Protect Your Web Searches

Privacy on the internet is a big issue these days. If you haven’t heard of the recent AOL leak of personal web searches (or even if you have), you might want to read on about how you can protect yourself, your identity, and privacy while searching through the big ol’ world wide web. These tips from LifeHacker will help prevent people from putting together a personal profile of you (think marketing, id theft, or worse).

Protect Your Web Searches

Protect Your Web Searches

by Wendy Boswell

“My goodness, it’s my whole personal life,” she said. “I had no idea somebody was looking over my shoulder.” -Thelma Arnold, AOL Searcher No. 4417749

AOL’s recent “doh!” release of more than 500K user search records has prompted many people to examine their search methods. While no one approach is absolutely foolproof, using a combination of common sense searching strategies will make it harder for engines (or anyone else) to put together a detailed profile of you. Keep reading today’s feature for a few ways to protect yourself from search engines.

AOL: shock and awe

The biggest problem with AOL’s search records release is not what the individual queries revealed (although some of them were pretty disturbing); it was the fact that any search could be tied to one unique user ID. Looking at someone’s individual searches is not necessarily invasive - however, tie all those searches to one unique user ID and we’ve got a problem. For example:

~Angel Brady

Codec Packs: Good or Bad?

This is a very insightful couple of posts from two discussions about codecs. My own experience has been that codec packs can, and often do, lead to trouble. If you need a codec, you’ll find out when you need it. This may be inconvenient the first time it happens, but not as inconvenient as losing major codecs because the scrappy mega pack wiped it out with a free alternative. The worst thing to do is to install 62 codecs, most of which you’ll never use, and many of which contain malware. I like the advice of both of these posters. Well, except for the idea of using WinAmp - you can effectively ignore that part. Also, note that these codecs are for Windows. If you have a Mac or Linux, you’ll likely need to look up equivalent but separate siolutions. Good luck on getting the latest WMV codec to play on Ubuntu, for example, at least legally.

WINAMP.COM | Forums - No pictures when playing Videos / Internet TV
I’m using WinXP, and I’m still yet to find a video which won’t play perfectly in Winamp.
Tested with MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI, DivX, XviD, OGM, WMV, ASF.
Athlon XP 2400 , Radeon X700, M-Audio Revo, DX9.0c.

Basically, I think it’s all down to codecs & DirectShow filters.
It’s especially those dodgy codec packs which cause most of the problems.

All you need are:
ffdshow
DivX and Xvid (though ffdshow can handle these, so no need to install them)*
OggDS Filter for .OGM
An MPEG-2 DVD Decoder, eg. Cyberlink PowerDVD / Intervideo WinDVD / Gabest (though ffdshow can also be configured to decode mpeg-2)*
Haali Splitter for demuxing MP4, MKV, OGM containers (add ;MP4;MKV;OGM to in_dshow extension list)
AC3Filter for AC3 audio layer (ie. if video uses ac3 audio)
CoreAAC (if video uses AAC audio)
Windows Media 8/9 codecs for ASF/WMV/MPEG-1
QT Alternative, for MOV

Then if the relevant file extension isn’t currently listed, add it to the Extension List in the DirectShow Decoder config (Winamp > Prefs > Plugins > Input > in_dshow > config). Though note that Nullsoft in_qt.dll plugin is recommended for QuickTime MOV, instead of adding ;MOV to in_dshow config.

Note that ffdshow can be configured to handle most video and audio decoding, including divx, xvid, mpeg2, and many more, so there’s a high possibility that ffdshow is the only thing you’ll need to install (but you might still need to configure it to make it the default handler for some formats).

* re: ffdshow
Once installed, go to: Start > Programs > ffdshow > video decoder configuration
Under “Codecs”, make sure DivX 3/4/5 and XviD are both set to enabled.
If disabled, click where it says “disabled” and change the drop-down menu to “libavcodec”,
or for mpeg2 change it to “libmpeg2″
etc.

You might also need to enable some formats in the ffdshow Audio Decoder config.

If the video still won’t play, then use MediaInfo to determine the required audio & video filters.

eg. other video formats might include:
Matroska (mkv, mka)
Real Media RM (do NOT install the evil RealPlayer!)
etc etc.

And all codecs/filters should be installed individually, not all at the same time.

If your system / graphics card is old, then yes, you should also uncheck “allow overlay” in Winamp Prefs.

And Chris Woods’ expert advice in the post above is certainly top notch.
Though I have no sympathy for people who install WinXP on old OEM systems with hardware not designed for it.

Here’s another poster with similar feelings on the subject. This was a direct response to the question “What’s the best Codec Pack?”:

VideoHelp.com / DVDRHelp.com / VCDHelp.com Forum Archive Forum Archive Home -> Software Playing -> What is the best Codec Pack?

Gazorgan posted 2003 Dec 04 14:13

There isn’t one. Period. Most codec packs break more than they help.

You basically need the following:

1) MP3 Codec (Radium)
2) AC3 Filter
3) MPEG2 Codec
4) FFDShow
5) OGG-Vorbis package (lots of good things with ogg, for sound).

That’s it. If you are going to encode DivX or XviD then install those codecs individually. MPEG1/2 Encoding comes with whatever encoder you use.

All of the above are available for free over in the tools section. Get the fourcc changer also, it will help with XviD/DivX playback issues sometimes (it’s an app, you don’t install it, you modify an AVI with it).

EDIT: Forgot the WMV9 codec pack if and only if you really need it, it fubars certan DivX3 files, but FFDShow will deal with it. MOV usually requires quicktime, but it’s such a spyware biatch to deal with. RM is even worse for spyware.

So, there you have it - I couldn’t have said it better, so as usual, I won’t try. John.

iPod eBook Creator - Convert Books into Notes on iPod

This was a neat link I found on del.icio.us. Since the iPod is starting to play a significant role in education, why not check it out? It’s a tool that can convert your large text files (classnotes, eBooks, etc.) into notes so you can read them on your iPod.

iPod eBook Creator

“This utility/PHP script loads large text file and splits it into notes for use on iPod. It is easy to read your book in plain text format on your iPod via Notes functionality. All notes will be automatically linked, so you can move from one to another with absolute ease. It’s as simple as turning pages of the book.”

Angel Brady.

IT Manager’s Journal | Developing effective slide shows

Here’s another set of suggestions for effective visual presentations. Everybody’s got some pretty good advice.

IT Manager’s Journal | Developing effective slide shows
For many, returning to classes means returning to slide shows. Once used mainly in business, today slide shows are equally important in education. Students use them in portfolios to share their mastery of a subject, and many consider them a basic requirement for class presentations. Yet, despite the ubiquitousness of slide shows, few people use them well. Here are some tips to help you improve your presentation skills.

Some doubt that slide shows can ever be used effectively. Among them are communications expert Edward Tufte, who satirically compares them to a May Day rally in the Soviet Union, and Peter Norvig, who highlights their shortcomings with the Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation. These criticisms are overly severe, but they emphasize the point that if you want to use slide shows effectively, you have to understand their limitations as carriers of information and the restrictions they place on design, and make them a supplement to your presentations rather than an end in themselves.

As their name suggests, slide shows were inspired by 35mm slides. They also owe something to overhead transparencies. However, like spreadsheets, slide shows are a product of the personal computer. The first slide show software was MORE, a Macintosh program for outlining released in the early 1980s. It was followed in 1987 by Microsoft PowerPoint, whose pre-installation on most new computers helped to spread the popularity of slide shows until, by the end of the 1990s, standing up to talk to a group without showing one became a guaranteed way of being noticed. With the rise of free software, tools like KPresenter and OpenOffice.org Impress became available. While these lag behind PowerPoint in support for sound and movie clips, they are adequate tools for the vast majority of slide shows.

freshmeat.net: Project details for MailSteward

I’m looking for a great way to search through my email. I use email to store all kinds of information, like records, numbers, contact information, conversations, projects, files, and events. So, looking for these kinds of things using tools like the non indexed search tools in the mail client itself can be an exercise in frustration. What’s worse is that when I use an indexing tool like Google Desktop search it often just does not find what I’m looking for, no matter what my search phrase is. So, this open source tool for indexing email into a database seems like a great thing to me. We’ll see.

freshmeat.net: Project details for MailSteward
MailSteward will archive all of your email in a database for easy retrieval, without touching or modifying the email in your email client program. Just click on the Store Email in Database button and MailSteward will go to work storing copies of all your email, both text and HTML versions, and attachments, into a relational database file. You can then retrieve email and attachments from the database by searching on Date, From, To, Subject, Mailbox, or Body text.

freshmeat.net: Project details for MaCollec Collections Manager

I have a lot of books, music and other media in a few different places, at home, and at the office. Keeping track of it all requires a sort of collective that I hadn’t come across for free until now.

freshmeat.net: Project details for MaCollec Collections Manager
MaCollec is a Web-based collections manager written in PHP/Javascript. It’s based on the AJAX technology to produce a nice-looking and pleasant interface. It doesn’t require a database. Item information (including cover pictures) are retrieved from online libraries.

freshmeat.net: Project details for Métamorphose File -n- Folder Renamer

I work with lots of files. I often find myself staring at 300 files all needing to have something chnaged in the filename, like the removal of capitalized letters for standardization, or  the addition of a timestamp. Sometimes the change is just about clarity, and other times the change is just aesthetic. Very often, depending on what machine I’m on, I don’t have the tools I need to change all 300 files easily. The result is that it doesn’t get done. On windows, there was magic file renamer, but that is neither open source [preferred] or free [acceptable] and so, I find it disgusting to use, despite a great interface and very useful toolset. When I came across this today in Freshmeat’s RSS feed, I was thrilled.

freshmeat.net: Project details for Métamorphose File -n- Folder Renamer

Métamorphose File -n- Folder Renamer is a mass file renaming program that combines great flexability with an intuitive interface. It allows many command line renaming operations in a single utility, well-suited for those who need to rename large numbers of files and/or folders on a regular basis. However, the ease of the interface ensures that a first-time user will not find it too frustrating to use.

Presentation Tips For The Technically Gifted

Here’s another great article [a part of a short series] that talks about best practices for technically oriented presentations. It gives sound advice, such as the suggestion: don’t rely on the internet when your presentation is about the internet. I tend to do just that, and it really makes sense to make a standalone presentation instead - something portable that doesn’t need to bother with that longstanding presentation variable, ‘will me connection be up or not?’ At any rate, lots of good advice here.

Presentation Tips For The Technically Gifted
So, I offer the notes below not to criticize the presenters – many of whom are deeply technical but have not had to present for a living, but to draw lessons from some of my experience and having made all of the mistakes below, at least a few times. Note also that these are mostly “tactical” tips (and not strategic ones). I think the world often undervalues tactics sometimes (because strategy is so much sexier).

Super v2006-Video Converter for Windows

Hello All,

I have been looking for a way to convert my swf file I great in Wink (great tool!) to a flv. I found a program called Super v2006 (freeware) that you can use on a Windows platform (sorry Mac users, I’m still looking for you). It’s an great tool. If converts most audio and video files into the major file formats, mpeg2, mpeg4, and even has setting for iPod and cell phones (Sony Ericsson). It complies all different source code into one program. Plenty of people in different forums have success stories and loved the out come they achieved with Super.
Try it out. Really easy to install.

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_encoders/super.cfm

Super v2006

Enjoy!

-A

Giving an Academic Talk

I’m always interested in seeing these kinds of items, where a speaker (who has given lots of talks) shares his experience and tips with other speakers. If your audience isn’t with you, there’s really no point in speaking. Here are some good pieces of advice about keeping your audience involved. Every talk I’ve been to in the last 3 years seems to break his rules, including my own talks. - j.

Giving an Academic Talk
Giving an Academic Talk

Jonathan Shewchuk

This is a sample of my opinions on how to give a talk (using slides or transparencies) in computer science, concisely distilled for my students and students attending Graphics Lunch. Most of these thoughts are based on my going to conferences and seeing the same mistakes repeated by a plurality of speakers. You are welcome to disagree with my opinions, as long as you think each issue through for yourself. The only sin to make a choice without knowing you are making one.