Outer Heaven

Privacy: Removed advertising

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:56:21 -0700

I had an epiphany this morning: I'm a privacy hypocrite. For all my writing on the topic of privacy, I still have Google AdSense code embedded on every page which tracks you across the web. Seeing as how nearly everyone uses AdSense (I'll admit it is a very slick system) this is a threat to privacy, regardless of Google's slogan "Do No Evil".

To rectify this I have removed all advertising code from Outer Heaven. No more revenue, but also no more hypocrisy. I'm going to take the same stance as those who hate DRM, if you like the website feel free to send a donation. Paypal, software license codes, books, or a simply leave a comment.

You'll also notice the EFF logo replacing the Google AdSense code. If you aren't already familiar with the Electronic Frontier Foundation I suggest you visit their website, do some reading, and make a donation. They also have a great section on things you can do right now to improve your electronic privacy.

So why all the fuss all the sudden? Maybe it's because Sprint was caught sending GPS data to law enforcement, or that government agencies are monitoring social networks. Either way I've been noticing a large increase in surveillance by both corporate and government groups. My increasing wariness is not due to the fact that I have something to hide, but rather to the fact that what I do is nobodies business. Nobody needs to know what my shopping habits are, or what websites I frequent. Would you like someone following you to the mall every day watching what you purchase or look at? How about someone over your shoulder ever minute of every day while you go about your business? If you say no, then be aware that this is happening to you daily while browsing the web without taking privacy precautions. The only reason you are putting up with it is because you aren't really aware that it is happening in your browser.

So stop volunteering data to corporations and powers-that-be. Protect your privacy!

Download Hiren's BootCD

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:21:25 -0700

Hiren's BootCD is the best bootable CD kit for just about any situation you might encounter. I've used it extensively repairing PCs for years now, and the latest versions are amazing. See here for a complete list of included tools. The download is in ISO format, so either use the included ISO burning utility or burn with your favorite app.

[ Wikipedia article ]

Latest Version: 10.1

[ Download ] [ Mirror ] [ Mirror ]

Enabling ReportWorks in PowerSchool

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:02:30 -0700

Permissions to access ReportWorks in PowerSchool are apparently not enabled by default. Since I was baptized into PowerSchool without any formal training I was frustrated to find no easy on/off switch anywhere in the system (help is just that, no help). After sifting through the PowerSchool Support forums I found out that you need to turn the feature on. To do this goto STAFF > YOUR USER > SECURITY SETTINGS and set ReportWorks Developer User? to YES. Now ReportWorks will open using your administration login/password (assuming you ARE the administrator).

For those interested I found what might be an alternative to ReportWorks (and somewhat simpler if you know the syntax for data access) called VisualPST. Basically it allows you to visually create object reports instead of trying to figure them out by trial and error. I'm not sure why Pearson didn't include something like this by default, but maybe that's what ReportWorks is supposed to do.

Chromium

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:17:37 -0600

Lately I've been strictly using the Google Chrome open source project Chromium. Besides the added privacy (various Google additions such as auto update, RLZ, etc are removed from the Chromium project), you have access to nightly updates.

There is a free application available to Windows users that checks for "stable" Chromium nightly builds. You can download it here. Recent Chromium builds have the newer version of Webkit compiled in, and pass the Acid3 test.

If you are worried about blocking advertisements, I highly recommend AdMuncher. There have been complaints that you shouldn't need to pay for software to make a browser "functional", but AdMuncher removes advertisements for ALL browsers and MANY applications, not just one browser (such as is the case with popular Firefox extension Adblock). It's worth the money, and does a better job than Adblock.

If would like to make Google searches in Chromium as private as possible, go to Options and Manage. Create a new provider called "Scroogle", make the keyword "g", and the search URL "https://ssl.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi?Gw=%s". Make it the default provider. Now when you wish to search Google simple enter "g <search term>" in the address bar in Chromium. Scroogle allows SSL, anonymous logs, and privatization of search terms.

Download Google Chromium

Educating Yourself On This Financial Crisis

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:07:32 -0600

If you are interested in educating yourself on the financial crisis happening in the United States (especially if you are an American citizen), I have put together a list of websites and podcasts to help you piece together the puzzle. Normally I wouldn't comment but I feel as though I'm watching my country being flushed down the toilet by corporations and the corrupt individuals running them. I plead with you to put down the paper, turn off the TV, turn off the radio, and think about what is happening in this country. Read world history (specifically the rise and fall of Rome), and read US history. Read the Constitution.

Remember: absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the root of all evil is money.

What Has Government Done to Our Money? (Start here)

This book (free online) briefly covers the topics of what is money, the role of government in money, and what the Federal Reserve really is.

America's Forgotten War Against the Central Banks (Read this next)

An excellent paper by Mike Hewitt explaining the history of central banking in the United States and those who fought it.

Ludwig von Mises Institute

This website has vast free resources available to you for understanding finances and current economic issues.

Euro Pacific Capital Weekly Radio Show

Peter Schiff has a weekly radio show (Wednesdays) where he discusses current economic situations and answers caller's questions.

Peter Schiff describes today back in August 28, 2006 (Youtube)

This is a look back as Peter forecasts today's financial environment.

Financial Sense

Great website with lots of articles and papers written by leading investors and economists.

The Financial Tube

New website with economy-related video clips.

Campaign for Liberty

If you are looking to spread the word and promote Liberty as our forefathers envisioned, this is the foundation to start with.

The Revolution: A Manifesto (book by Ron Paul)

Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (book by Peter Schiff)

The Coming Economic Collapse: How You Can Thrive When Oil Costs $200 a Barrel (book by Stephen Leeb and Glen Strathy)

Ron Paul on the State of the Economy series (Youtube)

On Capital and Capitalism

On the "Safety Net" Concept

On the Possibility of the End of Capitalism

On Market Intervention

On Restoring Confidence in the Markets

Money As Debt Videos

[ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ] [ Part 5 ]

The Money Masters - How International Bankers Gained Control of America

This is an extremely interesting 3 1/2 hour long documentary on international banking and how it affects us.

The Road To Serfdom

A short "comic book" detailing what happens when people stop thinking for themselves and succumb to group think.

Commentary: Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer

This article sums up why talk of "financial armageddon" is nothing but fear mongering.

A Brief History of The American Dollar

[ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ]

I want you to think for yourself, use your head. Read. Don't let CNN, New York Times or Fox News do the thinking for you.

May this inspire the patriot in all of us!

Google Chrome Full Installation Download

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:49:14 -0600

For those of you stuck behind a proxy and unable to get the web installer working for Google Chrome, download from the link below:

Google Chrome Full Install (7MB)

This installation EXE doesn't require an internet connection to get started, perfect for users like myself who access the internet through a proxy server.

For privacy concerns about Google tracking what you type in the address bar (and tying it to your unique IP address) turn off the auto suggestion feature.

If you miss ad-blocking features, I suggest you run Privoxy (free and open source) behind Chrome. It works great, and will help save on bandwidth usages. Another option which I have been exploring is Ad Muncher.

Guide to Saving Money for School Technology

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:36:00 -0600

Here is a simple guide to saving money for school technology staff. I've basically put down everything that I've learned in managing my district budget, and I hope it can help others (and perhaps win some brownie points with administration) cut costs without cutting technology. My purchasing philosophy has always been no brand loyalty unless the brand is so good nobody can compete. I've nearly always found a cheaper alternative that a salesman can't touch.

Software recommendations are based on my philosophy of lightweight, inexpensive, and trouble-free. Nobody likes bloated software, and someone can always do it better than the big boys such as Symantec.

Computer parts
These sites are for various computer peripherals, components, and software.
NewEgg
MWAVE

Printers/Toner
Great sites for printers and/or toner. I recommend HP or Samsung laser printers, much cheaper than inkjets!
Quill
Shadow-Fax

Computer systems
Computer systems both new, used, and re-certified.
Access Interactive
Dell Home/Business **

** NOTE: I highly recommend staying away from the Dell Government/Education website. I've found several instances where they charged more for the exact same systems from Business or Home!

"Hot" Deals websites
These websites are places that post great deals (usually time-limited) on computer related products. Save A LOT of money!
Ben's Bargains
Anandtech Hot Deals Forum
FatWallet Hot Deals Forum

Coupon codes for online stores
These sites are basically search engines for coupon codes. Useful for vendors such as Dell.
RetailMeNot **

** NOTE: RetailMeNot has recently succumbed to pressure from vendors requiring them to remove their coupon codes. I used to frequent this site for Quill coupons in particular however they are no longer available.

Software solutions/licensing
Lightweight alternative software solutions and licensing.
ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus (This company offers EDU discounts on ESET software!)
Central Command Vexira Anti-Virus
INACOM (Microsoft licenses)
Microsoft Technet Subscription (INACOM offers large EDU discounts on a Technet subscription)
Academic Super Store

Continue reading "Guide to Saving Money for School Technology"

ScrubIT DNS for schools

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:57:20 -0600

Currently I use the Networks & More! SecureSchool appliance for content filtering. It does a great job, but it is getting increasingly difficult to keep up with the kids in getting around the filters with CGI/PHP proxies, clever word schemes, image searches and the like. In combating this, I've been pleasantly surprised by the extra protection offered by a free recursive DNS service called ScrubIT.

Basically all you need to do is change your router's DNS servers to the ScrubIT servers (67.138.54.100, 207.225.209.66) and that's it. I've found that there are no annoying or blatent advertisments on blocked page redirects, everything is clean and professional which is appreciated in a business or school environment. DNS lookup speeds seem to be on par or nearly on par with the OpenDNS servers.

I'm not positive how ScrubIT blocks web content. I'm guessing from their website it has a lot to do with user feedback and the various "sources" where they receive their data (likely some of the many available blacklists). I'm not sure that it blocks content based on keywords, most likely just URL based filtering. While this is far from fool proof, it makes up for it in the fact that the settings cannot be modified by users (unless they have access to your router). Encrypted URLs are not blocked by ScrubIT, so you will have to watch for users accessing CGI/PHP proxies to bypass your filters.

If you are interested in using this product in a school environment, I would suggest using it as an extra layer of filtering, rather than the sole filtering used by your district/building. For businesses, ScrubIT will likely be an excellent way to curtail pornography viewing by employees, especially if they are not web savvy. As an added bonus you will cut down on malware installations as ScrubIT filters those types of websites as well.

For those wondering about custom filtering ScrubIT is currently running a beta program allowing you to have your own blacklists and whitelists. I've applied for the program and am curious to see how easy it is to implement. I've yet to find a website that I need blocked, but ability to have custom filters could be extremely useful.

Currently I'm running ScrubIT in a school district and with a number of small businesses whom I contract with as a technical consultant. I've yet to run into any issues or complaints from my users, and a few nice compliments on the peace of mind offered by the service. It's worth checking into!

Again, the ScrubIT DNS server IP addresses are as follows:

67.138.54.100
207.225.209.66

Fix Error Code 0x80072F8F (Windows 2008 Server)

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:41:30 -0600

I've been playing around with Windows 2008 Server in anticipation of implementing it on the district network this summer. So far it appears to be yet another solid server product from Microsoft except for one little problem during activation: Error Code 0x80072F8F.

A quick search on the web didn't reveal an easy solution, and I'm hesitant to call Microsoft Tech Support to talk to some Indian I can't understand (getting a product license key over the phone with that accent is ridiculous). I double-checked that my network connections were working, proxies correctly configured, and that the virtual machine I was launching this from was connected properly. No go. Finally I found the solution from Microsoft's Knowledge Base, you just have to skip down from the Vista solution to the Windows 2003 solution.

Basically what I had to do was make sure the time and date for the server was set to the correct local time. None of the certificates appeared valid to the server, so it was throwing errors. Changing the time and date fixed the issue immediately and I was able to activate Windows 2008 Server.

Dell Inspiron 530 Windows Vista 64-bit Driver Pack

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:24:15 -0700

Looking for Windows Vista x64 (64-bit) drivers for your Dell Inspiron 530 PC? I was too, so as I did previously with my Dell Inspiron 531's I scoured the internet and found what I needed and packaged it up for public consumption. Dell sure makes it hard to find these babies, and I'm starting to think everyone has a vendetta against 64-bit Microsoft operating systems because drivers are still tough to find! If you've got a Core 2 processor, might as well take advantage of the extra horsepower and memory access 64-bit offers.

This driver pack currently only includes Intel 82562V NIC drivers. This will allow you to use your network, and after enabling it head to Windows Update and it will install the rest of the drivers you need to get off the floor and running!

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer them. This driver was tested on Windows Vista Ultimate x64.

(link updated 11/7/2009, please comment if it goes down)

INSPIRON_530_VISTAx64_DRIVER_PACK.zip (11MB)
Alternate download mirror (11MB)

Contents:
Official Intel 82562V 10/100Mbit network interface card drivers (for Windows Vista x64)

Put the fire back in Firefox for Windows

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:41:33 -0700

I've been reading a lot lately on digg about the comments hanging up Firefox, even with decent hardware. This has to do with digg's new javascript and Firefox's rendering of those libraries. Typically what happens is that the browser will "hang" temporarily while expanding comment threads. Since I experienced this myself with Firefox (Internet Explorer and Opera don't have this problem), I was just planning on waiting until the 3.0 release was made available later this year.

Fast forward a bit. I've been playing with Windows XP Professional x64 and wanted to see if Mozilla had released a x64 binary for the browser. They haven't officially released one, but many individuals have compiled the source code with x64 processors being targeted. I decided against using a x64 version due to lack of 64-bit plug-ins, however I noticed the author of Vector64 had 32-bit versions of Firefox compiled. These versions are optimized to use the SSE2 instructions on your current generation AMD or Intel processor. I decided to go head and try this out. Wonder of wonders digg comments now render as smooth as butter! It has also significantly boosted rendering speeds for other javascript heavy websites. The browser also appears to be more stable with Adobe Flash videos playing within multiple tabs.

As a bonus it's nearly exactly the same as the release version of Firefox from Mozilla. All your plug-ins and extensions will work just fine.

Check it out on the Vector64 homepage!

EMT-B training tips and tricks

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:38:29 -0700

I'm three months into EMT-B training and thought I would compile a list of tips and tricks that we were taught by our instructors. Nothing fancy, but it might be handy for other trainees out there looking for some extra help. I will be updating this post as often, so consider it a live article that can and will change as time progresses.

First up one of the instructors who spent over 10 years as a medic in the US Army Special Forces gave me this tip last night: Hold the nebulizer liquid medication up to a light to make sure there are no particulates or any other signs (cloudy, etc.) that the medication is bad. He said when doing Paramedic exams you WILL be failed if you do not check for this. I'm not being certified as a Paramedic however it's a nice tip for an EMT-B.

The same instructor also told us to MEMORIZE the Medical and Trauma Patient Assessment forms. When you get in to do your exams they will give you a pen and paper, you can then write out your assessments from memory (no time limit). You won't be penalized and this could come in very handy.

Websites
Wikipedia entry for EMT

Dell Inspiron 531 Windows XP Driver Pack

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:23:55 -0600

I recently purchased 20 new Dell Inspiron 531 computers for the school district with the intent of installing Windows XP on them (I'm not yet a fan of Vista). Interestingly enough I've heard that Dell is only offering Vista drivers for these machines at the request (or demand?) of Microsoft. I was more than a little annoyed when I discovered this information, but I've managed to track down every driver needed (that is if your Inspiron includes an nVidia GeForce GPU). I've packaged it all into a 153MB zip file, just unpack it to a USB flash drive and use that to go from workstation to workstation. Works like a charm and has saved me a lot of hours. Viva la XP!

INSPIRON_531_XP_DRIVER_PACK.zip (153MB) Alternate download locations: [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
INSPIRON_531_XP_DRIVER_PACK.7z (138MB) Help save bandwidth by using this 7zip archive!

LINKS BACK UP as of 12/3/2009!

UPDATE: Charles commented on how to get wireless working with your Inspiron 531 if you have a Broadcom 802.11g chip. Check out his solution below or click here.

Contents:
AMD Away Null Driver
nVidia Forceware GeForce 6/7 series video drivers
nVidia nForce MCP61 chipset drivers
Realtek HD Audio drivers

REDIRECT MY DOCUMENTS WITH CARE

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:58:33 -0600

I've been busy with life, so blogging has fallen to the wayside and with it server maintenance. Everything is cleared up now though things are still busy. The big thing to kick this school year off was my attempt to have automatic backup of the My Documents folder on each workstation to the server. I did this by making everyone's profile ROAMING, then redirecting the My Documents folder for each user back to their roaming profile location on the server. It worked great until it decided to eat the secretary's documents upon sync after a log off. It took me a week to realize that it's NOT a good idea to redirect any folders back to the users roaming profile location. Well I sure wish someone at Microsoft would have had the decency to mention that within the Properties window for the option.

Anyhow, the situation made me think hard about my backup policy for the building. Currently everything critical resides on a Windows 2003 server, the server running a RAID-5 array with a nice Adaptec SATA hardware RAID card. That's my first line of defense, at least against a hardware failure. The second is that the server is imaged nightly to another server on the network. That's my first defense against data loss and it has saved my butt more than once already. Other than those two things I have nothing else in place and it came back to haunt me.

I did some research on off-site backup options and ended up going with Amazon's S3 service + Jungle Disk. The price is dirt cheap considering the integrity and security offered, and Jungle Disk makes the whole thing so easy your grandma could backup her data. Now our critical data in the building is backed up on a weekly basis off-site, so if I run into problems such as a tornado, fire, or Roaming Profiles I should be good to go. Let's keep our fingers crossed...

Fix: Windows Media Player Cannot Play DVD Video

nospam@example.com (Chris) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:25:33 -0600

Windows Media Player Cannot Play DVD Video. This is one of the most annoying error messages I've come across with little information available on the web as to how it's resolved other than "Just go install a new decoder." The fix, as I've found after much trial and error, is not really a case of getting any new MPEG-2 decoder, but a pack of decoders: Combined Community Codec Pack. This decoder pack has never failed to fix the Windows Media Player Cannot Play DVD Video error message when all other decoders had failed.

This issue cropped up on a pair of Dell Latitude D600 laptops. The operating system is Windows XP Professional, and I choose Windows Media Player 11 for the default DVD player application (something teachers can handle without too much trouble). I'm happy to have everything back in action!