Technology – Page 3 – Garrett M. Wiedmeier

September 17, 2006

ZoneTick is cool

So I became addicted to this utility called ZoneTick. It’s a replacement for the windows clock that shows in the lower right corner of your screen. With this little ditty you can have multiple clocks with all different time zones displayed, and have clocks on your desktop much like Macintosh or Yahoo widgets. Since I’m an aviation freak, I’m always wanting to know what the current “zulu” time it is, which is aviation parliance for Greenwich mean time, which is the time used for all aviation matters.

There are “widgets” that do basically the same, but this utility gives you absolute control over the time/date and how you want it displayed, which others do not.

Anywhoo, I had a problem with it and their support was excellent. Timely replies via email, and I wasn’t expecting that (who does any more) So I can’t reccommend enough spending $20 and getting this nifty little utility. Nice folks. here is their website

September 9, 2006

Toshiba Gigabeat S + Windows Media 11 and URGE

I got a new MP3 player this week. Needed something more than my 5-year-old iPOD. After a dreadful experience with a bad sync cable having to be replaced I am happy to report — this thing is awesome!

It has the new Windows Media Mobile player on it, and this plus the new Windows Media Player 11 is really a slick little package. WATCH OUT Apple! This could be the iPOD killer. iTUNES is nice, but I’ve never cared for it’s interface — and comparing it now it’s actually really staid and old looking compared to this new combination I have. Plus it effortlessly found all my pictures and videos, and synced them with the gigabeat player. Very slick.

The Toshiba gigabeat player itself is well designed — 30GB hard drive player with good connection options. You can even output to a TV and watch the videos you have on it (cables came included). Volume and sound are great, and the screen is gorgeous.

So as a part of Windows Media Player 11, they have bundled the new URGE music store, run by MTV. So I signed-up for the free trial. I have to say I’m impressed. Every obscure song I looked for they had, and then I got into the “More music like this” feature which searches for other artists and songs that are similar to what you have selected. I found more cool stuff and songs I remembered and loved that needed to be in my collection immediately! It was easy to select them, they downloaded and synced, again, flawlessly. Even with album art to boot!

After the free trial it costs you $14 a month — but it’s for all you can eat. Or you can purchase songs for $0.99 each. So I guess you could get stuck and tethered to the service if you don’t by the songs outright (which, I’m sure, is what they want). However, searching and sampling all these songs was very easy, and I’d spend the money just for the directory and searching service alone.

Anyways, enough fluff. None of this is new — others have done it before. But the entire “package” of this combination is very nice — This is good stuff. I can’t believe something like this came from Microsoft.

August 17, 2006

Holy cow — I got comments!

So after tweaking this website blog a bit I noticed I had comments for some of my posts! Oh shit — people ARE reading this crap. That’s funny! 🙂 Sorry if I seemed to ignore you — I had the “moderated” type as all the bots out on the internet try to post stuff automatically and it’s all garbage. Didn’t realize this stuff was there!

Will check and see if I can get email notification when posts are made, though!!

[update 11/9/2006: with the new blog software, all the old comments went away ;( ]

February 7, 2006

Virtual Aviation ROCKS!

I am right now piloting a 757 from SEA to MCO (Orlando for those of you airport code challenged!) I’m just crossing into the NE corner of Wyoming. 3 hours to go!

I am amazed at what the Internet can offer (and I work with it daily!) You see, I’m not just flying flight simulator on my computer alone. I’m connected to VATSIM, a virtual aviation network. Real “virtual” human air traffic controllers are directing my flight, using voice and headsets and virtual radar just like in real life. I’m talking to Denver Center right now. In a few minutes I’ll be handed-off to Kansas City Center, just like in real life. When I get close to Orlando, Orlando Approach Control will decend and “vector” (turn) me onto the final approach course and Orlando Tower will clear me to land. All different virtual, yet real people. I hear them. I talk to them. They see me on their scopes.

I’m a member of Pacific Airways, a virtual airline. I’ve made the rank of Captain recently because of the hours I’ve flown. My Call sign is PAY1837 – “Pacific eighteen thirty seven” is how you’d hear it on the “radio”

I’m an Instrument-rated pilot, and the level of reality this brings just astounds me. What I say, What I do, the rules, etc…are almost completely in sync with what the real world does.

Is this healthy? Debatable. But I’m having fun. So what’s wrong with that, eh?!

below you can see a screenshot of the current VATSIM general status– I’m the airplane in the upper-right, traversing through Denver’s airspace now (The green Circles represent Denver Approach and Tower’s Airspace) GOD I’m a GEEK!!

February 2, 2006

Happy Groundhog’s Day! IE 7 Blows…

My favorite holiday is today! Buried rodents never get any respect, except today. Let’s give ’em their 15 minutes of fame, shall we?

On another topic, Microsoft released a public preview of Internet Explorer 7.0 Beta. I installed it at home, and am using it to write this blog entry. So far it’s OK at home. But at work it was a disaster. Completely un-useable. I realize it’s not finished, but it was such a turd I immediately uninstalled the thing. Lots of work to do for those Microsofties on the Eastside for sure!

January 11, 2006

Forta is Coming!

Ben Forta, well known ColdFusion Guru, is coming to MY user group in February!

“So, big deal?” yu may ask. Ohh, but it is! Ben is about the best you can get for your user group, and always puts on a good show.

All the details are on our website: seattlecfug.com. Come one, come all!

February 15, 2005

Gee, look what I found!

So I was finally getting around to dealing with some old hardware at work. So here I was gutting and parting-out our old file server, and as I cleared the SCSI cables and hard drive shelves, but what did appear — a pair of snips! Yes, those are scissors inside our old server, that had been laying in there since we received it 4 years ago. Reminds me of those stories where doctors leave saws in people after surgery.

This server was always a bitch to me — perhaps we now know why….