Tech in a Can

The End.

2007-09-27T00:17:00.000-04:00

To the dismay of the 0 readers of this blog, Techincan, is being phased out. Even after the complete overhaul of the site, the webmasters feel that it is time to move onto more exciting things that will maybe gather more attention than this humble blog. Marcel and I have moved onto a podcast that should be launching soon called Techspresso. We hope the 0 people who actually glanced at this blog before can check this out and support us in our new venture.

Goodbye,

-Sean

Not one, not two, but three!

2007-03-15T22:02:00.000-04:00

What am I talking about you ask? Operating systems of course! Now as many of you know I am a loyal Mac switchee that occasionally uses Windows (only when I have to though). And over the years I have messed around with a few Linux live CDs, but the other day I got bored. Now usually I change the site around a bit, but with the recent overhaul of the whole site, there seemed to be no point so I decided to do something else. I took the plunge and finally installed Linux on one of my old computers, specifically my old PowerMac G4.

I decided to start with Ubuntu because their large support base, epically wit the PPC version, which is quite rare with Linux.

I started with wiping the copy of panther that was on there and starting fresh, the installation went very smoothly and reminded me of installing OS X because of the easy to use GUI and no need to dive into the command line, which is sometimes required when installing XP.

After a restart and a few updates to the kernel, which didn't require another restart to my pleasure, I was up and running. The OS was blazing fast, even on my old G4 and I loved that most of the software that I needed was already installed, except for VLC. The only snag I hit was I couldn't find the correct driver for my aging ATI Rage Pro 128 graphics card, which subsequently lead to the resolution topping out at a whopping 1024 x 768, which I have to say looked pretty bad on my widescreen 19" LCD monitor. But no problem, I lugged my old CRT out of the basement and that problem was fixed.

After some experimenting I was able to get a few programs that I wanted working so I decided to get this on my network so I could maybe store some files on the 80Gb hard drive that was in the Mac becuase as it is now, my 60Gb HD on my PowerBook is getting full, I got in on my network partially as it noticed my windows box, but refused to notice my other Mac, which didn't really help me at all.

Around this time, I was feeling pretty limited because even though Ubuntu and other independent groups put out a lot of software for the PPC version of Linux, there are some programs that I wished I could get running on Linux. So I decided to take another big plunge and install Ubuntu on my windows box.

I remembered back to the time that I tried doing this before and subsequently corrupting all the data on my HD trying to set up the partitions for Ubuntu with my totally legal copy of PartitionMagic. But this time around Ubuntu took care of everything from repartitioning my hard drive to installing GRUB so I can access all the OSes on my machine. I played around with this and got a driver for the graphics card in the PC so I can finally display the max resolution that is native to my monitor.

After all of this, I feel that even though I am new to Linux and still learning new things to do with it, I have broadened my view of the OS market and have freed myself from having to rely on two OSes and never being able to try new things with Linux. I will keep fooling around with Ubuntu and hopefully other flavors and keep you posted on new tips and tricks that I have learned.

-Sean

Active Security Monitor

2007-03-15T19:03:00.000-04:00

With any new year comes new advances in computer security and reliability. In addition to Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system. (Review coming soon!) A few companies have taken it into their own hands to further enhance our safety. AOL along with Sereniti last year made the Active Security Monitor dashboard for Windows.

Active Security Monitor is a software program that helps you determine how vulnerable your PC is to computer viruses, spy ware, and other dangers and learn what steps you can take to improve your protection. You can also use Active Security Monitor to check the security status of your entire home network.

Your computer's level of protection is represented by a Safety Score, shown on the dashboard. Active Security Monitor calculates the Safety Score by evaluating what software is installed on your PCs to protect you and your home network against intrusion, viruses, worms, and other forms of Internet attacks. Active Security Monitor also evaluates some of the security-related configuration settings on all of your PCs. The higher the Safety Score, the more protected your system is.

When you first install ASM (as it is free), you will be prompted with a small application that will scan your computer for security threats. This is ASM gathering information about your computers performance and security. Once it is done scanning (usually in about 15 seconds), your score will be shown. You can view your PC's security summary and view tips that ASM recommends you fix to keep your PC more secure. Below of which are seven other summary meters that show your level of protection in each group. Your overall score is determined by the level of each of these scores. In addition to all of this you can also fill out a simple registration form. This form allows ASM to be used in your home network.

From one computer you can view the security score of all the computers on your network. If there is a low score you can easily click on the details tab and click on improve score. From here click 'See Improvement.' This allows you to see what your score would be if you fix the problems listed.

Active Security Monitor is available for free and you do not need an AOL membership or AOL email address. You must be running Windows NT 2000 or XP. Details on Microsoft Windows Vista compatibility are not available at this time. ASM can be downloaded for free at Activesecuritymonitor.com

-Matt

Why You Should Go Mac And Never Look Back

2007-02-28T19:16:00.000-05:00

So I started writing and doing other techy stuff for my school newspaper, the Lancer, and this is my first story that was published in the January Issue. Illustration by Steve.

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz around Mac computers. In fact I am almost certain that you have seen more than one ad for these machines that features a boring PC guy and a fun and cool Mac guy who is supposed to be able to do all the fun stuff that you want to do better.
At this point, you may be asking yourself what are these mysterious computers, with their pretty colors, docks, and what appears to be a stoplight at the top of every window. How are they different from the computer that I have (a PC), and why do I need one?

The truth is that Macs and PCs are very alike; their insides are basically the same, they both run what is called an OS (Operating System) whether it be Windows, Apple’s proprietary Mac OS X operating system, or if you are adventurous one of the many flavors of Linux. They both let you get what you want to get done rather easily. But the difference between a Mac and a PC is the way that they let you accomplish these tasks and basically the way they run.

Macs are known to be way more stable than other computers for instance; have you ever been working on that paper that you waited until 10 the night before it’s due and your computer freezes and you forgot to save anything? or you do get to the end and are about to print and your printer decides to “break”? The truth is that unless a catastrophic series of events occurs that cripples your computer, this will never happen on a Mac (don’t worry if you write a paper on a Mac and your printer mysteriously “breaks,” (cough, cough). You can still use that as an excuse, until teachers catch on.

Another highlight to the Mac platform is that you never get any viruses or spyware, that slow down your computer to almost unusable speeds, which is a very common issue for PCs lately with many of them coming from bad links on Myspace, etc. And contrary to most of your parents’ beliefs none from AIM. The best thing about a Mac is that it just works. You click on a shortcut and the application opens and stays open, running until you choose to close it (which, for PC owners is almost a rare thing).

This means no waiting 5 minutes for the window to pop up. When you plug in an iPod, it mounts on your desktop and works with iTunes seamlessly. This is mostly because Apple, which makes Macs, also makes the iPod. Basically almost anything you can think of the usually doesn’t work on the computer you have now will work on a Mac.
The only downside to owning a Mac is the price tag, with the cheapest Mac being $599 (the Mac Mini) that doesn’t include a keyboard, mouse, or monitor and the cheapest above that being $999 (The iMac). But you really are paying for quality because I can guarantee that that Mac will be useable for at least 5-7 years into the future, which is almost unheard of in the PC market.

The bottom line is, Macs may be expensive and do take a little getting use to, but switching is well worth it. So next time you are in Best Buy buying a new PC (which has almost become a yearly thing if you want to keep up with current technology), ask your Mom, Dad, or whoever you are with buying the computer “Hey, why don’t we get a Mac?” And when they stare at you blankly, Karate kick them, take the money, and buy the Mac yourself.

-Sean

Cav Comics: The PS3

2007-02-27T19:09:00.000-05:00