Awesome USB gadgets! [USB rc Tank]

There is nothing more fun then barraging your co-workers with tiny foam missiles with a rc tank that can shoot up to 15 feet!

This little beast can be controlled via a USB remote control that you can control from included pc software. This software will allow you to steer the tank and raise or lower its missile pod.

The best thing is that no one will ever know it is you! As you will not be holding a remote! But unfortunately there is no on-board camera so you will have to be able to see your tank to be able to control it properly.

Though Id share this with you as it is totally awesome, but alas I dont know where I can buy one! Ill try using the google machine. 

Just a comparison...

Its amazing how computers have come along in my lifetime.

Here is a comparison of the computers that were being made when I was born and Today.

A top of the range laptop from 1993: (all information from URL below)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_180c#PowerBook_180c






Specs:
An amazing 80 MB 2.5-inch hard drive
uses a Motorola 68030 33 MHz CPU
Has 4–14 MiB's worth of Memory
Runs: –Mac OS 7.6.1
With a beautiful 8.4 inch screen!
no graphics cards here!



A top of the range laptop from 2011: (all information from URL below)
http://www.cnet.com.au/alienware-m11x-core-i7-339307250.htm



Specs:
Display:
Diagonal screen size : 11.6 inch
Memory:
Amt of RAM : 8GB
Processor:
Intel Core i7
Processor speed: 2.26 GHz
Hard Drive:
Primary hard drive : 500 GB
Graphics hardware : GeForce GT335M



Its amazing to think how much technology has changed over the last 18 years!

Sorry everyone

I have been sick with the flu or some strand of it for the last 2 weeks.. that why I have a lack of quality posts! Im still getting better but I will be posting more interesting computerage things soon!

Give me some ideas!

I’m just starting to get into VB! And I need some ideas for simple programs that I can aim for and try to make!

Also, does anyone know any sites where I could download random programs and get the sourse code?


Thanks guys!

[Tutorial] Anti-viruses and keeping your computer secure

Keeping your computer secure from hackers, adware and viruses is not very hard, all you need is some common sense and some know-how. Here and the next few following posts I will teach you a few simple steps you can take to help prevent your computer from being infected or hacked.

anti-virus scanners

1. One of the best free antivirus scanners that I have come across is easily Malwarebytes anti-malware from -> www.malwarebytes.org/ If you have not got this on your computer I recommend heading over to their website and download it right now! The only downside to this program is that it has no run-time scanning (this is the free version), it has to be manually updated and set to start scanning.

2. Another great free antivirus is avast. It is a good all-round anti-virus with runtime scanning (scans files as you use them) it also automatically updates and has a gaming mode so it does not start scanning your computer/downloading updates while you have this option ticked.

MalwareBytes+Avast+Windows firewall is a great combination for all of your antivirus needs.


One more Extremely useful tip is that if you ever download a suspicious file eg: 'CSS HACK 2.4' you can use an online scanner such as -> http://www.virustotal.com/ to upload your file to a server that will then scan that file with many different antiviruses to see if it is infected or not. You will then be given the result.

[Tutorial] How to secure your Wi-Fi network.

In this day and age WiFi is getting used more and more. Its easy to setup, cheap and easy to add extend upon.

But alas with using wifi there also comes some risk. As you are sending your information through the air (unlike a physical cable) it can be intercepted or unintended users could access your network.

Here are a few simple steps that will throw off your next door neighbours kid with his skid hacking tools and make your wifi network secure.

WEP and WPA

WEP stands for Wireless encryption protocol Wep is practically useless, It can be cracked within a matter of seconds using automated tools that can be downloaded from the internet. Hence why you should use WPA. WPA is more secure and takes more skill to crack.

Mac address filtering

If your router has this option, USE IT.
To find your MAC (or physical address) in the CMD command prompt type 'ipconfig /all'
Copy the physical address and paste that into your 'Allow from only selected MAC' MAC address list. This will make your router only accept traffic from the specified MAC addresses.

Disable the broadcast of SSID

SSID is the name of your network (SSID stands for standards for service set identifier), Select the option so your SSID is not broadcast or visible, People will need to type in the name of your network to join it. So if your next-door neighbour is searching for a open network they wont be able to find it and they will need the exact name to be able to join!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I shall get back to you ASAP