Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with extension

wifi router can't make it through walls: what's the most effective way to extend the range of our wifi cloud?

krautland — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:44:00 -0800

our new belkin router doesn't have the power to make it all the way through the house. are range extenders good? which one should I choose? (more inside) I gave my parents (in germany) a wireless router for their mac/pc mix household. it's this belkin G (802.11g), their basic model. unfortunately the router has to sit in a room in the far corner of their house and thick german cement walls (no plywood here) are ensuring the signal doesn't make it all the way across the house into the attic or kitchen. the signal currently covers half the house, so getting through the walls is not completely impossible, they just do to the router what a pair of massive mittens would do to your dexterity.

I'd like to extend that range so that certain rooms they use as offices are covered by the signal. belkin seems to offer a universal range extender but the german amazon page for that product has a user opinion stating that said extender doesn't really work if it's more than a couple feet from the router itself. I wonder if the hivemind has an opinion on this...

I'm not married to using belkins to extend the range of the router but I am married to the router since exchanging it would be rather difficult for me right now.

what's the most effective way to extend the range of our wifi cloud?

Help me open a file.

acidic — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:18:50 -0800

Was sent an "untyped binary data" file with no extension. It's audio. Using a Mac, I've tried adding the .mp3, .aac, .wav extensions, and it won't open. What now? - What extensions have I failed to try? This is recorded audio of some sort.

- Am I changing the extensions correctly? I just select+click on the file and manually add the extension.

- Is there a program that will figure it out for me?

MacBook with dead logic board: how to proceed?

sparrows — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:51:38 -0800

Logic board died on my friend's two-year-old MacBook (one year out of warranty). Should she pay for repair ($700 + labor), or sell the carcass for parts and buy, say, a used iBook? She's kept it in flawless condition and the screen is perfect (no bad pixels), so maybe she could get a decent amount selling it for parts? She does not have an eBay account and is not in an active Craigslist area.

I don't know the exact specs, but it's whatever was the least expensive new white MacBook in early summer 2006. (Its HD is 80GB, and I know she got the stock drive, if that helps.)

She does not have much money and this is her only computer (in fact this is her FIRST ever computer). The 700+labor quote is from an Apple Authorized Repair Center (she's a long drive from the nearest Apple Store).

Ugh. :(

Is there any version of the Search marker Firefox extension for 3.0?

V-Turn — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:57:57 -0800

Search Marker is no longer maintained. Does anybody know if a similar extension that is still alive? As this extension is not compatible with Firefox, I have three options :
1. stop using it
2. hack it so that Firefox thinks it is compatible with 3.0 (I have no idea if that's going to work or not)
3. get a replacement

I was wondering if the Metafilter crowd could help with #3!

Thank you.

Penalty for not filing U.S. income tax, if one will receive a refund?

lorimer — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:09:30 -0800

U.S. tax question: if I'll definitely be receiving a refund rather than paying tax, what will happen if I neither file nor file an extension by the end of the 15th? (Will it just mean that I won't receive my refund until I do file -- or will it mean a fine/fee that reduces my eventual refund?)

How does paying federal taxes late affect my 2008 rebate?

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:03:17 -0800

If I file my federal taxes on time, but pay late, will it affect the timing of my 2008 rebate? What do I need to do to pay the taxes late? I'm not going to have a problem filing my taxes on time; the forms have already been completed. Unfortunately, I owe quite a bit this year and can not come up with the money by April 15. Everything I can find on the internet on the subject seems to only address filing for an extension to file, which I don't think I need to do. So, three questions:

One, is there any distinction between filing for an extension (for filing) and paying late? In order to just pay late (which it appears will get me a 0.5% penalty per month, which I can live with) do I just send in my return without a check? What happens then? Will the IRS send me a bill?

Two, will doing what I need to do to pay late (whatever that may be) affect the timing of my stimulus check? It looks like if I owe the IRS money by the time checks are sent, the amount of my check will be reduced by the amount I owe, but will the timing be affected? The amount I owe is roughly $800, and my rebate check will be more than that, so given that the rebates are being made (for those of us with direct deposit) within a month of April 15, I'm thinking the "easiest" option would just be to let them deduct the amount due from the rebate. Is that a viable option, or will my rebate not be processed until my 2007 taxes are paid in full?

Three, If taxes are due (and a refund not made), is getting a direct deposit of my rebate an option? Do I just complete item 74 (bank info) on the 1040 even though it isn't technically applicable to my 2007 return?

paragraph width in firefox

primer_dimer — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 04:50:59 -0800

Is there a plugin/extension/script for Firefox that automatically resizes text columns to make them a comfortable width to read? I spend a lot of time reading large blocks of text on the web, and I find myself constantly resizing the browser window (firefox) in order to make a particular block of text a comfortable reading width (the oft-quoted 80 characters). Does anyone know of an extension or greasemonkey script that will do this automatically, as I switch between tabs?

I want to download all files from a page, but there's a catch

entropic — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:42:29 -0800

How can I download a bunch of .pdfs from a webpage all at once? The page I'm looking at is a list of .pdfs available (for a class I'm in - course materials), with a link to download each .pdf file. I've tried using the Firefox extension downthemall, but there's a catch - the links I click to download the .pdfs individually are javascript popups that look like this: javascriptf:pop('docs/12004/andes_vegetation.pdf','yes',",",'12004'); Is there a way to grab all of these at once, or am I doomed to clicking each and every link to open a new window, save as, etc.?

How do I open certain sites in IETab?

Rabulah — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:36:27 -0800

I use Firefox. I want to be able to open certain sites in IETab/Internet Explorer automatically. I can do this quite easily if they are bookmarked, but I want to be able to do it every time I come across a link to the site. Example 1] I'm browsing the web, and I come across a link to foo.com. Normally, when I click the link to foo.com, it will open in a normal Firefox tab. I want to be able to just click the link to foo.com, and have it open in IETab/Internet Explorer automatically, without having to right click and choose "Open in IETab", or copy the URL from the address bar and paste it into Internet Explorer.

Example 2] I do a Foo.com search from the Firefox search bar. I want the search tab to open in IETab/Internet Explorer automatically.

I have been using IE View Lite, which will load the site in IE after half a second, but Firefox still starts to load foo.com before IE View Lite takes over, which I don't want. I want Firefox to never load foo.com AT ALL.

How can I get this functionality? Example 2 is the more pressing problem, if that makes any difference.

How does one commission a Firefox Extension/ Greasemonkey script?

Smarson — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:04:11 -0800

How does one go about hiring someone to create a specific Greasemonkey script or Firefox extension for them? As per a previous post, I'm in the market for a web browser with gray-scaling abilities (a la ghostzilla). Ghostfox wasn't the answer and searching through numerous Greasemonkey scripts and Firefox extensions yielded nada. So how does one go about commissioning a script or extension from the developer community? Anyone have experience contracting or being contracted to work on a such a project? What kind of fee is associated with this kind of labor? Does it matter that I would want this script/extension to be available to everyone?

Hacking Firefox's Send Link command?

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:51:38 -0800

How do you add an email address and subject line entry to Firefox's "Send Link" context menu command? 99 percent of the time, I'm emailing myself for future reference. It'd be easier if the email address and subject line were pre-populated for me. Is there an easy way to do this, or an extension that does this?

Do you have to file taxes if you ask for an extension?

stuffedcrust — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:40:16 -0800

Tax Filter: If you are not required to file your taxes, and you file an extension, do you have to file your taxes? Other tax questions inside I'm helping my friend with his taxes. He doesn't have to file but is waiting on his w2 to be resent to him to see if he should. If he files for an extension does he still have the option to not file?

He didn't file in 2005, can he still file even though he didn't submit an extension?

Other than the hope and lifetime learning credits I was told there was a deduction you could make if you were a full-time student. I'm not talking about deducting qualifying school expenses on line 35, but something else.

Firefox extension to control HTML forms?

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 07:19:20 -0800

Can a user install an extension, preference or script to have Firefox manipulate an HTML form element on loading, e.g., having a SELECT's default OPTION set when visiting a certain page. If a user visits a webpage that, for example, requests selecting a drop-down menu containing different server names, I'd like to have the user be able to set his or her default server and then have the pull-down menu set upon each visit.

I don't have the option of doing this server-side, or setting cookie variables, since I don't administrate the web server or application.

Thanks for any advice!

Always open with...

Null Pointer and the Exceptions — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:20:19 -0800

In OSX how do I get files without extensions to be recognized by something other than Excel? Ideally I'd like them to be opened by the shell, or perhaps a new session in iTerm but iTerm is greyed out in the Choose Application menu.

Opening random windows files?

smackfu — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 07:35:21 -0800

What's the best way to view/edit text files in Windows that have a random varying file extension?

How do I get rid of the menu bar in Mozilla Firefox?

Goblindegook — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:24:06 -0800

Help me streamline my Mozilla Firefox interface by hiding the menu bar in a small toolbar button. Having recently installed Firefox 2.0 on my Windows computers, I decided to do some spring cleaning around the interface and try to make the most of my screen real estate. I've successfully put away most of the buttons and widgets I don't use, and fit everything into a single strip, but one item in particular has been giving me trouble: the menu bar.

I know I can disable individual menu items by tweaking the userChrome.css file in my profile directory, but because I still need to access some of them from time to time, I don't want them to disappear completely. Ideally, there should be an extension that allows me to hide all the menus behind one or more toolbar buttons, in a way similar to the new collapsible IE7 menu bar.

I searched the Mozilla extension repository to no avail, so I was wondering if anyone here has heard of anything vaguely matching my description before I call off the search and try to do some coding of my own.

(Older Mozilla extensions are okay. They don't have to be compatible with Firefox 2.0 if I can get them to work with Nightly Tester Tools.)

Three-column two-line layout in Thunderbird?

matthewr — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 08:30:57 -0800

I'm using Thunderbird in three-column view. How can I make the middle column use a two-line format, like Outlook does? On my laptop's 1024×768 screen, a one-line layout is too compressed.

Highlight and click?

zardoz — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:21:50 -0800

I'm looking for a simple plug-in/extension for Firefox that will allow me to highlight a URL's address on a webpage (simple text that isn't hyperlinked), then right-click and load that page on a new tab. Does this exist?

Help my iPod know (in the Biblical sense) some other equipment

grumblebee — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 15:29:27 -0800

I'm having trouble connecting my iPod to my PC and to an external speaker system.

I had an old 3G ipod. I broke it. So I just bought a new one -- a 5G 6GB Video iPod. To my shagrin, it needs a USB 2.0 port. My creaking old PC, with my music library on it, only has USB 1.0 ports. It didn't occur to me that I'd need USB 2.0, because my 3G iPod connected through Firewire.

I bought a USB 2.0 card and tried to intall it, but it screwed up my computer (Ethernet stopped working), so I removed it.

Is there such a thing as a USB to Firewire converter? If so, will it work with my iPod? Is ther ANY way I can plug my new iPod into the Firewire port on my old PC? My guess is no, but I quake at the prospect of trying to get USB 2.O working on this old machine. Has anyone had similar problems installing USB 2.0? How did you get around the hardware conflict?

I have a speaker system with an iPod dock connector built into it. It works great, but in order to plug my iPod into it, I have to remove the iPod from it's protective case. (The case makes it too big to fit -- even though the case has a hole in it to supposedly let it plug into a dock.)

I HATE removing it from its case, because that's how I broke my old one. I'm a butterfingers and I drop the iPod often. As-long-as it's in its case, it always seems to emerge okay.

Is there such a thing as an iPod extension chord? I've searched and can't find one. To be specific, I want something that I can plug into the bottom of my iPod, and, at the other end, into a dock. I hope that makes sense.

Online bookmarks

Harry — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 08:27:27 -0800

Is there an easy, transparent way to store your bookmarks online? I've just recently began using my dual-booted Linux more often, and I'm getting increasingly frustrated by having two sets of Firefox bookmarks.

I have used del.icio.us in the past, and it's nice to play with. However, it's not usable enough for me to replace the 'old-fashioned' bookmarks. I do not want to log into a webpage, and add links via web forms, and I don't particularly care about other people's links most of the time. Furthermore, plain old folders are usually enough for me, and I don't really require tags.

Really, I want something not too far from the current Firefox system. The perfect extension would do something like this: ask me to log in once (but puhleaaze store my credentials for future use), populate my Bookmarks folder, store any new bookmarks I might add. Does something like this exist?

Better Late Than Never?

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 09:36:39 -0800

I haven't filed last year's taxes yet because I'd been told Uncle Sam didn't mind you filing late, if he owed you (I'm due a tax return, rather than owing taxes). Now, I want to file an extension on this year's taxes, without having sent in last year's. Will doing this trigger the IRS to send thugs to my house? Yes, both state and federal. Last year I worked as an employee, and this year I worked as a contractor (on 1099s). I did not make quarterly tax payments. I can pay my estimated tax when I file for the extension. I'd like to do both tax returns at the same time sometime in May. I hope to check with a professional before Monday but thought I'd start here.

How do I open a wks file?

kensanway — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 14:01:21 -0800

I need help opening a file with a .wks extension. I believe it's a Lotus spreadsheet, but I don't have that program. Excel claims to be able to open it, but apparently can't do so. There's a third-party converter, but when we tried it, the program deleted text and inserted ads for the pay version of the converter. Short of paying up for the converter, is there any other way to open this document?

How to change file extension of a large number of files?

Ekim Neems — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 10:19:15 -0800

How can I change/append an extension of a large number of files at once? I have about 1000 files that have no extension. I want them to all keep their same filename, but add the same extension to each. Is there a way I can do this through the Windows XP command-line, or a batch file? Otherwise, what software might I need?

Help make A Special Thing even more special.

tegoo — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 10:49:48 -0800

How can I make Firefox use a unique custom css whenever I visit a particular website? I love the forums at A Special Thing. I can't handle the whole white text on a black background of it all. I want to small up the text, go black on white, and make it a little less I'm-reading-a-web-forum-on-my-lunch-break-yeah-lunch-break.

Firefox clipboard demon

prostyle — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:19:21 -0800

Help me exorcise FireFox's obsession with my clipboard! Firefox seems to input "keyword:(clipboardcontents)" whenever I double-wheel-click on blank space on any page. What's the deal? It took me quite a bit of troubleshooting to even figure out that this was going on, I'd have portions of comments copied and all of the sudden be taken to pictures of detainee torture or some random political website. Sometimes I would be redirected to files with no extensions... really quite random. I have never even used the "keyword:" functionality in the address bar, so it was doubly baffling to discover that was occuring.

The only reason I found that to be the case was because I had copied my previously abstract description of this problem, triggered the same behaviour and saw the Google page loaded up with a "Malformed Request" error and the address bar filled with "keyword: My ridiculously lengthy explanation...". Sad, I know. I've scanned for malware and other problems with AVG/HJT, but don't have anything of the nature afflicting my system.

Is this standard behaviour, or should I start removing my extensions one by one to discover the culprit?