Notebook

Firefox 3, Not a beta anymore

June 20th, 2008 by BS

Woot, Firefox 3 is out, and not just a shitty beta anymore.

Seems to work quite well and most of the extensions I use still work. Well, the ones that didn’t I “forced” to work with “Mr. Tech’s Local Install” which has a “make compatible” option that removes the version number of the extension and makes everything work.

Well, I will be making a “Pimp Your Firefox” article on here sometime and will go over all the best extensions. But for now just download FF3 and Ad-Block.

Good Times,

<a href=”http://www.spreadfirefox.com/node&id=112767&t=306″><img border=”0″ alt=”Firefox 3″ title=”Firefox 3″ src=”http://sfx-images.mozilla.org/affiliates/Buttons/firefox3/110×32_get_ffx.png”/></a>

tag Category : Computers, Internet
tag 0 Comment »

How To > Install Shit on Your iPhone

November 8th, 2007 by BS

You know I like my tutorials to be short… embarrassingly short in fact. Well this one will take the cake.

To install shit on your iPhone the easy way install newest firmware 1.1.1 at the time of this writing and then go to: компютри втора употребаhttp://jailbreakme.com phone.

THAT’S IT. Ok technically you have to click a link at the bottom of the page when you get there, but that’s IT!!!~!!!

Doing this will install an application called Installer on your phone, which will let you install a TON of other applications. I recommend “Sketches” and “Labyrinth” highly.

tag Category : iPhone
tag 3 Comments »

Explains > British English to Americans

August 28th, 2007 by BS

So I was work and had reason to reference some British words… I thought it would be worth posting them to the site because I enjoyed it.

  • ACCOMMODATION in the sense of lodging is singular in English
    and plural in American English
  • ADMIRALTY in Britain is the Navy Department in the U.S.
  • AGRICULTURAL SHOW is a State or County Fair.
  • AIRY-FAIRY means superficial in a disparaging sense and
    is roughly "fanciful"
  • ALLOTMENT is a small rented area for growing vegetables
    or flowers away from you home.
  • ANORAK is an Eskimo word for a windbreaker or parka.
  • ANTI-CLOCKWISE is counter clockwise.
  • ARTICULATED LORRY is a trailer truck.
  • ASSISTANT - short for shop assistant - would be a salesclerk.
  • AU PAIR is a foreign girl who lives as one of the family in return for helping with the children. Enables "foreign" girls to learn English in a family environment.
  • AUBERGINE is an EGGPLANT
  • BACKBENCHERS is a Member of the House of Commons who is
    not the Minister.
  • BAD PATCH means a rough time
  • BAGS OF is slang and means piles of - usually referring
    to money.
  • BALACLAVA is a woolen helmet named after the site of a
    battle in the Crimean War
  • BANGER is slang for a sausage
  • BANK HOLIDAY is a LEGAL HOLIDAY in the U.S. Apart
    from Xmas they are all different in Britain
  • BARGE POLE is a colloquialism for a ten-foot-pole
  • BARRACK is to demonstrate noisily in public e.g. as in
    ‘boo’
  • BARRISTER is a TRIAL LAWYER
  • BASH is to hit as in ‘bang’
  • BATH in Britain becomes BATHTUB in the US
  • BATH OLIVER is a dry biscuit eaten with cheese
  • BBC the British Broadcasting Corporation
  • BEARSKIN is a high, black fur hat worn by Guardsmen
  • BELT UP is slang for shut up
  • BILL is what one asks the waiter for and in the US becomes
    CHECK
  • BIRD is slang for ‘girl’ although in the US DAME would
    be closer
  • BIRO is a ball-point pen
  • BISCUIT is a CRACKER or a COOKIE
  • BIT used where Americans would say "part"
  • BITTER is a type of beer
  • BLACK TIE is Mess dress or tuxedo
  • BLOCK OF FLATS is an apartment building or high-rise tower
    block, or a large house converted to flats
  • BLOKE slang for man
  • BOBBY is a police officer
  • BOG toilet
  • BOG-ROLL toilet roll
  • BOILER is the furnace
  • BOLLARDS are barrels
  • BONNET is HOOD when referring to your car
  • BOOK as a verb to reserve rooms or theater seats
  • BOOT is the TRUNK of your car
  • BOOT SALE is a flea market or yard sale
  • BOX television
  • BOXING DAY is the first week-day after Christmas
  • BRACES are SUSPENDERS which as an English word means
    GARTERS
  • BRASS PLATE is the equivalent of a SHINGLE
  • BUBBLES & SQUEAK is cooked cabbage and potatoes combined
    and fried
  • BUILDING SOCIETY is a savings and loan
  • BUMBAG is the same as our fanny pack
  • BUNGALOW is a single story house detached house
  • BUREAU is a writing desk with drawers and a lift-down flap
  • CAB-RANK is a taxi-stand
  • CALL-BOX is a telephone booth
  • CAMIKNICKERS are teddies
  • CAMP BED is a COT which in Britain is used for a
    baby’s CRIB
  • CANDYFLOSS is cotton candy
  • CARAVAN is a trailer
  • CAR PARK is a parking lot
  • CASHIER is a TELLER
  • CALICO is muslin
  • CALOR GAS is bottled gas
  • CASTOR SUGAR is finer than granulated sugar but not as
    fine as icing-sugar
  • CATS EYES are surface road reflectors
  • CHAR is slang for tea - the drink
  • CHAT UP is slang for handling someone a line especially
    to get to know a girl
  • CHEERS thanks; also used as a toast before drinking; also,
    "see you later"
  • CHEMIST is a DRUG-STORE
  • CHESTERFIELD is a sofa
  • CHIPS are FRENCH FRIES
  • CLINGFILM is Saran wrap
  • CLOAKROOM is a half bath
  • COACHES are buses
  • COFFEE, WHITE, WITHOUT is coffee, cream, no sugar
  • COLLEAGUE is a co-worker
  • CONVENIENCE is a REST ROOM
  • CONVEYANCING is buying or selling properties
  • COOKER is a stove
  • CORNFLOUR is cornstarch
  • COSTUME is a swimsuit
  • COURGETTE is a ZUCCHINI
  • COT is a small child’s bed or crib
  • COTTAGE traditionally a pretty, quaint house in the country,
    perhaps with a thatched roof (although the name is stretched nowadays
    to encompass almost anything except a flat), may be detached or
    terraced
  • COVER NOTE is an Insurance binder
  • CRACKING great ("What a cracking bird!")
  • CRICKET is a ball game to which Americans have no equal
  • CRISPS are potato chips
  • CUPBOARD in Britain is CLOSET in the US
  • CURRENT ACCOUNT at a bank is a CHECKING ACCOUNT
  • C.V. (CURRICULUM VITAE) is a resume
  • DAME in Britain refers to a lady who has been knighted
  • DAY-RETURN means a ROUND-TRIP ticket usually on
    the railway
  • DEMERAEA sugar is the brown sugar usually on the tables
    in pubs, not at all like our baking brown sugar
  • DETACHED is a house that stands alone, usually with its
    own garden
  • DEVIATION is a detour
  • DIARY is our calendar/date or appointment book
  • DINNER JACKET is a TUXEDO
  • DORMITORY is a multiple bedroom usually found in boarding
    schools and is NOT a barracks
  • DRAUGHTS is the game of CHECKERS
  • DRESS CIRCLE in the theater is the FIRST BALCONY
  • DRESSING TABLE is the equivalent of the American DRESSER
  • DRESSING GOWN is a ROBE or bathrobe
  • DUAL CARRIAGEWAY is a DIVIDED HIGHWAY
  • DUMMY is a pacifier
  • DUSTBIN is a GARBAGE CAN
  • DUSTMAN is a garbage collector
  • DUVET is a eiderdown quilt
  • EARLY-CLOSING is an infuriating custom of shops closing
    one afternoon a week
  • EARTH as a verb and as an electrical term equals to GROUND a wire
  • ELASTOPLAST is BAND-AID
  • ELEVEN is a FOOTBALL or CRICKET TEAM (from
    the number of players)
  • ENGAGED is what the operator says when the telephone line
    is BUSY
  • ERNIE is ‘electronic random number indicator equipment’
    and selects Premium Bond winners
  • ESTATE AGENT is a REAL-ESTATE BROKER
  • ESTATE CAR is a STATION WAGON
  • EX-DIRECTORY is a UNLISTED TELEPHONE NUMBER
  • EX-SERVICE MAN is a VETERAN
  • FAG is a cigarette
  • FANCY DRESS is costumes
  • FANCY DRESS PARTY is a costumes party
  • FEN is swampland or marsh
  • FIRST FLOOR in a building is SECOND-FLOOR in the
    US
  • FISH-FINGERS are FISH-STICKS
  • FITTED applied to carpets means WALL-TO-WALL
  • FIZZY DRINK is pop/soda
  • FLAN is an open sponge or pastry case with a fruit or sweet
    filling
  • FLANNEL is a face-cloth
  • FLAT is an APARTMENT usually one floor
  • FLEET STREET is a colloquialism for the PRESS
  • FLEX is an electric cord
  • FLY-OVER is an over-pass
  • FOOTBALL is rugby, not American football
  • FORTNIGHT means two weeks or fourteen nights
  • FREE HOUSE associated with a Pub means it can sell any
    brand of beer it wishes, it is not linked to any specific brewery
  • FRINGE (HAIR) is BANGS
  • FULL STOP is the black dot at the end of a sentence called
    in the US a period
  • GAMMON is ham
  • GARDEN is the property outside a house which in the US is a YARD
  • GATEAU is a type of layer cake
  • GEARBOX is TRANSMISSION
  • GEAR-LEVER is GEARSHIFT
  • GEORDIE (pronounced JORDY) is a native of Tyneside and
    also the dialect he speaks
  • GEYSER (GEEZER) is a water heater
  • GIVE-WAY as a road sign means YIELD
  • GLASS is CRYSTAL
  • GONGS are slang for military medals
  • GOVERNMENT means administration and refers to the people
    currently running the country
  • GENERAL PRACTITIONER (GP) is a internist or doctor
  • GREASPROOF PAPER is wax paper
  • GREEN BELT is a no-building zone around a town or city
  • GREENGROCER is a fruit/vegetable store
  • GRILL as a verb is to BROIL
  • GUILLOTINE is a paper-cutter
  • GUMBOOTS are rubber boots
  • GUMSHIELD is the same as a mouthgaurd
  • GYMKHANA is a local Horse Show
  • GYM SHOES are SNEAKERS
  • HABERDASHERY is pins, needles, ribbons, thread etc. : and
    is what you ask for in a shop
  • HAGGIS a traditional Scottish dish made from a sheep’s
    inside
  • HAIRDRESSER is a man or women’s ‘barber shop’ or ‘beauty
    shop’
  • HAIRSLIDE is a barrette
  • "HALF" when addressed to a bar-tender means a
    half-pint of beer
  • HALF-TERM is a mid-term vacation of short duration
  • HARD CHEESE is tough luck
  • HAT TRICK is a cricket term for taking three wickets by
    three successive balls but it is often to any triple triumph
  • HAVE-A-BASH means give it a try
  • HAVE NO TIME FOR means to have a low opinion
  • HESSIAN is burlap
  • HIGH STREET preceded by ‘the’, is the American Main Street
  • HIGH TEA served late in the afternoon usually contains
    a cooked item such as eggs or sausages - this is not to be confused
    with ‘tea’ or ‘afternoon tea’ which is merely a cup of tea with
    a cake or very small sandwich
  • HIRE PURCHASE is to buy on an installment plan
  • HOB is an installed gas, electric range top
  • HOLIDAY is a vacation although the university still uses
    vacation for the time after term finishes
  • HOMELY is simple or unpretentious and not the ‘ugly’ meant
    in America
  • HOOD of a car is known as ‘BONNET’ in England but
    of a cloak or coat is still the same
  • HOUSEMAN in a hospital is a doctor or ‘intern’ in America
  • HOOVER is to vacuum
  • HUNDREDWEIGHT is 112 pounds and 20 Hundredweight are in
    1 ton
  • HUNT an Englishman hunts fox or deer but shoots game birds
    or rabbits
  • ICE on menus means ice-cream
  • ICING SUGAR is similar to our powdered sugar
  • IMMERSION TANK is a hot water heater in a house
  • INTERVAL is an intermission
  • IN TRAIN means coming along as in ‘the work is progressing’
  • IRONMONGER is a hardware shop
  • JAB is a shot or immunization
  • JAM is what Americans would call jelly
  • JELLY is what they call Jell-O
  • JERSEY is a sweater
  • JOINT (of meat) as in Sunday Joint is a piece of roast
    meat
  • JUMBLE SALE is a rummage sale
  • JUMPER is a sweater (or woolly, or jersey), the American
    ‘jumper’ is a pinafore dress
  • JUNCTION is an interchange on motorway
  • KEDGEREE is a dish of fish, rice and eggs and often served
    at breakfast
  • KETTLE (FOR HOB) is a tea kettle
  • KIOSK can be a news-stand or a telephone box
  • KIP sleep ("I could do with a kip" or "He’s
    kipping on the sofa.")
  • KITCHEN PAPER is paper towels
  • KNAVE is a jack in playing cards
  • KNICKERS underwear for women
  • KNOCK BACK DOUGH is to punch down dough
  • KNICKERS are ladies’ underpants
  • ‘L’ plates are large red ‘L’s which a person learning to
    drive must put on his car
  • LACQUER is hair-spray
  • LADDER in a stocking is a ‘run’ in America
  • LADYBIRD is a lady bug
  • LAGER is beer
  • LANDLORD in a pub is the inn-keeper
  • LARDER is a pantry
  • LAY A TABLE is to set the table
  • LAY-BY is a roadside parking area at the side of the road
  • LEADER can be a newspaper editorial, the leading counsel
    of a team of lawyers or the first violinist in an orchestra but
    NOT the conductor as is popular in America
  • LEMONADE is Sprite, 7UP
  • LETTER-BOX is a mail-box
  • LEVEL-CROSSING is a grade crossing
  • LIFE GUARD is a member of a regiment of the Royal Household
    Cavalry
  • LIFT is an elevator
  • LINE on a railway means track
  • LOO can be an 18th century card game or a lavatory or bathroom
    or whatever you wish to say
  • LORRY is a truck
  • LOUNGE SUIT is a business and NOT clothes for lounging
    in
  • MAC is an abbreviation for macintosh or raincoat
  • MAKING CONTACTS is networking
  • MAGISTRATE is very close to a justice of the peace
  • MAINS is an electric circuit box
  • MAISONETTE is an apartment on 2 or more floors
  • MAJORITY as a voting term this equals a ‘plurality’ in
    American terms
  • MANCUNIAN is someone from Manchester
  • MANGETOUT are snow peas
  • MARKET many towns have a weekly market day with wares on
    stalls (booths) in the open air - the right to do so goes back
    hundreds of years & the AA book lists them all - so does a
    list available from my office
  • MARROW is a very large zucchini
  • MARTINI is vermouth - if you want a Dry Martini ash for
    a Gin & French
  • MASH is mashed potatoes
  • MATCH is what two sides play on a sports field and is equal
    to an American game
  • MEAN is tight-fisted or stingy as opposed to the American
    ‘cruel’ or ill-tempered
  • MEWS HOUSE is a hose that’s converted from old stables
    or servants’ lodging (usually 17th or 19th century) and is the
    town equivalent of a genuine cottage
  • MINCE or MINCED MEAT from the butcher is chopped meat of
    hamburger however MINCEMEAT is chopped apples, raisins etc. Which
    goes into a mince pie
  • MOOR is open land often with heather
  • MOTORWAY is a Freeway
  • MORNING TEA is often served in your hotel room before you
    go down to breakfast
  • MUFFIN is a small, spongy cake served toasted and buttered
    - do NOT confuse with the American ‘English Muffin’ which does
    not exist in England.
  • MUSLIN is cheesecloth in America but American ‘muslin’
    is calico in England
  • NAFF tacky
  • NANNY is a child’s nurse
  • NAPPY, a corruption of napkin, is a diaper
  • NETS are sheer curtains
  • NEWSAGENT shop selling newspapers
  • NOTECASE is a billfold
  • NO ENTRY is wrong way (traffic sign)
  • NO OVERTAKING is no passing
  • NOTICEBOARD is a bulletin board
  • NUMBER PLATE is a license plate
  • OFF HIS ROCKER is out to lunch
  • OFF LICENSE is a shop which can sell alcohol all day but
    it must be taken away or consumed ‘off’ the premises
  • OFF-THE-PEG refers to ‘ready-to-wear’ clothes
  • OPHTHALMIC OPTICIAN test eyesight, prescribe glasses, and
    diagnose eye diseases
  • OPHTHALMIC MEDICAL PRACTITIONER treats eye diseases, test
    eyesight, prescribes lenses
  • OUT OF BOUNDS is equivalent to the American term ‘off-limits’
  • OVERLEAF is the reverse side of a page as is P.T.O. (please
    turn over)
  • OVERTAKE is a driving term meaning to pass another car
  • OXBRIDGE is a portmanteau word for the ancient universities
    of Oxford and Cambridge
  • P45 is a pink slip
  • PANDA CAR is a small police car
  • PANTOMINE has no American equivalent and is an English
    Christmas entertainment based on a fairy-tale with a lot of modern
    singing, dancing and humor - it is not mime
  • PANTS are underpants in American - the English equivalent
    of American pants is trousers
  • PARAFFIN is kerosene - American ‘paraffin’ is paraffin
    wax or white wax
  • PASTRY CASE is a pie crust
  • PASTY is an individual pie as in Cornish Pasty
  • PAVEMENT is sidewalk
  • PERAMBULATOR shortened usually to ‘pram’ is a baby-carriage
  • PETROL is gasoline
  • PILLAR BOX or POST BOX is a mail-box and its painted
    red not blue
  • PLAIT is a braid when applied to girls’ hair
  • PLASTER is a band-aid
  • PLIMSOLLS are shoes such as American deckshoes
  • PLONK (SLANG) is wine
  • PORRIDGE is oatmeal
  • POLYFILLA is spackle compound
  • POPPERS are snaps
  • PUDDINGS (the term) can be used to group all desserts whether
    it is cake, pie, ice-cream, custards. British puddings are not
    like our custard type "Jell-O" pudding
  • PRANG (in a car) is a fender bender
  • PREMIUM BOND is a Government Lottery Bond which has no
    interest
  • PROVISION is accrual
  • PUB is a public house which is a bar with an English atmosphere
    which cannot be defined in this small space - go an see one
  • PUB WITH ROOMS - is similar to an inn
  • PUSH-CHAIR is a child’s stroller
  • PYLON is a high tension tower
  • QUEUE as a verb it means to stand in line - and woe betide
    you if you cut in
  • QUID (slang) is a one pound note
  • RED INDIAN means an American Indian - ‘Indian’ alone means
    a native of India
  • REDUNDANT is to be released from a job
  • REEL is a spool
  • REFUSE COLLECTOR is a garbage man
  • REGISTER OFFICE is a marriage clerk’s office
  • REMEMBRANCE DAY is November 11 or the nearest Sunday and
    is Veteran Day in America
  • RESIDENT is the name for a person registered at a hotel
  • RETURN TICKET is a round-trip ticket on a train or bus
  • RING ROAD is a circular route around a town
  • RING UP is to telephone
  • ROAD WORKERS is road construction or road repair
  • ROUNDABOUT is a traffic control or a merry-go-round
  • RUBBISH is garbage
  • RUCKSACK is a backpack
  • RUNNER BEANS are string beans
  • SACK is to be fired from a job
  • SCONE is an American soda biscuit and its eaten with butter
    and often jam and cream
  • SCOTCH EGG is a hard-boiled egg in sausage meat
  • SELLOTAPE is scotchtape
  • SEMI-DETACHED is a duplex or two-family house
  • SEND DOWN means to expel from University although it may
    indicate only a temporary absence
  • SERVIETTE is a napkin
  • SHANDY is a drink made from beer and lemonade
  • SHEPHERD’S PIE is a dish made from minced beef and potatoes
  • SILENCER of a car is the muffler
  • SISTER in a hospital is the head nurse of a ward
  • SLAP-UP four-star, excellent-refers to food
  • SLATE is to express a harsh criticism
  • SLIPROAD onto a motorway is a ramp
  • SOLICITOR is an attorney
  • SPONGE BAG is a toilet kit
  • SPONGE FINGER is a long, soft, sweet cake or ‘lady-finger’
  • SPROUTS is Brussels sprouts
  • SQUASH is a fruit drink
  • STALL in a market is a ‘booth’ but in a theater is an orchestra
    seat
  • STARTER is an appetizer
  • STONE referring to weight is 14 pounds
  • SUBWAY is a pedestrian underpass
  • SUMMERTIME is when daylight saving time is in effect
  • SUPER means ‘terrific’ i.e. splendid
  • SURGICAL SPIRIT is rubbing alcohol
  • SURGERY is a doctor’s office
  • SUSPENDERS are garters
  • SWEETS are candy
  • SWISS ROLL is a jelly roll
  • TA informal thank you
  • TABLE the verb means to submit for discussion (the reverse
    of its American meaning)
  • TAILBACK is a line of traffic
  • TAKEAWAY is carryout
  • TALLBOY is a highboy
  • TAP is faucet
  • TARMAC is pavement
  • TATTY is shabby
  • TEAT is a nipple for baby’s bottle
  • TERM is one of the three educational parts of the year
    - roughly like a semester
  • TERRACE HOUSES is a row of 3 or more usually 2 or 3 stories
    high
  • THEATRE in a hospital is the operating room
  • THIRD PARTY INSURANCE is liability insurance
  • TIGHTS are pantyhose
  • TIN as a food container is a can
  • TOAD-IN-A-HOLE is a dish of sausage ‘bangers’ in batter
  • TO PINCH is to steal
  • TORCH flashlight
  • TORY is a member of the Conservative party
  • TRAINERS are sneakers
  • TROUSERS are slacks
  • TUBE in the subway
  • TWEE is arty
  • UNDERDONE referring to meat is rare
  • VACUUM FLASK is a thermos bottle
  • VAN is a small truck
  • VAT is Value-Added Tax. Similar to sales tax in the states
  • VERGE (OF ROAD) is the shoulder
  • VEST is an undershirt in Britain not the American meaning
    of a ‘waistcoat’
  • VILLAGE is a small town without a mayor and usually with
    under 3,000 people. In the UK can be a handful of houses with
    a church and a pub, or a larger settlement with shops and community
    center
  • WASHING UP LIQUID is dishwashing liquid
  • WASHING UP POWDER is laundry soap
  • WC stands for "water closet", in other words,
    the toilet
  • WELLINGTONS are rubber boots named after the Duke of Wellington
  • WHISKY is Scotch
  • WHISKEY is Irish
  • WHITEHALL is a collective word referring to the government
    because so many government offices are located around the road
  • WHITE SPIRIT is alcohol
  • WINDSCREEN is a windshield
  • WING of a car is the fender
  • WIRELESS is the original term for radio and is often used
    by older people
  • WOOLLY is a sweater
  • WRITTEN OFF (CAR) is "totalled"
  • ZEBRA CROSSING is a striped pedestrian crossing
  • ZED is the letter ‘z’ (or "zee" as pronounced in American English)
    • tag Category : Smartass
    tag 4 Comments »

    How To > Fix COX Internet’s Routing Fuckups

    August 11th, 2007 by BS

    Everyday that you call Cox High Speed Internet, you hear a message that was re-recorded that day saying “as of today [insert day] many customer in Arizona are currently experiencing difficulty getting to many large website, we are aware of the error and our technicians are blah blah blah”. I’m sure it’s in more than AZ that they are recording this message but don’t know how deep the rabbit hole goes.

    Now I was pissed at them for a few days because they lied to me and said they hooked up my internet when they really didn’t… when they finally fixed it I was good to go to be able to see all the websites, while my neighbor who is screwed into the same exact cable splitter can’t get to most sites.

    So I went and figured out why I am better than everybody else.

    I use different DNS. Yep, though I start on their server I jump to different DNS servers than everybody gets when they connect to Cox. I have 2 very different alternates in fact. So all you need to do is hardset your Internet Connection’s DNS to what I use and your problems should be solved.

    Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222 (this is from opendns.com you could also use 208.67.220.220)
    Alternate DNS: 4.2.2.1 (this and 4.2.2.2 have worked FOREVER)

    If you don’t know how to do this then you simply need to open the Network Connections Folder > Right Click on your Network Connection > choose Properties > Highlight (TCP/IP) and choose Properties > Click ‘Use the Following DNS Server Entries’ and enter the numbers.

    tag Category : Internet
    tag 0 Comment »

    How To > Create XHTML DivX, QuickTime & Flash Players

    July 28th, 2007 by BS

    Look. I am sick of every people making something, and then making a really sloppy way to use it. If you go to youtube or googlevideo they give you this “embed” code. The Embed tag DOES NOT VALIDATE. I write my code by hand and don’t want it to be sloppy. So when I wrote Rip-Off Theater I didn’t want to have all my players using some clunky Embed crap when there are perfectly good ways to do it using Object instead.

    I made the DivX code based on a Quicktime hack I did. Basically I am putting 2 objects on. One for IE and another one for Firefox etc.. To make IE not be stupid you need to use some css to tell it to not display both objects.

    I figure If you are reading an article on XHTML I figure you need me to tutor you through the process. You just want the bloody code:




    No video? Get the DivX Web Player for Windows or Mac



    Sorry, shit happens… download quicktime from apple.com/quicktime







    UPDATE: 7/29 - Fixed this post. It wasn’t displaying the code and was messing up the rest of the blog. Seems wordpress is stupid and doesn’t by default recognize the “<code>” atribute

    tag Category : Internet, Web Design
    tag 1 Comment »

    How To > Watch iPod Video On TV Without a Dock

    July 28th, 2007 by BS

    So, I have lots of gadgets, but sometimes I can’t rationalize ones that seem like they will go unused. One of these examples would be the video dock for the iPod. Now I was fairly sure I could convert my car player to be able to output to my TV with little effort. In researching this I discovered that all you need to output the video was a CHEAP 1/8″-to-RCA Cable. You can get one of these at Radio Shack or some other electronics store for only a few bucks. I as it tends to be, had one laying around.

    Now there is a trick to this. Apple thought they would be all unique and switch the wires around (just like they put their quicktime movies in their images directory and their images in their movies directory…. ). So make sure you plug the wires in exactly like this:

    RED Cable - YELLOW Hole
    YELLOW Cable - WHITE Hole
    WHITE Cable - RED Hole

    I didn’t have any trouble with mine, but I have heard that a couple people had to switch their output to PAL to get it to work even on NTSC TV’s. That seems crazy to me, but in case it happens to you try that.

    Good Times

    tag Category : Neat Tricks
    tag 9 Comments »

    How To > Have a Remote Desktop on the iPhone

    July 15th, 2007 by BS

    Ok, this is just damn cool so I needed to share. You can go to: LogMeIn.com and make an account which when configured properly lets you use your iPhone to connect to your home PC! I mean DAMN is it cool.

    Simply download/install LogMeIn. Right click system tray icon and open the software. Go to the Preferences > click on Remote Control Settings > Set the default display type to HTML. If you don’t set it to HTML you won’t be able to use on the iPhone since it doesn’t support Java Applets yet.

    The advantage of using LogMeIn instead of say VNC (which also works BTW) is that LogMeIn will let you it from any place without install. Where as VNC would only work on your local network.

    Currently I am on the full trial which lets you print (honestly, why bother), and also has 256bit SSL which is nice… I will eventually cheap out and use free version. Still very bloody cool.. .and if i am patient enough I could actually browse my own site through my remote desktop since the iPhone doesn’t seem to like my scripts…

    NOTE: From fixing computers for so long I can tell you that LogMeIn and any other similar software WILL show up as Spyware on all the popular scans. It does this so that you know somebody has remote access to your PC. If you read the descriptions it will tell you this, however some people freak out when they see it on a spyware list, so just realize that this is NOT spyware. Just be careful who you let have access to it since if you use some crappy password for that site and somebody knows your crappy passwords and then gets in they can control your PC. Common sense is the best weapon.

    tag Category : iPhone
    tag 4 Comments »

    How To > Get a Direct URL to YouTube’s FLV Files!

    July 13th, 2007 by BS

    Ok so I have had my own method of getting YouTube FLV files before today, but thanks to Google and their wonderful archiving of all things there is now an easier way! A way that could be automated (hint hint). Flash videos are not only sexy, but they come without the ugly YouTube players so you can use your own. It’s so easy you can probably remember how to do it without looking it up!

    FLV link for YouTube videos! - http://cache.googlevideo.com/get_video?video_id=

    Example YouTube Address - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0kz8MCxq6A

    Becomes - http://cache.googlevideo.com/get_video?video_id=t0kz8MCxq6A

    What’s the point you ask? Go to Rip-Off Theater > Click Flash > Click *Will it Blend.

    Looks about a million times better fullscreen on my site (requires flash 9.028 or higher for fullscreen) than trying to watch all 50+ videos on YouTube’s slow ugly pages, in their little ugly player!

    tag Category : Internet, Neat Tricks
    tag 18 Comments »

    How To > Talk to a Real Person @ Big Companies

    July 8th, 2007 by BS

    I don’t know about you, but I get annoyed talking to a machine. Most of the time I can get by with just pressing 0 after I call. Sometimes it’s more of a pain in the ass since even to talk to a real person you now have to talk to a machine… Well this should make it simpler for you.

    1-800-FLOWERS.COM 800-716-4851   Direct to human.
    AAA 800-222-4357   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    AARP Healthcare 800-523-5800   Press 1; at prompt press 4.
    AARP MedicareRxPlan 888-867-5575   Press 1; hold through message.
    AARP Pharmacy Services 800-289-8849   Press 1; hold through message.
    AARP 888-687-2277   Press 0.
    ABN AMRO Mortgage 800-783-8900   Press #; at prompt press #; at prompt press 0.
    Ace Hardware 866-290-5334   Press 0.
    Adelphia 888-683-1000   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Adobe Systems 800-833-6687   At prompt, press 1.
    ADT Security Company 800-238-2727   Don’t press or say anything.
    Advance Auto Parts 800-314-4243   Press 0.
    Aetna 800-738-7674   Say “member”; press *0.
    Aetna Rx Home Delivery 800-227-5720   Press 0.
    AFLAC 800-992-3522   Press #; at prompt press #; at prompt press #; at prompt press 3.
    AIG 877-638-4244   Direct to human.
    Air Canada 888-247-2262   Press 1; at prompt press 0; at prompt press 0; at prompt press 0.
    AirTran Airlines 800-204-5695   Press 0.
    Alamo 800-462-5266   Direct to human.
    Alaska Air 800-252-7522   Press #.
    Alitalia 800-223-5730   Press *.
    Allmerica Financial 800-533-7881   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Allstate 800-255-7828   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Allstate Motor Club 800-869-7997   Direct to human.
    Alltel Wireless 800-255-8351   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Amazon.com 800-201-7575   Don’t press or say anything.
    Amazon Visa 888-247-4080   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    American Airlines 800-433-7300   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    American Airlines Baggage 800-535-5225   Press 7.
    American Express 800-528-4800   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    America Online 800-827-6364   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Ameriquest Mortage 888-436-7571   Don’t press or say anything.
    Amtrak 877-444-4773   Direct to human.
    Apple 800-275-2273   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    AT&T Business 800-750-2355   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    AT&T 800-288-2747   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    AT&T Universal Card 800-423-4343   Don’t press or say anything.
    AT&T Worldnet 800-400-1447   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Auto Zone 800-288-6966   Press 1; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 0.
    Avis 800-230-4898   Press 2.
    Baby Bjorn 866-424-0200   Press 2.
    Bank Card Svcs. 800-655-1491   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Bank of America 877-231-9372   Direct to human.
    Bank of America Credit 800-732-9194   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Bank of New York 800-225-5269   Press ###.
    Barclays 877-523-0478   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Barnes & Noble 800-422-7717   Direct to human.
    Barnes & Noble.com 800-843-2665   Press 16.
    Bear Stearns 888-807-6898   Direct to human.
    Bed, Bath & Beyond 800-462-3966   Press 4; hold.
    Belkin Tech Support 800-223-5546   At prompt press 2263; press 1 at each prompt thereafter.
    BellSouth 888-757-6500   Press *0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Bellsouth FastAccess DSL 888-321-2375   Press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 2, ignoring messages.
    Best Buy 888-237-8289   Press 2.
    Best Buy Card 800-365-0292   Press 6 at each prompt, ingnoring recording.
    Best Western 800-780-7234   Direct to human.
    BJ’s Wholesale Club 800-257-2582   Press 0#.
    Black & Decker 800-544-6986   Direct to human.
    Blockbuster 214-854-3000   Press 22.
    Blockbuster Online 866-692-2789   Press 11.
    Bloomingdales Credit 800-295-4057   Direct to human.
    Blue Cross and Blue Shield 877-526-3425   Say “get associate” at prompt.
    BMG Music 317-692-9200   Press #.
    BMW 800-831-1117   Say “customer relations” and then press 1 for “vehicle” or 2 for “motorcycle.”
    Boost Mobile 888-266-7848   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Borders 888-812-6657   Press 0.
    Bosch Power Tools 877-267-2499   Press 100.
    Bose 800-444-2673   Direct to human.
    Briggs & Stratton 414-259-5262   Press 0 at prompt.
    British Airways 800-247-9297   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Brother International 800-284-4329   Press 7.
    Budget Rent a Car 800-527-0700   Press 0.
    Buick 800-521-7300   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Buy.com 800-800-0800   Don’t press or say anything.
    Cabela’s 800-237-4444   Direct to human.
    Cablevision 800-868-9840   Press 1. Then press 0 at each subsequent prompt.
    Cadillac 800-333-4223   Press 0.
    Canon USA 800-828-4040   At prompt press *; at prompt press 0.
    Capital One 800-548-4593   Press 0.
    Card Services 888-363-8001   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Caremark 800-262-7890   Press 0.
    Carnival Cruise 800-929-6400   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Casio 800-706-2534   Press 3.
    Celebrity Cruises 800-647-2251   Press 0.
    Cellular One 888-910-9191   Press 4.
    Centers for Disease Control 800-232-4636   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 800-999-1118   Press 1000.
    Ceridian Benefit Svcs. 800-877-7994   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Charles Schwab 800-435-9050   Press 3, followed by eight digit account number
    Charter Communications 866-472-2200   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Chase Credit Cards 800-432-3117   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Chase Home Finance 800-848-9136   Press #0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    CheapTickets 800-755-4333   Don’t press or say anything; when offered customer service say “Yes.”
    CheapTrips 800-211-5119   Direct to human.
    Chevrolet 800-222-1020   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    ChevronTexaco Credit 800-243-8766   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Chrysler Financial 800-700-0738   Say “agent” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Chrysler Group 800-992-1997   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    CIGNA 800-849-9000   Press ##.
    Cingular Wireless (AT&T) 800-331-0500   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Cingular Wireless Warranty Dept. 800-801-1101   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Circuit City 800-843-2489   Press 0.
    Citibank 800-756-7047   Press 0# at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Citi Cards 800-633-7367   Don’t press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    Citi Simplicity 866-696-5673   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Citizens Bank 800-922-9999   Press 000.
    Columbia House DVD 888-467-7404   Press 1 for English; then don’t press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    Columbia Mutual Funds 800-345-6611   Say “representative.”
    Comcast 800-266-2278   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Comcast 800-266-2278   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Comfort Inn 877-424-6423   Direct to human.
    Commerce Bank 888-751-9000   Direct to human.
    Commonwealth Edison 800-334-7661   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Compaq 800-652-6672   Say “operator” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Compass Bank 800-239-5175   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    CompUSA erebates 888-716-8555   Press **.
    CompUSA 800-266-7872   Press 33.
    CompuServe 800-848-8990   Press 1211.
    Computer Associates 877-694-8509   Press 2.
    Consolidated Edison 800-752-6633   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Consumers’ Energy Company 800-477-5050   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Continental Airlines 800-784-4444   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Costco.com 800-955-2292   Press 55.
    Costco 800-220-6000   Press 55.
    Countrywide Loans 800-669-5864   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    CVS.com 888-607-4287   Press 0.
    Days Inn 800-329-7466   Direct to human.
    Dell Financial Services 800-283-2210   Press 0; at prompt press 0; at prompt press #; at prompt press #.
    Dell Sales 800-624-9897   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Dell Tech Support 800-624-9896   Press 3; say “agent” at each additional prompt, ignoring messages.
    Delta Airlines 800-221-1212   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Delta Dental 888-335-8227   After language option, press 2 for existing or 3 for new account.
    Detroit Edison (DTE) 800-477-4747   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    DHL Express 800-225-5345   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Dillard’s 800-345-5273   Direct to human.
    Diner’s Club 800-729-5309   Press 2.
    DirecTV 800-824-9081   Don’t press or say anything.
    Dirt Devil 800-321-1134   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Discover 800-347-2683   Please enter your 16 digital account number
    DISH network 800-333-3474   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Disney Cruise Line 800-951-3532   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Disneyland Resort 714-781-4000   Direct to human.
    Disney Shopping 800-328-0368   Press 0.
    Dodge and Cox 800-621-3979   Press 0.
    Dodge 800-992-1997   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Dollar Rent-A-Car 800-800-4000   Press 0.
    Drugstore.com 800-378-4786   Press 2; at prompt press 5.
    Earthlink 888-327-8454   Press 1; press 0 at each prompt thereafter, ignoring messages.
    eBay 800-322-9266   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Eddie Bauer 800-426-8020   Press 1.
    Entertainment Weekly 866-228-1183   Say “agent.” Say “yes.”
    Epson 800-533-3731   Direct to human.
    Equifax 866-640-2273   Press 30 at each prompt, ignoring message.
    e*Trade 800-786-2575   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Eureka Vacuum 800-438-7352   Press 17.
    Evenflo 800-233-5921   Press 4.
    Expedia 800-397-3342   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Experian 800-493-1058   Say “yes”; enter report #; enter social security #; say “yes”; say “agent” then “yes” to confirm at prompts thereafter.
    Express Scripts 800-206-4005   Press 0.
    Exxon Mobil Card 800-344-4355   Press 000, ignoring message.
    Farmer’s Insurance 800-435-7764   Do not press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    FedEx 800-463-3339   Say “representative” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Fidelity 800-544-6666   Ignore prompt for social security number; press ###.
    First Nat’l Bank of Omaha 888-530-3626   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Fisher-Price 800-432-5437   Do not press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    Florida Power & Light 800-226-3545   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Ford 800-392-3673   Press 0; at prompt press 0; at prompt press 0; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 0.
    Ford Interest Advantage 800-462-2614   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Ford Motor Credit 800-727-7000   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Four Points by Sheraton 888-625-5144   Press 17.
    FreeCreditReport.com 877-481-6825   Press 51 at prompt.
    Frigidaire Parts 800-599-7569   Press 3.
    FTD 800-736-3383   Press 2.
    Fujitsu PC Support 800-385-4878   Press 00.
    Gap Credit Card 800-887-1198   Press 000 at each prompt; ignore request for account number.
    Gateway Computers 800-846-2000   Press 4; say “no” at each additional prompt.
    GE Appliances 800-626-2005   Press 000.
    Geek Squad 800-433-5778   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    GE Finance CareCredit 866-893-7864   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    GEICO 800-841-3000   At prompt press 6; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 5; at prompt press #.
    GE MONEY BANK 877-317-5544   Press 1, then don’t press or say anything.
    Georgia Power 888-660-5890   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    GMAC 800-200-4622   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    GMC 800-462-8782   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    GM MasterCard 800-947-1000   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    GoDaddy.com 480-505-8899   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Goldman Sachs Mutual Funds 800-762-5035   Direct to human.
    Goodyear Tire 800-321-2136   Press 1; at prompt press 5.
    Google AdWords 866-246-6453   Press 22.
    Google 650-623-4000   Press 0.
    Graco 800-345-4109   Press 0.
    Great West Health 800-663-8081   Press 1; at prompt press 1; press 4 at each prompt thereafter, ignoring messages.
    Greyhound 800-231-2222   Press 26.
    Hampton Inn 800-426-7866   Direct to human.
    Harley-Davidson 414-343-4056   Press 0.
    Hertz 800-654-3131   Direct to human.
    Hewlett-Packard 800-474-6836   Say “agent” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Hilton HHonors 800-548-8690   Press 5 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Hitachi 800-448-2244   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Holiday Inn 800-465-4329   Press 0; at prompt press 0.
    Holmes 800-284-3267   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Home Depot Credit 800-677-0232   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Home Depot 800-793-3768   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Home Shopping Net 800-284-3100   Press 0.
    Honda Financial Svcs. 800-445-1358   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Honda 800-999-1009   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Honeywell 800-468-1502   Press 11900.
    Hoover 800-944-9202   Press 52.
    Hotels.com 800-346-8357   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring prompts.
    Hotwire 866-468-9473   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Household Bank Credit 800-771-7339   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    H&R Block Advisors 866-295-7912   Press 3; at prompt press 2.
    HSBC 800-477-6000   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Hughesnet 866-347-3292   Press 2.
    Humana 800-448-6262   At prompts say “member,” “pharmacy,” “prescription benefits”; give invalid ID.
    Humana Medicare Claims 800-457-4708   Press *; at prompt press *; at prompt press 0; at prompt press 0; at prompt press *.
    Hyatt Corporation 888-591-1234   Direct to human.
    IBM 800-426-4968   Direct to human.
    Ikea 800-434-4532   Press 0 quickly and repeatedly.
    ING Direct 800-464-3473   Direct to human.
    Intuit 800-811-8766   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    JC Penney Catalog 800-222-6161   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    JC Penny Credit 800-542-0800   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Jeep 800-992-1997   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    JetBlue Airways 800-538-2583   Press 0.
    John Deere 800-537-8233   Press 1; at prompt press 4.
    John Hancock 800-732-5543   Press 2; at prompt press 0.
    Johnson & Johnson 800-526-3967   Press 0.
    JP Morgan Chase 800-392-5749   Press 131.
    Juno 888-839-5866   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    JVC America 800-252-5722   Press 3.
    Kensington Tech Support 800-535-4242   Press 11.
    KitchenAid 800-422-1230   Press 3420.
    Kmart 866-562-7848   Press 12.
    Kodak 800-235-6325   Press #.
    Kodak Gallery (Ofoto) 800-360-9098   Say “agent.”
    Kohls Credit 800-564-5740   Press # at each prompt, ignorning messages.
    Kolcraft 800-453-7673   Direct to human.
    Lands End 800-743-9706   Direct to human.
    Le Meridien 888-625-5144   Press 13.
    Lexmark 800-539-6275   Press 1.
    Liberty Mutual (Claims) 800-225-2467   Press 10.
    Lincoln Mercury 800-521-4140   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Linksys 800-326-7114   Press 1; at prompt press ###.
    Little Tikes 800-321-0183   Press 11.
    LL Bean 800-441-5713   Direct to human.
    Logitech 702-269-3457   Press 2000.
    Lord & Taylor Credit 800-223-7440   Press 2002.
    Lowe’s 800-445-6937   Press 0.
    Lufthansa 800-399-5838   Direct to human.
    Luxury Collection Hotels 888-625-5144   Press 15.
    Macy’s Credit 800-280-4356   Press 9; press 0 at each prompt thereafter, ignoring messages.
    Macy’s 800-289-6229   Press 4; press *# at each prompt thereafter.
    Magnavox 800-705-2000   Select language. Say “agent.”
    Mariott Rewards 800-321-7396   Press 0.
    Marriot International 800-228-9290   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring prompts.
    MasterCard 800-622-7747   Press 000 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Mattel 800-524-8697   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Maytag 800-462-9824   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Mazda 800-222-5500   Press 0.
    MBNA 800-421-2110   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    McAfee 888-847-8766   Press #40.
    MCI 888-624-5622   Press 2 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Medco Insurance 800-251-7690   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Medco Pharmacy 800-987-5269   Say “representative” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Medicare 800-633-4227   Say “agent.”
    Mellon Investor 800-522-6645   Press #.
    Memorex Electronics 800-919-3647   Press 333.
    Merrill Lynch 800-637-7455   Say “Advisor”.
    MetLife Bank 866-226-5638   Press 000 rapidly and repeatedly, ignoring messages.
    MetLife 800-560-5001   Press ####.
    Metro PCS 888-863-8768   Don’t press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    Microsoft Tech Support 800-642-7676   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Midwest Airlines 800-452-2022   Press **.
    Moneygram 800-926-9400   Press 0.
    Money Magazine 800-633-9970   Don’t press or say anything.
    Morgan Stanley 800-869-3326   Press 00.
    Motel 6 800-466-8356   Direct to human.
    Motorola 800-331-6456   Press 00.
    MSN 800-386-5550   Say “agent” at each prompt, until offered a representative; say “yes.”
    Napster 800-839-4210   Press 33; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 2.
    National Car Rental 800-227-7368   Direct to human.
    Nationwide Insurance Claims 800-421-3535   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Nautilus (Bowflex) 800-628-8458   Press 3; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 4.
    NetFlix 888-638-3549   Press 0 at each prompt.
    Netgear 888-638-4327   At prompt press 41.
    Netscape 866-541-8233   Press 000.
    NetZero 866-841-1442   Press #### at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Newsweek 800-631-1040   Press 0.
    New York Times 800-698-4637   Press 500.
    Nikon Service 800-645-6687   Press 4 at prompt.
    Nintendo 800-255-3700   Press 0.
    Nissan Credit (NMAC) 800-888-2799   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Nissan USA 800-647-7261   Press #.
    Nokia 888-665-4228   At prompt press 1; at prompt press 3; at prompt press 1.
    Nordstrom 888-282-6060   Direct to human.
    Northwest Airlines WorldPerks 800-447-3757   At prompts say “WorldPerks,” “agent,” “yes,” “agent,” “yes.”
    Northwest Airlines 800-692-6980   Direct to human.
    Northwestern Mutual 800-388-8123   Press 0; press 1 to participate or 2 to decline survey.
    Norwegian Cruise Line 866-234-0292   Don’t press or say anything.
    NY Life Benefit Services 800-294-3575   Press 0.
    NY Life Retirement Svcs. 800-586-1413   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Office Depot 888-463-3768   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    OfficeMax 800-283-7674   Press 2.
    OfficeMax Rebates 866-765-5702   Press 2; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 2; enter fake phone #; press 1 to confirm; press 1 to confirm.
    Olympus - Digital 888-553-4448   Press 5; at prompt press 0.
    Omron Healthcare 877-216-1333   Don’t press or say anything.
    Orbitz 888-656-4546   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Overstock.com 800-843-2446   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Pacific Gas & Electric 800-743-5000   At prompt say “Operator”; at prompt say “Yes”; at prompt say “Operator”; at prompt say “Yes.”
    Palm 800-881-7256   Press 1; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 2.
    Panasonic 800-211-7262   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    PayPal Buyer Credit 866-571-3012   Say “agent” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    PayPal 888-221-1161   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    PC World 800-234-3498   Press *; at prompt press 2.
    People Magazine 866-365-1620   Press 0.
    People PC 800-736-7537   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Pep Boys 800-737-2697   Press 33; at prompt press 1; hold through prompts for representative.
    PepsiCo 800-433-2652   Press 0.
    PETCO 888-824-7257   Don’t press or say anything.
    Philips Electronics 888-744-5477   Say “agent.”
    Pitney Bowes Equipment 800-522-0020   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    PNC Bank 888-762-2265   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Poland Spring 800-950-9396   Say “representative” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Polaroid 800-343-5000   Press 0.
    Pontiac 800-762-2737   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Pottery Barn 888-779-5176   Don’t press or say anything.
    Priceline 800-774-2354   At prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt enter phone number #; at prompt enter phone number #; at prompt enter phone number #.
    Primerica 800-544-5445   Press 0.
    Princess Cruise Line 800-774-6237   Press 0.
    Principal Financial 800-547-7754   Enter social security #, then press 0.
    Principal Life 800-247-4695   Press 1; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 0; at prompt press 0.
    Procter & Gamble 800-331-3774   Press 1.
    Progressive Insurance 800-776-4737   Press 000.
    Prudential Annuity 888-778-2888   Press ** at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Prudential Financial 800-778-3932   Direct to human.
    Public Service Electric & Gas 800-436-7734   Press 0.
    Qantas 800-227-4500   Press 3; at prompt press 2; hold through message.
    QuickBooks 888-729-1996   Press 0.
    QVC 800-367-9444   Press 0.
    Qwest 800-244-1111   Press 1; say “operator” at all subsequent prompts.
    Radio Shack 800-843-7422   Press 0; at prompt press 0.
    Radisson 888-201-1718   Direct to human.
    Ramada 800-828-6644   Direct to human.
    RBS Credit Card 800-747-8155   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    RCA / Thompson Electronics 877-794-7977   Press 2.
    RCN 800-746-4726   Press 1; at prompt press 3; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 4.
    Reader’s Digest 800-304-2807   Press 0.
    Reliant Energy 866-222-7100   Don’t press or say anything.
    Rent-A-Center 800-422-8186   Press 1.
    Rite Aid 800-748-3243   Don’t press or say anything.
    Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines 866-562-7625   Press 0.
    Ryder Customer Service 305-500-3726   Direct to human.
    Ryder Rentals 800-297-9337   Don’t press or say anything.
    Sallie Mae 888-272-5543   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Sam’s Club Credit 800-203-5764   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Sam’s Club 800-964-1917   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Samsung 800-726-7864   Press 2; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 3; at prompt press 3.
    Saturn 800 553-6000   Press 3.
    SBC DSL support 877-722-3755   Say “sales”.
    Sears Credit Card 800-917-7700   Press 0000000; press 0 at subsequent prompts.
    Sears Delivery 800-732-7747   Press 95111.
    Sears 800-469-4663   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Secure Horizons 800-228-2144   Say “prospective member”.
    Sharp 800-237-4277   Press 1132.
    Shell Gasoline Card 800-490-9119   Press 0 when prompted for an account number.
    Sheraton Hotels 888-625-5144   Press 12.
    Simple Freedom 800-335-6401   Press #0#0.
    Sirius 888 539-7474   Press 1; at prompt press 0.
    Smith Barney Benefitaccess 888-822-6067   Press 0.
    Sony Ericsson Mobile 866-766-9374   Select language.
    Sony / Playstation 800-222-7669   Say “agent”; at prompt say “agent”; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1.
    Southern CA Edison 800-655-4555   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Southwest 800-435-9792   Direct to human.
    Sovereign Bank 877-768-2265   Don’t press or say anything.
    Spirit Air 800-772-7117   Press 00.
    Sports Illustrated 800-284-8800   Press ###, ignoring messages.
    Sprint - Nextel 800-639-6111   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Sprint Broadband Direct 888-996-0001   Press 00.
    Sprint Long Distance 800-877-4646   Press 000 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Sprint Mobile 877-349-4413   Direct to human.
    Staples Easy Rebates 877-266-6483   Wait for “main menu” then press 0 * *.
    Staples 800-333-3330   Don’t press or say anything.
    Starbucks Coffee 800-782-7282   Press 0.
    State Farm Auto Insurance 877-734-2265   At prompt, say “insurance.”
    State Farm Bank 877-734-2265   Say “operator” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    St. Regis Hotels 888-625-5144   Press 0.
    Student Loan Corp. 800-967-2400   Press 5.
    Student Loan People 888-250-6401   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    SunCom 800-786-7378   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    SUNOCO 800-278-6626   Press 00000; mumble when prompted for an account number.
    SunTrust 800-786-8787   Press # rapidly and repeatedly.
    Super 8 800-800-8000   Direct to human.
    Symantec 800-441-7234   Don’t press or say anything, ignoring prompts.
    T-Mobile 877-537-7389   Direct to human.
    Talk America 800-291-9699   Say “Agent”; confirm phone number; say “agent” at each prompt thereafter.
    Target Online 800 591-3869   Press 1; don’t press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    Target 800 591-3869   Press 2; don’t press or say anything, ignoring messages.
    TD Ameritrade 800-669-3900   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Tech SupportT-Mobile 877-369-4588   Direct to human.
    Telecheck 800-710-9898   Press 1, 3, * at prompts.
    Teleflora 800-835-3356   Press 2.
    Texas Instruments 800-842-2737   Press 0 # and hold.
    Textron Financial 800-388-1826   Direct to human.
    The Company Store 800-285-3696   Press 0.
    Thrifty Car Rental 800-331-9111   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    TIAA-CREF 800-842-2733   Don’t press or say anything.
    Ticketmaster Local   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Timberland 888-802-9947   Press 0.
    Time Magazine 800-843-8463   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Time Warner Cable Local   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Time Warner Road Runner 877-318-8333   Direct to human.
    TiVo 877-367-8486   Say “Agent” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    TJ Maxx 800-926-6299   Don’t press or say anything.
    TomTom 866-486-6866   Press 1.
    Toshiba 800-457-7777   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Toyota Financial Svcs. 800-874-8822   Select Language option; press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Toyota 800-331-4331   Press 6.
    Toys ”R” Us 800-869-7787   Press 1; at prompt press 2; at prompt press 7; at prompt press 2; hold through requests.
    Tracfone 800-323-2366   Direct to human.
    TransUnion 800-916-8800   Press 2 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Travelers Insurance 800-252-4633   Don’t press or say anything.
    Travelocity 888-872-8356   Press ### at prompt.
    T. Rowe Price 800-922-9945   Say “operator” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    TrueValue 773-695-5000   Press 0 and ask for customer service.
    TV Guide 800-866-1400   Say “customer service” twice.
    TXU Energy 800-218-7130   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Ubid.com 800-317-7995   Hold for representative.
    UHAUL 800-789-3638   Direct to human.
    Union Pacific 800-877-5123   Press #.
    UnitedHealth 800-585-6586   Select type. Say “Representative” three times.
    United 800-864-8331   Press 0; say “agent,” say “yes”; say “domestic” or “international” as appropriate.
    Universal Studios Hollywood 800-864-8377   Press 4.
    Upromise 888-434-9111   Press 0.
    UPS (International) 800-782-7892   Say “Agent” at prompt.
    UPS 800-742-5877   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    USAA Investment Mgmt 800-531-8448   Press 0# at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    USAA 800-531-6095   Press 000#; at prompt press #.
    US Airways 800-428-4322   Press 41.
    USA Today 800-872-0001   Press 0.
    US Bank 800-872-2657   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    US Bank Visa 800-285-8585   Say “operator” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    U.S. Cellular 888-944-9400   Press 0.
    US Citizenship & Immigration 800-375-5283   Select language; press 2; press 4; at prompt press 0.
    US Dept. of Edu - Financial Aid 800-433-3243   Select language then press *0.
    US Dept. of Edu - Loans 800-848-0979   Don’t press or say anything.
    US Dept. of State - Passports 877-487-2778   Select language and then press 10.
    US Dept. of Transportation 800-832-5660   Press 000.
    US Dept. of Veterans Affairs 800-827-1000   Press 10.
    US FBI 202-324-3000   Direct to human.
    US Federal Trade Commission 877-382-4357   Press 450 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    US Fish & Wildlife 800-344-9453   Press 0.
    US Food & Drug Admin 301-827-4573   Press 1.
    US Homeland Security - FEMA 800-621-3362   At first prompt, select language; press 00.
    US IRS 800-829-1040   Don’t press or say anything.
    US Mint 800-872-6468   Press 0.
    US Postal Service 800-275-8777   Press 5 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    US Social Security Admin 800-772-1213   Press 1; press 0 at each prompt, until SS# is requested; enter SS#.
    Vanguard Funds 800-662-2739   Press 0.
    Verizon Billing 888-780-3964   When prompted for phone number, say “Operator.” Repeat if necessary.
    Verizon Business 888-649-9500   Say “representative” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Verizon DSL 800-567-6789   Say “agent” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Verizon FiOS 888-553-1555   Say “operator” at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Verizon Fraud 888-483-7200   Direct to human.
    Verizon (land line) 800-483-3000   Don’t press or say anything.
    Verizon Repair 800-275-2355   Direct to human at times, otherwise press 00.
    Verizon Wireless 800-922-0204   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Victoria’s Secret 800-411-5116   Press 0 at each prompt.
    Virgin Atlantic 800-821-5438   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Virginia Electric & Power 888-667-3000   Don’t press or say anything.
    Virgin Mobile 888 292 8223   At prompt say, “English”; at prompt say, “something else”; at each additional prompt say, “live advisor” until mobile number is requested; enter mobile number.
    Visa 800-847-2911   Press 0 at each prompt; ignoring messages.
    Volkswagen 800-822-8987   At prompt, press 32; if offered, press 1 to take survey or 2 to decline.
    Volvo 800-458-1552   Press 0, ignoring messages.
    Vonage 866-243-4357   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Wachovia 800-922-4684   Press 00 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Wal-Mart.com 800-966-6546   Press * at each prompt, ignoring messges.
    Wal-Mart Credit Card 866-888-3868   Don’t press or say anything.
    Wal-Mart 800-925-6278   Press 1433.
    Walgreens 877-250-5823   Direct to human.
    Wall Street Journal 800-568-7625   Press 0 at prompt; press # at prompt; press # at prompt.
    Walt Disney World 407-824-2222   Direct to human.
    Washington Mutual 800-356-0011   Don’t press or say anything.
    Washington Mutual 800-788-7000   Don’t press or say anything.
    Washington Post 800-627-1150   Don’t press or say anything.
    Wells Fargo Credit 800-642-4720   Press 0# at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Wells Fargo 800-869-3557   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Western Union 800-634-1311   Press *##.
    Westin Hotels 888-625-5144   Press 11.
    Whirlpool 800-253-1301   Press 421; at prompt press #.
    White House 202-456-1414   Direct to human.
    W Hotels 888-625-5144   Press 16.
    Williams-Sonoma 877-812-6235   Don’t press or say anything.
    Wirefly 888-843-2485   Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Wisconsin Electric 800-242-9137   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Xbox 800-469-9269   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    Xerox 800-822-2979   Press 0.
    XM Radio 800-967-2346   Press 0 and then say “customer service.”
    Yahoo Personal Email 866-492-4664   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages. FYI, cost is $24.99 per issue.
    Yahoo Small Business 866-562-7219   Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.
    tag Category : Neat Tricks
    tag 2 Comments »

    How To > Get to OiNK When It Appears To Be Down

    June 28th, 2007 by BS

    Update 7/6/07: OiNK just decided due to their dns problems to change their url.  Instead of oink.me.uk it is now oink.cd.  The instructions below still apply since they kept the same IP’s.  I have updated it to list those as well.

    Ok.  Right now OiNK’s registration shows up as suspended.  This makes it frustrating to get to the world’s greatest private music tracker.  I am not here to explain it, +if you don’t know that’s your problem.  I am just show you how to get to it. 

    First to get there:  http://85.17.40.71

    Then even getting there won’t make your torrents trackers correct, so you will need to make sure your computer knows how to get there even with fucked up DNS. 

    So in Windows go to Start > Run > Type: C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts > It will open and ask you what to run it with, choose: Wordpad (or notepad) > If your hosts file is not messed up it will probably be mostly blank except for some comments and then a thing saying 127.0.0.1 localhost

    Simply hit enter after this and paste the following in:
    85.17.40.71 oink.me.uk
    85.17.40.69 tracker.oink.me.uk
    85.17.40.70 irc.oink.me.uk
    85.17.40.71 oink.cd
    85.17.40.69 tracker.oink.cd
    85.17.40.70 irc.oink.cd

    Save and exit, then restart torrent program.  Oh if you have stuff in yours hosts file already that you did not put there it is either redirecting to 127.0.0.1 which tends to be done by anti-spyware / advertising software and is ok because it eliminates junk sites.  If it’s anything but you might have been hijacked and I would highly recommend deleting the entries you aren’t familiar with.

    For Linux simply type:

    echo ‘85.17.40.71 oink.me.uk
    85.17.40.69 tracker.oink.me.u
    85.17.40.70 irc.oink.me.uk’ >> /etc/hosts

    echo ‘85.17.40.71 oink.cd
    85.17.40.69 tracker.oink.cd
    85.17.40.70 irc.oink.cd’ >> /etc/hosts

    tag Category : Internet
    tag 5 Comments »

    How To > Use .htaccess to screw over a hotlinking asshole

    June 26th, 2007 by BS

    Ok, so with my page it’s not just images people try to link to, it’s entire pages. Why? Because a lot of them look pretty damn good as stand alone pages and are just much easier to work with inside iframes.

    So I saw this guy in my statistics that was hotlinking directly to my Sega Genesis and Nintendo pages. Well that really pissed me off because it took me a LOT of time to put those bloody games on there. If you want the NES on your page, you can download it yourself. If you want the Sega Genesis on your page, well there you are kind of screwed, since it is licensed and the guys who made it promised me updates and then disappeared like a fart in the wind. Anyways, this is getting off the subject.

    I looked around and only saw ways to prevent hotlinking to image files, pages seemed a little more obscure. So I figured I would write it up. We will use the asshole who did it to me as an example.


    RewriteEngine on # I had this on earlier in my htaccess, but if you didn’t you will need to add it to rewrite anything.
    #RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^http://([^/]+\.)?baddomain1\.com [NC,OR] #Uncomment this line if you have more than 1 asshole linking to you, and copy it if you have several.
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^http://([^/]+\.)?aw3bo\.net [NC] #This says look to aw3bo.net (NC = Non case sensitive)
    RewriteRule \.(php|htm)$ http://www.thesmartass.info/hotlink.html [R,L] #This says if he links to my pages to force him to my hilarious hotlink page..

    Basically my actual pages are never named anything but php or htm, so this will make all my actual pages that he links to force him to see my hotlink page. Be careful, I screwed this part up at first… All requests coming from his site asking for .php or .htm are getting redirected.. So you have to name your file extension you link to something different. I eventually went with .html

    It’s much more entertaining than sending them to just an image. Originally my hotlink page did a meta refresh after 10 seconds, but then I noticed that my page still looks good even in a tiny frame since the images are proportional etc… So I removed that for just an old fashion giant link under the probably offensive image.

    You can modify the rule where it says php|htm to add additional extensions by adding more pipes jpg|gif|png etc.. But if you redirect an image make sure that you are redirecting them To an image…

    Some other nasty things you can do to the people you dislike in .htaccess include:


    #Redirect IP’s Somewhere Else
    RewriteEngine on
    RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} 2.21.1.19 [OR]
    RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} 70.200.40.157
    RewriteRule /* http://www.uglypeople.com [L]


    #Just straight up block users from accessing the site… not quite as fun but still useful
    order deny,allow
    deny from 80.76.55.21
    deny from .spammers.com
    allow from all

    UPDATE 7/16: People seem to keep doing this. Stop it Mo-Fo’s… I have been researching the .htaccess more and have found a way to simplify the rewrites to use a lot less code, and much less confusing syntax.

    #Hotlinking Assholes
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} (aw3bo|spotlightarcade) [NC]
    RewriteRule \.(php|htm)$ http://www.thesmartass.info/hotlink.html [R,L]

    Notice that now I have 2 different sites listed, separated by a pipe and inside (). That’s it. I don’t need to put the exact syntax or even the .com’s etc.. anymore… If you are refered to me by a site with that info, you get zapped to my screw you / meatspin page.

    UPDATE 7/19: Here’s a rule I just changed. I have been adding TONS of rules to prevent overall nasty people from being on my site. Now I had these guys redirecting to “-” but that just sends them to my 403 page… Screw that, Instead I have decided that from now on I shall be updating my rule to link to the most recent hotlinker. So all of my crappy traffic will get sent to the people who are trying to steal traffic from me to begin with. Below is the current rule, remember there are countless RewriteCond before the actual rule, if you try to add this rule without a condition you will send all your traffic there…

    #sends all my shitty traffic to most recent hotlinker
    RewriteRule /* http://www.spotlightarcade.info/sega/ [L]

    Return to The SmartAss DOT Info

    tag Category : Internet, Web Design
    tag