Weekend Learning Android
Last weekend I decided to sit down and learn to program for Android. If you're familiar with C or C++ and object-oriented programming, Android development should be a breeze. I, however, knew nothing of any of these. Fortunately, Dan is an excellent teacher and, while I don't have much experience with "real" programming languages, I often write Perl and PHP at work so I have some very basic understanding of the concepts. Getting into the habit of using strict in Perl (a pragma that makes you delcare your variables in the scope you'll be using it) has been helpful because you have to declare EVERYTHING in Java (the primary language Android SDK uses).
I came across a couple issues installing the SDK and getting Eclipse running for Android, which I'll post later for those seeking help, but the process mildly time consuming and relatively painless.
Turn Netgear Router into a Print Server
I just purchased a Netgear Wireless N-300 Gigabit Router (WNR3500L) from Best Buy after our 6 year old Linksys router died. It was the least expensive router I could find locally that supported Gigabit transfer rates and, while I could have saved around $20 buying through Amazon, the price was still acceptable.
I later found out that I hit the jackpot with this one. This router is AMAZING! Netgear routers are built with the open source community in mind and they didn't hold back with the hardware on the WNR3500L. This beast has a decent CPU, 8 mb of flash, 64 MB of RAM, and a USB 2.0 port. Out of the box, the router lets you connect and share external storage devices through your router, but with a little open source loving, you can turn your Netgear WNR3500L into a print server so all your wireless devices can print without being plugged in. Note that this may void your warranty and if you're not careful, you could very well brick your router.
Fixing our Samsung Television Rebooting
A few months ago, our Samsung television decided it was time to stop working. Without warning, the Samsung LCD flatscreen, model LN46A650, began rebooting while starting up. I could tell the television was rebooting because I could hear the startup chime, followed by a clicking sound, then the startup chime would go again. At first the Samsung television rebooted only a few times before turning on, but soon it started taking more than a couple minutes restarting before the TV truly turned on.
We knew our TV was dying. We had to consult The Internet. After a few searches, we discovered fellow Samsung users with TVs exhibiting the same symptoms: a rebooting television that took longer and longer to turn on every time. Based on our searches, we decided the problem was a poorly rated capacitor that had failed. We had several options: beg Samsung (who now accept responsibility for the bad capacitor and offer an extended warranty on that piece) and go without television for a few days, pay a technician a few hundred dollars, or fix it ourselves for $7.
Replace the faulty capacitors
So naturally, we decided to void the warranty, tear the TV apart, and fix it ourselves. We ran to the local Radio Shack, purchased a capacitor for $7 and with our trusty soldering iron and some flux, replaced our blown capacitors following this YouTube video.