Hijinks Inc.

Category: Jared Burham

  • Tweak Windows 7

    For those of you who used Tweak UI for the earlier version of Windows, here’s an application you’ll love that allows you to tweak most aspects of Windows Vista and 7.  It’s called Ultimate Windows Tweaker, and I found it to be very useful today while setting up a couple of Win 7 machines.

    The 345KB application has a small footprint, and is contained entirely in the executable so no installation is necessary.  It also only displays options that pertain to the OS version your running it on.  Just fire it up, and over 150 customizable aspects of Windows are at your finger tips, no digging through countless steps to access them.

    If you’re like me, and you want Windows to operate exactly as you want, not how Microsoft thinks you want it, you owe it to your self to download a copy and give it a try.

  • Cool Auto Tech: HP Tuners Suite

    Ever wanted to know exactly what that computer in your car was telling it to do?  Look inside it’s brain with the HP Tuners Suite.

    Designed to program your existing PCM (Powertrain Control Module), you connect the interface to the OBD-II port on your car, and then to the USB on your laptop.  The software has a live monitor that logs the data all of the sensors are sending the PCM.  You can then also program all of the parameters that the PCM uses to control the car.  It’s my plan to acquire the interface, so I’ll have more in-depth review and walk-throughs later, but for now, here’s a video someone made of a Firebird running a 1/4 mile race, with the HP Tuners overlay… pretty cool.

    You’ll want to watch it in 480p, but it’s still a little difficult to see the gauges and graphs.  They are as follows:

    • KR (Knock Retard)  KR retards the timing curve if the knock sensors detect pre-detonation in the cylinders.
    • Timing Advance (Ignition Timing) Controls the timing of the ignition spark.
    • TPS % (Throttle Position Sensor) The percentage of how far open your throttle is.
    • MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) The tiny gauge in the upper left is the MAP, which allows the computer to calculate the air mass so that it can deliver the correct amount of fuel.
    • RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) How fast the engine is turning.
    • Speed (Miles Per Hour) Self explanatory.

    The HP Tuners software will actually keep track of a lot more sensors, but these are by far the most important.

  • Where it all started for me: the TRS-80 Model I

    Ah, the memories.  The first computer I ever lay hands on was the now famous TRS-80 Model I.  While I was probably only about five or six years old, I remember it like it was yesterday.  I wanted a computer, bad, as my father used them in his line of work as an engineer, and got me hooked on them.  He had acquired quite a collection of old TRS-80 memorabilia from garage sales, and set me up with a TRS-80 Model I.  All I really did was type at the command prompt, for after all, I was only five, but you gotta start somewhere right?  I soon learned a little BASIC language, inputting simple programs, but alas, the expansion interface was defective, and wouldn’t communicate with the 5 1/4″ floppy disk drive.  However, the cassette interface still worked, so data could be saved to, or loaded into memory from a cassette tape.  I’ll never forget the sound of data being read and written to a cassette tape (if you’ve never heard this, listen to a fax machine transmission to get an idea.)

    From the TRS-80, I moved directly into working extensively with the Tandy Color Computer line, which kept me occupied for at least the next few years, until Dad finally got that Pentium 133Mhz Swan laptop (yes, Swan… that was the brand.)  You can guess the natural progression after that, but as I look back on it, I’m glad I was lucky enough to start with one of the first personal computers in production, and was able to follow the evolution of what is now the personal computer.

    If you’re interested in learning more about the history of vintage computers, check out oldcomputers.net

  • Scratch magic

    It’s probably happened to all of us LCD owners at one point or another… somethings scratches that beautiful real-estate you’re so proud of, and it makes you cry a little on the inside every time you see the glaring blemish. Good news! I’ve found a way to remove scratches… even fairly deep ones!

    Disclaimer: I’ve tried this trick on one screen, a Samsung LCD TV (LN40A550). I can’t be sure it works on all LCDs, and I’m pretty sure it won’t work on the glossy type, only the anti-glare screens.

    Ready for it? A white pencil eraser! Not the white ink pen erasers, which are rough, but a soft, white pencil eraser.

    When we received our screen at work it had several deep scratches in one corner. It looked as if something sharp like a screwdriver scratched it. After reading somewhere online that white erasers worked, I gave it a shot. I was able to completely remove them by rubbing them with a white pencil eraser for a couple of seconds, then cleaning the residue with Windex and a soft cotton cloth.

    Don’t believe me? Check out the pictures after the break. I can’t even tell where they were before, by sight OR feel. If your screen is scratched, consider giving this trick a try, then post a comment and let everyone know if it worked for you or not.

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  • Samsung tech support

    I’ll be the first to recommend Samsung’s LCD monitors and TV’s for their quality and life span, but there’s a rotten egg in every hen house.

    I use a Samsung 906BW 19″ widescreen at work and love it, but the other day it developed a pesky horizontal white line about a half inch from the top. So I call Samsung tech support, they said it was still under warranty and sent me a refurb. I picked up the refurb and swapped for the bad screen at the UPS store on Friday, and just got around to hooking it up yesterday and to my delight, no signal.

    That’s perfect… Samsung sends me a replacement screen that doesn’t work? So now I have them sending me a replacement for the replacement…. I’ll let you know if this keeps going in circles.