Here is a link to the google factory tour . They talk about a lot of the new services they will be offering and some that I have mentioned before. They have screen shots of the customized home page, RSS feed adds, and even some info on translation. I really do like google (I know I have said this before). Their stock is currently at 273 and moving.

If you are like me you probably use firefox or have used firefox. It is a great alternative to IE for web browsing. One of the nice features of firefox is the ability to code extensions or plugins for the browser. I user some very frequently. Here is a quick list of extensions that I use:

1. Web Developer - this has all kinds of tools for those of us who develope web sites. It allows you to outline tables, style sheets, get form info, header info and anything else you have needed.
2. ForecastFox - This puts your weather information in browser frame window. This is great for just a quick view of the weather.
3. ConQuery - allows for contextual searching on a web page
4. GotFlash - Extensions that allow for multimedia information in pages.

I have attempted to write my own extension. I did the default “hello world” extension but never figured out what I wanted to do. If you have any ideas drop me an email.

It seems to me that there are a ton of IE tool bars out there. And every program you install tries to add another. I understand the functionality of a toolbar and how useful they can be, but come on. How many do we need. So I started thinking of what I use. And wanted to see what others thought. I personally use IE about 80% of the time at work (firewall issues) and about 100% of the time at home. I have found that the same tool bars frequently do not cross browsers. I recently found one that does. That is what got me thinking about this topic. So let me review what I use.

Ranked in the order with the most value
1. Google Toolbar - This is one that should be used by everyone with IE. It has popup blockers built in. Search from the menu bar. What else can you ask for. If you use firefox it is called the GOOGLE bar.
2. Netcraft toolbar - This toolbar keeps you from phising sites, allows you to search a sites rank and hosting provider. This is a very useful toolbar for those in the hosting business or webdevelopment business.

Well these two are the main ones I use. At one time I used the yahoo toolbar but found it very cumbersum.

next time I will discuss firefox extensions.

May 21st, Digital Grand Rapids Podcast
Click here for the Direct Link
You can subscribe here
You can get the show notes here (shownotes)

I have been asked on numerous occasions to help a client find a way to transfer files securely. The first thing a client will mention is just the use of FTP. I then have to explain how ftp sends both the username and password in clear text. I often demonstrate how easy it is to sniff the username and password by using ethereal and my local ftp server. Once someone sees this they tend to stop using ftp. One problem with this little conversation is the lack of secure ftp servers out on the market. I have used about 4 different ones, and finally settled on one that meets both the reliability and demands I have. Secureftp3 from globalscape (www.globalscape.com), the makers of the cute ftp program is my current choice.
It allows for the use of all secure ftp protocols (ssh, ssl over ftp, ssl passive, etc..) . One other key factor is that you can integrate into Active Directory. This is a feature that many ftp servers really lack. A drawback to this program is not necessarily due to the selection of the globalscape product but all secure ftp servers. They tend to require the use of their own ftp client. While the client is typically inexpensive, purchasing a client for all users can get very pricy. So I have made the decision to only use one standard ftp client (Filezilla) , it works with all secure ftp servers and also any version of ssh. The key reason was the price. Filezilla is free, you can download both the app and the source over at sourceforge. It has all the features, of any client I have seen and also has some extra ones.

There is a fantastic document over at Microsoft about the updated security features of IIS 6.0 vs IIS 5.0. It is a very good read and has some great information. You can find the document here (www.microsoft.com).

I admin many IIS boxes at work and frequent many IIS user lists and sites to add information about security and hardening. This document does not show you how to harden your IIS installation but it does explain the reasons to use the new IIS 6.0 server

Well I finally got my podcast up and running. I have made a few in the past, but now I have a format and an agenda. Yes, that is right an agenda. You may be asking, what is your agenda? Well, it is to keep the kind people of Grand Rapids, Michigan up to date with technology, local pubs, local music and where to enjoy our town. Especially if you are part of the local area or visiting. So take a listen and subscribe DGR_5_12_05

If you want to subscribe to the podcast in an application like ipodder.org or another podcast reader. You can grab my RSS feed (http://jimiz.net/blog/wp-rss2.php) and paste it into your program

Show Notes - DGR-2005-05-12

It looks like one of my favorite PodCasts is going to be available on Sat radio. Adam Curry is working with Sirius radio to deliver a Podcast channel - You can read the news release here . Or visit Sirius Radio for more info and a free 3 day trial.

I was playing with getting Sat Radio for a while. I just could not move on what device to purchase and also go for the Monthly fee. The ideal situation would be the USB XM radio they made last year. But they stopped making that one. I am in my car for about a total of 8 min. That is how long it takes me to get to work. So Sat radio in the car would not be an excuse. I have a friend who purchased the Portable XM radio and ended up taking it back. It did not have very good reception.

I am a command linke junkie. I have always been, both a linux and windows user and find it is difficult to switch from linux to windows when using the command prompt. In particular, the ls command on linux is similar to the dir command in windows. I found myself always typing ls on a windows machine and getting the “unknown command” return. So to correct this issue there are a few solutions. One is to use cygwin (www.cygwin.com) a free linux emulator on your windows box. I typically use this when I need to remote console into a remote linux machine w/ X11 running. But for every day use, I tend to use a batch file that emulates the ls command. I will explain how to create a quick batch file to do an ls command.

1. Open a command prompt (go to START | RUN | Cmd) if you are running windows XP or 2000. If you are running windows 9x or me then (go to START | RUN | command)
2. Change directory to your System folder. If you are running Windows XP or 2000 then it will be either c:\winnt or C:\windows. If you are on windows 9x the it will be c:\windows. You change directory by typing “cd c:/windows” or “cd c:/winnt”
3. Create a quick batch file called ls.bat - you do this with the following command:
echo @dir /a /p > ls.bat

4. Once you have done this you can then run the the command “ls” and you will see a directory print to screen

I cannot say enough good words about skype. This time they were on the ball enough to survey me after one of my phone calls. Asking me to rate the call for both quality and service. way to go skype. The more a company can find out about their clients the more they can help improve any issues.

www.skype.com

I have been working on a new project recently that will involve some custom mapping. In my discovery phase I ran across a nifty project called mygmaps (www.mygmaps.com), it is a project to allow for custom google maps. This project which is relayed as a Standalone Mode for google maps, will let the end user populate the map with bullet points. Here is my custom map (http://mygmaps.com/show/0.0.5/?url=http://mygmaps.com/account/jimiz/Jim.xml)

Notice that the popup window (or box) has custom info in there “Jim Becher”. You can read more about how this works and what it is on the developers site. There is even an unofficial Google Map api out there.

Have fun gmapping…..

I have been working on 2 wireless projects recently. One is for myself and the other is for a client.
A client is in need of blanketing his office and home with wireless access to share his DSL line. To ensure that the space, over 200 Meters is covered, I used a modified Linksys Wireless router.

I chose the Linksys WRT54GV2 and a modified firmware. If you have not read up on this model of the linksys, it has been opened up to the opensource community. I chose the, Tailsman Firmware (www..sveasoft.com). It updates all the features on the linksys and also allows the boost of power to the wireless antenna. So you can effectively increase the range with out any equipment. The Tailsman firmware costs 20 bucks, but is well worth it. There is also a few free versions of other firmware that also work well, but I have found Sveasoft’s to be the most stable. Check it out if you have a Linksys WRT54G

The other wireless project is personal. I spend a lot of time in Holland, Michigan at my wife’s faimly’s vacation cottage. Infact, my wife moves out there 5 days a week in the summer. When we are there, I have no internet access. I have tried using my moble setup, but since it is close to the beach and on the wrong side of a very large dune, my Cingular service is sketchy. So this year I am going to be utilizing one of the neighbors’s wireless network and DSL line. The building is a fair distance away and I am working on a Can Antenna to beam the signal across to a repeater. I am going to be using the Linksys WRE54G.
This will allow me to have an access point in my wife’s cottage.
I will keep you updated.