Manic Monday: January 14, 2013

Beware of Photo Copiers!I know that this sounds crazy, but modern copiers and printers have hard drives that store everything that you either copy or print.  This is a bonus if you find yourself with some document that is deleted from your hard drive and the only available copy is left on the printer.  But this is bad when your company decides to replace its copier/printer, and your private documents are now available to whomever gets the old machine. YouTube has a good video explaining this problem...

Beware of Java!Photo copiers are not the only thing you need to watch out for these days. Over four months ago, a security firm in Poland identified a serious security bug in Java.  Oracle released a patch to this bug yesterday, but security experts recommend that users simply disable Java in their web browsers.  Even the Department of Homeland Security recommends that users disable Java in their browsers - a rare statement from them. To disable Java in Chrome:

1. Enter "chrome://plugins"  in the box at the top of a tab where the URL goes. 

2. Search the page for a Java plug-in.  Click on the associated "Disable"  check box.

To disable Java in Firefox:

1. Click on the Firefox button.

2. Click on "Add-Ons".

3. Go to the Plug-ins tab.

4. Find the Java plug-in and click disable.

To disable Java on Internet Explorer:

1. Get Chrome or Firefox - the only bigger security hole on your system than Java is Internet Explorer. You can click here to test whether or not you have Java disabled on your system.  This is something in the middle of the page - if it doesn't render, Java is disable.
   

No Plans for a Death Star...

Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?You can read the original petition here and the response here.

Beer Mug clipart from Clker.com

But They Do Have Beer.Last year, President Obama got a brewing kit and started making beer at the White House.  Someone found out, and asked the President to release his recipes.  The White House responded with a cute story about how the President began brewing, which kinds of beer he makes, and three different recipes.  They also note that this is the very first time ever that a person has created alcohol at the White House. You can read the response and get the recipes at "Ale to the Chief - White House Beer Recipe".