Streaming TV, Movies and more with Rabbit TV?

There’s big talk about Rabbit TV, the usb stick that delivers  TV, live streaming, movies and more.   Curious about any technology that is out there, I purchased one for $9.99 at a local drug store with a one year free subscription.   Rabbit TV promises free TV, classic TV, movies, movies on demand and more.

It appears that Rabbit TV has the technology to gather full episodes of TV and consolidate them into their website.  Although many of these sites are free if you want to travel to each one and check links periodically, Rabbit TV finds them for you and puts them in a library on the web.

It requires the USB stick (handles licensing and user registration) for installation and to watch your choice of entertainment.  Compatible with Windows or MAC, Rabbit TV is an excellent way to consolidate these entertainment into one site without search for full episodes on network TV online.   Although many of these may be free,  you don’t have to search for episodes online.   This consolidation makes Rabbit TV the largest library on the web.

Installation requires you to plug the USB stick in and have an internet connection.    Once you plug the device in, a wizard guides you through the installation and web navigation process.

So is it worth it?  Sure.  Now keep an open mind.   If you travel or don’t want the hassle of finding full episodes of TV shows or free movies on the web or even if you want movies on demand then it may be for you.

It rates three stars out of five on most sites but for the convenience and price,  it’s a good gadget if you are on the go, traveling or want to get away to a private place in your own home.

After the one year is over (initial registration), there is a $10 annual subscription.

The above review and opinion is that of the author and not TTC Shelbyville.

A Geography game using Google Street View – Geogessr

Think you really know Geography?  Geoguessr is an online game that uses Google’s Street View.   With a small map in the corner of Google’s Street View, you pin where you think the Street View scene is.   You then submit your guess and the distance from the real location is measured.     It’s an excellent way to travel and view the world.

Give it a shot.  I just couldn’t bring myself to show one of the answers.  Visit GeoGuessr.

Hints

• License plates
• Signs?
• Traffic on Left or Right lane?
• Look at vehicles
• Flags?
• Mountain ranges?
• Trees?  Bushes
• Coastal?  Think of waterways, look at ships
• Winds? Look at the trees.
• Buildings (look at roofs)
• How are people dressed?

Highest score so far 9800 points….

Did You Know Windows 8 Has a Built-In Time Machine Backup? – MakeUseOf

This excellent post comes from MakeUseOf.

“Did You Know Windows 8 Has a Built-In Time Machine Backup?” 

“We sometimes forget with all the focus on Windows 8′s new “Modern” interface, but Windows 8 has a variety of great desktop improvements. One of them is File History, a built-in backup feature that functions similarly to Apple’s much-loved Time Machine. Enable the Windows 8 “time machine” File History, and Windows will automatically back up your files to an external or network drive.”  Read More

How to Build a Bulletproof Cloud Backup System Without Spending a Dime

“There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who have lost critical data, and those who will.”

How to Build a Bulletproof Cloud Backup System Without Spending a Dime.

(Shared – CIO)

Unseen, All-Out Cyber War on the U.S. has Begun

“There’s a war going on, and it’s raging here at home — not in the streets or the fields, but on the Internet. You can think of it as a war on the digital homeland. If you work for a power company, bank, defense contractor, transportation provider, or other critical infrastructure type of operation, your organization might be in the direct line of fire. And everyone can become collateral damage”

Unseen, All-Out Cyber War on the U.S. has Begun.

(Shared from CIO)

Cannot find data record in database table course_modules.

The error that you may see if you are currently using Moodle may be seen after cron runs or when heavy access occurs.  The error,

!!! Can not find data record in database table course_modules. !!!

The error is related to heavy transactions and what we believe is caching corrupting the database.

To fix the error, you can run this query:

select modinfo from mdl_course where id = PutYourCourseIDHere;

Below, we use MySQL Workbench to run the query on a course id of 2

 

 

There is also a Moodle plugin that rebuilds all of the site’s cache.

https://moodle.org/plugins/pluginversion.php?id=2400

Microsoft Surface – an asset to Information Technology

The Microsoft Surface Pro can be an asset to the Information Technology industry with its versatile ability to accept hardware and applications already in the industry.

Microsoft Surface Pro with Microsoft GPS during wireless site surveys.

   

inSSIDer on Microsoft’s Surface Pro

Ubiquiti Spectrum Analyzer and the Surface Pro

Microsoft’s Surface Pro can us 99% of the software on the market.  The versatility of this tablet makes it a good choice for IT Professionals.

Amazingly, you don’t need special apps and most of the software on the market for Windows based computers is free.   For licensed software,  the Windows 7/8 software will work on this tablet.

Look for updates soon on Windows 8 and Microsoft’s Surface.

Optimize your SSD Drive – Updated

Have you recently purchased and cloned your old HDD with a new SSD?  Here’s some tips.  There is a balance of performance vs. extending the life of your SSD.

• Make sure your SATA controller is set to AHCI mode.
  Set AHCI mode in the BIOS if this is not enabled and make changes to the registry (first)
  AHCI is needed for native TRIM support in Windows 7.  This allows TRIM to do its job

• Click on the Start
• Control Panel
• Device manager
• IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
• Do you see the AHCI controller?

How do you enable AHCI?

Before doing the process below,  see if your BIOS has AHCI capabilities

1. Open Registry Editor and move down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci.
2. Right click on the Start DWORD and click on Modify.
   
3. Set the value to 0 and click OK.
   
4. Reboot your computer and enable the AHCI setting the BIOS.  Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.

The next step is to enable TRIM. Type the following command in a command prompt to enable TRIM:

fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0

Next, turn off Defragmentation.  These drives should not be defragged.

Next, turn off indexing.  This causes unnecessary writes.

Next, Click on Start  -Right-Click Computer – Manage – Services and Applications – Services -Right-Click Windows Search – Properties  Find the Startup type – Select Disabled – Click OK.

(The above disables the “search indexer”)

Next

Click on Start – Computer – Right click on your SSD – Properties – Uncheck Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties – Click OK.

Next (Disabling this as recommended by some sites will have a negative effect on performance)

1. Right Click on Computer and select Manage
2. Click on Device Manager
3. Expand Disk Drives
4. Right click on the hard drive and select Properties for that hard drive (you can also double click the drive
5. On the Policies tab:
   Check Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on the device
6. Hit OK and close the Device Manager
   

Next, disable hibernation

Go to a command prompt, type powercfg.exe /hibernate off

Next, move Power Management to high performance

Adjusting the Power Settings

Adjusting the Power Settings

• Go to Control Panel;
• Select System and Security
• Select Power Options and Click the drop down for Show Additional Plans
• Select the High Performance bubble to apply it
• Click Change Plan Settings to High Performance
• Click Change Advanced Power Settings
• Click the hard disk drop down option
• Change Turn off hard disk after to 0 minutes (Never)
• Select OK
• Select Save Settings

Next, if you have 6 GB of RAM or more, disable the page file.

Click on Start Menu – Right-Click Computer – Properties – Advanced System Settings – Advanced Tab – Performance Settings – Advanced Tab – Click Change under Virtual Memory – Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives – Click on No paging file – Click Set – OK – Restart your computer.

Check for the latest firmware!

Optimize your SSD Drive

Have you recently purchased and cloned your old HDD with a new SSD?  Here’s some tips. (Updated!)

• Make sure your SATA controller is set to AHCI mode.
  Set AHCI mode in the BIOS if this is not enabled and make changes to the registry (first)
  AHCI is needed for native TRIM support in Windows 7.  This allows TRIM to do its job

• Click on the Start
• Control Panel
• Device manager
• IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
• Do you see the AHCI controller?

How do you enable AHCI?

Before doing the process below,  see if your BIOS has AHCI capabilities

1. Open Registry Editor and move down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci.
2. Right click on the Start DWORD and click on Modify.
   
3. Set the value to 0 and click OK.
   
4. Reboot your computer and enable the AHCI setting the BIOS.  Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.

The next step is to enable TRIM. Type the following command in a command prompt to enable TRIM:

fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0

Next, turn off Defragmentation.  These drives should not be defragged.

Next, turn off indexing.  This causes unnecessary writes.

Next, Click on Start  -Right-Click Computer – Manage – Services and Applications – Services -Right-Click Windows Search – Properties  Find the Startup type – Select Disabled – Click OK.

(The above disables the “search indexer”)

Next

Click on Start – Computer – Right click on your SSD – Properties – Uncheck Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties – Click OK.

Next

1. Right Click on Computer and select Manage
2. Click on Device Manager
   
3. Expand Disk Drives
4. Right click on the hard drive and select Properties for that hard drive (you can also double click the drive
5. On the Policies tab:
   Check Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on the device
6. Hit OK and close the Device Manager
   

Next, if you have 6 GB of RAM or more, disable the page file.

Click on Start Menu – Right-Click Computer – Properties – Advanced System Settings – Advanced Tab – Performance Settings – Advanced Tab – Click Change under Virtual Memory – Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives – Click on No paging file – Click Set – OK – Restart your computer.

Check for the latest firmware!

Details about the Mac Malware attacks in 2012

We were interviewed about  Mac Malware with PCWorld and now the details about the attack from Naked Security.

(April 13, 2012)
“Flashback Malware Puts Apple in Security Spotlight: Experts Weigh In” - PCWorld

Microsoft Attack Surface Analyzer test your system’s security

Microsoft’s Attack Surface Analyzer will take a quick snapshot of your computer’s state before and after the installation of software.   IT Professionals can asses their organization’s applications.  Other IT personnel can use this to look at the risk of software installed.  Be sure to read Microsoft’s overview of this software.

 

Scanning (baseline)

 

Once this scan is ran, a new scan can be ran to compare the newly installed product changes to your computer.

 

 

 

The Report

 

 

Microsoft Joulemeter calibrates your portable battery

Want to calibrate your batter on your laptop?  Microsoft Joulemeter (.90 mb download) does just that.

From Microsoft Research:

“Joulemeter is a software tool that estimates the power consumption of your computer. It tracks computer resources, such as CPU utilization and screen brightness, and estimates power usage.”

Checklist :

• Make sure your battery is above 50%
• Remember to leave your computer idle when this takes place
• Your screen brightness will change (disable Flux if you have it installed) and turn black
• Be Patient

 

Ready to calibrate

 

Phase One

 

 

Phase Two

 

 

Phase Three (Power Model)