I’ve been developing a web app that queries the iTunes Store database. Apple doesn’t make it easy to find out category ID’s, so I figured this might save someone some time now that I have done them all.
6000 – Business
6001 – Weather
6002 – Utilities
6003 – Travel
6004 – Sports
6005 – Social Networking
6006 – Reference
6007 – Productivity
6008 – Photography
6009 – News
6010 – Navigation
6011 – Music
6012 – Lifestyle
6016 – Entertainment
6017 – Education
6018 – Books
6020 – Medical
7001 – Action
7002 – Adventure
7003 – Arcade
7004 – Board
7005 – Card
7006 – Casino
7007 – Dice
7008 – Educational
7009 – Family
7010 – Kids
7011 – Music
7012 – Puzzle
7013 – Racing
7014 – Healthcare & Fitness
7015 – Simulation
7016 – Sports
7017 – Strategy
7018 – Trivia
7019 – Word
Mozilla released the first beta version of Firefox 4, for public review. Version 4 of the browser is due out towards the end of the year, but you can try out the beta now by grabbing it from the nightly build page. I’ve been using it for a few hours, and I do believe it will give Chrome a run for its money in the speed department. This sucker is fast!
This seems to have flown under the radar in recent weeks, but Google has launched a Beta site for using their search services over SSL. I have it set to my default Google search page now.
Same URL as usual, just use https instead of http.
We here at Geekamongus care about you, the visitor, so we offer some news and tips about staying secure:
iPhone
Here’s a good reason to set your iPhone to *not* auto-join Wifi networks, especially those AT&T Wifi Hotspots.
Antivirus Software
There is no need to pay for antivirus/security software for your Windows computer. Save your money. As cnet suggests, use one of the many free programs available. Personally, I prefer MSE or Avast.
Facebook
Considering there may be 1.5 million Facebook accounts up for sale on the black market, now would be a good time to rid your computer of malware and then change your Facebook password.
While you are at it, you may want to learn about (and restrict) all the personal data Facebook has unilaterally decided to share about you.
Microsoft SharePoint Security Warning
SharePoint administrators and users, beware: Serious XSS flaw haunts Microsoft SharePoint
The Google Overlords
Afraid of Google? Here’s a good way to anonymize yourself when doing Google searches or using many of their services:
Read more on the project page. Download the Firefox plugin here.
“An attacker is able to remotely control a system, including the ability to list directories, send and receive files, and execute programs. The backdoor operates with the privileges of the logged-on user.”
When you buy off-the-shelf peripherals such as this, it’s easy to assume they have been tested and are safe, and wouldn’t normally pose much of a security risk to your computer. Remember, however, that Humans made them, and so they are still subject to the same flaws (or subterfuge) that something you download from the Internet is.
Want to build a high end desktop computer for a low end price (around $600 or less)?
Note: I don’t include Windows 7 in the default build, as you can just download Ubuntu, Fedora, or OpenSuSE Linux etc. for free. However, I’ve included links for Windows 7 (student and normal) in the Additional options section.
I would like to suggest the following components for people that want a really nice system without breaking the bank.
I just built a new machine that could support running multiple VMware instances, encode FLAC quickly, and surf the web etc. without breaking the bank. I didn’t need or want video gaming support since I use a PS3 for that.
However, I’ll suggest a view options (including gaming cards) that will allow you to alter the basic system we’ll be discussing.
This build is based on AMD/ATI since it really does perform well and saves a good chunk of money, but the parts can be swapped very easily to make it an Intel system that won’t break the bank either.
I’ll expand on why I chose the parts and provide direct links as well. (I use Newegg, but use anyone you like)
PART – I:
Purpose:
The purpose of this guide is to provide general information on the following items.
Suggested software/codec’s for digitally archiving your CD’s for long term storage and without losing an ounce of quality. (I.E. Using the Open Source FLAC lossless encoder)
Encode from the Archived FLAC files for the most currently used/popular portable format currently being used; IMHO it’s still MP3’s.
Tools I Used:
Operating System: Windows 7
Secure Ripper/Encoder: dBpoweramp 13.3: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/
Codec’s: Lossless = FLAC 1.2.1 and Lossy = Lame 3.98.2 (included in the install)
Disclaimer:
I’m not responsible for anything period…..these are just my opinions
Read the rest of this entry »
Facebook keep redesigning their interface, and thus messing up instructions people have written for doing simple things such as integrating your blog posts with Facebook. If you have every wanted to make it so that your blog updates Facebook automatically, this is how, as of this writing:
1. Log in to Facebook
2. In the upper right, click the arrow next to Account and in the drop-down menu, choose Application Settings
3. In the list of applications, find Notes and click it
4. On the right is a box for Notes Settings. In it, click “Import a blog”
5. Enter the blog URL: http://www.yourblog.com
6. Check the box about agreeing to accept the terms
7. Click Start Importing
8. You are shown a preview of the blog import
9. On the right, click Confirm Import if all looks as it should
As long as your blog has a working RSS feed, Facebook will find it and use it to do the import.
After reading yesterday’s announcement from Apple regarding the iPad, then browsing their site while drooling over the specs, I decided I would try and get one when they become available. I have become so accustomed to my iPhone 3Gs that I can’t imagine having a bigger extension of that for use around the house or while travelling.
But then, I started reading about all the Digital Restrictions Management that gets bundled with the product(s), and really started questioning my ideals. Being a proponent of the free and open source software movement, I am all about not being restricted to do what I want with devices and software I purchase. The sad fact of the matter is that everything Apple does works against that.
The people over at DefectiveByDesign.org lays it all out pretty well, which further convinced me that I have been duped by vendor lock-in, with restrictions on everything I can do with my devices. This sucks, and it is something I hope all of you think about and question. While the gadget lust is still there, I am feeling conflict from my true geek side, which tells me not to waste my money on something that is, in effect, defective by design.
If you missed my first rambling, see it here – Part-1
Now in Part 2, I’ve brought back more food for thought and some updated info between PS3′s ability to read MP3 tagging and AAC tagging as well.
So after some further testing, I’ve realized the broken part seems to be in iTunes MP3 tagging forArtwork only.
Setup used:
Windows 7 (and a few pre-encoded files from Vista for comparison)
iTunes 9.0.2.xx (latest as of Jan.5.2010) – Default ID Tag v.2.2 (but tested with 2.3 conversions)
dBpoweramp 13.3 using Lame 3.98.2 and ID Tags v2.3
PS3 – Fat and Slim models (tested on Firmware 3.00 and 3.15) which can read ID Tag v.2.1, 2.2, and 2.3
Here are the results I’ve found (based on MP3 encoding):
- A song encoded with iTunes that auto grabs the Artwork and using ID Tag v.2.2 (or even altering the same song to v.2.3) doesn’t show up properly under the PS3 or Windows Explorer.
- However, using that very same song encoded in step one, if I copy and paste a graphic from the internet etc. and drop it into the Album Artwork window in iTunes, it will then show up on my PS3 and through Windows Explorer!
- I decided to move back to dBpoweramp and run some test encodes/tagging for comparisons. While using dBpoweramp, all ID Tagging worked out of the box, all art work pulled from the net and inserted correctly, which was readable by all applications (iTunes, Black Berry, PS3, Windows Explorer, iPod, Sandisk Mp3 player) etc.
Thoughts:
There’s obviously something different with how artwork is stored when iTunes grabs it from the web (automatically) versus when you copy/paste artwork into the album art window.
I know (and have known) iTunes kept a separate “Album Artwork” folder, but it never dawned on me that they wouldn’t also keep that info in the headers as well. So it seems when you copy and paste Artwork (vs. Auto-grabbing) in iTunes, it then writes it / tags it in the headers properly.
I guess they were trying to achieve a better way of Artwork storage? I guess we’ll see when I send off my letter to Apple, if they write back.
AAC:
As for the AAC part of this….it’s Sony’s fault, mostly……
While iTunes does the exact same thing with Artwork as the MP3′s, the Artwork doesn’t show up properly no matter what you encode with (dbPoweramp, EAC, etc) as the PS3 is expecting the container to be a 3GP/AAC file! Arrrgggghhhhh my PS3 isn’t a damn cell phone.
So until Sony updates the PS3 (like the later PSP updates) to read the entire m4a container (and tags) properly, it seems we’re out of luck for AAC encoded files (unless you go through a huge mess)
Note: However, there are ways around all of this crap, you could just use a streaming media server, but then we wouldn’t have learned this little bit of info. 