2008-06-18

Kansas City: Fridays might be a little odd for a while...

I don't know about Asmo, but I can't make the Friday Geek-Out at the Daily Dose this week. I've got another event to go to.

Also, the July 4th 2600 Meeting and geek-out might be sparse as well, as most (if not all) of the KC HiR Crew will be out of town blowing stuff up.

The Geek-Out is still on for July 27th. Otherwise, I suppose we'll see you at the August 2600 meeting, if you attend.

2008-06-15

HiR Reading Room: Mac OS X Security Configuration

I can't remember where I stumbled on it, I think it came across on Twitter from John Gruber of Daring Fireball. Apple recently published a guide for securing Mac OS X Leopard appropriately named Mac OS X Security Configuration [PDF]. It's definitely not aimed at casual Mac-Heads, but seasoned veterans of the command-line, administrators of Mac OS X desktop and server environments and power-users will all benefit from this guide, which takes you through security from the ground up, recommending a fresh install from scratch even on systems that come with a pristine installation from the factory on a new Mac.

The reading is somewhat dry, and it's basically a very long step-by-step guide with a brief explanation of why certain settings are being used. If you're looking for security theory, look elsewhere. If you want to know what default settings are secure and which are not, feel free to browse. It's logically organized. If you're a security-savvy Mac geek, this guide is worth the time to review.

2008-06-07

We found a bunch of locks to play with

I'll have some notes up about CHDK a little later, for those of you who couldn't make the meeting (and those who aren't in KC, obviously)

After the meeting, some of us left to hit one of our favorite dumpsters. We came away with nearly a dozen electronic vault locks including several each of Sargent and Greenleaf AuditLock 6126, Kaba Mas Cencon S2000. I've dealt with both of these models in the past, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty with them again. Maybe I can even make some of them work!

Stay tuned!

2008-06-04

June KC 2600 Meeting: CHDK

For the June meeting, I'll be demonstrating some of the power that CHDK unleashes on relatively inexpensive Canon digital cameras. Some highlights:

  • Installing and navigating CHDK
  • Taking and working with RAW photos
  • Writing scripts to automate camera actions
  • Introduction to other useful features
  • Using the UNIX command-line and CHDK to make time lapse animations
As always, we'll discuss whatever else is on peoples' minds, and grab a bite to eat. We might hit a dumpster or two, if time and weather allow.

Come on out and join us. Oak Park Mall Food Court. Friday, June 6 at about 5:00 PM.

2008-06-03

Minimalist keychain reworked.

Have you seen the minimalist keychain post? Maybe the idea is a bit too unwieldy for you, like it was for me? Reading though some of the posts about it brought the idea of using a screw post to me. Thus, my quest today to finally put it all together.



The Parts:



Match the Post to the Bit:



The flutes of the 1/4" bit fit in to the slot of the key. Use all sizes of drill bits from what shank size just fits up to the intended size to ream out the hole. Clamp the key in a vise when drilling and wear eye protection (do *not* hold the key to drill it!):



When it's all drilled and layered ( Post:steel washer: key-nylon washer(repeat) :steel washer:Screw ) be sure to use some thread lock to keep it together:



The final result:



One key had a slot and is offset to attach a key ring if need be: