OpenCart 2.3 and 1.5 Sort USPS Shipping Extensions

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Opencart 2 Default Shipping Method- Express Mail!

If you are using opencart OpenCart 2.3 or 1.5.6 one of the biggest problems out of the box is how the USPS shipping is sorted! It picks one of the most expensive methods by default which is fine for tech savvy people, but after you oversee a store with a high volume of sales, you quickly see that some users are just “plain dumb” and don’t realize they can change the shipping method to something cheaper like USPS Retail Ground or Priority Mail. The result is twofold! First, many users just exit the site and don’t buy and you never know it. We found this out firsthand from shoppers responding to abandoned cart emails. Even worse, I saw a customer that authorized a over 100.00 shipping charge on a 100.00 order and even used paypal and saw it twice before finalizing the order! Obviously that results in more paperwork and refunding when the customer realizes what they have done. Fortunately, you can install an extension for Opencart to resolve this. I found one that just does the sort shipping, however I stumbled upon this one that also adds more USPS API Features and shipping methods and it also sorts the shipping during the checkout which makes it even more useful.

If you would like to see the sort shipping in action on Opencart 2.x, check out this recent site we designed for PyroCreations.com in Loudon, TN. Sorting the shipping methods has made a huge difference and hopefully OpenCart Founder Daniel Kerr will implement this into a future release, because this is pretty standard in e-commerce. The developer of the extension was also very courteous and had great service, which if you have worked in this industry for any length of time, you find out can be a problem sometimes! You can also checkout the extention on OpenCart 1.5x on my personal website www.actormikebiddle.com

SmarterMail IMAP configuration on IOS Iphone IPAD

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The iPhone and iPad supports IMAP. IMAP will allow you to retrieve emails and folders from SmarterMail and leave the emails on the server.

Applies to All Versions of SmarterMail

Follow these steps to create a SmarterMail IMAP connection to an iOS device with Firmware 5.0.x:

  1. On the iPhone, tap Settings.
  2. Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
  3. Tap Add Account.
  4. Tap Other.
  5. Tap Add Mail Account.
  6. Complete the Name, Address (email address), Password and Description fields.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Ensure IMAP is selected.
  9. Enter your incoming mail server information:
    • Hostname is mail.websiteworld.com
    • Username is your full email address
    • Password is the same password used to access webmail.
  10. Enter your outgoing mail server information:
    • Hostname is mail.websiteworld.com
    • Username is your full email address
    • Password is the same password used to access webmail.
  11. Tap Next.
  12. The iPhone will attempt to establish an SSL connection to your IMAP and SMTP servers. If this succeeds, you will be done and can proceed to step 13. If this fails, you will see the prompt, “Do you want to try setting up the account without SSL?”
    • Tap No.
    • Tap Save.
    • When prompted, “This account may not be able to send or receive emails. Are you sure you want to save,” tap Save.
  13. Tap the account you just added (identified by your email address)
  14. Scroll down and tap the SMTP button.
  15. Select the server you just added, identified by the hostname from step 9.
  16. Select OFF for Use SSL.
  17. Select Password for Authentication
  18. Select 35 for Server Port.
  19. Tap the SMTP button to go back.
  20. Tap your email address to go back.
  21. Tap Advanced.
  22. Scroll down to Incoming Settings.
  23. Select OFF for Use SSL.
  24. Select Password for Authentication.
  25. Select 143 for Server Port.
  26. Tap your email address to go back.
  27. Tap Mail to go back.
  28. Tap the Home button.
  29. Tap the Mail App to check your configuration.

 

Samsung Galaxy S5 Battery Drain Fix Android 5.0 Lollipop Sprint Verizon

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop Battery Drain Fix

Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 Battery Drain Fix

Update 11/22/2016: If your phone battery is over 12 months old, you may simply need a new battery! Lithium ion cells die individually so the capacity slowly decreases over time. Do yourself a favor and buy a new battery! I’ve posted links below to the best “real” battery deals for the Samsung Galaxy S5.


If you recently updated your Sprint or Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 to the latest version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, you may have discovered an alarming battery discharge rate! I believe we have discovered the culprit of the Samsung Galaxy S5 battery drain on the Verizon and Sprint phones and after you read the solution, you will likely think, why didn’t I think of that!
I discovered the solution after visiting the Sprint corporate store on Morrell Rd. in Knoxville, TN. The tech told me that numerous users were reporting problems with battery drain, but he also said users were reporting Facebook issues as well. That reminded me that my girlfriend also said she was having Facebook problems on her Galaxy S5 along with the same battery drain problems. Samsung claims in tests there was negligible difference in battery drain which leads me to believe it’s a third party app causing this problem, in this case the facebook  or facebook messenger app! To remove Facebook- Open Settings—>Application Manager and click Clear Data and Clear Cache. Then click Uninstall at the top. Reboot your phone. As you can see in the screenshot here, the next day the battery was still at 80% with 18 hours left at 12:41PM. Definitely solved the problem on her phone. We’re trying the fix on a friends phone today and I will update the article tomorrow. If you could share/like this article it will help a lot of people with this ongoing problem! Repeat the process above for the Messenger app (Facebook messenger) Update 3/21/2015– Also update all of your apps manually and approve those with new permission requirements! An old app designed for KitKat could be draining your battery under lollipop! If you do not have facebook or this does not resolve your problem it is likely another app on your phone or your apps need updated! It could be hard to track which one, because the facebook app did not show up under battery settings as the culprit. Same issue could occur with other apps. UPDATE 2/17/2015: Just confirmed on a Verizon Galaxy S5 Lollipop phone that the above solved his problem! Several users also have commented below this worked. Some users are reporting that the phone just needs a week or so to “settle” after the update as well and then battery life is fine. This is actually likely because they have updated their apps.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Battery Drain Fix

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Battery Drain Fix

Please Share/Like below to help get the word out about the fix!

Web Developers Community

PHP 7.0 internal server http error 500 fix

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HTTP ERROR 500 PHP 7.0

If you have a clean install of PHP 7.0 or today’s release of PHP 7.0.8 running on a Windows 2008 – Windows 2012 R2 IIS 7.5 or IIS 8.0 and you are receiving a 500 internal server error, the first thing you should verify is that you have installed Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015. Download is available here. If that doesn’t work, make sure this is commented out in your php.ini  ;open_basedir =

If you are running WordPress, many plugins, themes, etc will not work yet with PHP 7.0 so you need to test everything out with a basic php file, or a clean install of WordPress with no plugins, paid themes, etc.

Hope this helps, and as always, share, +1, like and comment below to help others find this article!  Related article- which version of php is faster?

Email Setup Website World

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Email Settings- These settings work for all devices. To use a secure connection you must have Outlook 2011+ or a modern device that supports TSL 1.2. To learn how to add an email account or edit one, consult your device, or software manual. Below are the settings your device will ask for. If you have an Apple IPhone read this post to see how to setup your mail because it’s much more complicated. Otherwise just google your device or software and version for help on how to setup your email in Android or Outlook.

You can always check your email with any web browser like Chrome or Safari on your PC, Phone or Tablet by visiting https://mail.websiteworld.com  To setup an email client, use the settings below.

Secure Email Setup POP3– We recommend you use POP3 to keep your mailbox cleaned out.

Username: is your entire email address i.e. yourname@websiteworld.com
Password: YourPassword2#

Choose security Type SSL (Not TSL, although server will force TSL 1.2)

Incoming POP3 server name- secure.websiteworld.com port 995
Outgoing SMTP server name- secure.websiteworld.com port 465

Some notes.
+ Your device/software must support TLS 1.2, so you will need Outlook 2011+
+ Although you must choose SSL in your configuration, the connection will actually be via TSL 1.2 because our server is PCI Compliant and all the old protocols are disabled because they are not really that secure now. It forces TLS 1.2.
+ On some phones, you must delete the account and add it again from scratch if it will not accept the edited revised settings.

Non Secure Email Setup POP3 for older devices/software- We recommend you use POP3 to keep your mailbox cleaned out.
Username: is your entire email address i.e. yourname@websiteworld.com
Password: YourPassword2#

Choose security type none or on Iphone, it will ask you to try again with non secure connection.
Incoming POP3 server name- mail.websiteworld.com port 110
Outgoing SMTP server name- mail.websiteworld.com port 35

Outgoing server requires authentication, use some settings as incoming, this is your email address and password.

Non-Secure IMAP Email Setup for older devices/software.

Username: is your entire email address i.e. yourname@websiteworld.com
Password: YourPassword2#

Choose security Type None

Incoming IMAP server name- mail.websiteworld.com port 143
Outgoing SMTP server name- mail.websiteworld.com 35

Outgoing server requires authentication, use some settings as incoming, this is your email address and password.

Secure IMAP Email Setup

Username: is your entire email address i.e. yourname@websiteworld.com
Password: YourPassword2#

Choose security Type SSL (Not TSL, although server will force TSL 1.2)

Incoming IMAP server name- secure.websiteworld.com port 993
Outgoing SMTP server name- secure.websiteworld.com port 465

Outgoing server requires authentication, use some settings as incoming, this is your email address and password.

 

Big Trak Photon Cannon Bulb Repair

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Big Trak Photon Cannon Repair

A few years ago I purchased a 1979 Milton Bradley Big Trak on Ebay and the photon cannon bulb did not light up. I finally decided to replace the bulb today and discovered there were no instructions online. I I created a video that shows the procedure I used to replace the photon cannon bulb which is pretty easy! In my case, I believe the bulb was simply loose, and I didn’t actually need a replacement bulb, but since I had already ordered a replacement bulb, I went ahead and replaced it.

Please comment below with any questions, or let me know if you were able to replace your bulb!

Big Trak Ad

Twitter Passwords Stolen 2016

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Twitter Passwords Stolen

According to Tamron Hall on the Today show, Twitter passwords were possibly compromised recently. This explains the NFL tweet earlier this week where an unauthorized Tweet was posted erroneously announcing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s death. Other high profile accounts were also compromised last week.

To avoid this happening to you, enable 2-Step login verification on your Twitter account! This sends you a text message to verify the login is authorized. Even if a hacker has your password, it would be very hard for them to obtain the SMS text message code required to finish the login. I strongly recommend using 2-step verification especially if you are a high profile account or celebrity! Other sites like facebook and google have two step verification as well.

The passwords were likely not taken directly from Twitter, but likely from malware on the end user’s computer. You should also verify the apps you have authorized to have access to your twitter account on this page.

Update 6/11/2016- According to People Christina Grimmie’s Twitter Account Hacked Hours After Her Death with a tweet that said “The End”

It is vital that you change your password on twitter!

Domain Name Registration

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Did you know your domain name has a legal owner? Think of it like a deed to property, or the title to a car. I have been designing and hosting websites since the 1990’s and even to this day, I consistently see domain names improperly registered to the website designer or website design company locally here in Knoxville, TN and other places as well. Even if the intentions are not malicious, unexpected events happen in life. If the person who legally owns your domain name dies unexpectedly or the company goes bankrupt,you could have some serious issues gaining access to it. I have also seen several cases where website designers registered a domain name to themselves, and it was done intentionally. When the actual business owner wanted to have another website designer take over the website, the previous developer caused problems and delays or demanded monies. I have also seen cases where disgruntled employees overtook a domain name. You need to realize this may be considered theft of intellectual property and you have legal rights! It’s not okay to steal from your employer, whether it’s tangible or intellectual property!

You can check to see who your domain name registrant is by visiting the who domain name lookup page. Pay close attention to the Registrant Name and address, that is the really important information. If anyone other than you, or your business is listed there, you should correct it as soon as possible!

Also, be advised, anyone can look up the whois on a domain name so the address is public information. If you have a home based business and you want to keep your address private, consider using a PO BOX. Also, make sure your information is current. Although it is rare, you can lose your domain name for having incorrect contact information listed.

Website Designer in 1993 in Murfreesboro, TN

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The Netmark Group

The Netmark Group Scan 1993

I often make the joke, when I started designing websites in Tennessee in the Early 1990’s, some of my competitors were not even born or had just started Kindergarten! Many professions have been around for centuries. This is not true with website design! I ran across some images I scanned in 1993 for a company I worked for in Murfreesboro, TN called the Netmark Group that sold ad specialties. When I created this website, it cost  a whopping 100.00 for two years to register a domain name through Network Solutions. There was no Godaddy, or Google and Netscape was the browser I used. Many domain names that later sold for millions, were still available at that time! I wish I could go back in time and register some of those domain names in the early 1990’s!

Fortunately, I went to a great high school in the small town of Oliver Springs, TN. My computer teacher was the late Terry Hacker, who later became principal of Oliver Springs High School. And yes, that was his real last name, “Hacker” as he was affectionately called by many! I actually came back to “OZ” as we called it, and Mr. Hacker let me use the 2,000.00 scanner at the school to scan some of the images now shown on this blog for the site I was developing, or building as we said at that time. I will post several of those original scans in this blog. The biggest images I have were about 500 pixels wide, which was just about full screen on a monitor 640×480 VGA monitor! It also took a long time to scan an image and copy it.

Something else I remember was the painfully slow dial-up modems. At that time, many people were on 9600 baud and I remember when I started at MTSU I had a 2400 baud modem! I actually have a post archived on Usenet from 1993 talking about a Compucom 9600 baud modem I had. I do sort of miss the sound of the modem connecting though!

I’m curious about your “old school” website design or internet stories, so if you would, comment below and let everyone reading know your story!

1993 Scan Miller Lite Ball BUMP_PIC BUMPERS

Netmark Group Coupon 1993

Netmark Group Coupon 1993

DESGOLF INSULA_P LETTER MUGS_PIC NEWPRO PEN_PIC PENGIFT_ PENS_PIC PINS_PIC SAMPA_PI SMBALL SPECPEN SQUEEZ_P

Securing your personal Facebook account

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Facebook Quiz App

Facebook Quiz App

You probably already suspect this, but all those free Facebook quizzes about how smart you are, or the big contest to win something where you seamlessly agree to things are for a reason. Companies create these apps and contests for one purpose, to get access to your demographics, and in some cases your email address and other Facebook contact information. Is there anything inherently wrong with that? No, not really, but you need to realize that when you approve an app you are giving it certain permissions to access information on your Facebook account which vary. As you probably know, there are occasions that malicious apps post junk to your friends walls. I’m going to show you in a moment how to check and clean the Facebook apps up. Before I do, incidentally this same principal applies when you install an app on your phone, except that can get really scary! Phone apps can be granted access to your GPS location, microphone, camera, call history and just about any other feature you use on your phone! Notice I said microphone, and camera! Do you really want someone listening in, or using your camera remotely without you even knowing it? Read the reviews on the app before you install it, especially if is not a well known app like Twitter, Facebook, Periscope, etc! Tech savvy people will post negative reviews on apps that request what we call sensitive permissions!

Cleaning up your facebook apps is really quite simple, from your laptop or desktop computer, visit this page and click the “X” on apps you no longer use or don’t recognize. Keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with having apps, you just need to clean up the ones you don’t use! When you click the “X” a pop up window is going to ask you to confirm the app deletion and optionally has a check box to Delete all your activities including posts, photos and videos on Facebook? This may take a few minutes. DO NOT check that box unless you want everything the app has previously posted to your wall etc to be deleted. Deleting all the activities is great for cleaning up what malicious apps have posted. Sometimes the information the app posted my be useful down the road, like workout activities, etc. You may actually want to keep that IQ Quiz for example! You must decide on a case by case basis. I hope this helps, and please use the social media share below to tell your friends about this article!

Check box to wipe out everything the app has posted.

Check box to wipe out everything the app has posted.

facebok-apps-information