Brandon Mawhorter

It’s Big Thunder Mountain Time! (Taken with Instagram at...

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:44:08 -0700

It’s Big Thunder Mountain Time! (Taken with Instagram at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad)

Old Apple TV Gets AirPlay Hack

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:23:00 -0800

Great news for those of us with first generation Apple TVs. The good people over at App Dynamic, those behind the iPhone and iPad app Remote HD, have released a hack for the Apple TV the enables Remote HD to work with the Apple TV as well as enable AirPlay on it. This works for people who have a first generation Apple TV that is hacked. Continue reading to find out how to hack your Apple TV and how to install Remote HD.

The first thing you need to do is find a USB flash drive to create the patchstick on. Download the patchstick creator from the atvusb-creator project and follow the instructions on their site to create a recovery. Basically you download the application with the link at the top of their site then run it and insert a USB flash drive into your computer. Select the drive under “USB Target Device” then hit “create” It will take a few minutes to download the Apple TV software and create a bootable patch stick. WARNING: this process will format your usb drive so make sure your data is backed up. Once the stick is created insert it into the back of your Apple TV and press and hold the Menu and - buttons on the remote to restart the Apple TV. It should automatically boot from the drive and run the installation. If it doesn’t boot from the drive you will probably need to try with a different usb flash drive.

Now that you have your Apple TV hacked you should have two new menus. One called “Software Menu” and another “Launcher” that contains XMBC and Boxee. You need to install the Remote HD app next to get AirPlay and RemoteHD working. You can follow the instructions on RemoteHD’s Website or look at my shortened instructions below.

SSH into your Apple TV using Terminal on the Mac or what ever software your prefer. Simple open Terminal located in the /Applications/Utilities/ and type or paste in the following:

ssh frontrow@appletv.local

Password: frontrow

Next enter the following three commands one by one (each line is a separate command to enter into the terminal) to download, uncompress and install the RemoteHD plugin. If you are asked for a password again enter frontrow like you did to start the SSH connection.

scp ssh.remotehd.com:RemoteHelper.tar .

tar xvf RemoteHelper.tar

./install-RemoteHelper

Restart your Apple TV either by the option to restart the finder in the Software Menu or by holding down the Menu and - buttons. Or just unplug the darn thing from power.

Thats it! You should now have your Apple TV hacked and have three new menu options on your bar. You can now connect and remotely see your Apple TV screen using the RemoteHD iPhone or iPad app and you can run XMBC or Boxee. I would avoid the Software Menu however. It is currently a little buggy and was making my Apple TV crash and restart.

Pretty cool right, of wait whats that you say? Your menu is ugly and cluttered? Well we can fix that pretty easily. Just have to edit a few files. First SSH back into the Apple TV and change directories to see all the plugins that appear in the menu.

cd /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/PlugIns

You should see something along the lines of this:

-bash-2.05b$ ls

Contents Remote Helper.frappliance

Internet.frappliance Settings.frappliance

Movies.frappliance SoftwareMenu.frappliance

Music.frappliance TV.frappliance

Photos.frappliance XBMCLauncher.frappliance

Podcasts.frappliance

Each of these plugins can be edited to rearrange the order of your menu items. In this example there are 10 plugins appearing in the Apple TV menu. I want to make RemoteHelper appear last. To do this I need to edit it’s Info.plist file which is located here.

” /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/PlugIns/
XBMCLauncher.frappliance/Contents/Info.plist “

To edit this file we use the sudo nano command. Simple enter the following into the terminal to edit the file:

” sudo nano /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/PlugIns/
XBMCLauncher.frappliance/Contents/Info.plist “

The contents of the file should open and you should see a whole bunch of entrys like or . We want to find the following entry which should be near the bottom of the file.

FRAppliancePreferedOrderValue

The number value in between # is the placement on the menu. I want my RemoteHelper plugin to appear last so I change the key to number 10.

FRAppliancePreferedOrderValue

Now press Control + x to exit the file. Press “y” to save the file and return to save it as the same name. Becareful not to change any other values before saving. You may want to back up the file before saving it if your unsure of what your doing. Once the file is saved you can restart the Apple TV Finder again in the Software Menu for your changes to take effect. To edit the order of all your plugins so they fit our needs best simple use the sudo nano command for the other plugins.

Enter:

” sudo nano /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/PlugIns/
PLUGIN-NAME.frappliance/Contents/Info.plist “

and change “PLUGIN-NAME” to the name of the plugin you want to change. Follow the steps again to set the order value key and save and exit the file.

Hope this helps some people who are new to hacking their Apple TV or have had struggles in the past. Let me know if you need any help in the comments.

Top Five Movie Franchise

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:08:00 -0800

I have recently been enjoying the 25th annaversary Back to the Future Blu-ray trilogy and it has made me think. What are my favorite film franchises. So here is my list.

1. Back to the Future

2. Harry Potter

3. Star Wars

4. Lord of the Rings

5. Ocean’s Trilogy

[and a sixth because I can… Austin Powers]

Not So Hot

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:24:14 -0700

I know today was supposed to be like 110 degrees out in San Bernardino today, and maybe it got up to that. But I was running around all day in the heat going from classroom to classroom and I have to say that I don’t think it was to bad outside toady. Maybe it was because it was a dry heat. Whatever the case may be. If all 100+ degree days can be like today I would be fine with that.

San Manuel Casino

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:35:18 -0700

Won $10 tonight which was enough to cover dinner. Thanks San Manuel!

Flat Bike Tire Fix

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:15:00 -0700

Never had to fix a flat before. I try cheating my way out of having to fix it by pumping that fix a flat stuff into it but it didn’t work as I had hoped. The fix a flat stuff only lasted for one ride and then the air would slowly leak out and by the time I wanted to go for another ride I would have to pump it up again. The tire stuff I used was for car tires so that may have been the problem. Next time I try the stuff I will get the one made for bike tires.

I had purchased an inner tube from Target® but once I pulled the original tube off my bike I discovered that it wasn’t the right type. The tube size around is fine but the valve was not long enough. I ran over to a bike shop here in Rancho and they stocked the right tire for a buck less than I paid at Target®. Got home and was able to pretty easily put the tire back together and get it road ready. If you don’t know how to fix a flat, Schwinn has a pretty good how-to for you to follow. Now lets go hit the rode!

"Andy: Wow, this place is crowded. David: Yeah, well, you know… nine dollar beer night."

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:15:00 -0700

“Andy: Wow, this place is crowded.
David: Yeah, well, you know… nine dollar beer night.”

- The 40 Year Old Virgin

Relaxing

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:13:14 -0700

That is the only word that can describe this past weekend. Lots of time at home doing nothing but watching TV, playing some PS3 and browsing the web. Went on a bike ride tonight which was fun. Now going to undo all that exercise effort by eating a milk chocolate with caramel filling square.

Jacob's Birthday Bash

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:09:00 -0700

Had a great night last night with everyone at San Manuel Casino. Started the night out eating seafood buffet and was able to let our waitress know that it was Jacob’s birthday with out him knowing. They brought out a special cake with a little candle on it and sang a little happy birthday song that included a line about hoping you win some money.

After dinner we headed out to the casino floor and Jacob got to try out his luck. He was up $35 at one time but you know how it goes when your gambling. I think he came home with an extra Andrew Jackson in his pocket. His dad was the real success story winning $300!

Later on Jacob and Cheryl made it over to our apartment to watch Hot Tub Time Machine (I liked it) and have some drinks. I discovered some new favorites that were pretty good. Try making yourself a Blue Ice cocktail (equal parts Hpnotiq, Malibu Coconut Rum, and Triple Sec). Jacob has yet to find something that really wets his whistle, but that will come in time and experimentation. The night ended with everyone passed out except me. I awoke to find Jacob asleep on the couch and Cheryl gone. She was like a little ninja gone with out a trace.

I just want to thank everyone who made it out last night to help celebrate Jacob’s 21st! You guys made it a blast.

What A Mess

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:41:40 -0700

Second day finished at the new school and all I can say is what a mess. There is stuff all over this new school site. Different computer parts in different places. The old tech didn’t really keep everything in one place and therefore there isn’t any organization to speak of.

So the plan is to first get everything in one place. One thing nice about this new site is that I got my own office now, so everything is going to go into there. Once all that stuff is in a central location and I know what I actually have I will feel much more at home. Wish me luck!

Lets get it started in here, the light show in our living room...

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:42:41 -0700

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Lets get it started in here, the light show in our living room that is!

Last Day Of Freedom

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10:36:51 -0700

And so it has all come to today. My last day of freedom before returning to the daily grind. All I have to say is, It is about time.

Just finished up the Aerosmith show! Great show. Played all the...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:54:56 -0700

Just finished up the Aerosmith show! Great show. Played all the songs I knew and only a few I didn’t.

Went on a bike ride tonight and came across this flipped Jeep...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:43:22 -0700

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Went on a bike ride tonight and came across this flipped Jeep Wrangler in Rancho Cucamonga. Shortly after they flipped it back over I noticed that my front tire had gotten a hole in it so we high tailed it back but sadly didn’t make it all the way. Only made it from Kenyon to Haven before so much air had escaped that it was unridable. Guess I need a new tire. At least it was on the front which will be an easy change.

Check out this awesome Star Wars Subway Ride from Improve...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:40:53 -0700

Check out this awesome Star Wars Subway Ride from Improve Everywhere!

I miss you ExpressJet. You were pretty bad ass. Small 50 person...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:35:00 -0700

I miss you ExpressJet. You were pretty bad ass. Small 50 person plane with quick flights straight from ONT to RNO. Those were the days. Now you have to stop in Oakland or Phoenix or Vegas to get to Reno from Ontario. That’s a waste of my time!

Loan Consolidation Followup

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:17:00 -0700

Success! I received an email this afternoon stating that my new pin was ready to use and so I went to the Direct Consolidation Loan site and retrieved my application. For some reason it lost all my loan information so I had to reenter all 11 loans again, but once I finished that I was in business. Read through the promissory note and electronically signed and now I just have to mail in two forms and wait for approval. Here is hoping that I get approved and that I will have a low monthly payment right now so I can start living life a little more comfortably. Maybe buy a house with one of these!

Bad News

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:23:51 -0700

Got home today and discovered our beta fish had passed. Ouhaha, you will be missed.

Applying For Loan Consolidation

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:29:00 -0700

So, student loans suck, well owing money sucks, but student loans are a pain. I mean the whole system is a little screwed up if you think about it. We are told to go to school to get a degree which is supposed to help us earn more money once we get a job. But if we owe a mountain of debt that extra money we are making is just going to paying off those loans. I suppose that down the road we will come out ahead at some time but I will probably be paying off my loans until I am 40+ years old so whats was the point again?

That aside, I tried applying for student loan consolidation today through https://loanconsolidation.ed.gov which was going pretty easily if not time consuming. I have 11 different loans handled by three different banks and I had to gather up all that information to pass into the website. Now this is the year 2010, I should be able to just give you my personal info and hit find and have you gather all my student loan information. I mean come on, isn’t that info all held somewhere with my credit score. Well I get all that information put in there, give them information about how much I earn and get some different repayment options to choose from. Now things start to get a little confusing.

I am looking into these different loan options and I notice that some of the repayment options allow your monthly payment to be less than your accumulated monthly interest and then after a set time dump that interest back into your account added on to your principal balance. That is similar to what happened to all these people who took out home loans that they couldn’t afford and when their interest got added into their principal balance their new payment shot up to a balance they couldn’t afford! I don’t want that to happen with my loan.

Even with that as a possibility, the draw of a reduced monthly payment is too much to pass up. (See I am just as dumb and greedy as these people who purchased homes out of their price point.) One awesome thing about these loans though is that if I have not paid the loan off in full after 25 years they are forgiven and any remaining balance will be considered taxable income. I will let future Brandon worry about that.

A little more on my rant about today’s current state of technology and where I am at on the loan process. Once you finish giving the program all your information about all your different loans; balance, interest rate, servicing bank, you have to sign it. Well how do I sign something that is online you might ask? Well you create a pin and sign it. So I am passed over to another government website and I attempt to create a pin, all goes well except I have to wait 1-3 days for this pin to be approved. WHAT?! Like someone is there going into the back room verifying that my information is correct, BS! This is all done by computers and it should be instant. Geez I want my pin so I can be done already.

So now I sit here, waiting, hoping that my inbox will soon read “one new message”. Refresh, nope, not there yet. :/