Tech bits and bobs

You’re signing up to a website or email newsletter,but you’re not sure you can trust the site not to sell your address to spammers.

There’s an easy way to do this with Gmail.

lets say your gmail address is rob@gmail.com.

For each newsletter/website you can use the address:
rob+website.com@gmail.com

Emails to this address will still arrive in your inbox, but you have a way to see if the spam is the result of signing up at a website. It’s a good hook for creating filters, too.

If you’re not using Gmail, try this on your own mail system and post a comment below about whether it works.

–

Tips if you have your own domain

If you own your own domain name, you can set your mail server as a “catch all” that will accept all mail to any address like untrustedsite.com@yourdomain.com.

all mails will come to your selected email account.

Note This catchall will result in more spam to your inbox. As every address at your domain will accept mail. heres some tips:

• Forward that catchall mailbox to gmail, so you can use their awesome spam filter!
• Use a catchall on a subdomain. eg untrustedsite.com@m.yourdomain.com. This would prevent all spam to your primary domain getting to your inbox.

I have traced leaks of my email address using this system.

You know you never actually get around to making backups of your important documents.

That one time you dont take your laptop, theres a key document you need.

The holy grail has arrived: DropBox.

Automatically synching across multiple machines (PC, MAC, IPhone, Web).

They give you 2GB of free storage!

You can also share files with others.

Check out their video demo.

Before you try 3rd party file copy applications, give SyncToy a go.

SyncToy is a “Power Toy” from Microsoft and does all of the following

• Copy files from one location to another
• Keep two locations synchronised (bi directional)
• Merge files from two locations to a third
• Replicate deletions, renames, additions
• Advanced Filtering and Exclusion options

To go to Microsofts Download Page, Click HERE

Microsofts SynchToy is an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse.

SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another case. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.

Tim Ferris & his Four Hour Work Week: This is a great book, focusing on simplifying life & business so that it allows you time to do what you want to. His Blog has weekly posts on a wide range of topics & tips that will teach you something cool.

Signal vs Noise: The guys at 37 signals really know how to make you think.

Seth Godin: Seth has daily postings on marketing and all things related.

Aardvark.co.nz: Bruce Simpsons daily commentary on NZ, IT and anything relevent. Hes also a crazy dude building jet engines.

Rowan Simpson: A very sucessful tech guy from New Zealand. Posts on a wide variety of  interesting topics.

Joel on Software: (Disclaimer: only discovered today) Seems to have some very valid points, tis geeky tho!

If iTunes is giving you -69 errors when you are trying to transfer files to your iPod this is what you need to do.

Apples support page assumes its a problem with the file you are trying to copy.

In my case and likely yours.  Errors on the Ipods disk will be causing the -69 error. Itunes does not handle this gracefully ( it gives you the -69 error and cancels the copy)

My  suggested fix:

1. Quit Itunes
2. Download SharePod
3. Run Sharepod
4. Backup any music which is only on your Ipod to external media (DVD/USB drive)
5. Copy any files you want to your Ipod
6. Quit Sharepod, and start Itunes
7. Itunes will recognise all the files on the iPod. Create any playlists required and away you go.

Because you have errors on the disk:

• Some songs will not play, and will skip right past them
• Your ipod may freeze (screen freezes and buttons dont appear to work) when playing certain artists/songs. In my experience, the interface will freeze but the song will continue to play. Just leave it, it has recovered every time.

But this is still better than not having an iPod, or an iPod with only a small amount of your collection on it!

NOTE: Always keep a backup of your music collection. On an external drive or DVD’s etc.

IPOD Altitude Sickness

Disk based ipods are rated to 3000m altitude. Above this the air pressure is too low and the head of the drive starts smashing into the platter of the disk. Making a very bad sound and causing the physical errors that we are now dealing with. The same thing can happen from drops, time, bad luck…

The heads touching the surface of the disk platter will cause errors. It can even kill the Ipod if it happens to damage important sectors on the disk. If you are at altitude (3000m+), do not use your Ipod, or try and turn it off if it starts making grinding/clicking sounds.

My Ipods life history:

My 60GB Ipod got altitude sickness in India. At approximately 3300m is stopped working. A friends 30GB model stopped working at 3600m.

The Ipod would turn on, but it appeared empty. No artists or songs would show. Once I returned to a lower altitude the songs reappeared. (Do a reset if it remains blank)

Later on I was in Bolivia. I used my Ipod on the bus and we climbed in altitude. The crunching sounds started, I couldn’t get my Ipod to turn off. So I stuffed it into my pack at my feet. I could hear it grinding away for hours until the battery went flat. Not a good sound!

Hopefully you can turn the Ipod off, or you have to wait for the battery to die.

Halfway through my trip, a friend wiped my entire ipod by accident.

Luckily I had a copy of all the music on a USB harddrive.

But I couldn’t get more than 30GB back onto my Ipod due to the -69 errors.

I wish I found Sharepod a year ago! Im back to 60GB on my Ipod.