As you may know, I live in the big city of New York and our proud mayor has instituted the 311 service for the greater New York’s 5 boroughs. 311 is a number for city residents to dial to contact local government agency’s to report problems or to see non-emergency help. Bloomberg thought that it would be an easy number to remember and it consolidates all the city’s resources together in one number, not a bad idea!

But recently switching to ViaTalk VoIP, the 311 service was not activated by default, or I should say that ViaTalk didn’t have that feature. I then searched hoping to find a quick solution. I noticed that Vontage, the current leader in VoIP had the 311 feature so at that point I knew it was possible to somehow hack ViaTalk’s Linksys PAP2 VoIP device to get 311 working.

I have not gotten done yet simply because I need my Linksys PAP2 password from ViaTalk, they are currently receiving heavy call volumes due to SunRocket’s customer contract buyouts. I called this Sunday afternoon and I was 22nd in line for their phone support. So if anyone wants to hack the PAP2, I have the directions and you must have the password for your PAP2, if you don’t you will have to submit a support ticket or call to get your password. I have started a ticket about 2 weeks ago, still no response, so good luck with that. But if you already have your password, then read on.

The 3-1-1 number is just a short cut for this number (212) NEW YORK or (212) 639-9675.

1. Login to your Linksys PAP2 via the IP address (http://192.168.0.xxx/admin/).
2. Go to the dial plan section. Becareful not to edit what is already on there.
3. Add the following line to the existing dial plan.
4. |<311:12126399675>|
5. Apply, Save and Exit

As a temporary fix until you get the PAP2 password from ViaTalk, you can setup speed dial to 2126399675. This tutorial will essentially work for all 311 services from any city, you will just have to figure our their local number and then replace NY’s number with your city’s number.

I will post screenshots of the process once I get my password from ViaTalk.

To read more about the Linksys PAP2 Dial Plan, see here.

After several instances of failed attempts to install Beryl on my openSUSE machine, I’ve finally had time and decided to try compiz-fusion. Compiz-fusion is a combination of Compiz and Beryl which are both enhancements of different window managers in linux using C and OpenGL technology. Compiz is no different from Beryl and Compiz-fusion is a Beryl with plugins from Compiz.

Before I go into the steps to install it, I’d like to map out my current system specifications first:

Processor: Pentium 4 3.0e HT
Memory: 1Gb DDR PC3200
Video: GeForce 4 MX AGP

As you can see, the specs are not that great, my processor is about 3 years old, the graphics card is about 4 but it runs flawlessly with the default settings of Beryl Manager and Emerald Themes. The developers made sure that you didn’t need “Vista Aero” type cards to run it which is great!

Okay, here comes the installation part, these exact steps worked for me. If you follow some tutorials online, there are extra steps that mess up your installation so if you have similar hardware like mine, then follow them. I will assume that you have nVidia graphics drivers for openSUSE already installed.

1) Add “http://software.opensuse.org/download/X11:/XGL/openSUSE_10.2/” to your YaST repositories.

2) Search in YaST and install the following: (Make sure no other Beryl installation is installed)

• beryl-core-snapshot
• beryl-plugins-snapshot
• emerald-snapshot : window decorator
• emerald-themes-snapshot
• aquamarine-snapshot
• beryl-settings-snapshot
• beryl-manager-snapshot

3) Enter the terminal or konsole under super-user mode and run the following:

	nvidia-xconfig --composite

	nvidia-xconfig --allow-glx-with-composite

 	nvidia-xconfig --render-accel

	nvidia-xconfig --add-argb-glx-visuals

	rcxdm restart

	beyrl-manager

	beryl

Thats it, by this point, beryl manager should be running and beryl should work without a problem. I have consolidated many steps into 3 simple steps that are easy to do. Feel free to post any questions or problems you may be having and I will be glad to troubleshoot it.

Currently migrating files from Windows hard drive.. goodbye Windows.

Yet another edition of one of my tutorials. This time, we will hack the Motorola phones from Verizon and get it working using the internet without Mobile Web (a $5 service from Verizon). There are two proxies you can use freely that are popular, the Google one and the Yahoo one. I’ve been using the Google one for almost a year now and it works well except I cannot access Gmail on it. So I’m gonna come up with instructions on how to do it using Yahoo’s proxy.

To get to the menu to hack the phone, press Menu > 073887* quickly and enter the default password which is “000000” then go to Web Sessions. This will only work on certain Motorola phones, I’m using the Motorola E815. So before I start, for those of you who wants to use Google, my current configuration is this:

Gateway IP 1: 64.233.167.99
Service Type 1: HTTP
Port 1: 80
E2E Port 1: 9201
LXL Port 1: 9201

Yahoo’s Proxy ::

Gateway IP 1: 66.94.234.13 (Still Searching For Yahoo’s IP)
Service Type 1: HTTP
Port 1: 80
E2E Port 1: 9201
LXL Port 1: 9201

Save the session, make it as default and use Google as your WAP. It’s free but airtime minutes still apply, so does with Mobile Web so use it after 9PM or when important!

It’s been a year since I’ve used ViaTalk’s VoIP service and I just wanted to write a little about my experiences on the revolutionary VoIP system. When I applied for ViaTalk exactly one year ago, the company was practically new. VoIP had just been introduced to the mainstream public not too long ago before that. Some of the big companies out there that provide VoIP are Vontage and SunRocket.

Well, you may ask, What is VoIP? VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, this technology allows you to use your existing broadband internet connection and use it as a connection for your house or business phone. It’s different from services like Skype because with Skype, you do need your computer on with the program running. With VoIP, it completely replaces your traditional home phone. Some of the advantages of VoIP over the traditional phone is that it’s cheaper, plans feature unlimited calling and it has all the features you can ask for on a phone. Except that it doesn’t use your wall jack, it uses your ethernet jack with your DSL or Cable provider. Changes are is that you already subscribe to broadband internet already so your not paying for more.

Now that you have a clearer understanding of how VoIP works, it’s focus on ViaTalk. ViaTalk, again is a company that’s just about a year old coming out of it’s Beta. The company who owns it is actually a web hosting company, HostRocket. ViaTalk’s service has been really solid over the past year, the only problems I had with them were problems earlier on. I can see that VoIP technology has really evolved, I’ve been receiving better quality calls and few downtime periods. ViaTalk is particularly great because of it’s quality and amount of features for it’s price. They would occasionally offer deals such as $199 for 2 years of service! Which is great because with my old Verizon land line service, I would pay like $50 a month for normal phone service which doesn’t include features such as unlimited calling, 3 way calling or caller ID.

I would defiantly recommend VoIP to anyone. The technology has really evolved into something that you can depend on nowadays. ViaTalk is exceptionally good and I have tried many. Don’t go with Vontage because they charge a lot and their call quality sucks, they were one of the first VoIP companies but surely they did not do it right!

Sign up for ViaTalk’s VoIP today. Click here for special offers.

What do you do next after installing a fresh copy of Windows XP SP2 from the installation CD supplied by Microsoft ?

Chances are that you’ll connect to the Windows Update website and wait for your computer to download and install the hundreds of security patches / updates released by the Windows team since the launch of XP SP2. Imagine if you have do repeat the exercise on your laptop.

One of the options we discussed sometime back was AutoPatcher XP – it contains all Windows XP hotfixes neatly packaged into an Microsoft style installer. Just run the program over your existing copy of XP SP2 and it will patch it with all the available Windows updates without connecting to the computer.

The only issue with AutoPatcher XP is that it takes two steps – you first have to install the XP SP2 on a computer and then run the AutoPatcher XP program to patch the Windows installation. How about combining them into a single step ?

Enter RyanVM MSFN pack – Unlike AutoPatcher XP which updates your Windows XP SP2 installation, RyanVM’s pack will integrate all patches and hotfixes into your installation CD itself [also called slipstreaming]

This post XP SP2 patch slipstream option is supported for English versions of Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. Life would have been much smoother had Microsoft not delayed the release of Windows XP SP3 but until then, you can build the XP SP3 installer disk with RyanVM.

– Digital Inspiration

As a frequent seller on eBay, I visit the site, a few times a week. When I got to the “my eBay” page, I noticed a little widget for bloggers. It’s ToGo from eBay which features a flash listing of a single item of my choice and displays it in a nice looking box in a blog.

Making the button was an easy process but putting the flash object code into WordPress was difficult because of syntax issues. Anyhow, take a look at this Ford Mustang. It’s obviously not my Mustang! Just an item I chose to test the widget with.

Gmail is again and again proving itself to be the best web based email service since email was introduced to the world! This time, they have a Gmail Free Paper version of your email that can be sent to you through snail mail.

Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing it back.

A New Button
Now in Gmail, you can request a physical copy of any message with the click of a button, and we’ll send it to you in the mail.

Simplicity Squared
Google will print all messages instantly and prepare them for delivery. Allow 2-4 business days for a parcel to arrive via post.

Total Control
A stack of Gmail Paper arrives in a box at your doorstep, and it’s yours to keep forever. You can read it, sort it, search it, touch it. Or even move it to the trash—the real trash. (Recycling is encouraged.)

Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe
Google takes privacy very seriously. But once your email is physically in your hands, it’s as secure as you want to make it.

I checked for the feature but as of now, it is still something to look forward too!

APRIL FOOLS! 

I use the Mozilla Firefox web browser and I love everything about it! It’s a full featured browser that follows all HTML rules unlike Microsoft IE and it has a full range of different add-ons that you can install to make your web experience easier. I believe that my specific configuration of Mozilla Firefox makes my daily internet surfing activities safe! A good set of security features and a alert sense in browsing makes your computer almost unvurnerable to worms, spyware and viruses.

The one thing I hate are add-on tool bars, I suggest never installing any of them because most of them are spyware tools that either makes your computer slower or simply block your browsers viewing space. If you have too, then, the Yahoo, Google or MSN tool bars are okay to download.

Here is the main feature presentation, the 5 plugins TONY CAI uses! :

• Adblock - Once installed, it’s a snap to filter elements at their source-address.
  Just right-click: Adblock: done. Filters use either the wildcard character (*)
  or full Regular Expression syntax. Hit the status-element and see what has or
  hasn’t been blocked.
• Adblock Filter.G Updater – This is a companion extension to Adblock or Adblock Plus and should be used in conjunction with it. This extension automatically downloads the latest version of Filterset.G every 4-7 days. Filterset.G is an excellent set of filters maintained by G for Adblock that blocks most ads on the internet.
• Fasterfox – Fasterfox allows you to tweak many network and rendering settings such as simultaneous connections, pipelining, cache, DNS cache, and initial paint delay. Dynamic speed increases can be obtained with the unique prefetching mechanism, which recycles idle bandwidth by silently loading and caching all of the links on the page you are browsing.
• Google Notebook – With Google Notebook, you can browse, clip, and organize information from across the web in a single online location that’s accessible from any computer. Planning a trip? Researching a product? Just add clippings to your notebook. You don’t ever have to leave your browser window.
• Verizon Wireless Minutes Used – This plugin allows you to view the minutes used on your cell phone plan on the bottom bar of Firefox. Other carriers are available as well; Cingular, T-Mobile. Very easy and convent to use, never go over your minutes again!

So yeah, those are all the plugins I use for ease and security. Go have a try at it!

How about changing your DNS servers so it can block porn and other unsafe websites from being accessed on your computer? It can be done with ScrubIT! It works just like OpenDNS where you have to configure your DNS servers.

If you want to configure it manually, the DNS servers to use are:

67.138.54.100 and 207.225.209.66

“ScrubIT is a FREE recursive DNS server that regulates what comes into your home or business. ScrubIT “scrubs” the internet so you don’t have to be concerned about what your family members or employees will be confronted with.

We currently profile several million websites and by default block out any pornographic, phishing, and many other potentially harmful sites. Users who wish to customize which sites are blocked and allowed may sign up for our BETA and customize their ScrubIT experience.”

The service is of course free. See more about ScrubIt here!

Joost’s concept of the TV on a PC is amazing! I will update this post as I trial it further.

P.S: I have Beta Account Invitations, if interested please leave me a comment!

Download it for Windows XP here.