Mike Beach
This user hasn't shared any biographical information
Homepage: http://mikebeach.org
Why my Facebook wall is now public
Posted in Uncategorized on January 28, 2012
Before you pull out the torches and pitchforks, read on. Facebook privacy has been slowly eroding through their changes since I signed up a few years ago. Some of those changes are easy to notice, some are not. Take Facebook Timeline. Before timeline, you could easily hide your lists of friends, your likes, and pretty [...]
Solving Spiceworks “Test Failed: Check account, password, or WMI configuration” in Windows 7
Posted in Uncategorized on January 3, 2012
If you’re setting up Spiceworks and are having an issue authenticating to a remote Windows 7 system, this may be the solution you’re looking for. This will help you solve this issue in 3 steps: Step 1: Create a local user with admin rights and a password This is needed if you’re not using the [...]
Care2 Hacked
Posted in Uncategorized on January 1, 2012
On Dec 29th, Care2 reported to their members via email that their systems were hacked and member information was accessed. They also posted information on their website about the intrusion, which included this information: We sent a warning email about our recent hacking incident to everybody who had at some point in the past 12 [...]
Happy New Year!
Posted in Uncategorized on January 1, 2012
I hope everyone had a safe and happy new years celebration! What were some of the resolutions you made this year? How well did you do on last years resolutions? Please feel free to share in the comments below!
Is soft water safe to drink? Consider the source of your answer…
Posted in Uncategorized on December 26, 2011
So Michele and I have been having a debate lately. One of us wants to start up the water softener but the other says that softened water is unsafe to drink… so what’s the correct answer? Finding the answer wasn’t as easy as it seems. Everyone has an answer and they are sometimes radically different, [...]
Taking a moment out of Winter Solstice to say “Thank you”
Posted in Uncategorized on December 22, 2011
Tonight is the Winter Solstice — the shortest day and longest night of the year. Tonight is also the first time it feels like I’ve been able to take more than a few relaxing moments for a while. We closed on the house last Friday, and wow — so much happened so quickly after that [...]
How to retrieve EXIF data from the command line in Ubuntu Linux
Posted in Uncategorized on December 17, 2011
If you want to make use of the EXIF data stored in a JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) or TIFF (.tif or .tiff) file from the command line in Ubuntu Linux — or most other Linux variants — here’s how. This was tested on Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot). First, you will need to have imagemagick installed to [...]
Why good password practices are no longer optional — Part 2
Posted in Uncategorized on December 14, 2011
In part 1 of this two-part series, I mentioned some of the fallacies and misconceptions in password practices. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you click here to read it now. In this part I’ll discuss a few methods for storing and securing your strong passwords themselves. It’s not as hard as it sounds, and [...]
Set up an encrypted VPN using DD-WRT
Posted in Uncategorized on December 13, 2011
DD-WRT is feature-rich alternative firmware for a large number of home router models. It adds a wonderful array of new features, VPN being one of them. This walkthrough will show you how to quickly and easily configure a PPTP VPN server on your DD-WRT-powered router, so you can connect to your home network from afar, [...]
Why good password practices are no longer optional — Part 1
Posted in Uncategorized on December 12, 2011
This is the first part in a two-part series in password security practices and storage. Be sure to click here to read part two if you haven’t already! If you — like many people — are in the habit of using simple passwords, or even the same password over multiple sites, you’re setting yourself up [...]
Connect with me
Show Your Support
If you found information on my blog useful, please consider a small donation to show your support and appreciation. A small donation of even just a few dollars is very much appreciated and can be made quickly and securely through PayPal.
If you're feeling especially generous, or prefer to give a gift, please consider something from my Amazon.com Wish List.
Recent Comments