DOORS & LOCKS Many a crowbar has popped open front doors that are protected by a thin piece of wood (door jamb). A cheap upgrade would be adding a high security box strike with long screws. Look for MAG 747 High Security Box Strike model 747-C and stagger your screw pattern.
Install a perforated metal screen security door (a good one, not the cheap/thin aluminum kind). Titan Security doors. Install a Don-Jo classic wrap around door reinforcer which fits on the door under the deadbolt and door knob to stop the door from splitting.
Secure your patio door with a pin-type lock, a key lock, or a steel rod inserted into the door channel. Get high security locks for your doors from mfgs such as Sargent, ASSA, Medeco, Schlage Everest Primus. Ignore the Schlage/Kwikset stuff you find at hardware stores. You find good locks at a locksmith shop.
WINDOWS Make sure all windows have a lock and a dowel rod. Install security window film such as 3M Scotchshield Safety and Security Films or ShatterGARD. You may also qualify for a tax credit if you do so. Films are pricey ($9.50-$13.25/sq ft) but protect you from the smash & grab methods. Also gives you more time to protect yourself should you be home.
ALARM Installing a do-it-yourself alarm system can be a great (and taxing) experience for first timers. Ademco (Honeywell) Vista 20P is a popular starting point. You can also get fancy with smartphone control of your alarm system over the internet, although I wouldn't recommend it. Check out www.homesecuritystore.com
You want EVERY door and window alarmed, even upstairs. Glass break sensors and motion sensors are good adds, although glass break detection is less effective if you install security film. You can also find a 3rd party security monitoring central station for much cheaper than ADT/Brinks. Look up Alarm Relay and make sure you install and subscribe to cellular backup. They also let you use cellular as the primary (and only) outbound service. Expect to pay $21/month for that (paid annually).
Wireless alarm systems are susceptible to wireless jamming and keyfob frequency theft (savvy thieves). Run wires if you can.
VIDEO CAMERAS Cameras are cool and also serve a purpose, but you do have to define what you are after. If you merely want situational awareness over a large area, a low res system works fine (NTSC resolution, 640x480, etc.). If you plan on zooming in and cleaning up like the moves, prepare to be disappointed. If you want to identify faces and the camera is far away from your subject, you will need a megapixel generally. The problem is with megapixel cameras from places like Axis that cost $500+. Who wants to stick that expensive of a camera on the outside of a house?
Ubiquiti Networks just released their AirCam series which is a 720p 30 FPS fixed lens camera. The great thing is they are $90-$100 each which allows you to add a lot more video coverage for the money. The monitor software is free also and so far I'm liking it better than more pro pages (LuxRiot). AirCams will send an RTSP stream in various resolutions of your choosing, so you can play it with VLC, or embed into a web server.
Beware of low light expectations. Most cheap IP cameras will disappoint in low light (including AirCam). External lighting (halogen motion flood lights) serve a dual purpose to giving the camera enough light to pick up an image. Otherwise, you're looking at an IR-sensitive camera with a larger sensor (1/2" vs 1/4" CCD on the cheaper ones) and a mechanical IR-cut filter ($500-800 again).
SAFE Your safe was stolen. I'm guessing it a) wasn't bolted down, b) wasn't heavy, c) wasn't really a true safe, but a small metal box with some fireproofing (which you can take an axe to). Check out Sturdy Safe which does 7 gauge and thicker all around the box. Get a dial lock so it isn't subject to power outages. Lots of upgrades available (4 gauge on the sides, etc.) A big safe (700+ lbs) will be much m
After years of frustration with a dozen backup systems from Unison, rsync, Windows backup (yikes), Retrospect, etc., and I finally found an elegant, simple, and secure method.
My requirements were: 1. I want to keep the files in their original format -- no proprietary compression/monolithic files 2. It needs to be automated as possible 3. I need to have an offsite rotation 4. It needs to be encrypted
I chose SyncBack as the backup software... freeware is available, but $25 gets you the latest major rev. It supports a ton of features including backup to an FTP site. I also picked up PGP Desktop Pro which includes Whole Disk encryption. That way I can just encrypt my entire 160GB external drive.
The process: 1. Plug in external USB drive (which has been encrypted via PGP Whole Disk encryption) 2. Type in passphrase to unlock drive for the Windows session 3. SyncBack runs 3 scheduled jobs to backup to the USB drive 4. At the end of the backup job, SyncBack automatically pops up an HTML report of what was copied and any errors 5. Once I verify everything looks good, I unplug the USB drive take it to work and give it to a co-worker. If the co-worker tries to plug in the drive to read the data, it just looks like an unformated partition unless he has PGP installed. In that case, it asks for the passphrase (which he doesn't have of course) 6. I take the 2nd USB drive at work home and go to Step 1
You can also add a couple more steps to this to make things easier.
0. Configure TCP/5500 on your firewall to forward to your machine 1. Setup a DynDNS account (or equiv.) to resolve your dynamic IP 2. Walk them through installing RealVNC (just click Next on everything) 3. Manually have them do a reverse VNC connection 4. Once you are connected, create a batch file called "Connect to " on their desktop (right next to the VNC Server icon)
I used to read quite a few PC-related magazines, but over the last few years they seemed to target the new or business-type of user. There content was basic and no real information learned.
I started reading Maximum PC about a year ago, and found the magazine agreed with about 90% of my personal hardware choices. I've grown to trust their reviews and recommendations as I don't have the time to research as exensively as I used to.
With relatively few ads, high quality articles, and $12/year, why not?
Let's not limit it to/8 address space either. I worked for a rather large company (in it's industry) which had registered 127 Class C networks. We only used about 6 public IP addresses out of ~32,000 available (2000 hosts using hide NAT). I suspect there are thousands of companies out there like that could just as easily use RFC1918's and sell back the surplus networks.
When you get into a management position, a large portion of your time is shifted away from the technical aspect of your systems.
You spend most of your time looking at new products, future "visions" of technology, long-term costs, etc. I think where management fails is getting the employees who actually USE and ADMINISTER the systems involved with purchasing decisions.
When management and engineering have invested their time and expertise into product selection, everyone will feel like they have ownership in the process.
I had a chance to catch the last 30 minutes or so of Timo Maas at Club Freedom (Tempe, Arizona). That was the first I'd heard him, and I'll concur -- it was definitely one the of the best 30 minutes I've heard in awhile.
There are so many sub-categories of "electronica" it makes it difficult to determine which ones you'll like. You did mention Digweed, Sasha, and Oakenfold. Download a few of these tracks and see if you like the feel. Here are a few of my picks:
-=(Female Vocals (I love this category): Sarah McLachlan Remixed (excellent electronica mixes) Gus Gus Frontline Assembly (feat Kristy) - Justify My Love
-=(More Mainstream Chemical Brothers Crystal Method Faithless - Insomnia/God is a DJ Orbital Paul Van Dyke
-=(Everything Else Gatecrasher - Plasma CD or Future CD. (I personally feel that Future is the best electronica compilation of all time. FYI Gatecrasher is a club in the UK. They have many albums out featuring a bunch of DJ's, who of course have tracks by different DJ's. It's a good idea to get these and you'll get a wide range of sounds.) Meat Beat Manifesto Fluke DJ Keoki (more offbeat) Lunatic Calm Sneaker Pimps Remixed Album Todd Terry ATB Mario Piu & Maruio Picotto - Arabian Pleasure (Club Mix) (if you like Digweed, you'll love this heavier track!) BT Markus Schultz - You Won't See Me Cry (Farewell Mix) Bedrock Saints and Sinners - Pushing Too Hard Trisco - Musak (Wonderland Avenue Mix) Ashtrax - Helsinki (Sander Kleinenberg Mix) (Listen towards the last 4 minutes and see if you like the melody... it gets me going.) Darude vs Klubbenheads - Sanstorm (Dance Mania Remix)
-=(Mellow Beat Gatecrasher - Chillout Album Kruder & Dorfmeister - Sofa Rockers (R.Dorfmeister Remix) (this is a softer beat) Lamb Mono (they had a track on the Great Expectations Soundtrack)
Ok, so there are a lot of options there... go try out those tracks and see if it fits in with what you like... if so, start looking into Progressive Trance, Trip Hop, House (more dance beats), etc.
And remember you need to listen to these tracks with a subwoofer. No question.
This is one of the problems of GnuPG vs. Commercial PGP.
With GnuPG, you expect "normal" end-users go download GnuPG that has been ported to Win32 from somewhere... then go download a GUI from somewhere else, then go download an email plug-in from yet ANOTHER place.
Just getting people to understand the basics of asymmetric encryption is difficult enough without making a career out of finding a usable installation.
Complain all you want about "stupid users", but in the end, a simplified installation package is what gets people to use it. Encryption for the masses, not encryption for the techno-elite.
Sure it's overboard. But I don't think that's the point. The point is to experiment with ways to push the existing technology past it's engineering specifications.
What could be the result? Some hardcore overclocker may stumble upon the next Big Thing in cooling technology. If we're all just laying dormant and letting the "people who know best" at Intel/AMD take care of us, a lot of innovation may be lost.
For this reason, cable modem service, while being cheaper than broadband, is also inferior.
Um, your post made sense until this broad (no pun intended) conclusion. I pay $35.00/month for cable access, and have always had around 1.0-1.5Mbit downstream speeds. ADSL access from the LEC costs $49.95 for 640Kbit downstream.
Don't assume that because DSL is better than cable in one area, it is true for the entire planet.
Maybe it's just me, but this employer seems to be extremely cooperative. I wonder how much convincing he had to do in order to get this project off the ground.
There are so few games that actually leave a lasting impression on you, and this was definiately one of them.
I think this redefined RTS in the 90's.
WarCraft I/II for RTS
Half-Life for FPS
BattleZone I/II for hybrid RTS/FPS (if you haven't tried this one, go buy it! It's in the $5 bin)
You can get UTP or STP cable that's rated CMP (communications plenum, aka "plenum cable") or CMR (communications riser, aka "PVC cable").
Really, the only difference between the two is the outer insulation on plenum cable is supposed to give off less visible smoke when set on fire. This is important if the plenum area in a ceiling is used for a air return, and you don't want your HVAC system recirculating blinding smoke.
However, in a house, I doubt this is the case. Your HVAC will be getting fresh air from your in-air vent. If the house were to catch on fire, smoke from your furniture and carpet would kill you before the CAT5e cable would. Plus, if you're running the cable in conduit anyway, where's the advantage of spending extra $ on CMP?
Check out these links for standards info:
http://www.diamondwireandcable.com/techtips/necf la meratings.pdf
Perhaps Schmidt sees this as an opportunity to have leadership role assigned to him, and obtain actual results.
Can you blame one person for the security holes in an entire company (well, maybe you can...)? Maybe he wasn't getting cooperation at M$, and thinks the public sector is where the real thrills are.
Slashdot Mirror
Prioritize at will:
DOORS & LOCKS
Many a crowbar has popped open front doors that are protected by a thin piece of wood (door jamb). A cheap upgrade would be adding a high security box strike with long screws. Look for MAG 747 High Security Box Strike model 747-C and stagger your screw pattern.
Install a perforated metal screen security door (a good one, not the cheap/thin aluminum kind). Titan Security doors.
Install a Don-Jo classic wrap around door reinforcer which fits on the door under the deadbolt and door knob to stop the door from splitting.
Secure your patio door with a pin-type lock, a key lock, or a steel rod inserted into the door channel.
Get high security locks for your doors from mfgs such as Sargent, ASSA, Medeco, Schlage Everest Primus. Ignore the Schlage/Kwikset stuff you find at hardware stores. You find good locks at a locksmith shop.
WINDOWS
Make sure all windows have a lock and a dowel rod.
Install security window film such as 3M Scotchshield Safety and Security Films or ShatterGARD. You may also qualify for a tax credit if you do so. Films are pricey ($9.50-$13.25/sq ft) but protect you from the smash & grab methods. Also gives you more time to protect yourself should you be home.
ALARM
Installing a do-it-yourself alarm system can be a great (and taxing) experience for first timers. Ademco (Honeywell) Vista 20P is a popular starting point. You can also get fancy with smartphone control of your alarm system over the internet, although I wouldn't recommend it. Check out www.homesecuritystore.com
You want EVERY door and window alarmed, even upstairs. Glass break sensors and motion sensors are good adds, although glass break detection is less effective if you install security film. You can also find a 3rd party security monitoring central station for much cheaper than ADT/Brinks. Look up Alarm Relay and make sure you install and subscribe to cellular backup. They also let you use cellular as the primary (and only) outbound service. Expect to pay $21/month for that (paid annually).
Wireless alarm systems are susceptible to wireless jamming and keyfob frequency theft (savvy thieves). Run wires if you can.
VIDEO CAMERAS
Cameras are cool and also serve a purpose, but you do have to define what you are after. If you merely want situational awareness over a large area, a low res system works fine (NTSC resolution, 640x480, etc.). If you plan on zooming in and cleaning up like the moves, prepare to be disappointed. If you want to identify faces and the camera is far away from your subject, you will need a megapixel generally. The problem is with megapixel cameras from places like Axis that cost $500+. Who wants to stick that expensive of a camera on the outside of a house?
Ubiquiti Networks just released their AirCam series which is a 720p 30 FPS fixed lens camera. The great thing is they are $90-$100 each which allows you to add a lot more video coverage for the money. The monitor software is free also and so far I'm liking it better than more pro pages (LuxRiot). AirCams will send an RTSP stream in various resolutions of your choosing, so you can play it with VLC, or embed into a web server.
Beware of low light expectations. Most cheap IP cameras will disappoint in low light (including AirCam). External lighting (halogen motion flood lights) serve a dual purpose to giving the camera enough light to pick up an image. Otherwise, you're looking at an IR-sensitive camera with a larger sensor (1/2" vs 1/4" CCD on the cheaper ones) and a mechanical IR-cut filter ($500-800 again).
SAFE
Your safe was stolen. I'm guessing it a) wasn't bolted down, b) wasn't heavy, c) wasn't really a true safe, but a small metal box with some fireproofing (which you can take an axe to). Check out Sturdy Safe which does 7 gauge and thicker all around the box. Get a dial lock so it isn't subject to power outages. Lots of upgrades available (4 gauge on the sides, etc.) A big safe (700+ lbs) will be much m
AlertsUSA will send you a txt, email, or call you.
http://www.alertsusa.com/
After years of frustration with a dozen backup systems from Unison, rsync, Windows backup (yikes), Retrospect, etc., and I finally found an elegant, simple, and secure method.
My requirements were:
1. I want to keep the files in their original format -- no proprietary compression/monolithic files
2. It needs to be automated as possible
3. I need to have an offsite rotation
4. It needs to be encrypted
I chose SyncBack as the backup software... freeware is available, but $25 gets you the latest major rev. It supports a ton of features including backup to an FTP site. I also picked up PGP Desktop Pro which includes Whole Disk encryption. That way I can just encrypt my entire 160GB external drive.
The process:
1. Plug in external USB drive (which has been encrypted via PGP Whole Disk encryption)
2. Type in passphrase to unlock drive for the Windows session
3. SyncBack runs 3 scheduled jobs to backup to the USB drive
4. At the end of the backup job, SyncBack automatically pops up an HTML report of what was copied and any errors
5. Once I verify everything looks good, I unplug the USB drive take it to work and give it to a co-worker. If the co-worker tries to plug in the drive to read the data, it just looks like an unformated partition unless he has PGP installed. In that case, it asks for the passphrase (which he doesn't have of course)
6. I take the 2nd USB drive at work home and go to Step 1
You can also add a couple more steps to this to make things easier.
0. Configure TCP/5500 on your firewall to forward to your machine
1. Setup a DynDNS account (or equiv.) to resolve your dynamic IP
2. Walk them through installing RealVNC (just click Next on everything)
3. Manually have them do a reverse VNC connection
4. Once you are connected, create a batch file called "Connect to " on their desktop (right next to the VNC Server icon)
$PATH\winvnc4.exe -connect yourhostname.dyndns.org
5. Now, anytime they need to make a connection, they just click VNC Server, then click "Connect to the Big Eye" or whatever.
They are already onto that trick.
The first time you use your credit/debit card with your real name on it, they will modify the database to reflect your real information.
The only way to be safe is to use cash-only 100% of the time (which is a good principle to live by anyway).
I used to read quite a few PC-related magazines, but over the last few years they seemed to target the new or business-type of user. There content was basic and no real information learned.
I started reading Maximum PC about a year ago, and found the magazine agreed with about 90% of my personal hardware choices. I've grown to trust their reviews and recommendations as I don't have the time to research as exensively as I used to.
With relatively few ads, high quality articles, and $12/year, why not?
At first I thought it was a Spanish version of Office:
El Office Grando.
So, uh, where might these screeners be released on the internet?
We have a right to examine the evidence, right?
You mean something like this?
New Ford Exorbitant Comes with Spare Explorer
Let's not limit it to /8 address space either. I worked for a rather large company (in it's industry) which had registered 127 Class C networks. We only used about 6 public IP addresses out of ~32,000 available (2000 hosts using hide NAT). I suspect there are thousands of companies out there like that could just as easily use RFC1918's and sell back the surplus networks.
-SB
Maybe because one was real and the other imaginary? :)
Everyone keeps knocking ICQ because of the ads. Yes, they're annoying...
So just get ICQPlus to make them go away with the added benefit of being skinnable (and free).
-SB
When you get into a management position, a large portion of your time is shifted away from the technical aspect of your systems.
You spend most of your time looking at new products, future "visions" of technology, long-term costs, etc. I think where management fails is getting the employees who actually USE and ADMINISTER the systems involved with purchasing decisions.
When management and engineering have invested their time and expertise into product selection, everyone will feel like they have ownership in the process.
I had a chance to catch the last 30 minutes or so of Timo Maas at Club Freedom (Tempe, Arizona). That was the first I'd heard him, and I'll concur -- it was definitely one the of the best 30 minutes I've heard in awhile.
-SB
There are so many sub-categories of "electronica" it makes it difficult to determine which ones you'll like. You did mention Digweed, Sasha, and Oakenfold. Download a few of these tracks and see if you like the feel. Here are a few of my picks:
... if so, start looking into Progressive Trance, Trip Hop, House (more dance beats), etc.
-=(Female Vocals (I love this category):
Sarah McLachlan Remixed (excellent electronica mixes)
Gus Gus
Frontline Assembly (feat Kristy) - Justify My Love
-=(More Mainstream
Chemical Brothers
Crystal Method
Faithless - Insomnia/God is a DJ
Orbital
Paul Van Dyke
-=(Everything Else
Gatecrasher - Plasma CD or Future CD. (I personally feel that Future is the best electronica compilation of all time. FYI Gatecrasher is a club in the UK. They have many albums out featuring a bunch of DJ's, who of course have tracks by different DJ's. It's a good idea to get these and you'll get a wide range of sounds.)
Meat Beat Manifesto
Fluke
DJ Keoki (more offbeat)
Lunatic Calm
Sneaker Pimps Remixed Album
Todd Terry
ATB
Mario Piu & Maruio Picotto - Arabian Pleasure (Club Mix) (if you like Digweed, you'll love this heavier track!)
BT
Markus Schultz - You Won't See Me Cry (Farewell Mix)
Bedrock
Saints and Sinners - Pushing Too Hard
Trisco - Musak (Wonderland Avenue Mix)
Ashtrax - Helsinki (Sander Kleinenberg Mix) (Listen towards the last 4 minutes and see if you like the melody... it gets me going.)
Darude vs Klubbenheads - Sanstorm (Dance Mania Remix)
-=(Mellow Beat
Gatecrasher - Chillout Album
Kruder & Dorfmeister - Sofa Rockers (R.Dorfmeister Remix) (this is a softer beat)
Lamb
Mono (they had a track on the Great Expectations Soundtrack)
Ok, so there are a lot of options there... go try out those tracks and see if it fits in with what you like
And remember you need to listen to these tracks with a subwoofer. No question.
Good luck.
-SB
This is one of the problems of GnuPG vs. Commercial PGP.
With GnuPG, you expect "normal" end-users go download GnuPG that has been ported to Win32 from somewhere... then go download a GUI from somewhere else, then go download an email plug-in from yet ANOTHER place.
Just getting people to understand the basics of asymmetric encryption is difficult enough without making a career out of finding a usable installation.
Complain all you want about "stupid users", but in the end, a simplified installation package is what gets people to use it. Encryption for the masses, not encryption for the techno-elite.
-SB
I've been researching Slashdot for months for a way to take down Microsoft. This is a foolproof plan.
On the count of 3, everyone go out and buy X-Boxes!
1... 2...
-StealthyBurrito-
Sure it's overboard. But I don't think that's the point. The point is to experiment with ways to push the existing technology past it's engineering specifications.
What could be the result? Some hardcore overclocker may stumble upon the next Big Thing in cooling technology. If we're all just laying dormant and letting the "people who know best" at Intel/AMD take care of us, a lot of innovation may be lost.
-StealthyBurrito-
Um, your post made sense until this broad (no pun intended) conclusion. I pay $35.00/month for cable access, and have always had around 1.0-1.5Mbit downstream speeds. ADSL access from the LEC costs $49.95 for 640Kbit downstream.
Don't assume that because DSL is better than cable in one area, it is true for the entire planet.
Maybe it's just me, but this employer seems to be extremely cooperative. I wonder how much convincing he had to do in order to get this project off the ground.
In Arizona, your drivers license expires when you are 60. So, I don't have to get mine renewed until 2039.
So once I wipe out the mag-stripe on the back, I should be set.
There are so few games that actually leave a lasting impression on you, and this was definiately one of them.
I think this redefined RTS in the 90's.
WarCraft I/II for RTS
Half-Life for FPS
BattleZone I/II for hybrid RTS/FPS (if you haven't tried this one, go buy it! It's in the $5 bin)
You can get UTP or STP cable that's rated CMP (communications plenum, aka "plenum cable") or CMR (communications riser, aka "PVC cable").
f la meratings.pdf
p vc .pdf
Really, the only difference between the two is the outer insulation on plenum cable is supposed to give off less visible smoke when set on fire. This is important if the plenum area in a ceiling is used for a air return, and you don't want your HVAC system recirculating blinding smoke.
However, in a house, I doubt this is the case. Your HVAC will be getting fresh air from your in-air vent. If the house were to catch on fire, smoke from your furniture and carpet would kill you before the CAT5e cable would. Plus, if you're running the cable in conduit anyway, where's the advantage of spending extra $ on CMP?
Check out these links for standards info:
http://www.diamondwireandcable.com/techtips/nec
http://www2.superioressex.com/techinfo/plenumvs
Perhaps Schmidt sees this as an opportunity to have leadership role assigned to him, and obtain actual results.
Can you blame one person for the security holes in an entire company (well, maybe you can...)? Maybe he wasn't getting cooperation at M$, and thinks the public sector is where the real thrills are.
Then again, maybe he is an idiot.
Fremch l33t sp34k? I'm not so sure it has the same flare.
Bonjourez. Nous sommez l33t. Essayez de nous entaillerez.