Month: April 2013

By Dennis Yang, Techdirt. – April 13, 2010 at 11:29PM

If you haven’t seen Red Letter Media’s excellent reviews of the Star Wars films, The Phantom Menace and The Attack of the Clones, then you might want to carve out three hours out of your day and watch them (the reviews are 70-minutes and 90-minutes long, respectively) — they’re incredible. (Warning: he does use some NSFW language occasionally.)

So, it’s very sad to hear that Mike Stoklasa, the writer & director of the Red Letter Media reviews, is considering not producing any more reviews, out of fear of being slapped with a copyright lawsuit. Stoklasa says:

“The thing is, I’m no lawyer. But I had someone actually talk to a copyright lawyer, and they didn’t know what to make of the reviews. It’s a new thing, You can get away with using a clip from a movie for the purpose of review or commentary, but can you dissect an entire film like that? There’s commentary and it’s part satire [because of the character, Mr. Plinkett] and part review and part educational as well because there’s elements of filmmaking insights.”

Stoklasa’s reviews are innovative and entertaining and take movie reviewing to a whole new level by remixing movie clips into the review itself. In doing so, they are emerging as a whole new art form. While more traditional movie reviews and satire can use clips of movies as a result of fair use, Stoklasa could be treading on new ground with his works. That said, this could be an interesting case if he were to get sued, because he would likely win, which would then redraw the boundaries for fair use, which would be a great thing. So, Mike Stoklasa, please don’t let the threat of copyright lawsuits stop you from continuing to produce your excellent reviews — to do so would be a travesty.

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By Whitson Gordon, Lifehacker – April 13, 2010 at 06:00PM

Mac only: We recently featured a multiple file type converter for Windows, but now Mac users can share in that same drag-and-drop joy with Dragoman, a free app that can batch convert images, photos, music, documents, and archives with minimal effort.

Dragoman could not be more simple to use: All you do is drag one or more files into its window, choose a compatible file type for the output, and wait for it to pop out your shiny new files. It can convert tons of different file types, too, like images (including many RAW formats), music, documents, and even archives—useful if you start using a different camera or program that can’t open a certain type of file (like Apple’s TIFF or Webarchive formats). It can also convert multiple files at once—even if your original batch contains files of more than one type, you can convert them all at once to one. In addition, if applicable, you can edit image preferences like JPEG quality and DPI for your converted files. If you’re still not convinced, be sure to check out the full list of supported file types—it’s nothing to sneeze at.

Dragoman is a free download, Mac only.

By Myra Per-Lee, Inventor Spot – Inventions, Innovations, and Interesting Ideas for the Inventor in All of Us – April 13, 2010 at 05:29PM

Sonnet Ehlers remembers the eyes of a 20 year old rape victim she met at a
hospital in the Northern Cape of South Africa.  Her eyes were “totally
dead,” she said. But what Ehlers remembers most are the victim’s words: “If I only
had teeth down there.”

 

By Adam Pash, Lifehacker – April 13, 2010 at 03:30PM

You’re constantly told how easy it would be to hack your weak passwords, but complicated passwords just aren’t something our brains get excited about memorizing. Reader calculusrunner offers a brilliant tip that turns weak passwords into something much, much better.

His clever solution: Stick with your weak, dictionary password if you must; just move your fingers over a space on the keyboard.

If you want a secure password without having to remember anything complex, try shifting your fingers one set of keys to the right. It will make your password look like gibberish, will often add in punctuation marks, and is quick and simple.

When John Pozadzides showed us how he’d hack our weak passwords, he listed his top 10 choices for getting started hacking away at your weak passwords. Let’s take a look at how a few of those popular passwords fare when run through calculusrunner’s method:

• password => [sddeptf
• letmein => ;ry,rom
• money => .pmru
• love => ;pbr

Something longer but still really lame, like, say, “topsecretpassword”, becomes “yp[drvtry[sddeptf”. These may not be perfect compared to secure password generators, but they’re likely orders of magnitude better than a lot of people’s go-to passwords.

By (author unknown), MacNN | The Macintosh News Network – April 13, 2010 at 02:20PM

Orbicule has released an update to its theft-recovery software for Macs, Undercover. Version 4 now allows users to remotely monitor a stolen Mac using the company’s UndercoverCenter.com web interface. Devices can be followed in real-time, with a variety of information available from the website. The software can capture iSight pictures, screenshots, or log the current location as a Google Earth file. Users can also lock the computer and display a custom message….

By Erica Ho, Lifehacker – April 13, 2010 at 02:00PM

The IRS plans to make more audits this year in order to make up for budget deficits. Rather than immediately surrender to the audit, the Wall Street Journal offers some tips for dealing with the government tax agency.

Photo by alancleaver_2000.

Knowing how likely you are to get audited is a good way to avoid it, but you’ve got no guarantees. The auditing process isn’t necessarily meant to be a terrible thing, but the fact of the matter is that for most people, it feels like a waking nightmare. The IRS can make errors too, so if you’re up for a challenge, the WSJ offers several tips for “fighting back”.

If you had a well-prepared tax expert prepare your return, they can help. Not only do they know all the rules, but they can also help you deal with the IRS and help you decide how far to push a fight. It should seem obvious, but being a pack rat and documenting everything will help you in your bid against the IRS.

If you feel you have a strong case but are getting nowhere with an auditor, consider asking to speak to that person’s manager. If that doesn’t help, you can take your case to an IRS appeals office, or the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service, an IRS organization created to help taxpayers resolve problems. By some chance that you decide to take the IRS to court, you can also file a petition with the U.S. Tax Court. If you pick this route, you usually don’t need to pay the amount in dispute while your case is pending. The Wall Street Journal also has several more tips for dealing with the IRS, so check out the article for more information. Looking for a bit more help? Try this free, previously mentioned tax book.

By Erica Ho, Lifehacker – April 13, 2010 at 01:30PM

Windows only: Universal Viewer, as its name implies, aims to be a universal file viewer capable of opening almost any file, without making you hunt down required programs for unusual file types.

Universal Viewer supports a wide variety of multimedia, image, and document formats (listed below). While it supports opening a truly vast array of file types, it doesn’t support Microsoft Office documents unless Office is already installed. Other than that, most files are supported without any special work on your part. Universal Viewer also has a navigation panel, which allows for easier file navigation. It’s not enabled by default, so you’ll need to turn it on in the Interface tab in the configuration settings.

In addition to the file viewing, Universal Viewer also supports additional plug-ins and can convert nearly any document type to friendly old plain text.

Here’s a list of formats the app supports out-of-the-box (see CyberNet’s post for a more detailed breakdown of the over 200 supported file types):

Text, Binary, Hex, Unicode: any files, of unlimited size (even 4Gb+ sizes are allowed)
RTF, UTF-8: RTF and UTF-8 encoded texts
Image: all general graphics formats: BMP JPG GIF PNG TGA TIFF… plus all formats supported by IrfanView/XnView external viewers
Multimedia: all formats supported by MS Windows Media Player: AVI MPG WMV MP3…
Internet: all formats supported by MS Internet Explorer: HTML PDF XML MHT…
Plugins: all formats supported by Total Commander Lister plugins
MS Office: all file types of MS Office (if installed): DOC DOCX XLS PPT…
Converters: some types can be viewed as plain text: DOC DOCX PDF PPT ODT…

The application integrates into Windows Explorer’s context menu, so all you need to do is right-click a file and select “Universal Viewer.” In addition, it can also be integrated into other popular file managers. Universal Viewer is a freeware application for Windows platforms only. Got a similar tool you use to fill this need, or do you just hunt down and install whatever apps need installing when you need them? Let’s hear it in the comments.

By Becky Stern, MAKE – April 13, 2010 at 12:00PM

Rachel @ CRAFT explains:

More than 450 DIY movie makers participated in reenacting Star Wars by creating their own versions of 15-second slices of the film that have been spliced back together as Star Wars Uncut, making it the largest crowd-sourced film effort of all time.

Casey Pugh sliced the film into into segments and hundreds of movie makers hopped-to and submitted clips!

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By Kevin Purdy, Lifehacker – April 13, 2010 at 12:00PM

I love messing with settings and geeky file-sharing programs. My spouse doesn’t, but digs Hulu and appreciates free. So I set up a media center that satisfies my geek cravings but is actually easy-to-use for non-nerds. Here’s what I pieced together.

Photo remixed from 96dpi.

The Goal (and Geeky History)

For more than a year now, I’ve been messing with computers connected to TVs, trying to make it just as easy to watch last night’s shows on Hulu as it would be with a DVR. I wanted my wife to be just as enthused about this kind of Living-in-the-Future project, but, until recently, none of what I’d set up could be called actually “easy to use”—unless you happened to write about computers and software tweaks for a living.

My first attempt, an Apple TV patched to run Boxee, had the advantages of a super-simple Apple remote, sleek-looking hardware, and an always-on setup, but I soon came to see the poor, neglected Apple TV was underpowered for anything more than low-definition streaming, and was far from easy to move files into. I’m unabashed in my admiration for Boxee, the media center software that plays all kinds of streaming web content, and built a cheap, powerful media center around it. But even though the Boxee Beta is much improved, it’s still, well, beta, and still very geeky to get around.

So I set my sights on Windows Media Center, the software built into most versions of Windows Vista and 7, as my new starting point. Windows Media Center (which I’ll dub WMC occasionally here) is free, assuming you’ve got a copy of Windows, and offers a lot of features for both the geeky media nerd and casual viewer, alike:

• Built-in Netflix, easy Hulu: This one’s a biggie. Netflix looks terrific and works just fine. Using a simple plug-in, you can load Hulu Desktop from Media Center’s menu, navigate it with the same remote, and head back to Media Center when you’re done.
• Simple remote setup: Search for “Windows Media Center” or MCE at Newegg.com or any retail store, and you’ll likely find a remote you can use with a little USB dongle that just works once you plug it in. Plus, all the buttons they include on the thing actually work, which makes everybody less frustrated.
• Easy file trading: If all the PCs in your house are running Windows 7, the OS’s HomeGroup networking feature is a very, very nice and simple means of trading files in and out of your Home Theater PC (HTPC). If you’re all using Windows but have some different flavors, it’s still pretty easy, and the Macs in the house can get by, too. In short, nobody has to run FTP software, or learn how to mount network drives from a command line.
• Geeky back doors: Using plug-ins, it’s easy for the nerdiest member of the house to still use media centers like Boxee or XBMC, or stream WMC content to a browser, while keeping the box an on/off machine for everyone else.

How did I make my WMC media center the kind of box that my wife can use to turn on, watch Glee, transfer pictures to for showing friends, then turn off? What follows are my setup tweaks and plug-in recommendations.

The Basics

From the hardware standpoint, you’re setting up a Home Theater PC, or HTPC. I opted for a small little computer that can still pull off high-resolution, TV-sized graphics, and repurposed my ASRock ION 330 for the job (it’s currently out of stock on Newegg). For a smaller, sleeker option, you could also try the Acer Aspire Revo that Adam used for his Linux/XBMC-based media center, because both it and the ASRock were originally intended to run Windows. If you’ve got a decent laptop or PC that’s sitting around as a spare, that can do, too, but you’ll have to figure out the best cable hook-up from it. Even a big old desktop can do the trick, but it’s likely going to be louder and bigger than you want. Update: Commenter James Montemagno keeps up a site, Revo HTPC, that specifically details how to set up Adam’s $200 Revo with Windows Media Center. Thanks, James!

You’ll also need a USB mouse and keyboard, just for the setup, and a copy of Windows, one with Media Center included. There’s an XP version dubbed Media Center Edition, but at this point, there’s no reason not to upgrade to Vista or 7, both of which include Media Center in their Home Premium and Ultimate editions. If you’re starting with a new system, connect your video-to-TV, load your Windows DVD into the drive, boot up, and follow the installation instructions. Connect your system to the internet, plug in the USB receiver for your remote, and after a minute or two, you’ll be able to use the green Windows button in the center to launch Media Center. I aimed to make it even more simple by heading to the start menu, finding the Windows Media Center link, and dragging it into the Startup folder. This way, if the box is turned off or has to restart, it loads again right into Windows Media Center.

You won’t have much to look at in your brand-new HTPC, but you should get familiar with how Windows Media Center works from a remote. My remote has buttons that launch instantly to the Video, Pictures, and Music sections, which are far more convenient than having to explain the navigation system to other users. When inside WMC, the green Windows button serves as a kind of Home button, dropping whatever you’re doing and heading back to the main menu. Hitting the power button puts your HTPC to sleep by default, and that’s a pretty low-power, quick-start solution for a box you keep connected to your TV. After about 10 minutes, Windows Media Center and its remote should make good sense. You can simply close down WMC and return to the Windows desktop by hitting the Tasks menu, selecting Shutdown, and choosing Close. Do that, because we’ve got just a bit of tweaking to do.

Getting Your Files on WMC

Now we’re going to start actually tweaking your HTPC. You can do most of this with a mouse and keyboard, but I’d recommend also installing UltraVNC on your HTPC, and setting it to start automatically with Windows, and assign a password to it. That way, you can remotely configure and fix your HTPC from any computer in your house, without cluttering up your media center with a keyboard and mouse. (Here’s an old primer for setting up VNC on your machine.)

Either way, head to the Start menu and type in enough of “Network and Sharing Center” to have it appear as an option, then click it.

On the left-hand side of the menu that pops up, you’ll see a link to “Change Advanced Sharing Settings.” Hit it. Under the “Home or Work” menu, you’ll basically want to turn on everything involving sharing, and likely turn off password-protected sharing. Normally, we’d never recommend opening up your box so wide on a network, but since this PC isn’t going to be in a coffee shop at any given time, and assuming your home wireless router is decently secure, this should be fine. For more fine-grain tips on setting up Windows 7 sharing so that it reaches XP users, view these tips and a video from Butterscotch.com.

Head to the Network and Sharing Center again from the Start menu, and click the Homegroup link in the lower-left. Follow the instructions to create a new homegroup, and look for the option to change the password, because it’s likely to be unwieldy. After that’s done, head to your Start menu and click the Computer link. In the window that pops up, click over on the “Libraries” folder in the left-hand sidebar. Right-click on the libraries you want people in your house to be able to drop files into, like Videos, hover over the “Share With” sub-menu, and choose “Homegroup (Read/Write).” Repeat as necessary with Music, Pictures, and Documents.

From this point on, Windows Vista and 7 systems should have an easy time of finding your HTPC’s shared folders in their left-hand sidebars. If XP systems don’t quite see your shared stuff, you may have to access them manually by entering \\htpc into a file explorer address bar, substituting the name of your HTPC for htpc. Still no luck? If that XP system has a username and password, you can set up the same user/pass on the HTPC, and from the right-click sharing options on a media library, choose “Share with->Specific People.”

If you’ve got a Mac system on the network, we’ve (thankfully) already covered mounting a Windows shared folder on a Mac. Looking to add a printer? The How-To Geek’s home away from Lifehacker has a step-by-step guide to sharing between 7 and XP.

Make Downloaded Files Easier to Read

If you’re an avid user of BitTorrent, Usenet, or other file trading services, you’ll probably dig around and figure out how to set up an automated or remote-controlled system for piping hot, fresh television and movies into those shared media folders—the details are a bit too much to tackle here, but we’ve covered some setups before. With my spouse, at least, the way those files get named and unpacked into WMC’s Videos folder isn’t all that helpful—crabXviDa1 looks more like a crustacean horror flick than the first half of Crazy Heart (which, *ahem*, must have been ripped from my DVD).

Luckily, one of our commenters has walked us through automated TV renaming on a Windows system. That system uses TVRename to get the job done, but if you grab more films and music from the wild, wild web, MediaRenamer is its counterpart.

Plug in Hulu (and Boxee, and XBMC)

I originally leaned toward Boxee with my media center because it seemed like the only system that could organize and stream Hulu semi-reliably. It still does a great job queuing and organizing Hulu, but Hulu has since released a big-screen-oriented Desktop player that plugs so nicely into WMC. What’s more, when you click the Hulu entry in the WMC menu, your Media Center remote still works in Hulu Desktop, and when you close it down, WMC pops right back up. The same goes for the Boxee and XBMC integration tools, which extend your access to all the geeky streaming stuff and hardcore media player tools that those apps offer. For a complete rundown of what’s offered in each, try our handy comparison chart.

The Final Geek Touches: Media Browser, Remote Streaming, and TV Recording

For all intents and purposes, your Windows Media Center now does a fine job of starting automatically, offering up file access, and organizing your media in a way that makes sense, along with offering instant television through Hulu. All your non-geek family and friends can likely use it when you’re not there with network diagnostics, and everybody’s pretty happy.

But why stop there, if you can add a little more awesome on the sly? We’ve previously loved these little add-ons for Windows Media Center, and they install without interfering with your standard operation:

• Install a TV tuner for roll-your-own DVR: Adam covered the basics of installing and managing a TV tuner on a Windows PC previously, and the DVR powers of WMC have only grown in Windows 7.
• Remote Potato: Simply put, it streams your Windows Media Center content to a browser with Silverlight installed, and lets you schedule your TV recording from nearly anywhere in the world. It’s awesome.
• Media Browser: The standard view of your files is fine for getting them to play. To actually enjoy the grandiosity of your Ultimate Media Hub, Media Browser re-skins the experience and adds trailers, IMDB info, and more.

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That’s our idea of a spouse-friendly, quietly awesome Windows Media Center. If you have your own setup you’d like to share, or other add-ons or plug-ins that make yours much better, by all means—tell us about them in the comments.

By Brian Barrett, Gizmodo – April 13, 2010 at 11:40AM

The US Navy’s unmanned “Fire Scout” helicopter was out minding its own business on a trial run, when its home base warship detected a suspicious speedboat on radar. That’s when Robocopter kicked into high pursuit—filming the whole way. More »