High-Tech Mug Keeps Coffee Just Right

German scientists have developed a coffee mug that gets your cuppa joe to the right temperature and keeps it there

Microsoft, Amazon Unite Against Google Book Deal

Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo are ganging up against Google Books, trying to quash its settlement that will allow Google to offer works scanned off library shelves online for free.

IM client library bug plagues Pidgin • The Register

"Pidgin, Finch, Adium, Meebo, and Gaim are all vulnerable to a flaw that stems from a bug in Libpurple, library software for multi-protocol support that's used by many IM clients. The vulnerability stems from bugs in the software function that handles instant messages from the MSN network. The flaw was discovered by CORE Security whose advisory can be found here."
This article says Pidgin is 2.5.9 I looked and the new version I downloaded is 2.6.1

Always update your software when there are security updates.

AlaskaJoe

Secure Online Banking Discovered at BofA

I have just discovered a way to do online banking very securely. I am sure some of you have this already but my current bank did not do this type of secure banking online that I "discovered" at Bank of America. Not only do they have an ID and password login as WaMu does but they also issue a SiteKey that you set up and use to verify you are "really" at a BofA website. The SiteKey has a custom word and symbol picture that you set up to verify you are at the correct site. But that's only half of it. You can also set up SafePass for your online session. SafePass sends you a 10 minute valid (only) passcode for free via text messaging (or a card). You use it during your login session to make it super secure. And I have a PayAsYouGo (cheap) cellphone without text messaging! You can also set up about 20 different alerts on your account to be sent to email or cellphone. It works great. I will talk more about this on the show. - Earl

Windows 7 can be used for 120 days for free - The Inquirer

"The Vole generally allows punters only 30 days to activate their copies of the company's operating systems, though a little-known command designed for corporate administrators can be used by anyone to reset the countdown up to three times."

Windows Secrets has published step-by-step instructions for using a single command to add an additional 90 days to the stock 30-day grace period.

Now you can try Windows 7 for 120 days before you have to activate, by then you will love it. I can see why Microsoft is giving Windows 7 to people to try.

AlaskaJoe

Should You Be Looking For A Hard Drive Upgrade? : A Hard Drive Upgrade: Is Now The Time? - Review Tom's Hardware

"Most desktop PCs
bought or built in the past five years are probably using hard drives in the capacity range of 80 GB to 250 GB. Recent price drops in the hard drive market mean that most current drive generation is more attractive than ever before. You can get 1 TB hard drives for less than $100 now."

I have always had a problem using used drives. I think nothing of pulling a drive from a computer with a dead motherboard and installing it into one of my machines. I can't tell you how many times I got a computer all configured the way I want it and the drive I used died on me in a short time.

I never though of system performance when it came to hard drives, Maybe I should get a new 1TB drive for my new computer to see it really fly! The only problem I have with large drives for the OS is the amount of time it takes to scan then. (like in chkdsk0

Maybe it's just time!

AlaskaJoe

XP, Vista, or Windows 7: Which OS is more secure? | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com

"Over the past couple years, I’ve been regularly checking in to measure whether Windows Vista is living up to its promise of being more secure than its predecessor, Windows XP."

As a computer tech I make a living fixing XP. Vista doesn't need anyone to fix it. (Other than hardware failures) I can see as Windows 7 get to more users I will be working less and less. (That is OK with me, Retirement sounds good to me.)

AlaskaJoe

7 Good Reasons to Switch to Windows 7 | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

"When scanning our list, we politely encourage you to ask yourself, “Do I really want to continue using an eight-year-old operating system?” Followed by “Don’t I deserve better?” Because no matter how comfortable you are with XP, you do deserve an OS that’s both newer and better, and Windows 7 will deliver. Not convinced? Then read on."

I like Windows 7 better than any other OS Microsoft has built.
AlaskaJoe

Linux Corner

Intro :

Commentators are Greg Jetter (aktrapper) and William Raymon (Buzz).

Please  take a moment  to  let Joe and the  gang know where your interest in Linux  lies. As  Linux is a Very large topic and we  want to focus in on issues that  you listeners  would like more information about. I and Buzz both could talk about  Linux all day long if allowed.


The state of Desktop Linux :

some links :

1.  http://www.desktoplinux.com/index.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

The Linux desktop has evolved , it's getting better and better each day , that  is what happens when you got thousand of  programmers working on a  program .

E-mail ., web browsing ,  writing a  document or  creating a spreadsheet, you cant beat Linux ,  Linux provides the basic services most people want.


Is there too much choice in Linux and is that a bad thing or a good thing?


Some Desk top  Linux distro  that specialise in user friendly/windows type of desk tops

Freespire , freespire.org
Freespire 1.0 is Linspire's free Linux distribution. It was originally a Debian-based desktop Linux operating system

A good starting point is the website : desktoplinux.com
http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT7386380154.html , contains a list of popular distros that  strive to  present a  easy to use  desktop.


Computing Stuff:

What is Cloud Computing ?

this is what wikapeida says
Some successful cloud architectures have little or no centralized infrastructure or billing systems whatsoever, including peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent and Skype, and volunteer computing such as SETI@home.


So  Cloud computing basically is  a peer to peer   type of service.
"
Because cloud computing does not allow users to physically possess the storage of their data (the exception being the possibility that data can be backed up to a user-owned storage device, such as a USB flash drive or hard disk) it does leave responsibility of data storage and control in the hands of the provider.
"

O/S :

Good OS , based on google applications

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/25/gos_review/

Last chance to get free Windows 7 test copy | Beyond Binary - CNET News

"Well, at least a free test copy of Windows 7, anyway. Users have until Thursday to download the 'release candidate' version of the software--the final test version of the operating system. It's a good option for those who have a spare machine to try out the software or for Mac users looking to experiment with running Windows either in virtualization software or via Boot Camp."
You can still get a free copy of Windows 7 RC1 It is good until about March of next year.
you need to get a copy by Thursday or you can't play with Windows 7.

AlaskaJoe

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 08-16-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 08-16-09. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that's 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.

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Microsoft Doubles Cashback Incentives for Bing Search http://www.pcworld.com/article/169963/geekbargain_microsoft_doubles_cashback_incentives_for_bing_search.html

Samsung 22" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $126 + free shipping Dell Small Business offers the Samsung 21.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor in Piano Black, model no. 2243SWX, for $189.99. Coupon code "WKF35JP9FR9BLQ" drops it to $125.99. With free shipping, This pivoting monitor features a 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution, 1,000:1 contrast, 5ms response time, and DVI-D and VGA video inputs. Coupon ends August 20.

Dell S2309W 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $159 + free shipping , model no. F906G, for $239. Apply coupon code "M18WBZ?FND$BV$" to drop it to $159. 1920x1080 (1080p), 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 5 ms response time, 300 cd/m² brightness, and both DVI-D (with HDCP) and VGA inputs. Coupon expires August 20.

Hitachi 0A38016 1TB SATA Hard Drive $55 at Newegg
Click Here Newegg has the Hitachi 0A38016 1TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $75 - 15% off with coupon code HDDSALE15 [Exp 8/16] - $10 rebate [Exp 8/16] = $55 with free shipping. Features up to 43% idle power savings.

HP Pavilion A6847C Desktop, Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.6GHz, 6144MB, 500GB/7200RPM, DVD +/- RW, Memory Card Reader, Keyboard and Mouse, Vista Home Premium - Factory Refurbished FREE BUDGET SHIPPING Buy.com price: $419.00


Samsung EcoGreen F2 1TB SATA HDD + Rosewill Dock $70 at Newegg Click Here 1TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive and 3.5" SATA to USB 2.0 Hard Drive Docking Station for $80 - $10 off with coupon code HDDSALE15 [Exp 8/16] = $70 with free shipping.

newegg.com offers the Western Digital Elements 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive, model no. WDE1UBK10000N, for $99.99. Coupon code "HDDSALE15" knocks to price to $89.99. With free shipping ($0.09/GB), . Coupon ends August 16.

Dell Home offers the Dell Inspiron 15 Pentium Dual-Core 2GHz 15.6" Widescreen Notebook in Jet Black for $449 with free shipping. That ties our mention from earlier in the week, although this one includes a better battery. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features an Intel Pentium T4200 2GHz dual-core processor, 15.6" 1366x768 widescreen, 3GB RAM, 250GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, 802.11g wireless, 6-cell battery, and Windows Vista Home Basic. Deal ends August 20. Of note, to get a free Windows 7 upgrade (when it becomes available), choose Windows Vista Home Premium, a $30 option.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Starting off this week I am going to give in to something I have kind of avoided for a while, because in the beginning Joe asked me to stay away from politics. I do not see this as political, but have talked to some people who do, but then I know people who consider it a religious topic to discuss which came first the chicken or the egg. Anyway I have been a member of the Pickens Army for quite a while now. There was a clean air national summit here in Las Vegas last Monday. The most interesting point to me was about the 18 wheelers, there are currently six and a half million of them on our roads today. They cannot be powered by electricity, at least not with today’s technology, but if we were to convert them to natural gas; that change alone would reduce our dependency on foreign oil by 50%. That is in my mind a very big deal and something we could do easily, with a minimum of expenditure compared to most proposals. I like videos so the link goes to the video section of the site, but you can always click the home button, if you have not checked this out please do. http://www.pickensplan.com
2) Okay I realize this borders on the frivolous especially for some one who just had their 63rd birthday, by the way is there something about 63 that causes your friends to go over the edge, an electronic birthday card via email is one thing, you can choose to ignore them. But, to pollute a persons answering machine is quite another, sorry for the rant but I just had to comment, lets just move on. This site will give you 15 illustrated ways to lace your shoes. I told you it was frivolous, well maybe not for the young, at my age it just illustrates how complicated simple things can get. http://www.maildumper.com
3) This is one that Troll sent me that caught my eye, thanks Troll always enjoy stuff you send me even if I don’t use it here it’s always a good read. It amazes me how people as a whole ignore the possibilities until they see the proof. There was a time when the prevailing paradigm was the Earth is flat, the Sun revolves around us, more recently we are the only planet with water, ergo intelligent life. In the not to distant past, like months ago, I would still hear how unique our solar situation is, distance from the Sun, size of our moon, position of Jupiter to protect us, and all the rest. Then it seems over and over advancements in our technologies seem to prove we are not quite as unique as we think we are. This is just one more of those examples, we have witnessed the collision of near by planets, much like the one that created, and placed our moon in its current orbit. When you consider time on a universal scale as in billions of years, the odds of us observing such an event in our little corner of the cosmos must indicate it is not rare at all. Story link here http://news.bbc.co.uk
4) This is for me one of those sites that just attract me, during the times when there is nothing on T.V., nothing very interesting going on, chores are all caught up, just looking to sit in my chair and give in to distraction. A very nice radio site, offering a variety of shows covering the paranormal, conspiracies, metaphysical, science, ghosts, and the like. He has 39 radio shows, 1227 episodes, totaling 1994 hours of free online radio. If you like radio on the edge this might be right up your alley. http://www.blackvaultradio.com/
5) Last week I used a link about tactile holograms, new technology coming out to allow a person to feel by touch, or tactile sensation an interaction with a hologram, like feeling the rain on your hand. Well this is another along that same line; this new technology will allow you to feel the tactile interaction of your avatar. The gaming world, and porno people are very interested, but it would also be a major advancement for people who are paralyzed, or use prosthetics. A very interesting article, the implications are endless http://www.newscientist.com