Jimiz.net – Jim Becher on the web

The Microsoft team has put out a patch for the POET vunerablity in ASP.net.

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/09/28/asp-net-security-update-now-available.aspx

This vulnerability allowed access to files on the server. This is very bad considering some of the files on an IIS server are not meant to be shared, in particular the web.config file. Prior to the patch there were some workarounds that would help stop this attack. URLscan modifications and also defining a custom error page.

Ran a 5K run today in the rain. It was for a great cause, West side Christian School.

www.run4reading.com. I came in 2nd overall. 21 Min 56 Seconds. Not too bad for not training.

Thank you for all the helpers and sponsors.

There is a new site over at iisreporter.com. Check out the new look and feel and leave some comments or suggestions.

IISreporter is an application that shows you connections and information regarding IIS in real-time. It allows administrators to see how many people are currently connected to the server. It is available for free and can be downloaded at iisreporter.com/download

A new version is in the works that will list sites and the number of connections to each specific site. There is also a web based version that allows you to remotely view information and connections.

I have had an AOL AIM instant message account for a long time (jimiz12 – IM me if you like). Just recently in the last 4 days, I started to get text messages on my Cell Phone from AIM. I thought that was interesting because I don’t remember every giving AOL / AIM my cell phone number. If I remember properly I did not even have this cellphone number when I created my AIM account.

I wonder what changed on the AIM side. I also wonder how they got my cellphone. Here is a picture of one of the messages. It is interesting that they allow you to block the message by responding. I decided I did not want to reply at all to let them know what I was even on the other end (at first I thought this was spam – not from AOL / AIM).

AOL Spam

So I decided to actually log into AIM and see what setting were available. I typically use Diggsby for my IM client (that does not contain my phone number either). To check AIM settings I used the web version of AIM. It had a thing called Lifestream, I’m starting to think that lifestream is the cause of this new text spam. I finally stumbled upon a AIM mobile setting that allows you to turn off text messages from that system. Interestingly enough, I don’t remember ever telling them I wanted or would like to get text messages. Since I have not logged into AIM in a long time (few years) I can’t imagine that I just recently said yes to anything.

Here is the process to go into AIM and turn off the text messages. Again, interesting. They ask me for my cellphone number and they will send me a code to disable messages. Good thing I have a texting plan, or this would have cost me money.

Here is the message with the confirmation code. In step 4 you get to disable the text messages, I can’t imagine why I would have enabled them in the beginning.

After this process I am starting to wonder how much more text spam I will be getting in the future. I think with any service, I will start using my google voice number to allow for text spam to be handled in my browser instead of my phone.

I am excited, the weather has got a bit colder and today ND football starts. Not only that the EPL (english soccer) has been playing for the last 3 weeks and it has been great. Saturday morning means getting excited about all the games going on.

So with all the great technology we have I still can’t watch a sporting event on demand. Not many providers allow you to do that. Hulu, netflix, streaming services are all great, but they miss sports. ESPN 360 / 3 is fantastic. But the majority of the games I want to see EPL / Champions league, and ND football are not available live. I continually wonder if there is a potential for a company or network to step in and provide this service.

As a soccer fan I have to pay a ton of money just to get some of the games. FoxSoccer is available from most Cable and Dish networks, but always in the top level of subscription. If you want all the games from a particular team you have to purchase an on-demand account via the web (Manchester united). As for football Notre Dame, since they play on ABC it is almost impossible to find a legal option to watch the games. You can always use Justintv.com or ustream to find the game, but that takes a lot of time to find a good stream.

If you have any better ideas for me on how to watch my Teams (ND and Manchester United) let me know. If you want to start an online sports streaming network or site, let me know and I’ll participate in the beta and testing.

Until then GO Notre Dame, Hope, and Manchester United.