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Thursday, June 30, 2005

Command Line VMware tool

I just found out how to register and unregister a vm from the command line. Why would I want to do this you say?

Well, lets just say you can't vmotion a VM because it has physical drives presented to it instead of .vmdk files. Using FTP I coppied the /home/vmware/server folder to another VMWare server and then did the following...

chmod 1777 -R server folder
vmware-cmd register -s /home/vmware/{guestfolder}/{guest}.vmx

And on the old VMWare server I ran:
vmware-cmd unregister -s /home/vmware/{guestfolder}/{guest}.vmx

viola!

Friday, June 24, 2005

Swim goggles with heads-up display

I don't swim a great deal but this is quite cool.  Nice to see (pardon the pun) technology making into the water.

swim goggles heads-up displayLike Katie Williams (Brunel University grad, proud Welsh dragon) our interns find it hard to remember how many laps they’ve swum here in the Engadget HQ Temple Garden — especially when we release the robotic swimming snakes. Fortunately, Williams’ developed a system which projects the number of laps swum, speed, and the elapsed time right in the goggle lens while maintaining the feel of ordinary goggles. This allows swimmers to maintain their form instead of straining to glance at pace clocks or watches which warp their hydrodynamics. A small button on the side of the goggle turns the display on and off and signals to the “compass” the direction of travel - when the swimmer turns, the time is registered and lap-count increments.
[Engadget]

ExBPA v2.1 Released

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

NASA Droid

Is it me, or doesn't this think look like the little training droid that was shooting at Luke Skywalker when he was learning to feel the force?

flyingEyeBall.jpgNASA could have created this demonic space droid to encourage Congress to authorize more funding for their Martian program. Instead, they're going to waste its manifold talents and set it to orbit around various space shuttles and stations and inspect for damage. It has very few accouterments but it would be so cool if it had like a welding thing or something in it. To dream...

Star Wars Inspired N.A.S.A Project [Berfnet]

[Gizmodo]

BBClone and Wordpress

Well, after finding the link at Technodaddy's site I decided to give it a whirl.  I followed all the install instructions except...  I couldn't get Wordpress hits to show.

Then I found this link:

http://www.basketti.net/weblog/archives/2005/02/22/bbclone-en-wordpress-15/

For those that don't want to follow, or if the site goes down, here is what you do.

Put this:

<?php
define("_BBC_PAGE_NAME", get_bloginfo("name") . wp_title("/", false));
define("_BBCLONE_DIR", "/real/path/to/directory/bbclone/");
define("_NEW_COUNTER", _BBCLONE_DIR . "mark_page.php");
if (file_exists(_NEW_COUNTER))
{ include(_NEW_COUNTER); }
?>

in the following template files

  • Archive
  • Main
  • Page
  • Post
  • Search
 
Thanks Technodaddy for Pimpin' my..er.. thanks for pointing this out. :)
And thanks to Ralf's Weblog. :)

MS Reader DRM issues solved... permanently

I have several of these .lit files and will be converting tomorrow. :)   Thanks!

While I'm still waiting for MSFT support to help me get back into the content I purchased for MS Reader (so far two emails and a rather fun 45 minute session with MS Tech support by phone, which is totally clueless about Reader. I was sent to Office support, Windows Activation and even though I kept telling them that there's no product activation code for Windows, my words fell on deaf ears). I finally took matters into my own hands. With a little help from a lovely free program called Amber LIT conversion, I was able to take all my MSFT .lit files and convert them to unprotected .PDF files for Tablet viewing and Word files that converted easily to eReader format. Took about a minute for each book. The program works with protected .LIT files but needs to be run on a machine with an activated and valid MS Reader. Since my old computer did have Reader on it, the process was a snap. This doesn't excuse MSFT. While DRM is a necessary evil, the notion of not being able to de-activate an older machine with a limited number of installs is user hostile at worst. Good case study for firms on HOW NOT TO IMPLEMENT DRM solutions.

[Michael Gartenberg]

TechEd 2005 Simulcast Available: Microsoft Exchange 2003: Tips Tricks and Shortcuts

The Exchange sessions were great so I figured I would share this.

[MS Exchange Blog]

Friday, June 17, 2005

Portable fuel cell from Voller Energy... is expensive.

This looks neat!  Technodaddy should get one of these so that next time the power is out you have juice AND free water. :)

Voller Energy fuel cell

Okay so maybe this thing sort of looks like a Hasbro toy, but it promises to pack some portable power into that yellow triangle. Voller Energy has rolled out a major revision to their portable fuel cell line in the VE100 V3, which doubles the peak output to 200 watts and lowers the price, which doesn’t help so terribly much ‘cuz you’re still liable to choke on your cereal over its $7,600 retail price. But hey, it’s only 20 pounds, uses hydrogen canister fuel and outputs only water as a waste product, and stuff like that don’t come cheap, dig? If you’ve got to rock that Powerbook in the sub-Sahara, chances are you’ve got the kind of job that ought to cover this kind of thing for you.
[Engadget]

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Sprint: Treo 650 Updated - BT DUN Enabled

For you non Windows phone users....  You know who you are.

We broke coverage of Sprint confirming the new definition of tethering your phone as a modem, which is that Sprint will not stand in the way of non-abusive usage. In that confirmation, Sprint also mentioned that the Treo 650 would be updated to be used as a modem, and today, PalmOne has issued the update that completes that confirmation. This is the first update that confirms Sprint's commitment to not hindering devices for use as a modem in the future, and is proof-positive of Sprint's confirmation of permitting using Vision as a modem within reason.

The Treo 650 Update, version 1.12, also updates VersaMail, adds support for more Bluetooth Car Kits, improves voice call dialing, and adds the ability to send an SMS to another location when you miss a call.

Treo 650 (Sprint) Updater Version 1.12
[Sprint PCS Info]

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Chris Pirillo+ABC Family

There was just a commercial for "Wildfire" on ABC Family in which the main character is named "Chris Pirillo"...  The only problem is that Chris is a girl....  Someone please tell me tha this is a mistake. :)

Squirrel Flask

This is quite disturbing....

19348101_52dc685fa2_m.jpgMade from a Real Squirrel(TM), this delightful little flask offers the heavy tippler a number of exciting opportunities to sneak drinks out of the corpse of a dead rodent. While some would question the value of such a delightful beverage container, I assure you that anyone who sees you sucking on the desiccated neck of an ex-squirrel will know you are a man of class and style. Perhaps the enterprising drinker can add a nice chain and wear the dead fellow around his or her neck?

Sneaky Alcoholic [Random Good Stuff]

[Gizmodo]

Monday, June 13, 2005

TV Stick

This is cool but why?  If I am building a HTPC why would I use a laptop?

tvstick.jpgLaptop owners tune in. Compro has released a USB TV ‘Stick’ to allow for analog and HD television viewing via only a USB port. It is a little bulky, but allows for easy viewing and even recording. The ‘Stick’
support NTSC, PAL, and SECAM and allows for recording in MPEG 2 and 4. Best of all this tuner operates without any kind of external power adapter. For those interested in the HD version, it requires at least a 2.4ghz processor, while the analog only requires 800mhz.

TV Stick [TrustedReviews]

[Gizmodo]

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Getting in the car





Getting in the car

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Can you believe my butt fit through that window?

Victory Lane





Victory Lane

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Here is the crew in Victory Lane. Boy it's hot here.

kids





kids

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Since the kids couldn't do a real ridealong they took them in a van at about 90MPH. They loved it!

Speeds





Speeds

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


147MPH!
Here is my speed sheet. 150 is the max these cars would go with the setup that they had. The last 4 laps you could smell the rubber burning into turn 3 and 4. It was awesome!

KatieRide





KatieRide

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Katie also got a ride along. Thanks Jeff for letting her use your free ticket! She was speachless when she came back in.

PhilDriving





PhilDriving

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


OK, here we go. The guy who helped get me buckled in asked me if I had any last wishes. I said "no". When he looked at me funny I told him that if I died in the car I would die happy! Man these cars can move!

RacinPhoto





RacinPhoto

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Thanks have to go out to Veritas who gave us two tickets to Richard Petty's Kings Experience. Was the most awesome time I have ever had!

RobinRide





RobinRide

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Robin got a free ride with a real racer. They went over 160MPH!!! She loved it.

Thursday, June 9, 2005

image_00019.jpg





image_00019.jpg

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


To the in field.

Driver is not intended for this platform

If you use CF adapters or SD, Memory stick or any such removable flash memory in your laptop via a pcmcia (pc card) adapter and you get the following error “The Driver is not intended for this platform”, you could go out to google and try to search for it.



Here is what I got:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=%22driver+is+not+intended+for+this+platform%22+atapi



All of that was basically crap!



Just go to windows/system32/drivers and rename the atapi.sys file to something else (I renamed mine to atapi.sys.old) and try inserting the card again.

Whamo! Things work. After spending a day and a half trying to figure out what was going on, I figured I would share it here to save others the aggravation and also so I don’t forget how I fixed it the next time I have to rebuild my machine.

Tech-Ed 2005

Well, I am going home a day early from Tech-Ed. I love it! It was much better than any conference I have attended. MS has sooooo much $$$ to throw at attendies that it staggers the mind. It will take a few days to process all of the information that I gleened. I will make sure I put my notes online so you folks can share the info. Oh, I did get to meet Dale Coffing of PocketPCPassion.com and he is a realy nice guy.

Saturday, June 4, 2005

image_00001.jpg





image_00001.jpg

Originally uploaded by Phil Morrison.


Pretty up here... Orlando bound. Tech-Ed 2005 here I come!

Friday, June 3, 2005

Driver is not intended for this platform

This was my most popular hit from Google back before I switched to WordPress. Seems there are a great many of folks out there who encounter ths error so I figured I would repost it here so that folks can still find it. Maybe google will put this thread back in their system.


If you use CF adapters or SD, Memory stick or any such removable flash memory in your laptop via a pcmcia (pc card) adapter and you get the following error “The Driver is not intended for this platform”, you could go out to google and try to search for it.



Here is what I got:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=%22driver+is+not+intended+for+this+platform%22+atapi



All of that was basically crap!



Just go to windows/system32/drivers and rename the atapi.sys file to something else (I renamed mine to atapi.sys.old) and try inserting the card again.

Whamo! Things work. After spending a day and a half trying to figure out what was going on, I figured I would share it here to save others the aggravation and also so I don’t forget how I fixed it the next time I have to rebuild my machine. J

Posted by Philip Morrison at August 10, 2004 11:20 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Philip, you have just saved me hours of aggravation, many thanks
Posted by: Grover at August 23, 2004 10:50 AM

Woohoo! A solution that works!

What a stupid solution tho ... I've been waiting months for someone to figure this one out after I gave up all hope.

Thanks Philip!
Posted by: Slackarse at August 26, 2004 11:52 AM

Not a problem. Glad I could help. Oh, and it's moderated. :)
Posted by: Phil at August 26, 2004 12:19 PM

Thanks! Worked like a charm!
Posted by: jaden at August 27, 2004 03:20 PM

Lifesaver... If the atapi.sys file keeps regenerating after you rename it, type the new name for the file and immediately after you hit enter to accept the filename, put the SD card into the adapter. Works like a charm. Thanks!
Posted by: wsuchem at August 29, 2004 12:59 AM

Excellent, thanks. But a warning: Don't try (re)moving the file - just rename it.
Posted by: Al Tasker at October 19, 2004 04:57 AM

Thank you!!!!!

I've been bashing my head against every brick wall I could find over this. You're a legend Phil!
Posted by: Barney at October 19, 2004 05:41 AM

i renamed every atapi.sys file in my pc, including system32\atapi.sys.

and still i habe the same problem.

but there is a atapi.sys in system32\drivers which cannot be renamed.

i tried too many things, nothing works.

i am on windows xp SP2 !

help, thanx
Posted by: DASH at October 26, 2004 02:05 PM

Try going into safe mode or doing the rename from a command prompt. I didn't have to do any of that, I just selected it in explorer and chose rename.
Posted by: Philip at October 26, 2004 03:03 PM

thank you, can't believe it works!
Posted by: HD at October 28, 2004 11:17 PM

A *HUGE* thank you for this one -- hours of frustration solved in seconds. THANK YOU for sharing the solution with the rest of us!
Posted by: Dave at November 14, 2004 09:37 PM

I join the fanclub. Brilliant. When I saw this problem on my Vaio a few weeks ago I just groaned knowing that it was going to be a time vampire problem. Thanks a bunch.
Posted by: Tony at November 16, 2004 08:03 AM

Thanks ALOT. I was just about to go return the sandisk pc card adapter i just brought 2 hours ago.

works like a charm.
Posted by: Ken at November 27, 2004 08:58 PM

Thanks for this info, I had the same problem, this was just what I needed to get my Viking/Sandisk PCMCIA Compactflash adapter working with my Lexar Twister CF card and Windows XP Home laptop.

After renaming the atapi.sys file, re-inserting the card didn't work right away; I also had to go to Control Panel -> System -> Hardware tab -> Device Manager -> IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, right-click the Lexar (with the yellow exclamation point), and choose Uninstall. Re-inserting worked after that.
Posted by: Mark at December 4, 2004 06:37 PM

Unbelievable.. So simple. Thanks for making this publicly available!
Posted by: Cas at December 9, 2004 02:57 AM

Great! Many thanks Philip! It was an "old" pcmcia Hama CompactFlash card reader, on my new Dell Inspiron 9100 with a also new Sandisk UltraII CF card, and I was really wondering where it came from, especially since:
-my pcmcia port worked with a LAN card
-the pcmcia CF card reader worked on another laptop running the same OS (XP SP2)
-other USB card reader where recognized also...
You saved the life of my digital camera batteries :-)
Posted by: Grégori at December 15, 2004 11:55 AM

Awesome! Works by reinstalling the driver!

Thanks a lot.
Posted by: Sam at January 1, 2005 03:56 PM

Thank you very much Philip, you're life saver! I have had this problem since I updated my XP to service pack 2, now I don't need to carry my memory card reader along with my laptop anymore!!! Thank You!!!
Posted by: Ed at January 10, 2005 12:47 PM

You are welcome. It's neat to see the number of hits I get on this one post. So many people have hit this page and been helped. This is why I started bloggging. I just hope I have one of these kinds of posts a year. :)
Posted by: Phil at January 10, 2005 10:07 PM

Finally, a solution that works!!

I've been contacting HP technical support for ages about this problem and their help has been completely useless.

Thanks A Lot
Posted by: GMC at January 14, 2005 10:17 AM

Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jeff at January 24, 2005 06:31 PM

Phil, you're my hero. I couldn't get my SanDisk 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter with the "guaranteed compatibility" promise on the packaging to work, and was about to blame the adapter. Thank you, Phil!
Posted by: Big Gary at January 26, 2005 06:19 PM

MOST EXCELENT ADVICE! I just went out and spent $50.00 plus on a CF and 6-in-1 PCMCIA adapters and had the same problem! Thank you for keeping me from spending what could have potentially hours in search of the solution! Simple, eligant, and works! MANY THANKS!!!!!
Posted by: Kevin at February 6, 2005 08:29 PM

Thanx You're the best.

No problem with xp sp2!!

thanx al lot
Posted by: Tjalf at February 8, 2005 06:09 PM

Hi Philipp, thanks a lot, really !! i wasted yet about 4 hours, without any results, and now i tried your suggestion, and it works,,thanks a lot....
Posted by: Kaveh Poorfouladchi at February 10, 2005 11:25 PM

and best wishes from Vienna...
Posted by: Kaveh Poorfouladchi at February 10, 2005 11:27 PM

I spent two weeks in Graz and had a blast!
Posted by: Phil at February 11, 2005 07:21 AM

Hello all!

Thanks A LOT from a French guy!
I baught a sandisk pcmcia card yesterday and didn't find how it can works until now!

job's done!
THANK YOU!
Posted by: Michel at February 16, 2005 06:16 AM

Tried this, but my system wont boot if i rename or remove atapi.sys... :( Any other suggestions?
Posted by: Oscar at February 21, 2005 02:47 PM

Don't reboot between the delete and re-insertion of the card. Just rename it and let the system pull a new copy when it sees the new hardware.
Posted by: Phil at February 22, 2005 07:57 AM

Worked for me on an Acer TravelMate 8002LCi laptop running XP SP2 for an O2Micro SmartCardBus device. Many thanks.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 22, 2005 08:09 AM

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

New DSL Standard Promises 10 Times Faster Speeds

It's about time they update things.  Sprint is rolling out EVDO service which, from what folks say, is like wireless broadband so the DSL/Cable companies need to be aggressive and up the stream a bit...

An international standards group has approved a new DSL standard that claims it will increase DSL technology's upstream and downstream speeds to as much as 100 megabits per second, 10 times faster than the DSL speeds that are offered by today's carriers.

According to a statement released by the ITU, the new standard will boost the competitiveness of DSL providers by allowing them to offer services such as high-definition TV (HDTV), video on demand programming, video conferencing, high-speed Internet access and advanced voice services like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) which will all be provided over standard copper wires.

"This new standard is set to become an extremely important feature of the telecommunications landscape, and is a landmark achievement for our members, many of whom are relying on this recommendation to take their businesses to the next level," Yoichi Maeda, chairman of the ITU group that developed the new standard, said in a statement.

It is expected to take a few years before this new standard will be released to the general public.

View: Additional Information

Read full story...
[Neowin.net]