Recent Posts

201

General Software Discussion / Re: LastPass - What are your thoughts?

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 01, 2013, 08:09 AM »

I've had some issues with Firefox not dropping down the menu when I want it occasionally

-x16wda (September 30, 2013, 06:53 PM)

Not exactly surprising - I marvel at the fact Mozilla have ANY extension writers left given that they seem to break them without warning every three minutes.

202

General Software Discussion / Re: LastPass - What are your thoughts?

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 30, 2013, 05:38 PM »

Use it all the time across all of my devices Windows, Android and Blackberry. As Deozaan says, it isn't perfect but it works pretty well and I have subscribed.

203

Living Room / Re: Expanding WiFi coverage in difficult buildings

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 27, 2013, 07:13 AM »

It is a collection of old adjoining stone built buildings that have been knocked together. Consequently there are thick walls throughout, floors are on different levels (and sometimes at different angles), it is multistorey (3 I think in total but it might be 3.5 - with varying levels).

At the moment it has old mains electrical wiring - presumably using different ring mains inherited from when it was different buildings because mains networking only works very sporadically in parts of the building so presumably it can't get from one ring to the next.

There is no network cabling at all in the building. Basically they have a telephone line bringing in an ADSL signal to their private quarters - a wireless router modem (netgear I think - can't remember the model - but IIRC it is 54g - which doesn't help*). I installed an expander in their cafe area which gives wifi coverage in the cafe and to the rooms on the floor above.

Customers have been complaining about lack of wifi coverage in the bedrooms.

My solution would be to run ethernet cabling to a number of parts of the building from the router and then put wifi expanders on the end but I am not sure how easy or attractive the cabling would be because of the nature of the walls and multiple levels (nothing is flat!) and I am not sure they want to pay for the time.

I suppose an alternative solution would be to run ethernet through a window externally to the roof space and put expanders above the upper rooms.

Whatever happens I think it is going to need a fair amount of time, effort and gear to get full coverage and from my last visit I guess they want to do it on the cheap!


*Update - it is a Netgear N300 Wireless N adsl2 modem/router

204

Living Room / Expanding WiFi coverage in difficult buildings

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 27, 2013, 06:05 AM »

A couple of years ago I installed some wifi expanders in a local hotel. They worked but were not brilliant and only provided coverage for parts of the building.

The building is a ramshackle amalgam of very old buildings with thick stone walls internally and externally, on mutliple levels and multiple floors so lines of sight are difficult and wall are thick and difficult to drill.

The problems are the main telephone socket and router are situated away from most of the guests parts of the building on the ground floor.

They don't want the mess or to spend a fortune on having ethernet cables installed and because of the history of the wiring mains networking only works in parts of the building.

Anyone got any other ideas on how to expand wifi coverage to the whole building and get good quality in awkward buildings?

205

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 27, 2013, 05:46 AM »

^from the Guardian link for Sir David Omand

David Omand is visiting professor in the War Studies Department of King's College London and a former director of GCHQ, permanent secretary of the Home Office and UK security and intelligence co-ordinator. He is author of Securing the State

-tomos (September 27, 2013, 05:37 AM)

So not at all biassed in his views ...

Trust us - we are legion !

Great discussion below the article by the way ...

206

DC Gamer Club / Re: Valve Announces Steam OS

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 24, 2013, 11:58 AM »

The questions I suppose I am asking is:

1) How many games on Steam actually work on Linux?

2) Do you get a Linux copy if you bought a Windows copy (it doesn't always seem to follow with Mac versions -even Valve titles)

207

DC Gamer Club / Re: Valve Announces Steam OS

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 23, 2013, 06:37 PM »

If you want to decamp from MS how many games do you get to keep? 

208

Living Room / Re: iPhone 5S fingerprint system easy to fool

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 23, 2013, 06:35 PM »

From the Gizmodo comments: http://kotaku.com/lo...pparently-1360743607

Ya just gotta love the Japanese.

-Stoic Joker (September 23, 2013, 04:00 PM)

Secure phone - but in the wrong state in the US you would get a jail sentence everytime you used it!

209

Living Room / Re: iPhone 5S fingerprint system easy to fool

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 23, 2013, 11:46 AM »

My prediction for the next "security" feature is that we'll see "retina scans" or something else with the same results.

-Renegade (September 23, 2013, 09:37 AM)

Yes - either that or class actions for laser burns and blindness! Bad enough when an optician shines things in your eye - don't want tech companies poking about!

210

Living Room / Re: iPhone 5S fingerprint system easy to fool

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 23, 2013, 07:24 AM »

Here are the details http://www.ccc.de/en...breaks-apple-touchid complete with video!

211

Living Room / Re: iPhone 5S fingerprint system easy to fool

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 23, 2013, 06:28 AM »

Well, they're working for the NSA, and does anyone really expect great workmanship from government contractors?

-Renegade (September 23, 2013, 04:09 AM)

 

212

Living Room / iPhone 5S fingerprint system easy to fool

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 23, 2013, 03:32 AM »

OK - not really a surprise but the iPhone 5S fingerprint reader is not proving tough to be cracked.

Who ever thought it would be - its a scanner for heavens sake so if you can find something to scan (like a residual finger print) and perform a pretty trivial photoshop operation you have something to unlock a phone and read your partners secret sexts.

Did anyone really think this was secure technology? I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone argued this technology was revolutionary (apart from Apple's usual marketing hype and the fanboys brain dead response) - it has been around for years on cheap domestic laptops from a number of manufacturers (not that I have EVER seen anyone actually use it),

Sheesh ...

Further details on Gizmodo - and probably half the internet by the time you see this.

213

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GOG.com offers Stargunner for Free

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 16, 2013, 05:18 PM »

 

214

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 08, 2013, 09:01 AM »

Hey I'd better get more active again - a number of people have sneaked past me

-Carol Haynes (September 07, 2013, 07:13 PM)

Please do!

I'd rather read a post than write one. And yours are always interesting reads!

-40hz (September 07, 2013, 07:35 PM)

Why thank you kind sir - flattery will get you everywhere (well almost)

215

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 07, 2013, 07:13 PM »

Hey I'd better get more active again - a number of people have sneaked past me

216

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 07, 2013, 06:57 AM »

How do you lose focus on the start menu - just press the windows key on the keyboard.

Personally I have given up using any of the alternatives - I really like X1 but had lots of problems with it - especially in the days I used Outlook. I couldn't definitively prove it but I seemed to suffer a lot with corrupted PST files when it was installed and it magically resolved when I got rid of it.

217

Living Room / Re: Kiss Encryption Goodbye... :*

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 06, 2013, 06:44 PM »

I'd say the most positive aspect of this whole affair is that it should lead to big improvements in encryption in the future.

-xtabber (September 06, 2013, 06:22 PM)

Trouble is things will get tougher but no system is unbreakable - just look at all the unbreakable codes in history!

OK you will need machines to do the breaking, and if quantum encryption ever happens it is going to be exponentially harder to crack - but what's the bet that long before it gets too hard to crack in a reasonable time scale laws will be passed to prevent 'too difficult' encryption being used or forced to include a 'security' backdoor.

The trouble is the US wields too much power and the powers that be just aren't that bright and so are easily manipulated. The rest of the world is just scared of what the US might do next. The 'special relationship' enjoyed (until recently) by the UK is truly Etonian in nature (if you take my meaning - if not someone else can post a graphic image).

218

Living Room / Re: Kiss Encryption Goodbye... :*

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 06, 2013, 11:15 AM »

I am the enemy and I am really pissed ...

Democracy - F****

As I UK citizen I also find it amusing that apparently GCHQ have a similar project (though given the UK don't seem to be able to set up any government IT systems that aren't obsolete before they get them working I am not losing any sleep). Also we don't have a constitution .... doesn't the US have some sort of paper and isn't there some sort of vague provision in there for an individuals right to a private life?

219

Living Room / Re: The DonationCoder.com 30-Day Healthy Eating and Exercise Challenge!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on September 03, 2013, 08:37 AM »

Reboot healthy living +1 

220

Living Room / Re: Nonplussed - Windows 7 random BSODS

« Last post by Carol Haynes on August 26, 2013, 04:45 PM »

Thanks guys ... currently the system is stripped down to monitor, keyboard and mouse ... otherwise nothing plugged in and all components are Dell factory components.

Must admit I thought about the PSU and also if it was something environmental. I suppose something could have shaken loose when they drove it home too.

221

Living Room / Re: Nonplussed - Windows 7 random BSODS

« Last post by Carol Haynes on August 26, 2013, 11:37 AM »

Worked fine for a couple years?

222

Living Room / Nonplussed - Windows 7 random BSODS

« Last post by Carol Haynes on August 26, 2013, 11:02 AM »

Totally confused ... asked to fix a Dell computer which is constantly crashing with BSODS and pretty randomly.

It is a Dell desktop running Windows 7 x64.

Tried all the usual things and gave up and reinstalled the factory image. Everything seemed OK but next day the BSODS started again.

Had the computer in my house:

1) Reinstalled factory image again
2) Removed crapware/ Norton etc.
3) Updated from Windows update and all drivers/BIOS/software updates recommended by Dell
4) Installed MSE  and other common tools
5) Ran stress tests and memory tests for 48 hours.
6) Produced Image Backup of system

No logged errors and no BSODS throughout.

Took it back to owner and BSODS start again almost immediately.

Removed everything except screen keyboard and mouse and BSOS continue to appear at random.

Anyone got any ideas?

The commonest STOP codes are 0x1e, 0x7d and 0x3b but they all seem to be random. Most hint at driver issues but they are factory drivers and don't seem to cause issues in my house. All very odd!

223

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on August 19, 2013, 07:32 AM »

This is rather long, so I won't post a quote, but it's a list of non-stop surveillance insanity:

http://www.washingto...ng-on-americans.html

-Renegade (August 18, 2013, 10:28 PM)

This says it all:

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter … in the wake of the NSA spying scandal criticized the American political system. “America has no functioning democracy,” Carter said Tuesday at a meeting of the “Atlantic Bridge” in Atlanta.

See http://www.spiegel.d...rt-usa-a-911589.html

Good old Peanut.

224

Living Room / Re: Edward Snowden's Email Provider Shut Down Rather Than Comply With Feds

« Last post by Carol Haynes on August 09, 2013, 03:46 PM »

Lavabit was MY email provider.  I used it because they were a small, relatively unknown email provider (read: smaller target), they used Linux servers (gotta support the flock ), but more importantly, they kept your email encrypted, with no master key.  Only YOU could read your email.  Ever.  

-Edvard (August 08, 2013, 11:24 PM)

Not strictly true - unless all you senders and recipients also use the same service and you can guarantee end to end encryption (with methods the government don't have backdoors into - I suspect they can get into most of them) your email can be read on the servers of people who write to you and who receive emails from you. OK it would make life a bit more difficult but really it is just processing time if they take an interest. I would guess using encryption is likely to make them keener to read your stuff.

The UK has an interesting policy - it is illegal to use encrypted mail - you can use encryption for transport but not on the servers. GCHQ has to be able to read all your email - they haven't enough to do with real terrorism.

225

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on July 28, 2013, 03:45 AM »

So Obooboo now says he's into the whistleblower system

-Tinman57 (July 27, 2013, 08:01 PM)

Next he will be saying he wants Snowden to come home to receive a medal ...