The Powerbook G4 gets an upgrade

I'm still trying to remember when I bought my G4. I believe it was before I started my Masters degree which would put it around 1999. It's been serving me very well since then. I've been milking it for every penny. And it was a pretty penny indeed. I don't even remember how much I paid, but it was over $2000. When I put it like that, I feel like I need to get at least five more years out of her. The screen is practically broken off, but when that goes, I'll just add on an external screen. Since I'm running MacOS Server on it, I might just do without one all together.
I just installed its first new part: a brand new 80GB drive. It was a little pain in the ass to get it in there, but in the end, it was a pretty quick job. It gave me a chance to reorganize my files and install the Server edition to start with a fresh beginning.

I've been trying to hold off making any major electronics purchases here because everything is about 30% more expensive if not more. I found this drive at Hyakuman Volt for about $100 and wasn't really in a position to wait until I could get something from the States. It was worth it.

Localize.rsrc file won't delete!

And then I found my answer...

Every partition has its own trash folder. This is necessary because it means you can delete stuff without the system copying files to one main trash directory. On external drives, this folder is in the root folder called .Trashes (note not .Trash).

You may need admin permissions to see it. If you type this into terminal, it will list the trash contents on a drive:

sudo ls -al /Volumes//.Trashes

It will ask for you password.

Normally, the trashes folder has a list of folders named by user ID. I think 502 is the default admin ID so inside .Trashes there should be a folder called 502. To see what's in there, you would just do this:

sudo ls -al /Volumes//.Trashes/502

to empty it, you would type

sudo rm -rf /Volumes//.Trashes/502/*

Again to save typing the name, you can drag the volume to the terminal but don't drag it from the Finder sidebar. This will just remove the drive from the sidebar. If you don't mount volumes on the desktop, add the computer to your Finder sidebar (or go menu>computer) and access it there.

You can also use tab as an autofill so if you type /V (for /Volumes... above) and then tab, it will fill in the rest of the name.

In general, it's not a good idea to use sudo rm. Save it for those times when it's absolutely necessary. You can actually erase important stuff that way. This is why it's good to drag stuff to the terminal too because if you accidentally left a space out between the first / and what came after it, you'd erase your entire partition.

Free file hosting

Test File: How to Make Your Own Blog
FileFactory - registered!

FileSpider - no .exe files
Eggdisk - ?? not much info
FastDump - 150 day limit
Broomhosting - only images

Video converter for YouTube

I've only ran one video through this site and it rocks! We needed something for Katya's class and it worked perfectly. Now she can show this video in her class up to full-screen sizes.

.mdf files on MacOSX

Burning info
Split and Concat 1.6

Knights of the Old Republic

KOTOR has been crashing on me between scenes. It would load the next scene and then crash. Some days I can play for hours and others I can't get out of a small area. I also have problems just running around in some areas. The characters just get locked into one place.

I have been able to find some articles that say that it's due to Rosetta. The game isn't Intel compatible. Great.
Problems on a MacBookPro
PPC games on Intel

MacBook random shut down

I've got the problem too and there's tons of posts on the web about the problem. I'm just not sure how to handle the problem since I'm here in Japan, but bought my computer in America. I've got some calls to make.

Google: macbook random shutdown
Ubergeeks: Macbook woes continue, with random shut downs
Macbook quits unexpectedly

New iPods

Sooo beautiful!
The different iPod models
The iPodLounge

Vmail Pt1
Vmail Pt2
Vmail Pt3
Vmail Pt4

Wireless for Casey and Chieko

Went to Hyakuman Volt today to grab a wireless router for Casey-folks. We decided on an NEC Warpstar WR7850S, I think. We got the router set up alright, but weren't able to get the USB adapter to work with his iBook. If he doesn't buy an Airport card then he needs to use a Mac compatible USB adapter.

Currently the plan is to use a similar router which will allow them to use their work computers at home wirelessly. In the meanwhile, we're gonna look for either an Airport card here in Japan, or grab one of those Mac compatible USB adapters metioned above. Unfortunately there aren't many of either available.

Bring me Blogger Beta!

I've finally done some reading about the beta version of Blogger and it sounds pretty cool. I'm most interested in labels right now. That would be perfect. I wouldn't have to search backwards through my blog to find certain posts. The process is a pain in the ass. I can't wait to upgrade.

Windows OS registration numbers

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml
Microsoft Windows XP
FWJ87-4QBRX-9Y9BH-8H76W-BVYTD

http://www.winxpfix.com/page15.htm
http://opensourcerules.info/oem_key.html
http://opensourcerules.info/cdkey.html
http://opensourcerules.info/programs/XPKey.exe

Gettin' round with my Garmin

Click on a link below to see where I've been wandering.

GEO001 - Geocache in Maui, "Fourth Marine Division Memorial Park"
GEO002 - Geocache in Maui, "Fourth Marine Division Memorial Park" Pt. 2
HI001 - Grandma and Grandpa Matsueda's Tree
HI002 - Haleakela National Park Trail Marker
HI003 - Haleakela National Park Picnic Ground
HI004 - Haleakela National Park Tent Site
HI005 - Makena Beach
HI006 - Haleakela Scenic POI
HI007 - Haleakela POI
HI008 - Haleakela Sliding Sands Trail POI
HI009 - Kauai Airport
HI010 - Kauai Hidden Tunnel Attempt
HI011 - Kauai Boat Rental Launch
HI012 - Kauai Haena State Park
HI013 - Kauai Napali Coast Hike
HI014 - Kauai Napali Coast Tent Site
HI015 - Iao Valley Swimming Hole
HI016 - Seven Sacred Pools Parking Lot
HI017 - Hana Highway Sunset Lookout
HOME - 114 Aiai Street
HOMEJP - Fragrance Perfume 201
JPN001 - Iwama Onsen Parking
JPN002 - Iwama Outdoor Onsen
JPN003 - Iwama Natural Outdoor Onsen
JPN004 - Tateyama Hike
JPN005 - Tateyama Lodge
JPN006 - Tateyama Ridge Hike
JPN007 - KIT Seminar House
JPN008 - KIT Niigata Ski Resort
JPN009 - Kite Park
JPN010 - Local Bamboo Forest Hilltop
JPN011 - Hot House Indian Restaurant
JPN012 - Pottery Studio
JPN013 - Osaka Station North Central Exit
JPN014 - Osaka US Consulate
JPN015 - Kanazawa Climbing Wall
JPN016 - Niigata Star Hotel
JPN017 - Picnic and Campsite
JPN018 - Tactical Defense Indoor Airsoft
JPN019 - Tedorigawa Airsoft Field
JPN020 - Hokuriku Expressway, Niigata Chouoh Exit
JPN021 - Niigata Aquarium
JPN022 - Shirone Kite Museum
JPN023 - Hokuriku Expressway, Kite Museum Exit
JPN024 - "Horse" Shrine
JPN025 - Hokuriku Expressway, Yamamoto? Exit closest to home
JPN026 - Parking Lot next to the bridge 2777'
JPN027 - Look out on the way to 4067'
JPN028 - Trail Head 4126'
JPN029 - KIT abandoned house 3019'
JPN030 - Hut along the trail 4866'
JPN031 - furthest Trail junction 4980'
VT001 - Little River State Park Campground
VT002 - Hellbrook Trailhead Parking
VT003 - Hellbrook POI
VT004 - Sportsman's Club of Franklin County, Inc.

Forgotten Everything

I come back after almost two months in America and I forget all my passwords! Thankfully, I had a number of them written down, but what a pain in the ass!

A new addition to the family...

I guess it's time to announce that a couple days ago, Hyunjoo bought me a brand new MacBook! I went the the 2.0 GHz chip in white. I'm really looking forward to installing Win XP using boot camp. I'm stuffing my portable USB drive with software so that I can get her up and running while I'm in Maui. I still have to remember that I have a wedding to attend to, so I can't get totally distracted with my new toy. That's what staying up late is all about!

Comic Life

I was just at Hyaku-man Volt and saw a fun piece of software while fooling around with their Mac's. It is called Comic Life and it's a simple, but fun layout program that lets you import your own pictures and then add comic book captions and other graphics.

Flashing LED supplier

I think I'd better stock up for some upcoming projects!

First Videoblog!

Springdoo.com rocks! I've been using their services for a couple of months now and I love it. Katya recommended me to them and I just found out that they offer video services too, so I've been happily sending off video emails now. So, here's and adaptation of their service to my blog. Check it out!

Don't die little one!

This is what happens when I run a video converter, bittorrent, and the internet at the same time. My poor laptop whines to stay cool. It's six and a half years old now and I'm proud of it. It may not be as fast as the new computers, but it's held its own.

Back it up!

I recently bought a portable USB 80GB drive cuz I got sick of burning multiple CD-RW's to back up my school files. I don't usually transport large files from work to home, so I'll mostly be using it to back up school stuff. I looked around and decided to try out Norton's Ghost 10 software. I've been really happy with it so far. Looks like it's doing a great job. I've got it scheduled to do my back ups at night. No more burning! Yahoo!

Once I had my PC set, I felt like I should have my Mac protected as well. I've been doing manual back ups with Retrospect Lame version... so, I looked around and bought a license for SuperDuper! This software works a little differently. It makes bootable clones of drives which I like because I'll have zero downtime if something goes wrong with my internal drive. The downside is that it doesn't make "check-points" for recovery like Norton Ghost. So I can't roll the system back a few weeks to an older configuration. I don't think that'll be much of an issue though.

Of course, I hope I'll never have to use any of this software in a dire situation. I've already lost one of my external drives connected to my Mac last year and was lucky enough to recover the majority of the data. Not again!!!

Now I just gotta get HJ set up and we'll be set.

Stop lugging around that PC

I'm sick of lugging around my PC to the LC to show PowerPoints to the students. I've been holding off buying a new iPod since I can't really justify getting a new one. I have a 3G iPod and it's holding up just fine after a new battery install a few months ago. But, I've been helping Doreen with her new 5G 30GB model and we've just figured out how to rename her slide files to insure the correct order of play from her iPod. Kind of a pain in the ass work around, but still very nice. All she'll need is an AV cable and she's off! Now I wanna get a new iPod and do the same thing! Wahh!

Bubbleshare Test

I just found out about this service that let's you upload images for free. Unlike other services though, you can add audio annotations to each image. I'm thinking of using this service in conjunciton with my classes here at KTC to get the students to record their voices. I'm hoping to implement this service into a podcast-like series.

PSP movie conversion using FFmpegX

I'm again trying to work out a conversion tactic for getting movies on to the PSP. In order to use FFmpegX to do any conversions I basically need to use a VOB. I can easily acquire VOB's from DVD's, but I can't use VOB's to make duplicate DVD's using Popcorn. FFmpegX has a lot of cool tools to convert, mux, etc. files... but ultimately I think it's just easier to use MacTheRipper twice to create a VOB and a VIDEO_TS file. It'll take less time and no more space than any of the other methods would.

Avatars

Here's a good generator if you're looking for facial avatars:
http://www.funnypics.cc/media/create_your_avatar.php

New Wedding Blog

I just added another blog to provide online RSVP services and announcements regarding our wedding. I hope to get some links and pictures of the wedding site where folks can check them out. It'd be nice if our guests would feel comfortable enough to leave comments to let us know how they're doing too. Man this is a lotta work. And to think I've only done about 5% of what Hyunjoo has been doing! She's the real superstar here. Thanks HJ!

Battery FAQ

The battery has become our steady travel companion - it helps call a friend; it expands our workplace beyond four walls; and it supports critical missions for people in need.

Performance specifications for batteries and chargers are often based on ideal conditions.

Manufacturers carry out battery tests on brand new equipment within protected environments. In Batteries in a Portable World, Mr. Buchmann observes the battery as used by consumers in everyday life.

(continues)

Commercial links from Panasonic, but still offers considerable and easy to digest information for "The Everyday Joe." It covers both NiCd's and the NiMH types.

Great places to buy batteries:
Battery Space
Only Battery Packs
Green Batteries

From pachinko to PS1

Click to view Slideshow

One of my students put together this homemade "portable" monitor for his PS1. He said it only took him a couple of days to make. Finding a working pachinko screen was the hard part!

New Mac's

I have to say that as jazzed as I am about the new Intel Mac's, I'm not psyched about having to get all new "Universal" software. I'm confident that all the major software manufactures will be quick to offer new versions. Heck some Windows app designers might figure out an easy way to port PC apps to the Mac (not that we need their software)... I'm still not happy about a new upgrade.

In the end, it's for the best and ultimately it was necessary. I just wonder how slow apps will be running on Rosetta.

New Palm TX

I went to the Post Office yesterday to pick up a package from the States. Like everything else, running the simplest of errands can be a chore. Thankfully it went smoothly. I had heard once that the post office in Imunozu-something-or-other was the local holding area for any packages. I was so anxious to get the TX I drove over there yesterday morning. Thankfully the lines weren't long and I was able to get the package alright. I had to consciously make the effort to not get my hopes up.

Everything worked out and the TX fired up with out a hitch. I had troubles syncing at first. I had an old profile with Palm Desktop for my Clié that I didn't want to install since this an entirely different platform.

My first big project was moving everything from Entourage to Palm Desktop. I was getting problems with my contacts and decided that a change was best. I had to manually scrub the databases, but it was worth it and my address book is in the best condition it's ever been.

More PSP Encoding projects

I've been working on getting PAL DVD's onto my PSP and I finally figured out how to do it using FFmpegX!

I learned that PSPWare doesn't like VOB's with multiple audio tracks. Unfortunately Mac the Ripper doesn't let you select which audio tracks to include in the rip. 0SEx 0.0110a1 does and so I used that app to make a VOB of "Black Hawk Down" and it seems that I was successful. I'll still have to try out the file on the PSP when it's done encoding, but it's looking good!

I still need to get a title with subtitles to encode properly. I don't think I've done that yet.

New WiFi lifestyle

My first big revolution was broadband two years ago when I moved to Japan. It opened the door for VoIP international calling, Bittorrent downloads, large file swapping, blogging, podcasting, and a huge spike in my surfing habits.

Enter WiFi... in the past couple of days I've unleashed my laptop - mostly for kicks. But, it also lets me close the door to my study which means one less area to heat depending on what I'm doing in the apartment.


The real benefit is using my PSP to surf in bed. The screen is large enough that I can view a decent portion of web pages while browsing. I can check blogs, news, email and my favorite websites as though I were reading a book before sleeping! This thing has changed my lifestyle! Unfortunately, the PSP doesn't have a lot of onboard memory for high speed browsing, but that isn't much of a problem. I can't wait to try out an online game using the PSP in infrastructure mode!

Flickr limit!

Oh no! I just realized that flickr only let's you keep your most recent 200 photos in your viewable archive for free. It seems that my older ones are still there, but can only be viewed if they are linked elsewhere - like in my blog. I'd better start linking my favorites ASAP!

Wireless!

I just installed a brand new wireless router and am currently running my PowerBook G4 and my PSP untethered. We'll need to buy a WiFi card for Hyun-joo if she wants to enjoy the freedom as well.

I was a little concerned about the speed, but it hasn't been a noticeable problem yet. The range is excellent through out our small apartment. I'd be pretty disappointed if there were problems.

Once I get my Palm TX, I'll have two WiFi devices! Very cool.