Whenever I go to a Client’s home to set-up their WiFi or configure an existing wireless connection I’m always amazed at how many “open” WiFi routers there are out there. I even had a Client’s system in for repairs recently and when she came to pick it up I asked… “how do you connect to the net”? She replied… “with my wireless card of course”. Somewhat puzzled and wanting to ensure she would able to re-connect when she got her system home, I queried further. After a few more questions & answers I was surprised to discover that this nice “Christian” lady was leeching her neighbors WiFi and had been for some time. She was a bit miffed when I told her that is was unethical, and that some people considered it “theft”. She replied… “Well it’s there and wide open so I use it”. YOWIE! I learn something new about people every day.
So is it wrong to leech WiFI? Is it theft? My example above demonstrated to me that everyone has their own sense of right & wrong. Her attitude was that if her neighbour was stupid enough to leave it unsecured, then it was their own darn fault. Sorta-kinda like if your neighbours apple tree hangs on your side of the fence it’s ok to take the apples there. So, I was prompted to do some research on it and Googled the title of this article. There’s as many opinions on the subject as there are wide open routers.
Some argue that it’s the same as AM or FM radio - if it’s on my property I can use it. I even found guides to stealing password protected WiFi!!
There’s even a tool to make it easier called AirCrack. This latter tool is hyped as a way to “recover encryption keys” for your own system. In case you forget it I suppose. Hmmm… isn’t’ that what the reset button on every router is for? Anyway, no matter how you phrase it, to me that IS theft - no doubt about it, but it was interesting reading. This research gave me the heebie-jeebies and prompted me take another look at my own WiFi network and beef it up. I now change the password regularly.
There’s even a “hobby” called War Driving, War Walking & War Biking. It entails driving/biking/walking around with your wireless laptop until you find an insecure wireless network, and “piggyback” on it for your own purposes. These can be as benign as checking your Hotmail or as nefarious as sending out two million spam emails for a Russian spam gangsta. Unfortunately, the latter action will likely get your WiFi “Hosts” ISP service suspended. We’ll get into this further in a later post.
One Law Student I talked to is in their last year of University and told me they’ve been “piggybacking” for over 3 years! That was the only way they could “afford” internet at all. They just keep it to a “minimum”, and don’t download TOO MANY movies and tunes. They also used the “apples on my side of the fence” defence, and even stated that if taken to court over it, they would likely win.
You’ve heard my opinion on the subject. I just think it’s wrong. Period! As I’m writing this there are 6 wireless networks within “good signal” reach of my laptop. To my astonishment there are FOUR that are wide open. I even tried to access one of them and sure enough, I was able to connect with no problem. S-C-A-R-Y !!!
I’d like to hear your opinions on the ethics of WiFi piggybacking/hijacking/leeching/freeloading. Let’s see if we can get some good comments and generate some feedback and ideas on your thoughts on the subject. Is it right or wrong? Let’s hear your comments, ideas and opinions on the subject.
August 18th, 2008
Posted by
DoC |
Computer Security, Freebies, WiFi, Wireless Networking |
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I print a LOT of black & white documents for both my business and the computer classes I teach! I was going broke buying printer cartridges. So I bought myself a $90 Samsung ML2010 Laser Printer. The only problem was that the initial charge of toner in the full-size cartridge only contained enough toner to print a couple of hundred documents. I went through that in a couple of weeks or less! I went to Staples website to get a new toner cart and almost dropped dead at the price.
I thought there must be a cheaper option, so I headed over to eBay and typed in “toner refill Samsung ML2010″ in the “computers & networking” category. To my amazement I came back with several sellers that offered them. I actually found an eBay store here in Canada that sells them so I just used Buy-It-Now and got 3 toner refill kits for less than $30 (including S&H). This gave me enough toner to refill my cartridge 3 times. WOW!!
This is really cheap compared to the retail cost of just one commercial Samsung printer toner cartridge that sells for almost $100!! It even comes with a special funnel, plastic gloves and detailed instructions (not that it was very hard). The only thing I added was a cheap dust mask from the hardware store.
The only tools I needed were a small Phillips screwdriver, a small flat-bladed screwdriver and a small pair of needle-nose pliers. I quickly took out the one screw on the left side of the laser cartridge, popped out the small plug and dumped out all the old toner into a garbage bag (very important). The instructions emphasized to be careful NOT to touch the toner drum. The next step was to shake the toner bottle thoroughly before opening it to refill the cart, and I thought this was really dumb but I followed the directions anyway. It was then a really quick job of gently pouring the new toner into the cartridge - almost like liquid. I put the small plug back in and cleaned off the little bit of toner that had spilled (because I was in too much of a hurry) with a couple of air bursts from my airgun. I popped the cart back in the printer and fired it up. Done.
I then started printing a batch of documents and was amazed by the great results. It was superb. I found myself wondering exactly how long the re-charge would last, and gave up counting after 6 months. I finally had to give it another charge a few weeks ago and realized that it had been over 18 months since I first refilled it. Absolutely remarkable.
One word of warning though. If you refill the cart while the printer is still under warranty, you’ll void the guarantee. I figured what the heck. If the printer malfunctions within the first year, it’s still cheaper to buy another one than it is to buy a new toner cart!
So, if you’re like me and need to print a LOT of documents, simply invest in a cheap Samsung laser printer and learn to refill it yourself. You’ll save yourself a bundle.
August 17th, 2008
Posted by
DoC |
Printers |
no comments
It seems like every blog has a “top 10 list”, so of course I had to do better - a top 12 list! This list is near & dear to me since most of my Clients are senior citizens and on fixed incomes. You don’t have to be retired to take advantage of all these freebies. So here we go…
- Best FREEWARE Antivirus - AVG Antivirus - provides a high level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust. Easy to use and will not slow your system down.
- Second Best FREEWARE Antivirus - Avast Antivirus - quickly scans your computer for viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.
- Best FREEWARE Firewall application - Comodo Personal Firewall Pro (yes it’s free) secures your system against internal attacks such as Trojan viruses, malicious software and external attacks by hackers.
- Best FREEWARE System Maintenance Cleaner - cCleaner (crap cleaner) quickly clean-up junk files and invalid Registry entries.
- Best FREEWARE Spam Suppressor - MailWasher Free spam filter software, and the easiest way to check and manage your e-mails before you download them.
- Best FREEWARE Spyware/Adware/Scumware Cleaner - AdAware cleans your system easily and allows you to maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the net.
- Second Best FREEWARE Spyware/Adware/Scumware Cleaner - Spybot Search & Destroy can Search your hard disk and Registry for threats to your security and privacy. Will remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer.
- Best FREEWARE Notepad Replacement - Edit Pad Lite is a neat general-purpose Notepad-like text editor. It has all the features a solid text editor needs.
- Best FREEWARE Office Application Suite - Open Office is an open-source approach to office productivity. Includes desktop applications such as a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation manager, and a drawing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to those of other expensive office suites.
- Best FREEWARE Registry Cleaner - RegClean will clean your computer’s registry with one of the most advanced registry cleaner available today. Very easy to use, no knowledge of the registry is required.
- Best FREEWARE Utility - End-It-All 2 is a handy-dandy tool that quickly and easily closes all or selected running programs with a single click. It’s perfect to use before running Scandisk or Defrag and playing graphics intensive games.
- Best FREEWARE CD to MP3 Ripper - CDEX Ripper - Quickly convert tracks from any audio CD to MP3 or WAV files.
So that’s my list. I hope you find that special software freebie that makes your day!
August 15th, 2008
Posted by
DoC |
Computer Tweaking, Essential Free Software, Freebies, Software, freeware |
no comments
I just got another trojan, this time disguised as a Hallmark greeting card. It came complete with the Hallmark graphics and everything. It looked just like the real thing except for one thing - it didn’t contain a name who it was from. This was the third such email I’ve received this week, so I decided I should write about it.
My radar went up immediately and I looked at the source code. Sure enough the graphics were being served directly from Hallmark’s domain, but the “click here” url went to an offshore adult site. It also linked to an executable file called “funny.gif.exe”, which contained the trojan of course. I took a screenshot of the card to show you (below) just how real it looked.
Hallmark eCard with trojan downloader link
I guess my point is that you should be very wary about clicking links in any email when you’re not sure about the exact source. It’s much better to take a few extra minutes and view the sourcecode of an email before clicking away.
Also remember to make sure your anti-virus software is enabled and updated. You don’t need to spend a small fortune on anti-virus software. You can get really good FREE antivirus software from Doc’s Downloads right here.
Remember to always stay safe on the net! Better that than sorry.
August 12th, 2008
Posted by
DoC |
Software, Spoofing, Trojans, Viruses |
no comments
I’ve discovered a BIG flaw in Photoshop Elements (versions 3 thru 6). When you’re importing a lot of photos into the organizer, there’s a little checkbox that says … “Automatically Fix Red Eyes”. The first time you use it UNCHECK that little box! It “probably” will stay unchecked the next time you use it, but I always double-check just to make sure.
My reasoning behind this is that the function really SUCKS! It rarely does it correctly, and some of your photos will end up looking like the people have black eyes. The real bad news is that once it’s done it’s “automatic fix” there NO WAY to undo it.
I know this problem from personal experience after importing photos of my grandkids after a birthday party with the redeye tool box checked. What a mess it made! The kids looked like they’d all been in fistfights! Fortunately, I hadn’t deleted them from my camera’s memory stick yet, so I was able to replace them.
The best way to fix red-eye in Photoshop Elements is to use the “Standard Editor” and do it yourself. The program can’t really discern the subleties in redeye. Only a real human with a real view of the problem can zoom in enough and use the redeye tool (and other tools) to properly get rid of the problem. It also does a VERY bad job when it attempts to fix redeye on animals, especially cats. It looks like hell. Dogs don’t usually get redeye - they get “gold eye”, but that’s a topic for another article.
The good news is that the redeye tool has actually gotten better with every version of Photoshp Elements since version 3, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. I usually use a combination of the redeye tool along with other tools like the clone-stamp tool and the paintbrush in full edit. My other secret is to ZOOM IN to the point where I can actually fix the problem pixel-by-pixel.
August 1st, 2008
Posted by
DoC |
Photoshop Elements, Software |
no comments
A frequent question I get asked is .. “Gord, what all do I have to re-install when I re-format my computer? There’s so many programs I have installed, that I don’t know where to get them all from”.
I actually have a checklist I always use. Of course you’ll have to have all the CD’s/DVD’s on-hand for all the software you own. But BEFORE installing anything else, I have a process to snag all the other programs, plug-ins and applications you need these days. Start at the top and work your way down (install Windows first of course). Resist the many “options” you get prompted to install the Yahoo or Google Toolbar (get them separately), or to set your homepage somewhere or re-set your default search engine (set it to Google)…
* Do ALL Windows Updates (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/)
* Download the latest Java (http://www.java.com/getjava/)
* Snag Apple’s Quicktime (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/) (without I-Tunes)
* Get the latest Adobe Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
* Get Adobe’s Flash Player (http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer)
* Get Adobe’s Shockwave Player (http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/)
* Snag the Free Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer (http://www.eldercomps.com/free.htm) (if you don’t own PowerPoint)
* Install the Free Windows Defender (Win XP, 2000 & Vista only - Windows validation required) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=435bfce7-da2b-4a6a-afa4-f7f14e605a0d&displaylang=en
* get the Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com)
Post-install functions:
* Set IE/Firefox Homepages - MSN; iGoogle & Yahoo (only on IE7 or Firefox)
* Run msconfig to cleanup the system start menu
* Install all your other software, starting with Microsoft Office (if you use it).
* Then do all the Office Updates (http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate/)
Optional:
* Photoshop Album Starter Edition (can be downloaded free with Adobe Reader above)
* Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/)
Operations:
* Convert any FAT32 drives to NTFS on Windows 2000, XP & VISTA
>> At the command prompt, type the following, where drive letter is the drive that you want to convert: convert drive letter [X]: /fs:ntfs
* Vacuum Computer Interior & Blowout dirt w/ compressed air (Google for help on this)
* Reseat interior computer cables, plugs, cards, RAM & screws (Google for help on this)
Sources For Downloads:
* AVG AntiVirus http://docsdownloads.com/Tier1/avg-antivirus.htm
* AVG AntiRootkit http://docsdownloads.com/avg-antirootkit.htm
* AVG Free AntiSpyware http://docsdownloads.com/avg-antispyware.htm
* FireFox Web Browser http://docsdownloads.com/free-firefox.htm
* Spybot Search & Destroy http://docsdownloads.com/spybot-1.htm
* PowerPoint Viewer (if PowerPoint or Open Office is not installed on your machine) http://eldercomps.com/free.htm
* ZoneAlarm Firewall - only if running WIN 95/98/ME/2000 http://docsdownloads.com/zone-1.htm
* On Windows XP ensure the Windows Firewall in enabled - video demo @ bottom of this page >>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673
More Recommended Free Software:
* RealPlayer http://www.real.com/
* AdAware 2007 http://docsdownloads.com/Tier1/adaware.htm
* Easy Cleaner http://docsdownloads.com/Tier1/easycleaner.htm
* Google Earth http://earth.google.com/
* Firefox http://docsdownloads.com/free-firefox.htm
* Picasa (Google essentials pack) http://docsdownloads.com/picasa.htm
* MailWasher Free http://docsdownloads.com/Tier1/mailwasher-free.htm
* Weather Watcher Free (spyware free version) http://docsdownloads.com/weather-watcher.htm
There you have it - about 5-6 hours your system will be back up & running with pretty much everything the average computer user needs. Have fun!
July 21st, 2008
Posted by
DoC |
Computer Maintenance, Computer Tweaking, Hardware, Software |
no comments
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