NeutralAxis

I’ve used ReplayTV DVRs for over a decade after getting into their beta testing program and having them send me free hardware with lifetime activation. Not a bad gig. I still love them, even though they don’t record HD, because of their local network streaming ability. Of course, ReplayTV has basically been out of business for several years now, yet they kept the server operational so users could still get program guide data. Unfortunately, as of July 31, the ReplayTV server is shutting down, which means no more program guide and the units become essentially useless. Enter WiRNS.
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The new Irritrol PC Control software (v 2.0.37 beta) has been running smoothly all week.  I’ve discovered a couple of minor bugs and one big disappointment in that it won’t run via Wine on Linux.

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Finally, Irritrol has put out an update to their out of date PC Control software for control of irrigation and lighting systems. I’ve just installed it today and like it much better, but it remains to be seen if it is less buggy than their previous software. After running it for a few weeks I’ll do a full review. The current beta version is 2.0.37. You can see my review of the original software here. Also, I plan to test it to see if the software will run on my always-on Linux server using Wine.

Exterior work is finishing up at my renovated house and to keep an eye on progress with the exterior deck work, I set up a webcam, using WebcamXP software. (continue reading…)

Prey is a Windows, Mac, Ubuntu Linux (via Wine), or Android software installation that assists in the event of a portable device becoming lost or stolen. When reported missing via the PreyProject website, the software on the device activates and reports back to the owner several parameters that could be helpful in recovering the device. [Updated 03/29/11]
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There’s a glitch in RocketDock that only shows itself in Windows 7 where stack docklets lose their settings when the computer is restarted.  The problem is related to Win7 security and is easily fixed.  Here’s how. (continue reading…)

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…)

LogMeIn Express is a simpler version of LogMeIn’s popular remote desktop software for Windows, which requires no prior installation to work.  If you’re the one in your family who provides tech support to the rest, keep this one in mind.  LogMeIn’s standard product requires the person who wants to share their computer to install a program that runs at startup and sits in the system tray near the time.  This new tool doesn’t require that installation and is started from the LogMeIn Express website.  Being the time of year when families are getting together for the holidays, this is a good tool to bring to their attention. (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.

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This 15.6″ laptop is part of Acer’s Timeline series of very thin, very long battery life models based around a new Intel ultra low voltage Pentium processor.  Its supposed to get up to 8 hours on a charge and is 1″ thick.  I’ve managed to avoid Vista up to this point by buying custom systems where Vista wasn’t bundled, so this is also my first experience with Vista.  First impressions are not good.  [Update: Its going back to Walmart.  The "Moon" trailer in HD is my test video and it performed terribly trying to play it full screen.]  See my new post about the Gateway EC5801u and EC5802u which are nearly identical but higher performance. (continue reading…)