MacFuse + NTFS-3G

If any one has ever had a PC and like most PC’s you probably had a hard drive. On that hard drive you may have had some Data. Like me i had Data on a Drive that was formatted in Windows NTFS. I also use a Mac at work. OS x is able to read FAT or File Allocation Table as i just learned. But im not going to explain the reasons on why NTFS is better than FAT16 or 32 or vice versa.

OS X is only able to look at a NTFS drive, it can not read data nor can it write to it. I saw in the “System/Library/Filesystems” profiles for other formats. I did some Googling and found an NTFS-3G package for Mac OS X, featuring automount of volumes and good integration with OS X.

In order to install NTFS-3D i needed to download and install MacFUSE. MacFUSE allows you to extend Mac OS X’s native file handling capabilities via 3rd-party file systems. MacFUSE on its own allows for command line access, not my thing.

After a reboot i tested the NFTS drive and was able to do all actions, Read/Write/Delete with no problems.

One thing to note if you have a hot swap drive on Windows it will not open on OSx unless you actually eject it, unplugging it will cause a “Unclean” removal and OSx will not read it. it must me Ejected in order to work!

I have not done a Speed test but i was pleased 400mb in ~ 1min.

http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/
http://macntfs-3g.blogspot.com/2008/12/ntfs-3g-15130.html

DD WRT Saved my WIFI

Last year i bought the Linksys WRT150N 4 port Ethernet, with Wireless N. Shortly after Linksys released a Gigabyte version the WRT310N Router.  My wife’s Mac Book’s wireless connection was less than stable and would constantly lose connection.  The store said it had to do with the Mac Book and not the router, even thought the router was only 10 feet away.  We put up with the poor connections until i got a Mac Book Pro and we both had the same issues but never at the same time. Strange i thought.

Linksys support was less than steller. Couldn’t do anything unless i was at home, and when i was home they would not return my support request.  I was talking to the IT guy at work and he mentioned DD-WRT an open source firmware for various routers.

After flashing my router and setting up my port forwarding and triggering, locking it down.

I must say that the interface is much better and does not require rebooting the router after every change. You can simply apply and then save all changes after. It also uses an AJAX interface that makes things snappier.

Even if you don’t have any issues with your router i would suggest looking into DD-WRT, its said that a $60 router can have the features of a $600 router!

Ponoko – Lazor Cut DIY

Laser cutting seams to be all the rage these days. As it should, its really cool. There is a company called Ponoko that specializes in Laser cutting DIY. The basic idea is send them a picture, choose your material, and receive the cut product in the mail.

You can choose from Acrylic, PETG, Styrene, Hardboard, MDF, Plywood, Veneer MDF (Double-sided), and Whiteboard. You can choose to Cut Through or just etch the surface.

You can even draw a picture and upload a photo to there site if you don’t posses the necessary software to create your art. They have really detailed instructions and templates available to use.

There is a store to buy products from other sellers, or you can even sell your own. Think cafe Press for Lasers.

Check them out at Ponoko.

Google Chrome

I just installed Google Chrome and am writing this post in it. It has a lot of interesting features like dynamic tabs and most viewed pages and recently closed tabs.  i had a look at a few websites that i know had issues in other browsers and rendered fine. it also loads much faster the any of the other top 3 browsers. Unfortunately the BETA is only available for Windows.  At first glance it seams to be a Feature rich browsers with a minimal interface.

Download it.

iPhone comes to Canada!

The new G3 iPones were announced today and as a result has made accessing the Apple site and Rogers fairly slow and hard.

One of the coolest things besides the G3 speeds and the [[GPS]] is its enterprise ready so your exchange server account will work perfectly. You also have the delima of choosing black or white. What one will you choose?

Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do — again.

Source: http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/features/

Sharp Aquos 42″ 1080p LCD Television

Last weekend Kristi and i bought a Sharp Aquos 42″ 1080p LCD Television and the first thing that surprised me was how light it was. Probably half the weight of our old Sony TV.

The second thing was how large it was when it was actually set up. i guess most of the TV’s in the store were 40-46 so it was hard to compare sizes.

After hooking it up and testing a DVD and having the wow factor we turned to the cable and i was disgusted.

So we went and bought a HDTV PVR to solve our crappy cable TV problems. Now we have more channels than we know what to do with and more movies on the PVR than we can watch. While at another store we decided that you know Blue Ray is still pricy we could take advantage of the dieing HD DVD player that will up sample a standard DVD to 1080i an we could get some HD DVD’s since they are around $17 at the moment, this should hold us over until the Blue Ray players are not $500.

Boom! – The Intelligent Search Assistent

Boom! is an intelligent search assistent that allows you to search more efficiently. It will analyze whatever it is that you are searching for and direct you to the search engine that is most likely to give you the best result.

If you search for “books by Dan Brown”, it will not search on Google but instead move you directly to Amazon. Similarly, if you search for “pancake recipes” it will move you directly to “All Recipes” or if you want to find a hotel in Boston, simply search for “locate hotels in Boston” and it will search using Google Maps.

It also supports searching on popular social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Linked-In.

Check out Boom!

Adobe Please!

I’m sure a lot of people out there have the same issues with Adobe Dreamweaver that i do. Sine my change in carriers i have been using Dreamweaver daily for hours on end. i have been more and more frustrated with Dreamweavers ham fisted abilities to interact with css. I’m not talking about how it creates it, I’m talking about how it interacts with it and allows you to interact with it.

I’m working on a large web app for the Alberta Government and at the moment the css file is growing and growing. i can shrink it to make file size smaller but during development i need to see comments and have everything laid out clearly so that i and the developers can read it.

My issues are coming from searching around the css file for changes.
Read on..

iPod Touch

After lots of repeated rumor site checking apple finally resealed the next iPod the iPod Touch. im pleased to say that all of the rumors i have herd are actually now fact.

Its got the same 3.5 inch screen as the iPhone as well as the Multi-touch interface, as well as built in Wi-Fi so you can make use of Safari and watch videos over YouTube.

The new iPods will start around $329 cnd for a 8 gig and go up to a 16 gig model for $449.00 cdn.

I will gladly accept a iPod touch for my birthday or Christmas. just putting that out there.

Check out all the features.