Home > Technobuddy > Archives > 2007 > April
April 2007
CompUSA store closures may offer you some bargains
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As you probably know, CompUSA is closing a bunch of stores, including here in Atlanta.
As often is the case, store closings can mean some bargains (no, this isn’t an ad, it’s just a heads up that you might be able to save some cash).
Here’s a story from PC Magazine that talks about some of the deals. I noticed that - in some stores at least - Microsoft Vista is 40% off.
Just make sure - if you do go bargain hunting - that you buy stuff you really need. I have a basement full of bargain purchases where the price - rather than my need for the item - swayed me. (If you need a Nordic ski machine, just holler).
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Save your money when it comes to these upgrades
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I lived in Oregon my friend Jim was on a “hot shot” forest fire team. These hot shots parachuted into remote areas and did their best to put out a fire or contain it until land-based crews could reach the scene.
One hot summer day Jim and his crew were working to build a fire line. They were almost out of water and radioed for more supplies. Finally the supply chopper arrived and everyone raced toward the package - only to find luke warm chocolate milk but no water.
What does this have to do with computers? Well, in the computer world you may buy something expecting it to be the perfect fix or upgrade, only to find out it’s the equivalent of warm chocolate milk. You can drink it to quench a thirst, but it’s not very satisfying. Knowing when that might be the case can prevent disappointment and save you money. Today we’ll look at some risk areas:
RAM memory
Especially with the arrival of Windows Vista, you’ll see the benefit of having up to 2 gigabytes of RAM. But if you still have XP, 1 gigabyte does nicely for most uses. While adding more RAM than this may speed up a computer slightly, you run into the law of diminishing returns. In most cases, adding still more RAM is a waste of money.
Hard disks
My 200 gigabyte hard disk has about 115 gigabytes free. Replacing that disk with a larger one would offer no benefit at all. If your disk is less than halfway full, there’s no point in replacing it. Instead, if you have the cash on hand, consider adding a second external hard disk. That will give you room to grow as well as providing a handy way to store back-up copies of your data.
Computer monitors
I love the way flat panel LCD monitors look. They take up less space on the desk than a tube monitor, and prices have come way down. But if you have the wrong expectations, they can be a waste of money.
Sure, there’s plenty to recommend about them these days - for one thing, the response time is vastly improved from the first generation of these monitors. In the early days LCD had trouble handling fast action, like video or video games.
But if you have a top notch tube-type monitor, don’t expect even the best LCD monitors to offer better color or sharper images. Replace your monitor if you want a more modern look, or think a wide screen flat panel would make life easier. Otherwise, avoid the expense and disappointment.
Routers
America has always been fascinated by speed. Me too. I still remember the way the early Pontiac GTOs pushed you back in your seat when you pressed hard on the accelerator. To take advantage of this craving, you’ll see all sorts of speed claims on the packaging for both wired and wireless routers. I expect those claims are true. But even the slowest router is faster than your Internet connection. So if you expect to get faster response on the Net based on your router, you are heading for disppointment.
Computer tune-up programs
They promise to fix problems, speed up your computer - if you believe the ads they’ll do almost everything but cook scrambled eggs for breakfast.
I’ve found these programs to only do a so-so job of fixing problems. And they seem so eager to find and report problems that I suspect they end up fixing things that aren’t really broken at times, dangerous habit.
My advice: Use one when - and only when - a problem is hurting the performance of your computer. Don’t use them on a computer that is working just fine. Ironically, my favorite of these tools is free for the download. You can find Ccleaner here
Unlike some of the commercial products it’s very simple and has no annoying pop-ups.
New PCs
When you spend several hundred, or even several thousand dollars, on a new computer you expect to experience a real difference.
But if you have a relatively modern PC - with a processor rated at 2 gigahertz or higher, XP installed and 1 gigabyte of RAM - replacing it with a new computer with Vista installed isn’t going to be a life changing experience.
That’s especially true if most of your computing involves surfing the Web, using e-mail, writing some documents and doing some spreadsheets. Even a hot new PC using a chip with multiple processors won’t give you much - if any - improvement that you will notice. Sure it’ll be faster but not in ways the average user would notice.
I hope I’ve saved some of you a few bucks today by steering you toward a cool drink of water.
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I’m dead certain - your hard disk is going to die
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If there was a tattoo parlor for hard disks, the most popular inscription would be: Born to die.
Hard disks are a holdover from the world of mechanical marvels - of intricate mechanical devices with close tolerances between parts. Within the decade they will be replaced with solid state storage devices that will be faster and more dependable. But that’s tomorrow - you need to worry about today.
The miracle is that they work so well. Spinning platters that record your data - some turning at 7,200 RPMs …a speed that would smoke most car engines - are destroyed if anything goes wrong.
That’s the miracle. But here’s the reality - hard disks, like the tattoo says, are headed toward failure from the moment you buy them. And a new study, linked here, says that hard disks are more likely to fail than the manufacturers admit (what a surprise that is, right?)
All this underlines the fact that you simply must make backup copies of your data. We’ve been living a computerized life for so long now that the data in our machines is often worth much more than the hardware and software we use.
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Would you like some ID theft with your coffee?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s something relaxing about pausing at a Starbucks to have a cup of coffee and check your e-mail while on the road.
I remember sitting in a coffee shop that offered wireless access with a security expert. Within a few minutes we were able to see screen names and passwords scrolling across the screen of his computer. Like most public wireless access points - hotels, coffee shops, you name it - the system was wide open.
The guy was a security expert but you wouldn’t need to be one to do the same thing. In fact - as this story says - the software you need to do this kind of snooping is freely available on the Internet. And no, I’m not offering a link but - I might as well - it isn’t very hard to find.
The article I linked above has some advice for being safer if you must use these places. But I advise against it altogether unless you have the ability to connect by VPN. If you don’t, don’t take a chance. If you must, at least read the linked article and take a few precautions.
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If your password is on this list - change it now
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
People worry themselves sick about computer security but then end up doing something stupid that makes the firewall and other security devices useless.
PC Magazine recently published a list of the 10 most common passwords. I’ll link to that article here.
If your password makes the top 10 list stop what you’re doing and change it.
The top password was - drum roll - password. Yeap. The second most popular was 123456.
You would not have to be a brilliant hacker to make your way past passwords like this. Here’s a good start - use both letters and numbers and make sure that the password isn’t a word at all. So, for instance, this would be a decent password: X19ayzm24
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Is the electronic smog slowly killing you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They’re calling it “electronic smog” as well as comparing it to the dangers of smoking.
The premise is simple. With all the wireless networks and other devices that emit radio frequency radition - our bodies and brains are being zapped 24 hours a day. At home there is your wireless network. At work, there’s another network. And now that entire cities - including Atlanta - may offer wide area wireless, there is even more radiation.
What’s the health risk of all that? I think it’s safe to say that no one knows. But this article, from a newspaper in the United Kingdom, makes a case that electronic smog may be killing us.
If that’s right, the bad of it is that - unlike quitting smoking or losing weight - there’s no way to escape from all this. (Well, I guess you could wrap yourself in aluminum foil but that’s sure gonna stop traffic and you’ll end up taking a drug test at work).
Like I said, I don’t know what the dangers are - or whether they exist at all. But when you combine the constant barrage of wireless signals with the daily exposure to cellular telephone radio frequency you can sure make a case that such long term and constant exposure is a worry.
What do you think?
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Vista: The surprise is on you
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was an advertising copywriter for years. One skill of that trade is turning a negative into a positive. So when I was selling bland-tasting bacon made from turkey, I wrote a headline for the package that said: Bacon without the guilt!
Microsoft doesn’t need my help, but I’m going to give it anyway by suggesting a headline for the packaging for Vista: Surprises inside the box!
Vista sure has some surprises, and today we’ll talk about how I’ve dealt with them. That way you’ll be prepared when one of them jumps out of the box and says “boo!.”
I’ve used Vista since its early days of testing and I am finally used to it. That’s not exactly a raving endorsement. But considering that it was as troublesome as a new puppy for the first months, this is a big shift for me. Vista is tolerable now that I’ve dealt with those surprises.
The Catch 22 of upgrading
If you’re installing Vista on a PC you own now, you’ll need to upgrade the machine so it has enough oomph to run Vista properly. The catch is, the upgrade can bring problems of its own. Some video cards and printers - even those that claim to be Vista compatible - get along with Vista only in the way dogs and cats get along.
After literally months of messing with my new ATI Radeon video card, I finally got everything working correctly last Sunday. I should have done more research before buying. My mistake? I read reviews but didn’t check out user opinions.
Do a Google search before buying a “Vista-ready” component and pay attention to comments from individual users. Often this will turn up problems not mentioned by the experts. Do your search by including the name of the product you are considering along with Vista. Sandwiched in with the reviews, you’ll find rants and raves from users.
If I had kept reading about my video card I would have found several sites complaining about problems installing the software. A search after the fact turned up a personal Web page that linked to a bug fix contained deep on the manufacturer’s page. I would have never located it on my own. Listen to experts, but don’t ignore users.
The most secure Windows ever
That’s true. Vista is more secure than XP. But not secure enough.
One feature of Vista - touted by reviewers and Microsoft alike - is that Vista includes a firewall that monitors both incoming and outgoing traffic. It’s a half truth.
To understand my point, you need to know that firewalls are a big deal since they reduce the chances that an outsider will break into your machine or plant programs that monitor your online activity.
Some firewalls, like the one included with Microsoft XP, have a one-way firewall. It just checks traffic coming into your computer. It doesn’t monitor outgoing traffic that could contain information being sent out by some spying program that slipped into your computer.
Vista’s firewall is supposed to be two-way. But even the experts have trouble correctly configuring that feature. Even then, it isn’t a topnotch firewall. Don’t just take my word for it. Do a Google search for “Vista firewall” and read about it yourself.
You can buy better commercial security programs. For instance, these two programs: ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7 ($50) or Norton Internet Security 2007 ($70) are terrific.
But all this represents another Catch-22. These security suite bundles are all-in-one programs that include anti-virus protection as well as the firewall. So, to use them you need to remove any free anti-virus software. That’s becaue it’s not a good idea to run two anti-virus programs at the same time.
Truth is, using a security suite makes sense. That way you know that all the security programs will work together.
But it leaves you with a choice. Stick with an anti-virus program that is free and compromise on the firewall, or pay for a suite program that includes a better firewall.
Personally, I’m sticking with my free Grisoft AVG antivirus and using the so-so firewall included with Vista. I feel OK with that since my router also serves as a hardware firewall. But if security is a paramount concern for you, you’re better off with one of the commercial packages.
Browsing around
Another feature of Vista is the new Internet Explorer 7 (which you can also download separately and use with XP). It is another security improvement claimed for Vista. The claims are true, but - surprise - IE 7 has some flaws that make it subject to attacks.
The problem here is something called ActiveX. It is designed to let programs from the Web run on your computer. Vista monitors the use of ActiveX and goes a long way toward fixing the obvious security hazards of that capability.
But some experts- the people at PC World for instance - think any use of ActiveX is too big of a risk. If you want to close that potential doorway into your computer, here’s how to do it.
Click on tools, Internet Options, Security and then Custom Level. Scroll to the heading “Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins” and select Disable. That means that you won’t be able to use some features of Web pages that depend on ActiveX, so the decision is up to you.
The good news? Vista is an improvement over XP now that I’ve shaken out some of the bugs.
Just keep in mind that one of the features of Vista isn’t listed on the box. You won’t see my headline: Surprises inside the box!
And that’s no surprise.
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The Turbo Tax breakdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you try to file your taxes electronically? I say “try” because plenty of people tried and failed. Apparently the TurboTax folks (Intuit) had more business than they could handle on Tuesday night and the system was overloaded.
The good news was that the IRS gave those folks 48 hours more to file.
For me? I go the low-tech way - an accountant who also is a lawyer and a former IRS agent. And, like most years, all I’ve filed at this time is an extension. Technology is a wonderful thing but there are plenty of times when it can’t compete with the old-fashioned way of doing things.
You can read about the TurboTax problems here.
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A good memory makes a better computer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Memory is everything - or at least that is what my wife tells me when I need help finding my car keys (heck, keys are small potatoes, I’ve even lost the car before in giant airport parking lots).
Memory is a big deal with computers too. For instance, the weak link, as far as speed, is often the hard disk. It’s a mechanical device and technology is pushing the edge of how fast it can work.
But don’t stop there. Memory determines how much your cellphone can do, how many songs your MP3 player can carry. While storage memory isn’t as sexy (well the dangest things are sexy to a techie) as processor speed, it’s enormously important.
That’s why I pay attention to announcements like the one I link here. As it becomes more economical to create solid state memory - no moving parts so it’s faster - it gets easier to make faster computers and better cellphones.
Even more exciting, it gives engineers and designers a new tool … that means that we may see products that just weren’t possible with the old limitations. What will they be? That’s the fun of all this … I don’t know. Really revolutionary products often represent a great and important surprise.
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Sending error reports to Microsoft is an error
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s bad enough when Windows messes up. But there’s always an extra little kick. A message flashes on the screen asking if you want to send an error report to Microsoft.
I never do. It’s not as if a bunch of wireheads at Microsoft rush around screaming - “Oh, my gosh, Bill Husted’s Mutant Martians game has crashed again … get someone on it.”
So I just click the “Don’t Send” button and deal with things myself.
Turns out that there is another reason to ignore the request. When you send in the error report, you are also sending in a memory dump from your computer that could contain personal information. I doubt that MicroSofties would ever dig through all the error message dumps but it seems sensible to avoid even that small chance.
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Death by cellphone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is your cellphone slowing killing you?
Over the time I’ve written about technology there have been studies that show that the long term exposure to the radiation from your cellphone could be a health risk.
On the other hand, there have been studies that say there’s no harm at all.
At the moment - and the opinions really have shifted back and forth - most studies seem to show that there’s no long term harm. But those opinions are not unanimous and - to my way of thinking - the jury is still out on this one.
I’m linking here to a study that shows which cellphones emit the most RF (that’s a term for radio frequency radiation).
If you’re like most people, you spend a huge amount of time with a cellphone pressed against your ear (and that means that the radiation is close to your brain). I think heavy cellphone users should use a wired or wireless headphone and microphone so that the cellphone can be kept away from the head.
I am not anywhere near smart enough, or expert enough, to tell you if cellphone radiation is dangerous. But I can tell you this - and there’s no argument at all here - that enough of this type radiation is dangerous.
Remember that the first microwave ovens were called ‘radar ranges’ - and that’s what they are. A transmitting tube, sending out RF (just like a radar transmitter) does the cooking. And even my ham radio transmitter and amplifier (operating at much lower frequencies) has enough power to be a safety hazard if not properly shielded. And, if you grabbed one of my antennas while I was transmitting, I promise you’d get a burn.
Look, there’s no harm in assuming the worse in this case - try to avoid extended exposure to the RF from your cellphone. It also would make sense to use a cellphone that subjects you to lower levels of RF - that’s why I linked to the article that rates them.
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Digital pictures that give you the butterflies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My buddy Ed was showing off one of the first pictures from his 2-day-old digital camera. What was supposed to be a butterfly looked like a speck of dust.
Digital cameras are great. But if you want pictures to make you proud, you need to know some things. Today, I’ll show how your digital camera can give you better pictures of butterflies, birthday parties and special moments.
We’ll start with butterflies. My family and Ed’s family were at the Callaway Gardens butterfly habitat last weekend. (Hey, I live an exciting life.) But there’s a lesson in Ed’s failed shot.
He ignored a rule as old as photography: Fill the frame. Don’t rely on cropping or zooming to save you later. Blowing up a tiny part of the frame results in lousy quality. Take the picture you want right in the camera.
Make sure you move in until your subject fills the frame. With some subjects - like the butterfly - you’ll need to use the camera’s close-up setting, or even add an accessory lens. But in most cases filling the frame is as simple as zooming in or getting closer.
There are other rules of photography that remain unchanged in the digital era.
Don’t speed unless you must
With film, for instance, it’s important to use the right film speed for the task at hand. High-speed films - or the digital equivalent, changing the speed rating electronically - allow you to take pictures in low light without a flash. Use lower film speeds when the light is good.
This is an area where digital cameras shine. With a film camera, speed rating changes involve removing the old roll of film and loading high-speed film. With a digital camera, you can adjust the digital equivalent of film speed with no fuss. Shoot one frame at a low rating and the next at a high speed rating if you like.
In both cases, the speed will be indicated by an ISO number.
When shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, settings of ISO 200 or even 100 do a good job. Go to 400 for indoors. And while many digital cameras can be set at ISO 1600 or higher, such speeds should only be used for special effects.
Kodak moments
Our next rule is easy to remember if you keep an old ad slogan in mind. Just think “Kodak moments.”
Great photographs capture the peak of action. That action can be as simple as puffing out birthday cake candles. If you miss the moment, you have a picture of smoky candles and a kid with a puckered face.
The first digital cameras had a problem called lag. You push the shutter release and hear only strange whirring noises as the camera adjusts itself. Only after a pause is the picture taken. In that fraction of a second, eyes blink, smiles turn into weird frozen expressions and the final picture is different from the one you saw in the viewfinder.
If you have an early digital camera, there’s nothing that can be done, other than trying to anticipate when the shutter will open.
The latest cameras are almost lag-free, and most can take a series of pictures as fast as you can push the button. Take advantage of that ability by taking a series of shots, starting just before you expect the action to peak and continuing until it’s over. You stand a good chance of having the perfect shot somewhere in the series, and you can simply delete the others.
Computer tweaks
Finally, almost any digital photo can be tweaked in the computer. I use Adobe Photoshop CS, but its retail price of over $600 and complexity make it a poor choice for beginners. You can pick up the junior version of the program - Photoshop Elements - for about $100. Or you can use software that came with the camera. Storage programs also usually have their own editing tools.
Whatever program you choose, practice using it. Before long you’ll be able to brighten colors and make dark shots look perfect. Pay special attention to a feature - usually found under the Filter menu - called sharpening. Unlike film photos, digital cameras produce a picture that is intended to be sharpened during the editing process. Using this feature can make prints from your digital images stand out.
Vacation time is coming. So spend some time practicing shooting and editing now. You’ll come back with perfect pictures of butterflies or anything else that catches your fancy.
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Vista: Lost in the fog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Moving to Microsoft Vista reminds me of Medford, Or. I’ll need to explain that one.
I moved from Little Rock to Medford back in the early 80s. Even though Medford is small, I am navigationally challenged and that meant every trip to a new store or office took twice as long as it should have.
But the capper came one Christmas Eve, early in my time there. A heavy fog moved in - I’m talking fog like I’ve never seen before - and I remember calling home and saying that I might not be able to find my way back.
For the most part, moving to Vista has been like Medford without the fog - it takes me longer to find some of the features that I used with Windows XP. But, since Vista also has some new tools, there are times when the fog really rolls in and I feel completely lost.
That’s why - if you’ve moved to Vista - this article from PC Magazine may help. It will talk about some of the tools available in Vista and ways to use them. It’ll help clear the fog - although, like me, you may still get lost at times.
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What’s your favorite technology or gadget?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, it’s only fair. Yesterday we talked about the worst technologies, or products, so lets talk about the best today.
I’m linking to a story about that here.
But I already have my own favorite in mind for the best technology ever. It’s not an iPod, or a computer, or a big screen TV. In fact, my grandfather was a small (very small) part of rolling that technology out.
So I’ll hang back and see what you have to say. Feel free to talk about your favorite tech product, or technology. The rules are pretty loose - if you think it was Silly Putty, that’s OK with me … or maybe it was the first artificial heart.
The linked story only talks about products invented since the personal computer - but I think that’s way too limiting. Besides, my own favorite wouldn’t qualify under those rules.
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What products bug you the most?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Technology constantly annoys me. I don’t know if that surprises you or not, after all I truly love the stuff. But, since I am enthralled with gadgets and technology, really awful technology may bother me more than most.
I ran into this story first thing this morning - a list of annoying products. You can read it here.
You’ll also find a poll on that page - you get to vote on which products annoy you the most. Feel free. And if you have some thoughts about annoying technology - hardware or software - you are welcome to post them here too.
Me? My most annoying product isn’t on the list you’ll find on the linked page. But there is room for a write-in candidate and I’ve already made my vote. I’ll let you know about the products I hate later, I don’t want to influence your thinking - but I will mention it today or tomorrow if you’re interested.
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How soap, water and a little air can save your PC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spring cleaning at my Aunt Vera’s house was a frightening event. The cat would move in with the neighbors, and relatives stayed away for fear they would be pressed into service.
I won’t be offended if you turn tail and run today. We’re going to talk about spring cleaning for your computer.
We aren’t going to reorganize the hard disk or clean out any files. I’m - honest to Aunt Vera - talking about real cleaning. And while running away from this chore may seem a sensible temptation, you’d be smart to stick around. At least two of these tips can help you avoid destroying your monitor and PC.
A good place to start is with that fancy new LCD screen you have. I’ve heard stories from some of you that scare me. Believe me when I say that using dishwasher detergent or a glass cleaner spray is bad news for LCD screens. Over time, the screen will turn yellow if you use the wrong stuff.
Pressing down on the screen can also ruin it. Treat it gently, like a newly hatched robin.
So what do you do? The smartest and easiest thing for most people is to buy a commercial cleaner made for LCD screens. Follow the directions on the bottle, use the supplied cloth or a soft lint-free cloth and wipe from top to bottom, not in a circular motion. Never use a paper towel. It will scratch the screen.
The active ingredients for commercial cleaners are water and isopropyl alcohol (you can find it at any drugstore). If you want to save money, just make a 50/50 mixture. It will work just as well as the expensive commercial products. You can either use a lint-free cloth to apply or add the ingredients to a small spray bottle. Don’t slop the stuff on the screen. Too little is much better than too much.
If you have an old-fashioned, tube-type monitor you can use the same mixture. But you’re also fine using glass cleaner in this case. After all, you’re cleaning glass.
Now we’re going to go after Aunt Vera’s worst enemy, the dreaded dust bunny. Dust in your house is an annoyance, but dust inside your computer can destroy it. Here’s why: A blanket of dust is a great insulator that holds in heat. That heat can eventually kill your computer.
Dust will accumulate even in a clean house. The fan-powered cooling system draws it into your computer. Static electricity charges inside make it stick.
Computers that sit on the floor are especially vulnerable, since dust settles toward the floor.
Cleaning out dust involves opening the case of your computer. If you aren’t sure how to do that, consult the manual or the manufacturer’s Web site. Just keep in mind the universal rule that applies to taking apart lawn mowers, nuclear reactors and computers: never try to force something open.
Once the computer is open, remember that a static electric charge can wreck things. So make sure you aren’t electrified by touching a metal part of the case before doing anything.
I usually use compressed air to blow away dust. You can find cans of clean compressed air at most computer or camera stores. There also are small commercial vacumn tools used by some, especially technicians. But compressed air works fine. Just hold the nozzle of the can at least 5 inches away from any component.
While you have the case open also check out the grating that protects the cooling fan. If dust clogs that grating, you’re losing out on cooling. So carefully clean that away. I say “carefully” because you don’t want to dent the grating itself or bend a fan blade.
With the cover off, I also spend a moment on two making sure that all the accessory cards, the video card and ethernet card for instance, are firmly seated. Heating and cooling inside your PC can cause expansion and contraction that moves these cards out of their slots. A few weeks ago, I fixed a coworker’s computer by simply reseating the ethernet card.
Now we come to the keyboard. Mine has had Mountain Dew spilled on it and pizza crumbs dropped into it. It’s fine to use a damp cloth to clean the surface of the keys. If you search on the Internet you’ll find complicated directions for taking a keyboard apart. You’ll even see several mentions of - I kid you not - placing a keyboard in the dishwasher (without the detergent) to clean it.
My advice? Don’t bother. I see brand new keyboards for $15 or so. While it is highly entertaining to take a keyboard apart, putting it back together can be thrilling in a bad way. Remember that a credit card is a fine computer tool.
You’re nearly done. Now just take a damp cloth and clean the outside of the computer’s case.
Will that make your computer run any better? Nope. But my Aunt Vera would be proud of you.
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FireFox vulnerable to Vista bug
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I wrote about a nasty little hole in the security of Microsoft’s Vista (as well as some versions of XP and 2000) I told you that FireFox users were safe. That was the thought at the time from most folks following the problem, including computer security companies.
You can read that blog posting by me here.
Turns out, however, that is wrong. FireFox users can get hit too. So let me link to an article in PC World that tells you how FireFox users can fix the problem.
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Still too early to buy a high definition DVD player
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wish the war of the formats for high definition DVDs was over - but it’s still raging. And it is way too early to declare a winner.
That means, if you buy a high definition player now - and then stock up on some of your favorite movies - there’s a chance that you’ll be stuck with expensive orphans. It sure happened in the ancient days when VHS video recorders competed with the (better) beta format.
I’m linking to a story that doesn’t surprise me. It talks about the lack of support for issuing discs with the regular DVD version on one side and the high definition version on other. That was one way to encourage sales - buyers would have something that they could use, even if the HD DVD format lost to its competitor - Blu Ray.
There will be one winner here - there always is when competing formats are in the market for consumer devices like this. But since even the people who follow this thing have no idea which one will win - it’s way too early to buy one.
I say that realizing that - if a person wants to be on the bleeding edge and has plenty of money - well, heck, it may not make much difference. But for people like me, it’s just too big of an investment, especially if you plan to buy and collect movies, to jump yet.
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Apple/EMI - a sweet deal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t know about you but the stories about the Apple/EMI deal left me with some questions. There’s no doubt .it’s good news for people who download music and that it’s a huge deal for Apple.
It’s a big deal for me too. Since I don’t use an iPod, I did most of my downloading elsewhere. Now that it’ll be easier for me to use the iTunes Store, I’ll give it another try.
I found a “frequently asked questions” piece at PC World that filled in some of the blanks for me - so I’ll link to it here.
Permalink | | Categories: General
Warning - Serious new hack attack
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you get an e-mail that suggests a nifty way to modify the cursor that appears on your PC’s screen, just trash that e-mail before it trashes your computer.
The e-mail directs you to a Web site to get the new cursor. Don’t go or you’ll be sorry.
This new hack is directed at Microsoft’s new Vista as well as some versions of Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The malicious Web page downloads a program that exploits a bug in the computer code for the cursor. Once you go to the Web page, you’re sunk - the hacker can get into your computer remotely.
Here’s a link to a story that explains the problem in more detail.
I’m also linking to an AP story about the problem here
Folks this could be a serious problem - so please be careful. There are so many of these threats reported that it’s easy to shrug one off. I hope I’m wrong but I think this one could be a big problem.
Also note that the FireFox browser does not seem to have the same vulnerability - but even if you use FireFox or another browser it would be foolish to rely on that.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Viruses, spam, adware, etc.
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