Vortex Networking Blog

Add Text to PDFs in Mac

Nathaniel Beighley — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:47:55 +0000

I stumbled across a little gem today when I was looking for a way to add text to a form I was asked to fill out and fax. Realizing I had nothing in my software arsenal that could add/edit text to PDFs like Adobe Acrobat, I did a quick Google search and came across FormulatePro.

Moving From Quicksilver to QSB

Nathaniel Beighley — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:25:57 +0000

A few weeks ago, on the day it was released, I installed Snow Leopard on my Macbook Pro. Installation was simple and after a few hours of play, I made an attempt at getting back to work. I hit my "alt-space" key combo to bring up my trusted Quicksilver application, but alas nothing happened except for the lonely system beep of my MBP telling me it was confused and didn't know what to do next.

From iPhone to YouTube to Twitter

Nathaniel Beighley — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:04:39 +0000

Users YouTube RSS Feed in FirefoxIt's not that I don't like yFrog or Twitpic or any of the other services out there for twittering my latest videos on the internet, but I'm really trying hard to keep all of my videos and pictures in one place rather than spread all over the internet.

With the introduction of the video recorder in the iPhone 3GS and the ability to 'one-click' upload videos directly to YouTube, the only thing that was missing was the ability to have those videos automagically twittered.

After a little research, I discovered that it is possible to subscribe to a user's YouTube RSS feed by using the URL: http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/users/username/uploads?orderby=published

That URL, after replacing 'username' with the user's YouTube account ID, is the RSS subscription feed. Once established, the next step is to simply have the feed monitored by a service such as TwitterFeed.com which will automatically 'tweet' new videos uploaded via the iPhone or other device

For my next trick, I'm going to work on doing the exact same thing with pictures using either Picasa Web Albums or Flickr.

Blogging from the iPhone with iBlogger

Nathaniel Beighley — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:40:40 +0000

I recently heard about about a blogging application for the iPhone called iBlogger from illumineX. Intrigued and seeing that they had plugins for Squarespace, I downloaded the app immediately from iTunes (iTunes Link) and had no problem spending the $9.99.

Now, a couple things should be noted before I continue: First, there are cheaper alternatives out there for blogging sites such as WordPress and Google's Blogger, but this was the first app I found that worked with Squarespace. Second, since I only use Squarespace, I can't comment on how iBlogger works with other blogging platforms.

Also, I decided that the best way to review this little gem was, shall we say, 'trial by fire'. So I'm writing this entire entry on my iPhone using iBlogger.

The Good New Is...

It works right out of the box (so to speak). I have had no problems running the application and adding my Squarespace account was a breeze. Once my account was added to the list, I immediately had access to all of my existing blog entries.

I appreciate as well that I can work on an entry and leave the application without losing my work or having the half-completed article publish before it is done. In the list of entries, iBlogger shows published articles with green text and entries-in-progress with black text.

Adding an image to a new post is a snap, giving you the option to take a picture from the iPhone camera or selecting one from the library. Once added, you can adjust alignment or remove it completely.

In addition to images, iBlogger allows you to add links, choose categories and add tags. It also has a GPS link so you can add the location you are blogging from, which will open a Google Map when clicked.

It should also be noted that iBlogger is fast, really fast. I'm using the application on an iPhone 3GS and it works as quickly as I can move with no delays and no hang ups.

And the Bad News...

While being a pretty robust application for a mobile device, there were a few things I struggled with.

The first thing I immediately noticed was the lack of text controls for selecting headers, colors, etc., within the editor. It is conceivable that this is an iPhone software limitation, but the only way to add headers or special text is to enter the source code. If you have ever tried to write code using the iPhone keyboard, you know what a frustrating experience this can be. A landscape keyboard might help with this a little, but landscape mode is not an option within iBlogger.

Also, while you can adjust the image alignment, you can't adjust where it goes within paragraphs. The one image, which is all that is allowed, is always within the first paragraph. Image resizing and cropping is also not an option as you can see in my screenshot above.

While adding a link is an option, it can't be done within the editor. It helps in generating the source code, but the code then has to be cut and paste in the appropriate place within the paragraph. It's only a hair faster than manually typing the code without using the link button.

Is it Worth It?

Seems to be! While it certainly isn't going to replace my desktop as a blogging tool, iBlogger can come in real handy when out on the road. I can see this application being used a lot at conferences, trade shows and big events like WWDC and CES.

Is it worth 10 bucks? That depends on how and when you are going to use it, but for me, absolutely. While there are some features and options missing, I'm willing to bet that future versions are only going to get better and fill in some of those gaps.

New Site Launch: DRC1000.com

Nathaniel Beighley — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:09:25 +0000

Every now and then I get to work on a website that is not only challenging, but a whole lot of fun, and drc1000.com is one of those sites. Designed by John Sabo from Sabo Creative, DRC1000.com is one of the most beautiful and graphically intensive websites I have ever had the pleasure of working on.

Be An Uber-Geek with GeekTools for Mac

Nathaniel Beighley — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:59:46 +0000

Whenever I'm at the movies or watching some spy show on TV and I see some lonesome tech guy sitting at a computer trying to hack some system to help the hero of the day, I suddenly find myself more interested in the computer than the story. I start trying to guess the operating system, figure out what software they are using and determine if it is all some great piece of geekness that I haven't seen yet, or just a figment of some set managers imagination. In any case, I'm constantly looking for cool ways to make my Mac desktop look just like what I see on the television and a few months ago, I found a real gem. GeekTool from Tynsoe.org not only makes my desktop look Uber-Geeky, but is extremely functional.

Making Personal Domain Email work with MobileMe

Nathaniel Beighley — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:45:06 +0000

When Apple announced a couple years back that MobileMe (at the time it was called .Mac) and iWeb were going to allow for a personal domain, I was pretty geeked. At least I was until I found out that I couldn't use personal domain email with my MobileMe account. So earlier this year, I decided to figure out exactly what it was going to take to get my personal domain email accounts to play nicely with MobileMe, and once I discovered the solution, I laughed at how easy it turned out to be.

I See Your Password

Nathaniel Beighley — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:26:11 +0000

Earlier this week, Ars Technica did a story on a group of researchers in the computer science department at the University of California Santa Barbara. These researchers conducted a study on a botnet named Torpig after they successfully hijacked the botnet for ten days. What they discovered was not only mind boggling, but down right scary.

In case you didn't know, a botnet is essentially a network of computers on the internet that are all infected with the same virus (or malware). This 'network' periodically contacts special servers and delivers information or receives instructions from the 'bad guys'.

Torpig is an especially nasty botnet that over the years has been responsible for stealing more than a half-million online bank account details and was referred to by BBC News as "one of the most advanced pieces of crimeware ever created".

Make Pandora Sing with Microsoft Sync

Nathaniel Beighley — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:51:55 +0000

Click to EnlargeLate last year I bought a 2009 Ford Focus SES with the super awesome Microsoft Sync system. I have to admit that the Sync system was one of my primary reasons for buying the car because of the integration with my iPhone.

If you have an iPhone then you are probably familiar with application Pandora. If you don't know about Pandora, even if you don't have an iPhone, I encourage you to check out www.pandora.com. Pandora is essentially internet radio with channels that you customize so you can listen to the music that you want to hear.

So a couple days ago, I stumbled upon a little way to get Pandora to work with the Sync system in my car via USB. I should point out that you don't need this hack if you listen to your iPhone via the 3.5mm audio jack. If you are like me however and don't want a convoluted mess of wires strung all over your vehicle, this little hack will come in handy.

To listen to Pandora via USB, simply follow these steps:

Plug your iPhone into the Sync system via USB.
Turn the vehicle on and navigate to "Sync > USB" with your vehicle controls.
Using the Sync system, start playing any song on your iPhone. As soon as you hear the music start, pause it.
Now, on your iPhone, open Pandora and select a channel.
Done...Pandora is now playing through the Sync system in your Ford without the 3.5mm headphone jack.

A couple of things to note: First, the next version of the iPhone will supposedly have bluetooth A2DP enabled, which means we won't need either the USB cable or the 3.5mm cable. Second, Pandora works really good over 3G and WiFi, but can be a little slow on edge. I found that on the edge network, it takes a minute or two to get started, but once it's going, it's pretty solid.

And, of course, you can't navigate through music or rate songs on Pandora with the steering column controls, so please, keep your eyes on the road...

The New Site

Nathaniel Beighley — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Welcome to the new VortexNetworking.com!

We have been busy lately. So busy in fact that our old website had become a neglected mess that we tried and tried to ignore. Unfortantely, it got to the point where it was embarrasing to hand out business cards because we didn't want anyone going to our site.

So, over the last month I have been quitely working away on our new website, and we're pleased you could come check it out. So what's new...well, here we go...

Client Access

One of the first things I wanted with the new site was a place where my existing clients could log in to retrieve files, access important information and updates, view billings and access new quotes. You'll notice off to the left a "Client Login" option. If you haven't received an email from me containing your account information, give me a buzz and I'll get it to you right away. Once logged in, you will be able to access things such as:

Up to three months of billings (PDFs)
New, Open and Accepted or Rejected Quotes
Link to Email
Updates and Files

The Blog

It's really kind of a side project, but I wanted to provide clients with a resource for information, news, reviews and how-to's regarding the latest in technology, software, hardware and development. In addition, I will be blogging about some of the new and exciting projects that we are currently working on as well as any issues, notes or problems with our hosting servers. You can subscribe to this blog using the RSS link or in your account settings (clients only), you can ask to be notified via email about new additions and entries.

Coming Soon

I hope to add a few more things over the next year as well, such as a support section for clients with how-to's for email setup and account management. I'll be sure to keep you informed along the way. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you...

Thanks...

Nathaniel G. Beighley

616-604-4451