David Vielmetter

Adventures in stupid technology

  • Create an RSS feed web app for the iPhone/iPod

    A week ago I posted an article showcasing a basic RSS feed web app for the iPhone/iPod Touch. In this post I’ll attempt to demonstrate how I built that application so you can make your own. First a little background: Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a way of keeping up with frequently changing published content.…

  • SimplePie + iWebKit + iPod/iPhone

    I spent an evening looking at SimplePie and iWebkit and ended up building a web-based RSS feed application for the iPod/iPhone in just a couple of hours. The application lets me access my favorite APM and NPR podcast feeds without having to download or synchronize/find them with iTunes first. It streams the podcasts directly to…

  • Exporting Google DOCS in Word format

    A month or so ago I needed to collaborate on a Software Engineering project with a couple of classmates. The task was to write a requirements document for a fictional software application which our team would be working on for the remainder of the semester. I decided that we should use Google DOCS because of…

  • Free Anti-virus Program from Microsoft

    Microsoft hasn’t made much money on its security software suite called OneCare so they scrapped it in July, renamed the Anti-virus component “Security Essentials” and decided to give it away for free. I’ve tried all the leading free Anti-virus contenders (AVG, AntiVir, Kaspersky and Nod32) and most have either annoying purchase reminders or are bloated…

  • Get Windows 7 for $29.99

    Here’s another reason to go back to school during the recession: Get cheap software just for being a student. In a previous article I showed you how to get Office 2007 Ultimate for $60 bucks, now Microsoft is making their latest and greatest in operating systems available to students for $29.99. Here’s how:

  • Hulu Desktop vs BOXEE

    After spending months patiently waiting for BOXEE to come out with a version that actually worked on Windows I was saddened to finally find an interface that is buggy, slow and unintuitive. Meanwhile Hulu – the online video portal for which BOXEE was in part designed – comes out with it’s own beta desktop software.…

  • Fix HP 1020 print spooler subsystem crash

    Lets say you’re working one day and thinking to yourself: “Hey you know what would be awesome? If I could print this large PDF file on my brand new HP 1020 Laser printer – because that’s what I bought it for – that’s what would be awesome!” Unfortunately though, when you click print all you…

  • $98 Wal-Mart Blu-ray player

    After a bad experience with a Magnavox Plasma TV I had some reservations about the brand, but at $98 bucks I just couldn’t resist and picked one of these up a couple of weeks after their release in July. Two months later, I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray…

  • Remove oil stains with a little powder

    Working from home is great, but it usually ends up adding  some unexpected chores to your work activity. For instance, that pile of laundry that you’ve been meaning to do…now that you’re home it’d just take a couple of minutes to stick it in the washer. Those dishes in the sink, well they should go…