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Geek Basics: RSS

“RSS” stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. RSS is a way for websites to “push” data out to their readers. The idea behind RSS is similar in concept to “email updates” you may choose to get from cnn.com or some other site. However, RSS works very differently under the hood. Whereas email updates can only be sent to a single email address, RSS has lots of nifty tricks that make it much more useful than a “CNN Headlines” email.

To understand how RSS works, you need to know that it all begins with a piece of software called an “RSS reader” or “RSS aggregator” (or just “aggregator” for short). In most cases, you’d need to download an RSS reader and install it on your system. Then you enter the names of the RSS feeds you want to subscribe to into the RSS reader. The software will then begin checking a specially formatted page on the website in question. The reader checks that page at a timed interval (usually 1 hour). Any new entries are then copied into your reader software, where you can read them at your leisure.

To put it in simple terms… Have you ever sat at a web page and constantly reloaded it? Maybe you were at ticketmaster.com waiting for concert tickets to go on sale… Maybe you were at fandango.com waiting for Star Wars tickets to go on sale… Maybe you were waiting for a news item to appear on your local TV station’s website… Whatever the case, you were at a site, refreshing the page every 30 seconds or so, waiting for new entires to appear. That’s exactly what an RSS reader does, only it does it automatically, behind the scenes, once an hour (or sooner, if you set that option). The web page that the RSS reader is loading is specially formatted, and when the reader finds a new entry, it copies it to your computer so that you can read it.

Here’s where RSS gets interesting.

First of all, there are several ways to get feeds. If you’d prefer using a standalone program to read feeds, you can download a free program like RSS Bandit or SharpReader. If you’re a big user of Microsoft Outlook, you can upgrade to Office 2007 (which has an integrated RSS reader), or you can install NewsGator, a free plug-in for Outlook 2000\2003 that integrates feeds into Outlook. If you use lots of different computers during the day, you might want to look in to online RSS readers like Google Reader; instead of downloading new feeds to your desktop computer, Google Reader downloads then to your Google Account, so you can check the feeds from multiple computers – just like web mail.

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News for 02/02/2008

Flying internationally any time soon? Beware of fuel surcharges! Last week, United Airlines added a $300 surcharge to their $400 flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo. Yep, that’s right: the $300 surcharge almost doubles the cost of the flight. United claims that the surcharge is “necessary” given fuel costs, but other factors might be at play here: most types of discounts (sales, vouchers) don’t apply to fuel surcharges. So if you wanted to fly to Tokyo and had a $400 voucher, the “flight” would be free, but you’d still have to pony up $300 to pay the surcharge. But hey, at least when you get to Japan you’ll be able to buy coffee and cigarettes in one handy package! Oh, and speaking of packaging, companies have at long last started to listen to their customers when it comes to blister packaging. “Blister packs” are those maddening, clear-plastic containers that usually require a knife, box cutter, can opener and blow torch to open. They’re so annoying that they’ve even spawned the phrase “wrap rage”! In any case, some manufacturers are starting to develop less annoying versions of the blister packs; let’s hope that others follow!

How’s this for a “sign of the times”? Apparently the FBI is investigating the entire mortgage industry!

Just when you thought you had modern physics all figured out, leave it to a rusty heap of space debris to throw a wrench into the works! It seems that the old Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft – launched in 1972 and 1973, respectively – are slowing down, and astronomers don’t understand why. They’ve plotted the ships’ courses, and in both cases the ships end up about 3000 miles short of where they’re expected to be every year. [Robert Stack voice] Perhaps you can help… solve a mystery![/Robert Stack voice]

Lastly for today, here’s the hilarious Sarah Silverman video you’ve been hearing about. You see, Jimmy Kimmel has a running joke on his show that they’ve “run out of time” for guest Matt Damon. I’m not completely sure, but I think they actually did run out of time for Damon one time, and since then Kimmel has often ended the show by apologizing to Damon for not getting him on the show… which is sort of an old joke itself. Johnny Carson would routinely “run out of time” for some guests, especially if Johnny had one of his favorites on that evening. They might have scheduled Charles Nelson Reilly for, say, 8 minutes, but Reilly and Carson would get something funny going and just roll with it. And Reilly would end up taking 20 minutes instead of 8. Part of the joke is that chat shows are so structured now that this never happens these days. In any case, Damon flipped the joke back on Kimmel this week. Here’s a video that Sarah Silverman made as a “gift” for the five-year anniversary of her boyfriend’s chat show:

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Silly Baseball Trivia

This is just about the craziest thing I’ve ever heard:

If you’ve ever watched a baseball game, you’ve probably seen a “bat boy”. Bat boys are like “field assistants” in baseball. When a batter hits the ball, he drops his bat and runs to first base. It’s the bat boy’s job to pick up the bat and take it back to the dugout. Bat Boys have other duties too, like cleaning equipment, fetching a new bat if a batter wants one, taking a fresh supply of baseballs to the umpire if needed, keeping beach balls and other debris off the field and removing foul balls from the field of play if they land near him. Every baseball game features two bat boys, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. Bat boys almost never travel with the team, so in most cases both bat boys are employed by the home team.

Bat boys are often male, and are usually between the ages of 16-20. Because bat boys are so young, and might need to miss games for school or family, teams have a “pool” of bat boys that they’ll call on for each game. Remember this point, OK?

Here’s where it gets weird: although bat boys are not officially “members” of any team, they still wear a standard baseball uniform on the field. In the case of minor league teams, the home team’s bat boy wears the home team’s home jersey, while the visiting team’s bat boy wears the home team’s road jersey. Got that?

But here’s what doesn’t make any sense at all: in Major League Baseball, the visiting team’s bat boy is required to wear the visiting team’s jersey. And because every team uses a pool of bat boys, a visiting team has no idea which bat boy will be assisting any given game. Which means that every road team must bring along a couple dozen of their uniforms for the bat boy, since they have no idea which boy will assist them.

As if that weren’t confusing enough, there’s little uniformity between teams when it comes to the bat boy’s uniform. Some teams give their bat boys plain uniforms without a number or name on back. Others have uniforms with “Bat Boy” on the back, like a player name. Others say “Batboy” on them, so apparently MLB can’t even decide on how to spell the position! Still others skip the issue by putting “BB” on the back as a number. And some teams give their bat boys “player numbers” that are the last two digits of the year (2007 = 07). This was all well and good from the 1970s to 2009, since no player uniforms have any of those numbers. But in 2010 they’ll face a problem, since “10” is a legitimate player number.

Who knew the world of the bat boy could be so complicated?

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Be a DJ!

Have you ever wanted to be a DJ? Does the thought of having your own radio station make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? If so, you’re in luck! There’s this new invention called “the Internet” that allows you to (among other things) broadcast your favorite tunes all day long if you wish! So if you’ve ever felt the jones to be your own broadcaster, check out this article! You’d be amazed at how easy is really is to set up your own Internet radio station.

Here’s what you need to get started:

• The latest version of WinAMP
• The Shoutcast DSP plug-in for WinAMP
• Shoutcast Server
• A stable Windows-based computer
• A broadband Internet connection

The Big Picture

WinAMP was the first MP3 player for the Windows platform. Although it has expanded over the years to include library functions and the ability to play videos, at its core WinAMP is still just a basic MP3 player.

Shoutcast Server was developed by the same people that made WinAMP. Shoutcast is a streaming audio server. It provides audio streams to listeners. Shoutcast server is available for Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows 2000\2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Linux and Solaris.

The Shoutcast plug-in for WinAMP connects the output of WinAMP to the input of the Shoutcast server. It takes whatever is playing in WinAMP, converts it to the appropriate bitrate and\or format, then forwards it on to the Shoutcast server. The Shoutcast server then sends this input out to listeners as a stream of data. The Shoutcast plug-in is also where you enter the name of your station or show and any contact information you’d like to add.

Getting It All Set Up

If you’ve never used WinAMP before, download and install it, then spend a couple of days getting familiar with it. You will especially need to be familiar with the playlist functions, as this is how you’re going to get started as a DJ. Basically, an Internet radio station is just a giant playlist of songs. You’ll need to be able to assemble such a playlist on your computer. The playlist can be as long as you want – in fact, it will need to be several days long if you want to have a full-time station, although it can also be just a few hours long if you want to do brief “shows” instead of broadcasting full-time. Also, note how to save your playlists (click LIST OPTS > SAVE LIST in the playlist window). This is important, since you’ll be tweaking several things during the setup process, and there’s the distinct possibility that you might accidentally erase a playlist you’ve spent hours putting together. It’s just better to be safe than sorry, right?

After you’ve gotten acquainted with WinAMP (or if you’re already familiar with WinAMP), you need to do the next step, which is installing the Shoutcast plug-in for WinAMP. Assuming that you’ve already got WinAMP up and running on our system, click here to download the plug-in. Installation should be simple – in most cases, the plug-in installer will detect where WinAMP is installed on your system and it will then install the plug-in in the correct location. So, for most of you, installing the plug-in will means double-clicking on the plug-in installer file, then clicking Next > Next > Finish.

The final step is to install the Shoutcast server. In most cases, you’ll want to install Shoutcast on the same computer that runs WinAMP. However, there may be circumstances where you’d want to install Shoutcast on a different computer. And the reason why you’d want to do that is really important when it comes to broadcasting.

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Jim’s Guide to Wireless Security

My Dad has a saying about padlocks: “they only keep the honest people out“. His point, of course, is that honest people will see a padlock and keep walking, while a hardcore thief will simply smash the hasp, take the hinges off the door, or shatter a window to break into your house and steal your stuff. I’m sometimes asked what the best way is to secure a wireless network, and when I think about the subject I often think of Dad’s wisdom. Most of the “security measures” in wireless networking only keep the honest people out. Dedicated hackers can find a way to hack in to your network if they choose. So here’s my complete guide to securing a wireless network:

Pick WPA security, and choose a very complex password for it.

Yep, that’s it. My entire guide to wireless security. But since you might ask about some of the other security features available on wireless routers, here’s a point-by-point rebuttal on each one:

Disabling the SSID: Every wireless router has the ability to broadcast its name, or SSID (Service Set IDentifier). Disabling SSID broadcasting means that your wireless network won’t appear in the list of “Available Wireless Networks” on any nearby computer. Theoretically, this makes your network more secure. Since your neighbors won’t be able to see your network, how could they connect to it? Unfortunately, disabling the SSID does nothing to hide your wireless network from hackers using programs that scan the airwaves for wireless networks. In fact, it makes it look like you’ve got something to hide, much like putting an expensive purchase in the back of a hatchback and covering it with a blanket does. Additionally, disabling SSID broadcasting makes it harder to troubleshoot connection problems, and also makes it difficult for your guests to connect to your wireless network. Using WPA with a complex password means your neighbors can see your network, but they can’t access it. And hackers will find your network one way or the other, so let them find yours easily, try to hack it and fail, and move on to the next network.

Changing the SSID: This is actually a good one to do. Most wireless routers have their manufacturer’s name as the SSID by default. If you’ve ever used a wireless network, you’ve almost certainly seen a wireless network called “linksys” at some point or the other. Changing the SSID to something nondescript tells hackers that you’ve at least thought about security enough to do this step. Much like how the automobile security device The Club worked simply by making car thieves move on to another car, changing your SSID just might be enough to make hackers move on to the “linksys” networks.

Enabling MAC filtering: Every networked device – wireless or not – has a unique serial number called a Media Access Control (MAC) address. Most wireless routers have a feature that allows you to enter the MAC addresses of every device you want to connect to the wireless network. So, in theory, only devices that you explicitly approve can connect to your wireless network. The reality is that any hacker that scans your network can find the MAC address of one (or all) of your devices. He or she can then “spoof” the MAC address on their own computer and get full access to your network. Filtering MAC addresses also means that you’ll have to obtain the 12-digit MAC address from any guest that wants to use your network, then enter it into your router’s configuration page. Which is no fun, especially when there’s almost zero payoff from this “security measure” in the first place. Seriously folks – MAC sniffing and spoofing is so easy to do that it’s almost laughable.

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Taco Seasoning!

Ever wanted to make tacos at home but found yourself without taco seasoning? Fear not – it’s dead simple to make taco seasoning at home! And you can even customize the mix to your tastes or health needs! Just start with my base recipe:

2 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

All you’ve gotta do is measure each ingredient and dump it into a Ziploc bag. Once you’ve gotten all the ingredients in, close the bag and shake vigorously to mix. The base recipe makes around 1 ounce, which is good for seasoning 1-1.5 pounds of ground beef. Just brown the beef, drain, add the dry mix and 3/4 cup water and stir well. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring often, then switch heat to low and simmer for several minutes. You can also scale this recipe up and make a huge batch that’ll last for around 6 months in an airtight container.

You can, of course, easily tweak this recipe to your preferences. I like my tacos fiery, so I usually add an extra tablespoon of chili powder, a couple of tablespoons of Habanero Seasoning From Hell, and use 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt instead of 1 teaspoon of table salt (sea salt has a much more pronounced flavor than table salt, so you can use less).

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Got Time Warner Cable?

Got Time Warner cable? If so, check out this new site twondemand.com. It’s a handy guide to everything available on your OnDemand channels! It’s kind of interesting that no one has done TV listings for OnDemand programming before. Time Warner currently offers hundreds of movies and shows per month, but it’s tiring to sort through all the choices using the remote control. It’s much more convenient using a searchable and highly optimized website instead. Take it for a test drive… I like it!

twondemand.com

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The Tragedy of the Wilhelm Gustloff

Mention “disasters at sea” and most Americans will think of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. A history buff might think of the sinking of the R.M.S. Lusitania, a British passenger ship sunk by a German torpedo three years later. Some might even think of the Andrea Doria, an Italian ship that struck the MS Stockholm in the north Atlantic in 1956.

But the fact is, all of these disasters pale compared to the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in World War II. 1,520 people lost their lives in the Titanic disaster. Lusitania’s sinking lost 1,198 souls. Almost everyone survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria, except for 46 people who were killed on impact with the other ship. At least twice as many people died in the Wilhelm Gustloff disaster compared to Titanic, Lusitania and the Andrea Doria combined. At a minimum, 5,348 people were lost from the Wilhelm Gustloff, although many speculate that the actual numbers of the dead could be twice that number. And sadly, almost no one knows anything about the tragedy.

The Wilhelm Gustloff was the first German cruise ship built under the Nazi’s Kraft durch Freude (“Strength Through Joy”) program. Named after the assassinated leader of the Swiss Nazi Party, the ship was built by the Blohm and Voss shipyards and launched on May 5, 1937. For the first two years of her existence, the Wilhelm Gustloff served her intended purpose of providing leisure activities for Nazi party members. Concerts, dinner cruises and even full-blown vacations aboard the Gustloff were offered as enticements to German citizens for meeting certain goals, or as recognition for a job well done.

Of course, World War II changed all that and the Gustloff was pressed into wartime service. From September 1939 to November 1940, the Gustloff served as a hospital ship; later on in the war she was used as a barracks for U-boat trainees. In this capacity, she was docked at Gotenhafen, in East Prussia (which is now called Gdynia, and is part of Poland).

By January 1945, the Soviet Army was rapidly closing in on East Prussia. In fact, by January 23, 1945 East Prussia was effectively surrounded and cut off from the rest of the German-speaking world. Many Germans had firsthand knowledge of the many atrocities committed by the Wehrmacht during their invasion of the Soviet Union, and reports began to trickle in of Soviet “revenge atrocities”. In many villages, the Soviet soldiers raped every single German-speaking woman they could find. Many German women and children were lined up and shot without mercy. As you might guess, the Germans trapped in East Prussia were terrified of what might happen to them when the Soviet Army came. German admiral Karl Dönitz knew that the war was lost, and on that same date (January 23, 1945) he radioed naval command in Gotenhafen and ordered them to begin “Operation Hannibal”: the evacuation of as many people as possible.

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Get Windows Server 2008 free!

If you’re willing to sit through a Microsoft product launch, you can snag yourself free copies of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and the CTP (Beta) of SQL Server 2008! Yes friends, Microsoft recently started this product launch site where you can sign up for an event in your area. I’ve been to several Microsoft product launches over the years. And while it’s just a trade show where Microsoft beats into your head how good their products are, I have gone away with useful information about new Microsoft products… “such as Local Continuous Replication in Exchange 2007!”

Anyway, pick your closest venue and check it out. At the end of the day, you’ll get free copies of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and  (sadly) a public beta of SQL Server 2008. Enjoy!

Windows 2008 Launch