Category: Life

Last time, I showed how to bypass Websense if you were in an environment which used it. However, this last method required you to be able to install an application onto your computer. What if you have no such rights?

With that in mind, here are a few more tricks to get around Websense filtering so that you can do the work you’re paid to do.

Use Translation Services:

1. Go to http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
2. In where it says “Translate a web page”, insert the address of the blocked page you want to access.
3. Choose to translate from Chinese to English.

The translator will attempt to find Chinese words and translating them to English. Failing to do so, it will leave the original text (in English) intact, providing you with a mirror of the page hosted on the translator’s servers. If the translator isn’t blocked, neither will be the page you want to load.

Switch up the subdomains:

Websense filters by subdomains. So if you want to access, say, “http://www.somesite.com/”, try putting in “http://somesite.com/”. It may just work.

I have a Samsung Gravity 2 phone from Wind Mobile with an unlimited data plan. I’ve figured out how to tether it to my netbook so that I can have the laptop surf from anywhere.

Originally, I followed the directions provided on Wind Mobile’s site. They want you to install software from Samsung and use that to connect to the Internet. Unfortunately, in my case, the Samsung software crashes on startup. I can’t get it to work at all. So I figured out another way to tether the phone, which I share with you here. (more…)

This is me driving with straws up my nose.

…and this is me driving with tissue paper in my nose to stop the profuse bleeding that followed an accidental jab. (more…)

Alright, well over the last year I’ve been doing status updates about my weight. At my peak in August of 2009, I weighed 187 pounds. At my lowest since then, in January 2010, I weighed 161.

I can’t just keep giving good news, so here’s the bad: I’ve gained much of that weight back. I’m at 180. Jay and I are working together on a new plan to lose weight once more.

I used to eat one meal a day. That’s how I did the initial weight loss. It wasn’t very sustainable, and as soon as my eating patterns changed after meeting Jay, I started to gain the weight back. So the trick now is to reduce weight while eating healthily, and Jay is helping me very much in this respect.

Rogers was my cellphone carrier previous to Wind Mobile. I wasn’t a big fan, and I’m glad I switched. Anywho, I received a letter from Rogers today.

Dear Julien McArdle,

I’d like to extend my appreciation for your business by offering you a special opportunity to upgrade to a new wireless device – at an exclusive price being offered to you for a limited time.

It goes on to say that if I sign on a new three-year contract, I’ll be able to purchase a new mobile phone at a discount. The “limited-time offer” is bogus, as those savings are the same for new customers and the existing batch who renews their contracts.

Nice try Rogers, but I’m not coming back.