If you’re running the IE9 Release Client (huge improvement over IE8) and sites are crashing it could be that your Java isn’t updated to version 6 update 24. Versions before that (I had update 23) will crash the web page and send it in a loop of crash, reload, crash, etc. You can also click the compatibility mode button (if you’re fast enough) to prevent the crash.
Technology, Investing, and Living Deliberately
Author Archive for Bret Fisher
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Ever been in a hotel, airport, coffee shop, or some place that you pay per computer to use their Wireless Internet? Windows 7 has a new feature “Virtual Wifi” that lets you use your wireless as if it was multiple wireless NIC’s, but why do we care? One way to use that virtual wifi feature is to use free software to allow connecting to wireless Internet while also turning your wireless into it’s own hotspot. Great for the wife’s or coworkers laptops sitting next to you. Pay once, surf many.
There’s been a similar feature since XP to share connections, but this required you to use two different NIC’s and only supported peer-to-peer network. This software fixes both issues.
Software: Virtual Router – Wifi Hot Spot for Windows 7 – 2008 R2
Info: Share Wireless Internet Connection In Windows 7 Without Ad Hoc
Thanks to Ryan for this tip. The Matrox DualHead2Go can be had for around $200 and turns your VGA or DisplayPort on your laptop into 2 additional screens vs. the standard 2nd screen add on. After nearly a week on Windows 7 x64 with two 20” monitors it’s working great. Make sure you get the newest firmware and drivers/software from the link above, that way it has settings to help you manage windows across three screens.
One tip that held me up at first. The device gets power from USB, but must need more power then a powered USB hub can provide, as it didn’t work properly until I plugged it directly into the laptop USB.
From the scripture of Mark Douglas in The Disciplined Trader:
As a result, I sincerely feel that success in trading is 80 percent psychological and 20 percent one’s methodology, be it fundamental or technical. For example, you can have a mediocre knowledge of fundamental and technical information, and if you are in psychological control, you can make money. Conversely, you may have a great system, one that you have tested and has performed well for a long period of time, yet if the psychological control is not there, you will be the loser.
Steps I’ve recently taken to increase my mental control (since we all seem to default to focusing on technique):
- Meditation, both “empty your mind” and “visioning”. I took a quick $7 lesson from a local mind+body shop. Still working at implementing it daily.
- Monitor/schedule my sleep. A Tim Ferriss trick is to use a timer rather then alarm for sleeping so I am focusing on my sleep deposit/debt. This works better if I don’t have a required wake time for a job (I don’t). Lack of sleep causes me to be more moody and thus more emotional. Goal is eight hours, so I often start “going to bed” at T minus nine hours.
- Monitor/schedule my eating. Food is the most powerful drug we take multiple times a day (unless you live in a hospital I guess). Smaller meals more often keeps my blood sugar (the brain’s food) more level and thus my mood (emotional state). I also stay away from sugar and manufactured carbs which spike the blood sugar (but not yet conquered caffeine). The theory and application of this is found in The Zone Diet, which is designed to keep the body/mind “in the zone” of optimum energy by controlling what you eat.
- Don’t trade when I’m focused on finances. If I need to pay next months bills with my "planned winnings” then I’ll trade from emotion, rather then if the money has no near-term impact on my lifestyle. Even once trading becomes my only income my plan has me withdrawing once-for-the-next-six-months and eventually to once-for-the-next-year so my lifestyle is unaffected by my day to day market success.
- Plan, plan, and more sticking to the plan. How many times will I trade a month? How many times will I practice in a month? How much cash will I use each time? How many trades in a row loss will cause a “real money hold” period? What charts will I use? What stocks will I use? When do I get out of the trade “when it’s not working” and “when it’s working”? What do I consider “it’s not working”… and on and on. The more details I have documented and the more I review it… the more I tend to be less emotional on entry and exit of a trade.
Image used with Creative Commons License from Jeff Power’s on Flickr
You no longer have an excuse to lose your important computer files. It costs little to nothing to have them automatically backed up online. Signup for SugarSync and backup 2GB for free.
Even I loose data sometimes. I had a Excel file that I accidently overwrote, and the local Windows 7 Previous Versions didn’t capture the changes I needed, but SugarSync did! My savior. It backs up changes as I save files, quickly and quietly in the background.
I’ve used lots of backup and file sync technologies over the years to keep data in more then one place. Sometimes for backups (disaster recovery), sometimes for convenience, sometimes for collaboration. No product until SugarSync did it all for a reasonable price. After 6 months of using it across 3+ computers, two iPhones, etc. I can say it’s worth the monthly subscription (2GB plan is FREE). Here’s my favorite features:
- Sync files between computers
- chose which folders to back up (not just one root folder)
- Keep a copy in the cloud
- Instantly backed up after saving changes. (not ‘schedule based’)
- Keep 5 versions of the files online for recovery
- Access them all from web browser or mobile client
- Chose to make files public or post pics on Facebook from the webapp
- get a single-click public link to send your friend for downloading that 500MB file you need to send!
- edit files on the web
- stream your synced music from web and on iPhone (whaaat? awesome)
Feature List and Comparison Chart
I used Carbonite for years for computer backup, but that’s ALL it did, for $50+ a year. I used Live Mesh to sync files between computers and the cloud, but I couldn’t buy more storage and it didn’t have a iPhone client. I’ve used SyncToy for years but it’s only a LAN client and not easy to automate. Mozy, Box.net, DropBox, some Amazon storage clients, and more…. none of them could do 1/2 of what SugarSync does.
Check it out buy using this referral link to get extra free storage.