Like any responsible computer user, I maintain a backup set that contains all my important files so when - not if - something disastrous happens I’m covered. There are two groups of computer users: those that backup their data and those that have never lost an irreplaceable file. Let’s just say you don’t want to be the user that transitions from the latter group. Having lost crucial files in the past, backups are something I take quite serious. I’m probably a dieing breed, but I still tend to archive things to CD/DVD - I like the portability of the DVD in that I can store it at the office for cheap and safe offsite storage. The drawback though is that after a few DVD based backup sets it can become quite tedious on how to best catalog the contents of the discs. Quickly, the old sharpie label method breaks down. That’s when a tool like CD to HTML comes in handy.

CD to HTML can create an html file that describes the contents of a folder (and it’s subsequent subfolders and files). It isn’t just limited to CD/DVDs though, as it can work from within any folder on your PC. I typically store the created html index file on the disc itself as well as in a catalog folder on my PC. As all the index files are in one local folder I can use Vista’s intregrated search to peak inside of the files and determine which disc houses the files I am looking for.

CD to HTML is a free download and requires no installation, it’s just a single executable.

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As you’ve already guessed, John’s Background Switcher does just that. But, not only can it pull photos from a local folder, it can also use photos from most of the popular online photo services such as Flickr and Picasa. While there are a great number of options available to you, it was quite trivial to get it up and going when sourcing from a local folder - my desired choice. The only downside for me was it being a bit heavy on system resources, memory in particular, for what amounts to little more than a cool toy. Still, it serves a purpose and it does it quite well!

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• There is no installation, instead it is just a single executable.
• It’s very minimal on system resource usage, right around the 2MB of RAM mark in my testing. When not in use Trayconizer will unload from memory. Even better, when using multiple applications that have the minimize to tray enabled, only one trayconizer process is used.

Configuration is straightforward and only involves the editing of the shortcut of the desired application from the Start Menu.

1. Right click on the shortcut selecting Properties and then the Shortcut tab.
2. In the Target box pre-pend c:\path\to\trayconizer.exe. In my example I’ve chosen to use GIMP - here is my Target field: c:\windows\trayconizer “C:\Program Files\GIMP-2.0\bin\gimp-2.4.exe”



3. You’ll now notice that when you minimize the application, it’s icon will be placed in the tray.

The short of it, I love this program and I highly recommend at least checking it out for yourself. Just be sure to grab the appropriate binary for your version of Windows.

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PDF Unlocker is a free application for Windows that can remove the restrictions outlined above. Once downloaded and installed, the program creates an icon on your desktop. Unlocking the PDF couldn’t be simpler; just drag and drop the desired PDF onto the shortcut and it’ll handle the rest, automagically! From the newly created PDF you are free to print or copy to your hearts content.

PDF Unlocker is also able to strip out the password necessary to open the document with one major caveat - you need to know the password first. Right click on the desktop shortcut and chose Edit. Directly after -sPDFPassword= provide the necessary password after the equals (=). Save the file and Close. Now, drag and drop just like above.

A useful and free tool, what more could you want?

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AxCrypt is a free open-source product for Windows that will solve both of these dilemmas. The compact download packs quite a set of features - comparable to the expensive commercial products on the market. Here are a few of the features that I think are game changes in the upcoming security and privacy revolution.

Once installed, AxCrypt integrates into the Windows shell providing you the ability to right-click on any file to encrypt it with a passphrase.

A single dialog window appears where you set your passphrase, click encrypt, and you are done! It really is that simple.

What you are left with is a new file type, .axx that is registered in Windows. Meaning, when you double-click on the file to open it, it will first launch the AxCrypt software and require you to supply the predefined passphrase. If the proper key is provided, the file will then automatically open in the default program - my example I am using a text file, and default editor is Notepad. Inside Notepad, I can freely make edits and save the document as I normally would. The file is automagically re-encrypted behind the scenes; it’s a game changer in my mind!

Better still, AxCrypt is able to create a standalone self-extracting .exe file that can be distributed and read by others even if they do not have the AxCrypt software installed, providing they know the password. This is a fantastic way to transfer documents securely over the Internet via email.

AxCrypt is available for all major versions of Windows.

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RadarSync is a free application that aims to simplify the process of locating and installing the latest hardware drivers in your computer. Once installed, RadarSync will scan your PC and identify all the installed drivers that have updates available for them.

With the results in hand, you are directed to download the newest drivers - directly from the vendor.

RadarSync is updated daily and while scanning for new drivers daily is likely overkill, it’s a great program to keep installed and ran periodically.

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Nine months ago you did a good deed. In a valiant attempt to clean up your filesystem you compressed and archived a few directories and their contents. Decidingly clever, effort was put towards keeping prying eyes out and your data secure - a password was embedded in the archive file. Without the password, no one could access your data. Time has passed until today, when you’ve realized you need access to one of the files you’ve archived away. What was that password again? There is a solution to your predicament, RarCrack.

RarCrack is a Linux program that applies a bruteforce approach to cracking password protected rar, zip, and 7z files. Brute force has its limitations but in general, it can be quite effective. Besides, what other options do you have at this point?

Download

wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/rarcrack/rarcrack-0.2.tar.bz2?modtime=1193432831&big_mirror=0

Install

Use

rarcrack your_encrypted_archive.ext [--threads thread_num] [--type rar|zip|7z]

Everything in [] are optional, rarcrack cracks with two threads by default and autodetects the archive type. If the detection is wrong you can specify the correct file type with the type parameter. RarCrack currently cracks with a maximum of 12 threads. After the cracking has started, RarCrack will print the current status to a file. If you want more specific password character set to brute force from, you need to run RarCrack to create the XML status file (3 sec).

Here is a sample XML file with a password character set:

<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>
<rarcrack>
<abc>0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ</abc>
<current>uU</current>
<good_password></good_password>
</rarcrack>

With a bit of luck you will be able to determine the necessary password. In the same vain, you should take caution in just how easy this can be to crack the next time you wish to password protect a file.

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GNU wget is a free utility for non-interactive download of files from the Web, generally available on most Linux installs.  It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, as well as retrieval through HTTP proxies. Wget is non-interactive, meaning that it can work in the background, while the user is not logged on.  This allows you to start a retrieval and disconnect from the system, letting wget finish the work.  By contrast, most of the Web browsers require constant user’s presence, which can be a great hindrance when transferring a lot of data.

One of the powerful features of wget is its ability to retreive a complete mirror of a website, locally, on your harddrive. It is also intelligent enough to only download links or files associated with the website, without traversing external links. Though it would be a generous public service, you probably wouldn’t want to mirror the entire Internet!

Here’s how you do it.

From a Linux shell:

$ wget -mk -w 10 http://www.google.com/

• -m instructs wget to enter mirroring mode
• -k instructs wget to convert links in the webpages downloaded to local links
• -w 10 instructs wget to delay 10 seconds between requests. This is really just to maintain proper net etiquette; it’s not required

Not running Linux or otherwise have no access to wget? Don’t fret, wget has been ported to Windows. Wget is a powerful utility that I’ve barely scratched the surface here. Find out more on wget by reading the associated manpages.

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• 57% are uncomfortable with advertisers using their browsing history to serve ads yet 72% find ads annoying when they are not relevant - which happens over 75% of the time
• 40% responded that they are aware of the industry jargon and practice - “behavioral targeting”
• Worse for Google and Yahoo still, 54% attempt to foil tracking by routinely deleting their cookies

TRUSTe contends that the results present a contradiction for advertisers, who are being told that consumers want to see more relevant ads but without having their activities tracked in order to bring relevancy. “[N]o matter how much we assure anonymity, there is still significant discomfort with the idea of tracking,” TRUSTe executive director Fran Maier said in a statement. “We have a solid indication that consumers want us to find a way to get them the advertising that is relevant to them. In order to do this, behavioral targeting is one of the most promising methods, but at the very least, it has to be made more transparent, provide choices, and deliver real value.”

The vast majority of users do not really know what they want - or perhaps something that just cannot be.  Such is life on the Internets - created as a decentralized organization wherein everything is in the public. You are being manipulated and the degree to which you are aware determines your ability to choose. Advertising is everywhere and maybe The Simpsons show it best:

Lisa: But you have recruiting ads on TV. Why do you need subliminal messages?
Lt. Smash: It’s a three-pronged attack. Subliminal, liminal, and superliminal.
Lisa: Superliminal?
Lt. Smash: I’ll show you. [opens the window, and shouts at Lenny and Carl, who are standing on the corner] Hey, you! Join the Navy!
Carl: Uh, yeah, all right.
Lenny: I’m in.

Why should the Internet be any different?

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Some extremely brief background information - DNS is essentially the service that translates all your www, .coms, etc into a numerical address on the Internets. This translation or lookup generally happens at your ISP level, but in a worst case scenario it may transcend a number of networks before returning an answer. With the address lookup information, only then can your PC locate and conversely load the webpage you’ve requested. That is all the ammo you need in order to judge whether OpenDNS is really anything to clamor about.

So what makes them worth talking about?

1. Phishing protection. When you attempt to load a known phishing website, OpenDNS instead redirects you to a page informing you of the very bad decision you have just made.
2. Lookup caching. Generally, you are at the mercy of your ISP’s DNS servers to provide efficient and quick address resolution. When a lookup is already cached, the server does not need to redirect your query to another DNS server and thus alleviating any prorogation delay.
3. Typo corrections. Self explanatory, if you type goggle.com or craigslist.og, you still end up where you intended to go.

After using it for a few days:

• Phishing protection works as advertised. While I’d like to think I am a little more net savvy than most, we’ve all had the case of the clickys; launching web links haphazardly and without thinking. Some of today’s scams look entirely legit, and while I believe the OpenDNS system relies on a good/bad reporting system, it still has merit.
• Lookup caching sounds great at the surface but I noticed little difference - a few milliseconds here or there is impossible to tell. Perhaps my ISP does a great job with its caching; its logical to see that a DNS server at your ISP will have less latency than another a few networks away.
• I guess I’m just an excellent typer, I didn’t come across this whatsoever. To be fair, it worked as described when I tried typing with my elbows. A part of me is concerned about having a service redirect me like this, even when the intent is good - atleast I hope it is.

So will I use this? As I’m not the only user on my home network, I think the offering has more going for it. As of this writing, I will keep using OpenDNS. The phishing protection (though not unique) makes the package attractive, mainly for its transparency and easy installation. Oh, I haven’t mentioned how to install it? For those interested, OpenDNS has a getting started page that is well done and thorough. Those of us more technically inclined can just change our network settings to point to the OpenDNS servers, 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.

The service is free and easily “installed” so there is very little reason to not to try it out and see how it goes. Your mileage may vary; godspeed.

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