Disappearing Car Door

I need this installed on my car. More info.

Wishlistr

Wishlistr is a cool and easy way to create your wishlist. I love the simplicity, the design and the ajax goodness. Its a good way to keep track of what you want. Click on the MyWishlist button above to see mine. Feel free to buy me something ;)

American Express MyWishlist 2007

American Express Wishlist started today. They offer items that are like 75% off. The items change every couple of hours and some are really cool. You must have an American Express card in order to get any of the items. Its really fun trying to get stuff. I actually won the Restoration Hardware item today just to try it out. If you get through, you have to enter your American Express Card info within 2 minutes as there is a timer ticking down in real time on top of the page. Then you get another 2 minutes to fill out your billing address. Boy that was fun! So you better have your amex card in hand. Good Luck and let me know if you win anything.

UPDATE: 1/16/08
So I tried getting the 42 inch Panasonic HDTV 3 times that day. I clicked on the get it button about 1-2 seconds right before the available time and got a message saying that its already in other people's cart and that I can keep trying. So I kept clicking on that button for about 30 minutes before it finally said that it was all sold out. So in my experience, its really hard to get the good stuff on the AMEX wishlist. I guess because Im competing with thousands of other people who click on that same button all within the same second. At least AMEX handles it gracefully using Flash technology. I remember trying to get SF Giants playoff tickets online. I would get error messages or page time outs. Horrible user experience.

Black Friday 2007

Ready...set...shop!

1. Check out the Black Friday ad scans. Download the pdfs by right clicking and saving directly to your computer. I had problems opening up the pdf directly in my browser.

2. Some hardcore dude made this incredible excel sheet which all the Black Friday ads listed. Its awesome especially the use of the filters. Check out the forum for more info and the download link.

UPDATE:
11/22/07 Some Black Friday deals are already showing up online. You can use my site to track them. Good Luck!
www.fealdeals.com

Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card

I've told you before that I love anything wireless that makes life easier right? Well, here's a cool new product that will blow your mind. Okay, it might not blow your mind, but its still cool. I dont know why I never thought of it :) Currently, you download your pictures from your digital camera using a USB cable. Its not too hard, but does take time especially if you take a lot of pics. Anyways, if your digital camera uses an SD card, you're in luck. With the Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card, you can wirelessly transfer your pics to your computer. Of course you will need to have an existing wireless home network. But who doesnt? :) One thing that I try to do is use my wireless network for everything. Right now, I have my Tivo, Wii, and laptop connected. And later on Ill add on more wireless enabled electronics. Centralizing all of your wireless products to your computer home network makes things much easier. Not only can you control things via your computer, but it can also enable these products to be online which is really powerful. Whoa, how I digress. Anyways, back to the Eye-Fi. So from reading the reviews, it looks like it automatically syncs when the card is in range of your home network. Cool! In otherwords, you can transfer your pictures without even thinking about it. All you have to do is turn on your digital camera and be in range of your router. GENIUS!

More Info

Free Tech Support Question #1

Do you have questions about computers, software, networking, or the Internet?
Any problems or issues? Want some recommendations?

Let me see if I can help. Depending on how many responses I get, Ill choose one to answer.
You can ask a question by posting a comment to this posting. Try to be as SPECIFIC as possible. Ask away!

ANSWERED!
Since I only received 2 questions and they are quite similar I will answer them both.

Question #1:
John said...
How do I tell if any of my picture files has a virus in it? My computer is slow starting up but I didn't install programs to start immediately at boot-up. I notice that when I format my computer, it's fast again, but once I install the pictures it becomes slow.

Answer:
"How do I tell if any of my picture files has a virus in it?"
- Its hard to know if you've been infected with a virus unless something actually goes wrong with your computer. In otherwords, you could have a virus on your computer now and you wouldnt even know it. My suggestion is to install antivirus software and perform a scan. The scan will tell you whether or not you have been infected with a virus. I have listed 3 free and good antivirus software in a previous post - http://www.rogerchew.com/2007/04/my-favorite-free-software.htm

"My computer is slow starting up but I didn't install programs to start immediately at boot-up."
- Now let's not jump to conclusions about your computer being slow to boot up and having viruses. They could be totally separate issues. You might have thought that you didnt install programs to start immediately at startup, but think again. Many software programs have tiny little helper programs that run at start up. Quicktime, Real Player, iTunes, HP printer software are to name a few. I have some tips for getting rid of programs that run at startup but Ill save that for another post.

"I notice that when I format my computer, it's fast again, but once I install the pictures it becomes slow."
- Formatting your computer is of course last resort and probably will fix 99% of your problems. You dont install pictures. I think you meant that you download pictures on your computer hard drive. Having many pictures should not slow down your computer much. The only way it would slow it down is if you had so many pictures that it takes up most of the space on your hard drive. If you start getting warnings that you are running out of hard disk space, then you probably have too many pictures on the drive. The hard drive needs a good amount of free space. The more free space that you have, the better your hard drive will perform.

Question #2
Janine said...
My computer has picked up several viruses recently, and I've cleaned them off using various software programs. The pop-ups have stopped now, but how do I know that all the viruses are gone and not embedded somewhere else? Would you recommend that I reformat the entire hard drive to be safe?

Answer:
Let's not get confused between viruses and spyware. Usually, pop ups are most likely caused by spyware. Its much easier to get infected by spyware than viruses. For viruses, you pretty much have to do something intentional like open up some .exe attachment from your email. Spyware is a different story. You can get spyware from just visiting a bad web page. In some occasions, you can have both viruses and spyware. In otherwords, you can have viruses that install more spyware on your computer and vice versa. In any case, you should install the antivirus software to scan for viruses and install antispyware software to scan for spyware. I've listed recommendations of free software on both of these in my link above. I highly recommend Spy Sweeper for removing spyware as well as protecting your computer. Its not free (annual subscription fee), but if you are always having spyware issues, its well worth it. Again, reformatting your computer is the last resort. If you have thoroughly scanned your computers with all the software I recommended and nothing is found, then I wouldnt worry too much about it.

Fealdeals.com launches!

I just launched my new deals web page called fealdeals.com!

Why is the site named "fealdeals"? I wanted something catchy and that rhymed with "deal". I went through the entire alphabet to find a letter to precede 'eal' excluding the ones that weren't in the dictionary and not already registered as a domain name. (ie. realdeal, zealdeal, etc.) All that was left was "feal". According to dictionary.com, feal means Faithful; loyal. Usually bargain hunters like myself are very faithful and loyal to certain bargain sites because the sites (and the deals) have to be trustworthy, credible, and accurate. And the sites that I have chosen are exactly that. Check out the faq page for more information about the site.

Besides the new domain name, I added a new auto refresh feature. Since I've been using my deals page quite frequently, I would either refresh the page if I had it already opened or I would visit the page over and over again to see the latest deals. This is somewhat inefficient so I've added an auto refresh to the page. Therefore, I set the page to automatically refresh in 30 minutes. That way, you can just leave the deals page open all day and every time you look at it, you'll know thats its up to date. If you visit it more than once every 30 minutes, then get a life! J/K There's even a countdown counter on the bottom left of the browser telling you when the next refresh is.

In my pursuit for extreme efficiency, I took it even a step further. So now with the auto refresh feature in place, I would keep my browser window open all day long and view it whenever I have the chance. But did you know that you can set your desktop wallpaper to a live web page? So now I have my deals page as my desktop wallpaper background. So now I really dont have to do anything but view my desktop. Look ma...no hands! And the autorefresh still works!

Here are the instructions:

1. Right click on your desktop and select properties.


2. Select the "Desktop" tab.


3. Click on "Customize Desktop..."


4. Select the "Web" tab.


5. Click on "New..."


6. Add "http://www.fealdeals.com/"


7. Click OK


8. Make sure "Deals" is now checked and highlighted then press "Synchronize".


9. Then close all of the windows by clicking OK.

Click image to see full screenshot of my desktop:

In any case, enjoy the new site and more importantly let me know what you think!

UPDATE:
9-21-07 Hey guys! Since I launched the site a couple of days ago, I received 25 Google Ads clicks. In otherwords, some of you have been clicking on the Google Ads. That's great news! For those of you who haven't read the faq page, let me explain. Every time someone clicks on a Google Ad, I get paid. How much? The payment formula is very complex and I havent looked into much. But keep clicking on the Google ads and I will let you know. That way I can get more data to really see whats going on. Thank you for supporting the site!

Why Sony Sucks

That's it. I've had it with Sony. My handycam camcorder that I've had just over a year broke this week. The LCD screen wont turn on. The reviews were great when the camcorder came out, but a year and a half later people submitted bad reviews because the LCD would stop functioning after a year and a half. Out of the 13 reviews on this site, HALF of them mentioned the same exact problem I had. And guess how long the Sony warranty is? Yes...1 year. So now Im yet again stuck with a Sony camcorder that doesnt work and would cost $200 to fix. Oh, did I mention this is my second Sony camcorder? My first one broke too. I cant transfer any video from it to your computer. I bought lots of Sony stuff because of my Sony credit card. That's where they got me. I was addicted to racking up all those Sony points by purchasing with my Sony Card.

After buying and redeeming my Sony points for Sony products I learned a couple of things about Sony.

1. Quality stinks - How many of you have Sony products that broke or dont perform well? On the outside Sony products look really cool and sleek. But its very cheap on the inside.
   
   
2. Proprietary - Sony loves to have their own proprietary interfaces and equipment. They have the Sony memory stick which only their camcorders, cameras, and TVs use. They have an iLink cable, which is suppose to be just a firewire cable. They have Blueray discs that they are trying to promote. It's always Sony, Sony, Sony. But they do this on purpose, so that it forces you to buy more Sony products.
   
   
3. Sexy - I have to give it up to Sony, their products are sexy. They probably spend 90% on looks and marketing while the rest of the 10% goes into the actual product.



4. Screens - I decided that Im on a Sony boycott. I will never buy any Sony product again...unless it's an LCD TV :) Why the exception? The one thing that Sony has always done well is making TV's. Their laptop, computer, and LCD TV screens are the clearest, sharpest, and best in the market.
   

My final word of advice. Dont buy Sony unless you are buying a LCD TV, but be ready to shell out twice as much $$$.

Have you had a bad Sony experience? Feel free to comment (vent) on your experience.

Verizon Wireless - Transfer your contact list to your new phone for FREE!

I just got a new Motorola KRZR K1m phone. I wanted to transfer all of my contacts on my old phone (Chocolate) to my new KRZR. What's the cheapest and easiest way? I found a way that is free and you dont need any cables. At a Verizon Wireless store, they will charge you $10.

1. Go to verizonwireless.com and sign up for a my account.
   
   
2. On your existing phone, follow the 4 steps in the image above. It will prompt you to accept a $1.99 monthly charge. Go ahead and accept it, because if you created a Verizon Wireless my account (step 1), they will NOT charge you. I know its scary to accept it, but just check your monthly statement to make sure they are not charging you. That's it. So from now on, your contacts will be backed up daily.
   
   
3. On your new phone, follow the same 4 steps (in the above picture) and it will prompt you to download your backed up contacts.

Check out https://www.getbackupnow.com/ for more details.

My 3 Most Favorite Cars

Can you guess what they are?

A)



B)



C)

Amazon Unbox on Tivo

Amazon Unbox is a cool and easy way to download movies directly to your Tivo. You must have a Tivo connected to your home network. If your Tivo is only connected using a phone line then this wont work. You need it connected to your home network, so that it can download the movie from the internet.

A couple of months ago, when Amazon launched this service for Tivo, they offered a free $15 credit which I took full advantage of. All I had to do was to register my Tivo with Amazon and I was all set. 5-10 minutes after you purchase a movie rental, I would see a blue light on my Tivo signifying that it was downloading

Pros:

• Flexible - You can either go online to rent or use your Tivo to rent. You can also keep your movie on your Tivo for 30 days after you rent it just as long as you dont start playing it. If you start playing the movie, it will automatically expire in 24 hours.
• Easy - You dont need to stick a dvd into your dvd player. You just play the movie straight from your Now Playing list in Tivo. I feel right at home using my Tivo to watch movies.
• Instant - No need to wait a couple of days for my DVD rental to arrive in the mail. I can watch a movie I rented on the same day.
• Video Quality - Video quality is really good. I cant tell the difference between the unbox video vs. a DVD.
• Specials - Sometimes they'll have rentals for only 99 cents. I've rented 3 movies already and still have $9 left out of my $15 credit.

Cons:

• Download - The download takes a couple of hours. So I would recommend either downloading the night before or in the morning. You cannot play the movie until the entire movie has downloaded.
• No Surround Sound - Though sound quality is still good.
• Selection - The selection is not that great. I found myself clicking "next" many times to find something to rent. They dont have too many new releases.
• New Releases - Newly released movies will have a rental price of $14.99 instead of the regular $3.99

Overall, I'm really impressed with the service. Both Amazon and Tivo did a great job integrating their services as well as keeping inline with making the rental process smooth and easy as both companies are known for. I think $3.99 per rental is a little too steep for me so Im not sure if I will continue to rent after my $15 credit is used up. If they lower their prices to $2.99, I'd probably use it once in a while. If they lower it to $1.99, I'd probably use it all the time without a doubt.

All the Deals You Ever Wanted on One Page

Ever wonder where I find all of my deals and bargains on the internet? We'll look no further. I created a coldfusion page which pulls in all the current deals from my favorite bargain sites (slickdeals.net, stealdeals.net, techbargains.com, fatwallet.com). Here was my thought process in the creation of this page.

1. Single Page - I visited these multiple bargain sites not daily, but hourly because I was afraid of missing a good deal. These sites are updated quite frequently. So I thought to myself, wouldnt it be cool if I could just view all the deals on one single page?
   
   
2. Layout - Since I was trying to fit as many deals as possible on the page and to try to minimize scrolling, I felt that a 3 column layout would be perfect. 2 columns would result in a lot of downward scrolling and 4 columns would be too squishy.



3. Content - Again, to save space I only included the title of the deal. A lot of the bargain sites may include pictures and descriptions, but that just meant a lot more scrolling and page navigation. I just want to see the headline which is descriptive enough. If I want more details, then I would click on it.



4. Readability - This is probably the most important aspect of the site. Scanning through a page with just text is efficient but it has to be easy on the eyes. I compared all the web friendly Font families and just picked the one that seemed easiest to read. I chose the smallest font size I could get away with which was 11. I chose dark text over a light background which was the overall consensus that this combination was the best for readability. Someone even did a study whereby they found that green text over a yellow background was the overall best combination to use in terms of readability. But I didnt choose those colors because it looks ugly.



5. Date - Since these sites get updated frequently, I would visit this page multiple times per day. Therefore, I needed a way to let me know which deals are today's deals. I needed to have a cutoff point where I could distinguish between today's deals vs. past deals, so that when the next day comes, I can just scan today's deals since I already scanned yesterday's deals. Confusing? Dont worry, you'll know exactly what Im talking about once I get you hooked on this page. Anyways, instead of adding a date next to each item, I just bolded the deals that have today's date. Although currently, stealdeals does not have this feature because it does not have date in their current feed. I emailed them and they said they will put that on their to do list. Also, stealdeals feeds are not automatically generated. therefore, the feed might not be as up to date as their website.

Ever since I created the page, I never visit the actual sites anymore. I love it because its so efficient. So what are you waiting for? Check out the deals! *Warning...can cause severe addiction.

New 180-hour TiVo HD DVR

Tivo came out with their new and cheaper HD box today. The main difference between this one and the Tivo Series 3 version is the price...$299 vs $799. That's a $500 difference! Tivo Series 3 always was overpriced. I mean...you can almost get a 42 inch plasma tv for that price.

Tivo HD - 20 hrs in HD, 180 in SD (Standard Definition?)
Tivo Series 3 HD - 30 hrs in HD, 300 in SD

Comfort Access by BMW

You know I love simple technological things that make everyday life more simple and convenient. Take for example, driving a car.

Here are the steps for getting in and out of a car everyday.

1. Get key out of pocket or purse or what have you.
   
2. Put key in door.
   
3. Adjust seating, mirrors, etc.
   
4. Put key in ignition
   
5. After driving to your destination, pull key out from ignition
   
6. Lock the doors.
   
7. Put key away.

w/ BMW Comfort Access

1. Push ignition start button
   
2. After driving to your destination, push ignition stop button
   
3. Lock the doors.
   

What is Comfort Access?

Comfort Access is an optional feature from BMW that allows you to get in and out of your car as well as starting your engine, without ever inserting your car key. Im sure Mercedes and other high end car manufacturers have a similar option. In any case, not only is it cool but it is efficient. The only thing that I could suggest is to eliminate the 3rd step of locking the doors (that would make it only a 2 step process!). With comfort access, you still have to place your finger on the a specific area of the door handle to lock the doors (see tiny grooves in above picture). Instead, as soon as you move a certain distance away from your car, it should auto lock. I believe this is how it works for some of the BMW cars only in Europe.

But how much would you pay extra for this option? Wait...remember that you will never have to insert your car key ever again. Okay, here is the price - $500. Worth it? You decide.

Below is the full explanation of comfort access from BMW.

"Also available for the first time on a BMW in this class is Comfort Access.All cars receive a newly designed key that replaces the conventional blade-typekey but with Comfort Access the key contains an ID Sensor that the carrecognises from a short distance away. On recognition, the doors are unlockedautomatically and the car can be started with one push of the starter button.The Comfort Access system also works in tandem with BMW's familiar key memorysystem to ensure that the seating position, door mirrors, personalised airconditioning settings and radio reception are automatically adjusted to thecurrent drivers' settings before they enter the car.Walking up to his BMWproperly locked and secured, all the driver has to do with Comfort Access ispull the door handle in order to open the door. Then, as he is taking his seatat the wheel, the Personal Profile functions serve to adjust, say, the driver’sseating position, the automatic air conditioning and the radio station accordingto the driver’s personal requirements.Over and above these three functions, Car& Key Memory (CKM) also sets the interior and exterior mirrors, the centrallocking and interior lights, the audio system sound effects and, in a carappropriately equipped, the presentation on the Control Display as well as thevoice entry setting.Once the driver is ready to go, he simply presses thestart/stop button. Once he has reached his destination, in turn, he presses thesame button to switch off the engine. Then, placing his finger on the markedsurface on the door handle after getting out and closing the door, heautomatically locks and secures the car without requiring any further action. Ifhe has forgotton the ID sensor in the car the doors will not lock and the driverwill receive an appropriate warning. And should the electronic key controlsystem ever fail to operate, the driver can insert the ID sensor into a slot inthe instrument panel in order to drive the car just as conveniently the“conventional” way."

Dell XPS m1210 and m1330

Remember my rule about new every two rule? Well my laptop was due. So I just got my new Dell XPS m1210 12.1 inch laptop *drool*. Its the laptop I've always coveted. XPS is the high end line of Dell desktops/ laptops and are hardly ever discounted or go on sale. Well...at least until Dell introduced and started selling its replacement - 13 inch Dell XPS m1330.


The decision for me was easy for me. I wanted a small 12 inch laptop that wont cost me an arm and a leg. There are only 2 Dell laptops that offer the 12 inch size - Inspiron 700m (which I have now)/710m and XPS m1210. The only thing about these small Dell laptops is that the batteries always stick out. Therefore, its not as clean as it could be. I dont like my fat battery protruding out on my small 12 inch laptop. Those batteries are so fat, that some of the Dell latitudes have the battery in front of the laptop, using it almost like a palm rest. UGLY. Maybe lightweight, thin, powerful laptop batteries dont exist, but I dont see the small Sony's laptops having that same problem. So Dell, let me give you some advice...start making your laptops more sexier by hiding the battery. Its that simple.


Speaking of sexy. Here is the new 13 inch Dell XPS m1330. No! No! Too sexy....! For a closer look check out the cnet video review.


One of the cool features of this laptop is the slot loading drive. I think its the first of its kind. Slot loading is the mechanism you see when you load a cd in your car. For really thin and lightweight (less than 3lbs) laptops, usually the laptop does not include a cd/dvd drive because it would add extra thickness and weight. But this slot loading cd/dvd drive solves that problem. Sick!

Anjelah Johnson: Nail Salon

iPhone - Hands on

I finally got the chance to get my hands on an iPhone. No I didnt buy it. I just went to an Apple store in the morning when it wasnt too crowded. They had like 10 on display. So is it worthy of all the hype?

YES! I played around with it for like 10 minutes and was drooling all over it. The screen is so sexy and delicious. Its definitely pleasing to the eye. The interface is responsive as I flipped through photos by swiping my finger across the screen. The onscreen keyboard is good and corrects your mistakes easily. Surfing the internet was cool because its not some scaled down phone browser version. Instead, its the real deal as if you were surfing on a laptop or desktop. You just need to zoom into the sections that you are interested in. Listening to music on it just like an iPod showing album art is oh so nice. The iPhone is what I expected and much more.

Paying $500-$600 for it, including a monthly fee of $60, and switching over to ATT from Verizon would be quite a jump for me. But my LG Chocolate phone stinks and my dial button is starting to break. *grin*

Adobe Premiere Express

Now you can instantly edit videos online with Adobe Premiere Express. You dont need to download, install, or even buy it. All you need is your browser. And amazingly no extra browser plugin to install because it uses the ubiquitous flash player. Being able to edit video in your browser? Now that's powerful. What's next...online Photoshop? Ummm...actually yes. That's coming out soon too.

Usually, you would have to edit your videos on your computer using expensive video software, then output it to the correct format, then upload it to an online video sharing site. Also, to take a step back, you would have to first learn how to use the video editing software. And not to mention have a pretty decent computer for processing. So let's say you have digital video camera and you want to share your footage online. Well now, you can just extract the video from your camera, upload the video to youtube and then make your simple edits online.

If you've uploaded video's to youtube, you can edit your existing videos using the YouTube Remixer. Have fun!

MTV Video Remixer
YouTube Remixer
Photobucket

Free Disposable Phone Number

A lot of people on craigslist use their phone number as the primary means of contact. If you post something for sale and only supply an email address on the posting, you wont get as many leads or responses than if you were to supply your phone number.

But does it scare you to post your personal home or cell phone number? You should be scared because there are plenty of evil scammers out there on craigslist.

So craigslist created a site called "numbr" to generate disposable phone numbers. Basically, it will generate a local phone number with an extension. Then you just tie that number with your cell/home number. That's it. All calls to the disposable number will automatically get redirected to your personal number. Check out the full list of cool features.

Get your own free auto-expiring numbr

Buy one Jamba, get one free

Click on the image above to print it out.

Google Maps Street View

Crikeys! Google maps just added a 3D Street View. Therefore, you can see your house, business, or whatever, as if you were standing right there. Check it out. Very scary.

1. Go to http://maps.google.com/


2. Search for an address


3. Click on street view.


4. Drag the yellow little man icon onto a blue highlighted section.

Computer Upgrade - Mission Accomplished

Phew! My new computer is up and running. And its speedy I must say. Well, I havent really tested out how fast it really is by performing benchmarks and having it do some major processing. But I want to get everything stable for now while I load in all my software and transfer all of my files.

My computer boots up extremely fast now. But one speed improvement I wasnt expecting at all is my internet. For some odd reason, my dsl connection feels like a T1. Im guessing its the hard drive that is boosting the rendering of web pages in my IE 7 browser. I thought that it was the internet connection alone which determined the speed of loading web pages, but I guess not. I can also hear my hard drive working fast when loading a web page.

I've learned a lot from custom building my new computer.

1. User Friendly - PC component makers are trying to make it easier for a user to install. Surprisingly, I only had to make 1 support phone call because I had trouble with the case. But other than that, the manufacturers dont want customers calling them 24/7, so they try to make it as simple as possible. How? 1) Installation manuals have lots of pictures. 2) Wires/plugs/components only fit in one way. Its almost impossible to plug in the wrong thing 3) Everything is clearly labeled.
   
   


2. Drivers - In order to get the onboard ethernet, usb, sound working, you need to install the motherboard drivers. Too bad the sound driver that was on the motherboard driver cd didnt work. So I had to download the latest driver from the website.
   
   


3. Startup Crap - I hate software that installs a bunch of useless things to run when your computer starts up. Whenever you install software, make sure you open up the registry or use msconfig to get rid of those nasty startup items. I like my computer booting fast and to keep it that way, I have to make sure that I get rid of these useless start up items.
   
   


4. Carbonite - So they easiest way for me to transfer all of my files would be to transfer them over my network. But that wouldnt work for me since Im using Carbonite to backup my data. If I were to transfer my files from my old computer to my new computer, I would have to rebackup those transfered files on my new computer, since Carbonite has no way of knowing that these are the existing files that it has on its server. So basically, you have to install Carbonite on the new computer and restore your files from Carbonite to the new computer. Its much slower, but that's the best way of doing it.
   
   


5. Software/Driver CDs - I have a binder full of software/driver cds. I've learned that most of them I can get rid of because software can get outdated really fast. Almost ALL software and drivers can be downloaded from the internet. And for those cds that you really want to keep, you can just copy the cd onto your hard drive. That way you can throw away the cd and install it directly from your hard drive.
   
   


6. Shred it and forget it - I had to use some free shredding software to make sure that all my files are permanently deleted and unrecoverable on my old computer. Who knows is it really worked. But since Im selling my old computer, I dont want to leave any trace of me behind.
   
   


7. New Every Two - This Verizon promotion allows customer to get a new phone every two years (actually its just a $100 credit towards a new phone). And I believe that this also applies to technology nowadays. Technology is moving so fast, that you have to upgrade your phone, computer, software, tv, etc almost every 2 years to keep up, if not sooner.
   
   
   
8. Overclock - I've been doing a lot of research on overclocking since a lot of the parts I got are optimized to overclock. But my machine seems plenty fast enough for what Im doing. So I havent decided whether or not I will overclock. But if I do, Ill definitely blog about it.
   
   
   

Computer Upgrade

I've been so busy researching and buying laptops/desktops for my friends/families that I forgot about my own upgrade needs. Last week, I decided that Im going to upgrade my desktop computer. My current Dell desktop works perfectly fine and it is only 2 years old. But so much has changed in the past 2 years in the computer industry that I feel that my computer is being left behind.

• Dual Core Technology - CPU's are so much faster now with this technology.
  


• Vista - Though I love XP and have no reason to migrate, but it is an inevitable upgrade.
  


• Demanding Software - With the new multimedia explosion of the internet (ie. online video), programs need more processing power to edit videos and photos.
  


• Serial ATA - This hard drive interface has been out for a while, but Im still using my old IDE hard drive, because I didnt want to reinstall all of my dozens of software applications.
  


• RAM - 1GB is now the minimum

Im going to be trying something a little different this time around though. Im going to custom build my entire PC instead of buying another full Dell system. In other words, Ill be buying every single component of a computer. This will provide me more flexibility down the road since I'll be able to swap in and out PC components as needed. Usually, it just takes 1 single component to slow down or even break your computer. Therefore, instead of buying a new computer, I can easily just swap out the messed up component. Building your own PC is definitely not for everybody. You really have to be a computer enthusiast and know what every computer component does. Its almost like souping up your car to get the maximum performance ie. spoiler, exhaust, etc.

Since I made my decision last week, there have been some amazing deals. RAM and CPU prices have plummeted. So I took full advantage and my computer is now complete (well...I still have to put it together). The only thing I really splurged (but still got a great deal) on is the Raptor X hard drive. It costs twice as much (at least) than a normal hard drive. But I felt that this was a necessary upgrade because the hard drive would be the only component that would slow or limit the performance, since my CPU, motherboard, and RAM are quite speedy.

In fact, hard drives are the only component that noticeably slows down your
everyday work with your computer. Whether you start or shutdown your system,
open large project files or applications or have the system load level data in
3D games, it is always the hard drive you are waiting for.

And now, I am proud to announce. My new baby...

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHZ (will attempt to overclock)
• GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
• 150GB Western Digital Raptor Hard Drive SATA (10,000RPM)
• G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
• Antec Sonata II 450W Mid Tower Case
• Antec NeoHE 550W Power Supply
• BFG Tech GeForce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
• Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Fan
• 300GB SATA hard drive (existing)
• Plextor DVD burner (existing)

My Favorite Free Software

Antivirus

Im currently using Clamwin which is open source. I've used all of the programs below and you should be fine installing any one of them to protect your computer.

• Clamwin
  
  
  
• AVG
  
  
  
• Avast
  

Firewall

Before I used ZoneAlarm, but now I use Comodo. Whenever there was a software update for Zonealarm, I would have to reinstall the entire application. That's just too much work for me.

• Comodo
  



• ZoneAlarm
  

Office Productivity

I've personally never used it but heard good things about it. If you dont have Microsoft Office, I'd defnitely try out this replacement.

• OpenOffice
  

Antispyware

I've used these to clean out some spyware, but if you really have a spyware problem, I highly recommend spysweeper, even though it is not free.

• Adaware
  




• Spybot
  

Instant Messaging

Using Trillian and GAIM, you can log into multiple IM accounts all at once. If you are on a public computer, you can use a web based instant messaging site that also allows you to log in to multiple IM accounts called Meebo.

• Trillian
  

• GAIM (Pidgin)
  

• AIM
  

DVD Backup

Paired along with Slysoft AnyDVD (not free), you'll have the ultimate dvd backups.

• DVD Shrink
  

Utilities

This program cleans up all the unnecessary junk that starts to pile up on your computer when surfing the internet. After performing the cleanup, your computer will run faster.

• CCleaner
  

Remote PC Management

If you need to troubleshoot a problem on another persons' computer, the best (and coolest) way is to take control of their computer. This program is by far the simplest and easiest. Just install this lightweight program on the host and the remote pc and have your friend/family just give you the access code.

• Crossloop
  

File Compression

Need to open a .zip file or to zip files up and send them? If you are going to send someone 10 files, please dont attach all of them in an email. Zip them all up and then send 1 zip file.

• 7-zip
  

File Shredder

If you are selling your computer or you want to permanently delete private files make sure you shred them. That way no one will be able to retrieve them.

• File Shredder
  

Uninstaller

Use this program to completely remove or uninstall programs and leave no trace behind.

• Revo Uninstaller
  

Preinstalled Software Remover

Bought a new PC or laptop and have lots of unwanted software applications preinstalled? Want to get rid of that crap?

• PC Decrapifier
  

Other

Going on vacations, I would always bring my laptop to watch movies on the plane or at the hotel. I would lug around a couple of dvds with me. When I was done with one movie, I would have to swap the dvd out and put the other one in.

But nowadays, I dont need to lug around dvds with me because of a software I found called Alcohol 52%. Dont ask me how they came up with their name. I just extract all the dvds I want to watch onto my laptop before I go on vacation. It only takes about 10 minutes for each extraction and each file takes up about 5gb of space. I extracted a bunch of Wiggles dvds for Caden which is totally a lifesaver. I think it also saves laptop battery life, since it doesnt have to use the dvd player. No need for fumbling around with dvds when you're in economy class and you have Caden sitting on your lap.

• Alcohol 52%
  

Standby vs. Hibernate

What's the difference between standby and hibernate on Windows?

Standby is like telling your computer to go to sleep. Hibernate is like...well...hibernating.

Standby

• Consumes power


• Boots up fast (usually within 10 seconds).


• Wakes up by keyboard or mouse.

Hibernate

• Does not consume power


• Boots up much faster than booting from shutdown


• Wakes up by pressing the power button.
  

Which one should I use? It all depends. Here is what I do.

• Home Desktop - If you have a home desktop computer that is always connected to the Internet, use standby. Why? Because when you computer is on standby, it wont be connected to the Internet. Your computer is more prone to hackers or other bad stuff when your computer connected to the Internet 24/7. Also, the computer wakes up from standby extremely fast (less than 10 seconds).


• Personal Laptop - Use hibernate, that way it wont consume any battery life. Also, set it so that when you close your laptop lid, it will automatically hibernate. That way you dont have to press the power button and then close your lid. It will save you a step. 99% of the time, when you close the laptop lid, most likely it is because you are done using it. Go into control panel -> power options to set this on your laptop.


• Work Laptop -
  



• Although you should ALWAYS save your documents, hibernating should be pretty safe. Dont use standby with unsaved documents.



• If you use a laptop, in power options set it so that when you close your laptop lid, it hibernates. That way when you are done using your laptop you can just close the lid instead of pressing the power button and then closing the lid. Saves a step ;)
  



• 
  

Tips

Hibernate and Standby - Save all your work and close any open files.

Online Bookmarks Project - Demo

Its finally complete! But I would still consider it as Beta. I've set up a demo account. But for you adventurous people, you can create your very own account. Otherwise, you can use the demo account below.

Here are the instructions:

1. <-- Right click on this button and add it to your browser's bookmarks/favorites.
2. Go to any website.
3. Click on the "Add Online Bookmark" that you just added to your bookmarks.
4. Sign in using the following account:
   email: demo@demo.com
   password: demo
5. Name your bookmark and category and click the "Go" button.
6. Go to www.rogerchew.com/bookmarks/demo
   This is where all of your bookmarks will be stored.

Feel free to give me your feedback and any bugs that you find. Check out the FAQ page for more info. Thanks.

April 7, 1969: Birth of That Thing We Call the Internet

Is it mere coincidence that the Internet was born on April 7 which is also the same day I was born? I think not.

April 7 is often cited as a symbolic birth date of the net because the RFC memoranda contain research, proposals and methodologies applicable to internet technology. RFC documents provide a way for engineers and others to kick around new ideas in a public forum; sometimes, these ideas are adopted as new standards by the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Read the full article.

2008 BMW M3 Coupe Official Photos

The official photos are out. I personally still dont like how the 3 series coupe in general. The shape is too elongated. It reminds me of a Mazda MX-6.

Check out the pics.

Read more about the car.

Free Honda Inspection

April 2-30, 2007 Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

We'll inspect your Honda -- at no charge to you -- during Honda Car Care Days. Thanks to this detailed 40-point inspection, you'll know if anything on your vehicle needs attention. How's that for great detective work?

Your convenient 40-point inspection will include:

• A thorough examination of your Honda's engine, brakes, drivetrain, suspension and steering components.



• A detailed report of your vehicle's condition.



• Inspection completed by Honda-trained technicians.



• Open Saturdays.



• Full line of replacement tires.

At participating Honda dealers nationwide. There arent any in San Francisco, but there are some in nearby cities.

Read the forums for more details.

Online Bookmarks Project - Introduction

I've been working hard the past 2 weeks on a project that I decided to take on. I've searched long and hard for a good online bookmarking site, but I didnt find any that suited my needs. So I decided to create my own bookmarking site. I got sick and tired of having my bookmarks all over the place. This included my work laptop, my home laptop, my home desktop and not to mention the different browsers I used. I tried Yahoo and Google bookmarks, but you have to sign in to view your bookmarks. As Stephanie Tanner from Full House would say, "How rude!". Anyways, here is the list of features that I wanted in an online bookmarking site.

• Simple - the process of adding bookmarks had to be simple.


• No install - I didnt want to install anything for my browser.


• Public - I wanted to view my stored bookmarks WITHOUT having to log in.


• One page - I wanted all my bookmarks displayed on one single web page.


• Friendly URL - I wanted a simple and easy url to remember.
  ie. testbookmarks.com/rogerchew instead of testbookmarks.com/user/sdka232akmjc

I do all of my web programming in Coldfusion. So I just thought I would try to google "coldfusion bookmarks" to see if there was anything out there that I could use or repurpose. I couldnt believe it, but the first search result was about someone who created a coldfusion bookmarking application that was very close to how I wanted it. He even documented it and posted all of the files on his site. I download the files and was up and running in no time. Check out the site for screenshots of how it works. But briefly, here is how it works.

1. You are surfing and you like the website you are on and would like to save it.


2. You click on the special bookmark in your browser.


3. You enter a title for the bookmark.

You'll be able to save an online bookmark with 2 mouse clicks. Now, whenever you would want to see a single page of your entire saved bookmarks, you would just have to navigate to something like testbookmarks.com/joesmith. Like it?!

Now how does this solve my problem? Well, now I can just go to a single web page to access all of my bookmarks, no matter which computer, browser, or OS Im using. I can even access all of my bookmarks on public computers like at the library or school.

Stay tuned as I will let you demo the application.

Adobe Announces Creative Suite 3

• Learn more about it
• Learn more about it interactively
• Preorder it