Alife x Puma Online Pop Up Shop

Alife added another store to their family today with the opening of Alife LA, but that means there are only 3 doors in North America and only 2 in the USA. In the past if you ever wanted anything Alife, it meant either paying resale prices or begging you aunt from Brooklyn to wait in line, but thankfully that has changed.

With the highly anticipated release of the Alife x Puma First Rounds as well as exclusive T-shirts, Alife made the items available via an online pop up shop. Allocated quantities for the pop up shop are terribly limited and once they are gone, they are gone.

Much appreciation to Alife for recognizing that there are many sneakerheads and Alife fans scattered between NYC and LA. Grab them while you can - rivingtonclub.com

Linux - Two Tools For Wireless

I spotted this article on one of the forums I frequent and found the information of interest. When it comes to wireless support in many Linux distributions, the results can be spotty at best. This article covers two tools that you can try to see if your distro will be able to make a wireless connection. The instructions are generic so your results may vary. On the web site the author states:

No other hardware nowadays supports GNU/Linux as weakly as wireless network adapters. Between the constant release of new models and major vendors who are uninterested in supporting the operating system, free drivers for wireless cards are next to impossible to reverse engineer. Nor can you find many retailers willing to customize laptops as readily as they do workstations.

To make the effort less painful, this article assembles the information needed to use both programs and explains their requirements. So far as possible, it presents this information generically, but, at some stages in the use of the two programs, you may need to consult documentation for your distribution in order to complete the process.

The two tools are ndiswrapper and the other is Broadcom firmware cutter. Hopefully you will be able to make a wirless connection by trying one of these tools. All the best.

Complete article here.

Will Being Fashionable Help Linux Adoption?

In an article “Are we finally seeing the year of the Linux desktop?” on itwire.com, I’m sure many ask that now, with so many variants of Linux being touted by vendors, magazines, and advertisements.

Stan Beer, the author thinks that the appearance of the Red Hat (reference to fashion in the title of this piece) Global Desktop will push the idea like no other thus far.

Red Hat has made a very good name for itself in the server arena, and is well respected, with a network of users and staunch supporters. Perhaps this cachet in that sector can translate to a large, stable usage on business desktops, in a way Novell wishes SLED could.

The Global Desktop is going to be offered to large and small businesses at first, with no major introduction as a home product. The big boys, Dell, HP, and Lenovo won’t be offering this at first. The rollout will be from ‘whitebox’ system builders, aimed at the kind of relationships that these vendors enjoy with their customers.

Red Hat also can rely on a group of people, like me, who fondly remember their offerings for the desktop, before the Fedora spinoff, as the first Linux distribution to actually enable work to be done on a machine.

With Red Hat moving into the neighborhood, along with Novell’s SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, and the Lenovo entry into the market with laptops featuring Ubuntu, I’d say that this year is not the one - everything fashionable takes a while, ask any runway model - but 2008 looks very promising.

Full story

Google’s Click Fraud Site

Advertising has funded the phenomenal growth of Google. It is in Google’s best interest to protect the integrity and validity of its advertising model. One problem that has plagued Google and other similar pay-for-clicks programs has been click fraud:

“Google Inc. has unveiled a Web site “resource center” focused on the thorny issue of click fraud, which many consider a potential threat to the company’s main source of revenue: pay-per-click advertising.”

link: Google Opens Click-Fraud Site

link: Ad Traffic Quality Resource Center

The site may serve two main purposes. Such a site does address an ongoing problem in Google’s business model. Further, it is just good public relations from the ‘don’t be evil’ behemoth.

Why we gain weight

For each of us, there are complex, interlinked reasons why we're a particular weight. Understanding what these are can help if you want to alter your weight.

Genes

An underlying tendency to obesity may be the result of our genes. People who generally have little problem controlling their weight seem to have a precisely tuned appetite.

People who gain weight, on the other hand, may be less sensitive to their body's signals of fullness.

Many genes have been identified that either increase or decrease appetite.

People who generally have little problem controlling their weight seem to have a precisely tuned appetite, while people who struggle to control their weight may be less sensitive to their body's signals of fullness.

Studies of twins who've been raised apart attribute almost two-thirds of the difference in body fatness to genetic factors. However, genetic factors don't make obesity inevitable.

Habits

Eating habits develop over many years, and are strongly influenced by our first tastes as babies and dietary patterns formed in early childhood.

These are then continuously reinforced as we grow up, which makes them difficult to change.
Too often, they lead to eating too many calories. Recognising these unhelpful habits and replacing them with positive behaviour are key steps in successful weight control.

If you always reach for sugary or fatty snacks when you watch TV, for example, distract yourself with another activity or make sure the snacks are healthy alternatives, such as fruit or vegetable sticks.

Food

People who tend to choose foods that are high in fat or contain a lot of energy (calories) in small portions are more likely to gain weight than those who fill their plates with bulky, low-energy foods, such as bread, fruit and vegetables.

Bigger portion sizes also mean more calories (see How to lose weight and A healthy weight-loss diet).

Emotions

Overeating can also be triggered by our emotions. Some people turn to food or alcohol in stressful situations, such as after a family argument or a particularly difficult day at work.
Other vulnerable times may be when you're feeling tired, bored or sad.

Identifying triggers and cues that cause you to overeat can help you to change your behaviour in these situations and avoid unwanted calories.

Write down the times when your emotions lead to eating (see Food diary). This will help you to identify situations when you're particularly vulnerable to excess snacking.

Try the following techniques:

• Ask yourself if you must have the food - thinking about what you're doing can help you avoid extra snacks
• Replace images of food with other positive thoughts
• Distract yourself from eating by doing something else you enjoy

Other causes

Medical conditions

Some medical conditions can cause obesity, but these are rare. Prader-Willi syndrome, for example, is a genetic disorder that can result in obesity because people with the condition don't feel full (satiated) and overeat as a result.

Some brain disorders can also cause obesity. For example, brain tumours can result in obesity if they grow in the part of the brain that affects appetite control. However, these are extremely rare.

Medication

Drugs that treat high blood pressure, inflammatory conditions (steroids) and mood disorders can contribute to weight gain by stimulating appetite or decreasing energy expenditure.

If you're concerned, an alternative medicine may be available, but it's vital you consult your GP before stopping any medication.

In some cases, the weight gain is unrelated to the medication. For example, drugs that help to improve low mood may increase appetite simply because they make you feel better, so you're more likely to feel like eating.

Some drugs encourage the body to retain water. This may lead to weight gain, but as it isn't fat the problem will resolve once the underlying disease has been treated.

Physical inactivity

People who lead a physically active life are less likely to gain weight than those who spend most of their day sitting in front of a computer or TV, or in the car.

Have a TV-free day each week and take up a physical activity.

There's evidence regular physical activity can help to keep the weight off in the long term, too.

Warning signs

Obesity doesn't develop overnight. It takes about 3,500 excess calories to gain just 0.5kg (1lb). Few people gain more than 2lb to 5lb each year. Weight fluctuates from day to day, but you should aim to stay about the same weight from week to week.

If you notice a consistent increase in your weight, try to stabilise it before you develop a serious problem.

Begin by reducing the amount of fat in your diet and incorporate 20 to 30 minutes of activity into your day.

Myths about metabolism

There's a common belief that people who are overweight have a slow metabolism (burn energy slowly), while thin people have a fast metabolism (burn energy quickly). This is a myth.

The term 'metabolic rate' refers to the energy (calories) you expend over a day just keeping your body functioning - your heart beating and your lungs breathing, for example. This is often called the basal or resting metabolic rate.

Scientists have measured the exact amount of calories overweight and healthy weight people burn while sitting or lying quietly. This was done by measuring the amount of oxygen breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out.

Results from these studies have consistently shown that overweight people use more energy to keep their bodies working. This is because they have larger bodies with bigger muscles and internal organs.

However, after taking into account differences in body size, lean and obese people have been shown to have similar metabolic rates.

Basal metabolic rate can be influenced by body composition. Muscle requires more energy to function than fat. As we get older, we tend to gain fat and lose muscle. This explains why basal metabolic rate tends to decrease with age.

Similarly, two people of the same age and weight may have different metabolic rates if one is fitter (and has more muscle) than the other.

Of course, we also use energy to move around during the day. Basal metabolic rate and the energy required for physical activity make up our total energy expenditure, or total energy needs. Your total energy needs depend very much on how active you are.

But I eat very little

Often, overweight people believe they eat very little and still put on weight, hence the 'slow metabolism' theory, but research has shown people tend to eat more than they think.

When asked to write down everything they've consumed in a day, people tend to report eating far less than they actually do. This may be to impress the researcher or because they genuinely forget to include some items.

On the day they recorded their intake, they may even have chosen lower calorie foods than they'd normally eat.

The bottom line is you'll gain weight if you consume more calories than your body needs. This can be a difficult fact to face, but recognising the need for change is vital for successful weight loss.

The good news is people not only manage to lose weight but are able to keep control of it in the long term.

Can I speed up my metabolism?

There are many pills, supplements and foods that claim to speed up the metabolism and burn fat. Most of these claims are unproven.

Some chemicals, such as nicotine and caffeine, do have a small effect. However, any increase in the metabolism may be accompanied by an increase in the heart rate and other side-effects, and so aren't recommended as a treatment for obesity.

The fact is no single ingredient will melt body fat away without some effort on your part to reduce the amount of calories you eat.

How can I burn calories?

The best way to burn calories is to increase your levels of physical activity. The amount you'll burn depends on your body size, age and gender, but as a rough guide:

• 60 minutes of gardening burns 300 kcals
• 60 minutes of walking burns 200 kcals
• 90 minutes of football burns 600 kcals
• 45 minutes of dancing burns 450 kcals

In the long run, improving your body composition (increasing muscle and decreasing fat) by being more physically active will lead to small but important increases in your basal metabolic rate.

Do you need to gain weight?

Achieving a healthier weight isn't always about losing pounds - some people would benefit from gaining some. Often, that isn't as simple as it sounds, but with the right plan it can be done.

What's 'underweight'?

Many things affect our health, but research has shown that people whose body weight is within a certain range tend to live the longest and enjoy the best health. Those who are underweight are below this range, which means their health could be at risk.

A body mass index calculator can help you find out if you're underweight.

What's wrong with being underweight?

A number of underweight people are fit and well, they simply have a slender constitution. However, for many people being underweight means their bones aren't as strong as they could be and they have fewer 'reserves' if they fall ill. It can also affect a woman's fertility.

If you've experienced recent and unintentional weight loss and you're always tired, you should see your doctor in case there's an underlying health problem.

If you consciously restrict how much you eat, and/or feel anxious about the thought of gaining weight, you may have an eating disorder.

Talk to your doctor or contact Beat.

Why do some people stay slender?

People who stay slender do so because they're in 'energy balance'

People who stay slender do so because they're in 'energy balance'. In other words, they (often unconsciously) eat the right amount of food to meet their calorie needs.

Research has shown they don't have high metabolic rates and don't magically 'waste' calories. It's a combination of their inherited body shape, their natural level of appetite, what they eat and their activity levels.

How do I gain weight?

You need to take in more calories than you burn. Combining this with toning exercises helps, too.

Set yourself a realistic target and aim to gain weight gradually, at around 1kg (2.2lb) a month. For that you'll need an extra 300kcal to 350kcal a day. This is best done as part of a balanced diet.

Keep a food diary for a couple of weeks to learn more about your eating habits and to identify where you can add calories.

One way is to make meals a little larger or more calorific. Have an extra slice of toast at breakfast, drink grape juice rather than orange juice, make coffee with milk or serve an extra spoon of potato, rice or pasta.

Although exercise burns calories, it's important to include some form of activity into your plan to keep your bones strong and your muscles toned.

Aim for 30 minutes' physical activity five days a week and combine this with some resistance training. Take care not to be too active. If you're always on your feet, make time to relax each day.

Do you need to lose weight?

Losing even modest amounts of weight can help to alleviate many symptoms and reduce your risk of diseases related to being overweight.

Why a healthy weight is important

If your BMI or waist circumference is above the healthy range you're at increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers such as colon, prostate and breast cancer.

You're also more likely to experience joint problems and back pain, and may find you become breathless and have difficulty sleeping.

The more weight you gain, the more severe these problems may become.

How to lose weight

Losing weight depends on energy balance. If you consume more energy from food and drink than you burn through maintaining your body's functions (metabolism) and physical activity, you'll gain weight.

Cutting calories by reducing how much you eat and drink, and increasing how much physical activity you do will make you lose weight.

If you reduce your daily energy intake to around 500 calories (kcal) below your energy requirements, you'll lose about 0.5kg (1lb) a week. This is a sensible rate of weight loss.

Are you ready to lose weight?

Before you start making changes to your lifestyle, it's important to ask yourself if this is the right time. Are you motivated to change?

The reasons you decide to lose weight will be personal to you. You might find you're more successful if you choose a relatively calm time in your life to start. Conversely, changes in your circumstances, such as a new job or house move, may be the key to your weight loss success.

Whatever you decide, make sure you're feeling positive and ready for the challenge.

Setting realistic goals

To lose weight - and keep it off - you'll need to make permanent changes to your diet and physical activity patterns.

Think carefully about your daily routine. Keeping a food diary may help you to identify patterns in your eating behaviour. This will help you to decide on realistic changes you need to make.

Set achievable goals and try to make modifications to your existing diet and how active you are. Drastic lifestyle changes will be difficult to maintain over time.

Aim to lose about five to ten per cent of your initial body weight over a few months. Research shows this kind of weight loss is achievable and will improve your health (see table, below).

Once you've reached your goal, congratulate yourself and set another five per cent weight loss target.

This way, you'll feel good about achieving small steps, rather than getting down because it's taking you so long to lose a large amount of weight.

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Sticking with it

You may lose more weight in some weeks than in others, but as long as your weight continues to decrease overall there's no need to worry.

If your weight stays the same for a week or two, don't abandon all you've achieved. Instead, focus on the amount and type of food you're eating and try to be a little more active.

Maintaining your target weight

For many people, losing weight isn't the really tricky part but keeping it off. Here are some tried and tested strategies for maintaining your weight.

Long-term change

If, once you've reached your realistic target weight, you go back to your old eating habits and activity levels, you'll put the weight back on. It's as simple as that.

This is usually the problem with quick-fix diets, they don't help you to make changes that you can maintain in the long term.

Stay realistic

Beware of 'how to be even skinnier' media messages that lure you into feeling dissatisfied. You have a life to live and enjoy, so hang on the satisfaction of being at a comfortable, healthy weight you can sustain.

Flexible restraint

Many slim people who stay that way by 'watching their weight', show flexible restraint, rather than following rigid all-or-nothing rules. They make healthy choices most of the time, but no foods are seen as forbidden.

This means enjoying small amounts of favourite foods without feeling guilty. And if you do over-indulge, or have a big night out, cut back a bit or do more exercise the next day to balance things out.

Eating healthily

Learn how to choose, prepare and enjoy a balanced diet. Low-fat cooking skills, understanding food labels and having the ability to judge portion sizes all help with this.

So does eating regular meals, taking time to really taste them and indulging yourself occasionally.

How to maintain weight loss

• Continue to eat a balanced, lower fat diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables
• Don't avoid any foods, just watch portion sizes and limit the amount of certain foods
• Have three regular meals a day at regular times (starting with breakfast), and fewer snacks
• Eat out occasionally, but limit fast food
• Sit down to eat your meals, take time over them and pay attention to what you're eating
• Keep 'self-monitoring' to stay conscious of your new eating and activity habits

Stay active

Getting regular physical activity is one of the strongest indicators of long-term success. Not only does it burn calories and increase metabolism-boosting muscle, it also boosts self-esteem and beats stress.

Studies show that just walking for 30 minutes or so each day, plus some other activities during the week, may be enough.

Learn to deal with stress

For many people, food is a quick and effective way to deal with stress. If this sounds like you, take some time to think about the stresses in your life and how you respond to them. A food and thoughts diary can be helpful.

Think about how you could manage stress differently. Things that help include regular exercise, breathing techniques and challenging negative self-talk that spirals into anxiety.

What's a healthy weight-loss diet?

To maintain good health, we need to eat a variety of foods from the five food groups. Eating them in the right proportion will help to keep weight under control.

A sensible rate of weight loss is around 0.5kg to 1kg (1lb to 2lb) a week. To achieve this, you need an energy deficit of 3,500kcal to 7,000kcal a week, which means eating 500 to 1,000 fewer calories a day.

You can do this by replacing high-fat foods with those that are low in fat such as fruit, vegetables, unrefined carbohydrates and lower-fat dairy products, and by being more physically active.

It's also important to watch the size of your portions. This can be difficult, because over time you can lose touch with what's a sensible amount of food.

Meat, fish and alternatives

Meat, fish, eggs and alternatives, such as beans and lentils, provide protein, which is essential for growth and repair. These protein-rich foods, meat in particular, are also good sources of iron, selenium, zinc and B vitamins.

Lean sources of protein can also help to curb your appetite. To help reduce the calories you get from fat, remove the skin from chicken, cut off obvious bits of fat from lamb, pork and beef, and use minimum oil for cooking.

Aim to eat two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, sardines or trout.

You should have two portions of protein-rich foods every day. A portion is equivalent to:

• Meat and fish the size of a pack of playing cards
• Two eggs
• Four tablespoons of lentils or beans

Bread, cereals and potatoes

Starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, potatoes, rice and breakfast cereals, provide us with energy and other nutrients, including iron and B vitamins.

Starchy foods should make up about a third of your total daily energy intake.

Choose unrefined types that are higher in fibre. They'll make you feel full for longer and help to control hunger.

A balanced diet should contain about five portions of starchy foods each day. A portion is equivalent to:

• Three tablespoons of breakfast cereal
• One large slice of bread
• One chapatti
• Three heaped tablespoons of pasta
• Two egg-size potatoes
• Two heaped tablespoons of rice

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables provide essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, and contain many other compounds associated with good health.

Everyone should aim to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in their diet.

Because fruit and vegetables are bulky and contain a lot of water, they can help to control your calorie intake. Aim for at least five portions a day.

A portion weighs about 80g and can include fresh, canned, frozen and dried fruit and vegetables. A portion is equivalent to:

• Two large tablespoons of vegetables, such as peas, carrots, swede or broccoli
• Whole fruits, such as one apple, one orange, one pear
• A handful of grapes
• Two tablespoons of strawberries or raspberries
• One small glass of fruit juice
• A handful of dried fruit

Milk and dairy foods

Foods such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are an important source of calcium as well as providing protein and vitamins. Choose low-fat or reduced-fat versions to reduce the amount of calories in your diet.

Aim for around three portions of dairy foods a day. A portion is equivalent to:

• A medium-size glass of milk
• A small pot of yoghurt
• A small matchbox-sized piece of cheese

Foods containing fat and/or sugar

Fatty and sugary foods, such as crisps, spreads, oils, creamy dressings, sweets, cakes, biscuits and chocolate, and sugar-rich drinks, including alcohol, are high in calories but relatively low in nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.

Eating healthily means including foods that are packed with nutrients rather than packed with energy.

You should reduce your intake of these foods as much as possible. You can do this by:

• Swapping sugary and fatty snacks for fruit, diet yoghurt or a slice of wholemeal toast with reduced-fat spread
• Choosing water, reduced-fat milk or low-calorie drinks instead of sugar-rich drinks
• Using only a scraping of spread on your bread and using an oil spray to limit fat when cooking

Alcohol contains around 7 kcal per gram. As well as adding calories to your diet, it can stimulate the appetite and weaken your healthy eating intentions.

For more advice on cutting calories, see How to lose weight.

A word about salt

On average, we eat over 50 per cent more salt than the recommended level and more than twice the amount we actually need.

We've become used to eating foods containing salt, so reducing the amount we consume often means adjusting our palates.

A lot of salt comes from processed foods, so look for low-salt varieties and check the salt content on the label. You can also cut salt by:

• Preparing foods from fresh ingredients as much as possible
• Avoiding salty snacks, such as crisps and salted nuts
• Choosing 'unsalted', 'no added salt' or 'reduced salt' foods

AT&T Lets Customers Charge Online Purchases to Phone Bill

In a potentially revolutionary move for the U.S. broadband market, AT&T Inc. has begun to deploy a new billing service, allowing customers to buy digital content from select merchants, and charge these purchases to their phone bills.

The telecom giant has not yet released details on what kind of content is covered by the policy, or how the new billing service will be marketed. AT&T does acknowledge, however, that it has now begun implementing this landmark program, using the BSG Clearing Solutions’ Bill2Phone technology.

“AT&T recognizes the value of being able to bill digital content on the home phone bill,” explained AT&T spokeswoman, Jenny Parker. “End user customers appreciate being able to receive one combined and easy-to-read bill.”

BSG Clearing Solutions president, Greg Carter, meanwhile notes that his company has been “working for over two and a half years to facilitate billion of customers purchases to phone bills.”

“We’re beyond the test phase with AT&T, and we’re talking to many other LECs as well as cable companies,” Carter said.

The convenience of paying for web content, or even products, via a phone company has the potential to attract plenty of consumers, including many who don’t already make online purchases.

Around 40% of internet users do not have credit cards, according to the Yahkee Group, and 78% of those surveyed by Internet Retailer said that they “would be more inclined to purchase online if given a safer, more convenient payment method than a credit card.”

Offering such an option could quite possibly give AT&T a significant edge over other ISPs in the American broadband market.

Embarq to Test In-House Television Service

America’s fourth largest local telephone carrier, Embarq Corp., plans to test its own television service in one of its existing markets next year, in hopes of better competing with major cable companies like Time Warner and Comcast.

In recent months, Embarq and other telecoms have been losing hundreds of thousands of customers to incumbent cable operators, many of which have begun marketing competitively priced “digital phone” services to existing cable TV subscribers.

Embarq already resells satellite TV services though an agreement with EchoStar Communications, but as larger carriers like AT&T and Verizon experiment with their own fiber-optic television deployments, Embarq is preparing to test the waters of head-to-head competition with big cable.

“We think that the costs of getting into video are coming down and the economics are there,” said Embarq’s president of consumer markets, Harrison Campbell. “At this point we feel better about it, and we’re going to dip our toe in.”

Embarq declined to name the city where it plans to test the service, or say when Embarq TV may be commercially available.

How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #10

A friend of mine came up to me the other day and said, “I love your computer maxims, but I don’t have anything to worry about–I have all of my passwords stored on an encrypted thumb drive.” Of course, my retort was, “That’s a good thing. Where do you keep your backups?”

“On my external USB drive,” he said

I asked, “That’s encrypted, right?”

“No.”

Doh! If a cracker is able to access his PC and that drive is connected and turned on, my friend could be toast. Full backups can contain lots of personal information that is much more valuable than passwords. Most people don’t encrypt their data. They should, but they don’t. Some backup programs allow you to make encrypted backups. You should, if this option is available. But the safest thing to do is actually remove removable backup media.

When using external removable media for backups, either encrypt the backup files or make sure the media is taken offline after the backup has been completed.

Cheers!
The Geek

Have a question? It can be about anything from cooking to science, whatever you’re interested in: Click here to Ask the Geek! Kenny “The Geek” Harthun has been playing with geeky stuff since 1965. He’s a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with Connective Computing, Inc. and loves to learn about anything and everything.

Going To Have To Pay For Vista SP1!?

While reading emails today I noticed someone named Char emailed me to inform me of a Vista rumor. This might be true. With the many people who bought Windows Vista when it was first released back in January earlier this year (2007), people started to notice problems with Vista. Wanting to figure out what they can do either reading up on it or listening to conversations they might have heard about SP1 being released and taking care of those problems. Hearing that Vista SP1 is their only hope. Me with a number of people want to stay with Vista to see what is to come of it or at least stay around long enough to see what happens with Vista after SP1 is released.

Char informed me that eventually when SP1 is released it might cost us. Yes, I did say that we will have to pay for it. Keep in mind this is just a rumor. If it does come true how many of us will actually pay for it, and how many of us will move to something free like Linux? How many of us will remember what was like when Vista first came out with the bugs it had and feel convenient enough to give or money to Microsoft once again and trust that our money is going to buy us SP1 without any problems and will also fix all of our problems we are experiencing with Vista.

Keep in mind this is still just a rumor. Thank you Char for the news.

An Easy Way to Refresh Your Pet

There are times when it is impossible, or inconvenient, to bath your cat or dog. And your nose tells you that your pet needs a cleaning. One way to refresh your cat or dog is to sprinkle baking soda onto the coat and then comb it out. If you can take your time, that is even better. It will give the baking soda that much more time to work.

The baking soda helps to clean the coat and helps to neutralize any ‘pet smell’ that the coat may have. There is one caution to remember. While combing out the dog, he/she may decide to help you out and give himself/herself a good shake. The baking soda will fly. So, pick the location carefully when you do this.

This is a good way to neutralize the ‘wet dog’ odor, if your pet has been outside in the rain. - There are many products on the market that are suppose to be good for cleaning your pet and neutralizing pet odor. Baking soda works exceptionally well, is relatively inexpensive and readily available. And, if you read the ingredients of those fancy (and expensive) commercial dog and cat products, you will find something interesting. Yes, the main ingredient in some of them is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) - otherwise known as… ‘baking soda’.

Nike x Japanese Skate Shop Dunk Low Premium SB

I reported Nike will release a Dunk SB Low Premium in Black and Metallic Silver colorways in December.

Actually it is a collaboration with a Japanese Skate Shop and features suede, laser stitching, and silver. We may see there are big differences between the raw catalogue picture and actual sample.

Would it be “Takashi 2″? Stay tuned for more information.

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http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UG946LJJ

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PBAI4Z5N

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MTN2UGZ3

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JB3755HT

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2WV8LKZH

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X570QVBS

Strong Password Checker

I just ran across Microsoft.com’s strong password checker, which is a little Web-based app that lets you type a password or passphrase and it tells you its relative strength. It’s pretty nice and worth bookmarking.

Why is a strong password important? Simple - because the simpler it is, the easier it is for someone to “brute-force” attack. That’s a term that means they take a program that uses common terms, words and phrases to try to figure out your password by trying it over and over until it works. Strong passwords are complex in the variety of character types, are longer in size, and don’t use dictionary or other predictable, common terms.

Links:

• Microsoft Strong Password Checker
• Creating Strong Passwords article (I agree with most of what it says, but not all - suggesting blank passwords? Whaaat?)

Creating Audit Policies In Windows Server 2003 Part III

The process of enabling auditing is similar for domain controllers and non-domain controllers. The biggest difference is that you use Active Directory Users and Computers on domain controllers and the local security policy on non-domain controllers.

To set up an audit policy for your domain controllers:

1. Open the Active Directory Users And Computers console.
2. Right-click Domain Controllers and select the Properties.
3. Click the Group Policy tab.
4. Select the group policy that you want to audit and click Edit. Windows will load the Group Policy console.
5. Navigate through the group policy console to Computer Configuration Windows Settings Security Settings Local Policies Audit Policy.

To set up auditing on a non-domain controllers:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double click Administrative Tools.
3. Double click Local Security Policy.
4. Expand Local Policies and highlight Audit Policy.

From this point, the technique is the same whether you’re on a domain controller or not.

Let’s look at an example. To audit a logon failure, right-click Audit Logon Events and select the Properties from the resulting context menu. When you do, you’ll see a dialog box that will allow you to audit the events. The dialog box will vary slightly depending on whether or not you’re auditing a domain controller.

Once you’ve set up the audit policy, you must apply it. To do so, you must either type a command at the command prompt, reboot your server, or wait until the next propagation cycle, which is usually every eight hours. If you decide that typing the command is the easiest method, open a command prompt window, type

GPUPDATE /target:computer and press Enter.

Configure Paste Settings In Word 2002

When you paste text into a document, Word will automatically make formatting adjustments to the text. This is referred to as ‘Smart cut and paste’ and it is enabled by default in Word.

With this option enabled, you can configure individual cut and paste options. For example, you can prevent Word from adjusting the format of content pasted from PowerPoint into your word document.

To configure individual cut and paste options:

1. Within Word, click Options from the Tools menu.
2. Select the Edit tab.
3. Under Cut and paste options, click the Settings button.
4. Select the individuals paste options that you want to use.
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK to close the Options window.

Install Virtual Server 2005 R2 On Windows XP Professional Part I

Chances are you have already heard or seen the word “server virtualization”. Virtualization lets you consolidate multiple servers and operating systems on to a single computer. A major benefit is that instead of using a dedicated server for every application and service you require, you can run the applications and services in virtual server instances on a single computer. This allows you to continue to isolate applications and services while making better use of existing hardware.

Virtual Server 2005 (VS 2005) R2 is Microsoft’s latest release of the virtualization software and includes new capabilities and enhancements over its predecessor. If you plan to install VS 2005 R2, your computer must first meet a set of minimum hardware requirements.

The minimum hardware requirements include:

• 550 MHz process with L2 cache (1 GHz is recommended)
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• Super VGA or higher
• 256 MB of RAM (512 MB is required if you are running SBS 2003 Premium Edition or Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition)
• 2 GB of free disk space (4 GB is required if you are running SBS 2003 Standard or Premium Editions

AusLogics Disk Defrag v1.2.6

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Mysteryville 2

Return to the intrigue of Mysteryville in this amazing sequel!

After solving the cat caper of Mysteryville, it’s time for Laura, ace reporter, to get some well deserved rest. Little does she know she’s about to stumble on a mystery even more baffling than the last! Join Laura on her search for answers through the shops of Eurekaberg where cleverly hidden items are waiting to be found.

With a captivating storyline and hours of seek-and-find fun, Mysteryville 2 is an original adventure for all!

[Download free trial of Mysteryville 2]
[Buy Mysteryville 2]

Microsoft Snuck CardSpace Onto Your XP PC

CardSpace (formerly InfoCard) is Microsoft’s new digital identity meta-system that comes with Windows Vista by default. Now, if you have .NET Framework 3.0 on your PC, you have CardSpace; it’s a .NET 3.0 component. But you probably didn’t know that (I didn’t) unless you’re a .NET enthusiast. There was no fanfare about it.

I’m glad to see it, in a way–as CardSpace becomes widely adopted, it’s going to make the Internet a much more secure place. It just bothers me that I didn’t know about it. I would have been playing with it long before now.

Cheers!
The Geek

Have a question? It can be about anything from cooking to science, whatever you’re interested in: Click here to Ask the Geek! Kenny “The Geek” Harthun has been playing with geeky stuff since 1965. He’s a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with Connective Computing, Inc. and loves to learn about anything and everything.

What’s Your Home Page?

A ‘home page’ on a browser seems like a very personal thing. The one that I have been using seems fairly efficient. It provides a collection of sites that can be used as a start point and a visual reminder of some sites to view. This is the home page that I have been using:

link: The Daily Overlook

Bruce, the webmaster there, has other daily pages. The graphic changes daily, except over the weekend. Some of Bruce’s other pages are a pet page, a bikini page (even safe for work) and other variations of the overlook page.

I know a few people who use a blank as a home page. What home page do you use? Any recommendations?

Windows Home Server Available Soon

Windows releases have been slipping a lot recently. Vista was pushed back a couple of times, and in hindsight, should have been pushed back further. The applications division is letting the Mac version of Office slip - so it seems to be lately in Redmond. I guess the company is too busy trying to push new formats upon the world, and fix the flaw that is Vista, to keep to a schedule. Another reason might be the Live initiatives, with the ’sky’ or ‘cloud’ concepts. (Pie in the sky when you die? … just good natured ribbing MS, you know, in the same vein that Bill Maher kids the President)

Finally, some good news had to come about. No one has a streak of bad luck this long. Announced quietly, in case something happens to the CD stamping machines, or the disc boxing machines, Windows Home Server will be available August 27th. Yes, I mean 2007. No price has been announced, as yet.

There are also no announcements of system builders having server systems configured and ready for sale. Perhaps those companies are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Perhaps there will be a large fanfare in September. Who knows? It does seem odd for there to be no fanfare, since this is not really a new product, but a facelift for an older one. Still from reports on the net and in magazines, the patient is like a new person, beautiful, and unrecognizable from before the surgery.

So why no trumpets, no new song, no print blowouts? Perhaps someone read my column about Microsoft learning to walk softly and let the code do the talking. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Right!

Microsoft Forefront - Why?

This is one of those things that make you go hmmmmmmm.

After seeing the presentation that Microsoft puts forth, I suppose that if I fear my systems will be attacked by ninjas, I’ll know where to look for help.

Seriously, on one hand, I can easily poke fun at Microsoft by asking “If Vista and the server offerings are insecure, and you did not catch the problems there, what should make me think the problems have been taken care of with this product.”

I can also ask why the product is being put forth, as Vista is the Ultimate operating system, impervious to everything - that is the line we were given before the release.

I’m not sure how this pay-me-now AND pay-me-later plan works to my benefit. Microsoft, can you give further explanation?

Smoothwall Express 3.0 RC1 Released

For those wishing to offload chores of firewall and pest control to a machine that will do the job and not have local machines slowed with less than effective solutions, Smoothwall Express is just what is called for.

Changes are many, including support for some SATA solutions, a 64bit solutions (for those with lots of money, or really big networks), and better graphical interface.

New features and repaired items from the beta are :

Final changes to the theme graphics to incorporate the polar bear silhouette, including the bootscreen.
Added missing page descriptions.
Added support for empty hostnames in Dynamic DNS pages.
MySmoothWall integration.
Build system: Now uses hosts resolve.conf instead of Makefile variables.
Runtime kernel now has DMA support for all supported IDE chipsets. Added bridging module (but no tools) for people who want to work with bridging.
Various version bumps (clamav, pciutils, ethotool).
Added ISC DHCP integration option to dnsmasq, but no UI.
Fixed timed access rules so they are applied to proxy access too.
Added support for setting the NTP servers that the DHCP server will supply to clients. DHCP server now marks itself as “authorative”.
Fixes to logrotate.
Cycling networking interfaces now should work as expected.
Fixed type in multicast block advanced networking smoothd code so it works.
Fixed problem with migration from 2.0 which could result in bad permissions on settings files.
Hostname can now only contain valid chars to stop the situation where you could set a hostname that would be incompatible to squid.
Minor fixes to the networking probe setup code.
Added support for the VT8237A VIA SATA chip.
Added NTTP over SSL and SMTP over SSL to the Email and News port list.
Updated autorun HTML page so it looks supercool.
5 minute “stayup” should now properly reboot the smoothie.
ISO now contains the install manual.
Swap sized according to the amount of RAM.
Fix for conflict between RED DHCP and PURPLE.
VPN should now show as running on the status page.
Widended setup password entry from 20 to 25 chars.
Added support for more gigabit nics.
Only 5 realtime graphs/bars shown to stop browser meltdown.
IM proxy should now support MSN 7.5 and Messenger Live.
Added Conexant ADSL PCI support.
Fixed UPnP support by switching to miniunpd.
Online help and glossary is now complete.
Fixed problems with Editing port-based rules.
The “Other” system log viewer has been renamed “System” logs.
Mail log viewer should now work properly.
Fixed missing setup user’s password “hole” and made shadow file properly match user list.
Removed un-used files and debug messages etc. Cleaned up smoothd plugins so they look into settings files instead of using silly touch files.
NTP now listens on PURPLE.
Dynamic DNS should work again.
Slashes now allowed in PPP usernames and passwords to fix problems with some ISPs.
Cleanups of install and setup code. Also changed probing so it will not re-probe from the top of the list after adding a NIC.
Low-spec support is fixed. We’ve compiled and tested Sammy on a P166(MMX!) with 64meg of RAM. To avoid confusion, the ISO filename and internal architecture for 32bit machines is now called i386.
Registration on PPP machines is fixed.
Snort restarting on PPP machines is fixed.
Syncing SpeedTouches on boot should work now.
Problems with some SCSI cards should be fixed (also: some kernel memory is saved on IDE machines cos unused driver parts are not loaded anymore).
Kernel is updated to 2.6.16.53.
Smoothie beeps again! Also added EHCI USB, and TUN/TAP modules, but neither are ever loaded at present.

This is a release candidate, which to this team is like a Service Pack 1 to Microsoft, so it should be very solid.

IT Not Exactly The Same Globally

Information Technology has reached almost all places on Earth. It should essentially be the same everywhere, with so many companies being global concerns - right?

Not necessarily.

In a small flurry of jumping around in the ‘ether’ the last couple of days, I stumbled upon (but not through StumbleUpon) an online information technology magazine from Down Under.

It is immediately the same as any we have here in the states, but subtle differences abound. It is immediately apparent that we don’t share the same concerns, as the articles are not quite as filled with ‘you had better get this or that fixed or something bad will happen to your network’.

For those who are completely ethnocentric, you won’t be pleased to learn that the Aussies seem to compare themselves, and contrast also, with Mother England. Those of us here in America are hardly mentioned as a people.

Yes, it is refreshing to see a different view, and lighten up a little while learning what goes on in technology. The Aussies have a sense of humor, and it escapes into business publications.

Try it. itwire,com - you might like it!

Coffee Filters for Cleaning Windows

If you don’t have newspaper (not the colored advertising sections) to clean your windows, a coffee filter is a good substitute. There is no lint to be left behind nor ink stains left on your hands. That’s an unused coffee filter…

And, while discussing cleaning windows, vinegar and water does work. However, a bit of liquid soap really helps to remove any wax left over from commercial cleaning products. The formula is easy to remember: four cups of water, a half cup of distilled white vinegar and a full teaspoon of liquid soap. Mix and then use in a spray bottle.

There will not be streaks left.

Adidas Harlem Pack

Harlem Week takes place every year in August. This annual month long occasion celebrates Harlem’s growing and diverse culture by hosting a number of events from block parties, parades, jazz concerts, and fashion shows to help raise money for the NYC borough. With that said Adidas produced a “Harlem Pack” which includes; Top Ten Lo, Decade Low, and Strider. The pack just dropped and they are now available at Adidas Originals stores. (TSG)

Retail: Top Ten Lo ($80), Decade Low ($90), Strider ($110)

Soled Out NYC Recap - Plenty of Pictures!

Last week we posted info about the Soled Out NYC event that was held this past Saturday. According to our TSG NYC staff the event was packed and full of heat on and off the tables. A DJ was on hand and a truck load of kicks were for sale or trade. Probably some stuff you’ve been looking for, but you can see for yourself. Tons of pics after the jump for your viewing pleasure. (TSG)

Calif x XLarge California Tee

XLarge Japan got together with retail front Calif on a special limited edition t-shirt based on the colors seen on the California State flag. The t-shirt will release on August 24th on the Calif website. Price is set at 5,040 Yen (approximately $46 USD).

Visvim Ballistic E-Cat Bag

The latest addition to Visvim’s impressive range of bags is the E-Cat Ballistic Messenger bag. One of the interesting design this bag offers is the consideration of a persons dominant hand in mind, the bag comes in left and right hand configurations. The bag’s construction includes ballistic nylon and the trademark use of elk leather. The bag is available in either black, white or olive colors. Allegedly only 300 pieces have been produced.

We will give them games and they will love us for it

As I listened to how many bridges in my state are at least as bad as the one that recently collapsed, I pondered the state of American infrastructure. Blame was spread to many. I heard the need to raise taxes immediately to fix our bridges. I heard we spend far too much on other government programs, we need to fix our bridges and roads. Everyone is always looking to blame someone for their problems. I was just a little curious about how much we as a nation have spent on sports stadiums and arenas lately. I did a quick search, barely spent 5 minutes, this is what I found.

New Yankees Stadium Public financing: $220 million from New York City, Nationals DC Stadium ($611 million), PNC Park, Pittsburgh ($262 million), New Jersey recently ($750 million stadium for the New York Giants football team). $1.843 BILLION (probably a lot of roads and bridges) At least 50 stadiums and arenas have been built in the US and Canada over the last 25 years.

But stadiums bring construction jobs and then vendor jobs. They generate economic activity. Last time I checked bridges/roads and stadiums were both made from roughly the same material and people were used to construct them. My point is if we are going to blame someone we should look in the mirror of the bathroom at our local stadium.

Fraud of Almost A Million Dollars for Shipping

There are news items that just makes one wonder… ‘what were they thinking?’:

“Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) — A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to an Army base in Texas, U.S. officials said.”

link: Pentagon Paid $998,798 to Ship Two 19-Cent Washers

Just finding one such fraudulent contractor would pay for a number of Pentagon investigators. A million dollars here and a million dollars there - soon it becomes expensive for the tax payer. Furthermore, nineteen cents for a washer seems a bit steep.

Blue-ray vs HD-DVD - Here We Go Again

Blue-ray or HD-DVD. That is the question. It seems that once again, just like the fiasco over Beta and VHS, we are entering into another realm of conflict in which we the consumer are the victims. With two competing formats, it will be the consumer that will have to decide which format will be the winner. But in the mean time, the confusion on which format is really better rages on.

I was at Circuit City today talking to one of the sales people about something else, when this topic came up. His feeling was that both formats would be around. I just kind of looked at him. I thought to myself, the movie companies will produce both Blue-ray and HD-DVD’s. Why?

So what are we consumers supposed to do? Buy one or the other and take a chance? I don’t want to get into a argument about which format is better. From what I have read both are very good. I have also read somewhere that we might have to buy combo units to play both formats.

So what do you think? Are we consumers in for another Beta vs VHS war?

How Do I Buy Land In The Country?

Looking to get out of the big city, get a little land, and just learn to relax in the country? Maybe have some cattle, or a horse or donkey or two? If so, this is a column that will interest you.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of your own place in the country. Here’s how to buy rural land.

Determine how you intend to use the property and what features you desire, such as ponds, trees, or easy accessibility to main roads. Consider area amenities such as grocery shopping, banks, and hospitals. Narrow your search for the perfect spot by driving through rural areas, searching classified ads in newspapers or on the Internet, or contacting real estate agents about rural properties for sale. Walk over the property and obtain topographical maps of the site from the U.S. Geological Survey to learn about the terrain and features of the land.

Contact local government offices to find out about rights and restrictions that could affect your use of the desired property, such as zoning ordinances, historical restrictions or environmental regulations. Obtain prices of other, comparable land sales in the area from a local real estate agent. Ask the current owner for a professional survey of the property to determine boundary lines. Arrange to finance the land purchase through a private lender or the current property owner. Consult a real estate attorney or agent about contract terms before making your offer on the rural land.

To make full use of the property in the future, find out about all government restrictions or regulations on the land before you make an offer to buy the property. Obtaining financing on undeveloped land through conventional lenders can be difficult; your best bet for financing may be a private lender or the current property owner. Most lenders will require a subordination clause that requires you to pay off the balance of the loan on the land before taking out another loan to build a home or other structure.

Do you have a question that you want answered? So do we! But we’re at a loss for the answer to our question. So why don’t you just ask us your question at How Do I? and see if either we can or one of our many viewers can answer it? Maybe…

Microsoft Snuck CardSpace Onto Your XP PC

CardSpace (formerly InfoCard) is Microsoft’s new digital identity meta-system that comes with Windows Vista by default. Now, if you have .NET Framework 3.0 on your PC, you have CardSpace; it’s a .NET 3.0 component. But you probably didn’t know that (I didn’t) unless you’re a .NET enthusiast. There was no fanfare about it.

I’m glad to see it, in a way–as CardSpace becomes widely adopted, it’s going to make the Internet a much more secure place. It just bothers me that I didn’t know about it. I would have been playing with it long before now.

Cheers!
The Geek

Have a question? It can be about anything from cooking to science, whatever you’re interested in: Click here to Ask the Geek! Kenny “The Geek” Harthun has been playing with geeky stuff since 1965. He’s a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with Connective Computing, Inc. and loves to learn about anything and everything.

NASA Astronauts Use iPods

To marketing people, publicity is an art form. Free publicity is good. Positive free publicity is even better. And when that positive, free publicity comes from an international known source, it is similar to hitting the “marketing jackpot”:

“…Every astronaut on the space shuttle Endeavour has an iPod. NASA certified the MP3 players for flight about a year ago. Astronauts used to carry CD players, but iPods are better because they are smaller and weigh less.”

link: What Do You Listen to on Orbit? Astronauts Take iPods

It’s not that the iPod needs any more publicity. However, when the product reaches outer space and news items about that product crosses news agencies around the world, the boss must be happy. Perhaps Steve Jobs is having an ‘I-told-you-so’ moment…

Dell Misleads with Accounting Numbers

Dell joins the list of companies that have alleged financial shenanigans:

“…What we know now is that Dell’s finance department was apparently willing to fudge numbers to ensure it would hit or surpass its quarterly earnings forecasts. The unit seems to have done that with the knowledge of, or sometimes at the request of, senior executives…”

link: Goals led Dell to cook the books

The term “inappropriate accounting decisions” is used. How can anyone, in a major company that is scrutinized as closely as Dell, think for one minute that this would escape questioning? These alleged “inappropriate accounting decisions” are meant to mislead Wall Street and the Dell investors. It begs the question then, about how much the consumer can trust Dell.

Free Movie Downloads:The Bourne Ultimatum (DVD)

Megaupload Downloading address:

Part 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1RO0M7BL

Part 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1TWFV4IR

Part 3 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=94KI9N49

Part 4 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1PZUU965

Part 5 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LXAAD781

Part 6 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3LBUYYRS

Part 7 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OU1MPT62

Password: kenlon

MESS Fall 2007 Collection

Although over 1.3 billion people inhabited the vast country of China, streetwear and culture in China are still in their infantile stages. However, with stores like MESS contributing to street culture from the capital of China, be on the look out for big things as the sleeping giant awakes. MESS’ 2007 Fall collection was an attempt to create a timeless classic that would appeal to the tastes and interests of Chinese consumers. Although some shirts may symbolize a meaning difficult to understand for some, MESS has attempted to build things from the bottom up and involve people at the grassroots level.

Transformers 100% Bearbricks

At the recent Wonder Festival 2007, some more images of the upcoming 100% Transformers Bearbricks were revealed. The current collection of these transforming bots turned bears include Megatron, Opitmus Prime, Bumblebee and Barricade. Optimus Prime and Megatron will be packaged together, which leads us to reasonably assume Bumblebee and Barricade will come together. This will allegedly be only released in Japan.

New Balance 1400 2008 Preview

The 1994 released 1400 model from New Balance has recently seen a lot of limelight with its use as the template behind the exclusive Super Team 33 project. 2008 will see the release of some more easily attainable 1400 releases. The collection of sneakers each have a monogrammed upper featuring a runners silhouette. They are each comprised of combinations of leather and suede as well as 3M highlights. Look for these to release in January at the price of $150 USD.

Neighborhood Voice of a Generation Collection

To correspond with the launching of the new Neighborhood website, NBHD has wasted no time in providing a viewers a look at their upcoming projects. The Voice of a Generation collection features a diverse range of jackets from security style bomber’s to plaid style jackets. Hats, boots and eyewear are also included in this collection.