i <3 dorks

Can you get Netflix through your Wii?

A thought hit me last night and I need to test it out. Let me start by explaining that Netflix instant streaming owns my soul. That is some good stuff, I tell you. I’m very into instant gratification ESPECIALLY when it comes to movies and TV. We have an Xbox 360 out in the office, hooked up to the big TV, and we have a netbook we use on the other big TV.

Yes. Two big TVs. I know, I’m the Best Wife Ever. But we don’t have a way to let the kids watch on their TV.

So I get to thinking, the kids have a Wii. The Wii has a browser. CAN’T I USE MY WII TO GO TO NETFLIX.COM AND INSTANT STREAM??

It sounds like it would work, right? Perhaps that is what I will do with my lunch hour.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN….

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Uninstall and remove the mozbar from Firefox

I just checked my google analytics for this site, something I rarely do because, as you may have noticed, I don’t update it very much. But I noticed I’m getting quite a bit of traffic for uninstall or remove mozbar. As in the SEOMoz toolbar, which is quite nice if you’re a pro member. But what my analytics tells me is that people are having trouble uninstalling it from Firefox. So I wanna help.

You’ll want to navigate to Tools > Add-ons like so:

That will open up the add-ons, (make sure you’re looking at “Extensions” in the top tabs) and you just scroll down to find the mozbar, or any other add-on you want to get rid of, and select “uninstall”:

Pretty easy to do when you know where to look.

Posted in Browsers, How-To, SEO | No Comments »

How to add a javascript pop-up window user agreement to a PDF

Recently, at The Day Job, I was asked to add a user agreement pop-up to a PDF file. At the time I didn’t even know whether or not it was possible, but I have a knack for making software bend to my will, so I said why not, I’ll give it a try.

Surprisingly, Google found very little information on this topic! I searched “add pop-up to PDF” and “add user agreement to PDF” and just a million other ways to say it. The best thing I came up with was a program you could buy that would add a pop-up for you. Well that told me that it was at least possible.

I started thinking about how I would accomplish this if it weren’t a PDF. Probably javascript, right? So I searched “add javascript to PDF”. Now I was getting somewhere, it was obviously possible to do this. The directions Adobe provides are confusing at best, and have to do with 3D objects and all sorts of stuff that didn’t make sense to me. I am not an Acrobat expert! I just have a knack for software, like I mentioned.

Long story short, I worked on this and worked on this and finally found where to add the script and now I’m sharing my findings with the hope that the next person who is asked to add a user agreement pop-up to a PDF finds this first and easily click-click-clicks their way to looking good to their boss. You know, rather than actually having to do the research and stay up late in order to look good to their boss.

So, here’s what you do (Note: the following instructions are for Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro): Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in How-To, Software | No Comments »

It’s a funny.

Sometimes SEO can have hilarious results.

That just made my day.

Posted in SEO | 1 Comment »

Hello IE8

i need to actually try it out before i totally trash it, but i have a few things to share about IE8 that cannot wait.

when i first saw the Compatibility View button i thought that was an awfully nice and thoughtful idea. that lasted about 2 seconds before it occurred to me that if they recognize the problem, why don’t they just, i don’t know, FIX IT? i do not understand how the same webpage can render completely differently across 3 versions of the SAME browser. it’s like they’re giving their userbase and all web developers everywhere the finger. inexcusable.

second, their big new Accelerator thing? well it’s easy to use, i got it to work, but i guess i don’t really see the point. i suppose it DOES save time, but we’re talking like a second - a second and a half here. it doesn’t bother me that much to hit ctrl+c, ctrl+t, ctrl+v.

they talked about how it was going to end the browser wars. they said it was the Best Thing Ever.

i just don’t see it. the only way it can “end the browser wars” is by being pre-installed on every PC sold across the world!

oh. sigh.

Posted in Browsers | No Comments »

GMail stars loading one at a time!

EDIT: MUCH easier fix discovered by commenters:

From benl.com:

Here’s the fix:

1) In the location bar, go to about:config
2) Search for browser.cache.memory.enable
3) Change it to “true”

From vaporjet:

browser.cache.memory.enable

changing it from true to false (default) fixed the problem for me

(Which is really the same thing, but I thought the explanation given at benl.com was a bit easier to follow.)

If that doesn’t work for you… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Browsers, How-To, google | 2 Comments »

G<3<3gle

I’m always so torn when it comes to my opinion of Google. On the one hand, they collect so much information on their users. Of course if you read the fine print, they ALWAYS tell you what information they’ll be collecting, so if you want to keep your private information private, you don’t have to sign up for their fabulous free services.
On the other hand, they have fabulous free services! My favorite and most used Google product is Gmail, though I also use Google Docs, Calendar, and Reader on a daily basis. If I am online, chances are I have Gmail open in my first tab. Such was the case today when I came back from lunch only to find that it looked different!
Okay, so it doesn’t affect the functionality of the application in any way, but it is cool, and I do approve.
I am having such trouble deciding which theme to use, too! I think I’ll start with Ninja.

Posted in google | No Comments »

FINALLY, JEEZ.

Tomorrow’s the big day. Voting day. Supposedly a lot of questions will be answered tomorrow. I don’t plan to get into who I’m going to vote for or who you should vote for, but you should vote. And if participating in your country’s election processes isn’t “fun” enough to convince you, corporate America is pleased to bribe you. Check out some of the free stuff you can get tomorrow just for taking paid time off from work to vote:

Free Starbucks Coffee

Free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream

Free Krispy Kreme doughnut

Free beer from Todd’s Corner - what?! They get free beer in Maryland? NOT FAIR.

Free Shane’s Rib Shack meal - we don’t have these here, but maybe you do. A free meal? Seriously?

Free taco from California Tortilla - again, a local thing.

Free chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a - I think this is a Kansas City only thing.

Free body piercing from Dyed Hyde Tattoo and Body Piercing - Kirksville, MO., now that is wicked.

So vote. Because if you live in the right area you could eat free, get tipsy free, and get a regret-it-later hoop through your nipple for free. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Posted in Politics | No Comments »

CSS made me cry (or How I finally made my footer div STRETCH to the bottom)

I don’t have a lot of spare time, what with a full time job and 4 kids, but when I do I usually fill it with reading, Fable 2, or producing small websites for money. I should probably do more of the latter, because I really like money, but the pay at my “real” job is pretty nice and let’s face it, Fable 2 is like crack.

To get to the point, I was working on a new design today and I ran into the most annoying problem! I wanted to have a layout that went header, content, footer. Nothing fancy, one column. I charge an insanely low amount for my webdev services because I tend to only do very small, very simple “web brochures”. This is because of the lack of spare time I mentioned earlier. I wanted my footer to begin at the bottom of the content and rest flush against the bottom of the browser window, like so:

Desired Result

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in CSS, How-To | No Comments »

wherein she discusses “dork rock” (kind of)

okay, i want to start by saying that when i saw weezer with tenacious d back in 2001, i was really disappointed with their performance. they got up, played, barely spoke to the audience, and then were done. and half of their songs were from their NEXT album, so not many people knew them, including me.

it was still awesome, it was still weezer, it was just sad that their opening band was so much more engaging.

they did not have this problem tuesday night. my god they were fantastic and it easily became my favorite concert ever ever. not that i’ve been to a ton of shows, but i’ve been to a few cool ones and this blew them all away.

there was a lot of switching places. rivers on drums, brian signing, scott singing (woah and he was probably the best singer, they should give him the job. sorry, rivers..) it was crazy. like they were proving that any one of them can fill any spot in the band. which i s’pose they should be able to since they’ve been together for what, 16 years? damn.

but the best part was the set list. i’ll just go ahead and share that with you, because i put it in my phone during the show. i didn’t wanna forget. yes, i’m lame.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Music | No Comments »