NeutralAxis

I took the plunge and updated to Thunderbird 3  now that the Lightning Calendar (1.0b1) has been updated to work with it.  There are a few differences, both positive and negative, in the change. (continue reading…)

Dropbox, previously written about here, has a limitation that you can only have one account at a time.  But a workaround has been developed that lets you have as many open accounts as you want.

(continue reading…)

XBMC, the media center program originally designed to run on the original Xbox video game system, has been running on an old Xbox of mine for the last year or so.  I find myself not using it as much as I’d like though because the machine’s a bit noisy and big to hide around the TV.  Other drawbacks are that it doesn’t allow for HD video, and downloading updates for it practically require a meeting in a dark alley and knowing the secret handshake.

A new article at Lifehacker.com has detailed how to install XBMC on a tiny, silent, Acer AspireRevo with HDMI output.  And given that its for a computer rather than a proprietary video game system, updates are readily available.  I gave it a try on my existing desktop computer with XBMC Live.

(continue reading…)

Have you ever wanted to experiment with a different OS but were afraid to make the commitment?  Virtualization software is your answer.  Its easy, and free.  With it, you can install any OS (except MacOS) inside a working copy of any other OS.  (continue reading…)

Here’s a really cool looking interface for XBMC media player.  Its amazing what people are able to do with that program.

I’ve been using the open source Crossfire music streaming web app on my iPhone for awhile now, but a recent update has made it much more reliable. Crossfire requires the Firefly media server be installed and operating on the computer where your music is stored. It then provides a web based interface that you can browse to with the iPhone or iPod Touch to play your music. Basically, it makes it as if your device has unlimited song storage capacity.  No jailbreak process is required. (continue reading…)

Lifehacker.com has found another interesting looking media center for playback of movies, TV Shows, music, photos, and Internet media called Moovida.  The interface is nice looking and is optimized for playback on a TV in HD.  Cross-platform for Linux, Windows and Mac (pending).  See the Lifehacker article and Moovida site for screenshots and feature lists.

Moovida.com

It’s been perfect weather this weekend and I’ve spent the evenings out on the deck enjoying the breeze and listening to music from a Roku Soundbridge that’s connected to some outdoor speakers.  The catch was having to go back inside to make changes to what was playing or adjust the volume.  I found two solutions without leaving the chaise lounge. (continue reading…)

I ran across a new iTunes compatible music streamer for the web, called PulpTunes, and thought it looked like it was worth a try.  But after looking at their demo, I decided against it.  While the user interface is pretty, it would be cumbersome with a large collection. (continue reading…)

As far as I’m aware, in the past, there’s been no simple method for inserting images inline into Gmail messages.  Inserting as an attachment is simple, but making an image show within the body of the message has been difficult at best.  A Gmail labs feature that I’ve just noticed has now taken care of that problem.  I’m not sure how old this feature is, but its new to me. (continue reading…)