Bauer-Power Media

Bauer-Puntu 13.04 is Alive! Download It Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Well I finally got it done. I finished up Bauer-Puntu 13.04. This time I decided to cut out a lot of the stuff I don't really use. stuff like Metasploit, SET, and some other hacking tools. If you want to do some serious pentesting, Bauer-Puntu really isn't for you. If you want to do that, I suggest downloading BackTrack.

Bauer-Puntu is still cool though. I mean, I am a Systems Engineer by trade, and therefore I decided to keep the stuff I do use quite a bit. Stuff like chntpw to reset local administrator passwords in Windows, as well as a number of encryption tools to keep the NSA and the FBI from snooping on you, or at the very least, keep them guessing a little bit. I also kept stuff like GParted for offline disk re-sizing, and some other stuff as well.

Also, I brought back Cairo-Dock. I tried installing Cinnamon again this time, but it kept crashing for some reason so I scrapped it. I also built it using Xubuntu, so the window manager is XFCE, and should be rather light.

Here is the list of the goodies I installed this time:

GParted - Disk Partitioner
CHNTPW - Windows Password Cracker
ClamTK - Antivirus
VirtualBox - Free Virtualization Software
Adobe Flash
Java
CheckGmail
Parcellite
Yarssr
LastPass Chrome Plugin
Wireshark
LOIC – Windows based DoS tool running with Mono
Pidgin + Off The Record – Instant messaging with encryption
Thunderbird + Enigmail – Email with GnuPG encryption
Openshot – Multi-track video editor
Aircrack NG - Wireless cracking tools
TOR Browser Bundle - Secure Anonymous Browsing
Fern Wifi Cracker - GUI Wireless cracker including WPS
Reaver - Terminal WPS cracker
Truecrypt - File Encryption
Truecrack - Truecrypt Volume Brute Force Tool
NMAP
Netcat
Ettercap-NG - For MiTM Fun
IPList - Keep "The Man" from snooping on your torrent downloads
UFW Firewall
Friends - Social Networking Client
Open-vm-tools - For use in VMWare
VirtualBox Guest Additions - For use in VirtualBox
Keepass - Encrypted Password Vault
WPScan - Wordpress Vulnerability Scanner
MyMail-Crypt - Chrome Extension For PGP in Gmail

Here are some screenshots:

Desktop

LOIC

Fern WIFI Cracker

Installation

Installing With Full Disk Encryption

Launching Tor

Tor Browser Bundle

Bauer-Power Plymouth Splash

There were some quirks this go around. For one, I had to install GDM instead of LightDM because there was a bug where you couldn't modify the wallpaper of the login screen. Also, since I build this using VirtualBox, I had to manually create a custom.conf file and slip it into the /etc/gdm directory while Remastersys was building. Otherwise the live CD wouldn't auto-login. Finally, I had to jump in and remove vboxadd user from the tmpusers file in the Remastersys build directory as well before the ISO was generated. Not sure why that was being added in...

Anyway, you can download Bauer-Puntu 13.04 here:

Bauer-Puntu ISO (MD5 03d8a9992ae0a73db5e6ab234798d0df)
Bauer-Puntu Torrent

If you download the torrent, I ask that you please seed for 24 hours to help me out, otherwise it may be a very slow download.

Other than that, if you have any questions hit me up in the comments below!

New Firefox Plugin Detects If You Are Being Spied On By The NSA

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

[RT] Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day? The government is likely logging even the most mundane day-to-day computer habits of millions of Americans, but there’s a way to stand up against surveillance while also rocking out.

According to leaked NSA documents published by The Guardian last week, the United States National Security Agency is conducting dragnet surveillance of the communications of Americans, regularly receiving phone records for millions of Verizon customers while also being capable of accessing the conversations that occur over Facebook, Google and several other major Internet names through a program called PRISM. Now a 28-year-old artist and developer from Brooklyn, New York has found a fun way of warning computer users about potential government surveillance, and he’s incorporated one of the best-selling rock albums ever in the process.

Justin Blinder released a plugin for the Web browser Firefox this week, and he’s already seeing a positive response in the press if not just based off of the idea alone. His “The Dark Side of the Prism” browser extension alerts Web surfers of possible surveillance by starting up a different song from Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic “The Dark Side of the Moon” each time a questionable site is crossed.

Blinder told the Guardian that he built the program over the course of four hours with the hopes he could "create some sort of ambient notification that you are on a site that is being surveiled by the NSA."

Read full story

Google Glass: Creepy or Useful?

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:06:00 +0000

Google Glass is eyeglasses that allow you to connect with friends through social networks, make phone calls, surf the Internet and do a myriad of other amazing, helpful things just with your voice. It gives a second-screen experience, popping up all the information you would usually see on your cellphone or computer screen right before your eyes. It may appear scary at first, as you will literally be connected to your technology and almost unable to avoid seeing a message or an update.

TV and Glass

Google is revolutionizing the media industry by connecting Glass and Google TV using a Wi-Fi connection. Viewers will be able to see a second screen with data, according to Forbes, Twitter comments, ad integration and more. With the new opportunities Google Glass gives to TV broadcasting, it wouldn’t be surprising to see new packages in additions to ones like HD or premium channels. A basic subscription runs about $30 per month, according to Direct TV, but sports and other live shows that offer feeds from Glass-wearers could become an option. Glass will use personal experiences from the day to suggest what TV programs to watch at night. Ads could be tailored to the viewer, as opposed to having to sit through various ads that aren't applicable to your lifestyle.

How Dâ€‹o I Look?

However, there are a number of different aspects to Google Glass that have to be taken into account by both Google and the general public before we truly know how the new technology will effect the consumer. For one, there’s the aesthetic quality that is already being mocked on various blogs and tumblrs, like the hilarious White Men Wearing Google Glass. Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen poked fun at Glass during Weekend Update, making the concept awkward and ridiculous. Though the SNL sketch places Glass in a poor light, the comedy star tried the real product with tech blog Engadget and looks much more impressed by the official tech compared to his character on SNL (though he still had trouble wearing them with his glasses).

Google is a step ahead of SNL and Mr. Armisen's qualms with Glass and normal eyeglasses. It's working with eyeglass manufacturer Warby Parker to design more attractive frames for the technology. This will also allow them to serve millions of people with prescription glasses needs.

Nothing is perfect when it's first created — think first generation iPod, brick cellphone and computers that take up an entire room. Currently Google Glass is comparable to Bluetooth devices, pocket protectors and cases for cellphones on people’s belts, according to FactCompany.com. In other words, not cool looking. Google will undoubtedly pump hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, into this image issue to keep it from effecting their plan with Google Glass and most people will respond — assuming the technology wows them as it should.

Durability and Price

Can Google Glass be made into something that is both affordable for the general public (in the range of an iPhone) and not break easily, so that Google won’t have to cover every problem that arises with the product. Like any physical device that is ever sold, this will not fully be known until the glasses hit the marketplace—much like iPhones were notorious for breaking when they were dropped from even low heights for their first few generations. In other words, we won’t really know if Google Glass will be a success until we are all each using it ourselves.

Firefox/Chrome Plugin That Allows You To Schedule Sending Emails on Gmail

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

I have always enjoyed the ability to schedule sending an email from Outlook at a specific time. Sometimes knowing an email has to go out precisely at say, 7PM Eastern Time on June 12th for instance, you could type up your email now and schedule it to send precisely at that time.

Well, I needed to do that today in order to participate in Operation Troll The NSA, which is asking everyone in the world to email a particular script at the the same time. The script contains a number of key words that the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security uses to look for particular terrorist threats in our supposedly private emails and phone calls. The idea is that if millions of people sent an email with the same buzzwords at the same time it may succeed in jamming up the NSA's PRISM system.

Will it work? Who knows? That's besides the point. The point is that I wanted to schedule this email to send at precisely 4:00PM Pacific today, but I wanted to schedule it from Gmail. That feature is not natively built in, but I found a Firefox/Google plugin that will let you do it. It's called Boomerang!

From their page:

Send an email later
With Boomerang, you can write an email now and schedule it to be sent automatically at the perfect time. Just write the message as you normally would, then click the Send Later button. Use our handy calendar picker or our text box that understands language like "next Monday" to tell Boomerang when to send your message. We'll take it from there.

The best follow up reminders
Want a cleaner inbox, but don't want to lose track of important messages? Use Boomerang to take messages out of your inbox until you actually need them. Just click the Boomerang button when you have an email open, and choose when you need it again. Boomerang will archive the message. At the time you chose, we'll bring it back to your inbox, marked unread, starred, or even at the top of your message list.

Remind you if you don't hear back
There are times you need to make sure you follow up within a specific time frame after sending a message. You can select to only be reminded if nobody replies, or regardless. This way you won't let messages slip through the crack and will never forget to follow up with people.

Pretty cool right? How do you schedule emails to send at a particular time? Do you use Outlook, Boomerang or something else? Let us know in the comments.

The Makers of StartPage and IxQuick Are Launching A Private Email Service

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

The makers of the private search engine StartPage and IxQuick are getting ready to launch a new email service that boasts of privacy. This is huge due to the recent (public) revelations that the NSA is spying on all of us and reading your email. The new service is called StartMail.

How To Change The Default VLAN on A Dell PowerConnect 3448P So You Can Use VLAN 1 As A Trunk With All VLANs Tagged

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

A little over a year ago we had a crappy in-house Panasonic PBX for our phone system. Nobody knew how to configure it, and the consultant we hired to work on it, who is the only Panasonic guy in town, changed jobs. We decided to retire it and go with a hosted VoIP provider.

The problem at the time was the crappy switches that the IT guy who I replaced used to build the network originally were dumb, un-managed switches. I knew that if we were going with VoIP we needed to separate the SIP traffic to it's own VLAN, which meant we needed managed switches.

Well since my company is also very cheap, I couldn't spend any money on decent CISCO Catalyst switches, and we ended up with these really terrible Trendnet TEG-448WS switches that could handle VLANs fine, but were super basic when it came to QoS, which is important in VoIP.

After over a year of random drops, and other irritating issues, we had a VoIP company come in to make a recommendation. Mainly, I wanted a 3rd party to come in and confirm what I had been trying to say for a while, which was that we needed better switches.

They still wouldn't let me get a CISCO Catalyst, but they did let me buy some refurbished Dell PowerConnect 3448P's. These switches had more robust QoS features, but they had an interesting problem on their own. By default, you can't modify VLAN 1. It is considered the Native VLAN, or the Default VLAN. That means that all ports are untagged on VLAN 1, and you can't change that. Well, I should say, it's kind of a pain, hence this article, but it can be done.

In order to use VLAN 1 in a true trunk, which is what I wanted to do, you need to be able to set a port to be tagged on all VLANs. Now, you might be saying, why not just set the port on the device you are connecting to as untagged? Then there isn't an issue right? That's true, but the device I was connecting to was a Fortigate 60C Firewall, and it wouldn't give me that option. All VLAN interfaces on that unit are tagged, and cannot be set to untagged. At least, I don't know how to do that.

So what I had to do was to change the VLAN number of the default VLAN on my Dell PowerConnect 3448P. You cannot do this through the web interface either by the way, you have to do this through the terminal. I recommend doing it using the serial port. Also, once you do this, the original IP will be wiped out, so prepare for that. I set mine to 600, because I wasn't going to use it.

Here's what I did:

Create a new vlan

enable > configure > vlan database > vlan 600
Set the new vlan as the default vlan

default-vlan vlan 600
Save your config, then reboot the device

end > copy ru st

reload
Create a new vlan 1

enable > configure > vlan database > vlan 1
Set a new IP for vlan 1

exit > interface vlan 1 > ip address 192.168.0.8 255.255.255.0
Set a new IP for vlan 600

exit > interface vlan 600 > ip address 192.168.1.8 255.255.255.0
Plug your laptop into one of the ports, it should be untagged with vlan 600.
Give a static ip to your laptop on that subnet, and browse to the ip address of vlan 600
Login to the web interface, and now you can start tagging and untagging ports on vlan 1 through the gui.

Kind of a pain in the butt I agree, and I know that using VLAN 1 is not technically the best practice, but that is how the network is setup, and it would be an even bigger pain in the butt to correct it than it is to just change the default VLAN on this switch.

Did this help you out? Are you in a similar situation? Let us know about it in the comments.

How To Install Cinnamon in Ubuntu 13.04 and Remove Unity

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Jeffpro57)

I am finally getting around to building Bauer-Puntu 13.04. The first thing I wanted to do was install Cinnamon. I am building Bauer-Puntu 13.04 using Ubuntu-Gnome, so getting rid of Unity isn't something I am concerned with, but if you are I found the following instructions via Ask Ubuntu:

First you will need to add the Cinnamon PPA and install it.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cinnamon nemo

After Cinnamon is installed, logoff or reboot the system and login in Cinnamon. You can customize it now, or later, it's up to you.

Now you will need to make Nemo the default file manager.

xdg-mime default nemo.desktop inode/directory application/x-gnome-saved-search
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background show-desktop-icons false
gsettings set org.nemo.desktop show-desktop-icons true

Then run the command below, if Nemo opens this means that everything is configured correctly.

xdg-open $HOME

Now, let's get rid of Unity.

I searched carefully at all the files related to Unity, with the help of Synaptic, and gather them all into a single command line. The next command will completely remove Unity and everything related with it, but will keep LightDM, Software Center and all the programs that comes with Ubuntu.

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge unity unity-common unity-services unity-lens-* unity-scope-* unity-webapps-* gnome-control-center-unity hud libunity-core-6* libunity-misc4 libunity-webapps* appmenu-gtk appmenu-gtk3 appmenu-qt* overlay-scrollbar* activity-log-manager-control-center firefox-globalmenu thunderbird-globalmenu libufe-xidgetter0 xul-ext-unity xul-ext-webaccounts webaccounts-extension-common xul-ext-websites-integration

Please note that there are a few libraries that will remain in the system, they are necessary, removing them will break your programs and possibly the system. These libraries should remain:

gir1.2-unity-5.0 libunity-common libunity-protocol-private0 libunity9 unity-asset-pool unity-greeter

There is a Thunderbird extension called “Messaging Menu and Unity Launcher integration” that needs to be removed from its folder.

sudo rm /usr/lib/thunderbird-addons/extensions/messagingmenu@mozilla.com.xpi

Cinnamon uses Muffin as window manager, so you can safely remove Compiz.

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge compiz compiz-gnome compiz-plugins-default libcompizconfig0

If you installed Nemo you can remove Nautilus as well.

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge nautilus nautilus-sendto nautilus-sendto-empathy nautilus-share

Optionally, you can remove Zeitgeist, which is considered intrusive by many users, this will also free some memory and reduce hard disk access.

zeitgeist-daemon --quit
sudo apt-get autoremove --purge activity-log-manager-common python-zeitgeist rhythmbox-plugin-zeitgeist zeitgeist zeitgeist-core zeitgeist-datahub

You can also remove configurations files related to Unity, Compiz, Nautilus and Zeitgeist, on your home directory. They are in the following paths:

~/.local/share/unity-webapps

~/.compiz

~/.config/compiz-1

~/.config/nautilus

~/.local/share/nautilus

~/.local/share/zeitgeist

Want A '4K TV'? You Should, Here's Why

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Just when you think there is no possible way technology could advance any further, manufacturers come out with some new gadget that blows your mind away. Such is the case with the 4K TV, otherwise known as the new big deal in entertainment.

What Is A 4K Television?

Essentially, the term 4K is used to denote any television with a resolution of four times the usual HD resolution, or in many cases still greater. The minimum resolution that can still be considered a 4K television is 3840 X 2160. As many newer 4Ks go well beyond this resolution, viewers will often also refer to other TVs with resolutions in the 4000 range as 4Ks. The official label for this type of television is Ultra HD, so consumers may occasionally hear the two names interchanged with one another.
Models of this type of television released thus far have all been quite large, with the most notable version probably being the 84-inch Sony XBR, says www.Forbes.com. However, Sony has made headway with the release of a smaller, 55-inch model and other television manufacturers are looking to follow suit.

4K Vs Traditional HD Televisions

Despite popular misconception, the 4K television is not the same as the traditional HD. As explained earlier, the 4K or Ultra HD comes with a resolution that is at least four times higher than that of the typical HD television. While the picture on many of today's HD televisions is quite impressive, it does not even come close to approaching the quality of the images on an Ultra HD screen. Thus, for the television enthusiast hoping for the clearest image possible, the 4K is definitely the way to go.

Compatibility Issues

A number of consumers have expressed interest in purchasing 4K TVs but also worry that these televisions will not be compatible with their favorite forms of media. This is a valid concern that is already being addressed by electronics manufacturers and streaming services alike.
In the realm of cable, satellite and video streaming, a number of companies have expressed an eagerness to adapt their services for the 4K television owner. DirecTV in particular has shown enthusiasm, says http://www.ClearTVBundle.com, with the provider having made a clear commitment to this small niche in the television market. This commitment comes in the form of several trademark applications made for 4K, 4KNET, 4KN, 4K Network and 4KNetwork. Clearly, DirecTV foresees a promising future in the world of 4K television, for its leaders would not take such a risk in obtaining so many trademarks for a cause they did not feel was worthwhile. However, the company's spokesman insists that DirecTV remains in the exploratory stages and is not about to release any new 4K technology just yet.
Intel is also looking to get in on the 4K TV trend, with the electronics manufacturer recently having announced plans for a new version of the Haswell processor that will support 4K resolution. Even better, Intel is also busy putting together a set-top box that may serve as the first true 4K media device. With this gadget, users would finally be able to stream content to Ultra HD televisions in the 4K resolution they have awaited for so long. Leaders at Intel believe that there is a real possibility of a set-top box being released soon, which means that other companies likely would not be far behind.
All the current data suggests that 4K will be the next great thing in entertainment technology. If you have not already thought about investing in this great television, you may want to start giving it some serious consideration!

How To Auto-Mount Truecrypt Volumes Without A Password At Logon

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Fri, 31 May 2013 18:10:00 +0000

Before I begin, I know what you are thinking. If you want your Truecrypt volume to be mounted without a password, why even have an encrypted Truecrypt volume? It doesn't sound very secure.

You are right, and that would be a valid question. I would say that you should only use this on computers that are protected with full disk encryption already. If you don't use full disk encryption, typing your password in once to mount a volume isn't going to kill you.

So let's say that you have full disk encryption configured already, so auto-mounting non-system Truecrypt volumes automatically isn't a huge security concern for you. Well there are two ways of doing it depending on if your non-system Truecrypt volume uses the same password/keyfiles as your system encrypted drive or not.

Let's say your non system drives use the same password/keyfiles as your system drive, here is what you need to do:

First open up Trucrypt and go to System > Settings
Check the box that says Cache pre-boot authentication password in driver memory

Click OK
Next mount your non-system volume(s) that you want auto-mounted at logon
Select the mounted volume, right-click your mouse and select Add to Favorites

Now go into Favorites > Organize Favorite Volumes
Select your Favorite Volume(s) and check the box to Mount selected volume upon logon

Now when you reboot, Truecrypt will cache your credentials when you decrypt your system drive in driver memory, and will use those credentials to mount your non-system volumes when you logon. Pretty cool right?

So what if your non-system volume uses a different password? That is the problem I had on my home computer. The system encryption password is different because I need to share it with my wife. However, the non-system volume I want mounted uses a more complex password that I don't share with my wife (Sorry Honey). I don't have an issue with her looking in the volume because it only holds media files, however if someone breaks into my house and steals my NAS where that volume is stored, I don't want them to be able to access it.

The way I have that mounted is via a batch script I wrote. Truecrypt has several command line options, so I wrote a script using those options to mount the drive when I first logon using a scheduled task. Before running the script, I recommend setting your non-system volume as a Favorite so Truecrypt always mounts it to the correct drive letter.

Here is how my script looks:

@echo off
c:
cd "C:\Program Files\TrueCrypt"
truecrypt /a favorites /v PATH TO YOUR TRUECRYPT VOLUME /p PASSWORD /q

Be sure to change the above information to fit your situation.

If you also use a keyfile, use the /k switch with a path to your keyfile in the command. A full list of command line switches can be found here: (Truecrypt Command Line Switches)

That's it, now when my wife or I login to our computer, the non-system Truecrypt volume is mounted and shows up like a regular drive.

Now there is a problem with the password being stored in plain text in your batch file. Because of that I would say you should only do this on a computer that you use, or if you share it like I do with my wife, you trust them. If that isn't the case, then you should skip using the script method.

What do you think about auto-mounting encrypted volumes? Good idea or pointless? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

How To Upgrade The Firmware On A Dell PowerConnect Switch Via HTTP

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 28 May 2013 23:23:00 +0000

I recently purchased two Dell PowerConnect 3448P's for my company's office to replace some super cheap Trendnet TEG-448WS's which happen to be really terrible with VoIP.

While configuring the 3448P's I saw that the firmware on them were a few versions out of date so I decided to upgrade the firmware before putting them into production, but I wanted to do it via the web interface. The instructions that came with the firmware only tell you how to upgrade using TFTP or Xterm. If you want to know how to do it via HTTP, you are S#it out of luck I guess. Well not anymore.

Actually to upgrade the firmware via HTTP is pretty easy, just not intuitive. To perform the firmware upgrade, just do the following:

NOTE: Before beginning make sure your running configuration is saved!

Browse to System > File management > File Download
Change the radio button to Download via HTTP
Make sure the Destination File drop down option is set to Software Image, then browse for your *.ros file
Click Apply changes

Next change the Destination File drop down option to Boot Code, then browse to the rfb file.
Click Apply changes.

Now your firmware is uploaded to your switch, but it is not active yet. To start using the new firmware you must do the following:

Browse to System > File Management > Active image
Change the After Reset drop down to whatever the opposite image of what is currently active (i.e. If Image1 is currently active, select Image2. Or if Image2 is currently active, select Image1)
Click Apply

Now browse to System > General > Reset
Check the Reset Unit check box, then click Apply Changes

That's it! Now your switch will reboot and when it comes back up it will be on the new firmware. You can check which version is running by browsing to System > General > Versions in the web interface.

Did this help you out? If so, let us know in the comments.

DirecTV Will Stay the Course

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:03:00 +0000

DIRECTV blimp (Photo credit: gsbrown99)

DirecTV, one of the leading satellite television providers in the country, always seems to be in competition with its main competitor, Dish Network. When you see their television commercials, they are always talking about why one or the other is better. However, just because one of them decides to branch out in their ventures doesn't mean the other will necessarily follow. For instance, DirecTV is taking a stand and staying the course with satellite TV instead of making the same changes as Dish Network.

Dish Network's Changes

Dish Network has recently made a bid of $25.5 million in hopes to acquire Sprint Nextel to build an American powerhouse company. While Sprint will not vote on the deal with Dish Network versus a different deal presented by a Japanese company that is looking to create an international mobile phone market. If Dish Network wins this bid, they will become more than a satellite television company; they will also be able to offer their customers mobile service. However, it also means they will need to diversify their workforce, stretching their resources to the limit, especially as they become established.

Will DirecTV Follow?

In this type of market, what one company does, the rest typically follow. So why is DirecTV uninterested in expanding into a mobile market? The answer is simple. DirecTV is dedicated to providing their customers with the utmost in service for what they do best -- pay television services. Currently, DirecTV is second only to Comcast in revenue and subscriptions, which means they have no need to expand into other markets, such as mobile phones. The company has been looking into purchasing online viewing options, such as Hulu and Netflix, but they have expressed no interest in getting involved with the highly competitive mobile phone market in the United States. They prefer to keep their focus on quality television for their customers. If you want to check out special offers for new accounts check out www.SaveOnTVDirect.com.

New Series Production

Instead of focusing on expanding into a mobile market, DirecTV has been focusing its money and investments elsewhere. As of this year, DirecTV is entering into the world of producing its own television shows to provide their audience with viewing experiences they can't get through any of the other pay channels. The first series by Neil LaBute called "Full Circle" will provide viewers a peak into the lives of 11 people whose lives are intertwined in some way, even though they don't realize it. This is a unique show that is designed to garner interest and potentially bring in more customers.

Though it may seem logical for a satellite television provider to dabble in the area of mobile phones due to the number of people who view videos via this channel, DirecTV has their sights set on something much different. Instead of offering their customers with mobile phone options, they are creating new television shows and offering their viewers experiences they can't get through other satellite providers, cable television providers or network television, helping them stand one step ahead of the competition to maintain their current position.

Microsoft To Make U-Turn on Windows 8

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:40:00 +0000

Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

[FT] Microsoft is preparing to reverse course over key elements of its Windows 8 operating system, marking one of the most prominent admissions of failure for a new mass-market consumer product since Coca-Cola’s New Coke fiasco nearly 30 years ago.

“Key aspects” of how the software is used will be changed when Microsoft releases an updated version of the operating system this year, Tami Reller, head of marketing and finance for the Windows business, said in an interview with the Financial Times. Referring to difficulties many users have had with mastering the software, she added: “The learning curve is definitely real.”

Analysts warned that changing course would be a significant admission of failure for Steve Ballmer, chief executive, who called the October launch of Windows 8 a “bet-the-company” moment as Microsoft sought to respond to the success of Apple’s iPad.

Read full story

Youtube Channel Providers To Begin Charging Subscription Fees

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:47:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

The latest plan for the online video giant Youtube that is owned by Google is launching a new test where they will allow certain channels to begin charging fees. The fees will be around $1.99 per month, and most of the other channels on Youtube will remain free.

From Mercury News:

A YouTube official told this newspaper that, "We have nothing to announce at this time, but we're looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our partners with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."

YouTube's plans for a subscription model follow efforts by companies such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon to attract viewers to their video services.

Eventually, even YouTube videos that charge subscription fees likely will carry ads, said David Burch, communications director for TubeMogul, an Emeryville-based video ad buying company.

I like many channels on Youtube, but I'm not sure I would pay to subscribe to any of them.

What about you? Would you pay to subscribe to Epic Meal Time, or Epic Rap Battles of History? Let us know in the comments.

How to Build Your Brand Visibility

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:23:00 +0000

Whether you've come up with an idea for a unique fan-based sports product you want to sell at all of the home baseball games or you're building a catering empire and have aspirations of being the next Food Network star, keep in mind — you can do it with hard work, perseverance and passion.
How do you market yourself and grow your business, especially if you don't have much experience in that particular industry? Consider these five methods of bringing visibility to your brand and not breaking the bank:

Create a Unique Niche

Build a place to call your own in the world of business. A unique niche makes enterprising easier. Once a vision is established consider your brand layout and keep it consistent. According to TheJamesGroup.com, to make your brand recognizable and memorable, convey a single, mental image using a set of verbal and visual images. Streamlining your company name, logo, tagline and advertising campaign to reflect one mental picture of your company as a whole is key to reaching consumers.
Each day, Americans encounter countless advertising impressions. Often unconsciously, they will quickly scan them, looking to process the information for an entry point. The campaign handle initiates the mental image your brand creates. And if you think about how your own mind works, you will understand the link between mental images, branding and sales. What did you eat for breakfast? As your brain quickly inventories your morning, visuals of a cereal box and milk probably came to mind. A similar thing happens when people are deciding which restaurant to eat at or which product to buy. Little images move at the speed of light through the brain offering an answer.

Memorable Campaign Types

Word hooks: offer repeatable catch phrases. Example: "can you hear me now" from Verizon.
Character hooks: Use a memorable figure, whether a hero, villain or victim, to establish an emotional connection with customers. Think Snoopy as the Metlife character or Flo as the Progressive personality.
Repeatable themes: situations that play over and over addressing the need for a product. Consumers often know the punchline before it comes and feel a personal satisfaction. "He doesn't always drink beer ..."
Consistent layout: In a blink of an eye, customers can identify a brand because of their consistent (and unique) design layout. By using color, shape and images, you can consciously stand out while also instilling trust. In an uncertain world, customers can consistently count on the Energizer Bunny always beating the drum. You can always "Enjoy Coca-Cola."

Establish Relationships

Be authentic in your communication with business contacts and clients. Sometimes a certain amount of transparency can help you become trusted and established. The key is to make you available to attend industry and entrepreneur-specific mixers in your local area. Join online forums and effectively communicate your product while learning successful business tactics from other professionals.
If you want truly to get out there, travel to industry conferences and trade shows in different cities as a means to network and grow your business beyond local settings.
Some practical advice for business travel:

Select a three-piece suit for the meeting and more casual clothing for the flight and extra time you may have. Wear your heaviest clothing and mix and match your wardrobe.

Pack for small overhead-bins.

Flight insurance in case your trip is canceled because of weather, illness or other trip interruptions.

Arrange for voice and Internet access before the flight.

Recharge all of your gadgets using USB ports.

Pack only necessary items to avoid security lines.

You can always reduce the agony of your business trip if you plan appropriately.

Word of Mouth Advertising

Word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising. Eating at a restaurant? Give the server your business card. At a baseball game? Communicate your message to those that strike up conversation with you, whether in person or online. Have your clients, friends and family talk about your unique business niche. Give incentives to your current clients (if you have them) for bringing business to you.
The goal is to create walking brand ambassadors that have tried your product or service and have influence on large audiences to buy or consume it.

Saturate Social Media

Whether your intentions for social media are to market you or become active in the online community conversations, social media continue to grow and become a valuable asset to any budding entrepreneur. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are some of the top social media websites you must become a part of to survive in the growing world of web-based contact. Set up separate accounts for your personal socializing and your business socializing.
A September 2010 research report conducted by Chadwick Martin and Bailey, a Boston-based market research company, found that 75 percent of people will probably share favorable online content with friends, co-workers or family.

Co-Op

Sometimes, two are better than one. Advertise with another noncompetitive entrepreneur and promote them while you're out promoting yourself. Just be sure that your intentions and business principles align with your cooperative partner for marketing.

What Your Facebook Likes Reveal About You [Infographic]

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

[Via: InternetProvider.org]

Voice Texting Found To Be No Safer Than Manual Texting When Behind The Wheel

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:10:00 +0000

[Washington Post] It had appeared that technology might have solved a problem of its own creation when voice-activated texting came along so that drivers could keep their eyes on the road. Not so, says the first major study of the subject.

It’s every bit as dangerous to speak into a mobile device that translates words into a text message as it is to type one.

“It didn’t really matter which texting method you were using, your reaction times were twice as slow and your eyes were on the road much less often,” said Christine Yager, who did the research for the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University.

With Americans swapping 6.1 billion text messages every day, several mobile-application developers came up with voice-to-text software. Yager tested two developed for the popular iPhone and Android devices as drivers performed tests on a closed course.

“We were using a tracker, measuring how often they looked at the roadway and how long it took the driver to complete each text-messaging task that we asked them to do, and we also were looking at how long it took them to respond to that light that turned on periodically,” she said.

The finding: Voice-to-text applications “do not increase driver safety compared to manual texting.”

Read full story

Mozilla's Firefox OS Smartphone Was A Huge Hit With Developers. Sold Out Within Hours!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:32:00 +0000

The maker of the widely popular Firefox web browser, Mozilla, has released two smartphones running their new Firefox OS platform for developers in an attempt to break into the smartphone market. Within a few hours of making them available, they were sold out!

From The LA Times:

Firefox OS is a new platform that is set to debut this year in Latin America and Europe. The operating system is based on HTML5 and is intended to give users an alternative to "vendor-controlled ecosystems," Mozilla said in a blog this week.

To give developers an idea of what the hardware for Firefox OS will be like and how the software will perform in the real world, Mozilla teamed up with Spanish start-up Geeksphone to build and sell two early devices. The phones, the Keon and the Peak, went on sale Tuesday but quickly sold out.

...The high demand is great news for Mozilla, which is hoping to disrupt the smartphone world currently dominated by Apple and Google. Mozilla said it was thrilled to see the high demand for the preview devices.

There are two models of the Firefox OS phones available. First the Keon with a 3.5 inch screen running on a Qualcomm 1Ghz processor. The Keon is expected to cost $118. The second model is called The Peak, which features a 4.3 inch screen, runs on a 1.2Ghz processor, and costs around $194.

The Firefox OS phones are expected to be available again shortly through Geeksphone when supplies become available.

CBS Had Some Twitter Accounts Hacked

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:11:00 +0000

(Photo credit: watchwithkristin)

CBS Twitter accounts for 60 minutes and 48 hours were hacked over the weekend. The Twitter account for CBS Denver was also hacked.

From Reuters:

A post on the "60 Minutes" Twitter microblog account, @60Minutes, said, "PLEASE NOTE: Our Twitter account was compromised earlier today. We are working with Twitter to resolve." Another post read, "A message that was posted earlier to this account was not written or sent by @60Minutes or its staff."

The Twitter account for @48Hours showed a similar message, and several blogs said a third account, @CBSDenver, also had been hacked.

Tech bloggers posted screenshots of fake posts that appeared under the CBS accounts, including one from @48Hours that read, "General Dempsey calls for #Obama's arrest under new anti-terror laws #48hours."

On its own official account, @CBSNews, the news organization said it had "experienced problems" on the other two accounts, and added, "Twitter is resolving issues."

All accounts have been recovered by CBS now. No suspects have been found, and nobody has taken responsibility for the hack.

$6.5 Billion Market For Home Robotics Expected By 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:30:00 +0000

C-3PO
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I was growing up watching Star Wars, I wanted my own set of droids like C-3PO and R2D2. Well it turns out that I may finally get my wish in the next four years according to researchers.

From Tech Crunch:

Sure, we have our Roombas and a few AR Drones here and there, but researchers expect that we’ll have many more – and better – robots within the next few years and that the overall market should hit $6.5 billion by 2017.

According to ABI Research’s Consumer Electronics Research Service, the consumer robotics market is currently at about $1.6 billion and growing. A slow economy and fairly expensive parts has stagnated things for the time being but improved devices and more interesting implementations – home helper robots, for example – could push the market up considerably.

Hopefully these robots that we bring into our homes will be more like the droids from Star Wars, and less like the servant robots from iRobot.

What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments.

Nobody Has 100% Up Time: Google Docs, Gmail and Google Drive Had Outage on Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:43:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

We in IT know that no matter how hard you strive for it, you can't ever really have 100% up time. Some places have better up time than others, with 99.99%, but at some point everyone has a service interruption for one reason or another.

Well a big name just proved my point for me on Tuesday. Several Google services were affected by a temporary outage.

From The Washington Post:

Many Gmail users faced an unwelcome surprise Tuesday morning when they fired up their computers for the day: Google’s e-mail service and its cloud storage service, Google Drive, were down.

Google apologized for the outage in a statement late morning and said that it will let users know what caused the disruption when its teams have completed their investigations. The company said on its Apps Status Dashboard that it expects the limited outage to resolved “in the near future.” The company said that some users have already seen service return and that it will provide regular updates on the issue.

According to the company’s posting, the outage is affecting “less than 0.007” percent of Google Mail users. Last June, the company disclosed that Gmail has 425 million active users; the company says that 5 million businesses use its Google Apps for Business services.

The company is reporting service disruptions for Google Mail, Google Drive, Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets and Google Presentations.

The next time your non-tech savvy boss tells you that they expect your Exchange server to never go down, go ahead and send them this article.

New Facebook Ad Suggests You Should Ignore Your Family

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:22:00 +0000

In our current state of technology, and being constantly plugged in we often find ourselves ignoring others as we keep our faces planted in our smart phones, and other electronic devices. Well, Facebook is apparently not only embracing that, they are encouraging it.

Is Microsoft Bringing The Start Button Back in Windows 8?

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:33:00 +0000

Many users have been reluctant to move to Windows 8 because they don't want to use the new Start Screen which isn't as intuitive as what we've all grown to love.

Even though there are third party apps that will bring back the Start Button and allow you to default to desktop mode, it appears that Microsoft may be bringing the Start Button back in their Blue release.

From ZDNet:

Reports from a couple of different forums from this past weekend raised the possibility that Microsoft might be moving toward allowing users to skip booting into the Metro-Style Start menu and instead start their PCs in desktop mode. (Winbeta.org noted the thread about this on April 14.)

One of my sources confirmed this is now looking like the plan and added that Microsoft is also considering bringing back the Start button as an option with Windows Blue.

It's not 100 percent sure that either/both of these options will be baked into the final Blue release, which is expected to be released to manufacturing on or around August 2013. I guess we'll have a better indication once the next milestone build, a.k.a. the Blue Preview, leaks — or when the public version of that preview goes live around June.

What do you think about this? If you have been holding off on moving to Windows 8 will this change your mind? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.

The Hyperconnected Life [INFOGRAPHIC]

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

In today's world, we often find outselves always plugged in or "hyperconnected". If you are unfamiliar with the term "hyperconnectivity" Wikipedia describes it as:

...a term invented by Canadian social scientists Anabel Quan-Haase and Barry Wellman, arising from their studies of person-to-person and person-to-machine communication in networked organizations and networked societies. The term refers to the use of multiple means of communication, such as email, instant messaging, telephone, face-to-face contact and Web 2.0 information services.

InternetProvider.org created this infographic showing just how hyperconnected we really are. Check it out!

Facebook for Used-Car Dealers

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:35:00 +0000

Who loves learning about the latest tricks and tips in marketing more than a used-car dealer? No one that we can think of, and that's why DrivingSales.com is a great marketing resource for car dealerships nationwide. First developed in 2009, says Brian Osborne of Geek.com, DrivingSales.com has become the Facebook for used-car dealers who want to exchange marketing and social media ideas, recommend tech vendors, give props to dealers who are staying ahead of the game and offer advice for the novice dealer. This social-networking site is full of so many valuable resources. Here are a few reasons why you want to have a gander at this networking site; it could inspire a few ideas of your own.

Automotive Information Sharing

In it's blog section, DrivingSales.com encourages users to post, comment on and share articles, press releases and information on car-sales events, innovations in cars and sales. One recent post addressed how a new database platform, SureSale, was allowing Phoenix car dealerships, like Freeway Chevrolet or Tucson Fiat to have access to CPO (certified pre-owned) inventory, if it doesn't have a business model that reflects a CPO program already. The blog is updated frequently by thousands of users daily across the U.S. and touches on international and domestic issues as they are applied to the auto sales industry.

Database

Because a car dealership's success relies on its relationship with product vendors, DrivingSales houses the largest cross-vendor database online. According to the site, its database also provides performance data for other car dealerships in North American and provides dealerships with the most statistically accurate performance benchmarks and metrics so dealers know who their competition is.

Sales Education

Building your knowledge base is essential to building your marketing strategy. DrivingSales created a full online curriculum that offers a range of sales strategies for car dealers who want to grow their business, called DrivingSales University. Paving the way to a more profitable future for car dealerships, DrivingSales University is available anytime and their learning modules are updated with new information by the hour.

Social Media

To drive more traffic to their dealerships, salespeople are using social media as a vehicle for many of their marketing strategies. DrivingSales Media department offers updated news on the latest trends in social media, technology and sales tools and how they rate among other car dealerships. Because many of the writers for DrivingSales are also dealers and salespeople who work in the auto industry, their knowledge and tips are coming from first-hand user experience.
Having a social networking hub allows dealers to share ideas, recommend social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, give accolades to the salesmen who are excelling and offer updated information to salespeople who are trying to build a stronger foundation for their dealership's sales.

Anonymous Hackers Attack N. Korea For Second Time In Two Weeks. Still Have Control Of One Twitter Account

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Bauer) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:27:00 +0000

We reported two weeks ago that Anonymous had hacked the prominent North Korean central news and information site (Read propaganda site) Uriminzokkiri.com. Well they have hacked into several more sites and they still have control over the Uriminzok Twitter account.

From The Next Web:

Hackers from the Anonymous group have hacked into several prominent North Korean websites for the second time in less than two weeks, as part of ongoing protests which have seen it retain control of the country’s official Twitter account.

The @Uriminzok Twitter account has remained in the hands of the hackers since the earlier attack on April 4, and this morning (Asia time) the hackers posted a series of messages indicating that four North Korean websites — including central news and information site Uriminzokkiri.com – had been hacked or taken offline.

As they stated during the previous attack, the hackers have claimed to have a number of North Korea’s websites under their control.

Uriminzokkiri.com has been taken offline apparently, but the other sites which include minjok.com, jajusasang.com, and paekdu-hanna.com are still under the control of Anonymous who has replaced their home page with the following image:

[EDIT: it looks like the affected sites have either been repaired, or taken down completely.]

Bauer-Power Media

Bauer-Puntu 13.04 is Alive! Download It Now!

Related articles

New Firefox Plugin Detects If You Are Being Spied On By The NSA

Related articles

Google Glass: Creepy or Useful?

TV and Glass

How Dâ€‹o I Look?

Durability and Price

Related articles

Firefox/Chrome Plugin That Allows You To Schedule Sending Emails on Gmail

Related articles

The Makers of StartPage and IxQuick Are Launching A Private Email Service

Related articles

How To Change The Default VLAN on A Dell PowerConnect 3448P So You Can Use VLAN 1 As A Trunk With All VLANs Tagged

Related articles

How To Install Cinnamon in Ubuntu 13.04 and Remove Unity

Related articles

Want A '4K TV'? You Should, Here's Why

What Is A 4K Television?

4K Vs Traditional HD Televisions

Compatibility Issues

Related articles

How To Auto-Mount Truecrypt Volumes Without A Password At Logon

Related articles

How To Upgrade The Firmware On A Dell PowerConnect Switch Via HTTP

Related articles

DirecTV Will Stay the Course

Related articles

Microsoft To Make U-Turn on Windows 8

Related articles

Youtube Channel Providers To Begin Charging Subscription Fees

Related articles

How to Build Your Brand Visibility

Create a Unique Niche

Memorable Campaign Types

Establish Relationships

Word of Mouth Advertising

Saturate Social Media

Co-Op

Related articles

What Your Facebook Likes Reveal About You [Infographic]

Related articles

Voice Texting Found To Be No Safer Than Manual Texting When Behind The Wheel

Related articles

Mozilla's Firefox OS Smartphone Was A Huge Hit With Developers. Sold Out Within Hours!

Related articles

CBS Had Some Twitter Accounts Hacked

Related articles

$6.5 Billion Market For Home Robotics Expected By 2017

Related articles

Nobody Has 100% Up Time: Google Docs, Gmail and Google Drive Had Outage on Tuesday

Related articles

New Facebook Ad Suggests You Should Ignore Your Family

Related articles

Is Microsoft Bringing The Start Button Back in Windows 8?

Related articles

The Hyperconnected Life [INFOGRAPHIC]

Related articles

Facebook for Used-Car Dealers

Automotive Information Sharing

Database

Sales Education

Social Media

Related articles

Anonymous Hackers Attack N. Korea For Second Time In Two Weeks. Still Have Control Of One Twitter Account

Related articles