Michael was in good shape because he was practising, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows. Michael was careful with what he ate, he was just fine. Last time I heard of what he was doing, he was in great shape. And this is why I’m so absolutely shocked by this news.
Today, they’ve announced that Michael died because of a massive overdose of anaesthetic. Once again, Uri Geller is quick to comment.
This was expected. I’m absolutely not surprised. I’ve witnessed myself things and saw certain events with Michael that led me to believe that if this continues, he will destroy his life.
When I’ve seen Michael in the state that he was on a few occasions, I had to stay with him because I was concerned that certain individuals would come into his room and supply him with what he wanted.
Now, is it me, or does Uri Geller not seem to know. Now that the drugs problem has come out in the open, maybe he now feels he can talk about something that he didn’t want to at first. But, surely, as a friend and, if indeed he witnessed what he did, surely he’d have wanted to talk about this from the very beginning?
I guess there’s nothing like the flip-flopping views of a celebrity vying for their 5 minutes of spotlight.
I often have the need to display code within this blog – whether it’s JavaScript, PHP, XHTML or something else.
There are many plugins available that will display any such code in a nice manner – usually with syntax highlighting – but, as yet, I’ve been unable to find one that doesn’t fulfil my requirements. And personally, I don’t think my requirements are that much.
Showing the code in a fixed font, with a decent line wrapping facility and the ability to display spaces and/or tabs, I don’t think, is a big list of needs. That list doesn’t even include the ubiquitous syntax highlighting.
In the end I created a half-arsed version of my own. In fact, it’s not even a plugin – just simply some CSS for displaying the code in reasonable manner. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get around the line wrapping problem.
So, imagine my surprise to come across a plugin the other day that seemed to resolve all these problems. And it does Syntax Highlighting. I had some initial problems, which involved me having to move my aforementioned CSS, and then, with no further testing, I started busily converting my posts to the new system. Note, me specifically mentioning my lack of testing. Because, yes, after changing lots of pages and posts, I realised that it wouldn’t work with spaced or tabs, so all lines of code were aligned down the left hand side of the screen. Bah. And I can’t find a solution, so I’m in the process of putting it all back to how it was.
If ANYBODY knows a plugin that will do what I’m after, then please let me know!
After a recent post on a forum, extolling the virtues of a number of free Open Source program, I made mention that they were always the same problems being mentioned – OpenOffice, ClamWin, Audacity, etc. SourceForge alone holds over 150,000 Open Source projects, let alone those at Google Code, etc.
So, I was set a challenge – find some Open Source software that most people won’t have come across.
Ok, that was the plan. Now, the limitations (self set). Nothing too technical, nor niche. No games (otherwise I could just easily provide a vast list of them). Oh, and they have to be Windows applications – no Linux, Mac, PHP scripts, etc.
I thought plunging into my Firefox bookmarks would yeald many but, sadly, most were either games or too technical for this list. Or I’ve covered them elsewhere in my blog. So, a number I’ve had to scourer SourceForge for (oh, I wish their search facility was better). And some goodies I’ve come up with too – here’s my 40 (in no particular order)…
TV-Browser A desktop based EPG. It’s German in origin but includes UK channels. I’ve only had a brief play with it so far, but I’ve been impressed.
MP3Gain This is something I’ve been using for years. Now, adding gain to MP3s (i.e. bringing them all up to a similar volume) is something built into many media players and burning products. However, MP3Gain is a standalone product designed to do this one task. And well.
DVDStyler DVDStyler is a DVD authoring program for the creation of professional-looking DVDs. It allows not only burning of video files on DVD that can be played practically on any standalone DVD player, but also creation of own-designed DVD menus.
Arora Yes, it’s another browser! Based on WebKit (like Chrome and Safari), it’s fast and available on a number of platforms. However, the fact that is has recently “elbowed out” Konqueror as the browser of choice in Kubuntu, has made news.
MuseScore An excellent WYSIWYG musical score editor. It’s packed full of features, including importing of data and has a built in sequencer and synth.
SmillaEnlarger Another simple idea, done well. SmillaEnlarger will magnify images in high quality. Useful for “blowing up” part of a photo. And it will go on a USB key as well.
AxCrypt A file encryption tool that integrates directly into Windows Explorer. Simply right click on a file and you can quickly and easily encrypt it, with password protection (or without, for simple sending via email).
WindowsPager If you’ve used Linux any time recently, you’ll probably have come across its virtual desktop environment, where you can easily switch between multiple desktops via an icon in the toolbar. Well, WindowsPager provides a similar facility. It’s not perfect, however, and I spotted a problem with Command Prompt windows, but it’s worth a try – as with most of these products, it’s still being worked on.
Synkron Synkron is a relatively powerful folder synchronisation tool. How you use it, well, is up to you – for something as simple as synchronising a USB key to your PC, or as a quick backup tool.
Hugin I said I’ve avoid anything too technical and, well, this isn’t. It’s just powerful. But if you’re a keen photographer, you’ll love this. It’s a photo stitcher (which can allow you, for example, to make panoramic images) which is a bit more manual that many (but, hence, it’s power).
PeaZip PeaZip is an excellent compression program, like WinZip and 7-Zip. It also has file encrytion facilities and a portable version is available. Of course, 7-Zip is also Open Source, but PeaZip does, at least, offer an alternative.
Scribus Scribus is a desktop publishing tool, similar to Microsoft Publisher. It has an easy to use interface but Scribus also supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, Spot Colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.
Appetizer This is an application launcher which allows organizing your shortcuts and folders into a convenient dock. It supports plugins and skins, so is completely configurable to your own taste.
Storybook Storybook is novel writing software for novelists, authors and creative writers. It will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines, records characters and locations and will generally assist you in structuring your book.
InfraRecorder InfraRecorder is free CD/DVD burning software. It offers a wide range of powerful features, all through an easy to use interface and Windows Explorer integration. A portable version is also available.
BonkEnc BonkEnc is a free audio converter and CD ripper which integrates various popular formats and encoders. It currently supports MP3, MP4/M4A, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC and Bonk files.
RedNotebook RedNotebook is a graphical diary and journal helping you keep track of notes and thoughts. It includes a calendar navigation, customizable templates, export functionality and word clouds. You can also format, tag and search your entries.
Gminder Gminder is a simple, but effective, desktop version of Google Calendar. It waits in your system tray and alerts you when you have an upcoming Google Calendar event. GMinder supports multiple calendars and allows you to configure how you want to be alerted. Since it downloads your events, it works offline and enables you to preview your agenda of events. New events can be added to your Google Calendars using a Quick Add feature.
Fwink This is an excellent webcam application that takes still images from your camera at timed intervals and puts them on your web site with FTP. You can add effects like text messages, time stamps and an overlay image.
PopTray PopTray is a full-featured, customizable, e-mail notifier which works with POP3 accounts but also has plugins for Hotmail, Gmail, etc. It includes spam management and will handle multiple accounts.
calibre Got an eBook? calibre includes library management, format conversion, news feeds to eBook conversion, as well as an eBook reader sync feature and an integrated eBook viewer.
Process Hacker Process Hacker is a feature-packed tool for manipulating processes and services on your computer. Think of it as being like the Task Manager that appears when you press CTRL/ALT/DEL but a lot more detailed.
JavaRa JavaRa is a simple tool that does a simple job: it removes old and redundant versions of Java.
TweetMyPC Make use of Twitter in other ways – send commands to your PC, allowing you to shutdown, log off, transfer files, etc.
Xmind Xmind is brainstorming and mind mapping software. You can even embed results in your blog.
MonitorES A fabulous idea – when your lock your desktop, MonitorES will automatically put your monitor into standby and, optionally, pause any media players, mute sound and change your Instant Messaging status’.
Sweet Home 3D This is a free interior design application that helps you place your furniture on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview
iColorFolder Bored of your folders? With a quick right click, iColorFolder will allow you to change their colour – useful for grouping together. You can also change your default folder icons with a selection of “skins”.
Data Crow Weird name, but useful application. Data Crow is media cataloguing software – audio, software, book, film and photo collections.
winsupermaximise This is another “simple but handy” utility. It adds a system tray icon which, once clicked (or you can press a hotkey combination), will “super maximise” the current window – that is, it will resize so the title bar is actually above the screen boundaries, thus saving those extra pixels that you don’t want to waste. A great utility for Netbook owners, in particular.
PhotoGrabber This application makes it easy to download tagged pictures from Facebook. It only takes a few clicks!
Cache My Work CacheMyWork is a handy utility that enables you to reboot Windows without losing your place in your work. It builds a checklist of currently open applications, and will restart the apps you’ve selected the next time you logon to the computer.
SheepDog SheepDog is useful whenever you have an application or window that you can’t access because it is located off your visible screen – when activated, SheepDog will re-position the offscreen windows back onto your main screen.
Vanity Remover This application removes all sub-folders (and the folder itself) where vanity is found. In other words: Recursively checks for and deletes empty folders. Simple as that.
HKTunes HKTunes (formerly iHK) allows you to control iTunes using global hotkeys. For example, you could change the track and music volume while playing a game. It has a tray menu and a GUI to let you select hotkeys.
Synergy+ Synergy+ lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, without special hardware. All you need is a LAN connection. It’s intended for users with multiple computers, where each system uses its own display. It’s a little like having a 2nd or a 3rd desktop…
Desktop Google Reader Desktop Google Reader is a desktop client to Google’s popular RSS aggregator services. It is focused on on the most important things you do with Google Reader – read, mark as read and star items. In addition and in combination with the notification system Snarl it gives you nice popup notifications on your newly arriving news feed items.
ZScreen ZScreen is a screen capture program that allows you to upload screenshots, pictures, text & files and put the URL in your clipboard in a single keystroke.
Rainmeter Rainmeter is a desktop customization platform. Through Rainmeter, you can enhance your Windows computer at home or work with skins: handy, compact applets which float freely on your desktop, much like Windows Sidebar gagdgets, or dashboard widgets for the Mac.
ClipMan Clipman is an extension of the standard clipboard shipped with Windows. You can store all the items copied in a list or send them back at the clipboard. If you want, you can also edit the images in the list.
This morning I was reading a popular UK discussion forum. On it, I came across a query with regard to opening RAR files. However, there were a few lines that lept out at me…
I have purchased a R4 card for use in my daughters DS. I installed the software on it successfully and managed to transfer some .nds files from a friends micro card. These games play fine. I also managed to download one game successfully but ever since then I have tried 3 different DS game sites and…
And then it goes into the RAR file problem.
So, basically, they are downloading illegal game copies to put onto an R4 card. For the uninitated, this is a hardware device that allows SD cards to be placed into a Nintendo DS. The R4 card is fine by itself, but it’s how it’s used that is the issue. It’s normally used for “home brew” hacking – placing emulators and own software onto the device – or for holding mass collections of pirated games. I know, I work with people who do this regularly.
I’m sure there are legitimate games that can be downloaded and placed on an R4 card, which is why I decided not to report this post to the forum adminisators. Instead I simply replied…
Please tell me these aren’t illegal game copies.
Without wanting to sound preachy, I’m tired of having to pay extra for my games simply because I don’t feel the need to steal them.
I get my point over, and the poster gets a chance to state that these were legal games. Great.
Except, my post is pulled. The adminstator said..
Your comments seem a little harsh, the OP asked a question about RAR file formats – it did not involve any request for help to download something illegally.
Obviously, I’ve replied back, pointing out much of the above, but I’m guessing nothing will come of it. Why are we so accepting of this? As I said in my response, why should I be paying, probably inflated prices, due to piracy? Why is that acceptable and, say, shop lifting isn’t? We really seem to have our priorities wrong.
I recently upgraded my Netbooks memory from 1GB to an astonishing1 1.5GB (which is the maximum). This is not only a fiddly job as the memory slot is on the underside of the motherboard (and there’s no way of accessing it from underneath) but it will invalidate your warranty. So proceed with caution!
The only deviation I found was that my AA1 has an HHD, rather than an SSD. In this case, ignore the instruction to remove the SSD connector. The HHD appears to be connected to the motherboard, so you will also need to remove the daughterboard on the right-hand side of the case first. This is just a further 3 screws (but they’re more of those that are in very tightly, so remove them carefully).
The memory itself was a single 1GB module that I bought online for approx. £12. The other 512MB is actually built onto the motherboard itself and can’t be changed.
After a recent post on a forum, extolling the virtues of a number of free Open Source program, I made mention that they were always the same problems being mentioned – 
Top
Uri Gell…er?
Just after Michael Jackson died, Uri Geller said the following…
Today, they’ve announced that Michael died because of a massive overdose of anaesthetic. Once again, Uri Geller is quick to comment.
Now, is it me, or does Uri Geller not seem to know. Now that the drugs problem has come out in the open, maybe he now feels he can talk about something that he didn’t want to at first. But, surely, as a friend and, if indeed he witnessed what he did, surely he’d have wanted to talk about this from the very beginning?
I guess there’s nothing like the flip-flopping views of a celebrity vying for their 5 minutes of spotlight.
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