Posts Tagged ‘software’
Blink! – Log into your Computer with your Webcam
I have not had a chance to try out this program yet because I recently reverted to all Windows XP systems, but when I upgrade again to Windows 7, this program is coming along for the ride. Blink! is a free program that allows you to log into your computer by using your webcam. It tracks motion, and once you sit down, it recognizes your face, and logs you into your user account on Windows 7. The program works with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Blink! is a program developed by Luxand and they say logging in can now be an easy task. No more do you have to remember that long, secure Windows password, all you have to do is look at the computer. Sounds easy enough!
What if you change your appearance? Get a haircut or something else? Well, they have you covered on that front as well.
Advanced biometric identification algorithms used in Blink! help it cope with changes of your personal appearance. Grow or shave off beard and mustaches, use makeup or dye you hair, wear or remove glasses or contact lenses – Blink! will let you in to your PC no matter what.
Now let’s pretend your laptop was stolen. The first thing the thief will do is try to log on, right? Well, Blink! has you covered yet again.
Blink! provides additional security benefits by making it simpler to computer users to automatically unlock their PCs by simply looking into a webcam. Stolen passwords are becoming less of an issue as Blink! photographs and timestamps users every time they log in, no matter whether they use a password or biometric sign-in. Journaling account logins helps identify hijacked accounts and find out about who logged in using stolen credentials.
So, are you dying to try out this program? Besides the fact that it’s ridiculously awesome that you can log into your computer by being yourself, you don’t have to type a password, and mess up 15 times before being locked out of your account for 30 minutes. Have Windows 7? Give this program a try, and let me know what you think!
The program is called Blink!, and is available here: http://www.luxand.com/blink/
Enjoy your new simplified login method!
Image and quote source: http://www.luxand.com/blink/
BitTorrent isoHunt Lite
I wrote a week ago about BitTorrent search site IsoHunt, saying that it was to be brought down by a court order in the United States for offering illegal torrents to its visitors. This website, much like the famous The Pirate Bay, does not store actual illegal data, rather the torrent file used to download said illegal data. Many would argue that this type of service is legal because they don’t host the content, but on the other side, people think that giving people access to these illegal resources is wrong.
A new development in the IsoHunt case has now come up. IsoHunt is offering a “lite” version of its service. As I understand it, the website will not offer torrent files, rather offer a search engine for torrents on other sites. IsoHunt owner Gary Fung had the following to say:
“Although we bring this new search engine to you with a burden from the lawsuit brought by the MPAA, we hope you understand the reason why we are making this change. It is to address concerns Judge Wilson has over inducing copyright infringement in the US. Though inducement is never our intention and we have evidence to support it, with isoHunt Lite we want to affirm publicly that isoHunt’s function is nothing more than a search engine with all the net neutrality it affords and should be afforded.” – Gary Fung
He states also, that IsoHunt will be a rival to Google’s search engine:
“Why would you still use isoHunt you ask now that it’s just like Google and Yahoo and you can search for torrents with those? While we won’t dispute there’s fundamental difference, on isoHunt Lite you get ranking by seeds/leechers and ratings besides search relevancy and age. A general search engine also do not group as one for identical torrents spread on multiple websites on the Web.”
I guess this may mark the end to IsoHunt serving torrent files and begins a whole new era where they are a Google rival in terms of torrent searching. I believe IsoHunt users will still be loyal to the service to a certain point, but if torrents are brought down, people will turn to other places to get their fix of illegal data such as movies, music and software. Is this type of court hearing and reports starting to show that Internet piracy may be coming to an end in the near future? I’m not sure. I am sure however, that stopping total Internet piracy is hard to do because there are so many mediums in which illegal data can be shared and exchanged. Including those private trackers and services.
Internet piracy…is it coming to an end?
I leave you with that question.
Business Network Security
Digg Revamped
CEO Jay Adelson announced yesterday that Digg is getting a new look, feel and speed boost. Digg leaderboards are coming back as well as personalized feeds. In one post I read, any keyword can now be a category of its own. So, right now there is the digg.com/technology category, but with this revamp, digg.com/tylersmiller could be a category. Sweet!
This new Digg system, which is five years in the making, is currently not available for public viewing, but you can sign up at new.digg.com and receive email updates when it is available. It is currently in alpha mode, and when you visit new.digg.com you see a sneak peek of the new Digg in the background image.
New improvements tout the ability for one-click digging and one-click submissions. Adelson stated that users do not need to log in anymore to Digg or submit. To me, this is great! It allows more interaction and I think it is better for those one time user submissions. Many people maybe just want to submit one thing in their entire life, and might not do so if they need to create an account or connect with Facebook. This opens up so many more possibilities with user interaction.
Along with the one-click system, Adelson said that the new site will be faster than ever. No more MySQL back-end, rather something completely new.
Digg’s submission and Digg website widgets are also getting a revamp. Basically, in the coming months, look for a totally new Digg.com coming to the Internet. Digg has already changed the way we share information and connect with people, but expect them to gain more momentum if this new system works as planned.
DropBox
Need to sync files between multiple computers on different platforms with ease? If so, I recommend and use DropBox. This free service allows you to sync or backup files from one computer to another registered to you. On computer A you add a file called drop.txt and on computer B, the file instantly shows up.
They have various account options, but I stuck to the free one. The free version offers you 2GB of space. You may wonder why you need a GB limit…and thats because your files are also stored in the cloud and not just on your registered computers. This is a makeshift backup program as well and you can access all your files from their account back-end. Basically, your files are everywhere there is an Internet connection and are stored in a very secure format.
Touching on the other account options; there is a massive 50 GB version for only $9.99 a month or $99.00 a year. Also, the Pro 100 account that offers 100 GB of online storage for $19.99 a month or $199.00 a year. But, for my minimal use, I am sticking with the free account. Plus, for every new customer you recommend with a special URL, you get an added 512 MB to your account.
DropBox is a great service to either use free for paid and can easily sync files between computers and keep them backed up on the Internet. Give DropBox a try and let me know what you think.
I will be doing a post in the coming weeks discussing more backup methods and best practices, so stay tuned for that.
Enjoy the weekend all.
Video: TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt Review
You may think that your data is safe when you use a password to protect your user account, but in reality, that is a horrible line of defense against hackers. If the hacker has physical access to your machine, he can easily bypass your login and get to your information anyway. Bookmarks, documents, pictures, financial data can all be accessed if you do not protect it properly.
In this post, I am going to tell you about TrueCrypt…a free and open source program to protect your data from prying eyes. As said, TrueCrypt is free and to me, easy to use. Let’s talk about how TrueCrypt works. You can do one of two things with TrueCrypt initially. One of the things is creating a file container to drop documents into. This encrypted container is mounted like a normal drive in Windows and shows up in My Computer. The other thing you can do is encrypt half or all of your operating system. When you boot to Windows, you are prompted for a password and if the password is incorrect, the system will not boot. Either way your data is safe and only the person with the password can access it.
I will do a video post on how to set up TrueCrypt on systems, but I just wanted to release this brief overview before I dive into the video. The video will be released in a few days and if you want to try TrueCrypt, go check it out. Just don’t start encrypting your operating system without consulting the documentation.
Do you use TrueCrypt? And what do you use the program for…meaning file container or operating system encryption?
Video will be comings soon.
Thanks for visiting.
Facebook Unblocked at Pentagon
In a recent news release, the Pentagon and Department of Defense are lifting bans on social networking websites. So, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc will be accessible in the insecure networks of the DoD computers. Any computers or networks containing sensitive or classified information will continue to block most of the web.
Is this a good idea? I still have not decided if it’s a good idea. Allowing employees of the DoD to access social networking at work, especially in the government, might not be the best of practices. Loads of viruses are being released on Twitter and Facebook, and now the government buildings have access to those viruses potentially accessing their system. Even though it’s not their secure network, a worm could work it’s way into the secure network. Flash drives may still be banned at the Pentagon and other places, but what’s to say a single employee doesn’t follow that rule? Then government secrets could be compromised. It would not be the first time the government has been hacked.
I think social networks should continue to be blocked for the average employee in these buildings, but allowed only for the right personnel. A webmaster for www.defense.gov, for example, would have social networking access for updating Facebook fans and Twitter followers on new or upcoming changes and announcements.
What are your thoughts on letting government buildings access social media sites?
Original post by CNET[ad#widget1]
Video: MultiPoint 2010
Here is a video on Microsoft MultiPoint Server 2010.
Enjoy.
Also forgot to mention in the video that you can now connect tylersmiller.com to Facebook! Click here to start the process. It allows you to post in the forums, on blog posts and share content on Facebook! Click here to get started!
Multi-Computing Brought to New Level
In a recent CNET article on Microsoft, CNET reported on a new server product from Microsoft.
This product is a single server, that can have up to ten keyboards and mice connected at any one time, and also plugged into ten monitors. The server acts as ten computers at one time to the “desktops”. The official name is Microsoft Windows MultiPoint 2010 and I think this is a really cool project. Just think of all the money this could save schools. Instead of a classroom full of thirty computers…all they really need are three of these MultiPoint servers. That is freakin crazy and awesome!
“We heard clearly from our customers in education that to help fulfill the amazing promise of technology in the classroom, they needed access to affordable computing that was easy to manage and use,” Microsoft vice president Anthony Salcito said in a statement.
Windows Multipoint Server allows a multiple students to work off a single PC, each running their own applications and using their own keyboard, mouse and display.
This is an amazing product, and I think it would be something every school should implement in the near future. Just think of the energy costs it cuts down on as well.
Amazing breakthroughs are made daily!
Your thoughts on MultiPoint?
FBI Webcam Spying Continued
Original post: http://hothardware.com/News/FBI-Investigating-High-Schools-Alleged-Webcam-Spying/
Last November, Lower Merion School District student Blake J. Robbins was called to task by Vice Principal Lindy Matsko principal’s office for allegedly engaging in improper behavior. The bombshell is that Robbins wasn’t accused of doing anything on school grounds or even during the school day, but had done his naughty needs in his own home. As evidence, Matsko cited a photo taken by Robbin’s webcam without his knowledge or consent. Blake’s parents contacted the Vice Principal, who confirmed that the school district had installed remote monitoring software that allowed it to activate the webcam of any of the Macbooks it provided to its 1800 students. Neither parents nor students were ever notified that this feature existed, nor were they provided with information on the school’s remote monitoring policy.
In the wake of the incident, both the FBI and the DA of Montgomery County have announced they’ll investigate to determine if privacy laws or federal regulations on remote wiretapping were violated through the school’s actions. According to district spokesperson Doug Young, the school is vaguely aware it made a booboo. “”There was no specific notification given that described the security feature,” Young said. “That… was a significant mistake.”
As for the improper behavior itself, the family’s attorney has stated that Blake was eating Mike and Ike’s candy while using the computer.
I really wonder what is going to come of this case. I am guessing the school will be at fault and either have to uninstall the remote software or do away with laptops all together. Obviously there will be new policies in place, and I hope new access control to determine who can view and operate computers remotely. If the school continues to allow remote software, then the remote software should only be employed while the student is in school and deactivated while outside of the building. This is privacy invasion and it should not be tolerated.
School Webcams – FBI Involved
Here is an updated story from CNET on the case involving the school district that had been accused of using remote webcam technology to spy on students at home. CNET Article.
Quotes from the article:
The district said in a statement that the “security feature was installed to help locate a laptop in the event it was reported lost, missing or stolen so that the laptop could be returned to the student.” The district further explained that “upon a report of a suspected lost, stolen or missing laptop, the feature was activated by the district’s security and technology departments. The tracking-security feature was limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator’s screen.” The district claims it has “not used the tracking feature or Webcam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever.”
Subsequently, district Superintendent of Schools Christopher W. McGinley sent a letter to parents saying that the security tracking feature is being disabled and that there will be “a thorough review of the existing policies for student laptop use” and a “review of security procedures to help safeguard the protection of privacy, including a review of the instances in which the security software was activated.”
In the mean time, the Associated Press is reporting that the FBI is investigating the district and “will explore whether Lower Merion School District officials broke any federal wiretap or computer-intrusion laws,” according to an unnamed official who spoke to the AP.
Your continued thoughts on this?
Should software this powerful be installed on students laptops?
Open Source
I want to touch real quick on what open source is. There are different types of open source. Open source is usually referring to the source code of a piece of software. And of course, the source code is what makes the program do what it does. It’s the hard coding behind the nice interface regular day to day people use.
Wikipedia states the following: software whose source code is published and made available to the public, enabling anyone to copy, modify and redistribute the source code without paying royalties or fees. Open source code evolves through community cooperation.
Wikipedia is exactly right in this case…open source code means that anyone can take the code, decompile it and look at it at their own leisure. They are able to then make any modifications to it that may improve how the software works. Usually many developers consult forums and talk about bugs and how to resolve them. This type of community involvement is amazing. If corporations do not open source their code, then they are stuck with their internal development team to decide how to better the code. And in some cases, their ideas might not always be best. Gathering community involvement opens up the boards and lets anyone collaborate. Open source software is a wonderful thing.
I bet you use at least one piece of open software daily without even noticing it. Mozilla Firefox is completely open source to the community. That is how extensions are developed for Firefox. The API is released and allows developers to gander at the code and make it work for them, and maybe for other people too. Other open source projects include Linux distros like Ubuntu, Free BSD, and all the other ones out there. Check out http://distrowatch.org for more. Open Office is another program that is open source. It is an alternative to Microsoft Office and is completely free. Some would argue it is much better than Office. I have only used it a few times, and I enjoy it…but not enough to move to it forever.
There are other types of open source as well, including hardware…but I will not get into that in this post.
Your thoughts on open source technology?
Should all companies become open source?