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Filed under: computers

Don't Bank on Windows...

Brian Krebs, security journalist for the Washington Post and Security Blogger at KrebsOnSecurity, http://www.krebsonsecurity.com/ suggests using a Linux "Live CD" on your PC to do your banking instead of your Windows OS.

Brian says, "An investigative series I've been writing about organized cyber crime gangs stealing millions of dollars from small to mid-sized businesses has generated more than a few responses from business owners who were concerned about how best to protect themselves from this type of fraud.

The simplest, most cost-effective answer I know of? Don't use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online."

Toward the end of the article Brian adds, "Of course, a Mac computer would probably work just as well, (as a Linux Live CD) but the focus here is on Windows users who may be looking for a cheap way to harden their existing setup to avoid malicious software."

I say, why not just get a Mac in the first place?"

You can read the whole article at The Washington Post's website:

KickYouTube Lets You Download Videos Without Extra Software or Hassle - Lifehacker

KickYouTube Lets You Download Videos Without Extra Software or Hassle


KickYouTube is one of the simplest solutions for downloading YouTube videos we've reviewed at Lifehacker. So simple that if you can find YouTube videos you like and type the word "kick" you're in business.

The mechanism is web based and very straight forward. When you're watching a YouTube video that you would like to download for archiving or later perusal, simply add the word "kick" to the URL immediately in front of the word youtube. For example if you wanted to download the Merlin Mann video we suggested as weekend viewing to throw on your iPod for a subway commute, you would do the following:

Load the URL for the video in your browser:

http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOgHE5nEq04

Insert the word "kick" between the www. and the youtube.com section of the URL:

http://www.kickyoutube.com/watch?v=uOgHE5nEq04

That's it! After you send that URL, the page will reload with the KickYouTube toolbar at the top of the screen, as seen in the screenshot above. From there you can download the file from YouTube as an FLV, MPG, MP3, and even HD MP4. Note: going to the KickYouTube website directly will just give you a video demonstration on how to use the service, to actually engage the toolbar and begin grabbing files you have to find a YouTube video you want and insert the "kick" into the URL of the video. For another simple and cross platform method of downloading files from video sharing sites, check out All-In-One-Video Bookmarklet.

KickYouTube [via MakeUseOf]
via lifehacker.com

Google Notifier Application...

I am slowly migrating to using Gmail as my primary email client instead of Apple's Mail application.

One thing that has been holding me back is that, as you may know, I send out a lot of links to interesting articles through email.

Mail.app is set to be my default email client so, in my browser when I pull down from the file menu and select Send Link to this Page... Apple's Mail.app opens.

How would I select another app for this? Gmail is a webclient not an on board app... Well, Google has fixed this with Google Notifier.
http://toolbar.google.com/gmail-helper/notifier_mac.html

I downloaded and installed the application. Opening the app asks you for your Google email and password. I put in my Kinnschools email address. It shows up as a Mail and Calendar icon in the menubar.

Then I just went to Apple's mail app and pulled down from the Mail menu to Preferences, picked the General tab and selected Google Notifier as my default email application.

I then closed Apple's Mail.app and pulled it off my Dock. I don't think I'll be using it much from here on out.

I'm living in the cloud, man...

Google Fiber for Communities: Think big with a gig

Google Fiber for Communities

Google is planning to launch an experiment that we hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We'll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.

From now until March 26th, we're asking interested municipalities to provide us with information about their communities through a Request for information (RFI), which we'll use to determine where to build our network.

via google.com

I think we should do everything we can to make Rockford a Google test site.
Tell everyone you know.
Tell the Mayor, etc.

DropBox - Get DropBox!!!

I use this great, free service to sync files between my home computer, work computer and iPhone.
It's seamless. I place files in the DropBox folder, and they automatically sync between all three machines.
The files are also stored securely "in the cloud" so with a username and password I could access them from any computer, anywhere.

You and I will both get a little more space if you like the service and start using it, so give it a shot.
Check it out, and let me know what you think:
https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTc4MzAxMjk

Where oh where do my posterous go...?

Some people may know that I'm experimenting with a great service called Posterous.
 
It is a simple web based blogging application that allows me to post to several social networks and blog spots at one time.
What I like about it is, all I have to do is send an email. I can even send email and photos from my iPhone, where ever I'm at. Whatever I send; text (of course) photos, video, whatever, gets posted to all my networks.
 
This post, for instance, i didn't have to go sign in to some web interface to write it. I'm writing it in my email client. It will be sent to my Posterous blog, my WordPress blog, my Twitter account, my Facebook account, and, if I add a photo, my Flickr account. All in one shot.
There are ways to 'direct' your posts so they only go one, or just a few of your accounts. There are several settings that allow you to tailor how your content gets posted to different accounts, etc. Right after you send, you get an email notification that you have posted. You get links to view and edit the post you've just sent. It's really terrific.
 
I just wanted you to know about Posterous. It's the simplest way to start a blog, or post to all of your existing blogs and networks at once.
Check out: http://posterous.com/