This is a neat little project which involves making a Red Box from a standard Radio Shack tone generator. What's a Red Box you ask?? Well a Red Box is a device that outputs the nickel, dime, and quarter tones used in a payphone. Theoretically one could use such a device to place phone calls at a payphone for free. These were very popular in the 90's and may not work on today's new phone system. Although I have heard they will still work in some remote areas where time has forgotten ;)
Check it out Here.
+dwebb
Friday, January 27, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
XBMC - XBOX Media Center Project
This is a great little project for anyone who wants to get the most out of their Xbox. After a couple of hours messing around with config files and online menus, I successfully got my XBOX chipped, flashed the BIOS, upgraded the HD to a 30 GB and installed the latest build of XBOX Media Center.
Release…….: XBox Media Center 1.1.0
Skin………….: Project Mayhem III
It wasn't the easiest of tasks without any real, straightforward instructions, most of the stuff I found was written in the Online XBMC manual, or found in various forums, but once I got it working it is awesome.
I then bought a wireless game adapter, and networked my Xbox, the media center gives me access to all of the videos, music, Podcasts, audiobooks and photos stored on my regular computer from my TV in my living room. The video and audio streaming worked flawlessly and I can FTP into the box and update and transfer files.
I also have a few DVD’s backed up on my computer using DVD Shrink 3.2, which compresses them down to a specified size with minimal quality loss and played them on the Xbox
Best of all, there are emulators for all the old gaming systems, specifically, MAME, NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Genesis and more. I can now play all the old arcade classics of yesteryear on my XBOX.
The networked Xbox also can access all my music in iTunes, I can get my playlist listed and the music streams to my TV.
There are many plugin scripts for the system available, lots to stream video content from the web, a couple of my favorites are the Apple movie trailers, which works flawlessly and CNN Videos, which is like a video on demand of all the latest news headlines.
The XBMC is really quite and impressive multi use media PC. XBMC can be used with the Xbox DVD remote or any of th various Xbox controllers including wireless. The button config can be a little tricky, but once you figure it out it works great.
+dwebb
Monday, January 23, 2006
DIY Lockpicking Device
This is pretty cool. Build a lockpick out of an old electric toothbrush. All you need is a $9 toothbrush and some extra parts.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Find Your Album Art For iTunes
Just upload your iTunes XML file and this site analyzes which cds you're missing album art for. It then gets all the covers from Amazon and displays them all.
Check it out here.
There are also other solutions for getting the artwork. Below are some applications and online solutions.
iTunes Art Importer
iTunes Album Art Finder
+dwebb
Friday, January 20, 2006
Tracing An Email
The purpose of this guide is to show the process involved in tracing an email. The first step required to tracing an email is finding out the headers of the email. What are headers? Email headers are lines added at the top of an email message that are used by servers as the email goes on route to get delivered. Generally email clients only show the standard To, From, and Subject headers, but there are more.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
AJAX Powered IP Location Lookup
This website lets you plot any ip address using Google maps. It is not 100% accurate, but it is kewl none the less.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Free High Speed Internet
Here is a great guide on finding free Wifi. With a few simple tools you can tap into your neighbor's wireless connection and begin taking advantage of free high speed internet connection.
Essential Items:
1. Get a good browser, I prefer Firefox. Firefox is not only a good browser for surfing the web, but it is more secure and allows you to tweak your internet to go faster.
2. You will need a wireless network card. Any card should do fine, most networks are G, so a 802.11g card would be the best route to go, also probably the cheapest.
Finding Wireless Networks
Locating a wireless network is the first step in trying to exploit it. There are two tools that are commonly used in this regard:
Network Stumbler - a.k.a NetStumbler ( This Windows based tool easily finds wireless signals being broadcast within range ) A must have. It also has ability to determine Signal/Noise info that can be used for site surveys. I actually know of one highly known public wireless hotspot provider that uses this utility for their site surveys.
Kismet - One of the key functional elements missing from NetStumbler is the ability to display Wireless Networks that are not broadcasting their SSID. As a potential wireless security expert, you should realize that Access Points are routinely broadcasting this info; it just isn’t being read/deciphered. Kismet will detect and display SSIDs that are not being broadcast which is very critical in finding wireless networks.
Attaching to the Found Wireless Network
Once you’ve found a wireless network, the next step is to try to connect to it. If the network isn’t using any type of authentication or encryption security, you can simply connect to the SSID. If the SSID isn’t being broadcast, you can create a profile with the name of the SSID that is not being broadcast. Of course you found the non-broadcast SSID with Kismet, right? If the wireless network is using authentication and/or encryption, you may need one of the following tools.
Airsnort - This is a very easy to use tool that can be used to sniff and crack WEP keys. While many people bash the use of WEP, it is certainly better than using nothing at all. Something you’ll find in using this tool is that it takes a lot of sniffed packets to crack the WEP key. There are additional tools and strategies that can be used to force the generation of traffic on the wireless network to shorten the amount of time needed to crack the key, but this feature is not included in Airsnort.
CowPatty - This tool is used as a brute force tool for cracking WPA-PSK, considered the “New WEP” for home Wireless Security. This program simply tries a bunch of different options from a dictionary file to see if one ends up matching what is defined as the Pre-Shared Key.
ASLeap - If a network is using LEAP, this tool can be used to gather the authentication data that is being passed across the network, and these sniffed credentials can be cracked. LEAP doesn’t protect the authentication like other “real” EAP types, which is the main reason why LEAP can be broken.
Sniffing Wireless Data
Whether you are directly connected to a wireless network or not, if there is wireless network in range, there is data flying through the air at any given moment. You will need a tool to be able to see this data.
Ethereal - While there has been much debate on the proper way to pronounce this utility, there is no question that it is an extremely valuable tool. Ethereal can scan wireless and Ethernet data and comes with some robust filtering capabilities. It can also be used to sniff-out 802.11 management beacons and probes and subsequently could be used as a tool to sniff-out non-broadcast SSIDs.
The aforementioned utilities, or similar ones, will be necessities in your own wireless security toolkit. The easiest way to become familiar with these tools is to simply use them in a controlled lab environment. And cost is no excuse as all of these tools are available freely on the Internet.
Auditor Security Collection
The Auditor is a copy of linux that boots from the cd with all the neccesary wi-fi hacking tools pre-installed. The Auditor security collection is a Live-System based on KNOPPIX. With no installation whatsoever, the analysis platform is started directly from the CD-Rom and is fully accessible within minutes. Independent of the hardware in use, the Auditor security collection offers a standardised working environment, so that the build-up of know-how and remote support is made easier.
Protecting Against These Tools
Just as it’s important to know how to utilize the aforementioned tools, it is important to know best practices on how to secure your Wireless Network Against these tools.
NetStumbler - Do not broadcast your SSID. Ensure your WLAN is protected by using advanced Authentication and Encryption.
Kismet - There’s really nothing you can do to stop Kismet from finding your WLAN, so ensure your WLAN is protected by using advanced Authentication and Encryption
Airsnort - Use a 128-bit, not a 40-bit WEP encryption key. This would take longer to crack. If your equipment supports it, use WPA or WPA2 instead of WEP (may require firmware or software update).
Cowpatty - Use a long and complex WPA Pre-Shared Key. This type of key would have less of a chance of residing in a dictionary file that would be used to try and guess your key and/or would take longer. If in a corporate scenario, don’t use WPA with Pre-Shared Key, use a good EAP type to protect the authentication and limit the amount of incorrect guesses that would take place before the account is locked-out. If using certificate-like functionality, it could also validate the remote system trying to gain access to the WLAN and not allow a rogue system access.
ASLeap - Use long and complex credentials, or better yet, switch to EAP-FAST or a different EAP type.
Ethereal - Use encryption, so that anything sniffed would be difficult or nearly impossible to break. WPA2, which uses AES, is essentially unrealistic to break by a normal hacker. Even WEP will encrypt the data. When in a Public Wireless Hotspot (which generally do not offer encryption), use application layer encryption, like Simplite to encrypt your IM sessions, or use SSL. For corporate users, use IPSec VPN with split-tunneling disabled. This will force all traffic leaving the machine through an encrypted tunnel that would be encrypted with DES, 3DES or AES.
+dwebb
Essential Items:
1. Get a good browser, I prefer Firefox. Firefox is not only a good browser for surfing the web, but it is more secure and allows you to tweak your internet to go faster.
2. You will need a wireless network card. Any card should do fine, most networks are G, so a 802.11g card would be the best route to go, also probably the cheapest.
Finding Wireless Networks
Locating a wireless network is the first step in trying to exploit it. There are two tools that are commonly used in this regard:
Network Stumbler - a.k.a NetStumbler ( This Windows based tool easily finds wireless signals being broadcast within range ) A must have. It also has ability to determine Signal/Noise info that can be used for site surveys. I actually know of one highly known public wireless hotspot provider that uses this utility for their site surveys.
Kismet - One of the key functional elements missing from NetStumbler is the ability to display Wireless Networks that are not broadcasting their SSID. As a potential wireless security expert, you should realize that Access Points are routinely broadcasting this info; it just isn’t being read/deciphered. Kismet will detect and display SSIDs that are not being broadcast which is very critical in finding wireless networks.
Attaching to the Found Wireless Network
Once you’ve found a wireless network, the next step is to try to connect to it. If the network isn’t using any type of authentication or encryption security, you can simply connect to the SSID. If the SSID isn’t being broadcast, you can create a profile with the name of the SSID that is not being broadcast. Of course you found the non-broadcast SSID with Kismet, right? If the wireless network is using authentication and/or encryption, you may need one of the following tools.
Airsnort - This is a very easy to use tool that can be used to sniff and crack WEP keys. While many people bash the use of WEP, it is certainly better than using nothing at all. Something you’ll find in using this tool is that it takes a lot of sniffed packets to crack the WEP key. There are additional tools and strategies that can be used to force the generation of traffic on the wireless network to shorten the amount of time needed to crack the key, but this feature is not included in Airsnort.
CowPatty - This tool is used as a brute force tool for cracking WPA-PSK, considered the “New WEP” for home Wireless Security. This program simply tries a bunch of different options from a dictionary file to see if one ends up matching what is defined as the Pre-Shared Key.
ASLeap - If a network is using LEAP, this tool can be used to gather the authentication data that is being passed across the network, and these sniffed credentials can be cracked. LEAP doesn’t protect the authentication like other “real” EAP types, which is the main reason why LEAP can be broken.
Sniffing Wireless Data
Whether you are directly connected to a wireless network or not, if there is wireless network in range, there is data flying through the air at any given moment. You will need a tool to be able to see this data.
Ethereal - While there has been much debate on the proper way to pronounce this utility, there is no question that it is an extremely valuable tool. Ethereal can scan wireless and Ethernet data and comes with some robust filtering capabilities. It can also be used to sniff-out 802.11 management beacons and probes and subsequently could be used as a tool to sniff-out non-broadcast SSIDs.
The aforementioned utilities, or similar ones, will be necessities in your own wireless security toolkit. The easiest way to become familiar with these tools is to simply use them in a controlled lab environment. And cost is no excuse as all of these tools are available freely on the Internet.
Auditor Security Collection
The Auditor is a copy of linux that boots from the cd with all the neccesary wi-fi hacking tools pre-installed. The Auditor security collection is a Live-System based on KNOPPIX. With no installation whatsoever, the analysis platform is started directly from the CD-Rom and is fully accessible within minutes. Independent of the hardware in use, the Auditor security collection offers a standardised working environment, so that the build-up of know-how and remote support is made easier.
Protecting Against These Tools
Just as it’s important to know how to utilize the aforementioned tools, it is important to know best practices on how to secure your Wireless Network Against these tools.
NetStumbler - Do not broadcast your SSID. Ensure your WLAN is protected by using advanced Authentication and Encryption.
Kismet - There’s really nothing you can do to stop Kismet from finding your WLAN, so ensure your WLAN is protected by using advanced Authentication and Encryption
Airsnort - Use a 128-bit, not a 40-bit WEP encryption key. This would take longer to crack. If your equipment supports it, use WPA or WPA2 instead of WEP (may require firmware or software update).
Cowpatty - Use a long and complex WPA Pre-Shared Key. This type of key would have less of a chance of residing in a dictionary file that would be used to try and guess your key and/or would take longer. If in a corporate scenario, don’t use WPA with Pre-Shared Key, use a good EAP type to protect the authentication and limit the amount of incorrect guesses that would take place before the account is locked-out. If using certificate-like functionality, it could also validate the remote system trying to gain access to the WLAN and not allow a rogue system access.
ASLeap - Use long and complex credentials, or better yet, switch to EAP-FAST or a different EAP type.
Ethereal - Use encryption, so that anything sniffed would be difficult or nearly impossible to break. WPA2, which uses AES, is essentially unrealistic to break by a normal hacker. Even WEP will encrypt the data. When in a Public Wireless Hotspot (which generally do not offer encryption), use application layer encryption, like Simplite to encrypt your IM sessions, or use SSL. For corporate users, use IPSec VPN with split-tunneling disabled. This will force all traffic leaving the machine through an encrypted tunnel that would be encrypted with DES, 3DES or AES.
+dwebb
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Free Music To Listen Too
Here is a great Website that searches through thousands of directories full of music that people have uploaded for use on their blogs. You can find pretty much any song and listen to it for free. You could then possibly copy those same songs to your PC as they are streaming ;) hmmm.....Can you say free music for the kiddies.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Track you FedEx, UPS, USPS Using Google
Package Mapper shows you a map of your FedEx, UPS, USPS package routes. Enter a carrier and a tracking number to see your package's progress plotted on the map. Sign in to enter a list of packages and see their current locations on a table or map.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Google Video Downloader
No need to purchase videos, just download with google video downloader and convert from flv using freeware tools if you want to save a buck or 4. You can also browse tons of free music videos in different genres as well.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Monday, January 09, 2006
More Free CSS Navigation Menus
Here are some more great free CSS tabbed menus for ue in any website design project. Enjoy!
See them in action here.
Download the entire menu set.
+dwebb
See them in action here.
Download the entire menu set.
+dwebb
Free Illustrator Tutorials
Here is a great design resource site that has step-by-step Adobe Illustrator tutorials with the original source file download. It is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn or expand their knowledge of this awesome program.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
CSS Menu Generator
CSS Menu Generator will generate both the CSS and the HTML code required to produce a text-based yet appealing set of navigation buttons.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Free Stock Photos
Here is a great list of websites that have tons of FREE stock photographs for all your Web and graphic design projects.
and Flickr
+dwebb
Stock Exchange (highly recommended)
Morguefile (highly recommended)
Image After
Free Photos Bank
OpenPhoto
BigFoto
USDA
NASA
NOAA
NPS
Earth from Space
FWS1
FWS2
Picture Station
Geek Philosopher
Free Images
Pixel Perfect Digital
FreeFoto
Image Base
Cepolina
Amazing Textures
Texture Warehouse
PDPhoto
Image Blowout
Piotrpix
Mandragora
Fotogenica
Mayang
Free Photo Station
Cromavista
Afflict
Creativity 103
The Photo Repository
Aarin Free Photo
Stockvault
Designpacks
Unprofound
Four Bees
Insect Images
Free media Goo
Burning Well
A digital Dreamer
Freestockphotos.com
Freewebpics
Lightmatter
Majestic Imagery
Triparalbum
Demny Onink
Twice Pix
AboutPixel
Woophy
Pixelquelle
Litetek
PIX
tOfz
Fontplay
Orangetrash
ArtFavor
ImageTemple
LogoDesignweb
Fotodatebank
Bajstock
Pixelbag
NWYH Stock Images (Thanks Richard)
PhotoCase (Thanks Ingo)
NPS Digital Image Index (Thanks Jersu)
Gimp-Savy (Thanks Jared)
DeviantArt
and Flickr
+dwebb
Friday, January 06, 2006
Free Medical Books
A variety of full text books available online and sorted by specialty. The unrestricted access to scientific knowledge will have a major impact on medical practice. This site offers free access to medical books over the Internet.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Send A Robotic Voice Call
Here is a cool little site that allows you to send a robotic voice message to any phone number. Just type in the phone number including area code and then a message. In the license key field put a zero "0" and hit enter. The robot voice will say your message to the call recipient.
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Check it out here.
+dwebb
Free iPod Content
Where to start
Podcast Alley
Podsafe Music Network
Yahoo Podcast Search
Video and enhanced podcasts
+dwebb
Apple's iTunes is your first stop. Think of iTunes as a convenient distribution jukebox. Though many podcasters have their own websites, iTunes makes finding new material easier than searching the whole web -- just browse iTunes' podcast categories to see what's available.
Want more? Find a podcaster you like, and follow the links in their blogrolls. Or browse the podcast directories:
OdeoPodcast Alley
Podsafe Music Network
Yahoo Podcast Search
Video and enhanced podcasts
Enhanced podcasts can be viewed in iTunes and on the color iPod and the nano (the audio will play on earlier iPods, but they won't display images, of course). Video requires a brand new iPod, but most video clips will appear in the iTunes Video menu, and can be played in iTunes and added to any playlist.
Education- NASA's Ask an Astronomer videos. A NASA astronomer answers questions from kids, like "Do the stars really move?" Clever animations illustrate the tricky concepts, providing educational fun for kids (and this reviewer, too). Subscribe on iTunes.
- The FrenchPodClass. Sebastien, a native French speaker living in the United States, uses audio, video and surprisingly helpful PDFs to give one reviewer optimistic ideas about New Year's resolutions. For example, see Lesson 1 audio (PDF review) and Lesson 22 video (PDF review). Subscribe on iTunes.
- Tuscany.PodTravels.tv. Feeling tired, even grumpy? Watching Sunset from a Rooftop in Florence can make it better. These handheld videos can be jumpy, but the bystanders speak Italian, and that's the dream, to be in some of the most beautiful places in Italy. Check out Show 44: Sunset from a Rooftop in Florence and Show 43: Christmastime Nordic Open-Air Market in Santa Croce.
- The San Francisco Chronicle's Podcasts. If you're still wondering what the fuss is about extended podcasts, step into the Chronicle's de Young Museum tour for a good example. On a color iPod, photos illustrate each section, and clicking on the little thumbnails opens a larger version of the image. Here's Part 1 and Part 2 of the tour.
- YOGAmazing Video Podcast. A tiny personal trainer in your iPod is just right for a short break at work or an impromptu workout at the park. Try out Episode 13, Yoga for Depression. Subscribe on iTunes.
- The 64mm Vlog. Fans will enjoy watching other skateboarders ride in these simple, personal videos, like Girls on Ramps. Subscribe on iTunes.
- NBA Video Podcasts. Baseball lovers will enjoy the official NBA videocast. Subscribe on iTunes.
- Tuscany Pod Travels TV. A group of Italians who podcast video tours at Tuscany.PodTravels.tv also create charming cooking lessons like this one, Pappardelle Noodles with Duck.
- KCRW Arts & Culture: Good Food Podcast. Santa Monica College radio's enthusiastic foodie podcast interviews top chefs and features their recipes. It also offers tips about seasonal produce to look for at the market, at least in California. It's enough to make you hungry. Sample "Chocolate Desserts; Ethnic Sides; Vegan Fusion; Swedish Christmas; The Richest Fruitcake; Hanukkah." Subscribe on iTunes.
- Winecast. In Winecast, wine lover Tim Elliott shares interesting stories about varietals and growing regions, tasting notes and reviews of wines he buys at local markets. Here's his Winecast 47 about Beaujolais Nouveau.
- Diggnation. The Diggnation podcast expands on selected stories from the popular Digg.com website. Here, in a holiday roundup, Diggnation revisits some favorites. Subscribe on iTunes.
- One Minute Tip. These popular, information-dense podcasts are quick skill-boosters on a variety of topics, like Testing Skype or using the Text Tool in Photoshop.
- Here's Rocketboom. The daily comedy skit recently inked a deal with TiVo that will deliver hundreds of thousands of new viewers. It's about as sophisticated as Saturday Night Live newscasts, but oddly enjoyable geek TV. Check out Testing Out an ESP Table
+dwebb
Free Online File Storage
If you’ve ever had to send large files and don’t have access to FTP, or the person you’re sending to doesn’t, this type of service is a fantastic resource.
here is a list of file services that are absolutely free and require no e-mail registration to use. Included in the list are file size limits, download limits and the amount of time the file remains on the server for download.
Top 15 Services
SendOver
File Size Limit: 2GB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 7 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 7 days)
URL: http://www.sendover.com
FileFactory
File Size Limit: 1.5GB
Download Limit: 25 Downloads
File Life: 7 Days
URL: http://www.filefactory.com
MegaShares
File Size Limit: 1.5GB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 25 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 25 days)
URL: http://www.megashares.com
SendSpace
File Size Limit: 1.2GB
Download Limit: download bandwidth limit of 100GB
File Life: 14 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 14 days)
URL: http://www.sendspace.com
YouSendIt
File Size Limit: 1GB
Download Limit: 25 Downloads
File Life: 7 Days
URL: http://www.yousendit.com
TransferBigFiles
File Size Limit: 1GB
Download Limit: 20 Downloads
File Life: 5 Days
URL: http://www.transferbigfiles.com
zUpload
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 30 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 30 days)
URL: http://www.zupload.com
Spread-It
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 14 Days
URL: http://www.spread-it.com
FileFactory
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 15 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 15 days)
URL: http://www.filefactory.com
mooload
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 30 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 30 days)
URL: http://www.mooload.com
CyberUpload
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 7 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 7 days)
URL: http://www.cyberupload.com
Uploading
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 30 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 30 days)
URL: http://www.uploading.com
Snaggys
File Size Limit: 500MB
Download Limit: 999 Downloads
File Life: 15 Days
URL: http://www.snaggys.com
Bigupload
File Size Limit: 300MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 30 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 30 days)
URL: http://www.bigupload.com
RapidUpload
File Size Limit: 300MB
Download Limit: Unlimited
File Life: 30 Days (Deleted only if there is no download activity in 30 days)
URL: http://www.rapidupload.com
+dwebb
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