Brendan’s Blog

I spend lots of time behind my keyboard. The last time I went looking for a new one, I found some really good reviews of the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. It is a USB keyboard — with a wire. My last two keyboards were wireless, but I found that I didn’t move the keyboard around much, and the hassle of batteries was not worth removing that one little cord.

I have used ergonomically shaped keyboards for a long time, and find this one to be very comfortable. I appreciate the standard layout for Ins/Del & PgUp/PgDwn. I also really like the sliding key in the middle of the keyboard, which lets me scroll* through web pages quickly and easily.

* Note that the sliding key was intended to be used for zoom — not scroll. I used the instructions here to change that functionality.

I have two computers at my desk. A standard desktop PC, and my work laptop. Over the years I have tried and used several keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switches. Up until this one they have all been based on the older PS/2 style connector for keyboards and mice. Today’s keyboards and mice are USB only and caused me to search for a new KVM switch.

The Belkin Flip is simple to use, inexpensive, and accomplishes what I need. I chose the wireless version with audio switching support. The KVM is completely hidden behind my desk, and all of the non-standard keys/features of my Microsoft Keyboard 4000 and Logitech MX Revolution mouse work perfectly.

One laptop. One desktop. One big monitor.

Laptops offer a great way to work – and play – almost anywhere. But sometimes you just don’t feel like sitting in front of a tiny display and cramped keyboard.

Thanks to Flip, you can now use your big monitor and full-sized keyboard for both your laptop and desktop computer.

Click. Flip.

It’s simple. Just place the remote anywhere on your desk and press to flip your monitor from one computer to the next.

Benefits:

• Shares one monitor, keyboard, and mouse between computers
• Shares one set of speakers between computers*
• Connects instantly to notebook computers
• Supports PC and Mac® notebook and desktop computers**
• Features a 2-color LED that indicates which computer Flip is accessing
• Includes 2 cables to connect computers
• Installs in 3 easy steps with no software required
• Also available with wireless remote
• Comes with a Belkin 3-Year Warranty

Once upon a time I frequently reused passwords. So if you knew my dogs name, or what kind of car I drove, you could easily have pretended to be me with just a little extra work. This is obviously a very bad idea, but I’m sure many people struggle with managing passwords for web sites and computer systems you access on a regular basis.

Passwords are keys to your identity.  If a malicious person were to figure out your email password, what harm could they cause?  Could they quickly gather the names and contact information for your friends and family?  Could they figure out where you bank?  Could they reset your bank password by telling your bank that your password was forgotten?

A researcher who examined 10,000 Hotmail, MSN and Live.com passwords that were recently exposed online has published an analysis of the list and found that “123456″ was the most commonly used password, appearing 64 times.
- Wired Magazine

Here are my tips for choosing the best passwords:

• Use different passwords for every site/application.  Do not reuse them.
• Change passwords frequently.  The more you use a password, the more you should change it.
• Keep your passwords secret.  Guard them as if they were keys to your identity — they usually are.
• Consider using a random password generator.
• Consider using passphrases (e.g. Myhouseismadeofwoodandhasyellowsiding!)
• Consider using acronyms (e.g. Mhimowahys!)
• Do not use words, birthdays, family and pet names, addresses, or any other personal information in your passwords.
• Do not use repeat characters such as 111 or sequences like abc, qwerty, or 123 in any part of your password.

I strongly recommend using a password managment tool for three important reasons.

1. Tools remember many passwords so you don’t have to.
2. Tools can type passwords for you.  This makes strong passwords easy to use.
3. Tools can create strong passwords which are complex, unique, and random.

I have blogged about software based password managers PasswordSafe and KeePass.  Both remain excellent ways to manage your passwords.  I have also written a post about an on-line password management tool called LastPass.

PasswordSafe is a free and open source software which is easy to use. It is a very small download, and works on the many flavors of Windows.

What is Password Safe? Password Safe is an Open Source (free) tool that allows you to have a different password for all the different programs and websites that you deal with, without actually having to remember all those usernames and passwords. Password Safe runs on PCs under Windows (95/98/NT/2000/XP). An older (but fully functional) version is available for PocketPC. Linux/Unix clones that use the same database format have also been written (see Related Projects).

After starting PasswordSafe, you can categorize entries for anything that needs a password. Each entry must contain a Title, but everything else is optional. Most entries will also have a username and password. Since PasswordSafe remembers your credentials for you, make them all unique and complex. I recommend using the random password generation feature to generate secure passwords for every place you visit.

PasswordSafe’s information is saved in an encrypted file on your hard disk. So from now on, only remember one password… and change it on a regular basis.

Do you use more than one computer? If you do, you have probably struggled with a method to share or synchronize files between them. I have been using a tool called FolderShare to synchronize files between my various PC’s for several months now. I synchronize My Documents, IE Favorites, and work-related project folders between my home desktop PC and my work laptop. It works over standard SSL ports, so you can use it nearly anywhere.

UPDATE: Microsoft re-branded FolderShare as Windows Live Sync since this article was first written.  The functionality is almost identical, and the service is still free.

Microsoft purchased FolderShare back in November of 2005. It has been free to use since then.

This is how the tool is described on its website:

FolderShareTM is a service that allows you to securely keep files synchronized between your devices, share files with friends or colleagues, and remotely download your files from any web browser. FolderShare consists of two components – My FolderShare and the FolderShare Satellite.

My FolderShare: Configure and manage your account from here.

• Go to www.foldershare.com from any web browser and login to access your “My FolderShare” page.
• From here you can do any of the following:
  • Setup devices to sync or share with
  • Invite others (via email address) to share your files
  • Manage your account – upgrade your subscription, change your email address or password
  • Get help
  • Download the latest software

FolderShare Satellite: The software you need to install on the device(s) you want to sync or share files with.

• The FolderShare Satellite will run in the background when you are online.
• As you update shared or synced files, it will automatically update them on the other devices connected.

This blog is intended to “give back” lessons I have learned so that others can benefit from my experiences. Posts may include product/tool reviews, and perhaps more mundane life experiences. I welcome constructive comments, as I do not claim to be an expert on any topics posted here.