A lot of weather folk lore over the years has made claim that insects can predict the weather and that by observing the insects, we humans can make better decisions on how to dress, what crops to plant or whether to water the lawn or not. I have yet to read or see any evidence the confirms insects somehow have a better ability to forecast the weather than the local meteorologist on TV. Fact is, insects don’t predict weather. They simply react to its immediate changes.
Browsing Posts published in January, 2007
Email is almost a necessity nowadays. Very few companies and business can survive without this form of communication whether it is emailing a simple message, travel itinerary, purchase confirmation, forgotten passwords or a whole gamut of other things. If email consisted of only text messages and no file attachments it would be virtually harmless. The thing that makes email dangerous are those file attachments and the recipients not understanding the consequences of double-clicking an executable file.
The problem with email and why viruses, trojan horses and worms are so dangerous is that it offers a very easy medium for hackers to spread their malicious code. It preys on people who don’t understand what an executable file is or what it can do. In short, an executable file is code which can be written a whole multitude of programming languages, that runs locally on your PC. Once run locally, it can do whatever it was designed to do, which might be displaying a picture, installing malware, deleting files, installing a program to capture and record key presses to remember passwords and account numbers and then email the results to the hacker. The code can do anything the creator wants; benign or malicious.
Below is a list of file extensions which are considered executable by the Windows XP operating system. You should never double-click, run or save any file with the extensions listed below unless you are expecting the file attachment and it is coming from someone you know. Just because someone you know sends you a file doesn’t mean it’s safe. Their computer could have easily been hijacked and the hacker is sending his malicious code to all people in your friends address book; that being you.
Below is a list of file extensions that are associated with executable code. You do not want to save these files, double-click them, or execute them because they could easily contain malicious code:
ADE – Microsoft Access Project Extension
ADP – Microsoft Access Project
BAS – Visual Basic Class Module
BAT – Batch File
CHM – Compiled HTML Help File
CMD – Windows NT Command Script
COM – MS-DOS Application
CPL – Control Panel Extension
CRT – Security Certificate
DLL – Dynamic Link Library
DO* – Word Documents and Templates
EXE – Application
HLP – Windows Help File
HTA – HTML Applications
INF – Setup Information File
INS – Internet Communication Settings
ISP – Internet Communication Settings
JS – JScript File
JSE – JScript Encoded Script File
LNK – Shortcut
MDB – Microsoft Access Application
MDE – Microsoft Access MDE Database
MSC – Microsoft Common Console Document
MSI – Windows Installer Package
MSP – Windows Installer Patch
MST – Visual Test Source File
OCX – ActiveX Objects
PCD – Photo CD Image
PIF – Shortcut to MS-DOS Program
POT – PowerPoint Templates
PPT – PowerPoint Files
REG – Registration Entries
SCR – Screen Saver
SCT – Windows Script Component
SHB – Document Shortcut File
SHS – Shell Scrap Object
SYS – System Config/Driver
URL – Internet Shortcut (Uniform Resource Locator)
VB – VBScript File
VBE – VBScript Encoded Script File
VBS – VBScript Script File
WSC – Windows Script Component
WSF – Windows Script File
WSH – Windows Scripting Host Settings File
XL* – Excel Files and Templates
Many joke about how mobile homes and trailer parks always seem to get hit by tornadoes. However, some people truly believe that mobile homes attract tornadoes. The fact is, nothing attracts tornadoes. They form and move based on wind and other meteorological variables, not the type of home on the ground.
The reason people may think tornadoes target mobile homes and trailer parks is that the most damage seems to occur when they do strike these places. Mobile homes and trailers are not securely fastened to their foundations and are usually structurally weak in comparison to well built homes. Even relatively weak tornadoes can cause significant damage as compared to other well-built homes that would otherwise suffer cosmetic damage. Therefore, those inside these mobile homes and trailers have no safe place to hide and as a result, serious injury and death results. The media’s motto then applies; if it bleeds it reads. Damage, death and injuries are the reason why we hear about tornadoes hitting trailer parks with greater frequency than other neighborhoods. Also, there tend to be a greater number of trailer parks in that part of the country which experiences tornadoes on a more frequent basis. It has nothing to do with the structures themselves.
Other Tornado Myths
- Tornadoes Never hit Big Cities?
- Does Opening Windows During a Tornado Help?
- Is The Southwest Corner Safest?
- Do Highway Overpasses Provide Safety?
- Can You Really Outrun a Tornado In a Car?
We have a DirecTV Dual Tuner Tivo in our bedroom, but unfortunately we only had one coax cable jack. So we couldn’t record one show and watch another at the same time unless we ran another cable into the bedroom from the basement. A daunting task because I didn’t want to run the cable around the baseboards and I didn’t want to run it all the way around the house and in through the outside wall. That leaves just one option, and that was to go up through the interior wall.
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At first I thought it would be easy thinking the walls would be hollow and I could simply drop the cable down the wall and fish it out in the basement. I was wrong. In newer construction homes, there are 2×4 fire breaks between the studs which prevent one from doing this. I then thought about cutting a square hole in the dry wall at the firebreak, drilling a hole and passing the cable through. Because we have a split-level home, the hole in the dry wall would of been in a very visible spot and unless I patched it perfectly, the wife would of had my head. |
So my solution was to buy a 72″ flexible drill bit extender and a wire puller (called a glow stick at Home Depot). The sub-floors are made of a high density plywood so a battery powered drill will have some problems punching a hole through it unless you’ve got an 18 volt drill. Getting through the 2×4 was no problem. Using the flexible drill bit is a bit of an art, especially if you have to flex it. It takes a bit of muscle so it’s almost a two person job until you get better using it. Lucky for me, I had a straight shot up from the basement to the master bedroom which made it very easy. I then used the 15 foot cable puller and pulled the coax down through the wall.
When I bought my 2005 BMW 650 GS Dakar, I quickly realized I was going to need a top case for carrying some of my gear. The question was, do I go with the BMW case that is made for the bike or do I go with a 3rd party case? After speaking with some co-workers who have BMW motorcycles, none of them had many good things to say about the BMW top case. The two biggest complaints I heard were it was very compartmentalized which made storing larger items difficult and that it sometimes leaked water. That latter surprised me.
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So instead of taking a chance on the BMW top case, I decided on the Givi v46 Monokey top case which had rave reviews. It actually turned out to be a bit less than the BMW case (no surprise there), looks nicer and was a little bigger. These cases won’t mount on the BMW 650 GS out of the box so you have to also buy the universal mounting bracket (part#: SR685) which is very easy to install. I had the case mounted on the bike in 15 minutes. |
The top case can hold my XL Scorpion full face helmet, rain gear and a few other small things like a tinted visor, second pair of gloves and bungee cords. It’s very solid, easy to use, has a key lock, and forms a nice air tight seal which I know won’t leak water. I could of gone with a bigger case which might of held my jacket as well, but I was afraid it would have looked too big on the back of the 650 GS Dakar. You can also add a rack that mounts on top of the case for added storage or a 3rd brake light. I’m very pleased with the case and have no complaints.
