If you use a service like getsatisfaction.com or snapabug.com they will charge you upwards of $20 a month for the privelage of having a 'feedback' tab/button on the side of your website and the ability to accept feedback. Granted they give you lots of features to manage and track your feedback, but if you just have a small site it is an unjustifiable cost.

Thats why I made a free JavaScript called 'HelpMe' that you can include in you web pages that displays a 'help' tab/button on the side of your web page and links to a Google Docs Form or just creates a pre-formated email for your user to send to you.

Setup is easy:

1. Download HelpMe.zip and unzip it.
2. Open helpme.js with a text editor and fill in the values under the //Settings section
   
1. If you are using a Google Docs Form just place the url for your form in the setting b.googleFormUrl.
2. If you are using email then enter your email, subject and body in place of the examples and make sure that b.googleFormUrl is set to "" (blank).
3. Save helpme.js
4. Upload the helpme folder including 'helpme.js' and 'helpme.png' to the root of your website.
5. Place the tag  <script type="text/javascript" src="/helpme/helpme.js" /> in the head or body of the pages where you want the button to appear.

Thats it, Enjoy!

My Brother MFC-440CN Scanner/Printer provides ftp access to the memory card inserted in the card reader and also allows you to scan as pdf direct to the memory card. I wanted to use this as a path to move scanned documents onto my DNS-323 NAS without a PC in the loop. To do this I installed fun_plug and setup a cron job on the DNS-323 to move the files on the memory card to a folder on the DNS-323 every 20 seconds. I couldn't find a package for the standard ftp client so my script uses curl (somewhat crudley) to fetch and delete the files from the MFC-440CN via FTP.

Here are detailed instructions of how I got the this working: 

1. Install fun_plug (I used the 0.5 version and had my DNS-323 running firmaware 1.08)
• You only need to go as far as step 6 (ssh working & repository)
• I started at step 3, as I already use a static IP for my DNS-323
2. Reboot the DNS-323 after fun_plug is isntalled (required to get funpkg working)
   
3. Install CURL, at the prompt type:
   cd /ffp/
   wget curlpackageurl
   wpkg packagename
4. create a script to copy pdfs from ftp to a directory, by creating a file 'moveoneftp.sh' containing the following, However you will need to put your own settings in under '#settings vars':

#!/bin/sh
# this script uses curl to copy the first file in the source ftp folder to the target dir

#fix path for funplug
export PATH=/ffp/sbin:/ffp/bin:$PATH

#run it regularly with cron to crudely move a ftp's contents
#move means copy and then delete - be careful

#settings vars
source_ftp_site="ftp://192.168.1.18/"
source_ftp_dir="BROTHER/"
source_ftp_dir_path="$source_ftp_site$source_ftp_dir"

target_dir="/mnt/HD_b2/Files/Scan/"
file_extension=".PDF"

#program
grep_string="\w*$file_extension*\w"

echo The GREP is: $grep_string
echo The Source is: $source_ftp_dir
echo The Target is: $target_dir

#get first file name and process if one found
if
 file_name=$(curl $source_ftp_dir_path | grep -o -m1 $grep_string)
then

 echo The file is: $file_name

 # now copy the file down from the ftp source
 file_source="$source_ftp_dir_path$file_name"
 file_target="$target_dir$(date +"%Y-%m-%d_%H_%M_%S.pdf")"

 echo The file source is: $file_source
 echo the file target is: $file_target

 #copy
 if
  curl $file_source -o $file_target
 then
  #purge
  ftp_cmd="DELE $source_ftp_dir$file_name"

  echo ftp command is: $ftp_cmd
  curl $source_ftp_site -Q "$ftp_cmd"
 fi
fi

5.  Create the file with the follwing under '/ffp/start' called 'appendcron.sh' which will add our cron jobs to cron on boot:

   #!/bin/sh
   
   CRONTXT=/mnt/HD_a2/crontab.txt
   
   # start with existing crontab
   /bin/crontab -l > $CRONTXT
   
   # add cron jobs
   # job every minute to check for scanned file
   /bin/echo "* * * * *  /bin/sh /ffp/moveoneftp.sh;sleep 20;/bin/sh 
   /ffp/moveoneftp.sh;sleep 20;/bin/sh /ffp/moveoneftp.sh;" >> $CRONTXT
   
   # install the new crontab
   /bin/crontab $CRONTXT
   
   # clean up
   /bin/rm $CRONTXT
   

6. Next we need to make our files runnable by chmoding the files we created with 'a+x':
   chmod a+x /ffp/moveoneftp.sh
   chmod a+x /ffp/start/appendcron.sh
   
7. Reboot and everything should be working! you can check by running 'top' and seeing if the script is running.

References/Thanks:

Cron append script I copied from somewhere (it is all over the web) - http://abuhawa.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/backup-from-volume_1-to-volume_1-using-crontab-rsync/

fun_plug installation on DNS-323 - dns323 wiki - http://wiki.dns323.info/howto:1st_steps

cURL documentation - http://curl.haxx.se/docs/manpage.html#-X--request

cURL examples of getting and deleting files via ftp - http://linux.byexamples.com/archives/320/using-curl-to-access-ftp-server/

Forum topic explaining how to config path so shell script runs under cron - http://www.unix.com/shell-programming-scripting/128392-script-runs-fine-but-not-cron.html

How to use grep and only return matched text - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1546711/grep-show-only-words-that-match-search-pattern (note: use -m1 to return only one/first result)

Cheat sheet for vi (its been a while) - http://www.eec.com/business/vi.html

It's a pity we throw out a perfectly good ballast circuit each time a CFL globe blows. CFL bulbs should really be re-designed so that you can just replace the tube part. Alternatively a proper recycling program could make sure the circuits get re-used in new lights.

This post covers getting a EU850D 3G Mini PCIE card working with a HP Mini 210 running Windows 7 Starter and Virgin Mobile Broadband in Australia. These instructions will almost definitely void your warranty and may make your device(s) unusable, so use at your own risk!

Unlocking the HP Mini 210 allowing any PCIE card to work

1. Download the latest version of your BIOS firmware from the HP website.
2. Download and install HxD a freeware in memory HEX editor.
   
3. Download and install EZH20 Bios Editor.
4. Download and install 7-zip (allows unzipping of firmware update installer package).
5. Follow these instructions by GKK adapted from IceLord's hack for the HP Mini 311.
• Be careful when saving your new image. The first time I saved my image it made a copy in the installer image file folder rather than replacing the installer folder image.
  

Ordering and installing the Novatel Wireless EU850D Mini PCIE Card

1. Order a EU850D, I got mine from Mobilx in Hungary as suggested by jkkmobile, and it took 4 days to get to Australia at a cost of $135AUD.
• The integrated SIM slot is a key feature as the Australian does not have a SIM socket soldered in (just a blank space filled with foam).
• This card is Tri-band HSDPA/UMTS - 850/1900/2100 MHz and Quad-band EDGE/GPRS - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz so it should work in most places.
2. Once your card has arrived remove the access cover from your HP Mini by removing the battery and pressing the two orange 'buttons' whilst gently prying the cover up from the battery end.
3. Unscrew the screw from the empty mini PCIE slot.
4. Carefully install the EU850D and replace the screw to hold the card in position.
5. Remove the black/secondary antenna from the half height WiFi PCIE card.
6. Remove heat shrink holding the two wifi antennas together until the second antenna reaches the primary antenna connector on the EU850D.
7. Attach the secondary WiFi antenna to the primary antenna connector on the EU850D.
• The secondary WiFi antenna gave me 2-3x the reception of one of those cheap ebay 'U' 3G antennas.
8. Tidy the antenna cables so that they will not stop the cover from going back on and are not bent sharply or folded.
9. Insert your sim card in the EU850D (note that it goes in backwards compared to most mobile phones).
10. Replace the cover by slotting it in at the front and then gently pushing it back down towards the batter end.
11. Download the driver for the EU850D. I used the 'MobiLink Connection Manager & Driver Installer' driver for the XU870 from the Novatel website.
12. Unzip the download and run the installer.
13. Done, running the connection manager should show the card as detected.
    

Making it work with Virgin Mobile Broadband

1. Open the MobiLink connection manager.
2. Click the menu button in the top right corner of the manger and select 'Profile Manager' in the drop down list.
3. Click 'New' to create a new connection for Virgin Broadband.
4. Name the profile 'Virgin Mobile', use 'VirginBroadband' in the APN field and make sure 'IP' is selected for the  PDP setting.
   
5. Click Next and then finish when prompted for login details as you don't need to enter any.
6. In the Profile Manager window again select the newly created 'Virgin Mobile' profile and click 'Edit'.
7. In the 'Connection Info' section, change the authentication type to 'PAP' leaving the username and password fields blank.
8. Click OK, and then OK again to close the profile manager.
9. You should now be able to connect when you press 'connect' and also when you connect from the windows 7 connection manager.