Microsoft Word allows people to enter a special, hidden non-breaking (nonbreaking) or no-break space character which is very difficult to recognize when one tries to find and replace unnecessary blank spaces with PHP code.
To verify that the characters are not regular spaces, try looking at the original Word document with hidden characters showing. (In MS Word 2007, this is done on the ribbon under: [Home] tab > Paragraph > click on paragraph character.) It will appear as a small circle, like a degree mark.
To replace the character using PHP, with a regular space, you should use something like this to replace the non-breaking space Unicode character:
$story_text = preg_replace ("/\x{00A0}/", " ", $story_text);
8/06/2011
How to turn on voice recognition in text field? Use Google speech recognition in forms?
To enable voice input for textfields in HTML5 / Google Chrome, add this to your input code:
x-webkit-speech
Here's an example:
<form>
<input type="text" name="myTextInput" x-webkit-speech />
</form>
x-webkit-speech
Here's an example:
<form>
<input type="text" name="myTextInput" x-webkit-speech />
</form>
2/10/2011
4 Sites to Help You Prevent Identity Theft [video]
These four US Government sites have helpful information on how you can protect you identity from being used illegally.
I know: "You want me to visit sites written in 'government speak?' ... yuck!" But, it's not that way.
These are sites written for you and me -- as short articles, in plain, easy English. Some videos can be seen, too. These might not be the most entertaining sites you've ever visited, but there's important information for you to know.
Identity theft and identity fraud are crimes that are punishable under the law. Recovering your credit and clearing your good name may take a lot of effort and time.
So, before you have a problem, visit these four sites for some great tips on how to spot the bad guys and how to avoiding their evil tactics:
I know: "You want me to visit sites written in 'government speak?' ... yuck!" But, it's not that way.
These are sites written for you and me -- as short articles, in plain, easy English. Some videos can be seen, too. These might not be the most entertaining sites you've ever visited, but there's important information for you to know.
Identity theft and identity fraud are crimes that are punishable under the law. Recovering your credit and clearing your good name may take a lot of effort and time.
So, before you have a problem, visit these four sites for some great tips on how to spot the bad guys and how to avoiding their evil tactics:
- US Department of Justice - Information about identity theft and identity fraud, and what to do if you are a victim.
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency - Specific information about financial crimes like counterfeit documents, unauthorized banking. And how businesses may fight fraud.
- Office of the Inspector General - Medical fraud and ID theft are explained here.
- Federal Trade Commission - Contains lots of information about identity theft and what steps you can take to recover.
10 Million people are victims of ID theft -- Avoid giving criminals the opportunity to steal your info:
Con Artist Fraud -- "You can earn a lot of money. I'll show you how!"
Job Scams:
Phishing Scams -- at home, in a store, at the office:
Foreclosure scams:
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
Phone fraud:
11/27/2010
Connect your PS3 or Wii to a Wireless Internet Via Laptop or PC Tether: Can it be done?
No.
I tried this technique yesterday (November 26, 2010) at my in-laws -- they have a Playstation 3, a Wii, and a desktop PC running Windows Vista. The PC is connected to the intenet through a DSL router using a network cable. The router has no wireless capabilities -- Verizon did not send them a wireless DSL modem. The Dell PC they own does not have a wireless card, either.
But they wanted to update the PS3's operating system. They could not play Blu-Ray discs until the Playstation's OS was updated for some reason.
The PS3 is in the living room -- 30 feet away from the home office with the DSL router.
The Playstation 3 and Wii do have built-in wireless connectivity, of course, but they had nothing to connect to.
My proposed solution -- use my laptop running Windows 7 to create a wireless connection to the internet.
This is possible through something called an "ad hoc" network connection.
You plug your PC or laptop into the network using a cable.
Then you set up your PC to share the internet connection using the built-in wireless card as the access point.
Using later versions of MS Windows, you can do this under:
Control Panel >
Network and Sharing >
Set up a connection or network >
Set Up a Wireless Router or Access Point (or Ad Hoc Connection)
... or something similar to that depending on your OS and version.
This can also be done on a Mac.
Anyway, after I did that (many times!), I could not get the PS3 to recognize or find my laptop's ad hoc network name (a/k/a the SSID). The Wii would find the ad hoc network's name, but would never finish the connection. Yet, when I tried to connect to the ad hoc network using an iPhone or iPod Touch, it worked just fine. I even tried dragging all the cords and the laptop closer. Very frustrating.
Well, it turns out that a PS3 cannot connect to an ad hoc connection. It just won't do it.
So, in the end, I had to unplug the wired DSL modem, use a really long phone cord from the kitchen to the living room, and connect directly to the PS3 using a LAN cable. That worked perfectly, but was not the solution I had hoped for. (The Wii does not appear to have a LAN connector, so it remains un-updated.)
In the future I will just have to get them a wireless router (tried it before but they said it stopped working after I left). Or they will have to call Verizon to send them a wireless modem instead of the older none-wireless one they have now.
I tried this technique yesterday (November 26, 2010) at my in-laws -- they have a Playstation 3, a Wii, and a desktop PC running Windows Vista. The PC is connected to the intenet through a DSL router using a network cable. The router has no wireless capabilities -- Verizon did not send them a wireless DSL modem. The Dell PC they own does not have a wireless card, either.
But they wanted to update the PS3's operating system. They could not play Blu-Ray discs until the Playstation's OS was updated for some reason.
The PS3 is in the living room -- 30 feet away from the home office with the DSL router.
The Playstation 3 and Wii do have built-in wireless connectivity, of course, but they had nothing to connect to.
My proposed solution -- use my laptop running Windows 7 to create a wireless connection to the internet.
This is possible through something called an "ad hoc" network connection.
You plug your PC or laptop into the network using a cable.
Then you set up your PC to share the internet connection using the built-in wireless card as the access point.
Using later versions of MS Windows, you can do this under:
Control Panel >
Network and Sharing >
Set up a connection or network >
Set Up a Wireless Router or Access Point (or Ad Hoc Connection)
... or something similar to that depending on your OS and version.
This can also be done on a Mac.
Anyway, after I did that (many times!), I could not get the PS3 to recognize or find my laptop's ad hoc network name (a/k/a the SSID). The Wii would find the ad hoc network's name, but would never finish the connection. Yet, when I tried to connect to the ad hoc network using an iPhone or iPod Touch, it worked just fine. I even tried dragging all the cords and the laptop closer. Very frustrating.
Well, it turns out that a PS3 cannot connect to an ad hoc connection. It just won't do it.
So, in the end, I had to unplug the wired DSL modem, use a really long phone cord from the kitchen to the living room, and connect directly to the PS3 using a LAN cable. That worked perfectly, but was not the solution I had hoped for. (The Wii does not appear to have a LAN connector, so it remains un-updated.)
In the future I will just have to get them a wireless router (tried it before but they said it stopped working after I left). Or they will have to call Verizon to send them a wireless modem instead of the older none-wireless one they have now.
PC to Cell Phone Video Calls: New developments make it possible
Yes, iPhones, iPods and other handhelds can finally do live, face-to-face video chat with desktop computers.
Now dial back your expectations a bit -- it's a mixed message today (Saturday, November 27, 2010).
The good news is that three very exciting developments have made big gains toward the communication visions that are a staple of science fiction and comic book fantasy worlds. Skype, Apple's Facetime, Yahoo's Messenger, and Fring have made the inevitable possible in 2010.
However, there are specific problems associated with each service's platform and the devices they can and cannot communicate with.
SKYPE is the long-running VOIP service that broke out as the favorite desktop to phone calling service. It integrated free video calls and became a technical darling as it was heavily promoted by Oprah Winfrey's talk show. Skype has really solid video calling features for computer-to-computer calling over fast internet connections. And there are versions of Skype for most handhelds and even the latest televisions. As of December 31, 2010, Skype became the leader in mobile video chat. The made it possible for PC desktops and iPhones to do video chat over Wi-Fi and and 3G phone lines.
FACETIME is Apple's impressive new video calling feature launched in conjunction with the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4th Generation devices. These are the handhelds that now have a camera on both the front and back. Facetime will only work for these devices; the current iPads have no camera so are not allowed to participate in Facetime. In October 2010 Apple released beta software that will allow Mac computers with a video camera to connect to iPhone 4 and iPod Touch users.
YAHOO MESSENGER has come up with the first fully-supported service to connect desktop video to handhelds. Their service does require that both users have a camera on their computer or device; however the earlier iPhone 2G are not supported by the current software. The video is very blurry over a 3G network connection, but it does work. A fast wireless connection to the internet is suggested. Yahoo Messenger also includes the ability to send images and text chat messages back and forth, as well as do VOIP calls from a desktop to the receiving phone.
FRING has been around for a couple of years, and earlier in 2010 made the first widely available connection between phones and desktops. Unfortunately, their implementation used Skype as the backbone and the two companies had a dispute over the terms of service. So, Fring only supports handheld-to-handheld video conversations at this time. A camera is not required by a receiving device to watch video.
Now dial back your expectations a bit -- it's a mixed message today (Saturday, November 27, 2010).
The good news is that three very exciting developments have made big gains toward the communication visions that are a staple of science fiction and comic book fantasy worlds. Skype, Apple's Facetime, Yahoo's Messenger, and Fring have made the inevitable possible in 2010.
However, there are specific problems associated with each service's platform and the devices they can and cannot communicate with.
SKYPE is the long-running VOIP service that broke out as the favorite desktop to phone calling service. It integrated free video calls and became a technical darling as it was heavily promoted by Oprah Winfrey's talk show. Skype has really solid video calling features for computer-to-computer calling over fast internet connections. And there are versions of Skype for most handhelds and even the latest televisions. As of December 31, 2010, Skype became the leader in mobile video chat. The made it possible for PC desktops and iPhones to do video chat over Wi-Fi and and 3G phone lines.
FACETIME is Apple's impressive new video calling feature launched in conjunction with the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4th Generation devices. These are the handhelds that now have a camera on both the front and back. Facetime will only work for these devices; the current iPads have no camera so are not allowed to participate in Facetime. In October 2010 Apple released beta software that will allow Mac computers with a video camera to connect to iPhone 4 and iPod Touch users.
YAHOO MESSENGER has come up with the first fully-supported service to connect desktop video to handhelds. Their service does require that both users have a camera on their computer or device; however the earlier iPhone 2G are not supported by the current software. The video is very blurry over a 3G network connection, but it does work. A fast wireless connection to the internet is suggested. Yahoo Messenger also includes the ability to send images and text chat messages back and forth, as well as do VOIP calls from a desktop to the receiving phone.
FRING has been around for a couple of years, and earlier in 2010 made the first widely available connection between phones and desktops. Unfortunately, their implementation used Skype as the backbone and the two companies had a dispute over the terms of service. So, Fring only supports handheld-to-handheld video conversations at this time. A camera is not required by a receiving device to watch video.
Video Phone calls -- PC Desktop/Laptop to Cell Phone/Handhelds (as of December 31, 2010)
| Application | Handhelds | PC Desktop | Mac Desktop | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skype | iPhone 3G/3GS iPhone 4 iPod Touch 4th Gen | yes | yes | YAY! It works for communications between PC desktops, Macs and Apple mobiledevices. Video is a bit slow and choppy, but communicates between various versions of Skype. AND receiving caller does not need to have a camera to enjoy video. |
| Facetime | iPhone 4 iPod Touch 4th Gen | no | yes | Beta version for Mac products. WiFi required. Very good quality. Receiving handhelds must have front-facing camera. |
| Yahoo Messenger | iPhone 3G/3GS iPhone 4 iPod Touch 4th Gen Android devices | yes | yes | Both ends must have cameras. Back-facing cameras do work, but kind of awkward for calls. Does not do video on earlier iPhone 2G despite camera. Low quality over 3G networks. Fast WiFi suggested. |
| Fring | iPhones iPod Touches iPads Android devices | no | no | Did briefly utilize Skype to do video calls to desktops, but stopped service in July 2010. No desktop client software available now. No camera required by receiving phone. |
5/25/2010
Change your Text Editor for MovableType Posts
Use TinyMCE to replace your Rich-Text Editor in Movable Type
Here's a link to a Movable Type plugin that will give you a much better WYSIWYG text editor -- TinyMCE.
http://code.google.com/p/tinymce-mtplugin/
This version works with MovableType 4. After unzipping there is one folder which contains to parts -- on folder goes into /plugins and one goes into /mt-static/plugins.
After using FTP to drop the two folders over to the appropriate locations of your MovableType directory, you can create a new entry, and the Rich-Text editor should have lots more buttons available. Plus, the code created is much more XHTML correct.
It's not perfect, but it works much better than the standard MovableType 4 editor.
5/24/2010
Comparison of WordPress and MovableType
Which blog sofware package is better?
Here's a few notes of mine, as I'm trying to decide which package to go with for a CMS / Blog system comparing primarily MovableType 4.3 vs WordPress 2.9:Cost?
WordPress is free.
MovableType can cost hundreds of dollars for 5 users, plus upgrades.
Multiple Blogs?
MovableType allows for multiple blogs.
WordPress is for one blog.
User control?
MovableType is better. You can assign user permissions on both systems that give varying levels of access to administrative functions. However, MovableType allows you to restrict user access to different blogs. Whereas, WordPress is one blog and users of the same level will have equal access to all areas of the site -- a Sports Category writer would have access to posts in the Arts Category.
Separation of sections?
MovableType is better. Each section can be set up to be a separate blog. So, Sports has a blog with it's own categories. Arts has a blog with it's own categories. With WordPress, you have one blog with categories that can have more sub categories.
Flexibility of design?
MovableType allows each blog to have it's own template. WordPress has one template for the one blog. All of the top and side content will look the same. For non-designers, both have pre-made templates, but WordPress seems to have lots more designs available.
Programming language?
WordPress is written in PHP (considered by most to be a more "modern" language for web projects). MovableType is written in PERL (which has been in use since the early days of the web, but has lost a lot of its development base since PHP became a more popular standard).
Expansion / Plug-Ins?
WordPress has plug-ins that add lots of functionality. MovableType also has plug-ins, but the number and variety are not as great. Many of WordPress' shortcomings are covered by plug-ins, however, as WordPress is upgraded, many of those plug-ins can and have stopped working.
Speed?
I tend to think WordPress is faster.
Template manipulation?
WordPress seems to have better template control. MovableType has a lot of flipping back and forth and can get confusing easily.
Ease of learning?
Neither one is perfect in its execution. A lot of options are too hard to find. MovableType is clearly trying to catch up to WordPress by making it's latest interface (vers 5) resemble that of WordPress. WordPress had a better WYSIWYG editor, but it looks like MovableType 5 may have started using the same Javascripts (called TinyMCE).
Why pick WordPress?
WordPress is more popular. WordPress has more momentum and a larger user base. WordPress uses PHP. WordPress is Free. WordPress is easier to understand for simple bloggers.
Why pick MovableType?
MovableType opens with the ability to separate blogs. Each blog can have it's own look. MovableType has better user control.
Anything Else?
WordPress also has a 2nd related software package called "WordPress MU" which allows for multiple separate blogs. I found it difficult to understand. MovableType is up to version 5, and I have not tried out that version yet. There is also a free Open Source version of MovableType. WordPress.com is a website that uses WordPress MU to host free blogs.
4/14/2010
Card reader, touchpad on Acer Laptop stopped working after upgrade to Windows 7
Looking around the internet, I can see that this has been a common problem -- people upgraded their Acer laptops from Microsoft Vista to Windows 7, and lost functionality of their card reading devices, and touch pads and some other devices.
On my Acer Aspire 5630, I tried several things, but the one that seems to have restored the driver, was to go to Acer's support page:
http://support.acer.com/drivers_download.aspx
I found my laptop and downloaded the zip file for the card reader driver. Then I unzipped the file to my desktop.
Apparently, just installing the driver by using the Setup.exe, is not enough.
You may have to specify the operating system that the driver is made for.
To do this, have your Windows 7 machine on, the installation folder open, and the driver's Setup.exe file located:
At some point, hopefully, you will see that Windows 7 is installing a new device, which will be your SD Card / Memory Stick reader.
You can verify this by looking under Start button > Control Panel > Device Manger and looking for "Storage Controllers."
On my touch pad, there the main area, the two buttons on the bottom and the silver 4-sided scroll button in the middle. On the main area, the right side is supposed to allow you to press and drag to scroll.
After installing Windows 7, the silver square button was being totally ignored, and I don't think the press and scroll was working on the touch pad either.
On my Acer 5630, the touchpad appears to be manufactured by a company called Synaptics.
I found drivers for the touch pad here:
http://www.synaptics.com/support/drivers
However, after I installed the download for Windows 7, I did not get full functionality out of the buttons. I did get it to recognize the silver button, but it is only as a left-click, not a scroller. But the press and drag does work fine now.
The last thing that doesn't seem to work in the volume control / media controller on the right side of the keyboard. I'm reading that this can't be fixed without going back to the original Acer software widget. I haven't figured it out yet.
For the the Card reader
On my Acer Aspire 5630, I tried several things, but the one that seems to have restored the driver, was to go to Acer's support page:
http://support.acer.com/drivers_download.aspx
I found my laptop and downloaded the zip file for the card reader driver. Then I unzipped the file to my desktop.
Apparently, just installing the driver by using the Setup.exe, is not enough.
You may have to specify the operating system that the driver is made for.
To do this, have your Windows 7 machine on, the installation folder open, and the driver's Setup.exe file located:
- Right-click on the Setup.exe file.
- From the pop-up menu, choose "Properties."
- Click on the [Compatability] tab of the pop-up Setup.exe Properties window.
- Check on "[x] Run this program in compatability mode for:"
- Choose [Windows Vista Service Pack 2] from the drop down, or whatever your driver is made for.
- Click okay.
- Double-click the Setup.exe installer and follow the prompts.
At some point, hopefully, you will see that Windows 7 is installing a new device, which will be your SD Card / Memory Stick reader.
You can verify this by looking under Start button > Control Panel > Device Manger and looking for "Storage Controllers."
For the TouchPad Driver
On my touch pad, there the main area, the two buttons on the bottom and the silver 4-sided scroll button in the middle. On the main area, the right side is supposed to allow you to press and drag to scroll.
After installing Windows 7, the silver square button was being totally ignored, and I don't think the press and scroll was working on the touch pad either.
On my Acer 5630, the touchpad appears to be manufactured by a company called Synaptics.
I found drivers for the touch pad here:
http://www.synaptics.com/support/drivers
However, after I installed the download for Windows 7, I did not get full functionality out of the buttons. I did get it to recognize the silver button, but it is only as a left-click, not a scroller. But the press and drag does work fine now.
The last thing that doesn't seem to work in the volume control / media controller on the right side of the keyboard. I'm reading that this can't be fixed without going back to the original Acer software widget. I haven't figured it out yet.
2/22/2010
Discount student versions of Microsoft Office, Windows 7, Visio?
Is "The Ultimate Steal" legitimate and for-real, or a rip-off scam?
For the last couple of years, Microsoft has run a website called TheUltimateSteal.com. There's not a great deal of information on the site, but it is a totally legitimate site operated for students only. The name, the prices and combined with the sparse info, may make you wonder. But if you can believe this cautious, cheapskate, I can report that the software is fully functioning and checks out with Microsoft's Genuine Software checker.The cost for Office Ultimate 2007 (as of Feb 2010) is just under $60, and $56 for Visio. There is also a $65 version of Windows 7 Professinal Upgrade (32- or 64-bit version), but I haven't yet given that a try.
So, how do they know you are a student?
- You say you are a student
- You use an e-mail address that ends with ".edu"
I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I am impressed that they have offered such a great deal to students like me. Without these savings it would cost hundreds of dollars more for me to buy software that will likely be out of date by the time I finish school, and may only use as part of my classroom exposure. Thanks MS!
Acer Web Cam / Orbicam Update
Where can I find the latest Orbicam / Bison Web Camera software for my Acer?
I bought a laptop from Circuit City for college. An Aspire notebook that broke down several times. Thankfully, I had invested in an extended Acer Warranty.
But when I got it back this last time, they had removed my hard drive and replaced with a completely new installation of their customized Windows Vista.
When I tried to use the built-in web cam (a/k/a Acer Orbicam) it would function, but the picture was overexposed. So, I went to the Acer website, found my model, and downloaded the Bison driver and software (version 6.96.0.06, size 9.3 MB, 2008/12/02). A familiar-looking interface was included in the ZIP, but there were virtually no settings I could change for the camera other than adjusting the size of the image. I remembered downloading an update at some point in the past, but that probably disappeared with my hard drive.
I guess Acer used three different camera models for the same model laptop -- Bison, Logitech, Suyin. But after downloading and trying out the latter two as well, it became obvious that I did indeed own the Bison model. Acer must have changed it's site and removed the later update.
After scouring the internet for answers and coming up with several questionable sources, I decided that this is the best option:
Try this Google Search:
site:acer.com bison driverDoing so, I came up with a newer driver version (version 7.96.701.12, size 9.8 MB, date 2008/12/03). No guarantee, but this is the exact page where I got the newer driver:
http://global-download.acer.com/Step5.aspx?Step1=Notebook&Step2=Aspire&Step3=Aspire%205315&BC=Acer&SC=PA_7&LC=enIt is not the greatest software, but at least you can change the brightness and other settings.
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