Taking It In

This case is so tightly packed, there's no way I'm going in there on my own. So, for the first time in my life, I am taking a computer in for repair. It's going to end up being cheaper on my nerves than doing it myself. Plus, it will get done right and not just done well enough to get by.

For those left out of the conversation, the computer I have currently is running on 1GB RAM and the microphone doesn't work. I have to have both of these situations remedied or get the older model fixed soon. It looks like I'll be using this one for at least a few months before I can afford to have the old one fixed, so I'm taking it in for repairs.

Wish me luck!

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

1 GB

That's right: this little box has only 1 GB of RAM. I have no idea how it is streaming media, but it is. It keeps dropping the feed on video through WinAmp, but it's keeping up pretty well otherwise. The RAM is buried beneath a cage of wires. I tried to see if I had any that would fit the other night. I guess I need to take it in anyway because the microphone doesn't work.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

TUN3R Closed Forever

Unique streaming radio website, TUN3R, has apparently closed forever -- at least that is what its webpage says when you travel over there. I had noticed, about a month or so back, that there were fewer available channels playing when you tried to tune-in but had assumed the webmaster had simply not spent as much time maintaining the site as he should have. However, it appears that, for whatever reason, TUN3R has closed for good.

If you never used it, you missed-out on a uniquely designed website that culled many streaming stations from across the web and kept them in one place where you could "tune-in" to various genres and stations. It was as much fun to play with as it was to use, and it will be missed -- at least by this former TUN3R.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Correcting Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts

In Blogger, as with most text editors (I believe they are referred to as "inline text editors"), you can toggle text formatting with the CTRL button.  CTRL-I makes the next word you type italicized; CTRL-B makes it boldfaced.  However, neither will work for me under Firefox 9.x on the new computer; both bring up the Bookmarks sidepanel.  So, I am working on solving this issue, because I toggle for text formatting quite often.

This may be some gaffe on my own system, but I don't think so.  I found some ideas as to how to change these configurations, but there is no longer an add-on called KeyConfig apparently, and I'm basically lost.  If anyone knows how to simply change the CTRL button functions in Firefox to ALT, I'd really appreciate the hint. Thanks!

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Music for the Masses

I was a semi-professional death metaler for years. By "semi-pro," I mean that I made a little money and fame playing, but always had another job; I never only played music and got paid for it. Still, a lot of people think all death metal sounds the same. Certainly, it almost all has similarities, but there are many differences between bands and songs, and even several sub-categories of death metal. Many forms actually use keyboards, something few original death metal bands used.

When it comes to those, everyone seems to agree that yamaha keyboards are the best. They also make a mean drum machine, but using a drum machine in death metal is definitely a no-no. For the most part, if you can't play it live, you should not record it. That is not my rule, by the way, just passing along a little info I learned along the way.

Yet Another One Gone

Lightning claimed yet another modem and computer last weekend. The technician double-grounded the wires but he said it was just a precaution. He believes it's all the trees in such close proximity to the house, and I believe he may have a point.

Anyway, I'll be in and out as I setup yet another computer. There is no way to swap hard drives so I'll be paying to have the info removed from that one and placed on disc, I guess.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Ebert to Include Hulu+ in Reviews

Earlier this week, film critic Roger Ebert asked fans if he should include Hulu+ movies (The Criterion Collection) in his reviews or stick with reviewing only Netflix Instant movies. The response was to include Hulu+ fare, Ebert later revealed.

Many of the films Roger Ebert reviews are from years ago when they showed in theaters, but he points to these reviews once the movies become available on Netflix Instant. Now it appears he will be doing the same for movies on Hulu+. There is some overlap, but Ebert noted that many fans suggested they had Hulu+ or were at least interested in hearing more about the movies it offers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Facebook Overtakes Orkut in Brazil

Orkut was transferred to Google Brazil in 2008, as most of its members are from Brazil, which has the fifth largest social networking population in the world. Until 2011, Orkut was the most popular social network in Brazil; Facebook now has more Brazilian users than Orkut. Experts suggest Facebook has grown nearly 200% each year since its release, though growth in Brazil has been sluggish up to now. While Google+ has shown some growth in the region, it also shows a lot of overlap with Orkut users.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Hulu to Produce Scripted Drama

Hulu is producing its first scripted show. Battleground is a political drama set in Wisconsin and will be available to all Hulu viewers, not just Hulu+ subscribers. This is Hulu's first full scripted show, though it makes a documentary series and a talk show format entertainment information series (The Morning After). Battleground goes live next month.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Wikipedia vs. SOPA

Wikipedia will "go dark" or be inaccessible for 24 hours starting tonight at midnight in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Reddit will go dark for 12 hours for the same reason. Twitter declined to suspend its services, but apparently does not support the SOPA bill. The White House also released a statement that was not as clear as it should have been, but did not sound supportive of the over-reaching, potentially harmful bill.

SOPA would basically grant authority to shutdown websites that companies or corporations feel have violated their copyrights or trademarks. The only factions supporting SOPA are corrupt corporations and the politicos they've lobbied to support them. SOPA is being heard now. A similar bill is in front of the Senate.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Maker of Hyper-Realistic Steve Jobs Doll Relents

The maker of a doll that bore the uncanny resemblance to Apple founder Steve Jobs has decided not to produce the doll, citing legal threats from Apple. The company maintains it does not believe it overstepped any legal boundaries by producing the Steve Jobs doll, but empathizes with the family. That is what influenced them to stop manufacture and sell of the doll, according to a press release from the company.

Bowing to legal pressure from Apple and the Jobs family, the businessman behind the company said he created the doll in commemoration.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Foxconn, Microsoft Looking Into Mass Suicide Threats at Plant

Microsoft and the company Foxconn are looking into reports that there was a mass suicide threat at a Foxconn plant. Some information insists there was a small uprising concerning pay but it has since been dealt with. Foxconn raised workers' pay at another plant following suicide in 2010.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Google Penalizes Chrome for Sponsored Posts

Google penalized the Chrome browser website with a PR demotion to 0 following a paid links campaign on the browser's behalf. While Google insists it did not authorize the campaign, which was ordered by an outsourced company, it held itself to a higher standard and therefore would penalize Chrome to the fullest.

The PR 0 dropped Chrome from second place on the first page for "browser" to sixth place on the fifth page. Mozilla's Firefox now leads the search return results for "browser." Chrome still appears at the top for searches including "chrome" and "browser." Chrome is on the fast-track to reaching 20% of the browser market.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Microsoft Declares IE6 Dead

Microsoft baked a cake and held a small party to celebrate the fact that less than 1% of the Internet uses Internet Explorer 6 anymore. The company has been trying to get people to adopt IE8 and IE9.

IE6 use remains high in some countries, including China, where it accounts for up to 25% of all browser usage. Some experts look to Google's Chrome to overtake the browser market, in America at least, this year or next. Firefox was originally thought to be in the best position to overtake Internet Explorer, but it appears Chrome is gaining a larger share of the market more quickly.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Rupert Murdoch Now on Twitter

News Corp's Rupert Murdoch is now on Twitter. He has amassed over 45,000 followers so far, but is following fewer than half a dozen people. Several experts warned against the 80-year-old media mogul handling his own Twitter account. Rupert Murdoch's Twitter handle is @rupertmurdoch.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011