Is There Room for a Security Browser?

Well, we on the show cast have been saying for a while now that the browser is the most dangerous application on our machines. Here is a short overview of why and how researchers are trying to create a safer browser.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with. Getting the public to become security aware and use it, or most security tools, is another hurdle all-together. We shall have to see how that goes, as well.

Jack

Vista Ultimate SP1 and Ubuntu Shame the Ultra-Hackable Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Just what I needed to start off my day. Sheesh!!

Someday, Apple will realize security by obscurity is not a viable policy. Even Microsoft is much, much more forthcoming and so gets the benefit of the security community's poking and probing. Apple will continue to be blindsided occasionally by these things until they wise up.

Jack

Microsoft offers free support for Vista SP1 installs | Tech News on ZDNet

"Vista users encountering problems when they upgrade to Service Pack 1 can breathe easier: the company is giving away free support for those installing the service pack."

Normally, only Windows Vista users who bought the retail product would be eligible for free support but, for SP1 installation, even users with an original-equipment-manufacturer copy of Vista on their computer can get Microsoft's help, according to the official Vista blog.

Help is on its way for Vista SP1.
AlaskaJoe

Another new element added

Over on the right, you'll see another experiment. I ran across this today, and I thought of Riley, immediately. The voice is ok. I listened to a post for a few minutes. It doesn't specify links, so I see some problems, but I'm curious what everybody thinks.
Thanks,
MissM

Links from the Gregg zone

1) First link up for the week the ultimate cat, think lions and tigers are big, well you have not seen Sinbad. In the wild the largest cat is the Bengal Tiger, large male about five hundred pounds, Sinbad tips the scales at a little over nine hundred pounds! Now that’s a cat! Check out the video at http://www.youtube.com

2) Second subject for the week is an environmental technology link. A few weeks back I posted about a submarine that could run without any fuel of any kind other than a few nine-volt batteries to power the small computer control center, operating on the temperature changes at different depths, it continue to travel for months at a time. That had potential, but this tops it in spades. An aircraft that uses only gravity to fly, no fuel ever, other that the energy expenditure in manufacturing, and maintenance, this is as green as it gets. Capable of carrying people, and or freight, we are not talking about a model glider of some sort here. This could be the real thing; only draw back would be time duration of flight. I like this a lot, this is a must see http://www.fuellessflight.com

3) This is from an article I was reading about London needing to do something to house future residents, my attention caught by the numbers, 100,000 people living in one building. Thinking about the world population expansion verses available land needed to sustain them, still maintaining some wild areas; it appears we need to do something. Maybe vertical cities would be an answer, thinking about the post I put up a while back about vertical farming combined with a few of these tower type cities, maybe we can handle a few more billion. http://www.popularchitecture.com

4) Now for the tech link of the week, if you have not heard about Microsoft’s new project set to start in the spring of 2008, oh wait that would be about now. Check it out the world telescope, I have posted three links for this one first an article in Science Magazine, http://www.sciencemag.org next a link to the introductory announcement video, by Roy Gould and Microsoft’s Curtis Wong at the Ted site http://www.ted.com, and the main site at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

5) Last up for the week when looking at the links about the fuel less airplane I saw a reference to the walk along glider, the comment about not being in production any more making it a collector’s item got my Ebay juices flowing. I was surprised when I searched it there not to find any. This got me to googling around and I found a site showing how to build one, with some interesting videos, http://www.geocities.com

Flaws found in Safari browser

This is just what I told you to be wary of when I posted about the Safari release.

The flaws found have been rated "highly critical" by Secunia and could allow takeover of a PC. More information will be available soon, I am sure. For right now, I'd uninstall Safari and wait for those who like doing such things to test it and then for Apple to fix any flaws.

And shame on Apple for pushing this on unsuspecting users.

Jack

Windows XP: Going, going ... gone?

With XP being the most used operating system in the world, every, and Vista under a cloud of suspicion by potential adopters, the lifespan of XP is a topic worth exploring. This article in Computer World does just that. It explains MS policy clearly, as well as telling you how to keep accessing XP if you wish to.

Jack

Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Support

Microsoft is providing a host of free support options for Vista SP 1 through March 2009. Keep this link handy.

Jack

Safari 3.1 on Windows: a true competitor arrives (seriously)

My own testing of Safari 3.1 on Windows has stalled while I work out and fix an issue with one CPU on the dual processor machine. Right now, that box couldn't work it's way through a session of Minesweeper, much less run Windows in a VM.

Here is a very positive review of the new Safari at Ars Technica. It is definitely worth your time.

We can only benefit from another competitor in this space. IE is not exactly what I think of as a great browser. Firefox has memory issues. Opera is, ah, quirky. In this new version, Safari carries adherence to standards to a new height. It even complies with standards just coming into force now! Why, even Opera doesn't support the full list of what Safari does.

I'm not recommending people install Safari on Windows, yet. Not that my thoughts are going to stop those of you who are computer savvy and know how to manage risk with new software. But I take that stance to John and Jane Doe precisely because Safari's security has not been evaluated in the real world. Should it go a few months without any glaring issues, I'm all for installing it. Just not now. Not yet.

Jack

Evidence mounting: Windows 7 going modular, subscription

Cynics claim that Microsoft is trumpeting Windows 7 to divert attention from the Vista trainwreck. Some of that may indeed be true, though it does seem to me it is a bit of a stretch to divine someone's motive from afar and based on so little evidence.

This post on Ars Technica is more likely to contain the reason for all Microsoft's talk about the future. It seems they are trying to get us used to the idea of renting software as we need it or need to update it (which they can control by killing off any component that isn't generating the required revenue any more).

It's going to be fun to watch this play out against FOSS alternatives or more traditionally marketed products, such as those from Apple.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 03-23-08

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 03-23-08. 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) First link up for the week, I am going to start with a visit back to the subject of savants, those extraordinary people with talents that boggle the mind. What caught my eye about this story was the title “The Human Camera”, this is about a man who after taking one helicopter over a city can draw (without any drafts, or aids) a complete photographic panoramic style drawing of the city. Accurate to the number of windows in the buildings, degrees of curve in the streets, you have to see this it is just fantastic. Complete with video http://www.paulsfunkystuff.com

2) This link is one that I alluded to last week, but did not post, so I am correcting that here. This is supposedly the most extensive parts store in the world, at least according my original reference. They say you can find a part for almost anything here. I am looking for a shelf that I managed to break a couple of years ago in my refrigerator. I have not had the time to look for it, and I need to sell something on Ebay to pay for it. I will let you know what happens, when I get to it. In the mean time if you need a thing here is the link http://www.partstore.com

3) Now here is one that Joe sent me, as someone who surfs a lot one of the most frustrating things to see is the page you are looking is unavailable. I have always been at a loss when this happens. Joe has sent me a link to help solve the problem, and find those missing pages. I just got it yesterday and have not had a chance to try it yet, but it looks very promising. http://howto.wired.com

4) This will be a couple of links about the “Battle of L.A.”, one of my favorite possible U.F.O. stories, five years before Roswell. This happened at the beginning of the war just a few months after Pearl Harbor in Los Angeles. There was an object off the coast fired on extensively by anti-aircraft guns. Thought to be a blimp or balloon, have to wonder why they could not bring it down. The first link is to a Youtube video with the original news broadcast. http://www.youtube.com The second link is to a article with new updated analysis of the photographic evidence, http://www.rense.com

5) Last up this time around, I kind of like these Easter egg type stories, recently found a Bugs Bunny cartoon, one of the early ones with a little porn snuck in by one of the artists, but that is not for this blog. Anyway, have you heard about the museum on the moon? Seems someone smuggled some Easter egg type artwork on the Intrepid at the time of its manufacture. Here is the link http://www.boingboing.net