Tech Whacked

More TV on the internet or Must See WebTV

2008-10-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

What could be better than lounging in your favorite office chair, putting your feet up on your desk and catching up on that TV show you missed last night.

But Tech Whacked you say, I don't know what shows are available online for free? Here is a great list collected by the good folks over at Gizmodo.

Check out the complete list at Gizmodo's website but here are a few examples
NBC

CBS

and there are more...

Enjoy WebTV...for free!
J.Jones
Photo Credit.

Google Maps is really Cool!

2008-08-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Google Maps is one amazing tool. It has so many uses and is so customizable I talked about it once when I found someone had created a Google Maps Pedometer. Well there is stuff built right into Google maps that is worth checking out.

Just a few are:

Wikipedia
Youtube
Photo's
Live Weather
Places of interest

You can add stuff right to your "My Maps" just like you can with your iGoogle page. Click on My Maps and choose "Browse the directory"

Find some cool features:

Check them out. Like this one I have The Weather Channel on and am looking at my local forecast. This has to be wrong though, it is always raining in Seattle!

There are a couple of things built right into Google Maps, Photo's and Wikipedia.

For this example I have turned on Photos, Wikipedia and under My Maps Places of Interest feature I selected Coffee Shops.

A couple of things just about the general map feature. The Drag to change route is very cool, very useful. You can map out your entire trip and with the other features like Photo's and Wikipedia you can add the points of interest and know how much more you are adding to the trip!

Need some exercise? You can try walking instead! Of course it could take you 20 days instead of 20 hours to get to where you are going but it is nice to have the option.

Take your blogging offline with Windows Live Writer

2008-08-04T10:05:00.001-07:00

You love posting to your blog, especially pictures! But hate the limits of your blog's uploading capabilities. Well take your blogging offline with a wonderful piece of software from Windows. Windows Live Writer.

Once you install Windows Live Writer you will be able to input your blog address and username and password. You can keep your theme too, so you will notice little change in the way it is posted.

Create a new post, open a draft etc. Once you are working on a post you can hit "F-12" to view it as it would be seen by the world. "F-11" gets you back to edit mode.

The best part of this too is that you can drag-n-drop multiple pictures into your blog at once. Do just one at first and then choose the "inherit from weblog" from the toolbar on the right hand side and then "Save settings as default" at the bottom. Then each picture will have the same look every time.

Enjoy blogging!
J.Jones

Respect the mighty cone! VLC that is.

2008-06-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

This simple little Media Utility is like a malaria filled mosquito. Small but deadly! However this mosquito will not kill you. It's only here to make your life better. Easier. More fun!

This multi-media tool will play just about anything. Audio or video. But that isn't all!

This is the media player. Not so impressive? Take a look at what it can do besides play your songs or any movie.

Convert any movie file to .mp4 - click here for more info...
Rip a DVD - click here for more info...
convert FLV to WMV, AVI- click here for more info...
Free Streaming TV and radio using VLC Player - click here for more info...

Enjoy VLC!
J.Jones

I like Piclens. You may too.

2008-05-02T15:25:00.001-07:00

A powerfully cool web photo browser just got a lot cooler.

You can search for images in the traditional way by searching them in a web browser and clicking on the little blue arrow or you can use the built in search feature that shows the supported networks.

You will notice the one at the top. Yes that IS YouTube! You can now browse for YouTube vidoes. It works great. Simply browse your favortie video and click on it and it plays instantly.

Scroll through the 3D wall of videos and choose a different picture or video.

That is all well and good right? But you have literally thousands of pictures stored on your computer that you would like to be able to see like this. Well you can and it is easy. However this isn't a feature built into Piclens so you will have to cheat it into thinking you are online.

This article from Technixupdate.com has this hack:

1. First install piclens extension from here and restart firefox after installation.
2. Open a new tab or Press control key + T ( ctrl+T ).
3. Now drag the folder the folder containing images to newly opened tab in firefox.

It will list all the images in the directory, now press the blue Piclens play button in your FireFox toolbar.

That’s it, done.

For those of you who do not use Firefox and I don't know why you wouldn't be but I know you exist. Piclens works with just about any browser.

Enjoy Piclens. I do.

Check it out at Alltop

2008-03-28T14:07:00.001-07:00

This is a very interesting sight that is a little easier to use than the "RSS" based readers that are so popular. I am a visual person I guess.

Web pages or blogs are displayed in block fashion and are easy to identify by their unique icons. Just the top 6 headlines are displayed.

When you scroll your mouse over the headline you are interested in you are presented with a lovely little blurb right there on the very same page.

There are a list of topics to choose from. From Dads and gadgets to Lifehacks, money, Linux or windows, fashion etc...

Alltop.com

Enjoy Surfing.

Jason want one! eeePC...in black please!

2008-02-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

Asus Eee 4G 7" Micro Laptop PC (900 MHz Intel Celeron Processor, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB Hard Drive and a Webcam. You slap in a fat SD Card (say 4 or 8 gigs) and you have got a screamin' little laptop.

This could be me holding my new eeePC right now!
Check it out and buy it for me here at Amazon.

100 things to do with your ipod

2008-02-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my favorites:

GoogleGet: Get your Google News and iPod in sync by installing this software program. You'll stay current on all the top news stories, making you better prepared for class or work.
Brain Quest: This popular educational game is available at different levels for grades 1-7.
Teach Kids Valuable Lessons with Free Sesame Street iPod Videos: Lifehacker writes about the six free Sesame Street videos offered on iTunes, perfect for introducing your child to technology and other educational basics.
PodGourmet 2.0: Teach yourself to become a master chef when you get recipes for traditional and vegan meals with this iPod program.
LearnOutLoud.com: This popular website offers free audio books, lectures and other educational material that can be put on an iPod. Browse categories like technology, religion and spirituality, languages, science, politics and business, among others.
Telltale Weekly: This audio book store allows students and literature enthusiasts purchase AAC-formatted audio books and stories for just 25 cents each. Browse categories like Drama, Nonfiction, Humor and Popular Authors.

These were only a few to see the whole list click here.

Thanks to ipod-hacker
Picture Credit

Enjoy your ipod.

The mighty HFS...

2008-02-08T16:27:00.001-08:00

Open Source HTTP File Server that you can set up in minutes, password protect, download data from anywhere you have a internet connection and more.

Extremely simple to set up and use
Runs in Windows and Linux (in Wine)
secure
view log of users
is a simple .exe there no need to install

Take that dusty old computer out of the closet, yeah I know its old but who cares. Install a fresh copy of Ubuntu or Windows XP if you have too. If you used Linux you will be up and running in about 15 mins.

In a nutshell its simply cool.

Enjoy HSF HTTP File Server

Re: No internet no problem

2008-02-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Photo credit

Here is a list of email address you can keep in your contacts that will allow you to do different interesting things. You may or may not ever need them but hey its a big wide web and you never know.

pdf@koolwire.com - You have an Office document or a picture on your computer or mobile phone that you wish to convert into a PDF file. Just email that file an email attachment to the above address and it will soon return to your Inbox as a PDF file.
..@photos.flickr.com - Flickr provides a unique email upload address here - you can send your photographs to this email address as attachments and they’ll show up in Flick Photo gallery almost instantly. The subject line of email becomes the photo’s title while the body of the email becomes the photo’s description.
e@xpenser.com - This is like filling data in a travel spreadsheet through email. You can use this address to gather and record your travel expenses while on the road.
go@blogger.com - You can use this address to post pictures on any Blogger hosted blog. Any picture that you send to this email address will appear as a new blog post in your mobile blog. You can also use this service to post regular text entries to your Blogspot blog. In that case, the “Send to Blogger” email address is available under Blogger Dashboard.
pdf2txt@adobe.com - Send a PDF document to this email address as an attachment and it will come back as a plain text file. Handy when your don’t have a PDF viewer to open the PDF document. Alternatively, you can send the PDF file to pdf2html@adobe.com for conversion to HTML format.
…@rmilk.com - When you signup for Remember The Milk, you are assigned a unique email address. Emails sent to this special address are automatically converted into tasks and appear in your Inbox. Click on Settings -> Info -> Inbox Email Address. Very handy for keeping a track of your unfinished tasks and getting things done while on the move.
wsmith@wordsmith.org - Get the dictionary definition and synonyms of any word by sending a blank email to this email address. Make the subject line as: define myword

Read a web page in your email:

www@web2mail.com - Send an email with the URL of the web page in the Subject field (e.g. www.cnn.com) and you’ll soon find a copy of that web page in your Inbox. A perfect option when there’s no Internet access in the area or access is restricted (for instance, you want to read the BBC homepage in China).
www4mail@wm.ictp.trieste.it - it will also fetch websites for you through email though in this case, the site address should go in the body of the email message.

Special thanks to Digital Inspiration

Jott is a Juggernaut

2008-02-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

This is one of the best web-apps I have run across. It is my go to app when I need to make a quick note to myself or send a snip it of info to someone. Also the guys at Jott just keep improving it. They have partnered up with all sorts of people to make it even more desirable.

Here are a few things you can do with Jott:

blog
email
take notes
assign tasks
make appointments
schedule events

Productivity apps galore:

Blogging with your phone:

Social Networking or what Jott called Micro-Blogging

Don't forget to check out what the folks over at Lifehacker have to say about Jott.

check out jott.com here.

Enjoy Jott.

Need more ways to watch your shows?

2007-11-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

If you need to catch up on some shows you may have missed or need something to watch during the writers strike check out another great media site.

from Sidereel.com

Headaches be gone before you start!

2007-09-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

8 drug-free tips to avoid agony and painproof your day

Stop a headache before it starts. These are good tips for anyone even if you are not susceptible to migraines. Great tips for stress relief in the workplace.

Here are the first 2:

7 a.m.: Abide the alarm
Snoozing in for more than an hour can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle, and anything that tinkers with your body’s natural rhythms may prime you for pain, says Lisa Mannix, M.D., a spokeswoman for the National Headache Foundation in Chicago. Commit to waking up (and going to bed) at the same time every day — yes, that includes weekends, too.

7:45 a.m.: Get caffeinated
If you often have a pick-me-up drink (coffee, tea or soda), by all means keep enjoying it, says Richard Lipton, M.D., professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. Caffeine activates receptors in your brain; skip your fix and your head might surely revolt.

Photo Credit.

Enjoy, being headache free
J.Jones

It's not Spray n' Wash but....

2007-09-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Homemade laundry stain remover:

1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 TBSP liquid soap
2 Qts. water

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle. Shake well and then spray the solution on stains; let it soak for a few minutes before washing as usual. Shake the solution before each use.

It may not be the real thing but what is the point of spending money over and over again for something you can probably make yourself out of stuff you already own. By the way use that Spray n Wash bottle over too.

Enjoy being cheap!
J.Jones

Go fold some napkins!

2007-09-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a great way to impress your guests. Fold up some crazy napkins. It's fun I call it origami for the table.

Enjoy.
J.Jones

We're gettin' the band back together!

2007-09-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Really cool online music factory. It is fun to play with. Practice you singing to or whatever your hearts desire is. Just make sure that your door is closed and I am not around.

No software to install
No Music Lessons
No Musical ability needed
No Groupies
No Rock and Roll hang overs!

Just put the notes in the sequence you want and add some instruments adjust the volumes let'er rip! you are the band leader here. It's a lot fun and there are no band geeks here to mock you for not knowing what you are doing.

Enjoy music!
J.Jones

Enjoy a serialized Audiobook

2007-09-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a pretty cool freebie. Get a podcast of a book Charles Dickens style. A lot of books to choose from, some classics but mostly new authors. I love audiobook's and am looking forward to hours of entertianment...one piece at a time.

Enjoy a serial podcast!
J.Jones

Free Music Friday with SkreemR

2007-08-31T10:39:00.001-07:00

This is a great web tool! You can find all sorts of great music as well as podcasts. This is bookmark worthy. Pay attention to the length part since it is sampling the amazon 30 second clip you may not get all of the song or podcast you are looking for.

Also note the icons for Wikipedia, Amazon, You tube, Flickr etc... you can click those links and find more info, buy stuff, see videos, pictures.

Find new music or just enjoy the old stuff. All for the great one time price of free!

Don't forget that if you are using one of many add ons to Firefox you can download what you are listening to or watching....

Enjoy free music, Enjoy SkreemR and Enjoy Friday
J.Jones

First Aid - What to do and what NOT to do!

2007-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Download a really nice REALSIMPLE printable first aid chart.

A great chart that has the what to do but also the very important what NOT to do.

I also lifted this from REALSIMPLE:

The 10 most important items to have in your first-aid kit, according to the American Red Cross.

Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes.
Sterile gauze pads in various sizes and cloth adhesive tape to secure them.
Latex-free disposable gloves, to protect you from bodily fluids or other matter. Latex-free material prevents potential allergic reactions.
Tweezers.
Thermometer (the digital variety is safest).
Triple-antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin).
Antiseptic wipes.
First-aid instructions.
Topical antihistamines and aspirin (or some other type of over-the-counter pain reliever recommended by your doctor).
A face mask to protect you from germs or bodily fluids when administering CPR.

Enjoy Safety!
J.Jones

Gardening by the Square Foot - I like it!

2007-08-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I have a black thumb, I can kill a cactus! But I have a desire to be a gardener. I love the idea of growing my own food and harvesting the rewards. There is something down right Jeffersonian about it.

Each square foot is it's own garden, its own crop. When its harvested you plant something else all year round!

Then the Ten Basics

LAYOUT - Arrange your garden in squares, not rows. Lay it out in 4'x4' planting areas.
BOXES - Build boxes to hold a new soil mix above ground.
AISLES - Space boxes 3' apart to form walking aisles.
SOIL - Fill boxes with Mel's special soil mix: 1/3 blended compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 coarse vermiculite.
GRID - Make a permanent square foot grid for the top of each box. A MUST!
CARE - NEVER WALK ON YOUR GROWING SOIL. Tend your garden from the aisles.
SELECT - Plant a different flower, vegetable, or herb crop in each square foot, using 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants per square foot.
PLANT - Conserve seeds. Plant only a pinch (2 or 3 seeds) per hole. Place transplants in a slight saucer-shaped depression.
WATER - Water by hand from a bucket of sun-warmed water.
HARVEST - When you finish harvesting a square foot, add compost and replant it with a new and different crop.

I need a garden hack more than anything. This sounds like fun and I cant wait to start.

Photo Credit

My Baby Hack - Surf one handed w/ On-Screen-Keyboard!

2007-08-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have to hold your baby for hours at a time and you want to do a little surfing to kill the tedium?

Every computer has an On-Screen-Keyboard. It is very simple to use with your free mouse hand. Located here: Start> All Programs> Accessories>Accessibility

Here are some Tips from Microsoft on how to use and what you can do with On-Screen-Keyboard.

Enjoy My Baby Hack!
J.Jones

Data Recovery...that you can actually afford!

2007-08-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

"Only $378.99 US for Microsoft Windows operating systems. We also service Macintosh, Linux, Unix, and other operating systems, as well as RAID recoveries, invasive recoveries, and other systems at an increased price. See our data recovery services page for details.

Remember: if we can't get your data, you pay nothing." from Gillware Inc. Website

Being a Tech I have had to inform several people that there data is lost. Now that Gillware Inc. is here this state doesn't have to be forever.

Enjoy Data Recovery!
J.Jones

Furoshiki - Forget Wrapping Paper

2007-08-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

"Furoshiki (風呂敷, furoshiki) are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that were frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. Although possibly dating back as far as the Nara period, the name, meaning "bath spread", derives from the Edo period practice of using them to bundle clothes while at the sentō (public baths). Before becoming associated with public baths, furoshiki was known as hiradzutsumi (平包), or flat folded bundle. Eventually, the furoshiki's usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift." from wikipedia

Play SmallBall anytime of the year - it's really a great app!

2007-08-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is a great app. A game sim is what it really is where you are the manager, owner and coach of a baseball team. You name your players, you train them and then you pit the against other teams in your league. Or you can play your friends teams. The more experience your team has the better it gets. And of course the training really helps.

It is a simulation that you don't have control over your team while the game is being played.

It is a completely free and painless install. You can be training/ playing in a matter of minutes. I highly recommend checking it out.

Enjoy SmallBall!
J.Jones

Paint.net - Possibly the best Graphics/ Photo program ever!

2007-07-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Like I said in the title, Pain.net is possibly the best Graphics/ Photo Program available. It has many things that make it comparable to Photoshop. It is a very easy to use and well made piece of software.

Here is just an example of what it can do:

There are several free or low cost Photo manipulation programs available but this really is the cream of the crop.

Enjoy Paint.net
J.Jones

Free 411 Calls! Can It Really Be True?

2007-07-20T08:04:00.001-07:00

We have been fooled before but after persistent commercials on the radio I had to investigate. And when doing any investigated where is the first place to look?

The place to debunk any suspicious email chain letter or internet rumor. So I looked up this 1800FREE411 thing on Snopes.com and to my surprise it was true!

It works too. So go ahead and program it into your Cell Phones Speed Dial and have it on hand. Let that robot voice walk you through to your destination.

Enjoy 411
J.Jones

Good Eats Recipe Log

2007-07-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Good Eats, one the most popular shows on The Food Network has become an institution for "Food Geeks". Alton Brown the creator and host is a Life Hacker extraordinar'.

He has many fans as I am one of them but I do not love him so much as to devote an entire website to him. However I am glad that someone did. You can find all of Alton's Recipes from his show listed here:

Enjoy the Good Eats
J.Jones

50 ways to improve your writing

2007-07-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

This posted on Dumb Little Man. We can all use a few writing tips.

My personal writing tip at least for this blog is: "Keep it short. Keep it simple."

Photo Credit

Enjoy Reading & Writing
J.Jones

Get your Prairie Home Companion Fix - For Free!

2007-07-16T13:04:00.001-07:00

Enjoy one of the best story tellers of our time, for free online. Actually it's way more than that. It is actually the entire show. A Prairie Home companion is an Old Time'y Variety Show that comes to you live on your local NPR station.

If you don't have time to listen to the entire show you can cut to the meat of the show and listen to The News From Lake Woebegone.

Here are the simple steps to get you on your way:

Go to the home page, then choose Archive:

Choose the date you wish:

Then depending on what you want to listen to choose:

Enjoy the good news!
J.Jones

Time Waste Friday! TVLINKS

2007-07-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Their tag line is "Better Than A Remote Control" and I would agree. I had my trepidation's about posting this site for my fears of it being taken down, but I have been monitoring it for a while now and it turns out that there are a lot of sites just like this one. I just happen to like it best.

This is what you will see on the right hand side and it will be your resource for all of your viewing pleasure.

What are the draw backs to this wonderful form of Video?

Well if you are a stickler for high quality "High Def" you might be disappointed.
These ARE mostly movies and shows converted to the flash format.
Some are of an incredibly nice format, for them you may have to install a little software.
You may not get every episode to every single show you want.

Still not a bad price to pay for great media.

Enjoy These TVLINKS!
J.Jones

Get Nostalgic with SHORPY

2007-07-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is a great Blog. What a great idea, I wish I had thought of it. There is something about looking into the past to see where you are going. Things haven't changed all that much. Our cars have gotten smaller, our clothes maybe fit better but our we are still all the same people. Check out this amazing compilation of nostalgic pictures and feel free to add your own.

You can see yourself in some of these pictures I am sure.

Enjoy Nostalgia!
J.Jones

70 Games and Activities You Can Play

2007-07-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of 70 games you can play with your kids. There is nothing revolutionary about this list but it is a list thats worth looking at.

Here is a tip from me. Pick 5 good ones and remember them and keep them in your pocket for when you need some relief.

Play some games!
J.Jones

Wii away the pounds!

2007-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Read how this gamer lost 10 pounds a week playing with his Wii. (Yes, please let the jokes fly!)

No really if you have never played wit hone it is really fun!

Honey NOW can I get one?

Enjoy your Wii
J.Jones

Food is on my mind 2nd food post in a day - Snacksby!

2007-06-25T14:12:00.001-07:00

Very cool recipe site. Not like all of the rest, this site offers a couple of different things:

Like the Google your fridge, but inclusive of their own site.

Also it has a great Ingredient Tag Cloud called Snacksonomies:

Yet another cool feature, you can add recipe ingredients to you Shopping List:

I signed up for an account, it is a very cool site. Koo dos to you sir and Koo dos again!

Snack this!
J.Jones

Make Gnocchi like an Italian Grandma

2007-06-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

Gnocchi, like so many pasta/ bread recipes it looks insanely simple. However don't let it fool you it is the practice that makes perfect, the skill of making the dough, the feel of it, the texture that tells you "yes, it's ready"...thats where the art is.

The recipe goes like this:

Scant 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (2 large russets)
1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
scant 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
fine grain sea salt

But mashing them up together, rolling them into a log and boiling them in water is only the weakest of instruction. For true Gnocchi you need to have an Italian Grandma, or at least have a formula from one.

So check out this great Food Blog 101cookbooks and discover, explore Gnocchi for yourself.

Enjoy Gnocchi!
J.Jones

Google Maps as a Pedometer...too cool!

2007-06-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Function over flash is what this site has to offer, just simple and easy to use.

To get you started here is the Basic Usage page.

Very cool tool. I love what people are able to come up with.

Go Walk, run, jump and play!
J.Jones

Learn a magic trick or 20!

2007-06-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

Sure you could read a book and try to figure these out but the online video make it so much easier.

Abracadabra Enjoy!
J.Jones

Find the nearest USPS Mailbox!!

2007-06-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

Find the nearest mailbox. Simply enter any address and the map will locate mailboxes in your are. Then you can Pan and Zoom to update results.

Super Cool! Where has this been all of my life!

Enjoy your USPS box finder!
J.Jones

How to Make Ginger Ale - From Scratch!

2007-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here's how to make a 2L bottle of fresh ginger ale straight from the ginger.

Add 1 cup of sugar to the bottle through the dry funnel. Leave the funnel in place until all the steps are complete and you are ready to cap the bottle.
Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of fresh granular active baker's yeast. Use Fleischmann's or any brand that you might buy in the health food store.
Add the yeast through the funnel into the bottle. Shake it to disperse the yeast grains into the sugar granules.
Grate the ginger root on a fine "cutting" grater to produce 1 1/2 Tablespoon of grated root. See the Tips below for more information on using the right grater.
Place grated ginger in the cup measure.
Juice a whole lemon. Lemon is optional, giving a little tartness to the ginger ale. Try it both ways to see which you prefer.
Add the juice of a whole lemon to the grated ginger.
Stir the lemon juice and grated ginger to form a slurry.
Add the slurry of lemon juice and grated ginger to the bottle. (It may stick in the funnel. Don't worry, the next step will wash it into the bottle.).
Rinse the containers that held the lemon juice and grated ginger with fresh clean water. Do not dump the water just yet...
Add the rinsing water to the bottle.
Cap and shake the bottle.
Reopen and fill the bottle to the neck with fresh cool clean water, leaving about an inch of head space. Then securely screw the cap down to seal. Invert the bottle repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve sugar. (The ginger root will not dissolve, of course.)
Place the ginger ale in a warm location for 24 to 48 hours. See the Warnings below.
Test to see if carbonation is complete by squeezing the bottle forcefully with your thumb. If it dents in as in the picture, it is not ready.
Once the bottle feels hard to a forceful squeeze, usually only 24-48 hours, place in the refrigerator. Before opening, refrigerate at least overnight to thoroughly chill. Crack the lid off the thoroughly chilled ginger ale just a little to release the pressure slowly. You do not want a ginger ale fountain!

Poster Credit Here.

Enjoy The Real Thing!
J.Jones

The Simple Dollar - Frugality with Todlers

2007-06-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Simple Dollar » Frugality : "

"...Odds and ends around the house make the best toys for him, not purchased toys. Most of the toys he's received as gifts are largely forgotten in favor of playing with many of the types of objects we play with. He'd rather play with pots and pans on the kitchen floor or talk into an old cell phone or stack up canned vegetables than anything else. The only toys of his own that he plays with much at all are two small stuffed animals, his crayons (he loves drawing), his MagnaDoodle (which he plays with when emulating my laptop), and his books (he reads a lot, again, emulating us). The rest of the toys he has could probably go to the dumpster and he wouldn't notice. The lesson here is don't spend a bunch of money on new toys for a toddler, because most of them will be ignored while he emulates you and is creative with other things..."

Make your own Laundry Detergent

2007-06-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Want to save some money on Laundry Detergent? Here is a way, the simpledollar says it cost about $.03 a gallon to make it yourself!

You are going to need:

A bar of soap
A cheese greater
Borax
Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda
A 5 gallon Bucket
A large stove top pot
Water
And an inner drive to save money that keeps you up at night squeezing the life out of every single penny in your piggy bank!

The Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe:

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder

You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.

You use ½ cup per load.

Acctualy it looks like fun and easy.

Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!!

Enjoy the DIY laundry soap!
J.Jones

Welcome Unclutterer - a new TechWhacked link

2007-06-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

"Unclutterer is the blog about getting and staying organized. A place for everything, and everything in its place is our gospel." from unclutterer.com

Here is a sample of what you will find here at unclutterer:

Super cool stuff! I really liked this site. Check it out and support clever and innovative sites like this.

Enjoy Unclutterering!
J.Jones

Episode #42 - How to taste wine

2007-05-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

In this episode Gary Vaynerchuk tackles the one question he gets e-mailed the most about...How to taste wine, the Gary way.

Very interesting and informative episode. So get yourself a bottle of water and start sucking air. And remember, focus on the nose.

Lets taste some wine!!

Enjoy wine.
J.Jones

Stuff you gotta have: Munchkin deluxe bottle brush

2007-05-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

This may sound silly but it is a great addition to your cleaning regiment. A very useful, sturdy, comfortable and versatile tool.

It has a good length as to not be too long. It keeps out of the way.
The brush can stand on its end so it drys well.
Doesn't look too bad they come in a variety of colors (mine is green).
the small removable brush that twists out of the handle is handy for small places.

One of my favorite parts is that it has a really good suction cup on the bottom. So if you need to use it and have one hand full you can just smack it down on the sink and squirt some soap on top and then grab it and use it.

Over all a very handy and durable tool. I have had ours for 2 and 1 half years and I wash a lot of dishes and it is still standing strong.

Available just about anywhere and cheap! I bought mine at FredMyre's (Kroger's) for about $4.00 and have seen them as low as $2.99.

Enjoy the Bottle Brush!
J.Jones

Cardboard Hero

2007-05-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Quite possibly one of the most brilliant things I have run across. I can barely type this out I am so excited. If you know me, you know I love cardboard, I don't know what it is about the stuff I just think it is wonderful. I have built many things out of cardboard boxes, from forts to personal chefs knife carrying cases.

It is the best free stuff on earth. I have always been a duct tape guy. It's a great fastener and comes in a matte finish. But what makes duct tape an inferior product?

Top 5 Reasons Rivets are Better than Duct Tape

Easier to Use - big projects go together in a snap
Stronger - projects stay together and last longer
Faster - more time for creativity and enjoying your project
More versatile - build with cardboard in new ways
Reusable - construct a new project every week

What about plans and ideas?

Check this stuff out, I think it will revolutionize the way we ( I mean) our kids build forts.

Enjoy the Cardboard Rivet!
J.Jones

Cryptomundo...it's just fun to say!

2007-05-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Do names like Bigfoot, Yeti, Skunk Ape, Lock Ness Monster, Thunderbird, Sasquach, Lizard Men, Sea Serpants, Swamp Monster, Moth Man, Chupacabras, Living Dinasaurs or the Dover Demon excite you?

If you answered YES, to any or all of them than Cryptozoology is for you! Cryptomundo isn't the only website that covers this topic believe me! There are more than you can shake a Alien Space Cat at!

No that isn't a family portrait. This is what you will find browsing the world of Cryptozoolgy. It's fun and educational. This might inspire you to write your own screenplay for the this summers blockbuster hit.

Enjoy it.
J.Jones

Oh the Despair....acctually, it's pretty funny!

2007-05-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

There is something brilliant about this site. I have laughed out load at several of these and almost boo-hooed others. All are clever and very well done. I wouldn't turn down a t-shirt or a coffee mug of any one of them.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have.

Embrace Irony
J.Jones

Make your own EarthReady pots

2007-05-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

It is gardening season! Well actually it is always gardening season if you are Ciscoe. You have to put those plants in the ground. But what a mess it can be. here is an idea that you can use. Make those biodegradable pots your self!

Another one of the most under utilized materials, newspaper! If you can make a paper airplane you can make one of these pots. The size of the pot depends on the size of the paper. I love to fold paper. Get the kids involved have fun and start growing something!

Enjoy Gardening
J.Jones

Don't worry this Hippo is friendly!

2007-05-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite "free" software sites just got better.

You may or may not have little programs installed on your computer that may or may have not been there for a long time. Ask your self this question, "are they up to date"? How would you know unless you have a piece of software that is constantly telling you that hey I have an update install me now!!

Here is a better way:

This tiny little guy will search your computer for any software that filehippo.com represents and see if it needs to be or can be updated. It is super cool.

so simply download it, there is nothing to install:

Happy downloading.
J.Jones

Favorite New Website: Wine Library TV

2007-04-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

You may or may not like wine. I have to be honest I kind of have a love hate relationship with wine myself. I want to love it but I kind of only like it every once in a while. That said I am open to the idea of exploring the world of wine.

Also it has to be said that there isn't a one of us that isn't put off by the wine snob's. The people who "only drink this or that" or think you aren't unsophisticated enough to know the difference. Well this guy isn't like that. In fact he loves the idea that you may not know anything about wine and is more than willing to introduce you.

His name is Gary Vaynerchuk (Vay-Ner-Chuk) and is a young dude that knows his business and has an incredible web site:

At that site there are links to his other sites, a Woot type site that is a Free Shipping wine of the day site. A Wine Label site where you can search by label and add or read comments

Innovation, passion, creativity and a great business. He truly is changing the face of the wine world today.

Enjoy Wine.
J.Jones

Operation: Free Music

2007-04-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

Who needs free music? I know, that was a dumb question. Here is an interesting site that offers just that. More or less.

Here is some info from the faq at sideload.com:

Q: What is Sideload.com?

A: Sideload.com is a website that aggregates popular free music tracks on the web that have been sideloaded into Oboe, the online music locker from MP3tunes. Sideload.com is an easy way to find great MP3 files from bands all over the internet. You can quickly preview tracks and store them permanently in your Locker with one click!

That is all well and good by itself as a service etc... But what if you don't want to sign up for another website? Well this is a no brainer if you are a Firefox user. You are a Firefox user right? I mean, what have I been telling you about Firefox for months now?

If you are not simply go get Firefox right now and we will pretend this never happened.

Now that you are a happy Firefox user it is time to get to know a cool plug-in:

Yes it's contradictory, it is called Unplug and it is a Plug-in, I see the irony. But with this little beauty you can harvest the internet for all of its worth. This isn't the only plug-in that does that but it is an easy to use one and that is very important. So, install the plug-in and restart Firefox.

Here are the steps:

goto sideload.com
find a song you want
click on the little green arrow in front of it
once the progress bar on the song is finished the data is on your computer and is ready to be harvested
click on the fish icon on your tool bar
Choose the .mp3 one and click save, it will ask you for a location.

it will look like this:

You are done.

Enjoy free music
J.Jones

Edit your pictures online with: Wiredness

2007-04-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

With this simple to use web app you can edit your pictures online with very little effort. You can crop, resize, add text, remove red eye and more. Here is the drop down for the "Effects" tab:

Pretty standard stuff but its all online. You can open a file from your Hard Drive or a URL, and when you are done editing it you can either save it back to your hard drive or Email it to somebody. It also works directly with your Flickr account. Upload files up to 5megs in size.

Enjoy.
J.Jones

Let us make bread. With no knead but time!

2007-04-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like bread? Everyone likes bread. Bread is delicious!

Who likes to make bread? Well that is a different story altogether. But what if you didn't have to do hardly anything to make it. That is the kind of story I like. Check this out:

The New York Times article by Mark Bittman includes a video and recipe that explains how using the simplest ingredients and the simplest technique "even a six year old can make bread".

I have made:

1 Loaf “Normal” or white
1 Loaf with two parts whole wheat flour
1 Cinnamon Raison loaf with one part whole wheat flour

And I have seen on the web where people have added other things like chocolate chips and nuts or cheese and olives. It is very versatile and very forgiving.

Here is a great quote from Mark Bittman “… even my “failed” loaves were as good as those from most bakeries…”

Note: the picture credit is from realbakingwithrose.com

Enjoy the gift of bread!
J.Jones

My own Shoe Hack!

2007-04-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

No I don't think I am lazy, I just don't like to tie my shoes. After all, the sneakers I wear these days are not the Canvas Converse All-Star's I wore as kid. You probably couldn't do this hack on that kind of shoe. But with the cushy jogging shoes I wear now are perfect.

It may not look like much but it is a "hack" I use everyday. It is very simple and takes a marginal investment of 2 zip ties. If you don' have any, go visit your friendly IT department you can bet they have a couple.

The Shoe Hack can be completed in a few easy steps:

Acquire your favorite cushy shoes
Tie the shoes for the last time. Loose enough that you can slip them on and off with a little effort.
Apply a small zip tie snuggly around one side of the knot.
Snip off the end of the zip tie.
Slip into shoes.

You should be able to run, jump and play like you did before. But now you don't to tie em'.

Enjoy this Shoe Hack.
J.Jones

One more season in the bigs. Congrats!

2007-04-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Aaron Helmer Sele from Poulsbo Washington gets to go another season as a Major Leaguer. Congratulations, we are all proud of you.

Not bad for an old man!

Enjoy the game.
J.Jones

Time Waster Friday's: TVU Player

2007-03-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and all you can think about is that Deep Space 9 marathon they started this morning at 5am on the Sci-Fi Network. But you are at work what do you do? Well you can always wait to you get home and hope that you didn't miss your favorite episodes. But you don't have to!

Enter the TVU Player. A very cool application that allows you to watch Network TV on your computer. The software comes in 2 versions. Broadcast or Player. The Broadcast software allows people to stream live TV online. The Player software allows anyone to watch that stream.

Granted it isn't perfect. It IS mostly in Chinese. However there are a lot of American stations available:

Fox
Fox News
Spike TV
Comedy Central
Nickelodeon
Star Sports - currently playing Phoenix Suns & Washington Wizards NBA basketball.
Hollywood Movie - American Movie's subtitled in Asian characters
and others.

The list changes and sometimes you never know what you are going to get.

Happy viewing.
J.Jones

Time to budget? Time to stretch the dollar?

2007-03-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

There are some great blogs for helping you with your financial struggles. One of my favorites is getrichslowly.org. Here is a post from that site with a spreadsheet of a budget someone offered:

Monday March 26, 2007 - getrichslowly.org

There are tons of examples of spreadsheets out there that are wonderful for budgeting. Here is one of my favorites.

pearbudget.com - this has a great multi-month fully integrated budget planner.

Here is another great idea Dave Ramsey uses and you can read in his book, but here is a web page that brakes that down for you and be sure to read the comments for some great examples:

gettingfinancesdone.com - How to create a zero out based budget

If your still need help setting up your budget or finding a spreadsheet, don't feel like you have to fork out a ton of cash to buy a bloated piece of software look around the net you can find a lot of what you need for free. And that makes good budget sense.

Google search: Free Budget Spreadsheets

Happy money managing.
J.Jones

Ask your doctor if Cardboard is right for you

2007-03-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

You know I love it! Cardboard is one of the most overlooked under utilized resources available to the common man or woman. I have made some pretty dumb stuff with cardboard and duct tape and some pretty darn useful stuff too. My knife kit for example got me through 3 restaurant jobs and cooking school.

Here are some links to some pretty interesting stuff people make with this wonderful free resource:

Of course I have left out the obvious: Fort, castle, homeless apartment, puppet show theater etc...if all else fails you can always recycle your efforts or just go fly a kite.

Cardboard Kid tested djcrazyjones approved.

Enjoy.
J.Jones

Home Remedies: Sore Throat.

2007-03-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Check out this Home remedy for curing a sore throat. Have you ever gotten to the point where you would try anything? Give it a try. It couldn't hurt...could it?

Note the disclaimer from myfinancialjourney.com, I will also use it here:

"I am not a doctor and I am only posting this because I heard such great things about it and had such wonderful results myself, please consult with your physician before trying this magical elixir."

Note: I have never tried it myself but if I had to...I might.

Happy Gargling.
J.Jones

Run Puppy Linux from a USB. Without rebooting!

2007-03-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of having a PC on a stick, a USB stick that is. But I don't want to reboot my computer to boot from the USB. That isn't even an option for some computers. I found the solution to my problem.

Puppy Linux QEMU: A portable Linux operating system that you can open and use on a running PC. This is possible by launching the built in "Virtual Machine". Puppy Linux is a very portable Linux Distro that is pretty solid and runs great off of a LiveCD and is a perfect platform for this application.

Really check it out. It is very small, the Puppy Linux QEMU is only 218megs. If you are technical enough you can build your own portable whatever using the the QEMU virtual machine part.

Enjoy Puppy Linux QEMU.
J.Jones

Firefox + Google + Cellphone

2007-03-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

This doesn't look like much but it is a handy app. I am to old apparently to appriciate the value of "texting" or SMS my friends and family all day but it does have its uses.

This is might as well be an add on post to GTD: Email your cell phone, but it also a Firefox plug-in which is nice to have if you will be texting someone or yourself for that matter. The nice thing about this app is that it remembers your numbers (via a cookie), you don't have to keep typing them in.

There are countless websites that do this and as previously posted you can do this from email as well but this makes it easy, and is a small addition to a tool you use constantly anyway. At least I do.

Google Labs - Send to phone

Happy texting.
J.Jones

GTD: email your cell phone

2007-03-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

You probably carry a cell phone around with you anyway so why not put it to good use by emailing yourself a: to do list, shopping list, birthday present ideas, wines/ beers/ restaurants etc... to try.

Here is a list of popular carriers and their email counterparts:

T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com
Cingular: phonenumber@cingularme.com
Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com
Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com

There is also a universal service if you don't know the cellphone email address: teleflip.com

phonenumber@teleflip.com

Resources derived from: tech-recipes.com

Happy texting!
J.Jones

Instant Messaging anywhere w/ Meebo

2007-03-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

I use this web app all the time. There are people I talk to only through Instant Messaging and If I am not at my desk and I need to chat quickly this works perfectly. The nicest part is that you can log into different IM's at the same time: aim, yahoo!, google talk, msn, icq and jabber.

You can sign in invisibly for those who wish to remain anonymously. The other nice thing is that you don't have to download any software. It's all online.

Happy IM'ing
J.Jones

Sync Google Calendar w/ Microsoft Outlook

2007-03-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

Take advantage of this freeware: gSyncit syncs your Google Calendar with your Microsoft Outlook calendar. David Levinson is a software developer who created this great tool, he has a nice tutorial and some other interesting tools up there. Check it out.

Note: This is not the gSyncit logo, it is my interpretation.

Happy Syncing.
J.Jones

Why is Firefox so popular? Here are some reasons.

2007-03-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Firefox from Mozilla is one of the most popular web browsers there is. The reasons are many but the most important ones are that it is more secure than Window's Internet Explorer 7 and it is customizable and it is very very useful.

Here are a couple of links to show off some of the most popular features:

My personal Firefox settings / add-ons / themes are:

Winestripe is my theme. The classic 1.5 look.
IEtab - allows you to view pages in Windows Internet Explorer.
Google Toolbar - Firefox and google a wonderful match.
Mouse Zoom - Get close and personal.
del.icio.us 1.2 - Keep track of your favorite places, it's better than bookmarks.
VideoDownloader - When you want to keep what you see, or hear.

There are lots of others I have tried and continue to try. That is the beauty of Firefox, personalized and customized.

Happy browsing.
J.Jones

Microsoft Word alternative: AbiWord

2007-03-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

If you are not lucky enough to live in Redmond Washington and know hundreds of people that work at Microsoft and can buy Microsoft products for cost you may want to consider an OpenSource or Freeware option. AbiWord is a member of the GNU Free Software Society.

Not only is this software free, it isn't bloated, heavy and slow like some of the previously mentioned developer.

The interface for AbiWord will look fairly familiar:

Happy word processing.
J.Jones

TV, Movies: Downloaded to your computer...Thats cool.

2007-03-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

Democracy is a very interesting and exciting tool. As the website claims:

Play All Your Videos - Play virtually any video-- Quicktime, WMV, MPEG, AVI, XVID, and more. Browse your collection, make playlists, stay organized. Get Internet TV Shows - Subscribe to any video RSS feed, podcast, or video blog. Explore over 1,000 free channels with the built-in Channel Guide.
Search YouTube - Download and save videos from YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, and other sites.
High Definition and Fullscreen - Your computer screen is a high-def display. Watch free HD videos in gorgeous fullscreen.
Torrent Power - Easily download any BitTorrent file. Fast. Then watch it in the same app. Simple.

What makes Democracy especially usefull is the "Subscribe to any video RSS feed" and "Easily download any BitTorrent file".

Now pair Democracy with a site like tvrss.net and you have yourself your own personal Blockbuster.

Download, install and open Democracy, look around its pretty cool.
Now go to tvrss.net, find a show you are interested in, choose:,go to the address bar and copy the full address.
Go back to Democracy and go to "Channel" on the menu bar, add Channel. Democracy should remember the address you copied if not paste it in now.
Democracy might tell you that the channel is unsupported but click yes and it will load the RSS feeds in your queue to download.

Another nice feature, is that you can adjust the settings in Democracy for maximum downloads at once, disk space settings so it wont download if you are low on space, expiration settings for downloaded files and a setting so you only have so many at a time.

Enjoy Democracy.
J.Jones

Create PDF's from almost anything

2007-03-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

PrimoPDF is a free PDF converter. It is simple to use and is a staple on everymachine I build. Check out what it says on their own website:

"Convert to PDF from any application by simply 'printing' to the PrimoPDF® printer - it couldn't be easier! Within minutes, you can create high-quality PDFs by converting from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and virtually any other printable file type."

It isn't hard at all, the only thing you have to remember is that when you want to create a PDF you have to use Print. Then look for the virtual "PrimoPDF" printer.

Then pick the location to save the file and there you go.

Happy PDF'ing.
J.Jones

Backup anything. Easily.

2007-03-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

Backing up a document, picture song, video or whatever. It is a simple as a right-click. Then it gets emailed to you.

I cant tell you how many times I have had to tell someone that they have lost everything on their hard drive including, yes their doctoral thesis that they have been working years on. It is as hard for me to tell them as it is for them to hear. Less hard for me actually but I CAN imagine. Do yourself a favor and come up with some way to back up your stuff even if it is one item at a time.

Happy backing up.
J.Jones

What your money can't buy.

2007-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

You need software applications to do whatever it is you need to do. You have a couple of choices. Fork out piles of cash for over marketed over packaged products that fill up our computer stores and clog our computers with cross advertising and scheduled expiring dates that force us to renew or repurchase.

Or there is another option. There are thousands of people out there creating the software that either spearheads the industry or granted mimic the competitors. Here are a few examples of the best Open Source projects (well at least the ones I like and know of):

Audacity - Sound Recording and Editing
NVU - Web Development
Clamwin - Anti Virus
azureus - Bit Torrent

These are just a few there are an astounding number of projects that can and will help you in your computing life. Open Source isn't just free software it is a way of developing software here is the definition via SourceForge.net:

"SourceForge.net provides free hosting to Open Source software development projects. The essence of the Open Source development model is the rapid creation of solutions within an open, collaborative environment. Collaboration within the Open Source community (developers and end users) promotes a higher standard of quality, and helps to ensure the long-term viability of both data and applications."

Enjoy exploring the Open Source Experience.
J.Jones

Texter: A simpler easier way to manage Autohotkey

2007-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Another reason to love lifehacker.com, my number one life hack's site has done a good deed for all today. They introduced their very own software application called Texter, based off of the incredible Autohotkey script tool.

If you are familiar with Autohotkey you know that it has won our hearts with all it can do. But you may also know that when trying to explain the wonders of Autohotkey to some of our less technical friends that it goes right over their heads.

If all you need to do is make your repetitive typing tasks easier this is what you want to have.

Keep up the good work over there Lifehacker.com / Adam Pash.

J.Jones

Open Culture: Podcast Collection

2007-03-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

This site has a plethora of podcast to enjoy including:

Arts & Culture Podcasts
Audio Book Podcasts
Foreign Language Lesson Podcasts
News/Information Podcasts
Science Podcasts
Technology Podcasts
University Podcasts - All
University Podcasts - Business School

Enjoy, and happy podcasting.
J.Jones

Read a good eBook...Free!

2007-03-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

Check out Project Gutenberg a warehouse of free ebooks! This is the oldest source of free ebooks on the web. Contributed by thousands of volunteers. There are 20,000 books in there vast online catalog. There is also access to lots of free audio books available. These wont be the deluxe readings you are used to if you are an audio addict like I am, but if you need to feed your audio fix...it'll do.

Happy reading.
J.Jones

What are you doing? RIGHT NOW!

2007-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Here is twitter.com, a social networking type sight that is all about letting people know what you are up to. You can also post to it from almost anywhere. Did I say almost?

A lot of people are talking about what it is that individuals, groups and even businesses can do with this tool. So if you are a small business and you have employees in several different locations you can keep on on the whole lot of them. Or if you are trying to organize some sort of event. Say a political rally. You can keep up with each other ..."I am trying on Turtle Costume for WTO then going back to office".

Enjoy.
J.Jones

Where do you find cheap gas? Ask you Gassbuddy

2007-02-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Gas isn't cheap. It is a hassle to find cheap gas in your area and you cant always count on the same place to have the cheapest around. Let's face it, until you can afford to buy that SmartCar or some overpriced hybrid you gotta get in line like everyone else. But here you go, the internet doing some good for its fellow neighbors. Gasbuddy.com to the rescue. Pick you state, type in a zip code and you will be given a list of gas stations, the price and even a map if you need it.

Enjoy.
J.Jones

Keep the videos you like to watch online

2007-02-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

You know someone sends you a link to watch some dumb video, it happens every day. But every once in a while you want to keep it. Well now you can very simply do that here at Keepvid.com. You can download the file to your computer in the file format you want. Here are the steps:

1.) Go to keepvid.com:

2.) Paste in the address of the video you want to keep.

3.) Choose the download location and select Download:

4.) Choose the type of video you want:

5.) Save it to you computer.

One other cool feature is a button you can drag and drop on your links tool bar. You click Keep It and it fills in the data for you.

Happy Downloading.
J.Jones

Crepe's it's what's for breakfast

2007-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Here is something anybody can do and it is great to make for your lovely wife. She will be very impressed and it will make of for months of neglect. Some flowers would help too.

Basic Crepe Recipe

4 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
Pinch Salt
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Melted Butter

Optional: A shake of cinnamon and nutmeg, a teaspoon of vanilla or an ounce of whiskey.

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend for 1 minute. Scrap down sides, blend another 20 seconds. You can also do this by hand but a blender is nice. Besides what else are you using it for? Now let it rest for a little while.

This is the reason you got that $100 dollar 10 inch Non-Stick skillet from William&Sonoma. Heat that pan on medium and dribble around the edges a little vegetable oil (if you have a plastic squeeze bottle this is a great way to dribble oil).

With a small ladle poor in about 1/3 of a cup of Crepe Batter. Now lift the pan and rotate the pan at a slight angle to coat the entire bottom of the pan with the thin batter, try not to go up the sides. After a few moments check the bottom of the Crepe by lifting up the edge with a plastic tong (metal will scratch that expensive pan). Once golden brown flip it over (shake it loose first, once it is loose just flip it like an omelet). Check the other side the same way and then slide onto a plate and keep it going you have several more to practice on.

The Classic method: Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on the crepe shake some powdered sugar on top roll it like a cigar and line up 2 or 3 and do it again.

Another great method is to take some "Lingonberry Butter" Lingonberry jam and mix in some (real) butter a little more jam than butter and smear over each Crepe and roll it up and enjoy.

Note: Do yourself a favor dont spend $100 on a Non-Stick Pan. Go to a restaurant supply store and buy one for around $40. Take good care of it, clean it with soap and water dont put any metal tools in it and it will last for years. Also when storing place a towel in the pan so nothing bangs into it.

Picture Credit

Enjoy.
J.Jones

How to update and run Spybot - Search & Destroy!

2007-02-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Spybot Search & Destry is a great tool for removing spy ware from your computer but it is only good if you use it. It is a really good piece of free software however being free it does have its limitations, you need to manually update the “definitions” and run it at least weekly.

Step 1.) Open Spybot located in Start > All Programs > Spybot - Search & Destroy

Step 2.) Search for Updates.

Step 3.) Right Click and Select all to download.

Step 4.) Choose a download source, "Safer Networking # 1" seems to be the fastest.

Step 5.) Download the updates.

Step 6.) Immunize!!

VERY IMPORTANT!!!! If you do not “Immunize” it will not be using the most recent definitions! You have to click this “Immunize” button.

Step 7.) No, you still have to hit Immunize again...it's dumb I know.

Step 8.) Hit ok. You are now immunized.

Step 9.) Time to scan you computer.

Step 10.) When it is finished Fix the problems.

Step 11.) ChooseYes.

Step 12.) Hit Ok and you are done.

Step 13.) Now do this everyday! Or just create a batch file and schedule a task to do it for you.

Something like this..."C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\spybotsd.exe"/taskbarhide /autoupdate /autocheck /autofix /autoclose"

That should open, update, check, fix and close without having to go through the 13 steps.

Paste that into a text file and save it as yourownfilename.bat, then go to your control panel and open up your scheduled task manager and have that run every night or so.

Enjoy.
J.Jones