Free FTP Storage @ DriveHQ.com

Warning: This blog is a blatant plug for a site I have a referral link to.

I will not lie to you. If you use the link here to access DriveHQ.com you are being referred. Why should you care? You shouldn't, you should be thanking me for referring you.

I found this service over labor day weekend while looking for a place for my IP Kamera to FTP images to so I could create an image sequence with them. Strangely, it will let you capture single snapshots and store them to your local network drive, but it will not do the same for timed image capture (i.e. every 30 seconds).

So I was looking for a cheap or free location to have my camera upload its images via FTP and I came across DriveHQ almost by accident. I have to say I almost didn't stay with them but let me explain why.

When you create an account with DriveHQ if you do not read carefully enough, you will get the free AND LIMITED version that lets you expose your published locations for 20 minutes at a time.   This is exactly what I did and I almost went straight to Google to look for another free service (yes, I am cheap). Useless, right? If you use an email address that is a corporate (i.e. paid ISP) NOT free like GMail or Hotmail, you get 1gb of free FTP, a basic website publishing folder, etc, etc. Really a whole lot of cool stuff for free.

I was really impressed with their interface AND if you do need to purchase additional services you will find their prices really reasonable. At the time of this writing $3 a month for 2gb of online file storage. If you are only storing image albums of course Picasa or Flickr or such things are the better solution but if you want FTP access and need a location to store large files, their service seems to be pretty cheap and works well. They even have a free FTP client that shows bandwidth usage so you can predict if or when you will exceed your free service boundaries.

What they offer:

Online Storage & Sharing

Store, access and share files online from anywhere at anytime. Includes explorer-like web interface and the state-of-the-art FileManager 4.0. Supports any browsers on PC/Mac. Supports group/sub-group file sharing with read-write access.

Online Backup Files & Emails

Includes DriveHQ Online Backup 4.0 automatic backup software, optimized for business and enterprise users. Backup is never so easy, secure and reliable! No device needed, works anywhere. Even if you have local backup, you need offsite backup to prepare for major disasters!

FTP Server Hosting & Software

Includes FTP Client, Server & Hosting. You cannot find any other FTP hosting service that has as many features as ours, and for a price as low as FTP client software! Works on PC/Mac/Linux; supports any number of users, groups & sub-groups.

SMTP/POP3 Email Server Hosting

Includes email server software, hardware & hosting. Designed for businesses, works on PC & Mac. Supports: multiple accounts, private domain, SMTP/POP3, Outlook, alias, auto-reply, auto-forward, mailing list, private discussion group, etc.

I like em. I think they are great so far and am really impressed with what they offer for free. Take a look and let me know what you think. I would love to hear from others who may be using them, or have used them in the past.  I think they will hook me with the free offerings and I will probably pay as my needs grow.

Cable Sucks, How Does DirectSatTV Fare?

The economy seems to be in the dumps, gaming is down (which directly effects my peace of mind in my  field of work).  Gas, food prices, everything is up, so Susanne and I have been looking at our bills to see where we could tighten things up. 

I was reviewing our phone and looking into Naked DSL and to just using our cell phones when I realized that where we used to be paying $18 bucks a month for DishNetwork (yes we complained and complained till we got the “family plan”) now we are paying over $44 bucks for xxx channels  (where x is a variable, not porn, that would be XXX) because we kept adding more channels.  Yup, I can’t tell you because their website sucks so bad I cannot log in to see what plan I have. I won’t switch to cable.  I just wont.

So I decided to checkout DirectTV.  Now you will note that link doesn’t take you to DirectTV’s website, but to an authorized dealer at http://www.directsattv.com.  In trying to figure out the best DirectTV specials I found myself not all that thrilled with DirectTV’s website.  What is it with these satellite providers that they cannot provide a usable web interface for purchasing product?  In my search I came across this provider who has what I was looking for.  An easy interface for selecting the package that I wanted without having to scroll, click here, read this, read that.  A nice UI for selecting what I wanted in my satellite provider.  Step 1, Select HD, Family and the basic 45 Channel family pack.  Add an HD DVR to the mix, give em my zip code and hit get quote. So I made my selections and presto, there was the DirectTV deal DirectSatTV had to offer me.

Now I did notice the little asterisk above Get Quote Now which when I read the fine print says that by submitting a quote request they can contact me for up to three months. I am not sure how they are going to get a hold of me unless they are using some tracking technology that I am not aware of that will map my IP and Zip code to my exact location.  Good luck with that.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the selection I made was over $70.  Not exactly the screaming deal I was hoping to get. And although I liked DirectSatTV’s options better than DirectTV for finding DirectTV deals and specials, the pricing was just not able to beat the current 100 channel dual tuner HD DVR system from DishNetwork that I have now (I think I have 100 channels, I still couldn’t get into my account). I just hope I don’t have to call their customer service again, or I might just have to switch.  If I do, I might be visiting DirectSatTV again.

Acronis Backup-What is your problem?

Some time back, I bought Acronis Backup due to its apparently large feature set and ease of use.  For the few times I used it to backup specific items like my pictures folder and such to a DVD, it worked perfectly.  Since I set it up for an automated backup procedure with my Drobo as my backup storage location its begun causing me a headache that I just don’t think I should have to suffer through.

During each backup I now receive this dreaded error.

Can someone tell me why an automated backup procedure should prompt me and NOT tell me why it cannot backup the particular file.  I find that for the backup to complete on the remaining files I have to click Ignore several times to get beyond the files that it cannot backup.  It seems that a scheduled backup should log the failures and notify me upon completion.

I have searched and cannot seem to find a solution.  Anyone have any ideas?

#1 in MSN Search Results

Thats right. GeekOutOfTheBox.com is #1 in the MSN search results.

There is one small caveat. We are number 1 in the search results for "pictures of mother in law xxx". Can you say ewe?

Ok, I know you are all wondering why I would be searching for "pictures of mother in law xxx". Seriously do you need to ask. Search for yourself, obviously, you arent the only one searching for it. And you will find the search results ABSOLUTLELY relevant. Really.

I discovered this while I was reviewing all the really relevant statistical information for all of the 3 people who read my blog yesterday and how they got to my site, and found the I am the tops in familial porn searches. See dad, I told you I would amount to something.

New Blog MarriedGeeks.com Goes Live

Many moons ago my wife and I discussed starting a blog where we posted opinions, differing or not. I actually created a site, but at the time blogging software was just not where it is today and a CMS just wasn't cutting it for ease of use for her.

Well, finally she has been bit by the blogging bug and the site is now a reality.

I think I will be keeping this blog and changing its focus (i.e. simply removing family related items) and make it strictly more geek and technical.

Check out MarriedGeeks.com

Terror Turns To Angel

This post has been relocated to my family blog MarriedGeeks: He Said/She Said.

 

More Than One Reason MySpace Sucks

1. Its just kinda lame unless you are a teen or tween.
2. They delete accounts under pressure from Christian groups.
3. A messaging system that emails me I have a message and I have to visit the site to read it(what?) lame.
4. Deleting your account doesn't delete all your account info.

I created an account on a slow day at work when it everyone was "MySpacin". Hardly used it, hated the messaging system and decided to delete it when I found out they apparently coddle bullies, pedophiles, but repeatedly delete atheist group accounts. Also lame.

Today I got an email from MySpace. What? I deleted my account and they still send me emails. I can't "unsubscribe" because I don't have an account.

I posted a message to their contact us page (which asks for your password btw?? lame also). I will post their response.

UPDATE 8-9-08: Never heard back. MySpace sucks. plain and simple.

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Terror Turns To Angel

This morning my daughter woke up screaming for mommy. Her mommy was out garage sale shopping is as her usual Saturday morning ritual. Her time away with friends and adults.

When I went into my daughters room to get her up (she never leaves her room of her own accord) she screamed at me "NO, I want mommy". I replied "Mommy is not here, so you can just stay in bed until she gets back."

I stormed out of the room, waiting to get just out of sight to hear my daughter beg for me to return. Instead I hear her yell "SHUT MY DOOR!!", as simple and demanding as that. Remember, she is three. Well, rather than get upset about it. I did. What the hell. If she wants to lay in bed and wait for mommy. More power to her.

I left her in her room for over half an hour, and thought perhaps she had fallen back asleep. When I poked my head in again to check on her she said sweetly and pleasantly. "I want to get up".

She was sweet for all of the fifteen minutes as she drank her morning sippy and watched an episode of Caillou and it was back to being a little snot.

Doesn't want to eat, doesn't want to get dressed, a closed fist punch to her brothers face when she didn't like what he was saying. Like the title says, a Terror (yes, it deserves a capital T). She is not like this often. This is the exception and not the rule, but it was enough to start my day off on the wrong foot.

So I had to get out of the house, change the environment and perhaps the mood. We got pancakes and hash browns and Micky D's. Of course Braedyn threw a tantrum because he wanted to eat in the "Lunch house" and play on their play structure. Oh joy. The Micky D's play structure where the noise level exceeds OSHA standards for a safe environment. Thats what I want to do on Saturday morning when I am already in a funk. But I persevered and we drove to the new park and ate breakfast in the car in the parking lot. Then the the children transformed.

They were outside. They were playing with other kids. They were having a great time. It was windy as hell. Braedyn didn't care, but Emily sure hated the mist being blown on us by the sprinklers.

Mom met up with us so it was less stressful to track the kids in a park the size of Yankee Stadium and on this day seemingly as many people.

I sat at the bottom level of the play structure and Emily began running back and forth to me, giving me very wet kisses. Sweet and adorable and then she hid behind the pole and played peek-a-boo. Just twice. Just long enough for me to get this shot which melts my heart and makes it all worth while.

My little Terror is growing up. I love you Emily.

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Allegra’s Memorial Webpage Found

In another post I mentioned our Dog Allegra who passed away last March.  We were hosting her memorial page on an webserver I was running here at home.  I took that server down some time ago.

In reviewing all the content I moved to my Drobo I found the webserver folder and the memorial page.  This was written by my wife Susanne, and I am posting it here for a more permanent location.

Allegra’s Journey, May 2001 – March 1, 2007
(More Photos Here)

Allegra was born around May 2001. Around the end of June, Greg, Jacob and I were sitting on the stoop at the Lake Street House visiting friends after an afternoon downtown at the Blues, Brews, and BBQ festival. A young man who was staying downstairs at his brother’s apartment walked up with the most adorable little puppy. He told the story of how someone was giving away puppies in front of Winco, and he didn’t have the heart NOT to take the little pup in his arms. He continued by telling us he had no idea what he was going to do with her because his apartment complex didn’t allow dogs. He wanted to find a nice place for her to live. As if in the same nanosecond those words exited his mouth, both Jacob and Greg looked at me with, ironically enough, puppy eyes, eyes that were begging and pleading with me to say we’d provide her that nice place to live. I was secretly excited, but I had to play tough, getting Greg to convince me that he would be okay with her because of his allergies to dogs. Greg said he’d do whatever it took to keep her, and so our journey with our new family addition began.

What’s in a name? We looked through our friend’s baby name book right then and there and decided upon the name Allegra. It was both funny and fitting for this little pup. It means “quick, with a happy air” as well as being the name of the allergy medicine Greg would have to take to keep her. How appropriate for this lively little one.

She was so tiny, that is all except her ears. We were up at Galena Forest with her during her first winter, and these two snow-shoe guys were walking down the hill. They had to have been 50 yards away when we heard them holler “Check out the ears on that dog!”

Even though she was tiny, I had a HUGE adjustment to make. I was the type of person who would grab onto Greg’s arm in a parking lot when I heard keys jingle because I thought for sure it was the sound of a collar on a huge dog just waiting to chase and chomp me. So, with this new tiny addition to our family chasing and nipping at my heals, I found myself in tears. Greg even asked me if I wanted to get rid of her.

I said no, convinced that I could get past my fear of dogs. And that I did. Allegra turned me into a dog person, and she was an integral part of our family.

On Saturday Allegra became ill. After a rough night, we took her to the emergency room on Sunday where they kept her on fluids all night. We took her to our regular vet on Monday morning, where her x-rays, blood work, and exams gave nothing conclusive as the source of the problem. She couldn’t keep anything down, and a Berium (sic?) series indicated some sort of problem with her stomach. On Tuesday, they operated on her and found a piece of mesentery wrapped around and tying off part of her bowel. Part of the bowel had died, so the doctor removed the bad portion and sewed her back up. Allegra did okay with this surgery but still could not keep anything down. She continued to get ill. The only option was to go in and see if there was a second issue in the stomach. On Thursday afternoon, the doctor had a two-hour surgery with her. This surgery was a very difficult surgery for the doctor. He found that since the first surgery a huge section of her small intestines had died. He removed this dead section of her small intestines, and she almost didn’t make it off of the operating table. Greg and I saw her that evening. She was zonked out on pain meds, but we got to give her loves. We were hopeful that she would make it through this, but it was all too much for our beloved dog. She passed away in the night.

Those of you who knew Allegra know how amazing she was with children, how playful she was with other dogs, and how puppy-like she was regardless of any time that had passed. She was loved, and she will be missed.

Allegra eating doggy ice cream.

MOTHER-IN-LAWS TUTORIAL TO CREATE A PICASA ALBUM

This is Part 2 in a series of tutorials I made for my mother-in-law. Part One was how to get pictures off your memory card. Part 3 (to come) explains how to burn a CD.

1. Click on the first picture in a group that you want to be in an album.

2. Scroll to the last picture in the same group, press the SHIFT key and click again. If you wish to select images from other folder groups you will need to use the CTRL key and click on each additional image.

3. The pictures you have selected will show in the bottom left of the Picasa window as shown here.

4. Click the Add To button and select New Album

5. A box will pop up asking you to add a date, description and location. Fill out the information and click OK.

6. You now will have an album that shows in the upper left of Picasa that holds only your chosen photos. Click on the name to see the pictures in that album. In this example the new album Snakes and Bugs is highlighted.

Coming Soon – Part 3 Copying Pictures To A CD From Picassa

Password Generator

I saw a post on CNET that talked about passwords.  I posted a method that I use.

 

Create your own method of generating a password that will not make sense to the average viewer but can easily be remembered without writing it down.
My method:
A) Pick a sentence from your favorite book, one that you can easily remember. 
B) Then pick a split point (a comma or junction for example) that makes a great break point. 
C) Now create something to insert at that point that you consistently use from each site, how about the first two characters of the url (other than ww from www). 
D) Then say, add the first two numbers of your birthday to add to the end (or month and year or other combination). 1/12/24 would be 13.
So...from Stephen Kings Firestarter...
"He looked at her and saw how pale her face was."
becomes the password on this site (news.cnet.com) 
Hlahaneshphfw13
the NE in the middle being the first two characters of the url in this page.  Now, each password for each site you visit is
1) easy to remember
2) unique to the site you have visited
3) not easily figured out for other sites, should one be breached (ie if you use the same password on all)
4) easy to remember once you have created the method in your head, you will know how to create a new one or remember one for each site you visit.