CHRISdotTODD

Steve Wozniak takes one for the (geek) team as he puts himself out there to be ridiculed by the judges for his lack of rhythm. It's this type of attitude that led Steve to innovate -- take risks, even though you might fail.

On February 26, 2009 I wrote about problems with XP and my CD/DVD drives . After a fix to the Registry, the last step was to re-install any software that I use to burn CDs and DVDs. It seemed all was good, but I apparently hadn't tried iTunes. The next time I launched iTunes, I was greeted with the following message: Warning! The registry settings used by the iTunes drivers for importing and burning CDs & DVDs are missing. This can happen as a result of installing other CD burning software. Please reinstall iTunes. With prior experience using iTunes, I was not about to uninstall iTunes. Instead I just tried a Repair through the Add/Remove Software interface. That failed. I then tried installing iTunes over my current install, and that failed too. Finally I went fishing on Apple's site. I found an entry that looked promising. Apple recommends I remove a Registry key, add an new one, and then re-install all CD/DVD burning software. Sounded a bit like a loop, so I tried just

I recently added a new email account to my Thunderbird client, and it failed in sending email (SMTP), though it did receive (pop3). I double and triple checked my configuration; I deleted and recreated the account; nothing seemed to work. I had two other SMTP accounts defined, and they never had the problem. Finally I found a reference (sorry I don't remember what website) that suggested trying to delete all my saved passwords. Sure enough, that did it. Even though when I had recreated the account I was challenged for password input on the first time, it had still failed. Also, I had copied and pasted the password from an alternate source, so I didn't make a typo. Some how the storage for passwords, just for the single account, was corrupt. If you use Thunderbird on Windows, to delete your passwords go to: Tools >> Options Click Privacy Click the Password tab Click Edit Saved Password Either click Remove All OR select the ones you want to delete and click Remove Click Clo

My previous post had a table that the browser pushed outside the defined dimensions, making half of it un-viewable. Beside the rather narrow body for the blog, which by-the-way makes it easier to read, most browsers just don't know how to break text strings that do not have white space. Turns out there is some CSS code that can be used that will correct this in most browsers. Use the following two CSS properties in your table definition (adjust width to meet your need). table-layout: fixed; width: 425px; Surprisingly, if you use Firefox, it shortens the width correctly but it still has trouble wrapping some lines, while IE and Safari seems to render the entire table correctly. Visit the W3C site to get details on other table options .

I've been using Verizon FIOS for about a year, and up until recently I've been happy. Unfortunately, recently my ip address (which Verizon assigns to my router) changed and now it appears I'm coming from Toronto, Canada. In fact if I run a Trace Route, it says I'm coming from Toronto, Canada as it's taking 21 hops and traveling over 2100 miles within the Verizon network before they release me onto the Internet. Hop Time Host IP Location 1 1.183 xo-gateway 140.239.191.1 Rowland Heights, CA, United States 2 7.517 ip65-47-242-9.z242-47-65.customer.algx.net 65.47.242.9 Culver City, CA, United States 3 7.119 ge6-3-0d0.mar1.santaana-ca.us.xo.net 207.88.81.193 , , United States 4 8.589 p5-1-0-3d0.rar1.la-ca.us.xo.net 65.106.5.81 , , United States 5 9.406 te-4-1-0.rar3.la-ca.us.xo.net 207.88.12.153 , , United States 6 22.022 207.88.12.154.ptr.us.xo.net 207.88.12.154 , , United States 7 9.234 205.158.79.122.ptr.us.xo.net 205.158.79.122 , , United States 8 12.424 0.so-2-2-0

When developing locally on IIS, with the addition of AJAX, I found myself running out of connections -- the default is 10. Turns out you can bump the connections up to 40. Here's what you need to do: Open the command prompt Navigate to \inetpub\adminscripts Enter the following command: cscript adsutil.vbs set w3svc/MaxConnections 40 Restart IIS ( you can use iisreset at the same command prompt) That's all there is to it.

Recently I experienced several little problems with my Windows XP desktop. It started with losing the sound and the inability for Skype to answer. After trying various things, I rebooted, which brought back the audio and seemed to have corrected Skype. Unfortunately, I then lost my 2 CD/DVD drives plus one virtual CD/DVD drive. Losing the virtual drive should have been the clue, which I initially missed. They all displayed in the Systems hardware window, but with error 31 messages. After looking for and installing new or replacement drivers, I still had the same problem. I finally ran across a knowledge base article from Microsoft . You can no longer access the CD drive or the DVD drive, or you receive an error message after you remove a CD recording program or a DVD recording program in Windows XP: "error code 31" The solution was to delete two apparently corrupt Registry entries and then re-install all software that have a burn CD and/or DVD feature. A pain to go through th

With the Gmail Manager Firefox add-on , you can always easily see how many messages you have in all of your Gmail accounts. In addition, with a click or two, you can be in your account, and answering and deleting your email. Features of Gmail Manager include: The ability to monitor multiple Gmail accounts The ability to save your passwords The use of https (secure) connection Various toolbar notices, including Hide unread count Hide alias Unread for email, spam, and or labels Configuration of minutes between checks for new messages Sound notification when new email arrives Though just on version 0.5.7.1, this seems to be a pretty solid Add-on.

Are you tired of the balloons that pop-up every time you lose and reconnect to a wireless network? Or when Windows wants you to clean-up your icons? Well it's actually very easy to disable the Taskbar Balloon Tips. Go to the Microsoft knowledge base entry 307729 for instructions and use their new Fix It feature. Instead of changing a Registry setting using Regedit, which is the most common way to change a Windows setting, Microsoft now provides a button within knowledge base articles that will change the Registry setting for you.

Long time readers of my blog know that I am not very fond of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express because of their security vulnerabilities. Due to that, I switched a long time ago to Firefox and Thunderbird. Unfortunately due to my job, I find myself having to use Internet Explorer more and more. We have a 3rd-party application that we access over the Internet that requires Internet Explore. In addition, I do our web development, which requires that I test everything in Internet Explorer. Also, I have assumed responsibilities for the Webmaster role for the Cascade Blues Association (CBA), which again requires testing in Internet Explorer. It also added another email account to monitor. In order to keep the CBA account separate from my personal and work email accounts, I decided to re-load Outlook Express. So back to my point. Most users, including me, run Windows XP with Administrative privileges. For most folks it's due to not knowing any better or not knowing how to change. Fo

From my experience, many web developers do not know the finer points of HTML, JavaScript, and/or CSS. They've relied on a combination of built-in language tags (e.g. in place of JavaScript) and designers to do this work for them. How good are you? The W3schools.com site (which I find to be a good reference site) has a 20 question CSS quiz and 20 question JavaScript quiz that will separate the knowledgeable from the not so. On the CSS quiz I scored 17 of 20 -- 2 of the 3 were syntax questions that I know I don't know, and always find myself looking up. For the other miss, I learned something new. For the JavaScript quiz, I scored 18 of 20 -- one being a math function that I missed, and I would expect to have to look up. The other... I shouldn't have missed. Give it a shot and see how you score. Have fun.

Who are Friends on Facebook and MySpace? Should you accept every Request? What if you rather not accept a Request? Recently it seems I've had an increase in Friend requests from folks that I have never met, but we share a common interest, or met just briefly once. I began to wonder how to best handle this. The easy answer is just to say Ignore or No, but then again you never know what bridge you might inadvertantly burn. This led me to consider the goals of my social networks and the capabilities of those networks. For me, MySpace was easy -- I use it to connect with my interest in Blues music. I have "requested friendship" with many musicians who I have never met, and we've connected. Facebook though has been a different story. Up until recently, I had most of my privacy settings set so anyone in my network could view information about me. I was treating Facebook as a more personal network, predominately filled with family, friends, and current and former co-workers.

On Jan 16, 2009, I wrote about troubles with Picasa 3 and no longer supporting it as a photo manager. Since then, I have tried 4 other photo managers and I have solved my Picasa problem. First, the fix. I took these steps to restore Picasa back to normal. File > Add Folder to Picasa Removed every folder referenced -- this led to no photos listed in Picasa File > Add Folder to Picasa Selected the folders I wanted to re-include in Picasa --Picasa reloaded Smiled and was happy :-) That simple process seemed to do the trick. As I mentioned, I have tried 4 other photo managers, though I'm going to stick with Picasa -- assuming it behaves. Not that they other 4 are not as good, but for one reason -- Picasa integrates so nice with their hosting service. Here are the 4 other photo managers (in no particular order), and a few comments: 1. ACDSee Photo Manager 2009 If I were to replace Picasa, I think this would be my choice. Some features I liked: Loads fast as a replacement for W

For most of us, faxes are quite dated. Having a fax machine to receive documents can be quite a chore to coordinate the logistics in figuring out where someone could send you a fax. If you use K7 , you can receive faxes and voice mails for free. Go to K7.net, give them your email address, select a 4 digit pin, and answer 4 questions on the service you want, and you will have your own (206 area code) fax number. Service options include the following: Save faxes only (which can be retrieved off the K7 website) Save faxes and send you a copy via email Do not save, email only Faxes are saved in TIF format, which will give you multiple images in a single file -- one image per page. The service claims to continue to support your account for free as long as it is used at least once every 30 days. If you have the Washington State only plan, which receives calls only placed within Washington, you can have up to 90 days of inactivity before your account is released. Next time you need to receive

Here's an Adobe Creative Suite 3 ad, displaying the capabilities of Flash using playing cards.

As I was working on a spreadsheet today, I realized that I had several cells with extra spaces at the end. I knew that there was a Trim function in Excel, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of determining the syntax and use, so instead I went to Google. THe third link I followed, I found Ablebits.com Trim Spaces for Microsoft Excel . Trim Spaces for Microsoft Excel is easy to install and easy to use, and works on many version of Excel. Here are the steps I followed: Downloaded Opened the zip file Opened the Readme.txt, which contained instructions Closed Excel Ran setup.exe Closed the Zip file Opened my Excel file in Excel Highlighted the cells to trim Clicked the Trim spaces button Saved my Excel file It doesn't get any easier! You can even use a silent installation -- great for IT groups who want to deploy. Ablebits.com Trim Spaces for Microsoft Excel is freeware, "The add-in is free for private and commercial use." That's a bargain, too. Here's are

As we all know, kicking any habit can be extremely difficult. Now days, it's also difficult to find a public place where you can feed your cigarette habit. With the introduction of the electronic cigarette from Njoy , that no longer is a problem. As featured at CES, Njoy's electronic cigarette gives you the experience of smoking and the nicotine and flavor you get from smoking, but it is done without burning or the nasty additives. The non-flammable Njoy Cigarette is powered by a patented microelectronic technology, a tiny rechargeable battery, and a safe refillable cartridge which contains water, propylene glycol, nicotine, and a scent that emulates the flavor of tobacco. Here's what you get in the Njoy starter kit: 1 - Njoy Npro Electronic Cigarette (color optional) 5 - Assorted Refill Cartridges (each cartridge equal to approx 1/2 - 3/4 pack of cigarettes) 2 - Rechargeable Lithium Batteries 1 - Lithium Battery Charger The Njoy site advertises the kit for $64.95, but

I'm very frustrated to report that Google's Picasa version 3 has been nothing but trouble. I am now on Picasa 3.1, this being at least the third version of 3.x. I first noticed with the first version 3 update that a few captions were wrong. I corrected a few, but as I looked closer, many of them were wrong -- the captions and pcitures were no longer correctly associated. After the next update, I noticed that Picasa was slower, often hanging for a while. This also included causing screen refresh problems with my other applications that were running at the same time. I just finished allowing another version 3 update, and I notice it seems to be re-building my library -- I now seem to recall it did this with the first version 3 update. I also noticed with pictures that I've added after the prior update also have incorrect captions on some of them -- I hadn't put captions on any of them, yet. Update 17-Jan-09: I've re-opened Picasa, and now the thumbnails are mixed up t

As a Firefox user, there are a few times that I run across a site that requires Internet Explorer (IE). With the right add-ons to Firefox, it's easy to switch the rendering engine with a single click. Of course it would be even easier if the site Firefox recognized sites that require IE, and switch for me. If you use the IE Tab add-on, that is exactly what you can configure it to do. Here's how to do it: Download and install the IE Tab add-on (like all add-ons, this will require a restart of Firefox) Go to the site that you want to render each time in IE Open the IE Tab Options (Tools >> IE Tab Options -- Sites Filter tab) The page you just navigated to should be in the URL box, so you just need to click Add You can skip step 2 and enter any URL manually into the URL box Click OK Now every time you go to a site that is listed in the Sites Filter section of IE Tab, it will automatically render in Internet Explorer. There's one more trick related to this that may be re

Greenwich Mean Time ( greenwichmeantime.com ) has a nice converter from GMT to your time. They also have a time check , so you can validate your computer's clock. And finally, an application is available that you can run on a Windows or Mac computer to keep your clock on time. The Greenwich Meridian (Prime Meridian or Longitude Zero degrees) marks the starting point of every time zone in the World. GMT is Greenwich Mean (or Meridian) Time is the mean (average) time that the earth takes to rotate from noon-to-noon. GMT is World Time and the basis of every world time zone which sets the time of day and is at the centre of the time zone map. GMT sets current time or official time around the globe. Most time changes are measured by GMT. Although GMT has been replaced by atomic time (UTC) it is still widely regarded as the correct time for every international time zone. View Larger Map Back to the time converter, one thing required is that you need to know your own GMT offset. Fo

Occasionally I find where IIS is hung, and I hate to have to reboot. Fortunately I found a web page that lists the command and switches you can use from the command line to accomplish the task. This is the same site, psacake.com that notified us of companies that would be closing after Christmas, so avoid getting gift cards from them.

Oracle Presents Two Worlds is a Flash-based comic trilogy using Iron Man and Marvel Entertainment to show you the features and functions of using an all Oracle solution to run your business. Due to the high-cost, complex systems of Oracle, I'm not sure how well the promotion fit the market, but it is quite entertaining. As companions to the comic, Oracle has posted articles on how Marvel has benefited from their all Oracle solution. Read Support for Superheroes and Avengers, Assemble! to get all the details. Or, just watch the comic trilogy and enjoy.

The Chicago Tribune has a photo montage of high-tech from prior generations. It includes the video phone, an unsuccessful fax machine, and those early luggable portable phones.

As displayed at CES 2009 , we should see color printers capable of printing in 1 second available for the home budget, this year. This is due to innovative technology from Memjet , the OEM sellers of Silverbrook Research ink jet printing innovations. Memjet is actually four companies focusing on four different markets: Memjet Home & Office, Memjet Labels, Memjet Photo Retail, and Memjet Wide Format. I might note before you read further, you might consider me biased (I don't think so) as my sister, after a long career with HP, works for Memjet Home & Office. Additionally, I spent over 9 years ('96 - '05) in the Tektronix/Xerox Phaser printer organization. According to the Memjet website: The technology will be available in products in 2009, starting with a 100mm printhead that will be used for Retail photo printing as well as Label printing devices. An A4/Letter printhead will be available by the first half 2009 with many variations of components and technology impro

Apple announces a revolutionary product, the keyboard-less laptop.

Thanks to Digg , I found an interesting website, Cool Material. Specifically, Digg had a link to Ultra-Minimalism: 19 Cool Products That Are Almost Impossible to Use . If you like new and unique ways to design products, this list is for you -- a tank-less toilet, an unrecognizable table, a hidden vacuum cleaner, and 16 others. After that, check the many interesting categories including Tech, Media, and Travel. You would think that everything would be expensive, but surprisingly some things are actually reasonable priced. For example, the Vroom Tire Tread iPhone Case is only $15 and available through Amazon. Or there's the Laser Parking System for only $25. Many, many surprisingly good values here.

Do you like using the Apple environment of iPod/iPhone and iTunes, but hate that you have to get DRM music? Using Adventageous mp3 , you no longer have to. After installing Adventageous mp3, find your Artist or Album in iTunes like you always do, but then instead of purchasing, click on Adventageous mp3 to be directed to the equivalent on Amazon. Here you can make your purchase for the same music without the DRM.

By now we've all had a chance to read the many tech predictions for 2009. If not, Wired has a good summary of predictions . This time of year also lends itself to reminding us of all the less insightful tech predictions of years gone past. Checkout this post at PC World for The 7 Worst Tech Predictions of All Time . My predictions? I may have 2 or 3... Apple will become less popular. This is driven primarily out of my frustration for the buggy iPhone and AppleTV. Also influencing my thoughts are Rafe Needleman's struggle to get used to his Mac (as posted by him on Twitter ). TWiT will lose its spot as the top tech podcast. I love what Leo Laporte has done for podcasting, but the quality of TWiT has really declined over the last 4 to 5 months, while others continue to enter this space. Of course if you read Jason Hiner of Tech Repuplic last February, TWiT already lost to Buzz Out Loud -- my favorite daily tech podcast. One last one... Nateli Del Conte , the video podcaster o

Many of us find ourselves in the car or on the bus bored, as we travel to and from work every day. If we're lucky, we've got an audio player and listen to podcasts and/or audio books. If you like audio books though, they can become rather expensive leaving you back to finding an alternative. This is where podiobooks.com comes in. Using podiobooks.com, you can subscribe to books of your choosing, and have the chapters delivered to you at a specified interval, for free. For example, you might want a new chapter a day; subscribe using your podcatcher and each night when you sync your audio player, the next chapter will download to your device. Downloading at an interval you specified is great for people who have audio players with a small amount of memory -- you don't need to store the files until you're ready to listen to them. Podiobooks has over 270 titles and is being used by over 50,000 listeners. Categories include: Fantasy, History, Romance, and Thriller, just to