2007 September | Kevins Crate.com/Blog

Calculator Plus From Microsoft

Power Toys, Program Crate, XP No Responses »

Sep 302007

When the Windows operating system is installed on your computer, a simple calculator program that you can use to perform standard mathematical functions also gets installed. However, your legal copy of Windows also entitles you to download a fancier calculator program. It is called Microsoft Calculator Plus. Get it here for free

The standard calculator.

Calculator Plus.

Calculator Plus does everything the standard Microsoft Calculator does but also enables you to convert one type of units to another, a useful feature for businesses with international relationships. You can calculate conversions for:

Area
Currency
Fuel consumption (engines)
Energy
Lengths
Power
Pressure
Temperature
Volume
Velocity
Weight

For currency calculations, you can add currencies to the default list that is installed. The calculator also includes a tool that will automatically update the exchange rate for the Euro by downloading it from the European Central Bank (ECB).

Men’s Rules

Laughs No Responses »

Sep 292007

Sent in by Jon,

We men always hear “the rules” from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. Finally!! So these are OUR rules! Please note, these rules are numbered in the order of priority. Share these with your wives!!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it
down You can handle it. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us bitching about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday = sports. It’s like the full moon. Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one. Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s
what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. If you won’t dress like the Victoria’s Secret girls, don’t expect us
to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the
ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it
done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it
yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during
commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions, and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach ,for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like
nothing’s wrong. We know you’re lying, but it is just not worth the
hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.

1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to
discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or if I should
have used a 9-iron.

1. You have enough clothes!

1. You have too many shoes!

1. I am in shape. ROUND is a shape.

Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know men really don’t mind this; it’s like camping
out.

Speed Up Your Start Menu

Windows Tips Crate, XP No Responses »

Sep 282007

Here’s a tip you can use if your Start Menu seems a little slow when you click it. This tip involves editing the Registry so its a good idea to create a System Restore point first. Ok here it go’s.

Click the Start Button.
Click Run.
In the Run box type regedit and click Ok.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \.
Scroll down to MenuShowDelay, right click it and select Modify.
Change the Value data (0 is fastest, 400 is default. I recommend setting it around 200. (The time is expressed in milliseconds).
When you’re finished click Ok, then Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.

To see Screen shots for the process, Click the Read the rest of this entry link.

Launchy: The Fastest Way To Open Programs And Files

Program Crate, XP No Responses »

Sep 262007

Launchy is free open-source windows utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager.

Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes! It’s like Vista’s new search box for XP. Give it a try and you’ll be hooked too. Get Launchy Here.

Once Launchy has been started, it hides in the background. You bring it forward by holding the alt key and tapping the space key. You then type in a few keys of the program you are searching for and hit enter once it has been found. You can also make Launchy dissappear again by hitting escape or alt+space. The more you use it the smarter it gets.

Doom9 The Ultimate Guide To Video Manipulation

Website Crate 1 Response »

Sep 252007

If your looking for a guide to backup your DVD’s or transcode some video look no farther than Doom9

Doom9 is a website featuring information on digital audio and video manipulation, mostly video, and digital copyrights. It is also the forum username of the author of the page, an Austrian college student. The site’s tagline is “The Definitive DVD Backup Resource”.

Started in March 2000, the site has expanded to contain a plethora of information on the subject of digital video encoding and DVD backup (or ripping). The most popular sections of the site are the guides to DVD ripping and the annual codec comparisons, where popular digital video codecs are compared on the basis of quality, speed, and compression. The forum is frequented by many developers of the tools featured on the site, such as FairUse4WM. The site has been criticized, as the techniques described by it can be used for movie piracy, but it maintains that its guides should only be used for fair use. Even people suspected of pirating movies are refused help on the forums.

The VirtualDubMod project began after many modifications to VirtualDub were posted on the Doom9 forums.

Doom9 gained notoriety as a result of its involvement in the AACS encryption key controversy. The utility BackupHDDVD was first posted by a Doom9 poster using the alias muslix64. The earliest information on how to find title and volume keys was also first revealed on Doom9 forums, by other users. The key that set off the controversy was also first posted by a user using the name arnezami.

Hak.5 The Internet Television Show

Podcast Crate 1 Response »

Sep 222007

Get it here. http://www.hak5.org/

Hak5 is the Internet Television show for the hacker, modder, and do-it-yourself. With high quality tech entertainment and all things hack and mod. You’ll find yourself breaking out the soldering iron with Wess Tobler or yielding networks (in)secure with Darren Kitchen. So join the gang on the 5th of each month for an engaging hour of technology and geek humor.

Created by co-hosts Darren Kitchen, Wess Tobler and Alanna Buehring in 2005, Hak.5 is a television show for geek’s, hackers, and do-it-yourselfers distributed online. Inspired by former Tech TV’s The Screen Savers (1998-2005), Hak.5 started as an underground attempt to bring back tech entertainment. Within its first few months on air the show had become a hit among tech enthusiasts while mainstream media had begun to notice the booming Internet television world. Since then Hak.5 has appeared on G4TechTV’s Call for Help with Leo Laporte and Torrent with Amber MacArthur and Matt Harris, as well as in Wired Magazine, PC Format Magazine, the Computer America Radio show, the TWiT podcast, and even Adventures of Superman.
The show is known for its high production quality and independence from a studio or channel sponsor.

Hak.5 broadcasts on the fifth of each month in XviD, iPod, Windows Media Video formats. The show is distributed via RSS, iTunes, YouTube, and Veoh. During the two month off season for Hak.5, there are plans on shooting an RC1 of Hak.5 Live.

Definitely worthy of a download.

Miro, Turn Your Computer Into An Internet TV Video Player

Program Crate No Responses »

Sep 202007

Miro, The Free open-source Video player formerly the Democracy player has been updated to version 0.9.9.1 and is a worthy download and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Miro is a free application that turns your computer into an internet TV video player. This release is still a beta version, which means that there are some bugs, but they are moving quickly to fix them and will be releasing bug fixes on a regular basis.

Miro lets you search for download and play Internet videos and video podcasts. you just search for the video you want and add it as a channel then whenever its updated it will download the newest episode.

Take Control Of Your Start Menu

Windows Tips Crate, XP No Responses »

Sep 192007

When you click the Start button you can see many useful items that appear in the Start Menu to make your computing easier and faster.

This tip will show you how to add or remove items from your Start Menu.

Right click the Start button.
Choose Properties.
Click the Start menu tab.
Click Customize.
Click the Advanced tab.
Scroll thru the Start menu items.

Now you can scroll thru the Start menu items and check the items you want to add to your Start menu, then you choose how they will appear, As a link, As a menu or not at all. When your finished click Ok twice and your all set.

To see Screen shots for the process, Click the Read the rest of this entry link.

Jakks EyeClops The Bionic Eye

Gadget Crate No Responses »

Sep 182007

Here’s a cool gift for the little scientist in your family.

Say goodbye to normal magnifiers! With the Jakks EyeClops Bionic Eye hand-held device, kids can view everyday objects at 200 times their regular size. Recommended for kids ages six and up, the EyeClops creates hours of endless play and exploration that’s fun for the entire family. Available at Amazon for $50.00

Much more fun than a microscope, the EyeClops transforms any television into an interactive TV toy. With the EyeClops, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Magnified to 200 times the normal size and viewed on any TV screen, minuscule salt crystals morph into blocks of ice; hair and carpet turn into giant noodles; and small insects become fearsome creatures. The Bionic Eye has three built-in LED lights so kids can illuminate any object, including their own skin.

Kids love using the TV along with this educational device to share a new activity with their friends. Parents too can join in the fun and will love how their children learn and play. So you don’t have to touch everything you look at, the toy comes with an observation dish and tube, perfect for viewing liquids, salt, and bugs. The battery-powered device is simple to use, plugging directly into the A/V jacks found on any current TV model. The brightly colored, hard plastic device is child-safe and stands up to hours of scientific exploration. The EyeClops requires five AA