Lost your WiFi key?

Here’s a situation. You’ve got a secured WiFi signal in your library and you’re trying to connect to it with a new computer. Trouble is, it’s been so long since you’ve connect a new computer everyone’s forgotten the key to the secured WiFi signal. What are you to do? Well, you could reset the router to factory settings but you’ll loose every other setting and you’ll need to re-secure the connection and enter the new key into every computer. A better solution? Run WirelessKeyView on a laptop that’s previously been connected to that secured WiFi signal.

imageThis handy little program, easily run off a flash drive, will report to you the keys for every secured WiFi signal a particular computer has every been attached to. Find the right SSID, copy down the key, enter it into that new computer, and you’re all set.

Yes folks, if you haven’t figured it out yet, this is also a massive security hole. If you’ve told a computer to remember a WiFi key, I can just plug in my flash drive, run this program, and have that key in seconds. Please act accordingly.

Announcing Library Camp Nebraska

Library Camp Nebraska
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Wednesday 19 November 2008
Sponsored by
The Nebraska Library Commission and
the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Libraries

Library Camp Nebraska is the first of what we hope to be a series of unconferences throughout the state of Nebraska. So, just what is an unconference?

An unconference is the best part of a conference (conversing with your colleagues) stripped out and crammed into a fun and informative day-long event. Unconferences have no pre-selected presenters, just group discussions on the topics that you want to talk about with your colleagues. There are many different ways unconferences can be run. Library Camp Nebraska will be using the BarCamp model this time around.

Library Camp Nebraska will be held at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln Union on 19 November 2008. Participation will be limited to just the first 100 registrants and is open to anyone who is interested in dialogue and conversation about customer-friendly libraries, library 2.0 and how we can all improve our services and organizations to meet the needs of our communities. (There will be tech topics covered, but if you aren’t a techie, come talk about something else.)

For more details and to register head over to the Library Camp Nebraska wiki at http://librarycampnebraska.pbwiki.com/. Please don’t wait until the last minute to register. Seating will be strictly limited to the first 100 registrants. No additional seats will be made available.

(Please feel free to forward to everyone.)

Close all in one click

If you’re one of those folks that loves the little minimize all button in Windows’ quick launch bar (did you know WinKey-M does the same thing) you might like the Close All Windows button. Just download the Zip file, unzip it into a directory, then create a shortcut to the program on your quick launch bar. When you click this shortcut, all active programs will be automatically closed.

One important note: this works great in Windows XP but not as well in Vista. When you click the icon in Vista you’ll be presented with with a UAC window forcing you to make one additional click before the active programs will close.

image

Lost your Windows password?

Password Reset DiskWell, let’s hope not since if you do the only way around it is to reinstall Windows. That is, unless you took some proactive action and have created a password reset disk. Providing you have one of these, if you ever forget your login password you can insert this and choose a new one. "Disks" can be created by using a floppy (assuming you have a floppy drive), USB flash drive, blank CD or blank DVD. (The file created is very small so use the smallest removable storage you have so as to not waste the extra space.)

Creating a disk is easy. Just head over to the Control Panel and select User Accounts. Insert your blank media then click Create a password reset disk. Follow the few sort steps including entering the current password to an Admin-level account. Once done you’ll have a file named userkey on your device. Since you’ll need to do this once for each computer be sure to label the "disk" as to which computer it goes to. Now, file the disks away in a safe place.

Still have Office 2003?

Microsoft Office Standard 2007If you’re still using Office 2003 I’m not here to criticize you. Upgrading to 2007 can be expensive. However, I don’t think that those using older versions of software should expect those that have upgraded to downgrade their files for those who haven’t. In other words, you’ve probably noticed that you can’t open Office 2007 files (.pptx, .xlsx, .docx, etc.) in Office 2003. That is, unless you spend five minutes downloading and installing the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack. Once you’ve got this installed Office 2003 will open 2007 formatted files. Any editing and saving you then do will be in the 2003 files format (.ppt, .xls, .doc, etc.) but those can easily be opened in the 2007 version. If you’re running Office 2003, go and install this now.

Be sure to erase before giving away that old computer

ScreenshotThe Quick Online Tips blog has a post about the Top 3 Tools to Permanently Delete Files From Computers.Covered are Secure Delete, Heidi Eraser, and Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN). DBAN is the ultimate go-to tool (and it’s open source too!) when it comes to completely removing any trace of data from a hard drive which is something you should always do before you dispose of a computer.

NLA / NEMA Conference

ITART NLA/NEMA 2008 Programs

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16

Thursday, October 16 8:00 – 8:50
Wikifying Your Workplace: Using Wikis for Internal Library Operations
Presenters: Audrey De Frank and Karen Hein Co-Sponsor: C&U

Thursday, October 16 9:00 to 9:50
Forging New Frontiers: a State-wide Open Source ILS for Nebraska
Presenters: Shannon White, Greg Mickells, Ted Smith, Pam Soreide, Deirdre Routt
Co-Sponsor: TSRT

Thursday, October 16 3:40 to 4:30
Integrating RSS into Your Web Site Presenter: Michael Sauers

Thursday, October 17 3:40 to 4:30
24/7 Librarianship: Services and Instruction through Digital Tutorials
Coordinator: Marcia Dority Baker

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17

Friday, October 17 8:00 – 8:50
Information Age Instruments: Google Applications and Other Free Online
Tools Presenter: Karen Hein, UNO

Friday, October 17 9:00 – 9:50
Bringing Semantic Diversity to the Online Catalog with Library Thing
Presenters: Rachel Erb and Melissa Cast-Brede, UNO Co-Sponsor: TSRT

Friday, October 17 10:00 to 10:50
Skype in the Public Library
Presenter: John Seyfarth Co-Sponsor: Public Library and Trustees Section

Friday, October 17 2:50 to 3:40
Relevancy Ranking Systems in Search Engines & OPACS
Presenter: Scott Childers, UNL

Friday, October 17 2:50 – 3:40
Critical Role of Technology & Furnishings for Libraries
Presenter: Kent Munster & Jennifer Klein

Friday, October 17 3:50 to 4:40
Amazon’s Kindle Wireless Reading Device: Is it the Future of Interlibrary Loan?
Presenters: Stephen Shorb and Joyce Neujahr, UNO

Need some extensions changed?

screenshotEver since the release of Windows XP you’ve got to admit that changing a file’s extension isn’t the easiest task in the world. If you have to change the extension of multiple files, the task becomes tedious at best. The solution, download and install the free Extension Changer utility. It comes with a built-in shell extension for quickly changing a single file’s extension and a graphical interface for dropping multiple files and changing them all at once. This handy little program has saved me a number of times.

Yes, "decrapify" is a word.

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/files/logo.gifChances are you’ve bought a new computer at least once. Chances are there’s also a bunch of useless software (a.k.a. "crap") that cam preinstalled. So, how can you get rid of that useless junk? Check out PC Decrapfier which was just released version 2.0. Just install and run the program on a new computer, and choose what you want to remove from the list provided. It couldn’t be any simpler.