I’ve been on the dev version of google chrome since 2.x. I don’t mind a few bugs here and there, and for the most part I get to contribute. Since Chrome has finally released extension support there have been a few great ones that I need, and some that just don’t exist yet. I’m gonna go over a few of them here.

1)  
LastPass; Multi browser, multi platform, and the last pass you’ll ever need. This simple to use extension works on nearly every browser, syncs between them all, cloud based so it works on multiple computers, and best of all is free. There is a subscription model for $1 a day. It includes extra features like, iPhone and Android applications, Ad free, and Yubikey support. I hear a Palm WebOS version is in the making. FYI, you should always build secure passwords.

2)
Xmarks; Now that you’re passwords are sync’d you you probably want your bookmarks sync’d across browsers too. Xmarks is your program. Also based on a cloud platform, it allows you to keep your bookmarks sync’d across computers and browsers. As with Lastpass it has a web interface and sharing with friends.

3)

Web of Trust or WOT; is a great extension for finding those shady sites. Now Chrome is great at detecting phishing sites, but WOT extension adds little colored icons next to each link on your search page and gmail. It gives you a better view of sites to just outright avoid. You can also read what others had to say about it.

4)

Adblock; If you’re a Firefox user then you probably know what Adblock is. If not, then it does exactly what its named. Blocks Ads. I however do not use it. I”m sure its a great extension but I like a more system wide approach. I use Privoxy. Its a small application that is basically a pass through proxy, it listens on local host, and you just point your browsers to it. It then filters out anything that passes through it.

5)

Google Quick Scroll; Have you ever been searching for something and you get to a page, but you can’t seem to find it on the page? Here comes Google Quick Scroll to save the day. Basically the way it works is when you click on a link from a Google search page, if relevant enough it dumps to you the right place on the page and shows you a box. Its a great simple little addon, that in my opinion should just be built into the browser. However since there people who use chrome, but don’t use Google search, I could see how this might be a conflict. Anyway back to this plugin, it uses Google’s Magic to decide when the quick box should be shown.  Somehow it does seem to be there when I’m looking for it, and not when I don’t need it.

Misc Extensions:
There are tons of plugins out there, and more every day, The few others I use are;

• Quick Calendar
• Stumble Upon
• Cooliris
• KeyboardNavigation

Call for Development:

So I’ve been thinking about how I’d use the web more and more, I know Chrome is a baby in the Browser war, but its already its approaching its terrible twos and going to wreak havoc all over your virtual house.  I’m sure there is already a plugin for Firefox, but what I’m looking for is an extension that can be a notepad per sites. I already use Chromepad, but its one pad for everything. I would love to be able to put notes per site I’ve visted.

Its interesting with the current Facebook outage, and the last year or so of various cloud services failing that we learn how much we rely on the internet. Just 5 years ago we didn’t have such a vested interest in communicating online. The shift of information has changed.

Think about just 5 years ago. Facebook was still closed to college students only, it had only been around since feb 2004. No Twitter, No Youtube. Social media as we new it didn’t exist. We relied heavily on email, and instant messaging.  Broadband was still expensive and slow. You were lucky to get 1.5/128 broadband. Things like Google Maps wasn’t even around in 2004. I’m sure 99% of us used Mapquest since it was the only real online map site.

With a sense of disconnect we continue hitting refresh in the hope that we will get a glimpse or a update from someone somewhere telling us that things will be ok, or what shoes you are wearing. Information that seems so silly yet so vital to our daily lives.

We then turn to other online media sites and flood them trying to get the word out to increase the buzz yet we all already know its down just from a twitter search. Which in itself creates a catch 22. If no one reports it, no one knows about it, if tens of thousands of people twitter it then it becomes an epidemic, and more wildly known. Even if the outage only last for a few minutes. The 5 minutes of downtime will circle the blog-o-sphere casting a much needed doubt in the reliability of the information we rely on.

We complain when there is an outage but build cloud based services because some niche needs to be filled on the internet for us to store our content. yet is still prone to failures as is with anything.  Whats the next move? Cloud based computing, lets remove local storage and put it on the cloud and build a computer around it. Don’t get me wrong, I think Chrome OS is great, and for someone who just needs to browse the web, check email, and look at pictures. My parents who are getting better at using the internet as long as I tell them what browsers to use, what services to use, and most of all a virus/spyware program that emails me. Plus I tell them they are not allowed to install anything unless they call me. Usually I have a better idea of what they are looking for than some program they don’t need.

What do I tell them if they are using Google Docs, and Gmail, and Wave and Google breakfast maker and the cloud goes down?

What if its like my father who would use it for work and handle customer tracking. What does he tell his clients when something goes down? What if a service goes out of business. I wonder if someone has built a graph of startups with cloud/remote storage and failures vs success. I don’t Google would fail, because they have some of the most amazing technology, and Microsoft is releasing Office Live which is a cloud based document center. Everything is just moving to the web. I don’t even think I could function without a computer for more than 2 weeks. Not only would my Email get backed up, my work would explode, I wouldn’t even know how to pay bills via snail mail let alone check my account balance without going to an atm. Even then I’d have no idea how to figure out how to get a balance. I mean I’m sure I could figure it out, but the browser and online banking is just so much easier.

I dunno, honestly its going to be very interesting to see where online media and social network takes us next. If the U.S. was the broadband leader and we all had 100mbit wireless internet I think the web would jump a few version numbers from 2.0 to 16.9 in a matter of months. Everyone wants instant content, and they want it now.

Search engines alone are getting crazy accurate. The next logical step for them is to plus directly into our brains and make our memory searchable. How awesome would that be? Google Brain Search.

Yes, If I could have a internet connection planted into my brain with audio and video playback, and just think what I want. I would rob you, get it implanted, go on every knowledge game show and then pay you back with my winnings. Hey I’m just saying…

In a previous post I discussed my Media Center setup. After some time with my Logitech Harmony 880 Remote Control, I’ve been frustrated, annoyed, and ultimately happy with my remote. I’ve had this remote for about 2 months now. I picked it up at Costco for about $119.00, and was very excited to rip it open and play. Since I got it mid day, and I’m an instant gratification kind of person I ripped the box open and wanted to play with it. I held back, especially since I was at work, Its not like I was going to control anything in my office. So I put it on the charger. Great choice so I could play with it at home without having that hidden concern of breaking the manuals rules of a full charge before using.

When I first set it up, I thought I’d have it configured, and done. Never having to touch it again. I spent some time thinking I knew exactly how I wanted the remote and what activities I want where. Boy was I wrong. Here is my advice to using this remote.

Think about all the devices you have, TV, Stereo, Game Consoles, Computers, DVD players, whatever you have that you may want to do with a touch of a button. for me, I have TV, TV w/ Stereo for surround sound, Media Center, DVDs, and XBox. I setup all my devices to turn on each component that was dependent on the other.

For Media Center I had to turn on the TV, and the Stereo. After about 2 months of this setup I started to realize the fustrations I had with this remote. First I enjoy switching between tv and the media center all the time, mainly because sometimes I like to check on a download, or search a webpage. Using an activity for this was not really acceptable. My media PC Is always on, and having the activity turn everything off to turn other things on was just kind of time consuming. So on every single activity I modified the display screens left side buttons. They were the devices attached to the TV. HDMI1 HDMI2 and so on, but labeled a little smarter like TV, XBOX, PC, and well thats it. This way no matter which activity I was in, I could switch between inputs. I also didn’t like the fact that the remote turned off my PC. So I modified the Media center activity and Device options and set it never turn off this device. That has made things much much better.

The software is great. Its a mesh of an application and web based. You can tell it uses a lot of syncing with the web, which is good so you never loose your settings, however if the site fails or goes away I’m not sure how this will affect the remote in the long run. Being such a technology whore however, I’ll probably have replaced it by then.

Pros: Great battery life, syncs with PC, has a help button for GF’s who offer to make you some water for breakfast. Rechargeable, and is backlit based on movement.

Cons: I wish the Display was an OLED, and it had RF. Audio feedback would be nice. I would love to have a row of hardware device buttons, like TV, PC, and Stereo that change the soft buttons at the top, instead of having to hit devices.

Bottom line? I love the device, its a perfect fit for my technology driven home. I recommend it.

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts during my commute. Usually the podcasts I listen to are geared toward tech. Most of the news in these podcasts is news I’ve already read about, I have to thank Google Reader for that.

Lets discuss Youtube, Flash, and the changes to 3rd parties first.

Today on my commute I listened to Buzz Out Loud podcast #1111. In this podcast they discussed Youtube and its (unlike Googles) decision to restrict the API for devices connected to TV’s. While they made some excellent points, I have a theory on why all of this has happened.

Lets look at the timeline…

1. Adobe announced a new beta of their flash player using hardware acceleration. This new player makes use of the GPU of devices to play better video, and overall a better flash experience.

2. Youtube announced 1080p content rolling out.

3. Youtube restricts API usage to only license partners.

Looking at all of this you have to wonder if there was some sort of strategy behind all of this. What each company gains, and what each company stands to loose. Youtube has been trying to find a business model to build a revenue stream.  Adobe gives flash away for free, and my guess would love to build a licensing model for 3rd party hardware vendors. If Youtube is trying to bring paid content to their platform, wouldn’t it be difficult to bring said content of these content providers if they have to compete with their own products? Mainly television.

With Youtube closing the gap to their API and only allowing the flash based API to work, this gives Adobe the ability to license its Flash player to hardware vendors which brings them additional revenue. The restrictions that now exist on the API for vendors not using flash require licensing agreements, like the ones they have with Panasonic and Sony. In less than two weeks all of these changes have taken place. I just can’t believe its all not related.

With companies like Boxee getting ready to provide hardware devices with integrated software to allow Youtube, and other online social networking platforms to connect directly to your TV, why wouldn’t you want to get them to license that?

Lets discuss Google’s aquisition of Gizmo5. This was mainly a discussion from a podcast of Twit where Leo Laporte, and John C Dvorak discussed Google Voice and Gizmo5. Everyone talks about how you can use Google Voice to connect to Gizmo, which can connect to skype to get free inbound numbers. What people don’t realize is you can connect physical devices to Gizmo5. They allow you to register Sip Devices, which include ATA’s, Desk Phones, Soft Clients, Mobile Clients, and even Asterisk boxes. Imagine the power of being able to register your device like a Linksys Pap2 (popular Vonage device) and put it in your house and have it linked to your Google Voice account.

Google Voice already allows you to connect your mobile phone for voicemail and outbound calling. Then there are rumors of a Google Phone. I think its coming and I’ll tell you why. If you remember Google bid on the 700mhz frequency. I don’t think they even wanted it, but they got what they did want. They pushed for open standards, open networks, and open devices. If you think about it, a data only phone would fit right into their strategy. A sip based client on a phone takes care of voice, which links into Google Voice, which could tie into your home phone.  I think when the time is right, Google is going to ask for their “Open Devices Favor” and get exactly what they want. The ability to provide a device that works only with data, and gives them the ability to still provide every service they want to offer, including voice.

This is my take on it all,

Andrew

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a total nerd, I would say geek, but something about biting the heads off chickens just doesn’t do it for me. But ya never know I’m always up for trying new things. This post is going to get semi nerdy and if you can’t follow along I’ve gone ahead and sectioned off the extreme nerd part, so just skip over it if you like, or not, frankly you probably will read it anyway so I don’t care and is mainly for my own personal amusement.

# Extreme Nerd Alert #

A few months ago I bought a new TV. My first HDTV. I’ve had Verizon Fios for years but just never plugged in the HD service because I was waiting for the right tv. I have this huge storage array I call Tiger, its a server that runs gentoo, with about 4tbs of storage. I keep all my music, and ripped movies on it for easy access. My old media PC wasn’t cutting it anymore. It was an old Athlon 1.6, and only had S Video out on it. I wanted HDMI and 1080P streaming. So I built a new Media PC or HTPC. After a bunch of research I landed on the ZOTAC GF9300-D-E. I loaded it with the following specs

• Pentium E5300 2.6ghz Dual core processor
• Corsair 4gb ram
• 250gb 7200 rpm Sata drive

Apex MI-008 Case

All in a APEX MI-008 case. Although the stock CPU would not fit which I read was going to be a problem, was not an issue since we have a stock of them at the office for servers and usually its not hard to find a low profile one. Problem Solved. I loaded Windows 7, because I wanted the full Media Center experience. I used to be a MythTV person, but it just took too much work to keep it running, and updates and everything were just out of control. Plus with MyMovies, now my movie collection is organized and it looks amazing.

Screenshot of Movie Screen

It has a built in collection management, It can handle seasons of TV shows which is a big deal for me since if I really like a TV show I’ll save it.

I have not however hooked it up to the Cable. Verizon Fios DVR is just too good to let go. Plus I hate dealing with compatibility of the IR and crap.

Anyway, I’m very happy with my setup, I had a full keyboard and mouse setup. It worked great but was a little big to manage especially for casual browsing and making changes. So yesterday I went on a new keyboard hunt. I searched all over to find a new one and finally settled on a Logitech diNovo Mini. The thing is beautiful, tiny, and rechargeable. It will go perfectly with my Logitech Harmony 880.  I’ll post a proper review of the Mini keyboard after I’ve used it for a while. The remote is nice, I have to spend some more time with it since I need to make adjustments here and there so things do what I want when I hit an activity. We’ll see. But its all coming together nicely.

# End of Nerd Alert #

So onto the Home Security Section. A recent episode due to a friend of a friend of a friend caused my house to be broken into. While they took nothing of mine, except some pillow cases, a few laundry baskets, they took his turn tables, mixer, and a few other things. Either way it could have been much worse. Said friend is no longer living with me, and I have my house to myself again. But who says they won’t be back to take the really good stuff.

I came across a post on LifeHacker the other day. Vitamin D turns your webcam into a security cam. You see I have lots of old webcams, and network cameras that just are too much of a pain to always watch. Thats where Vitamin D comes in handy. Its currently free and I’ll probably buy it if they add remove viewing ability, but its a feature it currently lacks.

I have it currently setup in the only access point of my house. The front door and the large windows pretty much cover the major area of where all my toys are. I have 3 views. One from the TV in, One from the Back to the TV, and One from the Side to the front door. Pretty much there is no way you can walk into my house and not be caught by a camera.

Yes I own a rocking chair, why would you not want one? and Yes its a little bit of a mess because I was up late last night coding so eat me. I do want to do a side project with more cameras. I want to record the movements of the cats over a time lapse of a few days. I have a feeling that there are patterns that they use when they go place to place. I have 3 cats and I have a feeling they take turns in different areas. Although I don’t think the rotation is every 3 days, I think its more like a few weeks, I’m not sure I can record that much. I’m gonna see if its possible with some sort of camcorder and external drive. If I can get 2 weeks worth of sunrise to sunset. I think I can have some awesome video. If you know of a good way to do this let me know.

On another note, I did finally get a Couch (yes I was couch-less. we can blame the last breakup. I also replaced my entertainment center with the one you see pictured. Its very nice, and much more organized. The old entertainment center was more of two end tables pushed together and a board on the top. Yes it was ghetto, but it worked until I found something I really wanted.

The next big purchase is a new TV for the bedroom. Thankfully the Bed has already been purchased. I had to cancel and order and cancel it a few times to get it right, but the new Select Comfort is coming soon. I know its expensive. Like 2k expensive but if you think about it you spend about half your life in bed. I don’t know about you, but I love sleeping (not that I get to do much of it).  On that note, I’m going to make like a baby and head out.

So after months and months of fighting faxing in asterisk, i was able to come up with a solution. All over the internet is a lot of references of app_nv_fax detect. good luck finding it. Especially good luck with getting it to work on asterisk 1.6.

So here is my contribution to the world. I was able get it functioning, and here is the code, and what you need. This was testing on 1.6.1.6. It should work on 1.6.1 and higher.

Download the asterisk source, and then download these 2 files app_nv_backgrounddetect.c and app_nv_faxdetect.c and put them into your asterisk.x/apps/ directory

then run ./configure, make, and make install they should get installed into your install directory or if you didn’t choose one they are in /usr/lib/asterisk/modules/

since I only use backgrounddetect this is what my extentions.conf file looks like

exten => _X!,1,Answer()
exten => _X!,2,AGI(GetGreeting.agi)
exten => _X!,3,NVBackgroundDetect(${greeting},t)
exten => _X!,4,AGI(Capture.agi)
exten => _X!,5,Hangup

The way my setup works is I lookup the DID and find out what greeting I’m suppose to use, and then i set the variable using Asterisk::AGI

So far my failure rate is about 1 in 500. Which for sip, and g711u is good enough for me. The largest fax I’ve recieved was 30 pages. If you have to get a fax larger than 30 pages use email. I’m sure it will take more, but the fax machine couldn’t fit any more pages in the read tray

Ok so Look at this picture to the left. This was a post titled…

If My Brain Ran Windows, This Would Be How My Task Manager Looks

So this is a great image, however the order is all messed up for me. Food and Drinks are usually important, sex is great. If I had to reorder this it would be as follows

Drink
Play
Sex
Food
Work

So ok, Well there is an issue here, sadly work tends to be first. I love playtime. It doesn’t have to be sexual, just has to be fun, random, and probably a little crazy. Only because if you can’t enjoy life, than what is the point. While I can be the responsible adult that I forced myself to become due to the way I grew up. I am still a kid at heart, and while some people don’t get my sense of humor, I frankly don’t care. If you don’t like me… well I hate you too.

So going through my web traffic i notice this is hit all the time. So i figured just post it up to explain it.

I didn’t write it, I’ve just hosted it for a very long time, The guy who did i think you can find by clicking on his name at the bottom.

Its neat idea, and if you get really really stumped let me know and I’ll give you the answer privately. Just contact me via email.