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FUNCTION RANDOM - All Things Technological On Your Mind

Started by Camazotz Automat, August 17, 2012, 04:04:35 AM

Catsmile

In case you missed the news, Google Earth Pro is now free.
Cyberstalk like a pro for free. See the link below for details. Enjoy.

http://google-latlong.blogspot.in/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html



cweb

New Lenovo Y50 should be here next week. Thinking of (finally) dual-booting Windows and Linux (Xubuntu or Mint...I haven't decided yet).

From what I've read, it sounds like I could just leave the Windows install on this machine and then resize the disk partition to allow a Linux install on another partition. I'm also considering creating a data partition that's separate from the OS partitions. It appears that this can be NTFS and work happily with both OSes.

Pretty n00bish stuff, but my experience with Linux is all single-boot or LiveCD. It's surprising how easy this could be.

Quote from: Catsmile on February 02, 2015, 03:54:20 PM
In case you missed the news, Google Earth Pro is now free.
Cyberstalk like a pro for free. See the link below for details. Enjoy.

http://google-latlong.blogspot.in/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html
Haven't used Google Earth in a while. When did the flashback feature get added? It's pretty cool looking at how my street has changed since 1995.

There's plenty more time-wasting where that came from, I'm sure!

albrecht

I'm not a computer guy but had an older Dell laptop and installed Linux Mint 17.1 yesterday. Works great and faster than the, apparently, bogus Windows 7 that came installed on it (relative bought online by a fly-by-night company I guess some years ago and the Windows was pirated.) It works fine when plugged in but I cannot get the WiFi to work at all. Googled and searched some forums but nothing works (and, frankly, goodness knows if some computer geek or hacker is going to have fun with me because I tried typing some of the suggestions in DOS-like window!) So far nothing. Not wanting to mess with it much more timewise....but does anyone know if I can buy a cheap WiFi USB antennae (or whatever it might be called) to solve the problem and to get WiFi? If so what model or mfg?

wr250

Quote from: albrecht on February 05, 2015, 05:38:11 PM
I'm not a computer guy but had an older Dell laptop and installed Linux Mint 17.1 yesterday. Works great and faster than the, apparently, bogus Windows 7 that came installed on it (relative bought online by a fly-by-night company I guess some years ago and the Windows was pirated.) It works fine when plugged in but I cannot get the WiFi to work at all. Googled and searched some forums but nothing works (and, frankly, goodness knows if some computer geek or hacker is going to have fun with me because I tried typing some of the suggestions in DOS-like window!) So far nothing. Not wanting to mess with it much more timewise....but does anyone know if I can buy a cheap WiFi USB antennae (or whatever it might be called) to solve the problem and to get WiFi? If so what model or mfg?
ive used cheap trendnets wireless adaptors from newegg.
and i deleted a long post on installing firmware because you said "I'm not a computer guy".

albrecht

Quote from: wr250 on February 05, 2015, 06:12:31 PM
ive used cheap trendnets wireless adaptors from newegg.
and i deleted a long post on installing firmware because you said "I'm not a computer guy".
Thanks! Feel free to PM your post on installing firmware and I'll give it a shot. I just didn't want to bore others with details and especially because I didn't want to waste space for people to explain details in a thread to me a total newbie to Linux and likely clueless on programming language of it. Last programming, if you even call it that, was Basic, DOS batch files etc, and Dbase (with a few bits of C.) So talking decades. ;) Just trying to "recycle" a sorta old laptop and figured why not try Linux since I heard good things....


Heather Wade

Ok, I'm going out of my mind here.  How can I include images in an auto reply message in Windows Mail? *hanging head in shame*  Working on a project I should have never agreed to do, I can't figure this last piece of the puzzle out that will end this & get me my life back.


wr250

Quote from: (Redacted) on February 09, 2015, 04:34:57 PM
Ok, I'm going out of my mind here.  How can I include images in an auto reply message in Windows Mail? *hanging head in shame*  Working on a project I should have never agreed to do, I can't figure this last piece of the puzzle out that will end this & get me my life back.
did you try drag n drop ?

Heather Wade

Quote from: wr250 on February 09, 2015, 04:41:07 PM
did you try drag n drop ?

I did, and the auto reply received contained no pictures.   :'(

wr250

Quote from: (Redacted) on February 09, 2015, 04:45:05 PM
I did, and the auto reply received contained no pictures.   :'(

do you have the stupid little  paperclip directly under tools perhaps ?

or insert -probably between format and view

Heather Wade

Quote from: wr250 on February 09, 2015, 04:49:09 PM
do you have the stupid little  paperclip directly under tools perhaps ?

or insert -probably between format and view

Thanks wr, you didn't give me the answer, but your suggestion gave me an idea & I figured it out!!!  Hello Free Time!! Thanks!

wr250

Quote from: (Redacted) on February 09, 2015, 05:15:07 PM
Thanks wr, you didn't give me the answer, but your suggestion gave me an idea & I figured it out!!!  Hello Free Time!! Thanks!
so what was the solution? use gmail?

Heather Wade

Quote from: wr250 on February 09, 2015, 05:31:17 PM
so what was the solution? use gmail?

The solution was to use an email draft with the images i needed, find that draft in the Windows Live Mail drafts folder so I can tell the auto reply exactly what to send.  Your 'drag & drop' comment gave me the idea because I already had a draft created with the images in it.  I just had to dig deep in the local appdata folder to find it.

I will heretofore never agree to help anyone with computer things.   :-\

wr250

Quote from: (Redacted) on February 09, 2015, 05:38:42 PM
The solution was to use an email draft with the images i needed, find that draft in the Windows Live Mail drafts folder so I can tell the auto reply exactly what to send.  Your 'drag & drop' comment gave me the idea because I already had a draft created with the images in it.  I just had to dig deep in the local appdata folder to find it.

I will heretofore never agree to help anyone with computer things.   :-\
heh , suggest thunderbird to them.

wr250

how to gain access to a windows pc you are locked out of
this requires physical access.
things you need to know/have :
1.the name of default screensaver that pops up when you start up the computer, but never login - default.scr ? easily changed by the user that has admin rights.
2.a live cd/dvd/usb disk/drive windows/linux/whatever
thats it.
once you know the name of the default screensaver reboot to  the live cd/dvd/usb drive .

mount drive the computers hard drive named c:\ (as if it had booted into windows without the live image). this can be names any number of things, depending on the live image used.

find the default screensaver on that drive, move it to <name>.scr.old
then find cmd.exe cp it to the name of the screensaver you just renamed ie copy cmd.exe <name>.scr

once done reboot into windows. leave it at the login screen. now instead of a screensaver you will have a command prompt logged in as system. system is the most powerful account on a windows computer. you can do (almost) anything (cant delete/change files in use though, but you can force them to stop then do whatever, depending on the file ie you cant stop the windows kernel, the machine will hang if you do)

area51drone

Quote from: wr250 on February 12, 2015, 08:44:13 AM
how to gain access to a windows pc you are locked out of
this requires physical access.
things you need to know/have :
1.the name of default screensaver that pops up when you start up the computer, but never login - default.scr ? easily changed by the user that has admin rights.
2.a live cd/dvd/usb disk/drive windows/linux/whatever
thats it.
once you know the name of the default screensaver reboot to  the live cd/dvd/usb drive .

mount drive the computers hard drive named c:\ (as if it had booted into windows without the live image). this can be names any number of things, depending on the live image used.

find the default screensaver on that drive, move it to <name>.scr.old
then find cmd.exe cp it to the name of the screensaver you just renamed ie copy cmd.exe <name>.scr

once done reboot into windows. leave it at the login screen. now instead of a screensaver you will have a command prompt logged in as system. system is the most powerful account on a windows computer. you can do (almost) anything (cant delete/change files in use though, but you can force them to stop then do whatever, depending on the file ie you cant stop the windows kernel, the machine will hang if you do)

You could just overwrite all the screensavers if you don't know.


wr250

Quote from: area51drone on February 12, 2015, 10:12:34 AM
You could just overwrite all the screensavers if you don't know.

i suppose you could.it just seems like overkill.

wr250

Go to Prison for File Sharing? That's What Hollywood Wants in the Secret TPP Deal

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) poses massive threats to users in a dizzying number of ways. It will force other TPP signatories to accept the United States' excessive copyright terms of a minimum of life of the author plus 70 years, while locking the US to the same lengths so it will be harder to shorten them in the future. It contains DRM anti-circumvention provisions that will make it a crime to tinker with, hack, re-sell, preserve, and otherwise control any number of digital files and devices that you own. The TPP will encourage ISPs to monitor and police their users, likely leading to more censorship measures such as the blockage and filtering of content online in the name of copyright enforcement. And in the most recent leak of the TPP's Intellectual Property chapter, we found an even more alarming provision on trade secrets that could be used to crackdown on journalists and whistleblowers who report on corporate wrongdoing.

Here, we'd like to explore yet another set of rules in TPP that will chill users' rights. Those are the criminal enforcement provisions, which based upon the latest leak from May 2014 is still a contested and unresolved issue. It's about whether users could be jailed or hit with debilitating fines over allegations of copyright infringement.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/02/go-prison-sharing-files-thats-what-hollywood-wants-secret-tpp-deal

this portion of the article is posted with permission from Eff.org . their copyright policy is here: https://www.eff.org/copyright


analog kid

Disable ads in uTorrent.

uTorrent options -> Preferences -> Advanced -> search for the below items and disable them, and most/all the ads and crap disappear:

    offers.left_rail_offer_enabled/left_rail_offer
    offers.sponsored_torrent_offer_enabled/sponsored_torrent_offer_enabled
    gui.show_plus_upsell
    bt.enable_pulse
    gui.show_notorrents_node
    offers.content_offer_autoexec


You may have to start uTorrent twice after this. Here's another, more detailed guide that might be needed for newer version.

Heather Wade

Quote from: wr250 on February 14, 2015, 07:45:04 AM
Go to Prison for File Sharing? That's What Hollywood Wants in the Secret TPP Deal

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) poses massive threats to users in a dizzying number of ways. It will force other TPP signatories to accept the United States' excessive copyright terms of a minimum of life of the author plus 70 years, while locking the US to the same lengths so it will be harder to shorten them in the future. It contains DRM anti-circumvention provisions that will make it a crime to tinker with, hack, re-sell, preserve, and otherwise control any number of digital files and devices that you own. The TPP will encourage ISPs to monitor and police their users, likely leading to more censorship measures such as the blockage and filtering of content online in the name of copyright enforcement. And in the most recent leak of the TPP's Intellectual Property chapter, we found an even more alarming provision on trade secrets that could be used to crackdown on journalists and whistleblowers who report on corporate wrongdoing.

Here, we'd like to explore yet another set of rules in TPP that will chill users' rights. Those are the criminal enforcement provisions, which based upon the latest leak from May 2014 is still a contested and unresolved issue. It's about whether users could be jailed or hit with debilitating fines over allegations of copyright infringement.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/02/go-prison-sharing-files-thats-what-hollywood-wants-secret-tpp-deal

this portion of the article is posted with permission from Eff.org . their copyright policy is here: https://www.eff.org/copyright

Thanks for scaring the bejeesus out of me tonight.

wr250

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/11/8017771/samsung-smart-tvs-inserting-unwanted-ads

apparently samsung smart tvs are injecting ads into user owned content (dvd/bueray/plex/dlna etc), at 20-30 minute intervals.

albrecht

Quote from: wr250 on February 16, 2015, 09:45:23 AM
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/11/8017771/samsung-smart-tvs-inserting-unwanted-ads

apparently samsung smart tvs are injecting ads into user owned content (dvd/bueray/plex/dlna etc), at 20-30 minute intervals.
Jeez, as Norry would say, they not only are their "smart" tvs listening to our conversations but now inserting ads into our own content?!? WTF?

analog kid

Quote from: wr250 on February 16, 2015, 09:45:23 AM
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/11/8017771/samsung-smart-tvs-inserting-unwanted-ads

apparently samsung smart tvs are injecting ads into user owned content (dvd/bueray/plex/dlna etc), at 20-30 minute intervals.

That's messed up. That and recording the audio in smart tv owners' homes and selling it to 3rd parties.

Something else people are learning is that cable networks are cutting out scenes from syndicated tv shows and speeding the shows up about 7% to make more room for more commercials.

wr250

Quote from: analog kid on February 16, 2015, 10:41:52 AM
That's messed up. That and recording the audio in smart tv owners' homes and selling it to 3rd parties.

Something else people are learning is that cable networks are cutting out scenes from syndicated tv shows and speeding the shows up about 7% to make more room for more commercials.
question: if i pay for cable, why am i subjected to commercials at all? on the local OTA stations that are carried i understand.

albrecht

Quote from: wr250 on February 16, 2015, 10:51:45 AM
question: if i pay for cable, why am i subjected to commercials at all? on the local OTA stations that are carried i understand.
Yeah, or at least less commercials. The ideal model would be paying for channels "a la carte." I have so many channels that I get (and pay for) simply so I can get a few channels I want. But the cable companies and stations will fight that tooth and nail.

Also, TWC has been going "all digital"- they claim for better picture, more band-width, and to fight fraud (like there are sooooo many people still stealing basic cable these days.) So they are making me rent little DTA adapters for old tvs and dropping stations continually during the roll-out that one can get with a coax just plugged into your tv. Or have to rent more cable boxes. Screw that. Some tvs, like in garage, I want a coax in and could get ESPN and major networks. Soon not so anymore though. The TWC guy admitted to me that, really, they want digital because they can better determine what people are watching so they can hit up advertisers and stations for increased fees, more bandwidth to try to compete with things like Netflix for "on demand" movies, etc. Guy said the most upset and angry are old people, he said he has been doing nursing homes and retirement homes and they are up in arms. Have to rent expensive boxes, have to learn new remotes, have to learn new channel numbers....when most of the oldsters were quite happy watching "their stories" by have a coax into the back of their old tv at a cheap rate.

area51drone

Quote from: wr250 on February 16, 2015, 09:45:23 AM
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/11/8017771/samsung-smart-tvs-inserting-unwanted-ads

apparently samsung smart tvs are injecting ads into user owned content (dvd/bueray/plex/dlna etc), at 20-30 minute intervals.

That would suck, but if you read the article, this is for third party apps, not regular content or even Samsung apps.

area51drone

Quote from: wr250 on February 16, 2015, 10:51:45 AM
question: if i pay for cable, why am i subjected to commercials at all? on the local OTA stations that are carried i understand.

Want to teach them this is all a bunch of bullshit?  Cut your cable.  That's what we did in my house.  We pay for internet and only the local broadcast channels that we can't get over the air.

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