tech today - thanksgiving week

Well it's been about 11 days since my last post, and I apologize.  Crazy week at school and at work.  Anyway, time for some exciting tech news!

• Preview the new Google search layout - cleaner logo, and permanent expansion of "search options" on the left-hand side - makes searches more easier and more efficient.
• Upcoming Facebook IPO? - recent re-classifications of FB stock (class A and B) have led investors to believe that the stocks may go public soon.
• ASUS motherboard now available with 2 USB 3.0 ports - if you're willing to give up 300 bucks, you can own the new technology capable of transferring data at a whopping 4.8Gbps!  Learn more about USB 3.0 here.
  
• Read all your PDF's in their unadulterated form on your Kindle - new software update does two things: allows the Kindle to read PDF without having to convert them first and extends battery life!
• Expect even more unique image ads from Google - with its acquisition of Teracent, Google will be able to display ads that auto learn and self adjust to everything about you.
  

tech today

• DiamonDisc, new DVD that'll last 1000 years - company Cranberry has created new DVD made from synthetic stone that they say is not subject to heat, UV rays, or material rot.
• Netflix, the iPod of broadband - CEO Reed Hastings explains that the cost of streaming media is going down, increasing their ability to compete with cable providers.
• Google Chrome OS available next week? - at least this is what TechCruch is reporting - apparently you'll need a supported device to try it out though...
• Android tablet to come out in 2010 - Innovative Converged Devices will produce the tablets available in 7, 11, and 15" screen sizes.
• Will YOU switch from Microsoft Office to Google Docs completely? - good article over at Technologizer about the issues around Google's claim that it can replace Office for good.
  

lightbox, floatbox, shadowbox, etc.

A while ago, I was trying to figure out how to implement a lightbox utility on a personal site.  Coming from a total beginner's perspective to web design, it took a while to finally get it right.  So I just wanted to document it for anyone who wants this neat feature on their own site.

A little history first.  What is lightbox?  It's a JavaScript (JS) application used to help display images and other files in a new window without having to leave the site you're on.  Today there are many many variants of the code, and they are compared here.  Personally, I have used both Floatbox and Shadowbox.  These are both free to download for personal use.  Ok, so most people can get this far; downloading the files.  Now, here was the tricky part for me.  What do I do now with those files?

You have to have someplace to host these files online.  The reason is that every time an image is clicked it needs to refer back to those JS files to know how to display it.  So where do you host the files?  One popular free way was to use Google Pages to host the files, til Google shut down Pages and turned it into Sites, which doesn't allow JS or CSS file uploads.  Besides that there are a number of file sharing sites online, free and for-pay.  The problem with most of these sites is that they don't allow direct linking to the files, which allows someone to type in the link for the file and start downloading it automatically without going to a download page.  For the free providers, this makes sense as they rely on the advertisements on the download pages to stay in business.  A lot of these hosts also provide paid plans which then allow direct linking.

The next problem is being able to upload the JS files easily to the host.  A lot of the lightbox builds, while considerably less than 1MB in total size, contain many files.  While it physically possible to upload one by one, nobody wants to do that.  So you need to find a host that allows FTP transfer so you can upload all the files at once.  The combination of direct linking and FTP pretty much wipes out any free file sharing service.  So the next thing you could do is sign up with a free web host.  Most of these will work, but the reliability can sometimes be spotty.  A free solution that I have found that works well is Dropbox.  After the break, check out screen shots and more details about getting lightbox running on your site.

tech today

• Trouble for jailbroken iPhones - if you choose to jailbreak your iPhone, make sure you secure it or your wallpaper could be changed without you knowing to a picture of this guy.
• Skype, Truphone, Fring, and now Nimbuzzout? - Nimbuzz's new VoIP client available on the iPhone; good rates and voice call quality, but how did this make it past Apple's app review and Google Voice didn't?
• Latest in iPhone Nano rumors - supposedly coming to Verizon (gasp!) in 2010 and will be built by a different manufacturer, Pegatron.
• Wave-like design coming to all of Google's apps? - screenshots of Google Wave's interface being implemented in Gmail and other apps.
• Happy 5th birthday Firefox! - over 1 billion downloads and close to 50% market share.
  

tech today

• Windows 7 sales pretty good - 234% better than Vista
• Blu-Ray to save Home Media Entertainment? - analysts predict that sales will level out and even start to grow by 2012
• Find out how much Google knows about you - Google Dashboard is here; see all your accounts in one place (gmail, voice, blogger, picasa, docs, calendar, adsense, etc)
• Hands-on with the new Dell Adamo - incredibly thin, awkward to handle
• Twitter, Facebook, Picasa, coming to your HDTV - do everything that's important in your life from your living room
  

tech today

• Updates on the Microsoft Courier - explanations on how the UI actually works
• Apple's apps pass 100,000 mark - over 2 billion downloads in only 15 months
• Excited about USB 3.0?  Bad news - not going to happen till 2011 with Intel
• The Beatles' Apple - want to feel special? For only $280, you can own the entire Beatles' collection on 16GB green apple USB
• HTC HD2 engadget hands on pictures - won't hit US till early next year, review to come soon
  

networking part 2

Ok, so I said that I would write about how to have two routers on one network.

The problem:  Just connecting a router with its default settings creates an additional network.  This means that any device connected to the second router will not be able to "see" any devices connected to the first router.  This prevents file sharing, hard drive sharing, and printer sharing.

The solution:  Change the routers configuration and also how it's physically hooked up.  Here are step-by-step instructions as well as a few pictures after the jump:

1. Find out both your first and your second router's IP addresses and make sure you'll be able to connect to the second router's interface offline.
   
2. Connect your second router to a computer without connecting the router to the network.  
3. Go to the second router's interface (while offline) and turn off it's DHCP server (the function that allows the router to assign IP addresses to any device connected to it).  It's usually under "Network Settings".
4. Change the second router's IP address to something within the first router's subnet.  For example, if your first router's IP address is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.10.1 then you would change the second router's address to 192.168.0.2 or 192.168.10.2.  You will need to restart your router after performing this step.
   
5. Connect your second router to the network by plugging the Ethernet cable into one of the LAN ports, NOT the WAN port (see picture below).  Depending on your router, the light on the front panel indicating the internet connection may be RED instead of GREEN.  That's ok. 
   
6. Enjoy your unified network! (You may need to power cycle your second router once - unplug the power, plug it back in - before any devices connected to it receive internet connection.)

So how does this work?  Well, you are essentially turning your router into a switch.  So why not just buy a switch?? Well, they are more expensive than routers, and with a second router you can extend your wireless coverage.  So that's it.  Be sure to take a look at the pictures by clicking "keep reading..." to get a better understanding of the steps above.