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Security Breach

May 10, 2010 in c'est la vié, computers, mentat notes | No comments

Every so often, as is our lot in life, especially when we’re online more and more, somebody or something out there will try to hack into our accounts.  Email.  Facebook.  Websites.  And a few more others.  The main reason someone or something will try to do this is to obtain your personal information so your identity can be stolen.  Hollywood, of course, put that fear into a lot of us.

A lot of us, though, never think it will happen to their friends, let alone themselves, thinking we are nobody.  We are invisible.  Sure.  How often do I see posts on facebook that the owner didn’t place there?  How often do I see friends getting locked out of their email accounts without their knowledge?  Surely it doesn’t happen everyday but it’s enough.

Enough so that Sunday, as I got home and prepared to write my Mothers Day message to my blog, I find out someone or something tried to breach my yahoo, facebook and google accounts.  Wonderful.  Such inconvenient timing.  Remember how zippy my internet connection is after a certain time window?  Well, I had to spend 60% of that remaining window on resetting my yahoo and facebook passwords.  Then updating Pidgin with them so I can login to the chat networks.

Then I hurriedly typed my message for the mothers in my life and away it goes.  Posting complete.  Then… ooops.  I forgot to tell this here blog of mine that my facebook password’s been updated.  That’s why I don’t have anything, no posts, no wall entries, no status updates for yesterday.

My accounts, though, remain secure and untouched and I’ll explain in the next post.  I just hate the inconvenience and the hassle of the password reset options I have to go through.  Especially when I think about how interconnected my sites are.

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How to Pray…

May 7, 2010 in education, humor, mentat notes, technology | No comments

The other night in the office, we were tasked to rush something as part of a programme for staff.  There were vague instructions set upon us to complete our task using unfamiliar system and terminology.  The most specific instructions were to use our best psychic abilities (sorry, boss, couldn’t help myself here) to complete the tasks set for us to complete.  No problem, I can do that.

As I started working, I got pinged left and right with private messages like, “what is the current dollar to peso exchange rate?”  Some were more mundane like, “I know I found it in some obscure site but I can’t seem to remember the title.”  Then there was the odd ball question on how to convert a unit of measurement from metric to english.  Again, no problem but I did a double take and thought to myself, how did I suddenly become the office currency expert? Or maybe I was asleep and dreaming it all.  Did I suddenly become Mr. Know-it-all?  Doubtful.  I pray to the god, just like everyone else.

So I took a little time out (I was sitting in my chair far too long already, anyway) and walked to my peers one by one and showed them how to pray with efficiency and effectiveness.  First was the question of currency exchange.  In the god’s prayer box (search box/bar), type in Amount Cur in Cur.  Like 50 usd in php for what $50 is equivalent to in Philippine Pesos.  For the areas, do the same… 30 acres in hectares, 12 feet in meters or 12 ft in m to make it shorter.  The results genuinely surprised them all with the general reaction set to, “ooooh… it can do that?”  It made me smile.  And I admit, made my day.

So a sermon sounding instructional lecture spout forth from my lips:  yes, you can use google as a calculator, currency converter, etc.  Yes, you can also do site specific, targeted, searches.  You can search for almost anything.  After all, isn’t google a god?  Just be sure to pray correctly in the most dignified of manner.

The feeling of being, so far, the only priest of the church of google (with a black belt) in the office was nice.  Though it can get tiring if there are too many requests coming in so I have decided to share the two files I’ve downloaded ages ago in learning to pray.  The prayer books or the bible for the church.  They are now available for download from here.  Links below.  Click and enjoy.  If you want to share your experiences, the comment boxes are still open.

Downloads:  Google Cheat Sheet 1 and 2

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Age: The Chinese Version

February 19, 2010 in c'est la vié, mentat notes, people | 3 comments

There was some discussion in the office earlier this week about age reckoning the Chinese way, seeing as the Chinese New Year has just passed.  I thought I’d put it down in writing for those time that people will ask me again and again until I’m tired.  hehehe…

Here’s how the Chinese compute your age.  They do it the moment you’re conceived.  So by the time you’re born, you’re already a year old.  And once a Chinese New Year passes, they add another number to your age.  Yes, that’s right, they don’t add the number on your birthday but at the new year.  Not that they don’t celebrate birthdays, of course.  They do.  You’d just find it confusing.

So it became a rule of thumb for most people to add 1 to your real age when they’re referring to your Chinese age.  It’s a rule of thumb with an exception.  If one was born at the tail end of the Chinese year, then you’d have to add 2 to the number.  Confused yet?  Review the rules I laid out above and let me illustrate.

A baby’s born on February 10, 2010.  That makes him 1 year old by Chinese reckoning, correct?  But the new year event happens on the 14th.  So you add another 1.  That makes the infant now 2 years old.  As opposed to a baby born in September 2009, you only add 1 to the age number.  Every year.

I hope this clarifies the age question between the Chinese and the rest of the world.  If not, well, the comments section is still open so pose your questions and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.  :D

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