TechThisOut!

Let’s face it, 2005 was a great year in the technology world. Windows Vista was introduced (previously Longhorn), Digg came about, many new iPods were released, and much more. My plan for this post was to gather my favorite posts from 2005 and announce them here. However, I started this blog in November, and there is not a whole lot to say for November and December. Because of this, I am going to repost a few of my favorite articles from TTO, and also a few from other blogs I visit.

From tech this out:
Windows Live Messenger 8.0 - Review, Screenshots, and Invites!
“I have recently been invited to beta test Microsoft Windows Live Messenger 8.0 by Microsoft. This is Microsofts’ next generation (geared towards Vista I do believe) messenger that is part of the whole Windows Live deal. Above is a screenshot of the about screen for you to enjoy.”

From tech this out:
Introducing Meebo, the best thing since sliced bread!
“I have come across this great web service called Meebo. If you are like me, you have multiple IM protocols in order to stay in touch with all your contacts. It is near impossible to have everyone conform to one single service (Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, MSN, etc.).So when on my computer, I use the great application GAIM. The best thing about GAIM is that not only is it cross protocol, it is also cross platform as well. So I can use it at work on my Windows XP system as well as my Linux setup at my aunts house.”

From jakejarvis.com:
Windows Vista Beta 1 Released
“Windows Vista Beta 1 was released yesterday to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, but, thankfully, there are screenshots to those who don’t pay $500 a year. Take a look at some of the new features…”

From jakejarvis.com:
Old Phone Headset for New Cell Phones
“Firebox.com now offers a handheld accessory you can attach to your cell to make it have the look and feel of an old wired phone!”

From lifehacker.com:
How to search the Invisible Web
“The term “invisible web” or “deep web” refers to the vast repository of information that search engines and directories don’t have direct access to, like databases at university libraries, sites that require passwords to view, or sites that for some reason don’t want search engines to crawl them.”

It is nearing midnight and those are my only favorite articles that stand out in my mind. I thank you for reading tech this out! and I hope all of you have a safe and fun new years. One of my main new years resolutions is to write atleast two times a week in my blog. However, as you’ve seen, that doesn’t happen much. But, we’ll see! Have fun and I’ll see you in 2006!
Take care,
Jesse

You can get a Windows Live Mail! account for free. It’s a small exploit that was discovered by someone and it really works. Alright, let’s start!

1) Open up Internet Explorer. MSN likes Internet Explorer, and hates Firefox.
2) For this to work, you must be signed out of MSN. Go to the MSN Homepage, and double check you are signed out.
3) Copy this URL to Internet Explorer: Right Click On Here -> Copy
4) You should be redirected to another URL (Another URL to login). Sign in.
5) You should see the regular hotmail once signed in.
6) Once you see the regular hotmail, do Step #3 again. Copy the same URL above.
7) Click ‘Join Mail Beta’ on the bottom (Scroll down!) and voila!

Edit
Unfotunatly this workaround no longer works.

Ever need a particular icon for a button or link but just can’t find it? There’s a good chance you’ll find it in Mark James’ Silk icon pack. He’s put together more than 700 16×16 icons for common and not-so-common actions, apps, and more, all of them free, all of them in PNG format, and he keeps adding more.

I’ve even set one of them as tech this out!’s favorite icon.
Check it out by clicking here.

Enjoy,
Jesse

click here for an enlarged version

Yesterday, wordpress, a popular online blogging tool which powers tech this out, released version 2.0 of its software to the public.Version 2.0 features an advanced WYSIWYG editor, template previews on the presentation page in the dashboard, and much more. Along with the update came a newly designed wordpress.org, which in my opinion looks nicer and more professional.

Before upgrading your blog to 2.0, be sure to disable all plugins and setup a test installation in a hidden directory where you can setup all your normally used plugins and such. Many people have asked me how to upgrade, so here’s the basic step I have gotten from a very good Wordpress 2.0 upgrade guide (linked below):

1. Backup your database.

2. Backup ALL your WordPress files in your WordPress directory. Don’t forget your .htaccess file.

3. Verify the backups you created are there and usable. This is essential.

4. Deactivate ALL your Plugins.

5. Insure first four steps are completed. Do not attempt the upgrade unless you have completed the first four steps.

6. Download and extract the WordPress package from http://wordpress.org/download/.

7. Delete the old WordPress files on your site, but DO NOT DELETE * wp-config.php file; * wp-content folder; * wp-includes/languages/ folder–if you are using a language file do not delete that folder; * .htaccess file–if you have added custom rules to your .htaccess, do not delete it.

8. Upload the new files from your computer’s hard drive to the appropriate WordPress folder on your site.

9. Run the WordPress upgrade program and follow the instructions on the screen.

10. Update Permalinks and .htaccess. Update your Permalink Structure and merge the custom rules, if necessary, into your .htaccess file.

11. Install updated Plugins and Themes. Please review the list of Plugins that work in Version 2.0 and check if your Theme author has a new version.

12. Reactivate Plugins

13. Review what has changed in WordPress.

That should help you. For a more advanced upgrade guide, visit http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress.

You can download Wordpress 2.0 and more at wordpress.org. tech this out has been upgraded to version 2.0, also.

enjoy!

Jesse

(click here to enlarge)

I have recently been invited to beta test Microsoft Windows Live Messenger 8.0 by Microsoft. This is Microsofts’ next generation (geared towards Vista I do believe) messenger that is part of the whole Windows Live deal. Above is a screenshot of the about screen for you to enjoy. But before I continue the review, a few more screenshots:

BETA Notice
Instant Message Window
Contacts list with color changer
Changed Message History window
The settings window
The new “Welcome to Messenger” window
Mini Contact Card upon Mouseover on Contacts
The Actions menu on the contacts list
The new Edit Contact window
Signing in….

Surprisingly, I’m not very satisfied. I have found the program to be extremely buggy, crashing multiple times within a period of just a few hours. If will also freeze on me periodically.

Live Messenger features a color changer on the contacts list, which will change the color scheme of both the contacts list and the instant message window, along with the Send button in the instant message window.

Multiple times I have wanted to uninstall and re-install my trusty version 7.5, but I have decided not to. v8 really isn’t that bad, but it does have its down sides. I also find that the buddy list is very cluttered it seems, and is laggy while browsing through the list.

It also features a new (but annoying) new feature on the contacts list. While browsing through your contacts, if you put the mouse over any contact it will instantly bring up a mini contact card and options to call them, view their webcam, etc. This is very annoying (in my personal opinion) and really lags the contacts list while browsing through it.

However, just like the disclaimer says, this is a very early beta and does not represent the quality of the final product. So I hope anyways. It is definitely usable and stable enough to use on a daily basis. I have also noticed that all the games, custom emoticons, and more, still work after the upgrade.

If anybody wants screenshots of something I didn’t screenshot, leave a comment and I’ll get to it as fast as possible.

One of the advantages to being a Windows Live 8 tester is having the ability to invite other users into the beta program. Currently, I have a few invites to give out to commentors here at tech this out. These invites are going like hotcakes and everybody wants one. Within the next few days, I will pick a few lucky commentors from this post and send an invite to the service to the email address they provide. However, while leaving a comment, you must enter a valid email address in the field (it wont be public, don’t worry. I’ll have it in my admin center). Please note, however, comments may not appear immediatley. Sometimes I need to moderate them. Don’t worry, I will get them up ASAP. Also, please use the email address you plan on using for MSN Messenger. If you enter bob@gmail.com, you will only be able to sign into Windows Live Messenger 8 using bob@gmail.com.

Checkout Windows Live Messenger and more at Ideas @ Live.

Update: The comments are pouring in, and it will be tough to pick winners. However, I will be getting more invites soon and will update you guys when I do. I will leave this open until Tuesday or so maybe and try to get a wider selection of people to pick. Enjoy! - Me

Update: (December 19th, 2005) I’m leaving this open for a few days. Keep those comments coming in.. 17 or so really isn’t that much to pick from!

Update: (December 20th, 2005 2:40 PM) Don’t worry, I haven’t left ya guys hanging. I’m waiting for some more comments, so that I can pick from a broader selection. Plus, I’m going to keep this contest open for a few more days so I can get some more invites so that I can pick MORE winners. Keep commenting, you don’t have a chance if you dont leave a comment! Also, I uninstalled WLM8 on one of my machines due to stability errors.
Enjoy!

Update: (December 25th, 2005) I have sent out 3 invites to 3 lucky commentors. I am very honestly sorry if you did not recieve an invite, it was very hard to pick and there were many I wanted to pick but couldn’t. But keep checking back because as soon as I have more invites (hopefully a few days) I will offer them again. Thanks for participating.

- Jesse
Previously known as Devious

Windows One Care Live, Microsoft’s all in one security app, is now free to download as a trial version. Remember though, It’s still a Beta, so don’t rely on it to much. Currently, you can not purchase the full version because it is beta. However, I haven’t noticed any trial limitations — yet. You must be running Windows XP or above, and you must use Internet Explorer 6.

Click here to check it out.

Enjoy!

- Jesse
Previously known as Devious

Firefox extension Xihna Here! enables WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editing in any Firefox text area.

This allows you to edit any fields data in a WYSIWYG on any website without copying and pasting to a secondary editor. To use Xinha Here! simply select Xinha Here! from the context menu of the desired text area or text input element. Up will pop a Xinha WYSIWYG HTML editor. Press OK and the raw HTML is pushed back to the original text box. Simple as that.

This extension is especially handy if you’re not very good with HTML, or you are just feeling lazy. Either way, you’re bound to like it!

Click here to check it out.

Enjoy!

- Jesse
Previously known as Devious

Macromedia has officially been sold to Adobe, making the merger complete. Macromedia.com now features a new look based on the previous design with the adobe name.

Although Macrodobe isn’t the official name, many users have been calling it that since the merger. Hopefully with the new merge we can expect better software at better prices! However, knowing adobe, not so sure about that price thing.

You can visit Macromedia at macromedia.com and Adobe at adobe.com.

Enjoy.

Jesse
Previously known as Devious