Safe Cracker

Hi All,

Read this article FIRST, then continue with my blog to understand the importance of making some fundlemental changes to your on-line security.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/06/tech/mobile/icloud-security-hack/index.html

Wow!  So how do you protect yourself?  One suggestion I have is do NOT give real answers to those security questions.  That way only you know the answers.  You can use a generic, cryptic answer for each.  Think about it– it is easy to find your high school, birthday, high school mascot, sibling’s names, etc.  But if you don’t use the real answer, noone can guess it.

Our course, you should change your password frequently.   Suggestion:  Use a password that is simple to remember but very difficult to crack.  Use two unrelated words separated by a special character.   (Anyone remember AOL’s old password scheme?)  Example:  dog$chair.  Now, to make the password even STRONGER,  substitute the letter o with the number zero.  Change the letter i to the number one.  Make the letter c a CAPITAL letter.  You now have a difficult password that has a pattern which is easy to remember.  If you have a site that makes you change the password every thirty days, you can just simply increment the number one to two, then three and so on.  You can start over after eight since most systems only remember the first 6-9 historic passwords.

Sounds like an opportunity for someone to come up with a more secure way to protect our personal data in the cloud.

Follow me on twitter for other useful tips regarding business and technology. @davidawolf

There are times when you may want to capture what is currently being shown on your iPad's screen. That’s easy to do on an iPad.

Simply press the Home button and then the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously. When you hear a click, the screenshot has been taken. You can then go to the photos gallery to see all of your captured screenshots.

If you've decided that now is the time to embark on a boot camp fitness program, then congratulate yourself on making a real effort to change your life. A boot camp can be the first step to taking your health, wellbeing and lifestyle in a totally new, or at least improved, direction. Regardless of how old you are, how fit you are or what your reasons are, whether this fitness training is a success will depend on how 'boot camp ready' you are so that you can get set and go!

Usually people value boot camp workouts because this style of exercise offers an intense, focused and goal-driven fitness strategy. Boot camp doesn't have the same dipping-in-and-out flavor that working out alone entails, nor can the relaxed vibe of some fitness classes. In fact, boot camps can come as a bit of a shock to people if they don't know what to expect. The best way to really make a difference is to not overthink whether you want to try boot camp but to jump in and give it a go. However, being prepared will always help, so here are a few tips on what to do before you start:

Get moving NOW! But not too much!

Have you ever let your nutrition slide into diet debauchery because you're determined that you are about to start a healthy eating plan? With a boot camp looming it's easy to become totally indolent, knowing you'll soon be put through your paces. However, you don't want to go from zero to 100 too quickly so some activity, exercise and healthy eating before you start can help you out. It is like someone having a tidy round the house before their cleaner arrives, just so there's not too much hard work to do. But don't overdo it! You don't want to burn yourself out before you've got off the starting block either.

Once you have booked your classes and made space in your diary, you have to mentally prepare and look at your schedule on either side of your classes: boot camps are a challenge so you need preparation and cool down buffers. A big night out before a class isn't going to do you any favors and you might want to give yourself some recovery time afterwards too. As with any exercise boot camp sessions need to smoothly integrate with your lifestyle.

Sorry if being told to hydrate is something you've heard before. If you're saying, 'yadda, yadda, yadda', them honestly ask yourself if are actually paying attention. Many people don't drink enough water to keep themselves hydrated during a 'normal' day, never mind when they are really working their body hard. Make sure you get into the habit of drinking eight glasses of water a day and up to 30 minutes to a couple of hours before you exercise. Don't gulp down water just before you start exercising as this will make your belly jostle around and can leave you feeling nauseous! It is also a good idea to take a drink that will replace vital electrolytes after a particularly vigorous session.

You need focus to get the most out of boot camp and this means really taking a personalized approach to your fitness needs. However, it is important to not let this determination stop you from going into a session with an open mind and an ability to communicate, whether that's asking questions or expressing how you feel.

Do you know what you're advised to wear for boot camp? If not then now is the time to make sure you're kitted out in the right way. This means materials that work with your body such as layers and an exercise outfit you're going to feel comfortable to move about in. What it's not about is overspending on trendy exercise gear or pulling out some tattered sweats that are going to let you down. And of course, comfortable supportive footwear is a must.

You might need a good carb snack after your training session, but before you even start your boot camp, think about the amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein you are consuming. Eating healthily is not the same as going on a crash diet or following an unrealistic meal plan that you are never going to be able to sustain. It is about cutting down on fatty foods and becoming aware of what you put on your plate.

A boot camp can be exciting, exhilarating, as well as totally absorbing, engaging and satisfying. Even if some of the reasons you're contemplating getting involved in boot camp training are seemingly negative, such as being overweight, having a PMA, (Positive Mental Attitude), can propel you along toward success!

If you own an Android phone, you can use it as a substitute for an external drive or a USB key. You can load files into your phone simply by plugging it in to a PC with a USB cable, then tapping on “Mount” when you are prompted by the system.

This mounts the internal storage of the device as an external drive relative to the PC, and you can easily drag and drop files or create folders on the device as you see fit. Of course, it is recommended you do this on the SDCard that likely came with the device, or one that you buy for your phone.

If you are using Windows Gadgets (or those small mini-applications that are embedded on your desktop that show interesting things like the latest news, weather updates, or sports scores), you may sometimes wish you can just quickly hide them to declutter your workspace.

In Windows 7, you can do just that. Simply right-click on the desktop, go to View, and then clear the check mark on Show desktop gadgets. This will hide the gadgets. If you want to bring them back, just restore the check mark again.

Have you ever sent an email and then immediately regretted sending it? If you are using Gmail as your mail client, you can do just that with an interesting but buried option in Gmail settings.

To enable this feature, go to Mail Settings in Gmail (upper right corner, under the gear icon). Navigate to the "Labs" tab. In the labs search box, look for "Undo Send" and choose Enable, then save. Now in Mail Settings you will see an option to "Undo Send: Send cancellation period: __ seconds." Enter the number of seconds that Gmail will allow you to change your mind in the future (try 10 seconds).

With this enabled, the next time you send an email, you’ll be able to “Cancel” it from being sent out, as long as it is within the time frame you specified.

Do you prefer Bing over Google but like Google's sparse but fast loading page better? With this tip you can get the best of both worlds.

As users of Bing know, when you visit the home page of Bing, a page with a featured photo as the background is displayed by default, which increases the load time of the page. This can be distracting or annoying—especially if you have a slow connection. Disable this photo from loading by simply bookmarking this URL (http://www.bing.com/?rb=0). The next time you visit Bing, the photo will not appear.

Did you know that on iOS5 on the iPad, you can actually split the keyboard into two? This can be useful for typing with your thumbs if you are holding the iPad with both hands.

To do so, press and hold the keyboard icon on the on-screen keyboard. An option will appear, allowing you to split the keyboard into two. Alternatively you can drag the keyboard icon up across the screen until the keyboard splits up. Still another way is to simply put two fingers around the center of the keyboard and simultaneously drag them apart in a splitting motion.

Want to do a quick currency conversion? You can use Google for that. Simply type in the amount in the original currency, then the currency you want to convert it to.

For example, type in: "100 dollars in yen" or "100 dollars in Mexican Pesos" and check out the results. If you have a mobile data plan on your mobile phone with a browser, you can use this tip for quick currency conversions on the go.

The Mac introduced the concept of using multiple "Desktops" (previously called "Spaces") using Lion's Mission Control application. Using Mission Control, you can specify which desktop applications will automatically open in which desktops by default.

To set your preferences, select and right-click (or ctrl+click or two-finger click) on an application in the Dock, then select the "Options" menu in the resulting pop-over. Inside that menu, links appear that allow you to remove the app from the Dock, open it at Login, or to have it Show in the Finder app. If you have multiple desktops active, an additional set of options will appear at the bottom. Here you can "assign" the app to "This Desktop" or the current active desktop, or to open in "All Desktops" or "None." Make your selection and your app will now open in the specific Desktop or Desktops you specify on launch.