Permanent Private Browsing on Mozilla Firefox

So, all of us have been in that situation when we had to share a computer with quiet a number of people, and didn't want them snooping around on our browsing history ;) Modern browsers have 'private' modes which allow you to browse the web without leaving any traces on your web browser.

Google Chrome has its Incognito mode, and Mozilla Firefox has its Private Browsing mode. But instead of having to open a new private window every time, its possible in Firefox to always use Private Browsing mode. Here's how:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox. If you need help with that, close this window and forget that we even talked :P

2. Open the 'Options' panel. You can do by clicking on the 'Firefox' button on the top-left corner and selecting 'Options', or by pressing Alt + T and selecting 'Options' from the drop-down menu.


3. In the Options panel, go to the 'Privacy' tab.

4. In the 'History' section, select 'Use custom settings for history' from the drop-down list labelled 'Firefox will:'.


5. Check (tick) the 'Always use private browsing mode' option.

6. You will be asked to restart Firefox for the settings to take effect. Click 'OK'.


7. Voila! Firefox will restart, and you will be in permanent private browsing mode :)

Notes:

1. I have used Firefox 21.0 here. The procedure for the latest version should be similar.

2. The value for the drop-down labelled 'Firefox will:' (in the 'Private' tab of the 'Options' window) changes to 'Never remember history' after Firefox is restarted.

3. To disable permanent private browsing, just follow the same steps and uncheck (take the tick off) the 'Always use private browsing mode' option.

Windows God Mode

If you are like the thousands of Windows users out there, then you have probably lost your way inside the Control Panel, one time or the other. Here is a quick solution :)

What is GodMode?

GodMode is nothing but a special folder on Windows systems, in which you can find shortcuts to various Control Panel options, and other settings. It brings all your system settings under a single hood.

Will it work for me?

This has been found to work on Windows Vista and later. This means you can enable GodMode on Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Unfortunately, 64-bit installations of Windows Vista run into serious trouble if you enable this option - reportedly, Windows Explorer keeps crashing, and it seems you can only rescue your system by booting into Safe Mode, and deleting the folder with the help of the Command Prompt. Whew! Its better you stayed off this one if you are running 64-bit Vista :P

How do I enable it?

1. Go to your Desktop (or any other folder of your choice).

2. Right click and select 'New Folder'.

3. Rename the folder as God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

4. The icon of the folder ought to change now, and look something like the Control Panel icon.

5. You are done! Welcome to GodMode :)

What now?

Just go into the folder by double clicking it, and you will find all the options under the sun, grouped neatly. Be careful though - you are more likely to wreck your system if you meddle with settings that you don't know about.

Will it work on Windows XP?

We have no idea, but we would love for you to try it, and tell us about your results :) But hey, we'll not take responsibility for the smoke coming out of your CPU :P

This creeps the hell out of me! How do I get rid of it!?

There are three ways you can do it:

1. Right click on the GodMode folder and click 'Delete'. Click 'Yes' when asked for confirmation.

2. Click once on the GodMode folder, and press the 'Delete' key.

3. Get hold of a cricket bat, and beat the life out of your computer. "Its time the stupid thing learnt who its been messing with." :P


Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Access-God-Mode-in-Windows-7

Here is the Wikipedia entry for those people who have trouble sleeping:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Master_Control_Panel_shortcut

Multiple Facebook Passwords?

Did you know that you can login to your Facebook account using three different passwords? Yes!

Here's how:

Facebook lets users into their accounts if they provide
  1. The original password.
  2. The password with the case toggled.
  3. The password with the first letter capitalized, if the password starts with a small letter.

What does this mean?

Lets imagine that the original password you created for your Facebook account is techOFFEE99. Facebook will let you in if you enter TECHoffee99, or if you enter TechOFFEE99.

But how can they!? Isn't my password supposed to be precious?

Yes, it is. Your password is still safe (hopefully). They apparently do this, so that if you unknowingly left your CAPS-lock on, you would still be logged in. The third condition is for mobile users, where mobile phones often capitalize the first letter of a sentence. You'll know this if you have enabled 'Auto Capitalization' in your smartphone.



Original source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/facebook-passwords-are-not-case-sensitive-update/3612

Locating Your Android Device - Android Device Manager

I was clicking random links on my Google Settings page the other day, and it appears that there is a way to control - locate, rather - your android device from your Google account. Here's how you do it:

1. Login to your Gmail account (or your Google Dashboard). If you logged into Gmail, click on your account name at the top-right corner and click 'Account'. Go to the 'Data tools' tab and click on 'View account data'. You may need to enter your password again.

2. Once you are in your Dashboard, click 'Expand all' at the top. Scroll down to find the 'Android' section.



3. Click on 'Manage Devices'.

4. You will be taken to the Android Device Manager page. Click the little GPS icon on the box that has your device's name on it.


5. There is also an option to make the device ring, if you think it is nearby :)

So, that's it? What's the catch?

Here's the catch. I think the Device Manager contacts the device through the internet. So, this will work only if the device has a working data connection. And it took my device (connected to my home wi-fi) a full four minutes to respond to the Ring command.

EDIT:

It appears that you have to first enable this option from your phone. Here is how it is done:

1. Go to the 'Google Settings' app (short for application) on your device. Its the one with an icon that looks like the one below.


2. In the app, click on 'Android Device Manager', which will bring you to a screen with two options.

3. Make sure that the 'Remotely locate this device' option is checked. If you want to be able to erase or lock your device from your Google account, check the other option too.

You are done! :)

Recovery Mode in Android Devices

What is it?

It is a special mode in which an android phone or tablet can be booted, in order to reset, restore, root or update it.

How do I boot my Android device into Recovery Mode?

An Android device is usually booted into recovery mode by using certain hardware key combinations during powering it on. For example, a Samsung Galaxy Y Duos (GT-S6102) can be booted into recovery by powering it off, and then powering it on while holding Volume Up + Home + Power buttons.

http://www.controlf.net/recovery/ seems to list out the combination for quiet a few devices. Add your own in the comments

Point to note

This is a very powerful feature of android devices. But it is also a vulnerability. For example, a person stealing your phone can just boot into Recovery Mode and factory reset your phone.

I'm afraid of the black screen and serious-sounding options. What do I do?

Remove your battery. Put it back on. Power on your device. Forget this post. All this in good humor :P

What is the 'reboot' option? Will it erase my phone?

The 'reboot' option just powers off your device, and powers it on again - just the same thing as switching it off and on yourself.

Where do I go if I run into trouble?

The best place to look would be Google and the XDA Forums - http://forum.xda-developers.com/

Steve Jobs

We wanted our first post to be special... And our first words to be legendary. And so, "Steve Jobs".

Rest in Peace, Steve: You were a legend. You are an inspiration. And you will continue to be our God.