David Vielmetter

Adventures in stupid technology

  • Why an undo option is better than a confirmation dialog

    Lots of computer activity will trigger a confirmation dialog. It’s usually in the form of a warning intended to give you another chance to reconsider what you’re doing. When deleting a bunch of files, for instance, most systems will ask you if you’re sure this is what you want to do before deleting them. While…

  • Get Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate for $60

    It’s called the ultimate steal and it allows students with a valid school email address to get a copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate for $59.95 (normally $679). Many Colleges and Universities already have an MSDN Academic Alliance partnership with Microsoft which offers students gratis copies of Microsoft Windows and Visual Studio, but Office has…

  • Convert an HTML table to CSV using PHP

    This post is a tutorial on how to export an HTML table in CSV format using a PHP script. The table is generated with data from a MySQL database containing orders, products and totals. I’ve dummed down the database and php code so it is easier to understand and will walk you through each step…

  • Crap! Xbox error E74

    So I don’t know how many of you read or kept up with my original Xbox E64 post a few months ago, but this is a kind of a continuation of my my original Xbox troubles. When my first gen Xbox got an E64 error I tried repairing it without success. So, to replace it…

  • Vacation: Berlin 2009

    I just got back from a small vacation in Berlin Germany. It was a short trip mostly for visiting friends and family, but I also managed to do a little bit of sight seeing. The humid June climate and the long hours of daylight reminded me of the east coast, but the people and the…

  • Export your saved passwords in Firefox

    In this post I’ll show how to export your Firefox saved passwords to a nice HTML file for safe keeping in the event of a disaster. It’s true that there is already a handy utility called Mozbackup that lets you backup your Firefox profile including all your saved passwords, but this method does not let…

  • Timelapse photography the easy way

    I’ve always wanted to create my own time-lapse movie, but never had the money to invest into the equipment. With the CHDK firmware add-on for Canon’s Digic II, Digic III and Digic IV cameras it is now possible for anyone with a Canon camera to do it. The CHDK firmware add-on has been around for…

  • iPhone mutes calls on headset mode but works on speakerphone

    So far I have found four people with this identical problem. They all purchased an iPhone outside the USA (where in some cases laws have prevented Apple from locking the iPhone) and use it with either a pre-paid 3rd party provider or with an existing non-iphone contract AT&T sim card. The issue they have is…

  • Windows7 x64 a few months later

    It’s been a few months since I installed Windows 7 RC1 x64 and the initial glamor of the latest and greatest operating system from Microsoft has worn off. Although Windows 7 is both easier to use and more useful than ever, there are still some issues with 64bit computing that need to be worked out.…

  • Get more maps onto a Garmin StreetPilot c550

    I’m traveling to Germany in a few days and wanted to use my Garmin StreetPilot c550 to help me navigate the streets of Berlin. I got a used 2008 European Maps SD card off of Amazon for a few bucks and figured why don’t I try getting the maps onto my Garmin GPS. But somehow…