Unlimited Music and skips on pandora

Graphic of a digital sound on black bottom

Alright if you are anything like me you really like to listen to music but I myself can not afford to buy enough songs to satisfy my diverse listening choices. Because of that I use Pandora… A lot….

So much in fact that my  radio in my truck automatically connects to my phone and starts playing pandora by default and I dont even know what radio stations are around me in my area . As a result I run out of time on pandora quickly and I cant stand not being able to skip songs when one comes on I do not like. This post is to help those like me learn how to bypass the system and get no ads and skip as many times as your heart desires on multiple platforms including Windows computers, Android devices, and iPhones.

THIS POST IS IN NO WAY CONDONING THEFT OF MUSIC OR PIRACY. IT IS SIMPLY EDUCATIONAL TO SHOW HOW IT CAN BE DONE . WHAT YOU DO WITH THE KNOWLEDGE IS PURELY UP TO YOU AND YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENCES  OF YOUR ACTIONS

First I am going to start off with the simplest and easiest one to do.

Windows:

This one was extremely simple

Goto THIS SITE and download the Saver2 bundle

Once installed there will be a couple icons listed. To listen to Pandora just click the Listen Only icon, log in, and enjoy. Simple as that. Your regular media controls will work so you can skip songs and pause while in the middle of what ever game you so desire to play!

Android:

This one is still fairly simple I will outline the steps below (this is for both phones and tablets)

  1. Uninstall current pandora client!
  2. Enable 3rd party installs by going to settings (on my device its under settings>more>security>Unknown sources
  3. Use your phone to browse to http://bit.ly/1mnk4aC
  4. Install and enjoy!

You use this client just like the one off the app store but it does not stop you from rapidly clicking the skip button to your hearts content! (although I would recommend some sort of self control)

iPhone:

This one requires you to jailbreak your iDevice. Don’t know how to do this? CLICK HERE be sure to read up on the risks and the proper way to perform the jailbreak and above all DO NOT PAY A WEBSITE TO DO IT!

  1. Jailbreak device
  2. Open cydia
  3. Click the “Manage” tab
  4. Select Sources and click edit on the top right
  5. Select add
  6. type in cydia.xsellize.com/ and press add source
  7. Follow directions on the screen to add
  8. Scroll down and click Xsellize
  9. Scroll down more and find “Pandora Skip hack”
  10. Enjoy!

Enjoy the tunes!

-Tracker

p.s. HOLY CRAP!!!! I MADE A INFORMATIVE POST!!!!

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.

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

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

A new face and a new mod

welcome one ad all to my mad, mad mind

Welcome one and all to my mad brain, I am 38 and have been modding since I first realized they didn’t make Stretch Armstrong just right when I was 5. I am looking forward to sharing some of my mods with you and have already begun my first mod for your perusal.

I am currently working on a desk mod, and hoping to have a companion water cooling mod to come soon afterwards if it is feesable (and less than my yearly salary to complete) I have children who will help me with some of these mods, so the little people you will see are not a product of your imagination nor the effect of a drunken night of photoshopping midgets into random posts.

I hope you enjoy and as a teaser this is a photo of my test bed for my desk project.

A willing sacrificial object for my Dremel.
A willing sacrificial object for my Dremel.

Thermal Compound and how to use it

Arctic Silver Ceramique

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When I built my computer I failed to put good thermal compound on the processor. On top of that I did it wrong and as a result for the past couple weeks while my house has been a bit hotter than normal my computer was shutting off due to overheating. I was hitting 119C. Well I am going to explain right now the best way to put thermal compound on a processor [or atleast the method that worked for me this time]

Things you will need

  1. 99% Isopropyl Alcohol [I used 91% but 99% is recommended]
  2. Cotton Swabs
  3. Lint free cloth
  4. Tube of Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic Silver Ceramique [What I used]
  5. Time

Now the first 3 things you don’t HAVE to use if its a brand new processor but might as well do it right anyway.

The steps..

  • Clean the processor / heatsink by dipping the cotton swab in the Isopropyl
  • Seat the processor in the motherboard
  • Put a VERY SMALL amount [about 3/4 the size of a BB or 2 grains of rice] in the center of the processor
  • DO NOT SPREAD IT AROUND
  • Attach the heatsink to the motherboard
  • Turn the computer on and monitor the temps very closely for the first few hours.
  • Turn the pc off every evening to allow the compound to cool off and then heat up once it is turned back on [break in period] for about a week.

Thats it should be good to go.

Following those directions I got my processor to go from 119C to 50C [lower when the house is cooler]

-Tracker

Badass MBP – I WANT!!!!

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The above is the most badass unibody Mac Book Pro I have ever seen!

It is the stealth customized by colorware and it is one of 10 that are out there.

For specs you are looking at

  • 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2x4GB)
  • 15-inch Matte Widescreen Display
  • 256GB solid-state drive
  • SuperDrive 8x
  • Backlit Keyboard

The price however is the real killer. It goes for $5999.99 before shipping :S

I still want one!

[Source: Colorware]

-Tracker

Virtualize Servers – Intro

Ok so here is the deal. A while back I bought those servers if you recall and now I am going to use one of them! For a few months now I have had this old p4 computer sitting next to my desk running a home webserver along with my pbx phone system for my work line. Well it idles most of the time and really is not that powerful and just uses up power and space and does not get much use. So I am going to start testing a couple different virtualization applications and see what one is the best solution for what I am going to be doing. The ones I intend to test as of right now are XenServer and vmware ESXi.

The Hardware!

Dual Processor AMD Athlon 2GHz

3gb ram

2x80GB Drives

1x250GB Drive

2u Rackmount form factor

The Plan

Run my home webserver phone pbx and a few other applications within multiple operating systems within the single server. This will allow me to run both windows and linux along side each other while still having decent performance for what ever applications I may need to run.

Long story short look for my upcoming venture into the virtual server world as I try and get this server to function on a task that it was not intended to perform

-Tracker

Bad Ass Desk Mod!

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This is what happens when you forget to buy a case for that new pc…you put it inside a desk 😛

This desk is a computer with very nice specs actually. Kind of interesting but I myself prefer a regular case.

Specs you say?

How does this sound…

  • 4 GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 RAM
  • GeForce GTX 280 graphics card
  • 2x 300GB 10,000RPM VelociRaport HardDrives
  • Antex Kilowatt power supply
  • 3.0GHz Intel Core2Quad Processor

Ok so maybe its not the best specs out there but it is most certainly the fastest computer desk around 😛

[Source: Gizmodo]

-Tracker