Digital Times

Most digital cameras today have upgraded features including bigger lcd and even anti-flare components enabling you to view your pictures even outdoors in the scorching sun.  This is one way of sharing captured moments and breathtaking images.

But the high megapixel images and treasured moments would be of no use if it would only be viewed in your camera lcd screens.  The best way to enjoy these moments is to share them with loved ones through email or even during the event.

This is why we have various connections to be able to view our breathtaking photographs in your 17-inch laptop or even on your widescreen LCD TV.

My Nikon D40 connects easily to my HP laptop through the usb cable provided with the camera package.  With this, I can easily transfer the images from my D40 to the laptop though Nikon’s software called Nikon Transfer.

Other digital camera users should not worry as there are a number of ways to transfer images to your laptop computers or view them on LCD TVs.  The primary mean would be the usb cable connection for image transfers.  This requires your device to have the capability for usb connections (usb port).  Otherwise, you could always resort to removing your memoray card and inserting them into a compatible memory card reader for transfers to your laptop.  And Oh! After your finished transferring images using this mode, remember to “Safely Remove Hardware” from your laptop to save those precious memoray cards.

Viewing the images on you LCD TV, on the other hand, requires a little more extra feature as it needs a TV jack and available connection from your camera to your TV.  This would be highly recommended for higher resolution images viewing.  This would yield not so great viewing pleasure for lower resolution images as these will be pixelated.  But who cares, anyway, especially if the images are those special moments in one of the family gatherings or other special occasions.  I’d rather have it shared with my loved ones on the TV during the event and share the happiness it brings than have it all by myself.  Who’d like to pass on the camera from one person to another just to view the images, anyway?

In the end, technology today makes it easier and more convenient for people to enjoy things.  Ages ago, one would have to develop the pictures and print them before they can really be enjoyed and shared.  In today’s digital times, sharing memories is so convenient, you can do it minutes after it happened or to culminate an event.  Next time you’re in an occassion, don’t keep the fun for yourself.  Share.

Armageddon

“Armageddon”

Olympus XA2 | Euro Color Redscaled | dczypher ©

information security

We have finished our IT controls testing last last last week and were able to discuss them with our “process owners” last week only to receive their action plans yesterday.

It’s funny how these process owners react to the observations made by their auditors.  They would dearly accept those observations which they are aware of even before the audit and tell you to include them in your report for them to act on it. Can’t they just do what they are supposed to do without being told?

Sometimes you’d just wonder if we, human, are generally “lazy” beings.  I seldom know people doing things they know they should do… like me. I’m supposed to prepare the test scripts (some sort of like a script for those in theatres/ plays) where the reviews will be based… but I’m sick… I got caught by Friday sickness and am very eager at the moment… eager to go home..

*****

Nevertheless, I don’t want to end my week wasted so I’ll try to share something to all my colleagues and give me even a little personal satisfaction (sort of being sorry for my wasted working hours ).

When our IT controls were audited last year, they were found to be very satisfactory with only a single minor deficiency passed on to us from Paris.  We don’t know what the auditors did but during our independent review this year, we noted several issues, most of which relate to IT security (physical and logical security).  I believe having Somarsoft’s DumpSec as our audit tool made a big difference between our independent reviews and the prior year’s reviews.

Unlike in the previous year when the review was done only on the Active Directory System (ADS) security policy level, we were able to do detailed review of the logical security (at least for the OS access) detailed on a user level using the tool.  We were able to identify, at individual user level, those accounts which poses increased vulnerability to attacks due to control overrides in the password policies (no passwords, passwords not changed, passwords do not expire, etc.).

The tool does not only provide information on password policies on user account level but also information regarding group membership of every user account within the network.  This information is helpful in identifying segregation issues by matching the access/ group membership granted to the individual’s function/ job description.

When remote access is used, the tool can also identify the users accessing the network though this medium.  You can then match the users with remote access against those included in the authorized list of remote access users.

*****

Seems like the IT audit training provided to us by P&A were very useful, at one point, but the experiences gained while working with them was far more useful and fully complimented the knowledge gained from the training.

*****

The stock market is back to where it was 8 weeks ago… and it’s starting to rise again.  It’s also good to note that my small investment is now on the recovery room and will be back to work in a short period of time… i’ll keep my fingers crossed..

*****

graphics by inkytwist of deviantart

realization

I’ve been very lazy at work since Monday such that I have accomplished nothing but my personal blog and some image deviations into either cartoon effect or digital lomo effect.

I’ve been casually looking into my stock investments and am happy that they are slowly getting back to the “gains” side.  I have started online stock investing last May, 2007 and had some 2,000 realized gains and a lot of unrealized losses afterwards due to the market breakdown resulting from our dear US sub-prime mortgage issues.  Apparently, the Philippine stock market and other Asian markets (except China) plays follow the leader as US problems gain worldwide recognition.

In the past few days, the Philippine stock market is slowly recovering despite news on government scandals such as the NBN-ZTE deal.  For me, its a good news because Filipinos, or business people, are not anymore affected by the rotten government system and are just there to do what they are supposed to do – work well and make their businesses grow.

With my very minimal investment, I am not really worried of the results of any of these problems.  I am just playing on the sidelines looking at possible opportunities for financial growth.

I am fortunate enough to be able to wake up from the nightmare of being an “employment minded” person.  At least now I am aware of the realities of this world that we will not be financially stable merely by our salaries and bank interest income.  We need more than that, more on those income generated while we are asleep – those that are referred to as passive income – like rentals and royalties.  Who knows, in a year or two, I may have my own corporation, a family corporation to start with…

Who knows…