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2010-05-22T14:07:00.001-07:00

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Linux Live CD as a secure client machine for remote connectivity

2010-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

To minimize chances that a compromised remote machine might connect to a secure network, I have toyed with the option of a secure virtual machine as a VPN client. This is another, similar approach to securing a network from potentially compromised remote hardware.

Can Ubuntu save online banking? - Computerworld Blogs: "CNL [Bank] is seriously considering making available free Ubuntu Linux bootable 'live CD' discs in its branches and by mail. The discs would boot up Linux run Firefox and be configured to go directly to CNL Bank s Web site. 'Everything you need to do will be sandboxed within that CD ' he says. That should protect customers from increasingly common drive-by downloads and other vectors for malicious code that may infect and lurk on PCs waiting to steal the user account names passwords and challenge questions normally required to access online banking. A bootable CD works because it s isolated from the host PC environment. Malware on the host can t touch it - and any malware picked up when running from the CD-ROM goes away once the CD is ejected. 'When you eject the CD you have removed everything off the machine ' McLaughlin [a Certified Information Security Professional and CIO of CNL Bank] says."

Happy new year 2010!!

2010-01-01T14:31:00.001-08:00

Top 10 Underhyped Webapps, 2009 Edition - Webapps - Lifehacker

2009-09-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Underhyped Webapps, 2009 Edition - Webapps - Lifehacker:

"Lovely Charts succeeds at what it promises. The Flash-based webapp produces
very clean-looking charts for all kinds of purposes, be it a flowchart to
describe a process, a diagram describing a network setup, conference seating, or
whatever you might want to sketch out on the back of a napkin."

ZoomIt

2009-01-29T02:42:00.000-08:00

ZoomIt: "ZoomIt is screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations. ZoomIt runs unobtrusively in the tray and activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image."

Robot Dog Therapy: Science Videos - Science News - ScienCentral

2008-05-31T12:42:00.001-07:00

Cool stuff from my alma mater Saint Louis University:

There's no forgetting that Aibo is a robot pup, but he makes a good companion for nursing home residents, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

William Banks, a physician and author of the new study, says that playtime with Aibo reduces loneliness in nursing homes as much as visits from a real-live drooling and shedding animal. "We thought there would be a difference in loneliness between the two," says Banks. "What we found basically was that the living dog and Aibo were equally effective in decreasing loneliness."

Robot Dog Therapy: Science Videos - Science News - ScienCentral

Windows Tip: Sysinternals Live is One-Stop Shop for Launching Must-Have Utilities

2008-05-30T02:38:00.001-07:00

From Lifehacker.com:

If you've ever done any serious Windows troubleshooting, you've no doubt come across a freeware utility or two by Sysinternals...

...you can point your browser to http://live.sysinternals.com/ for no-nonsense access to any Sysinternals tool. Even better, though, you can open up Windows Explorer and point it to \\live.sysinternals.com\ to browse and launch any Sysinternals app as though you've already downloaded and installed it on your computer. That means next time you're doing tech support for friends and you forgot your PC Rescue Kit, you can quickly get to any Sysinternals tool for help.

Windows Tip: Sysinternals Live is One-Stop Shop for Launching Must-Have Utilities

Simply GTD with Kelly: What makes a good GTD list manager?

2008-04-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

I've tried many list managers for GTD and my current favorite is Remember the Milk. RTM has offline use with Google Gears, integration with Gmail and Google Calendar, the ability to add tasks from a phone call using Jott, shared lists and mobile access.

What makes a good GTD list manager?

Having a total life reminder system is a key to GTD and a trusted list manager to track projects and actions is one of the first choices for people to make when implementing the system.

Unfortunately, some of the programs out there that are trying to be "GTD list managers" miss the mark not by what they didn't include, but by what they did include. Some of them build in too many convoluted features, that in GTD terms make the whole thing more complex than it needs to be.

Simply GTD with Kelly: What makes a good GTD list manager?

AllSnap brings your Windows applications together - literally

2008-04-12T09:45:00.001-07:00

From Download Squad:

Sometimes you want to look at several programs on your Windows desktop at the same time. So you resize Firefox, Word, Excel, and whatever else it is you're using, and then spend about 5 minutes trying to line them up to maximize your screen real estate. The whole process would be a lot easier if programs would just sort of snap together at the edges, wouldn't it?

AllSnap brings your Windows applications together - literally - Download Squad

DarkCopy: web-based, distraction-free text editing - Download Squad

2008-04-12T06:29:00.001-07:00

Interesting software:

DarkCopy is a web-based alternative to programs like WriteRoom and DarkRoom that lets you compose text files in full (or almost full) screen to eliminate distractions like instant messages, Flash games, LOLcats, etc.

DarkCopy: web-based, distraction-free text editing - Download Squad

Travel: Where to Search for Low Airfares Online

2008-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Travel: Where to Search for Low Airfares Online: "the Productivity Portfolio weblog test-drove some top travel search engines you may want to hit up. They tried out Lifehacker favorite Kayak, Yahoo Farechase, SideStep and Farecast for a flight in December and got back varying results for each"

Geek To Live: Make the Most of Your Dual Monitors

2008-03-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Geek To Live: Make the Most of Your Dual Monitors: "free utility which sets per-monitor wallpaper OR stretches one panoramic image across two screens is ... DisplayFusion, ... DisplayFusion has a nice perk: the ability to search Flickr for wallpaper images built right in."

The Simpsons on old media

2008-03-29T18:17:00.001-07:00

From Season 19 Episode 10: Springfield voters rejected the leading candidates and embrace a write-in: Ralph Wiggum.

International Patent Application: WO/2007/133504 Inventor: Adi Gadwale

2008-02-29T04:26:00.000-08:00

END USER TRANSPARENT EMAIL ATTACHMENT HANDLING TO OVERCOME SIZE AND ATTACHMENT POLICY BARRIERS

"Abstract: Email server side or client side components either remove email attachments from the relevant email, or identify the attachment while the email is being composed and makes the attachment available from a secure website or file hosting site. The recipient then receives instructions in the email and links to access the attachments rather than the attachments themselves. Email attachment size limitations are overcome for sender/recipient mail systems. Also, file type limitations related to email attachments are overcome, provides improved attachment security, and reduces email bandwidth costs."

United States Patent Application: 0070260730 Inventor: Adi Gadwale

2007-12-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

United States Patent Application: 0070260730:

"Automatically updated instant messaging (IM) presence of roaming IM user

Abstract: Constant availability and/or presence information of a roaming Instant Messaging (IM) user is provided. The invention recognizes that IM users are not always sitting at their computer where their IM client application is installed. Detection of an unrelated short-range wireless communication device, e.g., a Bluetooth cell phone, or an RFID, carried on the body of the IM user, is accomplished by other, local or guest computers, and reported as presence changes for that particular IM user to an IM server, that logs that IM user's presence in a suitable IM user presence database. Thus, a status or presence change is automatically updated in an IM server or other relevant IM application when a roaming IM user is in a vicinity of a guest computer at a different location."

Free Disposable Phone Numbers - Dumb Little Man

2007-06-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

Free Disposable Phone Numbers - Dumb Little Man: "Anonymity
Talk without sharing your real number!
Get a numbr in 23 cities in the US, and forward calls to any landline or mobile phone numbers

Disposable numbers
Set your numbr to expire in an hour, day, week or month. Additionally, you can expire your numbr before your opted limit. Say, if you sell your item in three days, why keep a numbr for a week?

24x7 Reachability
Inbound calls to your numbr will be forwarded to your first phone, and then to your second optional phone. If you are unavailable on both phone numbers, the caller can record a voice-mail, which will be sent to you on your e-mail. In all,
you can be reachable on your numbr for all calls - unless you have chosen to block off certain numbers, or the caller was a known telemarketer

Call-to-get™ numbr
You don't have to be on-line to get a numbr! In a bar and need one? Simply call: (415) 234-5678 and get a numbr!
Share that number with anyone. Calls to your numbr will be forwarded to the number you used to call from .. so, make sure you call from your mobile :)

If you want to check this out, visit numbr.com."

Doodle: Scheduling meetings

2007-06-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Doodle: Scheduling meetings: "Doodle is a web-based tool to find suitable dates for appointments with other people. No authentication or registration is necessary. This makes Doodle particularly useful for people who do not use one common calendar or groupware system. Doodle can be used to find dates for meetings, dinners, cinema, events, and so on."

Web Worker Daily � Blog Archive Three Web-Based Mind Mapping Tools Reviewed �

2007-04-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 mind mapping tools:

Web Worker Daily � Blog Archive Three Web-Based Mind Mapping Tools Reviewed �: "If you only mind map occasionally or if you want to collaborate in real-time with your colleagues, maybe you’d rather use an online mind mapper or brainstormer such as bubbl.us, Mindomo, or MindMeister. "

Volumouse - control the sound volume with a wheel mouse

2007-04-19T03:24:00.000-07:00

Volumouse - control the sound volume with a wheel mouse:

"Volumouse provides you a quick and easy way to control the sound volume on your system - simply by rolling the wheel of your wheel mouse.
It allows you to define a set of rules for determining when the wheel will be used for changing the sound volume. For example: You can configure Volumouse to use your mouse wheel for volume control when the Alt key is hold down, when the left mouse button is down, when the mouse cursor is over the taskbar, and so on... "

You can also use this utility to change screen brightness, application window transparency and mic volume as well.

MoGo Mouse Home

2007-04-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting mouse...MoGo Mouse Home: "MoGo Mouse BT is a business-card sized, 2-button Bluetooth-enabled mouse that stores and recharges neatly inside your laptop computer's PC Card slot. MoGo Mouse BT features a patent-pending, sleek design, and the benefit of patent-pending optics, an intelligent battery management system that recharges in minutes inside your laptop PC Card slot, and liberating Bluetooth wireless performance."

spreeder.com - online speed reading application

2007-04-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

spreeder.com - online speed reading application: "...the idea behind speed reading is that we can process information much faster than we actually do in real life with a book in our hands. Several factors affect our reading speed, like subvocalization (the little voice inside our heads that reads along with us and slows us down), backtracing (rereading parts over and over again), etc.

The purpose behind apps like these is to train our minds to get rid of all the other crap. So, by having a steady input of text, we erase our dependency on backtracing. By increasing the reading speed, subvocalization can't keep up and eventually goes away. The key here is that we don't need to subvocalize to process information, as much as we may think we do."

senduit: Send files easily

2007-04-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

senduit: Terms of Service: "Senduit's service provides users with the ability to upload a file via HTTP-Protocol and receive a custom URL address to download the file from Senduit's servers. This address can be shared by the user freely and can be used to download the file a reasonable number of times. The address expires in an amount of time designated by the user (between 30 minutes and 1 week) at which point in becomes inaccessible to the public and is removed from Senduit's servers."

Tapping the power of a morning routine

2007-04-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

: "Start early.

This is the part of your morning routine over which you have the greatest control. To fit it all in, it's a must to start early. The latest any of the surveyed executives wake up is 6 a.m., and almost 80 percent wake up at 5:30 or earlier.

The early-bird-gets-the-worm award goes to Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer for Motorola, who rises at 4:30 a.m., spends an hour on email, reads most of the news online, and then does an hour of either cardio or resistance training each morning. This allows her to get her son ready for school and drop him off, and still get to work by 8 or 8:30 in the morning."

OttoBib - Free Automatic Bibliography Generator. Fast! MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian

2007-04-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

OttoBib - Free Automatic Bibliography Generator. Fast! MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian: "Make a bibliography. It's free, easy and OttoMatic."

3 more GTD wallpapers! | Anabubula.com *

2007-04-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

3 more GTD wallpapers! | Anabubula.com *: "Before some weeks I created the first GTD wallpaper, using MindManager and Photoshop.

Today I'm sharing 3 more wallpapers that I created using MindManager, Powerpoint 2007 and Photoshop."