Friday Night Links (06/25/2010)…

Welcome to a long overdue Friday Night Links. I’ve got an entire vat of links that need to be strewn across the internet, so I’ll try to pump out some extras over the next few weeks.

• DIY Flytraps – Granted flies around the Midwest aren’t nearly as numerous and large as they are in other areas of the world such as jungles and the tropics, but they are not fun either way. Personally, we’ve had some fruit fly issues and this guide covers traps from tiny to huge, so pick your size.
• 5 Ingredient/10 Minute Meals – The article links to a pdf, so you might want to print it out and keep it around your kitchen when you need to fix a simple meal in a pinch. If you don’t mind jumping straight to the pdf (warning: it’s huge), here is a link.
• Vinyou – This one is a beta project and many locales don’t have any events listed, but Vinyou is a tool for finding wine events (tastings, festivals) in your area. There is a nice large “Submit a Wine Event” button on the right side so you can let others in your area know about events in your area. Help these guys out as I’m sure they would appreciate it.
• Picrap – If you live outside (or within) certain countries, you can’t watch some online TV shows. Picrap attempts to fix that by allowing you to stream shows from countries you are barred from watching. I have not tried this out, but let me know if you do and how you fared. Hopefully this might help out some of my Canadian readers.
• Locals vs Tourists – Check out this Flickr set to find out where tourists congregate in various cities around the world so you can either join them or avoid them – your call. All the data is based on geotagged photos and isn’t specific to street names, just general areas.

More iPod Loading Without iTunes…

I realize that last night TQT was missing but it will be back next week as my Tuesday night schedule should be easing up a bit.

A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted how to load up an iPod Shuffle without using iTunes because of some major issues I’ve had with iTunes in the past (read here and also here). This post will fill in the blanks for those of you using iPod versions other than the Shuffle. Unfortunately, this method does NOT work with iPhones and also requires you to sync your iPod with iTunes and load at least one song on there. I, personally, would recommend you do this on your friend’s computer rather than loading that piece of garbage on your computer. Now, off to the races.

The program we are going to be using is called Floola. Floola is a free side project by a helpful chap, so I would highly recommend donating if you like the product.

Start by downloading Floola here and be sure to extract the zip file to your iPod’s base directory. If you go to My Computer, you should see the C: drive and a couple other drives. On of them (E: on my computer) is the iPod. Double click it and you will see a couple of folders named Contacts, Calendars, Notes, and an see-through folder called iPod_Control. This is where you want to unzip your Floola folder to. Head over to the folder you extracted the files to and double click on Floola.exe.

The first task you need to do is choose which model of iPod you have. If you aren’t sure, you can visit Apple’s model identification guide. Floola will also give you some suggestions. It suggested that my iPod Nano 2G was either a 1G or a 2G (where G stands for generation). It also gives you some warnings and instructions, so be sure to read them through.

Once you hit save, you are pretty much home-free. At this point you can add tracks, delete tracks, manage photos stored on the device, and do pretty much everything else iTunes did.

A huge added bonus is that Floola is now saved on and runs from your iPod itself. That means if you visit anyone’s computer, regardless of whether they have iTunes or not, you will be able to update your music, photos, and podcasts using only the information on your iPod.

Have you tried any other alternatives to iTunes that worked for you? Found any hidden gems on Floola that cemented the deal for you? Share in the comments!

Recuva…

Ladies and gentlemen: A quick reminder to fill out the survey if you haven’t already. If you leave your email address, you will be in the running for one of three $10 Amazon giftcards. And I’ve decided to up the ante: if 50 separate people (no cheating by filling it out multiple times) fill out the survey by 11:59 pm on Friday, I’ll toss in a 4th card valued at $25. Be sure to get your friends to fill out the survey. To share the survey, just pass along this link: http://thedig.in/survey

Occasionally there are things in this world that do something amazing but you have to ask yourself, “Where the heck did they come up with that name?” For me, that one was Recuva. I couldn’t stop pronouncing it re-curve-ah. I didn’t know what it stood for, but then it dawned on me: Recover. Recova’. Recuva. Ahh, I get it now.

But really, that’s neither here nor there. What IS here and there is the fact that Recuva will find and recover files that you have deleted. Let’s talk about how it works first.

Delete? Not quite.

In real life, if you wanted to get rid of information, you can toss it in your trashcan and take it back out if you find that you shouldn’t have thrown it away. On you computer you can do the same thing by throwing files in the recycle bin on your PC. At any time, you can restore things in the recycle bin to the original location.

In real life, if you empty your trashcan into the dumpster out back, you could still get your information back, but it might be incomplete and you would most likely need some special equipment to get it back (rubber gloves, a gas mask, some boots). On your PC, you would need to get Recuva. Although you can’t see any records of your file being there any longer, it is actually still there and will be until that area of your hard disk drive gets over-written.

Recovering? Maybe.

As I said, the information, although not showing up, is still there, but you need a little luck and a little skill to be able to recover it. Some things that will help you be lucky are:

• A large hard drive – having lots of space to write new information means the location of the deleted file is less likely to be over-written.
• Infrequent programs – if you information is in an area used by a program that doesn’t write many files, you will be better off.

If you can manage to have these two things in your favor, Recuva may be able to help you out.

Simple to attempt? Definitely.

Head over to the site and download Recuva. Once again, it is free, but if you use it and recover some files. Please show your gratitude by donating to those who put the time and effort into making such a great program. If you aren’t a fan of the Yahoo! toolbar, be sure to uncheck that box during install.

For most uses, Recuva includes an easy to use wizard that should recover most of the boneheaded deletions that most of us make on a day-to-day basis (mp3s, pictures) as well as the gut-wrenching accidental loss of documents after a crash of Microsoft Office or the formatting of a camera memory card.

The types of files are very well explained in the wizard:

In the next step, you are asked for a location. The main thing this will do is speed up the search and exclude files from areas of your computer that you know you don’t want to look.

The last thing you need to do is determine if you want to do a deep scan or not. It will take longer, but it will also piece together information that may otherwise go unnoticed if you do a regular scan. I would recommend a simple scan followed by the deep scan if you don’t first run through.

Now all that’s left is to see if your files are found.

The scan I ran took less than a minute, but I would imagine deep scan could take many hours. It may also depend on the size of your hard drive and the type of file you are searching for (numerous small files will take longer to scan than few large files).

The standard information given is a preview of the file plus the file name. You may notice the ‘Switch to advanced mode’ button near the top right corner.

When you click it, you are presented with a list view as well as green, yellow, and red circles. These circles are an indicator of recoverability. You can find more information on the to the right side of the window.

From this screen, you can also permanently and securely delete any files which you don’t ever want anyone to be able to recover in the future by right clicking on them. This would be very helpful if you are getting rid of your computer and you have tax documents or other personal data that you would prefer didn’t get passed around.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever accidentally deleted? Ever felt sick to your stomach when all your vacation photos vanished into thin air? Let me know in the comments.

Friday Night Links (2/12/2010)…

Just a reminder, if you want to be in the running for one of three $10 Amazon giftcards, fill out my quick little reader survey.

A secondary announcement, if your computer has Windows XP and is having a blue screen pop-up and other problems since installing the most recent updates, Please fill out the form at the bottom of this post to contact me and set up an appointment to fix your computer. This is a known issue and there is a fix.

But for now, let’s get to the links!

• Perfect Grilled Cheese (http://thedig.in/b6) – Do you realize how hard it is to spread butter on a sandwich as it sits on a hot skillet? Bread burnt before the cheese melts? All you need is melted butter and a skillet with lid to fix the two biggest complaints about grilled cheese (or my personal favorite – grilled peanut butter and jelly). Toss in some tomato soup and you may have the perfect meal.
• Amazing Bug and Water Photos (http://thedig.in/b5) – The link shows how to make a laser triggered camera for taking macro stills of bugs and water, however, the real amazement starts when you look at the galleries in the links. The bug ones are cool, but the water ones are downright unbelievable.
• Chat Roulette (http://thedig.in/b3) – The little blurb on this site is pretty funny. Essentially, the author went to a chatroom where you are randomly thrown in a chat with an unknown person. He says the first 18 people who he connected with disconnected immediately. Weird.
• “Music” Video (http://thedig.in/b4) – Warning: the title of the linked blog’s feature is “Stuff we’re diggin'” except worded slightly more crass. However, the video is completely safe for work. It a sound composite that makes up a song. If you don’t know what that means, watch the video and you’ll understand. You can also see the video below:

  http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/57UvVYW4rFY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b

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Eye-Fi Memory Card…

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago, I posted about a great deal I found for an Eye-Fi camera memory card and storage space on Picasa Web.

Well, since that time, I’ve been uploading my scores and scores of pictures to Picasa Web. I’ve barely made a dent in the storage space (I’m currently using 10 out of the 200Gb of space I have available). Don’t you worry your pretty little face though, I’ve got a ton more pictures to upload.

More recently I received the Eye-Fi memory card in the mail. My overall impression of the device is that it is the most hands off, automatic thing that I own. I love it.

The nitty gritty

So we know that I love this thing, let’s get a little deeper into it.

Installation was easy. I mean super easy. You take out the card reader which already has the card inserted and you plug it into whatever computer you want your photos to upload to.

It then installs the Eye-Fi Manager software and allows you to sign up for an account. Once signed up, you have a couple of options:

• Wireless Networks – While the Eye-Fi card is inserted, you can manage your WiFi networks. You need to know the network name and security code. Same as hooking a laptop up to a wireless network.
• Upload settings – Once again, while the Eye-Fi card is inserted, you can determine whether to upload everything, only the protected items, or everything BUT the protected items.
• Photo Destinations – Here you can choose to upload not only to your computer, but also a number of online websites. I have mine configured to upload to Costco Photo Center. Later I can print pictures directly from what I’ve uploaded and pick them up when I head to Costco. Now if they’d just put them in a frame and add a “To Mom” card. Additionally, I could have added PicasaWeb as well, but since I have Picasa syncing with PicasaWeb anyway, there is no need to duplicate functionality.
• Video Destinations – There are a number of video destinations, but the most popular are probably going to be Facebook and YouTube.
• Geotagging – Even though your camera doesn’t have a GPS chip in it for recording the location of your photos, the Eye-Fi card adds the location based on nearby WiFi networks using a database called Skyhook. You can certainly turn off geotagging if you prefer.
• Upload Notifications – You can add up to four types of notification: Photo transfer begins, is interrupted, resumes, and completes. Additionally, you can be notified in up to four different ways: via email, text message, Twitter, or Facebook.
• Added Services – As mentioned before, you can upload to locations other than your computer. Since I purchased the deal mentioned at the top of the post, it included a year of free web uploading. This was almost a disaster, so I’m going to fill you in on a little trickiness. In order to activate your web uploads you have to type in the included activation key since web uploads are normally $9.95 a year. The key is conveniently hidden in the box and gets stuck there by the tape sealing the box shut. Check out the picture below so you don’t throw away your year of free web uploads.
  

Get it while its hot

Lucky for all of you, the deal is still going on, so hurry up and get your Eye-Fi card and Picasa Web space.

Anybody already order one and get it going yet? What do you think?

Note Taking with Facebook…

A lot has been made over the past few days concerning Facebook’s new privacy controls. I attempted to help ease the transition, but apparently Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg didn’t read my post.

For all the negative’s of Facebook’s new controls, I found one major highlight – the ability to customize the settings to make things visible to Only Me.

With this setting, I could essentially do all my web note taking using Facebook. I could gather links, draft blog posts, and pretty much anything else in Facebook, set it so only I can view it, and stash it in Facebook. It is like Evernote except there is no limit on the amount of stuff you can store there.

According to comScore, Facebook accounts for over 5% of total time spent online. It seems like if you are spending all your time there anyway, you might as well collect your writings, links, and photos there as well.

Deal of the Day: Eye-Fi and PicasaWeb Space…

Between writing here every night, taking care of my family, working out, going to work, and, well you get the picture, I really don’t have much time left. The free time I do have, I want to use it efficiently. I’ve mentioned in the past that organizing my photo collection was one of the things I needed to get done. Well, I got about halfway there.

My first chore was to get all my photos into Picasa. Done. Next, I needed to get the faces tagged. Done. Now comes the stuff I have yet to do: create albums, upload them for sharing, and clean out the junk. Why would I have a picture of the wood floors in my house? No idea.

Completing the last few steps shouldn’t be a difficult thing, however, keeping up with it on a daily, weekly, or even a monthly basis could be a challenge. Enter the Eye-Fi: a 4Gb SD memory card with built in WiFi. The built in WiFi allows it to hook up to the wireless network that you choose (most likely your home network), upload your pictures both locally on your computer, and upload to one of 25 photo sharing services.

You fully control the card, allowing you to choose which pictures are uploaded online vs locally to your computer, what networks it connects too, and how it names the albums and photos.

For many people, the best part is going to be cutting the cord. Since the WiFi connects without cables to your network, there is never a need to search for that cord that usually manages to end up behind the computer desk, at work when you are at home, or just all-together missing.

When my Eye-Fi arrives (in a couple of weeks according to the site), I plan on doing a full review and give you my opinion on how it works.

So what’s the deal?

Google has a promotion going on for a limited time where you can buy 200Gb worth of photo storage (space for 100,000 pictures) for $50 a year and they will throw in a free Eye-Fi card. That is an amazing offer since the Eye-Fi card is typically $70.

The deal can be found here.

Let me know in the comments if you took advantage of this offer. Do you even think you would find a device like the Eye-Fi necessary?

Faux-Friday Night Links (10/29/2009)…

As you can see from the title of the post, today was The Digitante’s fake Friday. I’m taking a day off work tomorrow to relax, so that means I am going to toss you some links today. Today we are doing food day. All food-related tips. And since I am skipping out on tomorrow’s posting, I’ll throw you a non-food bonus.

• Homemade Coffeeshop Goodies (http://thedig.in/4p) – Starbucks’ coffeecake and lattes are good, but they are also an excellent way to become broke and fat. Now you can just be fat by fixing all your coffeeshop goodies at home. Various coffees and baked goods should hold you over until its time to give up Starbucks for your New Years’ resolution.
• Per-Serving Budget Meals (http://thedig.in/4q) – Think of this as a cookbook with a price list. Not only does the author show you how to completely prepare the meal, she also lets you know how much the ingredients cost and what you will end up spending per serving. Considering a chicken meal at KFC costs well over $5, $2.42 for BBQ chicken, broccoli, and potatoes sounds like a straight up bargain.
• Awesome $30 Knife (http://thedig.in/4r) – More expensive doesn’t always mean better. This is especially the case for the Victorinox Chef’s Knife that you can pick up for about $30. It performs almost as well as a number of $100-200 knives. In our house, we love tossing around the phrase, “Inexpensive, NOT cheap.” Especially true in this situation.
• Potatoes in the Dishwasher (http://thedig.in/4s) – Need to clean that sack of potatoes for your semi-automatic potato gun? Toss them in the dishwasher, no detergent and put them on the rinse cycle. No word on water temperature. If anybody tries this out, be sure to leave a comment.

Bonus:

• Liven Up Your Photos (http://thedig.in/4t) – Most heavy-duty photo editing requires the skills of Photoshop or GIMP. However, for the quick sprucing up, you might give Tintii a look. It can be used for creating the effect of colorizing a black and white picture. You might have a couple in black and white and the girl’s dress may be yellow. You don’t have to stop there. With Tintii, you can add more than one color to the photo. The controls are simple and modifying a picture is quick.

Friday Night Links (10/23/2009)…

Man, I gotta get through these links. My copy of Windows 7 arrived and I am chomping at the bit. Let’s get to it!

• Dishwasher Detergent Soak (http://thedig.in/4a) – I’ve always tossed some liquid dishsoap (eg Dawn, Joy) and water into my baked on pots and pans. Even with that, it seemed that I still ended up running through my industrial-sized bottle of elbow grease. Turns out I was taking the wrong approach. Turns out that dishwasher detergent (eg Cascade, Electrisol) was the better route to take. Apparently, it melts away the stuck-on food. I haven’t had a chance to test it out, but I have cooking duty next week, so I’ll have to give it a go.
• Facebook Security (http://thedig.in/4b) – Just today, a buddy of mine had his Facebook account hacked. Its a scary thing to know that someone is defiling something that is yours. This article doesn’t really touch on protecting yourself from being hacked (a comprehensive password would do that). This article will help protect you from people spying on your information. It is fun to share your life, your photos, your connections with other, however, you need to be sure it is people you can trust.
• Update Checker (http://thedig.in/4c) – Ever wish your programs had all the updated features at all times? FileHippo’s update checker keeps most major programs updated at all times. You will get the latest features and up-to-date security without much work.
• Dropresize (http://thedig.in/4d) – A major caveat: this program is currently very beta (testing phase) and has a number of bugs. First, this program watches a specified folder and whenever a .jpg file shows up there, it is automatically resized based on chosen parameters. Second, unfortunately the big bug currently is the fact that occasionally, the original file being resized gets lost. You can pretty easily avoid that issue by copying and pasting the file in the folder and leaving the original outside the resizing folder.

Picasa Update…

So in the 8 days since I wrote about Google’s photo management software, Picasa, it has been upgraded from version 3.1 to version 3.5. And a worthy upgrade it is!

What’s new?

The big thing is tagging. Tagging is just what it sounds like: it is just a little note about the picture. You can add multiple tags such as “beach” and “North Caroline” for your trip that you took to the beach in North Carolina. If you later search for the tag “beach” it might show you the photos of your trip to North Carolina, but it will also bring up photos of your surfing trip to Mexico since that also was tagged with “beach”.

But what would be most important for tagging in photos? People! The Picasa update adds automatic facial recognition so that you can simply name a person and it will find all similar pictures of that person for you.

It starts tossing faces into a folder. From there you tag them with the name of the person. As it finds more pictures of the same person, it adds them to their folder. You have a chance to confirm any that Picasa deems questionable.

Any other kinds of tagging?

Yes! There is also Google Maps integration which I had also talked about a couple of weeks ago. The tagging used here is called geotagging. How it works is that your GPS enabled camera or cameraphone records your location when you take a picture. When you load that picture into Picasa, the location data is read and used to plot the location of a map. This could be especially fun if you were on a roadtrip and took pictures of landmarks along the way.

If you are interested in a camera or a phone that is capable of geotagging in the future, you can feel free to ask The Digitante by sending an email from the About page or clicking the Google Voice widget in the right sidebar.