Mac OS X 10.5 to Ship October 26!

Here's the link, in case you've broken your arm and have managed to not stumble over one of the referers.

Jack

Vista “Out of Memory” errors

We've heard rumblings of this problem off and on for a while now. It doesn't seem to be widespread and even on machines where it crops up it may only happen on some file transfer operations while others go through faultlessly.

Microsoft has issued a hotfix for the problem. Rumor has it that the fix will not make SP1, so you have to get it on your own.

Jack

Windows Home Server in depth: the Ars Technica review

I have lost none of my enthusiasm for this product as I have learned about it. And I'm not even a Windows guy! I think you will like this review at Ars Technica and find it easy to digest.

Whether or not it's a runaway best seller, my bet is that WHS will be a steady earner and increase it's sales as time goes on and more people feel the need for [both] secure backup and "one stop" organization of their files. (Whether multimedia, as Microsoft foresees, or otherwise.) This is the right product at the right time.

Jack

Potential Class Action Suit Over Windows Genuine Advantage

I think this page is simply a lawyer's tool to drum up or measure interest. Whatever the intent, you can sign up to be a part of whatever happens with the lawsuit. Interesting as it is, I didn't think it was for me.

If you have any interest, read the terms and conditions very carefully before you sign up.

Jack

Getting grubby: Demystifying the Linux start-up processes

This was posted on Slashdot and I think it is worthy of being passed along to you.

Any boot process is complex and comprehensive. It's rather a mystery to us how our computers boot and it's worth taking a look at it. I expect an article on Windows booting would be of interest to more people, but this one is pretty good, only 3 pages long and has explained several things I did not know. I think you will both like it and profit from reading it.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 10-14-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 10-14-07. 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.

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/

iPhone Turned into Pocket-Sized Hacking Platform

"All iPhone applications run with full root privileges and any application vulnerability means winner takes all. The iPhone has been turned into a 'pocket-sized … network-enabled root shell,' said H.D. Moore, thanks to the well-known security researcher having published shell code for the smart phone and instructions on how to use it as a portable hacking platform."
If you have an IPhone beware and don't make it an IBrick!
Thanks KoffeeBeanz

AlaskaJoe

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) Of all the stuff I have put up so far, I think this is the one I like the most. I was watching an interview with President Clinton on T.V. last night when he mentioned a site called kiva.org, a site for “micro financing small business in the third world” with as little as $25.00; ever curious I had to check it out. This, has to be the best of the how can I help change the world sites I have seen. You can lend money to people in small countries around the world, which they use to start small businesses, I lend as little as twenty-five dollars, they repay the loan, I can withdraw my money, or recycle it back out to help start another business somewhere else. The rate of repayment is over 98%, wow a 2% fail to repay rate now that is low. Stop and think in a country like Peru where the average yearly wage is $500.00 dollars give or take a few. An $800.00 loan put up by as many as 24 individuals can change lives by providing jobs, increasing the opportunity for education, and countless other ways.

The way I am planning to use this is with Ebay. I’m going to find some stuff that is just taking up space in my closets, put it up on Ebay, the money goes into PayPal, and then I will just lend it out from there. I get to recycle my junk help out people with few opportunities, and then when it is repaid I can do it again, with out any out of pocket at all. I really think this is the easiest and most efficient way I can donate resources to help people in need. Check it out at http://www.kiva.org click on the New York Times video, it’s best place to start.

2) This is a link that I just found a couple of days ago, reading something about switching the way our brain perceives the world through our five senses. They were talking about seeing with your tongue, I mean how could possibly I pass something like that up? So I googled, it came up with the article I have linked to titled “Can You See with Your Tongue” no surprise. Very interesting article, I am just starting to look in to this subject, I am sure much more has been done on this, since the article came out as it is dated 2003. This is just amazing to much to get into here, check it out, I am sure I will be posting more on this in the near future. http://discovermagazine.com

3) The third link here is a place to get free down loads of some very useful stuff. The catch is you only get a twenty-four hour period, to download them free, and then it changes to a new download, and drops the old one, unless of course you want to buy the old one. Joe downloaded a Skype recorder from it the other day; we used that program to record my segment of the show this week. That was something pretty that was nice for a freebie. Seems to me if you get your timing right, say ten min. before the one for today expires, you get a chance to do the next one right away. That way you get two in fifteen min. instead of one every 24 hrs, anyway here is the link worth checking in occasionally. http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

SetPoint 3.3 Patch Available - Keyboard - General Discussion - Logitech Forums

SetPoint 3.3 Patch Available - Keyboard - General Discussion - Logitech Forums

I think this was talked about in the show's chat this morning. I wanted to share it with everyone.

Thanks GHOST RIDER for posting it to our News Group.
AlaskaJoe

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 09-30-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 09-30-07. 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.

Despite AOL’s claim, AIM worm hole still wide open

It's like Joe says; "Friends don't let friends use AOL". However; a lot of people do. Disabling the AOL Messenger client until this is fixed (in mid-October) is the recommended course. I have no idea how or even if this affects GAIM/Pidgin and other multi-protocol clients users. I suspect it does not. Still, one can't be too careful and if this is affected by the AIM server, it might be wise to disable that protocol until all is definitely fixed.

Jack

Giveaway of the Day - free licensed software daily. Today: Skype Recorder - Skype Recorder is a surprisingly easy-to-use tool for recording Skype audi

Giveaway of the Day - free licensed software daily. Today: Skype Recorder - Skype Recorder is a surprisingly easy-to-use tool for recording Skype audio conversations. Skype Recorder can record Sky

This is a free download for a Skype recorder. it's only good for 2 hours once you click the site.

Thanks Riley.

IBM CoScripter

Basically, it is a really, really easy to script automation of certain web-based tasks. I just started playing with it on my Linux machine and I think it's a hit. Be warned that this is an experiment and might have some real bugs in it, though I have not found anything to warrant concern in my brief trial of it.

MissM is going to love this. I think the rest of you will, too.

Jack

Stealth Windows update prevents XP repair

Thanks to Scott Dunn at Windows Secrets for this one.

A fix is provided and can be implemented by anyone. I'd recommend this article being saved and printed out, just so everyone has it.

Jack

Next Firefox will tell Google all about you

Yup. It's true. However; the feature is disabled by default. I can see where it might be useful at times, but I doubt I'll be enabling it. It's the Luddite in me. :)

Jack

OpenOffice.org documents within Firefox

I guess this is handy. I passed it by this morning, thinking it was not all that hot, but since then have gotten two emails telling me I need to blog it. So, I guess I will.

Enabling the plug-in that is already part of OOo is a one or two click affair. This gives you editing and save capabilities in OOo and ease of saving as well.

Jack

The Old Calculator Web Museum

The handheld electronic calculator turns 40 this week! Who'd a thunk it?

I can remember lusting after a HP scientific in tech school. Anything to replace those laborious calculations on paper. (I was taking toolmaking and machine design, so no slide rules allowed. We had to be exact for several places past the decimal point.) And when I finally got one, I was the envy of the shop. Everyone came by to use it, until they got their own. And then programmables really made us hot stuff!

Anyway; they're all here, from the desktop model the CPA for your grandparents used to the zoomiest scientific model.

Jack

DRM troubles drive ex-Microsoft employee to Linux | CNET News.com

A security expert who once worked for Microsoft has said he may dump the company's Windows Media Center in favor of Ubuntu-affiliated LinuxMCE after struggling with the software giant's digital-rights management software.

An Ex-Microsoft person thinks DRM is bad: Johansson said that DRM software is not only ineffective, but a waste of money that is damaging businesses attempting to use it to control the way consumers use copyright material.

This was from Curtis, Thanks

AlaskaJoe

Video Professor upset by criticism, sues 100 anonymous critics

I guess friendly looking ol' John Scherer isn't as sweet as he looks.

It's a legal blunderbuss attempt to thwart criticisms which, from what I have been able to tell, are at least somewhat justified.

Jack

Institute urges the EU to unbundle Windows

I don't know if this is going to happen. It seems awfully far out to me. However; if it does, it will be the biggest single blow to the Microsoft hedgemony yet. Imagine buying a computer and then having to choose the operating system at another source. What would you choose? How much would you be willing to pay, knowing some alternatives at least are free?

Jack

KWord 2.0 alpha running on KDE 4 under MS Windows

Don't think MS Office is under attack, as I said on the show? People even have native Linux word processors running in Linux environments on Windows!

While that probably was not all that hard, it was not done as an idle excercise in coding. People perceive MS, and their Office franchise in particular, as vulnerable. Competitors are no longer seen as tilting at windmills, so to speak, but as harbingers of some new period in computing. They could be right.

Jack

Feeling tinfoilish? $5 billion suit against Google over privacy, terrorism

Well, I wonder if the Founding Fathers of the USA intended that a tinfoil hat be no bar to accessing the legal system? Apparently not, because that's how things have turned out.

At any rate, this is one for the books, though at the same time one has to wonder what issues might be raised in a similar suit by a lawyer with a more coherent client?

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 09-23-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 09-23-07. 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) Just in case you forgot or did not know, the do not call list against telemarketers expires five years after you signed up. This means if you signed up early when it came out, you will soon be up for grabs again. What this means to you is if you wish to be left alone to eat dinner in peace, or do not want to pay for text messages, or calls to your cell phone, you need to renew your preferences. Odd that it should expire, but it does so time to update, this is the place to do it. https://www.donotcall.gov

2) I saw a kind of scary (at least to me) story, saying that the Arabs are trying to buy 20% of NASDAQ here is a link to that story here, http://www.americanintelligence.us. This brought to mind a subject I brought up a week or two back about the tapeworm economy, if you missed that, or found it confusing I found a better explanation. So, if you want to peek at those monsters hiding in the closet check this out or you could always just stick your head in the sand and hope for the best. http://www.karavans.com

3) Here is one of those illusionary sites, just has a little different twist, it mixes your visual, and auditory. Its pretty strange if you watch the guy talk you hear one thing, close your eyes and just listen you hear something different. Your eyes are giving you information that your brain is interpreting incorrectly, causing you to hear what you see, as opposed to the reality of what the sound really is. http://www.media.uio.no

4) To close for the week one more of the ways we can save the planet, bring back hemp, not pot, industrial hemp. This is an example of how screwed up our society can get trying to control how we live our lives. Just a couple of things one should know, hemp seeds are the most complete food ever tested, will not get you high just good food, you cannot eat enough to even test positive, like a poppy seed bagel. Hemp per acre is hundreds of times more efficient for paper, could save the rain forests, much better for clothes than cotton, as it requires much less chemicals to grow. It is many times more efficient than corn to fuel cars. The list goes on. This is a good site to start learning about the realties of the subject. Not to mention a suggestion how to make some money in the stock market, or start a new business. http://www.reason.com

5) I just wanted to add one more quickie as there are only two days left. The guy who bought the Barry Bonds baseball, the record breaker is taking votes as what to do with it, I voted to blast it into orbit, heck why not if the guy can pay seven hundred thousand dollars for a ball, he can afford to put it on the space shuttle. Just thought you might want to do something totally pointless. http://www.vote756.com

Roll back DirectX with handy shareware

DirectX Happy Uninstall is the name of the program and from what I know, it is long overdue. There are a lot of reasons to roll back DirectX; probably as many reasons as folks use to justify upgrades. Most of us just don't need it and we may not want to dedicate the resources it takes to it. It's a personal decision.

First reports, like this one in The Inquirer, are good. I have chatted with a couple happy users and don't know of any unhappy ones. It does not yet work on Vista or DX10, but for XP users, this is a good one. The price is right, too.

Jack

Firefox Won't Save You from IE Flaws

We all though we were safe using FireFox or Opera.

The problem is the OTHER programs that are on your computer that are not patched.

The broader implication is that even users who think they're safe because they don't run IE are exposed to any IE vulnerabilities out there, Petkov said. This is true not only for Windows Media Player users but also for those who run Skype, GTalk and AIM, given that those applications all use IE for rendering incoming and outgoing messages, he told eWEEK in an e-mail.

Petkov told eWEEK that the best way to protect a system from the Windows Media Player vulnerability is to upgrade to Windows Media Player 10 or 11.

We always tell you to run your Microsoft Updates, for those that don't maybe because they don't have IE as their default browser YOU need to read this report.
You should always run the latest version of any program you use. Be it Skype, mIRC, AIM any program.

AlaskaJoe

Protect yourself from silent Windows updates - WindowsSecrets.com

From Windows Secrets [I subscribe because Fred Langa merged himself with them, so he could gallivant around the continent.] this seems like a very complete reference about the "hidden updates." Just to update Gari's post.
Enjoy.

--MissM
Protect yourself from silent Windows updates - WindowsSecrets.com

eCommerce… as Imagined in 1967?

We may not have flying cars or be wearing disposible clothing, but our implementation of e-commerce is even better than predicted.

iPhone unlocking for pleasure and profit

Here's a quick article on the current state of iPhone unlocking. It's apparently still a somewhat ungainly process, though doable by anyone willing to take the time to fully digest directions for the deal.

I suspect that over the next month or so (perhaps 6 weeks) we ill see truly user-friendly software appear for doing this. The fear factor is already fairly low. A "bricked" iPhone can be recovered without a trip to Apple for which one would undoubtedly be charged and the process is no worse than the one for unlocking.

While I doubt I will get an opportunity, I'd love to give this one a whirl myself.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 09-16-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 09-16-07. 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!

!) Well to start the week, I caught a story on the news about the earthquake in Indonesia, started looking around for some information on it, and found this site. This is one is cool, and I am a little surprised I had not run across it before. The site is primarily, focused on the United States all you need to do is click on your state, and you will find lots of info about where you live, some I am sure will be new to you. I clicked on Nevada, of course, and Alaska out of curiosity just to give you an idea of what is there. I found in Alaska there are 33 volcanoes some with web cams, saw an article about a bird that migrates 18,000 miles ( they put a electronic satellite tracker on the bird studying bird flu), it went eight days non-stop on one leg of it’s journey, over eight thousand miles. What is up with that? Any way, check it out for yourself. http://www.usgs.gov/

2) Are you into new age stuff here is a site with supposedly over fifteen thousand videos on almost anything you can think of from Acupuncture to Zen, about as extensive as I have found in this arena, well worth checking in to http://www.newagevids.com/

3) The dead line for the free internet is coming up very fast, like two months. The government moratorium against taxes and state fees on internet use is ending on November 1, if this is news to you, or you have forgotten about it, this web site will fill you in on the details. You can also learn about what you can do to help insure free access in the future. http://www.donttaxourweb.org

4) A site that discusses the authenticity of the latest Bin Laden tape, interestingly it appears is a fake. If you are interested in the analysis used to determine why, and how it might have been done check it out here. http://www.boomantribune.com

GIMP UI brainstorm

I can state with a fair degree of certainty that the vast majority of us who actually use higher-level image processing applications such as Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro (or whatever Corel is calling it now) and the like use only a very small sub-set of the features available. I know I do and the same goes for nearly every user I know. Not all, but the largest part. And finding those features in the application and using them well enough to do what we need done is confusing and time consuming. It just goes with the territory.

The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is like that for me. I use it daily. Now, there is a program on to allow both users and developers to "brainstorm" new interfaces. You can find it at the link above.

I welcome this. Perhaps The GIMP does not really need a new interface so much as one that allows more casual users like me to access the few features we use more easily and/or directly; perhaps with customizeable menus or something like that. People who actually make that software work for it's keep probably need something like the current interface. I don't know about their needs. I only know about mine.

In the OCLUG newsgroup on our servers (news.oncomputers.info, see the show site for more information) I recently asked if there were a simpler image manipulation program available for Linux for just this reason. None was suggested and I have not found one yet. However; this does not just affect Linux or Unix users, as there is an excellent port of The GIMP to Windows, as well and Windows users can now have all that GNU goodness too! :) Windows does have simpler applications for the purpose: Witness IrfanView and others. But Linux still lacks one. A new interface for The GIMP might just turn that trick for those of us who need it.

You might want to watch this one develop at the link given above and perhaps even put your efforts into the project. I'm watching it closely now and am thinking about whether or not I have any ideas worth submitting.

Jack

Micro$oft is in control of your computer?

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols writes in an opinions article, that MicroSoft is sneaking updates into our XP SP2 and later Windows computers, even with Auto-Updates switched off. See the article linked above for the rest of the story.

Attacking multicore CPUs

Somebody gave a talk about this a few months ago at my Linux User's Group. I missed it and I'm sorry I did, now that I have the beginnings of awareness on the topic.

We're always talking about the evolution of the threats against our computers, but rarely in terms of the basic engineering of our systems. While this could be just one more thing to lay awake worrying about, it seems to me it is an opportunity to learn more about the relationship between the evolution (for which read growth, as well) of our computing resources and how that leaves opportunity for security vulnerabilities to surface and be exploited.

Mainly, though, I think this article is a good illustration of how and why we, the user communities, must keep abreast so we can adequately use the security information and tools we are given wisely. Things change in all sorts of ways and the fundamental changes wrought by multi-core and multi-processor systems must be accounted for in our practices.

Jack

How To: Remove an Internal/External Liquid CPU Cooler

Here's a quick one page how-to with pictures at Extreme Tech which takes most of the mystery out of this [previously dreaded] subject.

I have recently done this a couple times and found an even easier way on both those systems. I opened the tubing at the lowest point, clipped it to a bucket with a clothes pin and went to lunch. When I got back, the entire thing was empty and almost dry.

Jack

Black screen of darkness to haunt Vista pirates

Update: THIS IS A HOAX!!!!! It was revealed early Tuesday that Microsoft has made NO changes to Vista's anti-piracy measures, thus rendering all my pontification below senseless and ridiculous. MS confirms my foolishness for being taken in as well as the no changes to Vista parts.
J.


Vista's "reduced functionality mode" is now live for everyone. I sure hope MS can manage this correctly. The recent WGA outage does not give me hope. If they can, they will make a lot more money. If they can't manage it well, they will lose an incredible amount of customer loyalty (or tolerance, as the case may be).

The issue will be false positives. If they can avoid them in the largest part, they will have done well and the authentication system will be at least tolerated. A fair number of accusatory messages sent to legitimate owners will bring everything from approbation to lawsuits. It is all down to how well it works.

Make no mistake about it; this is one of the largest corporate gambles in a long time.

Jack

Online games and fraud: using games as bait

Sergey Golovanov condenses the online games threat profile into one long page at Kaspersky Labs' web site. I found it informative, easy to read and not all that long. I recommend it.

Not that I am so involved with online gaming. I am not at all. But I get asked about it all the time and it is my intention to provide this link to my questioners as long as I think it relevant. Nothing else I have seen so far does this good a job of outlining the way things currently stand.

Jack

Barcelona's out, and the "reviews" are... out

John Stokes, writing for Ars Technica, explains what is known about AMD's new quad-core cpus, what is not known and why early reviews are, at least in the large part, bunk. It's a short read, quite informative and pleasant.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 09-09-07

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

Tech Tips Blog - Computer Tips, Computer Blog

Tech Tips Blog - Computer Tips, Computer Blog
Sunday, September 09, 2007

Tech Tip 135 - RSS Choose Your News

What is RSS and why should I be subscribing to this ‘Really Simple Syndication”

Wikipedia defines RSS as the following: “RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that’s easier than checking them manually.”

As great as the internet and blogs are you only have so much time in a day to go out and check all your favorite websites and blogs to see if there have been any updates or new juicy information. So what is one to do?

This video is courtesy of http://www.commoncraft.com, which shows a fantastic tutorial explaining what is RSS, and why it is necessary for those who enjoy spending time online, but are looking for a more effecient process of doing so!

This is from an email I receive from one of the links on the bottom of the http://OnComputers.info I think MissM posted the video from the site.

AlaskaJoe

Stickam

I make no guarantees if this will be working. So consider that your warning. :)

Express Yourself LIVE

--MissM

The Blue Screen of Felony Convictions

Recently on this blog, I wrote You Have the Right to Read Your Accuser. In this, I argued that any software with substantial risk to harm your life or liberty must be open source. I specifically mentioned some breathalyzer software that people were fighting to see the source code of. Though the Florida legislature and many regional prosecutors obviously feel that the breathalyzer company’s rights were the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered that source code to a popular breathalyzer be revealed. The resulmore important the individual rights, ts, if you’ll pardon the pun, are breathtaking.

go read the rest.

The Blue Screen of Felony Convictions - O'Reilly ONLamp Blog

--MissM

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) I am going to start the week with a quick revisit to an old problem with a new link. To be truthful while I remember this subject coming up on the show in the past, and I remember finding a couple of links to help, I cannot remember if I put them in my blog. Any way if you need help recycling any of our old electronics this site is pretty easy, just enter your zip code and you get a list of the closest, with a break down on the details http://mygreenelectronics.org

2) Ever wonder how long you have left to live, here is a calculator that will give you an estimate based on your lift style, health, and other mitigating factors. Another advantage is to point out how much each of these factors can effect your longevity, giving you an idea of which areas of change might give you the best results. http://www.poodwaddle.com

3) Are you keeping up with the bee problem? Here is a quick read that looks like it might shed some light http://www.ens-newswire.com

4) Last site for the week is a video site, I know there are a lot of them out there, but I found this one unique. Check it out there is quite a bit there I found interesting. http://www.brasschecktv.com

Storm Worm Botnet More Powerful Than Top Supercomputers -- Botnets and other MS news

The Storm worm botnet has grown so massive and far-reaching that it easily overpowers the world's top supercomputers.

That's the latest word from security researchers who are tracking the burgeoning network of Microsoft(MSFT) Windows machines that have been compromised by the virulent Storm worm, which has pounded the Internet non-stop for the past three months. Despite the wide ranging estimates as to the size of the botnet, researchers tend to agree that it's one of the largest zombie grids they've ever seen -- one capable of doing great damage.

"In terms of power, [the botnet] utterly blows the supercomputers away," said Matt Sergeant, chief anti-spam technologist with MessageLabs, in an interview. "If you add up all 500 of the top supercomputers, it blows them all away with just 2 million of its machines. It's very frightening that criminals have access to that much computing power, but there's not much we can do about it."
Storm Worm Botnet More Powerful Than Top Supercomputers -- Botnets -- InformationWeek

And next weeks windows updates from the Microsoft Security Response Center 1 critical, and 3 important updates.

--MissM

It's Official: Apple is the New Microsoft

MIke Elgin appears to actually mean this. I found it hilarious, though of course he does actually have some talking points. (He's not one to write mindlessly, in my opinion and experience.)

Then there is Jeff Smykil's take over at Ars Technica, titled; "A Brief History of Ugly: Apple in the last 10 years".

I guess the point is that Apple, which proudly points to it's fan base, while stiffing them badly at times, though not every, opportunity. From what I have been hearing over the last few days, they are in danger of losing their core community of fans. Not necessarily over the iPhone pricing debacle, but over their little actions toward users over a period of time.

Enjoy,

Jack

YouTube - Video: RSS in Plain English

Please give less than 4 minutes of your time, if you don't already use RSS to power surf. Its a good simple explanation.



I'd also suggest Newshutch as a good feed reader.
--MissM

Zombie Pfizer Computers Spew Viagra Spam

The irony that the maker of Viagra is unintentionally spewing Viagra spam is delicious. At the same time, the whole deal is pitiful. Pfizer seems to ignore notices of their problem by professional security personnel and a large number of the company's IP addresses are now blocked by anti-spam blacklists.

I hope the public embarrassment is enough to push their network people into action, but somehow I doubt it will happen.

Jack

Voyager at 30: Looking Beyond and Within

30 years into a 5 year mission, the two spacecraft are still ticking along. This is just cool.

Jack

Apple OX an open book with hack

Don't freak out! Before you listen to the hype, and there is a fair amount of it, you have to understand that the hack can only take place if the attacker has physical access to the machine. That narrows the scope of things considerably. However; I have read two blogs this morning by people who claim to have had their confidence shattered by the presence of this.

Apple will fix it. Probably very quickly, too. In the mean time, make sure your kids don't execute this and you're on easy street. I don't know what to tell those running Apple's XServe on servers, but that's a whole nother class of problem and those admins probably don't need my input.

Jack

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/