braintubes.com

Finding Images0
Joe M posted in Uncategorized on April 28th, 2010

Someone posed a question to me.

“Without becoming an expert photographer, how do I find images to use for general purposes?”

I scratched my head.

I have come across some postings of free images in the past… but all the web addresses, I have lost.

I heard someone say, not too long ago…

‘When I need an image, I just go do a search… then right-click and save the image… then use it in whatever I want.’

The only problem with that is… copyright laws.

Many, if not most, of the classic images that we come across on a regular basis are copyrighted.

That includes photos, paintings, (Adobe) Photoshopped illustrations, etc.

For example, that picture of Marilyn Monroe or Elvis that you want to include in a post or presentation, somewhere…

Chances are, it’s copyrighted.

Legally, you should not use it, without contacting the owner for rights or permissions to do so.

I came across OpenClipArt.org.

From what I have been able to gather, the images are submitted as public domain.

(Disclaimer:  You will want to read and understand the different licenses, including items in the public domain, before using any images.)

A Visual Breakdown On Viruses & Malware0
Joe M posted in Home Support on April 27th, 2010

Via: Online Schools

A Checksum Head-scratcher0
Joe M posted in Home Support on April 25th, 2010

I have a ‘high maintenance’ friend that constantly needs help with their computer.

About every 4 months, they manage to get some sort of unknown malignancy.

It happened again.

So, for a ’small fee’ I am re-installing Windows XP on their machine.

I went through the regular gyrations, the list of things that I normally install.

Everything seemed to be going fine…

I did notice an oddity I have never experienced before.

Deep into the installation, I kept getting errors… checksum and corrupt files.

The errors occurred after downloading files from a browser.

I did a great deal of research.

Using google as my main tool, I found the problem was described…

But I never could find a descriptive solution.

I finally stumbled across a reference to a similar problem.

The solution suggested was to use the validation for Windows Genuine Advantage.

I tried it.

I was in a weird situation.

I had to update Internet Explorer to use WGA, but the errors would not let me update.

Catch 22!

An extra two hours out…

I finally decided to use a restore point, (that was just after the fresh install) and install all of the Windows Updates, and ensure that WGA was in the list.

After about another 45 minutes out of the way…

I had Windows Updates functioning.

After a reboot…

Downloads were functioning… and the file corruption and checksum errors were gone.

Looks like the culprit was a corruption with something dealing with WGA and the download process.

Got to love Windows Genuine Advantage.

And I feel so much better, now that I know that Windows on my friend’s machine is a legitimate, legal copy.

Playing With Cron0
Joe M posted in Howto, free stuff on April 23rd, 2010

For kicks, lately… I have been trying to get a handle on cron.

If you need more information, check out this explanation.

In simplistic terms… if you want to automate a computer task… cron is a good way to do it.

And, there is loads of documentation on it, out there.

I came across this… the cron sandbox.

If you want to play with your schedule options in cron…

You type in the parameters for your schedule, for the job.

Click the Run button, and the sandbox creates a list, telling you when your job will execute.

Cron comes with most versions of Linux, BSD and Mac OS X.

If you want a version for Windows, check out cronw here.

A Strange Error In Ubuntu0
Joe M posted in Home Support on April 20th, 2010

I was running my Update Manager in Ubuntu, Karmic Koala, over the weekend.

I was faced with:

(Reading database … 75% dpkg: unrecoverable fatal error, aborting:
failed in buffer_read(fd): files list for package `XYZ-package’: Input/output error
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

For the past couple of days…

I have been searching forums, blogs and help sites.

I found several postings that suggested running an assortment of commands.

I tried them, but to no avail.

One post in a forum suggested that it would be necessary to re-install Ubuntu.

(That was pretty much NOT going to happen. There HAD to be an easier way.)

Then, I found a website that suggested the following commands:

sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/status /var/lib/dpkg/status.bad
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status

I tried them… but still, no help.

The ‘Reading database… ‘ portion of the display kept freezing at 75%.

Then, I got a brainstorm.

I pulled up /var/lib/dpkg/status in gedit.

I searched for ‘XYZ-package’.

I found two references, within the status file.

I selected both blocks of text, describing ‘XYZ-package’ and deleted them both.

I ran

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get autoremove

I then ran Update Manager, and it ran with no problems!

I am glad that I stuck to my guns, and kept looking beyond the suggestion to re-install.

Like Windows, Ubuntu and other variants of Linux have their Total Cost of Ownership…

But I would much rather spend a little time doing research… than having to re-install my OS every few months.

Bloating and Statistics0
Joe M posted in opinion on April 15th, 2010

After perusing an article at Ars Technica, about piracy estimates and losses…

Any time you hear someone quoting statistics, remember…

92 % of all statistics are completely useless!

It’s not that I am against watching trends and analyzing data.

I like to look at reports and graphs, as much as the next person.

It reminds me of some interesting stories over the years.

Without citing names…

Several hacker stories come to mind.

When you talk about damages being done… whether intentional or coincidental…

It seems that the intention of accuracy gets thrown out the window.

Is it because the dramatic gives way to leverage and planning… and helps someone state their cause?

I would imagine… or… I would guess.

I will say, that whenever I hear the term ‘estimates’ and it used with statistics…

I always question the accuracy or validity of the statement being made.

If you hear someone in a business estimating ‘losses,’ you are taking the person’s account and report on faith and trust.

Most of the time, unless you see the business owner, writing a check and handing it over to someone…

Or calling a third party to negotiate some sort of repairs…

You could question the extent of damages in any situation.

It seems inherent in human nature that we dramatize and emphasize.

In discussing losses, many times that behavior is positively reinforced.

I can remember stories of a hacker logging in to a publicly open wi-fi network… owned by a private company.

When all they do is look around.. and get off, within five minutes…

It does not seem like they have a whole lot of time to do much damage.

But… it seems that in those situations, you always hear stories of how that single event costs that company between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in damages.

Many times… the damage estimates include buying equipment and software to make sure the event does not happen again.

(In other words, “We had no clue what we were doing when we set this up. We did not know you had to secure it!“)

So… if they needed to buy the equipment, anyway… is it really considered damage?

Moving An Old Windows Install To New Hardware0
Joe M posted in Home Support on April 14th, 2010

I have an old Compaq workstation, loaded with Windows XP.

It’s in the back room.

I have some software installed on it, that was a nightmare to configure.

It took me a long time, and a great deal of heartache.

Recently, the machine has begun to freeze at a black screen.

No blue screen, no error messages, just freezing.

Seeing that the machine is about 8 years old…

I dug through my resources, and found a newer P4. Not really all that new, but better than the Compaq.

It’s completely different hardware.

I was not about to re-install everything.

I made up my mind.

I WOULD find a way to get the image from the old Compaq working on the newer P4.

I used clonezilla and made an image copy.

I copied the image to the hard drive from the Compaq and put it on the P4.

When I rebooted, I got INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (the dreaded BSOD).

After a quick Google search… I came across an article here.

I followed the instructions, carefully.

Fifteen minutes later, the P4 was up and running, with the image from the Compaq!

Things I would add to the instructions…

Boot into Safe Mode, first.

Gather your network card drivers and video drivers, ahead of time.

Once you get the machine booted into a full, regular boot, take and install the drivers.

Once you get the network card driver installed, it will be easier to get the rest of the drivers to install.

The considerations I gained from this:

The two main differences in Windows installs, on different hardware, are usually video and IDE drivers.

If you can revert those drivers to the ‘plain vanilla’ Windows native, you may be able to get the image to boot without the help of the article.

So… ultimately… it is entirely possible to copy a complete install from one machine to another and get it to work, even though the hardware is different.

Mobile Ads And Search0
Joe M posted in opinion on April 12th, 2010

Not too long ago, Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt were seen sitting at a cafe in Palo Alto, CA.

While people are scratching their heads at what the topic of conversation was…

There is much competition going on, there.

Google bought AdMob, not too long ago.

That’s to help their continued endeavor into the mobile market.

Apple has also purchased a mobile-based ad company.

According to Steve Jobs, desktop search is very lucrative.

As for mobile search, people just are not using it the same as they would a desktop.

What’s in it for the future?

According to some reports, mobile advertising will continue to grow.

Of course, these projections will hold true, if all things are considered equal.

Adding, of course, that nothing major happens to change the mobile hardware market over the next few years.

Some projections have mobile advertising doubling, between 2013 and 2014.

It’s good to see continued competition between players.

In my opinion, right now, smart phones and internet mobility are somewhat luxuries.

Not everyone can afford an iPhone or smart phone… or the plan.

In order for the mobile markets to become really lucrative…

Mobility has to be attainable by the masses.

More people on, means more people to reach in advertising.

That could account for the massive ad revenues related to desktop search.

Taking The Printer Concept To New Levels0
Joe M posted in homelife on April 10th, 2010

Over the past 30 years, or so… computer printers have come a long way.

That’s from the old thermal and dot matrix types, as well as other antiquated types.

Recently, some innovative people have thought deeply about the printing concept.

Not too long ago, I saw a design for a prototype of a building printer.

Imagine, if you wanted a house… and you input the dimensions.

Once it is finished… you have a fully finished, and functional home.

The one I saw was only a design, and I am not sure how far the idea has progressed or matured.

There is an article on Reuters, regarding another concept, utilizing the same printer concept.

This one is designed for skin cells.

Imagine, getting a burn on your arm.

You hold your arm under the ‘printer’ and the unit sprays new skin cells over the exposed area.

The design is just that, for now.

The designers have plans to pursue the full development process.

It sounds promising, but is a little ways away from FDA approval for testing.

Dean Kamen And His New Design0
Joe M posted in Musing on April 8th, 2010

I liked the demonstration and the innovation of this.

Setback For Net Neutrality0
Joe M posted in opinion on April 7th, 2010

Over the past couple of years, we have heard various arguments on Net Neutrality.

On one side, it seems as if internet providers may do whatever they wish with traffic, traversing their network

One could argue, that if they offer VOIP or phone service… they could, in practice, disable free VOIP applications.

That’s in hope that you will get frustrated and buy their VOIP service.

On the other side of the argument… You have the free and open internet.

To have any government or entity step in, and start regulating it… would detract from the internet economy.

Many see any regulation as a step in the wrong direction.

The things that make the internet a great environment, might cease to function.

That’s a simple explanation.

Today, The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. ruled that the FCC lacks authority to regulate the internet.

Early on… I was convinced that there needed to be regulation to help ‘the little guy.’

Recently, my feelings have changed.

In an open and free internet, without regulation, economies and innovation will thrive.

Boundaries are made to be broken.

Limitations are often an exercise that makes invention thrive.

With the government becoming more and more involved in our economy…

I am relieved to hear that the internet will still be open and free.

That’s free from regulation, free from tax and free from red tape.

According to some reports, the next move for the FCC, if they really want to pursue regulation…

Is to re-classify cable providers as communications companies.

It will be interesting to watch how all that unfolds.

Protecting Your Information On Facebook0
Joe M posted in security on April 4th, 2010

In the past few months, we have begun to realize the downside of social media.

Sharing information is a great and wonderful thing…

But many people ignore the most important aspect.

That aspect is, you are sharing information!

That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing…

But the audience composition can not be ignored.

It’s been revealed that many government agencies, local and national level scan Facebook.

Potential employers scan Facebook and MySpace for prospective candidates, to get a picture of their personality, and profile.

The downside to that is… the more information you reveal, the more chances you have to reveal something subjectively undesirable, from an employer’s standpoint.

I would doubt that the list of entities using the social media data is limited to those.

So… it might be pretty easy to get an idea of your habits, from a subjective standpoint.

The other thing that everyone potentially could forget…

There are also undesirable types searching social media for information.

They might use it to steal your identity, stalk you or burglarize your home.

What can you do?

PCWorld has a great article on steps you may take to help protect your privacy.

Create Diagrams With Free Software0
Joe M posted in free stuff on April 2nd, 2010

I had someone ask me about software for creating a flowchart.

Dia is a great, free software package for different types of charts.

There are shapes available for regular flowcharts, for engineering, electical, chemical and several other categories.

Dia is free and open source. It is available for Windows and Linux.

You can download it here.

The Evolution Of The Consumer0
Joe M posted in Home Support on April 1st, 2010

I came across a great article at PC World.

For the computer literate, as well as the illiterate.

There are plenty of things that we take for granted, when it comes to our computers, and technology.

If you think about it, in detail… it’s probably enough to drive you insane.

The fact is… any time you have interaction with technology…

When you introduce the convenience of the advantages… you inherently also introduce disadvantages.

We have our computers, printers, cell phones, mp3 players and we have an assortment of service and utility providers.

In most cases, we have the providers we easily realize and acknowledge.

We know we have cable, cell and internet providers.

As we continue to evolve as consumers, we also gain new advantages and disadvantages.

How much information does your online music or book store keep about you?

As we continue to do more business online, we continue to engage new challenges in privacy and electronic rights.

The article above is a great read… and I hope it gives you a new perspective and awareness, as an individual and consumer.