Late last week, a security flaw in Internet Explorer 8 was publicly disclosed to the Full Disclosure mailing list. The flaw allows attackers to steal private information from online services such as web mail and Twitter, allowing attackers to, for example, delete e-mails or send tweets from their victims' accounts.
If you're still using Internet Explorer . . . why?
You know how important strong passwords are, but you've got a huge backlog of passwords—some you can't remember, others you've been using for years. Here's how to securely update, create, and manage your passwords on any computer.
Doxie was very easy to set up: You just need to download a smallish file and it installs quickly and easily.
It was the only model we tested that could natively scan directly to Flickr, Picasa, Google Docs, and other services right out of the box, there's no fuss about setup: Just enter your credentials for the account of your choice, and it's ready to receive your scans.
Doxie's neat, too, and won't leave PDFs or TIFF files littered around your hard drive like other scanners. Once files are uploaded to the cloud, they're gone from your desk (unless you want to save files locally).
An easy, portable and cheap scanner.
Two years ago, Cook County Clerk David Orr's office launched a new website called CookCountyGenealogy.com offering access to digitalized documents from its Bureau of Vital Records.
They include birth certificates from 1935 and earlier, marriage certificates from 1960 and earlier and death certificates from 1990 and earlier.
"I can say without hesitancy that we are one of the first governmental agencies - in the country - to put this information online," Orr says.
The site just won "Best Website" by Family Tree Magazine, the country's largest magazine for ancestry enthusiasts, one year after the office was recognized by Microsoft for "best use of innovation and technology in the public sector."
Thanks to @ResearchBuzz for this tip.
A universal login could solve a lot of the issues around password security, from keylogging to the problem of users having their passwords discovered after writing them down.
It would also solve the problem of password-overload. Managing logins for all the Web sites that require registration is a pain, and any frequent Web user who says differently is either lying or has a photographic memory. Browsers have taken some of the pain away by remembering passwords for us, but clear your browser's history and suddenly you have to answer secret questions and email your username to yourself for umpteen different sites.
This article includes a handy chart that helps you generate secure passwords.
Build a Cheap DIY Tabletop Studio to Capture Great Small Object Photos
Photographing small objects—things to sell on eBay, DIY projects you want to show off—with even lighting and good contrast can be quite tricky. Use this guide to turn household objects into a tabletop studio for well-lit small object photos.
You don't need to spend a lot of money on a commercial table top studio and expensive lights to get great results. The nice thing about shooting small inanimate objects is that it's easy to fuss with them and they don't get upset if the shoot takes too long or the lights are too hot. Tinkerer John De Cristofaro shares an easy to imitate setup that involves little more than some basic PVC pipe, lightweight MDF board, white paper, bright household lights and some mirrors to bounce light about. Check out the video below to see comparison shots of his setup with varying amounts of light added.
Although he uses PVC pipe and some MDF board to stiffen the studio, you could easily improvise with stuff from around your home like a sturdy cardboard box, wine crate, or other large rectangular object. Visit the link below for tips and tricks on making the most out of your nearly-free table top studio. If you already have a flash, check out this $10 tabletop macro studio.
How-To Take Great Photos of Your Projects [Adafruit Industries via Hacked Gadgets]Send an email to Jason Fitzpatrick, the author of this post, at jason@lifehacker.com.
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Can be summed up quickly with:1) A continuous white sheet to create the infinite background.
2) Diffused light source(s) with your camera's flash turned off.
3) Proper camera white balance.
For instance, snapping a quick pic of a ring, I taped a piece of copy paper to the wall to create the infinite background curve. Then tossed up a florescent light overhead as my diffuse source of light. Set my point and shoot's white balance to custom; sample the page with a shot to set the WB. Put ring in, and take the picture.
A tripod or some other stable mount helps a lot in increasing quality. That way you can keep the ISO low for less noise. Also allows you to use a very small aperture if you want a wider depth of field--helps to make a sharper image on iffy lenses.
A trick to remove camera shake blur on hitting the shutter is to set the camera up on a mount, then use the timer. Reply
I use posterboard (the shiny side), the corner formed by the top of the microwave, and a really cheap fluorescent octobox from Adorama. Reply
I just throw them on the carpet and then press the shoot button when the objects are approximately on screen. Reply
I did something like this a while back for my school. The lesson I learned from it is that for this type of shoot, I'd rather have a good light setup and a point-in-shoot then a lousy light setup and a DSLR.Course now my place of employment gives me the good camera and the good light :-) Reply
This could be handy for photographing those family treasures that won't fit on a scanner . . .
In the spring of 1858, when the Government met with opposition from the Mormon community, in relation to the appointment of Mr. Cummings as Governor of the Territory, and Brigham Young's corps of Danites was being recruited and drilled for active service, it was decided that a military force should be sent to the seat of the trouble to maintain the National authority. The expedition numbered several thousand men—cavalry, artillery, and infantry.
Sometimes you can wave a magic wand over a product and get just what you’re looking for. When we reviewed iScrapbook 2.1.2 () late last year, the program had many solid features—an easy-to-use interface, simple layouts, examples and templates, and enough flexibility and power to help you create cool effects for your digital scrapbook pages. Though the earlier version was a very good product in its own right, iScrapbook 3.0.4 skyrockets the software into a whole new realm by giving you a universe of free and enhanced templates, page and album designs, and artwork you can use to create your own great pages.
After reading this Macworld review, I've added this app to my wish list. It could support building my hybrid family histories.
