Random Quote

"No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them. Every action, every activity, is surrounded by defects as a fire is surrounded by smoke.”

~ Krishna
from The Bhagavad Gita

Internal

Take note of your feelings and thoughts today and examine them. What are they saying about you, your life, your mindstate, where you want to be, what you want to do......
Be aware of what your thoughts, feelings, and actions are saying about yourself. If you don't like it.... then change it!

[TechLife] Geek goes popular on Myspace

Looks like this guy really wanted to be popular on myspace. Actually kind of interesting when you read it, heh.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/13/2005 04:38:21 PM

[TechLife] Hacking the hackers

Take a look at this video profiling the world of computer hacking -- it's not just for nerds anymore.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/01/2005 03:25:01 AM

[TechLife] Ingenious $100 Laptop at MIT

Not only is this laptop cheap, but its design is very well thought out. The battery doubles as a handle and the shoulder strap is the power supply and plug. I would definitely buy a few of these.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/28/2005 10:03:05 AM

[TechLife] How to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password

This article describes how to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password or your password expires and you cannot create a new one.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/28/2005 10:02:59 AM

[TechLife] Microsoft's nightmare inches closer to reality

A decade ago, Microsoft worried that the Internet could become a software platform that threatens Windows. Ten years later, that amorphous nightmare has a name: Google.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/24/2005 04:26:03 AM

[TechLife] Hacking the Linksys WRT54G wireless router

Pretty much everything you need to know about hacking the Linksys WRT-54G.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/23/2005 03:14:47 PM

[TechLife] Tutorial: Setting up a server with SuSE 10.0

this is a very detailed tutorial about how to use the new SuSE 10.0 to set up a web, mail, and ftp server.
It covers every aspect of the installation and demonstrates the setup process with the help of 50 screenshots, allowing even beginners to follow this guide. Experienced system administrators will benefit from this tutorial as well.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/19/2005 08:03:55 AM

Business Development

Like with most of the things I'm interested in I've never really had any real training or classes on the subjects, except for maybe psychology and motorcycles. From the psych classes I learned so much and it helped me think differently about a lot of things, with the motorcycles I just didn't want to kill myself.
Computers and Technology is one of the areas that I'm really good at and probably where I've had the least amount of formal training. Most of the stuff I learned was either picked up from my Dad, a book, or just plain trial and error. I think I've done quite well on just that. Another area that I'm becoming more interested in is Business, I guess more specifically the business side of technology. I haven't had any formal training in this area either but I'm learning a lot from all these books I'm reading. Even though I have gotten the gist of everything I've read so far its probably time for me to either looking into some professional development courses or really try and sit down with some one to see if they can mentor me.

Right now I'm in a situation where I can definitely see my future plans taking shape right in front of me. My business manager was let go about 2 months ago and since then I've been doing little things to fill in her void. Which has been fairly easy to do since she apparently didn't have a clue herself. So by now I've made a lot more strides in the 2 months than she had in her 2 years. So now I'm getting the interest of the president of the company to possibly take over her spot, although it hasn't been official. There are two major projects that are standing in my way right now before I feel I've made a good enough impression, I'm not sure what he thinks. One is a trade show we have to do in Nov. and the other is an ERP implementation. Going from a mainly techie background to a business position is posing quite a challenge since I have to try and learn so much in so little time.

[TechLife] Bare metal Linux server restore with tar

When my production Web server, running Red Hat Enterprise Linux, began generating filesystem errors, I found my backup system put to the ultimate test. My bare-metal restore saved the day for me. Here's how you can put a similar scheme to work.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2005 04:43:50 PM

[TechLife] The first page ever on the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web began as a CERN project. The first website went on-line in 1991. This is a link to a copy of the original "World-Wide Web Home" of CERN, created by Berners-Lee.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN#Computer_Science_and_CERN

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2005 05:38:55 AM

[TechLife] G4 Founder/CEO Replaced (TechTV programming to return?)

Charles Hirschhorn, Founder and CEO of G4TV has been replaced! Charles was best known for his acquisition and transformation of TechTV into what is now the game centric G4TV. Will the new CEO add more tech programming? Time will tell..

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2005 05:35:43 AM

[TechLife] Cool FireFox Wallpapers

Very nice FireFox wallpapers. High Quality.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:15:47 AM

[TechLife] Light transmitting concrete

A wall made of LitraCon has the strength of traditional concrete but thanks to an embedded array of optical glass fibers, view of the outside world, such as the silhouette of trees, houses and passersby, are transmitted inside the building.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:15:18 AM

[TechLife] How to bypass those annoying automated recordings at most major companies

Strategies and how to get directly connected to someone with a pulse instead of listening to a damn recording at most major companies. Very interesting and helpful.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:12:17 AM

[TechLife] Inside the iPod Nano (subSystm)

So you've seen pictures of the iPod Nano insides, but what about video? This video compares the Nano to older iPods, and of course shows you how easy it is to crack one open.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:11:43 AM

[TechLife] REVIEW: Yahoo! Mail Beta

First complete review of the new Yahoo! Mail, unavailable to most users. Screen shots. Tabbed mail reading.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 03:53:00 PM

[TechLife] Windows In Your Pocket

All it takes is a minor error in the Windows Registry or a virus infection, and your operating system can become unbootable. But with a properly configured USB flash drive on hand, you'll always have a compatible replacement no further away than your pocket or keychain. In addition, the flash drive can also provide...

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:59:15 AM

[TechLife] Microsoft releases new photo sharing app

Microsoft Codename Max allows you to import photos, arrange them in a photo album, and share them with your friends. It's very cool, check it out!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:52:29 AM

[TechLife] Photoshop - how to make people look Pretty

A great tutorial by Lunacore.com on "Beautify a Face".. very detailed with downloadable image so you can follow along... lots of other nice tuts over at www.lunacore.com.

Be sure to mouse over the last picture so you can see the difference.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:52:18 AM

[TechLife] Google Blog Search Launched!!!

Google's latest service "Blog Search" has been launched!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:51:53 AM

[TechLife] Firefox gets "Supernatural"

"A couple weeks ago, we were approached by some very cool people in Hollywood working on a new show called Supernatural on The WB. Not only were they Firefox users, they wanted to help spread the word about Firefox too."

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/13/2005 04:43:56 AM

On the Quest for Knowledge, Stop at Koobe

I usually think of myself as a pretty smart individual even though I have my duh moments. Besides the duh moments I always feel that I have an answer for a lot of things, or at least know where to find them. I tend to read a lot of books to get some of those answers that I'm trying to find. I stumbled upon Koobe on one of my searches to find a repository of ebooks that would happen to have the book I was looking for. I'm not sure if I found it at Koobe because once I realized what I had found I was pleasently suprised. So go there and check it out.

[TechLife] Google Official Says Frustration Drove Him From Microsoft

A former Microsoft executive whose defection to Google set off a legal battle testified that a tirade from Bill Gates was a low point before he decided to leave.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/07/2005 12:09:03 PM

[TechLife] Websense Bypass PoC

I'm not sure why but one of the things that bugged me most at my previous job was the web filtering. They used websense and for awhile wherever you went you would get that stupid block page. I guess it really only got to me because I couldn't find any lasting solutions to get around it, I found one but that caught on pretty quickly till it was found out by the admins. Here is another one of those solutions that I'm not sure will last but hey its worth a shot.

Websense URL Filtering Bypass PoC

Oh and yes you do need Perl to run this

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/07/2005 05:01:00 AM

Vision for the Future

It really is amazing where all these different decisions in life take you. The goals you set, the mistakes you make, the dreams you have all come together.

[TechLife] Linux Newbie Administrator Guide

The Linux Newbie Administrator Guide is "A complete reference for new Linux users who wish to set up and administer their own Linux home computer, workstation and/or their home or small office network." Weening myself off WinTendo seemed nearly impossible until I found this jewel.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/06/2005 04:38:46 PM

[TechLife] New file format causes Mass panic at Microsoft - POOR MICROSOFT

The decision to adopt OASIS formats, pioneered by the open source OpenOffice project, has naturally angered Microsoft whose Office suite dominates the commercial market.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/05/2005 01:19:09 PM

[TechLife] In central New Orleans, a Web firm pushes on

Employees of New Orleans-based Web firm, Intercosmos Media Group Inc., have chosen to stay with their servers, located in a 27-story skyscraper. They're goal is to keep the servers, which house some 800,000 Web sites, up and running.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/02/2005 03:58:59 PM

[TechLife] The 20 Biggest Tech Secrets

We reveal some of what vendors are keeping mum, such as: You never have to pay full price, extended warranties rarely pay for themselves, and the big sites do have customer service numbers.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/01/2005 06:19:01 PM

[TechLife] Parasites brainwash grasshoppers into death dive

A parasitic worm that makes the grasshopper it invades jump into water and commit suicide does so by chemically influencing its brain, a study of the insects' proteins reveal.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/31/2005 10:55:23 AM

[TechLife] How the vi editor would look if it had been made my Microsoft

See how things might have been if Microsoft had done vi. Truly funny!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 02:16:49 PM

[TechLife] Build Your Own Home Television Server

Rig your tv to your computer LAN. Interesting hacks on creating DVDs from the tv, editing video, and more. Includes details and step-by-step instructions on software and hardware required. Cool project.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 02:12:30 PM

[TechLife] The most accurate broadband Speed Test on the internet.

The most accurate broadband Speed Test on the internet. Very easy to use. DSL, Cable, Dial Up, you name it, this one test covers them all. Results appear on the screen in a easy to understand format

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 09:17:34 AM

[TechLife] Five Reasons NOT to use Linux.

I love Linux. I use it on my servers, I use it on my desktops, and I use it on my entertainment center, where it powers my HDTV TiVo and my D-Link DSM-320 media player, which turns my network into a media library with terabytes of storage. Heck, I even run Linux on my Linksys WRT54G Wi-Fi access points, which hook the whole shebang together.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 04:58:54 AM

[TechLife] The 46 Best Freeware utilities EVER!!!

Here are the best freeware utilities ever made. it even includes fire fox. And a free spy-ware remover.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/29/2005 05:23:24 AM

[TechLife] GM will launch self-driving car in 2008

This will totally give new meaning to the term auto-pilot: GM will be launching a vehicle with an actual self-driving system in its 2008 Opel Vectra.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/27/2005 03:58:44 PM

[TechLife] Top 15 Tech Shows

The 15 best free downloadable tech shows currently available on the Internet.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/25/2005 03:03:33 AM

[TechLife] Apply Custom Views to All Folders in Outlook 2003

I just have to say that ever since this client asked me to change the folder view on all their users I was searching everywhere for a solution. It would appear to be all too easy, but I guess it didn't make sense enough to become an actual feature. I pretty much followed this article and got it working.... Minus the creating the shortcut with the special "/cleanviews". I just started up Outlook and began making the changes as it said. View the article here.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/24/2005 12:42:00 PM

[TechLife] Hacking Related Videos and Demos

...and other fun stuff

The videos can be found at Remote Exploit, Iron Geek, Crime Machine, and Hacking Defined.
CiscoRemote Router Traffic Sniffing
Wireless
WPA CrackingVoid11 Mass De-Authentication128 bit WEP Cracking

Bluetooth
Bluesnarfing a Bluetooth Enabled Mobile Phone
Network & Vulnerability Scanning
Basic Introduction to Nessus Security ScannerBasic Introduction to Network Mapping using nmapPenetration Test Reconstruction

Link Encryption Analysis
Exploiting Weaknesses of PPTP VPNDecrypting SSL Traffic using Man In The Middle Techniques (MITM)Tunneling Exploits via SSH

Password Recovery
Cracking Syskey and the SAM on Windows Using Samdump2 and JohnLocal Password Cracking Presentation

Hardware ModificationsNetgear WG511 External Antenna Modification

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/23/2005 10:36:00 AM
Edited on May 30th, 2006 --took out bluesnafing

[TechLife] More Whax and Auditor hacking demos

I've scoured the net to locate every single movie and flash demo for Whax (formerly known as Whoppix) as well as Auditor. These are essentially hacker distros of Linux made to boot directly from a CD with no installation. Also, for those screaming dupe, the torrent actually works this time: http://members.cox.net/puzzlepants/whax.torrent

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/18/2005 06:45:05 PM

[TechLife] The New Project List

Well I have a list of definite projects I have to work on at work now.

Rebuild Spamshield solution
Create Webapp to interface with MySQL database
Redesign two company websites

Then I'm also going to be working on a business plan, marketing plan, and a sales plan. So I'm gonna start enlisting some help for that stuff.

As far as the projects go, The Spamshield is pretty much my company's attempt at an Anti-Spam offering. It never really made it out of development before it was sold and promoted though, so now I have to make it work.... which really means redo it. It was Gentoo based and I'll probably end up using Catalyst , after I get it how I want on the main machine, to create the installation CDs. The webapp I was thinking of using Ruby on Rails to build with, the current asp web front is in need of some feature overhaul. So instead of learning ASP and working with it, I decided to use Ruby on Rails and see where it will take me. The two company websites are for the company I work for and the parent company, they are pretty much in need of some help....badly. So I just have to see what my imagination comes up with on those.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/18/2005 01:30:00 PM

[TechLife] HOW TO: Shopping for major discounts at Dell

I no longer work for Dell, I quit my job there, but I worked in Nashville in the S&P Small business division...

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/16/2005 10:45:44 AM

[TechLife] Mad rush for $50 computers

The day is here... the 7AM rush for the $50 ibooks. See the video of what went down. This is some pretty hilarious stuff, especially the old lady talking about kicking people in the balls.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/16/2005 08:58:54 AM

[TechLife] Call For Help Is Coming Back To The USA!!!

Through the 18th episode of TWiT (this week in tech) from Leo LaPorte's mouth, Call For Help is going "worldwide" with details to follow. So stay tuned all you techie freaks and TechTV lovers, cause Call For Help is coming back to US shores soon!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/15/2005 12:57:47 PM

[TechLife] Hybrid Supercar

Wow, this Hybrid Supercar can do 0-60 in the low 4-seconds and can get 50mpg. Developed by a bunch of High School kids, the car is call "The Attack" and looks just as good as it performs.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/15/2005 12:56:14 PM

[TechLife] Run Your Own Wireless Internet Service provider (WISP)

Setting up a wireless Internet Service provider (WISP) for your office or neighborhood doesn't have to be a taxing or expensive ordeal. If you build your network from easy-to-buy equipment and use Linux, you can use the power of shell scripts to make network management easy. This article gives you the tips and scripts you need.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/14/2005 11:27:19 PM

[TechLife] Explosive carrying truck detonates, leaves 80 ft crater

A tractor-trailer that was carrying 35,500 pounds of explosives overturned and exploded Wednesday left an 80 ft wide, 35 ft deep crater on U.S. Highway 6 in Utah. The truck was "pretty much vaporized", and "The entire road is gone, shoulder to shoulder..".

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/11/2005 11:07:34 AM

[TechLife] Getting Rid of Sidefind

A very little nasty piece of spyware that when you remove it, it will take pretty much everything you got with it. So here are some links on how to remove it

Spywareremove.com
Paretologic.com
Antivirusworld.com

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/08/2005 12:36:00 PM

[TechLife] Cisco Routers Ripe For The Picking

The new interview with Michael Lynn gives a little more meat to the whole story about the Cisco IOS having a very serious flaw, one more serious than they really wanted people to know. Our very infrastructure is dependent upon Cisco technologies and this right here could pose a serious problem for everyone. Of course it is still possible to get a copy of that presentation that everyone is trying to make disappear, however, a majority of the people won't really make heads or tails out of it. There are that select few though who could actually use that info to do harm.

Link to the interview

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/03/2005 05:52:00 AM

[TechLife] How to Create Your Own Podcast - A Step-by-Step Tutorial

So, Are you wonder how Kevin Rose and the Diggnation folks make their podcast? Here you are a step by step Tutorial to do your own Podcast.

PS.
Don't Forget Digg.com when you became famous on Itunes Podcasts. :)

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/03/2005 05:25:45 AM

[TechLife] Firefox Popups

You know those annoying flash popups...Well you can say goodbye to them now.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/02/2005 01:46:23 PM

[TechLife] Tech Shows

This is a list of the best free downloadable tech shows currently available on the Internet. This site will be regularly updated with new shows and information.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/01/2005 06:10:17 PM

[TechLife] New law to make publicly free wifi illegal

2 senators have propose a law that will ban cities from implementing free wifi for their citizens. instead, they will allow private companies to capitalize on what would have been free for everyone. call your senator and revolt!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/01/2005 06:10:38 PM

43 Things I plan to do

I was sitting here pondering what in the world I could do to take over the world, but then I realized that taking over the world was probably a bit much. Instead I want to have my own empire lol.....but no, seriously......no really, seriously. Well after reading about a chapter of a fictional story, the place where I got the idea from, I figured i wanted to do something similar. The plan , pretty much, is to make around $200 million dollars than move to another country and just live good. Oh yea, there were other things about bribery, controlling a government, people worshiping you, and a small army but that's just the little stuff.

Anyways the path to $200 million is definitely not an easy one, I'm not even sure a plan can realistically be made to make $200 million. Of course in the story the guy made a very elaborate plan which involved a lot of illegal activity, that's not really an option for me. But I will attempt to put together a list of things I could possibly do to get me to that point.

THE LIST

[TechLife] Wi-fi from 125 miles away

Team PAD set the new world record for wi-fi distance, a whoping 125 miles!!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/31/2005 10:20:43 AM

[TechLife] Systm Episode 3 Released!

Episode 3 of Systm was just released - it's called "Making High Quality A/V Cables".

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/30/2005 01:50:09 PM

[TechLife] A Hacker Games the Hotel

A vulnerability in many hotel television infrared systems can allow a hacker to obtain guests' names and their room numbers from the billing system.

read more | digg story

LOL.....Sweeeettt!!! >:)
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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/30/2005 01:48:34 PM

[TechLife] Senator Clinton, Burned by "Hot Coffee" GTA Mod

Over at the EFF, they have a release about how Hillary Clinton is violating the First Ammendment just too keep in the head lines. "Unfortunately, it's we the taxpayers who have to bear the cost of defending these politically motivated, certainly unconstitutional laws in court." -nuff said. All of this over a mod that can be used on GTA:San Andreas but with this mod you will be able to unlock the uncensored interactive sex-games with your girlfriends in San Andreas.

read more | digg story | get codes


Here are the codes for the PS2 courtesy of Kotaku.com

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/30/2005 03:28:19 AM

[TechLife] Cisco tries to suppress IOS vulnerability at BlackHat

Flaw affecting ALL versions Cisco IOS revealed at Black Hat by former ISS employee Michael Lynn...

read more | digg story | get pdf


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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/30/2005 05:21:52 AM

[TechLife] RPMdb problem

I just had this issue after trying to do a yum update

rpmdb: PANIC: fatal region error detected; run recovery
error: db4 error(-30978) from dbenv->close: DB_RUNRECOVERY: Fatal error, run database recovery

To solve that problem I had to rebuild the rpm database located in /var/lib/rpm. I first deleted the __db files that were there and then I just ran rpm --rebuilddb. So rm /var/lib/rpm/__* && rpm --rebuilddb did the trick after I said yes to each db file I needed to delete.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/30/2005 10:38:00 AM

[TechLife] Purchase a Skycar!

As a result of the recent successful hovering flights of the M400 Skycar, Moller International is accepting deposits to secure delivery positions for our M400 Skycar until after the Skycar has flown from hover to full aerodynamic flight and returned (transitioning flight). A limited number of delivery positions are available.

read more | digg story


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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/30/2005 03:26:32 AM

Kill some time

Monitor superglued to a wall I'm not sure where its at but its funny to watch and leave a message.... or at least it was. It doesn't seem to be working for me anymore.
Well Stumbling always kills some time, probably the biggest time killer in my day. When I used to work at a helpdesk I used to play Defend your Castle all the time
How about one free minute to say whatever you like for others to hear?

How about a ball game

[TechLife] Diggnation on ABC News (confirmation from Alex)

"That's right people we just finished recording Diggnation Episode number 5. Not only that but a crew from ABC News Feed service was here to capture the whole thing! They are doing a story on Podcasting and they chose our Podcast to feature in their story.....

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/29/2005 05:37:10 AM

[TechLife] Try every Linux Distro under the Sun!

"A new service is on the horizon. Fans of Linux who want to try all the different distros to decide on the best one are in for a treat. A new service called Distro of the Month is set to begin shipments on October 1, 2005 and is taking subscribers now.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/29/2005 05:33:25 AM

[TechLife] Tux on iPod mini Tutorial

Linux on your ipod has many advantages over Apple's default menu navigation appearance. With linux you can have the ability to play a wider set of fun games, unlock infinite expandability of your portable hard drive, navigate faster through menus, play with fun little applications built in and have a wider variety of playable audio file formats.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/29/2005 05:28:30 AM

Not going after all...

Well I just came back from SRP (Record Updating pretty much) in Minnesota last night, after all this talk and getting ready to get deployed I come to find out that I'm not deployable after all. Go figure.... I know I'm kinda short on details right now but I'll update later.

[TechLife] How to create Firefox extensions

Everyone has a good idea at one time or another to implement a new feature in a web browser. Well, with the goodness that is Mozilla Firefox, now you can do just that. You need to have a vague understanding of XUL and Javascript, but you certainly don't need to be a master of either.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/28/2005 01:29:41 PM

[TechLife] 10 steps to crack wep

Watch this vid, it shows how to crack wep in less than three min.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/24/2005 03:02:19 PM

[TechLife] google maps adds hybrid feature

They just keep making it better. This is the end of our overlay hacks. They have a "hybrid view". Good job google. Maybe they are out of new ideas? hardly.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/22/2005 04:47:02 PM

[TechLife] Sony's PSP to browse the Web, play TV

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) will release a system software update for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) next week that will add several new functions to the handheld gaming device, including the ability to browse the Internet and download TV programs, the company said Thursday.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/21/2005 10:58:35 AM

As the days go by...

Since coming to the realization that I may have to go to Iraq instead of getting out of the Army like I had hoped, I have been searching trying to find lists of things to take and pretty much what the conditions are like. I've taken alot of things off of those lists and tried to come up with my own. It's not really a final list, right now it's just a jumbled mess of what I have found. I'll have to post some links to the sights I found about peoples' experiences over there. You know you pretty much have to take enough to keep your mind busy, so you don't go crazy. You also need to be creative and resourceful to make your area a nice one. Until later....

Stardotstar.org

[TechLife] How to pick a lock

ever wondered how to pick a lock...well now you can know. i have tried the pin column lock explanation they gave and it was open with no problem

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/21/2005 05:33:33 AM

[TechLife] How To Install Windows in Ubuntu Linux

Running Linux? Want the compatability of Windows? You can now have it with this moderately easy guide.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/21/2005 03:48:06 AM

[TechLife] Why Everyone Should Mod Everything

Electrical engineer David Randolph on how and why everyone (even the biggest n00bs) can and should find the inspiration to become modders and what it really means to be a "modder".

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/20/2005 08:17:20 PM

[TechLife] Run GNU/Linux from a USB pen drive

You can carry GNU/Linux in your pocket with a functional, quick, and useful USB pen drive distribution. Pen drives are faster than CDs, and the small distros that fit on them don't require huge amounts of memory for the operating system and applications.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/20/2005 07:38:41 PM

More Pictures

Car Accident

Well I was in an accident this past Wednesday, this guy was running from the cops and I just happened to be in his way. I was trying to turn left onto a street when the guy came from the left side and slammed into me. He hit right in front of my door and then my car kind of spun and the back of my car hit his car too. Then both of our cars kind of went in opposite directions. Everyone in my car only received at the most bumps, bruises and cuts (My son didn't have any, and my girlfriend had a bunch of bruises). I got the most though, I had cuts in my head, ear, mouth, and back. I had migraines up till this morning but they have pretty much gone away now. The driver of the other car broke his leg and some other stuff, his passenger wasn't hurt I guess but he went to jail because he had a warrant for his arrest. I'm not sure what is going to happen but the police were apparently chasing him but there were no lights or sirens from what my girlfriend and I remember. When I get the report I'll figure out what the next steps are from here. Pictures uploaded as well of both cars, mine is the maroon one.

Its Been a Long Time

Well there have definitely been a lot of things happening since I last posted in April. On the Army Reserve front I've had it in the back of my mind that I was definitely getting out and being done with all of this before my unit deploys in Sept, but it doesn't appear that I'll be getting out as I hoped. I've had a few episodes of Atrial Fibrillation which makes my heart do some unnatural rhythms, I'm pretty much healthy for the most part except for the fact that it could or could not happen again in the future. So most of this year I have been on a permanent profile for that and I've pretty much thought I had a lock on not getting deployed. This was before they asked for my medical records and what my current heart status was. So I sent them all of my medical records with all the info I had on my incidents but of course I didnt have any current stuff which is what they really wanted. I figured I could go to the doctor and just tell them I didn't want to go to Iraq and bam they'll just tell the Army that it would be too stressful or whatever. The doctor thought otherwise and let me know that my heart will not get me out the Army because I was ok. So now I'll just have to wait and see if they'll get mad because I didn't send the current stuff before the deadline. I guess whatever way it goes I'll be getting ready to deploy, I've been trying to get together lists of things I may need when we go. I know if I do go I would be on point with everything but I just don't want to go. After my 3-week AT in South Dakota last month I was pretty much done with Army crap. It wasn't the fact that I got picked to go back to South Dakota again after last year was crap, or the fact that we got shitted on by the units we were attached to, or the fact that there was NOTHING as far as work for us to do, it was the fact that I had a retarded NCOIC that was a kiss ass with the other units so he helped shit on us. Then he would turn around and lie to our faces about stuff, so I'm sitting there thinking that I do not want to be over in a war zone with this man. I dunno, I guess I'll just have to wait and see how these next 2 months turn out.

On the work front my business manager got fired, apparently while I was gone to South Dakota she mounted some kind of offensive to try to get me fired. The details are slim but apparently she was fired in the process. She really couldnt give anybody any real reasons why she should fire me so that probably helped. Now work is relatively calm without her there, if I was making more it would be great.

[TechLife] So much to do, So little time

I seem to have slacked off big time in my updating here.

First off, the new job is getting a bit tiresome thanks to management but I can deal. The work is still proving to be interesting though. I have been trying to keep up my skills on the side as well. I'm currently trying to up my skills in Linux by doing a Stage 1 installation of Gentoo, which is pretty much starting with very little and trying to build up a system from it. I'm currently doing this on my laptop which is not very fast, so it will probably take me a few weeks to finally get it done. Not because it's that slow but I seem to need some extra steps in between all the slow steps that are dragging things out. I have a system at work that is Gentoo so that is the main reason why I'm doing this, it doesn't work right now and I'm trying to get a better background in Gentoo to try and fix it. After Gentoo I'll probably try to get into some LiveCDs and the eventually LFS (Linux From Scratch)

To all who know me its definitely no secret that I prefer using linux over windows, but at work that's pretty much most of my job. I'm pretty much getting everything down since I really didnt have much background in administration within a windows environment, but I think I can hold my own with Exchange and Active Directory now. I'm really into the scripting now, since I know you can script just about everything I'm trying to build an admin console for myself that will house some of my most used scripts.

Idea Bin:
Net Admin LiveCD (WMI scripting, Nagios monitoring, blah blah, ...and other stuff)
Custom Linux Distro
Office solution for small/med sized businesses (Computers, Phones, Software, pretty much all the basics)

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 4/25/2005 02:53:00 PM

The Forgotten

There are so many things that we forget through out the course of our lives, events, places, people, etc....blah blah blah. I guess I would try to combat that on a certain level by writing a whole lot (yea, I'm slippin), with pictures or whatever. I'm not really sure why I thought of this though today but I can't seem to write in cursive anymore!!!! Yea, I know that thanks to the computer most of the stuff that I write is typed into the computer and when I do write on paper its in print. You could argue that there is really no use for me to remember that fancy art of writing, but man..... I was sitting there struggling to try and write a whole sentence. It didnt help that I had to look up how to write a cursive Z. I'm not gonna spend too much time on this but it really has me goin for the moment.

Plate is Full

Man, things just seem to get crazier and crazier by the minute. Since I started this new job I seem to be working with less time or something. I just can't seem to put everything into its correct place, even at work I'm kinda zoning out. It's not really because of the lack of work I seem to be working on things constantly, just not enough time to do them. I have a solution for Spam that I'm supposed to have working by Friday but right now I can't even get the machine its on to boot up. Not to mention that fact that this same Spam solution is going to go into production pretty soon. It probably would have been easier if I would have made up the thing but it was left by a previous employee with very little instructions. I guess it's the projects like that which seem to make time tick a little faster.




irwiwtotmiwkwtd

[TechLife] Maybe it is working

Well it appears as if this freaking thing is working, so I should now be able to better categorize my posts

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 3/31/2005 08:53:00 PM

[TechLife] this freaking thing isnt working

this isnt working

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 3/31/2005 07:29:00 AM

Whistle While You Work

Work is going pretty well (I guess) I am definitely getting the opportunity to work on a variety of new things that I wasn't before. My job is alot more intense than before but I think that will eventually equalize out and I should be good. They sent me to the Dayton Information Security Conference which started today and lasts till tomorrow, going to that has definitely opened my eyes on some stuff and that's just from talking with people there. Things are a little busy right now but I'll add more later.

Development

Well the first week and a half of work have been going pretty well with a lot of work to keep me busy. I now seem to be doing a lot of R&D work so I do a lot of searching for products or solutions to problems a customer may have and they all seem to vary widely with custom needs. So I think for all of those things I'm definitely looking into open source solutions just because I feel I could get very specialized solutions from them without alot of financial burden.

One of the first things I was looking for was a Crystal Reports type application, I found JasperReports which seems to be what I was looking for but they don't have any freakin installation information so I'll have to see whats gonna happen with that. I'm also going to a customer site to recommend NetOffice, since they were looking at a project management type solution.

So that's my time at work in a very brief nutshell, I'm gonna end this and try to find some more stuff on installing JasperReports.

First Week

Well I can definitely say that wherever I see my career going in the future, I can definitely start out in the right direction from where I'm at now. My revised title for my new job is now Network Cosultant / Developer. I pretty much handle in-house network administration, Web design/development, Application development, Linux consulting, and pretty much whatever I need to do to get the job done at a customer site.

I currently have a Error 721 issue with a VPN that needs to be resolved. I just got done with correcting a half done setup with Exchange & Outlook Web Access. That's just a little bit of what went on during this busy week. I'll post more technical stuff later on the Tech Life side.

Bookmarks Synchronizer

I've been using the Bookmarks Synchronizer for Firefox for about a week now and I have to say that I really like it. I have a bunch of different sets of bookmarks and this pretty much helped me to condense them to just one list at work and at home. So if you have Firefox you should grab it, if you don't have Firefox you should get it.... You'll more than likely like it.

Spread Firefox

Burning Bridges

My current employer didn't really take too kindly to the short notice of 2 weeks notice. I guess technically it was only a few days notice since I was gonna be on vacation during the majority of my last 2 weeks. So now things aren't so hot in the office place. On the good side of things I did go to my new job today and do some work. They told me I was gonna go with them to do an initial talk with a customer on terminal services. When I got there I found out that they were actually trying to secure the contract to do the work, which kind of suprised me. I went along with it and wasn't too nervous about it all because everything we talked about I was looking forward to doing. So hopefully we'll get this client because from the start I'll be the lead on that site, so that's cool.

DIY Home Theater Projector

A DIY Projector is definitely in my near future, this is as good as link as any to start with.

Sub $300 Home Theater Projector
Sub $300 Home Theater Projector II

Free Ringtones

For those of you that love putting ringtones on your phone, this is definitely a site for you. Downloading ringtones is cool.... downloading free ringtones is better. smashTheTONES

Cellphone Carriers Available:
AT&T
Cingular
Verizon
Nextel
T-mobile
Sprint
Alltel
HickoryTech
Qwest
SureWest
Telus
Rogers Wireless
Bell Mobility
Fido

I haven't had the chance to try it yet, but with the promise of free ringtones I'll give it a shot.

Crack Open The Books

Well I start my new job on the 21st and its pretty much the job that I've always wanted. Just about everything I've ever been interested in relationg to computers and technology I'll more than likely be doing it at my new job. On top of that they're paying me to learn, as well as upgrades in pay for every time I upgrade my knowledge (Certifications). So it really is a good deal and I'm so very pleased that it has come along.

Now as for what I'll need to brush up on:
Macromedia Studio MX (Web design as a whole)
Visual Basic .Net / 6
Perl / Other scripting languages
Linux
EDI (What I do now)
System / Network Administration
Cisco
Oracle

For the administration stuff, I know alot about the systems and networks in themselves but I haven't had that workplace experience doing it. So I'll start seeing more problems typical of regular office type problems. Like I said its a great opportunity, great learning experience, and a definite change for the better. So like I said before I'll probably have alot more tech posts relating to alot of the stuff I'm working on. I know starting off I'll have to figure out why one of their servers scsi hard drives keep crashing. I'll also have to work on a new website for the company and figure out some network problems that one of their clients is having. :D Good Fun

Toolbars

I don't really use any of the toolbars/desktop utilities that are out right now, I usually just google everything from the main page and all my popups are blocked thanks to Firefox. Now with everyone fighting for a place on your desktop and web browser with a search bar I may just have to try them out to see if any are of any use.

Microsoft
MSN Toolbar - I'm definitely not a windows guy but I'll still try this out to what it offers.
Microsoft Desktop - Oh wait.... that's built in, Let's see how it compares :)

Yahoo
Yahoo Toolbar - I think I've used this one before but I'll install it again
Yahoo Desktop - "Requires Windows XP or Windows 2000 SP 3+" .... yea, ok

Google
Google Toolbar - Just Google it
Google Desktop - Haven't tried this but I'll give it a shot

Network Administrator/Developer

That boy is in there!!!! :D

Network Administrator....... We'll see.....

Well I had an interview today that I can honestly say was pretty damn good, the job itself should be one great learning experience. Everything I could as for technically in a job is in this one, I was supposed to have a 2nd interview next week but the called me and asked me to come back tomorrow. So I hope all goes well :D If I get this job I'll definitely have more tech to talk about.

On the technology front I just started working with a guy on an EDI module for perl. Pretty much you'll be able to translate your documents from EDI to XML. That in itself may not seem like a big deal but it can become one when you start incorporating that functionality into open source translating software. Now there are some open source EDI translators out there that I would like to try out, with BIE being number one on my list and probably followed by OBOE or MEC Eagle.

Do it myself

With the recent layoffs on my job it kind of shook things into perspective for me. I was trying to leave my job for "better" opportunities working for an IT Staffing company as a consultant. The problem with that being that what I work on and how much I get paid for doing it is pretty much limited to the stuff that the recruiter finds. Seeing as the recruiter is being flaky already I've decided not to take my chances. I personally know that my skill level far exceeds my previous jobs or even my current job, I know that and alot of other people know that too. So why not just do it myself, I think it is something that should have been done and taken seriously awhile ago. There are so many things that are happening right now that are telling me that is the smart way to go.
Of course with all the ideas I have running around in my head things have to become more focused. Computer and Network consulting will definitely be the main focus, I'm trying to study constantly to get as many certifications under my belt. Along with that the real estate ventures will become a bigger player now because that's gonna be my retirement right there and how things are gonna get done in my life in the future. There are so many things that are going to branch off from both of those that I can't wait to see.

A New Year

Since I was questioned on the lack of content on my page :) I figured I should at least write something about what's going on with me and some techy stuff if I can think of anything.
I've resumed my CCNA studying pretty hard now and I hope to be 100% ready for the INTRO exam at least by Feb. 1st. There is a definite need for me to get all my skills in order because the helpdesk scene is not really my thing anymore. Don't get me wrong though because it sure pays the bills but I'm just not feeling it like I did when I first started. I hooked up with Robert Half so hopefully they'll locate some good stuff for me.
Still got some other projects going on the side, so we'll see what comes of those as well.

On the P2P front I haven't really been downloading anything lately but if I was I don't think Exeem is something I would be using. It was pretty much being touted as the new version of Suprnova.org pretty much with better everything wrapped into a nice gui package. It really seams as if they're just trying to make a buck with the inclusion of some known spyware into their app. I'll be getting back into the download mood again but I think I'll find another way to get my fix.

Vivitar Vivicam 3746

My girlfriend has a Vivitar Vivicam 3746 digital camera that I wasn't sure would work under Linux. I found out that it was a fairly simple process.

load the modules: modprobe modprobe usb-storage and modprobe sd_mod
mount the camera: mkdir /mnt/camera and mount -t msdos /dev/sda1 /mnt/camera

And that was pretty much it, I use Redhat 8 so I also created an icon and stuck it on the panel. So when she uses it she can just plug up the camera and hit an icon so she can access the pictures.

Something odd I just noticed is that her camera has the words in different places than the ones in the pictures that I have found. hmmm

Free Credit Reports (For Real)

Most people need to see to believe so let's get that out the way first. HERE

Well it seems under a new law we will be allowed 1 credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus every year. It started Dec. 1st in the western states and the rollout across the country will begin on various dates. I check my credit report fairly regularly so this is great news.