Archive for January, 2008
Put a little bling in your life
Got some spare cash lying around and you want to perk up your desk a little? I have just the thing for you- a nice diamond-studded PC.
PC World gives the details:
Jupiter from Japanese manufacturer Zeus, features a solid platinum case studded with diamonds which, the company claims, replicate astrological constellations. The PC runs on [...]
Even encrypted Web-based email is in danger of wireless eavesdropping
Here’s some more unpleasant news about Internet security. If you use Web-based email programs such as Gmail on a wireless connection, even encoding by SSL isn’t as secure as once thought. George Ou writes about the problem at ZDNet:
What’s really sad is the fact that Google Gmail is one of the “better†Web 2.0 applications [...]
Google search links may not be what you think
Two months ago I posted about hackers putting malware sites into the top rankings for some common searches. This form of malware attack is a very serious concern since using search engines is a major part of Internet activity. The hackers have used some pretty sophisticated methods and a new article at PC World discusses [...]
Short form for a EULA
End User License Agreements (EULAs) and Terms of Service (TOS) are generally long, turgid legalese that nobody wants to read. To save you the trouble of having to wade through such mind-numbing prose, I offer you the generic form as translated by John Dvorak:
Generally speaking, a software license and various terms-of-service and terms-of-use agreements say [...]
Microsoft-speak
Microsoft marketing has long been known for using a lot of words to say nothing. A lot of marketing is like that but Microsoft developed the art of saying nothing in many paragraphs to a high level. Even the technical writing is often devoid of actual information. There is also a part of Microsoft marketing [...]
Getting directions on Google maps made easier
Have you ever been in a hotel somewhere and wanted directions to some restaurant you had heard about? Generally, getting directions on a map service means entering the address for the starting point and for the destination. Google maps has made things easier by allowing you to enter a name or even just a category [...]
Firefox security hole
Mozilla says there is a severe security issue in Firefox that will be patched soon:
An attacker can use this vulnerability to collect session information, including session cookies and session history. Firefox is not vulnerable by default. Only users that have installed “flat†packed add-ons are at risk.
Here is a list of [...]
Windows 7 is really Vista 2
That’s the contention of Ed Bott. He makes a good case that Windows 7 will not be a complete overhaul but more like an upgraded Vista. He argues for something like Windows 98 compared with Windows 95. Bott gives some statistics to make a case that Microsoft tends to take around 1000 days after the [...]
The expanding taskbar
Not only can the taskbar be moved around but also it can be made taller. If you want to have a whole lot of icons kept there and have the screen real estate to spare, you can enlarge the (unlocked) taskbar by placing your mouse on the top border of the taskbar until you see [...]
The roving taskbar
More than once a frustrated PC user has asked me why the computer desktop’s taskbar suddenly appeared on the side or even the top of the screen. Many PC users are unaware that the taskbar is in fact movable. The taskbar can be dragged from its usual place at the bottom and docked on the [...]
Linux continues to make inroads in the PC market
Somewhat to my surprise and definitely to my delight is the progress that Linux-based machines are making in the computer market. Big manufacturers Dell and Lenovo are offering Linux machines and ZDNet reports:
Linux is not just for computer whizzes.
In fact, buying Linux and learning how to use it are easier than ever, thanks to [...]
