Archive for category technology
Reset a WordPress password
Posted by Randy in Applications, Internet, technology, Web Development on January 24, 2012
I'll make this post short and sweet. Let's say you've forgotten your login for a WordPress site. To reset the password to something new, you can simply use a SQL query. If you have access to PHPMyadmin or the MySQL command line, this is really straight forward.
From PHPMyAdmin, open the database for the WordPress installation. If you don't know which database to use, check out your wp-config.php file inside your main WordPress installation folder. You'll find constants defined in that file for your database name and database user. Once you've found the database, you can execute a SQL statement by clicking the SQL button. In there, type:
UPDATE wp_user SET user_pass = MD5("yourpassword") WHERE user_login = "admin";
That's assuming that your username is "admin". Change it to whatever username you are using. Once you run that SQL statement, your password will be set to whatever you put in "yourpassword". Both the username and password need to be quoted in the SQL statement.
To do the same thing in the MySQL command line, connect to the database with:
mysql -u<username> -p
Substitute <username> with your actual username from the wp-config.php file.
You will be prompted for a password. Use the password from the wp-config.php file.
Once you are logged into the mysql command problem type:
USE <databaseName>
Substitute the actual database name from the wp-config.php file.
Finally, type the update statement above and hit enter.
After you've updated the table via SQL, you should be able to login to your WordPress installation.
Don’t Save Your Password
Posted by Randy in Security, technology on January 24, 2012
It's common practice for software developers to put options in their programs to save password. Web browsers allow one to save passwords. This is terrible functionality to have built into any program. Passwords are there for a reason. They are there to keep others out and let you in. Saving passwords in your browser is a terrible habit to start. This is especially true with a laptop.
If your computer is stolen, the thief not only has a nice new toy, they also have access to anything you have saved on the laptop. All one has to do to access passwords on your browser is open up the browser options and manage stored passwords.
There's also the factor of forgetting your own passwords. Saving your password makes in much more likely that you'll forget the password.
There's no real good reason to store your password. Storing passwords is not only a lazy practice, it is also a terrible "feature" of any software.
A Free “Net Nanny” Solution using OpenDNS
Posted by Randy in Internet, Networking, technology on January 22, 2012
Many internet users understand that a large portion of the internet is pornographic in nature. Many parents want to restrict their children from being able to view pornographic sites, and with sites like Youporn and other "porn tubes" which do not require identification or a credit card, this is even harder to restrict. There are programs available to block such sites, but sometimes they aren't very effective, and there are easy ways around them.
There is a good alternative for parents in their search, however. OpenDNS, which is a free DNS service with many features, has built in site blocking capabilities. You simple sign up for an OpenDNS account at http://opendns.com and configure your router to use the OpenDNS servers. That last part isn't as hard as it sounds, but it's different on various routers. Typically the DNS settings are in the main router configuration settings. It will typically be set to automatically use the DNS servers provided by your ISP. You should be able to use manual DNS servers, however, and you can find the IPs for these servers at the bottom of your OpenDNS account page.
Once you have your router using OpenDNS's servers, you can configure your home network's settings on the OpenDNS accounts page. There are various levels of blocking, plus you can block individual domains if you want. They also have good stats available, if you enable it. This will track all domain name requests and show you what everyone on your home network has been looking at. I'd say a few wives just raised their eyebrows.
Of course, with enough know how, one can get around these types of blocks, just like any other block. Most children will not know how to do this, however. Tech savvy teenagers may have more ability to get around these blocks, but once they are at the point where they'll go to such great lengths to look at porn, just let them do it. They aren't going to listen to you anyway 
So you forgot your router password?
Posted by Randy in Boring Stuff, technology, Tips on January 22, 2012
A friend messaged me on Facebook yesterday, because she was trying to connect to her home router but had forgotten the password. She offered to pay me to fix it, but somehow I feel dishonest for taking money from people when their problem is so simple. So, in this blog entry I thought I'd take the time to tell everyone how to quickly fix a problem like this.
Generally speaking, all home routers have a reset in the back. It may be a small button or a recessed pin-hole button. Either way, to reset your router to factory defaults, simple press and hold this button for a few seconds. You can also Google search for your particular router model to find specific details about this. Some routers require the power to be plugged into the router while this is happening. Some require that you hold the button for ten seconds, while other models can be messed up by doing this. Simply search for your router model and find out how to reset it from the manufacturer.
After you have reset the router, you can either login to it using a default login (also available from a Google search of the router model) or you can use the supplied router software to set it back up for your home network.
I know there are plenty of people who make a living at fixing simple things like this for people, but these are really things that people should try to fix themselves. I sense a general fear of technology from a lot of people, and I want to eventually change this. When someone approaches me to fix something for them, I usually judge from experience how much knowledge is required to fix the problem. If it's something that can be fixed with very little knowledge and only the ability to read, I usually point them to another resource. Of course, most people want an expert to fix something so they know that it is done correctly, but most of the technology today isn't geared toward experts. It's geared toward normal users. Sometimes I wish this was not the case, for various reasons.
Such is the case with desktop computers in general. Windows is an OS that can be used by just about anyone, but it's also very easy for anyone to mess up their computer through their actions. The easy desktop is a double edged sword.
Typing While Drunk Speedtest
Posted by Randy in Hardware, technology on January 19, 2012
I recently tested my typing speed on various different keyboards and thought it'd be a good idea to test that typing speed while drunk. I'm typing this while pretty tipsy, as a matter of fact. Disregard any typos.
This isn't a scientific test but after about 7 beers, my typing speed is around 58 WPM. I average around 74 WPM, depending upon which keyboard I'm using. I recently average around 81 WPM on this particular keyboard. So that is a 23 WPM (drunk math) decrease in typing speed due mainly to mistakes. My actual speed is probably about the same but there's a definite increase in mistakes.
I'd like to hear from others. What's your drunk typing speed?
Adding shares to your Serviio library
Posted by Randy in Cool Videos, Networking, Operating Systems, technology on January 12, 2012
Let's say you are running Serviio as a media server on your Windows machine and you want add share folders to the library. You may find that the share locations show up on your media device but your actual files do not. This is because Serviio is running as a service on your computer and it's probably being started by the default "System" user. That user may not have access to your shares, especially if you have the shares mounted using specific user credentials. There's two things I can show you to fix this issue.
First, when you add the folders to Serviio make sure to add them via the "network". In other words, if you have the shares mounted as mapped drives, don't use the mapped drive letters. I experienced some issues when doing it that way. Secondly, you'll want to configure the service to run under your user account. Here's the step-by-step:
First open control panel and open Administrative Tools:
Next double-click "Services":
Find the Serviio Service:
Right click on it and choose "Properties":
Click on the "Log On" tab and set the credentials for the user which has access to the Windows Share:
Hit OK and stop/start the service by right clicking on it and choosing "Stop". After it stops, right click again and choose "Start".
You should now be able to access the files from your media device (PS3, Xbox360, and other).
Cool Christmas Gift Idea
Posted by Randy in technology on December 12, 2011
Looking for a cool gift for Christmas? I found a cheap little device that would be awesome for just about anyone. It's called the WikiReader. For around 20 bucks, you get a device contains the entire Wikipedia encyclopedia in English. It comes with a four gigabyte SD card. It has a touchscreen display with an onscreen keyboard. Your information will always be up-to-date because there are updates available for the device quarterly. For $20, it's a hell of a deal. Wikipedia has over 3 million topics and contains the equivalent of 1,000 volumes.
Some people may dispute the accuracy of some of the things in Wikipedia, because it can be updated by anyone. This is very much a testament to open source in general. Even though anyone can edit Wikipedia, it can also be checked and verified by the community. I've always found that Wikipedia is as accurate (and sometimes more so) than any World Book or Britannica. Here's a link to the item:
http://bestsellingauctions.com/index.php/shop/comments/220910497098
This is one of my new sites. It is designed to add better communication to auction listings. I'm really excited about the site, and I'm looking for participant in the community.