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Friday, September 19, 2008

Your Canon Digital Camera on Steriods!

CHDK - CHDK Wiki

This is a little technical, but a lot of fun and VERY rewarding. This site provides details and tools to turn your plain-jane Canon digital camera into a real pro photo work tool. Obviously the basic hardware capabilities remain the same, but Canon crippled many of their cameras in the interest of simplicity and ease of use. With the proper software and know-how these limitations can be bypassed to greatly enhance the use of the previously locked away features. Check it out!

E-mail hack reveals HUMAN vulnerability

BetaNews | Who needs hackers? Palin e-mail hack reveals obvious vulnerability

There's an old saying among technical consultants: "No matter what they say, it's always a people problem." The cracking of Plain's email account really underscores the problem. The technique supposedly used to gain access to her account was more akin to human hacking. Understanding and exploiting information and techniques commonly used by people to secure their technology. Yahoo will be criticized, although they set up reasonably good security measures and I'm not sure they deserve it. The real fault lies with Sarah Palin. She did what so many of us do, used very easliy guessed public info as security barrirers. Bad, lazy habit.

Always use non-public and seemingly non-sensical information as passwords, usernames, and security confirmation answers. And of course, never, ever say in an email anything you wouldn't want the whole wide world to see. Your candidacy could be in the balance!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Palin's private e-mail hacked, posted to 'Net | NetworkWorld.com Community

Palin's private e-mail hacked, posted to 'Net | NetworkWorld.com Community

Palin's email was supposedly hacked and exposed on the web. I'm not convinced this is accurate stuff, but it underscores that you do not want to do anything in email that you wouldn't want EVERYONE to see.

I know this won't be pursued by law enforcement and Yahoo, but it should be pursued very aggressively. That sort of hacking is a serious Federal felony and the fact that it's target was an evil politician doesn't excuse it.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Microsoft's lame answer to Apple's Clever Ads

I know Apple, and they're no Apple

I think Microsoft should just hire Apple's ad agency. This ad has none of the charm in spite of the likable Seinfeld. Click on the link to see what I mean.

In fact Gates betrays his backward vision by hiring Seinfeld. He's been out of circulation for years, and so has Windows. They say they have very interesting follow on ads that will make it all make sense. I don't see how...