Normally I don't cheep out and post links, but my fave site, www.howtogeek.com has covered the process perfectly.. check it out!
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/14912/create-a-persistent-bootable-ubuntu-usb-flash-drive/
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The "Flying Cuisinart"
Last September, GE began wind-tunnel testing a one-fifth-scale set of the blades at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Using computational-design advances, engineers are redesigning the original blades to evenly distribute the air coming off the tips when they spin at supersonic speeds, which should reduce the noise. The setup more than triples the airflow through the blades, says Theresa Zeug, the project’s lead engineer, and allows them to be 14 feet wide, four feet wider than today’s largest. The engine also saves fuel by tilting the blades to control speed—rather than throttling up or down—which lets it run at a constant, efficient rate. GE will probably have to execute some spin of its own to get the public on board with the fearsome design, which engineers have dubbed the “flying Cuisinart.” But GE has time to figure that one out: The engine won’t be ready for midsize jets, such as the Boeing 737, until at least 2020
(www.popsci.com cited)
Solar power, Its what's for Christmas!
Continuing on my focus of future technologies that are not so "Future" I bring you:
The Armageddon energy Energy Solar Clovers!!
This revolutionary technology is a click together rooftop solar system that in a few hours, will save you days or weeks on design and installation. Armageddon's modual kit consists of metal frams light enough to carry up a ladder, plus 18 pound solar panels coated in Teflon instead of heavy glass, that snap ontothe frames tabs. The easy to life ready made parts mean that installers don't have to build frames on top of a house and also eliminate tricky wiring, since each frame has its own DC/AC converter that lets it plug straight into a home circuit breaker!
for a "Energy Solar Clover" I'm guessing that is 3 leaf, not 4. It starts at $8,000
www.armageddonenergy.com Coming this Fall!
Later in 2011 will be Solar Shingles! My personal Favorite
Rather than laying solar panels across your roof, use them as your roof. Dow build thin-film photovoltaic cells directly into polymer shingles. They're as protective as ordinary shingles, nail down in the same way and, in place of exposed wiring, hook together with simple electrical connectors at their ends. Some units go on sale later this year, with wide availability next year. Dow is also working on other building materials with sun power built in. They are tough and durable, and you don't have to worry about one breaking and bringing down the whole system!
www.dowsolar.com
Price not set.
The Armageddon energy Energy Solar Clovers!!
This revolutionary technology is a click together rooftop solar system that in a few hours, will save you days or weeks on design and installation. Armageddon's modual kit consists of metal frams light enough to carry up a ladder, plus 18 pound solar panels coated in Teflon instead of heavy glass, that snap ontothe frames tabs. The easy to life ready made parts mean that installers don't have to build frames on top of a house and also eliminate tricky wiring, since each frame has its own DC/AC converter that lets it plug straight into a home circuit breaker!
for a "Energy Solar Clover" I'm guessing that is 3 leaf, not 4. It starts at $8,000
www.armageddonenergy.com Coming this Fall!
Later in 2011 will be Solar Shingles! My personal Favorite
Rather than laying solar panels across your roof, use them as your roof. Dow build thin-film photovoltaic cells directly into polymer shingles. They're as protective as ordinary shingles, nail down in the same way and, in place of exposed wiring, hook together with simple electrical connectors at their ends. Some units go on sale later this year, with wide availability next year. Dow is also working on other building materials with sun power built in. They are tough and durable, and you don't have to worry about one breaking and bringing down the whole system!
www.dowsolar.com
Price not set.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Your Car Lacks Nipples, Because they Want your money!!
Ok, I am so not PC about life, but that is a fact I have yet to work on!
Here is the low down. Modern Auto manufactures have created the idea that our Ball joints and other important parts need to be a closed system.
Why did they do this? Because of Global market Green Peace avocation. The idea being that if you have less open grease parts that when you drive through the water you will not contaminate the environment. Yet there is a hidden meaning behind this change from old reliable technology to what they have now.
What is the Meaning? The meaning is that when you buy your brand new car you have about 4 years or less depending on the amount you drive, to use your ball joints before the grease dries out and you prematurely wear out your ball joints, THUS costing you hundreds of dollars to replace them!
Why would they do this? MONEY! money money, and to look good. They sell you on the idea of "no maintenance needed" you will never have to crawl under your car to grease your joints every 6 months. But by going under your car or getting someone else to do it every 6 months you are saving your self $2000 or more in the first few years of your car. Their idea is that you can pop out the worn out one and put a new one in. I say nay!! I don't want to spend any money.
First off if you have Grease parts go here to learn how to Grease your joints
so here is the plan, and it is a article I just finished reading. Add Grease points to your ball joints!
the steps are easy.
1. find your joints on your car most of the time you will not need to remove the part, and can do it quite quickly.
2. Get the parts! you will need 4-8 nipples found at auto shops, you may need 90 Degree ones so do some homework on how your car works. Get extras you never know! Also figure out the Thread Diameter and get a appropriate drill.
3. Grease up your drill and go slowly on the joint at first to catch all the metal pieces. Once through be sure to get all the little metal pieces.
4. AHH THERE IS A HOLE IN MY CAR! no worries, this is where your parts come into play, you just need to install the fitting. [ask your auto parts store about special tools] once the fitting is in your good to go!
5. Grab your grease gun and start squeezing. Your done greasing when the grease starts to come out around the end of your grease gun. Once that is done wipe if off, and put on a Cap that came with the parts.
6. Repeat!
The cool thing about this whole adventure is your doing it yourself. The Scary part is that your doing it yourself!! but you don't have to do them all at once. In fact you can do one, one day, the others next. It is not one of those jobs you have to rip your car apart for, and then be left with no car if you don't finish!
Stay tuned and I will have a more comprehensive report on the duties involved!
From "Popular Mechanics - Sealed for life"
Question: I read in one of your old coums that it's possible to add a grease fitting to the destned-for-falure "sealed" Balljoints on the new cars. How can I do this?
Answer: This is one of my favorie complaints about new cars SPecifically, that manufactureres exclude a 10 cent zerk fitting on th eball joints and steering tir-rod ends of their vehicles. That way, when the grease dries out in a couple of years, the joint quickly wears out, and you have to replace the part. Pumping in a nickels' worth of grease twice a year would save hundreds of dollars of parts and labor when they fail prematurly.
So, I just thumb my nose at planned obsolence and add the fittins. (surprisingly, virtually all replacement fittings- even the ones made by the OEM suppliers as exact replacements- have the proper grease fitting in the box when you buy them at the parts store. Go figure!) It's easy to do.
Start by drilling a 3/16-inch hole in the sheet metal cap on the bottom of the joint. Odds are you can do this without removing the part from the car, although for some tie-rod ends, you might need to unhook them to get clearance for the drill to run straight. Coat the drill with grease and go slowly at the end to capture most of the chips. Now use a small pipe tap that matches your pitting to thread the hole. Again, pack the flutes on the tap with grease to catch most of the chips.
Now you can just thread in the fitting. Be aware there are several syles of zerk fittings. You may need a straight, 45- or 90-degree zerk to allow the grease gun to hook onto the end of the fitting. Don't foget the little rubber cap to keep the end of the fitting clean. Now all you have to do is pump some grease into the fitting every 6 moths or so. Add grease until the boot is turgid, and grease is leaking out of th eseams. Your front suspension will thatnk you!
so now you can tell your car dealer to stick it! you won't pay when you can play!
Here is the low down. Modern Auto manufactures have created the idea that our Ball joints and other important parts need to be a closed system.
Why did they do this? Because of Global market Green Peace avocation. The idea being that if you have less open grease parts that when you drive through the water you will not contaminate the environment. Yet there is a hidden meaning behind this change from old reliable technology to what they have now.
What is the Meaning? The meaning is that when you buy your brand new car you have about 4 years or less depending on the amount you drive, to use your ball joints before the grease dries out and you prematurely wear out your ball joints, THUS costing you hundreds of dollars to replace them!
Why would they do this? MONEY! money money, and to look good. They sell you on the idea of "no maintenance needed" you will never have to crawl under your car to grease your joints every 6 months. But by going under your car or getting someone else to do it every 6 months you are saving your self $2000 or more in the first few years of your car. Their idea is that you can pop out the worn out one and put a new one in. I say nay!! I don't want to spend any money.
First off if you have Grease parts go here to learn how to Grease your joints
so here is the plan, and it is a article I just finished reading. Add Grease points to your ball joints!
the steps are easy.
1. find your joints on your car most of the time you will not need to remove the part, and can do it quite quickly.
2. Get the parts! you will need 4-8 nipples found at auto shops, you may need 90 Degree ones so do some homework on how your car works. Get extras you never know! Also figure out the Thread Diameter and get a appropriate drill.
3. Grease up your drill and go slowly on the joint at first to catch all the metal pieces. Once through be sure to get all the little metal pieces.
4. AHH THERE IS A HOLE IN MY CAR! no worries, this is where your parts come into play, you just need to install the fitting. [ask your auto parts store about special tools] once the fitting is in your good to go!
5. Grab your grease gun and start squeezing. Your done greasing when the grease starts to come out around the end of your grease gun. Once that is done wipe if off, and put on a Cap that came with the parts.
6. Repeat!
The cool thing about this whole adventure is your doing it yourself. The Scary part is that your doing it yourself!! but you don't have to do them all at once. In fact you can do one, one day, the others next. It is not one of those jobs you have to rip your car apart for, and then be left with no car if you don't finish!
Stay tuned and I will have a more comprehensive report on the duties involved!
From "Popular Mechanics - Sealed for life"
Question: I read in one of your old coums that it's possible to add a grease fitting to the destned-for-falure "sealed" Balljoints on the new cars. How can I do this?
Answer: This is one of my favorie complaints about new cars SPecifically, that manufactureres exclude a 10 cent zerk fitting on th eball joints and steering tir-rod ends of their vehicles. That way, when the grease dries out in a couple of years, the joint quickly wears out, and you have to replace the part. Pumping in a nickels' worth of grease twice a year would save hundreds of dollars of parts and labor when they fail prematurly.
So, I just thumb my nose at planned obsolence and add the fittins. (surprisingly, virtually all replacement fittings- even the ones made by the OEM suppliers as exact replacements- have the proper grease fitting in the box when you buy them at the parts store. Go figure!) It's easy to do.
Start by drilling a 3/16-inch hole in the sheet metal cap on the bottom of the joint. Odds are you can do this without removing the part from the car, although for some tie-rod ends, you might need to unhook them to get clearance for the drill to run straight. Coat the drill with grease and go slowly at the end to capture most of the chips. Now use a small pipe tap that matches your pitting to thread the hole. Again, pack the flutes on the tap with grease to catch most of the chips.
Now you can just thread in the fitting. Be aware there are several syles of zerk fittings. You may need a straight, 45- or 90-degree zerk to allow the grease gun to hook onto the end of the fitting. Don't foget the little rubber cap to keep the end of the fitting clean. Now all you have to do is pump some grease into the fitting every 6 moths or so. Add grease until the boot is turgid, and grease is leaking out of th eseams. Your front suspension will thatnk you!
so now you can tell your car dealer to stick it! you won't pay when you can play!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Being all CSI/NCIS on yourself (Data Encryption made easy)
I always watch NCIS and wonder about certain programs in which these super spy's they hut use to encrypt data on secret sections of their HD, and USB thumb drives. Well Wonder no more!
TrueCrypt, can be used with HD or Usb Thumbdrives and it is the best free solution for encrypting your data.
Truecrypt has a sneaky way of allowing you to place a hidden volume inside another encrypted Volume. To understand that, you eed to know how a standard TrueCypt volume works. WHen you create an encrypted colume with Truce Crypt, you specify its size, like you would when creating a disk partition. The hidden volume will alays occupy exactly this much space regardless of how many files you put into it. Any space in the volume is filled with random data. To anyone without the password, the encrypted data is completely indistinguishable from the random data. To anyone with the password, the encrypted data con be decrypted, but the unused space remains totally random.
This creates an opportunity to hide more data. By encrypting additional data with different pass phrase and inserting it among the random data at the end of the volume, TrueCrypt creates an encrypted volume with two different passwords, each of wich provides access to a different set of data. You can fill one of these volumes with dcoy data, so that even if you ever need to give away a password you can give up the decoy, and nobody will ever be able to prove that another volume exists! HOW SPY COOL IS THAT!
Download TrueCrypt from www.truecrypt.org
Run the executable; it does not matter whether you choose to extract of install it. Go to where you extracted the files and run truecrypt.exe. Click the crete volume button.
Choose create an encrypted file container, then hidden true-Crypt Volume, then normal mode.
You will now be guided through the necessary steps to create an outer volume. Choose the file name for the volume, a size, and a password. Don't worry about messing with the encryption settings. When TrueCrypt has finished prepping the volume, press Format (Don't worry, this won't format your Hard Drive).
Once the first (outer) volume is completed, repeat the process for the hidden volume. Choose a size that gives you enough room to plant decoy data in the outer volume, and pick a significantly different password.
There! You've created you hidden volume. Now you can access it at anytime by clicking select file, browsing to the volume, then clicking mount from the main TrueCrypt Screen and entering either the decoy or real password!
Also Feel free to read this Article on encrypting your whole drive with Truecrypt Here
TrueCrypt, can be used with HD or Usb Thumbdrives and it is the best free solution for encrypting your data.
Truecrypt has a sneaky way of allowing you to place a hidden volume inside another encrypted Volume. To understand that, you eed to know how a standard TrueCypt volume works. WHen you create an encrypted colume with Truce Crypt, you specify its size, like you would when creating a disk partition. The hidden volume will alays occupy exactly this much space regardless of how many files you put into it. Any space in the volume is filled with random data. To anyone without the password, the encrypted data is completely indistinguishable from the random data. To anyone with the password, the encrypted data con be decrypted, but the unused space remains totally random.
This creates an opportunity to hide more data. By encrypting additional data with different pass phrase and inserting it among the random data at the end of the volume, TrueCrypt creates an encrypted volume with two different passwords, each of wich provides access to a different set of data. You can fill one of these volumes with dcoy data, so that even if you ever need to give away a password you can give up the decoy, and nobody will ever be able to prove that another volume exists! HOW SPY COOL IS THAT!
Download TrueCrypt from www.truecrypt.org
Run the executable; it does not matter whether you choose to extract of install it. Go to where you extracted the files and run truecrypt.exe. Click the crete volume button.
Choose create an encrypted file container, then hidden true-Crypt Volume, then normal mode.
You will now be guided through the necessary steps to create an outer volume. Choose the file name for the volume, a size, and a password. Don't worry about messing with the encryption settings. When TrueCrypt has finished prepping the volume, press Format (Don't worry, this won't format your Hard Drive).
Once the first (outer) volume is completed, repeat the process for the hidden volume. Choose a size that gives you enough room to plant decoy data in the outer volume, and pick a significantly different password.
There! You've created you hidden volume. Now you can access it at anytime by clicking select file, browsing to the volume, then clicking mount from the main TrueCrypt Screen and entering either the decoy or real password!
Also Feel free to read this Article on encrypting your whole drive with Truecrypt Here
Web sites I recently Found
www.letsplayarchive.com - Want to know about a game but not play it! A website where others play the gams while maintaining a journal so you don't have to!
www.kongregate.com --Noted as the Best Flash Game hub on the net!
www.gethuman.com -- Hate Technical support labyrinth of non-human interaction. This site tells you exactly how to get a human on the phone right away. (who knows you could be talking to me soon!)
www.craiglook.com --Hate Craiglist being stuck in 1995? craiglook uses a mashup of yahoo pipes, and google maps to bring your searches closer to home and less gay.
www.kayak.com -- Looking for a quick weekend getaway, kayak can help you find the best deals on any destination, whether it is by plane, ship, or automobile. kayak searches hundreds of travel sites based on your query. And your Credit card wont get hacked like it does with Hotels.com
www.soyouwanna.com -- wanna learn what they don't teach you in school! search for all sorts of projects and ideas. Some content on the site is not work-safe.
www.howcast.com -- Instructional videos a that are actually coherent.
www.good-tutorials.com -- you don't have to be a designer to learn how to touch up photos, create your own graphics, or conjure up fancy web buttons.
www.newseum.org -- think newspaper is dead, your wrong, use this site to search the newest head lines on papers all over the world.
http://sketchup.google.com -- using a plug in based version of the sketch-up modeling program you can easily creat a textured 3d model of your neighborhood or local landmarks and submit them to be included in the google earth database
www.cookingforengineers.com --- if your the type who thinks of cooking as more a science than an art, then Cooking For Engineers is for you.
www.crackle.com -- where you can watch the TV shows and movies you can't find on NBC's Hulu.
www.kongregate.com --Noted as the Best Flash Game hub on the net!
www.gethuman.com -- Hate Technical support labyrinth of non-human interaction. This site tells you exactly how to get a human on the phone right away. (who knows you could be talking to me soon!)
www.craiglook.com --Hate Craiglist being stuck in 1995? craiglook uses a mashup of yahoo pipes, and google maps to bring your searches closer to home and less gay.
www.kayak.com -- Looking for a quick weekend getaway, kayak can help you find the best deals on any destination, whether it is by plane, ship, or automobile. kayak searches hundreds of travel sites based on your query. And your Credit card wont get hacked like it does with Hotels.com
www.soyouwanna.com -- wanna learn what they don't teach you in school! search for all sorts of projects and ideas. Some content on the site is not work-safe.
www.howcast.com -- Instructional videos a that are actually coherent.
www.good-tutorials.com -- you don't have to be a designer to learn how to touch up photos, create your own graphics, or conjure up fancy web buttons.
www.newseum.org -- think newspaper is dead, your wrong, use this site to search the newest head lines on papers all over the world.
http://sketchup.google.com -- using a plug in based version of the sketch-up modeling program you can easily creat a textured 3d model of your neighborhood or local landmarks and submit them to be included in the google earth database
www.cookingforengineers.com --- if your the type who thinks of cooking as more a science than an art, then Cooking For Engineers is for you.
www.crackle.com -- where you can watch the TV shows and movies you can't find on NBC's Hulu.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
HST = WTFT
So rumors of HST ruining the already struggling economy are popping up all over. If you listen to the people on the street they talk about obamas health care more than the impending HST debockle that is about to hit us in Ontario.
Let me break it down, HST will be the combination of 8% GST and Provincial Sales take, taking the take to a 14% on all products and services. Why is this a big deal? Think of it this way, we only pay 8% tax on Fuel. at 1.00 a liter, a honda civic costs $40 bare tank to fill. Now add another 6% and your just giving the Oil companies like Esso, and Shell a Huge Excuse to raise the price of fuel to 1.50L to "Cover the new costs of fuel and future production of their services." As a friend of mine would say, OMG WTF GUY!! exactly like that.
But fuel is not the only aspect that is going to get hit. Everything is going to get hit with HST, that is why they call it a Harmonizing tax. Yet there is nothing Harminious about it! I am not getting Harmony in my life from having added tax on services that once never had them! But here is the sick thing about it, and the only place your going to read about it is at the Gov. Website. There if you do some digging you will find out information that reads: "
Although the consumer pays the tax, businesses are generally responsible for collecting and remitting it to the government. Businesses that are required to have a GST/HST registration number are called registrants.
Registrants collect the GST/HST on most of their sales and pay the GST/HST on most purchases they make to operate their business. They can claim a credit, called an input tax credit (ITC), to recover the GST/HST they paid or owe on the purchases they use in their commercial activities.
GST/HST registrants must meet certain responsibilities. Generally, they must file returns on a regular basis, collect the tax on taxable supplies they make in Canada, and remit any resulting net tax owing."
Yeah it's a chunk to read, but I'll break it down. What you just read is called "legal Money Laundry" where we pay a buisness the HST tax which we assume is going to the GOV. for roads and services, but in turn the companies apply for the tax rebate and get all that money back into their pockets. So let me ask you this oh Oil Baron sitting on a mountain of liquid gold. Why is Fuel prices increasing to cover the new sales tax, when you apply for the rebate and get all that money back?
It even goes as far to say that if you buy a buisness you have to buy 90% of the usable product to be eligable for no GST/HST on the purchase, otherwise you have to buy out the company stock. Sounds great for all the big companies, but terrible for us little guys trying to be entrapeaurs and start and grow a buisness.
Now the complaint has been made that the new HST will push away buisness and with a growing concern of Call centers outsourcing, and the Large fleet of Graphic design firms trying to move away, I am starting to see the true side of this whole debockle, so here it is.
The Gov. Realized that we need more business in Ontario to bring us out of the Recession. Rather than create a nice bonus for new companies that did not involve the people, they created HST. HST allows corporations to charge us tax and then apply to get the money back completing the loop. We pay for new business in Ontario, and the Gov. gets to look like the heroes that saved the economy.
So my question is this, when do we as a people go against the grain and talk back? YOU have the opportunity to contact your local MP and get the ball rolling. Trust me when I say they will go the distance to call everyone they can to make your concern heard. Don't sit back and just read a Blog and feel informed. Do your part to save your wallet, and your family.
