Issue: When trying to open *.DOCX documents in Internet Explorer, the file becomes *.ZIP.

Not sure if Windows update fixed this issue yet. But here’s the manual registry fix.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_MIME_HANDLING

Change the value of iexplore.exe (NOT explorer.exe) to 0.

Restart IE, or bounce the machine.

$i = 0;
/* Server: localhost [1] */
$i++;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['verbose'] = 'localhost';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = 'localhost';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['port'] = '';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['socket'] = '';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] = 'tcp';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension'] = 'mysqli';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'config';
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'http';
// A browser based prompt
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'cookie';
// A web page prompt rendered in HTML
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = 'root';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = '123abc'; // Hack me!
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = true;
/* End of servers configuration */
$cfg['DefaultLang'] = 'en-utf-8';
$cfg['ServerDefault'] = 1;
$cfg['UploadDir'] = '';
$cfg['SaveDir'] = '';

I wasn’t able to log onto Windows Live Messenger on my laptop today. Even though my other laptop works fine. Two of my computers are on the same wireless subnet behind the same’o router. After clicking retry button for the 256th time, I almost made the announcement that I’m not using WLM ever again on my Facebook page.

I tried all the troubleshooting guide from Windows Live Support Blog with no avail. When I was about to reset my router, I noticed the time was incorrectly displayed on the router status part. I then updated the NTP Server and time zone, waula! I logged on.

The point is, make sure not only the time on your PC is correct. Also, check the time settings on your router too. Use a NTP service is better than setting the time manually.

Got a pair of computer glasses from a local optometrist. What’s so “computer” about these glasses? Well, they come with yellow tint to ease your eyes while looking at bright monitors. And the prescription that it came with will make whatever you see a slight bigger.

After a few hours of experiment, I approve this product to my fellow Computer Dudes. For less than $300 bucks, you can get one too!

http://www.gunnars.com

Some coworkers of mine left this on my desk as a Joke. This isn’t the 5¼ yo, this is the legendary 8 inch from the 1970′s. This vintage disk holds 175 Kilobytes of your precious data! About the size of a piece of your hair in a picture taken by modern digital cameras.

I surely knew nothing about this disk, because I wasn’t around when it was popular. I found the information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk

Sometimes, you can’t really blame your ISP or router for the unstable internet connection. Look at the graph I got from running inSSIDer. There are about 20 radios in the area spreading throughout the channels. You can run a scan and study which channel others are using, and try to stay off of the same channel as others. In this case, I really feel bad for the people on channel 6.

Feels great to get back with my Bluetooth mouse comparing to the standard 2.4GHz wireless. Especially the part where you don’t need to plugin a wireless receiver.

Today, in terrifying things about the world: Iraqi militants have been able to intercept video feeds from Predator surveillance drones with a simple Windows app. To rephrase, an iconic symbol of American military superiority can be foiled by, oh, anyone.

The software, as far as I can tell, is a simple data-leeching utility. With a satellite dish and a few parameters (Packet IDs and transponder codes, which you can evidently scan for) you can tap into downstream data feeds, and essentially recording whatever data is transmitted to (specific) other users on a satellite network. How the insurgents got the proper parameters for predator drone, I have no idea—but apparently it's not that hard. Says a senior defense official:

There did appear to be a vulnerability. There’s been no harm done to troops or missions compromised as a result of it, but there’s an issue that we can take care of and we’re doing so.

If twelve-year-olds can encrypt their torrent downloads, I think it's a reasonably fair expectation for the US military to be able to encrypt mission-critical data transmissions, the insecurity of which could kill people. (Or, alternatively, the security of which ensures that that we can kill people. Someone's got to die, right? Right? Right.)

via Iraqi Militants Hack $4.5m Predator Drones With $26 Windows Shareware – Skygrabber – Gizmodo.

Windows only: If you want a little extra eye-candy in your Windows management, T3Desk is an alt-tab alternative that gives you 3D windows arrangement and more.

T3Desk works on all versions of Windows but it really shines in Vista and above where it can take advantage of Aero. After installing T3Desk you can use keyboard shortcuts to minimize and maximize windows to the edges of your monitor, arranging them in a pseudo-3D fashion. T3Desk can be tweaked in a variety of ways including how the windows are angled, animated, their level of transparency, the apparent distance from the viewer, and how they transition from the virtual desktop back into use.

You can drag windows and dock them to the four sides of the monitor, use Aero Peek to see which windows are on the virtual desktop, and set an always include/exclude list for applications to easily exclude applications from the effects of T3Desk.

via T3Desk Brings 3D Eye-Candy to Your Windows Desktop – Window Management – Lifehacker.

I got a new laptop from Dell. The Studio XPS 1645 featuring a powerful Core i7 processor with 4GB of DDR3 1333. Of course, I installed Windows 7 Ultimate that I received from the previous Microsoft event. Everything look and runs sweet. It came with a 9 Cell battery that last about 3 hours (Big screen, and that Quad-Core processor), I also picked up a 6 cell because I don’t need the bulkiness while using it at home.

Now I hope the price for SSD drives will drop soon…