How to do Free File Transfers

Ever need to transfer a file to someone, but it was too big for sending via email? There are some sites that do that, but most have a one-time or monthly charge, especially if the files are large.

That happens to me sometimes. So I decided to try to create my own file transfer web site. And I think that it is ready for my thousands of readers (well, maybe as many as five) to try out (and to recommend to others).

The concept is quite simple. You fill out a simple form with the email address of the person you want to receive a file. Type in a little message, use a browse button to find the file on your computer, then click one button to send it off. (We call it "Hurling a file".)

The recipient gets an email message with a special and unique link, along with your message. Click on the link, then click one "Get the File" button to save the file to your computer.

And that's it! You've sent your file to someone else, no size limits, no charges, and it's simple enough for "Aunt Minnie" to use (at least, that's our hope). We don't save the email addresses, and the file is available for just seven days and then goes away.

It's not a file sharing site, since you only get to send one file that you already own. And it can't be a spam site, since you have to enter the email addresses manually. We've protected it against the evil guys as much as we can, and will monitor things to make sure that the site stays as safe as it can.

And, it's all free. Although we do have a 'donate' button, and hope to get some simple advertising, to help defray expenses.

We (hmm...sounds like a 'royal we'...) also put some social networking buttons at the bottom of the page to spread the word about the place. It's a grand experiment, it will be interesting to see if anyone other than me actually goes there.

Oh. Where's there ? www.filehurl.com . You're invited to try it out.

And tell a friend.

Servers and Red Suits

Created a new Windows 2008 server at work. Quite easy to set up with all the wizards. Having a problem with the wrong serial number, but that's my fault; just need to get the right code from the guy that's in charge of the company licenses. It's a big server, tons of disk space (16 * 146GB drives), to be used as a logging server. Now just have to figure out what logging software I want to put on there.

At home, still working on the new web site. Final testing going on now; just some minor styling changes to finish up, I think. Should be interesting to see if anyone pays attention to it. (Yes, my regular two readers might be interested.) If you ask nicely, I might let you try it out.

Tonight, a project involving a guy in a red suit. Weekend plans: replace the water valve on the toilet, which has decided not to shut off when the tank is full. Not a hard project: requires a pair of pliers and some teflon tape.

Might do some Christmas shopping. Even if it's a bit too early to start that.

Mandarins and Sniffles

I am in the middle of a mild cold, mostly sniffles. But I am eating a lot of mandarin oranges -- locally grown in Placer county (CA - north of Sacramento), in fact; we buy them by the box directly from the grower.

Mandarin oranges are good for the sniffles, since they contain a higher concentration of synephrine:

"A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms that Placer's popular Owari Satsuma mandarins pack a big jolt of synephrine, a natural antihistamine that relieves cold and allergy symptoms. Scientists have known since the 1960s that citrus fruit, such as oranges, contain synephrine, but the health experts overlooked the mandarin. " (news article; the study was funded by the local mandarin orange growers).

This variety of mandarins contains up to 6 times the synephrine as orange juice. Since I am on blood thinner medication (Warfarin, for an atrial fibrillation condition), I can't use over the counter decongestants. A couple of mandarins seems to relieve my congestion a bit.

They are quite tasty.

And I am at work today.

Foghorn Leghorn

We've entered the foggy season here. A bit colder than the usual fog, through. Lows have been just a bit above freezing, with highs in the mid-40's. And the higher humidity (aka fog) makes an outside jaunt a bit cooler than we are used to in sunny CA. Of course, if you get up into the hills (above about 1500 feet), it's nice and sunny. So the high temps in the mountains are higher than here in the flatlands.

But not as bad as other areas, though. No snow down here in the flatlands. No rain, either, which is not good for our water supply.

Working on CSS styles. There is so much to learn there to make a good-looking site that will work well at various screen sizes and resolutions. But I think that I am getting closer.