User:Timeshifter

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 * Note: 

sɹnoʎ ǝɹɐ splɹoʍ ǝsǝɥʇ﻿ llɐ




 * Notes. Feel free to comment or ask questions on my talk page. See User talk:Timeshifter. I put my user pages in the public domain. Copy/edit/transfer any or all parts anywhere.


 * Welcome to the Village, and the Weirding Way. The videos are better at the source pages sometimes (higher video resolution, larger video sizes, full-screen options, better audio, less video stuttering). Click the Youtube and other links. Playing with the presets in your audio settings while listening to a tune can be fun, too.

See also:
 * last.fm/user/sproutheart - Play sproutheart's radio. See loved tracks.

Baked, not fried. I am a volunteer sysop-admin at the Cannabis Wiki. Just another guy with a PC. Have PC, will travel.

See:
 * Special:ListUsers
 * Category:Admins

Some more useful Facebook groups:
 * Besides the many GMM facebook groups check out these:
 * Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
 * Marijuana is Safer.
 * Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER).

More weirdness:

Features of an ideal wiki farm
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 * See Category:Free MediaWiki wiki farms at WikiIndex.

See: Site problems, and features of an ideal wiki farm.

Music videos
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On my music video blog music videos are added to the last user page that has been created. That is the one with the highest number. Click the Youtube links to see larger versions and more info.


 * ''See also Category:Music videos.
 * Add music videos to your user pages or subpages.
 * Find lyrics at the Lyric Wiki.

Software recommendations
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Some free software, tools, and sites that I have used, and recommended in the past. There may be better stuff out there now.


 * 7-Zip. Free zip program that works with many formats including RAR files. Combine RAR files.
 * Block IntelliTXT inline popup ads. Bing, etc.. Enter relevant domains and subdomains into the hosts file. See explanation and URLs to add. Copy from this plain-text list starting with # [Vibrant Media] until the next pound # symbol.
 * Blogger.com - Google's popular, free blog hosting. See Features. Enable the new editor in settings to get a larger, adjustable edit window.
 * ChartGo.com - create charts and graphs online for free. Can paste in lists of chart data without special formatting. See also:
 * Commons:Chart and graph resources. See section about free online charting sites.
 * Daemon Tools Lite. Freeware for making simple disc image files, and emulating virtual CD/DVD drives. Info.
 * Email Extractor. Good for extracting all the email addresses from detailed city lists.
 * Easeus Partition Master Free Edition. Format, partition, repartition drives. Merge or extend partitions. Change the partition type. Much more.
 * Firefox browser. It has a built-in spellchecker.
 * GOM Media Player. A top 5 player at Cnet. Wikipedia page.
 * Google Toolbar. Search the whole web, or a single web site (the one currently being viewed in the browser tab).
 * ImgBurn. Free, popular, CD-DVD-Blu-ray burner. See |&filterName=licenseName%3DFree|&rpp=&sort= other free popular burners.
 * IrfanView. See Irfanview. Free, popular, easy-to-use image viewer and editor. Install free plugin pack too. IrfanView Thumbnails is a great way to view folders with images in older versions of Windows that do not have Windows built-in thumbnail viewing of folders with images.
 * Keep Display On. For watching videos. Prevents the display from going into screensaver mode. Click on, click off.
 * KompoZer. WYSIWYG web page editor. Use the latest beta version. Don't install the English language pack. It comes with the program.
 * Macrium Reflect Free Edition. Quickly create a disk image backup (compressed to only a few gigabytes) of an O.S. partition or an entire hard drive. Do it soon after a clean install of the operating system (O.S.). Reinstall the backup in a few minutes after erasing and wiping a buggy O.S. partition or drive. This saves hours compared to a clean install of the O.S.. Tutorials: 1. 2.
 * Media players. At CNET. VLC and GOM are regularly the most popular free ones. See their listings there, and above and below.
 * Microsoft Security Essentials. Free anti-malware tool for computer viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojan horses. Highly rated. Real-time protection or on-demand scans.
 * NoteTab Light. Freeware text editor useful for alphabetizing city lists, counting the cities, and removing bracketed info.
 * Partition Wizard Home Edition. Free tool for creating, resizing, or wiping hard drive partitions. Create a data partition. Make an active O.S. partition smaller or larger. Use with Macrium Reflect to create more versatile O.S. backups.
 * Remove Duplicate Lines. Good for removing duplicate email addresses, etc..
 * SlimDrivers Free. Finds drivers that Windows Update may not provide. It then provides one-click installation for each of those drivers.
 * SyncBack. Incremental backup or syncing of data partitions or folders to other hard drives (internal, external, network, etc.).
 * VLC Media Player. A top 5 player at Cnet. More info: PCWorld. Wikipedia page.
 * Web Photo Gallery Creation and Automation Tools. Many freeware tools listed too.
 * Winamp. Web radio, audio player.
 * Windows startup programs. What are they? Are they required? How can I disable them? A long list of startup items. Download the free "full-list zip" file.
 * Wisgary.com - Wordcount calculator. Paste in text online. Counts words, lines, characters.
 * Wordpress.com - Popular, free blog hosting with minimal ads. It is not just a blog. It allows pages, too, with blogs as a sub-page.
 * ZoneAlarm Free Firewall. Controls both inbound and outbound traffic. Or use Windows Firewall. Use with above list of startup items to take back control of your computer.

Firefox options, addons, search, home pages
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The search bar at the top right of the Firefox browser opens the result list in the same tab by default. Use ctrl-click to open in a new tab. You can add more search engines. See here. You can do searches without having to go to the search home page first.

The URL address bar (location bar) at the top can also be used for searches. For more info go here and here. Those pages also explain how to turn off domain guessing and URL auto-completion in the location bar. At about:config:
 * browser.fixup.alternate.enabled - set its value to false.
 * browser.urlbar.autofill - set its value to false.
 * browser.urlbar.autofill.typed - set its value to false.

Plain Firefox home page with search
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If annoying, click-away popups cover needed parts of the Google home page, or they distract you, or if some days you find the doodles annoying or slow-loading, there are things you can do. You can get rid of the popups and clickouts by using this Firefox addon:
 * YesScript. It is a JavaScript blacklist that is activated by an on-off icon. Click it off for the Google home page, and that setting and page is remembered. You can click it on later if desired. The icon can be dragged to any toolbar at the top or bottom of Firefox: View menu, toolbars, customize.

You can also try other pages as your home page in your browser. Such as search.yahoo.com

It seems that the various Google home pages (Search, News, etc.) have gone to hell at times, especially since Marissa Mayer left Google in July 2012. Wikipedia: "She also oversaw the layout of Google's famous, unadorned search homepage."

Google News is worse at times. Titles can be too short. Advanced news search, and archive search of news, can be difficult or impossible to find, or to use. For an alternative at times try Yahoo News It can be sorted by time, though there is no archive.

Also, I used to be able to copy and paste Google search result URLs. Not any more. I now need an addon to fix that problem:
 * Google/Yandex search link fix. - firefox addon shows actual URLs in Google search results.

Other options:
 * Firefox's default home page with Google search.
 * bing.com/?rb=0 - Bing without background image. It is a Bing home page without any images at all. It is URL based and not cookie based. So it does not matter if you regularly delete all cookies.
 * StartPage.com - anonymous Google searches. To keep the settings cookie see here.


 * Bookmark BBC News, Yahoo News, etc. if the Google News home page also has popups that are too annoying.

Recommended Firefox search addons
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Firefox addons:
 * Add to Search Bar. Add more search engines easily to the search bar. Right click the search form on any website and from the popup context menu click "Add to Search Bar".
 * Context Search. Very popular. Select any text, right click, and search from your installed search engines (same as the ones at the top right of browser). You choose from a submenu. Search opens in a new tab by default.
 * Find Button. Adds a button to open and close the FindBar. Can drag button to other locations.
 * Find All. Searches for a word or phrase on a web page, and displays the results in an easy to view list. Can click on a line in the list to go to that location on the page.
 * Search Site. Replaces the site search function of the old Google Toolbar that Google no longer provides for Firefox. Select text on a page, and then right click the selection to do a site search from the popup context menu ("search site for selection"). It uses the search engine currently at the top of the search bar. Use ctrl-click to open in a new tab. Or enter search terms in the search bar at the top right of the browser. Click the green button to do site searches. Result list opens in the same tab by default. Use ctrl-click to open in a new tab. For regular searches combine with the context Search addon to be able to choose a search engine from a dropdown menu in the context menu.
 * Searchbar Autosizer. Increases search bar width once you start typing into it, or pasting into it. Adjustable widths in addon options. Search bar width shrinks when done to whatever size you set in options.
 * SearchReset. Resets your search preferences and home page to their default values. Handy when cleaning up after browser hijackings.
 * QuickWiki. Quick lookup in Wiktionary and Wikipedia. Select word or phrase and right click. Context menu gives choice to open up a quick definition popup from Wiktionary, or a quick popup of the intro from a Wikipedia article. Other options are to open up the Wiktionary or Wikipedia articles in a new tab.

Do not use the following. The addon is currently buggy. See reviews for updates, if any:
 * Site Search. Replaces the site search function of Google Toolbar. Select text and right click to search from context menu. Search can be set to open in a new tab. There is also an optional toolbar to enter search terms in.

More Firefox addons
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 * Firefox addons:


 * Adblock Plus An effective ad blocker. I keep it disabled most of the time. I use it when things get weird and sluggish. I depend more on Flashblock.
 * Autoclose Bookmark & History Folders . Firefox addon to close all other bookmark folders when one opens a folder.
 * Delete Bookmark Icons. . Firefox addon to delete all bookmark icons (favicons), or just one. Click "Show all bookmarks" from the Bookmarks menu. Then "Delete all site icons" from the "Organize" menu. It works almost instantly. Uninstall addon after using it. To prevent new favicons go to about:config and change the three parameters below to the following values. More info here.
 * browser.chrome.favicons - False
 * browser.chrome.image_icons.max_size - 0
 * browser.chrome.site_icon - False


 * Disable detach and tear off tab. Disable this: Clicking a tab once and then moving your mouse in a downward motion causes a new window to open.
 * Facebook Select All. Select all your friends on Facebook to send an invite. Click the select all button again if you scroll further down the list.
 * Firebug. View, edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page.
 * Flashblock . On-off Flash button for Firefox.
 * Fluschipranie. Facebook album saver.
 * Google/Yandex search link fix. Shows actual URLs in search results.
 * gTranslate. Translate any text in a webpage just by selecting and right-clicking over it. The extension uses the Google translation services to translate the text.
 * Last Tab Close Button. Shows the "Close" button (the X) on the last tab in Firefox. Otherwise one can not close that tab without opening another tab first.
 * Page Zoom Buttons. Buttons to control zoom. The reset button is particularly useful.
 * SortPlaces. Firefox addon for quick, one-click, alphabetization of all bookmarks at once in all folders and subfolders. Can still be found here. There is a modified version linked from the page that works with Firefox 22+. Click the latest version to install it. You can also download the .xpi file to safeguard it. Click "addons" from the Firefox tools menu. Then click the gear wheel to get its dropdown menu. Then click "install add-on from file". Browse to the .xpi file on your PC. Install.
 * Translate This! Google translation in new tab. Latest version is here. Run cursor over top right of version box to get "Add to Firefox" button to show up on that version's box. Right-click selected text to translate it. Right-click a link anywhere on a page to translate the linked page.
 * Video DownloadHelper. Add-on for Firefox.

Tracking. Firefox cookie options, addons
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There are many invasive cookies, and persistent trackers. See: evercookie, device fingerprint, Panopticlick, and Firefox tracking options. See: Amid NSA Outrage, Big Tech Companies Plan to Track You Even More Aggressively by Ryan Tate, 11 Oct 2013, in Wired.


 * Self-Destructing Cookies. Gets rid of a site's cookies and LocalStorage as soon as you close its tabs. Protects against trackers and zombie-cookies. Trustworthy services can be whitelisted. Better yet, whitelisted cookies are automatically added if they are first added to "exceptions" in Firefox: Tools menus, options, privacy tab, exceptions. To enable this set history to "use custom settings for history". Then put a check mark in the box for "accept cookies from sites", and set to keep until they expire. Then set "accept third-party cookies" to "never". This way only first-party cookies are accepted, and they get deleted by Self-Destructing Cookies unless they are on the exceptions list. Anything on that list can remain logged in between sessions. Do not put Facebook on that list! It is notorious for tracking even when not logged in. No permanent cookie means no tracking between sessions. So only allow exceptions for sites you trust not to track you. Unfortunately, Facebook may start saying it does not recognize your device if you remove its cookies. It may require you to fill in CAPTCHAs and may request that you allow tracking in your browser for Facebook. Consider using a separate browser for Facebook where the Facebook cookies are not deleted. For example; Google Chrome. You might want Chrome new tabs to be blank pages in order to stop Google cookies from tracking you. See this addon.
 * DoNotTrackMe: Online Privacy Protection. It blocks hundreds of online trackers. CNET info: "DNTMe's benefit isn't just that it blocks trackers, but that it keeps the social Web active while protecting you. Publisher Abine does this by actually rebuilding the social-networking buttons on most sites, which prevents sites from gleaning tracking data from you when you're not logged in. By rebuilding social-networking buttons on the fly without sacrificing privacy or site load times, it keeps the kind of functionality people want from the Web."

It is good to set Firefox's cookie options to block all third-party cookies from ever being set. Those are invasive cookies, and many of them track users across multiple sites. It is also good to delete nearly all cookies after closing all Firefox windows. The best way may be the add-on "Self-Destructing Cookies". See the info higher up.

There is another way to delete all cookies except selected ones after closing Firefox. See this Firefox help page:
 * Enable and disable cookies that websites use to track your preferences. Firefox also deletes Flash cookies when it deletes all your cookies on closing Firefox.

You can selectively delete cookies with one click with this Firefox addon:
 * Selective cookie delete. For example; if you have closed your Google Mail tabs, and you want to be able to do Google searches anonymously, or to view Youtube videos anonymously, then set up "Selective cookie delete" to delete all Google cookies from its one-click button on the browser. The reason to do this is that Google is technically able to cross-reference cookies across its information-rich product line to make dossiers on individuals. Google owns Youtube, DoubleClick, AdMob, etc.. A better solution is to use "Self-Destructing Cookies". See the info higher up.

In any case set Firefox options to show a blank page when Firefox starts a new window. That way Google does not have another way to keep its cookies alive longer than necessary. You can still have the Firefox home page set for Google search. Just put the home page icon in one of your Firefox toolbars for easy access.

Fix slow Firefox closing and restart
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If you have a lot of bookmarks, then you should know that Firefox automatically creates a bookmark backup file when the last Firefox window is closed. This can take many seconds, and during that time Firefox can not be restarted. To stop automatic bookmark backups go here, and then to about:config:
 * browser.bookmarks.max_backups - set it to 0.

You will have to backup bookmarks manually: Bookmarks menu, show all bookmarks, import and backup, backup.

Back up or restore bookmarks instantly
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If you have a lot of bookmarks this method is much faster than the standard method of backing up or restoring bookmarks. Click on "Troubleshooting Information" in the help menu. There is a link there to the profile folder where bookmark backups and places.sqlite are stored. To back up your bookmarks copy places.sqlite and paste it in a folder on your backup partition or drive. Date the folder. Importing bookmarks is instant by pasting places.sqlite in the profile folder. If this is a new install of Firefox it is OK that it replaces the places.sqlite file that is there. It only has a few bookmarks that comes with Firefox.

Fix image sizing problem
Compare the width of an image on the same page viewed in Firefox and Internet Explorer. Use a ruler. Make sure zoom is turned off (reset) in both browsers. If the same image has a different width then see this support thread. This problem sometimes occurs when the DPI setting is changed in the display control panel of Windows. In Windows one can easily go to the display control panel by right-clicking a blank spot on the desktop, and then clicking properties to go to the control panel. Then go to the settings tab, advanced, general tab, to see or adjust the DPI setting.

To fix the problem see the linked thread, and then enter about:config in the address bar. Enter this:
 * layout.css.devPixelsPerPx - change it to 1.0

See also: Page Zoom Buttons. Buttons to control zoom. The reset button is particularly useful for these image sizing problems.

Menu text sizing in Firefox

 * Theme Font & Size Changer. Firefox addon that allows instant changing of text size in Firefox bookmarks, menus, etc..

This Firefox addon does not adjust text size in Windows menus such as Windows Explorer. To do that go to the display control panel (right-click desktop, then click properties). Go to the appearance tab, and then advanced. Choose "icon" from the item dropdown list. Pick text size in the lower box. Click OK twice. More info here. This also changes the text size of desktop items. You can increase the size of the desktop icons: Appearance tab, effects, use large icons. To prevent the icons from overlapping on the desktop when sorting them automatically: Right-click the desktop, arrange icons by, auto-arrange and align to grid. Click those options on and off, and/or pull the icons around manually. Windows is buggy with this. Eventually the desktop icon sizing will not cause overlap problems when sorted by "arrange icons by".

Video and sound quality
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See: Category:Videos

You can play more than one video at the same time. Mash it up. Move the timing sliders around. Vary the volume levels. :)

You may need to click the arrow twice in the middle of any video window to start that video. Or go to the source page for the video. The video is usually larger there. Sometimes there are higher definition options (360, 480, 720), and the higher resolution versions usually produce better sound quality too.

Start the video, and click the "HQ" button right away at the bottom of the video for higher quality video, and especially sound. The words are clearer, too. Drag the cursor back some, or reload the source page if problems with the HQ button.

Bigger headphones help too. The extra bass volume and dynamic range. Often, bigger headphones produce a louder sound from the same input level. Part of the reason may be that less sound escapes from full-cup headphones that completely surround the ear.

Your PC sound card, or integrated audio chip, usually has additional volume and equalization controls that can increase the volume. Plugging your headphones into the jack on most amplified speakers that come with most PCs nowadays can increase the sound volume too. Versus the sound volume from plugging headphones directly into the PC. Plugging an equalizer between the PC and the headphones can help too. Of course, plugging the PC sound output into a tuner-amp gives the most options.

Getting a set of small, inexpensive (under $10 to $20) amplified speakers is cheaper, and they produce a lot less heat than most tuner-amps. Get 2 sets of amplified speakers. Plug the headphones into one as an inexpensive, low-wattage, low-heat amplifier. Use the other set of amplified speakers when room sound is needed. Put your PC sound output through a cheap audio switcher (less than $10). Switch between room sound and headphone sound.

In rotation. Some video fun
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Morpheus: "It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth." Neo: "What truth?" Morpheus: "That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Born into a prison that you can not smell or taste or touch. A prison - for your mind. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends. You wake up in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember! All I am offering is the truth. Nothing more." -- From the 1999 movie, The Matrix.

Chillin'
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Some favorite movies, documentaries, TV
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 * 12 Monkeys (1995).
 * Alien Visitor (1995), aka Epsilon. History.
 * American Weed (2012 TV series). Feb. 22 to April 20 on the National Geographic Channel. About Colorado medical cannabis shops. Media article. Watch online.
 * The Big Lebowski (1998). Memorable quotes.
 * Blade Runner (1982).
 * Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
 * Buck (2011).
 * Buena Vista Social Club (1999). Full movie on Youtube here.
 * Charlie Jade (2005 TV series). Watch online (use the Megavideo links).
 * The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).
 * Constantine (2005).
 * The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).
 * Déjà Vu (2006).
 * Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001).
 * Dune (1984).
 * Dune (2000).
 * Elizabeth (1998).
 * Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Starts off slow. Worth the wait.
 * The Fifth Element (1997).
 * The Fountain (2006).
 * The Game (1997).
 * George Harrison: Living In The Material World (2011). Free online here.
 * The Ghost Writer (2010).
 * A Good Year (2006).
 * Hackers (1995).
 * Humboldt County (2008).
 * The Hunted (2003).
 * I Am Bruce Lee (2011)..
 * I Am Number Four (2011).
 * Immortal (2004). Full movie on Youtube here. In multi-part form here, and here (louder sound).
 * Inception (2010). Available online.
 * Ip Man (2008). Hulu link.
 * JFK (1991).
 * Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007).
 * K-PAX (2001).
 * Kaboom (2010).
 * The Last of the Mohicans (1992).
 * The Last Samurai (2003).
 * Léon: The Professional (1994).
 * Limelight (2011).
 * Lost (2004-10 TV series). Available online.
 * Lost in Translation (2003).
 * Mandela (1996). Great music. More info, and here (with trailer).
 * The Matrix (1999).
 * Meet Joe Black (1998).
 * The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009).
 * The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).
 * Michael (1996).
 * Nikita (1990), or La Femme Nikita (1991). In French. Free with English subtitles here.
 * Only When I Dance (2009).
 * Paris The Luminous Years: Towards The Making Of The Modern. (2010). Article and full video. See trailer here.
 * The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996).
 * Business: A Black Comedy'' (2010).
 * Point of No Return (1993).
 * Un prophète (The Prophet) (2009). French movie, available with English subtitles.
 * The Proposition (2005).
 * Push (2009).
 * The Replacement Killers (1998).
 * Repo Man (1984).
 * Returner (2002).
 * Ronin (1998).
 * Rubicon (2010 TV series). Available online.
 * The Santana Story Angels And Demons (2011). Available online.
 * Screamers (1995).
 * Slipstream (1989). Youtube link.
 * The Social Network (2010).
 * Solaris (2002).
 * Soul Kitchen (2009). There is a version with English subtitles. A club scene clip.
 * South of the Border (2009). Documentary by Oliver Stone.
 * Stigmata (1999).
 * Surrogates (2009).
 * Thunderheart (1992).
 * The Tillman Story (2010).
 * The Time Machine (2002).
 * Timeline (2003).
 * Tron (1982).
 * Tron: Legacy (2010).
 * True Blood (TV series, 2008 to present). Available online.
 * Twilight (2008).
 * Ultraviolet (2006). Free on Crackle.com here.
 * Valhalla Rising (2009). Immersive if big headphones with good bass.
 * Vanilla Sky (2001). I like the last half of the movie.
 * Witchblade (2000 film) and TV series.

Some interesting talk radio on demand

 * TuneIn: Listen to Online Radio, Music and Talk Stations (tunein.com). Progressive Talk Radio - Listen Online. And Music Radio - Listen Online. And Electronic and Dance Radio. And Dubstep Radio.

Categories
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