New Auction Site ! Not your normal auctions

Ok I know this is not really tech news but it does deal with auction sites. I have decided to
go out on a new venture. I have always been into animals all types dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and even fish. So I was randomly searching Google one day for pet auctions, animal auctions etc.. and low and behold nothing showed up, well nothing worth looking at.

So it came to me why not make a new site for animal breeders and dealers to sell their stock. Called www.breederauction.com I decided I wanted it to be in an auction format, and I wanted it to be open to the public. This will give anyone looking for a new pet or a new breeding venture a place to go, and hopefully save some money in the mean time.

Oh the challenges! I wanted to start the site on a shoestring budget and lets face it, you can tell from my post I have a short attention span. Well there are many choices out there of software to run an auction site, PHP, Perl scripts you name it. For the most part though they were horrible, both in function and visual appeal. I finally decided on a revamped script based on Everyauction. Everyauction is a open source auction script that is functional and is for the most part aesthetically pleasing. Is it the best auction source? That I am not sure of I know it was a bit tricky to get configured but I got it going, as far as updating the site it is not to hard to do. In total I spent only 6.99 for the domain name and 10.00 for a cheap host.

The auction software is now working well, and hopefully I will start getting some visitors to the site and some auctions listed.

You can check out the site www.breederauction.com
if you sign up in the next 30 days you will get $5.00
credit toward upgrades. Oh yea did I mention I decided on not
charging a listing fee. And the commission is super low compared to
ebay. You can get a front page featured listing for only $2.00 as well.

Whales lost in California River are heading to ocean

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two humpback whales that swam from the Pacific Ocean far up into central California's inland waterways appear to be heading back toward open ocean, wildlife officials said on Tuesday.

The whales, presumed to be a mother and calf, have been in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for the past two weeks, at one point swimming as far north as the state capital of Sacramento after entering inland waters through San Francisco Bay.

After efforts to coax them out of the delta failed, the whales on their own began swimming toward the bay on Sunday and by Tuesday morning they were about 25 miles from the bay's landmark Golden Gate Bridge, where the bay and Pacific Ocean meet, an official with the California Department of Fish and Game told reporters.

Concerned about the health of the wayward whales, which have wounds likely caused by boats, wildlife experts on Saturday injected them with antibiotics.

The whales are believed to belong to a group of humpbacks which migrated from Baja California, Mexico, to spend the summer near the Farallon Islands off the coast of California.

Lenovo Recalls ThinkPad Notebook PC Extended-Life Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today
announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers
should stop using the recalled product immediately unless otherwise
instructed.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO )
Name of Product: Lithium-ion extended-life batteries used in ThinkPad
notebook computers
Units: About 100,000 battery packs (an additional 105,000 battery packs
were sold worldwide)
Battery Distributor: Lenovo (United States) Inc., of Research Triangle
Park, N.C.
Battery Manufacturer: Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., of Japan
Hazard: If the battery in the laptop is struck forcefully on the
corner, such as from a direct fall to the ground, the battery pack can
overheat and pose a fire hazard to users. This is not an internal battery
cell defect.
Incidents/Injuries: Lenovo has received four reports of batteries
overheating and damaging the notebook. This caused damage to the notebook
computers, minor property damage and, in one case, minor eye irritation to
one consumer.
Description: Lenovo sold these extended-life batteries with new
ThinkPad notebook PCs or as optional or replacement batteries for the
following ThinkPad notebook models: R Series (R60 and R60e), T Series (T60
and T60p) and Z Series (Z60m, Z61e, Z61m, and Z61p). The recalled 9-cell
batteries have the following part number, which can be found on the battery
label: FRU P/N 92P1131.
Sold Through: Lenovo's Web sites, telephone and direct sales, and
Lenovo authorized distributors nationwide between November 2005 and
February 2007, as an accessory for about $180, and as part of a ThinkPad
notebook computer for between $750 and $3,500.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries and contact
Lenovo for additional information and to receive a free replacement
battery. Consumers should use only ThinkPad batteries obtained from either
Lenovo or an authorized reseller.
Consumer Contact: Customers should contact Lenovo at (800) 426-7378
anytime, or log on to http://www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram to determine if
the battery is part of the recall and to order a replacement battery.
Note: In September 2006, Lenovo conducted a recall of batteries
manufactured by another firm for a different problem.

Compaq Presario V6205NR Review

Ok I am going to attempt to do my first product review. Last weekend after many years of love hate relationships with my old Desknote hybrid laptop. It suddenly ended when it decided to just die on me. So there I was with no laptop, I felt like a child that has lost his blankie or ninny... Faced with the task of shelling out a small fortune for a new laptop, I stumbled upon a great deal.

While looking through the local BestBuy store ( yea I know) I found what I consider a good deal. Sitting there on the shelf was the new Compaq Presario v6205NR ok I have to admit I am not and have never been a big Comapaq fan. Well it was cheap and I would have to say I am impressed. The Laptop was on sale normal retail price 749.00, with 150.00 off so I got it for 599.00 So far so good.

I took it home and opened up the box expecting to see loads of instructions to read through, well i was suprised not much in the box just your normal warranty guide, quick start guide, and power adaptor and of course the laptop. I took everything out of the box and there it was a slate gray brand new laptop. Very nice looking not real flashy and kind of plain which is fine with me.

Booting it up: Well now time to get this baby fired up. I plugged in the power cord and then plugged it into the laptop. Haha we have power I thought to my self. I pushed the button to turn it on. Huh? It took like 25 minutes for this thing to setup. I am assuming that it was actually installing the Windows Vista Premium Edition. Finally all setup, as expected when I setup the user account I found loads of software that I did not want or need and boy did it slow down the boot time of the OS.

Well after playing around a bit. I started to remove all of the Compaq branded software and started adding the software I normally use. Now the laptop boots up super fast, I am still in the getting used to phase of using vista but I am transitioning well.

The built in wireless adaptor works great I get some pretty good range out of it as well. I took it to my neighbors house which is probably 100 ft away and connected to my Linksys router with out a hitch.

The screen is crisp and clean with a large widescreen format, I really don't like the shinny plastic covering on the screen it causes a bit of glare. But other than that it is very crisp and clear.

The hard drive is an 80gb 5400 rpm serial ata

It has 2 usb 2.0 ports it could have more in my opinion, there are no firewire ports it has an express card slot, TV out via S-video jack, Compaq expansion port 3, 10/100 ethernet port, built in modem (which I have not used)

Nice touch sensitive volume controls, a bit to sensitive though.

comes equipped with 1gb DDR2 memory, Altec Lansing speakers that actually sound pretty good.

Nvidia Geforce go 6150 with up to 256mb shared memory.

The weight well it is up to you if you think it is to heavy or not, at only 6.6 lbs I am not complaining.


Over all I would have to say for the price I don't think I would have found a better deal. After removing all of the bloatware that was preinstalled by Compaq, it runs great and is superfast.

Here is a link to the specs if you want a better description than what I gave.

Windows Vista in full force

Well it is here for sure Windows Vista has been many years in the making some have been waiting impatiently while others really did not care, or even want to hear the word Microsoft. Either way the time has come and the release was official. Now every new manufactured PC you buy will come packed with Windows Vista. Here are some great tips to help you tweak your Vista settings and get more out of your Windows Vista experience.

Enable Auto-Logon in Windows Vista (Warning: Security Risk)
a) click Start and type 'netplwiz' or click that name on the Start menu
b) in the GUI window that comes up, uncheck the "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer" box
c) click 'Apply'
d) in the new dialog box that opens type the name of the account you want to auto-logon by default (if the account is not normally passworded then it blank)
e) click OK and exit

Delete Hibernate File
When you use hibernate in Windows Vista, it creates a file called hiberfil.sys. This file can grow rather large and you may want to remove it. A simple way to delete it:
a) log on as the Administrator
b) start Command Prompt then type: powercfg -h off
c) hit enter

Show Administrator on Welcome Screen
a) start > run = "control userpasswords2"
b) select administrator account, click reset password (input new pass) and hit "Ok"
c) start > run = "regedit"
d) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > Winlogon > SpecialAccounts > UserList
e) create "DWORD (32bit) Value" with Value Name: Administrator and Value Data: 1

You can get more great tips Here

Free Online Lab Training

Vlab-Training.com offers free online lab training for the budding network engineer. The site offers training under Cisco CCNA CCNP and CCIE. Sign up for the site is free, but you must sign up soon to get your schedule date, Dates are booking fast. So if you are wanting to train for a career in networking or just wanting to brush up on some skills or learn some new ones Vlab-Training.com is the site for you.

"Our goal is to provide each of our members with the resources necessary to help prepare them for their career networking certifications. Members have access to a single rack of Cisco router equipment, ideal for any novice or experienced Network Engineer. We can provide lab scenarios or provide an environment where each of our members can experiment with the equipment using labs scenarios from the latest publications.

Get the experience you need to pass the exam the first time! Whether you are a beginner or an advanced student, you will be able to apply or enhance your skills in a safe non-production router environment. This is the best way to get the networking training you need to advance your career!"

Vlab-Training.com

Ok I am going to join my Friend Lee over at Quit your day job, in his fight to help save the environment. He makes a good suggestion, not to use Plastic bags. You know the ones I am talking about! The ones that the bagger loads up with your grocery's and the bag breaks carrying them into your house leaving you with can food all over your sidewalk or lawn, or even a big loaf of squashed bread.



So here is your challenge:

• work at using less plastic grocery store bags
• Just carry a reusable bag to the store with you
• Get your friends in on the game
• Offer them a challenge to get them interested in the cause.

Just for your information (and remember this is 10 years old so it is probably much higher numbers by today's standards)

• Reusing a bag meant for just one use has a big impact. A sturdy, reusable bag needs only be used 11 times to have a lower environmental impact than using 11 disposable plastic bags.
• In New York City alone, one less grocery bag per person per year would reduce waste by 5 million lbs. and save $250,000 in disposal costs.
• Plastic bags carry 80% of the nation's groceries, up from 5% in 1982.
• When 1 ton of paper bags is reused or recycled, 3 cubic meters of landfill space is saved and 13 - 17 trees are spared! In 1997, 955,000 tons of paper bags were used in the United States.
• When 1 ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved.

Check out Lee's Blog

Apple to release new iPod Pea

Well looks like apple is at it again. Seriously people are these things ever going to get to the point where they are to small? Really with todays technology in headphones, they should just do a blue tooth only version that could sync up with your pc and itunes wirelessly over blue tooth then you would not have any cords hanging from your ears. It looks pretty cool though, I would have to say i would just lose this thing in heart beat. See for your self check out the story below with some pictures showing the New Pea.

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What got diggers attention in 2006

Looking back and reflecting are interesting things to do. Now that the year is coming to an end, let's take a look back at the stories that caught the attention of diggers, ten to one.

read more | digg story

Why Internet Explorer 7 Is Not Worth Installing

New IE 7 is out. Should I install it? Should we all install it? This article is a developer's perspective on the so-called "new" Internet Explorer 7.0. It includes good facts about IE.

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Tech Acquisitions from 2006

Top ten list for 2006. The thing that strikes me from the list is the 1.6 Billion YouTube acquisition is that it gets into the $30 million range at the end of the list. That's a big range. These are probably some acquisition you have read about already but some are new to me so maybe they are new to you.

read more | digg story

Send A Free Card To A U.S Soldier

Well Since I am in the Christmas mood. Here is a great site that lets you send a printed post card to a US troop. This is a great project for the whole family and best of all it is free of charge. You do not have to provide any personal information or even an email address. All you do is put a name and your hometown and state, then choose a prepaired thank you message from the list provided.

I hope everyone enjoys I know it is not really tech news but hey it is something fun and free.

Let's Say Thanks

Billed $2000 to watch 2 hours of TV on his mobile phone

Watching television on his mobile landed one O2 customer with a bill of almost £1,000. Ali Hussain explains how to avoid falling into the same trap
SOME of Britain’s biggest mobile firms are charging their customers hundreds of pounds when they use the latest technology to watch films or TV on their handsets, even though others are offering the service for as little as £10 a month.

Michael Schaefer, 46, an IT specialist from Ealing, west London, was charged £950 in just four days by O2 after using his 3G (third generation) phone to view TV for just two hours.

read more | digg story

Torrent Tracker Site

Here is a great Torrent Tracker Site I just found. Just thought I would let all the diggers know about it. And no other than being a member I am no way affiliated with the site.

read more | digg story

The Real AleFox for Windows based on Firefox 3.0 alpha 1

The real AleFox features loading and tab sounds, Alex Albrecht images and animations, Diggnation, Digg, and Revision 3 bookmarks, Digg extensions built-in, Digg headlines built-in, and Digg drop-down search. Based on Firefox Version 3 (code named Minefield), so enjoy the bugs. Sorry, only for windows. Too busy playing Doom to compile for Mac.

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Get $20.00 cash free

For those of you who haven't yet heard, a new service for bidding on eBay auctions over the phone has launched and is giving away $20 FREE to new users that try it. The service is free. The call is free. $20 is yours to keep.

read more | digg story

How to Check for NSA Taps

This is the newbie's guide to detecting if the NSA is tapping your internet communications.

read more | digg story

Hotkeys for Google
by: Dennis Nazarenko

Just select some text, press the corresponding key combination and the search results are in front of your eyes. This is what the new free program Hotkey Search Tool can do for you.

An advanced Internet user searches from 8 to 30 times a day. In the case of specialized search systems, such as on-line translators, dictionaries, and references, this value increases and totals from 10 to 60 requests a day.

Often, you had to start the browser and enter the search phrase to get the search results. But if the text is already typed, why should you have to type it again?

Suppose you want to search an encyclopedia for some unknown word or find the site of some product by its name. All you need to do is just select the text and send a command to Hotkey Search Tool. The program will copy the selected text to the clipboard and open the browser with the search results. If you do not select any text, the program will select the string typed before you pressed the hotkey.

A lot of users have already come to know Google Desktop. It is a convenient system for searching your local computer and it can work with additional plug-ins too. To perform a search in this system, you have to press windows+G or ctrl+alt+G and after that type the text you want to search for. As you have already guessed, with Hotkey Search Tool, you just select the text you need, press the above key combination and get search results right away.

It should be mentioned that the program is easily customizable and you can use it to search information in any on-line system that gets the text of requests in the URL.

The program does add one more icon to the system tray. So, we can only wish Google developers integrated the features of this program into their developments.

You can check out Dennis's website

http://www.ordinarysoft.com/

all new firefox flix site set to release tomorrow

really slick looking movie site set to release tomorrow. at test.firefoxflicks.com currently password protected but soon to be public.first 3 videos are ads.

read more | digg story

Lucent Sues Microsoft

"Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it was reviewing a lawsuit filed against it by Lucent Technologies Inc. (LU.N: Quote, Profile, Research) alleging Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console contains technology that infringes on a Lucent patent.

Lucent filed the suit in the U.S. District Court in San Diego on March 28, and asked for injunctive relief and unspecified damages, Lucent spokesman John Skalko said."

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