Test Your Anti Virus

You can test your anti virus by trying to download this Anti Virus Test File. Another method to test your anti virus is to open note pad and paste this 

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

and then save the file as eicar.com

If your anti virus prevents you from saving this file it is working.

Note: This file is not a virus it is just a Anti Virus Test File.

Downloading Youtube Videos

There are many ways to download Youtube videos. Personally, I use a free Firefox extension called Video DownloadHelper to download Youtube videos, I find it to be the most convenient. There is also a free video player called Miro that can be used to download Youtube videos. Additionally, there are a few sites that enable you to download youtube videos. Some of these sites include KeepVid and Savevid. 

Halo 3 Modded Maps

Update: An updated version of this list can be found on my new site www.tech-culture.co.tv
Here is a link to the updated list http://www.tech-culture.co.tv/gaming/halo-3-modded-maps

As a reminder this site has moved to www.tech-culture.co.tv and new material will be added there.

Five File Hosting Sites With Free Direct Linking

Here are four file hosting sites that offer free direct linking. Direct linking or hot linking allows you to link directly to the file without having to link to a page where the file can be downloaded. Direct linking can also be used to post pictures directly into web pages and forums and it can also be used to stream media like videos and music. The drawback with these sites is that they only offer a limited amount of bandwidth for direct linking files, which makes it difficult to stream media with them as that will likely exceed their bandwidth limit.


1. http://mydatanest.com/



2 GB storage


10 GB Monthly Bandwidth




2. http://www.boxstr.net/


5 GB storage


1GB Daily Bandwidth




3. http://www.fileden.com/


1 GB storage


5GB Monthly Bandwidth




4. http://www.filefreak.com/



1 GB storage


250MB Daily Bandwidth




5. http://www.sigmirror.com/


2.5 GB storage


7 GB Monthly Bandwidth

Embed Flash Videos

Embedding flash videos is really easy. All you have to do is copy this code, then replace the given fields in red with a direct link to the content you want to embed, and finally paste the code you just edited on the site you want to embed the video. You can use a text editor, like notepad, to edit this code.

You can delete the "so.addVariable('image','Paste link to the picture you want to use as a preview here');" line if you do not want a preview picture.


<script src="http://cl.lk/v1lp1" type="text/javascript">
</script>

<div id="mediaspace">
This text will be replaced</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
  var so = new SWFObject('http://cl.lk/v1lq7','mpl','470','320','9');
  so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true');
  so.addParam('allowscriptaccess','always');
  so.addParam('wmode','opaque');
  so.addVariable('file','Replace with link to the video you want to stream here');
  so.addVariable('image','Replace with link to the picture you want to use as a preview here');
  so.write('mediaspace');
</script>

What you should get is an embedded flash video like this

Halo 2 Move Along

This text will be replaced

A Great Free Media Hosting Site and Photobucket Alternative

Imageshack.us is a free media hosting site and photobucket.com alternative. The bandwidth allotment they provide is pretty generous with 200 MB per hour for images, which is much more than photobucket.com's 10GB a month limit which will probably go down again. Like photobucket.com imageshack.us allows direct linking for images but imageshack.us also allows direct linking of videos as well, unlike photobucket.com. imageshack.us also offers free .swf or flash file hosting unlike photobucket.com. Additionally, imageshack.us does not has better picture quality than photobucket.com since imageshack.us allows direct linking of the original picture as long as it is under 1.5 MB in size. imageshack.us also does not have a inactivity limit that if you do not log into your account within a certain period of time your images will not be displayed, unlike photobucket.com, which has a 90 day inactivity limit. The only drawback imageshack.us has is that sometimes it has slow loading times for images. Imageshack.us, like photobucket.com, offers unlimited bandwidth for premium accounts.

Below is a screenshot of Imageshack.us

I don't mean to negative about photobucket.com, but photobucket.com seems to keep getting worse and worse. Another great photobucket.com alternative is Google's Picasa Web Albums.

Don't Fall Victim to a Fake Anti Virus Scam!!!

I have seen numerous pop ups advertising fake anti virus scams. If you see a pop up that says your computer might be infected, is infected or looks anything like the screenshots below just click the red "X" at the top left of the window. DO NOT CLICK "OK" AS THAT WILL START THE DOWNLOAD OF THE FAKE ANTI VIRUS PROGRAM!!! If you just click "X" you should fine and your computer should not be infected.

This is what the FBI says about this scam.

"POP-UP ADVERTISEMENTS OFFERING ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE POSE THREAT TO INTERNET USERS




12/11/09—An ongoing threat exists for computer users who, while browsing the Internet, began receiving pop-up security warnings that state their computers are infected with numerous viruses.



These pop-ups known as scareware, fake, or rogue anti-virus software look authentic and may even display what appears to be real-time anti-virus scanning of the user’s hard drive. The scareware will show a list of reputable software icons; however, the user cannot click a link to go to the actual site to review or see recommendations.



The scareware is intimidating to most users and extremely aggressive in its attempt to lure the user into purchasing the rogue software that will allegedly remove the viruses from their computer. It is possible that these threats are received as a result of clicking on advertisements contained on a website. Cyber criminals use botnets to push the software and use advertisements on websites to deliver it. This is known as malicious advertising or malvertising.



Once the pop-up appears it cannot be easily closed by clicking “close” or the “X” button. If the user clicks on the pop-up to purchase the software, a form is provided that collects payment information and the user is charged for the bogus product. In some instances, whether the user clicks on the pop-up or not, the scareware can install malicious code onto the computer. By running your computer with an account that has rights to install software, this issue is more likely to occur.



Downloading the software could result in viruses, Trojans, and/or keyloggers being installed on the user’s computer. The repercussions of downloading the malicious software could prove further financial loss to the victim due to computer repair, as well as, cost to the user and/or financial institutions due to identity theft.



The assertive tactics of the scareware has caused significant losses to users. The FBI is aware of an estimated loss to victims in excess of $150 million.



Be cautious—Cyber criminals use easy to remember names and associate them with known applications. Beware of pop-ups that are offer a variation of recognized security software. It is recommended that the user research the exact name of the software being offered.



Take precautions to ensure operating systems are updated and security software is current.



If a user receives these anti-virus pop-ups, it is recommended to close the browser or shut the system down. It is suggested that the user run a full, anti-virus scan whenever the computer is turned back on.



If you have experienced the anti-virus pop-ups or a similar scam, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/. "

Source:  http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm



Below are a few screenshots of fake antivirus scam pop up:

Sources:

http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm
http://ixwebhostwarning.wordpress.com/
http://seo.mhvt.net/blog/?p=451
http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200912/3265/Hackers-use-Natasha-Richardson-s-death-for-monetary-gain
http://imageshack.us/

Free CDN

The Coral Content Distribution Network is a free CDN (Content Distribution Network) anyone can use. To use it you just have to add .nyud.net to the end of the domain name. for example http://imageshack.us/ would be http://imageshack.us.nyud.net/. This CDN has a pretty slow load time for files that have not been cached on it, but after a file has been cached it seems to load much faster. Additionally, this CDN is only good for small files like pictures.

For more information you can check out the Coral CDN's webpage: http://www.coralcdn.org/ 

Below are a few pictures on http://imageshack.us/ that are on the Coral CDN.

Modern Warfare 2

Halo 3

Golden Gate Bridge

Custom Google File Search Engine

I recently made a Google custom search engine that searches many popular file hosting sites like mediafire, rapidshare, ect. Enjoy and use it responsibly.

Here it is http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=006026382047319021436:ashuudyg9ro

Free Website Screenshot Site

This site takes screenshots of entire websites for free. Although the image quality is not the best it still is a pretty good and usefull site. However, I would recomend using a program or a browser plugin for taking website screenshots since their image quality is usually much better. Here is the site http://www.superscreenshot.com/.

Below is a screenshot of http://www.wikipedia.org/ that was taken from http://www.superscreenshot.com/.

Shareaza P2P Client

Shareaza is a great, free and easy to use P2P (Peer to Peer) filesharing program. It searches the Gnutella, Gnutella 2 and the Edonkey networks simontaniously. Shareaza also gives extensive search results and it is great for finding rare files. This program also has a rating system and a comment system which makes it easier to tell which files are fake or corrupt from those that are not. Additionally, you can download and instal anti spam filters for Shareaza on the shareaza forum http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/shareaza/. Shareaza's anti spam filters greatly reduce the amount of fake files in searches. Shareaza is also a download manager.


Note: there are many scam versions of this program out there so be carefull who you download this program from. You can safely download Shareaza from the developers site http://shareaza.sourceforge.net/.

Remember: please use P2P software responsibly.

Screenshot:

A Simple Tip That Can Save You Money Shopping Online

Whenever you are online shopping you should always open up another browser or tab and go to a search engine and search for coupon codes / discount codes for the site you are shopping on. An example of what you should type into the search engine would be amazon.com discount codes. This little tip can save you a lot of money if you frequently shop online.

Flash Earth

I recently came across an Abobe Flash site that is pretty much like google Earth. Although it does not have all the functionality of Google Earth it is still pretty cool. The biggest drawback is that it does not give directions unlike Google Earth. Below is a link to the site and a screenshot of the site.

http://www.flashearth.com/

Halo Reach

Halo Reach will be the next game in the Halo series to be released by Bungie LLC. Like all the other games in the Halo series, Halo Reach will be a FPS ( First Person Shooter ) game. This game will be released for the Xbox 360 in Fall 2010. Both a single and a multiplayer mode will be included in this game too. Additional, an invitation to the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta, which will come out on Xbox Live May 3, 2010, is included in Halo 3 ODST. More information will be added as it comes out.

Halo: Reach E3 2009 Teaser Trailer



Halo: Reach World Premiere HD



Once More Unto The Breach



More information on the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta and the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta Trailer can be found here http://xblconnect.blogspot.com/2010/03/halo-reach-multiplayer-trailer-and-beta.html

Sources

Picture: Bungie.net
Bungie L.L.C.

Info: wikipedia.org

Unlocking Halo 3 Recon Armor

After lots of hard work and determination I managed to complete all the Halo 3 Vidmaster Challenges and unlock Recon Armor. The Vidmaster Challenges were extremely hard to complete. The only reason I did them was because others begged me to help them complete them. I have posted a few posts with useful advice and hints that might help you complete them if you are interested in doing so.

Below is a a picture of my Halo 3 Recon Armor.

Halo: Reach Multiplayer Trailer and Beta Info

For those who have Halo 3: ODST the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta will be available May 3, 2010 on Xbox Live. Additionally, the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Trailer has been released and you can watch it in HD or SD below.

Note: You need a copy of Halo 3: ODST and a Xbox Live Gold Membership to participate in the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta.
HD


SD




More information on Halo Reach can be founf here: http://xblconnect.blogspot.com/2009/10/halo-reach.html
Image: bungie.net
Source and more info: http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Reach_MPTrailer

Getting an Open NAT for Xbox Live with Port Fowarding or DMZ

Port Fowarding:

One way to get an Open Nat for Xbox Live is through Port Fowarding. In order to foward the ports Xbox Live uses to you Xbox or Xbox 360 you need to have access to your routers control panel. If you haven't changed the default login info for you router you can find your routers default login info on the bottom of your router or in your routers instructions. Below is a numbered list of instructions for getting an Open NAT for Xbox Live with Port Fowarding.

1. Login to your routers comand panel.
The default login info might be on the bottom of your router or in your routers instructions.

2. Assign a static ip to your Xbox or Xbox 360.
This might be under the Lan IP Setup section, depending on your router.
It helps to have your Xbox or Xbox 360 on and connected to your network while doing this so you can get the info needed to assign a static ip to your Xbox or Xbox 360 from your routers list of attached devices.

3. Foward the ports listed below to the ip you have assigned your Xbox or Xbox 360.
Be sure to foward both the TCP and the UDP ports!

The port numbers are:

• 53
• 80
• 88
• 3074

After you have fowarded the ports above to the ip you have assigned your Xbox or Xbox 360 you are done. Enjoy Xbox Live with an Open NAT.



DMZ:

Another way to get an Open NAT for Xbox Live is by assigning your Xbox or Xbox 360 as a DMZ. This is done pretty much the same way as the Port Fowarding method since it also requires you to assign a static ip address to your Xbox or Xbox 360. The only difference between the DMZ and the Port Fowarding method is that with the DMZ method you have to place the ip you have to place the ip address you have assigned your Xbox or Xbox 360 in the DMZ server address box on your router. The DMZ server address box on your router might be in the WAN Setup section of your routers comand panel, depending on your router. Below is a numbered list of instructions for getting an Open NAT for Xbox Live with DMZ.

1. Login to your routers comand panel.
The default login info might be on the bottom of your router or in your routers instructions.

2. Assign a static ip to your Xbox or Xbox 360.
This might be under the Lan IP Setup section, depending on your router.
It helps to have your Xbox or Xbox 360 on and connected to your network while doing this so you can get the info needed to assign a static ip to your Xbox or Xbox 360 from your routers list of attached devices.

3. Place the IP address you have assigned your Xbox or Xbox 360 in the DMZ server address box in your routers comand panel. This might be in the WAN Setup section of your routers comand panel, depending on your router. Be sure to have the DMZ server enabled on your router!


After you have placed the IP address you have assigned your Xbox or Xbox 360 in the DMZ server box in your routers comand panel and made sure that the DMZ server is enabled on your router you are done. Enjoy Xbox Live with an Open NAT.

How to quickly rank up in Modern Warfare 2

Quickly, ranking up in Modern Warfare 2 is really easy. The secret is to focus on completing the challenges since they give you a lot of experience points. As you unlock an achievement you should try to unlock another one and so on. Additionally you should try different gametypes as some give you more experience points than others. Usually, I get more exp. in Hedquarters Pro than in Team Deathmatch.

If you are really eager to rank up you can boost by assembling a party of 8 to do Free For All and take turns getting points.