CDWMobile

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has not only evolved into the essential core structure of any enterprise, but also very valuable experience for any individual.

Over the last year I have slowly built on a wifi mapping project that was originally designed to fulfill some class requirements. The idea was never official spawned, but instead it translated from one project to another. I slowly collected the best known locations of wireless access points within a predefined area of Reston, VA. The data was collected using a Sprint Mogul Phone and some war driving software. The data was converted to an XML file which was eventually imported into a Geodatabase. Over time, I added to the database, defined some methods to assign values, and preformed some spatial analysis. Read more and see the results after the break.

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Anyone else sicking of disguising their email address any time they post in a forum, blog, ebay, or etc – all because of the spammers the crawl the net for e-mail addresses!?!? I am. No longer will my contact information read : CDWMobile (a@T) G ma il (d0t) c0m!!!

I stumbled upon this nice little email icon generator. Input your username, select the domain from a drop down menu, and hit generate. Now you’ve got a quick replacement for that contact info. They supply you with a url to the hosted image, or allow you to download the image so you can host it yourself. They don’t offer an option to add domains, most of the generics are listed: Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, Verizon, ATT, Comcast, just to name a few.

Heres my new icon:

All I can say is congratulations to the two million people that bought OS X leopard in the last four days since release. I too found myself craving Leopard. My wife and I made a trip to the local Compusa, the night of release, with the intent to purchase Leopard for her Macbook. With the apple goodies being so close, we left with a new little addition to our apple family – a Mac mini. Its going to be a nice little media center/server. Now we’re graced with as many Leopard machines as we have XP machines.

In celebration I have compiled a list of software I find essential for each new Mac that joins our family. The list after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

While some may argue that OS X Tiger is already a Vista killer, the real test will be the official role out and advertising of Leopard. We know that Vista has already had a hard time capturing the market, especially with the rising popularity of other operating systems, but will OS X 10.5 literally kill Microsoft’s new love child?

Why OS X may kill vista:

• The rise of ‘alternative’ operating systems has already helped to grab the attention of many potential customers. For years, the Mac and PC users have been heavily divided. Everyone that owned a PC hated macs for compatibility reason, and Mac owners had a predefined, automated response to simply disgrace PCs. This instinct of hatred made it uncomfortable for users to even question what the ‘dark side’ may be like. Unfortunately most PC and Mac owners shared one small flaw, the misconception that OS X and XP were the only offerings for the masses. Within the last 18 months the Internet communities have started to recognize some Linux distribution as a legitimate option – with good reasoning. Ubuntu, and other ‘newbie friendly’ distros have made it possible for a wider range of PC users to at least try Linux, especially with their risk free live CD options. All of this has created a strange curiosity amongst computer users and with it, the brand loyalty has slowly started to fade. Now a respectable PC user can consider purchasing a Mac without feeling like he’s dishonoring his ancestors. Read the rest of this entry »

A very powerful tool that many seem to overlook is Gmail’s labels. The feature its self is very simple. Its shares a similar function to the ‘folder’ system you’ll find in many other email services. You add a label to an email which then gives you access to it quickly in the future. The labels are linked to on the main interface within Gmail and can be searched directly through Gmail’s search feature. One of the biggest additions to labels, over the standard folder, is the option to add multiple labels to a single email. Below you’ll find a quick how to and some basics tips I use in my every day Gmailing life.
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For those of you looking for a SkyFire Beta Code, this may be your lucky day. I was looking through the skyfire forum and the admin posted a beta code because of Michael Phelps and his 8 Golds. Enjoy!
1- Visit:
http://www.skyfire.com/sign-up

2- Pick the OS you need’
3- During signup it will ask for a beta code use:
Michael8

For those of you that haven’t heard of this new service, Unwiredbuyer.com is a new way for you to mobily bid on ebay auctions. You never have to miss the end of an auction again. Unwired is an Ebay compatible application which works side by side with your ebay account and cell phone. Anytime you watch an item on ebay, unwired watches it for you as well. Then during the last few mins of auction, unwired can either send you a text message reminding you its ending, call your phone and allow you to bid over the phone, or both.

Unwiredbuyer.com has been receiving amazing reviews. Ebay even awarded it the Honors for Most Innovative Apps in its Developers Challenge of 2006.

Now Unwiredbuyer.com has made the deal a little sweeter. They normally encourage new customers by offering a $10 reward for your first completed bid. Now they’ve doubled it to $20! At first I was a little skeptical. ‘Do I have to fill out a bunch of forms?’ – ‘Do I have to complete promotional requirements like with the free xbox stuff?’ – ‘Do they release the $20 a few cents at a time over a period of use?’…. I was suprised to find it very simple. Its a normal registration process. You then have to put an item on your ‘watch list’ on ebay. Then just answer the phone when they call a few minutes before you auction ends and follow the automated bidding process.
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