Make Life Miserable for Cell Phone Theives

In one sense, this is awesome. The victim gets revenge. In another sense, this is exactly the type of technology that allows providers to remotely eavesdrop on you. Though now days, it seems to be legal for the government to do in any fashion so that almost makes the point moot.

Anyway, here is a nice little read on an emerging product that I’m certain some will take advantage of.

Your mobile phone is stolen. Don’t get mad, get even.

Maverick Secure Mobile has a new product that will make life miserable for the crook. When the bad guy tries to use your phone or changes the SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) card, there are a number of steps you can take to pester him. You can disable the stolen phone remotely, track the phone’s use and retrieve your data.

How? When you install the Maverick Mobile application, you provide the phone number of a second device (called a “receiving device”) on which to receive any information from the stolen phone. When you remotely retrieve your address book contacts or other data, it goes to the receiving device via SMS or text message.

Now here’s where it gets even more interesting. If you call the stolen phone with the “receiving device” it turns on a speaker and microphone on the stolen phone remotely so you can spy on any calls being made. (The thief usually cannot detect this.) And this may be the best part: you can remotely send a piercing alarm to the stolen phone that the crook can only turn off by removing battery. The alarm goes back on when he puts the battery back in. The program, now in beta, is coming soon.

By Ed Baig

[via: USA Today]

Lightbox

In case you’re not familiar, this is one of many latest trends in the “web 2.0” world.
For example, Lightbox JS is a rather simple script that produces an effect when clicking a specified link on a page. It makes that page appear to be in the background (un-usable) while highlighting an image or some other content.

Many “up-beat” commercial sites are using this technique.

[Source: huddletogether.com]

Bell Star Codes

I rarely use these anymore now days, but every now and again it’s good to block a caller.

Bell * Codes
Code Description
*02 DeActivate *66 Notification on Busy Signal
*03 DeActivate *66 Notification (One Time Only)
*12 Call Assitance (Police)
*30 Cancel Forwarding
*31 Automatic Forwarding
*32 Notify
*40 Change forward-to number for customer programmable call forwarding busy-line
*41 Six-way conference calling activation
*42 Change forward-to number for customer programmable call forwarding don’t answer
*43 Drop last member of six-way conference call
*46 French voice activated network control
*47 Override feature authorization
*48 Override do not disturb
*49 Disable long distance special ring
*51 Intercom Ring I
*52 Intercom Ring II
*53 Intercom Ring III
*54 Extension Hold
*57 Call Trace
*60 Call Screen (Selective Call Rejection)
*61 Selective Distinct Alert
*62 Selective Call Acceptance
*63 Selective Call Forwarding
*65 ICLID Activation
*66 Busy Call Return
*67 Call Display Block
*68 Computer Access restriction
*69 Last Call Return
*70 Call Waiting Disable (Per Call)
*71 Three-way calling (Per Call)
*72 Activate Call Forwarding
*73 DeActivate Call Forwarding
*74 Speed Dialling (8 numbers)
*75 Speed Dialling (30 numbers)
*77 Anonymous Call Rejection
*80 Call Screen Disable
*81 Selective Distinct Disable
*82 Selective Acceptance Disable
*83 Selective Forwarding Disable
*85 ICLID Disable
*86 DeActivate Busy Call Return
*87 Cancel Anonymous Call Rejection
*89 DeActivate Last Call Return
*90 Re-Activate Call Forwarding Busy
*91 De-Activate Call Forwarding Busy
*92 Re-Activate Forwarding No Answer
*93 Call Forwarding No Answer (*91,*93 to completely disable)
*94 Ring Control (Call Answer)
*95 Message Monitor (Call Answer [link|flash] to interuppt/talk)
*97 Check if you have messages, remotely (on=2 beeps, off=4beeps)
*98 Call Answer

[via: yashy.com]

DOS Help and Commands

One of the best sites (I think) for MS-DOS help is: http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm

The site gives you a complete overview of MS-DOS and it’s commands.

Some of the DOS commands I seem to use the most are:

  1. chkdsk (Example: chkdsk /f /r)
    A utility that checks the computer’s hard disk drives’ status for any cross-linked or any additionaly errors with the hard disk drive.
  2. ipconfig (Example: ipconfig/renew)
    A utility that displays the network settings currently assigned and given by a network.
  3. ftp (Example: ftp > open > domain.com > username > password > bye)
    File Transfer Protocol.
  4. ping (Example: ping www.google.com)
    A utility that helps in determining issues with networks and assists in resolving them.