“Peggy” from “Computer Maintenance Department” (1-645-781-2458 on my caller ID) called again. Lots of people are aware of these phone calls. They call, make vague claims about receiving a report that your computer is running slow and giving you errors, and are very careful not to say who they are or who they work for. [...]
All posts tagged wikipedia
How to encrypt PDF files for free
Yesterday I wrote about the importance of encrypting documents before you send them via e-mail. But what if you don’t have a PDF creator, other than Microsoft Office or Open/Libre Office? It turns out you can encrypt PDF documents, including those you create with office software, for free–with caveats.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on October 10, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/10/how-to-encrypt-pdf-files-for-free/
There’s room for several to gloat over the Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica is, after 244 years, calling it quits on its print edition, and I’m sure Wikipedia is gloating, because as I recall, that was one of its goals around a decade ago. Wired argues that Encarta did more to kill Britannica than Wikipedia. I tend to agree.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 16, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/03/theres-room-for-several-to-gloat-over-the-britannica/
Test-taking strategies for CISSP
The CISSP is a 250-question, multiple-choice test. You have six hours to complete it. It’s not like any college final I ever took, though cramming all of finals week into a six-hour session is almost a fair comparison. I’m not a lawyer, so I’ve never taken the bar exam. But the multiple-choice MBE, which is [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 26, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/02/test-taking-strategies-for-cissp/
Milestone! I’ve been pirated!
In searching for the abstract of my book, I found more than I expected: What appeared to be a pirated PDF copy of the book in its entirety. What’s worse is that it appeared #1 in Google’s search. Numbers 2 and 3 were various pages on my site, #4 was my Wikipedia profile page, #5 [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 16, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/08/milestone-ive-been-pirated/
Wikipedia’s losing contributors? Dip me in axle grease and call me slick!
So, Wikipedia is losing contributors. Cnet says so. People like me already knew it. I left the place years ago.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 4, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/08/wikipedias-losing-contributors-dip-me-in-axle-grease-and-call-me-slick/
Don’t take free software from a stranger
And there’s this. Some people are taking popular free, open-source software, planting malware in it, and distributing it to unsuspecting people.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on July 16, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/07/dont-take-free-software-from-a-stranger/
Floppy disks for Commodore and other vintage computers
It’s been many years since 5.25-inch floppy disks suitable for Commodore, Apple, Atari, and other vintage 8-bit computers (not to mention IBM PCs and PC/XTs) have been something you can buy at the store down the street. I found some 360K DS/DD disks on Amazon, but they aren’t available in huge quantities.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on June 12, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/06/floppy-disks-for-commodore-and-other-vintage-computers/
Microsoft buyouts that worked
This week, Microsoft surprised a lot of people by buying Skype. I think most people thought Facebook would do it. Now I keep hearing pundits say that this will fail, because Microsoft buyouts always fail. I’m sure some of them do, but none come to mind at the moment. But I can think of several [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 11, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/05/microsoft-buyouts-that-worked/
Checking quotes
“The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you never can know if they are genuine.” –Abraham Lincoln The death of bin Laden prompted a couple of quotes attributed to Mark Twain and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be repeated endlessly on social networking sites. Neither quote was accurate, as it turned out. [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 4, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/05/checking-quotes/