Today:
More on CFL Bulbs - almost house fire!
Quality LED Flashlights
Emergency Preparedness Forms
Winter Prep
Scanner Emergency Warnings
I received this from Scott, W7OXZ.
More CFL ammunition, This was on a bog complaining about LED lamp quality problems.
From http://www.edn.com/blog/, an electronics industry magazine web site.
cgqnw commented:
CFL almost burned my house down. I have a table lamp that we leave on all the time. Base down in a heated room. No moisture. We came home from a short trip to find the fixture melted and black. The lamp shade was a pile of carbon dust except for a few shreds on the wire bracket. We were just really lucky that the fire did not get to the drapes 4 feet away. I have never heard of an incandescent 60 watt bulb burning a house down. Also, very little polution or energy used in manufacturing and they do not fade the furniture or pictures. I am sure that with all of the manufacturing energy and polution in all of the parts assembled for LED or CFL lighting that you will never come close to becoming green....Stay green and buy incandescent bulbs. I have several hundred that I have put away, and they were all made in the USA.
I've got to do some research to find out why he referred to "no moisture". I have now found several sources that say to NEVER leave a CFL bulb in a socket that is on a timer. If the bulb burns out and the timer puts power to the CFL bulb, fire is the most common result.
Also, if you are in a room and a CFL burns out, you are advised to turn the switch off immediately to prevent a CFL fire. Never had that problem with incandescent bulbs, did we?
---
Quality LED Flashlights
The free flashlights from Harbor Tools are nice, but not super bright. Commercial flashlights are a different story. I have several that were sold by www.Brinkmann.net. These babies are BRIGHT. Of course, the lower intensity Harbor Freight freebies will make your battery last longer whereas the super bright ones will run your batteries down faster.
---
Emergency Preparedness Forms
You can get some great Emergency Prep forms at the following web site:
http://erclindon.org
Some great stuff there.
---
Winter Prep
I don't think that there can be any doubt that winter has arrived. If you have not already done so, this would be a good time to place candles, a blanket, and either led flashlights or cyalume light sticks (or both) in your cars.
We've already had some power outages. Do you have LED flashlights sprinkled around your house and office for such emergencies? One member of this net told me that he has LED flashlights located at every place in the house where he EVER sits down and also by the bed. Same in our house. In our house, when we are sitting down or in bed, we are no more than than 2 feet from an LED flashlight.
---
Scanner Emergency Warnings
If you have a modern scanner radio, check to see if it has a SAME option in its Weather Scan features. If so, the scanner can be set to stay silent until NOAA issues an extreme weather alert (at 1050 Hz tone) and then the scanner comes alive and you can hear the warning. Many farmers use this feature to give them a head start when bad weather is on its way in.
You can also set the SAME feature to stay in the background while you scan other frequencies such as ham radio, law enforcement, etc. Once the Hazardous Weather alert is received, the scanner ignores normal scans and switches to playing only the severe weather alert.
Look online for the manual for the Uniden BC-246T scanner for an example of this type of feature. Others also have this. You can Google weather SAME alert for more info on this handy feature.
---
That's it for this week. 73's de N7OZH.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
CFL bulbs and Mercury in YOUR home.
Thanks to Scott, W7OXZ, for the following link. The state of Maine has done extensive testing on CFL bulbs and has published their findings for all to see. If nothing else, at least go to the referenced page and scroll down to read the Executive Summary. Is it "good" news that a broken CFL bulb can only raise the airborne mercury content in your home to just 3,333 times the safe level? Is it "good" news that the location on the floor where the bulb broke can take your in home mercury level to 1,500 times the safe level anytime anyone walks over it, even after a thorough clean up? Might be OK for you, not for me.
Here is the link for the story: http://www.maine.gov/dep/homeowner/cflreport.html
Utah VHF SWAP MEET - FEB 25 at the State FairPark - Show is from 8AM TO 11AM. Come early for the best deals, stay late for the drawings. Members of the Foothill Group and members of MARA have won prizes in prior drawings. Their web page is HERE.
Here is the link for the story: http://www.maine.gov/dep/homeowner/cflreport.html
Utah VHF SWAP MEET - FEB 25 at the State FairPark - Show is from 8AM TO 11AM. Come early for the best deals, stay late for the drawings. Members of the Foothill Group and members of MARA have won prizes in prior drawings. Their web page is HERE.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Ham Radio and Computer Maintenance
Most hams use computers for some aspect of their lives. In an emergency the radio/computer combo is going to be essential for data logging and also for digital mode communications and EchoLink communications.
Herewith, some programs to help maintain your computer, keep it running at peak speed, avoiding viruses, cleaning up wasted hard drive space, etc.
For CPU temp monitoring I use Core Temp http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
For backup I use Create Synchronicity. (http://synchronicity.sourceforge.net/)
For video and music playing I use VLC media player. (http://www.videolan.org/)
For malware protection and security I use ESET Smart Security 5. (http://www.eset.com/us/)
For housekeeping I use:
Kingsoft PC Doctor (http://www.kingsoftsecurity.com/)
and PC Pit Stop PCMatic (http://www.pcpitstop.com/store/pcmatic.asp)
and Revo Uninstaller Pro (http://www.revouninstaller.com/)
and Driver Max PRO (http://www.drivermax.com/
and CCleaner (http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner).
and Tweaking.com Windows Repair (All-In-One). (http://www.tweaking.com/)
For anonymous surfing I use Hide My IP (http://www.hide-my-ip.com/hidemyip.shtml).
For screen captures I use Snagit (http://www.techsmith.com/snagit.html).
For finding WiFi networks I use inSSIDer (http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/).
For PC-2-PC remote access I use LogMeIn Free (https://secure.logmein.com/)
For ThinkPad-2-PC remote access I use Splashtop Streamer (http://www.splashtop.com/streamer/do...remotedownload) and the webOS client.
For PDF tasks I use PDF-XChange (http://www.tracker-software.com/).
For CPU core temps I use Core Temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/).
For HTML editing I use Microsoft Expression Web (http://www.microsoft.com/expression/..._overview.aspx).
For web hosting I use myHosting (http://myhosting.com/).
For my laptop OS I use Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...mpare?T1=tab04)
For office software I use I use Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee390818).
For digital picture management I use Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/).
For web browsing I use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer when necessary.
For torrent files I use uTorrent (http://www.utorrent.com/).
For ZIP files I use ZIP Genius suite (http://zipgenius-suite.en.softonic.com/).
For eBook management I use calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/).
For access to an IBM i system I use IBM iSeries Access for Windows.
For picture viewing I use IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/).
For iPad management I use iTunes.
For MP3 volume management I use MP3Gain (http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/).
For MP3 tag management I use MP3Tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/).
There are a few dozen other less important or less oft used, including some from www.karenware.com (RIP Karen).
The above list is from a blogger named RTWIGG.
========== FROM GOOGLE ====
http://www.iobit.com/press/free-anti-malware-iobit-security-360.html
Free Anti-Malware Security 360 Has Won Great Popularity
Oct 2, 2009 – Advanced security software provider IObit has been receiving widespread acclaim among almost all professionals, editors and users worldwide for the latest release of its free anti-malware product, Security 360. All the reviewers evaluate IObit Security 360's ability to block the installation of almost all malware, to clean detected malware more thoroughly than any other product, to keep malware from regaining a foothold on the system and to update in the background with no user interaction as reasons for its good reputation.
=============== O. D.'s Favorites ==============
360Amigo System Speedup Free
http://download.cnet.com/360Amigo-System-Speedup-Free/3000-18512_4-75206713.html
At first, 360Amigo System Speedup Free seemed to be of the more-tease-than-tool school of free system cleaners, and certainly its developers would like you to buy their premium package. But the free tool proved to be a good performer that will help many users keep their PCs running smooth and safe.
As with so many freeware versions of premium system utilities, 360Amigo's interface is stylish and heavy on the graphics and captions that explain what each feature does. The program consists of a system cleaner and a system optimizer, with a number of extra utilities, though some of the advanced tools are only available with the paid software. As with similar software, 360Amigo's System Cleaner scans for junk files and invalid or orphaned registry entries, runs a privacy sweep, defragments your disk drives, and restores your system to a previous state (if necessary). We performed a scan, and 360Amigo displayed its results along with some alarming graphics suggesting our well-maintained system's status was "bad," which free system cleaners are prone to do. We could de-select items for cleaning by unchecking their boxes, and the folder views let us see which files in each category the program was targeting for removal; in fact, 360Amigo's utilities offered more information about the files to be cleaned than many premium tools we've seen. After making our selections, we ran the first cleaner. Here's where many free tools clean a few errors and offer to clean the rest for a price, but 360Amigo powered through all three tools. Next we tried the System Optimizer, which includes an unusually detailed Startup Manager, a NetState tool that identifies all open connections and lets users terminate connections instantly, and a process manager, services manager, and uninstaller. The Tools menu offered an impressive array of extras like a Duplicate File Finder, a full Backup & Restore application, a drivers manager, a file recovery tool, and many others.
After we'd run 360Amigo's scan but before we let it fix the errors it found, we ran similar tools, including a premium package, for comparison. While the results were similar, 360Amigo's scan turned up some files the others didn't. The acid test came after we rebooted: 360Amigo's changes did no harm, and while our system didn't run noticeably better, we had the satisfaction of knowing the junk was gone from our system.
=================
KeePass Password Safe
www.http://keepass.info/
What is KeePass?
Today you need to remember many passwords. You need a password for the Windows network logon, your e-mail account, your website's FTP password, online passwords (like website member account), etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. Also, you should use different passwords for each account. Because if you use only one password everywhere and someone gets this password you have a problem... A serious problem. The thief would have access to your e-mail account, website, etc. Unimaginable.
KeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).
I use KeePass dozens of times a day. So does everybody in the office. So does everybody at home. I only know ONE password, the one that opens KeePass. It knows all the rest. In fact, it knows the URL of every website, the login name and the login password. If there are authentication questions such as "Mother's Maiden Name", it can keep those also.
Best of all, if you are on a machine that has an evil keylogger program installed to steal your passwords, KeePass defeats it. KeePass does not TYPE login info, it PASTES in your login. No keys are pressed and the evil keylogger does not even know that you have logged in.
You can also Google and download "Portable APPS" and the portable version of KeePass. Now you can put the whole thing on a thumb drive and login from anywhere. Don't worry about loosing the thumb drive, Keepass is useless without the startup password or token.
By the way, KeePass can also generate passwords that are almost impossible to crack using password crackers. Passwords like this - LQ&?ydBFr%)} or this - Da($RSU@[#c3. It would take the biggest computer in the world several trillion years to crack a password that contains upper and lower case letters plus numbers plus punctuation characters. There have been several articles written about this.
Have fun and keep those computers humming at peak performance.
Until next time, 73 from N7OZH.
===============
Herewith, some programs to help maintain your computer, keep it running at peak speed, avoiding viruses, cleaning up wasted hard drive space, etc.
For CPU temp monitoring I use Core Temp http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
For backup I use Create Synchronicity. (http://synchronicity.sourceforge.net/)
For video and music playing I use VLC media player. (http://www.videolan.org/)
For malware protection and security I use ESET Smart Security 5. (http://www.eset.com/us/)
For housekeeping I use:
Kingsoft PC Doctor (http://www.kingsoftsecurity.com/)
and PC Pit Stop PCMatic (http://www.pcpitstop.com/store/pcmatic.asp)
and Revo Uninstaller Pro (http://www.revouninstaller.com/)
and Driver Max PRO (http://www.drivermax.com/
and CCleaner (http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner).
and Tweaking.com Windows Repair (All-In-One). (http://www.tweaking.com/)
For anonymous surfing I use Hide My IP (http://www.hide-my-ip.com/hidemyip.shtml).
For screen captures I use Snagit (http://www.techsmith.com/snagit.html).
For finding WiFi networks I use inSSIDer (http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/).
For PC-2-PC remote access I use LogMeIn Free (https://secure.logmein.com/)
For ThinkPad-2-PC remote access I use Splashtop Streamer (http://www.splashtop.com/streamer/do...remotedownload) and the webOS client.
For PDF tasks I use PDF-XChange (http://www.tracker-software.com/).
For CPU core temps I use Core Temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/).
For HTML editing I use Microsoft Expression Web (http://www.microsoft.com/expression/..._overview.aspx).
For web hosting I use myHosting (http://myhosting.com/).
For my laptop OS I use Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...mpare?T1=tab04)
For office software I use I use Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee390818).
For digital picture management I use Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/).
For web browsing I use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer when necessary.
For torrent files I use uTorrent (http://www.utorrent.com/).
For ZIP files I use ZIP Genius suite (http://zipgenius-suite.en.softonic.com/).
For eBook management I use calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/).
For access to an IBM i system I use IBM iSeries Access for Windows.
For picture viewing I use IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/).
For iPad management I use iTunes.
For MP3 volume management I use MP3Gain (http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/).
For MP3 tag management I use MP3Tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/).
There are a few dozen other less important or less oft used, including some from www.karenware.com (RIP Karen).
The above list is from a blogger named RTWIGG.
========== FROM GOOGLE ====
http://www.iobit.com/press/free-anti-malware-iobit-security-360.html
Free Anti-Malware Security 360 Has Won Great Popularity
Oct 2, 2009 – Advanced security software provider IObit has been receiving widespread acclaim among almost all professionals, editors and users worldwide for the latest release of its free anti-malware product, Security 360. All the reviewers evaluate IObit Security 360's ability to block the installation of almost all malware, to clean detected malware more thoroughly than any other product, to keep malware from regaining a foothold on the system and to update in the background with no user interaction as reasons for its good reputation.
=============== O. D.'s Favorites ==============
360Amigo System Speedup Free
http://download.cnet.com/360Amigo-System-Speedup-Free/3000-18512_4-75206713.html
At first, 360Amigo System Speedup Free seemed to be of the more-tease-than-tool school of free system cleaners, and certainly its developers would like you to buy their premium package. But the free tool proved to be a good performer that will help many users keep their PCs running smooth and safe.
As with so many freeware versions of premium system utilities, 360Amigo's interface is stylish and heavy on the graphics and captions that explain what each feature does. The program consists of a system cleaner and a system optimizer, with a number of extra utilities, though some of the advanced tools are only available with the paid software. As with similar software, 360Amigo's System Cleaner scans for junk files and invalid or orphaned registry entries, runs a privacy sweep, defragments your disk drives, and restores your system to a previous state (if necessary). We performed a scan, and 360Amigo displayed its results along with some alarming graphics suggesting our well-maintained system's status was "bad," which free system cleaners are prone to do. We could de-select items for cleaning by unchecking their boxes, and the folder views let us see which files in each category the program was targeting for removal; in fact, 360Amigo's utilities offered more information about the files to be cleaned than many premium tools we've seen. After making our selections, we ran the first cleaner. Here's where many free tools clean a few errors and offer to clean the rest for a price, but 360Amigo powered through all three tools. Next we tried the System Optimizer, which includes an unusually detailed Startup Manager, a NetState tool that identifies all open connections and lets users terminate connections instantly, and a process manager, services manager, and uninstaller. The Tools menu offered an impressive array of extras like a Duplicate File Finder, a full Backup & Restore application, a drivers manager, a file recovery tool, and many others.
After we'd run 360Amigo's scan but before we let it fix the errors it found, we ran similar tools, including a premium package, for comparison. While the results were similar, 360Amigo's scan turned up some files the others didn't. The acid test came after we rebooted: 360Amigo's changes did no harm, and while our system didn't run noticeably better, we had the satisfaction of knowing the junk was gone from our system.
=================
KeePass Password Safe
www.http://keepass.info/
What is KeePass?
Today you need to remember many passwords. You need a password for the Windows network logon, your e-mail account, your website's FTP password, online passwords (like website member account), etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. Also, you should use different passwords for each account. Because if you use only one password everywhere and someone gets this password you have a problem... A serious problem. The thief would have access to your e-mail account, website, etc. Unimaginable.
KeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).
I use KeePass dozens of times a day. So does everybody in the office. So does everybody at home. I only know ONE password, the one that opens KeePass. It knows all the rest. In fact, it knows the URL of every website, the login name and the login password. If there are authentication questions such as "Mother's Maiden Name", it can keep those also.
Best of all, if you are on a machine that has an evil keylogger program installed to steal your passwords, KeePass defeats it. KeePass does not TYPE login info, it PASTES in your login. No keys are pressed and the evil keylogger does not even know that you have logged in.
You can also Google and download "Portable APPS" and the portable version of KeePass. Now you can put the whole thing on a thumb drive and login from anywhere. Don't worry about loosing the thumb drive, Keepass is useless without the startup password or token.
By the way, KeePass can also generate passwords that are almost impossible to crack using password crackers. Passwords like this - LQ&?ydBFr%)} or this - Da($RSU@[#c3. It would take the biggest computer in the world several trillion years to crack a password that contains upper and lower case letters plus numbers plus punctuation characters. There have been several articles written about this.
Have fun and keep those computers humming at peak performance.
Until next time, 73 from N7OZH.
===============
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