SpriteMe
I've toyed with the idea of writing a sprite compiler when I stumbled across this neat bookmarklet called SpriteMe. This program analyzes a web page and builds the sprite and CSS semi-automatically. I may still write the compiler but for now I'm going to play with this.
Lightroom 3.3
I have just upgraded to Lightroom 3.3 from 2.7 and I'm enjoying the experience a lot. I can import photos from my iPhone and Camera's seamlessly. And best of all the Noise Reduction in LR 3.3 is about 1 to 1.5 stops better than Lightroom 2.
For example, I can shoot a compact camera at ISO 400 with virtually zero noise and ISO 800 with very little noise by using the following settings:
For example, I can shoot a compact camera at ISO 400 with virtually zero noise and ISO 800 with very little noise by using the following settings:
Faster Firefox: Reducing History
Firefox allows you to configure the browser history in Tools > Options > Privacy. Did you know that it only configures the minimum history! It actually stores 180 days by default leading to very slow shutdown times.
To improve your browser performance visit about:config and change the following values:
To improve your browser performance visit about:config and change the following values:
Faster Windows 7 - Super Fetch Excessive Disk Activity
The following is written for laptop users with mechanical hard drives (not SSD) although some desktop users and laptop power users may consider this handy for their workstation. Desktop systems tend to reboot infrequently and stay online for weeks at a time; reducing the occurrence of "SuperFetch disk Thrash".
By default "SuperFetch" will cache programs AND data files in memory for quick access during a normal working day. When a laptop resumes from hibernate or completes a reboot the data is loaded again - causing a lot of activity on a mechanical hard disk. Resuming from "sleep" does not trigger a "SuperFetch Thrash"; leaving a computer asleep while plugged in and at a desk is a good idea.
Copy and paste the following lines into a file called superfetch_perf.reg (or click here) and then run it (double click). Reboot your computer. Do not disable the SuperFetch service as it is critical to the regular function of the prefetcher. You may consider marking the service "Delayed Start" if immediate responsiveness of the computer after a reboot is important to you.
If you're a power user on a laptop consider creating a couple of batch files to stop and start the SuperFetch service. The command line syntax is "net stop superfetch" and "net start superfetch". You can enable the service for long session and leave it off for frequent reboots and hibernate activity on the road.
And a closing note on ReadyBoost... this cache is rebuilt after each reboot; adding to your hard disk load and battery drain. I have tested this on a 4GB laptop and found no benefit once SuperFetch is tuned with the above tweak. The Windows disk cache manager is far more efficient when given ample resources.
By default "SuperFetch" will cache programs AND data files in memory for quick access during a normal working day. When a laptop resumes from hibernate or completes a reboot the data is loaded again - causing a lot of activity on a mechanical hard disk. Resuming from "sleep" does not trigger a "SuperFetch Thrash"; leaving a computer asleep while plugged in and at a desk is a good idea.
Copy and paste the following lines into a file called superfetch_perf.reg (or click here) and then run it (double click). Reboot your computer. Do not disable the SuperFetch service as it is critical to the regular function of the prefetcher. You may consider marking the service "Delayed Start" if immediate responsiveness of the computer after a reboot is important to you.
The meaning of the value, after first hand experimentation and monitoring with 'procmon', is: 0 = Disabled, 1 = Prefetch Programs and System Files (EXE, Fonts, Drivers, etc.), 2 = Prefetch Data Files Only (.doc, .xls, .txt, .php, .c, etc.), 3 = Programs, System Files, and Data Files (DEFAULT).Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]
"EnableSuperfetch"=dword:00000001
If you're a power user on a laptop consider creating a couple of batch files to stop and start the SuperFetch service. The command line syntax is "net stop superfetch" and "net start superfetch". You can enable the service for long session and leave it off for frequent reboots and hibernate activity on the road.
And a closing note on ReadyBoost... this cache is rebuilt after each reboot; adding to your hard disk load and battery drain. I have tested this on a 4GB laptop and found no benefit once SuperFetch is tuned with the above tweak. The Windows disk cache manager is far more efficient when given ample resources.
Faster Windows 7 - Unnecessary Services
Windows 7 has many advanced features and great performance... BUT Microsoft has chosen convenience over true performance in some areas. Here are my suggestions for services that you can safely disable. If you are uncertain about how to disable services then I recommend you don't! :-)
- Offline Files - Causes disk access when reconnecting to a network. Disable this via Control Panel > Sync Center if you do not need this feature.
- SeaPort - Installed by Microsoft Toolbar and causes unnecessary disk access.
- Windows Defender - Disable this if you have a virus scanner, otherwise leave it on!
- Windows Media Player Network Sharing - Causes a lot of unnecessary disk access.
- Windows Search - Causes a lot of unnecessary disk access.
Jon Stuart on the British Election
Jon Stuart on the British Election, get a true insight into how we think and feel about our political leaders. Click image to view the official Comedy Central video.
Improving Windows XP SMB File Performance
To realize a 20%-30% improvement in file sharing performance over LAN, WiFi, and VPN/WAN links download this reg file and apply it to all your workstations and file servers.
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 have improved the old Windows SMB1 protocol; for more information read this: Wikipedia SMB2
The registry patch applies the following changes:
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 have improved the old Windows SMB1 protocol; for more information read this: Wikipedia SMB2
The registry patch applies the following changes:
- Sets the SMB file buffer to 64KB and must be applied with the TcpWindowSize change further down.
- The next two lines tells Windows Servers to disable security signing on each packet. This is an enormous factor for Domain Controllers. Corporate network admins must carefully evaluate the cost/benefit of this change.
- Tcp1323Opts allows the TCP receive buffer to dynamically scale for better performance. This is useful for all internet traffic. Do not set this to 2 or 3 as time stamp generation adds a lot of overhead to each packet.
- TcpWindowsSize is set to 1MB as a default and is required to allow SizReqBuf to work correctly!
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters]
"SizReqBuf"=dword:0000ffff
"requiresecuritysignature"=dword:00000000
"enablesecuritysignature"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]
"Tcp1323Opts"=dword:00000001
"TcpWindowSize"=dword:00100000
XDEBUG Bookmarklets
XDEBUG developers: Here are two bookmarklets to enable and disable XDEBUG. They are set with IDEKEY=default. Drag each below to your toolbar and then click on them when you want to debug a page.
Sun/Moon App for your iPhone 3Gs
Planning photographic sessions "on location" and estimating the Sun position is a tricky process. Up until now I've used a Solunar Table and Digital Compass. They are reliable but a little slow to use in the field. Roll on the "Focalware" application from Spiral Development. It cleverly uses the iPhone 3Gs digital compass and GPS unit to locate where you are and where you are pointing the phone. It displays a live position of the Sun against those details and can even predict where the Sun will be with the simple drag of your finger across the dial. This saves a ton of time and aids in much faster visualization.Recently at a wedding, in the heat of an Austin summer, the Sun was threatening to cut the scene in half with strong light and shadow. When the bride asked if a 10 minute delay would be okay I responded "yes". I had determined from a solunar table, compass, and a nearby building that the extra time would fully cloak the scene in shade making the pictures more flattering and the client cooler. Focalware would have allowed me to check this instantly and any additional angles without fumbling with paper and compass.
If you photograph outdoors then you need this app and an iPhone 3Gs!
Lightroom 2.x Enhanced Keyboard Shortcuts
Quick access to Develop and Library module adjustments via your keyboard number pad (Windows only). You'll need AutoHotKey and this script to enhance your productivity.
The library presets shotcut (Ctrl+NumpadX) are custom to your environment. Please open the script in a text editor and change my preset names for your own.
The library presets shotcut (Ctrl+NumpadX) are custom to your environment. Please open the script in a text editor and change my preset names for your own.
Left/Right - Prev or Next photo
Up/Down - Brightness
ALT Up/Down - Exposure
NumPad 5 - Toggle Dev/Lib Module [new]
ALT NumPad 5 - Crop Tool [new]
+/- - Fill Light
Page Up/Dn - Contrast
ALT PgUp/PgDn - Black Clipping
Home/End - Color Temperature
ALT Home/End - Recovery
Div/Mult - Color Tint
Enter - Paste Previous
ALT Enter - Sync Settings [new]
Del - Auto Tone
ALT Del - Auto White Balance [new]
F5 - Library: Render Standard Previews [new]
Ctrl NumpadX - Library: Execute a preset [new]
- NumLock must be engaged (light on).
- The only external USB number pad that works with this script is the "Targus Wireless Stow-N-Go keypad model AKP01US", that can be purchased from Amazon (click here).
- Laptop users without a working USB number pad should consider a full USB keyboard.
- Lightroom's title bar needs to say "Develop" or "Library". When launching Lightroom it displays neither. You'll need to toggle modules to get the title bar indicating the correct information.
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