USB flash drive encryption

Using USB key to transport data from home to anywhere is now common, but sometimes you need to protect your data. No, not your pet picture or your last iTunes top 10 songs, but your real sensitive data like personnal data from your Home.Net application ;) There's several solution offers to end-user but TrueCrypt is a open source software really efficient.

• After downloading TrueCrypt you have in zipfile a directory called "Setup File".
• Copy all .exe and .sys file to a directory on your USB key (i.e TrueCrypt)
  
• Launch TrueCrypt.exe
• Select "Create Volume"
• Follow instruction or
• Create a standard volume
• Select a File "Whatever"
• Choose an encryption method
• Specify an appropriate size
• Choose a good password :)
  
• Then Format your virtual disk
  

• Create a .bat using following command :

.\TrueCrypt\truecrypt.exe /q /v "Home.net - Encrypted" /l q
copy /Y "Q:\import.xml" "D:\Work\Home.Net\exchange\import.xml"
Any other (r)sync stuff...
.\TrueCrypt\truecrypt.exe /q /d /l q

run.bat can be launched by autorun.ini if your are lazy but it's not always so usefull.

Now when you plug your USB key, you can run.bat,TrueCrypt ask your password, and synchronization of your private data can start safetly.

Alarm clock

An alarm clock that doesn't ring ! That's really inventive. This light simulate a rising sun in 15, 30 or 60 minutes, and without a sound you wake up naturally, simple and efficient. Same thing when you wanna sleep.
This light use a special bubble tube, with light blue color and can also be use to fight SAD in winter.
And yes, you can set up a small beep if you're afraid to don't wake-up :)
I use it for 2 month now, and it's so simple, and so useful.... i can leave (or sleep) without.
Well, it's not a real smart alarm clock, it doesn't connect to your calendar, or traffic, and wake up early if you have a meeting rescheduled early or if there's so traffic jam on your way but ... it's a first step.

Available in france on :

• zestress.com
• Nature et decouvertes