We strongly believe in maintaining the freedoms and openness of the Internet which provides a voice to the aspirations and inspirations of people everywhere. We feel the sharing of knowledge is vital to the evolution of the human race.

Spy vs Spy Computers (SVS) will not support the legislative measures recently introduced in the United States House of Representatives and Senate; HR 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), as well as S.968, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). More work is required in order to achieve a balance which controls online piracy while continuing to promote innovation, job creation, and free expression.

SOPA will not stop the pirates, it will allow the entertainment industry seize control of a tool meant for us all to share.

Don’t talk our word for it, research for yourself.

Interested in being involved? A great way to start is by sharing your own opinions with your local representatives here: Stop the Internet Blacklist Legislation

So I have a client who uses 1and1.com as a host and they wanted to move their blog which is currently on SiteSell (SBI) to WordPress. Seemingly an easy task, since I have installed WordPress on many other hosts. When I first installed WordPress, I had a lot of trouble finding information that pertained to the exact problems I was running into. Once I got WordPress up and running, I realized that it just wasn’t that hard to set up. Since then, I’ve seen numerous people on the WordPress forums seeking help with the same problems day in and day out. I figure this tutorial could help save a few people time and frustration.

Tools you will need to complete this task:

• 1and1.com Linux hosting package
• Lastest version of WordPress
• File compression tool such as 7zip http://www.7-zip.org/
• FTP software – Filezila – http://filezilla-project.org/

The web host 1and1.com is pretty straight forward to use for me, while it’s not as easy as Godaddy where you only have to press a few buttons to setup WordPress. If you don’t yet have a host, 1&1 has packages as low as $2.99/month that has all you need to run a website (even your own WordPress site) including your domain name. Having said that, 1&1 has their own blog that you can set up through the control panel. This blog is actually a WordPress blog, but is extremely limited in features and options. I would recommend going ahead and setting up a database and installing the real thing.

For this tutorial, I’m going to assume that your host is 1&1. You will need the Linux hosted package to have access to MySQL. The first thing we need to do is set up a database.

Log in to the 1and1.com Control Panel under the Domain and Web Space, first make sure you are using the right PHP version. Click Global PHP Version.

Make sure the php version is php 5. If it is php 4 change it to php 5 and click save.

Next click on MySQL Administration.

There you will click New Database:

You’ll be asked for a description for your newly created database just enter something like blog or wordpress and click Set Up. That was easy enough, eh?

It’s all up to 1and1.com now, they will set up a database for you. Normally, this will take just a couple of minutes, for me it took half a day. That was most likely due to the fact Mercury was retrograde, I remained patient and waited till 1and1.com finished it’s task.

The main screen will show you the status of your database, either setting up or ready. Once it’s in ready status, you are ready for the next step.

Next up is to download WordPress from wordpress.org if you have not already done so. After downloading the file you will notice it is compressed so you’ll have to have a utility to unzip the file. I used 7Zip, but you can use the software of your choice.

After you have completed the step above you will need to find the wp-config-sample.php file. This file will be located in the WordPress folder you just unzipped in the previous step (WordPress/wp-config-sample.php).

Right click on the wp-config-sample.php file and open with Notepad or Wordpad. Here you will fill in your database details from the 1&1 control panel.
Important: never use a word processor like Microsoft Word for editing WordPress files!

You will need this information:

Database Name 

Database Name used by WordPress but created by 1and1.com

Database Username 

Username used to access Database, infomation is located at 1and1.com

Database Password 

Password used by Username to access Database, also located at 1and1.com

Database Host 

The hostname of your Database Server, I have noticed this is usually the database-name.db.1and1.com.

You WILL need to change the host name from local host to the actual host address….that was my first error. After receiving a “no connection to database” error and several  Google searches later I realized I needed to change the localhost.

Time to add the Security Keys.

In Version 2.6, three (3) security keys, AUTH_KEY, SECURE_AUTH_KEY, and LOGGED_IN_KEY, were added to ensure better encryption of information stored in the user’s cookies. (These collectively replaced a single key introduced in Version 2.5.) In Version 2.7 a fourth key, NONCE_KEY, was added to this group. When each key was added, corresponding salts were added: AUTH_SALT, SECURE_AUTH_SALT, LOGGED_IN_SALT, and NONCE_SALT.

You don’t have to remember the keys, just make them long, random and complicated. I used the online generator. You can change these at any point in time to invalidate all existing cookies. This does mean that all users will have to login again.

Once you enter the details of your database and added the security keys, go to the top left corner of Notepad and click File, then Save As and rename the file wp-config.php. Make sure you change the filetype to all files and save this file to the same directory where you found it.

We’re almost done, you’ve already done the hardest and most confusing part of the WordPress setup. All that’s left is uploading these files to the web host 1and1.com. WordPress will automatically set up the needed tables on your database. To upload files, I use Filezilla, which is a free program you can download from filezilla.sourceforge.net. Again use the FTP software of your choice. You will need to upload all the WordPress files to whatever directory you want your blog to be in.

If you want WordPress to be your main site, you would upload the files in to the root directory (index/home/default/etc.). If you would like your blog to be part of an existing site, you would create a directory in the root and upload the files to that directory. As I mentioned above this installation was for a client that already had a website and wanted their blog outside of their main site. I decided to create a subdomain for the blog, but that is another tutorial. So I created a directory called wordpress inside the root and uploaded the files there. To create a directory with Filezilla, all you have to do is right click inside the root, and choose create directory. It’s really pretty simple.

Once you’ve uploaded the files, you’re ready to go to your website and set this thing up!

Now open your browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc.), and in the URL address field at the top, type in your site and add /wp-admin/install.php to the address (example: www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/install.php or www.yoursite.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php depending on the directory you uploaded the files to).

From here, WordPress will lead you through the rest.

I hope this has been helpful to you getting WordPress set up. Personally, I couldnt find much information on the subject. There were plenty of tutorials, but not that explained setting up the database and how to get done what needed to be done in the 1&1 Control Panel.

Good Luck and Happy Blogging.

How to Install WordPress with 1and1.com Hosting

August 15, 2011

So I have a client who uses 1and1.com as a host and they wanted to move their blog which is currently on SiteSell (SBI) to WordPress. Seemingly an easy task, since I have installed Wordpress on many other hosts. When I first installed WordPress, I...

Read more

In Net News uTorrent / BitTorrent is being Sued For Patent Infringement

June 20, 2011

Trouble is brewing on the torrent front. For those of you who pop over to Pirate Bay, isoHunt or ExtraTorrents to grab the latest movie or game. BitTorrent Inc., the makers of uTorrent and the BitTorrent Mainline client, have been sued for infrin...

Read more

The Beginning

May 11, 2011

The first words are often the toughest. That's why many hopeful bloggers or writers never get their stories told. The thought of having to overcome that blank space or that blinking cursor can be too overwhelming for any individual. I have fina...

Read more

Green Washed by CIBC

May 12, 2011

So I was at the bank today using an ATM. I was finished withdrawing some cash, and the message on the screen said "Wanna win $500 buck by going paperless. I always like to do my part for mother earth. The screen daunted my to press here for more ...

Read more

Anatomy of a Computer Virus

June 19, 2011

Computer security experts are often surprised at which stories get picked up by the mainstream media. Sometimes it makes no sense. Why this particular data breach, vulnerability, or worm and not others? Sometimes it's obvious. In the case of Stuxnet, there's a great story. As the story goes, the Stuxnet worm was designed and released by a government--the U.S. and Israel are the most common suspects--specifically to attack the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. How could anyone not report that? It combines computer attacks, nuclear power, spy agencies and a country that's a pariah to much of the world. The only problem with the story is that it's almost entirely speculation. Stuxnet: Anatomy of a Computer Virus from Patrick Clair on Vimeo. Stuxnet is a Microsoft Windows co...

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Version:	Photoshop CS 2,3,4
Level:	Easy
Objectives:	Learn how to change eye color using Quick Mask
Tools &Techniques:	Quick Mask, Image Retouching
Operating System:	XP, Vista, Win 7

So you have a photo and you want to enhance eye colour of you or a friend. This can be accomplished fairly fast with the Quick Mask tool. Today I will show you how to make eyes standout, just like the image below.

Grab a photo and follow along. In this tutorial I will show you how to use the command keys to help you move through Photoshop faster.

Shortcut Keys Used
Ctrl+Spacebar	= temporary Zoom tool
Space bar	=Hand Tool
Q	= Quick Mask Mode
B	= Brush Tool
X	= reverse foreground/background colors
Ctrl + [	= Adjust Brush size down
Ctrl + ]	= Adjust Brush size up
Ctrl + Shift + I	Inverse the selection

Step 1: Creating the Quick Mask Selection

1. Open an image in Photoshop
2. Click the Ctrl-Spacebar keys to bring up the temporary Zoom tool
3. Click-drag a selection around one of the eyes to zoom in tight on the eye
4. Select Edit in Quick Mask Mode (Q) button in the Tools palette
5. Select the Brush tool (B) and verify the default foreground/background colors are set. Click the D key to reset them if necessary.
6. Adjust the Brush size so that it is smaller than the eye. You do not want to go outside the eye when you paint.
7. Begin painting inside the eye. You will notice the brush is painting with a red tint. This is the default color for Quick Mask. Keep brushing inside until you have filled up the entire eye.

NOTE: if you paint outside the eye click the X key to reverse the foreground/background colors. You can now paint away any extra masking. When you’ve painted the area the way you like, click the X key again to return to the default. You can also click D to return to the default colors.

1. Click the Space bar to bring up the temporary Hand tool and click-drag your image to view the other eye.
2. Repeat the previous steps to mask the second eye
3. Exit Quick Mask Mode (Q) or by clicking the Edit in Standard Mode button (next to the Quick Mask button). This will reveal a selection around the image.
4. Return to 100% view by going to View > Actual Pixels Inverse the selection by clicking Ctrl-Shift-I. You should see a selection around only the eyes now.

Step 2: Adjusting the Eye Color

 

1. Create a new Adjustment Layer by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation…
2. Click OK to accept the default layer name
3. Adjust the sliders to change the color of the eyes. You’ll want to adjust both the Hue and Saturation sliders for the most realistic settings. Hue will adjust the colors while Saturation will adjust the amount of color used.
4. Click OK to apply the settings.

Step 3: Editing the Eye Colors

 

If you want to edit the Adjustment Layer to modify the eye colors:

1. Double-click the Layer thumbnail in the Layers palette (the first thumbnail)
2. Modify the Hue/Saturation settings
3. Click OK to apply the settings.

Trouble is brewing on the torrent front. For those of you who pop over to Pirate Bay, isoHunt or ExtraTorrents to grab the latest movie or game.
BitTorrent Inc., the makers of uTorrent and the BitTorrent Mainline client, have been sued for infringement of a file-sharing related patent. According to the complaint, the BitTorrent clients infringe on the rights of San Francisco-based company Tranz-Send Broadcasting Network. The company demands compensation and if the court agrees, this case could have a disastrous impact on the BitTorrent landscape.

The world is now becoming accustomed to copyright infringement lawsuits, where people are suspected of illegally distributing movies and music using BitTorrent clients.

However Tranz-Send Broadcasting Network, is now trying to say BitTorrent is also an infringement in its own right, according to a lawsuit filed at a U.S. District Court this week. So who is this Tranz-Send Broadcasting Network that is trying to stop the very tool that allow legal file sharing as well as illegal.

Tranz-Send Broadcasting Network is the parent company of the brand and trademark: ClickMovie.com. Its mission is to increase its lead as the premier provider of Internet broadcast technologies and services — providing home and business users with near DVD quality movies-on-demand, time-shifted television, business broadcasting, advertising exposure sales, and electronic music delivery. Tranz-Send will exploit other markets like distance learning, gaming, hi-definition medical imaging transfer, seismic data transfer and by licensing to partners with strong positions in these segments.

Tranz-Send Broadcasting Network filed a complaint at the court this week where it alleges that BitTorrent is infringing on a patent originally filed in April 1999. The company claims to have suffered significant losses and wants to be compensated for the ongoing patent infringement.

Legal Document

For those of you how like to read long wordy legal documents.

“By making, operating, using and/or selling [uTorrent and BitTorrent Mainline] and or other software, BitTorrent has infringed and continues to infringe, contribute to the infringement, or induce the infringement of at least claim 1 of the ’944 patent,” the complaint reads.

The patent in question is titled “Media file distribution with adaptive transmission protocols” and was granted in November 2007. It describes a file-sharing system consisting of a file database, a transfer client and a distribution server.

“A server/client media file distribution system is provided in which the server system is adapted to receive transmission requests from clients, status information from a network, and protocol information from each client,” company writes in the patent abstract.

The server, based upon this information, adaptively transmits a given media file stored therein to one or more clients using the optimal transmission speed and/or network protocol based on the network status information and protocol information.

Although it’s not easy to assess whether the case holds water or whether it’s classic patent trolling, the fall-out could spread far and wide. The two BitTorrent clients mentioned in the lawsuit have a user-base of more than 100 million users worldwide. If BitTorrent Inc. is suddenly required to pay royalties for each and every download, this will drastically impact the company’s operations. Not to mention the spill-over effect it may have on other BitTorrent software companies.

This patent seems far too broad.

“Media file distribution with adaptive transmission protocols”

It describes a file-sharing system consisting of a file database, a transfer client and a distribution server.

In a sense, browsing the web could fall under this criteria.

file database = web content
transfer client = browser
distribution server = web server

The server, based upon this information, adaptively transmits a given media file stored therein to one or more clients using the optimal transmission speed and/or network protocol based on the network status information and protocol information”

This says nothing about clients sending each other files, it hints more towards the server itself contained the files: “The server, based upon this information, adaptively transmits a given media file stored therein to one or more clients”.

Companies like Tranz-Send Broadcasting Network really bug me, they want to sell people on the internet movies, music and games. But they can’t because software out there allows people to obtain the movies, music and games for free. So they sue the software company. In the interest of public safety, we should also make sure they press suit against the internet. Without it, they would have never ever lost all of that imaginary revenue. If we would each individually, just sue our own selves, that would save the world against the violence and terrorism which stems from information sharing. Information should not be free. It should be controlled and packaged as a commodity, like water, land, and air.

Their stupidity infuriates me.

People go to jail for stopping a train or airplane…
what about stopping the human progress and evolution?

Or plotting to stop it…

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Computer security experts are often surprised at which stories get picked up by the mainstream media. Sometimes it makes no sense. Why this particular data breach, vulnerability, or worm and not others? Sometimes it’s obvious. In the case of Stuxnet, there’s a great story.

As the story goes, the Stuxnet worm was designed and released by a government–the U.S. and Israel are the most common suspects–specifically to attack the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. How could anyone not report that? It combines computer attacks, nuclear power, spy agencies and a country that’s a pariah to much of the world. The only problem with the story is that it’s almost entirely speculation.

Stuxnet: Anatomy of a Computer Virus from Patrick Clair on Vimeo.

Stuxnet is a Microsoft Windows computer worm discovered in July 2010 that targets industrial software and equipment. While it is not the first time that crackers have targeted industrial systems, it is the first discovered malware that spies on and subverts industrial systems, and the first to include a programmable logic controller (PLC) rootkit.

The Stuxnet worm is a “groundbreaking” piece of malware so devious in its use of unpatched vulnerabilities, so sophisticated in its multipronged approach, that the security researchers who tore it apart believe it may be the work of state-backed professionals.

With a sample of Stuxnet in hand, researchers at both Kaspersky and Symantec went to work, digging deep into its code to learn how it ticked.

The two companies independently found attack code that targeted three more unpatched Windows bugs.

Recently I saw a movie opened my eyes and changed my thought patterns. That movie was call Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants is a romantic drama about a circus vet set in the depression era and stars Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz alongside Pattinson. It contains fictional scenes of animal cruelty and shows animals performing various tricks. I have always been an animal lover, and most likely to ball through a movie that depicts animals being hurt. I even once got my parents kicked out of a drive-in in the 70′s, when Benji got kicked clear across the room.

Circus animals, and elephants, do not voluntarily ride bicycles, stand on their heads, juggle, or jump through flaming rings because they want too. They perform them because they’re afraid of what will happen if they don’t.

For circus animals, there is no such thing as “a treat or reward”—only varying degrees of punishment and abuse. Trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade.

In some notable circuses, elephants are beaten, hit, poked, prodded, and jabbed with sharp hooks, sometimes until bloody. They are screamed at and intimated all in the name of performance and purely for money and entertainment purposes. The trainers job is to break the spirit of elephants when they’re just babies, who should still be with their mothers.

I can honestly say, as a child I participated in the ritual trips to the circus. I loved seeing the acrobats, the clowns and all the wonderment the circus had to offer. I was to young to consider how the animals were treated. I was unaware that elephants can roam 80 km in a day or that they stay with there family there whole lives.
Unsuspecting parents planning a family trip to the circus are not aware of the violent training sessions with ropes, bullhooks, and electric shock prods that elephants endure. Many heartbreaking photos reveal how circus trainers cruelly force baby elephants to learn tricks, and it’s not through a reward system, as they may claim.

Please help stop this abuse

This is an old tired tradition that needs to be put to rest once and for all. When the circus comes to your town,

Please boycott the circus

Every dollar spent at the circus supports animal abuse. Make your money count!

The USDA has cited Shrine circus exhibitors for failure to provide veterinary care, adequate shelter from the elements, nutritious food, and clean water. Exhibitors have also been cited for failure to handle animals in a manner that prevents trauma and harm to the animals and ensures public safety. Animals used by Shrine circuses have caused deaths and injuries. Shrine Circus Factsheet

Warning, I created a video to help spread the word, some images are graphic. Not suggested for children.

Recently the Shrine circus came to our town, hence the reason for the above video. Kelly and I did a little homework on the Shrine Circus.

1 ticket = $20.00 ( children under 3 free)

Average Family of 4 ( no children under 3)

4 x $20 = $80 not including snacks and other daily costs

You could donate $40 to Peta or a local hospital charities, and spend some time with your children teaching them a skill or craft, playing catch or taking a nature walk.

We cannot dispute that Shriner’s is a good and valuable charity, they donate lots of money to children’s hospitals and other charites. The Shriner spend $0.05 to raise $1, they just need to adjust there events to a more animal friendly venue.

Program Expenses – Shrines spent $507,927,600 and rated 86.6%:

Our data shows that 7 out of 10 charities evaluated spend at least 75% of their budget on the programs and services they exist to provide. And 9 out of 10 spend at least 65%. We believe that those spending less than a third of their budget on program expenses are simply not living up to their missions.

Charity Navigator

Kelly and I applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, and acrobats, and many circus do not use animals in the acts.

• Cirque du Soleil,
• the New Pickle Family Circus
• Cirque Éloize

and many others—are exciting and innovative circuses that dazzle audiences without animal acts. Click here for a list of animal-free circuses.

For other ways to help check out

“Steps to Take When the Circus Comes to Town.”

So I was at the bank today using an ATM. I was finished withdrawing some cash, and the message on the screen said “Wanna win $500 buck by going paperless. I always like to do my part for mother earth. The screen daunted my to press here for more info, so I did.

To my amazement, the ATM’s printer started to fire up and out shot a useless piece of paper, tell me the website address of where I could go to go green.

Hmm, seems like strange marketing to me. To be honest CIBC offended me with this campaign.

In my last entry I wrote about the podcast interview with Tad Hargrave, he talked about companies that spend a lot of time green washing. Green washing is when a company spends more time and money pretending to be green, then actually being green. I’m pretty sure CIBC should has seen the snag in their marketing on this one.

The first words are often the toughest. That’s why many hopeful bloggers or writers never get their stories told. The thought of having to overcome that blank space or that blinking cursor can be too overwhelming for any individual.

I have finally gotten to a place in my life where it is time to document what I do all week or at least that is what I have reasoned with myself. So why not blog about it, I say?

For a while now on every second Tuesday of any given month, you will find me at my desk editing audio files sent to me by the good doctors over at Happiness After Midlfe.com. This Tuesday ritual has become one of my current favourite things to do, aside from spending time with my partner and walking our dog Maya.

On this particular Tuesday, my job was to edit audio from an interview that Dr. Fred Horowitz and Dr. Frank Bonkowski did with Tad Hargrave. After a little google recon, I find out that Tad Hargrave  is a leader in green business marketing. He has a real cool website marketingforhippies.com that is very informative and has a great design. I can’t wait to get to work, life is great when you love what you do!

To accomplish my task, I fire up Soundbooth, and load the mp3 files. Grab a coffee and start editing. There is not usually a ton of things to edit, mostly I listen for coughs, strange noises, and make sure the sound levels that match. I add a pre-record introduction and ending, and update the xml.

Click here to Listen

More later…….