XTrkCad, one of the many model railroad track planning programs–and the only one I know that has both Windows and Linux versions–is going open source. This also means the program is now free.
You can’t download the source code yet but you can download binaries, enter a registration code, and play with it. I’ve been doing just that.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/xtrkcad-model-railroad-track-software-is-going-open-source/
I find myself having to make fill patterns in Gimp every so often and always having to look up the trick.
Here’s how to use Gimp to make tileable fill patterns, which you can either use inside Gimp, inside other programs, or as web backgrounds.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/making-fill-patterns-in-gimp/
Generally speaking, I tell people not to install free software on a computer anymore unless it’s licensed under the GNU GPL or another similar open-source license, because open-source software is the only type of software that has any high degree of likelihood of not containing adware or spyware or other malware.
The problem with that advice is that the people who know what it means probably already follow it, and if you follow this Farquhar’s Law (there are many) to the letter, you miss out on gems like Irfanview.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/another-site-listing-spyware-free-software/
I set up a Freesco box over the weekend. It makes less sense now that router/switch/firewall combos from the likes of Linksys sell for $50 than it did when they sold for $200, but if you’re long on unused PCs and short on cash, it still works.
My old walkthrough no longer applies directly to the current version 33, but if you’re reasonably technically competent it should get you on your way.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/freesco-still-works-as-a-routerfirewall-in-a-pinch/
This is too weird. The Red Sox sign the Cardinals’ shortstop, then the Angels sign the Red Sox’s outgoing shortstop and cut their shortstop, who then signs with the Cardinals.
David Eckstein is overpriced at $3.25 million, but he’s by far the best deal of the bunch, and the best fit for the Cardinals.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/david-eckstein-signing-makes-sense-for-the-cardinals/
Paint.NET got Slashdotted today (here’s a list of mirrors ) and instantly it was hailed as the killer of Gimp, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, and probably every other graphics program ever made.
Of course I had to try it out immediately.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/paintnet-is-fine-for-what-its-intended-but-no-gimp-killer/
Well, the Royals finally did something today.
They traded aging catcher Benito Santiago to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a pitching prospect, and they traded a pitching prospect to the Atlanta Braves for Eli Marrero.
It’s a start.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/rebuilding-in-kansas-city/
I’ve been seeing more and more advertisements for paid survey sites. And the promises keep getting more and more ridiculous.
I think it’s a scam. You can make a little bit of spending money filling out surveys, but don’t let anyone hoodwink you into thinking you’ll get rich. Look at it as a way to spend a couple of hours a week to make a little bit of extra money, and nothing more, and you stand to do OK.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/why-do-people-pay-35-for-lists-of-paid-survey-sites/
In this day and age, I’ve come to expect lousy customer service. Even when my employer pays thousands of dollars a year for customer service, I’m used to getting someone halfway around the world with questionable knowledge of the product, even less command of the English language, and I’m used to being kept on the phone half the day trying things that I’ve already tried.
And then there’s Lionel.
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2004/12/now-thats-customer-service/
