OpenDNS problems?

For the last few days, I've been noticing my DNS lookups are much slower than usual. Today I actually had to retry several times because of timeouts in a proprietary registration application I couldn't control. I decided to bypass the OpenDNS servers and go back to those provided by my ISP. Strangely enough, my browsing is back to normal speed after making the change. I tried to look at their system status link but got a blank page back after quite a long wait. I wonder if OpenDNS is a victim of their own popularity? Something is causing their web site to behave so slowly.

I guess I'll wait a few days and try them again to see if this is just a short lived glitch.

Fighting Spyware

Jeff Atwood over at Coding Horror has an interesting article about the numerous steps necessary to fight a Spyware infestation. It goes to show that you can't trust web sites just because lots of people link to them.

I run a Firefox plug-in called NoScript which allows the user to select web sites which should be allowed to run scripting languages like Javascript, Java, and Flash. Scripting languages are very dangerous so it's imperative that users only allow their browser to run scripts from trusted web sites. I'd caution people that they should mistrust all web sites by default. Just because a friend sends you a link is not enough reason to trust a web site.

It's much easier to prevent a Spyware infestation in the first place than it is to remove one from a PC after it's gained a foothold.

Goodbye Mr. Wizard

Don Herbert, TV's Mr. Wizard, has died (see article). I credit Mr. Wizard for instilling a love of science in me as he did for several generations of kids. You've really got to admire people like him and Carl Sagan for helping popularize science.

Saving electricity

O'Reilly Radar's blog (always an entertaining read) has an interesting article about tools you can use to help save power. I picked up a Kill A Watt not too long ago and was amazed by how much power is consumed by my computers when they're in standby. Other things like the cable box and DVD player also use a fair amount while they're supposed to be powered off.

We all need to take steps to conserve power wherever possible.

Stan Kelly-Bootle

The latest issue of the ACM Queue has an interesting article by Stan Kelly-Bootle. I always loved reading Stan's articles in Unix Review and Software Development magazines. Sometimes his column was the only thing I'd find of interest in the magazine. Thank goodness for complimentary subscriptions, eh? I always got a chuckle and usually learned something by reading his articles. He has a real gift for making technical discussions interesting. Check out his article if you have time.

Also worth reading is his book, The Devil's DP Dictionary. I purchased my copy quite a while ago which is a lucky thing as it seems a little tough to find copies. It's very amusing.

New note: A good friend has pointed out that the new edition of Stan's book is called The Computer Contradictionary. That may even be the edition I have... it would be tough to tell since I can't lay my hands on it at the moment.

Possible solution to missing songs in iTunes 7.2

Some users have reported that iTunes 7.2 doesn't see some of their music. The songs in question seems to be ones which were originally purchased from the iTunes store and then later converted somehow to the MP3 format.

One possible fix being reported is to force iTunes to recreate your library via the following procedure.

The new iTunes gives you the choice of paying 30 cents more for music which isn't protected with DRM. Currently this option is only available for songs on the EMI label but I'm hoping more labels follow EMI's lead. The iTunes store gives you the ability to upgrade any songs purchased with DRM for the difference in cost (30 cents).

Another option you may want to investigate is the ability to "complete albums". If you've purchased a few songs from an album in the past and have since decided that you should have opted for the entire album, you can now get the remaining songs for the difference in price between the songs you've already purchased and the cost of the album. If you're interested in this option, be aware that it's only available for a few more weeks.

Parallels 3.0

Parallels, the popular software which allows Mac users to run Windows, Linux, or other Operating Systems in a window, will soon have a new version available. They're offering reduced prices for purchases and updates now through June 6th.

The most compelling reason to upgrade is the new support for DirectX 9.0. This allows 3d games to be run under Parallels.

Another cool feature is called SmartSelect. This allows you to associate a file type with any application installed on your system regardless of whether the application is Mac or PC based. This works with their Coherence feature which runs just the PC based application in a window without requiring a window for the Windows OS itself. This makes it appear as if the Windows applications are running natively on your Mac.

This is great news. I can't wait to upgrade so I can increase the number of games which will run on my Mac.