DivX to iPod the Open Source way

So I went looking today for some info on how to convert DivX shows to an iPod compatible H.264 format. There are lots of commercial solutions out there, but I prefer to find free software. I looked for a long while and finally found Mediacoder. Here are instruction on how to convert your divx files for your video ipod in 6 easy steps.

1. Go to http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/ and download Mediacoder
2. Install Mediacoder and run it.
3. Select Add File and add the divx file
4. Select devices button
5. Select extension->digital media player
6. Press "start" to the left of the ipod.

Shazaaam! divx to ipod. in six easy steps.

Solar Powered battery Charger

This isn't really a tip so much as a cool gadget. My dad and I have talked for a while about including a solar powered battery charger with our emergency kits. I finally found one today: Sundance Solar. Sundance solar also has a good selection of solar panels that I might use for some DIY electronics projects.

Manually Open the Safely remove hardware window

Sometimes you need to remove an external hard drive or other piece of hardware from your Windows machine, but for some reason the little "Safely Remove Hardware" icon is missing from the System tray. With this tip you can open the Safely remove hardware window if that icon is missing.

copy and paste this into Start->Run:

RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll

Show only items from Amazon.com

I occasionally shop on Amazon.com, and sometimes I find it useful to show only items from Amazon.com in order to qualify for free shipping. I found that adding this text to the end of the URL will show only items from Amazon.com.

&field-enc-merchantbin=ATVPDKIKX0DER