Resolutions for 2010

Writing about this is kind of late considering we are moving quickly into the new year. At first I never really had any intentions of making resolutions. My plans never seem to be followed through on. Though that shouldn’t stop me from making them. The possibility of having a goal in the back of my head stick is better than doing nothing.

So lets see. Most of the resolutions I have seen range from one (exercise more/lose weight) to ten (smaller instant kind of goals). The idea behind a successful goal can linked back to S.M.A.R.T. I think I’ll make two smart goals and eight simple goals. That way I am not completely bogged down with guilt if I fail one.

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Links for January 4, 2010

All links posted are found to be interesting by me. If you experience boredom upon clicking and discovering what the links contain, not my problem.

For Fun


Brain Game: Math Square #8

The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this main grid. Two of these numbers are already provided for you. Place the other digits in the correct spots so that the mathematical equations work both across and down.

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Windows 7 No Longer Type A

When installing Windows XP you needed the specific version disc that went with your product key. Which meant you could install a version of Home if your key associated with Home. However, if your disc was a Pro version then you couldn’t use your home key. They changed all of this with Vista by including all versions on one disc and all you needed was a product key.

Well they decided to go back to the harder days with Windows 7. Once again you need your cd version to match your product key.

Now with the ei.cfg Removal Utility you can create a new installation ISO for your enjoyment. Upon installation the ei.cfg file says what version to install. Your new ISO will ignore the ei.cfg allowing you to choose which version of Windows 7 to install in the beginning.

If you are the neighborhood techie and seem to be reformatting different versions all the time then this would allow you to use your one disc with their product key. Though if you choose to install the Ultimate version your Home Premium key will not work.

Windows 7 ISO Disc Image Utilities [via Technibble]

Did you get your Chocobo? Try eBay…

chocobo on ebay
Awhile back Microsoft was offering free Chocobo pets for your Xbox Live Avatar. This was a promotion to help bring in Final Fantasy 13. I personally never participated as I thought there would be some survey or needing to give personal info.

A couple days ago Major Nelson tweeted saying that the codes for the free Chocobo were sent out. In the following hours eBay saw the market for the codes grow. Early auctions had Chocobos going for $50-100.

Thankfully people never pass the chance to make some money. Now when you search for the code you will find lots of auctions. Many going for under $10. If you missed your chance to add to your Final Fantasy collection now is the time to jump on this deal.

4am Challenge Update

This challenge was mainly to get me motivated to do something on my day off. The weather has been gloomy which makes for perfect lounging on days off. So I had to do something. That something I think is what derailed me from the very beginning.

After posting the challenge I was still up till 6:30am. I set my alarm for 10am as I’m not a big fan of wasting my mornings. However, I wasn’t the only one that didn’t want to waste my morning as work called. They held me against my will till 2pm. After getting home and having lunch time was ticking away.

In task #1 I loaded the dishwasher and folded all the clothes. The gaming chair was not touched. Probably due to the comfy couch being close by.

For task #2 I shipped off the bills for water, LES, Best Buy, Official Xbox Magazine, and a hospital visit. Time Warner was not contacted as it did not really matter. Here, I was hoping to converse with people in the waiting line. Adjusting the Roth IRA was also not touched, though, I feel still counts as a completion since I will be doing this first thing tomorrow morning.

Task #3 was also barely touched due to my indecisiveness. I had several updates to the idea which has changed it. I found two craft stores near by. Maybe if I just go to one of these and look around I’ll find that certain thing to finalize my idea.

And for task #4 I know I said at least two posts and yes that video post doesn’t really count. When sitting down to write the Linux post I had problems trying to stay on track with all the possible branching off. There are definitely a lot of good stuff out there to post on. I just need to settle on a topic and stay on track here.

For my first challenge I feel I did very well with 3.5hrs of sleep. Even with having to go into work I feel today was very productive. I’m going to continue to come up with challenges without the food network feel of making a cake every time. If you have any ideas for challenges please leave a comment and I may just take on your challenge.

Original post for this challenge follow up.

Linux Helps Protect Your You-Know-Whats

Do you use Windows for your OS? You do?! You must be infected with everything by now!

That is how most of our ignorant society thinks today. Those wonderful Apple TV ads have helped just a little in this view. I am going to take a jump and say its mostly the ignorant people themselves that screw up in the end. If you cannot properly craft a password, if you click on every ad because you Are a winner, if you think all that preloaded software is all the security you need then maybe this computer age is not for you. Good news is you may be helpful cannon fodder when robots realize you are stupid.

Now on to the real subject, helping you add another security measure to your arsenal against the black hats. Most attacks today are targeted at Windows-based systems. Even large companies and banks are targets to successful attacks. So what can you do?

Well you could always through money at the problem. Seems like what software providers try to do. If you add a mere $50 you get so much more protection. This can help but who wants to throw their money away.

A free, safe, and goof proof way of maintaining your security is to use a Live CD. Here the idea is to boot your computer by using a Live CD which contains a modern OS that runs without storage. This means malware like software cannot be downloaded onto your pc without you knowing. Your passwords, bank information, and other personal information is now safe without you really having to spend a dime.

Popular Live CDs include Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian. I highly suggest Ubuntu as this is a fairly user friendly option for the new comers. What is also nice is if you cannot burn the .iso file to a CD then they will gladly send you a free Live CD in the mail. The community support for Ubuntu is huge. The forums are always friendly when asking questions if you are stuck.

Now one more thing. You can make a Live USB just as well. Who doesn’t have tons of useless USB drives laying around. If trying to protect your sensitive data when connected to the internet is all that you want then stick to the CD.

Nine Year Old Hockey Wiz Kid

The 4am Challenge

As usual I have messed my sleep schedule up. With dawn approaching the feeling of accomplishing something washes over my tired eyes. That is why I am posting this. If I tell the internet that I am going to do something it has to happen. Am I right?

I have the remaining 20 hours of today, October 15th 2009, to accomplish every goal on this list. Some may seem like ordinary chores but let me tell you that completing them will be a win no matter what. Then there are others that I must cut my safety net away and leave the apartment.

Task #1

    Clean and Tidy Up

  1. The dishwasher needs to be unloaded. Reload with the next batch of glasses and spoons. 5min
  2. Fold the clothes and towels. Load washer if need be. 10-20min
  3. Clear gaming chair of crap. 5min

Task #2

    Bills and Misc

  1. Contact TWC on pricing of services. 5min
  2. Drop off LES bill. ??min (Who knows with the traffic downtown)
  3. Write checks to mail off BB and Water. 5min
  4. Stop in and adjust Roth IRA. 10min

Task #3

    Craft Store!

  1. Find a craft store. ??min
  2. Be a man. ??min
  3. Get tons of supplies to make an uber cool project. 30min
  4. Work on said uber cool project. 180min

Task #4

    This Site

  1. After losing my previous site due to a mix up with hosting renewal I plan on adding at least two posts today. ??min
  2. Plan of attack is to:
    • Find a topic.
    • Write an acceptable post in two hours after finding topic.
    • Known topics are the WD TV Live and open source routers.

At midnight I hope to remember and do a follow up to if I made my day off successful or not. So there you have it. My day is planned out. Time to go waste time with sleeping.