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HP MediaSmart ex475
 I have been interested in getting a Windows Home Server for a while. Last week we got a HP MediaSmart ex475. I was looking forward to installing it, and transfering everything off our NAS and our Mac mini.
When I plugged it in, it started up fine. I installed the software fine on my laptop, but when the setup assistant tried to find the server, it failed. It looks like this problem is happening to many other people. Reseting the server back to factory defaults didn't solve the problem.
I am extremely frustrated with this. I am going to try creating a network with only the server and my laptop, to see if a noisy network could have caused the communication to be interrupted. If that doesn't work, I will call HP techinical support. (Unfortunately, this is hard for me to do, as they are only open during business hours, and I am at work at that time.)
I am very close to sending this back.
apt-get download speed
This post has a good tip for speeding up apt-get downloads. Ubuntu will check all of the mirrors to find the one that has the smallest latency.
Sound, XPS m1330 and Ubuntu 8.04
In this previous post, I mentioned that everything was working correctly after upgrading to Ubuntu 8.04. Unfortunately, after I wrote that post my audio stopped working.
I went through several steps to get audio back, including building and installing the latest version of alsa.
I found that if I put the following line in my /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base file, everthing works
options snd-hda-intel model=dell-3stack
Windows Home Server
I am thinking about getting the HP EX475 MediaSmart Windows Home Server. I would replace our NAS with his server. Also be able to install SqueezeCenter on it as well, and then I can disconnect the Mac mini.
I can use the Windows Home Server to share our photos, music and videos to our XBox for viewing on the TV.
Also, I was thinking that I could install some software that would allow my TiVo content to automatically be archived.
Upgraded to Ubuntu 8.04
This evening, I upgraded my laptop from Kubuntu 7.10 to 8.04. I followed their recommended upgrade steps, where I used the alternate CD and then updated from that. When I was prompted for conflicts for configuration files, I just selected "use the package mantainer's". I was a little concerned about this, as this was necessary to get sound to work with Ubuntu 7.10, on my laptop.
After booting, everything seems to be working OK, including sound.
The only thing that I have had a problem with so far is that the upgrade upgraded my previous Firefox installation to the 3.0 beta. Many of my plugins are not compatible with 3.0. I know that this will be fixed soon.
Also, I haven't made the switch to KDE 4 yet. I haven't configured it to how I like it, and until I do that, I will stick with GNOME.
links for 2008-04-19
links for 2008-04-11
MSN Direct
I have been using the Nuvi 680 for several months. One of the reasons that I bought it was for the traffic information provided by MSN Direct. I have been unimpressed with the quality of the data. There are several problems:
- There are many areas that don't have coverage. For example, when driving from San Jose to Sacramento, as soon as we left the local area there was no coverage. Unfortunately, we encountered a traffic delay that we could have been routed around.
- Many of the roads that I travel on to and from work are not included in the MSN Direct data. I only have seen information on interstates and state and US highways.
- The data seems to be stale. I have had many occasions when the Nuvi stated that there was a delay, when the delay had already cleared up.
I think that the Dash Express could present better data, but I still have some reservations.
- It doesn't have bluetooth.
- The form factor doesn't really lend well for a portable unit. I can slip the Nuvi into my pocket when I take it from my car.
StupidFilter
StupidFilter looks pretty interesting. This is an open source project to filter rampant stupidity. When they release the core engine source code, I will write a plugin for LifeType.
links for 2008-03-25
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Doing it head-on
When you promote, you want to get results. That is the purpose of promotions anyway. Most of the time though, they do not work the way you want it to. Why do this happen?
Maybe your promotions are not sending your readers the right message.
Even if they are highly targeted but are not really giving out the correct message, do not expect any good results to come your way.
The kind of business that you have should be the primary focus of what your promotion is all about. Have you ever seen those advertising that says something but actually means another? They are rampant everywhere.
Do not expect your customers to be good at figuring out what you are saying by saying them in idiomatic ways. Reality is that not many people have the time to try and figure out what is the real meaning is behind your promotion. Get it to them straight on.
If you want to be noticed, do not always attempt to differ your promotion. Some of the can work but most do not. What if yours fall into the “do not”?
Blogger Business Cards
Using index cards for business card is not anymore new. I have read an article about how it can be used for this purpose. The article was tackling about styles and techniques on how to go about using creativity in these cards.
Blogher Business Cards tackled some new ideas I have not read on the article I mentioned above. But it has the same concept; index cards as business cards.
Why not? If you think about the expenses that you will incur on the paper stock that you need to use, I am sure you will really like this other possibility. With every ounce of creativity that you have in you, you can turn these simple cards into a business card that not everyone sees everyday. A unique one for that matter.
It will not surprise me if you find some printing companies like Full Color Printing Company catering to this kind of things. Try it out and see for yourself. What have you got to lose, anyway? On the other hand, maybe you will be surprised to find that you can actually gain more out of something so simple.
Planning a blue tooth installation
Installations for BlueTooth may not be as demanding as IrDA installations, which require direct line-of-sight.
Because BlueTooth is a radio-frequency-based communication, it can penetrate walls and objects to a certain extent. It also has a somewhat larger range, so you can create a larger print zone.
A larger print zone is a benefit, but it also creates some issues about where the devices need to be placed in relation to the printer. Obviously the users' desks or work center locations must to be within the range of the BlueTooth-enabled printer.
With a 30-foot radius, quite a few desks can be placed within range, but remember that the farther out you go, the weaker the signal strength. The upshot is that the practical limitation is more like 15 feet instead of 30. This is still reasonable, but with most printers installed against the wall (where the outlets typically are), you're really giving yourself a 15-foot radius out from the wall.
The 15-foot radius also needs to incorporate any walkways or open space in which users move around, which means it's possible that you could get five to twelve people at desks or tables within that radius. This would adequately serve the needs for most consulting or special events where printing is needed.
How do you choose the right digital camera in time for the holidays?
Most photographers swear by one brand over the other. If you are already particularly loyal to just one brand, then you can shun the others and bask in just one aisle. But if you are a little bit more open-minded, then you’ve got a bigger playground to frolic in.
You will need to see what kind of memory card the camera needs, and what kind of batteries fuel it. Most digital cameras use AA batteries, so investing in a bunch of rechargeable ones is fine.
Try it out. Most people make the mistake of reading the box, swiping their credit card, and coming home to find out that they’re not comfortable with their latest purchase.
While still in the store, try taking a bunch of photos. Make sure it fits well in your hand, and is easy to use. The most user-friendly cameras out there are Canon, Casio, and Kodak but you might want to try out others. Take your time in familiarizing yourself with the possible units you’ll be taking pictures with.
Snapshot Image Cleaning
Snapshot is a valuable technique to save our precious time when working with images in Photoshop – be it an original copy image, something from a digital camera or from a scanned slide or negative. This is usually used to clean up images such as images for publication use.
The technique is so easy, it only involves a four-step method and is easy to recall. You can make use of this in many situations like adjusting levels, color, saturation, sharpness and other corrections without wasting time with layer masks, lasso tools, layers, rubber stamping or magic wand. To ensure that your eyes are fixed to your subject, you can use this method.
Soft-eyes are scanning problems inherent of the natural film curvature while scanning. To avoid soft-eyes problems, use snapshots technique which allows fixation in few seconds. To do this, first open your file. Then go to filter > sharpen > unsharp mask. After that, a dialog box will appear with unsharp mask defaults. Set the default amount to 75 percent, radius to 1 pixel and threshold levels to zero or one. Finally, click OK. You may notice that the entire image has the unsharp mask applied to it beforehand. As a result, it sharpens the overall image.
The texture is no longer as soft as it first appeared. This is the time when the snapshots will save your artwork.
To correct the flaws, you must go to the history palette. If it you did not find it in your desktop, you can find it normally on the right in Photoshop by default. Go to window > Show history. Once you have located your history palette, select the bold arrow-button on its right side. Click and hold it until a menu appears then go to New Snapshot. When you release your mouse, another dialog box will appear. You must enter in it the name “unsharp eyes”, then click OK.
If you have more than one snapshot in a working file, do not forget to label your snapshots to be able to have a better workflow management when it comes to organization of your images. It is nice to do it that way for easy and fast selection and for an efficient scheme.
Proper Scanning Resolution
One thing to master about scanning is the proper scanning resolution. The proper resolution to scan depends on how you intended it to be used.
Before scanning it is important to know these five vital information: size of the original image, size of the printed image, LPI at which your image will be printed, resolution multiplier and the process of editing the scanned image. The hint is - the higher the resolution, the larger the file size.
To calculate the final image resolution, these are the solutions:
1. If the size of the image is absolute, multiply LPI by your resolution multiplier. Ex. LPI x 2 for brochures.
2. if the size of the image is not absolute, multiply LPI by your resolution multiplier and then the size of the final image as a percentage to the original. Ex. LPI x 2 x %.
In cases of commercial printing, ask your print shop if you do not know the required LPI as well as other specifications.
Scanning at a slightly higher resolution is most of the time advantageous. By that, it is easier to dump unneeded resolution after scanning. Moreover, reduce your image to the final resolution before placing it in your document for printing.
In most of the print works, 300 dpi is the standard print resolution. The standard resolution for web is 72 dpi. This works best in computer screens. If you you're scanning in an image and only going to use it for web you could maintain it at 72 dpi. Film print’s standard resolution on the other hand is 720 dpi. That way you can make enlargements. The general rule with resolution is that never go up but you can always go down. If you have a 720 dpi image, you can at any rate bring it down to 300 dpi and still look sound.
If you are using photographs for your web, scan them at 72 or 100 dpi.72 dpi is screen resolution and the preferred format for saving the image is jpeg though you can also use .psd. Remember that when you Save As, you are creating a copy of your current document and you are decreasing its file size. You can also save your file within Photoshop. This will allow you to preview your work to adjust the quality of the same. If the image is really huge, simply go to Image > Image Size and bring down the resolution to 300 for print or 72 for web or change the image dimensions if it is indispensable.
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