TechLifeWeb

What I’m reading and finding for August 28th 2011 through August 31st 2011:

• “Respect Explorer’s Heritage” | TechCrunch-
  techcrunch.com
  - MG Siegler
  

  When photos started circulating yesterday of the new interface for Windows Explorer in Windows 8, I was sure they were a joke. Surely, this was an Onion mock-up. Or maybe they were from some Apple fan making fun of Microsoft’s design aesthetic in which more is quite often… more. I mean, there’s no way that this is something Microsoft could actually release — let alone in 2012, right?
  Wrong.
  As Windows chief Steven Sinofsky and Windows management team member Alex Simons detail in length on the B…  show all text
• From Twitter – http://t.co/44nTwUd Streaming Services Compared Amazon, Hulu Plus, iTunes, Netflix and VUDU
• The Memory Buyer’s Guide: What’s the Best RAM for My System? – How much do you need? How fast should it be? Are latencies important? Today, we’ll be covering everything you need to know to get the right RAM for your system.
• Death Threats and Hate Crimes, Attacks On Women Bloggers Escalating | IttyBiz-
  ittybiz.com
  - Naomi Dunford
  I’m going to tell you a story and it’s very, very important. Please read it, all the way through. Women’s lives are at stake.
  Once upon a time, there was a website. We’ll call it Mean Website 1. The owner of this website didn’t seem to like me very much. As a successful woman on the internet, this is hardly surprising.
  The comments on Mean Website 1 got a little out of control, and people said some Not Very Nice Things. Because I am a woman, naturally these Not Very Nice Things quickly degenera…  show all text
• Seesmic Focuses On The Social Enterprise; Debuts Android, iPad Apps For Salesforce CRM | TechCrunch-
  techcrunch.com
  - Leena Rao
  

  Social application developer Seesmic is making a big move into the social enterprise and is debuting a dedicated Android app and iPad app for Salesforce’s CRM product (Windows Phone 7 will also be added soon), called Seesmic CRM. The Android app will be launched tomorrow morning at Salesforce’s annual conference, Dreamforce, and Seesmic will launch the iPad app in a few weeks.
  For background, Seesmic, which was founded by French entrepreneur Loic Le Meur, helps you monitor and track the social …  show all text
• H-P’s One-Year Plan – WSJ.com-
  online.wsj.com
  
• Hurricane Irene Hype: How the Media Went Overboard – The Daily Beast-
  thedailybeast.com
  

What I’m reading and finding for August 20th 2011 through August 22nd 2011:

• From Twitter – http://t.co/bUV0vO5 Study Computer Science Online at Stanford for Free
• Watch Now – Al Jazeera English-
  english.aljazeera.net
• From Twitter – http://t.co/CiBwk6E Netflix HD on Atom Workaround
• Skype To Acquire Year-old Group Messaging Service GroupMe | TechCrunch-
  techcrunch.com
  - Michael Arrington
  

  Skype will acquire group messaging service GroupMe, a service that was born at a hackathon at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York in 2010. GroupMe was founded by Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci.
  The terms of the deal, including price, aren’t being disclosed.
  Just a couple of months after TechCrunch Disrupt the company closed a $850,000 round of financing from Betaworks, SV Angel, First Round Capital, Lerer Ventures and a number of prominent angels. Early this year the company raised $10.6 million more  show all text
• Twitter Just Got the Respect it Deserves-
  thenextweb.com
  - Zee
  

  If you’re one to check your analytics on a daily basis you may have noticed a pretty sharp increase in referrals from Twitter’s “t.co” domains. We noticed it almost immediately on Wednesday but naively didn’t pay much attention.
  A few days later and with the t.co domain suddenly our number no 1 domain source of referral traffic, it was time to pay some attention to exactly what had happened.
  What Happened
  In the simplest of terms, from last Wednesday, all links (longer than 20 characters) posted  show all text
• Twitter Just Got the Respect it Deserves-
  thenextweb.com
  

  If you’re one to check your analytics on a daily basis you may have noticed a pretty sharp increase in referrals from Twitter’s
• Marc Andreessen on Why Software Is Eating the World – WSJ.com-
  online.wsj.com
  

  Far from a bubble, we’re watching a new generation of tech start-ups realize the Web’s original potential, says Marc Andreessen.

What I’m reading and finding for July 14th 2011 through July 15th 2011:

• From Twitter – RT @TechmemeNetflix preps Euro launch in 2012 (Variety) http://j.mp/oDok0U http://techme.me/BnVW
• Apple Intentionally Delays Google+ iOS App – Fail.
• From Twitter – A few interesting shots of the Space Shuttle from a camera on the SRB as it separated. http://j.mp/r2dOfD
• From Twitter – 24,000 Pentagon files stolen in major cyber breach, official says -@washingtonposthttp://t.co/aJjvsH0
• In Interview, Murdoch Defends News Corp. – WSJ.com-
  online.wsj.com
  

  In his first significant public comments on the tabloid newspaper scandal that has engulfed his media empire, News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch vigorously defended the company’s handling of the crisis but said it would establish an independent committee to investigate every charge of improper conduct.
• Klout | Spotify Free Accounts-
  klout.com
  Klout is the Standard for Influence. Join Klout to discover your influence and compare with others you may know.
• From Twitter – “What G+ is really about (pst!!! it’s not social”) — +Vincent Wong Believe it? Go here http://t.co/HiW5XhV and http://t.co/8AZjnyy

What I’m reading and finding for May 12th 2011 through May 13th 2011:

• Speaking Up in Class, Silently, via Social Media -
  nytimes.com - By TRIP GABRIEL
  

  A small but growing cadre of educators is trying to exploit Twitter-like techno…  show all text

   
• From Twitter – http://tinyurl.com/5we2n7j Watch Netflix on unsupported Android Devices
• From Twitter – RT @newsycombinator Dropbox Lied to Users about Data Security, Complaint to FTC Alleges http://j.mp/if1Dk5
• 60 Minutes Video – Mt. Athos, Part 1 – CBS.com -
• Kodak wins over Apple in patent infringement lawsuit – Kodak has won another battle in its ongoing legal wars with Apple over digital camera patent infringements.
• From Twitter – RT @ZDNet Netflix comes to random group of Android smartphones http://zd.net/jOlSQT
• Open source anti-theft solution for Mac, PCs & Phones – Prey – Prey lets you keep track of your phone or laptop at all times, and will help you find it if it ever gets lost or stolen. It’s lightweight, open source software, and free for anyone to use.
• Sleazy PR Firm Throws Scummy Facebook Under The Sordid Bus -
  techcrunch.com - MG Siegler
  

  It’s pretty rare for a story to be one part sad, one part fascinating, and twen…  show all text

   

What I’m reading and finding for May 6th 2011 through May 7th 2011:

• The Class That Built Apps, and Fortunes -
  nytimes.com - By MIGUEL HELFT
  

  In 2007, the “Facebook Class” at Stanford created free apps for millions of use…  show all text

   
• From Twitter – RT @chrisbrogan How to set up Facebook insights for your website (by @cspenn) – http://ow.ly/4PlUX
• From Twitter – http://tinyurl.com/3l2mdo5 Best 2011 Blu-ray Player for Netflix
• http://joehewitt.com/post/creative-tools -
  joehewitt.com
   
• Skype bug gives attackers access to Mac OS X machines • The Regi… -
  theregister.co.uk
  

   
• From Twitter – Rockin! RT @Alyssa_Milano AWESOME ~ @CeeLoGreenre-records ‘Forget You’ hit to thank #firefighters http://bit.ly/lpTRfe /via @heykim
• SocialFlow Company Blog – Breaking Bin Laden: visualizing the po… -
  blog.socialflow.com
  

  A full hour before the formal announcement of Bin-Laden’s death, Keith Urbahn p…  show all text

   

One of the best plug-ins for Windows Media Center is Netflix Streaming.  While on the surface is should be straight forward to get this plug-in working there are a few things you can do on your HTPC and your network environment to ensure that things work smoothly.

1. Use an alternate DNS provider. Ok so this one definitely isn’t intuitive.  If you are having trouble even getting the Netflix (or Internet TV) to show up and let you install, you should try changing your DNS (Domain Name Server). You can do this at the PC or Router level. I use OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220) but others have had issues with those servers and Media Center Netflix. You could also try Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4). Again, some have reported similar issues there too. Another option is to go to http://dnsserverlist.org/ and there will be a list of DNS servers to try out for your location.

2. Set up Netflix in Internet Explorer:

• Start Internet Explorer
• Go to http://www.netflix.com/
• Type- “http://WWW.Netflix.com/clearcookies” into the address bar and hit enter
• In IE, go to Tools – Internet Options
• Select the “Security” tab
• Select the “Trusted” zone
• Select the “Sites” button
• Remove all references to “Netflix” sites in all boxes
• Uncheck the “Require Server Verification…” box
• In the “Add” field- type- *.netflix.com then select the “Add” button
• Click Close
• Click OK
• Try Netflix in IE
• Once you have streamed a movie for a little bit, close IE
• Now launch Media Center and try Netflix

I had my Media Center set up for months and didn’t have an issue. Then recently, after Windows 7  SP1 (Service Pack 1) and an update to Silverlight I had problem where Netflix was working until I tried to watch a movie. Closing media center and simply going to http://WWW.Netflix.com/clearcookies in Internet Explorer then, still in IE, logging on to Netflix fixed my error.

Hopefully this will help others trying to troubleshoot Netflix in Media Center.

Update 03MAR11: There is an issue with IE9 and Netflix (I wouldn’t put IE9 on my HTPC but in case someone did) MS has a fix here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2512239

Filtering the web so you don’t have to for March 21st 2010 through March 22nd 2010:

• Kylo Browser – Kylo™ browser – a new Web browser for TV. Developed for the millions of households that connect their PCs or Macs to the TV. Via @Ogreon Twitter.
• London Opens First Internet Addiction Center for Kids – London has opened its first clinic designed to treat adolescent Internet addiction. According to London's Evening Standard newspaper, the Capio Nightingale Hospital will treat children who are so hooked on technology their health is at risk.
• Microsoft’s XP Mode Boondoggle – Windows 7 has a virtualization mode but… it requires Hardware Assisted Virtualization (HAV)) support, which Intel disabled on many of its lower-priced chips. Now Microsoft has an update that allows you to run virtualization without HAV.
• The White House –
  whitehouse.gov
  gbatuyong: RT @BarackObama: About to address the nation on tonight's historic vote. Watch live: http://j.mp/dvUmn2 
• Did they pass health care reform? –
  didtheypasshealthcarereform.com
  thepegisin: My favorite new website! http://didtheypasshealthcarereform.com/ #hcr (via @jpdef) 
• Consumer’s Guide To Health Overhaul : NPR – The following is a look at the impact of the entire package, which would extend insurance coverage to 32 million additional Americans by 2019, but also have an an effect on almost every citizen.
• From Twitter – via @VentureBeat DEMO GlideTV launches What's On channel for web videos on TV http://bit.ly/df9f8q by @deantak
• Netflix streaming in HD on the PC expected this year – Netflix expects to enable HD streaming on the PC this year. Should come with surround sound as well. Woot!
• C-SPAN Live Stream – C-SPAN –
  c-span.org
  QueenofSpain: I'm watching Cspan on my laptop http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN.aspx and basketball on my TV 
• From Twitter – via @Mona Scariest thing I've read all day http://bit.ly/dvorPg via @LAtimesOur country is in deep sh*t. #educationreformstat

Sites that I found interesting for November 11th 2009 through November 12th 2009:

• Microsoft probing Windows 7 zero-day hole – Microsoft said on Wednesday it is looking into a report of a vulnerability in Windows 7 and Server 2008 Release 2 that could be used by an attacker to remotely crash the computer.
• Hands-on: Netflix streaming on the PS3 – While Netflix streaming is nearly identical on most devices that support it, there are some significant differences with the PS3 that make it worth testing.
• Programmer 101: Teach Yourself How to Code – You've always wanted to learn how to build software yourself—or just whip up an occasional script—but never knew where to start. Luckily, the web is full of free resources that can turn you into a programmer in no time.

Sites that I found interesting for June 11th 2009 through June 12th 2009:

• Military Hush-Up: Incoming Space Rocks Now Classified – Space rocks that explode in the atmosphere are now classified.
• Ain’t She a Beauty? – A Look at Some HTPC Chassis Solutions. Via @Java_Jack on Twitter.
• LG Ships First Netflix-Ready HDTV Sets – LG Electronics said Thursday it has started shipping a pair of flat-panel TVs that are among the first with built-in capability to stream movies from the Netflix online service.

Starting tomorrow, Windows Media Center users who are also Netflix members will gain access to more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly within Windows Media Center on their PCs.

This is really cool. There have been ways to do this in the past but they were a bit of a kludge. Native support from Netflix will be awesome. No word yet on Windows 7 support but that has to be coming soon.

via Netflix comes to Windows Media Center – Windows Experience Blog – The Windows Blog.