a day in the life

Dual Mod 10 Check Digit

2010-12-16T15:42:00.000-05:00

Check Digit Calculation - Note: The Last number of a CC Number is its check digit

Start from the last digit and move to the first digit.
Every other number is doubled.
If it is a two-digit number, add the digits together.
Keep a running sum.
At the end, get the rightmost digit of the sum.
Subtract that number by 10
The rightmost digit of that number is the check digit

Example Calculation:

Number: 00123456789

Digit: 9 * 2 = 18 = (1 + 8) = 9
Sum: 9
Digit: 8 * 1 = 8 = (0 + 8) = 8
Sum: 17
Digit: 7 * 2 = 14 = (1 + 4) = 5
Sum: 22
Digit: 6 * 1 = 6 = (0 + 6) = 6
Sum: 28
Digit: 5 * 2 = 10 = (1 + 0) = 1
Sum: 29
Digit: 4 * 1 = 4 = (0 + 4) = 4
Sum: 33
Digit: 3 * 2 = 6 = (0 + 6) = 6
Sum: 39
Digit: 2 * 1 = 2 = (0 + 2) = 2
Sum: 41
Digit: 1 * 2 = 2 = (0 + 2) = 2
Sum: 43
Digit: 0 * 1 = 0 = (0 + 0) = 0
Sum: 43
Digit: 0 * 2 = 0 = (0 + 0) = 0
Sum: 43
Digit: * 1 = 0 = (0 + 0) = 0
Sum: 43

Rightmost Digit of Sum: 3
Check Digit: 10 - (3) = 7

Javascript Code to Calculate Check Digit:

function dualMod10(str,checkDigit){

str=str+''; //Convert to string

var weight=2; /* weight to apply to digit being checked */

var sum=0; /* sum of weights */

var digit; /* digit being checked */

/* compute the sum */

for (var cnt = str.length; cnt>0; cnt--){

digit = weight * (str.charAt(cnt-1));

/* add tens digit to ones digit to the sum */

sum = sum + Math.floor(digit / 10) + (digit % 10);

weight=weight==2?1:2;

}

/* subtract ones digit of the sum from 10 return ones digit of result */

var mod = (10-sum%10)%10;

return (mod==(checkDigit*1) );

}

PHP Code to Calculate Check Digit:

function dualMod10($str,$checkDigit){

$weight=2; /* weight to apply to digit being checked */

$sum=0; /* sum of weights */

/* compute the $sum */

for ($cnt = strlen($str); $cnt>0; $cnt--){

$digit = $weight * ($str{($cnt-1)});

/* add tens digit and ones digit to the sum */

$sum = $sum + floor($digit / 10) + ($digit % 10);

$weight=$weight==2?1:2;

}

/* subtract ones digit of the sum from 10 return ones digit of that result */

$mod = (10-$sum%10)%10;

return ($mod==($checkDigit) );

}

Password Generator

2010-11-20T10:13:00.004-05:00

I've started using a random password generator for anything I don't have to remember, but that I will have in a file for webpage or something to use. I have it set for the max Godaddy database password's can handle. Godaddy says passwords must start with a letter though.

http://www.pctools.com/guides/password/?length=14&phonetic=on&alpha=on&mixedcase=on&numeric=on&nosimilar=on&quantity=1&generate=true#password_generator

Javascript Decimal Error

2010-11-20T10:07:00.003-05:00

(59.97-29.98-12.32-17.67) says it is off by -3.552713678800501e-15. Somehow it is off on the 15th decimal place. Weird. Happens all the time in Javascript. This article explains why: http://javascript.about.com/od/hintsandtips/a/Floating-Point-And-Javascript.htm

IE Trusted Sites not working

2009-10-16T15:08:00.003-04:00

I was playing with Trusted Sites in IE. I set the security settings: Internet to High and Trusted Sites to Medium. I added youtube to the Trusted Site. I went to watch a video and it said I had the javascript turned off, which shouldn't have been true since I added it to the Trusted list. What I didn't add to the Trusted list was the domain that the Javascript and CSS files were coming from, which was http://s.ytimg.com. In case you were wondering, I viewed the source of the site to find where the JS and CSS files were coming from. I added it to the list and viola, worked. Had the same issue with NFL.com but same solution worked.

Six Flags Over Georgia

2009-10-05T13:19:00.002-04:00

No Backpacks. Fanny Packs are OK.

Price to get in about 40.

Price to not wait in line an extra 43. I think it is the only way to go. Instead of doing about 5 things you get to do 13. Might as well just say it costs $85.

Move Outlook 2000 PST File

2009-10-05T13:07:00.001-04:00

Move the file to the location you wish.

When you reopen Outlook it will say that your file can't be found. Browse to the new location. Do NOT open default folders if prompted to do so.

Close Outlook. Reopen. You will get a message saying the location has been changed for your folders, blah, blah, blah. Select Yes/OK to that.

That's all there is to it.

Found @ http://www.computing.net/answers/office/move-pst-file-outlook-2000/4768.html

To find PST

In the Folders’ Navigation Pane, right-click Personal Folders or the name that appears for your .PST file, and then click on the Properties in the context menu.
Note: This folder will always be a top-level folder in the Navigation Pane, in Mail.
Click Advanced.
In the Filename text box, the complete path and file name of the .PST file will be shown.

Found @ http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/11/24/how-to-find-and-locate-outlook-personal-folders-pst-files-folder-location/

Table Dimensions

2009-06-16T13:20:00.004-04:00

Ping Pong Table dimensions 9 ft × 5 ft × 30 inches high

Pool Table dimensions and room size minimums

A 4 1/2 x 9 foot table = 14 1/2 x 19 feet of floor space
A 4 x 8 or "bar" table = 14 x 18 feet of floor space
A 3 1/2 x 7 foot table = 13 1/2 x 17 feet of floor space

I often wonder so I figured I would put it here so I could easily find it.

VB Functions for mm/dd/yyyy

2009-05-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

Private Function getMonth(tmpDate As String) As Integer

Dim tmpMonth As String

Dim tmpMonthLoc As Integer

tmpMonthLoc = InStr(1, tmpDate, "/")

getMonth = Mid(tmpDate, 1, tmpMonthLoc - 1)

End Function

Private Function getDay(tmpDate As String) As Integer

Dim tmpDay As String

Dim tmpDayLoc As Integer

tmpDayLoc = InStr(1, tmpDate, "/")

getDay = Mid(tmpDate, tmpDayLoc + 1, Len(tmpDate) - 5 - tmpDayLoc)

End Function

Private Function getYear(tmpDate As String) As Integer

getYear = Right$(tmpDate, 4)

End Function

Multi-Vitamin

2009-05-28T10:46:00.002-04:00

I bought the Target brand Children's Gummy Multi-Vitamin. They are delicious and $8 for 190. I heart them. My only struggle is not eating too many.

Rust Stain in Pool

2009-05-28T10:43:00.003-04:00

I forgot to take the garden hose out of my pool and after about a week my pull had a orangish tint to it. I told the pool guy and said to buy chewable Vitamin C tablets from Wal-mart and rub it on the stain. If it works then it is a rust stain. He was right! I rubbed it on the stain and the first wipe it was clean as could be. I dropped a tablets in the pool and they left 2ft clean circles. I ended up buying 2lbs of some magic stuff to the whole pool instead of random spots. I thought that was rather impressive.

Files still open on the Server

2009-05-28T10:41:00.001-04:00

Disconnect sessions from a given machine

From the command prompt (Run->cmd)

NET SESSION \\ComputerName /DELETE

Comcast DVR like Tivo

2009-04-08T13:45:00.002-04:00

The thing I don't like about the Comcast DVR is that it is not like Tivo in the fact that when you fast forward and hit play Tivo jumps back about 5 seconds and Comcast doesn't. I came up with a workaround. On comcast click fast forward twice then when you see the show hit the instant replay button (looks like a arrow going counter-clockwise). Then presto you are lined up.

No need for Temporary Internet Files

2009-01-26T23:09:00.003-05:00

We are in the days of High-speed internet. We don't need to cache web pages. We can almost just as quickly get a fresh copy from the internet. Plus you don't have an issue with pages not showing the lastest data.

So I say we change our Internet Options setting the Temporary Internet File storage to the minimum, which is normally 8Mb, and set "Check for newer versions of stored pages" to "Every time I visit the webpage".

To get to it in Internet Explorer(IE) click Tools, Internet Options, Browser History Settings.

Access "Access Denied"

2009-01-26T23:00:00.004-05:00

Having trouble deleting files because Access Denied. I just take the hard drive and put it in another computer and take ownership of the folder I need to get into.

Disable Simple File Sharing in Windows XP Professional

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. Open My Computer, Click Tools, Folder Options, View, at the bottom unclick Use Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File Sharing when it is not joined to a domain. For additional information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To take ownership of a file or a folder

How to take ownership of a file

You must have ownership of a protected file in order to access it. If another user has restricted access and you are the computer administrator, you can access the file by taking ownership.

To take ownership of a file, follow these steps:

Right-click the file that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
In the Name list, click Administrator, or click the Administrators group, and then click OK.

The administrator or the administrators group now owns the file.

Found @ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

Self Addressed Stamp Envelope (SASE)

2009-01-21T21:26:00.003-05:00

Self Addressed Stamped Envelope doesn't mean that you addressed it yourself. You are supposed to include an envelope that is addressed to yourself and is stamped. Made that mistake trying to get free Monopoly Stamps from McDonalds via the mail. I figured they did it to slow people down. Turns out I was just and didn't know better. However, they were nice enough to cut my address off the return label and use it as my mailing address. I didn't win but I got lots of free stamps for free food.

Trip to New York City (NYC)

2009-01-20T17:46:00.007-05:00

Just got back so I thought I would post what happened so others might know.

Flew from Charlotte(CLT) to La Guardia(LGA) it took 1:35.

We landed and took a black unmarked SUV as a taxi, which I was informed is a "Gypsy Cab," to a hotel close to Times Square. Cost $55 not including tip(This was at midnight).

We booked reservations for the NBC Studio tour for Saturday hoping to see some SNL rehearsal. The last run on Saturday is about 3:15pm. We took the 2:15pm and we got lucky and saw them rehearsing.(Very Cool) To make up for the time we spent watching some SNL, we had to skip the Conan O'Brien set. Cost $20 per person.

They say there is a lottery for SNL tickets in August. You can also try to get stand-by tickets at 7am on Saturday. I heard that the tickets are not a guarantee, so they are like stand-by stand-by. But if you have nothing else to do a 7am might as well try.

Went to Top of the Rock, which is the top of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center. I like to go about 45 minutes before Sunset. There are 3 levels. The 1st is straight out the elevator and is indoors. The 2nd is up the escalator and is outside, but the edge is guarded by a wall of glass. The 3rd floor is up the center stairs. It has no glass so it is the best place for photos. Cost $20 per person.

Went to the American Natural History Musuem. We didn't watch any of the IMAX films but over all is was neat and lots to see. Costs less than $15 person. (It is a suggested price so we paid $7 per person)

Bought tickets to see a comedy show at Stand-Up NY. It is on the Upper West Side (around 78th and Broadway). We bought 4 tickets for $30 from a guy in Times Square. Was pretty funny. There is a 2 drink minimum and the drinks start at $10. The cool thing about the venue is that it is where the stand-up part of the intro to Seinfeld were filmed. So that was a big draw for me. Cost $38 per person (with drinks).

Took the subway, the 1 line, from Times Squareish to 79th and Broadway. Costs $2 per person each way.

Took a traditional Yellow Cab SUV from the hotel back to LGA. Pretty neat. It had GPS and other info in the back. It also had a credit card reader and touch screen. So that was impressive. The driving was scary. I just don't look straight and we seem to make it. Costs $28 not including tip.(It was a Holiday so it may normally be alittle more)

Vehicle Registration

2009-01-15T10:32:00.002-05:00

The late fee is assigned starting the day after your Birthday not the end of the month of your Birthday. Also when you pay your Registration you also pay your Ad Valorem Tax which is about 1% of the car's value.

Easy way to square a number if you know another one

2009-01-07T14:56:00.002-05:00

Let say you know 12 squared but you want to figure out 14 squared. This way I will show is more complex looking but uses simple math. Here is the formula: y(2)=y squared

y(2)=(y+x)(y-x) + x(2)

Here are some examples:

7(2)=(7+5)(7-5)+5(2)

7(2)=(12)(2)+25

7(2)=24+25

7(2)=49

14(2)=(14+12)(14-12) + 12(2)

14(2)=(26)(2)+144

14(2)=52+144

14(2)=196

Easy way to square numbers ending in 5

2009-01-07T13:06:00.002-05:00

Here is the formula then I will show examples:

x(x+1)*100+25

So you always know it will end in 25 so all you have to do is figure out what goes in front. Which is pretty easy. You multiply the number to the left of the 5 by the next number above it. That's it. Here are a few examples:

15 = (1*2)25 = 225

25 = (2*3)25 = 625

35 = (3*4)25 = 1225

45 = (4*5)25 = 2025

105 = (10*11)25 = 11025

Trouble moving large file to External HD

2009-01-06T14:37:00.002-05:00

I was trying to copy my HD to my External and it keep blowing out. Turns out that my External was in FAT32 and that FAT32 has a limit of a 4GB file size. So I formatted the drive into NTFS and all is well.

Domain Name Transfer Tip

2008-12-26T15:22:00.003-05:00

Before you try to transfer a domain check the Whois to check on the Administrative email address. Make sure someone can check the email before you intiate the transfer. Most sites limit the frequency that you can request a transfer.

Network Solutions took my domain name

2008-12-26T15:15:00.002-05:00

I was using Network Solutions to search for available domains. One day I found one then went to purchase it on Godaddy. I went to buy it and Godaddy said it was taken. I did a Whois check and it said it was reserved by Network Solutions. So my options were to buy from Network Solutions or wait out Network Solutions courtesy hold. I now do my domain name searches on www.instantdomainsearch.com

Disable DEP

2008-12-06T20:36:00.002-05:00

DEP (Data Execution Prevention) keeps closing services I need and I don't believe it is coming from a virus so I am disabling it. This is how to do it:

To configure DEP to switch to the AlwaysOn policy by using the Boot.ini file, follow these steps:

Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under the Startup and Recovery field.
In the System startup field, click Edit. The Boot.ini file opens in Notepad.
In Notepad, click Find on the Edit menu.
In the Find what box, type /noexecute, and then click Find Next.
In the Find dialog box, click Cancel.
Replace policy_level with AlwaysOff.

WARNING Make sure that you enter the text accurately. The Boot.ini file switch should now read:
/noexecute=AlwaysOff
In Notepad, click Save on the File menu.
Click OK two times.
Restart the computer.

The 4 options for /noexecute are: OptIn, OptOut, AlwaysOn, AlwaysOff

Easy way to get to Boot.ini

2008-12-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under the Startup and Recoveryfield.

In the System startup field, click Edit. The Boot.ini file opens in Notepad.

LoadPerf 3011 and 3012 Errors

2008-12-06T20:08:00.002-05:00

Going through the Event Viewer on my Windows Server 2003 Server and noticed I was getting errors 3011 and 3012 on LoadPerf. It said the registry counters were corrupt. So I did 2 things. I set Wmi Performance Adapter to start automatically and ran this:

To rebuild all Performance counters including extensible and third party counters in Windows Server 2003, type the following commands at a command prompt. Press ENTER after each command.
cd \windows\system32
lodctr /R (Note /R is uppercase)

Found @ http://www.eventid.net/display.asp?eventid=3012&eventno=1160&source=LoadPerf&phase=1

Upgrade Window XP Home to Pro

2008-12-06T19:44:00.002-05:00

I needed to connect my Windows Home computer to the domain but I couldn't because it is Home. So I was looking up what it would cost to upgrade and found this and it Worked, which was suprising and cool. Only down side is that it still won't allow Remote Desktop.

To convert and upgrade Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional, follow procedure below.

Open Registry Editor (regedit).
Navigate toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet00X/Control/ProductOptions, where ControlSet00X is the one with the highest number.
Delete the ProductSuite registry key.
Then, create a new DWORD value and named it as Brand.
Set the “Brand” value data as 0.
Reboot the system.
On boot up after the BIOS screen, press F8 to display Windows XP Startup Menu.
Choose Last Known Good Configuration (LNG) and hit Enter.

Windows XP will start up as usual. After logging into the desktop, check the system properties to verify that it’s now Windows XP Professional.

Found it @ http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/06/13/convert-and-upgrade-windows-xp-home-to-professional-without-reinstalling/

Additional Money on a loan

2008-12-06T11:43:00.003-05:00

Monthly payments go up on mortgages by $8-10 per month per $1000 added on to the loan. So remember if you want to get extra money on your loan to buy a TV for $1000 it will cost you $3000 in the long-run

Domain Troubles

2008-12-05T00:47:00.002-05:00

I was messing with Group Policies on a new domain I was making and nothing seemed to work. I found that if I set the client computer's DNS server to the IP address of the domain controller then all the Group Policies took effect and it logged in much faster.

Windows XP Activation Loop

2008-12-04T16:46:00.001-05:00

My computer was messing up so I formatted it. No big deal. Go through the normal install stuff and before it lets me login it says I have to Activate. Weird, but ok. It says do it online or over the phone. I try online. It says it can't find a connection. I go to try to do it on the phone but the is no key to read to the phone service. So I Google it and find that it needs a netcard to be installed in order to produce a key to call it in. So I install a card in Safe Mode, since I can't get pass the Activation. I reboot and a key has appeared. I call and do the whole thing it is now activated. So I click to login and it says I have to Activate. I try online and it says you are already Activated. So I'm stuck.

It turns out that I was installing with a Windows XP SP2 disk but putting in a SP3 key. Once I reinstalled with a SP3 disk everything went fine.