to bring you laptop there and connect. Either way you will have those distractions, might as well be comfortable, web wise.

    Durability & Security Issues : hey are more easily prone to getting nicks, dents and scratches and a bad fall could just spell the end. Also unlike desktops, laptops are more likely to getting stolen or lost…. This is where being a responsible adult comes in. Keep an eye on your laptop, get an nice case for it for when it’s not in use and you will be fine.

    I hope this has been helpful and I would be happy to answer an questions on the issues for anyone. Just leave a comment or email me (Joe@Casabona.Org). Later!

  • June 5, 2005

    TIE Fighter case mod

    A sweet case mod for Star Wars geeks: a TIE Fighter. The cockpit holds the actual computer, and the rest doubles as a desk….
    This is the most absolutly incredible thing i have ever seen in my life. Star Wars mixed with computers- and its a desk. at the heart of the desk is a computer?!?!?! Where do I buy one???

    read more | digg story

  • May 26, 2005

    Networks and The Death Star

    Last night my friend called me up and we started talking about Tight VNC, a remote access program I installed on his computer at school. He asked if it would work now that we are both home and I explained to him that since we are both on different networks it would not. We talked a little more and he asked me about ports. I go to explain and he says “Explain it to me like if the Death Star was a server.” SO I explained it as such- The Death Star is a server- which is of course just a computer. So we have the front of the death star which is the giant ray that is the ruiner of planets. Go 180 degrees around to the back- you have a bunch of bays for ships to land. These bays are the ports. Each port is for a different ship. For instance, one is for the ships caught in the tractor beam (such as the Millennium falcon). One is for Vader’s TIE Fighter, etc. These bays are used often and can be left open because of their use. However, there are some bays that aren’t used that much. For instance, If there was a bay for Darth Sidious’ ship. He does not visit the Death Star but they keep his bay open anyway, in case he does. That is not good- because what if someone steals Sidious’ ship, or get one just like it. Then they can go into that bay and have full access to the Death Star. He then asked me how routers work and I did it in terms of a space station (keeping with the Star Wars Motif). By the end of the conversation, I realized how much of a nerd I really am- not only because I could explain ports and routers in such a manner, but because I enjoyed explaining it that way. Later!

  • December 26, 2004

    A very techie christmas…

    I had fun this christmas. Spent some time with my bros and the fam. The rest of the fam comes over tomorrow. Anyway, i know that you guys are looking for stuff to spend that christmas money on, so here you go.
    The Rio Carbon– an MP3 Player that holds 5GB of songs. That is alot of songs. I have 230 on mine, and still have 3.8 GB left on it. Its small, sleek, and has song organization features. It rivals the Ipod pretty well i think. Its $250 and gives u a gig more than the Ipod Mini.
    Stephen Lynch- Live from El Ray– I must have watched this dvd 10 times today. Hillariously funny. If you have never heard of Stephen Lynch, you are missing out!
    ASUS K8V SE- Its a motherboard. The sweetest fucking mother board i have ever seen. im reluctant to put it in the anti piece in fear that Win XP might Flip out and i could lose everything. Now i backed up all my files, but the software. i dont have cds of the software. For some odd reason….; )
    Some other things you might wanna look into- The Star Wars DVD set, Star Wars Battle Front, Halo 2.
    Ill let you know how the conversion turns out with the antipiece! Later!

  • October 19, 2004

    New Digital Camera.

    I got it today, and therefore i hope to have more pics on this site. I like it so far, and i got that and a photo printer for $100. Its like a $275 value. So i more or less rapped Comp USA. Just bc the printer was the last one, and i think it was the display one. But the camera- Unopened. You can find out more on the happenings page. You know…Pic, Specs, Links.

    Also, I have been told that I should use my blog to back a Presidential Candidate. After Much deliberation, I am going to vote Kerry, and therefore, will use this blog to back him. I know many of my friends are prob upset, and I have this to say. Bush is hated by a pretty good percentage of the world. Kerry wants to try to fix the war in Iraq and well, Bush is fucking up. Its easy for Kerry to say that about Bush now, But some decisions Bush has made you just have to question. Such as, why turn the UN away from helping with the Reconstruction in Iraq. Kerry may not be a good candidate, but he is the better one. On the happenings page there will be some Election links to keep you informed. Later!