Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL There, I Fixed It
Submitted by: lynn, my own photo via Submit a Kludge!
Favorite Comment: Fixer Demetrius says, “…in Whoville they say, the Grinch’s TV grew 3 sizes that day!”
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Lifehacker
We've all been there at some point, you've got a perfectly functional Ethernet cord that somewhere along the line had its tab broken off. Don't buy a new one or re-terminate the cord. Fix it with zip ties.
While we're no stranger making our own Ethernet cables—you can probably find a few RJ-45 connectors hanging out with the dust bunnies under our work bench—sometimes it's not convenient or you don't have the tools to strip an Ethernet cable, strip and reposition the pairs, and re-terminate it. It's an even bigger annoyance when the only reason you find yourself having to do it is a missing plastic tab on the connector plug.
Over at the ever-growing how-to site Instructables, they have a tutorial on how to fix a broken RJ-45 connector using two zip ties, a razor knife, and a pair of pliers—although if you're going full MacGyver you could skip the pliers. When you're done you'll have a functional tab on your Ethernet cable. Check out full tutorial at the link below and if you have your own clever use for zip ties or other inexpensive tools—duct tape anyone?—we want to hear about it in the comments.
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL FAIL Blog: Epic Fail Pictures and Videos of Owned, Pwnd and Fail Moments
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Lifehacker
Shared by AdamFort
Send to all of the "special computer users in your life"
Our readers are a savvy bunch who aren't likely to be taken in by an online scam—but we've all got those friends and relatives we worry about. Here's our definitive guide to helping them stay safe online.
Photo from Futurama.
When training your loved ones how to keep themselves safe online, you should remind them of the rule your parents probably taught you: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Using a little common sense goes a long way to realizing that you aren't going to suddenly win the Spanish National Lottery when you didn't even know you had a ticket. That said, here's a few tips that you should share with your less-than-savvy friends and family to help them avoid falling victim to an online scam.
Legitimate banks or financial institutions like Paypal will never email you asking you to click a link to verify your information, reset your password, or login to view anything. You should simply create a browser bookmark to your bank, and when you receive an email, use the bookmark or type in the bank name manually into the address bar.
Combined with training your parents to look for the special lock icon in the address bar, this should prevent them from giving away their bank login.
It's become a trend in "web 2.0" sites to ask people to invite your friends to join by entering your email address and password into their web site—but this is something you should always avoid. Not only will you most likely end up spamming all of your friends with invite requests, but some sites will keep that information and continue to spam your friends forever. Of course, that is secondary to the fact that all your password reset requests will go to your email address—so if the wrong people get your password, they can access your entire online life. You should simply never give that information out to anybody for any reason.
If your password is as simple as your spouse's name, it won't even matter if you give your email password out, since it can be guessed easily by scammers or hackers trying to get in. You'll want to make sure to read our guide on how to choose and remember a strong password—but your security lesson doesn't stop there. The weak link in your email security is those secret questions and answers that most sites ask you to enter to help you reset your password. Even if your password is tough, often your secret question isn't—so you should make sure to protect your email account with strong secret questions.
The easiest way scammers get you is by dumping spam in your inbox for everything from cheap watches to fake male-enhancement products—which is not only going to be bogus but probably redundant. The easiest and simplest rule is to never buy anything from an email. Sure, you could probably make an exception for email newsletters from sites you trust, like Amazon, but remember—it's relatively easy for scammers to pretend they're Amazon, just like it's easy for them to pretend they're your bank. Just make sure that you aren't buying, or even clicking on, anything from an unsolicited email. (You can always go straight to Amazon and search for the product they're advertising.)
If you're out of work or just looking for a way to make some extra cash on the side, you should be very careful about the jobs posted on online sites like Craigslist, because there are scammers lurking there as well. It's not that Craigslist isn't a great place to look for jobs, but you have to be careful. Those jobs that say you can "Make $25+ / hour working from home!" or "Mystery Shopper Needed!" and promise tons of money for almost no work—yeah, they are completely fake.
The biggest thing to avoid is anything involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfers, money orders, or dealings with any financial transaction. The scammers will ask you to deposit a check or money order and wire transfer the money back to them—and it's not until later that you find out it was a forgery. I personally know somebody who was scammed out of $12,000 this way.
This should go without saying, but no legitimate site is going to ask you to enter your Social Security number unless you are applying for credit. You should be very careful not to divulge your personal information to anybody online. The same thing goes for sites that ask you to re-enter your personal information, even though in some cases, like your bank, they should already have that information.
The latest versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer have enhanced support for checking certificates from trusted web sites—you can click on the lock icon to see all the information about the certificate.
In addition, the latest browser versions maintain a list of phishing and malware sites, and will warn you any time you try and access a known bad site. Internet Explorer makes checking the URL even easier by highlighting the root domain name so you can more easily detect a new phishing site.
Last Friday half of my day was wasted removing a malware called Advanced Virus Remover from somebody's PC because they clicked an ad that said they had a virus, and then installed the "recommended" software, which proceeded to hold their computer hostage. These "scareware" viruses are becoming commonplace, and there are so many different names that it's impossible to keep track of all of them.
The simple solution is to pick a single antivirus app for your loved ones and train them to know exactly which one they have installed. My mom's PC came pre-installed with Norton Antivirus, and I've trained her to ignore any other messages unless they come from Norton—and that if she isn't sure, she should click the X in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, or even just turn the PC off entirely and restart it. It's not a perfect solution, and I'd rather have her using Microsoft Security Essentials, but she's used to it now and it's a whole lot better than spending a day removing a scareware virus from her computer.
Aren't sure which antivirus to choose? You've chosen your five favorites, and we've explained the virtues of the free Microsoft Security Essentials, so the choice is up to you.
The How-To Geek is tired of dealing with scammers and wishes the government would crack down on them more. His geeky articles can be found daily here on Lifehacker, How-To Geek, and Twitter.
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Sheldon Comic Strip: The daily webcomic by Dave Kellett
Shared by AdamFort
This was us Thanksgiving weekend.
Jump to a Random Strip in the Archives! | Get Sheldon Books 'n Shirts | Buy This Original Art | Forum Chat | Archives | E-mail Dave
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL The Consumerist
This holiday season's inexplicably hot toy, Zhu Zhu Pets, may be hazardous to your health. And not just because many parents stood outside in the cold for hours to get one. No, according to green ratings guide GoodGuide.com, the cuddly robot toys contain high levels of the substance antimony, which could be hazardous.
Antimony is used as a catalyst in the production of polyester, so it's not surprising to find it in a plastic toy. GoodGuide claims that Zhu Zhu pets contain more antimony than federal guidelines allow, but toy maker Cepia LLC denies the allegations.
"All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world's leading independent quality assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail partners," Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia, said in a written statement. "The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards."Bruce Katz, a senior vice president of Cepia, told CNN: "They do not contain high levels of antimony in any way."
"None of these tests have failed over the many months we've been producing this product," Katz said.
While Zhu Zhu Pets get all the headlines, GoodGuide also rated other top holiday toys. Mattel's Princess Tiana doll contains chlorine and tin. The Transformers Construction Devastator action figures also contain chlorine. The My First Purse set also contains antimony. Either we're handing our children piles of toys that will kill them (possible), or the tests GoodGuide uses are radically different from standard toy industry tests.
So don't rush to bring your Zhu Zhu Pets back to the store where you rushed to buy them quite yet. Despite the rumors, no recalls have been issued.
Zhu Zhu Pets Hampster Mr. Squiggles-Light Brown [GoodGuide]
Consumer group claims Zhu Zhu hamsters unsafe [CNN]
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Hack a Day
Perhaps the worst possible way to transmit video would be to send all pixel data in parallel. That’s exactly how [Gebhard Sengmüller's] parallel image device works. To be fair, this is an art piece called “A Parallel Image” that addresses the concept of where we would be if serial data transmission had never come to fruition. The brochure (PDF) accompanying the exhibit gives the juicy details we’re always looking for.
The device consists of a photo sensor unit and a display unit. Both are one-square-meter stripboard panels made of epoxy. The sensor unit consists of a 50×50 grid of photo-conductors that have their counterparts in the 50×50 grid of light bulbs on the display unit. Things start to get pretty crazy when you throw in the 7500 meters of magnet wire that connect the 2500 pixel sensor unit to the display unit.
You should be able to put together how this works. The sensors pick up light and then effect the brightness of the corresponding light bulbs. The result is an interesting image, and a nightmare of wire porn that would drive any TV repairman to drink.
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Lifehacker
Windows: Earlier this week we highlighted how to download National Geographic's stunning desktop wallpapers in one fell swoop. That method required some command-line work and didn't grab 2007 images; NatGeo Wallpaper Downloader snags every 2007, 2008, and 2009 wallpaper with point-and-click ease.
Just download the app, point it toward the folder you want to download those wallpapers to, and let 'er rip. NatGeo Wallpaper Downloader is entirely portable, so you don't need to install anything to use it and you can easily pop it on your thumb drive to give the gift of awesome wallpapers everywhere you go this holiday season.
NatGeo Wallpaper Downloader is a free Windows download. If you're on Linux or OS X, the previously mentioned method should get you there (minus the 2007 images) with a little more legwork.
Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL FAIL Blog: Epic Fail Pictures and Videos of Owned, Pwnd and Fail Moments
