Tuesday 17 June 2008

Geeks

  • It's News rather than Geeks but it's an interesting article all the same from Asian Sweethearts which will be of interest to all mongers. Quote:

Cowboy, Nana and Pat Pong to be closed - that's what Khun Pluem said he would do if he is elected to be the next mayor of Bangkok. I listened to him on a talk show last night talking about himself and his ideas for improving Bangkok. He is still young and has fresh ideas, not like the old politicians who have been absorbed into the system and all say the same things. He also has a good idea of how Thailand is viewed by the rest of the world. And because of places like Cowboy, Nana and Patpong it is embarrassing. That's one of the things he would do right away, shut those places down. He has the independence and power to do it, too. He is a member of the royal family and not indebted to anyone. Khun Pluem says he wants to get elected and change things now, before he is over 40 and starts to slide into the same rut as the old guys. He will get my vote. [via Asian Sweetheart] :Unquote

Ed. Nothing is said about the bars frequented by Thais and Japanese but that is probably because Thai/Jap bars/clubs don't attract anywhere near the same media attention as Cowboy, Nana and the Pong. Closures could happen who knows but the industry will survive that's for sure, it will just be in a different format and different location. This will be no consolation to people with money invested in the areas targeted by Khun Pluem for closure. One to watch that's for sure.   

 

  •  5 Awesome Apps To Make Things Easier On A USB Drive

We all love our USB drives, don't we? You should probably be using some portable apps on your USB drive - if not, check out our huge list of portable applications for your USB drive here.

In this post, I want to cover a few apps that will make managing your USB drive easier. In essence, I'll talk about tools that can be used to make things easier if you've got a USB drive - not about apps that work from your drive.

So here we go - five applications to make things easier if you're using a USB thumb drive.

1) Prevent Virus Infections on your USB Thumb Drive with ThumbScrew

If you're working on a system that's probably infected with viruses, you wouldn't want to see your USB thumb drive get infected by the same - they probably have some backups of your data that you cannot afford to lose. However, if you're in an inevitable situation where you really have to access the USB drive, do so after you install ThumbScrew.

ThumbScrew can be used to write-protect your USB drive so that malware from your computer doesn't spread to it. Download and launch the app, right click the System Tray icon and choose 'Make USB Read Only'. Nothing could be written to the USB Drive, you're completely protected from infections spreading to your disk from your computer.

2) Eject USB Devices Quickly with USB Disk Eject

Let's admit it. Windows does give you options to eject your USB drives - we all use that by clicking on the 'Safely Remove Hardware' option in the System Tray. But have you ever thought it's too cumbersome and the list confuses you more than helps you remove that particular device?

People who've got multiple USB Devices connected to their system will have really felt this annoyance as the hardware remove dialog doesn't make it clear which option removes what device.

Here's the way out: Download this tiny but functional app called USB Disk Eject. Just double-click when you need to remove a USB drive and a window will pop up listing the devices connected to your system via USB. Each device is labelled clearly and legibly. Just double-click on the one that you want to get removed and you're done. Much quicker, I'd say.

3) Access USB Drives Quickly with Desk Drive

DeskDrive is somewhat similar to the above application, but it's for keyboard junkies. Mark just mentioned it a few days ago here on Make Use Of. I've been using it since yesterday, and I couldn't help thinking why Windows doesn't have this feature by default.

 

Here's a summary of the app: DeskDrive puts shortcuts to your USB drives on your desktop immediately after you insert them. Quick access. That's pretty much it. For more, head on to Mark's post or download the app directly from here.

4) Autorun Apps from your USB Drive with USB Autorun Maker

How many times have you browsed through those myriad of folders to launch that one particular app that you always run from your USB drive? Why not make it autorun so that the application launches immediately when you open the drive icon?

 

Yep, that's possible, thanks to a utility called USB Autorun. Download USB Autorun (direct link), and use the options in the system tray icon to build an autorun.inf file. You'll have to specify which app should be run automatically, and click 'Build' and the autorun maker will create an autorun.inf file that tells Windows that a particular app should be launched. No big thing to do here - you just need to specify the path where the app is present. Please note that this software is shareware, so there are some limitations.

5) Backup Files to your USB Drive with SyncToy

How many times have you copy-pasted those folders in Windows to back up your most important data and got fed up copy-pasting back and forth? Just relax, and get the SyncToy tool from Microsoft.

 

Install the Synctoy application, specify what directory should be copied to where - it's called a 'folder pair' in Synctoy (here in this case, the directory where your files should be put in should be somewhere in your USB Drive) and then just press the Run button for the backup operation to take place. For an in depth guide, check out our previous guide on syncing your USB Drive. I bet this software will probably save you from a lot of frustration. [via MakeUseOf]

 

  • If you are using an early version of Firefox or IE you should check out the good stuff in Firefox 3 scheduled for release later today. I've been using beta release version 3.2 for a week and web pages load much, much faster than in version 2.0. If there's a down side in the short term it is not all your version 2.0 add-ons will work from day 1 with version 3. It will take a few weeks for the add-on developers to catch up. That apart, Firefox version 3 is a big improvement over version 2. I'm getting my copy of version 3 as soon as it hits the shelves.

     

  • Dia Does Powerful Diagrams and Flowcharts

    Windows/Linux only: Open-source application Dia is a robust flowchart and diagram tool. Like a free version of Microsoft Visio, Dia provides you with all the tools you need to create anything from a simple flowchart to a powerful and complex diagram, and files can be saved in many formats, including a Visio Drawing-compatible VDX filetype. Dia is free, Windows and Linux only. If you'd prefer building your diagrams on the web, check out previously mentioned Gliffy. [via OStatic]

 

  • Golf Driver Kooler Klub Serves Up The Stealth - one for Ginger Pete and Andy...

Let's be honest with ourselves. Not every golf player is lucky enough to join a fancy country club. The kind where chauffeurs are sent to fetch your every whim. You want a diet soda? You've got it! You want some hard lemonade? No problem! The vast majority of us need to play on public courses. The kind where getting to the 18th hole means dodging across the highway which intersects the course.

By the time you get far enough away from the club house, there is just no way you're going to want to make the hike back and forth between the beverage counter and your hole. Yet most golf courses ban players to bring any outside beverages onto the course. Luckily, The Designated Driver Kooler Klub from After 5 Catalog has us covered.

The stealthy Kooler Klub allows us to bring 54 ounces of your favourite refreshment, hot or cold, right onto the course, slyly hidden within a seemingly regulation driver club. With the press of a button located on top of the Kooler's head, the club dispenses your beverage right into your lucky mug. The Klub includes four AA batteries, and the head is easily detachable for a quick cleaning.

So this is a pretty cool gift for the thrifty golfer. Drinks are expensive at the course, and the sun is hot on our balding skulls. You can grab your own Designated Driver Kooler Klub for $119 from After 5 Catalog.

 

 

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