1-Blog
a journey through space and time

Brilliant Usage of the Wiimote
Posted 22nd December 2007 at 3:30pm by M1ke, tagged as Tutorial | Commenting Closed

Most people should be familiar with the Wii and quite rightly so - it is the first games console in a long time to push the boat out a good distance as far as methods of interaction with the games go. Handily the Bluetooth Wiimotes that control the console can be connected to a PC, and as with all things PC the work of open source developers is pushing the boundaries and churning out multiple ways to use the motion sensing capabilities on a PC.

Johhny Lee: Wii Projects

This website links to the drivers that you will need to get your Wiimote working with a PC, as well as providing some ingenious uses such as making an "interactive whiteboard" out of any surface for free (or near to) and creating a true virtual reality 3D feel out of your normal monitor. Best of all, the software to do this with is free and the few components he uses are cheap and available on the high street.

I currently don't own a Wii, but I will definitely try and pick up a Wiimote in the after Christmas sales to try some of this stuff out.

An Explanation Of RSS
Posted 7th September 2007 at 9:39am by M1ke, tagged as Tutorial | Commenting Closed

Whilst I know that geeky/techy people like myself read this blog, I also happen to know that people less techy read it too. Whilst the site is easy to navigate, people might not check it every day, and that's where RSS comes in. You've probably at least heard the phrase (or seen it written somewhere) but maybe you don't know what it is, or how to use it to help your journey on the interweb. If this is the case, then I've got just the video for you!

Basic Windows Dos and Don'ts
Posted 8th November 2006 at 8:30pm by M1ke, tagged as Tutorial | Commenting Closed

Continuing with my teaching people how to best use their PCs, here are some pointers for general Windows use.

Do This

• When installing new software, always select 'Custom' or words to that effect rather than 'Express'. This should give you the option to choose where software is installed to. As a rule install software into a single folder in 'Program Files'. Example:
  A music player tries to install to 'C:Program FilesPublisherDeveloperMusicMusic Player'
  You should change this to 'C:Program FilesMusic Player'
  Should the piece of software be one that you won't use much and/or have an obscure name (such as some drawing software called 'Super Cool Ping-Pong') then note that in the file ("Super Cool Ping-Pong (Drawing Software)") and make things easier for yourself in future.
• Following on from the previous point, uninstall stuff that you know you'd only use once. If you download and play a game demo then unless you think it's so cool that you would replay it, uninstall once done. It helps keep your drive clean and if you ever wanted to play it again you probably have the downloaded file somewhere. This applies for trial software that's run out and you don't plan to buy, pieces of software that didn't work and other such things. Regardless as to how big your hard disk is you owe it to yourself to make it presentable.
• If something bugs you about a program, look in the program's Options/Settings/Preferences window. Usually there's a way to sort it out.

Don't Do This

• Don't let things put shortcuts on your desktop or on your Quick Launch bar. Start menu entries are fine (that's what it's there for) but you don't always need split-second access to every program you install - pick and choose when you find yourself using a program regularly and it makes both the desktop and Quick Launch lists more efficient.
• Never keep files on your desktop. Use it as a dumping ground by all means, but try and clear them up every few days. For a start it means you'll be able to see your pretty wallpaper more easily, secondly it allows you to find stuff better when needed and thirdly it stops people snooping around as easily.

There are plenty more operating practices specific to other areas (especially the internet) but these are the ones that'll get you through Windows relatively hassle free. The next article will deal with some advanced windows configuration, and then its onto the software you should (and shouldn't) use.

Basic Windows For Newbies
Posted 30th October 2006 at 3:49pm by M1ke, tagged as Tutorial | Commenting Closed

Since coming to college I find that the largest majority of computer users are those who aren't quite sure what they're doing. They can use the PCs, know how to browse the web, watch videos, listen to music and such, but don't really have much knowledge as to the way computers work or know much about how to keep them working well. I plan to write a series of larger guides about the best software to use for different applications in the near future, but for now here's a handy run-down of the stuff you should and shouldn't do with your PC.

Making Windows Better

Assuming you've never messed with any of the defaults in Windows before you should be able to do all of this stuff. If you haven't messed with the default settings but things that I say should be there are not (and vice versa) then either some software has already messed with it for you or someone else on your PC has.

Remember, the best way to learn is messing about, and don't be afraid to look in options and try and change things to see how it happens - just remember the following rules

• If you delete something, make sure to wait a few days before emptying your recycle bin - this means if things start to go screwy you can get stuff back
• Never go into the registry unless you know what you're doing. Don't trust instructions unless you understand them.
• Always remember/note the steps you take if you're messing with a lot of things in a row, that way it's a lot easier to retrace if necessary.

Having got these ground rules in place we can now progress with making your machine better.

• Firstly the few simple things to help Windows work for you. If you have a little box that says 'EN' on the taskbar to the left of the clock right click it. Assuming the option appears in the menu click 'Close language bar,' tick the box in the prompt that appears and click OK. The language bar is pointless, takes up taskbar space and indicates to many that you are a newbie.
  
• Right click your taskbar -> Move your mouse over 'Toolbars' -> Tick 'Quick Launch. Buttons will appear next to the start menu. Moving your cursor over them will show the function of the button. I recommend you right click -> 'Delete' all of them except for the one which says 'Show Desktop.' If you find yourself wanting to use it for other applications later it's quite easy to get shortcuts back onto it - for now it's very handy for the Show Desktop function.
  
• Moving further along right click on your 'Start' button -> Click 'Properties'. On the 'Taskbar' tab make sure that 'Lock the taskbar,' 'Keep the taskbar on top' and 'Show Quick Launch' are all ticked. In the bottom of the two frames it's your choice whether or not to show the clock, but I recommend that 'Hide inactive icons' is unticked. This is because if you have so many icons next to your clock (the System Tray) that you need to hide them then you have too many things running and your PC is likely to be slowed down as a result.
  
• Back on the Start Menu tab make sure the topmost of the two radio buttons is selected, and click the 'Customize' button. I recommend choosing 'Small Icons' in the top frame, putting '0' in the counter box in the second frame and leaving the bottom frame untouched.
  
• Now we come to a more complex part; click on the 'Advanced' tab, in the top frame the 'Open submenus...' box should be ticked and the other unticked. Now for the big list in the middle box which consists of tick boxes and lists of three radio buttons for a few options:
  • Control pannel -> Display as link
  • Enable dragging and dropping -> Ticked
  • Favourites menu-> Unticked
  • Help and Support -> Ticked (once or twice it may be useful)
  • My Computer -> Display as link
  • My Documents -> Display as link
  • My Music -> Display as link/menu (personal preference here)
  • My Network Places -> Ticked (at some point you'll probably need it)
  • My Pictures -> Display as link/menu (again, your choice)
  • Network Connections -> Link to Network Connections Folder
  • Printers and Faxes -> Ticked (if you don't have one, you probably will one day)
  • Run command -> Ticked (we'll use it later)
  • Scroll programs -> Unticked
  • Search -> Ticked (Unless you use Google Desktop Search)
  • St Program Access and Defaults -> Unticked
  • System Administrative Tools -> Display on the All Programs menu

  Ok, I hope we enjoyed that one. In the final box of this it's really up to you whether you want the 'Recent Documents' thing on. That's it for now with the start menu. Click OK on that window and Apply followed by OK on the window beneath.
  

• A lot of people don't know that the thing you use to look through files and folders is called Explorer. This is, of course, different from Internet Explorer. Opening My Documents, My Computer or any folder is opening a new Explorer window. So open a new explorer window and click onto the 'View' menu on the top bar. Make sure 'Status Bar' and 'List' have ticks next to them . Now open the 'Tools' menu. Click 'Folder Options' in the menu, then click the 'View' tab in the window that's just opened. Ignore the top box for now, instead have a look at another big list of options, and here we go:
  • Automatically search for.... -> Ticked
  • Display file size information... -> Ticked
  • Display simple folder... -> Unticked
  • Display the contents of system folders -> Ticked
  • Display the full path in the address bar -> Ticked
  • Display the full path in the title bar -> Unticked
  • Do not cache thumbnails -> Ticked (this frees small amounts of HDD space)
  • Hidden files and folders -> Show hidden files and folders
  • Hide extensions for known file types -> Unticked (this prevents you becoming stupid)
  • Hide protected operating system files -> Ticked (because they get in the way)
  • Launch folder windows in a separate process -> Unticked (unless explorer windows are always crashing, in which case tick it)
  • Managing pairs of Web... -> Show and manage...
  • Remember each folder's... -> Ticked
  • Restore previous folder windows... -> Unticked
  • Show Control Panel in... -> Ticked (we will use this later)
  • Show encrypted or compressed... -> Ticked
  • Show pop-up description... -> Ticked
  • Use simple file sharing -> Unticked

  Now click 'Apply to All Folders' in the top box, click 'Apply' and then 'OK at the bottom of the window and let out that breath you were holding. At this point I'd go to My Computer and set the View back to 'Tiles' because that's the one place where it's actually useful.
  

• Use the 'Show Desktop' button on the quick launch bar. Right click your Recycle Bin. Click 'Properties' and untick the box at the bottom. Sometimes you may end up accidentally deleting an item, but you can just nip to the bin and get it back and this saves you confirming it every time. Clumsy people need not follow this step.
  

So there's a little basic stuff about how to make your Windows experience a little bit easier. In the next article I'll deal with good and bad practices when it comes to your computer.

DIsable Update Restart Notice
Posted 29th June 2006 at 4:58pm by M1ke, tagged as Tutorial | Commenting Closed

You tell it that you want to 'Restart Later' but it just keeps popping up every 10 minutes!

It's true - whenever you use Windows Update it downloads the stuff and then incessantly reminds you to restart once it's been installed. Even playing a game, you'll get dropped to Windows instantly if this happens. So check out this very handy link and learn how to disable it.

• Link to Cybernet, Restart Prompt