In an exclusive interview, the folks at Gadgetell have interviewed Kevin Rose, both of TechTV fame and now one of the faces behind the scenes at Digg [ http://digg.com/ ] and Revision3 [ http://revision3.com/ ]. The interview is really good and has a lot of excellent questions (and answers) behind them. Check it out below!
Category: Sites and Downloads
Awesome websites and useful or fun downloads
The website FileInfo.net contains perhaps the most massive database of filetype information on the internet, with new ones added daily. Ever come across a file with a funny extension and you have absolutely no idea what program opens it or where it might possibly have come from? Well, that’s what FileInfo is all about; demystifying those file extensions for the rest of us so we can tell what’s a system file and what we should just right-click > open with and choose our favorite programs. Definitely worth a bookmark. Enjoy the link!
[ FileInfo.net ]
Jon Aquino has put together what is probably one of the most useful apps for the Yahoo! Widget engines ever. No, it’s not actually a widget, but it’s a refreshing list of the most downloaded widgets for the engine form Yahoo’s site, and it includes a lot of really good widgets that do everything from control Winamp to track tasks all the way up to very specialized ones that give you RSS feeds for specific sites and traffic cams from specific cities. Check out the list, and maybe you’ll find some widgets that you’ll think are useful! If you don’t have the Yahoo! Widget engine, download it today!
[ Yahoo! Widgets ]
Categories
File Recovery Apps
We’ve all been there, it’s okay to admit it. You forgot to back up, or you just didn’t bother. And now you deleted something that you wish you had back. I know, I know, it sucks. Or you accidentally deleted something and went ahead and emptied the recycle bin without thinking about it, and now you need that file you lost. What do you do?
Well, here’s a couple of applications that we found courtesy of LifeHacker [ http://lifehacker.com/ ] that should do the trick, and they’re both free to download and use at your need and can help you get those deleted files back! But remember, as with any deletion, deleting the file doesn’t really erase the information, it just tells the operating system that the place where the file was is okay to write new data to-meaning the longer you wait to do the recovery, the less chance you have to get the files back, so get crackin!
Anyway, on to the software. We have PC Inspector File Recovery and Restoration, both free to use on a personal basis. I’ve tried them both and they both work pretty well, so give them a whirl the next time you need them!
[ PC Inspector File Recovery ]
[ Restoration ]
Amber and Leo are teaming up to bring us more quality tech programming on the web, and are working on a show called MacBreak that will, what else, but focus on the Macintosh community! Mac users, rejoice! The first episode will come from us from MacWorld 2006, and Leo reports over at the TWIT blog [ http://www.twit.tv ] that they’re hoping to have the first episode up and ready to distribute this week! Stay tuned, when the show is released, we’ll track episodes here at TechTVForever.net!
Andy Walker posted to the TechTV Forever yahoogroup [ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/techtv-forever/ ] that they’ve just logged their 500,000’s download of Lab Rats episodes, in part due to their ongoing and up to the second coverage of both the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the MacWorld Expo! He says:
Just wanted to thank everyone for their ongoing support of LabRats.tv
I am delighted to tell you we logged our 500,000th download last night. Half
a million! Sean and I are just astounded!
And 100,000 of those downloads came in the last week from our road coverage
of CES in Las Vegas and Macworld in San Fran.
(I write to you now via Wi-Fi in my hotel lobby.)Eric suggested that viewers probably wouldn’t mind a little advertising to
help defray costs of the production — and I agree — so we’re looking at
some fun ways of integrating that.It’s certainly been a learning experience for us. Sean is cutting the show
on his G4 iBook and then uploading wherever we can find Wi-Fi.
Our servers ran out of space this week so we had to drop the various
versions we usually post to fit all the coverage.
But we’ll remedy that next week when we move to a new dedicated server that
will house all the Cyberwalker.com properties as well as LabRats.tv.And if you haven’t already check out today’s episode of our Macworld
coverage, please do (11.2)…Amber, Patrick, and camera guru Mikkel Aaland
all appear on the show.
You heard the man! Look forward to new and better coverage coming soon from the Lab Rats crew, and don’t forget to check out their most recent episodes from CES and MacWorld (linked below) over at LabRats.tv [ http://www.labrats.tv/ ]
It’s about damned time, too! I’ve been wanting a way to play wmv files and avi files on the macintosh for years now, and it looks like there’s finally a way to do it. A company called Flip4Mac offers the Quicktime components that allow for this, and combined with Microsoft, the two of them have delivered a powerful plugin for Quicktime that makes Windows Media a much more valid authoring and media delivery platform for the Macintosh as well as the PC. The plugin even allows for high definition media! The download is free, and available now; check it out:
[ Flip4Mac // Microsoft Downloads ]
Flip4Mac homepage:
[ http://www.flip4mac.com/flip4mac_home.htm ]
Took them long enough, but Microsoft finally pushed out a patch today to repair the Windows MetaFile flaw, and the patch even coexists peacefully with the old workaround that Steve and Leo were reccomending on Security Now! and the GRC website [ http://www.grc.com/sn/notes-020.htm ]. The new patch is available through Windows Update, of course, or direct download from TechNet:
[ Microsoft TechNet // WMF Advisory and Patch ]
Head out and grab it now, and it’d be a good idea to let your friends, loved ones, and fellow geeks and non-geeks know about it as well.
Blatantly stolen from Digg [ http://www.digg.com/ ] it looks like the title is actually true. The digg poster of the original story wonders for a moment how the TechTV crew ever got the boot from the airwaves, and well, the answer is simple: niche marketing and the greed of G4 and Comcast execs. Luckily the folks at G4 are getting their comeuppance now that their brand new network (with their oh-so-desired 50 million extra homes) is tanking so hard they’re dying to copy Spike TV’s business model (reruns of The Man Show and Star Trek: TNG, anyone?), and even Comcast has seen the light enough to sack Charles Hirschorn, the man who orchestrated the takeover in the first place.
But even so, their loss is our gain in terms of free, quality programming and podcasts for the web, and you know we’ll help you keep track of it all at TechTVForever!
John Highway over at IHeartMorganWebb [ http://www.iheartmorganwebb.com/ ] was kind enough to catch the segment on Good Morning America Weekend with Becky Worley and her fabulous suggestions for the geek in your life this holiday season (and they’re great suggestions!) and has posted the video on his site for all of us to view and enjoy. Some of Becky’s gift suggestions inlcude the Motorola Razr cellphone, the XBox 360 (if you can find one), and a huge F1 racing simulator courtesy of Neimann Marcus. Incredible! Head on over and check out the video!
[ http://www.iheartmorganwebb.com/?file=videoclips#becky_worley ]
For those of us who have used TrendMicro’s HouseCall in the past to scan for viruses (and more recently, thanks to their upgrade, for spyware and trojans) here:
[ http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ ]
Microsoft has their answer to the pressing needs of their users, who have doubtlessly turned to them for help. They’ve unveiled the Windows Live Safety Center, a one stop shop that will allow you to scan your Windows PC for viruses, spyware, improve performance by cleaning up junk files, and help you get a little more power from your PC. It looks really good so far, give it a shot and see if you like it:
Now this is an impressive list! Full of awesome downloads and tools you can use to pretty much do just about anything! From the best free web browser (firefox, of course!) to the best free firewall, this list is pretty full and comprehensive. The best free spyware removal tools, the best free rootkit scanner, the best free anti-virus software, it’s all in there. But it’s not all about common applications-I just found out while reading it that one of my favorite programs, EditPad Lite, is the best free Notepad replacement! The list is chock full of great tips and downloads, and ripe with explanations for why each of the programs selected were chosen. Check it out-I’m sure you’ll find the perfect tool for whatever you need to do!
[ http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm ]
The Lab Rats website over at [ http://www.labrats.tv/ ] just finished a redesign and it looks great! It’s a much better portal to all the great content over at Lab Rats than the previous page was, and it’s definitely an improvement. Don’t worry about the redesign, all the links to the old shows still work and look better than ever. Head on over and check out the new site design, and don’t forget to stop by the Lab Rats blog at [ http://www.labrats.tv/blog/ ] while you’re at it!
If you’re like me and absolutely tired of the nonsense you have to take from the music industry just to play a CD in your computer while you work or to make a copy to take on a roadtrip without damaging the original, this is for you. PC World has a treat for you: a few suggestions for podcasts, websites, and music blogs that will help you get back into your musical groove, so to speak, and help you get a leg up on finding new music and broadening your musical horizons. Enjoy!
[ http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123539,tk,dn111805X,00.asp ]
Partially because the EFF has always been the best lobby the technology crowd has, and because they’re out there working on a regular basis to make sure that our digital rights, privacy, and security are protected both from crooks and thieves who would steal them to scam up as well as companies and government agencies that would trade them, spam us, watch us, and monitor our every move, the EFF has been an incredible force in both government and technology circles in making sure that the real issues and needs of technology are properly addressed in government and in business. For example, take a look at their open letter to Sony BMG here in relation to the Sony Rootkit DRM scandal:
[ http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/Sony-BMG/?f=open-letter-2005-11-14.html ]
Essentially, you broke it, you oughta fix it, and fix it properly, without opening up additional security holes (as they’ve done), deny responsibility (as they’ve done), ignore the issue (as they’ve done), or lie and insult the public (as they’ve also done). Because the EFF has been such an impressive motivator for personal rights and freedoms and technology, TechTV Forever advises anyone interested in becoming a member and support the fine work that the EFF is doing:
Categories
Lab Rats Blog!
Lab Rats, Andy Walker and Sean Carruthers’ new weekly videocast, now has a home on the web all it’s own aside from the old website they were using before (which still works if you have it bookmarked!). The new Lab Rats blog has status updates on the upcoming video (due tonight) and more information about the show. It’s in the links on the side in case you miss it, but here you go anyway!
LifeHacker [ http://www.lifehacker.com/ ] to the rescue again! For those of you who would love to have access to all of your files from wherever you go and whatever computer you might use, and would also like the ability to transfer files to your home computer or home network, this trick is for you! I know I’d love to be able to transfer files back and forth between my home and work computers, so I figured I’d share the wealth here. Read on:
[ http://www.lifehacker.com/software/home-server/how-to-set-up-a-home-ftp-server-130806.php ]
LifeHacker has a whole series of “home server” articles, so if this one suits your fancy or even doesn’t and you’d really like to try something else, look em all over and see what might work for you:
[ http://www.lifehacker.com/software/home-server/index.php ]
For a little humor in your diet, check out this video (courtesy of Leander Kahney and the Cult of Mac blog) of the world’s longest start-up sound. He says the anticipation is better than the payoff, but I disagree, the whole damn thing is hilarious! This definitely made my morning.
Looks like we have a new podcast to track! Andy Walker, formerly of Call for Help fame and definitely of TechTVForever.net interview fame (thanks again Andy!) [ http://www.techtvforever.net/index.php?p=208%22 ] does a weekly radio bit on AM 640 in Toronto, on a show called The Stafford Show (locals, pay attention and listen!) where he answers live tech questions. This looks good, and he’s decided that well, as long as he does it, he may as well put it up for everyone to hear! Right now it’s called Cyberwalker Mondays, and the first episode is up and available for download. Check it out:
CyberWalker Mondays Episode 1 // October 3, 2005 – [ Cyberwalker Mondays Site | download ]
Categories
Cool Download: Explorer XP
Now this is pretty cool! It’s an add-on/exploring application that extends the abilities and efforts of Windows Explorer in a bunch of different and useful ways. PC World brings us Explorer XP, today’s awesome download, and here’s what they have to say about it:
Windows Explorer could do so much more than it does. Luckily, ExplorerXP goes the extra mile. For starters, this file manager uses tabs, making it easier to keep track of your files. ExplorerXP shows you folder size–not just file size–information, and it shows you the actual size of compressed files and folders. This program supports USB devices. It also lets you merge and split files and rename several files at once.
Looks good to me! Give it a whirl!
[ http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,25874,tk,hsx,00.asp ]