Today (or tomorow..maybe yesterday, I'm not really sure) marks the 1 year anniversary for Teh Post !
Woot !
Teh Post has come a long way. The first version of Teh Post used the standard lame-o blogger templates. Now Teh Post boast features almost no other web sites have (look closely).
The very first post on Teh Post was about how a major web masters forum was cheating digg. Since then I've covered Opera, Linux, Windows, Grub, Enemy Territory, AdSense, Nvidia tweaks, a previously reported botnet (!), Wordpress, Firefox, Xubuntu, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Windows Live Spaces, Cricket (the cell phone company), MySpace, Web 2.0, Internet Explorer 6, Security, Motorola Hacking, Ad-Aware, Gnome, Cingular, Blogger and maybe a few other things I've over looked.
It's nice to have passed the year mark, many blogs and web sites never make it this long. I read once that the average life span for a blog is 9 months, I'm a full 3 months a head of the game !
Teh Post has strived to bring you consice, reliable and important information. I'm not in the business of posting crap everyday just to put new info out there or to keep up with the Jone's.
Many of the post here cover problems I actually had myself and then tracked down the solution for. Although a lot of my information can be found at other web sites I try to keep things short and to the point. There is nothing I hate more than going to a site to get some info for a fix only to find five some odd pages of unimportant crap.
After this one year of service I'd like to ask a question of you my visitors. Why don't yall ever leave me some comment love ?
Cheers and I look forward to another (more exciting) year. Keep an eye open for Teh Post in a news article near you ;)
Sincerely,
Management
ps. Get back to work, you're not being paid to believe in the power of your dreams.
;)
About technology
Friday, June 22, 2007
Web Design & Font Size aka Don't use small fonts retard
Many web masters seem painfully unaware of any news that doesn't come from digg, their favorite web master forum or some other social bookmarking site.
I've read two studies that show web browsing has become the new favorite hobby for many retired people. This isn't noticed by most web designers (or other people in general) because another study showed that older people (retired age) were less likely to interact when on the net. In the event they do "interact" there is a decent chance they are choosing to interact with people in their age range to avoid all the lame teenagers on the internet who "know it all".
Short version : there are lots of old people on the net but they aren't interacting
What does it all mean ?
This is the part that really gets me. I'm in my mid twenties and I run across sites all the time that use a 9px font for regular text. Are you retarded ? I have excellent vision and even I have trouble reading fonts this small. Furthermore, even if I can read it what makes anyone think I want to read 9px font for hours on end ?
Web masters do this in order to cram more content on the page for one reason or another. But in most cases they end up loosing visitors because the font is so stupidly small. Before anyone leaves me a comment saying "oh but duh you can resize the font doing XYZ". Guess what, not everyone knows that. Do you think your grandma knows that ? There is a good chance she doesn't. On top of that there are many web pages that have fixed sized fonts, they can't be enlarged. Why people engage in this level of stupidity is beyond me.
Short version : Hey web masters, make your fonts bigger and make them re-sizable. No one wants to read whatever it is your writing on a 9px font.
FYI : In firefox you can resize fonts by holding down the CTRL key and scrolling the mouse wheel (towards you for bigger, away for smaller). Also you can hold CTRL and press the + key. In IE I think you can go to View -> Font Size.
I've read two studies that show web browsing has become the new favorite hobby for many retired people. This isn't noticed by most web designers (or other people in general) because another study showed that older people (retired age) were less likely to interact when on the net. In the event they do "interact" there is a decent chance they are choosing to interact with people in their age range to avoid all the lame teenagers on the internet who "know it all".
Short version : there are lots of old people on the net but they aren't interacting
What does it all mean ?
This is the part that really gets me. I'm in my mid twenties and I run across sites all the time that use a 9px font for regular text. Are you retarded ? I have excellent vision and even I have trouble reading fonts this small. Furthermore, even if I can read it what makes anyone think I want to read 9px font for hours on end ?
Web masters do this in order to cram more content on the page for one reason or another. But in most cases they end up loosing visitors because the font is so stupidly small. Before anyone leaves me a comment saying "oh but duh you can resize the font doing XYZ". Guess what, not everyone knows that. Do you think your grandma knows that ? There is a good chance she doesn't. On top of that there are many web pages that have fixed sized fonts, they can't be enlarged. Why people engage in this level of stupidity is beyond me.
Short version : Hey web masters, make your fonts bigger and make them re-sizable. No one wants to read whatever it is your writing on a 9px font.
FYI : In firefox you can resize fonts by holding down the CTRL key and scrolling the mouse wheel (towards you for bigger, away for smaller). Also you can hold CTRL and press the + key. In IE I think you can go to View -> Font Size.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
US Gov GPO site hacked ?
Can anyone explain this picture ?
Hoodia is an ingredient which many diet pill companies claim will cause weight loss. I was searching the net for information .gov sites had about hoodia and came across this.
How did a .gov site end up with a "buy-hoodia" type spam site attached to it ?
gpo.gov belongs to the U.S. Government Printing Office
purl.access.gpo.gov belongs to the U.S. Government Printing Office's PURL Information Page
What is a "PURL" ?, from the PURL FAQ :
1.1 What does PURL stand for?
PURL stands for "Persistent Uniform Resource Locator."
1.2 What is a PURL?
Functionally, a PURL is a URL.
Instead of pointing directly to the location of an Internet resource, a PURL points to an intermediate resolution service. The resolution service associates the PURL with the actual URL and returns that URL to the client, which can then complete the transaction in the normal fashion.
Any ideas ?
Hoodia is an ingredient which many diet pill companies claim will cause weight loss. I was searching the net for information .gov sites had about hoodia and came across this.
How did a .gov site end up with a "buy-hoodia" type spam site attached to it ?
gpo.gov belongs to the U.S. Government Printing Office
purl.access.gpo.gov belongs to the U.S. Government Printing Office's PURL Information Page
What is a "PURL" ?, from the PURL FAQ :
1.1 What does PURL stand for?
PURL stands for "Persistent Uniform Resource Locator."
1.2 What is a PURL?
Functionally, a PURL is a URL.
Instead of pointing directly to the location of an Internet resource, a PURL points to an intermediate resolution service. The resolution service associates the PURL with the actual URL and returns that URL to the client, which can then complete the transaction in the normal fashion.
Any ideas ?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Opera : Change the default search engine
Here is an easy way to change the default search engine Opera uses.
1. Open C:\Program Files\Opera\search.ini
2. Find the search engine you want as the cut it's block of code excluding the stuff inside the brackets []
3. Past that code under [Search Engine 1] at the top.
4. Move the original code from [Search Engine 1] to where ever to cut the code from in step two.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Wordpress line break issue (<br /> , <br> & <p>)
So your awesome new Wordpress blog isn't doing line breaks (returns/blank lines) like it should after paragraphs and you need answers fast.
A "line break" is simply a blank line between sentences or paragraphs (much like the space between this sentence and the one above it).
I had this problem for about a week and it drove me crazy, I was sure it was a Wordpress problem until I discovered it was actually an issue with my theme.
Here are the symptoms ... These tags will not cause line breaks (returns) as they should :
<br />
<br>
<p>
</p>
Look inside your Wordpress theme css file and see if you can find something like this :
If you do try removing it (only after making a backup of the code) and see if that works.
I had two instance of that type of code which was controlling how my post looked. After I removed the above type of code everything worked like a charm.
A "line break" is simply a blank line between sentences or paragraphs (much like the space between this sentence and the one above it).
I had this problem for about a week and it drove me crazy, I was sure it was a Wordpress problem until I discovered it was actually an issue with my theme.
Here are the symptoms ... These tags will not cause line breaks (returns) as they should :
<br />
<br>
<p>
</p>
Look inside your Wordpress theme css file and see if you can find something like this :
p {
margin:0px;
padding:0px;
}
If you do try removing it (only after making a backup of the code) and see if that works.
I had two instance of that type of code which was controlling how my post looked. After I removed the above type of code everything worked like a charm.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Ad-Aware update error
When you try to download an update for Ad-aware do you get an error that says, The downloaded definitions file could not be read, please update again ?
If so you've come to the right place !
The fix is very simple, do the following :
The cause of this issue is that when Ad-Aware installs it does not grant you full control rights over the folder the program and definition file live in.
So when you try to download an update Ad-Aware tries to modify the definition files and Windows does not allow this so Ad-Aware generates an error.
The irony of it all is that Ad-Aware is the cause of it's own error due to it improperly setting the permissions on the folder it lives in.
If so you've come to the right place !
The fix is very simple, do the following :
- Open My Computer
- Open the C: drive
- Open the Program Files folder
- Open the Lavasoft folder
- Right click the Ad-Aware folder and chose properties at the bottom
- Click the middle tab at the top called security
- Place a check in the box for Full control
- Click ok
The cause of this issue is that when Ad-Aware installs it does not grant you full control rights over the folder the program and definition file live in.
So when you try to download an update Ad-Aware tries to modify the definition files and Windows does not allow this so Ad-Aware generates an error.
The irony of it all is that Ad-Aware is the cause of it's own error due to it improperly setting the permissions on the folder it lives in.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Wikipedia
Taste great less filling
Do you remember your thoughts upon finding out anyone could edit Wikipedia ? I do.
I thought it was lame and didn't consider it a credible source. I didn't like the idea at all.
Over the years I've come to appreciate Wikipedia and use it daily.
However recently while researching a large and sometimes corrupt corporation I decided to have a look at its Wikipedia page.
To my surprise the words "fraud" ,"Enron" and "WorldCom" aren't even on the page.
This is extremely significant.
Those three words play a major part of this companies history and the history of the United States. For these events to be "missing" is beyond the pale.
What it all means
Sometimes Wikipedia is awesome and sometimes it's not.
Do you know enough to be able to tell the difference ?
Next time you're reading at Wikipedia ask yourself this question,
note : Did you hear the one about the guy on Wikipedia pretending to be a professor of theology ? Click here.
Do you remember your thoughts upon finding out anyone could edit Wikipedia ? I do.
I thought it was lame and didn't consider it a credible source. I didn't like the idea at all.
Over the years I've come to appreciate Wikipedia and use it daily.
However recently while researching a large and sometimes corrupt corporation I decided to have a look at its Wikipedia page.
To my surprise the words "fraud" ,"Enron" and "WorldCom" aren't even on the page.
This is extremely significant.
Those three words play a major part of this companies history and the history of the United States. For these events to be "missing" is beyond the pale.
What it all means
Sometimes Wikipedia is awesome and sometimes it's not.
Do you know enough to be able to tell the difference ?
Next time you're reading at Wikipedia ask yourself this question,
"am I informed enough on this subject to be able to spot errors or realize information is missing ?"
note : Did you hear the one about the guy on Wikipedia pretending to be a professor of theology ? Click here.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
The cost of distributed computing projects like SETI and Folding at Home
Wonder no more how much it cost to run SETI, Folding at Home or the other distributed computing projects. With the help of a simple yet powerful tool we can unlock the secret mystery out of how much F@H cost you.
Let's say you run BOINC at 100% CPU usage. By looking up you PC model number, looking in the manual or looking on the back of your power supply you should be able to find the maximum number of watts the power supply is capable of using.
watts per hour * hours per day * days / 1000 * Cost Per kW = $ Total Cost
kW = kilowatt, 1 kW is equal to 1,000 watts
This computers power supply is says it uses 240 watts per hour max and right now a kW cost about 15 cents.
So the cost of F@H for 22 hours a day, 350 days out of the year :
240 * 22 * 350 / 1000 * .15 = $277.20 per year (not including taxes and fees)
Or to run BOINC at 100 percent CPU usage 24 hours a day for this month (March) :
240 * 24 * 31 / 1000 * .15 = $26.78
Personally I have Folding at Home set to only use 11% of the CPU and BOINC set to use 10%. I don't want the PC working hard all the time nor do I want to hear the fan running all the time trying to cool the CPU down.
Running distributed computing programs at low settings lets me keep the energy cost down, keep the noise levels down and keep the amount of heat from the PC to a minimum.
- Please let me know if my math is wrong :)
Let's say you run BOINC at 100% CPU usage. By looking up you PC model number, looking in the manual or looking on the back of your power supply you should be able to find the maximum number of watts the power supply is capable of using.
watts per hour * hours per day * days / 1000 * Cost Per kW = $ Total Cost
kW = kilowatt, 1 kW is equal to 1,000 watts
This computers power supply is says it uses 240 watts per hour max and right now a kW cost about 15 cents.
So the cost of F@H for 22 hours a day, 350 days out of the year :
240 * 22 * 350 / 1000 * .15 = $277.20 per year (not including taxes and fees)
Or to run BOINC at 100 percent CPU usage 24 hours a day for this month (March) :
240 * 24 * 31 / 1000 * .15 = $26.78
Personally I have Folding at Home set to only use 11% of the CPU and BOINC set to use 10%. I don't want the PC working hard all the time nor do I want to hear the fan running all the time trying to cool the CPU down.
Running distributed computing programs at low settings lets me keep the energy cost down, keep the noise levels down and keep the amount of heat from the PC to a minimum.
- Please let me know if my math is wrong :)
Monday, February 12, 2007
Grub : Booting Windows XP Using Grub
This is how I boot Windows XP via Grub which was installed by the Kubuntu 6.10 CD
Added this entry to the end of the file /boot/grub/menu.lst :
title Microsoft Windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
root (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
I'm told the map commands make Windows think it's the first hard drive (hd0). There are several variations of this command if this doesn't work for you.
You'll want to replace the bold values with your own settings which you should be able to see via "fdisk -l".
hd0 = first hard drive
hd1 = second hard drive
hd1,0 = second hard drive , first partition
Added this entry to the end of the file /boot/grub/menu.lst :
title Microsoft Windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
root (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
I'm told the map commands make Windows think it's the first hard drive (hd0). There are several variations of this command if this doesn't work for you.
You'll want to replace the bold values with your own settings which you should be able to see via "fdisk -l".
hd0 = first hard drive
hd1 = second hard drive
hd1,0 = second hard drive , first partition
Friday, February 09, 2007
How to change the Firefox error message page
If you're trying to change the Firefox error message page you won't find that option in the Preferences menu.
If you use Linux, click here.
The Firefox error message page is stored in web page (xhtml) file.
In Windows that file (netError.xhtml) is stored within the archive toolkit.jar
Browse to this folder C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\chrome\
Then inside Explorer in the meu at the top you should have a Tools button
Click Folder Options and then click the View tab at the top
Now make sure the box that says "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked.
Click apply, then ok.
Right now would be a good time to make a backup copy of this file in case anything goes wrong.
The file toolkit.jar must be renamed to toolkit.zip so we can open it.
Select the file toolkit.jar and press F2 on the keyboard. Press backspace and the name toolkit.jar should erase, type in toolkit.zip and press enter. Windows will warn you with a pop up, ignore it.
Open the file toolkit.zip
Open the content folder
Open the Global folder
Find the file netError.xhtml
Extract this file to your desktop, my documents or where ever.
This is the file which generates the Firefox error message page :
You can edit this file with notepad and make whatever changes you desire. After you change the netError.xhtml page you MUST put it back into the toolkit.zip file.
To do this :
You MUST rename toolkit.zip back to toolkit.jar
You may have to restart Firefox to get the effect.
I changed mine to this :
Code :
Linux / Ubuntu
How To change the Firefox Error Message Page
Update : I recently did a system update and now the netError.xhtml is setup like on Windows (contained inside of toolkit.jar in the /opt/firefox/chrome/ directory). I basically had to the same steps as on Windows. Extract the file from toolkit.jar, edit it, re-add it to toolkit.jar then restart Firefox. If your setup is the same the below directions will not work.
I use Kubuntu Linux, it's a spin off Ubuntu which of course is based on the popular distribution Debian.
On my machine the file netError.xhtml was located in :
This may be different on your machine. Try doing a file search for it if you can't find it there.
In my case I did this command to edit it :
If you use Linux, click here.
The Firefox error message page is stored in web page (xhtml) file.
In Windows that file (netError.xhtml) is stored within the archive toolkit.jar
Browse to this folder C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\chrome\
Then inside Explorer in the meu at the top you should have a Tools button
Click Folder Options and then click the View tab at the top
Now make sure the box that says "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked.
Click apply, then ok.
Right now would be a good time to make a backup copy of this file in case anything goes wrong.
The file toolkit.jar must be renamed to toolkit.zip so we can open it.
Select the file toolkit.jar and press F2 on the keyboard. Press backspace and the name toolkit.jar should erase, type in toolkit.zip and press enter. Windows will warn you with a pop up, ignore it.
Open the file toolkit.zip
Open the content folder
Open the Global folder
Find the file netError.xhtml
Extract this file to your desktop, my documents or where ever.
This is the file which generates the Firefox error message page :
You can edit this file with notepad and make whatever changes you desire. After you change the netError.xhtml page you MUST put it back into the toolkit.zip file.
To do this :
- Right click the custom netError.xhtml file you made, left click copy
- Open toolkit.zip, open the content folder, open the Global folder
- Right click, chose paste - or maybe go to Edit @ the top and chose paste. You may even be able to drag and drop the file into this window.
- If it ask you if you want to overwrite the old file chose yes
You MUST rename toolkit.zip back to toolkit.jar
You may have to restart Firefox to get the effect.
I changed mine to this :
Code :
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html [
<!ENTITY % htmlDTD
PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
"DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
%htmlDTD;
<!ENTITY % netErrorDTD
SYSTEM "chrome://global/locale/netError.dtd">
%netErrorDTD;
<!ENTITY % globalDTD
SYSTEM "chrome://global/locale/global.dtd">
%globalDTD;
]>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<title>&loadError.label;</title>
</head>
<body>Problem Loading Page</body>
</html>
Linux / Ubuntu
How To change the Firefox Error Message Page
Update : I recently did a system update and now the netError.xhtml is setup like on Windows (contained inside of toolkit.jar in the /opt/firefox/chrome/ directory). I basically had to the same steps as on Windows. Extract the file from toolkit.jar, edit it, re-add it to toolkit.jar then restart Firefox. If your setup is the same the below directions will not work.
I use Kubuntu Linux, it's a spin off Ubuntu which of course is based on the popular distribution Debian.
On my machine the file netError.xhtml was located in :
/usr/share/firefox/chrome/toolkit/content/global/This may be different on your machine. Try doing a file search for it if you can't find it there.
In my case I did this command to edit it :
sudo kate /usr/share/firefox/chrome/toolkit/content/global/netError.xhtml
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)