I knew about invisible files from past experience with unix. An invisible file in unix typically starts with a “dot” and I thought this was the case for OS X, but I was wrong. While you can hide file in OS X by starting the file name with a “dot”, it is not the ONLY way. There are three ways to create a hidden file in OS X. One way is to use the “dot” prefix for a file name as previously stated. Another is to enter the file name into the “.hidden” file in the root directory (This file is not created in version 10.4 installation but it is still supported). The final way to create hidden files is to activate the “invisible bit” for the file. This can be done in a Terminal window with the help of XCode’s developer tool “SetFile”. I learned all of this after copying my fiance’s songs off of her iPod and realized they are hidden files. I used the SetFile command to turn off the invisible bit. Here is how I did it:

Launch Terminal and enter defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles Yes (Shows all hidden files)
Open the /Developer/Tools folder in the Finder. Locate SetFile and drag its icon to the terminal window. The Directory path for SetFile (/Developer/Tools/SetFile) should appear in the Unix command line prompt.
Type: -a V . Leave a space after the upper case V.
Locate the file that you want to make invisible. Drag its icon to the Terminal window. Its path should now be added to the same command line prompt.

You should now see something like
/Developer/Tools/SetFile -a v /Users/homedirectoryname/Desktop/MyDoc
To reverse the process you use the same command but use “V” instead of “v”

Finally relaunch Finder by entering the command killall Finder into Terminal

A more complete guide to hidden files in OS X

As many of you already know, I purchased a home back in June of this year. The person that lived here was old and had the washer and dryer on the first floor because walking up and down the stairs to the basement was not feasable for her age. The washer and dryer was installed in the kitchen/dining room and was very awkward. So about a month ago I called up my dad and he came over to help me move the two appliances to the basement. He then helped me run the 220 that was needed to power the dryer and the 110 to power the washer. I then ran the water to the washer with copper pipes. This is where I taught myself how to solder copper pipes. The first try turned out to be my practice session. I then had to heat the pipes back up to pull them apart and I ran new ones which turned out to not leak and was much easier to do given the practice that I already had. Lets just say the two tips I learned were: Use lots of flux and Clean the pipe ends thoroughly.

I recently purchased “The Art of Intrusion” by Kevin Mitnick, about a week ago and wanted an electronic version of the book. Searching through the internet for my new book I found an interesting article in the fcc database. The article is in reference to Mitnicks renewal of his General Class Amateur Radio License in 2001 and whether the fcc should revoke his license based on his criminal behavior. I looked his callsign, N6NHG up on QRZ and noticed I am not the only one to look him up as there have been 8,480 lookups done on this call sign. I guess I am always the last to find out about something like this. Here are the pdf files of both of Mitnick’s books. In his keynote speeches he also talks about ham radio and some humorous pranks he has done that sound strangely familiar.

The Art Of Deception 5.2 mb
The Art of Intrusion 3.1 mb
Kevin Mitnick’s Keynote Speeches 12.1 mb

I have been archiving data ever since I bought my first CD burner back in 2001. The problem I have is forgeting which files I have already archived. This results in looking through multiple plastic discs and seeing a lot of the same files. This turns out to be a huge waste of time when looking for a particular file and sometimes a loss of data. I have found a solution to the problem and it’s called CDfinder. Cdfinder will catalog all files located on a drive or disc. After cataloging you can then search the catalogs for whatever you are looking for. Unfortunately Serial Box only covers version 4.5.0 which is almost impossible to find. The most recent version I have found which I can use Serial box with is version 4.3.1. This version has a few problems and seemed to crash a lot on my machine which involved a few reboots. I then decided it was time to bit the bullet and just buy the darn program and get the most recent version which is 4.5.1. The progam is only $30 for one copy so I decided it was worth it. Here is a serial that will work until July 31, 2006. Enjoy!

Here is an email excerpt———————————————As a starter, just begin with the temporary keyword provided below.
It will work until July 31, 2006.

You can enter your final license key anytime during that time.

Name: 20060731
Keyword: T26135T809
Number of users: 1
CDFinder Private License———————————————

Ebooks————-
Upgrading and Repairing PCs 15th Edition by Que Publishing (PDF Format)
Kevin Mitnick – The Art Of Deception 5.2 mb
Kevin Mitnick – The Art of Intrusion 3.1 mb
Kevin Mitnick’s Keynote Speeches 12.1 mb
1992 – GLOCK Armorer’s Manual 6.4 mb
2002 – GLOCK Armorer’s Manual 6.52 mb
O’Reilly Mac OS X Hacks 9.56 mb

GLOCK Armorer’s Tools

QuickTime7ProPCserial.txt—————————————————Video Games————————Lynx Roms and Emulator
Atari 2600 Roms and Emulator
Halo 2 Super Bouncing Video—————————————————Ham Radio——————— QRZ Practice Exams
eham Practice Exams
Ham Exams Near You
Old FCC Search Engine
New FCC Search Engine

DJ-G1 Service Manual
DJ-G1 Instruction Manual
Elkhart County Codes and Signals
VX7 Commander
VX7RFreqs.csv
VX7RFreqs.vx7—————————————————Misc———
Afghanistan Mortar Attack 4.6mb
Verizon Wireless Discount—————————————————

I have been putting off building a new PC for a while now due to the cost. I switched over to Macs about a year and a half ago after I figured out Apple create an operating system 10 times better than Microsoft did. Apple OS is less vulnerable to Viruses, easier to use, less likely to crash, and is much more elegant than Microsoft OS. Anyway a few downsides to Macs is the price, and the lack of games and other nifty programs. The problem is I would like to play some kickass games that are only available to PCs, such as Counter Strike Source. My current windows box is only a PII running at 400mhz and just barely running WinXP. And I emphasize barely.

I started looking for a tower that would be eye appealing with out all the neon lights and alien ship look. I wanted something simple but not too plain looking. What I really wanted was a Mac box with a PC inside. I jumped on Ebay and started searching around for the new PowerMac G5 Cases. I found one going for over $150 and some others under $100 but still 3 or more days to go. I really didn’t want to spend $200 on a stinkin’ case. I watched for a few days on Ebay waiting for a good deal. I then found it, a G5 Case for $103 including shipping! The case had been on sale on Ebay for less than an hour when I clicked the Buy it Now button. I will have to modify the case to get motherboard to fit, but I think it will be worth it. I am now patiently waiting for my case to arrive so that I can start my project. I will be posting photos during the process.