How to Import your Delicious Bookmarks into Google Bookmarks

So, like many of you, I’ve finally switched to Google Chrome as my web browser of choice (It has finally reached Default Browser status.) I still use Firefox for web development since Chrome lacks a lot of the tools I use day-to-day (Thanks firebug,) but the speed and usability of Chrome finally won me over.

Other than my development tools, the only other Add-on that I really miss is my trusty Del.icio.us Bookmark bar. It is great to have immediate access to my bookmarks in Firefox with tag support. To help remedy this situation I started to look at what options I have for accessing my Del.icio.us bookmarks from Chrome. You can do the obvious and just access them from http://delicious.com/, but that’s boring.

The 2nd option is to use bookmarklets. You can add these to any browser and they are basically bookmarks that give you access to your bookmarks. Not as good as a direct bookmark bar, but better than browsing there yourself 100 times a day. You can even get delicious bookmarklets that make it easy to pop-up the “Save bookmark” screen for the current page you’re on to add new bookmarks. Read about delicious bookmarklets..

The 3rd option (and the one I’m actually trying out.) Convert to Google Bookmarks. Unlike delicious, google bookmarks keeps your bookmarks private and makes them and their contents searchable. You can manage your bookmarks from the site or using Google toolbar. You can also manage them in Firefox using Add-ons. For users of iGoogle (Google’s home/startup pages), you can also get a Google Bookmarks Gadget that lets you interact with your bookmarks.

The next question is how to get ALL of your precious bookmarks out of Del.icio.us and into Google Bookmarks. Well, that’s easier than you might think. Mihai Parparita from Google has created a script that will import all of your Delicious bookmarks into Google Bookmarks automatically. You can perform the import at http://persistent.info/delicious2google or read more on their site..

You can also use a Google Bookmarks bookmarklet.

Does anyone else have a better solution for managing and accessing your bookmarks from Chrome?

Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) has extra white space gap after a empty, fixed size div with a background-image

I was trying to fix a small display issue with one of our pages in IE6. I had an unordered list that we set the background color on and wanted to add rounded images to the top and bottom to give it a nice look.

The rounded top image

The HTML

<div class="container">
   <div style="height: 6px; width: 190px; background-image: url(../images/top.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
   </div>
   <ul style="background-color:#763000;">
       <li><a href="#">Item 1</a></li>
       <li><a href="#">Item 2</a></li>
       <li><a href="#">Item 3</a></li>
   </ul>
   <div style="height: 6px; width: 190px; background-image: url(../images/bottom.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
   </div>
</div>

Simple enough. Everything works great in IE7, Firefox, Chrome, etc... I get a report of extra white space after the top rounded image. I track down a system running Windows XP with IE6 and I fire it up. Sure enough, a bit of white space after the top div. But why....

The Problem

I tried everything that seemed to make sense. Checked margins, padding, etc... Everything was either good or changing it did nothing. Unfortunately in IE6 I didn't have access to my favorite tools like Firebug, so it was even more frustrating. Eventually I figured it out and I think I know what's going on.

IE6 assumes a font-size of 20px. Since my background-image was only 6px in height, when I set the height on the div it was ignored. The div would try to shrink to my set height, but would end up limited by the assumed font-size of 20px. By setting the font-size to something smaller in height than my desired 6px, it would solve the problem. Remember this when dealing with empty divs IE6. Hope it helps someone.

The HTML that works

By setting the font-size style in the "empty" div, IE6 allows the div to shrink to my desired height of 6px.

<div class="container">
   <div style="height: 6px; font-size:0em; width: 190px; background-image: url(../images/top.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
   </div>
   <ul style="background-color:#763000;">
       <li><a href="#">Item 1</a></li>
       <li><a href="#">Item 2</a></li>
       <li><a href="#">Item 3</a></li>
   </ul>
   <div style="height: 6px; font-size:0em; width: 190px; background-image: url(../images/bottom.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
   </div>
</div>

Google's Chrome displays saved passwords in plain text

Google's new web browser "Chrome" is pretty nice. I used it for a full day and found quite a few things that I really liked about it. As soon as the few plug-ins that I use daily get equivalents in Chrome, I will possibly use it for every day use. I was sad to learn that one of my biggest web browser pet-peeves is present in Chrome, and it seems to be an even worse implementation of it than Firefox 3's (Firefox 3 Saved Password Security.)

The Saved Password feature of any browser can be invaluable. It saves a great deal of time for passwords that you would otherwise have to enter many times a day. Unfortunately, most web browser make it WAY too easy to gain access to the web site URL, username and plain-text passwords to your accounts. Someone with only a few minutes access to your machine can easily gain access to this information.

In Google's Chrome, all someone (with several seconds alone with your computer) needs to do to steal your information is...

1. Open Chrome
2. Click customize(the wrench)
3. Select Option
4. Click the Minor Tweaks tab
5. Click Show saved passwords
6. Select one of your "secure" sites
7. Click Show password

BAM! Someone just stole the web site address, username and password to one of your accounts? I hope it wasn't something important... In Firefox's defense, at least they have a "Master Password" that will require you to enter a password prior to them showing your passwords in plain-text. But no such feature is present in Chrome.

I'm always blown away by people's responses to this problem. People that I show in person are usually shocked when we're both staring at their bank account password in plain-text right before their eyes. People online usually say that no one ever has access to their computer, so their safe, or that they always lock their system when they're away. That's a great practice to get into, but I know the vast majority of users aren't so diligent.

At the very least, the Chrome team needs to add a master password for an added layer of security. I think both Firefox and Chrome should warn the user about this danger and prompt them to setup a master password by default, rather than having saved passwords turned on by default.

Firefox shows saved passwords in plain text!

I finally got around to updating to Firefox 3 yesterday. With all the new features being touted around the web, I was hoping that they would have gotten around to addressing my biggest pet-peeve with the browser. It seems that they didn't! You can read my original post about this issue HERE. Firefox 2 - Saved Password Security.

I'm sure you are diligent about security. Every time you get up to take a walk, hit the restroom or refill your <Insert the caffeinated beverage of your choice>, you always hit [Windows + L] to lock windows. You then leave your system, secure in the knowledge that all your secrets are safe and secure while you're away. What's that?!? You NEVER lock your computer when away from it...? If this is you, and you use Firefox as your main browser, this post might be of great interest.

When you install Firefox and log into a web site, such as MySpace, you might get a popup asking if you would like Firefox to save your password for you. What a great idea. If I let Firefox remember my passwords, I wont have to remember and enter them every time I visit a site. Handy! Better yet, this feature is turned on by default. Thanks Firefox. I, like most of you, probably just assume that my passwords are being handled securely and continue using Firefox for months adding more and more passwords to Firefox for my favorite sites as I go.

How secure are my saved passwords in Firefox 3?

In Firefox 3, it looks something like this.

You try to sign into your favorite Social Network. MySpace in this case.

Firefox is so helpful. Sure! Remember my MySpace password.

What exactly happens with my MySpace passwords in Firefox 3? They're secure, right? You can click [Tools > Options > Security (Tab) > Saved Passwords] to find out.

Well, Well. What do we have here? The URL to the web site and my username. Seems harmless enough. But what's this? A [Show Passwords] button? Lets click it and see what happens...

Gulp. There it is. Everything that someone would need to log into my MySpace account. The site address, my username, and my password in PLAIN TEXT! Anyone with about 20 seconds alone with your computer could easily get this information for themselves.

Try it for yourself and see just how scary it is when you see all the passwords for your banking accounts, your E-Trade account, etc. Better yet, walk your friends and co-workers through this on their own workstations and see the shock on their faces when they see their PLAIN TEXT passwords visible to the world in 3 easy steps that take 10 seconds to perform. I've gotten some pretty startled expressions showing people this.

I definitely think that Firefox should have the Master Password functionality enabled by default and should show the user a warning the first time they try to save a password. It seems like such an innocent thing, but having access to passwords in Plain Text is bad in my opinion.

How to protect yourself

Option 1. Turn off the "Remember passwords for sites" feature on the Tools > Options > Security Tab

Option 2. You can actually protect yourself from this flaw pretty easily, but it makes the feature a tad-bit more annoying. There is a "Use a master password" checkbox on the Security Tab too. If you check this box, you will be required to supply a password to be able to view saved passwords, or before you can use them to log into any web sites. Definitely worth it in my opinion even if the chance of someone having access to your workstation is slim.

Option 3. You should really consider locking your workstation when you are away from it anyway. If this isn't a habit that you already have, its really not that hard to start now. Just press the [Windows Key + L] to lock windows before you leave your computer.

Disclaimer

I'm always torn about writing about this kind of thing. Most of you will use the information to protect yourself, your friends and your co-workers. If nothing else, I've always felt that it is better to be aware of something even if a small percentage of people will use it negatively. For those of you thinking of using this to STEAL other people's passwords. Shame On You!

Just to save you a few seconds of attempting to log into my MySpace account. The email address, user names and passwords in the screen shots above have been altered to protect the innocent. =)

Pandora's Box - Play Pandora minimized or in your system tray...

If you have read my post about iTunes vs Pandora, you'd know that I dig the new online service for streaming tunes at work. The only problem with the service, in my opinion, is that you need to leave a browser window open while listening...

I started to look for a solution to allow you to either minimize your Pandora or play it in your System Tray. I found a cool little app that lets you do just this. You even get a nice context menu from the system tray icon that allows you to issue commands to Pandora without having opening it.

Makes Pandora even better IMO! Check it out.

iTunes radio streaming vs Pandora...!

I've been a long-time iTunes user (ever since I stopped using winAmp religiously a few years ago...) I have a ton of MP3s, an iPod, and have been a huge fan of streaming radio feeds while at work or home and not into anything I have in my playlist. There are a ton of stations to choose from, almost any genre, style, country of origin... You name it an you can probably find it on iTunes'...

I heard about Pandora a few months ago and just barely got around to trying it out. I must say, from the second I entered my first artist into Pandora, I've loved it. It started playing one of my favorite songs by that artist immediately and the sound quality was amazing. As I started to fiddle with the site, the power of the idea hit me. Not only play the songs and artists that I suggest to you, but infer what else I might like by my choices... Why didn't they have this years ago...?

If you really like or dislike a new song that comes up, click on the up or down thumb icon and it will update your preferences and modify what comes next... Pandora starts to learn what you like by your interactions with the site. Wether you're adding new songs or artists, or just rating the new stuff they throw at you, you are helping Pandora send you just the types of music you want to hear!

I've only been using the site for one full day now, but I'm already a fan... I've only loaded up iTunes once and that was to update my iPod for a workout. =) We'll have to see if Pandora takes over my streaming audio needs, and even pulls me away from my MP3s. What better way to be introduced to new artists and songs that you might love as much as your preferred artists...

You can even create new Pandora "Stations" which you can customize to a certain type or style of music. I have one for Hard & Fast, Soft & Chill, and Techno so far and can imagine quite a few more that I would want to listen to based on my mood...

If you haven't yet, check it out. =)

Virtual Stock Trading anyone...?

I've been participating in a company game of Virtual Stock Exchange (VSE) that we have running at my current employer. We have about 12 people in the game and it's pretty fun to see how everyone invests, and how well it pans out. If nothing else, it's good to get a better understanding of the markets.

The game is somewhat realistic because it's based off the market and only lags a bit behind. Josh and I setup an Open Game of VSE that anyone can join and participate in. If you're interested, come and create an account and invite your friends and family!

Use the information and directions below to join the game.

Game ID: ezcomeezgo
Game Password: ezcomeezgo

1. Open this link and read the competition summary:
   http://vse.marketwatch.com/Game/StartViewGame.aspx?id=ezcomeezgo
2. Click on the 'Join Game' link.
3. If you are an existing Virtual Stock Exchange member, enter your Email address and Password in the login panel and get set to trade. If you are a new user, follow the link to register - it's easy!
4. Follow the instructions and start trading!

Join now, and see if you can win my Open Game competition! The more participants the higher the level of competition.

Firefox 2 - Saved Password Security

Do you use the "Remember passwords for sites" feature in Firefox 2...? It sure is nice to not have to enter your password into those pesky "secure" sites out there like your Banking, E-mail, or other such sites...
It's also great that I don't even have to enable this feature, it just prompts me to start storing passwords after I start using Firefox for the first time! Firefox is great! So lets just assume that the 2nd most popular web browser is appropriately handling this extremely sensitive data.
Or should we...?
How simple could it be for someone to get access to these stored passwords...? As it turns out, using Firefox's default settings (Which I'm sure MOST people are), it's EXTREMELY easy.
All a person needs to do to gain access to your stored passwords in Firefox, assuming that they have a moment's access to your workstation is to perform the following steps...

1. Click on Tools
2. Select Options
3. Click the Security Tab
4. Click Saved Passwords
5. Click Show Passwords
   

This handy-dandy feature supplies the user with a list of web site addresses, user names, and Password (in PLAIN TEXT no less!) This gives a potentially malicious user direct access to everything that they need to find and log into any sites that you have setup to "Remember my Password"! The worst part about all of this is that this is the DEFAULT behavior in Firefox!
This, in my humble opinion, is a huge security flaw in Firefox and I'm blown away by how easy it is for people to unknowingly expose their user names and password to anyone with a few seconds access to their browser...
Posting this information is a double edged sword. On one hand, it alerts potentially "malicious users" to a way to gain access to your passwords. That is not my intentions. On the other hand, getting this information out to as many people as I can (and please help me ein this effort) should allow you to protect yourself from this vulnerability.
So, how can I protect myself?
In Firefox

• Disable the "Remember password for sites" feature or Setup the "Use a master password" feature in Firefox! These can both be setup in the same place as the "Show Passwords" option listed above!

In General

• Always lock your workstation when you walk away from it. I never assume that I can trust anyone with free access to my workstation, and I recommend that you do the same!

Web Service Security (Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined)

Ran into an issue today while trying to connect to a Java Web Service from a .Net environment. It looks like this happens when Web Service Security is enabled in the application server of the web service and uses the ActorURI attribute. .Net's Web Services Enhancements feature does not support relative URI's for this attribute and basically FUBAR's on you. Therefore, you must us an absolute URI.

An example of an absolute URI is "http://LoginWebService" while an example of a relative URI would be "LoginWebService"... You must configure your Application Server to using either the Rational Application Developer or the Application Server Toolkit.

1. Open the Web Service Editor, click the Extensions tab and expand Server Service Configuration.
2. Enter the full absolute URI in the Actor field.
3. Expand Response Generator Service Configuration Details > Details.
4. Enter the full absolute URI in the Actor field.

Source

Firefox and Memory Usage

Firefox can be a memory hog, but is the browser really to blame...? I am currently waiting for my second gig of memory at my new job, and I've had to do a few tweaks to keep this baby humming along with it's single gig. I've noticed that Firefox has been quite the memory hog lately with an average memory usage around 170 megs. I did a bit of research and found a couple of things that seem to help.

Add-Ons

Not all add-ons are created equal...! I use a few Firefox add-ons every day at work, and never really thought that they might be causing problems. Some add-ons straight up contain memory leaks (cybernetnews) that will eat up your available memory when using them in Firefox. Just having a few add-ons "enabled" in Firefox is enough to bloat your memory usage, even if they are only used every once in a while. You might want to play around with enabling and disabling your favorite (or not so favorite) add-ons to see which might be causing the bulk of your Firefox related memory issues.

Config

I also found a helpful tip (here) that allows you to specify that Firefox should not be loaded into memory when minimized. Just by minimizing firefox, you can clear up a lot of the lost memory (look at firefoxes memory usage before and after a minimize.)

1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter.
2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize. Press Enter.
4. Now select True and then press Enter.
5. Restart Firefox.

Firefox might maximize a bit slower with this fix because the browser will be moved from memory to your HD but I haven't noticed any difference.

I have a friend that constantly has at least three firefox windows open with about 10million tabs open in each. I'd imagine that a fix like this might help out a bit on his firefox memory usage. =) I'm not nearly that bad, and it's already helped a ton...