Join Dr. Bill as he examines the wild and wacky world of the web, computers, and all things geeky! Hot Tech Tips, Tech News, and Geek Culture are examined… with plenty of good humor as well!
Rumored Microsoft Adware Deal Raises Red Flags
So now our favorite Evil Empire is getting into the Ad-ware biz? So what’s the deal? Evil is as evil does! Just remember, Uncle Bill (Gates) says that he is SERIOUS about PC security!! Yeah, right! He is serious about making money! And if your system gets eaten by ad-ware… well, so it goes!
This is a Geek Software recommendation that I have been waiting a long time to make! As a professional Webmaster, I know that web design tools are important and have been “so-so” at best. However, I have been watching the Nvu Open Source project since it’s inception, and they have just released the “1.0” milestone! You owe it to yourself to check out this FREE software with features that compete with Dreamweaver and Frontpage! Nvu is sponsored by Linspire Linux… and there are versions for Windows, Linux and the Mac.
New WYSIWYG Web Editor Has Improved Flexibility, Ease-of-Use
SAN DIEGO, June 29, 2005 – Nvu 1.0, the latest version of the free, easy-to-use Web authoring system for desktop Linux, Macintosh and Microsoft Windows users, was released today. Nvu (pronounced “n-view”) is the open-source equivalent to programs such as Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia Dreamweaver. Nvu gives non-technical computer users the power to create, edit and publish professional, attractive Web sites without requiring programming or HTML coding skills. It is available for download at www.nvu.com.
Check out Nvu! You will be impressed! Here’s the link: Nvu
OK, I read something this morning on Dr. Mercola’s Natural Health Blog that blew my mind! Check this out:
Dr. Richard Kahn is the American Diabetes Association chief scientific and medical officer. He recently had an interview with the Corporate Crime Reporter (CCR) and I just have to post a few lines of it for you.
CCR: Sugar does have something to do with diabetes.
KAHN: What? What is the evidence that sugar itself has anything to do with diabetes? There is no evidence.
CCR: There is no evidence that sugar has anything to do with diabetes?
KAHN: None. There is not a shred of evidence that sugar per se has anything to do with getting diabetes.
I could NOT believe what I was reading. The ADA chief medical officer does simply not believe that sugar OR artificial sweeteners have anything to do with diabetes. This can only mean one thing in my view, that this person has sacrificed his integrity for some type of payment.
Nearly everyone reading this blog understands the relationship between sugar and diabetes. In fact my guess is that nearly anyone who has finished fifth grade has this base understanding.
Now, I am stunned on this one! If sugar was a new substance that was trying to be approved for consumption by the FDA, it wouldn’t pass! Why? It is physically and psychologically altering! Pure, white sugar is evil! It causes your body to DUMP insulin into your system, and insulin is the hormone that causes fat to to stored on your frame! (Think about that one!) But, regardless of your particular stand on the “evils” of white sugar… being an authoritative spokesman for a Diabetic organization and saying that there is NO relation between diabetes and sugar is downright crazy!
Now, I know I am the “Computer Curmudgeon,” but I am also a Certified Natural Health Professional, and I can tell you a simple truth… for anyone that wants to “eat healthy”… there are two simple rules that will serve you in good stead: 1) avoid “white foods” (white flour, white sugar,) and: 2) eat lot’s of “colors” (vegetables, greens, fruits.) Now, some of you will say, “But fruits contain sugar!” True… but it is a natural sugar, with naturally produced enzymes included to help digest them. For instance, cut an apple’s skin and watch for a few minutes… what happens? The apple begins to turn brown. Why? It is “digesting itself” with the enzymes included in the apple! Pure, white sugar on the other hand, hits your body like a ton of bricks… and with about the same impact!
Be aware… pure, white sucrose is EVIL! Oh, and as long as I am ranting… drink more pure water! Nearly ALL of America is dehydrated! There, I feel better! I think I will go sip on some water now.
BetaNews | Windows 2000 Update Rollup Released
So, on July 1, 2005 Windows 2000 passes into Microsoft oblivion (as far as “mainstream support.”) They will still do security patch releases for five more years. Nice of them, since Windows is the most un-secure operating system on the planet! Bill Gates has said that security is the new commitment at M$… but nobody told the OS designers! Yeeesh… and why does it have to always be “buffer overflow” errors? But I digress… the bottom line is that yet another interation of Windows is “passing away.” Yet, I know several VERY large oganizations that are still running Windows 2000 as their primary client OS! And, sadly, there are still SOME organizations (you know who you are) that actually have Windows 9x in production environments! Shame, shame! Anyone that seriously cares about their enterprise and it’s security should at the VERY least be using the latest version of Windows with all patches and Service Packs in place! Come on, gang!
And, if you are REALLY serious about security, do yourself a favor and at least have some of your IS folks looking into the viability of Linux-based desktops. At least for those employees that only read e-mail, send documents, and surf the net (in other words, 95% of your workforce!) Might I suggest looking at Linspire? You can find it HERE!
Well, last night I held my breath and did an upgrade on our main web/mail/everything else server. It was running CentOS 3.3 and I upgraded to CentOS 4.1. This server started life as a Red Hat Linux 9.0 server. Then, I upgraded it to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 (which Red Hat did not recommend, by the way… but a helpful support guy talked me through it.) Then, when my support contract expired with Red Hat on that server, I moved to CentOS. So, last night wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past (as upgrades go), but (a BIG BUT!) after the upgrade, SquirrelMail didn’t work! Doom! I have to have SquirrelMail! Basically, any IMAP service was gone! Turns out that Red Hat has moved to Cyrus IMAP from Courier IMAP. Cyrus IMAP is not straightforward to configure. (OK, all you Cyrus IMAP geeks… I know you will say, “Of course it is!” So, give me a break!) I finally un-installed all Cyrus IMAP packages from the system, and went with Dovecot IMAP. Budda-bing! SquirrelMail is back! Life is good! My wife, Belinda says, “Why do upgrades? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” Well… it is a geek thing. I gotta be “caught up” on my servers. It just is the way it is. Not to mention more secure. So, live a little, go for the “edge”… do a server upgrade. Dewd.
Ever wanted to capture a video of your screen so that you can show someone how to use an application? Try this cool, free software!
OK… so maybe this doesn’t fall under “computer”… it does fall under “curmudgeon!” I have long called humans by the pronunciation used by the Ferengi on Star Trek, “hoo-mons.” These are cases of some “hoo-mons” that are muddying the gene pool! Here are the 2005 “Darwin Awards”:
1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a holdup in Long Beach…California…would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder….He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again… This time it worked.
And now…the honorable mentions…
2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat slicer…He submitted a claim to his insurance company…The company…suspecting negligence…sent out one of its investigators to have a look for himself…He tried the machine and lost a finger…The chef’s claim was approved…
3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his Vehicle to find a woman had taken the space…Understandably…he shot her…
4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar…a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped…Not wanting to admit his incompetence…the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride…He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital…telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies…The deception wasn’t discovered for 3 days…
5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train…When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit…
6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K…put a $20 bill on the counter…and asked for change…When the clerk opened the cash drawer…the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register…which the clerk gave him…The man grabbed the cash and fled leaving the $20 bill on the counter…The total amount of cash he got from the robbery…$15…
7. An Arkansas man wanted some beer…So he decided to throw a cinderblock through a liquor store window…grab some booze…and run…Lifting the cinder block over his head he heaverd it at the window…Unfortunately…the window was made of Plexiglas…and the cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head…knocking him unconscious…The whole event was caught on videotape…
8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store…a man grabbed her purse and ran…The clerk called 911…and the woman was able to give police a detailed description of the purse snatcher…Within minutes…the cops nabbed the suspect…put him in the patrol car and drove back to the store…The suspect was told to stand there for a positive ID…to which he replied…”Yes…officer…that’s her…That’s the lady I stole the purse from”…
9. The Ann Arbor News reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti…Michigan…at 5am…flashed a gun…and demanded cash…The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order…The man ordered onion rings…The clerk said they weren’t available for breakfast…Frustrated…the would-be robber walked away…
10. A man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street…Police arrived on the scene to find a very sick man curled up on the ground…throwing up…Police say the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline but put his siphon hose into the motor home’s sewage tank by mistake…The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges…saying that it was the best laugh he’d ever had…
iPodder, the cross-platform podcast receiver.
iPodder 2.1 is out! I am REALLY enjoying the podcast world! It is great to be able to program your own “radio” experience, by listening to things that you are really interested in. I like to listen while I am doing other things and “multi-task”, plus I find that it keeps me informed on happenings in the “techworld”. To check out great podcast possibilities from the “techworld” by checking out this link:
ServerWatcher
ServerWatcher is a Java application that allows you to monitor your web site (or any web site) and be notified if the site is not accessible. It is great if you have a site that absolutely MUST be up at all times and you MUST know if it is down. You can set it to send you email (or AIM or Yahoo! Messenger) if it goes down. The nice thing is it is totally free. Simply download it, unzip it into a directory, and run the .jar file. (Obviously, you must have Sun Java installed on your system. Free and Open Source! Enjoy!
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | New model ‘permits time travel’
Read it and be amazed! I read a lot of science fiction, but it seems more and more that science “fact” is catching up! We’ll see. Would be cool, though!