US - China denies hacking into Pentagon

US officials accuse and Chinese officials deny. Uh-huh.

U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett missing in Nevada

I know I blogged it here when Steve Fossett made his successful solo non-stop around-the-world flight. It was one of aviation's finest hours and I celebrated with a joy at Steve and his team's success that is now an exact opposite reflection of the concern I feel as the hours pass. I'm still hoping for the best. The Decathlon is a versatile and sturdy airplane and Steve is a great pilot. However, I know the reality of the country he was flying over. This was supposed to be a short and routine flight, but obviously something went wrong. I pray that Steve is found soon and returns safely to his friends and family.

Palm Dumps Foleo Ultraportable Computer

Never heard of it? It was a product looking for a reason to exist. At least with the Newton, it was a good idea that didn't work out. The Foleo was merely a bad idea. Fortunately Palm, the company who brought the idea of the Newton to useful life, killed the Foleo before bringing it to market, and before it caused the struggling company further embarrassment.

Custom-built botnet steals eBay accounts

PayPal is under attack as well. eBay seems to have no sure mechanism in place to accept security warnings, etc, so researchers have taken the drastic step of publishing straight away. However, I think it would be mistaken to say that eBay and PayPal are unaware of the problems or not taking action. At least I hope they are. You could argue that I have too much faith in corporate nature, but I don't see how I can be wrong.

Anyway; watch out. If you are forced to use eBay and PayPal in the next few days, make sure there is nothing unseemly in the appearance of the transaction. Jayna and I are sitting things out and won't go back into commerce using these facilities until things are more in hand. That might be something for you to consider, as well.

Jack

Does Quad Core Matter?

This is no doubt the first realistic look at where the newer chip technologies will actually fit into our lives and Lloyd Case does a fairly good job of opening the discussion.

As the show cast has pointed out several times, we are now at a stage where we can routinely purchase more computing power than we will ever need, much less use. The manufacturers would love it if we kept buying more and more power, but in truth, somewhere along the way they are going to have to make gains in efficiency and ease of use because none of us will actually need the scale of basic power available. I actually look forward to that situation.

Anyway, here's the first salvo in what will surely be a nearly unending discussion. It's worth your time.

Jack

Coming soon: hard drives with 1GB+ DDR RAM cache

I may be giving myself a bit too much credit, but I think I predicted this on the show a while back. (I say that in confidence someone will set me straight if I'm wrong.)

Anyway; here's a decent hard drive with a GIG of RAM for cache. Not just memory, either, but DDR2. It's bound to fly. The article is detailed enough to whet your appetite. It sure did mine. Welcome to the new age of storage.

Jack

Packard Bell releases mini UMPC

Details are as yet very sparse, but this looks like a huge move by Packard Bell, whom many of us had long ago written off (I know I had) and at the same time VIA moves one step closer to "the big time" , where they belong.

No pricing as yet, but it looks as if it could be very affordable and, frankly, I want one. I wonder if I can con someone out of one to test?

Jack

How Not to Catch on Fire

You know you are having a bad day when the computer you are testing for review catches on fire.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 09-02-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 09-02-07. 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.

A bug and a hardware virus on MacBooks?!?!?!

Catastrophic MagSafe Failure on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

A real Mac bug [h/t John Gruber], and I was reminded of this post [no idea how I saw this one, though I tried!] about a hardware virus on a mac at google. Enjoy!
Oh yeah, Woot has a $99 20GB iPod (4th Gen) from HP (refurb). Just in case anybody was interested, though there's a big announcement from Apple on the 5th which probably includes new iPods.

--MissM

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) Okay, here we go to start things off this week a disclaimer is in order, when I started this blog, and show interview, at Joe’s request I agreed to try to keep my “stuff” under some control. At least in regards to politics, religion, and other material which some listeners might have difficulty with, however some of these things comprise my main interests. So please, if you find these subjects disturbing just ignore this weeks posting. Someone died recently, most but not all of you probably have never ever heard of this man, Aaron Russo he was very much like Michael Moore, in that he made very controversial films. The one linked here has evidentially been put up and pulled more than once according to the email I have received, so if you are inclined you should probably watch it soon, it was up as of this writing, Saturday September 1, 2007 around 11:30 P.M. The metaphors that come to mind are, where there is smoke there may be fire, ignorance is bliss, and you have no one to blame but yourself. Please be aware that if you are comfortable, think everything is okay, and the bogeyman does not exist, do not watch this. http://video.google.com/

2) Now if you did watch the Aaron Russo film, and are looking for a place to hide I have the perfect site for you. This is the best I have found for the survivalist type real estate searcher. Want to buy a home that is not only hurricane, and tornado proof, but will sustain a nuclear blast ten times the one at Hiroshima, worried about crazy neighbors, well, you just close the ten-ton blast doors and your worries are over. Even with their best cutting torches, and a few sticks of dynamite they will not get in. You will be safe with your ten thousand gallon stainless steel drinking water tank, wells going directly into the aquifer, and a sewage system set up to handle over one hundred people. Surprisingly affordable, one even comes with its own aircraft runway; yes, you can own your own personal government missile silo. Just think a home built for 18 million dollars, that is 1958 dollars, or a zillion of today’s dollars for just a few hundred thousand bucks you can own one, check it out. http://www.missilebases.com/

3) Okay you found all that stuff a little heavy, and you say “hey he has not done anything Art Bell related in a while”, okay here you go how about Art doing a commercial for aluminum foil on youtube, short, but you must admit it fits this post http://www.youtube.com

4) Now back to doom and gloom, this time I an going to just link the google search page, you can pick and choose on your own ending of the world as we know it, I have to admit every time I watch the news lately this seems to be in my face. http://www.google.com Sorry if there seems to be a trend here this week, you can blame it on Tony, I bought the beer, but he added the catalyst, it is late, and I’m moody, best I can do for an apology at the moment.

5) Well it's morning now and I feel much better, ran across this site I was going to put up but forgot about. This is a contest for kids grades k-12, and college students. They can win a Mac. or an ipod by creating a short video 2 min. or less on internet reliability. The contest is offered by World Book, and is aimed at how people doing research on the net can judge and evaluate the information they find at a site on the internet. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com

Windows Home Server release issues | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

When last we left Microsoft's Windows Home Server software, it was off to manufacturing and we expected to see WHS-equipped hardware show up at our doorstep shortly thereafter. After a post on Microsoft's official Home Server blog, we get the company line as to why we haven't seen HP's MediaSmart Server yet.

Windows Home Server Updates will be automatically available throughout the lifecycle of the product, and the WHS team is working on an update that will be available in September. These updates will enhance the usability and improve the out-of-the-box experience of home server solutions.

This new Microsoft product just now becoming available and they have a Windows Updates planed for September 2007 already!

Microsoft's current plan is to make this update available as part of the monthly Windows Updates process in September.

I am looking forward to trying out this new Windows Home Server.

AlaskaJoe

MissM's shared links

Enjoy! I wish this showed up in my rss feed, oh well... An opportunity to check out the sidebar! :)




--MissM

Intel V8 versus AMD 4X4 Platform

While a "straight-up" comparison between the Intel and AMD platforms isn't really possible, this is as close as one can get, in my opinion. Motherboards.org does a really good job of it and has picked the parts with care so the benchmarks (under Windows) actually tell you somethings that can be considered factual. That's quite an accomplishment. Really!

If I could see a half-dozen of these done this well, I might begin to think I had a real basis for comparison.

Jack

Desktop supercomputer breaks $100 per Gflop

Twice Deep Blue's power? Well, that's what it says.

Just the thing to play your Randy Newman CDs while calculating the age of the Universe. I want one (of course). Really, this is the most remarkable bargain I have heard of in desktop machines.

Jack

HP launches RedHat Linux desktop PC

Australia only, for now. And only one model announced, though it is certain more are coming quickly. That one model is decently equipped, but definitely aimed toward the lower end of the market. Still, it's another mark that makers are listening to consumers requests for choice.

Jack

Four Must-Have Vista Updates

The link will take you to Extreme Tech. The article explains it all.

These really are important. They're hotfixes, rather than critical updates. You need to apply these manually. They do help with an incredible list of Vista problems. Get them as fast as you can. They will aid performance, even on some Vista machines that are not currently having problems.

Jack

Yahoo Messenger patches security flaw, again

This just keeps on happening, doesn't it?

I should probably feel good about them keeping at work on security matters, but this does seem like an endless stream of mandatory patching.

Jack

Microsoft shouts service pack plans

Here's the first notice on what the service packs for Vista and XP will consist of. There will be lots more detail in the coming weeks, but this is first notice.

Jack

Sony's USB Rootkit vs Sony's Music Rootkit

UPDATE!!

By all accounts this Sony "rootkit" incident is not as blatant or as bad as the music one of days past. It IS EXPLOITABLE, but not as easily or as dangerously as the "old" one. Besides; the user gives permission for this one to be installed, unlike the old hidden installation.

Here is F-Secure's take on it and I recommend everyone read it. It will tell you why this one is not so bad and why it is still exploitable.

Jack

Update to the update; McAfee's take in this gives much, much more detail, including explicit directions on how to use the *darned* thing in anger. See it here.

Mark Russinovich on the Vista Kernel

Mark Russinovich, long a recognized authority on Windows matters and a Microsoft employee for the last year or so, has written on the Vista kernel in some detail. I realize a lot of you aren't interested in this level of detail, but I am and I figured at least a few of you might be.

The link above will take you to part 1. Part 2 is here and part 3 is here.

Jack

Java Kernel plan proceeds

Well, I really missed a trick here. I completely missed that this was happening.

This is a new idea for Java, but Microsoft has moved somewhat closer to this with their .NET runtimes and there is a project to do something vaguely similar with Python, as well. It makes sense in functional terms (though that determination is at the limits of my knowledge) though there is the problem of this sort of thing extending download time on less capacious network connections.

If you have an interest in network applications or web development this is definitely one to watch. It is possible some aspects of this will appear late in next year.

Jack

Deja vu all over again: Sony uses rootkits, charges F-Secure

One would think that someone with authority in such a large corporation would have said "we can't keep doing this" out loud. I guess not.

Jack

Acer Acquiring Gateway for $710 Million

Yet another mega PC maker, the article tells about where this purchase will place Acer in the ranks of top PC makers.

Yet another eWeek article on the subject :
Acer to Buy Gateway

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.