Changing servers, monitoring the logs, and changing configurations recently, I seemed to find a spam campaign that began targeting my website. One interesting clue was that my site's top keyword in Google WebMaster Tools was 'pingback' while before the top keywords were 'tech' and 'support'. In recent months I had installed Disqus to stop spam comments but as this campaign was … [Read more...]
How to check for DNSChanger malware infection and fix it
The DNSChanger malware has an interesting history. The FBI, who took down the cybercriminal ring, is running a campaign to get the word out to users that they need to fix their computers before July or they may lose access to the Internet. At one point, as many as 4 million computers around the world may have been infected with the malware. … [Read more...]
Rapid Environment Editor provides a GUI to system and user variables
Accessing system variables through the command line can be tedious and frustrating. I will occasionally use them when writing scripts and having easy access to variable names and their values would greatly simplify that task. To the rescue comes RapidEE or Rapid Environment Editor. … [Read more...]
Use RDCMan to simplify multiple remote desktop connections
Microsoft provides a tool called Remote Desktop Connection Manager that greatly assists those that need to regularly connect to multiple computers. RDCMan manages multiple remote desktop connections. It is useful for managing server labs where you need regular access to each machine such as automated checkin systems and data centers. It is similar to the built-in MMC Remote … [Read more...]
Tour the Renewable Energy Center at Eastern Illinois University
A green gem in the East Central Illinois region is the new Renewable Energy Center at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. Switching from a coal-fired power plant, the new biomass-burning facility is a clear environmental improvement with an expected 80 percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions. This virtual tour shares many more details of the new … [Read more...]