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• DIY $2 Flash Diffuser [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This simple flash diffuser is cheap to make, easy to assemble, and offers a wide surface area to bounce your flash. The video comes to us courtesy of StepByStep Photography, building off a design by Chuck Gardner (follow the link below to read Chuck’s full tutorial and learn a bit about using a bounce flash). DIY Diffuser for Hot-Shoe Flash [via DIY Photography] HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online

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• Is this overkill? Using MDX queries and cubes instead of SQL stored procedures

  - by Jason Holland

  I am new to Microsoft's SQL Server Analysis Services Cubes and MDX queries. Where I work we have a daily sales table in SQL Server 2005 that already contains an aggregate of sale information per store per day. At this time it contains only 164,000+ rows. We have a sales cube dedicated to this table that about 15 reports are based off of. Now, I should also note that we generate reports based on our own fiscal year criteria: a 13 period year (1 month equals 28 days etc.). Is this overkill? At what point is it justified to begin using SSAS Cubes/MDX over plain old SQL Server stored procedures? Since I have always been just using plain old SQL am I tragically late to the MDX party?

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• DIY Door Lock Grants Access via RFID

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking to lighten the load on your pocket and banish the jingling of keys, this RFID-key hack makes your front door keycard accessible–and even supports groups and user privileges. Steve, a DIYer and Hack A Day reader, was looking for a solution to a simple problem: he wanted to easily give his friends access to his home without having to copy lots of keys and bulk up their key rings. Since all his friends already carried a Boston public transit RFID card the least intrusive solution was to hack his front door to support RFID cards. His Arduino-based solution can store up to 50 RFID card identifiers, supports group-based access, and thanks to a little laser cutting and stain the project enclosure blends in with the Victorian styling of his home’s facade. Hit up the link below to see his code–for a closer look at the actual enclosure check out this photo gallery. RFID Front Door Lock [via Hack A Day] HTG Explains: What is DNS? How To Switch Webmail Providers Without Losing All Your Email How To Force Windows Applications to Use a Specific CPU

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• New Tabs at End Opens New Tabs at the End of the Chrome Tab Bar

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Chrome: If you’d prefer to have new tabs open at the end of the row instead of next to their parent tab, New Tabs at End is a simple Google Chrome extension that will scoot your tabs where you want them. It’s a minor thing, to be sure, but many users prefer to have tabs open at the end of the row–I know it took me quite awhile as a new Chrome user to get used to the default next-to-parent action. If you’d prefer to have the new tabs open at the end, hit up the link below to install New Tabs at End to tweak your tab bar workflow. New Tabs at End [via Addictive Tips] How To Be Your Own Personal Clone Army (With a Little Photoshop) How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image) The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume

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• AI for a mixed Turn Based + Real Time battle system - Something "Gambit like" the right approach?

  - by Jason L.

  This is maybe a question that's been asked 100 times 1,000 different ways. I apologize for that :) I'm in the process of building the AI for a game I'm working on. The game is a turn based one, in the vein of Final Fantasy but also has a set of things that happen in real time (reactions). I've experimented with FSM, HFSMs, and Behavior Trees. None of them felt "right" to me and all felt either too limiting or too generic / big. The idea I'm toying with now is something like a "Rules engine" that could be likened to the Gambit system from Final Fantasy 12. I would have a set of predefined personalities. Each of these personalities would have a set of conditions it would check on each event (Turn start, time to react, etc). These conditions would be priority ordered, and the first one that returns true would be the action I take. These conditions can also point to a "choice" action, which is just an action that will make a choice based on some Utility function. Sort of a mix of FSM/HFSM and a Utility Function approach. So, a "gambit" with the personality of "Healer" may look something like this: (ON) Ally HP = 0% - Choose "Relife" spell (ON) Ally HP < 50% - Choose Heal spell (ON) Self HP < 65% - Choose Heal spell (ON) Ally Debuff - Choose Debuff Removal spell (ON) Ally Lost Buff - Choose Buff spell Likewise, a "gambit" with the personality of "Agressor" may look like this: (ON) Foe HP < 10% - Choose Attack skill (ON) Foe any - Choose target - Choose Attack skill (ON) Self Lost Buff - Choose Buff spell (ON) Foe HP = 0% - Taunt the player What I like about this approach is it makes sense in my head. It also would be extremely easy to build an "AI Editor" with an approach like this. What I'm worried about is.. would it be too limiting? Would it maybe get too complicated? Does anyone have any experience with AIs in Turn Based games that could maybe provide me some insight into this approach.. or suggest a different approach? Many thanks in advance!!!

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• Does Bad Weather Affect Cloud Computing? [Humor]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Indian government official Vishwa Bandhu Gupta deserves a Master Class Troll Lifetime Achievement Award for his performance in this five minute video and complete bamboozling of a poor reporter. Before we ridicule the reporter for buying Gupta’s spiel, keep in mind that 51% of Americans think cloud computing actually has something to do with clouds. Cloud Computing Is Great, But What If It Rains? [via Digital Inspiration] HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For?

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• The (Totally) Phantom Menace Takes a Hard Look at Star Wars Saber Duels [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you feel like the light saber duels in Star Wars are long on choreography and short on actual brutal combat, you’re sure to get a chuckle out of this “training” guide highlighting how not to kill your opponent. [via Neatorama] What’s the Difference Between Sleep and Hibernate in Windows? Screenshot Tour: XBMC 11 Eden Rocks Improved iOS Support, AirPlay, and Even a Custom XBMC OS How To Be Your Own Personal Clone Army (With a Little Photoshop)

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• How to Best Optimize up Model Transforms, Import 3DS Animations Into XNA 4.0?

  - by Jason R. Mick

  Relative beginner to XNA, but trying to build a multi-purpose (3D) game frameworking in XNA 4. Been using the Reed (O'Reilly) and Cawood/McGee (McGraw Hill) guides. My question is multi-faceted and involves how to most efficiently handle models. I'm using 3DS Max 2010 with kw-Xport to ship out my models as .X files. Solved an early problem by using my depth stencil state. My models are now loading properly (yay!) and I have basic bounding working, I just want to optimize transforming models and get animations working as a next step. My questions on models are: 1. Do you have any suggestions for good resources on exporting 3DS animations to XNA? I've seen some resources on how to handle animations in XNA, but most skimp on basic topics of how to convert multi-animation 3DS files. For example how do I take one big long string of keyframed animations (say running, frame 5-20, climbing frames 25-45, etc.) and turned them into named XNA animations. To my understanding every XNA animation has to have a name, but I haven't seen any tutorials on creating a new named animation from a subset of frames. 2. Is it faster to load a model once and animate/transform that base model on the fly @ draw time, or to load multiple models? My game will have multiple enemies, and I've already seen some lagginess in XNA, so II want to make my code efficient... 3. I've heard people on app hub talking about making custom content processors for models-- what is the benefit of this? Does it speed up transforming or animating the models? If so, can you point me towards any good (model-centric) tutorials? (I've built a custom height map content processor to generate terrain, following Cawood's examples, I'm just a bit confused as to how a model content processor would be implemented.)

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• Optical Illusion Freezes Water In Place [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This clever optical illusion uses sound frequency and a digital camera to “freeze” water in time and space. YouTube user MrBibio explains the hack: Creating the illusion of a static flow of water using sound. Of course this isn’t my idea and plenty more refined examples already exist. I tried this same experiment years ago but using a strobe light, but it’s harsh on the eyes after a while and hard to video successfully. It only dawned on me shortly before making this that for video purposes, no strobe light is required. This is because the frame rate and shutter of the camera is doing a similar job to the strobe. The speaker-as-frequency-generator model is definitely easier on the eyes than similar experiments that rely on high-speed strobes. How to Stress Test the Hard Drives in Your PC or Server How To Customize Your Android Lock Screen with WidgetLocker The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit

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• Ask the Readers: Are You A Second Screen Multi-tasker?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Television watchers are no longer keeping their eyes continuously glued to the screen–increasingly smartphone, tablet, and laptop users have merged their mobile device and television time. Are you one of the second screen multi-taskers? Image courtesy of Umani, a TV-companion application for iPad. According to Nielsen user surveys, at least 80% of mobile device owners have used their device while watching television in the past month–27% said they use their mobile device alongside the television multiple times a day. What the survey results are light on, however, is an in depth look at what the users are doing with their second screen. This week we want to hear about whether or not you’re one of the second screen multi-taskers and what you use your mobile device for during your television/movie time. Sound off in the comments and then check back in on Friday for the What You Said roundup. How to Get Pro Features in Windows Home Versions with Third Party Tools HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using? HTG Explains: What The Windows Event Viewer Is and How You Can Use It

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• Ring in the Holiday with Papercraft Star Wars Snowflakes

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Whether your holiday decorating is begging for a geeky touch (or your nieces and nephews are begging for something to occupy their time while visiting this holiday), Anthony Herrera’s Star Wars themed paper snowflakes are a perfect geeky holiday project. This year’s collection includes Admiral Ackbar, A-Wings, B-Wings, Chewbacca, Ewoks, and more. Be sure to check out the 2011 and 2010 editions, for even more characters. Star Wars Snowflakes 2012 [Anthony Herrera Designs] Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows

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• Repurpose a Wire Basket as a Game Controller Organizer

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for an easy way to organize your console controllers, this simple repurposing hack turns an IKEA wire basket intended for managing cable clutter into a game controller stand. You won’t need a Dremel tool to install this hack; all you need to do to follow in the foot steps of IKEAHackers reader Leslie is to install a SIGNUM cable basket (or similar cable organizer) upside down so loom curves up instead of down. Instant wire cradle for your controllers (or possibly an open air charging station for your small electronics). Check out the link below for more details. Game Controller Management System [IKEAHackers] How To Make a Youtube Video Into an Animated GIFHTG Explains: What Are Character Encodings and How Do They Differ?How To Make Disposable Sleeves for Your In-Ear Monitors

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• What You Said: How You Keep Your Email SPAM Free and Tidy

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite tips and tricks for keeping your inbox tidy. Now we’re back to share your–rather aggressive–SPAM dodging tricks. HTG readers are serious about beating back SPAM. While some readers such as TechGeek01 took a fairly laid back approach to junk mail: I usually just read emails, and delete them when my inbox gets kinda full. As for spam, I mark it as such, and the automated spam filter usually catches it the next time. It’s a fairly simple method, I know, but it’s efficient, and takes almost no effort, other than a monthly cleaning. For other readers it was outright war. ArchersCall uses a system of layers and whitelists: I have a triple system and rarely see spam. How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic How to Make Your Laptop Choose a Wired Connection Instead of Wireless HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It?

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• Web developing- Strange happenings

  - by Jason

  As I'm teaching myself PHP and MySQL during break, I'm experimenting coding in a Ubuntu virtual machine where Apache, MySQL and PHP have been installed and configured to a shared folder. I'm not a big fan of Kompozer because the source code layout is a PIA, so I've started checking out gPHPEdit. However, since using it, I've come across two issues: when I edit the .html and .php files, sometimes the file extension will change to .html~ and .php~, becoming invisible to the browser. The only solution is to switch to Windows, right click and rename the file extension. In Ubuntu Firefox, when I click on my prpject's Submit button for in a practice form, a dialog box pops up asking what Firefox should do with the .php file, rather than simply displaying it in the browser. When I do this in Windows Chrome & Firefox, it goes right to the response page. I'm not sure if this behavior is limited to gPHPEdit/Kompozer, but I've never noticed this happening in Dreamweaver. Any solutions? EDIT The behavior in Point 1 occurs both when Dreamweaver is open in Windows accessing the same files and when it is not. I changed the extension filename of welcome.php, added a comment in gPHPEdit, and the file changed to welcome.php~ upon saving.

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• How Circuit Boards Are Manufactured and Tested [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Circuit boards are in nearly everything: computers, cars, toys, phones, even greeting cards. Check out this tour of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) factory to see how they’re made. In the above video the owners of Base2 Electronics are watching a PCB testing machine at the factory where they purchase their boards for resale. The machine is first scanning the board to identify it in the board database and then the arms start flying as it tests individual circuits on the board. If you’re interested seeing all the steps of the manufacturing process, hit up the link below for a photo and video tour of the facility. Base2 Electronics Tour of Advanced Circuits [via Hack A Day] How To Encrypt Your Cloud-Based Drive with BoxcryptorHTG Explains: Photography with Film-Based CamerasHow to Clean Your Dirty Smartphone (Without Breaking Something)

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• The Inebriator: A DIY Arduino-powered Cocktail Machine [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  We’ve seen our fair share of geeky alcohol-related projects over the years but this, this, is something to see. The Inebriator is the slickest automated drink machine we’ve laid eyes on. Before we even start talking specs, check out the video above–don’t forget to first assure your liver that you don’t actually have access to such a magnificent device and it can remain calm. As dazzled as we were? The whole thing is powered by an Arduino Mega 2560, sports a cooler with nitrogen pressurization of drink mix bottles, and relies on a rather ingenious and elegantly simple 12v valve system. It even has an RFID security system to prevent party goers with a few drinks in them from messing up the custom drink menu. Hit up the link below for more information, including photos of the guts and technical specs. The Inebriator [via Hack A Day] Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For? HTG Explains: What is DNS?

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• Motion Sensing Fog Machine Increases Savings and Spook Factor

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This DIY add-on switches a standard fog machine from always-on to motion-activated–increase your savings and spook factor at the same time. Courtesy of tinker Greg, this modification involves a new relay and motion sensor mounted onto the existing switch of a store-bought fog machine. When the motion-sensor detects motion the fog machine releases a burst of fog for 5 seconds and then disarms itself for 10 seconds–long enough for the startled victim to move on and for the machine to recharge for the next passerby. Check out the video above to see it in action and then hit up the link below to see the project’s build guide. Motion Sensing Fog Machine Trigger [via Hack A Day] How Hackers Can Disguise Malicious Programs With Fake File Extensions Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

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• Portal Ported to a Graphing Calculator

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  It’s not exactly a 3D-rendered GPU-burner, but this calculator-based version of Portal still features the same portal-jumping tricks that delighted players in the original game. Built using Axe Parser, an advanced programming language for graphing calculators, Portal: Prelude is part an experiment in pushing the limits of Axe Parser and part long standing tradition of porting popular video games to graphing calculators. You can read more about Axe Parser and the many games and program projects under development using it here. [via Geeks Are Sexy] How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won’t Boot Our Geek Trivia App for Windows 8 is Now Available Everywhere

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• DIY Standing Desk Sports Super Sturdy Galvanized Pipe Legs

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for a standing desk sturdy enough you can tap dance on it this DIY creation features thick pipe legs and a solid oak desktop. Courtesy of designer Jessica Allen, this standing desk can easily support a bank of monitors, heavy equipment, and even your entire body if need be, thanks to a sturdy galvanized plumbing pipe undercarriage and a 1″ thick oak top. We love the clean lines of the desk but we’d be tempted to clutter them up a little with a tower-rack mounted under the desk or on the inside of the thick pipe legs. Hit up the link below to check out the full build log. Have a cool standing desk (or desk tutorial) to share? Sound off in the comments. Steel Pipe Standing Desk HTG Explains: Why Screen Savers Are No Longer Necessary 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7 HTG Explains: Why It’s Good That Your Computer’s RAM Is Full

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• Space Stations as Envisioned in the 1970s

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Boy, they sure were ambitious back in the 70s; while today we’re happy to have a small apartment-sized environment in orbit, back then they were dreaming of entire cities in space. Courtesy of the NASA Ames Research Center archives, we’re treated to artist renderings of the space colonies of the future as imagined from the 1970s. The artwork spans visions of space colonies from 10,000 to 1,000,000 citizens strong–some of them include everything from bodies of water to office buildings. Hit up the link below for more images. Space Colony Art from the 1970s [via The Daily What] 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7 HTG Explains: Why It’s Good That Your Computer’s RAM Is Full 10 Awesome Improvements For Desktop Users in Windows 8

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• Mod Puts Mac OS 7 On the Nook Touch

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Thanks to a mac-hardware emulator for Android, it’s now possible to run Mac OS 7 on the Nook Touch (or other Android-based tablet). If you’ve been looking for some retro-goodness to dump on your Nook or tablet–Oregon Trail anyone?–this simple hack will certainly help. Hit up the link below for additional screenshots and more information. Mini vMac for Android Development Thread [via MikeCanex] HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It? HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me? HTG Explains: How Windows 8′s Secure Boot Feature Works & What It Means for Linux

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• Project Kapros: A Custom-Built Workstation Featuring an In-Desk Computer

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  While we’ve seen our fair share of case mods, it’s infrequent we see one as polished and built-in as this custom built work station. What started as an IKEA Galant desk, ended as a stunningly executed desk-as-computer build. High gloss paint, sand-blasted plexiglass windows, custom lighting, and some quality hardware all come together in this build to yield a gorgeous setup with plenty of power and style to go around. Hit up the link below for a massive photo album build guide detailing the process from start to finish. Project Kapros: IKEA Galant PC Desk Mod [via Kotaku] How to Stress Test the Hard Drives in Your PC or Server How To Customize Your Android Lock Screen with WidgetLocker The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit

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• If Facebook Were Invented In the 90s [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  What would Facebook look like if it had been a 1990s phenomenon? This video takes us through a Facebook training video with all the Netscape Navigator goodness you can handle. [via Mashable] How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 2 How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 1 What’s the Difference Between Sleep and Hibernate in Windows?

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• Laser Cutter Plays Portal Theme Song While Cutting Aperture Science Logo [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  We’re at a total loss to think of anything more geeky than a laser cutter programmed to simultaneously laser cut the Aperture Science logo while playing “Stile Alive” from Portal. If you’re unfamiliar with the original tune, check out this video. [via Boing Boing] The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage Reader Request: How To Repair Blurry Photos

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• The Lost Episode of Cosmos: The Meat Planet

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  In the 1980s Carl Sagan captivated TV viewers with his exploration of the universe; we present to you, a lost episode, The Meat Planet. Creators of the parody video, Darren Cullen and Mark Tolson, engaged in some expert splicing and dicing of past Cosmos episodes to create their masterpiece: the lost episode focused on the fabled Meat Planet. Watch the episode above or hit up the link below for more information about the project. Meat Planet [via Boing Boing] How Hackers Can Disguise Malicious Programs With Fake File Extensions Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer

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