Posts by happygeek

So follow the 'I have forgotten my password' procedure and Yahoo will let you reset it. If you have forgotten your uncle's first name then he can't have been a very close uncle or you are not his nephew.

Was that just one of the most idiotic spam posts yet, or was there a question hidden behind the briefest of statements made?

Please try again, if you have a question, when you are awake.

If it was an attempt at spam, of course, then go back to sleep :)

Welcome Kiran. What amn I doing? Trying to read what you are writing. Less of the 'txt' speak and more proper English with some semblance of spacing between words might help mate! :)

Much of my work was done by someone who quickly became a very close friend, and she sometimes did my work for free and never charged the going rate. Quite Often I would sit in the chair for four hours and end up paying less than £100. Sadly, I onow live too far away from Maria to consider getting any more ink from her (the drive is about an hour and forty five minutes each way).

Oddly enough, I think the BO2 multiplayer is better than BO1 by miles. Love the new load out system, love the new scorestreaks rather than killstreaks system, love the emphasis on team play for XP etc etc.

I'm no hardcore gamer (only Second Prestige 13 at the minute if proof were needed of that) but BO2 multiplay really ticks the boxes for me - to the point where I think I've only completed a couple of missions in the actual game part of the thing itself.

But can you imagine if every DaniWeb member had one? Eek!

Actually no, not for 'painting' and especially not if you are used to using brushes on canvas and just making the move to digital art. The end result is the same as the brush itself is acting in exactly the same way as a stylus as far as the tablet is concerned, but for the user the experience is much natural than using a stick with a foam blob on the end :)

Yes really, you don't get infections if you are inked by a qualified, licensed tattooist who sterilises his equipment and follows the proper guidelines.

Tattoos can swell up quite badly depending upon location. The back of my hands, for example, became balloons for a day or two. This is part of the normal healing process, with the body reacting to the fact that it has been 'attacked'. Think of a tattoo as a burn, becuase that's essentially what it is, with added ink.

Thanks and nope. And if I did, I wouldn't tell :)

Continuing with our round up of the IT security vendor view of the year to come, here's how PandaLabs, the malware research laboratory arm of Panda Security, sees 2013 stacking up in terms of threats and exploits.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, PandaLabs predicts that 2013 will be much the same as 2012 in that software vulnerabilities will take centre stage and be the main target of cyber-criminals. It is "undoubtedly the preferred method of infection for compromising systems transparently, used by both cyber-criminals and intelligence agencies in countries around the world" according to PandaLabs technical director Luis Corrons. This year we saw Java, for example, repeatedly compromised and used to infect millions of users across the globe. Adobe wasn't far behind in the infection stakes with Acrobat Reader and Flash, and sadly, multiple security flaws.

But software vulnerabilities are not the only fruit as far as infosec areas to watch in 2013. Here's what else PandaLabs predict we will be seeing a lot of in the year ahead:

Social networks: tricking users into unwittingly collaborating in order infect their computers and steal their data is, frankly, a very easy ask - there are simply no effective security applications when it comes to protecting users from themselves. Looked at in this context then, it is hardly surprising that the use of social networks makes them the preferred hunting ground for social engineers.

Skype: after pretty much replacing Messenger for most users, Skype could well become a …

See. Point proven :)

I will be 49 in just over a week now...

No, tattoos do not infect your blood. At least not unless you are having them done in prison by some bloke with a home-made gun using 'pencil lead and piss' ink.

Cost? How long is a piece of string? Seriously. Where I am (Yorkshire, England) you can work on paying between £60 and £100 per hour for custom work by a decent artist. I have probably spent a total well in excess of £5000 on my ink over the last 25 years.

As for the gross issue, that's fine. I'm glad everyone is different, that's what makes us human.

I've seen loads of animated avatars but have yet to see one that is worth having. Distracting abomination, unless you are 12 years old.

Erm, if you could be bothered to actually read the thread you would notice that someone bumped it with a follow on/new question just five days ago and it is this that was helpfully answered by JorgeM.

Yes. Ink is sexy. End of...

I hope not.

Erm, this thread is FOUR YEARS OLD. I'm guessing he has sold it by now... THREAD CLOSED

There can be no denying the impact that social media has had on business, you only have to look at the reach it has: well over a billion people between Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn subscribers. What's more, there is no sign of the social media bubble bursting just yet.

However, social media is actually much more than just a numbers game and in order for any marketing campaign to succeed then businesses simply have to understand how to embrace it properly. Indeed, the potential for extending the reach of your business and your brand has never been bigger. The time for action is now, but jumping onto the social media bandwagon without first doing your homework and making careful preparation is just inviting the wheels to fall off your campaign. And that means constructing a relevant and worthy social media marketing strategy.

DaniWeb has already covered how social video plays a key role in online advertising campaigns so I won't bother going over that same ground again. Likewise, DaniWeb has detailed why buying social media reviews is a recipe for disaster when it comes to any sensible marketing campaign that expects customer retention and brand longevity.

What we haven't done so far is compile a basic list of social media marketing campaign tips, until now...

Think of social media networks as marketing channels and match your products to those which are appropriate. The scattergun approach of simply throwing your efforts into …

Yep, seems to be. Thanks both.

I can't imagine using DaniWeb on my iPhone to be honest, that would have to be a real emergency situation for me. As my vision has become worse I tend to use the iPhone where Siri can be stirred into action, and the iPad for most everything else. The iPhone has become, and I hope everyone is sitting down, a phone more than anything else...

Looks like it's not just me. See http://www.daniweb.com/software-development/vbnet/threads/443410/how-to-creat-stack-column-chart-from-datatable-vb.net

Here's a weird one: the latest review that I have just put up here includes three images of the item being reviewed. These render perfectly fine in the editor, but are missing from the published review.

Dani/James(1)/James(2) care to take a look and see what's happening?

I'm not the greatest artist in the world, but I do like to tinker with a bit of sketching. When my vision deteriorated to the point of this becoming difficult, I turned to my iPad for assistance. Using a stylus and a drawing app I found I was able to continue sketching. The ability to magnify the canvas to whatever was comfortable for me has, quite literally, been an eye opener.

There is no doubting though, that digital art is a very different beast to getting your fingers dirty with some charcoal and a piece of paper. Mainly, it has to be said, because of the 'feel' of it. I have always liked the feel of a pencil, charcoal stick, crayon or paintbrush in my hand. The sensory experience of applying the drawing medium is part of the process. Indeed, I still finish my sketches by hand, with a charcoal stick and the help of a magnifying glass, for this very reason. Without this physical touch I don't feel that the picture is mine.

When it comes to painting, despite there being some excellent paint apps for the iPad, the inability to use a proper brush has been something of a stumbling block for me. I'm well aware that the apps in question have an almost infinite variety of brushes to use, but a digital brush is not a real one. Making the connection between your finger or a stylus and the digital brush that …

BUT please post your questions in the appropriate forums. A question about VB.NET does not go in Geeks' Lounge. I've moved it to the vb.net forum, oddly enough...

Hi Zick, asking questions and learning more is what DaniWeb is all about - along with sharing your knowledge as you progress in your programming development of course.

It's not about getting tech help with tablets, Rev, but rather getting tech help (and everything else DaniWeb) with more ease when using a tablet. The iPad DaniWeb experience isn't all it could be, certain bits of the UI are not there or do not work, and this thread was about having a more tablet-friendly version of DaniWeb for those users. However, Dani has kind of put the idea to bed as it appears I'm the major iPad using DaniWebber :)

Welcome Tapan.

Why post in purple? It's annoying, and it doesn't make your posting any easier to read. If what you have to say is worthy then you don't need flashing lights, bright colours, big pointy arrows etc as the content will stand up for itself.

The voting you refer to is for the post itself, and anyone who reads it can react to that: they can like what you've said, dislike it, think that you shouldn't have revived such an old post and down vote for that reason, appreciate that you've revived and up vote, etc etc.

That's exactly what the up and down voting system is for, giving members the ability to express appreciation or otherwise for individual postings without impacting upon the reputation of the member concerned. So in this case, I would assume, the members who have downvoted have done so as they are displeased with the specific response to such an old posting (there is probably little point replying to a posting about a Beta version of phpBB 2.1.2 from 8 years ago just to point out that it's on a higher version now and the features have changed to be honest). It doesn't mean they are out to get you, and the fact that they have not 'neg repped' you would suggest to me that they value your contributions to DaniWeb as a whole.

You're confused? I just read your question and now I am confused. Want to take another stab at it, this time so it makes some sense? :)

Zick: there are no plans for video tutorials at this point in time to the best of my knowledge (for many reasons, not least the bandwidth/resources implications)

Michael: video links can be found all over DaniWeb, in reviews and news stories as well as forum postings (however, the videos themselves are hosted elsewhere)

Hehe. My bad :)

I second that emotion. I'd love to have a better DaniWeb experience on my iPad, seeing as that's pretty much all I use when I am away from the office these days.

Network security vendor Stonesoft predicts that the top infosec threats to watch out for in 2013 will include unseen and unknown targeted cyber-attacks, espionage and hacktivism. Jarno Limnell, director of cyber-security at Stonesoft, reckons that in 2013 the security of the digital world will become an even more pressing issue, and this will lead to increasing pressure to consider international norms, rules and regulations. "As nation-states continue to invest heavily in cyber capabilities (defence and offence), it is also likely that they will be more inclined to use these capabilities and the use of cyber force in the world will increase" Limnell says "this may have severe consequences – in particular with regard to unpredictable side-effects. A single attack can spread rapidly around the world, even by a mistake. There is a myriad of players who are investing immense resources to change the cyber reality".

The top six security trends to watch for in 2013 according to Stonesoft are:

1. The world will experience more targeted cyber-attacks. The development of highly sophisticated malware by state-sponsored organisations has the potential to radically affect the speed at which the wider threat landscape evolves. Cyber threats will become more unpredictable than ever before.
2. Espionage by nation-states will continue to rise. In 2012 we saw botnets and malware silently send the whole contents of the user’s hard drive to a control machine. This will continue to be a problem in 2013. The protection of critical national infrastructure will …

If you have an AirPrint-enabled printer, the act of wireless printing from your iPhone or iPad is pretty much a no-brainer. If you don't, then there are a number of apps that use a laptop as a print server. While these, on the whole, work OK they do require that your laptop is up and running whenever you need to print something and that's inconvenient at best and often simply impractical. What would be cool would be if there were some fire and forget hardware solution that just worked with the printer you happen to already have at home. Enter the Lantronix xPrintServer, which promises to do just that. But does it work?

This little plastic box, with a slick white design, measures just 4.5" x 2.4" x 0.75" and is so light you'd hardly know you were holding it. In use, you'd hardly know you were using it either; and that's the way that this kind of peripheral should be. Lantronix claim that you 'Open it. Plug it in. Print!' and to be honest that is pretty much what I found.

This was the newly released 'Home Edition' of the xPrintServer that I had for review, and which builds on the success of the 'Network Edition' device that hit the market a year ago. It's aimed at consumers and small business with USB-connected and networked printers. I plugged the xPrintServer into my Wi-Fi router via a spare Ethernet jack and the supplied cable, then …

Welcome.

Green hat SEO = when your techniques are so old that your marketing efforts go mouldy.

See: http://www.daniweb.com/community-center/geeks-lounge/threads/442485/how-does-the-endorse-system-work

Assuming that they have rep to give, and that the post in question isn't in one of the community center forums of course :)

Before anyone points out that you could simply wear any beanie over your in-ear buds. Erm, well, yes. I had thought of that...

KitSound takes music seriously, so I wasn't that surprised when I read how in recent 'blind testing' consumers were unable to tell the difference between a set of KSDJ headphones costing under £20 and high end headphones costing up to £900 when it came to the audio output. I mention this as I was very surprised when I plonked a beanie hat with a bobble on the top and a snowflake pattern onto my head and plugged it into my iPhone; surprised by the excellent clarity, tone and warmth of sound that was being reproduced by the speakers hidden within it that is.

Obviously, fashion is in the eye of the beholder and while a purple beanie with a white snowflake pattern and a big fluffy purple bobble on the top wouldn't be my own personal choice of headgear (I am more an army-green cadet cap type of a guy), KitSound do produce these audio beanies in a range of different styles and colours so there is a good chance that you'll find something that you, or the person you are buying this for, will like.

While the fashion aspect of the audio beanie is questionable, the audio reproduction certainly isn't. Plug the supplied cable, a woven design to reduce the tangle risk, into your MP3 player, mobile phone, tablet or whatever (I tested it with my iPhone 4S) and you can start to appreciate the quality of the sound that hits your ears. And …

Research results just published by digital marketing agency Visibility IQ would appear to confirm what the savvy marketeer already knows: social video is an important driver for engagement and purchase behaviour amongst online consumers.

The research, conducted by Entertainment Media Research Ltd, was based upon interviews with more than 2,600 consumers between the ages of 15 and 64. Although the research was conducted within the UK, the results are likely to be mirrored in any markets where broadband provision is good and Internet access widespread.

The key findings of the research are as follows:

78% of UK adults who use the internet watch an online video every week. The most popular being 'personal interest or hobby' genres, which were watched by 54% of users every week. But consumers also watch online video for many other reasons, such as news (48%), music videos (45%) and movie trailers (37%).

When you start to look specifically at interest groups then the viewing incidence really rockets: 32% of users watch videos related to gaming every week, this increases to 48% amongst people who consider themselves to be ‘gamers’.

Online video is most frequently watched by males aged between 15 and 34, with 81% watching videos on a daily basis. Students are next on the list, with 78% consumption, and females between 15 and 24 are third on 73%.

When it comes to the audience reach of brand-related social video, 46% watch these every week. Some 36% also watch product …

Unfortunately I am not sure that will be possible, mainly due to the potential for setting legal precedence with regards to privacy suits etc. It's a bit of a minefield legally, as I understand it, not to mention something of an ethical trampoline if we are asking members to sign up to one set of 'rules' which we then happily break ourselves, no matter how righteous the reason.

In my never humble opinion, the answer to this is the application of that voting cap that has been mentioned. Apply it as a 'max votes per hour' type system and it would have the effect of not only stopping someone from flooding so quickly as in the LastMitch case, but give The Powers That Be an opportunity to spot the spat and hopefully deal with it in such a way as to calm things down without the need for member banning and associated unpleasantness.

We do, sort of, already have a complaints system: it's called members who are pissed off sending me a PM or email and asking me to put the world to rights, send another member to the naughty step or take a contract out on the life of a sarky moderator. More often than not this system works quite well, with a rational conversation sorting things out.

Sometimes though, and it is thankfully very rare, we get someone without any hint of maturity who deals with any issue by throwing his (and it is almost always a him) toys out of the pram and then throwing the pram at the community. Those folk there is no talking to, and they will almost always find themselves on the wrong end of my wrath and with a ban stuffed where the sun don't shine... :)

I have spent some time today upvoting posts by LastMitch and his post score has now gone from 35% to 63%.

I suggest anyone who feels strongly about all of this does the same. Between us we should be able to push it up a bit further.

At the risk of being somewhat obsessed by hitmen after one recent news story here at DaniWeb, I'm running another. This time though, it's cybercriminals and hackers who would hold your computer and data to ransom that are the target of a contract killer. The killer in question being the latest version of HitmanPro, and in the cloud 'second opinion' anti-malware file scanner that's been around for many years now. The HitmanPro.Kickstart feature, however, is brand new and really rather clever.

What it does is enable users to create a bootable USB flash drive which can then be used to start up an infected computer which has been 'locked down' by a ransomware infection. Sure, there are plenty of well documented ways of getting access to your data under such circumstances, but none that I can think of off hand are what you might call easy to use for the average computer user. And sorry folks, but for your average Windows-using Jo(e) who has got caught out by the ransomware hackers then booting with an unfamiliar Linux-based desktop environment does not count as 'easy to use' by any measure. HitmanPro.Kickstart, might be accused of not being exactly straightforward either, what with needing to create that bootable USB drive in the first place, but actually it's very step-by-step driven stuff and once booted the ransomware is removed from within a familiar Windows environment and fully automatically without a bunch of confusing manual tasks being …

Ah, thanks, that clarified things. NOT. Sigh :(

And you... do not know how to construct a question in such a way that it makes any sense at all. Want to try again?

Don't forget:

Rainbow Hat = throw everything at your SEO efforts regardless of shade

I sincerely hope not :)