C++ Programming...

When I was in college I started out studying computer engineering only to realize that it wasn't really for me.  But while I was declared as an engineering major I took a computer programming class.  I'm pretty sure the teacher felt bad for me because somehow I passed the class (pretty sure I failed every test).  I honestly had no idea what I was doing at the time.  But recently, as in last week I had a sudden urge to learn a little C++...

I foresee this being a long road of learning, and can't promise that I will be very consistent.  Really I'm just looking for something enjoyable to do in my free time.  That is really the main reason I started writing this blog.  As you can see I haven't done that very consistently either.

So in the past week of me dabbling in computer programming I haven't learned very much.  I created a simple calculator program (with a little help from the website I was using)  but I think I got the jist of it.  It's really like a different language but your spelling and grammar have to be exactly correct.  I will continue to dabble in this for as long as it hold my interest but I can't promise I will get very much out of it.  I have thought about taking some classes, but that cost money and more school/classes doesn't sit well with me.   

Upgrading a PowerBook G4

Doing this was actually fun and I got a better computer out of it.  First off was upgrading the RAM in this puppy, from 768 mb to 2 gb.  I bought 2 x 1 gb DDR for around $60, and received it about a week later.  This part was super easy and took no time at all to put in.  This is a great video demonstration on how to do it.  (skip the first minute) Thanks to OWCmacsales for the video.

The next part was the tricky part but once I had it done I realized it actually wasn't too difficult.  The original hard drive in this computer was only 60 gb (sad huh?).  So I decided I wanted to install a larger hard drive.  I bought the hard drive for around $80 and had it in my hands within a few days.  I found a video with good instructions on how to install it (watched it a few times through to make sure I wasn't going to miss something) and off I went.  About half an hour later I had my computer put back together and turned on... not that it was going to turn on to anything.  The hard part was figuring out how to reinstall Mac OS X on it (see here).  Here was the instructional video I watched to replace my hard drive.  Thanks again to OWCmacsales for the video.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic, this is one game that I am very excited about.  The release date has not been announced yet, but whenever it comes out I will definitely be getting this game.  First off, this is a BA video that was released at E3 2011 earlier this week.  

I'm not a Star Wars geek or anything but I am a pretty big nerd and anything sci-fi is awesome in my book.  I've played a few Star Wars games including Lego Star Wars, and one of my favorites Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II for the original XBox.  I enjoy a game with a good story that is easy and fun to follow.  Other notable games include Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy X (most of the others I couldn't really get into).  Since most of my favorite games are RPG's I am really excited about this new Star Wars game.  

This game looks pretty awesome, and looks like it will be really enjoyable to play.  I'll leave you with this video.

My iPhone

I considered upgrading my iPhone to IOS 5, but decided not to because its not officially released and I'm not completely satisfied with the beta.  So here I am with my iPhone on IOS 4.3.2 because I'm to lazy to upgrade to 4.3.3.  Although I will get to that here in the next few weeks.

If you can't tell this is my jailbroken iPhone.  I was really hoping for a widget feature to come out with IOS 5 similar to what I currently have with Lockinfo.  I guess we will see what progress Apple makes on their newest IOS when it is finally released this fall.  I'm really looking forward to the new notification system as well as iMessage in IOS 5.  I like the UI of the iPhone, but jailbreaking it lets me customize my iPhone how I want to.  I'll go over a few tweaks I have made to my iPhone.  First off as you can see in the two pictures above I have a clock and weather widget that carries on from my lockscreen to my homescreen.  This is one of my favorite features because this way I can just glance at my lockscreen and see what the the weather forecast is for the next week.

I'm not a big fan of the iPhones native messages app, so as a solution I use biteSMS.  With the native messages app you have to open the app to be able to text your contacts, where as with biteSMS you can text from within any app you have open as well as directly from the lockscreen.  One really cool feature I like is the biteSMS quickreply feature.  Basically this lets you have a key to activate the feature then tap the screen to send a text (see below).  For my iPhone I press either of the volume keys then tap the onscreen block to bring up the quickreply window.  This works in landscape mode as well.

I'm a pretty organized person when it comes to computers and my phones, so I like to have folders to organize all of my stuff.  The same applies on my iPhone.  I don't like having my apps covering my whole screen in a disorganized way so I use folders, as well as infinidock.  Typically the IOS only allows you to have four apps/folders on your dock while the rest are on the springboard pages.  I have ten on a scrollable dock (see below).

With infinidock I am able to always have my widget show on my homescreen and instead of multiple pages of apps I only have ten apps/folders to find what I'm looking for.  The five apps I use the most are on the first page of my dock while the other five apps/folders I need are on the second page.  I also use inifinifolders which allows me to put as many apps in a folder as I want.  My Utilities folder has 42 apps in it.  

I'm definitely not a fan of the IOS multitasking system.  I think it is very poorly done and needs a bit of tweaking.  Cue Backgrounder plus Multifl0w.  Backgrounder basically takes over the multitasking system and allows you to set which apps you want to use multitasking and which ones you don't.  This helps free up some RAM therefore making your iPhone a little faster.  Multifl0w is my replacement for the IOS background popup bar at the bottom of the screen.  Multifl0w is more similar to the expose feature in Mac OS (see below).

                                    

Multifl0w shows you thumbnails of the applications you have open.  You can tap the red X to close the app or press the home button to return to wherever you were last.

The last tweak that I will talk about is something called SBSettings.  This is a pretty cool little feature because it gives you access to some settings pretty quickly without having to actually go into the settings menu.  Nothing really amazing about this just a little more utility.  There is definitely a learning curve to jailbreaking your iPhone and probably isn't for those who aren't very tech savvy.  There are plenty of sites out there that explain the process and are easy enough to follow.  That is all I have to say on the subject for now.

Installing Mac OS X on PowerBook G4

I few months ago a roughly seven year old PowerBook G4 (old Apple notebook) fell into my possession.  My fiance claimed my newer MacBook, so I took said PowerBook and deleted everything, hoping to jump start this CPU with the Mac OSX discs that came with my MacBook.  Little did I know that said discs don't work on computers other than the computer they were made for or something like that. So, I was stuck now with a PowerBook that didn't have an OS on it anymore to boot to (suck).  I could however boot off the discs that I had, just couldn't install from them...

enclaveforensics.com

My first thought, "Mistake".  Tried again, same thing.  Second thought was, "okay, there has to be a way around this".  So I scoured the internet for a solution.  Found some pretty crazy stuff like hold these keys and press this button this many times and crap like that.  I'm pretty good with computers but none of these ridiculous tips seemed like a dependable solution.  

This was the solution I came up with...

step 1:  Find a family version of Mac OS X or whatever and copy it to a thumb drive using disk utility on a newer mac that will read the Mac OS X DVD

step 2:  Create 2 partitions on the internal hard drive through Disc Utility.  Mine looked similar to this:

step 3:  Copy the Mac OS X installer onto the second (very important) partition you created in step 2 using the restore feature in Disk Utility.

• The source would be the original copy of the Mac OS X installer (ie. CD)
• The destination would be the partition you are copying to (ie. second partition of internal hard drive)
• Be sure to check the box that says 'Erase destination' then click 'Restore'

step 4:  Reboot the PowerBook and hold down the option (shown below left)key to show the startup manager.  Should look something like this:

                techiediva.com                                  support.apple.com

step 5:  Click on the hard drive labeled Mac OS X Install DVD (not the one with the picture of a DVD) and boot from that.

step 6:  This should bring you to the Mac OS X Installer which now needs to be installed on the first partition of the internal hard drive.

step 7:  Once the installation has completed you can repartition the hard drive to have only one partition through the disk utility feature in Mac OS X

I would have better pictures on how the steps go but A. I don't want to do it all over again (not that it's hard) and B. it seems that nobody else has anything on how to do this online.

New TV

amazon.com

I got this TV the semester before I graduated from college.  It was my pre-graduation gift from my parents.  I had always really wanted a big screen TV and was happy to get this one.  Only problem was about three months after I had this TV if you turned the TV on it would click like it was trying to come on then click off.  There would be no picture and I wasn't able to watch anything on it.  After speaking with Samsung about the problem they sent a tech out to check it out.  After replacing a board inside the TV they got the TV working again.  No worries right?  Wrong... after about six months there was a small strip down the middle that was cutting the picture in half.  It started out small then ended up being about one centimeter in width before I decided to call Samsung again.  They sent another tech guy out to take a look at the TV and he was going to replace the screen in the TV.  Before they got the new screen in I received an email from Samsung saying they were just going to give me a replacement TV.  Of course I said yes and about a week later the new TV arrived and was brought in.  

Samsung.com

Since technology is developed at such a fast pace this was the only equivalent they had at the time, which I was more than happy to receive.  The original TV that I had was a 720p HDTV with two HDMI ports, two composite ports, and the obvious coaxial port.  The new TV that was sent to me is still a 720p HDTV but is 3D enabled (which I don't really care about), has three HDMI ports, two component ports, one composite port, one VGA port, one 3.5mm audio port, and the RF input.  It also weighs about 20 pounds less than the original one that I had.  The picture quality is not noticeably different but the utility is a lot better.  I love the fact that I can plug my computer in it so I can watch TV shows online.   So far I have had this TV for over six months without any problems except the occasional flares I get when I play certain video games.  

Now the problem to overcome is the fact that I can't play video games while my fiance is watching TV on it.  So my next step is to get another TV that I can use solely to play video games on. So I'm pretty excited someday to get another one and so here I am looking at what is out there to get an idea, not that this will happen for at least another four months or so.  I definitely don't need another 50 inch TV so I was thinking something between 32 inches and 37 inches.  Since Vizio is the number one TV producer I thought I'd look into what they have.  This is what I found.

Vizio.com

This is a LED LCD HDTV... mouth full huh?  It has three HDMI ports, one composite/component port, one VGA input, (hopefully) the 3.5mm audio input, and the obvious RF input.  It also weighs about 25 pounds which is tiny compared to the current TV I have now.  I'll let you know what I decided to do in a few months from now.

Assassins Creed

Stuffwelike.com

The very first Assassins Creed game I played was the second one.  The first one didn't get a ton of hype when it came out which I can only assume was either because I was to busy with school at the time so I didn't notice if it did, or it just wasn't good.  I'll go with the latter, because honestly the game wasn't good.  But WOW, the sequel was awesome.  The game was more fluid, moving from one objective to the next seemed easier to follow than in the original.  The fight mechanics were done so much better, which is my favorite part since it kinda makes you feel invincible to fight they way you do.  The story line was also good and pretty easy to follow.  Got a little strange at the end though but interesting little twist.  I played the second version a couple of times through before the most recent, Brotherhood, was released.

eplay.co.uk

So what ever Assassin's Creed II didn't do very well, Brotherhood more than made up for.  The game mechanics seem fairly similar to those of the second game.  What really makes this game worth while for me is the recruiting and training of assassins.  I also really enjoy taking out all the enemy towers in each area and chasing down the captains or whatever they are.  There is always something to do, even if that is hunting down guards and killing them.  I really have no complaints about this game except I wish I could do more of everything.  It would be really cool if after a while you lost control of certain areas if you didn't visit them enough or regularly check in.  Then you would have to retake control like you had to do originally.  

zwoooooosh via youtube.com

 I'm excited about the next game that Ubisoft comes out with.  I believe that they are working on another Assassin's creed titled Revelations to be released in November of 2011.

Wikipedia.org

E3 official Trailer

E3 official gameplay trailer

Digital Media vs. Physical Media

Movies on blue ray look good, better than a regular dvd, but I don't like them.  I received a blue ray disc player for Christmas a few years ago and guess what I have ZERO blue ray disc.  "Why?" you ask... A regular dvd cost anywhere between $5 and $20 depending on how new it is.  A blue ray disc cost at least $20 no matter how old the movie is.

 I don't own a ton of movies to begin with even though sometimes I wish I did.  I feel that the way technology is moving that physical discs will eventually be obsolete, much like VHS's.  In my opinion blue ray discs are just a fad similar to mp3 discs back in the day(makes me sound old).  I don't know the stats and honestly I don't care that much to look it up for this, but look at mp3 files now.  I have very few actual CD's left in my inventory, granted I really have no way of listening to them since I have no CD player in my truck (if you saw it you would understand)...So, most of my music is in the form of mp3 files on my computer.  In fact I haven't even put any of the music I own on my iPhone.

Pandora.com

I'll try and let that speak for itself... Okay, so I use Pandora Radio via my iPhone all the time.  In the car, at home, at work.  It plays a bunch of songs that I enjoy to listen to as well as a lot of songs that are new to me.  Lucky for me I don't have to listen to commercials (don't ask, I won't tell) and therefore I get to enjoy one good song after another.  Of all my iPhone apps on my phone except maybe BiteSMS and the actual phone app on my phone Pandora Radio is my favorite and the most used.

Going back to blue ray discs, I will not ever, willingly, purchase another blue ray disc player.  I have an xbox 360, which I would love to upgrade in the next few years to the next version, on which I can play DVD's in HD.  One less device on my entertainment center is one less eye sore for me.

Headphones

Sound, comfort, and durability are the three things I was looking for in some headphones a couple months ago.  I was tired of the crappy Apple headphones that were hardly comfortable.  Just a little rubber type ring to cushion the ear was fine, or so I thought.  A couple of months after owning them the rubber ring started coming loose.  This lack of durability really made me not like these headphones.  These were the headphones that came with my phone when I got it.  I definitely wasn't about to by another pair.

So I started hunting for a different pair of headphones.  I wanted something with good sound; I knew that Bose had very good quality sound headphones but I wasn't willing to cash out $100 for them.  I looked at a lot of retailers and didn't really see any that stuck out to me.  So I started looking online.  The other fact that complicated my hunt was that I needed a pair that had a microphone with it similar to the ones above.  I started out at the Apple store online, and immediately found a pair that were not only reasonably priced but looked comfortable and the reviews said they had decent sound.  So I ordered them and received them in the mail a few days later.

 I have now had these headphones for a few months now and really like them.  They fit in my ears very comfortably and the sound is very good.  The only complaint I have with these is that the microphone doesn't really work very well.  I would definitely recommend these to anyone trying to save in the money department. I haven't had any problems with these getting beat up or falling apart yet so they seem to be pretty durable.  

IPhone 4 - IOS 5

I don't really understand what the deal is with brand fanatics or whatever you want to call them.  I won't lie but I really like Apple products.  At work I use a PC with Windows 7 on it and its freaking awesome, and at home I use a Mac which is also freaking awesome.  I will say that there are some things I find that bother me about some of Apples products, the IOS, and the Mac OS, but overall none of those put me off of the Apple brand.  I would say the exact same thing for Microsoft and many other brands.

So as to appeal to multiple audiences I will bash on a lot of stuff and praise other stuff.  I have had a little experience using an Android phone, and honestly it sucks in my opinion.  It's really hard for me not to favor the iPhone.  Also, a guy I work with has had both the iPhone and Android phones and prefers the iPhone.  This is really the only opinion I have gotten from someone who has owned both.  I prefer the simplicity and ease of use on the iPhone over the Android.  I will say that those widgets are pretty cool on the Android phone, but if the rumors are correct some form of widgets could be coming to the IPhone, via IOS 5.  I found some pretty cool looking screenshots of 'leaked' photos of the IOS 5.

Can't say for sure if these are real, but who cares they look sweet.  I like this one because its pretty much what I have seen with lockinfo but this looks a little more fluid.  Almost like it is part of the phone.  I would have like to have seen a weather widget on the lock screen.  Don't really want to have to unlock the phone in order to check the forcast, since where I live it could be 95 degrees one moment and raining cats and dogs 10 minutes later.  Needless to say looking good so far.

Okay, so I'm digging the new looking clock widget and the weather widget.  I read somewhere where there will possibly be a new icon (shown in the above photo, bottom right 'applications') that opens to all your folders and applications.

This one is interesting as it is similar to spaces or expose on the Mac OS.  I would have liked to see this function be used for multitasking instead of previewing all the pages of the iPhone home screen.  Guess I will have to continue to jailbreak my phone in order to use Multifl0w (That is if I did Jailbreak my phone).

I really like this new feature.  Bravo Apple for taking a note out of the jailbreaking community's book.  This is SBSettings at its finest.  There were some other features that I didn't really find interesting.  If you want you can click here to find out the stuff I didn't go over.  Thanks goes to Weiphone.com for the images.

Anyway I'll be interested to see how the next IOS really turns out.  I'm sure I will have an update with my opinion on it when it does come out.  This isn't all I have to say concerning phones but seeing as this is pretty recent news I figured I'd go ahead and talk about it.  Till next time!

The above pictures are not actual pictures from IOS 5.  I will write a revised post as to what was actually released in IOS 5 on Monday.

Hey

Welcome to anyone willing to read what I have to say.  So you know posts on this blog will contain things that I find interesting relating to 'Technology in my Life'.  This could be anything from tweaks I make to my iphone, upgrades to computers I have, video games that I enjoy to play, and every gadget that I wish I could have (and someday hope to).  There may be other things that find there way onto my blog but this is the short list.  

That's it, I was going to try and say more but whats the point.  I'd rather start blogging about fun things.