How to create, and replace a SSL cert in Windows 7

Here's a comprehensive guide from geeks with blogs.

How to deploy MBSA on offline computers

(1) Follow the instructions on Microsoft website on how to download offline copies of MUAuth.cab, WUA (see below), WSUSSCN2.cab and WUREDIST.cab (click to download). You need all 4 to fix the stupid error "cannot load security CAB file".

(2) run the MBSA, then press abort. This will create the offline folder under C:\documents and settings\(local username)\Local settings\application data\microsoft\mbsa [for windows 2003] or %SystemDrive%\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\MBSA\Cache [for windows 2008 and up]. Do not create the folder yourself.

(3) Put in the 4 cab files into the folder.

(4) Make sure that the following options are not selected, and then click Start scan.

• Check for Windows administrative vulnerabilities

• Check for weak passwords

• Check for IIS administrative vulnerabilities

• Check for SQL administrative vulnerabilities

Error # 1: "Computer has an older version of the client and security database demands a newer version. Current version is and minimum required version is ..."

This was a solution I read: the checkbox in the MBSA interface titled, "Configure computers for Microsoft Update and scanning prerequisites" needs to be checked for MBSA to automatically update the Windows Update Agent on the target machine (even if it's the local machine).
How I resolved? I used wsuoffline and updated everything. Then run the MBSA again. 

Personally I feel that WSUS Offline and MBSA are a solid pairing. WSUS Offline will help to expedite patch deployment on offline machines (as a Germanophile, I am delighted to say that this is a german-made freeware. I think the only German-made software I hate is SAP). MBSA will help to check for missing patches. The WSUS Offline is not fool-proof. You can keep running the software from the DVD after you burn the ISO but it doesn't patch completely sometimes. The best remedy is to copy the entire disc contents to the local drive, and run it for a more complete job.

Note: you only have to download MBSA once (unless there is a new version) but you should download and replace the wsusscn2 every month for the scan.

To download the 4:

• Offline catalog (Wsusscn2.cab). This is the offline catalog file. Download it from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=76054. You need to download this every month. 
• Authentication file (Muauth.cab). This authentication file allows the remote WUA client to respond to MBSA. Download it from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=90994.
• WUA standalone installer. If needed, the WUA client on the target computer will be updated to the latest version. To make these files available for offline use, download the appropriate (or both) standalone installers from the following locations: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=90992 (for x86 installer)
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=90993 (for x64 installer)

How do Video Game Makers design characters?

[source: jezebel.com]

I can't say I am surprised. I would do that too, especially if all my potential gamers are lonely boys. In fact, would make the boobs bigger, just for them. Haha.

The ten second rule: How to recall your Gmail email

I made a terrible booboo yesterday, and needed to recall my Gmail email.

After hunting around, it seems that if you sent it out, it's too bad. However to guard against your next email booboo, Google does have a function under "Settings-> Labs-> Enabled Labs" and choose "Undo send".

Within 10 seconds from sending, you can decide whether you typed a booboo and undo your send. What I can say is: for god's sake, read before you send, don't be stupid like me. I wish Google labs will allow us to configure how much thinking time instead of just 10 seconds.

Low-Impact High-Benefit Water Aerobics exercises that I like to do

I realise that I look like a freak doing this in the public pool sometimes. Think water aerobics is better done as a group *keke*. I am toying with the idea of buying a water proof mp3 player. I am not sure if the one I have is waterproof but it is made for exercise (I bought it for cycling).

These are the exercises that I like to do in the water (I don't like to use a tube, because it makes more people stare and I am already very self-conscious. The most I would go is use a swimming board because I realise I exercise my arms more than my legs):

(1) Running in water (very embarrassing)

Pretend you are running. You can do this in very shallow water (body exposed *v paiseh*), shallow water (up to shoulder) or deep water (feet do not touch pool bottom).  The impact on the knees will be reduced.

I tread water as an alternative. Works as well, if not better. Esp if you don't use your hands. Sehr scary and tiring.

(2) My fav star jumps (makes me look like drowning)

I do this in deep water.

(3) Leg stretching exercise
I learnt this when watching the water aerobics class at the pool. Basically you kick one leg in front and stretch out your hands to clap. Then kick backwards with the other leg and clap your hands behind you.

(4) Kick high up in front of you
Means literally.

(5) Pelvic twists
This is something new to me. Apparently pelvic twists in water is very effective.

(6) Closing the legs together and lifting them towards yourself and then stretching out.
Also something new.

I am trying to hunt for other routines to my exercise. Do suggest any if you know =D

Oooh, something other than Eclipse =D

Hi ya folks who are trying to code Android apps, good news, no longer do we have to suffer the whims of Eclipse. There are five other cross-platform mobile development tools that you can use. Note you can use them for developing iPhone and other mobile OSes. But I don't really care about those. Haha.

I am also super excited by Mashable.com, which has a lot of top 10 free stuff, especially the wireframe tools. That will definitely benefit me in creating my wireframes for TopCoder, though I never win *sobs*.

Btw I have been playing CoH alot. ALOT. So have stopped coding completely and opened myself to the joys of typing German and English curse words at my teammates. Ich liebe dich, Company of Heroes. I guess that is the reason why I like the game so much, because I can use what little German words I know.

A Tale of Relatives and Free IT Support

(Note: the blog title demonstrates that this is an entry that was written some time back in June but was not published until now. I am housekeeping the blog and cleaning out some of the drafts.)

Did you know that Office 2007 is deeply entrenched within your new Dell, Acer, prebuilt pcs?

I found it the hard way when I was asked by my aunt to downgrade her office version. I encountered two problems (1) I can't seem to get the office uninstalled by using add/remove programs (that would be due to the delightful Vista, goodbye Vista!!! My aunt insisted on buying her laptop before Windows 7 came out...) (2) Even if I force delete, the jokers will appear again the next time I boot up the pc again, albeit this time with more complications.

Turns out because I have to also wipe out thoroughly the Office 2007 installation files (and other stuff of course, such as registry keys)... I ended up following Microsoft's instructions here.

Have you noticed that just because you have a computer-related background (e.g. software, hardware or both), relatives just naturally approach you to fix their IT problems for free even if they have purchased onsite repair services from the pc companies? You could be a DBA by occupation and still they expect you to take their laptops to bits and add their memory. Worse still, they treat you like helpdesk support (well, if akin to an oracle, I'd not mind so much *haha*), and expect round-the-clock service and immediate/within-business-day response (this depends on how much of a arschloch he/she is) from you. And the very worst of it all is when you are trying your best to understand the problem, they stand next to you and say really mean things like "you don't look like you know very much" and yet they still automatically call you the next time their computer takes a piss. What the fuck!!! Seriously.

Blogspot Tutorial: How to Post a Image on your Blog

1. Click on the logo next to the spell check (see Figure 1)
   
   
2. A dialog will appear asking you to either add an image from your computer or add an image from the web. Don't bother about the latter, it will be very simple to copy the html from the web and simply embed it into your blog entry. (see Figure 2)
   
3. Click on [Browse] to look for an image on your computer. After confirming the image you want, choose [Upload]. You can also click on "Add another image" to add up to 5 images at 1 go.
   
   
4. Once uploaded, Blogspot will tell you it is done (See Figure 3 and 4).
   Blogspot will automatically refresh your entry to show you the image in the "Compose" tab.
   
   
   
5. Sometimes you maybe a little unlucky, and need to resize the image. You can do so, by clicking on the "Edit HTML" tab and within the <> tag you can find something like this "width: 350px; height: 236px;""? You can then adjust the width and height of the image manually, like I did.
   

A Good Reason why you should use WPA, not WEP

It's well known that WPA is a safer approach to encrypt a network than WEP, because the latter is hackable.

Lifehacker teaches us how easy it is to do so with Backtrack.

Tales of Stupid 2 - How a Man can Live longer

Disclaimer: Great Wall of Text. Suck it up. It's funny.

Daily Mail Article "Why marrying a younger woman can save your life (even if it sends HER to an early grave)", 30 June 2009, by Victoria Lambert.

The statistics make for alarming reading; although the average man will live for 77 years, for around seven of those he'll be seriously or chronically ill. And as a major report published earlier this month revealed, men are 70 per cent more likely than women to suffer from cancers that affect both sexes (for instance, bowel cancer).

So what can a chap do to safeguard his health? Here, VICTORIA LAMBERT looks at the rules that could make a difference to men's prospects...

AVOIDING CERTAIN FOODS CAN PREVENT PROSTATE CANCER, according to a new review published in the Journal Of Human Nutrition And Dietetics. In particular, men should avoid meat that is highly processed or cooked on the barbecue. Cooking meat at high temperatures causes proteins in the meat to form carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) - this is the burnt bit you see on barbecued meat.

Meanwhile, grilling exposes meat to cancer-causing chemicals contained in the smoke that rises from the burning coals and any drips of fat.

CARRY YOUR WALLET IN YOUR BREAST POCKET
Physiotherapists have coined the term 'wallet-neuropathy' for the lower back pain caused by men sitting down (such as when driving or in the office) on wallets always carried in their back trouser pocket. The condition is triggered by the wallet pressing on sciatic nerves in the back and can lead to pain or numbness in the lower leg, ankle or foot. Walking, sitting and lying down can become very painful and some people find relief only when they stand still.

CUT DOWN ON PAINKILLERS
Taking painkillers can dramatically increase the risk of high blood pressure - half of men over 65 will have hypertension to some degree and this also increases their chance of a heart attack or stroke. Taking just one daily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, was found to raise the risk by 38 per cent, while a daily aspirin upped the risk by 26 per cent, according to an authoritative study by Harvard Medical School involving 16,000 male health professionals.

Those who took about 15 tablets or more a week had a 48 per cent increased risk. It is thought this was caused by the analgesics inhibiting the effects of chemicals that relax the blood vessels (and lower blood pressure).

HAVE SEX EVERY DAY
Nearly half of all couples undergoing fertility treatment need it because the quality or quantity of the man's sperm is poor. Now Australian researchers have recommended that one of the best ways to maintain the quality is simply to have more sex. Abstaining might increase the quantity of sperm, but this doesn't mean much if the sperm is faulty in the first place, explains Australian gynaecologist Dr David Greening.

It seems that sperm that's been stored in the body is more exposed to DNA damage from free radicals. 'Ejaculating more frequently, i.e. daily, reduces sperm DNA damage in most men by a decent amount,' he says. In a pilot trial, this damage was reduced by 12 per cent. MEN who drink two or more sugar-rich drinks a day are at a much higher risk of gout, a study at British Columbia University in Vancouver and Harvard Medical School found.

Diet soft drinks were not a problem, but fruit juice and fructose-rich fruits (such as oranges) were. Rheumatologists believe fructose inhibits the excretion of uric acid which, when it builds up, crystalises in the joints, causing the painful symptoms of gout.

FLOSS YOUR TEETH
Men suffering from patchy hair loss - known as alopecia areata - should go to the dentist, not the barber. Scientists at the University of Granada, Spain, have found a link between gum disease and baldness. Experts already knew that alopecia areata, which affects up to 70,000 British men each year, is linked to genetics and stress. Now it's also been shown to be triggered as the result of an immune system response to a mouth infection.

MARRY A YOUNGER WOMAN
By choosing a bride 15-17 years younger, a man can cut his risk of premature death by 20 per cent. Even choosing a wife seven to nine years younger will reduce his risk of dying early by 11 per cent. So found a study by Germany's Max Planck Institute, which looked at deaths between 1990 and 2005 for the population of Denmark.

A spokesman for the institute said the results might be caused by younger women caring for their men better than older ones. Alternatively, it could be a result of natural selection - only the healthiest, most successful older men are able to attract younger mates.

For their younger wives, the news isn't so good. Women with husbands older or younger by between seven and nine years increased their chances of dying early by 20 per cent, and 30 per cent if the age difference is between 15 and 17 years. *Horrifying*

DISCOVER YOUR PELVIC FLOOR
Yes, men have these muscles, too - and now experts think that working them could prevent the impotence and incontinence that comes with ageing by increasing the support these muscles give to the bladder and the penis.

A study by Professor Grace Dorey, of the University of the West of England, found that pelvic-floor exercises could be as effective as Viagra in restoring erectile function. And two-thirds of men who suffered from incontinence improved dramatically after a programme of pelvic-floor exercises.

In order to locate these muscles, try to stop your flow of urine mid-stream, before restarting it. (This technique should be done only once a week to check your progress - any more and it could affect your ability to pass urine.) If your muscles are weak, the following exercise will help strengthen them.

Sit on a chair with your knees apart and your feet flat on the floor. Lean forward and then rest your forearms on your thighs. Tighten and squeeze the muscles in your back passage, as you would if you tried to stop yourself passing wind.

Holding this, do the same with the muscles around the urethra as if you are trying to stop yourself passing urine. Try holding for two seconds, rising to ten as your muscles become stronger. Relax the pelvic floor. Repeat for five sets, four times a day.

AIM FOR PROMOTION
The mortality rate of men in the lowest grade civil service jobs is three times higher than those in the highest grade, according to a Whitehall study which tracked male civil servants aged between 20 and 64 from 1967 to 1977.

Lack of control at work is one possible explanation, says Professor Michael Marmot, of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, who directed the study.

EAT FIVE APPLES A DAY
Eat five apples a day

Bowel cancer affects 20,000 men a year, with men aged 50 and older more likely to suffer than women because of their diet. Eating lots of fibre - the indigestible plant material found in fruit, vegetables, grains and beans - is one of the best ways to prevent bowel cancer.

Not only does it help the passage of food through the gut, it feeds the 'friendly' gut bacteria which aid digestion and nourish the cells of the large intestine. This is thought to stimulate healing and reduce the development of cancer.

According to the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, everyone should be eating 18g of fibre each day. A banana contains 1.8g, as does 1 slice of wholemeal bread. Apples (including the skin) contain 4g, so they are an easier choice.

EAT LESS MEAT
Not just because it cuts the risk of cancer and heart disease, but because it protects virility.

Research from Penn State University in America suggests that eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can lower testosterone levels, which fall with age in all men anyway - causing symptoms ranging from fatigue to hair loss and erectile dysfunction.

Dietician Thomas Incledon explains: 'Your protein intake should be about 16 per cent of your daily calories. So, if you're an average 12st man who eats 2,900 calories a day, you should eat about 140 grams of protein daily (equivalent to a 400g fillet steak).'

DON'T LET YOUR WIFE WORK
Middle-aged men whose partners worked part-time or who were at home caring for the family were less depressed than those whose partners worked full-time, according to a report published by the Queen Mary's School of Medicine, London.

The study also showed that men whose partners moved from caring for the family to full-time work were more depressed. The researchers suggested that stay-at-home partners were particularly beneficial to men's mental health because they took on family responsibilities and organised a happy social life.

BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH THE WRONG HAND
Practise 'neurobics' - activities that keep the brain building new memory cells and pathways help to stave off dementia.

While women are more likely to get dementia in the form of Alzheimer's disease, men are more likely to get vascular dementia - which is connected to heart disease and stroke. In both cases, though, scientists agree brain-building exercises can help stave off the illness.

The term 'neurobics' was coined by American neurobiologist Lawrence Katz and involves doing things that challenge your brain - such as ' morning roulette', when you do all your routine tasks (brushing your teeth or holding your coffee mug, for example) with the opposite hand to normal. Other neurobic activities include changing your route to work or learning a short poem every day.

CUT YOUR CHOLESTEROL
It could improve your love life, says Jack Mydlo, a urologist at University of Temple Medical School, Philadelphia - in fact, many men experiencing erectile dysfunction can improve their performance without resorting to drugs.

Mydlo suggests they stop smoking, lose weight and lower their cholesterol. Cutting cholesterol is particularly important because high levels lead to plaque build-up in tubes in the penis and arteries, which can greatly reduce blood flow.

Men with high cholesterol have almost twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction compared to those with lower cholesterol numbers. To reduce cholesterol, the advice is to switch to a low-fat diet and take regular exercise. Statins might also be prescribed.
Spend 10 minutes in the sunshine every day to avoid a lack of vitamin D - the source of many male woes

SPEND 10 MINUTES A DAY IN THE SUN
A lack of vitamin D is responsible for many male woes - from hair loss to low libido and poor muscle strength, even post-exercise aches and pains in the joints.

Our main source of vitamin D is sunshine - and just 10-15 minutes a day is enough.

Sending a snowflake to girlfriend in Singapore

Perhaps the heat has totally gotten to me, but I was impressed by this how-to display of geek love, from a forum I read.

Stuff you need:
Microscope slides (slide backing and top sheet)
Liquid Super Glue

Steps:
1. Levave all the above mentioned materials in the freezer for a few days. Everything has to be freezing cold so that the snowflake will not melt on contact.

2. Catch required snowflakes on the glass slide (works best with fat fluffy snow flakes as they have the largest crystals) .

3. Immediately dab a blob of superglue onto the snowflake. Cover with the slide top sheet. The superglue will be pressed flat. At this point, the snowflake should still be intact and encased within the wet superglue.

4. Leave slide in freezer for about 2 weeks till the superglue is fully dried.

It works because superglue hardens on contact with moisture. The cold superglue traps the snowflake without melting it (same idea as prehistoric mosquitoes trapped in amber ala Jurassic Park). The moisture of the snowflake will cause the superglue to slowly harden around it, capturing every last intricate detail of the snowflake. Once completely hardened, the snowflake is effectively captured for eternity, refrigeration not required.

Facebook not that bad after all?

Don Reisinger suggests in his CNET article "10 Facebook apps that teach you something" that Facebook apps might actually teach us something, inspite of the objective of time wasting.

These are the two I find interesting:

Typing speed

Course Feed

How to Spot and Avoid the Men and Women in your Crummy Life

Taken from Daily Mail article "A definitive guide to the lovers you should avoid at all costs" on 4th June, which was an excerpt from the book, Bullies, Bitches and Bastards by Eileen Condon and Amanda Edwards. Disclaimer: words in red are written by Yours Truly, and not part of the article or the book.

THE MEN
THE ENORMOUS BABY BOYFRIEND

(Relevance: The cardboard collectors and otakus)
Never grows up. Even if you have your own babies, he'll be a bigger baby than any of them. Mooching about in skateboard gear, he will text, text, text, text, text, plug into iMacs, iPods, PSPs, Wi-Fis and, when not hooked up to a gadget, take to his bed to preserve his energy for downloading iTunes. He is 42.

WHAT HE SAYS 'Bagsie me first!'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Become a fully qualified childminder - you'll need a certificate to hold up in court when he tries to sue you for lack of attention.

THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS
Disappears. On your birthday, at Christmas, during spring and most of autumn, at weekends. Occasionally, he turns up on a Friday. Where has he been? Buried under a ton of silage? No. More likely, he's discovered the fabled missing city of Atlantis, along with thousands of other men who refuse to acknowledge clock or calendar.

WHAT HE SAYS 'I'll always be here for you.'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Go on a missing person's website. You'll have a much more fulfilling relationship with someone who really has disappeared.

THE MOODY B*****D

(Relevance: The competitive sufferers)
Has his emotional barometer set on heavy weather. 'Going into one' is his full-time occupation, and his extra-curricular activities include sending you to Coventry and Stomping Off. Apparently, he 'doesn't need the hassle'. If he worked in a Prozac factory, he'd still manage to create an air of despondency.

WHAT HE SAYS 'OK, what do you want to talk about?'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Learn to enjoy the sound of silence. There will be a lot - interspersed with heavy sighing.

THE 'I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND' BOYFRIEND
Insists your relationship is casual. He doesn't do holidays or dinner parties, and definitely not Sunday lunch with your parents. You have now not been going out for five years. Honestly, you'd think he was a playboy with his own key to the Hefner mansion, having far too much fun to settle down. But he lives in a bleak flat with his pants stuck to the radiator. What a catch.

WHAT HE SAYS 'I'll see you Friday night. But it's just two friends having sex and then you go home.'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Tell him you really are 'not going out' with him. See ya!

THE SNAKE CHARMER
Cuts the compliments and drops the adoration the minute he's got you where he wants you: under his thumb. You're an intelligent, independent woman - since when did you become someone who blends in with the floor mats? He turned from charmer to snake midway through your wedding reception when he looked into your eyes, whispering: 'Your bridesmaids look stunning.'

WHAT HE SAYS 'Hark at you with your opinions! Just kidding.'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Get drunk at his work do, blurt out: 'Have you seen his man boobs? Go on - show them.'

THE EGO WARRIOR
Fights for his right to be selfish. When you brought baby number one home and lovingly placed her in the Moses basket by your bed, he moved her to the sound-proofed nursery complex at the bottom of the garden. His priorities are clear: 1) Me. 2) Myself. 3) I.

WHAT HE SAYS 'Can't we do Christmas without the children this year?'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Whatever you like. He won't notice.

THE WOMEN
THE INTERROGATOR

Follows your every move. Quizzes and questions. Everything you say and do will be scrutinised. That time you gave her a 'funny look' in 1994; the day you didn't answer your mobile because you were having an MRI scan: it's all in the file marked 'Vengeance'. You'll have to account for your every move - including fag and toilet breaks.

WHAT SHE SAYS 'I'm not one to read into things.'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Get philosophical - when she asks 'What are you doing?', reply 'Hmmm…interesting - are we anything when we are not doing?'

THE UTTER NUTTER

(Relevance: Me)
Arranges 43 soft toys on her bed. Your one niggle is that her bichon frise dog 'understands' her. A few months later, the dog is the least of your worries. You are regularly woken at 3am by one of her 'I'm leaving - come and get me' scenarios, which results in you driving along the kerb looking for a dishevelled woman in her nightie.

WHAT SHE SAYS 'I love you, too - hold me. Get your hands off me!'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Emigrate.

THE 'WHAT'S YOURS IS MINE' GIRLFRIEND

(Relevance: Typical local girls, esp those above 30s with "careers")
Studies your asset portfolio; your salary, house, car, pension. The only way you'll woo her is if you lay your cards (credit, debit, Visa) firmly on the table. If the figures balance in her favour, you might see a flicker of attraction. Till death us do part? Till wealth us do part, more like.

WHAT SHE SAYS 'Ker-ching!'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Tell her you've given all your worldly goods to the newly formed Church of the Heavenly Three Lions (Founder: Wayne Rooney).

THE EMASCULATOR
Shouts, barks orders and demeans you. A lot. You couldn't be more emasculated if you were standing in your local market in a loincloth with a board round your neck reading: 'Eunuch.' You can't even park the car without her demented ear-bashing instructions: 'What are you doing? Reverse, REVERSE!' But when you finally make a stand, she's one step ahead. 'Oh, shut up. It's like being married to a poodle. I'm off.'

WHAT SHE SAYS 'No, he won't. No, he doesn't. No, he can't.'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Make a detour to LA on your U.S. fly-drive and leave her to try her male-bashing with the local gangs.

THE TOWN CRIER
Town crier: Always turning on the water works
Spends so much time bawling, it's a wonder she doesn't drown. She's just so sensitive. Actually, she's not - she's more expert at manipulation than a chiropractor. You soon learn to let her have her own way. It's all going to end in tears - yours.

WHAT SHE SAYS 'Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!'
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Take out shares in Gore-Tex.

THE 'AIM TO TEASE' GIRLFRIEND
Flirts with every known species of male, bar one - you. Sure, she looks hotter than Cameron Diaz. In reality, she's colder than Vostok. If you so much as move in for a quick cuddle, it's: 'Get lost! I've just done my lip gloss.' Your envious mates think you've got it made, but the second you're alone, she issues her warning: 'Don't get any ideas about coming over my side of the bolster tonight.'

WHAT SHE SAYS 'What sort of woman do you think I am?!'

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Dump her - but not before you've told everyone she's a virgin.

Hot Tips Coding & News 23 May 2009 - 29 May 2009

Learn how to build websites from scratch
Quackit Webmaster Tutorials
HTML 5 vs HTML 4

Learn how to code iPhone by Stanford U

You need to have iTunes on your computer in order to access this free iPhone course by Stanford U.

Think your Firebox is BORING? Get it a Persona!

Literally.

Personas allow you to choose (note: Mozilla will release an api to create them in web content later) a lightweight theme for your Firefox browser.

So how do you get started?
1) Starting from an ordinary browser...


2) Download from Mozilla Labs' project site for Personas by clicking on "Get Personas for Firefox - Free". Note: It works for Linux, Windows, and Mac (well, duh). You can review the available designs in greater detail there by clicking "More Information -> Available Designs".

3) Remember to restart Firefox upon finishing the download (you will be prompted anyway). You can always check whether your download was successful by going to your Firefox browser's "Tools Menu -> Adds-on". You can see the pretty little firefox icon for Personas under the "Extensions" tab.

4) Or you can see the tiny fox icon at the bottom left of your browser (circled red). Click on it and you can see all offered themes.

5) Choose your favourite, and voila. A pretty new browser. I like the Foxkeh series. For the purpose of the tutorial, I chose Foxkeh Hanabi. If you ever change your mind (or decide to become grey and boring again), click on the tiny little fox icon on the bottom left and choose "Use Default").

Support me by downloading my skin MenchiDreams メンチの 夢幻.

How to Post a YouTube Vidz on Blogger?

Procedure
1. Go to the YouTube link of your desired file
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn0lxRNqos&feature=user]
2. Copy the contents of the "Embed" Field as shown.

3. Create a new post in Blogger.com and go to "Edit HTML".
4. Type whatever nonsensical crap you want to talk about.
5. Paste the entire crap you copied from the "Embed" field into the Blogger post field, and remove all the crap
before and after the "<\Embed\>" (remember to ignore the \) tag, leaving
6. Recommended: Change the width to 400 and height to 300 for best view in Blogger.
7. Click "Publish Post".

PS: Will not teach how to force autoplay of the video. Got enough complaints already. Anyway check out this guy, he is teaching Photoshop with a really sarcastic commentary. Yet another competitive sufferer. Don't you just love it? Check out his series, You Suck at Photoshop!!!

Read up on PHP @ PHP Everywhere

PHPLens, a PHP app server (free to download for use, up to 30 records) hosts John Lim's blog on all things PHP, literally PHP Everywhere.

See ma, what I can do with my hands?

Check out Brian Chan's Origami Page to learn more about extreme origami. The man can use a piece of uncut paper to do Wall-E. Very impressive indeed. Here's a picture from his website to whet your inquisitive appetite.

How to really annoy your friends with a YouTube clip on your blog

YouTube enables a number of parameters by appending data to the URL of the video file.

First copy the embed code from YouTube















If you want to autoplay and loop the video, just add "&autoplay=1" and "&loop=1" respectively, behind the url (see below). src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FQpJMJDAFHE&autoplay=1&loop=1"