Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Government Automotive takeover
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Motivational Monday (on Wednesday)
Feed the Positive Dog
CNN reported the other night that one-third of all Americans are losing sleep over the economy, 8 out of 10 people are stressed out, and an increasing number of people are turning to popping pills to deal with the stress and lack of sleep. While these pills may work in the short term, there is a better way. It’s the secret weapon against stress, it doesn’t cost a dime and it is only a thought away.
The answer is to feed the positive dog.
If you read The Energy Bus you know I share a simple story about a man who travels to the village to speak to the wise man. He says to the wise man, "I feel like there are two dogs inside me. One dog is positive, loving, kind and optimistic and then I have this fearful, pessimistic, angry and negative dog and they fight all the time. I don't know who is going to win." The wise man thinks for a moment and responds, "I know who is going to win. The one you feed the most. So feed the positive dog."
The fact is we all have a positive and negative dog inside of us. It's part of our human nature. The key is to feed the positive dog and starve the negative dog. The more we feed the positive dog the bigger it gets and the stronger it becomes. The actions are simple. We just need to make them a habit and do them every day. Here are a few ways to feed the positive dog.
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Practice Gratitude - You can't be stressed and thankful at the same time. Gratitude is like muscle the more you do it the stronger it gets. Take 10 minutes each day and make a list of what you are thankful for. You will fill your body and brain with costless and priceless anti-depressants.
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Take a Walk of Gratitude/Prayer - I do this each morning and it feeds me all day long.
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Turn off the News - Starve the negative dog.
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Smile More - It enhances your serotonin levels and uplifts you.
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Focus on Get to vs Have to - Read the article here.
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Read Uplifting Books - I happen to know of a few good ones :)
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Get together with a positive, uplifting person.
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Call or visit someone who has made a difference in your life and thank them. (research shows this is a huge happiness booster)
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Write a Few Thank You Notes Today - When you thank others you feed them and yourself.
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Focus on God instead of Gold - For more read, Matthew 6:33
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Start a Success Journal - Write down the one great thing about your day. The more you look for success, the more you will find it.
- Practice the 5 Things To Do Instead of Complain. Download here. (PDF)
- Decide to Make a Difference - When you help other people with their problems you forget about your own.
I Challenge You:
I challenge you to pick 1, 2 or 3 strategies identified above and make them a daily habit. Do them for 10 minutes a day, every day for 30 days. Don’t wait. Start them today. Don’t just read this newsletter, say “that’s nice” and put it away. Identify what you will do, when you will do it and commit to it. Your positive energy and natural anti-depressants are more powerful and effective than any pill. After 30 days, email me your results at info@jongordon.com. I read every email that comes to us. I look forward to hearing from you.
Accept this challenge and declare the actions you will take on our blog here.
Stay Positive!
Jon
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hidden Commands
Whether I am programming an EEPROM, JTAG'ing a device or restoring old pinball machines and arcades, I love to jump into maintenance/diagnostic mode so I can get a feel for what the code jockeys were trying to accomplish. In arcade machines they have an attract mode feature that makes different sounds and screen shots to entice you to pump-n-dump your quarters into the coin box. However, if you pull the EEPROM off the board you can find all kinds of stuff, like other games and hidden commands to totally change the behavior of the device.
I feel a little like an overweight balding version of James Bond when I discover this stuff. If I can break out a hidden command and use it in front of my follow geeks to solve a problem, well...Jimmy Ray Bond...0033 1/3... I love hidden commands! They are in all kinds of devices for tech troubleshooting or just left overs from compile time.
I thought it would be cool to document a few of the networking hidden commands that I use for the community and hopefully you can share some of the ones that you use. Now just remember the troubleshooting rule of hidden commands: They are hidden for a reason. Some of them are unstable and can crash a device, but some, well, are VERY cool!
Hidden Command 00x01: Add/Remove Software Panel in XP is a big fat liar! There is a ton of software I want to remove in XP but it is not as easy as it sounds. However, if I open up the file windows/inf/sysoc.inf in notepad, search and remove the word "hide" save and reboot. Now that crappy software I want to remove is visible in Add/Remove Programs. Goodbye Windows Messenger!
Hidden Command 00x02: Hidden troubleshooting tools in ProCurve products! That right! At the command line type the command: "edomtset" hit enter "edomtset" hit enter again (Yee Haa Testmode backwards!) the prompt will change from # to $ now type a ? and look at that! A whole new interface full of fun stuff!
Hidden Command 00x03: Make a phone call without a phone at the Cisco CLI! When setting up a UC system many times I just need to emulate a call. The command CSIM works great to test a line without a phone. It is used like this:
TWTV#csim start 146677
csim: called number = 146677, loop count = 1 ping count = 0
csim err:csim_do_test Error peer not found
Back to the dial plan...
Hidden Command 00x04: Clearing Routes from a Juniper device? Wish you had a equal to clear ip route route from Cisco on your Juniper gear? There is a command that is close BUT I have had this one knock my routing-forward tables out of whack, but hey it's hidden command day! the command is:
clear route forwarding-table route
Hidden Command 00x05: Hidden VMWare ESXi Console! This little hack allows you to run commands directly at the server itself and is very handy for doing things like enabling SSH in inetd.conf. First thing first. This only works on the fee based version not the free one and you must be sitting at the server and not RCLI.
- Step One: At the server console type ALT-F1
- Step Two: Now you'll just see basically a console log with no prompt. Don't sweat it! Just type: unsupported and hit enter. This does not echo back so you will not see your input.
- Step Three: Now a big scary tech support warning will pop up. Just laugh it off and enter your server password at the prompt.
And you're in! I really just do this to enable SSH but I have also used this to edit etc/hosts to rule out DNS issues.
OK now it is your turn! Do you know any cool hidden commands? Remember a hidden command is different then a tip. This is a tip:
Tip 00x01: Hack the Mac! Folks that know just a little bit about me know I am a huge Mac fan. I dig the log in screen that shows the hostname and just by clicking the mouse I can get:
First click: OS X version number (e.g. Version 10.5.6)
Second click: OS X build number (e.g. Build 9G55)
Third click: Mac's serial number (e.g. UI002000)
Forth click: Mac's IP address (e.g. 192.168.23.14)
Fifth click: Network account status
Sixth click: Date and time
Seventh click: Hostname back to the beginning. Coda for you music type folks..and Led Zep fans...
Let's change that boring useless hostname to something I can use man! At the terminal type:
defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow AdminHostInfo info_name
Replace info_name with one of the following:
SystemVersion
SystemBuild
SerialNumber
IPAddress
DSStatus
Time
Hit return and next time the log in screen pops up, your variable will be there. Groovy man!
This is a Hidden Command:
Hidden Command 00x06: Minesweeper cheater! This one is just for the fun of it! Go out and download an older tool called ResHacker from http://angusj.com/resourcehacker/ This is a really cool tool that allows you to hack into a programs debug menu without reversing or knowing how to code. Here's is how it works:
- Step One: Fire up ResHacker and open the file WinMine.exe (on XP)
- Step Two: The folder will be on the left that will allow you to change a whole bunch of parameters in the game. The 1033 is the config options file. A splendid time is guaranteed for all with this program! Will it work on other Windows games? ...you have been put on the path... but try the .dll files first...
Of course all the standard warnings and scary overtones apply to these commands; they are not supported, tech support will punch you in the head, they'll void the warranty of your gear and next three cars. But in a lab environment they really help you get into the mindset of the coders to get a real feel for the gear.
Now it's your turn! What hidden secrets are you sittin' on that you would love to share? Hey just like the movie Star Trek V: The Final Frontier...just not as sucky....
Jimmy Ray Purser
Motivational Monday
 FROM NIGHTINGALE.COM |
| "Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and |
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tweeted out of a job
Tweeted out of a job: The "Cisco Fatty" story
Twitter is all a-tweet with the recent exchange [1] between a prospective Cisco hire and another Cisco employee. The first wrote (the tweet has since been deleted):
Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.
The tweet was seen by a channel partner advocate for Cisco [2], who tweeted back:
@theconnor Who is the hiring manager. I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.
The career-limiting faux pas has been immortalized with its own "Cisco Fatty" Web site [3].
So remember, kids, protect yourselves [4].
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Spam delivers fake news
Spam delivers fake news of bomb blast as lure to malicious code
Security firms are sounding the alarm about spam messages purporting to report a bomb explosion in order to get victims to click on a fake Reuters news video and download malicious code to their computers.
The spam message uses IP geo-location services to name local cities or towns to more successfully personalize a message about people killed from a bomb going off nearby as described in a fake news story falsely claiming to be from Reuters.
According to security firms Sophos and Marshal8e6, which are both monitoring the bomb-explosion spam, it makes use of what's called the Waled or Waledpak Trojan to get victims to click on the fake Reuters video that leads them to malicious code that is downloaded to the computer.
The subject line of the spam is typically "Take care!" or "Are you and your friends in good health?"
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Geography of a Recession
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/03/us/20090303_LEONHARDT.html
Monday, March 09, 2009
Motivational Monday
Positive Ways to Deal with Naysayers
My friend emailed me the other day and told me to check out the Amazon reviews for The Energy Bus. In the midst of a bunch of positive reviews there was one that said, “The content wouldn’t even get you on the show, Are you smarter than a 5th Grader.” My first reaction was to laugh. I wondered how he knew that I always get beat by the 5th graders on that show. My second reaction was to give him credit for a brilliant and funny jab. If you are going to put someone’s work down you might as well be creative. But he obviously missed one of the statements in the book that says the closer we get to truth the simpler the lessons become.
The book wasn’t meant to be complicated. It was meant to share simple truths on how to take on negativity at work and in life. The irony was clear. I was dealing with a naysayer who was being negative about a book that is about how to take on naysayers. I reminded myself of a central message in The Energy Bus that I believe we all need to remember …especially now.
Everyone of us will have to face naysayers on our journey. Not everyone will see what you see. Not everyone will share your vision and optimism. Not everyone will believe what you believe. That’s why your positive energy must be greater than anyone’s negativity. You certainty must be greater than their doubt.
Gandhi advised, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet,” and neither should you. This includes the media who are trying to do more than just walk through your mind with their dirty feet . They’re trying to roll around in your mind with horse manure 24/7.
Today I want to encourage you to be stronger and more powerful than the fear mongers and naysayers. Don’t believe the hype. Don’t buy into the fear. Don’t listen to the negativity. Tune them out. Focus everyday on being your best and bring out the best in others. Realize that naysayers are like germs. Just as exposure to germs strengthens your immune system, naysayers are meant to strengthen your resolve and determination to make an impact. They are meant to test the depths of your desire and the size of your faith. But if you know what you are here to do and why you are here to do it then the power of your purpose will be greater than any challenge or naysayer.
I may not be smarter than a fifth grader but I know this: Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me. :)
How do you Deal with Naysayers? Share your thoughts on our blog.
Stay Positive,
-Jon
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Practical Career Advice
The Art of Schmoozing
Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Close Encounter: Earth-Asteroid Near Miss
The Earth has had a near miss this week when a huge asteroid whizzed past, less than 50,000 miles away.
The asteroid had been spotted by astronomers monitoring the skies
The asteroid - about the size of a 10-storey building - flew past the Earth at roughly twice the distance of the highest Earth-orbiting satellites, according to website space.com.
It is similar in size to a rock that exploded above Siberia in 1908, flattening 80 million trees across an 800 square mile area.
The impact had the force of a thousand atomic bombs, astronomers say.
Asteroid 2009 DD45 was closest to the earth on Monday at around 8.30am, at just under 45,000 miles above the surface of the planet.
Astronomers knew it was coming after it was spotted last Saturday as a faint dot showing up in pictures at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia.
There was never any risk of collision, experts said, but anything flying within 50,000 miles of the Earth is taken very seriously.
The closest listed "flyby" to Earth by an asteroid happened in March 2004 when a small one - 2004 FU162 - measuring about 20 feet across came within about 4,000 miles of the earth.
Asteroids are rocks ranging in size from a few feet to several miles in diameter.
Most of them orbit the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Koobface worm to users: Be my Facebook friend
Koobface worm to users: Be my Facebook friend
A worm that hit Facebook last December has resurfaced, a security researcher said today, and is now hijacking user accounts -- not only for that social networking service, but also for MySpace, Friendster, LiveJournal and others.
5 Facebook scams: Protect your profile
Slideshow: 10 of the Worst Moments in Network Security History
The Koobface worm is again making the rounds on Facebook, said Jamz Yaneza, a research project manager with Trend Micro Inc. "But this is an improved version with some interesting functions," he said.
Like the variant that hit Facebook late last year , the newest Koobface tries to dupe users into clicking on a link that's included in a message from a friend. Clicking on the link displays a fake error message claiming that Adobe System Inc.'s Flash is out of date, and prompts the user to download an update.
The update is nothing of the sort, but is instead an executable file that installs the Koobface worm.
"Koobface.az," as Trend pegged the worm, rifles through a compromised PC, sniffs out browser cookies associated with 10 different social networking sites, uses the usernames and passwords within those cookies to log on to each service, searches for the infected user's friends, and then sends those people messages that include a link to the worm.
It looks for cookies connected to bebo.com, Facebook, Friendster, fubar.com, hi5.com, LiveJournal, MySpace, myYearbook, Netlog and Tagged.
Much of the message processing takes place on a remote server, said Yaneza, which the hackers control. That server communicates with each infected PC, receiving data and sending instructions. "This is pretty serious stuff," Yaneza said.
Trend Micro has identified more than 300 Internet protocol (IP) addresses hosting the worm, and although some have been blocked, others are still online. Those addresses are located in Asia, Yaneza said.
"This is maybe only in its early stages," he added, referring to the small but growing number of infections. "I'd call it fairly active at the moment."
Koobface.az isn't the only piece of malware to have struck Facebook recently. Trend, as well as other security vendors, have noted a pair of scams in the past week that targeted users of the popular service. The most recent sent messages to users claiming that friends had turned them in for violating Facebook's terms of service; when people clicked on the included link, they downloaded an application that spammed all friends with a similar message and may have harvested information from each Facebook account as it did so.
"I don't think this is a coincidence," said Yaneza, speaking of Koobface coming hard on the heels of other attacks against Facebook users. "[Cyber criminals] are looking at how these services are being used, and more importantly, their sizes," he said.
"Users need to be very, very careful about what they install when they're on these [social networking] services," Yaneza advised. "And they should be careful about how they use social networks and what information they put on them. The criminals are gleaning all the information they can and using it against you."
Monday, March 02, 2009
BDPA member to be Honored on March 7, 2009
| the 2009 VanGAURD awards
Hosted by Charles Pugh THURSDAY March 5 // 7pm - 10pm // Cliff Bell's
presented by
MACK HENDRICKS
Mack Hendricks has played an instrumental role in helping to move the technology and food service industries forward in the Metro Detroit area by contributing his entrepreneurial spirit to the successful opening of two businesses.
Hendricks is the owner of Flyball, a technical solutions company based out Ferndale, Michigan. Flyball has been serving residential and business customers since 2005 and is dedicated to continuously creating quality, cost effective technical solutions. Through his continued plan to grow the technology industry, he co-authored two books, J2EE Design Patterns Applied and Professional Java Web Services.
Hendricks is also the partner of Taste Pizzabar and Premium night club in downtown Detroit. Despite the closing of several restaurants and clubs in the Metro Detroit area, Hendricks still moved to advance the industry by completing a full renovation and expansion of an empty space in Downtown Detroit. This empty space has now been introduced to downtown Detroit as Taste Pizzabar. Hendricks has been able to provide quality dining, exceptional customer service and an exciting new venue for Metro Detroiters to experience. Hendricks hosts several events at the venue to further the growth of other businesses and individuals.
Hendricks holds a Bachelor of Computer Science and a Master's of Computer Science from Oakland University.
( MEET THE 2009 VANGUARD AWARD HONOREES )
Detroit Young Professionals (DYP) is bringing together movers and shakers from Detroit's business, civic and political communities to honor 10 remarkable innovators and changemakers at our 2009 Vanguard Awards reception. This annual affair was established to recognize and celebrate outstanding Detroiters who have distinguished themselves through professional leadership and service to our community.
To learn more about the DYP Vanguard Awards, please visit: http://www.detroityoungprofessionals.org/vanguards
For more information, please contact: vanguards@detroityoungprofessionals.org
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