Access Any Country Restricted Website

For many years now, savvy internet users have been accessing websites anonymously for various reasons of the legal and illegal sort.

This was once something only the very technical folks could achieve using various types of anonymous proxies and VPN servers.

Now there are dozens of products on the market that allow all levels of users to access sites in dozens of countries across the world very cheaply and very reliably.

This article takes you through the steps required to set up VPN access to any one of 29 countries – including the US and UK – on your Mac, Linux or Windows PC, iPhone or internet router for whole network access.

To achieve this I’m going to use a service called OverPlay.  OverPlay have a free US server that you can use for as long as you wish.

I would however suggest using OverPlay’s free US server to test out the service to see if it’s right for you and then to register for their premium service if you think it’s right for you.  The premium service is not expensive but is very reliable.

People use personal VPN’s such as OverPlay for many reasons including:

Watching TV Online – Many TV websites such as ABC, Fox, Sky, etc do not allow you to view their website broadcasts unless you are physically located in a certain country.  That’s not very fair if you’re say traveling away from home and want to watch your favorite programs or live sports.Anonymous Surfing – Maybe you have a personal reason to hide your internet browsing habits.  By surfing through OverPlay all of your internet browsing is encrypted and routed through OverPlays VPN servers.  It would be impossible for your ISP to see the sites you visit.Security – By routing all of your browsing activity through OverPlay’s servers, the information you send and receive is encrypted using 128 bit encryption so there’s little chance your information can be stolen in transit.Gambling Online – Many countries have local gambling laws restricting online gambling.  By using OverPlay you will be essentially gambling from outside your home country and will not have problems accessing gambling websites.Online Communication – Some countries have strict communication restrictions when using programs such as Skype.  These restrictions can be bypassed by connecting through OverPlay’s VPN service.

These instructions apply if you want to connect a single Windows PC to a server in another country.

After following these instructions all of your internet activity will be routed through the country you have connected to.  Therefore you will appear to be in that country and can access any website or web service that requires you to be physically located in that country.

When you disconnect from the VPN server your internet activity will be back to normal again, i.e., your computer will revert to being located in your actual location.

1.  Download & run setup.exe OverPlay VPN client – Overplay will install the following software if it is not already on your computer:

Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Libraries (x86)Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5OpenVPN Tap0901 Adapter

2. If you do not have any of the above components on your computer you will be prompted to install them.  Click Install when prompted.

3.  Setup will now download the required files and begin installing the software.  You may be prompted several times by the User Account Control.  In all cases you should click the Yes button to continue.

4.  You may be prompted with an Application Install – Security Warning.  Verify that the prompt originates from OverPlay VPN and click the Install button to continue.

5.  You may be prompted by User Account Control requesting the OverPlay VPN be allowed to make changes to your computer.  Click Yes to continue.

6.  When setup is complete you will see the OverPlay VPN client as shown in the graphic below.

7.  Select a country/server from the drop down list and click the Connect button.

8.  If prompted, enter your OverPlay username and password – if you haven’t registered yet then you can do so here: OverPlay Registration

9.  Verify that you are browsing through the country you intended by clicking here:  Where Am I?

Your PC will now be connected to the country that you’ve selected from the drop down list.  Happy surfing!

These instructions apply if you want to connect a single Mac OS X computer to a server in another country.

After following these instructions all of your internet activity will be routed through the country you have connected to.  Therefore you will appear to be in that country and can access any website or web service that requires you to be physically located in that country.

When you disconnect from the VPN server your internet activity will be back to normal again, i.e., your computer will revert to being located in your actual location.

1.  Download one of the following depending on your Mac OS X version:

2a. Mac OSX 10.6 and later: Double click the file to start the installation.  Install with default options and enter your OS X password when requested.

2b. Mac OS X 10.5 and earlier:  Drag the OverPlay application from the DMG to your Applications folder.

3.  Launch the OverPlay application from your Applications folder and you’ll be presented with the following screen:

4.  Log in using your OverPlay username and password.  if you haven’t registered yet then you can do so here: OverPlay Registration.

5.  After successfully logging in you’ll see a list of countries.  Select the country you’d like to connect to and click the Connect button as shown below.

6.  When setup is complete you will see the OverPlay VPN client as shown in the graphic below.

7.  Select a country/server from the drop down list and click the Connect button.

8.  If prompted, enter your OverPlay username and password – if you haven’t registered yet then you can do so here: OverPlay Registration

9.  Verify that you are browsing through the country you intended by clicking here:  Where Am I?

Your Mac will now be connected to the country that you’ve selected from the drop down list.  Happy surfing!

What is DD-WRT?

Briefly, DD-WRT is an open-source firmware (the operating system on your internet router).

Essentially it is capable of converting a normal internet router into a router with an abundance of new features.

In this case the feature we use is VPN!  DD-WRT only works on certain routers and you can see a compatibility list here.

A word of warning – converting your router to a DD-WRT router can (but not always) require technical skills.

This article assumes you already have a router with DD-WRT installed and working.  I am only going to explain how to configure the DD-WRT router to connect to OverPlay’s VPN servers.

This is based on DD-WRT Firmware V24-SP2.

Installing OverPlay on your DD-WRT router

1.  Download OverPlay’s DD-WRT router configuration program for either Mac or Windows below:

2a.  Windows Users – extract and run op-ddwrt.exe from the download zip file.  Install the program using the wizard and then click Start > All Programs > op-ddwrt > op-ddwrt.  You will now see the OverPlay DD-WRT Installer.

2b.  Mac Users – extract and run op-ddwrt from the download zip file.  You will now see the OverPlay DD-WRT Installer.

3.  Enter the IP Address of your DD-WRT router, your router username and router password and click the Install button.

4.  After about a minute or less a message will be displayed in the Messages section instructing you to open the DD-WRT router configuration page.  Open your browser and enter the URL displayed in the Messages section.  Log in if requested.

5.  You will now see the OverPlay DD-WRT configuration page as shown below. Enter the Login Details for your OverPlay account – if you haven’t registered yet then you can do so here: OverPlay Registration.

6.  After successfully logging in to OverPlay you will see the OverPlay Options screen.  For optimal configuration, set the options as follows:

Connection Type:  OpenVPNCountry:  Your Choice!Server:  Your Choice!Mode:  Fast Mode (UDP)Connect At Startup:  SelectedAutomatically Reconnect:  SelectedBlock Internet on Disconnection:  Deselected

7.  Click Connect.  When connected the options will be greyed out and the Status will be updated to connected.

8.  Verify that you are browsing through the country you intended by clicking here:  Where Am I?

That’s it.  Your internet router will now be connected to the country that you’ve selected from the drop down list.

This means every computer on your network will be surfing the internet through this country!

You can change the country as often as you like by simply disconnecting and changing the country.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Social media FTW: Mayo Clinic offers early access for journalists and bloggers in health news

Recently launched "Mayo Clinic News Network" is billed as multimedia source for journalists, health science and research of information: http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

No cost, password-protected site for journalists offers the latest medical news, video, graphics, and links to background, interviews, animation experts and patient. Journalists from TV, radio, newspapers, Blogsand mobile platforms are invited to visit our website http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org and register. Pending approval, you will have access to this rich source of multimedia content.

Equipped with high quality video from the Mayo Clinic about CasesBlog 2-3 times a month, and after some brief account recorded and applied for access. I'll let you know if a medical blog with 7 million page views qualify for access to Mayo Clinic news network or not (update: the application has been approved).

The ACP's flagship magazine, Annals of Internal Medicine, already includes medical bloggers in their press release embargo before each new number.

The ACP internist site took a step further and includes guest post by hand doctor blogger (disclaimer: I'm one of the authors selected). Many of the posts are very interesting and cover a wide range of topics. You can see it here: http://blog.acpinternist.org

Congratulations to the ACP editor Ryan DuBosar, who is leading the medical initiative blog there: http://blog.acpinternist.org/2012/05/qd-news-every-day-nearly-1-in-8-doctors.html

View the original article here

Social media FTW: Mayo Clinic offers early access for journalists and bloggers in health news

Recently launched "Mayo Clinic News Network" is billed as multimedia source for journalists, health science and research of information: http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

No cost, password-protected site for journalists offers the latest medical news, video, graphics, and links to background, interviews, animation experts and patient. Journalists from TV, radio, newspapers, Blogsand mobile platforms are invited to visit our website http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org and register. Pending approval, you will have access to this rich source of multimedia content.

Equipped with high quality video from the Mayo Clinic about CasesBlog 2-3 times a month, and after some brief account recorded and applied for access. I'll let you know if a medical blog with 7 million page views qualify for access to Mayo Clinic news network or not (update: the application has been approved).

The ACP's flagship magazine, Annals of Internal Medicine, already includes medical bloggers in their press release embargo before each new number.

The ACP internist site took a step further and includes guest post by hand doctor blogger (disclaimer: I'm one of the authors selected). Many of the posts are very interesting and cover a wide range of topics. You can see it here: http://blog.acpinternist.org

Congratulations to the ACP editor Ryan DuBosar, who is leading the medical initiative blog there: http://blog.acpinternist.org/2012/05/qd-news-every-day-nearly-1-in-8-doctors.html

View the original article here

A new way to access BBC News on your mobile

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

If you are one of the growing number of people who use a mobile device to access BBC News, we have some important news for you.

This week sees the start of a revamp of our mobile services to make them even simpler and quicker to use, and to make more content available, more easily.

Mobile has become a key way for many people to keep up to date with news. In an average week, for example, the BBC News site and apps are visited by about 9.7m users on mobile and tablet devices worldwide, or about 26% of total users to BBC News Online.

To date, there have been three options for accessing BBC News on a mobile. The experience you get varies considerably depending on which one you use:

1) The first, and oldest, mobile option is the "mobile browser" site - mostly comprising headline links and designed for the simpler mobile handsets which predated the arrival of smartphones.

2) The second is the BBC News mobile app, which has been downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores several million times and is designed to give quick access to the day's main stories. The app allows you to read them offline too, and is a handy way to catch up with the top stories fast, but doesn't contain all the related editorial material you would find on the main site.

3) The third is the full desktop website, which many people also access on their phones. This has the advantage of giving you everything the main website contains, but on a smallish mobile screen it can be hard work to pinch, zoom and scan the content.

Now we are simplifying some of the above into a new service which launches this week and replaces the earlier mobile browser site.

Using an approach called Responsive Design, the BBC Future Media product team for News have built a mobile site which can detect and adapt to your device, giving you the optimum size and format for the phone you are using.

This new site is designed, for now, mainly for simpler phones, although you should be able to access it on any device. It will gradually evolve as new features and functionality are added in coming weeks, to the point where it becomes the default browser for smartphones as well. For those using our apps, of course we'll keep them up to date too and continue to look for ways of developing and improving them.

Kate Milner, product manager working on BBC News for mobiles, explains here in more detail what the new mobile service has to offer, and what to expect next.

People sometimes talk about a "mobile first" view of digital development and this project is a step in that direction, since the underlying technology, design and editorial approach is likely to help shape the way we develop services for tablets and the main desktop site in future too. Chris Russell, who leads the product team, writes more about this here.

We hope you'll like using the new mobile site, and If you'd like to leave comments and feedback about it, or have questions, please post them here.

Steve Herrmann is editor of the BBC News website.

View the original article here