Monday, December 5, 2011

Google Algorithm 10 Changes

http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/11/ten-recent-algorithm-changes.html

Google Algorithm Tweaking; the canonical tag

Search quality highlights: new monthly series on algorithm changes
http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/2011/12/search-quality-highlights-new-monthly.html briefly; 


Multiple URLs, one page
Duplicate content comes in different forms, but a major scenario is multiple URLs that point to the same page. This can come up for lots of reasons. An ecommerce site might allow various sort orders for a page (by lowest price, highest rated…), the marketing department might wanttracking codes added to URLs for analytics. You could end up with 100 pages, but 10 URLs for each page. Suddenly search engines have to sort  through 1,000 URLs.
This can be a problem for a couple of reasons.
  • Less of the site may get crawled. Search engine crawlers use a limited amount of bandwidth on each site (based on numerous factors). If the crawler only is able to crawl 100 pages of your site in a single visit, you want it to be 100 unique pages, not 10 pages 10 times each.
  • Each page may not get full link credit. If a page has 10 URLs that point to it, then other sites can link to it 10 different ways. One link to each URL dilutes the value  the page could have if all 10 links pointed to a single URL.
Using the new canonical tag
Specify the canonical version using a tag in the head section of the page as follows:
http://www.example.com/product.php?item=swedish-fish"/>
That’s it!
  • You can only use the tag on pages within a single site (subdomains and subfolders are fine).
  • You can use relative or absolute links, but the search engines recommend absolute links.
This tag will operate in a similar way to a 301 redirect for all URLs that display the page with this tag.
  • Links to all URLs will be consolidated to the one specified as canonical.
  • Search engines will consider this URL a “strong hint” as to the one to crawl and index.
Canonical URL best practices
The search engines use this as a hint, not as a directive, (Google calls it a “suggestion that we honor strongly”) but are more likely to use  it if the URLs use best practices, such as:
  • The  content rendered for each URL is very similar or exact
  • The canonical URL is the shortest version
  • The URL uses easy to understand parameter patterns (such as using ? and %)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

GMail New Display Density Not Found - Trouble Finding it ?

GMail has a news look and is quite refined, great job. They have a new feature they are touting called Display Density, trouble is - I could not find it.

The help says the Gear Option Icon should be to the top right of email list when you are on the Inbox link? Well where is it? Its not there. It makes sense when your look at a list of emails you should be able to format the list at this point ?

Turns out, it's only when you COMPOSE a new message that you see the Gear Option Icon and then can change the  Display Density. Just a helpful hint and design quark. See image below.


Hope this helps.




UPDATE NOV 14, 2011 - this has been corrected @ 

Monday, November 7, 2011

http://requestreduce.com/

RequestReduce allows any IIS based website to automaticaly sprite background images into a single optimized PNG as well as combine and minify javascript and CSS with absolutely no coding beyond a few config tweaks

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Vulnerability in ASP.NET Could Allow Information Disclosure (2418042)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/MS10-070
updated to include applicability for .NET Framework 4 on Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Expanding Virtual PC VHDs using VHD Resizer and running Windows Server 2008 R2

This is for folks without access to Hyper-V, but want to learn it in a free Virtual PC 2007 emulator, which can run Windows 2008 R2 and Windows Sever 8, with a few tricks.

http://kb.dutchalps.com/microsoftvirtualpc.htm

Tips: VHD Resizer took an really long long time to start ~15mins, and then finally it progressed quickly.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Windows Explorer Most Recent List or Pinned Jump List Items do not appear in Windows 7


Windows Explorer Most Recent List or Pinned Jump List Items do not appear in Windows 7


Fixing Stuck Explorer Items

Windows Explorer always seems to use the same exact filename to store the pinned/recent items: 1B4DD67F29CB1962.AUTOMATICDESTINATIONS-MS
So you can try this command, which will wipe out all the pinned and recent items for Windows Explorer only:
del %appdata%\microsoft\windows\recent\automaticdestinations\1B4DD67F29CB1962.AUTOMATICDESTINATIONS-MS

BONUS : Enabling last active windows with ALT-TAB order.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/quick-tip-change-stacked-window-behavior-in-the-windows-7-taskbar/3959?tag=content;siu-container

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Evolutionary equations, apply the biological feedback loop (learning) to derive new mathematical formulas!

Hod Lipson on The Robotic Scientist: Mining Experimental Data

TVO show "Big Ideas" presents Hod Lipson of Cornell University speaking about his amazing working in using evolutionary algorithms.

Through trial and error, robots learn how to walk (@ 9:49).  This was achieve by give the robot basic motor commands, then the robot learns how to walk by try every combination of possible movements until it moves forward reaching its goal.

This same technique was used for evolutionary equations, by giving basic math primitives (+,-,/,*, sin,cos, etc) equations are built to match and model a best fit to an observable outcome. Hod calls this Symbolic Regression, and through millions of trials, a perfect and sometimes previously unknown equation will emerge!

Hod also points out, that trials with the most disagreement (@ 11:38) yields the most information! A new perspective the next time you get into an argument;)

This has huge ramifications for in area of robotics, programmable self-assemblies and AI. See my article on the prediction an AI God (a multi-consciousness AI), including Steven Hawking's (the smartest man in world) thoughts on warnings against the rise of AI.

Lipson lecture is entitled "The Robotic Scientist: Mining Experimental Data for Scientific Laws, from Cognitive Robots to Computational Biology."


(@ 21:43 section, using math primitives (+,-,/,*) this will evolve and find fitting equations)

http://creativemachines.cornell.edu/eureqa - A program for you to use to try evolutionary approach and was open source (now gone).

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

How to Clear Windows 7 Temporary Files in the Temp Folder

How to Clear Windows 7 Temporary Files in the Temp Folder - where .tmp, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx and .pdf are shadowed


Update - Sept 2017 - Do not use CCleaner its been hacked
Read my post on CCleaner containing malware and an alternative.

Information

The Temp folder is where Windows 7 and programs sometimes store temporary files. Sometimes these files are not deleted after Windows 7 or the program is finished with them. This can cause the temp folder to fill up with junk temp files which may cause Vista to take longer to access the Temp folder and create a slight delay.

This will show you how to clear the Windows 7 temporary files through Disk Cleanup or manually in the Temp folder.   
Note

The Windows 7 Temp folder is located at:

C:\Users\(UserName)\AppData\Local\Temp
or
cd %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\AppData\Local\Temp

You can obtain you current logged on UserName,
if you are not sure by 
Start->Run->Cmd and type 

whoami 


will return domainname\UserName

If you are browsing to this folder, you may need to show AppData and other hidden files, folders and drives. See image below.

click for larger

 Warning
While it is safe to delete these files, it is best not to do this while installing or uninstalling anything.
Tip
BleachBit is a free program that is great at keeping the temporary files cleaned up and more.


Example: Windows 7  User Account Temp Folder Location
click for larger

METHOD ONE



Thorough Disk Cleanup (PREFERRED METHOD)

 Note

Disk Cleanup will only delete Temporary files that have not been modified in 7 days. To clear everything, see METHOD TWO below.
1. Open Disk Cleanup.
2. Check Temporary files. (See image below) 


4. After, Click on Delete Files to confirm the action.

click for larger image




METHOD TWO

Manually Clear the Temp Folder



 Note
The Temp folder is located at the hidden system folder:

C:\Users\(Your Username)\AppData\Local\Temp

If you are browsing to this folder, you may need to show Appdata and other hidden files, folders and drives.

click for larger

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Search for Run and click.
Type %temp% and press Enter  and then do  
Type %windir%\Temp and press Enter. 


Select all files and click Shift + Del key.
NOTE: This is a shortcut and opens the Temp folder.  

3. Delete anything you want in this folder. (See image below) 
click for larger
  Warning
If you delete the Low folder, it can prevent you from printing from Internet Explorer. To fix this, close all Internet Explorer windows and reopen Internet Explorer to recreate the Low folder.

You can also manually fix this by recreating the Low folder in the Temp folder below, open a elevated command prompt (Start->Search for "CMD.exe", right-click and run as Administrator.                                                                                
click for larger
Then Copy and Paste the command below in the command prompt and press enter.

Code:
 Note
If you receive a File In Use pop-up error message while the files are being deleted, then this just means that one of the temp files is in use by a program right now.

Monday, August 1, 2011

PGP for Outlook Open Source with Source Code

Prerequisites for Outlook 2007 (see 2010, 2013 below)

First of all, get a working copy of GPG is required, so visit the GnuPG download page, scroll down and download the Windows installer version or windows version. 

Windows installer version is located here https://www.gpg4win.org/download.html, you can install PA (personal Assistant), but it never worked on my computer. But this is a GUI to your user keys.
If everything has gone correctly, you can now open a command prompt and type gpg --version and gpg --list-keys to see the version and your keys (which would be empty if you're using it for the first time).
Visit the Getting Started section of the GnuPG handbook to generate your own key if this is your first encounter for instructions. You need a private public key for latter in the install.
gpg --gen-key

























To install this quickly, 

choose 4) RSA and key size of 2048 default will do, or 4096 for better security, and continue, it's pretty logical.

OutlookGnuPG

There are two main areas in the plugin, functionality for sending a mail (sign/encrypt) and for retrieving a mail (verify/decrypt).
At the moment only plain text emails are supported. No HTML mail or attachments, that's for a future version :)

See Cumps Consulting blog for the remainder of the install article ...
https://cumps.be/en/blog/2009-04-15-gpg-in-outlook-2007-outlookgnupg/

GnuPG addin for Outlook 2007

Here is the Github project :

https://github.com/twalrant/OutlookGnuPG

NOTE: To get this to work in Vista/7 you have to run the installer as administrator. Find your command shell in the run menu, right click and select run as administrator. Then do msiexec -i "path\and\filename.msi". That should get you past the impersonation difficulties.


PGP for Outlook 2010, 2013
 

A simple OpenPGP encryption plugin for Outlook 2010 and 2013.
https://github.com/dejavusecurity/OutlookPrivacyPlugin



Saturday, June 4, 2011

Remote Access Trojans (RAT) removal

Remote Access Trojans (RATS) are malicious programs that run invisibly on host PCs and permit an intruder remote access and control.

On a basic level, many RATs mimic the functionality of legitimate remote control programs such as TeamViewer but are designed specifically for stealth installation and operation. Intruders usually hide these Trojan horses in games and other small programs that unsuspecting users then execute on their PCs. Typically, exploited users either download and execute the malicious programs or are tricked into clicking rogue email attachments.

Remote Access Trojan Defined
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd632947.aspx


























Recent RATS create the following null registry keys; 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved\{F4046E19-9A33-3DA4-5EBC-CD6114454DBA} 

This key F4046E19-9A33-3DA4-5EBC-CD6114454DBA is not deletable using Registry Editor. You cannot search for it and delete it, Regedit will complain that it is not found!Use GMER tool (is an application that detects and removes rootkits and works with Win7) available at http://www.gmer.net/ to find suspect rootkits and bad registry keys.

To remove a null registry key, you can use the toolkit provided by Mark Russinovich's suite of tools available from Microsoft  named Sysinternals. 

RegDelNull v1.1 This command-line utility searches for and allows you to delete Registry keys that contain embedded-null characters and that are otherwise undeleteable using standard Registry-editing tools. Note: deleting Registry keys may cause the applications they are associated with to fail. Back-up your registry and be sure you know what you are doing.



Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Former Professor - Dr. David Skillicorn comments on current cyber-attacks in Canada

CBC - Cyber-security in Canada - video

National Post - Struggling with cyber security - article 

CBC - Program that determines the amount of deception in the speeches - article

Friday, January 28, 2011

Installing KlamAV on Ubuntu 10.10




To resolve error : uid 1000 or gid 1000 errors
believed to occur when Clamav and klamav are installed on the same system when using kubuntu 10.10.



open terminal
cd  /var/lib
sudo rmdir clamav folder
mkdir /home/username/.klamav/database
open klamav the new folder should be recognized as 
 /home/username/.klamav/database 


New virus signatures will be downloaded. 

Resize Root Partition on Ubuntu 10.10

How to Resize Your Ubuntu Partition
















Whether you want to shrink your Ubuntu partition, enlarge it, or split it up into several partitions, you can’t do this while it’s in use. You’ll need a Ubuntu live CD or USB drive to edit your partitions.
The Ubuntu live CD includes the GParted partition editor, which can modify your partitions. GParted is a full-featured, graphical partition editor that acts as a frontend to a variety of Linux terminal commands.

Boot From CD or USB Drive

If you have the CD or USB drive you installed Ubuntu from, you can insert it into your computer and restart. If you don’t, you’ll have to create a new Ubuntu live media. You can download an Ubuntu ISO from Ubuntu.com and burn it a disc by right-clicking the downloaded ISO file and selecting Write to Disc.































If you’d rather use a USB drive, use the Startup Disk Creator application, which comes with Ubuntu. You’ll find it in the Dash.

















Provide the Startup Disk Creator application with a Ubuntu ISO and a USB flash drive and it will create a live USB drive for you.
After creating the live media, insert it into your computer and restart. If the live environment doesn’t start, you may have to enter your computer’s BIOS and change its boot order. To access the BIOS, press the key that appears on you screen while your computer boots, often Delete, F1, or F2. You can find the appropriate key in your computer’s (or motherboard’s, if you assembled your own computer) manual.

Using GParted

While the GParted partition editor isn’t present by default on an installed Ubuntu system, it is included with the Ubuntu live environment. Launch GParted from the Dash to get started.




















If you have multiple hard drives in your computer, select the appropriate one from the drop-down box at the top right corner of the GParted window.


Partitions can’t be modified while they’re in use – partitions in use have a key icon next to them. If a partition is mounted, unmount it by clicking the eject button in the file manager. If you have a swap partition, the Ubuntu live environment will likely have activated it. To deactivate the swap partition, right-click it and select Swapoff.
























To resize a partition, right-click it and select Resize/Move.


























The easiest way to re-size a partition is by clicking and dragging the handles at either side of the bar, although you can also enter exact numbers. You can shrink any partition if it has free space.























Your changes won’t take effect immediately. Each change you make it queued, and appears in a list at the bottom of the GParted window.























Once you've shrunk a partition, you could use the unallocated space to create a new partition, if you like. To do so, right-click the unallocated space and select New. GParted will walk you through creating the partition.
























If a partition has adjacent unallocated space, you can right-click it and select Resize/Move to enlarge the partition into the unallocated space.


























To specify a new partition size, click and drag the sliders or enter an exact number into the boxes.























GParted shows a warning whenever you move the start sector of a partition. If you move the start sector of your Windows system partition (C:) or the Ubuntu partition containing your /boot directory – likely your primary Ubuntu partition – your operating system may fail to boot. In this case, we’re only moving the start sector of our swap partition, so we can ignore this warning. If you’re moving the start sector of your main Ubuntu partition, you’ll likely have to reinstall Grub 2 afterwards.
If your system does fail to boot, you can consult the Ubuntu wiki for several methods of reinstalling GRUB 2. The process is different from restoring the older GRUB 1 boot loader.























Click the green check mark icon on GParted’s toolbar to apply the changes when you’re finished.


























Back ups are always important. However, back ups are particularly important if you’re modifying your partitions – a problem could occur and you may lose your data. Don’t resize your partitions until you’ve backed up any important data.























After you click Apply, GParted will apply all queued changes. This may take a while, depending on the changes you make. Don’t cancel the operation or power down your computer while the operation is in progress.



























Restart your system and remove the CD or USB drive after performing the operations.
This worked for Ubuntu 10.10 and is great set of instructions
http://askubuntu.com/questions/126153/how-to-resize-partitions