Rob's Blog of Tech Stuff and ... Other Stuff

Appalachian Trail

2010-03-24T12:30:00.002-04:00

Hey, I'm on super secret hiatus, so check me out on http://treadingtroddentrails.com as I hike my way up the 2,000+ miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting at the end of March 2010.

Another Blog

2009-06-27T19:08:00.002-04:00

I'm taking a hiatus from my hiatus to blog over at TreadingTroddenTrails.com. It's the site I setup to blog about my roadtrip across the country. Should be active in just a few days now. Feel free to signup for email updates there to get mail when I make new posts.

Halloween '08

2008-10-31T18:35:00.006-04:00

This year at work we dressed up as the guys from the Alltel commercials. We won first place!

(click to enlarge)

Guide to TrueCrypt Portable

2008-10-04T10:55:00.005-04:00

If you read my last post on keeping your digital secrets, I hope you like this one. I'll show you how to totally encrypt and password-protect your USB drive (for Windows).

Backup all of the files on your USB drive to your computer. We'll put them back, but inside of our encrypted container.
Do a quick format by opening My Computer, right-clicking your drive, then Format. Check the Quick Format box and then the Start button beneath.
Download TrueCrypt and run the executable.
Instead of choosing Install, select Extract. This will give us the files we need without needing to uninstall when we're done.
Move the folder that was created to your now blank USB drive.
Run TrueCrypt.exe (inside of that folder), then click the Create Volume button.
Select Create a Volume Container and click Next twice.
Click Select File and name your encrypted container. I named mine "EncryptedVolume". Then click Next twice.
Choose the size of your container. I'd recommend about 75% of your total drive. Click Next.
Enter your chosen password twice and hit Next. You may be shown a message that your password isn't strong enough. Click Yes to proceed anyway or make a stronger password.
Move your mouse around a little to make things random and click Format.
Once done, hit OK and Exit.

Here's the neat part. If you'd like to make the password prompt come up right after you plug in your drive, you can follow the below steps:

Open My Computer and open your USB drive.
Create a file called "autorun.inf".
Open that file and paste the following:
[autorun]
label=TrueCrypt Traveler Disk
icon=TrueCrypt\TrueCrypt.exe
action=Start TrueCrypt
open=TrueCrypt\TrueCrypt.exe /q background /v "Truecrypt\EncryptedVolume" /e
If you renamed the folder on your drive, replace the "TrueCrypt" folder names in the icon and action lines. Where you see "EncryptedVolume", replace it with what you called your container.
Save the file, close everything out, and eject your drive.

Now, when you plug in your USB drive, just hit the Enter key (or the OK button). Type in your password, and your encrypted container will open as a drive in a new window. Feel free to move all your files that were originally on your drive back to this new one.

To disconnect your drive, right-click the TrueCrypt icon, and choose Dismount.

Even More Than Just Text Messages

2007-09-19T13:54:00.001-04:00

Well, I've found a couple more SMS services worth sharing in the past couple of days. Without further ado:

CallWave: Forward your cell phone voicemail to CallWave, and they'll send you text messages with what they said. I signed up for it because I hate listening to voicemail. Seems to work great. Free during it's beta phase.

Edit: Callwave is no longer free.

Mosio: Have a quick question that you need answered? Text it to Mosio and an actual person will send you an answer back. I haven't tried it yet, but I signed up. I'll have to think of a question...

4INFO: Pretty much the same thing as Google Mobile (two posts back), but has a better movie lookup. I also found their drink recipe feature useful. They, too, have a demo on the page for testing before you text. Plus they seem a bit more responsive than Google.

If anyone knows of any other good ones, leave a comment.

Email Rules!

2007-10-12T09:49:00.001-04:00

I use email everyday for work and home use, so I thought I'd post on some email related sites.

GishPuppy: Hate spam? Who doesn't. This is probably the coolest site I've found in awhile. What you do is when you go to enter your email address to signup for something online, don't. Go to GishPuppy (I have a JavaScript bookmark setup in my browser), register a new email forward, and paste it into the field on the signup page. Tada! One minor downside is that many sites have replaced usernames with your email address, so try to make your keywords easy to remember and remember that random 3-digit string they add to the address. Or just click on your GishPuppy link to scan through your registered forwarders. I love GishPuppy!

2Prong: When you just need that confirmation email for signups and nothing after that, try 2Prong. The domain (@whatever.com) changes weekly so there's a much smaller chance of having your email address rejected (like Mailinator), plus it automatically scans for new emails, so no need to keep refreshing the page. You can even create a custom string before the @ or just get it randomly. The best site for what it does.

Edit: No longer available.

HideLinks: I haven't used it yet (besides testing), but this site seems pretty cool. Just enter the URL you want to go to (or have others go to) and add a password. It give you a new address and hides the destination. Possibly useful for preventing unwanted access to your bookmarks or giving out to certain friends (Blogs, porn, whatever). Just a shame that it shows the actual URL after you put in the password, so anyone can save the address from there.

KickNotes: Create a message here and email the link. You can set how many times it can be viewed or for how long. Interesting.

Oh, and use Gmail. It's free, gives you lots of space, and who knows what other Google feature you'll want to use with the account.

2008 Presidential Primaries

2008-02-06T08:58:00.001-05:00

Who's leading?:

Who to vote for?:
Glassbooth
MBR: Select a Candidate
HelpVote
Vote By Issue Quiz
PolitiFact

How to Keep Secrets

2008-02-24T16:07:00.006-05:00

In this age of digital privacy, how to you keep your data safe? You can keep your files on a disconnected external drive, don't keep secrets at all, or encrypt them. Below are some resources I've scoured to assist in locking your stuff down through encryption:

Microsoft Private Folder: Said by some to be too secure, Microsoft reportedly pulled this download. What it does is ask for your password and open a hidden folder, if correct. You can drag and drop your files. Easy as that. No password, no files.

TrueCrypt: Allows you to create an encrypted container, in which you can put all your files. I'm currently running it on my USB drive, where I keep all my portable apps, installs, and other assorted files. It can do what the other guys do, but for free.

Edit: Be sure to see how to make your USB drive encrypted here.

Spammimic: A pretty cool way to transmit secret message through email. It disguises your message as spam. Send the following text through the decoder to test it out.

Dear Friend , We know you are interested in receiving
cutting-edge news ! This is a one time mailing there
is no need to request removal if you won't want any
more . This mail is being sent in compliance with Senate
bill 1916 , Title 3 , Section 309 ! This is not multi-level
marketing ! Why work for somebody else when you can
become rich inside 62 weeks . Have you ever noticed
people love convenience plus how long the line-ups
are at bank machines ! Well, now is your chance to
capitalize on this ! We will help you decrease perceived
waiting time by 160% & increase customer response by
100% . You can begin at absolutely no cost to you .
But don't believe us . Mrs Anderson who resides in
Tennessee tried us and says "My only problem now is
where to park all my cars" ! We are licensed to operate
in all states ! We implore you - act now ! Sign up
a friend and you get half off . God Bless !

Music, Games, and Randomness

2008-01-18T23:07:00.000-05:00

Haven't posted in a long time, so I thought I'd share some randomness, for anyone out there reading.

Pandora (music): Wow, this is cool! Please forgive my previous ignorance of this site. Sign up, listen to some free music, rate the songs, and it gives you a crap load of more songs that you might enjoy. Started with Dave Matthews, and now I'm on Hootie & The Blowfish - Let Her Cry.

BrainBashers (games): Pretty awesome Sudoku page. I like the many different skill levels, as well as tutorials on how to solve 'em all.

AcronymFinder: Sometimes I find myself wondering what some acronym means. Presto!

PDFTools (software): A cool little program I found that will spilt, combine, and do other stuff to PDFs.

Computer to Computer

2007-10-12T15:48:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd share some sites and programs used for accessing a computer without being at the computer (cryptic, huh?).

ShowMyPC: Greatest remote assistance tool since sliced bread, if sliced bread did that sort of thing. Simply download and run a small executable, click a button, and provide an automatically generated number. Now the other person (the person you trust to fix your computer) can enter the number and remote control your computer. It's free and it works. Wow. Oh yeah, they just added a feature where you can share files over the 'net. Double wow.

Edit: ShowMyPC now has a Windows service that can be installed to connect to your remote home or work PC, also free. Triple wow!

SkyFex: This is sorta like the above site, but no download. Just load the plugin for Internet Explorer and provide the code to the person helping. If you're the one that's going to be helping, you can create a free account. You can only watch the person's screen for thirty minutes and control the computer for five, so it's not as useful, but it's there as a backup.

LogMeIn: Use two computers, one at work or home, and one on the road? You can use LogMeIn to access them remotely as if you're actually there. Just install the software and set it up. Keep in mind that it does require an always-on internet connection. It doesn't connect with magic, you know. Useful for looking at an important document you forgot to put on your USB drive or as a VPN connection (access your other network resources remotely).

MojoPac: Ever wanted to take your computer to a friend's house, but it's too freakin' heavy? Or how about trying to run programs from a USB drive, but they have to be installed to work? Answer: MojoPac. It's like a virtual PC you take with you. I'm very tempted to install some games, Outlook, and some cool software to take with me for use in the myriad of computers I use everyday (I do fix computers for a meager living).

Mozy: Sort of like being at your computer. With Mozy (free edition), you install a program, set it up, and it backs up your files online. EVERYONE USE MOZY NOW. They give you 2GB of free space. If you've ever had your computer crash (or stolen), you know how it feels to lose everything. The best part of it is that it works automatically. Everyone knows to keep a copy, but no one does it because of the hassle. And if that day does come when you lose everything, install Mozy again or login to the site to restore all those files. This should be the one thing you check out, if nothing else.

More Than Just Text Messages

2007-09-16T13:17:00.001-04:00

Me, Eric, and Maya all have unlimited text messages. And I am so glad we do. Besides, who likes actually talking to people? But you can use your cell phone to send and receive more than just regular text messages. The following are some of the cooler uses I've found and use:

Google Mobile: Google from your phone! Possibly the most baddass text message app! Search locally, get weather, lookup definitions, get sports scores, lookup movies, check your stocks, get directions, translate words, and more! I used it the other day to check baseball scores, find a local pizza place, and get the weather for the next couple days.

Twitter: An away message for your life. Up to something? Post it on Twitter through the web, your cell phone, or a computer app and it shows up on your Twitter site. Go even further and have it show up on people's cell phones or Widgets on Facebook, MySpace, or any other website, like this blog.

Ping Me: Instead of asking what you're doing like Twitter, this site asks what you should be doing. Login and add reminders to be sent via email or text message. I'm all the time forgetting appointments or other important things, and this site keeps me on track. Maybe I'll even add birthday reminders soon! The other awesome feature is to add reminders via text message. Another web app without the browser!

PayPal: Pay through your phone! If you've ever split a bill or owed someone some money, send it through your phone and they can cash in via PayPal. I just sent Maya a dollar, so now she can withdraw it by paying for something with her PayPal account or transfer it directly into her bank account (if it's linked), for free! Money, money, money! Maybe I'll pay my share of rent this way...

Amber Alerts: Receive Amber Alerts on your phone. If none of the other options seem like something you'd use, maybe this one will. Sign up on the site and you'll get Amber Alerts, free of charge. Do your part to keep kids safe.

Woot's Awesome 30-Day Shipping Policy

2007-10-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

So after lurking on Woot.com, one of the most popular deal-a-day sites, for awhile, I decided to buy something. Well, what address to send it to? My PO Box, of course. I mean, I move so often, why keep updating my mailing address when I check it every few days. My only frustration is getting packages there, since it's not actually owned by me, but by the USPS. But alas, Woot sends to PO Boxes! They say so right in the address form!

That's when things went horribly wrong. First, they delayed shipping it out for a few weeks. I want my new TV tuner! The day finally comes for arrival. I'd been checking the tracking number every day. But hmm... they shipped it out using FedEx. FedEx doesn't deliver to PO Boxes. Why would Woot be so silly and do that? I called FedEx to change the address to my work one, but only the sender could do that. So I emailed Woot (absolutely NO phone support), but they didn't respond for a day. When they did, they said they'd redirect it.

Then I find a postcard from FedEx in my box a couple days later. They're holding it, so I can just pick it up! Yay! The only catch is that they close at six, I get off of work at five, and they're all the way out in downtown Tampa (rush hour!). My brother and I speed all the way out there, detour around an accident right before the final turn, and pull into the FedEx building (well, in front of and then walk in). "Uhh, yeah, you need to go to our other FedEx building with the warehouse full of trucks down the road." Well, we get there late, but they nice lady at the checkpoint station says they really stay open until eight.

"Umm, yeah... let my get my hands on your physical package (lol, shipment)." We wait, and wait, and wait, only to find out that they sent my package back to the shipper because the shipper didn't update the address. Maybe they did. Who knows. But they did give me that elusive Woot phone number to call! Too bad they whole thing is automated and hung up on me. So I went through their directory and got connected to who might have actually sent the package. "Oh, the support people already left for the day, but copy me on your next email and I'll make sure we get this straightened out."

Come to find out, Woot only uses FedEx. If the package has to, it gets handed handed off to the USPS location nearest to you for the last leg of the delivery. They call it SmartPost. Too bad they didn't use it. And apparently, Woot only uses SmartPost for certain orders, mostly smaller and lighter packages. So, why the hell don't they explain that on the address input page?!

My packages goes back to its home in TX. Bye bye! The outcome of another flurry of emails to Woot: they'll send it back out once they get it. A week goes by, and Rob is very sad. But a few days later, it arrives!

The whole experience kinda put me off to ordering things online. I won't even talk about the fiascoes with my textbooks for class, my replacement MP3 player, and a string of shitty, broken USB drives, plus problems not in recent memory. So, if you'd like a headache and would like to receive your packages a month after ordering, Woot is the place to go.

Don't Tase Me, Bro!

2007-09-21T20:54:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen this yet, where the hell have you been? This brings up a few questions:

Freedom of Speech? Well, I think that freedom of speech isn't a free pass to say whatever you want, wherever you want. When you cease to act in a civil and respectful manner, you forfeit the right to expect civility and respect in turn. This kid went into this thing with the intent to disrupt and get attention. I'm not sure the disruption was so successful, as Kerry kept talking while everything was going on, but he sure got some attention. YouTube is chock full of remixes, spoofs, and video responses.

Excessive force? Yeah, maybe, but I wasn't there. When the cops say to leave, you leave. It's as simple as that, especially when you're there doing something you know you shouldn't be doing. And then when you get arrested, you resist? There were about a half-dozen cops there, though. They couldn't get this kid in cuffs and carried away? Anyway, they tell him to stop or he'll get the taser. So he acts like a moron and gets tased.

Maybe if more people got tased, there'd be a lot less stupid in the world.

More Than Just a USB Drive

2007-09-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of more than what you use it for, I wanted to share what I do with my USB drive. Just like you can run a program installed on your computer, you can run certain portable programs from anywhere. Just plug it in and go.

PortableApps: An all-in-one install onto your drive. Includes such programs as Firefox Portable (surf the web without leaving traces) and Pidgin Portable (all-in-one IM program), both of which I use daily. Also has anti-virus, zipping, sudoku, email, etc. The main selling point here is that you can pick which program to open immediately after plugging in your drive. Plus you keep all your settings!

Portable Freeware: A whole site of programs ready and waiting to go on your USB drive. There's something for everyone here.

I use my drive all the time at work for installing programs and transferring files, plus at home for surfing the 'net. These programs really help me out.

P.S. - Use a USB drive and backup your important data! Do it now!

Quick Tip

2007-09-18T21:19:00.000-04:00

Instead of typing www. and .com before and after websites, type just the domain (eg. myspace, facebook) and hit Ctrl + Enter. Your browser will automatically add them in. I found out not too long ago and have been using it non-stop. Just doesn't work for .net or .edu domains, etc.