jaycee dot com

[Breaking News] 2.50/2.60 Downgrader - v5 Beta Released

2006-07-01T10:39:00.000-04:00

A new PSP downgrader has been created by Dark_Alex with help from Yoshihiro and Mathieulh. This DOWNGRADES any 2.50/2.60 PSPs without a TA-082 mainboard. After 7 months of being told it's impossible, Sony now has a new problem on their hands with their PSP being downgradeable again! SWEET!!!!

read more | digg story

Just the three of us.

2006-06-17T06:47:00.000-04:00

Just the three of us.,
originally uploaded by jwcorder.

Me and my 2 sons.

(With PICS) World's First PSP Modchip - Install Pic & Features Lis

2006-05-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

Awesome...get my 90 bucks ready.

read more | digg story

22Pixels Photoshop Flock, 7000 Resources For Photoshop, One File Download!

2006-04-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Photoshop Flock contains 153 Fonts, that self install, 158 brush packs for Photoshop 7 and up, self install, and over 50 additional packs , self install. Photoshop Flock contains over 7000 individual presets, in addition to the 150 fonts. All in one file, one download, one install, free.

read more | digg story

New arrival.

2006-04-29T08:44:00.000-04:00

Lazy days,
originally uploaded by jwcorder.

As promised, here is a photo of the new insomniac bundle of joy.

Share Wifi With Your Neighbor So You Can Both Surf Twice As Fast

2006-04-29T07:46:00.000-04:00

Yet another reason to be neighborly...."researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign want you and your neighbors to get together and share your WiFi signal in a method that supposedly delivers better performance to each individual user."

read more | digg story

Amateur Hacks Into US Military Computers Looking for UFO and Aliens Truth

2006-04-27T16:34:00.000-04:00

An amateur exposed security flaws in US governmental computers to unlock the truth about UFO's and aliens. Sure sounds like they exist. Know he's going to jail or worse. Just a curious hacker? Or another stab for the man on domestic terrorism?

read more | digg story

Dvorak on Internet Explorer: The Great Microsoft Blunder

2006-04-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

This dude is an idiot. Every month he mouths off about a new topic. I can't tell if he takes the road less traveled for show, or if he needs to be medicated.

read more | digg story

Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects

2006-04-26T12:13:00.000-04:00

If you are like me, you have tons of dead hard drives laying around. This gives you something to do with those dead drives.

read more | digg story

Handy freeware programs to put on a USB stick

2006-04-26T12:08:00.000-04:00

A list of free programs that do not require an installation and can be used directly from your USB stick or any other removable drive

read more | digg story

New Dell Hot Deals

2006-04-21T06:27:00.000-04:00

Dell Home has new coupons...

$20 off $150, code: B0FT?4NVX46RCH
$35 off $300, code: P56JCWM80XVWCD
$60 off $500, code: WVL6T6W?5JTKWJ

Dell Ultrasharp 1907FP 19" LCD Monitor for $219 when using the $35 coupon.
Dell Ultrasharp 2001FP 20" LCD Monitor for $371 after the $60 coupon.
Xbox 360 Core Bundle 2 for $470 when applying code QGM7T0C1C2TVVD and the above $60 coupon. This bundle comes with the Xbox 360 system, 2 wired controllers, 64MB memory unit, and 3 games (Project Gotham Racing, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and Fight Night Round 3).
Xbox 360 Platinum Bundle for $630 when applying code QGM7T0C1C2TVVD and the above $60 coupon. This bundle comes with the Xbox 360 system, 2 wireless controllers, hard drive, headset, Component HD cable, 12 months of Xbox Live, and 3 games (Project Gotham Racing 3, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and Fight Night Round 3). Best Buy sells this for $760...WHOOT!

This coupon will go fast, hasn't been around in about 6 weeks so jerk these deals up.

Flickr

2006-04-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

How Evil Are You?

2006-04-20T14:29:00.000-04:00

Ok. So I am 79% evil....how about you?

Machiavellianism is the term psychologists use to describe a person's tendency to deceive and manipulate others for gain. So how evil are you? Take this Machiavelli personality test and find out...

read more | digg story

An iPod in every home.

2006-04-20T09:32:00.000-04:00

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2006 second quarter ending April 1, 2006. International sales accounted for 43% of the quarter's revenue. Apple shipped 1,112,000 Macintosh computers and 8,526,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 4% growth in Macs and 61% growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.

read more digg story

Lazy

2006-04-20T06:56:00.000-04:00

Ok so I been lazy and haven't updated my blog in over a year. Lots of stuff has changed. New kid, new position at work, various other tidbits if anyone cares. I will update with some pictures later.

How To Make A Telemarketer Cry (or, Suing Bozos for Fun & Profit)

2005-05-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

I can't take the credit for this, but I found this story a while back and it is mildly entertaining. Not to mention that by using this lawyer's steps, you can take it to the man.

read more | digg story

2000 Uses for WD40

2005-05-26T08:57:00.000-04:00

There are some dups here, so it should probably be called 1500 uses for WD40. These were compiled from WD40's official site of everyday uses. Some of those are pretty cool.

read more | digg story

Review of System 0001 War Spying Box

2005-05-25T21:57:00.000-04:00

Let me start out by saying I am not a critic, I am not a reporter, hell I am hardly a decent writer. I am however a Geek and this is my review of Systm 0001. I just got home and watched the first episode. I am several days behind the rest of the world, but what can I say I lead a busy life.

All I can say is G4 should be scared, very scared. I am impressed. As I watched the first episode I got familiar sense of joy. After I thought about it for a few minutes I remembered why. I reminded me of the segment Dan and Kevin did on TSS about wardriving with AirSnort.

This is the perfect tech "Show". This is what TSS used to be and this is what G4 destroyed. Why should G4 care? Because this is what "we" want to see. Give me less bullshit and more tech. Don't polish it and make it pretty and fill it full of commercials. Most of us give a damn less about the Circuit City Digital Digs Sweepstakes and more about tech.

The first episode is not without flaws. There aren't many, but here are my gripes. Where is the details? I realize that they must want to keep the size down, but this is a torrent file. Expand the coverage. Give us some details. Show us a step by step. Don't rush it. That's one thing I really hated about TSS was that they flew through the details all because they had to cram it into a 10 minute segment or less. This is a different format. If you give me a little more, I will love it even more. What about the cost of the spying box? Where did you order the parts? Are there online resources for wiring and schematics? Those are all things that would have helped me want to build the thing.

What more can I say? I loved it. I give it an 8/10. The only thing it lacked was details and T&A which I will expect when the next episode of thebroken comes out. Mad props to Kevin, Dan, and the crew. It is amazing to see someone taking it to the big boys. G4 has to be a little bit worried. The following you guys have can cause them some problems if it takes off. I envision you with your own show before long, 40s or not. Some corporate big wig will get wind of the amount of traffic you are getting and scoop you up.

If you want to download the episode get it here. See Kevin's site here. Check out Dan here. It is good to see tech back in the form it should be. May G4 hang their heads in shame. Last thing, congrats to Kevin for getting out of that hell hole.

Lazy lately

2005-05-12T23:58:00.000-04:00

So I been really lazy lately and haven't posted in about 2 weeks. Well, not so much lazy as just busy. I am restoring my bro's 1970 Ford F100. See the pictures below. It is going to take alot of my time and a ton of money that I don't have so hear comes the begging part. If you would like to contribute, make a donation by clicking the donate here link to right or click on a sponsor link. It is going to take about a 1000 bucks to get the truck ready for the road and I don't have that right now.

Anyway, I hope to post more. Just busy trying to get things back to normal. Thanks for all the links and posts. I didn't realize how popular the site has become since I made the front page of Digg.

Later.

2005-05-12T23:48:00.001-04:00

Other side is the same way. Might be time for a rebuild.

2005-05-12T23:48:00.000-04:00

Shot of the motor, notice oil under intake manifold and around valve covers.

2005-05-12T23:47:00.001-04:00

Final complaint on the this piece.

2005-05-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

This corner is creased bad. Another reason to replace this whole piece.

2005-05-12T23:46:00.000-04:00

Hard to see here, but I am concerned over the rusted out spot at the bottom of the picture. Metal is pretty thin right there. I don't know how hard it would be to either fix this or replace the whole piece.

2005-05-12T23:45:00.002-04:00

Driver side fender is bad off too.

2005-05-12T23:45:00.001-04:00

Passenger fender is shot, I took it off right after taking this pic.

2005-05-12T23:45:00.000-04:00

Front completely crushed.

2005-05-12T23:44:00.001-04:00

Tailgate is in pretty good shape. Nice big ass scratch down the back right side.

2005-05-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

About the only shot that doesn't make you cringe.

2005-05-12T23:43:00.001-04:00

Looks bad, I know.

2005-05-12T23:43:00.000-04:00

Shot of the motor

Great resource for modding your Motorola VXXX

2005-04-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Check out this link http://manalive95.divergencetech.com/html/how-to_s.html for an awesome page on hacking your Moto Vxxx. You can remove all the proprietary brandings, copy games, change your color schemes, and change just about every feature on your phone. This is a great resource and by using this site and some basic search engine knowledge, you can really open up some cool features in your phone. Post any great hacks in the comments section. Later.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Review

2005-04-27T18:28:00.000-04:00

So I watched Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events over the weekend. It was overall a decent film. I give it a B-. Jim Carrey as always does a great job playing several different characters all related to Count Olaf. I haven't read any of the books, but I found the film milding entertaining.

It is a good film to watch with your kids. I watched it with my 4 year old and he understood the film and enjoyed it. The kid actors in the film, forgive me for not imdbing their names did a great job. The special effects are good and overall you can't go wrong with the film.

I have seen better, but if you like Tim Burton movies, then you will enjoy Snicket's.

Pointless Self Promotion

2005-04-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

Ok, so now that I have introduced myself to about 5000 individuals, I thought I would do some blatant self promotion.

My name is Joshua Corder, I am 25, I live in a rural backwoods town in Ronda, North Carolina. I am in IT and have been since I got out of High School. I currently work for Lowe's Companies, Inc. doing Store PC support for over 1100 stores nationwide. I support 2020, M2o, and various other applications. I also have the fun job of admining about 80000 machines on our network. They range from thin clients to pcs.

I also do moonlighting on the side for various people/corporations within 100 miles of me.

I enjoy the darker side of tech. I enjoying modding and finding hacks for any device that can be broken. From my Tivo to my watch, if there is a way to hack it I love toying with it.

That brings me to the purpose of this blog. It created this to give me an outlet to the world to list things I think are cool, share my ideas and complaints, and to help me discover new pastimes to keep me busy. I welcome your feedback. Feel free to email me @ josh.corder @ gmail dot com. I hope to post often here and I hope you come here often. Feel free to click my sponsor links and send me anything you think I could do to make this site better.

Top Ten Reasons I Hate My iPod

2005-04-23T10:44:00.000-04:00

Ok so I know this may be an unpopular post, but here goes anyways. This is the top ten reasons why I hate my iPod.

read more | digg story

Top 10 Reasons I Hate My iPod

2005-04-23T10:30:00.001-04:00

Ten Reasons I Hate My iPod

Ok so I know if I posted this on /. It would get modded down as flamebait, and after reading this half the geeks in the world are going to hate me, but I am going to state this out loud……I don’t like the iPod. I will say that it is the best mp3 player on the market but it could be better. It’s just not great. Maybe it’s the fact that I am not an Apple guru. I live, support, and work in a MS world. Maybe it is that great and I don’t know it because it’s all I have ever used. Maybe I am crazy…..I don’t know…but below are the top 10 reasons I hate my iPod.

1. It doesn’t work well with Windows. – Now I know what you are saying. Who cares? It’s made by Apple. The problem is, if it were made by another vendor, let’s say Creative, it would have great Windows operability built in. 9 out of 10 times I have problems with my iPod it is with the way it communicates with the Windows OS. I have problems were my PC won’t see the iPod and I have to reinstall the software at least once a month. As long as MS owns 90 some odd percent of the market Apple can’t ignore this. Now if you look at just the people who own iPods I would venture to say that it’s a 50/50 market share, but in my opinion it is obvious that Apple made the iPod work just well enough with Windows to make me want to buy a Mac.

2. You have to use iTunes to put music on it. – That’s right. By design, the only way to move music to the iPod is through iTunes. Now there may be applications out there that will get you around this built in limitation, but straight out of the box, with no hacks, you have to add all of your music to your iPod through iTunes. iTunes isn’t bad, but I like some of the other mp3 applications on the market better. I would prefer the ability to just drag and drop files and have the iPod pick them up.

3. The headphone jack is not a perfect line out. – If you want to hook your iPod up to your home stereo or to your car’s stereo deck, the only way to get true, non-distorted audio is to use the line out port that is on the dock. Even with the EQ off, the audio isn’t pure. See reason 4 why that sucks.

4. The accessories are expensive. – My iPod came with one dock, a firewire cable, the USB 2.0 cable, and the power adapter. The problem is that I need two docks. New docks are 39.99 at most stores. That’s not too bad, except it is ONLY for the dock. Add on 39.99 for more cables and then another 39.99 for a separate power adapter and suddenly you are looking at 120.00 for accessories. I might as well just buy an iPod Shuffle. Of course if you own a BMW you might expect to pay to keep it up.

5. You can’t keep it clean. – The iPod is a beautiful piece of hardware. Fresh out of the box, the iPod looks like it belongs in an Operating Room. It’s glossy white front cover and stainless steel back are truly a work of art. Now fast forward 6 months. The white is turning brown and for the life of me I can’t keep the fingerprints off the steel case. And everything it comes in contact with scratches the shit out of the player.

6. You can’t find a decent case that still allows you to dock the iPod – Speaking of scratches; I thought that I would buy as case as soon as possible to prevent scratches on my iPod. I looked all over for a good case that would allow me to dock the iPod and I have found very few. You think it would be easy to design a good case that the bottom snaps off or create a slightly oversized dock that allows you to put the iPod in with a case on it. That would be worth 40 bucks to me. Instead, I had to buy one of those cheap iSkin cases off of Ebay and cut about a ½ inch off the bottom of it. Still scratches the shit out of the iPod every time I dock it.

7. If the battery runs down, you have to Shuffle your songs again. – I have about 9000 songs on my iPod. I use the shuffle feature more than any playlist I have because I like random music. The problem is that if I let the battery die, I have to Shuffle again. This is trivial I know, but Apple could have tied the shuffle memory into a small lithium ion battery backup just like what my PDA has to keep my data save in the event the battery dies.

8. The battery – Just the battery in general. When I first got my unit, I thought the battery was great. It would go for about 13 hours before I had to charge it. Which is awesome…but in 5 short months, that time has dropped to about 7 hours between charges. Once it dies, the only way to replace it is to send it to Apple. This is something else they could have done a better job with. If I can change the battery in my PDA, my cellphone, my cordless phone at home, and my digital camera, I should be able to swap it out in my iPod without killing the warranty or frying the unit.

9. The click wheel – In general the click wheel is a great innovation. It keeps the design simple and attractive. My problem with it is that when you have the amount of songs I have on my iPod (800 artists, 1200 albums, over 9000 songs) using the click wheel to scroll through the playlists is a carpal tunnel nightmare. If Apple would just put a hotkey on the iPod to jump 20 or 50 artists/albums/songs down the list it would eliminate this problem.

10. People use it as a fashion statement. – Everyone here has either seen these people or you are one of these people. On the bus, on the way to work, walking through the mall, they are holding their iPod like it’s their first born son, white headphones in their ears, dancing gaily (not as in homosexually as in happily, merrily, without a care in the world) like one of those idiots in the iPod commercials. OKAY SO YOU HAVE AN iPOD. Congratulations. It’s not like anyone with 400 bucks can’t go get one too. Jeez……

Adding an HDD to a slim PS2

2005-04-23T08:56:00.000-04:00

This is a sweet hack for the PS2, but I would make damn sure my soldering skills are A+ before even opening the case. I think I would just rather buy an fat PS2 off of Ebay than attempt to do this. Of course, I can't solder two nickels together.

read more | digg story

MPAA Paid Off NYPD To Stop Bootleggers?

2005-04-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

I hate the MPAA more and more. They have to be worse than any mafia I have ever seen.

Two NYPD veterans are being investigated by Internal Affairs for allegedly accepting payoffs from the motion-picture industry to arrest vendors of pirated DVDs, law-enforcement sources told The Post.

read more | digg story

2005-04-20T23:10:00.002-04:00

Final pic of the bushing. Pisses me off more and more.

2005-04-20T23:10:00.001-04:00

another shot of the busted bushing.

2005-04-20T23:10:00.000-04:00

Bushing that holds the shifter to the linkage cable went out on the Neon yesterday. I told you guys it was a piece of crap.

Tutorial on repairing a NES

2005-04-15T23:49:00.000-04:00

For all you old schoolers out there.

Here's a tutorial on how to replace the connector inside of your NES to fix the blinking colors problem when it's powered on.

read more | digg story

2005 Fortune 500 - Lowe's up 7 spots

2005-04-15T23:47:00.000-04:00

Get complete listings of all 500 companies, plus company profiles with full list and industry data, up-to-date stock information, and FORTUNE articles.

I had to list this here because My Company moved up 7 spots to number 43.

read more | digg story

Google Does Package Tracking

2005-04-15T23:41:00.000-04:00

Enter any shipping order tracking number in google(UPS, FedEX, whatever) and google will track it. Plus you can enter VIN numbers and much more! SWEET SWEET SWEET

read more | digg story

LCD prices set to crash

2005-04-15T23:33:00.000-04:00

Market research firm Displaysearch says that the cost of making LCD panels will drop by up to 62 per cent over the next couple of years. Combine this with organic price erosion, and we could be looking at 17-inch LCD displays at well under ÃÂ£100 a piece by the end of next year. Anyone think this is true? I can't imagine paying 100 bucks for a 17" LCD after I just bought this damn one here for 250.

read more | digg story

Firefox: "Always Use Protection" condom Poster

2005-04-15T23:32:00.000-04:00

New Firefox Poster that has been released. This post is awesome! I need to take it to Staples and get a good printed copy.

read more | digg story

Racing...

2005-04-12T23:15:00.000-04:00

So I decided that I would go to Martinsville on Sunday. I needed to get away with everything that had been going on and a connection of mine scored me 2 cold passes for the day so we loaded up at 5am on Sunday and headed to Martinsville. We go there at 7am, got our passes, and hung out in the pits until about 11:30. I got some autographs and watched the driver's meeting. It was awesome. We bought some cheapo tickets outside of Turn 2 and watched the race from there. I got sunburned all to hell but it was a great time. My first sober race in 5 years or more.

Things to remember when going to Martinsville:

Take your sunblock.
Buy tickets early.
Bring a good Sharpie.
Bring a seat cushion.
Stay in your seat when the race is over. No since standing by the gate for 15 mins while everyone herds out.
Stop at the Bojangles/Shell Gas on 220 North on your way to the track. I saw Robbie Loomis in there getting a biscuit at 6am. The parking lot was full and 80% was crew members.

I also discovered that Rusty Wallace is a complete ass. I watched a guy wait for his autograph for about 20 mins and Rusty told the guy and I quote "Get that out of here, I don't have time for that shit." Crazy...rudest thing I have seen lately. It really changed my perception of Wallace.

On the other hand, Mark Martin is all class. He would come out of his hauler about every hour and sign autographs for the people. He really impressed me by taking his time with the fans and makingt sure that everyone who was standing by his hauler got a sign. Then after the race, he gets out of the car, and sincerely thanks his entire crew for giving him such a good car. Classy guy, the sport will miss him. That's pretty much it for my trip to Martinsville.

I gotta give a big shout out to Bill for driving. I know he hates the trips back home, but it was the greatest medicine for a heartache I have had so far. I went with my little brother there in 97. He was 11 and I spent half the race with him waiting in line for Martdawgs and for the bathrooms. Sunday brought back some good memories and I couldn't have done it without Bill. Thanks dude.

If anyone wants full resolution pictures, send me an email and I will send them to you. You can make 8X10s with them easily. They were taken on my 3.3 MegPixel cam.

Later.

2005-04-12T23:14:00.001-04:00

Shot of Carl Edwards after repairs. He spun right in front of us earlier and Hermie Sadler nailed him.

2005-04-12T23:14:00.000-04:00

Jimmie's car was crap all day. Thank god for the lucky dog pass.

2005-04-12T23:13:00.000-04:00

Hard racing here. Jeff Gordon was strong all day and I knew if he got his laps back he would be a handful.

2005-04-12T23:12:00.000-04:00

Driver intros here. He is riding with Carl Edwards.

2005-04-12T23:11:00.000-04:00

Here is the 48 car going through the final inspection which was for car height. Behind that is a camber and toe check as well as template inspection. It was the last car to go through inspection.

2005-04-12T23:10:00.001-04:00

Here's JJ signing some autographs...of course I got mine.

2005-04-12T23:10:00.000-04:00

Here's the Cat in the Hat, Jack Rousch.

2005-04-12T23:09:00.000-04:00

After the telemetry, the teams are given random shocks by NASCAR and they have to install them here. They had little stations setup around the track for each inspection the teams go through.

2005-04-12T23:08:00.001-04:00

Me again in front of Harvick's car. The lady behind me is putting a telemetry box in the car so they can keep the electronic scoring system.

2005-04-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

JJ's pit box. It was amazing. Satellite TV, flat panel monitors, tons of equipment, and major costs.

2005-04-12T23:07:00.001-04:00

This is the flag stand. The start/finish line is right underneath.

2005-04-12T23:07:00.000-04:00

This is the shot of pit road. The teams were busy getting the tires ready and setting up their pit boxes.

2005-04-12T23:06:00.000-04:00

This is me, in behind the car as the crew continues to hammer away on it.

2005-04-12T23:05:00.000-04:00

Here is a shot of the view looking into Turn 2 from the back stretch. Out seats are just off the picture to the left.

2005-04-12T23:04:00.000-04:00

Here is a shot of the backstretch before the sun is even up.

2005-04-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

The garage is wide open at 8am race morning.

2005-04-12T23:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a shot of Johnson's car, pre-race. The team is scurrying around and fixing everything. They really reworked the car the entire morning.

RIP

2005-04-07T10:59:00.000-04:00

It is with a sad soul and a broken heart that I write today. My brother died in an automobile accident early Sunday morning. He was 18, young, and wild. He was my best friend and my life will never be the same without him. May your rest in peace little bro.

Google News!! Google Rumors!! Google Gulp??

2005-04-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

It appears that they guys at google may be getting into the soft drink business. I wonder if anyone out there has one of those Google Gulp bottlecaps. Matter of fact, if anyone wants to signup at Freeipods.com and use me a referring member, I will send you a bottle cap...lol.

Doom 3 for Xbox leaks online before release date

2005-03-31T21:42:00.000-05:00

Doom 3 for Xbox was leaked to the warez scene yesterday. Its spreading rapidly via Bittorrent and IRC. Don't you just love it every time a major release gets leaked. I mean how long before the Studios realize that they must lockdown these hot titles until the Thursday they are released?

read more | digg story

Ten Reasons Why Blogging Doesn't Matter

2005-03-31T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here are responses to another article on Why Blogger Matters. This is the opposite opinion. As in why the hell do I update this site??

read more digg story

digg adds blogging features

2005-03-31T21:30:00.000-05:00

New to digg today: the ability to digg stories to your blog. Choose a story that you wish to blog, then click "blog". digg will instantly post that story to your website. If you don't like the way a story is worded, you also have the ability to rewrite your blog post. Supported blogs: Typepad, Live Journal, Blogger, Moveable Type, and WordPress. (note: you must be a registered user to see these features)....SWEET

read more

2005-03-30T23:16:00.000-05:00

I also tacked the corners because the sharp turn made it hard for the foam to stay attached.

2005-03-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

The sawdust was all over everything. Including the trays.

2005-03-30T23:14:00.000-05:00

The table is almost 8 feet long.

2005-03-30T23:13:00.001-05:00

I had to brush the shit out of it to get the saw dust off the suede.

2005-03-30T23:13:00.000-05:00

Another view from the top.

2005-03-30T23:12:00.001-05:00

This is a close up of the tray. Holds 100 chips and a beer.

2005-03-30T23:12:00.000-05:00

Side view of the table

Poker Table v2.0

2005-03-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

Ok so everyone out there saw this article posted on every site from digg.com to /. about this dude named Jeff who made his own Poker Table. Well, I loved the custom look of that table and decided to make my own. After my own revisions of course. I used Jeff's Walkthrough as a starting point to my table. But I did make a few changes...

First, I decided that I wanted to go with a suede top. So I did some digging and after checking the available options (there were none) I found this auction on eBay. The seller had PERFECT feedback and the price was about half of the 70 some odd bucks that casinosupply.com wanted for enough felt to cover the top. So I jumped on it. It shipped quick and beat my materials from casinosupply.com to my house.
I went with the 3/4 sanded plywood from my local Lowes and the Perfect Padded Railing just like in the other article.
I opted for the Table Foam Padding in 96"X48"X3/8" instead of the two pieces Jeff used. The way I cut my table to shape this piece fit just perfectly.
I also wanted my table to be as close to professional quality as possible so I wanted to add some cup and chip holders. After checking all of my options I ordered 8 of these. I was a little apprehensive but I was relieve to find that they were made of really hard plastic. Something I will touch more on later.
Lastly, casinosupply.com just recently got a shipment of seam tape in for the Railing. This was a problem that Jeff spoke of during his walkthrough and I was relieve to see that they had remedied the situation with this. Well worth the small cost!!

Ok so I have all my supplies. I decided that I would not put mine top on it's own set of legs. Mainly because I have a dining room table that has a glass top that can be removed, so I can take the glass top off and set my table on top. I may add one in the future if I decide that it will be practical.

So I started just like Jeff by finding the center of my table and marking it with an X. Then I tacked a nail in the middle and tied some butcher's twine to the nail and the other end to a carpenter's pencil. Once I found stretched it to the length of the table, I arched off a circle that would round the edges of my table off. In hind sight, I should have done this a little differently as the edges of my table aren't quite round enough. But they provide plenty of elbow space so it worked out.

After rounding the edges, I was grateful that casinosupply.com had provided me with a template for the chip and drink holders. You can get it off their site here. Make sure that you print that on legal paper or you will certainly ruin a 30 dollar sheet of plywood. I cut this template on heavy stock paper and went back to my table. Since I found the center of the table already, I knew where the center line horizontally and vertically. I found this point and centered the template on the vertical center point at the table. Basically at exactly 48" from either end. I set the template so that the each bottom point was 6" from the edge of the table and the center of the template was 8" from the edge and traced. I then did the exact same thing for the other 3 sides. 24", 48", 24". Once I did this, I was halfway through the tracing.

After doing some calculations I decided that I would add the other four trays on the longest side of the table exactly 18" off the corner point of the center tray. Measuring was a little tricky, but I wanted the center to be 18" off the top right corner of the tray and the top left corner of the tray. It's hard to explain and I should have made pictures, once again hind sight is 20/20. Once you see the pictures I think you will understand.

At this point, we have 8 trays for chips and drinks. One of each of the short ends and three along each of the long ends. The long ends should be a

tray<--18"-->tray<--18"-->tray

Now the tedious part begins. Get out your drill and jigsaw. I drilled holes in each corner for the trays and then used the jigsaw to connect the dots. Once the cutout was complete, I test fit each tray in it's slot. This takes awhile, so I would probably take a break right before this and grab a beer. Then I would grab another one afterwards. You have earned it if you are at this point.

Next comes the messy part. Grab that can of 3M 77 Glue and spray the crap out of the top of the table. Give it a minute or two to get tacky, and with a friend grab that 3/8" foam. Take your time with this because you only get one shot. Line up the edges and place the foam on the table working from one edge to the other to remove any air pockets. I did mine in a rolling fashion working from one side to the other.

Once this was on, I grabbed another beer and my hobby knife or Exacto Blade and started cutting the foam cutouts where my trays would go. Slow and easy is the way here to keep from messing up the foam or cutting off a finger.

After all the holes were cut out I unrolled the suede top face down in my living room floor (yeah the wife loved that one). Then I moved the table upstairs. ONCE again now that I look back on this, I should have brushed the table off before putting the suede on. Something about sawdust and suede that is a pain in the ass to brush off. Anyway, I laid the suede bottom side up on the floor and then laid the table foam side down onto the suede. If you cut the table the way I did and got the same felt I did you are going to have able 2" of suede on each of the short ends of the table and more than enough on the long edges. Center the table on the suede and start attaching the top.

For this I did a combination of two things. On the short ends I used staples only because I wanted to work accurately and readjust as necessary and the 3M adhesive does not allow this. On the long edges, I sprayed 3M and attached then I stapled to reinforce. I attached a short edge first, then the first long edge. Then I stood the table on it's side and stretched the shit out of it and stapled the other short edge. Then I gave myself a hernia stretching the other long side. I wanted to ensure that I got the table as tight as possible without tearing it and I also did not want to have to iron the suede. Call me lazy, call me crazy, call me both.

After the suede was fully attached to the table, it was time to start cutting out the trays. I once again used my hobby knife and cut a very simple >--<>

All this pulling and stapling should have you sweaty by now so grab another beer. Check the tourney scores, see who is leading the race, whatever you do....

Now we need to attach the trays. This was hard for me to decide on and I pondered many ways of doing this before I settled on black furniture nails. I almost went with hot glue, but I foresaw glue all of the suede. I drilled pilot holes in the trays. One in each corner and one on the topmost point. MAKE SURE THAT THE PILOT HOLE IS THE SAME DIAMETER AS THE NAIL. My first one was too small and when I nailed it down, it cracked the tray. This can be tricky to get right if your cutouts are too big.

Once all the trays are nailed down and flush give yourself a high five and grab another brew. Then follow the rest of Jeff's guide for putting the rails on the table. I used the same furniture nails that used in the trays to nail the foam to the table. I think this is going to work, but I may need to get some good sized staples and go that route to reinforce.

At this point my work was done. I brushed the table to get all the sawdust off and test the fit on the dining room table.....like a glove. I can't wait to play...

I estimate my costs to be about 150 dollars without stands or legs. So if I make it it's own table it will be close to 200 dollars. But this table is AWESOME! We are talking Casino quality. The suede is unbelievable and the Railing gives the table a very finished look. The flush set of the trays is an elegant touch.

I am very pleased. Total time on the project was about 5-6 hours. This was of course with my 4 year old helper running the show so your time might be less or more depending on your alcohol tolerance. The table sits eight with plenty of room. It is a little big though but that I think that adds to the casino feel. Also this table is a frigging beast. It weighs a good 40 pounds and it is a 2 man job to move it around. It is very sturdy and I am sure you could probably stand on it without it breaking.

Please send me your comments and suggestions. Also, I need to give mad props to Jeff Croft and JeffCroft.com for giving me the inspiration to build this table.

Turn off Windows Messenger

2005-03-17T14:40:00.000-05:00

Today's tip helps you get rid of that annoying Windows Messenger in Windows XP. It seems that installing MSN Messenger isn't enough to get rid of the Messenger client built into Windows. To turn off Windows Messenger do the following:

Click start, run, and type gpedit.msc.
Under Local Computer Policy, Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Window Components, Windows Messenger enable both "Do not allow Windows Messenger to run" and "Do not automatically start Windows Messenger initially".
Say bye bye to Windows Messenger.

Today's Windows Tip.

2005-03-16T17:51:00.000-05:00

So you are smart enough not to login with admin rights on your XP box unless you have to. Today's tip gives you a quick workaround for installing applications or changing system settings without having to login as administrator to your box.

Find the .exe or control panel item you want to access.
Hold the Shift key down.
Right click on the icon of the item in question.
Choose Run As.
Under which user account do you want to use this program, select "The following user"
Enter the username and password for the administrator account and click ok.

You will now be able to install the application or make system changes. This works on almost all of the icons in the Control Panel as well as all .exe files. For .bat files and .reg files it is more complicated. You have to do the runas from the command line. Here is some examples of how to do this:

Syntax
runas [{/profile /noprofile}] [/env] [/netonly] [/savedcreds] [/smartcard] [/showtrustlevels] [/trustlevel] /user:UserAccountName program

Parameters
/profile Loads the user's profile. /profile is the default.
/no profile Specifies that the user's profile is not to be loaded. This allows the application to load more quickly, but it can also cause a malfunction in some applications.
/env Specifies that the current network environment be used instead of the user's local environment.
/netonly Indicates that the user information specified is for remote access only.
/savedcreds Indicates if the credentials have been previously saved by this user.
/smartcard Indicates whether the credentials are to be supplied from a smartcard.
/showtrustlevels Lists the /trustlevel options.
/trustlevel Specifies the level of authorization at which the application is to run. Use /showtrustlevels to see the trust levels available.
/user:UserAccountName Specifies the name of the user account under which to run the program. The user account format should be User@Domain or Domain\UserName.
program Specifies the program or command to run using the account specified in /user.
/? Displays help at the command prompt.

Remarks
It is good practice for administrators to use an account with restrictive permissions to perform routine, nonadministrative tasks, and to use an account with broader permissions only when performing specific administrative tasks. To accomplish this without logging off and back on, log on with a regular user account, and then use the runas command to run the tools that require the broader permissions.

For examples of the use of the runas command, see Related Topics.
The use of runas is not restricted to administrator accounts, although that is the most common use. Any user with multiple accounts can use runas to run a program, MMC console, or Control Panel item with alternate credentials.

If you want to use the Administrator account on your computer, for the /user: parameter, type one of the following:
/user:AdministratorAccountName@ComputerName
/user:ComputerName\AdministratorAccountName

If you want to use this command as a domain administrator, type one of the following:
/user:AdministratorAccountName@DomainName
/user:DomainName\AdministratorAccountName

With the runas command, you can run programs (*.exe), saved MMC consoles (*.msc), shortcuts to programs and saved MMC consoles, and Control Panel items. You can run them as an administrator while you are logged on to your computer as a member of another group, such as the Users or Power Users group.

You can use the runas command start any program, MMC console, or Control Panel item. As long as you provide the appropriate user account and password information, the user account has the ability to log on to the computer, and the program, MMC console, or Control Panel item is available on the system and to the user account.

With the runas command, you can administer a server in another forest (the computer from which you run a tool and the server you administer are in different domains).
If you try to start a program, MMC console, or Control Panel item from a network location using runas, it might fail because the credentials used to connect to the shared network resource are different from the credentials used to start the program. The latter credentials may not be able to gain access to the same shared network resource.
Some items, such as the Printers folder and desktop items, are opened indirectly and cannot be started with the runas command.

If the runas command fails, the Secondary Logon service might not be running or the user account you are using might not be valid. To check the status of the Secondary Logon service, in Computer Management, click Services and Applications, and then click Services. To test the user account, try logging on to the appropriate domain using the account.

Windows XP Lifesaving Tip

2005-03-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

So you have a weird problem with Windows and reinstalling the application doesn't fix it? Try this fix.

Reboot the machine.
Log in under the Administrator account.
Rename your profile located in C:\Documents and Settings\%Username% (where %Username% is your login name) to %Username.old.
Reboot the machine.
Log in as yourself.
After it sets up your profile you will notice that all of your files in My Documents are missing, your desktop is clean of most icons and your favorites are empty. Reboot the machine again.
Log back in as Administrator.
Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\%Username%.old and select My Documents, Favorites, and Desktop and choose copy.
Back out one folder and go the new %Username% folder. Paste these three folders into this location overwriting the existing folders and files.
Log off the last time and log back in as yourself. All of your data should now be there and chances are, your problem is now resolved. You will have to reconfigure email profiles and any custom color settings. This information is located in C:\Docments and Settings\%Username%\ntuser.dat. But chances are, that's where the corrupted data is.

Comments or suggestions?

Surf Junky is a fake.

2005-03-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

Last week there were articles all over digg.com and other sites on how to get paid with Surf Junky by refreshing and clicking on ads. Well according to this article, it's all a hoax. There is no such thing as a free buck people.

Cool Neon Site.

2005-03-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

If you know me, I have one of the biggest piece of crap cars in the world. It's a 95 Dodge Neon and boy it really blows. If I get some time to snap a photo, I will upload it on the page, but to my point....if you happen to be one of the unfortunate souls that own a Neon, then you know they are probably some of the worst cars ever made. The next time you need parts or advice on whatever piece of equipment that falls off the car, check out neons.org. It's where I go for help with my hunk of junk. They have awesome forums on the site where you can get assistance on everything from installing a new timing belt to replacing those piece of crap seatbelt buckles that come standard on those vehicles.

2005-03-02T22:31:00.000-05:00

Another picture.

Hot Dell Monitor Deals.

2005-03-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

Dell makes some of the best flat panels on the market. I love my 17", I only wish I had went bigger. Check out these hot deals and get one now!!

Dell 19in 1905FP LCD Flat Panel 800:1 contrast ratio, 20ms response, DVI $529.00 - auto 20% off - $65 off $475 Code: DKP4V713$BPJ19 = $358 shipped free.

Hot! Dell 20in 2001FP Digital LCD Flat Panel 1600x1200, 400:1 contrast ratio , 16ms response, DVI, Svideo, Composite Video $749.00 - auto 25% off - $75 off $550Code: ?LBP9VN9BDDFT2 = $486.75 shipped free.

Hot! Dell 20in 2005FPW Widescreen Digital LCD Flat Panel 1680x1050, 600:1 contrast ratio , 12ms response, DVI, Svideo, Composite Video $749.00 - auto 25% off - $75 off $550Code: ?LBP9VN9BDDFT2 = $486.75 shipped free.

New! Dell 24in 2405FPW Widescreen Digital LCD Flat Panel 1920x1200, 1000:1 contrast ratio , 12ms response, VGA/DVI/Video/S-Video/6in1 card reader inputs $1199.00 - auto 10% off - $75 off $550Code: ?LBP9VN9BDDFT2 = $1004.10 shipped free.

Firefox news.

2005-03-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

Let the flamewars start but it appears that a leading spokesman for a Spyware Detection program thinks that Firefox's spyware woes will be just as bad as Internet Explorer. See this article at Wired.com. A quote from the article:

"The reason there is so much spyware in IE and not on these alternate browsers is not because IE has so many more inherent security problems but because IE has so many more users," Arrott said.

Sounds like fuel to the fire to me. This also adds to the OS X vs Windows battle. If OS X had more of the market share, would we see as many viruses and security holes as we do with Windows? Bill Gates must be smiling ear to ear.

Apple Store woes...

2005-02-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

Go here and read one woman's (at least I think it's a chick) hilarious but crappy experience at an Apple store in NYC. I laughed so hard reading this I got a headache. It appears that Apple may have it's share of shortcomings after all. Especially after reading on Slashdot today about possibility that your iPod Shuffle may favor certain songs on your playlist. Coincidence? Possibly, but it's got some people putting on their tinfoil hats.

Well if you don't know.

2005-02-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

If you have a T-Moble account (I don't) you better turn off the autologin feature for your voicemail. I am sure everyone knows by now that it can be hacked quite easily by merely spoofing your cell phone's caller ID. Check out convertcall.com to find out more info on just how easy it is to spoof caller ID.

Blah...

2005-02-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

So I start my vacation tomorrow. So hopefully I am going to work on the site some and get things like I want them. I am thinking about starting a moblog but I don't know if I have the time to invest in it.

This is all over the net, but my favorite new site is Digg.com. It's a cool news site that has a little something for everyone so check that out.

There appears to be a rebirth of the popular Bittorrent site suprnova.org in the works. The site is called Snarf-It. The site is not complete, but you can read about it over at Methlabs.org or see a news story here. I can't wait!

Welcome

2005-01-20T18:23:00.000-05:00

This is my first post on my blog. It probably sucks so far but I am the only one who knows it exists anyway!