Media Centres

Well in the next few days I'll be talking about Vista Media Centre, XP media Center, GBPVR, media Portal, Media MVP, yahoo's Media (meedos portal)

just wait..

Windows XP media centre :

GBPVR :

Media Portal

Media MVP:

Meedos Portal:

Google Docs/Apps

I’ve recently been testing out Google Apps for some Primary Schools to see how well Gmail integrates with the network/ease of use. I like Gmail’s interface way better than all the seperate applications and worries about backup.

I came across this blog post about a cross-site scripting vulnerability in the way IE handles things when you’re using Google Docs. The developer that discovered it reported it and it was quickly patched, and there were no reports of the security hole being exploited.

My Colleague has said that using Google Docs or any other 3rd Party or online office suite isn’t a good idea because of possible security breaches and privacy concerns (I do tend to aggree with him) I say, provided you aren’t in medical systems, government business critical apps, or politics, the rest of you are probably OK to share your documents online within your organization - and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper (free, even) than other alternatives.

What do you think? Is Google trustworthy enough for your family finances, personal word processing documents, budgetary spreadsheets for your business, or your personal digital photos? Should small businesses trust their data on Google’s servers in exchange for convenience and cross-platform compatibility?

Let me know in the comments what you think.

New Type of Computer Virus

Asprox computer virus infects key government and consumer websites

Well you thought you were safe if you did not visit smut sites.. Ah Ah.. now we are in trouble..

"Cyber-criminals have attacked key government and consumer websites, allowing them to steal the personal details of anyone browsing the sites, The Times has learnt.
Eastern European hackers are suspected of placing the Asprox virus on more than a thousand British websites, including those run by the NHS and a local council, in the past two weeks.
Experts described the Asprox virus as an alarming departure from commonplace viruses, which tend to be spread through rogue e-mails and unregulated websites.
Unlike other viruses, Asprox sits undetected on mainstream sites, with any visitor at risk of being infected. The virus automatically installs itself on a visitor's computer, allowing a hacker to access financial information. "

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4381034.ece
http://www.finjan.com/Pressrelease.aspx?id=2003&PressLan=1819&lan=3

JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOPHOS AND ITS UP TO DATE..

If you use SQL as your Database then you need to check all your systems, basically The Asprox botnet uses a SQL-injection attack tool to hack websites and add yet more hijacked PCs to its army.

remove it:

Asprox manual removal:

Kill processes:aspimgr.exe

Delete registry values: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\aspimgr
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\sft

Delete files:aspimgr.exe, _check32.bat, ws386.ini

Misc: Asprox uses TCP ports 80 and 82.

Exact file location:ws386.ini - C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINNTaspimgr.exe - C:\WINDOWS\System32 or C:\WINNT\System32_check32.bat - C:\Documents and Settings\[Current User]\Local Settings\Temp

How good is your Car

Find out Safety and Security information about your vehicle. Enter your vehicle details and find out how well you are protected from whiplash in the event of a rear end collision, and on the security side your vehicle's Thatcham rating on 'theft of' and 'theft from'.

Get ready to be surprised, This data is used by your insurance company to calculate the risk rating.

http://www.thatcham.org/

10 Things you can DO - to be greener in work

1. Turn off the lights. Remember to hit the switch on your way out for that well- deserved lunch break. The energy savings from 10 million employees turning off unneeded lights for 30 minutes a day is enough to illuminate 50 million square feet of office space.
   
2. Get off mailing lists. The last thing you need is another office supply catalog or credit card offer on your desk. Before tossing out junk mail, call the company's toll- free service number and ask that your name be removed from the mailing list. Have online retailers e-mail you instead. Almost half of all catalogs are never opened, yet nearly 62 million trees are destroyed and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce them every year.
   
3. Put your monitor to sleep. Whether it shows off your vacation photos or a cool 3D animation, a computer screen saver is not at all designed for energy efficiency. It's intended to save your screen from "burn in," not to save energy. Because monitors are responsible for more than one-third of a computer's energy consumption -- even with screen savers -- the best way to conserve energy is to set the monitor to sleep or power off when you're away for an extended period. If you're gone for 5-10 minutes, enjoy one of CI's screen savers. Any longer than that, put the monitor to sleep.
   
4. Use the stairs. Your brain gets exercise all day, why not exercise your body? Get your heart pumping by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It's good for your health, and it saves electricity.
   
5. Make your printer's toner last. Being cheap is a first date no-no, but it's okay to be frugal at the office. When printing rough drafts or documents for internal purposes, change the printer's settings to economy mode and avoid colour if possible. Econo-mode uses up to 50 percent less toner and prints twice as many pages as other higher quality settings. Duplex printing also uses half the amount of paper.
   
6. Provide incentives for commuters. Free food and a year-end bonus are nice perks, but to really make workers happy, help ease their daily commute. The government rewards businesses that encourage their staff to carpool, bicycle, or walk to work under the Commuter Choice Program. Telecommuting and flexible work hours can also save employers by reducing absences and job retention costs.
   
7. Recycle and reuse paper. Americans toss out about 35 million tons of paper each year. Buck the trend and start recycling -- not only standard white printer paper, but all of the magazines, manila folders, and colored post-it notes that decorate your space. If it tears, it can be recycled. Recycled paper manufacturing generates 74 percent less air pollution, and saves trees, water, and energy. To salvage papers that are printed on one side only, flip them over and use for incoming faxes.
   
8. Purchase 100 percent post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. Take note when buying paper -- the higher the percentage of post-consumer waste, the larger the amount of recycled material is contained in the paper stock. This means that 100 percent post-consumer waste paper is made entirely from recycled products. Also, chlorine used for bleaching is one of the biggest polluters in the paper-making process. Choose non-chlorinated paper, which has the same quality as the bleached variety.
   
9. Recycle and reuse office supplies. Do as Mom says and clean your plate, literally. Washing and reusing the plastic dishes and cutlery you get with take-away food is an easy way to cut down on waste at work. Better yet, pack your lunch in reusable containers and pocket your hard-earned dollars! Skip the paper (or worse, Styrofoam) cups and refill your travel mug at the nearby coffee shop instead. It may even get you a discount. Besides aluminum cans and glass bottles, there are many other supplies stashed in and around your desk that are recyclable, such as batteries, printer cartridges, DVDs, CDs, and more.
   
10. Curb phantom electricity. Many appliances still consume energy even when turned off. Items left plugged into the wall, such as a cell phone charger or laptop adapter, can leak more than 20 watts of power. In the United States alone, "phantom electricity" emits roughly 12 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Avoid this by plugging office equipment into a power strip and turning it off at night and on weekends.

iscsi Boot

We have built a 12TB ISCSI Server, now I'm looking to figure out booting with iScsi. This will allow us to boot stations without hard drive without USB keys or any other media but directly via ethernet.

PXE

humm.. An Engineer asked today to deploy Ghost using USB Keys, I pointed out the Disks and keys where old hat, why not use PXE.

So I'm looking into building a method of deploying the Images via PXE, but the PXE system needs protection so must put a password system in place.

Cars

Well Cars are going up in price Tax, Fuel, what next!!

So I'm looking for a New Car! What! Give me some Ideas...

I currently drive an Audi A6 TDI, time to drop the performance to Water or Electric; What do you think?

Here are some links :

http://www.greencarsite.co.uk/GREENNEWS/FISKER-karma.htm
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/geneva_motor_show/article3494301.ece
http://www.whatcar.com/news-special-report.aspx?NA=230169&EL=3228554
http://carenthusiast.com/news.html?mode=article&id=2584
http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/hydrogen-powered-cars.htm

Wifi Skype

A2Z will start testing and installing Wifi Skype at several sites and offer this as a packege to clients:

Will consist of :

WIFI mobile device - which can be taken from hotspots to Wifi Areas etc
Webcam to be based at office/home
Skype account

Mac Pro Super

We have just designed a Mac Pro, its the latest development out from A2Z Computing.

The Mac came to: £5700 +vat

4Gb Ram,
Twin DVDRWs
4Tb Storage
Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme Graphics
Dual Quad core Xeon 3.0 CPUs
with 30" Cinematic display

Google Apps

You don't need MS Office - use Google Apps, its free
Those who have unreliable Internet connection then get Openoffice

SmartBoard Kit

More and more clients are asking for smart board installs , We have created a kit just for that solution:

Smartboard 64"
Smartboard wall mount
Smartboard Pens
Smartboard Software
Smartboard Data Cable
Projector
Projector software
Projector remote Control
Ceiling Mount
Ceiling Bracket
Ceiling Pole
10M Vga Cable
10M Phono Cable
Breakout box with USB, 3.5mm Socket, VGA connector, Phono Connector
Speaker kit
Installtion

all this for less then £1900 so why wait..

SmartBoard Speaker Kit

A2Z have come up with a cheaper alternative to a sound system for smart board installation

We originally offered speakers and Amp + Cables for around £125

we can now offer Speakers with in-built amps wall mountable at £45 - now thats a price drop.

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