Hey guys! I’m getting a few emails from people not sure on how to install the Corel Photopaint brush packs I offer on the site (aka NIBs). So just a reminder I wrote a tutorial on how to install them, which you can check out by clicking HERE!
Please let me know if you’re still having issues with this!
Dan
Hello boys and girls! Just a little post to put down some rumors and stories regarding some of the web properties I founded or owned that have been acquired by new companies or individuals. With Manwin taking up my online passions, I don’t really have the time to run much of a web presence outside of work hours, so I’ve been looking for qualified people to take over my various sites and keep them moving in to the future. A couple of months ago, http://www.pixel2life.com was acquired by a local Montreal based company that promises big things on the site and the migration is now over and I play no roles on there anymore.
With pixel2life.com gone, it was still obvious I had no time for my hobby based sites, so those had to go as well… I started with www.thehunterslair.com, which is now managed and owned by Art Andrews and his company. They also run The Replica Prop Forum (RPF) and Dented Helmet so I know he will do a kick ass job with the Lair. They took over a couple of weeks ago but I am stillactive on the site and will be deploying the latest IPB updates before I start fading in to the background.
The final project is my beloved www.predatorstuff.com, which is going to a very enthusiastic fellow Predator collector named Richard. The migration has already begun to his server and I’ll be working with him on operating the site over the coming weeks. He’s VERY stoked about running Predatorstuff and again, I know he’ll do a great job with fresh energy and has the time the site deserves dedicated to it.
So this leaves me with the two sites I will be keeping… my personal blog site www.danrichard.com and the new hosting company I started at the beginning of the year www.p2lhosting.com and I have zero intentions or parting with it. In fact with the other sites leaving my business portfolio, I will have more time to work on the hosting, which I plan on working on with Adam and rebranding it so it’s not attached to the P2L brand. So if you’re thinking about hosting, we’re not going anywhere! You can check out the site and sign up for hosting by clicking HERE!
It should also note that included with the sites I’ve sold were all the twitter and facebook accounts that were associated to them. So if you want to follow me, you can find my personal twitter account here: @THEdanrichard
That’s it guys.. looking forward to being off NDA next month, then I can share which site I am managing now!
Dan
My Canon Pixma MX850 printer is one of the Canon series that uses the 4 small CLI-8 color cartridges (black, yellow, blue and magenta) and then has the large PGI-5 black cartridge, which is what the printer uses when printing regular black and white text. The smaller CLI-8 black cartridge is only used for printing photos and colored documents that require black coloration… now, in the world that us simple folk live in, you would think that if one black runs out, it would use the other black as a backup, right? Not so my friends, the Canon doesn’t use that kind of logic and there’s no way to bypass it within the printer’s menu. BUT FEAR NOT! With a couple of clicks, you can trick the printer in to using the other cartridge.
First off, this applies to when your large black cartridge is empty… the one used for printing standard black and white documents. So if you’re printing out your thesis at 4AM when everything is closed and run out of ink mid-way through, this will save your ink-starved derriere! Here’s how to force the printer to use the smaller ink cartridge:
Hope that helps someone out there! It saved my ass last weekend when I had to print tickets with barcodes 20 minutes before leaving for the St. Sauveur Aquapark!
Dan
Hey guys… just a quick little tip for anything who is having a bitch of a time pairing their Motorola S9 bluetooth headset to their iPhone. I recently dove in to the world of Mac with an iPhone 4G and was having a horrible time at getting my headset to pair, yet pairs with my Android phone in 2 seconds with zero issues. I dug all over the web for solutions and didn’t really get anywhere until I tried something so stupid that I couldn’t believe it worked. I powered on the headset and placed in across the room and it paired within seconds! *shakes head* So apparently the unit won’t pair with the iPhone if both are sitting on your dining room table, but works fine when they’re in separate rooms, go figure.
Oh and this was only necessary for the initial pairing. Once paired for the first time, the S9 connects right away when I power it on and they’re next to each other.
By the way, I can’t believe how you Mac fans are so rabid about the iPhone, it’s quite honestly the most horribly conceived smartphone I have ever used in terms of usability. Even after unlocking it, jailbreaking it and loading all kinds of apps to regain some basic usefulness, my Nexus One was still more functional straight out of the retail box. I still can’t believe you guys are forced to use that ridiculous iTunes for music management, what a HUGE piece of crap that application is.
Anyhow, I’m sure I’ll get used to the iPhone once I’ve hacked it to normalcy, but good lord do I feel bad for someone who’s not very tech savvy and gets saddled with this phone. Nick is promising good things with iOS 5, but until they allow me to connect the phone via USB and it opens with explorer like a normal external drive to move around photos and music (even a FREE basic noname brand phone does this) this will never be as good as an Android or Windows based phone.
I will say the iPhone is fast… the buttons respond very quickly and the screen is gorgeous with smooth transitions on the menus and apps. But the lack of support for so many common features that every other smart phone has is infuriating. No widgets, no writable drive via USB, too many paid apps vs Android marketplace, no free google maps GPS, can’t place icons where you want on the springboard… when you drag them to move them around, they always sort to the top left. You need a third party app for free placement and can only get that app after jailbreaking the phone.
The list goes on and on, but that’s for another post I think… for now, I hope this helps S9 users get paired up with their iPhones!
Dan
I think it’s pretty safe to say that the sale of Pixel2life.com passed through the internet pipes very quietly, and without causing much of a ripple in the community, largely thanks to the fact that I didn’t exactly advertise it. In fact for many of you, this posting will be the first time you hear about it… don’t feel bad, it’s the first time I post about it so don’t try ripping through the P2L forums wondering if you somehow missed the boat.
It’s official, I am no longer the owner of Pixel2life.com or any of the network sites except for the hosting, which will stay on team Dan even if I do have to rename the company at some point. P2L was posted briefly on Flippa.com and generated a lot of interest, but within a few days I actually found a local company here in Montreal that wanted to purchase the site as it was in line with their product development plans and were VERY excited when they find out about P2L. The official sale was signed a couple of weeks ago and slowly I have been transitioning the site to their very capable team and training them on day to day operations as well as plans I had for the site etc. I expect to complete the transition fully over the next couple of weeks, and from there you will see very little of me on P2L and a LOT more of them… in fact I am very excited about their ownership as they have the resources, know-how and vigorous new energy to take the site to the next level.
I should also note that the Twitter feed and Facebook pages associated with P2L have also been signed over, so if you would still like to follow me personally, my new personal feed is at www.twitter.com/THEdanrichard and I will be actively posting what’s happening in my world and will continue to educate and write articles on items of interest in the internet world. So please be sure to hit me up on Twitter and follow my feed.
Before I go any further, I really need to thank everyone that has been involved with Pixel2life over the years… I have made literally thousands of new friends (and a handful of enemies) since starting P2L in 2003 and I have gained a wealth of knowledge and practical experience that no formal education could HOPE to provide me. I can’t say enough about the amazing staff of P2L and their dedication to the product, you guys have been the hidden pulse of the site since P2L became more than a one man show and I thank you all so very much. I also need to thank all the members, the P2L die hards, our affiliates, advertisers and the entire tutorial community that embraced P2L and eventually made us the authoritative search portal for tutorials geared towards web design, graphic design and programming. At our peak, P2L was serving 30,000 visitors a day, had a Google PR of 7 and an Alexa rating of 6000 something… I don’t care who you are, that is a huge achievement that could only be reached because of the support and dedication of everyone around me. So again, thanks so much guys, it’s been one hell of a ride, time to see where the next roller-coaster will take me.
So what’s happening now? I’m now working for an amazing company here in Montreal called Manwin Canada and I am a product manager for some of their extremely large website properties. Basically it’s what I was doing for P2L, but for some of the largest websites on the web! This is a huge opportunity for me and I am beyond thrilled at being offered a home at Manwin and being at the helm of some amazing websites.
That’s it for now guys… lunch is over so time to get back at it. I’ll still be around and always available although my response time may be slightly delayed due to my new schedule, but I do read just about everything thrown my way, I promise!
Take care everyone!
Dan
PS. No I won’t be starting any new tutorial sites… I want to focus 100% on my Manwin duties and I’ve signed a non-competition clause stating no tutorial sites for 2 years.