News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we plan to continue using Windows XP for a long, long time. But we recognize that some people have purchased new equipment and are pretty much forced to use Windows Vista. The linked article has some nice tips for making Vista less annoying.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
The linked site has a huge library of user’s manuals that you can download and print. For those so inclined, you can also upload documents.
Link: http://safemanuals.com/
(via Kim Komando)
With the release of Firefox 3 yesterday, the linked article has some tips for the power user.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
Some tips on what and what not to do when you’re pulled over by the police.
Link: http://www.caranddriver.com/…
(via digg)
Windows XP and Vista support two file systems for writable optical discs: “Live File System” and “Mastered”. The Mastered format is compatible with pre-XP versions of Windows as well as ordinary CD/DVD players that can read and play MP3s. The latest version of Live File System, however, is only compatible with WinXP or later versions of Windows. This would not normally be a problem, except that Microsoft has made Live File System the default format under Vista. Depending on who is going to use the disc, it may be necessary to change the format to Mastered.
Thanks to Kim Komando for this topic.
With the advent of Windows 95, Microsoft took the ability to edit environment variables and buried it in an obscure part of the system configuration, known only to the chosen few. To make matters worse, the dialog used to edit/display environment variables is too small and can’t be resized. The linked application, Redmond Path, makes it very easy to modify one particular environment variable: the system path.
Update: It appears they’re also developing a utility with which to manage the other environment variables. It will be available here when completed.
Link: http://redmondlab.googlepages.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
HDTV color, brightness, and contrast levels are set by the manufacturer to look great in brightly-lit retail stores, and once you get it home, the picture quality isn’t nearly as good. Thus the need to calibrate your HDTV. You can do it yourself, or pay a professional.
Update: Getting a professional to make the changes may not be such a good idea.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
Recently, Apple quietly added the Safari browser to its automatic update program. If you simply un-check it, the update reminder will come back until you’ve installed it (or gone crazy). Here’s how to get rid of it permanently.
When you see the Apple update screen, un-select everything except Safari. Then go into the “Tools” menu and select “Ignore Selected Updates”. (Note that it’s easy to get this backwards and select everything but Safari, which will not work—you need to select only Safari.)
Link: http://cybernetnews.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
If you’ve ever double-clicked on an unknown file type in Windows, then you’re probably familiar with this dialog box. Here’s how to get rid of it and go straight to the program selection list.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
The linked site converts your email address into an image file, which you can use in place of your email address, to keep spammers from harvesting it. On the downside, legitimate users can’t click on it to open a new message; rather, they have to type it in. The quick and easy method of obfuscating email addresses is to encode them as HTML character entities. Probably the best method, however, is to set up a submission form on your website–but this can’t be used in every situation where you want to publish your email address.
Here’s a useful site for those times when you wonder if a site is down for everyone, or if it’s you that’s having the problem.
Link: http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/
(via The Presurfer)
I did instant messaging “back in the day” with ICQ, but it’s only in the past year or so that I got serious about it. And what a mess! Because the people I chat with are on different networks, I had three IM clients running at the same time. But there is a solution. Pidgin is a free, multi-platform IM client that can simultaneously connect to 16 different IM networks, including Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, Google Talk, and, yes, ICQ.
Link: http://www.pidgin.im/…
