_The_Lone_Codeman_
Friday, June 15, 2007
Online Media Converter
Don't remember how or why, but I came across a really great thing the other day - the online media converter. It is completely free, you do not need to install anything and you do not even have to register. Your converted files (maximum size is 150 Mb) are kept for download 24 hours. Fast, free and fun...
I had a look at it and actually used it to do some convertions already, the number of supported formats and media types is impressive. On one side you have the file convertion - images, documents, archive, movie/video and sound - but you also have the option to create sounds (perfect when creating your own ring signal etc) with the midi sequencer.
This is taken from the site (I can find better reasons though):
:: Why use Media-Convert?
* No software installation, Media-Convert let you read all kind of documents.
* Convert files, for example:
to read all Open Office files with Microsoft Office
or convert files into universal formats like Adobe PDF, PS (PostScript) or CSV to
print, fax ou simply read them on any computer, without special software.
* Insert a PDF into your web page by converting it into an SWF Flash file.
* Export easily Microsoft Access database to an Excel table.
* Capture a website as an image.
* Encode a text with UTF-8 codes or with one of 900 other charsets.
* Learn morse code with the text to morse converter ;-)
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Groups, the way to find answers
I had to do some research on a very specific MS SQL server 2000 issue. Not really an issue at all, just something needed to be done. From the beginning it seemed to be a straight forward thing to do, almost an every-day admin task. How do I list all server logins (note, not user IDs) with access- and database- and object details tied to it. Further; how do I present/save result to re-use on a separate server, not necessarily in the same domain (I'll be happy when Active Directory is rolled-out)?
I started looking into it and of course you might think microsoft.com would have the answer. Could not find a decent answer. So I started do some Googling and came close but not all the way. I turned then to Groups. "What the heck, I'll just give it a go", I reasoned. I have found good answers before and I think it's something better then forums, especially since Groups is normally less of the "I-really-don't-know-but-look-at-me-and-my-cool-avatar-next-to-my-post", kind of attitude. OK, so I went to the Google Groups and started searching. It took me 5 minutes to have THE answer. Not only that, I had a great script ready to be modified and worked at for my specific needs. GREAT!
A couple of days later, back in Google Groups I found the possibility to create own Groups. One day I was reading one of the few blogs I frequently read, very interesting post BTW ;-), he basically asks for tips on good web store systems. I gave some hints by posting comment and... "hey, why not create a Group. That MUST be a better way of communicating stuff like these". So, without any further delay, I give you...
Visit this group
Please, feel free to join in, post an IT related question (or anything you like, but I can not guarantee the quality ;-) of answer) and I (or anyone in the group) will try to answer it.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Online office - Thinkfree
Some time ago I wrote about the great service from Google sharing, creating documents and spreadsheets. That is a really nice online tool (sadly I am NOT payed by Google to write this). All the basic functions are there.
Well...
Now I found another one good enough to compete with Google. It is called ThinkFree, actually it IS better. More advanced functions, especially within sharing, editing and collaboration. Just as in the tool from Google you create and work with documents and spreadsheets, but with ThinkFree you can also create powerpoint presentations! Finally, it even looks more profesional...
I've been testing it now for a couple of weeks and I can not really complain about anything. I can really recommend it.
Labels: Google, internet, Tools, Web
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Google Docs & Spreadsheets
Google has "merged" with the web word processor Writely and the Google Spreadsheets and now launched the Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
Look kind of interesting, but I wouldn't store my account information.
For you who's didn't get it activated yet, here is a sneak...
:: Google Docs...
:: and Spreadsheets
Monday, March 13, 2006
Your Messenger on the Web
AIM, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber, GTalk or MSN Messenger are all supported from this great service...and it IS free and you do NOT need to even register!
So, you have your, let's say, MSN account and you're going into an internet cafe, surf to www.meebo.com and simply logon to your MSN and you have access to your MSN Messenger. Start chatting right there. You can even logon to multiple accounts, it is all gathered nicely in the menu. Super nice!
So, you have your, let's say, MSN account and you're going into an internet cafe, surf to www.meebo.com and simply logon to your MSN and you have access to your MSN Messenger. Start chatting right there. You can even logon to multiple accounts, it is all gathered nicely in the menu. Super nice!
Monday, November 14, 2005
The E-Mail Time Capsule - say hi to yourself 20 years from now
I just came across a site, or rather a service, at Forbes. It's called The E-Mail Time Capsule. So basically this is how it works (by Forbes):
You can choose to send a message to yourself in 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 years from now. Simple enough. Would you do it? Is this interesting, funny or just plain stupid?
Would you keep an email address for 20 years? Maybe, I would be 52 and stinking rich still having good health. My kid would be 22 and in perfect health and very good in school, my parents would be, hopefully, very old. Hummmm, interesting and scary at the same time. How would I feel reading my 20 years old email..?
"Most time capsules involve cramming stuff into a metal box and burying it in a hole in the ground. It's a method that works --but it's so primitive. What if you could write an email to yourself, and be assured of receiving it twenty years in the future?
That's what we've done with this email time capsule. Simply fill out the fields below, decide how long you want the capsule to be sealed for, and hit send. We'll do our best to make sure the message gets delivered."
You can choose to send a message to yourself in 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 years from now. Simple enough. Would you do it? Is this interesting, funny or just plain stupid?
Would you keep an email address for 20 years? Maybe, I would be 52 and stinking rich still having good health. My kid would be 22 and in perfect health and very good in school, my parents would be, hopefully, very old. Hummmm, interesting and scary at the same time. How would I feel reading my 20 years old email..?
Thursday, April 14, 2005
DO NOT REBOOT ON WINDOWS 2000!
...and this is why.
A HUGE bug in the latest Windows update for Windows 2000! You might be interested in this...
Today, just a couple of hours ago my machine was notified that there are new updates to install. I received an email warning about rebooting the system after the installation. It causes an memory error message and from there you can not do very much. If this happens you probably have to re-install the OS.
Now, with a little bit of luck I found the issue, or rather where the issue is located. Even better I also found out a fix for it. Before you reboot your machine you need to manually go an remove (from Add/Remove programs) the update named KB8930086. There are some dependencies (KB842773 etc) accept these also and, once prompted, it now should be safe to reboot.
Labels: Tools
