SHACKBOX LIVEDVD
I found this on KB6NU’s blog (http://kb6nu.com/shackbox/) and it looks like it might be an interesting Ubuntu derivative to check out.
CERTIFICATIONS
On October 17th, I was laid off from what was supposed to be a long term contract at IBM after having previously laid off at another job at a certain ailing mortgage company. Job hunting as been really tough and the only thing that has looked really good so far is sales job at Tiger Direct.
HAM TIDBIT
I was watching Sanctuary on the Scifi Channel and noticed that in one room were a couple of older model Yaesu rigs, some kind of SWR meter that I couldn’t identify, and a green cube Heathkit SWR meter.
AN INTRODUCTION TO GNUPG FOR WINDOWS
An Introduction to GnuPG for Windows
What is it? GnuPG or “GPG” is a free and open source cryptography software package based on the PGP “Pretty Good Privacy” software system. GPG 1.0 was released in 1999 and steady development has continued since then. Unlike many software packages that you have to wait for new versions to become available, GPG is an open source application. That means that developers are constantly working on this software and new updates are produced regularly and free of charge. This software will not simply become abandoned by a single developer after a few years because people are always welcome to download the source code, make improvements, and keep the project alive. GPG is also interoperable with dozens of operating systems from all versions of Windows 95 and up, Linux, Unix variants including Sun Microsystems Solaris operating system and Apple’s OSX operating system.
G33K B33R
I picked up Bawls G33K B33R at our unfriendly neighborhood Tiger Direct yesterday, and I have to say that I was pleasently surprised. G33K B33R is not the worst root beer out there. I would say that it is not quite as fulfilling as A&W from the tap with lots of head, but it is much better than the root beer from Jones Soda or even Barq’s. I enojeyed it except for the price at $2/bottle and the fact that I have to go across town to find a bottle. Definately worth a try if you’re not a penny pincher like me and you enjoy a cold root beer.
HEATHSTUFF
t’s no secret that one of my hobbies is ham radio. I’ve got a few projects lying around that I would like to see working. Today while looking for information on refurbishing a Heathkit SB-101 transceiver, I found a website called Heathstuff with lots of useful information related to Heathkit radios. The link is here: http://www.kiyoinc.com/heathstuff.html
HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW OF A LINUX DISTRO
Mark Gregson over at Linux.com Linux.com has a great article on how to write reviews for Linux distribution. I know I’ve cut corners when trying to review distros in the past, and I hope to take him up on his tips in the future.
I’VE LOST MY KEY. CAN YOU PASS ME THAT BANANA?
Patrick White from the Globe and Mail has an interesting article on a section of the hacker community that even I wasn’t aware of. Amatuer lockpicking, a sort of offline cousin to computer hacking, is gaining interest in the hacker community and is even showcased at the annual Defcon conference. See the entire article here here. HT to lewrockwell.com
PORTABLE APPS
Portableapps.com is an exciting website for geeks on the go. Some of the best open source apps for Windows have been shrunkand encapsulated to work on your portable flash drive. Everything from The Gimp to VLC (with DVD and DIVX codecs) are available for free. If you’re like me, your workplace doesn’t like people installing outside software on company machines, but with the software from Portable Apps, you can install the software on a thumb drive, and your settings will save to a file on the thumb drive, not to the Windows registry.
