Maclive.net Recent Posts

Windows 7 and the Rootkit

smanke@maclive.net — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:05:00 CST

I have to say that I have been very impressed with Windows 7. I downloaded the RC 1 build the morning it was released to the masses. I installed it on my MacBook Pro using Boot Camp the following day. It was fast, visually very impressive, and really put a smile on my face. Since that time, I have been working full time on my Mac but I roll over to Windows whenever possible to see how things are working on the other side of the street.

I installed Office 2007, Hamachi, Firefox, and Dropbox. The usual core applications I like to keep handy. Prior to all of this, of course, I installed Kaspersky Antivirus. It was the first antivirus to catch my eye offering actual support (though preliminary as it is listed as a technical preview) for Windows 7. I was impressed that the system didn't seem unduly bogged down by the AV solution and off I went...

Keep Your Computers In Sync with DropBox

smanke@maclive.net — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:05:00 CST

All computer users that routinely accesses more than one computer in the course of their normal routine share the same pain. Keeping all of the files we need available to us at all times is nothing short of maddening. I might have a spreadsheet I was working on all afternoon on my desktop computer, but when I grab my laptop and run out the door to meet a client I only have access to a version that is 2 days old. Or I might have a series of files on my laptop that I need to work on. But when I left my laptop at the office, there is no way I can access them from home...

Proximity Locking With Bluetooth

smanke@maclive.net — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:05:00 CST

Here's one I've been wanting for a long time. I think it would be great to pair my cell phone with my computer and have the computer screen lock each time my phone leaves Bluetooth range. Seems like a great security feature given the prevalence of cell phones these days.

To the best of my knowledge there are no Mac applications to facilitate this right now. Fee apps or otherwise. I read about one possibility a while back that was a series of scripts. But when I played with it, it just didn't work correctly. Over at phoenixfreeze.com, it looks we might have a solution on the way. Right now their product only supports Windows XP and Vista. But according to the FAQ section, Mac support is planned.

Daniel Suarez: Daemon

smanke@maclive.net — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:04:00 CST

I really enjoyed this book. The story was interesting, and largely plausible if you really understand the technology being employed. Plus, being someone who is technically aware, I thought the author did an amazing job of employing current internet based concepts to build a story that is simply a great read.

The story centers around a massively multi-player game analogous to WoW (World of Warcraft). The developer of the game dies before the story begins. When he dies, it triggers hidden code in the game that runs as a distributed daemon service on a botnet spread across the planet. Without giving the plot away, the story is extremely engaging and uses social engineering, security exploits, spiders, and the internet to take a really fresh look at what could really happen to our world if current technologies were properly manipulated.

Business Phone Service on a Budget

smanke@maclive.net — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:04:00 CST

Every once in a while I run into a real gem on the internet. A service that simply reevaluates the way business gets done. For example, in the past, if you wanted to use a multi-line phone system that supported different extensions, and auto attendant, and voicemail, it meant spending thousands of dollars on phone system hardware and contracting a specialist to assemble and maintain the system.

With the internet revolution, voice over IP became a central technology. And when that happened, businesses found new ways to work existing technologies. Once powerful example is RingCentral.com. RingCentral takes a new approach to complicated business phone systems and offers a service that puts the power of those multi-thousand dollar phone systems in the hands of small business owners and telecommuters.

RingCentral's service is difficult to describe. In fact, I suggest taking a look at the video tutorials on their site in order to really grok everything the service can accomplish. I've been using the service for about a year now and I am very impressed. Its not a one trick pony either. It is flexible and it can fill a wide range of needs.

Back to Regular Posting

smanke@maclive.net — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:08:00 CST

Ok, it has been far too long since I’ve had time to post on the site. I really hope to change that now. So many things have happened since I fell off the wagon (stopped having time to post). Mac OS X 10.5 has actually shipped and there have been a series of patches that have really refined it and eliminated bugs.

One of the other major topics that I have posted about in the past, and received a great deal of email asking for further information on the subject relates to keeping several computer synced. The need to keep a portable computer up to date with the latest data from the other computers in other locations has been key. We have some new software to examine there as well...