See the Future of Windows Live Messenger

In case you hadn’t already noticed (I myself have been a bit slow on this one), there’s a cool new version of WLM available with some cool new features (Sign in on three computers at once, animated display pictures, facebook style what’s new and signiture sign in sounds), and although it’s a beta version, I’ve found it very stable.  Its worth checking out:

http://download.live.com/messenger

Remove Embedded Adverts from Windows Live Messenger

If the huge amount of  advertising built into Windows Live Messenger and MSN Messenger is beginning to bother you, especially the new flash animations with sound that enlarge themselves when moused over, it can be disabled without the new for any special patch or additional software.  All that is required is administrator access on the computer you are using.

Time Lapse?

More a rethink about how this blog is run… or maybe I should just unregister it…

Harry’s Tips for Uni

Harry’s Tips for Uni
Here I am, being Mr. Amazing giving you lots of important advice, I’ll take a deep breath shall I?
• O2 Customers: They’ve got a POSTCODE specific service where you can get 500 minutes to most numbers when you’re within a certain area, and top up £10 at the start of the month.
• More Talking: Get a mic, so you can use free software like MSN and Skype to talk to friends and family.
• Laptops: If you’ve got one, write your name discreetly on the bottom (I used a CD marker on the service tag), and perhaps in between the battery and case too, so that if anyone claims it’s theirs, you can tell they’re a lying bastard. Try not to write over any serial numbers or your Windows Product Key. Also, if you’re good with passwords, set one on BIOS, and change your boot order so that the HD is first. That way they can’t reuse the stolen machine, except for sending back to the factory, which is why you should register it. The factory can recognise the serial number.
• Anti-Virus etc: You need it. If your PC has a virus (Porn sites tend to be the usual suspects) and you bring down the Uni network, AND THEY TRACE IT TO YOU, people won’t be impressed. Consider your social life suspended for three years if that happens. People get nutty when technology stops working without warning.
• Anti-Virus: I suggest Avast! It’s free and is quick to update. It has many useful options, and in my experience is better than NAV. You can also use it free of charge for two months without registering.
• Firewall: Windows XP SP2 (+ Vista) has a built in firewall which will do. If you are on XP or older and want something stronger, Comodo have released an excellent Firewall free of charge, although some of the language used in configuration is a little complex, even for me (I never good allow my Home network). Their forums aren’t too bad when asking for help if you have a few days to wait, as a programmer can guide you through the process.
• Anti-Spyware: Spybot is second to none, and if you don’t have Vista, install the Tea Timer add on, and use the immunisation feature. Do a scan once a month, if that, and you should be fine. Vista has added its own nag feature in, so the Tea Timer will only nag you some more. If anyone knows how to stop Vista nagging, please post a comment here.
• Browser: For flips sake, not Internet Explorer, just use Firefox or Opera. It will save you time. Really.
• Older Computers: Think about a few simple upgrades, RAM has come back down in price now, and can make a notable increase in performance on most aging PCs. You may need a new Hard disk, and you could have that inside or out. Having a second Hard Disk can save you immense hassle if you computer dies inconveniently. A new graphics card will do wonders for gaming. If it’s more than eight years old, you should start thing about a replacement if you can afford it.
• New PCs: Go Dual Core if it’s within reach of your budget and a gig of ram if not two. Only buy a Mac if you actually need it for your course, otherwise you’ll be wasting your money, and will look like an idiot. Plus, PCs are much cheaper.
• Your Old Data: Make sure to copy your old My Documents folder, or you might have found you lost a handy piece of work you did last year.
• Portable Storage: USB Sticks. Get one, maybe even two. Stock up on CDs, DVDs, and then hide them, because people will probably want to borrow them. Don’t forget to label your CDs, to save time when you urgently need to find it again, so get some CD markers.
• Cabling: Bring all the cables you need for peripherals, and a network cable for the internet. I got mine from Poundland.
• Printing: Be a sneaky bastard and skip the big queues for printing last minutes coursework by copying a shortcut to the printer onto your USB key so that you can send prints from your own room and run down to collect them instead.
• Serial Keys: Taking any software with a serial key? You might need to reinstall so note it down, or take the packaging with you.
• TV: You’re gonna need a license to watch live TV on your PC, no matter how you do it, so don’t get caught. Instead, watch the “unmissables” down the pub with mates, or in the shared TV rooms. I think you get away with 4OD & BBC iPlayer because they’re not live, but I’d read the license agreements to be sure, and maybe check with someone else too.
• Driver/ System Disks: Don’t leave them at home, you’ll regret it. Take ‘em with you, or pay lots of cash later. And for fecks sake make them in the first place, its free then or £100 install later.
• Email: Get an email address from Hotmail or Google Mail, of you haven’t done so, and give it to your friends now, so you don’t lose touch. I like Gmail because you can use to download messages to PC whilst they’re backed up online.
• Get Organised: Use a program like Desktop Calendar to remind you deadlines and crap.

Well, I think that’s me sorted. What, you need to bring YOUR OWN BLANKETS? Try here, it was amusing. http://www.wikip313dia.com/Uni_advice
I sumbitted this there so lets see how long it stays.

The Mine Field of Pass Plus Discounts

A couple of days after you get your license, you’ll get a second letter from the DSA telling you all about the wonderful world of Pass Plus.  It is probable at this time that you will have already booked your first Pass Plus lesson, or gone and got an insurance policy if you didn’t want to wait.  If you’ve had your first Pass Plus lesson already, then you’ve already fallen into trap number 1.  You’ve got to register BEFORE you have your first lesson.  Trap number 2 is as follows.  You ring the Hotline, manage to get past BT 1571 (I don’t think there are that many people answering the phones), and get through, having not had  lesson yet.  They ask you for some of your instructor’s details.  Then you will be mightbe told your instructor hasn’t registered yet.  You can’t get the discount, unless your instructor phones the hotline before hand, just to say, “I’d like my Pupils to receive their £70 back from the council”.  If you manage to do all this in the correct order, you can save yourself £70!  That’s half the cost!  Make sure you also get the two photocopies you need, and fill in their questionaire.
For more Info:
Call Pass Plus London: 0845 230 17 25
For other areas visit:  http://www.passplus.org.uk/sponsors.asp
btw:  The letter hints that in some areas you can get the full cost back, whilst the website above states just 50%.

Update:  You are required to take part in 3 questionaires, one every 18 months.  Also, they send you a pack of cards.

Probably Illegal, but I doubt it

Have you ever thought about putting a computer game CD in your ordinary CD player?  It actually works with some games!  I can’t remember how I first discovered it.  It was either that I first experimented with Rollcage, or that I left an ordinary CD in the disk drive while starting Half-Life, and was surprised to hear the A-Teens singing instead of half Life’s legendary soundtrack.
Windows Media Player makes life easier now, because you can access the rip function and see if any tracks appear.  That said, game music isn’t always as interesting out of context.  I tried sitting down with a drink to listen to Half-Life, but it just unsettled me and made me spill my drink.
WMP is also useful for hidden tracks you occasionally get with album CDs.  I have far discovered some on the Coldplay album, and on one of the Queen albums.  (I must warn you that these tracks tend to be even worse than the computer game music).  And for Laura’s sake there is also a hidden track on the McFly CD.

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Think what an experience Half-Life would be to play with a CD containing the Electric 6’s Gay Bar…

Time Travel

I was writing the bios, and Julian inspired the following post.  My theory is based on those I have heard else where:

Plausibility of Time Travel
In theory, if you were able to travel faster than the speed of light (you would have to travel several times faster to travel any great periods of time), you would end up at your destination younger than when you had started.  You would being seeing things before you would have otherwise seen them.  However, as time only travels forward, you would never be able to get back again.  Oh, and the only other problem, the G-Force would probably kill you.

How spelling can get you into serious trouble

I’m sure, you could start a lengthy conversation with HannaH about the importance of using the correct spelling and grammar.  No offence Han, but this conversation probably does have the capacity to bore a person to death.  Let me explain what HannaH would say by using an example instead, one that’ll make you laugh.
As usual, I’m supervising the library computer room in the morning, keeping an eye on the game players, and giving a hand to the people who need it.  Katie (in year 7) calls me over and tells me she’s having trouble with her food technology homework.  She needs just one more exciting vegetable.  She rambles off a list of the ones she already has, and I think to myself I haven’t heard of half of them.  I rack my brains for a moment and it comes to me.  Popeye!  He eats spinach, and it makes his muscles grow instantly!  I tell Katie this, and that she should look up SPINACH.  She chooses Popeye, but spells it wrong, and before I can stop her, she has already pressed enter, and google is bringing up the filthy results in a busy room full of  people.  I’m taken by surprise and try page down, in the hope the second half of the results may be just a little less… fleshy.  Luck is against me, its worse, much worse.  In a frantic panic I try the magic Start + D, but miss the start key and hit Alt instead.  Puzzled why nothing has happened, I try backspace, which has little effect, except remove a small part of the hideously long search addresses google uses.  <Groan>  Eventually Katie finally turned on, and got rid of the screen very slowly using the mouse.  (I had taken over the keyboard when she had started to type in a new web address).  So there is my warning, make sure you spell your searches right!