OnComputers Radio show Podcast 08-26-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 08-26-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

My not so weekly shared items

Well, I lied about it being weekly. oops, sorry
Here are the latest shared things from my google reader.



The neat thing is that they are always updated. So, if you're looking for my shared items, you can refind this post. I use a different login for this blog, than my reader, and google/blogspot can't handle being logged in with 2 google ID.

--MissM

Storm Worm Gathers Strength on The Internet

From August 23rd, this article discusses the latest news on the Storm Worm/Virus, and some info about those behind it.
It appears that much of the bogus e-card spam may be associated with this critter.

Windows Genuine Advantage suffers worldwide outage, problems galore

It's a glitch. Don't let the conspiracy theorists turn your head on this one. (They've been out in droves over it.) Just avoid using Windows or Microsoft update or activating a new copy until they get it fixed. Won't be long. I'll guarantee that, even though I have no inside information on when.

Jack

Requiem for a legal disaster: a retrospective analysis of SCO v. Novell

For anyone who hasn't kept up, here is the best recap of the SCO versus Novell litigation I've seen to date. Ryan Paul at Ars Technica has done a masterful job of distilling it all to where it makes sense without diversion into all the "b.s." SCO put the court and observers through. It's only a few pages long and an easy read.

Jack

Does Skype's Windows update story fly?

Stranger things have happened. That's for sure. But I'm not all that far toward buying Skype's "explanation", either. (Not that it matters to them what I think, in any event.)

Since this article went up, Skype has clarified their position that it was only the reboots that caused the problem and not the Microsoft updates at all. While I'm sure MS appreciates the pass of responsibility claims, the whole thing still reeks of implausibility. This article goes into that quite well and there is no need for me to repeat it here.

My personal suspicion(s) center on what seems a quick and easy explanations for the failure of a complex and ever-changing system.

Jack

P.S; I am NOT upset with Skype at all for the failure. Stuff happens. It just seems they could be a bit more forthcoming for their users' sake.

J.

RIAA Lawsuit Decision Matrix

This is the funniest blog post I've seen in quite some time.

Enough said.

Jack

There is a Vista Upgrade Decision flowchart too.

The DigiBarn Computer Museum

Via several of my podcasts, I'd heard of the DigiBarn Computer Museum, but I was motivated to post this when Tom Merritt @ CNET did a video tour. I noticed some items that I still have! The grandaddy of the ipod reminded me of a truly luggable "portable computer" (it weighed 45 pounds, and the end would sit on the floor, and the keyboard flipped, with a tiny 5" screen maybe, and $300 floppies!) that I had to haul around for PLC programming. No wonder I was so motivated to get us on laptops. lol

Enjoy the trip down memory lane.
--MissM

The DigiBarn Computer Museum

The Red Shift Theory

This is a long and involved article about how one bigwig at Sun Microsystems sees the future of computing in business. I found it fascinating because, a; I could not figure out if it made sense or not, b; it's radical and c; I couldn't figure out what the guy has been smoking.

Anyway; it diverted me from real work for a while and I thought about it a lot after I finished it, so it must have some merit, right? Right?

Jack

AT&T kills GPS in Blackberry

This is just flat nuts. And even though they seem to have forced this down RIM's throat, what are they going to tell all those diasppointed users?

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 08-19-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 08-19-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

The Gregg Zone!

1) First up for the week, an educational site I found while doing some looking around to satisfy some curiosity about using solar shields to help our global warming problem. This is a teachers aide site, aimed at teachers of all sorts, need to register but it is free. Informative and easy to use, contains lots of video, you know I like that, I just found the site a few minuets ago so I’m still looking into it, but they have some aides to help you keep your research organized. http://www.teachersdomain.org

2) This site is one I like to check in on regularly to see what is new in science news. For me it is kind of like a newspaper, I use it so much I have been thinking it must be old hat to everyone, but just in case you have not run across it, and you like science, check it out it’s very informative. Check out the story “Spooks In Space” think you were having trouble wrapping your mind around the new physics this concept is sure to set you back a few paces. The site constantly gives me something to start googling around the net trying to find more information. http://www.newscientist.com/

3) Looking for some up to the minuet information on Hurricane Dean, I did a google search, looked at several sites, most did mot impress me much until I found this one. I thought this was the best of the lot, so if you want the latest reports on what is going on, with a current storm, you might want to check out this site. http://www.thestormtrack.com/

4) Listening to c2c while I am writing my blog tonight, they are talking about the world economy, and the housing bubble. I went to the guest site very good, somewhat scary, but not surprising. Worth informing yourself about what is going on with world finance, although I think quantum physics might be easier to understand. Terms like “pump and dump” (Enron may have been one), “tapeworm economy” trillions of missing dollars, I have trouble thinking about millions, and billions. Anyway check it out, learn to defend yourself, you might be glad you did. http://www.solari.com/

New ransomware

Our own Koffeebeanz pointed this out and discussed it with me.

It's out and about and only a few AV applications pick it up yet. This is worth reading about, so you understand the dangers.

Jack

Is my hardware Linux-compatible? Find out here

If you're thinking of doing the Linux installation thing with Joe and the rest of us, you're probably wondering if your hardware will cooperate. In most cases it will. Compatibility issues that dogged Linux in earlier days generally have been resolved, though some few still persist.

Go ahead; satisfy your curiosity.

Jack

AMD spec promises better software parallelism

This is mainly a PR thing. However; the fact remains that all the chipmakers are working on how to really bring the benefits of multi-core and multi-processing to the user. AMD, Intel, Sun, IBM and even little VIA are after this "holy grail". The reason is simple; If they cannot bring clear performance gains to the table, sales will suffer as buyers see no real reason to upgrade.

There is a lot at stake here, obviously, and we're going to see a lot more work in this area.

Jack

Modder puts PC in art deco wood photoframe

This is a simple case mod and, frankly, one of the nicest I've seen in ages.

Jack

High Power Worker

This video has been going around lately, but just in case you missed it, it is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Windows XP: The OS that won't die?

If you feel out of date with your old Windows XP machine, don't feel bad. You are not alone. In fact new copies of XP Pro are still going out the door. So many that Microsoft has to revise SP2 to allow for more activation keys.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 08-12-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 08-12-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

The Gregg Zone!

1) I owe my first link to that often referred to friend of Joe and me, the one is Southern California, the one who to be kept at arms length from the show, or at least out of earshot. Anyway, this little video he sent me, made me think of our trip to Denali sitting on a tour bus watching a mother grizzly bear teach her cubs how to hunt ground squirrels. The man on this safari bus in Africa shot what had to be a once in a lifetime video sequence. Be sure to watch it all the way through, as it might not end the way you are thinking, nothing is inevitable. All I can say is this is one incredible piece of video. http://www.youtube.com P.S. You might want to also check out that video on the right, “snake swallows hippo”, I had heard that the big snakes could not handle a grown man because our shoulders are to large, this made me put that notion out of my mind.

2) Well it is time to revisit something I posted about a while ago the 3-D printer. Was the price prohibitive for you? Well, maybe not check this one out they are attempting to go after the home consumer market. They say in a couple of years they will have the price under a thousand dollars. Wow! That is less than I paid for my first computer. Maybe this company is going to be the apple of 3-D printing. It might be worth a few dollars to invest in their stock, if it is available. Be sure to watch the video on the right side at the site. http://www.desktopfactory.com

3) This is a link to a free online movie called, “The Race to Zero Point Energy”, you must know by now this is one of my areas of interest. The movie is one hour and fifty min. covers most of the current areas of investigation in the field. I thought was good, and very informative, it made me wonder where we would be today if the worldview in the early days of discovery had been more advanced, less profit oriented, and more in tuned with the planets welfare. http://video.google.com

4) For the last link of the week, I found a story about the clone phone in my latest Popular Science Magazine about how the knock off iphones coming out of China may be more advanced, and have better features than our original merchandise. Seems China is now interested in making their knock-off products better than original. It sure brings to mind many questions, political and otherwise. http://www.popsci.com

Many Xbox 360, PS3 owners unaware of HD abilities

Reportedly, "only 30-percent of Xbox 360 owners were aware of the HD graphics capabilities of the machine," and while the figure did rise on the Blu-ray-packin' PS3, it still stopped at just 50-percent.

Many Xbox 360, PS3 owners unaware of HD abilities

I was amazed at this, is blu-ray not the ONLY reason to buy the PS3? ;)
Also heard about this at my favorite HD Theater podcast, HT Guys.

--MissM

From BEOS to Haiku

It seems to me that those of us who remember using the Be OS all remember it fondly. There are probably enough detractors or those disappointed with BEOS around, but I don't know or come into contact with many of them and none lately. It was a good OS for it's time: Probably the best around in terms of stability and number crunching performance. Had the hardware compatibility list been a bit longer, I might have committed to it totally. It was that good.

Anyway; here's a short history of BEOS that will inform and amuse.

Jack

Vista Aiding Linux Desktop, Strategist Says

Vista Aiding Linux Desktop, Strategist Says: "Windows Vista has probably created the single biggest opportunity for the Linux desktop to take market share, Cole Crawford, an IT strategist at Dell, said in an address titled, 'The Linux Desktop—Fact, FUD or Fantasy?' at the annual LinuxWorld Conference & Expo here."
Thanks Koffeebeanz
I have been saying the same thing Vista will help both Mac OSX and Linux.

Remember we will be installing Ubuntu (or the Linux distro of your choice) as a group. I have heard from a lot of Linux users that Ubuntu and Kubuntu are the way to go. Nothing to install and the ease of use is very good.
They both have a Live CD (a CD you can boot to and not mess up your windows) you can try and most things work out of the box.

AlaskaJoe

Windows XP/Vista Downgrade Rights

I stole this link from Robert X. Cringely's Inforworld page. It will take you to a PDF by Microsoft explaining your "rights" and their position on downgrading from Vista to XP.

Jack

Privacy winning search engine war

Are you concerned about search engine privacy? If you are this article and the associated CDT report will be of interest to you.

This is a consumer driven trend and in my opinion it is a good thing. I ought to be able to conduct the searches I please without worrying about that information coming back to haunt me. While I'm not searching for anything that would put me in jail, this principle of "none of your business" is important to me.

HTTP errors. A Photo Set on Flickr

This one is great!

They're cartoon illustrations of HTTP errors and sure would be a lot nicer that the "file not found" text we usually get.

I think you'll enjoy this.

Jack

Make Vista Work for the Whole Family

Need to set up accounts for multiple users? Whether family or a business-place PC, Extreme Tech has a good guide to doing the deal.

Vista's stronger user account control contains just enough different stuff to trip you up once or twice if you're used to Windows 2000 or XP Pro. This guide will get you through.

Jack

Microsoft issues emergency fixes for Vista

Both fixes are rated "important". They are not security fixes. They're aimed toward making Vista machines more reliable and perform better.

Apparently there are problems with screen savers, network printers and some other things. I've not seen these problems in the wild and by all accounts they affect only a minority of Vista machines. Anyway; they are there if you want them.

Jack

LinuxMCE

I think I may have found the version of Linux I will be installing .
LinuxMCE 0704 is now released. It's a huge improvement, and includes a new demo video that is a full walkthrough.
The google video is very cool!

This OS (it's so much more than just an OS.) can do everything:
Media & Entertainment
Smart Home
Communication
How about set up your hone PBX phone system and just plug in your IP phone.

It uses Kubuntu and does a complete set up for you.
You can have a media center in any room you have a cat5 drop in.

AlaskaJoe

Damn Spam

It's the history of spam according to The New Yorker. Worth reading and not too long.

Jack

DRAM latency explained

Lots of you will already know all about this subject. But for the rest of us (and I include myself here) this is a relatively short and coherent explanation of memory latency and how it affects our systems.

I recently got a lesson in memory timing when I had to adjust it to get a system I had upgraded by adding memory to in order to produce a stable and high-performing system. The default timing settings were not stable, whereas overclocking the bus slightly yielded a very fast and stable system.

So, for those of you who are like me and a bit murky on memory issues, I give you this short report/tutorial at The Inquirer.

Jack

Microsoft becoming 'software police,' say users

I have to side with Microsoft on this one. Even so, it sets a precedent that scares the whee out of me. Read it and decide for yourself.

Jack

Survey says: only DRM-free music is worth paying for

Accoding to the synopsis of this survey in Ars Technica, the general public is turning against DRM. If that's true, perhaps there is hope that the will of the American Consumer will be felt again. It seems to have gone silent of late, but the sleeping giant may yet well awake.

Read on. And there is a link here to the entire survey report.

Jack

Consumer Reports on 'State of the Net': It's a jungle out there

It's not like we didn't know this. But it appears to be a case of the reality growing to meet the perception, rather than the other way around.

I get a LOT of questions from folks who want me to set them or their parents up with a computer and Internet access in such a way to allay all their fears. So far, I have demurred in most cases. I don't want to be responsible for whether or not someone sleeps peacefully at night. But I am devising a solution, which involves using a Linux or Mac OS X machine and some fairly restrictive browser settings. Yes, I know that is not a guarantee of security and that nothing really is, but it should help. Especially if combined with some common sense rules of conduct.

More on this later.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 08-05-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 08-05-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

The Gregg Zone!

1) To start things off this week, I thought I would explain why I am not going to be doing the show live for a while. For those who do not know, I live in Las Vegas, I have been here for over ten years now. When I lived in Southern California, I was a big fan of horseracing. Well to make a long story short I have decided to start playing the track again. Some of us will try anything not to have to get a regular job.

When I was up there in Alaska with Joe, I started developing a new method of playing based on an encounter at the Gold Coast race book. I followed it on the internet playing on paper only, having no place to bet. Over a five-week period, at two different tracks, the play showed a decent profit. So, I thought I would give it a shot, but they race on Sunday, usually during show time.

I will be taping the show segment for a while, and occasionally come back live when possible. I will also post as part of my blog here an occasional update to let anyone who might be interested know how I am doing.

2) For my first link, I found what has to be the most extensive site for video on the Airbus A380 must be fifty videos here on the plane for anyone interested in what it is like inside, and out. http://www.ask.com/

3) Well you know I have a thing for green cars, I’m not sure I would fit into this one, but at 330 miles to a gallon of gas, I might be willing to try. http://gizmodo.com/

4) I have been curious about Nicola Tesla for as long as I can remember the other night I was cruising around reading about him when I stumbled on this page, There are enough stories and links here to keep a Tesla fan busy for a year or two, http://www.tfcbooks.com

5) I am fascinated, at all the change’s the internet is making in our society; and how it will change everything we know, and do in the future. A case in point the way we handle our government. I decided in the beginning when I started this blog to avoid religion and politics, I am going to stretch that just a little here. Can you imagine a future election without YouTube or something very much like it? The potential for change in my mind is staggering. I have seen more of the minor candidates for the 2008 election already than I have seen in all the previous elections combine. For my link here if you have not already seen this give it a look, the power of the internet is on display here, http://www.unity08.com/

Eight Financial Reasons Why You Should Use Mac OS

Wow! This is a "rah, rah, gooo Mac" article. I'm not sure how accurate the claims for savings are, but I do know the author is barking up the right tree. Windows has gotten too expensive and that is pushing folks to look for alternatives like never before. Not just the Mac, but all sorts of things from Linux and thin clients to Macs to multi-user machines.

So, this is interesting and the general thrust of the article is clearly right. It's just the numbers that might vary, a lot.

Jack

NEC and Hitachi team to water-cool hard drives

It seems that everyone knows about my on-again, off-again love affair with water cooling. I've played with it a bit and admired what it has done for various systems my friends have built. And I got no less than five emails pointing me to this post at Ars Technica.

Water cooling components other than the CPU, video adapter and motherboard chipset may be a bit far out, as in overkill, but it still is interesting, though I have to wonder where we're going to stuff all the separate, discrete radiators. Especially with the trend to smaller form factors. But that's a problem for another day.

Jack

64-bit PCs: Drivers wanted

Here's a pretty good article at CNet's News.com about 64 bit drivers. It's not just about Vista, either. The Mac OS X comes in for some comment, as well.

It's interesting to note that while they find some deficiencies in video drivers. those I know who are running 64 bit Vista at home or at work are really happy with the performance. The only qualification I have to make on this is that the peripherals and internal equipment they chose was guaranteed to be at least nominally compatible with Vista. Those who try running it without a bit of planning and thought are the ones doing a great majority of the complaining. That does not mean their complaints are without merit, just that they are somewhat out of proportion.

I have to admit I know nothing of 64 bit doings on the Mac. Linux, however, is quite another story.

I've had a little experience with Linux on the IA-64 platform. That's the Intel Itanium, for those of you who have not kept up with it. (Don't worry about that. Itanium is about as close to a niche platform as any of us are likely to encounter.)

I've got an AMD powered 64 bit Linux machine running here, now. I just wiped the 32 bit and put on 64 bit Ubuntu after a hard drive failure deprived me of my 15,000 rpm hard drive that was serving as a swap file. Basically, 64 bit Linux is indistinguishable from 32 bit, except that some apps have not been re-compiled for 64 bit, so the repository of applications is somewhat smaller.

Generally, I would say Linux is best situated in this regard, followed by OS X and then Vista. Still, Vista is not in such bad shape. Were I going to put up a Vista machine, I would be carefully choosing my components and I should think I could get along just fine once the machine is basically equipped. Software compatibilities are going away at a phenomonal rate and as far as I know, every application I would run is already well and truly ported to 64 bit versions of Vista.

Jack

Let's Meet a Romanian eBay Scammer...

...Hello Ghiuri Simionescu

Here's a fascinating look at the scamming and phishing underworld from Broadband Reports. Be warned, there is some foul language, and only some of it has been ****'d out.

Courts Turn Against Abusive Clickwrap Contracts

Ever read a EULA, shrinkwrap or clickthrough license and wondered to yourself or aloud "how can they get away with this?". Well, it is increasingly seeming as if "they" can no longer. A very great number of these licenses have been invalidated or at least reeled in somewhat by recent court decisions. And more will follow soon, should this trend in the courts continue.

It's about damn time, if you ask me. I'm also sure many of you feel the same way. This article in Wired News tells some of what is happening to advance consumer rights against these licenses. There is still a long, long ways to go, so it isn't time to start rejoicing, yet. But the light shines at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope it's not an oncoming train.

Jack

Make a video about gmail!

Long story short....
On BoingBoing they pointed to a link [Best Robot movies] on chime.tv that combines a page of videos and plays them all at one time. This morning, while listening to net@nite, I saw a link to a video dramatizing a gmail traveling across the globe. Very amusing video, with 41 responses. I thought another excellent use for chime.tv!! And it worked! Most of the videos are really short, and some made me LOL, some made me go awwww, they have everything. Enjoy! I was hoping someONE that reads this will make a response (hint, hint)!


Gmail original video

Chime.tv link to original and all responses.

--MissM
I hope the links work for y'all... It was a little tricky, I believe its frames. If you post a response, please post the link here, I'd love to see it! There were 3 more responses while I was futzing around with this post. :)

Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2007-27

Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey have had a couple of major flaws fixed. The new version for FireFerret is 2.0.0.6 and it is available now.

Automatic update notification is delivering it to users, but if you don't have that turned on, you need to upgrade now. Exploit code for one of the flaws is now confirmed to be on some compromised web sites. As far as I know; all extensions work with the new version, except the Java console, which will be fixed very soon.

Jack

Printers pose serious health risks: study

More bad news and it's not even Monday. Sorry about that.

This is a short article in The Sydney Morning Herald about some Queensland University research. It seems we need to be concerned that the office, and particularly the area around the printer, are well ventilated, lest we injure ourselves further.

Jack

Loading Unsigned Drivers in Vista

We've always known it was possible and in several cases I've forced drivers on Windows 2000 Professional and XP Home and Professional. Now there is at least one tool to automate the process, albeit within some limitations, and expand the number of drivers with which one can work.

This essay explains it all clearly; both the possibilities and the risks.

Jack

Logitech keyboard rides the Wave

Here's a nice article in The Register about Logitech's newest ergo keyboard. It has excellent pictures to go with the text.

First there was the Microsoft Natural. Lots of folks loved it. I couldn't stand it and so have stuck with "standard" shaped keyboards. Yes, there were other ergo keyboards but because sales were so slow, the cost of such solutions stayed out of my reach. Or at least higher than I could justify.

Now, it seems that Logitech has taken pity on me. This new keyboard looks good and is affordable. I'm going to get one as soon as they arrive in my neighborhood.

Jack

10 automakers to jointly develop OS

The headline says it all. I can't help but wonder if BSODs are part of the motivation. :)

10 automakers to jointly develop OS : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)

[Thanks RawFeed]
--MissM

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-29-07 (We had a lot of connection problems today)

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-29-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Meet the XO

The XO is the One Laptop Per Child device. I find it fascinating, both as an engineering excercise and as a way to bring information technology to the developing world. I think this is the most detailed review of the device and it's attendant software yet. It's also the easiest to read.

Be sure to follow the links to see Sugar, the software interface developed for the XO.

Jack

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) Well to start things off this week, how about saving the world? This is something I ran across that I think is the greatest concept I have seen in a long time. Skyscraper farming, this is something you need to check out, a thirty-story farm in the middle of the city, creating food and clean water for 50,000 people. With 150 of these scattered around the city you could feed the entire city of New York. Use the ground floor for a store and a local shipping center. Think of the advantages; reduced transportation cost, totally organic (no need for pest control), no toxic run off into the water systems, returns farm land for parks or other needs, grow crops for ethanol, grow year round, no weather related crop loss, self-sustaining through methane heating and lighting, converts urban blight neighborhoods to productive areas, reduced need for immigration, provides local jobs in the inner city, ranchers and dairy farmers could grow feed on site, might help save conflicts over water most of our water is used for irrigation these recycle their own water, in other countries reduce conflicts over land, water and resources, my god the list is endless. http://www.verticalfarm.com/

2) Let’s continue with the save the world concept. How about running your car on water? This has always been a dream for the green thinking people of the world; well it may be coming true check out this Fox news video story, it blew my mind completely. www.youtube.com

3) This link is similar but this time lets help you save yourself. If you are at all worried about what is in your food you might want to read this one, it is about how the food industry tricks us using loopholes in the labeling laws to feed us what ever they want. I am a label reader, and this really woke me up, I will be reading a lot closer from now on. www.newstarget.com

4) Now for a couple of more edgy ones, not sure what to think about this one, if it is faked it is a good job, I will leave it up to you. http://www.liveleak.com/

5) This last link was sent to me by Jack, but sure to bring back some memories for Joe and me, and sure to spark a reminiscent conversation of our earlier adventures. I’m looking forward to playing in the archives here. Thanks again Jack. http://www.imakethings.com

Be a Simpsons Character!

Upload a photo and see what you'd look like on The Simpsons.

Jack

What is Tiny, Green, and Penguin-Friendly?

The slant of the article in XYZ Computing is systems for running Linux. However, if you're a Windows person, don't let that put you off. At least some of these systems are Vista-capable now and more could be. The same goes for Apple's OS X, should Apple decide we deserve an update to the Mac Mini. (Though they don't seem much interested in being a computer maker any more - a story for another time.)

I like some of these machines and all the small form-factor boxes I have seen have show at least some interesting features or performance points. These could well be the future of desktop computing for the majority of us, who need some power, but not the maximum available.

Have a look. It's a short read.

Jack

Slashdot | Cisco to Kill Linksys Brand Name

/. was sent the following info
"In a roundtable with the European press, John Chambers confirmed the "end of life" of the Linksys name, being replaced by the new and redesigned Cisco branding."

He explains, "It will all come over time into a Cisco brand. The reason we kept Linksys' brand because it was better known in the US than even Cisco was for the consumer. As you go globally there's very little advantage in that."

Slashdot | Cisco to Kill Linksys Brand Name
--MissM
a potential regular Friday thang... :)
My shared feed items:
My Google reader shared items:


TGIF! Have a great weekend!

EULA: What Are You Signing Away?

The link is to a relatively good article at Linux Insider's web site. Good, but not great. Still, it's short does give some of the problems with EULAs an airing. There is also a link to the EULA Hall of Shame, which I will repeat here.

My reasoning for posting this is that licensing issues are getting quite a bit of attention now and I expect there will soon be court cases attempting to clarify which rights a user can be compelled to give up via the EULA and which can not. Also, the recent adoption of the GNU General Public License, version 3 (GPLv3) is focusing attention on licensing terms, as well.

All this combines to equal a renewed emphasis on returning sanity to software licensing.

Jack

Storm Worm Erupts Into Worst Virus Attack In 2 Years -- Storm worm -- InformationWeek

You get an e-card from "a friend" or "a relative". You click on the link to pick up your card and you get a little something extra: a rootkit. You're computer is now a zombie. Welcome to Storm Worm.

Build your own server

Bit-Tech has a good series on building your own Ubuntu Linux server. Written by Ken Gypen, It's a clear guide. (I sure wish I could write that well!) They're at part 2 of at least 3. This is well worth your looking at.

Yes, I know a lot of you have had your imaginations captured by Windows Home Server. To a certain extent, so am I. It's certainly the most desireable product from MS in quite a while and I find it exciting, too. Even so; a Windows server is not everyone's cup of tea, for a variety of reasons. And then there is the fact that a lot of us would simply rather do it ourselves, whether to learn, out of concern for some aspect of performance or to save money, perhaps by utilizing some of that less than current hardware in the closet. Should you fall anywhere in there, this series of articles is for you.

Jack

Fighting Viruses in Vista Without Antivirus Programs

Do you still need to use antivirus software to remain safe while running Windows Vista? Read the article to find out.

IPhone Flaw Lets Hackers Take Over, Security Firm Says

From The NY times:
A team of computer security consultants say they have found a flaw in Apple’s wildly popular iPhone that allows them to take control of the device.

The researchers, working for Independent Security Evaluators, a company that tests its clients’ computer security by hacking it, said that they could take control of iPhones through a WiFi connection or by tricking users into going to a Web site that contains malicious code. The hack, the first reported, allowed them to tap the wealth of personal information the phones contain.

ISP Seen Breaking Internet Protocol to Fight Zombie Computers

The link above will take you to the "Threat Level" blog on the Wired News site.

Apparently at least one ISP is taking action against IRC channels they think might be used to control networks of compromised computers, commonly called "botnets".

This might be a good thing, or it might be a bad thing. The first impression I got was that actions like this are open to intentional or unintentional abuse. Reading this carefully only increased my anxieties.

Jack

Password vulnerability in Firefox 2.0.0.5

This is a relatively big one. It apparently affects Firefox on all platforms and the Apple Safari browser, as well.

The workaround is to disable javascript until a fix is available. That's what we have done here. I doubt that patching this will take long, so be sure to watch for an update or fix.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-22-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-22-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

United States Government Online Watchdogs? Part of the war on terror?

The title is a bit misleading.

The story is about unauthorized connections Vista makes. The story is incomplete. The detection of connections is not done with any rigor and nowhere does it say the installation of Vista that is tested is pristine, so there is a LOT of room for error with no attempt to minimize it at all. Even so; I find this alarming and think it needs desperately to be checked out.

Make up your own mind on this one (as if you wouldn't anyway) and it might well be time to check out on your own.

Jack

Microsoft 'silently' restores root certificates that users distrust and remove

I found this scary. I think you will as well, though I'm going to check some other sources before I push my paranoia into overdrive.

Jack

Pyro Desktop

Slashdot had a couple of Firefox posts, this morning, and I found both of interest.

The first is the Pyro desktop. It's an integrater, of sorts, that would amalgamate your desktop apps with web apps, so all would appear in the same window. I find it being written in javascript something of a problem, but that does not seem to bother those who are paid to know better than I. Check this one out at the link above.

The second is a call for a lightweight version of Firefox to work on older PCs. There is not link for this one. But the idea is that FF would win even more market share if it had a version that would run with alacrity on even the oldest graphic hardware. It's something to think about, I guess, though I wonder if it is really worth the effort. Perhaps a version geared to web applications would be more appropriate.

Jack

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) This is my first post since getting back to Las Vegas after four months visiting Joe in Alaska. I thought I would do an item on metal detectors, and a mutual friend of Joe and myself. We have a friend Tony who plays with a metal detector on the beaches of California. He sent me a link to an article in the BBC about a father and son in England who found a Viking stash in a field worth they said conservatively 750,000 pounds, or about one and a half million dollars during their Saturday hobby outing. Here is the link to the story. http://news.bbc.co.uk There will be an update next week, with pictures of Tony’s latest and greatest find on an L.A. beach, from the 1800’s. That part of the story just got lost in my move home.

2) For this set of links we have Jack to thank, he must have known I’d be sort of up against a time crunch what with returning to Vegas and all. So thanks a lot Jack! This is really great stuff, I am a book lover, and I have always thought the internet could do more to help the world come closer to a through a kind of universal knowledge through them. This has to be one of the most extensive projects undertaken by man, equal to sequencing the human genome. And they need our help, so if you can find some way to help, you can feel you have done something to advance the future of the human race. Yeah I know pretty heavy stuff, but I can’t help it. I think if we can pull this off it will say more about the real value of the internet than anything to date. In my mind the real value of the internet is in aiding the evolution of mankind, this can only be done by rising above the monetary motivations of greed and power. This is what makes the internet so great, it is for the common man, it does not ask what station in life you hold, it could care less about who you are, what you have, or what motivates you, it is just there for everyone. If you want equality in the world, how can you beat the internet? Okay I’m off my soap box here are the links http://demo.openlibrary.org/ http://www.gutenberg.org

3) This is hands down the best photo of area 51, a few miles up the road from here. This is a panoramic picture, you can pan anywhere you want it is very clear, and if you want to see the non-existent base with all of those non-existent buildings, have a look. http://www.pbase.com

4) My last link for the week is a very interesting article about the diamond industry. If you have not educated yourself on this topic, you might want to give it a read. It is seven pages and very informative. Most people I know have fallen for this con in one way or another, this might make you reconsider any type of investment in the little rocks. http://www.theatlantic.com

ATI/Nvidia Says "No Support" to Laptop Owners for Vista

This may or may not be the most accurate piece, but there is no disputing that Vista is plagued by driver problems. I expect the Microsoft DRM is to blame, though there may well be other factors at work, too. DRM issues would explain just why sound and video seem to be the main problem areas.

Jack

The desktop -- time to say goodbye?

In the face of increasing market share are desktops doomed to niche status? I kind of doubt it.

Yes, more and more people are opting for notebooks and more corporate sales are of notebooks, as well. But if I had my choice, I'd work on a desktop more, not less. I like my laptop, but the smaller display and keyboard take their toll over long hours of working on it.

You can bet we are going to be talking about this one on Sunday.

Jack

Happy Friday Edition

First. There's a WOOT-OFF!!
Second. My Google reader shared items:


Third. TGIF! Have a great weekend!
Fourth. Join us Sunday for the live show!

--MissM

Microsoft's Copy Protection Hacked Again

From CBS news:
(AP) Microsoft Corp. is once again on the defensive against hackers after the posting of a new program that gives average PC users tools to unlock copy-protected digital music and movies.

The latest version of the FairUse4M program, which can crack Microsoft's digital rights management system for Windows Media audio and video files, was published online late Friday. In the past year, Microsoft plugged holes exploited by two earlier versions of the program and filed a federal lawsuit against its anonymous authors. Microsoft dropped the lawsuit after failing to identify them.

Fighting Viruses in Vista Without Antivirus Programs

Here's an interesting article that takes on the bluster about whether or not Vista actually needs an anti-virus program protecting it. Not really anything surprising in it, but well told and understandable to anyone.

Jack

Adobe Flash exploit could log keystrokes

This one is really important if you have Flash enabled in your browser. Adobe has published patches for a total of 3 important vulnerabilities and you need to update your Flash Player right away!

Jack

Microsoft to offer code protection, validation to other software developers

Microsoft is making the tools and bits of software copy protection and activation (Similar to Windows activation) available to developers. At first glance, this looks like nothing more than a gift to hardworking developers, no matter how large or small their projects are.

But I fear MS has an agenda. They are already using relatively restrictive copy protection and activation schemes on their products and they have made no secret of the fact that they plan to push forward in this area. However; there is a customer outcry because of the inconvenience and mistakes in the process, and MS has to worry it might become a tidal wave of dissatisfaction leading to lost sales and hence revenue. (Other companies plan similar schemes; notably Adobe, thought these two are by no means the only ones.) So, the only way they can gain acceptance, or at least resignation, of customers to these schemes is to make ones like it so pervasive that there are few alternatives.

There's a lot at stake here.

Jack

Linux MPX Multi-touch Table May Become Free DIY Microsoft Surface One Day

Here's another project to make surface or touch computing mainstream. This one is a development of the X Windows system used on Linux and many Unices. It's worth reading. I'm now aware of 4 projects having to do with touch or surface computing besides Microsoft's heavily touted efforts. MS is definitely the leader in this space, but apparently the field is about to be crowded.

Beware of the optimism in this article. It's a bit much and so slightly unbalances the tone of things.


Jack

Sun Has Fixed Java Security Flaws

Sun Microsystems quietly slipped out an update to the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) and SDK (Software Development Kit) to address the flaws I posted about earlier.

The new version number is 6, update 2. Get it at the link above. The update has been issued for all applicable platforms.

Jack

How can you possibly test modern software fully?

Here is an interesting article from The Register's Developer's section. It will answer a lot of questions about how software is tested, should that sort of thing interest you.

I have to warn you that it is multiple pages long and, while well written and paced, it is probably more than most of you want to know about the subject,

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-15-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-15-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Userful Multi-Station Software

In late 1999 and 2000, I did some work with friends on setting up Linux PCs so 4 people could use one PC simultaneously. We had some successes, though there was a real struggle to implement that many PCI video cards on each machine. (Input was via USB devices.) Even so, we had 4 users humming away on one machine in a call center and in a charitable agency office where the only tasks were text input and other secretarial tasks and some database fetches from a server with, along the companion inputs. For all I know, they're still running.

Now, a company called "Userful" has software to manage things easily and reliably. No more custom setups.

Think about this for a minute. Not all, and in fact most users probably don't actually need an entire PC. This is ever more true when the desktop computers available to us are growing in power and capacity as fast as they are. Got 3 kids? Why do they each need a computer? Build one killer machine and implement Userful's stuff and you will probably end up saving money, trouble and stop that terrible hair loss that affects us older guys.

Give it a look.

Jack

The Gregg Zone !!

1) Are you or have you been interested in Seti? Been involved with the “Seti at home project”? Maybe you were involved in the star-dust at home project helping to sort out the dust particles obtained from NASA’s Comet Wild-2 Mission? Well there is a new one that started earlier in the week on Tuesday July 10^th. They are looking to the internet for volunteers to help classify a million galaxies, seems the human brain is much better at identifying patterns than computers. This is really a very cool thing you get to see pictures of galaxies for the first time. There is a short test to be sure you understand the nuances between the images you will be sorting into categories. It is a little harder than it looks, I missed eight of fifteen on the test round, need to practice some and try again. Anyway check this out even if it is not your cup of tea, you might pass it along to someone else who might like to help out. http://www.galaxyzoo.org/

2) This site is something I found after watching a program on T.V., the show was called “The Boy Who Sees with Sound”, I think it was on the science channel; anyway it was about human echolocation. This was something I had heard about some time ago, but it had dropped off my radar because of time, and other interests. When I saw the program on the tube it raised my curiosity to the point of a google search. You can see the 25 min. video here, and also learn more about what has to be one of the most interesting subjects I have seen in a while. Being sighted all my life makes it very difficult to imagine learning a technique involving the art of compensating sound for sight to this degree. If I had not “seen” it, I would have trouble believing it. This really makes me wonder how much of the world around me goes totally unnoticed, just because I’m not focused enough to perceive what is in front of me. Or how much do I miss due to not developing my senses to the limits of their abilities. The link is to the video page, you might like to hit the home button to see what else is there. http://www.worldaccessfortheblind.org/

3) The internet can help you keep in touch with some very interesting directions our society is headed in. A case in point the other day I ran across something called cultured meat, this term refers to growing meat in the lab. Evidently you could in theory feed an entire nation from only two cells. Eliminating most of the undesirable by-products produced by the raising meat, freeing agricultural land to feed people directly, rather than using an animal to turn the suns energy into food. No methane, no anti-biotic related problems, and much less transportation of support goods to keep the herds, the list of that type of advantage is very long indeed. And then one must consider the lack of need to kill, or mistreat animals. I can see several hours of future reading on the many issues this line of research brings to mind, from technical advancements to the ethics of cloning, creation, and the relationship to the animal consciousness groups. http://www.reuters.com .

4) Okay here we go full speed ahead, if you thought those sites were a little tame how about building your own replicater, yea that cool little dumb waiter kind of machine from star trek, that made what ever you ordered. I read a preliminary article about this a couple of years ago, decided to do a little search to see if I could find an update, never expected to find free online plans to build my own. This site is an open source site dedicated to how to build your own 3-D printer; this is one of those places where you can find the future today. Sometimes I wish I was a little younger, just to see where all this is going. If you decide to build one of these I sure would like an occasional update. http://www.fabathome.org

Java flaw poses widespread security threat

At the time of posting, details are scarce. I'm not even satisfied there is a problem. This CNet article is all I have found, so far. More details as they become available.

Jack

Cell Phone Spying Service Leaking Data? - Security Fix

drat, they aren't the same size...

Wow this is scary, especially if you have a blackberry or windows mobile "smart" phones (sorry, couldn't help myself on the quotation marks lol)
The Washington Post Security Column elaborates on the issue:




"Last week, the geek news world was abuzz with news of a spying service that lets people intercept text messages, call logs, e-mails and other information from BlackBerry and Windows Mobile-equipped smart phones. But it appears the privacy threat is even bigger: According to evidence unearthed by at least one security researcher, the company that offers the intercept service has left its database freely viewable to anyone with a Web browser. "

Go read the rest of the details...

Cell Phone Spying Service Leaking Data? - Security Fix
--MissM

Microsoft facing US$1.15bn Xbox 360 repair bill

MS has now admitted that ALL of the XBox 360 units built to date are faulty, by virtue of poor design. They are NOT going to replace them. Rather, they have extended the warranty to three years, as we said on the show last week.

The new warranty policy is not going to completely compensate (as an example) a user who has had to return their unit multiple times and been without it during those periods. I have to wonder if this increase in warranty coverage will be seen as sufficient by consumer protection agencies and lawyers. I predict there will be litigators flocking around this one and hearings in front of various consumer agencies.

Jack

Mac OS X with 100 bugs: Still safer than Windows?

I think OS X is still safer than Windows. Obviously the security types are not sure. But in the absense of wide-spread attacks and compromises, I am still telling folks they will be safe for the Mac.

I send my clients and friends a little security newsletter from time to time to remind them of best practices and keep track of threats they need to know about. In it, I am still recommending the Mac OS X as safer than Windows.

Jack

Firefox and IE together brew up security trouble | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

To update Jack's post below, apparently both Firefox AND IE have issues.

UPDATE: Blame them both.

That's the latest update from security researchers who initially laid the blame on Microsoft's Internet Explorer for the latest zero-day exploit that also can afflict those using the Firefox Web browser.

Users could face a "highly critical" risk if they have both IE and Firefox version 2.0, or later, loaded on their computer. The trouble begins when browsing a malicious site while using IE and it registers a "firefoxurl://" URI (uniform resource identifier) handler, which allows the browser to interact with specific resources on the Web. As a result, users may find their systems remotely compromised.

[snip]

"Firefox is the current attack vector, but Internet Explorer is to blame for not escaping...characters when passing on the input to the command line," said Larholm, in response to a reader's comments. "I agree that Firefox could have registered its URL handler with pure DDE (dynamic data exchange, the protocol for information exchange) instead and thereby have avoided the possibility of a command-line argument injection, but IE should still be able to safely launch external applications."

Firefox and IE together brew up security trouble | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Some of my normal buttons are missing (dang link button won't work, or I'd post to Jack's post, yeah that's how its supposed to be done, check to see if its been posted before posting.:P) while I create this, but the link above has all the info.
--MissM

Critical Firefox security flaw discovered

Ahhh, browsers! Doncha just love 'em? They keep our lives so interesting! And often in unexpected ways, too.

This flaw looks like a real gem. No doubt the Mozilla folks are hot on the heels of this one. It will no doubt be repaired soon.

The original Secunia advisory is here for those of you with a masochistic bent.

Jack

Zone Alarm free for Vista out

Don't know how long this has been out but, I just noticed it. The install was a nightmare. It hung. Windows complained about the true vector service numerous times. However, it does seem to be running OK , after a re-boot.

Vista SP1 beta 1 to launch in mid-July | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

"Just when Microsoft had customers, partners and competitors all believing that it was going to delay the first service pack for Vista — not releasing a first beta of it until just before year-end — the company is set to deliver Beta 1 of Vista SP1 in mid-July"

Lets see what this Service pack does for Vista.
AlaskaJoe

Microsoft readying Vista's first service pack beta for July release? - Engadget

More news about the rumored (in January, tyvm) service pack for Vista... As Engadget reports:
Interestingly enough, "various unnamed sources" have purportedly stated that Microsoft is actually prepping Vista's very first service pack beta (aw, how cute) for a "mid-July release." To be precise, word on the street is pointing towards July 16th, but the final version of Vista SP1 isn't slated to land until "sometime in November."
Ok it really validates both versions of the rumor :)
Microsoft readying Vista's first service pack beta for July release? - Engadget

--MissM

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-08-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-08-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) To start off this round I thought I would put up a site that can help you sort out some of the crazier stuff we get sent to us. I have gotten so many emails, chain letters with the most unbelievable stuff, the example am using is a recent email I got about a mule attacking a mountain lion. The best way to check these out is either at snoops here is the link to the mule story. http://www.snopes.com Another good place to investigate these would be at About.com they had five versions of the letter, snoops had two, but included an interesting history. Here’s the about link. http://urbanlegends.about.com

2) This is for the people out there who like to use herbs, this is the best herb site I have found, lots of information with out the sales pitch I play here a lot and have not seen an ad for anything. If this is an area of interest to you will be glad you checked this out. http://www.henriettesherbal.com

3) Being here in Alaska and trying to understand why I have so much trouble adjusting to the 22 hours of light, yea the days are that long. Any it has been driving my circadian rhythms totally out of whack, since I got here, not sure what to expect when I get back to Las Vegas, but anyway doing a little research on the subject I ran across this site from Australia on Edgar Casey I linked an article on light and the pineal gland, melatonin, light, jet lag, and their relationships pretty interesting. http://www.cayce.egympie.com.

4) And to close it out for the week a little shot for the c2c group. If you are a fan I know you are familiar with this guest Dr. Turi, he was pretty accurate with his predictions. If you have not visited his site it has some interesting reading. http://www.drturi.com

Sun ODF Plug in 1.0 for Microsoft Office Available Now as a Free Download

Sun has their converter for Microsoft Office that translates Open Document Format (ODF) docs (text, spreadsheet, database and presentations) to Microsoft formats. This one is the one you want. Microsoft's own is clumsy and unreliable. (Not that one would expect them to pour their hearts into the effort.) So for now, this is the one you want. I've tried it and it works well enough and transparently.

Jack

Live Earth on MSN: The Concerts For A Climate In Crisis

unfortunately, and expectedly, it works better in IE. But the talent level is amazing, I've seen Genesis, Linkin Park, some blonde chick... [snicker]. Check it out (If you aren't broadband impaired, sorry)
--MissM

Live Earth on MSN: The Concerts For A Climate In Crisis

Its also on Bravo Channel, if that's available. NBC will have a prime time special too, I believe. "Check your local listings."

How Vista Lets Microsoft Lock Users In

This is Cory Doctorow's take in Vista's capability for "lock-in" of customer's information. Writing in Information Week, he takes a very dim view of our future.

Jack

Boing Boing: Laptop typewriter mod

I can't imagine any more appropriate combination of geek for at least one person, who reads this blog. ;)
Xeni Jardin blogged about this very unique laptop mod:
Wow, what a work of art. Writer Mary Robinette Kowal modded her laptop so that the keyboard would resemble keys on an old-fashioned portable typewriter.

Boing Boing: Laptop typewriter mod
Would one be able to resist trying to smack the return thingy (lol, I have no idea what that's called). Oh I wonder if its one of those smackable"Motion Sensing," hackable apple laptops??
--MissM

Microsoft July updates

To quote the blog post:

Next Tuesday, we’re currently planning to release six security bulletins:

· Three Microsoft Security Bulletins affecting Microsoft Windows with a Maximum Severity rating of Critical. These updates will require a restart and will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

· Two Microsoft Security Bulletins affecting Microsoft Office with a Maximum Severity rating of Critical. These updates will not require a restart and will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

· One Microsoft Security Bulletin affecting Microsoft .NET Framework with a Maximum Severity rating of Critical. This update will require a restart and will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

Additional details about the bulletins and the affected versions can be found in the Advance Notification posted on the web.



We are also planning to release an update to the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Too.

Finally, we are planning to release four high-priority non-security updates on Microsoft Update and one on Windows Update.

The complete post is here.

--MissM

AMD posts blatantly deceptive benchmarks on Barcelona

George Ou never has seemed one to shoot off his mouth. I've always found him to be considered and fair. So for him to so directly confront AMD is indicative of how strongly he feels AMD's actions are wrong.

Jack

Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine!

More and more, Vista seems like a plague inflicted on the world's computing public. When I interact with Vista, it certainly seems that way to me and I wonder how users put up with it. They do, though, and usually without much thought at all. What that means is that Vista is here to stay.

Here's another compendium of woes for users of Vista. Don't read this directly before or after a meal. It's that strong.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-01-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-01-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Rival malware gangs wage turf war

Well, here's one that will keep you up at night. The bad guys are fighting over who gets to infect your computer. Too bad this sort of thing doesn't divert them from their "work". Unfortunately, it doesn't. Be afraid.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-01-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-01-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

The Gregg Zone !!

1) I’m starting off this week with something I ran across because of a conversation with Riley. I was asking his opinion on the WiFi radios, after our talk I was looking into them on the net and ran across this site. It is meant for use with the WiFi radio but works using the computer instead. There are over 6000 radio stations world wide, and more than 20,000 streams. I only listened to the radio for a while; I find it interesting to hear news, and political opinion from out side of the country. While not all countries have radio in English a surprising number do. For instance if I had time right now I would be listening to the London radio stations, as they just found the two bomb rigged cars found, and the Irish airport incident just happened. Any way here is the link. https://www.reciva.com

2) Here is a link to Michael Moore’s movie “Sicko” the complete movie, just in case anyone is interested. As of the time of writing this I have not watched it, but I intend to later in the week if I get a chance. http://www.opposingdigits.com