The new McAfee 2007 products are live out on the US McAfee web site now. Get 'em while they are hot.

Created 93 weeks, 5 days ago

Enabled feedflares with dasBlog custom macros

Created 94 weeks, 8 hours ago

I love this quote from Comic-Con International co-founder Peter M. Coogan about  why so many academics were doing presentations at this years Comic-Con:

"You have this dog and you love it, and you want to find out why you love it. You dissect it, and you're left with this dead bloody dog on the table," he said. "That's one of the things that academics do."

Read the full article at Wired News [Up, Up and Away, Indeed - by Randy Dotinga].


Created 94 weeks, 3 days ago

Recently I got a new Philips 42PF9630A/37 plasma TV and yesterday I got a new Phillips DVP5960/05 HDMI DVD player.

I had been using the Xbox with Media Center on it as my DVD player but the Xbox wasn't capable of doing 1080i High Definition playback, video upscaling or progressive scan.

So the new DVD player was a purchase to take full advantage of the TV capabilities.

I knew that I needed to use the High Definition Multi-media Interface (HDMI) connection on the TV as it is the only digital connection provided (Phillips didn't put a DVI on this set). The HDMI cable was a 120$ purchase (yowza) but it was super simple to install.

Popping in the first DVD (Lord of the Rings : Fellowship of the Ring Extended version) and playing it across the HDMI cable, right away noticed that some of the movie wasn't being shown and the DVD menu was not centered on the screen.

After some research the problem is that with High Def, Anamorphic widescreen or other media resolutions approaching 2.40:1 resolutions, the Philips TV must crop some of the content to preserve the aspect ratio of the movie.

Why Philips ships the TV with the cropping occurring all the way to the left side boggles me. I even tried updating my TV with the newest firmware at the time (BX23U-1.3.0.0_01481) to see if that fixed the cropping issue. It didn't.

Get the latest Philips firmware for the 42PF9630A/37 at Philips customer support site.

It turns out there is a simple way to solve the problem. You cannot get the TV to show the entire movie as that would compromise the resolution and cause the image to be squished. Therefore you must recenter the picture on the screen. Here are the steps to center the picture on the Philips 42PF9630A/37.

1. This image shows the picture with the default cropping mode that the Philips 42PF9630A/37 shipped with when used in HDMI 1080i mode.

2. This image shows how much of the image was being cropped.



3. Use the remote and the click-wheel to center the image on the screen. I counted how many clicks wide the image was (16) then clicked back half again as many (8) to center the image.




4. The image was now centered and I was able to see more of the movie.


It seems the set retains the centering settings for the next movie and after being turned off.

I hope this fix works for you if you are having this same problem.





Created 94 weeks, 4 days ago

A new t-shirt for Boards of Canada is available through WarpMart.




Created 94 weeks, 4 days ago

I know I have been talking alot about San Francisco lately, but I have alot to say about the city.

Wow, its hot. I know it isn't as hot as some of yall have it out there in the desert, but at least you have air conditioning.

93.7 F in the house right now. San Francisco is going through a bit of a heat wave.

We are heading for the movies downtown right now. Maybe we will run into some crazies even crazier from the heat. Who knows.

 

Hot in the city tonight

 

Created 94 weeks, 5 days ago

Ahh the joy of paying as much as I can for everything I use.

Grok this:

May 2006 in San Francisco I used 567 Kwh
May 2005 in San Antonio I used 1,239 Kwh

June 2006 in San Francisco I used 598 Kwh
June 2005 in San Antonio I used 1,892 Kwh

June 2006 San Francisco Bill was $109.00
June 2005 San Antonio bill was $159.00

PG&E San Francisco baseline power level: 262.4 Kwh
CPS San Antonio baseline power level: 600 Kwh

Everything above baseline is an additional cost. I don't see how CPS of San Antonio is allowed to set such a low baseline. It certainly makes summers expensive.

In san Francisco I am using between 210 to 300 percent more than the baseline Kwh.
In San Antonio I was using between 300 to 400 percent more than the baseline Kwh.

In San Francisco, am only using about 30% of the electricity I was using in San Antonio.

I am paying ~ 32% more for electricity in San Francisco.

Created 95 weeks, 5 hours ago

Woah, how did I miss this. This is the component I was waiting for to complete the ultimate home automation system.

Airfoil, by Rogue Amoeba, now has Windows support for sending audio from any source to Apple Airport Express devices.

Finally! Now I can ditch iTunes for managing my distributed audio library when there are so many other Jukebox softwares out there that work more efficiently and have better APIs.

Created 95 weeks, 6 hours ago

Hot dog! Thievery corporation plays tonight at The Concourse, in San Francisco.

Oh, but wait, I didn't realize it was a tickets needed show. Since my last concert, I don't think I will ever again pay super-premium prices for second-sale tickets. Radiohead cost mucho dinero.

Oh well, I guess that's what I get for moving to a city full of jerk hipsters.

In a good way this will force me to find a new set of artists that I can go watch without months of preparation and a fat chunk of change.

 

Yes, I am a bitter pill today.

Created 95 weeks, 6 hours ago

I found out I got tickets for the next Saturday A's game in Oakland at the McAfee Stadium (A's vs TOR [im guessing this is Torono Blue Jays]). Owners box tickets. Swweeeeeet.

 

I am an upbeat pill today!

 

Created 95 weeks, 13 hours ago

As work continues on the series of posts about how our online "pencil and paper" D&D gaming works, I was looking for some input for what other online virtual tabletop role playing aids were out there. Here are the ones I know about. All prices in US dollars.


Fantasy Grounds:
http://www.fantasygrounds.com/
($34.95 to $19.95 plus discounts for multi-seats)

Ghost Orb:
http://www.ghostorb.com/
("...final stages of beta testing now")

Screen Monkey:
http://www.nbos.com/products/screenmonkey/screenmonkey.htm
($34.95)

Klooge Werks, Inc.
http://www.kloogeinc.com/
($30 to $15 plus discounts for multi-seats)

OpenRPG
http://www.openrpg.com/
(Free, open source)

BattleGrounds
http://www.battlegroundsgames.com
("...scheduled for release in July 2006")


Also, here was an interesting post, "Out of the Dungeon, Onto the Net" by Wired contributing reporter Lore Sjöberg that touches on some of the more immersive software for engaging your D&D needs.

Created 95 weeks, 1 day ago

Today I dropped my parents off at the airport. They had brought me my 4Runner that I had left in Texas when I moved out to San Francisco. I forgot how enjoyable it was to drive it. It has such nice suspension (a necessity on these terrible highways out here) and such a powerful engine.

The only issue will be finding a place to park it. Where the house is, parking is such a premium because of all the shopping on 24th street. And the fact that every monday at 9 AM the cars have to be moved off the street for street cleaning means that unless I want a $40 ticket, I need to drive it to work on Monday.

Anways, it is good to have it again. Even at 24 mpg highway.

 

Created 95 weeks, 2 days ago

Ahh yes, the visited US states size-off. Well, you showed me yours, now I'll show you mine:

Thanks to Douwe's nice visited states widget.

Created 95 weeks, 3 days ago

What are some of the ways to travel to California from Texas that you all find the least expensive but still safe?

Southwest Airlines has deals from about $300 round-trip between Texas and San Jose, California. Those are decent prices but for about $100 more you can get guaranteed seats and more room with a larger carrier like Delta or American and they fly into SFO which is much closer than San Jose.

Gasoline to drive yourself each way is just about that expensive. At 1700 miles / 22 mpg * ~$2.80 gal = $216.00 each way (plus an oil change ~$35.00)

The Amtrak isn't much cheaper at $239.00 (for a 80 hour trip!) and it involves multiple bus/train switches to get all the way out here.

 

Created 95 weeks, 3 days ago

Over the past few years, some of my friends and I that used to play Dungeons and Dragons in high-school have started playing again, despite having moved apart and living all the United States.

How do we do it you might wonder? Thanks to the maturity of the Internet and some helpful hardware and software, I will clue you in to the setup that has made this all possible.

Over a series of posts I will describe the process that we use so that maybe some of those out there with kids and big city jobs can again enjoy the thrill of playing D&D.

---

The goal: create a system as simple as when all you had to do was bring over your rule books, a set of dice, some paper, pencils and a six pack of coke to get your game on. 

The requirement: hassle-free integrated systems and process; low-cost.

The risk: We don't want players or DMs screwing with connections, making phone calls at Bhaal-like hours and reinstalling software repeatedly. These tasks just eat into the few valuable playing hours we have.

The reward: A simple, reproducible system that encourages a rich and immersed gaming experience.

---

If you follow this guide and setup an environment similar to this one, the list below describes a few things you might want to do before your first gaming session.

The key word here is practice; because practice makes perfect (also, observe your posture young man).

• You will want to hold some technical training sessions before you even start a practice session. This is to make sure that all systems will connect, all services work and that everyone is setup before you start. You might also take this opportunity to weed out those persons who don't have the stomach for playing over the Internet (no whiners).  
  
• You will also want to give yourself about 2 practice sessions to pick up the intricacies of how the system and process work. These are good times to go over rules, explain mapping and battle and taking turns conversing. Two sessions is about how long it takes a new player to join our system.
  
• And you will want everyone to keep in mind that this system isn't the same as an in-person gaming session. We are of course waiting for VR bodysuits with tactile feedback and nourishment tubes are created. Why play tabletop when you can create the environment for real (or for fake, which is it)?

---

Topics in this series of Online Virtual Tabletop Gaming:

Part 1: A Modest Proposal [reading it]
A description of the idea. What is the point of playing over a virtual tabletop gaming setup?

Part 2: The Hardware [coming soon]
A look at the computers, connections and accessories you will need to make your virtual tabletop gaming setup a success. This topics ranges from the AV equipment you might need to the pens and paper you will need. Explore the differences between a DM setup and the two types of player character systems.

Part 3: The Software [coming soon]
The software required to make the virtual tabletop gaming setup work is varied. How to make all the softwares work together to form a simple all-in-one gaming experience. You always wished you could have a character sheet keep track of your hitpoints digitally didn't you. Guess what, your in luck!

Part 4: The DM Process [coming soon]
What does it take to be a DM in this modern age of disconnected gaming sessions? This is a guide to how to make the process work, and keep your player characters entertained and inspired. As a bonus for you, some tips from an actual DM using this system to host gaming sessions.

Part 5: The Player Process [coming soon]
How do you grow a great character? By playing of course. This topics covers the guidelines of playing in a DMs Online session. Tips on things like good Online behavior, how to use the tools, maybe even how to cheat at rolling dice online (oh boy, another natural 20 from you).

Part 6: Your First Session and Every Session After [coming soon]
The lifecycle of a session, and the lifecycle of the campaign. How to make all the pieces work together to make a real honest-to-Oghma gaming session. And, once you are trained, its time to pull off the training wheels (and wreck and scrape your knees... over and over and over).

Created 96 weeks, 9 hours ago

1. They alter the truth about why people leave (go missing)

2. Cut off coworkers/civilians from the outside world. No more visits to trade shows / other countries.

3. All knowledge sharing must be approved by proposals beforehand.

4. Content-filtering of all incoming data.

5. All education/training is brought in-house and is controlled by policy

6. Coworkers are separated (by cubes), but still watched (no doors)

7. Rewards for snitching on other civilians/coworkers

8. Sucession of power to cronies and hench-persons

This came from having a dream (nightmare?) last night about times less happy. I'm sure if you take this document, replace North Korea with "super-sized corporation of your choice" and it will probably suit the spirit of the idea just fine.

Created 96 weeks, 13 hours ago

1. It was sexy to smoke in the 70's (the straight lines of a cigarette with round, female faces on celluloid is something to behold).

2. Shopping for cantaloupe can be a sexy affair (watch the movie, you will see).

3. Sex with millionaires is in trippy technicolor.

4. If you must dune-buggy; dune-buggy with everything God gave you. Over and over until it hurts. It will lead to sex.

5. "She was just a way of putting you in touch with yourself."

 

 

Created 96 weeks, 3 days ago

Okay, I fixed a few things on the widget that everyone left comments on. Also, I have a couple of backend changes to make over the evening, so your widget may act ackward as I push the new build. Hopefully I won't have to make anymore config changes to the needed parameters for the URL encryption.

 

On another note, today was seriously foggy in town. The 15 slick-painted steps leading down to the sidewalk are now more like a balance-challenge than steps. The anti-slip tape must go on. Its like the tape we used to put on the skateboards.

Created 96 weeks, 3 days ago

Enjoy my Netflix Widget creator for anywhere you can paste JavaScript.

* Notes about it *

Okay, the resulting codebase and the RSS/XSLT parsing engine with encryption is mostly complete (thanks for compelling me to add security Lee). I have the cache working right finally (for optimum server presence) and the option schema for customizing the layout is done too (with some decent customization possible) oh and I need a few more help files and screenshots.

The only things left are to tighten down how the resulting JS code snippet is given back to the user (this is done, I need to upload it), firefox input area tweaks, clean up the resulting div / ul structure and the css selectors (thanks a lot Visual Studio 2003 for screwing those up), and to get the options actually drawing the stylesheet for each widget.

If you feel like alpha testing this sucka, feel free to add a Netflix widget to your website. Whatever options you select now won't show up until I make another update (probably tomorrow night). However, the options will be saved in the URL string so they should show up as soon as that feature is supported. should be showing up now (the city was keeping me awake).

I wouldn't go customizing the CSS just yet until I nail down a final release of the CSS selectors. They are kinda whonky right now.

Enjoy my Netflix Widget creator for anywhere you can paste JavaScript.

http://www.jforsythe.com/jforsythe/netflixwidget.aspx

Created 96 weeks, 6 days ago

I finished the encryption component for use in my backend XML processor. My requirements were to expose userdata across the URI as part of a querystring and I had to come up a way of encrypting and compressing the new string so that it would work within a HTTP Get.

A local lookup table or datastore wasn't an option. It needed to be identifying data encapsulated within the HTTP Get. It isn't necessarily sensitive or personally identifyable data, but I wanted a set of parameters to be wrapped up in a single encrypted Hash.

And, at 01:41 I got it working and still supporting my legacy calls to the web service so that they continue to work while supporting the new version of encrypted calls.

When it is all wrapped up and complete, I will post my asp.net encryption component if anyone wants to use it for thier projects. It is based on the some work I found on The Code Project (.Net Encryption Simplified) by Jeff Atwood (hey, I live nearby), Peter Bromberg, a component concept from Tim Shakarian and the rest of it came from documentation on good ol' MSDN.

Everytime I create new functionality in the asp.net framework, I am amazed at how robust the libraries are. It makes developing web applications that much more fun.

Look for the new service to be completed sometime this week

Created 97 weeks, 3 days ago

Update: December 2006, the router has died. I think due to heat issues caused by the new radio power level - Caveat emptor.


I have been having some connectivity issues in this older, solid walled house I am renting. The xbox in the living room won't stream videos from the web without lots of hiccups and buffer setting changes. This wasn't a problem in my new house in Texas so it looks like I will need a more powerful router.

But, in an attempt to keep what hardware I have, I set out to see what kind of optimizations I could make without having to purchase anything new. I have had a few links in my del.icio.us roll that I kept meaning to act on but I needed a free weekend to try them out. This was the day.

Based on this article by Lifehacker, I set out to upgrade it with new third-party firmware. The dd-WRT was the recommended firmware to use, so I followed the suggestion. This post on the dd-WRT wiki was the walkthrough I used to install the firmware. For more options, this forum post (thanks to sblue on the lifehacker comments) has a large selection of firmwares to use as well. They seem to vary by design and function (Telnet, site survey ability, etc).

The upgrade went as expected, the only thing different I did was use the dd-wrt.v23_mini_wrt54g.bin version of the mini firmware and dd-wrt.v23_wrt54g.bin version of the primary firmware. I figured the tutorial was based on a newer version of router and I could rely on the model-specific version. I was right, it worked like a charm.

The first thing after loading new firmware was "boost" my wireless power. I am running my Xmit at 50 mW (up from the default 28mW) and I immediately noticed the difference. My xbox would now buffer and play an entire movie from Google Video or GameTrailers.com.

Also, this effectivly extended the range of my network out to my backyard and across the street at the Cafe. The dd-WRT software came with a hotspot setting and it looks like I might want to configure it to allow people to use my network during certain hours while I am at work. A way of giving back to all the slackers and dot.com millionares who don't have to work during the day.

Created 97 weeks, 4 days ago