I couldn’t tell you how many movies and TV shows I have seen that have glamorized hacking as a cool and interesting thing to do. Hacking may refer to cleverly solving a program or device problem with alternative techniques, or modifying a program or device to access features that were otherwise unavailable. In the latter sense, hacking can be used maliciously to gain private information about people and organizations, or it can be used creatively to find and solve internet security problems.
Companies are now seeking employees with Ethical Hacking abilities to test their IT Security. Ethical hackers help an organization by actually attacking the organization’s system to figure out where there are weaknesses that need to be fixed. Sounds like a cool job with a cool title, right? :)
Believe it or not, there are ways for a person to become a Certified Ethical Hacker. New iClasses offered by EC-Council are now available online to teach you what you need to know to become certified. Session hijacking, hacking web servers, and web application vulnerabilities are just a few topics covered in the ethical hacking course offered by EC-Council.
In addition to Ethical Hacking, other courses offered by EC-Council include: Security Fundamentals, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics
, Disaster Recovery, and Secure Programming. There are special prices and discounts available for members, government/military personnel, early-bird registration, and multiple seat registration. For course descriptions and more information, visit their website.
If you are bored with fancy video game consoles and are looking to play some basic, yet fun, games on the internet, sign up for MagNext, a free game site by Mega Brands, the creators of Rose Art ®, Mega Bloks ®, and other kid-friendly brands. Even though the game is clearly geared towards kids, I like games of all kinds so decided to give it a try. You could give it a try, too, if only just to see if it would be something your child (or a child you know) could play.
In the game, the player uses marble-like spheres called “Magz” (they remind me of the basic sphere object you create on the canvas and see in the Material Editor in 3Ds Studio Max) to navigate through the games. Collect Magz and customize them with different paint colours, from basic solids to fancy textures, and objects, such as baseball caps and king crowns. In the MagNext world, the player has a choice of five things to do: challenge and fight other Magz in the MagNext Arena, play the iCoaster roller coaster game, view the MagNext line of products in the Showroom and what other players have built with them in the Gallery (coming soon), and race in the Spheron Room. After completing the games, the player is awarded coins and experience (XP) points. The website also has a buddy list and chat feature, all kid-friendly and safe.
I must say that the iCoaster game bored me. I thought it involved navigating the Magz through the virtual roller coaster, but most of the game is already animated. The player watches the animation until the game stops at specific points where the player has to select the missing pieces to complete the track. I did enjoy the racing game in the Spheron Room. The player must navigate a car through a course while avoiding the Mag objects, collecting coins, and using the right boosts to gain maximum speed. I enjoyed this game because it was interactive, simple, and fun, just like a lot of the old 8 and 16 bit video games were.
Accessories can make or break an outfit: Too many can look ridiculous and too few can be boring. It’s nice to match accessories, too. With that in mind, how cool would it be to have a different pair of fashionable eyeglasses to go with different outfits? Okay… it would be totally unnecessary and perhaps a waste of money to have different eyeglasses for different outfits, but what about for different seasons? That might not be too bad… A simple coloured frame, like purple or green, would be cute for the spring and summer months; a plaid pattern, a la Burberry, for the fall; and something really funky, like festive Holiday frames with images of snowflakes and Christmas trees, for the winter time.
How cool are these eyeglasses?!?
If you are looking for a nice selection of eyeglasses, whether you want something funky that will make people notice (the Holiday frames would be a unique accessory for someone who really loves this time of the year) or something more classic and subtle, consider visiting Zenni Optical‘s website. Zenni Optical has a selection of cool frames at reasonable prices. I’m going to keep them in mind for the next time I get a new pair of eyeglasses; I’ve wanted to try out a pair of funky coloured plastic frames for a while and they have some cool-looking styles.
Here’s something cute to e-mail out to your friends and family for the holidays. Got a wish you would like to tell Santa? Christmas is only a few days away! You better let him know so he brings you your special present in time for Christmas, or else you might have to wait until next year… 
The best part about it all is you don’t even have to visit your local mall to visit Santa and sit on his lap. Just watch this short video on the CEIVAShare website. When the prompt comes up after Santa and the Elf finish talking, enter your first name, your holiday wish, and upload a picture of yourself. After he sees your picture, Santa will find your name and wish on his holiday wish list and let you know what category you fall into: naughty or nice. I was a little surprised when I entered in my name (Anna, obviously), my wish (an XBox 360), and uploaded my picture. It appeared directly Santa’s digital photo frame! Wow! Not only that, but Santa saw that I was a good girl all year, so I guess I should be expecting that 360 after all. 
The CEIVA digital photo frame could be a really cool gift to give to anyone who is an enthusiast of photography or technology. It allows you to receive photos from anyone no matter where they are. You simply plug the 8in digital frame into a phone line after registering your frame (there is more information about that plan on the website), and the frame will automatically receive pictures that people send to you from their phones or computers. No computer is needed to use the frame or receive pictures, so this would be a great product for anyone who doesn’t have or doesn’t often use a computer, but still wants to be able to look at digital photos of their family and friends.
After visiting the site and submitting your wish to Santa, you will be entered for a chance to win a cash prize of $500. That’s right. 1 random entry is selected for each day of the contest, which ends on 24 December. Maybe it will be you… 
If you are looking for last-minute Christmas gifts for a friend or family member – specifically someone in the Armed Forces or Law Enforcement, someone who likes collecting weapons, or someone who enjoys outdoor activities such as hunting or fishing – check out LA Police Gear’s selection of 5.11 Knives. In addition to a selection of knives, LA Police Gear offers supplemental books and DVDs pertaining to self-defense, knife handling and skills. For a limited time, take $10 off the regular price of most 5.11 Knives. If you are looking for other 5.11 products, such as boots and work clothes, the website offers a lot of other great specials, namely free shipping and free gifts with purchases.
General | Anna | 
June 8, 2009 7:25 pm | 
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