Hacks
#OpMegaupload, Anonymous, and SOPA/PIPA
Jan 20th
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." – Thomas Jefferson
In a brief moment of feeling a little bit more like a "Hacktivist" as well as generous, I will help to educate those of you on last nights events, and what really happened.
The attacks against the U.S. government web servers, as well as the RIAA, MPAA, and French Copyright Authority, are being called hacks. This is simply not true. The attack was called a "DDoS", or rather, a "Distributed Denial of Service" attack. This is simply many people flooding a web server with requests until it becomes unreachable by anybody because they become overloaded.
Why does this matter? It matters because while being a simple (albeit large scale) attack, it was effective. It also matters because now, everyone is aware of Anonymous, and the issues at hand with SOPA/PIPA. Many are outraged. The good news? Due to the nature of the simplicity of a DDoS attack, the next time something like this happens, you can participate without needing any knowledge of "hacking". And you should. We all should.
For legal reasons I cannot explain the procedure here, but anyone with questions might want to google “LOIC”. Last nights attack was the largest in history, but if SOPA is passed, it will be so much worse. I guarantee it.
We are anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.
How to ditch cable tv for good
May 18th
One thing is certain these days: Cost of living is only going up. One way many consumers find they can cut a huge chunk out of their budget is by limiting spending on entertainment. I am going to show you how to do that for the lowest cost possible.
The good news is, you don’t necessarily have to give up your favorite shows to ditch cable.
What you will need
An internet connection
Ok, so this is admittedly one place you won’t necessarily be completely ditching cable. You will still need it for internet access. You can get away with other services, such as DSL, but nothing is going to beat the reliability of a good cable internet connection. Fortunately, this is probably something you already have.
A television or other display
For the purpose of this article, we’re going to go ahead and assume you have this.
A media center PC OR streaming media player
A media center PC is going to cost you more up front, but will provide a lot more entertainment for you in the long run. It doesn’t have to be a powerful PC to do this job. Important factors to consider are power consumption, heat generation, and of course, start up time. A media center PC will have a slower start up time, and consume more power than a streaming media player. You can usually re-purpose an old laptop computer for this.
How to do it
1. Cancel your cable TV. Enjoy the freedom! Be sure to keep your internet connection. This dropped my monthly bill from $130 to $60 for Roadrunner Turbo, which is more than capable of HD streaming.
2. Get premium content: I subscribe to Hulu Plus ($7.99/mo) and Netflix streaming (also $7.99/mo).
Hulu is there to provide you with access to new shows as they are aired, usually within a day of their live television broadcast. Sure, you have to wait, and yes, there are still commercials. Still worth it in my opinion. If you want current television legitimately, this is the best way to go about it.
Netflix streams movies, and has a fairly robust collection that, like Hulu, is always growing. But in truth, the best part about Netflix is access to previous seasons of a lot of shows.
Between these two, I am never bored, and always have plenty of material to watch, both old and new. Movies are there when I want them.
3. Pick your method of delivery:
The media center PC is by far the most powerful, with the least restrictions. It is also the most expensive option. You can repurpose almost any computer with proper outputs (this gets easier if you have HDMI output on the PC) as a media center PC. I personally recommend using Boxee software and a media center remote control for this. Be aware that while Boxee is currently in negotiations to provide access to Hulu, this is not yet in place as of the writing of this article. The good news is, with a media center PC, you can simple install Hulu Desktop for the time being. Boxee also has nice social media integration, which is always welcome. There are a lot of other alternatives, many of them free. Just do a little research to find the right one for you. Boxee also has a set-top box for media streaming available for about $200, but be warned it has been plagued with firmware problems. Still, it is a nice product, and I would love to have one.
The media streaming box is by far the cheapest and easiest to set up, with the least power consumption.
Many Blu-Ray players have Netflix capability built in now, and if you already have one of these, you might be set. Far fewer have Hulu Plus enabled. You can also get away with using an XBoX 360, Playstation 3, or Wii in many cases if Netflix is all you want, although some support Hulu as well. If you own any of these, check out the offerings you have available to you before spending more money.
Now, if you want streaming media AND have a tight budget, but don’t already own a device capabpe of the job, there’s good news for you.
The Roku HD player is only $59.99, and provides both Netflix AND Hulu Plus, with integrated Wi-Fi. I just ordered one of these myself using a special from Amazon, and got mine for $35 because the Kindle my girlfriend received for a college graduation present came with a free coupon.
If you own a Kindle, I suggest keeping your eyes peeled for this promotion. It is an excellent deal.
My favorite thing about the Roku is that it doesn’t matter if you have a nice, new HD TV, or an older set (I haven’t upgraded, too stubborn to spend the money) since you can use the analog A/V plugs. The Boxee Box is HDMI only, but this is not a problem so long as you have a TV that supports it. In many cases, you can get away with a computer monitor that supports HDMI, and in fact get a much clearer picture, at the cost of a smaller screen.
The Roku, as well as some of the other products here do have an option to add additional “channels” to them, such as YouTube or CNN. Many times, you can get all the same things that you get on cable for free online.
Are there shows you can’t live without, but aren’t available for streaming?
Even the Hackintosh Does NOT Live Up To My Standards
May 4th
I do an awful lot of Mac-hating here on my blog, and usually for good reason.
I usually have mixed things to say about Apple products, and I do love my iPod touch, and I do want an iPad 3G, but as far as their actual computers go, I don’t usually have anything nice to say.
Previously, my experience with a Mac had only gone as far as OS 9, which as even most Mac users will tell you, sucks. I’d heard about the “Hackintosh” some time ago and thought I might give it a go, but it proved to be more hassle than it’s worth.
I managed to get my hands on about 3 different versions of the Hackintosh OS, only one of which worked, a prebuilt VMWare image of Mac OS Leopard.
The pros: It works… kind of. I haven’t fully explored any compatible hardware devices, I have only played around inside the OS a bit. It runs fairly decent for a virtual machine, but generally more and more laggy the longer I have it open. Unfortunately, the one purpose for which I wanted Mac OS, using the iPhone SDK, is completely out of the question since apparently you need OS X 10.6 to run the SDK, and I have 10.5. Kind of stupid that it won’t even let me try, and I don’t know if updating will work due to the nature of the hackintosh. But hey, the thing works, and if you want to play around with it, grab the torrent and get to downloading.
The cons: No iPhone SDK support, no sound, laggy performance, Mac OS can’t do anything else my PC can’t EXCEPT run the SDK, and this version won’t even do that.
Two thumbs WAY down for Mac OS. It’s overly graphically done, and does not run well. Combine that with the cost of the hardware and I can say it’s a fair bet you won’t ever see me buying a Mac.
Will somebody please crush Microsoft and make a real alternative OS? Even Ubuntu has a long way to go.
"iPad virus" masquerades as iTunes update
Apr 26th
Steve Jobs, where are you!? A nefarious virus has targeted users of your magical, shiny and overpriced Apple iPads.
The virus is reportedly spread via malware links sent to clueless and unsuspecting iPad owners in the form of a purported iTunes updated for Windows PCs.
"[Once] inadvertently downloaded…Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY injects itself into the explorer.exe process and opens up a backdoor that allows unauthorized access to and control over the affected system,” confirmed BitDefender.
"Moreover, Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY attempts to read the keys and serial numbers of the various software installed on the affected computer, while also logging the passwords to the victim’s ICQ, Messenger, POP3 mail accounts, and protected storage."
However, Thomas Claburn of Information Week notes that "Mac users, not to mention those reading their e-mail on their iPads," don’t have to worry about this particular form of malware.
Source: http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-features/49519-nefarious-ipad-virus-masquerades-as-itunes-update
NOTE: This is a WINDOWS virus, not an iPad virus. It is just targeted at iPad owners via that gimmick.
Windows 7 has a “God Mode”
Feb 20th
Did you know Windows 7 has a God mode?
It sounds cooler than it is in reality – you’re not invulnerable to BSODs, and the system doesn’t play One of Us when it starts up.
That said, it’s not completely useless either – it gives you a shortcut to all the options in Control Panel and allows you to easily get to usually buried controls.
To enable God Mode, you must first grow a big white beard. Then:
Create a new folder, and call it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
The folder will then change into a shortcut with the Control Panel icon. Double click it, and you’ll get a huge list of easily accessible tweakable options.
On computers running 64-bit Windows 7, God mode reveals 270 options. God Mode also works on Vista, but apparently only the 32-bit version – it will crash the 64-bit one.
Source: http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2010/01/08/how-to-enable-windows-7-god-mode
