FTP Server software for Windows

Over the course of several years, I have used numerous FTP Server applications, so I thought I would list them out here:

1. Serv-U FTP Server: http://www.serv-u.com/ftp-server
2. BulletProof FTP Server: http://www.bpftpserver.com/
3. WS_FTP Server: http://www.ipswitchft.com/ws-ftp-server
4. Globalscape EFT Server: https://www.globalscape.com/managed-file-transfer
5. FileZilla FTP Server: https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=server

Out of all of these FTP Server solutions, I definitely prefer Globalscape EFT Server for the greatest set of functionality including a very good API that can be used for automation.  Of course, Globalscape EFT Server is also one of the priciest solutions out there as well!

As a second choice, I choose WS_FTP Server, though, it lacks some of the ease-of-use features found in Globalscape EFT Server.

Lastly, of the solutions listed here, only FileZilla FTP Server is a free FTP software solution.

Convert M4A Audio Files to MP3 Format

Many smartphones will record in .m4a audio format, but usually .mp3 format is desired as a more universal audio format.

Therefore, if you want to convert from .m4a to .mp3, how do you accomplish that?

In many cases, you can use iTunes to convert .m4a files over to .mp3 files using the information found in this article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204310

You simply have to add the .m4a file to your iTunes playlist and then right-click the file to "Create MP3 Version"

However, in some instances I have discovered that iTunes is unable to properly convert these .m4a files over to .mp3 format.  So what do you do in those cases?

Fortunately, there is a software application called MediaHuman Audio Converter which can accomplish that for you!

You can download MediaHuman Audio Converter from here: http://www.mediahuman.com/audio-converter/

You then simply drag and drop your .m4a file into the window and click on the "Convert" button to convert it over to .mp3 format!!

Playback FLV Video files

If you are looking for how to playback FLV Video files look no further than VLC Media Player!

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

Downloading and converting videos from YouTube and other video streaming sites

If you ever need to download and convert YouTube videos for offline viewing, there are a number of Firefox plug-ins to accomplish this!

Just search for YouTube on the Firefox add-ons site and you will immediately see a large number of results: https://addons.mozilla.org

Of course, if you are looking for some desktop software to accomplish the same thing, there are a large number of software vendors that provide this capability with varying degrees of functionality.

One such software application which I evaluated was WonderShare YouTube Downloader:

http://www.wondershare.com/pro/free-youtube-downloader.html

WonderShare actually has a FREE version as well as a PAID version called AllMyTube:

http://www.wondershare.com/pro/youtube-downloader.html

I went ahead and performed an evaluation of the AllMyTube version and I discovered that while it did a good job of downloading a large number of YouTube videos as well as converting them to MP4 for me, it could not convert a large number of the newer HTML5 format YouTube videos.  Therefore, it seemed largely restricted to the older-style Flash Videos available on YouTube.  While this certainly covers a large number of videos, it also makes a large number of YouTube videos unavailable for download for offline viewing as well.  This, therefore, makes it not much better than any of the available free Firefox plug-in downloaders (at least for YouTube videos).

However, for streaming sites such as CBS.com, AllMyTube did an excellent job of downloading the videos without all of the advertisements included normally in the video while streaming the video directly from the CBS.com site.  AllMyTube also has support for a large number of other streaming video sites as well which come in very handy if you view streaming videos from the list of other supported sites: http://www.wondershare.com/reference/youtube-downloader.html

Another software application I evaluated was WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe: http://www.winxdvd.com/hd-video-converter-deluxe/

However, as with AllMyTube, WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe was not able to handle HTML5 YouTube videos and therefore once again does not offer much benefit over the free Firefox plug-ins.

Finally, there is the option of YouTube Red: https://www.youtube.com/red

YouTube Red is a subscription-based service costing around $10/month and supposedly offers the ability to download any of its videos for offline viewing from your phone or tablet.  The videos will expire 30 days after they are downloaded, so you will not have a permanent copy for your viewing pleasure, but it may be sufficient for your needs. 

To read more about YouTube Red and if the service is right for you, you can check out this article: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/youtube-red-details/

CyberPowerPC keyboards

I love CyberPowerPCs and I have recently purchased 2 CyberPowerPCs, however, when I pulled out one of the USB keyboards that shipped with the PC, needless to say, I was not pleased!

As a developer, I do a tremendous amount of typing and with a typing speed of around 80-100 WPM (words per minute), I need a keyboard that can easily keep up as well as seamlessly fit into my typing style.

Unfortunately, the Azza keyboard that ships with CyberPowerPCs do not fit into either of these categories.

The keyboard is extremely compact and not suitable at all for standard typing.  My biggest frustrations with this keyboard is the very, very small backspace key as well as the very small Ctrl and Alt keys. 

For any user that types as much as I do, this keyboard can basically be considered completely useless.

It would be much nicer if CyberPowerPC shipped some Microsoft keyboards or Logitech keyboards with their PCs, but in lieu of that, suffice it to say, I am sending out my Azza keyboards for recycling and sticking with my comfortable Logitech keyboards and mice!

Amazon Underground Games

With the recently released line of Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, I decided to give the new much touted "Amazon Underground" a spin and see what was really meant by "actually free" games.  Amazon advertises this feature as games that actually have free in-app purchases, lending new meaning to "free games".

Currently, free games means that the game is "free", but still charges for any in-app purchases that are made, thus leading the end-user/consumer to believe that the game is free but with hidden charges/purchases.

However, Amazon Underground now labels their games as "Actually Free" when you visit the Amazon Underground.

I tried out one of the Amazon Underground "Actually Free" games that I have played for a long time called Frozen Free Fall.

Well, much to my surprise, Amazon was not lying about being "actually free"!

When I first launched Frozen Free Fall, I was immediately awarded a large number of snowballs and ice crystal and ice picks before I even began playing.  In addition, all of the upper levels from the Seasons and Frozen Fever were also completely unlocked! 

When I browsed through a few more Amazon Underground games in the Amazon App Store, I was surprised to find several more expensive games such as Mickey Mouse's Castle of Illusions labeled as "Actually Free"!

I am really enjoying the Amazon Underground feature of "Actually Free" applications since it makes using the Amazon Kindle Fire as a much more enjoyable tablet for gaming vs. Android and iPad tablets which do not have this feature and still rely heavily on Free games with in-app purchasing.

Needless to say, when it comes to playing games on a tablet, I will stick to the Amazon Kindle Fire!!

Amazon Fire TV vs. Google Nexus Player

If you are looking for an affordable Gaming Console, then you might consider either the Amazon Fire TV or the Google Nexus Player.

First, we'll take a look at the Amazon Fire TV: http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-DV83YW-Fire-TV/dp/B00U3FPN4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446520957&sr=8-1&keywords=fire+tv

The Amazon Fire TV just released a new version which now includes support for Alexa which was originally shipped with Amazon Echo.  Alexa is Amazon's form of voice recognition software which allows you to perform a wide variety of operations from playing music to hearing about the weather, news reports or even jokes.  The other major update to the Amazon Fire TV is the newly added support for an optional microSD card which supports up to 128GB of storage. 

The main limiting factor for the Amazon Fire TV then becomes the lack of good, affordable games in the Amazon App Store.  This is definitely the greatest drawback to the Amazon Fire TV.  If Amazon were to make Google Play Store apps available to the Amazon Fire TV, purchasing the Fire TV would be a complete no-brainer.

Next up, is the Google Nexus Player: https://www.google.com/nexus/player/

The Google Nexus Player has many of the same features as the Amazon Fire TV with the main difference being that it runs a native version of Android thus offering full support for the Google Play store. In addition, it is much cheaper than the Amazon Fire TV with a cost of only $49.  http://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-nexus-player-streaming-media-console-black/2445015.p?id=1219542308629&skuId=2445015

Unfortunately, the major thing it lacks is the optional microSD card to expand the total memory storage on the device.  Even devices such as the Roku offer an optional microSD card for their streaming device.  The lack of microSD card is a major fail on Google's part.  The Google Nexus player only ships with 8 GB of memory, so if you are installing any particularly large games, you will have to uninstall them rather quickly in order to install newer games (the same limitation existed with the earlier version of the Amazon Fire TV as well).

In this comparison, there is no clear winner for Gaming Consoles since both the Amazon Fire TV and the Google Nexus player have severe drawbacks in the design of their systems.  If you are looking for the widest variety of available games, then the Google Nexus Player is definitely the console of choice.