Myside's Spew

Clean and Reuse Aromatherapy Diffuser Pads

27 April, 2012 09:37 CST6CDT

Aromatherapy diffuser pads are used with heat based aromatherapy diffuser devices to warm essential oils to better release the scent of a plant oil. After just a few rounds of applying essential oil to the pads for diffusion, the pads become clogged, sticky, and non-pliable. Instead of purchasing replacement diffuser pads their is an easy and inexpensive way of removing the gummed oil residue and bring back your pads to its original condition.

You will need the following:

a sealed jar
isopropyl alcohol (at least 90%)
tweezers or other short clamping device

Aromatherapy Diffuser Pads The process is rather simple and starts by filling a jar with enough alcohol to completely submerge the diffuser pad you want to clean. Place the pad in the jar with the isopropyl alcohol and seal the jar. Let the pad soak for up to four hours, though in most cases an hour to two hours is sufficient. Use a tweezers or an appropriate device to turn and rub the pad into the alcohol without touching the liquid once or twice throughout the submersion of the pad.

Once the diffuser pad has returned to its original color, remove the pad and flush with very hot water using the tweezers for at least one minute. If the pad is still sticky, or the texture has not returned to normal, or is in a unusable condition, repeat the process allowing the pad to soak for a longer period of time.

Depending on the quality of the pad, it may be reused dozens of times past its life-cycle of essential oil applications. As an alternative to retail sold cloth, I often use LCD cleaning pads originally designed for the purpose of cleaning some types of computer monitors and other video devices in place of essential oil diffuser pads. They tend to be sturdier and are just as pliable as retail replacement pads.

A year ago I was writing...

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Aromatherapy Article & Comments

Facebook Runs into Insta-Problems

11 April, 2012 13:16 CST6CDT

It used to be the case that if a company or piece of software got bought by Microsoft, it instantly became uncool. In the movie, Social Network, Jesse Eisenhower, who plays Mark Zuckerberg, says Facebook is “cool.” Well, it isn’t anymore.

The reason for this is long and is a typical story for an internet venture that just got too big. Of course, it should be noted that the cult if Apple seems like it will never lose its cool, but there’s always time for that. No, think of Microsoft and Yahoo, maybe even MySpace (whisper it), but this could be where Facebook is going. The first sign of this anti-cool began to show this week with the acquisition of Instagram for $1,000,000,000. That is a lot of money for a photo sharing app.

What is Instagram?

Instagram Logo Instagram is a photo sharing application for Apple iOS and Android. The software is quite simple. Users take a photo on their smartphone or on their tablet computer or upload it via a digi cam to their computer, then upload it to Instagram. They are then able to control, through a set of filters, exactly who can see the photo. This provides users with a large amount of control over their images and their data.

Last week it launched its new Android application, which racked up a further 1 million users inside the first 24 hours alone. Add to this the 27 million Apple users via the iPhone, Mac and the iPad, and you have a hip and fast growing user base. Like many hip and niche programs and communities, many of the users felt a strong bond with the company, and many used it because it was not a part of big business and more specifically, because it was not a part of Facebook.

Why Would Facebook Want It?

Mark Zuckerberg Once businesses, especially social networks and software companies, have expanded as far as they can in their chosen field, they seek to use their power and finances to move into other territories. Witness Google and Yahoo hoovering up various online ventures and programs or simply moving into such territories themselves. Of course they hope to bring along with them a range of dedicated followers, but few realize that such followers use them only because there’s little other choice. Microsoft is the default operating system for many, Google is the default search engine and Facebook is the default social network.

Earlier, Facebook wished to turn its in-site chat function into a downloadable desktop messenger service ala Yahoo and MSN messengers. It also wanted to develop its own photo sharing program or application, which could then be used on Android and iOS tech, thus putting Facebook into those operating systems.

The problem was, however, that in building its own messenger service and in building its own photo-sharing application, it technically started with zero users. The much easier option is to buy an existing, but small, service that has a growing fanbase, but is actually making no money. This makes them prone to takeovers that tie them into the Facebook system. Hence, the purchases of Beluga and Instagram.

Is Facebook Losing Its Cool?

Hell yes it is and this was before The Social Network. Let’s look at the reasons for this. Facebook grew on the back of a consumer need. It needed a digital version of good old fashioned networking and sharing. Facebook provided a user format far superior to rivals such as MySpace, Bebo and Friendster.

The Social Network The first great problem that has undermined Facebook’s coolness is its inability to understand that consumers want a choice. Therefore, by forcing users to change the profiles from one style to another, from standard layouts to timelines, by forcing changes on groups, pages, and so on, they are alienating people who want to shape their own identities online.

The second point is that users perhaps do not understand the deal with the devil they are signing up to with Facebook. As a company, Facebook needs to make money. This comes from advertising and advertising is going to be based on targeted information. When Facebook makes changes to said profiles, it often reverts security information and settings to open, forcing users to recognize this and click everything back into place. This is time consuming and reminds users about SOPA and other government proposals to snoop. Facebook’s information has become a snoop’s dream.

Then there is the absorption and treatment of other programs, applications and companies. Facebook has followed the growth models of other big companies such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo. It buys up a promising app, pays off the developers and puts them on the payroll, then it strips the program, absorbs the users, puts out its own version of the program, and then it re-deploys the original developers on other programs. That app has lost its identity and has become just another Wal-Mart mattress, albeit a VOC-free mattress.

Mark Zuckerberg has promised that things will be different with Instagram, but that has not stopped what has been dubbed an insta-backlash by Techcrunch. Users do not want their data being hacked and used for advertising by Facebook. They want an independent set applications they can feel an almost familial affinity with. Most of all, they do not want to be a part of Facebook. The question remains whether this will be a crack in the dam as far as Facebook are concerned or just an expensive acquisition and at $1 billion, it is a very expensive purchase indeed.

This article was written and submitted to myspew.com by Imogen Reed <imogen@linegray.com>

A year ago I was writing...

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Technology Software Article & Comments

How To Piss Off a Frog

20 March, 2012 10:19 CST6CDT

How To Piss Off a Frog Video

RSS viewers, click on article link for video.

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Introduction to Puberty
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Bullshit Article & Comments

Samsung Intercept FB01 2.2.3 Update Breaks Bluetooth

13 March, 2012 18:36 CST6CDT

Samsung started to push out an Android update in late February. I received the update just a few days ago. The Android update, FB01 for the Sprint Samsung Intercept updates the Android version from 2.2.1 to 2.2.3 and also updates the baseband (modem firmware), among other various fixes and patches.

It has been speculated by other websites that the intention was to remove the Carrier IQ software. Unfortunately the update breaks 3rd party application access to the phone's Bluetooth resources. Built in Bluetooth profiles such as OBEX file transfers and BT Audio for wireless headsets continued to work as it should.

I have several applications that need extended connections or administrative access to the Bluetooth resources. Therefore I needed to revert to the stock 2.2.1 ROM or a 3rd party ROM and trick the Samsung update servers to show that the phone had been patched. If this is not done, the update will continue to nag and annoy you with notifications of an update no matter if you are not using a stock Intercept ROM.

I decided to use a 3rd party ROM, however the stock 2.2 ROM is available on the Internet and is installable using the CM01 recovery tool. Your phone needs to be rooted. You may be able to do a factory reset as well to revert. I do suggest flashing the new baseband firmware.

The file build.prop is located in the root /system folder after the Intercept update S:M910.05 S.FB01. Any ROM, reverted Android version, or the like, may use the build properties section of this file to be copied and pasted in replacement to this section in your chosen Android alternative. The section with the current phone build properties is located between "# begin build properties" & "# end build properties.". Do not modify anything below these separators.

I have no information if or when the Intercept's 2.2.3 Bluetooth problem will be addressed by Samsung or Sprint. I was not able to find an alternative solution in a reasonable amount of time.

edited 2012-03-15

Samsung Intercept (SPH-M910) related binary applications/utilities, miscellaneous resources, and ROMS may or may not be available here: Samsung Intercept

A year ago I was writing...

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It is Squirrel Thursday! - Evil Squirrel and His Cat

16 February, 2012 18:12 CST6CDT

Back there at his place late at night, when the owls congregate And the snakes sleep, when the trucks hit the spacers in the overpass And the storm drains cough up dust and cigarette filters purge like frogs at the side of the road Back there, down the gravel lane, down the dirt road Down some dust on the grass, past the pecan tree to the shadow With some bricks around it Back there, late at night, back there in the dark Back there in the dust, back there The dog burst into flame Anyhow, time went by, anyhow snap crackers and stone soup Walking on cornflakes and stopping blocks Anyhow, she went back to where the dog blew up She tried her luck, she went back, maybe she could paint the porch Maybe she could fix the roof, maybe she could build a roof She told him "you can't smoke cigars, though, I'm too damn frail" And he said "I won't" Then he lit a cigarette and dropped his hat He said, "It's OK, I have a cat"

Evil Squirrel Relaxation Treatment

[lyrics: Leo Kottke - Husbandry]

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