Ever wanted to create your own hollow book? Well now you can by following these simple instructions.
Materials Needed
As a web designer I am asked to develop allot of rich media interactive sites. In order to stay on top of technology and keep my clients happy and coming back for more I have to have some sort of video integration into primarily FLASH projects. I have seen pre-fab green screens on the web go for as little as $80 but lets be real a green screen is nothing more than a green screen. So I turned to Google only to find an excellent tutorial on constructing a green screen for little cost. This is an excellent guide to making your own green screen at home that is portable. Creating a green screen on a budget
Have you ever wanted to automate some of your more repetitive Windows or DOS tasks?
Well now you can using a freeware tool called AutoIt. AutoIt is an easy to use automation program that allows you to convert EXE files to AutoIt scripts then launch the newly converted script. The power in this application lies within it’s ability to pass parameters to the script at run time. This software could be used in conjunction with my previous How to remote shutdown windows using a text message and outlook express .
AutoIt is a simple tool that can simulate key presses, mouse movements and window commands (maximize, minimize, wait for, etc.) in order to automate any windows based task (or even windowed DOS tasks).
When AutoIt is executed, it reads a specified script file. This script file allows AutoIt to perform a number of functions, these include:
• Executing programs (Windows applications, DOS commands, etc.)
• Sending keystrokes and mouse clicks (all characters, keyboard layout independent).
• Window functions (e.g. minimizing, hiding, restoring, waiting for, activating).
• Simple text clipboard functions.
• Simple registry functions.
• Simple string and variable functions.
[TAGS] Automation, Automation Software, Macros, Windows Automation, Productivity[/TAGS]
Have you ever noticed the effect an array of coax can have on the look and feel of your living room? Well now you can minimize the cables with this handy gadget.
These units are designed to take an audio and video signal from an A/V device (like a VCR, DVD player, or some cable boxes with audio-video outputs) and send it to another part of the house. There are two parts to this system, a transmitter that is attached to the AV device and a receiver that goes next to the remote TV. The transmitter takes the signals from the Audio and Video jacks on the AV device and beams it over to the companion receiver next to the remote TV.
I found an interesting product over at SmartHome.com that is perfect for the job. The 2.4GHz Wireless Video Transmission System was just what the doctor ordered after deciding I wanted to run cable to my garage. I am working on having Windows Media Center up and running in my garage. With the weather getting warmer I wanted to spend more time outdoors while still maintaining my websites and emails. I wonder if this could be used to transmit cable internet from the main cable box to my cable modem ? I know you could just setup a wireless network to get internet to a garage or other part of your home. However that was not going to solve my no cable issue. This device is affordable and very well worth it I recommend it.
[TAGS] Home DIY, DIY, Wireless Cable TV, Home Theater, Garage Gadgets[/Tags]
When we use the internet to look for resources, shop for gifts, and other online activities every aspect of your surfing habits are usually stored in a sites web server logs including IP address, browser type, operating system, and even what site you came from. For some this may be no problem, for others it is a direct invasion of privacy. Well now you can surf anonymously using www.anonymouse.org. There are a lot of these types of proxy sites which allow your IP and computer information to be masked. If you are concerned about your privacy online you might want to use one. If you are really concerned about privacy there is software such as hideip that run on your computer continuously masking your info using different proxy servers.
First off I am by far not an interior decorator. These are just a few ideas I have for LifeHacker.com reader and student Sigbjørn to spruce up his dorm room. This article can be applied to a similar situation in an apartment or flat.
Hint: A quick way to cover up holes in a wall without spackle is to use white toothpaste. This is an old trick I have used for years. I am not advising anyone to go against their lease or dorm policy and put holes in the wall, just a quick tip.
1.You do not really need to make holes to hang items on the wall. There are several damage free wall hanging solution available at an affordable cost. Some of these solutions even accommodate brick mortar walls as well.
For hanging items on brick walls I found the following items online.
More Brick and Mortar wall hangers
For hanging items on a conventional wall I found the following products.
2.Another solution to the NO HOLES IN WALL policy is to erect your own wall. This could be done fairly easy. I recommend having a look at MakeZine.com for any insight on this. However if your not a handyman or just do not have time to build a wall. You could buy cubicle walls from an office supply store, put them up, and decorate them. I found the following online for under $200 at Office Depot.
Cubicle Walls from Office Depot
3.For added flexibility check out Poster Changer. Poster Changer is a simple poster solution which allows you to hang posters of variable sizes and change them at anytime with ease. Used in conjunction with one of the NO HOLES hanging solutions mentioned earlier this is not a bad idea.
4.Don’t paint your walls reflect colored light off them using mood lamps or spot lamps with colored bulbs. This will give you a more cozy feeling without the paint and you can easily change colors. You could also purchase a wall light that changes color to achieve a different result. I found a nice solution for this online that implements LED lighting technology. LED is a better lighting source because the bulbs will last forever and they have a lower power consumption than conventional light bulbs.
5.Use fabrics to soften up the hard edges in a room. You can use fabrics from any fabric store to give any room a softer look to it. You will however have to take into consideration the weight of the fabric if you do not want to make any holes in the wall. Hanging fabric over a wall is also a good way to reduce noise in a reading or study area.
6.Don’t forget to checkout Crib Candy for some unique furnishings when you finish decorating. Hopefully this article will help you decorate your space without the dreaded holes in the wall.
Adding bulk watermark’s in Photoshop
You have just finished taking some digital photo’s with your new digital camera and want to share them on say Flickr.com. Adding watermarks to photo’s is always a good idea, especially when they are of high quality and or high resolution. Creating the watermark’s by hand would take forever right? Wrong, thanks to Photoshop’s Actions palette you can write a simple action to automate the task.
Getting Started
Open up a file to work with while we complete the initial steps for creating the action. The action palette has five functions stop, play, record, new, and delete. Start by clicking on the new button in the actions palette and name it watermark as shown below.
You will also notice I selected Shit and F9 as my function key. A function key is a key combination defined in an action. When the key combo or hot key’s are pressed the action is executed.
When finished, click the record button to the right of the dialog box. Your actions are now being recorded so begin the process of creating your watermark. Select the type tool and choose a font, size, and color from the type toolbar. Also be sure to select Right Align Text tab shown below. Set the opacity to a lower value as shown below.
When you get your watermark looking the way you want it you can press the stop button on the actions palette. Your action is now ready to use on any photo you like. Since we selected Right Align Text our watermark text will always be in the same position regardless of the photo dimensions.
[TAGS]Photoshop Tutorials, Watermarks, Copyright Image Tutorial, Graphic Design, Photography[/TAGS]
The Xbox Linux Project aims to provide a version of GNU/Linux for the Xbox, so that it can be used as an ordinary computer. Linux should make use of all Xbox hardware and allow to install and run software from standard i386 Linux distributions.
The Xbox is an IBM PC, with one difference: It only runs code authorized by Microsoft, i.e. all executables have to be signed with Microsoft’s private key. That’s why Linux won’t run if you simply insert the Xbox Linux install CD into a standard Xbox.
But now, there are several ways to circumvent this limitation:
* The 007/Mechassault method
* The Dashboard method
* The onboard TSOP methodPlease note that depending on your local law, these methods might void your warranty. We will not be responsible for any damage done to your Xbox - or yourself…
Read the wiki howto
Download Files
[TAGS]Linux Xbox, Linux Xbox 360, Xbox Hacks[/TAGS]
Barcode readers can be used for a lot of useful things, inventory products, and store information. One of my favorite things to use a barcode reader for is password protection on my computer. In order to do this you have to first find a usb or inline keyboard barcode reader. I recommend checking ebay they are usually pretty cheap on there.
Then all you have to do is generate your password in barcode format. There are several software titles out there that will do this for you. I use Barcodes Inc. to generate all my barcodes for me. It is a fast way to make one, it’s FREE and you can’t print it when you’re done. Now since we are going to be using barcode values to type our password for us we won’t even actually need to know our password. So go to “Barcodes Inc.” generate your barcode and print it out. Now with your barcode reader plugged in and responding go to your change password prompt for whatever operating system you are using (Windows/Linux/MAC OSX) and click in the new password field then scan your bar code. Your password has now been set to the value of the barcode. In addition to this you could type and additional pass phrase to add a two part authentication system in case you ever lost your barcode someone could not access your system. Also another tip is you may already have a barcode you could use laying around. Many grocery stores carry customer loyalty programs and on the back of the little plastic cards are barcodes. Try and find one you could keep on your keychain for convenience. Be sure to have a duplicate somewhere if your barcode contains a hard to remember random string as its value. Doing so will ensure that you do not render your computer useless.
[tags]Barcodes,barcode readers,technology,DIY,passwords,authentication,login, Computer Security, Passwords [/tags]
Have you ever wondered how hard it would actually be to make something similar in taste to the famous Starbucks Frappuccino? Well you might be surprised at just how easy it is to make one of these tasty beverages in your own kitchen.
I N G R E D I E N T S
18 -22 Ice cubes, crushed
7 ounces Double-strength coffee, chilled
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flavored syrup of choice (vanilla, hazelnut, -raspberry or other)
Whipped cream, garnish
I N S T R U C T I O N S
Place the ice, coffee, sugar and syrup in a blender. Blend until the frappe is smooth. Pour into a large, tall glass. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.
Find more great coffee recipes at Gourmet Sleuth : ABC How to make homemade Frappuccino
[tags]frappuccino, coffee, starbucks, whipped, syrup, sugar, frappe, homemade[/tags]
If you have ever spilled hot wax on fabric or carpet you may have thought it would be impossible to remove. Well I have a little tip to pass on that helped me out of a jam when I spilled hot wax all over a table cloth. Pre heat an iron on medium heat, then take a damp (not soaked) wash cloth and place it over the area. Once your iron has warmed up begin ironing the wash cloth while it is positioned over the affected area. This will cause the wax to heat up and the moisture will attract the wax to the cloth, and away from the affected area.
[TAGS]Candle Wax, Removing Wax, Household Tricks, Household Secrets[/TAGS]
As some of the readers know I also work full time as a cellular agent for U.S. Cellular. Every day or two someone comes to me and say’s I would like to buy a cell phone to have in my car in case of an emergency. They also tell me that they don’t want to pay $40 a month to have this added bit of comfort when on the road.
Many people don’t know that the FCC regulates cell phones and has mandated that all cell phones regardless of current service status will be allowed to dial 911. You also have the option to bill your call to a credit card the next time your out of gas or similar.
Now before you go out and get yourself a 911 phone let me give you some insight on the limitations of dialing 911 from a disconnected cell phone. If you do not have a signal you may encounter complications when placing your call. Also be sure to state your location (as best you can) to ensure the dispatcher knows where to send assistance. When you call 911 from a disconnected cell phone no CID (or Caller Identification Data) is sent as with landline 911 calls. Another tip is to keep a good charge on the phone and have it powered off in the glove box. In addition you may also want to purchase a battery boost. This will give you an emergency reserve battery supply incase you are stranded for a prolonged period of time. The battery boost or cell boost are relatively cheap and can be purchased at most Radio Shack stores.
The goal of this article is to enlighten you to the concept of backing up/modifying data from your mobile phone (e.g. Contacts, Picture(s), Video(s), etc). Using a free open source tool called bitpim and a data cable you can easily download and edit your mobile phones contents.
If you have ever had the joy of switching cell phones only to find that all your contacts will now have to be added to the new phone by hand then this article is for you. Bitpim allows you to easily update, add and delete contacts from your phone book using your computer. Compare that to using the keypad of your phone to update you 1000 contacts in your new Motorola Razor phone. You can also save your phonebook and anything else you fancy to your hard drive and then upload it to a different phone. This is extremely useful if you have developed a nice list of contacts in outlook and want to quickly transfer them to your mobile phone. Also an additional feature to Bitpim is it’s ability to add calendar events to your phone using a computer.
What you will need
1. Your Mobile Phone
2. A data cable (Can be purchased at most cellular providers retail outlets) or visit http://www.cellularfactory.com
3. Bitpim free for download here
First things first check if your phone is supported by Bitpim you can do so by reading the supported phones list here.
Then you just connect your mobile phone to your computer, launch Bitpim, select your phone from the drop down menu in the software’s interface and browse through the data. I wont go into details explaining how to use Bitpim they have already done the work for me here http://www.bitpim.org .
Has anyone been to the airport lately? Well I am here to tell you it’s not what it used to be. As many of you may know airport security has stepped it up a notch after the events of 9/11/01. This has caused some delay in many peoples lives as they are frisked, scanned and even questioned at the security gate. That’s why I created “6 waysto make airport security painless”.
The idea behind this method is be prepared for the security check and things will move in a more timely fashion. This is not an article on how to avoid being the lucky flyer number 23 who is submitted to a full body cavity search. It is however an article featuring 6 ways for you to optimize your luggage. Doing so will ensure that if and when you do get stopped the delay will be minimized.
1. Make a list of everything you are going to take with you on your trip. Once you have this list it is time to start minimizing. Less is more and that logic can be directly applied to this situation. Try to exclude items you may be able to obtain at your point of destination. This will make les luggage for you to carry and also less luggage for them to search.
2. Once you have your list in order and you have removed the kitchen sink from it :) it is time to categorize your belongings. I personally use the three tier method for this part. The three tier method is a priority based categorization method. The first tier is the highest priority items. These items include crucial necessities such as plane tickets, cell phone, laptop, pda, tom tom, jewelry, maps, important documents, invitations and other highly important items. The second tier is depreciated from the first tier and includes medium priority items such as clothing, hygiene products, and gifts ect. . Then there is the third tier depreciated from the second tier the third tier is the easiest to fill. At this point anything that didn’t fit in the first and second tiers will no belong to the third tier.
3. Check as many bags as possible. You will want to try and check as many bag’s as possible. This is something that may make many people nervous based on previous experiences with lost or stolen luggage, however this will make it easier on you at the security gate. The fewer bags you have the less they will have to search “right there” and the faster you move through the gate and on to your flight. (Hint check the second and third tier bag’s to ensure your important belongings are not victims of the infamous lost luggage scenario)
4. The day of your flight schedule yourself one hour earlier than your flight departure. The airport recommended two hours for security but trust me you should not need more than one unless you are at an international airport and have to go through customs.
5. Purchase your tickets as far in advance as possible. This will not only lower the cost of the flight and get you a better seat but also will lower your chances of being selected for a random search. Evidently passengers who purchase tickets 60 days or more in advance are less likely to be subjected to a search.
6. Have proper identification available and ready to go. Make sure you have some sort of dmv issued valid photo id handy. You never know when someone may want you to identify you. Not having your id can cause a major dilemma if you have to return home to retrieve it. So be prepared and have all your identification documents on your person (or in your carry on).
Finding a clean public restroom is not always easy. Sometimes we use questional restroom facilities out of sheer desperation.
Not anymore, The Bathroom Diaries features a list of public restroom’s and also a user’s experience at that location. So next time you plan a trip dont use just any restroom you can find build your self a guide to the top toilets in America using The Bathroom Diaries website.
Personally I dread using a public restroom almost every time. I have found a neat resource for finding a decent place to do your business on the road or at home. Next time you travel dont forget to check out this site.
So you have lost your password and cant log in to your workstation. If you are on Windows XP Home Edition you have nothing to worry about. You can reboot into safe mode (reboot “Press F10 at Windows Loading Screenâ€) and login to the administrative account using no password. You can then reset a user’s password to anything you like. When you have finally changed the password you reboot and let Windows restart and log onto the account using the new password, that’s it.
By: Redbird redbird@2600.com
This article will cover making a simple robust single track magstripe reader from scratch.
The following was inspired by author Redbird in 2600 volume 22:1. This magstripe reader will be designed to plug into your microphone port on any sound card of your choice.
Anyone who has used a web statistics program should understand that to a competitor the statistical data found in a web stats page is very valuable. Something this valuable should be kept safe from prying eyes right. Well in some cases web stats can be extremely insecure and need further configuration beyond the default settings. This article deals mainly with the Awstats program. I am most familiar with Awstats and I am sure the majority of readers are too. With that said lets get started.
Overview
Ok go to Google and do a search for inurl:”awstats.pl” I came up with 296,000 pages with public stats using just that search string. As you can see everything about these sites is made public thanks to Google and poor web administration practices. So now you see the problem, now I am going to show you some methods to prevent this sort of snooping on your own site.
First and foremost many websites are hosted on shared hosting accounts. The web stats are installed either automatically or using some sort of installer such as Fantastico etc. For these users you will need to start by contacting your web host. Some other methods of preventing you web stats being made public are to restrict search indexing of the cgi-bin and other sensitive directories within your web space using a Robots.txt file. This will prevent search spiders such as Google and the like from spidering your stats pages. Another way would be to use .htaccess to prevent access to that directory all together. For the purpose of example and simplicity I will explain only the latter. The Robots.txt file mentioned before is a simple text file that search engines look for as a set of guidelines for proper indexing of the site. The Robots.txt file tells the spider where it is welcome and where it is not welcome. Now I am not going to go into major details on how to setup a Robots.txt file. I will give a quick overview on how to protect your cgi-bin with a Robots.txt file. First things first start by creating a plain text document in the root folder of your site and name it robots.txt. Open the file and on the first line type User-agent: * then on the second line type Disallow: /cgi-bin . Explanation : Ok so the first line tells me the user agent (i.e. the search engine reading the file). Using a star or “wildcard” makes the rule apply to all spiders. There are literally thousands of spiders out there so here is a list of spiders I found
Ok so far we have learned how to make a robots.txt file that will disallow all spiders from spidering out cgi-bin directory(I chose this directory because it is the primary location where most stats scripts are installed). Now let’s learn how to disallow just one spider.
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow: /cgi-bin
ok the above instructions tell Googlebot the spider to exclude the /cgi-bin directory of the site from its crawl. You can change the user agent to whatever spider you want and set specific instructions for the spider.
This is by no means the most secure way of preventing access to your cgi-bin folder. It is however a simple precaution to make the public viewing of your stats pages less probable. To prevent access using a more secure method use the .htaccess file to restrict access to the directory.
I hope that this tutorial has brought to the attention of web master’s that their competition could very well know their next move or even their latest clients and should take precautionary steps to prevent it.
Ok Sprint is the worst carrier I have ever found. So if you’re unfortunate enough to be with Sprint I hope to brighten your day with this article. Ok so here’s the thing Sprint offers free mobile to mobile service to PCS subscribers. On the other hand they charge you for calling and retrieving your voicemail from the CLAIRE system (CLAIRE is the annoying teleprompt voice system at Sprint). So here is how you go about getting what’s rightfully your’s “Your Voicemail Messagesâ€. The concept of this hack is that when Sprint detects you are making a Sprint to Sprint call meaning both lines are Sprint lines it considers your call free as mentioned above.
Dial 11 + area code + PCS Number then insert 2 two second pauses then ** then one more 2 second pause you may have to activate some sort of options menu depending on your phone model. My Samsung I had when I was on Sprint had an insert menu when in dialing mode. Anyway you should now have something like 11 (Area Code) + (Sprint Number) PP** now add your number area code first to the end of the string of digits then add a pound sign #. You should now have something like this 115555555555 P P ** P 555-555-1212# (example number is 555-555-5555 and second number the other persons number is 555-555-1212 for example purposes) this last part is optional and not recommended but to automate putting in your password you can just add one more 2 second pause to the string right after # and enter in the digits that make up your password. Now simply save it as vmail or whatever in your phone and use that number to call for your voicemail. If you didn’t add your password to the end just wait until you are asked for a password. If you did everything right you should get your mail. Good luck and if your bill severely drops in the next billing cycle ask Sprint why they advertise Free voicemail and then charge you minutes to use it?
OK, I did this a while back to have more control over my computer when I am not at home. Keep in mind this method will turn off a computer with an “constant” internet connection i.e.(cable,DSL).
Basically you setup a rule in outlook to look for say a keyword in the subject line of an email. Then you select run application as the action for when that keyword is found. Then all you have to do is write a simple dos batch file and use the shutdown command with the -fs parameter to ensure the shutdown is not aborted by any running applications. After that the rest is simple you simply send a sms text message from your cell phone or other source to your email address. You must have automatic send and receive tunned on for this to work.
Ok so let’s get started.
Create a file called shutdown.bat in notepad with the following code in it.
shutdown -s
Save it to your C:\ drive so the path to the shutdown batch file is something like C:\scripts\shutdown.bat (Important this is a must the path must be exact) or you can modify the rule once you import it to point to the new destination it’s your call.
Now open outlook and adjust your settings to send and receive email every minute on the minute (1 minute for testing time can be increased if a delayed shutdown is desired.) now in Outlook in the file menu click Tools and select Rules and Alerts with the Rules and Alerts dialog open click the options button on the far upper right portion of the dialog window. Choose import rules from the options dialog and browse to the file C:\sms_functions\rules\shutdown.rwz
(the file was included in the downloaded project files) and your done. Now send a text message from your cell phone to your email address and in the subject use the key phrase smsshutdown%% (or make your own! :) and send it. When the email is received and found with the smsshutdown%% in the subject Outlook runs the dos batch file containing the shutdown -f command and shuts down your computer. You could also accomplish other task’s using this method using more dos commands, php scripts, perl what ever. This will work on Linux using pine also.
I hope this will be as useful to someone else as it has been to me.
Bonus Tip
I have found that this article explaining the MS-DOS SHUTDOWN Command Syntax can answer most of your questions about the command.
Update: I recently updated the file so it works the way it should thanks to everyone who helped in the comments. If you re download the files it should work for those of you whom it did not.
More Windows Automation Tips, Tricks and Software Also see my automation category for more Windows automation tips, tricks and software.
shutdown -fsc "SMS Remote Shutdown in progress..."
Save the file somewhere on your computer where it is easy to find. Something like say C:\sms_scripts\reboot.bat Also make sure your filename ends with the .bat extension so Windows knows it is an executable file.
Once you have followed the above two steps send an sms text message to your computers email address “with Outlook running” and test it out. You should the text in the -c “text here” part of the batch file. This just explains to the user that the system is shutting down from and sms request. Have fun and enjoy this little trick.