SlySoft Update Includes 'AI' to Crack Future HD DVDs, BDs

This was expected by almost everyone I asked about it, though I was surprised. What it means is that you can indeed rip your CDs and DVDs to make backups. And I suppose those of us possessing lessened scruples will upload those copies, too, but the app does have a real purpose beyond illegalities.

Jack

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) I have heard many references to right-brain verses left-brain over the years, never gave it a lot of thought, assuming most of us were in some sort of gry area in the middle. I found this test on the net, while I tried several times to make the dancer change direction I just could not do it, reading the comments at the bottom I guess I was not alone. Although the results were mixed, and there were not very many. I would also have to guess that left brained people might be less attracted to such a test, while right brained people would be more interested in this area of introspection. What I did find most compelling was the list of attributes on the side, reading the list I must admit in every category I am right-brained, and that would coincide with my visionary results. Anyway, you might want to check it out, you may find it illuminating. http://www.news.com.

2) Here is a link that might interest some, and create cries of total disbelief in others. A.B. fans will no doubt remember Michael Cremo and his book “Forbidden Archeology”. Very technical but a great read, extremely interesting if you like to question the history presented to you as fact. By the way, if you are interested in buying a copy here is a link to my favorite place to buy books http://www.edwardrhamilton.com/ . They sell new books nothing used, the list price is $44.95, Hamilton sells it for $29.95 Shipping is $3.50 for one book or a hundred books.

This link is to an article related to the subject, that being that the history of man goes way back, much farther than our current science paradigm would have us believe. The article dated 10-09-07, is about an impossible fossil found in Antelope Springs Utah. A human footprint wearing a modern shoe, with a crushed trilobite imbedded in it, they became extinct 280 million years ago. There are several other examples of similar finds mentioned in the article. Modern archeology conveniently dismisses the things they cannot explain, so you most likely will not see this story anywhere else. Here is the link to the story in the Epoch Times http://en.epochtimes.com. My personal theory, to explain most of these anomalies of forbidden archeology would be, “time machines”.

3) This one may get me into trouble, but what to heck this is the Gregg Zone. I do not know how many out there have heard about the Urantria book, also known as the alien bible. Well I am not going to get into it to much, but if you have heard about it, and are interested here is a good link. There is an audio set up if you do not want to read the text you can listen to the whole thing as an audio book, free. I am very much on the fence with this, but then, I am on the same fence with the Christian Bible, Torah, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Book of Morman, and all the rest. This just seemed to be well suited to the Gregg Zone subject matter, so I thought I would put it up for your consideration.http://urantiabook.org/

4) Okay here we go with link number four; those who know me well; know I cannot resist those conspiracies floating around out there. To me they are like a glass of fine cognac, you sip, ponder, and savor them until they make you a little giddy, when you feel your head spinning, and a little confusion settling in, find yourself trying to reconnect with reality, you know you are onto something. This is not quite up to that level, but as I write this blog, I am sipping on the cognac. I was reading an article they posed the question were the protesters watched, by small dragonfly size flying robots employed by the government. This question just begged some google search on my part. What I found was interesting to say the least, while I doubt the watching of the protesters, I was surprised by how much progress has been made in this area, the paper linked is extensive, but needs to be considered carefully, some times it’s conflicting, but if you are interested in the subject, a good place to start. Informative about the different types of flight, depending on size and weight, there is more to it than I realized. http://www.cis.plym.ac.uk/

Quantum cryptography to secure ballots in Swiss election

The Swiss seem to take election security a bit more seriously than we in the US do. They use quantum cryptography and we have Diebold saying "trust us".

Anyway, this is the first "real world" application of the technology of any size I am aware of and I found it interesting. I hope you will, too.

Jack

Stretching the Search for Signs of Life

The Allen Telescope Array is finally coming on-line.

I know a lot of you have stopped doing seti@home since the transition to BOINC, but this might be the time to start. There will be a veritable flood of new data needing to be processed and you can be part of it.

Jack

OpenStreetMap project imports US government maps

At last! The prospect of public domain mapping for my GPS and Linux, along with other operating systems, looms. There is a lot of work to do, but the prospect tantalizes. In fact; I think I am going to investigate the possibilities of my helping them out.

Check this one out.

Jack

DOS lives! Secrets of the Windows command prompt

Just print this to a file and keep it around. I did.

There are times when the command line is faster, cleaner and easier, if only you have practiced enough that it is not really alien to you. That's all you need to do in preparation. When the time comes, you simply rip out your how-to literature and have at it.

I used the command line this morning to remove a rootkit from a Vista machine. It was easy, fast and saved me having to download a removal tool and use that. The AV program would not do it alone and so I stepped in and did it by hand. The machine is now clean and I saved a bundle of time.

You can, too.
Jack

New Features Discovered in Windows XP SP3: Is It Better Than Vista?

Beta News has an excellent preview of features due to be released as XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). It is becoming clear that SP3 is not just a security roll-up, as we have been led to believe. There is a lot more to it than that.

Jack

How big FOSS projects work

I've run across things like this before but never one short enough to post for everyone to read. This is an email mailing list exchange about and by developers of the PHP language. It's one brief page and explains well how FOSS projects can react faster to bugs and other problems than proprietary projects can.

This is worth a read. Plus, it's almost humorous in it's friendliness.

Jack

Microsoft's Patch Tuesday Security Summary

It's that time of the month, folks. Patch Tuesday. We did not talk about it Sunday, but here's part of the information you need. More to come if necessary.

Jack

New ASUS "Instant-On Linux" Details

We had been told that interesting things like embedding an operable system on the mainboard were coming, but I did not expect to see them quite so soon and I think the cast of the show told you so, as well.

So much for my prescience, eh? Asustek has already done it; embedding the better part of a fully functional desktop on the mainboard. It's out now. You can get it. The embedded system is Linux and quite capable in it's own right. Check it out.

Jack

Ten Ways to Make More Humane Open Source Software

Now here is a great set of thoughts on software usability. They are rarely followed, whether by open source/Free software types or proprietary developers. They need to be.

While you are looking at this article, be sure to follow the links to Neal Stephenson's excellent essay "In the Beginning, There Was the Command Line", which will enlighten you further. I promise this set of essays are very much worth your time, whether you develop software or simply use it.

Jack

Stephenson

The Difference Between Theory and Practice

Here is a very interesting little essay. The study by McAfee it refers to is linked from the story, too, and I recommend reading it.

We seem to be entering some sort of new era, where evil lurks at every turn on the Internet and we, the users, can no longer behave as if our security product producers will shield us from the bad guys. They will not. They are merely aids to safety. Tools for us to use, if you will. We will have to educate ourselves a bit and work within the framework of best practices from now on, or we will become part of the problem. That is all there is too it.

Jack

Critical Security Fixes on Tap for Windows, Outlook

"Patch Tuesday, with four critical bulletins, also will bring fixes to Windows Mail, Internet Explorer and Word."
Microsoft will be putting out seven security advisories on Patch Tuesday, Oct. 9, with four critical bulletins out for Windows, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Internet Explorer and Word.

We would like to remind everyone to "Do your Windows Updates".

The article is from KoffeeBeanz
AlaskaJoe

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 10-07-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 10-07-07. 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.

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) If you have not heard about global dimming, and think you have concept of how global warming works, you may want to watch this video. Seems global dimming has been protecting us from global warming; they are related and interact in a way that has caused us to greatly underestimate our problem. While green house gasses have been retaining heat and warming the planet the particles created by pollution have been causing the clouds to act as giant mirrors and reflect sunlight causing less solar energy to reach the planet. If we reduce our pollution with out balancing it against the green house gas problem, an activity we are doing world wide, we are running the real risk of increasing the warming of the planet ten fold. The problem is very much more complex than we thought. Much of the evidence was produced by 911, due to the shutting down of air traffic for three days, that research, combine with chance discoveries during research into the pan evaporation rate, and research into the amount of solar energy reaching the planet, these statistics are needed to plan irrigation systems, the researchers noticed the changes worldwide during independent studies. Anyway, here is a link to a 50 min. BBC movie on the subject, very interesting. http://video.google.com

2) This is a set of links from Buzz in chat, and Joe about a program to give laptop computers to kids in poor countries. I thought I had already done this, but when I went to my blog to try and find it I realized it was one of those links in a folder I keep for possible show stuff, started never finished, like a lot of other things in my life. Anyway there are several links about the program, it is really very cool, a wind up laptop for $100.00, no batteries, no wall plug, no electric plant, just educate and open the world to people with few paths to advance their position in the world. I remember reading about how those wind up radios were all over in third world countries, donated by the man who invented them, he set up factories in country so they could not only advance their society, but also provide jobs. I believe it is through the action of individuals, not government programs that we can change the world. Once again, the power of the internet demonstrates the power to change everything, by developing avenues to channel our creativity and distribute our good will. May we continue to use it wisely. First, the original site I found in my folder.http://www.laptop.org/ The follow up site from Joe and buzz http://www.xogiving.org/ A story in the New York Times http://www.osnews.com And an article about how India may turn down the whole thing http://www.infoworld.com Sorry about so many links, just found another on the price increase.http://www.cio.com/article/106450

3) Here is a very interesting medical article about nanobodies, these are very small antibodies recently found that promise to cure everything from cancer to dandruff. What was surprising to me was that it is another of those breakthroughs made almost by accident. Being of a metaphysical bent in the way I view the world, I always think there is more to these incidents than mere coincidence, but then who knows anyway, here is the link, it is well worth the read. http://groups.google.com/