One More Show in a Week: June 29th! (5th. Wednseday!)

FireFox 4– version 5 Out Very Soon!

Price Shopping Pitfalls: An example using shopper.com & nextag.com for a
$2500 Canon 5D MK2 Camera Body; More Examples using Airfares.

 INTERESTING– the Google Ad Words we use linked up to these…!

What's Pretexting? a type of social engineering

Media Quality– High Defintion & 3D use of the Inrernet- Example using Pink Floyd & CD=DDD SPARS Code

Live Instructional Stuff Tonight at 6PM Pacific Time: Photography by MAKE (Thanks, TS!)

First Person Video (FPV)- This is Weird. CHECK THIS VIDEO out chasing a train and
flying through a shed… then THIS!!!!

Additional notes

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart
They're tagged with #Zentech

Editor comments are delimited by < >

Paul noted that the Firefox browser is coming out in a new version: version 5. He said it looks like version 4, whose look & feel he doesn't care for. You can change some of it's appearance if you right-click on the tool bar (view -> customize on the Mac).

One thing Glenn doesn't like about version 4 of Firefox is that the tab bar is no longer directly above the webpage. Paul told him that there's a setting to put the tab bar back to its expected place. But Paul's peeve with version 4 is that it tries to open streaming audio within the browser rather than using an external application. He's continuing to look for a solution.

Talk turned to shopping on the internet. Paul went looking for a Canon 5D Mark 2 camera whose price seems to be around $2500. The 2 places he uses are shopper.com (owned by Cnet.com) & nextag.com. One retailer his search came up with had the camera for $1900 but he was suspicious.
– The link to Better Business Bureau didn't go anywhere.
– The transaction didn't use a secure connection.
– Looking up the domain name (the URL) showed the site was only 6 months old.
– He googled the domain name along with the word 'fraud'. That turned up sites with glowing ratings of 5 stars and subsequent comments claiming they used shady practices like bait and switch.

Commenting on consumer rights Glenn said, they can't charge you until the product is shipped, technically. Paul: they can't charge you without telling you they've substituted a similar product.

About that shady company, Paul said some of the complaints he saw said they sold some gray import products — products whose serial numbers are special and indicate they are not for the US market. You may have trouble getting warranty support.
In the end, Paul didn't order the camera.

More on consumer rights, Glenn said that if you receive the wrong product or it's not as advertised, you typically have 30 to 60 days to contest the purchase.
– Start by calling your credit card company.
– Then follow up in writing or use the card company's online forms.
– No matter how you've been treated, act reasonably — don't threaten.
– If you use a debit card, you don't have much protection at all. This applies to all transactions, not just when you order something.

Paul went on to talk about Google Adsense. The Zentech site has an affiliation with Google to show ads and earn a very modest amount when someone clicks on an ad. One of the ads Google provided was that for the shady company just talked about above. Paul said that under their agreement with Google, Zentech is not allowed to make any comments about the ads that are displayed. That company's ad didn't last long, anyway.

Paul talked about the quality of the media as it comes thru an internet connection. Youtube is increasingly carrying video in hi-def.
– You need a sustained bandwidth of about 3 or 4 megabits per sec (or faster) for hi-def.
– On a slower connection you can hit the pause button and let video load in the background. When it has downloaded, you can play the whole thing at once without it pausing.

Paul played Pink Floyd (link above) and noticed than when it was displayed in a 'windowed' mode (not full screen) the quality went down — the sound as well as the video. He played that Pink Floyd sample in different modes to illustrate.

Paul said that BluRay players are coming out with Ethernet ports and they can play Netflix video and render Youtube videos directly to TVs without the need of a computer.

Paul then talked about 3-letter code that used to be on CDs (the SPARS code, see above link)
– 1st letter indicates how the mastering was done — Analog or Digital.
– 2nd letter indicates how it was mixed — again, either A or D.
– 3rd letter indicates the medium. CDs will always have Digital.
– The lettering scheme has caused confusion as is being dropped.

Make Magazine (mentioned the past couple of shows here and here> produces live instructional videos (see the above link). There are many live video streams produced using a site called Ustream. It uses Flash, so no extra software is needed.

Next, Paul talked about FPV or 1st person video. An example is video from cameras attached to model aircraft which can be broadcast up to 10 miles. For an explanation & sample videos, see the above links.

Katherine called. She uses PowerPoint and had to upgrade from XP to Win7 when she bought a new computer. She's now having trouble using a newer version of PowerPoint.
– Glenn says he doesn't use the Office products a lot but always makes sure that the documents are saved in the Office 2003 format. That will allow people, who don't have the latest version of Office, to open the documents. Don't just rename the files but click the Windows logo in the upper left, then go down to options and change the default save mode to 2003. Repeat the procedure for each document type (Excel, Word, etc.).
– She asked specifically about having the "cool backgrounds" again. Glenn suggested she use the help facility and searching for the specific topic — 'background'.

Paul speculated that there's no compelling reason to use Win7 instead of WinXP. He invited listeners for comments.

Glenn had to reload XP on his computer from a source other than the original install disk and even though he used a legitimate product key number, he got the message that "we no longer sell XP you can't do this."

On a related topic, Paul said that the OEM copy of WinXP for the Dell computers is customized for the Dell line and would not ordinarily work on other brands. But, the installation process only checks for a Dell computer, not a particular model. So, it possible, for instance, to get rid of Vista on a recent Dell laptop by installing XP, using one of these OEM disks. But, you didn't hear that from anyone on the show — see the disclaimer below. Also, not all drivers are available for XP. In particular some video chips, Paul thinks, were especially made lacking drivers for XP so people would be forced to use Vista.

The disclaimer:
The views & opinions expressed on this show are not those of the staff, management, underwriters or board of directors.

Betsy called to say she's thinking about buying a HP laptop. The Word program on her current computer doesn't seem to be working right — drawing weird margins and prompting her to save templates.
– It's possible from long use that the templates and other files may have been compromised somehow.
– When you buy a new computer, any version of Word it comes with should not have the same problems.
– Try reinstalling from the original Office CD.
– Win7 will accept the installation of Office 2003, 2007 & 2011.
– Try OpenOffice <or Libre office> If you don't like it, OpenOffice does uninstall cleanly.
– Use Google Docs.
– If you're going to install an new word-processing or spreadsheet program, first uninstall the trial version of Office that comes with the new computer, after the trial period (or sooner if you like).
– Try creating a new document from scratch instead of recycling old .doc files.

Chris called to say he couldn't individually control the sounds coming from each application. This is one area where Win7 may have an advantage over WinXP.
– In Win7 the sound mixer will bring up the associated programs that have used it. <I assume it allows individual control for each app, too>
– Use a program called Cpuz <I guess this is it> to determine what kind of sound card you have and go their website to find out if they have a sound mixer that will give you the control you want.
– Listeners suggestions were invited.
– Searching the web, Glenn found that Mozilla Labs has a plugin that mutes tabs. It will only work in Firefox and not effect other applications.

Jeff called about the problem Betsy was having. He said the last paragraph marker in a Word file collects a lot of junk. He suggested she delete the last paragraph.

That reminded Paul that the Word document often has an undo list attached to it. The recipient of the document might be able to click the 'undo' button repeatedly to see what the sender had originally typed.

There are 2 Facebook groups of local interest, mentioned in the 5-25-11 show:
SierraMakers
Zentech

Larry called. He has an iMac that's a few years old and its keyboard keeps going dead. He has to unplug & plug it back in.
– Do your updates. There was a recent one for the keyboard controller.
– Try a different keyboard. It doesn't have to be an Apple, as long as it's USB.
– Blow out the keyboard with compressed air.
– There may be a keyboard test program for the Mac.
– Unplug the mouse from the keyboard & see if the problem goes away.

Glenn said he had purchased, but not yet received, a late 2008 or 2009 20" iMac.

Paul is moving 49gig of photos and said just because you have wireless doesn't mean it's the best way to do it. Use a cable instead, and don't forget to turn the wireless off or the machine will get confused.

Marilyn called with a problem in Google Docs. She said presentation is blurry until the download is complete.
– She's using a dialup connection so the behavior is normal.
– Try using Google Gears. It helps to cache the data and minimize the amount of data transfer. You'll even be able to work offline with what data you have and then Gears will synchronize when you go back online.

Remember, there'll be another Zentech show next Wednesday 6-29-11

Last Updated: 5:55 PM 6-24-2011 

Please check back around the time of the broadcast (See Clock at left!!)

How to dreamup a PROPER password

How are these fast moving infections getting onto your PC with Scareware Antivirus?

SoundCloud. Share and SEE sounds

100+ year od Lightbulb!!

Everyone is Going Cloud as Discreet Data & Apps VAnish

Fancy selling your digital images on a Stock Agency? See HERE for Free Software to manage this complex process

Inexpensive Refurbished Intel MACs , around $450.00 Thanks Bruce!

LINKEDIN.COM , first of the trilogy with Facebook, Twitter for SMM, now has a free iPhone App…

Use Google Public Domain Name Service alternative, and Why.

http://sierracommons.org/

Sync Google Calendar with Outlook

Additional notes

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart
They're tagged with #Zentech

Editor comments are delimited by < >

Today's show had a guest for the entire hour: Liam Ellerby

Paul mentioned DTMF, which is a method of generating the tones used by telephones when dialing a number. It stands for Dual-tone multi-frequency signaling.

Paul introduced Liam and implied his an association with Make Magazine. The magazine & the related Maker Fair (mentioned last week) are devoted to various do-it-yourself arts & crafts projects.

Liam talked about the recent Maker Fair and said that its producers are also involved with one of his favorite blogs: boingboing.net. He said the fair attendance was about 45,000.

Paul, who attended the fair, said there were many projects made out of precision-cut plywood, made possible by "almost affordable" laser cutters.
Liam said laser cutters are about $2100 and 3-D printers <mentioned in the last show> are $500 & up.

Paul said the Maker Fair also had 'funny bikes' made from reused materials.
Glenn jumped in to say he saw a bike at the fair with 6 or 7 wheels, none of which were of the same diameter.
Paul said one plywood bike had eccentric hubs and simulated a galloping horse, due to its uneven motion.

A local group devoted to the maker ethic is sierramakers.
Liam said they're working on a wiki to provide additional info.
An organization loosely associated with Makers is Sierra Commons, a local business incubator. See the above link.

The 2nd meeting of Sierra Makers is tonight at Liam's house; 7pm at 16064 Fay Road in Grass Valley, CA.
They'll be working on a mission statement, among other things. You can call for more info at 530-210-6040. There will be future meeting, if you can't make this one.

Paul went on to say that there was a popular exhibit at the Maker Fair involving used clothing & sewing. He also said there seemed to be cross pollination between the Maker Fair & Burning Man.

From the link above, a clip was played about creating a proper password.
Paul said Sony had account information of a huge number of clients stolen recently and that the passwords were in plain text <not encrypted>. So, even well chosen passwords were easily revealed.

Paul said that at one time, he tried to take audio of KVMR shows, record for their archives, and feed it to Dragon Naturally Speaking — a speech to text converter. He found it didn't work well at all.
Glenn then asked if there were similar programs for translating foreign speech, like Chinese, to other languages. Paul thought Chinese might be even easier than English because it's a tonal language and the syllables may be more easily recognized.
<Dragon Naturally Speaking was discussed in a previous show>

Paul said computers can be pretty good at recognizing tonal variations and compared that to music recognition software like Shazam for the iPhone.

Paul mentioned Sound Cloud where people can upload sounds such as music, and which shows the waveform of the sound on your screen. See the above link. Paul compared that to the voiceprints the police use to match suspects (obtained during interviews) to recordings such as phone calls for ransom demands.
<Another reason, I never thought of till now, for never talking to the police>

Liam was reminded of a Ruben's Tube. It's a tube of a few feet long with holes drilled in it at intervals and a flammable gas burning at the holes. When a sound is propagated thru the tube, the height of the flames indicates the wave in the tube.

Along a similar theme, Paul spoke highly of a German program called Melodyne, which decomposes music into its elements for editing.
Paul said it might only be for the Mac. <but you can get it for the PC too. Trial version here>

Liam said musical instruments were popular projects at the Maker Fair and mentioned one where a man in a Faraday suit, to protect himself, controlled the lightning bolts of a Tesla coil which he controlled by playing a guitar.

As mentioned on the last show, pictures from the Maker Fair were posted on the sierramakers facebook page.

Glenn said he got an email directing people the makezine.com. The second item on the page is for Make Live Episode 10 covering 5 Maker spaces around the country.

Paul mentione a Maker venue in Oakland called The Crucible.

Rick called from Marysville. His service provider is AT&T and they recently changed the way he can enter the website address he wants to navigate to. He wants to return to the familiar configuration. <It sounded like he no longer has an address bar. He wasn't at his machine to follow the suggestions interactively.>
– Glenn explained how to set up a home page. Enter the desired site as the address, then go to menu and click edit -> preference or possibly tools -> options and select an option that says something like "use current page as the home page".
– Try using Internet Explorer instead of the AT&T browser.
– Use a different browser like Firefox — it's free.
– Use the down arrow next to the address bar to show you the recent sites you've visited. It's a simple way of returning to them.
– Paul said people often take a picture of their screen while it's showing a error and send the picture to the guys. <the "prt scr" key might be useful in this case>. You may also turn your web camera around and point it at the screen.

Paul talked of refurbished iMacs of 2006 & 2007 vintage from geeks.com for about $400. See the above link. Be sure they're Intel Macs not G5 or G4 models. These older models don't cope with the latest version the Flash animator.
Other places to find used computers: buy.com, amazon.com & overstock.com (overstock has low or no shipping charges).

Paul mentioned that you can only legitimately get Windows XP on used or refurbished machines like the Dell Optiplex. Glenn said he just got a HP machine with 2gig RAM & DVD burner for $180 at geeks.com.
The guys concur that used/refurbished is usually the best way to go: the failure rates are not disproportionally high.

Liam suggested the best way to find solutions for computer errors is thru Google. Quote verbatim the error code into the Google search bar to quickly find solutions.

The guys gave some tips for searching on Google:
– To take advantage of Google's search suggestions, type the more common search words first & least common last.
– Try to limit yourself to 4 or 5 search words, and try to make them unusual words.
– Use search filters like allinurl: inurl: & site: <E.g. if you know the word is in a URL type inurl:theword and you'll find the URLs containing theword.> If there's more than one word in the URL, use the allinurl: filter.
– If you're trying to find something at a particular site, use site: <as in site:thesite.com [followed by the words to search for]>. You'll often get better results this way than by going to the website and using their own search facilities.

Mark called to take issue with the guys suggesting Mozilla's Firefox browser, he seems to like Chrome.

He also asked the guys if they've heard of Google's personalized search results. Google builds a profile of you and gives search results based on what it thinks you're after. Paul said Google already knows something about you based on the IP address you're using — it knows, in general, what part of the country you're in. If you're worried about it just delete your cookies.

In regard to that, Paul again mentioned persistent cookies, which were discussed a couple of shows back.

Then Mark asked about search engines other than Google, to avoid the biased results.
– You can use an anonymizer.
– Liam said, as you're search needs get more refined, you may find you're using Google less and you may start using directories, which are compiled by humans. Liam seems to like the directory dmoz.org
– Use Google to find other search engines. In the search bar type in your search subject followed by the words search engine.

Remember, there's a 5th Wednesday this month so there'll be an extra Zentech show.

Last updated: 9:12 PM 6-8-2011 

TAlking today about FB Groups

 in FB, simply "search" for the word "Groups" and use the "GRoups.App" to see what Grops you are in & to create one and Test It Out.

See 2 new FB Groups:

SierraMakers and ZenTech

 Arduino– Inexpensive micro controller

Additional notes

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart
They're tagged with #Zentech

Editor comments are delimited by < >

Paul was in the studio & Glenn called in from Sacramento

Paul opened the show by noting that Chamba Lane, a KVMR broadcaster, had died. You can find out more on KVMR's front page or here.

About 30 years ago, Paul was into flying model airplanes. Initially they were of the powered variety but he then moved on to glider craft. He recently returned to that hobby and bought a model glider for about $120.
You can find similar products on Ebay

Pledge drive is still going on. To become a member visit the front page of KVMR.

The disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed on this show are those of the speakers only and not necessarily those of KVMR, its board, staff or contributors.

A recent survey of internet users found the most used portal pages — pages where people go first. They are, in order, Google, Youtube closely followed by Facebook.

There is a small but growing section of Youtube devoted to 3-D video, the kind requiring the red/green glasses. You can make them from cellophane candy wrappers but you have to make sure to use the correct color for each eye. Paul said there are about 6000 stereo videos on Youtube now.
<I think he meant traditional red/blue anaglyphic glasses, But maybe they are using green now. I dunno>

Facebook searches are different from those of Google. They tend to be "peer reviewed" — they are based on what other people find useful and are facilitated by the formation of groups.

Anyone can form a Facebook group, usually addressing a special interest. There's a group for KVMR. It notifies its members of events regarding the station.
Paul said it's easy to create a group.
– To create a group you have to login to your account first.
– Search for the word groups.
– The first thing you'll find is the groups app (or application).
– Click the button called "Add Group".
– You have to add at least 1 person to make it a valid group.
– Pick a short but descriptive name for the group.
– You can then upload a profile picture. E.g. a group devoted to recycling might have a garbage can picture to identify itself.
– Then there's button to add members to the group. Be thoughtful in its use as not everyone is going to be interested in your project. It would be better to make a wall posting on your personal page to notify your "friends" of the group and inviting them to join.

Paul formed a group for Zentech. He said Facebook postings are more spontaneous than those on KVMR's Zentech site. See the above link.

The other group he mentioned is SierraMakers. Its links is also near the top of this page and it has information about the Maker Fair.

There's The Maker Magazine produced by Tim O'Reilly. It's like a hobby magazine and it was shortly followed by expositions where people share their projects in the venue of a fair: a maker fair. Paul posted some photos, which he took at the Maker Fair last weekend in San Mateo, on the SierraMakers group.

At this point Paul received Glenn's phone call and they talked a bit more about the Maker Fair, which Glenn also attended.

Going back to Facebook groups, Paul said the groups have chat & email functions. These features have been implemented recently.

Continuing with the Maker Fair, Paul mentioned the giant exhibit of Tesla coils and the resulting sparks that moved in time to music. Other exhibits were tiny as the one with the world's simplest electric motor consisting of a bent copper wire, battery, a disk washer and 2 magnets.

Then Glenn talked about an exhibit that taught people how to solder. With some help, he made a microprocessor-controlled flashing lapel pin.

A microprocessor often found at the Maker Fair is the Arduino. It's powered by a USB connection and can be programmed. With it you can build projects to turn lights on & off, open & close curtains and doors, etc. Paul said it costs $20 to $30.   There's a link to Arduino up above.  

Glenn then talked about the 3-D printers at the Maker Fair. There was one kit for just over $1000 that you can put together in about 12 hours. If you bought a unit they would take a 3-D picture of you so you can make a sculpture of yourself when you eventually get the printer.

Jeff called about the radio controlled planes Paul talked about earlier. He too used to fly them long ago and he wondered if the old radio frequencies still work, considering that the government has been reallocating the radio spectrum.
– Yes, they still work. The least expensive model planes use 27 megaHertz, which is in the CB band.
– More modern and expensive models use the 2.4 gigaHertz band. This band has greater range and is less prone to interference.

Paul added that current electric motor technology is much more efficient than it was in the past and is more suitable for electric-powered model aircraft. He also mentioned frankin-planes where people salvage motors & control equipment from model planes and attach them to scrap pieces of wood or polystyrene and fly those — flying garbage. He said there are some Youtube videos of such contraptions.

Paul has seen some viruses get thru Microsoft Security Essentials, talked about during the last show. <In those notes I included links to some articles about Security Essentials>
– Paul reiterated that he's not recommending any particular anti-virus software. None of the programs are 100% effective, as noted in the earlier show.
– Again Glenn warned about malicious links in email. Be sure of the source of the email and that the links in the mail are relevant to the context of the email and not just some random or unexpected link. Just because you have anti-virus software doesn't mean you can click on links irresponsibly.
– You may get warnings saying, for instance, that you need to update Flash. If you do, close it and go to PluginCheck <Also mentioned in the previous show> to find out if you really need to update.
– Though in the past, the Mac has been relatively safe from malware, in the last 10 days there has been some malware showing up. Since the Mac won't install anything without your permission, you have to be careful not to be falsely convinced to grant that permission.
– Beware of social engineering where, for instance, you get an fake email from your bank saying your security has been breached & you must send them your username & password. Don't do it, call your bank instead.
– A survey found Mac users are more prone to trust phishing links.
An article on recent malware attack:
5 ways to stay safe from fake anti-virus malware attack on Macintosh

Daniel called. He got a new computer with Office 2010 but has trouble opening an Excel spreadsheet — it opens up blank.
– Get the latest Microsoft updates for Windows; look for "windows update" or "microsoft update". Win7 keeps changing where it is: try the Start menu or control panel or Internet Explorer -> tools. Keep requesting updates till there aren't anymore.
– If that doesn't solve the problem, call Microsoft for help.
– In Paul's opinion Office 2003 may be a better option; you can use it on a newer machine.
– Glenn recommended saving spreadsheets (and other documents) in 2003 format so others, who don't have the latest version of Office, will have an easier time opening them.
– Those who don't have any version of Office or a version that can't open the newer document formats, you can use Google Docs. Upload the document to Google Docs & view or edit it there.
– Paul doesn't recommend getting a compatibility pack that allows users of older versions of Office to load/edit the newer document formats. He said he's seen it crash Office.

Theresa called. When using the Firefox browser to view Google, the print is too large.
– Hold the Control key & tap the – (minus) key to make it smaller.
She tried it but it didn't work
– Use the View menu at the top then -> Zoom -> reset
She said that worked.

Last Updated 4:28 PM 5/27/2011

Moon Phase, SunRise, Sunset, you name it! Personalise it.
http://www.sunrisesunset.com   Thanks Terry S.

NEW Pandora COMEDY CHANNEL

Privacy & Informed Consent Issues in Computer Rental – and in general…

Everlasting Cookies!

Hackintoch: Boot a native MAC Operating ssytem on non Apple hardware

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart
They're tagged with #Zentech

Editor comments are delimited by < >

Paul said if you want to know what podcast are, open your iTunes program, go to the iTunes store and search for podcasts. They are time-shifted recordings that you can download or subscribe to and listen to at your convenience.

A humorous podcast from RadioLab about the afterlife was played. It was dedicated to Chamba Lane.
Chamba Lane, a KVMR broadcaster, has lung cancer; learn more at front page kvmr.org
More on Chamba's condition and on sending him your kind thoughts
…click here:

Some other podcast can be found at The Moth.

There's a way of using iTunes store without giving a credit card number.
<I did a brief search and found instructions here.>
Paul only ever bought 2 apps at iTunes: Angry Birds & Photoshopadelic. There's more about Photoshopadelic on his Facebook page.

Glenn said he has some photos on his Facebook page, including some of Chamba Lane.

Paul mentioned the LeafSnap iPhone App. identifies leaves by their shape
See the above link. He said it doesn't work on his iPhone 3G; you need a 3GS. And, he said, it favors leaves from the Eastern part of the US.

That reminded Glenn of the app Shazam that recognizes music played into your iPhone and tells you what it is. He said it should work even if you sing or hum the tune.

Pandora has a comedy channel where you can find content by Robin Williams or Steven Wright, etc. See the above link.

Google is launching a cloud-based music service. You'll be able to upload your music and then listen to it on other devices. It's in beta now and if you have a Gmail account you can request access. Further info at Music Beta by Google.

Paul talked about how Google does things by brute force, using the processing power and storage available to it. For example, its language translation service doesn't use semantic parsing but, instead, compares the input against all documents available to it that have a phrase similar to the input.

Glenn said he used to work for Xerox in the '80s & into the '90s, and their huge water-cooled computer didn't have the processing power he now has in his iPhone.

Paul went on to say that Amazon, Ebay and Google are among the larger companies moving toward cloud computing.
As a result, storage, processing and bandwidth have become commodities similar to the old days of mainframe computers. The mainframes used to be what the cloud is now and the terminals were what our home computers are now.

Paul mentioned a fact-checking site and gas prices in particular. See the above link. He also observed that the difference in pump prices seem to be smaller now than in the past.

Dave called to say he's found university courses on iTunes located at iTunes University. All sorts of topics are available and you can start exploring here.

Paul said MIT pioneered the idea of putting textbooks online rather than printing only a handful at a time.
<I've found MIT's Open Courseware very interesting and you can download the lectures directly — no iTunes needed>

Dave also said there's an app to view twit.tv, which has technology information and news podcasts. <I think you can get it live too — http://live.twit.tv>

Dave then asked for a good drawing app for the iPad. Not having an iPad himself, Paul asked listeners for suggestions. So far, Dave's tried Art Studio and Inkpad.

Finally, Dave highly recommended Garage Band for the iPad — even if you're not a musician.

Paul mentioned another of his favorite sites, rsanimate by the British Royal Society for Arts. The videos there deal with such things as "the making of stuff, where stuff goes, how we communicate and how the world is changing".
<googling rsanimate I get these results.>

Lisa called to say she likes AVG and would like to continue using it, but for the 2nd time in about a year she has a virus. It's one of those viruses that try to sell an anti-virus program, and it also keeps AVG from running.
– All anti-virus programs will fail. They're about 95% effective because virus are created faster than the anti-virus programs are updated, so some viruses sneak by.
– The guys "suggest" (not necessarily recommend) using Microsoft Security Essentials. It's a free download and a good alternative to AVG.
– As a defense against infection, Glenn said, it's ok to open an email but don't click on any links it may contain — even if the email is from a friend.
– Do a proactive check of the plugins used by your browser. Viruses can get in thru outdated browser plugins. Do a google search on the word — PuginCheck.
<I found something at Mozilla. I wonder if this is what Paul was talking about>
<see also:
Mozilla expands plug-in check to other browsers>

< articles about Microsoft Security Essentials:
Microsoft Security Essentials: Free, so what's the catch?
Warning: Microsoft Security Essentials installer zaps Automatic Updates setting
Microsoft's Security Essentials scores 'very good' with independent tester>

<Test results comparing various anti-virus programs>

Paul went on to talk about indestructible cookies. See the above link. <What is a cookie>
Though cookies set in the browser are easy to clear, there are other places where they can be stored and where it's hard to get rid of them.
<E.g. you can learn about Flash (or zombie) cookies here.>

Michael called to say his 9-year-old computer lost the CD drive. He gets the error: "Window successfully loaded the device driver, however it cannot find the device. Code 41"
– Do a Google search for "code 41".
– Check the connectors to the drive.
Michael said further symptoms are when he puts a CD in it, the light blinks but it doesn't spin.
– So then it could be an electrical outage.
– It may be a bad CD drive.
– The age of the computer indicates he has a PATA drive (not a SATA) so be sure to get the right kind.
-SATA drives are getting to be hard to find and you may have to go to Ebay to get one.
– The 2 things you don't want to get as used: CD drives & laptop batteries.
– Get an external (USB) DVD burner instead of an internal CD drive.

Michael also broke the screen of his mp3 player. Though he's bought a new one, he still wondered how to go about fixing the old one.
– Go on Ebay and use the model number and the word "screen" as search terms to find a replacement.

Tim called. His daughter's computer got a virus and lost the wireless & Ethernet connections for just one of the user profiles.
– Start it up in safe mode by holding down the F8 key while booting. You can then run AVG in safe mode. This also applies to the previous caller Lisa.
– After scanning with AVG, create another profile and bring the data over to it.
– Glenn suggested using MalwareBytes in addition to AVG.

Test results comparing various anti-virus programs

Paul went on to talk about running the Apple operating system on non-Apple hardware using Iboot (see the above link)
– It doesn't work with AMD processors, only Intel.
– It works only on certain machines and only with certain attached hardware (like video cards).
– Paul used it briefly with success.
– You first put it on a CD then boot from the CD. At that point it will ask for a disk of the genuine Apple OS. It doesn't crack the Apple OS but provides the interface between it and your hardware. It makes your hardware look like Apple's.
– Paul doesn't recommend using it in a business. You should start with an empty hard drive — if you use your Windows boot hard drive, you may lose everything. This is for experimenting only and "you didn't hear it from us"…

The disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed on this show are those of just Glenn and I and are not necessarily those of KVMR's board of directors staff or anyone else.

Marilyn wrote in to ask if Microsoft Security Essentials & AVG can coexist.
– No. Uninstall AVG. Then install Essentials and go online to let it do its updates.

Gary called to say Avast is another good anti-virus program.
He also offered to give Michael (a previous caller) a CD burner.

Last Updated:9:35 PM 8/14/2014
(corrected typo: Marylin to Marilyn)

Another SuperPad!

Additional notes….

Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart
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Paul & Adam Brodel (of Smarter Broadband) did the broadcast from London; Glenn called in from Sacramento.

Red Laser for the iPad or iPhone is an app that lets you scan a product's barcode, using the camera, and find the best price. You can use it in stores that have a price match guaranty to get the best bargain. Note that the original iPad didn't have a camera, only the latest version does.

The bigger retailers have product models that differ slightly in their names. Costco might have an Office Jet 6300AE and Fry's might have an Office Jet 6300FE, for example. This makes it difficult to argue they're the same printer, for a price match guaranty, even though they are.

There are a lot of tablet computers, based on the Android operating system, coming on the market in competition with the iPad. Paul saw one called Superpad with a 10" display for $179. Among its features are HDMI output (for video), USB ports (you can hook up an external keyboard & mouse) and Wi-Fi. See the above link. Paul said he's heard that its gesture-based operating system is not as slick as the iPad's because the unit is a bit under powered — its processor runs at 1 gigaHertz.
However, Paul was impressed enough to order one.

Adam talked about his favorite apps. He likes Evernote for jotting down your thoughts. It runs on the PC, Android & iPhone. It also synchs back to a server. You can get it for free at evernote.com or pay to get more features.

Paul said the Apple iPad & iPhone run on proprietary hardware so the operating system can run only on those devices. But the Android operating system can be used in a range of hardware.
  Glenn jumped in to say, apps for Android can be specific to the type of device — e.g. apps with phone features won't work on a netbook, as he found out when he bought the Coby (mentioned here and here). Paul then said that Android version 3 will come in 2 flavors — one for cell phones and the other for devices that don't have a cell phone onboard.

Paul said he uses Cnet to read product reviews. Google the words: cnet superpad, to get reviews for it.
Also regarding SuperPad, Paul said it can be hacked to death by putting the Linux operating system on it.

Paul related the story of how the developers of the Blackberry, at the launch of the iPhone, wondered how it could run longer than half an hour. They got one & opened it up to find that it was mostly battery.

Glenn gave us an update on his project to take apart his iPhone 2G, mentioned in the last show. He had put it together wrong — cables he thought worked just by contact had to actually be plugged in. Doing so got his screen working.
The screen he bought for it has some bad pixels and Paul said that there's a little-know rating system for screens based on how many pixels are bad.
Glenn went on to say the capacitive touch screen still doesn't work and he'll be taking another look at that.
He said the got a 3GS iPhone and appreciates the faster speed. He intends to use the 2G during his international travels.

Paul told a story of when he lived in Japan and he had a colleague who's job was to order various chips from the U.S. and slice them very thinly in a device similar to a biologist's microtome. He would then take photos of the layers to document how the chip was made.

Continuing with his favorite apps, Adam mentioned Dropbox. On the PC you can have folders containing files you want to share. You can share them with other computers (and other users) or the iPad, etc. The folders automatically synch between the devices. The free version gives you 2 gigs of storage and you get extra storage when others share with you. Mobile platforms supported include iPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPad; that's in addition to the PC & Mac computers.
Adam said he doesn't like the idea that others can delete files from a shared folder, but thankfully there is a way to recover a file on the Dropbox website.

Paul said that Google Docs allows you to store files. You can do that with an app you run on your computer — you don't have to use the web interface. The app called Cyber Duck <I think this is for the iPhone> <This page has some info, I can't vouch for this site> can save & retrieve files in Google Docs. For the PC & Mac try the version of Cyber Duck here <again, I can't vouch for this site>. Those with unlocked iPhones can check Cydia for other apps.

Size limits for Google Docs

Paul mentioned his favorite apps for the iPhone & iPad. One is for Ebay and the other for Craig's List that works better than the website itself.

Adam did a search for Google mobile apps and it said to type m.google.com into your phone's browser and you'll be told what's available.

Paul said if people are struggling with the Yahoo site, especially those using dialup and mobile devices. try using the address m.yahoo.com instead of yahoo.com. That bypasses the code-ladened Javascript and gives you a faster browsing experience.

Glenn mentioned that Adam is with smarterbroadband.com and that he was on the phone a few weeks ago talking about the options for an internet provider in the Nevada City area. A previous show discussed the limits providers are starting to place on the total amount of data you can get for your subscription. Adam said this is mostly due to all of the streaming video people are watching. He said there's only so much data that can travel on the infrastructure and people watching a lot of video, especially high definition, hog too much of the bandwidth and make the connection slow for others with whom they share the connection.

Paul used to "be part of" a service provider when dialup was popular and, he said, between 2% & 5% of the users used 90% of the resources. He said it's called the "tragedy of the commons" — "what appears to be free and commonly available doesn't, necessarily, imply limitless".

Glenn asked Adam if there are new technologies on the horizon that will give us more bandwidth. Adam said there may be marginal improvement with wireless or copper but the only significant improvement will come from fiber optics.

Paul said AT&T Uverse is a service that's trying to compete with Netflix
Glenn said Uverse is more than that — it also competes with cable TV.
Adam said Uverse uses ADSL2 which Paul thinks is about 10 megaBits per second. To get the faster speeds the consumer has to be closer to the distribution point so rural users may get left out.
Paul said satellite is still an option and its offerings are getting better, but it's still iffy. <A previous show mentioned satellite service>

Carrie called about DVD labeling. She's heard that the adhesive can come off while in the player and wondered what other choices she may have.
– You can get an inkjet printer with a special holder that allows you to print directly onto the DVD. You have to use special DVDs that are made to absorb the ink — you can't print to just any DVD. There's one such printer made by Epson.
– Glenn said most DVD burners you buy today have what's called 'lightscribe' and, again using special disks that can burn the image into the disk.
– Paul's non-professional solution is to write on the DVD using a Sharpie pen.

Scott called with a suggestion for Carrie. If you have your design ready to go, you can take it to a shop & have it silk-screened on DVDs. He said much of the cost is in the design of the label. Using a service, the marginal cost goes down with a higher number of DVDs produced.

Melody called to say she's a happy customer of Smarter Broadband. The best way to reach Adam is to email him.

The disclaimer: "The views and opinions expressed on this show are those of the speakers only and they don't represent anything remotely connected to KVMR its board, staff or contributors, so when we're wrong, it's us".

Glenn thanked the loyal supporters and invited the listeners to become subscribing members. <See " 3 Ways you can Join KVMR" near the bottom of the page at kvmr.org>

At kvmr.org there's a link to past shows called 'podcasting' where you can find some of the previously broadcast show.
Or you can go to the KVMR schedule page and click on the show of interest.

Last updated: 11:55 PM 4-28-2011