Gaslamp ComputersBloghttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2010-03-11T19:24:51ZSquarespaceHow To: Change Facebook Privacy Settingshttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2010/2/11/how-to-change-facebook-privacy-settings.htmlGaslamp Computers2010-02-12T01:17:00Z2010-02-12T01:17:00ZWho do you want to know about the crazy party you went to last weekend? Your grandparents? Coworkers? You might be sharing information about yourself on Facebook that you had not intended to share with everyone. People have suffered embarrassment and, in some cases, lost their jobs because they did not thorougly audit their Facebook privacy settings. Don't be the next victim.
This video will show you how to go through and restrict your Facebook privacy settings. We recommend starting out with the most restrictive settings and then relaxing certain settings on a case-by-case basis.
Important Note: The only way to keep information 100% private is to not share it at all.
]]>Go Open Source: DVD Flickhttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2010/1/9/go-open-source-dvd-flick.htmlGaslamp Computers2010-01-10T01:15:00Z2010-01-10T01:15:00ZDVD Flick is a free and open source DVD authoring tool that allows you to take video files stored on your computer and turn them into a DVD. It's very easy to use. Simply add the files you'd like to put on your DVD, insert DVD into your DVD burner, and click Create DVD.
Use it to create and share DVDs of your home movies that less technical relatives can easily play on their home DVD players.
]]>"Antivirus Live" has gone viral (in a bad way)http://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/12/21/antivirus-live-has-gone-viral-in-a-bad-way.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-12-21T23:20:40Z2009-12-21T23:20:40ZOver the past week there seems to have been an outbreak in a fake (rogue) antivirus product called Antivirus Live. Fake AVs are nothing new. They hijack the user's computer until the user pays for the full version. They are sometimes referred to as ransomware or extortionware. Never purchase one of of these programs. The people that create these programs are criminals and you don't want them to have your credit card information.
Antivirus Live is particularly nasty because it renders the infected computer almost useless. It will produce a fake scan that shows dozens of fake infections. This will be followed by numerous pop-ups telling the user to buy the program. Internet traffic is redirected to the attacker's site. Legitimate security software such as antivirus and malware scanners will not run and new programs can not be installed.
The best way to deal with one of these programs is to run an anti-virus scan from a live CD. Avira offers a free one called Avira Rescue System. If you're in the San Diego area, call Gaslamp Computers at 619.793.5545 to remove Antivirus Live and learn how to prevent similar infections.
Never pay for scams like this.
]]>BOINC: Use your computer to help humanityhttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/12/16/boinc-use-your-computer-to-help-humanity.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-12-17T00:13:45Z2009-12-17T00:13:45ZWould you like to use your computer to help with cancer research? solve complex math problems? or look for life on other planets? You can.
The technology that allows this is called grid computing. Many research projects generate enormous amounts of raw data that they are simply unable to process themselves. Grid computing combines the computing power of personal computers across the world to make a virtual supercomputer. Since purchasing time on an actual supercomputer costs money, grid computing significantly lowers the cost of reasearch for projects that would otherwise be extremely expensive.
Here's how it works:
You decide what project(s) you want to be attached to.
That project sends a job to your computer over the internet.
Your computer uses its idle resources to work on the job.
Once completed, the job is sent back to the project and a new job is sent.
The great thing about the software is that it runs in the background without any interaction from you, the user. You probably won't even know it's running.
Warning: Running GridRepublic or any grid computing client can cause your computer to run hotter than normal. If your computer has cooling issues, please do not run this software.
Note: Your computer will consume slightly more power while running this software. For a detailed explanation heat and energy considerations please see this page.
]]>Go Open Source: OpenOfficehttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/12/11/go-open-source-openoffice.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-12-11T20:01:39Z2009-12-11T20:01:39ZOpenOffice is a free and open source office suite produced by Sun. It's main commercial competitor is Microsoft Office.
Word Processor - OpenOffice Writer :: Microsoft Word
Spreadsheet - OpenOffice Calc :: Microsoft Excel
Presentation - OpenOffice Impress :: Microsoft PowerPoint
Database - OpenOffice Base :: Microsoft Access
Drawing - OpenOffice Draw :: Microsoft Publisher
Math - OpenOffice Math
Compatiblity
OpenOffice is fully compatible with Microsoft Office documents. So if your friends create a document in Microsoft Office, you will be able to open and edit it in OpenOffice.
Functionality
The functionality of the two suites is very similar. Most people won't know even notice a difference because OpenOffice can do almost everything that Microsoft Office can.
Price
OpenOffice is free and all of the updates are free. It can be installed on any computer for free. Microsoft Office ranges in price from ~$100 for the Home and Student version to $500+ for the Enterprise version. You'll also need a license for each computer. In a business with 5 computers, OpenOffice can easily save you over $1000 compared to Microsoft Office.
Conclusion
OpenOffice is one of the most polished examples of open source software. It offers all the functionality of Microsoft Office for free. There is simply no reason to spend the money on Microsoft Office unless you're an enterprise user.
]]>Go Open Source: Sumatra PDF readerhttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/11/10/go-open-source-sumatra-pdf-reader.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-11-10T20:00:00Z2009-11-10T20:00:00ZSumatra PDF reader is a free and open source replacement for Adobe Reader. Sumatra development focuses on simplicity which results in very fast startup times and a small install size. Sumatra's installed size is 1.2 MB. By comparison Adobe reader is 330+ MB.
There are numerous vulnerabilities related to Adobe Reader and javascript in PDFs. If you insist on using Adobe reader please always keep it updated and disable javascript. Earlier versions of Adobe Reader have serious vulnerabilities. Sumatra does not run javascript in PDFs.
]]>Go Open Source: What is Free and Open Source Software?http://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/10/10/go-open-source-what-is-free-and-open-source-software.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-10-10T19:00:00Z2009-10-10T19:00:00ZFree and open source software (FOSS) is released under a specific type of license that allows a user to use, change, improve, and redistribute it freely. One of the essential requirements of such licenses is that users have access to the source code. Its roots are based in both a philosophy and a development model.
'Free' in free and open source software refers to freedom, not necessarily price. Think free as in "free speech" and not "free beer". Although much of the available FOSS has zero cost, it is the right that the user has the freedom to adapt the software to his/her needs that makes it free software.
'Open source' is a development model. There is no restriction on who may develop open source software. It can be developed by a large company, government, community, group, or a single individual. Since all users have access to the source code they can become co-developers. Technical users can contribute to the actual code, while non-technical users are encouraged to submit bug reports, write documentation, or simply donate to the project. This is how open source projects are able to mature and grow so fast without the funding of a large corporation.
At Gaslamp Computers, we maintain a list of high quality open source software that we use on a daily basis. We believe there is no reason for most consumers to pay for expensive commercial software when there is almost always a free and open source alternative. In many cases the open source alternative is better than commercial software.
]]>How To: Secure your email accounts with Gmail and Mozilla Thunderbirdhttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/9/15/how-to-secure-your-email-accounts-with-gmail-and-mozilla-thu.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-09-15T19:57:55Z2009-09-15T19:57:55ZThis video is based around securing your email accounts. Learn how to:
]]>How To: Manage passwords with Keepass Password Safehttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/9/11/how-to-manage-passwords-with-keepass-password-safe.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-09-11T23:12:26Z2009-09-11T23:12:26ZYou should be getting in the habit of using unique strong passwords. After accumulating hundreds of accounts with unique 20-character passwords, you'll need something to help remember them. Keepass Password Safe is that tool. With just one master password or keyfile, you can keep all of your passwords locked in an encrypted vault and access them when needed.
]]>How To: Encrypt a System Partition with TrueCrypthttp://www.gaslampcomputers.com/blog/2009/9/11/how-to-encrypt-a-system-partition-with-truecrypt.htmlGaslamp Computers2009-09-11T22:58:48Z2009-09-11T22:58:48ZTruecrypt is a free and open-source* encryption application. It can be used to encrypt system and non-system partitions. Use it to create encrypted containers on flash drives or online storage. It can also be used to create hidden partitions.
Never pay for scams like this.