December 2014

One of the things that I do regularly is to check open connections on a PC I'm working with to make sure that there are no leaks or ports open that I don't require.

While it is possible to use command line tools like ipconfig for some of this, I prefer to use programs like CurrPorts instead as they make life a lot easier by formatting the output and adding features to the list that you can make use of to investigate potential issues further.

VeraCrypt is one of the encryption programs that came to popularity after the end of the popular encryption software TrueCrypt.

It features the traditional TrueCrypt interface and functionality, and is based on the software's code.

Core changes were made to security however.

Advanced Network Configurator addresses the decade old problem of configuring Windows PCs to connect to computer networks using a single network adapter.

The main issue that you will encounter is that it is time-consuming to modify network related values for the adapter whenever you change networks.

Say, you use a laptop at home and at work, and both require you to modify network settings.

The program adds profiles to network adapters which you can switch between with a single-click in the interface.

Google maintains a list of your contacts automatically if you use company products such as Gmail, Google Plus and others.

This list grows over time and situations may arise where you may want to export the list of contacts, for instance for safekeeping or to import it in another program, application or web service.

This guide walks you through the steps of exporting all or select Google contacts.

I'm not a fan of Google Inbox, the company's new take on email on the Web. It takes the automatic filtering of emails into groups that Google introduced on Gmail some time ago and takes it to the next level.

You get additional categories and have options to create your own bundles if you like. Both the web interface and mobile apps are optimized for large displays as they use lots of white space and buttons that can be accessed easily.

DAYU Disk Master Free is an all-in-one hard drive backup and management software for Windows that offers backup tools, disk health information and options to create and manage virtual disks including RAM disks.

The programs core feature is backup, and when you start it up for the first time you see the options that it offers in this regard.

You can backup and clone entire hard disks or partitions, and recover them at a later point in time. There is also a file and folder backup option in case you only want to make copies of select files instead.

Depending on where you live, you are either familiar with the metric or imperial system. Problems can arise if you visit a country that is using the other system. If you are from Europe, you may have troubles converting Gallons, Inches or Ounces to Liters, Meters or Grams.

The same may be true for a person from the US who plans a roadtrip in a country using the metric system as units such as Celsius, Kilometer or Watt may need to be converted.

Depending on how you use your computer, you sometimes may need to write special characters that your keyboard does not support out of the box.

Use an English keyboard layout and need to write an email to Sören from Germany or include ⅓ or ¼ in a financial document?

If that is the case you have plenty of options to do so including using Windows' built-in Character Map application or copying and pasting the characters from somewhere else.

I monitor several groups on Reddit that are of interest to me personally. What I like about Reddit is that you get tips and links posted by thousands of users who share interests with you.

As a webmaster, Reddit is also important when a page on your website or your main domain name gets submitted to the site.

Not only do you get a quality reference to your site, you may also get additional comments and remarks about it that may help you improve the article or make you step in to reply to a comment on the site.

So-called IMSI-Catchers and StingRays act as false mobile towers that sit between mobile devices such as smartphones and real towers by mobile providers.

These fake towers can intercept mobile phone traffic and track movement of the individuals carrying the phone, and even manipulate the device remotely.

SnoopSnitch is a brand new application for Android devices that provides phone owners with information about potential threats in their vicinity.