I Love My Job
I love what I do, and I work with a great team. While it’s still far from perfect; I can say that I do love my job. For the last couple weeks though, I’ve had to remind myself of this several times. I’m sure we’ve all done it, in this industry it’s hard to avoid. You read an email or receive a phone call and repeat the mantra “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.
Read more…From Outlook, to Gmail, to The Bat!
Back in March, I switched from The Bat! to Outlook as a result of being annoyed with using two different clients (work & home)*. So today, I’m running The Bat again, thanks to Gmail. Moving to Gmail I had been thinking about moving to Gmail for a while, the other day I decided to bite the bullet and do it. There was some pain involved, but not as bad as I expected.
Read more…OpenDNS
Looking for a bit of a speed boost? OpenDNS might just help. Using the OpenDNS network, instead of your ISP’s DNS servers seems to really boost the speed of the name resolution process (which is often the slowest part of connecting to another computer). From what I’ve seen so far, there’s been a fairly significant speed boost on some sites, primarily those that include content from several domains. The boost isn’t that great when you look at the overall loading process, but it does reduce the annoying lag when the browser starts loading.
Read more…ASP.NET AJAX
For those that have been looking forward to seeing the final result of Microsoft’s attempt at AJAX, your wait is over. ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 has been released. I’ve not had time to test this yet, but it sure looks like it has promise. I’ll be playing with this one soon, I’ve got a couple new projects this might be perfect for.
Xceed DataGrid for WPF Released – Free
Xceed has released version 1.0 of their new WPF based DataGrid, and best of all, made it free! If you’ve missed the news, you might want to check this out.
Still running Windows 2000?
For those that may be running Windows 2000, there’s some things you need to know. With the change in DST taking effect March 2nd, your Windows 2000 boxes may see some odd behavior. There won’t be Windows Update patch or hot-fix released for this (unless you have an extended support agreement); so there’s some work ahead to keep things running smoothly. Microsoft has released (read more) a fair bit of information (complete with sample scripts) that can be used to update any 2000 boxes you may have lying around.
Read more…Task Management with Tasks
After being reminded of Alex King’s excellent Tasks task management system by a Download Squad article, I decided it was high time to give it a try. I had seen the software before, but never really evaluated it to see if it would be of any real use to me. This time, I gave it a more thorough look. I’ve been doing a fair bit of reading in recent weeks about time and task management; and thus I’m trying to build a better process than what I use now.
Read more…Microsoft Mice: Another Reason to Love Them
I’ve always been a big fan of the Microsoft Mouse line, and now with Vista, a new reason: Instant View. This is a great new feature in the next version on the IntelliPoint software. I’ve been using a bit of a hack since I installed Vista back in November. So it’s nice to be using a copy of IntelliPoint that is actually supposed to work with Vista. I’ve got to say, the new Instant View feature is a very nice touch, and one that I really prefer to Aero’s Flip 3D (Windows+Tab) feature (Instant View has a fair bit less lag).
Read more…Visual Studio PowerToy Pack Installer
An update to the Visual Studio PowerToy Pack Installer has just been announced. This handy application wraps up many of the PowerToys so that they can be installed from one easy to use UI. With so many of these Power Toys available, this installer is great to have; otherwise finding and installing them can be a slow and painful experience. If you’re a power user, or fancy yourself a power tweaker, this one might just be for you.
Read more…WordPress 2.1 RC1
WordPress 2.1 RC1 has been released (about two whole hours after upgrading to Beta 4). So far RC1 is looking quite nice. I’ve got to say, this may be one of the most impressive WordPress releases I’ve seen yet. From my testing so far, everything seems to be working quite well. Now that 2.1 is at the RC level, I’ll get that review I promised typed up. If you’re a WordPress user, I’d grab a copy and make sure your theme and plugins work so you’ll be ready when 2.
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About Me
Security researcher, engineer and software developer with more than 20 years of experience.
Work: I primarily focus on application security, usable security, secure communications, and cryptography. I build and lead strong and dynamic teams, who cover all facets of security and privacy.
Writing: I write about my research, security in general, development and software design, and leadership through my blog, essays, and various publications. I also engage in some creating writing when I can.
Photography: I am a purist fine art photographer, working primarily in black & white, and focused on sharing new perspectives of the world. Limited edition prints of my work are available on my online gallery. I also have a background in photojournalism, and volunteer in this field when I can.