Apparently, there’s a new trend in computing; people are beginning to build ultra-cheap and ultra-small computers running Android or Linux.  Let’s meet a couple of the contestants…

Android PC runs Android 2.3 on a VIA 800MHz Processor, has 512MB of DDR3 memory, 2GB of NAND Flash storage, and quite a bit of connectivity:

• HDMI port
• VGA port
• Four USB 2.0 ports
• Audio out / Microphone in
• MicroSD slot
• 10/100 Ethernet port

The device supports 720p video.

Rikomagic MK802 boasts more substantial system resources (1GHz processor, 1GB of memory and 4GB of storage), runs Android 4.0, and has a built-in Wi-Fi, but offers somewhat more limited connectivity options: one HDMI port and one USB port. At the same time, it supports 1080p video.

Prices?  $49 and $70, respectively…

Vadim Tkachenko of Percona is playing with innodb_thread_concurrency:

From Infoworld:

Review: WAMP stacks for Web developers

By Serdar Yegulalp
Created 2012-05-30 03:00AM

There are two places where I do software development for the Web. The first is “out there,” on the Web server for which I pay my monthly hosting fee. The second is “in here,” right on my own desktop, where I have a stand-alone Web development stack running side by side with everything else.

A stand-alone Web stack is a self-contained way to run the needed components for a Web application without requiring a separate machine or Web account, both of which typically mean extra dollars. Developers can prototype a project locally on such a stack, then deploy the results to a live remote server — or even convert the local stack into a live server, if they’re so inclined and the stack is designed for production use. If you’re a novice Web programmer, a local stack is a handy way to learn the ins and outs of programming for the Web in a controlled environment.

Linux users have the advantage of the Web stack being a native part of their environment, since Linux distributions aren’t as rigidly partitioned into “desktop” and “server” editions as Windows is — except in the sense of which components are installed by default. Windows users, though, have to install the entire stack from scratch. The good news is that all the pieces they’d need — Apache, MySQL, PHP, and so on — are available in Windows editions.

In this article I review five environments — AMPPS, BitNami WAMPStack, Microsoft Web Platform Installer, XAMPP, and WampServer — you can use to set up a local Web development server on a Windows box. These stacks contain all of the above-mentioned components (with IIS and SQL Server Express taking the place of Apache and MySQL in Microsoft’s offering) installed from a single executable or .MSI package, so each piece doesn’t need to be downloaded, installed, and configured separately. These Web server stacks also contain management tools for each separate component and for the stack as a whole, so you’re not stuck with the extra burden of having to manage the whole thing by hand. And they’re all free for the downloading.

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From Infoworld:

10 essential MySQL tools for admins

By Daniel Nichter
Created 2011-08-01 03:00AM

MySQL is a complex system that requires many tools to repair, diagnose, and optimize it. Fortunately for admins, MySQL has attracted a vibrant community of developers who are putting out high-quality open source tools to help with the complexity, performance, and health of MySQL systems, most of which are available for free.

The following 10 open source tools are valuable resources for anyone using MySQL, from a stand-alone instance to a multiple-node environment. The list has been compiled with variety in mind. You will find tools to help back up MySQL data, increase performance, guard against data drift, and log pertinent troubleshooting data when problems arise.

There are several reasons why you should consider these tools instead of creating your own in-house tools. First, thanks to their wide use, they’re mature and field-tested. Second, because they are free and open source, they benefit from the knowledge and experience of the continually expanding MySQL community. Finally, these tools are actively developed, and many are professionally supported (either for free or commercially), so they continue to improve and adapt with the evolving MySQL industry.

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Let’s say you’re running WordPress.  You use it extensively, your whole team is on it, you have some cool plugins that expand WordPress’ functionality, but now you need a whole different custom application (or five) to run alongside WordPress.  What you don’t need, however, is a second authentication system.  Luckily, you don’t have to have one; you can access WordPress’ authentication system, check the user’s authentication, and if there is none, redirect the user to WordPress login form, have them authenticated, and redirect them back to your application.

The following snippet does exactly that. Obviously, it doesn’t have a lot of functionality, it just outputs the current user’s data if the user is authenticated.  Note that in this example the code is located in a subdirectory of WordPress’ root directory (hence, the ../ in include ‘../wp-config.php’), but it should work from anywhere, as long as wp-config.php is reachable for inclusion.

include '../wp-config.php';
wp_get_current_user();
if ($current_user->ID == 0) {
  $location = 'Location: ' . site_url('')
    . '/wp-login.php?redirect_to='
    . urlencode($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']);
  header($location);
  echo "<p>You are not logged in.</p>\r\n";
} else {
  echo "<h2>WP: wp_get_current_user()</h2>\r\n";
  echo "<pre>";
  var_dump($current_user);
  echo "</pre>\r\n";
}

Here it is:

http://maps.stamen.com

Played around with it, and it was very robust while showing San Francisco, but slowed down considerably when I tried Los Angeles.  Could it be that SF maps are cached server-side as SF is the default location displayed at the developer’s site?  Or could have been a one-time fluke after all…

The 2012 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report is out.  I’d love a clarification though; what percentage of “outsider” attacks involved social engineering (including spear phishing)?

Verizon security report:
Hacktivism up, insider threats down

By InfoWorld Tech Watch
Created 2012-03-22 03:00AM

Over 855 data breaches resulting in the compromise of more than 174 million records around the world provided rich source material for the 2012 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, a highly respected analysis that includes data from the U.S. Secret Service, four other investigative agencies, and the telecom giant’s own vast trove of information.

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