tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51639922024-02-28T10:08:38.535-08:00Ad-Blog - the Adberg BlogAll things Adberg here - not that I ever really write anything, but whatevermadberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-26385777846099074542009-12-02T08:42:00.000-08:002009-12-02T08:43:32.318-08:00Been a while since I've been here.<br /><br />I've been working on a TiVo troubleshooting site - check it out: <a href="http://www.fixmytivo.com/">fixmytivo.com</a>.<br /><br />It's pretty basic, but if you have a TiVo that needs repair, it's really the right place to start.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-76382508221090448402008-05-19T12:44:00.001-07:002008-05-19T12:44:47.292-07:00Mo-Billy! I have officially moved on from Blogspot.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-31893175165704742332007-08-18T14:11:00.001-07:002007-08-18T15:42:03.285-07:00This is only a test. This is being posted mobilly (you saw that word <br>here first).madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-74107627976204046502007-07-18T08:29:00.000-07:002007-07-18T08:36:15.189-07:00Using a Macintosh with a Timex Data Recorder 2<br /><br />I was given a Timex Data Recorder 2 with a Timex GPS/watch/heartrate setup as a gift. I only use Macs at home, so I needed a way to make this work. Fortunately, there's software called <a href=http://www.cluetrust.com/LoadMyTracks.html>LoadMyTracks</a> that can download the data from the recorder to my Mac. It seems to crash if I try to use KML, but I can get GPX out of it, and then have a <a href=http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map?form=googleearth>website</a> translate that to KML if that's what I want. And I can upload to Google Earth or <a href=http://www.mapmyrun.com>MapMyRun</a>.<br /><br />The one problem I had was that without the Timex PC software, there was no way to clear the recorder. But a helpful guy at Timex tech support passed on the way to do this with just the recorder itself, so I'm posting it here in that hopes that if you need the info, Google will bring you to it.<br /><br />From Timex Tech Support:<br /><br />Clearing the Memory Manually <br />NOTE: The following procedure should only be performed if you are<br />absolutely sure that you don't want to keep any of the workouts that are<br />stored in the Data Recorder. If there is any data that you wish to keep,<br />make sure that it is transferred to the PC BEFORE you clear the memory. <br />Start with the Data Recorder powered off. Then, press and hold the push<br />button for 5 seconds. When the LED flashes amber, release the push<br />button and then quickly press and release the button again while the LED<br />is flashing. If you did it correctly, the LED will change to a solid<br />green color for a moment, then go out to indicate that the memory has<br />been cleared. You can now turn the Data Recorder on normally and use it<br />to record the data from your workout.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-80410243426799690282007-07-12T21:16:00.000-07:002007-07-12T21:17:21.520-07:00One more thing I needed to do with my Spamassassin, amavisd-new, clamav setup was to clear out the quarantine folder on a regular basis.<br /><br />So I made a script to do this:<br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br />#!/bin/sh<br />rm /var/virusmails/*.gz</font><br /><br />and set it as a cron job.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-76299323105885683192007-07-12T21:14:00.000-07:002007-07-12T21:15:45.427-07:00Spamassassin, amavisd-new, clamav - all with Postfix for Mac OS X 10.4<br /><br />It took me forever to get this configuration running, but then once I did, I needed to get it set as a startup item so that amavisd would launch at boot after postfix. Eventually I figured out what to do, I think, and I'm posting it here. <br /><br />Note: I'm not a big OS X programmer, so if this is unkosher, I take no responsibility. But it works for me. And if/when I forget what I did, I'll have this as a reference.<br /><br />First, I made a folder in /Library/StartupItems called spam. You'll need to have root access enabled and the password for this:<br /><br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br />sudo mkdir /Library/StartupItems/spam</font><br /><br />Then, in spam, I made two files. One is called spam. Make it like this:<br /><br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br />cd spam<br /><br><br />sudo vi spam<br /><br><br /></font>then press "a" to get into the insert mode and paste this:<br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br /><br />#!/bin/sh<br /><br />##<br /># amavsid-new<br />##<br /><br />. /etc/rc.common<br /><br />StartService ()<br />{<br /> echo "Starting amavisd"<br /> /usr/bin/amavisd start &<br /> /usr/bin/postfix reload<br /> }<br /><br />StopService ()<br />{<br /> echo "Stopping amavisd"<br /> /usr/bin/amavisd stop<br />}<br /><br />RestartService ()<br />{<br /> echo "Restarting Amavisd"<br /> /usr/bin/amavisd reload &<br /> /usr/bin/postfix reload<br />}<br /><br />RunService "$1"<br /></font><br />Then press "esc" then ":w" then ":q" to save and quit.<br /><br />Next, you need the StartupParameters.plist file:<br /><br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br />sudo vi StartupParameters.plist<br /><br><br /></font>then press "a" to get into the insert mode and paste this:<br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br />{<br /> Description = "amavisd";<br /> Provides = ("amavisd");<br /> Requires = ("Network");<br /> OrderPreference = "Late";<br /> Messages = {<br /> start = "Starting amavisd and reloading postfix";<br /> stop = "Stopping amavisd";<br /> };<br />}<br /></font><br />Then press "esc" then ":w" then ":q" to save and quit.<br /><br />Now reboot the machine. You'll get a message that your privileges are wrong, and an offer to fix them. That's the easiest way to get them right. Fix them, and reboot again. Then check your system log to see that all went OK:<br /><br /><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br />tail -100 /var/log/system.log<br /></font>madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-1163090482902637562006-11-09T08:40:00.000-08:002007-08-18T15:43:23.746-07:00OK. I'm going to start posting more. I feel like all I do is type stuff for posting online, now that we have our new <a href=http://www.wkforums.com/>WeaKnees TiVo Forum</a> up and running. I'll be here more, but I'll be there a lot. Think <a href=http://www.weaknees.com/>TiVo</a>!madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-1132601688274979802005-11-21T11:33:00.000-08:002007-08-18T15:44:27.298-07:00Well, maybe I'll have better luck keeping this new blog up to date - it's about all things <a href=http://www.wkblog.com>WeaKnees</a> and <a href=http://www.weaknees.com/>TiVo</a>.<br /><br />In other news, I've got a bunch of albums of pictures sitting in my iPhoto ready for export to the web, so they should show up over at <a href=http://www.adberg.com>adberg.com</a> soon.<br /><br />Over and out.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-1131593805180688312005-11-09T19:36:00.000-08:002005-11-09T19:36:45.190-08:00Wow - no posts since 2003. Gotta get some new pics up on adberg.com soon.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-1070949415188785042003-12-08T21:56:00.000-08:002003-12-08T22:00:15.293-08:00A few days ago I saw a person driving a new Cadillac SRX around Culver City. He was a young guy, a few days' worth of beard growth, windows down. I couldn't help wondering if he was a viral marketing plant - he was so clearly the wrong demographic for this car. I guess they're trying to "recapture" the young professional market - good luck.
<br />
<br />Have you seen the thing? Here's a picture:
<br />
<br /><img src="http://www.adberg.com/caddy.jpg">
<br />
<br />I think they should call it the "Hearse" since that's the only Cadillac sta-wag I've ever seen before. It's hideous.
<br />
<br />Several days later, I saw an old guy with a cigar driving one. That looked even more ridiculous.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-1065292862798299412003-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:002003-10-04T11:43:03.996-07:00OK - it's up:
<br />
<br /><a href=http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com>Interactive TiVo Upgrade Instructions</a>
<br />
<br />It's still in beta, so if you find issues, send an email to <a href=mailto:feedback@upgrade-instructions.com>here</a>.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-1062342782854225342003-08-31T08:13:00.000-07:002003-08-31T08:13:02.856-07:00Wow - it's been a while since I've posted an entry, but I have something pretty good coming soon. Check back in about a week!madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-956687592003-06-14T13:40:00.000-07:002003-06-14T13:40:23.816-07:00This week we finally joined <a href="http://www.netflix.com">Netflix</a>. People have been telling us to join for quite a while, and we finally took the plunge. We joined Monday night (pretty late) and by Wednesday our first movies were arriving. The day after I sent the first one back, a new one was on its way. Pretty amazing.
<br />
<br />There is a decent barrage of email from Netflix - no spam, but a lot of status updates and "rate this movie" emails. I set up a filter for them already.
<br />
<br />The reason we finally did this was because of the problems with bad DVDs from Blockbuster and their late fees. So now, we can hold onto a kids' video until they are pretty sick of it - no rushing back to Blockbuster by the deadline. And no guilt. Just keep it and return it whenever you want. I like it!madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-952353362003-06-03T06:24:00.000-07:002003-06-03T06:24:51.366-07:00And now, <a href="http://www.time.com/time/columnist/taylor/article/0,9565,456020,00.html">TIME Magazine</a>.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-951583182003-06-01T10:38:00.000-07:002003-06-01T10:38:56.530-07:00Well, following on our appearance on <a href="http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/products/story/0,24330,3440113,00.html">The Screen Savers</a>, Jeff and I are now <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59028,00.html">"Professional Hackers."</a>
<br />
<br />And we're also on <a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/03/06/01/1440209.shtml?tid=99">slashdot.</a>madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-949957472003-05-28T09:51:00.000-07:002003-05-28T09:53:51.000-07:00New WebSTAR nightmare to report:
<br />
<br />My DSL internet connection slowed to a crawl last night. After initially suspecting my PC was the culprit, I downloaded the newest Norton virus defs at a snail's pace. Norton catches viruses constantly, and I figured a new one came out and my Norton, having not done it's weekly update in a few days, didn't see it. Anyway, the PC was clean.
<br />
<br />So I started unplugging ethernet connections and this pointed to my server. I tried quitting each application to see where the problem was, and the problem was WebSTAR.
<br />
<br />The default installation of WebSTAR allows for it's proxy server to be active. And this means that anyone on the internet can use it to cover their tracks - generally not something you'd even care about if the activity you were undertaking wasn't nefarious.
<br />
<br />I opened the proxy monitor and saw stuff scrolling by - so I knew what was going on. But the machine was so slow that I couldn't even change the settings, so I had to quit WebSTAR (BG, actually) and then remove the plug-in, and restart. And now everything's fine, thankfully. I looked at a few other WebSTAR installations that I know of, and I found that one had connections set to zero and was fine - unused. The other had connections on 4 and it had a pretty detailed usage log.
<br />
<br />So set your WebSTAR proxy connections to zero, or, better yet, remove the plug-in entirely. Either way, be sure to restart to get those changes in effect.
<br />
<br />And if you find a log file with as much junk in it as mine (mostly porn and crack stuff) save it. If someone ever tracks you down and wants to ban your IP or blame some hacking on you, it may be your only defense.
<br />
<br />And WebSTAR, why leave that open by default? That's almost as bad as the spammer holes (which I'll detail soon).
<br />
<br />madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-937055762003-05-03T07:41:00.000-07:002003-05-03T07:41:51.450-07:00Spent a ton of time yesterday trying to troubleshoot my php mail function. It was swapping out quote marks (') and double quotes (") and apostrophes (') with /' and /", etc. The apostrophes made the whole email look awful. Anyway, the answer was that my php.ini file must be configured that way; rather than change it, I was able to use the function "stripcslashes" to reset it all. Hope this helps someone.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-935707322003-04-30T19:51:00.000-07:002003-04-30T19:51:05.623-07:00We launched our new <a href=http://tivo.weaknees.com>TiVo Upgrade</a> website today - check it out!madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-931999782003-04-24T14:13:00.000-07:002003-04-24T14:13:45.683-07:00I've been using the new HMO option for series 2 standalone TiVos - and it's pretty compelling. There are four main features:
<br />-ability to share photos from your PC or Mac to your TiVo(s)
<br />-same for music (this one is great - all of my iTunes library is accessible on my TiVo, and, hence my stereo)
<br />-watching shows recorded on one TiVo through another TiVo (that also has HMO)
<br />-scheduling shows to record on the TiVo Central Online (TCO) website from any computer
<br />
<br />One important note for Mac users: if you are using an Apple AirPort Base Station with password encryption, then you have to enter the password as "hexadecimal" - you can't enter it as text. To get the hex-encoded password, you have to go to your AirPort Admin Utility, then choose (this is Mac OS 9) Base Station -> Equivalent Network Password. Use that code on your TiVo and you should be all set.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-930861362003-04-22T19:40:00.000-07:002003-04-22T19:40:16.000-07:00Lot's more to tell about Puerto Vallarta that I'm sure I'll never get to, but one thing I have to mention in case someone does some crazy internet search and finds it: there was a market area that sold fish in PV. This was right at the Gutierrez Rizo - the main supermarket in the old part of town. The fish market looked fine - just a bunch of open stalls with lots of good stuff like shrimp and octopus and huachilongo (sp?). But the thing I didn't do and that someone really <i>should</i> do is go to the bustling little ceviche cart there. Looked great.
<br />
<br />Yesterday, we released our <a href=http://www.weaknees.com/powertrip.html>PowerTrip TiVo Power Saver</a> - it's been a whole saga of sourcing, engineering, and shipping. But we have them, and people are happy.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-924840742003-04-12T07:08:00.000-07:002003-04-12T07:08:38.936-07:00We spent a week in Puerto Vallarta. We rented a house in Colonia Emiliano Zapata - just up the hill from the old part of Puerto Vallarta. This was either a 10 block, partly steep walk, or a $3 cab ride from most of the action in Puerto Vallarta, including the good beach (Los Muertos), the Malecon, and the good restaurants.
<br />
<br />We spent two days at Los Muertos - the best beach nearby. Grandpa parasailed, and we ate and played and swam and built sandcastles.
<br />
<br />One day we dove with Chico's Dive Shop - they seem to be the only dive shop in town, and the prices were reasonable and the service pretty good. We went to Los Arcos - just off the coast of Playa Mismaloya. The boat ride took about an hour. Then we anchored and were surrounded by jellyfish. Finally, we just bit the bullet, jumped in, and went down as fast as possible. Didn't see much, visibility wasn't great, and when we surfaced, we got stung pretty badly and got out of there as fast as possible.
<br />
<br />For the second dive, we went to the other side of Los Arcos. This was a shallower dive, but with much better visibility and more to see (although still, not a lot). Our divemaster Nacho held a pufferfish while it put out its spikes - pretty cool.
<br />
<br />Another day we rented a van and went to Bucerias on the recommendation of friends. Very cute town, ate at Marks. The meal was great - pretty much like being in LA. We got some brownies and things from Pie-in-the-sky also. Not quite LA, but good.
<br />
<br />But the best part was our trip afterward to Sayulitas. The same friends recommended it, and the place is a gem. Still relatively undiscovered, its a small town beach town, full of Americans (if a town that small can be full). The beach itself was really, truly great - shallow water that is good for the kids, nice waves, good atmosphere. We actually saw a guy ride his horse into the ocean and play for about 10 minutes. And the water at the south end of the beach had a gold particle in it that was just gorgeous against the brown sand. If you only have a few days to go to PV, go to Sayulitas and relax.
<br />
<br />Back here in town, we saw something you've probably never seen - a man singing karaoke in a tile store. This was Benny Sr. of <a href="http://www.talavera-tile.com">Talavera Mundo</a> - he's the owner, and can do what he wants. Its a great store, but this was pretty strange. And it only happened the one time (I think we were in the store on five separate occassions).
<br />
<br />Finally, the one thing we tried that you can safely skip is Playa de Mismaloya. Full of vendors, parking issues, and a hotel that doesn't want you there if you aren't a guess, take a pass. The beach isn't really worth the trouble - lot's of boats and general nonsense. Not nearly as nice as Los Muertos even, and not close to Sayulitas.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-917303692003-03-31T13:01:00.000-08:002003-03-31T13:01:01.466-08:00Another little WebSTAR tip and/or bug: in the Realms section and the User section under Web Server in the Admin software, Realms with names longer than 13 characters seem to offer no security whatsoever. Once you hit that limit, it's all gone. Amazing security breach.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-917103292003-03-31T06:57:00.000-08:002003-03-31T06:57:56.950-08:00I needed to make a field in FileMaker Pro such that data, once entered, cannot be changed. I thought the way to do this would have been through the use of the Validation section of the field options in Define Fields, but I couldn't make that work (although I'm fairly sure I did that once before - if anyone has a clue, please <a href=mailto:michaela@mac.com>email me</a>).
<br />
<br />Anyway, I bounced this one off my friend <a href="http://www.randsinger.com">Rand</a>, another FileMaker consultant, and he had the answer - going a very different way:
<br />
<br />You take the field out of the tab order and make it a button. When the user clicks the button, the script decides whether or not to allow entry into the field, based on it being empty or not.
<br />
<br />Works just fine, but I'd like to do it as a tab-able field. So if anyone has the answer through validation, please <a href=mailto:michaela@mac.com>email me</a>.
<br />madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-913901532003-03-25T20:14:00.000-08:002003-03-25T20:16:59.000-08:00Quick tip for anyone using WebSTAR 4.x and the Formmail plug-in: I was having a problem today with my form submission that goes to my pager. The problem? You must capitalize "Body" for the form, as in " textarea name="Body" ". Small detail, but it wont send the Body without it.
<br />
<br />Note also for those using Blogger - I tried to type that textarea in with html brackets around it - Blogger went really strange. All I could do was go into safemode to get rolling again.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5163992.post-911566362003-03-21T17:32:00.000-08:002003-03-21T17:32:57.700-08:00OK - war begins. We go skiing. Has ever a war not affected the homefront more than this time? People are prostesting, and filling up the cars, but really that's about it.madberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00902923587116673925noreply@blogger.com