The step where you have to add the following lines to your catalog/includes/configure.php

// H4H AFFILIATE PROGRAM
if (isset($Module) && $Module == 'Affiliate') {
define('DIR_WS_INCLUDES', '../includes/');
} else {
define('DIR_WS_INCLUDES', 'includes/');
}
// H4H AFFILIATE PROGRAM

The problem is, the author tells you to add these to the end of your configure.php file when you should actually be replacing your existing DIR_WS_INCLUDES definition line.

The issue with what is in the instructions is that you cannot redefine something that’s been defined already. So by placing the code at the end of the configure file, nothing actually happens so the path is then completely wrong when the affiliates code is run.

The main difference between the two models are the CPUs, mine has the Intel 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo and the new one has the new Intel 2.66GHz Core i7. I also opted for the new High-res anti-glare screen over the regular glossy one I have now. (Back then, it wasn’t even an option to chose from).

Cracking the box open, you still get the same sleek packaging, with the little “Designed by Apple in California” label, the documentation and cables in the tray, etc… Why mess with a great package design, right?

I’ll get to the actual MacBook in just a moment, but one of the things I noticed while unpacking my new treasure, what that the power-supply was slightly different. The brick remains unchanged apart from a different model number and a different way of showing the power output, the values are all otherwise exactly the same. The differences though, are in the cables. The extended 3-pronged cable now looks different and also reads “Designed by Apple in California.” Even the texture/material of the cable is slightly different feeling.

The end that plugs into the MBP has also changed; it has now been updated to look like the power cable on the Apple LED Cinema displays which will probably help with where the cable meets the plug getting all weird and bent out of shape over time. The one thing I was hoping for was where the cable met the brick. My old one has over time, started pulling out of the brick so I’m always trying to work the sheathing back in to prevent it from exposing the wires within. While the new cable feels a little stiffer, and possibly a little more robust, I can actually see a crack forming which hopefully won’t progress.

Now, the main event; the shiny new MBP. As you all know, ever since the 2nd gen came out, Apple got rid of the ExpressPort and added a SD card reader. As a Canon SLR shooter which uses CF cards, this is still useless to me but I’m sure will come in handy in some random scenario once in a blue moon. The only other visual difference is that the headphone and mic ports have now moved to the front, followed by the CD card reader.

I’m not sure how I like the silver border around the matte screen since I’ve always loved the black on my current laptop, it just feels sleeker to me whereas the silver cheapens the look, in my opinion… I’m sure I’ll get used to it over time but it’s just an initial thought.

Apart from that, everything else remains the same; the illuminated “chiclet” keyboard, glass trackpad, et al. I won’t go into the technical stuff since this was more about a visual comparison, but what I will mention is that I look forward to being able to pump 8GB of RAM into this beast vs the 6GB the previous gens could only access.

I also want to give props to Apple for their sweet Migration Assistant. I simply connected the two laptops over ethernet and with a few clicks, left it alone for about 5 hours to copy all my apps, data, and settings. Once it was done, I was all ready to go! No need to reinstall or setup anything at all!

For Mac users, a new app called SecondBar, which is still in its early stages, is the beginning of something similar to Ultramon. At the moment, it only duplicates the menu bar over one other monitor, and according to the developer, only works for some programs. A recent mention in LifeHacker has sparked development again so it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.

In any case, I  had to find a workaround so I could drop in a reservation form of my own. After a bit of digging, I found a simple solution using Javascript to essentially override the form actions.

<script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[
function SubmitForm() {
var objForm = document.forms["aspnetForm"];
if (!objForm) {
objForm = document.aspnetForm;
}
objForm.__VIEWSTATE.value = "";
objForm.encoding = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded";
objForm.action = "http://www.yoursite.com/yourscript.asp";
objForm.submit();
}
// ]]></script>


Then, all you need to do is on your submit buttons/images/links, have it call the SubmitForm(); function.

The obvious downside to this is that you can only do one form per page unless you were submitting to your own script and ensure that you use unique field names… Not pretty I know, but it’s an option.

In any case, today I swapped in the replacement and in an anti-climactic fashion, nothing happened. In fact, it didn’t even pick up the new drive. I feared that the NAS itself was dead and I would have to go through the painful process of getting a replacement and everything. None the less, I decided to would take a chance and reboot the unit. Luckily, this did the trick and while it still didn’t automatically rebuild the array, it now detected the new drive.

Checking the RAID configuration page, the only available option was to assign the new drive as a spare.

After some digging on the Thecus Forums, the only mention I found was indirectly through another person’s troubleshooting post where he mentions that setting the drive as a spare fixed his issue.

I was hoping to get some solid information that would support this, but I figured I had nothing to lose and at the very least, I’d have a RAID5 array with a hot spare to back me up.

9 hours later, I’m back up and running, and the RAID 6 array is healthy once again. It would have been nice if Thecus had some better documentation available, but I suppose piggybacking on a forum is better than nothing.

In short, if a drive in your RAID array fails, and if after replacing the drive it doesn’t automatically rebuild, just go into the RAID configuration screen and set it as a spare and the NAS will start rebuilding the array at that point.

Now what makes Windows think that if I clicked Later before that in just a few short minutes after, I’d change my mind? Why not trust that I will reboot when I’m good and ready?

I always wondered if there was a way to disable this, and while I didn’t find a direct solution, this little application is pretty much the next best thing and is good enough in my books.

Shutdown Guard pretty much does exactly what it says. It “guards” your Windows from being rebooted, shutdown or even logged off.

Any time one of those actions is attempted, Shutdown Guard will prevent it, and then pop up a little balloon in the task tray allowing you to continue the action if you want. Obviously ignoring the notification let’s you work on without any further disruption.

Compatible with Windows Vista as well, except the confirmation is much more in your face as shown in the developer’s wiki entry.

However, this functionality isn’t enabled by default and infact, there isn’t even an option to turn it on without going into the about:config page.

So here’s how you do it.

In the address bar of Firefox, type in about:config.
Scroll down to gfx.color_management.enabled. By default this is set to false. Double click on it to change it to true.
Restart Firefox.

Now stare in awe as your colour managed images appear the way they should!

UPDATE: The Daily Gyan has a great guide on other tweaks you can enable for FireFox3! Check it out!

The WorldWide Telescope takes images from numerous sources such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and compiles them into a single user friendly interface allowing people of all ages to essentially fly though space and view planets and galaxies one would never normally see.

While the software may be in beta, it all runs quite well. It’s very similar to Google Earth in the way that the images are streamed to you as you require them which makes for a very lightweight application storage-wise but heavy on the internet connectivity and graphics requirements.

None the less, I highly recommend everyone check it out at least once and be sure to give the final a try whenever that may be.

In a press release, AT&T announced that on April 17th, select locations in New York City, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Francisco will be sporting a new toy with their cellphone displays. A Microsoft Surface to be exact.

Initially the Surface will be used to display information about the cellphones for sale as well as display service area maps but AT&T hopes that in the future the Surface will allow users to drag ringtones, graphics and videos to the phones. Note that it says “the” phones suggesting the display models, and not a user’s phone… Perhaps just a way to cover their behinds in case the Surface doesn’t work out as they planned.

Store locations and images can be found on the AT&T website here.

I had read about the MAHA-C9000 battery charger on the photography forum I frequent and everyone who had one had nothing but good things to say about it. So on their recommendations, I decided that I too would go out and purchase one. While it’s a little more expensive than your run of the mill charger, I figured that if I’m going to buy fancy/expensive batteries, I might as well make sure I protect my investment with something equally fancy/expensive.

I did some digging around online and for US customers, Thomas Distributing seems to be the best place to order from and in Canada, Paul’s Finest has the charger for the same price. While I don’t mind ordering online, I always want to see if I can get what I want locally since it’s just easier to walk in and pick it up instead of paying for shipping and all that. In Vancouver, only a small handful of places advertise it online but everyone had it for ridiculous prices (ranging from $90-$100CDN). In addition, no one really had an up to date site and just didn’t feel right.

Enter Vancouver Battery. While their price was $90 like most of the others, they at least appeared reputable and for me, warranted an email to check out if they would be willing to price match Paul’s Finest.

Danny, who I believe is the owner of the store, replied extremely quickly to my email and was right off, willing to price match any Canadian website which was great news for me. He wrote up an invoice for me and made sure it was available for me the next day in case he wasn’t around.

The next morning I headed out and met up with Danny who is a very knowledgeable and very friendly guy. They carry all kinds of batteries from tiny hearing aid batteries to notebook batteries to sealed lead acid batteries. Pretty much anything you could want

Their site may not always be up to date so I recommend emailing them to get latest pricing on whatever you require. I will definitely go back to Vancouver Battery the next time I need more batteries.

Stay tuned for a review on the MAHA-C9000!