Tom McMahon

Word Of The Day: Captcha

An Example of a Captcha

You know, those thingees used for sign-ups so they know you're really human and not a robot (via Ben Hammersley, after a fashion)

The Python Paradox

From Paul Graham on the Python computer programming language:

In a recent talk I said something that upset a lot of people: that you could get smarter programmers to work on a Python project than you could to work on a Java project.

I didn't mean by this that Java programmers are dumb. I meant that Python programmers are smart. It's a lot of work to learn a new programming language. And people don't learn Python because it will get them a job; they learn it because they genuinely like to program and aren't satisfied with the languages they already know.

Which makes them exactly the kind of programmers companies should want to hire. Hence what, for lack of a better name, I'll call the Python paradox: if a company chooses to write its software in a comparatively esoteric language, they'll be able to hire better programmers, because they'll attract only those who cared enough to learn it. And for programmers the paradox is even more pronounced: the language to learn, if you want to get a good job, is a language that people don't learn merely to get a job.

Safe And Insecure

From Salon:

Last week, I turned off all the security features of my wireless router. I removed WEP encryption, disabled MAC address filtering and made sure the SSID was being broadcast loud and clear. Now, anyone with a wireless card and a sniffer who happens by can use my connection to access the Internet. And with DHCP logging turned off, there's really no way to know who's using it.

What's wrong with me? Haven't I heard about how malicious wardrivers can use my connection from across the street to stage their hacking operations? How my neighbors can steal my bandwidth so they don't have to pay for their own? How I'm exposing my home network to attacks from the inside? Yup.

So why am I doing this? In a word, privacy. By making my Internet connection available to any and all who happen upon it, I have no way to be certain what kinds of songs, movies and pictures will be downloaded by other people using my IP address. And more important, my ISP has no way to be certain if it's me.

(via Lockergnome)

Add All 162 Games To Your Outlook Calendar With One Click

You can add holidays and sport team schedules directly to your Microsoft Outlook calendar at Calendar-updates.com(once again via the Office Tips and Hints Blog, which you should go check out right now)

Auto Logon For Windows Users

From the very useful Office Tips and Hints Blog:

If you are the only person using the computer, you can have it automatically log you on.

Go to Start>Run ; type in:

"control userpasswords2"

(no quotes)

Uncheck:

"Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer"

I tried it, and it works! No more two-stage power-up any more.

The Story Of Gary Kildall's Great Missed Opportunity

From Recollections of Gary Kildall:

Gary Kildall wrote CP/M, the first mainstream desktop operating system. He invented the concept of a Basic Input Output System (BIOS), the core logic which marries hardware to the operating system. He was a founding father of desktop computing, yet history mainly recalls his greatest mistake. He was the man who gave away the IT industry; the man who gave Bill Gates the world.

The story goes that two suits from IBM had arranged to meet him at home on a certain day in 1980. Kildall was off flying his plane, and had left his wife Dorothy to do the talking. She balked at signing an agreement to not disclose anything they told her, and showed them the door. Nonplussed, the suits then approached a fledgling company called Microsoft about the small matter of developing an operating system for the first IBM PC.

Such is the legend, already enshrined in alt.folklore.computer. Only it wasn't quite like that, according to one man who was around at the time. . . .

Internet Radio Direct From Dublin

At LiveIreland.com . One channel of traditional music, and one channel of contemporary Irish music.

BreakTheChain.org

Gives you accurate info on all the chain letters circulating via e-mail on the internet.

The Coleco Adam

The Coleco Adam

A great computer for its day, especially after they announced they were discontinuing it and you could pick up one for $200 to $300. Both my Dad and I had one of these. And fans of this computer are still holding a convention to get together and share info on this 20-year-old computer.

Can I Break Into Your Computer?

Not Sure? Then try Qualys' Free Browser Checkup, a series of audits designed to test and fix your browser's security vulnerabilities.