Mrs. Mecomber’s Scrapbook

I was aghast to discover a few months ago the policies of search engine companies. The SEOs hold on to your searches information for inordinate periods of time. I’d read recently about a new policy by Ask.com. They are hoping their new policy will give them the edge over the giants (and you know who they are).

Jumping on the privacy bandwagon, Ask is offering users the chance to take charge of what happens with their search history.

An AskEraser link will feature prominently on the Ask.com homepage and, when enabled by the user, will delete all future search queries and associated cookie information from its servers.

The information it destroys includes IP address, user ID and session ID along with the complete text of a query.

I could wish all SEOs did such. MSN and Yahoo save the information for 18+ months, although policies bounce up and down more than stock market numbers. And when the Bush Administration demands the numbers from AOL, MSN, and Yahoo, they obediently hand it over. AOL might even broadcast that information– oopsie!

Google holds on to the info forever. Well, they say they’ve changed that to be 18 months, but who believes them?

Here’s a great comparison chart by CNet, showing the policies of the SEOs.

Moral of the story: your searches are monitored, and may be used against you. Be clean with your searches and use a variety of search engines frequently.

Eventually all the information will be condensed anyway, but at least we’re stemming the tide.

The title is from an old Frank Zappa song, “I’m the Slime.”

You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don’t need you
Don’t go for help…no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold

There’s a newsstory at the Washington Post today. This is just over the top: FBI Prepares Vast Database of BioMetrics.

Digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns are already flowing into FBI systems in a climate-controlled, secure basement here. Next month, the FBI intends to award a 10-year contract that would significantly expand the amount and kinds of biometric information it receives. And in the coming years, law enforcement authorities around the world will be able to rely on iris patterns, face-shape data, scars and perhaps even the unique ways people walk and talk, to solve crimes and identify criminals and terrorists. The FBI will also retain, upon request by employers, the fingerprints of employees who have undergone criminal background checks so the employers can be notified if employees have brushes with the law.

“It’s going to be an essential component of tracking,” said Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. “It’s enabling the Always On Surveillance Society.”

If successful, the system planned by the FBI, called Next Generation Identification, will collect a wide variety of biometric information in one place for identification and forensic purposes.

What on earth ever happened to the Fourth Amendment in this country– the right to be secure in our persons and possessions?!

My aging little HP laptop is starting to show its age. Recently the fan rumbled and made a clinking sound. The fan runs noisily with a tinny sound that can be heard across the room. My hard drive squeaks from time to time, although this has been going on for some time now. And the monitor goes black from time to time (I think it may be a short-circuit with the connection to the computer itself). Obviously, I have to backup my stuff every night, for fear it will bite the dust before the next morning.

It’s been a pretty reliable little laptop for the 5 or 6 years I’ve had it. I use it like my right arm. It’s on all day, and I use it for graphics design, web design, and writing, as well as playing videos. The battery life is shot (lasts me 20 minutes), and the power cord is twisted and mangled. A few dead pixels blot my screen. But it keeps on ticking.

However, I have been saving my pennies and dimes to get a new one. I do not want this one to die before I have another on hand. I work from my computer, and therefore I must have one available at all times. So, I’ve been scoping out different models for the past year or so.

In my searching, I found an excellent notebook review website, called appropriately, Notebook and Laptop Review.com. I’m impressed with the thoroughness of the reviewers. Lots of high-graphic photos, too. If you’re hunting for a notebook, I recommend the site.

Nowadays, all computers come with Vista installed. I’m not too keen on Vista, as I’ve heard so few programs are compatible with it. I can’t believe it’s marketed so widely when software compatibility is such an issue! I’ve considered wiping out Vista and installing Windows XP, but I’ve also heard of massive headaches with this move (I’d have to go and find and install proper XP drivers, etc). I’ve even considered a dual-boot of Vista and XP. I did a dual-boot with Xandros on this XP laptop, and it went well until I had to reformat XP. (As a sidenote, I’ve got a CD of Ubuntu that I am eager to try sometime.)

At any rate, I’m definitely getting away from HP this time. The HP bricking threat I’d read about is enough to make this loyal HP user look around. Almost all my computers and printers have been HP computers! But besides the bricking problem, I’m more willing to stretch my wings and try some other models. Toshiba Satellite looks good. The only problem I’ve heard with it is that they come loaded with bloatware. But bloatware I can handle. The real issue for me is the processor and the speed. I do a lot of heavy graphic design, which kicks on my HP fan so much that it sounds like it will take off in flight.

I have discovered the great benefit of WiFi (wireless fidelity) these days. My daughter is spending more time at the Hamilton College library, and we often go to our local library for research. I am able to bring my laptop and continue to work while they do their research. I love free WiFi!

Places where you can connect online for free via wireless are called “hotspots.” I’ve discovered that most libraries are “hotspots.” I’ve also learned that most McDonald’s restaurants offer free WiFi, too. I am no frequenter of McDonald’s, but I would be hesitant to connect there because I am overly cautious about the clientele. As always, you should take security measures when connecting to a WiFi hotspot (have a firewall running, etc).

I found a few websites that will find WiFi hotspots for you. I checked out my local area and a few others, and did not see any libraries listed. I would prefer to connect at my local library than, say, a hotel, but it is always nice to know one’s options. And I think a library is more secure and accountable than an Internet cafe.

The first link is a website that will search your area for local libraries–a great resource when traveling!

RoadLibrary
Mobile Broadband
Wi-Fi Hotspot List
WiFiFreeHotspots
EZGoal WiFi Hotspots

It’s a big blow to Hewlett-Packard/Compaq: A hacker named “porkythepig” published an online report of a bug and consequent hacks that can affect nearly every HP/Compaq laptop.

According to porkythepig’s post, the Software Update bugs let an attacker corrupt Windows’ kernel files, making the laptop unbootable, or with a little more effort, allow hacks that would result in a PC hijack or malware infection. In either case, a drive-by attack could be conducted by feeding users an e-mail message with a link to a malicious Web site.

“Every HP notebook machine containing the HP Software Updates application is vulnerable,” claimed porkythepig. “It is possible that the vulnerable machine model list disclosed by the vendor as a confirmation to the previous issue concerning HP laptops, [the] HP Info Center case, will be similar in this case.”

Here’s the painful part:

The researcher said he had tested the exploit code on Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003 and Vista, and that the vulnerabilities pose a risk to any user with either Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) or IE7 on the PC. Nor will HP be able to use the down-and-dirty fix it deployed last week, said porkythepig. After he revealed several bugs in HP’s Info Center a week ago, HP issued an update that simply disabled the vulnerable software.

“Simple disabling of the vulnerable control by the vendor’s patch, like in the other HP software vulnerability case, HP Info, [could still] result in the machine['s] software update system [being] compromised, and would leave the user vulnerable to future security issues,” porkythepig said in the milw0rm.com write-up.

HP did not reply to e-mailed requests for confirmation and comment.

I keyed in on that it’s Internet Explorer that is the hub of the risk. Yeah, that Internet Explorer crapware– the browser that protects the right to show ads!

The worst thing HP can do is say nothing. Say something, even if it’s an “oops” or “we’ll look into this right away.”

Just thought I’d share a quick link to a great new website I’ve discovered, Centricle. It is an encoder/decoder. You can post html code within your blog post using this tool. If you didn’t encode the html, the html would “work” within the post. When I am posting a tutorial about html coding, I don’t want the html to show you the results of the code- I want to show you the actual code in plain text. Centricle encodes the code! Neat!

I was blog surfing this afternoon and when I tried to view one blog, up came this message:

You’ve reached this page because the site you were trying to visit now blocks the FireFox browser.

The Mozilla Foundation and its Commercial arm, the Mozilla Corporation, has allowed and endorsed Ad Block Plus, a plug-in that blocks advertisement on web sites and also prevents site owners from blocking people using it. Software that blocks all advertisement is an infringement of the rights of web site owners and developers. Numerous web sites exist in order to provide quality content in exchange for displaying ads. Accessing the content while blocking the ads, therefore would be no less than stealing. Millions of hard working people are being robbed of their time and effort by this type of software. Many site owners therefore install scripts that prevent people using ad blocking software from accessing their site. That is their right as the site owner to insist that the use of their resources accompanies the presence of the ads.

While blanket ad blocking in general is still theft, the real problem is Ad Block Plus’s unwillingness to allow individual site owners the freedom to block people using their plug-in. Blocking FireFox is the only alternative. Demographics have shown that not only are FireFox users a somewhat small percentage of the internet, they actually are even smaller in terms of online spending, therefore blocking FireFox seems to have only minimal financial drawbacks, whereas ending resource theft has tremendous financial rewards for honest, hard-working website owners and developers..

Since the makers of Ad Block Plus as well as the filter subscriptions that accompany it refuse to allow website owners control over their own intellectual property, and since FireFox actively endorses Ad Block Plus, the sites linking to this page are now blocking FireFox until the resource theft is stopped.

Netscape users can simply set their browser to IE mode to continue to enjoy the site that sent you here. FireFox users can use Internet Explorer, Opera or Netscape (in IE mode) to access it. FireFox users also have the option of using the IE Tab plug-in which uses the IE rendering engine to display pages, but also disables the Ad Block Plus plug-in.

If you are offended by the Mozilla Corporation’s endorsement of dishonesty please contact the Mozilla Foundation and ask them to stop empowering internet theft.

Whoa. So Firefox is blocked because it blocks ads.

Since when is ignoring ads considered “theft”? That’s screwy. There is no basic “right” of ad-viewing. If a website wants to force people to view ads, charge them to access the page.

It is the epitome of injustice in this world for a good browser to be reprimanded for blocking advertising, but another browser is not reprimanded for being a crappy browser.

As for me, and countless others, I had no real desire to view the website and all its ads, anyway. I’ll pick up my marbles and go visit another site. Without being forced to use Internet Explorer, thank you very much.

P.S. The whole reason I block ads is because they are extremely offensive. Some ads I don’t care about, but being forced to view naked women prancing around in a flash-ad is outrageous. Why doesn’t anybody complain about that? What about my rights? As they say when it comes to watching TV– if you don’t like what’s on, turn it off. I love Firefox because it turns the sewage off.

PDF-XChange Viewer
This is another quality PDF viewer I’ve found. As I have said before, I can’t stand that bloatware Adobe Acrobat. I am very happy with my Foxit Reader. PDF-XChange Viewer claims it is more functional than Foxit, but I really didn’t notice much difference. Nonetheless, it is another alternative PDF viewer, and for that I am glad.

The download was lengthy (for my DSL connection, anyway– I waited almost 10 minutes). The program runs well. Check it out if you are looking to be free from Adobe.

A backup software is the only reasonable solution to the risks associated with online file sharing. Many think of a data recovery group being just as effective. However, the perfect computer backup solution requires the presence of a data recovery software nevertheless.

MetaPad 3.51
Working with html code everyday, I have grown frustrated with Microsoft’s Notepad. It is still so un-functional. Has Microsoft even touched Notepad since 1991?!

So, I’ve had my eyes peeled for a replacement. I’ve tried a few, but they were either too large or still not what I was looking for. I just downloaded a little program called MetaPad that I think will be my Notepad replacement from now on.

It’s more functional, it has more settings, and the word wrap works so much better! I’m pleased with it! It’s tiny, it’s simple, it works, and it’s free!

If you’re looking for a suitable replacement, you might like MetaPad.

A customized header is not difficult. You just need to know what you are doing. Because templates vary, header widths and heights vary. You’re going to have to find your templates’ allowance for the header width and height and make a header the same size– or– make a header and adjust your template’s width and height measurements.

Neither one is difficult. However, if you are brand-new at this and are worried you’ll wreck your template, you can back up your template by downloading it to your computer (and uploading it if you want to revert back to it). If you don’t know how to backup your template, go here for a quick tutorial.

I am assuming that you 1) have a new header already made and 2) that this new header is in the dimensions according to your template. For example, if your template has an existing header that is 950px wide and 167px high, you need a header that is 950px wide and 167px high. 3) your new header is already uploaded to a photohosting website.

Another thing is… your template may not even have a header. I have had templates that had nothing about a header, because all it had at the top was space for your blog title. There are ways to change that, but that is a whole different tutorial and goes beyond the scope of this post. You’d have to build a section of html code within your template to make a header. It’s up to you; but if it was me, I’d just get another template with a header, so I could adjust it. It’s so much easier.

So, before you continue on in this tutorial, you should have:

1. created a header in the pixel dimensions for your template
2. uploaded your header onto a phothosting website
3. made a backup of your existing template

OK, with your template saved and your header ready to go, it’s time to get our hands dirty.

Sign in to Blogger and go to your dashboard. For the blog you want to change, choose “Layout.” This will take you to the Layouts page, showing many options. The page you automatically go to is “Page Elements.” You’ll see other pages, like “Fonts & Colors,” “Edit HTML,” and “Pick a New Template.” Choose “Edit HTML.”

You can see the guts (the html code) of your blog’s template in the window, below where it says “Edit Template.”

What you need to do is expose more of the code than is showing. You do this by checking the “Expand Widget Templates” checkbox. The page will reload.

Now, in this window, scroll down and look for this line of code:

<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’true’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>

It is usually right after the

</head>
<body>

part of your template.

Here’s a tip. Your browser has a search function built in it, using CTRL + F. If you press the CTRL key and the F key, a little window will pop up (for Internet Explorer, a separate window pops up; for Firefox, a section of the status bar enlarges). Type in the word “locked” and click “next” or “search.” Keep clicking until you find the string of code I specified above. This will find your code much quicker than scrolling through endless symbols. There are several areas in a template that have the word “locked” in it, so be sure you have the correct section. Like I said, every template varies slightly.

You are basically looking to unlock your header. So this keyword “locked” will be in an area that determines information about your header.

Once you’ve found the code, changed the word “true” to the word “false.” For example, if your code says this:

<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’true’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>

Change it to say this:

<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’false’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>

What you are essentially doing is telling Blogger that you want to be able to remove the Blogger header. You want to get rid of the old header and put in your new customized one. Save your template changes by clicking “Save Template.”

This part of the template work is done. Go to the page that says “Page Elements.” At the top, see where your header is located? (Right below the NavBar). Click on the “edit” link. A new window should pop up.

A new window should pop up. What you should see now is a button that gives you the option to “Remove Page Element.” This is the result of that html coding we did in the template.

The next step is to remove this page element. You want to get rid of the old Blogger header and put your own in here. It is very easy– but I’ll admit that I still tread very carefully when I do this. But there is really nothing to be nervous about, because you can always add the old header back: just click “Add a Page Element.” When the window pops up, scroll down and you will see the option to add a Page Header. See?

So, now that you have dumped the old “Page Element” header, You’ll want to create a new Page Element. Go ahead. Don’t worry if you don’t see at option to add a Page Element in the header area. Just pick one from the sidebar. When the new window pops up, choose “HTML/Javascript.” This will enable you to link back to the header image on your photohosting site, with the added bonus of making your new header linkable to your blog’s homepage.

Here’s what my code looks like:

You’ll need to change a few things here. For example, my header image is hosted at Photobucket. When people click on my header, I don’t want to direct them to Photobucket! I want them to return to my homepage. So you’ll need to change your code as I need to change mine. This is what I did. I changed this:

<a href=”http://photobucket.com” target=”_blank”><img
src=”http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/mrsmecomber/
headerimage.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket”></a>

To this:

<a href=”http://mightytemplatetester.blogspot.com”><img
src=”http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/mrsmecomber/
headerimage.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Mighty Template Tester”></a>

I just changed the URL to direct the header’s link back to my blog’s homepage. I also got rid of the target=”_blank” coding because this would only reload my blog’s homepage into another browser tab or browser window. The reader would find that very annoying. Finally, I changed the text from Photobucket hosting to something more appropriate for my blog.

Once you have the code configured, save the changes.

Now return back to your “Page Elements” page in Blogger, You’ll probably see your new header (called “HTML/Javascript”) in the sidebar! You have to guide it to where it belongs. Drag the box up toward the header. get it in the right spot, and it will drop in. When you’ve finished, click the orange “SAVE” button near the top. View your blog and you’ll see your new template header, complete with a link back to your homepage!

If you plan on doing any html work in your Blogger blog, it is wise to backup your template. Here’s a very quick and easy way to do it:

Sign in to Blogger and go to your dashboard. For the blog you want to change, choose “Layout.” This will take you to the Layouts page, showing many options. The page you automatically go to is “Page Elements.” You’ll see other pages, like “Fonts & Colors,” “Edit HTML,” and “Pick a New Template.” Choose “Edit HTML.”

You’ll see an option that says “Backup/Restore Template.” Underneath, it says “Before editing your template, you may want to save a copy of it.” This is what you want to do. Click the link “Download Full Template.” Choose a safe place, like My Documents, to store this file on your computer’s hard drive.

If you make a mistake or don’t like the work in your new template, you can always come back to this page and upload the file you stored. This will take you back to your template.

Now, I have uploaded, downloaded, copied, and pasted a lot of templates. I have noticed that when I do a complete template change with a non-Blogger template, Blogger wipes out my widgets. Therefore, I recommend that you save all the information in your widgets before switching to a new template. I regularly save the information in them, anyway, as a precaution.

Note that just changing a few things in your existing template does not wipe out your widgets. And changing a Blogger default template (for example, you had Minima and now are going with Blogger’s Rounders) does not wipe out your widgets, either. It only occurs when you switch to a different, non-Blogger template.

I’ve been crazy-busy this week! I can’t believe the break-neck speed I’ve had to work at! There is a lot going on at the homestead, but I am also doing a lot of blogging, working on stuff for advertisers, and repairing templates.

My New York Renovator blog template gave up the ghost over the week. I’ve been trying to get it back on track with a new template and header. I had to *gasp* utilize a basic Blogger template until I got my new one going. I absolutely love the three-column templates, with both sidebars off to the side. It’s so organzied! While working at that, I decided to spiffy up my New York Traveler blog, also. It just took too long to load and was getting messy with all the buttons and text in the sidebars. I am very pleased with the results. Next in line is my other travel blog, New York Traveler.Net. I am not happy with the header, and the theme is just too “dark” for me. So I’ll be trying to squeeze that in this weekend. We’re getting a whopper of a snowstorm this weekend, so I won’t be doing any outdoor work!

I have to post up some tutorials on customizing blog templates and headers. Remind me if I forget. This is all fresh on my mind. It’s not difficult, you just need to know what you’re doing. I’ll try to get to that next, after all my projects. I am having trouble deciding on a photohosting website. A fellow blogger mentioned JAlbum, and I downloaded it (but haven’t had time to install it or check it out). My accounts at Flickr are almost full. I’d love to have everything all at one place… but it would be very laborious to go back and change the blog links to a new photohosting site.

At any rate, I promise I’ll have some tutorials up soon!

I’m very impressed with The World browser. It’s an Internet Explorer shell. I’ve been using it for a while– half a year now– and really like it! It’s got a wonderfully simple interface, a great bookmark import feature, and it’s the fastest browser I have ever used. My only complaint would be that it doesn’t have all my little extras that I’ve become accustomed to with Firefox (the Groowe toolbar, other toolbars, the AdBlock, etc), although The World does have addons and some cool skins you can download.

The World knocks the socks off Firefox when it comes to speed. It must be twice or three times faster than FF.

Give it a whirl if you are an adventurous type. This is how a browser should be! Now if they’ll only add some sweet extensions.

If you do try it, let me know. Leave a little review in the comments.

I’ve always said to check for coupons and promo codes before you buy anything online. But always be wary of anything that comes in your email inbox. Apparently, criminals are at it again, this time with fake coupons. If you click the coupon, you are redirected to a phishing site. Your money, account information, or your identity can be stolen from you.

IBM is urging online shoppers not to click on links within e-mails that appear to come from an online retailer. Instead, open a new Web browser, go to the retailer’s site, navigate to special coupons or promotions and see if it’s there.

That’s excellent advice. Please take care of what you click on.

I got in my Kim Komando newsletter a great piece of information that I thought I’d pass along. It’s a website that helps you to opt-out of all those junky catalogs in your mailbox (your real mailbox, by the curb). The website is Catalog Choice. It looks heaven-sent. (You do have to register to use the system.)

We get a ton of junk mail, and even then, I know we get far less than our neighbors. This is a great site to put an end to all the trash flowing through the mail system.