Introduction

Knowing what ports are open on your machine is half the battle of locking it down. Knowing that you have a rogue web server running on port 6337, or realizing that somebody forgot to disable SSH logins can mean all the difference when under attack from an unknown entity. Preferably, we'd use a tool such as nmap or nessus to perform these checks for us. However, if the option isn't available, we can use an app that's already built in, albeit hidden, in OS X: Stroke.

(continue reading...)

For anyone familiar with OS X, they know that the Dock can get pretty cluttered with running applications. If you're like me, you try to keep the dock as tidy as possible. Some, however, have a need to run multiple programs, and there's no way around it. Luckily, there is a way to have your cake and eat it too.

(continue reading...)

Sitting in the dark, as many of us geekly types often do, I don't look out the window much. I also don't like surprises. Needless to say, I don't like clamoring out of my cove only to find that it's raining. Or snowing. Or 127º. So, I came up with a simple solution: let Geektool keep me up to date with the weather. This script requires you to have lynx installed, so if you don't already have it, head on over to MacPorts or Fink and grab yourself a copy (either sudo fink install lynx or sudo port install lynx, depending on your flavor.) Dump the following script into your favorite editor, and chmod +x it. (I threw mine into /usr/bin). (continue reading...)

When I first switched to Mac, I thought it was pretty strange that there was a key on the keyboard dedicated to ejecting the cdrom. It wasn't until I had been using OS X for quite some time that I realized that there was more to the eject key than met the eye. Enter: secret uses of the OS X eject key.

(continue reading...)

I am a huge fan of Geek Tool. A description, from their website, reads:

(continue reading...)

Introduction

We have previously covered Windows and Linux backups, and now it's time to talk about our third, and final, operating system: Mac OS X. Of the three, OS X is by far the easiest to back up and restore. With that said, this should be very short, sweet, and right to the point. Let's dive in, shall we?

(continue reading...)

For those in the know, the HOSTS file is a great way to locally cache DNS to commonly visited websites, or to give quick access to local machines via hostname on your network. There are many other uses for the HOSTS file, but today we're not really focused on what it is, but rather, how to enable it.

(continue reading...)