The Tech Loft

Months ago I posted a couple of articles on free software to download. In my list, I included CD Burner XP Pro 3.0.116 as the software of choice for burning cds. This morning I have upgraded my version of CD Burner XP Pro to version 4.0.020.367 and guess what happened? It was JUNK! Allow me to elaborate. So I downloaded and installed the newest version of CD Burner XP Pro. I ran it and right from the start it appeared to be VERY sluggish. Maybe you know what I’m talking about; you see the application pop up yet it’s unresponsive for 5 minutes. And ANY click in the application freezes it for another 5 minutes. SO DAMN ANNOYING. My advice is to not bother upgrading or to find something else that’s more recent. If I find anything, I’ll be sure to post it!

This post may be the most helpful post I’ve ever written for residence of Toronto and for many Canadian cities along the US/Canadian boarder. I know for a fact that when someone walks into a BestBuy of Futureshop here in Canada looking for an HDTV they are told that to take advantage of the crip clear picture you have to either subscribe to Bell ExpressVue or Rogers Digital Cable. To all my Canadian friends out there, that is a load of shit (for most of the nation)! Forget the big cable and satellite companies, ‘rabbit ears’ will get you even better HDTV reception. Since I live near Toronto, this topic will discuss receiving FREE TV in and around Toronto. So let’s get on with it shall we? In the US, the deadline has been given to all broadcasters that they must now broadcast digitally and turn off their analogue signal. So what signal are we talking about? Good old UHF and VHF. Yes, the technology our grandparents used when they came to this country is coming bac...

Video: PS3 vs. Wii – Apple Style

Well well well, it looks like someone’s been praying for Safari to be written for Windows. Apple Inc. has released Safari Public Beta 3 for Windows XP and I have to admit, I’m very excited. According to Apple’s website, Safari isn’t just the ‘world’s best browser’ but also ‘The fastest browser on any platform’. Here’s more ‘Safari loads pages up to 2x fastest than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2.’. I my opinion, ANYTHING is faster than Internet Explorer 7 that’s why I haven’t upgraded to IE 7. It’s not only is it slow, but I noticed it slows down several machines. Anyway, I think this is great news for Windows users who know that Apple’s shit is pretty reliable (those who don’t think so can leave a comment below. A comparison chart on Apple’s website show Safari has the quickest numbers for HTML Performance, Javascript Performance and Application Laun...

10. Guys that use the blow dryer to dry their swimming trunks and cause them to over heat and shut down. 9. Guys who inhale on a movement and makes a really annoying whistling sound heard everywhere in the gym 8. Guys who leave their used soaps, razors and anything else personal in the shower. 7. Someone using the squat rack for bicep curls and or should presses and not doing one single leg exercise. 6. Guys who train in flip flops/beach sandals 5. Personal Trainers that HAVE NOT heard the name Dr. JOHN BERARDI. 4. Some who leaves the dumbbells they’ve used on the floor and no placing them BACK on the rack. 3. Guys who stare at themselves in the mirror flexing their biceps. 2. Guys who use the blow dryer to dry their lower back/ass hairs. 1. Guys use the blow dryer to dry their pubes (FRONT SIDE! I KID YOU NOT!!) Tags: gym, fitness, workout, extreme fitness, body building, pet peeves

Here’s my continuation of the FREE SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS post. OpenOffice.Org : Get rid of Excel and Powerpoint Anti-Virus: AVG Free , Avast! , ClamWin . Take your pick I’ve only tried AVG Free and Avast! Bit Comet : I think this is the fastest torrent client out there GIMPShop : move over Photoshop, there’s an open source photo manipulation software in town Media Players: K-Lite Mega Codec Pack , VLC Media Player Juice : download podcasts with this baby instead of iTunes Audacity : essential for those that want to create their own podcasts Filezilla : screw WinFTP! MusikCube : this apparently replaces iTunes. With the recent improvements in Media Player 11, I don’t know why you’d want to switch to anything else Handbrake : rip your DVDs on to your PC. Handy for laptop users who don’t want to lug around their DVD collection around NASA Worldwind : give Google Earth a kick where the SUN DON’T SHINE with Worldwind. Supposed to be waaaaaaaaay b...

I recently found an article outlining several programs that virtually eliminates the need to use purchased or pirated software. Ya, and I don’t mean a simple Excel replacement, but it’ll be on the list.   The first listing is actually a bundle of applications from Mozilla. Most of you out there are familiar with Firefox (like myself), but have you seen what else they have? So Firefox is your feature rich web browser with TONS of extensions and plug-ins.  http://www.getfirefox.com Next would be Thunderbird. No, not the marionettes but the one that replaces Microsoft Outlook. Again it’s full of features AND works with all if not most web based internet services out there. http://www.mozilla.org/thunderbird/  The third application in this bundle is Sunbird. Sunbird is a calendar application the replaces Outlooks Calendar feature. Again it’s easy to use and apparently easy to share dates with your friends. http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird/ The r...