Daily Cup of Tech

I ran across a blog entry on the ZDNet website and I was so inspired that I decided to write my own version of the blog and recount my own experience.

A number of years ago, a refugee family from Africa found their way to our fair country. Our church had decided to support them in various ways and they petitioned the congregation for help. Since they had literally nothing (They truly knew the meaning of “nothing but the cloths on their backs”), anything that we could give would be useful.

Wanting to help, I dug up the old computer that I had just replaced with a new system. I cleaned it up and talked with the local internet provider to see if they could provide them with free Internet access. They agreed to help.

At the Christmas Eve service, I pulled the father of the family aside and surprised him with the computer. I apologized that it was not the fastest or newest computer but it was reliable and worked well. He and his family were ecstatic! I offered to help set up the system but their oldest boy wanted to try by himself first. Soon after, they quit coming to our church and I never heard from them again until…

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from the father whom I gave the computer to. In the e-mail, he apologized for not sending me the e-mail earlier but he wanted to let me know how that computer changed their lives.

The first thing it did was get him his first job. He got a job translating documents but one of the requirements was that they have a computer at home do the work. The system allowed him to do that job!

The other thing it did was strike an interest in his oldest son (the one who wanted to set up the system). He was now attending university in the Computer Engineering field.

What I would like to do is challenge each and every one of you DCoTers to take a look through your older computer equipment and see if you can put together a system that could help out someone in need during the holiday. It may just be a “pile of junk” to you but it can make all the difference in the world to someone in need.

If you have ever done something like this or you plan to do something like this, I want to hear about it. Leave your Christmas Tech Miracle stories in the comments for all to read.

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I ran across a great spyware removal sight today. 411 Spyware Remove enables you to get rid of those pesky bits of spyware that are clogging up your system. They have a search engine, a removal tool, and instructions on how to remove hundreds of different types of spyware!

There are times that I think spyware may be worse than some of the viruses that are out there! Maybe I’m just paranoid about my information being out there but I will do whatever it takes to protect my computer system from these little devils. I’m definitely going to be using this site a lot.

Also, I’ve added them to the blogroll and blogroll search so you can use the blogroll search to find and destroy your (least) favorite spyware.

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November 30 is Computer Security Day. Its purpose is to make people aware of how we can make computers more safe and secure. Here are 50 ways you can celebrate Computer Security Day, taken from their website:

1. Display computer security posters.
2. Present computer security briefings.
3. Change your password.
4. Check for computer viruses.
5. Show computer security videos, films or slides.
6. Protect against static electricity.
7. Modify the logon message on your computer system to notify users that Computer Security Day is November 30.
8. Vacuum your computer and the immediate area.
9. Clean the heads on your disk drives or other magnetic media drives.
10. Back-up your data. (after being certain that it is virus-free.)
11. Delete unneeded files.
12. Initiate a computer security poster design contest for next year.
13. Demonstrate computer security software.
14. Publicize existing computer security policy.
15. Issue new and improved computer security policy.
16. Declare an amnesty day for computer security violators who wish to reform.
17. Announce COMPUTER SECURITY DAY in your internal newsletter.
18. Examine the audit files on your computers.
19. Verify that the “Welcome” message that is normally used on your computer is appropriate for your organization.
20. Write-protect all diskettes that are not to be written to.
21. Take the write-protect rings out of the tapes in your library.
22. Verify your inventory of computer applications.
23. Verify your inventory of computer utilities and packaged software.
24. Verify your inventory of computer hardware.
25. Install and inspect power surge protection as appropriate.
26. Install fire/smoke detection and suppression equipment in computer areas.
27. Eliminate dust from computer areas, including chalk dust.
28. Provide dust and water covers for personal and larger computers.
29. Post “No Drinking” and “No Smoking” signs in computer areas.
30. Develop a recovery plan for all computer systems that require one.
31. Verify that passwords are not “Posted” and all other keys are secured.
32. Verify that backup power and air conditioning fit your needs.
33. Have a mini training session to provide all computer users with a basic understanding of computer security.
34. Verify that all source code is protected from unauthorized changes.
35. Verify that each computer has trouble log and that it is being used.
36. Verify that appropriate off site storage exists and is being used.
37. Remove all unnecessary items such as extra supplies, coat racks, and printouts from the computer room.
38. Select a computer system on which to perform a risk analysis.
39. Begin planning for next year’s COMPUTER SECURITY DAY.
40. Change the FORMAT command in DOS to avoid accidentally FORMATing of disks.
41. Protect the computer on your store-and-forward phone message system.
42. Hold a discussion of ethics with computer users.
43. Volunteer to speak about computer security at a local computer club or school.
44. Collect Computer Security Day memorabilia to trade with others.
45. Register and pay for all commercial software that is used on your computer.
46. Register and pay for all shareware that you use regularly.
47. Install all security-related updates to your computer’s operating system.
48. Help a computer novice backup their files.
49. Protect all cabin computers from floating droplets of liquid.
50. Plan to attend a computer security meeting or seminar.

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I will admit that the complexity level of my latest FreeNAS article has got to be the lowest it has ever been. This is a project that you can complete in under 10 seconds (I’m serious!). I wanted to give a quick tutorial on configuring FreeNAS for FTP access (with emphasis on quick).

Once you are done with this tutorial, you will have complete anonymous access to FreeNAS from any modern FTP client!

More FreeNAS tomorrow!

Trackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2006/11/29/freenas-week-ftp-server/trackback/

We are finally at that momentous point in our FreeNAS installation when we can actually put it to use. In Creating Windows Shares on FreeNAS, we walk through the process of exposing the FreeNAS disks to the Windows systems on the network. Once you have completed this tutorial, you will be able to save files on the FreeNAS server as if it were any other Windows system!

Have fun!

Trackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2006/11/28/freenas-week-windows-shares/trackback/

Even though the Microsoft Zune is extremely new, people are out here trying to make it do more than it does out of the box. Here is a list of hacks that I have collected:

• Make the Zune Appear in Windows Explorer (or use the patch)
• Wirelessly Send Files to Other Zunes
• Install A Bigger Hard Drive
• Make Zune Work in Vista
• Peek at Zune Contents From Your Mac
• Zune on Windows XP Pro 64 bit
• Change the Zune Icon
• Zune Internal Components
• Extend the Range of Your Zune FM Transmitter

Have fun!

Trackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2006/11/28/the-ultimate-zune-hack-list/trackback/

I am usually pretty skeptical of these free offers but you be the judge! Website The Power of Together says that it will give you a copy of Windows Vista Business Edition and Office 2007 just for watching a three webcasts for each product.

It kind of has that whole “free gift for watching a time share presentation” feel to it but if you can handle sitting through the webcasts, it could be worth your time. But there is some fine print and here it is:

The Power Together Campaign consists of two (2) offers, the Windows Vista Business Offer and the Microsoft Office Professional 2007 Offer, and is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (includes District of Columbia) 18 years of age or older. You are not eligible to receive these offers if you or your employer is a participant in the Microsoft Partner Program or the Microsoft Developer Network. To be eligible to receive Windows Vista Business, you must register at www.powertogether.com and participate in at least three (3) qualifying web casts and/or virtual lab sessions within 30 days of registration. To be eligible to receive Microsoft Office Professional 2007, you must register at www.powertogether.com and participate in at least three (3) qualifying web casts and/or virtual lab sessions within 30 days of registration. In order to register at www.powertogether.com, you may be asked to provide personal information including name, telephone, and address. All personal information gathered during registration will be subject to Microsoft’s privacy policy. Limit one gift per person per Offer. These offers are non-transferable. These offers expire on February 28, 2007, or while supplies last, and are not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. If you are eligible for and register to receive both gifts, you must complete a W-9 (Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification) form prior to receipt of the second gift. Any gift returned as non-deliverable will not be re-sent. Please allow 6 - 8 weeks for shipment of your gift(s).

I decided to do some research and looked up who owns powertogether.com. This is what I found:

powertogether.com resolves to 66.150.160.24
IP Address 66.150.160.24 is located in USA

Domain Whois Results:

Domain Name.......... powertogether.com
Creation Date........ 2006-10-03
Registration Date.... 2006-10-03
Expiry Date.......... 2007-10-03
Organisation Name.... Philip Colebrook
Organisation Address. Flat 13, Inner City House
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. London
Organisation Address. SE14 6QP
Organisation Address. -
Organisation Address. GREAT BRITAIN (UK)

Admin Name........... Philip Colebrook
Admin Address........ Flat 13, Inner City House
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ London
Admin Address........ SE14 6QP
Admin Address........ -
Admin Address........ GREAT BRITAIN (UK)
Admin Email.......... pcolebrook@gmail.com
Admin Phone.......... 44.2086915308
Admin Fax............

Tech Name............ CBS Registry
Tech Address......... Box 3396
Tech Address.........
Tech Address......... Stockholm
Tech Address......... SE 103 68
Tech Address......... -
Tech Address......... SWEDEN
Tech Email........... registry@melbourneitcbs.com
Tech Phone........... 46.855340200
Tech Fax............. 46.855340201
Name Server.......... ns1.msft.net
Name Server.......... ns5.msft.net
Name Server.......... ns2.msft.net
Name Server.......... ns3.msft.net
Name Server.......... ns4.msft.net

Things look a bit strange with the DNS information. The server is in the US, the administrator is in Great Britain, and the technical contact is in Stockholm. To add to the strangeness, the DNS servers (msft.net) are registered to Microsoft.

I’d be interested to see if anyone signed up for this actually gets their copies of the software. Let me know in the comments.

Trackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2006/11/28/absolutely-free-windows-vista-and-office-2007/trackback/

So far, we have looked at FreeNAS requirements, performed a basic installation of FreeNAS and applied a basic configuration to FreeNAS.

Today, we look at configuring disks in FreeNAS. Since FreeNAS is a NAS, disk configuration is extremely important. This article walks you through all of the steps required to initialize, format, and mount your disks so that they are ready to use in FreeNAS.

Trackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2006/11/27/freenas-week-configuring-disks/trackback/

One of the things that ticked me off about the latest round of Microsoft Office beta testing was that you needed to pay Microsoft to try out Office 2007 so that you could tell them where the problems were. Is it just me or does Microsoft have this backwards? I was under the impression that someone paid me to do work for them, not the other way around!

So, I said, “Forget it!” and figured that I would leave it until it came out. After all, I am just a poor blogger.

But, that wait appears to have ended sooner than I thought. And, without having to even shell out any of my hard earned money. Microsoft is letting you test drive the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite online. You can try out:

• Microsoft Office Access 2007
• Microsoft Office Excel 2007
• Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007
• Microsoft Office OneNote 2007
• Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
• Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager
• Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
• Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007
• Microsoft Office Publisher 2007
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007
• Microsoft Office Visio 2007
• Microsoft Office Word 2007

So go give it a try but be sure to use Internet Explorer because the Citrix client is not too (Fire)foxy.

Trackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2006/11/26/sniffsniffthat-new-office-suite-smell/trackback/

Since last week caused me some concern due to the sudden removal and disappearance of my website (see The Worst Hosting Experience!), I was not able to create all of the articles that I wanted to last week. So, I will be continuing FreeNAS Week this week as well so that I can get all of the information to you that I think is useful.

I’ll keep you posted (Ouch, bad pun!)

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