Cutting The Cable - Part 2

If you haven't already, please read my Cutting The Cable - Part 1 first.
This Part 2 is a bit unethical and considered illegal, but greatly expands your entertainment horizons.

Kodi + Exodus

What makes Kodi so amazing is all of the add-ons it supports for watching (or listening) to anything imaginable from anywhere and everywhere all over the world.  First, you'll need a few things to get started...

• Broadband internet (such as cable or DSL)
• Computer
• Amazon Fire TV (such as a FireStick, and optional if you can stream video from your computer to your HDTV)

Depending upon your OS (operating system), simply download and install Kodi from https://kodi.tv/download/
Follow these directions if you're installing Kodi on your Amazon Fire TV device...

• Install Kodi on a FireStick (should work with all Amazon Fire TV devices)
• Complete Kodi 16.1 Setup Guide For FireStick And Fire TV (YouTube video)

Once you've installed Kodi, you'll want to install the Exodus add-on for Kodi...

• Install Exodus Kodi
• How To:  Install Exodus on Kodi v16.01 "Jarvis" (YouTube video)

Cutting The Cable - Part 1

I think the main reason cable and satellite TV prices are continuously on the rise is because so many people (including myself) have cut their cable/satellite TV to save money.  Yes, there will be some initial investments involved, but they often pay for themselves within a year, and no need for me to regurgitate what many other articles have already discussed before.  Here's some articles below on how to cut your cable the ethical, legal way...

• How to Get Rid of Cable TV
• Tom's Guide to Cable TV Cord-Cutting
• PC Magazine's The Ultimate Cord Cutter's Guide
• Time Money's How to Watch All the TV You Want Without Paying a Cable Bill

In most of these articles, they discuss various options, such as HDTV antennas for live/local content (news, sports, etc.).  They also discuss streaming boxes, such as the Roku and Amazon's Fire TV.  Lastly, the various streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix.

Technicals

Unfortunately, most of these articles don't discuss the technical aspects to get the most out of your entertainment experience, mostly because a lot of it has to do with where you live, and what local TV stations and Internet services you have in your area.  Unfortunately, if you live in a very rural area (like some of my in-laws do), your choices are very limited.

Antennas

If you live more than 50 miles away from a large city, most likely an indoor antenna won't suffice.  Jump on Google Maps and see how far away the nearest major city is from you, and take a look at these antennas...

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Walmart

Streaming Boxes

I jumped on the Roku 3 bandwagon back before Amazon's Fire TV came out.  Although I love my Roku 3s (I have one in my living room and one in my bedroom), Amazon's Fire TV supports Kodi (in which I'll discuss this in Part 2), whereas Roku currently doesn't at the time of this writing.  I'm planning to switch over to Amazon's Fire TV at some point when money permits.  Unless you're a fanboy/girl, I wouldn't bother with Apple TV.

Streaming Services

This is really a matter of preference.  If you're a movie buff, Netflix is a good choice.  If you're a TV show nut, then try out Hulu.  If you already an Amazon Prime member, Amazon Prime Video is the obvious choice.  Since both Hulu and Netflix is about $10/month and often have a 30-day free trial without any contacts (at the time I wrote this), it doesn't hurt to try them both.  Even paying $30/month for all of them is still cheaper than basic cable/satellite TV.

Internet Service Provider

This is where the articles above doesn't discuss because this solely depends upon what services you have where you live.  Below is a list of internet service types sorted by download speed (at the time of this writing)...

1. Cable: usually the fastest type using coaxial cable provided by your local cable company, offering download speeds up to 200 Mbps (recommended for large families with many devices)
2. FTTN (Fiber To The Node): fiber optics replacing old copper telephone lines usually provided by your local phone company, offering download speeds up to 50 Mbps (recommended for average-size families with several devices)
3. DSL: usually provided by your local phone company over old copper telephone line, offering download speeds up to 25 Mbps (recommended for singles and couples with a few devices)
4. Satellite/Other: only consider this option if you don't have access to any of the above services!

A good rule of thumb for streaming HD (High Definition) video is at least 10 Mbps (Megabits Per Second) download speed per person.  Someone living alone could easily get away with only having only a 10 Mbps download speed whereas a family of five (such as mine) requires a bit more (I currently have 60 Mbps download speed via my cable provider).  To test your current internet speed, please visit http://www.speedtest.net/

To see what broadband Internet Service Providers are in your area, please visit...

• BroadbandNow
• Internet Providers By ZIP

Wireless Routers

Many people buy the cheapest router possible, and often get frustrated that their inexpensive router can't keep up with all of the HD video streaming demands of their gadgets.  When it comes to routers, you usually get what you pay for.  Although I don't have any specific brand preferences, I prefer Asus, Linksys (Cisco), or Netgear.  However, I don't recommend Belkin.  A general rule of thumb for buying a router is spending about $25 per device (anything that can stream HD video, such as computers, smartphones, streaming boxes, tablets, etc.) you'll connect to your router (please also consider future additions/demands)...

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Walmart

To fill-in a Wi-Fi dead-spot, purchase a range extender/repeater (wireless access point), and install it somewhere between the router and the dead-spot.  Although most wireless range extenders will work with most routers, it's a good idea to purchase a range extender made by the same manufacturer as your router...

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Walmart

Stronghold Kingdoms

Stronghold Kingdoms

This isn't a Beginner's or Newbie's Guide, but stuff I wish I knew before I started playing.  I've never played any of the previous Stronghold games before, and even though there are a couple of good game resources on the internet, unfortunately, I didn't understand enough before I started playing.

If you are impatient, Stronghold Kingdoms isn't the game for you.  It's a lot of “hurry up and wait”, and only gets worse as you progress.  It's a great game for the casual gamer, one who likes to play a game for several minutes a day.  It moves very quickly in the beginning, but gradually slows down.  I encourage for you to read through the game's Official Stronghold Kingdoms Wiki and Stronghold Kingdoms Advanced Guide - Beginner's Guide - The Honour Route

Continue reading this after you finished the game's tutorial.

When you first start playing, you only have three days before your free Premium Token runs out, and so anticipate you'll spend the first three days playing the game a lot.  The biggest advantage of the Premium Token is you can build and research up to five items at a time versus only one at a time.  The ability of moving any building around (except your Village Hall) is also a nice bonus for new players who's still learning and experimenting.  Take advantage of the 3-Day Premium Token when you first start playing!

Research Points

Although most game guides emphasize how important building and researching Arts, Decoration, and Literature, I don't think these websites stress how important these buildings and research really are.  To me, the most important aspect of the game is research, and in order to gain Research Points, you must upgrade your rank (level up).  And you only get three Research Points every time you upgrade your rank, so you have to spend them very wisely!  Research Arts, Decoration, and Literature at every possible chance, and keep these maxed at all times!  This will greatly increase the Honour Points you get every day (think of Honour Points like Experience Points), thus you'll be able to upgrade your rank much more quickly.  Building both Decorative and Entertainment buildings near your Village Hall helps increase this (discussed below).

One thing that I did do right was max Tools, to reduce building cost.  The more you build, the more expensive everything gets!  So try to max out Tools as quickly in the beginning of the game!

Next, try to maximize both Forestry and Stone Quarrying.  The bigger your Stronghold gets, the more buildings cost to build, and will require more of these two resources.

Research Plough as quickly to 4th level as quickly as possible, so you have access to Hops Farming, Wheat Production, and Vegetable Cropping.  Your game peeps enjoy having access to a wide variety of food, and more food sources increases the Honour Points you receive per day!

You'll want to start researching most of your food.  If you wish to sell and make lots of money, I recommend dumping most of your Research Points into whatever items sells for most at your local Stock Exchange.  For example, if 500 Vegetables sells for more than anything else, then I would dump most of your Research Points into Vegetable Cropping first, and then possibly Wheat Production if it sells for second most.

Lastly, in the first few days of game play, you'll want to spend...

At least two Research Points into Scouts, one Research Point into Foraging, and one Research Point into Horsemanship.  Being able to Forage quickly helps offset times of when you're low on food, wood, or stone.  Foraging a Research Stash (a bag with a question mark) also gives additional Honour Points, and whoever (player) get to it first gets these extra Honour Points!

You'll also want to spend two Research Points on Mathematics, one Research Point on Merchants Guilds so you can sell excess food and resources.  Anytime you have a spare Resource Point to give, spend it in Mathematics.

Spend two Research Points on Engineering, one Research Point on Stockpile Capacity, and one Research Point on Grainery Capacity.  You'll want to spend points into these later as your village grows and need more room to store food and resources.

Buildings

Placing your buildings to maximize productivity is everything in this game!  During the first three days of the Premium Token, spend it wisely experimenting.  The only building you can't move is the Village Hall.

If I had to choose what are the most important building types in the game, it would have to be Decorative, followed by Entertainment, since they directly influence your Honour Points.  Build as many of these types as quickly as possible!  You'll want to place your Decorative buildings as close to the Village Hall as possible, followed by Entertainment.

At first, you'll want to start off with at least five Woodcutter's Huts, five Stone Quarries, and five Hovels.  You'll also want one of each of these: Apple Orchard, Dairy Farm,  Inn, Brewery,  Bakery, and Vegetable Farm.  You'll want to try to triple the amounts of these buildings as quickly as possible, except for the Inn and the Market (you'll only need one of each).  Build the Woodcutter's Huts and Stone Querries as far away from their respective resources as possible, but as near to the stock pile as possible.  Move the stockpile around to get the most wood and stone per day, and according to what resource you need the most.  Move it back somewhere in the middle

Once you have built three farms of each type and have at least four Research Points in the corresponding food types, you'll be able to double your food and ale rations, thus increasing your earned Honour Points.

Allies

Since people can start attacking you after you've been playing for about a week, making friends and powerful allies can be the difference between being attacked and not being attacked.  Become allies/friends with anyone and everyone around you.

YouTube Tutorials

Shkdru has done several Stronghold Kingdom tutorials, including Stronghold Kingdoms Tutorial - Beginners Walk-Through

Computer Protection

Computer Protection

When most people think about protecting their computer, they only think about installing an anti-virus, and making sure they're behind a firewall.  However, there has been a great increase of advertisement servers that have been getting attacked lately.  Although major websites, such as Facebook, are usually safe, these major websites may use third party companies for advertising.  Since these ad servers may have dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of customers, such as Facebook, attacking these ad servers is extremely appealing for hackers since they reach a much larger audience.

To make matters worse, a huge exploit (vulnerability) has been detected in Microsoft Internet Explorer that has been around since the early days of version 6...

http://www.informationweek.com/security/vulnerabilities/microsoft-ie-patch-fixes-flaw-under-acti/240007833

Besides keeping your antivirus and Microsoft Windows current and updated, switching from Microsoft Internet Explorer to another web browser may help reduce your risks.  Two free web browsers I highly recommend are...

Google Chrome - http://www.google.com/chrome/

Mozilla Firefox - http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

However, just using these web browsers alone won't help keep you protected.  You will also need to block these ad servers.  To do that, you will also need to install an extension (also known as add-ons or plug-ins) called AdBlock Plus for both Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.  Once you have installed Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, please visit http://adblockplus.org/, and downloand and install the AdBlock Plus extension for either Google Chrome or Mozilla firefox.  Not only will AdBlock block these ad servers, but they also block the advertisements from displaying in your web browser!  Websites will look much cleaner without all of those annoying ads!

Lastly, to help warn you of potentially harmful websites, I highly recommend also installing WOT (Web Of Trust).  First, you'll need to create an account at http://www.mywot.com/.  Then you'll need to download and install the extensions for either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.  When you attempt to access a website with malicious intent, WOT will give you this warning...

Please share this with others!

Free Web Development Tools

Free Tools For Beginning Web Designers And Developers

For anyone who's interested in creating basic websites, here's a few free software programs you'll need to get you started.

Internet Web Browsers

One of the most important tools any beginning web designer/developer will need are a couple or more web browsers.  Unfortunately, web pages won't display the exact same in all web browsers, MSIE (Microsoft Internet Explorer) being the worst.  You can install as many web browsers as you'd like, but there's a few popular ones many different people use, besides MSIE...

• Google Chrome at http://www.google.com/chrome
• Mozilla Firefox at http://www.mozilla.org/

Since Google Chrome uses the same rendering engine as Apple Safari, there's really no need to install both Apple Safari and Google Chrome, since all web pages should look identical in either web browser.

Adobe and Java

Many websites use Adobe and Java products, and the latest versions should always be installed.  However, if you're thinking about using Java on your website, then I'd highly recommend installing the JDK (Java Development Kit) versus the JRE (Java Runtime Environment).  The JRE is just for displaying Java, whereas JDK is for Java developers.

• Adobe at http://www.adobe.com/downloads/
• Java JDK at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/

Editors

There are many editors you can use, some very expensive, some free, some WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), and some text-based.  Personally, I prefer the free, text-based editors.  Although WYSIWYG editors are nice, they often add a ton of unneeded codes, blowing-up your web pages, thus taking longer for web browsers to render them.  And the WYSIWYG editors that don't add a ton of useless codes aren't very powerful.  However, if you've never made a web page in your life, don't know any HTML or CSS, then a decent WYSIWYG editor is Amaya.  It's jointly made from the same people who write many of the web standards we all must conform to (W3C at http://www.w3.org/).

• Amaya at http://www.w3.org/Amaya/

Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Many web designers/developers, at one point or another, will start learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other programming languages due to the limitations of many WYSIWYG editors.  Many go back to school, but many of us prefer to teach ourselves.  There are many wonderful, free websites for people to learn and use their products and standards.

• W3School at http://www.w3schools.com/
• HTML.net at http://www.html.net/
• Mozilla Developer Network at http://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/learn/
• CSS Basics at http://www.cssbasics.com/
• CodeAcademy at http://www.codecademy.com/

Once you start learning HTML and CSS, then it's time to start writing your own codes.  Many of us started out using a very basic text editor like Notepad, but quickly found out how soon we needed something more powerful.  The better solution to Notepad is called Notepad++.  Not only does it give you line numbers (which is important when you're trying to figure out code issues), but it also colorizes different types of code so it's easier to separate code from content.  You can even add a spell checker for those of us who write a lot of our own content.

• Notepad++ at http://notepad-plus-plus.org/
• ASpell spell checker at http://aspell.net/win32/

But eventually, even Notepad++ has its limitations.

Eclipse and Aptana

Eclipse is a free IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that helps assist designers/developers with writing codes.  Aptana is a free plugin for Eclipse that assists specifically for writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.  Although Aptana comes in a stand-alone package (without having to install Eclipse), unfortunately, doesn't offer some features that Eclipse comes with, such as a spell checker.  Also, Eclipse allows you to expand your horizons by offering support for Java and other programming languages.  For this reason, I recommend downloading Eclipse, and installing the Aptana plugin versus the stand-alone package.

• Eclipse at http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
• Aptana at http://www.aptana.com/

Not sure which flavor of Eclipse to download?  That depends upon which programming language you want to use.  However, for most beginners, I recommend either the Classic version or Eclipse IDE for JavaScript Web Developers, if you're thinking about learning JavaScript.  You can also add a simple text file as a custom dictionary for Eclipse under Window -> Preferences -> General -> Editors -> Text Editors -> Spelling.

• Dictionary.txt at http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/collections/interfaces/examples/dictionary.txt

Firefox and Chrome Web Developer Toolbar

I'm not a fan of toolbars.  In fact, I hate them.  But unlike most toolbars that provide yet, another worthless search bar, this one is specifically designed for web designers/developers without a search bar!  Just only what you need to view different aspects of a web page, for both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers.

• Web Developer Toolbar at http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/

Digital Image Editors

At one point or another, may web designers/developers will want to add an image or two or ten on their website.  Like other types of editors, there are some very expensive digital image editors, and there are very good free ones!  Since there are a lot of free digital image editors geared toward different audiences, I'll narrow the choices down to two types and two choices:

1. Easy to use, but less functionality
2. Complex with tons of features

So, it depends upon your current knowledge and experience, and what you're willing to learn and try.  If you want ease of use with the basic, standard features, then I recommend Pixlr.  It's a free, online photo editor that doesn't require a software program to be downloaded and installed to use.  My second recommendation for those who need Photoshop-like features is Gimp.  Gimp has almost all of the features as those hundreds-of-dollars digital image editors, but for free.  Unfortunately, all of those features do come with another price - it's not for the faint of heart to use!  For those who's already familiar with Photoshop's interface may do well with GimpShop.

• Pixlr at http://pixlr.com/
• Gimp at http://www.gimp.org/
• GimpShop at http://gimpshop.com/

Web Page Validation

One important aspect of writing codes is to make sure that everything is correct, and that you are using the proper codes.  One way of doing so is to verify your web pages with W3C, and also clean them up a little using HTML Tidy.  Both are free, online tools, and don't require to download and install any software programs.

• The W3C Markup Validation Service at http://validator.w3.org/
• HTML Tidy at http://infohound.net/tidy/

Web Hosting Services

Eventually, at some point, you'll want to upload your web pages to a web hosting server for all of the world to see.  What's the point of writing web pages if no one can view them?  Most broadband ISPs (Internet Service Providers) offer a small amount of online storage with limited functionality, but with unlimited bandwidth.  However, there are many free web hosting services that give you tons of features, but they display ads on your website, and have limited bandwidth.  Once that bandwidth is used up, your web pages will be cut off from the rest of the world until the next month.  Personally, I prefer to make do with the limited functionality but adless and limitless bandwidth my ISP gives me.  However, here's a couple of articles that you may want to read...

• How to build and host a website for free at http://www.techsupportalert.com/how-to-build-a-website-1.htm
• Best free online applications and services at http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/best-free-online-applications-and-services.htm

If your website is for an organization (whether it's commercial or non-profit), most likely, you'll want to use a recognized, paid-for web hosting service.  Paid-for web hosting services can vary from a couple bucks a month to about $30/month!

Uploading Your Website

Whatever online web hosting service you choose, you'll need a way to upload your web pages, images, and other files to their web hosting server.  Most web hosting servers support FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and you will need to know your web host's FTP address, your login, your password, and any other settings they may require.  Personally, I prefer to use FireFTP, a free addon extension for Mozilla Firefox, but some people prefer a separate software program, such as FileZilla.

• FireFTP Client at http://fireftp.mozdev.org/
• FileZilla Client at http://filezilla-project.org/

Eclipse IDE/Aptana Studio has a built-in "sync" option that automatically uploads your saved web page, which is very nice, but it's not very "user friendly" to setup.  However, once you figure out how to set it up, it's definitely the best option, since it automatically uploads after you save any changes made to the web page you're editing.

Adobe Flash Versus HTML5 Canvas

For those who's thinking about putting money, effort, and time learning and using Adobe Flash, personally, I wouldn't, considering you could put the same effort and time learning HTML5's new Canvas abilities along with JavaScript.   From what I've read and understood, the new HTML5 Canvas used in conjunction with JavaScript will be able to do anything and everything that Adobe Flash can do, without having to buy any expensive proprietary software programs.  Using HTML5's Canvas plus JavaScript is free.

Ultibuntu

Ultimate Ubuntu

There are about as many Linux distros (distributions) as free software programs for Linux.  I personally prefer Ubuntu because it’s so customizable and updated frequently.  But there are many different flavors of Ubuntu, so I created this script (batch) file to automatically download and install many different desktops and common/popular software programs for both new and seasoned Ubuntu users to learn and try much of what Ubuntu has to offer.  It’s intended to run on a central, main desktop computer than can be used as a powerful gaming/multimedia center.  Installation may take at least a few hours, depending upon your computer and Internet speed!  Most of the installation is fully automated, but some software programs may require user input before proceeding.  Please watch installation occasionally.  Download the script file at http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/Ultibuntu.sh

I'll include instructions of how to make this script file executable soon!

Requirements:
At least 20GB of free HDD (hard drive) space on Ubuntu partition(s)
Broadband (high speed) Internet connection

Recommendations:
Dual-core CPU (processor) or better
2GB of system memory (RAM) or better
Non-integrated video card (ATI or NVIDIA)
Ubuntu installed on its own HDD (hard disk drive) partition(s)

Current List Of Ubuntu Additions:
Google, Medibuntu, and Mozilla Repositories
DKMS and Build Essentials

Desktops and Restricted Extras:
Ubuntu, including Gnome, Gnome Themes, and Restricted Extras
Edubuntu, including Edubuntu for KDE
Kubuntu, including KDE and Restricted Extras
Lubuntu, including LXDE and Restricted Extras
Mythbuntu and MythTV Documentation
Ubuntu Studio, including Studio Controls
Xubuntu, including XFCE4 and Restricted Extras

Compatibility and Emulators:
Wine, including add-ons
Samba, including System Configuration
DosBox
PlayOnLinux
ScummVM, including games

Software Programs and Add-Ons:
7zip, including add-ons and other compression tools
Adobe Acrobat Reader and Flash plug-ins
Audacity
Bleachbit
Childsplay
Chromium Browser, including codecs and plug-ins
Clementine
Compiz Config Settings Manager, including plug-ins
DeVeDe
Diagram Editor
E17 (Enlightenment)
F-Spot
Filezilla
Firefox, including extensions
Foobillard
Gimp, including add-ons
Glest
Gnome-Do
Gnome Tweak Tool
GnuCash
GParted, including add-ons
HedgeWars
Kino, including add-ons
Kompozer
LibreOffice, including add-ons
DropBox
Mail Notification, including add-ons
MPlayer, SMPlayer, and other add-ons
NeverBall and NeverPutt
Nexuiz, including add-ons
Not-Free Codecs
OpenArena
OpenJDK 7
OpenTTD, including add-ons
Periodic Table
Pitivi
Planner (Project Management)
Plymouth Themes
PokerTH
PowerPoint Viewer
Scribus, including additional templates
Scorched 3D
Skype
Start-Up Manager (will be replaced with Grub Customizer when available)
Storage Device Manager
SuperTux and SuperTuxKart
Synaptic, including add-ons
Thunderbird, including extensions
VLC, including plug-ins
Warzone 2100
Wesnoth

Download Link:
http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/Ultibuntu.sh

Mickey's Website

I have added and changed a few of my webpages.  First, I modified my home page to make it a little more "visually appealing".  I also created a United States Holiday Calendar using Google Calendar...

Home - http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/index.htm

U.S. Holiday Calendar - http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/HolidayCalendar.htm

There's plenty of websites that link to other kid-friendly, educational, and fun websites on the internet; but most of them are bland, no pictures, and just plain text.  Most kids are very visual, and don't like wordy websites.  So, I created, changed, and updated a bookmark/favorites page for kids that also include thumbnails (screenshots) of these websites, and currently links to about 60 kid websites at the time of this writing.  So far, my kids have really liked it, and I hope yours will, too.  It makes a great home page for the web browser your kids use.  If there's a few FREE, popular websites you think I should add, please let me know by e-mail at junkmail3612@gmail.com...

Kids Bookmark/Favorites - http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/Kids.htm

There's not very much on the internet that helps kids learn how date and time works.  I found plenty of pages aiding parents and teachers to teach kids how to read a calendar and tell time on a clock, but not much out there for kids themselves.  So, I decided to try to make a couple of pages that may help...

Kids Calendar - http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/KidsCalendar.htm

Kids Clock - http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/KidsClock.htm

I tried making my three kids web pages listed above as visual as possible, but due to my limited web space and lack of knowledge about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, these web pages still aren't as fun-looking as I'd like.  I'm always open for CONSTRUCTIVE criticism by fellow web designers.  Please keep in mind that I "hand-write" all of my web pages because I despise all of the extra codes and tags many web design software programs often insert.  I attempt to keep my web pages "clean, fast, and sleek" (efficient and optimized).

Runescape Botting

Runescape Botting

I remember when I first started playing Runescape many years ago, I would get tired of all of the mindless hours of grinding you'd have to do just to earn skill experience and/or make some game money.  Once I had learned about botting, now I don't have to sit at my computer the entire time, wasting hours of my life away so I can do other things (such as going to school, work, sleep, and spending time with my family) while the bot grinds for me.  If you are interested in botting, I must first throw out this disclaimer...

"AUTOING" (BOTTING) IN RUNESCAPE IS AGAINST JAGEX'S RULES, AND YOU CAN GET PERMINENTLY IP BANNED FROM PLAYING!!!  I CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOU GET CAUGHT!!!  In other words, you don't want to get caught running a bot in Runescape!  Jagex has gone to great lengths to prevent people from running bots.  Between randoms, having mods patrolling every world, and observing everything being said and done, even in private messages, you take great risks botting.  If that doesn't scare you away, then please continue reading...

There's at least two mistakes people make botting.  The first mistake is botting for days on end.  Jagex is gonna think something's strange if someone has been playing Runescape for 30 hours straight.  I haven't met anyone who can, not saying that no one can, but who would want to?!  The second mistake is running bots that don't have any "anti-bans" or fail-safes, meaning that they do the exact same replicated clicks and movements without any random variations.  Once again, I don't know anyone who can click on the exact same spots with the exact same mouse movement and speed for hours on end, and Jagex watches for this stuff.  So, if you're worried about getting caught, don't run a bot for more than about 8 hours per day, and make sure it makes random clicks and movements.
There are two free bots you can download and use, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.  The first bot that has been around the longest is RSBot that can be downloaded from http://www.powerbot.org/.  The second bot is called RSBuddy, and can be downloaded from http://rsbuddy.com/.  I'll explain the differences below...

RSBot at http://www.powerbot.org/
Pros

• Been around the longest.
• Has more bot scripts to select from.
• Can view bot scripts for account stealing code before running.
• Easily create and edit scripts if you learn Java.

Cons

• Initial setup isn't easy, especially if you're running x64-bit Windows, and you have to make a lot of adjustments and tweaks just to get the bot or scripts to work.
• You have to compile bot scripts before you can use them.
• Most of the bot scripts aren't extremely detailed or professional.
• Website is down a lot (some say Jagex and/or RSBuddy DoS attacks  their server).

RSBuddy at http://rsbuddy.com/
Pros

• Very easy to use.
• You don't have to compile bot scripts.  Just simply click to add and they're ready to run!
• Although it has fewer bot scripts to select from, the bot scripts it does have are far more advanced

Cons

• Has a very "shady" history.
• Can't view the original source code before running script, so you're unsure if it will steal your Runescape account login/bank pin.

Which one should you use?  I use them both, depending upon the script I'm wanting to run.

AMD and ATI versus Intel and nvidia

Here's my dilemma...

For many years, I've always been an Intel and nvidia fan.  They're known for their performance, reliability, and stability.  They tend to run cooler than their AMD/ATI counterparts, and nvidia's Geforce software tend to cause fewer issues than ATI's Catalyst software.  Intel's chipsets and processors tend to have fewer compatibility issues with memory, operating systems, etc. than AMD's do.  However, I'm in the market for upgrading my computer, and debating what I should buy.  Unfortunately, after doing much research on http://www.newegg.com/, I'm trying "to get the most bang for my buck."  So I don't have to repeat myself, please read my original post on  AMD forums at...

http://forums.amd.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=14&threadid=146163&enterthread=y

Keeping my original post above in mind, an Intel CPU with an nvidia video card comparable in price are:

CPU:

Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz 4MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3540

MOBO:

ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM (same as in my original post above):

Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PGD38G1600ELK

VIDEO CARD:

EVGA 01G-P3-1145-TR GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card 

The total of these above parts, which are about $500 total without shipping/handling and rebates, are about $40 more than the comparable AMD/ATI parts in my AMD forums post.  I found this article that discusses these two chips among several others they benchmarked and tested against each other at...

http://www.hardcoreware.net/amd-vs-intel-100-150-dollar-cpu/

So, according to this article, dollar-for-dollar, it appears the AMD outperforms Intel chips on most benchmark tests, and they're generally less expensive.  So, should I go for the AMD quad-core processor versus the Intel dual-core precessor?  Can anyone give me any good reasons to stick with Intel versus AMD?  I'm all ears, because I'm slowly finding myself swaying towards buying AMD/ATI!  And please stay away from vague expressions such as, "you get what you pay for."  If I didn't know this, then I wouldn't have needed to post this in the first place!  ;-)

Charlie The Unicorn

Charlie The Unicorn



Charlie The Unicorn 2



Charlie The Unicorn 3



Charlie the Unicorn "Hot Topic" Video



YouTube Live Promo: Charlie the Unicorn



Charlie the Unicorn - YouTube Live

Kids & Computers

Kids and Computers - How to Protect Your Kids From the Dangers on the Internet

Every parent should watch (MS)NBC's How to Catch a Predator (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10912603/).

The first step you should do is to create two separate Windows user accounts in Control Panel. One account is your Administrator account where you can control and make changes to the computer, while the kids’ account is limited so they cannot make administrator changes to the computer. However, create your kids’ account as an Administrator at first, make the adjustments and changes while in their account (change the appearance, install games, etc.), and once you are satisfied with it, you may change it to a Limited account while logged into your Administrator account. The most important part of this step is to make your Administrator password all but impossible to guess so that your kids do not have access to your Administrator account. In fact, make it a point to change your Administrator password occasionally.

Now, you will need some sort of parental control software. If you are using Windows Vista or newer, Parental Controls are already installed, located where you edit your Users in Control Panel. However, for Windows XP, you will need to download and install Windows Live Family Safety at http://explore.live.com/windows-live-family-safety, but you will need to create a Windows Live Account at https://signup.live.com/ to use Windows Live Family Safety. However, the following robust Parental Controls limits everyone (including yourself). K9 Web Protection at http://www.k9webprotection.com/ is the best choice for most non-savvy computer users. It is a little easier to setup, however, OpenDNS at https://www.opendns.com/ does a better job, but requires for you to know how to make changes to the settings of your broadband router.

There are a couple of web browsers designed for children such as KidZui at http://www.kidzui.com/, and Zoodles at http://www.zoodles.com/, but you will need to download and install Adobe Air at http://get.adobe.com/air/ before you can use Zoodles. Both of these web browsers offer hours of both education and entertainment for children. Another great, customizable web browser is Opera at http://www.opera.com/ because of its built-in Speed Dial feature that allows you to create a “home page” of thumbnails of many different websites. I have also created a web page of links to almost 30 websites for pre-schoolers to pre-teens at http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/Kids.htm that you may also set as the home page.

I hope this helped any of you parents out there keeping your kids safe!

Ninite

Ninite

I recently came across this great, free website called Ninite at http://ninite.com/.  The website allows you to silently download and install multiple free and popular programs unattended.  All you have to do is pick what software programs you want to download and install, download and run the installer, and it does the rest for you!  Most of the installers will automatically update any previous versions you already have installed on your computer, too!  If you're not sure what to download and install, I've created a list of recommendations, broken into two categories: "Basics" are for most average Internet users, whereas "Advanced" are for those who want to fully experience the Internet.

Basics (recommended for everyone)

Media (plays audio and video content on the Internet)

• K-Lite Codecs - Allows playback most audio or video formats within Windows Media Player or Media Player Classic

Documents (view and print documents)

• Reader - View and print PDF documents on the Internet

Security (anti-spyware protection)

• Malwarebytes - One of the best free anti-spyware programs on the Internet
• Spybot - One of the first anti-spyware programs around, and also used within my CmdLnScn utility

Runtimes (plays content on many websites within most web browsers)

• Flash - Adobe Flash using most web browsers
• Flash (IE) - Adobe Flash using Internet Explorer
• Java - By Oracle (Sun Microsystems)
• .NET - Microsoft .NET framework
• Silverlight - Microsoft Silverlight

Utilities (keeps your computer running efficiently)

• CCleaner - Cleans junk and temporary files, and also includes a safe registry cleaner

Click this link to download all of the above "Basic" software programs

Advanced (recommended for advanced Internet users)

Web Browsers (better than than Internet Explorer)

• Chrome - Very fast and simple web browser by Google
• Firefox - Very customizable and flexible web browser by Mozilla. Firefox Add-Ons at https://addons.mozilla.org/.
• Opera - Very fast and innovative web browser

Messaging (send/receive e-mail and instant messages)

• Pidgin -  Multiple IM (Instant Messenger) that supports 17 different IMs!  To see if your IM is supported, please visit http://www.pidgin.im/.
• Thunderbird - Very customizable and flexible e-mail client by Mozilla. Install the Lightning Add-On at https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/ for built-in calendar/tasks, making it comparable to Microsoft Outlook

Media (plays audio and video content on the Internet)

• VLC - Plays many audio and video formats

Imaging (photo editors)

• Picasa - Simple picture editor and organizer by Google. Also uploads photos to online web album.
• GIMP - Full-featured but complex picture editor comparable to Adobe Photoshop

Documents (create and edit documents)

• OpenOffice - Create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, including Microsoft Office formats

Security (free anti-virus protection)

NOTE: Be sure to uninstall (remove) ANY/ALL installed anti-virus BEFORE installing either these! (only one antivirus can be actively running on your computer)

• Avast - Rated better than most free anti-viruses, including AVG, by several third-party anti-virus reviewers OR...
• Essentials - By Microsoft

Other (miscellaneous software programs)

• Google Earth - View the earth from an aerial point-of-view

Utilities (keeps your computer running efficiently)

• Defraggler - Better than the Disk Defragmenter that comes pre-installed in Microsoft Windows

Compression (compress/uncompress files)

• 7-Zip - Uncompress (unzip) many popular compressed file formats

Developer Tools (used for creating and editing software programs and scripts)

• Notepad++ - Notepad replacement with many more features for software program developers

Click this link to download both of the above "Advanced" and "Basic" software programs (excluding antivirus)

There is another free online multiple software programs installer called AllMyApps at http://allmyapps.com/ who offers a wider selection of software programs to install and gives better details as to what each software program is and does, but I noticed that they don't update their software programs nearly as frequently as Ninite does.

Please share this link with anyone you'd think would like it:

http://junkmail3612.blogspot.com/2010/09/ninite.html

Backup Vs. File Sync

Data Backup Versus File Synchronization

Most people have heard about data backups, but not sure how to do them. Many people are not sure exactly what file synchronization is or even heard of it.

What is a data backup?

Backing-up your data is to simply copy what you want to keep, such as documents, financial records, music, pictures, spreadsheets, videos, etc. to another medium (such as a blank CD, DVD, flash drive, or another hard disk drive) so that in the event of a HDD (hard disk drive) failure, you don't lose anything.  Automated data backups that happen occasionally, such as weekly or monthly, help guarantee your backed-up files are kept up-to-date.

What is file/folder syncronization?

This is when files/folders on two or more computers are synchronized, meaning that if one file changes on one computer, it's automatically updated on the other computer(s).  So if "MyDocument.txt" on Computer A has changed, then the changes are automatically updated on Computer B fairly quickly.

Which one should I use?

If you have more than one computer on your home or small office computer network and you are not running a centralized file server, then I recommend doing file/folder synchronization.  Why?  For a few reasons...

• The most obvious reason is convenience, so that when a file has changed, it is automatically updated on the other computer(s).  Everyone has access to the latest and newest files.
• Files and folders are stored on more than one computer, so that if one computer crashes, you still have access to your files from the other computer(s).  More than one copy of the files and folders exist on another computer.
• After the initial setup, file/folder synchronization is usually much faster, and occurs much more frequently versus a monthly or a weekly data backup.
• It is usually less expensive than having to buy additional hardware, such as a flash drive or an external hard drive, since all you need is two or more computers and the file synchronization software to set it up.

What are the cons of file/folder synchronization?

• Depending upon how many files you have and how big they are, the initial setup could take many hours for these files and folders to travel across your computer network to each computer, thus causing a huge bottleneck for all computers on the network until all of the files have been synchronized.  The same amount of data could be backed-up to an external hard drive much faster.
• Some files you may not want to be synchronized to another computer, such as your diary or your personal finances.
• If two or more people are working on the same synchronized file at the same time, which version do you keep?  Such instances can cause "file collisions" and possibly file corruption.  Whereas data backups are usually just a one-way street.

Where do I get these free softare programs?

• Best Free Data Backup Software Programs - http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-backup-program
• Best Free Folder Synchronization Software Programs - http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-folder-synchronization-utility.htm

The best of both worlds, but with limitations...

There is a way to have the best of both worlds, but with limitations, without having to run both data backup and file/folder synchronization software programs at the same time.  A free service, called Dropbox at http://www.dropbox.com/, offers 2GB of both online backup and file synchronization.  Any file you save into the Dropbox folder is immediately copied into your online data backup storage where you have access to with any web browser from any computer connected to the internet.  It is then synchronized to other computers you have Dropbox installed on and has internet connectivity.  However, the biggest drawback is the 2GB of limited storage, but if you pay, you can add more storage, of course.  I personally use Dropbox for only my absolutely most important documents and spreadsheets that I want both backed-up and synchronized across computers, and it works very quickly and very well.

How To NOT Get A Computer Virus

How To Avoid Getting A Computer Virus

Social Websites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.):

• Avoid unknown apps (applications) and games.
• Avoid unknown peoples' profiles and links.

Music/Video Websites (Google Video, YouTube, etc.):

• Avoid downloading free movies, music, or software from peer-to-peer networks (BearShare, LimeWire/FrostWire, torrents, etc.). Only use websites where you must purchase music, such as the iTunes Store, Napster, or Rhapsody.
• Immediately close (exit or quit) any windows asking you to download and install add-ons, codecs, plug-ins, etc.  If you can't, I have some instructions on how to do so below.

Miscellaneous/Other Tips:

• Don't just click on anything that pops-up.  Many people get infected because they weren't paying attention.
• If you are redirected to another website, always check your web browser's address bar (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) to see if it looks legitimate.  For example, if you are redirected to a webpage asking you to log into your PayPal account, then the address should begin with "http(s)://(something).paypal.com/(whatever/etc)".  If it doesn't, then it's fake!
• Immediately close (exit or quit) webpages that redirect you to other websites asking to install add-ons or plug-ins (Adobe Flash, Java, etc.).  If you can't, I have some instructions on how to do so below.
• If it looks suspicious, don't do it.  When in doubt, don't do it. Just simply, don't do it.  Common sense goes a lot further than any protection software you could ever install.

What To Do If You Can't Close (Exit Or Quit) A Suspicious Window:

If a window pops-up asking you to download, install, or run something, DO NOT CLICK ON ANYTHING!!! No matter if you click on “Yes” or “No”, “Ok” or “Cancel”, it will still download, install, and run it anyways! Instead, hold down the “ALT” key and tap the “F4” key, just like when you hold down the “SHIFT” key and tap a letter key for a CAPITALIZED LETTER. This keyboard shortcut tells Microsoft Windows to force-close the currently-open window, even if the window requires you to click on something.
Also, you may use Task Manager to force-close a window or process by pressing ALT + CTRL + DEL keys, or simply by right-clicking on the Task Bar and then left-click on "Task Manager" in the pop-up menu.
Lastly, if all else fails, try restarting Windows by going through the Start Menu in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Steps To Prevent Your Computer From Getting Infected:

1. Uninstall ALL/ANY outdated antivirus you may have first!  Antiviruses, even trial versions, don't play well with other antiviruses!  Trial antiviruses will continue to run, even if you didn't pay for it, but they just won't update.  You can only have one antivirus running on your computer, so choose wisely.
2. Install a GOOD antivirus (and anti-malware) program.  I have some recommendations listed below.
3. Manually update your protection software at least once a week (just in case).
4. Manually run a full system scan at least once a week (just in case).
5. Manually check for Microsoft Windows Updates weekly, usually located in All Programs in your Start Menu.
6. If you paid for your antivirus, renew it BEFORE the subscription runs out!

What Do I Do If I'm Already Infected?

That depends upon what you are infected with, but if an unknown "antivirus" program says your computer is infected and they need your credit card number to remove the infections, DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER!!!  This is a computer infection and a credit card scam!
Immediately try these steps:

1. Look in the bottom-right corner of your screen (wherever your clock is located) to see if your current antivirus's icon is still running.
2. If so, right-click on your antivirus's icon.  A menu should pop-up, and left-click on "update" if it's on the list.
3. After your antivirus updates, right-click on your antivirus's icon again, and left-click on "scan" if it's on the list.
4. After the scan has completed and if your antivirus found and removed the infection, restart your computer and follow all of the above steps once more.
5. If your antivirus reports that your computer's clean after the second scan, then the infection has been successfully removed.  It didn't find anything with the first scan or it's infected again with the second scan, then your computer will need more intensive work.

Recommended Pay-For AntiViruses:

• Kaspersky Antivirus at http://usa.kaspersky.com/products-services/home-computer-security/anti-virus
• Webroot AntiVirus with SpySweeper at http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-products-antivirus.html

NOTE: Many subscription (pay-for) antiviruses have better overall detection than those that are free.  Also notice that McAfee, Norton, or Trend Micro are not my list because their detection of other forms of malware (such as adware and spyware) aren't as effective as those listed above!

Recommended Free AntiViruses:

• Avira AntiVir Personal at http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus
• Microsoft Security Essentials at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
• Avast! Free AntiVirus at http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

NOTE: AVG is not on my list because its detection isn't as good as the three free antiviruses listed above.  Also, many free antiviruses do not detect other forms of malware (such as adware and spyware) quite as effectively as those you pay for!

Recommended Free Anti-Malware (anti-adware, anti-spyware, etc.):

• Emsisoft Anti-Malware at http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/antimalware/
• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware at http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

NOTE: The free versions of both Emsisoft Anti-Malware and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware do NOT offer real-time protection or updates! You must manually update and scan weekly!

• Microsoft Windows Defender at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx

NOTE: Microsoft Windows Defender is ONLY for legal users of Microsoft Windows XP. If you are running a newer version of Windows (such as Vista or Windows 7), then Microsoft Windows Defender is already installed and running on your computer!

Recommended Free Utilities:

• CCleaner at http://www.ccleaner.com/
• Ninite at http://ninite.com/
• TDSSKiller at http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/solutions?qid=208280684

For more detailed info, please check out:

http://junkmail3612.blogspot.com/2008/08/computer-advice-part-5-protection.html

Please pass this along!!!

File Sharing

File Sharing

I've been doing file sharing since I've been on the Internet, which has been more than a two decades! I've tried many different file sharing networks, such as Gnutella, iMesh, Morpheus, eDonkey, Shareaza, etc.; and the clients that use these networks, such as LimeWire, BearShare, eMule, Morpheus, Shareaza, etc. I always thought all of these were really slow, until I discovered another network known as torrent.

Most people usually have to figure out how the torrent network works, but I'm hoping I can make it a little easier with this blog. To me, once you figure it out, it's one of the fastest and easiest ways to download, with the exception of newgroups, but it's too complicated to use for most average computer users to use.

Protection Software

The first thing you'll need is GOOD protection software!!! No matter where and who you download from, you're always taking a GREAT risk of downloading computer infections.  Anytime you download anything using a file sharing client, BEFORE you open it, be sure to right-click on the file itself, and do a couple of scans with different protection software programs to make sure the file is clean. Most people skip this step, thus getting infected.  Here's some protection software programs I recommend...

• Either Avira Free Antivirus or BitDefender Free (only install one antivirus!)
• Malwarebytes Free (uncheck the enable premium trial box at the end of installation)

The second thing you need to do is download a torrent client. I used to use uTorrent until they started bundling all kinds of crapware during the install.  My new favorite is Tixati at http://www.tixati.com/. They also have an online optimization guide I highly recommend reading through at http://www.tixati.com/optimize/, along with help and support at http://support.tixati.com/. Many of the torrent clients are very similar to each other, but for the rest of this blog, I'm using Tixati as the example.

Installing And Using Tixati

Tixati's somewhat simple to use. Just be sure that during the Initial Configuration (after the installation process) of Tixati, you answer correctly or you'll download at slow speeds, due to how the torrent network works. I'm currently using Charter Communications and have their 60 Mbps service, but my upload speed is 5 Mbps. If you're not sure how fast your upload speed is, you can either contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider), or visit http://www.speedtest.net/. Using the calculations at http://www.tixati.com/optimize/ (upload speed x 125 / 0.7), my upload speed should be set at 438 KB/s (rounded-up). Once Tixati is installed, it's time to download!

What confuses many people about how torrents work is that you don't actually search for the file you want to download using your torrent client, such as Tixati. Think of your torrent client as nothing more than a "downloader". Of course, there are torrent clients that do have built-in search options, but I find that the torrent search engine they use is often less superior and display fewer results than websites I prefer to use, such as Kickass Torrents and The Pirate Bay. Normally, I'd provide a link to these websites, but because they're constantly under copyright attack and government pressure, they often have to change web addresses frequently.  Just Google search for these torrent websites.

Hiding Torrent Downloads From Your ISP

Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) frown heavily upon using torrents or any other file sharing software programs and file sharing networks. Some of them do because of the pressures from the media industry (music, movie, software, etc.), and some of them do because of the strain file sharing puts on their own network. If you suspect your ISP not "torrent friendly", it's not a bad idea to "hide" torrent downloads from them, and here's the steps on how to do so...

1. After Tixati opens, left-click on the "Settings" (gears) button at the top-right of the Tixati window.
2. Under "Network", left-click on "Connections" in the left panel.
3. For both "Outgoing" and "Incoming Peer Connection Encryption", select "Encrypted only" from the drop-down menu.
4. Click the "Close" button.

Trial "Run" (Or Download, Rather)

For copywrite reasons, lets download your first torrent using called LibreOffice. This completely free office suite is a great alternative if you can't afford to buy Microsoft Office.  Go to Kickass Torrents and type "LibreOffice" (without the "quotation marks") in the search box and then left-click on the magnifying glass icon.

Usually, the first file listed will download the fastest, since it has more people to download from, known as "seeds" (read more about "Seeding" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_BitTorrent_terms#Seed_.2F_seeding). The list usually automatically sorts what files has the most seeds first (the most people you can download from), but of course, you can re-arrange this list depending upon what you're looking for. For example, if you want look for the newest files, left-click on "Age" to sort the files by date (newest first, oldest last), or if you're looking for the smallest sized files, left-click on "Size" to sort from biggest to smallest, and then left-click on "Size" again to sort from smallest to biggest. To return to the fastest file to download, just click on "Seed".

You can also get really detailed with what you're searching for by left-clicking on the "Advanced search" (gear icon) in the search box. You can choose the type of category the file is (applications, books, movies, music, etc.). To go back to the previous basic search engine, just left-click on the Cancel or Exit button.  After you've left-clicked the link of what file you'd like to download, you can left-click on the "Download Torrent" button in the upper-left side of the screen to start downloading.

Trackers

As with downloading anything from the Internet, the more sources you can download from, the faster you'll download it. Torrent uses what's called trackers, and these servers do nothing but redirect you to people who are also sharing the same file you're wanting to download. I've found that the more working trackers you use, the faster you'll download. Here's the steps to download faster...

1. After Tixati opens, left-click on the "Settings" (gears) button at the top-right of the Tixati window.
2. Under "Transfers", left-click on "Trackers" in the left panel.
3. Copy/paste the list below into the box under "2. Add these tracker URLs:"
4. Click the "Close" button.

---

udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80
http://tracker.openbittorrent.com/announce
udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80/announce
udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:6969/announce

udp://open.demonii.com:1337
udp://open.demonii.com:1337/announce

udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969
udp://coppersurfer.tk:6969/announce
http://coppersurfer.tk:6969/announce
http://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969/announce

udp://9.rarbg.com:2710/announce
http://9.rarbg.com:2710/announce
udp://10.rarbg.com:80/announce
udp://10.rarbg.com:6969/announce
udp://11.rarbg.com:80/announce
udp://12.rarbg.me:80/announce
udp://11.rarbg.com/announce
udp://12.rarbg.me:6969/announce

http://3dfreedom.ru:6969/announce

http://bt.careland.com.cn:6969/announce

http://tracker.ex.ua/announce
udp://tracker.ex.ua:80/announce
http://tracker.ex.ua:80/announce

http://mgtracker.org:2710/announce

http://tracker.tfile.me/announce

---

Once you have copied and pasted the above links into the box under "2. Add these tracker URLs:", and then left-click on the "Close" button, these trackers will automatically be added to any torrent you download. Once all of the trackers have updated the file you're wanting to download, your download should speed-up, but this depends upon several factors, such as your Internet speed, how many seeds you have to download from, etc. Give it a few minutes and see if your download starts speeding-up under the "B/s IN" category in Tixati.

Unfortunately, torrent trackers change frequently, and many of them only track torrents for specific types of files (such as music OR videos). The ones I have listed above worked at the time I posted this blog, and are "general" in nature, meaning they're not just for specific types of files (such as just music or videos).

I ask that if any of the above trackers become "non-working" for whatever reasons, please send me a message or an e-mail so I can remove it from the list. Also, on the same note, if you have a good, working torrent tracker you think I should add to the list, please send me a message or an e-mail, and after I verify that it works, I'll add it to the list on here. However, most of the trackers I like to use are "general" in nature, meaning they're not just for specific types of files (such as just music or videos). So make sure that you can download just about any type of files with the trackers you like to use (software, music, videos, etc.).

Scan

Once your download has completed, be sure to right-click on the file and do protection scans using whatever protection software you have installed on your computer. The more and different scans you use, the safer you'll be from getting infected.

Seeding

Seeding only works if everyone shares files, meaning that it's only the right thing to do is to share your downloaded files to everyone else. However, for whatever reason, you can remove the file you just downloaded from being shared by:

1. Right-clicking on the file in your Tixati torrent download list.
2. In the drop-down menu, left-click on "Remove"

This will remove the file from being seeded in Tixati, but this doesn't remove the file you just downloaded!

Settings

Another great thing about Tixati is not only is it small and doesn't use a lot of computer resources, but it's also very highly customizable, meaning you can control a lot of how Tixati downloads, how it manages downloads, where it downloads to, etc. If there's something you'd like to change about Tixati, there's a good chance there's an option in there somewhere you can make it do what you want. When in doubt, press the "F1" key while you're in Tixati will open its online help.

I hoped that this might've helped anyone! Please help me keep this list of torrent trackers updated frequently!!!