Just a quick post as I’m heading out for lunch…

I started this website in 2007 and I wanted you all to know that I really appreciate you for reading and commenting. It has been a long and fun journey and I’m looking forward to what may come in the future.

With that being said, my life has changed a lot over the past few years and especially since last fall (I’m sure you’ve noticed I haven’t posted in several months now). I think it is time for a change for this website as well.

A new look? A new purpose? I’m not 100% sure yet, but something needs to change. (I need a new motivation to get posting again, that’s for sure!) I am open to suggestions as well.

I need to go get some food, down to 28 minutes on my break.

The next post will probably come when everything has changed! How exciting, right?!

Free Xbox 360 w/Purchase of New PC at Amazon

Use the link I provide here:
Buy a PC get a Free Xbox 360 from Amazon

And make sure you have a student account at Amazon. Don’t have one? Don’t worry, you can get one for FREE from Amazon as long as you have a valid (and accessible) email address ending with .edu — I’m serious!

If you already have an Amazon.com Student Account, just go here and start shopping!

If you need to get signed up for the Student Account (includes 1 year of FREE Prime shipping benefits), go here first: Get an Amazon.com Student Account for Free
Then come back and go to the link in the above section and get to shopping.

Make sure you add this Xbox –> Xbox 360 4GB Console to your cart!

Netflix is changing their plans and prices...

So what’s the deal?
– Price plans are broken up into 2 groups:
1. “Unlimited” DVD-Only — Starting at $7.99 (for one-out-at-a-time and NO streaming)
2. “Unlimited” Streaming-Only — Starting at $7.99 (no DVD’s)

Why is this a big deal?
– For new customers, it probably isn’t an issue due to the “You don’t know what you’re missing” effect… But for existing customers, this is quite a drastic change!

For existing customers who have/had both Streaming and DVD (one-out-at-a-time), the price was $9.99, but under the new plan it will be $15.98 (DVD @ $7.99 + Streaming @ $7.99 = $15.98).

How…Why…Huh?!
– Yeah, that’s what I said, so I read their blog –> here and found out for myself… To save you time, I’ll summarize:

Netflix is changing their plans because they didn’t expect both the streaming and DVD delivery to be so popular. People were taking advantage of both and it was cutting into their profits. As a result Netflix is changing things so they can make more money and continue to grow — and I’m sure provide everyone better service or something…

Their Justification?
– Apparently the original plan was to introduce Streaming and change the DVD shipments to a $2 add-on. My guess is they figured DVD rental was on its way out the door and everyone would migrate to streaming-only over time, but of course that proved to be wrong and DVD rentals are still a big thing.

So now they want to cater to 2 different markets — Streaming only and DVD only.
And if you are in one of those categories, you’re golden! (DVD-only customers are essentially going to save $2/month now vs. what they would have paid)

I think they should have done the plan like this:
– Streaming only for $7.99 w/DVD add-on for $2 more
– DVD only for $7.99 w/Streaming add-on for $2 more

This way everyone is happy and it wouldn’t be a drastic change that pisses off your customers… Just saying…

**UPDATE**
What does this mean to you (besides the Money issues)?
Pros
If you are a fan of the streaming, this probably means they will put more emphasis into getting better quality and newly released movies available for streaming (they better or this will be a major flop).

If you are a fan of the DVD rentals, this is good news because it means they are committed to a long-term DVD rental approach, so you wont have to worry about switching to streaming any time soon.

Cons
If you’re a customer who takes advantage of both DVD rental and Streaming, this means you’re going to pay an extra $6 each month for this “luxury”.

**UPDATE-2**
In Defense of Netflix (more or less)
Here is a nice quote from my friend Brian:

I think a lot of the problem is the companies producing the movies hate Netflix with a passion, because the service is seriously eating into their DVD & Blu-Ray sales. I saw on CNN today that a lot of movies disappeared from the streaming service thanks to a licensing issue with Sony Entertainment. Some of the movie publishers have stopped making their movies available to Netflix even for DVD rental until a month after they’re available for purchase in an attempt to get people to buy the movies instead of rent them. I think this plan change is just Netflix’s way of attempting to deal with the way they’ve been treated by the movie industry while trying to remain profitable.

Firefox 4

You may have written it off as a lost feature (why would they remove something so useful?!) or perhaps even tried to find an option for it in the options/preferences or even looked for a plugin to put it back?

Well you’re going to be mad, perhaps even furious, (and then happy) at just how easy it is! The feature is still there, it’s been there all along! Check it out!

Are you ready? ………………. Are you sure? …………… OK here it is:

Click and Hold the Back (or Forward) button for just a few seconds, and TA-DA! There it is!

**Update**
It get’s even easier than that! All you have to do is RIGHT CLICK on the Back or Forward button. Super Easy!

Thanks to my friend Brad for the tip!

See!

Firefox 4 -- Back/Forward History

Told you it was easy!

DC Comics Logo

After a long absence from here I have returned, so for those that cared sorry. I have been through a lot of personal stuff lately that has effected my time. Now I’m back and ready to tackle a few things. Most notably DC comic’s announcement that they are going to be relaunching this summer.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2011-05-31-dc-comics-reinvents_n.htm

and

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=32566

will fill a few of you in. But before I get into that i want to address something i was very annoyed with, I’ve been ranting on my twitter for weeks now. The Static Shock series was cancelled after Dwayne McDuffie’s death. While at first (and still somewhat) pissed about it’s cancellation, the news of DC’s relaunch on canon (most canon anyways) this makes so much more sense. I’m assuming Static will be put back on the TT‘s team. If not then I’m not too sure I’ll be giving DC that much more of a fair shake. At least I’m still getting a Static special that’s dedicated to McDuffie due out today.

Now onto the real issues here. DC has decided through the efforts of Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Dan Didio that they’re going to relaunch DC canon after Flashpoint. Pretty much anything that was touched by Johns in the past 4 years (aka Superman, Green Lanterns, Flash) will all remain the same, but other titles, characters, relationships, and histories will get overhauls. Some will get tweaks, some things will get deleted from canon, and others well i just don’t know lol

For sure the new Wonder Woman costume (yet another new one) is happening. It looks like they’re going to give her back her normal history instead of the vigilante/batman history in her recent retcon that received horrid reviews. The one consistent has been that the costume needed a 2000 update, while others translated alright or only needed a little tweaking. While Wonder Woman’s lets just face it, no woman is going to go around fighting in that and not fall out. It’s unrealistic. besides the fact that Diana Prince is suppose to embody of a strong woman aka brains, beauty, and sexuality. A costume says a lot.

There will be 52 new #1′s. JLA will be the first. Also Teen Titans, Birds of Prey, Justice Society, Flash, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Aquaman, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern are all the confirmed so far that i can list off hand that will get new #1′s. that leaves a lot of others, so we’ll see what the first month brings as far as #1s. I plan on getting all the 52 #1s so that i can properly judge the new origin reboots and switches correctly before determining whether or not I’ll stick with DC comics (of course Teen titans, Green Lantern, and anything with Static in it I’ll still buy).

I was really just sick of yet another reboot event by DC, marvel has been beating them in sales since 2002 so they had to do something. This will probably have a short term boost in sales, but depending on what gets deleted/fixed in canon we’ll see. Cry for Justice was probably the second waste of time i ever read in comics (countdown being the first). Though i defend CfJ a lot on a purely situational level (I can rationalize if anyone wants to argue events/realism on it). So i expect CfJ to get deleted, while events like Blackest Night will stay in tact. Though an interesting turn of events we’ll see Morrison writing Superman instead of batman. Johns will have control over the Justice League which makes a lot of sense and for the first time in forever Gail Simones won’t be writing Birds of Prey.

Sitting here I want to be mad and admit that I’ll be dropping a bunch of DC titles, but i seriously don’t even know what titles will be turned into #1s or what series will be continued. Will the long titles like Action Comics or Detective Comics be reset? I’d be disappointed if so. At the same time I’m hoping to see a few characters get their much deserved solo shots.

So right now I’m indifferent, I am a skeptic about a lot of what DC is doing, but i understand the why behind it. This can be a real turning point and what DC has needed for some time. But at the same time I am hopeful that characters will finally get a history that won’t be reset in a decade (or less… lol).

DC’s track record is retcon event, retcon event, event, event, retcon event, etc. But if anyone can manage a company wide overhaul it’s Johns, and Lee, i just wish McDuffie was still alive so he could be involved in this.

so expect a follow up toward the fall on this.

DC Comic Relaunch (Including new uniforms)

Ubuntu Classic (Gnome)

I know my friend Brad isn’t the only person who wants to know this and I’ve seen several confusing and excessive responses to this question, so I’m going to make it plain and simple for you all! And you get multiple options! Woohoo!

Quick Explanation

Ubuntu 11.04 ships with the new Unity interface as the default GUI, but it also comes with other options like “Ubuntu Classic” and “Ubuntu Classic (no effects)”. You can select which one you use from the login screen and/or set a different option as your default. See below for more.

Option 1

Change at the Login Screen (may only be temporary)

One easy way is to simply choose “Ubuntu Classic” from the login screen*.

At the login screen, select the user you wish to login, type the password, but DO NOT press ENTER (or click Login) yet… Look at the bar on the bottom of the screen. See where it says “Unity”? Click that and change it to “Ubuntu Classic” (or use the “no effects” option if you have an older computer and/or video card).

Now you can login and you’re back to using Gnome (aka the “old” Ubuntu GUI). Depending on your system settings this may only be temporary. To ensure this is permanent see the next two sections.

Select Session at Login Screen

*Note: If you have auto-login enabled, you will have to logout first.

Option 2

Set Ubuntu Classic (Gnome) As Your Default GUI

Using the system settings (don’t be scared, it’s not as bad as it sounds) you can set Ubuntu Classic (or it’s “no effects” clone) as your default GUI. This is actually pretty easy.

Step 1: Click the system button located at the far top-right corner.
Step 2: Select “System Settings” (should be the last option) to open the Control Center

System Settings

Step 3: Select “System” on the left side, then “Login Screen” on the right, to open the Login Screen options window.

Ubuntu Control Center

Step 4: Click “Unlock” and enter your password (assuming you have sudo powers).

Login Screen Settings (Locked)

Step 5: Change the “Default Session” to “Ubuntu Classic” (or the vanilla “no effects”). Then close the window.

Login Screen Settings (Unlocked)

Step 6: Either log out and then back in, or restart your computer. Done.

Option 3

Set Ubuntu Classic (Gnome) As Your Default GUI — The (slightly) Faster Way

Step 1: Click the Ubuntu logo in the top-left corner. (This brings up the “Search” overhead/hub)
Step 2: Type: “Login” (no quotes) then click the “Login Screen” launcher.

Accessing Login Screen Settings from the Search Hub

Step 3: Click “Unlock” and enter your password (assuming you have sudo powers).

Login Screen Settings (Locked)

Step 4: Change the “Default Session” to “Ubuntu Classic” (or the vanilla “no effects”). Then close the window.

Login Screen Settings (Unlocked)

Step 5: Either log out and then back in, or restart your computer. Done.

Enjoy!

Smallville: The Complete Series

If you don’t know what Smallville is by now, then you don’t know what you’ve been missing the past 10 years! One of the best TV series ever (yes, that’s my opinion, so don’t get too worked up if you disagree) and it’s coming to an end! Tonight is the last episode before the Series Finale — which will be a full 2 hours by the way!

The good news is that you can now purchase (or pre-order that is) Smallville: The Complete Series — that’s right the whole series in one package! Check out this awesome promo video!

At the time of this posting the complete set is on sale for $224.99 (regular retail price is $339.88). If you break it down by season, that comes out to just $22.50 per season for the sale price or $33.99 for the retail price. The retail price alone is a great deal if you compare it to purchasing each season individually as they run $35-50 each!

Not only is this a better price, but you also get everything — all 218 episodes on 62 disks with 2 disks of bonus features — but you get everything in one convenient package! Anyone who’s purchased the Smallville DVD sets each season (myself included) will tell you the quality of the packaging of the earlier seasons leaves much to be desired!

If I didn’t already own seasons 1-9 on DVD already, I might be tempted to buy this. Ha! Who am I kidding I’m tempted to buy it anyway! If only I had the money…

About Smallville

For those of you who are not sure about Smallville, here is a quick overview:

Smallville is the story of the teenage years of Superman’s life. It is the story of how Clark Kent became Superman! The series begins with Clark starting High School and covers all the struggles he has coping with normal teenage stuff and compounded by the fact that he is gaining new powers and needs to learn not only how to control them, but also how to conceal them so he doesn’t end up somebody’s science experiment!

As the series progresses you get to follow Clark’s journey… relationships (the highs and the lows)… competitive sports (how can you “play fair” when you’re super-human?)… encounters with “meteor freaks” who are other teenage kids who have superpowers bestowed on them due to excessive/unusual exposure to Kryptonite — the one thing that can kill Clark!

During this part of the series you really get a good sense of how Superman grows up to have all those strong moral values and why he didn’t end up a criminal or worse some kind of evil world dictator. You get to see how being raised by John and Martha Kent really made the biggest impact on Clark’s life.

You will also get to experience a side of Clark/Superman that you don’t normally get to see in the Movies… Clark’s struggle to feel like he belongs on Earth…his struggle with his humanity and his super-humanity… (note: you get to see this side of him in the comics sometimes, but you’d have to be a regular reader to really get the same sense you get from the Smallville TV series).

About mid-way through the series things take a darker turn and you get to experience some of the lowest points of Clark’s life. He’s just like any other teenager, only his self-discovery years are further complicated by his powers as well as influences from his Biological/Kryptonian father Jor-El…

Did I mention the series also includes a friendship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor that goes sour? I’d talk about that, but that is one of the most amazing parts of the whole series and I’d hate to ruin it for you!

Another great part of the series is the special guests/characters! You get to see how Clark meets the Legion of Superheroes from the future, how he meets Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Cyborg, Impulse, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and the early beginnings of the Justice League! Later on he meets the Justice Society (Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Star Girl) — which by the way is an awesome 2hr episode!

Oh and then there’s the villains… various meteor freaks, Lex, Zor-El, Bizarro, Zod & company, Checkmate & the Suicide Squad, and so much more!

Man, writing about all of this is making me want to watch the whole thing all over again from beginning to end! (well I’ll have to wait for season 10 to come out on DVD to get to the end, but maybe by the time it’s out I’ll have watched everything up to that point).

…
Here’s a link to watch some free episodes (from season 10) online: Click Here
…

What are you doing still reading this? Shouldn’t you be ordering this already!

Disable Your Touchpad While Typing

Do you ever have problems with your netbook or laptop when typing? Maybe when you’re typing all of the sudden a big segment or all of your text is mysteriously gone! Or maybe while you’re typing every now and then the cursor mysteriously moves or jumps to odd places and messes up your typing? Or perhaps some similar problem?

Well if that is the case, then the odds are high that your Touchpad is the problem! I never have this problem (because my hands are so big they are almost always well away from the touchpad when I type), but I know a lot of people who struggle with this, and it can be quite frustrating from what I’ve been told.

Well here is an easy solution: Disable the Touchpad automatically whenever you are typing! Sounds great doesn’t it? But you’re probably wondering… “Oh man, ‘EASY’ — Yeah Right! How difficult is this really going to be to setup?” and the answer is that it is actually really simple and you only have to do it once!

I’ve figured out a way to do it in on Ubuntu, Windows, and even Mac (though I can’t test it on Mac as I don’t have a Macbook, so if it doesn’t work, let me know). Here’s how to do it…

Disable Your Touchpad While Typing In:

Ubuntu

1. Go to: System->Preferences->Mouse
2. Select the “Touchpad” Tab
3. Check: “Disable touchpad while typing”
4. Close the window, you’re done

Ubuntu Mouse Preferences

Note: If you are using the Unity interface (which comes default in Ubuntu 11.04) you can find the Mouse Preferences by clicking on the Ubuntu logo in the top left, then typing in “Mouse” in the search box. It should show up under the “Applications” section as the first choice.

Windows

1. Download TouchFreeze (it’s free)
2. Install it by running the executable file (it’s an MSI extension, which is an executable, just double-click it or select it and press enter/return)
3. Check your taskbar (usually bottom right, near the clock) and make sure it’s running. It will look like a little touchpad with a green checkmark. If it’s not there, run it from the start menu. It should run automatically every time you boot up your computer and as long as it’s running, it will work.
4. That’s it, you’re done

TouchFreeze Running in the Taskbar

Note: I’ve tested this in Windows XP and Vista. I have not tested it in Windows 7, but I have been told it works without problems there too.

Mac

1. Open your System Preferences
2. Click on Trackpad
3. Check: “Ignore Accidental Trackpad Input”
4. Close/Quit the window, you’re done.

Mac Trackpad Options

Note: Again, I haven’t tested this yet in Mac as I don’t have a Macbook so please let me know if I need to change anything here. If you can’t find that option (or something equivalent) it may be under the Keyboard or Mouse sections of the System Preferences.

Yes... I'm Still Alive

It has occurred to me that it has been two weeks since my last post. Time sure flies doesn’t it? Having a wife and kids, a business to run, and everything else that goes on, it is hard to keep up sometimes. But, don’t worry, I’m still alive and have a lot of neat things to share… I just need more time to do it! Ugh!

My birthday was this past week and, I’m not going to lie, it was pretty awesome! I got to go out to eat with family and friends and also got some cool stuff.

I get some questions from time to time, most of them I can answer by email and are not really significant enough to post on the site (as they are more specific/acute problems), but every once in a while I get a quest that I think will benefit a lot of people and so I try to post it on here for other to read.

So… What do you think?

But, since things have been really crazy lately, I’m going to ask for your opinion(s)… What type of stuff would you like to read/learn from this site? If you have an idea for something that would be interesting and useful to yourself and others, please let me know (comment below or via facebook, twitter, or email).

One of these days I need to put up some reviews on some paperbacks I’ve been reading… Some really good ones too!

I’m looking forward to your feedback guys and gals! have a great weekend!

Ubuntu One Basic = 2GB Free Online Storage

Ubuntu One offers a free 2GB storage account which integrates nicely with Ubuntu and offers some features for Windows and Mac users as well… It can be accessed via the website in a browser from any computer. There are a lot of neat features, one of them being that the music store sells high quality MP3′s that are DRM-Free! You can sync your files, contacts, bookmarks, notes, music, and more!

I’m running out of time for posting today, but you can check out all the cool features for the free package here: https://one.ubuntu.com/basic/

They also offer a mobile package for $3.99/month (or $39.99/year) with free Andriod/iOS apps that let you stream your music and sync your contacts.

I still prefer Dropbox for my online storage, but it doesn’t hurt to have other options, right?