 I'm not a New York Times subscriber but I do occasionally want to read an article on their website. They do let you read ten articles a month before the paywall descends and blocks you from further reading without a subscription. Until recently, it was mere child's play to get around the security with a few clever javascript hacks (like NY Clean) that were easy to find and implement by doing a quick Google search....but you may have noticed recently that these hacks are no longer working. However, there's still a sneaky and not too time consuming way to get around the paywall.
My solution is to open an "Incognito Window" in Google Chrome or a "Private Window" in Firefox. Since the New York Times paywall is cookie based, these two methods work because they block cookies in your browser and give you full access to the site. A super easy way to access an article of your choice with this method is to right click on the link and then choose "Open Link in Incognito Window" in Google Chrome. In Firefox, just right click on any link and choose "Open Link In New Private Window". From the new window you can now search and read the site to your heart's content.
If you're feeling guilty, it may help to click on an ad on the site from time to time...or just give in and plunk down the money for a subscription. Times are tough...but the New York Times is a good outfit and we want them to stay in business.
 I've received a few calls in the past month from clients running Windows XP. In my opinion, XP is a great operating system and there's no need to switch from it or upgrade your computer if it's still running efficiently - it still does a great job. In about a year from now, Microsoft intends to stop security patches and updates for XP. At that point, bad guys writing new viruses for Windows will probably be more likely to go after Windows 7 or 8 (or the latest version by then).
These days, Microsoft has been so good at keeping up with the security fixes for Windows that virus authors have been finding and exploiting security holes in third party applications that run on your machine. There has been a lot of recent exploits that target software like Java, Flash, and Adobe's Acrobat Reader (not Windows!).
My advice is to stay with Windows XP if it works for you. If you're nervous that Microsoft is abandoning it then you can still use it safely for at least another year....and then you can decide whether or not you need to upgrade. More than likely, you'll end up dumping XP when you need a new computer.
 Google released a great new app today for iOS. Called Google Now (and included in the Google Search app for iPhone and iPad) it provides live weather and traffic updates, sports scores and a lot of other useful features.
The iOS version of Google Now is embedded into the Google Search app. Google Now is about pulling live information from your Google account to provide you with relevant information for your day. This includes traffic updates based on your calendar, or sports scores based on your location. In the Google Search app, it does this by showing you various "cards" when you open up the app, and tracking your day over WiFi.
The iOS version of Google Now isn't nearly as function as the Android version, and it's missing certain features like nearby events, activity summary, and boarding passes, but it still manages to get a lot of info into the app. The Google Search app is available right now for both the iPhone and iPad.
Google Search (Free) | iTunes App Store via The Verge
 If you have a wireless connection and then plug into your wired network, Windows might continue to use your wireless connection for your network usage. Here's how to change it so Windows uses your wired connection by default. As explained on Microsoft, when more than one network connection is available, Windows will choose the one with the lowest metric value (automatically assigned based on the network connection's rated speed). Previously, to change the default priority of each interface you would change the metric value for each connection. NirmalTV suggests a newer, simpler method: - Go to Network Connections under the Control Panel
- Under the file menu, go to Advanced > Advanced Settings
- In the Adapters and Bindings tab, click on the connection you want prioritized (e.g., the ethernet connection) and use the up arrow to move it to the top of the list
That's it! Hit OK and now your wired connection will be the default (when you're plugged in, that is).How to Make Windows Select Wired Connection Instead of Wireless Connection | NirmalTV
 Believe it or not: starting today, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority is rolling out Wi-Fi and cell service to 30 stations across the city.
Previously, Wi-Fi was available at a handful of stations on the L and C/E lines, but as of today it can be found at locations like Times Square, Columbus Circle and other stops on the West Side from 18th to 96th street in the from of free, corporate-sponsored Boingo hotspots. There will also be underground cell service...but for the moment it is limited to those with AT&T or T-Mobile service. Verizon and Sprint service is on the way.
In phase two of the project, Wi-Fi and service will come to queens and midtown by 2014 with the Bronx and the East Side to follow. By 2016, the MTA says all stations will be hooked up.
via Gizmodo
 I may have written a post about this feature before...but it saved me a bunch of time last night so I figured it would be well worth revisiting here. I'm currently in the process of refinancing my mortgage and received an email from our broker that three of the documents we had recently sent him were left unsigned and undated. The normal (tedious) procedure would be to print out the PDFs, sign and date them, re-scan them, and email them back to our broker. The PDFs were also legal sized (and I did not have any legal paper at home) so I faced the prospect of printing out 6 letter sized sheets to print, sign and re-scan. Arrrrgh. Then I remembered a great feature using the Mac's Preview software where you can create a digital version of your signature by holding a piece of paper (containing a written version of your signature or whatever else) in front of your Mac's web cam. I went ahead and created the necessary digital versions for my wife and myself and also a handwritten scan of the current date. Then I opened each one of the documents and added in all the signatures and dates, carefully resizing them as needed and placing them in the correct spot. After I saved each signed file, I was able to email them directly back to our mortgage broker in about 10 minutes! There was no waiting for my printer to slooooowly scan each page and even better was the fact that I didn't have to burn through a drop of any of my printer's (seriously overpriced) toner cartridges. Amazing.
If you're ever in a similar boat, give the following tutorial a shot. I borrowed (and reprinted) the directions below directly from MacLife's website:
| Mac OS X Lion includes a cool new feature in Preview that gives you the ability to create a digital version of your signature by simply holding a signed piece of paper in front of your Mac’s FaceTime camera. This signature can then be applied to any PDF in Preview, ready for you to email your signed document without messing with any printed copies.
To begin, get a blank, white piece of paper and using black ink, create a signature on the paper.
| | | Next, launch Preview and navigate to Preview > Preferences > Signatures. From this screen, click on the “Create Signature” button.
| | | Preview will activate the FaceTime camera on your Mac and prompt you to hold the piece of paper up to the screen. You’ll want to make your signature line up along the blue line. After a few seconds, a Signature Preview will be available. When you are satisfied with the results, click on the Accept button.
| | | Your signature will be saved, ready for you to add more, or delete existing ones.
| | To add your signature to a PDF, click on the Annotate button in the toolbar and select the Signature annotation tool. Then, click and drag, and release anywhere on the PDF to insert your signature. After inserting, you can still enlarge and move around the signature to your liking.
A short video from Tekzilla for help with finding animated gifs and transparent images with Google image search.
 Yet another iOS update in what seems to be an endless string of recent iOS updates for the iPhone. This update, 6.1.3 is supposed to fix a huge security flaw that allows someone to get past the iPhone's lock screen....even when you have a passcode enabled to unlock your phone.
Connecting a smartphone or mobile device to your car stereo is a great way to listen to music, audiobooks and podcasts while driving. There's a few ways to accomplish this.
- Connecting with USB. First of all, if you have a newer car, it may actually have USB built into the stereo. This should work with most phones and iPods, and actually will allow you to access the audio on the device through the native car stereo interface. This is great because in many cases it will allow you to keep your eyes on the road instead of handling a phone while driving, which in many states is illegal.
- Connecting through Auxiliary In. This has become standard in newer car stereos, allowing you to connect any device that can play audio to the stereo. This won't allow control of the device through the car stereo, but is very simple to do. Just use an 1/8" to 1/8" auxiliary cable (available at RadioShack or any electronics store) and connect it from your phone's headphone jack to the car stereo's aux input.
- Connect with Bluetooth. Some cars come with bluetooth built into the stereo, and if your car has it, check the owner's manual to find out how to pair it with your phone. Like the auxiliary option, you won't have control of the phone through the stereo interface, but it does offer added convenience. It's wireless, and will connect to the stereo automatically when you get in the car. A lot of stereos have built-in mics to handle hands free phone calls as well. If the stereo doesn't have bluetooth built-in, there's also bluetooth car kits that will give you this functionality. The Belkin Bluetooth Car Hands-Free Kit and GOgroove FlexSMART X2 are a couple of great inexpensive options.
- Cassette Adapter. This may sound archaic, but for older car stereos, this is still a great way to integrate your phone.
- FM transmitters. This is another way to integrate your phone into an older stereo without a direct way to connect. Mileage will vary here, since it depends on whether or not there are a lot of radio stations in the area crowding the dial.
- Aftermarket stereos. Of course, you could always get an entirely new head unit that has some of these modern features, and it may not cost as much as you'd think. There are great Alpine head units that start at around $100.
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