CODE Blog

If you are looking for an inexpensive solution to have a webcam/nanny cam to keep an eye on what is goind on from remote and you have some machines you can leave on, this is what I did:

I bought some 10 mega pixel usb web cams off ebay - shipped from Hong Kong.   These are not very good quality, I do not believe they are even 10mp, but  they work well enough for simple room monitoring.   Cost per camera was less than $10.   Be careful about OS support (win 7 vs xp for example).

I have a computer in my living room for the kids, the basement (server), and a few others.   The idea is that I can plug these cameras in, mount them as best I can so they are not tampered with, then use a special software to upload the images to a web site - or other site.

From remote I can check in and see what the latest snap shot is.   Not a live feed, but enough to see where things are.

The software I chose is yawcam - it is free, and it uploads to ftp and even has a motion detection feature so it only captures images and uploads them if there is movement.  It can also send alerts if there is movement.  There are other software packages out there too if you have any trouble with this one.

A neat tip, if you do not want to utilize ftp upload to a hosting provider or similar, and you do not want to open your firewall / set up your own sharing, etc. an option is to use DropBox.   This is file sync utility that happens to be a great way to get your camera image files up on the web - or to a different machine.   The software would save the image in to the drop box folder, then the drop box software automatically sends it up to their secure site.   You can view the images there, or have another machine where the drop box software will pull the images down.   No firewalls and easy to setup.

While I am not happy with some of the choices Apple is making, I do love my iPad - this is so cool, I love the luxury of being able to read books on my iPod touch, but now the iPad is sooo much better with the larger screen.   This weekend I signed up at this iPad electronic book site -  so cool the technology today, now I can chill out on my deck, currently reading  "The Disciple" by  Stephen Coonts.   Text, pictures, nice user interface.   Even better, the service has our regional newspaper and it kept my son busy with the comic books.  Check it out!   (MPM)

The Free Software Foundation has responded to Apple's Steve Jobs and Adobe regarding Flash, Proprietary Software, H.264 and more.Read more at Ars Technica.

So maybe Steve should have been a little more lenient in allowing developers to write in Adobe Flash, Flex, Java or other restricted languages?

Bookending the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G unboxing from earlier today is the other classic staple of geekdom: the tear-down. As usual iFixit did the deed, and here’s what they uncovered:

There are actually FIVE antennas in this iPad. Two antennas handle the cell reception — one is in the RF window on top, the other attaches to the LCD frame. A single GPS antenna is also housed in the RF window on top. Just like the iPad Wi-Fi, there are two antennas that handle Wi-Fi / Bluetooth connectivity, one in the Apple logo and another to the left of the dock connector.

• Apple looks to be using the entire LCD frame as an antenna!

• Apple uses the same 3G baseband processor in both the iPhone 3GS and the iPad 3G.

Just a quick post about SpinWrite from GRC software.  I  learned about this product a couple years ago.   I use it a couple times a year on my drives to maintain them.

However, yesterday my machine slowed down, hard drive light was hard-lit, xp started hanging.  Finally it would not even boot.

So, I put in SpinWrite - I had a few files on my desktop that I had not backed up yet.

It found all kinds of sector issues.   It crunched away, and several hours later after recovering sector data, I rebooted and xp came up.   I quickly grabbed my files and am replacing the drive.

So, I have to say, SpinWrite is GREAT.   It is amazing what it can detect.

http://www.grc.com

So a few points about the whole Flash uproar and Steve's letter:

The iPad is a pretty cool device, just like the iPod Touch and iPhone.   However, there are a couple key weaknesses with them:  Apple will not allow interpreted code.   For example, flash, java or similar.   The problem is that other manufacturers are going to catch up.  I remember when the iPhone first came out, Apple touting that they were 5 years ahead of the game.  Well, now we are starting to finally see devices that have all the touch capabilities and power.  Apple still has an advantage in terms of the iTunes store, as I have yet to see a mobile store that is so easy to use and so rich with content - a lot of it for free.    I think it will be a matter of time before other companies come up with competitive mobile app stores.    Guess what the purchase decision is going to be at that point?   Flash apps, Java apps, or similar.

If you do not have enough RAM or memory in your computer, it will run slow.   Memory is one of the easiest and cheapest upgrades you can perform.  Below you will find video guides to get you started.   There are more guides at the links below.

Here are links where you can get high-quality low cost memory is available for Mac's and PC's :

PowerMac, MacBook, and Mac Pro

MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Dell desktops & laptops

Noticed this product VirusBarrier for Mac is now on iPad.     Looks decent, blurb from their site:

provides comprehensive protection from malware and network threats. VirusBarrier X6 is the only antivirus program for Mac that includes full anti-malware protection together with firewall, network protection, anti-phishing, anti-spyware features and more.

As malware changes, protection needs to be reinforced
While viruses, Trojan horses, worms and other forms of malware are a constant threat to computers of all kinds, cyber-criminals are turning to new techniques to infect and control your Mac. These new threats come silently, with little warning, over the Internet: in many cases, simply visiting a booby-trapped web page can compromise your Mac. Focusing on malware or network attacks alone is no longer sufficient to protect Macs from the dangers of the Internet.