matthew davidson

Go: new open source programming language from Google

2009-11-12T12:26:00.000-05:00

From ARS Technica:

Go is a new programming language from Google that aims for performance that is nearly comparable to C, but with more expressive syntax and faster compilation. What it won't do, however, is liberate the coding masses from bracist tyranny. Google's Go is yet another take on C.

more over here....

Matthew L Davidson
MLD Services
Lexington KY

U.S. Takes Down $9 Million RBS WorldPay Hacking Ring

2009-11-12T12:25:00.000-05:00

U.S. and international prosecutors have taken down a criminal ring that they allege was responsible for an ATM scam last year that stole about $9 million from RBS WorldPay. The criminals were able to evade the company's encryption system used on payroll debit cards and withdraw money from ATMs in 280 cities around the world.

more over here....

Matthew L Davidson
MLD Services
Lexington KY

Fedora 12

2009-11-09T20:07:00.001-05:00

fedora release 12 feature list.

Where does Fedora come up with the release names?

Example: Release 8: Werewolf is the name of a movie about a dude who turns into a werewolf. A werewolf also has an adverse reaction (death) when it comes into contact with silver.

Matthew Davidson
Lexington KY

MLD Services

2009-10-30T19:42:00.004-04:00

MLD Services

After working in the computer industry in both the private and Federal Government sectors I recognized a need for technical services and support for the Small and Medium size business (SMB) market. With a goal of assisting these customers I established MLD Services to provide training, installation, documentation, security, hardware repair, and web based services. My primary goal is to assist MLD customers in using technology to run their businesses in an efficient, secure environment.

Matthew Davidson
MLD Services
Lexington, KY
40511

SMB: Outlining our protection scheme.

2009-10-16T11:11:00.002-04:00

Strengthen your security.

Make sure all computers and laptops require passwords. On laptops you need to run encryption on the hard drive. Windows Vista offers Bitlocker and the new Linux distributions that are running the EXT4 file system have the ability to encrypt built into the system.
Strengthen passwords: Require passwords that mix letters and numbers – never names or dictionary words – and change them often.
Combine antivirus, firewall, intrusion detection, and vulnerability management at endpoints – with encryption if they travel.
Update virus definitions: Threats evolve – make sure your antivirus software recognizes them, by keeping your virus definitions up to date.
Threats evolve – close vulnerabilities by quickly applying updates you recover from Microsoft and other software providers.
If you allow employees, visitors and contractors to use USB keys make sure your protection software has the ability to detect and scan them on insertion.
Keep your employees informed on the topic of security. Simple one page hand outs covering the guidelines for the use of company computers is a good start.
File-sharing programs and free downloads may install malicious code automatically. Stop them with training, policies, and software.

Strengthen or create a Backup Strategy.

Implement and enforce backup schedules – and automate the process as much as possible.
Backups are only as good as your ability to use the information you recover, so backup systems and applications as well as files.
Don't wait until data recovery to discover a resource, process, or technical shortcoming – test the entire backup and recovery cycle.
Keep backups offsite!! Fire, flood, vandalism, and sabotage are facts. Some companies provide services that will pick up your backups and store them.
Be sure files and systems can survive loss of your facility, or even a regional disaster.

If your thinking this is beyond your scope of expertise then find and create a working relationship with an IT Partner.

Matthew L Davidson
Lexington, KY

SMB: Your Business needs your attention.

2009-10-15T14:52:00.003-04:00

This entry in the beginner series is on how little the Small to medium Businesses (SMB) market is doing to protect their data.

SMBs generally do not have the numbers of IT staff nor can they afford the security specialist that are employed by large corporations and government agencies, yet they suffer the same Internet based threats that the largest corporations and governments around the world suffer on a daily basis.
According to recent research by Symantec:

59% try to protect computers using antivirus software alone instead of full endpoint protection.
47% don't back up business files on their desktop hard drive.
33% lack even simple antivirus protection.

59% of the respondents are either buying just an antivirus solution, or they are using a free product that does not offer complete protection from Malware, Viruses, Key loggers, or Firewall protection. Absolutely amazing considering all of the news concerning identity theft, hacks, unintended disclosure of information, and not to mention efficiency lost due to slower running computers.

47% of the respondents are not performing backups which are truly amazing since some estimates have hard drive failure rates as high as 9% to a low of 2%. For a more in depth look at hard drive failures, look at this white paper from Google has released on hard drive failures, and while it is not an easy read it is one of the most in depth that I have been able to find.

How can 33% of SMBs in the survey not even take the time to get a protection package in place?
Check back as I will try and break down these issues one by one and try and offer suggestions to correct the problems that you may be facing.

Matthew L Davidson
Lexington, KY

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

2009-10-03T17:38:00.000-04:00

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

I downloaded this product the other day to replace Symantec Antivirus that was about to expire and what follows is a quick review of the install. To see a more in depth installation with screenshots see the links below.

First I removed the Symantec product through the Control Panel and Add / Remove Programs and rebooted at the prompt.

Next I removed the Symantec updater. Do not remove this if you have other Symantec products installed.

Next I ran CCleaner to clean up registry entries etc, and again rebooted.

Next I went to the MSE site and started the download process and chose to run the file. The MSE Site has an installation video to review before installing.

Installation was a snap. The whole file was only 4 MB and the install took minutes. The software updated itself and ran a scan right off the bat, and the system was clean. I have to say that the system has regained some lost performance. Symantec has always been known as a resource hog.

The only default configuration change that I made was to run an auto scan and update in the middle of the day as my laptop is turned off at 2 AM.

Links to other reviews and installation how to:

Addictive Tips

The Tech Hearald

Matthew L Davidson
Lexington KY

new blog site

2009-09-27T19:38:00.002-04:00

While I like blogger I have been wanting to start my own CMS system with blogging capabilities.

Please check it out:

matthewdavidson

Matthew L Davidson
Lexington KY

Testing your firewall

2009-09-18T13:53:00.005-04:00

Beginner Series

When working on setting up your firewall you can check your work with various online tools.

I prefer nmap online which will email you the results after the tests are done. Be patient it will take a little while to get them.

The email that comes in will look like this example:

Hi,

this email was generated by Nmap Online
http://nmap-online.com/

We apologize if you did not request such a scan,
your email was probably misused by someone.

Your scan has finished.

Scan Options: -F -T5 -sS XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX

You can view the scan result page on address
http://nmap-online.com/scan.php?id=377919

Steve Gibson's Shields Up is another site that I use to test the firewall that I am working on. It will test different ports and give you the results while you wait.

Matthew L Davidson
Lexington KY

Windows Vista Firewall

2009-09-17T15:23:00.007-04:00

Beginner Series

To check and see that the firewall built into Windows Vista is running.

Choose start -> Control Panel -> Security -> Windows Firewall

The Windows Firewall settings window opens. Unless you have a third party firewall running the Windows Firewall should be on and the box will be green stating the Windows Firewall is protecting your computer. The second picture shows what the dialog looks like with the Firewall turned off.

The next tab labeled Exceptions is where programs that need to communicate through the Windows Firewall are set. On this machine I am using the new Live Mesh services from Microsoft, and this service will keep my documents and folders that I have selected synchronized on both my laptop and desktop computers, and Live Mesh also allows me to remote control the computer that I am not currently using. Because of this Live Mesh needs to be able to connect through my firewall. Other programs that might add entries to the Windows Firewall are Microsoft Outlook, Symantec Email, and Cyber Link Power Director. If you did not add these exceptions check the manufacturer or the manufactures web site for more information.

The Advanced tab contains the Network connections dialog. Checking or removing the check mark from a connection turns the firewall on or off. In my example I have it turned on for both my wireless card and my Local Area Connection or the wired connection.

The Windows Vista Firewall is on by default, but installing a 3^rd party firewall from another company like Symantec will prompt you to allow the installer to turn off the Windows firewall, which you should allow.

Running two software firewalls on the same computer is not recommended.

Matthew L. Davidson
Lexington KY

People that I share the same name with...

2009-09-16T10:55:00.004-04:00

These two show up in web searches, but they are not me.

Matthew L. Davidson

Matthew L. Davidson, Ph.D., is President and Director of the Institute for Excellence and Ethics (IEE) in Fayetteville, NY, a non-profit organization working in partnership with the Center for the 4th & 5th Rs. Previously he was Research Director at the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs. He was a Research Associate with the Mendelson Center for Sport, Character, and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, where he was also an Adjunct Professor of Education. He has been on staff at the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University and the Values Program at LeMoyne College. A frequent national presenter, Dr. Davidson is a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel for the National Schools of Character Awards Program and co-authored with Dr. Thomas Lickona, Smart & Good High Schools: Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and Beyond (2005). He is co-author of the Evaluation Toolkit, published by the Character Education Partnership and Character Quotations, co-authored with Dr. Tom Lickona.

Matthew Davidson

I am associate professor of philosophy at California State University, San Bernardino. My philosophical interests lie in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, epistemology, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and the history of Modern philosophy.

I can be found at the following links.

Family Home Page
Personal Home Page
Facebook

Matthew L. Davidson
Lexington KY

Why you need to install and use a firewall to secure your computer.

2009-09-16T08:55:00.008-04:00

Beginner Series

Securing a computer is a multiple step process that does not have to be complicated or expensive. The first step in securing your computer or laptop is a firewall, and all devices connected to the Internet should be running one.
Why a firewall? Firewalls help protect you from hackers; some viruses that scan networks for other devices to infect, and some can even notify you if malware or a virus on your computer is trying to connect; or upload information to the Internet without your knowledge.
Firewalls come in two forms; one is what is known as "software" firewall and the other is a hardware firewall.
First of all what is a software firewall? A software firewall runs directly on the computer or laptop. A software firewall can be built into an Operating System like Windows XP and Vista, purchased from a third party company like Symantec, and there are also several free software firewalls, several of which I have provided links to at the end of the article.
Software based firewalls work by inspecting network traffic and deny incoming requests from the Internet or Local Area Network to a program or the port which the program listens, unless the user has rules in place that allow traffic to a port or application. An example of a rule would be opening port 5800 or 5900 to allow someone; such as help desk personnel to remote control your computer using VNC to troubleshoot applications or Operating System issues or to resolve other problems.
What is a hardware firewall? A hardware firewall is a device that connects computers on a Local Area Network to the Internet. Most home users have a hardware firewall in place and that is the Router that we purchase to connect multiple computers and laptops to the Cable or DSL Modem supplied by your Internet Service Provider.
Most hardware firewalls or routers use packet filtering to examine the header of a packet (network traffic or data) to determine its source and destination. This information is compared to a set of predefined or user-created rules that determine whether the packet is to be forwarded or dropped. Most of these home devices come with all ports blocked but have an easy to use web based interface to allow the opening of certain ports for data transfer; gaming, etc. A word of caution before opening ports on a firewall, verify that your ISP allows the service, port, or application that you are opening up on their network. I know of at least one ISP in particular will suspend your account for opening the telnet port; port number 23 or ftp and sftp ports 20 and 21 as a violation of their terms of service.
Which type of firewall to use is up to you, and it does not hurt to use a software firewall along with the hardware firewall, but do not use two software firewalls at the same time. Software firewalls are included in almost all operating systems, relatively inexpensive, or free.
My next article will show the setup and configuration of the firewalls included with Windows XP and Vista.
The following list does not include every software firewall, nor is it a recommendation of one versus the other, but the list is a starting point. Also use your favorite search engine to find the "top ten" firewalls and read the reviews.

Comodo – http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/
Outpost Firewall Free - http://free.agnitum.com/
Online Armor Personal Firewall - http://www.tallemu.com/product_overview.html

Matthew L. Davidson

Lexington KY

Pictures

2009-06-27T11:24:00.002-04:00

flickr

existence trainer: Installing Virtualbox's Guest Additions on Debian and getting shared folders to work

2009-05-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

existence trainer: Installing Virtualbox's Guest Additions on Debian and getting shared folders to work

more for us facebook haters...

2009-05-02T09:22:00.006-04:00

ubuntu 8.10 upgrade to 9.04 and compiz

2009-04-24T12:44:00.006-04:00

Laptop is a Sony Viao VGN-CR120E with Intel GM 965 chipset.

Compiz = Desired effect; flames / burn when windows open and close pluse desktop cube.

Why? Why not.

I had absolutely everything working in 8.10 and decided to upgrade to 9.04. So far the upgrade appears to have worked except for Compiz and the effects. To resolve the problem I performed the following.

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge "compiz*"
Reboot

sudo apt-get install "compiz*"
Reboot

sudo vi /usr/bin/compiz-manager
rem the line = #T="$T 8086:2a02 " # Intel GM965

or

Read this...

System-> Preferences -> Appearance choose the visual tab and set to Extra. X restarts

System-> Preferences -> Compiz Settings Manager

Turn on Animations, Animations Addons, and Fire.

Under Animations choose burn for the event. Example Window Open.

Close out of Compiz Settings Manager and you should be up and running.

Read the release notes.

Power Shell

2009-04-04T07:39:00.004-04:00

Been playing with Power Shell and here is a script for mapping drives. Simple Domain and DHCP makes this useless.

#first make sure to remove any previous mappings
net use "drive letter": /delete /Y

$ourip = (ipconfig | findstr .Gateway.*[0-9].\.).Split()[-1]

$city1 = "ip_of_gateway"
$city2 = "ip_of_gateway"
$city3 = "ip_of_gateway"

if ($ourip -match $var) {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
if ($ourip -match $var) {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
if ($ourip -match $var) {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
else {net use t: \\ip_address\share}

Internet Explorer + Window Size Problem

2009-04-04T07:36:00.001-04:00

Ever notice sometimes you right-click on a link and open a new window and it's not full screen? This usually occurs because IE remembers the last window size when closed. Many times a background pop-up will do this too, if it is the last window closed. To resize the window and regain control:

Close all instances of Internet Explorer except for one.

Right-click on a link in the page and select: "Open in New Window"

Close the first browser window using the [ X ] (upper right corner)

Resize the window manually by dragging the sides to the desired size.

Note: Do NOT click the Maximize button, you must do it manually.

Hold down the Ctrl key and click the Close button (upper right)

[Exception]

In some cases the "Remember last window size" info becomes corrupted in the Registry.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]

"Window_Placement"=

To reset the "Window_Placement" entry to default. You can download a small reg file to reset (to default) and correct this behavior.: Do NOT click the Maximize button, you must do it manually.

Hold down the Ctrl key and click the Close button (upper right)

[Exception]

In some cases the "Remember last window size" info becomes corrupted in the Registry.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]

"Window_Placement"=

To reset the "Window_Placement" entry to default. You can download a small reg file to reset (to default) and correct this behavior.Exception]

Download: ResetWindowPlacement.reg [right-click and select: "Save Target As"]: ResetWindowPlacement.reg [right-click and select: "Save Target As"]

To use: right-click and select: Merge - Ok the prompt and reboot.: right-click and select: Merge - Ok the prompt and reboot.

More IE Tips: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/ietips.htm

Ubuntu 8.10 + Firefox + kiosk mode

2009-04-01T13:18:00.003-04:00

Found in the Ubuntu forums:

Close any firefox instance you have opened.
open command line
cd /home//.mozilla/firefox/
get into your "XXXX.default" directory
sudo rm localstore.rdf
Open Firefox

Top 25 Linux Games

2009-03-29T07:37:00.001-04:00

I found two different sources for games on Linux.

2008

How does Urban Terror get left out?

2007

Urban Terror included.

microsoft ads

2009-03-29T07:11:00.005-04:00

A couple of thoughts on the "Laptop Lauren" ad campaign by Microsoft.

When she goes into the Mac store she cannot possibly look at anything, because the man walking down the side walk is on the right of the front door and when she comes out he is on the left. I know he could have stopped and looked or went into the store himself but what are the chances?

And besides the 17" monitor spec what else was compared?
Memory
HDD
Video Card
Software

Comparing low end laptops and PC to MAC is tough, because Apple charges a premium for their design and they do not cater to the low end markets.

Social Networking

2009-03-28T21:52:00.002-04:00

Everyone assumes social networking is either facebook or myspace, but what about social network sites that cater to hobbies and things people like to do?

books

www.wix.com

2009-03-08T21:18:00.003-04:00

playing with flash courtesy of wix.com

my first attempts at flash.

Firefox Bugs Abound, but Mozilla Quick to Patch

2009-03-08T10:05:00.000-04:00

From the article:

"Firefox had more than four times as many browser vulnerabilities as Internet Explorer last year, but Mozilla was much faster to issue patches than Microsoft, according to a report from security firm Secunia."

more..

Ubuntu 8.10: Cannot browse samba shares

2009-01-30T09:35:00.003-05:00

I noticed on the interpid ibex release that I am unable to browse smb shares on a Linux server.

from the cli:

fred@freds-laptop:~$ smbclient --list=192.168.1.101
Enter matt's password:
Domain=[FRED] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.31-0.fc8]
Server requested LANMAN password (share-level security) but 'client lanman auth' is disabled
tree connect failed: SUCCESS - 0

I eventually found the client system needs to have a line added to the smb.conf file to allow share level access.

From the website:
http://www.mail-archive.com/ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com/msg884832.html

"I didn't remember that share-level security was restricted to lanman
password authentication, but now that I see that, this failure to
connect makes sense. It is not accidental that the client refuses to
negotiate security in such a situation; I still believe this is the
correct default for libsmbclient to use in hardy, because enabling weak
authentication in the client doesn't just make it possible to use older
servers, it also makes it possible for a man-in-the-middle attacker to
trick your client into using weak authentication when trying to talk to
a newer server, compromising other passwords in the process.

As a workaround, users who need to access security=share servers can add
'client lanman auth = yes' to the [global] section of
/etc/samba/smb.conf on their hardy client systems, to enable negotiation
of this weak authentication protocol."

So I added the "client lanman auth = yes" to smb.conf, issued a service samba restart and everything now works.

Thanks to all over at Ubuntu for sharing the fix.

Sony Webcam - CR120E - Linux

2009-01-27T19:08:00.002-05:00

Sony Webcam - CR120E

matthew@laptop:~$ lsusb
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 05ca:1839 Ricoh Co., Ltd
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

Ubuntu thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=968381&highlight=r5u870

Drivers:
http://bitbucket.org/ahixon/r5u87x/src/

Download as zip into the home folder, unzip, run..

make
sudo ./loader
sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo
sudo modprobe uvcvideo

Camera "should" be ready to go.

Create shell script.
#!/bin/bash
sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo
sudo modprobe uvcvideo
cd /home/[username]/r5u87x-f24553d56d3e
./loader
modprobe -r uvcvideo
modprobe uvcvideo

Now make this file executable as:
chmod +x camera_load.bash

Now, every time you want to load the camera firmware just type:
"sudo camera_load.bash" from your home directory.

Has to be run whenever you want to use the camera.

Thanks to everyone on the Ubuntu forums and at bitbucket.org

EBAY Music CD Sale

2008-11-27T13:55:00.004-05:00

Music CD

Ill Communication - Beastie Boys
Southern Harmony and Musical Companion - The Black Crowes
SOLD - 117 - Izzy Stradlin
Come on Feel the Lemonheads - LEMONHEADS
Holy Smoke - Peter Murphey
Empty Glass - Pete Townshend
SOLD - Bossanova - PIXIES
SOLD - Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix - Various Artists
ACHTUNG BABY - U2
The Best of the Waterboys 81 -> 90 - Waterboys
SOLD - Los Angeles / Wild Gift - X

Ulteo Desktop - my digital life made simple

2008-11-17T20:46:00.002-05:00

Ulteo Desktop - my digital life made simple

The new project from Gael Duvall which allows you access to your own online desktop has been accepting beta testers and last week I was notified that I had been accepted.

According to the Ulteo website the idea is to provide a simple, updated, and easy to use system.

====================================================

Ulteo's mission is to simplify your digital life, i.e, the way people use their PC, applications, data and online services. Our first service, the Ulteo Online Desktop (currently in beta), allows for users to safely try and use the latest version of desktop applications in just one click.

No download, no install, no patches or updates necessary In true collaborative fashion, you can share your desktop with your family, friends or colleagues. Ulteo plans to release other services simplifying the life of PC users by providing easier access to desktop applications and online services as well as data management in the coming months.

I logged into my new desktop this afternoon, and was greeted with a clean KDE based GNU/Linux desktop. The desktop consists of icons for OpenOffice.org Presentations, Word Processor, Spreadsheet, MyFiles, Firefox, IM, My Photos, and My e-mails which should cover most users basic needs.

The start button in the bottom left corner of the screen is the Ulteo logo along with a quick launch bar that gives you access to all of the applications, and there are plenty to choose from. I have included the ones that caught my attention.

Development = Bluefish and NVU.

Edutainment = The K Edutainment applications for languages, mathematics, and astronomy.

Graphics = GIMP, KPDF, Inkscape, Digicam, and Scribus.

Multimedia = VLC , Amarok, and Kmix.

Office = Openoffice (includes Base), Kmymoney, Gramps, Tellico, and Evolution.

I have used the desktop and I can see where this could come in handy for groups working on a projects together with Ulteo's Share Desktop feature which I tried with a friend of mine. He was able to connect, and though his access was read only he could see my changes in Writer as fast as I could type and edit them.

The response from the desktop and it's applications are excellent from my home using InsightBB cable broadband service, but was a little sluggish on Windstreams DSL service. I could not access the desktop from my office which I assume was blocked at the Gateway by a firewall. Ulteo's website does warn that firewalls might interfere with the service.

I did have two “lock ups” where my desktop screen went white and after several minutes I closed the window, restarted my web browser and logged back in to find whatever I was working on was not there, so save and save often. These occurred in Firefox and Internet Explorer, and on two different computers so I am not sure what happened.

A few other issues that I noticed.

1.No sound
2.Files stored on the Ulteo server are maintained by someone else, and I worry about privacy.
3.No way to install new software
4.I was unable to do things such as change the systems date and time.

This service is worth trying out, and after I have put in more time on the system I will update this article.

www.ulteo.com

This article was created with OpenOffice.org's Word processor Writer on Ulteo.

Ebay music CD updates

2008-11-15T16:54:00.002-05:00

Music CD

added:

Soul Asylum - Let Your Dim Light Shine
Dead Kennedys-plastic surgery disasters / in god we trust
Stevie Nicks - Rock a Little
Jane's Addiction - Kettle Whistle

EBAY Music CD Sale

2008-11-11T10:30:00.004-05:00

Shameless plug for my "online" garage sale over at ebay.

Music CD

Reinventing the Steel - Pantera
SOLD - Stone Temple Pilots - Core
Bruce Springsteen - Lucky Town
SOLD - Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
SOLD - Sonic Youth - Goo
SOLD - The Dream Syndicate - Medicine Show
SOLD - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - The Cure
SOLD - Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion I
SOLD - Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion II
L.A. Guns Vicious Circle
SOLD - Weezer - Blue Album

Another one minute writer

2008-11-11T10:27:00.001-05:00

Mondays prompt: Where is your favorite place in your home?

I would say either the loft or our basement. The loft is where we gather to watch TV or just hang out, and the basement contains all of my fish tanks.

I really need to learn to type faster. ;->

One Minute Writer

2008-11-08T21:00:00.005-05:00

I have always wanted to start a journal, and I stumbled upon this site, and while it's topics got me typing I am not sure?

Topic of the day for Saturday, November 8, 2008 was to describe the first pet you remember having. (If you haven't had a pet, would you like one? What kind?)

Here is what I wrote.

The first pet that I can think of might have been a Doberman pincer named Thor. He was big but then again I was a little boy.

My first pet when I moved out of mom and dad’s house was a black cat (Manx) named Jim Earl.

The great writers of the world have nothing to fear from me. ;-)

Check the site out at: One Minute Writer

Check Hard Disk Drives with Smart Control and LinuxRescue CD

2008-11-08T20:43:00.002-05:00

Check Hard Disk Drives with Smart Control and LinuxRescue CD

EXAMPLES

smartctl -a /dev/hda

Print all SMART information for drive /dev/hda (Primary Master).

smartctl -s off /dev/hdd

Disable SMART on drive /dev/hdd (Secondary Slave).

smartctl --smart=on --offlineauto=on --saveauto=on /dev/hda

Enable SMART on drive /dev/hda, enable automatic offline testing every four hours, and enable autosaving of SMART Attributes. This is a good start-up line for your system's init files. You can issue this command on a running system.

smartctl -t long /dev/hdc

Begin an extended self-test of drive /dev/hdc. You can issue this command on a running system. The results can be seen in the self-test log visible with the '-l selftest' option after it has completed.

smartctl -s on -t offline /dev/hda

Enable SMART on the disk, and begin an immediate offline test of drive /dev/hda. You can issue this command on a running system. The results are only used to update the SMART Attributes, visible with the '-A' option. If any device errors occur, they are logged to the SMART error log, which can be seen with the '-l error' option.

smartctl -A -v 9,minutes /dev/hda

Shows the vendor Attributes, when the disk stores its power-on time internally in minutes rather than hours.

smartctl -q errorsonly -H -l selftest /dev/hda

Produces output only if the device returns failing SMART status, or if some of the logged self-tests ended with errors.

smartctl -q silent -a /dev/hda

Examine all SMART data for device /dev/hda, but produce no printed output. You must use the exit status (the $? shell variable) to learn if any Attributes are out of bound, if the SMART status is failing, if there are errors recorded in the self-test log, or if there are errors recorded in the disk error log.

smartctl -a -d 3ware,0 /dev/sda

Examine all SMART data for the first ATA disk connected to a 3ware RAID controller card.

smartctl -a -d 3ware,0 /dev/twe0

Examine all SMART data for the first ATA disk connected to a 3ware RAID 6000/7000/8000 controller card.

smartctl -a -d 3ware,0 /dev/twa0

Examine all SMART data for the first ATA disk connected to a 3ware RAID 9000 controller card.

smartctl -t short -d 3ware,3 /dev/sdb

Start a short self-test on the fourth ATA disk connected to the 3ware RAID controller card which is the second SCSI device /dev/sdb.

smartctl -a -d hpt,1/3 /dev/sda

Examine all SMART data for the (S)ATA disk directly connected to the third channel of the first HighPoint RocketRAID controller card.

smartctl -t short -d hpt,1/1/2 /dev/sda

Start a short self-test on the (S)ATA disk connected to second pmport on the first channel of the first HighPoint RocketRAID controller card.

smartctl -t select,10-100 -t select,30-300 -t afterselect,on -t pending,45 /dev/hda

Run a selective self-test on LBAs 10 to 100 and 30 to 300. After the these LBAs have been tested, read-scan the remainder of the disk. If the disk is power-cycled during the read-scan, resume the scan 45 minutes after power to the device is restored.

smartctl -a -d cciss,0 /dev/cciss/c0d0

Examine all SMART data for the first SCSI disk connected to a cciss RAID controller card.

RETURN VALUES
The return values of smartctl are defined by a bitmask. If all is well with the disk, the return value (exit status) of smartctl is 0 (all bits turned off). If a problem occurs, or an error, potential error, or fault is detected, then a non-zero status is returned. In this case, the eight different bits in the return value have the following meanings for ATA disks; some of these values may also be returned for SCSI disks.

Bit 0:
Command line did not parse.
Bit 1:
Device open failed, or device did not return an IDENTIFY DEVICE structure.
Bit 2:
Some SMART command to the disk failed, or there was a checksum error in a SMART data structure (see '-b' option above).
Bit 3:
SMART status check returned "DISK FAILING".
Bit 4:
We found prefail Attributes <= threshold.
Bit 5:
SMART status check returned "DISK OK" but we found that some (usage or prefail) Attributes have been <= threshold at some time in the past.
Bit 6:
The device error log contains records of errors.
Bit 7:
The device self-test log contains records of errors.

To test within the shell for whether or not the different bits are turned on or off, you can use the following type of construction (this is bash syntax):

smartstat=$(($? & 8))

This looks at only at bit 3 of the exit status $? (since 8=2^3). The shell variable $smartstat will be nonzero if SMART status check returned "disk failing" and zero otherwise.

2008-11-08T20:41:00.001-05:00

Check Disk runs on every boot.

Open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

chkntfs /d

Hit the Enter key.

Chkntfs displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.

The /d switch restores the machine to the default behavior; all drives are
checked at boot time and chkdsk is run on those that are dirty.

Autochk.exe is a version of Chkdsk that runs only before Windows XP
starts. Autochk runs in the following situations:

Autochk runs if you try to run Chkdsk on the boot volume.
Autochk runs if Chkdsk cannot gain exclusive use of the volume.
Autochk runs if the volume is flagged as dirty.

This can happen if the drive's dirty bit is set.
When a drive's dirty bit is set, autochk automatically
checks the volume for errors the next time the computer is restarted.

This will report whether the dirty bit is set.

Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

fsutil dirty query C:

Hit the Enter key.

Volume C: is not dirty
Volume C: is dirty

If a volume's dirty bit is set, this indicates that the file system may be
in an inconsistent state. The dirty bit can be set because the volume is
online and has outstanding changes, because changes were made to the volume
and the computer shutdown before the changes were committed to disk, or
because corruption was detected on the volume. If the dirty bit is set when
the computer restarts, chkdsk runs to verify the consistency of the volume.

Every time Windows XP starts, Autochk.exe is called by the Kernel to scan
all volumes to check if the volume dirty bit is set. If the dirty bit is
set, autochk performs an immediate chkdsk /f on that volume. Chkdsk /f
verifies file system integrity and attempts to fix any problems with the
volume

-----

This will also report whether the dirty bit is set.

Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

chkntfs c:

Hit the Enter key.

C: is not dirty.
-----

If this is not the problem.....

Go here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Read the instructions at the top of the page.
Scroll down to:
82. Disable or Enable Check Disk Upon Boot
Click on Disable.
-----

Additional information...
Chkdsk.exe or Autochk.exe starts when you try to shut down or restart your
computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831426

2008-11-08T20:38:00.002-05:00

XP - Explorer crashes - fault bucket

Recently ran across a computer that wqas having problems with explorer crashing and in the event log I would find the explorer crash and then an entry about a fault bucket?

My temporary fix is the following.

1. Right click My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Data Execution Prevention
2. Choose Turn on DEP for all programs and services except.....
3. Add explorer.exe and possibly iexplore.exe
4. Reboot and test.

I have done all of the scans for virus and malware. HDD passes checkdisk.

If anyone has more information please reply.

Powershell script to determine drive mapping

2008-09-27T16:02:00.002-04:00

I was presented with a problem where a laptop user travelled around to several different places, and wanted a drive mapping that needed to change according to where the user was at the time.

I wrote this simple script in MS Powershell.

#first make sure to remove any previous mappings
net use "drive letter": /delete /Y
#find our gateway ip to map our drive
#with ipconfig command we find gateway / with split we truncate the array and -1 chooses the very #last member of the array which contains the current locations gateway
$ourip = (ipconfig | findstr .Gateway.*[0-9].\.).Split()[-1]
#Will have to create varibales for each city to map the proper drive
#and if no matches occur then map drive to the default location.
$city1 = "ip_of_gateway"
$city2 = "ip_of_gateway"
$city3 = "ip_of_gateway"
# if statemnets with regular expressions to determine a match
if ($ourip -match $city1) {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
if ($ourip -match $city2) {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
if ($ourip -match $city3) {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
else {net use t: \\ip_address\share}
exit

Apple is looking like what Microsoft was 10 years ago—a Bigfoot that squeezes smaller competitors.

2008-09-11T20:57:00.001-04:00

A former lieutenant of Steve Jobs's once told me something surprising about his ex-boss. "Steve is a monopolist at heart," he said. "He's just like Bill Gates. He just hasn't been as successful."

Read the rest over at Newsweek.....

Flash Card Machine

2008-09-11T17:50:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Flash Card Machine, a web application that enables users to create interactive web-based study flash cards and share them with others.

Students! Create flash cards to help you study for your next exam. Make them publicly available and your classmates can study from the same set.

Teachers! Create flash card sets for your students. Assign each set of flash cards their own unique username and password giving your students access without them having to register.

Here is my first set.

FC-10

2008-08-31T22:27:00.000-04:00

We should be seeing Fedora 10 soon.

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/10/Schedule

from an msnbc article on Starbucks

2008-07-08T07:53:00.003-04:00

Detractors take venti shots at reeling Starbucks.

Coffee schadenfreude as giant announces it is closing 600 outlets

I was read an article over at msnbc where Starbucks is closing 600 stores, which is not surprising since they opened way too many of them, but something else about the article jumped out and made me realize what asses some people have become.

Consider these quotes:

""I'm so happy. I'm so not a Starbucks person," said (removed name), sipping iced coffee at the Irving Farm Coffee House in New York. "I believe in supporting small businesses. Starbucks, bye-bye.""

"Amen," chimed in (removed name), a local caterer. "They went too big, too fast."

Because everyone that goes into business wants to stay small and struggle to make ends meet? Maybe the caterer should turn away clients?

"They push a button, and a machine does everything from grinding the beans to brewing the drink."

What else are they supposed to do?

"There are a lot of people out there who take delight in seeing an icon torn down by the masses," he said.

How true, and most of those who do the tearing down will never build anything of their own.

"It's just coffee,"

Yup.

stumpedia.com or just stupid?

2008-06-14T07:06:00.002-04:00

Stumbling around on a Saturday morning I came upon this web site:

http://www.stumpedia.com/instantanswers.html

Stumpedia is a social search engine that relies on human participation to index, organize, and review the world wide web. Stumpedia does not depend on bots, algorithms, or company insiders to make decisions on the relevance and ranking of search results.

All conversations are public. ~~
You asked: why does linux suck? ~~
Connected in chat session (5 seconds). ~~
The other user says: because you need to type a bunch of shit just to do something simple ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I thought about this and I decided that my first question was not fair and so I posted another.

All conversations are public. ~~
You asked: where can i find images of the Crab Pulsar? ~~
Connected in chat session (37 seconds). ~~
The other user says: google.com
You say: then why have this site?
He/she says: why not use google? ~~

Well I thought the paragraph above from the about section meant that this site was going to give a human answer to a question, but if that answer is google then why bother?

2008-05-26T21:44:00.002-04:00

On the internet there are a lot of site owners that hide some of the site's pages or even the entire site from the search engines. You can now find those sites with robots.txt.

at www.google.com enter the following.

"robots.txt" "disallow:" filetype:txt

You will find the robots.txt file from sites that uses disallow command in it.

Click the link that google provides.

To open 'forbidden' pages just copy the text from what disallow command you want, without the "text" at the end.

Now replace in the browser /robots.txt with your copied text and press Enter. The page will open.

happy searching

DNS Trouble Knocks NSA off Internet

2008-05-17T08:47:00.001-04:00

from pc world:

In fact, the NSA has made some basic security mistakes with its DNS servers, according to McPherson. The NSA should have hosted its two authoritative DNS servers on different machines, so that if a technical glitch knocked one of the servers off-line, the other would still be reachable. Compounding problems is the fact that the DNS servers are hosted on a machine that is also being used as a Web server for the NSA's National Computer Security Center.

"Say there was some Apache or Windows vulnerability and hackers controlled that server, they would now own the DNS server for nsa.gov," he said. "That really surprised me. I wouldn't think that these guys would do something like that."

If this is true it sure makes you wonder.

more

Fedora 10

2008-05-17T08:36:00.002-04:00

With nine just out the door you would think the Fedora team would take a break?

artwork suggestions

Rawhide moving on to Fedora 10

Debian/Ubuntu OpenSSL Random Number Generator Vulnerability

2008-05-17T08:32:00.002-04:00

A vulnerability in the OpenSSL package included with the Debian GNU/Linux operating system and its derivatives may cause weak cryptographic keys to be generated. Any package that uses the affected version of SSL could be vulnerable.

Systems Affected:
* Debian, Ubuntu, and Debian-based distributions

more

and more

Anatomy of Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux)

2008-05-11T22:23:00.002-04:00

In depth article by IBM:

Linux® has been described as one of the most secure operating systems available, but the National Security Agency (NSA) has taken Linux to the next level with the introduction of Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux). SELinux takes the existing GNU/Linux operating system and extends it with kernel and user-space modifications to make it bullet-proof. If you're running a 2.6 kernel today, you might be surprised to know that you're using SELinux right now! This article explores the ideas behind SELinux and how it's implemented.

sad but true

2008-05-11T08:18:00.002-04:00

"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See, if it wasn't for us, you couldn't walk." - Harry Browne

Steve Jobs tells iPhone buyers to drop dead

2008-05-10T09:02:00.000-04:00

I know it's not new but it fits todays trend in my post.

more here

2008-05-10T08:59:00.002-04:00

Is apple's Steve Jobs is getting a little cocky?

"It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don't read anymore," he said. "

read the rest.

2008-05-10T08:54:00.005-04:00

well with all of my posts and links about apple's crummy treatment of the consumer, I have to give Dell a few props for also treating their customers like shit.

Reader Julia writes in to say that Dell owes her a $70 gift card and when she didn't get it they simply told her "too bad." She's wondering if any other Dell customers were similarly "cheated." She sent an EECB to Dell and a quick summary of her problem to us:

read the rest here

Oops! Apple's done it again

2008-05-10T08:48:00.002-04:00

According to various media reports, the computer manufacturer has started offering a $45 Apple store credit to Canadians who purchased early versions of the company's iPod music player prior to June 24, 2004.

It would mark the second time in eight months that Apple has issued rebates for early adopters of its products. In September, the company offered a $100 (U.S.) credit to irate iPhone customers who paid $599 for the high capacity model, only to watch as Apple lowered the price to $399 just three months after it hit the market.

Because it just works: Apple to pay up to $182 million to 2.3 million Apple customers for power supplies that were prone to sparking and melting

2008-05-10T08:45:00.001-04:00

I found this on fark.com, but the article is on the la times.

Because it just works: Apple to pay up to $182 million to 2.3 million Apple customers for power supplies that were prone to sparking and melting.

so much for it just works.

Apple Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities

2008-05-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-094A

Apple Releases Safari 3.1.1.

2008-05-03T21:26:00.001-04:00

so much for the "most" secure web browser.

Apple has released Safari 3.1.1 to address multiple vulnerabilities in Safari and WebKit. These vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, cause a denial-of-service condition, conduct cross-site scripting attacks, or spoof the contents of the browser address bar.

US-CERT encourages users to review Apple's About the security content of Safari 3.1.1 document and upgrade to Safari 3.1.1 to help mitigate the risks.

the link

Apple QuickTime Vulnerability Report

2008-05-03T21:24:00.001-04:00

from cert:

US-CERT is aware of a public report of a new vulnerability in Apple QuickTime. The report indicates that if a user opens a specially crafted QuickTime file, an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability may have several attack vectors, such as visiting a malicious or compromised website. US-CERT is currently investigating this report and will provide additional details as needed.

US-CERT encourages users to use caution when opening QuickTime files, and apply the best security practices described in the Securing Your Web Browser document, to help mitigate the risks.

link

Web Badges 2.0

2008-03-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

simple way to make badges for your website.

http://www.web20badges.com/

China

2008-03-22T21:28:00.002-04:00

Chinese police are sweeping through the homes of Lhasa residents in search of people involved in recent protests in the city.

While streets in the Tibetan capital are reported to be quiet and empty, there are continued reports of unrest in neighbouring Chinese provinces with large populations of Tibetans. According to reports from the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, hundreds of Tibetans converged on the streets in Kardze County, Sichuan Province, with the situation reported to be extremely tense. There were also reports of demonstrations in Gansu province.

read more

Cyber attacks against Tibetan communities

2008-03-22T20:51:00.003-04:00

There is lots of media coverage on the protests in Tibet. Something that lies under the surface, and rarely gets a blip in the press, are the various targeted cyber attacks that have been taking place against these various communities recently.

read more

don't try this on a production server

2008-03-22T20:40:00.003-04:00

Bash fork bomb

$ :(){ :|:& };:

:()

defines a function called : (accepts no arguments)

{ :|:& };

This is the function: It calls the function itself and pipes the output to the same function ":" and puts the process in the background. (Recursive invocation) with ; it ends the function definition.

:

Calls the function and then get ready to pull the plug.

How to Disable SELinux

2008-03-17T15:35:00.002-04:00

You've installed your new Linux system and its not working. You get the feeling that SELinux is the cause of the problem.

Be aware that by disabling SELinux you will be removing a security mechanism on your system.

To see if SELinux is the culprit you might temporarily switch off enforcement.

At a prompt type:
echo 0 >/selinux/enforce

To switch back into enforcing mode:
echo 1 >/selinux/enforce

Permanent changes can b e made in edit /etc/selinux/config.

SELINUX= can take one of these three values:

enforcing - SELinux security policy is enforced.
permissive - SELinux prints warnings instead of enforcing.
disabled - No SELinux policy is loaded.

More on SELinux:
http://www.nsa.gov/selinux/
http://www.crypt.gen.nz/selinux/faq.html

Linus Torvalds Brands Mac File System "Utter Crap"

2008-02-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/torvalds-pans-apples-os-x/2008/02/05/1202090393959.html

Which I guess means that he doesn't think that Apple has improved since 2001.

""Frankly, I think it's a piece of crap," Torvalds says of Mach, the microkernel on which Apple's new operating system is based. "It contains all the design mistakes you can make, and manages to even make up a few of its own.""

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,2085525,00.htm

apple problems

2008-02-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

National Cyber Alert System

Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-043B

Apple Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities

Original release date: February 12, 2008 Last revised: -- Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected
* Apple Mac OS X versions prior to and including 10.4.11 and 10.5.1
* Apple Mac OS X Server versions prior to and including 10.4.11 and 10.5.1

These vulnerabilities affect both Intel and PowerPC platforms

Overview
Apple has released Security Update 2008-001 and OS X version 10.5.2 to correct multiple vulnerabilities affecting Apple Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. Attackers could exploit these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code, gain access to sensitive information, or cause a denial of service.

I. Description
Apple Security Update 2008-001 and Apple Mac OS X version 10.5.2 address a number of vulnerabilities affecting Apple Mac OS X and OS X Server versions prior to and including 10.4.11 and 10.5.1. Further details are available in the US-CERT Vulnerability Notes Database.
The update also addresses vulnerabilities in other vendors' products that ship with Apple OS X or OS X Server. These products include Samba and X11.

II. Impact
The impacts of these vulnerabilities vary. Potential consequences include arbitrary code execution, sensitive information disclosure, and denial of service.

III. Solution
Install updates from Apple
Install Apple Security Update 2008-001 or Apple Mac OS X version 10.5.2. These and other updates are available via Software Update or via Apple Downloads.

IV. References
* US-CERT Vulnerability Notes for Apple Security Update 2008-001 - <http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview&query=apple_security_update_2008_001>
* About the security content of Mac OS X 10.5.2 and Security Update2008-001 - <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307430>
* About the Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update - <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307109>
* Mac OS X: Updating your software - <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106704>
* Apple - Support - Downloads - <http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/>
* X.org Foundataion Security Advisories - <http://www.x.org/wiki/Development/Security>
* Samba Security Releases - <http://www.samba.org/samba/history/security.html>
________________________________________
The most recent version of this document can be found at:
<http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-043B.html>

Ulteo Desktop - my digital life made simple

2008-01-11T22:37:00.000-05:00

The new project from Gael Duvall which allows you access to your own online desktop has been accepting beta testers and last week I was notified that I had been accepted.

According to the Ulteo website the idea is to provide a simple, updated, and easy to use system.

++++++++++

Ulteo's mission is to simplify your digital life, i.e, the way people use their PC, applications, data and online services. Our first service, the Ulteo Online Desktop (currently in beta), allows for users to safely try and use the latest version of desktop applications in just one click.

No download, no install, no patches or updates necessary In true collaborative fashion, you can share your desktop with your family, friends or colleagues. Ulteo plans to release other services simplifying the life of PC users by providing easier access to desktop applications and online services as well as data management in the coming months.

++++++++++

I logged into my new desktop this afternoon, and was greeted with a clean KDE based GNU/Linux desktop. The desktop consists of icons for OpenOffice.org Presentations, Word Processor, Spreadsheet, MyFiles, Firefox, IM, My Photos, and My e-mails which should cover most users basic needs.

The start button in the bottom left corner of the screen is the Ulteo logo along with a quick launch bar that gives you access to all of the applications, and there are plenty to choose from. I have included the ones that caught my attention.

Development = Bluefish and NVU.
Edutainment = The K Edutainment applications for languages, mathematics, and astronomy.
Graphics = GIMP, KPDF, Inkscape, Digicam, and Scribus.
Multimedia = VLC , Amarok, and Kmix.
Office = Openoffice (includes Base), Kmymoney, Gramps, Tellico, and Evolution.

I have used the desktop and I can see where this could come in handy for groups working on a projects together with Ulteo's Share Desktop feature which I tried with a friend of mine. He was able to connect, and though his access was read only he could see my changes in Writer as fast as I could type and edit them.

The response from the desktop and it's applications are excellent from my home using InsightBB cable broadband service, but was a little sluggish on Windstreams DSL service. I could not access the desktop from my office which I assume was blocked at the Gateway by a firewall. Ulteo's website does warn that firewalls might interfere with the service.

I did have two “lock ups” where my desktop screen went white and after several minutes I closed the window, restarted my web browser and logged back in to find whatever I was working on was not there, so save and save often. These occurred in Firefox and Internet Explorer, and on two different computers so I am not sure what happened.

A few other issues that I noticed.

No sound
Files stored on the Ulteo server are maintained by someone else, and I worry about privacy.
No way to install new software
I was unable to do things such as change the systems date and time.

This service is worth trying out, and after I have put in more time on the system I will update this article.

http://www.ulteo.com/

This article was created with OpenOffice.org's Word processor Writer.

suck it billary

2008-01-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

from msnbc:

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Voters in New Hampshire choose candidates for president on Tuesday, with Sen. Hillary Clinton at risk of seeing her once high-flying Democratic campaign buried under rival Sen. Barack Obama’s surge.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22551718/

there is speculation (hope) that she will drop out soon.

2007-12-23T16:46:00.000-05:00

10 low cost / no cost tools that I use.

Notepad++
Very versatile editor that has syntax highlighting.
Wireshark
Whether it's simple network problems or Detecting packet injection: a guide to observing packet spoofing by ISPs, this is the tool that I use to see what is going on.
Yahoo Mail
I never use my personal email for anything but communicating with people that I know, but sometimes those ten minute email services are not enough so I maintain a yahoo account for registering with websites.
CCleaner
This tool performs disk and registry cleanup, and I have never had a problem with this tool.
Spybot S&D
One of the oldest tools for scanning systems for malware, spyware, keyloggers, and other nasties that find there way on a system. This tool can be setup too run from task scheduler to run while you are away.
Spywareblaster
Use this tool immediately on a clean install to prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software.
Bitdefender (online scanner)
I use this online scanner to double check for items missed by Symantec NAV.
Kompozer
WYSIWYG HTML and CSS editor derived from Nvu. Binary downloads for Windows, Mac, and several variants of Linux.
GIMP
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.
Firefox 3 Beta 2
It may have bugs, and while it still is beta version I am finding that it might be the fastest rendering browser that I have ever used.

2007-12-19T20:42:00.001-05:00

Some of the parts of google that I use, and one that exploits google. Use Google Pirate at your own risk.

Search Microsoft-related sites using Google:

http://www.google.com/microsoft.html

Search for Linux related items:

http://www.google.com/linux

Use the power of Google to scour every corner of the internet for exactly what you might think that need.

http://www.googlepirate.com/

a quick reveiw of what the past clinton administration gave us

2007-12-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

1. The Whitewater controversy
Ultimately the Clintons were never charged, but 14 other persons were convicted of more than 40 crimes, including a sitting Governor who was forced to resign.

2. James B. (Jim) McDougal

3. Vince Foster

4. ONE OF the most important issues in Clinton’s 1992 campaign was health care reform. When he took office, 37 million Americans were without any form of health insurance, and the crisis of the health care "non-system" was front-page news in the mainstream media. Early on in his first term, polls showed seven out of 10 Americans supporting a system that would guarantee health care for every person.

But the Clinton administration frittered away this support. Its task force for writing reform legislation--chaired by Hillary Rodham Clinton--compromised again and again under pressure from the health care bosses. The resulting proposal was such a mess that Republicans were able to turn public support against it, and the Clinton "reform" plan died before even coming to a vote. By the time Clinton left office, there were at least 3 million more people uninsured in the U.S.

5. Webster Hubbell
In January 1993, Hubbell's former partners at the Rose Law Firm discovered what appeared to be irregularities Hubbell's bills to clients. The Independent Counsel later found that Hubbell had billed clients for services he never performed......

you decide.

barack obama

proving that we still don't know shit about the weather

2007-12-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

the "experts" are predicting 7 hurricanes for 08.

everyone panic!!

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Hurricane forecaster William Gray predicted Friday that there would be seven Atlantic hurricanes, three of them major, during the 2008 season.

in other news they issued a winter advisory for our area this morning, and we received nothing.

notepad++

2007-12-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

While using my XP desktop computer I sometimes need to edit text, html, or another scripted language. The notepad program that comes with XP is OK, but the free ware notepad++ is much better.

from the site:
Notepad++ is a free (free as in "free speech", but also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement, which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment.

I also find that it handles text files from other operating systems and maintains the correct format.

It also will convert your windows files to Unix and Mac which is another big +.

notepad++ website

typical of the over educated elite

2007-12-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

I always find it so funny when the art world gets duped, and here we have another example.

Toddler fools the art world into buying his tomato ketchup paintings.

Matt

add encrypted email to your web site

2007-12-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

Spam harvesters are constantly searching for email addresses to add to their lists, and placing an unencrypted email address to your website is a recipe for disaster.

Instead of using this:

john@johndoe.com

Use:

"mailto:%6a%6f%68%6e%40%6a%6f%68%6e%64%6f%65%2e%63%6f%6d">contact john

The code above needs to be wrapped in "a href= /a" tags, which will give you a link that displays contact john.

For more information and sites to help you create these addresses do a search of google with these terms.

1. add encrypted email addresses to web page
2. protect email addresses in web pages
3. How to Protect email address

Let me know what you use to protect yourself and your customers.

contact
matt

Samba on Fedora + Error

2007-11-27T15:13:00.000-05:00

The following error repeatas over and over again in the logs.

lib/util_sock.c:get_peer_addr(978) getpeername failed. Error was Transport endpoint is not connected

I know that Windows XP clients try to connect to port 139 and 445 in parallel and drop the connection to port 139 if the connect to 445 is successful.

This is probably what you are seeing.

You could set 'smb ports = 139' for force netbios connections.

Or turn down the level of logging as this is not really an issue.

http://www.mail-archive.com/samba@lists.samba.org/msg65747.html

Torvalds On Where Linux Is Headed In 2008

2007-11-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

now this is cool.

A return to the ninties with Leopard and the new Mac apps

2007-11-26T21:45:00.000-05:00

nice work

Vista - NTP - Synchronize time

2007-11-24T15:50:00.000-05:00

By default Windows Vista is setup to synchronize with an Internet Time Server, which allows the computer to update its time automatically, but the default time servers provided are not very reliable.

This does require access to the Internet using UDP port 123 and can be blocked if your firewall is not configured properly.

To change:

1. Right click the time.
2. Choose Adjust/Update Time.
3. Click the tab labeled Internet Time.
4. Click the button labeled Change Settings.
5. Choose to continue if prompted by U.A.C.
6. The Internet Time Settings dialog is now up.
7. Click in the Server window and type in pool.ntp.org.
7. Click Update Now.
8. Click OK.
9. Click OK again to close the last Window.

Your changes are now saved and these servers are much more dependable.

Matt

Can't play DVDs in Mandriva 08

2007-11-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

I can not play any DVD on Mandriva 2008?

First a note: all packages in all versions are complete, commercial version only makes installation tasks for some software more easy and you have to admin less things.

If you are trying to play DVD's with Kaffeine i have noted than some not-necessary-but-recommended packages are not installed, like win32-codecs and libcss0 (necessary to play protected/encrypted DVD's).

You can try installing those packages with urpmi.

of course you have libdvdcss installed. right.

Big Football Game Carbon Neutral?

2007-11-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

The University of Florida and Florida State University football game this weekend will be carbon neutral according to Dedee DeLongpré, the sustainability director at the University of Florida.

The plan is to use a donation of 100 acres of pasture land to be reforested. The donors, Jim and Winston Bailey, have set aside 100 acres of pasture to be reforested for carbon sequestration. Environmental Defense will pay the Baileys a fair-market price for managing 16 of those acres over the next decade.

I applaud the effort but is it sustainable? I mean that with the number of College football games played every year can this type of carbon neutral planning be maintained?

I think getting everyone involved and educated in ways to cut down the amount of carbon emissions at these events would be a better goal.

is ron paul for real?

2007-11-20T08:47:00.001-05:00

fresh body shop - tasteless

2007-11-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

rock pop electro

more global warming confusion by the dems......

2007-11-19T20:20:00.000-05:00

Global warming is a myth concocted by former Vice President Al Gore, the United Nations, Hollywood and the news media, Kentucky lawmakers were told yesterday.

more info here

new music

2007-07-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

Check out this site.

Jamendo

This site has something for everyone, and some of these bands are really good.

Matt

Democrats and their promises

2007-06-02T08:14:00.000-04:00

Quote from Spring 2006:
"The American people can no longer afford the Republican rubber-stamp Congress and its failure to stand up to Republican big oil and gas company cronies," House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California said at the time. She said Republicans had given the public "empty rhetoric rather than join Democrats who are working to lower gas prices."

A year later, Democrats control Congress, Pelosi is speaker and gas prices are at a record nationwide average of $3.23 a gallon of regular unleaded, up from $2.87 a year ago.

Source:
http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/83384.html

I drove down the street today and the price of gas is $3.16, but is politics or politicians the real issue, and can they change the price of gas?

No. We use more gas each year, and the free market is working as designed. Use less gas and you will help three areas of concern at one time.

Middle East: If less oil was used they would lose their political clout that they now enjoy.

Environment: If global warming is true, then getting off fossil fuels will be necessary. Why take the chance?

Price: Less demand equals lower cost.

2007-05-30T08:03:00.000-04:00

Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth'? -- $30,000 utility bill

ABC News

Hollywood influence

Story from the BBC on the Hollywoodisation of the Global Warming issue