Month: August 2007 (Page 1 of 6)

Upon running my daily blogging circuit, I came across this article that really hit home with me and I feel compelled to share. Go ahead and read it, and if you’d like, read my comments on it.

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2007/08/21/4486197.aspx

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A few months ago Chris Hansen of NBC’s Dateline decided to "Catch an ID Thief". It was amazing at how complex the network of identity thieves became as they dug deeper into this black market. This particular show was a year in the making. They created a fake ecommerce website to sell goods to track the use of credit card fraud and get face to face with the people purchasing the goods. They were introduced to an online black market of selling and buying credit information through IRC-like mediums. Entire credit files could be purchased within minutes for less than $100, including credit card numbers along with expiration date and the 3-digit CVV number. This network was found to span the globe, using numerous middlemen and even unsuspecting innocent people. These middlemen would receive the packages and re-ship the items overseas. One unsuspecting man believed himself to be working for a South American supermodel whom he was in love with.

With a network of fraud as advanced and widespread as this, how can you prevent identity theft? Much of it is common sense practices and being aware of your surroundings. I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of ways to help you protect yourself from identity theft.

1. ALWAYS burn/shred/blow up/destroy anything that goes into the trash with your personal info on it!
2. Use initials on your checks instead of your full name, banks know how you sign and the thieves do not.
3. Identity thieves love those "pre-approved" credit offers you receive in the mail. To op-out from receiving these in the mail call 1-888-5OPTOUT.
4. This doesn’t always help, but it might: don’t sign the back of your cards and put SEE ID instead.
5. If you ever receive convenience checks from your credit card company, tell them to stop sending them.
6. Did you know you’re entitled to one free credit report each year, USE IT! Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to get yours.
7. There are numerous credit monitoring services out there, find one and use it! I use Bank of America’s Privacy Assist Premiere service. It’s only $12.99/month and well worth the piece of mind.
8. Use card companies that allow you to create temporary card numbers with preset expiration dates and limited amounts that can be charged on them. Bank of America offers this service free with online banking. It creates a temporary card number that is only good for a user-specified time and can only be charged up to the amount the user specifies. This is great for shopping online.
9. If planning on big-ticket credit purchases, always check your credit report a month or two in advance. This will prevent embarrassment and allow time to resolve inconsistencies in your report.
10. When paying credit card payments with checks, use only the last four digits of your account number. The card issuing company knows the rest.

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11. Keep all of your 1-800 numbers for you credit cards in a safe, accessible place. If the cards are lost or stolen, you need to quickly cancel them before the damage is inflicted.
12. File police reports immediately if your cards are stolen. This proves to your card companies that you’re serious.
13. Watch for phishing emails and websites! Read Anti-Phishing Working Group’s Consumer Advice: How to Avoid Phishing Scams for more information. Be sure to read Zhiro’s blog, Phishing: Catch them before they catch you.
14. Use the government’s Do Not Call Registry, it works most of the time.
15. If the Do Not Call Registry fails, hang up on every telemarketing call you receive and do not give out ANY information, not even your birth date.
16. Limit the number of open accounts you hold and always go over you statements with a fine-toothed comb.
17. If your information is compromised, immediately freeze your accounts with ALL 3 reporting agencies.
    1. Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
    2. Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
    3. Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289

Remember, be cautious and always aware of your surroundings even when in your favorite restaurants. Thieves are everywhere, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Will you be ready?

Are you looking for a fun and exciting place to work? How about a place that gives away video game systems and iPods to its employees in various contests?

I started working at PC-Doctor in January of this year. During the past several months, I have worked hard and have had a ton of fun. During the short time that I have been here, there have been:

• Movie nights (once at a drive in)
• A ski trip
• A rafting trip
• Weekly soccer games
• A company picnic where the Executive team got into a food fight
• A jammed-packed training week culminated with great presentations, food, and silly contests with gift card prizes (Can you build paper airplanes? How about a tower with marshmallows and balloons?)
• FTP trips (ask about this after you’re hired)
• Contests and incentives nearly all the time

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You might be thinking: ‘This sounds great, but what kind of people would I work with?’

I have worked in the software industry for over 7 years and am amazed at how energetic, friendly (and normal!) the people are here. We all work towards common goals and objectives as a team. We are always willing to help each other out. This is a real team environment without the bureaucracy and politics I’ve seen and heard of far too often.

We are always on the look out for bright and talented people to join us. We tend to be picky in order to keep the environment the way it is and to ensure we find the best talent possible. If you think you might fit in, please visit our careers page today!

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Microsoft Auto + Ford Sync = Sweet Innovation OR Highway Blue Screens of Death?

According to Microsoft.com, Microsoft Windows Automotive 5.0 is an automotive-grade open software platform that provides OEMs, suppliers, and developers with the building blocks they need to quickly and reliably create a broad range of advanced in-vehicle solutions that meet the growing needs of automotive consumers.

Ford Sync is Ford’s exclusive new fully integrated, voice-activated, in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players. This system is said to be one of the most advanced systems available today. Ford’s banking on the notion that others will feel the same as it will initially be available in 12 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles this year. The great thing about the system is that it can be operated using voice alone, controlling cell phones, iPods, Zunes, USB storage devices, and more. Alternatively, devices can be controlled using the vehicle’s steering wheel mounted controls.

The system is flash memory-based and provides two methods of connectivity, Bluetooth and USB 2.0. Supported media formats include MP3, WAV, AAC, WMA, and PCM. It’s comprised of an ARM 11 processor, 64MB of DRAM and 256MB of flash memory. An informational display is provided on a small screen on the face of the stereo console or embedded in the instrument cluster.

Ford Sync will first be seen on these vehicles: 2008 Ford Focus, Fusion, Five Hundred, Edge, Freestyle, Explorer and Sport Trac; Mercury Milan, Montego and Mountaineer; and Lincoln MKX and MKZ. It will be included in all Ford vehicles in the near future.

Listed below are the initial features according to Ford’s press release. Since the system is entirely software based, it’s easily upgradeable via it’s USB port — Ford Sync Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3 — you get the picture. 😉

• Voice-activated, hands-free calling: Simply press the âÂ?Â?Push to TalkâÂ?Â? button on the steering wheel, and then say the name of the person you wish to call. Sync will automatically connect with the names in the mobile phoneâÂ?Â?s contact list.
• Uninterrupted connections: No need to hang up in the middle of a cell phone call as you enter your vehicle. Simply touch the Telephone button on the steering wheel, and Sync will instantly connect to a Bluetooth phone.
• Audible text messages: Sync will convert text messages from your phone to audio and read them out loud. The system is even smart enough to translate such commonly used text messaging expressions as âÂ?Â?LOLâÂ?Â? and J. You can choose to reply from any of 20 predefined responses.
• Advanced calling features: Sync includes the same features offered on mobile phones, including caller ID, call waiting, conference calling, a caller log, a list of contacts, a signal strength icon, and a phone battery charge icon âÂ?Â? all conveniently located on the radioâÂ?Â?s display screen.
• Voice-activated music: Browse the music collection on your digital media player, mobile phone or USB drive by genre, album, artist and song title using simple voice commands, such as âÂ?Â?Play genre Rock,âÂ?Â? âÂ?Â?Play ,âÂ?Â? or âÂ?Â?Play Track .âÂ?Â?
• Instant voice recognition: SyncâÂ?Â?s advanced voice recognition technology means when youâÂ?Â?re ready to use your phone or digital music player, just speak simple voice commands.
• Ring tone support: For supported phones, Sync will play personal ring tones. If youâÂ?Â?ve configured unique ring tones to identify specific callers, Sync will automatically play those, too.
• Automatic phonebook transfer: Sync will automatically and wirelessly transfer all the names and numbers in a mobile phonebook.
• Multilingual intelligence: Sync is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

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Wow! If this system performs as promised, Ford might have a winner on their hands. Sync, in conjunction with their new vehicle lineup, is exactly what Ford needs to stay on track with their restructuring plan. The voice recognition software, provide by Microsoft, is a similar system to those provided in numerous Honda and Acura vehicles, all of which received high marks for intelligence. Obviously within the next few years all vehicles will offer similar systems as drivers demand they stay connected with their expensive hand held devices. I also think this is great for those people (you know who you are) that like to dodge and weave through rush hour traffic, all while carrying on that important conversation on their cellphone. Now you can dodge and weave with two hands on the wheel instead of one!

I am surprised that Ford didn’t offer a large hard drive for storage. Hopefully, Ford was smart enough to separate the vehicle systems. If Microsoft Auto decides to blue screen am I going to lose my entire entertainment/audio system? Will the stereo/CD player continue to work? More importantly, will the vehicle continue to operate? This may give a whole new meaning to the infamous Windows blue screen of death. We’ll have to wait and see.

It might be a while for me, I’m looking at the new F-150 for my next vehicle and it most likely won’t be available until 2009 🙁 .

I’ve starting converting a complex web app from being purely JavaScript and browser plugin based to using the Google Web Toolkit for the JavaScript part of the project. See my previous blog post about this.

Unfortunately for me, this project is not high enough priority to play with it for long periods of time. However, I have managed to start work and get some basic functionality working. It was certainly interesting!

I’m going to comment on a few of my first impressions. I’ll state a strong opinion now, but I reserve the right to change it completely as I get more experience with the library and tools.

Speaking of Tools…

Wow. This is really slick. You get to debug the Java code directly without looking at the JavaScript that it compiles to! Eclipse is a great editor for Java code, and GWT integrates nicely with it.

The debugger is nice, the compiled code looks good, and the warnings and errors that the development web server generates are extremely helpful. This is probably the strongest selling point for me with GWT.

Don’t touch the DOM!

This was a shock to me. The web browser’s DOM is an extremely efficient place to store information about the document you’re displaying. A heck of a lot of effort has gone into making this efficient and safe. CSS is an extremely powerful tool that is closely coupled to the document’s DOM.

GWT’s designers don’t want you to touch the DOM, though.

GWT gives programmers only limited abilities to write to the DOM, and they work extremely hard to make it difficult to read the DOM. For example, the DOM.setAttribute call can be used to assign a id attribute to an HTML tag. That sounds like a really useful call, doesn’t it? I could use that to make it easy for our graphic artist to design some CSS to describe the appearance of the application. It’s deprecated, though. You’re not supposed to use it. 🙁

GWT is not for documents.

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An application is not a document, and I might be having trouble getting over that. I’ll get back to you later when I form a stronger opinion.

Writing JavaScript directly?

If you want to do something that simply cannot be done through GWT, you’re in luck. GWT has a JavaScript Native Interface that is analogous to Sun’s JNI. It works great! I use it extensively to talk to my browser plugin, for example. It’s easy to use, and it doesn’t screw up the tools any more than they should be.

This, of course, allows you to create whatever back door you want to allow you to manipulate the DOM. However, until I get a better understanding of the GWT techniques, I’m going to try to do things the GWT way. I may have more to say on this subject later. 😉
There are back doors to get there, but it’s not a real GWT application if you rewrite their tools to do it your way. Instead, you do things the SWIG way.

GWT == SWIG

Yes, that’s right. GWT has more in common with a SWIG application than a JavaScript/DOM/CSS application. Is that bad? It’s certainly a great thing if you like SWIG. I don’t have much experience with it, so I don’t yet have a strong opinion.

However, I do think it’s a great idea to emulate a well used framework instead of writing a completely new one. There are a lot of SWIG developers and ex-SWIG developers out there, and I’d guess that they’ll feel pretty comfortable in this framework.

Documentation?

The documentation is fine, and I shouldn’t complain about it. However, I could have really used this blog post before I’d started. If you start out as a native JavaScript/Prototype/Ruby on Rails developer like I did, then what I’ve said here is not completely obvious.

The Google group is great, though. I’ve gotten responses to my queries immediately.