Firepowr.net – A Blog by Huy Nguyen

Interesting Wifi Network

These were the first MP3 players that I bought. They were expensive, and at the time many people were unaware of these portable audio products and it was considered a niche tech device. It wasn’t until a few years later that the Apple iPod made it’s debut that popularize and became ubiquitous in the portable audio device industry. The one on the right (Rio 500) was purchase back in 1999, and the one on the left (Rio S10) I purchased when I was in college.

I gave the Rio 500 to my brother after using it for a year and replaced it with a Panasonic CD player that was capable of reading MP3 files. The MP3 CD player was great because I was able to store a ton of songs on a CD compared to the 64 MB that was built into the Rio 500. With the CD player I could listen while waiting between classes in college and wouldn’t have to worry about listening to the same song 12 times a day.  It wasn’t until I started doing long distance running that I got the Rio S10. The unit was light and I could hold it comfortably in my hand when I ran. Unfortunately it also had 64 MB, but it was enough to last me a whole run.

Eventually my running out-grew the Rio S10, and I picked up a Creative Muvo. It had 256 MB of memory. It was a good player but it didn’t last very long since there was no good way of holding it when I ran, so I gave that away to my brother too. I later bought an iPod Nano. I quickly realize the Nano was too big. Wearing the Nano iPod arm strap was too cumbersome, so I traded down for a shuffle which I think is the best MP3 player for a runner or for anyone who likes with listen to music when they workout.

MP3 players have come a long way and I’ve been following it since appeared in consumer hands. Today they’ve become more popular than ever. The ability to play MP3s are now embedded into almost every portable device from GPS units, cell phones, car stereos, and even sunglasses. As with all individual technologies it can adapt to the advancement of other technologies around it or die off in obsolescence. MP3-only devices are approaching the latter, but not without a fight. Many of the successors of MP3 players of yesterday are called Portable Media Players (PMPs) today. Not only do these play music, but they play video. And even these PMPs are beginning to reach obsolescence as well. They will soon be replaced by handheld video game consoles and smartphones. Only time will tell, but I’m sure their days are numbered.

There have been countless amount of times where I would scan a neighborhood and see a few unsecured wireless network. Most people who buy wireless routers simply forget to modify their security settings. Here are some suggestions you can do to increase security and protect your wireless access from prying eyes.

• Enabled the wireless security and use WPA Personal or WPA2 Personal. Avoid using WEP as it has been proven to not be as secure.

• Change the SSID to something that you can easily recognize as your own, but different enough where no one can pinpoint where it’s from. Better yet disable the broadcast of your SSID. The latter will provide better security, but when you want allow other devices to to  your wifi you’ll have to manually add the wireless network to it.

• Change the admin login of the wireless device. This one is obvious but people tend to forget to change this sometimes.

• Place the wireless router somewhere in the middle of your home.  This will give you maximum coverage for you and minimizes the range for access outside your home.

• If your wireless router manages your internet connection make sure you do not have any unused ports enabled in your Port Forwarding settings. Most newly purchased wireless routers comes with all their ports disabled in Port Forwarding, but it doesn’t hurt to double check.

Now that’s an appetizer

Transferring the Schema master role to another Domain Controller is not something any administrator does on a regular basis. But when they do, the steps can be easily forgotten.

The option to transfer the schema role is not readily available in the Administrator Tool’s list. You’ll have to utilize the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).  But before you access the MMC you’ll need to install the Schema snap-in. To install you’ll just have to register an existing dll.

First, log in to the DC that you’ll want to transfer the Scheme Role to.  Then, open up the command prompt and type in regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll

To access your MMC type in mmc in the Run box or search (for Windows Server 2008 and up). Once the console is opened you can now add the Scheme snap-in and change the Schema role.

This is a partially eaten Grand Slamwich. It’s a pretty good sandwich unless you like to keep your arteries clear.

Cop Out is an entertaining cops and robbers comedy starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as New York’s finest on a mission to recover their stolen rare and valuable baseball card. Morgan’s likable and goofy character is the basis of all the movie’s comedy. This movie is a mix of Rush Hour and Lethal Weapon that has potential to be milked as a franchise series.

Many of the reviews I’ve been reading from other sites bash this decent film by comparing it to other Kevin Smith’s cult classic such as Chasing Amy, that’s just ridiculous. If you’re looking for a good laugh Cop Out fits the bill.

Rating:

Tugboat fish and chip off of Blossom Hill Rd.
This place is great if you love fish and chips or even shrimp and clams.

This movie is a remake of the 1973 classic film of the same name.  By the previews one may think it’s a zombie movie of some sort, but actually, the infected people are crazy because of a military bio-weapon that was accidentally release onto a small rural town. The town sheriff, his wife, and his deputy are desperately trying to flee the town from the military, whose bound to wipe out those infected, as well as the Crazies themselves.

Co-written by the Godfather of zombie and zombie-esque writer/director, George Romero, this movie includes many subtlies of social commentary. Even though this is not a true zombie flick, it is one of the best horror/action movie since 2004’s Dawn of the Dead.

Rating:

At the midnight showing at AMC Mercado.