It may not seem like a gadget to most, but a good flat iron is something every curly haired gal needs in her tech arsenal.  They are pretty awesome these days–adjustable temperature, ceramic plates, and other cool features that help you get your hair as straight as possible.

I hope that fate intervenes and picks me as the winner, since my hair confounds many lesser flat irons!    If you’re interested, head on over to Hillary’s blog and find out the ways you can win!  The entries close soon, so hurry!

http://www.byhillary.com/2010/02/you-are-gonna-want-to-read-this-hint-it.html

I’ve been waxing poetic on my Twitterstream about my Apple TV’s new lease on life, thanks to the Boxee Beta and a few related hacks.  A few friends have asked what exactly I did, so I thought I’d put the process together here.

I’m a Boxee beta tester, but you too should be able to get the Beta as it is released to the public.  There’s just one problem–there is no Beta release for the Apple TV.  But, never fear…the community is on top of things.  I honestly think that the Boxee Beta install is even easier than the Alpha ever was.

Ready to install?  The details are after the jump!

First of all, you’ll need to create a patchstick to open up access to your Apple TV.  If you don’t know how to do that, I’m not going to go into it here.  Most likely, you’re here because you already have your ATV patchsticked and you just want to be able to get the Beta on it.  If you don’t know how, use this handy dandy utility called ATV USB Creator.  Download it here.

Once you have SSH access to your Apple TV, you will need to SSH into your it.  Don’t forget, Apple TV hackers–the password is frontrow!  Once you’ve gotten access to your Apple TV via Terminal or the command prompt, you’ll need to download and run a script created by a Boxee/Apple TV enthusiast that installs Boxee along with Firefox 3.6, NitoTV, and the newest beta of Flash.  Run each line as a command, one at a time.

wget -m -nd http://www.green-light.ca/cmn_external/app/boxee/beta/BoxeeBetaInstallScript.sh
sudo sh BoxeeBetaInstallScript.sh latest
sudo reboot now

Once you’ve gotten your Apple TV rebooted, you’ll need to go to the Nito TV menu > Settings > Install Software > Smart Installer.  Let that do its thing installing…at this point I rebooted again for good measure once it was done.

This gets the latest and greatest bits installed.  After this, I actually did some further tweaking that has really helped the way that my Apple TV performs, especially with streaming video.  Another one of the forum members posted up these tweaks on the Boxee forums.  He recommends, as do I, that you shouldn’t attempt these tweaks unless you are comfortable with command line work and are willing to possibly require a factory restore on your Apple TV if you mess something up.  However, just follow the directions and you should be fine!

1. Tweak the network settings of the Apple TV.

Make sure you are SSH’ed into your Apple TV, and then you’ll use the terminal to create and run some files.

Type the first command in:

sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

Then you’ll copy and paste the following:

kern.ipc.somaxconn=512
net.inet.tcp.mssdflt=1460
net.inet.tcp.sendspace=98304
net.inet.tcp.recvspace=98304
kern.ipc.maxsockbuf=1048576
net.inet.udp.maxdgram=57344
net.inet.udp.recvspace=42080
net.local.stream.sendspace=98304
net.local.stream.recvspace=98304
net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0
net.inet.tcp.rfc1323=1
net.inet.tcp.rfc1644=1
net.inet.tcp.newreno=1

Then press Control+X to save, and Y followed by Enter to accept the filename.

Then create a script that will initiate the changes you just made using these two commands (one at a time):

cd ~
nano -w Tweaks.sh

This will create another new file, which you’ll paste this into:

awk '{ if (!index($1, "#") && index($1, "=")) print $1 }' < /etc/sysctl.conf | while read
do
sysctl -w ${REPLY}
done

Control+X to save again, followed by Y and Enter to accept the filename.

Now, run the following commands (again, one at a time):

chmod +x ./Tweaks.sh
sudo ./Tweaks.sh

And you should get the following output (or else something went wrong):

kern.ipc.somaxconn: 128 -> 512
net.inet.tcp.mssdflt: 512 -> 1460
net.inet.tcp.sendspace: 32768 -> 98304
net.inet.tcp.recvspace: 32768 -> 98304
kern.ipc.maxsockbuf: 262144 -> 1048576
net.inet.udp.maxdgram: 9216 -> 57344
net.inet.udp.recvspace: 42080 -> 42080
net.local.stream.sendspace: 8192 -> 98304
net.local.stream.recvspace: 8192 -> 98304
net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack: 3 -> 0
net.inet.tcp.rfc1323: 1 -> 1
net.inet.tcp.rfc1644: 0 -> 1
net.inet.tcp.newreno: 0 -> 1

2. Create advancedsettings.xml to adjust the skiploop feature (making things run faster/smoother, as well as prevent the Boxee screen from randomly blanking out after you turn your TV off for a bit)

Still using SSH and the command prompt, run the following command, which will create another file for you:

nano /Users/frontrow/Library/Application\ Support/BOXEE/UserData/advancedsettings.xml

Then paste this into it, Control+X to save, Y plus Enter to accept the filename:

<advancedsettings>
<osx_gl_fullscreen>true</osx_gl_fullscreen>
<skiploopfilter>8</skiploopfilter>
</advancedsettings>

Exit Boxee, then run the following command:

rm /Users/frontrow/Library/Logs/boxee.log

Then restart Boxee, and issue the following command:

less /Users/frontrow/Library/Logs/boxee.log

You should scroll down in the results from that command and see a line about advancedsettings.xml.  If there is no error, things are just fine!

3. If you want to run Netflix…

Boxee does not include the Netflix app for Apple TV, and even though you’re installing the Mac version of the Beta it still doesn’t shoehorn the Netflix app into the install.  I wish it did, because despite the reports of the Apple TV not being powerful enough for it, it’s my experience that Netflix runs GREAT on the Apple TV after all these tweaks are done.

How exactly am I running Netflix?  Well, here’s the deal.  When you install Boxee Beta and Nito TV, Firefox 3.6 gets installed with it, along with Silverlight.  Go to the Nito TV menu from the main Apple TV menu, then choose Applications > Firefox.  You can use it like a normal browser, and I use it to watch streaming content from netflix.com.  I like to pause it and let it buffer just a little bit at the beginning so that playback is smooth.

In order to work with Firefox and Netflix on the Apple TV, I’ve done a couple of things.  I’ve used the Awkward TV wiki to enable the mouse pointer and install a VNC server so that I can easily control the screen using Chicken of the VNC on my Mac or Mocha VNC Lite on my iPhone.  I really only use that to choose what I want to watch from my queue if I’m too far away from the TV to see it clearly (the browser stuff is small).

Mostly, I use Rowmote Pro on my iPhone to control the Apple TV itself as well as Firefox, Boxee, and other apps using the remote feature and the wireless keyboard/mouse feature.  It works just like the keyboard does on my Mac when I’m using Netflix in Firefox–space bar pauses, escape exits from full screen.  Rowmote is great because it controls just about anything you want on your Mac, plus they have an installer so you can use it on the Apple TV too.  I had the 99 cent original Rowmote, but I upgraded to Rowmote Pro so that I could have the wireless keyboard and mouse in addition to just the remote functions.

Another thing I have done (that I figured out myself, mind you!) is installed the extension Full Fullscreen in Firefox on the Apple TV, and set it to launch in fullscreen mode every time. That gets rid of the annoying menu bar and such along the top and makes Firefox true fullscreen.  I’ve been using this extension for a while on my netbook for real fullscreen browsing and it’s fantastic.

It’s not the MOST elegant solution, but it works great to watch Netflix using the Apple TV.  We have an XBox 360 and PS3 in our living room, which I use quite a bit to watch Netflix and I really love the ease of access and always growing library of Netflix’s streaming offerings.  I was determined to find a way to easily watch Netflix on the new 19″ LCD HDTV in our bedroom, and I knew that I couldn’t move any of the gaming systems in from the big TV in the living room (my husband wouldn’t be pleased).  I also didn’t want to buy a Roku box or anything else just for Netflix access, but I knew that my netbook doesnt run it well enough that I could have just hooked it up to the TV.

I wanted the Apple TV to be able to work with my needs, and I wasn’t disappointed.  Between the Boxee installation for local media, music, Boxee apps, Hulu and other streaming media, and now Netflix for my streaming fix, PLUS all the shows and music available via the iTunes store, the Apple TV gives me just about anything I could want.

Thanks go to Keith and Jim from the Boxee forums for figuring out the Beta install and tweaks!

I received a great comment to my Boxee post from a guy named Tom, who worked with Boxee (pretty obvious from the @boxee.tv email address!), but I didn’t realize right away that Tom was the co-founder!  Bad software fan.  I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the comment, which offered to help me figure out the problem.  Not only was it just a nice gesture, but he was really committed to helping me figure out the problem.  Tom was incredibly helpful and responsive during the entire troubleshooting process…we emailed back and forth and I followed some instructions given to me, and through the sending of logs and following Tom’s tweaks, I got everything working perfectly.

You’ve made a big Boxee fan an even bigger devotee with your dedicated customer service, Tom!  Thanks so much.

It has always worked great, even back when I was rocking a Discman and oodles of mp3 CDs.  When I moved to the iPod, it continued to work perfectly.  However, since I started using my iPhone as both my phone and main source of music, I have run into a problem.

Every time something is plugged into the headphone jack, my iPod music starts to play.  It doesn’t matter if anything else might be supplying audio to the stereo, such as Pandora or last.fm.  It happens only with things that are non-Apple–I don’t experience it with the stock Apple earbuds at all.

Sometimes it helps if I start the other application (like Pandora), get the music playing, THEN plug in the tape adapter.  Other times nothing seems to help and I give up in frustration.  All I really want is to be able to listen to my awesome Pandora stations on my 30+ minute commute, is that so wrong?

Research I’ve done on the Internet has netted me plenty of gripes from other people with the same problem, but no actual solution.  According to what I’ve read, even Apple doesn’t really have a fix for it.  I don’t know if I should take my iPhone in and complain, or if I will have the same problem with another iPhone.  I suppose I should do it before the end of August, when my 1-year warranty runs out.

Is anyone else having the same problem?  Have you been able to fix it?  Inquiring tech divas want to know.

This weekend, I’m attending my second Dallas WordCamp, a local event that showcases not just the amazing WordPress blogging system, but things you can do to make you a better blogger, designer, and community builder.

I attended my first WordCamp last year and I had an absolute blast.  I felt very at home in an auditorium full of mostly techy geeks–many of them even geekier than me in some ways!  I sat in a sea of mostly MacBooks and MacBook Pros.  I on the other hand was rocking my portable yet underpowered Eee PC, tethered to a precious spot on the power strip.  Though I didn’t want to admit it at the time, the Eee PC was more of a conversation piece than a true mobile workhorse.  I was working with a less that satisfactory Windows Mobile phone that was far outstripped by the iPhones I could see other people using.  Hell, the thing didn’t even want to make calls properly, let alone do anything fancy.  I felt almost lost–I was usually the most “techy” person in a group, but I had clearly met my matches at WordCamp.

WordCamp is a place that showcases technology, not just for what it can do for blogging, but what it can do for attendees.  That was my first chance to see mobile technology in widespread action, not just how I applied it to my day to day or specialized needs.

This year I am rocking much better technology with my Dell Mini 9 Hackintosh and my iPhone 3G.  Unlike last year, I don’t have to stay tethered to a power strip to stay connected (although I did, mostly because it was there).  I have better processing power, better battery power–and that translates into better communication power in a setting like WordCamp.

Because I have mobile technology that actually works as advertised in a mobile setting, I am able to connect that much more with the presenters and my fellow attendees.  I’m able to see a running conversation about the event, and contribute to that conversation as it happens.  I have choices in how the information being given out gets to me, and I have avenues to even more information as it is shared in the group.  Would I be able to do that with my Eee PC and my sadly dumb smartphone?  Yes, I would–but would I be able to do it as easily, or as elegantly?  Probably not.

I think there is something very important in having a setup that works for you; having the perfect gear is not necessarily about having the newest and fastest laptop, or an HD camera in your bag at all times.  It’s about having the kind of equipment that can get you through the day at a place like WordCamp, that can allow you to communicate and create and evolve on the go.

I find it fascinating to watch technology become a part of our lives and the way we work, play, learn and communicate with each other.  WordCamp is an excellent study in that, not just from a macro level but from a microscopic level, watching each individual participate in their own way with their own gear.  I love watching mobile technology in action, used the way it was intended to be used.

I was able to watch an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, I was able to stream an episode of Nurse Jackie, but I absolutely cannot get Farscape to play.  Hulu also does not work as intended, though Hulu on Boxee is always up and down so that doesn’t really surprise me.  Instead of playing the actual video it just goes to the video’s web page.

Please roll out a fix for this soon, Boxee devs!  I am otherwise REALLY happy with the new interface.  It is about a million times snappier, things update from the network source a LOT faster, and I like what you’ve done with the new layout.

So, since Boxee seems to approve of True Blood, I’m going to go watch it.

IM+ 3.1 is live and it is awesome! IM+ is my instant messenger app of choice on the iPhone, at least so far.  Beejive IM is very buggy and unstable (I get TONS of crashes on it) and I use multiple chat protocols, so AIM is out simply on the basis that it only connects to one service.  IM+ has been the best app for me since it was released.  I had been using the free version, but when the price dropped in anticipation of the 3.1 update, I purchased the full version.

Push notification works FLAWLESSLY with IM+.  I have been signed in all night, and the IM push messages are pretty much instantaneous.  There is no lag at all in chat notifications.  I noticed that there is a slight delay between when I receive a Twitter DM to my email and when I get the notification through IM+, but I have myself signed in to Twitter through IM+ anyway.  I mean, how awesome is it to get @ replies and DMs pushed to your phone without wasting text messages?  I’ve been waiting for that.

Finally, a chat program gets a coveted spot on my front app page.  I am very picky about what goes on that page–it’s where most of the stock iPhone apps go (YouTube, Calculator, Maps, Clock, Settings, Camera, Photos, Messages) and my top used apps (The Weather Channel, Stanza, Tweetie, and Byline).  Before, chatting was sort of inelegant and I rarely used it unless  I was stuck somewhere and totally bored, or at home and away from the laptop.  Now IM+ lives next to Byline so that I can access my chats at the touch of a fingertip.

Thanks for building a great product, Shape Services!  I look forward to enjoying push messaging at last.

1) Copying multiple photos from the Camera Roll to email. This is so freaking handy, especially when I use my iPhone to take snaps of something I am reviewing, or a series of photos of a single subject. It is super easy to just throw them into an email now!

2) Shake to shuffle the iPod. This is just intuitive and should have been part of the OS all along, given the accelerometer.

3) Spotlight search. It is so handy to be able to search instead of flip through pages of apps or cycle through tons of contacts.

4) Snappier performance in the Camera. One thing I hated about the camera was the extreme lag I often experienced when opening it, or trying to go from the Camera to the Camera Roll. The increased performance makes it a lot more usable.

5) Push notifications. Not a lot of apps have this enabled yet, but I can’t wait. IM+ is probably my most anticipated push notification app…it will be awesome to be logged in to IM whenever, wherever.

Now, with iPhone 3.0, there is an application called iScrobbler that allows you to scrobble directly from your phone.  You add your music (as much or as little as you want) and listen to it from inside the app.  As long as the app is open, your played tracks will be scrobbled.  Not as elegant as a small application running in the background…but it’s a start. According to a post in the last.fm forums about the app, you can also start playing tracks on your iPod, and as long as you start the app before the first song ends, it will scrobble that track and all tracks played until the app is closed.

I have downloaded it, but not used it yet.  My biggest complaints so far are that I really hate the color scheme–it is an inelegant mix of orange and yellow that quite frankly hurts my eyes–and the track information (artist, album, title) is in a very small font.  But, like I said, it’s a start.  I look forward to seeing this app grow and possibly seeing something cooked up that will allow background scrobbling in iPhone 3.0.

Simply go into Settings > Sync > Google Calendar and do a Reset Sync. I chose Erase Local Data since I had nothing that wasn’t already on the GCal side and it synced up like a charm! No more errors.

A side note–I am loving the shake to sync feature! It’s a cute and quick way to update the calendar. Because it is so handy I turned off Sync at startup on both GCal and Toodledo…that way I can get to my calendars that much faster. Every second counts, after all!