Life UAT

cFos Speed is a unique utility that I stumbled upon while looking for a way to optimize my Internet connection. I was getting frustrated at just simply browsing the Internet while downloading a large file or watching a Internet based video while talking to my wife on Skype.

Basically what this utility does is something called “‘Traffic Shaping”. Traffic Shaping is the process of looking at the data that is flowing in and out of your computer to the Internet and regulating that flow to optimize your experience. So for example, in my first scenario of downloading a large file while trying to browse the Internet, the process of downloading that large file ties up the computer not because the computer can’t handle it, but because the large string of data coming down is so long that the computer cannot send something back out (for instance a browser request to go to google.com) in a timely manner. It may take several seconds for the browser to get a break in the long stream of downloading data to send out the request. What you end up seeing is a very sluggish or even non-responding browser. With cFos speed installed, when the browser requests something, cFos Speed will temporarily stop the download stream, send the request out from the browser, and then resume the download. This all happens very quickly and the end result is that the download doesn’t appear to stop and the browser is very responsive. cFos Speed does this by assigning priorities for programs and protocols giving high priorities to the programs that deal with short sporadic data requests and low priorities for programs that handle large data strings. cFos Speed is easy to install and for basic needs configures itself  over the course of a day or so of your normal activity. You will see no loss in download speeds and you will see dramatically decreased ping times and crisp browsing while downloading large files or watching bandwidth-hogging video. For gamers, this utility will reduce or even eliminate lagging in your Internet based games.

cFos Speed is highly configurable and  is compatible with all versions of Windows including the new Windows 7 and has native versions for both 32 and 64 bit Windows.

This is probably THE most useful utility I have ever installed and is now my number one install after building a new system, even before I install an anti-virus! (Although I do install the anti-virus RIGHT after cFos Speed) ;o)

cFos Speed: For $23, don’t surf without it!

tim Productivity, Tech, Utilities, Vista64, WEB, Windows 7

I have to laugh at all of the people who ‘camp’ in one OS or the other…they really don’t understand OSes at all!! ALL of them have problems…ALL of them have advantages… ALL of them have disadvantages… ALL ofthem have quirks. I’ve used them all… Windows from version 2 to Vista Ultimate, Unix System V, Linux (any distro you can name), Mainframe Oses, Mac, proprietary mini-computer OSes like Motorola’s Unix-like OS9 and IV Phase’s Data 4 and Vision… no one is ‘better’ or ‘more secure’ than another… If you understand OSes you can get into them easily and you can take advantage of what they have to offer…

The boot process on a PC has nothing to do with the OS: it’s a process that STARTS the OS, was defined in the early ’70s and has never changed. If your looking for total control over this process look into Bootit NG from Terabyte Unlimited… Iv’e tried all of the boot managers and this one gives the best control and invades the target OSes the least. … I’m still laughing….

digg Life, Productivity, Tech, Utilities

Version 7 of the most comprehensive virus and internet security package is out.

KasperSky features HOURLY updates and is highly configurable.

admin Tech, Utilities

Genie-Soft has released a major update to their backup products. Version 8 sports many enhancements and improvements over their already outstanding product. See previous Blog Entry.

Quoted from http://www.genie-soft.com/products/gbm/whats_new.html:

Genie-Soft Backup Solutions – Products – Genie Backup Manager Home 8.0

What’s New in Genie Backup Manager Home 8.0
	Disaster Recovery
	GBM can recover your system from malicious spyware, virus attacks, system failure, or deletion with the enhanced PE technology that also supports Vista and you can perform your Disaster Recovery backups online
	Free Open File Backup Option
	GBM currently added Microsoft’s latest Volume Shadow-Copy Service (VSS) framework, to permit consistent backup of open files without the need for additional applications or plug-ins.
	Enhanced Online Backup Integration
	Now it is easier to view, manage and delete your online backup storage. Added Bandwidth Throttling to control how much GBM takes from internet connection. Also improved connectivity that auto resumes when connection returns.
	Improved Scheduling Capabilities
	Now it is easier to protect and rotate backups with the intuitive easy to use scheduling interface that is integrated in the backup wizard with two modes; Basic Schedule and Advanced Schedule
	REV Support
	Now with the new Iomega REV support, users can automatically erase, enable/disable write and password protection before and after backup. Disaster recovery bootable disc and jobs can also be made on REV devices
	Enhanced Graphical User Interface
	Now more organized with clear options making GBM’s interface better than ever
	Enhanced Filtering Options
	Added support of Date and file size filtering and newly added in scripting
	Control Power Options and Backup Speed
	You can control backup speed before or during backup and enable/disable power options or change them during backup.
	Pause/Snooze Backups
	You can pause currently pause backups and postpone scheduled backups to start later via snoozing
	New Compression Engine
	The new zip engine is more resource friendly making backups faster and with better compressing capabilities
	Improved Connectivity
	GBM now detects when backup destination is accessible and also reports disconnected network drives being backed up

admin Application, Utilities, Vista64

I have been searching high and low for a good wallpaper switcher that would link up to my Phanfare photo website. I found this great little switcher that not only supports Phanfare, but also local, Flickr, and Yahoo pictures as well! AND it supports multi-monitors!

John’s Background Switcher

I’m in heaven….

Quoted from http://www.johnsadventures.com/backend/BackgroundSwitcher/index.html:

John’s Adventures: John’s Background Switcher

John’s Background Switcher

Overview

New! John’s Background Switcher 3.1 has been released!

John’s Background Switcher periodically changes the background image on your computer (like every hour or every day). You can specify which pictures to choose from in any of the following ways:

 

1. You can select a list of specific pictures on your computer.
2. You can point it at a selection of folders on your computer, such as ‘My Pictures’ and it will select random pictures from there.
3. You can use Flickr (almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world) – you can select pictures by person, tags, sets or just plain random and there are a host of options to narrow down the pictures and increase the quality of those chosen. You never know what you’re going to get next!
4. You can select photos from your Phanfare web albums.
5. You can search photos using Yahoo! image search.

admin Application, Photography, Utilities

This is a superb, fast, and versatile ripper/converter.

Quoted from http://www.poikosoft.com/index.html:

Easy CD-DA Extractor – Music Converter

Latest version: 10.2.2

Easy CD-DA Extractor is a music converter that copies music CDs, converts music files from one format to another, and burns music CDs, MP3 CDs, WMA CDs, and regular Data CDs. Supports all popular audio file formats such as 3G2, 3GP, MP1, MP2, MP3, Windows Media Audio, Ogg Vorbis, MP4, M4A, AAC, aacPlus (HE-AAC, AAC+, HE-AAC+PS, eAAC+), FLAC, Musepack, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, Monkey’s Audio, CUE and M3U. Easy CD-DA Extractor is a four-in-one software that includes the following modules:

1) Audio CD Ripper Rips audio CDs with accurate, secure, high-performance CD ripping engine. Bypasses ‘copy-protections’. Reads CDs that are in bad condition and reports possible errors on the disc. Automatically downloads disc information such as Artist, Track Titles, etc, and Cover Art image from the Internet. Allows editing of ID3/metadata and can embed advanced metadata fields such as Cover Art image to the files. Includes advanced audio processing features such as Peak Level Normalization, RMS Normalization, and Fade In/Out.

2) Audio File Format Converter Music Converter – Converts audio files from one format to another. Allows editing of ID3/metadata and can embed advanced metadata fields such as Cover Art image to the files. Cover Art images can be downloaded from the Internet using the brilliant ‘Amazon Search’ feature. Can perform advanced audio processing such as Peak Level Normalization, RMS Normalization, and Fade In/Out.

3) Audio CD Creator Writes Audio CDs that are compatible with all home/car CD-players. Burns Audio CDs on-the-fly from all audio file formats. Writes CD-Text (a CD-Text compatible CD-player can display the track titles while playing the CD). BURN-Proof enabled for error-free CD burning.

4) MP3/WMA CD Creator Writes MP3 CDs and WMA CDs that are playable on a CD/DVD-player that supports the feature. MP3 and WMA CDs can also be played on a regular CD-ROM drive of a computer. Supports long JOLIET-filenames. Can also be used to write standard Data CDs. BURN-Proof enabled for error-free CD burning.

State-of-the-art audio encoding technology – Easy CD-DA Extractor includes the most advanced audio codec, aacPlus from the Coding Technologies.

admin Application, Entertainment, Music, Utilities, Vista64

Great broadband testing site that is free and allows you to save and compare results. It is also very ‘pretty’ using an ajax interface.

How fast are you connected?

Quoted from http://www.speedtest.net/about.php:

Speedtest.net – The Global Broadband Speed Test

The Global Broadband Speed Test

Speedtest.net is a broadband connection analysis tool with a huge selection of geographically dispersed testing servers. Ookla provides this service free to hundreds of thousands of people every day. If you are experiencing slowness with your Internet connection or are simply interested in testing your speed, Speedtest.net is for you. If you have a web site, please feel free to link to Speedtest.net.

admin Tech, Utilities, WEB

Tag&Rename is a handy utility designed for music files management. With Tag&Rename you can quickly and easily rename your music collection using the embedded tag data, write new or edit existing tag information, create tags based on file names, get songs information from freedb/amazon.com servers and mach more. Tag&Rename now support: mp3 (ID3v1, ID3v2.2, ID3v2.3 and ID3v2.4 tags), MusePack mpc/mp+ (APEv1, APEv2 and ID3v1 tags), Windows Media – wma, asf and wmv files, Ogg Vorbis/Flac/Speex (vorbis comments), Apple iTunes and iPod aac (m4a) files including mp4, lossless m4a and protected m4p files, most popular lossless codecs including Monkey’s Audio, Flac, Wav Pack, Optim Frog, True Audio, Apple and Windows Media lossless formats. Tag&Rename include full Unicode support.

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admin Application, Music, Productivity, Utilities

I’ve always embraced open-source applications. I find that they are almost always more innovative and versatile than commercial-grown versions. Just look at FireFox and Thunderbird! Anyway, ROCKbox is a great example of open-source at it’s best.

Basically, ROCKbox installs another OS (they call it firmware, but it’s really an OS for the player in much the same way Linux is an OS for a PC.) onto your iPod. The OS completely replaces your original iPod OS in functionality. It would take hours to completely describe to you all of the functions and configurations available in the ROCKbox OS, so I’ll just sum it up: WOW. This OS is named right, it ROCKS.

Completely skin-able via themes, fonts, and icons… it is a whole different and very welcomed change to the old iPod OS. But the real power is in it’s configurability. Every aspect of playing music and operating the device is highly configurable down to the smallest detail. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the Hold switch turn off the backlight? Wouldn’t that be GREAT?!?!? Well, you can in ROCKbox along with setting the backlight to Off, ON, and pretty much any timed setting from 1 to 90 seconds. Want to play OGG files? You can and almost any other non-DRM file type.

You say you still want to play your purchased DRM protected iTunes music? ROCKbox also allows dual-booting into your old iPod OS where nothing was changed!

Installation is fairly simple, but techie:

1. Download the OS for your device.
2. Attach your iPod as a disc drive.
3. Extract the ZIP archive onto the iPod.
4. Download and run the iPod patcher (see instructions on ROCKbox site.)
5. ENJOY.

Don’t have an iPod? ROCKbox also supports Archos, iRiver, Cowon, Toshiba, and SanDisk devices.

Go to the ROCKbox site and read up on this amazing software and give it a try!

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admin DRM, Entertainment, Life, Music, Tech, Utilities

OK… I have a lot of software license keys. I generally keep them with the software as a text file so that if I need to reinstall the software, I will have the key handy. There are many down-sides to that method including the ability for someone to copy the key along with the software and, of course, if I ever lost the media the software is stored on…

KeyFiler is an on-line solution to storing and retrieving your software keys. An account for up to 10 keys is free and if you need to store more, a modest cost is levied. Your keys are stored along with other information about the software they unlock using industrial-strength encryption on the server side and 128 bit SSL transferring the key between your browser. On the server side, the encryption is generated by either a global key (Standard security), where your password can be reset if you forget it, or the encryption can be generated by your logon password (high security) in which case you will lose access to your keys if you forget your logon password (since KeyFiler administrator has no ability to reset your password for high security). Your logon password, unlike a lot of sites, can be a really STRONG one. I’m using 4 words separated by 3 special characters for a total of 26 characters. It would take all the computers ever built millions of years to hack that one. I am using my own logon password as the encryption key (high security) so I feel VERY confident that my data is secure.

Store those keys in KeyFiler and never forget them again!

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