Monthly Archive for October, 2005

White Hat Hacker Penetration Test

Published on October 31, 2005 in Computers and Internet. 1 Comment
A really dated, yet interesting article from a White Hat Hacker testing security for one of his clients.

I’ve
always believed in strong external security, but also added internal
security too. So if someone does break in to your network, they’ll
still have a job on their hands doing anything of note.

Microsoft
have made this scenario easier to implement with Windows XP SP2 and
Windows Firewall, but I can imagine their are numerous companies out
there who don’t bother patching or keeping internal security tight
simply because they think they’ve got a kick-ass firewall that will
keep anybody and everybody out…

How to donate to Charity for free

Published on October 31, 2005 in How To. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
I get teased for being a tight-arse – frugal with my money – but I think it’s unjustified. Well, I would say that wouldn’t I! I tend to find people are quick to tease when they don’t understand things. I remember a friends wife taking the mickey out of me for putting tea-bags into my compost bin for recycling. I think she thought recycling meant “re-using” and that I’d use those tea bags for another cuppa later on! Actually, I do know somebody who does that, but anyway…

The other reason I get teased is probably because I react so explosively at times – which as I know (I get slapped for winding friends up all the time…) can be great fun – well for the teaser!

I’ve already mentioned that one of my favourite sites is MoneySavingExpert.com and there are 60,000 other likeminded forum members there. Why pay £10 for an item if you can get it for £5? I don’t call that being tight – I call that being prudent.
Anyway, all this being “tight” means I can afford to bung a regular few quid to some favourite charities. Now I’m one of these people who will (without blushing) say “no” when somebody comes rattling a can in my face asking for change (Who are these people? Why would you give money to somebody you’ve never met? How can you be sure the money goes where it should?) but think that donating directly to local charities does help.

So the Animal Home at Barnes Hill get some money every month through the company payroll (Give As You Earn means the Government top up your donations in a round-about way), The Woodland Trust get a personal donation monthly, and Birmingham Dogs Home get a cheque every year.

Of course there are other ways to donate to charity. To donate your time is one way (if you work within IT then you’ll find no end of local charities needing help setting up networks and PC’s) and then there’s ”click throughs” – I visit the Hunger Site every day to give without it costing me anything.
So there you go, how to be charitable, even for for the tight arses amongst us. ;-)

Taking a trip to London

Published on October 31, 2005 in Personal and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
Spent the weekend with the GG in London for a bit of relaxation. Booked into a 4* hotel in Bloomsbury which provided us with a lovely room, one of thenicest I’ve ever stayed in! The honour of nicest remains with the Hilton in Sydney though, with it’s Jacuzzi and balcony view. Harder to nip over to Syndey for a short-break than it is London I guess!4* hotels in the City are an odd thing though. Breakfast on Sunday morning was chaotic (which amused Lin and myself no end!) and the bedroom could have been quieter due to the sash-windows on the room which blocked out little or no noise from the busy street outside! (You can tell I was raised in a 1930′s Semi-Detached property when I start to miss UPVC Double Glazing when away from home!)

Anyway, it seems to me 3* hotels outside of the City are less aesthetically pleasing but more service orientated and you get a better quality of sleep. But I digress…

On the saturday we avoided the tube and walked to visit Covent Garden (where I loved the street performers), the National Portait Gallery (where after seeing a portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, reminded the GG that if an afternoon power-nap is good enough for the greatest war-time leader we’ve ever had – then I could be forgiven them too) and then had a lovely Italian meal on the night with more than a bit of White Wine.

Sunday was spent at Alexandra Palace for a show that I’d got Lin tickets for, before heading for a pub just off Oxford Street where it was newspapers, food and beer. Train journey home, and by Sunday night I was shattered! I used to regularly visit London. Less so now, but I still enjoy short-breaks in the Big City. I’m still mulling over a trip to Olympia this Saturday to the “Best of Stuff” show, but have been away from home so much recently that a weekend in front of the television with a cup of tea and a good book is seeming increasingly attractive.

Worrying about using Bluetooth Hands-Free

Published on October 28, 2005 in Personal. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .
Spent a couple of days this week on the road. Time in the car is usually spent listening to business-style audio tapes, or listening to the Radio (I unashamedly listen to Radio 2 most of the time, but when travelling through Staffordshire I enjoy the delightfully silly “Mark and Jo” Breakfast Show on Beacon Radio, and in the North-West I find myself listening to “Smooth Radio” – ahem)

I’ve got a Bluetooth Handsfree kit that works (most of the time) for answering or making quick telephone calls too.

A fear repeatedly strikes me though after using the hands-free kit. What if it’s not hung the ‘phone up properly? What if the person at the other end can still hear what I’m doing? Often I’m singing at the top of my voice, or roaring with laughter at the radio (or my own daft thoughts).
It’s an irrational fear (how many people hang on the ‘phone after you’ve said goodbye?) but then I’m odd like that.

On-Line Security

Published on October 28, 2005 in Computers and Internet. 0 Comments
It’s
something I get asked again and again by clients – what should I be
doing to stay safe on-line? Most people now know they need Anti-Virus
protection, some know they need Anti-Spyware protection, but less are
familiar with phishing, rogue Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, and even
Social Engineering. This document from Experian covers a lot of that ground very handily.