A few days ago the programming and technology community lost yet another pioneer, John McCarthy, creator of the LISP programming language.
Although I don't know much about the man behind the programming language, nor the programming language itself, I felt that it was my duty to pay respects to a man admired by many for his contributions.
Here's an article that details his life and accomplishments....
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-20125026-92/john-mccarthy-creator-of-lisp-programming-language-dies/
Thank You, Mr. McCarthy for all that you have done and shared with so many.
God Speed....
--ma
Michael
Friday, October 28, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Dennis M. Ritchie (1941-2011)
A few days ago, it was reported that we lost yet another technology pioneer. Dennis Ritchie was one of the creators of the ever popular Unix operating system, as well as the father of the C programming language. He died at the age of 70 after a long illness.
Mr. Ritchie, along with his fellow geeks, Ken Thompson, Brian Kernighan, Douglas Mcllroy, and Joe Ossanna were the ones responsible for creating Unix. The operating system would become so popular that it was the OS of choice for the Internet. It's impact is still felt today as many businesses use it to run their core applications. Many ISPs run some variant of Unix on their data-center servers as part of their infrastructure.
He also created the C programming language, which has become the most widely used programming language to date. It has been used by just about every up-and-coming programmer in the world today. His book, "The C Programming Language", in which he co-wrote with Brian Kernighan, has been adopted as the "C Bible" by geeks all over.
Because of his contributions to the technology community in the late 70's & early 80's, Mr. Ritchie had developed a cult following for decades to come. Many newbie geeks would aspire to become him and looked to him for his wisdom.
Thank You, Mr. Ritchie for all that you have done for the Internet & technology communities. You will be greatly & sadly missed. God Bless & Godspeed!
--ma
Mr. Ritchie, along with his fellow geeks, Ken Thompson, Brian Kernighan, Douglas Mcllroy, and Joe Ossanna were the ones responsible for creating Unix. The operating system would become so popular that it was the OS of choice for the Internet. It's impact is still felt today as many businesses use it to run their core applications. Many ISPs run some variant of Unix on their data-center servers as part of their infrastructure.
He also created the C programming language, which has become the most widely used programming language to date. It has been used by just about every up-and-coming programmer in the world today. His book, "The C Programming Language", in which he co-wrote with Brian Kernighan, has been adopted as the "C Bible" by geeks all over.
Because of his contributions to the technology community in the late 70's & early 80's, Mr. Ritchie had developed a cult following for decades to come. Many newbie geeks would aspire to become him and looked to him for his wisdom.
Thank You, Mr. Ritchie for all that you have done for the Internet & technology communities. You will be greatly & sadly missed. God Bless & Godspeed!
--ma
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Farewell, Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)...
Yesterday we lost a true visionary, a computing pioneer, a perfect example of the American Dream. Steve Jobs finally succumbed to his battle with pancreatic cancer that he had been fighting for quite some time. It became inevitable that he was losing the battle when he abruptly stepped down as Apple's CEO a couple of months ago.
I never really got to use Apple computers all that much except a few times in my teens in the 80's and quite recently tinkering with a friend's MacBook (Pro). I always called them the "Rich man's computer" because they are rather expensive, but definitely worth it if you can afford one. I admire how Apple does things. Their reliability and performance are legendary, much like Steve Jobs himself. However, I do currently own an iPod Touch and love it. Perhaps one day soon I'll give in and purchase a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Thank You, Steve Jobs for all that you have done and brought to the world of computers. You've inspired many people, as well as touched so many you came into contact with. You will not soon be forgotten. Even future generations will know who you are. Godspeed & God Bless, as you make your way up to that big iPad2 in the sky!
--ma
Michael Alestock
I never really got to use Apple computers all that much except a few times in my teens in the 80's and quite recently tinkering with a friend's MacBook (Pro). I always called them the "Rich man's computer" because they are rather expensive, but definitely worth it if you can afford one. I admire how Apple does things. Their reliability and performance are legendary, much like Steve Jobs himself. However, I do currently own an iPod Touch and love it. Perhaps one day soon I'll give in and purchase a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Thank You, Steve Jobs for all that you have done and brought to the world of computers. You've inspired many people, as well as touched so many you came into contact with. You will not soon be forgotten. Even future generations will know who you are. Godspeed & God Bless, as you make your way up to that big iPad2 in the sky!
--ma
Michael Alestock
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Nice web browser plug-in to help keep your system safe...
There's a nice plug-in that has been around for a little while, but I figured it needs to be mentioned. The plug-in is called, "Qualys Browser Check". You can go directly to the site itself to install the plug-in or just click on this link... http://browsercheck.qualys.com.
The plug-in works with all the major browsers (IE, Firefox, & Chrome). If it's your first time to the site you will be given the opportunity to install the plug-in. After installing it you may need to restart your browser, depending on which one you're using. Once the browser is restarted it will automatically start doing a scan of your browser & system for any outdated plug-ins, add-ons, or other system components that may pose a security threat to your system.
Once the scan is done (which only takes about 20-30 seconds), and if any critical security issues are detected, they will be highlighted at the top of the page. Below, it will give you a page of detailed results. To the right of each result you will be shown a color coded box along with a status. Anything highlighted in RED is serious and should be checked immediately. Orange is considered a warning, and green is good. In the next column you will see a blue "Fix It" button that will either bring you to your system's component page to check its security settings or take you to the corresponding plug-in's website to download the latest version of the insecure item and upgrade it.
Upon updating and/or upgrading any out-of-date items, it's best to do a re-scan of the Qualys page so you can see if the updates were installed correctly. You can do so by clicking the blue "Re-Scan" button at the top right-hand corner of the page or simply refreshing the page. If so, then you should see the number of security issues decrement.
**Note: Sometimes a plug-in or add-on that you just updated will not immediately show that it's been updated. Sometimes a browser restart or maybe even a system restart will have to be commenced. Upon doing so, just (re)launch your browser, run the Qualys scan again, and it should show as "ok" or "up to date".
A smart idea would be to set the Qualys site as your home page. So every time you start up your browser you can immediately be alerted of any security issues, and tend to them right away.
This is a terrific plug-in. I can't say enough about it. With a majority of the malware today being distributed by way of, "Drive-by Download", this plug-in is invaluable. I recommend that everyone install it and utilize it whenever possible.
If you need help or encounter issues, there is a "Need Help?" section on the right column of the page.
--ma
Michael
The plug-in works with all the major browsers (IE, Firefox, & Chrome). If it's your first time to the site you will be given the opportunity to install the plug-in. After installing it you may need to restart your browser, depending on which one you're using. Once the browser is restarted it will automatically start doing a scan of your browser & system for any outdated plug-ins, add-ons, or other system components that may pose a security threat to your system.
Once the scan is done (which only takes about 20-30 seconds), and if any critical security issues are detected, they will be highlighted at the top of the page. Below, it will give you a page of detailed results. To the right of each result you will be shown a color coded box along with a status. Anything highlighted in RED is serious and should be checked immediately. Orange is considered a warning, and green is good. In the next column you will see a blue "Fix It" button that will either bring you to your system's component page to check its security settings or take you to the corresponding plug-in's website to download the latest version of the insecure item and upgrade it.
Upon updating and/or upgrading any out-of-date items, it's best to do a re-scan of the Qualys page so you can see if the updates were installed correctly. You can do so by clicking the blue "Re-Scan" button at the top right-hand corner of the page or simply refreshing the page. If so, then you should see the number of security issues decrement.
**Note: Sometimes a plug-in or add-on that you just updated will not immediately show that it's been updated. Sometimes a browser restart or maybe even a system restart will have to be commenced. Upon doing so, just (re)launch your browser, run the Qualys scan again, and it should show as "ok" or "up to date".
A smart idea would be to set the Qualys site as your home page. So every time you start up your browser you can immediately be alerted of any security issues, and tend to them right away.
This is a terrific plug-in. I can't say enough about it. With a majority of the malware today being distributed by way of, "Drive-by Download", this plug-in is invaluable. I recommend that everyone install it and utilize it whenever possible.
If you need help or encounter issues, there is a "Need Help?" section on the right column of the page.
--ma
Michael
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Some thoughts on Security...
Everyday I either read, hear about, or witness firsthand someone's computer that has been infected or infested with malware. Upon initial inspection there are several obvious signs as to why it happened so easily. The first thing I check once I start going through the process of removing a virus/worm/trojan from a computer is if their anti-virus software is running the latest version with the most current anti-virus signatures. Believe it or not, 95% of the time it is not. Also, I will notice that there are several alerts sitting in the Windows taskbar area. Those alerts being Windows Update, Adobe Flash update, Adobe Shockwave update, Adobe Reader update, to name a few. Hmmm, I wonder how the malware got onto this infected computer to begin with?
This absolutely scares me. From computers running unpatched/outdated software, to unpatched operating systems, to systems running anything older than Windows XP. I've seen it all! Why do people neglect their computers that they use to do online banking, buy merchandise online, and read/write personal messages from-to family & friends? But will make sure their car is in tip-top shape to be able to commute to-from work or go on the family vacation?
Keeping your computer safe & secure should be no different. In this day and age it should be of an utmost priority. You're actually putting yourself more at risk if you get infected with malware, as opposed to having your car break down and be dealt an inconvenience.
With all the scary malware out there designed to steal your personal information, banking credentials, and email credentials, care for your computer should be taking center stage. The cybercrime aspect of Identity theft is the fastest growing crime. A vast part of that growing trend is that personal information (names, addresses, social security #'s, DOBs, etc.) are stolen, then harvested by cybercriminals, which in turn are sold & traded on the blackmarket for a price. In a study done by security researches a couple of years ago, bank heists that are committed by cybercriminals have surpassed that of actual holdups using weapons. This alarming trend is continuing to climb.
So as you can see, keeping your computer(s), your home network, and your personal information safe is just as important, if not, more important than keeping your car tuned up & in tiptop shape. There are also other things that will aid in keeping your computer and home network safe aside from what I mentioned above. Making sure you use a firewall, some kind of content filtering software, and being careful of the software you download and install from a questionable website. This is what's called a "layered" security approach. If one line of defense were to fail, you have still have the other layers that will help protect you. There's more to this theory, but giving you the basics should be enough to protect you.
Here's a link to an NSA (National Security Agency) article to use in helping to keep your computers and home network safe. The article (PDF) is called Best Practices for Keeping your Home Network Safe . I highly recommend it! Read it, then pass it on to your family & friends.
Keep safe out there people! The Internet is one hell of a scary place!
--ma
Michael
This absolutely scares me. From computers running unpatched/outdated software, to unpatched operating systems, to systems running anything older than Windows XP. I've seen it all! Why do people neglect their computers that they use to do online banking, buy merchandise online, and read/write personal messages from-to family & friends? But will make sure their car is in tip-top shape to be able to commute to-from work or go on the family vacation?
Keeping your computer safe & secure should be no different. In this day and age it should be of an utmost priority. You're actually putting yourself more at risk if you get infected with malware, as opposed to having your car break down and be dealt an inconvenience.
With all the scary malware out there designed to steal your personal information, banking credentials, and email credentials, care for your computer should be taking center stage. The cybercrime aspect of Identity theft is the fastest growing crime. A vast part of that growing trend is that personal information (names, addresses, social security #'s, DOBs, etc.) are stolen, then harvested by cybercriminals, which in turn are sold & traded on the blackmarket for a price. In a study done by security researches a couple of years ago, bank heists that are committed by cybercriminals have surpassed that of actual holdups using weapons. This alarming trend is continuing to climb.
So as you can see, keeping your computer(s), your home network, and your personal information safe is just as important, if not, more important than keeping your car tuned up & in tiptop shape. There are also other things that will aid in keeping your computer and home network safe aside from what I mentioned above. Making sure you use a firewall, some kind of content filtering software, and being careful of the software you download and install from a questionable website. This is what's called a "layered" security approach. If one line of defense were to fail, you have still have the other layers that will help protect you. There's more to this theory, but giving you the basics should be enough to protect you.
Here's a link to an NSA (National Security Agency) article to use in helping to keep your computers and home network safe. The article (PDF) is called Best Practices for Keeping your Home Network Safe . I highly recommend it! Read it, then pass it on to your family & friends.
Keep safe out there people! The Internet is one hell of a scary place!
--ma
Michael
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