Archive for December, 2008
TrendMicro online scanner vulnerability
If you are one of those who likes to use online malware scanners, be aware that a problem has been found in the TrendMicro service. PC World reports:
A bug in Trend Micro Inc.’s free online virus scanning service can be used by hackers to hijack Windows PCs running Internet Explorer, security researchers warned.
Attackers able to [...]
How 32-bit software runs in 64-bit Windows
As previously noted, 64-bit systems are now being more commonly sold to consumers. If you are curious about how 32-bit programs (which is most software) run on a 64-bit Windows Vista system, here is a description from Microsoft programmer Raymond Chen:
On 64-bit Windows, 32-bit programs run in an emulation layer. This emulation layer simulates the [...]
Tips for the Firefox browser
Readers already know that I think the Firefox browser is preferable to Internet Explorer. Here are some links with tips or customizations for using Firefox:
25 essential Firefox add-ons for power users From TechRadar
Five Firefox Shortcuts You Need to Learn Right NowFrom PC World
Firefox 3: 8 Untold SecretsFrom ExtremeTech
Useful Firefox 3 Configuration Tweaks From Lifehacker
A collection of computer security news and information
There are too many blog posts and items in the news to comment on individually. So here is an assortment of computer security-related links:
Police not prepared for international cybercrimeComputerworld reports a study that says law enforcement efforts are “ad hoc” and “ill-equipped to cope” with international cybercrime.
Cybercrime: The 2009 megathreatIn another Computerworld post, a report [...]
Be careful with email greeting cards
Some people like to send special holiday greetings by email (sometimes called eCards). People like them because they are convenient and can include multi-media. Unfortunately, the spammers and scammers have usurped eCards so that you have to be very careful with them. As the PC Doctor says:
So why are eCards a bad idea? Well, it’s [...]
The conundrum of too many security warnings
As I have said before, I wonder if the constant drumbeat of news and warnings about security problems might be counterproductive. Humans tend to tune out things that get repeated over and over. On the one hand, I feel that I owe it to the readers to warn about the severe security problems on [...]
Windows Live
Microsoft has attached the tag “Live” to many different things in the past few years and now there is something called “Windows Live”. It is a way to collect together various Web-based services. Katherine Boehret of the Mossberg Solution writes:
If you use the Internet regularly, your activities are likely spread out all over the Web. [...]
A faster Open Office version
In the previous post, I mentioned Open Office 3.0 (OO). One complaint that has been lodged against OO is that it is bloated and slow. For more speed, there is a variant of OO called Go-oo. Here is a report from Lifehacker:
Free application Go-oo is a fork of the popular Microsoft Office alternative OpenOffice.org with [...]
Make slide shows without PowerPoint
Microsoft Office component PowerPoint is dominant in slide show software but not everyone wants to have to fork out to buy Microsoft Office. A free alternative is Open Office (OO), which is now in version 3.0 and has received good reviews. OO contains slide show capability that is compatible with PowerPoint. For online presentations there [...]
CD/DVD burning software
In an earlier post, I wrote about software for dealing with ISO files. But what about software for burning CD/DVDs in general? Lifehacker polled its readers and gives the results at this link.
What’s your favorite software for burning CD/DVDs?
Site for recipe lovers
A number of my acquaintances use the Internet to find new recipes. (I suspect that some just collect recipes and never actually use them.) In any event, here is a new site for sharing recipes that is called Foodista. The format is a “wiki”- that is, everybody can edit everybody else. TechFlash reported yesterday:
Does [...]
