How to install Witopia OpenVPN on a Linux computer

I got these instructions from Witopia’s customer support after trying to install it myself for what seemed like an eternity. Good luck!

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Here are instructions on how to install in Gnome (tested on Ubunutu 9.04)

All you need to install is network-manager-openvpn.

1. install network-manager-openvpn (sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn -y)

2. reboot the machine (yes you could reboot the eth interface, but just easier)

3. copy the unpacked vpn files (ca.crt, (name).crt, (name).key and opevpn.conf to a folder (Documents/openvpn for example).

4. create a new VPN connection (do not import) choosing openvpn

5. input the default value from your folder you created above. Using vpn.(insert location)witopia.net as the gateway - (locations =http://wiki.personalvpn.net/wiki/Changing_Gateways)

6. ignore the password field at the bottom

7. Click advanced on the main screen

8. click ONLY the LZO compression option

9. click on the IPv4 tab, and then routes

10. choose to ignore routes created and click ok

11. click ok to accept the new settings, and close on the network manager

That’s it! Now click on the icon for the network, and use the drop down to choose the name of the vpn. You should see a gold ring go around a couple times, and then a lock appear.

Blackberry Storm USB Mass Storage Mode doesn’t work on Windows

So I have a Blackberry Storm that was having problems with it’s Mass Storage Mode. All the settings were showing that it should work, but for some reason, it was not. When I’d connect it to the computer, the phone wouldn’t show up in the “Computer” section, and autoplay wouldn’t pop up either. After quite a long time of searching, I found a forum which discussed and (with the help of Sri420 over at the Support Forums at Blackberry.com), I found a fix.

 

Click this link right here and follow the instructions!

Bamboo Pen stops responding with Windows 7

Every once in a while, for whatever reason, my Bamboo Pen stops responding. I happen to use Windows 7, and I’m not exactly sure why this happens. What I DO know is how to fix it.

Open up your “Bamboo Preference File Utility” ("C:\Program Files\Tablet\Pen\PrefUtil.exe")

Once that opens, under “All User Preferences”, click “Remove”.

This will reset all your settings, but your Bamboo Pen should start right back up!

Good Luck!

Dell Inspiron 1420 Bluetooth Issue

So I did something wrong a while back on my Bluetooth icon which appear in the lower icon of my desktop. I asked to remove the link or something like that. After I did that, I could never get it back. Bluetooth Radio was not working and I could not find it anywhere! This was super frustrating, but I figured out how to fix it by going to this website:

 

http://codereflect.com/2009/01/17/what-you-can-do-if-your-dell-laptop-doesnt-show-bluetooth-device-after-re-installing-windows-vista/

 

In that article the author directs you to this download: Download and install it and the icon will come right back!

 

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R159805&SystemID=INSPIRONI6400/E1505&servicetag=&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=12084&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=5&fileid=213714

 

Good luck!

Dell Inspiron 1420 Overheating

Hello everyone!

If you are having issues with your Dell Inspiron overheating quite easily, CLEAN THE DUST OUT OF THE FAN!

It’s very easy to do.

Remove your battery first. Make sure you touch something metal so you don’t shock your computer and ruin it.

Flip your computer upside down and remove the piece on the bottom that looks like an “L”.

When that comes off, you’ll see a lot of metal, but you just need to carefully unscrew the four main screws you see, then remove that part and find any and all dust and get it out of there. When you clean it all out, carefully replace the parts and it should be fine again!

My computer was overheating often to the point where it would just shut down. I found a chunk about 1/4” thick and 1” wide  in there. After I removed it, it doesn’t even get close to hot.

My Thoughts on Our Neighbors

There is a popular verse in the bible (as it should be, being the second greatest commandment) which surfaces in several areas of the bible, one area of which is Matthew 22:36-40.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Other variations would include "Treat your neighbor as you want to be treated".

I think as time has changed, our culture has changed, and our idea of how to walk this out has become warped at times. It depends on the person and the time and the situation, but I do believe it can be easily misunderstood.

The reality is, though, that not every person was made the same way and not every person has the same preference. To treat the world as if your preferences are the only preferences that exist seems silly, doesn't it? It does to me, but I think that we as a culture often do this.

Not everyone appreciates brutal honesty. Not everyone is as direct as you are. You think brutal honesty and directness is best? Well, that's because that's your personality. Not everyone shares this view. Some people don't mind if you are a complete stranger and you tell them exactly what they are doing wrong and how to fix it. I'd say that in my experience it seems to be a very small percentage of people though.

Really, though, if you guys don't mind me re-wording this today for our culture, I'd say, "Love your neighbor how they want to be loved" or "Treat your neighbor how they want to be treated." That's what love is anyways, isn't it? Fulfilling something within that person?

I won't go buy my wife Jenny an awesome new computer game for her birthday or our anniversary or on Mother's Day because to her, that's like a cruel joke. I would love to get a game though! I should treat her just like I want to be treated! Well, I don't think that's the point of the verse. Treating others how we want to be treated isn't completely accurate.

Did someone post a blog that you didn't like or did they post a note on Facebook that you think is totally wrong, and it needs to be corrected NOW? Maybe at times, but consider how they feel. Don't assume that they want to hear the brutal, direct, honest, truth no matter what the cost, even if that's what you prefer. There are other personalities out there.

Take time to know the people around you. Do you want them to be happy? Do you want to share your opinions with them? Do so in a way that is loving to their personality, not yours.

Of course, this is only one facet of verse 39, but I think it's a very important aspect of loving our neighbors.

BlackBerry Storm Screen Doesn't Click Properly!

For those of you who have a BlackBerry Storm (1), you might notice that the screen clicks really well in some places, and somehow the corners don't click really well at all. You sometimes need to really press hard to get it to respond, etc.

I found a little trick out to make it click perfectly!

Remove your battery and tear up four small pieces of paper (a little smaller in size than your battery) put those pieces of paper underneath your battery. It should work perfectly! (If not, try adjusting how many pieces of paper you use.)

3 Great websites for Learning Chinese

Here are three websites that really helped me in my Chinese studies.

1. Mandarin Tools - This is the site I use whenever I want to look up Chinese characters or their pin yin and translate them into characters, pin yin, or English.

2. Chinese Pod - I used this site to listen to their free podcasts. Listening to all those podcasts really helped me out when I first started. If you are interested in investing money into it, you can pay this site some money to upgrade your account to something suitable for your level of chinese.

3. Skritter - i use this site to learn chinese characters. i haven't found a site like it to this day. they test you on your character knowledge by saying something in chinese at which point you need to write the character out with your mouse or trackpad, etc. it sounds a little difficult, but it's actually really easy to get the hang of it!

6 Tips for Effectively Packing Your Luggage

Among all of our trips and our house relocations, I've found that:
1) We do this way too much!
2) We really have this packing thing down! (It's an art, really.)

We have packed up all of our possessions that we own and moved them to a completely new vacation via commercial flights over eight separate times!

I wanted to share the wisdom we have had with some hopefully very helpful tips for you travellers.

1. Give yourself a head start! - Around a week before the departure time, get yourself a week's worth of clothes out and start packing! Pack your clothes for your trip a week ahead of time. You'll wear your week's worth of clothes during this time. During this time you can also use those your "packing clothes" to wrap your valuables in so you can protect them during the process of flying! You want to save yourself all the stress you can, and you want to be an effective and efficient packer!

2. Roll your clothes. - I bet many of you would really be surprised when you find how much your luggage can really hold! Fold your clothes so they are longer than they are wide, and roll them up! Tightly pack them into your luggage as a bottom layer or more if necessary. (They also make a nice protective barrier!) If you tip your luggage up so it's standing, you want to start packing the bottom side of your luggage. That way when you start rolling your luggage along, gravity won't kill your secure packing job!

3. Larger and thinner clothes - Use your large flat/thin clothes and fabrics to put on top and tuck those rolled up clothes in! Pretend you are tucking your rolled up clothes in for bedtime, as you would a child. This prevents shifting which helps if, heaven forbid, you need to rethink your packing, etc. These would be blankets, dresses, thinner long-sleeved shirts, etc.

4. Cram socks and underwear into your shoes - Anything inside your luggage that can contain anything else should be crammed with clothes, etc!

5. Making weight - Buy a luggage scale. They are around $20 and they will save you a lot of time and stress! These luggage scales are handles with straps or hooks so you can lift your luggage and find out the exact weight. Standing on a scale with your luggage in hand and subtracting your weight is not really efficient and not really accurate. Sure, it works at times, but sometimes it doesn't and you'll get stuck with a fee that was double (or more) the price of a luggage scale.

6. Utilize your carry-on - Your carry-on is not for bringing convenient things with you on the plane so you are not bored. (Not in my mind!) Your carry-on is for the heaviest things you can think of! (But make sure you'll be able to lift it into the overhead compartment, or that it'll fit under your seat!) Use a personal item (purse or briefcase or laptop bag) to hold all the things that will keep your mind busy during the flight.

I hope these tips help you all out. Sometimes there is not much you can do - you have to bring extra suitcases and/or go overweight. If you have extra tips or questions, please comment on this post!