Pierow’s Prattle

Dropvox is a simple audio-recording app that runs on IOS (iPhone, etc.).  The application allows you to record audio notes to yourself and upload the M4A audio recordings directly to your Dropbox account.

After downloading the app, you simply link it to your Dropbox account, hit record, and it automatically uploads the recording. As an added benefit, you can optionally set the app to begin recording as soon as it is launched.

DropVox is a available for download from the iTunes Store for $1.

Zeroing or “wiping” the data on a disk is a practice that makes data on a disk less recoverable.  This does not ensure that the data can not be recovered but it certainly makes data recovery more complicated.  It is always a good idea to wipe a disk prior to donating or retiring a computer to help protect confidential information.

This procedure will erase all data on the disk and make it difficult to recover – needless to say, you should backup any important data prior to using this procedure.  Also note that this only applies to standard hard drives.  Solid state drives require special handling as noted in this post. (more…)

You can use Disk Utility to create ISO images in Mac OS X:

1. Select the CD/DVD on the left-hand side of the window
2. Click “New Image+” on the tool bar
3. For “Image Format” select “CD/DVD Master”
4. For “Encryption” leave it at “none”
5. Rename the resulting .cdr file to .iso

Note that the CDR file format is exactly the same as ISO format – simply change the file extension so that the image is more universal.  You can also use hdiutil to convert a .dmg file to an ISO:

hdiutil convert original.dmg -format UDTO -o newisoimage.cdr

Again, simply rename the .cdr to .iso

SailMail is radio based e-mail system designed for yacht owners to facilitate email communication while at sea. SailMail’s utilizes its own world-wide network of SSB-Pactor radio stations, satellite (Iridium, Inmarsat, Globalstar, Thuraya) or any other method of internet access.  Much of its underlying technology is built upon the Winlink software used by amateur radio enthusiasts but SailMail only requires a marine radio license, not an amateur radio license. (more…)

Getting Hulu working with media center XBMC has been a regular battle between users and Hulu, but a new XBMC plugin makes it dead simple.

[How to Add Hulu and Hulu Plus to XBMC (Again)]

This Is All About XBMC

Lifehacker’s Hive Five recently asked for reader’s opinions of the best VPN service providers.  The results are in and the leader was WiTopia with just over 19% of the total votes.  Here we take a brief look at WiTopia’s service offerings.

WiTopia offers PPTP VPN service for $3.34/Month (paid annually at $39.99/Year), OpenVPN-based SSL VPN service for $5/Month (paid annually at $59.99/Year) and a combination SSL/PPTP VPN service for $5.84/Month (paid annually at $69.99/Year).  Another interesting product offering is their CloakBox™ product which utilizes a pre-configured, plug-and-play VPN Router to connect an entire LAN to their network via VPN.  The CloakBox™ is $199 and includes one year of VPN service.  CloakBox™ service is $99/Year for subsequent years.  All service offerings come with a 30-day money back guarantee.

(more…)

Security researchers have managed to bypass the iPhone’s password protection in less than six minutes.  This could, obviously, have serious ramifications for anyone who loses their iPhone – particularly if that phone is used to access sensitive personal information or company data.

INSECURITY RESEARCHERS have busted an Iphone’s encryption protection in just six minutes to gain access to passwords.

Boffins at the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT) in Germany devised the hack. The researchers did the tests to demonstrate that passwords aren’t secure on Iphones that have been lost.

They obviously had a point to prove and weren’t happy with just hacking Apple’s shoddy security encryption in six minutes. Within the allotted time, the team also managed to retrieve most of the passwords stored on the Iphone, accessing personal data that could be used to get into bank accounts.

[Read the Full Article at The Inquirer] [Watch the YouTube demonstration]

The first thing you’ll need to do is download a copy of the Clonezilla ISO image, and then use a software like ImgBurn to burn it to a CD. For best results, you should grab the Alternative Ubuntu-based version, which has better compatibility with modern hardware. (more…)

Jaroslaw Lupinski has built a device that will generate magnetic signals to spoof a magnetic stripe reader – you know, the things that open doors and allow you to pay for your groceries.  Instructables has a write-up on a similar device using an iPod but Jaroslaw’s device will allow you to change the data on the fly.  Combine this with Stripe Snoop and you’ve got quite a powerful combination…

[Link]