Dude! What’s with this Dell…
I’ve made it my personal goal to log every dell call I get. Machine, problem, part replaced. Check out my twitter for up to the hour repairs M-F 8am-6pm EST (GMT -5).
HackNation
The Hacker’s Digest
There’s a bun in the oven…
That’s right — I’m going to be a dad. I couldn’t be more proud or excited. Geek dads do it better anyway.
5 Things You Should Be Listening To (And probably aren’t)
Hey you! That’s right, you! Mr. I-Am-Too-Cool-To-Listen-To-Mainstream music and you too Mrs. Ghetto-ass-slam-beats, just what have you been missing? It’s time to find out! I’ve gathered the top 5 things you should be listening to and here they are!
Want to see the list? Take the jump and read more! (more..)
1G MX-6 Engrish
Jesse from Second Thought pointed this out to me today when reading through his wiring diagram for his 1989 MX-6. A good little Engrish laugh for the day!
Installing Windows 7 from a USB Flash Drive
I picked up my Dell Mini 9 last week to give OS X a try as a semi-primary Operating System (shh!). Runcore 32GB Solid State Drive installed and OS X 10.5.7 put on, I gave it a try for a while. Long story shot: I hated it.
The interface was pretty, but the complicated processes to just use the damn system was too much trouble for something that should be so basic. The innovation was awesome, but other than that… eh. I think I’ll stick with Windows as my primary OS and continue to use Linux as my workstation OS. So off with OS X and on with Windows! But wait - we don’t have an optical drive! Read on…
So let’s get started. Gather the following tools:
- 4GB (or higher capacity) Flash Drive
- Windows Based PC
- Windows 7 Installation Disc
Step 1: Preparing the Flash drive
- Plug in flash drive
- Open up my computer- Find the drive
- Open up the sub menu by right clicking
- Select format utility (left)
- Format as Fat32 (Warning: when formatting, all data will be lost on the device. Backup all data!)
At this point you should note your drive letters for Flash Drive and Optical (DVD) Drive
- Click on the start orb (or the start button and click run in Windows XP) and type cmd
- Right click and select Run As Administrator.
- Type Diskpart
- Type List Disk
- Look for your flash drive (usually measured in MB, in this case, mine is listed as “Disk 2″)
-Type Select Disk 2 (Assuming your disk number is Disk 2. If it is not, use your flash drive’s disk number)
- Type Clean
- Type Create Partition Primary
- Type Select Partition 1
- Type Active
- Type Format FS=NTFS (This is a format and will take a few minutes to complete)
- Type Assign
- Type Exit
- Type your drive letter into the command prompt. Mine is drive letter E, so I typed E:\
- Next, navigate to the boot directory by typing cd boot
- Type Bootsect.exe /nt60 and follow it with your flash drive’s drive letter (Mine is G, so I typed G:)
- Copy installation files from your Windows 7 Install CD onto your flash drive
Step 2: Preparing Netbook
Again, I’m using a Dell Mini 9 for this example, so I will be providing instructions that are more so structured towards this netbook.
- Start up the Netbook
- Enter CMOS setup (usually F2, num 2 on Mini 9)
- Ensure USB Legacy Support is enabled
- Save and exit
- Enter temporary boot selection menu (Usually F12, num 0 on Mini 9)
Step 3: Installing Windows 7
- Insert USB Flash Drive
- After Windows loads files, select your Language, Time, and Keyboard layout.
- Choose which architecture to install (32 bit or 64 bit)
- Accept the EULA (if you do accept the terms, that is)
- Select Custom Install
- Complete Partitioning as needed
- Install!
That’s it guys, enjoy and have fun with your new netbook or optical driveless PC!
The:Venu: Peer-to-peer for bands.
We’re (myself and Kyle Moyer) developing an application specifically aimed at unsigned, underground, and self-produced bands who are looking to freely distribute their music. Basically, it will be a peer-to-peer system where users will have to log in to our system and will then have access to share out specific files with a textkey. The textkey will be placed inside the document root where the files are stored with the selection, slightly resembling an xml file. For example, the root of the share folder is: C:\Users\%user%\VenuShare\
The keytext will be placed in the root of the folder as “root.keytext” (C:\Users\%user%\VenuShare\root.keytext)
Let’s say that the ‘VenuShare’ folder contains three albums: ‘Black’, ‘Green’, and ‘Blue’. The keytext content looks like the following:
Artist:
#Colors
\
Album:
#Black
\Black\album.keytext
Album
#Green
\Green\album.keytext
Album:
#Blue
\Blue\album.keytext
The root.keytext tells Venu to pull the keytext for each album from the album.keytext. The album.keytext contains a link to the selection, album art, and a description of the song. Here is a sample of the keytext.
Name
#Black
Art
#\black_art.jpg
Description
#This is a sample description.
#
#Use a blank line beginning with a pound symbol to create a line break.
Selection
#Artist Name - Song Name
\Song1.mp3
#Artist Name - Song Name 2
\Song2.mp3
All files will be stored locally on the band’s system and it must be connected to the network in order to be initially downloaded to supporters. After supporters obtain the distributions and the keytext files they will be able to supply other grabbers with the files. If the selection (aka the ‘distribution’) has no supporters (users hosting the distribution), the user who is requesting the download (aka the ‘grabber’) will have the file placed in queue to be downloaded once the user is reachable to download the file.
more to come…
Photography: Tuner Evolution 2009
Just a few shots I took with my new DSLR at Tuner Evolution 2009 in York, PA.
Check out a few more pictures! Flickr
Jeeze people… If you’re going to plagiarize me…
At least correct my spelling! A copy and paste job? Really?
Please report any and all plagiarizing directly to me, I’d just like to know the context its being used with.
Remember, academic dishonesty is wrong, just cite me, don’t steal from me 
Lyrical Analysis: “Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek”
Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap is a very powerful song. Ever since I first heard it, I could not quite pick out the true meaning of everything. I’m sure other people have their own thoughts, however I would like to share my critical take on this song’s lyrical content. In honor of Imogen Heap’s new album, Eclipse, being released today, I decided to release this entry after the opportunity to take a listen to the new album.
Where are we? what the hell is going on?
The dust has only just began to fall
Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling
Spin me around again and rub my eyes
This can’t be happening
- The narrator has just experienced what appears to be an unexpected end in the relationship between her and her lover and is still blindsided by what has just happened. The lover appears to have left the narrator for another woman. “Crop circles” are referring to the placement of furniture in relation to what is now no longer there.
When busy streets a mess with people would stop to hold their heads heavy
- The narrator feels as if it would be a surprise to everyone that she would come into contact with that said event occurred, that they would feel remorse her due to the preceding event.
Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines?
All those years
They were here first
- “Hide and Seek” refers to the hiding of lies from the partner and the narrator seeking the truth from the partner. “Trains and sewing machines” is a line that confuses me. I think of it as a “trains” being an established family and relationship, while sewing machines are the all-to-common moments where the narrator and partner saved their relationship in the past. “They were here first” could easily be a reference to the previous complications and character in their relationship.
Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before
The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this
Still alive
- This appears to reference pictures that were hanging on the wall. Memorable, meaningful images of the relationship that, like the relationship, no longer exist in the home of the narrator. The narrator then describes how she still feels betrayed by the sudden leave of her partner, however “still alive” makes it appear that even through the darkest of times, the narrator continues to look at the positive side, that she is still alive and not all is lost.
Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines?
Oh, you won’t catch me around here
Blood and tears
They were here first
- Again, “Hide and Seek” refers to the hiding of lies from the partner and the narrator seeking the truth from the partner. “Trains and sewing machines” is thought of as “trains” being an established family and relationship, while sewing machines are the all-to-common moments where the narrator and partner saved their relationship in the past. When the narrator says that she won’t be caught around here, she is making a note that she will not be caught up in the entire mess of the failed relationship. “Blood and teas” referring, yet again, to the hardships sought through during the course of the relationship. “They were here first” could easily be a reference to the previous complications and character in their relationship. This turn makes it seem as if the narrator is falling back into her sorrow.
Mmm, What’d you say? Mmm, That you only meant well
Well of course you did
Mmm, What’d you say? Mmm, That it’s all for the best
Of course it is
Mmm, What’d you say? Mmm, That it’s just what we need
You decided this
Mmm, What’d you say? Mmm… What did she say?
- The narrator is finally confronting her lover about the issues while incorporating sarcasm and remorse into her answers to the lover’s reasoning to ending the relationship abruptly.
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
Speak no feeling, no, I don’t believe you
You don’t care a bit, you don’t care a bit
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
Speak no feeling, no, I don’t believe you
You don’t care a bit, you don’t care a bit
(You don’t care a bit)
Oh, no, you don’t care a bit
Oh, no, you don’t care a bit
Uh-uh, you don’t care a bit
You don’t care a bit
You don’t care a bit
- The narrator has realized that she cannot trust the lover and realizes the lover has no remorse and has effectively moved on and that she now needs to as well.
I hope this has given at least one person some insight to the song that they have not put their finger on.
Another Day, Another Year
So this marks yet another year for HackNation. I’m happy to say that we’ve been growing among popular sites and still want to continue to be the best we can. I can’t promise more content, but I sure can try! I’ll try to bring reviews, tips, tricks, and of course - hacks.
I won’t, however, be bringing you downloads for mc chris’ part six series… as some of you think you can find on this site through the interwebz.
So, I’ll try not to let WoW consume me, and I’ll take a break from my two music projects so I can keep up the work. Also, I’ll be returning to school on the 24th of August to continue my major of CIS.
I’m also working on a tutorial site for everyone… www.TechTeachings.com . Go check it out, take a look and learn something by the time it’s finished!
- Robb