Day: December 2, 2011

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Deconstructing “Zarkon”

…and other mildly compgeeky stuff.

Yes, Zarkon is the “desktop” (well, even though it’s a mini-tower, it’s on a desktop :-)) I refurbed recently with a new mobo and processor. I also decided that was the time to extract the very nice, older tech (IDE) DVDRW drive and put it in its own case, for use with certain applications on some computers lacking DVD drives. So, I ended up buying a Vantec NexStar DX enclosure from Newegg.

Like it. Nice heavy gauge aluminum, minimal plastic, very well designed. Installing the drive was “do-it-in-my-sleep” easy-peasy. Plugged the thing in, turned it on, plugged in the USB cable (to one of my 13 USB ports–*heh*), and it just worked. Next up will be installing some software to a netbook. Yeh, I know I could place the installation files on a flash drive and do it that way, but I just don’t want to, and now I don’t have to. I’ve been meaning to do something like this for quite some time, but just hadn’t. Inertia, I suppose. With streaming media and most of my installs of software (and music and videos) coming from downloads, I’ve used the drive less and less over time, so having it transmogrified into an external drive won’t impact my use of this computer much, if at all, and now I’ve actually gained functionality.

Win-win, IMO.

OTOH, so far, an attempt to turn an “old” netbook into a barebones HTPC has been unsuccessful. Failed at the point of video out to TV via a piece of equipment that should work, but doesn’t. On two different notebooks. Oh, well. At least this works like a champ–better, even, than the Hauppaugge card in Zarkon:

Funny thing (or not), the software that came with the tuner was unable to find any TV channels to tune, either OTA or via cable. The lack of tunable OTA channels was no surprise, since that’s why we have cable TV. *heh* WMC, however, found (and tuned in) all we can normally tune (the ones we pay for:-)) and six others (that we do not;-)). Of course we won’t watch the ones it’ll tune that we aren’t paying for.

Good lil tuner.

Update: the failure of the VGA-to-TV equipment was a documentation failure. Following the included instructions for setting a pair of DIP switches scrambled the signal to garbage. Since there are only two switches, the possible combinations were few (especially since I already knew that the setting the documentation mandated did not work *heh*), and I was able to effect a workable setting on my second try. Still not a decent HTPC solution, since the lil netbook’s wimpy processor and sparse memory caused WMC to be extremely slllloooooowwww. Still, all parts–including the WMC-enabled USB dongle and remote–work, for very sluggish values of “work”. 🙂 Now, I just need to assemble another, more capable box to use for an HTPC connected to that TV.

‘nother Update:

Ah feels muchly better now, Ah does. *heh* Zarkon’s new (faster, double-sized, better-matched to the processor) memory came in today. Popped it in ‘n’ booted him up. Sweetness. Happy campers have nothin’ on me.

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*sigh* eWeek Can’t Issue a Simple Warning About Malware Without Screwing Up the Lede

FBI Issues Warning about Phishing Attack. That’s a good thing to pass around, but eWeek’s Fahmida Y. Rashid needs to take some remedial English classes. Note the lede:

“FBI warned of a new spear-phishing campaign that tricks users into downloading Zeus malware and then looting their bank accounts.”

While one can infer that the author meant to say that the malware seeks to loot users’ bank accounts, that’s not what the sentence says. The lil “and” indicates the two linked phrases are equivalents referring to the phishing campaign” that “tricks users” into two actions: “downloading” and “looting”. While that’s obviously not what the author intended to say, it’d help promote literacy if the author would say what she means, viz.,

“FBI warned of a new spear-phishing campaign that tricks users into downloading Zeus malware which then attempts to loot their bank accounts.”

But, in terms of the warning, only very (very) stupid people will be fooled by this phishing malware attempt. Would YOU click on a link in a (SPAM!) message that purports to come from “the National Automated Clearing House Assocation (NACHA)” and tells you the link is to reset your banking credentials? If so, I have some great ocean front property in New Mexico I’d like to sell you and a bridge located in Brooklyn I just know would interest you.

Oh, and this absolutely stupid comment from another eWeek article by the same author really takes the cake:

It’s difficult for the savviest Internet user to identify some of the latest scams.

That was in the context of email inbox filtering to filter out dangerous attachments and other email. Really? It’s difficult for anyone with more active brain cells than a 10-year-old cracked crock of spoiled kimchi to identify some of the latest scams? Really? Ocean front property and a bridge in Brooklyn…

And the author follows that statement, in a paragraph “debunking” the idea that training users will enhance network security, with this:

While technology can be patched, the human brain can’t.

OK, I may have to give him that one. In fact, I’ll admit that he’s a good data point in support of the assertion.