Geek Stuff category archive
The Fat Lady Sings 0
After almost a decade and a half, I’m kicking the Opera browser to the curb.
I saw this coming when the President and founder of Opera was ejected from his company, reportedly over different visions of the future of the Opera browser.
I have seen the vision of the future of the Opera browser with Opera v. 26 for Windows and it is not pretty.
Most of the features that I most liked about Opera–its configurability, the integrated mail and RSS client, the integrated sidebar notes–are gone (though the mail and RSS client has been released as a separate program for Windows and seems to work quite nicely).
Over its history, Opera invented (and did not get much public credit for) many features that users of other browsers now take for granted, such as mouse gestures, the Speed Dial, integrated notes, and tabbed browsing, to mention four that have become second nature to my browsing habit. It’s “vision” seems now to involve gutting the product.
Since the management shake-up, Opera has ignored its Linux users. The most recent release for Linux, v. 12.16, was released nearly a year and a half ago (I guess I should be thankful, as it still retains the functionality that made me a loyal user and proponent of Opera for so long); nevertheless, more and more frequently I’ve encountered bumps along the information superhighway that have required me to open Firefox or Konqueror to view various websites.
I have moved to Seamonkey on the recommendation of one of my fellow LQ members. It also has integrated mail, RSS, newsgroups, and IRC (which I don’t use–I guess I’m not an IRC kind of guy).
Seamonkey is from Mozilla, as are Firefox and Thunderbird, but I find it preferable to either or both.* By installing plugins, I’ve been able to get mouse gestures, speed dial, and notes working in Seamonkey (the “notes” plugins I’ve tested are inferior to Opera’s sidebar notes, but I can live with that).
It’s been a good run, but it’s time for Opera to take its curtain calls, because the fat lady has sung and the Opera is done.
______________________
*In particular, I’ve never liked the Thunderbird interface; I find it klunky (that’s not a criticism; it’s just a matter of taste).
Did Kim Jong-Un Get a Sony of His Owny? 0
As my two or three regular readers know, I’ve long said that the internet is a public place and that those who forget that do so at their peril.
In addition, there is no such thing as absolute security. If someone wants to break into any ole house, your good security system will send them to your neighbor’s house. If he or she absolutely positively wants to break into your house regardless of the cost, your house is breached.
Before I get to my list of links, I must remind you that Sony has a history of poor security practices and incompetent response to the resulting breaches. They have also attempted to infect their customers’ computers with malware. As regards security, note that “big” and “bumble” both start with “b.”
The last reminder is this: Don’t believe the gee-whiz reportage on network security from the establishment press. For all their good will (and sometimes their lack thereof), most of those folks know nothing about how networks work and are not competent to evaluate the statements of the persons they interview. If some bozo in a three-piece suit were to tell them that Uncle Fester’s phase-lock loop light bulb represented the next breakthrough in physics, they would report it without question.
I’ve rounded up some posts about the Sony kerfuffle from persons who usually know what they are talking about.
Bruce Schneier, preeminent network security expert, says it’s important to know who you are dealing with. A snippet:
To understand any given episode of hacking, you need to understand who your adversary is. I’ve spent decades dealing with Internet hackers (as I do now at my current firm), and I’ve learned to separate opportunistic attacks from targeted ones.
China Hand (I don’t know who he is, but he seems to be a reasonable sort of guy) is skeptical of the North Korean connection; he’s suspects it’s a knee-jerk reaction (more at the link):
I have a suspicion that the United States has an app for that: blame somebody, preferably somebody unpopular, as quickly and categorically as possible.
George Smith thinks that Sony didn’t know when to hold them, didn’t know when to fold them and has composed a ditty in Sony’s honor.
Facebook Frolics 0
Just how public is a private Facebook page?
(Pretty damn public, actually. “Privacy” and “Facebook” contradict each other. Also, this is yet another case of “the one thing is not like the other,” and saying it is don’t make it so.)
When the Boss Is the Stasi 0
The San Jose Mercury-News reports that employers are rushing to surveil their employees.
(snip)
But other studies conclude that such monitoring can be so intrusive it undermines an employee’s work and well-being, producing anxiety or even depression. The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, a now-defunct advisory branch of Congress, warned that the trend might lead to poor office morale, staff turnover, worker slowdowns and even “employee sabotage.”
In another life, I did management training. Fundamental to good management is trusting employees to do their jobs, then, as the saying goes, “working the exceptions.” Employers who do not trust their employees will find that they have created untrustworthy employees. Persons tend to meet expectations, and, when you expect misconduct, you will get misconduct.
Make TWUUG Your LUG 0
Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Learn how to use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do.
It’s not hard; it’s just different.
What: Monthly TWUUG Meeting.
Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.
Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room. See directions below. (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.
When: 7:30 PM till whenever (usually 9:30ish) on Thursday, December 4.
Directions:
Lake Taylor Hospital
1309 Kempsville Road
Norfolk, Va. 23502 (Map)
Pre-Meeting Dinner at 6:00 PM (separate checks)
Uno Chicago Grill
Virginia Beach Blvd. & Military Highway (Janaf Shopping Center). (Map)
Dear Mozilla and Google 0
An email exchange is not a conversation.
That is all.
Where Nobody Knows Your Name 1
In The Nation, Adrien Chen skewers Gabriella Coleman’s recent paean to Anonymous (usually referred to as “the hacker collective). She traces it from its roots in 4chan (which is not a nice internet place to be), describes its frat-boy mindset, and derides its “hactivism” as adolescent prankery for the same of prankery. In short, she doesn’t have a very high opinion of Anonymous.
I commend the article to your attention.
Buried within it is this gem, which aptly describes what George Smith commonly refers to “the culture of lickspittle” (emphasis added):
Smoked 0
Giving new meaning to the term “vaporware” . . . .
“The made in China e-cigarette had malware hardcoded into the charger, and when plugged into a computer’s USB port the malware phoned home and infected the system.”
Rik Ferguson, a security consultant for Trend Micro, says the story is entirely plausible. “Production line malware has been around for a few years, infecting photo frames, MP3 players and more,” he says. In 2008, for instance, a photo frame produced by Samsung shipped with malware on the product’s install disc.
Naked Is the Best No Disguise
0
Psychology Today investigates the subtle dehumanizations of the surveillance society. Give it a read. Here’s a bit:
If people treat us differently based on what they have discovered online, if the volume of data available about us eradicates our ability to make a first impression on a date or a job interview, the result, Brown believes, is reduced trust, increased conformity, and even diminished civic participation. The impact can be especially powerful when we know that our information was collected and shared without our consent.
To be sure, we are responsible for much of this. We’re active participants in creating our surveillance record.
Then think twice before you decide to run naked through Facebook and G+.
It’s Just Ones and Zeros 0
Most persons seem to be a-skeered of installing a computer operating system. Even First Son, who is master gamer, once said to me, “I won’t mess with the OS.” Really, though, it’s quite easy. Remember, it’s just ones and zeros.
Over the years, I’ve installed several flavors of DOS and Windows and more versions of Linux than you can shake a mouse at.
In this video, Linux Voice demonstrates how to get started with Linux by installing Linux Mint. Mint is not my favorite distro (that would be Slackware), but it is a fine distro and one configured to have an interface friendly to persons used to Windows–I have it running on two boxes right now, including my primary laptop.
If installing a new OS frightens you, just watch this. Installing an OS is much easier than you think:
Full Disclosure:
I contributed to Linux Voice’s Indiegogo campaign to start their magazine and have a print subscription. It’s worth every penny.
Their podcast absolutely rocks. It’s not only full of news and information, it’s full of laughter.
Facebook Frolics 0
Facebook is mucking about with its privacy policy and settings interface again. If you are a Facebook Frolicker, you need to read this.
Facebook Frolics, Running Naked through the News Dept. 2
Edward Wasserman finds the trend for persons to get news via Facebook rather disturbing. A snippet:
That seems to be what now has happened. By throwing in with Facebook, news sites rent space in a virtual metropolis teeming with enthusiasts, who send traffic their way, and permeated by commercial vendors.
That’s the good part of the story. The rest of the story is that their readers’ online comings and goings, likes and dislikes, are noted, rummaged, inventoried, and harvested for data to be acted on and resold by Facebook and its collaborators.
Read the rest, then go buy a newspaper.
Twits on Twitter 0
Why persons unquestioningly believe random stuff they see on the internet I’ll never figure out.
Make TWUUG Your LUG 0
Learn about the wonderful world of free and open source. Learn how to use computers to do what you want, not what someone else wants you to do.
It’s not hard; it’s just different.
What: Monthly TWUUG Meeting.
Who: Everyone in TideWater/Hampton Roads with interest in any/all flavors of Unix/Linux. There are no dues or signup requirements. All are welcome.
Where: Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk Training Room. See directions below. (Wireless and wired internet connection available.) Turn right upon entering, then left at the last corridor and look for the open meeting room.
When: 7:30 PM till whenever (usually 9:30ish) on Thursday, November 6.
Directions:
Lake Taylor Hospital
1309 Kempsville Road
Norfolk, Va. 23502 (Map)
Pre-Meeting Dinner at 6:00 PM (separate checks)
Uno Chicago Grill
Virginia Beach Blvd. & Military Highway (Janaf Shopping Center). (Map)
Paper Chase 0
John McCarron is fed up with “paperless.”
Even though I spend my days deep inside geekdom, I still write paper checks for routine household bills. Business’s inability to keep confidential information confidential has nothing to do with it.
I fear that, if I automated too many payments, I’d lose track of my bank balance, and I don’t like bouncing checks, paper or electronic.
Facebook Frolics 0
Too old for Facebook.
According to CNN affiliate KARE-TV in Minneapolis-St. Paul, when she found the earliest birth year Facebook’s sign-up page provides is 1905, she claimed to be a spry 99 years old.
Sounds Like? 0
Voice of the tattle.
“We lost everything,” she said. “Can you send me a card to where we’re staying now?”
The card nearly was sent. But as the woman poured out her story, a computer compared the biometric features of her voice against a database of suspected fraudsters. Not only was the caller not the person she claimed to be, “she” wasn’t even a woman. The program identified the caller as a male impostor trying to steal the woman’s identity.