WatchThatPage.com

Are there any web pages that you visit looking for changes? I use Bloglines.com to watch web sites that have an RSS feed to let me know about changes, but not all websites have RSS feeds. For example, I have a file upload page where Sherry posts the latest church bulletin so that I can use it to update the SJN website. However, I never know when she has uploaded the new file. Now WatchThatPage.com looks several times each day and lets me know if there is anything new. Below is a test e-mail it just sent me because it noticed the two file name changes I made an hour before.

Rather than give them my real e-mail address, I used a temporary bloglines e-mail address.

WatchThatPage: 1 pages changed

By WatchThatPage

To [email protected]

View your changes online at http://www.watchThatPage.com/watchChanges.jsp

*********************************************************************************

Differences in page http://merline.netcentrix.net/jeb/upload.nsf/uploads?OpenView

*********************************************************************************

Linus and Lucy Song

[http://merline.netcentrix.net/jeb/upload.nsf/9fc54ebe0c01abb6]

SJN bulletin 12-11b

[http://merline.netcentrix.net/jeb/upload.nsf/9fc54ebe0c01abb6]

Mac5 on Oz

mac.fiveforks.com has moved physically (to the Rum Ridge data center) as well as upgraded from a Mac G3 called Wart to a Mac G4 called Oz. Everything seems to have transfered well, but let me know if anything misbehaves.

Wart is now being loaded on the Gramalie Express and heading for Lakeland to join the famous Duct Tape iPod.

Mac.5 In The Corner

I added a small “Mac.5” link in the upper-right corner of the main page of each blog. This makes it easier to bounce between blogs by returning to the main mac.fiveforks.com index.

CC in Sydney

CC left a comment on one of Claire’s blog postings. The message seems harmless, but asked for information about where Claire lives. The e-mail address also looks a bit suspicious, and the MovableType spam rating did not like the i.p. address of the sender.

Since you should never give out personal information to someone you don’t know, I sent the e-mail below from my junk e-mail box. This could be a mendacious adult posing as a kid, but in the event it is a real kid, I thought it would be nice for her to get a response.

I really can’t think of a way for one kid to prove they’re a kid unlesss they meet in person or they have someone they know in common. Can you?

— Fishback wrote:

> Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 04:06:39 -0800 (PST)

> From: Fishback

> Subject: Hello from CC’s Dad

> To: [email protected]

>

> Thank you for your recent blog post. I’m CC’s Dad and I do not allow her

> to e-mail strangers. You asked her on your post where she is from. She

> lives in the southeast United States.

>

> I don’t know how two kids on the internet can prove they are kids and not

> someone trying to trick another kid, which is ashame.

>

> Hope the weather is nice in Sydney. We are very chilly here.

>

> Thanks for leaving a post!

>

> CC’s Dad

A Google Trap

I’m posting this link for Google’s robot to find. I want it to follow the link and update the old page it has stored in cache. If this works, it will remove a resume I had posted back in 2002 (when I did not know Google was indexing Mac5.)

Here little google google google… (whistle)…

Snapz Pro X Screen Capture

Mac OS X comes with a good screenshot utility called “Grab”. It lets you snapshot anything you see on screen and save it to a file. This is good for sharing quick snapshots in a report, e-mail, or blog. The problem is Grab only saves in a TIFF format. This large file format (high resolution) is good for printing, but not too good for e-mail, and useless on the web.

Ambrosia Software, makers of terrific games we’ve been playing on Macs for decades, makes a utility that puts Grab to shame. Snapz Pro X not only helps you grab a piece of photo or graphic, but you can add borders and effects on the fly and save the result in any format. (Typically jpg for photos and gif for graphics.)

The $29 version does everything I need. But the $69 will let you record movies, portions of movies, or just anything happening on the screen. This would be good for computer training videos or recording pieces of Uncle Bob’s homemade DVDs. (Of course it would be bad to record rented movies, but Snapz does that good.)

Having a good screenshot utility may be the easiest way to quickly share one or two photos so you do not have to get into exporting, resizing, etc.

Kelly and Claire will enjoy using SnapZ Pro X…

Kec-Halloween-05-Thumb
Pirate Zombie Clown

MCC-Halloween-05-Thumb
Princess Ballerina and Friends

Now playing: Three Marlenas by The Wallflowers

Googling T

After reading Ted’s single letter posting, I wondered what would happen if I Googled the letter “t”. While Ted’s blog posting did not appear (yet) a little chart and stock quote for AT&T did. It turns out you can type any stock symbol in Google and get a quick chart and set of statistics.

Google-T-1

Google has a number of special searches like this. If you google my phone number it will show my name, address, and a map to my house! Scary.

I often use Google to do math and conversions. For example “cups in a gallon” or “feet in 5 miles” or “195435 kilobytes in megabytes” will automatically go to the Google calculator. Kelly reported last night that she has grown three centimeters since her birthday. Kathy and I both responded that we don’t talk metrics. I Googled “3 centimeters in inches” just to find out how much Kelly has grown…

Google-3Centimeters-1

Find out about Google’s other special features under Google help: www.google.com/features.

Now playing: Perpetual Change by Yes