I added this blog to my blogroll a couple of months ago because, hey, learning how to use OO properly is good info. What I didn't know is that Solveig also teaches Firefox tricks. Excerpt:

And here's an additional tip I just picked up. If you close a tab that you didn't mean to close, type Ctrl Shift T to get it back.

Also:

F6 (or Alt-D or Alt-L) = switch focus to the address bar and highlight address. So you can hit F6 and then start typing the address immediately

Ctrl-PageUp and Ctrl-PageDown = move to next or previous tab. You might find it easier than Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab

Hold Alt while scrolling a page to scroll one line at a time instead of three.

Cool stuff. And if you're interested in something other than a pricey upgrade to Vista and Office 2007, you really need to check out this blog. However, if you're related to Bill Gates, I understand your dilemna.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 05:30 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Tired of paying for each call to information? Try this on for size:

Tired of paying $1.50 or $2 for every directory assistance phone call? Then don't. There truly is such a thing as free directory assistance, though it may cost you a little in time and patience. Jot this down:

1-800-FREE411.

A Boston-based company called Jingle Networks offers this free alternative to expensive 411 calls via your cell phone or land line. How and why do they do what they do for free? Just as radio and TV shows are supported by advertising, the directory assistance service is sponsored by companies advertising with the service. So, yes, that means you may hear a short, audio ad when requesting a phone number, but not every time.

When I tried it out, the automated system got the name I was requesting wrong, but a live operator quickly came on the line and found the phone number. I heard (and ignored) an ad for a credit card before I got my number, but it didn't drone on too long. Generally, you'll hear ads related to businesses you're requesting to contact and will be given the opportunity to connect to the advertised business. But an ad here and there seems worth saving $1.50 a pop.

Cool. May the Verizon and Sprint 411 operators rot in hell.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:44 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Peter Coffee has compiled a list what he considers the top 25 Killer App's of All Time. Wanna know something scary? I was familiar with all of them- except Electric Pencil- and used all of them when they came out. Truly, I am a geek god.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:34 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A one terabyte hard drive for $399.

Full disclosure: my first computer didn't even had a hard drive, as I couldn't afford one. I had two floppy drives and used one for my OS. I then stripped a lot of application software to their barest minimums to run on a 1.44Mb floppy. Wordperfect 5.1 for DOS worked great without a lot of the frills installed. Anyway, I might be looking at a new drive soon.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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One of the flaws of the Linux Live CDs to date is the lack of ability to write to NTFS partitions. For those of you not living in your parents' basement, that's the file system used by Windows XP. Most Live CDs have had read capability, but not write capability, which limited your ability to handshake Linux files with Windows files. However, ntfs-3g solves this problem and works with one of the more popular Linux distros, Ubuntu's Edgy Eft. Excerpt:

Normally Linux systems can only read from Windows NTFS partitions, but not write to them which can be very annoying if you have to work with Linux and Windows systems. This is where ntfs-3g comes into play. ntfs-3g is an open source, freely available NTFS driver for Linux with read and write support. This tutorial shows how to install and use ntfs-3g on a Ubuntu Edgy Eft desktop to read from and write to Windows NTFS drives and partitions. It covers the usage of internal NTFS partitions (e.g. in a dual-boot environment) and of external USB NTFS drives.

Some of the info is excessively geeky. However, you don't need to understand it much to be able to implement. Just read and follow the directions; you should be alright.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Wanna see something really geekycool? How about a little tutorial so that you can build the Linux distro you the way you think it should be. Learn "how to" here. Excerpt:

The Dreamlinux Project addresses, as one of its main goals, the development of specific tools to allow anyone, despite his level of technical knowledge, being able to design and produce a Linux Distro that meets all his/her requirements . The Project also aims to research, learn and share all the knowledge produced during the Dreamlinux development process.
...
In order to turn the dream into reality, the MkDistro Tool was born. MkDistro has evolved to an excellent tool for building and remastering modules and whole Distros . It is developed by one of our co-founders, nelsongs (Nelson Gomes da Silveira), leveraging the Morphix approach of modules and his previous works on developing the HD remastering scripts for the Kurumin, Knoppix, Kanotix and Beatrix Live CD Distros .
...
MKDistro basic components

a) Mkdistro: it' s the basic tool responsible for launching, through its auto explained menus and dialog boxes, all the processes regarding the build of Distros. It's easy and intuitive to manage. Actually MkDistro so far comprises a set of 04 ( four ) scripts, mkdistro.sh, mkdistro_main.sh, mkdistro_clean.sh and mkcd.sh, with the main one (mkdistro.sh) using the others in some specific phase of the work.

b) Base-Module (BM): it's a slimmed down knoppix-like image comprising a Morphix patched Linux kernel, kernel modules and the whole set of applications and scripts needed to detect, configure and initialize the system hardware found in the computer.

c) Base Main Module (BMM or Working Module): it's a complete debian file system made up via a debootstrap procedure and the addition of very basic and essential applications designed to serve as a baseline for the full development of the Distro's Main Module.

d) Distro Main Module (DMM): it's the final module of the Distro you developed. In other words, it's practically the whole Distro, made up on top of the Basic Main Module chosen . This module will be later combined with the Basic Module in order to become the final iso image of your Distro.

e) Iso Image: it's the resulting image from the union between the Basic Module and the Distro's Main Module . So, this image is your final operating system which, after burned onto a CD, will become your new Live CD Linux Distro, capable of not only be run directly from the CD (provided you have set up your Computer's bios) as well as be installed onto your computer's HD.

There's a lot more there. Suffice it to say that you can do your own thing. I might start working on PhysicsGeeknix.

One caveat: the process needs to be performed on a Linux system. I haven't tried it while running a Live CD, but I bet that an external hard drive and a second CD burner are all that's required. I'll provide an update when my children are out of college which, by my reckoning, will be in about 20 years.

Ehh, I'll find the time soon enough.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 02:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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