Podcast Review: Linux Outlaws

Awesome Linux show with an international flavor. Here we have Fab from Bonn and Dan from Liverpool. These guys mention all of the recent distro's, mention all of the latest and greatest applications upgrades and new stars. For an hour each week Fab and Dan dive into the weekly tech news with a VERY linux centric view of the world. I have to say that they have their opinions and share them with vigor.

Although outspoken, they are not hipocrytes. When they are just as guilty of using freedom hating software or hardware they will share that also. This honest view of the world from the linux geek's eyes is refreshing. They do have interviews of guests from time to time and they are one of the longest running podcasts dedicated to the Linux community.

I have had the pleasure of working in Germany before and I have to say that now that I'm in Italy it's refreshing to listen to Fab go on. With his simple declarations of "Fail" and "Crap" have become the halmarks of the podcast. I do sometimes miss having that voice that is irreverant and not concerned with how his opinion is received. Fab and Dan through caution to the wind and just say what they feel they need to say while making any policially correct changes to it only after it is out there.

There is profanity used from time to time. But I would say that it is not excessive and is a fair representation of what would be heard in the real world or workspace. Although I might be a bit more forward thinking than most, I am comfortable letting my childeren hear this podcast. I'm sure their little ears have heard much worse fall from my own mouth, so I would not be so judgemental of a podcast of a couble of guys telling it how they really feel.

This podcast is a linux geek "must" to their podcasting diet. It is not a show that is technically too far beyond the newcomer to linux. But a newcomer might find some of the names and jargon used a little daunting first time out. I would tell the newcomer to listen to this podcast and try to keep up and google the things he wasn't sure about. As a nice little treat, the guys add music to the end of their podcast which is normally quite enjoyable.

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CafeNinja

My Firefox Extensions

Everyone has their own selections of Firefox extensions that makes their work-flow or surfing experience great. What I don't see a lot of is people posting the list that combined is their favorite or ideal web browsing tool.

I decided to put my list together, as we are "on the eve" of the release of a new version of Firefox, since in a few short months some of these may not work (until updated by the developers). This list is valid when using the Firefox 3.0.1 browser.

Here is my list:
Tabs Open Relative - this lets a "open in new tab" action produce a tab just right of it's parent instead of at the end of the lists of tabs. This is really helpful when doing google research and find multiple links you would like to follow from a single source page.

Snap Links Plus - This allows you to design a unique mouse selection/movement to draw a box around a list of links on a page. Upon selection, this extension opens the included hyperlinks in new tabs. In conjunction with the Tabs Open Relative extension, these just fold out just right of the active, or parent, tab.

Auto Clear Search Box - This extension automatically clears the searchbox in the navigation bar of the browser once used. I use this in a 3 step process. 1.) Use ctrl+k to activate the searchbox itself. 2.) Set "browser.search.openintab = true" in about:config, which opens a new tab independantly upon pressing enter from the searchbox. 3.) this extension then clears the seachbox and I am then able to repeat the process with minimum mouse/keystrokes.
***Note: you will have to register to install this one, no panic..it's free.

CustomizeGoogle - Well, this is for anyone who uses google's services. There are a great many customizations which can make that experience better and more secure.

Delicious Bookmarks - Well, online bookmarking is something you use or you don't. I do, to share links with others, remember research points or to collect information when troubleshooting an issue. This is a pretty good extension if you are signed up for the Delicious service.

Foxmarks Bookmarks Syncronizer - This is a smashing syncronizing tool. Makes all of your firefox installs on all your different computers. This tool syncronyses bookmarks and saved passwords. This is the tool that I moved to after google's Browser Sync was dropped from development. There is encryption for protection and there is need for an account from Foxmarks to let it work.

Gmail Notifier - does what it says, sits at the bottom of the browser offering a small unintrusive display of new messages. Supports multiple Gmail accounts and display prefernces.

ASNumber - Like it implies this tool displays the Autonomous System Number of the host where the website is. It also does a whois lookup to provide you with the information of the owner of the network where the website lives. Just remember that who owns the website and who owns the network may be different.

I find that this collection of extensions provide me with a great experience and enhances my surfing expererience. I hope this list might help someone put together thier favorite list of extensions too. Please add your favorite to the comments.

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CafeNinja

Podcast Review: You Look Nice Today

The single funniest podcast I have ever heard. I don't want to talk about who is on this podcast in fear that it might give a prejudice of the content of the show. This half hour show that comes into my podcatcher every two weeks or so is a pure joy.

These cats, have tapped into the warped sense of humor that is the experience path of my life. With the random tangent thinking that harks of Monty Python with the silver tongue of professional orators, this show has me on the floor laughing so hard that I often have to pause the podcast until the tears finish to stream from my eyes.

The format is that it is a conversation of these 3 friends to which you are privy. They are candid, politically incorrect and at time quite vulgar. It is, in fact, exclusively comedy and shouldn't be taken for anything more serious than the red squeaky nose of a circus clown. It is a delight and I truly look forward to the surprise that is the arrival of a new episode of "You look nice today".

Highly recommended. For me it's a nice break from the more informational formats that I normally listen to. I mean, I have mostly tech podcasts which even if they have a fantastic amount of information they can be dry. This is the single comedy podcast that I have managed to remain subscribed to. I find that I am not very fond of stand up comedy recorded and sent down a podcast pipe. Let me promise you now, this show is NOT that.

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CafeNinja

Encrypted backup made easy

As security of information is important to me, I've been trying to think of a way to manage private information, while keeping that information backed up.

I had thought about something simple, like a free ssh shell account. And there, storing my pgp keys as well as an encrypted file with my text password file. I decided that would not be a good idea since the machine where I put those keys and file would have someone (anyone) else as root who might, if clever enough, hack into my account. In addition, those accounts are usually very space limited to a measure of megabytes which would keep the text file just fine, but isn't large enough for much else.

I have been playing with Truecrypt since they managed to make the hidden partition inside of an encrypted container. They have addressed a very important point that with the current legal environment it is possible to be forced to surrender your password for an encrypted volume. Truecrypt does this clever thing that lets you determine one of two filespaces inside the encrypted volume based on the password given. That is to say, that after you go through the process with Truecrypt that you may then open the space with pictures of the family and with another open the space that has all of your top secret plans. In this way you may satisfy the volunteering of your "password" without volunteering any information. Plausible deniablity and all that.

So, this is a neat solution for secure security, but then how to get that volume around. I mean, a usb key with a 1Gig file on it is fine, but then when you drop it in the toilet, run over it with your car or otherwise have something nasty happen to it, that information is lost. So, I looked at Getdropbox in order to see if that would work. The free account there holds 2Gig which is more than enough for locking in the keys to the rest of your private world.

The Truecrypt volume is mounted like a file system, you know, like a usb key or a 2nd internal hard drive. It would seem that the automated backup portion of the Getdropbox application sees the unmounting of the volume as a revision to the file and then starts the process to upload the file anew and syncronizying with all other clients connected.

The big bonus is that both the Getdropbox software and Truecrypt are available in all 3 major operating systems (Win, Mac, Linux). Which means that in all the different systems and all the ways I may access any of that software from any machine (given I can install the apps). Double bonus is that both of these, the Truecrypt application and the Getdropbox service is free. This means there is no "border to entry" due to sticker price. Clearly anyone could come up with other solutions, I just find this one to satisfy my security needs while being available anywhere and only to me. Worse case, even if I'm busted, I donate the weak password to disclose only my shopping list from last week. If you haven't used either of these apps, I highly recommend both. And if more space is what you need, there is a paid version of Getdropbox that offeres more space.

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CafeNinja

Podcast Review: Mackbreak Weekly

Another star in the fleet of podcasts from Leo Laporte on his TWiT Network. Guess the topic of this one. With the topic of each weekly podcast being focused on the world from the Mac point of view. Make no mistake all of the members of this regularly cast panel have all drank deeply from the special Apple juice.

The podcast which normally is just over an hour long each week is filled with software reviews "picks of the week" as well as some very good exposure to what is the philosophy of Apple. Along with a very jovial interaction between the members of the panel and quite often even opposing points of views I feel this podcast gives very good depth to the topic which is Apple and all things Mac.

I'm slightly jaded since I own a mac, and find the hints and software that are disucssed of interest to myself. I highly recommend that mac owners listen to this one. I suggest, for the others to listen with interest if only to expand your exposure to how the other half live. I know there have been times I wanted to engage in a linux vs. mac shouting match with the pre-recorded podcast for lack of acknowledgement of anything non-mac. But then, I remember that it is the focus of the show and if there is a forum in which there should be a group of fat-brains talking about the world from the exclusive point of view mac, this is the place.

While they typically cover Apple news exclusively, they also discuss tech trends and how they might affect the Apple universe. During slow news weeks, again, with a fabulous panel the team can usually find something to talk about. Even on the weeks where the topics are not so inspiring to me, their engagement with each other is always entertaining.

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CafeNinja

Podcast Review: GeekBrief.TV

Cali Lewis has a show that became her day job. I recall that when I started watching her show that it was almost exclusive gadget and product review. Now she sets her 6 min a day sights on projects and activities that are not exclusive product of the tech news scene but also for the geeks in her audience who just like scale airplanes up to new computer interfaces being designed in design and research centers.

Cali, who speaks amazingly fast and clear covers quite a bit of ground in her daily show. While moving at a blistering pace still manages to add her subjective view of the stories she's covering. While one of the prettiest tech reporters I've seen, she does an amazing job of letting her social responsibility appear on the show. While in one episode we may hear about a charity that has her interest, on the next we may have a Kindle unboxing.

I've not seen her reporting as slanted by the bias of what kind of systems she uses herself. But when she's really into stuff, it comes across on her show (for the better I think). Her story is an interesting one, if you have the time to go way back in the archives, then you be able to let her tell her story to you. If not, just check out her blog and read it :)

I recommend this, especially to my hardcore linux friends, since Geekbrief exposes me to some of the more mainstream tech. While Cali isn't interested in the stange server stuff that I am configuring, I find it helpfull to know what the latest drool worthy gadget is out there. I have to confess it is her show that has prevented me the ackward moment of "What is this Kindle thing you speak of?" at the water cooler.

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CafeNinja

Podcast Review: The Knightcast

Belgian by birth, geek by the grace of heaven. Knightwise is the star of the KnightCast. He's just a regular guy, working IT in Belgium. He has a nice mix of practicality and cleverness in the topics he covers. His mantra is "Make technology work for you.". And with a combination of audio, video and screencasts he covers his material pretty well, using real world examples (usually in his own home) and showing step-by-step next to the the rationale of the tech he is covering.

Knightwise is very engaged with his audience, appreciates and responds to feedback directly. He is human, and has slumps where real life interupts his podcasting from time to time. But I find that when he releases his podcast it's about an hour of real, practical howto and very informative.

I would strongly recommend this podcast for anyone who prefers the conversation to be about Linux or Mac. He usually does his Ubuntu work or server setup in virtual machines running on Mac hardware. With his funny little belgian accent, he's enjoyable to listen to and talks about what he knows. If you are a windows fan, you may not find this podcast has much (if anything) of interest to you.

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CafeNinja