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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Nmap - Free Security Scanner For Network Exploration & Security Audits.

Nmap Security Scanner

News

Nmap 5.50 Released: Now with Gopher protocol support! Our first stable release in a year includes 177 NSE scripts, 2,982 OS fingerprints, and 7,319 version detection signatures. Release focuses were the Nmap Scripting Engine, performance, Zenmap GUI, and the Nping packet analysis tool. [Download page | Release notes]
Those who missed Defcon can now watch Fyodor and David Fifield demonstrate the power of the Nmap Scripting Engine. They give an overview of NSE, use it to explore Microsoft's global network, write an NSE script from scratch, and hack a webcam--all in 38 minutes! (Presentation video)
Icons of the Web: explore favicons for the top million web sites with our new poster and online viewer.
We have 8 college/grad students working full time this year to improve Nmap! Meet the 2010 Nmap/Google Summer of Code Team!
We're delighted to announce the immediate, free availability of the Nmap Security Scanner version 5.00. Don't miss the top 5 improvements in Nmap 5.
After years of effort, we are delighted to release Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning!
We now have an active Nmap Facebook page and Twitter feed to augment the mailing lists. All of these options offer RSS feeds as well.

Introduction

Nmap ("Network Mapper") is a free and open source (license) utility for network exploration or security auditing. Many systems and network administrators also find it useful for tasks such as network inventory, managing service upgrade schedules, and monitoring host or service uptime. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (application name and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems (and OS versions) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. It was designed to rapidly scan large networks, but works fine against single hosts. Nmap runs on all major computer operating systems, and official binary packages are available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. In addition to the classic command-line Nmap executable, the Nmap suite includes an advanced GUI and results viewer (Zenmap), a flexible data transfer, redirection, and debugging tool (Ncat), a utility for comparing scan results (Ndiff), and a packet generation and response analysis tool (Nping).

Nmap was named “Security Product of the Year” by Linux Journal, Info World, LinuxQuestions.Org, and Codetalker Digest. It was even featured in eight movies, including The Matrix Reloaded, Die Hard 4, and The Bourne Ultimatum.

Nmap is ...

Read More and Download...
http://nmap.org/

I looked in my Fedora 14 Repos and I already had Nmap and some companion apps installed. But, I don't remember trying it out. That happens allot. I install Apps allot thinking I will try them out later and then forget all bout it... I noticed a GTK GUI App too so I installed it as well. This gave me Zenmap too. So, I tried it out and it is great!:) First it opens up a little root login window. Just give it your root password (in Fedora, Ubuntu may take setting a root password, not sure) and go to work. I scanned my Computer and my Web Server. It works very fast and gives allot of very helpful info on Open Ports and even told me what my Hosts Allow File said. I will definitely be using Zenmap from now on... Umit, the other GUI for Nmap just gives an error message and doesn't let you give it a root password. So, you would have to open Umit from a root Terminal Window. Not a real problem. But what a Pain!:O Come on People the lack of GUI's in otherwise great Applications, is one of the Main Reasons that People aren't switching to Linux!:O But, I did it even though I didn't want to;) Umit does all the same things that Zenmap does, with a couple of differences. It uses different names for the Scan Types. And it has a Wizard called Umit Command constructor wizard. It looks pretty cool, but I have to admit I'm not a Network Pro, so I really didn't know what I was doing with it. I just selected some things that I am familiar with and went through it, like TCP connect scan and a couple of things that sounded interesting. The first time it tried to do the scan and then got an error, saying that two of the things I selected couldn't be done together. The second time, I just selected TCP connect scan and left the rest blank. That just gave me a simple Operating System Detection scan. Which I could have just selected from the Drop Down List on in the Main Window. So, there's a learning curve for me there. All in all, I like the Zenmap GUI best for running Nmap. It is fast and easy for a Novice. That's what has in the Wizard, Novice and Expert modes... Definitely, whither you are an Expert or Novice in all things to do with Networking and Security. Nmap is a Great Tool to Try Out!:)

Don

Rather than give a dry overview of NSE, Fyodor and Nmap co-maintainer David Fifield demonstrate practical solutions to common problems. They have scanned millions of hosts with NSE and discuss vulnerabilities found on enterprise networks and how Nmap can be used to quickly detect those problems on your own systems. Then they demonstrate how easy it is to write custom NSE scripts by writing one from scratch and using it to hack a webcam. All in 38 minutes, as given live at Defcon 18!

Presentation Video

Go there and Watch or Download the Videos...
http://nmap.org/presentations/BHDC10/

Mastering the Nmap Scripting Engine - Fyodor & David Fifield - Defcon 18 from Gordon Fyodor Lyon on Vimeo.

Nmap Security Scanner: Nmap - Free Security Scanner For Network Exploration & Security Audits.; Mastering the Nmap Scripting Engine: Fyodor & David Fifield's Defcon/Black Hat 2010 Presentation Video and Slides

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

NASA Probe to Reveal Whole New Mercury | NASA Messenger Mercury Mission | Mercury Photos, Solar System & Planets | Space.com

Ice on Mercury? NASA Probe May Solve That Mystery and Others

Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer

Date: 30 March 2011 Time: 05:26 PM ET

A NASA spacecraft now circling Mercury is set to tackle some big mysteries of the scorched, tiny world – including whether or not water ice lurks in its shadowy craters.

NASA's Messenger probe became the first spacecraft ever to orbit Mercury when it arrived at the planet on March 17. While the spacecraft won't officially start its yearlong science mission until April 4, the observations it's already made hint at many discoveries to come, researchers said.

"We're really seeing Mercury now with new eyes," Messenger principal investigator Sean Solomon, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, told reporters today (March 30). "As a result, an entire global perspective is unfolding, and will continue to unfold over the next few months." [New Photos of Mercury From Messenger]

The search for water ice on the blisteringly hot planet is one of the mission's driving motivations. Though Mercury's surface temperatures can top 842 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius), ice may survive on the floors of permanently shadowed polar craters.

And about 20 years ago, radar data first picked up intriguing evidence of reflective materials at Mercury's poles that might just be water ice, researchers said.

"Could ice be trapped there? The thermal models say yes, it's possible," Solomon said. "But is it water ice? There are alternative ideas."

Messenger will also investigate other questions about Mercury — why it's so much denser than the other rocky planets, for example. Also, the mission team wants to learn more about how the planet's core is structured, the nature of its global magnetic field and other aspects of Mercury's composition and history.

That work will start in earnest next week. In the meantime, scientists are sifting through the spacecraft's increasing pile of new Mercury photos. By the end of tomorrow, it will have snapped 1,500 photos of the planet from orbit, researchers said — more than it captured during its three previous flybys of the planet in 2008 and 2009.

The first photos

Read More and see Pics...
http://www.space.com/11263-nasa-mercury-photos-results-messenger.html

NASA's Messenger Probe, Video...
http://www.space.com/11132-messenger-mercury-orbit-insertion.html

Highly innovative spacecraft and aircraft launch from the Mojave Air and Space Port. Video...
http://www.space.com/11242-strange-craft-mojave-sky-theyre.html

NASA Mercury: NASA’s Messenger Spacecraft Brings Mercury Into Focus - NYTimes.com; Mercury - Planet - Science - The New York Times; National Aeronautics And Space Administration - The New York Times; The First Close-Ups of Mercury - Slide Show - NYTimes.com; NASA Mercury - Google Search; NASA Probe to Reveal Whole New Mercury | NASA Messenger Mercury Mission | Mercury Photos, Solar System & Planets | Space.com; NASA - Mercury; NASA - MESSENGER - Unlocking the Secrets of Mercury; Solar System Exploration: Planets: Mercury; NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery; Solar System Exploration: Missions: By Target: Mercury: Present: MESSENGER; Outer Space, Space Shuttle & Solar System Videos | Science Interviews, Earth & Astronomy Videos | Space.com

I worked in an Air Craft Factory for 13 years. I started out as a Machined Parts Hand Finisher and ended up being a Tool Maker for 7 years. We built F-16's and did Rework on the F-111. I learned allot about the construction of an Jet Air Craft over those years. And sometimes, I still have my boyhood visions of climbing in a Rocket Ship and flying out into Space one day!;) Things have progress much slower than I thought they would growing up in the 60's and watching Men walk on the Moon. Who would have thought that it would all boil down to Money$$$! But, now that NASA and Private Industry has a Renewed our Interests in Flying to the Stars. Maybe, I still have a chance!:)

Don

Retreat for Rebels - Libyan Foreign Minister Quits - NYTimes.com

Retreat for Rebels; Libyan Foreign Minister Quits

Mahmud Hams/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Rebel fighters retreated from Ras Lanuf to Uqayla, 12 miles further east, on Wednesday as forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi overran the key oil town.

By C.J. CHIVERS and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

Published: March 30, 2011

BREGA, Libya — Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi advanced rapidly on Wednesday, seizing towns they ceded just days ago after intense allied airstrikes and hounding rebel fighters into a chaotic retreat.

Multimedia

Interactive Map

Map of the Rebellion in Libya, Day by Day

Libyan Foreign Minister Resigns (March 30, 2011)
The Lede Blog: Latest Updates on Libyan War and Mideast Protests (March 30, 2011)
Allies Count on Defiant Streak in Libya to Drive Out Qaddafi (March 30, 2011)
Washington in Fierce Debate on Arming Libyan Rebels (March 30, 2011)
Allies Renew Demand for Qaddafi to Give Up Power (March 30, 2011)
Militia Members Sue Woman Who Accused Them of Rape (March 29, 2011)

In a stunning setback for the Qaddafi government, however, one of its most senior officials, foreign minister Moussa Koussa, flew to London on Wednesday and declared that he could no longer serve as a representative of the Libyan government, the British government said in a statement.

“He has told us that he is resigning his post,” the statement said. “We are discussing this with him and we will release further detail in due course.”

The Obama administration has been making strenuous efforts to convince the leadership around Colonel Qaddafi to abandon their support for the dictator. In Mr. Koussa they seem to have met with their first success, as his defection sent shockwaves through Tripoli. He has been a close confidant of Colonel Qaddafi and a pillar of the regime since the early days of the revolution, and previously headed the fearsome secret police.

But the defection of Mr. Koussa was not going to help the rebels’ cause. Having abandoned Bin Jawwad on Tuesday and the oil town of Ras Lanuf on Wednesday, the rebels continued their eastward retreat, fleeing before the loyalists’ shelling and missile attacks from another oil town, Brega, and falling back toward the strategically located city of Ajdabiya. On Wednesday afternoon, residents of Ajdabiya were seen fleeing along the road north to Benghazi, the rebel capital and stronghold that Colonel Qaddafi’s forces reached before the allied air campaign got underway nearly two weeks ago.

There were few signs of the punishing airstrikes that reversed the loyalists’ first push eastward into rebel-held territory. But military experts said they expected the counterattack to expose Colonel Qaddafi’s forces to renewed attacks, and an American military spokesman said that coalition warplanes resumed bombing the pro-Qaddafi units on Wednesday, without specifying either the timing or locations.

“The operation is continuing and will continue throughout the transition” to NATO command, said Capt. Clint Gebke. There were 102 airstrikes over a 24-hour period ending at 12 a.m. Eastern time, according to the United States Africa Command.

Read More...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/world/africa/31libya.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Don

Fwd: News 03-30-11

White House debates idea of arming Libya rebels

The Obama administration is engaged in a             fierce debate over whether to supply weapons to Libyan             rebels, senior officials said Tuesday, with some fears that             doing so would deepen U.S. involvement in a civil war and             that some fighters may have al-Qaida links.
By Mark Landler, Elisabeth Bumiller and Steven Myers
The New York Times

 PREV                   of   NEXT 
 
               NASSER NASSER / AP
An armed Libyan youth jumps from a                 destroyed tank of pro-Gadhafi forces Tuesday at the site                 of a NATO airstrike on the outskirts of Benghazi. 

Libya stories and analysis
NEW - 08:40 AM
             Pentagon: Libya mission has cost US                 $550M so far 
U.S. aircraft engage Libyan coastguard                 vessel 
Libyan woman claiming rape will face                 charges 
Obama: Libya action necessary, limited
U.S. looks to expand ties with Libyan                 opposition 
NATO commander: Mission is to protect                 civilians 
Prime Minister: Turkey will run                 Benghazi airport 
Parents: Attacked Libyan woman held at                 Gadhafi HQ 
Qatar becomes 1st Arab country to fly                 over Libya 
Canadian general to take NATO command                 of Libya 
Elsewhere: Middle East, North Africa
Syrian Cabinet resigns amid unrest 
Bahrain accepts resignation of                 opposition MPs 
Blast at Yemen explosives factory kills                 78 
Eyewitness: Gunfire, tear gas in Syrian                 city 
Egypt to lift emergency laws before                 September vote 
Bahraini forces fire tear gas at                 protesters 
Leader offers to go if Yemen's in 'safe                 hands' 
Government backers, police attack                 Jordan protest, 1 dead 
Gates pushes peace amid bombings in                 West Bank 
Graphics and photos
Interactive | Unrest in Mideast, North                 Africa
Gallery | Fighting in Libya
Videos
Video | Clinton calls for united action                 on Libya
Raw Video | Thousands rally for Syrian                 leader
NEW - 09:00 AM
             Video | Yemen protesters won't take no                 from Saleh
Video | Crashed U.S. fighter jet
Video | Coalition airstrikes change                 balance in Libya
Video | Haley Edwards expelled from                 Yemen

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is engaged in a fierce debate over whether to supply weapons to Libyan rebels, senior officials said Tuesday, with some fears that doing so would deepen U.S. involvement in a civil war and that some fighters may have al-Qaida links.

The debate — in the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon — has prompted an urgent call for intelligence about a ragtag band of rebels from a base in eastern Libya long suspected of supplying terrorist recruits, the officials said.

"Al-Qaida in that part of the country is obviously an issue," a senior official said.

The fears surfaced publicly on Capitol Hill on Tuesday when NATO's commander, Adm. James Stavridis, told a Senate hearing that there were intelligence reports about the presence of al-Qaida and Hezbollah members among the rebels. No full picture of the opposition has emerged, Stavridis said. While eastern Libya was the center of Islamist protests in the late 1990s, it is unclear how many groups retain ties to al-Qaida.

The French government, which has led the international charge against Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, has increased pressure on the United States to provide greater assistance to the rebels. The question of how best to support the opposition was the focus Tuesday in London at an international conference attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other coalition leaders.

While Clinton said the administration had not decided whether to transfer arms, she reiterated the United States had a right to do so, despite an embargo on Libya, because of the U.N. Security Council's broad resolution authorizing military action to protect civilians.

But some administration officials argue supplying arms would entangle the country further in a drawn-out civil war because the rebels would need to be trained to use any weapons, even relatively simple rifles and shoulder-fired anti-armor weapons. This could mean sending trainers. It was not clear how that debate was breaking down, although the Pentagon has been most reluctant about any military action in Libya.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has experience in the unintended consequences of arming rebels: As a CIA official in the 1980s, he funneled weapons to Islamic fundamentalists who ousted the Soviets from Afghanistan. Some later became the Taliban.

President Obama on Tuesday said he would not preclude the possibility of arming the rebels. Pressed on the issue in an interview with NBC News, Obama said, "I'm not ruling it out, but I'm also not ruling it in."

"We are still making an assessment about what Gadhafi's forces are doing," the president said.

In a series of interviews with the three major television networks, Obama emphasized that his decision to deploy U.S. forces in Libya should not be applied to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. He told NBC that his policy on Libya should not be construed as an "Obama doctrine" that can be applied in a "cookie-cutter fashion."

The question of whether to arm the rebels also carries echoes of previous U.S. efforts to arm rebels, in Angola, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and elsewhere, many of which backfired.

Syrian president to address the nation

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 30, 2011 1:05 a.m. EDT

Syrian cabinet resigns

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The president is expected to speak on Wednesday
State-run media says millions turned out for pro-government rallies
The Syrian cabinet has resigned, state TV reports
At least 37 people have been killed in demonstrations since last week, the U.N. says

(CNN) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to address the nation in a speech before the People's Assembly on Wednesday, a day after the cabinet resigned amidst an unusual wave of unrest across the nation.

The state-run SANA news agency reported the speech would "tackle the internal affairs and the latest events in Syria," and "reassure the Syrian people."

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators poured onto the streets of Damascus, although state media reported a much higher national turnout.

"Millions of people around Syria rallied in the cities' main squares to express loyalty to homeland and underline its national unity," SANA reported. "Syrian people gathered on Tuesday to stress the importance of maintaining security and stability and to support the massive reform program led by President Bashar al-Assad."

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Knoppix V6 startup and shutdown sounds “Initiating startup sequence” and “Initiating shutdown sequence”

Knoppix startup and shutdown sounds

I have always really enjoyed the startup and shutdown sounds that are in the knoppix linux live boot cd. I did a little bit of research, and with the help of my friend Google, I was able to track down the exact location of the files (/usr/share/sounds/). I have provided links to download the sound clips in the following formats: mp3, wav and ogg (ogg being the original format). The woman says "Initiating startup sequence" in the startup sound clip and "Initiating shutdown sequence" in the shutdown sound clip.

Go there and download the sounds...
http://barnettcomputerrepair.com/computers/knoppix-startup-and-shutdown-sounds/

Thanks so much! These are great!:) I looked in the Knoppix directory's and couldn't find them. I searched Google for "knoppix startup sound download" and found your site. The /usr/share/sounds/ folders don't show up in a Virtual Machine in Virtual Box. So, I was really glad to find them available to download. I also read that the reason they don't show up is because of the way that Knoppix compresses the Data in the ISO file. The first thing I did was open up my KNOPPIX_V6.2CD-2009-11-18-EN.iso with ISO Master. But they don't show up there either.

Don

Knoppix startup sound download: knoppix startup sound download - Google Search; How can I add this startup sound to gnome? - Linux Forums; Very cool start-up/shut-down sound [Archive] - Download Knoppix Live CD or DVD, Get Documentation and Help; Cheat Codes - Knoppix Documentation Wiki; Knoppix startup and shutdown sounds | Computer Repair San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore 925-215-4710; How can I add this startup sound to gnome? - FedoraForum.org; Startup1_4.ogg

DIY Projects, Inspiration, How-tos, Hacks, Mods & More @ Makezine.com - Tweak Technology to Your Will

Limor Fried is an engineer, artist & hacker. She recently received her M.Eng in EECS from MIT where she designed and implemented technologies to help people defend their personal space from annoying cell phones and televisions. Recently she's been spending time making neat electronic toys ("MintyMP3," "MiniPOV," and "x0xb0x" to name a few) and selling kits online. Further information can be found at www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x, for example. She currently resides in a fantastic warehouse in Boston.

Author of these Magazine Articles

Tweet-a-Watt Power Monitor
Build a wireless electricity monitor for about $50, and twitter your kilowatts.
From MAKE: 18: ReMake America page 112

On Batteries
How to decide which batteries will run your project best.
In DIY: Workshop from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles page 151

Single-Use Digicam for Kite Aerial Photography
A simple, lightweight timer circuit triggers a shot every minute.
In DIY: Imaging from MAKE: 02: Home Entertainment page 130

Go there...
http://makezine.com/pub/au/Limor_Fried

Adafruit Industries

Video Link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtBpkSlC3Dg

Open Source Physical Objects: Limor Fried and Her x0xb0x

Video Link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIrPWB6AqQ

Hello, my name is Limor & I'm an engineer.

I live in New York City and recently received my Masters of Engineering from MIT & the Media Lab on the topic of Social Defense Mechanisms

I create things, some of which are beautiful and interesting.

I recently finished my fellowship at EYEBEAM R&D, and am working on Adafruit Industries full time.

My current interests are: industrial design, holistic engineering, machining, fashion, bicycle design and modification, hacking consumer electronics, Design Noir, color print photography, and glassblowing. Oh yeah, and electronics.

Go there...
http://www.ladyada.net/

Portfolio 2006

Wave Bubble
Fall/Winter 2006

A self-tuning, wide-bandwidth portable RF jammer. The device is lightweight and small for easy camoflauging: it is the size of a pack of cigarettes.- Completely redesigned from the earlier 2004 version.

"In a high population density city, inhabitants must be prepared to defend their own personal space. Technologies that increase personal productivity are on the rise, even though they may intrude on others. The unavoidable reaction is to create technologies that counteract other people's devices. Wave Bubble is a product that counters the all-too-familiar annoyance of loud ring tones and overt cell-phone conversations in public.

Part of the "Social Defense Mechanisms" projects designed for my MEng thesis.

This project is now available with detailed documentation

Adafruit Laser Services Winter 2006
http://www.adafruit.com/laser/

Duel Nature Summer 2006
Electronic lighting subsystem design and manufacture at low cost, constrained size and adverse operating conditions. 240 red LEDs are individually controlled and modulated to create accent light patterns on a 30' diameter metal sculpture. Project documentation coming soon!	Image (c) Kate Raudenbush

MiniPOV 3
Summer 2006

A redesign & rerelease of the MiniPOV kit, this one can be programmed through a serial port (as opposed to parallel port only).

A little persistence-of-vision toy: when waved in the air, the LEDs 'write' out an image or message. In particular, MiniPOV was designed with the intention that it would be sold as an inexpensive kit for people to play with microcontrollers and LEDs.

Documentation and construction information is available at the MiniPOV3 page.

MintyBoost Spring 2006
A small & simple, but very powerful USB charger for an mp3 player, camera, cell phone, and just about any other gadget one can plug into a USB port to charge. The charger circuitry and 2 AA batteries fit into an Altoids gum tin, a high efficiency DC/DC converter circuit creates 5V standard USB voltage. More information on design and construction is available at the MintyBoost page.

MIDIsense
Winter/Spring 2006

A simple, yet extensible sensor interface system for artists, musicians and others interested in experimenting with sensors. The MIDIsense boards provide a simple way to integrate various common sensors with existing software such as Max/MSP, Ableton Live, etc. or directly to a synthesizer/sequencer with a MIDI in jack.
While there are other projects with similar functionality, this one is the most technically advanced, flexible & inexpensive.

More information on design and construction is available at the MIDIsense page.

Go there...
http://www.ladyada.net/portfolio/2006/index.html

Limor Fried is an engineer, artist & hacker: Limor Fried - Google Search; Limor Fried - Google Search; DIY Projects, Inspiration, How-tos, Hacks, Mods & More @ Makezine.com - Tweak Technology to Your Will; Limor Fried - Google Search; YouTube - Open Source Physical Objects: Limor Fried and Her x0xb0x; limor; Biography; Portfolio - 2006; Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits; Q&A: Open Source Electronics Pioneer Limor Fried on the DIY Revolution | Magazine; Jan. 11, 1902: Popular Mechanics Sets Out to Make Mechanics Popular | This Day In Tech | Wired.com; adafruit industries blog; YouTube - Adafruit pick and place machine in action! ADXL335; Index page • adafruit industries • Customer Support Forums, DIY Electronics, Open Source Hardware, Arduino; Instructables - Make, How To, and DIY; iFixit: The free repair manual; Etsy - Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies; DIY Projects, Inspiration, How-tos, Hacks, Mods & More @ Makezine.com - Tweak Technology to Your Will; Hack a Day; YouTube - Adafruit Industries

Very cool stuff and a very cool Girl!:)

Don

BBC News - Remains of St John the Baptist 'found'

Remains of St John the Baptist 'found'

3 August 2010 Last updated at 04:20 ET Help

Bone fragments of St John the Baptist appear to have been found on Sveti Ivan Island near Bulgaria's southern Black Sea.

He is considered one of the most important figures in Christianity.

Further tests are still to be carried out on the fragments, which were discovered late last month.

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports.

Go there See Video...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10849211

Don

Most watched/listened

BEEP, New Space Explorer and Platformer Coming to Linux in April

by Nitesh 3 Comments and 6 Reactions

Big Fat Alien, a Kelowna based indie game development studio is coming up with new fun space explorer and platformer for Linux in this April called BEEP.

In this game you play a role of robot that is sent to space to explore and find what lies beyond earth. You are in control of a space ship that can travel in the solar system. Land on any planet or a mass of land and your adventure starts.

BEEP is really fun and what attracts you after 15-20 minutes of gameplay is its cartoony style, awesome soundtrack, game physics and innovative gameplay mechanics that even gives you control of objects using anti-gravity device.

As of now a demo is available but it is only for Windows. But the final version that will be released in April will have Linux and Mac versions as well. I ran the demo in Wine without any problems and was totally immersed into the gameplay for half an hour. The game runs really smoothly and feels very streamlined with responsive controls on keyboard. I bet it will be more fun with a decent game controller.

Here is a screenshot of BEEP running on Linux as shown by lead developer Kiaran Ritchie:

Read More and See Pics...
http://www.ubuntuvibes.com/2011/03/beep-new-space-explorer-and-platformer.html

BEEP, New Space Explorer and Platformer Coming to Linux in April: BEEP, New Space Explorer and Platformer Coming to Linux in April ~ Ubuntu Vibes; YouTube - BEEP Game Trailer

Reminds me of the old Marrio Brothers Games that my Nieces grew up playing...

Don

Optimizing Bittorrent Clients for Speed

This is a Great Article on Setting up your Bittorrent Client Software. I have been using Bittorrent on and of for, oh at least 8 years and have read some tutorials and figured it all out before. But, I don't use Torrent sites allot. So, I forget the details and it can get a little complicated doing it manually. With the recent shift of Open Source and Linux Distros to using Bittorrent to help with the Load on their Free Linux Distro Downloads. I am using Bittorrent more these days. So, this article was a welcome site today. I am using Transmission Bittorrent Client now in my Fedora 14 System. Which is noticeably faster than most of the others I have tried. I use to use Azureus (Azureus - now called Vuze and it runs on Linux, Windows and Mac) allot, which he mentions later on in the article. It has allot of ways to change your settings and I believe there are some tutorials built into Azureus to help you set it up for your Network Situation and Internet Speeds. But I know from experience... It you mess around with the settings in a Bittorrent Client without knowing what you are doing. You can actually slow down your Download Speeds and even worse Slow Down your Over all Web Surfing by allowing too much of your Upload Bandwidth to be used by the Bittorrent Software. So, even though Transmission has been working quite well for me in Downloading Torrents very quickly. I get between 18 and 26mbps Download Speeds with my ISP. I recently had to Step down a Notch on my Internet Speed, due to Price Increases with Charter. I use to have 2mbps of Upload Speed and now I have only 1mbps. I still have the same Download Speeds, but without Adequate Upload Speeds. Your Big Download Speed number means little and your Downlaoding will Suffer allot!:O Right now, the Subscribed 18mbps Download and 1mbps Upload Speed is Adequate for the 5 Computers that may be running in my house at any given time. One of them being an always on Web Server for my Web Site, http://donsongs.com/. But, I would like to be able to Seed the Linux ISO files I have downloaded for a while after Downloading them, so as to Contribute to the Open Source Linux Cause. But, I can't afford to use allot of my Uploading Bandwidth either. That's why I'm Tweaking around with my Bittorrent Speeds, which are already Downloading very well. I've done my changes, so now I will have to see if my Torrent Downloads are still working well and if my Over All Web Surfing Speed has Suffered any... All the while, I'm thinking... If it Aint Broke, Don't Fix it!;)

Don

Go there...
http://www.speedtest.net/

Optimizing Bittorrent Clients for Speed

Updated 28. March 2011 - 15:50 by mr6n8

Speed Optimizing Guides for Specific Bittorrent Clients

This article was originally designed to help achieve the best download speeds in the four freeware bittorrent clients suggested as Top Picks in my Best Free Bittorrent Client review here at Gizmo's Tech Support Alert. If you have one of the bittorrent softwares listed below, then you should use that guide as it is more detailed and contains screen shots. The picks have changed slightly and there are now five guides:

Optimizing Vuze for Speed (also applies to BitTyrant and older Azureus versions)
Optimizing µTorrent For Speed (also applies to BitTorrent )
Optimizing The Transmission Bittorrent Client For Speed
Optimizing BitComet For Speed
Optimizing Halite For Speed
Optimizing Tixati For Speed
Optimizing qBittorrent For Speed
Optimizing Deluge For Speed

If you use another bittorrent program, then this general guide will help. These steps are basic to any bittorrent client.

Introduction

All bittorrent programs need to have their incoming and outgoing communications flow freely in order to achieve the highest download speeds and that is what this guide is about.

This guide was put together using information given by the developers of bittorrent programs at their forums, guides and FAQs. There are no secret tricks, just the real basics of proper set up of a bittorrent program. Following these simple steps should result in increased download speed.

These are the basic principles of optimizing a bittorrent client for speed:

Choose a proper port to avoid ISP blocks and conflicts with other programs
Forward that port through any software firewall and router to allow incoming connections
Adjust internal settings based upon upload capacity of the internet connection to allow room for outgoing communications and to distribute upload efficiently.

There are some programs that claim to optimize speed in bittorrent clients.Such programs are a scam and generally contain adware or spyware. I have seen it said, by the developers of all bittorrent programs, that nothing will increase your download speed in a bittorrent client more than the basic steps set forth herein.