One of the things I like about OS X is the astounding number of quality applications that perform one task but perform that task in an sleek, easy to configure and easy to learn way. Some of my favorites are MailPlane, Things and 1Password. In my line of work 1Password had become indespensible.

For those of you not familiar with the app, 1Password manages all of your passwords and sensitive data for your online accounts, can keep track of all of your software serial numbers and lets you store  post-it style secure notes.  The interface is very slick and the data is kept in a virtual vault that you open  with a master password.  Once you have unlocked your vault, all of your usernames and passwords are automatically filled when you go to web pages that require login.  Because username and password fields are auto-filled you can generate very long and complex passwords for your online accounts that you never have to remember.  For example, I use a randomly generated, 16-character password for my Facebook account that consists of numbers, letters (upper and lower-case) and special characters yet I have no idea what it is.  A password of that strength and complexity is going to be next to impossible to crack.  There are only two downsides to the application — the fact that it is Mac ONLY and that comes with a $39.95 price tag. For a mixed OS user like me the Mac-only compatibility is a frustrating issue (but I’m happy to pay for a good product).

Over the past few months, buzz has been growing around a new password management application call LastPass so I thought I would check it out.  The things that drew me to LastPass initially were the multiple-OS support and compatibility with Chrome, Firefox, Safari as well as Internet Explorer.  The next attention getter was that it was completely free.  I spent a little over an hour yesterday setting up and reading all of the details about LastPass and I think 1Password is going to have to take a graceful bow and exit stage right.  This is why…

LastPass is free.  LastPass does everything 1Password does.  LastPass can be intergrated with every major browser.  LastPass works on Windows, OS X and Linux. Your passwords are stored on their servers and locally in an encrypted “vault” and only your master password can be used to open the vault.  Even if someone somehow stole your vault files from LastPass.com’s servers or took your laptop your data would be safe.  Lastpass.com cannot read your vault file stored on their server. I repeat, Lastpass.com cannot read the passwords or usernames in your vault file.  As more and more of our data is stored at 3rd party locations it is vital that the our personal privacy is respected and that even if their servers were breached our data would remain safe.

The average person selects passwords that are easy for them to remember and therefore are generally too short, easy to guess and insecure.  By using an application like LastPass (or even 1Password if you prefer) you can increase your online security and privacy by an exponential amount.  You just have to remember one password, it’s easy to install, it syncs across computers and all major browsers.  What else could you want?  Just do download it and start using it.  You won’t regret it.

This is great if your e-mail server allows relaying (if it does, you are crazy) or if you want to go edit configuration files on your mail server to allow relaying from certain hosts.  If you have a well configured mail server like the one at my organization, SMTP Authentication is enabled for all e-mails accounts that need to send through the server.  You can get XenServer to use SMTP auth as well, you just have to add a few lines to a configuration file to each server in the pool.  If you have a lot of servers, you WILL want to script this.

XenServer (we are talking Citrix here btw, not opensource Xen) uses sSMTP to send mail.  There are two extremely basic configuration files in /etc/ssmtp — only one of which you need to deal with.  With your favorite text editor, open /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf from the command line on your server and add or modify the following lines:

authUser=<receiving e-mail address>
authPass=<password for e-mail>
mailhub=<your mail server>

If your mail server supports it, you can also add these two options:

authMethod=cram-md5
useSTARTTLS=YES

That’s it! Save the file and copy it to all servers in the pool.  Pool notifications will now be sent using SMTP authentication to whatever server you specify.  Maybe Citrix will get their head out of their asses on this one eventually but until then…

1. My son loves to play Guitar Hero III (I know, I know, “Frets on Fire”, but he’s particular)

2. I can watch HDTV with my TV tuner in Vista (and this won’t be a problem with Kernel 2.26)

Today I decided to boot into Vista so I could watch some TV.  That was over an hour ago.  First, Vista wanted to update.  I had rearranged my hard drive layout a couple weeks ago so it decided to re-detect all my hard drives as well.  Once the update process –that took 30 minutes — finished, I had to reboot, install pre-shutdown updates then I had to wait for post-boot “update configuration” to finish.  Once I got to the desktop it decided that my sound should only come out of my USB headphones which was fine, but annoying.

I have become a full-fledged Windows hater.  It’s bloated, can’t detect the simplest of hardware without a driver disk and the constant reboots for software/driver updates is stuck in the 1990′s.  If it wouldn’t devastate my son to lose Windows I would format the spare HD and use it to hold something useful — like maybe a oepnSUSE partition?

I am a Linux crusader trying to convert the masses.  If you somehow stumbled across this and you are thinking about switching to Linux but the command line scares you, start off with some of the more user friendly distros like Ubuntu, Fedora Core, or openSUSE.  Use it for one month.  I promise you can do EVERYTHING in Linux that you can do in Windows (and you can usually do it 10x faster not to mention you don’t have to spend a penny on software)

Get one of the distro’s here:

Ubuntu

Fedora Core

openSUSE

At home I use Linux and Windows, at work I use a Mac.  I enjoy aspects of all three OS’s but for a while Mac’s have had a killer app that was not available on any other OS.  This applications biggest asset was what it didn’t do — Get in the way!

The app is called Growl and it provides useful notifications only from applications you want to monitor.  For example if you are chatting with someone and reading an intriguing article from Wired but your browser is taking up the entire screen.  With Growl there is no need to flip back and forth between the browser and the IM client, instead Growl pops up a small, non-obtrusive “bubble” with the message from your friend which “floats” there for a few seconds, then goes away.  Growl works with a grocery list of applications to display useful information you may want to be aware of like completed downloads, new IM’s, new e-mails and so many other things.  If you want tend to the notification you can click on the bubble and the appropriate application will be made active, if not, it will just fade away after a few seconds.

For you Linux users out there an application with the same idea in mind is available called Mumbles.  It works with the Gnome desktop and can be installed via a source or a .deb package.  The range of supported applications is not as vast but the ones that matter to me work out of the box — Pidgin, Firefox and Thunderbird.  More support is coming and what is available is already a must-have.

Finally, for you Windows users an app called Snarl is available.  The current issue with Snarl is application support.  I believe it’s on its way to being a great app — just give it a few months.  It does have a developers guide available for anyone who wants to add Snarl functionality into their existing application.

While all three apps serve the same purpose Growl is by far the pack leader.  It has been around the longest and provide support for tons of applications. (Both of the others are admitted attempts to bring “Growl” functionality to the respective OS.) If you are on the computer even half as much as I am I can assure you that once you use these apps you will wonder why someone didn’t think of this a long time ago.  Don’t just take my word for it, download the apps and give them a test run!

Growl – http://growl.info/

Mumble – http://www.mumbles-project.org/

Snarl -  http://www.fullphat.net

Let me start by saying that there are default replies for a reason.  Certain information, as trivial as it may seem, is often very necessary to help solve your problem.  For example, here are a few common “issues” I see at work that elicit a default response:

• “My e-mail isn’t working.”
• “I can’t login.”
• “My site isn’t showing up.”
• “My site is broken.”
• “FTP won’t work.”

That’s it.  A customer submits a ticket and that is all the information I get.   It makes my head boil.  I reply with what we call a “pre-def” (predefined response) asking for more information which includes a list of specific questions related to the issue.  If the customer did actually provide some information, like what mail or FTP client they are using, their domain name, or – god forbid – a way to replicate the issue, I kindly remove those parts of the pre-def to not make them repeat the same thing (unless I’m in a bad mood).

If you want to avoid these “pre-def” responses I suggest the following for any type of tech support ticket (web hosting or not):

Provide as much information as possible, including but not limited to:

• Operating system and version you are using
• Browser type and version, if applicable
• Mail client and version, if applicable (Outlooks comes in so many flavors)
• A ULR to replicate the issue, if applicable
• Any error messages that you encountered – copy them exactly, including the error codes
• A way to create or replicate the error
• A time-frame, ex. it always happens, sometimes happens, etc.
• Your IP address (http://ipfinder.us works great)
• Any username(s) or password(s) needed to replicate (change to a temporary one if it makes you feel more comfortable)
• Location, if applicable (connecting from an office or workplace can cause all sorts of problems)

Basically, the more information you provide, the more time tech support can spend fixing your problem and not having to wait for more information from you.  Most tech support people are more than happy to help you but you have to throw them a bone first!

“Classic” Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel

• Tingling and numbness in your thumb, index and middle finger.
• Aching in the forearm which can radiate to the shoulder and clumsiness or weak grip.

“Other” Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel

• Tingling in all fingers
• Tingling only in the thumb or the middle finger
• Aching and pain in the hand
• Radiating pain to the shoulder or back.

If I stretched it a bit I supposed I could have made my symptoms meed a few of these criteria but in reality I had the following:

• Pain in the pinky finger (mostly the right hand)
• Pain in the wrist (mostly on the right side)
• The pain would increase as the day progressed
• My pink would become “non-responsive” — it just wouldn’t work

I decided to consult my father who has worked in sports medicine for the past 30 years and has dealt with more repetitive-motion injuries than anyone I know.  He asked me a few questions and had me do a few self-tests.  He was almost certain that, based on the symptoms, it couldn’t be carpal-tunnel.  Instead he believed it was tendonitis (inflamed tendons).  He warned that tendonitis would not get better unless I used my hands as little as possible.  Knowing that wasn’t an option he recommended that I go to CVS and buy a hand/wrist brace that kept my hands “still” as much as possible.

I have been using the brace for five days now and the results are dramatic.  My hands feel 100% better.  The moral of the story: Don’t jump to the worst possible conclusion…talk to a health professional and get the real scoop.  A $10 brace might fix the problem!

Note: I am not a health professional and this post is not meant to diagnose anything!  If you are experiencing hand pain please consult a health professional for an official diagnosis.

I used to make sure my computer always had the “newest and best” hardware and was on a 6-8 month upgrade cycle but I have come to the conclusion that unless you have money to burn, there is no point. Most of what I use my computer for is done through a browser or secure shell and the rest is word-processing, instant messaging and iTunes. I use a 2 year old laptop running Linux to write most of what you read here and although a bit slower, I can do everything I can on my desktop.

If you are thinking about buying a new computer think really hard about what you will be using it for. You will probably spend most of your time looking at a browser window, sending e-mail and watching You Tube. 98% of you will be able to get everything you need out of a $600 [insert favorite manufacturer here] computer.

Don’t waste your money on the latest and greatest…you will probably be getting a new one in 2 years anyway. I would much rather spend money on a good monitor (wide-screens are a godsend) and a nice set of speakers.

Why all this security?  No, I don’t have government secrets but assuming you know all of the passwords (an no, they aren’t all the same) you would able to access all of my work stuff.  My “work stuff” is my life and since my laptop is basically a grab-and-go piece of hardware (a small Dell Inspiron 700m) I want to make sure that if I were ever to be stolen it would basically be useless to the person who nabbed it – at least without a complete format of the hard drive and new OS installation.  I even have the BIOS password protected and the hard-drive set to the first boot device so getting a new OS installed wouldn’t be a simple process.

I don’t go so far as to encrypt my entire hard-drive because like I said, I’m not harboring government secrets, but unlike the government officials that have let their laptops “disappear” I would be willing to bet if they took even half the security measures I did the rate of data-loss due to lost laptops would drop dramatically.

How far do you take your computer security?

In a twist of irony I came across IloveJackDaniels.com (I don’t drink). The site has nothing to do with drinking but instead is the home of a web designer/developer from the UK who happens to prefer Jack Daniels if given the choice. The particular page Stumbleupon took me took was a literal goldmine for someone like me. It was a page full of Cheat Sheets for things I constantly have to look up in a book; CSS, SQL, RoR, PHP and so many more. I have a good working knowledge of most things but I don’t use them enough to not need some reference books.

If you are anything like me and don’t use CSS, HTML and PHP enough to know every command at the drop of a hat then this page is for you. Print them, use them, frame them — whatever you choose, just check them out. Until you are a pro they will surely save you a ton of time.

IloveJackDaniels.com Cheat Sheet’s

The Nintendo Wii is proving to be one of the most elusive gifts to find for this holiday season. It has been hard to get your hands on one since they came out. Now that the busiest shopping season of the year is upon us, finding a Wii will become even more difficult. My mom managed to get her hands on 4 of them in the past month so I ask her how she did it. Turns out she didn’t have to do anything too crazy or spend a penny more than the retail price. Based on her advice, here are my tips for getting your hands on a Wii before Christmas.

1. Ask when the truck comes in. This method applies to all retail stores. Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, K-Mart, etc. Just ask the store manager or someone in the electronics department when the next truck comes in. Then show up at the same time. Most Wal-Marts and Meijer stores are open 24 hours so you may have to go at 2 a.m.
2. Wait in line. Stores that aren’t open 24 hours will often let you line up a little while before the store opens and will give you a “ticket” with a number. If you have a ticket you get a Wii, simple as that. I would recommend calling a head to see which stores participate in this method, but I know for certain that Best Buy does.
3. Order Online. This may be obvious but in order for success, I recommend staying away from the “big name” stores like Amazon.com and the like. Smaller electronics-only retailers like Newegg.com often have them in stock. Google can be your best friend when finding the right store. Make sure they are a reputable retailer and guarantee shipping dates.
4. Don’t buy from E-bay or online auction sites. You may be able to find 100′s Wii’s available on E-bay, but chances are you will pay a premium and have to pay extra for shipping. I love E-bay but for time-critical situations like this, I wouldn’t risk it.
5. Be willing to drive. One of the best ways I have ever found to find that elusive item, whether it be a Wii, or any other popular holiday gift is to be willing to drive. I live in an area with lots of small towns close buy. Each one of these town usually has a Wal-Mart or similar retailer that have popular items in stock. The smaller the town the better in this situation. I once drove around a big town all day checking every store I could find for an elusive item for my son. No luck. On my way home I drove through a small town with a Wal-Mart and thought I would just “check”. Low-and-behold they had not one, but multiple of the item in stock. Call ahead to these small town superstores and see if they have what you are looking for in stock. You may be surprised!

I hope this short list provides a tip that lands you a Wii. Come to think of it, this list is a good start for getting any hard-to-find item. Good luck and happy shopping!