What in the World is This? (4)

I took this picture during a trip to India in 1991. Can you guess what it is?

Here's a hint: I took this picture while inside, looking up. And it allowed me to sleep comfortably at night.

Give up? It's a mosquito net.

During that trip many years ago was the first time I had ever seen such a thing. Heck, now you can find them at places like Pier 1 (perhaps for more decorative purposes?) and maybe even at camping stores.

Effective? Yes indeed!

TrueCrypt: open-source encryption software

I have been looking at applications that support file and folder
encryption on Windows-based computers. The ideal application should be
reliable, should be easy to use, should support multiple encryption
methods, should run and mount automatically when a configured removable
device (e.g., a USB Flash Disk or a mobile USB hard drive) is activated,
and should run self-contained (no software installation needed on the
host system).

Conclusion: Among the many free and commercial offerings, most appear to
offer solid, basic file and folder encryption. I am most impressed by
TrueCrypt, a free open-source disk encryption application for Windows
XP/2000/2003. TrueCrypt is easy to use, runs in a self-contained,
auto-mounting mode, supports a wide variety of encryption options
(including cascading options), and has good documentation and user
support via its forum web site.

Caveats: All solutions I found require administrator rights on the host
computer; so using these solutions on systems you have control (e.g.,
can install software on) should work fine, but they may not work well in
Internet Cafe's or on lab computers were user access is restricted.

For installation details, please see this document.

Gadgets: USB Flash Disk

Flash Disk, USB flash disk, flash drive, thumb drive? Any of these terms sound familiar?

If you haven't tried one, you'll be amazed by the small size, simplicity and usability of these devices. You can plug a USB flash drive into just about any computer and use it just like a floppy disk (just faster, more reliable, and with larger capacity).

Maybe you are interested in the technology behind these devices?

For over two years I have been using a variety of flash disks from SANDISK, their 128MB version, 256MB version, and 1 gigabyte version.Right now, a great price point is the 1GB SANDISK Flash Disk. The 1GB model was originally priced around $300, but you can find them now for under $80.

USB flash disks do have some limitations, though. They do not last forever and can, especially after being used for a while, fail or corrupt information you store on them. My USB flash disks have failed twice. The first time, I lost several files; they just disappeared after I tried to copy some files to it. The second time, I lost a large email archive I had stored. No warning, no errors, just *gone*.

So, think carefully about how you use a USB flash disk. One of its most convenient uses is to carry critical files with you when you go back and forth from home to the office or when you are travelling. As much of a pain as it is to make backups, save the information on your USB flash disk regularly and often. I use a free program called SyncBack. It can either backup or synchronize the files on your USB flash disk (or any other disk for that matter).

Also, remember one of the most important points of using removable storage devices: when you are done, stop the device from Windows before disconnecting it. A quick, illustrated how-to can be found on this How To Remove A USB Device web page.

You can scope out the features and performance of different USB flash disk models in the ArsTechnica "Son of the USB 2.0 Hi-speed Flash drive roundup" article.

If you are looking for something else to do with your USB flash disk besides store files, check out Portable Firefox and Portable Thunderbird. These hacked versions of your favorite Firefox and Thunderbird will run completely off the USB flash disk -- convenient when you're traveling or wanting to check your email with your own email client at an Internet Cafe.

In a future post, I will write about options for encrpyting information on your USB flash disk or other storage device.

UniYatra Interesting Links: World Food Program "Food Force" Game

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has produced a free, entertaining, and educationnal game called "Food Force". The premise: a major crisis has developed in the Indian Ocean, on the island of Sheylan. We’re sending ina new team to step up the World Food Programme’s presence there and help feed millions of hungry people. Downloads (200MB+) are available for PC and Mac.

For other links of interest, including Cuke Skywalker and Darth Tader in... "STORE WARS: THE ORGANIC REBELLION" and "Ashes and Snow", please see the UniYatra Group Interesting Links page.

UniYatra Interesting Links: "Store Wars"

Cuke Skywalker, Obi Wan Cannoli, Princess Lettuce, Chewbroccoli takes on Darth Tader in... STORE WARS: THE ORGANIC REBELLION. More information can be found in the Store Wars Press Release.


This Macromedia Flash movie was created by Free Range Graphics; they also produced:

• The Meatrix
  
• Social Insecurity