Is Computer Technology in a Slump?

Sure computer technology is in a slump.
A slump created by the lazy and braggadocios.
The ignorant with money to burn, and the poor who want to look like they have money to burn.
It is now taboo to show people Technology you created from scratch. It makes you look poor and unworthy of honor. No longer do we feel the pride of learning new things and piecing together our ideas and things we learned, into one space to make the things we need.

We have built ourselves into a corner of ignorance.

We used to hack our phones to have web browsers they didn’t have before. We used to get our phones to surf the internet when no one even considered it useful. and we did it with phones that didn’t have a touch screen or a scroll wheel. We created our own mp3 players to suit our phones per model and we would burn that to a 3.5 disk or to a c.d. so we wouldn’t have to rebuild when we changed our phones, we’d just have to modify to work with the version of Symbian on the phone. but now, everything is right there for free with ads, or for sale. No one has to learn anymore. We just nod and smile when someone calls you stupid for not knowing about some app they just downloaded that does what you did 10 years ago, manually. And for god’s sake you can’t tell them this, or they will call you a hipster.

Tech trends are a shame.

All websites are starting to look the exact same crappy HTML 5 over simplified big buttons so people can use it better on their little phone displays that no one can compile a good Java or flash player for.

The days of complexity are gone.
Now are the days of “look, shiney and simple”
and complacency.

It is as if we have dumbed ourselves.

There was a time when software exceeded the abilities of hardware. Which caused the hardware makers to try harder. build better. To evolve.
But now the software makers aren’t trying to create the new.. the more bundled. the bigger deal to make people buy it.
They want to make it easy and super light weight, so you pay again to buy the other crap that used to be in the older version, one by one.

We have become the fat consumer.
And tech… The world for the outsiders… Became fashion-ware for the trendy.
where abilities and functionality no longer matter, just the name brand and brag-ability.
$10,000? Made by apple? Of course it has features functions and abilities that their $150 watch does not have.
In the day when we dreamed of that, we dreamt of hackability. The ability to mod that computer on your wrist to have your own functions to fit your own needs. Now you just download someone else’s idea (app) that best suits you and like it and show off what you downloaded.

We had our DVR. Our home entertainment center from a computer we built with a series of hard drives stacked together to burn our tv shows onto while we worked. With hundreds upon hundreds of function. Those are gone and now we have it in a “cloud” (some hairy dude’s server in his basement Shhhh) and we install an ap for some of the functions and Features with nothing to want to learn.

Java 8 not compatible with Windows Xp

java-8_xp
Xp users, your days are numbered.
You will soon be finding more and more software not working with your computer.
This being said, I have to say the most taboo statement in computer Tech world…. Probably a good idea to stop doing updates to items on your Xp computer.
Java 8 installation now tells you that is no longer compatible with your operating system but still says “if you wanna try it go ahead, don’t blame us though” in a round about way.
To be exact:
Java 8 requires a newer version of Windows. You may continue with the installation, but for Java to work as specified we recommend upgrading your operating system. Please refer to http://java.com/sysreq

Something tells me it will be just a year or two before we start getting this notice on windows vista and windows 7.

How To Change Notepad ++ Spellcheck Language

Got sick of Notepad Plus Plus telling me there is a spelling issue with the word “color” and telling me that “colour” is the better option. I selected English and couldn’t find how to select which version of English spelling.
When designing websites, the word “color” comes up quite often.
So seeing that stupid squiggly line under.
So I started digging around in the settings. Just I could not find the setting for the spell checker to select between British English and American English.

Click on “Plugins”
nppsettingslanguage

Click on DSpellcheck Then Click on Settings

spellchecksettingsnpp

At midway where it says “Language” click the drop down menu on the right and select the language you need.
If it is not listed then click on the button that says “Download Dictionaries”
And that should take you to

ftp://ftp.snt.utwente.nl/pub/software/openoffice/contrib/dictionaries/

Now you just use the checkboxes to select the languages you want in your dictionaries.

spellchecksfilesnpp

Fire Alarm Template Update May 2015

**Update**
The Fire Alarm Template has been updated  and is currently listed on This site with an updated photo.
Added an access control template (more robust that initial announcement).
If you are looking for the fire sprinkler template, please comment below.
**Update**

If you haven’t been following my other project, I have an Autocad template that I have been working for about 8 years. The idea of this template is to offer a low cost alternative to the people in the fire alarm industry and less costly alternative to simplifying their fire alarm designs.

The fire alarm Template I sell at The top of the page here Fire Design Blocks Is currently for sell.
Things that are being added to the next fire alarm template are blocks that have these features:
Horn/strobes-Strobes with candela rating and amperage, built in them.
fire_alarm_strobe
Both “the last strobe” and “the last horn strobe”. These blocks are their own block with multiple devices inserted that way you can drop the single device in a location and select from a drop down menu to change the orientation of the device and the candela. Yes you can still just buy each of these independently if you are not in need of the full alarm template with all fire alarm blocks added.

Horn/Strobe Block
Dynamic Title block. To change settings for all of the title blocks. Such as job name, jurisdiction, notes for technicians.
fire_alarm_title_block
Initiating devices with addresses ready to type in.Smoke detectors,heat detectors,control modules,relays, and pull stations. You just insert their block and you will be prompted to type in the address. There is also a version of the fire alarm devices for each that does not have this option, if you are just doing a quick mark up.
smoke detector block
All of the previous blocks and template features are still included in the new fire alarm template. The difference is a small handful of blocks have been altered a pretty good amount. In this case it would be in your best interest to keep both templates if you qualify for a the new template after purchasing the current template.
The date of launch for the new fire alarm blocks template will be June 1st. at that date the price will go up to $450. For now the price is reduced to $375.

The plan is to create a new post on this site explaining how to use the fire alarm Autocad template and insert the blocks to optimize your fire alarm design to reduce design time, and increase accuracy of fire alarm design.

The fire Sprinkler template is for title block and legend attributes to simplify the initial set up of fire sprinkler design.
The access control template works much like the fire alarm template.

Do you remember “The Screen Savers” Tv show? It is back.

Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton kicked off the first episode of “The New Screen Savers” Web television show that geeks have been begging for, for more than 10 years.
As a fellow Geek myself I can not be more tech excited than this.
Here is Episode 1 of The New Screen Savers Found on the Twit Network.

Leo Laporte brought back a screen savers show called “The New Screen Savers”. Yep the show with Patrick Norton and Leo talking tech and answering questions is back. It looks like the launch was very quiet.
But we can fix that.

But who’s going to relaunch Tech Tv?
Maybe “The New Tech TV” or “Techy’s TV”
We shall see how The New Screen Savers plays out.

BTW love the way the intro works.

Actual drone playing the part of the drone.

Are cell phone extended lenses worth buying?

cameralens

Are you wondering if cell phone extended lenses are worth buying?
I was. So I bought one from eBay for just under $15.
8x Zoom is how the lens was labeled. Not so sure how they came up with that number.

Took forever for the extended lens (telescope) to arrive but when it did, first thing I did was run out and and take photos of local band in Houston playing at a local club. Since it was the band’s CD release party, I had high hopes of getting good photos for my website (TruXter.Org).
Of course the packaging says “Mobile phone telescope” and has a picture of what looks like a blackberry on the cover.
What came inside the package was an actual telescope about 3 inches long and about 3/4 inch wide. The actual lens is about the size of a dime. A mounting frame that is spring loaded with an adjustable plate that locks by the turn of a screw to make sure the lens mounts directly over the cell phone There was also a small cloth which we can assume is for cleaning the lens of the telescope.

Here’s a sample of the photos in a dark setting (I have saturation issues I need to work out)
Satci Butler
That photo was taken from about 20 feet away with zero zoom. The lady is Staci Butler from the Staci Butler Band

The next day, I took a trip to an place near Houston that has this old time feel to it and had hopes of taking some good pictures to share. Here’s a sample of the day time photos I took.
IMG_20150411_114650_116
That photo was taken from somewhere between 80-100 feet away, without using zoom.
Any photos taken under 20 feet just come out horrible. This is definitely not an extended camera lens and is clearly a telescope for cell phones. The further the object is, the better the picture turns out.
No matter what your iso setting is, the dark settings for your pictures don’t have as good of a chance as you would have just taking the lens off and getting closer.
The focus feature just blows out my cell phones auto-focus. I tried tapping screen first then manually focus. I tried manually focusing then tapping screen and manually focusing again. Nothing made the pictures any better. I got a whole lot of shaky images that looked like I over zoomed the digital zoom and the blew the image up to pretend it was optical zoom. It definitely is not optical zoom. That setting on the side of the telescope is just for focus.

But bang for the buck, there is plenty good use for the telescope lens. I just currently haven’t much purpose in it. Not saying I won’t because I certainly will be looking for a good reason to use it. but fact is, this will not make you a better photographer.

Full review score of the Extended telescope lens for a cell phone.
Function: 7/10
Durability: 8/10
Look: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Useability: 3/10
Total score: 7/10

How To Setup Speco Player on Android and iPhone

We have a Speco DVR and have set up our user names and ports and passwords for access with our iPhone or Android apps. We need to remember those setting for later. (if you scroll down you will see the settings I usually use, but you can use whatever you like)

Speco DVR

Set up modem/router firewall
Name your device name whatever you want in the modem . I use simple but identifiable names. DVR-1, and DVR-2 if there is more than one.
I use the same local i.p. addresses every time. Real simple ones too
Device name=DVR1
address=192.168.1.66
Port=5445
audio port will be 5446 automatically
Local port I select 8181

Device name=DVR2
address=192.168.1.77
Port=4554
audio port will be 4555 automatically
Local port I select 8282

You can use the same settings in the android/iphone.

Now download and install Speco Player.
The icon will be black, on both android and iPhone. I’ve only seen rare occasions where I needed any of the other speco apps. That has been a couple years now.

Android Speco Setup
Click on the Speco player icon to launch the application.
When the application opens, click on “Live view/Playback”.
speco_android-1
The next screen will just have demo settings by default.
speco_android-2
This is where your menu button saves your sanity. So click your menu button.

speco_android-3

Click the “Add” area on the left lower section.
speco_android-5
You will see the screen where you can type in the information you set up on the Speco DVR such as open ports and user name and password and either I.P address or DDNS.
I typically opt out of DDNS and use I.P. address. even when the location of the latest install is on a dynamic I.P. . I’ve seen issues with some ISPs with the DDNS needing authentication when the I.P. address changes. So. I still have to go back out anyway. and it can be time consuming to use the DDNS and get it accepted. Especially if the DDNS service is down, or malfunctioning, or slow to react. Don’t hand the I.P. address out to just anyone.

Name your device name whatever you want. I use simple but identifiable names. DVR-1, and DVR-2 if there is more than one.

You can use the same settings in the modem/router firewall.
Device name=DVR1
address=192.168.1.66
Port=5445
Username=admin
Password= whatever you gave it. Default is 1111

If you select to use Easy DDNS, just use that information instead of I.P. in the andorid app.

If you select to use Easy DDNS, just use that information instead of I.P. in the andorid app.

 

 

The settings on iPhone is pretty much the same but has a few variations. So let’s cover this
Setting up Seco player on iphone

Launch the Speco player app. you should see “Device List”

Speco_iphone-1

Speco_iphone-1

To add a new device to the list (DVR), just press the plus symbol in the top right of your phone’s screen.

This will take you to a page titled “My Site”
This would be where you type in your DVR information

Speco_iphone-2

Speco_iphone-2

again, “Site” could mean location or one of many DVRs at that location. That’s all interpretation.
When you have successfully connected your Speco DVR to your iPhone, you should start seeing video footage when you select the “live” option.

Speco_iphone-3

Speco_iphone-3

sometimes the site may have a camera out, or your app could load slowly due to internet speeds.

 

If you select to use Easy DDNS, just use that information instead of I.P. in the iPhone.

 

 

To Delete the Speco Demo Settings From an iPhone:
If you have been struggling to delete the Speco demo examples from your iphone I have a pretty simple fix for you.
Just click each demo in the settings and swipe the name to the left.
Demo 1 – swipe left.
You will see a delete option.

If you have the version (android and iphone) that does not have the plus symbol or add button. Just delete the demos and relaunch the app. It will force you to create a new connection.
once your new connection is added, hit the folder option in the corner.

Unifi Ubiquiti Connections problem FIX

unifi
Tried Running UniFi and the dang thing won’t connect. Tried looking for a phone number and never found one, but now that I have an understanding of their software, I found their contact phone number +1 (866) 438-8247 found at www.ubiquityhosting.com
UniFi Controller Says Start-up failed
So far I have seen two notifications when Unifi controller had an error. One is a notice that says:

Initializing Unifi Controller …
Starting Unifi Controller …
Port 8080 in use by other programs
Start-up failed.

The other error notice says much less than that but the fix for both is the same.

Download the newest version of Unifi from their site to make sure you are up to date. do this by uninstalling the version you have and then insall the version you just downloaded.
Uninstall Java and install (depending on the version of windows you have)
64bit version jre-7u75-windows-x64.exe
or
32bit version jre-7u75-windows-i586.exe
Now run the Unifi

Don’t bother running UniFi-Discover. If it sees stuff it does not much matter if you are just trying to connect and create an account and change settings right away. For some reasons I seem to have problems when I run the discover before I get the Unifi Controller to connect.

From here on out if you get any errors trying to connect to your wireless devices using Unifi Controller, just open task manager (ctrl alt delete) and look for Java and Jusched (java update scheduler). and end those processes. Try again to run the Unifi Controller. If you get any issues after that, then uninstall and reinstall java and run Unifi Controller before you do anything after the reinstall of Java.

Seems there is an issue with UniFi and Java and the guys at Ubiquiti really need to solve this. At least bring the software up to the current version of Java.

Boom Beach test Android vs Iphone

Supercell_SplashDecided to load the game on my iPhone so i can mess around with it when my android is charging.
Not much is different. except one menu item in settings area is missing on the iPhone and the weird bounce thing the iphones do when the game switches screens. What this means is when you leave a fight and get back to your base, just like the Android phone does, the iPhone zooms in to the town hall. What the iPhone does that Android does not do is, is this weird little bounce thing right after the zoom in. I guess to give you the feel that you are on some weird mechanical camera arm that has poor bushings so it bounces a bit from worn stabilizers. No clue. Wastes time.

Pretty much all images look the same.

Comparison of the settings.

If you notice, the android allows you to turn down the display settings.
With the shader quality turned up high, Boom Beach plays very sluggish on my Android phone.
with shader turned down, the game is much faster. Everything loads faster too. Battery life lasts a bit longer that way also.

There could be audio differences, no clue. I hate the sounds and the music so that stays off at all times.

Setting up Mercury Mail for XAMPP

Mercury32_46Been trying to set up mercury email for Xampp for a lot longer than I’d like to admit. Looked  at so many YOUTUBE videos of people just clicking away through the procedures of getting “local host emails to send and receive locally but have yet to find one that allows the emails to receive from external connection. Have managed to make the emails send  from within Pegasus but the recipient sees that my email has come from “truxter@localhost” even though that server has a domain name.

Have not figured out how to get Thunderbird nor outlook to connect though I think I am doing everything correct.

If anyone has any helpful sites they want to link to show me how to get Mercury mail server to connect properly, please comment the link below. and if you are looking for how to set up the email, scroll below, because if this page still looks just as confused as you feel, Means I can’t get mercury to work either.