Serial Barcode Scanner in Linux

I had a very difficult time finding a way to get a simple serial barcode scanner to work in Linux. USB barcode scanners are a cinch because they are basically like usb keyboards. However with a serial device there has to be something to direct the input from /dev/ttyS0 to the keyboard buffer. Read More »

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Downloads Disappear

Do files you download disappear before you ever get a chance to open them? This can happen in Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 as well as all versions of Firefox.

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Install Adobe Flash Player 10.1

Flash Player 10.1 beta is out and it makes huge performance improvements over 10. Windows users get the use of graphics acceleration which drastically reduces CPU usage when watching videos and playing games. Linux and Mac version also have a speed increase. In one benchmark on my Linux system my score doubled over 10. For the most part it’s pretty stable so if you’re tired of slow flash performance I’d recommend you update. You can download it from Adobe Labs.

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The Wizard Vs the Basty

This is a little video my sister made. It is pretty weird but pretty funny. She was complaining it was not getting enough views so I put it here for her.

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11 Good Wordpress Plugins

I just updated my site to use wordpress instead of Etomite and I must say it’s a huge improvement. Wordpress has such a large database of plugins you can make it do just about anything you can think of. If you are setting up a wordpress blog I’ll share my list of plugins so you won’t have to do the research to find the good ones: Read More »

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What to do with a cursed computer

What to do with a cursed computer

There’s all kinds of fun things broken computers are good for. Below is what I would consider the top 10:

  1. Throw the computer off of a high point. At least 3 or 4 stories high would be good. I’ve done this before and it tends to be anti-climatic. If you choose on doing this be sure you’re the one throwing it, it’s more fun that way.
  2. Sell you computer on ebay. If you have a recent computer this might be viable option. There are several people that sell their computers “as-is” and make a small amount of change.
  3. Plug your computer’s power connector in backwards and let the sparks fly. This is much easier to do with older computers like 386’s than the new models. With old atx style motherboards you can switch the two power connectors on the motherboard and let the system fry itself. Some 486’s even let you plug the CPU in incorrectly which made a fun amount of smoke. With new computer’s one can try overclocking them to extreme levels and then removing the heatsink to provide a similar effect.
  4. Burn it’s body, throw the bones through a wood chipper, mix it with cement and throw it in the ocean or a nearby lake.
  5. Leave it in your unlocked car and hope someone takes it. Better yet, find someone else’s unlocked car and leave it there.
  6. Do your civic duty and take it to a computer recycling center. Really, they do exist try looking in the phone book.
  7. Decorate your apartment with it’s dead parts or better yet use them for body piercings.
  8. Just take it out back and shoot it. Or go lethal on it Office Space style.
  9. Donate it to a charity. You’ll have a better chance of them accepting it if you just leave it at their doorstep. Don’t even think about taking it off your taxes.
  10. Have a white elephant party.
  11. Keep it on your desk and use it as a perpetual excuse why you can’t do things like, your homework, the dishes and paying bills.
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Simple Computer

Simple Computer

If your are looking for a computer for someone you know without all the
complicated bells and whistles that come with most computers, then you
have come to the right place.

Here you will find the results of my Spring research project. A simple
computer that anybody could use, to browse the Internet, check e-mail,
manage pictures or write documents. Take a look at the below
screenshots to see how simple it really is:
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Day 1 of Job Hunt

Day 1, Feb 18.

 Yesterday I update my resume on Monster and Dice and wouldn’t you know it today I got an e-mail from a recruiter. Senior System Administrator needed in Cambridge, MA! Heck yes, I’m interested. Job description looks good http://www.maxhire.net/cp/JobPrintPreview.aspx?jobid=407 Basically keep a bunch of Debian servers running for a research group. I can do that. Read More »

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Finding Device Drivers

Device Driver Installation Guide

Windows in notorious for needing Device drivers for each and every piece of hardware a system has. Sometime it can use generic drivers but to get the most out of your hardware you need the driver that were written by the hardware manufacturer.

If you are lucky you know the model number of the device you need a driver for and you know the manufacturer. If this is the can you can usually go to the manufacturer’s website and find the drivers in the support section. A good example would be an HP Printer. HP printers always have their model number printed on the outside and HP’s website is pretty easy to navigate. Just go to HP.com and click on the “Software and Driver Downloads” link near the bottom left, than enter your model number (let’s say you have a deskjet 932c. A list of search results will come up, click on Deskject 932c, select your operating system and then click the file you want to download. In this case we will probably want the full feature driver. That’s all you have to do, installation should be as simple as running the executable.

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Windows Password Recovery

Windows Password Recovery

Did you forget your windows password? Or maybe you never knew it ;-) Whatever the case to use the procedure I’m going to show you, you will need physical access to the computer so I doubt you are actually a hacker.

The process I am about to describe will work in any windows NT based system. So you can reset your password in Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2003 and even Windows Vista possibly but I havn’t tried that one. Using this method it is not possible to find the password just reset it to something else or make it blank.

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