Blog

Building A Server

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:13:00 -0400

I will soon be posting a tutorial on how to build a server (On windows), and it is easier than you think :D

But until then, feel free to try and find my server which is hidden very discreetly at secretfiles.doesntexist.com (my current custom built server)

Quick Tip: Web Design

Sun, 03 May 2009 01:34:00 -0400

I have learned that old browsers (i.e. Internet Explorer 6) have difficulty displainy images with transparency, and may see transparent areas as a light blue.

I suggest that to fix the problem that you either add your background to the image, or take a screenshot of the page in a browser which displays your site correctly!

How to: Jailbreak iPod Touch 2G

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:49:00 -0400

Note: This may also work with other iPods and iPhones, but this has been tested to work specifically for iPod touch 2nd gen.

So if you are like me and have an iPod touch 2G, you have probably been waiting for a jailbreak to come out. Just recently a person released a jailbreak for $15, which is a huge price to pay to just do a jailbreak. The next day, the iPhone dev team saw that this was happening and decided to release their hack for free.

As it turns out, the dev team was trying to keep this hack untill aplle releases their new iPhone in the summer (typical release time for Apple...). They had found a hardware flaw that allows them to do this hack, but now since it was released, Apple now has time to react to this bug and redesign the new iPhone to stop this hack.

This is sad news for people who were waiting for the next-gen iPhone, but to us who have an iPod Touch, it is great news. We can now jailbreak our iPod touch 2g for free.

NOTICE:

This is a HACK and is not supported by Apple. this means that as soon as you begin this process, you assume the risk of permanately locking you iPod into a state of no return. Also you may be risking you warranty.

After you have successfully jailbroken your iPod, you can rempve the jailbreak and set it back to normal state by using itunes to update your firmware, and everything should be back to normal.

On the same case though, iPod updates typically have broken hacks like these in the past,check the iPhone Dev team's website before updating, otherwise you could lose your jailbreak settings completely untill it is re-cracked by the team. DO NOT UPDATE YOR iPOD AFTER JAILBREAK.

The software installed is NOT illoegal, but can be used in an illegal way, please be careful when uing jailbroken apps. An example of an illegal app is the NES Emulator, it is not illegal if you own the cartridge of the game you are emulating, but if not, you are technically stealing the game from the respective owner.

Materials:

iPod Touch
Sync cable
iTunes [link]
QuickFreedom [link]
iPod Touch Firmware [link]
***Plenty of Time

Note: The firmware is NOT what you will be putting on your iPod, you will need to modify iy with QuickFreedom (as described below)

Procedure: (broken into many parts below)

Preparation:

You need to plug your iPod into your computer to sync it one last time with itunes, during the jailbreak, everything on the iPod is deleted, so this is basically making a backup of your files for later.
You will need to dowload a copy of the original iPod touch firmware, do not put this on your iPod yet, you need to modify it first (later step) [download]
You will also need to download QuickFreedom on your computer, the install it onto your computer (does not work on Macintoses, sorry) [link]
Do NOT procede untill you have finised all step up untill this point.

Jailbreaking

Open QuickFreedom (You should have installed earlier)
If you see something called "SmartSound" pop up, you can click "cancel" it is not needed for this process. If it does not appear, skip this step.
Click the icon of a padlock that say "Jailbreak"
Once again, If you see something called "SmartSound" pop up, you can click "cancel" it is not needed for this process. If it does not appear, skip this step.
you will see a page of many options
Click the "Install LIBUSB" button and follow all the prompts.
After installing LIBUSB you will be taken back to the menu
Now click the browse button and select the firmware that you downloaded earlier
Be patient, the program will likely freeze up for a minute trying to open it.
After it is done, click "next"
You are now taken to this page
Make sure that "Use Custom Boot Logo is checked
A window should pop up showing you some choices for a boot logo, if not, just click the "change" button.
Beware to choose a boot logo that you like, you will not be able to change this after you create the firmware. Personally, I chose the pineapple :)
Once you have made up your mind, click the "Create Firmware" button, and wait for it to make your new jailbroken firmware. This could take a few minutes.
After it is done, your new firmware should appear on your desktop.
WARNING: This is the point of no return, once you continue on past this step, you must continue through this process, your iPod may appear to be dead at one point in this process, but it is only in DFU mode.
Click "next"
Make sure that iTunes is completely closed.
Get your iPod cable ready, you will need it in the next step.
Now click "DFU instructions" and do EXACTLY what it say to do, for the time that it tells you to do so, this will put your iPod in Device Firmware Update mode.
Once you are in DFU mode, click "Start Pre-Jailbreak"
After it is done, rather than clicking "next" you can close "QuickFreedom"
Leaving your iPod plugged in (should have done so in step 21), open iTunes, and deny all it's attempts to recover your iPod, if you do, you must restart the entire process.
Now go to your iPod in the sidebar, then while holding "Shift" click "Restore" in iTunes.
It will open an "Open File" window, select "Custom Firmware.ispw" or "Custom Firmware", which is a file on your desktop.
Let your iPod do it's magic, and I do mean "Magic".
After you have Jailbroken your iPod, you will need to put all your Apps, Video, Music and other stuff back on, you can now restore your iPod to the time of your last sync, or simply Sync it with your library.

Problems:

If you are having any problems, please use the "contact" page to get in touch with me asap.

So what to do now (now that your iPod is jailbroken)?

You will have likely noticed that there is a new app called "Cydia" on your iPod now, this is where you can get all your jailbroken apps, and themes.
Look around Cydia for games, there are a few little goodies that you would find in the normal apple app store.

Mobile Penny-Save

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:55:00 -0500

I am workingon getting a mobile version of Penny-Save running, and itis getting close to being ready. PennySave There are 3 things stopping this from being done. First, the editor I used to make this removed the hyphen in Penny-Save. There are also way too many deals on it (1000 or so), which gives to much of my code away. Lastly, I am having trouble registering i.penny-save.com, so there is nowhere ot put it...

Embarrasing

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:16:00 -0500

I have a nice little code that runs Penny-Save, but it is very clunky on the backend. I have been continually working on improving it, but there isn't much more I could do.

I was working on optimizing the code, and found out that even though my code knows the publish date of everything, it still needs to be told to sort the deals. This ended up freezing the Penny-Save homepage (lesser effects were on category pages).

I also found out that I applied a modification (changing number of deals), I was originally trying to get it to work in the normal version, but nothing happened. I later found out that this problem was that I inserted the code into the IE version of my page, and not the standard version.

I have an IE version only because of a bug in IE itself, with the height="100%" attribute. Penny-Save will automatically chose the proper version for our visitors!

Don't Get that Macintosh

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:14:00 -0500

Here is a paper I wrote for engilsh class. I show my stance on the Mac vs. Pc battle.

Macintosh versus Windows, this has been a huge debate over the past few years, and it will likely carry on until the end of time. It is very likely that you have been looking at that new iMac, this is normal; most people cannot resist walking into an Apple store just to look around. Everyone wants a better computer, but they do not realize that the best computer for them is usually the one they are using.

People will generally walk into an Apple store and see the cleanliness, which makes people think that their product is made well and easier to use, before they even try it out. It is actually really hard to switch to a Mac, they seem the same from the outside, but everything is different. One thing that can get really annoying is that your right click doesn’t do the same thing on a Mac as on Windows. In Windows, you can copy, paste, and do other things with files, in Mac; you just get a bunch of widgets to pop up. Simple changes like this can make a transition from Windows to Mac difficult.

Now suppose you did get to learn how to use a Mac, congratulations to you, but you may have just found out that there is a void in the games category. Companies have learned from the past that games on Macintosh computers usually don’t sell very well, which makes these games unprofitable. There are a few games for Mac, but there is at least three times as many games made specifically for PC users. This is just one category where it is better to have a windows computer.

PCs simply do more; they have more software that they can run. This is because over 90% of the computer market belongs to Windows, which makes developers want to write code for Windows instead of Macintoshes. This means that there are millions of programs for Windows, which is reason to buy a windows computer. Macs are a totally different programming language for geeks to learn, which makes it a waste of time for most developers.

Another great advantage to PCs is that they are easily, and cheaply upgradeable. Since there are many companies that make PC parts, there is more supply than demand, making prices low. Macintoshes are very limited in their choices of upgrades, so Apple can charge more for them.

In fact, most Windows computers will never cost you more than $1000, because there are so many different brands that they keep each other in check. This makes buying a PC a whole less pain to repair for because it costs less for the equivalent hardware.

PCs are the best solution to most peoples’ lives. We grew up with PCs, and now it is hard to leave them for the way they “feel”. PCs have more games that they can play. They are very cheap to maintain. They are inexpensive to buy. Lastly, PCs are better than Macs.

New Template

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:42:00 -0500

We got a new template from snedeker designz (google it), and are still working out the quirks, be patient, all the text will be readable shortly...

Locking Your Computer

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:07:00 -0500

Are you tired of letting other people see your computer screen? Do you ever want to make sure nobody messes with your work? You can lock your screen in windows using the windows key+L , then, enter your password to log back on!

Good. Customer. Support.

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:30:00 -0500

I have recently purchased a USB charger for my iPod, but it didn't work. I went back to the store to get a second one, when I got it home, I tried to charge it, and it had the same problem. I wrote a chain of emails to the company, to find that they will replace my charger free of charge. They are shipping it to me tommorrow. This is the way customer service is supposed to be! I have concealed the service representative's name and address, for his personal privacy.

Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 7:56 PM

To: customerservice@jlrgear.com

I have recently purchased the ICD-2503-CU from a local Kohl's store. I tried to let it charge overnight, and when i plugged it into my iPod (through the connector) it wouldn't charge it. When Ii clicked the black button on it, none of the lights lit up. I figured it was a problem with only one, so i returned it for a new one. The problem is that the same thing is happening.

I am plugging in my ipod with the USB connector, attched to my USB iPod cable. The iPod will charge when the it is plugged into your product, when you product is in my USB port, but as soon as i remove your product, it stops charging.

Any advise as to what I should do to fix this issue?

nameconcealed

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 4:48 PM

To: Adam

Hello,

I can send you a replacement ? please let me know your address and if you could include a scan of the UPC bar code that would be great as well.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Kind regards,

-nameconcealed

(Please include pervious e-mail(s) text when responding)

From: Adam
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 5:56 PM
To: customerservice@jlrgear.com
Subject: USB Power Charger

I am plugging in my ipod with the USB connector, attached to my USB iPod cable. The iPod will charge when the it is plugged into your product, when you product is in my USB port, but as soon as i remove your product, it stops charging.

Any advise as to what I should do to fix this issue?

To: Customer Service

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 4:51 PM

Should I send it back in, because i have bought one and exchanged it for another, when it is plugged into the computer everything seems to work fine (six lights on and all), but when it is unplugged, it is totally powered off, is this a problem that really requires me mailing the USB charger?

From: Adam

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 5:12 PM

To: nameconcealed <nameconcealed@jlrgear.com>

I forgot to add, i can film a short video of what is wrong with my USB charger if you would like.

To: Adam

To: <nameconcealeds@gmail.com>

Yeah. let me send you a replacement that works. What's your mailing address?

Thanks,

-nameconcealed

To: Customer Support

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 6:08 PM

To: nameconcealed <nameconcealeds@jlrgear.com>

Do I need to send in the old one?

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 6:18 PM

To: Adam

To: nameconcealed <nameconcealed@gmail.com>

No don't worry about sending the old one, sounds like the 2 units have been hassle enough.

Your replacement will go out tomorrow.

Thanks,

-nameconcealed

to: Customer Support

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 6:21 PM

Thanks, you guys might want to look into this issue, if it happened to me, it probably happened to others.

Windows 7

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:03:00 -0500

Most of my nerdy friends know by now that I have obtained a beta copy of Windows 7. This has been a weekend project for me due to one problem; partitions. To get Windows 7 on my laptop, i had to do some partitioning, but my laptop wouldn't allow me to shrink the current partitions. After a long weekend I have solved the issue, and I now have Windows 7 on my computer. I look forward to showing you guys more about it in the future.

Does anybody know the answer?

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:57:00 -0500

Why do we drive on parkways, and why do we park on driveways?

Why do hotdogs come in packs of 10, while buns come in packs of 16?

What is the meaning of life? (42, obviously:D)

How To: Use a Nintendo Wii controller as a computer mouse

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:29:00 -0500

Unlike ripping DVDs (previous tutorial), this project carries no legal issues!
Also, you may find the steps to be alot easier too!

-What you need-

A single Wii Remote $40
GlovePIE [download]
A bluetooth adapter $20
Wii Sensor Bar $20

Total Cost $0-$80,

-Instructions-

Install GlovePIE from the link above in the materials list
Connect your Wii Remote to the bluetooth dongle by holding down 1+2 on your wii remote, there is no password on the remotes, so connection should be simple
Open GlovePIE
Download the following file to your computer, then open it in GlovePIE [file]
Then, just click "Run" and everything should be working

-Notes-

Keep the sensor bar 5-10 feet from you
"A" is your left click

Penny-Save

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:04:00 -0500

Today Penny-Save got an upgrade that nobody will notice.First of all, the blog is now sorted into categories, but what makes this great is only postings under "announcements make it into the deals box. This all happened without taking down the framework of my site. I have also noticed the number of visitors stable out, and slowly gro on a dily basis. The current goal is to launch an effective community. It has been in place for a while, but there has been no reason for visitors to use it.

If you have any suggestions for Penny-Save, feel free to leave it in the comments!

How To: DVD on iPod

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:12:00 -0500

First of all, I have to say a few notes for this how to lesson.

This lesson is for iPod touch 2nd gen, but is easily adapted to other ipod formats.
There is a legality issue with ripping DVDs, to stay in a safe zone ONLY RIP DVDS YOU OWN, ripping a DVD that is not owned soley by you can be considered piracy. Continue with these steps at you own risk.
This guide is only for Windows, if you use Mac, simply use a program called "Handbrake".

You will need to install two programs:

Videora iPod converter [link] (if using another type of iPod, search the site for the proper link.
DVD Decrypter [link]

(please notify me if a link dies)

***********************************************

Once those two programs are installed you are ready for the real part of the DVD ripping

***********************************************

-Part 1-

Open DVD Decrypter
In the tools menu click "settings
Once the settings menu opens up, go to the "IFO" tab then ensure file splitting is set to "none", if not you will find large problems down the line when we use videora...
After the settings have been changed you can click "OK"
You should be back to this screen now
Insert the DVD you want ripped into your DVD drive.
If asked for a reigon, select where the disc was purchased
Now, click the "Stream Processing" tab.
Click "Enable Stream Processing and only Check the boxes with what is shown below.
Now on the left side of the window in the destination area, chose where you want the file saved.
Click the icon directly below, this will start the rip
Wait an hour for the rip to complete.

Now take note of the destination folder, we will be using it during the next steps.

***********************************************

-PART II-

Open Videora iPod Converter
Click the "Convert" button in the top left
Click the "Video File" tab
From here things are pretty self-explantatory, but I will continue the How-To
It will ask you to select a mode, choose "Normal Mode"
It will ask you to select a file, choose the file from the file location you put it while using DVD Decrypter
Then it will ask you what output directory you want to save the new file to, choose you videos folder, this will become the final file.
When when you are done, click the orange "Next" button.
When it asks you to select a title, use the name of the DVD you are importing.
When when you are done, click the orange "Next" button.
Move the sliders to a position of your choice, although I reccomend the settings as in the picture to the right.
Click the orange "Next" button to continue
To begin the process, look at the bottom of the window and click "Start Converting

***********************************************

-Part III-

Once all the files have converted you can delete the original file you made with DVD Ripper, this will free up roughly 3GB of useless files per video on your hard drive, but do not delete the file you made with Videora.

Welcome

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:13:00 -0500

This is officially the online presence of Adam Miner, were currently building this site as fast as we can, untill then, visit Adam's current site at www.penny-save.com