Author: Lorin Olsen

Roo’s “Must Have” Root Apps

Lorin Olsen


On July 26, 2010, the Library of Congress ruled that rooting your phone is legal.  Indeed, it is now a legal exception to the DMCA and its prohibitions against copyright infringement.

So my phone is rooted.  And I can’t imagine running an Android phone without root authority.  But what can you do with root?  I’ve learned that the best way to teach is by example.  So here is the list of things that I do which require root:

  • I use adb to push content to my phone.  And I use adbWireless to avoid connecting my phone to my PC.  Don’t get me wrong.  I do use the wired USB sometimes.  But there are times that I need adb and I don’t want to un-mount my SD card from my running phone.
  • Every sysadmin needs a good terminal emulator.  And Android has a whole lot of them.  But I use the Better Terminal Emulator Pro.  It does the basics well.  And it also adds Dropbox and SSH support.
  • Bootstrap Recovery is a must-have if you ever do decide to go beyond root and install a custom ROM.
  • NTPClient is a great way to set the time on your phone.  Does the network do this for you already?  Well, yes it does.  But don’t you want to be in sync with the US Naval Observatory?
  • If you want to ensure your anonymity and your privacy on the network, then you might want to consider Orbot.  When used with root, you can transparently proxy all IP traffic through an encrypted tunnel.
  • If you don’t want to use Orbot’s transparent proxy, then you will need to be able to set the proxy for your browser.  I use the HTTP Proxy Settings tool to set the proxy for Android’s default browser.
  • If you decide to deploy custom ROM images onto your phone, then you need a tool to backup ROM images and/or deploy these ROM’s on your phone.  ROM Manager is the preeminent tool to manage all of your custom ROM’s.
  • There are a lot of file managers.  But the best of the best is Root Explorer.  It does it all – including digging into the all-important data folder.
  • There are times when only a good protocol analyzer can solve a problem on your network.  For such times, the typical solution has been WireShark.  So the Android equivalent of Shark for Root is a must-have for any self-respecting system administrator who has an Android phone.
  • Whether you are a blogger or just a sysadmin, there are times when you have to get a screenshot from your phone.  And you can’t always be certain that you will have a USB connection to a system that has adb installed.  For these times, I use ShootMe as a means of quickly capturing a screenshot (see above).
  • Titanium Backup is the best Android backup app out there.  Whether or not you load custom ROM’s, you still need to backup and restore your phone.  A good backup is a must-have.
  • One of the best reasons for rooting your phone is to be able to tether other devices to your phone.  Wireless Tether is a simple and powerful tool that justifies all the effort you put into rooting your phone.

These are the root apps that I use.  They may be a good start for you and your phone as well.

-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Roo's "Must Have" Root Apps

Lorin Olsen



On July 26, 2010, the Library of Congress ruled that rooting your phone is legal.  Indeed, it is now a legal exception to the DMCA and its prohibitions against copyright infringement.
So my phone is rooted.  And I can’t imagine running an Android phone without root authority.  But what can you do with root?  I’ve learned that the best way to teach is by example.  So here is the list of things that I do which require root:

  • I use adb to push content to my phone.  And I use adbWireless to avoid connecting my phone to my PC.  Don’t get me wrong.  I do use the wired USB sometimes.  But there are times that I need adb and I don’t want to un-mount my SD card from my running phone.
  • Every sysadmin needs a good terminal emulator.  And Android has a whole lot of them.  But I use the Better Terminal Emulator Pro.  It does the basics well.  And it also adds Dropbox and SSH support.
  • Bootstrap Recovery is a must-have if you ever do decide to go beyond root and install a custom ROM.
  • NTPClient is a great way to set the time on your phone.  Does the network do this for you already?  Well, yes it does.  But don’t you want to be in sync with the US Naval Observatory?
  • If you want to ensure your anonymity and your privacy on the network, then you might want to consider Orbot.  When used with root, you can transparently proxy all IP traffic through an encrypted tunnel.
  • If you don’t want to use Orbot’s transparent proxy, then you will need to be able to set the proxy for your browser.  I use the HTTP Proxy Settings tool to set the proxy for Android’s default browser.
  • If you decide to deploy custom ROM images onto your phone, then you need a tool to backup ROM images and/or deploy these ROM’s on your phone.  ROM Manager is the preeminent tool to manage all of your custom ROM’s.
  • There are a lot of file managers.  But the best of the best is Root Explorer.  It does it all – including digging into the all-important data folder.
  • There are times when only a good protocol analyzer can solve a problem on your network.  For such times, the typical solution has been WireShark.  So the Android equivalent of Shark for Root is a must-have for any self-respecting system administrator who has an Android phone.
  • Whether you are a blogger or just a sysadmin, there are times when you have to get a screenshot from your phone.  And you can’t always be certain that you will have a USB connection to a system that has adb installed.  For these times, I use ShootMe as a means of quickly capturing a screenshot (see above).
  • Titanium Backup is the best Android backup app out there.  Whether or not you load custom ROM’s, you still need to backup and restore your phone.  A good backup is a must-have.
  • One of the best reasons for rooting your phone is to be able to tether other devices to your phone.  Wireless Tether is a simple and powerful tool that justifies all the effort you put into rooting your phone.

These are the root apps that I use.  They may be a good start for you and your phone as well.
-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Annual Report & Prospects for the Future

Lorin Olsen

Before I launch into the rite of annual prognostication, I need to engage in some shameless self-reflection.  Last year had its challenges.  But on the whole, we met or exceeded almost every goal we had for 2010.  Here’s the quick rundown:

  • Cindy left her old job and took a new job in a new field. One of her longstanding desires has been to be a writer.  And in her new role, she is a professional proposal writer.  It’s not the same as writing fiction.  But it is not as mundane as writing user manuals.  In her new job, she is writing proposals for employer sponsored retirement programs.  And so far, she is doing quite well.
  • Cindy has completed two more semesters towards her masters degree.  I am so proud of her continuing excitement and the amount of effort she invests to be exceptional.  Every year, I am startlingly reminded of what an exceptional wife I have.
  • After three years at H&R Block, I finally decided to move on.  I liked H&R Block.  But it was no longer a challenge.  The company is struggling to find its way amidst increased competition.  And the company has abandoned IT as a strategic differentiator.  Consequently, I would not have been able to continue to grow my IT career at H&R Block.  Therefore, I took a new opportunity with General Dynamics.  And since starting, I have been able to be part of something substantial.  This is a feeling I have not had for over five years.  So I am thrilled with the change I made.
  • I have finally slain the two-headed dragon of fear and procrastination that have plagued my personal finances – at least, for now.  I have consolidated all of my retirement assets into a single portfolio.  And I have made balanced investments in that portfolio.  This took a whole lot longer than I thought that it would take.  But we are ending the year in a much better position than we have been in for many years.  When coupled with our program of debt consolidation and elimination, we are in a much more manageable place than we have ever been in before.
  • For the first time in twenty-seven years, I was required to take an IT certification exam.  This was quite harrowing for me.  But I did pass with flying colors.  I guess I can still keep my library card.
  • I have been part of an exceptional Bible study at work.  I am leading a small group of committed Christian men.  We have almost completed an excellent study of John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life.”  I am jazzed about being with these men.  And I really feel like I am both learning and leading.  This kind of thing renews my zeal for spiritual investment.  And I am so thankful that God has led me to this group of men.
  • I have started to renew my bicycle commuting ways.  The new route is 12+ miles each way.  So I’m clocking between seventy-five and one hundred miles every week.  And if you have followed this blog recently, you can tell just how excited I am about this.  I have a new bike.  I have new lights.  I have new clothing and I have a renewed heart for the mission.  Bicycle commuting, ftw!
  • Because of my bicycle commuting, I am finally starting to lose weight once again.  I’ve already dropped over twenty-five pounds.  I can’t wait to get back to my desired weight.
  • My kids are doing so much better at the end of this year than they were doing at the beginning of the year.  Meredith has graduated from her masters program and she has started a job in Houston.  Dana has worked so very had to regain her NCAA eligibility.  It took her burying herself with twenty-seven credits last semester.  But she accomplished that monumental task.  And I am so very proud of her.  I pray that her daughter will someday realize just what kind of a resilient woman her mother is.  Bailey will complete her undergraduate studies almost a year early.  Finally, Adam finished his high school career and has begun his collegiate career.  He both amazes me and frightens me: he has so much untapped potential – and he has such a compassi0nate heart.  At the same time, he does everything “helmet first.”  This includes tackling opponents as well as confronting personal demons.

So 2010 was an exceptional year.  But I am praying for an even more successful 2011.  Here are the big-ticket items:

  1. I am excited to be welcoming Josh Lieberman into our family.  He is such a fine young man.  And his love for Meredith has made her a much stronger and better person.  That is quite amazing as she has always been such a wonderful young lady.  As I’ve noted before, I will be officiating the marriage ceremony.  I just pray that we can really launch their new life together with both joy and a sense of community.
  2. I hope and pray for Dana to close out her undergraduate career in an amazing way.  I hope that she can be the on-court leader that she wants to be this season.  But I also pray that she will become the family leader that she must be for her daughter.
  3. I pray that Bailey’s new business will do well.  And I pray that her growing relationship with Daniel Smalley will bring her both joy and a renewed excitement about her faith and her life’s mission.
  4. I pray that Adam will become the on-field leader that I know he can become.  And I pray that he will also open his heart more fully to Jesus Christ.
  5. I pray that I can be the in-home leader that Jayden and Cindy both need.  And I pray that we can finally settle our hearts upon a church where we can fully invest our hearts, souls and spirits.
  6. I really want to lose about thirty more pounds.  This will make cycling even more fun.  And it will allow me to become more confident in who I am.  My goal is to be at 220 by June 30th.
  7. Finally, I pray that I can be the humble and Christ-centered leader that God has called me to be at work.

These are my resolutions and my aspirations for the year.  So what do you have in mind for your life in the next year?

-Roo

Annual Report & Prospects for the Future

Lorin Olsen

Before I launch into the rite of annual prognostication, I need to engage in some shameless self-reflection.  Last year had its challenges.  But on the whole, we met or exceeded almost every goal we had for 2010.  Here’s the quick rundown:

  • Cindy left her old job and took a new job in a new field. One of her longstanding desires has been to be a writer.  And in her new role, she is a professional proposal writer.  It’s not the same as writing fiction.  But it is not as mundane as writing user manuals.  In her new job, she is writing proposals for employer sponsored retirement programs.  And so far, she is doing quite well.
  • Cindy has completed two more semesters towards her masters degree.  I am so proud of her continuing excitement and the amount of effort she invests to be exceptional.  Every year, I am startlingly reminded of what an exceptional wife I have.
  • After three years at H&R Block, I finally decided to move on.  I liked H&R Block.  But it was no longer a challenge.  The company is struggling to find its way amidst increased competition.  And the company has abandoned IT as a strategic differentiator.  Consequently, I would not have been able to continue to grow my IT career at H&R Block.  Therefore, I took a new opportunity with General Dynamics.  And since starting, I have been able to be part of something substantial.  This is a feeling I have not had for over five years.  So I am thrilled with the change I made.
  • I have finally slain the two-headed dragon of fear and procrastination that have plagued my personal finances – at least, for now.  I have consolidated all of my retirement assets into a single portfolio.  And I have made balanced investments in that portfolio.  This took a whole lot longer than I thought that it would take.  But we are ending the year in a much better position than we have been in for many years.  When coupled with our program of debt consolidation and elimination, we are in a much more manageable place than we have ever been in before.
  • For the first time in twenty-seven years, I was required to take an IT certification exam.  This was quite harrowing for me.  But I did pass with flying colors.  I guess I can still keep my library card.
  • I have been part of an exceptional Bible study at work.  I am leading a small group of committed Christian men.  We have almost completed an excellent study of John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life.”  I am jazzed about being with these men.  And I really feel like I am both learning and leading.  This kind of thing renews my zeal for spiritual investment.  And I am so thankful that God has led me to this group of men.
  • I have started to renew my bicycle commuting ways.  The new route is 12+ miles each way.  So I’m clocking between seventy-five and one hundred miles every week.  And if you have followed this blog recently, you can tell just how excited I am about this.  I have a new bike.  I have new lights.  I have new clothing and I have a renewed heart for the mission.  Bicycle commuting, ftw!
  • Because of my bicycle commuting, I am finally starting to lose weight once again.  I’ve already dropped over twenty-five pounds.  I can’t wait to get back to my desired weight.
  • My kids are doing so much better at the end of this year than they were doing at the beginning of the year.  Meredith has graduated from her masters program and she has started a job in Houston.  Dana has worked so very had to regain her NCAA eligibility.  It took her burying herself with twenty-seven credits last semester.  But she accomplished that monumental task.  And I am so very proud of her.  I pray that her daughter will someday realize just what kind of a resilient woman her mother is.  Bailey will complete her undergraduate studies almost a year early.  Finally, Adam finished his high school career and has begun his collegiate career.  He both amazes me and frightens me: he has so much untapped potential – and he has such a compassi0nate heart.  At the same time, he does everything “helmet first.”  This includes tackling opponents as well as confronting personal demons.

So 2010 was an exceptional year.  But I am praying for an even more successful 2011.  Here are the big-ticket items:

  1. I am excited to be welcoming Josh Lieberman into our family.  He is such a fine young man.  And his love for Meredith has made her a much stronger and better person.  That is quite amazing as she has always been such a wonderful young lady.  As I’ve noted before, I will be officiating the marriage ceremony.  I just pray that we can really launch their new life together with both joy and a sense of community.
  2. I hope and pray for Dana to close out her undergraduate career in an amazing way.  I hope that she can be the on-court leader that she wants to be this season.  But I also pray that she will become the family leader that she must be for her daughter.
  3. I pray that Bailey’s new business will do well.  And I pray that her growing relationship with Daniel Smalley will bring her both joy and a renewed excitement about her faith and her life’s mission.
  4. I pray that Adam will become the on-field leader that I know he can become.  And I pray that he will also open his heart more fully to Jesus Christ.
  5. I pray that I can be the in-home leader that Jayden and Cindy both need.  And I pray that we can finally settle our hearts upon a church where we can fully invest our hearts, souls and spirits.
  6. I really want to lose about thirty more pounds.  This will make cycling even more fun.  And it will allow me to become more confident in who I am.  My goal is to be at 220 by June 30th.
  7. Finally, I pray that I can be the humble and Christ-centered leader that God has called me to be at work.

These are my resolutions and my aspirations for the year.  So what do you have in mind for your life in the next year?
-Roo

I’m Like a Kid at Christmas!

Lorin Olsen

I love Christmas for so many reasons:

  1. Today is a reminder that God is with us.  He emptied himself (Philippians 2) to dwell among us.
  2. Today is a reminder that there is always a home where we belong.  I loved the pastor’s homily last night.  He spoke of the prodigal son.  This really IS the true Christmas story. God allows us to choose a path that leads to ruination.  But He is always waiting for us to return.  And He rushes to meet us upon our return.  The birth of Jesus is testament to God rushing to meet His children.
  3. I really do love the gifting process.  I love buying and making gifts for others.  I am thrilled to see joy as someone opens a surprise or when a deep desire (or unmet need) is realized.
  4. And I love kids at Christmas – cuz I am really a kid at heart.

So when the Christmas hubbub finally began to subside, I decided to give myself a little Christmas cheer: I decided to treat myself to ApeX 1.3.1 for the holidays.  Once I had secured root access, I couldn’t wait very long – and it only took four days for my resolve to waver.  I pulled down Rom Manager, installed a bootstrap recovery tool (i.e., ClockworkMod) and got to work.

The process was oh so simple.  There are dozens of “howto” guides on the Net.  So I won’t reinvent them here.  But I will say that the process is not nearly as daunting as the first few WinMo cookers I deployed a few years ago.  If you are cautious, then you can do this with confidence.    And there is so much assistance that you can obtain.  I won’t be a link farm for these kinds of things – especially as there are legal implications.  But I can say that all you need can be found on Google.

-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

I'm Like a Kid at Christmas!

Lorin Olsen

I love Christmas for so many reasons:

  1. Today is a reminder that God is with us.  He emptied himself (Philippians 2) to dwell among us.
  2. Today is a reminder that there is always a home where we belong.  I loved the pastor’s homily last night.  He spoke of the prodigal son.  This really IS the true Christmas story. God allows us to choose a path that leads to ruination.  But He is always waiting for us to return.  And He rushes to meet us upon our return.  The birth of Jesus is testament to God rushing to meet His children.
  3. I really do love the gifting process.  I love buying and making gifts for others.  I am thrilled to see joy as someone opens a surprise or when a deep desire (or unmet need) is realized.
  4. And I love kids at Christmas – cuz I am really a kid at heart.

So when the Christmas hubbub finally began to subside, I decided to give myself a little Christmas cheer: I decided to treat myself to ApeX 1.3.1 for the holidays.  Once I had secured root access, I couldn’t wait very long – and it only took four days for my resolve to waver.  I pulled down Rom Manager, installed a bootstrap recovery tool (i.e., ClockworkMod) and got to work.
The process was oh so simple.  There are dozens of “howto” guides on the Net.  So I won’t reinvent them here.  But I will say that the process is not nearly as daunting as the first few WinMo cookers I deployed a few years ago.  If you are cautious, then you can do this with confidence.    And there is so much assistance that you can obtain.  I won’t be a link farm for these kinds of things – especially as there are legal implications.  But I can say that all you need can be found on Google.
-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Why Root Your Android Phone?

Lorin Olsen

Over the last three months, I have repeatedly told myself that I would not root my Droid 2.  I made this choice because I wanted to use the same kind of phone that the average customer would use.  After ninety days, I am completely satisfied that the “average customer” can have a warm, inviting, robust and feature-complete experience on an Android phone.  And after ninety days, I can also confirm another simple fact: I am not an average customer.
For those who have followed my blog for a while, you will remember that I used custom firmware on a variety of Windows mobile phones.  And you will remember that I have run custom firmware on my broadband router for over seven years.  So many of you have probably taken bets on when I would break down and deploy custom firmware on my Android phone.
Well, I hate to disappoint you.  But I have not yet loaded  a custom ROM onto my Droid 2 – at least, not yet.  But I have rooted my phone.  And I did not take this action lightly.  Before I was willing to forever say goodbye to the safe shores of carrier-based support, I needed to have some concrete reasons for the change.  So here are my reasons:

  • I need to backup my phone.  This includes my customer data, my applications and the system itself.  And my carrier does not provide a means to do this.  So if I want to back up key files on my system, I need to have escalated privileges.
  • I need to control the firewall that is on my phone.  I want to say which apps can use which ports.  And I want to say which external hosts I will allow threw my defenses.  To do this with the builtin firewall (i.e., iptables), I need to have escalated privileges.
  • I need to be able to proxy access for a selected set of applications.  Unfortunately, most Android apps do not use proxy settings.  In the future, I am sure that most good apps will have this feature.  But for now, few have this feature.  So I need a way to “impose” a proxy on apps that I choose.  In short, I need a transparent proxy.  Since I use Privoxy and Orbot, I need to have escalated privileges.
  • I really want to block ads from a number of applications.  I do think that ads are a good way to generate revenue for small software companies.  But if I have paid for an app, I don’t want the adware.  Indeed, I consider some ad services to be real crapware.  So I want to blacklist some ad servers.  To do this, I need to update my local hosts file.  By pointing some of these ad servers to my local loopback, I can negate the nastiness of many of these advertisers.  To do this, I need to have escalated privileges.
  • I really want to control the tunneling tools that I use to connect to my home systems.  I use ssh to tunnel VNC/RDP traffic into my house.  And I need to have full control of these tunnels.  You can use some of these tools in user mode.  But kernel mode tools are much better for some of these core services.  To do this, I need to have escalated privileges.

Should you root your phone?  That one is up to you.  I will take no responsibility for supporting you.  And there is no warranty, either explicit or implicit, when you decide to take control of your phone.
But if you are willing to accept the responsibility to support yourself, there are thousands of people who would be willing to help – including myself.  There are hundreds of sites that can help you on this journey.  But one of the best places is the xda-developers forum.
If you decide to take your first step into a brave new world, good luck on the journey – and I can’t wait to see you on the other side.
-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Why Use Tor?

Lorin Olsen

So why should you use Tor?
That’s a good question.  First, you need to know what Tor does.  I find that simple descriptions are often the best.  So here is my simple version of what Tor is: Tor is a means of tunneling specific messages (i.e., traffic) through an anonymous (and reasonably secure) network.  Wikipedia describes it here.
Many people look at Tor and ask why is such a thing needed?  Their questions presuppose that they trust the networks that they communicate across.  Most folks think Tor is just for copyright violators, organized criminals or other unsavory netizens.  But that is both too simplistic and too trusting.  Tor is for anyone who needs to ensure that their communications across the network remain anonymous and/or secured.
Let’s consider a real-world example.  There are many nations that do not allow for the Bible to even be carried .  Further, many countries routinely persecute and prosecute people that publicly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.  But the gospel cannot be silenced by mere mortals.  There are men and women who have always been willing to share the Word of God regardless of the cost to themselves.
And throughout the world, tyrannical governments seek to squelch opposition by monitoring the communications of their citizens.  Indeed, you could easily argue that the majority of people in the world are being “watched” by the very governments that should defend their liberties.
Like the early Christians in ancient Rome, there will always be those who stand for truth and justice rather than simply obey corrupt civil authorities.  And in these nations, tools that help maintain the anonymity of persecuted citizens are very important tools indeed.
If you don’t believe that this was true for our nation, then ask yourself why so many of our founding fathers used pseudonyms for their writings.  Indeed, even the authors of the Federalist papers used pseudonyms – although not just for the sake of anonymity.
-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Not So Seamless – But Oh, So Delicious

Lorin Olsen

Sometimes, you have way too many balls in the air.  I saw the shiny bauble (Tor on my Droid 2) and I had to chase it.  Here is what happened:

  1. I tried to download the tool from the Tor site.  That proved fruitless.  I was connected via 802.11 to my home network.  And my home network has content filtering through a third-party.  And this site was blocked.
  2. Consequently, I had to disconnect from the home network and connect via the 3G network.  The download still had some problems.
  3. So I downloaded to my PC and connected up the USB cable.  From there, I moved and launched the package installer.  The installer did it’s job and Tor was on my phone.
  4. Too bad I couldn’t connect to the Tor network.  I tried the default test site from my Android browser and was greeted with the fact that my browser wasn’t using Tor.  That made some sense as I hadn’t pointed my browser to a local proxy that was configured to use the Tor connection.  Since Orbot uses Privoxy, I had the proxy.  I just had to configure the browser to use the proxy.
  5. Unfortunately, changing the proxy on the default Android browser is not as easy as you might think.  There are plenty of articles about how to update the settings if you have rooted your phone; I have not as I want to see what an average user can do with their phone.  But most articles also said that you could use adb to update the settings.
  6. I went ahead and tried to use adb.  But I had some issues getting adb to work from my PC to my Android phone.  The basic trouble is that I had already change my SDK to support Gingerbread.  And adb was moved in the new SDK to the platform-tools directory.  That one was easy to fix: I just had to change my PATH to include the new directory.
  7. The next attempt was also unsuccessful; I had authorization problems.   Rather than keep stumbling, I turned to “off-the-shelf” solutions to update the proxy setting.
  8. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools in the Android Market to change the proxy settings.  Once I downloaded one of them, I changed my browser’s proxy settings and retried the test that comes within Orbot.  The results of that test are found in the image above.

I’m not done with my tests.  But I am encouraged that I can now encapsulate everything from within a Tor tunnel.  More to follow…
-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

It’s About Time – In So Many Ways

Lorin Olsen

This week was quite surreal.  I’ve spent almost thirty-five years working with computers.  [Note: That includes a few years as a teenager.]  I’ve built computers from scratch.  I’ve held practically every job you can imagine in the software industry.  But I have never been officially certified in anything.  So I’ve been confronted with one of my own personal boogeymen: I must take a test that I must pass in order to keep my job.  What’s up with that?

I have chaffed at the utter indignity of it all.  And I’ve been more than a little bit apprehensive about the upcoming test.  [Note: I’m taking my test on December 27th.  So I would really appreciate your prayers.]  And I’ve also laughed at the ridiculousness of such tests.  As a senior leader, I recognize the importance of such things.  And as an individual contributor, I recognize the fact that such tests are really poor predictors of performance. But as a man called by God to set an example, I must set any and all of these other considerations aside.  I must prepare as if I were doing this for the Lord – as indeed, I am.  And I must demonstrate my faith with my gentle attitude.   So I am soldiering on.

So after a long week of staring at LCD monitors, I was so glad to get home and just relax. Of course, that didn’t happen.  Things have just kinda stacked up at home.  So I finally got some time to attend to some overdue items.

I finally got my revised taxes submitted to my state’s department of revenue. This is always arduous, frustrating and altogether soul-rending.  But I just needed to set aside a few hours to pull all the pieces together.  Hopefully, the state will understand what I have submitted.  But if they don’t, this will take a whole lot more time to iron out.  But I’ve taken the first few steps in the journey.  So I have a smile on my face.

I also had to assemble all of my ‘dependent’ verification documents for my employer.  BTW, I’ve never had to provide so much data before.  I had to get birth certificates for everyone.  I even had to find my marriage certificate. Unfortunately, the marriage certificate was in a safety deposit box at a bank that I haven’t visited for over twenty year.  Neither Cindy nor I could find the keys for the safety deposit box.  So after paying to have the lock drilled out, we retrieved our marriage certificate.  And we bought a fire box so that we could securely store all of these documents in the house.  As of now, all of the older and newer documents that need to be protected against calamity are now safety tucked away in a hiding place that can survive fires or tornadoes.  With this done, I got all of the ‘dependent’ information bundled together and sent to my employer.

In addition to this, I’ve finally finished all of the retirement consolidations that I’ve been doing over the last few months.  It’s nice to have all of the administration in one place.  And it is good to have my retirement savings properly invested in a diverse number of well-managed funds.  I can’t wait to do my next quarterly review in order to see how well (or poorly) we’ve done with my new plans.  I certainly can’t do any worse than I did when almost everything was vested in (and through) only one corporation.

But these things aren’t what prompted me to write this post.  Yes, all of these things were woefully overdue.  But this morning, I got a chance to ‘geek out’ – just a little.  My classes have focused on information security.  And I have always been an idiot-savant in this area.  I’ve never had any formal training in the subject – even though I was a senior security engineer about twenty-five years ago.  I’ve always learned by doing.  And I have a passing familiarity with the subject.  [Note: If you don’t believe that last statement, just read some of my posts over the years.  You’ll see that I am wholly entranced by security and privacy matters.]

With the purchase of my Android phone, I’ve had to confront a whole lot of privacy issues.  I use my phone to securely connect to my home computers.  To do this, I tunnel VNC through SSH.  I also store some fairly important documents on my phone.  So I use Truecrypt (on my PC) to create and store a secure backup of a small number of important files.

But I’ve always had to encrypt the data myself.  Or I’ve had to use other tools on my phone and/or PC.  Basically, all of these tools were file-oriented solutions.  At the same time, there were very few options to securely encrypt streams of data between the phone and other computers.  Yes, I could use https to build a secure tunnel to the site I was interacting with.  But if I wanted to secure all traffic, I was out of luck – until now.

The folks at the Tor project have released an Android tool named Orbot.  I had a little trouble downloading the tool OTA.  But I finally got it by transferring the package to my SD card.  Over the next few days, I’ll be testing this tool to see how it works.  I am pretty darned psyched that this tool is now available – and it’s about time that phones could participate on the Tor network.

-Roo

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine