Problem: YouTube Freezing
I've been experiencing YouTube problems again... sigh! But - I also think I've found the solution! :D
The problem: When trying to watch the videos they load but won't play more than a second or so - it freezes.
The solution: Closing down Skype. There seems to be a conflict between the two.
Maybe this information is relevant to you too.
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UPDATE: Well I'm not so sure how relevant it was even to me. The problem came back so I googled some more and I hope this is going to help at least me: FireFox Support: Flash animations (like youtube video) stops playing after 2 seconds
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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Music: First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival
boomp3.com
"This site features the full audio from
the rare LP record First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival, published by Creative Computing in 1979. The First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival was held August 25, 1978 as part of the Personal Computing '78 show."
First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival
/mrdantefontana
Problem: We're sorry, this video is no longer available
The last week or so I have had major problems watching clips on YouTube. Probably more than 90% of the clips have either just stuck in loading mode or the error message "We're sorry, this video is no longer available" reared its ugly face.
After searching the Internet for solutions, uninstalling and reinstalling Adobe Flash Player a number of times, I finally found someone in a forum who described exactly the same problem that I had. Luckily, I could also find the explanation; the culprits name is Google Web Accelerator.
Hey, wasn't it supposed to accelerate things?! Isn't it so that Google owns YouTube? Should they really make programs that sabotage YouTube watching?!! Is that wise?
Anyway, after uninstalling that program everything worked fine and I actually think general web surfing works faster without it. I could be imagining this but I'm not so sure.
Please check the comments for other possible solutions!
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Another YouTube problem and possible solutions: YouTube Freezing after just a couple of seconds
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By the way, do you use any personalized start page? I have had iGoogle for a long time but never used it. I never liked it. Don't ask why. Today I tried NetVibes and so far it seems really good and it looks a bit better than iGoogle too. So I guess I'll give it a try.
PS. I'm not a Google hater. They make lots of good stuff too.
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Computer: Help wanted!
I'm writing this post on my old computer which was delivered to me five years ago(!). This might be a laughable fact to you but this ol' machine has served me well up to this point. I have been able to do all that I wanted to do with it - surfing the net, blogging, being my jukebox (with tons of music in it), showing me movies, e-mailing, being my typewriter, storing my images, working PhotoShop etc - but now it's full and slow and just plain old. I'm beginning to fear that it'll collapse one day, very soon, with a great amount of stuff in it that I haven't backed up. Sure I have an external memory of 250 GB but it contains mostly my movies that has pretty much filled that memory bank up....
...so it's finally time to invest in a new computer.
Being a very "non-tech" guy this is not a totally positive situation to be in. A number of questions arises as well as apprehensions. What is there to think about and what pits are there to fall into. I mean, maybe I won't keep this one for as long as the other but I would hate to make a stupid buy. So basically I have two questions that I'd like some help with:
1. What should I get? What numbers should i look for in the descriptions?
- I want to get as much as possible for the least amount of money possible. Strange isn't it? Seriously. I do. However, having made it this far with a five year old machine it's pretty clear I don't need a super-duper top-of-the-line computer. But it has to be much faster to work with and it has to have a much bigger memory. As far as I understand it there are three major things to watch for 1. The processor 2. The hard disc memory capacity 3. The internal memory. Am I right or are there, in your mind, much more to watch for in the ordinary computer? Are there any common traps to watch out for.
2. What should I think about when it comes to switching from the old to the new? Any tips?
- Should I move free programs like for instance FireFox from one computer to the other or should I download anew? Pros and cons?
If you have any good advice for me and some spare time I'd love to hear from you. Cheers!
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UPDATE:
Feng (promising blog by the way!) recommends me to go here for guidance and that I download all programs anew ;) to the new computer. Feng also point out that Vista is crap so I should stay with XP. Your pieces of advice are appreciated, Feng.
Mod*Mom loves the Hewlett Packard Touchsmart PC - hmm, looks great of course and it's probably worth every penny but I wasn't planning on paying 1.600 USD. I think, without having checked too much, that I can get a pretty good computer (excluding screen etc) for less than 1.000 USD and that's more like what I'm planning. So, Mod*Mom, thank you very much for the tip but I think I'll wait until next time.
mc fox said: "I think you better shave! That will solve at least some of your pc-problems. Mine slowed up alot while being badly shaved." I guess mc fox means I should get rid of useless rubbish in the computer releasing some power that way. It would probably work, as it is completely stuffed, but it is time to get a new one anyway - but thanks mc fox!
Anonymous thinks I should get "an OLPC for 100 bucks and sell your old PC on eBay (for more)." A creative suggestion! However, would I get more?! I'm not sure. ;D
Signature CDM says: "There are always discounts on Mac minis, such as these: http://lowendmac.com/deals
Thanks for letting me know, CDM. I should of course have said that this time it'll be a PC - once more... Maybe next time ;)
Roar of Norway says his philosophy when it comes to buying computers is to spend as little money as possible on a machine that meets your current requirements - this enables you to save money for repairs or replacement if you're unlucky and have an accident. This sounds very sound, doesn't it? He also says that to reformat is very important. I guess he's right - I've heard it before but I never have done it ;) For him something like a laptop with 15 inch screen and 160 GB hard drive and extra external memory would do it. I have also thought about getting a laptop but I don't really have the use for the portability right now. However I would probably bring it with me on occasion and it would crave much less space - so I haven't written a laptop off completely... Thanks for your insight Roar!
To be continued with your advice!
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Posted by Martin Klasch 19 comments
Labels: computer
Computer: CPU feast
Maybe I should say "the Firefox Image Zoom extension c'est la mort".
I've had two computer related problems lately: 1. Something has been eating my CPU up totally. I've been thinking my computer is infected or just plain old (it is too) but when I tried using Internet Explorer yesterday not experiencing any problems at all, I became sure it had to do with the newest version of Mozilla Firefox. 2. The second problem had to do with not being able to resize images in Blogger and with images resizing themselves. I wrote and complained about it here.
Today I believe I found the problem! I was about to unwillingly leave Firefox for another browser when I thought I ought to try loosing some of the extensions first hoping they were the reasons. First I lost the ones I didn't really use anyway. When there were no result from that I turned to the ones I used and really liked. The first victim turned out to be the perpetrator as well - Image Zoom. It seams to have caused both problems. At least I hope so.
Also on the good side there are more than one zoom extension available.
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Posted by Martin Klasch 9 comments
Labels: blogger, computer, cpu, extension, extensions, firefox, image, posting, problem
Commercial: Commodore Vic 20 Computer 1982
Posted by Martin Klasch 0 comments
Labels: 1980s, 1982, commercial, commodore, computer, technology, vic 20