Simplicity

"True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation; it's about bringing order to complexity." -Jony Ive

What's the Deal With Inserting Images in Documents on Mobile Devices?

I got a brand new iPad mini last October. Wanted an iPad since they came out and I finally scraped together some money to get one. So far it's been great. I love it. In fact, it's perfect in every way -- except one. Document editing. Let me explain...

There are many apps that one can download on a tablet or smart phone to use for editing or creating new documents. On iPad, you can use Google Drive, QuickOffice HD Pro or Documents to Go. You can even launch a web browser and login to Skydrive and edit documents using the web version of Word. Sure it's very stripped down and basic but it gets the job done. There are paid apps, free apps and many other options. They can sync with various cloud services, they can be saved in a multitude of file formats and you can access them from just about anything and anywhere. There's really only one thing you CAN'T do with them -- and that is,... insert a picture.

(and it probably never will at this rate)

link: http://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2755803

Side note: I inserted the image above from the Blogger app on iOS. So for anyone about to lecture me on hardware limitations, then you'll have to come up with something else.

So what's the deal? What is so difficult about inserting a picture? What is the deal with inserting images? Is this some kind of technological advancement that is impossible to achieve? I feel crazy for thinking this but I'm starting to suspect some kind of conspiracy. It's like all the developers got together for a meeting and they all agreed, "Ok, here's what were gonna do. We'll let them type as much as they want. We'll even give them bullets and a few font choices. But under NO circumstances must you allow them to insert an image into their documents! Everyone agree on this?" And they all nod and leave to go develop all kinds of apps to create documents,... none of which allow for inserting an image.

That reminds me, does Surface RT have Office? Oh yeah, it does. I wonder if it lets a person insert an image into their document? Oh nevermind. It would probably crash before you had a chance to find out.

If there is anyone out there who stumbles across this post and has some information on this, I would love to hear from you. Either Google needs to add the feature to insert images into a Google Drive document or Microsoft needs to release Office for iOS and Android. Am I the only one noticing this gaping void in the tablet space? Am I the only one interested in using a quality product for creating documents and spreadsheets on an iPad? I can't be the only one can I?

Virtualization - Install Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 as a Virtual Guest

This is the second in a series of videos I will be creating discussing basic virtualization. When you are done watching this video, you should be able to create a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 virtual guest.

MS Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee175713.aspx

Virtualbox: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Virtualization - Basic Installation of Windows XP using Virtualbox and Imgburn

This is the first in a series of videos I will be creating discussing basic virtualization. When you are done watching this video, you should be able to convert a physical CD or DVD to an ISO file, install Virtualbox, and create a Windows XP virtual machine.

Imgburn: http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

Virtualbox: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Extend Microsoft Windows or Office activation period

If you are using Microsoft Windows 7/Vista or Office as a trial, you can extend it from the default 30 period to 120 days by doing this: Simply click on the Start button and in the search window, type in cmd and you'll see the Command Prompt at the top of the page. Don't press Enter yet — instead, right-mouse click on the shortcut and select Run as Administrator. Now, after the Command Prompt loads up, type this: slmgr.vbs -rearm and the hit Enter and reboot. That's it.

1. Click on the Start button and type in "cmd". Don't press Enter and instead right-click on the shortcut and select "Run as Administrator".
2. Type slmgr.vbs -rearm and then hit Enter.
3. Reboot.

And now it should be good to go for 120 days.

My Recipe for Atlantic Salmon

Things you'll need:

• 2-4 lemons
• 2 fillets of Atlantic Salmon (or more if you want more)
• Lawry's Lemon Pepper Marinade
• Something to bake it all in (tempered glass baking dish is what I used)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Slice up the lemons. Not too thick but not too thin.
2. Lay them evenly on the bottom of the baking dish
3. Lightly and carefully wash the fish under cold water. Not too much but just enough to get any gross film off them. Be careful though because they are very fragile.
4. Brush a thin film of olive oil on it so the salt and pepper stick better.
5. Lay the fish skin-side down and salt and pepper the pink side.
6. Lay the pink side of the fish down onto the lemons in the baking dish.
7. Now the skin side should be facing up. Salt and pepper that side too.
8. Dump the bottle of lemon pepper marinade in and make sure the fish are mostly covered in it.
9. Cover with foil and stick in the frig for like an hour to soak it up.
10. When you are ready, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Then stick the whole thing in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Note: You can take the fish out after about 20 minutes and check it.

I'm not sure the best way to check the fish so I just cut off a tiny

piece to taste test it.

If you plan to do asparagus, then this is how I did it:

1. Break off the ends.
2. Rinse each one thoroughly in cold water to get the dirt off.
3. Boil water in a pan. Cook them for about 3-5 minutes in the boiling water.

UltraViolet Digital Downloads are Junk!

I was a background extra in the movie, "Contagion". The mostest boringestest movie ever, but that's another story. At least it was fun being an extra. Anyway, it recently came out on Blu-ray and DVD. I don't even have a Blu-ray player but I bought the BR anyway because I wanted the "digital copy" that I could play in iTunes and stream to my AppleTV. Normally I buy DVD's. And this time I wish I had because little did I know what I had gotten myself into.


I get home and open it up and start to go through the process of getting my digital download copy only to realize that they are using this new technology called, "UltraViolet". Here's what this means:

1. You have to install Adobe AIR on your computer and jump through hoops for the code activation. Then if you're lucky, you *might* be able to watch the movie on your laptop. This whole process took over half an hour to setup. And that's if you're lucky enough to even make it through the whole process.
2. UV is so heavily DRM'd that you can't do much with it (like drop it into iTunes for instance). It will ONLY playback using their boggy, slow, junky software.
3. To watch it on your smartphone or tablet, you have to download the Flixster app and then download the UV movie through that. And then once you've done all that, you will have a low quality version of the movie AND you STILL can't even AirPlay it to your AppleTV. So this means you are stuck watching it on your tiny smartphone screen.

So bottom line is that you have two movie watching choices. First, you can watch the UV digital download on your laptop through the slow, buggy, crashy, Adobe AIR application or you can view it on your smartphone or tablet using the Flixster app. TOTAL AND COMPLETE GARABAGE!! And if you don't believe me, go buy a BR movie with an Ultraviolet digital download and then tell me what you think of it. You will be pulling your hair out. They did this with Green Lantern and Harry Potter also.

Here's what the movie looks like on iPhone. Notice,... no AirPlay option. Grrrr!!

After all this, I then went to the Flixster support site and sent an email asking them to just give me an iTunes code instead because this wasn't the usual normal type of digital download. They responded that they were "investigating the matter". Then I sent a second letter. Now I have two separate support ticket numbers. They responded with a generic email saying how great their product is. It's been two weeks and really nobody has contacted me back.

After this I go on Twitter and tweet bad things about Warner Bros/Flixster/Ultraviolet. Soon after I get a response from a reporter (@benfritz) from the LA Times. He wanted to interview me about this subject but I responded to his tweet request too late. But thankfully he got everything he needed anyway and ran this article: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan...iolet-20120111

I also got a response from @FlixsterUVHelp asking me if I needed help. I told him that their product is junk, that I will never buy anything that says "Ultraviolet" on it again and that I want an iTunes code or we having nothing else to discuss. He then said I should contact Flixster support. Good one @FlixsterUVHelp. Thanks for offering to help but I'm just getting the runaround. But it's OK. I've already made up my mind. I will never buy another movie that says "UltraViolet" on it again.

Anyway,... long story short, I wish I had just bought the DVD instead. Then I could've at the very least, just ripped my own video file that would work in iTunes. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Learn more about the Internet Censorship Bills (SOPA/PIPA)

link: http://americancensorship.org/

I saw Yoda!

So  I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden, Yoda went storming across my desk.

Oh Hai!

Saw this tooth brush holder over at Sears one day.

Want your battery to last all day and not drain even when in standby?

Just do the following:

1. Disable all the location services except the ones you really really really need. If you're not sure which ones you really really really need, then disable all of them and re-enable them one at a time as apps ask you to do so.
   
2. Disable Bluetooth. Seems like it's enabled by default on a fresh iOS 5 install.
   
3. Enable 3G or WiFi but don't leave both enabled.
   
4. Be sure to do a hard reboot of the device at least once after a fresh iOS 5 install. Or at the very least, reset your network settings.

(randomly I'm including a picture of a lady bug I took)

Rest in Peace Steve Jobs

After high school, in the early 90's, I didn't know what I wanted to do. All I knew is that I would like it to hopefully be something artistic and creative. So I started taking courses at a technical college and after 2 years, I earned a certificate in graphic design. I have always been interested in and have used computers but this was the first time I started using a Mac computer. I learned everything from Photoshop to Illustrator to 3D animation and more. It was some of the most fun I ever had using a computer.

After I finished the courses, I needed a computer but didn't have the money to buy one for myself. However, my father helped me out by buying me a Windows computer. At the time, the Windows computer made more sense because it was cheaper, it could be custom built and ran the same applications the Mac did. So I made do with what I had and was very thankful to have something to work on. The problem though was that the computer kept breaking down constantly. I ended up spending more time fixing Windows related problems than actually creating anything. This just happened to be at the same time the computer industry was booming where Windows computers made up most of the market in the business world. Years of fixing Windows problems, the decline of Apple Computer, plus a booming Windows computer industry led me to stray from my artistic and creative aspirations and focus more on the technical side of things as a Sr. Systems and Network Administrator. My path was set. Good-bye Apple, hello Microsoft.

In the early 2000's I started to notice more and more small digital music players. I didn't think much of it until late 2001 when I heard that Steve Jobs was introducing the first ever "iPod". Steve Jobs was single handedly bringing Apple back from the dead and I was noticing. The iPod design, the ease of use, the headphones,... everything about it was nothing necessarily new but yet so brilliant and innovative. This was the music player everyone was looking for. Around 2004 I finally got my first ever Apple product. My mind opened up. Somehow I got sucked into the mindset that I should hate Apple because I am a Sys Admin for Windows products. I thought this because everyone else thought this way and spoke this way about Apple.

Then one day a switch flipped in my head. I thought, "Huh? What am I thinking? How narrow minded, closed minded and what a ridiculous rule to live by. Time to start thinking differently.". So I decided to give Apple a try. I went right over to Fry's Electronics and got an Apple iPod 5th generation digital music player. This was the greatest electronic piece of equipment I had ever owned. I was so proud of it and wore it and listened to it everywhere I went. A few months into using it, I remember going for a walk one day, listening to my iPod and thinking, "Wow, this is so great! I love this thing! If only it had Internet access". And in 2007 that became a reality when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone. My jaw hit the  floor when I watched him announce it. Greatest. Invention. Ever.

These days, you will still see me walking around with white ear buds constantly plugged right into my ears. I listen to music, podcasts, watch video, Internet, email, message. The iPod and the iPhone literally changed my life. I finally had everything I needed right with me. I still don't have a Mac computer or an iPad but I will soon. For now, my iPhone and Apple TV bring me great joy every single day.

Steve Jobs was a brilliant technical innovator, a masterful industrial designer, a visionary, a living legend and will go down in the history books as one of the greatest contributors to society of his time. He was a CEO that all other CEO's should look up to, admire and emulate. He was a rare breed. He literally brought smiles and joy to people all over the world even in times of war and sadness. The world will truly miss him and he will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace Steve Jobs!

No New Pictures or Videos Were Found on This Device [FIX]

The problem is that sometimes when you connect a camera to a Windows 7 computer, it won't download all the pictures because it *thinks* it's already downloaded some of them. And that may be true but maybe you just want to redownload them anyway. Well here's how. Simply rename the file, "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Photo Acquisition\PreviouslyAcquired.db" to "..\PreviouslyAcquired.db.old". And that's it!

I found this information from here: http://www.ardamis.com/2009/12/09/fixed-no-new-pictures-or-videos-were-found-on-this-device/

My ankle injury

Previously I had written all about my ankle injury here on my blog. But I decided that since it was such a focused topic that I would create a blog dedicated just to the ankle injury. You can find it here --> http://anklestrong.tumblr.com/

This way I can keep this blog dedicated to mostly technology related writings and also my occasional thought or viewpoint about the going's on of the time.

Windows Live Writer Beta

I was wondering what this Windows Live Writer Beta is and now I know! It is a system that allows you to write your blog posts through this stand-alone app from Microsoft. It’s actually a very nice interface and seems to work very well. Now I don’t have to use the Blogger interface if I don’t want to.

And just to test out picture attachments, here is one of my favorite web slinging super hero.

Bike ride adventure

So I got bored and decided to see what I could do on the bike today. I'm starting to really get into the groove of this. Here are some puzzle pieces that have come together so far:

• First, I have my stainless steel water bottle. Been wanting one of these forever and got it a couple weeks ago.
• Next, I found my bike gloves. They were packed away in a box.
• Today I went to REI and got a waist pack. It has room for wallet, keys, iPhone and whatever else I need to bring.

I figured I'd see what it would be like to bike to work. Heck, it's Saturday, I got all day... why not? The whole ride went fairly smooth. Couple of rough spots where there are major freeway mergings that are probably not very safe for bike riders to be around (over by Moffett Field and Yahoo! and stuff), but otherwise no problem.

It took me about 40 minutes to get to work on the bike. Not too bad. I was hoping for a slightly easier ride in less time, but ok, fine, I'll take it. Anyway, right when I got there, two police cars came right up on me as I entered into the parking lot. They were looking for a robber. It's a high tech area and not many bike riders so I guess I looked suspicious to them. Yadda yadda, we had a good laugh, I told them they are doing a good job and I went on my way.

Next I made my way over to the Bay Trail. This place is on the edge of the bay and is a total dump. I think this is like a sewage facility or something. I got the creeps riding around there. Plus it's kinda scary with all the wildlife running around there. So I rode around for a few minutes then left. I had to skid to a stop and quickly turn around and go back because there was a huge snake right in the middle of the path. LOL.

Finally it was getting late, I was getting tired so I decided to head home. This time I wanted to see what my average speed was. It turns out I can only ride 10 mph. Pathetic! But then again I'm on a mountain bike. A mountain bike that is well overdue for a tune-up at that. So it's not exactly built for speed anyway. But I made it home in one peice. Not arrested, not bitten by any snakes, squirrels or birds and not run over by any planes, trains or automobiles.

Next time I blog about this I will post some pictures to go with it. I can't use the camera on my iPhone because I'm running the Runkeeper app. Looking forward to iPhone OS 4.0 so we can have multi-tasking and then I can do both. But I digress.

The End.

Angry Birds iPhone wallpaper

I wanted a wallpaper for my iPhone about the Angry Birds game so i made this.

Posted via web from Sean's posterous

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Embed a Tweet to your blog with Blackbird Pie - Twitter Media. Link: http://media.twitter.com/blackbird-pie/less than a minute ago via webSean Morrison
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Install k9copy on Fedora 12

Ok so obviously I'm still sitting here setting up Fedora 12. Well I had some dependency issues trying to install k9copy. Anyway, if anyone else out there is having trouble just do this:

# su root
# rpm -ivh http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-stable.noarch.rpm
# yum install k9copy
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Google Chrome 5.0.375.38 (beta) extensions crashing on Fedora 12

Just a few minutes ago I installed Google Chrome on Fedora 12. I started configuring it, adding extensions, etc. So I installed the "Google Mail Checker Plus" extension. Everytime I launched Chrome, it crashed and displayed an annoying error bar. And when it crashes like that, it doesn't show up on the extensions options page. So here's how to remove it. Just go to the directory that Google extensions are stored in and either wipe it all out or just find the problem one and delete it. I chose to wipe out the whole folder and reinstall all the extensions.

Here is the location:
/home/{username}/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions

If you wipe out the contents of the directory, then you can launch Chrome and all the problem stuff shows up on the extensions options page. From there you can cleanly uninstall. Anyway, I wrote this real quick but you get the idea.

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