What Will Wrote (written by thewillweeks)

Log on problems and choosing good passwords

2012-01-31T22:02:00.000-08:00

Having trouble logging in to your favorite website? We all have that trouble some days. Here are 3 steps for easier logins:
1. Use a good password manager like Lastpass or your browsers built in one.
2. Choose good password's, ones you can remember but no one else can. For instance, half of your first pets name + its birth year + your favorite punctuation mark + all lower case business name.
3. Make sure you're typing everything right, copy and paste if needed, make sure there are not blank spaces on either side of the pasted information. Some login forms are sensitive to blank spaces after the login info.

Lastpass

2012-01-31T15:24:00.000-08:00

Today I installed Lastpass because I was tired of all my passwords only being in Chrome or Opera. Now they're synced in to all my browsers, IE, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. Although I must say I like having all my passwords synced, I'm not a fan of Lastpass.

In Chrome the interface doesn't fit with Chrome's standard interface, and just feels out of place. Internet Explorer isn't a whole lot better, but it does work decently there. However, in Firefox and Opera it looks and functions better than the built in password manager. All that said, since Chrome is my main browser, I'm still not a fan.

However, using Lastpass to transfer my passwords to Firefox and Opera is one of my first steps in migrating to a new browser. Chrome's "fast", but it really doesn't actually perform that well. I've been bench-marking browsers and Firefox and Opera place equally as well so I'm going to try and shift my browser usage back to Firefox (which I haven't really used since version 3 so that should be a big shift!).

Anyway, that's my two cents on Lastpass, we'll see what I think after using it for a couple weeks.

5 steps to Internet security

2012-01-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Being secure online is essential these days since your online work includes everything from socializing to banking. You can't toss your banking credentials around like you might your forum passwords from back in the 90's. Here are 5 simple steps to stay safe online.

1. Security software
Security online starts with security offline. Make sure your computer is properly secured by using proper security software.

Antivirus- Make sure you have a good antivirus, no matter what operating system you're using, and keep it updated. I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials or avast!. Immunet is also a great choice if you prefer behavioral based protection with a little open source thrown in.
Antimalware- Microsoft Security Essentials takes care of this as well, for free! But if you'd like a nice free scanning utility try Malwarebytes AntiMalware.
Update manager- Use your update manager regularly or set it to automatically update. For added protection use a third party updated manager like Secunia Personal Inspector.

2. VPN
VPNs (virtual private networks) is a piece of software that encrypts all your web browsing and routes it through a proxy (see below for what a proxy is) so you're safer online. Most of these cost money or have heavy restrictions. I recommend SecurityKISS as it's ad free and lets you choose servers, it does have a 300Mb daily limit (through a current promotional offer, it's usually 50Mb). For unlimited usage try Hotspot Shield (watch out for tag along software in the installation screens), which is ad supported.

3. Proxy
Proxies can be used to by pass firewalls and protect your privacy online. A proxy takes all your internet traffic and routes it through another computer so you appear to be from another location and makes your local machine think you're only visiting the proxy site. I have my own available here, or you can use Kproxy.

4. URI (universal resource indicator) bar
Whenever you're online and want to make sure your using a safe site check the URI bar(formerly called the URL bar) to make sure you're on the right site, and also check for a leading https:// instead of http:// to ensure that your connection to the website is encrypted.

5. Secured network
When using WiFi make sure you connect to a secure network which is using WPA2 encryption or better. Unsecured networks allow for eaves dropping on your activity and possible credentials theft (and yes, Mac and Linux are vulnerable to this too). Try using a VPN if you have no choice but to use a unsecured network.

6. (bonus!) Browser
Make sure you choose a great browser which works fast and securely. Be aware that your favorite spin of a popular browser may not be updated as often as the main browser so you may be insecure. Make sure you keep it updated too. I personally use Chrome (or Chromium for you open source fans), Opera, and Firefox on a regular basis.

Stay secure online and have a great time!

Business Cards!

2012-01-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

My business cards from Moo.com arrived today and I must say, they look pretty awesome!

69%

2012-01-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

I just learned from my blog stats that 69% of my visitors use Chrome. 69%. Wow. Firefox only accounts for 13% and Internet Explorer for 7%. My mind is blown. Safari with 8% beats out Internet Explorer. Need I say more?

The web is changing so much now. I remember (and I'm 18) when Internet Explorer was the dominate browser and Firefox was the weird one. I remember the first time I used Firefox and how different it was. It's crazy to imagine that Chrome is over taking IE and FF, but it's happening right before our eyes. Web browser wars are going nuts, but this is great for the end users. Why? Let me explain.

Microsoft won one browser war with Netscape and I don't expect it will lose this one. Why? Because when Microsoft is challenged, which I'd like to point out they hadn't been from 2000-2007 or so, they actually make good products. Don't believe me? Look at Windows 7. It actually works, and is actually getting people to uninstall XP. Need I say more?

I continue though. You insist Microsoft can't make good products, I say look at Word. You may not like it, but you have to admit it works and the 2010 version actually looks great. So, as you may have guessed, I won't draw all the conclusions for you, just throw some random facts at you to think about. That's kind of my style.

2012-01-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, you may start seeing a few ads pop up on my blog and in the feed. I'm getting really close to graduating and need to make some money for college. Don't get me wrong, I love writing, but if I can get the ads to help pay for it that'd make my financial situation a little easier.

Of course, you may not like ads, and that's understandable. If you just can't stand them I advise using an ad blocker. Here are my suggestions:
Chrome
Internet Explorer
Firefox
Opera

All that said, if you don't mind viewing a few ads (and clicking on a few if you don't mind) I'd really appreciate if you left your ad blockers of for my blog and helped support me in this way!

I may have spent too much time on computers

2012-01-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

I sat down recently and was thinking about what operating systems I have experience with and I was sort of surprised. I realized I've installed quite a few operating systems on my computers or used them extensively on family computers. To name a few:

DOS
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.1
Windows 95
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 8
Mac OS 9
Mac OS X 10.3.9
GhostBSD
PC-BSD
Dreamlinux 3.5
Dreamlinux 4
Debian 5
Debian 6
Ubuntu 10
Ubuntu 11
Kubuntu 10
Xubuntu 11
Fedora 15
Fedora 16
JoliOS 1.2
Android 2.1 x86
Android 3.2 x86
xPud
ChromiumOS
KolibriOS
MenuetOS

Yes, I might enjoy trying new operating systems just a little bit (to much?). Granted, I've experienced these operating systems on 15 different computers (7 mine, 8 families) so that just averages out to 4 operating systems per computer. Not insane...at least clinically. Any suggestions for this operating systems addict? I would love to hear about your favorite operating system and why I should try it!

Birthdays and other nonessential things

2012-01-23T22:36:00.001-08:00

This post is coming from my newest toy which my friends were nice enough to buy me (way nicer than I deserve I might add). This is an iPod touch. Need I say more?

Why did they buy this for me you ask? Because its my birthday! Well, it's sometime around now. If everyone reading this would share it to Facebook and Twitter as a birthday present to me that'd be really cool!

All around me...

2012-01-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

Had 3 friends over for most of the day and had a great time. I was once again reminded how fortunate I am to live on a farm as they ooh-ed and aah-ed over things I don't think a second thing about.

I live on a farm for crying out loud, I can step out the door and see horses, cows, chickens all around. If I look up I see a pure sunset in the evening and shiny stars at night. If I stop and sniff the air I can smell the world around me almost as well as I can see it. Why am I not in awe?

Because I'm used. And when Americans, or anyone for that matter, get used to something we take it for granted. Why? Because it's always been there. It'll always be there. My grandpa said it'd be there. My cousin fought in Vietnam so it'd be there.

Let me let you in on a little secret, if you take it for granted, someone else will take it.

The pinned tabs in Chrome

2012-01-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

What tabs do you keep pinned in Chrome? Do you have a specific reason for pinning them, or can you just not remember how unpin them?

I generally have 3 pinned tabs in Chrome: Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, and Facebook. Why? For time's sake. I use my Yahoo! email account for general emails that don't have anything to do with a Google service. If it has to do with Google or is of a more personal nature I usually use my Gmail. Again, why? Because Yahoo! has an awesome spam filter, unlimited storage space, and great sorting tools which makes it great for storing lots of emails and sorting them. Gmail's sorting features aren't nearly as powerful (to my mind, I like folders, not labels) but it's email threading and Google chat and Google+ integration makes it great for social interaction from a email stand point. Facebook is pinned not because I use it that much but because I don't like having to re-open a Facebook tab every time I get a notification (I have a desktop client for chat and notifications).

In the past I've been known to pin Twitter, Google+, Hotmail, YouVersion Support, YouVersion, Blogger, and a couple other domains. However I learned that these sites either work better as a full tab (faster switching and faster recognition), for example YouVersion and YouVersion Support, or I don't really use them that much, like Twitter and Google+.

One nice thing about pinning tabs in Chrome is you can still see if the <title> element has been updated. This is significant because it's the <title> element that is changed when you get a new chat message, or new email. You can tell if the <title> element has changed by looking for a small white light sliding across the tab. This actually happens in all tabs, not just pinned tabs and is a fast way to check for new content on sites. You'll note that Firefox does not have this feature.

So, what'd you use pinning for? Fast access to commonly used sites, occasional checking on news sites, saving space in the tab bar? I'd love to hear, drop a comment or an email and let me know!

To write more

2012-01-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to write on here more, and taking on more creative projects lately. I noticed that the further I got from creativity, and the less creative I was the more boring everything became. When I had a creative project though, I was fine with doing anything, as long as I could work on my project later.

Born of this realization is a quasi-commitment to write on here everyday. I say quasi because I have creative projects that might get in the way. Seriously though, I find that continued writing not only keeps my mind sharper and my spelling and grammar stronger, it also lets me vent my feelings. Although I rarely post about my personal life on here, venting my creative feelings lets of the pressure so to speak and helps me thrive in my offline life.

On top of the above reason, I love to write. In school English/Composition was my worst and hardest class for the longest time. I didn't get what a predict adjective had to do with anything I cared about, until I realized that writing is just as beautiful an art as painting or drawing, only more challenging. For when you write you must not only imagine an image in your head, you must be able to create the image in another's head. When you draw you "only" have to realize your imagined picture on to a canvas and everyone will see the same thing you do.

Well this post is turning more in to a rambling than quasi-commitment. I do that though. It's what lets me enjoy writing. I can start off one topic, such as trying to be creative, and totally switch to discussing the difference between drawing and writing. Or I could be totally random and start discussing penguin. Ok, I'm not quite that random usually, only at 12:58 in the morning.

Thank's for reading my creative steam guys! (and yes, I meant to say steam)

Facebook friending

2012-01-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

So that someone you don't want to add just friend-ed you on Facebook? You could turn them down, but what if they ask again? That could be really awkward. Or if they check your profile and see you rejected (which is really easy to do by the way). Save your self some hassle and when you click "Not now" also click "No" from the options it gives you afterward.

What happens when you click "Not now" is it then flashes up a small message that ask "Do you know Joe Dude outside of Facebook? Yes or no". If you click "Yes" he still be able to friend request you again, if you click "No" he won't be able to friend request you again, it'll just look like you've never replied to his friend request.

Klout

2012-01-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, how's it going? I'm sure I've mentioned Klout before but I'm starting to experiment with it and see how it works now. For those of you who haven't heard, Klout is is a small (I use that term relatively) website that keeps track of what topics you seem to be influential about in social media and what people you seem to influence in social media. It automatically detects a lot of things but if you happen to think I know a lot about computers or something like that you can give m +K on my profile (http://klout.com/thewillweeks) for that topic. This helps Klout more accurately determine what I actually know something about. If you wouldn't mind going to my profile and giving me some +K that'd be great!

Here is a link to my profile: LINK

You can ask me a question!

2012-01-19T13:54:00.000-08:00

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Wikipedia is blacked out! (and how to "un-blackout" it)

2012-01-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Now I believe in the freedom of the web as much as anyone else, and I think SOPA and PIPA are awful ideas and that widespread loss of consumers rights will follow (including any say about your privacy, your privacy doesn't exists anymore if SOPA and PIPA are passed). However, I'm also a student who sometimes needs to use Wikipedia and today it is blacked out. I'm sure some other students out there have the same problem. You also may know, I love to bypass stuff too.

So, here are two easy ways to get on to Wikipedia regardless of the blackout. There are two really easy ways, 1) install noscript, 2) use a script disabling proxy to get on, like the one HERE.

Noscript for Firefox
Notscript for Chrome

Happy Wikipedia-ing and may SOPA fall flat on its face!

Facebook chat won't work!

2012-01-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

I say that to myself at least 10 times a day, its my mantra now. Just kidding, but seriously, Facebook chat gets on my nerves and doesn't always send my messages and often decides to not receive messages. For a company with that much money, it functions rather poorly I believe. Maybe I'm just spoiled because the first in browser instant messenger I used was Google Chat and that after all was pretty well perfect. Never missed a message, never faltered when sending one either.

Anyway, the point of this post is not to complain, as sometimes I do, but to give you a good alternative to using the browser based Facebook client. I've recently started using Trillian IM for all my chatting needs. This shiny program lets me house all my chat accounts under one roof.

So handy, saves me switching programs, and keeps Facebook messages moving just like they should. Get it yourself from Trillian.im.

Dynamic views are back

2012-01-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that for a couple days that I'd switched back to a Picture Window theme instead of the Dynamic views theme, this was because the Dynamic views wouldn't work. I got a message that said "Sorry, dynamic views aren't available for this blog." You may have seen it too. They're back however now, it seems the problem was my fault! Alas, this is why I shouldn't tweak some settings.

Apparently all the Dynamic views pull their content from the blog's feed and if you tweak the feed to any other length than full the Dynamic views will become unavailable, and that's just what I'd done. Anyway, problem resolved and the blog looks better again. However, now you can't see my Twitter widget so if you want to keep up with me on Twitter you can follow me here: Twitter!

Chiropractor visits

2012-01-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

I have a fear of health care professionals (due to a scary experience as a child) but I'm slowly beginning to appreciate them more. Specifically with me two recent to a chiropractor. Apparently I had a rolled vertebra in my upper back. He says it should go back to normal with these two visits, maybe one or two more.

He's prescribed using heat specifically on a couple places on my back multiple times a day starting Wednesday or so. He says if I do that the muscles are to tight for someone my age. Hm... imagine that. Haha, anyway, looking forward to having my back work right again. Thank God for doctors!

Rank my site please!

2012-01-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

If any of you wanted to hop over to http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/willweeks.pcriot.com and rank my site as clean and good I'd greatly appreciate it, apparently my hosting provider has hosted some bad sites and so it's pulled down all the free subdomain's ratings. If you could help me boost mine back up again I'd appreciate it!

I forgot my password...for Windows!

2012-01-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

If you've ever heard those words I'm sure you can confirm they usually cause and accompany panic. However, no need to fear. Here are some simple steps to prevent this from becoming a nightmare.

Plan ahead. Make a password reset jumpdrive/SD card/floppy disk.
Recover files with a LiveCD of your favorite Linux distro. I recommend Ubuntu (ease of access) or DreamLinux (personal favorite).
Remove/brute force the password.

If you thought ahead, you're safe. Just plug in your recovery media and tada, all you trouble will go away like the snap of a finger.

If you didn't plan ahead for this you've got options 2 & 3 if you want to recover files, each with their downside. #2 is great for recovering files. Go to http://www.ubuntu.com/download and download the latest disk image (make sure you get a Live CD), and burn it with your favorite ISO burning software. If you need help choosing burning software I suggest checking download.com's free options: http://is.gd/3pClXS. Once burned, insert it in your disk drive and restart your computer (you may have to change your BIOS settings to get your computer to boot from the CD). Once you're booted up you shouldn't have much trouble using Ubuntu's file manager to copy files to another media device.

The last option I list is removing/brute forcing the password. This is my personal favorite option. For information on how to brute force a Windows password please check this page: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ophcrack. For information on removing the password please check this page: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=offline+windows+password+%26+registry+editor.

And there you have it, forgetting your password isn't such a bad deal if you know what to do!

Proxies are apparently everyone

2012-01-13T23:52:00.001-08:00

I posted recently about my installation of a proxy on my server and apparently that got everyone's attention so I thought I'd post again and let you all know if you'd like to use the proxy it's available free at this address: http://willweeks.pcriot.com/proxy

Let me know if you like it/appreciate it!

LMGTFY and my Facebook page

2012-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

Let Me Google That For You is a cool little service which...well it Google's stuff for you. Click here to see it in action: lmgtfy.com/?q=thewillweeks.

Anyway, the main point of this post is to share my Facebook page with you. Since as a minor Facebook won't let my Facebook page be listed in public searches I created my own like page which you can see here, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Will-Weeks/158218347620232. As someone who wants to pursue a career online I need to have a strong presence and this seemed like a good way to do so, if you'd be willing to like and or share that with your friends that'd be great!

YouVersion at 1366x768

2012-01-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

Many of you are aware of YouVersion.com's free Bible App, how it's currently available for Android, iOS, Blackberry, WebOS, Symbian, Java, Windows Phone 7, and then of course available through the websites, YouVersion.com, and m.youversion.com. However, the two websites don't support offline reading, unlike the top 3 apps I listed.

However, you may not know that there are now Android simulators (not emulators) out there now which have ported the ability to run APK's on Windows. Bluestack's is currently in a free beta and will let you run any Android app you want on your Windows PC, and acts almost like a runtime like Java or Adobe AIR. This translates in to running YouVersion at 1366x768.

This also means I can use the app offline on my PC and highlight verse(which isn't available on the website yet)!

Websites: A-Z

2012-01-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

I recently noticed in Chrome that I can just type one letter and often it suggests the site I want, it has tracked my history for so long it knows me. This made me really curious to find out what the first website for each letter would be. Tada, a list.

amazon.com
Everybody know what Amazon is so no need to explain that.
bit.ly
YouVersion support had some bit.ly links for awhile that I had to use a lot, apparently I haven't visit many websites that start with "b" since then.
chrome.angrybirds.com
Angry birds! In Chrome! Need I say more?
download.com
Free software...I really don't need to say more.
ebay.com
Shiny stuff! Man, all these websites explain themselves when you think about me.
facebook.com
I waste more time on here than a monkey spends eating bananas. (And no, I will not become a professional writer of analogies.)
giveawayoftheday.com
Software giveaways, usually not very useful but once in awhile there is a gem.
huffingtonpost.com/tech/?from=switched
A referrer to the new AOL tech blog.
iwannawatch.net
I don't recommend this site, it has some streamed movies though.
jolicloud.com
A cloud OS, also install-able as JoliOS.
klout.com/thewillweeks
Klout, the place that makes you feel like you know something. It analyzes my social media and tells me what's going on with my followers.
lifehacker.com
Tech blog, lots of cool stuff, highly recommend.
mail.yahoo.com
A must for a Yahoo! addict like me.
netflex.com
I had a Netflix trial for awhile, but it was way to time consuming. And yes, I never did learn how to spell it.
omegle.com
An odd online chat room, not exactly a great place to spend time, not entirely sure why it's on my most visited sites.
plus.google.com
Google+, love to hate it, hate to love it.
q
Q actually had no entry oddly enough.
realmofthemadgod.com
An online multiplayer Nintendo graphic style game.
support.youversion.com
YouVersion's FAQ's.
twitter.com
I'm slowly learning how to tweet effectively, if you want to follow me I'm @thewillweeks.
ubuntu.com
Love open source, but not so hot on the CL stuff yet so this is my Linux distro of choice.
volunteer.youversion.com
For all my YouVersion volunteer needs.
willweeks.pcriot.com
My website, or web landing I should say.
x10hosting.com
My hosting provider.
youversion.com/forgot
Apparently I visit the forgot password page more than I visit the Bible reading page...
zmovie.tv
Do not recommend this site either, they stream some movies though.

And that's my most visited sites for each letter. What'd you think?

Proxies are us...

2012-01-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

I got tired of using web proxies (some of which are blocked by security software) and VPN's so I finally broke down and made my own proxy hosted of my website. So far so good, going to see if I can enable SSL on it and make it nice and secure.

Update: Everyone liked this post apparently so I posted again with a link to my proxy, http://whatwillwrote.blogspot.com/2012/01/proxies-are-apparently-everyone.html.