My Blog
New Years Resolutions
Happy New Year everyone! Im all for making new years resolutions. But I remember someone once said, "I dont make new years resolutions because Im just going to break them anyways". Now what kind of attitude is that? New Years resolutions is the same as making goals. Are you telling me that you dont have any goals for the new year? Are you absolutely content with the way things are now and have nothing to change or to accomplish? Rubbish.
Everyone needs a reboot once in a while and what better time than the new year. Just like a computer that has been constantly used and abused, what better way to put everything back in order than with a simple reboot.
Here are some tips on making New Years resolutions.
- Make them specific and tangible. The more detailed the better.
- Lose weight - BAD
- Run on the treadmill for 30 minutes at the 24 hour fitness near my house on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after work. - GOOD
- Write them down somewhere. Write it on a 3x5 card or put it on your phone or email it to yourself, just dont keep them in your head. Put it some place where you know you will visit or see often. If you complete or achieve a goal, then check or cross it off your list. Only then will you see how gratifying that is.
- Share your new years resolution with someone on email or facebook or blog or on the phone or better yet...in person. Once you do that, it will keep you accountable because nobody wants to be perceived as a liar. Also, those people can hold you accountable.
- Just do it. Do it now. Dont think or hesitate. What are you waiting for...next year? The new year has already begun. Go now!
- Complete any unfinished resolutions from last year. Choose that one task that you put off that entire year.
- Clean out your email inbox. Limit your inbox to have only 1 page of email.
- Clean your house. Start with a single room, then move on to the rest.
- Clean our your closet. Get a goodwill bag and get rid of all the clothes that you are never going to wear.
- Create a work out plan and schedule to lose weight.
- Too busy? Hire someone to help you and let them worry about it. ie. Gardener, House Keeper, Nanny, Mechanic, Handyman.
- Plan a vacation. You deserve it.
- Learn a new recipe.
- Start a blog.
- Create a website.
- Clean up your computer. Get rid of all of the icons on your desktop. Reorganize your media
1.01.2009 ::
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Free AT&T Wi-Fi for iPhone Users at Starbucks
Here are the instructions from the AT&T website:
- Activate Wi-Fi from the settings icon on your iPhone
- Select "attwifi" from the list of available networks
- Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap 'continue'
- You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
- The SMS link will only be valid for 24 hours at the location it was requested. Another request must be submitted when using another hotspot location.
- Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot
10.29.2008 ::
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The "Ultimate" Keyboard Shortcut
I know a keyboard shortcut that will save you 9 keystrokes every time you navigate to a website. So let's say you visit 10 websites per day. That's 90 keystrokes! Once you use this shortcut a couple of times, you will never go back. Trust me. It works across all browsers and even on both Windows and Macs.
When you type in a URL, most likely you would type in "www." and ".com" which equals 9 characters. What a waste. Why not use a keyboard shortcut that fills those characters automatically for you so that all you need to do is to type in the website's name. So what's the magic keyboard shortcut? It's CTRL + Enter. For example, let's say you wanted to visit Google's website. You would just type in "google" then CTRL + Enter. That's it! If you dont normally use any keyboard shortcuts, give this one a try. Its easy to remember and will save you lots of time.
When you type in a URL, most likely you would type in "www." and ".com" which equals 9 characters. What a waste. Why not use a keyboard shortcut that fills those characters automatically for you so that all you need to do is to type in the website's name. So what's the magic keyboard shortcut? It's CTRL + Enter. For example, let's say you wanted to visit Google's website. You would just type in "google" then CTRL + Enter. That's it! If you dont normally use any keyboard shortcuts, give this one a try. Its easy to remember and will save you lots of time.
Labels: favorites, internet, tips
9.09.2008 ::
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simplebookmarks.com is live!
A while back, I said I was working on an online bookmarking application. Today, I would like to announce that it has been completed (beta version) and is called simplebookmarks.com. I created this site so that I can easily save bookmarks online. I hope you like it. Internet Explorer is still giving me problems because of its aggressive pop up blocker. But it will work if you hold down the CTRL button and then click on the bookmarklet.
Check out the demo!
Labels: internet, projects, tips
7.07.2008 ::
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All About HD
I just got a killer deal on a new 50" plasma HDTV. Its all set up now and just wanted to share some things I learned about HD.
- 720p vs. 1080p
I am sick and tired of people complaining about 720p HDTV's as opposed to 1080p. Every time there is a good deal on a 720p HDTV, the great debate over the 2 resolutions starts, but never ends. Well, the plasma I got is 720p and I have no regrets. Take that haters! First of all, the 1080p's are almost double the cost of 720p's. Secondly, you wont notice a difference unless you are closer 7 ft. away from the TV. Thirdly, the only way to get your picture in 1080p is by using a Blu-ray player (or PS3 which has a built-in Blu-ray player). Lastly, Im not going to convert my entire DVD collection into a Blu-ray collection. So for me, 1080p is totally not worth it. But for those of you who want to shell out twice as much $$$ and will sit closer than 7ft away from the TV and owns a Blu-ray player and has a Blu-ray collection and can tell the difference in quality...good luck to you. Just leave the 720p owners alone. - Break in
Did you know that you should break in your HDTV? Yeah, I didnt know that either until recently. Here's the scoop. The HDTV's by default have their color, contrast, and other settings set really high. That's because when stores display the TV's, consumers are attracted to the brighter and more colorful ones even though that is totally the wrong things to look at when buying an HDTV (more on that later). In any case, those extreme settings are too high especially during the first 100 hours of the TV. Its like when you buy a new car, dealers will often say not to drive the car too rough for the first 1000 miles. This is all to help prevent "burn-in" on your TV. Burn-in occurs most often by having static images on the screen for long periods of time. For example, when you watch TV, you will notice that most stations have their logo on the bottom right corner. Well, if that image stays their for a really long time it can leave an imprint. Or if you play video games, there can be many static images that dont move. So to break in your HDTV, people suggest lowering the settings and playing a special DVD (or SVCD) for at least the first 100 hours. I've been doing this for my TV and even though I dont know if its really helping, it doesnt do any harm. Im sure if people are posting specific TV settings and if someone went through all the trouble of creating a break in DVD, there has to be some truth in it. - HD Quality
"Wow". I say that everytime Im viewing HD. Once you see and taste HD, there is no going back. Food never looked so delicious on the HD Food channel. Tivo Series 3 does an excellent job recording HD shows. It is so amazing clear that I cant believe it is a recording. - Cable Cards
Because Im using my Tivo Series 3, in order for me to get HD, Im using 2 cable cards that I picked up from Comcast. It was fairly easy to set up myself, but I wasnt getting all the channels that I was supposed to, so a Comcast technician had to come by my house. Turns out it was just some wrong data set up on their end. So what is this cable card and what does it do? The cable card takes the place of a Digital or HD receiver because it does all of the unscrambling of the channels. So instead of getting a clunky HD or Digital receiver from comcast, you can just get a cable card and stick it directly into your HDTV. But not all HDTV's have cable card slots, so you will have to check. Its a lot cleaner this way because you dont have to plug the receiver and you dont have to use their ugly remote. But keep in mind that my set up is different because Im using Tivo. But can you imagine if my Tivo did not have cable card slots? Then I would have Tivo talk to the clunky receiver which then talks to my HDTV. Anyways, cable cards are a good thing. I would do anything to avoid those clunky comcast receivers and their nasty remote control. - HD Channels (Comcast)
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I have Comcast cable (non digital) in the SF Bay Area, so Ill be writing about my experience under those conditions. If you have Comcast and use a receiver that they gave you, then this wont apply to you.
If you recently bought an HDTV, most likely it will have QAM tuner and ATSC tuner. An ATSC tuner, will allow you to get "over the air" (OTA) local HD channels (ie. 2, 5, 7) . Although, I couldnt get any channels whatsoever in my area. A QAM tuner will also allow you to get local HD channels, but by using the coaxial cable. Now I thought that to get local HD channels, I would not only need an HDTV to view it, but I figured I would also have to pay extra for it. But currently, Im not. As long as you have a QAM tuner, you should be able to pick up local HD channels merely by sticking the coxial cable directly into your HDTV. But recently, the local HD channels on only one of my HDTV's have been disappearing. In otherwords, I cant view them anymore. The weird thing is that my other HDTV still gets it. But I heard that its because Comcast is gradually taking away those local HD channels. I guess you arent really suppose to get local HD channels for free so Comcast is trying to filter those out and make you pay for it. The Comcast cable packages are confusing, but I believe I have the Standard Cable package. It includes local channels plus the other popular channels like MTV. So with the addition of my cable cards in my Tivo, Im now getting all the channels that I use to get with the addition of non-local HD channels (ie. Discovery, TNT, etc). Comcast only charges me an extra $2 per month. Now to get the non-local HD channels on my other HDTV's, I would have to get a Comcast HD receiver and pay an extra $8 per month for each one. Am I confusing you yet? - Upscaling DVD Player
If you plan to watch DVDs on your HDTV, do not hook up your old DVD player to it. You can, but it wont look that good. You need to get what's called an "upscaling" DVD player. These players will upscale the DVD video to fit and conform nicely to your HDTV. I think if you use a regular DVD player, you will get the black bars on the side. Costing around $50, these players arent that expensive. Or you can altogether skip that and get a Blu-ray player. But those are very expensive, not to mention the cost of Blu-ray discs.
Labels: projects, reviews, tips
5.20.2008 ::
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Free WiFi at Starbucks
"Free at last". I've always been jealous of people surfing the Internet at local cofee shops like Starbucks on their laptops. Its not like I dont have free wifi at home or drink coffee. But there's just something about surfing the Internet in a public location and doing it for free which makes it fun. For the longest time, Starbucks had wifi, but you had to pay for it with T-Mobile. But now, they are offering free wifi. The catch? None really. You just have to have an ATT DSL account which Im sure many people do. Just login using your ATT DSL account (ie. joesmith@sbcglobal.net) According to the sfgate article, it starts today. Happy surfing!
SF gate article
Official Starbucks site article
5.01.2008 ::
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Get Cash Back When Shopping Online
Did you know that you can earn cash back for many of your online purchases? Whenever I purchase something online, I always check 3 Cash Back sites (ebates, fatwallet, upromise) that pays me back 1-5% (sometimes 10%) of my total purchase. So the next time you buy something online, here is what you do (after signing up for an account on each of the sites).
- Search for the online store on the 3 Cash Back sites to see if they offer cash back.
- Of the 3 sites, choose the one that gives the most % cash back (as it may differ).
- Click on their special link that redirects to the participating store.
Right now, Ebates is having a referral promotion where if you sign up and make a qualifying purchase before May 31, 2008, we both get $10. Click here to take advantage of this offer.
4.19.2008 ::
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Free Google Phone Number
A while back I posted the ability to create disposable phone numbers in order to protect the privacy of your existing phone number. I found a similar service with many features by GrandCentral which was recently aquired by Google. There are many cool features, but I will touch upon a few.
- Permanent Local Phone Number - There is a subtle but important difference between the Numbr and GrandCentral phone number. For the Numbr phone number, you have to dial an extension which does require a little more work for the user. Not only that, I think that users might be a little weary of dialing a phone number with an extension. Users are more used to dialing extensions when calling companies. So its a bit weird to call a craigslist person with an extension in my opinion.
- Ring Multiple Phones - So you can add multiple phones to your one GrandCentral phone number. For example, when someone calls your GrandCentral number, your cell phone AND home phone can ring. Therefore, you can answer the call by either phone.
- Listen to Voicemails Online - This is probably my most favorite feature. Voicemails are recorded and can be played online in your GrandCentral account. I wish Verizon Wireless had this feature. I would love to listen to my voicemails online instead of always having to dial and punch in my password. Not to mention wasting valuable peak time minutes just for listening to my voicemails. This can also help you to screen your calls. Sometimes, you just want people to leave you a voicemail especially from uknown callers. Recently, I just used my GrandCentral number to sell something on craiglist. Usually, in terms of fairness, its first come first serve. But I found it to be more beneficial for me to sell it to one person over another. For example, I sold my desk on craiglist today. I wanted to sell it to someone who had a truck or van because I didnt want to disemble the desk. If I answered my first phone call, then I would be obliged to sell it to that person. But I intentionally did not answer calls from my GrandCentral number and just let my voicemail inbox fill up. Then I just chose the person who had a van and "sounded" the most reliable.
Feel free to leave me a voicemail by clicking on the button below.
4/2/08 Update: Someone just told me that they could not immediately sign up for the service since they are in private beta. Looks like you can just "reserve" a number (whatever that means). I wouldnt be surprised if they ran out of local phone numbers to give out. It also says on the site that a current user would be able to invite others, but I dont see that option in my account. They might have temporarily removed that as well.
Labels: cool, internet, reviews, tips
3.31.2008 ::
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Remote control a PC anytime...anywhere
Sometimes, I need to troubleshoot my parents computer when something goes wrong. The best way to do that is to remotely control the computer. Im going to show you the most effective way to remote control another PC for free. Keep in mind that this method is only for circumstances in which you would like take total control and have instant access to the host computer whenever and wherever you want.
Requirements:
- Both computers need to be connected to the Internet...duh.
- DSL or higher internet connection
Instructions:
Host PC (computer you wish to control)
- Sign up for a free no-ip.com account
- Click Add under Hosts/Redirects.
- Enter a hostname and choose any domain name. For example, mydadscomputer.no-ip.org.
Choose something easy to remember as this will be part of your login. - Install the Dynamic Update Client.
This software ensures that the host computer ip address is always current and updated for the mydadscomputer.no-ip.org host. - Install VNC (free edition). During install, choose the server version.
Run VNC and in the options, specify a password. - Turn off Windows Firewall in the Control Panel.
- That's it. Both the Dynamic Update Client and the VNC server should automatically run in the background from now on.
Controller PC
- Install VNC (free edition). During install, choose the client only version.
- Launch VNC.
- Enter "mydadscomputer.no-ip.org" for the server name and the password that you set in step 5 above.
Voila! Now I can control my dads computer wherever and whenever I want with a click of a button. My dad doesnt even need to be at the computer when I take control as long as the computer is on.
Now you might ask, why not just use something like crossloop to remote control another persons computer. The big difference is that I wanted full control of the host computer without having to call my dad every time I wanted to do so. With crossloop and most other remote controlling software, there has to be physically someone sitting at the host computer.
Labels: computer, software, tips
3.11.2008 ::
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AT&T jacks up DSL price $5 per month
Looks like for California, they are raising the prices this month. For me, its Feb 15 (that's tomorrow!) Currently, Im paying $19.99 per month for DSL Express. So tomorrow they are raising it to $24.99.
So there are a couple of things you can do. Since you are going to pay $24.99 for DSL Express, you might as well upgrade now to DSL Pro for $24.99 and lock that price in for a year before they raise the price. Too bad they dont offer DSL Pro in my area :( But I found an even better deal that was mentioned in the forums. Go to the online ATT upgrade tool and it will offer you a yearly renewal of your current rate.
You can also try calling the retention department and see what they can offer you (1-877-722-3755). They offered me a credit for $10 per month for the next 6 months which was weak. But YMMV (Your mileage may vary). I just purchased the renewal using the online ATT upgrade tool and it looks like it worked. Good Luck!
2.14.2008 ::
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Black Friday 2007
Ready...set...shop!
1. Check out the Black Friday ad scans. Download the pdfs by right clicking and saving directly to your computer. I had problems opening up the pdf directly in my browser.
2. Some hardcore dude made this incredible excel sheet which all the Black Friday ads listed. Its awesome especially the use of the filters. Check out the forum for more info and the download link.
UPDATE:
11/22/07 Some Black Friday deals are already showing up online. You can use my site to track them. Good Luck!
www.fealdeals.com
11.19.2007 ::
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Free Tech Support Question #1
Do you have questions about computers, software, networking, or the Internet?
Any problems or issues? Want some recommendations?
Let me see if I can help. Depending on how many responses I get, Ill choose one to answer.
You can ask a question by posting a comment to this posting. Try to be as SPECIFIC as possible. Ask away!
ANSWERED!
Since I only received 2 questions and they are quite similar I will answer them both.
Question #1:
John said...
How do I tell if any of my picture files has a virus in it? My computer is slow starting up but I didn't install programs to start immediately at boot-up. I notice that when I format my computer, it's fast again, but once I install the pictures it becomes slow.
Answer:
"How do I tell if any of my picture files has a virus in it?"
- Its hard to know if you've been infected with a virus unless something actually goes wrong with your computer. In otherwords, you could have a virus on your computer now and you wouldnt even know it. My suggestion is to install antivirus software and perform a scan. The scan will tell you whether or not you have been infected with a virus. I have listed 3 free and good antivirus software in a previous post - http://www.rogerchew.com/2007/04/my-favorite-free-software.htm
"My computer is slow starting up but I didn't install programs to start immediately at boot-up."
- Now let's not jump to conclusions about your computer being slow to boot up and having viruses. They could be totally separate issues. You might have thought that you didnt install programs to start immediately at startup, but think again. Many software programs have tiny little helper programs that run at start up. Quicktime, Real Player, iTunes, HP printer software are to name a few. I have some tips for getting rid of programs that run at startup but Ill save that for another post.
"I notice that when I format my computer, it's fast again, but once I install the pictures it becomes slow."
- Formatting your computer is of course last resort and probably will fix 99% of your problems. You dont install pictures. I think you meant that you download pictures on your computer hard drive. Having many pictures should not slow down your computer much. The only way it would slow it down is if you had so many pictures that it takes up most of the space on your hard drive. If you start getting warnings that you are running out of hard disk space, then you probably have too many pictures on the drive. The hard drive needs a good amount of free space. The more free space that you have, the better your hard drive will perform.
Question #2
Janine said...
My computer has picked up several viruses recently, and I've cleaned them off using various software programs. The pop-ups have stopped now, but how do I know that all the viruses are gone and not embedded somewhere else? Would you recommend that I reformat the entire hard drive to be safe?
Answer:
Let's not get confused between viruses and spyware. Usually, pop ups are most likely caused by spyware. Its much easier to get infected by spyware than viruses. For viruses, you pretty much have to do something intentional like open up some .exe attachment from your email. Spyware is a different story. You can get spyware from just visiting a bad web page. In some occasions, you can have both viruses and spyware. In otherwords, you can have viruses that install more spyware on your computer and vice versa. In any case, you should install the antivirus software to scan for viruses and install antispyware software to scan for spyware. I've listed recommendations of free software on both of these in my link above. I highly recommend Spy Sweeper for removing spyware as well as protecting your computer. Its not free (annual subscription fee), but if you are always having spyware issues, its well worth it. Again, reformatting your computer is the last resort. If you have thoroughly scanned your computers with all the software I recommended and nothing is found, then I wouldnt worry too much about it.
Labels: computer, electronics, internet, networking, tips
10.08.2007 ::
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Fealdeals.com launches!
I just launched my new deals web page called fealdeals.com!
Why is the site named "fealdeals"? I wanted something catchy and that rhymed with "deal". I went through the entire alphabet to find a letter to precede 'eal' excluding the ones that weren't in the dictionary and not already registered as a domain name. (ie. realdeal, zealdeal, etc.) All that was left was "feal". According to dictionary.com, feal means Faithful; loyal. Usually bargain hunters like myself are very faithful and loyal to certain bargain sites because the sites (and the deals) have to be trustworthy, credible, and accurate. And the sites that I have chosen are exactly that. Check out the faq page for more information about the site.
Besides the new domain name, I added a new auto refresh feature. Since I've been using my deals page quite frequently, I would either refresh the page if I had it already opened or I would visit the page over and over again to see the latest deals. This is somewhat inefficient so I've added an auto refresh to the page. Therefore, I set the page to automatically refresh in 30 minutes. That way, you can just leave the deals page open all day and every time you look at it, you'll know thats its up to date. If you visit it more than once every 30 minutes, then get a life! J/K There's even a countdown counter on the bottom left of the browser telling you when the next refresh is.
In my pursuit for extreme efficiency, I took it even a step further. So now with the auto refresh feature in place, I would keep my browser window open all day long and view it whenever I have the chance. But did you know that you can set your desktop wallpaper to a live web page? So now I have my deals page as my desktop wallpaper background. So now I really dont have to do anything but view my desktop. Look ma...no hands! And the autorefresh still works!
Here are the instructions:
- Right click on your desktop and select properties.
- Select the "Desktop" tab.
- Click on "Customize Desktop..."
- Select the "Web" tab.
- Click on "New..."
- Add "http://www.fealdeals.com/"
- Click OK
- Make sure "Deals" is now checked and highlighted then press "Synchronize".
- Then close all of the windows by clicking OK.
Click image to see full screenshot of my desktop:
In any case, enjoy the new site and more importantly let me know what you think!
UPDATE:
9-21-07 Hey guys! Since I launched the site a couple of days ago, I received 25 Google Ads clicks. In otherwords, some of you have been clicking on the Google Ads. That's great news! For those of you who haven't read the faq page, let me explain. Every time someone clicks on a Google Ad, I get paid. How much? The payment formula is very complex and I havent looked into much. But keep clicking on the Google ads and I will let you know. That way I can get more data to really see whats going on. Thank you for supporting the site!
9.18.2007 ::
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Verizon Wireless - Transfer your contact list to your new phone for FREE!
I just got a new Motorola KRZR K1m phone. I wanted to transfer all of my contacts on my old phone (Chocolate) to my new KRZR. What's the cheapest and easiest way? I found a way that is free and you dont need any cables. At a Verizon Wireless store, they will charge you $10.
- Go to verizonwireless.com and sign up for a my account.
- On your existing phone, follow the 4 steps in the image above. It will prompt you to accept a $1.99 monthly charge. Go ahead and accept it, because if you created a Verizon Wireless my account (step 1), they will NOT charge you. I know its scary to accept it, but just check your monthly statement to make sure they are not charging you. That's it. So from now on, your contacts will be backed up daily.
- On your new phone, follow the same 4 steps (in the above picture) and it will prompt you to download your backed up contacts.
Check out https://www.getbackupnow.com/ for more details.
Labels: electronics, software, tips
8.30.2007 ::
4 comments
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Free Disposable Phone Number
A lot of people on craigslist use their phone number as the primary means of contact. If you post something for sale and only supply an email address on the posting, you wont get as many leads or responses than if you were to supply your phone number.
But does it scare you to post your personal home or cell phone number? You should be scared because there are plenty of evil scammers out there on craigslist.
So craigslist created a site called "numbr" to generate disposable phone numbers. Basically, it will generate a local phone number with an extension. Then you just tie that number with your cell/home number. That's it. All calls to the disposable number will automatically get redirected to your personal number. Check out the full list of cool features.
But does it scare you to post your personal home or cell phone number? You should be scared because there are plenty of evil scammers out there on craigslist.
So craigslist created a site called "numbr" to generate disposable phone numbers. Basically, it will generate a local phone number with an extension. Then you just tie that number with your cell/home number. That's it. All calls to the disposable number will automatically get redirected to your personal number. Check out the full list of cool features.
6.25.2007 ::
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Securing your wireless network
If you use a wireless router, I have some suggestions on keeping your network more safe and secure. It will also prevent others from "smooching" off your internet connection. A year or two ago, I went anywhere with my laptop and was able to get a wireless internet connection from a neighboring, unsecured wireless router. It was so easy, I didnt even have to configure anything since Windows XP automatically connected to the strongest signal. All I did was turn on my laptop and voila...I was online. Today, to my surprise, wireless routers are actually being locked down and secured. Is your's secured? Here are some simple tips that can be done in your router configuration.
- Dont broadcast SSID - That way people cant even see your router.
- Use maximum encryption - I think the most secure now is WPA2. WEP is not that secure.
- Filter by MAC address - This takes a little more work and management, but is probably the best thing you can do to secure your network. Even if someone knows your SSID and password, they still wont be able to get in. By specifying this option, the router will only allow access to laptops that you specify. To find the MAC address on your laptop, just go into your command prompt and type in "ipconfig". Make sure you choose the MAC address of your wireless card and not your ethernet. Yes, that means everytime, you have a new laptop or your friend/family brings their laptop over, you will need to add their MAC address to the router's allowed list.
Labels: networking, tips
3.09.2007 ::
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Hyper-Threading?
I just installed my new 300gb Seagate Serial ATA hard drive on my Dell Dimension 8400 computer. I had to change some settings in my BIOS in order for my system to recognize the new drive. However, while playing around with some settings, I discovered that my "Hyper-Threading" is turned off, which is no real surprise because that is the default setting. So I had 2 questions:1. What is Hyper-Threading?
2. Why is the default BIOS setting off?
I remember always seeing the Intel w/ Hyper-Threading in the description of Dell Desktops. So I did a google search and found it that its suppose to increase performance using that technology.
"Hyper-threading enables multi-threaded software applications to execute two software threads in parallel, thereby improving system responsiveness. Intel Pentium 4 Processors enabled with HT Technology deliver performance and multitasking gains that result in increased productivity and efficiency."
So if this is a good thing, then why is it defaulted off on my computer? Well supposedly according to a forum, it doesnt work well with some software. So Dell didnt want more customer service calls.
So anyways, I turned it on noticed that when I loaded my photoshop elements or premiere elements that the loading start screen now says multiprocessor instead of single CPU. Hopefully I'll see an increase in performance.
So in summary, turn on your HyperThreading!
3.16.2006 ::
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I've been Phished!
Im extremely careful when it comes to junk mail, phishing, pop ups, and spyware schemes. But 2 days ago, I fell for a real sneaky phishing scam. I was talking to a coworker on AIM and suddenly he sends me this URL. I click on it and the yahoo photos page loads. I thought he wanted me to check out some pictures hosted on his yahoo photos account and in order to view the photos, I would need to sign into my yahoo account to view the pics. I was totally not thinking and I just went ahead and logged in. Lucky I used my dummy yahoo account. Phew. Well basically, this dummy yahoo photos page is a fake copied page that is hosted on a free geosities website. So basically, they just basically know my login and password. I cant believe I fell for it. But the reason I fell for it is because i didnt know that spyware that was on my coworkers machine can send out these bad IM's to people. Yowsers. This one was real tricky. More details on the yahoo photos phishing scam.
10.21.2005 ::
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Firefox and Thunderbird
Sick of spyware? After cleaning at least 3 of my friend's and family's computers, I certainly am. After cleaning out their computers, I went ahead and installed Firefox for them. Firefox is a new and cool browser that will not infect you with spyware. Internet Explorer is a major culprit for spyware infections. They also came out with a new email client called Thunderbird.
12.07.2004 ::
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AIM text messaging
Did you know that you can use AIM to text message people's cell phones? Usually, you would use a site like vtext.com (for verizon) or you would use your email client to email a text message. But using AIM makes it simple and easy. The cool thing is that if the receiver replies to the text message with their phone, you will be AIMed back!
All you have to do is specify "+1" before the areacode and phone number in the To: field. ie. "+14156812324"
Labels: tips
10.08.2004 ::
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