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If you’ve ever wanted to get to SAP’s Service MarketPlace on the iPad, you’ll no doubt have been rather frustrated by the constant, repetitive requests for you to enter your user name and password. Whilst you may already have memorized your S-user ID, it’s unlikely you’ll take kindly to constant prompts to enter that and your password over and over again.

The same is true for a web browser on a desktop and the answer is simple: install the single sign-on certificate provided by SAP. You can find that on the Service MarketPlace by logging on and navigating to your profile. Download the certificate from there. It is likely that you’ll need to do this using Firefox on the Mac. Once downloaded and installed, restart the browser.

The default certificate needs to be exported for use by Safari, both on the Mac and iPad. The best way to do this is to use Firefox, navigate to Preferences. From there, select Advanced, then Encryption and click the View Certificates button.

Select the certificate, then click the Backup button. Enter a name and place to keep the exported certificate. Be sure to select PKCS12 as the format.

If you need to access SDN or Service MarketPlace using Safari, double-click the exported file and allow the content to be placed into your keychain. For use on the iPad, add the exported certificate file into a mail message and send it to an account you can access using your iPad. On the iPad, open the mail message.

Tap on the certificate embedded in the mail message. You will be prompted to install it.

Tap on Install and accept the message indicating the certificate’s status.

When prompted, enter the password for your S-user ID.

The profile should be installed now.

I recommend restarting Safari on the iPad and trying to log on to the Service MarketPlace again. You should find the convenience of the single sign on quite appealing.

Happy 2nd birthday, Sebastian!

Another one in the “good enough to believe” department. Take care not to click on this link, and if you do, DO NOT enter any of your Google account details.

The mail is purportedly sent from the Google accounts team, wishing to inform you that they will be doing some routine server maintenance.

The link provided in the mail looks valid, as does the sender account (Gmail Team) As with other scams of this kind, the frontend interface is increasingly sophisticated and copied from the actual Google accounts page.

The actual URL of the page points to supplyurdemand.com/catalog/images/gmail.services/Login.htm. Clicking on any of the links takes you to the actual Google link. Entering your account details will undoubtedly capture them in the database of the phisher an provide easy access to your mail and other private information. A test with a dummy account shows that you may not even know that you’ve been had: if your browser has stored the cookie associated with your last succesful logon to Google‘s mail, for example, you’ll simply be transferred there without a hitch. And none the wiser.

Again: never provide log on details regardless how convinced you may be that you should provide log on details for the benefit of any institution. If you haven’t changed your Google accounts password in some time, now’s a good time to do that. If you’ve accidentally fallen for this trick, you may be able to save yourself by having your password changed through actual verification with Google.

Birthday party in Australia. 7 years old today!

The iPhone 4 has been languishing on my desk for almost four days now.

Considering the fact that the unit is supposedly unlocked, my wait time to get the thing running has been due to the late arrival of the NooSY Micro SIM card trimmer. That device was, in my opinion, all I would need to get the iPhone 4 up and running.

I took the plunge and cut an old SIM card just to be sure the rather attractive Chinese stapler look-alike actually functions as advertised. A rather sickening snap later, I had a very neatly cut SIM card, albeit one that seem to have been cut agonizingly close to the golden contact area of the chip. Insertion into the the sleek new iPhone worked and the SIM was recognized. Time to cut my actual SIM, currently ensconced in the iPhone 3G. Again, the cut-out worked rather nicely, and after inserting the now Micro SIM into the unit, I was pleased to enter my PIN code and connect to iTunes. That’s where the happiness ended rather abruptly:

That message is a warning to all that are keen to be on the bleeding edge. Apple has apparently created an extra check in their backend systems to verify which SIM card is in the phone and where that SIM card originates. Since the check is in the backend, there is little anyone can do.

One option is to wait for the official release of the iPhone in South Africa. The other? Contact a friend or pay some cash. Let’s see how that goes…

Update: after a fair bit of fiddling, it would seem as though my unit is a dud. Needs to be swapped out for another one. Another week to wait for that

Saturday saw us waking very early to head to the smallish town of Potchefstroom, home of the South African Army’s 4th Artillery Regiment. A yearly event, access to information regarding the open day is fairly restricted and it took me a fair bit of effort to determine the when and where of the expensive fireworks display we were to be treated to. Never being one to miss a chance to see my tax money being blown to goodness knows where (at least in this case, the use of that money is reasonably transparent and the effect visible), I was rather interested in attending as I have never seen an artillery display live.

Gates opened at 08:00, with the static display of vehicles, guns and rockets an interesting way to while away the time until the actual display’s start at around 11:00.

There is no entrance fee and a fair number of visitors had made their way to Potchefstroom. The highlight of the day was obviously the firing of armaments of various sizes and potency, starting with machine guns, mortars and ending with G5 and G6 cannons and the most impressive piece of kit, the multiple rocket launcher.

A great way to spend the day and interesting for the younger visitors, too. Remember the sunscreen, ear protection and a few chairs for next year.

Just a message for those of you in parts of the world that have yet to enter the year 2010, regardless of your calendar: rhino horn in any form cannot cure cancer and is unlikely to increase any sexual prowess you are seeking. Hunting rhinoceros or any other animal for that matter is primitive, inhumane and cannot be justified for any reason.

Like homeopathy, you are believing in bullshit – your belief (like many others) is not supported by scientific fact.

Stop buying animal products in the mistaken belief that your pathetic life can be improved. Your poachers deserve little more than death – ideally in no less a horrible form than the death you are imposing on a dwindling population of harmless, innocent animals.

You need medical help? Seek out a physician. You need sexual potency? Take Viagra.

Leave. the. rhino. alone.

For photographers in the vicinity of Johannesburg, the annual Photo & Film Expo may be of interest.

Like last year, Canon‘s lack of presence is apparent. Nikon shooters will be happy to see that company’s branding prominently displayed.

The Photo & Film Expo is scheduled to run from 14 to 17 October at the Northgate Dome. More details should appear here soon.

Simply because this has been running on CNN all day and I find it absolutely fascinating that the individual driving survived.

Apparently unscathed.

Here’s the link to the YouTube video.