April 2006 Archives

Delivers big zoom, dSLR-like features
SLIGHTLY SMALLER and cheaper than compact digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) cameras, the $699.95 Fujifilm FinePix S9000 looks and handles much like its interchangeable-lens competitors, and, in some cases, tops them in features. The S9000 comes with a 10.7x zoom lens and packs 9 megapixels, compared with 6 megapixels for most budget dSLRs. In addition, you get external flash connections, an electronic viewfinder, ISO-sensitivity settings up to 1,600, minimal shutter lag, and manual focus and zoom rings around the lens. Plus, the camera offers decidedly non-dSLR-like features, such as 640x480, 30-frameper-second movie capabilities.

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is used for months. It never bothered users even you use a pirate windows xp.
Microsoft decided to make the persons, who using pirate copy or not, crazy and test the capacity of telephone support in April 2006.

If the windows is not genuine copy, the following WGA notifications will display as below:

Logon Screen banner text in the right low corner.

Logon notification

After you log on to a non-genuine copy of Windows XP, you receive a balloon notification message in the notification area that is specific to the validation failure. You can click the balloon notification or the notification area icon to open the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Failure Web page.

There are a lot of improvement for this program.
Previous version is v6.03.0.1001.

I put many hours to finish this release in the last weekend. Most of the changes are made in April.

Changes shown as below:
1) Improved security protection for the In-Out Board.
Use regular express to verify the data input.
2) New Log in screen.
3) Change the format of date/time.
4) Make the Date/Time readonly in the form, the user can choose the date by selection only.
5) Time zone pulldonw menu added.
6) Some small finetune.

We support a new information site, which is provide Webhosting Resources.

It offers web hosting articles, news and information. Explains domain registration, shared and dedicated service plans, platforms, costs, software, access, disk space and traffic allowed. Content targeted at small businesses and freelancers.

It is a good beginner's guide to web hosting issues.

Windows Defender is the new name of beta 2 version of Microsoft Antispyware software.

I want to install it in my office desktop, which is Windows 2000 pro SP4.
After installation, when I try to load it. The error message is said Gdiplus.dll can not be found.....

I don't know where is the problem. So Google the gdiplus.dll and get the download file. Uncompress it and copy the DLL file into e:/winnt/system/ folder.
Run Windows Defender again. OK.
If you have same problem, which is missing gdiplus.dll, Download gdiplus.dll file here.

The screen shoot shown as below:

Summer is coming. A lot of Canadian will take the vacation.

If you're driving, there is a website for everything - even one that warns you where the "known speed traps" are on the Trans Canada Highway.
Visit www.transcanadahighway.com for this and other trip-planning and sight-seeing tips along Canada's own 7,821 kilometre-long route.

To find out if an accident is holding up traffic along your way, click on
www.caa.ca/english/travel/travel%20conditions/highway.html
It will tell you latest reported highway condition in every province.

http://www.redflag-linux.com/eindex.htmlJust read this news, Introducing Bill Gates, statesman, from C|NET. There are some errors, not typo on it.

Let me show you where is the error:
1)

Keep your friends close, the old saying goes, but your enemies closer. That may be a lesson finally learned by Bill Gates, who held a dinner last night at his mansion outside Seattle in honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao on his first official visit to the United States.

2)

China has long been at the top of the list of nations where software piracy runs rampant, especially where Windows is concerned. At the same time, however, the country represents one of the world's largest emerging technology markets--and, therefore, is key to Microsoft's future.

I always keep a copy of EVEREST Home Edition in my computer, which is a freeware for testing and checking from very basic hardware to low level operating system.
The version of my copy is V1.51.195. It works good in my desktop now.

Today, when I go to Lavalys, the over of the EVEREST, I found it is discontinued. They give up the freeware market, or they think the commercial market can give them more. I respect their right, although I don't agree them at all.

Ok, let's see what they said:

Lavalys leaves freeware development
Press Release | 2005-12-05
Lavalys announced today that it leaves the freeware market by halting the development of its EVEREST Home Edition (the successor of AIDA32) system diagnosis product.

Lavalys leaves freeware development efforts dedicating all resources to its EVEREST commercial products line

LAVAL, CANADA – December 5, 2005 – After 10 years of active development and presence in the freeware market, EVEREST Home Edition (the successor of AIDA32) is being discontinued on December 1, 2005 however, all online content related to freeware products are removed from our website already. Lavalys will continue to support this product for all users until March 2006, we will not be actively developing any new features or functionality going forward. Support is available only from our Online Community Forum.

The success of our commercial products has played a major role and somehow forced our decision to leave the freeware market and dedicate all our resources to speed up development and support for our customers says Roger Marion.

From the Sohu News, Hu Jintao will arrive at Seattle about 6AM. In the first day, he will visit Microsoft head office.
The welcome dinner will be arranged at Bill Gates House.

This is Bill Gates' House.

The more information can be accessed from Bill Gates House, Inside Pictures of Bill Gates House. It shows some details about this smart house.

It took seven years to build the 40,000-square-foot Bill Gates mansion on a wooded five-acre compound in the moneyed Seattle suburb of Medina. [Bill Gates House Address: 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA 98039 map - arial photo] Much of the Bill Gates house is built underground into the hill, so the house looks smaller than it actually is. Unfortunately the hidden section underground did not escape the taxman's view; Bill paid over a million dollars last year on property taxes.

Earlier, Bill Gates organized a private party at his waterfront mansion. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a "temporary security zone" around Gates' Lake Washington home which locked down all of Lake Washington south of the Highway 520 bridge and stayed in effect for two days. Gates' homestead is approximately 48,000 square feet with a garage that reportedly accommodates 30 cars.

When I turn on my computer this morning, the Windows gave me the following notice to install his April 2006 udates.

These updates are very important. The holes will be used to control your computer from remotely by hackers.
All users of Windows have to update their Windows for safe.
Bulletin Identifier Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-013
Bulletin Title Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (912812)
Executive Summary This update resolves several vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer that could allow remote code execution.
Maximum Severity Rating Critical
Impact of Vulnerability Remote Code Execution
Affected Software Windows, Internet Explorer.

Bulletin Identifier Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-014
Bulletin Title Vulnerability in the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) Function Could Allow Code Execution (911562)
Executive Summary This update resolves a vulnerability in MDAC that could allow remote code execution.
Maximum Severity Rating Critical
Impact of Vulnerability Remote Code Execution
Affected Software Windows.

Bulletin Identifier Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-015
Bulletin Title Vulnerability in Windows Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution (908531)
Executive Summary This update resolves a vulnerability in Windows Explorer that could allow remote code execution
Maximum Severity Rating Critical
Impact of Vulnerability Remote Code Execution
Affected Software Windows.

There is a bug in the Sixapart's site, under plugin part.
I sent a notice to them two days ago. When I checked it now, the bug is still there.

What's wrong with their site?
Going to the Plugins Directory of Sixapart. The form Plugin Search is used to search plugin you need.
If you enter some name like "spam", the results are good for you. It returns SpamLookup, quasi-spamfilter, etc. You can choose one from them.

The problem is when you enter "meta", it gives you an error screen.
It said:

An error occurred:

Can't call method "id" on an undefined value at /var/www/vhosts/sixapart.com/htdocs/mt-plugins/lib/MT/Template/Context.pm line 2563.

The screen shots shown as below:

Sometimes we have to print the documtent to PDF file.
If you have Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional , congratulation for you. It cost you US$422. at Amazon. It has so many features I don't need. I just want to convert a document to PDF file only.

Let's Google the web.

http://www.neevia.com
Their products provide too formats to use. The price is over $200. I don't want it.

http://www.docudesk.com
Its DESKPDF Single User License is $30. Such good price when compared with the products above.

Look at my choice.
CutePDF

Create PDF documents on the fly — for Free!
Portable Document Format (PDF) is the de facto standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. CutePDF Writer (formerly CutePDF Printer) is the free version of commercial PDF creation software. CutePDF Writer installs itself as a "printer subsystem". This enables virtually any Windows applications (must be able to print) to create professional quality PDF documents - with just a push of a button!
FREE for personal and commercial use! No watermarks! No Popup Web Ads!

How to install it?
Download the installation Ver. 2.5; 1.96 MB
and
Download the GNU Ghostscript. It is an open-source interpreter for the PostScript language and the PDF file format. GPLGS8.15; 5.01 MB

Then install these two by double click on it.

How to use it?
It is a virtual printer. Just use your print function from your application.

I recommand it to the user who want to print something to PDF file only.

After supper, I walked out with my wife, Vivian, and Grace and Gloria. The two Gs are so happy to have a walk in the playground and grass.

I brought my DC to take some photos. I just learn some tips from some site, which I forgot the name. To fade the background with the entry-level DC.
The cherry-trees have excellent blossom this year.

Can you guess which digital camera I use?

So many wireless equipments are around us, cellphones, WiFi/AirPort computer networking, Bluetooth keyboards and mice. I know basicly the vendors have tested the EMF (electric and magnetic fields) exposure before their products go into the store.

They always say it doesn't pose a health risk. I trust the test is followed the rule and the individual equipment's EMF exposure is not over the limit. But what about when four or five itmes work at the same time.

Let me provide some basic information of EMF.

EMF (or ElectroMagnetic Field) is a broad term which includes electric fields generated by charged particles, magnetic fields generated by charged particles in motion, and radiated fields such as TV, radio, and microwaves. Electric fields are measured in units of volts per meter or V/m. Magnetic fields are measured in milli-Gauss or mG. The field is always strongest near the source and diminishes as you move away from the source. These energies have the ability to influence particles at great distances. For example, the radiation from a radio tower influences the atoms within a distant radio antenna, allowing it to pick up the signal. Despite the many wonderful conveniences of electrical technology, the effects of EMF on biological tissue remains the most controversial aspect of the EMF issue with virtually all scientists agreeing that more research is necessary to determine safe or dangerous levels. Iron, necessary for healthy blood and stored in the brain, is highly effected by EMF. The permeability of the cell membrane of our nerves, blood vessels, skin, and other organs is effected. The intricate DNA of the chromosomes has been shown to be effected by EMFs as well. In fact, throughout our bodies, every biochemical process involves precisely choreographed movement of EMF-sensitive atoms, molecules, and ions.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) has become mainstream. The question today is not whether we should move forward.
It is how are we doing to do this.

Some companies have small offices around Canada and the US, and as far away as China and Russia. VoIP lets them connect to the headquarters easily and cheaply.

When more and more peoples and companies switch to the VOIP, the bigges problems is the network reliability.
For pure data, 10 seconds interrupt is acceptable, because they will re-send the not received data.
The Voip phone conversation will loss the connection and cannot establish it again after 10 seconds stop.

To add a site into Google Sitemap, you need a sitemap file.
It's pretty easy to make an XML Sitemap of your blog for easy parsing by Google or other search engines by Movable Type.

Just create a new index template and copy the code below. Choose an output file that is easy to remember such as sitemap.xml. Save and rebuild your new template file once you paste the code.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<urlset xmlns="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap/0.84">

<url>

<loc><$MTBlogURL encode_xml="1"$></loc>

<priority>1.0</priority>

<changefreq>daily</changefreq>

</url>

<MTEntries lastn="9999">

<url>

<loc><$MTEntryPermalink encode_xml="1"$></loc>

<lastmod><$MTEntryModifiedDate utc="1" format="%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ"$></lastmod>

</url>

</MTEntries>

</urlset>

I changed my blog's category name from Chinese to English. Divided one category to Software and Hardware.
The next step of change is to make the blog to two parts or two blogs, one for Chinese, one for English. I want keep the readers of my blog clear, not confuse them by other language.

These two blogs will be updated very often as before.

Updated: The new Chinese blog is located at FreeThinking

When only small companies play the VOIP game, it is still very quiet in the telephone world.

Let's predict in this scene. The big one, like Bell, or Telus join in this war, the whole environment is changing.
From the users' side, they can subscribe service from the regular PSTN phone company online, and get the VOIP service without install any ATA equipment. They use their current phone set and current telephone line. Nothing changed in the client's house.

Because the big one owns the physical telephone line from the switch center to the clients' house, and all phone cable on the street. They can put the ATA into their center office. The users will not fell any changes except the price droping down and getting more features.

The phone number shall be same. Not like with the current small VOIP provider, the new user have to wait about four weeks to get the phone number back. It involves two companies.

The Web 2.0 is so popular in the net. Actually it is so difficult to define this term. I don't like to say this site is Web 2.0 or not. It can not describe the features of it.

After reading Is It Time to Kill "Web 2.0"? , I think I am not the only one hate this confusing term.

I would like to use the terms with clear defination. Such as AJAX, Java, DHTML and so on.
The Web 2.0 is nothing.

There is an article focus on the Web 2.0 on Wikipedia.