[donspatch] 2013-05-01
- From: "Don (& Lisa)" <dondashguitar@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Donspatch <Donspatch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:17:20 -0500
#181 May 1, 2013 from http://www.don-guitar.com
Online version: http://www.don-guitar.com/currentissue.html
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First word, from Don:
The standing joke about central Texas weather is that, if
you don't like it, hang around for a few minutes, it'll
change. Less than a week ago it was cold out and I was
sleeping under a blanket. Last night it was very warm out
and all I needed for cover was a sheet. Tonight, it's
75°F (24°C) at 8:30 PM and tonight's low is expected to
be 59°F (15°C) so I may need my blanket again.
I'm sure some of you noticed that I didn't publish last
month. Just couldn't get it together but I'm not ready to
give it up yet. I'm hanging in there.
That said, let's get started.
Don
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Section One.
If you know a machinist or a talented hardware
gadgeteer Here's a cool link you can pass on.
http://home.comcast.net/~sskroch/Fengrave/fengrave.html
Sometimes a Windows computer picks up something evil (a
virus or malware) that's next to impossible to get rid of.
In those instances, for years now, I've used a Dr Web live
CD to help track down and eliminate the offending infection.
When you boot from a live CD, Windows isn't turned on so the
malicious application is "defenseless" (because the most
insidious malware always uses vulnerabilities "built-in" to
Windows to defend itself from removal). Dr Web is still a
good choice but now several other companies also offer
excellent and, more importantly, free live CDs (all of
which are based on Linux by the way) to help you rid your
computer of insidious, malicious applications. While using
a live CD has a bit of a learning curve it's really not so
terribly difficult. First, the live CD comes in the form
of a downloadable 'ISO' file, from which you can create a
live CD. Here's how to burn a live CD from an ISO file:
http://goo.gl/PwjXz [pcsupport dot about dot com]
Once you have a live CD, to use it, just open your CD
drive, drop in the disk, shut down your computer, close
the disk drive (if it didn't close automatically when
you shut the computer down) and then turn the computer
back on.
These days nearly all computers will recognize and boot
from a live CD if there's one in the drive when the system
is powered up. If it doesn't work, look for a 'Boot Menu'
message as the system is powering up (on some Dell systems,
for example, F12 invokes the boot menu) and select your
optical (CD) drive. If your system doesn't automatically
boot from a live CD or offer you a boot menu option then
you can either google for how to set the Boot Order in your
computers BIOS or call a geek (like me) to come and set it
for you. :) Here are a few anti-virus live CDs.
http://www.freedrweb.com/livecd/?lng=en
http://support.kaspersky.com/4162
http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-rescue-cd
http://goo.gl/Kq3M1 [bitdefender dot com]
Sometimes I'm at a friends house and want to check my email
but I don't want to use their browser (because I'm finicky
about how my browser is set up). On those occasions I like
to use portable apps, which I carry in my pocket, on a
thumb drive. Portable Firefox, for example, can be set
up just the way you like it and you can use it on any
Windows computer system. Of course there are a lot more
choices than just Firefox in the way of portable apps.
http://portableapps.com/
I don't know what they're about or who they actually are but
I do know that the folks from Soul Pancake have some totally
awesome videos on youtube. Check 'em out, seriously.
http://www.youtube.com/user/soulpancake/videos?view=0
End of Section One.
This publication is only mailed to verified
double opt-in subscribers, and is brought
to you by me, Don Crowder, my wife,
Lisa Miller, and //www.freelists.org
Section Two.
Traveling is expensive and, if you're a senior citizen
with increasing disabilities, sometimes just not possible.
That's the main reason why so many older folks are turning
to computers as a way of getting in touch with folks and
getting out into the world without leaving the relative
safety of their homes. Some folks just take to computers
like ducks take to water and have fun figuring out how to
get things done but other folks have a harder time of it
and may need a little extra help. Here's a site for them.
http://www.teachparentstech.org/watch
Here's my new favorite female vocalist. Really good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=yJ8ByUsG8cQ
We don't have a lot of surplus income so there aren't many
charities we donate to but we did give a few dollars to this
one. http://goo.gl/8Nfia [vitalvoices dot org]
NASA or MOMA? Play the game!
http://goo.gl/EbIM9 [theatlantic dot com]
Online goodies for quilting enthusiasts.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/microsites/quilts/patchwork
http://www.levitated.net/daily/lev9block.html
http://www.materialgirlfabric.com/make-a-quilt-online.html
http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=27
http://explorer.quiltstudy.org/quiltmaker.html
http://quiltbug.com/free/default.htm
http://www.quilt-maker.com/thequiltmaker.htm
A useful tool for computer nerds.
http://sourceforge.net/p/boot-repair/home/Home/
Luna Lee is an awesome musician.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=NfOHjeI-Bns
Much more where that came from.
https://www.youtube.com/user/luna422422/videos?view=0
A cool site for audiobooks. http://librivox.org/
A large collection of educational audiobooks.
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video
Strange and fascinating information.
http://www.yesiknowthat.com/
Lily & Madeleine are wonderful singers.
https://www.youtube.com/user/lilyandmadeleine/videos?view=0
An Open Source download manager I've heard good things
about. http://jdownloader.org/
Tim is a reader (who scolded me for my terrible spelling).
:) This is his website. http://www.td-e.com/
Cute pictures of dogs. http://cutedogpix.com/
End of Section Two.
At the time this issue was posted,
the current subscriber count for
this publication was 0 (I sincerely
hope this means there's a glitch
in Freelists subscriber counting system).
Section Three.
Ever heard of a BitTorrent or wondered what it is?
http://qntm.org/bittorrent
Here's an audio piece (with video commercial) on the topic
as well. http://goo.gl/GVMxb [mevio dot com]
uTorrent is a popular BitTorrent client.
http://www.utorrent.com/
Vuse is an BitTorrent client and network.
http://www.vuze.com/
This photo-journal documents Jennifer Merendino's
battle with breast cancer (which she ultimately lost).
http://mywifesfightwithbreastcancer.com/
This website's tag-line is 'Less pop, more culture'.
http://www.adnauseum.net/
A bunch of folks (mostly women) get together and talk about
what it's like being a parent. Boring? No way, seriously!
http://listentoyourmothershow.com/
At a time when most of my best-loved celebrities are dead
or dying, it's good to know that Rip Taylor is still out
there. http://www.riptaylor.com/
Looks like it could have been a cool site. I know he didn't
run out of rivers, so he must have run out of time and/or
ambition. http://www.riverama.com/
An interesting collection of wallpaper.
http://www.freewallpaperpic.com/
This young lady is a wonderful singer.
http://www.youtube.com/user/janetdevlin/videos?view=0
Animal eyes.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Animal-eyes/2123112
Digital Storytelling (also affectionately known as ds106)
is an open, online course that happens at various times
throughout the year at the University of Mary Washington
but you can join in whenever you like and leave whenever
you need. This course is free to anyone who wants to take
it, and the only requirements are a real computer, a hardy
internet connection, preferably a domain of your own and
some commodity web hosting, and all the creativity you can
muster. http://ds106.us/
Resource Media's Visual Story Lab.
http://www.resource-media.org/visual-story-lab/report/
NYC 1993. Step back twenty years into New York City's
past. Call from any NYC pay phone to hear what was
happening on that block in 1993 (you'll be asked for your
location but it isn't mandatory to share).
http://recalling1993.com/
End of Section Three.
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Section Four.
Who's up for a vocabulary quiz? [my score was 3260]
http://www.merriam-webster.com/quiz/index.htm
Tell them where you are and get an up-to-the-minute
weather forcast. http://forecast.io
All about photographers and cameras.
http://petapixel.com/
They say it isn't a social network but if it quacks like a
duck... http://getlifeboat.com/
This is a photo gallery entitled 'You had one job!'
http://hadonejob.com/
Who knew a tiny shrimp could have such interesting eyes?
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp
More where that came from. http://theoatmeal.com/
Online conversions of all-sorts-of-stuff.
http://www.online-convert.com/
An awesome virtual tour of the Smithsonian National Museum
of Natural History. http://www.mnh.si.edu/vtp/1-desktop/
A second look at viruses for Linux.
http://goo.gl/ByAxO [c-integration dot com]
This will give you an idea of how far away Mars is.
http://www.distancetomars.com/
Not everything you see on the web is for-real. Sometimes,
it's nonsense. http://thatsnonsense.com/
Who remembers Alfred Hitchcock?
http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page
End of Section Four.
We welcome all comments, suggestions, or
criticism. The form doesn't access your
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Section Five.
Nowadays you don't even have to buy a police scanner if
you have a computer. http://www.broadcastify.com/
Ever forget your Windows password?
http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/
http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/
Have you ever picked up an old camera at a garage
sale and found that it still had film in it?
http://anerdsworld.com/found-film-vintage-kodak/
AskWoodMan offer almost 50 videos on youtube, chock full of
useful information for aspiring and/or veteran woodworkers.
http://www.youtube.com/user/askwoodman
The pages are called 'Amish Porn'. Not obscene but perhaps
not in the best of taste. http://amishporn.tumblr.com/
I'm a great believer in doing things myself (especially if
the things are very expensive when done by someone else)
but I always google for information before taking on a task
I know nothing about and often wind up on this site.
http://www.diynetwork.com/
Are you up for some DIY projects?
http://goo.gl/GbBLF [buzzfeed dot com]
I love TED talks and this one is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=GZAxwsg9J9Q
I love this online test! It thought I was 40 (I'm 64).
http://kgajos.eecs.harvard.edu/ag/
Didn't do so good on this one, I only got 21.
http://kgajos.eecs.harvard.edu/mite/#
End of Section Five.
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Section Six.
Only 7% of the population shares my preferences on this one.
http://www.labinthewild.org/studies/aesthetics/
Is your twitter password secure? [Type in a totally bogus
email address] http://www.ismytwitterpasswordsecure.com/
Wouldn't it be awesome if all commercials were this honest?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?d&v=q-RLqLx1iYI
I've never seen Cerebral Palsy in such positive light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=taTSxDVEHRM
Back in the days when I owned a small retail music shop my
favorite parts catalog came from Stewart-MacDonald (StewMac
for short) and the best part of their catalog was a section
entitled 'Trade Secrets'. All of StewMacs Trade Secrets
are now available as an online archive...
http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/archive
...and many are available as youtube videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/stewartmacdonald/videos?view=0
Here you go, a drug & alcohol-free way to alter your state
of mind. :) http://uazu.net/sbagen/
Some of these kitchen/food/cooking related videos are very
interesting. http://www.youtube.com/user/chefsteps
End of Section Six.
The Linux Corner.
Google's Chrome browser was but the first step on the way
to their Chromium OS. http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/
The tag line on this site is 'Promoting Free Software'.
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/
Linux learning resources.
http://linux-training.be/
http://linux.about.com/c/ec/1.htm
http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html
http://www.linux.org/
http://beginlinux.org/index.html?id=15
http://www.aboutdebian.com/
http://www.youtube.com/linuxleech
A weekly study and ranking of the relative popularity of
GNU/Linux and BSD operating system distributions.
http://distrorank.com/
A collection of terminal commands for serious Linux nerds
(I only rarely use the Command Line while Lisa never uses
it at all). http://goo.gl/YH6Rr [github dot com]
An internet radio station player for Ubuntu
and Fedora based Linux distros.
https://sites.google.com/site/glrpgreatlittleradioplayer/
Ubermix is a Linux distro designed for educators.
http://www.ubermix.org/
This site can help Windows users build their own Linux
system which boots from a USB drive.
http://www.linuxliveusb.com/
A fairly slick distro-picking engine.
http://tuxradar.com/content/distro-picker-0
Tips for This Issue.
Here's a helpful site for 'Silver Surfers' (senior
citizens). http://www.silverhairs.co.uk/
Contributions from our readers and/or friends
are always welcome and you can even write
your own link descriptions if you wish (just
tell me when you send them if that's what you
intended). Guidelines are available here:
http://www.don-guitar.com/descriptivetext.html
From our web-sibling Patrick Barden.
Pet food stamps. https://petfoodstamps.org/
Laser cut 3-D objects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arjRtCjI9AQ&;
From our web-sibling Jo-Ann (Jo) Burton:
(Jo's site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sharinglinks2/ )
Eye Level is a blog produced by the Smithsonian American Art
Museum. http://eyelevel.si.edu/
Women creating television and radio.
http://www.shemadeit.org/
William Bert's photography.
http://williambert.com/eealbum/index.php
Female, American medal recipients.
http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/medals.html
This is a commercial site but the images can be quite
inspiring. http://www.artyglobe.com/
Inspiration for artists. http://blog.drawn.ca/
Performing Arts Encyclopedia from the US Library of
Congress. http://www.loc.gov/performingarts/pae-home.html
The Making of a Homemaker, from the Smithsonian Institute.
http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/making-homemaker/
Picturing women. http://www.picturingwomen.org/
All about US currency.
http://www.newmoney.gov/newmoney/default.aspx
A website dedicated to the flattop hair cut.
http://www.pathguy.com/flattop.htm
A penguin who likes to go shopping.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDN3L621ASI
An online testing and learning site.
http://www.dothetest.co.uk/
Photos of urban ruins. http://www.opacity.us/
'News for intelligent optimists'(so they say).
http://odewire.com/
A site where English speaking youngsters can virtually
explore Japan. http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/
Baseball commentary. http://umpbump.com/
Really weird news (from Huffpost).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/weird-news/
Stuff you probably don't really need.
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/
Artistic, eclectic timepieces. http://klockwerks.com/
From our web-sibling Vinette (Vi) DePhillipe.
Now you don't have to read them while you're standing
in line at the supermarket because they're online!
http://www.womansday.com/
Inspirational images.
http://www.wherecoolthingshappen.com/
Shakesville is a progressive feminist blog about politics,
culture, social justice, cute things, and all that is in
between. http://www.shakesville.com/
From our web-sibling John Lepse.
How to keep your Windows software up-to-date.
http://ninite.com/
John is one of the many folks I know who loved iGoogle's
customizable browser home page and is upset that it's been
discontinued. I did some research into services which
might be able to replace iGoogle. The most likely
candidate is igHome but it's only the first of many
contenders. Here's a 'partial' listing of candidates.
Note: John didn't send me this list but he inspired my
research so this is where I chose to list it.
http://www.ighome.com/ (my 1st choice)
http://my.myway.com/ (my 2nd choice)
http://www.netvibes.com/en
http://www.protopage.com/
http://www.ustart.org/
http://www.symbaloo.com/
http://www.allmyfaves.com/
http://www.spaaze.com/home
http://evernote.com/
http://www.skloog.com/
http://www.favoor.com/
http://internetbuttons.org/
http://myfav.es/
http://skim.me/
http://www.pageflakes.com/
http://www.kadaza.com/
http://www.nextaris.com/
http://www.pobb.net/cgi-bin/favs.pl
http://www.sitehoover.com/en/
http://start.io/
http://www.transferr.com/
http://www.webwag.com/startup/
http://www.wonderpage.com/
http://yourport.com/
http://www.zeadoo.com/
http://schmedley.com/
http://feedly.com/
http://www.aboogy.com/#
http://www.iguzu.com/
http://www.zenstart.com/
If this list wasn't large enough to keep you
busy, there may be other sites listed here:
http://saveigoogle.org/alternatives/
High diving giraffes (a very cool animation).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFxnBrO9n7o&;
The Digital Public Library of America.
http://dp.la/
Thank you Patrick, Jo, Vi and John.
Last word:
Lisa wasn't able to help me with this issue but insisted
she'd help me with the next one. It could happen :)
We're planning to move into our own little place next week
but we haven't had time to update the photo-journal which
chronicles my construction progress. Look for a link to
that in the next issue. Meanwhile, here's hoping all is
well and wonderful in your world (as it mostly is in ours).
See you next time,
Don
Our feedback form and contact info:
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Don Crowder and Lisa Miller
Tuesday, May 1, 2013
12:15 AM CST - Buchanan Lake Village, Texas, USA
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Other related posts:
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