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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

ClickBank Success Forum



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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Convert a YouTube Video to Mpeg

Recently, I needed to edit a video review I found on YouTube so that I could post it on one of my other blogs as part of a graphic novel review I'm writing. The YouTube version started with a thirty-second commercial that I didn't want to show my readers.

After a few minutes of searching, I found a short tutorial that walked through the basic steps. Before I could edit the video, I needed to convert it to something I could download to my hard drive. That entailed copying the url of the YouTube video, then going to Media Converter to do the actual conversion.

After reading the very easy to follow instructions on the Media Converter website, I pasted the YouTube url into the appropriate textbox and followed the directions on the screen. In a few short minutes I was able download the resulting mpeg file to my hard drive.

Media Converter—the fastest free online audio and video converter—allows you to convert five files per day. If you need to convert more files per day or you need to download files bigger than 100mb you will have to pay for their premium service.

Media Converter supports many different sources from which to to convert files: blip.tv, metacafe.com, dailymotion.com. It can convert to all these formats: 3g2, 3gp, asf, avi, flv, m4v, mkv, mov, mp3, mp4, mpeg, ogg, rm, wav, wma, wmv.

This just goes to show that if someone tells you what you want can't be done or can't be found and it's something related to computers, they are probably wrong. Just go to your favorite search engine and do some research. More often than not, you will find what you are looking for and it will probably be free. Of course, if you want it bigger, faster, or easier, then you might have to pay for it.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Graphic Novel Legend Dies at 70

I just posted a few thoughts about the passing of the author of American Splendor on my TLD Blog.

Then I found this cool application:

Comic Life
http://plasq.com/comiclife-win
Comic Life
"From the makers of Skitch is another great application for would-be doodlers and ad hoc illustrators. Comic Life is available for both the Mac and for Windows PCs, and helps you create professional-looking comic panels, photo albums, and other image layout template styles."


Made in Comic Life

And I found this interesting web comic in the Comic Life Gallery:
Cat's Grace #1 (Module 0) [1 Jan 07]

Friday, April 30, 2010

Bed Bug Detection Dogs

Bed bug detection dogs are dogs that are specially trained by handlers to identify the scent of bed bugs.



With the increased focus on green pest management and integrated pest management, bed bug detection dogs are gaining popularity in North America. Dogs are a safer alternative to pesticide use as a management strategy. If operators can find out exactly where bed bugs are located, they can minimize the area that needs to be sprayed. Dogs smell in parts per trillion, something a human cannot do, and detect bed bugs through all lifestyle phases from eggs to nymphs to adults.


Bed bug detection dogs are relatively new. The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association states that there are over 100 dogs currently working in the U.S., but this number is increasing. Vancouver-based CARE Pest & Wildlife Control is one of the first Canadian companies to use canine detection for bed bugs.


With the increase in global travel and shared living accommodations, bed bugs have become more prevalent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held a bed bug summit[5] in April 2009 to address the ongoing problem of bed bugs and how to eradicate them. The certification of bed bug detection dogs was discussed.


For more information on how to get rid of bed bugs or how to avoid them, see Getting Rid of Bed Bugs...

How to Increase the Brightness on Your Dell Laptop Monitor

This afternoon as I was reading a post on the Digital Point forum, my cat sat on my keyboard. Actually, first he sat on the pillow I keep propped up against the wall. Then the phone rang and I proceeded to talk to my friend Debra.

That's when StormCat made his move. Before I knew it, kitty had moved from the pillow to the keyboard of my Inspiron 2600 laptop. At first I didn't think anything of it—being distracted by the phone call, I let him be. After saying goodbye to my friend and returning my attention to my computer, I realized that the brightness on the monitor was about half of normal.


At this point I was near panic. I had already been having a bad day. Due to a malfunctioning washing machine, I had spent most of the afternoon wringing out wet laundry by hand and worrying about where to get the money for repairs or a replacement machine.

I should have put two and two together, but I guess I was just too tired and worried to think straight. I started searching for answers, first with my Windows help and then on Google. Finally, after doing a Google search ("monitor brightness" site:dell.com +laptop), I found a link to the Inspiron 9400 User Manual.

Phew, what a relief! Once I found the answer, it was obvious to me what had happened—the cat had changed the brightness setting when he lay down on my keyboard...


On page 37 was the answer to my problem:


You can press the following keys to adjust display brightness:

  1. Press "Fn" and the up-arrow key to increase brightness on the integrated display only (not on an external monitor).

  2. Press the "Fn" key and the down-arrow key to decrease brightness on the integrated display only (not on an external monitor).

StormCat:

StormCatOne of these days...


Actually, I had never heard of the "Fn" key before. It took me a while to find it on my Dell Inspiron, it's the key to the right of the "Ctrl" key, in the lower left corner of the keyboard.


Addendum

The original version of this post was made several years ago. Since then, StormCat (he's actually my roommate's pet) has become an outdoor cat and hardly ever spends any time in my room. And I no longer use my laptop keyboard, I prefer a wireless keyboard and mouse.

However, I have had the monitor dimming problem a couple of times. It was caused by the power saving settings on my laptop. I usually use my laptop plugged-in to a power strip. Occasionally, the cord will get pulled out of the power cord port, when that happens my monitor goes dim to save power.
Wireless keyboard
Wireless Keyboard

Hello Kitty Stickers

Official Gmail Blog: Get your Gmail stickers



hellokittytoy.com


I couldn't find any Hello Kitty stickers on gMail's sticker page.


Anybody know where I can find some nice Hello Kitty stickers?


Please leave a comment on my new blog: Jewelry, Fish, and Candy...