Category: Linux

Posts pertaining to Linux

Effortlessly Manage Your MacBook’s Power Settings with a Simple Bash Script

Posted on by James

Streamline Your MacBook’s Power Management with a Bash Script

Managing power settings on a MacBook can often feel cumbersome, especially for those who frequently switch between power sources. Recognizing the need for a more efficient method, I developed a Bash script to simplify the process, enabling quick toggling between “Normal” and “Never Sleep” modes depending on your current needs.

This script leverages the pmset command, a robust macOS tool for adjusting power settings. With it, you can effortlessly switch power schemes—saving time and avoiding manual adjustments through System Preferences.

One caveat is the necessity for administrative rights to execute the script, as it modifies system-wide settings. Thus, running it with sudo is essential for applying the changes successfully.

Despite this requirement, the script offers a convenient solution for managing your MacBook’s energy use, proving invaluable in various scenarios, such as prolonged work sessions or when ensuring uninterrupted downloads.

I’ve found this script to significantly enhance my workflow, offering a blend of convenience and flexibility previously unattainable with default power management options. I highly recommend trying it to see the difference it can make. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome for further refinements!

Here’s the script for those interested:

#!/bin/bash

###########################
# MacBook Power Management Script
#
# Simplifies toggling between power settings.
#
# Usage:
#   sudo bash script-name.sh
#
###########################

echo "Power Management Options"
echo "1. Normal"
echo "2. Never"
echo "3. Quit"
echo -n "Select an option: "
read option

case $option in
    1) 
        # Normal settings
        pmset -b displaysleep 2 # Battery: Display off after 2 mins
        pmset -c displaysleep 10 # Charger: Display off after 10 mins
        pmset -a sleep 20 # Both: Sleep after 20 mins
        ;;
    2) 
        # Never settings
        pmset -a displaysleep 0 # Display never sleeps
        pmset -a sleep 0 # System never sleeps
        ;;
    3) 
        # Quit
        exit
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Invalid option"
        ;;
esac

 

My Experience With the MacBook Air M2 and the Magic of the Apple Ecosystem

Posted on by James

My Experience With the MacBook Air M2 and the Magic of the Apple Ecosystem

Just a few weeks ago, I took the leap and invested in the new MacBook Air M2, and since then, I’ve been in a whirl of excitement exploring its features, functionalities, and, most importantly, how it fits into my existing collection of Apple devices.

Why I Chose the MacBook Air M2

Before purchasing, I researched extensively, comparing the MacBook Air M2 to other laptops in its range and even other Mac models. However, it was the combination of its lightweight design, the promise of powerful performance thanks to the M2 chip, and the compatibility with the Apple ecosystem that finally tipped the scales for me.

Now that I’ve had a chance to use it, I can confirm that it didn’t disappoint.

Unboxing and First Impressions

Unboxing a new gadget, especially an Apple product, is an experience in itself. The MacBook Air M2, with its sleek design and the inviting glow of the Apple logo, was a sight to behold. I could feel the power and possibilities waiting for me.

The laptop booted up quickly, the Retina Display living up to its promise of delivering vibrant colors, and the backlit Magic Keyboard was as comfortable as I had heard. But the best was yet to come.

Discovering the Magic of the Apple Ecosystem

What truly struck me about my new MacBook Air M2 was how seamlessly it integrated into my existing lineup of Apple devices. As a long-time user of Apple products, including an iPhone and iPad, I knew about the Apple ecosystem’s interconnectivity. However, experiencing it firsthand on a new device took my appreciation to a whole new level.

Continuity: A Seamless Experience

With Continuity, I could effortlessly switch between devices without interrupting my workflow. It was as if all my devices had synchronized into a single entity. A document started on my iPhone could be continued on my MacBook Air, and then finalized on my iPad, all without the need for manual transfers or saving multiple versions.

AirDrop: Simplifying File Transfers

Remember the days when transferring files between devices was a time-consuming process involving cables, Bluetooth pairing, or even email? With AirDrop, those days are firmly behind me. Sharing files, be it documents, images, or videos, between my Apple devices has become a matter of a few clicks.

Cloud: My Personal and Secure Cloud Storage

The cherry on top of my Apple ecosystem experience is iCloud. With iCloud, all my files, photos, and documents are synced across my devices, ensuring they’re up-to-date and accessible anytime, anywhere.

The Verdict

The MacBook Air M2 has proven to be more than just a laptop. It’s a key component of a connected, streamlined digital lifestyle, backed by the power of the Apple ecosystem. It has not only lived up to my expectations but, in many ways, exceeded them.

If you, like me, value seamless integration and synchronization across devices, and you’re considering investing in a new laptop, I highly recommend the MacBook Air M2. It’s a decision I’m glad I made, and I believe you will be, too.

Stay tuned for more updates as I continue my journey with the MacBook Air M2 and the Apple ecosystem. There’s still so much to explore, and I can’t wait to share more insights with you.

How to Convert a Torrent Magnet Link to a Torrent File in Ubuntu Linux

Posted on by James

Converting a magnet link

If you’re using Ubuntu Linux, you can easily convert a torrent magnet link to a torrent file using a simple bash script. This is useful if you want to download a torrent file without having to open a web browser, or in my case, I use rTorrent which is a CLI torrent client for Linux.

To create the script, open a terminal window and type the following command:

nano magnet2torrent.sh

This will create a new file called magnet2torrent.sh. Open the file and paste the following code:


#!/bin/bash

#################################
#                               #
# Bash script to convert a      #
# magnet link to a torrent file #
#                               #
#  StrickStuff.com              #
#                               #
#################################


# Check that the user entered a valid magnet link
if [ "$#" -ne 1 ] || [ ! -z "${1##*magnet*}" ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 "
    exit 1
fi

# Extract the info hash from the magnet link
hash="${1##*btih:}"
hash="${hash%%&*}"

# Download the torrent file from a torrent website
torrent_file="${hash}.torrent"
wget "https://itorrents.org/torrent/${hash}.torrent" -O "$torrent_file"

echo "Torrent file written to ${torrent_file}"

Save the file and exit the editor. To make the script executable, type the following command:

chmod +x magnet2torrent

Now you can use the script to convert a torrent magnet link to a torrent file. To do this, type the following command:

./magnet2torrent<magnet_link>

For example, to convert the magnet link magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0123456789ABCDEF to a torrent file, you would type the following command:

./magnet2torrent magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0123456789ABCDEF

The script will create a new torrent file called 0123456789ABCDEF.torrent in the current directory. You can then open the torrent file in a torrent client to download the files.

This is just a simple example of how you can use a bash script to convert a torrent magnet link to a torrent file. You can customize the script to meet your own needs. For example, you could add code to check if the torrent file already exists before creating it. You could also add code to extract the metadata from the torrent file and write it to a text file.

bash script to convert magnet links to torrent file

bash script to convert magnet links to torrent file

AI and Phishing Emails

Posted on by James

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used to create more sophisticated phishing emails. In the future, AI is likely to play an even greater role in phishing attacks, making them more difficult to detect and defend against.

One way that AI is being used in phishing attacks is to create more realistic and convincing emails. AI-generated emails can be tailored to specific individuals or organizations, making them more likely to be opened and clicked on. In addition, AI can be used to create emails that appear to come from legitimate senders, such as banks or government agencies.

Another way that AI is being used in phishing attacks is to automate the process of sending phishing emails. This allows cybercriminals to send out large volumes of phishing emails, increasing the chances that someone will fall victim to the attack. AI can also be used to target specific individuals or organizations with phishing emails, based on their online activity or other data.

AI is also being used to develop new types of phishing attacks. For example, AI can be used to create phishing emails that contain malicious attachments or links. These attachments or links can then be used to install malware on victims’ computers or steal their personal information.

In the future, AI is likely to play an even greater role in phishing attacks. As AI technology continues to develop, cybercriminals will be able to create even more sophisticated and effective phishing attacks. This is why it is important to be aware of the risks of phishing and to take steps to protect yourself from these attacks.

Here are some tips to help you protect yourself from phishing attacks:

  • Be suspicious of any email that asks for personal information, such as your password or credit card number.
  • Do not click on links or open attachments from emails that you do not recognize.
  • Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
  • Keep your software up to date with the latest security patches.
  • Use a firewall and antivirus software.
  • Be aware of the latest phishing scams and how to identify them.

If you think you may have been the victim of a phishing attack, it is important to take action immediately. Change your passwords, contact your bank or credit card company, and report the incident to the authorities.

Phishing attacks are a serious threat, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself. By being aware of the risks and taking steps to protect your information, you can help to keep yourself safe from these attacks.

 

Decision Support System Paper

Posted on by James

 

 

 

 

 

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

James Strickland, Student

Barry University, PACE

 

 

 

 

Decision Support Systems

Introduction

An example of a management information system (MIS) is a decision support system. Additionally, MIS can be implemented via transaction processing and operations data management approaches. For example, an MIS can improve staff communication and provide a platform for recording information about the organization’s revenue and expenditure (Marakas, 2003). Management Information Systems are comprised of computer programs that provide the management in any company with information essential to the effective running of the organization. When it comes to making decisions, decision support systems (DSS) can help managers without necessitating the presence of computer professionals. The following are the three most essential components of a DSS:

  • Massive amounts of data are stored in this database management system (DBMS), which is critical in identifying solutions for problems the DSS built to address.
  • Information that is critical for decision-making is processed using model-based management systems (MBMS).
  • Dialog generation and management system (DGMS): provides a simple interface between the system and administrators who do not have extensive expertise in computer-based apps.

The DSS History

Due to work done at Carnegie Tech in the late 1950s and MIT on interactive computer systems, DSS has its roots in two distinct fields of study: decision theory and interactive computer systems. During the mid-1970s, scientists noticed a role that computer-based information systems (CBIS) may play in assisting managers with their decision-making processes (Power, A Brief History of Decision Support Systems, 2007). Due to the popularity of the group of executive information systems (EIS) and decision support systems (GDSS), which arose from single-user and model-oriented Decision support systems. EIS is a valuable resource for business leaders because it delivers current, actionable data that can be tracked and managed. They launched new web based DSS applications around the turn of 2000, such as online analytical processing (OLAP) and data warehousing: they began to expand the scope of DSS. The Decision support system has emerged as a significant part of the management sector due to technological improvements. The DSS has become a fundamental part of management design due to introducing new and better technologies.

Decision Support Systems

As a result of DSSs, data becomes valuable, and quality judgments are made based on it. In most cases, making good decisions is dependent on the quality of the data entered into the Software system and the user’s ability to filter the data and spot trends (Power, Decision Support Systems: Concepts and Resources for Managers, 2002). As a rule, DSS is a computer application with a human interface that can sort, process, and carry out the necessary analyses on massive amounts of data. The majority think that DSSs is a specific division of a company, but they have integrated these systems into their everyday schedule. For example, several corporations regularly download and research income and income data, projected growth, and expenditure sheets. They recharge their plans once the evaluation of the present results is finished. DSSs have a stable place in companies, but the facts and decisions are constantly evolving.

The primary goal of DSSs is to gather data, evaluate it, discover trends in the data, and then develop business decisions or recommendations based on the findings of the studies, among other things. It is not crucial whether computers, databases, or individuals engage in the process; instead, it is the practice of taking unstructured records, collecting them, and then using them to help in decision-making after being analyzed. DSS can be divided into numerous models, with categories varying from one individual to the next according to their background. When it comes to data processing, we may divide it into two categories: passive and inactive. A passive DSS merely gathers and assesses data, but an active DSS goes one step beyond and processes it. Another way of categorization that takes into account the mode of help generates five dimensions, as follows:

  • Using quantitative, replication, or financial models as the foundation for their choices is what is known as a model-driven DSS;
  • When individuals collaborate to create a solution or approach, this is referred to as a communication driven DSS;
  • A document-driven DSS makes use of documents of various data types to make choices and develop strategic plans;
  • A knowledge-driven decision-support system implements explicitly specified rules in a computer to reach a decision; and
  • A data-driven DSS focuses on data acquired and then processed to meet the manager’s demands.

The Pros of DDS

There are numerous advantages connected with decision support systems, particularly when compared to prior ways of decision-making. These are detailed in greater detail below:

  • DDSs improve individual efficiency: When data is gathered and processed utilizing scientific data collection and analysis methodologies, there is a significant reduction in the number of errors, collectively referred to as human errors. Using the DSS technique results, managers can make educated decisions based on the information obtained from the data analysis.
  • Because automated systems carry out the processes, DSSs accelerate the pace of problem solutions in a given firm. After installing the required scientific formulas in the computer, the computer takes over the remainder of the method, resulting in a quick and efficient analytic process. Furthermore, the DSS system filters the data to make it easier to manage and, as a result, reduces the time it takes between data gathering and decision-making.
  • Because the analysis process is systematic and each stage can be followed quickly, DSSs help to improve the tracking of information. During the data gathering procedure and when entering the data into the computer, one should exercise caution
  • Other advantages of decision support systems include enhancing interpersonal interaction, discovering new avenues for meeting the company’s objectives, and strengthening a company’s competitive advantage.

DDS and Competitive Advantage

Some software suppliers promise that their decision support, analytics, and business intelligence products will give them a competitive advantage (Power, Decision Support Systems: Concepts and Resources for Managers, 2002). This expansive claim covers an application for decision assistance constructed with a variety of technologies. These technologies include business intelligence tools, quality management software, data mining tools, and quantitative algorithms. The vendor’s solution, it is said, will provide a competitive advantage to any firm that implements it. This comprehensive promise appears to be too good to be true, and it is also not plausible in its whole. Vendors must temper their statements with phrases like “may,” “can,” “often,” and “should.” The exaggerated optimism of vendors about technology produces excessive expectations and, in certain situations, contributes to the rise of technology pessimism. Computerized decision assistance, analytics, and business intelligence (BI) may and should be used to gain a competitive advantage.

A competitive advantage is what managers seek: a superior capacity that allows them to outperform their competitors. Better financial position, more assets, incentives, or other physical or intangible advantages are all possible outcomes of gaining an advantage. An organization with an advantage possesses a capability, resource, or expertise that is demonstrably superior to its competition. When a competitive advantage is leveraged, it can aid in the achievement of beneficial results. According to research, a sustainable competitive advantage is defined as “the sustained benefit of applying any unique real worth strategy that is not simultaneously applied by any present or possible rivals, as well as the impossibility to reproduce the benefits of this strategy.”

A durable competitive advantage is achieved when a company performs a critical function much better than its competitors (Power, A Brief History of Decision Support Systems, 2007). Generally, a competitive advantage is the competence or attribute of a company that dramatically increases the firm’s success in a market, rivalry scenario, or confrontation with another organization. When one meets three requirements, computerized decision support (DSS) can provide a competitive edge to a company. As a first step, once a decision support application has been deployed, it must be elevated to the status of a major or essential organizational strength or capacity. Second, it must be one-of-a-kind and exclusively controlled by the organization. In addition, the advantage supplied by the system must be durable for at least a few years to ensure a sufficient return on the initial investment.

Even in the face of fast technological change, a three-year payback period is a feasible aim. Keeping these three criteria in mind, managers looking to make strategic investments in information technology for decision support should look for opportunities. When computerized decision support is valuable, unique, and difficult to replicate, it can provide a significant competitive advantage. Inter-corporate DSS can help organizations strengthen their ties with consumers and suppliers. In some cases, companies can use group DSS and Groupware to overcome time and geographical limitations. Particular DSS can assist a company in operating seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, regardless of where an employee or a client is. In some circumstances, DSS can aid in the integration of a company’s activities. Aside from that, web-based DSS that is inter-corporate can develop ties with suppliers or customers that are tough to break.

A decision support system can assist a company in achieving a price advantage (Shim, Warkentin, Courtney, & Power, 2002). DSS can give various benefits, including increased personal efficiency, reduced staff requirements, faster problem solutions, and improved corporate management and monitoring. The search for circumstances where decision processes appear to be slow or tedious, problems recur, or answers are delayed, or unsatisfactory should be the first step for managers who wish to gain a cost-cutting advantage. DSS can help cut costs when decision-makers have a high turnover rate, and training is time-consuming and inconvenient. It can also help in situations where activities, divisions, and projects are poorly governed.

By reducing or eliminating value chain tasks, DSS can save a significant amount of money. For example, a bank or mortgage lending company may save money by adopting innovative DSS to cut the number of stages and lower the number of employee hours required to approve loans. Some technological advancements may continue to cut process costs, while competitors who mimic an innovative DSS may erase or cancel any advantage. It is possible to get a competitive advantage by using DSS. A DSS can set your product apart from the competition and perhaps open the door to new revenue streams. To maximize profitability: differentiated products must charge a price premium that exceeds any additional expenses to attain the differentiation.

Differentiation can lead to higher pricing, more units sold, or increased customer loyalty for service and recurrent purchases if the company succeeds. It’s possible for competitors to quickly copy the differentiation, resulting in greater costs for all of them. Computerized decision assistance can also help a corporation better target a certain consumer segment and gain an edge in satisfying the needs of that group (Mitran, 2019). DSS can make it a lot easier to serve a specific group of clients with a specific set of services. For some clients, personalized service isn’t worth the extra cost; for others, larger competitors have their DSS to target niches. Improving existing resources and building new resources and capabilities in adapting to variations in market conditions is the key to long-term competitive advantage. Developing a competitive edge that results in superior value generation sometimes necessitates the renewal, creation, and creation of decision support systems.

Cons of DSS

  • User-friendliness reduced. Even though DSSs have been simplified in recent years, some firms, especially those with limited resources, still find it difficult to adopt them, even if it has been easier to do so. Small businesses that cannot afford the installation and training charges will have to rely on more traditional means of decision-making.
  • It’s difficult to measure. If the decision-makers don’t know how to combine their output, the entire process is a waste of time and effort. Most decision support systems generate mathematical results and need mathematical computations to determine the sort of decision that should be taken.

Effectiveness of DSS

It is possible to support semi-structured and unstructured decision-making by using a Decision Support System (DSS), an information system at the company’s management level. It is possible to use a DSS to analyze low-volume databases, and enormous databases specialized for data mining. The DSS is more powerful than any other system out there. Several models are used to analyze data, or vast amounts of data are compressed into a form that decision-makers can understand. User-friendly DSS is designed to be used by the end-user. When data is gathered and processed utilizing scientific data collection and analysis methodologies, there is a significant reduction in errors, collectively referred to as human errors. Using the DSS technique results, managers can make educated decisions based on the information obtained from the data analysis.

Many new tools and advancements are presently in development for the DSS platform, which will have a major impact on the way businesses make decisions.  Artificial Intelligence systems, OLAP, and internet analysis gadgets are just some of the new tools that have been developed in the last several years. Overall, decision assistance systems have a promising future (Shim, Warkentin, Courtney, & Power, 2002). All firms will adopt DSSs in the future; hence any company that doesn’t is doomed to fail. A company can’t have a competitive advantage if it only observes its competitors enjoy massive growth margins. However, the competition has already begun, so we don’t have to rely on future inventions to grow.

As previously stated, the use of DSS methods provides several advantages. With DSS, a company’s costs can be decreased because the automated systems will conduct most of the job, requiring fewer employees. The manager will also be able to make even the most critical decisions thanks to real-time analysis. The decision to use a decision support system is good, considering the technology’s upsides and downsides.

 

 

Works Cited

Marakas, G. M. (2003). Decision Support Systems in the 21st Century (Vol 134). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Mitran, D. (2019). Decision Support Systems to Create a Competitive Advantage. Internal Auditing and Risk Magement, 76-82.

Power, D. J. (2002). Decision Support Systems: Concepts and Resources for Managers. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Power, D. J. (2007, 03 21). A Brief History of Decision Support Systems. Retrieved from dssresources.com: https://dssresources.com/history/dsshistory.html

Power, D. J. (2007, 05 10). Ask Dan! About DSS. Retrieved from Decision Support System Resources: https://dssresources.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&id=84

Shim, J. P., Warkentin, M., Courtney, J. F., & Power, D. J. (2002). Past, Present, and Future of Decision Support Technology. ResearchGate, 111-126.

 

 

Script to Convert Blueiris video to MP4

Posted on by James

Driveway Cam

bash script to convert bvr files

to Mp4

I was looking for a method to convert .bvr files to mp4 without using up my Blue Iris camera servers processor. Currently I’m running an 4th gen i5 processor.  So it is not a workhorse compared to some other machines on my network. 

Note: This is a work in progress. 

If there is a better way, shoot me an email: james @ strickstuff [dot] com

 

 

#!/bin/bash
#
# Script to convert .bvr files to mp4 using ffmpeg
# NOTE: this is still a work in progress
# I am still working on the ffmpeg switches
# to make this work better. But it works fine
# as is.
#
#
# First pass & remove files as you convert them. 
##!/bin/bash
for vid in *.bvr; 
do ffmpeg -probesize 42M -framerate 30 -i $vid -vcodec copy -an -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb "${vid%.*}.h264" && rm $vid;
done
#
# Second pass, 
#
for h264 in *.h264;
do ffmpeg -i $h264 "${h264%.*}.mp4" && rm $h264;
done
#
# This just merges all mp4s in the directory into a single file
# remove (or comment out) if not needed.
#
[ -e list.txt ] && rm list.txt
for f in *.mp4
do
echo "file $f" >> list.txt
done
ffmpeg -f concat -i list.txt -c copy joined-out.mp4 && rm list.txt

blue conky script with Spotify

Posted on by James

Edited an old conky script with updated colors to match my theme and added Spotify & BTC.





conky.config = { 
-- set to yes if you want Conky to be forked in the background
background = false,

cpu_avg_samples = 2,
net_avg_samples = 2,

out_to_console = false,

-- X font when Xft is disabled, you can pick one with program xfontsel
--font 7x12
--font 6x10
--font 7x13
--font 8x13
--font 7x12
--font *mintsmild.se*
--font -*-*-*-*-*-*-34-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
--font -artwiz-snap-normal-r-normal-*-*-100-*-*-p-*-iso8859-1

-- Use Xft?
use_xft = true,

-- Xft font when Xft is enabled
font = 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=8',

own_window_transparent = false,

--own_window_colour hotpink
-- Text alpha when using Xft
xftalpha = 0.8,

-- Update interval in seconds
update_interval = 1,
-- Create own window instead of using desktop (required in nautilus)
own_window = true,
own_window_transparent = true,
own_window_hints = 'undecorated,below,skip_taskbar',
own_window_type = 'desktop',

-- Use double buffering (reduces flicker, may not work for everyone)
double_buffer = true,

-- Minimum size of text area
minimum_width = 260, minimum_height = 5,
maximum_width = 260,

-- Draw shades?
draw_shades = false,

-- Draw outlines?
draw_outline = false,

-- Draw borders around text
draw_borders = false,

-- Stippled borders?
stippled_borders = no,

-- border width
border_width = 1,

-- Default colors and also border colors
default_color = 'white',
default_shade_color = 'white',
default_outline_color = 'white',

-- Text alignment, other possible values are commented
--alignment top_left
--minimum_size 10 10
gap_x = 15,
gap_y = 70,
alignment = 'top_right',
--alignment bottom_left
--alignment bottom_right

-- Gap between borders of screen and text

-- Add spaces to keep things from moving about? This only affects certain objects.
use_spacer = 'none',

-- Subtract file system buffers from used memory?
no_buffers = true,

-- set to yes if you want all text to be in uppercase
uppercase = false,

-- boinc (seti) dir
-- seti_dir /opt/seti

-- Possible variables to be used:

-- Variable Arguments Description 
-- acpiacadapter ACPI ac adapter state. 
-- acpifan ACPI fan state 
-- acpitemp ACPI temperature. 
-- adt746xcpu CPU temperature from therm_adt746x 
-- adt746xfan Fan speed from therm_adt746x 
-- battery (num) Remaining capasity in ACPI or APM 
-- battery. ACPI battery number can be 
-- given as argument (default is BAT0). 
-- buffers Amount of memory buffered 
-- cached Amount of memory cached 
-- color (color) Change drawing color to color 
-- cpu CPU usage in percents 
-- cpubar (height) Bar that shows CPU usage, height is 
-- bar's height in pixels 
-- downspeed net Download speed in kilobytes 
-- downspeedf net Download speed in kilobytes with one 
-- decimal 
-- exec shell command Executes a shell command and displays 
-- the output in torsmo. warning: this 
-- takes a lot more resources than other 
-- variables. I'd recommend coding wanted 
-- behaviour in C and posting a patch :-). 
-- execi interval, shell Same as exec but with specific interval. 
-- command Interval can't be less than 
-- update_interval in configuration. 
-- fs_bar (height), (fs) Bar that shows how much space is used on 
-- a file system. height is the height in 
-- pixels. fs is any file on that file 
-- system. 
-- fs_free (fs) Free space on a file system available 
-- for users. 
-- fs_free_perc (fs) Free percentage of space on a file 
-- system available for users. 
-- fs_size (fs) File system size 
-- fs_used (fs) File system used space 
-- hr (height) Horizontal line, height is the height in 
-- pixels 
-- i2c (dev), type, n I2C sensor from sysfs (Linux 2.6). dev 
-- may be omitted if you have only one I2C 
-- device. type is either in (or vol) 
-- meaning voltage, fan meaning fan or temp 
-- meaning temperature. n is number of the 
-- sensor. See /sys/bus/i2c/devices/ on 
-- your local computer. 
-- kernel Kernel version 
-- loadavg (1), (2), (3) System load average, 1 is for past 1 
-- minute, 2 for past 5 minutes and 3 for 
-- past 15 minutes. 
-- machine Machine, i686 for example 
-- mails Mail count in mail spool. You can use 
-- program like fetchmail to get mails from 
-- some server using your favourite 
-- protocol. See also new_mails. 
-- mem Amount of memory in use 
-- membar (height) Bar that shows amount of memory in use 
-- memmax Total amount of memory 
-- memperc Percentage of memory in use 
-- new_mails Unread mail count in mail spool. 
-- nodename Hostname 
-- outlinecolor (color) Change outline color 
-- pre_exec shell command Executes a shell command one time before 
-- torsmo displays anything and puts output 
-- as text. 
-- processes Total processes (sleeping and running) 
-- running_processes Running processes (not sleeping), 
-- requires Linux 2.6 
-- shadecolor (color) Change shading color 
-- stippled_hr (space), Stippled (dashed) horizontal line 
-- (height) 
-- swapbar (height) Bar that shows amount of swap in use 
-- swap Amount of swap in use 
-- swapmax Total amount of swap 
-- swapperc Percentage of swap in use 
-- sysname System name, Linux for example 
-- time (format) Local time, see man strftime to get more 
-- information about format 
-- totaldown net Total download, overflows at 4 GB on 
-- Linux with 32-bit arch and there doesn't 
-- seem to be a way to know how many times 
-- it has already done that before torsmo 
-- has started. 
-- totalup net Total upload, this one too, may overflow 
-- updates Number of updates (for debugging) 
-- upspeed net Upload speed in kilobytes 
-- upspeedf net Upload speed in kilobytes with one 
-- decimal 
-- uptime Uptime 
-- uptime_short Uptime in a shorter format

-- seti_prog Seti@home current progress
-- seti_progbar (height) Seti@home current progress bar
-- seti_credit Seti@hoome total user credit


-- variable is given either in format $variable or in ${variable}. Latter
-- allows characters right after the variable and must be used in network
-- stuff because of an argument
--${font Dungeon:style=Bold:pixelsize=10}I can change the font as well
--${font Verdana:size=10}as many times as I choose
--${font Perry:size=10}Including UTF-8,
-- stuff after 'TEXT' will be formatted on screen
--${font Grunge:size=12}${time %a %b %d}${alignr -25}${time %k:%M}

};

conky.text = [[
${color #2EB7FF}$sysname $kernel - $nodename 
#${font TlwgMono:size=9}
${color #2EB7FF}Uptime:${color lightgrey} $uptime ${color #2EB7FF} Load:${color lightgrey} $loadavg

#${color #2EB7FF}${execi 1000 cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep 'model name' | sed -e 's/model name.*: //'}
${color #2EB7FF}Usage:${color #2EB7FF} ${color lightgrey}${cpu}% ${color #2EB7FF}${cpubar}
${color #2EB7FF}${cpugraph 000000 2EB7FF}
${color #2EB7FF}Proces:${color lightgrey} $processes ${color #2EB7FF}Run:${color lightgrey} $running_processes ${color #2EB7FF}T1:${color lightgrey}${execi 30 sensors | grep 'Core 0' | cut -c15-18}°C ${color}${color #2EB7FF}T2:${color lightgrey}${execi 30 sensors | grep 'Core 1' | cut -c15-18}°C${color}${font}

${color #2EB7FF}RAM:${color lightgrey} $mem/$memmax - $memperc% ${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${membar 5,110}
${color #2EB7FF}SWP:${color lightgrey} $swap/$swapmax - $swapperc% ${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${swapbar 5,110}

${color #2EB7FF}HD IO: ${color lightgrey}${diskio}
${color #2EB7FF}${diskiograph 000000 2EB7FF}

${color #2EB7FF}Disc Mounts:
${color #2EB7FF} Root ${color lightgrey}${fs_used /}/${fs_size /}${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${fs_bar 5,120 /}
${if_mounted /home/james/mounts/backup}${color #2EB7FF} Backup ${color lightgrey}${fs_used /home/james/mounts/backup}/${fs_size /home/james/mounts/backup}${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${fs_bar 5,120 /home/james/mounts/backup}${endif}
${if_mounted /home/james/mounts/shares}${color #2EB7FF} Shares ${color lightgrey}${fs_used /home/james/mounts/shares}/${fs_size /home/james/mounts/shares}${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${fs_bar 5,120 /home/james/mounts/shares}${endif}

${color #2EB7FF}Network: 
${color #2EB7FF}WLAN IP: ${color lightgrey}${addr wlo1} ${color #2EB7FF}LAN IP: ${color lightgrey}${addr eno2}
${color #2EB7FF}SSID: ${color lightgrey}${wireless_essid} ${color #2EB7FF}Bitrate: ${color lightgrey}${wireless_bitrate wlo1}
${color #2EB7FF}Qual: ${color lightgrey} ${wireless_link_qual_perc wlo1}% ${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${wireless_link_bar 5,135 wlo1}
${color #2EB7FF}Down:${color lightgrey} ${downspeed wlo1} $alignr${color #2EB7FF} Up:${color lightgrey} ${upspeed wlo1}
${color #2EB7FF}${downspeedgraph wlo1 27,120 000000 2EB7FF 180} $alignr${color #2EB7FF}${upspeedgraph wlo1 27,120 000000 2EB7FF 25}
${color lightgrey}${totaldown wlo1} $alignr${color lightgrey}${totalup wlo1}

${color #2EB7FF}Battery:
${color #2EB7FF}Status ${color lightgrey}${battery} ${alignr}${color #2EB7FF}${battery_bar 5,120}
${color #2EB7FF}Time Remaining ${color lightgrey}${battery_time}
${if_running spotify}
${color #2EB7FF}Spotify: ${color lightgrey}${exec ~/.conky/conky-spotify/scripts/status.sh}
${color #2EB7FF}Title: ${color lightgrey}${exec ~/.conky/conky-spotify/scripts/title.sh}
${color #2EB7FF}Artist: ${color lightgrey}${exec ~/.conky/conky-spotify/scripts/artist.sh}
${color #2EB7FF}Album: ${color lightgrey}${exec ~/.conky/conky-spotify/scripts/album.sh}
#${exec ~/.conky/conky-spotify/scripts/cover.sh}${image ~/.conky/conky-spotify/current/current.jpg -p 200,465 -s 60x60}
${endif}
${color #2EB7FF}Bitcoin:
${color #2EB7FF}${font TlwgMono:size=14}BTC: ${color lightgrey}${font TlwgMono:size=14}${color lightgrey}$$${texeci 300 curl https://api.kraken.com/0/public/Ticker?pair=XXBTZUSD | jq ".result.XXBTZUSD.c[0]" | grep -oE "[0-9]*\..."}
]];


















 









			

	





	

		


			
VB.net Compare Assignment
	

				

			Posted on  by James		

			

	

				
Here’s the assignment for Lab3. The next class session will show us .


Public Class frmCompare

    '----JDS-----------------------
    'CREATED:    10/15/2014
    'CREATED BY: James Strickland
    'CLASS:      COP2010 - 090898
    'PURPOSE:    Write a Windows Application
    '            program that inputs
    '            three different integers
    '            and displays results
    '            in a listbox
    '----JDS-----------------------

    ' Declare variables
    ' inum=InputNumber
    Dim inum1, inum2, inum3 As Integer

    ' onum=OutputNumber
    Dim onum1, onum2, onum3, max, min As Integer

    Private Sub frmCompare_Load(sender As Object, _
                                e As EventArgs) _
                            Handles MyBase.Load

        ' Hide the "About" label at form load
        lblAbout.Visible = False

    End Sub


    Private Sub btnGo_Click(sender As Object, _
                        e As EventArgs) _
                        Handles btnExe.Click

        ' The following code is executed 
        ' when the EXECUTE button is pressed

        ' Get the users 3 numbers and load
        ' them into the 3 input variables
        inum1 = txtInput1.Text
        inum2 = txtInput2.Text
        inum3 = txtInput3.Text

        ' Clear list box encase user wants to 
        ' repeat program without scrolling 
        ' down listbox.
        LstBoxResults.Items.Clear()

        ' Display numbers as user entered them
        ' seperated by comma
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("Numbers in User Order:")
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add(inum1 & ", " & inum2 & ", " & inum3)
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("") ' simply creates a space between answers

        ' Display Sum of users entered numbers
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("Sum of numbers:") ' Displays to user
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add(inum1 + inum2 + inum3) ' does the math
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("") ' simply creates a space between answers

        ' Display Average of numbers
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("Average of Numbers:") ' Displays to user
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add((inum1 + inum2 + inum3) \ 3) ' does the math
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("") ' simply creates a space between answers

        ' Display Product of numbers
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("Product of numbers:") ' Displays to user
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add(inum1 * inum2 * inum3) ' Does the math
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("") ' simply creates a space between answers

        ' Display Largest of the 3 numbers
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("Largest of the 3:")
        max = inum1 ' Init variable mas a first number entered, the compare below...

        If inum2 > max Then
            max = inum2 ' inum2 greater than max, init max as inum2 (inum2 is smaller)
        End If

        If inum3 > max Then
            max = inum3 ' inum3 greater than max, init max as inum3 (inum3 is smaller)
        End If

        LstBoxResults.Items.Add(max)
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("") ' simply creates a space between answers

        ' Display Smallest of the 3 numbers
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("Smallest of the 3:")
        min = inum1 ' init min as inum1

        If inum2 < min Then
            min = inum2 ' inum2 less than min, init min as inum2 (inum2 is bigger)
        End If

        If inum3 < min Then
            min = inum3 ' inum3 less than min, init min as inum3 (inum3 is bigger)
        End If

        LstBoxResults.Items.Add(min) ' Display results of min
        LstBoxResults.Items.Add("") ' simply creates a space between answers

    End Sub

    ' Close/Exit the program
    Private Sub btnExit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
                              ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _
                              Handles btnExit.Click
        Close()

    End Sub



    Private Sub btnAbout_Click(sender As Object, _
                               e As EventArgs) _
                               Handles btnAbout.Click
        ' The below code hides the form content and 
        ' displays information about the programmer
        ' (when the user presses the "about" button)
        ' which happens to be me. For those who does
        ' not know me, I am a big deal around here..
        ' I mean, I didn't want to say nuthin.......

        ' Clear Form
        btnExe.Visible = False
        lblEnterNumbers.Visible = False
        lblInstruction.Visible = False
        txtInput1.Visible = False
        txtInput2.Visible = False
        txtInput3.Visible = False
        LstBoxResults.Visible = False

        ' About Programmer
        lblAbout.Visible = True

    End Sub

End Class




 

			

	





	

		


			
Social Engineering / Hack attempt
	

				

			Posted on  by James		

			

	

				
Today I received a phone call at 5:24PM (CST) from (281) 593-3503 showed up on caller ID as Cleveland, TX.


This is the 2nd call from this person, who had a strong foreign accent. The first time I received a call from him, I told him I wasn’t interested and hung up. This time I was bored, so decided to go along with him.


Here’s how the conversation went:


He started out by telling me he has been monitoring infected files on my computer. He then asked me is my computer connected to the internet.

I said yes.


He asked what I seen on my screen, I said google


He asked me to close the window and press <windows/flag> key and “R”, I complied.


Capture


 


 


 


 


 


He asked me what I saw, I told him the run screen.


He asked me to type “inf hiddenfiles” then asked me if I knew what it was, I said no. then pressed enter after he instructed me to.


This opened a window


Capture2


 


He then asked me if I knew what these files were, I said no.  He said that they were a list of infected files. These are infact driver information files (windows/inf)


Then then asked me to go to a website by way of <win/flag> + R (run command) ( http://rescue12.webs.com )


scam_site


 


 


 


 


 


 


Then he asked me to download teamviewer and install it on my computer.  Since There was no way  I was going to give him access to my computer, I went ahead and pulled the plug.


I asked him, since he seen infected files from my computer, what was the IP address of my computer.  He didn’t have an answer.  I then asked him who my ISP was, he didn’t have an answer… I figured I spent enough time of the phone with this idiot… so I told him I knew what he was up to and was reporting it to the authorities.  He said go ahead, then hung up.


Now, here’s some relevant data for us geeks:


Who is for the website hosting the probably viruses:



I’m not being paid to do this, so I’m not going to load the files and see what wireshark shows… and perhaps trace the IP, which I would assume would be in a foreign country.


Bottom line everyone… if someone sends you links and they don’t look right… double check before you give anyone remote access to your computer. It is extremely easy to gain prolong access to your computer if you just give me 10 secs of remote access to your computer. If you get a phone call from your ISP (cox or centurylink) then perhaps it may be a legitimate phone call, but VERIFY.


I also asked for a call back number, and he gave me: 201-234-4604, I did not try to call it.