Archive for October, 2006
Now, where did I put that manual?
I know, most people never bother to read manuals but once in a while something comes up that requires a look at one. Then you have to find it. If you have ever found yourself searching all over the house for a misplaced appliance manual, you’ll appreciate the site UsersManualGuide.com. It has a collection of [...]
Internet Explorer 7 is coming soon
Microsoft is on the verge of releasing the finished version of IE7. It will be available for Windows XP SP2 systems via the Microsoft update process. Here’s an excerpt from a Microsoft announcement:
Shortly after it is released, Microsoft will distribute IE7 as a high-priority update through Automatic Updates to help consumers become more secure and [...]
Beware the bots
That’s the title of an InternetWeek article. It begins
Thousands of government computers may be under the control of cybercriminals. Software bots–malicious code that turns PCs and servers into remotely controlled “zombies”–have dug into the computers of federal and state agencies, security experts say. Once infected, those computers can be used to distribute spam, launch denial-of-service [...]
New version of Firefox is released
The latest, and basically complete, version of Firefox 2 is out. Release candidate 3 can be downloaded at this Mozilla site.
Another way to put a desktop in your pocket
My SeniorNet colleague, Sol Libes, has alerted me to another program that allows for an operating system on a flash drive. This one is called “Live PC Engine” and is described here. The site says:
LivePCsâ„¢ are virtual PCs that you can create and share just as you can share the rest of your digital life [...]
The rebate game
Several years ago I wrote an article, “Rant On Rebates“, that related my experiences with rebates and my thoughts on what I consider to be a slightly shady marketing stratagem. Recently, I thought I saw some movement away from rebates. For example, this past year Intuit didn’t make me jump through hoops to obtain [...]
The worst technology of the past quarter
CNet has put up a slide show illustrating its choices for the worst technologies of the preceding three months. Top slot goes to the exploding Sony laptop batteries. The list also includes the infamous speech about the Internet by that rival to Tim Berners-Lee who is also a senator from Alaska. When you recover [...]
Privacy problems with Internet applications
One reservation that I have about the recent push to put personal documents on the Internet is concern about privacy. It is all very well to use on-line word processors, spread sheets, and the like for non-sensitive purposes or to store non-sensitive documents and email online. However, I am leery about exposing confidential information. PC [...]
Crime on the Internet
BBC News has an interesting series of articles on high tech crime. The role of organized crime in using botnets for phishing is one subject discussed. BBC News also put a “honeypot” computer on the Internet and the article chronicles some of the many attacks that were made on the computer. For example here is [...]
Google Docs- Office on the Internet
One of the big rages at the moment is the move to get you to run applications on the Internet instead of on your computer. Personally, I am not sure this is quite the great thing that the hype claims. I remember the “thin computer” flop from the past and I worry about security. Nonetheless, [...]