Monday, September 14, 2009 12:51:40 PM
Linux, titlebar, Hide, Button
...
If you've got a small screen you probably know that every bit of space is important. After seeing Google Chrome without a title bar I got to wondering how to do it with Opera and firefox on Ubuntu Linux. Turns out it's pretty easy.
If you've got
Compiz Fusion installed just goto
System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager. Under
Effects click
Window Decoration. Go down to
Decoration windows and add the line:
(!title=Firefox) & (!title=Opera)
Hit
Back then
Close and you're all done. In newer versions of Opera you can also hide the menu bar to save a bit more space.
If you want to do this on Windows Tamil has created an
Opera Launcher which includes that feature.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:20:21 AM
Free, OpenDNS, Tech
If you're an Opera user, you’re probably already familiar with its small size and fast browsing. If you'd like to increase the speed of your internet experience even more, check out
OpenDNS.
DNS is a service that translates text domain names into IP addresses that computers understand. If you have a working internet connection, you're using DNS and it's probably not as good as it could be.
OpenDNS is faster, more reliable, smarter and safer then normal DNS. It’s a FREE service that replaces your ISP's and requires no downloads. Setup is easy. If you have a router; it's probably best and easiest to change your DNS settings on that. The OpenDNS website has step-by-step instructions on doing this, or just the DNS settings on your computer.
Thursday, August 16, 2007 12:52:26 AM
Poem, Politics
(by Thelen Paulk)
I had a dream the other night, I didn't understand. A figure walking through the mist with flintlock in his hand. His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by my bed. He look off his three-cornered hat and speaking low, he said:
We fought a revolution, to secure our Liberty.
We wrote the Constitution, as a shield from tyranny.
For future generations, this legacy we gave.
In this, the land of the free and home of the brave.
The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep.
But tyrants labored endlessly while your parents were asleep.
Your freedom gone, your courage lost, you're no more than a slave.
In this, the land of the free and home of the brave.
You buy permits to travel, and permits to own a gun,
permits to start a business, or to build a place for one.
On land that you believe you own, you pay a yearly rent.
Although you have no voice in choosing, how the money's spent.
Your children must attend a school that doesn't educate.
Your Christian values can't be taught, according to the state.
You read about the current news in a regulated press.
You pay a tax you do not owe, to please the I.R.S.
Your money is no longer made of Silver or of Gold.
You trade your wealth for paper, so your life can be controlled.
You pay for crimes that make our Nation, turn from God in shame.
You've taken Satan's number, as you've traded in your name.
You've given government control, to those who do you harm,
so they can padlock churches, and steal the family farm,
and keep our country deep in debt, putt men of God in jail,
harass you fellow countrymen, while corrupted courts prevail.
Your public servants don't uphold the solemn oath they've sworn.
Your daughters visit Doctors so their children won't be born.
Your leaders ship artillery, and guns to foreign shores, and send your sons to slaughter, fighting other people's wars.
Can you regain the freedom for which we fought and died?
Or you have the courage, or the faith to stand with pride?
Are there no more values for which you'll fight to save?
Or do you wish your children, live in fear and be a slave?
Sons of the Republic arise and take a stand!
Defend the Constitution, the Supreme Law d the Land!
Preserve our Great Republic, and each GOD-Given Right!
And pray to GOD, to keep the torch of Freedom burning bright.
As I awoke he vanished, in the mist from whence he came.
His words were true, we are not tree, we have ourselves to blame.
For even now as tyrants trample each GOD-Given Right
We only watch and tremble, too afraid to stand and fight.
If he stood by your bedside, in a dream. while you're asleep,
and wonders what remains of our Rights he fought to keep,
what would be your answer, if he called out from the grave:
IS THIS STILL, THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE????
Friday, August 3, 2007 1:28:43 AM
Security, Tech, Programs, Links
...
Hardly a week goes by when I don't see yet another story about
government spying. Even if you still trust the government (who has a long history of stealing, abusing, and even losing your personal data) they are not alone. Companies (such as
AT&T,
ISPs, etc.) and
computer criminals are all after your data. To make matters worse, this is usually pretty easy over the internet.
Everything on the Internet is sent over multiple servers, any one of them could be reading your data. To protect your data, you need to encrypt it.
Encryption takes your information and scrambles it, making it unreadable to anyone without the correct keys or password. Here's a list of 36 programs to help you get started.
# Disk
-
TrueCrypt - On-the-fly encryption for Windows and Linux which can be used to encrypt entire disks (including memory sticks). Featured on Security Now #41 with Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson.
-
Scramdisk - On-the-fly encryption for Windows 95-98-ME.
-
DriveCrypt - Disk encryption for Windows 2000/XP/+.
-
FreeOTFE - Free On-the-fly encryption which works with Win2000/XP and Linux (via CryptoLoop).
-
CrossCrypt - Another On-the-fly encryption program for Windows 2000/XP.
-
Eraser - File wiping program used to securely delete files (by overwriting them multiple times) so they can not be restored by any means (unlike just deleting the file).
# Web Browsing
-
Tor - A toolset that encrypts and anonymizes your Web, Instant Messaging, IRC, SSH, and other internet applications.
-
Torpark - Portable browser by Torrify based on firefox with access to Tor built in and is upgradeable (for a price) to high speed anonymity services.
-
OperaTor - Portable version of the Opera Browser setup with Tor.
-
Cygwin - Can be used to create your own secure proxy, see this article at lifehacker for more info.
-
FreeNet - Free software which lets you publish and obtain information on the Internet without fear of censorship.
# E-Mail
-
PGP - Probably the most famous encryption and authentication program, PGP use's public-key cryptography and is primarily focused on encrypting your communications. PGP is Free for personal use, but to unlock some other features you need to purchase it.
-
GnuPG - Similar to PGP, supports the OpenPGP standard (meaning it can communicate with PGP and similer programs). Unlike PGP, GnuPG supports Windows, Linux and other operating systems. GnuPG is a command line program (meaning no graphical interface like most windows users will be familiar with) so if you need a point and click solution you will probably want to check out Gpg4win which comes with a graphical interface and a set of plugins for your email programs. GPG and Gpg4win are both FREE and Open Source.
-
Hushmail - Provides secure private web-based email accounts with encryption (to the server, end-to-end with other hushmail users), virus scanning, and spam filtering all automatic. The basic email and IM service is free, but limited.
-
Gmail - Free web based email service with advanced features including encrypted (SSL/TLS) client-to-server communications. To take advantage of this encryption, you must specify by adding an "s" to the http protocol indicator (https://). (Note: There may be other privacy concerns with gmail.)
# Instant Messaging
-
Google Talk - GTalk use's encryption from the client to server, but not end-to-end. Google plans to add support for call and chat encryption in the future.
-
Hush Messenger - Offers transparent end-to-end strong encryption.
-
AIM Encrypt - Free Security Certificates for AIM that encrypts your communications.
-
Gaim-Encryption - Plugin for the popular GAIM instant messenger to encrypt communications with other users of this plugin.
-
Off-the-Record Messaging - Allows you to have private conversations over instant messaging by providing Encryption, Authentication, Deniability, and Perfect forward secrecy. Get it for Miranda, GAIM (GAIM Portable), and Trillian.
-
SimpPro - (Paid) Encrypts communications with other SimpPro or SimpLite users using MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AIM, Jabber, and Google Talk. Protects MSN, ICQ, and AIM file transfers. FREE (limited) versions for Yahoo, MSN, ICQ/AIM, and Jabber/Google.
-
ZoneLabs IM Secure - (Free and paid versions) Automatically encrypts instant messages over any protocol, any program (AIM, MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, GTalk, Google, Trillian, Miranda, Gaim, etc.) between users of this program.
-
BitWise IM - Stand alone program for Encrypted Cross-Platform Instant Messaging for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Text, Files Transfers, Whiteboards, Voice & more.
-
Miranda - has a SecureIM plugin.
-
Trillian - has a Secure IM feature for AIM and ICQ protocols.
-
Jabber - Some Jabber servers use SASL and TLS.
# Other
-
Zfone - Software for secure voice communication over the internet created by Phil Zimmermann (the creator of PGP) and using the ZRTP protocol. Successor to PGPfone.
-
Nautilus - Windows and Linux software for secure voice communication over the internet. Runs from the command line.
-
CryptoPhone - Offers worldwide protection for your confidential phone calls- whether by GSM cellular network (850, 900, 1800, 1900 Mhz), satellite or land line.
-
MySecureISP - Provides a secure connection for web browsing, IM, email, etc. Encrypts the connection from your existing ISP.
-
Top Secret Messenger (TSM) - secure public-key encryption with fully and seamlessly integrated plugins for popular instant messengers and e-mail clients such as ICQ, MSN, Miranda, and Outlook. Limited trial version.
-
Mircryption - Blowfish encryption for mIRC channels, private messages, DCC Chats, actions, and topics.
-
mIRC SSL - How to use SSL with mIRC.
-
EncrIRC - IRC encryption proxy "because IRC SSL does not save your from the voyeur sysadmin" (for Linux).
-
Invisiblog - Lets you publish an anonymous weblog using GPG and the Mixmaster anonymous remailer network.
-
SuperGenPass - Encrypts your password so every site has a different, more secure password and you only have to remember the one.
As a general rule, you should never send anything you don't want the entire world to know over the internet in plaintext and you should probably encrypt everything possible so your sensitive information doesn't stand out.
For common questions and answers check out the
Security and Encryption FAQ.
If I missed something, feel free to leave a comment.
Friday, July 27, 2007 12:42:23 AM
Requests, Tech, Browser, Opera
Saw this idea over at
Opera Watch, so here's my list of things I'd like to see in Opera.
1. Easier installing of Plugins. People are always telling me they can't view flash in Opera. It should be as simple as replacing the plugin space with a one-click "Click here to install" image.
2. A mobile Opera browser for Brew. I've heard this was coming, but haven't seen it yet.
3. An option to import/export your bookmarks, wand passwords, notes, personal info, contacts, blocked content, style sheets, etc. to a single compressed file. This would allow for safer clean installs, backups, and transferring data between multiple installs or computers.
4. Better support for thumbdrives. A thumbdrive install option? Installing Opera on my thumbdrive is a pain in the butt. I have to change the settings in Opera6.def and Opera.ini. I had to write a vbs script to make sure Opera always runs on the same (virtual) drive.
5. Unlinked tabs. I don't like gmail connecting my email address to my searches.
Bonus requests:
6. Plugin support. I'd like to be able to use GPG encryption with Opera. I'm sure there are other things that could be plugins too.
7. Live Bookmarks. The ability to read bookmarks from an RSS feed.
8. The Content blocker needs a search.
9. Ability to add Bookmarks and Bookmarklets to the Panel. I don't want to take up more screen space by enabling the personal bar, and my Start Bar is filled up (not to mention the fact that it requires an extra click).
10. How about a text area style dialog box in the Wand Preferences for other personal information you type often. For example, I have a bunch of SpamGourmet email domains I'd rather not have to type all the time.
Since I don't know anyone else who owns a blog, I won't tag anyone.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:15:48 PM
Free, Tech, Phone
Yak4Ever.com (Formally:
All Free Calls) allows you to make UNLIMITED and FREE calls from the USA to a list of (surprisingly quite a few) foreign countries.
Basically, you register your number and ten overseas numbers you call regularly. When you need to call someone you dial an access number they provided you with and enter the extension number you selected for your friend. The call will be placed and you can talk for an unlimited amount of time.
So, how are they able to do this? I'm willing to be they do this by charging high termination fees.
Termination fees are charges which differ from location to location. Your telephone company sets a standard rate for phone calls, sometimes the fee's are over this rate, sometimes under. They don't normally care because they usually come out on top. Recently however, a number of free conference call lines (mostly in Iowa) have been blocked by major cell phone companies due to the high termination fees and the number of calls their customers were making to those numbers. Don't be surprised if the same happens to Yak4Ever, or if they get shut down again.
Thursday, June 7, 2007 2:32:09 AM
Dictatorship, Martial Law, Politics, George W. Bush
George W. Bush recently released
The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive which says that in the event of a "Catastrophic Emergency" the presidents powers will be expanded over the legislative and judicial branches to "ensure constitutional government." This is a huge move by the Bush Administration, yet largely ignored by the mainstream media.
The wording of this directive is so loosely setup that a "Catastrophic Emergency" could mean another Katrina type event, a
False Flag operation similar to 9-11 (in the United States or one of its allies), or possibly even just the threat of an attack. After which, this directive will destroy the system of checks and balances our founding fathers setup to protect us by making the president a dictator. If all this isn't bad enough, part of this directive is classified. If what they're willing to talk about this scary, I'd hate to see what they're hiding.
Basically this directive is telling the terrorists that if they want to destroy "democracy" they just have to attack us and we'll become a dictatorship. One can't help but wonder if this is part of a bigger plot by the Bush Administration. So far they've...
-
Lied us into the Iraq war (declaring it without the power to do so)
- Profited from that war via Haliburton
- Used Terror Tactics and the war to ensure passage of the Patriot Act and other anti-American freedom limiting bills
- Restricted free speech (see free speech zones) and Signed away Habeas Corpus basically destroying the bill of rights
- Signed away Americas sovereignty by Creating a North American Union with no congressional oversight or input from the American people
- Allowed the NSA and CIA to spy on American citizens (without a warrant)
- Pushed the Real ID Act and Spychips so the government can track your every move
- Repealed Posse Comitatus enabling him to take National Guard troops from one state to another) and allowed large numbers of Mexican immigrants to become cops and military officers (all these could be more easily used against American citizens)
- Ignored the will of congress and the American people by not setting a time table to pull out
And all this barely scratches the surface.
It's obvious at this point no one in the Bush Administration has even read the constitution, nothing they've done has been to protect liberty and freedom but more likely to setup a dictatorship in the United States. The Bush family (which has
ties to Hitler) has
tried to overthrow the American Government before, this time they've just decided to do it in plain site.
We need to
impeach Bush, his Administration, and tri them all for treason. If you'd like to call and complain about this directive, the Capitol Switchboard can be reached at 202-224-3121.
Saturday, May 19, 2007 1:19:14 AM
Tips, Tech, Opera, Google
Awhile back after upgrading my Opera browser I noticed the drop down box for "Preferred number of search results per page" was no longer on my search preferences page. I looked for it many times, noticing that "&num=%i" was still in the Google search string it was driving me nuts, and I never could find it. I had thought about editing the Google search string (Ctrl+F12 > Search > Google > Edit > Details), but being a bit of a programmer just replacing the variable with a number seemed wrong to me. I have my browser set to delete all my cookies when I exit, so just changing the preferences on Google’s site wouldn't work either. Searching for something unrelated in the forums today I found my answer.
Turns out the developers removed that feature since it only applied to Google.
Saddle Magic over at the forums had the link
opera:config#UserPrefs|NumberOfHits which points to the proper place you should go to change the default number of results. Just change the
Number of Hits to 50, 100, or whatever you want. Hopefully this information will be helpful someone else.
Friday, May 4, 2007 9:35:30 PM
Mike Judge, Reviews, Idiocracy, Movie
"An average guy (Luke Wilson) volunteers to be the subject of a hibernation experiment that goes awry. He wakes up 500 years in the future, discovering that he's the smartest guy on the planet."
-
Yahoo! MoviesIdiocracy, a film from Mike Judge (Office Space), takes a look at what the world will look like if the stupid people keep over breading. Corporate culture and the dumbing down of pretty much everything has made society incapable of solving the simplest problems like growing plants and taking care of garbage. Communication has become little more then grunts and several types of slang, and the most popular show on TV is a guy getting hit between the legs over and over again (much like
YouTube). Evolution has failed the human species.
While marketed as a comedy, the reality of this film makes it pretty scary at the same time. As tends to be the case with Mike Judge films, this movie was poorly promoted and shown in only a few theatres. This is a VERY GOOD movie and I highly recommend it. Check out the
Trailer and look for the DVD now.
Comedy, Rated R (1hr 24min)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:18:57 PM
Free, Telemarketers, Tips, Tech
You've probably seen those expensive little boxes that you put on your phone line and when a telemarketer calls it tells them your line is disconnected so they hang up and don't call back? Well, don't waste your money. Just download
zap.aif, record it before your answering machine (or voicemail) message and kiss the telemarketers goodbye.
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