By Eric Limer, Gizmodo – December 29, 2012 at 09:00AM
You always want to keep a fire extinguisher handy, especially on your boat, but if you didn’t and things start getting a little toasty, this is probably the best you can hope for. Despite all the nay-saying in the background, this speedy good Samaritan here managed to put out that fire quite well, and look like a badass doing it. What more could you ask for in a good deed? [Reddit] More » 
By Jason Kottke, kottke.org – December 28, 2012 at 04:35PM
For his Super Hero series, Agan Harahap inserts the likes of Superman, Batman, and Darth Vader into historical photos. Here’s Spidey helping out during World War II:
And some Stormtroopers paying their respects to Chairman Mao’s body:
More images from the series are sprinkled throughout this gallery.
Tags: Agan Harahap remix
By juanram, MySQL Workbench 5.2.45 – December 27, 2012 at 08:21PM
The MySQL developer tools team announces the availability of version 5.2.45 of the MySQL Workbench GUI tool. This version contains various fixes and minor enhancements and includes 72 resolved bugs.
This version contains the following significant updates:
– Support for several new MySQL 5.6 features
– Import recordsets from CSV file for the Inserts editor in Modeling and in the SQL Editor
– Improved trigger editor
– more
Additionally, MySQL Utilities 1.1.1 have been included on the distribution.
For a full list of issues fixed in this release, see https://dev.mysql.com/doc/relnotes/workbench/en/wb-news-5-2-45.html
Please get your copy from our Downloads site. In Windows, you can also use the MySQL Windows Installer to update Workbench and other MySQL products.
Sources and binary packages are available for several platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/
Workbench Documentation can be found here.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/index.html
Utilities Documentation can be found here.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/mysql-utilities.html
If you need any additional info or help please get in touch with us.
Post in our forums or leave comments on our blog pages.
– The MySQL Workbench Team
By Alan Henry, Lifehacker – December 27, 2012 at 06:30PM
If you’re about to get on a plane, have an HTPC and don’t love the idea of changing physical discs, or just want to declutter, the idea of ripping your DVDs probably sounds good, assuming you don’t do it already. Ripping your movies saves space, lets you take your movies with you and play them on any device you choose, and back them up for safe keeping. Still, which tools are the best, fastest, highest quality DVD rippers? This week we want to know what you think.
It’s been a while since we tackled the best DVD ripping tools, and we’re willing to bet that the landscape has changed a good bit, and many of those apps have either been updated or discontinued entirely. So leave us your DVD ripper of choice in the discussions below!
Hive Five nominations take place in the discussions, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of nominations, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your post like so: VOTE: BEST DVD RIPPING TOOL. Please don’t include your vote in a reply to another person. Nominations emailed to us will not be counted. Instead, make your vote and reply separate discussions. After you’ve made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.
About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: “Which tool is the best?” Once a week we’ll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we’ll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week’s five best NAS enclosures.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it’s not because we hate it—it’s because it didn’t get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it’s a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!
Photo by Kenneth Lu.
By Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica – December 27, 2012 at 09:00PM
It may not feel that way, but we Mac users have now had quite a long run with OS X. We’re coming up on 12 years since the first public release of the operating system (and even longer if you consider the betas and developer previews), and we’ve seen OS X go through plenty of changes during that time. Indeed, even Mac veterans may—with the passing of the years—have forgotten just how shaky some of those early OS versions could be.
Don’t remember what OS X used to look like back when dinosaurs used to roam the planet and Apple’s OS ran only on PowerPC processors? We’ve mined more than a decade of our own OS X reviews—studiously authored by John Siracusa—for screenshots and other OS X-related memories that trace the development of Apple’s desktop OS through the 2000s. If you’re interested in seeing how various UI elements have evolved over the years, strap yourself in for this safari showcasing OS X’s big cats…
OS X was officially released to the public in 2001 after a rollercoaster series of developer previews, some of which barely resembled the final product. Because it was brand new to most users coming over from Mac OS 9, the new OS featured a number of “shocking” interface elements, such as the new file browser:
Read 54 remaining paragraphs | Comments
By The Workbench Team, Planet MySQL – December 27, 2012 at 08:21PM
The MySQL developer tools team announces the availability of version 5.2.45 of the MySQL Workbench GUI tool. This version contains various fixes and minor enhancements and includes 72 resolved bugs.
This version contains the following significant updates:
– Support for several new MySQL 5.6 features
– Import recordsets from CSV file for the Inserts editor in Modeling and in the SQL Editor
– Improved trigger editor
– more
Additionally, MySQL Utilities 1.1.1 have been included on the distribution.
For a full list of issues fixed in this release, see https://dev.mysql.com/doc/relnotes/workbench/en/wb-news-5-2-45.html
Please get your copy from our Downloads site. In Windows, you can also use the MySQL Windows Installer to update Workbench and other MySQL products.
Sources and binary packages are available for several platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/
Workbench Documentation can be found here.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/index.html
Utilities Documentation can be found here.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/mysql-utilities.html
If you need any additional info or help please get in touch with us.
Post in our forums or leave comments on our blog pages.
– The MySQL Workbench Team
By Michael Zinner, Planet MySQL – December 27, 2012 at 08:18PM
The MySQL developer tools team announces the availability of version 5.2.45 of the MySQL Workbench GUI tool. This version contains various fixes and minor enhancements and includes 72 resolved bugs.
This version contains the following significant updates:
– Support for several new MySQL 5.6 features
– Import recordsets from CSV file for the Inserts editor in Modeling and in the SQL Editor
– Improved trigger editor
– more
Additionally, MySQL Utilities 1.1.1 have been included on the distribution.
For a full list of issues fixed in this release, see https://dev.mysql.com/doc/relnotes/workbench/en/wb-news-5-2-45.html
Please get your copy from our Downloads site. In Windows, you can also use the MySQL Windows Installer to update Workbench and other MySQL products.
Sources and binary packages are available for several platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/
Workbench Documentation can be found here.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/index.html
Utilities Documentation can be found here.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/mysql-utilities.html
If you need any additional info or help please get in touch with us.
Post in our forums or leave comments on our blog pages.
– The MySQL Workbench Team
By Casey Chan, Gizmodo – December 27, 2012 at 02:00PM
I used to always pick the aisle seat whenever I flew on a plane. It’s not like I’m ridiculously tall or anything, I just enjoyed the freedom of one side (preferably my right) and the easy access to the bathroom (of which I rarely use). But on a recent trip to New York, I traded my aisle seat for a window seat. And after seeing New York from above, man, I don’t think I’ll ever sit in an aisle seat again. More » 
By Danny Stieben, MakeUseOf – December 27, 2012 at 01:01PM
We constantly hear about new security threats and companies that have been breached. As such, it’s understandable for some of us to be paranoid about security in order to prevent any possible attacks. If you’re not at least a little bit paranoid, you might want to read up on which site was the last one to have passwords stolen from.
Even if you have good security measures in place for your computer, you’ll also have to place equally heavy emphasis on your home network, as havoc can ensue for anyone who can find their way in. In order to figure out whether you have adequate security set up for your network, you’ll need the right tools.
Backtrack Linux is a Linux distribution specializing in network penetration. The distribution is based off of Ubuntu, but includes a very large array of testing tools out of the box as well as other needed patches such as tweaked wireless drivers.
While Backtrack Linux is meant to be used in a LiveDVD environment, it can still be installed onto a computer’s hard drive, which may be recommended if you solely use such a system for network penetration, as you’d then be able to install updates to the included software.
When you first boot off of the CD, you’ll need to take a few simple steps in order to get into Backtrack’s GUI. Power users won’t need to start the desktop environment if they prefer not to, but those who are newer to Backtrack and/or Linux should do so.
In case you get a “boot:” prompt at the very beginning, just hit enter and it’ll continue booting up.
It’ll then come to a boot menu, where you have a number of different options. You’re welcome to use any of them if you need them, but otherwise I’d go with the first, default selection.
Backtrack will keep loading until it reaches a command line prompt. From here, power users can run commands with programs that are already installed on the DVD. However, if you want a GUI, you’ll simply need to enter startx and hit enter, and your desktop environment should launch.
One of the things that makes Backtrack so respectable as a network penetration testing package is that it includes virtually every tool you could possibly want for the job. Just take a look through the menus, and you’ll see that the software selection is highly customized for its intended purpose.
If you look at the Backtrack category in the Applications menu, you’ll see the full list of all installed programs, and there are definitely a lot of them. There are plenty of tutorials around the Internet that can teach you how to use all of them, but a good start would be James’ guide to cracking a WEP-protected wireless network.
Backtrack Linux can be downloaded from their download page. Once there, you have a couple of choices, such as the architecture and desktop environment. You can even choose between a regular browser download or one using a Torrent client.
Once the ISO image file has been downloaded, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD or write it onto a USB drive. From there, configure your system’s BIOS to boot from the DVD/USB, and Backtrack Linux should be loading.
I’m very glad that Backtrack Linux exists because manually setting up the same environment, including all programs and patches, would take a lot of time and effort. Instead, one can simply load Backtrack from their preferred media, and get down to work in less than a minute. It’ll still take some time to learn how to use all the included programs (or at least those which are applicable to you), but it’ll be well worth it.
If you haven’t already, give Backtrack Linux a try and test out your home network. There’s a reason why it’s on MakeUseOf’s List of Best Linux Distros. Just please remember to only perform penetration testing on systems which you own or have explicit permission, as it is otherwise illegal in most jurisdictions.
How do you ensure your network’s security? Without sharing sensitive information, what security features do you have set up? Let us know in the comments.
The post Improve Your Security Defense By Going On Offense Using Backtrack Linux appeared first on MakeUseOf.
By (author unknown), Clients From Hell – December 26, 2012 at 11:58AM
We just finished filming a year’s worth of video content and we thought we’d put together an episode for everyone to enjoy over the Christmas.
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!