Fan of Pandora or Last FM but want to try something new? Well here is an internet gem I stumbled across this week that combines internet radio and music blogs.

Here is how it works.

The music is then played through your browser and you are transported to the blog where the song was posted.

You can change songs or genres with a tool bar that is displayed at the top of your browser.

Saving money is the new trend.  Of course there’s all the basic things, like turning off lights when you leave a room, but we are all pretty familiar with those money saving strategies. Here’s some suggestions on how to save money when you’ve already decided to spend some. Listed below are some cheap outings/options, most of which are found in the Orange County area. Feel free to comment with other deals you’ve found!



Follow Sprinkles on twitter and you can get free cupcakes each day. A new password is released each day, and a small specified number of customers can receive a free cupcake by whispering it to the cashier.


Urban Spoon has a database of the price rating of different restaurants and fast food places, so if you’re looking for somewhere new to go for lunch or dinner ANYWHERE in the US and even in certain countries abroad, this is a great resource.


Chick Fil-A in Santa Ana seems to have regular deals, so follow them on Twitter/Facebook.

Cheap Stuff: The OC register’s Marla Fisher produces a daily blog that mentions cheap or free products/ discounts/ foods/opportunities and the like that are available in Orange county



Outings/Events: These website will provide you with information about things that you can do in and around Orange County for free/low costs. They include events, fairs, activities, attractions and more.


http://www.anaheimoc.org/Articles/Archive/Webpage101373.asp

http://www.freeinoc.com/

http://www.orangecounty.net/html/events_ongoing.html

And I can’t forget to add Millennium Systems to this list! You can find our deals on this Special Offers link.


Happy Savings!

Lifehacker's iPhone, Mac and Linux Best Free Software downloads

Ever wanted to accomplish a task but did not have a necessary piece of software to do it?  You could shell out the money for the well known version of the software from a company like Adobe or Microsoft, or you could go with a lesser known but completely comparable and functional product.

The great team at Lifehacker have put together the best of the best when it comes to comparable products to the big boys like Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite.  Most of these products are completely free and have most of, if not all the same features that their more expensive counterpart does.

Lifehacker has compiled a pack of applications for the Mac, Linux and iPhone.   They have included the products name, a description and a link to download each app individually or you can download the entire pack with one click!

I have had some experience with a lot of the products offered in the iPhone and Mac package so I will give you my thoughts on those.

From the iPhone pack you have a wide range of apps that cover productivity to media.  I have had a chance to spend a few months using Dragon Dictation which allows you to speak into your iPhone and have your words dictated out onto the phone which you can then use to send a text message or email.  It is extremely accurate for being a free product.

I have also fallen in love with two media offerings in the pack;  Remote and Pandora.  The Remote app allows you to control your iTunes, Airport Express or Apple TV with your iPhone.  It is extremely easy to use and set up.  Your entire library of music will be displayed on your phones screen and you can start, pause and browse right on your phone from anywhere within range of your computer.  I have also been using Pandora internet radio daily now since I got my iPhone.  I was a big user of the online offering of Pandoraand now with Pandora’s ability to play in the background while I use my phone for other things, there really is no better choice for online radio.  With the ability to create multiple stations and listen on the go you are ready to listen anywhere, anytime.

When it comes to the different camera apps offered in the Lifehacker pack, I have used Hipstamatic to great extent.  It is pretty easy to use and produces very fun and spacey looking pictures.  With the ability to purchase new lenses and flashes you can really create some cool stuff.

For the Mac, I absolutely love Quicksilver for an application launcher.  I try to avoid using a mouse or trackpad if I can so being able to launch any application with a set of hot keys is fantastic.  Just hit your desired hot keys and up pops Quicksilver, then type in the name of the app you want to use, hit enter and you’re set to go.

I have taken quite a liking to minimalistic text editors.  I don’t use half the features in programs like Microsoft Office or even Open Office’s Writer, so I like to use Bean.  With a variety of file extensions to save your documents in, you shouldn’t have a problem exporting them to a more robust editor if need be.  Bean will give you a lightweight text editor without all the bloat of more complex programs out there.

For FTP I am using Cyberduck and it works very well.  With the option to save certain connections you can save time when trying to FTP to your files.  With the full ability to upload/download you don’t need to look anywhere else for a great, free FTP client.

And finally,  my favorite app from Lifehacker’s pack has been the vector program, Inkscape.  Inkscape is the counterpart to Adobe Illustrator without the bloat in my opinion.  So far I have been able to do anything I could do in Illustrator with Inkscape.   I find the interface is easier and more intuitive.  Most of the drawings for this blog are done in Inkscape, which is also available for Windows.

So, take a look at the provided links to the packs and pick and choose what you want to try or just get the entire bundle.  You have lots of great options now for your iPhone, Mac or Linux.

Linux Pack
Mac Pack
iPhone Pack

• Text Editor -Bean
• Vector Program – Inkscape
• FTP Client – Cyberduck
• App Launcher – Quicksilver
• Media – Pandora radio and Remote
• Photo – Hipstamatic

Ever wonder what our staff listens to while driving around Orange County?

Personally, wearing two pairs of glasses while watching TV isn’t quite my cup of tea, but if they come out with a 3-D version of my contacts, you’ll be able to find me on the bandwagon.

3-D monitors and notebooks are an interesting idea that could revolutionize gaming, online television and movies and graphics. Would people begin creating alternate, 3-D friendly versions of their website, graphics with an emphasis on the multidimensional?

This week at Millennium Systems…

HOT HOT HOT! California has been heating up lately, and Irvine, Orange County has been one of the last places to finally follow this trend. Just last week, I was complaining about the gloomy, dark, cold weather in the middle of July. July doesn’t have a nice little rhyme like “April showers bring May flowers” or “June gloom,” so in my opinion, it definitely should *not* be allowed to rain or have large dark clouds constantly overhead.  Wasn’t exactly the sort of summer I had in mind.

Now, I wish I hadn’t complained so much

The upside is that it’s definitely beach/pool/lets go barbecue and eat watermelon weather. On the downside, it’s burning hot outside and in my car, and I’m incredibly grateful I chose cloth over leather seats.  I’ve never been more ecstatic to get up in the morning for my internship in nice, cool, AC filled Millennium Systems.  Plus, we have 4 high efficiency carrier coolers, dedicated air-conditioning units, and an elaborate back up system in the event of a power outage.  So though you may be burning up and blasting the fan, your servers are nice and cool.

We're keeping cool inside Millennium Systems!

We had such a great response from a special we ran last July for our designers that we are bringing it back.  Look for the 2010 Summer Newsletter to be hitting your inbox by the end of June and take advantage of this great deal.

Want to subscribe to the Millennium Systems Quarterly Newsletter?  Do it here!

Millennium Systems is keeping busy this Summer with bring you a lot of cool new things.

First, keep your eyes on your inbox because our Summer Newsletter will be hitting it soon!  This time we are bringing you the history of the Millennium Systems T-Shirt.  Also included will be a special web hosting offer!

If you want to check out our previous Newsletters check out our Archive.

Speaking of the Millennium Systems T-Shirt, we have a new color coming your way!  Now to go with your navy blue shirt we are introducing a white version of the same shirt!

So,  check back and do it often!

There are a few ways to update your website but here we will walk you through updating your site via FTP

Updating your site via FTP

Unless you use a full featured web design application such as Adobe Dreamweaver to maintain your web site, you’ll need a FTP client to transfer files between your computer and the web server. There really is no reason to pay for such software since free FTP clients have the same features as licensed software. Download the latest version from one of the following choices if you do not already have a client installed:
FTP Software For PC: FileZilla – SmartFTP – FireFTP – WinSCP
FTP Software For MAC: Cyberduck – Fugu – OneButton FTP

Connecting To Your Site:
After launching the FTP application you will usually have the choice to make a quick connection or create a profile for your connection, which you can later load to make a connection to the server without having to provide your login information again. Plug in the following values:
FTP Host: Input ftp.yourdomainname.com or servername.nextmill.net, refer to your setup email. You can also make a connection via the IP directly.
FTP User: This is your account user name, refer to your setup email.
FTP Password: This is the password we provided and is case sensitive, refer to your setup email.
Remote Directory: This setting can be left blank if your site is on a control panel server, for other servers refer to your setup email.
Connection Port: This is usually set already by the client. If not, you want to make sure you are connecting over port 21.

Now select the option or button to make a connection to the server.

Putting Files in the Correct Location:
In order for your pages to be seen by your visitors they need to upload to your web root folder, the location of this folder in relation to where you arrived after making the FTP connection depends on your connection settings.
Control Panel Site: If you site is on a control panel server you did not use a Remote Directory setting and will be in your main user folder upon connecting via FTP. There you will see a folder names after your domain name. Double click this folder and then double click the /www folder.
Non Control Panel Site: If your hosting plan setup documentation includes a Remote Directory setting and you have properly configured your FTP connection you will log in directly to the web root of your site.

Adding New Content & Updating Your Site:
Now that you are in the web root of your site you can start transferring files to or from your web site. Think of the FTP window as an open folder on your file system, you can create new sub directories and drag and drop files between your system and the FTP server window. To update pages simply select to overwrite the old file.

Learn how to view an IPless site before DNS has propagated on both a PC and a Mac.