Remove DVD Annoyances with myDVDEdit

When backing up DVDs, it's useful to remove annoyances like the previews or advertisements you're forced to watch, or the FBI warning screens, ratings screens, etc. They don't take up much space, so they need not be completely stripped, but it's nice to program around them so you don't have to watch them every time.

The free tool to do this on Mac OS X is myDVDEdit. It's a bit daunting at first, and it's useful to know something about the structure of a DVD. Once you get the basic idea, check out this forum post from the author of myDVDEdit.

Basically this a minimally invasive approach, in which you take whatever was going to happen at the end of the content you want to skip (Post Cmds) and put it before the content (Pre Cmds). As the author says, the Debug mode (accessible from the menu) is very handy for finding the location of the content you want to skip. Note that you must exit debug mode to do the copy and paste operations.

Just remember to skip over any Link commands in the Pre Cmds with a Goto command of your own:

• Choose the line above the one you want to skip
  
• Hit the (+) symbol at the bottom of the window to add a new command
  
• Hit the triangle to reveal your new command
  
• Choose Goto from the pull down menu that currently reads Nop
  
• In the Goto: text box, enter the number of the line after the one you want to skip
  

Save and test in DVD PLayer (cmd-T). What a great tool!

NYTimes.com has the Best Free Online Sudoku

I'm surprised by the number of mediocre and downright poor versions of the Puzzle game Sudoku that exist online. I've looked around for better interfaces but one stands way out ahead of the rest - the NYTimes.com version. It's published in Easy, Medium, and Hard versions. They seem to be updated daily at around 8:00 pm EST, except on Saturdays.

What makes this version so superior is it's keyboard integration and the tools it offers. The ability to put small numbers in the boxes to indicate possibilities for solution is a must for solving all but the easiest Sudokus, yet it's a rarity online. On the NYTimes version, this is possible by holding down the CTRL key and entering a number. It also offers a pencil tool, so that the numbers appear lighter, a timer, and several help tools that can be used or ignored.

The only version I've seen that comes close is the Washington Post version, here. I see that version as inferior because it's not as easy to navigate with the keyboard, it won't allow you to make certain mistakes such as placing two numbers in the same row, and it includes distracting visual effects.

So, other Sudoku fans? Use the comments to recommend your favourite online versions.

More verbal diarrhea

Just a post to make the blog seem current. Although I'm not actually saying anything. Here's a link to a course in learning how to type on a Dvorak keyboard.

No luck yet - the site is not indexed. Will keep (me) posted.

Edit: Googlebot did eventually index the site, but it did so before it indexed this blog.

You're Wasting your time

Seriously, don't read this entry. This is just here to get a link in and try to get google to index my site. You see, I got married in May, and I made a website with all the pictures from the wedding. I think the website is pretty nice, but the googlebot refuses to come around.

So that's where this entry comes in. I've tried submitting to the open directory project, dmoz.org. No luck. Now I'll try this. The link to the pictures site is: Wedding Pictures.

I'll let you know if this works - if google indexes the site as a result of my posting this.