Tag Archives: YouTube

Remote Desktops 101 – Part 1 (Remote Desktop Connection)

Remote Desktop Connection Icon

As we all know, the best way to live life is to sit in one place, silently waiting for something amazing to happen. Plus, sloth is a basic human right. Unfortunately, sometimes we are forced by factors outside our control to go to the dreaded “someplace else.” Among other things, one frustrating result of that movement is that we no longer have direct access to the computer. Luckily, there is a solution.

With the growing remote jobs, people have been looking for ways to make their daily office lives (while at home) a little easier. Be it finding the best reclining office chair for themselves, or using better technology for smoother operations, things have only been made better. One such technological improvement is the remote desktop software! This allows you to access your computer from anywhere through the Web. This tool is sometimes used for remote tech support, but it can also come in incredibly handy anytime you (unjustly) can’t be in the computer’s same physical location. If you have an old computer this may not be compatible, and if you are going to need something like this a lot with your job or personal life then you are going to need to look at an upgrade. Luckily, you can do computer recycling to save from dumping it in a bin as it can be partially refurbished for something else, benefitting others. A win-win!

This two-part series, drawing on information and advice from Geek.com and Lifehacker, will look at how to set up remote desktop capabilities in two different ways:

  • Part 1: Hard way – by changing router and OS settings (actually, not that difficult).
  • Part 2: Easy way – Installing a ready-build solution you can use to accomplish the same task.

Note: Because the hard way involves opening router ports, you will be making the computer less secure. The easy way, then, is chosen by most people because you’re using an application designed for security by professionals.

Also, the hard way is specific to Windows, while many of the “easy ways” are available for Apple as well. Let’s look at each of these options. Then, to celebrate, we will lock ourselves in our rooms and refuse to take any phone calls.

Remote Desktop the Hard Way

As we are reminded by Geek.com, Remote Desktop Connection on Windows is easy to access and employ. Be aware that you are going be changing some important settings on your computer, so turn off SportsCenter, close the windows and blinds, and do some deep breathing exercises to prepare.

1. Allowing Remote Connections. In the computer you will be accessing, go into the start menu, right-click Computer (right column), and select Properties. In the left sidebar, choose Remote Settings, and within that, Remote Desktop. There you should see two options. Choose the Network Level Authentication one.

Selecting Network Level Authentication (NLA) configures access so that any of your enemies or their henchmen – or, God forbid, their henchmen’s henchmen – will be blocked by the requirement for login credentials. Basically this feature prevent DDoS attacks, in which your computer is forced into an army of computers – a botnet – to assault websites with massive amounts of bogus traffic. If your computer is drafted for service, build it a Liberty Garden and pray.

When you’re accessing the computer remotely using the NLA feature, the PC that you are using for access will have to have Windows 7, Vista, or Windows XP Service Pack 3 installed. Click Apply. If you have administrative control of the computer, the Selects Users option is irrelevant.

While you’re at it, disable “Allow Remote Assistance.” Not everyone out there wants to assist you. Sometimes living with your disability is better than accepting assistance, especially in the case of homicidal schizophrenia.

2. Configuring the Router. Finally, go into your router and forward TCP port 3389 to the accessing computer. This step is a little more advanced (though, again, it’s no more complicated than a double-lutz, and each of us is an accomplished figure skater). There’s no general guideline for this because it is router-specific. Geek.com points to PortForward.com to locate the instructions for your router.

While you are working within your router, ensure that it assigns the same local IP every time you remotely access the other device. Otherwise, port forwarding will not function correctly. If you forget to do this and the remote connection doesn’t work, the proper emotional response is to shriek and groan loudly until the men in the white coats take you away (the bakers in the high-end muffin shop where you are following this tutorial while eating scrumptious, overpriced muffins).

3. Testing. Now try it out. Go to your favorite search engine (and if you don’t have one, just Google, “What’s the best search engine?”) and search for, “what is my IP.” Write it down, and put it in a lockbox. Then remove it from the lockbox, and start up a second computer.

On the second computer, go into the start menu, Programs, Accessories, Remote Desktop Connection. Within Options, you will be able to customize your experience interacting with the remote computer, especially connection speed (within Experience) and the Keyboard shortcut selections within Local Resources. Then click into the General section and type in that IP. Connect. Now stare hard at your computer.

Finally, you should be asked for login details. The desktop of the other computer will appear. Go ahead and install the spyware so you can know what you are doing at all times.

Conclusion, Continuation & Postlude

(Please play “Pachelbel’s Canon” as you read these last few comments. The YouTube address can be found in the bulletin.) That covers Remote Desktop Connection. Now let’s move onto an overview of ready-made applications, in the second part of this series.

Good night, and good luck, and need hosting? Here it is.

By Kent Roberts

Hosting Company Terms of Service (TOS), Part One: Introduction & Legal Compliance

 

New Facebook Terms Allows Confiscating Furniture
 New Facebook Terms Allows Confiscating Furniture (Photo credit: HubSpot)

Let’s talk terms of service, y’all. What’s the TOS? It’s a legal document you are signing when you create a web hosting account (typical for most online services, such as the increasingly popular Internet babysitter application).

To put this in context, this piece on the TOS is a follow-up to a two-part series on the service level agreement (SLA). To review, there are essentially four ways in which the relationship is established between a hosting company and a client:

  1. Sales copy – the informal offers & guarantees established on the homepage, in advertisements, etc.
  2. Service level agreement (SLA) – a brief explanation of the rights and responsibilities of the web host and of the client
  3. Terms of service (TOS) – a thorough explanation of the legal relationship between host and client
  4. Love letters/postcards – often a hosting company will send sweet nothings (such as elaborate epic poetry featuring dense, esoteric technical jargon) sealed with a kiss to their clients, via postal mail.

 

Obviously the sales copy is very punchy and inviting. The SLA is a little bit more balanced, with more focus on potential client violations that can result in termination of contracts, etc. The TOS is the most verbose and stringent, essentially CYA paperwork for the hosting company that does not usually come into play. Finally, the only rule of love notes is that there are no rules, baby.

Regardless of the fact that the TOS is complex, written in legalese, and doesn’t usually come into play, we will give you a basic sense of what’s in these standard industry contracts below. Perhaps it’s worth something. The content of our love letters to our clients, needless to say, is staggeringly valuable (as proven by the sale of our romantic postcard archives at a Sotheby’s auction in New York for $9.7 trillion to a Saudi Arabian Prince).

Introduction

Let’s look at typical hosting TOS clauses. Obviously these differ from one company to another, but they’re fairly standardized. First, let’s look at the introduction. The introduction establishes the basic what and where, along with parameters for identification:

  1. Name of company & incorporation status
  2. How the document refers to you and to the company (such as “The Customer” & “The Company”); these broad terms simplify the language (well, a little) and allow the contract to apply to each individual customer
  3. Date that the contract was originally created and/or (if applicable) date it was last modified; you should be notified by the hosting company if any provisions in the terms of service change
  4. Physical address of the company – which you can of course also find in the return address on the love letter envelopes I’ve been sending you
  5. Contact details, which are typically an e-mail address and/or phone number – for clarification, disputes, etc.
  6. State laws referenced – Any legal contract falls under the laws of a specific state or territory, so the TOS will typically indicate what state that is
  7. I love you – The terms of service may or may not state explicitly, “Look… I feel this is a bit unprofessional, but I just have to say it… I love you. Please refer to article 6, section D, to find out how much I love you, and why.”

Legal Compliance

Man: “Will you marry me? Will you fulfill this contractual obligation? Will you legally comply?”

Woman: “Do I get to keep the ring if you become professionally unsuccessful?”

Man: “You are twisting my arm, but sure.”

Woman: “All right, then I am a strong maybe. I’ll text you later with my answer.”

The section on compliance with the law states that if you do anything that is illegal through your website or that does not agree with the terms of service, the hosting company is indemnified. Essentially this provision means that you are responsible if you are found to be breaking the rules/laws; the hosting company will not suffer any loss or other damages, financial or otherwise, as a result of your actions. This clause says, “I still love you, but I need you to go out and experience the full weight of the American judicial system by yourself, honey.”

An example, which might be stated explicitly, is if you are republishing copyrighted content. Come on, dude. Seriously? Who are you, Carlos Mencia (if so, hi, I love “your” “work”)? With intellectual property as an example, you can see why hosting companies need to protect themselves from potential lawsuits resulting from client behavior.

Probably you also can see that the terms of service document is essentially stating the obvious. Most people do not need to worry about it, unless they are the type of people who videotape their television set and then publish the video on YouTube (assuming their viewpoint of the TV is their intellectual property?).

Conclusion

So, we have made our initial ascent toward the summit of the mountain that is the terms of service. Fear ye not that it be a volcano! It is a humble, well-intentioned, snow-capped mountain of glorious beauty and wonder.

Again, today we covered two sections:

  1. the introduction (basically who the company is, where it’s located, how you and the company will be referenced in the document, etc.)
  2. legal compliance (making the hosting company unaccountable if you do anything illegal or that is outside of its codes of conduct within the TOS).

Okay, so two more parts to go in this series. By the way, I’m sorry I haven’t sent you a love letter recently. I’ve been very busy with my soap sculptures of poultry – which, as you know, I am passionate about.

by Kent Roberts and Richard Norwood

What Social Networking Sites Do You Use?

I’m often curious as a webmaster to learn where my audience is hiding out on the internet. Why is this important? Why not just say “Facebook” and be done with it? Do you think about ‘does YouTube count your own views and how?’ Well, I often find it easier to write and create content if I truly understand my audience. Recently I’ve been curating content based on where our favorite tech nerds hideout, in the hope that we can infiltrate [Mwahaha!]

No, seriously, we want to help you find out what really interests you! So I’ve been digging:

 

What social networking websites do you use? | ask.fm/MrNerdCracker


What social networking websites do you use? | ask.fm/MrNerdCracker | How to Grow Your Business Online | Scoop.it
From ask.fmToday, 3:59 AM

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Wattpad, …

Wait a minute… Wattpad? I’ve never heard of it. MrNerdCracker is a Gamer, Youtube Partner, Dubstep Artist, Anonymous Supporter, and Creator of GazMazkDubstep. I’m interested in learning more from anyone who’s made it to YouTube Partner status as a source of sideline revenue. I’ll be checking out his channel and this Wattpad thingy.

 

Wattpad API: A Social Platform For Storytellers


Wattpad API: A Social Platform For Storytellers | Learn about Hollywood Industry | Scoop.it
From blog.programmableweb.comToday, 4:25 AM

ProgrammableWeb.com keeps you up to date with web mashups and APIs: what’s new, interesting, useful and important. Hundreds of mashups and APIs. Contribute, search, view, and chart them.

…so Wattpad provides an exciting tool that connects talented writers with a community of keen readers.

Ever heard of Sodahead? I find the subject matter engagingly distasteful. A great place to lurk and find people arguing with brick walls and getting in hot debates over failed hot topics on the internet. For me, these niche social sites are far easier to engage with newcomer traffic to either my website or someone else I’m thinking of. My networks in Facebook remain relatively stale and don’t draw much needed fresh traffic to my websites.

The trick is to find a place where you can engage in conversation with random readers. I’ve found that Google Plus is gradually gaining the edge here, especially now that they just announced Google Plus comments can be automatically imported into your blogger site!

Google+ Comments Can Now Be Added To Blogger Based Websites | bergizmo


Google+ Comments Can Now Be Added To Blogger Based Websites - Ubergizmo | How to Grow Your Business Online | Scoop.it
From www.ubergizmo.comToday, 4:00 AM

Ubergizmo Google+ Comments Can Now Be Added To Blogger Based Websites Ubergizmo It looks like Google is wandering in to Facebook territory, the latter has a comments system that websites owners can add, now the internet search giant has brought out it’s version…

WAAA! Amazing, I’m just going over to my blogspot sites right now to implent the new comment system. I’ve found that there are a few useful little gimmicks to owning a Blogger account that haven’t yet been implemented into the WordPress system. I’ll be keeping an eye out for socialized integration G+ for WordPress if they can be implemented on par with Blogger, and keep you posted here.

by – Juliana

 

 

Say Goodbye to Your Deep, Dark YouTube Secrets…

afvcats.jpgHave you ever had one of those nights where you are sitting in front of your computer planning to look up one little video? Say, a particular Radiohead performance (you can thank me later for this one), or something funny that your friend suggested you look up; and three hours later find yourself musing over an America’s Funniest Home Videos montage set to a Huey Lewis and the News song of playful kitty cats doing those hilarious kitty cat things.

Of course you have.

And somewhere in between Radiohead and wily kitty cats you have squirmed before a series of brutal face plants, giggled over a pile of hamsters stuffing their faces with broccoli and laughed hysterically at the unbelievably lame Cobra Commander music video circa 1986 GI Joe (YouTube ‘Cold Slither’ and once again, thank me later). It is the nature of YouTube to keep you clicking to new videos so that in the span of an evening, you might have viewed hundreds of random videos, even if it’s only for a second (for example, when you stumble upon some struggling musician offering his own personal acoustic cover of Knocking on Heaven’s Door – you won’t be there for long).

Now, can you imagine if the (shameful) amount of time you spend on Youtube.com and the exact things that you have clicked on were made public? It would be mortifying. Not necessarily due to the actual videos you have looked up, as I’m sure that there are far more embarrassing things that one could have been looking up than America’s Funniest Home Video montages, but just the idea that these statistics have been made public – it would make you feel downright scandalized.

Unfortunately, it seems as though this will become the fate of YouTube.com users. This week the courts declared that Google was obligated to disclose the records of every video viewed by YouTube users, including users’ names and IP addresses to Viacom. This billion dollar lawsuit against Google, starting in March 2007, is for their allowing clips of Viacom’s copyright videos to appear on YouTube.

Many people believe that this is an incredibly intrusive violation of rights, although the ruling judge deemed the issues of privacy to be ‘speculative’ and as a result, Google has had to hand over the YouTube.com user viewing habits that reside on the logs of four tera-byte hard drives. Google has also had to turn over millions of videos however, the judge denied Viacom’s request for titles, keywords, comments, and flags for inappropriate content, ruling that the request was too broad. He also stated that private videos uploaded by a user sharing with one other user are protected under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a great analysis of what went down during the court proceedings as well as links to some interesting article about privacy violations. Also, a lot of the articles that have covered this recent issue carry some really interesting feedback in the comments sections from people just like you and I who feel concerned that their love of people falling down, smashing their faces or anything that America’s Funniest Home Videos could assemble a montage of will be exposed to the world.