Here's One For The Real Geeks

From engadget:

Network appliances don't always offer all the firewalling features a user needs -- you know, the advanced port blocking and security procedures we'd like to keep our little home network fiefdoms secure. In today's How-To we'll show you how to build a firewall out of an old PC with a live Linux CD and some spare ethernet cards. It's the perfect use for that machine with the dead hard drive (or no hard drive at all).


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Now You Can Buy Your Way "Back To The Future"!

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Spammers get their just deserts...

From the Register:
Carders scam spammers


Fraudsters who deal in stolen credit card data have devised a means to extract money from sponsors of junk mail campaigns.

Carders have signed up as affiliates to spam campaigns, but instead of sending out junk mail themselves they are using stolen credit card data to make purchases from the sponsors of spam campaigns, such as online pharmacies.

The carders earn a cut of these sales of anything between 40 to 50 per cent, the Washington Post's security blog reports, more than enough to make the scam viable.

But the sponsors of spam campaigns end up losing out because of charge backs generated when fraudulent purchases are identified. Higher incidents of charge-backs result in higher merchant fees while drawing the attention of banks and credit cards sponsors to dubious businesses. Far from benefiting from increased sales, spam sponsors end up losing out. In this way, card fraudsters are scamming the backers of spam.



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Score one for the good guy's

MSN Billing Phisher jailed for 21 months


A US man has been jailed for 21 months for running a phishing web site even though it's unlikely he made any money through the scam. Jayson Harris, 23, of Davenport, Iowa, was convicted of sending bogus e-mail to MSN subscribers which attempted to trick them into handing over their credentials to an equally bogus website he ran. Harris was also ordered to pay $57k, the cost of investigating his case.

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Also on TechNudge

Dell Customer service really does work, somtimes

With all The Dell bashing these days , and my tendency to be contrary, I thought I'd relate my latest experiance. My wife has a Dell desktop PC that's in the 3rd year of a 4 year warranty. Last week, the LCD bit the dust. It just has a white screen all the time. I e-mailed Dell support Sunday night, had a reply Monday, Sent a reply with the LCD's serial number as requested late Monday night, And the replacement arrived yesterday. So I hate to say it, but I'm satisfied.

In Memory of Scooby Doo....

Iraq grunts mourn loss of robot comrade


Those of us chronicling the inexorable Rise of the Machines™ know only too well the dangers of forming emotional bonds with technology - albeit a mere fondness for your Dyson, or a slight affection for your new Renault Laguna.

The reason, as members of the neoLuddite Resistance Army among you are already aware, is that as soon as you have formed a comfortable, trusting relationship with your machine than it will kick you down the stairs in an display of vacuuminous rage or subject you to a 125mph, white-knuckle kamikaze terror ordeal.

The iRobot PackBot EODIt is, then, with dismay that we offer a Reuters report on the growing tendency for front-line US troops in Iraq to get friendly with their iRobot PackBot EOD (seen right) - a bomb-disposal droid version of IRobot Inc's remote-controlled bot, of which around 300 are currently deployed in that sun-kissed paradise astride the Tigris.

More from The Register

What do you do if you spill coffee in your keyboard?

If you have on of these, just run it under the faucet!











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Will we ever really be "Safe"

Microsoft advises 'safe mode' for Word

In the wake of at least one targeted attack that exploits a new flaw in Word, Microsoft is advising users to run the application in "safe mode."

Running Word in the restricted mode will not fix the vulnerability, but it will help block known modes of attack, Microsoft said in a security advisory published late Monday. The software maker is also developing a security update for Word, which should be available on June 13 or sooner, as warranted, the company said.

From News.com

Here's the important stuff.


Also posted on TechNudge

Is it a tool or a toy?

Pictures of the working One Laptop Per Child prototype have turned up following the first showing today. We’re not so sure about the orange and yellow color scheme, but everything else looks good.


From Gizmodo



Update
More from the Register

Computer History Museum Presents an Evening With Robert Price: The Control Data Story in Conversation With Mel Stuckey

Retired Chairman of the Board and CEO of Control Data Corporation (Now Ceridian Corporation) to Speak in Mountain View

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--May 23, 2006 -- Robert Price will share behind-the-scenes history and personal stories about Control Data's legacy of lasting lessons on innovation with Mel Stuckey, current CEO and chairman of the Decaf Company, LLC and former Control Data executive, on June 12, 2006 at the Mountain View-based Computer History Museum. There will also be a book signing for Price's new book, "The Eye for Innovation: Recognizing Possibilities and Managing the Creative Enterprise."

For you youngens Control Data was an early inovator in the industry.
Get the rest here.

Didn't they try this with dialup?

In an ambitious proposal, a Silicon Valley company has asked the government to give it a band of radio spectrum for a free high-speed wireless Internet network that would cover most of the country and be supported by advertising.

The idea is to create something like an Internet version of broadcast television, using local and national sponsors to pay for what its promoters say would be near-ubiquitous high-speed access.


Click here for the full story (Requires login)

Wow it worked!

This post is to see if the image shows up from my profile.

Time for a pictue.

I'm going to try to add a picture today....
Here goes nothing!

I'm gona give it a shot.

In case somebody is actually reading this Blog, I'm going to try to do regular post's. Maybe a couple of times a week to start, We'll see. Please leave a comment if you read this post.