Archive for October, 2005

Lessons From Donald and Martha’s Apprentices

Saturday, October 29th, 2005

Kerry Patterson, said that as strange as this may sound, you can actually learn a great deal about leadership from Donald Trump and Martha Stewart’s “Apprentice” shows.

The circumstances they’ve created on their shows are ideal for spotting both good and bad leadership. Imagine that you work for a company where they force you to invent, produce and sell a product you most likely know nothing about—and do it within just a few days. And all the while everyone is clambering over each other like castaways on a crowded life raft—someone is going to be thrown overboard at the end of the shift if their team doesn’t win.

As it turns out, these unrealistic circumstances surface a variety of behaviors that are quite helpful in selecting who might one day make a good leader. Mostly the leaders and contestants demonstrate what not to do, but you can learn from these errors as well.

As you observe the highly opinionated leaders and the tortured contestants, here are five things you should learn not to do if you want to be an effective leader:

Visit the main source to read the five things you should learn to be if you want to be a effective leader by following this link.

Five Lessons from Donald and Martha’s Apprentices

Flock web browser beta version released.

Sunday, October 23rd, 2005

flock browser Flock, a new Web browser with a social bent has been released. Although still at its beta stage, I have been testing the “developer preview” version, and it does look promising. I really think they would beat firefox hands down. But who knows time would tell, especially with the current extensions and plugins firefox has.

You can download it here.

And from other sources it is stated that…..

Flock’s all about building Web services into a browser, but the Flock folks didn’t build a Favorites-synching service of their own. Instead, they built a friendly front-end for Del.icio.us, the popular, powerful, but somewhat geeky bookmark-sharing service. Among other things, that means you can get to the favorites you create in Flock even when you’re using another browser, as well as share your favorites with other Del.icio.us users. Right now, you’ve got to create a Del.icio.us account to use Flock’s synching feature, but the company says it’ll support other bookmark sites in the future.

The leverage-existing-services philosophy extends to blogging: Flock’s blog editor works with Blogger, WordPress, and Movable Type. And it talks to Flickr to let you blog about photos that you (or other people) have taken. A nifty drag-and-drop, clipboard-like tool called the Shelf lets you tuck away bits of Web content for later blogging.

Like I say, Flock is definitely still a work in progress: Its site notes that bookmark importing isn’t finished and that Movable Type support isn’t fully baked (which is why I’m not posting this from within Flock). The site also makes mention of Flock supporting some Firefox extensions, but the two indispensable ones I tried to install—Greasemonkey and the A9 Toolbar—wouldn’t work. (Although if I were to leave Firefox behind for Flock, I probably wouldn’t need A9 anymore, since Flock more or less replicates its functionality.)

As far as I can tell (and I could be confused here), Flock also doesn’t sync Collections you create between multiple copies of the browser, so the synching it offers isn’t truly comprehensive. (Wouldn’t it be swell if there was a browser someday that silently synched absolutely everything, from your bookmarks to your privacy settings, between all the computers that you used it on?)

It’s nice to see that the browser wars aren’t just continuing—they’re spawning new products tailored to the needs of particular types of people. Unlike Firefox, which does a sensational job of appealing to the needs of just about anyone who uses the Net, Flock is more focused. If you’re not a bookmark maniac and don’t have a blog, you may not find anything here to lure you away from your current browser.

Source: PCWORLD

An Indian’s Discovery

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

An Indian discovered that nobody can create a folder anywhere named as “con” . Not only “con” but you can not create folder named as “aux” and “nul”. This is something pretty cool…and unbelievable… At Microsoft the whole Team, including Bill Gates, couldn’t answer why this happened! Try it out yourself…

My yahoo password nearly fell victim

Tuesday, October 11th, 2005

well I was chatting with my partner and all of a sudden a message came which didnt look like it came from him.

(MASS) Checkout this site injoy http://www.geocities.com/tracity/?200529?20057

Stupidly, out of a rush, because the person happens to be my partner, I clicked on the link, and well it brought about a yahoo login screen, well I did think it was a yahoo member site, you know the group sorta thingy that requires you to enter your username and password before you login. well so it is, I entered my username and password, I fell for it. But something caught my attention, the page wasnt in english, besides a geocities site which it was, it looks a bit wierd. I knew something was wrong. Wooohoo, password stolen.

Well so i had to rush back to yahoo, change my yahoo password immediately. And here I am happily blogging, almost a victim of password theft. Well how can I be sooo stupid ???

Dont enter your password if you decide to check the link out. Dont say I didnt warn you

Microsoft vs (Google and Sun)?

Saturday, October 8th, 2005

google and sun

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Internet search giant Google and network computing company Sun Microsystems have entered into a multi-year agreement to distribute Sun’s software technologies, a move some say is meant to offer users an alternative to Microsoft products

Well just an analogy but I mean lets face it, Google joins forces with Sun and then what? Dont ask me, but Sun, the developers of Java for goodness sake :o?? Do you smell something fishy? They even refused to disclose what the pact was all about, as stated in the news and I quote


Both Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Sun CEO Scott McNealy kept mum on the specifics of the partnership, apart from announcing a deal to distribute the popular Google toolbar, which allows users to search both the Web and their desktops through Sun’s Java Runtime Environment, a software package that needs to be installed on a machine in order to run Java technology-based applications. As part of the deal, users who download the JRE software package will have the option of downloading the Google Toolbar.

Well but the question still remains, is Microsoft in trouble? Well we cant really say much as at now but time would tell. For Futher reading, visit the source @ http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/04/technology/google_sun/index.htm?cnn=yes .

Technology Fueling Wave of Phishing Scams

Friday, October 7th, 2005

On a recent scan read on the articles in the Tech area of the washington post, I paused at an article titled “Technology Fueling Wave of Phishing Scams” By Brian Krebs to give it a thorough read. And It was indeed worth it. It came out very educative.

It started out with a very interesting replay on the virtual interactions that is very common in carding IRC Chatrooms. This article makes the scenarios and the issues humourous whilst still maintaining the gravity of the situation at stake. It began with……

It was just a name, one of dozens flowing by in a little-known Internet chat room for identity thieves. Sandwiched between requests to barter various kinds of ill-gotten data (“Trading one valid [credit card] for my 5mb proxy list or hosting” ... “[need] linux host to put my site on.. i have cvv2’s, msg me to deal”) and inane chatter (“wat u upto?”) came the simple, unadorned lines: “card type: Debit Card … Name: Dallas Thomas … city: Stillwater … state: ok.”

The article went on, relating the various scenarios, which Inadvertently brings about the question, whether there was anything like privacy, especially when it comes to Credit cards online. This question does arise, with the type of information that could be fetched from hacked online databases, just by keying in the credit card number of the victim. Well we can all see that the protocols of validation is bringing about security peril now. Peoples identity is at stake !!

Although many disturbing issues where raised, There was a particular area that cracked me up. Subtitled “Honour among Thives?“. Relaying the scenarios of the possibility of a scammer scamming another scammer.The interchange of scamming itself needs to be secured in the aspect of ensuring that the seller, gets paid for the fraudulent information rendered.An excerpt from that goes like this…..

The seller must find a trustworthy “casher”—someone who will convert stolen credit cards into cash without absconding with more than their agreed-upon portion of the money—while trying to stay one step ahead of law enforcement and corporate sleuths. For the buyer, the tough part is verifying that the data for sale is legitimate and usable.

Its really alarming on the degree this scamming has reached. I am really concerned. The article really brings out everything that goes on underground. The questions that is still left at large are . Would there be a future solution, to bring a halt to this fraudulent transactions ?. andWhat would the future of e-commerce be like, in relation to the security concerns which remains at large?The article anyway is a worth read.

You can read the article Here.

My Friendship Life.

Thursday, October 6th, 2005

Firstly a lot of people actually get the idea of friendship entirely wrong, from my own personal perspective. When it comes to friends, I honestly can count them. One , Two. I only have two people, I can call my friend. That wasnt hard? well so it is. I do have a problem, and so do everybody out there. But my problem is quite unique, My problem is I find it hard to make friends and also to keep mum about something bothering me. One reason for the later which is making friends is because people cant tolerate my openess and sincerity (I always speak my mind), some people call it “pride” (wierd)? and the second reason because I dont just pick friends from the streets. But for the previous, that is speaking my mind, comes from the part of who is really me that can never be seperated from me, its part of what makes me, me.

You have to be ready to be my friend, as in the relationship has to build up, from you tolerating me and I also tolerating you over a long period of time. Which means you do appreciate me for who I am, and I also do appreciate you, for who you are and thus the real meaning and purpose of being friends is should I say “established”? and this comes from a lot of tolerance, understanding and appreciation. Tweaking who is me, to suit your needs does not arise at all, which means I dont expect you to tweak yourself, just be you, and I would appreciate that fact. Not something that is possibly achieved in a day. It takes months or even years, and thats why I said I only have two friends. Tolerance and appreciation is very important, otherwise I would just rule that association as an abject hypocrisy relationship, to satisfy you or the other person’s needs. We do not need to suck up to make friends, we can just be colleagues, or even what i call the “knowant” you know me, I know you situation. its quite easy and simple. We can talk when we need to, share ideas when we need to, but dont expect me to be there for you when you need me, and all that rubbish as in I have to do things to please you. I am really sincere about that. nothing to hide. This is because you are not my friend, and you are just like any other person out there, If I do help you please consider it as charity, it is that simple.

Now this so called friends of mine, what do we share? Everything entirely and we do not even quarrel over things. Our misunderstandings end with just the blabberings and we are back to another subject and life goes on. Well works for me that way.

Do we need a lot of friends in our lives? I would say Nope, because friends are troubles, and I know a lot of people know that. But why do you then accumulate trouble if you know they are one? I really dont understand that. Well human nature I suppose. And so it is.

My friendship life is very simple, and I honestly enjoy it. Is there anything like friendship life? Dont ask me? But I said it? hmmm its my blog . hehehehe.

Scammers on my windows server

Wednesday, October 5th, 2005

I hate scammers, and when I find one, I really dont take it litely. A recent guy had the courage to host 2 accounts on my windows server. One of his accounts posses as a bank, and the other a lottery site. Does it ring a bell? Oh yes idiots, and the funny thing they added an access code to the index page thinking i wont be able to realise it.

Well I became very suspicious when the guy was complaining of his inability to upload, so I decided to check it, and “wolla” there it is, scammer. Two accounts. One bank and One Lottery site. The funny thing is you need access code to be able to access the website. Cool technique han? Well they hosted with the wrong company :D, poor them, took me less than 20 seconds to get in, idiots.

Please I shout again, to all Scammers out there, please stay away from Nairahost. Dont waste your money, we dont love you, especially Kayode Muyibi. He hates scammers soo much. Just stay away. Is this the reason why the server was victimised last week? I really dont know. Hmm I need to investigate on this futher. If you want to have a look at the pages, send me an email, and I would be glad to facilitate you with the links, for now the accounts are suspended. I didnt post the URLS here for obvious reasons. Bed time, 3:59am.

Google Introduces Electronic Funds Transfer.

Wednesday, October 5th, 2005

google adsense
google electronic transfer

In what I would call, a step to reduce the burden of sending cheques to adsense customers that happen to come from all over the world, google has introduced another adsense income withdrawal option, “The Electronic Funds Transfer“. The Electronic Funds Transfer which is still under Beta stage, would allow adsense customers to be able to withdraw their money to their respective bank accounts in their home countries. Well is this a technique to just plugin the “google purse” unexpectedly? Well who knows, but honestly this is a good move towards satisfying customer needs especially those in third world countries like Africa who face a lot of troubles in getting their cheques cleared. Even I personally, would love to use that feauture rather than waiting for weeks for the cheque to come by and then more weeks before it gets cleared.

But what happened to google purse? Is it still under developement? How soon. Would it be feature packed? I cant wait. But then again I have to :). Lets wait and see.

How do I sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer?

To sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), you’ll first need your bank account information, including your account number and, depending on your payment address, your branch number, routing number, or other identifying information. The sign-up wizard will list the required information and includes brief instructions on finding each item.

To sign up for EFT:

1. Sign in to your account at www.google.com/adsense
2. Click My Account
3. Click the edit link adjacent to the Payment Details header
4. Select the Electronic Funds Transfer radio button
5. Click Continue
6. Enter the requested bank account information. Your account page will provide details on what information is required – if you’re unsure, please contact your bank to obtain this information. Click Save Changes
7. At this point, we’ll begin the process of depositing a small test amount into the bank account you specified. Check your bank statements after 4-10 days to find a deposit from ‘Google’ or from ‘BFS’



Once you have the test deposit amount:




1. Click the My Account tab

2. In the Payment Details section, click Verify this account

3. In the box provided, enter the test deposit amount that you received in your bank account

4. Click Next. Once you have entered your test deposit verification amount correctly, your
bank account will be approved and automatically selected as your form of payment


Well visiting the google adsense blog it says and I quote

Bye, bye, beta…
If you’ve logged into your account in the past couple days, you might’ve noticed that Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT for short) is officially out of beta. So what’s changed? Our process for verifying bank account information has improved.

After you submit your bank account information, we will place a small test deposit into your bank account for you to keep. Once you see this test deposit credited to your account, just input the amount of the deposit into your AdSense account to help us verify your bank account information.

Testing your bank account before we make your payments means a greater chance of an error-free deposit. From now on, if you choose to use EFT, you can rest assured that we’re taking the steps to make your payment successful.

We’re excited about this launch and want to thank all of you who took part in our beta testing phase. We appreciate your help.

What does this mean? that it is fully operational now? well Google you really need to remove the beta sign now :D

Spread Firefox hacked!!

Tuesday, October 4th, 2005

What is happening to hackers this days? I really do not understand the motives behind some attack or should I call it vunurability analysis?. Why would someone, want to exploit the vunurability of the Spread Firefox site for goodness sake?


The Spread Firefox Team became aware this week that the server hosting
Spread Firefox, our community marketing site, has been accessed by
unknown remote attackers who attempted to exploit a security
vulnerability in TWiki software installed on the server. The TWiki
software was disabled as soon as we were aware of the attempts to access
SpreadFirefox.com. This exploit was limited to SpreadFirefox.com and
did not affect mozilla.org web sites or Mozilla software.

This is the second time, last time was in July if I aint mistaken.
Well the good news is no sensitive information was stolen. But well the site is currently down as a precautionary measure, and they are re-building it again from scratch. What a pity :(