DIY Studio mic stand

Ok, so now that I’m pretty much settled into my house, I’ve gotten my desk almost all set out like I want, right? Until I realize I don’t have a proper mic stand for my 2 microphones. And you can’t do podcasts without a mic (well you can, but it’s not as fun!) That’s when I start thinking about a particular clamp on desk light I had purchased a while back. Loved the way it was able to move because it was a ‘elbow’ lamp, HATED the light that was on it! So, once it was found I started to plot out how I planned to pull this off. I cut off the power cord for lamp, unscrewed the base of lamp from the stand, then with MINOR adjustments the mic clip I have screwed into the joint where there was once a lamp! Then all I had to do was run the mic hook up wire where there was enough give to bend the mic everywhere it needed to be with ease. Then all I did was zip-tie the cord onto the stand, run the cord down to comp to hook in, and sit back and enjoy another of my contraptions 🙂 Not a bad idea, considering all I was out was $3 if my idea failed (which rarely they do…I do NOT accept failure). Considering these mini boom microphone stands sell online for around $70 average, I can take the price of mine any day 😉

Rii mini wireless keyboard/mouse (HTPC)

Ok, so we haven’t been having many updates lately. So starting with this, we will have a few back to back posts to curb your techno appetite :). Bet you’re wondering what in the world this little thing is…well for those of you that LOVE your controllers that are add-ons for your electronic gadgets like HDTVs, Xbox 360, ps3, Wii, or just a gaming PC, all of which you can see on DotBeasts product reviews or you may already know (or own one); this is a awesome, relatively cheap wireless keyboard/mouse combo to further enhance your PC enjoyment.

This is the features:

  • ·Wireless(RF 2.4G) connection, smart & portable size
  • · To enjoy PC Multi-media Entertainment at home
  • Convenient & efficient for Conference, Presentation & lecturing
  • To share large TV and projector screen
  • Large PAD for handwrite
  • Built-in lecture laser pointer
  • Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • Backlight function with a handheld keypad
  • Support Window 7 / Vista / XP / 2000, Linux (Debian-3.1, Redhat-9.0, Ubuntu-8.10, Fedora-7.0 tested or above)
  • Operation range: up to 30 meters
  • Dimension: 151 x 59 x 13mm (approx.)
  • Weight: 103g

With the Rii remote comes a USB cable, USB receiver, and of course the manual 😉 This remote comes equipped with a lithium-ion battery that has a standby time of 500-700 hours! It charges quicker and works longer. If you want to run it dead, it will more likely than not last you about a month before needing a charge.  Also for those of you that either love teasing animals, or actually are looking to purchase a cool business one, this remote has a laser point on it!

I’m sure you’re wondering how much this sweet little box costs, right? Well, right now through Amazon it is ON SALE…was $65.00, and is now $35.00 USD. I own one, and have to admit it’s a pretty fun little gadget to have.

Social Hacking

When we thinking of hacking we automatically think of some drifter sitting in his moms basement with a large collection of computers surrounding him. Or maybe not. In any event hacking can be done with out a computer.That is in the form of social engineering. Let me explain what I mean. Its kind of like what your mom use to do with the reverse psychology, make you do what she wants you to do while thinking your doing what you want to do. As a sales representative I use these tactics every day at work  selling cell phones. Someone THINKS they want a free basic phone but I make them think they need a super powered smart phone!

How can this be done?

Its really just simple word play. By making someone think something is better than what it really is then they (most of the time) want to go for the bigger and better object.

There are other ways to use social engineering to your advantage. For example there was a story a few years ago about a hacking group that convinced a large registrar of domains that they were a representative for comcast and was able to take control of most of comcasts domain names. By using very convincing arguments and strategic word play the registrar believed that the person was indeed a rep for comcast and handed over control.

Another example is western union phishers. They go from store to store saying they are expecting a money transfer. Well the customer service rep goes and looks on the computer and says that they see a transfer for John Smith. Well that person then goes to another location and says hes John Smith. This store then tells him the amount. From there he goes to yet another location and by then has gathered enough information to withdraw the funds from western union.

So how can you use this form of hacking to your advantage?

Really that is up to you but in my case I use it to up sell my product and make more money. Others use it to scam and some just use it to take down large business. In any event your always gonna rely on a calm and well played out use of words and wits.

Click here to read the ultimate review of the best portable grill.

Hopefully this has been atleast a somewhat interesting read for you and happy hacking!

-Tracker

Attempt to bring TMS back to its former glory!

For the past year or so TMS has been going way down hill on its updates because of my personal life as well as Dark’s. Well I hope to change that starting today!

I am going to attempt to complete some projects as well as post on some of the best posts from around the web.

If there is anyone out there that would like to assist in this venture then feel free to email me using the contact us page or comment on this post.

I will also be looking to get mod ideas and hacking tips from anyone who  wants to share. If they are good they will get posted to the site along with a link to your site/twitter/facebook or what ever distinguishing identity you assume on the web. With that being said I am going off to the wonderful powers of google to scout my next project. Wish me luck

….Where is that damn soldering gun….

-Tracker

Build a Hackintosh Mini on the cheap!

 

Ok so you want a mac… [if not then don’t even read the rest of this post] but you don’t have the extra funds laying around to buy a brand new shiny mac. Sure you can go get a used one but where is the fun in that?

Well I have the link you need…. LifeHacker posted a great informative post on how to build and configure a hackintosh from start to finish for under $600.00

Now the only trick for me is finding my hidden stash of money in the back yard…. where did I put that shovel…

-Tracker

Motorola Miletone / Verizon Droid Review…

Over the years I have had many many phones ranging from the old Nextel brick shaped phones to palm iphone windows mobile and many others as well.

Recently my carrier had a promotion going on where I was able to get my hands on a Motorola Milestone [CDMA] and so I upgraded from my previous android device the HTC Hero.

Well its not a bad device and here is the pros and cons…

PROS

  • Nice clear display
  • decent battery life for a smart phone
  • on screen and physical keyboard
  • fast processor for a smart phone
  • its android powered!

Cons

  • Has a odd lip at the bottom
  • no dedicated send / end buttons
  • keys are one solid rubber piece would be nicer if separate
  • buttons at bottom of screen are a bit to sensitive

Ok so overall I am pleased with this phone. It does have its minor issues but overall I would still recommend it over iPhone and Windows alternatives. Its ease of use and ability to be rooted in about 45 seconds using the universal root program and then you can use wifi tethering with the barnacle wifi tether app it is just a great device.

-Tracker

Asus EEEPC T91!!!!

Well I had my eeepc 701 for a long time [well for a laptop anyway] and I figured it was time to upgrade… and upgrade I did. I got the Asus EEEPC T91 Tablet PC. Have had it for about a month and am prepared to explain the pros and cons of this little convertible pc

First off the specs

  • Intel Atom Z520(1.33GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 533MHz)
  • 1 GB DDR2 SODIMM memory
  • 8.9″ WSVGA (1024×600) Resistive Touch Panel, w/ LED-backlit
  • Integrated Graphics Controller; Shared w/ system memory
  • 16 GB SSD + 16 GB SD Card Bundle

Ok so its not a super computer but it is decent!

PROS!!!

  • Full Touch Screen
  • Screen rotates for reading
  • Small size
  • Great battery life
  • DUAL SD Card Slots

CONS…

  • Small keyboard
  • Asus bloatware
  • Not linux friendly
  • Fingerprint magnate

Ok so let me explain the pros and cons… the T91 is a 8.9 inch tablet that can be used as either a netbook or a tablet.

Its small size and great battery life make it a perfect companion on long flights or car trips. The touch screen comes in handy for drawing or just playing games. Its also nice for reading e-books.

It comes paired with a 16gb SD card and 2 SD Card slots [1 free after the 16gb] Providing you with the ability of a maximum 80GB of storage space! [16gb ssd and 2x 32gb sd cards]

However it has a glossy black case that is a big fingerprint collector. I myself liked the matte black on the old eeepc but you cant win them all. The small keys take a little getting use to if you have been using a full size laptop but if you have been using a netbook you should be fine. It is also not very linux friendly due to the graphics chip but I prefer windows on a day to day basis so thats not a huge fault for me. The only major complaint I have is all the Asus Bloatware that comes bundled with it. While it is nice if you like yahoo widgets and such I just dont like it. However it is easily disabled and removed in about 30 seconds. It also ships with windows xp home. Why they did not include xp tablet I don’t know but I plan to upgrade this one anyway.

All in all this is a great little tablet for the money and hopefully I will get years of use out of it as I have my other Asus products

-Tracker

P.S. Sorry for the lack of updates life has taken its turns but hopefully the road is a bit straighter ahead and I will have a bit more time to do more on here!

Hard Drive Failure? Part 1

Ok so about a month ago my hard drive began to fail. It was not completely gone but it wouldn’t boot either. So that is what my next series of posts is going to be about.

The series is going to be as follows.

1. What Causes Hard Drive Failure

2. How to prevent data loss

3. What to do when your disk fails

4. The conclusion.

So lets get started…

WHAT CAUSES A HARD DRIVE TO FAIL

Just like a car your hard drive will eventually fail. Moving parts break down over time. The time it takes for it to fail is different for every drive. I have a drive in my computer right now that has been working for over 5 years while the old drive I just pulled out lasted just over a year.

The internals of a drive are very sensitive the drive heads [what reads the data] float a micron above the platters [the disks that hold the data] and when a drive is put through a lot of vibration the heads can become offset causing a hard drive to fail.

Heat is also a problem that can cause a hard drive’s life span to be shortened. It is important to make sure your computer is in a cool room and there is enough air flow inside the case of your computer.

Static is a major computer killer. This one mostly only applies to people working on computers. It is extremely important to make sure you don’t transfer static to your hard drive. When ever installing components into a computer make sure to wear a static wrist band. If you don’t have one make sure to touch the side of your computer.

Power Surges are also a point of failure. To help prevent this make sure that your computer is ALWAYS connected to a name brand surge protector. [not the cheap ones you can get at the dollar store]. Most surge protectors come with some sort of insurance. For example if my computer failed while plugged into its surge protector and its because of a power surge I have upto $100,000.00 of coverage on it.

In my case my drive had a head / platter issue. When it would try and read I could hear a clicking sound from the heads trying to read.

In part 2 I am going to talk about Data Recovery Hospital and how to prevent data loss mostly by way of proper backups and disk clones.

-Tracker