tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57101979155790605642024-03-05T19:52:39.004-08:00Vlad's Tech BlogDYI projects, Web projects, Internet, SEO, work-at-home, and other awesome things.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-14214031775655643572020-11-09T15:43:00.009-08:002020-11-09T15:54:22.796-08:00How to make your own laptop battery out of lithium-polymer cells.<p>Just thought this story may help others fix old laptops with batteries that no longer hold the charge.<br /><br />
A few years ago, sometime in 2016 or 2017 - I bought a really cheap laptop off of a Microsoft Store website. The laptop was Trekstor C11B - the cheapest Windows laptop you could get at the time, that wasn't a celeron or a chromebook. The laptop had a joke 32GB SSD and 4GB RAM, but a nice ergonomic design and a decent full HD touch screen. Later I upgraded it to 256GB SSD, but this story is not about the laptop.</p><p>It's about <b>how to make a new battery yourself</b> for basically any laptop brand no matter how old.<br /><br />
<i>Disclaimer:</i> the below instructions are provided for information purpose only, I'm not responsible for any of your attempts to fix something that may have failed, especially if you never soldered your own wires before. In other words - your mileage may vary and you are on your own. With that being said keep reading.<br /><br />
What happened with my Trekstor Primebook as it was getting older - the battery was getting bad. Eventually it became so bad that even touching the power connector would shut down the computer completely. The other weird thing was the laptop had problems coming up after abrupt shutdowns. I believe that was due to its power management when it detected no battery it wouldn't start up at first, but only after a few power button presses. Even worse, the battery started to overheat and expand to the point that the keyboard began to bulge. That was not only bad but really dangerous.<br /><br />
So I opened the laptop and removed the blown battery pack. This is what the original battery looked like (cooled down and deflated):<br /><br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxKFtFQq44baBodDMXnzEGCmxff0IOLarY1ousYYZorcDXV70sKgi7QTxgGMiPksahHvCVAFlUhALH1ZDEUFbKmWEXoNjyXovXl-buw_tCUbtjs9_BgTZLi9iqWN6n5Wp7x9_Pc_iAh5I/s1440/trekstor+battery+hw-3487265.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxKFtFQq44baBodDMXnzEGCmxff0IOLarY1ousYYZorcDXV70sKgi7QTxgGMiPksahHvCVAFlUhALH1ZDEUFbKmWEXoNjyXovXl-buw_tCUbtjs9_BgTZLi9iqWN6n5Wp7x9_Pc_iAh5I/s320/trekstor+battery+hw-3487265.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
I thought I would buy the new battery somewhere. Tough luck. The manufacturer (Trekstor Gmbh) was done with laptops and was selling scooters. Nice. EBay or Amazon didn't seem to sell anything even remotely compatible. I even asked a buddy to post a 'helpme' message at FindOrBuy.com (<a href="https://findorbuy.com/item/details/414">https://findorbuy.com/item/details/414</a>)<br /></p><p>It took me several months to realize that no one in the entire world except may be one aliexpress seller really sells that type of battery. Even so, the price was around $60USD and the shipping times where anywhere from 2 months to never. Not good. I never expected to get something from Microsoft Store and later realize that there is no support and you are on your own especially if the manufacturer is out of business. </p><p>So I went ahead and (carefully!) cut the battery shell open to remove the external sticky plastic. Hey, don't cut the actual cells, because they may blow up in your face and start the fire(!). It's all because of lithium gel inside the battery which may combust if it touches the air. </p><p>I very carefully cut and pulled the sticky plastic around the battery pack - on the concrete floor in the garage for extra safety - keeping the cells flat and not bending them at all. I didn't cut into the battery cells, just peeled the black plastic cover to separate the cells from the frame.</p><p>In my particular case there were two 3.8v battery cells inside the frame. Each cell is about 70mm by 110mm size and about by 3mm thick. Here is the photo of one of the cells after I cut its connectors out of the charging circuit:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8UXaPz3-q2yuWI-fPhTQ22GklooQt3_duplIT3RlY0ZmfKljSKez_PovoPJ5dWqDdN7cbFGgs7FXVygpEjPfYQIuH0O8OFZoMcelt4xjU_Lk4OuPENkC-AsIYKCASZ209zlar35dnf7z/s1152/trekstor_original_battery_cell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8UXaPz3-q2yuWI-fPhTQ22GklooQt3_duplIT3RlY0ZmfKljSKez_PovoPJ5dWqDdN7cbFGgs7FXVygpEjPfYQIuH0O8OFZoMcelt4xjU_Lk4OuPENkC-AsIYKCASZ209zlar35dnf7z/s320/trekstor_original_battery_cell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>It took me quite a bit of time to actually find a battery cell manufacturer in the continental US which could ship the cells. I found one on ebay (sorry no link, just a photo)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2bE-xbJtnGKayCAmpUqEke2rrd3jmkcZjfTR6MPFXOBsvJqqRq32MmLkSJKfKUaK3-4tDmsNNElIrRGAPOvVsEjDNwi5vGJrUGaoyRFpBEWpnDA4P02ffTp8m1qT9aBBH2_HUiihh4wW/s1153/ebay_battery.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2bE-xbJtnGKayCAmpUqEke2rrd3jmkcZjfTR6MPFXOBsvJqqRq32MmLkSJKfKUaK3-4tDmsNNElIrRGAPOvVsEjDNwi5vGJrUGaoyRFpBEWpnDA4P02ffTp8m1qT9aBBH2_HUiihh4wW/s320/ebay_battery.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I emailed the seller to make sure the battery is as pictured and is close to 2.5mm rather than 25mm (1") thick. The other two dimensions - 75mm and 110mm were about right. As the matter of fact, the new battery was wider a bit than the original, so I had to adjust the frame before install.</p><p>I bought two battery cells each 3.8v to have 7.6v total. They came in a small box a few days later. Each cell came pre-charged to 3.8v and with the positive connector insulated. Each battery cell also had some circuit inside. Luckily, the cell+circuit size was not exceeding my specifications.</p><p>Next, I tested the charging circuit by connecting the battery frame to the computer and connecting each cell with crocodile connectors to the charging circuit on the frame. It seemed to work with no heating or bulging of any components, so I decided to move on to soldering the cells.</p><p>To solder the cell wires to the frame terminals you will very likely need an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Uniweld-P4KD9S-Aluminum-Solder-Applicator/dp/B010UMSB9Y/ref=sr_1_39?dchild=1&amp;keywords=UNIWELD+PRODUCTS&amp;qid=1604961383&amp;sr=8-39&_encoding=UTF8&tag=coupon-amz-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=1585f857595944718ebc9c550b569887&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aluminum flux and solder kit</a> (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Uniweld-P4KD9S-Aluminum-Solder-Applicator/dp/B010UMSB9Y/ref=sr_1_39?dchild=1&amp;keywords=UNIWELD+PRODUCTS&amp;qid=1604961383&amp;sr=8-39&_encoding=UTF8&tag=coupon-amz-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=1585f857595944718ebc9c550b569887&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click for the product</a>) such as the one I bought from Amazon. It was a tiny bit too expensive for my needs (I needed just a little of it), but it came with the applicator and the solder wire - which both turned out to be very useful. The actual product looks like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgf-NyuFwkqaMu8Fw_mfdOC0z81fyJPNJYixLMFe6Wv2szs5gQNEfyY-c2LLr70HSmpe2-c0xqhUjWQrt6d34qrLJkD12_Sd0x6bbHAa23T4LJzkJrL9GIzH7KDV9Mfhh6tMCVswdoNbC/s1500/81SM2SU8cBL._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgf-NyuFwkqaMu8Fw_mfdOC0z81fyJPNJYixLMFe6Wv2szs5gQNEfyY-c2LLr70HSmpe2-c0xqhUjWQrt6d34qrLJkD12_Sd0x6bbHAa23T4LJzkJrL9GIzH7KDV9Mfhh6tMCVswdoNbC/s320/81SM2SU8cBL._SL1500_.jpg" /></a></div><p>I am not too good at soldering things. Before this I soldered a few copper wires, never aluminum. So I decided to practice a bit. I tore off a small sheet of aluminum foil - food grade, nothing less. Heated up a small soldering iron (no more than 40W). Dropped a few drops of the liquid flux from the kit on the foil and used the solder wire from the kit. I figured that I need very little flux liquid and very little solder wire with just a touch of the solder iron for my purpose. The alum flux works nicely with temperatures lower that regular copper solder flux. That was good to know before trying to solder the battery cells to the terminals.</p><p>Even before soldering anything I tried to arrange the battery cells in the packs and close the frame. It turned out the cells were a bit too wide, so I cut and sandpapered off some plastic from the frame to allow its edge to overlap one of the cells. See photo:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA96o5rZ2n8zVWZQL7A0OwmvX3iIoJzhS_nOImnfI6o16zgMfGFav1zDHFC11asbV4MmutIj077lNOoowZGfgWtPaMhTsQb0RxJbjYlm8GbAjUTTTr6NZ2nOD1r_OQybnyZ2r2FIbrGOz/s2048/IMG_20201108_172406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA96o5rZ2n8zVWZQL7A0OwmvX3iIoJzhS_nOImnfI6o16zgMfGFav1zDHFC11asbV4MmutIj077lNOoowZGfgWtPaMhTsQb0RxJbjYlm8GbAjUTTTr6NZ2nOD1r_OQybnyZ2r2FIbrGOz/s320/IMG_20201108_172406.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p>Next, keeping my fingers crossed (imaginably of course) I first applied just a bit of solder alloy to the terminals without attaching the battery wires yet. The plan was to make sure the flux works well. Also, the instruction recommends washing off the excessive flux with water. I figured it's because the flux is purposefully acidic for removing aluminum oxidization, and leaving it on the surface may corrode the terminals over time. So.. I tried to apply just a bit of water on the terminals to wash off the flux. It removed some but not all. Dried it afterwards too with napkins.</p><p>This is what the frame with solder terminals looked like, the battery cells are not installed yet. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqxm2eF7ShTiz8V7Avc9EnRQJqU5MNfGG6mfjyWYtH9fpOS7nf6zA7cteVsM5C9pBe-AdNYWhzEVV-kxFmKtiHphryI-ARjQVHpvnfsX-8F6Uu9LJZB2BSYqn2IhNdBRttlFoPtufVWJB/s2048/IMG_20201108_171640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqxm2eF7ShTiz8V7Avc9EnRQJqU5MNfGG6mfjyWYtH9fpOS7nf6zA7cteVsM5C9pBe-AdNYWhzEVV-kxFmKtiHphryI-ARjQVHpvnfsX-8F6Uu9LJZB2BSYqn2IhNdBRttlFoPtufVWJB/s320/IMG_20201108_171640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Next, I soldered the negative wire to the corresponding terminal on the frame, then removed the scotch tape from the positive (red) wire and soldered it to its terminal. Ditto for the second battery cell.</p><p>I immediately covered the electric terminals with sticky tape to prevent any accidental short circuit.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3e9zMobz1r4FUebf_WaJhWrUcdpSCpxLEMPBNlSYxJYO4k7bkmsl34TF4e_8Gg5U_7VlnA6pqJHZLcNtYtOd4Rz99iHylbPKINzHhVJ4b6XNGRID1eQolNJTq0Vfl_trEU3wtBD_zIP6/s2048/IMG_20201108_174302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3e9zMobz1r4FUebf_WaJhWrUcdpSCpxLEMPBNlSYxJYO4k7bkmsl34TF4e_8Gg5U_7VlnA6pqJHZLcNtYtOd4Rz99iHylbPKINzHhVJ4b6XNGRID1eQolNJTq0Vfl_trEU3wtBD_zIP6/s320/IMG_20201108_174302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I arranged the cells within the frame and closed the frame. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bfurzMzXAdZ_OOIrdCtKAsdHzvQjB9pabWFyh7hCWgU0I0GYMeataxW4cq11mG18q42_xIOAn9PJjsEUg-jNaOnfcCHZc1SP2tLgv2QhtAHDu7Ap-_9B5k3MIiYU-i_qvmAX8WIV0PLT/s2048/IMG_20201108_174615.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bfurzMzXAdZ_OOIrdCtKAsdHzvQjB9pabWFyh7hCWgU0I0GYMeataxW4cq11mG18q42_xIOAn9PJjsEUg-jNaOnfcCHZc1SP2tLgv2QhtAHDu7Ap-_9B5k3MIiYU-i_qvmAX8WIV0PLT/s320/IMG_20201108_174615.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I used duct tape (white) to hold the cells within the frame:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZhob_Pw2vKPokpgC7ob_SgpV6vYaRvjzXaGTOU6zy2nbWPXbtUSgFGxvh4PzgAwgqAnRI9JNd4o9LXtuWOJE6vZk_qSfKbiNXQJi1TN-5g1yz-lnR2-wL8Wgxanjr9BHmRR0FrtlTLCD/s2048/IMG_20201108_174856.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZhob_Pw2vKPokpgC7ob_SgpV6vYaRvjzXaGTOU6zy2nbWPXbtUSgFGxvh4PzgAwgqAnRI9JNd4o9LXtuWOJE6vZk_qSfKbiNXQJi1TN-5g1yz-lnR2-wL8Wgxanjr9BHmRR0FrtlTLCD/s320/IMG_20201108_174856.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The next photo shows what the 'final product' looked like before installing into the laptop:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahyBpdVXxNn16zLfRVpaNfnh4xOxXLXuowXUlzdTdNWueEaHRgrCgx1O5jVf0WgBMHwGQkaxfQsweOYBXFsvzzUZUCtCNBl1exjpThhQRCiiOlqgGUgbU0p1PwfuWReyZ0Us9-ybWwe9-/s2048/IMG_20201108_181604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahyBpdVXxNn16zLfRVpaNfnh4xOxXLXuowXUlzdTdNWueEaHRgrCgx1O5jVf0WgBMHwGQkaxfQsweOYBXFsvzzUZUCtCNBl1exjpThhQRCiiOlqgGUgbU0p1PwfuWReyZ0Us9-ybWwe9-/s320/IMG_20201108_181604.jpg" width="320" />\</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><p>The laptop worked right after install!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFL-phfL5TfSV2w3lN_uhfmh9n8xyAWzEn6SigDwtTqqgkQ9TKjFJ6KbbotThh1Kt2nrA_cc6ZtICoYyhu9HNfH3KBNdYf70ffwEJisOlAGywMFwVsOAlWYJWqyhlI_a9Xy6PrHxM16Fe/s2048/IMG_20201108_182940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFL-phfL5TfSV2w3lN_uhfmh9n8xyAWzEn6SigDwtTqqgkQ9TKjFJ6KbbotThh1Kt2nrA_cc6ZtICoYyhu9HNfH3KBNdYf70ffwEJisOlAGywMFwVsOAlWYJWqyhlI_a9Xy6PrHxM16Fe/s320/IMG_20201108_182940.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Subsequent tests showed that the full charge is enough for about 2 hours of work under medium load - screen on 90% brightness, active web browsing, etc. That's about the same when the laptop was new.</p><p>I hope that after a few drain and recharge cycles the computer will adjust and slightly improve its battery use time.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-2180524042201440242020-09-28T13:45:00.007-07:002020-09-28T13:45:59.715-07:00Visual Studio 2010 upgrade to 2017 - finally!Latest update.
I am gradually migrating from VS2010 to VS2017 for Web projects. So far, the 2017 is good for the task. It's still somewhat annoying when working with C# code with different keystrokes, popups and color highlighting, but it's way better with Javascript code parsing. It saves me tons of time when debugging JavaScript.
While VS 2010 is still the tool I utilize for Windows Forms projects and other lightweight applications, for Web the 2017 is looking like the tool I can finally migrate to. And I'm doing just that.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-58331386280689206672020-02-28T07:32:00.006-08:002021-07-02T06:03:36.973-07:00AWS Monitor Portal and other projects.As my grandfather used to say: no one will honor you if you don’t honor yourself.<br />
<br />
So.. a few words about my recent accomplishments in the world of software development.<br />
<br />
Many people heard about <a href="https://www.ecloudgate.com/Features" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elastic Cloud Gate</a> for AWS, some may even use it. For me, seeing it was an unforgettable experience. A ‘nice’ ASP interface from the 90’s, small fonts, lots of clicking around. Their software does have a lot of functionality, most of which however duplicates AWS Console. Their killer feature for us was scheduling AMI backups and other standard AWS tasks such as reboots. The outdated used interface of the eCG remains their huge issue - if you ever used the eCG you would prefer to set it to the auto mode and never see again (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4XdlPlfLDX2ldQHruIlGGfkUemoD057XHeR4zOGi4NLD_FM8MMj5MfPENneSFRaGbUEyp_DVvOsWWhNkBoIL8j0fOm6hEuZQNRXwAGfQ3SlNSgPDrQMWF2Qq7NzsCgehpYZA3mbOflHx/s200/ecg_index.png" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrDYcpzfo875MtpUbiDqgsy7EWzoPWlHnP9Y4he6WMWuOpVW7PLlj9oZ3GiKH-pZbt6QljOl_eGhyphenhyphenG2W3_dVX9Y_mhvsQb439cMMXBImoVHjMGW1QvRtOVtV1X8xaBL0_twvDOjjI8RdP/s200/ecg_ec2.png" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
<br />
Meet the guy who single-handedly designed and developed a product to fully replace the eCloudGate for the company he works for, and for many customers of ours. This has not only saved our company $2,500+/mo, but also lots of support time and countless frustration moments. Not mentioning that we can now pocket some profits by offering the service to our customers.<br />
<br />
I won’t go into many details here what my software can do especially if you are already familiar with the eCloudGate website. What is notable is that my product besides doing scheduled EC2 AMI and DR backups also helps people manage AWS WorkSpaces. Last time I checked the eCG did not do anything for WorkSpaces besides reboots.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/" target="_blank">AWS WorkSpaces</a> are virtual Windows Desktop machines offered by Amazon AWS for individual and business needs. Users can run any software they want on them much as on their own Desktops, but without fear of ever losing data due to virus or encryption attacks. Superior recovery is not the only strong side of the WorkSpaces, their speedy performance and easy maintainability make them grow in demand in the corporate world.<br />
<br />
In short, the company I work for helps customers migrate their networks to AWS VPCs and Desktops to WorkSpaces. Besides that, our company itself owns hundreds if not thousands of EC2 instances under many departmental AWS accounts. Thanks to me and my software we now have a centralized portal to support and manage thousands of machines… and even make some money on that.<br />
<br />
A few ‘killer’ features of my AWS Monitor Tool:<br />
<br />
- simple and responsive user interface (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcq3UVle7R_YE7JV52KAKrX1Su7VYMXGqcq0ZCvu13g7m3XMjJA-RcLQgpLl6Cx5ULwT4Gej_1npqaDKhleDdFWHOWpAQIU25cwt_3zDvDvyjrfPe_jlrJJ-7hQyBPpH4BfYLLOPwHaaV/s1600/ec2_list.png" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPP8eqecfH1nmdRGafj_gWSORmFSqxPuDblgVmxx0sha7skkq7wTYyDdCE2W0HMGQyRcpX6_2hppy21niQmTWpBo0j5VtKLgUDpHCSCtDi65OWm6KEQcr8r4wF7gVHZPvXNMCpeBQ-z5i/s1600/workspace_heartbeat.png" target="_blank">here</a>),<br />
- separate administrative, customer-level , and user-level accounts,<br />
- remote control and scripting of WorkSpaces and EC2 instances (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oB1sAx3I4y6QWp3YNB2UkSnlGmEnYKeuT6fb6tpcQIz1efyBDCYcOl5PP4zpHDP20dWd9i2_NbzgjL0DMI5y2okkr8MH7asr0_LW7PhLbqj0n4QYhPgkJKf78qnMr0q94uMtJ1lLSd5x/s200/custom_scripts.png" target="_blank">here</a>),<br />
- WorkSpace and EC2 instance support and management: real-time <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPP8eqecfH1nmdRGafj_gWSORmFSqxPuDblgVmxx0sha7skkq7wTYyDdCE2W0HMGQyRcpX6_2hppy21niQmTWpBo0j5VtKLgUDpHCSCtDi65OWm6KEQcr8r4wF7gVHZPvXNMCpeBQ-z5i/s1600/workspace_heartbeat.png" target="_blank">‘heartbeat’</a> and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvQqdl7BCWxpHqYdCp4R7m2h92jsN9jSSN0F2S7KVJRwPcC90S3T8_uChSBqcZOLlNsHxvxC24jqKE2DYWZduNCDja3r3mL5ABB3LqPQGxfJZnJb7K6xWTsyNSUWFNYs_bz3m0SIf6Rms/s1600/ec2_stats.PNG" target="_blank">inventory</a>, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmElziWbtMAPnMpfYGyqfKYTF0OCcOYVhvL0vbvemxsgEIh2EWSOxdH9mdHx4JW-dBayWf6AMdkNUcXTH2TxfqdTdFrklvhm-8eXYiZgAY2siZYjyq6d-OExARBi3twFl72Q24T2Cmsjv/s200/edit_scheduled_task.PNG" target="_blank">scheduled backups</a> and other tasks,<br />
- and a popular feature: users can reboot their own WorkSpaces via a Text Message (SMS) (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2iNmwuoJnKQOEoRYehWzy0UglbuLHPfE90a3kQS2oi5pEkUfcvnJvj3WGzEIsE2sVf2C0B1NWOEGRZwlP9Rd5Jq_RgSgCd9_mkjMSdDeeA7WlAFw3zFnZ2OZCnkQogNi0HR0un40bDgB/s200/workspace_reboot_via_sms.png" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
<br />
Some stats as of today: my AWS monitor database is gaining 2-3 million records daily into its SQL databases.<br />
<br />
<b>Drop me a note if you want to find out more..</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcq3UVle7R_YE7JV52KAKrX1Su7VYMXGqcq0ZCvu13g7m3XMjJA-RcLQgpLl6Cx5ULwT4Gej_1npqaDKhleDdFWHOWpAQIU25cwt_3zDvDvyjrfPe_jlrJJ-7hQyBPpH4BfYLLOPwHaaV/s1600/ec2_list.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1374" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcq3UVle7R_YE7JV52KAKrX1Su7VYMXGqcq0ZCvu13g7m3XMjJA-RcLQgpLl6Cx5ULwT4Gej_1npqaDKhleDdFWHOWpAQIU25cwt_3zDvDvyjrfPe_jlrJJ-7hQyBPpH4BfYLLOPwHaaV/s200/ec2_list.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvQqdl7BCWxpHqYdCp4R7m2h92jsN9jSSN0F2S7KVJRwPcC90S3T8_uChSBqcZOLlNsHxvxC24jqKE2DYWZduNCDja3r3mL5ABB3LqPQGxfJZnJb7K6xWTsyNSUWFNYs_bz3m0SIf6Rms/s1600/ec2_stats.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="832" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvQqdl7BCWxpHqYdCp4R7m2h92jsN9jSSN0F2S7KVJRwPcC90S3T8_uChSBqcZOLlNsHxvxC24jqKE2DYWZduNCDja3r3mL5ABB3LqPQGxfJZnJb7K6xWTsyNSUWFNYs_bz3m0SIf6Rms/s200/ec2_stats.PNG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPP8eqecfH1nmdRGafj_gWSORmFSqxPuDblgVmxx0sha7skkq7wTYyDdCE2W0HMGQyRcpX6_2hppy21niQmTWpBo0j5VtKLgUDpHCSCtDi65OWm6KEQcr8r4wF7gVHZPvXNMCpeBQ-z5i/s1600/workspace_heartbeat.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1343" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPP8eqecfH1nmdRGafj_gWSORmFSqxPuDblgVmxx0sha7skkq7wTYyDdCE2W0HMGQyRcpX6_2hppy21niQmTWpBo0j5VtKLgUDpHCSCtDi65OWm6KEQcr8r4wF7gVHZPvXNMCpeBQ-z5i/s200/workspace_heartbeat.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmElziWbtMAPnMpfYGyqfKYTF0OCcOYVhvL0vbvemxsgEIh2EWSOxdH9mdHx4JW-dBayWf6AMdkNUcXTH2TxfqdTdFrklvhm-8eXYiZgAY2siZYjyq6d-OExARBi3twFl72Q24T2Cmsjv/s1600/edit_scheduled_task.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="811" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmElziWbtMAPnMpfYGyqfKYTF0OCcOYVhvL0vbvemxsgEIh2EWSOxdH9mdHx4JW-dBayWf6AMdkNUcXTH2TxfqdTdFrklvhm-8eXYiZgAY2siZYjyq6d-OExARBi3twFl72Q24T2Cmsjv/s200/edit_scheduled_task.PNG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2iNmwuoJnKQOEoRYehWzy0UglbuLHPfE90a3kQS2oi5pEkUfcvnJvj3WGzEIsE2sVf2C0B1NWOEGRZwlP9Rd5Jq_RgSgCd9_mkjMSdDeeA7WlAFw3zFnZ2OZCnkQogNi0HR0un40bDgB/s1600/workspace_reboot_via_sms.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="538" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2iNmwuoJnKQOEoRYehWzy0UglbuLHPfE90a3kQS2oi5pEkUfcvnJvj3WGzEIsE2sVf2C0B1NWOEGRZwlP9Rd5Jq_RgSgCd9_mkjMSdDeeA7WlAFw3zFnZ2OZCnkQogNi0HR0un40bDgB/s200/workspace_reboot_via_sms.png" width="195" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oB1sAx3I4y6QWp3YNB2UkSnlGmEnYKeuT6fb6tpcQIz1efyBDCYcOl5PP4zpHDP20dWd9i2_NbzgjL0DMI5y2okkr8MH7asr0_LW7PhLbqj0n4QYhPgkJKf78qnMr0q94uMtJ1lLSd5x/s1600/custom_scripts.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1286" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oB1sAx3I4y6QWp3YNB2UkSnlGmEnYKeuT6fb6tpcQIz1efyBDCYcOl5PP4zpHDP20dWd9i2_NbzgjL0DMI5y2okkr8MH7asr0_LW7PhLbqj0n4QYhPgkJKf78qnMr0q94uMtJ1lLSd5x/s200/custom_scripts.png" width="200" /></a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4XdlPlfLDX2ldQHruIlGGfkUemoD057XHeR4zOGi4NLD_FM8MMj5MfPENneSFRaGbUEyp_DVvOsWWhNkBoIL8j0fOm6hEuZQNRXwAGfQ3SlNSgPDrQMWF2Qq7NzsCgehpYZA3mbOflHx/s1600/ecg_index.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1216" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4XdlPlfLDX2ldQHruIlGGfkUemoD057XHeR4zOGi4NLD_FM8MMj5MfPENneSFRaGbUEyp_DVvOsWWhNkBoIL8j0fOm6hEuZQNRXwAGfQ3SlNSgPDrQMWF2Qq7NzsCgehpYZA3mbOflHx/s200/ecg_index.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">outdated eCG interface</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrDYcpzfo875MtpUbiDqgsy7EWzoPWlHnP9Y4he6WMWuOpVW7PLlj9oZ3GiKH-pZbt6QljOl_eGhyphenhyphenG2W3_dVX9Y_mhvsQb439cMMXBImoVHjMGW1QvRtOVtV1X8xaBL0_twvDOjjI8RdP/s1600/ecg_ec2.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1168" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrDYcpzfo875MtpUbiDqgsy7EWzoPWlHnP9Y4he6WMWuOpVW7PLlj9oZ3GiKH-pZbt6QljOl_eGhyphenhyphenG2W3_dVX9Y_mhvsQb439cMMXBImoVHjMGW1QvRtOVtV1X8xaBL0_twvDOjjI8RdP/s200/ecg_ec2.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">outdated eCG interface</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-43057450962945019632020-01-18T09:06:00.002-08:002020-01-18T15:08:43.183-08:00Happy New 2020 Year dear Visual Studio 2010!Seven years seems to be a long break between posts, but I must admit during that time there were no dramatic changes in my job description, while of course there was some progress. <br />
<br />
We all evolve in our work as in no way we wouldn't if we wanted to keep our jobs. We learn new skills and tools as the industry moves forward. But some things like an old boombox from the 80's just keep working. So why not to use it?<br />
<br />
Today I'm here to say Hi to a venerable tool that many of us still use even though it's not as popular anymore. To my opinion it's one of the best ever created by Microsoft and it remains one to this day.<br />
<br />
Ladies and Gentlemen - I welcome the Visual Studio 2010 to the podium!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>It's quick to open.</b><br />
<br />
Have you used the VS 2017 or 2019 lately? Did you notice that it takes anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes just to open the environment on a fast Intel i5 computer with SSD and 8GB RAM? Guess what, the SQL 2019 Management Studio takes even longer on a super-fast Xeon server with even more memory! The dev tools that Microsoft gave birth in the recent years are bloated pieces of <strike>junk</strike> umm.. software.<br />
Visual Studio 2010 opens in under 10 seconds. <br />
<br />
<b>It's simple.</b><br />
<br />
Do you have to juggle between 4 or even 5 different languages in your VS 2017 just to add a few things to a web page? HTML, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Angular? Don't you want a hint of Linq on top of that? Do you also have to do SQL in the same project? What? Are you <i>not</i> happy with that?<br />
It kinda feels like doing a translation job for the United Nations - you have to bounce between English and Spanish, then Afrikaans' flavour of Dutch, then quickly jump to Chinese, then back to English. Gosh.. that's heavy. <br />
Guess what, if you apply for a job and honestly state in your resume that you are fluent in German, they won't even interview you as they want the Southern Austro-Bavarian dialect of German for some reason. WTF?<br />
<br />
<b>It compiles code into very compact footprint.</b><br />
<br />
Let me give you just a couple of examples.<br />
<br />
1.5 years ago I completely redesigned one of my software projects, which happens to be also #1 in Google for its keyword. It has millions of users and 50-60GB of daily uploads.<br />
That project has it all: C# with .NET 4.x, AngularJS, HTML, Android API, clean and fast SQL queries - all the cool stuff.<br />
<br />
Guess what.. the DLL that does all of that is only 100Kb. It could fit on a 360Kb floppy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcTR-J6XQAZ21WyiSi9juOMDvNV8TlUW_fkOjn9XiDyDRwV-s-xwb4ckbh0y3n9uU9bagHRaA1GEvsbJM6k4VpQpxaBZ6sTgoeyNKL48O9w0_bben9n3goYQLH_mU_GdXzuV_2YnzkCsf/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="663" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcTR-J6XQAZ21WyiSi9juOMDvNV8TlUW_fkOjn9XiDyDRwV-s-xwb4ckbh0y3n9uU9bagHRaA1GEvsbJM6k4VpQpxaBZ6sTgoeyNKL48O9w0_bben9n3goYQLH_mU_GdXzuV_2YnzkCsf/s320/Untitled.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Btw, what you see on the picture is the entire contents of the BIN directory. The project runs and stores files in S3 buckets, hence the 3 extra AWS DLLs to support that. That's all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The other project I've done in the last couple of years and which I maintain on a daily basis incorporates quite a bit more functionality.<br />
Well.. it has to, otherwise it wouldn't have over 120 thousand lines of code!<br />
<br />
It does a lot of modern stuff including API access via JSON/REST protocols and it does a lot and I mean <i>a lot</i> of database talk. The average daily traffic is reflected in over 2 million daily SQL INSERT calls via <i>just one server</i> with occasional spikes in traffic. I didn't count how many SELECT queries it does, but I'm sure a lot.<br />
<br />
That project is designed to do AWS infrastructure management that AWS console happens to do well, but there are some functions that the console <i>does not</i> do too well, specifically the WorkSpaces management and more. If you ever used AWS Console you know what I mean. But.. anyway.<br />
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The DLL that runs the whole thing - API and all - is 444Kb. Nice!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvOk14N__uGS1USyGgO48OC618TJbNnLypYFfRZ-sLj8EhoAa_gN097pq-3YwE767RWLoTonPKf00_Z41BbtwtbYXAUtMGAtcs9QodZnJvBgW9sCotXiQGKcOX1JWexzttL3JdnLkLwzx/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="678" height="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvOk14N__uGS1USyGgO48OC618TJbNnLypYFfRZ-sLj8EhoAa_gN097pq-3YwE767RWLoTonPKf00_Z41BbtwtbYXAUtMGAtcs9QodZnJvBgW9sCotXiQGKcOX1JWexzttL3JdnLkLwzx/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_711477118"></span><span id="goog_711477119"></span><br />
The only 3rd party DLLs in the BIN directory are AWS runtimes. No freakin 'scaffolding' or auto-generated junkware code.<br />
For a comparison, a simple web-based "hello world" in VS 2017 eats up 15 to 60 Megabytes (!) of space for its BIN folder.<br />
<br />
<br />
Do you have any questions or opinions? Do you want to discuss that? Post a comment.<br />
<span id="goog_711477118"></span><span id="goog_711477119"></span><br />VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-27288219507736203172013-12-21T06:59:00.005-08:002020-11-09T16:07:34.866-08:00The simplest way to speed up your laptop<p>I have been going through several interesting projects lately. There were a couple of important ones which required processing large and somewhat twisted SQL databases. The other, <i>"weekend"</i> projects, made me dust off Eclipse and fix some cool <a href="http://market.android.com/details?id=emlf.fileupload">Android code</a> to make it work on <a href="http://www.android.com/kitkat/">KitKat</a>. But this article is not about <a href="http://emaillargefile.com/">large files</a> or databases. It's about those small but pesky JPEG files we often overlook and underestimate, but which seriously affect performance of our aging laptops.</p>
<p>So here is the story.</p>
<p>About a couple of months ago I went to our local <strike>toy</strike> Tigerdirect and bought the latest 1TB Seagate hybrid drive for my laptop. I expected it to be better than its predecessor, the Seagate Momentus XT which I used for a couple of years, but which started to show its signs of wear.</p>
<p>I was very happy with the new drive. For about a day or two. Then I noticed that the laptop boots up slower than before the upgrade. But the worst hit was to see web sites load noticeably slower. You know, those that unroll their galleries of high quality photos when you scroll down your mouse wheel. One of my favourite ones is the Autoblog, but it looks like all of them are now going that way in web design.</p>
<p>Well, you may say that the new drive is only 5400rpm while the former one is 7200, but that's not the show stopper for me.</p>
<p>I started thinking and decided to look at how the antivirus software works on my machine. Of course, I have MDF and LDF files excluded from active scan, for obvious reasons. What else? So I gave it a thought and decided to turn off scanning of JPEG, JPG and PNG files. Why? Because they are pictures. I don't care if they have any code in them. I don't rename them to exe and launch just to test. That would be quite foolish.</p>
<p>Well, now my web browser runs faster and smoother. No more stuttering on large web sites like Autoblog and others. And I can live with this new larger but slower drive until Seagate makes the faster version.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuF7hDrQ4BdrgTOC86N3BW9YYKYnY12QyRGG8M94WszTIG0wQq6yIiOdL2DjlWCOaSRHNhryRrwE1EgtPkDZh2bUgf6a_CwAshNA9uzuwlHGVCrvCM_1xdDy2gu3mUA9P10TB_o1im3rso/s600/file_type_exclusions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="490" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuF7hDrQ4BdrgTOC86N3BW9YYKYnY12QyRGG8M94WszTIG0wQq6yIiOdL2DjlWCOaSRHNhryRrwE1EgtPkDZh2bUgf6a_CwAshNA9uzuwlHGVCrvCM_1xdDy2gu3mUA9P10TB_o1im3rso/s320/file_type_exclusions.png" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-52047042466064171772013-12-06T14:38:00.000-08:002013-12-06T14:54:53.154-08:00How to switch PgUp/PgDn keys with Home/End without breaking keyboard<p>After <a href="http://vladware.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-add-bluetooth-to-toshiba-r705.html">adding a bluetooth adapter to my Toshiba laptop</a>, I am fully enjoying the world of bluetooth accessories. In fact, I am getting spoiled by not using the USB ports for a keyboard or mouse. Wireless peripherals and especially bluetooth ones are so much cooler than pulling wires..</p>
<p>
Finding a decent bluetooth keyboard was a bit of a hassle for me though. I have relatively big hands, and I am used to those curvy Microsoft keyboards such as Microsoft 2000. But the 2000 model is wired, which defies the whole purpose. It's also quite big. I like my desk tidy. And I don't use the calculator side of the keyboard at all.</p>
<p>The only one bluetooth keyboard I really liked is Microsoft 5000. Positioned as a keyboard for mobile devices, it's lightweight but solidly made, stylish, having large keys with great feedback. It does not come with the calculator keys (you can get the 6000 model for that), but otherwise it covers my needs for 100%. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOf_573VIpft4rGPRWmSm7WobPpUvKWp07pVnCjikdjL9IjR9oZBBUf5RcsGaYZ1tp_Pl1tZkafQ5e2frT-99dTwvdBCH3b9sXlbnT6307lhSchpkfULsEnYUfOoBPB2cF7j21Wdk0znk/s1600/ms_5000_bluetooth.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOf_573VIpft4rGPRWmSm7WobPpUvKWp07pVnCjikdjL9IjR9oZBBUf5RcsGaYZ1tp_Pl1tZkafQ5e2frT-99dTwvdBCH3b9sXlbnT6307lhSchpkfULsEnYUfOoBPB2cF7j21Wdk0znk/s320/ms_5000_bluetooth.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>For some reason, Microsoft does not make model 5000 keyboard anymore, and it's getting increasingly hard to get one new. I recently purchased another one on eBay, it came new in a box, sealed and unopened. Now I have one at home and one at work. They are exactly the same. I do carry my laptop back and forth, and when I turn it on, it would seamlessly connect to them, without any additional clicks or switches.</p>
<p>But... this article is not only about this awesome keyboard. It's about how to fix some of its keys.</p>
<p>Perhaps one of the reasons why Microsoft stopped making the model 5000 is because it was unpopular. It was unpopular probably because it had a few of its keys defined incorrectly. The PgUp and PgDn functions were sharing the same keys with Home and End. While PgUp and PgDn were made default keys, to use Home or End you have to push and hold the Fn (function) key each time to use Home or End. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNh5qfbuVaOv3euuH2sCH0-zfBRWxD96ZN6RoaaaPSCk-O6-BedQQ6npEe1XkwUpuFC5aoLERhPwWkvKbpaGHPsPQe1UAtF35DNtXS4Ud-a7VGutWx112RJNAWVojKamYne8_u04hYyeEj/s1600/ms_5000_homeend_vs_pguppgdn.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNh5qfbuVaOv3euuH2sCH0-zfBRWxD96ZN6RoaaaPSCk-O6-BedQQ6npEe1XkwUpuFC5aoLERhPwWkvKbpaGHPsPQe1UAtF35DNtXS4Ud-a7VGutWx112RJNAWVojKamYne8_u04hYyeEj/s320/ms_5000_homeend_vs_pguppgdn.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>I work with a lot of text on a daily basis (I am a programmer), but I don't use PgUp or PgDn as often as I use Home and End. In fact, I almost never use page up or page down. I use my mouse wheel to scroll between lines and pages of code.</p>
<p>But.. where there is a will there is a way. This problem didn't stand long against one's programmer's skills. I googled up a few things and came up with two registry files. They can help you too make your PgUp and PgDn keys work as Home and End, or undo those changes, respectively. The best thing is that the PgUp/PgDn don't go away, they can now be used with Fn key. In other words, the PgUp trades places with Home, and PgDn with End. In computer language this method is called <i>changing scancode mappings.</i> Btw, it worked for me on both Windows XP and Windows 7.</p>
<p>If you had the same problem I had, and if you want to switch your keys on your keyboard the same way, simply copy (verbatim!) the portions of text below into Notepad, separately, and save them as two separate .REG files. Take twice a day... I mean, run the first one to swap the keys, and the second one to reset the keys back to default layout.</p>
<p><b>Use this to switch PgUp/PgDn with Home/End:</b></p>
<code>Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00<br /><br />
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]<br />
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,47,e0,49,e0,49,e0,47,e0,\<br />
4f,e0,51,e0,51,e0,4f,e0,00,00,00,00
</code>
<p><b>This will reset keys back to default:</b></p>
<code>Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00<br /><br />
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]<br />
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
</code>
<hr />
<p><i>Disclaimer:</i> the purpose of this article is to give a solution, not to force you to change anything in your computer be it hardware or software. Always wear gloves.. er.. I mean, always pay attention and utmost care when dealing with Windows registry. Back it up, etc. Improper actions or a misspelled command may result in unstable work or even unresponsive computer. I can only show you the way, you are the one to walk it, which means I don't guarantee this method to work on your particular computer, neither may I be held responsible for any problems caused by user actions.</p>
<p>Credits: <a href="http://e2e.prestonhunt.com/maelstrom/storydetail.php?id=35">Remapping Windows Keys by Preston Hunt</a><p>VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-49736578986159810772013-10-26T19:14:00.002-07:002013-11-14T10:00:03.908-08:00Why you shouldn't buy VW assembled in Mexico<p>Below is the photo of the tube going from the engine head to the brake cylinder. The pipe cracked in 3 places, due to bad quality of the plastic material. And no, it's not rubber.</p>
<p>
This pipe creates vacuum in the brake cylinder to make car brakes work.
If the pipe breaks, the vacuum will not be sufficient enough to stop the car.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL56KtrXu3wfsg85HD4qE4-MPvTD-51wNJnfsPrHmiTbAlz52U1kIzv87Eac5RYgFQLxuEMVtxLLujTsIXEIzyAlgRZEdXSVSojwVL-PTRksK2kntiDHlZ6vBHaoGEaZZ5i0EHgRMjVk6/s1600/mexican_assembly_plastic_vw.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL56KtrXu3wfsg85HD4qE4-MPvTD-51wNJnfsPrHmiTbAlz52U1kIzv87Eac5RYgFQLxuEMVtxLLujTsIXEIzyAlgRZEdXSVSojwVL-PTRksK2kntiDHlZ6vBHaoGEaZZ5i0EHgRMjVk6/s320/mexican_assembly_plastic_vw.jpg" /></a>
<p>
Luckily, I caught this before leaving the garage, and replaced it with the $1.50 tube from our local Autozone. 10 minute of work saved lives..</p>
<p>While I may buy a VW in the future, I will never buy a VW from Mexico.</p>VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-69964597620088495032013-04-01T20:38:00.002-07:002013-04-01T20:47:57.616-07:00Dear Amazon developers, please fix sorting!Someone tell me how those guys can still make money..<br />
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Firstly, the sorting doesn't work. Have you tried shopping for some brand, then sort by price? It doesn't work. In fact, it never works.<br />
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Now, it appears the selection criteria is broken as well. Specifically, the price range. I'd rather not have the price range option rather than have it work incorrectly. See the picture...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1COm8xq3bh7c6g2DqpDH0Nz_3NW6PJtcyU9J8Y2cnkVMTWPLVIEn4rVoD-p80CcVcpaEarFnIEAhlJEkvl_a1EWETlLlW9ie_oUoeqmvsidO0XuoScqsp1AiIApW8UNTtDx8f7kIV7E2/s1600/amazon+sucks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1COm8xq3bh7c6g2DqpDH0Nz_3NW6PJtcyU9J8Y2cnkVMTWPLVIEn4rVoD-p80CcVcpaEarFnIEAhlJEkvl_a1EWETlLlW9ie_oUoeqmvsidO0XuoScqsp1AiIApW8UNTtDx8f7kIV7E2/s400/amazon+sucks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you start clicking checkboxes on the left hand side, then it will lose part of the query. Such as if you enter Seiko in the search box above, then after it finds Seiko watches, try to refine the selection results, then it will lose the Seiko criteria completely and start showing totally unrelated items. Ridiculous.<br />
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And on the other note, after <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html?_r=0" target="_blank">1984 saga</a>, I won't ever buy Kindle.<br />
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Peace.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-59062566147409061742013-03-02T19:38:00.001-08:002013-03-02T19:38:12.236-08:00Carpal tunnel syndrome, or how to reduce weight of computer mouseBy the nature of my occupation (I'm a programmer) I use mouse and keyboard quite heavily. I'm no stranger to wrist and arm aches.<br />
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A while ago I noticed that the pain is often related to mouse weight. The heavier a mouse is, the sooner I get wrist pain.<br />
<br />
Now, after I got my laptop fixed with the <a href="http://vladware.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-add-bluetooth-to-toshiba-r705.html">internal bluetooth module</a>, I naturally decided to refresh my quite a big collection of keyboards and mice with something bluetooth-capable. Strangely, there is not a lot of really good bluetooth mice in stores in our area. I vaguely remembered that the Microsoft mouse 5000 is a bad choice. I tried one a couple of years ago and had to return it, because it costs dearly, but had crappy ergonomics. I stopped by the store to check the new MS Sculpt touch mouse, it's a bit better, but too flat for me.<br />
<br />
After a few visits to various stores, I bought a brand new mouse. It's a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009VDSRJ8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009VDSRJ8&linkCode=as2&tag=coupon-amz-20" target="_blank">Kensington Suretrack mouse</a>. Amazon sells it for a bit cheaper than our local stores, hence the link.<br />
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That's a pretty decent thing. Matte black, with rubber side grips, solid looking. Very accurate. Works perfectly on all of my desk surfaces, never skips. It's a bit bigger than an average laptop mouse, which should be good for people with larger hands.<br />
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It has one big disadvantage for me. It's heavy. Why? It requires two AA batteries. Needless to say, I hated it from the first moment, because of its weight.<br />
<br />
The solution came pretty quickly though. I went to eBay and searched for a battery adapter from AA to AAA. After a few minutes of browsing, I bought a pack of 10 battery adapters for $7 with free shipping. I only needed two, but smaller amounts were all in China, and I wanted quicker shipment, so I bought it right out of the first seller who was located in the US. Well, turned out he is in China too. The good thing is that the package took only 3 days to come, from which I can deduce the item was located stateside.<br />
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Anyway, the mouse is now about 30% lighter, and works great from two AAA batteries. See the photos below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Abd7IOWOEsb2hd2va9g2SIqymND1ciMr8I6vcGdGGlXu119qa_ktm5d0Q-JH4IwhkarUfj7hQWSxXNhIJmO2ayjksEx1BmbQYAxVa1fwRxnq7_950QeSi_wAHWmUFg1ZQfm9rA4fFRsi/s1600/IMG_20130302_110110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Abd7IOWOEsb2hd2va9g2SIqymND1ciMr8I6vcGdGGlXu119qa_ktm5d0Q-JH4IwhkarUfj7hQWSxXNhIJmO2ayjksEx1BmbQYAxVa1fwRxnq7_950QeSi_wAHWmUFg1ZQfm9rA4fFRsi/s320/IMG_20130302_110110.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yzXr9wQ1mhSWsAupiY_jN1qEW4GNjQMuamOi5VtUNaqBRZb5_h59lbbo06_zyrnaWfXKmKygbEox2yMGsnCWpl4yCjjynsc9MWmUzokKlAXb8iW0wiiYsc71EgqRS8YkDr8PdK5bTkRT/s1600/IMG_20130302_110132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yzXr9wQ1mhSWsAupiY_jN1qEW4GNjQMuamOi5VtUNaqBRZb5_h59lbbo06_zyrnaWfXKmKygbEox2yMGsnCWpl4yCjjynsc9MWmUzokKlAXb8iW0wiiYsc71EgqRS8YkDr8PdK5bTkRT/s320/IMG_20130302_110132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQQVYbkKtx6DDMdGOBiMffuIF22QDwRRAkJIafbipEZSCeIWzSmsjmw9N_KYX7nVOdOKi6ujMby3eLLZ1nuFdooW8yYtzx-BTOaHcTg-n4uWrqKix29yJWd5tPgNDCo6KK5rF9uA2fdfV/s1600/IMG_20130302_110152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQQVYbkKtx6DDMdGOBiMffuIF22QDwRRAkJIafbipEZSCeIWzSmsjmw9N_KYX7nVOdOKi6ujMby3eLLZ1nuFdooW8yYtzx-BTOaHcTg-n4uWrqKix29yJWd5tPgNDCo6KK5rF9uA2fdfV/s320/IMG_20130302_110152.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-61865586306588766952013-02-22T03:25:00.001-08:002013-02-22T11:23:44.346-08:00How to add Bluetooth to Toshiba R705If you own a Toshiba Portege R705, you know that it does not come with a built-in bluetooth. If you search Toshiba forums, most people would recommend buying a USB bluetooth plug.<br />
<br />
This is not our way. Toshiba laptops, and especially the <i>higher-end</i> ones like the Portege series, have one of the best designs in the industry. I'll show you how to take advantage of that great design and add a bluetooth module to R705.<br />
<br />
First, you need to purchase the actual module. That's probably the hardest part of the project, since there are not so many of them currently on eBay. To be specific, you need part number PA3814U-1BTM or BTU1040-D4 made by Broadcom.<br />
<br />
Make sure it comes with a 6-wire connector. Here is what it looks like superimposed to the motherboard connector. The bluetooth circuit board is only a bit bigger than a quarter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj07c6aQc0VBNb3qCMB86nLH7X-xcHQpj5MsRdBXkPe00Ahmv2dqA7KVc5qDMZShUDwrb_wKOIz4kDAYUNLD4FSgfwkKNdIggBAN3icUc15idCOEgZPr25BFhJqxCX92EsSLMbBJeVvb51/s1600/01_bluetooth_board_connector.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj07c6aQc0VBNb3qCMB86nLH7X-xcHQpj5MsRdBXkPe00Ahmv2dqA7KVc5qDMZShUDwrb_wKOIz4kDAYUNLD4FSgfwkKNdIggBAN3icUc15idCOEgZPr25BFhJqxCX92EsSLMbBJeVvb51/s320/01_bluetooth_board_connector.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next, if the module does not come with an antenna, you will need to get one. That's an easy buy. There is plenty of those on eBay at any given time. The antenna is a thin screened wire minimum 10-15 inches long with a gold-plated connector on one side. For this particular application it does not matter what is on the other side of the antenna.<br />
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<i>Disclaimer. Everything that is said and explained in this article, is for information purposes only. While this method worked for my laptop, I am not responsible for any damage to any equipment intentionally or unintentionally done by you or anyone else.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Step 1.</b><br />
Remove the metal screening from the end of the antenna wire which is opposite to the gold-plated connector. I only removed about 1.5 inches of the screening, leaving the plastic insulation covering the central wire.<br />
I then rolled a small piece of Scotch sticky tape around the remaining piece of metal screen, to insulate the remaining metal "hairs".<br />
This is how the antenna wire looks before wrapping in Scotch tape.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNLvnvMa4GPxgLeYu9fVa7LR0oz2IIYis8mKOaJksyIWQpyzCHRFi1f-PZj5QeURxXeC4fvsqNQf7gr0KVITK5Ep8J5l_id5i8_U4SdcZdtGn0dpBxMI7W8hCamg0jfM-zv0G4Fmbi6Fi/s1600/03_antenna.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNLvnvMa4GPxgLeYu9fVa7LR0oz2IIYis8mKOaJksyIWQpyzCHRFi1f-PZj5QeURxXeC4fvsqNQf7gr0KVITK5Ep8J5l_id5i8_U4SdcZdtGn0dpBxMI7W8hCamg0jfM-zv0G4Fmbi6Fi/s320/03_antenna.png" width="282" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 2.</b><br />
Unclip the right plastic silver-plated hinge cover, the one with the hole. This will greatly
improve access to the screen hinge. We will later insert antenna wire
into the hinge opening.<br />
<br />
Remove the back (bottom) panel. There are screws of 3 or 4 different sizes holding the back panel. You will need to remove the small docking connector cover. You will also have to remove the memory cover to reach one of the F4 screws underneath it. Check out a quick video illustrating the back cover removal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJk1B32jq08 .<br />
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After the back panel is removed, it might be a good idea to disconnect the hard drive at this point, since it's not fastened to anything and may fall out when you move the assembly.<br />
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<b>Step 3.</b><br />
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Try to pass the antenna wire carefully through the clips so it is not pinched or jammed. See the picture:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupU0eae95Fmh0RHuut7XNX8RZ25T2RVf5UlPfANRvO9BjnBGeMbbv8BaMlZtX-Sgz_bsHqXC4qEujO2zdntvKRzqE-MECin90ooOplqbV23JPmip_YiftENPpI6YiA8onF7kRW7uwMAcq/s1600/05_antenna_wire_screen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupU0eae95Fmh0RHuut7XNX8RZ25T2RVf5UlPfANRvO9BjnBGeMbbv8BaMlZtX-Sgz_bsHqXC4qEujO2zdntvKRzqE-MECin90ooOplqbV23JPmip_YiftENPpI6YiA8onF7kRW7uwMAcq/s320/05_antenna_wire_screen.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Push the taped end of the wire into the screen hinge opening, same way as other wires go. Don't force it too much. If it jams, pull it back out and try again. It should go inside relatively freely, until about 2 inches of the wire is inside the screen. Ideally, it would be nice to open the screen panel and properly arrange the antenna inside the screen assembly, but it worked for me without removing the screen panel.<br />
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You may ask a question why we need to push the wire into the screen. The answer is simple. The screen is the only part of the laptop covered with plastic. All other parts are made from magnesium alloy or other metal, which insulates radio frequencies, and would prevent the antenna from sending and receiving RF signal.<br />
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<b>Step 4.</b><br />
Plug the antenna into the bluetooth module, and plug the module's 6-pin connector into the white plastic connector on the motherboard. The 6-pin connector should go flat side up, wires down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm-IPxZ9kW5qmQNRxEE98ELJHjmRSLcSlrPyG4h-UfWPpkDWoi1mF2OM1O1rBkqN98ql-vMZzm0gG7t2U9pWeUqUmTpeQz7frhB6gO6XpnPFqgSw7rkP-fFqx75XAuJWRZspSaFHzdtRM/s1600/04_antenna_connected.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm-IPxZ9kW5qmQNRxEE98ELJHjmRSLcSlrPyG4h-UfWPpkDWoi1mF2OM1O1rBkqN98ql-vMZzm0gG7t2U9pWeUqUmTpeQz7frhB6gO6XpnPFqgSw7rkP-fFqx75XAuJWRZspSaFHzdtRM/s320/04_antenna_connected.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>Step 5.</b><br />
Place the bluetooth module inside the computer body so it does not jam against any parts, and allows for sufficient air go through all parts of the body. Make sure none of its exposed metal connectors touches any alloy or metal parts inside the computer body or wiring.<br />
Make sure the antenna wire is not jammed or pinched by other parts inside the assembly.<br />
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I used sticky tape to affix the module to the side of the DVD drive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP4ksLvDNU9ZFS88NJA13qGUYZwmSv0M5_P66uZW3UcT7GJ9M5ANGTmysw0c9PBy9cmzHAyuu7eARxPiSe5xLmfQm1Acuc3mckBenqafoMyDaxzmfHqdVNpxevebWK1Q9eiVRmaM4wpF3/s1600/06_module_affixed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP4ksLvDNU9ZFS88NJA13qGUYZwmSv0M5_P66uZW3UcT7GJ9M5ANGTmysw0c9PBy9cmzHAyuu7eARxPiSe5xLmfQm1Acuc3mckBenqafoMyDaxzmfHqdVNpxevebWK1Q9eiVRmaM4wpF3/s320/06_module_affixed.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the overall view of the entire assembly, with the re-connected hard drive, bluetooth module and the antenna installed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXAR1GC7qmzf6I4oK7BvMh6e8HUAxE2zH-w2gqYR1TZZ0AQN8kYKM9gVFTuWh_8xq3AAcRTUEhzjnRtL7akEu2venbUW8Iewd8oyfl6FCBlYyzYoW5Ljh0uXwCTtQTlzV9K0Z8neVlyY0/s1600/07_r705_bluetooth_connected_overview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXAR1GC7qmzf6I4oK7BvMh6e8HUAxE2zH-w2gqYR1TZZ0AQN8kYKM9gVFTuWh_8xq3AAcRTUEhzjnRtL7akEu2venbUW8Iewd8oyfl6FCBlYyzYoW5Ljh0uXwCTtQTlzV9K0Z8neVlyY0/s320/07_r705_bluetooth_connected_overview.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Step 6.</b><br />
Now the easiest part. Download a driver from Toshiba web site.<br />
Go to http://support.toshiba.com, select one of the Portege R700 (not 705!) and download the Bluetooth Stack driver for your operating system. I picked R700-S1310, and for my Windows 7 64-bit this one worked perfectly:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMREst8Bii0XVPjTm9OijHRSN_-ophx6zZ-UwCjSMwPIEdjjgkpiLnafuwgkr9jSJSq7IuLAbZ233Oid1hKO6k1KXMBpzviKwQUWMRTqPUhv-yZKO9BQx2fZM2mxJyHzvZXY3UT9mT3UN/s1600/Bluetooth_stack_driver_download_r700.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMREst8Bii0XVPjTm9OijHRSN_-ophx6zZ-UwCjSMwPIEdjjgkpiLnafuwgkr9jSJSq7IuLAbZ233Oid1hKO6k1KXMBpzviKwQUWMRTqPUhv-yZKO9BQx2fZM2mxJyHzvZXY3UT9mT3UN/s320/Bluetooth_stack_driver_download_r700.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
The setup program will make your computer reboot a couple of times, and after it's all done, you have a working bluetooth in your laptop!VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-45621279615410563192012-10-27T11:23:00.005-07:002012-10-27T11:23:55.887-07:00SEO changed after August 2012?After Google Panda update that has been rolled out over several month in 2012, many people lost their position in Google search results (SERPs).<br />
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This is however not a problem. The problem is that many so called SEO consultants bit the dust. The old methods have changed. Those people sitting on bags with gold are not sitting anymore, they are either running around looking for new guinea-pig-customers or changing their business model.<br />
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One of my sites has lost its position with Google. Therefore, I am actively looking for a SEO specialist that understands what Panda update means and how to come back in SERPs.<br />
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If you are a SEO specialist and you think you can help (I know, it's not free!), please post your feedback below this post today. I will need to see your Portfolio. It must be fairly recent. Nothing older than August 2012 counts.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-91634611590153527152012-10-27T11:09:00.000-07:002013-02-22T10:47:38.044-08:00URL spoofingThis is my reply to one forum member who thinks that URL can be spoofed by simply updating the http header..
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<i>
<quote> Originally Posted by camjohnson95.
The referrer can be set when loading the page via an HTTPRequest.
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It is always very interesting to read those 'referrer spoof' discussions.... whether people do not know anything about the subject... or know a lot and just play 'noobs'.
I actually tried the httprequest method in both asp.net and php. For php you can find a bunch of those so-called php proxy scripts and this will give you a great explanation how the process works. The problem with that is all clients will hit the destination site from one ip address only, this will be your server's ip. What is even worse, the user-agent will be the same for all visitors, unless you bother to preserve and copy the visitor's user-agent. Still, this will look weird in the target site logs. Doing the same thing in asp.net gives the same results, it's just a little harder to implement than php.
But... As i heard, there is another method that actually works... it is however less comprehensible that the httprequest.. And as i heard it costs much more than forty bucks.
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I've done URL spoofing for one of my clients. It is doable. If you want to hire me for that type of project, I can certainly help you, but <i>not</i> for $40.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-13134738840958069802010-08-30T01:11:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:19.087-08:00Where to get VPS hosting?I still seriously think that the best Windows web hosting you can find is at your home. Now when internet service providers lock port 80 on a regular basis, this turns out to be a little expensive. However, if it comes to the utmost control and flexibility of the options, self-hosting is the best. I might even write a post sometime in the future about that. But... the best alternative to self-hosting turned out to be VPS hosting for me.<br/><br/><strong>1and1.com</strong><br/><br/>Bad quality. Sorry guys at 1and1, I tried my best and have to cancel it now. The major issues are - slowness, frequent crashes, inability to open any ports easily without going through the Bangalore customer service, extreme complexity in order to install anything. I mean.. come on, I have the same .NET code running on a dozen of various hosting solutions - from dedicated servers to basic Windows hosting. Nothing gave me so much trouble as the VPS hosting at 1and1. Once they set it up for you... there is nothing working on it. .NET Framework does not work, you have to initialize it yourself (aspnet_regiis), there is no SQL express, all ports are closed completely. Internet Explorer can't even get to Microsoft.com. Besides that, the price is way higher than competition. And the worst thing is their customer service, especially on weekends. You open ticket Friday afternoon, the server is down through the entire weekend, and they close the ticket automatically for you Monday while the server is still down.<br/><br/>Instead of getting VPS with 1and1, try their dedicated server. I am hosting a large traffic site with them for more than a year already and it appears to be extremely stable and consistently fast. Costs a tad more than VPS though.<br/><br/><strong>vpsland.com</strong><br/><br/>Ok quality. I had to maintain a couple of VPS servers on vpsland and even ordered one for myself there. Not cheap (about the same as 1and1) , same as slow. The good thing the ports that you normally need are open (80, 81, 8080), and IE works. You will still get hard time to install SQL express on their servers, I guess they lock you out intentionally so you order a SQL package from them or something. The good thing the server is more stable that 1and1 and they use Parallels control panel where you can reboot your server. 1and1 does not use Parallels, they have their own buggy Java user interface.<br/><br/><strong>Myhosting.com</strong><br/><br/>Now this is a good one. Costs 3 times less than 1and1 ($26 vs $75) for the same specs, comes with working .NET framework and SQL express right out of the box. All ports you need are open, IE works out of the box. Everything is really fast, clean and neat. This is how I would set up the server if I did it. That's the place where I'm moving my old 1and1 VPS to.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-34460649997722980712010-08-30T00:38:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:19.074-08:00Where to get domain name?I've been buying domain names for a few years already and I hope I know something about that process. In the domain business the most important features are<br/>- how quickly and easily you can book the domain name,<br/>- how quickly they update the DNS,<br/>- how easily you can sell or transfer domains.<br/><br/><strong>MyHosting.com</strong><br/><br/>I ordered a domain name 3 days ago at MyHosting.com. 3 days and the domain is still nowhere in sight. Not even in my Control panel. Answer - don't use myhosting.com for buying domain names. They say they have the cheapest domain names among competitors (currently less than $7), however they have a "renewal fee" which makes domains cost a few dollars more next year than the initial registration. I am talking about .com domain names.<br/><br/><strong>1and1.com </strong><br/><br/>I have been using 1and1.com for buying domain names. These guys really shine when you need to snatch a good name quickly and make your site up and running. It almost seems like they own one of the root DNS servers also, which brings DNS updates to a record setting 2 or 3 hours. They are not as good in hosting, especially in VPS. I will talk about this in my next post.<br/><br/>1and1 is also good for hosting private domains. You can't beat the price - private domain hosting is free at 1and1. I never owned any trademark domain names, so I don't know how friendly 1and1 is when it comes to ownership rights. I will appreciate if anyone can post a response here about this.<br/><br/>In regards to transferring domain names from 1and1, they have some issues here. First and the most annoying is that they charge you the full price of the domain again shortly after you transferred it to another provider. I've seen it several times on my domains and 1and1 billing department will not reply to your questions.<br/>Second, their user interface is not user friendly and outright buggy when you need to change something in the domain properties. I get 'server error 500' on a regular basis when changing domain lock/unlock, contact info, and so on. I had to write to customer service and wait for 2 weeks until they fixed my domain transfer once. But again, if you need to snatch a domain name quickly - they are pretty good at that.<br/><br/><strong>godaddy.com</strong><br/><br/>Spammy. That's the first word I would use to characterize their user interface. Another word would be Expensive. These guys make money on every single click you make with them. And most of the charges they do are recurring. They charge you for private registration, they charge you extra for renewal, they charge you for email address.<br/><br/>There are two things they've done right - their user interface works very well, however it appears to be really spammy with all those optional features they sell you all the time. In most places you don't have to opt-out of anything, but you have to watch them - they sometimes turn those options on and off.<br/>Another good thing - they have domain auctions. This is what 1and1 lacks. 1and1 has Sedo service, but they are unusable for me, because they charge you $75 or more upfront for each listing. Godaddy charges you a couple of bucks a year for auction membership and that appears to include unlimited domain listings. I just listed two domain names for sale, the auction will end in about a month. I will post the update once I figure out if that worked for me.<br/><br/><strong>Namecheap.com</strong><br/><br/>I bought two domains from some guy who hosted them with Namecheap. It was more than 2 years ago and I can't recall the details, but I remember that transferring the domains to 1and1 was pretty easy. Please post some comments below if you know anything good or bad about namecheap.<br/><br/>And.. if you know any place where I can safely host domains and have the free or inexpensive private registration, please let me know also.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-84776597422134533712010-08-14T02:42:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:19.061-08:00People, don’t buy web sites on eBayHi All,<br/><br/>it's been awhile since I posted anything here. I think I am back in business and have something to write about.<br/><br/>Recently, I've been thinking about selling some of my websites. I have quite a few of them now and would prefer to concentrate my efforts on a handful of the profitable ones rather than on a bunch. In case you are curious, I have a custom affiliate publisher script written in .NET and a couple of other pretty cool scripts such as a modified proxy and an url shortener which I thought I might sell to offset some of my recent expenses.<br/><br/>Naturally, I went to eBay to check if there are any competitors and to check out the price brackets on comparable offers. Well, all I can say is that the picture is grim.<br/><br/>Let's open eBay and type '<em>affiliate web site</em>' in the search bar. Narrow the results to '<em>business and web sites for sale</em>' on the left in the search results. We will see sites that cost $0.99 and sites that start at $49.95. There is almost nothing in between, however there is a small amount of sites over $100.<br/><br/><strong>Web sites for a dollar</strong><br/><br/>Let's look at the first type of a 'deal' - the sites for a buck. It's nice to see that there are some bids on them, that just indicates there are still some people in that world that still believe in miracle or free cheese perhaps.<br/><br/>The sites for a buck do not invent anything new. They all have a small but colorful screenshot right on the eBay ad page, you know the one that you can't zoom in at all. There is a lot of bright green or pink text around explaining how you can become a millionaire by making money at home. You might even ask yourself a question - how these people can make money selling such a cool looking web work for a buck? Don't worry, they don't sell you just a web site, they sell you hosting. Here is how it works. You pay them a buck, they send you a login and password to the web site that is hosted with their very own hosting company. Hosting with them is not too expensive, but it's not cheap either. It starts at about $10 a month. In case you didn't know, anybody can partner with Godaddy or Hostgator and open a reseller hosting account for a small percentage of profit. These people do exactly that. They register with Godaddy and you essentially buy the website for a buck and hosting for $10/month.<br/><br/>It's relatively cumbersome to get rid of that hosting package or move the site you think is yours to another provider. The most honest of those people do not restrict you in your move, but there are some sellers that are ridiculously hard to deal with. The problem is that you don't know who they are when you buy your website for a buck on eBay.<br/><br/><strong>Free Amazon sites</strong><br/><br/>The second type of affiliate sites sold on eBay may cost you a tad more up front, but in most cases they don't come with hidden charges as hosting. You however should thoroughly read the item description. These are the 'sites' for $49.95. Here is how this business model works.<br/><br/>These guys go ahead and sign up with Amazon for a free affiliate account. It's free and you can do it yourself in about 5 minutes. Amazon approves everyone these days.<br/><br/>Next, they click a couple of buttons and Amazon generates a 'site' for them, such as this - <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/swisstime-20" title="Amazon online store affiliate" target="_blank">http://astore.amazon.com/swisstime-20</a><br/><br/>Last, they go to eBay and sell you this site for $49.95. Very easy money. This is how these people technically can earn $100 per hour if they were selling 2 sites like this an hour.<br/><br/>The most advanced of them move a step ahead and buy a domain name such as <a href="http://eliteswisswatches.com" title="Discount Swiss Watches" target="_blank">eliteswisswatches.com</a> which points to... where do you think? Same Amazon built-in store. This will cost you an extra $10 bucks a year, which is an ok price to pay for a nice domain name consisting of good keywords.<br/><br/>So... is there anything you cannot do yourself here? No. Should you buy this junk from eBay? Yes if you want to part with some of your hard earned money for the profit of eBay and some shady businessmen around it.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-26438350403712498782008-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:002010-12-27T09:20:19.001-08:00Confirmed: Signing up with AdWords reduces natural serpsI always have issues with Adwords. Google overcharged my credit card, disapproved my ads, did other unfair things. But i guess the worst thing that can happen is that they will remove you from natural search results if your adwords bid is lower than what they think it should be.<br/><br/>Let's see... I have a site which is an alternative to u-sendit.com. It was on the first page in natural results in Google for a few months on the "email large files" search term.<br/><br/>After i signed up with Adwords and started bidding for "email large files", guess what happened? The link was gone from the first page completely. So when i had about 20-60 free visitors a day from Google before, now i still have the same 20-60 visitors, but they are not free anymore! Each damn click costs me $.50!VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-40313757516265422562008-04-13T07:36:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:18.989-08:00Toshiba U405 Big CleaningRight out of the box the CPU is running at 70% all the time, and 1.2 Gbytes physical memory is taken by the Vista and other software. Which leaves the user about 600Mb of RAM. What a waste!!<br/><br/>I ran the Control panel, found the Software install/uninstall applet and started it. Wow - looks like the last installation was done a week ago, 4/6/08. That is a new meaning of a brand new computer!!<br/><br/>Well, let's do some cleaning..<br/><br/>Uninstalled:<br/>- MS Office demo,<br/>- Symantec security something,<br/>- Napster,<br/>- many software packages starting with word 'Toshiba',<br/>- Quicken web accounting package,<br/>- face and speech recognition software,<br/>- buggy web camera suite (it kept showing a big white box in the left upper corner of the screen upon restart),<br/>- fingerprint security suite (which works, however it's so big that using it makes the machine hardly usable for anything else),<br/>- a few other smaller things.<br/><br/>Now the machine is moving a little faster. About 700Mb of RAM is now taken by the system, and 1.3Gb is available to the user. The CPU is now running at average 3-8%.<br/><br/>To be continued...VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-24211388424476368212008-04-13T04:39:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:18.976-08:00Toshiba U405 Series ReviewJust unpacked it. I am going to gradually update this review as i go through the set up and configuration steps..<br/><br/><strong>Unpacking</strong><br/><br/>Comes in a standard cardboard box, like pretty much all Toshiba laptops.Well packed. Good.<br/>There is a restore DVD, sealed booklet, power adapter and cable. Battery is packed separate from the machine. Smart. No extra cables, microphones, earphones, nothing like that.<br/><br/>Machine looks absolutely gorgeous and slick. Shiny surface matches the new Vista glassy look. White LED controls and lighted logo look cool and catchy. Very nice.<br/>Interesting that there is no screen latch. Just open the screen. I guess there is no need for it. And i agree, the latch holes always collected dust and breadcrumbs.<br/>The keyboard while looking very nice, has a somewhat flimsy feel of a cheaper computer. Not for strong or big hands i believe.<br/><br/><strong>Power up</strong><br/><br/>Let's power it up. Power button is above the keyboard on the same surface. This is now normal for all laptops as i noticed. I however prefer those older sliders on a back or the front of the machine, like when you set it up with external monitor, you don't have to open the screen to turn it on or off.<br/><br/>After turning it on, it starts setting up Windows Vista. The machine comes with the Vista Business Service Pack 1. That's better than most of those machines that nowadays come with Home version.<br/><br/>Within about 4-5 minutes, the machine is done setting up and beeps to let you choose the initial user settings. The Administrator user is disabled by default and you can't use it to log in. You must select another user to be able to log in. The "good" thing is that the newly created user has Administrative rights on the machine so you can easily enable the Administrator user and change its password. The only other user on the machine is Guest and it is a good idea to keep that guy disabled forever.<br/><br/>Now we are finally through and can examine what kind of junk we have preinstalled on the machine. It appears that there is quite a few things that need to be taken care of before the machine becomes usable.<br/><br/>The machine comes with the MS Office 2007 preinstalled. Nice. Can I use it? NO. The version is something that does not support standard MS Office Value Pack Registration ID. I have a real version of MS Office so i tried entering the registration number. No luck. Looks like this is either an academic or some other type of a demo version of MS Office. Stupid.<br/><br/>Well, that means that we are up for a big cleaning... stay tuned.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-63902578914404361102008-04-12T13:50:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:18.966-08:00Toshiba U405 SeriesJust went to BestBuy and got myself a new Toshiba laptop. Ultra-portable series.<br/><br/><a href="http://s192762199.onlinehome.us/__oneclick_uploads/2008/04/prod_satu405fftw_300-01.jpg" onclick="return false;" title="Direct link to file"><img src="http://s192762199.onlinehome.us/__oneclick_uploads/2008/04/prod_satu405fftw_300-01.thumbnail.jpg" alt="Toshiba U405" height="128" width="128" /></a><a href="http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?coid=-35445" title="specs" target="_blank"></a><br/><br/><a href="http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?coid=-35445" title="specs" target="_blank">Toshiba specs</a><br/><br/>Stay tuned for the upcoming review.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-7568041527606846112008-04-06T17:13:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:18.956-08:00Laptop as serverNow give it a thought.... The broadband packages we buy here at US are fast, but rarely faster than 20Mbit down/5 up. That's what Fiber optic offers. Now, if i want to have a web server at home - should i set up a real server with the stupid RAID or mirror, dual power supplies and all that stuff? My answer is - No, get a laptop.<br/><br/>Let's see... modern laptop is usually cheaper in the first place than a server. If you check out <a href="http://www.couponweek.com/coupon-9a08c7e9-c45e-433c-8283-4227993a0c1c.html" title="eBay" target="_blank">eBay</a> prices, you'll be surprised even more.<br/>Laptop has at least a 100Mbit built-in network card. Which is faster than the broadband. So no bottlenecks here.<br/>It has a built-in keyboard, built-in monitor and touchpad - so no separate console or a kvm switch.<br/>It has a battery - which effectively replaces a bulky lead UPS.<br/>It is very quiet.<br/>It has built-in overheating protection, so you can run it in your bedroom closet.<br/>Now the best thing - it consumes very low power - taking the electricity prices into consideration, that alone will save you over $50 bucks a month on your electric bill. Nice!<br/>At last - do you know that the modern servers now accomodate 2.5 inch drives? Laptops do that already for many years. 2.5" drives are less prone to temperature bending and more resistant to shock than those large 3.5" drives.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-12839544579452192852008-04-06T16:43:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:18.944-08:00Maxmind geotargetingThat Maxmind piece of code that goes with their database is completely driving me crazy.. Anyone knows why it leaks memory? Looks like you just can't use it on a web server, in an asp.net page. If i turn off the geotargeting function, everything works fine. Once it is on, it leaks memory like crazy. Terrible. Have to rewrite that code that they give out, just no time now. Tax season, you know.<br/><br/>On the positive note, they do update their database monthly. I'm just wondering how those internet providers sit on that data for months and then suddenly release the information to those public sources like maxmind and others. I had a static ip for a year and never in the internet saw any information about it. Now it's all over the place. And looking at my name all over the internet i am thinking that i have to stop using the Roadrunner as soon as possible. Moving to <a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/j898biroiq57E899DB576A7CCB6" title="Verizon Fios" target="_blank">Fios</a>.<br/>Btw, anyone knows how to get a static and at the same time anonymous ip without purchasing a vps package?<br/><br/>Yeah - regarding those vps's - if you decide to buy a vps package from Verio - forget about it. It's 300 bucks a month and you can't even access local files. They don't even answer emails. Go for <a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/c7103vpyvpxCELFGGKICEDGKIFLJ" title="1and1" target="_blank">1and1</a> vps. They have US vps packages for 40 bucks. You get your own server, you can Remote console to it, play with it, fill it up with junk, reboot it, reimage it, whatever. It's all yours. All for 40 bucks what Verio does not even offer for 300.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-4461988560801416002008-02-26T02:43:00.000-08:002010-12-27T09:20:18.933-08:00Good and Inexpensive UK Web HostingI recently started expanding my business into the UK area. I am currently researching some hosting companies there. Not cheap i daresay...<br/><br/>Tried one of them -m6.net- they seem to be one of the youngest, i guess they are probably just starting. They are darn cheap. Unfortunately, they are also extremely unreliable. Looks like a couple of kids in the basement with a laptop which is running a free copy of MSSQL Express. Remember, the name of that hosting company is M6.net. And beware. At least for now. If you still want to try them - prepare for a daily downtime for 1-2 hours which never ends until you email them.<br/><br/>However, the world in UK is much bigger than we may think. I am now looking at more established hosting companies there. One of them is <a href="http://www.eukhost.com/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=577_0_3_10">eUKhost.com</a><br/><br/>I'm going to give them a try very soon. If you think that i'm going in a wrong direction - drop me a note here. I do check the responses down below.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-85664589967455191402007-11-28T17:54:00.000-08:002010-12-27T09:20:18.922-08:00Palm Treo 650 is my cell phone of the year.Since i ruined my hp 6315 last December, the last year was a really cell-phone-less year for me.. Not that i was totally unhooked, but the stuff i used sucked big time.. Well, finally i decided to get something that can be called a real smartphone. This is Treo 650. I got it on ebay for slightly more than 100 bucks. Unlocked gsm version, all bells and whistles. Well, it has everything i need.<br/><br/>After some fiddling with it and browsing web for some clues, i managed to set up the web browser on it. Well, email was easy. But with T-mobile web does not come cheap. Either you pay $20 extra a month and it works smoothly, or you pay $5.95 only for t-zones and "figure out" how to set up web via proxy servers. Nevertheless, i value money in my pocket more than in someone else's pocket, and my phone works perfectly with both email and web. I can now read LIB.RU on the phone when i travel.VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-25578274270259106682007-11-07T11:08:00.000-08:002010-12-27T09:20:18.912-08:00New musical instrumentCool new musical instrument... Reminds me of the ms surface.<br/><br/><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0h-RhyopUmc&rel=1&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0h-RhyopUmc&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710197915579060564.post-5120332255192783452007-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:002010-12-27T09:20:18.873-08:00Free VS 2005 Standard from MicrosoftAlmost forgot to tell ya... Got a long-awaited email today from MS with a coupon code for a free Visual Studio 2005 Standard.<br/><br/>About a month ago i took 2 free online classes of Visual Basic 2005 - they were pretty useful btw - cool stuff like multithreading - and now got this email. Normally, the VS 2005 Standard is like $300-$400, depending where to buy. I paid only $10, for delivery. Well, let's see if I get it. Guess that will be a non-resale version. Who cares! I'm not gonna sell it for profit. I was thinking about buying a copy anyway, so why bother if they offered me free classes plus free software...VKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905571738782715110noreply@blogger.com2