Apr 29

Drop Dropbox and pick up SugarSync

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IMPORTANT UPDATES

I just found out that Windows Live Mesh does NOT encrypt user files stored on their server, here is the original blog post talking about how the original Live Mesh was designed and implemented three years ago: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/livemesh/archive/2008/05/29/behind-live-mesh-authorization-and-encryption.aspx, and to my disappointment, three years later, Windows Live Mesh still has not implemented data encryption to protect user files. Here is the question I asked and the answer I got from Widnows Live Help Center: http://windowslivehelp.com/thread.aspx?threadid=6c278f92-9ab2-4917-88eb-9dc03ef74947

 

SugarSycn will encrypt user files and no one else can decrypt your files except yourself, according to their reply to my email inquiry:
[UPDATE, June 16th, 2011]: SugarSync apologized to me that the email above from their support staff has incorrect information regarding the encryption. The encryption key is NOT stored in user’s password, and SugarSync IS able to decrypt user’s file. Here are some quoted messages from SugarSync:

We store each user file with a different key. The keys are not based on user passwords in any form; we couldn’t provide the functionality we do (sharing, photo galleries, etc.) otherwise. Encryption keys are different for each user.

I understand the concern that some customers have about the possibility of SugarSync employees accessing data stored on our servers. This happens in very rare cases during troubleshooting with the permission of the customer; only a select few people have that level of access.

With respect to warrants and subpoenas, we abide by the laws of the State of California and the United States.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you!

==================

Hello Jeffrey-

Our agent did indeed give you incorrect information, and I apologize for that. Encryption keys are not stored with your password.

From your ticket, it looks like you wanted to know if SugarSync can decrypt files if needed. The answer is yes, we can decrypt files. This occurs only when we’re troubleshooting issues with the customer’s consent.

I’m sorry again for the miscommunication. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you!

=================

So I apologize to those who read my post and had a wrong understanding of SugarSync’s security.

==================End of Update==========================

 

Since the security issue of Dropbox was discovered and the contradiction of their security claims in their new terms of service and on their web site was criticized, I have decided to drop Dropbox and to find an alternative.
Here are some on-line synchronization and backup services I have used or am still using. I personally trust their security policy, so I will not discuss anything related security.

Windows Live Mesh

Before Dropbox, I have been using Microsoft’s Windows Live Mesh since its beta version and I am still using it.

Pros:

  • Service is stable and the synchronization speed is very fast.
  • Generous free space for on-line synchronization. It integrates with Windows Live SkyDrive (25 GB free space if you have a Live ID) in which 5 GB of your SkyDrive space can be used for on-line synchronization.
  • PC-to-PC synchronization. Windows Live Mesh lets you synchronize a folder on one PC running Windows Live Mesh client directly with another PC running Live Mesh client without using the on-line storage. Because of this, there is no size limit on the data you synchronize as long as your hard drive is big enough to hold the data.
  • Remote desktop access. It is a killer feature. Among all the PC’s running Windows Live Mesh client, you can log into a PC from another PC remotely, just like the Remote Desktop Connection feature in Windows, but uses different protocol. It is very handy if your computers are behind firewall, RDC port is blocked, or you don’t know how to set up port forwarding, etc, all you need to do is to allow the computer to be accessed remotely. Then when you launch Windows Live Mesh client from a PC to connect another PC, you will see a screen like this under the “Remote” tab:
    WindowsLiveMeshRemoteAccess
    After the connection is setup and you type in your credentials, you can remotely access your PC (the scree shows I remotely logged into my home PC from my office PC via Windows Live Mesh):
    WindowsLiveMeshRemoteLogin
  • Automatic synchronization of program settings. If you turn on Program Settings synchronization feature in Windows Live Mesh, then you can have your IE favorites synchronized between computers, and also have your Microsoft Office styles, templates, email signatures, and custom dictionary synchronized as well.
    WindowsLiveMeshProgramSettingsSync
  • Allow multiple Live Mesh synchronization on one PC.You do NOT need to install multiple Windows Live Mesh clients on one PC if you are sharing the PC with other people, and it does NOT require each user to have a separate desktop account. You can sign in with different Live ID to set up different sync folders (Dropbox does not allow this).

Cons:

  • Windows Live Mesh only supports Windows and Mac. No Linux support is available at this moment though it has been requested.
  • Windows Live Mesh web interface is very poor at the time of writing. The current web interface allows you to view and download your files stored in the 5 GB SkyDrive synced storage, but you cannot add new files to the storage folder. The old beta version of Live Mesh allows user to upload files to the on-line synchronized folder, but the current version somehow removed this feature, and it drives me crazy.
  • Although you can remotely log into a computer running Live Mesh client via the web interface, it requires you to install an ActiveX control, which means you must use Internet Explorer.
  • No versioning support.

Conclusion:

I will continue using Windows Live Mesh and hope the future release of the web interface will be better and allow user to add files to the SkyDrive synced storage through the web UI. The lacking of Linux support does not bother me very much as long as I can upload/add file to the SkyDrive synced storage.

 

SpiderOak

SipderOak is a online backup and synchronization service.  It does everything Dropbox does plus online backup feature. It has various plans, including 2 GB free space plan and other paid plans if more space is needed. You can also earn more free space by referring friends to use SpiderOak.

Pros:

  • Multi-platform support. SpiderOak supports Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile OS.
  • Online file backup and accidental file deletion protection.
  • Zero-knowledge privacy environment. SpiderOak does not store user’s password, so it is the user’s responsibility to remember password. Your data is encrypted on SpiderOak’s server and only accessible by you because only you know your password.

Cons:

  • Long learning curve. The SpiderOak client UI is not straight forward and it took me quite some time to learn how to use SpiderOak. For example, you will have to set up a backup folder (or more) before you can set up sync folders. To set up synchronization between computers, you will have to give a name for each synchronization. To share files, you will have to create a ShareID and RoomKey, then you can send either of them to the person you would like to share with. To me, this is too complicated.
    SpiderOakClientUI
    SpiderOak Sync UI:
    SpiderOakClientUISync
    SpiderOak Share UI:
    SpiderOakClientUIShare
  • Unstable service. I tried to sync files between a Windows PC and an Ubuntu PC, and sometimes after I deleted a file from the Ubuntu PC, the file would not be deleted from the Windows PC, though the client showed all files are synced. It also happened to me a couple times that when I added a file to sync, the file was mysteriously deleted after the synchronization.
  • Slow upload and sync speed. I noticed that the upload speed for online backup and the sync speed are slow, even with my gigabit connection.
  • You cannot reset your password if you forget it. If you want to change your password, you will have to change it in the SpiderOak client. However, if you forget your password, all you will get is a “Password Hint” if you set up one when you sign up. If you don’t’, then you are dead. You may get some help by contacting their support team, but I have never tried to contact them, so I don’t know if they can help you reset your password.
  • Smaller free

Conclusion:

I would not recommend SpiderOak at this moment because of the unstable service. I may give it another try in the future when the service is more stable.

 

Memopal

Memopal is online backup and storage software. It allows you to access your file, or share your files, but it does not support file synchronization. I tried for some time and uninstalled because it does not have file synchronization feature. Besides, it leaves a shortcut in the device list in Windows 7, very annoying. You will have to search your registry for “Memopal” to remove it. Just for that, I will not recommend Memopal. Here is a screen shot of the issue I am talking about after the uninstallation.
MemoPalResidual

 

SugarSync

SugarSync provides the similar services as SpiderOak does: online backup, synchronization, and sharing. It provides various service plans, including a 5 GB free plan and other paid plans if more space is needed. You can also earn more free space by referring friends to use SugerSync.

Pros:

  • Service is stable and speed is fast (sync speed is a little bit slower than Windows Live Mesh).
  • Generous free space for online backup and synchronization. SugarSync gives you 5 GB free space as Windows Live Mesh does.
  • Easy to use SugarSync client user interface.
  • Upload and sync via email.
  • Support mobile device.
  • User friendly web interface. You can access your file, share your file, or sync your file via the web interface you don’t have the client installed.
  • Versioning with the ability to restore. SugarSync stores up to 5 versions of a file plus the current version, so if a file is accidently deleted during the collaboration, you can restore the file to the right version.
    SugarSyncClientUI

Cons:

  • Only support Windows and Mac platform. There is no Linux support at this moment, thought Linux support is on the to-do list.
  • Cannot sync Outlook .pst, Quicken, and Quickbooks. System folders cannot be synced either.

Conclusion:

I like SugarSync and recommend it to everyone who is looking for an online backup and sync application. If you use this link to sign up for a 5 GB free plan, you will get a 500 MB bonus (of course, I will get a 500 MB bonus) before 5/31/2011, after 5/31/2011, the bonus will become 250MB. https://www.sugarsync.com/referral?rf=e3izqm2hfvy70

After you sign up, do remember to log into your SugarSync account and click “Getting Started” tab, then make sure you finish all the five tasks listed there and you will earn an additioanl 250 MB bonus.

To sum up, my recommendation is:

1. SugarSync

2. Windows Live Mesh (if in the future Windows Live Mesh has a better web UI and implement data encryption, I may give Widnows Live Mesh higher rank than SugarSync because of the remote desktop connection feature.)

Apr 22

DropBox on fire

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DropBox has been in the spotlight since they silently changed their terms of service (TOS). The updated TOS basically says, to be compliant with the US law, they would give customer’s file (after decrypting it) to the government when requested legally. This change seems to be very reasonable, because companies like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, etc. would do the same thing, but the real problem lies in the boldest claim they have on their web site: “Dropbox employees aren’t able to access user files, and when troubleshooting an account they only have access to file metadata (filenames, file sizes, etc., not the file contents)”. It clearly contradicts to the updated TOS. So DropBox employees do have access to user files, but why they still made that claim on their web site? No matter a lie or a misunderstanding, they definitely shot themselves in the foot.

DropBoxBoldClaim

I started using DropBox about a year ago, and honestly, I was attracted by this claim and totally trusted DropBox by putting many files there. Now I don’t trust them any more and removed many sensitive files of mine from DropBox. I will still use DropBox service for storing some regular files, but for those sensitive files, I use Windows Live Mesh.  Of course, Windows Live Mesh would also give customer’s files to government when requested legally, but at least Windows Live Mesh didn’t lie and said no one else is able to access your file.

Another reason I moved my files to Windows Live Mesh is that it turned out that DropBox is not as secure as they claimed to be, check this post, and it has a detailed explanation on the insecure authentication method that DropBox uses.

If you are a DropBox user, make sure to encrypt your file yourself (use TrueCrypt), don’t rely on DropBox to protect your data, at least at this moment, until they change their authentication method.

Apr 19

Speed up transferring domain registration away from GoDaddy

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Last week I finally decided to transfer this domain away from GoDaddy to a different registrar. I thought the process should be smooth and painless, but it turned out not. My site suffered several days of down time, as a result, lost a lot of traffic. Here are some experiences I would like to share with you:

1. My domain was not hosted by GoDaddy, and I changed the DNS nameservers before the transfer is complete. This is a very bad decision, DO NOT change it until the transfer is complete in order to minimize the down time.

2. My domain registration was private, so I had to first cancel the private registration first.

3. My domain registration at GoDaddy was set to Locked, I had to unlock it before the transfer can go to the next step. Even though I got the authorization code from GoDaddy, but since the domain is locked, it would not get transferred.

4. After I unlock the domain, and approved the domain transfer authorization email, now the transfer is officially started.

5. If you are a GoDaddy user, DO NOT just wait like I did for 4 days hoping for the “automatic process” to complete, you should log into your GoDaddy account, then go to Domain Management, then hover your mouse over Domain tab and choose Pending Transfers. Find your pending domain, then click on the small icon says “Accept or decline transfer” or something like that, then select “Accept” and click OK. This manual authorization will force the domain to be transferred within hours.

NOTE: once a domain is transferred, it cannot be transferred within 60 days, unless you transfer it back to the original registrar.

Apr 05

US map with hotspot for each state

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I was working on a project last week and I needed a US map with hotspot for each state, when user clicks on a state in the map, the web displays information related to the selected state. I searched the Internet but could not find anything, so I decided to create my own US map with hotspot for each state.

Things needed:

  1. A US map picture with state names
  2. Macromedia Dreamweaver MX (I only have the old version, but it is enough)
  3. Patience, a lot.

Steps:

It is very easy, but very tedious to create hotspots on a map with Dreamweaver.

  1. Create a new HTML page
  2. Insert the US map picture
  3. In the <img> properties window, give a name for the Map field, say “usMap”
  4. Click “Polygon Hotspot Tool”, then mark spots through the border of a state until you come back to the first spot
  5. Dreamweaver will calculate the coordinates for each spot you marked.
  6. Repeat step 4 until you finished all the states of US.

To save your time and eyes, I am providing my work here free of charge. I have done two versions, one is for a 1000 X 618 US map, the other is 800X494, and it took me two full days to finish them. I hope it will help you.

Version 1

Map size: 1000 X 618

Here is the map picture (if you change the size, then you will have to recalculate the coordinates, so you should use the same picture):

us_map

Here is the HTML code for the map above:

<img src="images/us_map.png" width="1000" height="618" border="0" usemap="#usMap"> 

<map name="usMap">

  <area shape="poly" coords="61,29,59,39,61,55,63,62,58,75,70,84,71,94,81,99,89,99,99,102,111,104,127,104,161,110,175,46,93,25,94,38,94,48,88,43,82,41,74,38,61,29" href="#WA" alt="Washington">

  <area shape="poly" coords="66,82,57,81,42,121,29,146,24,164,92,188,140,196,153,152,148,147,160,132,166,120,162,110,141,106,131,105,112,105,90,100,75,98,66,83" href="#OR" alt="Oregon">

  <area shape="poly" coords="27,168,24,186,14,200,19,219,16,233,22,251,22,260,28,266,26,278,32,289,28,298,44,334,41,346,60,354,69,367,76,371,75,378,81,378,91,391,92,404,139,413,143,408,139,406,141,397,146,385,154,381,148,362,77,252,91,189,32,169" href="#CA" alt="California">

  <area shape="poly" coords="134,413,200,452,236,458,253,335,207,327,167,320,161,340,154,337,148,362,153,379,147,386,135,413,138" href="#AZ" alt="Arizona">

  <area shape="poly" coords="237,459,250,461,254,453,285,454,350,457,361,346,321,342,255,335,238,459" href="#NM" alt="New Mexico">

  <area shape="poly" coords="360,356,412,359,412,402,424,408,437,414,444,413,449,418,461,423,464,417,477,423,488,419,494,420,501,419,519,425,522,462,530,478,529,491,527,511,511,519,487,537,461,553,456,567,454,577,457,596,444,593,432,588,420,582,415,560,404,545,397,536,394,523,386,515,380,508,371,507,365,504,352,509,345,522,334,516,319,506,317,492,312,483,288,453,350,458,361,356" href="#TX" alt="Texas">

  <area shape="poly" coords="175,46,163,109,166,119,150,147,154,153,140,197,236,218,245,162,240,156,236,158,223,157,217,159,215,150,209,141,206,130,197,128,203,107,197,97,186,85,187,78,184,73,188,50,175,46" href="#ID" alt="Idaho">

  <area shape="poly" coords="189,51,278,66,365,78,357,164,248,151,245,161,240,156,228,157,219,157,212,142,209,130,198,128,203,108,188,87,189,77,185,74,190,51" href="#MT" alt="Montana">

  <area shape="poly" coords="248,152,233,237,350,253,356,165,247,152" href="#WY" alt="Wyoming">

  <area shape="poly" coords="91,188,77,253,148,360,155,339,161,341,188,209,91,189" href="#NV" alt="Nevada">

  <area shape="poly" coords="189,210,167,321,253,336,268,243,234,239,236,218,190,210" href="#UT" alt="Utah">

  <area shape="poly" coords="268,244,255,334,328,342,377,344,382,257,315,251,269,244" href="#CO" alt="Colorado">

  <area shape="poly" coords="366,78,360,143,475,148,474,139,472,136,471,113,467,104,467,82,367,77" href="#ND" alt="North Dakota">

  <area shape="poly" coords="360,144,356,164,354,209,439,213,450,218,459,217,476,224,477,214,475,205,477,163,471,157,473,149,360,144" href="#SD" alt="South Dakota">

  <area shape="poly" coords="354,210,350,254,382,258,382,280,495,282,489,270,478,225,460,219,449,219,440,215,417,214,354,210" href="#NE" alt="Nebraska">

  <area shape="poly" coords="381,280,378,345,444,350,507,349,509,306,502,293,502,286,496,283,382,280" href="#KS" alt="Kansas">

  <area shape="poly" coords="363,345,361,357,413,360,412,402,437,414,445,414,460,420,465,419,476,422,493,420,497,418,512,422,510,365,508,350,432,351,364,345" href="#OK" alt="Oklahoma">

  <area shape="poly" coords="468,81,468,106,471,113,472,124,473,137,476,146,473,155,477,164,476,203,561,201,560,193,552,183,545,177,538,173,535,166,537,159,534,153,542,145,542,131,554,120,560,111,578,100,574,98,562,96,554,99,544,95,528,89,522,91,505,86,500,73,497,80,469,80" href="#MN" alt="Minnesota">

  <area shape="poly" coords="477,204,478,222,490,268,556,266,561,270,568,257,566,249,577,244,579,233,571,221,564,217,561,201,561,203,477,203" href="#IA" alt="Iowa">

  <area shape="poly" coords="489,268,495,282,503,287,503,294,510,307,508,350,510,360,588,358,589,363,587,368,595,367,599,358,604,353,605,345,600,342,601,333,583,320,586,306,575,304,575,300,563,284,562,271,558,267,489,268" href="#MO" alt="Missouri">

  <area shape="poly" coords="511,360,514,423,520,428,522,440,574,436,575,419,591,390,590,383,596,367,588,367,587,360,513,360" href="#AR" alt="Arkansas">

  <area shape="poly" coords="522,440,522,461,532,481,527,510,537,511,557,515,562,510,569,514,579,517,578,522,588,525,596,519,604,518,617,524,618,518,608,514,612,508,610,504,604,504,608,498,601,490,602,482,569,483,567,474,577,453,573,437,522,440" href="#LA" alt="Louisiana">

  <area shape="poly" coords="543,132,541,146,535,152,538,161,536,168,551,182,560,194,565,218,571,222,618,218,617,211,614,206,617,196,616,185,619,175,626,159,614,173,613,161,612,149,608,144,576,136,569,131,562,132,562,124,543,131" href="#WI" alt="Wisconsin">

  <area shape="poly" coords="574,223,578,234,577,245,568,250,569,257,563,269,563,283,576,301,586,307,584,320,602,334,603,343,608,341,618,343,617,334,621,331,623,322,629,304,628,294,625,240,617,220,573,223" href="#IL" alt="Illinois">

  <area shape="poly" coords="73,471,82,498,73,499,73,491,60,494,60,503,64,510,74,514,81,514,77,523,69,526,60,523,51,533,51,543,54,554,61,552,59,564,81,570,75,582,59,590,36,595,49,596,66,592,86,584,100,574,97,572,105,564,113,556,107,566,119,567,127,566,125,560,132,559,144,567,160,572,179,584,190,600,199,612,205,612,206,606,212,611,214,604,204,599,190,580,185,574,176,577,166,570,157,563,156,480,152,477,143,476,134,472,127,470,122,466,116,462,110,459,99,462,90,464,74,471" href="#AK" alt="Alaska">

  <area shape="poly" coords="623,238,629,287,628,299,628,306,623,324,635,322,644,319,648,322,652,318,657,317,667,305,665,300,675,297,674,292,669,231,638,234" href="#IN" alt="Indiana">

  <area shape="poly" coords="624,324,621,332,616,337,616,343,610,342,605,344,602,356,624,356,626,353,697,345,704,341,728,321,719,311,717,303,712,301,710,297,703,298,693,298,687,295,680,291,676,294,668,300,659,316,649,320,625,324" href="#KY" alt="Kentucky">

  <area shape="poly" coords="645,211,637,194,640,163,649,163,652,153,657,150,654,148,660,143,678,148,685,161,685,169,679,183,682,188,695,175,703,198,700,209,695,214,695,222,691,229,670,231,635,236,642,225" href="#MI" alt="Michigan">

  <area shape="poly" coords="600,356,622,357,628,353,693,346,736,341,731,351,722,354,718,360,704,369,696,375,696,381,651,386,592,389,591,384,600,357" href="#TN" alt="Tennessee">

  <area shape="poly" coords="592,390,575,420,575,432,574,440,577,452,568,476,571,484,602,483,601,490,607,496,620,491,631,490,626,443,626,388,592,391" href="#MS" alt="Mississippi">

  <area shape="poly" coords="626,389,674,385,690,441,691,449,693,463,694,473,646,478,649,485,650,491,644,494,638,486,634,493,632,491,626,440" href="#AL" alt="Alabama">

  <area shape="poly" coords="671,232,675,295,680,291,695,297,709,297,717,302,723,289,728,288,729,278,741,272,744,245,738,217,719,231,705,233,693,230,671,233" href="#OH" alt="Ohio">

  <area shape="poly" coords="738,218,748,265,824,252,826,249,831,249,842,237,832,229,831,220,835,211,824,200,738,218" href="#PA" alt="Pennsylvania">

  <area shape="poly" coords="758,184,761,192,749,209,750,215,823,200,835,212,850,217,851,224,867,220,879,209,867,213,856,214,853,197,852,172,851,161,846,158,845,146,838,127,814,133,799,154,800,164,797,171,789,178,773,178,759,183" href="#NY" alt="New York">

  <area shape="poly" coords="329,610,327,599,322,594,325,586,307,572,278,560,255,550,241,543,248,539,254,538,279,549,300,561,315,565,322,571,326,582,336,587,345,597" href="#HI" alt="Hawaii">

  <area shape="poly" coords="674,385,691,442,696,476,746,474,750,477,751,470,761,469,763,457,763,450,766,439,757,430,755,425,750,418,743,410,734,402,727,394,714,387,719,380,697,381,675,385" href="#GA" alt="Georgia">

  <area shape="poly" coords="647,478,650,490,668,488,680,492,691,499,700,498,710,490,721,495,734,505,744,513,747,532,756,536,752,545,764,564,775,576,783,579,790,590,801,586,800,579,804,571,801,550,786,523,788,516,780,508,770,493,762,470,754,470,752,478,746,475,697,477,696,473,647,478" href="#FL" alt="Florida">

  <area shape="poly" coords="719,379,737,371,754,369,760,376,778,373,803,390,797,396,795,406,766,439,754,423,745,412,734,403,729,395,714,389,719,380" href="#SC" alt="South Carolina">

  <area shape="poly" coords="696,382,696,375,717,362,722,355,730,352,736,342,779,334,837,321,847,335,839,348,832,349,836,355,833,360,840,362,829,368,820,373,814,385,803,391,776,374,761,378,754,370,738,373,722,377,713,380,696,382" href="#NC" alt="North Carolina">

  <area shape="poly" coords="703,345,740,341,838,324,837,315,829,316,828,310,827,293,815,290,809,288,811,278,796,268,795,274,787,268,775,281,774,291,767,289,761,307,759,314,745,324,736,326,731,324,727,322,702,345" href="#VA" alt="Virginia">

  <area shape="poly" coords="744,254,742,272,731,279,729,290,722,292,719,304,721,315,727,320,733,325,738,326,745,324,750,322,756,319,759,315,761,307,763,298,766,295,767,291,773,292,773,285,778,278,781,274,782,270,785,269,792,274,796,271,794,267,789,265,785,265,778,264,774,270,768,273,766,264,749,266,744,256" href="#WV" alt="West Virginia">

  <area shape="poly" coords="839,128,864,120,869,130,864,136,862,150,863,172,853,174,852,163,847,159,845,144,839,128" href="#VT" alt="Vermont">

  <area shape="poly" coords="863,172,884,169,889,161,884,154,871,112,867,118,868,132,863,140,863,172" href="#NH" alt="New Hampshire">

  <area shape="poly" coords="871,113,880,136,890,159,882,152,894,144,898,137,907,131,908,121,914,122,920,116,922,119,935,104,932,99,927,99,926,91,920,91,910,60,902,54,895,62,886,58,880,78,879,89,881,96,871,113" href="#ME" alt="Maine">

  <area shape="poly" coords="853,192,878,187,881,200,865,205,857,214,854,193" href="#CT" alt="Connecticut">

  <area shape="poly" coords="853,176,853,193,877,187,883,183,892,192,900,187,909,186,909,181,903,183,898,181,896,178,889,176,891,167,888,165,880,172,854,175" href="#MA" alt="Massachusetts">

  <area shape="poly" coords="879,189,883,185,893,194,883,198,879,189" href="#RI" alt="Rhode Island">

  <area shape="poly" coords="835,213,832,227,842,238,833,248,837,260,845,260,854,247,852,232,847,230,851,223,849,217,837,212" href="#NJ" alt="New Jersey">

  <area shape="poly" coords="827,251,833,278,843,278,842,273,838,269,829,251" href="#DE" alt="Delaware">

  <area shape="poly" coords="765,264,827,251,833,278,844,279,838,306,835,304,838,288,825,284,823,277,825,272,824,264,820,263,817,267,819,277,820,286,814,286,811,281,804,274,798,269,792,262,783,264,772,273,765,264" href="#MD" alt="Maryland">

  <area shape="rect" coords="884,334,995,350" href="#DC" alt="Washington, D.C.">

</map>

 

 

I made each hotspot link to an anchor on the same page, if you need to link to a different page, just change the “href” part.

Also, make sure the image source points to the correct path in your file structure.

 

Version 2

Map size: 800 X 494

Here is the map picture:

us_map800

Here is the HTML code for the map above:

<img src="images/us_map800.png" width="800" height="494" border="0" usemap="#usMap"> 

<map name="usMap">

  <area shape="poly" coords="48,23,47,31,48,44,50,49,46,60,56,67,56,75,64,79,71,79,79,81,88,83,101,83,128,88,140,36,74,20,75,30,75,38,70,34,65,32,59,30,48,23" href="#WA" alt="Washington">

  <area shape="poly" coords="52,65,45,64,33,96,23,116,19,131,73,150,112,156,122,121,118,117,128,105,132,96,129,88,112,84,104,84,89,84,72,80,60,78,52,66" href="#OR" alt="Oregon">

  <area shape="poly" coords="21,134,19,148,11,160,15,175,12,186,17,200,17,208,22,212,20,222,25,231,22,238,35,267,32,276,48,283,55,293,60,296,60,302,64,302,72,312,73,323,111,330,114,326,111,324,112,317,116,308,123,304,118,289,61,201,72,151,25,135" href="#CA" alt="California">

  <area shape="poly" coords="107,330,160,361,188,366,202,268,165,261,133,256,128,272,123,269,118,289,122,303,117,308,108,330,110" href="#AZ" alt="Arizona">

  <area shape="poly" coords="189,367,200,368,203,362,228,363,280,365,288,276,256,273,204,268,190,367" href="#NM" alt="New Mexico">

  <area shape="poly" coords="288,284,329,287,329,321,339,326,349,331,355,330,359,334,368,338,371,333,381,338,390,335,395,336,400,335,415,340,417,369,424,382,423,392,421,408,408,415,389,429,368,442,364,453,363,461,365,476,355,474,345,470,336,465,332,448,323,436,317,428,315,418,308,412,304,406,296,405,292,403,281,407,276,417,267,412,255,404,253,393,249,386,230,362,280,366,288,284" href="#TX" alt="Texas">

  <area shape="poly" coords="140,36,130,87,132,95,120,117,123,122,112,157,188,174,196,129,192,124,188,126,178,125,173,127,172,120,167,112,164,104,157,102,162,85,157,77,148,68,149,62,147,58,150,40,140,36" href="#ID" alt="Idaho">

  <area shape="poly" coords="151,40,222,52,292,62,285,131,198,120,196,128,192,124,182,125,175,125,169,113,167,104,158,102,162,86,150,69,151,61,148,59,152,40" href="#MT" alt="Montana">

  <area shape="poly" coords="198,121,186,189,280,202,284,132,197,121" href="#WY" alt="Wyoming">

  <area shape="poly" coords="72,150,61,202,118,288,124,271,128,272,150,167,72,151" href="#NV" alt="Nevada">

  <area shape="poly" coords="151,168,133,256,202,268,214,194,187,191,188,174,152,168" href="#UT" alt="Utah">

  <area shape="poly" coords="214,195,204,267,262,273,301,275,305,205,252,200,215,195" href="#CO" alt="Colorado">

  <area shape="poly" coords="292,62,288,114,380,118,379,111,377,108,376,90,373,83,373,65,293,61" href="#ND" alt="North Dakota">

  <area shape="poly" coords="288,115,284,131,283,167,351,170,360,174,367,173,380,179,381,171,380,164,381,130,376,125,378,119,288,115" href="#SD" alt="South Dakota">

  <area shape="poly" coords="283,168,280,203,305,206,305,224,396,225,391,216,382,180,368,175,359,175,352,172,333,171,283,168" href="#NE" alt="Nebraska">

  <area shape="poly" coords="304,224,302,276,355,280,405,279,407,244,401,234,401,228,396,226,305,224" href="#KS" alt="Kansas">

  <area shape="poly" coords="290,276,288,285,330,288,329,321,349,331,356,331,368,336,372,335,380,337,394,336,397,334,409,337,408,292,406,280,345,280,291,276" href="#OK" alt="Oklahoma">

  <area shape="poly" coords="374,64,374,84,376,90,377,99,378,109,380,116,378,124,381,131,380,162,448,160,448,154,441,146,436,141,430,138,428,132,429,127,427,122,433,116,433,104,443,96,448,88,462,80,459,78,449,76,443,79,435,76,422,71,417,72,404,68,400,58,397,64,375,64" href="#MN" alt="Minnesota">

  <area shape="poly" coords="381,163,382,177,392,214,444,212,448,216,454,205,452,199,461,195,463,186,456,176,451,173,448,160,448,162,381,162" href="#IA" alt="Iowa">

  <area shape="poly" coords="391,214,396,225,402,229,402,235,408,245,406,280,408,288,470,286,471,290,469,294,476,293,479,286,483,282,484,276,480,273,480,266,466,256,468,244,460,243,460,240,450,227,449,216,446,213,391,214" href="#MO" alt="Missouri">

  <area shape="poly" coords="408,288,411,338,416,342,417,352,459,348,460,335,472,312,472,306,476,293,470,293,469,288,410,288" href="#AR" alt="Arkansas">

  <area shape="poly" coords="417,352,417,368,425,384,421,408,429,408,445,412,449,408,455,411,463,413,462,417,470,420,476,415,483,414,493,419,494,414,486,411,489,406,488,403,483,403,486,398,480,392,481,385,455,386,453,379,461,362,458,349,417,352" href="#LA" alt="Louisiana">

  <area shape="poly" coords="434,105,432,116,428,121,430,128,428,134,440,145,448,155,452,174,456,177,494,174,493,168,491,164,493,156,492,148,495,140,500,127,491,138,490,128,489,119,486,115,460,108,455,104,449,105,449,99,434,104" href="#WI" alt="Wisconsin">

  <area shape="poly" coords="459,178,462,187,461,196,454,200,455,205,450,215,450,226,460,240,468,245,467,256,481,267,482,274,486,272,494,274,493,267,496,264,498,257,503,243,502,235,500,192,493,176,458,178" href="#IL" alt="Illinois">

  <area shape="poly" coords="58,376,65,398,58,399,58,392,48,395,48,402,51,408,59,411,64,411,61,418,55,420,48,418,40,426,40,434,43,443,48,441,47,451,64,456,60,465,47,472,28,476,39,476,52,473,68,467,80,459,77,457,84,451,90,444,85,452,95,453,101,452,100,448,105,447,115,453,128,457,143,467,152,480,159,489,164,489,164,484,169,488,171,483,163,479,152,464,148,459,140,461,132,456,125,450,124,384,121,381,114,380,107,377,101,376,97,372,92,369,88,367,79,369,72,371,59,376" href="#AK" alt="Alaska">

  <area shape="poly" coords="498,190,503,229,502,239,502,244,498,259,508,257,515,255,518,257,521,254,525,253,533,244,532,240,540,237,539,233,535,184,510,187" href="#IN" alt="Indiana">

  <area shape="poly" coords="499,259,496,265,492,269,492,274,488,273,484,275,481,284,499,284,500,282,557,276,563,272,582,256,575,248,573,242,569,240,568,237,562,238,554,238,549,236,544,232,540,235,534,240,527,252,519,256,500,259" href="#KY" alt="Kentucky">

  <area shape="poly" coords="516,168,509,155,512,130,519,130,521,122,525,120,523,118,528,114,542,118,548,128,548,135,543,146,545,150,556,140,562,158,560,167,556,171,556,177,552,183,536,184,508,188,513,180" href="#MI" alt="Michigan">

  <area shape="poly" coords="480,284,497,285,502,282,554,276,588,272,584,280,577,283,574,288,563,295,556,300,556,304,520,308,473,311,472,307,480,285" href="#TN" alt="Tennessee">

  <area shape="poly" coords="473,312,460,336,460,345,459,352,461,361,454,380,456,387,481,386,480,392,485,396,496,392,504,392,500,354,500,310,473,312" href="#MS" alt="Mississippi">

  <area shape="poly" coords="500,311,539,308,552,352,552,359,554,370,555,378,516,382,519,388,520,392,515,395,510,388,507,394,505,392,500,352" href="#AL" alt="Alabama">

  <area shape="poly" coords="536,185,540,236,544,232,556,237,567,237,573,241,578,231,582,230,583,222,592,217,595,196,590,173,575,184,564,186,554,184,536,186" href="#OH" alt="Ohio">

  <area shape="poly" coords="590,174,598,212,659,201,660,199,664,199,673,189,665,183,664,176,668,168,659,160,590,174" href="#PA" alt="Pennsylvania">

  <area shape="poly" coords="606,147,608,153,599,167,600,172,658,160,668,169,680,173,680,179,693,176,703,167,693,170,684,171,682,157,681,137,680,128,676,126,676,116,670,101,651,106,639,123,640,131,637,136,631,142,618,142,607,146" href="#NY" alt="New York">

  <area shape="poly" coords="263,488,261,479,257,475,260,468,245,457,222,448,204,440,192,434,198,431,203,430,223,439,240,448,252,452,257,456,260,465,268,469,276,477" href="#HI" alt="Hawaii">

  <area shape="poly" coords="539,308,552,353,556,380,596,379,600,381,600,376,608,375,610,365,610,360,612,351,605,344,604,340,600,334,594,328,587,321,581,315,571,309,575,304,557,304,540,308" href="#GA" alt="Georgia">

  <area shape="poly" coords="517,382,520,392,534,390,544,393,552,399,560,398,568,392,576,396,587,404,595,410,597,425,604,428,601,436,611,451,620,460,626,463,632,472,640,468,640,463,643,456,640,440,628,418,630,412,624,406,616,394,609,376,603,376,601,382,596,380,557,381,556,378,517,382" href="#FL" alt="Florida">

  <area shape="poly" coords="575,303,589,296,603,295,608,300,622,298,642,312,637,316,636,324,612,351,603,338,596,329,587,322,583,316,571,311,575,304" href="#SC" alt="South Carolina">

  <area shape="poly" coords="556,305,556,300,573,289,577,284,584,281,588,273,623,267,669,256,677,268,671,278,665,279,668,284,666,288,672,289,663,294,656,298,651,308,642,312,620,299,608,302,603,296,590,298,577,301,570,304,556,305" href="#NC" alt="North Carolina">

  <area shape="poly" coords="562,276,592,272,670,259,669,252,663,252,662,248,661,234,652,232,647,230,648,222,636,214,636,219,629,214,620,224,619,232,613,231,608,245,607,251,596,259,588,260,584,259,581,257,561,276" href="#VA" alt="Virginia">

  <area shape="poly" coords="595,203,593,217,584,223,583,232,577,233,575,243,576,252,581,256,586,260,590,260,596,259,600,257,604,255,607,252,608,245,610,238,612,236,613,232,618,233,618,228,622,222,624,219,625,216,628,215,633,219,636,216,635,213,631,212,628,212,622,211,619,216,614,218,612,211,599,212,595,204" href="#WV" alt="West Virginia">

  <area shape="poly" coords="671,102,691,96,695,104,691,108,689,120,690,137,682,139,681,130,677,127,676,115,671,102" href="#VT" alt="Vermont">

  <area shape="poly" coords="690,137,707,135,711,128,707,123,696,89,693,94,694,105,690,112,690,137" href="#NH" alt="New Hampshire">

  <area shape="poly" coords="696,90,704,108,712,127,705,121,715,115,718,109,725,104,726,96,731,97,736,92,737,95,748,83,745,79,741,79,740,72,736,72,728,48,721,43,716,49,708,46,704,62,703,71,704,76,696,90" href="#ME" alt="Maine">

  <area shape="poly" coords="682,153,702,149,704,160,692,164,685,171,683,154" href="#CT" alt="Connecticut">

  <area shape="poly" coords="682,140,682,154,701,149,706,146,713,153,720,149,727,148,727,144,722,146,718,144,716,142,711,140,712,133,710,132,704,137,683,140" href="#MA" alt="Massachusetts">

  <area shape="poly" coords="703,151,706,148,714,155,706,158,703,151" href="#RI" alt="Rhode Island">

  <area shape="poly" coords="668,170,665,181,673,190,666,198,669,208,676,208,683,197,681,185,677,184,680,178,679,173,669,169" href="#NJ" alt="New Jersey">

  <area shape="poly" coords="661,200,666,222,674,222,673,218,670,215,663,200" href="#DE" alt="Delaware">

  <area shape="poly" coords="612,211,661,200,666,222,675,223,670,244,668,243,670,230,660,227,658,221,660,217,659,211,656,210,653,213,655,221,656,228,651,228,648,224,643,219,638,215,633,209,626,211,617,218,612,211" href="#MD" alt="Maryland">

  <area shape="rect" coords="707,267,796,280" href="#DC" alt="Washington, D.C.">

</map>

 

 

If you use any of my work and find it helpful, I hope you can buy me a cup of coffee by making a small donation.

donate

Mar 17

Some features I like in IE 9

Posted on by

1. Speed and Performance

With its own JavaScript engine Chakra, Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 released this week has better SunSpider JavaScript test score than any other web browsers, such as Google Chrome 10, FireFox 3.6 (and FireFox 4.0 RC), Safari 5.0, and Opera 11.

SunSpiderResultsPPB9RTW

The new JavaScript engine is also able to access the computer’s graphics card processor to speed up the performance, especially for 3D graphic and video (this is so called hardware acceleration feature in IE 9). It explains why you will have a better experience when visiting the IE’s marketing sites (IE Test Drive and Beauty of the Web) with IE 9 than with other web browsers, such as Chrome and FireFox.

For example, FishIE Tank demo with 20 fish, IE 9 displays 60 FPS, while Chome 10 and FireFox 3.6 only about 30 FPS and 20 FPS, respectively.

FishIE Tank with 10 fish in IE 9

FishIE Tank with 10 fish in IE 9

FishIE Tank with 10 fish in Chrome 10

FishIE Tank with 10 fish in Chrome 10

BeautyOfTheWeb_FireFox3.6

FishIE Tank with 10 fish in FireFox 3.6

When the number of fish increases to 100, the speed drops to 56 FPS for IE 9, 21 FPS for Chrome, and only 6 FPS for FireFox, and FireFox becomes slow to respond. While it comes to 1000 fish, the speed drops to 29 FPS for IE 9, 2 FPS for Chrome, and 2 FPS for FireFox, and FireFox becomes non-responsive and Chrome becomes slow to respond.

Also, the Task Manager of my pc shows that while running the FishIE Tank demo, IE 9 uses about 15% of the CPU, Chrome uses 25%, and FireFox uses 25%. So the hardware acceleration feature in IE 9 is able to reduce CPU burden by using the graphics card power, and as the result, the performance and speed is greatly improved. Of course, there are some other factors credited for the performance and speed of IE 9, you can read them here.

2. Tab Arrangement

By default, IE 9 has a short address bar and all tabs are right after the address bar. This tab layout gives you a little bit more space. But if you want to go back to the old and familiar layout, having the address bar and tabs on separate rows, you can easily do it by right-clicking the top of the IE window and choose “Show tabs on a separate row”.

IE 9 finally caught up with Chrome and FirFox on converting a tab window to a separate window, and vice versa. So you can now in IE 9 drag a tab out of all tab windows to make it a separate window, or you can drag a separate window and drop it to any location among tabs.

3. Pinned Site

When you drag a tab window to Windows 7 task bar, you will be able to pin the window to the task bar. It is a very handy feature that allows you to have your favorite web sites in just one-click away.

4. Integration of Information Bar and Download Manager

In IE 9, the information bar is moved to the bottom of the screen, and is integrated with the new download manager. Prior to IE 9, the information is displayed in an inconsistent way, for instance, when a popup window is blocked, the information is displayed in the information bar; when a file is being downloaded, the file download dialog is displayed; when a mixed web site (secure and non-secure content) is visited, a security warning window is prompted:

IESecurityPrompt

In IE 9, all those are integrated into a single information bar to give a consistent user experience.

IE9 Information Bar

IE9DownloadInformationBar

How do you think about the new IE 9? What is your favorite feature of IE 9?

Mar 14

IE 9 final version available today

Posted on by

Internet Explorer 9 will be available for download today starting at 9pm PST.

IE 9 Available on March 14, 2011

According to the report of NSS Labs, Internet Explorer outperformed other web browsers in protecting user from the socially-engineered malware attack, where IE 9 (beta) blocked 90% of the live threats and IE 8 blocked 80% of the live threats.

10SEM_Graph

 

Although those numbers are very impressive, I found this report is pro-IE.

Firstly, the report tested IE 9 beta version, but it didn’t test any beta version of the other browsers,why?

Secondly, those web browsers use different security models to protect their users, right? A threat to a browser is not necessarily a threat to another browser.

I would like to hear your opinion on the IE 9 and the said security report.

Mar 07

Microsoft finally joined to get rid of Internet Explorer 6

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Microsoft finally decided to join the world to get rid of the 10-year-old Internet Browser 6, but only this time it launched its own campaign site called The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown (www.ie6countdown.com), and the purpose is to reduce the market share of IE6 from the current 12% (as in Feb 2011) to 1%.

I happily joined the campaign. If you visit my blog with IE6, then you will see this image at the top of my site:

 

If you want to join the campaign as well, click here to see how to add the banner code in your site.

Mar 04

What is content farm web site?

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Started last week, I noticed that the traffic to my site suddenly increased,  and at the same time, the number of spam comments increased as well. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to this increase and thought it may just be a intermittent thing, until when I came across to some articles(this one and this one) from www.digitaltrends.com and realized that Google just updated their search algorithm to weed out those content farm web sites, which might be the reason of the increased traffic to my site. But what is content farm web site? This is my first time to hear this term, so I started reading Google’s official blog and learned a lot of useful information.

Content farm web sites basically are those whose contents are copied from other authoritative web sites, or contents are pure spam, for instance, clicking a link will open an irrelevant webpage, etc. Google calls them “shallow or low-quality” web sites and launched a big algorithm update targeting on reducing the rankings for those content farm web sites so that those high-quality and original web sites will get a better ranking. So if you noticed the traffic to your site has dropped, or your Google search ranking has reduced, then you should double-check your web site to make sure it is complaint to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If your site’s traffic has increased as mine has since Google’s algorithm improvement, then enjoy the good news and keep up your good work.