Avast Anti-virus Video Review

http://www.avast.com/index
Stay Tuned there are more to come.

New York Times : A Simple Wireless Network? Not Likely

" When one of the first instructions a popular wireless Internet router from Netgear gives its owner is a choice between the security protocols known as WPA-PSK (TKIP) and WPA-PSK (TKIP) + WPA2-PSK (AES), you know the home networking industry has problems."  ~  ERIC A. TAUB

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/technology/personaltech/26basics.html?_r=1&ref=technology

For those of us that understand a bit about wireless and it's security, this article may have more implications. but as some things get easier some things seem to get complicated. 

Top Tech News : No-Fuss Backup Solutions To Secure Your Data

" Make sure that your data is regularly secured with backup solutions that remove you from the equation. Windows Home Server provides the kind of hands-off, automated backup that most Windows users need. Automated online backup services are worth investigating; CrashPlan and Carbonite, in particular, offer some unique backup services."  ~ Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=132008M5KZFO

I plan on getting into backup talks later but this seemed to be something that people should look into. Seriously.

Tech News World : The Kernel Bug, the Missing Patch and the 6-Years-Later Fix

~"It just goes to show that not all distros are alike, and that all code can be expected to contain bugs," asserted Slashdot blogger Barbara Hudson. "The kernel has held up better than Ivory Soap. Like Ivory Soap, the kernel is 'pure enough' for most purposes, most of the time." Bottom line: "This incident hasn't altered my confidence in linux."~  ~ Katherine Noyes

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/The-Kernel-Bug-the-Missing-Patch-and-the-6-Years-Later-Fix-70714.html

Well, this is a bit interesting to me anyway. All this talk about Windows and MAC OS and now we actually find out that Linux has a few kinks to work out and that this one took six years to actually do something about. Meh! I understand that all OS have problems and limits, but I just find it amusing that this hole has been open for 6 years and no one actually plugged it up. Not that someone had not made a patch for it, just no one implemented it. Hmmmm....

BBC News : Virtual reality tackles tough questions

"Virtual reality is allowing scientists to ask difficult questions about human behaviour that were previously not possible or were thought too unethical."  ~ David Reid  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8918282.stm

When I was younger I would have thought that by the time I had reached the age I am now this would be integrated into my computer. I had hoped to be able to play online games like in dot hack sign. But something happened, VR just simply faded out like mullets and bell-bottoms. I am happy to see now that it is coming back into somewhat of a main stream. Well the realm of behavioral science anyway. This could lead to some of the stories I have seen and heard over the years. Some of which might cross the ethical boundaries.

Network World : Microsoft flaunts customer dumping VMware

"Microsoft is still refusing to showcase Hyper-V at VMworld in protest of VMware rules that Microsoft believes are designed to limit competition, but that doesn't mean the Microsoft hype machine will abstain from anti-VMware marketing.

In advance of next week's VMworld, Microsoft is touting a customer that is implementing a long-term plan to replace VMware with Microsoft and claims the move will provide savings of $3.2 million in the next three to five years. The customer, CH2M Hill, is ranked at No. 381 in the Fortune 500 and has corporate headquarters in Colorado."  ~ Jon Brodkin

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/082610-microsoft-virtualization.html?hpg1=bn

Just thought I would post this. It is interesting to me. I know that VMware is an outstanding program, however, I use VirtualBox.  I find VirtualBox to not hold me back when I make a VM out of any operating system. VirtualPC, which is owned by Microsoft, gives all the extras to it's own programs and seems to hinder all others. VMware doesn't seem to hinder you but it asks you to run in a cloud if you wish to create your own VMs. Either that or you need some potent hardware in order to do it in house. I find the use of cloud computing to be a bit of a hindrance, and still even though many advances have been made, it just seems to insecure to me. Call me old fashioned on this note but it is how I am.

Technical Difficulties

Because I want to LOL

up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, <select> start

Skype

I have to mention that Skype is a good program, and has many uses. For some it is just a cheaper way to keep in touch with relatives far away, for others it is a collaboration tool. I have used it for both. I have used it to get through school work, and have called friends/family across the country. If only I could get my Great Uncle to install it in the UK.
As far as collaboration goes people can use it to get work done or just bounce ideas about randomness.
Gotta love the random.

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home

Help

Looking for tech words that people would understand for use in the rating system. I would like them to be a bit fun also.

Facebook hijack

I have noted a facebook hijack going around.... an instant message is sent to you with a link. One thing is that you should never go to those links unless you know where it leads. Hope this helps someone.

An epiphany

It occurred to me, with the help of a friend, that I need to do some sort of a rating system on the products I discuss. So I will begin rating these programs. Not sure exactly what the rating will be, but stay tuned.

Oops - The Challenge : Part 6

Okay... well here is the lowdown on the OSX install. My desktop was not able to use VT or hardware virtualization due to it's processor <thanks Art>. I used Securable to check my hardware on my laptop, which said it was able to do the VT stuff.
Now most people would say don't mess with VMs on Vista, or a laptop. However I take some strange pleasure in going against the grain in areas of life and technology.
I had to update Virtualbox and move the image to the laptop in order to do all this.
From there I created the VM, turned off the EFI
Choose the image for the OSX os
Then start the machine
If all is well with the world you get the installer

Now you need to use the disk utility from the top of the screen
choose the Vbox disk
click erase
name the drive, and then click erase again
click disk utility again, then click quit disk utility
select your drive, click continue
The next window is important. Click customize at the bottom left.
For AMD Users check,
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
AMD option below System support.
For Intel Users,
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down bootloaders and check the newest chameleon.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
Then click Next done and Install. To speed up the process you can click Skip when the disc check pops up.
Wait for it to finish installing…
Then if you did what I did and forget to dismount the cd/dvd image you need to shut the machine down, then unmount the image, then restart.
If all is well in the new kingdom, the normal setup items appear.
Just hit continue if you like me do not already have a MAC acct. But if you do I would recommend not using it anyway. Register or don't, but soon enough you are in MAC OSX

Anti-virus products

A free antivirus that is decent, and can be found here:  http://www.free-av.com/

This is a very thorough anti-malware product, it has brought a computer up for me on many occasions.
It can be found here: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Avast Anti-virus pt 2

This software is free for regular home users, it has many options to help make it work for you.
The only thing Avast asks of a home user is that you register with them once a year. I know there is a paid version, but they consider that mainly to be for office use.

http://www.avast.com/index

If you are in the market for a good, free PC anti-virus program, I recommend this one highly. The boot-time scan feature has gotten me back into non-safe mode windows on a number of machines.

Avast Anti-virus

I apologize

I apologize for not posting recently... been busy with other people's machines... I will make another post soon... til then keep your info safe

This is the interface for the Kasperky Internet Security software. This program works very well in my opinion. I use it and know that it is not perfect, but no anti-malware product is. Remember that just having the software is not enough, you need to use the software. You also need to update it regularly. I have this set to do it automatically, and I see it update 2-3 times a day.

A definition of the computer virus

I have to state that this to me is a bare minimum answer for the this term, and is not totally correct. I am a IT Sec student, so we have been given many technical definitions. The term virus is more of a blanket term now, much like malware. But please read this and look up the site through the link.

"A virus is a simple program designed to cause harm to someone else's computer. A virus spreads by duplicating and attaching itself to other files. The extent of the damage depends on the virus. There are tens of thousands of viruses.
Some virus damage is insignificant but inconvenient. Some virus damage is disastrous, putting the computer system out of action by erasing files or corrupting data."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/implications/virusesrev1.shtml

 

Top Tech News : Removing Stubborn Viruses That Plague Your PC

"If you're a technology fan, you probably try out a lot of software, visit a lot of web sites, and have your share of externally-connected drives. And eventually, you'll fall prey to a computer virus or worm that you cannot eradicate. What can you do if that happens to you? Read on for some answers."  ~ Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100B2HPLS6&page=1

This is actually a good article on what to do, granted it does not give you all the choices but many. Most of us never want to do a reload of our operating system. There is another way but it involves having tools that tech head are usually the only one to have. One being an external hard drive bay, this way you can take the drive out of the infected machine a run the virus scan on another computer. Hopefully this can eradicate the virus for you. Some people do not have this ability and it is a little bit on the higher level tech processes. So if you do not know what item is the hard drive you probably should not open your case.

Top Tech News : Antivirus Software: Do You Really Need It?

Okay, I get it most people do not like to have to buy and anti-virus product. But please remember there are free ones. I go into that at some point in the series of anti-virus posts.

"Today's browsers have a lot of security controls built in, and these tend to do a fine job of preventing phishing attacks or the automatic downloading of potentially malicious software. Antivirus tools add little to their already robust protections. So if you want to be free of antivirus software, be sure to use to latest version of your browser.
Do you wish you could do without antivirus software? There are certainly plenty of good reasons not to like it. After all, antivirus programs invariably slow down your computer, annoy you with false positives or status pop-ups, and of course most of them cost money -- often on a recurring, yearly basis. But can you just say no to antivirus software and still stay safe? The short answer is "yes" -- if you adopt some security -savvy computing practices."  ~  Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100B2HPEXI
Now I am not going to say he is wrong here. What most of us have to understand is that viruses and attacks are started and created almost on a daily basis now. I can say that I keep my computer as up-to-date as I allow. I have seen many patches installed that I have to uninstall or go to the manufacturer's website to get their latest driver. 
For the most part he is correct here, but this is also in a perfect world. More or less we need the products to give us that layer of protection. 
I don't want to compare the two but here we go. It's almost like saying she's on the pill, I don't need the condom. Everybody missed a dose of your meds at some point, and all it takes is once. You may follow his words and instructions everyday, but download just once and you may face a consequence.
More or less protect yourself and your PC.

Hopefully you can enjoy this video, and as I said there will be more uploaded as they are completed. I am working on some particular technical issues to give you information on.
Webcam is the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000, and the other toy is called a Dazzle and is made by Pinnacle systems.

MY TOYS

My new toys have arrived.... WOOHOO!!!!

Oops - The Challenge : Part 5

Well it would appear that I missed something so I have gone back to correct this misstep. I had a been using a sort of walkthrough from lifehacker.com (good site). It seems I forgot to disable EFI. But that still did not solve my problem looking into other issues.

Well this is where I am stuck I guess, maybe it is a bad image... gonna look for another.

The failure of my system.... Challenge : Part 4

Well I will continue with this as far as I was able to get.

Click on your MAC VM
Click the settings button
Click on storage
Click on the CD picture
Click on the folder picture
Click Add
Find the image for the OS
Choose the image and click open
Click on the image from the list then click select
Click OK

Now that we have the machine setup the next step is to run it so that it can hopefully install the OS.
This is where my system has failed, I am unable to since my current desktop in incapable of hardware virtualization, esp. of the CPU. I will attempt to use my laptop, but I believe I will end with the same result.
If by some chance you are able to get this running and followed my blog Awesome, and have fun. For now I will have to live with a Dream Linux for a similar MAC OS experience.

Thechallenge : part 3

First you need to start Virtualbox.
Click new
Click next
Choose MAC OS X from the drop down menu
Choose a name in the Name field (ie OS X)
Click next
All of the default settings should work and in many cases are good enough for the VM

This is the basic setup for creating any VM. The main changes would be for the OS and the name used. There are certain settings I change on certain VMs to make them function better.

This is an image of the VMs I currently have, and yes there are a lot of Linux flavors. Perhaps I should talk more about some of the flavors I have used and messed with at a later date. I will eventually start messing with Windows machine in Virtualbox, but I do not have any created at this time.

The challenge : part 2

Okay so first thing is first, I had to update my version of virtualbox. I find this product to be much more along the ease of use category. It used to be a Sun product it is now and Oracle product. The new version is 3.2.8. Next I needed to torrent the files needed to do the research. From what I gather I might still be unable to run it anyway. I should run Securable on my computer again to make sure. I still have another 6 hours til I get the files.

I am going to state again that I am against piracy and I am torrenting said files so that I can actually attempt to create a VM of OS X.

For those of you that do not know Securable is a program that tests your system, and gives you information on what types of virtualization you can do. Plus other information.
Also please note that not all torrenting is for illegal stuff. It can be used to get legitimate software faster, such as Linux operating systems.

For now I am going to continue the download and head off to sleep.

Of Instant Messaging and software for it - Part 3

Let's get further into the now. When I switched my email over to Gmail I noticed that I actually had an IM client built right in. I began to use it. I found it was good except the only people I had to talk to were my Gmail friends. Of which I only had a few.
Then I got involved in the almighty FB (facebook). This is a love/hate relationship. While I love the games and the ability to talk to family/friends I almost never am able to on the phone, you have to deal with the peanut gallery viewing your post and commenting. This can get very taxing. I will talk more about the loss of your privacy while trying to stay connected some other time.
It is around this time that a friend introduced me to another great IM program, Pidgin. This program allows you to connect to many different chat clients at the same time. You can pick it up here : http://www.pidgin.im/
This can even connect with FB, with some coaxing. This link will take you to the plug in download : http://code.google.com/p/pidgin-facebookchat/wiki/Downloads?tm=2

This is a picture of what the pidgin interface looks like. It is very simple to use.
1. Double click the downloaded file to install.
2. Once running you can add accounts. (if you are going to use it for FB to install the plugin before you run pidgin)
3. Click on the accounts tab, then manage accounts.
4. Click Add
5. Choose a client from the protocol menu (AIM, ICQ, Facebook, Google Chat)
6. Input your user name and password
7. Click Add
If you need to add more just follow steps 4-7 again
Done you should be able to chat with your different IM friends now and all through one program. Awesome eh?

The challenge

I have been issued a research challenge. Now I am a VM user and maker. But there is one VM I have yet to attempt, a MAC OS. I want to preface this by saying that pirating is illegal. I will also state that I would like to own a MAC, but can ill afford one. So look for the posts that flesh out my challenge further.
"Cry HAVOK! And let slip the dogs of war."

Of Instant Messaging and software for it - Part 2

This a picture of the AIM interface. It is somewhat how mine looked back when I used it, although I think this is an updated version. It worked fairly well and allowed me to still keep in contact with my friends. The buttons that are across the bottom of it did not exist when I was using it.

Now this is also a newer version shown of ICQ. The older pictures are hard to come by especially since I really have no idea which version I used.  But for the most part the interfaces are the same. The bottom block was something else when I was using it, it definitely was not for phone calls.

Of Instant Messaging and software for it

I thought since most of us on the web today have been using IM software for a while I might talk about it.

Lets start by talking about where I got started with IMs. For me it started with AOL ( or A-O-HELL to those that were there). It was a brand new feature for me, I could chat online with a friend, some of whom I never met offline. Then some friends pointed me in the direction of ICQ. This was a little bit different of a program but it worked pretty well considering all it had to work with at the time was a 56k modem and it's program that you had to install. I liked this program somewhat but it was not as user friendly as AOL's IM feature. However in it's defense it had the ability to do other things, if I remember right you could share file through it.

After I changed over to Comcast for faster speeds AOL became unnecessary. This was sad for me at first until someone told me that you could download something called AIM for free from AOL so that I could still keep in contact with people from my friends list. When I first moved off AOL I had to change my email service also, at this time I started using Hotmail. Shortly there after I changed to Yahoo. Then burned again I started using Gmail. In all honesty I find Gmail to be the best at keeping the junk to a minimum in my inbox.

I'll continue this later, or maybe tomorrow, but for now I hope it was a trip down memory lane for some of you.

Network World : HP's Fortify buy puts spotlight on obscure -- but important -- niche

"Analysts say moves by tech leaders HP and IBM should boost flagging demand for application security tools.
Hewlett-Packard's move this week to buy Fortify software focuses attention on the increasingly important, but still mostly underutilized category of application security products, security experts say." ~ Jaikumar Vijayan

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081810-hps-fortify-buy-puts-spotlight.html?hpg1=bn

This should be a help for many corporations and may actually help the individuals as well. If they test their software using it as well. But this should be a evocation of the need for companies to check into their security prodiucts and make sure they are up-to-date and working properly. This should also be a reminder to those regular people out there that they also should do a check up on their security.

Network World : The Web Is Dead. Who Cares?

"No doubt many netizens of cyberspace were surprised to hear this week that the World Wide Web is on death's doorstep while the Internet is alive and well and ready to be the platform for an electronic Camelot. That's because for many folks the Web and the Net are synonymous. They use the words interchangeably in their daily lives, and they're likely to continue using them that way even if the prediction of the Web's fade from glory becomes a reality." ~ John P. Mello Jr.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081810-the-web-is-dead-who.html?hpg1=bn

I have to agree here, most of what we do now is not surf. We do not do much on the WEB. We do what we have to and do not care how it works. This goes for all most all technology. Oh well. On to the next big thing, eh?

ZDNet : DDoS extortion-themed scam circulating

"Symantec has intercepted a scam attempt, relying on scare tactics in order to trick domain owners into transferring virtual money, or face a distributed denial of service attack against their web site." ~ Dancho Danchev

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/ddos-extortion-themed-scam-circulating/7180?tag=nl.e589

I must say that bad engrish is back in these letters. I love how bad it is. I find this scam somewhat amusing in how simplistic it actually is. Now I do not want to see anyone hacked or any major site go down. I just laugh at reality. Check out this article.
The last funny thing to me is that it is Symantec that got the word and is passing it along.

ZDNet : Apple really is becoming Microsoft...

"I found myself at the not-too-local Apple store this morning, taking my 19 year old daughter to get her iPhone 3GS serviced. She had been on vacation last week and her 9 month old phone suddenly decided that the battery would last for only an hour or two, at best. She called me and I told her to just make an appointment at the local Apple store (less than 20 minutes from where she was vacationing) and that they should swap her phone for a refurb again (her first phone suffered a major failure less than two weeks after she received it).
She handed her phone to the Genius at the Apple Bar and after running diagnostics, they reset the phone to factory defaults and upgraded her to the latest dot release of iOS 4 and told her the problem was solved. If it happened again, she should go to any Apple store and they would happily replace the phone.
Unfortunately, on the 20 minute car ride back to the hotel from the Apple Store, the phone lost 15% of its indicated power, so the problem clearly wasn’t solved." ~ David Chernicoff

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/apple-really-is-becoming-microsoft/38162?tag=nl.e539

Well the tag line might be a little bit overzealous, this is a problem for people. It seems that some companies MS, Apple, BK, McD's, and others, don't train their employees as well as they should. Now in some cases they just don't understand or get it but in many it is a simple lack in training and customer service. There are people out there who should not be in that arena, we have all met someone like this and are probably picturing them right now. That said, good customer service skills to not a technology expert make. These skills help quite a bit, but you need the training and knowledge to back this up. IT could just be faulty hardware, or gasp.... a "ghost" in the machine.

Good news post fans

I will be getting some new equipment that should make things more enjoyable here one the site in about a week.

ZDNet : Oracle suit overwhelms Ubuntu launch

"Like a President having to talk about anchor babies or mosques when he would rather talk about education and the economy, Mark Shuttleworth had his launch of Ubuntu 10.10 hijacked by the Oracle suit.
We had a good excuse, however. Ubuntu 10.10 will support multitouch, the technology at the heart of another lawsuit, the one Apple filed against HTC over its inclusion in Android. Software patents are not legal in Europe, where Ubuntu developer Canonical is based." ~ Dana Blankenhorn

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/oracle-suit-overwhelms-ubuntu-launch/7185?tag=content;selector-blogs

This could be an issue for Apple. Linux is Open-source, so the code for this particular function is going to be available to everyone. Even MS. Being that patents are illegal in Europe, it will be a little tougher to stop this.

ZDNet : Microsoft: Games to be front and center for Windows Phone 7

"Microsoft is reconfirming, on the eve of Gamescom 2010, that it is making sure the Windows Phone 7 platform will be a game-centric one.
On August 16, Microsoft officials confirmed earlier reports that Microsoft Game Studios is creating a dedicated group to develop video games for Windows Phones. The group also will help recruit smaller, indie game makers, according to the company." ~ Mary Jo Foley

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-games-to-be-front-and-center-for-windows-phone-7/7124?tag=nl.e539

This seems very wise for the old men at the stuffy MS company. To allow for games on their new phones, and allow smaller indie publishers to create them is a good idea. Isn't that what Apple basically did? I am no MS fan boy, I just happen to prefer PCs to MACs. If I were to get a phone along those lines it would be a DROID. I like the IPhone, but even some of my MAC friends say they want the DROID. I would like to see MS create a phone that can compete with the other two.

Tech News World : New Chip Startup Plays the Odds on Probability Processing

"Conventional processors rely on the sequential processing of zeroes and ones, an approach that may not be the most efficient for applications like search, fraud detection, spam filtering, financial modeling and genome sequence analysis, which require simultaneously considering several possibilities and deciding on the best answer. Lyric Semiconductor's chips are built around probability processing." ~ Richard Adhikari

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/New-Chip-Startup-Plays-the-Odds-on-Probability-Processing-70640.html

This is a bit exciting in some ways, to me it means we are getting closer to being able to create a more intelligent robot. This is kinda scary when I think about it too. Will we have Skynet or Sonny?

Giz Explains: What Is Liquidmetal?

A friend sent this to me and I had to check it out. Especially the thoughts of skynet happening. HA!
What this material seems to be is an alloy that is like combining glass, metal, and plastic. This stuff is aparently already being used in our beloved IPhones. So it is no wonder why Apple would want to buy it for itself. So no one could use it unless they got gratuities, or maybe so that no one could. Check out this article.

http://gizmodo.com/5614154/giz-explains-what-is-liquidmetal?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gizmodo%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29

Network World : Microsoft and Google fight over e-mail, but agree on $5 inboxes

"Price isn't the only consideration, of course. IT professionals in many cases are still wary of moving mission-critical applications such as e-mail outside their firewalls because of security concerns, and have complained about limited functionality in cloud-based tools." ~ Jon Brodkin

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081610-cloud-email.html?page=2

I like how prices have come down in this area, but as an IT security guy I have to realize that once it is out of your control, it is out of your hands. If a hacker wants you email info while you have it in your network, they have to break into it. This also means that you will know that it happened, it may not be right away, but if you are a decent ITSEC guy you should find out fairly quickly.
We have to remember that by putting things out on the "WEB", they are mainly out of our control. It may be easier to get your items there, but the protection may not be up to your standards. At the point when you set things outside your network you deal with the other company's security policies. You need to make sure that they will meet your needs and standards.

Network World : Update iOS Now, Malicious Attacks Coming Soon

"Apple released updates yesterday for iOS on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch to patch flaws that were exploited by the JailbreakMe hack. The author of the JailbreakMe hack responded by making the JailbreakMe source code public--providing malicious developers with the tools they need to attack the iPhone or iPad. The race is on to apply the Apple iOS updates before malicious exploits start circulating."  ~ Tony Bradley

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081210-update-ios-now-malicious-attacks.html?source=nww_rss

This could be very bad for people, being that iOS is on a lot of people's devices. I am not one who looks at open source as a bad thing, however to throw the code out there could spell disaster even for the one that created it. I am a MS and Linux user, but do like what I see from MAC products. This might be what pops Jobs ego for a bit. I know that most people want to fight against MS, I have my problems with it. But there are egos on all sides, and each needs to have a bit of deflation.

Tech News World: Stuxnet: Dissecting the Worm

"Security researchers are scratching their heads trying to determine the origin of the Stuxnet worm, a piece of malware that targets large industrial control systems. Judging by the way it's constructed, the information it targets and some of the organizations that have been hit, the worm may have been created by a national government. Others, however, have their doubts." ~ Richard Adhikari

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Stuxnet-Dissecting-the-Worm-70622.html

Apparently this was a piece of malware that is two fold. One side was a Trojan while the other was a rootkit. Both are fairly nasty alone. This particular piece of malware was aimed at SCADA systems, which are basically infrastructure systems such as power, manufacturing, etc.

Top Tech News - Windows 7: Secrets of the Start Menu

"It's not just for launching applications anymore! Microsoft has tucked away lots of little surprises and a surprising amount of customization options in the updated Start menu, such as the ability to launch URLs, pin programs permanently to the top level of the Start menu, and create numerous customizations to make computing easier." ~ Jay Dougherty

I for one did not realize how many added features are now on the start menu. Some of them were there in previous versions however some are new. But for the most part it has been made easier. Check out the article for more info.


http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=100007T9SMK0&page=2

Top 6 antivirus

1 - Kaspersky - I use the internet security suite, and am able for $60 to use it on three computers without cheating
2 - Avast - For a free for home use once registered this software is great. I really like the boot time scan feature.
3 - AVG - Although not free anymore, unless you have sources, this software is good for the price.
4 - Malwarebytes - Not really sure if this should be on anti-spyware or antivirus since it does both. But this program has fixed many a computer by itself.
5 - ComboFix - You need to make sure you get this from the right place and that you know what you are doing, if not then you may cause more harm than good. Luckily it asks to install MS recovery console and creates a restore point if it does.
6 - ESET NOD32 - This is what I see the machines at school running, and I do not see many problems as far as viruses.

Please note that these are my top 6, and based upon my opinion or experience. You may have your own, and you may want to know why Symantec <aka Norton> or McAfee are not on this list. Again like a previous post, I will go into that at a later date.

Tech stuff

Just a few notes for help to non technical people.
If your power supply goes on your computer just hope it decided to be nice and not take other parts with it.
Viruses can destroy hardware on your computer, and like to break your drivers.
Cookies are not necessarily your friends, they can be placed there by a hacker to get your important info.
Many techs know what they are talking about and many just talk out of their rears.
Just because that video card is the "BEST" does not mean it will fit.
You need to remember that the inside of your computer should not be packed like a sardine.
Your computer like a small child, does not like your cigarettes either. <I should post some pictures for you smokers. nasty....>

A note to my techie friends: Just because large companies charge people $60+ per hour doesn't mean you can or should. I am not stating that we should work for free, nor am I stating that our services should cost as much, just that we need to come to an understanding that we should charge appropriately.

Maps then and now

I was just looking through article online again when one about Google maps caught my eye. I remember when I was a kid heading on a vacation with my folks and the best way to get directions was either from a travel agent or AAA. AAA's maps also told of construction that they knew about and usually directed you around it. But if you were like my parents on one of our road trips you just used a good old fashioned map. It wasn't until my teen years that they got their travel directions from AAA. And I have to admit that I have used theirs on my own road trips instead of Google, Yahoo, or Mapquest.
I feel that technology is a good thing and that the more usefulness we can get out of it the better. However we must always remember that we pay a price now and in the future for this. Google's street view actually is making getting to where you want to go a lot easier, but at what cost?
I am not a person who fears the Big Brother thing, but Uncle Google may be something to consider.

Third Party certificates a weak link?

"While browsing through articles that I have before or found uninteresting I ended up on the New York Times website. I decided to look at their technology area and found this article called "Experts Warn of a Weak Link in the Security of Web Sites"." ~ Miguel Helft

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/technology/14encrypt.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Now I have been told by my professors that most companies like to have their own certificate authority. Which means this is yet another third party company making certs. So it would seem that our weak link is in the area in which we just pass the buck to someone else. This happens in all industries, not just technology. Hopefully we can trust these third parties and that they are making secure certificates.

A note on wireless

I've been noticing a lag in my internet lately at home. This made me decide to check up on my wireless card to make sure it wasn't going bad. It would appear that AT&T had installed a new router in someone's home close to mine. However their configuration was interfering with mine. They had channel 6 while I have been using five for quite a while. Now to some of you this may seem like no big problem since they are two different channels. This is a problem since they are so close that they interfere with one another. Much like when you hear someone's phone conversation while you are one the phone with someone else. Most home phones today do a search to find a clear channel to use each time you hit talk.
Basically all I did was change the channel I was using so that the two would no longer interfere. More than likely the other person will notice an improvement but not know how or why it got better.

I've figured it out

As I am still learning how to use some of the features here, the links for my posts should now actually work. ENJOY!

Top Tech News - Google Insists It Didn't 'Sell Out' with Net Neutrality Plan

"Stung by a storm of opposition to its Internet policy statement with Verizon Wireless, Google is firing back, citing "myths." Google's Richard Whitt insisted the search giant didn't "sell out" on Net neutrality and called exempting wireless a compromise. Whitt said the FCC has "no enforceable protections" and indicated the plan is the best hope." ~ Barry Levine

I do hope that Google hasn't sold us out. But noticing how some of their recent activity they might just be blowing smoke. They were after all one of the first companies to actually photograph and put on a map a secret facility in the UK. 

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=031003IO5R28

Top Tech News - Netflix To Stream Paramount, Lionsgate, MGM Movies

"In a costly coup for Netflix, the company is adding films from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM to its online subscription service. Netflix wants to stock its online streaming library with more compelling material, so it can keep its subscription service relevant as on-demand video systems supplant its core business of renting DVDs through the mail." ~ Ryan Nakashima and Michael Liedtke

This is a bit of welcome news for me. I have used Netflix for a long period of time, and at one point was receiving 8 DVDs at one time. This was part of their testing of the upper limits of how many at a time. I have gotten the disc to stream to the Wii. And my wife watches streamed movies on her computer every night.


http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=031000ZXC9XF

A place to get many good applications for FREE

Thanks to a tech buddy of mine, I have been able to stumble upon this site. It have many great solutions for computer needs. From anti-virus to web browser, this site has many programs all for the bargain price, wait for it......... FREE .

http://www.freenew.net/#none

Top Tech News - Researchers Use 'Spintronics' To Read and Write Data

"Scientists at Ohio State University have demonstrated a form of plastic computer memory that uses the spin of electrons to read and write data. Spintronics is seen as the next generation of electronics, using less energy and producing barely any heat. Spintronics is an alternative to traditional microelectronics that could store more data in less space."

Now this seems like something that would actually be cool. This would cause recycling to possibly be more useful.

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=030001YHMLO6

ZDnet - Popular brands impersonated in latest malware campaign

"Multiple vendors are reporting on a currently ongoing scareware and client-side exploits serving, spam campaign, brand-jacking Best Buy, Chase, Macy’s, Target.com and Evite." ~ Dancho Danchev

Apparently people are getting scammed again, but this time from what appear to be more legitimate links.

In order to protect yourself please pay attention to those links that you see in your emails.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/popular-brands-impersonated-in-latest-malware-campaign/7068?tag=must-read

Again copy and paste to see the whole story.

BBC News Article - Why do we all use Qwerty keyboards?

"Q-W-E-R-T-Y. How on earth did this pattern of letters get so locked into our language?
 Qwerty was the brainchild of Milwaukee port official Christopher Sholes
In 1873, Qwerty was adopted by Remington, famous for its arms and sewing machines as well as its typewriters, and it became adopted as the basis not only for English but the majority of European languages as well." ~ Nick Baker 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10925456

I found this article a bit interesting since I have often wondered "What is so great about qwerty keyboards?"
This particular device has become ingrained into many of the devices we use today such as smart phones, and our texting devices. I have not quite got the hang of creating an effective hyperlink for the site but please check out this article through copying and pasting it.

BBC News Article - Facebook 'panic button' leads to 'increase in reports'

"More than 200 UK Facebook users have reported suspicious behaviour following the launch of a "panic button" application last month, figures show.
Facebook welcomed the figures but said there was not one answer to net safety."

While I can agree that this panic button feature might be handy, it just goes to show again that we are giving up more of ourselves online than we should. This is a bit of the price we pay for the connection we share through the net. Facebook is correct in stating that there is not one answer to net safety, just like many of our computer issues, there are many answers and some need to work in unison.
I will go more in depth about this subject at a later date but please check out this link to the article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10953600

BBC News Article - Virus Writers hit Google Android phones

Well it appears we are moving into the phone issues. Check out this article at BBC news. I check the technology area almost everyday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10928070

Now this may not even harm us in other places but the fact that one exists is an indication that many more could be on the way.

Opinion

Please note that all posts on this site are based on my opinions and experience with these products. I am open to those products suggested to me by comments.

Tech topics

Some of the topics for videos will be anti-virus, anti-spyware, torrenting, limewire, and some others that are of importance.

It has begun

Today is the birth of this site. Hopefully my videos and posts will help others understand how easy it is to keep your computer and information safe. Later I will add other types of posts to this site. Please feel free to contact me and comment on my posts. Whether you agree or not.