Completely bizarre computer problems? Check your system date
PC Magazine’s editor in chief wrote a long column late last week talking about his weird computer problems and a Quixotic quest to fix them. Among other things, his antivirus wasn’t working, and...
View ArticleUpgrading an HP Mini 110 with an Intel X25-V SSD
I installed an Intel X25-V in an HP Mini 110 today (the Intel 320 is the current, mid-2011 replacement and would work just as well). It’s an inexpensive way to hotrod an aging netbook. At 40 GB, it’s...
View ArticleRogue IT people and how to avoid hiring them
Computerworld published a scare piece on rogue IT people. Linuxplanet countered with a piece that was about equal parts substance and hand-waving. I found myself mostly agreeing with the Linuxplanet...
View ArticleHow to check your downloaded files’ integrity
On some web pages offering programs to download, you may have seen something called an MD5 near the program link, consisting of a long, weird code like 6cbfd919baa7c9e03c8471ae4d8f8bb. You can use that...
View ArticleHow I remembered how to negotiate
My wife found a dining room table she really liked on Craigslist. But the logistics of me picking it up just weren’t good because I’m going to be really busy the next few weeks. If I couldn’t get it...
View ArticleEnd of the innocence for Mac security
Antivirus vendor Kapersky has identified a new trojan horse targetting Macintoshes. It spreads a botnet based somewhere in China via an infected Microsoft Word document, typically sent as an e-mail...
View ArticleHow I decide whether it’s time to stay or go
Some of my coworkers and I are dealing with a crossroads in our respective careers. It’s caused us to have some conversations. And since I’ve moved around a lot more than anyone else in my office–I...
View ArticleThings I wish everyone knew about home Mac security
On Wednesday evening, I wrote about basic computer security from a Windows-centric perspective. I knew some people who needed help in a hurry, and given there was a 90% or so chance they were running...
View ArticleConfessions of a hacker for hire
A story on Slashdot yesterday encouraged IT departments to hire a hacker, in spite of the stigma. I’ve been that guy, and I suspect I’ll be that guy again. I’ve also had to clean up after that guy, so...
View ArticleWhen your CISSP isn’t enough
I had a job interview Monday. I have at least one observation from it–the things on my resume that impress recruiters don’t necessarily impress a good hiring manager. Not on their own, at least. Let’s...
View ArticleNo, using an emergency fund to pay off credit card debt isn’t a good idea
It seems like I’ve been finding a lot of financial questions online lately. I guess that’s good–it means people are thinking. The best question I’ve found this week is whether you should use your...
View ArticleAvast 8 is out and already well-regarded
Avast 8 is out, and the initial reviews are positive. If you use Avast, either as your primary or as your secondary AV, updating it is a good idea. One critical improvement is that virus database...
View ArticleI am not in jail.
The bank vice president apologized for calling the police on me. That’s neither the beginning nor the end of the story, but it seems to me that police involvement of any kind is a sign that your real...
View Article1984 called. It wants its surveillance back.
So, the reaction to my story about my coworker’s 10-year-old going all Scooby Doo on the guy who had the nerve to steal his dad’s car was definitely mixed. Most people, of course, lauded the...
View ArticleHow to check a train transformer for safety
In spite of what a certain O gauge magazine tells you, vintage toy train transformers aren’t inherently unsafe to use. Age can take their toll on them, so you want to give them a good safety...
View ArticleUsing the OSI model to troubleshoot video
I was at church on Sunday and the video projection wasn’t working. After a few minutes of watching everyone struggle, I volunteered to take a look, and working together, we were able to get the video...
View ArticleWhat to do for medical coverage in between jobs
I recently changed jobs, and although I’ve dealt with gaps in medical coverage before, I didn’t anticipate everything this time. First things first: gaps are likely, and the laws are written under the...
View ArticleLooking for a career change? Consider web app pentesting
IT jobs aren’t as easy to come by as they were 20 years ago, but there’s one subset of the field that I don’t see slowing down any time soon. Unfortunately it’s a poorly understood one. But if you...
View ArticleReturn to the billion-gallon lake
Over the Independence Day weekend, I took my family to the Bonne Terre Mine, about 50 miles south of St. Louis on Highway 67. It was once one of the world’s largest active lead mines, and the area...
View ArticleAdvantages of Windows 10
Now that Windows 10 is out, the questions I see most frequently are why someone should upgrade, or what benefits they get if they upgrade, or if there indeed is such thing as advantages to Windows 10....
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