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May 1, 2007

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Sounds good to me

May 1, 2007 in Fark by modul8r | No comments

Governor Rick Perry wants to allow Texans to take their concealed handguns anywhere. What could possibly go wrong?

Perry: Allow concealed handguns anywhere in Texas

I’m not what you would call a “gun nut”. I don’t even have a gun. Still, I’m certain that if I were in a really bad, desperate situation, where my life (or the life of a dear friend or relative) were at stake, I would regret not having one. So, FWIW, I take the stance that “people kill people, guns don’t kill people” and that a gun is a tool, etc. and so on and so forth.

Simply put, I don’t want to die or become disabled from an attack. If I were religous, I would never think of owning a gun, because wouldn’t an attack be God’s way? That follows Stanhope’s “why are you weaing a seatbelt” bit. In summary, considering that I believe I have one life to live, I want to protect mine.

Configuring EAC and LAME to rip audio CDs to mp3s

May 1, 2007 in Archive, Music by modul8r | No comments

This guide is primarily intended in case I have to format my daily driver. Still, I felt it would be worthwhile to make it public knowledge for those new to this kind of stuff. I consider the end result to be a high sound quality mp3 with a reasonable file size.

The instructions are a mixture of verbatim and cropped information from Übernet (inaccessible as of 04-17-2007) and the Hydrogenaudio Knowledgebase, plus some personal configuration settings.

Notes:

·o· Feedback is greatly appreciated.

·o· Do let me know if any of the links below die.

·o· If you have Daemon Tools installed, I recommend uninstalling it, then rebooting the PC, before following the steps below. I’ve experienced a problem where EAC only detects the Daemon Tools virtual drive, instead of the physical drive. Re-installing Daemon Tools afterwards shouldn’t cause problems.

·o· This article is intended to get EAC installed/configured quickly, so we’ll skip EACs test mechanisms that (inaccurately) determine what CD/DVD drive is the best to use and what features it supports. Start off by using what you think is your best drive. If it works fine, stick with it. If you find the extraction process to be slow and think another drive would be faster, try another drive by selecting it from the drop-box at the top-left. If you do end up using another drive, you may need to tweak options in step 12!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Download Adaptec ASPI driver and extract the contents to the default location (c:\adaptec\aspi).

·o· Open a command prompt, navigate to c:\adaptec\aspi, then issue ONE of the following commands, depending on your OS:

Windows 98/ME/NT/2000: install x86
Windows XP 32-bit: install xp32
Windows XP 64-bit: install xp64

adaptec-aspi.jpg
(I’m running XP 32-bit.)

·o· REBOOT THE PC!

2. Download EAC v0.95 beta 4 (without CDRDAO package), and extract the contents to “C:\eac-0.95b4″. I’ll reference this as the EAC main directory, in the rest of this article.

3. Download LAME 3.97 final, extract the contents anywhere on your hard drive, then copy “lame.exe” and paste it in the EAC main directory.

4. Remove all CDs/DVDs from all CD/DVD drives of the PC that you want to use for ripping.

5. If you’ve previously run EAC on this PC (even just once), clean the registry of all things EAC-related following the instructions immediately below. Otherwise, proceed to step 6.

·o· … click ‘Start | Run’, type regedit, and hit Enter.

·o· Go to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AWSoftware\EAC, and delete it…

6. Run EAC.exe from the EAC main directory.

·o· Upon running EAC for the first time, a setup wizard will appear. Close it by clicking Cancel, and close and restart EAC.

·o· After restarting, re-run the config wizard by clicking EAC -> Configuration Wizard then click Next.

·o· EAC will now list all CD drives it found in your system. Check which drive you feel is best (i.e. the newest, fastest, name brand) then click Next.

·o· At the “Extraction Preferences” window, select I prefer to have accurate results then click Next.

·o· At the “Feature Database” window, select Use these values to configure this drive then click Next.

·o· At the “Drive Rating” window, click Next.

·o· At the “Encoder Configuration” window, uncheck Install and configure… and click Next.

·o· At the “freedb Configuration” window, type “.@.”. In fact, you can leave the field blank. Click Next.

·o· Finally, select I am an expert, let me use the full potential of EAC and click Finish to close the wizard.

8. EAC / EAC options:

Extraction tab

“Error recovery quality”: High

General tab

“On unknown CDs,”: CHECK (then change the radio value to “automatically access online freedb database”)
“Beep after extraction finished”: UNCHECK
“Eject CD after extraction finished”: CHECK

Tools tab

“Automatically write status report after extraction”: CHECK

Filename tab

“Naming scheme”: %A – %Y – %C\%A – %N – %T

Directories tab

“Use this directory”: “c:\eac rips” (or any other directory you’d like – just make sure it’s a local drive). I’ll reference this as the EAC rips directory in the rest of this article. If the directory doesn’t already exist, you’ll be prompted to create it when you click the Interface tab in the next step.

Interface tab

Confirm that “Installed external ASPI interface” is selected and grayed out.

Click OK to close the EAC Options window.

—

9. EAC / Drive options:

Information window

“Show this information next time”: UNCHECK

Extraction Method tab

“Drive has ‘Accurate Stream’ feature”: CHECK (this may already be checked and grayed out, which is fine)
“Drive caches audio data”: CHECK
“Drive is capable of retrieving C2 error information”: UNCHECK

Note: The way I understand it, it’s difficult to determine if a drive truly supports these features, so it’s generally recommended to use these settings initially, and change them if needed (based on the results of the log file). See step 12 for more detailed information.

Drive tab

“Spin up drive before extraction”: CHECK

Note: Enabling this makes sense to me, to get the drive “warmed up”, but if you observe that the beginning of a song is missing (or corrupt, or has glitches), uncheck this option to see if that helps.

Offset / Speed tab

“Allow speed reduction during extraction”: UNCHECK

Note: This should make a significant difference during the extraction (audio CD -> .wav file) phase.

Click OK to close the Drive Options window.

10. Look at the top-left of EAC and note which drive is selected. Insert a pristine, factory pressed audio CD (NOT a burned disc) in that drive. A freedb window should briefly appear then disappear. If not, you may have the CD in the wrong drive, so try another. If the tracks are listed in the main window, then you’re using the correct drive.

11. Solely for testing purposes, click the first track then press Shift+F5 to rip it to a .wav file (which will be in the EAC rips directory). After the CD ejects, click OK and confirm that “No errors occured” is displayed.

12. Click OK again then go to your EAC rips directory, open the log file, and note the “Read mode”. If it’s “Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache” you’re good to go. Otherwise, return to EAC / Drive Options / Extraction Method tab and check or uncheck the respective incorrect options(s), then rip the first track again the same way. Check the newly-created log file and confirm the “Read mode” is “Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache”.

13. EAC / Compression Options

External Compression tab

“Use external program for compression”: CHECK

“Parameter passing scheme”: User Defined Encoder (far bottom choice)

“Program, including path, used for compression”: Browse to your EAC main directory, then double-click “lame.exe”. The field should then read “C:\eac-0.95b4\lame.exe”.

“Additional command line options: -V2 --vbr-new --add-id3v2 --pad-id3v2 --ta "%a" --tt "%t" --tg "%m" --tl "%g" --ty "%y" --tn "%n" %s %d

“Use CRC check”: UNCHECK

“Add ID3 tag”: UNCHECK

Note: IDE tags are handled via the LAME command line options above. It’s better to let LAME handle this instead of EAC.

“Check for external programs return code”: CHECK

Click OK to close the Compression Options window.

14. Download/install AccurateRip, carefully following the post-installation instructions.

More information is available here.

In conclusion, note that the online freedb database is helpful, but don’t trust the submissions. You’ll see that there are plenty of tpyos to be found! As far as capitalization is concerned, I recommend following the format of whatever is on the CD itself (i.e. if the tracks are all UPPERCASE, lowercase, Or a Mixture). Double check the spelling of the CD Title, CD Artist, and Titles (track names). If you’ve made changes to an existing database entry, or if there was no previous database entry, be sure to submit your changes to the freedb by pressing Alt+U.

SyncBackSE and my backup strategy

May 1, 2007 in Software by modul8r | 2 comments

Don’t count on your flash drive or hard drive lasting forever. They will die sooner or later, I promise you, at the worst possible time, when you need your data the most. Your important data should be backed up regularly, to a separate storage medium.

I am a proud user/owner of SyncBackSE, enough to write this post to highly recommend it. Every month it automatically backs up certain (what I’ve deemed to be important) data from my file server and flash drive, to a couple of external USB 2.0 hard drives. Speaking of which, I do not recommend ADS Tech brand external USB hard drive enclosures. I had 3 in a row that exhibited an issue of losing connectivity to the PC. Although this was finally resolved by them sending me a different model (that’s been working fine), it left a bad taste in my mouth. The support wasn’t great either – slow response. The AcomData, however, (my second enclosure) has been working like a charm since day one. I know, they probably use many identical components, but that’s what brands do – they remind you of something good or bad and you stick with what works (or doesn’t).

Back to the topic of backups, in the event of an emergency, I can take those two drives with me. So, basically, I’m protected from data loss if anything happens to my file server or flash drive, but somewhat prone to natural disasters. Ideally, those two drives should be stored off-site and only taken home once a month. Any volunteers? Erin?

A great feature of SyncBackSE is that it compares the source data to the backup data and only moves files that have been changes, and/or new files. This saves time and results in less reads/writes. And for $30, how can you go wrong? So far, it’s shown no problems interacting with my Linux-based, network-attached NASLite+ file server.

If you’re looking for a stable, inexpensive software backup solution, try it free for 30 days (do let me know if the link dies). If you aren’t, this is a good reminder that you should, unless, of course, you don’t care about losing your data!

Battlefield 2 tips. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

May 1, 2007 in Gaming by modul8r | No comments

This was originally a forum post for my BF2 clanmates. I was going through miscellaneous files on my flash drive and decided to publish it here as well.

bf2_logo.gif

1. Playing Infantry…

Against Artillery: As soon as you hear the first whistle of an artillery shell, RUN AWAY from the flag. If there’s a wall to jump over or a hill nearby, head in that direction and jump (to quickly increase the distance between yourself and the flag). If there’s a building with a door/room nearby, go inside of there for cover. Something else – if the commander is hitting you with artillery often, do something about it. Blow up his assets as Special Forces. Try to bring along a Support player and a Medic Player. Someone’s gotta do it, so it may as well be you if no-one else is up to the challenge.

Against enemy choppers: After a short while of playing on a new server (or a new map, etc.) you can get an idea of if the enemy has a good chopper pilot or not. If he’s “raping” your team, you need to react to this and get defensive. A good chopper pilot (and gunner, for that matter) can add a lot of power to a team. Try to stay near the TOW – be prepared to shoot that chopper down. If you are weak with these weapons, get some practice with them, because they are not to be overlooked. Just note that a good chopper pilot/gunner knows where they are, so you’ll have to be quick! Also, don’t overlook Humvees and Vodniks – the machine guns on them eat through choppers and, better yet, they don’t “alert” the chopper of your presence (such as a missle does). Just make sure to not sit out in the open – drive your vehicle into a secluded spot. At the very least, it will distract the chopper and make him get repaired, which is a good defensive play.

Against Tanks/APCs: Use buildings and objects to your advantage as defense. You are much quicker than these vehicles, so it’s easy to escape. Be aware of the “splash damage” that APCs have – hiding behind a corner may not be helpful enough – you may have to run away further. Always spot these vehicles so that your Anti-Tank and Special Forces teammates can take them out. Note where their turrets are facing if you are going to try to C4 it. If possible, take out the gunner of the tank when he’s not looking in your direction. If you are Anti-Tank, don’t keep hitting him from the same spot. Run around the building, fence, etc. and hit him from a different direction each time. Don’t just shoot at them aimlessly – check out this link, which shows the sweet spots. If I recall correctly, you want to hit the APC either in the front wheel well (right above the front tire) or where the turret meets the frame in the front. For tanks, aim at the treads from the front of rear – not the side. I think where the turret meets the frame is a good spot too for hitting tanks. Last, if he’s “sitting on a supply crate”, blow it up!

Movement: Always have a goal of where you’re going. Don’t wander around aimlessly. If you aren’t sure, find a safe spot to hide, go prone, look at the map and decide where your goal is. Ideally you will be in a squad with a squad leader, so you’ll have a waypoint, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out this way. I find it’s better so stick to the side of buildings and objects when you’re moving, as opposed to running in the middle of a street or open area. Be aware of your surroundings and use them to your advantage. For example, if you are in the middle of the road, people can see you from all angles (360 degrees). If you are on the side of a building, then (theoretically) enemies can only see you 50% less (180 degrees) – this also means you have less of an area to watch for enemies, which is good – it’s easier to focus on a smaller area.

Grenades: Get familiar with aiming them first off, of course. They are very useful when you run into a large group of enemies or you see an enemy Medic running up to revive someone – time it so right after he’s revived, they both get blown up by the nade. Don’t “spam” them though because that’s just annoying and doesn’t take much skill … I guess an exception is if you are covering a flag and you are a Support kit on top of a roof – it makes tactical sense then.

2. Playing Tank/APC…

Defensive tips against Anti-Tank and Special Forces: When you’re in closed quarters and/or capturing a flag, press F10 to switch to the outside view. This will help you see if there’s a Special Forces enemy sneaking up on you trying to plant C4 on your vehicle. It also helps spot Anti-Tank enemies. I also like to move back and forth while staying in the perimeter of the flag to capture it, instead of just staying still. This way, if a SF is running toward me and I’m already moving toward him, I just keep advancing and run him over. If I’m already headed the other way I just keep moving in that direction then blast him when there’s enough distance between us.

Engineer: Play Engineer, of course, and try to stay near other vehicles so you can keep them repaired. Hopefully they are informed enough and they are Engineer as well, so they can help you as well. If your vehicle has 50% health or less, retreat to an area that’s not usually populated, hop out and repair your vehicle. Don’t forget to drop AT mines in hot spots.

Don’t be a lone wolf: Tanks are great supporting infrantry (and vice versa). This way, your fellow infantry can help ward off enemy Anti-Tank kits and Special Forces kits. And, in case there’s a hostile vehicle/armor, you are there to protect them.

Use your weapons properly: Remember that the APC has a nasty rocket (right-click) – not just the turret. Use that against enemy APCs and enemy Tanks. Don’t waste it on enemy vehicles though.

Ground Defense weapons (i.e. TOW, HJ-8): Be are of where they are and take them out as soon as you see them (unless your friendly infantry are there defending that flag, of course).

AT mines: Watch out for them! Get in the habit of looking at the ground ahead of you (not just for enemies). Note that if you are Engineer you can use your wrench to disable them – be careful though of getting out of your vehicle! This works best when you are an Engineer playing gunner.

If you are faced against multiple Anti-Tank enemies, or you keep getting hit by one guy and you can’t see him, move elsewhere. Chances are, if you stick around, you’re toast. You want the element of surprise, and with you being spotted on the enemies radar, the surprise is gone. Go get repaired and move along somewhere else.

3. Playing attack chopper (pilot and gunner)…

Move, move move. Don’t hover or else you’re a sitting duck and you’ll have to start avoiding Anti-Tank kits instead of just Ground Defense weapons. Get in the habit of taking out Ground Defense weapons (namely the TOW) as you pass by them, regardless if someone is in it.

Dog fights (against other choppers): ELEVATE. You are in a better defensive position being more elevated than your opponent’s chopper. The basic procedure is to strafe either left or right to dodge their (potential) TV guide missle, then sit still for a second while your gunner shoots a TV guided missle, then strafe the opposite direction. Rinse and repeat … and keep elevating.

When you have 50% armor or less get healed.

Communicate with your fellow pilot/gunner!

Give support to your squads. Both choppers may as well not even be in the game if you are just going to dog fight an enemy chopper.

4. Playing transport chopper…

These things can be great assets if used properly. Drop snipers on tall buildings. Move troops from capture point to capture point and capture flags quickly.

5. General tips…

Don’t be afraid to retreat when you are at a disadvantage. I’m sure we’re all guilty of this. We either want revenge on someone that just killed us, or we feel like Rambo. It’s a hard habit to break but once you do, you’re rewarded for it because you have less deaths (therefore a better score and better stats), in addition to the fact that the enemy (and their team) will get less points, which is important for maps like Sharqi where that’s what matters. Example: You turn around a corner and see 2 guys who see you. Statistically, they have a better chance of killing you then you do of them. So why risk it? There is no shame in retreating – “live to fight another day”. Since I adopted this approach, I realized how helpful it is. Usually I get hit a few times but it’s OK because I find a Medic or med kit and I’m good-to-go.

6. BF2S… There’s a lot of useful information on the BF2S wiki (http://wiki.bf2s.com). Additionally, there are plenty of “kit guides” etc. on the BF2S forums (http://forums.bf2s.com). Highly recommended.