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Comment Security and Backups (Score 1) 262

by preystalker (#54642957) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How Do You Prepare For The Theft Of Your PC?
I use a Dell laptop for work and I have enabled the hard disk password. I also ensure not to keep anything important on the laptop and use cloud storage. I am also exploring the option of using BitLocker to encrypt the drive. With the Dell hard disk password, the drive will not be mounted unless the correct password is entered. Resetting the password using Dell tools will result in drive getting wiped clean.

Comment Easy naming convention (Score 1) 429

by preystalker (#39289219) Attached to: Server Names For a New Generation
We name our hosts as per below: xxxyyynnnn where xxx is the three letter site/physical location designation, yyy is designation for type (i.e. svr for servers, wks for workstations, net for net appliances, etc.) and nnnn is logical 4 digit. This way we never have to rename a server because the functionality has changed, etc. We also assign CNAME for servers that is providing a service (i.e. intranet.local for our Intranet site or torsql2k8intranet for SQL Server 2008 instance using for SharePoint and located in Toronto).
Patents

Zynga and Blizzard Sued Over Game Patent 179

Posted by Soulskill from the swinging-for-the-fences dept.
eldavojohn writes "Thinking about developing a game involving a 'database driven online distributed tournament system?' Well, you had better talk to Walker Digital or risk a lawsuit, because Walker Digital claims to have patented that 'invention' back in 2002. The patent in question has resulted in some legal matters for the makers of 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 and 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War, Blur, Wolfenstein, DJ Hero 2, Golden Eye 007, World of Warcraft and its expansions, Mafia Wars, and many others.' Walker Digital (parent company of Priceline.com) said it's not sure how much damages are going to be, and requested that through discovery in the court. If you think Walker Digital is not a patent troll, check out their lawsuit from two months ago against Facebook for using privacy controls Walker Digital claims to have patented. It would seem that any online competitive game that uses a database to select and reward contestants in a tournament could potentially fall under this patent — of course, those with the deepest coffers will be cherrypicked first."

Comment Mohammed Khawaja (Score 1) 384

by preystalker (#33986348) Attached to: Recommendations For Home Virtualization?
Question I would ask is are you using a computer as a server which will keep both instances running and you will be accessing it via a remote console and if the answer is yes then I would recommend XenServer or VMware ESXi. If you will be using the computer by logging on to it and use it as a workstation then your options are as follows: 1. Install VirtualBox, VMWare ESX server or Microsoft Virtual PC if your boot PC is Windows(For Windows 7, you will get free XP from Microsoft) 2. Install Xen or KVM if your booth PC is Linux
Apple

Psystar Activation Servers Down? 245

Posted by Soulskill from the bad-news-bears dept.
An anonymous reader writes "I purchased Rebel EFI in support of Psystar's crusade back in October. Just 3 short months later, I have no support. I found this out when I upgraded my hard drive and installed Snow Leopard using Rebel EFI. The program can no longer 'phone home' to activate or download/install drivers. This is a direct contradiction to Psystar's promise posted on their website: 'Psystar will continue to support all of its existing customers of hardware and software through this transitional period. Warranties on hardware will continue to be honored as long the customer has a valid warranty. Rebel EFI support for existing customers, as always, will remain exclusively available through email and the built-in ticket interface.' Has anyone else run into this issue? It has been 9 days with no response from Psystar by e-mail or phone."
Image

Air Canada Ordered To Provide Nut-Free Zone 643

Posted by samzenpus from the no-nuts dept.
JamJam writes "Air Canada has been told to create a special 'buffer zone' on flights for people who are allergic to nuts. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that passengers who have nut allergies should be considered disabled and accommodated by the airline. Air Canada has a month to come up with an appropriate section of seats where passengers with nut allergies would be seated. The ruling involved a complaint from Sophia Huyer, who has a severe nut allergy and travels frequently. Ms. Huyer once spent 40 minutes in the washroom during a flight while snacks were being served."
Image

Living In Tokyo's Capsule Hotels 269

Posted by samzenpus from the living-in-the-hive dept.
afabbro writes "Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 once offered a night’s refuge to salarymen who had missed the last train home. Now with Japan enduring its worst recession since World War II, it is becoming an affordable option for people with nowhere else to go. The Hotel 510’s capsules are only 6 1/2 feet long by 5 feet wide. Guests must keep possessions, like shirts and shaving cream, in lockers outside of the capsules. Atsushi Nakanishi, jobless since Christmas says, 'It’s just a place to crawl into and sleep. You get used to it.'”
First Person Shooters (Games)

Open Source FPS Blood Frontier Releases Beta 2 113

Posted by Soulskill from the now-with-bloodier-frontiers dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The open source FPS Blood Frontier has now made their beta2 release. From the article: 'After many months of development, and massive amounts of input from the public, we are proud to present you with the new release of Blood Frontier, v0.85 (Beta 2). This new version totally redefines and improves the game in many ways, creating a whole new style that makes it almost nothing like its predecessor.'"
Debian

FreeNAS Switching From FreeBSD To Debian Linux 206

Posted by Soulskill from the changing-horses dept.
dnaumov writes "FreeNAS, a popular, free NAS solution, is moving away from using FreeBSD as its underlying core OS and switching to Debian Linux. Version 0.8 of FreeNAS as well as all further releases are going to be based on Linux, while the FreeBSD-based 0.7 branch of FreeNAS is going into maintenance-only mode, according to main developer Volker Theile. A discussion about the switch, including comments from the developers, can be found on the FreeNAS SourceForge discussion forum. Some users applaud the change, which promises improved hardware compatibility, while others voice concerns regarding the future of their existing setups and lack of ZFS support in Linux."
PlayStation (Games)

US Air Force Buying Another 2,200 PS3s 144

Posted by Soulskill from the quick-who-knows-a-good-ps3-flight-sim dept.
bleedingpegasus sends word that the US Air Force will be grabbing up 2,200 new PlayStation 3 consoles for research into supercomputing. They already have a cluster made from 336 of the old-style (non-Slim) consoles, which they've used for a variety of purposes, including "processing multiple radar images into higher resolution composite images (known as synthetic aperture radar image formation), high-def video processing, and 'neuromorphic computing.'" According to the Justification Review Document (DOC), "Once the hardware configuration is implemented, software code will be developed in-house for cluster implementation utilizing a Linux-based operating software."
Education

Computer Games and Traditional CS Courses 173

Posted by Soulskill from the terrible-terrible-games dept.
drroman22 writes "Schools are working to put real-world relevance into computer science education by integrating video game development into traditional CS courses. Quoting: 'Many CS educators recognized and took advantage of younger generations' familiarity and interests for computer video games and integrate related contents into their introductory programming courses. Because these are the first courses students encounter, they build excitement and enthusiasm for our discipline. ... Much of this work reported resounding successes with drastically increased enrollments and student successes. Based on these results, it is well recognized that integrating computer gaming into CS1 and CS2 (CS1/2) courses, the first programming courses students encounter, is a promising strategy for recruiting and retaining potential students." While a focus on games may help stir interest, it seems as though game development studios are as yet unimpressed by most game-related college courses. To those who have taken such courses or considered hiring those who have: what has your experience been?
Image

Scientists Say a Dirty Child Is a Healthy Child 331

Posted by samzenpus from the snack-is-going-to-be-on-the-floor-today dept.
Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California have shown that the more germs a child is exposed to, the better their immune system in later life. Their study found that keeping a child's skin too clean impaired the skin's ability to heal itself. From the article: "'These germs are actually good for us,' said Professor Richard Gallo, who led the research. Common bacterial species, known as staphylococci, which can cause inflammation when under the skin, are 'good bacteria' when on the surface, where they can reduce inflammation."
Data Storage

Thanks For the ... Eight-Track, Uncle Alex 633

Posted by kdawson from the redundancy-and-repetition dept.
Uncle Alex writes "My niece just turned one year old and her parents have asked that, instead of the usual gifts, we each contribute something to a time capsule to be opened on her 17th birthday. Multiple members of my family want to contribute digital data — text, video, music files. They came to me (the closest thing to a geek our family has) wondering: what's the best way to save the data to ensure she'll actually be able to see it in 16 years? Software might be out of date, hardware may no longer be used... any suggestions?"

Comment Documentation (Score 1) 528

by preystalker (#28097273) Attached to: Documenting a Network?
I had to do that and below is a list of tools that I have used: 1. Splunk: Not only does this tool consolidate the logs but with the change management module, all changes to routers, switches and firewalls (Cisco devices) is tracked 2. Visio or a comparable product: Draw network diagrams 3. PINS or a similar application: Use it to store all your passwords in an encrypted file and also keep a printed copy of them in an envelope in the safe 4. SolarWinds IP Address Tracker or similar application: Scans your network subnets and keep a list 5. RackMonkey: Use it to document your assets in racks as well as their layout 6. Sydi for Windows server documentation: Use this tool to document all your servers 7. Alfresco, SharePoint or a comparable document management system: Keep all your server build, etc. in a common repository 8. Change Management: Implement a system for tracking changes and ensure it includes signatures. Would be worth it to either attach it as PDF to your IT Work Order system or to your document management system 9. IT Work Order system: Enter all your work in a work-order system and it would be helpful it is support file attachments 10. PC Inventory and license inventory: Implement a solution such as Lansweeper to keep track of all your PCs/laptops as well as software compliance 11. Perform audits to ensure everything is fine

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