Vilasophy

Flashback on Macs

April 11th, 2012

So a piece of malware that is taking advantage of Java security flaws (go figure!) has been infecting Macs recently – approximately 600,000 worldwide.

According to the company, “In addition to the Java vulnerability, the Flashback malware relies on computer servers hosted by the malware authors to perform many of its critical functions. Apple is working with ISPs worldwide to disable this command and control network”

There are numerous ways to fix the problem and you can find them here.

This just shows you that the once impervious Mac is vulnerable but the issue lies in those that do not update their systems – so whose fault is it??

Social Media Statistics

March 19th, 2012

So I ran across a site with social media statistics and I decided to share some of them on here.

  • On average each adult with a social networking page or profile has profiles on 1.6 sites, and 39% of adults have profiles on two or more sites.
  • Half of all current adult social networkers say that they access their profiles at least every other day.
  • 57% have joined a Social Network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content (Universal McCann, 2008)
  • Six out of the top ten internet sites are social media (none were on the list in 2005)

 

Thought these were somewhat interesting.  It just shows how much of an impact that social media has.

 

Source: http://socialmediastatistics.wikidot.com

9 Infamous Social Engineers

February 11th, 2012

I came across this article in CSO Online and thought it was interesting.  It discusses the top 9 social engineers of all time.  Some of these I’ve heard of, some I haven’t, but they are all interesting nonetheless.

  1. The Devil
  2. Ulysses
  3. Victor Lustig
  4. George Parker
  5. Charles Ponzi
  6. Frank Abagnale
  7. Mark Rifkin
  8. Kevin Mitnick
  9. Bernie Madoff

So who would be the 10th??

HP DV6 Audio Problem

February 11th, 2012

So I recently purchased a HP DV6-6180us laptop to use since I did not feel like lugging around my 17-inch laptop.  Overall it is a great computer and I got it for a great deal around the holidays.

There is a button on the computer that if you hit it, it will mute the sound and a red light comes on.  Well, recently the red light came on whether or not the sound was on mute.  Of course, I was getting annoyed at it because who wants to stare at a red light when they don’t need to right?

Well, the solution was quite simple – I just updated the Audio driver, restarted my computer, and voila, it worked again.  Another simple solution to a simple problem.

MKTech Computers

February 1st, 2012

I try not to use this website to promote companies or anything of that sort, but I am making an exception.

I have a good friend in Memphis, Marcin Trzaska, that has a computer repair business that I wanted to share with everyone. It is MKTech Computers, and it is definitely one of the best repair companies that I know. I tend not to go to independent repair shops because you do not know what you are getting but I have seen Marcin’s work and I can easily recommend his work. He is very prompt and will not just leave your computer in his office and get to it in a week, he will get to it within a day or two.

If you are interested his services include:

  • Computer Repair
  • Virus Removal
  • Network Setup (office and residential)
  • Memory Installation

You can find his information at: MKTech Computers.

Favorite Information Technology Movie

February 1st, 2012

So I was searching for movies on Netflix today and I saw one that I had not seen in a while – Antitrust.

It is an older movie but it is definitely one of my favorite information technology movies.  It is one of those movies that you would not watch unless you were bored (as in the first time that I did) but it has become one of my favorites.

The basis of the movie is a computer science student who is hired right out undergrad (remember those days…) and works for a major computer software company, NURV (Never Underestimate Radical Vision) that has Microsoft-esque similarities.

Email Charter

January 29th, 2012

I just received an email from one of my friends, and I saw at the end of the email a link to emailcharter.org.

I thought this was interesting so I clicked on it (even though I know not to click on random hyperlinks in emails) and it gives ten rules to keep the massive amount of email that we get under control.

These 10 rules are:

  1. Respect Recipients’ Time
  2. Short or Slow is Note Rude
  3. Celebrate Clarity
  4. Quash Open-Ended Questions
  5. Slash Surplus CC’s
  6. Tighten the Thread
  7. Attack Attachments
  8. Give These Gifts: EOM NNTR
  9. Cut Contentless Responses
  10. Disconnect!

I think all of these are pretty interesting and something to look at as we become more digital and as the number of emails being sent continues to arise.   Just looking at one of my email addresses and I see that I have almost 7,000 emails – time to clean up!

Last Semester

January 26th, 2012

So I have finally started my last semester at Johns Hopkins and I have mixed emotions.  First, I am excited that I am finally finishing school, with just one class and my Master’s project left, which will be stressful, but worth it.  But I also am nervous because for the last 11 years, all I have really known is school.  I have worked but never a full-time 9-5 pm, 5 day a week job.  This is going to be new to me, but I am looking forward to a new challenge and turning a new page over in my life.

Lucky Oyster Seafood Grill

June 11th, 2011

So to continue with my postings on restaurants and bars in the Virginia Beach area I will talk about Lucky Oyster Seafood Grill.

Let me tell you about this place – it is GREAT!  It is a pretty big place, whether you want to eat or just drink.  I usually sit at the bar and these bartenders are some of the best.  After my first night of going in there, they knew who I was, and what I drank and I would not even have to ask for a drink, they would bring it to me.  This is definitely by far the best service I have had at a bar.  I have not had any of their food, but my friend Dave who had their hot wings said they were pretty good.  And these aren’t the types of wings you would find at Buffalo Wild Wings or something, these were pretty big wings.

The happy hour specials are comparable to other places in the area.  Everyday from 4 – 7 pm is happy hour, and on Fridays it is Noon – 7 pm.  The specials change everyday so next time I go in there I will try to take a picture of the sign and the menu.  The prices are usually 50-cent wings and oysters, $2.25 domestic bottles, $1.00 off all well drinks, $1.99 domestic drafts and $3 house wines.  The domestic drafts are pretty good, they have Coors Light, Miller Lite, Bud Light, Yuengling, Sam Adams Seasonal, and I think Shock Top or Blue Moon.  They may have some others but I usually stick with Yuengling.  Also, they have $4.00 big bottles every day.  I will have to take a picture of this, since I am not sure about the size, but that is a pretty good deal.