26 Miles

My Favorite USB Flash Drive

// August 9th, 2005 // No Comments » // Technology

After experiencing several occasions where a USB Flash Drive would have been handy, I did some research to determine the best solution.

I ultimately settled on the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium, based on a number of factors, including this review by cNet.

cNet and others gave it very high marks for durability and file transfer speed. They even ran over it with a Volkswagen Beetle and couldn’t destroy it.

It’s compatible with Windows 98, 2000, XP, Mac OS 8.6 or higher, and Linux kernel 2.4 and higher operating systems.

It’s available in 512MB and 1.0GB offerings at office supply stores or from a variety of sources online for between $39 and $145, depending on which version you buy. A 2.0GB version will be available “soon” according to the company.

For more information:
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium
cNet.com Review of the Cruzer
Amazon.com Reviews of the Cruzer
Buy It On Froogle.com

Deleting IMAP Folders in Thunderbird

// August 9th, 2005 // No Comments » // Technology

I’ve run into this issue more than once so I thought I’d pass it along.

By default, deleting IMAP folders in Mozilla’s Thunderbird email client produces this error (I’m currently using version 1.0.2 on WinXP).

To fix, go to “Tools -> Account Settings -> [account name] Server Settings”, “Advanced” and uncheck the option for support for folders within folders, then you should be able to delete the folder.

For more information:
IMAP folder cannot be deleted

Embedded Windows Media in Firefox

// August 6th, 2005 // No Comments » // Technology

I just went through a rather lengthly effort to get Windows Media files (wmv) working in Mozilla’s Firefox web browser, so I thought I’d pass along what I’ve learned.

Step 1.)
It appears that the default Windows Media 9.x/10.x installation doesn’t install the needed plug-ins into the Mozilla Firefox plug-ins directory, so I had to do that manually.

(All examples are Windows XP Home/Windows Media Player 10)

Copy these three files:
c:Program FilesWindows Media Playernpdrmv2.dll
c:Program FilesWindows Media Playernpdsplay.dll
c:Program FilesWindows Media Playernpwmsdrm.dll

To here:
c:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxplugins

Reboot computer.

Step 2.)
Because I couldn’t get it working by doing just that and using an OBJECT tag in my HTML, I went ahead and used the Active X Control available for Firefox, available here.

Drag the .xpi file into the Firefox window.
A security warning will ask if you want to install it.
Select the install option.
Restart Firefox.
Clear Browser Cache (Tools->Options->Privacy->Cache->Clear->OK)

Step 3.)
Finally, I used the code from the Active X Plugin Tester page on my page to embed the player. After that the video rendered properly in both Firefox 1.0.6 and IE 6.0.

<object classid="CLSID:6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6" type="application/x-oleobject"
codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version=6,4,5,715"
standby="Loading Microsoft Windows Media Player components..."
width="280" height="260">
<param name="url" value="myfile.wmv"></param>
<param name="autostart" value="true"></param>
<param name="ShowStatusBar" value="true"></param>
<param name="volume" value="100"></param>
<param name="stretchToFit" value="true">
<p>
ActiveX is not installed or is not working properly.
If you are using Firefox, please refer to the following Guide:
<a href="http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=206213">
Embedded Windows Media in Firefox
</a>
</p>
</param>
</object>


For more information:
Full Step-By-Step Guide: Embedded Windows Media in Firefox 1.0-1.0.6

So You Decided To Build A Home

// August 6th, 2005 // No Comments » // Life

Some good friends of ours who are starting a custom home building company made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. To help launch their business, they had considered building a few homes for close friends – at a discount over traditional builders – in order build reference accounts.

We’ve put a contract on a cul-de-sac lot a few miles from our current home and hope to close by the end of the month. We’ve been looking at home plans and have some ideas but nothing firm yet. We expect we’ll put our current house up for sale soon and start construction on the new house in October or November sometime.

We thought it would be worth recording our home-building experience here for future reference.

We’re excited about it. We’ve never built a house before but have several friends and family members who have so we’ll have lots of resources to call on for sanity checks.

Most of all, we’re thankful for the generosity of our friends who are offering to build it for us. It’s a truly unique opportunity.

Secure Kids

// August 5th, 2005 // No Comments » // Security & Privacy

Today I read an article on Bruce Schneier’s blog about the increasing trend of parents using technology to help keep track of their kids activities/movements/behaviors.

Sure, as a sociologist (I knew that degree would come in handy…), I think this is disturbing in a sense. But as a parent, I can certainly sympathize with the need to do anything you can to be sure your kids are safe.

I’ve often lamented the paranioa so many parents express through the “stranger danger” mantra, often digressing into diatribes that start something like: “When I was five-years-old I rode my bike 5 miles into town, across a freeway,…in the snow….uphill both ways….and WITHOUT A HELMENT!!” No sooner am I finished than I realize I can’t imagine giving my kids that same freedom at that age.

It’s something my wife and I will probably wrestle with until after they’re grown and have their own families. I was a good kid, but even I almost died any number of times during my “typical” male, mostly suburban adolescence.

Like anything, moderation is necessary when using technology to “track” your kids, and should never be a substitute for knowing your neighbors and building strong bonds between yourself, your kids, and your community. That said, reasonable use of the technology available (i.e. cell phones) can provide peace of mind our parents’ generation never knew.

I believe there’s a happy medium to be had between making our kids satellite-tracked, paraniod cave-dwellers and absent-minded victims-in-wating. Extremism on either side won’t achieve the best results. Kids need to understand that the world is full of mostly good, but some bad people – and how to deal with them. Parents need to take reasonable steps to be sure their kids know how to handle themselves in different situations, and then let them have room to explore and grow and understand their world.

It’s up to each of us to nurture our kids and our communities so that they’re places we can feel comfortable giving our kids that freedom.

For more information:
Salon.com Article
Bruce Schneier’s Blog