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[bicilotti]

They are. rathergeek.com still sells them as alarm clocks.

They are. rathergeek.com still sells them as alarm clocks.

Found the original too!

http://watchlords.forumotion.net/t12548-vintage-see-touch-watch

It seems it is not produced anymore. Help me find someone who is selling it!

[HandsFree]

I like to update my gip thread with a music sample.
How do I make a link so the music plays when you click on it (instead of only giving the option to download it)?
Does it need a specific file host, or a special command?

[Grim]

My laptop doesn't detect my wireless network all of a sudden... It detects loads of other nearby networks but mine isn't even on the list anymore. Same with my PS3- can't connect wirelessly with that either. The PC is fine, it's connected with a cable. Also, the WLAN light on the router doesn't light up anymore, so I'm guessing it's problem is with the router. It worked fine for a couple of years... but do you think it could've broken suddenly? My son keeps playing with it sometimes ( driving me nuts!) so maybe he did it, little bugger, like licked it or bit it or something... ;(

Should I assume that wireless capability of the router is gone forever and call the service provider's helpline (and ask them to send a new one) or is there some way I can fix it? Any ideas, folks? Maybe someone had a similar experience? I'd appreciate some advice, as I'm really lost here...

[LUniqueDan]

When it happens I check 4 things in order :

1) Was there any electricity shortage or electric storm ?  If yes, your router may had reseted itself ? (It happens)

2) Was the router unplugued secretly for days by mistake (Vacuum-Cleaner Manic Girlfriends, kids playing with toy cars  to be suspected) ?

3) Was the "Broadcast SSID" function still checked (or was the "don't broaccast  SSID") became checked ? The same for the "enable wireless" if such existed.

4) Was the connection secured and did a neigbors change the setting trying to open the port for their own torrent (It happens too)?

Otherwise, change the router. Couple of years is relatively long for such devices.

[Grim]

Thanks LUniqueDan, but I've managed to sort it out by talking to AOL helpline guy and following a very long set of instructions- I had to create new passwords and networks but it worked! I was so happy I took my time and did the survey afterwards grading that guy 'excellent' for everything, despite his strong indian accent which at times I found difficult to understand. I don't understand what we did, but I'm just really glad it's fixed:)

[Khris]

In case this happens again:

The WLAN light didn't light up as in the WLAN was turned off. If the LAN connection is up and running though you can pretty much rule out a power issue of any kind.
Some routers have a small switch near the jacks to quickly turn the WLAN on and off.
If there's no switch or it isn't turned off, a power cycle might fix it.
If the WLAN has got turned off for good, all you have to do is navigate to the router's menu and turn it back on. There's absolutely no need to change the network ID or password or setup new networks.

To get to the router menu: Start -> Run, type "cmd", enter, in the black window (command prompt) type "ipconfig", enter.
Your PC's LAN connection details will appear, among them the gateway address, something like 192.168.1.1. Just type that in the browser's address bar and you're in the router's menu (you might have to login first).
In there, find the Wireless settings and turn WLAN back on.

The AOL guy was working off a script and my guess is that 90% of that call was a complete waste of time.

[Grim]

You're probably right Chris, but it felt strangely reassuring to have someone tell you step by step what to do, even if we were taking a longer road to get there;) Personally, I know nothing about these things and all attempts to google some solution up just left me more confused. In the end of the day, I'm happy, my girlfriend can go on facebook again and the AOL guy must be feeling pretty good about himself, too. Maybe he'll even get a pat on the shoulder from his boss for receiving such a positive feedback;) 


I just hope they didn't charge me too much for that 25 minute call.....

[Bulbapuck]

I'm gonna buy a new computer after christmas, and I've started to look around. The thing is, I know very little about computers, but the little I do know tells me that this is probably a good choice:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Packard-Bell-iXtreme-Processor-Graphics/dp/B005VOTPXI/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1323703420&sr=1-6

I know that some of you guys are good at this kind of thing, so I decided to get your opinion.

What I'm looking for is something cheap that I can use for playing games and doing schoolwork.
I suppose the only tricky part is the gaming aspect, but I don't need an awesome gaming computer. I just need it to be able to run games like Portal 2 and Borderlands. My current computer refuses to run about 60% of the games I own

[Khris]

I guess it's ok, you might want get a graphics card with a bit more horse power though. The one in there should be fine to player Portal 2 and Borderlands, but anything a bit more recent might look a lot better with a 520 or 560.

[Bulbapuck]

Great, I'll look into that. Thank you

[Anian]

I guess it's ok, you might want get a graphics card with a bit more horse power though. The one in there should be fine to player Portal 2 and Borderlands, but anything a bit more recent might look a lot better with a 520 or 560.

Indeed.
It seems to have plenty of RAM for Adobe stuff. It's says Win7, but then it says it comes with Server 2003...so check that before you get it. Also if you plan to get more hdd and a stronger graphics card (which I suggest you basically buy looking at the money you can spend, the higher the number the better and they have their own memory as well so make sure to check that as well) check if the power supply will offer enough juice for all the components (you basically see what each component spends and add the numbers then see if the power supply offers as much).

But yeah, I buy a pc like every 3-4 years and by then stuff like processors completly change, I bought a pentium duo core 2x3.2 and now there's a completly different gradation like i3, i5, i7 and really even intel's web pages offere very little info for someone that's not a techwiz, except that "the more money you put in the better", which is a stupid rule.

[Nikolas]

I'm wondering if any of you know about this...

About 20 (25?) years ago there was a company, which produced AMAZING 'lego-like' games but with robots and stuff... With moving parts, etc. And these robots would transform into something else (a spacecraft, or a car, etc...) But based on the same principal of lego (the brick game)... I think the name was something like 'tedex' or 'tendex' or something like that... Any ideas what it was?

[Stupot]

Lego Technic?
That was basically Lego, but with rods, motors, belts etc.  I'm sure it's still going.

[Nikolas]

Nope... It was another company... :-/

[Anian]

There was (or is) K'nex, but it's not so much like Lego, but collection of gears and sticks.

But Lego Technic wins in my book, sturdy and fun...now I play with 3ds max, but a suitcase (that's right I have a Technic suitcase) is still beneath the bed. 

[bicilotti]

I am searching for a laptop:

- 12" or smaller screen
- 3g
- SSD
- Linux friendly

I thought there would have been a site where you could select/enter those specs and get a list back, but alas there is not. Help?

[WHAM]

Can you help me pick a good webcam for small video projects? I'm looking for one that can do at least 720p at 30 frames per second and most importantly has a good quality microphone that can pick up voice at over 2 meters. That is, one with a microphone that doesn't require me to lean into it all the time...


Hmmm... I keep asking but haven't really helped anyone. Let's try at least...


@Bici: I fear laptops meeting those requirements came and went. The Asus eeePc series had some fairly cheap ones that met your requirements, but the ones that came with Linux preinstalled (and would thus count as "linux friendly") went out of production about a year ago as far as I know. The biggest issues and uncertainty is whether or not you will find one that has a working 3G card that has proper support for linux drivers.

All I can suggest is you find laptops that meet your requirements and then dig around to see if you can find out what 3G card / chip they use (manufacturer website often has this info stashed away somewhere) and then try to find out how well it supports Linux drivers. If support exists, you're pretty much in the clear.

All in all, I can only recommend working with Windows OS when it comes to laptops, due to the wide ranging driver issues revolving around laptop hardware.

[bicilotti]

@Bici: I fear laptops meeting those requirements came and went. The Asus eeePc series had some fairly cheap ones that met your requirements, but the ones that came with Linux preinstalled (and would thus count as "linux friendly") went out of production about a year ago as far as I know. The biggest issues and uncertainty is whether or not you will find one that has a working 3G card that has proper support for linux drivers.

Thanks WHAM, I appreciate. I was almost buying a samsung Chromebook, when I discovered that you cannot natively run Debian (or anything else than ChromeOS). You're right, there is not a lot out there, so I will probably pick my machine outside the x86 pack (i.e. Efika smartbook).

Good luck with your webcam hunt, I'm so retro I use an old camera with film to take pictures.

[Grim]

I have a question related to one of the puzzles in my game. The main character at some point has to cut through the electric cable ( coming out of electric meter that provides electricity for the apartement). As it fits with the storyline ( and all animations and interactions already made) she does that with a pair of scissors. I figured that since scissors have a plastic handle she wouldn't get an electric shock... 

Then a friend of mine comes over for a coffee ( in real life,  not in game ) and as I remembered he trained as an electrician few years back, though never worked in that profession, I ask him what would happen if you did that. He says, -of course-, an electric shock and a big flash of light.... I'm thinking: shit. Gonna have to make some changes... But is he REALLY right about this? Anyone knows? ( I'd appreciate if you think he's wrong, so I don't have to change anything, but I will also listen to the truth... )

[ThreeOhFour]

To my knowledge, if the circuit was RCD protected it'd just trip the RCD out, meaning all the devices on that circuit would stop getting power. Perhaps just use that as an easy excuse? (unless it's quite an old building, in which case it is unlikely to be RCD protected)

Just for reference, I am not an electrician, but one of the members in my band is and has discussed RCDs with me in the past.