TypeIt4Me types it for me

Although most of my work is done on a Windows machine, I tested TypeIt4Me a couple of years ago on my Mac. I liked the program at the time. Since then, programmer Riccardo Ettore has added some new features. If you liked the previous version, you'll like what's new. This is one of those programs that makes me wish that the Mac was my primary work machine.

The previous version was 2.3 and the current version is 3.0. Increasing the major number indicates that it is a new version, not just a minor step upgrade. For one thing, it's a Universal Binary, so it also works on Intel Macs. And instead of living in the International Keyboard area, it's now an application that runs in the background.

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe you're wondering what a TypeIt4Me is. The name explains. TypeIt4Me will type it for me. Was that too obvious? The program watches keyboard activity and if I type "bbl" followed by a space it will be expanded to Bill Blinn. So it's a keyboard expansion program.

The new version also adds the ability to paste in formatted text and even images. The user also has the option of specifying more than 30 "trigger" keys. A trigger key tells TypeIt4Me to examine recent keystrokes to see if it should do anything. By default, the triggers are a tab or a space. Most users will probably add Return, and some punctuation.

Another neat new feature (turned off by default because it could cause problems for users of previous versions who have created singular and plural versions of abbreviations) makes it possible for a single abbreviation to serve both singular and plural needs. If I define "bkm" to expand to bookmark, but I want the plural, I don't have to type the abbreviation, click a backspace, type "s", and then hit the space bar again. Instead, I can type "bkms" to get bookmarks.

To insert the period above I still had to press backspace and then add the punctuation. There are two ways around this problem. I could add the period as a trigger, so "bookmarks." Or I could tell TypeIt4Me (abbreviation "t4") not to include the trigger character. That wouldn't be a good way for me to work because I would have to type a double space after expanded words to get a single space.

Microsoft Word users know that the application automatically corrects "teh" with "the". Text processors and other applications don't. TypeIt4Me adds this capability to every program. Knowing that I often write "hopsital" when I mean "hospital", I could define an abbreviation that would automatically correct that mistake in any application.

More new features

It's now possible to nest clippings within clippings, you can define several lists of abbreviations for use by various people or for various applications. If you're a programmer, for example, you could have a special file of abbreviations that create various constructs in your favorite programming languages.

Oh, and by the way, if you're a registered user, you can request a VBA script that will convert all of your MS Word Autocorrect entries to TypeIt4Me format.

If you'd like to have the system insert the date and time for you, all you need do is create an abbreviation using the format or formats you prefer. I have "dtm" to insert the date and time: Thursday, 24 August 2006, 20:20:27, which can save quite a bit of typing.

I can also specify where the cursor should be placed in the expanded text. This is another handy programmer tool. A javascript programmer might create an abbreviation to create a function construct:
function ()
{
}
and then return the cursor to the space following the word "function".

Although the previous limit of abbreviations (2700) isn't one that a lot of people ran into, the new version has no limit and each abbreviation can contain up to 32,000 characters.

You can download the shareware version and give it a try. New users will pay $27. Users of previous versions can upgrade for $9 or, for those who paid after July 1, 2005, the upgrade is free.

Overall: The best way for Mac users to make typing take less time

Here's a good example of a program that worked well and still works well after being improved. If you've used an earlier version, get the upgrade. If you do much typing on your Mac and you haven't yet seen TypeIt4Me, now would be a good time to check it out. Visit the TypeIt4Me website.

Wireless networking

It's been a while since I set up a wireless network. The last time I tried it, the network was slow and had a limited range (20 feet with a tailwind). On Labor Day weekend, I bought a Netgear wireless router. Things have changed.

The first thing I noticed was the label that covered the ports on the back of the router. "Insert the CD first!" the label insisted. So I did. The CD examined my setup and told me that I had a live Internet connection. It guessed that I didn't have an existing router. I told the setup application that I do have a router and it suggested that I replace the existing router with the new unit. I didn't want to do that, but the installation program suggested that I might have problems otherwise.

So I gave the new wireless router permission to take the place of the existing router.

Once I agreed to that, the installation program let me proceed, asked a few questions along the way, and recommended reasonable answers. The default SSID was "NETGEAR", but I changed that to something more private. It suggested that I choose WPA-PSC security for the wireless connection, so I did and provided a secure password. Along the way, it asked me to specify a password for the router's admin user.

"Downloads" and "Transfer" are secure wireless connections on my Windows desktop from the Mac notebook.

In less than 15 minutes, I had a working wired connection and a working wireless connection with security. That's a big change from the wireless network I set up several years ago. It took a long time to set up and it wasn't particularly secure.

If you're looking for security and ease of use, I can recommend Netgear's WGR614, which was recently on sale at CircuitCity for less than $40. It's been several years since Blinnhouse (note: "Blinnhouse" is not my SSID) has had wireless options. I'm looking forward to the return of wireless connectivity, whether it's for using the Apple PowerBook while lying in bed or the Toshiba notebook while outside (or vice versa). The Linksys wireless access point that I used previously worked as long as the computer attempting to access it was no more than 10 feet away. The Netgear WAP displays a strong signal throughout the house.

By the way, I wrote these comments on an Apple PowerBook G4 connected wirelessly to my primary Windows machine. Fall and winter are approaching, but I'll be ready to work outside next spring and summer.

Instead of having to connect to an obscure IP address for the router's control panel, I use http://www.routerlogin.com. To see the full-size view, click the image at the right.

Overall: Routers are getting easier to use!

This is a router that requires exactly no knowledge to install. Follow the directions, which are presented clearly and effectively, and you'll have a working WiFi-enabled network in about 20 minutes. If you're replacing an older router that has specific settings (DHCP and static IP ranges, for example) the new router will be programmed exactly the same way. To learn more, visit the Netgear website.

What's the state of WiFi in the suburbs?

A couple of years ago, I got a Canary Wireless WiFi detector. It's a handy device to help me find out whether there's an available WiFi connection nearby without having to unpack the computer. I remember wasting a couple of bucks in the Starbucks in New York's Pennsylvania Station. In addition to burnt coffee, Starbucks offers high-priced WiFi access; but high-priced access is better than nothing. So, I bought a coffee (I figure that if I'm going to sit at one of their tables I should at least buy something.) When I unpacked the computer, though, there was no signal.

If I'd had the Canary Wireless WiFi detector at the time, I would have known there was no signal before I ordered the coffee.

I've also used it around the neighborhood. Shortly after I got the device, I checked to see what what available locally. I found 2 or 3 WiFi signals available in my house -- mine was one of them. One was secure, but another was advertised as "open". I tried connecting to it and suddenly I was on the Internet through somebody else's connection.

Now that I have a new WiFi connection, I thought I'd check to see what's on the air within the range of my house. This time around I found a lot more connections, and this time they're all secure.

What's the SSID? A Service Set Identification is a thirty-two character (maximum) alphanumeric key identifying a wireless local area network. For the wireless devices in a network to communicate with each other, all devices must be configured with the same SSID. This is typically the configuration parameter for a wireless PC card. It corresponds to the ESSID in the wireless Access Point and to the wireless network name. See also Wireless Network Name and ESSID.

You should not use the default SSID. Two users in my neighborhood (*) have used default SSIDs and the rest of us (**) have created our own. Can you tell which is mine? Even if you can, I've modified the SSID for those people who have created their own. Even those who are using default SSIDs have enabled security of some sort. Hurrah!

In 2003, Barb Bowman, on Microsoft's website, described the advantages WPA-PSK brings to the table:

WPA resolves the issue of weak WEP headers, which are called initialization vectors (IV), and provides a way of insuring the integrity of the messages passed through MIC (called Michael or message integrity check) using TKIP (the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to enhance data encryption. WPA-PSK is a special mode of WPA for home users without an enterprise authentication server and provides the same strong encryption protection.

In simple terms, WPA-PSK is extra-strong encryption where encryption keys are automatically changed (called rekeying) and authenticated between devices after a specified period of time, or after a specified number of packets has been transmitted. This is called the rekey interval. WPA-PSK is far superior to WEP and provides stronger protection for the home/SOHO user for two reasons. The process used to generate the encryption key is very rigorous and the rekeying (or key changing) is done very quickly. This stops even the most determined hacker from gathering enough data to break the encryption.

WEP was confusing to home users because of the various types of keys vendors used (HEX, ASCII, or passphrase) and because home users mix and match equipment from multiple vendors, all using different types of keys. But WPA-PSK employs a consistent, easy to use method to secure your network. This method uses a passphrase (also called a shared secret) that must be entered in both the wireless access point/router and the WPA clients. This shared secret can technically be between 8 and 63 characters and can include special characters and spaces. The WPA preshared key should be a random sequence of either keyboard characters (upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation) at least 20 characters long or hexadecimal digits (numbers 0-9 and letters A-F) at least 24 hexadecimal digits long. The more random your WPA preshared key, the safer it is to use.

The Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) takes over after the initial shared secret is entered in your wireless devices and handles the encryption and automatic rekeying.

WPA is not an official IEEE standard, but is based on and is expected to be compatible with the upcoming 802.11i security standard, sometimes referred to as WPA2. WPA is designed to be a software upgrade. The 802.11i standard will likely require a hardware upgrade. However, wireless vendors and security professionals expect today's WPA and WPA-PSK to be useful for a very long time.

If your WiFi access point offers a choice, use PSK

PSK (pre-shared key mode) is designed for home and small office networks that cannot afford the cost and complexity of an 802.1X authentication server. Each user must enter a passphrase (at least 8 characters, but no more than 63) to access the network. This can be typed in plain text, but it will be encrypted and can be stored on the computer so that the user won't have to enter it each time the computer connects to the network. The passphrase is also stored in the WiFi access point.

This is a good place for a strong password, but many users still use weak passwords. The WiFi Alliance is trying to develop a system that will automatically generate and install strong passwords as part of the configuration. For this to work, all manufacturers would need to use a standard procedure.

Nerdly News

Now you can pay to watch mindless "comedy" on your computer

A friend of mine once said that there is some confusion in people's minds about the true meaning of "sitcom". Many believe that it conflates abbreviations for "situation" and "comedy", but this isn't the case. "Sitcom", he says, is actually the shortened description of "sit comatose". This might be one of the reasons that I watch, on average, about an hour's worth of television per week. Whatever the meaning, sitcoms are coming to your computer screen.

The previous paragraph illustrates that I'm coming at this from a somewhat unusual point of view: It's not bad enough that your television spews mindless, inane crap into your home. Now your computer will do the same thing and you might be willing to pay to have sludge delivered to your family room.

Amazon.com has launched a digital video downloading service called Unbox. Suckers will be able to download TV shows for $1.99 (if you're paying attention, that's a penny less than 2 bucks per episode, but $1.99 looks like less. You can download movies for $15 or rent them for $3.99 (aka $4).

Amazon says that Unbox is the only video download service that offers DVD-quality downloads and has thousands of DVD-quality videos from more than 30 movie and TV studios,

Interested? Visit www.unbox.com to try a free sample from one of the studios. Unbox has offerings from 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, CBS, Fox, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central. Today it's a Windows-only service, but an Apple version is in the works.

Another way to battle spam: Magic Mail Monitor

An application developed by a former Soviet block programmer is now available without charge as an open source application from SourceForge.net. This looks like a winner in the battle against spam. I've recommended GoodbyeSpam.com even though it costs $40 or so per year. Kier's K9 product is a good application that runs on your local machine, but you'll still have to download every message. For me, that's a problem because I receive far more spams than legitimate messages and many of those spams come with malware (viruses and worms) attached. I already have SpamAssassin on the server, so probable spams have "*S*" in the subject line. I receive 500 or more spam messages every day and this little application clearly identifies them while they're still on the server so that I can make them go away without ever having to download them. Click the image at the right for a larger view. Because SpamAssassin codes spams with "*S*" in the subject line, I can have the Magic Mail Monitor display all suspected spams in a special color and pre-tag them as spam. After a quick glance at the list, I can delete them all with a single mouse click. My overnight delivery contained 3 messages that SpamAssassin missed. I could tell from the account they went to, the subject line, and the person they claimed to be from that they were spam. Instead of downloading nearly 100 messages, I downloaded just a dozen.

Free, easy, and effective. What more could you want? Information on where to download it? Yeah, I can do that. Visit the Magic Mail Monitor 3 project at SourceForge.net.

Annoying legal disclaimer

My attorney says I really need to say this: The TechByter website is for informational purposes only. I assume no responsibility for its accuracy, although I do my best. The information is subject to change without notice. Any actions you take based on information from the radio program, the podcast, or from this website are entirely at your own risk. Products and services are mentioned for informational purposes only and their various trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. TechByter cannot provide technical support for products or services mentioned.