Houston Clubs web design and life

Vantec Hot Swap Hard Drive Trays Review

Feb 5, 2010 by Paul White

Recently I decided to add some hot swap trays to my system.  I searched for quite a while before I found trays that would maintain my personal sense of style ( Bling ), and have functionality as well.  I went with the Vantec Trays that include a blue LCD display giving you temperature stats on the drives.  Overall I am very happy with my decision, though Vantec could have done a slightly better job with these.

Adaptec 4805 SAS RAID benchmark on Windows 7 review

Feb 5, 2010 by Paul White

I knew I was going to make the switch to Windows 7, but I wanted to make a few upgrades before I did this.  These upgrades included hot swap trays for my SATA drives, and extending my SAS RAID array from 2 drives to 4 drives.  However this forced me to get a Dedicated RAID controller, as the ASUS board only supports two SAS drives.  On this blog I will focus on the SAS RAID upgrade using the Adaptec 4805SAS RAID card and 4 x 15K RPM Fujitsu SAS Hard Drives.

Cheapest Electricity in Houston

Feb 2, 2010 by Paul White

If you live in Pearland or Houston then you most likely are in theCenterpoint Energy Service area.  Even though right now your electricbill probably isn't the top of your worries, come summer time you willsurely be wishing you had a low fixed rate.  I just got done with my 12month contract with Stream Energy.  After some googling I found a staterun site that displays all the power companies and their rates.  Notsure who's idea this was, but I applaud the idea. For once I am a hugesupporter of the government getting involved.  The rates displayed onthis blog were AS OF March 10th, 2010 ( I updated them recently ). Keep in mind these rates may change often, so be sure to check back atpowertochoose.org.  Just think what would happen to the cost ofhealthcare if a similar site was created.  I switched to BrilliantEnergy, and got my rate locked in at 10.7 cents/ KWH for 12 months. Now it appears rates go for as low as 10.6 Cents / KWH for 12 monthfixed. There were cheaper rates but the last thing I want is to comeout of contract in the middle of summer, then have to renew when its100 degrees outside.  A buddy of mind did the month by month thing, andthe result was it was cheap in the winter months, but they raised hisrates to 26 cents / KWH in the summer.  Its a good idea to lock in yourrate in the winter when rates are low.

Keep in mind these priceswere based on my zip code of 77584. ( Pearland, Texas ). But I suspectthe rates won't vary much for other nearby Houston zipcodes.  So if youlive anywhere in Houston, These rates might apply to you as well.

Obama YouTube Interview a joke

Feb 1, 2010 by Paul White

Today, Obama did a YouTube interview in which people submitted their questions, and everyone voted on which questions should be asked.  The process was a complete joke.  I am now convinced that YouTube ( run by Google ) is more biased that Fox News.

Windows 7 cutting my electric bill

Jan 25, 2010 by Paul White

Every since the release of Windows 7 my friends have been urging me to make the switch.  They said its faster, and overall better.  Finally after getting ahead of some of my work I took the plunge and made the switch to windows 7.  Probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you want to cut your utility bill, I highly suggest you make the switch to windows 7.

Google vs China the real deal

Jan 14, 2010 by Paul White

Over the past few days Google has gotten the spot light because its threatening to lift the censorship filtering from its search engine on china.  Many don't realize what this really means.  If you are not a web developer you probably don't understand the impact this could make on business.  In my opinion World War III will be a cyber war, and this small incident could be the start of tensions.

Hacker Attacks and Invalid character in a Base-64 string

Jan 13, 2010 by Paul White

On my websites I have them setup to email me anytime a server error happens.  If you ever get an error like "Invalid character in a Base-64 string",  This is likely a hacker attack.   In my case it was on the members login on my client's website.  I logged in and shut down the site.  10 minutes later I started it back up and the hacker had left.  Interesting is what the HTTP RAW data reveled.

HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR:84.0.182.175, 84.0.162.91, 84.0.237.176, 84.0.228.6, 84.0.220.100, 84.0.147.233, 84.0.159.1, 84.0.84.37 HTTP_PROXY_CLIENT_IP:84.0.182.175, 84.0.162.91, 84.0.237.176, 84.0.228.6, 84.0.220.100, 84.0.147.233, 84.0.159.1, 84.0.84.37 HTTP_CLIENT_IP:84.0.182.175, 84.0.162.91, 84.0.237.176, 84.0.228.6, 84.0.220.100, 84.0.147.233, 84.0.159.1, 84.0.84.37

Never seen these values before.  According to the logs the IPs were from hundreds of compromised systems. However they all had these values in common.   I am going to add a rule to detect the Class A IP in the 80.x.x.x block in the HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR, and block.  Hopefully this helps some other people out

Best Houston NYE Party 2009 2010

Dec 16, 2009 by Paul White

If you and your girl are looking for a wild way to celebrate the new year, I highly recommend the Houston NYE Party by Desirous Party.  Before you get sticker shock over the price its important to understand what is all included.  Included is a meal,  4 drink tickets, and Hotel room / Suite.  Its a private party, with Casino Games, Dance Music, Door Prizes, and access to the Pool.  Think of it as a Vegas Style Party.  They say what happends in Vegas stays in Vegas.  The same goes for Desirous Party.  Dance, Drink, have fun.

Programmers guide for weight loss

Dec 15, 2009 by Paul White

The new year is just around the corner, and this means many people will go out get drunk, then in the peak of being drunk declare, " I am going to get in shape".  Well that is easier said than done, but of course every year millions flood the gyms just to fail at their goal, and to padd the pockets of 24 hour fitness.  If you are like me you spend the majority of your day sitting at a computer, drinking coffee or caffeinated beverages.  The only exercise you get is your fingers typing, or moving / clicking your mouse.  Here are some pointers for anyone, who wants to get in shape.

How to build a successful blog

Dec 9, 2009 by Paul White

Recently a client of mine was asking how to increase traffic to his blog.  As I was explaining to him what he can do, I realized that many other people could also benefit from this.  So I have organized my thoughts for the world.