Hoover Dam From The Bypass Bridge

Photosynth of the Hoover Dam from the Bypass bridge.

Blogger Sharing Buttons

If you are having problems with getting the sharing buttons appear on Blogger go to the following link for the solution. It works perfect. http://www.bloggerplugins.org/2010/06/official-sharing-buttons-on-blogger.html

Las Vegas Strip Photosynth

This is my first attempt at a Photosynth, which is a new 3D photo stitching site developed by Microsoft. This site allows you to upload pictures of a scene and it will automatically stitch them together in three dimensions. This is a scene of the Las Vegas Strip taken from the top of the Cosmopolitan Hotel on 12/5/2010. The best this about this tool is that it is free.

New Mass Effect 3 Trailer

PS3 Games - E3 2011 - X-Men: Destiny

Products – Alphonso Labs

Products – Alphonso LabsThis is a great Free App for iPhones and Android. It allows for a graphical representation of reading feeds. This is the best system I have seen yet for browsing through news feeds.

Quibids Reviews - SiteJabber Consumer Reviews of Quibids.com

Quibids Reviews - SiteJabber Consumer Reviews of Quibids.com Check out this review post if you are planning to use the site Quibids.com. It has some very good explanation of how not to get ripped off. From what I can tell this site is a pure SCAM.

Hi Speed Cable Selection

One of the best kept secrets in the consumer electronics industry is the markup on cables sold with home entertainment equipment. If you look at the shelves at Best Buy you will find a large variation in the price of what seems to be the same cables. The truth is that in reality the cables are the same, at least for the purpose of your home entertainment system. Does it really matter if the ends on that Hi Speed USB cable are Gold? No.

While it is true that different metals such as Gold do have better properties when it comes to conducting electricity, and if you use sensitive test equipment you can tell the difference between these cables and others, in reality your home entertainment system really can’t tell the difference. So, what to do. Check the manual of your equipment and check what Spec of cable is recommended, then buy that cable. The only thing you are doing by buying a more expensive cable is wasting your money.

Just a note, the one thing that does matter is the wire order on the ends of a CAT 5 cable. There is a specific order to the wires which counteracts magnetic fields.

Choosing a Distance Camera

Sony RX-570 Network IP Camera
 with 36X Optical Zoom

The ability to create a camera that can see at a long distance can be very tricky. A good distance camera is usually a result of a good lens and not the camera. There are two factors that can play directly into the distance that a camera can shoot, the optical zoom and resolution of the camera sensor. Optical zoom will allow you to see objects without distortion of the images. The more that you zoom in will also make the camera more susceptible to vibration which can cause a blurry picture.
High-End zoom lens's for SLR cameras will usually have some sort of image stabilization built in to counteract the effects of vibration. If money is not an object then a (Canon EF Telephoto lens - 600 mm - F/4.0) is a great place to start. But it will start at around $8000.
There are also IP network camera's from companies such as AXIS and Sony which can act as great distance cameras. The Sony RX-570 has and optical zoom of 36x. The AXIS 233D has 35x.
Another thing to consider is that HD Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras are starting to hit the market and work very well also. The AXIS 5534 HD PTZ has an 18x optical zoom, but due to the HD picture it is as effective as a 36x camera.

Police Chase A Dump Truck

New Deal For Netflix

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Streaming Media on A Standard Def TV

So, if you want all those cool apps on your TV like Netflix and Amazon there are lots of choices out there. You can buy a TV with built in apps, or most of the new Blu-Ray players have the apps built in also. Unfortunately, you need an HDMI connection on your TV if you are going to use a Blu-Ray player for the apps.
What do you do if you have an older TV without an HDMI connection and want to stream movies to your TV. There are a few different ways to do it, and listed below are the most economical ways. One thing to note is that you do need a High Speed Internet Connection.
1. Buy a Roku box ($59.99 on their Website). This box will hook up to any TV and has built in Wi-Fi to connect to your home internet router. There is also an ethernet connection of you can get a wire from your router to the device. Roku also offers other models that support HD streaming and other features.
2. The Wii game system offers free Netflix streaming as long as you have a Subscription to Netflix. The XBOX 360 also has Netflix streaming, but you need a Gold Subscription to their online community.
The most economical way to go is with the Roku Box.

How Much Are All Your Pictures Worth?

Backing up your computer is one of the most important things you should do in today's digital age. Most people keep all their photos, videos, and music on their computers. One important thing that must be remembered is that computers do crash, and when they do everything on the hard drive stands to be destroyed and gone forever. Imagine losing all your photos in one second and there is nothing you can do.

Most importantly is how to backup.

• External Hard Drive Backup - Using this method a person buys an external USB Harddrive and plugs it into his computer. Then you can use software tools to sync or backup your data to that drive at a daily interval. A good free software program to use to sync the files from your hard drive to the external is Toy Sync. This is a free project created by Microsoft. External Hard Drive Backup is a great place to start to backup your data. If your computer fails you have all your important files on your external drive. Make sure you keep your files in both places though, your internal and external drive. This way if one of the drives fail you have the others. The downfall to this backup method is that it does not help you in the case of burglary or fire, when a thief breaks into your home and steals your computer and the external drive connected to it.
• Local Network Storage Devices - This method is pretty much like the External Hard Drive Method except that the hard drive is connected to your network and not directly to the PC. If you are going to deploy this method a good tip is to keep this device in a different area than your computer, this will help with the theft issue. A good backup software or sync software can also be used with this method.
• Online Data Backup Service (My Preferred Method) - In this case you sign up for an account with an online company that backs up your data on their servers off-site. I use Mozy for my service, but there are many others, such as Carbonite.  Once you are a member, a software service is put on your computer that monitors the folders that you want to back up. Every night the software pulls new files off you computer, encrypts them, and stores them on a remote server. If your system fails or is stolen, you can go online and download your archived files back on to your new computer. The big downfall to this method is the time it takes to upload your files to the remote server the first time. This process can take weeks initially, but after that your are good to go every night. It is nice to not have to worry if those pictures will be there after your computer crashes. (This Method Requires High Speed Internet)

The method I use, is to backup to an external drive for fast access to my files, and a nightly upload to Mozy for all my files. The one thing I don't really worry about anymore is my computer crashing or getting stolen. I always have access to my important files.

Zune Black Screen Problem Fix

After having the following problem with my 80Gb and 120Gb Zune’s in the last month I think I have come up with a fix. The problem that happened to me is as follows, my Zune was working fine and fully charged and then the screen went black and the unit stopped working. The normal reset button combination (back and up) did not work, nor did any other button combination. When I plugged the Zune into my computer, the computer did not even see a device as being there. I thought the unit was fried, or having an internal battery problem. I let it sit on my desk unplugged for a week and then plugged it back in just to check on it. Then it started to work. Two weeks later the same thing happened to my 120Gb Zune. The only thing that fixed the problem was to let it sit for a few days unplugged and then plug it in. I have had Zune’s for about 3 years now and this was the first time I had this problem. Whatever the source of the problem is, it looks like the only way to fix it is to let the battery run down and then charge the unit back up. Good luck if you are having this problem. Wouldn’t it be great if Microsoft acknowledged this problem on their website, Yeah right.

How To Build A Website

The first step to designing a website is to decide what you want your website to do. This may seem like a simple task, but it is really the most important step in creating your place on the web. The function that you want your website to do will determine the type of site back end that you use. In Part 1 of this series on building a website, I will map out the different type of formats that may give you a road map to the direction that you want to take.

Business Information Site – A business Informational site is a small site which gives basic information about a subject or business. This type of website usually contains the business contact information, location, and general information about the business. This type of site does not need to be updated frequently. The creation of this type of site can be done using the templates offered for free by most hosting services. Many web developers will charge lots of money to set up this type of site, there is no need to pay big bucks for an informational site the template creation tools from services such as Netfirms will do it for you. Keep in mind this type of site is very limited. If you want to have more control over your site and room for further expansion a blog is probably the way to go.
Blog Site – Blog sites have evolved from sites used for daily ramblings from writers to rubust web content platforms in the last couple of years. Services such as Blogger.com and WordPress.comoffer tools that allow a person with no experience in web creation the ability to create a professional website with updates, picture albums, videos, message boards, chat portals, e-commerce, and much more. In fact, a WordPress based website can do about anything you need to do on the Internet. Especially, if a person has no experience with websites, I recommend starting with a WordPress based site.
E-Commerce Site – Selling things on the web can be really tricky. There is a lot of money to be made, but there is also lots of competition. My recommendation is to go with a large store service site. A good place to start is Yahoo stores. Yahoo offers a large variety of store options and integrates merchant account services into their stores. As with all my other advice, Yahoo is a good place to start for the person who has little web site experience. Yahoo has a great store back-end that allows users of any level to add new products and process orders.
Although there are many other types of sites out there, most new web developers will start a project that fall into one of these categories, or a combination of two or all three. For a person starting out, the following is my recommendation.

If you want Free, try blogger.com or WordPress.com and play with all the templates to see what you like.
When your ready to get serious, start with the following.

Sign up for Netfirms.com Advantage or higher plan (about $10 per month).
DO NOT pay a lot of money for a URL, it doesn’t matter. The URL Auctions are scams.
Your URL does not determine your google rank, and that is really what matters.
You get 5 free URL’s with Netfirms Sign-up.
Next, load WordPress on your server, don’t worry, it’s easy and free, it’s included with your account (Install is automated)
Play with all the cool themes.
These basic steps will get you started on your adventure. It may seem that I am pushing Netfirms and WordPress hard, but those are the services I use now, after a lot of trial and error. They are also services that are very low priced and allow a user to do their website themselves while maintaining a professional look and feel. Believe me, plenty of professionals use WordPress.

Microsoft Free Anti-Virus

So I decided to go with a more main stream virus protection software aside from my ThreatFire Freeware. To my surprise I noticed that Microsoft has a free anti-virus package called Microsoft Security Essentials. This suite is free and is appearing to do the job. I have not witnessed any adverse effects to the install nor computer slowdowns. Maybe, just maybe, Microsoft has put out a solid anti-virus product that does what it is suppose to, keep my computer safe without bugging me about it. If anyone has any comments about this software, please comment below.

How to Use Dynamic DNS

Dynamic DNS (DDNS) is a cool networking tool technique that even the home user can use to make it easy to reach computer networks without knowing their IP addresses. This tool is very useful for home users that set up a services such as a camera on their network and need to get access to it. It is also very useful to use with remote desktop to get to a home computer that is setting behind a router.

At a very simplistic level, DDNS allows you to name your network on the internet so that you don’t have to remember IP addresses. Your router reports your IP address to a web site running a DNS server to keep your domain up to date with your IP.

There are many different DDNS web sites, but my favorite is Dyndns. This site offers a free service for up to 5 devices. Follow these steps to set up your Dyndns account.

1. Go to Dyndns
2. Create an account
3. Under My Services / My Hosts select add host services
4. Next select a Hostname and an extension (mycomputer.podzone.net)
5. Select host with IP address under service type.
6. Complete the transaction as the site requires.

You are now done with the Dyndns part.

Next, you have to go into your router and set up the DDNS settings. Most new routers on the market now have DDNS capabilities, and most have built in account compatibility with Dyndns. All routers are a little different, but essentially you need to put the hostname you picked on Dyndns into the hostname field, give it your user name and password, and tell it to update when your router changes its IP.

After everything is setup, every time your router changes IP addresses it will report the change to dyndns and instantly update your hostname. So you never need to know your IP again, just the Hostname you picked.

Getting into your home network will also require some port forwarding, but that is another article. Just remember, most ISP’s block port 80 on your modem unless you pay to have it unblock. They do this so you can’t run a web server from your house without giving them extra money. Using port forwarding in your router you can get around that to access your computers remotely.

Did Apple Leak Its 4G iPhone?

There has been mass speculation surrounding the 4g iPhone leak that has recently hit the news. Did Apple leak its own phone in a super secret marketing ploy to create buzz around the new 4g phone. At first, when I heard this story, I thought that this could be a ploy by Apple to create buzz. But, the more I think about it, I don’t think so. Apple prides themselves on keeping new products secret until the release. This marketing strategy has work very well for them, even as recent as the iPad release just a few weeks ago. Many Apple users will buy any new Apple products as soon as they come out, even if it is just changing the color of a laptop from white to black. Apple creates buzz around its products by shrouding them in secrecy not showcasing them before they are finished.

In the past few years Apple has mastered the art of being at the edge of technology releases with products that have few technical problems and are easy for any user to operate. It seems that companies then follow Apples lead and try to come up with competing products. I am sure that Apple would not want its competitors to know that it is placing two cameras in its new phone, even though it does make sense. The launch of the 4G networks by AT&T and Verizon are truly going to change the way we use our cell phones. Do not compare the current Sprint 4G WiMax solution to the LTE 4G solution the other carriers are deploying. They are like night and day. The AT&T and Verizon 4G solutions are boasting speeds faster than most cable modems. Speeds of over 50Mbs are possible on a 4G phone. None of the companies want the others to know what their devices will look like, or are capable of.

Apple has been very successful with its current marketing strategy, I doubt they would change something that is working so well.

Remote Easy with Team Viewer Free

Do you ever get a call from a friend, relative, or co-worker that need help with their computer. Any time that I help a person with their computer I set up a great free piece of software on their computer called Team Viewer. Team Viewer is a free remote desktop type program that allows you to control a persons computer while they can still see it. It is similar to PC Anywhere, but it is free and very easy to use. With features in the latest version you can also keep track of all the codes you have installed on their computers. This gives easy access to help your friends out in a bind. Setting up is easy and takes no networking experience, Team Viewer is also very good at getting through firewalls and proxy servers to give access. I use it frequently to help members of my family with computer issues. This program also allows them to see what I am doing to help them out in the future. Make note that Windows 7 Home does not have remote desktop capability, this gives you access into those machines, a feature I use frequently on my laptop at home.

Beyond helping a friend, this program also has a quite robust advanced feature package. One feature that I really like is the offline local IP setting. This can be used to connect to computers from with a local network with no outside internet connection via the local IP address.

There are different levels of login access you can set within this program. The software can be installed as a service, in which the login credentials are static allowing the remote user to login upon boot up or any time there after. Or, a user can initiate a session from their desktop and a unique password is generated each time. In this example the user opens the software and gives the unique login information to their remote user over the phone. The pass code will expire as soon as that session has been completed.

The benefit of this free product is in it’s simplicity. Team Viewer Website Link

WePad Demo – Is that really all they have?

Evidently, this is the current Android answer to the Apple iPad. At first glance it looks pretty cool. It appears that it also has a USB port to plug in a mouse if you wish to. If you look a little closer at the demo it appears that the first device showcased does not have touch screen capability. Therefore, the mouse is not a luxury but rather a necessity to make it work. The next device with the touch screen appears to me to be a standard bulky touch screen monitor running android.
I am by know means an Apple guy, in fact, I own nothing made by them. I must admit thou that I did like the iPad when I got to test it out a few weeks ago.  It’s not only the OS but the hardware itself that gives apple an edge on this technology.  This poor video demo of the WePad gets an F from me.
If you take nothing more from Steve Jobs, understand not to showcase your product until it is ready to go. Hopefully, a real hardware company will develop a Pad that runs Android so we can see if it can compete. Lets just hope Goggle can get those E-mail issues all ironed out.

Will Blockbuster Knock out Netflix?

I don't think so.
TTSFQFN7BGNR

Which Computer Should I Buy?

If you have to ask the above question to your tech geek friend or the IT guy at work, then take my advise, go cheep. Computer geeks already know what they need or want to complete the task they are using a computer for.  99% of the rest of the world wants a computer that can go on the internet, edit and organize their pictures, videos, and music, write an occasional letter, and maybe do a power point now and then. It does not take an $8000 gaming rig to complete those tasks. If fact, most people don't realize they could probably get away with a $200 net book and be very content. As an example, I am a web developer and real computer geek. I am writing this Blog on a $325 Toshiba Laptop.  I do more on the internet than most people, including creating and uploading web pages with Dreamweaver, graphic design with Photoshop, Video editing with Adobe Premiere, and on and on. This is all accomplished with my $325 laptop. To be honest I use my Blackberry for most of my email and communication anymore, and barely even use my computer for that.

So, let me now answer the question. The following is a list of guidelines you should follow when buying a new computer. Unless you are going to play videos games on your computer, in that case good luck.  My advice to the novice computer gamer is to buy an XBOX 360 (Sorry PS3).

• Never, never, never, buy a used computer.
• A duel core processor or higher (unless you get a smokin deal, like under $300)
• At least 2GB of RAM
• At least a 250 GB Hard Drive (Enough for lots of Pictures and Music)
• Windows 7 (If you need to remote desktop into your computer you must have PRO or higher)
• Things like USB ports, Wi-Fi, and network ports, should all be included in all new laptops.
• Everything else is personal preference.
• If you only go on the internet then a net book may be for you. The technical specs are lower but, they are designed for internet browsing.

If you want something small get a net book. If you like a laptop with a big screen, get one with a big screen. If you want a web cam, then get a web cam. These things are preferences that you have to decide you are willing to pay for. The above list is the minimum you should get so your computer will run smooth for at least 3 to 4 years from now. Do not plan on any home computer to be effective after 3 to 4 years, the industry moves too fast with new technology, it does not pay to try to keep up. My advice is to find the least expensive deal with the above requirements and then plan on getting a new computer in 3 years. For a laptop you should spend between $300 and $400. For a desktop, the same price, plus the price of the monitor that is to your liking. Good Luck!!!!

Is Blu-ray worth the price?

So, I have my brand new LED TV and just got my free Blu-ray player from Vizio to go with it. I hooked up my new Blu-ray player and got it all set up. It plays DVD’s too. In fact, that is really why I wanted it, so I would have a stand alone DVD player. Yesterday I was at Target and decided to breakdown and buy a new Blu-ray movie for my new Blu-ray player. I took my 3-year old over to the movie aisle to see which movie she would like to buy. Something to note here, I do not buy a lot of DVD’s, we use Netflix, Netflix streaming, and redbox.

As we browsed the Blu-ray movies my daughter spotted the Monster’s Inc. Blu-ray, one of her favorite movies, and the Snow White Blu-ray edition. I went to grab the Monsters Inc. and then looked down at the price. I almost choked on my gum when I saw the price tag of $34.99. There were DVD players sitting there for less than that. Upon looking at all the titles, it occurred to me that a standard price for a Blu-ray was $30. No Blu-ray’s for me, I can get 30 movies from Rebox for that price.

I must say that the jump from VHS to DVD was dramatic and changed the industry of home entertainment. Does Blu-ray do the same? I don’t think so, at least not yet. When looking at a movie in SD (Standard Definition) DVD quality vs. Full HD 1080P I can’t really see that much difference. Yes, it looks a little better, but not $34.99 better.

Blu-ray does have many capabilities that have yet to be marketed and used, such as 3D and beyond. It’s storage also opens up many possibilities in the gaming world. In this tech geeks opinion though, Blu-ray is not going to take over the DVD. For most people a technology must be dramatic for them to abandon their old ways and embrace the new. I do not think that Blu-ray offers anything significant to get most people to make the switch. This will be true unless the price of the players goes way down, the price of the disc’s goes way down, and everyone gets a 1080P television.

For the above reason I believe that streaming video companies will start to push Blu-ray products out of the market and take over the way the people watch their movies. I can stream Monster’s Inc. in 1080P 7 times for the price of the Blu-Ray disc (not that I would do that, I can get it free on Netflix Streaming). Sorry Blu-ray I don’t think you are worth it.

Do I need a Gigabit Network Switch in My House?

That question depends on what you use your home network for. If you are a gamer and use your home network to just play video games you do not need a Gigabit Switch. A network is only as fast as its slowest link. If you are using a cable modem with 10 Mb of bandwidth there is little or no reason to have a 1000 Mb (1Gb) pipe from your device to the modem. A gigabit switch will not make your connection to the online server any faster. Though bandwidth allows a user to move more information from point A to point B, it does not necessarily make your response time faster. Also, the fastest you can connect through a 10 Mb cable modem is 10 Mb, that is where the pipe gets clogged. Your internet bandwidth from your internet provider determines the speed, not your home network.

On the other hand, if you have many devices within your house hooked up to your network, and you wish to transfer large amounts of information across this network. A Gigabit switch will increase your capacity on your network and allow for this transfer to happen faster within your local network.

Something to note though is that all the devices you are connecting to the gigabit switch must also have Gigabit network interfaces to operate at this speed. Most network devices do not have Gigabit capabilities, but rather the standard 100Mb network connection. Fortunately, many new devices do have this capability.

To recap, a gigabit switch will not make your cable modem go faster. But, if you want more capacity on your home network for transferring videos and files then you should invest in a gigabit switch or router and gigabit network cards for your devices.

Is A Sound bar that good?

It seems lately there has been a large push in the home theater arena towards sound bars. The claims from manufacturers are that the sound bars are replacements for full surround systems. This week I received a free sound bar/subwoofer from Vizio in return for a marketing program I participated in after buying a new 55-inch LED TV. I was very interested in testing the new sound bar compared to my 7.1 in-wall surround system.
I am no audiophile, but I do enjoy clean and crisp audio from my home entertainment system. I hooked up my new sound bar and was surprised by the audio quality that it delivered. As I fired up the wireless subwoofer, the deep tones filled the room. The sound from this system was very impressive.
I must say though, that even though the sound was great, it did not replace the effects delivered by my true 7.1 surround system. In my opinion the sound bar / subwoofer system is a great alternative for those wanting affordable sound quality. But, if you want true surround sound effects, you must install a true surround system.

Which HDMI Cable Should I Buy?

Ok, so you just bought that $2000 LED TV and a brand new Blue-Ray player to go with it, and the guy that sold you the package now tells you that you need to buy an HDMI cable to hook it up. So he takes you over to the isle that has the Monster Cables, and shows you a 6 foot HDMI cable that costs $80. He then tells you that if you don’t use this cable the quality on your picture will be substandard. Does this sound familiar?

The standard of HDMI cable most commonly used on consumer products is known as High Speed HDMI 1.3a Category 2. The HDMI 1.3a Category 2 specifies that the cable has been tested at 340hz which includes resolutions such as 1080p60 and 2160p30.

In English, a HDMI 1.3a Category 2 cable has specifications beyond modern Blue-Ray Full HD standards, and even meets the future standards of Quad HD (You will have to buy a new TV in 6 years to get Quad HD)

On step above is the HDMI 1.4 cables, but you really don’t need one unless you are buying a 3D TV.

Skip the advice from the salesman and buy the least expensive HDMI 1.3a Category 2 cable you can find. You should be able to find a 6 foot cable for about $5 bucks on the net. If you must have a 1.4 cable use the internet to buy it.

How Do I Change The IMEI On A 3G IPhone?

You Don’t.

While there was software available to change the IMEI on the first generation IPhone, there is no such software to do this on the 3G model. The answer comes do to the fact that the two phones use two completely different technologies.

The first generation IPhone operated on the GSM network only. Many people wanted to change or cloak the IMEI on the phone to make it look like a different brand of phone. The reason behind this was to get a less expensive cell phone plan, since the plan on the IPhone was more expensive.

3G IPhones operate on the UMTS network when they are in the 3G mode, and only in the GSM mode when their coverage on the UMTS network is poor. The hardware in a 3G IPhone does not allow for the same hack that allowed people to crack the first generation IPhone.

I never say that something is impossible, but, if there is a hack its existence has not hit the main stream.

E-mail 2 Database

E-mail 2 Database is a free tool that parses text out of e-mails and puts them into a database or text file. I found this software while working on a project for work and it works great. You can put the text into SQL databases, Excel, or Text Files. The best thing is that it is truly freeware.