FoxyProxy - Manage Proxies Easily
If you are running Firefox on a mobile device and sometimes need to use a proxy (like to get a secure connection on an open wireless network), but other times don’t need said proxy, having to open up Firefox’s preferences every time this change occurs will seriously inhibit your use of the proxy. Similarly, if you need to use a proxy only or certain websites (especially if you use multiple proxies) the challenge of manually switching proxies for every page you visit would be very arduous. For this, there is FoxyProxy, a Firefox addon which allows you to configure proxies...
The Codebreakers
Considered to be one of the best books on the history of cryptography, David Kahn’s The Codebreakers truly is a monument to cryptography - and a sizable one at that. At more than a thousand pages, this book is not for a bit of light summer reading. However, to get a very comprehensive history of cryptography up to the 1960s (when the original version came out), this book remains the best option. Beginning with the concept of stenography and its origins millennia ago, through the rise and fall of cryptography in the Muslim nations, the huge nomenclatures of Europe in...
Securely Browse the Web with SSH and a Static IP
Connecting an open network and then sending out confidential information over that said network is an invitation to having your information compromised. The best way to ensure that your data is safe is to encrypt the data, but not every site is set up to allow encryption. However, assuming that you have a static IP address and a computer with openSSH configured, you can configure that computer at your home (or elsewhere) to allow you to send web traffic via SSH, in effect making an encrypted proxy. The command to do this is ssh -u user -p 22 -D 8080...
Sunbird is obscured by the thunderstorm, but still no Lightning
With the start of college, I had to start using a calendar in order to keep track of the times of my classes, and what days each class was on. To do this, I simply used to Google Calendar, and then setup my phone to pull in that calendar. Now, in the second week, I want to be able to keep track of various assignments and essential dates, but my phone’s interface is hardly a convient way to enter the neccessary information, nor can I simply use the web interface for Google Calendar because not every class has wireless access....
Safely Reboot a Hung Linux System
Sometimes a Linux system has a serious problem while running, preventing you from issuing a halt or reboot command to the system, meaning that you will have to force the system to reboot. However, using the power button to forcibly reboot isn’t the best thing to do to the system because it can cause corruption of the system. There is a method that will make sure that all the file systems are unmounted and before rebooting the computer. To issue this command to the system, press and hold the Alt key and the SysRq (the Print Screen button) then enter...